May 2010 Archives

Bright Falls Explained

The time has come.

Bright Falls - The Answers

Since I started this site, the most common email I get is “Can you tell me what’s going on in Bright Falls? I’m frightened and confused.” After nearly one billion re-watches of the entire Bright Falls series, I’m going to lay down what I think happens.

What follows in an explanation of Bright Falls. If you haven’t seen the series, this is probably the worst place on the internet to be right now. Bright Falls is a magical series full of amazement and horror. You’d be doing yourself a serious injustice to ruin the plot twists without ever seeing it. You can watch it for free on this very site. Make sure you go in order, starting with “Oh Deer” and ending with “Clearcut.” Continue reading Bright Falls Explained

Alan Wake Novel

That grand theory post is coming! There’s a draft of it sitting right here, it should only be a few more days. I’ve been busy this week securing some very cool stuff for this site – more on that later. As you may have guessed, I’ve also been distracted playing Alan Wake!

For those of you who love Bright Falls but aren’t into gaming, there’s now a way for you to enjoy the story of Alan Wake without picking up a controller.

Tor Books has published an Alan Wake Novel. It’s written by Rick Burroughs, and covers the story of the Alan Wake game. At 320 pages and only $10, there’s really no reason not to check it out. I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet (they just came out today!) but I can say the video game’s story is pretty incredible.

In a previous post on Gaming and Art I wrote about an ongoing debate on whether gaming can be considered a valid art form. Personally I think dismissing gaming (in the way Roger Ebert famously did) only shows an ignorance regarding how far the medium has come. Continue reading Alan Wake Novel

Phillip Van Bright Falls Atmosphere Video

It’s been several days since the Bright Falls series finale finally went up (you can view all the episodes now). As I continue to prepare an upcoming post on the mysteries of Bright Falls, I have another way for everyone to get their fix: The Bright Falls Atmospheres Montage!

This all new footage can be found on director Phillip Van’s Vimeo page. It’s presumably a complication of location footage they shot before the actual series to help narrow down the feel they were looking for – although it’s also possible that it’s extra footage taken during filming. Some of the best parts of the series were the setting and cinematography, so it’s pretty exciting that an additional feature like this exists. Continue reading Phillip Van Bright Falls Atmosphere Video

High Resolution Bright Falls Cover Art

The Double Feature page for the Bright Falls episode now includes high resolution cover art!

Last year the film podcast did a lengthy analysis of Bright Falls for their The Shining + Bright Falls episode. They just put up a new website, and one of the features is full-on 1000 x 1500 pixel movie cover art. Every single episode has downloadable poster art, and that includes the cover art for Bright Falls!

The image looks like it’s a slightly altered version of the teaser movie-poster mockup that has been featured on the IMDB page as well as IGN.com. It’s a real clean version, without all the text and whatnot on the bottom.

This would be perfect for your own version of the Bright Falls DVD you’ll never be able to buy at retail. Head over to the site to get the full resolution image. It’s about half way down the page.

Alan Wake Released!

The Xbox 360 game Alan Wake (on which Bright Falls is based) was finally released today!

The Bright Falls series isn’t currently available on DVD – and unfortunately it may never be. Purchasing Alan Wake is currently the best (and really only) way to tell Remedy and company that Bright Falls was a great idea. If Alan Wake sells well, they will measure their advertising as a success. This is the only hope we have of getting more content like Bright Falls, so click that link and buy a copy of the game.

At the above link you will find two versions. One is the standard game – instructions, disc, the bare essentials. BORING. But hold on-

There’s an option at that link to buy the Limited Edition. This version is fully loaded. You’ve got the game and manual of course, but there’s also limited edition artwork, in-game audio commentary, the official soundtrack and score, a book (which I’ll get to in a second), and an xbox live bonus disc. The bonus disc contains: Continue reading Alan Wake Released!

Bright Falls Episode 6: Clearcut

The sixth and very last episode of Bright Falls called “Clearcut.”

Episode six is the last episode. Before you watch episode it, make sure you’ve seen the previous episodes.
1. Oh Deer | 2. Time Flies | 3. Lights Out | 4. Local Flavor | 5. Off the Record

The time for curiosity, exploration, and mystery solving is over. Self preservation has kicked in, getting out is all that matters anymore.

Previously I expressed a fear that Bright Falls would fail to live up to the promise it first showed. As I watched episodes one and two, I remember thinking “there’s no way it will stay this good.” Sometimes as you watch a great film, you can’t help but wonder how they’re going to mess it up. The sense of excitement, the fresh atmosphere, the new and mysterious characters…most times progressing through sadly diminishes these attributes.

I’m happy to say Bright Falls is even better at the end than the beginning. Everything I loved about it from the first episode remained true to the last. Each new turn showed off another great side, a trick I wasn’t expecting it to pull. Now that the series is over, we can all breathe a sign of relief. Way to not screw it up, Bright Falls. We can chalk this up to ways you’ve outdone your predecessors. Continue reading Bright Falls Episode 6: Clearcut

Bright Falls Episode 5: Off the Record

The final episode of Bright Falls are finally upon us. Episode five is called “Off the Record.”

Before you watch episode five, make sure you’ve seen the previous episodes.
1. Oh Deer | 2. Time Flies | 3. Lights Out | 4. Local Flavor

There’s no turning back now. Off the Record gets right down to business. Jake wants answers, and he’s running out of time. The episode continues the series trend of uncompromising development. There isn’t a second of filler. Every single frame, sentence, character action – they’re all there for a reason.

Unlike the other episodes, this one focuses on a single mystery and really drives it home. Rather than continue asking “why” or “who” and getting vague answers, we’re going to find out “what.” What is Jake doing when he blacks out? What is going on in the time lapses? What specifically is happening to him?

As we find out, it might be safer not knowing. Continue reading Bright Falls Episode 5: Off the Record

Will Alan Wake Live Up to Bright Falls?

Chris J. Thompson put up a review of Bright Falls (update: no longer active) for Popculture Hound earlier this week. He’s got a lot of great things to say about the series, which if you’ll remember was originally planned to be little more than an advertisement for Alan Wake. Since it’s release, Bright Falls has earned a great deal of critical praise and even it’s own fanbase separate from those anticipating the game itself.

Chris offers up a sentiment I’ve been hearing with greater and greater frequency:

Based on the strength of the four episodes I’ve watched, the game itself has a lot to live up to! Bright Falls sets the bar very high indeed and it’s obvious they’ve invested a lot of time and money to make sure this project is done just right.

Video game “adaptations” have had a poor reputation for years. When it was announced that there would be a live action tie-in to help promote Alan Wake, very few had high hopes for the six part series. How ironic that now, for maybe the first time ever, people are asking if the video game can live up to the video game adaptation.

We’ll find out in just a few short days.

Deerfest Video

The Deerfest video from episode four has shown up online.

NOTE: This video is not a Bright Falls episode. If you’re looking for episodes you want to go here.

As you’ll remember from episode 4 (titled Local Flavor), Jake goes into a trance while watching this odd video for Deerfest. The event is also mentioned on the radio in episode 2 (Time Flies). Continue reading Deerfest Video

G4, Lost, and the Setting of Bright Falls

In a previous post on G4 and David Lynch I mentioned the coverage G4TV has been giving bright falls. They’ve since posted articles on the third and fourth episodes as well.

In their impressions of episode 3 Gaskill recaps the episode noting specific references to Lost. Fans of the ABC series will find more comparisons between the storytelling elements than anything else. If you’ve been following Lost all this time (we’re almost there, guys!) you’re plenty familiar with the “more questions than answers” approach. It’s as if each new answer actually reveals a greater distance to the truth…

In the episode 4 impressions Stephen Johnson notes “The Alan Wake ‘Bright Falls’ promotional webisodes are the best promotional webisodes I’ve ever seen.” It’s odd to even think of them as webisodes at this point, but I’m right there with you Stephen. He goes on to say: Continue reading G4, Lost, and the Setting of Bright Falls