My 2 Cents

Quote of the Day

2011-05-25T17:56:00.000-04:00

"If I must be lonely, I think I'd rather be alone."

Stabbing Westward

The Best 10 of the Last 10

2011-05-15T05:06:00.000-04:00

Standard "10 in the 10" rules apply. I had to have seen the movie, and it had to have had a theatrical release, and it had to have been released in the last 10 years.

Remember, the Best 10 is subject to personal tastes, and thus, it may not match any list that you may compile yourself.

The Best 10 in the Last 10 (as always, in no particular order)

1) Sin City 2005 - A throwback to the film noir of old Holywood with a modern slant. What makes this film one of the best is not only it's highly stylized look (black and white with highlighting color), but it's adherence to the original source material (Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels).

2) Batman Begins 2005 - Who would have thought that a reboot of a series would be so... wow. Batman Begins goes past the action and adventure of the caped crusader and analyzes the psyche that makes of the Dark Knight. Use of "second tier" villains (Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul) help make the film a spectacle while still leaving ground to explore.

3) The Dark Knight 2008 - A lot of initial buz for this movie was generated by the sudden and tragic death of Heath Ledger. Still, even if Ledger had not died, his performance as the Joker would have been phenomenal, throwing back to the origins of the Joker while still putting a severely twisted spin on the character.

4) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2003 - I have to admit I did not expect much of this movie going in. In fact, I was seeing it because I had gotten a movie pass in a pirate themes video game. Now having seeing this film, I would have paid full price. A true swashbuckling adventure.

5) The 40 Year Old Virgin 2005 - It's been a long time since a movie made me laugh, really laugh, and even longer when I still laugh at movie even after repeated viewings. Airplane does this, and so does The 40 Year Old Virgin. Steve Carell is hilarious.

6) Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2003 - The final chapter in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and truly worthy of the Oscar that it won for best picture.

7) Iron Man 2008 - I've never really been an Iron Man fan, except for a brief period of time when James Rhodes was Iron Man after Tony Stark "died" (lasted all of two months, but spun off War Machine). So, a movie has to be good for me to change my opinion of a character than I never really cared all that much about.

8) The Incredibles 2004 - Probably the best Pixar movie I've seen, mostly because I am a comic book fan. It is a fun trip watching the fall and rise of a superhero.

9) 300 2006 - An adventure following the same adherence to the original source material as Sin City (also based on a Frank Miller graphic novel), even if the story if told through an unreliable narrator.

10) Phantom of the Opera 2004 - I'll admit it, I'm a Phantom mark. I've read the book... repeatedly, seen the musical traveling show, and seen a number of the movies (the original 1925 Lon Chaney version is still the best). This version captures the majesty and wonder of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway smash.

Twitter Follows

2011-05-14T04:35:00.002-04:00

I recently decided to try Twitter anew (after my previous Twitter account got hacked), and am looking for possible cool Twitter follows. Anyone out there have any suggestions?

Guilty 10 on DVD

2011-05-11T04:28:00.000-04:00

I modification of my Guilty 10 concept. This time, the list is open to anything on DVD and not just movies that saw cinematic release. It is also open to movies that were not necessarily released in the last ten years. There will not be a lot of duplication from this list and the guilty 10 in the last 10 list.

As always, I'm still working on my Best 10 in the Last 10 list

The Guilty 10 on DVD

1) Godzilla Final Wars - Supposedly the last Godzilla movie (just as Godzilla vs Destroyah was supposed to be the last Godzilla movie), Final Wars throws in everything to make one Hell of a roller coaster ride. Not only do we have the king of monsters, but just about every other monster Toho ever released (even the American Godzilla), but a human storyline draws upon a lot of the stunts that The Matrix movies used. On second thought, don't really pay attention to the story, just watch Godzilla beat up on a lot of monsters.

2) Destroy All Monsters - Going retro with this Godilla flick. Like the later Godzilla: Final Wars, Destroy All Monsters features a monster cast of Toho's giant monsters in a Battle Royale against Ghidorah.

3) Five Deadly Venoms - Cheesy martial arts flick that is truly a master of cheesy martial arts clicks. The story centers around five martial arts masters (the titular Venoms), one apprentice trying to find who's good and who's bad, and a lost treasure. Granted, the treasure is almost secondary to watching the five Venoms introduce themselves to each other ("You're Number One, the Centipede") and fight, naturally.

4) Tarzan - I refer to the Disney version of the movie. An fun romp that brings the character of Tarzan to a new generation without losing a lot of what makes Tarzan, well, Tarzan.

5) The Phantom - One of those comic book adventure movies I know I shouldn't like, but always enjoy watching whenever it's on. Billy Zane is actually entertaining as the Phantom.

6) Doctor Who: The 5 Doctors - Not a movie, per se, but many of the DVDs out there stitch together this anniversary Doctor Who series into one mini epic. Even without a prominent presence of Tom Baker, the DVD is a fun adventure that pulls together not only the Doctors, but many of their most popular companions.

7) Cowboy Bebop - Anime series that is sharp, stylish, hip, and so well produced. Interesting characters and a hip non-anime style soundtrack help to make this a fan favorite in the U.S.

8) Final Fantasy: Advent Children - Similar in style to Final Fantasy: Spirits Within (well produced computer generated animation), only with the characters that those of you familiar to the Final Fantasy storylines will recognize.

9) The 40 Year Old Virgin - I have not laughed so much as when I watched this movie. Steve Carell is hilarious as the titular character, as are his friends that try and help him with his "situation."

10) Godzilla - The original. A recent DVD release has on it the American version with Raymond Burr as Steve Martin (yes, that's right, Steve Martin), as well as the original Japanese release of the film. Watch the original with subtitles to see the real themes of the movie come through.

Facebook Friends

2011-04-26T04:08:00.000-04:00

Unlike a lot of people on Facebook, I run a lean friends list. How lean? It's only 78 people. It isn't a grand number. In terms of Facebook friends, it's actually quite small. This is mostly due to the fact that I do not actively go out and search for friends, either by searching my past for people I knew, or by combing through the vast list of people that Facebook recommends that I could possibly be friends with. There are a number of reasons for that.

The biggest reason why I don't search for friends comes from my current friends list. I have a lot of friends on that list who have befriended a lot of people... A LOT of people. In all fairness, they are more popular than me, and some of that is work related (both the popularity and the number of friends). But the end result of that my suggested friends list tends to have a gigantic number of people on it, most of who I do not even know. Because of the number, and the fact that Facebook doesn't seem to want to allow me to say, "I don't know this person, don't show me them again," it makes wading through the gigantic list a lot more arduous.

Facebook also has made it a bit more difficult to filter friends. It used to be that you could filter a list not only by school, but graduation year as well. As near as I can tell now, that option is not available. So, now I see not only people from my graduating class, but everyone who ever went to that school. Its all well and good for my high school, which tended to have smaller classes, but I went to Syracuse University for college. Syracuse tended to not have small classes... ever. It's difficult enough to search for just my graduating class, now I have to try and filter out every other graduating class too.

The last reason is probably the most personal. I never really had a lot of friends growing up. I still don't. A lot of the people I was friends with I do have as contacts on Facebook. But there are a lot more people out there that I knew growing up that I wouldnt say I was great friends with. Fringe classmates, people I know in passing, but not all that well, and a few crushes here and there. Often when I look at the list of people Facebook suggests I might be friends with, I run across someone I knew in this capacity. And, for that brief moment, I wonder if they would actually want to be Facebook friends with me, then usually move on. I usually feel like if I were to Facebook friend them, it would almost be like stalking them, especially with the nature of Facebook's posting system.

Don't get me wrong. If anyone actually wanted to Facebook friend me, and was someone I knew, I would most likely befriend them (there may be one or two people I wouldn't... everyone have those people in their past). Unless that happens, my Facebook friends list will stay its lean 78.

The Best 10 of all Time

2011-04-20T05:13:00.001-04:00

I had originally intended this to be a Best 10 in the Last 10 motif. The only problem is that I really could not come up with ten movies in the last ten years that I've seen that I would classify as "best." So, I decided to expand my top 5 all time to a top 10 of all time.

I try to adhere to the rules that I set up in my previous "10" lists (theatrical release, had to have seen it, etc). Also keep in mind that the list is ssubjective. Some of my Top 10 will undoubtedly be on other people's Worst 10 or Guilty 10. As I mentioned, this is my top 10.

Now, my Top 10 of all Time (as always, in no particular order)

Phantom of the Opera 1925 - Probably the earliest of the movies I include on this list, but a true cinematic treasure to watch, especially if you manage to get your hands on a good DVD copy. This version is probably the closest to the original novel's story, down to the appearance of Erik (brilliantly played by Lon Chaney).

Henry V 1989 - This is the Branagh version of the Shakespearean history. This is a brutal version of the play, leaving in much of the negative scenes that the earlier Olivier version left out. Unapologetic in its tone, it celebrates Shakespeare with a stellar cast of British acting.

Goldfinger 1964 - the first of the movies on my list that some may debate the merits of, but this film remains the quintessential James Bond movie

Evil Dead 2 1987 - Definitely a guilty pleasure, but one of the horror movies I enjoy watching over and over again. A lot of Sam Raimi's style that he uses in his later mainstream movies shows up in this film, and cements Bruce Campbell as a B-movie hero

Captain Blood 1935 - The swashbuckling adventure of Peter Blood, physician turned slave turned pirate captain, this is one of Errol Flynn's best roles.

The Great Escape 1963 - One of the best war movies, telling a tweaked version of the true story of the escape from Stalog Luft 3.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1974- An irreverent look at the legend of King Arthur, with all the hilarious mocking that Monty Python is known for. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who does not know as least one line from this classic.

Batman Begins 2005 - Probably the best Batman movie to be release since the 1989 Tim Burton Batman, this version reboots the franchise, forgoing classic villains for the Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul (though both are classic comic villains), creating a Bruce Wayne/Batman seeking direction until he finds himself.

Brotherhood of the Wolf 2001 - Admittedly, this is the only foreign language movie on my list, this movie retells the legend of the Beast of Gevaudan, twisting and turning its way through a tale that is one part "werewolf" movie, one part adventure, and one part conspiracy movie.

Psycho 1960 - Simply Hitchcock at his best.

Guilty 10 in the Last 10

2011-04-20T04:29:00.002-04:00

Following the same guidelines set in my previous post Worst 10 in the Last 10, here are the 10 movies in the last 10 years that I like in spite of themselves (and other people).

I’m still working on the Best 10 list.

The Guilty 10…

1) Daredevil (2003) - There is just something about this movie that just clicked for me. Maybe it was Colin Farrell as Bullseye, or the really cool explanation (and effects) of how Daredevil’s radar sense worked, I don’t know, but I usually end up watching this movie whenever it’s on. Check out the Director’s cut, it actually added a lot to the movie.

2) Punisher (2004) - Granted, Rebecca Romijn is way too good looking to be Joan (who was a bit mousy in the original story), but Thomas Jane is spot on as Frank Castle. Even better, we do see him wear the Punisher’s iconic skull in this movie, unlike the Dolph Lungren version.

3) National Treasure (2004) - This one I saw on DVD because my dad wanted to see it. I have to say, I was really pleasantly surprised by this neat little adventure movie.

4) Snakes on a Plane (2006) - In another decade, this movie would have been late night theatre fare much, much like Rocky Horror Picture Show, with all the audience interaction of Rocky Horror. Still, it’s just a fun movie to watch, especially on commercial cable (“I am tired of these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday to Friday plane!“).

5) Silent Hill (2006) - I loved the creepy video games. And this movie managed to capture the same creepiness.

6) Slither (2006) - I love old horror movies, the Universal monster movies, Them, Hammer horror. Slither manages to play into the who B-movie/alien invasion movie while keeping a sense of humor about the whole thing.

7) Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) - This movie captures the feel of the old serials.

8) Hellboy (2004) - a decend job bringing Mike Mignola’s comic icon to the big screen. Ron Perlman is perfect as Hellboy.

9) Blade: Trinity (2004) - The last of the Blade movies, but it is Ryan Reynolds that shines as vampire-hunting wiseass Hannibal King.

10) DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) - This is the epitome of the guilty pleasure. It’s not well acted in general, and the story is, well, it’s based off a video game where the principle premise is that scantily clad women fight each other. Regardless, I still have fun watching it, sort of like the fun you have when you watch an old kung fu movie.

The Worst 10 in the Past 10 - Revised

2011-04-20T04:23:00.003-04:00

I originally did this roughly two years ago. In that time, I felt it was necessary to revisit the list, seeing what may have dropped off, and what may have been added.

The criteria for the list is simple. First (and obviously), the movie had to have been released in the last ten years (2001 to 2011). Secondly, I had to have seen it, or at least enough of it to know it’s garbage. Finally, it had to have seen theatrical release (thus eliminating a number of direct to DVD and Sci-Fi Channel movies).

I do hope to make a Best 10 in the Last 10 list, but this one is a lot easier to compile.

The List (in no particular order)

1) Piranha 2010 - Not much should be expected of a movie that is based off a Roger Corman movie. Corman's films are not exactly known for being... what's the world... good. But, at least Corman gave you a cast of characters that you could kind of care about. With the exception of Elisabeth Shue's Sheriff Forester, that just aren't any character that you feel sorry for when they get eaten by the titular creatures. In truth, this movie seems to exist only to show off the naked bodies of one dimensional (ironic phrase, considering this movie was released in 3D) characters Danni and Crystal, but special gore effects used to show the carnage of the piranha.

2) Star Wars Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones 2002 - Episode 1 was a disappointment in that I thought it could have been a lot better than it was. Episode 2 killed the magic of Star Wars for me. Where the characters were flat and uninteresting in Episode 1, the were just total jerks in Episode 2. It is sad when you have a talented cast like Episode 2 had (and Hayden Christensen), and the best acting is from a computer generated muppet. I stopped watching Star Wars movies altogether because of this one.

3) Aeon Flux 2005 - Beyond the occasional appearance on MTV’s Liquid Television, I never really got into Aeon Flux. When I watched this movie, I found it incomphrehensible. Somehow, I have a feeling watching the original series would do anything to clear up the confusion.

4) Ultraviolet 2006 - It is really saying something when half way through watching a movie, you decide to do something a bit more interesting, like house cleaning. This movie just did not make me care about it at all.

5) Alone in the Dark 2005 - Seriously. Did casting really think we would believe that Tara Reid was a scientist?

6) House of the Dead 2003 - The second Uwe Boll movie on the list (Boll directed Alone in the Dark), House of the Dead was based off the arcade shooter. The movie is horribly cliched, badly acted, and just downright bad.

7) Bloodrayne 2005 - The third Uwe Boll film on the list, and probably the one that cemented his reputation as the Ed Wood Jr. of the 21st century, though that's really kind of an insult to Ed Wood Jr. Even more shocking is that Ben Kinglsey, the man who played Gandhi (and won an oscar for that role) was in this… movie.

8) Matrix Reloaded 2003

9) Matrix Revolutions 2003 - I put these two movies together not because they are both Matrix movies, but because personally, I think the two of them, edited down and merged into one, could have been a great movie. Instead, what we got were two movies with scenes that were way too long (some almost painfully long), and action sequences that were added to say, “Hey, look what we can do!”

10) Underworld: Evolution 2006 - I had high hopes for this movie. I loved the first one. Sadly, I was disappointed in this one. The story seemed to go nowhere, the characters seemed to do nothing, and the love scene between Selene and Michael seemed to be there so that the director could say, “Oh yeah, that’s who I get to sleep with every night.” From what I heard, the third movie in the series is supposed to be vastly better. From what I’ve seen of this one, I don’t think it could be worse.

Movie Quotes Game

2011-02-06T04:00:00.004-05:00

Pretty simple, just guess what films these quotes come from

1) "Groovy"

2) “Operation Grand Slam, for instance.”

3) “I was not angry since I came to France, until this instant!”

4) ” This is what I call a timely interruption! Though what'll come of it - the devil himself only knows!”

5) “Watch him Devil. If he moves, eat him!”

6) “Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.”

7) “Well, well. You took my advice about theatricality a bit... literally."

8) “This is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They're back! There's no choice left. And I'm ready for war.”

9) “Jack, please, I'm only an elected official here, I can't make decisions by myself!”

10) “But I love gatherings. Isn't it ironic?”

Random Thoughts Again

2011-01-22T03:31:00.003-05:00

5 Pictorials The Show Playboy's Running Out of Ideas
1) Women of Warcraft
2) Delaware Delights: Women of Dover
3) Pam Anderson: We think this is the last of the old pics
4) Women of the Downtown Busline
5) Women of... Listen, does anyone actually care if there's a theme?

5 Movies That Should Never Have Video Game Adaptations
1) My Dinner With Andre
2) Brokeback Mountain
3) Airplane!
4) Being John Malkovich
5) Swimming in Cambodia

5 Movies That Would Make Cool Video Games
1) Captain Blood (would feature pirate ship fights, sword fighting, daring escape missions)
2) Laura (Classic film noir that would be a cool game in the Myst vein)
3) Transporter (bad movie, but game would feature driving and hand to hand combat)
4) Creature from the Black Lagoon (puzzle solving and monster fighting)
5) 39 Steps (Classic Hitchcock movie would work well as a pule solver)

Confusion Abounds

2011-01-18T04:10:00.003-05:00

The other day, I received a tweet from someone asking about my new girlfriend [name withheld, though it's on my tweet posts, so I don't really know why I'm withholding it]. For those who don't know me:

1) I don't have a new girlfriend
2) I don't have the free time to get a new girlfriend
C) Even if I did have the time, I would not have the self confidence to actually try and get one

Subsequent posts would later reveal that this person messaging me was, according to him, said new girlfriend's husband.

Disregarding the above mentioned don't have a girlfriend, don't have time for a girlfriend, and not a person someone would not want to date anyway points, I have the highest regard for the sanctity of marriage, even if I'm not sure how to spell "sanctity."

The worst part about all of this is that now I have to spend my time on Twitter trying to convince some irate guy that I'm not dating his wife behind his back instead of what Twitter was really meant to do: sending quick parody blurbs under #wookieeleaks (or #wookieleaks, depending on how you spell "wookiee").

MST 3K Space Mutiny Name of the Week

2011-01-18T04:08:00.000-05:00

Big McLargehuge

Playing with the new toys

2010-09-10T04:23:00.002-04:00

I just had to try updating my blog@from my phone. I can't see myself making a full entry, but it should work for quick ones

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

NaNoWriMo 2009 in the books - at least for me

2009-11-25T04:09:00.003-05:00

Once again, I participated in the National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo). The basic goal is to complete a novel of at least 50,000 in the month of November. This was no third year, and also my third victory with the final word count clocking in around 53,000 words. This year looked a bit harrowing because I actually ditched my first idea on the second for a new one. In spite of that stumbling (and honestly speaking, the other idea was a better movie idea than a novel idea... maybe I'll save it for Script Frenzy), I managed to complete it.

Now if I only knew what to call it.

Quote of the Day

2009-11-01T02:22:00.000-05:00

"He's world famous in Poland."
Anna Bronski (played by Anne Bancroft in To Be Or Not To Be)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-31T02:40:00.002-04:00

"Now, let it be war upon you both!"
The Phantom (played by Gerard Butler in The Phantom of the Opera)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-30T02:39:00.000-04:00

"You will not remember what I show you now, and yet I shall awaken memories of love... and crime... and death..."
Ardath Bey (played by Boris Karloff in The Mummy)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-29T14:16:00.000-04:00

"What do you mean there's no government? There's always a government, they're in a bunker or a plane somewhere!"
Jim (played by Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-28T14:14:00.000-04:00

"Help me. Please... , help me."
Seth Brundle (played by Jeff Goldblum in The Fly)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

"Rest... In... Peace."
The Undertaker (from the WWE)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-26T14:05:00.000-04:00

"Yes... I... have... read... the file."
Swamp Thing (In Saga of the Swamp Thing issue 21)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-25T00:42:00.000-04:00

"You rang?"
Lurch (played by Ted Cassidy in The Addams Family)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-24T00:40:00.000-04:00

"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."
Rod Serling from The Twlight Zone

Quote of the Day

2009-10-23T00:39:00.000-04:00

"I'm sorry, I, uh... I ate a lot of sugar today."
Hannibal King (played by Ryan Reynolds in Blade: Trinity)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-22T00:36:00.000-04:00

"Actually, it's seven men. Parts of them, anyway."
Van Helsing (played by Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-21T00:34:00.001-04:00

"I am a Death Dealer, sworn to destroy those known as the Lycans."
Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale in Underworld)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-20T00:30:00.000-04:00

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Sheriff Brody (played by Roy Scheider in Jaws)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-19T00:50:00.000-04:00

"Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast."
Carl Denham (played by Robert Armstrong in King Kong)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-18T00:48:00.000-04:00

"Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make."
Count Dracula (played by Bela Lugosi in Dracula)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-17T00:44:00.000-04:00

"Bela turned into a wolf and you killed him. A werewolf can only be killed by a silver bullet, or a silver knife... or a stick with a silver handle."
Maleva (played by Maria Ouspenskaya in The Wolf Man)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-16T00:42:00.002-04:00

"Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun."

Ash (played by Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-15T12:57:00.002-04:00

"Muerte. That’s Spanish for death. Just in case you don't speak Mexican."
Salish (played by Clint Howard in House of the Dead)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-14T12:53:00.000-04:00

“If the apocalypse comes, beep me.”
Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Geller in Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-13T12:50:00.000-04:00

“We didn't come here to fight monsters, we're not equipped for it.“
David Reed (played by Richard Carlson in The Creature From the Black Lagoon)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-12T12:49:00.000-04:00

“You have created a monster, and it will destroy you!”

Doctor Waldman (played by Edward Van Sloan in Frankenstein)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-11T22:28:00.000-04:00

"You're one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan
Designed and directed by his red right hand"

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Red Right Hand

Quote of the Day

2009-10-10T12:43:00.000-04:00

“Look! It's moving. It's alive. It's alive... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!”

Henry Frankenstein (played by Colin Clive in Frankenstein)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

"Are you weird?"

Elizabeth Solley (played by Jamie Lee Curtis in The Fog)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-08T12:38:00.000-04:00

"Oh crap."

Hellboy

Quote of the Day

2009-10-07T12:36:00.000-04:00

"Okay. You people sit tight, hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if we're not back by dawn... call the president."

Jack Burton (played by Kurt Russell in Big Trouble in Little China)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-06T12:34:00.000-04:00

"Lights out, everybody!"

Announcer for the radio show Lights Out!

Quote of the Day

2009-10-05T12:33:00.000-04:00

"What the frig?"

Grant Wilson, Ghost Hunters

Quote of the Day

2009-10-04T04:42:00.000-04:00

“Children of the night, shut up!”

Count Dracula (played by George Hamilton in Love At First Bite)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-03T04:38:00.000-04:00

"Right, 'cause after six hours that's when they're really dead."

Peter Bishop (played by Joshua Jackson in Fringe)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-02T21:17:00.000-04:00

"Groovy"

Ash
(played by Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2)

Quote of the Day

2009-10-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

"I'm boring myself just talking about this."

Jim Halpert
(played by Jim Krasinski in The Office)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-30T04:58:00.000-04:00

"I reject your reality and substitute my own!"

Adam Savage, Mythbuster

Quote of the Day

2009-09-29T04:57:00.000-04:00

"I'm a time traveler, I point and laugh at archaeologists."

The Doctor
(played by David Tennant in Doctor Who)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-28T04:55:00.000-04:00

"I sent the club a wire stating, "PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER"."

Groucho Marx

Quote of the Day

2009-09-27T04:53:00.000-04:00

"Yeah, that can't be good."

Sheriff Jack Carter
(played by Colin Ferguson on Eureka)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-26T04:51:00.000-04:00

"Quiet, numbskulls, I'm broadcastin'."

Moe Howard
(from The Three Stooges)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-25T04:49:00.002-04:00

"I get paid for what most kids get punished for."

Jerry Lewis

Quote of the Day

2009-09-24T04:48:00.000-04:00

"We interrupt this program to increase dramatic tension."

Announcer, Freakazoid

Quote of the Day

2009-09-23T04:47:00.000-04:00

"Okay, look, I think you have as much of a chance of having a sexual relationship with Penny as the Hubble telescope does of discovering that at the center of every black hole is a little man with a flashlight searching for a circuit breaker. Nevertheless, I do feel obligated to point out to you that she did not reject you. You did not ask her out."

Sheldon
(played by Jim Parsons on Big Bang Theory)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-22T04:46:00.000-04:00

"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"

Dr. Peter Venkman
(played by Bill Murray in Ghostbusters)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-21T04:44:00.000-04:00

"I got it, I got it, I got it!
I got your number on the wall!
I got it, I got it, I got it!
For a good time, for a good time call...."

Tommy Tutone, 867-5309/Jenny

Quote of the Day

2009-09-20T04:43:00.000-04:00

“He didn’t buy his walk through walls machine at Walk Through Wal-Mart”

Jack Carter, Eureka

Quote of the Day

2009-09-19T04:42:00.001-04:00

"Why, you got some?"

MacGyver
(played by Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-18T04:40:00.001-04:00

“You lose being trusted. Strange how important that is when it’s gone.”

Dr. Walter Bishop, Fringe

Quote of the Day

2009-09-17T04:31:00.000-04:00

"Weather forecast for tonight: Dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning."

George Carlin

Quote of the Day

2009-09-16T04:35:00.000-04:00

"I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed"

Marvin
(from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, written by Douglas Adams)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-15T04:32:00.001-04:00

"I love it when a plan comes together."

Hannibal Smith
(played by George Peppard on The A-Team)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-14T04:33:00.000-04:00

"Someday, high school boys will leer at a girl and say 'she could power In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."

Paula Poundstone
(On Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, commenting on a Slate story about the possibility of powering devices with jiggling... body parts)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-13T04:37:00.000-04:00

"Elvis told me not to."

Self quoted
(there's a story behind this quote, too)

Quote of the Day

2009-09-12T04:21:00.003-04:00

“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

Sherlock Holmes
The Sign of the Four
(written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If I Were In charge - DC Comics Edition

2009-06-22T03:39:00.002-04:00

It is a comic geek’s fantasy. A new editor in chief for DC Comics is needed. Searching far and wide, they come to one conclusion: I should be the EIC. I am given carte blanche to do what I want. Initially, I keep it down to five initial actions.

1) A two year moritorium on mega-crossovers. A crossover should be a special event. Something to draw in readers and make them want more. Mega-crossovers aren’t special when they happen every year. Initially, I would propose that we hold off on a major crossover for at least two years, which would lead into my next action.

2) Begin planning a mega-crossover for after the moritorium period. With careful planning from start to finish, we would be able to insure that this crossover would be as spectacular as such an event should be. In addition to that planning, there is also the time to build to event, planning clues in a number of books.

3) Expansion into new media - DC has a decent presence on TV and in the movies. If I were made EIC, I would explore expanding DC into new media directions. Chief among them would be the creation of an web based comic (similar to what Marvel has done with Spider-Woman), DC wikis, using the old Who’s Who format to collect information on characters, teams, events on-line and in CD format, and dramatic podcasts (similar to the audio adaptation of the Doomsday storyline as Superman Lives).

4) The creation of two anthology series - DC has begun to bring back the anthology series, but the concept can be expanded. The two new series would have multiple stories with rotating characters (one headliner, and an “undercard of stories). One of these series would revive the old World’s Finest series, the other could possibly be a continuation of DC’s Wednesday Comics weekly, if it is deemed to be a success.

5) Creator push - Bring in big name talent to pull in new readers is just a given. But, DC can work on developing new talent. DC ran a title in the 80s called New Talent Showcase, an anthology series featuring stories that fell outside the usual DC universe, and worked to bring new writers and artists to comic audiences. A title like this, either traditional or digital, could expand DC’s talent base and introduce new titles that can be licensed for other media.

The Guilty 10 from the Last 10

2009-06-07T04:37:00.005-04:00

The Worst 10 in the Last 10

2009-06-07T04:30:00.003-04:00

I originally did this roughly two years ago. In that time, I felt it was necessary to revisit the list, seeing what may have dropped off, and what may have been added.

The criteria for the list is simple. First (and obviously), the movie had to have been released in the last ten years (1999 to 2009). Secondly, I had to have seen it, or at least enough of it to know it’s garbage. Finally, it had to have seen theatrical release (thus eliminating a number of direct to DVD and Sci-Fi Channel movies).

I do hope to make a Best 10 in the Last 10 list, but this one is a lot easier to compile.

The List (in no particular order)

1) Star Wars Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace 1999 - Squeaking in under the timeline wire, the first of Lucas’ new Star Wars films, and a real disappointment. The characters were flat (except Jar Jar Binks, who was just annoying), and the story was weak, a real shame considering how long Lucas had to work on it. This was the movie that made me not want to pay full price for a movie again (yay matinee).

2) Star Wars Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones 2002 - Episode 1 was a disappointment in that I thought it could have been a lot better than it was. Episode 2 killed the magic of Star Wars for me. Where the characters were flat and uninteresting in Episode 1, the were just total jerks in Episode 2. It is sad when you have a talented cast like Episode 2 had (and Hayden Christensen), and the best acting is from a computer generated muppet. I stopped watching Star Wars movies altogether because of this one.

3) Aeon Flux 2005 - Beyond the occasional appearance on MTV’s Liquid Television, I never really got into Aeon Flux. When I watched this movie, I found it incomphrehensible. Somehow, I have a feeling watching the original series would do anything to clear up the confusion.

4) Ultraviolet 2006 - It is really saying something when half way through watching a movie, you decide to do something a bit more interesting, like house cleaning. This movie just did not make me care about it at all.

5) Alone in the Dark 2005 - Seriously. Did casting really think we would believe that Tara Reid was a scientist?

6) House of the Dead 2003 - The second Uwe Boll movie on the list (Boll directed Alone in the Dark), House of the Dead was based off the arcade shooter. The movie is horribly cliched, badly acted, and just downright bad.

7) Bloodrayne 2005 - The third Uwe Boll film on the list, and probably the one that cemented his reputation as the Ed Wood Jr. of the 21st century, though that's really kind of an insult to Ed Wood Jr. Even more shocking is that Ben Kinglsey, the man who played Gandhi (and won an oscar for that role) was in this… movie.

8) Matrix Reloaded 2003

9) Matrix Revolutions 2003 - A poll these two movies together not because they are both Matrix movies, but because personally, I think the two of them, edited down and merged into one, could have been a great movie. Instead, what we got were two movies with scenes that were way too long (some almost painfully long), and action sequences that were added to say, “Hey, look what we can do!”

10) Underworld: Evolution 2006 - I had high hopes for this movie. I loved the first one. Sadly, I was disappointed in this one. The story seemed to go nowhere, the characters seemed to do nothing, and the love scene between Selene and Michael seemed to be there so that the director could say, “Oh yeah, that’s who I get to sleep with every night.” From what I heard, the third movie in the series is supposed to be vastly better. From what I’ve seen of this one, I don’t think it could be worse.

Emo the Cat

2009-02-16T15:43:00.003-05:00

He was just a domestic shorthair. A common house cat. Still, when we picked him up from Catzablanca in Rocky Hill, we knew he was the cat for our family. He was originally going to be called Peeper, since he seemed to peep more than meow. I figured that he would eventually grow out of that and wanted to call him something else. His named ended up being Emo, after comedian Emo Philips.

Emo was an independent cat, choosing when he wanted to be around us. usually, that was by either curling up next to us while we watched TV, or lying on our backs when we slept. One time, when he was just a kitten, he even came into my room when I was a sleep and decided he wanted to be on my pillow. I'm in bed, and I feel this little paw on the back of my head. So I move over a little bit, intending to slare the pillow. Again, I feel a little paw nudge on my head, and again I move over a little more. With the third paw nudge, I found my head off the pillow. And there he was, lying on the pillow with that innocent, "What? What I do?" look.

Emo was like that. When he wanted something, he'd let you know. If his food dish was empty, he's come into my room, jump on my dresser, and start pushing books off of it, usually on me. Either that, or he'd jump on my parents dresser and start knocking stuff off of it. There were even a few times when he'd rest his paw on a small bottle or something near the edge and wait until he had our attention before pushing it off.

It seemed like his favorite hobby was getting in the way. He'd see you were walking somewhere in the house and race to get ahead of you. Once there, he'd start slowly meandering around, lingering in front of you. he especially liked to do this when you had things in hand, like groceries or other shopping. It was like he knew there was no way you could pick him up and move him out of the way then.

Only once did this hobby of hid get the better of him. It was a Sunday night. My dad, who had been commuting from here to Washington DC at the time, was getting ready so that he didn't have to worry about it the next day. Emo wanted to be in the bathroom. He had long discovered that it was a nice spot for him. It was sunny during the day, and was the one room that was most likely to have an open window. My dad shooed him out of the bathroom so that he could finish up. But, Emo being Emo, took his sweet old time in getting out. What he didn't count on was that my dad didn't see his tail was clear of the bathroom door. One closed door and one panicked cat later, he was now sporting a shortened tail. A few weeks, a few trips to the vet, a cone for his head, and one for his tail later, he was back and once more getting into our way. Still, it was something I never let my dad forget. Whenever we saw a cat in a picture that looked like Emo, I would say, "That looked just like Emo, except he has a tail and Emo doesn't. I wonder why tail is?" (It was only the tip of his tail, but the exaggeration made it seem funnier at the time).

Emo remained active, even after he was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago. Our family adjusted to it. Feedings twice a day, and shots just as often. His snacks were cut down to help keep everything under control, but he still would get a special treat of chicken or turkey every now and then. He seemed to have a sixth sense for when we were going to make a sandwich, racing down to the fridge even before we pulled out the cold cuts.

Eventually, old age and diabetes caught up with him. He began to eat less, and not be as active. the Tuesday before we brought him to the vet, he did not want to move or eat. Well, except when I went to get him some turkey to see if he would eat that. But, even then, he couldn't quite make it to the fridge. He tried, but he was just too tired.

Emo died Sunday. He may have been just a domestic shorthair cat, but he was still a member of our family. And we will miss him dearly.

Board Membership... Withdrawn

2008-06-20T15:58:00.001-04:00

I came to a decision. I've decided that I really need to pull back from all the various message boards, groups, forums, and whatnot that I belong to. In some cases, it's because of conflicting personalities. In other, it's just a feeling of not really fitting in. So, I've begun to shut down all the various accounts that I have all over the internet. In the process, I've seen a few interesting things.

When I deleted my Sci-Fi forum membership, I found out that my profile was still showing up. I'm not sure if it's a maintainence thing or not, but it's still there. Worse still, people can still use it to send me PMs. I still get emails notifying me of these PMs, but I can't view them since my account doesn't exist, though it's still there... sort of.

There are two message boards I can't shut down. One is the Wizard boards, which I'm closing because I don't like Marvel Comics enough to exist on those boards. The other is a spinoff board from Sci-Fi's boards, made by people who kept having problems with their log ins on the Sci-Fi board. It just seems weird to me not to let anyone shut down their accounts, or at least, make it so difficult to find that most people just say forget it and just delete the site.

Cleaning out the myspace groups ran into some fun when I tried to clear out the Coast to Coast AM group. Apparently, it doesn't exist anymore, yet it still shows up on my groups list. I can't resign from it since the group site doesn't exist anymore. It's just... there.

Regardless, I'm pretty much down to five groups now, two on myspace (one of them is by college group, the other a comic book creator group... I'll probably drop that soon, too), and three through Yahoo. The Yahoo ones are all email based, and one is work related. Regardless, all of those are pretty easy to ignore (check all, delete, done).

2008-03-13T12:57:00.003-04:00

Are we really sure that the "Who" Horton heard wasn't The Doctor?

Just one of those goofy ideas that strikes you in the middle of the night. This one stuck in my head until I finally whipped it up.

This is what I'd be as a Dog?

2008-03-13T04:23:00.002-04:00

Curious to see what you'd be?

Posting Less

2007-10-31T04:33:00.000-04:00

Not that anyone would notice, considering how often I post, but I will most likely be posting even less for the next month. I am participating in the National Novel Writing Month. The event is where writers attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I figured that I'd give it a try, guessing that maybe a hard deadline will actually get me to write - and finish - something.

The Music Top 10 (Week Ending August 11th)

2007-08-11T00:04:00.000-04:00

Bring Me To Life - Evanescence
In Time - Mark Collie
Everything Burns - Ben Moody Featuring Anastacia
Snakes on a Plane (Bring It) - Cobra Starship
Learn To Crawl - Black Lab
Doctor Who Theme - Murray Gold & BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Batman Beyond Main Title - Kristopher Carter
You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
Let Go (LP Version) - BarlowGirl
Toccata and Fuge D-Moll BWV 565 - Johann Sebastian Bach • Vanessa Mae (Violin) • Produced By Mike Batt

One Less on the Newsstand

2007-08-02T02:58:00.000-04:00

At the end of August, the newsstand will see one less tabloid. The Weekly World News has announced that it end publication, remaining on the internet (read the story here). In spite of its net presence, it will be missed at the checkout counter. So, in honor of the Weekly World News, a few headlines that we won;t be seeing on the newsstand.

Zany Town Elects Park Bench Mayor... For The Third Time!

Aliens Ruin Property Values By Parking Flying Saucer In Front Yard

Three Signs That Your Child Is A Serial Killer

Roswell Aliens Back Barack... Feel Hillary Showed Too Much Cleavage

Election Reform Requires Talent Show For Candidates

It's True! Ross Perot Really Won The 1996 Election!

Anti-Christ Returns To Earth... As Llama

More Random Thoughts and Lists

2007-07-22T02:18:00.000-04:00

Action Figure Lines that Should Be Considered

1) Classic Television - Would include Firemen Roy and Johnny from Emergency, Sgt. Joe Friday from Dragnet, and MacGuyer.

2) Pulp Heroes - This line would have to include The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Spider, and Tarzan (either in 6 inch or 12 inch format).

3) Primeval - A British series about scientists investigating creatures that are slipping through holes in time. This would be a small scale figure series to allow for the creatures to be produced.

4) Firefly/Serenity - A 12 inch line that would include Malcolm Reynolds, Jayne Cobb and Zoe to start off with. A second series, if it did well, would include Simon and River Tam, mechanic Kaylee, as well as a Reaver.

5) Dresden Files - Choose either the TV series, or the novels, both would make some really cool looking toys.

Random Thoughts and Lists

2007-07-21T03:36:00.001-04:00

Top 5 Missions that Show G.I. Joe is running out of Adventures
1) Peril of the Tax Audit
2) Mystery of the Lunch Meat
3) Search for the Honest Politician
4) Secret Mission to the ATM
5) Search for the Parking Space

Top 5 Names Action Man's Dr. X has been Called
1) Mr. X
2) Professor X
3) Dr. Evil
4) That X guy, what's his name?
5) Murray

Top 5 Vehicles That Would Be Cool for G.I. Joe
1) Carthaginian Elephant
Imagine a 1/6th Hannibal riding a 1/6th war elephant. That would be very cool.
2) Striker
See old episodes of Mail Call for this one.
3) PT Boat
4) 2 man exploration sub
We've had the Sea Wolf for the Adventure Team. We need to see something like this again.
5) Police Cruiser

Top 5 Animals that Need to be Made in 1/6th Scale
We've had some dogs, and lots of miniature apes, along with the cheap plastic animals that dominate many an Adventure Team photostory, but I'm talking about articulated animals done to scale.
1) Elephant
I'd buy a couple if this was released.
2) Gorilla
The pygmy gorilla, either version, just doesn't cut it for me.
3) Lion
This one would be cool if it came articulated and with a "real" mane.
4) Rhinoceros
5) Okapi
If Joe can pursue yetis, he can go after a discovered "cryptid"

Top 5 Rejected G.I. Joe Ideas
1) K.P. G.I. Joe
2) Senator G.I. Joe
3) War Profiteer G.I. Joe
4) Tear Gas Training G.I. Joe
With no gas mask, and special tearing and getting sick action
5) Bucking for Section 8 G.I. Joe
Think Klinger from M.A.S.H.

Top 5 Figured that Should Be Made
1) Villain Poacher
Comes with rifle, ivory handled pistol, safari hat with eagle feathers in the hatband, alligator boots, snakeskin belt, and tiger tooth necklace.
2) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
A good one this time, with articulation... lots of articulation!
3) Frontier Scout
Something that won't set us back a couple of hundred because the only one out there was made in England in 1973.
4) Die Hard's John McClane
If they can make tons of James Bonds, how about a John McClane. It could come with stolen machine gun, service pistol, lighter, twinkees, and, of course, no shoes.
5) Medieval Highland Warrior
Like from Braveheart, but more historically accurate.

5 Shows for Summer Viewing

2007-07-10T03:37:00.000-04:00

It's summer, and it's too hot and too buggy to go out. So that leaves you flipping through the tv channels trying to find something to watch. Here are a few suggestions

Burn Notice - Jeffrey Donovan plays Michael Westen, a spy who's been "burned." Basicly cut off from his former life, Westen is stuck in Miami, trying to find out why he's been burned. Naturally, he's forced to take on various odd jobs in his pursuit to find out what happened.

Monk - Tony Shalhoub returns as Adrian Monk, San Francisco's obsessive compulsive detective.

Eureka - Sci-Fi brings back Jack Carter's adventures in "America's smartest little town." Look for Season 1 currently on DVD.

Doctor Who - David Tennant returns at the last of the Time Lords. Joining the Doctor on his journeys through space and time is Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman).

Ghost Hunters - Undoubtedly the most successful of Sci-Fi Channel's reality television series. Whether you are a believer or skeptic, it is fascinating to watch each investigation.

Worst Movies of the Last 10 Years

2007-06-30T02:40:00.000-04:00

Let me start off by stating that this is my list. Undoubtedly, there will me people out there who will think I'm crazy for choosing what I have. If you care to make suggestions, be my guest, but remember, this is strictly my own opinion.

As for my criteria, it's pretty simple. First off, the movie had to be released within the past 10 years (1997-2007). Secondly, I had to have seen it. Sure, Town & Country may have been hideous, but I didn't see it, so it doesn't count. Finally, it must have been released in theaters. This rules out all direct to DVD and Sci-Fi channel shlockfests.

The list (in no particular order)

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - A real disappointment since the first three movies which are actually the last three movies (I'm stopping there before the headache gets worse). The characters were flat (except Jar Jar Binks, who was just annoying), and the story was weak, a real shame considering how long Lucas had to work on it. This was the movie that made me not want to pay full price for a movie again (yay matinee).

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones - Episode 1 was a disappointment in that I thought it could have been a lot better than it was. Episode 2 killed the magic of Star Wars for me. Where the characters were flat and uninteresting in Episode 1, the were just total jerks in Episode 2. It is sad when you have a talented cast like Episode 2 had (and Hayden Christensen), and the best acting is from a computer generated muppet.

Aeon Flux - I never really got into the original MTV cartoon, beyond the occasional appearance on Liquid Television. I was willing to give the movie a chance. Unfortunately, I found it totally incomprehensible. Sadly, I doubt that following the original source material would have improved the experience.

Ultraviolet - Probably the first time in a long time that I've watched a movie and not cared one bit about what was going on in the movie. Basically, it's on this list because I was left with a feeling of great indifference.

Batman & Robin - I loved Burton's first Batman, and liked Batman Returns, though I felt that there were too many villains. Batman Forever was so-so; I would have preferred a more cerebral Riddler (like in 1990's cartoon series). But Batman & Robin? Poor acting from Clooney, Silverstone, and absolute wastes of villains Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bane (who could have carried a movie on his own... if he was done like the comic). Clooney was right, he killed the franchise. Thankfully, Hollywood had a Lazarus Pit (ask a comic geek if you don't get that).

Alone in the Dark - Why is this on the list? Because they cast Tara Reid as a scientist.

House of the Dead - Based off a video game (and bearing little resemblance to it), this movie was not just cliched, but horribly cliched. It's no surprise that reviews of its sequel often say, "This isn't by any means a good movie, but at least it isn't as bad as the original."

Bloodrayne - This movie cemented Uwe Boll's reputation as a 21st century Ed Wood Jr. (though, let's face it, Plan Nine From Outer Space is so much better than anything Boll has produced). Also remember, Uwe Boll is also responsible for the above mentioned House of the Dead.

Matrix Reloaded/Matrix Revolutions - My final two movies for the list, which I put together for a specific reason. In my opinion, these two movies, separately, are two pale sequels to the original Matrix. If you would take these two movies, make a few edits (like cutting down the orgy in the grotto from the second movie), and combine them into one 2 hour movie, you would probably have a real good movie. Otherwise, as 2 separate movies, it just dragged way too much.

Hero Sounds

2007-04-09T13:09:00.000-04:00

Just for fun, I decided to put together a playlist of hero related music. The basic criteria was that it had to have been in some sort of hero/superhero movie, tv show, or the such (so songs like R.E.M.'s Superman did not qualify). I did upload this to itunes, but (of course), not all my selections were available, so the 60 song list dwindled to 18. Here is the full list (with explanations). As always, I am open to suggestions for other such songs (as well as looking for The Phantom soundtrack to add... I may have to just bite the bullet and buy it from Amazon).

Doctor Who Theme - The version I used is from the new BBC series.
Superman: Main Theme - From the Richard Donner Superman movies.
Bring Me To Life - One of two contributions to the Daredevil soundtrack from Evanescence. Not all that bad of a movie, as superhero movies go, but the Director's Cut is better.
Jonny Quest - The theme to the classic Hanna Barbera cartoon
The Tick - Not the live action version, but the far superior animated version... SPOON!
Batman Beyond Main Title
In The Light - From the Elektra soundtrack. Good soundtrack, bad movie.
Molossus - From Batman Begins
Robocop - Main title from the movie
Batman - the Main theme from Tim Burton's cinematic version, composed by Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman
Learn To Crawl - From Spider-Man
Fantastic Four - main title score
The Shadow - Main theme from the Alex Baldwin movie
X2: X-Men United Suite - Available on the CD Comic Strip Heroes
Angel - The opening title theme to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Main theme from the TV series
The New Adventures of Superman - Classic cartoon theme
Spider-Man - Like the Superman theme above, this is the classic theme to the classic cartoon
Daredevil Theme (Blind Justice Remix)
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest - An attempt to update Jonny Quest for the 90s, aging Jonny to teenager, and adding in virtual reality elements.
The Six Million Dollar Man - "Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him"
Everything Burns - From the Fantastic Four soundtrack
In Time - From The Punisher soundtrack, standing out because of how different it sounds from the rest of the album, and its performance during the diner serenade.
The Name's Bond... James Bond - Representing the British superspy, taken from the Casino Royale soundtrack
Touched - By Vast, from the Angel: Live Fast, Die Never CD
Extreme Ways - From The Bourne Supremacy
Burn - one of the few Cure songs I like, from The Crow soundtrack
Yu-Gi-Oh! Theme - Call it a guilty pleasure, but for a while, I was actually watching this anime show afternoons (it beat watching Springer).
Somebody Help Me - Theme song to Tru Calling, Eliza Dushku's second heroic role, though no where near as rocky as Faith's path to heroism.
I Melt With You - Bowling For Soup's cover for the Sky High soundtrack
Mystery Men Oath - Not really a sound, just a dialogue life from the movie that appears on the soundtrack
Holding Out For a Hero - Jennifer Saunders performs this in Shrek 2 as Shrek races to the rescue.
Sin City End Titles - Fitting music for the Frank Miller inspired movie
Flash - Danny Elfman's theme to the short lived TV series.
Save Me - Smallville main theme
The Incredible Hulk - Theme - Actually the closing theme, always played as David Banner is forced to move on
The Avengers - "Mrs. Peel, we're needed."
Red Right Hand - Peter Yorn recorded this for the Hellboy movie. I think the better version is the Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds version, found on the X-Files: Songs in the Key of X CD
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai - Another guilty pleasure
The Rocketeer To The Rescue & End Credits
Princes of the Universe - Queen's theme song for Highlander
Conan The Barbarian - Anvil of Crom - Arnold Schwarzenegger's star turn as the Robert E. Howard sword and sorcery hero.
All Star - Smashmouth's song, used for both Mystery Men and Shrek
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Theme from the ABC tv series
Mortal Kombat - A real guilty pleasure of a movie
The Green Hornet - from the 60s tv series
Stargate - From the movie.
The Lone Ranger - Little known fact: The Green Hornet and the Lone Ranger are related.
Darkman - Danny Elfman composed this moody piece for a hero without a face.
The End Is The Beginning Is The End - Smashing Pumpkins contributed this to the Batman and Robin soundtrack, the one with George Clooney
Won't Back Down - By Fuel, found on the Daredevil soundtrack
Hero - The big summer hit from Spider-Man, sung by Nickelback's frontman Chad Kroeger
Bother - From Spider-Man, Attributed to Stonesour frontman Corey Taylor on the soundtrack, and the full band on their album.
My Immortal - Evanescence's second contribution to the Daredevil soundtrack, later becoming a huge hit from their own CD
Broken - From The Punisher, heard playing over Joan's radio right before Frank Castle beats up her abusive ex-boyfriend.
Slow Chemical - Also from The Punisher soundtrack, though most wrestling fans will know it as Kane's entrance music.
Breathe No More - Appearing on the Elektra soundtrack by Evanescence. A live version appears on their Anywhere But Home CD
I Stand Alone - From The Scorpion King
Space Ghost - The classic Hanna Barbera theme, before he became a cheese talk show host.
The Raider's March - The theme to Raiders of the Lost Ark, and nearly every Indiana Jones related project since.

The Perils of Being James Bond

2006-11-28T01:39:00.000-05:00

001) The picture on your license to kill looks only slightly better than your driver's license.

002) Angry at all the destroyed cars, Q gets your driver's license revoked. You're forced to chase Largo on a bicycle.

003) The other Double O's laugh at you because you manage to evade several armed guards in your Aston Martin, but crash trying to evade your reflection in a mirror.

004) You get confused when facing down Blofeld, you accidentally call him Dr. Loomis, Kojack, and that guy from Rocky Horror Picture Show.

005) Constant arguments between yourself ("Nobody does it better") and Wolverine ("I'm the best at what I do") over who is actually the best.

006) You keep having trouble telling who is CIA agent (and seemingly master of disguise) Felix Leiter.

Cell Phone Etiquette (Or, Don't talk about that here).

2006-08-16T00:44:00.000-04:00

I don't have a cell phone. I had one for a couple of months, but decided that I didn't want it. So far, I've been able to live without it. It still amazes me that so many other people can't seem to do the same. Worse still, it seems that most of these people have no common sense or common decency.

Take this past weekend. I went to dinner with my parents at one of the local fish restaurants in the area (not my choice - I hate seafood). We were seated fairly quickly, which is unusual for this place because it's pretty nice and usually pretty busy.

Everything was pretty nice until someone in a nearby booth had to make a phone call on his cell phone (or got one, I'm not really sure about that). Immediately, this once quiet gentleman starts talking loudly. As near as I can tell, it was simply because he was on a cell phone. This is usually the first thing that I find annoying about a lot of cell phone users. They have this need to talk louder. Sometimes it's to speak over a lot of noise, sometimes it's to compensate for a poor connection (the same logic that Howie Mandel says most people use when they are speaking to someone who doesn't understand the language). Most times, I think it's just a status move to make other people around the cell phone user think, "Hey, he's important."

I'm not really sure why he was talking louder. Frankly, I didn't care. I cared more about the fact that he was speaking loud enough for us to hear his side of the conversation clearly. Not just our table, but the table next to us as well. Every word of his work related call was very clear.

Oh, did I mention that this guy was either a coroner or a medical examiner?

You can probably imagine that much of the conversation left us a little less hungry, even before "Quincy, M.E." got to the instruction, "Put 'im in a body bag and freeze him." After that, I really didn't feel like eating my prime rib anymore.

So, remember, if you need to discuss making a Y-incision in a body over your cell phone at a restaurant, please, GO OUTSIDE!

Roller Coaster

2006-03-13T14:02:00.004-05:00

I wanted to try something a little different. Actually, I just wanted to try adding pics to my blog. Since I wanted to get this list out anyway, it seemed like a good way to kill two birds with one stone.

Anyway, stating for the record, I don't like roller coasters, never have. It's not like I'm afraid to go on one, it's that I'm deathly afraid to go on one. Yet, in my mind, there are those special people who I believe would be able to get me to go on a roller coaster.

They're called women.

Granted, it's not every woman that could make this happen. Barbara Walters couldn't get me on a roller coaster if my life depended on it.

Naturally, a list like this is constantly changing, especially the top five. And I've limited it to celebrities (though I know of one or two women that I know who aren't celebrities who could get me to ride a roller coaster). At this particular moment, the list tends to lean towards the shallow ("she's so hot, I'd go on a roller coaster with her"), but, as I said, it's constantly changing.

The Shallow List (in order, yet in no particular order).

1) Elisha Cuthbert

Kim Bauer from 24. While it did get a bit tiresome watching Kim constantly get into trouble every season, Elisha has that girl next door look (unintentional pun). If she asked nicely, I think I would ride a roller coaster, just not one that loops.

2) Willa Ford

Singer, Ultimate Fighting host, Lingerie bowler, Willa Ford makes the list not only because she's quite attractive, but she appeared in a Six Flags ad campaign riding a roller coaster. Seeing that ad made me want to ride one.

3) Paris Hilton

While she is attractive, her naivety as to how real people live is a real turn off (it's a nice way of saying she seems a bit elitist to me). She does, however, have a big bank account. She could pay me enough to ride a roller coaster.

4) Pauley Perrette

Abby from the CBS show NCIS (Think CSI in the Navy). This is the one person on the list where it's the character (perky Goth lab tech Abby) and not the actor behind the character that would make be say "okay, the Wildcat it is."

5) Amy Lee

Lead singer of Evanescence. She is quite talented, so I wouldn't mind being seen on a roller coaster with her for that. And she is quite attractive, so, again, being seen on a roller coaster with her isn't a bad thing.

Playstation and Playboy

2006-03-05T04:04:00.000-05:00

At Christmas, I made a decision. With the growing complexity of computer games coming out, my graphics card was becoming obsolete. Correction, it was functionally obsolete. So, I decided to look into getting a new graphics card. After checking out the prices, looking at the requirements of the games out now, and considering that I would have to install it, I came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper just to buy a Playstation rather than upgrade.

So, my Christmas present became a PS2. Damn that thing is addicting!

I've been hooked. And given that the PS2 is going to be obsolete probably by the end of this year with the release of the PS3 - okay, maybe next year if the price quotes I keep hearing are accurate - that's really something. It's pulled me back into the EA NHL world (which I left after I think 2003... I lacked the skills to direct my shots, even at beginner). And allowed me to play a lot of the games that I wanted to play but couldn't because I didn't have a PS2, or a graphics card capable of running the games (those would be the Silent Hill Games).

It's just a shame that since Christmas, the only blog thought that's gone through my head was "Blog later, play now." (Just imagine 2 months worth of entries like that).

-----

Undoubtedly, many of you have heard the story already (link). The gist of it that Jessica Alba wants Playboy to pull their March issue off the newsstands because she appears on the cover. Her argument is that the cover shot gives the false implication that she is naked within the issue. Needless to say, I felt it was necessary for me to throw in my 2 cents.

The issue in question has been on the newsstands for two weeks prior to when the story of Alba's displeasure at being a cover girl came out. So, for two weeks, we've heard nothing about this. Granted, it is possible that maybe some Jessica Alba fan site's been flooded with letters condemning her for posing nude in Playboy (after all, she's on the cover, she must be naked within, right?). Somehow, though, I severely doubt it.

Take into account a few other facts. As Playboy has stated, a number of women have appeared on the cover, but remained clothed within. Also, she was voted in a reader's poll as 2005's sexiest star. It doesn't hurt that two of the three Alba movies released this year (Sin City - great flick - and Into The Blue) featured her as a stripper and a bikini clad vacationer (I have to admit, I haven't seen Into the Blue, it looked too much like The Deep, which I thought was dumb). Given the number of stories that came out when Sin City was released about her lack of a desire to appear nude on film, I don't think that there are many Alba fans out there would would have made the mistake of thinking she was nude inside.

Let's also look at the common sense issue of this. If Playboy actually had Alba nude, the headline wouldn't have read 25 Sexiest Celebrities. It would have probably been more like Into The Blue: Skinnydipping with Jessica Alba or Jessica Alba: Sin City Sinsation.

She should be happy that readers thought enough of her to vote her into the list and take the free (good) publicity instead of trying to generate her own (bad) publicity.

How to Tell if You're Patheticly Lonely

2005-10-20T04:40:00.000-04:00

1) You're fondest memory of romance is when you failed to ask the girl you had a crush on out.

2) You refer to TV shows by the names of their attractive female cast members (example: The Abby Show instead of NCIS).

3) Putting Mercury on your list has nothing to do with the cars themselves.

4) You watch NFL every Sunday not for the games, but for the brief moment when the cheerleaders are shown.

4a) You remember refer to Super Bowl XXVIII as the one where the Dallas Cowgirls beat the Buffalo Jills.

5) Your five rock hard standards for finding a girl attractive have diminished to one.

5a) "Liking you" isn't the remaining rock hard standard.

6) You read the comics and wonder if Mother Goose is available.

7) You have your name taken off the no-call list so that you will get some phone calls.

8) You wish you had the active social life of the two guys in the Barcardi and Cola commercials.

The Anti-Love Song List

2005-09-22T02:48:00.000-04:00

Often times, music matches my mood. It's the main reason why I listen to so much different stuff. And thanks to itunes, I can actually assemble an entire playlist that matches the mood I'm in.

In this case, it's an anti-love mood. Not that I've been wronged romanticly, it's just that's it's hard to assemble a "too much of a coward to ask her to dinner you idiot!" playlist. And there are tons of anti-love songs to play when you just want to forget.

Naturally, this is not in any particular order, and I'm always open to suggestions. It's the best way to be introduced to new things. These are the first 25.

Shame, Stabbing Westward - A wonderfully hard rock song with overtones of hyperdependency and a fair share of stalking. Definitely the wrong side of love.
Love to Love You, The Corrs - From their first album, this song is about recognizing unrequited love.
Love Stinks, The J. Geils Band - The anti-love song.
Heartbreak Hotel, Elvis - Nuff said.
If This Is It, Huey Lewis and the News - A Break-up song... it's just a shame that no one told him they broke up.
Since You've Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson - Shedding that American Idol stigma, Clarkson kicks it up a notch with a great song about realizing that you've been blinded by love.
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, The Righteous Brothers - To be honest, I'm almost tempted not to include this on the list (Thank you very much, Tom Cruise). But it is still a good anti-love song, in spite of becoming a cheesy pick-up song.
I Don't Believe In Love, Queensryche - Something that we've all told ourselves at one point or another.
Since You've Been Gone, Weird Al Yankovic - A short little ditty about how he feels now that she's gone, with a great punchline.
Haunting Me, Stabbing Westward - That horrible feeling after a break-up when the one you loved and love seems to be everywhere... kicking you in the....
The Breakup Song, Greg Kihn - They don't write them like this anymore.
Jeopardy, Greg Kihn - What happens when it's all to obvious that the relationship is falling apart?
You Outta Know, Alanis Morissette - This is one angry woman.
Suspicious Minds, Elvis - What happens when the trust is gone
(I'm not your) Steppin' Stone, The Monkees - There you go, falling in love with someone who's just going to walk all over you.
You Keep Me Hangin' On, Kim Wilde - Or, the Supremes, if you want the original.
Sometimes It Hurts, Stabbing Westward - I've come to the conclusion that the lead singer of Stabbing Westward has never had a successful relationship.
Gone, Kelly Clarkson - A possible companion to Since You've Been Gone?
I Quit, Hepburn - From the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack
Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Chicago - This is definitely true if you've nothing to apologize for... or if you're a big-headed guy.
I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me, Expose - Let me get this straight, you broke up with him, and now you're all bummed out because he's moved on?
Poison Arrow, ABC - "I thought you loved me but it seems you don't care." "I care enough to know, I can never love you." Ouch
Who's Crying Now?, Journey - Someone definitely got hurt here.
How You Remind Me, Nickelback - Only one way to decribe this woman: bitch.
Why Can't I, Liz Phair - Not necessarily an anti-love love (unless you consider the fact it's deals with an affair bad), but I include it because I find myself often struck speechless and breathless by someone I'm attracted to, often to the point where I can't get something as simple as "Hey, would you like to get a bite to eat?" out.

Figure Lines I'd like to see

2005-08-04T13:20:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before, I'm a toy collector. Well, technically, I collect toys that are cool, at least in my opinion. So, I don't really have complete sets of anything stored away in a vacu-sealed vault, just a bunch of toys on my desk that when I saw them I said, "Hey, that looks cool," and bought. The only exception would probably be the G.I. Joes, and anyone who's been to my other sight (http://solarstar.50megs.com/) could tell what usually happens with the Joes (though I've been in a bit of a doubt lately).

Anyway, thanks to places like Media Play, Suncoast and the like, there is a boom of figures that are directed towards older audiences, or (as many put it), those geeks who refuse to grow up and stop playing with toys. There are lines for Alias, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sin City, even Scarface. If it's out there, some company has marketed a toy line for it.

Well, almost. There are a few shows that have, as yet, escaped the toy liscensing. And, frankly, some of them would be real cool, if you ask me. So, here are those series that I think should have toy lines created for them.

1) CSI - Forget the followers, we want to see figures of the Vegas team. Starting with a 3 figure first series, each with a field kit and accessories especially for each character, we'd have Grisson (with jar of racing beetles), Catherine (with suitcase full of glow in the dark money from "The Finger) and Warrick (with improvized "artificial nose" and blackjack hand). There's even the option of a variant with a beardless seasons 1-3 Grissom.

2) Battlestar Galactica - There have been numerous toys revolving around the old series, but it's now time to see some spawn from Sci-Fi's new version. The first series would definitely have to include Apollo, Commander Adama, Starbuck, and Six.

3) Stargate SG-1 - Why, why, why hasn't anyone jumped on this yet? One of the longest running Sci-Fi series on television (and probably ever), and the closest we've gotten to a toy line is the weak line that came from the movie. The first run would definitely have to include O'Neill with P-90 submachine gun, Carter with Stargate Dialer, Jackson with ancient tome, and Teal'C with Staff weapon.

4) Doctor Who - There's been little stateside from Doctor Who when it comes to toys. But, with the success of the new Who series in England, and Who-fans waiting eagerly for any stateside sign of it, a figure line would be the perfect complement to the stateside release of the first season, even if the only figures involved are the Doctor and Rose.

Hollywood Rules and Traits

2005-07-12T02:40:00.000-04:00

Just a few rules that seem to dominate Hollywood lately. I decided to leave out the obvious ones (don't have sex in a teen slasher movie) because everyone knows them, and so many people have written about them.

Doctor Cain's Law: If the girlfriend of a doctor/med student dies in the course of a movie involving reanimation, the doctor will use the process to resurrect her. (Named for Dan Cain of Re-Animator, and making appearances in House of the Dead and The Mummy Returns - though it is the son in this instance)
Burton's Reflexes: The unique trait allowing a hero to catch a knife thrown at him and throw it back at his attacker. (Named for Jack Burton of Big Trouble in Little China, though seen in The Mummy Returns as well).
Rule of Survival #1: If you are a college kid invited to a really bitchin' rave on a secluded island, DON'T GO!!!
Rudy's Forced Foreshadowing: The brutal demonstration of a particular skill that becomes vital later in the movie. this form of foreshadowing has all the subtly of a wooden axe handle. (Called for the incredible bluntness in which House of the Dead character Rudy says of his ex-girlfriend, "she wanted to focus on her fencing. What good is that?")
Rule of Survival #2: If you are involved in a scavenger hunt, chances are that nothing on your list can be found in the abandoned army base just outside of town.
Skill Absorption: Unique trait found in many college kids which allows them to be able to use a handgun/shotgun/rifle with marksman skill, even if they have never picked up such a weapon before. This ability is rarely found in anyone who utters the words, "Don't worry, I saw this in a movie once."
Rule of Survival #3: It's okay to be considered a chicken if a dare involves going into a house/school/cemetery where a lot of people were killed years ago... and they never found the killer.
Matrix Skill: Dominant in the Post-Matrix Hollywood films where fighters (especially unarmed fighters) have the ability to defy gravity while the camera spins to a different angle (not necessarily to get a better shot of the action, mostly just to show they can).
My Brother, My Zombie: When faced with the idea that a relative is a blood-thirsty monster, or will soon become one, the living relative will always insist on finishing it, usually saying something like, "No, I'll do it. It's only right."
My Brother, My Zombie Correllary: The actual incident will go down in one of two ways: a) After great hesitation, the relative will close their eyes, aim the gun (shaking in hand), apologize, and fire; or b) The relative will close their eyes, aim the gun (hand really shaking), and start crying, at which point someone else will finish the job.
Rule of Survival #4: When confronted with the possibility of flesh-eating zombies, locations for supplies should include: A) A gun shop, B) Supermarket (for food), and C) The Medieval history wing of the local museum for chain mail so the damn suckers can't bite you (in a pinch, any dive shop that sells those metal shark suits will do).
Pet Survival Rates: A pet's survival rate relies heavily on whether it can be more startling for it to jump out at someone alive, or be found dead. In most cases, cats usually live much longer than dogs.
Sci-Fi to DVD alterations: The only real changes between the movie that debuts on the Sci-Fi channel and the unrated DVD release are: A) A LOT more swearing, B) A slight increase in gore, and C) At least one shot of an unknown starlet topless.
Theatrical to Director's Cut: Most people cannot tell the difference between what they saw in the theater and the unrated director's cuts (Notable exceptions: Lord of the Rings and Daredevil)
Language absorption: Similar to skill absorption, except dealing with languages. Usually manifests in one member of a group who just so happens to read Spanish/French/Latin/Sanskrit/Cuniform.

Fantastic Four - Game Review from the Casual Gamer

2005-07-04T02:18:00.000-04:00

I consider myself a casual gamer. Mostly, that's because nearly all the games coming out require a graphics card better than the GeForce 4 MX card I got. While I will probably upgrade, someday, for now, it suits me fine, and cuts down on the number of computer games I buy.

I also consider myself a casual gamer in that I'm not one of those intensive "Sit-at-the-game-until-finished" guys that write most of the reviews out there. In truth, there are times I don't even finish a game.

That being said, I was surprised to find Activision's Fantastic Four computer game playable on my system. Curiousity got the better of me and I picked it up. While I haven't finished the game, I have been so far impressed.

From the moment you pick up the box, you know that it is tied into the new FF movie, premiering July 8th. Carried into the game are the voice talents of the five main actors. But, comic geeks will pick out that many of the villains and secondary characters added for further gameplay are based upon Marvel's Ultimate line (so far, this has included a cameo by a Ultimates Nick Fury and an extremely repulsive looking Mole Man).

The plusses of Fantastic Four is that each of the FF possess their own unique talents, further augmented by the "Cosmic" key. Thus, if you were playing Reed, you have light and heavy punches, but also extended punches and spinning fists when the Cosmic key is pressed with an attack. Combo attacks are also capable for each character.

While so far, a number of the levels I've played have been solo levels (focusing on one of the FF), it is possible to play with two members, or the whole team. This can get daunting for the casual player since often you have to switch between characters to accomplish a particular task. Coplay options are available, allowing for two players to play at once, but no online feature is included, so all gameplay actions come from the keyboard or gamepads.

Also a plus is that it is a loaded game. Upgrades to powers are available for "purshase," along with character bios, concept art, cover gallery and more. Even on start up, you have the option of viewing character bios, reading issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four, even hearing samples of the character "theme songs" from the soundtrack.

In addition to the storyline, an arena combat mode is available. This is particularly nice if you wish to make sure you know the right buttons to push for the combos. Additional villains and arenas are unlocked by gathering F4 Secrets in the main game, so you will need to play that to use all the arena zones.

On the downside, the camera actions leave a lot to be desired. Often times I've gotten myself into situations where I need to see a particular area, but have gotten the camera turned around so much that I've almost become disoriented.

Also, while it is possible to use a gamepad for the game (I use a Logitech Dual Action gamepad), configuration cannot be done from within the game. This is particularly irritating if you want to make sure what button will do what. When I configured my gamepad, I had to restart the game 4 or 5 times to reconfigure it to my liking.

Finally, levels can only be saved at particular points, usually after defeating a boss. While not really a problem for a lot of people, I always find it a bit irksome since it means I have to complete a sequence before I can shut down for the night, or else start over from the last same point.

For the most part, Fantastic Four is a great game, certainly a lot of fun for the casual gamer/comic geek.

Everything Old...

2005-06-29T03:11:00.000-04:00

Since Hollywood is so keen on remaking old tv series and classic films, I figured it would be a good idea to give them some new ideas what to cover. After all, there are tons of old shows and movies that were so bad that a cinematic overhaul would only improve the source material. Want proof? The Island, due out later this year, is, more or less, a remake of Parts: The Clonus Horror. Never heard of it? Consider yourself lucky, because it is that bad. Not even Mystery Science Theater 3000 can make this piece of... ahem... celluloid watchable.

So, without wasting any further time, here are a number of old crappy ideas that Hollywood could recycle.

1) My Mother The Car - Reimagined so that Mother is reincarnated at a Ferrarri, and constantly acts up whenever her son tries to use her to pick up women.

2) The Navy vs The Night Monsters - Take one Antarctic research mission, sprinkle in strange acid-squirting trees, and add in the modern touches of Navy SEALs and a CGI aerial battle between Navy Pilots and giant night dwelling monster trees (not in the original movie, but hey, what the Hell). Top it all off with some former Playboy playmate to reprise the role once played by Mamie Van Doren.

3) Misfits of Science - A series ripe for a serious cinematic interpretation. Wipe out the campy feel of the original, and somehow convince Courteney Cox to make a cameo to tie it to the original series, and there you go. The script writes itself... and if it doesn't, reuse one of theirs.

4) Seven Brides For Seven Brothers - Not really a bad movie, but still ripe for "reinterpretation." Instead of a cute story about a young bride trying to turn her husband's six brothers from gruff mountain men to marrying material, we have the intense story of two planets... and lasers, yeah, must have lasers.

5) Destroy All Monsters - The 30 man battle royal of Godzilla movies, only this time, we use the monsters that Hollywood has given us of late. That's right, it's Freddy vs Jason vs Michael vs Letherface vs Horace "The Shocker" Pinker vs Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector vs Pinhead "the Hellraiser" vs an army of Romero zombies.

Thank God for DVD (or, When's That Set Coming Out?)

2005-06-21T02:25:00.000-04:00

Having already covered the shows I hated, I thought it would be cool to talk about the shows I liked. That way, I don't sound like a lonely bitter pathetic old man who hates everything (after all, I'm only 33, I'm not old).

1) Emergency
I loved this series as a kid. Sure, the storylines that tied the emergencies together were a bit mundane. But who cared? The real highlights of the shows were the emergencies themselves. From the harrowing to the downright silly (silly in the fun to watch sense). Sure it's dated now, especially given how far technology has advanced since the series inception in the 1970s. But I still watch when I hear TV Land is bringing it into its rotation. Now, if only they released a DVD set...

2) John Doe
The concept of this show was simple: John Doe knew everything, except who he was. And each week, John would find himself in a peculiar situation that only his uniue gift could resolve. Could John Doe have been Fox's next X-Files? Possibly, if they hadn't parked it in their Friday 9pm timeslot. What's so bad about Friday 9pm on Fox? Well, given that no series airing in this timeslot since X-Files moved has succeeded shows how bad the time slot is. Just look at the carnage. Sliders moved to 9pm, and met with summer cancellation. Dark Angel, a show that had done well at Tuesdays was moved to Friday 9pm for it's second, and last, season. And it isn't just sci-fi that is hurt my the time slot . Boston Public enjoyed 2 successful seasons on Mondays. Third season it moved to Fridays. That season turned out to be its last. Fox could probably put football on Fridays and the 9pm time slot would crash and burn.

In John Doe's case, the Friday time slot wasn't helped by poor lead-ins (Firefly at first, which was hurt by out of sequence airing, then Fastlane, which never should have been at an 8pm time slot). So, when John Doe's numbers didn't do well, it was cancelled. And when I say cancelled, I mean they put a bullet in its head, then emptied the clip to make sure. John Doe wasn't shopped around, where it could have been picked up by USA, TNT, or Sci-Fi. When it became less apparent that there were no takers to take up the torch (as Sci-Fi did with Sliders), Fox released a press release, explaining why John Doe was the way he was. It seems he had a near-death experience. Yeah, I thought it was a pitiful explanation for what was going on.

Like Emergency, John Doe has not surfaced on DVD... yet. Fans like me still hold out for hope.

3) Keen Eddie
Fox tried its hand at a quirky cop dramedy with this show. The premise was one we had seen before (American cop in England), but there was a certain charm to the series that, unfortunately, not many picked up on. A lot of its charm comes from the title character, Eddie Arlette (played by Mark Valley). Eddie comes across as a balanced character, with his "new York" ways hiding a very intelligent, albeit opinionated. It comes as no surprise some of the best scenes come when he's playing off his "roommate," Fiona, played by Sienna Miller, who happens to be as equally opinionated and intelligent (In one episode, Fiona uses Eddie's dog in a dog treat ad campaign - keeping the money - since Eddie used her cat to meet an attractive veterinarian).

Thankfully, Keen Eddie is available on DVD. Particularly hilarious is the second episode, where Eddie goes after a horse thief.

4) Monk
Tony Shaloub has found the perfect role with this obsessive compulsive uber-detective. I particularly enjoyed the episode where Monk solves a hit and run and a murder in France just by reading the newspaper (neither of which was the reason why his paperboy was killed).

Like many of the new series, Monk has been seeing release on DVD, and is worth picking up.

5) CSI
Like Emergency did with firefighters and paramedics in the 1970s, CSI does for the criminalists in the 21st century. The setting of Las Vegas is perfect for the blend of cases that Grissom's team sees over the course of a season, from the gruesome to the downright weird. With its likeable characters (some of which have as many mysteries as they solve), CSI has become "appointment TV" for me, with the VCR set to record the CBS first runs, and the Spike reruns usually on in the background while I work. Needless to say, I have all released boxed sets, and both computer games.

6) Doctor Who
Not every Doctor is a winner for me. I'm not particularly fond of William Hartnell (the First Doctor), or of Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor). But even this lack of fondness derives from lack of real exposure to their performances. Most of the Doctor Who episodes I had seen before the slow DVD releases were from the Fourth and Fifth Doctor seasons (Tom Baker and Peter Davison respectively), and these were through the hard to follow scheduling that PBS delivered. Thanks to DVD, I am getting more exposure to all of the Doctor's incarnations (though I still think that Hartnell's Doctor comes across as a bit too "grumpy old man"-ish), and look forward to the eventual (please please please) stateside release of the new Doctor Who series.

The Shows I Hated...

2005-06-20T01:21:00.000-04:00

Granted, not every show on this list is one I hated when I watched it. Some of them I actually enjoyed when I was younger. Looking back now I see the folly of my ways.

1) G.I. Joe - Cartoon 1983-1987
G.I. Joe bugged me even as a kid. I grew up with G.I. Joe, and read the Marvel comic when Hasbro relaunched Joe in the 3 3/4 size. I loved the comic. I hated the cartoon.

The problem I had with the cartoon was that it was absurd, even for a cartoon. Not to much in the premises of the episodes (revolving around weather control machines and teleporters). What bugged me was how idiotic both Cobra and G.I. Joe seemed. Often I would see the Joes planning to sneak into a Cobra base, only to be yelling "Yo, Joe!" at the top of their lungs. I could be wrong, but I always thought that sneaking in would involve some degree of silence.

The other thing that really bugged me about the cartoon was Cobra. Here was a terrorist network that would operate secretly... out of a castle in the Himalayas! Furthermore, the recruitment standards for Cobra must be really low. They had the numbers, often times matching the Joes 500 to 1. And they had the firepower, too. Yet, when the Joes (usually only three, with one slingshot and a rock between them), called for a surrender, Cobra did. Let's see... 1500 Cobras armed with jeeps, cannons, lasers, and the ultra secret weapon X (whatever the Hell that was), against 3 Joes, with a slingshot and a rock (just one, mind you). Yeah, I see why Cobra would surrender.

2) X-Men - cartoon 1992-1996
I loved the X-Men comic. I had been reading it since issue 166, only dropping it when they announced the Age of Apocalyse plan. I picked it up again when Morrison announced he was writing it. All that is neither here nor there when it comes to the cartoon series.

I'll give them credit, they tried. And by try, I mean they tried not to ignore 30 plus years of continuity, and would make vague references to it... then do the storyline later in the series run. They contradicted themselves a lot, which bugged me to no end. In the first season, Cable appears as a freedom fighter in Genosha, with backstory suitable for a freedom fighter in Genosha. But later, he shows up as a time-traveler from a future dominated by Apocalypse, with no reference to his days in Genosha, or the established backstory. It was real irritating trying to keep track of what was what. At least the creators of X-Men Evolution got it right when they said, "okay, there's the cartoon continuity, the movie continuity, and our continuity."

3) Enterprise
I used to be a Star Trek fan, much like I used to be a Star Wars fan. Though when it comes to Star Trek, the magic was ruined by the fact that Enterprise was it, and it just wasn't all that good. I could tell that when I watched the first episode and heard lyrics to the theme.

Enterprise faltered on the grounds that instead of going boldly forward where no one has gone before, it backtracks, trying to wedge itself into established (albeit fragmenting as we passed 1997 and no Khan) continuity. So, instead of moving ahead in time (like The Next Generation did), we get to see the Enterprise meet all the alien races that we already knew, and the Xindi, who waged a spectacular attack on Earth, yet are not remembered at all (gotta love trying to retrofit continuity).

4) Firefly
Now, Firefly's a special case. I think that I could have liked Firefly better if Fox had handled the series better. this would have meant for Fox to actually air the episodes in aired IN ORDER! There was a pilot that explained quite a bit. Of course, we didn't see it until after Fox decided to can the series. They went with the third episode in the series for the premiere. It was okay, but there was no set-up. Without the base, there was no explanation to why things were the way they were. The upside is that maybe Sci-Fi can do it justice this summer, and the movie (which actually looks pretty decent) will make it Whedon's Buffy (so-so movie to good series) in reverse.

5) Superfriends
As a kid I loved the Superfriends. Watching it now, it's so irritating. The early Wendy and Marvin episodes (I never liked them) are way too preachy, and the Challenge of the Superfriends episodes or too corny (the Legion of Doom had better escape plans then they did plans to take out the Superfriends).

6) Fastlane
If you don't remember this Fox series by Charlie's Angels director McG, consider yourself lucky. It was not well scripted, and relied on more T&A than late-night Cinemax. The joke about Fastlane was that when it was cancelled, the Playboy channel picked it up and toned down the T&A.

Ick!

2005-06-11T01:26:00.000-04:00

"I'd rather watch Barney than Star Wars." - Some kid who (obviously) saw Episode 2

I used to be a Star Wars fan. Used to be is the operative term since I now consider myself a Doctor Who/Stargate SG-1/Andromeda/Battlestar Galactica/CSI/anything other than Star Wars fan. It wasn't even all at once either. It was worn away by Star Wars Episodes 1 and 2. I went to a Midnight showing of Episode 1. After sitting through that, I decided I wasn't going to pay full price for another Star Wars movie. So I hit the matinee of Episode 2. Halfway through it, I thought to myself, "If I left now, I wouldn't care less." Never have I ever wanted to walk out of a movie before. And I sat through Tank Girl. Tank Girl! Not even Naomi Watts admits she saw that movie, and she was in it.

Anyhow, reading a posting on another site by the author of Field Guide to the Apocalypse (love the book, by the way) about what she thought about Star Wars made me think about what killed my love of Star Wars. Granted, if I had seen Episode 3, I probably would come up with a slew of new reasons. But for now, I have to work with what I've seen.

1) No one told me there would be a test
Prior to Episode 1, the force was an omnipresent metaphysical energy, surrounding and passing through everyone and everything. And only a special few could manipulate it. Some for good, some for bad, the path of the force could lead to either good or evil.

In Episode 1, we learn that a certain level of midi-chlorians enabled people to use the force... and there was a test for it. Ine one stroke, we see the force change from a faith allegory to a chemical balance that could probably be treated by Ritalin.

Which brings up a nice little point. If I were the Emperor and aware of the danger the jedi could present, I would be hell-bent to make sure that the "force test" was applied to everyone in the galaxy. No exclusions, just flat out testing, often. Use it to find the potential allies, and to kill off the potential enemies. But that's just me.

2) "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids"
Is it just me, or did the end of Episode 1 seem like the end of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. The day wasn't won because the just were better, or had faith in their victory, but because they were lucky. Not even the fun lucky that we enjoy, either. They won because Aniken bungled into destroying the main enemy ship. That's right, bungled. He hit a wrong button to launch himself into space. He somehow managed to get himself trapped in the hanger of said enemy ship. And then escaped (and blew up the ship) only because he hit every button in his ship. Throw in a great dane (oops, forgot about Jar Jar), and you have the mystery all wrapped up.

3) Character development, we don't need no stinkin' character development!
Episode 1 revolved around a group of flat and uninteresting characters. All of them had the potential of becoming more, but didn't. We had the maverick (at least according to Yoda... I never saw it in the movie) Qui-Gon, the young (and boring) Obi-Wan, the whiny Aniken, the (let's face it) bratty Padme, and the rather disappointing poser bad-ass Darth Maul. The one character that could have redeemed himself failed to do that.

Yes, that's right, Jar Jar could have redeemed his annoying, antic-based nature. How? I know, it does seem tough. But, think about the first movie (Episode 4). Han Solo starts off as a scoundrel, willing to do anything to save his butt, even kill in cold blood. By the end of the movie, we see Han actually grow. He starts to care about Luke and the others, even to the extent of forgoing his escape to save Luke when he needed the help. Granted, Lucas screwed that over when he made Solo shoot first, but we still see it in the special editions... sort of.

Now, Jar Jar (shudder) begins as an inept coward. An idiotic sidekick who goes from one antic to another. Yet, when given the chance, he because a leader in the Gungan army. Does he redeem himself? Does he straighten up, lose his cowardly ways and grow into a real leader? No, of course not. If he had, we wouldn't curse the name Binks. We get "blessed" with what Lucas thought we wanted in a character, a schmuck who takes out his own troops, screws up the simplest of attacks, and somehow manages to get himself stuck to an enemy robot. Ugh!

4) Geez, I'd turn evil, too
The key to Aniken's transformation into Darth Vader isn't the perils he faces. It isn't the horrific death of his mother. It's Padme, the only character to show no form of growth between Episodes 1 and 2 (is you can call Obi-Wan's beard growth). Well, that's not exactly true, it seems her libido grows quite a bit, making her the biggest tease in the galaxy. When she sees Aniken for the first time in episode 2, she is practically drooling on him (remember, in spite of the seeming lack of aging for Padme, she is something like 10 years older than him... so, way to go girl, going after a younger guy!). "Why, Aniken, you've grown so big and strong." The only thing was her grabbing Aniken's ass. Almost immediately, she recoils, "but we can't, you're a jedi and you're not allowed." (One statement that made many Star Wars fans become Mr. Spock fans... at least he gets it every 7 years). All fine and dandy, except that she does this at least three more times in the movie, almost jumping his bones, then pulling back, throwing the whole jedi thing back in his face.

5) Umm, I said that?
Episodes 1 and 2 are loaded with contradictions, some of which have been mentioned in other rants. But, for some degree of completion, I'm repeating them here.

Obi-Wan says he was trained by Yoda in Empire Strike Back. But, in Episode 1, he is the padawan of Qui-Gon, who Yoda says is training him (which is the reason why Qui-Gon can't train Aniken as well). Either padawan is another word for intern, or Obi-Wan was senile when he said Yoda trained him, totally forgetting Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan also says that when he met Aniken, he was already an accomplished pilot. Funny, I wouldn't equate that goofy sled thing as a pilotable ship. Furthermore, Aniken never won before. They make a big point about that. I suppose Obi-Wan was just trying to make Aniken look better for Luke. "When I met your father, luke, he was a lot like you, a snot-nosed kid who never won a race before." Yeah, that's probably it.

One point that was brought up was that Ben never remembered owning droids, Granted, I don't know what happened in Episode 3, but Ben never did own R2 and C3PO. Technically, it was true. But, unless he was senile and addled by Tatooine's suns, he should have remembered them, even if he didn't own them.

6) And the Oscar goes to... the Muppet!
One of the atrocities of Episode 2 is watching great actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman (she was great in The Professional) and the great Christopher Lee be outacted by a computer generated muppet. But, sadly, Yoda is the best actor in episode 2, which isn't saying much. There are still great inconsistancies in how he's portrayed. I particularly love how Yoda can barely walk without a cane, yet is able to leap around like a frog on speed and fight Darth Tyrannus. A friend of mine compared it to an old samurai film where the old nearly crippled master bursts into a frenetic dance of fighting prowess, without a thought to the face that half his leg is missing. If anyone's seen this movie, let me know. It sounds pretty cool, a lot better than Episode 2.

7) The one good thing about Episode 1
Kiera Knightley. Yes, Elizabeth Swan from Pirates of the Caribbean. She played the queen's decoy. If nothing else, Episode 1 brought her to Hollywood's attention. Yay!

8) The one good thing about Episode 2
Umm... There the... no... how about.... no... oh, there's... no, that sucked, too. Well, at least it wasn't Batman and Robin (shudder).

Funny, I didn't know there were only 18 songs in my top 50

2005-06-08T02:59:00.000-04:00

I know it's not possible to get everything, but is it possible for iTunes to at least get some of the music I listen to?

Don't get me wrong, I love iTunes, and I love my iPod. Having a jeep with a radio that gets only three stations, and none of them are NPR pretty much demands that I get an iPod for the car (I think Congress passed the law earlier this year that I get one). Naturally, me being the relative cheapskate that I amm I got the shuffle. That, and it was more than enough for me.

Then I started ripping my CDs so that I could build my playlists. Sure I was never going to listen to 6 plus hours of music while driving, but I didn't care. I wouldn't be forced to listen to the 2 radio stations that think the Black-Eyed Peas are the greatest band since the Beatles, or that one that doesn't realize that Evanescence isn't a pop band. I had my iPod and I could listen to anything. If I wanted to listen to all Evanescence, I could. If I wanted to laugh, I could load my shuffle up with George Carlin, Monty Python and Stephen Wright. If I wanted to listen to Finnish opera metal, then load it up.

Yes, that's right, Finnish opera metal. Don't knock it until you give it a listen. And frankly, it was the only really good thing about Alone In The Dark.

Anyhow, once I got comfortable with the shuffle, and comfortable with itunes (even buying a whole bunch of stuff from the store), I decided it was time to share my musical interests. I mean, there had to be someone else out there who would listen to Debbie Gibson, Evanescence and bagpipes in the same sitting. Anyone???

So I shrink down one of my playlists from my 100 songs to a more manageable 50, the top fifty, of course. And I sent it off (It's called Top 50 - May, is you're curious). And watched as my top 50 became my top 18. And not even the top 18 either, I Can't Hold Back by Survivor was #50 (and slipping 7 spots on my top 100).

So, out of 50 songs, 32 did not make the list because iTunes Music Store doesn't sell those songs. Some I can understand. There really isn't much of a market for the Doctor Who theme song, and Dante Hicks yelling I'm not even supposed to be here today! from the Clerks soundtrack may be a bit of a stretch. But what about Evanescence? They had a major hit with Bring Me To Life (#1 on my list... and still #1), yet there is no listing for Evanescence in itunes. NONE! No Bring Me To Life, no My Immortal, not even the Daredevil and Elektra soundtracks, both of which feature songs by the band. Not even Chicago's Along Comes A Woman is available, and that's over 20 years old.

So, here it is, the complete top 50 for the month of May, as played by me on itunes and my iPod.

Bring Me To Life/Evanescence
Batman Beyond Main Title/Kristopher Carter
Doctor Who - Theme
Dante's Lament/Clerks soundtrack
Shame/Stabbing Westward
Randal & Dante On Sex/Clerks Soundtrack
No Time For Love, Dr. Jones/Clerks Soundtrack
Broken/Seether Feat. Amy Lee
Angel Opening Title Theme/Darling Violetta
Du Hast/Rammstein
Yu-Gi-Oh! Theme
Volcano Girls/Veruca Salt
Jay's Chant/Clerks Soundtrack
The Tick (Animated Series) Theme
Somebody Help Me (Theme from "Tru Calling")/Full Blown Rose
Push It/Garbage
Wish I Had an Angel/Nightwish (e.p.)
Bother/Stone Sour
Red Tape/Agent Provocateur (Underworld score)
The Deal (No Deal)/"Chess" soundtrack
Going Under/Evanescence
Stacy's Mom/Fountains of Wayne
Losing Grip/Avril Lavigne
Cyber Savvy/Ben Affleck & Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Soundtrack)
Along Comes A Woman/Chicago
James Bond Theme (Bond Vs. Oakenfold)/David Arnold Featuring Paul Oakenfold
My Immortal [Band Version]/Evanescence
Peaches/The Presidents Of The United States Of America
My Happy Ending/Avril Lavigne
Girl All The Bad Guys Want/Bowling For Soup
Social Event Of The Season/Clerks Soundtrack
Tourniquet/Evanescence
Absurd/Fluke (Sin City Soundtrack)
Affair of the Heart/Rick Springfield
Poison Arrow/ABC
1985/Bowling For Soup
James Bond Theme/David Arnold
Crime Story (Runaway)/Del Shannon
A Bunch Of Muppets/Clerks Soundtrack
I Like To Expand My Horizons/Clerks Soundtrack
Toccata & Fuge D-Moll BWV 565 (Arr. Mike Batt)/J. S. Bach/Vanessa Mae(Violin)
Extreme Ways/Moby (Bourne Supremacy Soundtrack)
Spanish Inquisition Revisited/Monty Python
Wish I Had An Angel/Nightwish
Romanticide/Nightwish
Heartbreaker/Pat Benatar
Flash's Theme/Queen
Rock of Life/Rick Springfield
Burning Heart/Survivor
I Can't Hold Back/Survivor

About time, right?

2005-03-30T03:21:00.000-05:00

Some Blog, right? Here I am, supposedly updating this thing on a daily (or at least bi-daily, if that's even a word) basis, and I don't post again for half a year. Either I had nothing to say, or I was lazy. Anyone who knows me in real life would probably say that it was laziness.

Anyhow, I could start this thing off in any number of ways. I could rant about the idiot who cut me off in traffic today on the way home, or about the latest political idiocy in Washington (oh boy, could I go off on that one), or talk about the virtues of an iPod in a car with no radio. I could even extoll the virtues of my planned run for presidency, since I'll will be of age by the time the next election comes around.

Guess the first thing I should do it just introduce myself. I'm your typical 33 year old who can't get a date. I read comics, collect toys (but only the ones I think are cool, and G.I. Joes), which may or may not be used as a scape goat for my lack of social status. I want to be a writer, which is one of the reasons why I started the blog. I figured that if I work daily about anything and everything, I would get that next great idea that every unpublished writer dreams of. Kinda doesn't work all that well when you don't write in the blog, now, does it?

As the writing goes, I have written a number of things... written, but not published. Some of it I don't think it ready for publication (actually, a lot of it). Some of it was written for the wrong reasons (seems I labored under the impression that writers get girls... maybe the published ones). And some of it just never seemed like the right time to try to sell it, or needs a little extra added something. In the case of the comic scripts I've written, it's an artist, since I can't draw for beans.

So, that's me in a nutshell... a very small nutshell at the moment, but that will probably change as I get more comfortable with this.

Greetings from, well here

2004-10-09T04:49:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome. Hopefully, as I get more used to this, this will be a lot more interesting than what I'm starting with.