I don't know if you know this, dear readers, but every year I try to come up with a mix CD (or 80 min playlist for those of you too young to know what a CD is) for Halloween. This CD would, ideally, be filled with music to suit the awesomeness and greatness of this most festive of holidays. Unfortunately, most years I don't get a complete list of suitable, new music. And this is one of those years. I only got as far as the second track.
Here's the list for those of you who are curious. If you have the songs, listen to them back to back, and you'll understand why I put them together. The content just seems to flow so well from one to the other:
01) - "Boogie Woogie Wu" by Insane Clown Posse
02) - "3 AM" by Eminem
That's it. That's all that I got for this year. I'm sorry, dear readers. There's no one to blame but myself. But I hope that by next year, I'll have an awesome Halloween CD!!! Oh, and Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Top Ten Funny Halloween Movies
If I had the ability to choose my own birth date, there's only one option for me: October 31st. That's how much I love Halloween. I don't partake of the commercial aspects that much. I rarely dress up and I don't hand out candy. That's not what Halloween, or as it's originally known: All Hallows Eve, is about.
Halloween is about fear. Old world religions had the power of the Gods wax and wane just like the seasons, in order to cement the idea of the constant battle between Good and Evil. There was a day where the power of the Good & Righteous is restored to its full glory ready to take on the yearly battle against the Evils of the world. It was known as All Saint's Day. But on the eve of this holy day (See where the name came from?) the power of good would be at it's weakest and the people would take measures to defend themselves against the Evil. All the commercialized rituals we have now are based upon those initial rites of fear.
Given my personal mentality, I take the day of Halloween to explore the depths of those things that I should normally fear, but don't. And it's FUN!! It's my favorite time of year because I can come to believe that the rest of the world, for one night, joins me in rejoicing in the darkness. That for one night, the rest of the world can take glory from the triumph of the villains. While that's not really true, it's nice to indulge in, and it gives me a strong foundation for what comes immediately after: the Holiday season. So, every year, I dig up 4 or 5 horror movies to watch and take part in the joy of seeing people terrorized, running for their lives to no avail, and dying horrible, gruesome deaths to pay for their sins.
But not all of the horror movies are about delightful, abject fear. There are those who take Halloween from a different angle and take the scares and add humor. They make Halloween funny, where you jump and cry out and then laugh! And that's what this post is about. I'm going to give you my top ten funny horror movies. Go and rent some, and temper your fear with laughter!
10) Little Shop Of Horrors - The only horror movie I know of where the plants dance and sing as they kill! How could you NOT have fun with that?
09) Teen Wolf - What better way to make a werewolf movie fun than to have shoddy production values and loads of teen angst! Plus, street surfing!!!
08) Young Frankenstein - Mel Brooks made this movie. That's all you need to know.
07) Zombieland - A crazy way to look at the rules for surviving a zombie apocalypse. Wit, sarcasm, and practical humor prove just as effective against zombies as they are against everything else.
06) From Dusk 'Til Dawn - From the moment I saw the first ad ("Vampires. No Interviews.") I knew I was going to laugh my ass off during this movie. It brings a delightful, wise ass sarcasm to vampire movies that is severely lacking. I mean, come on, just because you're facing a evil horde of bloodsuckers doesn't mean you can't toss out a couple of good barbs, right?
05) Gremlins - Dude, Gizmo made this movie. You remember the rules, right?
04) Army of Darkness - Talk about a wise ass horror movie and no other comes to mind. Now, I'm going to Borders to pick up my copy of the Necronomicon. How did that password phrase go? Clatu Verata.. Necktie? No.... umm... Nickel? No... Damm it, think!
03) The Frighteners - What? Ghosts can't have attitude? Just cause you dead don't mean you stop the con, right?
02) Ghostbusters - Come on, you knew this one was going to be on this list!! There was NO doubt. Oh, question for you: ARE YOU A GOD??
01) Beetlejuice - Hey, you deceased people out there! Do you have those pesky living folks infesting your home? Well, all you have to do is call the afterlife's one and only Bio-Exorcist! You know his name. So... Say it once. Say it Twice. Third Time's the Charm...
Halloween is about fear. Old world religions had the power of the Gods wax and wane just like the seasons, in order to cement the idea of the constant battle between Good and Evil. There was a day where the power of the Good & Righteous is restored to its full glory ready to take on the yearly battle against the Evils of the world. It was known as All Saint's Day. But on the eve of this holy day (See where the name came from?) the power of good would be at it's weakest and the people would take measures to defend themselves against the Evil. All the commercialized rituals we have now are based upon those initial rites of fear.
Given my personal mentality, I take the day of Halloween to explore the depths of those things that I should normally fear, but don't. And it's FUN!! It's my favorite time of year because I can come to believe that the rest of the world, for one night, joins me in rejoicing in the darkness. That for one night, the rest of the world can take glory from the triumph of the villains. While that's not really true, it's nice to indulge in, and it gives me a strong foundation for what comes immediately after: the Holiday season. So, every year, I dig up 4 or 5 horror movies to watch and take part in the joy of seeing people terrorized, running for their lives to no avail, and dying horrible, gruesome deaths to pay for their sins.
But not all of the horror movies are about delightful, abject fear. There are those who take Halloween from a different angle and take the scares and add humor. They make Halloween funny, where you jump and cry out and then laugh! And that's what this post is about. I'm going to give you my top ten funny horror movies. Go and rent some, and temper your fear with laughter!
10) Little Shop Of Horrors - The only horror movie I know of where the plants dance and sing as they kill! How could you NOT have fun with that?
09) Teen Wolf - What better way to make a werewolf movie fun than to have shoddy production values and loads of teen angst! Plus, street surfing!!!
08) Young Frankenstein - Mel Brooks made this movie. That's all you need to know.
07) Zombieland - A crazy way to look at the rules for surviving a zombie apocalypse. Wit, sarcasm, and practical humor prove just as effective against zombies as they are against everything else.
06) From Dusk 'Til Dawn - From the moment I saw the first ad ("Vampires. No Interviews.") I knew I was going to laugh my ass off during this movie. It brings a delightful, wise ass sarcasm to vampire movies that is severely lacking. I mean, come on, just because you're facing a evil horde of bloodsuckers doesn't mean you can't toss out a couple of good barbs, right?
05) Gremlins - Dude, Gizmo made this movie. You remember the rules, right?
04) Army of Darkness - Talk about a wise ass horror movie and no other comes to mind. Now, I'm going to Borders to pick up my copy of the Necronomicon. How did that password phrase go? Clatu Verata.. Necktie? No.... umm... Nickel? No... Damm it, think!
03) The Frighteners - What? Ghosts can't have attitude? Just cause you dead don't mean you stop the con, right?
02) Ghostbusters - Come on, you knew this one was going to be on this list!! There was NO doubt. Oh, question for you: ARE YOU A GOD??
01) Beetlejuice - Hey, you deceased people out there! Do you have those pesky living folks infesting your home? Well, all you have to do is call the afterlife's one and only Bio-Exorcist! You know his name. So... Say it once. Say it Twice. Third Time's the Charm...
Thursday, October 28, 2010
As If I Didn't Hate Twilight Enough Already....
In a push to generate original modern material, DC has created a new series of graphic novels under the "Earth One" banner. First on the list for this series is Superman. How do they plan on re-inventing Supes into a more modern incarnation?? By Twilight-izing him.... Yes, I'm serious. Don't believe me? Read the article for yourself!!
Can you believe this?? First off, WHY, DC, WHY??? I can't count how many times I've defended DC against any & all who doubted their storytelling prowess. Talking about the deeper philosophies embedded in their stories and how their characters have become a part of the American Mythos. To have them do this, makes me want to throw my hands up in disgust and move to the Marvel universe permanently.
Second, why Superman? Of the entire pantheon of characters in DC, the one most apt to go "Twilight" would be Batman. And while I would prefer that DIDN'T happen, it is kind of a perfect marriage. Bruce Wayne is dark, moody, and spends most of his time brooding and living in darkness. I would figure DC wanting to appease the Twilight Twits would blend the Terry McGinnis character (From Batman Beyond) with Bruce Wayne for (the inevitable, but not yet announced) Batman: Earth One graphic novel. Like I said, I wouldn't want this to come about, but I could understand going that route. It makes logistical sense.
And speaking of Batman, there's always been a kind of yin-yang thing with Batman and Superman (the two flagship franchises of DC, which is why I'm still talking about Bats). So, if DC is going to make Superman angsty and moody, what are they going to do with Bats? Make him an upbeat, happy-go-lucky, devil may care guy? Seriously??
Finally, from a storyline perspective, having a moody & brooding Superman is inherently dangerous. For all the flack Supes gets from his detractors, he is the single most powerful being on the planet. He could theoretically knock the Earth out of it's orbit of the Sun and kill everyone. This is not the character you want to have being angsty or moody. Supes being an overgrown boyscout is one of humanity's defenses against his power.
*crosses fingers* I'm hoping DC re-thinks this idea, but I also know better than to really expect it to change. God, I really, really, REALLY hate Twilight.... I can't wait until that damned series fades into Oblivion.
An A.R.K. - Act of Random Kindness
Right on the heels of my rant (after which I felt much better, by the way), the Cosmic Awareness decides to throw me a curveball in the form of an act of random kindness. Here's the story:
My co-workers have had kind of a front row seat for the madness of my apartment hunt. Granted, I kept most of it kind of low key, but they still got to see a lot of it on a day-to-day basis. The day after my last posting, one of my co-workers, Janet (name changed to protect the innocent) comes up to me and says, "I have a gift for you."
I eyed her, suspecting some kind of prank. Not that Janet is a prankster in any way. She's an agreeable, solid character, a genuinely nice person. Which, of course, makes her the PERFECT front woman for a prank. I know there are several other pranksters in the office. I responded with a bit of my paranoia bleeding into my voice, "Really?"
"Yes, a big present. A service of dishes for 8 people!" As Janet goes on about a family member cleaning out old stuff from a previous (short term) marriage, all my paranoia dissipated to be replaced with amazement, gratitude, and yes, a bit of shame for suspecting her. (Which just adds to her being the perfect front woman for a prank!)
And the dish service is fantastic, too. Not at all girly or anything. Just simple and classic. It was a very cool thing for Janet to do. While other co-workers have donated stuff to my apartment, this instance struck a chord because it was completely random. I knew Janet was listening, but she has two daughters and a large extended family that she's dealing with, so I was thinking that my issue just went in one ear and out the other. So, the fact that my issues registered enough for her to remember it was really cool.
Second was the timing. Just as I'm at the point where I'm freaking out about all the little things my apartment needs, someone came and randomly gave me a chunk of the stuff I needed to get. Janet couldn't have timed it better if she were paid to! It was really cool.
My co-workers have had kind of a front row seat for the madness of my apartment hunt. Granted, I kept most of it kind of low key, but they still got to see a lot of it on a day-to-day basis. The day after my last posting, one of my co-workers, Janet (name changed to protect the innocent) comes up to me and says, "I have a gift for you."
I eyed her, suspecting some kind of prank. Not that Janet is a prankster in any way. She's an agreeable, solid character, a genuinely nice person. Which, of course, makes her the PERFECT front woman for a prank. I know there are several other pranksters in the office. I responded with a bit of my paranoia bleeding into my voice, "Really?"
"Yes, a big present. A service of dishes for 8 people!" As Janet goes on about a family member cleaning out old stuff from a previous (short term) marriage, all my paranoia dissipated to be replaced with amazement, gratitude, and yes, a bit of shame for suspecting her. (Which just adds to her being the perfect front woman for a prank!)
And the dish service is fantastic, too. Not at all girly or anything. Just simple and classic. It was a very cool thing for Janet to do. While other co-workers have donated stuff to my apartment, this instance struck a chord because it was completely random. I knew Janet was listening, but she has two daughters and a large extended family that she's dealing with, so I was thinking that my issue just went in one ear and out the other. So, the fact that my issues registered enough for her to remember it was really cool.
Second was the timing. Just as I'm at the point where I'm freaking out about all the little things my apartment needs, someone came and randomly gave me a chunk of the stuff I needed to get. Janet couldn't have timed it better if she were paid to! It was really cool.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Life Note: Apartment
I've decided to start a new ongoing series of posts on here called "Life Notes". Basically, it's just a mini-rant about a small, stupid issue that is either taking over my mind or bugging the living crap out of me. For my first Life Note, I'm going to rant about having an apartment.
You know the thing that messes with my head about having your own place? All the little things you find you need to have that you never thought about before. Like a can opener! Who in their right minds ever thinks about can openers? They are no-brainer MUST have, right? Well, here in my new place, I didn't have one.
My family and friends, trying to be helpful, donate stuff, cans of beans, soup, corn, etc. I'm thinking, "Hey, I can get me some corn for dinner tonight!" NOPE, because I didn't have a freaking CAN OPENER!!! (But I bought one yesterday, so I'm finally good there.)
Then there's pots. Not frying pans, but POTS. Like a medium sized pot that you could cook rice in... or like 4-5 chicken thighs in. Nothing huge like the soup cauldrons that Grandma's the world over use to indulge in their arcane magic of cooking, just a nice medium sized pot. They're like EXTINCT!! I went to a couple of places looking for a single, solitary pot. (On my shopping trip for a damned can opener, figure why not kill 2 birds with one stone, right?) Couldn't find them anywhere!! Oh, sure for like $130 I could get an entire SET of pans, pots, and stuff, but I don't have that kind of money. And all I wanted was a medium size pot for me to cook some rice in. NOTHING!! Sure they had pressure cookers that I could fit my TV in, and they had waffle makers, and pancake makers, and George Forman's "THE NEXT GRILLERATION". I kid you not, that's actually in stores. But, a single solitary pot was NOWHERE to be found!!
And let's not even talk about other little things.. like spreadable butter for sandwiches.. or garbage bags, or for that matter a garbage CAN!, push pins, Tupperware, BOWLS, for crying out loud. How difficult is it to get a non-miniature sized bowl where I can get more than ONE spoonful of cereal in? And there's hand towels, spatulas, a ladle, sieves, glass cleaner, paper towels, those plastic things to organize your utensils, sponges to do dishes, dish washing soap, broom, mop, bucket, dustpan..... I MEAN COME ON!!!!
People, if you are living in an apartment with others, whatever you do, DON'T MOVE OUT ON YOUR OWN!! Your wallet/purse will NEVER recover!
You know the thing that messes with my head about having your own place? All the little things you find you need to have that you never thought about before. Like a can opener! Who in their right minds ever thinks about can openers? They are no-brainer MUST have, right? Well, here in my new place, I didn't have one.
My family and friends, trying to be helpful, donate stuff, cans of beans, soup, corn, etc. I'm thinking, "Hey, I can get me some corn for dinner tonight!" NOPE, because I didn't have a freaking CAN OPENER!!! (But I bought one yesterday, so I'm finally good there.)
Then there's pots. Not frying pans, but POTS. Like a medium sized pot that you could cook rice in... or like 4-5 chicken thighs in. Nothing huge like the soup cauldrons that Grandma's the world over use to indulge in their arcane magic of cooking, just a nice medium sized pot. They're like EXTINCT!! I went to a couple of places looking for a single, solitary pot. (On my shopping trip for a damned can opener, figure why not kill 2 birds with one stone, right?) Couldn't find them anywhere!! Oh, sure for like $130 I could get an entire SET of pans, pots, and stuff, but I don't have that kind of money. And all I wanted was a medium size pot for me to cook some rice in. NOTHING!! Sure they had pressure cookers that I could fit my TV in, and they had waffle makers, and pancake makers, and George Forman's "THE NEXT GRILLERATION". I kid you not, that's actually in stores. But, a single solitary pot was NOWHERE to be found!!
And let's not even talk about other little things.. like spreadable butter for sandwiches.. or garbage bags, or for that matter a garbage CAN!, push pins, Tupperware, BOWLS, for crying out loud. How difficult is it to get a non-miniature sized bowl where I can get more than ONE spoonful of cereal in? And there's hand towels, spatulas, a ladle, sieves, glass cleaner, paper towels, those plastic things to organize your utensils, sponges to do dishes, dish washing soap, broom, mop, bucket, dustpan..... I MEAN COME ON!!!!
People, if you are living in an apartment with others, whatever you do, DON'T MOVE OUT ON YOUR OWN!! Your wallet/purse will NEVER recover!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
You Might Be A Geek If...
In the spirit of my last blog post, and in the style of Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be A Redneck If...", I have come up with a new low for humor, dear readers! The title of this post says it all.
Now, before we continue, I just want to say that I came up with all of the following statements. They are 100% Dilking originals, but feel free to use them if you wish! Oh, and if you think of any, post them in the comments!! Anyway, here we go:
You Might Be A Geek If....
If you buy tickets to see a movie in theaters you already own on DVD, you might be a geek.
If you have more computer parts in your house than you do furniture, you might be a geek.
If a girl shouts "Bug!!" and you whip out a Netbook, you might be a geek.
If you can recite the Star Spangled Banner in BINARY, you might be a geek.
If your idea of a romantic night is having your Everquest avatars sitting in front of a digital fire, you might be a geek.
If you have a wife & kids in The Sims, but can't get a date in real life, you might be a geek.
If you have drawn up blueprints for an robot girlfriend, you might be a geek.
If you spend more time surfing the internet than actually talking on your phone, you might be a geek.
If you think watching G4 is foreplay, you might be a geek.
If you think chatting online is a great idea for a date, you might be a geek.
If you know the Konami cheat code by heart, but can't remember your sister's name, you might be a geek.
If your entertainment system has better sound than the local movie theater's, you might be a geek.
If someone shouts "WOW" and you think World Of Warcraft, you might be a geek.
If you can disassemble electronics in less time than it takes to turn on a light bulb, you might be a geek.
If your coffee table is a spool of Ethernet cable, you might be a geek.
If you set up all the appliances in your house to be controllable from your laptop, you might be a geek.
If you think it's a cool idea to install an A.I. in your car so it talks back to you, you might be a geek.
If the first thing you set up after moving to a new place is your electronic equipment, you might be a geek.
And last, but not least:
If your online characters have more sex than you do, you might be a geek.
Now, before we continue, I just want to say that I came up with all of the following statements. They are 100% Dilking originals, but feel free to use them if you wish! Oh, and if you think of any, post them in the comments!! Anyway, here we go:
You Might Be A Geek If....
If you buy tickets to see a movie in theaters you already own on DVD, you might be a geek.
If you have more computer parts in your house than you do furniture, you might be a geek.
If a girl shouts "Bug!!" and you whip out a Netbook, you might be a geek.
If you can recite the Star Spangled Banner in BINARY, you might be a geek.
If your idea of a romantic night is having your Everquest avatars sitting in front of a digital fire, you might be a geek.
If you have a wife & kids in The Sims, but can't get a date in real life, you might be a geek.
If you have drawn up blueprints for an robot girlfriend, you might be a geek.
If you spend more time surfing the internet than actually talking on your phone, you might be a geek.
If you think watching G4 is foreplay, you might be a geek.
If you think chatting online is a great idea for a date, you might be a geek.
If you know the Konami cheat code by heart, but can't remember your sister's name, you might be a geek.
If your entertainment system has better sound than the local movie theater's, you might be a geek.
If someone shouts "WOW" and you think World Of Warcraft, you might be a geek.
If you can disassemble electronics in less time than it takes to turn on a light bulb, you might be a geek.
If your coffee table is a spool of Ethernet cable, you might be a geek.
If you set up all the appliances in your house to be controllable from your laptop, you might be a geek.
If you think it's a cool idea to install an A.I. in your car so it talks back to you, you might be a geek.
If the first thing you set up after moving to a new place is your electronic equipment, you might be a geek.
And last, but not least:
If your online characters have more sex than you do, you might be a geek.
I'm Such A Geek..
Right on the heels of my second public declaration of Back To The Future as my #1 favorite movie (the first time was on my very first blog post. Don't belive me? Check it out, I called it Blog Zero - The Origin.), I find out exactly how much of geek I really am.
See, Back To The Future is celebrating it's 25th anniversary of it's release with a couple of big events. One is the full on, high-def remastered, outatime badass release of the entire trilogy on Blu-ray on the 26th of October. AMC Theaters is jumping on the bandwagon with a special showing of the original film, Back To The Future, in theaters on 10/23 and on 10/25 in select cities, one of which is close to me. I'm such a geek I bought tickets to go see it.
Think about that for a second. I currently OWN the trilogy on DVD. I can go home and pop in the disc and watch the movie whenever I want and I bought two tickets to see it IN THEATERS!!!Not to mention that I was thinking about getting the "DeLorean Edition" of the Blu-Ray release, which comes with a scale model of the DeLorean from BttF II.
How much of a geek am I, huh? See people, these are the things that prevent me from getting girlfriends. No woman in their right mind would go out with a guy who gets all hyped up about a 25 year old movie being shown in theaters again... My only solace is that a good friend of mine from college is coming with me. Of course, SHE's married so she can afford a geek out. Me, I have no excuse.. But, while I am a *HUGE* geek for doing this, at least I'm not the only one.
And I just realized the Blu-Ray comes out NEXT TUESDAY!! YEAH!!!
*reads last bit and hangs head in shame*
*sigh*
I am such a geek...
See, Back To The Future is celebrating it's 25th anniversary of it's release with a couple of big events. One is the full on, high-def remastered, outatime badass release of the entire trilogy on Blu-ray on the 26th of October. AMC Theaters is jumping on the bandwagon with a special showing of the original film, Back To The Future, in theaters on 10/23 and on 10/25 in select cities, one of which is close to me. I'm such a geek I bought tickets to go see it.
Think about that for a second. I currently OWN the trilogy on DVD. I can go home and pop in the disc and watch the movie whenever I want and I bought two tickets to see it IN THEATERS!!!Not to mention that I was thinking about getting the "DeLorean Edition" of the Blu-Ray release, which comes with a scale model of the DeLorean from BttF II.
How much of a geek am I, huh? See people, these are the things that prevent me from getting girlfriends. No woman in their right mind would go out with a guy who gets all hyped up about a 25 year old movie being shown in theaters again... My only solace is that a good friend of mine from college is coming with me. Of course, SHE's married so she can afford a geek out. Me, I have no excuse.. But, while I am a *HUGE* geek for doing this, at least I'm not the only one.
And I just realized the Blu-Ray comes out NEXT TUESDAY!! YEAH!!!
*reads last bit and hangs head in shame*
*sigh*
I am such a geek...
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Halloween Essentials: The Jack-Chop
Now, I normally don't do product endorsements since no one really reads this blog. But, in this case, I do have to make an exception. This product is just too good a deal for me NOT to tell you, my dear readers, all about it! It's called the Jack-Chop! You know what? Instead of me telling you about it, here's a commercial for it:
Now, that is ESSENTIAL for your Halloween needs!!
Now, that is ESSENTIAL for your Halloween needs!!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Top Ten Favorite Movies of ALL TIME
Whenever someone found out how much I love movies, they always asked me the same question. "What is your favorite movie?" For a long time, I didn't have an answer. Because I could promote any movie I watched as the best or the worst if I were in the proper mindset. Then I came to find the perfect means for determining my favorite movie. The criteria is really simple. Ask yourselves this, dear readers, what movie would you always be into watching, no matter what mood you're in? Depressed cause your lover left? Watch this movie to forget your sorrows. Happy cause you got that job promotion? Watch this movie to close out the celebrations. Angry cause some one cut you off? Watch this movie to calm you down. If you can think of ONE movie to fit all those scenarios and whichever others are coming across your mind right now, THAT is your favorite movie.
As a movie lover, it took me a long time to create this list. Some of you may be surprised at an entry or two on this list. But most will read this list and say... Of course, those are the ones he likes. They are so obvious! So, I now present to you my top ten favorite movies of all time. This is the mother lode for me. If an alien culture contacted me about movies, these would be the movies I would show them.
10) The Princess Bride
This is an interesting entry for me. Normally, I would scoff at what is essentially nothing more than a period piece chick flick, right? WRONG! What makes this movie is EVERYTHING ELSE in it. It was like the producers wanted to make an awesome fantasy film and needed a love story to tie the individual scenes together. From my personal favorite, Inigo Montoya and his 20+ year quest for revenge, to the little boy sick in bed making faces at the "kissing parts", The Princess Bride is nothing less than fantastic.
09) Groundhog Day
This movie is fantastic because the premise is completely absurd, but handled in the most realistic way possible. A guy suddenly get stuck in a time loop, reliving the same day over & over again. No explanation. No reason why. No "test of your soul" or whatever. It just happens. How would you deal? What would you do? Another reason I love this movie is because it's a premise that can't be copied without referencing the original. Seriously, ever since this movie was released, any type of medium dealing with a person repeating time is described as a "Groundhog Day" event. This movie is unique, intriguing, amazing, and just fundamentally awesome!
08) The Matrix
It's exceptionally rare for me to encounter a film so densely packed with so many different philosophical treatises, so tightly written that can still be described as fucking KICK ASS!! The movie blends computer theory, existential philosophy, and various theological treatises using kung fu, spaceships and robots. Watching this movie was life changing for me. I never thought in a million years a movie like this would EVER make it past the Hollywood executives. And I'm glad it did. (NOTE: This list is just single films, otherwise the whole trilogy would be in this slot.)
07) Live Free Or Die Hard
This is another entry that people would find surprising. After all, if you like a series it's usually the first in the series that's the best. Like the main protagonist of the series, John McClane, did for the action hero, this series bucks the trend by getting better with each successive movie. The reason I love this movie is simple: DH4 shows that despite how advanced we think we are, or how awesome our technology is, the greatest power we have is our spirit. The technobabble is just a distraction. Our will to live, to survive; our determination to NOT be beaten. THAT is what drives us. It might not win us friends, or give us an easy life, but it drives us to succeed and compels us to move forward. To always strive for what's just out of our reach, no matter how hard it tries to elude us. (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 4, 1, 3, then 2)
06) T2: Judgement Day
Here's another series that showcases the power of the human spirit. But that's just one of the things that makes this movie awesome. You take the example of the human spirit, mix in the struggle against the demons that are fueled by that same spirit, add in the question of what makes a being human, ethics of the usage of technology in war, and some philosophy of time travel. Blend in some action and you got a fantastic ride that you'll want to re-live over and over again. (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 2, 1, 4, then 3)
05) Serenity
The thing about science fiction movies is that they tend to build upon each other which makes it very difficult to get original ideas. Serenity is an original view of the future. Most science fiction assumes a betterment of human society where everyone kind of levels out and people are always on equal footing. Serenity showed us that just because humanity reaches the stars, doesn't mean that we quell our social demons. That it's possible to advance technologically but still have no solutions for poverty, governments desire to control their citizen's thoughts, etc. Mash that up with some good old fashioned humor and some hell raisin' good times and you got something truly unique.
04) Fellowship Of The Ring
J.R.R. Tolkien is the father of modern fantasy. Period. Everything you know about elves, orcs, dwarves, trolls, etc. was collected and re-vamped by Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings series. Reading those books, assuming you don't get bogged down in the overwhelming details, you fall in love with the characters and through them the species they represent. For the first time ever, Hollywood has managed to create a decent representation of that world and from there accurately tell the story of Frodo and the other members of the Fellowship. And, they show how the fate of the greatest of societies hang on the actions of the individuals within those societies. This film showcases the strength of the bonds between people, human or not, and how those bonds allow us to overcome and endure what we think is unendurable. (NOTE: The whole series is awesome in order.)
03) Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Raiders introduced audiences to Indiana Jones, one of the unluckiest heroes in movie history. That he survived the first scenes of the film is a testament to not only his strength of will, but also to the depth of his knowledge. I think that's what got me into the Indiana Jones series. The fact that I was shown a hero that wasn't all about the action. Jones did the research, gained the knowledge he needed (and a lot more) and then used that knowledge to survive. Jones was a thinking man's hero. (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 1, 3, 2, then 4)
02) Return Of The Jedi
Star Wars borrows heavily from the trademarks of successful mythologies which, in turn, made the series into a wildly successful mythology. But out of the original trilogy, Return of The Jedi is my favorite because it took the typical payoff of the mythological story and grounded it in reality. Normally, the young upstart is trained by a old sage and then has the necessary power to defeat everything in his path. But in Jedi, that young upstart gets really good with his training, yet kind of like Icarus, bites off more than he can chew. And when he gets in trouble, who does he go to? His father. The same father who only moments before (in one of the GREATEST SPEECHES EVER!!) threatened to corrupt his own daughter's mind, now is the only salvation for his son. Coming from the fucked up family I have, I could most DEFINITELY relate! (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 6, 5, 4. Prequel Trilogy doesn't measure up.)
01) Back To The Future
The best sci-fi stories always use the technology they create to showcase some hidden aspect of the human condition. The best feature film example of this is my number one favorite movie of all time: Back To The Future. Yes, you could call it a time-travel movie, but that's not what it's really about. The movie is about a teenager seeing his parents when they were teenagers and realizing how MUCH they have in common despite the different times they lived in. A powerful statement about family and understanding that could only be brought about in a sci-fi or fantasy framework. At the same time, the movie also showcases the strengths humanity gains from it's traditions (the storytelling of the mother, which provided a contextual guide for how things were supposed to go in the past), the power of the bond between mentor and student (the Doc & Marty), and how dangerous humanity can be to itself given the improper use of technology. All of that, rolled up into ONE movie liberally dosed with fantastic music, intense writing ("What did I TELL YOU? 88 MILES PER HOUR!!!") and awesome comedy. It's no wonder that no matter what mood I'm in, I'd always watch Back To The Future and why it's my number one movie of all time.
That's my list, dear readers, what's yours?
As a movie lover, it took me a long time to create this list. Some of you may be surprised at an entry or two on this list. But most will read this list and say... Of course, those are the ones he likes. They are so obvious! So, I now present to you my top ten favorite movies of all time. This is the mother lode for me. If an alien culture contacted me about movies, these would be the movies I would show them.
10) The Princess BrideThis is an interesting entry for me. Normally, I would scoff at what is essentially nothing more than a period piece chick flick, right? WRONG! What makes this movie is EVERYTHING ELSE in it. It was like the producers wanted to make an awesome fantasy film and needed a love story to tie the individual scenes together. From my personal favorite, Inigo Montoya and his 20+ year quest for revenge, to the little boy sick in bed making faces at the "kissing parts", The Princess Bride is nothing less than fantastic.
This movie is fantastic because the premise is completely absurd, but handled in the most realistic way possible. A guy suddenly get stuck in a time loop, reliving the same day over & over again. No explanation. No reason why. No "test of your soul" or whatever. It just happens. How would you deal? What would you do? Another reason I love this movie is because it's a premise that can't be copied without referencing the original. Seriously, ever since this movie was released, any type of medium dealing with a person repeating time is described as a "Groundhog Day" event. This movie is unique, intriguing, amazing, and just fundamentally awesome!
It's exceptionally rare for me to encounter a film so densely packed with so many different philosophical treatises, so tightly written that can still be described as fucking KICK ASS!! The movie blends computer theory, existential philosophy, and various theological treatises using kung fu, spaceships and robots. Watching this movie was life changing for me. I never thought in a million years a movie like this would EVER make it past the Hollywood executives. And I'm glad it did. (NOTE: This list is just single films, otherwise the whole trilogy would be in this slot.)
07) Live Free Or Die HardThis is another entry that people would find surprising. After all, if you like a series it's usually the first in the series that's the best. Like the main protagonist of the series, John McClane, did for the action hero, this series bucks the trend by getting better with each successive movie. The reason I love this movie is simple: DH4 shows that despite how advanced we think we are, or how awesome our technology is, the greatest power we have is our spirit. The technobabble is just a distraction. Our will to live, to survive; our determination to NOT be beaten. THAT is what drives us. It might not win us friends, or give us an easy life, but it drives us to succeed and compels us to move forward. To always strive for what's just out of our reach, no matter how hard it tries to elude us. (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 4, 1, 3, then 2)
Here's another series that showcases the power of the human spirit. But that's just one of the things that makes this movie awesome. You take the example of the human spirit, mix in the struggle against the demons that are fueled by that same spirit, add in the question of what makes a being human, ethics of the usage of technology in war, and some philosophy of time travel. Blend in some action and you got a fantastic ride that you'll want to re-live over and over again. (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 2, 1, 4, then 3)
The thing about science fiction movies is that they tend to build upon each other which makes it very difficult to get original ideas. Serenity is an original view of the future. Most science fiction assumes a betterment of human society where everyone kind of levels out and people are always on equal footing. Serenity showed us that just because humanity reaches the stars, doesn't mean that we quell our social demons. That it's possible to advance technologically but still have no solutions for poverty, governments desire to control their citizen's thoughts, etc. Mash that up with some good old fashioned humor and some hell raisin' good times and you got something truly unique.
J.R.R. Tolkien is the father of modern fantasy. Period. Everything you know about elves, orcs, dwarves, trolls, etc. was collected and re-vamped by Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings series. Reading those books, assuming you don't get bogged down in the overwhelming details, you fall in love with the characters and through them the species they represent. For the first time ever, Hollywood has managed to create a decent representation of that world and from there accurately tell the story of Frodo and the other members of the Fellowship. And, they show how the fate of the greatest of societies hang on the actions of the individuals within those societies. This film showcases the strength of the bonds between people, human or not, and how those bonds allow us to overcome and endure what we think is unendurable. (NOTE: The whole series is awesome in order.)
Raiders introduced audiences to Indiana Jones, one of the unluckiest heroes in movie history. That he survived the first scenes of the film is a testament to not only his strength of will, but also to the depth of his knowledge. I think that's what got me into the Indiana Jones series. The fact that I was shown a hero that wasn't all about the action. Jones did the research, gained the knowledge he needed (and a lot more) and then used that knowledge to survive. Jones was a thinking man's hero. (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 1, 3, 2, then 4)
Star Wars borrows heavily from the trademarks of successful mythologies which, in turn, made the series into a wildly successful mythology. But out of the original trilogy, Return of The Jedi is my favorite because it took the typical payoff of the mythological story and grounded it in reality. Normally, the young upstart is trained by a old sage and then has the necessary power to defeat everything in his path. But in Jedi, that young upstart gets really good with his training, yet kind of like Icarus, bites off more than he can chew. And when he gets in trouble, who does he go to? His father. The same father who only moments before (in one of the GREATEST SPEECHES EVER!!) threatened to corrupt his own daughter's mind, now is the only salvation for his son. Coming from the fucked up family I have, I could most DEFINITELY relate! (NOTE: Series favorites in order: 6, 5, 4. Prequel Trilogy doesn't measure up.)
The best sci-fi stories always use the technology they create to showcase some hidden aspect of the human condition. The best feature film example of this is my number one favorite movie of all time: Back To The Future. Yes, you could call it a time-travel movie, but that's not what it's really about. The movie is about a teenager seeing his parents when they were teenagers and realizing how MUCH they have in common despite the different times they lived in. A powerful statement about family and understanding that could only be brought about in a sci-fi or fantasy framework. At the same time, the movie also showcases the strengths humanity gains from it's traditions (the storytelling of the mother, which provided a contextual guide for how things were supposed to go in the past), the power of the bond between mentor and student (the Doc & Marty), and how dangerous humanity can be to itself given the improper use of technology. All of that, rolled up into ONE movie liberally dosed with fantastic music, intense writing ("What did I TELL YOU? 88 MILES PER HOUR!!!") and awesome comedy. It's no wonder that no matter what mood I'm in, I'd always watch Back To The Future and why it's my number one movie of all time.
That's my list, dear readers, what's yours?
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Funniest Thing Happened @ Work Yesterday....
Now, I've been in support off and on, and in the Tech Sector for a long time. And I love hearing the hilarious stories of customer mishaps, brain farts, and other outrageous acts. Now these are funny for any number of reasons; the base stupidity of the customer, the reaction a customer gets from tech support, or how easily a "major problem" was solved. One of the reasons I love hearing about them is because they rarely happen to me. As you know, dear readers, I work as a support person for a company called Pinpoint Global. For the first time in years, I got a funny story to tell.
Yesterday, I got a support ticket from the support team of a firm which I shall name "Company". (I know original, right? I'm a beacon of creative potential, I am. BTW, all the names have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.) After reporting back to Company's support team that I fixed what I thought was causing the issue, I get this cry for help directly from the troubled soul drowning in the darkness of malfunctioning websites:
The support team at Company were CC'd into this email exchange and one of them responds to me, quite unexpectedly with this:
Now, I'm worried that the guy didn't get my email. So, I dig in and find his email address and send it to him directly. After about an hour or so, he responds with the following:
Thus the story ends, with evil vanquished and the Pure-Hearted Warrior victorious and ready to face the next challenges the Gods place in front of him….
Yesterday, I got a support ticket from the support team of a firm which I shall name "Company". (I know original, right? I'm a beacon of creative potential, I am. BTW, all the names have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.) After reporting back to Company's support team that I fixed what I thought was causing the issue, I get this cry for help directly from the troubled soul drowning in the darkness of malfunctioning websites:
Hello,I do a little more digging and find a secondary issue. I cleaned up their account and force the fix through, so this guy no longer has to go through the registration process & can just log in directly to the site. Meanwhile, my co-workers are getting a kick out of this guy's email. It's so rare to see a customer with a sense of humor about all this. Me being who I am, I have to keep this going. So, I respond in kind:
My name is Gabriel and I have been selected by the Gods to endure the endless torture of not being able to access Step 2 in the Company Broker Portal despite the honorable and steadfast deliberations from some of the most knowledgeable souls and sages that have become snared by this curiosity.
Alas, the last fix did not hold and so I have taken extensive screen shots to document the process and its failure that plagues us. These I have attached so they may be examined and scrutinized in hopes a solution will show itself.
Hi,
My name is Rodney and I am an Agent of Necessity, that force which compels even the Gods to succumb to Its will! As such, I have endeavored to break their stranglehold on your fate. With the arcane magic buried deep within the Access Code, I was able to restore your destiny to its proper place of greatness among the pantheon of warriors and successfully registered you on the site with the following logon information:
Username: xx
Password: xxx
At this point, Warrior Gabriel, you can just log into the site and continue on your quest to complete the rest of Company training. The Talisman of The Initial Training has already been emblazoned on your account and is displaying properly on your transcript.
Please do not hesitate to call upon myself or my fellow agents of Necessity to assist you on your path to greatness.
Thanks,
Rodney
Pinpoint Global (Necessity's Cover in The Mortal Realm)
The support team at Company were CC'd into this email exchange and one of them responds to me, quite unexpectedly with this:
Rodney,
That was such an awesome answer. I think I will keep it so that I can refer back to it from time to time. I wish that I could forward your answer back to the actual broker. You should have been a writer!
Thank you,
Vanessa
Now, I'm worried that the guy didn't get my email. So, I dig in and find his email address and send it to him directly. After about an hour or so, he responds with the following:
Thank you so much.
You must be a Titan or something because for the last three weeks: nothing. Rodney gets on the horse, and off we go into the blazing future like quicksilver.
SWEET, SWEET VICTORY!!!!!
(You are right though, my journey has just begun, it would wise to leave the celebrating to the God-wranglers and keep steadfast to the path...) Thank you again, and a thousand blessings to you and your own
Sincerely,
Gabriel
Thus the story ends, with evil vanquished and the Pure-Hearted Warrior victorious and ready to face the next challenges the Gods place in front of him….
Monday, October 11, 2010
Exploring the next frontier in Movies...
As a side bonus, my new PS3 is also a Blu-Ray disc player. And I went and bought my first Blu-Ray movie to see for myself what the hype is about. I wanted this to be a true test of the Blu-Ray, so I had to have something to compare it against. Therefore my first BR purchase had to be a movie I already owned on DVD. After much deliberation, I made what should have been the obvious choice from the start, and purchased: Terminator 2: Judgement DayYou might not follow why this is such an obvious choice for me, so let me explain. Starting with the obvious: I already had T2 on DVD and have watched it TONS of times, so I'm very familiar with how awesome it looks on DVD. This gives me a strong control group to test the BR disc against. This is a solid base for comparison. But not the full reason why it was such an obvious choice.
The true test of any new visual enhancement technology is NOT how it replicates the latest visuals. That should be easy since those visuals are being made with the new technology in mind. Filmmakers are shooting their movies with the latest HD or IMAX cameras, whose high resolution capabilities is tailor made for transfer to Blu-Ray. No, that's not a true test. A true test of the visual enhancement is what it can do for visuals that were NEVER meant to be displayed like that.
T2 was released in 1991. This was even before DVDs were developed! Now, the transfer of that movie from VHS (yes, I bought it on VHS) to DVD was amazing enough! But at the time the movie was filmed, Blu-Ray wasn't even a twinkle in Sony or the Blu-Ray Disc Association's eye. So, my eyes already having been wowed by the DVD transfer should fall out of my skull and go to the nearest church and praise God for 40 days and 40 nights if BR is even half as good as it's hyped up to be.
Yesterday, I watched T2 on Blu-ray and I was truly impressed. It wasn't all the special features, or any of the Internet available content. It was just watching the movie. Just the quality of the film transfer itself. I could see individual pores on the actors faces. The sharpness of the image was astounding, the richness of the colors was truly remarkable. I can officially say, I am impressed with Blu-Ray.
Now, it's not as major a jump from DVD to BR as it was from VHS to DVD, so despite my newfound amazement with BR, I am not going to be transferring my DVD collection to BR. Honestly, most of my movies just don't warrant that kind of high-res viewing. But, I can see myself making certain purchases to upgrade the movies that would benefit from it: The Matrix series being another perfect example.
My next purchase to test for BR should also be obvious. Given how awesome the picture looks, there is only one possible next step: Porn!
A New Acquisition...
Last Friday, I received a exceedingly pleasant surprise: a bonus in my paycheck. As you know from last posts (and from how few there were during Sept), dear readers, my life has been exceedingly stressful of late. So, I decided to use this money to get something that could provide stress relief. After an initial desire to hire a hooker for a half-hour session (it wasn't THAT big of a bonus, people!), I decided to go for something that would provide more long term stress relief: a new video game system.
Once that decision was made, an immediate debate started as to which console I should purchase. Factions formed around their token consoles: the Wii, the Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3; and then the inevitable battle raged. Blood stained the air, fire rained from the heavens, the earth trembled, and the oceans boiled. In the aftermath of that great war, one warrior was left standing. The chains bonded to his arms rattled with each step he took walking towards me. As I stood frozen in shock, and fear, he pointed his twin blades at me and roared.
"I am Kratos! God of War and you will buy the Playstation 3 to relive my adventures or you will feel my wrath!"
Needless to say, I bought the PS3.
Now, I want to be clear on this. I did not buy the PS3 because I was afraid of Kratos. Not at all. Deep down, Kratos is just a big softie. But he seemed awfully determined, and I didn't really want to disappoint him. Since Kratos didn't really specify where I should purchase the PS3, I went on CraigsList and got a great deal on a first generation PS3 that is backwards compatible! I also got 3 games with it, but I traded them in for 3 others. Currently, my PS3 video game library consists of:
Bioshock
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands
I'm sure more games will soon be purchased (probably as Christmas/birthday gifts *cough* *cough*) in the future, so please don't balk that the small size of my library. Remember, size doesn't matter!
Once that decision was made, an immediate debate started as to which console I should purchase. Factions formed around their token consoles: the Wii, the Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3; and then the inevitable battle raged. Blood stained the air, fire rained from the heavens, the earth trembled, and the oceans boiled. In the aftermath of that great war, one warrior was left standing. The chains bonded to his arms rattled with each step he took walking towards me. As I stood frozen in shock, and fear, he pointed his twin blades at me and roared.
"I am Kratos! God of War and you will buy the Playstation 3 to relive my adventures or you will feel my wrath!"
Needless to say, I bought the PS3.
Now, I want to be clear on this. I did not buy the PS3 because I was afraid of Kratos. Not at all. Deep down, Kratos is just a big softie. But he seemed awfully determined, and I didn't really want to disappoint him. Since Kratos didn't really specify where I should purchase the PS3, I went on CraigsList and got a great deal on a first generation PS3 that is backwards compatible! I also got 3 games with it, but I traded them in for 3 others. Currently, my PS3 video game library consists of:
Bioshock
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands
I'm sure more games will soon be purchased (probably as Christmas/birthday gifts *cough* *cough*) in the future, so please don't balk that the small size of my library. Remember, size doesn't matter!
Monday, October 4, 2010
This time of year...
Once I put some thought into it, I realized that October is my favorite month of the year. By this time, Fall is in full swing and the trees are changing into a dazzling palate of colors. Women are still wearing form revealing clothing, but no longer to the extent that it's mind numbingly distractive. Restraint has once again become the order of the day, cause a halter top doesn't give much protection against the bite of that cold October wind.
And the rest of the country seems to join me in the celebration of the coming of what has been known to be the height of the power of darkness: All Hallow's Eve. Known to the rest of the world as my favorite "holiday" of the year: Halloween. It brings a smile to my lips, puts a bounce to my step and a song in my heart to see all the little nods to evil Jack-O-Lanterns, images of cackling witches riding their brooms as they contemplate the wickedness they will bring.
For Halloween, it seems like the whole world steps through the looking glass and sees things in the way that I do all the time. Demonic omens in the rush of wind playing with the carcasses of fallen leaves, flashes of evil in the eyes of your loved ones, and whispers of madness settling noises of your familiar home!
I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!! Too bad that come November 1st, it's all over.
And the rest of the country seems to join me in the celebration of the coming of what has been known to be the height of the power of darkness: All Hallow's Eve. Known to the rest of the world as my favorite "holiday" of the year: Halloween. It brings a smile to my lips, puts a bounce to my step and a song in my heart to see all the little nods to evil Jack-O-Lanterns, images of cackling witches riding their brooms as they contemplate the wickedness they will bring.
For Halloween, it seems like the whole world steps through the looking glass and sees things in the way that I do all the time. Demonic omens in the rush of wind playing with the carcasses of fallen leaves, flashes of evil in the eyes of your loved ones, and whispers of madness settling noises of your familiar home!
I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!! Too bad that come November 1st, it's all over.
My recent postings
It's been commented in previous posts, and by some of my friends, that my posting recently has been laser focused on movies and TV. At first, I didn't believe them, but then I actually went back and checked and it turns out they're right.
Now, I do have to admit that Movies & TV take up a more than normal share of my life, since that is my default pass time and a major passion of mine. But I started this blog to express my feelings and to place my deliberations on a public forum to be commented upon and argued. But also to extract all the thoughts buzzing in my brain and give myself room to create NEW thoughts. Or at the very least, examine my old thoughts from new perspectives.
So, from now on, I shall endeavor to touch upon more diverse subject matter. There will still be a great deal of tv & movies, but I'll spread them out more evenly. Case in point, this post and my last one!
Now, I do have to admit that Movies & TV take up a more than normal share of my life, since that is my default pass time and a major passion of mine. But I started this blog to express my feelings and to place my deliberations on a public forum to be commented upon and argued. But also to extract all the thoughts buzzing in my brain and give myself room to create NEW thoughts. Or at the very least, examine my old thoughts from new perspectives.
So, from now on, I shall endeavor to touch upon more diverse subject matter. There will still be a great deal of tv & movies, but I'll spread them out more evenly. Case in point, this post and my last one!
An Apology
September was a very busy month for me. I found out my contract job was going permanent. And that the very same job that I thought was doable turns into an insane avalanche of work during the fall, eating up time in a way I didn't think was possible. I was warned about it, but knowing something and experiencing it are two very different things.
I also made the decision to go out and get an apartment on my own. While mostly a financial decision, it was also a lifestyle choice. I wanted to get an apartment I could afford and after living with people for six years, I needed my own place again. So, while stressing out about a job, I also was piling it on by conducting my own apartment hunt. Most of which was online, with the finalists getting calls from me to set up showings. And I managed to get a really great place and have it be within my budget.
And then, of course, there was the actual MOVING to the new place. Packing stuff up, etc.
All of this took huge chunks of my time and neural energy. As a consequence, I didn't get to post much on here. I dropped the ball, dear readers, and for that, I apologize. I can't say it won't happen again, but I will try to maintain a steady stream of new content.
Thanks for reading!
I also made the decision to go out and get an apartment on my own. While mostly a financial decision, it was also a lifestyle choice. I wanted to get an apartment I could afford and after living with people for six years, I needed my own place again. So, while stressing out about a job, I also was piling it on by conducting my own apartment hunt. Most of which was online, with the finalists getting calls from me to set up showings. And I managed to get a really great place and have it be within my budget.
And then, of course, there was the actual MOVING to the new place. Packing stuff up, etc.
All of this took huge chunks of my time and neural energy. As a consequence, I didn't get to post much on here. I dropped the ball, dear readers, and for that, I apologize. I can't say it won't happen again, but I will try to maintain a steady stream of new content.
Thanks for reading!
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