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2018 Roundup


Here's my incredibly long yearly wrap-up post. I always like to do these just as a good way end the year on a reflective note. And since my life is so very entertainment oriented, I may as well shoot for those. I set quite a few goals for myself, most of them some form of media. So I wanted to read 12 books and watch 150 movies I'd never seen before. Did I actually manage? Apparently I did. I don't know how but I did.

Here are just a few of the books, video games, and movies I read/played/watched this year.


Video Games

Completed Games

For those curious, I consider a sports game (completed) when I've completed a season of the full career mode. I did at least 2 in the games I played this year, so I counted them. Otherwise, how else can you really judge a sports game?
  • Telltale Batman S2
  • South Park: The Fractured But Whole
  • Far Cry 5
  • Dying Light
  • Super Mario Land 3D
  • ABZU
  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Spider-man
  • UFC 3
  • Madden '19
  • MLB The Show
  • Jurassic World Evolution
Favorite Video Games
  1. Red Dead Redemption 2
  2. Spider-man
  3. God of War
  4. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
  5. Batman: The Enemy Within

Books
  • City of Thieves
  • Paddle Your Own Canoe
  • Stephen King ...On Writing
  • The Art of War
  • Like Brothers
  • John Dies At The End
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Lost World
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
  • Own the Day, Own Your Life
  • Uncommon Type
  • The Outsider

Movies

This could easily change in a years time, as is the nature with favorite film's list but dammit, I'm gonna try anyway.

Favorite Films
  1. Halloween
  2. Hereditary
  3. Mission Impossible: Fallout
  4. Avengers: Infinity War
  5. Eighth Grade
  6. A Quiet Place
  7. Isle of Dogs
  8. Ant Man and the Wasp
  9. I, Tonya
  10. The Incredibles 2
Honorable Mentions: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Deadpool 2, Ready Player One, Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse

Here are the films, released in 2018 that I watched this year.

New 2018 Films:
  1. The Cloverfield Paradox
  2. Game Over, Man
  3. A Quiet Place
  4. Ready Player One
  5. Avengers: Infinity War
  6. Black Panther
  7. Baywatch
  8. The Clapper
  9. Game Night
  10. Deadpool 2
  11. Infinity Baby
  12. Kodachrome
  13. I, Tonya
  14. Maze Runner: The Death Cure
  15. Ant-Man and the Wasp
  16. The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer
  17. Super Troopers 2
  18. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
  19. Rampage
  20. Pacific Rim: Uprising
  21. Tomb Raider
  22. The Hitman’s Bodyguard
  23. Red Sparrow
  24. Eighth Grade
  25. Permanent
  26. The Package
  27. Hereditary 
  28. The Strangers: Prey at Night
  29. American Animals
  30. Mayhem
  31. Terrifier 
  32. Uncle Drew
  33. Revenge
  34. Nappily Ever After
  35. Truth or Dare
  36. Apostle
  37. Malevolent
  38. Halloween ‘18
  39. Splice
  40. Summer of ‘84
  41. Incredibles 2
  42. Isle of Dogs
  43. Mandy
  44. Mission Impossible: Fallout
  45. Blockers
  46. Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
  47. Hellraiser Judgment
  48. Venom
  49. Sorry To Bother You
  50. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
And then these are the films from any other year that I just happened to finally watch this year. I've made sure to bold the films that really stood out to me. (It's funny how those numbers worked out, eh?)
  1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales
  2. Goon 2: Last of the Enforcers 
  3. The Shape of Water
  4. Captain Underpants: Epic First Movie
  5. The Disaster Artist
  6. Blade Runner 2049
  7. Thor: Ragnorak
  8. Ladybugs
  9. Elysium
  10. Chappie
  11. Jeff, Who Lives At Home
  12. Lady Bird
  13. Coco
  14. Creep 2
  15. Deep Red
  16. Phenomena
  17. Just Buried
  18. Mystery Team
  19. It’s a Disaster
  20. Small Apartments
  21. Cherry
  22. Killing Gunther
  23. Fits and Starts
  24. A Bad Idea Gone Wrong
  25. Wish Upon
  26. Gamers
  27. 47 Meters Down
  28. Tragedy Girls
  29. The House
  30. Happy Death Day
  31. Hail, Caesar!
  32. Atomic Blonde
  33. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
  34. Frances Ha!
  35. Sicario
  36. Geostorm
  37. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl
  38. The Legend of Tarzan
  39. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
  40. Free Fire
  41. Hell or High Water
  42. Three Billboards outside Ebing, Missouri
  43. Joy
  44. Dunkirk
  45. Battle of the Sexes
  46. Passengers
  47. Colossal
  48. Mother!
  49. The Darkest Hour
  50. The Love Witch
  51. The Mummy
  52. Ghost in the Shell
  53. American Made
  54. Friend Request
  55. Perks of Being a Wallflower
  56. Wanderlust
  57. Hostiles
  58. Stepfather
  59. Stepfather 2
  60. Stepfather 3
  61. The Way, Way Back
  62. Saturday the 14th
  63. Fist Fight
  64. Starry Eyes
  65. American Assassin
  66. Mom and Dad
  67. The Shallows
  68. Thoroughbreds
  69. Bone Tomahawk
  70. Please Stand By
  71. Murder on the Orient Express
  72. The Proposition
  73. Tourist Trap
  74. Deathgasm
  75. Murder Party
  76. Beyond the Gates
  77. Raw
  78. Train to Busan
  79. Society
  80. Even Lambs Have Teeth
  81. Magic
  82. Cannibal Holocaust
  83. The Void
  84. The Ritual
  85. The Devil’s Candy
  86. The Evil Within
  87. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  88. Demons
  89. Humanoids from the Deep
  90. LEGO Ninjago
  91. The Peanuts Movie
  92. Phantasm: Ravager
  93. Prancer 
  94. Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead
  95. Catwoman
  96. Christmas Evil
  97. Better Watch Out
  98. Phantasm Oblivion
  99. Annie Hall
  100. The Exorcist III
But that's all 2018 stuff. What about 2019?

150 new films and 12 new books were great goals for this year. However, I think those goals have come and gone. There were times where I just felt stressed trying to finish the goal. In the end it works out to nearly 13 movies a month. That's 1 film every 2 to 3 days. It wouldn’t be prudent to do it again. So I’m giving myself something more simple. All of these would be fresh first time experiences. (Examples that I have no intention of keeping to, just ones I came up with quickly to help formulate my goal)
  • 10 Classic Films
(North by Northwest, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Snatch, Mean Streets, Gone With The Wind, LA Confidential, The Godfather 2, Spirited Away)
  • 10 Video Games
(Bioshock, Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy ??, Earthbound, Uncharted, God of War, Borderlands 2, Ori and the Blind Forest)
  • 10 TV Shows
(The Sopranos, Deadwood, Ozarks, Fargo, American Horror Story, Bojack Horseman, The Expanse, House of Cards, Vikings, The Path,)

Those are just some fun things that I think will help me evolve as a person without being too confined. Notice, there’s no books this year. That’s mainly because I think I’ll do better without that number hanging over me. I found myself avoiding comic books because they wouldn’t count towards my goal and were therefore “wasting time.” Which is stupid. I love comic books.

So another big thing about this upcoming year, as well as this end of this past year, has been my Youtube channel. Now, don't get the wrong idea, it's not this massive phenomenon. In fact, I don't advertise it at all which isn't very good for those types of things. But I hate advertising and would rather have a nice creative outlet than something that I just whore out to squeeze out a couple more eyeballs. But the plan is to release a new video every Friday for the entire year. I have no idea what will come of it post-2019 but I've made that promise to myself at least.

So this should be a fun year, albeit a busy one. I plan on continuing to do what I do career-wise and just look for advancement where I see it. The entire goal of this upcoming year is to be a happier person.

I think I'm off to a good start in my weird kind of way.

31 Days of Halloween - Video Edition


I'm sure you've been wondering where the hell my "31 Days of Halloween" has been this year... well here we go!

I've actually been producing videos for my Youtube channel in the same way that I used to in writing form. It's been a lot of fun (and a whole lot of work) but in the end I believe it's been well worth it in terms of exposing me to new films and helping hone my editing. Unlike other years, nearly every movie featured is a first time watch for me. That's added an extra element in difficulty but has been so much fun discovering new films.

I'll come back at the end of the month to update this list but otherwise, just check out the playlist below which will be updated daily. Thanks!

Day 1: "The Meg" - https://youtu.be/lr-Kz24mBCA Day 2: "Hereditary" - https://youtu.be/fHhmwlLCK-w Day 3: "Tourist Trap" - https://youtu.be/OLKQfmTgA_M Day 4: "Raw" - https://youtu.be/UdoKOoKApOY Day 5: "Mayhem" - https://youtu.be/wAZb3n7NFwQ Day 6: "The Gate" - https://youtu.be/xPx91fBMhxI Day 7: "Train to Busan" - https://youtu.be/mX8ceNH0VVU Day 8: "Truth or Dare" - https://youtu.be/A_YeY2kFQ7w Day 9: "Society" - https://youtu.be/Y27TlD35G8I Day 10: "Cannibal Holocaust" - https://youtu.be/GYBuPukvnCQ Day 11: "Deathgasm" - https://youtu.be/CK__e4cHYxQ Day 12: "Revenge" - https://youtu.be/-L9cr_UMjkw Day 13: "Apostle" - https://youtu.be/JGVASe6OQM8 Day 14: "Even Lambs Have Teeth" - https://youtu.be/ZCq_OuTgy6M Day 15: "Black Sunday" - https://youtu.be/cRYrxPEOcSM Day 16: "The Evil Within" - https://youtu.be/g7I90C_emdw Day 17: "Magic" - https://youtu.be/BjwOmJNL-UE Day 18: "Murder Party" - https://youtu.be/6lt53m3W06U Day 19: "Halloween (2018)" - https://youtu.be/pCLIE__5q2Q Day 20: "The Void" - https://youtu.be/YOwWw1lPlfw Day 21: "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" - https://youtu.be/XJkOG3JxXR0 Day 22: "The Devil's Candy" - https://youtu.be/04JzXnbGSl4 Day 23: "Beyond the Gates" - https://youtu.be/UTDNH8KKKNs Day 24: "Demons" - https://youtu.be/zRM9eVB3EnU Day 25: "The Ritual" - https://youtu.be/MvUki94lfqk Day 26: "Malevolent" - https://youtu.be/dGQ0SqERw_w Day 27: "Humanoids from the Deep" - https://youtu.be/m5nxsXvp6dI Day 28: "Slice" - https://youtu.be/Qpl1V1bWQ8o Day 29: "Summer of '84" - https://youtu.be/0IUmicYCH28 Day 30: "Terrifier" - https://youtu.be/xbD6dQSvdgM
Day 31: "Pieces" - https://youtu.be/gp8wxPv73Cw

The Jurassic Books


After a recent obsession with the Jurassic Park film series, I finally decided to take the plunge and read the books -- or rather listen to them. So I fired up "Audible" and entered Crichton's weirdly different while wholly familiar world. Now, I'm gonna get into some spoilers so if you're ever wanting to read the books (the first one is definitely worth it) then read no further.

The first book, "Jurassic Park" is very similar to the film of the same name. Most of the characters are all there and the basic skeletal structure of the plot is still all there. But it's all in the details and those details differ rather drastically. There's a whole element of the dinosaurs somehow being spotted in Costa Rica. This didn't really sit well with me because they're dinosaurs. They aren't ninjas. They'd be spotted and the secret would be out. But who knows, maybe the 80's were just a different time.

Heh.

One aspect I really enjoyed with that is the death of John Hammond. It never made any sense to me that the guy who was responsible for all this madness never got his comeuppance. Well the book rectifies that in a big bad way because not only does he die, the character is a bigger prick than the film version could ever imagine being. He's just a billionaire who just did this scheme in order to get money. He doesn't care about dinosaurs. Very different from the film version who seems like much more of a philanthropist.


The second book, "The Lost World" had me intrigued before reading it for many reasons. The most important being that the film has never been a huge favorite of mine. It's enjoyable but definitely has its problems and is in no way a worthy successor to the seminal first film. So the book just HAD to be better than the film. Well...

I can't really say that it is. In fact, it's more frustrating than anything. Ian Malcolm gets brought back one to be just as useless as he was in the first book. I understand that Crichton wrote the book under different pretenses given that JP was such a success, but dammit give him something to do other than just talk about chaos.

And why shoehorn in those kids just to be Lex and Tim 2.0? It just felt like redoing something that worked well in JP that just didn't make much sense to repeat in this film. May have been Crichton commenting on sequels but I just saw it as lazy. Kinda like the whole "Ninja Dino" angle from the first book.

I'm glad that Dodgson finally was given his comeuppance (really like that word today), especially given what an unnecessarily evil he was made in this book. I mean, he literally pushes Sarah Harding off of a ship into the ocean and steals dino babies. He makes you seething by the end of it all. But he gets one of the more brutal deaths of the series so at least there's that.

One thing I'll give the movie is that the third act in San Diego is even more impressive after listening to this because it really just kind of ends. There's some excitement but it's not this grand moment like in the film. That would have really been exciting to see in Crichton's novel.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend "The Lost World" because it's just kind of bland. There's not a lot happening but if you want some loose ends tied up, and want a world where Malcolm stays alive, then read it. Otherwise, just stick with "Jurassic Park" and enjoy the story that spawned a beloved franchise. I know I did.

Random Thoughts for July 2018


Letterboxd may just be the only app I need. It's a movie lover's wet dream in terms of keeping track of your own ratings for various movies. It makes it very easy when trying to decide what to watch, since that usually very mood dependent. If you love movies, go check it out, add me, all that jazz. You should know what my username is. Once they make it so I can just send my mini-reviews to Twitter, that is all my twitter feed will consist of.

What's happening to Chris Hardwick/James Gunn is bullshit. Our Social Justice Warrior society just goes too far, too often. These are two guys that should in no way be losing work because of these allegations/past events. Sure, they're both very different, but both have the common theme of NOT BEING A FIREABLE OFFENSE. These incidents have really taught me the important lesson of: don't apologize just to appease others, apologize when you actually feel regret.

I'm listening to the audiobook versions of Harry Potter. And let me tell you something that may surprise you: they're amazing. Okay, maybe that was obvious but dammit they are. I listen to these at work and they put me in such a good mood, really taking me back. Since I'm only on the third book so far, I'm getting a lot of flashbacks to Elementary School and it has been a trip. Also, how the hell did I forget about Peeves the Poltergeist? He's the best part of the series!

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" was so fucking good. I had such a passive interest for this film and I had no idea why. I've always loved the series, and they always become a staple for my year whenever they're released. But for some reason, I didn't think this film would follow suit... how wrong I was. It's always hard to say with a recent film but this may just be my favorite film of the franchise. Everything about it is just top notch. In fact, this theatrical experience has guaranteed myself a ticket purchase for another film franchise releasing soon: "Mission Impossible: Fallout."

The library is an untapped resource. I know I've said this before but too few people take advantage of the library and I no longer count myself among them. I have rented so many films I wouldn't have otherwise seen, all because they are available at the local book depository. I'm only putting this to encourage at least one other person to go make a trip.

Life has been crazy and getting in the way of goals. There's a lot of stuff going on that I can't exactly talk about but to say there's some big changes on the horizon would be an understatement. Those changes (let's just say job-related) have gotten in the way of my creative pursuits. To better represent those changes, I figured the site was in need of an upgrade. So here we have it. Hope you enjoy.

Friday the 13th


Another Friday the 13th is upon us and yet again I'm spending it with everyone's favorite drowning victim, Jason Voorhees. That's right, I can hardly let one of these days go by without watching one of my favorite horror franchises of all time "Friday the 13th." Don't get me wrong, it's not the greatest series to ever exist, but it's such dumb fun that I've always been drawn to it. In years past I've watched the entire franchise in a single day but I've since cooled off on doing that (maybe one day in the far off future). Instead, I pick out a few choice films and go for it. So what exactly did I choose this year...

"The Final Chapter" was a no brainer. It's legitimately good with some of the best atmosphere of any of the films. It has more style than any of the previous films and adds a layer of brutality. Next I threw on "Jason X" because I wanted some dumb fun. No, it's nothing amazing but dammit, I enjoy how silly it gets. I capped it off with the Remake, which may be among my favorite in the series. Hell, today it is. I just love all the elements that made it more than just "Supernatural Zombie" and brought it down a little bit. Makes it a tad scarier.

I actually added a new tradition this year without even really realizing it. See, we already had a Friday the 13th in April of this year, and I saw "A Quiet Place." Well, that film released on 4K and it was almost like fate, watching it yet again on that day. And, being how weird I am about watching certain films on certain days of the year, I think I may have added another.

And dammit if it's not deserving as all hell. The film is just a powerhouse from start to finish. It grips you with silence in ways that films really don't these days. And the acting is just phenomenal all around.

I'm not sure if you celebrate this day like I do but maybe you should start. Or don't. I mean, it's not they don't teach you super important survival tips or anything.

ki ki ki  ma ma ma

Random Thoughts For June 2018


I am so unbelievably excited about "Halloween." Something about the latest batch of details has really ramped up my anticipation. I just can't believe we're finally getting a Halloween movie with Jamie Lee Curtis and a competent director. This hasn't happened since 1978 when the original was first released. That's 13 years before I was even born! It's hard not be pumped about such a thing. And that trailer... damn.

Relient K has taken over my life. I'm not even kidding. This seems like some kind of a weird joke but I swear I've gotten back into them. Yes, the Christian Alt band. No, I'm not Christian. Nor do I have any religious affiliations (though I quite like the Buddhist teachings) yet here I am listening to some band that randomly sings about God. I think it's a combination of things: 1) they were a favorite of mine in Middle School. 2) They aren't overtly Christian with their music and more talk about the struggles of being a youth. 3) I'm currently writing a book set in High School so it helps tap into my high school self. 4) I'm really weird.

I may be re-thinking Dario Argento. I had dismissed him years ago after a viewing of "Suspiria" left me less than impressed. But as the years have gone on, I've delved more into it. A recent obsession with "Dawn of the Dead" finally helped me make the leap and my god, Goblin is so good. I've always seen the praise and have enjoyed what I've heard of them but it wasn't until "Deep Red" that I was completely blown away. The score is one of the better I've ever heard and set me on an absolute trip. Sure, the repeat theme got a little old but dammit that theme was fantastic.

I'm finally developing some halfway decent reading habits. I try to read at least a chapter of some book a day. It's helped out a ton and I've been flying through a lot of stuff that's been on my bookshelf for a while. I love making progress with stuff like that while simultaneously expanding my own writing knowledge. Speaking of writing...

I wrote a screenplay in four days. As in I wrote a full screenplay, feature-length in 96 hours. I don't even have a name for it yet but holy shit I can't tell you how excited I am about it. I've been really inspired lately but kind of stuck in a rut with my book so I said screw it, I'm gonna just buckle down and write a script. So, with the aid of the background noise of NXT Takeover, I hammered out a screenplay. Is it good? I hope so. I'm going to give it some time to breathe but even it's a steaming pile of dogshit, I wrote a feature-length screenplay in just four days. I still can't believe it. That's an accomplishment I'll always look back on with fondness.

Watching

EDIT: I swear every time I go back to this post, something gets deleted or moved around. If I didn't have such a history with blogger...


He watched her.

He wondered why she was even there. Sitting right there, at that exact time. Didn't she know? This had to be some kind of mistake.

He watched her.

He had never seen her there before. Sure, there were plenty of others just like her, why else would he be here, but not her. Not now. His bloodlust rose.

He watched her.

He tried to avoid the thoughts, those ones that they had told him to stop thinking. He didn't want to have another incident. Another corner to contain him.

He watched her.

The wind blew her hair up and it got in her eyes. Good. She deserved it. He had been thinking of this all afternoon. All week. All month. His entire life! Didn't she know!? This was his destiny.

He watched her.

He could practically see it now: walking over to her--she wouldn't expect a thing. It was perfect. He'd be on top of her in an instant. She would probably scream and cry but he didn't care. That may even be some of the fun.

He watched h--

Why was he being grabbed? No! This was his time to attack! He couldn't stop the tears from flowing and flowing out of his eyes. Didn't Mom know what this meant. He kicked and screamed, trying anything to break from her grasp. But she held on tight. And he saw his favorite sandbox in the distance, the little girl inside taking notice.

She watched him.

Anatomy of a Top Ten List

This is an idea totally ripped off from the Duplass Brothers' book "Like Brothers" but I liked it so much that I took it. Wait... no, I co-opted it. Yeah, that sounds less devious. Either way, my whole plan was to write out all the movies I think could potentially be in my Top 10 Favorite Films of All Time. And I'd start eliminating until I was left with 10. Let's get started....

NOTE: Any excuse I can to use my huge whiteboard and it's happening. Sure, it probably would have been neater just doing it in regular list form via word but dammit, I wanted something different!



Picture #1

This is the main list. A combination of all the films I could think of that I absolutely adore and could see being on this list, as well as looking at my movie collection and thinking the same. I'm probably missing something but I spent quite a bit of time trying to get everything that deserved a place.



Picture #2

Here I went through and starred everything I KNEW needed to be on that list. So films that I watch all the time were immediately starred, as well as films that make me feel amazing when I watch them.



Picture #3

So here's 13 movies. 13 does not equal 10. So you can see where I had my problem.Wait. There's 14 here. Dammit, I added one because I can't believe I forgot it. "American Movie" belongs on damn near every list imaginable. It is so damn good and falls under the "Can Watch At Anytime No Matter How Good Or Shitty I'm Feeling" umbrella. Which is really where most of these came down to. I eliminated based on rewatchability and films I viewed as perfect.



Picture #4

And here it is. No, it's not in an exact order but I threw them on in whatever order felt right. This is what I ended up with. Honestly, there are a few films that I'm surprised didn't make the cut but given there are only 10 spots, it shouldn't be. Still, I guess I surprise easily.

A Slasher Goal


Of all the genres of horror, I always go back to Slashers when it comes to a favorite. It's what brought me into horror with films like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th (films I still watch multiple times a year).

But I've recently come to the conclusion that I haven't seen enough. I went through a phase of seeking out slashers during the early days of Netflix, when my dad allowed me to use up one of our rentals on whatever I wanted. So this resulted in films like April Fools Day, He Knows You're Alone, and Pieces being mailed to our doorstep; movies I still can't believe I was able to get my hands on given the rather limited access I'd had prior to Netflix. I essentially had to take a chance and buy the movie because it was usually too obscure to be at a local video store.

It's crazy to think of just how different things were in those times versus now. Streaming has become so prevalent that nearly anything is accessible within minutes. So I've finally decided to put my resources to good use and go back on a journey I started in my teenage years: watching slasher films I haven't seen before. Most of these are from the 70's and 80's, but I was able to add some more recent ones as well. So let's go through the list:

Madman

Bird in the Crystal Plummage

The Prowler

Hell Night

Mother's Day

Final Exam

Cutting Class

Happy Death Day

The Mutilator

Just Before Dawn

Bloody Birthday

Damn that's a lot of movies. I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to accomplish this, especially given the fact that a lot of these films aren't on Amazon, Netflix or HBO GO, so it'll be tough to track some down. Thankfully, I'm up to the task (it's a tough one, I know). Let's do this!

So Bad, It's Rad #1 - "Justice League"


Justice League (2017)

I feel like I need to put it right out in front that I really dislike the DC Cinematic Universe. I have given each movie a fair shot and was only able to enjoy one of them (Wonder Woman, which I find gets less impressive on repeat viewings). So you may be one of those people that don't have an issue with the melodrama involved in these films and just want to see a Superhero on the big screen. However, I think this is going to be one of the few times we can fall into the same category and enjoy the film in similar ways.

The usual problem with the DC Universe is that it takes itself far too seriously but this movie goes the complete opposite direction and goes insanely silly so the film finally is able to go from mediocre and therefore not fun to watch to the crazy mess it's become.

The silliness starts off right off the bat with what may be the worst scene that Batman has ever been involved in (yes, I'm even counting "Batman and Robin") where he's chasing some thief on what is supposed to be a rooftop but is an extremely obvious set. In fact, it's so obviously a set, that the scene itself feels like some kind of weird play. Add on Batfleck's very exaggerated performance this time around and it sets the tone for trouble early. Batman isn't the only character that was completely mishandled...

Wonder Woman becomes a complete joke of a character who's main character trait is that she misses her former love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine from her solo outing). To the point that she straight up brings it up out of nowhere and when it's not even really relevant to the conversation. Oh, she also has insane super speed now too. In fact, everyone that's not Batman has crazy Super Speed that makes Flash's character fairly useless.

Speaking of useless, why is Batman suddenly so useless? He is the butt of so many jokes and often just gets his ass handed to him. I really only liked the scenes with Bruce Wayne and would instantly groan whenever Batman was on screen. And what the hell was the deal with his suits? They looked so lame this time around. After how cool the suit was in BvS, I was surprised to see such a downgrade. It was especially funny when Diana had to pop his shoulder back into place and he just had his dark grey metal tits in her face.

The unintentionally funny moments in this film are so abundant its practically a comedy. They go to a Batman/Bruce Wayne reaction shot nearly anytime something happens and he always seems annoyed by it. They may as well start calling him Tony Stark and be done with it.

I love Joss Whedon and I think he's the only reason the movie is as fun as it is, but I'd love to see the complete Trainwreck that Snyder was directing. You can see there are hints of it in the movie, and those are usually some of the worst parts (overly melodramatic and slow).

Diving Back Into Nintendo (AKA I got a 3DS)


I've largely taken a back seat when it came to Nintendo for well over a decade. It just never really interested me. The Wii always came across as a kiddie/gimmick console, and I've always liked high performance/top of the line graphics, which isn't something Nintendo is known for. So I've been an XBOX guy since nearly 2002 and felt that I was in sore need of a change. Enter the 2DS XL.

For those not in the know, the 2DS is the same as the 3DS, just without the 3D gimmick and therefore cheaper. Seeing an affordable handheld that gave me access to a ton of games that were also on the hard to find SNES Classic and I was sold. But being the gamer I am, if I was going to dive into a new console, I was going to do it right. So I picked up some of the latest entries in all of the big Nintendo franchises and dove in head first.

When it comes to the console itself, I was really impressed with the size and feel. Despite being all plastic, it has a good weight to it and isn't so small that even people with big hands can play comfortably. I'll be honest though, I did kind of regret not getting a 3DS XL after I saw how solid the metal design is on those. I may have never used the 3D portion, but dammit if the sturdy design seemed good enough to warrant the cost.

I never realized that the screens are only 240p which, in the age of retina displays, feels kind of silly. To be fair, the 3DS' life cycle is essentially over. There's not going to be any major releases for any of the main franchises from here on out, with just random games coming out. Which is fine since the system came out in 2011 so it had a good run. And most people getting into a system are likely to just go for the Switch, but for those like me, who just wanted some cheap fun on the go, maybe this will help you finally make the decision.

So here are some of the games that I picked up, as well as what I thought about each of them.

Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Calling this a unique game is a bit of an understatement because I can't remember the last time I saw something so fresh while still looking so familiar. It works as a sort of sequel to A Link To The Past and even includes Hyrule so, as someone who hasn't played a Zelda game since then, it was a welcome treat for me.



Super Mario 3D Land

So much fun. I'll never tire of a good ole fashioned Mario Game. The only annoying aspect is that you NEED to collect the stars. I didn't realize until reaching a part of the game where I couldn't go further simply because I didn't have enough stars to enter the castle. But once I understood that mechanic, I sped through the game and is actually the only 3DS game I've actually completed.


Donkey Kong Country 3D

Similar to SM3L, this game is a platformer, although it goes more along the sidescrolling route like it's SNES predecessors. Donkey Kong Country has always been my favorite Nintendo series so I get a kick out of this game, despite the fact that I haven't beaten it and don't think I will be for the foreseeable future (damn Wave level).


Pokemon: Ultra Sun

Holy shit, there is just so much text to get through. The game never really stops feeling like a tutorial. You're just kind of constantly going from point A to point B, with little sense of exploration. And the number of times I had to spend a full two minutes skipping through text/cut scenes got very old fast. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun game, but it'd be a lot more fun if it didn't hold your hand as much. And that's coming from someone that hasn't played a Pokemon game since the original 152 (Mewtwo is the last of those right? Or is it 151 with just Mew? Fuck, I can't remember). I just want to be able to roam around and collect pokemon but dammit if there isn't always some kind of objective blasting in my face.


Conclusion:

I'm excited about the system and all of the catching up I can do with old franchises. The main thing will be being able to go back and play NES, SNES and even Gameboy via Virtual Console. That's not to mention the backwards compatibility with DS games, which had some N64 remakes on it, which furthers my goal. I'd recommend it, especially if you can hack it.

Random Thoughts for April 2018



Go see "A Quiet Place" immediately. It's so good that I'm not even sure how it's gotten so mainstream. Usually films like this are only appreciated by a certain audience but damn near everyone is loving this movie. When I saw it, I waited for my date to arrive and saw loads of pre-teens and teens entering the theater much to my dismay. But all of that worry was for naught because the moment the film started, the entire room was enthralled and kept their traps shut. Thank god. And it goes to show just how good this movie is, because that's no easy task (especially considering the film only has like 25 lines of dialogue).

I really love me some Resident Evil 5. I had only played it a few times back when it came out and have been having a blast this time around. I love the mechanics and just how much of an action game it is. 4 always made me too tense so, I think after playing so much of 5, I may finally be able to complete 4, a game considered to be the best in the franchise by many.

This is a place for random thoughts, right? I don't know why I've been thinking about this but Man of Steel may have been the worst technical experience I've ever had in a movie theater. And I mean that literally. I saw that film in IMAX in New Orleans, where they boasted the best experience around. Instead I could literally hear the feedback every time someone spoke. I could hear the fades the audio engineer made on every line of dialogue. When someone wasn't speaking, it faded out. I could practically see the project opened up in Pro Tools. I don't know how such a sloppy mixing job made it through the system or if someone at that particular theater just happened to fuck up but, to this day, it's an experience that hasn't been repeated.

I'm going to make this blog a little more active (for a few months at least). Not exactly a difficult task when the only thing I've done on here was a post on January 1st, and the place has been barren ever since. My plan is to do a new article every Friday. I really want to do it more just to express myself a little more as I've gotten into a little bit of a creative rut and having deadlines can sometimes help me. So what does that mean for you? Keep an eye out on this space and you'll be in for at least a few mildly entertaining stories/pieces/blurbs. I have quite the backlog, so the next few months of Friday's should be covered, we'll see how motivated I am after that.

I'm crazy far behind on my "New Movie Quota" for this year. My goal has been to hit 150 films I'd never seen before and I'm currently at a whopping 12 films. It's nearly a third of the way through the year and I'm nearly 40 films behind. Yeesh. So in an effort to make a dent in that number, I decided to give myself the goal of watching a new film everyday until Marc's Wedding festivities. Will it happen? I'm hoping so because dear god have I been terrible at keeping up. I'm also behind in my total book count for the year. Dammit. Speaking of new movies...

Ready Player One was pretty great. I wouldn't say it blew me away like the book did but I was certainly entertained. It wasn't as dark as the book but I really loved the back and forth between Artemis and Parzival. She seems much more playful in the film than she is in the books, but I like the change. Aech's voice annoyed me to no end and that was inexcusable. I already knew the twist but I can't imagine they managed to fool anyone with that poor sound work. Whoever worked on that should feel bad about putting such cheap work in such a big budget film. It really took me out of the moment whenever she spoke.

End-of-the-year-best-of-extravaganza-2017

It's officially 2018! Yayyyy bust out the banjos, we made it another year around the sun. It also means that 2017 is no more and everyone is just jonesing at the bit for End of the Year Top 10 lists. Well, I never want to disappoint so I figured I'd try my hand and really go all out this year. So here are some of my favorite things from 2017 in...


And while favorites are nice and all, I wanted to start things off with a couple goals I had. I gave myself two tasks at the beginning of the year: watch 100 movies I've never seen before and read 12 books. I accomplished one, but not the other, so I'll take it as a partway success.

Here are the movies I watched in 2017, separated by films that came out this year and those that came out prior that I just hadn't seen yet (or I had forgotten I'd seen).

Movies


  1. Take the 10
  2. XXX: Return of Xander Cage
  3. Mindhorn
  4. Split
  5. Get Out
  6. Logan
  7. Lego Batman Movie
  8. Beauty and the Beast
  9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
  10. Power Rangers
  11. The Belko Experiment
  12. Wonder Woman
  13. Kong: Skull Island
  14. John Wick: Chapter 2
  15. Spider-man: Homecoming
  16. Bleed For This
  17. Baby Driver
  18. It
  19. Alien Covenant
  20. Icarus
  21. Cult of Chucky
  22. The Babysitter
  23. Gerald’s Game
  24. Annabelle: Creation
  25. Don’t Kill It
  26. War For The Planet Of The Apes
  27. Daddy’s Home 2
  28. The Big Sick
  29. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
  1. Clown
  2. Don't Breathe
  3. Blair Witch
  4. La La Land
  5. Doctor Strange
  6. Now You See Me 2
  7. Sisters
  8. The Brothers Grimsby
  9. Unfriended
  10. Mama
  11. Poltergeist
  12. The Green Inferno
  13. Victor Frankenstein
  14. Central Intelligence
  15. Cop Car
  16. Lolita
  17. Inside Llewelyn Davis
  18. The Bronze
  19. The Good Dinosaur
  20. The Lobster
  21. Hardcore Henry
  22. The To Do List
  23. Riddick
  24. The Visit
  25. The Martian
  26. Tomorrowland
  27. Cooties
  28. The Purge
  29. Purge: Anarchy
  30. Purge: Election Year
  31. Kill Your Friends
  32. Lords of Salem
  33. Ouija: Origin of Evil
  34. Assassins Creed
  35. Piranha 3DD
  36. Don't Think Twice
  37. Willow Creek
  38. Wait Until Dark
  39. The Forest
  40. Swiss Army Man
  41. What If
  42. Sleeping With Other People
  43. Search Party
  44. Café Society
  45. Dirty Grandpa
  46. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things
  47. Demolition
  48. Almost Famous
  49. Man Up
  50. Secret Life of Pets
  51. Hacksaw Ridge
  52. Hesher
  53. Nerdland
  54. Other People
  55. Unfinished Business
  56. Big Hero 6
  57. Mud
  58. Pop star: Never Stop Stopping
  59. Chopping Block
  60. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
  61. Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy
  62. Torso
  63. Ghost Team
  64. War On Everyone
  65. Man Vs
  66. Backcountry
  67. Wreck It Ralph
  68. Infestation
  69. Jack Frost
  70. Stagefright
  71. Alice, Sweet Alice
  72. Prom Night 2 Hello Mary Lou
  73. Blood Rage
  74. Halloweed
  75. Dreamworks’ Scary Stories
  76. Why Him?
  77. Boy
  78. My Man Godfrey

Damn that's a lot of movies. Still, I slowed down considerably halfway through the year and then picked up again around Halloween time. I was on pace to blow my goal out of the water and only ended up surpassing it by a little bit so that's disappointing. Just means I need to try a little harder next year.

Books

Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it with my 12 book goal. Oh well. Here they are.
  1. A Series of Unfortunate Events: A Bad Beginning
  2. Shock Value
  3. Allstar Superman
  4. Stephen King's IT
  5. Modern Romance
  6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
  7. Bossypants
  8. Crazy is My Superpower
  9. Dracula
  10. Alice in Wonderland

Favorites

It's been a pretty good year for a movies and a lot of films have surprised me. As with most years, I've seen mostly the big movies, with a few indies sprinkled in here and there. However, I've noticed in past years that I tend to catch up on all the smaller movies the following year as they come onto Netflix/Amazon Prime. So my list is pretty vanilla in terms of big releases.

I'd say this was one of the strongest Top 5's of any year in recent memory.

ADDENDUM: I saw a film right after I made this list that I felt needed to be added, so here it is, just an extra, with the original list entirely intact.

1.  The Shape of Water

I can't stop thinking about this movie. Who could have pulled off a modern Creature From The Black Lagoon retelling but GDT? He somehow was able to create a love story between a mute girl and a sea creature and it fucking works! Not only that, audiences are actually seeing it and loving it. This isn't just some random weird movie that few appreciate, this has been a tour de force. If it's playing near you, please seek it out and treat yourself to one of the finest films this century.

1. It

I fucking loved this movie. That should be apparent with the rest of these films but this one especially. I saw it twice during the opening week which is something I hadn't done since probably The Dark Knight. Skarsgaard's Pennywise is incredible and seemingly reached the pop culture pantheon. Now to see if he really has staying power.

2. War For The Planet Of The Apes

The new Apes trilogy may be the best modern trilogy since Lord of the Rings. Not only do I think that Andy Serkis needs to be nominated for an Oscar, I think he should win. I don't think there's been any other performance that's as impressive as the one he gives here.


3. Spider-man: Homecoming

Tom Holland is the perfect Spider-man AND Peter Parker. Michael Keaton gave us the most layered comic book villain we've seen in an MCU film. Honestly, I think this film just got me even more hyped about the future of the series and all the awesome places they can take it.

4. Kong: Skull Island

John C Reilly stole the show. Hell all of the side characters stole the show. This is probably the most well layered blockbuster (especially for a series that's not really established) we've gotten in terms of character.

5. Baby Driver

This is Edgar Wright's baby and it really shows that off in the editing. As an editor that loves cutting to the beat, this was an absolute treat. This is going to be one of those movies that I show people for years to come since so many failed to give it a chance upon release (seriously, everyone I spoke to had no clue what this movie was even about and would just scoff at the title).

6. Split

M Night Shamalyan sure made one helluva comeback. And the fact that James McAvoy didn't get more praise for his performance is a damn shame.

7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I loved so much with this movie but I think the reason it stood out to me is the story between Quill and Egon. It's a complicated Father/Son relationship that just gets even better once Yondu really comes into the picture again.

8. Star Wars Episode VII: The Last Jedi

What a Star Wars movie. This is definitely one of the more shocking films in the series and, in general, did a good job. Was I a little disappointed? Sure but it's hard not to be when a movie takes a different turn than what I was expecting. While I really appreciated those changes, this uneasiness still remained with me. Here's hoping that a second viewing helps to iron out any of the minor issues I had (mostly with how slow the film felt). Why am I venting so much about this movie? I really liked it. I swear.

9. Get Out

There was a twist that was obvious and one that wasn't. I don't consider that a bad thing yet this film has been knocked for being "too obvious" and I'm not sure I get that.

10. Bleed For This

I love a good boxing movie. I don't have much more to say about it than that but dammit, this movie deserves a watch while knowing as little about it as possible. Thank me later.

Honorable Mentions: Logan, Wonder Woman, Power Rangers

Films I still haven't seen: Blade Runner 2049, Thor: Ragnorak

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I don't see many of the years Indie films until the following year, so my list is mostly mainstream stuff I was able to catch.

I won't go too far into what I hated this year but definitely avoid Alien Covenant like the plague. Actually it's worst than the plague because at least that kills you. You're just stuck to let the memories of Alien Covenant stew and fester in your brain hole. Ergh.

Television

I don't watch enough of a variety of TV in order to properly create a list, so here are some shows I've watched that I really enjoyed this year. Note: There aren't many dramas as I kind of stayed away from those this year as comedies just seemed better suited to my mood. I'll be catching up on shows like Legion, Fargo, and Better Call Saul at a later date.

GLOW

I love wrestling, I love acting, and I love Marc Maron so really, what's not to love about this show?

Games of Thrones

I almost didn't even post this because I feel like it should be obvious but just in case it isn't... god damn this season was amazing.

Lovesick

Originally titled, "Scrotal Recall" this may be the best comedy that Netflix has produced and no one has seen it or knows about it. I can't sing this shows praises enough. It is both hilarious and so heartwarming that you can hardly believe it comes from a show based around a guy informing his past conquests that he has the clap, and they may too. The lead girl is on that "The Good Doctor" show so I'm not sure about the shows future but at least we got three perfect seasons.

Stranger Things 2

I loved season one but this season just took things to a whole...nutha... level. They were able to take the original concept and expand it in such a way that it still follows along the path of nostalgia while still providing more than enough original and satisfying story progression. And hell, I'm even a fan of the Eleven standalone episode which seemed to be universally disliked.

Superstore

This show is so much better than it has any right to be. I should state that I have a soft spot for fun single-camera comedies so this one really hits the right stop. Outside of a few faces, the cast is mostly unknowns and they really nail it.

Life in Pieces

I'd put this in a similar category as Superstore but maybe a tier above in terms of pure quality. This is almost a more complex version of Modern Family.

American Vandal

I never watched Making a Murderer and even then I found this parody to be absolutely hysterical. While it may have gone maybe one or two episodes too long, I love how much it shows how absurd most crime documentaries are, in that they're trying to push a dramatic narrative.

Games

Games are one of my primary stress relievers these days and 2017 was a decent year for them. I'm not going to include any annual sports entries because... well they're pretty much the same every year anyway and there weren't any that I played that really stood out.

I pretty much just play Xbone these days so that's where all of these happened to have been played. I have a gaming PC but I really just haven't bothered with it much this year. If I'm on the computer, I'm usually writing. I like making the distinct different in my head between work and play. And Microsoft has really been killing it with their Backwards Compatible/Remaster model making damn near everything I want to play all on one console. So here are some of my favorites from this year.

1.  Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Goddamn what a unique game. And so fucking badass. You are literally killing nazis. And there are so many twists and turns that there was at least half a dozen times where I was left with my jaw dropped and repeating "No way did that just happen." Few games provide that level entertainment and dammit if this didn't blow everything else out of the water.

2.  Assassin's Creed Origins

Sure, it's an AC game so it certainly has its fair share of repetitiveness but the game is what you make it. Not liking having to do "Hunt down and kill so and so" missions over and over again? Build your character up by hunting. Or go discover some tombs. Or just explore. There's more than enough to do to always make the game feel somewhat fresh.

It's likely the best AC game ever and part of me doubts they'll ever outdo it as the franchise has the tendency to add unnecessary elements after a good outing.

3.  South Park: The Fractured But Whole

There's no other game in the history of video games that properly make you feel like you're in your favorite TV show quite like these South Park games. They have broken the code for how to make an incredible game and I'll be very sad if we aren't treated to another one before they decide to hang it up. They teased a sequel at the end but I'm not sure if that was just a dig at Superhero movies or an actual tease for a new game. Let's hope it's both.

4.  Mass Effect: Andromeda

If this hadn't been such a good year for video games then this would have easily been game of the year but you wouldn't know that by the response. This game has gotten more hate than I even knew was possible for such a well made game. But who cares about them, this is my opinion dammit! I loved it. Love, love, loved it. The story was great, as well as providing the best combat the series has ever seen. So I'm one happy Mass Effect fan.

5.  Cuphead

Maybe the theme of this video game season is something familiar yet unique because while this is a standard side scroller in terms of gameplay, it's fucking HAND DRAWN! And it's presented in that 1930's

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