Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Flux Capacitor,.....Fluxing

This past summer, the guys from the Opie and Anthony show produced "The Secret Show to the Future". It was like a live version of Mystery Science Theater 3000 with the best movie ever. We set up a tv outside, drank beers, and laughed our asses off. Sounds good, right?

Good news! There will be an encore presentation on Saturday December 27th at 9pm EST. All you need is a copy of Back to the Future, a satellite radio, and all of your friends that can quote every line.

Opie and Anthony can be heard on XM 202 and Sirius 197(if you have the "best of XM" package). If you love Back to the Future, this makes for a really fun night. If you don't love it, what's your problem?

Friday, December 19, 2008

Friday Flashback Episode 3

Here are a couple more of my Saturday Morning Favorites.




Dungeons and Dragons is one of those shows that I could not miss. Like Kidd Video, I needed to know if the gang was finally going to get home. I loved the fact that they all had specific weapons that corresponded to their personality. The guy with the shield always wonders why he didn't get a sword or something cooler but you find out later how important his particular weapon is. There was an Ewoks live-action movie and the kids in it had to pick weapons. The boy ended up with a small rock and he was all pissed, but of course the rock ended up being the most important item. Did I just write about an Ewoks live-action movie? Anyway, it is the idea that the weapon picks the person and not the other way around. Kind of like Locke and his compass. We'll see what happens with that. I am really rambling this week. Dungeons and Dragons kicks ass. This is another show that I picked up on E-bay and it holds up really well. I really enjoyed watching it again. The Dungeon Master still seemed like just as much of a dick as he always did. Just help the poor kids get home you jerk.




Teen Wolf is a great movie! Yes, it is. Don't argue with me.
The Teen Wolf cartoon... not bad. I was a big fan of this when it was on. I was 8. Apparently, after Scott won the big game for the Beavers, more of his werewolf family moved in with him. This includes his little sister who must have been away at camp for a year or something. Oh yeah, everyone must have been so excited about the b-ball championship over the Dragons that they forgot about Scott being a werewolf......except for Boof and Stiles. Ok, we all on the same page now? This was a fun little show. It only had 21 episodes so it wasn't a huge hit but it brings back some good memories for me.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Crunch Time

It's that time of year when all the procrastinators start to panic because they haven't finished all of their holiday shopping. Have no fear, I've got some home-run suggestions for last minute gifts.

The Infinity Gauntlet trade paperback





Before "The Infinity Gauntlet", I was a casual reader of comics. That all changed when I got my hands on this story. This is the perfect example of taking a second tier character and raising them to greatness. Thanos goes from C-list villain to the bane of the entire Marvel universe. You don't need to be a big super-hero fan to enjoy this story, but if you are, this is a must-read. It all boils down to a boy trying to impress a girl. The boy is trying to rule the universe and the girl is Lady Death, but hey, love can get weird.


Northern Exposure on DVD



I cannot say enough good things about this show. Before Lost came along, Northern Exposure was hands down my favorite TV show ever. Lost may have my undivided attention now, but I still consider NX to one of the best. This show was way ahead of its time. The basic story centered on a Jewish doctor who gets roped into moving from New York to a small town in Alaska to become the town's doctor. Dr. Joel Fleischman is forced to deal with all of the extremely quirky characters of Cicely, Alaska. As he learns to deal with these people, he also learns things about himself. Northern Exposure has an amazing cast and very smart, funny writing. If you have never seen this show, you are in for a treat. If you have seen it, what are you waiting for? You know that you want to see it again.


World of Warcraft


This could be the most addictive game ever made. This game was originally released in 2004 and I still find myself going back to it when I get tired of newer games. World of Warcraft is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. You create a character and level him or her up through the ranks as either a member of the Horde or the Alliance. You can choose from 10 races and many different classes like Hunter, Mage, Warrior, or Druid. You can complete many quests alone but you can also team up with other people on-line to make things easier. You can also battle people who are members of the opposing faction. Warcraft is easy to learn and you can jump in and have a lot of fun but it also offers a lot of depth and replay value for veterans of the game. Two expansions are available to extend the gaming experience, but they are not necessary to get started.

OK, now you have some ideas, plus you can always browse through my earlier posts for other great ideas. Such as.......

Freaks and Geeks, The Zombie Survival Guide, The Young Ones, etc., etc.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Friday Flashback Episode 2

It's been harder and harder to find time to post with work, school, and all of the holidays but I have been looking forward to this all week.

The hardest part about this is deciding which two clips to post. There are so many good ones.




I pity the fool that don't like gymnastic crime fighters. Yes, apparently Mr. T loves gymnastics. Who knew? This made me laugh out loud when I saw it again. I totally remembered the weird gymnast thing but forgot about his little white Mr. T sidekick and the mohawk-clad dog. That poor alligator had no idea who he was messing with. Hilarious.




Gummi bears is one of my absolute favorite cartoons of all time. This is a smart and well developed show (Well, you know, for a kids cartoon.) It is one of those rare cartoons that has its characters and story evolve over time. I love Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry but they were strictly episodic. This show left you with questions. What happened to this great Gummi civilization? Will the princess ever discover that the Gummis are real? Will they ever find other Gummis somewhere out there? Did I just see a Dharma logo on that tree?
Anyway, I recently picked some DVDs on Ebay of the entire series and it definitely holds up over time. Oh yeah, that song will be stuck in your head all day...but in a good way.

Tune in next week for another dose of nostalgia, and who knows, I may actually manage to get a post or two in before that.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Friday Flashback Episode 1

I have always been a major cartoon junkie. Whether it was Saturday morning or after school, I have logged countless hours in front of the TV watching cartoons. Some were great, others not so much, but nostalgia can make even the stinkers seem cool in hindsight.

I'll start with a couple of my favorites, but I know that I'm not the only one who watched these shows so let me know if I've stirred up any memories for you.




Kidd Video is about as 80's as anything can get. I Loved this show. Anyone who remembers this show knows that it gets even weirder than the opening suggests. Every episode was followed up by a live action video by the Kidd Video band. Believe it or not, they actually went on tour with the band. By the way, how sweet is cousin Oliver's El Camino?




Wow. Ok, I do not remember Hulk Hogan's Rock n' Wrestling being that corny, but the proof is right there. What the hell is going on? Why are they driving around in cars? Shouldn't they be wrestling, or rock n' ? I'm not ashamed to say that I liked this show but I can't remember why.

Enjoy! I'll have more next week.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Zombies Attack!!

Zombies are having a big month in video games. Two really good games came out recently for Xbox 360. One of them is devoted to battling zombies while the other has a cool unlockable zombie mode.

Left 4 Dead is is a zombie killing spree. It's made by Valve, the same guys who brought us Half-Life, Counter Strike, and Portal. You are part of a team of four survivors of a zombie infection outbreak. You can play with friends or with other strangers online but you MUST work together. If you try to run off on your own, you will not last long playing this game. When I first heard that you would have to use teamwork I was a little bummed because I generally hate everyone, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the game was set up in a way that makes it very easy to work as a team. Plus, if someone really pisses you off, you can smash him in the face with a molotov cocktail and unload a few shotgun shells into his burning corpse as the zombies feast on his guts........or you could vote him out of the group, but honestly, what sounds more satisfying? All of the enemy spawns and item locations are random so you have a different experience every time you play. There are four different "movies" that you can play. Each movie is broken up into five parts and culminates in a rescue scene in which you and the other survivors must fight off waves of zombies as you wait for your rescue vehicle. I have played through each of the scenarios a few times and have not gotten bored yet so the replay value is pretty high. It's the most fun when you have all friends in your party, but playing with strangers has been much better than I originally expected.

The other zombie attack is actually embedded in one of the best games of the season. Call of Duty: World at War, is the follow-up to the mega hit Call of Duty 4 ; Modern Warfare. I was one of the people who said "Why are they going back to WWII again? Uggg. This is going to stink. Nothing will ever be as good a CoD4. What a bunch of jerks." Then I played the game for five minutes. It is just as good CoD4 and there are enough changes to make it feel like a whole new experience rather than just some new maps. Worst new feature: tanks. Best new feature: instead of helicopter support, you get to call out the hounds. This game is great even without zombies, but it has zombies too! Upon finishing the solo campaign you are treated to a video introducing you to the Nazi Zombies. This new mode puts you in a building that you must defend from approaching waves of zombies. Of course, the zombies always win, but it's cool to see how long your futile efforts can prolong your life. This can be played alone but is much more fun when you get some friends to help you. The zombie mode is not a reason to buy the game, but it is a great bonus on a game that is already really cool.