Wednesday, December 9, 2009

It's anything can happen Wednesday.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

The Best Laid Plans.

I'm behind. Seriously....like waaaay behind in movies. Where as before I had no job and had plenty of time, now it's quite the opposite. So here's a run down of some recent movies I've rented. Cause I've had no time at all to actually go to a movie theater.

Let's start with the bad.
1. Paranormal Activity. I was sorely disappointed in this movie, although I'm not sure what I expected. It was exactly what everyone told me it was, except I wouldn't use the word awesome to describe any of it. It was boring. More shots of the girl brushing her teeth or telling her counterpart how she didn't want to do this or that, and that it's always been like this. The thing that makes it creepy to most people is the fact that the movie has no soundtrack. There's no warning when something is about to happen. It's just a loud crash, or a scream. It was creepy. But by no means was it something special. I'll lose no sleep tonight worrying about demons creeping into my room or ruining my photos. Cause if they touch my posters, I'll be haunting them. Also, it's unbelievable to begin with. She states that she is an English major, minoring in Spanish, yet thirty mins into the film she's trying to figure out how to properly pronounce words in order to say," I want to be a teacher"? Really Kellogg's? I think the fact that everyone had me so hyped up off this movie also lead to the fact that I didn't like it. Usually, the majority is right. This time I give the majority an epic fail. I watched it at home, alone, in the dark, and it didn't freak me out as bad as the aliens in Signs. You guys watched it in theaters and wet your pants. I'm sorry I wasted 5 dollars and my time on it. Home recording movies are only good if you've actually got a movie that people won't mind watching a shaky camera for. You don't.

2. Year One. I'm not sure how this movie ends, because I stopped watching it. I think I laughed once before I turned it off. I can't remember if I did. Which probably means if I did laugh at it, it wasn't that funny. Jack Black once was hilarious, back in his Tenacious D years. He was borderline annoying in Tropic Thunder. And Micheal Cera's becoming more and more of a whiny teenager in his roles. I liked Juno. And I'm hoping he doesn't ruin the upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Year One maybe entertaining to some people, but I just got bored and stopped caring how it would turn out. I saw all the good parts in the trailer anyways. No need to watch the movie.

And the good.
1. The Proposal. It's got Ryan Reynolds. Naked. Need I say more? In case that didn't seal the deal for you, it's a total chick-flick. It's got some pretty hilarious moments, and some pretty ridiculous ones as well, but it was still pretty cute. It ends like all chick-flicks do, so no surprise on the ending, but I would see it at least once. Sandra Bullock is one of my favorite actresses and she plays this part perfectly. She's always manages to be charming and funny in almost all her movies. Plus Ryan Reynolds is naked. And if that doesn't do it for you, there's always Ramone.

2. Surrogates. Now everyone knows I'm an addicted to comics. Movie Adaptations of comics are no different. So of course I'm going to watch Surrogates. I enjoyed it. I didn't get bored with it and I felt the pace for the movie was well laid out. It dives into the question of what is living? IN Surrogates there is a world without risk, without danger, and without fear. Most people don't get out of there PJs everyday. Except for a small group of humans who refuse to take on a surrogate most the population is living life through puppets, which, demonstrated in the movie, is not really living at all. Of course, it shows the advantages as well. But as so eloquently put by one of my spades partners,"You have to risk it to get the biscuit". It also explores human nature. And the fact that most things start out as someone only wanting to do some good. And it quickly goes downhill from there. All in All, An enjoyable movie. Worth the 5 note I paid to own it.

3. American Werewolf in London. I feel about Werewolves, the same way I feel about Zombies, therefore it was surprising I'd never seen this movie before now. I loved it. It's an older film, but for it's day and age, the special effects are pretty awesome. It's got a good storyline and characters that add to the movie instead of just being there to fill up some time. Go buy it if you haven't seen it. Now.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Books. Smallville. Comics. Random.

So here's a recap of the past week:
They switched us to nights, and I've not been doing much but working and sleeping. Thus the lack of updates to both blogs. In the spotlight tonight we have:
Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe Volume 5
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Smallville Season 1 (Episodes 1-4)

SP: I love Scott Pilgrim. The first four volumes were awesome. And the fifth is equally as awesome. However, it takes a darkened turn as Scott and Ramona's relationship is on the rocks. Also, Ramona dissappers at the end. I'm upset. Not really because she disappeared, but that the Sixth book isn't out yet, and I have to wait in a potentially fatal state of suspense until it hits the shelves. Luckily I follow Bryan Lee O'Malley on twitter and get updates on how v6 is coming along. I can honestly say, that I am addicted to Scott Pilgrim. I am sad it will be ending. But I MUST KNOW HOW IT ENDS! So there in itself is the dilemma. Right? Right.

Moon Called: Let me start with the fact that Laurell K. Hamilton opened up a whole new genre of addiction for me. With, either Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Paranormal Thriller. Whichever genre you wanna toss her brand of writing into. But I am so picky about what I read, that it takes me forever to find a new series to read. It may seem that I am not picky and I read all the time, but I really am. Quick point: I love TrueBlood, and I have the first book in the series, but I decided not to read them. Why? I can't stand the thought of having to read about Sookie and her being the main character in every book. I really don't like Sookie, and until she leaves 'Vampire Bill' and gets with Eric, I will continue to dislike her. Maybe even after then, just because she's so...cheery? Southern? I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I don't like it.

Anyways, Moon Called was excellent. It took me all of three nights at work to read it. Mercedes Thompson, the main character, is a walker. She can shapeshift and turn into a Coyote. Unlike her werewolf cousins, however, she is not Moon Called, that is, forced to shift by the phase of the moon. The book also features the fae, witches and vampires in the mix. Living alongside humans in a world very much like our own. Her character is likable and one that you can relate too. Unlike Hamilton's works, she's nothing of a detective or someone with connections. She's a VW mechanic.

She handles her own very well, but she also has her flaws. Which makes the character all the more real. Whenever she shifts, the book continues to read as if she was still human. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I like how it turned out. Patricia Briggs writes a wonderful story, and I've already purchased the next two books in the series. I believe there is four to date.

The other thing that I like about this series is that it branches off. There's a second series, The Alpha and Omega books, that run parallel to The Mercedes Thompson novels. They are set in Mercy's world, with the same characters, but with different main characters. The main character in the A and O series is a girl who was attacked and changed into a werewolf. I can't wait to get started on those.

So far it's been an enjoyable read, and I hope it continues to do so.

And Smallville: Now while some parts of smallville are a bit iffy. The graphics aren't the best, the stunts need some work, I really am enjoying it. The plots in the first four are about the same. And I'm hoping that it becomes a little more intriguing and deeper than it has been so far. The seasons run at 43.00 each. There's eight so far. So that's roughly 400.00. If I'm not convinced that the plot lines can hold after I finish season 1, I might cast off this series and pick up another one. I'm interested in Supernatural and Fringe as well. I'd like to pick up Lost one day, but not today. I;ve heard good things about Smallville, but I'm still on the line about it. After all, everyone doesn't think the same, ya know?

And for a re-cap of the day: I went exploring. I went to Anderson and found Planet Comics, which is awesome. Def the biggest comic store I have been into. I missed the Greenville Comic-Con by a few hours. It was today. I couldn't believe it. How unlucky. Or probably lucky because i would have spent to much money anyways. I also found a books-a-million and a best buy and a target. So I should be safe in the even of boredom striking. It only took me about 30 mins to get there. So I would say that Anderson is like Hickory. I only wish there were a Barnes and Nobles there as well. They have a mall, but it looked crowded since it was Sat, so I skipped out on that and went home. And baked. I burnt some cookies because I was watching Smallville. I've burned cookies before, but ever so bad and never so many. I just kept forgetting about them.

So my impulse buy of the week was Spiderman/Black Cat HC. Kevin Smith is the writer for the series and Terry Dodson took up the visual helm. I love both of them and look forward to seeing how the series turned out. I've never read any of the Kevin Smith Comics, but I am a fan of his movies. So if the series was interesting, I might have to invest some money in his batman series as well.

I've yet to decorate my apartment, or finish unpacking boxes, or any of that fun stuff that I should be doing instead of this. Truthfully I am having trouble keeping my eyes open and I have to say up for roughly another 2 1/2 hours. I have lots I need to do, but with only 1 day off a week, I can't even find a single shred of motivation to get any of it done.

I'm still debating on if I want to bring Leia up here with me. It will probably be after the first of the year if I do decide to bring her with me. I can see it happening any sooner with the way things are going. I wouldn't mind having someone to talk to, even if it is just my cat. She is, in fact, named after the Star Wars character. Because I'm a geek. Dexter is named after the character in the tv show Dexter on Showtime. Aspen was named for a comic character and Vesper was named after a James Bond Character/ Family name for bats. See? I am a total geek.

Alaska was named Alaksa, bc that's my favorite State. Stella was named that because of the book Stella Luna. My iguanas were named Calvin and Hobbes. And I already have names picked out for future creatures. Because I'm not having kids, I have to think about what to name my animals.

Well that's it for the night. I'm going to get back to reading Monster Planet. Which is the last book in David Wellington's Monster Trilogy. I love this series. The only problem that I have with it, is the origins. I understand what started it, but how did it start? Who was patient zero? How did it escape? Is it just the ones that have been bitten or touched by the infected that become zombies, or is it everyone that has died after the epidemic started? Maybe by the end of this book, I will know. Or I will have remembered if I have forgotten, either way, I must know. Cause knowing is half the battle. Right?

Monday, October 19, 2009

I'll be zombie-like tonight.

As it goes, where I work, nothing goes as planned. Nothing. The area we were working in was flooded today, with contaminated water. Then they decided that we were going to go to night shift to pull cable with the electricians, so they sent us home at 10am and told us to be back at work at 10pm to start nightshift for the rest of the week. 1 week! WTF. why only one week? Because they hate us, that's why. And then we are going back to days after we get all the cable pulled.

Someone said we might be done by friday, so that might be good. I'd like a good paycheck this week though. So the more hours, the better. I've never pulled cable before, so this will be a new gig for me. I probably won't be on here much because I'm going to spend all of my free time sleeping.

The guys that are going to nights with me are a pretty good bunch, plus getting off dayshift for a while will keep me away from some people I have been trying to avoid the best I can, Creepers, as I call them. Because they creep me out. It's hard to avoid people when you're trapped in a nuclear plant with them.

But after this week, I'll be back to days. I'm actually starting to like days. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. It probably helps I don't' actually go inside till there's work to be done, because our trailers down by the lake. But anyways.

After all this is said and done, we should get back to a pretty normal schedule and then I can actually have a life again, which would be lovely. There's alot of movies and things I need to catch up on. Well, I'm headed to bed. Awesome. g'night.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Baby Jesus hates Zombies.


I gotta say, October is my month. I mean really what better time to be a zombie lover? That's right, there is no better time, except in a zombie apocalypse, cause I know how to survive.
Working lots right now. So not much time for blogs or any other form of entertainment. I haven't seen Zombieland, or anything else for that matter. I'm so behind. But I'm in a new apartment, si I get points for accomplishing something. Go me.

Friday, October 9, 2009

De Blog of Procrastination. Books Mainly.

So basically, I'm procrastinating. And tonight writing a blog is my procrastination tool. Almost everything I own is packed up and ready to be put into the trailer in the morning. I have to get to the kitchen and a few other odds and ends. You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to move. I'm actually getting rid of a huge stack of books. I'm tired of toting them around and I haven't read them since I was in highschool. The majority of them are Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Dean Koontz. I'm pretty much past that point in my life. I still read a few Dean Koontz, and I kept the Dark Tower Series from Stephen King. I plan on reading it one day, I swear. I'm not even remotely interested in Anne Rice anymore, although I did keep three of her books in paperback. For old time's sake.

When it comes to vampire novels, there's two places I go. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series and David Wellington's Vampire novels. Both excellent writers with refreshing ideas and more than enough action to keep me buying each consecutive book. I did read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga. It was an excellent read, but I still prefer Hamilton's Vampire-Human-Werewolf stories. I feel like Twilight's completely over rated now. I picked up the book when I read an article in TIMES about it. By the time Breaking Dawn came out, I had to buy the book to just know how it ended. At the time I was happy with it. Now it just seems ridiculous (Breaking Dawn). But Meyer totally blew her fan base out of the water. If I was still 16 I would have probably felt just like the rest of the teenage girls. But I'm not. I'm 23, and young adult novels just don't do it for me.

I'm pretty picky about what I read these days. It seems like I've got a long list of books to choose from, but it takes me forever to finally pick a series. Especially if there is more than one book involved. Such as the Anita Blake series. It numbers 17 books with two set to come out next year, a novella, entitled Flirt, and a longer un-named novel. I've known about David Wellington's books for a few years, but never picked them up until a couple weeks ago. I started with the zombie trilogy. He has a vampire series, and a werewolf novel as well. Laurell K. Hamilton also has another series involving a faerie princess-detective. I cannot stand fairy stories, but I can't tear myself away from Hamilton's writing. It's addictive. Merry Gentry, the faerie princess novels, stands at seven with eight due out at the end of this year.

I also search for books involving creatures. Because everyone should know that creature features are among my top rated movies, as well as my top rated books. For this brand of writing I usually have to hit the classics by Peter Benchley, or go to Steve Alten. Alten's MEG series and The Loch are spectacular reads. Sharks and the Loch Ness are my all-time favorite creatures.

I always find books or artists in interesting ways. I bought a Hamilton book years ago in a Goodwill because the cover art looked intriguing. I didn't even realize I was a fan, until I picked up the Guilty Pleasures comic from Marvel. And I was hooked. The comics couldn't come out fast enough. I needed to know the rest of the story. So i started the series.

Same deal with Patricia Briggs, who writes the Mercy Thompson series I am starting shortly. She produced a pre-quel story with Dabel brothers publishing. The artwork drug me in. The story kept me there. Alot of times, I read reviews and find books that way. Sometimes it's because I accidentally clicked on the wrong link. I was looking for plot summaries for 100 Bullets, a comic from vertigo, and accidentally clicked on a link for 13 Bullets, a vampire novel by David Wellington. Poof! A new book. Things like that happen to me all the time. Just random chance I guess. The only book I've ever truly had trouble reading was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I love the story of Pride and Prejudice, but, let me tell you, it can be a boring read. Even with Zombies, sometimes I just wasn't that interested. Shame on me.

So I'm sitting in the floor of my bedroom, which is now empty, save for me, the vacuum cleaner, and a pile of books. Tomorrow I move to Seneca, SC. I'm excited. I like change ever now and then. And I certainly am in need of a change. I've never lived this close to my dad before. I think it will be interesting to see how everything turns out. And I'm not too far from my best friend Sarah, who lives in Georgia. She lived in Hawaii for over five years, and I got to see her very little. It'll be nice to have her this close, even if it still is in a different state.

I suppose I should get back to getting everything downstairs. I still have to wash clothes, throw the kitchen into a box, and clean all the rooms. I was going to load things into the trailer, but I believe that can wait till in the morning.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Welcome to Facebook.

Superheros/Villains/Jonah on Facebook.

Cause we all want to know....don't we?

I'm barely making the effort today.

So, I'm pretty tired and I don't feel much like typing. I just pasted the P and P and Z review off my other blog onto here and I'll add a random link for all to enjoy.

I'm also dealing with several other problems involving random chimpanzees.

Spider Drawing guy Makes a Come Back with Oh-So-Sweet Shark Attack Drawings.

I finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies today. It took me forever to get through the book. It's awesome, but it's still Pride and Prejudice, ya know? The beginning is pretty boring in pride and prejudice and zombies help it along a bit. It finally picks up about half way through. Some days it just couldn't keep my attention. Of course, some days nothing can keep my attention.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Zombies on your internet

I started another blog just for Zombie Links. Cause zombies are an important part of a balanced breakfast.

http://internetzombies.blogspot.com/

Saturday, October 3, 2009

The Brothers Bloom, Last House on the Left, and Friday the 13th.

I watched the Brothers Bloom tonight. I have been wanting to see this movie ever since it came into theaters. I liked it. It was pretty original (from my knowledge), but at times it was predictable. I didn't really see the end coming. Although the entire movie was basically con after con, it probably should have been obvious. I enjoyed it enough. Probably wait till it goes on sale to buy it though. I did like the Belgian. He was probably my favorite part. Bang Bang is another one of my favorite characters. She's the one that likes to blow things up. All the characters are decent enough. It never really explains what's going on with Diamond Dog though.
Basically it's a story about a young man who can't really do much of anything unless his brother writes it out for him. In the end he realizes he can live a life without it being written and drives off into the sunset with the girl for an almost happy ending. The other brother's ending: not so happy. I guess it's symbol isms at it's best. But I don't really understand the Queen of hearts deal, unless it's some off the wall reference to Wonderland. There are a few other literary references within the movie, most are explained. The older brother apparently likes to fashion his cons after great literary works. It's not a must see movie, but it's good for a laugh or two. Like I said it was good enough, but it could have been better.

Last House on the Left. To begin with, I've never seen the original. Older Horror movies don't interest me that much, and for that matter, nether do new ones. They don't frighten me or anything like that. I'm just not into the horror genre. I think I used to be, but I can't really think of any horror movies in particular that I love that aren't science fiction or thriller before they are horror movies.
Anyways, I liked it. It's pretty deranged. The methods the parents use are pretty brutal and the rape scene was unnecessarily long. I didn't care for the microwave or the garbage disposal method of taking out the trash, but hey, their movie, not mine. If you don't know the plot, here it goes:

Set up scenes. Girl goes with parents to lake house for summer. Meets old girlfriend. Girlfriend takes some guy up on offer of Pot ( ah the horror movie no-no: Don't smoke up or you die). Pot-Boy's evil friends come home. Take girl+friend as hostage. Girl+friend try to escape. Friend dies. Girl continues to attempt escape, almost dies. Evil People go to LAST HOUSE ON LEFT. Boy discovers who parents are. Girl finds way home. Parents take revenge. Evil people die. Everyone is happy (except friend, Paige, because she's still dead....and the Cops)

There you have it. Wow. You don't even have to watch the movie now, unless you want to see lots of blood. And someone getting the Peep treatment. The mom and the dad are awfully calm about killing everyone, I believe they are some kind of tag team murder force and the daughters in on it too. Welcome to the family Justin.
Friday the 13th. I'm not sure how many I've ever seen out of the original series. I think maybe 2. I saw Jason X, and Freddy vs. Jason, I'm not entirely sure if I've seen the original Friday the 13th or not. But, after so many years, I'm still not interested. It's even got Aaron Yoo in it, who I love. And I just can't keep watching. It's actually playing right now. I just can't get into the series. Like I said before I'm not a big horror fan. It's got some scary and/or tense moments. But it's just like a gore-fest. I had a friend tell me it was awesome, so I thought I would give it a try, but I just can't force myself to like something.

If you want a typical horror movie slasher, here's you're guy. Lots of blood, weed, and of course sex. Cause the two main foreboding aspects of all horror movies are: If you do drugs or have sex, you will die. The end. If Scream taught me anything, it was that I love Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy, and of course, the rules of horror movies.

Thinking on it for a bit longer, I've discovered I do own at least one horror movie, which is Halloween. I loved Halloween. Even the remake was good. I'm not sure what it is about that movie, but it's a classic, even if it is a Horror movie.
I really just want to beg Hollywood to quit remaking Horror movies, or for that fact quit remaking movies. There are a few remakes I've enjoyed. But there are far more that need to be burned with the rest of the film.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Zombie Link of the Day 2

That's right. There's a sequel. I'm going to start a new blog for these.

Today's link comes to us from FilmSchoolRejects.com and was brought to my attention by the great Bryan, who recieves offerings of bojagles sweet tea and snickerdoodle cookies in exchange for awesome tips such as this one:

Remake of 'The Crazies' by George Romero.

This is borderline zombie. Because I believe it's diease that infects them? They look like zombies, but still have conscious thought? Correct me if I'm wrong....anyone? That's what I thought. Good day.

Zombie Link of the Day

University Of Florida has a Zombie Attack Plan

Technically it's October 2nd right now, but I'm a little behind because today has been kinda off. I went to work only to be told to go home. So I've spent the evening with my dad and my step mom, Nancy. I may actually get to have a life again and have weekends off. Which would be excellent indeed.

I've read several articles today of interest. Quite a few involving books. So let's get started.

I love Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and I haven't gotten a chance to read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters yet, but now I've heard the crossovers have finally taken a turn for the worse. It's called Little Women and Werewolves. I don't care what you do to Little Women, it's crap, and I will never read it. I hate western-ish stories. I'm talking books here. I like Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns. That may be as far as my western influence goes. But anyways. I'm calling BS on whoever thought that crap up. Couldn't you have used another book? With a better story? Or maybe you guys should just go ahead and call it a day and quit the nonsense. I'm still looking forward to Seth Grahame-Smith's original release of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I can handle that. But the book thing is getting rusty. I would have maybe at least stuck with Jane Austen novels. I love the books you've created so far, but it's over guys. Really.

Next up: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Young Adult novel I believe. Girl falls in love with a boy who turns out to be a werewolf and they have to find a way to be together so they girl's heard doesn't get broken. I'm over it. At first I was like, well this could be good. I love werewolf novels and such and then I read the summary and marked it right back off my list. Not interested in another book that involves teenagers and supernatural. I'm on the verge of getting sick every time I hear the 'T' word. It's not that it's gone mainstream, I can handle things being mainstream. I love TrueBlood myself. But it's everywhere. It's referenced constantly and ridiculously. And people actually go into hysterics because of it. I get excited, but I don't do hysterics. I'm pretty sure some one has the T flu, because they are throwing the shit up everywhere. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty. Cover your mouth.

Ahh...something good. Here it is' George Romero is writing his own book about Zombies. Specifically, his zombies. If you don't know who George Romero is, you clearly don't understand the relationship he has to zombies. It will be titled 'The Living Dead' and will be released in 2010. Zombies have never went out of style. Sometimes they just die down for a bit and then come back with a vengeance (see what I just did?)

I'm also interested in the novel Blood and Chocolate now. The movie was alright, plot was about like any other movie. No biggie. But I'm now hearing the book was majorly different and was much better than the movie adaptation. It's on the list and I shall purchase it as soon as I finish reading the other 20 books I have.

There was also a book called Kiss of Death by Joseph Locke. At the moment I can't remember if I liked the summary or not and I'm really not in the mood to find it again. Cause I'm being lazy. And even though I woke up today at 3:00 in the afternoon, I'm somewhat tired and lack much motivation.

Alright. I'm not sure what else there is. Well, I guess that's it for tonight. There's the zombie link of the day. Enjoy. I know I considered going to UF for a brief second because clearly those people know what's up. But I dismissed the thought, because on the other hand. It's safer to travel in very small groups when dealing with epidemics of and kind. I prefer no more than 5, including myself.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

But when it comes to you It seems like I just can't find the time

It's been some amount of time since I have been able to type anything, as the fact that I am now regularly working has prevented my regularly scheduled bouts of bullshitting around. But tonight, we had a reprieve. The pipes are done, I assume they've passed inspection after numerous cut-outs, re-welds, changes to the drawings, revisions, and general fuck-ups. Now we sit and wait for the foam to be inserted into the wall so we can close out the fire watches and be given a few days off before we head back to dayshift for the remainder of our time at ONS. I hope this is wrong , as I highly wish to be on nightshift because I can not stand being on dayshift. There are way to many people here during the days and way to much stuff to do. Plus the sun can be quite irritating when I am trying to remain pale for Halloween.

Hopefully we will have a three day weekend, I am going apartment hunting on friday and have already made plans with a friend to go and see Zombieland, which I am fairly excited about. He understands that we may be a part of the few who will truly appreciate the greatness of woody harrelson and zombies. Or just zombies alone.

But apartment shopping is the main goal of this weekend. I'm moving to SC. I am very excited about this. I feel that it's time for a change. I have lived in Lenoir for a little over a year, and I'm pretty bored with it, plus it's so far from everything. I was told today at work that the crew I am currently on, is indeed staying for an indefinite period of time to work on another project, which consists of 2,000 feet of pipe, 1,300 welds, and 800 hangers. If this project goes anything like the project we are now finishing, we will be here till at 2015, well after the world ends in 2012.

I suspect this will be the case and that I will be able to attend Clemson University after the job is over. I'm not planning much for moving back to NC anytime soon. As long as things go according to planned. There has already been one minor flaw with the plan, as it concerns someone else screwing things up and not me. It was a solid plan, and it would have worked. But apparently I have some "friends", I use the term lightly, that are liars. But it's only temporary and I feel that they problem shall eliminate itself given the approximate amount of time (max. 2 months). I will do anything in my power to alleviate this problem. I will stoop to low levels to ensure my sanity stays intact in the coming months.

I haven't been able to do anything for about four weeks now, and it has made me a bit ill. I'm behind on movies, games, books, and comics. And that is never a good thing. It's taking me three weeks to read one book and I am still not done with it. I fear it will be my undoing. My list of movies to see grows ever-longer, every week. No doubt it shall fill a page by the end of the year and I will be at my wit's end.

Looking back, I see I could have prevented this problem many many months ago had I just tried to think clearly and not acted so much like my usual self. But alas, we humans are creatures of habit and I still find myself repeating said habit to this day. How devious of me. But it is my nature.

I'm expecting the next few weeks to be excellent, and if anyone tries to mess them up, trust me, you'll not want to be around when I finally flip shit on you.

On the good side, I have met an interesting boy. Finally. I hold no hopes. He could be boring tomorrow when I wake up.

That said, I have to go do the last round of the night, a NightWatchmen's job is never done. After all ...Who Watches The Watchmen?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Batman: You can come back now. I'm tired of the plot twists.

Okay, let me start off by saying, that I am fairly behind in the Batman Series, but from what I know, I am not a happy person.

To begin with, they killed Bruce Wayne! WTF. Seriously guys, I know comics are noturious for killing off main characters and bringing them back, but I can't believe you did it. I'm still in shock. I hear he'll be back in the summer of 2010. Don't make me wait to long. But really, why did you do? To get more readers? I haven't picked up a single issue of Batman since I heard he was getting offed. I bought the trades, but not the singles. So I'm fairly behind in whats going on. In fact, I haven't even read the 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader' storyline yet. That's how far behind I am. I've seen the insides of maybe two issues of the Battle of the Cowl story arc. But I'm waiting for the trade to hit the shelves before I really dive into it.
However, I know that Dick Grayson is the new Batman, and Daiman is the new Robin. Brownie Points for you guys. For one, I love Daiman, that little prick is adorable, but I kinda hated him when he tried to kill Robin. And Dick Grayson deserved to be Batman, no one else would have been fit for the spot. I have read issue #1 of the new Batman series, #1 of Red Robin, and #1-2 of Batgirl. And #1-3 of Gotham City Sirens.

Let's start with Batman: I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm a fan of the more well known villians even a few of the lesser known ones have my vote. But I don't know who they are up against because I lost interest half way through the first issue and decided I would wait for the trade. I love the art, but the story has clicked with me yet. I like to read Batman Arcs all at once. I've always been that way with certain comics. The Boys is another one I love but won't get the single issues of. I'd rather read the whole arc at once, so I don't have to wait to see what's going on. Sometimes a month is the longest period of time ever. So I don't know what's going on with Dick Grayson aka Batman right now. Shame on me.

Red Robin. Who the hell is this guy? Someone please tell me. I don't know, I only read issue number 1. I guess I should have read Battle of the Cowl before I tried to jump into the other series. I suppose I'm about 6 months behind on all things batman related. But I didn't get another issue of Red Robin either. Trade please.

Okay. Now to the points I'm serious about. Let's talk Batgirl. Who decided Cassandra wasn't going to be batgirl anymore? Hmmmm??? Come on, fess up. Cause I'm coming for you. I love Cassandra Cain as batgirl, I know she went all bad and everything for a while and she was raised to be a killer, but I think it makes it harder for her to be a good guy. I really liked the series she had out last year. Only 6 issues though. Come on guys. I'm working on back tracking and finding the trades of her first series. Like I've said I didn't start reading comics till College, I kind of have lots of catching up to do everywhere. I'm making lists though, and trying my hardest. And so instead of Cassandra, we have Stephanie Brown, who once was dead, but now is Batgirl. She was also Robin and also Spoiler. I'm going to keep reading this one and have faith that Cassandra will come back at some point and kick some ass. I'm not completly turned off of Stephanie Brown being Batgirl, so I'm not going to give up on the series just yet. I'll try to stick with it, no promises.

And besides Bruce Wayne being dead, this is my biggest concern: Catwoman forgot who Batman was? Oh hell no you didn't. This makes me want to act a fool up in here. For one, Catwoman loves Bruce Wayne! She rememebered in the Faces of Evil Arcs! And Bruce Wayne loves her! I am a girl! I love this part! I love Batman and Catwoman! Why did you do this to me? How could you do this to me? I want an answer DC!! Who is in charge of these awful changes? Who can I bribe to make them set things straight? I can't beleive you guys would pull a trick, that Zatanna, who also liked Batman, would help Catwoman forget who Batman was. No this is not acceptable. Not at all. I'm going to keep reading Gotham City Sirens for the simple reason, that Catwoman aka Selina better start remembering things, and she may have only forgotten it for the ten minutes Ivy was interrogating her. Understand? Good.
Now on the good side of things, I'm very happy to see Hush has returned. I love Hush. He's the best. I'm very pissed he wasn't included in Batman Arkham Asylum, from what I've heard. Like I said, I'm behind on Batman. Ever since I layed eyes on Batman: Hush. I knew this was my villain. Sure, I love the Joker, who doesn't but I only love certain versions of the joker. Frank Miller's verison in All-Star Batman and Robin is my favorite. I wish they would finish that series. I would give up so many things to have an ending to that series. Come on guys, 20 issues is all i'm asking for. Hell, I would settle for five more. Just finish the story. Tell me what happens. Please. I beg you.

Basically Batman has taken a dreadful turn as far as I'm concerned. But I hear rumors on the wind that some things are going to happen next year, and I can only hope that's it will become reality. I'm just going to re-read Batman:Hush over and over again, until I hear good things have been printed and are on thier way to the shelves.

I don't know how everyone else feels about these things, or even how any of the guys reading the series do, because for one, no one else I know reads comics. So I don't have much of a audience to poll.

I'm going to work on getting caught up with Batman, now that I have a job, I can start fueling my addictions for comics once again. Really I can't do much until the Battle of the Cowl storyline comes out. So it's basically a stand still. I'll just keep reading on Wikipedia and various other sources to navigate my way through the maze they call Batman and the dead ends I keep hitting.

And then maybe I will feel better about the whole deal. So maybe I'm completly wrong on this whole deal. I suppose we will find out soon enough.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

HickoryCon Aftermath

I did pretty well. I stayed well below my limit, but got alot of cool stuff. It didn't seem like there were as many tables filled this time as there were in the spring, but there was a good turnout from what I saw. There were alot of people in costumes. Which was pretty awesome. My favorite ones were, of course, the storm troopers. You dress up like Star Wars, you get my vote for everything. It's a classic ( the original 3) you can't go wrong there.

I got three new prints and a sketch. The prints were Wonder Woman (who I don't even like, but I love this print), Poison Ivy, and Batman. The sketch was also of Batman. Billy Fowler did the sketch and the WW and PI sketch and Adam Goudelock did the Batman Print. Both those guys are really nice. And very talented. They're on my facebook. I'll add them on here later.

I also got some comics I had been trying to locate for a while, so it was a pretty good day. It would have been a good day anyway.
So I'm dead-set on going to Baltimore now. I just hope the crew from Zenescope will be there. I know some of the guys from Aspen will be there, which I'm excited about that. Aspen was the company that got me started into comics. Ah, back in the day, where it all began. And now I'm an addict. Okay, so it's not that bad, but I do like to talk about comics a bit.

But I can't decide if I want to go to Baltimore for just the Saturday or stay overnight and leave out sometime on Sunday. It wouldn't be much more to stay one night. I guess it'll give me something to think about when I'm bored at work.

Which I have to go back to tomorrow. We're starting 6 12's tomorrow. Which sucks, but the money's going to be choice.

To finish a pretty decent day full of a good amount of geekiness, I decided to watch Fanboys. I love that movie. If you haven't seen it, go rent it right now, or buy it. Better take a crow-bar just in case the stores closed....or if you encounter zombies.
I'm trying to think of some commissions for some artists right now. I was thinking about seeing if Billy Fowler would be interested in doing one and maybe Josh Howard. There are a few other artists I was thinking about looking into as well, but those two guys have more unique and eye-catching styles than other artists out there. As well as Jamie McKelvie. These guys are super-talented. I know it sounds stupid, but I mean, they are like celebrities to me. I'd rather go to a Con than a movie premiere any day.

I can't help it. There's just something about Art and Comics that fascinates me. Well, after a long day of comic searching and laughing and talking, I'm worn out. I also havent slept since Friday. It was just easier to stay up and go to Hickory. Crazy Mandar. What a rebel! Alright. To bed. It's back to work tomorrow. And I need some sleep before I attempt to stay awake on Night Shift watching everyone else work.

Friday, September 18, 2009

HickoryCon and Baltimore Comic Con

Thanks to the fact that things never finish on schedule at work, we've had a major change in days off and such. I now have Saturday nights off. One day! What? Only two good things have come out of this:

1.Money.
2.HICKORYCON!!

That's right. I know no one cares, but HickoryCon is tomorrow and now I get to go! I am really excited. Two of my favorite artist will be there: Billy Fowler and Randy Green. Not to mention a ton of comics, ripe for the buying. I love this show. It's the second time I will be going. They have a spring and a fall show. They guys that host the show are the owners of the comic shops I go by. Time Tunnel Comics and Timmy Mac's Comics and Games. They do an awesome job, so make sure to stop by.

And not to mention I am praying that I will be off on Oct 9th - Oct 11th. The Baltimore ComicCom in Oct10th-Oct11th. Plane tickets are around $100 for round trip. If the job allows, you better believe this cat is making a day trip to Maryland. I'm not even kidding. AspenComics will be there, a million artists and writers that I love and maybe even Zenescope. I can only hope Zenescope will be there. Those guys are awesome.

Well, it's back to work now. Have to make money so I can afford my addictions.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Boys


My Absolute Favorite Quote from the Graphic Novel "The Boys" by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson:

"I hear you're a conspiracy nut. Well, This is the conspiracy, kid. It's ain't ancient gods an' aliens an' coded shit on the dollar bill. It ain't even a secret, it's something ordinary folks do for a livin' every day of the week. It's Business." -The Legend

Read The Boys. Probably one of the best Comics to hit the shelves this decade.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Catching up on the Motion Pictures. I love you Man. Adventure Land.

After a long week at work, I've decided it's movie catching up time. So I rented a few tonight. And it begins....

I love you, Man. A Bro-mance by any other name, would probably be called something along the same lines. It was an okay movie. I didn't laugh hysterically. It was funny, it just wasn't as funny as some of the other movies I've seen. I love Jason Segal, but he was much funnier in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. As for Paul Rudd, his character was a bit toned down from the other movies I've seen him in. I really liked Role Models ,Knocked Up, and Anchorman. Back to I love you Man. It was basically about a guy that's the girlfriend type. You know the ones, they have more girls that are friends than guys. But he sets out to finds friends basically because everyone is giving him shit about it, including his gay brother played by Andy Samberg of The Lonely Island. He was the best part of the movie. And I enjoyed JK Simmons (Juno, Burn After Reading) as well.

Like every other romantic comedy movie, the plot goes something like this. Boy is sad because he has no friends. Boy finds friends through series of humorous adventures. Boy becomes close to friend, until an event comes between them. (This could be anything, in this movie it's money). Boy has angry moment with friend and they are not friends anymore. Boy's life is a bit sadder due to no friend. In the end Boy forgives friend, all is well! This is the classic romantic comedy plot. It's rather boring. Thus the reason, I'm not all to impressed with the movie. It gets really old after you've seen a thousand movies with the exact same plot with sligtly different jokes and small changes made in what sets events about. In other Rom-Coms, you would just replace boy with girl and friend with boy. It's a vicious cycle and it needs to end.

I'm not big on romantic comedy's for just that reason. I thought Funny People did well with not having Adam Sandler ending up with Leslie Mann's characters. About the only ones I can really stand to watch it Because I Said So and Failure to Launch (I love Justin Bartha and Zooey Deschanel, I hate SJP, not a MM fan either).

Next up: Adventureland. Now before I even watch the movie, I'm going to say I picked this up because it looked funny and has Jesse Eisenberg who will be in Zombieland in it. I've not really seen him in much. He was in The Village, but not a major role from what I can remember. Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame) is also in the movie, but I'm less concerned with her. So here it goes. And we press the X button on the ps3 controller because I killed my DVD player when it dared to betray me and stopped working.

And....the end credits rolls. I now have the song Pale Blue Eyes by Velvet Underground stuck in my head. As well as the White Lines Zombie version from Shaun of the Dead. Or Freeze!

Back to ze movie. Before the Germans get here. I liked it. Between Eisenberg and Cera, I choose Eisenberg. Although Cera has points for playing Scott Pilgrim. Adventureland was pretty good. It was a cute movie. I love when he gets held at knifepoint over a giant panda. It was basically about a group of twenty-somethings and what they did with their summer. Which was work at Adventureland. And Drink. And Smoke Pot. And Be unruly. Oh. And there was a Disco Club (?) involved. I was kinda confused as to when the events in the movie were supposed to take place. Perhaps they gave a time placement at the beginning of the movie and I missed it. Either way, I despise side ponytails and jean jackets. Despite it having the above mention romantic comedy plot seeping through the drug usage and carny rides, it was a nice way to spend a few hours. I would put this in a category with Waiting. A Work related Comedy more than a romantic comedy really. Also I was impressed with Kristen Stewart. I think she did a pretty decent job in this movie. So did Jesse Eisenberg.

The part I laughed the hardest at, is when he returns home high to eat dinner with his family and his mom is telling him about other grad schools and things he could consider. They start talking about internships on Mister Rogers (I believe Mister Rogers is one of the reason our generations is so messed up) and they talk about the characters are hands puppets. Then his dad does this hand puppet impression and Brennon's like "That's a horrible impression." I thought that was hilarious for some reason.

It's kinda like Employee of the Month(in the way it's work related), which only had two funny moments. One at a party or something with the guy in the coke bottle glasses and the other is when the guy falls on the checkout register. The rest of the movie was shit.

I may purchase Advetureland, when it goes on sale. While enjoyable, I suggest renting it before buying it. So I've created a new category for movies: Work Comedies. Maybe this exists already. Probably. There's nothing better than making fun of something that you hate. And there's nothing most people hate more than their jobs.

I was hoping to catch a few movies in the theater this week, but I don't think I am going to be able to. On the list right now: Whiteout, 9, and Gamer. And I'm probably going to head back to blockbuster tonight and grab a few more movies. It's been a while since I rented anything, so I'm fairly behind. But you gotta do what you gotta do. And some days, playing with my cats is more important than watching a movie. Besides, the cats actually do funny things once in a while.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Real Life Mutants?

Magnetic Man

Real Life Superheroes

Ahem, I have a superpower as well. But it's secret.

I'm not going to say, I'd have to kill you if I told you.

But I will.

Thanks goes to Tyler for sending me the Links.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Zombies And Cigarettes

Everyone knows I love Zombies. Here's a short foreign film I found on io9. It's subtitled. I still enjoyed it. Only about 13:50, after that it's the credits. Also included is the Red Band Trailer for Zombieland.

Zombies and Cigarettes

Zombieland

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Star Wars/Thriller at DragonCon 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMksF7E6lyw

Needless to Say, I've added DragonCon to my list of ComicCons I will be attending next year. So right not it stands at San Diego ComicCon, DragonCon, HickoryCon, and HeroesCon. There's nothing I love more than hanging out with people who are just as geeky as me. And meeting my favorite artist. :)

Also featured are a Quidditch team, Green Lanterns, Storm Troopers, Indiana Jones, A Disco Storm Tropper, Star Trek Personel, Princess Buttercup and The Dread Pirate Roberts , an ALIEN!, Pirates, People in a Parking Garage, a predator, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. plus a few assorted ones i dont know.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Phonogram

I want to talk about Phonogram. And Kieron Gillen. And Jamie McKelvie. And a bit of Suburban Glamour. And how I'm addicted. Cause I am.

Phonogram started out as something I might eventually pick up one day. This was before it was in a trade paperback. Oh, I saw it, and it looked interesting, but it had something to do with Britain and there were other comics out there that I was more into at the time. Shame on me. I can't believe I didn't follow my instinct and buy it out of compulsion like I do with so many of the comics I've come to love. I would say, on average, a good 60 percent of the comics I read with certain enthusiasm these days were impulse buys. I would be like, well that looks kinda cool, or I would only buy it because of the art. But on that day, I did not buy Phonogram out of compulsion. I think the first time I saw an issue was about he time I started reading comics, which wasn't until I got into College. The first issue I ever bought was when me and Sarah went into a thrift store in Hawaii, It was an Alien vs. Predator #1, I believe.

So Phonogram sat in the back of my mind, waiting. Then I found Suburban Glamour. This book was the key. It opened the door to the greatness that would ensue. Suburban Glamour, with the well defined art style, the colors, the edge to it. It was something new. At the time, I think I might have had less than ten comics I was reading, Fathom, Witchblade, Iron and the Maiden, the Darkness, and TombRadier were about as far as I had adventured into the comics world. While those comics might have not been as mainstream, as say, oh Batman or Xmen, they were still pretty big names already. They had established writers and well-known artists. Suburban Glamour kinda threw opened the door for my love for more...indie type comics, I suppose. The ones that are printed by the smaller companies, no less amazing though than the big guys.

But there I was mesmerized by the characters in the book. The art alone...even without words, would have been enough to get me to buy it, but the story was just as original. Just as likely to pull you in. It was only four issues long. I wanted more. I googled Jamie McKelvie and guess what I found- Phonogram, the Brit-Pop comic I had passed over so long ago. I gave in. I bought all six issues in the single form off of eBay. I read through them. They deal with music mainly. Music I had never listened to. It was all based around the premise that music was magic and could change your life. The first time I read through it, I didn't understand half of what was going on, mainly because I had no idea what the bands sound like. (I'm still trying to find a few Kenickie songs.) I'd never heard of Kenickie before. Who the hell was Tim Eastwood. The Manics? I read it any ways. I didn't read the glossary. Big Mistake. All my questions would have been cleared up. But I was so anxious to get to the next issue I gave the glossary a miss. It stayed like that too. Shame on me again.


I bought the trade: Phonogram: Rue Britannia. I read it again. Like it says, you don't have to know anything about the bands to make it through. Its an outstanding story. David Kohl is my hero. And I love Kid-with-Knife. Emily Aster was just as likable in her unlikeable ways. I loved it. Almost the entire thing. The Story. The Art. The Characters. Not the glossary. Too many words. I wasn't that concerned with who these people were they talked about.

Then, a second volume came out- Phonogram: The Singles Club. This time in color! I was ecstatic. I tried to hold off, and wait for the trade. By the time the second issue had found it's ways onto the shelves of Parker, Banner, Kent, and Wayne, I have given in. This volume was different. It's 7 issues, each detailing the events of a single night from different perspectives. I can't decide who I like more, Silent Girl or Emily Aster. Silent Girl and Seth are awesome. The art is just as beautiful as before and the storyline just as brilliant. I believe we stand at issue 4 right now. I'm dying, waiting for every issue to come out.

I can't do it justice. And something changed, I read the glossary. I know who Kenickie is, I know who the Pipettes are. I really like Robyn. And Girls Aloud. Ice Cream is one of my favorite songs right now. I may not understand Brit-Pop, but I know about it now. I'm learning. I re-read Phonogram: RB again today. Every time I read it, something new catches my eye. If there's not a third volume, I am going to have both the first two volumes memorized.

Gillen and McKelvie have also created a comic together for the Playstation Magazine, called SavePoint. Its really good. Although, not being an avid gamer, I do miss a few of the things they are talking about. Gillen writes an excellent storyline. I can't give enough credit to the guy's originality.

I think if it wasn't for Jamie McKelvie's stunning art, however, I might have never known the greatness of Phonogram. His art caught me like a few others have. ( Micheal Turner was the first, but Talent Caldwell, Josh Howard, Ebas, Tim Sale, and Brett Booth have all dragged me into their worlds with the allurement of their visuals.) I can just flip through his books and do nothing but look at the art. I also have Long Hot Summer, which he worked on with Eric Stephenson. I am currently looking for a copy of Four Letter Worlds, with no luck.

I'm well aware that barely any of my friends are enthusiastic about comics as I am. Not many of them share my love of movies or books. It makes for alot of things I want to say that no one wants to hear. Which is why I write these. It's like, hey, I want to talk about this stuff, here's a way I can, and if people want to listen that's fine, if they don't, I'll remember that when I'm famous.

I don't know. I woke up on the wrong side of the cool bed according to some, but that's fine. I enjoy the things I do. I still participate in reality. I have a job. I have friends. I'm just a little in the strange side of normal.

Here is an article from Comic Book Resources about Phonogram: Rue Britannia, they do more research than I do.


Monday, August 31, 2009

Fight Club. Comics. Work.

I am actually at work right now, we started NightShift tonight, but the job got postponed until either sunday or monday night. So we sit. And I write a blog because I am bored. And we play stupid word games, like spelling the word backwards and trying to figure out what it is. Or the question game, where you can only speak in questions. It's called Nuclear, and sometimes it can be really boring.

I have been reading Fight Club, which is an awesome book. If you've seen the movie, the book is just as good, if not better in some ways. It's the only Chuck Palachniuk book that I have read so far. I plan on reading more of his works, I just haven't figured out where to start. There's nothing dull about the book Fight Club, there's just as much action and nastiness as the movie has.

I also have read the comic series Madame Mirage by Paul Dini with artwork by Kenneth Rockafort. The storyline is fantastic and very original, but its the art that drew me into this book. Kenneth Rockafort's art style is one of the most beautiful displays of art I have ever seen. Much like I am with Talent Caldwell, Micheal Turner, and Jamie McKelvie art, I will read anything Rockafort's name is attached too. If the story's bad, oh well, the art's perfect. The art is what got me reading comics anyway. I happened upon an issue of the late Micheal Turner's Fathom. And that was it. I now own over 100 issues of Fathom. That, Zenescope's Wonderland and Grimm Fairy Tales Series, and The Boys are my favorites. Batman and Phonogram are a close second. ( I hope Jamie McKelvie returns for a second series of Suburban Glamour ). But Madame Mirage is an interesting story featuring a bold and fearless heroine. Paul Dini writes a compelling storyline and creates vivid characters that Kenneth Rockafort brings to life in his unique style. I've heard rumors of a second volume in the works. I only hope that they bring back both Dini and Rockafort for it.

Top Cow is the company responsible for alot of the comics I read. Witchblade, The Darkness, The Magdalena, Freshmen, and Wanted. Wanted makes a much better comic than it does movie. There is none of the Loom of Fate or purpose to anything, the Fraternity does what they do because they can and because they want too. The storyline is good, the art is good, and there's none of that "everyone has to die at the end to make it right" bs. It's just a feel good, kill everything, blow shit up comic.

I haven't had time to do anything. On Sunday we drove down to SC and got everything set up at my dad's house. Then we drove home on Tuesday night, since we don't have to be at work till 6pm on Thursday. So we drove back into work today to get out Badges and start on NightShift. Hopefully, I will be able to stay at Oconee and continue working into next year.

I've been looking into Clemson University. They actually have programs for Digital Production Arts. If I work there for a year, then I would be able to get in-state tuition. They have the best program for what I'm looking for. Well, that I've seen so far. They offer a Masters in Fine Arts for the program, which is what I'm going for.

I had all these great ideas while I was at work today. I can't remember any of them. I hate days like that. They were intelligent thoughts as well. I have got to start writing things down.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Inglourious Basterds

If you don't know who Quentin Tarantino is, I'm sorry. And slightly disappointed. By far Tarantino is one of my favorite directors. His movies include Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, From Dusk till Dawn, Kill Bill Volume 1, Kill Bill Volume 2, Deathproof, and a few other assorted bits. An now included in the list is Inglourious Basterds. If you haven't seen a preview, a poster, or at least heard of this movie, obviously you have no tv, no Internet, and don't get out much. If you get the chance, go see it, actually make sure you go see, cancel dinner with grandma if you have too. It may be my favorite Tarantino movie. Close to being my favorite Brad Pitt movie. And no doubt is it my favorite Eli Roth movie. Roth plays my favorite character in the movie, Sgt. Donny Donowitz.

It starts out with a plain intro for credits. Just the credits. Nothing else. The music is a huge part of the movie. The names are great. The characters are extraordinary. It's long, but I can't think of a part I would cut to make it shorter. It runs at 2 hours and 32 mins. The end is the best ending I've watched this summer. The very last scene is the perfect last scene. The entire movie is poetic justice at it's finest.

All in all the movie is entertaining. It's funny. It's full of action. Full of drama. It's got a touch of romance, in a way. It's got history. It's even got Samuel L. Jackson. A good chunk of the movie is subtitled. So if you don't like subtitles, sit through it anyhow. There's so much to this movie that just plays out perfectly at the end. There is a calmness to it, and like most Tarantino films, there is also the sudden punch of action. Visually, it's exceptional. The scenery is stunning. The dialogue in the movie is excellent and contributes just as much as the action does. If you get confused about anything, it usually clears it up within the scene. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering, what will happen next. How is this going to end? The tension is almost unbearable in some scenes. Keeping the length and the shear amount of content that has been crammed into the film in mind, Tarantino delivers a wonderfully written script. For being so long, it doesn't instill a sense of boredom in you. And for such a mass amount of events going on, it doesn't leave you thinking "What's the heck is happening?"

I can't really tell you everything about the movie. That would be unfair to you. It would be like telling you who Tyler Durden is in Fight Club or what's so great about Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense (if you hadn't already seen those movies). If you haven't seen those movies, Tyler Durden is the narrator and Bruce Willis is dead. It's you own fault.

I couldn't believe how genius the movie was. It's the best movie of the summer. The Hangover was excellent, but this, this is just magical. It if doesn't inspire any feelings in you, I would seriously consider having your pulse or heart rate checked. If you don't laugh, you must be a humourless person with no resemblance of a soul. If you don't enjoy the movie at all, I dare say you would be a zombie, but even zombies would enjoy some parts of the movie.

If you haven't seen it yet, get to it. It's worth whatever you'll pay.

"You see, we're in the business of killin' Nazis, and boy, business is boomin'" - Lt. Aldo Raine

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Books. Drawing. College. Zombies.

I haven't seen any new movies lately. I haven't even rented new movies. I'm behind. I have however finished a book-Strange Candy, which is a collection of short stories from Laurell K. Hamilton. Strange Candy is a great collection of Hamilton stories ranging from two Anita Blake stories to fantasy stories involving wizards and such. It's the 24th book by Hamilton that I have read. I also finished Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness (volume 3) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, as well as Beyond Wonderland from Zenescope Comics. Scott Pilgrim is being adapted into a movie right now. I can't wait. Micheal Cera is playing the part of Scott Pilgrim. It's actually a pretty interesting comic, it follows Scott Pilgrim, but in a Video Game Style Way. He has to fight Ramona Flower's 7 evil ex-boyfriends in order to date her. It's very original. I love Knives Chau. She's one of my favorite characters.

As for Beyond Wonderland, if you don't read comics, I suggest you pick this one up. It actually starts with Return to Wonderland, and then is followed up by Beyond Wonderland. They are publishing the third book in the series, Escape from Wonderland in the coming months. It actually centers around Alice's daughter, Calie, and her adventures into Wonderland. It's definitely my favorite version of the Wonderland Tale. They also have a series called Grimm Fairy Tales. Which re imagines classic fairy tales with new and sometimes frightening twists.

I applied to WestWood College, but I've decided not to go. I read alot of reviews on the Internet on how the college was a fraud and a scam. I've also read alot of good reviews, but I'm still not convinced. It's a nationally accredited school but not regionally accredited. Which basically means, that the credits won't transfer if I decide to go to another school. So I've decided to wait. UNC Asheville has a design program and so does UNC Wilmington. I'm checking into other schools as well.


I started drawing again, but I have also joined a forum with a Comic Publisher where they have Drawing Challenges every week. Everyone votes at the end of the week and offers critiques on each other's pieces. It's not a huge thing, but it's fun and is kinda nice to have other people to talk to about comics. Alot of the people I hang around with aren't big comic fans, so sometimes it can be like a one-sided conversation. I'll post the pic, and the link to the website. It's for AspenComics. Which produces the titles Fathom and Soulfire, as well as a few others. I have a bunch of other drawings on my facebook if you want to check those out.

The main problem I have been having with drawing is style. Any fan of comics can look at the drawings I have done for the most part and tell that it's based off of someone else's style. I'm been trying to get away from needed to look at other artists work in order to draw my own. I'm still using some drawings, but just for reference, like what does Superman uniform look like? Things like that.

It's difficult for me. I'm a very visual person. Usually I need to see something in order to draw it. I can pull things out of my head and just create them on paper. I just don't function like that when I'm drawing. I can write like that though. So while I decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, I'm going to work to improve my art skills. Maybe one day I'll be famous and those drawings will be worth millions. Be sure to keep them, just in case.

I had a really weird dream last night that my dog Alaska, who died in Jan of this year, came back as a Zombie. He was 10 and had surgery on one of his legs. He did fine during the surgery, but he died later that night. The vet said it was most likely because he was old and his heart couldn't take the stress. Anyways, maybe I need to lay off the Zombie movies for a while. I watched Shaun of the Dead last night before I went to sleep, so I'm sure that was a contributing factor. So no more Zombies movies for at least......oh let's say......a week.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Top 30 Movies.

in no order.
1. Fight Club
2. Jaws
3. Goodfellas
4. Jurassic Park Triology
5. The Dark Knight
6. Aliens
7. Snatch
8. Shaun of the Dead
9. Hot Fuzz
10. Kill Bill
11. Star Wars
12. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
13. The Godfather
14. Resident Evil
15. The Day After Tomorrow
16. V for Vendetta
17. Watchmen
18. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
19. Inglorious Basterds
20. Tropic Thunder
21. Because I Said So
22. Iron Man
23. Fan Boys
24. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
25. Pride and Prejudice
26. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
27. Batman Begins
28. The Count of Monte Cristo
29. 300
30. The Hangover

If you don't know what you want, you end up with alot you don't.

Knowledge is Power, or so they say. And I suppose in this world, it's true. I have an Associates Degree In English and it's basically crap. I can't do anything with it, there's no job that I can get because of it. Which sucks. I know I'm going back to school, but I have never been completely sure for what. I can be indecisive at times, which causes problems when trying to plan for the future. But now I've made a decision. I'm looking into online colleges for Visual Game Art and Video Game Design. It's kinda like an extension of Graphic Design. Except with Games. It's a growing field, with more and more of the gamers out there being in the age range of 20's-30's, it's not just for kids anymore.

The school that I am most interested in is Westwood College. It's roughly 4300 a term, which is two months. There are 15 terms total before you get your degree. Plus supplies and lab fees. Which would probably sit you somewhere around the 66,000 dollar mark. So, now to the process of getting to the point where I could be a student there. I have to sit down and figure out the grants, scholarships, and loans I would have to use to pay for it. The time that would need to be put into it. The admission requirements. I think it'll help with the basic classes that I already have one degree. Maybe it won't take the total 15 terms and will cost a little bit less. I'm hoping I get the job working at Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina. That would help alot. I don't really want to move down to SC, but I can't really say no to this job. It's to much money to refuse. And it's steady work. Which is apparently unheard of in the Nuclear business.

Plus, I think a change of scenery would be nice. I'm fairly tired of Lenoir and Denver. It's a bit dull and everyone's just...not there. I would be able to do online school where ever I went. Which is a plus. If I don't get the job at Oconee, I'll believe I shall call it quits on my Nuclear Career. The money's good. But I'm really starting to hate the job. It's ridiculous. All the drama and bullshit. All the crap. It's really just gets old. It's not a job I would want to do forever anyways. It's fine for some people, but not for me. I've been doing it for a year now. And like it was with the paper route, I'm tired of it. Do you ever get that panic feeling when you think about something? Like maybe how some people feel before they fly? Not really fear, just panic. That's the closet description I can give to how I feel about having to go back to work at another Nuclear Station. I really don't want to do it, but alas the money is a key factor. Damn the dollar bill.

I figure, once I finish school, I can get to paying off whatever loans I have accumulated by then as quickly as possible. The only thing I'm worried about is the fear that I won't be able to find a job when I graduate. Everyone is pretty confident that I wouldn't have that problem, considering the field is an ever-growing one, and it's not slowing down. More and more people plug into virtual worlds to escape reality. 65% of American households play video games. The average game player is 35 years old and has been playing games for 13 years. By 2009, it is projected that the industry will support over a quarter of a million American jobs. The average salary for direct employees is $92,300, resulting in total national compensation of $2.2 billion. It's no doubt, an industry on the rise. Still, I worry, because you have to think every situation through before making a choice as big as this. $66,000 is a large chunk of pocket change. And a figure that large should be spent wisely. I'm thinking about buying a lottery ticket every week as well. Just in case. That's a terrible fall back plan. I've heard worse though.

Anyways, I'm going to start checking out all the options I have within my reach and figuring out the best one. I don't want to work for Duke Energy forever. And I'm almost 24. I think I've waited long enough to decide. Time to quit fooling around and get down to business. Eventually we all have to grow up, right? I suppose Peter Pan didn't, but I can't fly either.

And with that, I've seen another movie, The Goods. This weekend, hopefully, I'll get to see Inglorious Basterds. Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt. What a combination. One that will hopefully make for an awesome movie.

The Goods. Live Hard. Sell Hard. A pretty decent movie. As compared to The Hangover, it's not quite as funny, but still has some good laughs in it. There's not much plot to it: A car lot in danger of being closed down gets help from out of town sellers. Will Ferrel appears....with angels. Jeremey Pivens puts on a good show. There's a boy band involved. And the Trans-Am from Smokey and the Bandits. Although it's not on my 'to buy' list, it's a see it at least once movie, theater or DVD.

For those of your who don't know, Northlake Mall has $5 movies Mon-Thurs all day. The theater was practically empty when we went to the 2:00 showing of The Goods. Concord Mills also has this deal. And there's always the $2 theater in downtown Hickory.

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