Culture kills... wait, I mean cutlery

Sunday Video: Hot Toy Fuzz

2009-11-08T16:49:00.002-05:00

Hot Fuzz meets the Toy Story movies. Hilarity ensues.

I love the role reversal.

Week 26: Pageant of the Transmundane

2009-11-07T13:33:00.006-05:00

A car reported stolen 35 years ago in Spokane, Washington was recently recovered from a shipping container in Long Beach, California. I guess this gives everyone who has had a car stolen the dim hope that one day, it may be found again in a totally restored condition (it was a 1965 VW van). What would really make this a funny story is if it ended up getting stolen again.

Anyway, this week's winning entry was suggested to the royal us by long time reader Lee Sargent, who was cited in it. Hey, I am never one to frown on self promotion after all.

The entry in question is from the blog Captain Incredible - Hero of Neptune.

It features a video which was put together with various sound clips from the geeks' menagerie of influences, from cult and classic television to movie and a few other places in between.

And for some strange reason, I thought that the Sgt. Pepper-inspired Simpsons cover for the Yellow Album would be the appropriate image this week. I don't know why really.

Congrats Captain Incredible, whoever you are. Here is your badge.

The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogging village to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.

Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.

No Doubt Sues Activision

2009-11-06T14:44:00.005-05:00

The band No Doubt is suing Activision over an issue which I feel is rather silly, but which they take very seriously.

No Doubt agreed to appear in the game Band Hero, and now they are upset that within the game, the band can be chosen by the player to play any song. That's it. Their virtual image isn't being used to have virtual sex, do drugs, commit violent acts or anything unseemly... they are simply able to be used as the covering band, doing the thing that they do as themselves.

Now does anyone really think that a digitalized version of No Doubt lip synching to Y.M.C.A by the Village People or ABC by the Jackson Five is going to irreparably harm their image?

I mean, when Guitar Hero: Aerosmith or Metallica came out, did the fact that those bands in question were playing music by other artists somehow diminish them? No. So how come all of a sudden No Doubt feels that they are so special that being associated with other artists of their caliber somehow makes them less. If anything, they are elevated above them rather than being sublimated by them... so if anyone should be bringing suit, it is those artists who are not being represented like that.

When I mentioned this story on a game trading site I frequent, it turned out I was of the minority position because there is a lot of hate towards Activision for their perceived and real slights against gaming fans and such, and the general consensus seems to be that Activision is evil and they deserve what they get.

Am I really the crazy one in all this?

My Enemies List: Addendum #4

2009-11-05T12:58:00.000-05:00

It has been about two months since I last made additions to my enemies list, but I think I have found two more worthy entries for it.

Andrew Schlafly: Whenever I do one of these lists, there is usually one wingnut. Some are easy to recognize, some are very difficult. This entry is almost wearing a t-shirt that says they are in great big letters. You see, the reason that Mr. Schlafly is on this list is because I was looking at wikis this week, and he started the Conservapedia. The reason why he did so, and some of the subsequent incidents because of it are the reason why he is made this list. Schlafly has stated that he felt that Wikipedia has a "liberal, anti-Christian, and anti-American" bias. I could bring up a Stephen Colbert's quip that "Reality has a well-known liberal bias" as well, but that would be mean on my part. Some of the reasons he has seemed to find the site anti-American is due to the fact that non-Americans can edit the site from their own point of view and with their own take on the English spelling (British spelling is evil you know), and it is anti-Christian because the accepted date format is CE rather than AD amongst other things. He has been miffed that his edits of Wikipedia seemed to get deleted at times within a minute of posting, and has taken that as a sign that the whole thing is liberal, rather than as a sign that he may be a crank, and yet on his side of the Wiki aisle, there is very little freedom to express one's self outside of an agreed upon version of Conservative Christian orthodoxy. I've even heard rumors that editing is closed on Conservapedia during what are twilight hours in North America. There is the Lenski affair, and a spurious complaint to the FBI because someone edited a number of pages on the site by changing "Christianity" to "Ethnic Identity", the upshot of which is now people are getting permabanned for even mentioning the FBI on the site. But the topper for all this, the thing that proves just how nutty Schlafly is is the fact that he is spearheading an effort to take liberal influences out of the Bible... which includes the passage about He who is Without Sin, Cast the First Stone and Jesus asking God to forgive the people who crucified him. This is of course, just the tip of the iceberg.

Canadian Cable Companies: I have to preface this by saying that I live in an area that may or may not lose its local stations. There is a battle between local television stations and their networks and the Canadian Cable Companies. The cable television companies, who as far as I know have territorial monopolies (although maybe there is competition in places like Toronto and Montreal), and are carrying local stations on their systems without compensating those stations for their content. Those stations want some compensation, especially since as I understand it, cable viewers cannot be counted when they sell advertising on the station. What's more, the cable companies pay American stations to air them on the system, and yet, somehow they've gotten around that with local broadcasters, despite the fact that they are getting paid for doing so. When local stations started to complain and they banded together to get the revenues that they are owned with a series of television ads explaining the situation, the cable companies responded with a series of commercials of their own, making it seem like the local stations were being paid and were just trying to extort 10 dollars a month from subscribers, which is sheer chutzpah on two level. One as I mention, the local stations are getting dime one from the cable companies and two, where this 10 dollar fee came from is a mystery since the parties involved haven't even started negotiating over this, which to me tells me that the cable companies plan on instituting a new charge no matter what happens, even if the CRTC (the Canadian equivalent of the FCC) says they can't pass on the local TV payments to consumers. The CRTC declared that cable companies couldn't charge customers for a payment they are supposed to make to support independent productions in Canada, but somehow, cable bills went up the same amount that the cable companies are supposed to be paying into that account. But I am going to tell you a little story that might demonstrate why I have a hard time believing anything the cable companies have to say at the moment. Back in 2003, our cable system was slowly making the transition from a purely analog system to a two tier system with basic analog cable with a set of digital channels with a box for the higher channels. During this transition, the Canadian equivalent of HBO was on both the analog and digital dial, until one day, it just disappeared from analog, which was what I was watching it on. So I call the cable company and tell them my problem, that the station disappeared without warning, and the guy on the other end, without missing a beat, says that what I say isn't possible... because that channel was never on analog. Right... a channel that I had watched for 7 years was never on the system. So I am a liar then and my previous experiences were a hallucination. I mean, that is a much more likely explanation than say this one: you wanted subscribers to move up to the digital package, and you didn't want to send a letter telling analog subscribers that you were in fact discontinuing that channel for them like you had for so many other changes. Telling your customers they are liars is always a great policy, isn't it?

Midweek Video: The Most Honest Used Car Ad Ever

2009-11-04T19:36:00.000-05:00

Why do people hate used car salesmen? Because they've met a used car salesman.

Even though this is a parody, I think it accurately portrays not only the pomp of used car commercials (because wording aside, it is almost exactly like the ones I'd see as a kid on local TV), but the underlying attitude a lot of bad used car salesmen bring to the jobs.

Hmmm...

2009-11-04T17:09:00.005-05:00

I just realized I haven't done an enemies list post in a while.

Maybe I should... I don't know... do something about that.

A Excellent Wiki Site: TV Tropes

2009-11-03T16:55:00.002-05:00

A lot of sites on the web have taken the Wiki idea, and ran with it, none more successfully than Wikipedia of course. I have to say that I have visited a lot of these sites over the past few years, most of which are based on documenting a single topic in minute detail (especially the ones based on pop culture).

But I think one of the best wiki-based sites out there at the moment is TV Tropes, a place I didn't even know existed until it became the basis for an XKCD strip.

And the strip gets it right... it is like crack. I mean, I go there every day to look up things and just browse around.

TV Tropes is a site that breaks down almost every kind of narrative form, from film, literature and television to animation, video games and even professional wrestling into its component parts.

For instance, if I was curious about a movie... say, RoboCop, and I wanted to know some of the specific themes that were explored in the storytelling, I can just look it up on TV Tropes, and read through the itemized list of tropes, each of which is hyperlinked to a page devoted to that trope.

And because it is a wiki, if anyone thinks of new things to add to an entry, they are free to do so. But there is a certain amount of informality to the whole thing which makes it somewhat refreshing. In the words on the front page of the site, "We are not Wikipedia. We're a buttload more informal." It isn't just major works that are allowed on the site either... almost any narrative can have a page and be listed under the various categories, and if you are a fan of something, you can start a page dedicated to it, and perhaps through the wonders of Wiki Magic, a mighty page may emerge from your humble stub.

And there are trope categories that, while they don't specifically discuss a theme in a work, are still interesting to read. For example, there are sections about Fridge Logic (about plot holes you notice just after you've seen a particular work), and the Crowning Moments series (Awesome, Heartwarming, Funny along with a music one too). It is a site that just keeps expanding with the addition of excellent content daily.

Of course, I am not just a casual browser of the site anymore... I am also an active member of the editing community, so I am naturally very enthused by the whole thing.

Express Checkout: Southland, Leno, Gaga

2009-11-02T17:34:00.004-05:00

- TNT has rescued the NBC drama Southland from NBC's cancellation scrap heap. If they get to run the episodes that are already in the can (as the show was cancelled before it aired a single episode this season), TNT made an awesome move, one which might benefit the series as well with the network's solid cable ratings and emphasis on drama. For those of you who were upset that Jay Leno pushed this series aside, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

- Speaking of which, Jay Leno has stated that if NBC was to offer him the hosting duties of The Tonight Show once again, he would take them up on the offer. I don't know about you, but I think the fact that Leno is stinking up an hour of prime time every week night seems to indicate that he might be willing to do anything to get that slot back. Part of me wonders if David Letterman would have taken a 10PM slot on NBC after Jay got The Tonight Show?

- Lady Gaga has plans to release a collector's edition of her first album with a book that has a lock of her hair in it. Outside of people who might want to kill her with with a magical curse and a stalker or two, who really wants a hunk of Lady Gaga's hair... I mean, really. I should also note that aside from a little bit of Let's Dance, I can honestly say that I haven't heard a thing she has sang... I feel fortunate.

Week 25: Pageant of the Transmundane

2009-10-31T11:22:00.003-04:00

I have to preface this week's celebration of the Transmundane with a note. I didn't intentionally look for something Halloween-related this week to laud, but nonetheless, it just sort of happened that way, which is a happy accident all things considered.

With that being said, this week's winning entry comes to us from the blog of Corey FOLO.

This time around, the winning entry incorporates a few elements which have proven to be factors that win Transmundanity Awards. It was a Japanese video where some young children are confronted by a zombie for a show, and there efforts to defeat it. We all know something like that would never fly on American television these days... people just don't like their kids to get scared anymore, which is a shame really. All this entry needed was Muppets in a movie mashup and it would have easily been the front runner for the Annual Transmundanity awards as well.

Since I've been using a lot of zombie Simpsons pictures as of late, I thought it might be a nice change of pace to focus on the other half of the equation... the Japanese part of the clip, and present this Japanese cover for The Simpsons Movie as the award image this week.

Congrats Corey... here is your badge.

The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogging village to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.

Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.

The Halloween Related Story That Pissed Me Off

2009-10-29T15:14:00.002-04:00

I was working on the computer last night when I overheard a local news story (not local to me, I think it was local to Seattle), which seems to be one of those interest stories that is spreading like wild fire.

Apparently this year is going to be the year of raunchy, overly sexualized costumes for preteens... and everyone needs to be afraid.

I can see why this is being covered, mainly because they usually show adults wearing versions of the same costumes so that people can be outraged and offended that kids might be wearing the same thing.

However, there was something that came up which really lit a fire under my ass to write this post... they brought up the idea that a pedophile was going to see a someone's kid in a provocative costume and suddenly just grab them.

In essence, what that particular news department is doing is taking a story which could be summed up in one short phrase: There is a shocking dearth of costumes appropriate for tweens (they are too old for kids costumes, and too young for teen/adult ones). That was enough... that is what the story is really about.

Throwing pedophiles in there is just sensationalism at its worst, something meant to make the story seem a lot more important than it really is. Because, I have yet to read any statistics regarding Halloween and pedophile activity, and I might even be willing to bet statistically it is probably safer than nearly every other day of the year (because you know the police are going to be looking for that and trick or treating is something which is highly scrutinized activity). I guess including it makes good copy though.

And the reason why that little addition made me angry was it was telling parents that going out for Halloween is inherently unsafe (just like those urban legends about razor blades in apples and such did for an earlier generation). So what that station, and likely other stations are doing is they are robbing a generation of kids of the joy of Halloween, and that is just irresponsible. Halloween is about scaring people, but this kind of reporting is not what anyone had in mind.

They should feel ashamed of themselves for giving overprotective parents more things to be worried about over a piece of clothing they are going to wear one day of the year.

Midweek Video: Henry Rollins' Liar

2009-10-28T18:17:00.004-04:00

The reasons I posted this:

1. It is Halloween week and Henry Rollins does make a compelling devil.
2. I've been thinking about the fictive process all this week.
3. Someone was discussing honesty, drama and relationships on their blog.
4. Henry Rollins alone justifies it.

Express Checkout: 5 Things that I can't make a Pun with

2009-10-27T15:29:00.003-04:00

- When I first read the story that comedian David Cross snorted cocaine in the presence of Barack Obama at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, that fact didn't shock me. What did shock me was the revelation that Cross is dating former Joan of Arcadia star, Amber Tamblyn (and that was the reason he got to go). And I don't know about you, but somehow, Larry the Cable Guy gained a lot of points in all this, because while he may play a redneck jackass for his fans, I think even he would have had the class not to snort coke in front of a sitting president.

- Over the weekend, my mother showed me a talking doll that she is going to give to my niece for Christmas, and part of the doll's programming is that she can read from a book of nursery rhymes... and when this was demonstrated to me, I was sort of appalled by something. It was almost a caricature of the Canadian accent... it was unbelievably broad. Granted, I haven't traveled across this great land, so maybe everybody but me and the rest of the people in my neck of the woods actually talks like that... but I've never heard that accent on television or on other media except when someone was mocking the accent (I swear, it is almost a McKenzie Brothers accent minus the ehs.). I know part of the issue with me has to do with how slowly the doll speaks so that a toddler can clearly understand the words, but it is still a surprisingly thick accent.

- I read over the weekend that Paul Haggis has left the Church of Scientology, and in doing so, it revealed just how in the dark the membership is about things that the organization is doing outside of the group. With filtering software on their computers and internal pressure not to question things, it seems that it takes a lot to push someone over the edge enough that individuals start looking for answers outside the group. I think Haggis's realization that he knows that the group is going to try to discredit him by using his own admissions during auditing against him was especially telling, and having that knowledge makes his public break from the Church that much braver. It is unfortunate that other members will likely not see things the way he has presented them however, rather, they will get a version which is twisted and missing its most critical parts. In short, he is going to be painted as some loony suppressive person who no one in the church should listen to, or that he is simply mistaken.

- Anyone taking bets on how long DMX, who isn't training BTW, is going to last in his first MMA bout? I am saying less than 60 seconds.

- I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that Spike Lee should be quiet for a while and just let his work as a director speak for him after he starting going after Tyler Perry. Look, I am not a fan of Perry's films, but I think when you are criticizing someone in your industry when you are in a position to, I don't know, make a movie which shows why what the other person is doing is deleterious, then that's what you should do. What I am really getting from this whole thing is that Spike Lee may be more upset that Tyler Perry's movies make more money than his own (and I think Oprah supporting Perry wholeheartedly probably irks him too).

Sunday Video: Money City Maniacs

2009-10-25T13:04:00.001-04:00

I've been watching Life on Mars, the two halves of Grind House and old episodes of Barney Miller this weekend, and in the spirit of all that, I thought that it was only fitting to post a video that was from the 1970's.

And then looking at the first two items on the above list, I thought it would be better to post something that is definitely soaked in the vibe of the 1970's while retaining its feet chronologically in the modern age, and the first band that came to mind for me is Halifax's Sloan.

Though I now want to visit Future Shop for some strange reason.

Week 24: Pageant of the Transmundane

2009-10-24T14:49:00.005-04:00

A man was arrested in Virginia this week after a woman who was trespassing on his property spotted him naked in his own home. I will say that another way. A woman had a dude arrested after she did a little peeping on him. How does that work again? If the roles were reversed, would this still be going down this way?

Anyway, the winning entry this week comes to us from the fertile and artistic shores of Blow at Life.

The entry in question made me question my sanity a little bit, but in a good way. It is a giant bear robot attacking a city in marker and trust me, it is as cool as it sounds. I want to see this happen just to hear the news people try to come to terms with it.

And since this week's Pageant of the Transmundane winner is related to creatures controlling robots from the inside, an image of Homer sitting inside his own homemade fighting robot seemed to be the most appropriate image.

Congratulations Lawrence. Here is your web badge.

The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogosphere to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.

Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.

I wonder if this qualifies as a News Fail

2009-10-22T15:59:00.004-04:00

From Yahoo! News a few days ago.

Wow. Robbie Williams really let himself go.

A Little Bit Listy Today: Movie/Game List Comparisons

2009-10-21T13:32:00.003-04:00

It seems like a lot of people in the blogging village are having some fun with the list that Rotten Tomatoes put together of the worst movies to be released in the 2000's, and I thought I would join in, though with my own special twist on the matter.

You see, marking movies off on one list might be fun, but making selections a more than one at once seemed like the way to go for me. So I went through 4, encompassing both movies and Playstation 2 gaming.

In a way, I am sort of embarrassed by the second movie list because there were so many I had to admit that I hadn't seen (I could have lied, but then where is the fun in that). At least I am giving people something to rag on me about.

But anyway on with the lists.

The Rotten Tomatoes List of the Worst Reviewed Movies of the past Decade. (Bold means I've seen it).

100 Whiteout (2009)
99 Glitter (2001)
98 Cheaper By the Dozen 2 (2005)
97 Boat Trip (2003)
96 All About Steve (2009)
95 Lost Souls (2000)
94 The New Guy (2002)
93 A Sound of Thunder (2005)
92 Babylon A.D. (2008)
91 Surviving Christmas (2004)
90 Dragonfly (2002)
89 Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
88 Kaena: The Prophecy (2004)
87 Testosterone (2003)
86 Pavilion of Women (2001)
85 Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006)
84 Thr3e (2007)
83 Doogal (2006)
82 Supercross: The Movie (2005)
81 Extreme Ops (2002)
80 Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
79 The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
78 Deck the Halls (2006)
77 Date Movie (2006)
76 Johnson Family Vacation (2004)
75 Son of the Mask (2005)
74 Envy (2004)
73 Gigli (2003)
72 Broken Bridges (2006)
71 College (2008)
70 New Best Friend (2002)
69 The Cookout (2004)
68 Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie (2004)
67 The Hottie & the Nottie (2008)
66 The Fog (2005)
65 Swept Away (2002)
64 Corky Romano (2001)
63 Yours, Mine, & Ours (2005)
62 Serving Sara (2002)
61 Good Luck Chuck (2007)
60 The Perfect Man (2005)
59 88 Minutes (2008)
58 Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
57 Godsend (2004)
56 Because I Said So (2007)
55 The Celestine Prophecy (2006)
54 Harry And Max (2005)
53 Modigliani (2005)
52 The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2005)
51 Fascination (2005)
50 Dirty Love (2005)
49 In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2008)
48 BloodRayne (2006)
47 Soul Survivors (2001)
46 Material Girls (2006)
45 My Baby’s Daddy (2004)
44 Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
43 Darkness (2003)
42 House of the Dead (2003)
41 Zoom (2006)
40 Down to You (2000)
39 Miss March (2009)
38 Happily N’Ever After (2007)
37 Code Name: The Cleaner (2007)
36 The Whole Ten Yards (2004)
35 Deal (2008)
34 The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)
33 Delta Farce (2007)
32 Deuces Wild (2002)
31 The Covenant (2006)
30 Fear Dot Com (2002)
29 Bless the Child (2000)
28 Rollerball (2002)
27 Battlefield Earth (2000)
26 Kickin’ It Old Skool (2007)
25 Meet the Spartans (2008)
24 Texas Rangers (2001)
23 The In Crowd (2000)
22 Disaster Movie (2008)
21 Epic Movie (2007)
20 Crossover (2006)
19 Half Past Dead (2002)
18 The Master of Disguise (2002)
17 Twisted (2004)
16 Daddy Day Camp (2007)
15 Alone in the Dark (2005)
14 Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
13 Constellation (2007)
12 Killing Me Softly (2002)
11 Merci Docteur Rey! (2002)
10 Witless Protection (2008)
9 Redline (2007)
8 3 Strikes (2000)
7 Strange Wilderness (2008)
6 Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)
5 National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers (2004)
4 King’s Ransom (2005)
3 Pinocchio (2002)
2 One Missed Call (2008)
1 Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

The Top 100 movies as scored by the user base at the IMDB. (Bold Means I've seen it).

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Schindler's List (1993)
7. 12 Angry Men (1957)
8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
9. The Dark Knight (2008)
10. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
11. Casablanca (1942)
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
13. Star Wars (1977)
14. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
15. Goodfellas (1990)
16. Rear Window (1954)
17. Cidade de Deus (2002)
18. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
19.Fight Club (1999)
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
21. C'era una volta il West (1968)
22. The Usual Suspects (1995)
23. Psycho (1960)
24. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
25. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
26. The Matrix (1999)
27. Memento (2000)
28. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
29. Se7en (1995)
30. North by Northwest (1959)
31. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
32. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
33. Citizen Kane (1941)
34. Léon (1994)
35. Apocalypse Now (1979)
36. American Beauty (1999)
37. American History X (1998)
38. Taxi Driver (1976)
39. Forrest Gump (1994)
40. Vertigo (1958)
41. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
42. Up (2009)
43. WALL·E (2008)
44. Paths of Glory (1957)
45. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
46. Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
47. Double Indemnity (1944)
48.Alien (1979)
49. M (1931)
50. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
51. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
52. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
53. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
54. The Shining (1980)
55. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
56. The Departed (2006)
57. The Third Man (1949)
58. The Pianist (2002)
59. Das Leben der Anderen (2006)
60. Chinatown (1974)
61. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
62. City Lights (1931)
63. Aliens (1986)
64. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
65. L.A. Confidential (1997)
66. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
67. Das Boot (1981)
68. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
69. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
70. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
71. El laberinto del fauno (2006)
72. Raging Bull (1980)
73. All About Eve (1950)
74. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
75. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
76. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
77. Modern Times (1936)
78. Rashômon (1950)
79. Some Like It Hot (1959)
80. District 9 (2009)
81. The Prestige (2006)
82. Rebecca (1940)
83. Der Untergang (2004)
84. Gran Torino (2008)
85. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)
86. The Apartment (1960)
87. Amadeus (1984)
88. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
89. The Elephant Man (1980)
90. La vita è bella (1997)
91. The Great Dictator (1940)
92. Metropolis (1927)
93. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
94. Back to the Future (1985)
95. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
96. Ladri di biciclette (1948)
97. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
98. The Sting (1973)
99. The Great Escape (1963)
100. Braveheart (1995)

MetaCritic's 100 Top Rated PS2 Games (Bold for games I own, Bold/Italics for games which appeared on my list of the top 25 PS2 Games I have Played)

1 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
2 Grand Theft Auto III
3 Resident Evil 4
4 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
5 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
6 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
7 Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec
8 Madden NFL 2003
9 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
10 Devil May Cry
11 Madden NFL 2002
12 Madden NFL 2004
13 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
14 NCAA Football 2004
15 God of War
16 Virtua Fighter 4
17 Burnout 3: Takedown
18 Pro Evolution Soccer
19 God of War II
20 SSX
21 SSX 3
22 Okami
23 World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 International
24 NFL 2K3
25 Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
26 Pro Evolution Soccer 2
27 World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International
28 Soul Calibur II
29 SSX Tricky
30 NHL 2002
31 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
32 Final Fantasy XII
33 Pro Evolution Soccer 3
34 Final Fantasy X
35 Guitar Hero II
36 Pro Evolution Soccer 5
37 ESPN NFL Football
38 Guitar Hero
39 Madden NFL 2001
40 Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
41 Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
42 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 2004 91
43 Twisted Metal: Black
44 Shadow of the Colossus
45 NCAA Football 2003
46 Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore
47 Madden NFL 2005 2004 91
48 World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International
49 Pro Evolution Soccer 4
50 Ico
51 Tony Hawk's Underground
52 NBA Street Vol. 2
53 Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
54 ESPN NFL 2K5
55 MVP Baseball 2004
56 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
57 Burnout Revenge
58 NCAA Football 2002
59 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
60 TimeSplitters 2
61 Viewtiful Joe
62 Rayman 2: Revolution
63 ESPN NHL Hockey
64 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
65 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004
66 NBA Street V3 2005 89
67 NHL 2K3
68 NBA 2K3
69 Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
70 Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies
71 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
72 Pro Evolution Soccer 6 2006 89
73 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
74 World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
75 Gran Turismo 4
76 Silent Hill 2
77 NBA 2K2
78 ESPN NBA Basketball
79 NBA Street
80 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
81 Madden NFL 06
82 Winning Eleven 8 (JPN Import)
83 Medal of Honor Frontline
84 Tekken 5
85 Ratchet & Clank
86 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003
87 Red Faction
88 NCAA Football 2005
89 Sly 2: Band of Thieves
90 FIFA Soccer 2003
91 NASCAR Thunder 2004
92 Fight Night Round 2
93 SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs
94 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
95 NCAA Football 06
96 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
97 Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition
98 Jak II
99 Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
100 World Series Baseball 2K3

IGN's recent list of the 25 Best PS2 Games of All Time (Bold indicates I own the title, Bold/Italic indicates that the title appeared on my own list of the 25 Best PS2 Games I have Ever Played).

25. Grim Grimoire
24. We Love Katamari
23. Jak III
22. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
21. Guitar Hero II
20. Silent Hill 2
19. Okami
18. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
17. Final Fantasy XII
16. Resident Evil 4
15. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
14. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
13. ICO
12. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
11. Gran Turismo 4
10. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition
9. Kingdom Hearts
8. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
7. God of War
6. Burnout 3: Takedown
5. Final Fantasy X
4. Shadow of the Colossus
3. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
2. God of War II
1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Cut Rate Cultural Analysis: The Waterboy

2009-10-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

You know when you see a scene in a movie and you know that it is stupid, but it isn't until you've seen it multiple times that you realize just how dumb it is.

I had one of those moments when I just happened to catch the end of The Waterboy on the weekend. If you haven't seen it by now, and you plan on doing so, well, this may not be the entry for you.

You see, I used to think the final football scene in the movie was stupid because it involved Sandler, who plays an exceptional linebacker, somehow making a 40+ yard pass (since the Mud Dogs are in field goal range) to the quarterback who was streaking towards the end zone to win the game by 4 points.

I mean, I can buy someone who has been kicked around their whole life being able to sublimate all that stress and resentment into being an effective defensive threat, but I can't buy that same person being able to throw a ball with precision to someone who isn't trained to make a big catch on a play that the coach just drew up.

This bothered me for a while, but then I realized that the situation presented is even more stupid when you think about the context.

You see, The Waterboy is a movie about College Football and those of you who are familiar with that sport are also likely familiar with how overtime works. There are no ties in the modern game, even during Bowl games. In College Football, overtime is an almost egalitarian experiment, because both teams get to have possession of the ball and a chance to score.

The Mud Dogs had a more than competent kicker, and under the rules of NCAA football, they have a chance to take out the other team in a fair manner in overtime (after all, they have a linebacker who is a one man army... a defensive player so good that the opposing team wouldn't even run plays against him).

It wouldn't have been as dramatic, but man, if it was a real game, you know that's what would have happened. And this is coming from someone who, when playing Madden, almost always goes for it.

Ugly Betty and the Friday Night Graveyard

2009-10-19T12:13:00.002-04:00

The ratings are in and the season premiere of Ugly Betty has been called "soft". I would like to take this opportunity to say, "Well, Duh!". This move is going to lead to the end of the show, just as many bloggers have predicted.

How do I know this? Because even I couldn't be bothered to watch the premiere on Friday, and I've written glowing things about the show many times over the years. I ended up sticking a tape in the VCR (yes, some of us still use those because we aren't blessed with DVR's and such) and I will eventually watch it. I don't know when, but it will likely be before the next episode.

And the thing is, I am always around on Fridays anyway, but somehow I can't muster any enthusiasm to watch it in its current time slot.

But when I think about it, more than a few shows that I used to enjoy suddenly became a lot less appealing as soon as they were given a Friday Night slot.

I mean, I loved Prison Break when it was on Mondays, but as soon as it moved to Fridays to end its run, it was almost like a chore to watch.

Hell, I've even been having trouble watching Friday Night Smackdown consistently as of late, and that is the good wrestling show at the moment. I would probably have a problem watching premiere episodes of Mythbusters if they were being shown on a Friday even.

I think the only show that I consistently watched on Friday Nights without complaint is South Park (in Canada, the new episodes of South Park air on Friday).

I know I can't be alone in this... this malaise has to be one of the main reasons why ratings on Friday and Saturday nights are generally so weak (aside from the socializing/dating aspects of the night too I mean). Maybe I will get over this whole Friday thing, but I have my doubts... and in a way, I am sad to see Ugly Betty end its television life like this.

Week 23: Pageant of the Transmundane

2009-10-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

I know I said I wasn't going to be blogging this week, but the Pageant of the Transmundane has always been the exception to that. I mean, I sort of have to recognize the oddity that blogging brings to light... and I can't shrink from that responsibility.

This week's winning entry comes from the relatively new blog Awesome Robot!

What little nugget of strange and wondrous material did I find there? Well, conceptually, it all starts with Stalin Zombies, and it just gets weirder from there. When Gorbachev shows up, it is almost as if the whole thing reaches a transmundane critical mass.

And since this has to do with zombies, once again I went to the well and found yet another picture of Homer Simpson as a Zombie... this time in tattoo form.

Congrats go out to Sirio B, who also recently started a blog called Snack Overload! which seems quite interesting (even if I don't have access to most of the food that he discusses along with his partner).

The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogosphere to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.

Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.

Taking a Break

2009-10-13T18:00:00.001-04:00

Yep, I'm taking another short break to freshen up.

You know the drill, I should be back by next Monday, but I am not making any promises.

Sunday Video: Jurassic Bond

2009-10-11T13:07:00.002-04:00

James Bond + Dinosaurs = Pure Win

Week 22: Pageant of the Transmundane

2009-10-10T15:22:00.001-04:00

A woman in the Houston area came home to discover that a pitbull had broken into her house and was playing with her dogs. The suspect pooch was quickly apprehended, however, not before doing a lot of damage to her house and soiling her floor. It is unknown if the dog was named Marley or Snots, but inquiries are surely being made.

This week's winning entry comes for the rather professional outlet TV Munchies at Comedy.com. I try to avoid blogs that are a little too professional, but in this case, I had to make one of those rare exceptions.

I encountered a post called 15 Ladies who would look better with a mustache, and it had me rolling, especially since some of the explanations do make a lot of sense. I am not going to tell you which one to me seemed spot on, but trust me when I say, the explanation makes the case indeed.

And since this week's winning entry is about mustaches, well, it seems highly appropriate to have a picture of Homer sporting facial hair beyond his five o'clock shadow.

Congrats to the crew at TV Munchies for this hilarious collection of mustached ladies.

The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogosphere to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.

Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.

Friday Favorite: The World's Shittiest Mixtape.... NOT!

2009-10-09T15:36:00.003-04:00

I almost posted this last week for the Friday Favorite, but knowing that I was going to ask people about the most depressing songs they've heard, reposting today seemed like a more ideal solution.

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College Humor once again gave me something to ponder. Two guys made a bet about who could make, and I quote "the world's shittiest mixtape", with the loser having to carry a boombox blasting out the entire contents of the contest.

And while I do admire the fact that the loser did go out of the street with a big boombox for the afternoon after losing, I think that both contestants could have done so much more with the challenge.

I mean, in actuality, I would call what they ended up making at best, a lame mixtape, because really, the barrel has so much more crap at the bottom of it and neither party got even close to scraping said bottom.

Paula Cole? Sixpence None the richer? Gloria Estefan? Really... this is the best they could come up with? The whole point of the exercise was not only did the songs have to be bad, but they had to be really embarrassing to be associated with.

Get some polka on that thing... some Tiny Tim, or some really weird found music. There was a lot of ways they could have made a horrifyingly shitty mixtape, and I just think they copped out.

When I started watching the video, I thought something like YMCA by the Village People would pop up or anything disco really. Or what about this. It looked like late summer/early autumn... why not Jingle Bells as performed by dogs. And the world of covers alone could have won that contest. The possibilities seem endless, but the execution was weak.

So, what would you have put on the world's shittiest mixtape?

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And in thinking about this post, I can think of so many more warped things that could have been on that tape. I mean, if you went to a dollar store and bought discount cds there, you could probably fill many such tapes with ease.

Posts I've Been Trying to Write

2009-10-08T14:49:00.004-04:00

I was just looking over the drafts I have sitting waiting for some more polish or even enough attention to get a passable first draft of something, and some interesting articles seemed to have appeared, and I thought I would talk about some of them so that if they ever did end up being completed, you could be as amazed as I am that they got published.

-I've been meaning to call out all the people in the political sphere who have been so casually throwing out terms like Nazi and calling their opponents Hitler or other prominent Nazi officials for not having any real perspective... and you know I would have been all kindness and consideration on that one, wouldn't you?

-My weird fascination with real life disaster and its recreation on both television and in the movies.

-Remembering Streets of Fire (though truth be told, now that Yum Yum got this one, I might not do this one at all or I'll delay it for many more months).

-What I mean when I call someone a douchebag and an asshole respectively.

-A post on how much I enjoy intertextuality.

-How I would have made Good Luck Chuck a good movie.

And the grand daddy of them all, the legendary Open Letter to Roger Ebert which was meant to counter his anti-video game arguments. I started this thing back in July of 2007, and every time I go back to it, I think of more things to say. I do believe its time has passed, but wow, if I would have gotten it done in a timely manner, it would have been an epic post (or series of posts).

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As a sidenote, I sort of wanted to put together a post of the most depressing songs ever written, and I'd love to have your input. If you have a suggestion, leave me a comment telling me about the song or email me at campybeaver@gmail.com.

Midweek Video: Gremlins: The New Batch VOD/DVD sequence

2009-10-07T19:26:00.001-04:00

A dude named Sacha Feiner put together an awesome new sequence for Gremlins 2: The New Batch to replace the two medium specific cuts this movie had (for the film release, there is a sequence which involves the Gremlins destroying the film and the theatre manager going to Hulk Hogan in the audience yelling at them so they fix the film and there is a VHS-specific edit as well).

Sacha decided that the age of the DVD and Video On Demand service needed its own sequence, so on a shoestring budget, he decided to see what he could come up with. I have to say, he did some first rate work.

And I respect the fact that Sacha used puppets for his edits... which is indeed in keeping with the original film.

I've read that Joe Dante has seen this and is very taken with it (I've read further rumor that he actually wants to include it in future DVD cuts of the movie).

I guess it just goes to show you that you don't need a big budget to do great effects work (the figure of 3 grand has been bandied about for this whole thing).