http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/Bringing you the most opinionated reviews from the world of entertainment!ennoreply@blogger.com (digitaldoc)Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:41:28 PSTBlogger http://www.blogger.com974125armchair,critic,music,television,movies,filmTV & FilmMusicthedigitaldoc@netzero.comnoarmchair,critic,music,television,movies,filmThe most opinionated reviews from the world of entertainment.The most opinionated reviews from the world of entertainment.http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/11/castle-panic.htmlCastle PanicGamesthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 08 Nov 2009 08:41:28 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-4903003228027572319The castle is under siege! Wave upon wave of goblins, orcs, and trolls want to destroy the walls and collapse the towers! Can someone slay enough monsters to save the castle and become the Master Slayer? Or will all be lost? This is the scenario of Castle Panic, an elegantly simple game that is both cooperative and competitive.The board of Castle Panic is divided into six sections, numbered 10http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/11/monsters-marriage-and-murder-in.htmlComedyMoviesMonsters Marriage and Murder in ManchvegasDVDthedigitaldoc@netzero.comFri, 06 Nov 2009 21:32:37 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-4381031164611699516It ain't always good when a filmmaker can realize their vision. The immensely low-budget Monsters, Marriage, and Murder in Manchvegas is deliberately cheap, cheesy, and stupid -- and it wears out any appeal quite quickly (like the electronic keyboard music that permeates the film).This film revolves mainly around the Manchvegas Outlaw Society (M.O.S.), three adults who wear matching jerseys and 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/11/naked-ambition-r-rated-look-at-x-rated.htmlPhotographysexBooksNaked Ambitionthedigitaldoc@netzero.comFri, 06 Nov 2009 20:16:15 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-4494218499187188252Awards ceremonies are wonderful opportunities for photography: They provide not only celebrities dressed in their finest but also a chance to glimpse behind the curtain at the personalities and standards of their industry. Naked Ambition: An R-Rated Look at an X-Rated Industry is a photographic look at the porn industry's biggest awards show: the Adult Video News Awards.Photographer Michael 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/11/liz-carroll-and-john-doyle-performing.htmlMusicUSAJohn DoyleCelticLiz Carrollthedigitaldoc@netzero.comThu, 05 Nov 2009 12:24:42 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-8166421121919572458 Chicago resident Liz Carroll first gained attention in Irish music circles as a teenager in the 1970's, when she won a pair of fiddling competitions in Ireland. She recorded and performed sporadically between the late seventies and 2000, but has since picked up the pace considerably. John Doyle's guitar playing for the band Solas in the late nineties was nothing less than a revelation; his 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/11/pink-funhouse-tour-live-in-australia.htmlMusicPopFunhouse TourPinkDVDthedigitaldoc@netzero.comWed, 04 Nov 2009 12:52:01 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-6798636140439524800Pink has had a varied musical output, doing everything from sneering hard pop to tender ballads. She hasn't had a greatest hits album (yet), but Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia has almost all of her hits, plus some covers. The strength and problem is that these are often divided between the cd and dvd.The cd portion of Funhouse Tour is divided between a high-energy first half and slower second0noPink has had a varied musical output, doing everything from sneering hard pop to tender ballads. She hasn't had a greatest hits album (yet), but Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia has almost all of her hits, plus some covers. The strength and problem is thathedigitaldoc@netzero.comPink has had a varied musical output, doing everything from sneering hard pop to tender ballads. She hasn't had a greatest hits album (yet), but Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia has almost all of her hits, plus some covers. The strength and problem is that these are often divided between the cd and dvd.The cd portion of Funhouse Tour is divided between a high-energy first half and slower secondarmchair,critic,music,television,movies,filmhttp://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/night-of-living-dead.htmlHorrorzombieGeorge A. RomeroMoviesNight of the Living Deadthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 01 Nov 2009 17:19:25 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-6284244675110360409As I thought of a classic horror movie to review for Halloween, one came to mind as a great movie, as a breaker of rules, and as something airing quite frequently today: Night of the Living Dead. This is hardly the first zombie movie, but it set the stage for all following zombie flicks.The setup of Night of the Living Dead is effectively simple: Barbara (Judith O'Dea) is traveling with her 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/paabel-epopoa.htmlMusicEstoniaVägilasedPaabelthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 01 Nov 2009 17:27:18 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-773181759837817803 Estonia might not make the news very often, but like every other nation it has a rich musical tradition. And like every other place that I know about, it has a contemporary generation of performers re-interpreting their homeland's music in ways that suit the performers individually and bring the tradition into the present. Two examples of the modern folk music you can hear in Estonia today 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/flight-of-cocnhords-i-told-you-i-was.htmlMusicFlight of the ConchordsComedyI Told You I Was Freakythedigitaldoc@netzero.comSat, 24 Oct 2009 21:04:50 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-1475367987229071511 The Flight of the Conchords, the comic folk parody duo Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, have a new album I Told You I Was Freaky. Oddly, this album is less folksy than their last one -- and less funny.This time around, Jermaine and Brett seem to have gone the synthesizer route, coupling this with one-note jokes. There's a synth song about a lack of women at a club ("Too Many Dicks (on the 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/burn-in-hell.htmlBurn in HellGamesthedigitaldoc@netzero.comThu, 22 Oct 2009 21:47:13 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-4452856455857086930Who'd have guesses a game about the tormented souls in Hell could be so friendly and fun? Burn in Hell is a card game where players assemble Circles of the damned for points.All the cards in Burn in Hell are damned souls, ranging from the truly evil (plenty of Nazis, murderers, and other infamous characters) to those oddly present (Marilyn Monroe, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Houston) from the 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-portfolio.htmlSports Illustrated Swimsuit Portfolio: Explorers EditionFashionBooksthedigitaldoc@netzero.comWed, 21 Oct 2009 11:29:35 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-3951822853088054687 Does one really need an excuse to look at beautiful women wearing swimsuits? The answer to this will determine your reaction to the latest Sports Illustrated collection Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Portfolio: The Explorers Edition.There are two versions of this collection: a 192-page coffee table edition and a 144-page magazine version. Both books feature the same 19 swimsuit models, photographed0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/fireman-sing-changes.htmlMusicPaul McCartneyRockEnglandThe Firemanthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 18 Oct 2009 15:39:18 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-9125326388650993038 The Fireman is a side project for Paul McCartney and the veteran producer Youth. They recorded two instrumental albums in the nineties which fell through the cracks completely, but their third album Electric Arguments contains songs. Electric Arguments does maintain the same experimental flavor of its predecessors, though, so people expecting a typical McCartney album will be in for a bit of a0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/paranormal-activity.htmlHorrorMoviesParanormal Activitythedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 18 Oct 2009 10:23:31 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-4872686287517301348 While it's true that sometimes less is more, it's also true that sometimes less is just less. The midnight cult flick Paranormal Activity is a horror movie with the lowest budget, smallest cast, and least special effects since The Blair Witch Project. Sadly, it also lacks some necessary elements for a truly scary movie.Micah (Micah Sloat) just bought a new and powerful video camera. His live-in 1http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/secret-girlfriend.htmlComedyTelevisionSecret Girlfriendtvthedigitaldoc@netzero.comFri, 16 Oct 2009 20:10:33 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-8421505462757706261Ah, the Internet: where anything can be posted, from the sort of criticism you might hear from soneone in an armchair to juvenile antics of young dudes looking to score. Sadly, Comedy Central is not making The Armchair Critic: The Series. They did, however, make a series of comic web episodes into their show Secret Girlfriend, which truly goes for the lowest common denominator.Secret 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/white-rabbits-it-frightening-tbd.htmlMusicUSARockWhite Rabbitsthedigitaldoc@netzero.comTue, 13 Oct 2009 07:05:12 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-5462699277007067416 Although originally from Missouri, White Rabbits have been working out of Brooklyn for several years now.  This spring, the sextet consisting of Stephen Patterson on vocals and piano, Alexander Even and Gregory Roberts on guitar and vocals, Adam Russell (since replaced by Betancourt) on bass, and Matt Clark and Jamie Levinson on drums and percussion released their second album, called It's 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/dragons-den.htmlGame ShowDragons' DenTelevisionthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSat, 10 Oct 2009 18:52:59 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-4920340366201224488Plenty of television game shows have competing people, but few are as personal and long-term as Dragons' Den. This show (I'm reviewing the BBC version, though it began in Japan and has versions in several countries) has plenty of risk for both the contestants and the judges.The judges in the "den" (actually an upstairs loft) are five British self-made multimillionaires -- currently Duncan 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/rifftrax.htmlComedyRifftraxDVDthedigitaldoc@netzero.comFri, 09 Oct 2009 21:19:34 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-7457813668327927254 Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett had a terrific time cracking jokes during awful movies on the tv show Mystery Science Theater 3000. With that show over, the trio continue the tradition, with both awful and great films, with Rifftrax.Skipping the short skits and character silhouettes against the movie screen that were part of MST3K, Rifftrax is simple and direct: You have a dvd with 0no Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett had a terrific time cracking jokes during awful movies on the tv show Mystery Science Theater 3000. With that show over, the trio continue the tradition, with both awful and great films, with Rifftrax.Skipping thedigitaldoc@netzero.com Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett had a terrific time cracking jokes during awful movies on the tv show Mystery Science Theater 3000. With that show over, the trio continue the tradition, with both awful and great films, with Rifftrax.Skipping the short skits and character silhouettes against the movie screen that were part of MST3K, Rifftrax is simple and direct: You have a dvd with armchair,critic,music,television,movies,filmhttp://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/10/zombieland.htmlHorrorComedyzombieMoviesZombielandthedigitaldoc@netzero.comFri, 02 Oct 2009 11:56:14 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-8242662375505907468Zombies have taken over the world -- but the old human needs remain. Zombieland is the latest zombie comedy, this time focusing on a handful of survivors who are so cautious that they people where they're from instead of giving out their names; but they still need each other.Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a nerdy young adult who's stayed alive largely thanks to his list of rules, ranging from 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/martian-fluxx.htmlFluxxGamesMartian Fluxxthedigitaldoc@netzero.comWed, 30 Sep 2009 20:23:08 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-5294381579738452753The card game Fluxx has covered the normal world, the world of Monty Python world, and a world where zombies attack. So what's next? Invading the Earth, courtesy of Martian Fluxx.In Martian Fluxx the players take on the roles of the Martians. As with previous Fluxx games, players accumulate Keepers, add New Rules to the initial "Draw 1, Play 1," play Goals that will let a player win, suffer 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/here-comes-science-by-they-might-be.htmlMusicThey Might Be GiantsHere Comes ScienceMusic videothedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 27 Sep 2009 16:13:33 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-9220294897659113473John Linnell and John Flansburgh have been making quirky music for almost thirty years as They Might Be Gaints -- and during that time they also started making children's music. Having tackled numbers and the alphabet, the two Johns now sing about all things scientific in Here Comes Science.This album is a basic primer on some of the most popular areas of the world of science. Some songs are 0noJohn Linnell and John Flansburgh have been making quirky music for almost thirty years as They Might Be Gaints -- and during that time they also started making children's music. Having tackled numbers and the alphabet, the two Johns now sing about all thithedigitaldoc@netzero.comJohn Linnell and John Flansburgh have been making quirky music for almost thirty years as They Might Be Gaints -- and during that time they also started making children's music. Having tackled numbers and the alphabet, the two Johns now sing about all things scientific in Here Comes Science.This album is a basic primer on some of the most popular areas of the world of science. Some songs are armchair,critic,music,television,movies,filmhttp://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/hell-house-by-richard-matheson.htmlHorrorHell HouseBooksRichard Mathesonthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 27 Sep 2009 15:52:32 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-5588574939679229905 Sometimes the simplest things work best. Richard Matheson's Hell House is a haunted house story that's relatively quick, pretty straightforward, and extremely scary.Rolf Deutsch, a dying old rich man, wants to find out about "survival" -- life after death -- so he hires people to investigate. They are sent to the Belasco House, "the Mount Everest of haunted houses," which was the site of 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/chez-dork.htmlGamesChez DorkJohn Kovalicgamingthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSat, 26 Sep 2009 14:39:51 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-8540656988713157757 If there's one thing about geeks, it's that they love their stuff -- often to the point of excess. The card game Chez Dork captures this silly side of the uberfan world.The players each take on a character from John Kovalic's comic book Dork Tower -- Matt, Igor, Ken, Carson, Gilly, or Bill -- and each one has a unique advantage and disagvantage. Players start each turn by getting $30 to buy 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/backspacer-by-pearl-jam.htmlMusicPearl JamBackspacerthedigitaldoc@netzero.comWed, 23 Sep 2009 14:05:07 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-5267837504281542133Pearl Jam continues to rock! Backspacer, their latest album, showcases the band's ability to keep the music coming mostly hard and fast.(Disclaimer: Backspacer is only sold through Target, and I work for Target. Disclaiming: It's good for what ails ya.)The majority of Backspacer is simple, straightforward rock. Songs like "Got Some" and "Johnny Guitar" go straight for the jugular, while the 0noPearl Jam continues to rock! Backspacer, their latest album, showcases the band's ability to keep the music coming mostly hard and fast.(Disclaimer: Backspacer is only sold through Target, and I work for Target. Disclaiming: It's good for what ails ya.)Ththedigitaldoc@netzero.comPearl Jam continues to rock! Backspacer, their latest album, showcases the band's ability to keep the music coming mostly hard and fast.(Disclaimer: Backspacer is only sold through Target, and I work for Target. Disclaiming: It's good for what ails ya.)The majority of Backspacer is simple, straightforward rock. Songs like "Got Some" and "Johnny Guitar" go straight for the jugular, while the armchair,critic,music,television,movies,filmhttp://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/jennifers-body.htmlHorrorJennifer's BodyMoviesMegan FoxAmanda Seyfriedthedigitaldoc@netzero.comWed, 23 Sep 2009 13:12:41 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-9118516837512970573If you thought Megan Fox became famous for her looks instead of her talent, you'll still think that after seeing her in Jennifer's Body. This high school horror movie is an unfortunate mash-up of cliches.The small town of Devil's Kettle has an unusual pair of best friends: Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and Anita "Needy" Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried). Jennifer is a promiscuous cheerleader, popular 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/david-bryne-live-from-austin-texas.htmlMusicLive from Austin TexasDavid BryneTalking Headsthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 20 Sep 2009 18:47:44 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-6321097002552416341 David Byrne achieved fame and success as the lead singer for the Talking Heads, and his solo work since then has been less well known but consistently good. Both these sides of his music are displayed on Live from Austin, Texas.This album was recorded in 2001, the same year as Byrne's Look into the Eyeball, so it's no surprise that about half of the live album comes from there. The other songs 0http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/2009/09/informant.htmlSteven SoderberghComedyMoviesThe InformantDramaMatt Damonthedigitaldoc@netzero.comSun, 20 Sep 2009 18:20:26 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19763280.post-7612197777246351375Corporate greed and illegal activities are the stuff of drama -- but can they be funny? This is answered, sort of, in The Informant!, the latest movie from director Steven Soderbergh. Based on a real-life investigation and scandal, this movie takes a comic look at the worst whistle-blower in history.Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is a scientist-turned-executive for agricultural business ADM. When the0nonadult