Category Archives: Entertainment

TV, Movies, etc

January 27, 2014 · 11:54 am

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (comic)

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe is limited series about Deadpool killing the Marvel Universe. Deadpool has always been a self-aware comic book character. He knows that he’s a character in a comic. He knows that his life is scripted, and he knows that everyone and everything around him is in the comic too. And so he decides to go against the status quo and he fights back against his creators by killing as many Marvel characters as he can. He kills Spider-man. He kills the Hulk. He kills the Fantastic Four. You might think that I’m giving you spoilers, but fuck you. It’s called Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe! What the fuck did you think was going to happen?

Deadpool breaks the fourth wall and talks to the reader directly. It used to be funny. But it’s kind of disturbing when he starts threatening to hunt you down. Yeah, I know that he’s a comic book character. But he knows he is too, and Deadpool is crazy enough to make good on that threat. All in all, this is a great comic book, and a shining showcase of who Deadpool is. You should read it if you get the chance.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 24, 2014 · 9:55 am

Deadpool Killustrated (comic)

One of the more interesting things about Deadpool is that he’s aware that he’s a comic book character. There’s a famous storyline where he goes on a rampage and destroys the Marvel Universe and enters the real world to confront the comic book writers and artists who created him. So what’s the next step after that? Well, have Deadpool kill the some of the most iconic character of classic literature of course.

The logic behind Deadpool’s thinking is that he can’t really destroy Marvel characters without first destroying the classic characters who inspired them. And so Moby Dick, Captain Ahab, Ishmael, Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, Tom Sawyer, Dracula, the Headless Horseman, the Little Women, Ebenezer Scrooge, Dr. Frankenstein, Mowgli, the Little Mermaid, the Three Musketeers, and a bunch more need to watch their backs because the Merc with the Mouth is coming for them.

This is a pretty interesting comic. It’s funny, it’s violent, and it’s smart. It reminds me of Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but amped up and more extreme like it’s been drinking Mountain Dew. You don’t have to know anything about Deadpool to enjoy this comic. You can just pick it up and read it.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 21, 2014 · 7:50 pm

The Game of Life (game) (obviously)

The Game of Life is a popular board game made by Milton Bradley. I think that it’s more fun and entertaining than Monopoly. Monopoly can ruin friendships and I’ve never experienced a major blowup while playing Life. The game play is simple. You start at the beginning, you spin a wheel to determine how many spaces you can move, and you get to decide your fate. The game gives you options. Do you want to go to college or just jump out into the work force? Do you want to get married or stay single? Do you want kids? Do you want to be a rock star or a scientist? You can buy insurance, you can buy stocks, they even have promissory notes. Doesn’t that sound like a fun way to spend a rainy Saturday? The best part about The Game of Life is spinning the wheel at the start of your turn. It always reminded me of the Big Wheel on The Price is Right. It clicks and it clacks and it spins around. It’s way more fun than rolling dice.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 20, 2014 · 9:02 pm

Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection Book 2 (comic)

Deadpool is the Merc with the Mouth. Cable is the time-traveling mutant from the future on a crusade to save the world. And they teamed up for an awesome comic in the mid-2000s. Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection Book 2 is a trade paperback and collects issues #19-35 and includes the following storylines: Why, When I Was Your Age; Bosom Buddies; Sticky Situation and Living Legends; Born Again; The Domino Principle; Civil War; and Six Packs and Powder Kegs. They even include the letter pages so it feels more retro and real.

This isn’t a comic for noobs. You have to work your way into this one. The Marvel Universe is already pretty complex, and there are way too many characters and subplots for casual comic book readers to keep up with. But Deadpool is one of the best and most interesting comic book characters and you don’t have to know what is going on to be able to enjoy his antics and one-liners.

I won’t even bother with giving out plot details and story outlines. You’re either going to read this collection, or you aren’t.  It’s a comic book. Crazy shit happens in crazy ways. Everything is surrealistic, unrealistic, over the top, and awesome. What more do you want?

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 4, 2014 · 9:00 am

“Two Princes” by Spin Doctors

“Two Princes” is one of the premier hits of the ‘90s. It’s also one of the happiest songs that you will ever hear. It was written and performed by New York City’s Spin Doctors off of their album Pocket Full of Kryptonite. It has an upbeat melody and an infectious hook that gets stuck in your head. It’s impossible to listen to this song and not feel anything but pure joy. I’m not sure what he’s singing about, but I know I like it. I once listened to it on repeat on the way to work one miserable Monday morning. It was the best decision I ever made. An uplifting song makes everything better. People would run for the bus, miss it, and throw their hands up in exasperation, but they seemed happy about it when it was set to this song. Every smile, every wave, every laugh, and head nod seems to be for you. Listening to this song while experiencing real life is way better than any music video.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 30, 2013 · 8:52 am

Bowling

Bowling is a game where you roll a ball down a narrow lane in an attempt to knock over ten pins. There are professional bowlers and tournaments, but most bowling games are casual contests between friends. You’ll go down to the nearest bowling alley, rent a few lanes and a pair of ugly shoes, maybe grab a few beers, and play a couple of games. Bowling is easy to learn, but hard to master. Professional bowlers try to get twelve strikes in a row for a perfect game. Casual bowlers just try to keep the ball out of the gutter and feel satisfied with the occasional strike. The most difficult thing about bowling is learning how to keep score. Luckily most bowling alleys have computers that keep track for you. Bowling is fun on the Wii, but it’s better in real life. The sound of powerful strike is one of the most satisfying sounds in sports. But not many things are as agonizing as a gutter ball and I bowl a lot more of those.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 23, 2013 · 9:54 am

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second chapter of the Hobbit trilogy. It’s not very good. I haven’t seen it. And I don’t plan on seeing it. Because this whole trilogy is a bloated, unnecessary piece of shit, and any true fan of the LOTR will admit that. I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I waited in line for opening day. I own the special editions. I’ve watched the special features and exclusive documentaries. I think it’s incredible that New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson were able to translate Tolkien’s masterpiece to the big screen. But The Hobbit is not a masterpiece. It’s a kid’s book. It’s amateur compared to Tolkien’s later books. I know they had to make it into a film because the LOTR films made so much money. But they didn’t have to make it into a trilogy. They got greedy and it shows. They added characters and plot points and expanded the story in an attempt to lengthen the running time. And that made the film boring.

Truth be told, I didn’t even see An Unexpected Journey. Shocking, I know. But this is how it works for me: when a movie comes out I’m either excited to see it or I don’t care. I either go on opening day or I wait a few days to read reviews and hear what other people say. And most people that saw An Unexpected Journey weren’t impressed. They had some good things to say about various things, but they weren’t foaming at the mouth and clamoring to see it again. They weren’t excited. It was boring. It was all exposition. It didn’t seem worth $20 to see it in IMAX 3-D. So I didn’t see it.

The Desolation of Smaug came out two weeks ago, and I decided to wait and see if it was worth it because I was still skeptical. I read the reviews, I heard what people had to say about it, I asked other people for their opinion, and they all say the same thing. They say it’s better than the first one and they liked a few parts, but the dull look in their eyes gives them away. They want to like it, but they can’t. It’s a hollow experience like the Star War prequel trilogy. You only watch it because you feel obligated to watch it. That’s not entertainment, that’s a chore.

Critically Rated at 10/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 22, 2013 · 1:38 pm

Deadpool Classic Vol. 1 (comic)

Deadpool is Marvel’s “Merc with a Mouth” and one of the most popular comic book characters out there. You can find out why by checking out Deadpool Classic Vol. 1. You have to start somewhere, so start at the beginning with Deadpool’s first appearance in New Mutants #98, and then continue into his first solo series with Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1-4, the 1994 miniseries Deadpool #1-4, and finally with the 1997 relaunch Deadpool #1.

The storylines aren’t that amazing, but you get a sense of who Deadpool is, what he can do, and what makes him tick. He might be a blatant rip-off of DC’s Deathstroke, but that doesn’t matter. Wade Wilson is far more interesting and complex than Slade Wilson. And Deadpool is a better name. And he does cooler things. Right away you can tell that you like this guy even if you can’t trust him. He looks like a badass, he fights like a badass, and he‘s sarcastic, witty, and possibly psychotic. You can tell right away that there’s something different about him. Deadpool Classic Vol. 1 isn’t the best compilation, but it’s a great introduction to a great character.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 20, 2013 · 11:16 am

Top Seventeen Christmas Movies

So Christmas 2013 is less than week away and I’ve somehow managed to avoid watching any Christmas movies. I thought I would celebrate that fact by ranking my top seventeen Christmas movies. And I never saw It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street, so they aren’t included. These are the Christmas movies that I care about.

 

17. Ernest Saves Christmas is not a good movie, but it’s good enough to be on this list. The late and great Jim Varney plays Ernest, and it’s up to him to find a replacement for the aging Santa Claus and save Christmas.

 

16. Jingle All the Way would be a forgettable Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy if it wasn’t set at Christmas time. It kind of glorifies the commercial aspect of the holiday, but I love presents so I’m not complaining.

 

15. Bad Santa is an R-rated black comedy starring Billy Bob Thornton as an alcoholic burglar who robs malls on Christmas Eve. It’s raunchy and hilarious, and not something you can watch with kids in the room.

 

14. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York reunites young Kevin McCallister with the Wet Bandits. But this time, they are in New York and Kevin has a Talkboy. You can do anything with a Talkboy.

 

13. Elf is your typical Will Ferrell man-child comedy, but this time he plays an elf. Or a human that was raised as elf. I don’t know, it doesn’t really matter.

 

12. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is Chevy Chase’s best Christmas movie. There’s no denying it.

 

11. The Santa Clause is responsible for more people misspelling Santa Claus than any other movie. It also was the foundation for the best Christmas trilogy of all time. Name a better Christmas trilogy.

 

10. Batman Returns takes place around Christmas. It has Batman in it. And Michelle Pfeiffer in black leather. Merry Christmas indeed.

 

9. The Nightmare Before Christmas is dark and creepy, but it’s still a family film. It’s easily the most visually interesting film on this list, plus it has great characters and musical numbers.

 

8. Gremlins manages to combine humor and horror into a holiday film. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but they pull it off.

 

7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is the original animated Dr. Seuss classic, not the bloated Jim Carrey live action film. You know that Christmas is just around the corner when you’re flipping channels and stumble upon the Grinch.

 

6. The Muppet Christmas Carol is another retelling of the classic story by Charles Dickens, only with Muppets. And Muppets make everything better. Michael Caine plays a good Ebenezer Scrooge.

 

5. Home Alone made Macaulay Culkin a star, and it made child neglect funny again. It was the original family comedy without the family.

 

4. Scrooged is yet another take on the Dickens classic. Bill Murray plays a Scrooge-like television executive who gets visited by three ghosts so he can learn the true meaning of Christmas. Bill Murray is like bacon, he makes everything better.

 

3. A Charlie Brown Christmas is the best animated Christmas movie. Everybody has seen it, everybody loves it, and everybody knows that Charlie Brown sucks at picking out Christmas trees.

 

2. Die Hard is badass. It’s one of the best action films of all time. It made Bruce Willis a superstar, it introduced us to Alan Rickman, and the world can never be thankful enough. It’s also the only Christmas movie that you can watch every day without being judged.

 

1. A Christmas Story is the best Christmas movie of all time. Was there ever any doubt? It’s the perfect blend of nostalgia, consumerism, and family values. It’s funny, it’s heartwarming, it’s quotable, and it’s a shared experience. It’s not Christmas until you catch it on the 24-hour TBS marathon.

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December 19, 2013 · 9:44 am

End of the Year Montage Videos

We are in the final two weeks of 2013, which means that you’re about to experience a flood of End of the Year montage videos, lists, countdowns, and Year in Review hoopla in your Facebook feed. This is a time for reflection, a time to remember all the big news stories, untimely deaths, and memorable sports moments that made 2013 the crazy year it was. We celebrate the conclusion of each year with montage videos to remind us of all the stuff that we’ve already forgotten about. Expect to hear the hit singles of 2013 edited to media clips of natural disasters, suffering people, civil unrest and citizen uprisings, Pope Francis, Obamacare, the US Government shutdown, whistleblowing, school shootings, the Boston Marathon bombing, disgraced politicians, underrated miracles, and Miley Cyrus twerking and wrecking-balling. Kim and Kanye also want to remind you that they had a baby. 2013 was a fun year. And it looks better in a montage.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 18, 2013 · 11:46 am

Playing an Instrument

I respect anybody who is capable of playing an instrument. I wish I could. I just don’t have the chops for it. I’ve played a few random instruments. In fourth grade we were forced to play the recorder (those plastic flute things), in sixth grade it was hand bells, and I took a drum class for a semester in eighth grade. Those experiences made me realize that I have no musical ability. None. At all. I have no sense of rhythm. I go off tempo even when I’m counting out the beat. But I’ve come to terms with it and I’m ok with it. Now I realize that most people can’t play an instrument and that’s a good thing. If everyone played music, everyone would be on stage and there would be nobody in the audience. Musicians need musically inept people like me to make a living.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 17, 2013 · 8:31 am

City of Scars (fan film)

City of Scars is a 2010 independent fan film based on Batman, and it’s actually pretty damn good. It’s a Batman movie made by Batman fans for Batman fans. Writer/director/producer Aaron Schoenke perfectly captures the gritty tone of Gotham City as Batman wonders if his crime fighting methods are making things worse in Gotham whilst on a mission to save a kidnapped boy from the clutches of the Joker. Kevin Porter plays Bruce Wayne/Batman and he’s as good or better than George Clooney. A guy named Paul Molnar plays the Joker and he does a decent job, but he’s not intimidating enough. There are a couple of DC character cameos that most fanboys would appreciate like Harley Quinn and Black Canary. Any genuine Batman fan will be a fan of this short film. It’s only 30 minutes long, and there are some cool fight scenes and special effects. It’s pretty impressive for only having a budget of $27,000. You can find it on YouTube, that’s where I stumbled upon it.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 13, 2013 · 9:57 am

The Metamorphosis (novella)

The Metamorphosis is a short story by Franz Kafka about a guy who wakes up and discovers that he’s transformed in a giant insect. You never find out how or why Gregor Samsa becomes a giant bug, he just wakes up in a different body. The story is about his attempted adjustment from being his family’s financial provider to being a cockroach. He becomes a burden on his family, slowly draining them financially and emotionally. They are disgusted and repulsed by him, and they end up resenting him. They end up despising him. And they don’t hide it either.

The Metamorphosis isn’t about a guy changing into a bug; it’s about change itself. It’s about a guy realizing that his life will never be the same again and having to deal with it. It’s about a family rejecting one of their own because he’s no longer useful. Kafka published this novella back in 1915 and it’s still an important, intriguing, and relevant work of literature to this day. I once had to buy it for a college class, and it was so good that I didn’t sell it back to the campus bookstore. I could have used that money to buy beer and Top Ramen, but I chose to expand my library instead.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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December 9, 2013 · 12:17 pm

Nineteen Eighty-Four (book)

Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of the most important novels of all time. George Orwell’s classic story is about one man’s quiet rebellion against an oppressive society. Winston Smith is a citizen of Oceania, one of three global superstates engaged in a never-ending war. Oceania is a fascist and totalitarian society ruled by the Party. Big Brother is the enigmatic mustached leader of the Party, and he is watching you. Anything that you say or do that goes against the Party makes you an enemy of the Party. Even the thought itself is a crime.

Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he spends his days revising and editing historical records so that they comply with the Party’s version of events. He has no family or friends, just acquaintances in the form of neighbors and coworkers. He passes the time by drinking gin, smoking cigarettes, and trying to hide his hatred for Big Brother. He wants to rebel, but he doesn’t know how. But his life changes when a young woman takes a chance and confesses her love for him. They begin a secret love affair, each one knowing that it’s a death sentence.

This is a very political book. It’s about power and control, oppression and suppression. It was written in 1948 and published in 1949, back when 1984 was still a futuristic fantasy. 1984 came and went almost thirty years ago, but it still seems like it could happen. George Orwell may have a bleak view of the world but that doesn’t mean he’s not right about it. Good literature can change the way you view the world. This novel is proof.

Critically Rated 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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November 29, 2013 · 9:59 am

Broke (documentary)

Broke is documentary that explores the reasons how so many professional athletes squander their money and end up declaring bankruptcy. It was the premiere episode of ESPN’s 30 for 30 Volume II, and was directed by Billy Corben. Various athletes from the MLB, NBA, and NFL give interviews and provide insight about how they wasted their millions of dollars. They buy mansions, luxury cars, and outrageous jewelry. They pay child support and huge divorce settlements. They loan money to family and friends and never get paid back. They gamble and make it rain at strip clubs. They get hurt and injured and never see that big paycheck. They are forced to retire by age thirty-three and have no work experience to get a real job. They don’t know how to save, they make bad investments, and they get swindled.

Broke is an interesting documentary because sports stars become icons, they become heroes and it’s fascinating to see your heroes lying in the gutter. Sad, yes. Tragic, yes. But definitely fascinating. You realize how easy it is to waste a fortune. Some of them lost their fortunes because of bad luck and bad circumstances. But most of them lost their money out of sheer arrogance and stupidity. And all of them have an interesting tale. Check it out, I watched it on YouTube and you can too.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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November 27, 2013 · 1:14 pm

Four Days in October (documentary)

Four Days in October is one of the many documentaries in ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. It focuses on the Boston Red Sox during their improbable comeback in the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees. As you might recall, the Red Sox were down three games to none in a best of seven series. The Red Sox were playing their hated rivals for a chance to go to the World Series and break the “The Curse” once and for all. But no team had ever come back from a three game deficit, and one more loss would mean the end of the season. It looked like the Yankees had it in the bag.

But there’s one thing that separates baseball from most other sports: there is no clock. You have to play to the last out. It sounds cliché, but it’s really not over until it’s over. Positive attitudes, clutch performances, and key hits kept the Red Sox alive. They proceeded to win the next four games in spectacular fashion, inspiring a nation along the way. Those four days in October gave baseball fans some of the most memorable moments in MLB Playoff history: Kevin Millar and his motivational pep talks, Curt Schilling and his bloody sock, Dave Roberts and his game-shifting steal, and the invincible bat of David Ortiz are just a few that stand out.

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate this documentary, but it certainly helps. It also helps if you hate the Yankees. Four Days in October does a good job of capturing the excitement and energy happening in the Red Sox dugout and locker room. You can tell the players know that they are in the middle of something special. They know that destiny is on their side; they just have to enjoy the ride.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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November 26, 2013 · 11:01 am

The Tommyknockers (book)

Late last night and the night before,

Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers, knocking at the door.

I want to go out, don’t know if I can,

‘Cause I’m so afraid of the Tommyknocker man.

The Tommyknockers is a 1987 sci-fi novel written by Stephen King. It takes place in the same universe as most of his other books, but this one is about aliens as opposed to ghosts and monsters and the supernatural. It begins with Wild West novelist Bobbi Anderson discovering the tip of an enormous spaceship sticking out of the ground in the small town of Haven, Maine. She feels compelled to dig it out, but the ship starts releasing an odorless, invisible gas that starts to transform Bobbi and the citizens of Haven into something else, something not human.

There are a few characters who are immune to the “becoming”, one of them being Bobbi’s lifelong friend (and occasional lover) James Eric “Gard” Gardener. Gard is immune to the gas because of a steel plate in his head from a skiing accident a few years earlier. He helps Bobbi to dig out the ship over the course of a summer, watching helplessly as Bobbi and the townspeople start losing teeth and their sanity.

What’s cool about this story is that there is no real main character. You could argue that Gard is the protagonist, you could point to Bobbi being the one who drives the plot forward, but the main character is really the town of Haven. The story is about how the spaceship affects the townspeople. It seems like almost every citizen in Haven gets at least one chapter that explores how the “becoming” changes them. There are a lot of background characters and subplots, but the whole thing comes together nicely in the end.

This is a great book, one of my favorite Stephen King stories. It’s pretty lengthy but it’s never boring. Stephen King knows how to tell a good story, and he has a great writing style. It’s casual, yet detailed. He has fun with the narrative, jumping around on the timeline and exploring the minds of different characters. It’s also a metaphor for substance abuse, so there are a lot of things to pick up on if you read between the lines. Read it. You’ll like it.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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