Category Archives: Entertainment

TV, Movies, etc

November 18, 2013 · 9:55 am

The Noble Collection Holiday Catalog

A few years ago I bought my sister a replica of Dumbledore’s wand for Christmas, and it was one of the best things that I’ve ever done because now I get The Noble Collection Holiday Catalog delivered in the mail every November. It’s basically a catalog for movie nerds. They have replicas of props from all the movies you geek out over. Do you like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings? Well then maybe you would enjoy an Illuminating Gandalf Staff for $159, or maybe the Pipe of Bilbo Baggins for only $69 (and it says it’s fully functional). They have a bunch of stuff from The Dark Knight trilogy as well. You can get a Folding Batarang Money Clip in either bronze or flat black for $39. $395 will get you a full-sized Batman Cowl or Bane Mask… I’m not sure you could actually wear them, but I’d love to find out.

The catalog also has a few other items like a Throne Bookend from Game of Thrones, The Green Power Lantern from The Green Lantern, and the Golden Compass from The Golden Compass. But the main reason why I get excited when the Holiday Catalog finally comes is for all their Harry Potter merchandise. They have about fifty wands from fifty different characters. They even sell fancy wand displays so you can display all your fancy wands. Almost every cool Harry Potter prop is available for sale. You can buy the Sword of Gryffindor, the Marauder’s Map, Tom Riddle’s Diary, the Sorcerer’s Stone, even a goddamned Firebolt. You might think that spending $295 on a broom is excessive, but it’s a fucking Firebolt! It’s the fastest broom there is. You’d be an idiot not to buy it. I know I’m not supposed to waste money on frivolous things, but it’s hard not to with The Noble Collection Holiday Catalog.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 16, 2013 · 9:00 am

Batkid

The world is a depressing place. Every time you turn on the TV you are bombarded by bad news. You see images of war, death, disease, and destruction on every major news channel. But every now and then, an inspirational story captures the public’s attention. November 15, 2013 was one of those days. That’s when we got to meet five-year-old Miles Scott, a.k.a. Batkid, a hero in every sense of the word. He has fought cancer and now he fights crime thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the city of San Francisco.

You would be hard-pressed to find a story as heartwarming as this. A terminally-ill child wished to be a superhero, and thousands of strangers and a major city rose to the occasion, the ultimate game of make believe. San Francisco was transformed into Gotham City for a day as Batkid saved damsels in distress, baseball mascots, and apprehended major villains like the Penguin and the Riddler. Thousands of strangers gathered in the streets to cheer him on, and millions more followed the live Twitter feed. The whole world was soon voicing their support for Batkid and San Francisco. Even Barrack Obama had to comment on the phenomenon.

Miles Scott may never know the significance of what he’s done. He briefly united the world and made it a better place. And that’s the sign of a true superhero. I’m so proud of my city and everyone who supported Batkid and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It’s no small feat to restore faith in humanity.

Critically Rated at 17/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , ,

November 11, 2013 · 8:30 pm

Police Squad! (TV show)

Police Squad! was a 1983 TV comedy series starring Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin. It only lasted six episodes before it was cancelled, but it become a cult classic and also spawned the Naked Gun film trilogy. Police Squad! is a comedy in every sense of the word. It works because of Leslie Nielsen’s deadpan delivery, even during the midst of the absolute absurd. David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams created this show, which is a good sign, because they are the comedic masterminds behind Airplane! If you’re a fan of Airplane!, you’re a fan of this show.

The Naked Gun movies and Police Squad are very similar. The movies reuse a lot of the same jokes, and they both have the same style of humor. Some of the same characters show up in both, but they casted a few different actors. For instance, Alan North and Peter Lupus played Captain Ed Hocken and Officer Nordberg in the show, but they were replaced by George Kennedy and O.J. Simpson in the films.

This show was ahead of its time. It was too smart for TV. Audiences didn’t know how to respond to it, and the network didn’t know how to advertise it. So it got cancelled. I will never understand how shows like Police Squad!, Firefly, and Freaks and Geeks get cancelled during the first season, but Jersey Shore gets a six-season runtime.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 9, 2013 · 8:55 am

Thor: The Dark World (film)

Thor: The Dark World is the sequel to Marvel’s Thor. Chris Hemsworth is back as the titular Asgardian, along with Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin, and the always stunning Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. Alan Taylor (The Emperor’s New Groove) takes over the director’s chair for Kenneth Branagh, and you can tell that there’s someone new in charge. Thor was a character-driven action film with deep Shakespearean themes. Thor: The Dark World is a special effects-driven action film with a lot of loud noises. There are a lot of familiar characters, there are a couple of new characters, and there are a lot of fight scenes but you don’t know what is at stake, so you don’t care what happens.

The second movie in a superhero franchise is usually the best film because you already know the characters and you can get to the good stuff right away. Spider-Man 2, X2, the list goes on and on. But Thor: The Dark World is a step backward. There are a lot of good things about this movie. It has cool action scenes. Natalie Portman is pretty. The climatic battle practically redeems the whole movie. But the problem is that you don’t give a fuck about any of the characters. You just wonder where Iron Man is. It’s worth seeing; just don’t expect it to be better than The Avengers.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 1, 2013 · 9:53 am

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was the first real Jim Carrey movie. He starred in a few movies before this one (like Once Bitten and Earth Girls Are Easy), but this was the first movie where Jim Carrey got to be Jim Carrey and go crazy. And he changed the face of movie comedy forever with this gem. Jim Carrey stars as Ace Ventura, a pet detective trying to track down Snowflake, the kidnapped mascot of the Miami Dolphins. He has a crazy haircut, an affinity for animals, and a habit of making his ass talk.

Nobody in Hollywood can do physical comedy like Jim Carrey. He flails his arms and stretches his rubber face and can do a million different voices. He is one of a kind. Courtney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Lōc, and Dan Marino all do a decent job in their supporting roles, but this movie is nothing without Jim Carrey. But director Tom Shadyac deserves a lot of credit too. Shadyac does a great job of balancing out the comedic mayhem with an intriguing mystery. It could have been a forgettable comedy, but Shadyac gives the movie heart, and that gave the film longevity. It’s an undisputed classic. It launched Jim Carrey into superstardom. It’s no wonder that Jim Carrey would team up with him again for Liar, Liar and Bruce Almighty.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a milestone for a few reasons. It proved that unproven stars could create a blockbuster comedy franchise (The Hangover owes its existence to it).  It made dumb comedies smart again. And it gave the world Jim Carrey. It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s pretty damn close.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

October 29, 2013 · 1:38 pm

A Bad Cover of Your Favorite Song

Nothing makes you want to puncture your own eardrums with a dull pencil more than a bad cover of your favorite song. Your favorite song means something to you. It’s sacred. It’s something to honor and respect. The last thing that you want to hear is some no-talent singer screeching his way through the lyrics, backed by an off-pitch band playing out of sync. Your favorite song becomes unrecognizable, it becomes a tragedy, it becomes a farce, a joke, a disappointment. You can never unhear a bad cover of your favorite song. It lingers in the back of your mind, tainting the original album version and ruining it slightly. Maybe that’s why so many people hate karaoke.

Critically Rated at 6/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , ,

October 29, 2013 · 1:29 pm

World War Hulk (comic)

World War Hulk is a comic book storyline and the sequel to Planet Hulk. The Hulk returns to Earth to get his revenge on the Illuminati (Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, the Black Bolt, and Doctor Strange) for banishing him from Earth and for detonating a bomb that killed his alien wife and unborn child. Remember: the angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger he gets. And right now he’s pretty pissed off and rightfully so. The Hulk wants justice and anyone who stands in his way is his enemy. The Illuminati have to resort to some desperate measures in order to stop the green monster, but the Hulk has never been angrier (and therefore, he’s never been more powerful).

Writer Greg Pak and penciller John Romita, Jr. tell a tale of revenge and redemption. The Hulk’s rage has the potential to destroy the world. World War Hulk is an entertaining follow-up to Planet Hulk, but it’s not nearly as good. It answers a few lingering questions from Planet Hulk, but it’s not as epic. It’s a shorter story, and it seems rushed at times. It’s still entertaining though. There are a lot of entertaining moments, but nothing compares to the climax where the Hulk releases his full fury and the world seems completely fucked.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 26, 2013 · 8:59 am

Planet Hulk (comic)

Planet Hulk is a storyline from Marvel Comics focusing on everybody’s favorite green monster (sorry Shrek, you got nothing on Hulk). It’s written by Greg Pak with artwork by Carlo Pagulayan. It’s a pretty long story, spanning Incredible Hulk #92-105 and also including Giant-Size Hulk #1. I’ve never read any Hulk comics before this one, and this was a great one to start with. You don’t need to know much about the Hulk’s backstory to enjoy it. Most of the characters are new, so you learn about them as the Hulk does (although the Silver Surfer makes a brief appearance).

So basically the Hulk crashlands on a planet that resembles ancient Rome called Sakaar. Sakaar is run by the ruthless Red King, whose hobbies include slavery, genocide, gladiatorial combat, and absolute power. The Hulk gets sold into slavery and becomes a gladiator and has a chance to ultimately gain his freedom. Hulk reluctantly forms an alliance with a few other gladiators, and together they find the strength to survive. Along the way, they start to inspire the other slaves and repressed citizens of Sakaar, causing them to rise up and revolt. Imagine Gladiator, but with Hulk instead of Russell Crowe and you’ve got the right idea.

Planet Hulk is a fun read, and it leads right into World War Hulk. Marvel knows how to get you hooked. This is a great story, even if you don’t like comics.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

October 20, 2013 · 12:03 pm

Rap God by Eminem

“Rap God” is the latest single from Eminem and it seals his legacy as one of the best rappers of all time. It is his magnum opus, his masterpiece. It’s distinctly Eminem. It has a dope beat, a catchy hook, pop culture references, witty lyrics, and sound effects. He uses some rhymes that he’s used before, but he gets away with it. Eminem can rap like Tupac, but Tupac can’t rap like Eminem. Nobody can. That’s not an insult to Tupac or Biggie or Chuck D. Eminem is just capable of doing things that nobody else can do and he proves it in this song. He changes pitch and tempo and has a way of making rhyme that shouldn’t rhyme. He spits out rhymes so fast that you can’t even hear what he is saying, but you still know that he is saying it. He might be pretentious and full of himself, but he’s earned it at this point. This is already one of his the best songs in his library. Even someone who doesn’t like rap can appreciate his skills.

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , ,

October 19, 2013 · 9:59 am

Batman R.I.P. (comic)

Batman R.I.P. is a comic book arc written by Grant Morrison with art by Tony Daniel and covers by Alex Ross. It was first published in Batman #676-681 and it’s hard to write about because it’s so hard to read. This is very layered story. There are a lot of things going on and you will be lost if this is the first Batman comic that you’ve ever read. It’s not for beginners. The basic plot outline involves a group of villains called the Black Glove trying to destroy Batman by breaking his mind. They cause Bruce Wayne to lose his sanity, but the world’s greatest detective is prepared for everything. He’s not going to let a little case of the crazies get in the way of justice.

Grant Morrison had been planting the seeds for months in earlier issues and it’s nice to see how he ties things together. The story is much bigger than this one arc and spills over in Final Crisis and other DC titles. It’s a very good Batman story, but I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece. A classic maybe, but not a masterpiece.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

October 18, 2013 · 12:30 pm

The Price is Right

The Price is Right is a game show where the contestants have to guess how much the prize costs. You win by getting as close to the actual retail price as you can without going over. It’s currently hosted by Drew Carey, but Bob Barker will forever be the true face of the show. The Price is Right is one of the most popular game shows amongst college kids, senior citizens, and kids who fake being sick so they don’t have to go to school. They play a lot of different pricing games, but nothing is more popular than Plinko and the climatic Showcase Showdown. I want to spin the giant wheel just one time before I die. I’ll admit that I don’t watch the show much anymore because Drew Carey seems like an imposter. I grew up watching The Price is Right with Bob Barker. I spayed and neutered my pets because he told me to. I even went to a taping during his final season as host, and that was probably the last episode I ever watched (because how can you top that?). It’s been a staple of daytime television for over forty years and there’s no end in sight. There’s no better way to spend a sick day than to wrap yourself up in a blanket while watching The Price is Right.

Critically Rated at 15/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , ,

October 13, 2013 · 10:30 pm

Borrowing a Book From a Friend

Anyone can go to the library and take out a book, but it’s a more personal experience when you borrow a book from a friend. Arranging a book exchange with a friend is one of the best ways to find something good to read. Your friend probably has good taste, that’s one of the reasons why you are friends to begin with. You find an author or genre that you both enjoy and swap a few recommended books. Borrowing a book from a friend is like a bonding experience. Sharing the same story brings you a little closer together. It’s also like having a private book club. You can discuss the themes and characters and all the cool parts and geek out for a little bit. Plus you can read them at your leisure and return them without worrying about any late fees.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

October 12, 2013 · 9:21 pm

2013 MLB ALCS/NLCS

The baseball season is winding down and right now four teams are trying to get to the World Series. The Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox are competing for the American League Pennant, and the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers are competing for the National League Pennant. The two Pennant winners get to play each other in the World Series to determine the championship team. All four teams are solid, all of them deserve to be there, there are no underdogs… and that’s bad for baseball. In fact, it’s terrible for baseball. The Tigers were just in the World Series last year. They got swept by the San Francisco Giants in four games. The Cardinals won the year before in 2011. The Red Sox won it in miracle fashion in 2004 and then again in 2007. That wasn’t that long ago. And the Dodgers have one of the highest payrolls and most star-studded lineups in baseball, and have turned themselves into the Yankees of the West. You either love them or hate them, but you still have to respect them. And unless you’re a fan of one of those four teams, you probably don’t care who wins. In fact, you probably want all of them to lose. I know I do. Especially the Dodgers. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that the Yankees didn’t even make the playoffs, but I’ve got to bitch about something. All four of those teams are legitimate contenders. And that bores me.

Critically Rated at 4/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 24, 2013 · 11:02 am

Rock-Paper-Scissors

Rock-paper-scissors is a classic playground game. Two opponents face off and choose one of three shapes (rock, paper, or scissors) and try to win a best of three series. A closed fist is a rock, two extended fingers are scissors, and an open hand is paper. Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock.  Everyone knows this game, but some regions have their own name for it. Most of the world knows it as rock-paper-scissors, but I grew up calling it roshambo. I’ve also heard ick-ack-ock and paper-scissors-stone, but it really doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s still the same game. You would play it just to play it when you were a kid, but now you only play it to settle minor disputes with your friends. It’s still a good game though. You rely on luck and psyching out your opponent and it’s always fun to get into someone’s head and break them down.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

September 17, 2013 · 11:43 am

Monopoly (game)

Every single household in the world has a set of Monopoly. Every family’s house, every single person’s apartment, every college dorm, every cabin, every teepee, every igloo… virtually every single dwelling imaginable has at least one a set of Monopoly. Everyone has the regular classic version or a themed version. I have 2 sets of Monopoly in my apartment. One regular set and one with a Planet Earth theme. We have never played either one and they are both still unopened. I think they came with the house. And even though we never play it and never plan on it, every couple of months someone will suggest a game night, and Monopoly is always the first suggestion and the first rejection. Nobody has time for a complete game of Monopoly. I think the first game is still being played somewhere. The only way to win the game is to cheat, and the best way to cheat is to be the banker. And nothing destroys relationships faster than a corrupt game of Monopoly.

Critically Rated at 7/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

1 Comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , ,

September 11, 2013 · 9:49 am

Talking Like Arnold Schwarzenegger

Talking like Arnold Schwarzenegger is fun. Try it. Say “Get to the choppa!” or “Get down!” See what I mean? Doesn’t that feel great? I think the doctor should be legally obligated to say that it’s “not a tumah” each time the diagnosis reveals that it’s not a tumor. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a great voice and a lot of great one-liners. It’s only natural that you want to drunkenly quote him when you’re hanging out with your friends. Talking like Arnold Schwarzenegger is like yawning. It’s contagious. It only takes one person to start talking like Schwarzenegger to get the whole group riled up. If you see it or hear it, you can’t help but do it too. And before you know it, you have five people shouting out Arnoldisms, each person trying to outdo the last person. There’s no such thing as a good Arnold impression. In fact, you want it to be exaggerated and over the top. The crappier your impression is, the better it is.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , ,

September 11, 2013 · 9:46 am

Overplaying a Song

You’re cruising down the street flipping through the radio stations when you hear a new song that you’ve never heard before. You start bobbing your head and tapping your feet and let the melody sink into your brain. You can’t help but let the infectious beat get stuck in your head. You like this song. You like it a lot. And you want to hear it again as soon as it ends. And you want to hear it again and again and again. You’ll find it on YouTube, you might even be desperate enough to download it. It’s your new favorite song and you’re going to keep on playing it until you’re completely sick of it and never want to hear it again. And it won’t take long. The more you like a song, the more you overplay it, and the faster you get bored of it. The danger of overplaying a song is that you will always end up hating it. But you can’t help listening to it over and over again ad nauseam. It’s a vicious cycle.

Critically Rated at 6/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

Leave a comment

Filed under Entertainment

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,