Thursday, January 27, 2011

ROT: CELEBRATOR GOAT

I know, I know... I forgot about Random Object Thursday again. I was in Kansas City all day at the doctors office and it slipped my mind. My bad!

This weeks object is a goat. No not a live goat unfortunately but a little plastic one. It came on a beer I randomly picked up. The beer was pretty stout and it kind of punches you in the mouth like a bitter ram horn. But not bad at all! I ended up keeping this little trinket for my X-mas tree this year. It proudly sat on the highest branch to celebrate my love for beer.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

FIVE CENTS RUINED

I now hate it when I get any hard change other than quarters, dimes and pennies. Why is it that other pieces of metal currency are so off-putting to me you might ask? I really hate Nickelback.

I suppose I shouldn't make fun of Nickelback fans though. They have a hard enough time being mentally handicapped.

Monday, January 24, 2011

AN ALIEN, THE DEVIL, A COWBOY, A MEXICAN, AND TWO COPS WALK INTO A BAR

This weekend I pretty much lived in my PJ's. Hell, I didn't even step one foot outside on Sunday. So what did I do with my time? I ate finger food and rolled around on my couch watching crappy movies and Married with Children reruns… pretty much the American dream.

Doesn't seem like I would have much to write an actual blog about does it. Well how about my thoughts on all the films I took in! I purposefully picked five movies that I knew wouldn't be that amazing. Thus, I kept my expectations low so that I might enjoy them more. Just so you know, I rate by the five star scale (Click here to fully understand my personal rating system) just as Netflix does. Though hard for me to do, I'll do my best to keep the reviews short.


***SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen Jonah Hex, Machete, The Other Guys, Devil or Predators, don't read any further.***

Jonah Hex (the comic book action western)
Stars: ★★★☆☆
Before I viewed this, I had read all these reviews saying how gawd awful this movie was. Crazy thing is, I actually wasn't appalled when I was done viewing it. In fact, quite the contrary! I do have a soft spot for comic movies, bad ass leading character driven actions and westerns with an interesting twist so this got some forgiveness/cool points right out of the gate. The main character Jonah, played by Josh Brolin, was pretty cool and he did a great job with the role. He took no shit, was pretty hardcore (at least at the beginning) and could talk with the dead which I really liked. His archenemies was played by John Malkovich. Brolin is a man's man and a decent actor. Malkovich, who can be a good actor and is not manly at all, was unfortunately a little lame. His stop and go kind of dialogue doesn't fit everywhere and he felt really forced in this movie. Plus there's no way he could last ten seconds in a fight with Brolin, even if he snuck up on him in his sleep. Megan Fox was just eye candy for the masses as usual. She spent damn near the whole movie with large portions of her ta-ta's popping out of her corset. Even though she represents all I hate in hollywood, I do have to admit, she wasn't laughable in this flick and handled her role fairly well.

Over all, the movie started out well enough and I was digging it for the first thirty minutes or so. But then it did get campy here and there and the story dragged and fizzled a bit. It was almost like the first half was directed by someone other than who finished it.

Machette (the cheesy action)
Stars: ★★☆☆☆
Cheesy is not even good enough. Campy? Goofy? Retarded? I knew this was going to be that way though so I expected flying motorcycles, too hot of chicks doing unbelievable action and machetes cutting through everything like butter.

Over all the goofiness got kind of old. I was ok with it at first but this movie dragged. If you're going to do over the top action make it flow throughout the entire flick. There was too much of Machete, played by the ever cool and hardcore Danny Trejo, walking around into random script changes. All the corny mexican humor wasn't too bad either and I like Cheech Marins bit parts. Which brings me to my next point, there were gobs of pointless actors in this movie that were there only for their name. Steven Seagal was one and acted the same as always, lame. Lindsay Lohan was only there to show her boobs… oh gee thanks. Jessica Alba again showed off her lack of acting skills and tried to slip by on her hotness. All the acting could have been better even if it was supposed to be a corn ball flick. Sorry Trejo, you only get two stinkin' star badges.

The Other Guys (buddy comedy)
Stars: ★★★☆☆
When you see Will Ferrell's name on the card you know exactly what type of comedy you're getting every time. Awkward humor, off the wall remarks and improvised randomness. For the most part, I don't mind it one bit and this was no exception. I wouldn't say this movie was a laugh riot but it had quite a few funny parts. I loved Mark Wahlberg in this movie and he played off of Ferrell nicely. He just seems like the pent up, frustrated, everyman anyways so it was almost natural. All the ball busting he did on Ferrell throughout the film was awesome. Another funny bonus was Michael Keaton. It's good seeing him in movies again and even better that he was in a comedic role. The Other Guys, funny but just another time killer, filler comedy.

Devil (the horror/thriller)
Stars: ★★★★☆
As I started this movie I was filled with dread. Not because the intro was scary but because M. Night Shyamalan or M. Night Smelly-hand as I like to call him, popped up in the credits. He's had some good movies but that last one he did, The Happening, was so bad I now am wary of anything he dishes out. I don't want to bite into another doughnut filled with poop like I did with that movie.

Much to my delight, Devil was actually enjoyable and only had a few details that I could have lived without. All the actors did quite well in there perspective roles and were not big names, which I liked. This movie was an example that you don't really need nudity, flashy super sexy actors or much in the way of special effects to make a decent "who-done-it" horror. With a plot and Satan that would be apparent to a monkey, it was still a fun movie and one of the better of it's genre out of 2010. It was a borderline three but I felt like being generous and giving this one four stars. Best movie of the weekend.

Predators (the sci-fi action)
Stars: ★★★☆☆
First of all, let's be clear on the fact that it's impossible to top Arnold Schwarzenegger's best film, Predator. Now with that in mind, this was probably my second favorite out of all the Predator movies. Adrien Brody, though he always looks like he's about to cry, did a great job being a tough guy action hero. The use of new weapons on both human and alien sides was cool and the premise that the humans were the top predators on our planet was a interesting thought. I was also really digging the samurai showdown scene and although it could have been longer and more in-depth, I liked the predator on predator battle towards the end.
My dislikes about the movie? Laurence Fishburne sucked in his role. It's really hard to pull off the crazy routine and even harder to make the invisible friend bit work. Fishburne failed at both. I like the concept that there was a human that was able to stay aloof on the game preserve. He scavenged and cut throats to survive and had been studying the predators the best he could. Again, Laurence just didn't seem believable. He really just doesn't seem that tough to me. I also don't like how every Predator movie feels like they have to jock Schwarzenegger's one liner gimmicks. I'm tired of hearing "What the hell are you?", "Kill me! I'm here!" and of course "You're one ugly mother fucker". It's good to keep a similar theme but don't walk damn near the same path. This movie had far too many pulls from the original, including scenes, scenarios and character types. Again, I did like this movie but I would have to give it the trusty three stars.
That about wraps it up folks! I know this was a long post but fuck it, it's something semi-interesting to read besides whatever Oprah is peddling these days. Oh and feel free to leave your thoughts about any of these movies!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

ROT: DEATH OF SUPERMAN ARM BAND

In my youth I collected lots of comics. X-Men (namely Wolverine), Spawn, Batman... these were my top heros. On the other side of the spectrum, one of my least favorites was Superman. Though probably the most powerful of them all, I just wasn't into him. For me he was just too damn goody goody. So when I first heard news that there was going to be a Death of Superman saga, I was first in line to get all the copies. One of the special editions of the full story came with this black armband. I have since lost the book and really, I could care less. But I recently found this little nerdy keepsake buried in my closet. What more fitting for Random Object Thursday than a random find like that!

Monday, January 17, 2011

DREAM: HINDU PEZ

I have been thinking of putting more of my dreams on here since they can sometimes be quite entertaining and I also hear opening up can supposedly be therapeutic. Now it's not to say all of my dreams are noteworthy, capable of being described and I definitely won't put too many of my gruesome nightmares on here either. I think me waking up on a nightly basis from horrible dreams is too much as it is. I don't need to drag you, the unsuspecting reader, into my sleepless chaos. Last nights dream though wasn't bad nor was it astounding by any means but I found it enjoyable, so here it is.

I was on tour with my homie Gabe (who's on currently on tour right now with Red This Ever), the man behind Hindu Pez. If you haven't heard his brain thrashing noise yet and you have a penchant for industrial, check him out. Anyways, I was handling stage and venue design as well as filling the role of merchandise dude for his stuff and of course lastdeviant apparel and designs. I was setting up the merch booth and out of the corner of my eye I noticed this ginormous bouncer lumbering my direction. This feeling crept over me that he was either going to barf on me some stupid question or give me shit and make an attempt to prove his alpha male status. Regardless, I turned my back to him and kept right on working until I felt one of his fat, grimy, meat sticks tap me on the shoulder.

I then hear him mutter, "I hear you guys are a couple of pussies."

I slowly turn around to size up the dish of trouble I was being fed this time. There he stood, a huge moronic pile of testosterone, that looked like the hellish offspring of Trent Reznor and Frankenstien's monster. I knew I probably couldn't take him in a full on fight but seeing as I am a Garcia, I tend to make dumb choices and I do own a pair, I wasn't about to back down.

So I replied, "I'll tango with you anytime, Gumby."

His brow furrowed and the oaf proceeded to charge, grabbing me around my waste with his head at my side. As I'm being freighttrained backwards, I tuck my arm under his chin and securely around his throat. Then I swung off my feet so as to put all my weight on his tree trunk of a neck. He stumbled in his charge, landing him face first into the concrete and we both rolled into the middle of the empty mosh pit. I hopped up to my feet prepared for the onslaught and inevitable face pounding I knew I was about to receive. But as he slowly regained his footing, he gave me a bit of a smirk, nodded, then snorted off to do whatever it is piles of mindless bouncer meat do.

I went on to successfully sell the hell out of my shirts and wares. Gabe had one rocking' ass show as well. As for the stage design, I created this awesome, smoke billowing, platform with moving pieces of sharp scrap metal and barbed wire that revolved around him. Every now and again a piece would move to reveal some creepy little demon with glowing red eyes hidden in the background. So when it would go black as pitch during his set and all you would see was a wall of red eyes everywhere behind him. Needless to say, it was killer.

Too bad it was only a dream but maybe it's a sign that Gabe and I will do well on each of our perspective ventures, even if we aren't on the road together. Here's to our prosperous futures Mr. Perry.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

ROT: COIN BLOCK

Mario has been in my life, as well as most of my generations, since we were children. We all grew up with this fat, mustached, over happy, spitfire, plumber. Together we fought dinosaur typed monsters, stomped mean mushroom creatures , kicked the shells of countless turtle varmints and even threw veggies at a toad king. To do all this ass whipping he had to have a little help from his odd yet powerful arsenal. Flying wing caps, frog suits, magic whistles, water pumping backpacks... the works. But his foes have a rockin' selection of death dealing devices as well like flying warships laced with cannons and flame throwers, magic wand wielding wizards, floating fishing cloud men and tons of ticking time bombs running amok. How does a lowly plumber live through an endless onslaught of bad guys who have equal to or greater power items? All the coins he has scavenged in his adventures of course! These little "1-up" earning golden goodies are typically punched out of question marked coin blocks like the one you see below.

So in honor of this pudgy, Italian-American, red suited, mushroom kingdom madman, I keep a little coin block on my desk at work. It sits under my Mac waiting for someone to steal the secret treasures inside. Unfortunately there aren't any real gold coins in there, just cute little Smarties style candy versions.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH

I voice my opinion (as I think everyone should) but I try not to get too preachy and jam it down anyones throat. I rant on here as a healthy means of getting my turmoiltious inner monologue out but it's not meant to bust anyones chops. I do my best to make sure my belief of spreading love is laced throughout all that I write, no matter how pissy I am on a topic.

That being said, those Westboro Baptist Church bungholes really piss me off. They picket the funerals of fallen soldiers, murdered gays, AIDs victims and even freaking Mr. Rodgers and Martin Luther King's widow, Coretta Scott. Now they want to picket the funeral of Christina Taylor Green, the nine year girl that was killed in the recent congresswoman Gifford's shooting. Why? Not because she did a damn thing wrong but because her parents raised her Catholic. Seriously?! I can't even imagine what the parents are going through but they definitely don't need any more grief.

I was happy to read that the Tucson community, where the little girl was from, is pulling together in her families support and in reaction to the coming protest. Though not in an anti-protest against Westboro but as a shield against them. People will don large angel wings and stand silently between the mourners and the scornful zealots. If some misguided people are using their rights to voice malice then it's good to see others are using them to spread love and support.

None of the people the WBC protest need any more suffering. Those they picket are decreased. They have paid the ultimate price and if you believe in a higher power, have gone before their respective maker(s) to be judged. That should be the end of it. Somehow I don't think a worthwhile god would give kudos to a hate monger of any breed.

On a side note, I hope people who read about the Westboro nuts and see that they are based out of Kansas don't write off all the sunflower states children as a whole. Not everyone from here is close-minded, dimwitted and callous. Just take a look at me!

Monday, January 10, 2011

THE ARK

I try to stay current with the news on a global scale because I think everyone should stay up to date with the world we live in. Be it political affairs, social issues, environmental subjects, technological and biological advances or just how far down the chaotic rabbit hole we are slipping on a daily basis, you need to keep informed. If you're not in the know then you're going to be blindsided and eventually get screwed by someone crooked that is. Plus, we all should be striving to better mankind and the realm we inhabit. That is, unless you're content with just being a useless parasite.

Now that I'm done ranting, it's on the topic of the betterment of our living that I did find something cool today. I read an article in the tech section of CNN about a multi-use, environmentally friendly building, designed by Russian architect Alexander Remizov, called "The Ark". They are built to handle any environment including earthquakes and even being completely afloat! They are powered by wind generators and solar panels and are supposed to be completely in balance with nature.

I would definitely opt into test living one of these babies. Imagine living in a self contained microcosm, where all of the inhabitants upkeep "their world" and work together hand in hand. Where we are kind to each other and teach love and togetherness like we should. First we have to stop acting like dicks and just play nice with one another, but I think it could happen. In fact, it needs to happen. Check out this awesome renderings of what The Ark looks like:

(All renderings courtesy of Remistudio.)


On a twisted note, it also reminds me of Bioshock. Something goes horribly wrong and a biological outbreak occurs warping the colonists physically and mentally. This former model of future living locks tight and turns into an inescapable prison. The once peaceful and forward thinking community de-evolves into chaos and madness. Crazies run rampant in bunny masks slaughtering their brethren! This could also happen.



Either way, sounds like nary a dull moment so sign me up.
:)

Saturday, January 8, 2011

SNOT MONSTER


From my head and through my nose,
Goo is dripping on my toes.
I blow and wipe and still it flows,
Inside my skull a monster grows.

He pounds and pushes, causing pain,
He must be sitting on my brain.
I drink my juice but it's in vain,
For from my face his slime does drain.

I cough and wheeze and almost weep,
This evil thing won't let me sleep.
So from my sight, you must creep,
Because out my head he just might leap.

Friday, January 7, 2011

DIRK VERSCHURE

My thoughts on birds falling dead from the sky in mass quantities? The end is nigh.

Now enjoy this short yet fun and random little movie on birds and other neat-o animal tales.



Muahahahahahaha!!!!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

ROT:THE COOKIE MONSTER

I found this plastic idol to the blue Sesame Street cookie crack head on the living room floor of my brothers home. I'm sure he's gone on some amazing adventures living in a house where two awesome little girls run amok. Alas, I have not a single random story of my own with this itty bitty toy save that I know I have stepped on him barefoot in the middle of the night.


Now for our regularly scheduled program:
COooOOOOooooOKiiiIIIiiiiIIIE!!!!

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