What Time is It? Adventure Time!

If you have read my post on Cartoon Network, then you will understand what I mean when I say that Adventure Time is on that channel and it is probably one of the strangest shows I have ever seen. Random things always happen involving lumpy princesses, shape-shifting dogs, and creepy ice kings. Despite all of this, I love it, and I hope I am not judged too harshly for enjoying such a bizarre show. I am ashamed. Anyway, here's the plot:

13-year-old human boy named Finn and his magical dog Jake, are adventurers living in the Land of Ooo, a setting full of surreal characters, with fantasy and post-apocalyptic elements. The duo's typical adventures involve saving princesses, fighting evil monsters, exploring dungeons, helping people in need and stopping crooks. Along the way, they frequently have adventures relating to characters such as the Ice King, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, and Lady Rainicorn.

Since there's not much else I have to say, I can just show you the magnitude of the craziness of this show:

Enough said.

Pee-Wee Herman

Pee-Wee Herman is my favorite. Yes, he messed up (he was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult movie theater) but I think that the media has blown the whole thing way out of proportion and he has suffered enough. I, for one, am glad that he has made a comeback. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is seriously one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It's one of those childrens' movies that everyone seems to love. Pee-wee loses his beloved bike and, with the help of his friends, he sets out on a journey to find it. On the way, he meets many obstacles, but he gets by handily. His childish mannerisms make him kid-friendly, but his hidden innuendo makes him hilarious to all ages.

When he was arrested, the majority of the population came to his defense. Just goes to show his popularity. He disappeared through much of the 90's but now he is back. Recently, he has made appearences on several comedy and talk shows, including Saturday Night Live, and is working on his new Broadway Show: The Pee-wee Herman Show. What I like best about Pee-Wee Herman, though, is how much he reminds me of my brother-in-law.

Pee-Wee Herman with Andy Sandberg on SNL

All I can say is, yes.

And Here's to You, Mrs. Robinson

In case you didn't know the origins of the song Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel, it was first featured in the 1967 movie The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman. The movie is about a young man who has just graduated from college and is still trying to figure his life out. He is trying to find a way to escape the smothering pride of his parents and their friends. His escape? Mrs. Robinson, an attractive neighbor and acquaintence to his parents. She seduces him and they end up having an affair, that is until he meets her daughter, Elaine. As it turns out, Ben (Hoffman) and Elaine are perfect for each other, and Ben decides that he wants to marry her. Mrs. Robinson finds out and is furious, so she tries everything in her power to break them up, including telling her of their affair.

The Graduate is one of my favorite older movies. It's a classic. The funny thing is that the movie is actually incredibly awkward. Only three songs play throughtout the entire movie, (Sound of Silence, Scarborough Fair, Mrs. Robinson) though there are refrains and different versions. The acting is also very awkward. At the beginning, Ben is a confused, shy young man incapable of conversing with confidence. The filming is perhaps the most awkward aspect, however. There would be prolonged scenes where nothing is happening. The camera just zooms in on something inanimate, random, or someone's face with unchanging emotion. Despite this bizarre cinematography, I really enjoy this movie. Again, it's a classic, and it's fun to see how different the technology was back in the late 60's. It has a great plot and great actors and I suggest watching it at least once in your life.

The famous seduction scene:

Paranormal Activity 2

Last summer, I saw the first paranormal activitiy movie. I liked it, but I didn't understand why people found it so terrifying. Recently I saw the sequel, which, weirdly enough, happens before/at the same time as the first movie, this time focusing on the main character's sister and her family. The movie started off excruciatingly slow. Nothing happened during the first half of the movie other than a few pots and pans falling down every once in a while. Things finally get interesting when the family discovers that what the demon wants in the family's firstborn son, who happens to be an infant. As the mother fights hard to protect the baby, her husband continues to live in denial, but the demon prevails...

What I enjoyed most about this movie was how much it explained about the first movie as well as this one, even though it took quite a while for the explanations to come. There were only a few brief scenes where the history of the family and the curse was discussed between the two sisters, but it was good to know that the topic would be explained further in upcoming sequels. I, for one, am excited to see what happens next. As for you, don't be expecting anything too scary, it will disappoint in that category. I would describe it as spooky, interesting, and creative.

Review fro Los Angeles Times:

Just when you thought it was safe to auto-record your McMansion existence, along comes "Paranormal Activity 2" to make static video grays, a corner time stamp and well-placed bumps in the night further cause for audience nervousness.It's the sequel to last year's DIY horror hit "Paranormal Activity," a housebound creeper built on some marginal if appreciatively unslick and non-gory jitters. In true indie-explosion fashion, writer-director Oren Peli's $11,000 feature went from midnight-screening word-of-mouth to $100-million hit upon release from Paramount (which had the good sense not to stick logos and credits on what was intended to play like found footage of a ghost capture gone wrong).Any lingering questions, however, as to whether the follow-up represents a "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" scenario — in other words, what gives real shivers to Hollywood: killing a franchise with one bad sequel — can be easily laid to rest. This "Paranormal," set once again in a roomy two-story suburban house, is more of the same, for all the good and acceptably routine that that implies.
First off, there are more characters, in this case a Carlsbad, Calif., family composed of a dad (Brian Boland), second wife (Sprague Grayden), perky teen daughter from the first marriage, boy toddler, Latina nanny who senses bad spirits and German shepherd (whose alertness to things unseen is one of the movie's new goose-bump-raising assets).
There are also more visual perspectives, from the hand-held camcorder that various family members use to document initially happy — then increasingly worrisome — household events, to the six security cameras installed in the wake of an unexplainable burglary. Katie (Katie Featherston) is back, too, as the sister of this movie's young mom. If that sounds odd considering how the first film ended, this one's narrative is craftily arranged around its precursor's timeline, and on that front, that's all the plot you're getting here. (Robert Abele, 23 Oct. 2010)

Black Swan

Most people that I know that have also seen this movie have not liked it. They describe it as "boring and weird" but I disagree. Sure, it moves slowly at times, but that is because there is something that the director wants you to see, something you wouldn't normally see without actually "interacting" with the movie, so to speak. The movie is also strange, i'll give them that, but that is also why I think it is such a good film. It embodies the raw mentality of an obsessed human being and her struggle to find herself. For those of you who have not seen the movie and therefore have no idea what I'm talking about, here is the storyline and preview:

Nina (Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her. (IMDb)

The movie is dark and disturbing and raw, which is what makes it so interesting to watch. I would highly recommend seeing this movie if you have not already.

Seeing Stars

In my opinion, Stars is the best band in modern existence. They have good (an untampered with) voices, deep and emotional lyrics, and just an overall good sound. The best way to test how good a band really is (at singing) is to go on to Youtube and look up a live performance. Or better yet, several live performances. Even better than that, live performances in small studios or NOT in front of huge crowds. Torquil, the lead male singer and Amy, the lead female singer, thoroughly aced that test.


Amy's best song.


Torquil's best song.

This Canadian band is listed as indie, and though they are not very widely known, they have been nominated for album awards and have opened for Coldplay, though they have become more reknowned since then. Here is a little different style of song from Stars:

Alien Invasion!: Part 2

Earlier this year I did a post on the Sci-Fi 80's mini-series V: The Final Battle and I said that I would let y'all know when I finally got around to watching the updated version on ABC. Well, my friends, that time is now. The newer series is just as good as I expected it to be (Juliet from Lost is the main character!) The whole plot is different, primarily because it is a TV series rather than three short films. The characters are different too, though the basic idea is the same. Instead of Diana, Anna is the evil reptilian Queen. Erin Evans is the equivalent of Juliet. The rest of the cast includes Erin's son, Tyler; rogue V Ryan; his PREGNANT human girlfriend Val (remember the whole hybrid baby thing from the 80's series?); Jack the priest; Kyle Hobbes, gunman for hire; Lisa, Anna's daughter (assigned to seduce Tyler); and a plethora of other characters that either don't matter, or that I don't care about. Here's a picture of the new cast:

Tyler Evans, Lisa, Chad Decker, Erin Evans, Jack Landry, Anna, Ryan Nichols, Valerie

Even though I am quite fond of the cheesy acting and horrible special effects from the 80's version, I like this newer take on V better. There is a more confusing plot, complex characters, and a constant sense of confusion (as in people that matter will actually die). Almost every episode ends with a cliff hanger (Lost anyone?), which is unfortunate because I just finished the first season and the second season is still on TV/I never know when it is on. Preview!:



The special effects could still use some work, but they are a huge step up from the earlier version.

I'm looking forward to the second season as Diana from the original V will be an added star (playing the part of Anna's mother) I'm hoping that you will try out this new series too! 

Alien Invasion!: Part 1

Lately, and oddly enough, I have had an urge to watch Sci-Fi TV shows about aliens, the two shows in question being Roswell and V: The Final Battle. Since attempting to talk about both at the same time would be both difficult and confusing, at least for me, I will focus on Roswell first. Roswell is a 90's TV show targeted at a teenaged audience. (like me!) Here is the overview of the show:

Living among the citizens of the infamous New Mexico city of Roswell are some who are not there by choice. They are there to follow a destiny given to them by the members of their dying race, a race that they are someday destined to save. This is the background behind the WB series "Roswell". Max Evans, Isabel Evans and Michael Guerin are teenage humans with extraordinary gifts - gifts that are "not-of-this-earth". They are human/alien hybrids, sent here to complete their destiny. Their counterparts have already perished in a war of attrition, thus one day, they will return to their home planet and save their race. Before a fateful day in 1999, the teens hid their gifts. The event that forever changed their lives was when Max healed Liz Parker (a classmate) after she was fatally shot in the stomach in a dispute between two customers at the restaurant where she waitresses. A close relationship then develops between Max and Liz. Central to the first season were the relationships between the hybrids and their human companions. That focus has shifted during the drama's second season. "Roswell" is now distinctly a science-fiction show built on the relationships between humans and aliens. (IMDb)

As you can see, this show is distinctly teenaged. The great thing about it is that it is also distinctly 90's. There is no recurring theme of sex and drugs (MTV) or the life of an undercover pop star (Disney Channel). The theme is trivial adolescent problems, with a twist. Despite the fact that yes, three of the main characters are aliens and they're biggest problem is being discovered and used as lab rats by the government, they are just like you and me. They have relationship problems, family problems, school problems, and so forth. The blandness is what makes the show awesome, not the extravagance.

The thing that I love most about this show is not the theme, however that does play a big role, but the music. The music that is chosen to accompany each scene fits the mood  PERFECTLY, not to mention that it is actually good music. The only problem I have is that a lot of times it cuts off suddenly and randomly, but usually it isn't that big of a problem.

I lied. My favorite part of show is the opening. I can honestly say that the opening of this show is my favorite out of any show ever. See for yourself:


(it's not usually this fast)

The best part about this is that there is an actual title sequence. Some shows (like Lost) just flash the title without introducing the characters and they're general personalities. A good opening is one that you never get tired of.

As far as the episodes of Roswell go, they are addicting. Multiple plots are being built up within each episode, Max and Liz's relationship, a clue about their home planet, Sheriff Valenti finding evidence of Max and his friends being aliens, and so much more. True, sometimes the plot can be a little bit ridiculous or even superficial, but overall the plot seems to move along at a nice pace and without too many flaws.

The setting also adds a lot to the show. It takes place in the dry desert terrain of Roswell, New Mexico (hence the name) and includes the alien themed Crashdown Cafe, Roswell High, The Sheriff's station, each character's house, and several other interesting places, one being the actual pod chamber in which the aliens were "born."

The characters in this show... well, they could use some improvement. Most of them are pretty one-sided, with the exception of Michael and Tess. Max could use a sense of humor and a huge serving of moral failings. No one is a saint. Not even an alien king. Liz is pretty likeable, but she could use some more personality as well. Other than that, I think the characters are adequate.

I hope that my review of this show has caused you to consider watching this show. If not, then I really wish I could force you. Roswell definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite TV series and it will hopefully be the same for you.

I am a Guitar Hero and I Just Dance

Please try to abstain from making fun of me, I can think of nothing else to blog about. So here I go. I love both games. They are excellent for parties. Guitar Hero involves pressing buttons on a guitar shaped controller in time with the notes that are going past on the TV screen. It involves using a lot of hand-eye coordination, which is good for some and bad for others. The best part about the game, though, is that you get to play to some of the best songs, some more difficult than others. As technology enhanced and Guitar Hero got some competition from Rock Band, other instruments were added. This was a good addition involving partner play, but the songs are lacking now. Not lacking in overall quality, but in the difficulty of the guitar part. It is, after all, still called Guitar Hero, but I feel that the guitar part has been left in the dust. Also when/ is there going to be a Guitar Hero 6? I never know. Guitar Hero 5 was unheard of by me until I looked it up to see if it existed last Christmas. No one else knew it existed. Will the Guitar Hero legacy finally end? Do I care? I don't know.

Moving on to Just Dance. My friend first introduced me to this amazing game last summer. It was crazy fun. It was a revolution. And best of all, it included my favorite song at the time: Acceptable in the 80's. The gameplay is simple: hold your Wii remote in the standard position and follow the dance moves on the screen. Only it's not that simple. Besides the fact that the dance moves are shown beforehand by an awkwardly posed stick figure with a mess of arrows, the game is very picky when it comes to where your remote is and when. Not only do you have to hold it at the exact correct angle to begin with, but you are expected to keep it at that angle while doing difficult dance moves. Despite these grievences I still love the game, and the gameplay and song list has gotten better from the first to the second song. Here is the preview for Just Dance 2:



*Update. As it turns out there is a Guitar Hero 6. Who knew? Well now I do. And looking at the song list is making me angry. If the majority of the songs weren't so terrible, I might be able to overlook their use of an Interpol song. But the majority of the songs are terrible. So I am angry. Guitar Hero has gotten progressively worse and I get very protective of bands like Interpol when it comes to being used in movies, or games. Grrr. Here's the song list: Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock song list

V: The Final Battle

My first day back from Winter Break was spent watching all three parts to an 80's sci-fi mini series called V: The Final Battle. Though the Special effects were quite mediocre and some of the acting was less than stellar, I was hooked. The series is about seemingly peaceful aliens who visit Earth asking the humans for help. The real reason for the visit of these reptilian extra terrestrials is to take all of the food and water from Earth due to a shortage on their home planet. Did I mention that by food they mean the humans? Creepy, right? Well luckily for the humans, not all of these aliens are bent on destroying humanity. Some want compromise. Together, a group of rogue aliens and humans join forces to defeat their leader, Diana, and her strong military force equipped with powerful laser guns. Not an easy feat. And that's about all I can tell you without giving something away. Sorry, but you are going to have to see this for yourself.

Now for my thoughts on the series. I thought is was pretty good for an old series with minor actors, by minor I mean not widely known. I even sacrificed sleeping to find out what happened in the end, which was finally revealed at midnight. I have to admit I was a little disappointed by the ending. After 6 hours of watching several different interesting plots build up and mesh together I think I have a right to be. Don't get me wrong, the ending wasn't bad, just not a surprise. And there was a cliff hanger. Now that's just unfair. If you're going to make a sequel then go right ahead and hang, but after two sequels I think it's a little unfair for it to end that way. I'm just being whiney though. That was the only exciting part of the end.

You all might have heard of the new TV series called V starring Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost. Well sadly I know about as much as you do, if you know anything, about this updated version. Though now more than ever I feel the urge to watch it. As soon as I do watch it, which I will be sure to, you can bet your boots that I will do a post on it.

Now, since this post is getting quite long with no picture or video breaks, I will show you my favortie scene, which also happens to be the most ridiculous/hilarious scene:



I commend the producers for the effort, but the special effects just ruin the dramatic effect.

Remix

Remixes. Some are good, some are bad. Some make me want to shoot the DJ responsible for the abomination, some make me want to leap for joy whenever I hear them. How do you know when a remix is good you might ask? Well, it is somewhat a personal decision, you could simply decide whether you enjoy the original version or the remix better. But that takes work. And most people are lazy. So I will save you the effort by telling you which remixes you should stay away from. The worst, and unfortunately the most often listened to remixes are usually the ones that you hear on your local maintream radio station, surprise surprise!

You know a remix is bad when:
1. It is by children (yes Kidzbop, this is directed at you)
2. It is by an annoying rapper and/or group
3. It is a cover of an already amazing song (take for example Disney movie songs covered by Diseney channel "stars")
4. The beat does not match up with the original song
5. It is worse than the original.

Now you know which ones to avoid. But which ones am I allowed to listen to, you may ask. Well, faithful reader, you will listen to the remixes I deem good. How do you find the good ones with so many bad ones? You could start by looking up one of your favorite bands on Youtube and simply add "remix" to the end of your search. Secondly, and most importantly, make sure that the remix is done by a good artist. If you don't know, look it up! Any stupid or mainstream rapper name should be discarded immediately. Still need help? Here is one of my favorite remixes, the first video is the original and the second is the remix:



Good, but it could use some improvement:




Much better. I hope my vague expertise will be enough to rescue you from any bad remixes you may encounter in the future.

Most Embarrassing Christmas Gift

Quite a few years ago my father introduced me to what would prove to be the most entertaining Christmas tool ever created. It is called Elf Yourself. It started out as a small site powered by JibJab and Office Max, it's main purpose was, and still is, to find horrible pictures of your friends and family, crop them to fit on an elf's body, and watch them dance while laughing hysterically. Since then, the site has grown a great deal and now includes not one, but several dances to choose from! You can also have up to four backup dancers (which means you can socially scar up to 5 people at one time). And, best of all, you can buy a mug imprinted with their face so they can forever remember that absolutely wonderful picture that you obtained.

Tutorial time! For those of you who have a hard time following simple instructions, I will walk you through the process of "elfing" yourself, or more likely someone else. I will be using a picture that my dear friend so graciously gave me permission to edit with the promise of one excellent Christmas present, and I will stay true to my word.

First, you will need to navigate to Elf Yourself, which I have obviously provided the link for. Time to get started! Rotate, zoom, and nip & tuck your picture until it fits perfectly within the lines:

Excellent.

Moving on to the next step. Now you can make more elves, clone your current elf, or continue. This time I'm just going to continue on to the dancing stage. Choose the dance that you want performed...

I chose Disco.

And now, simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Oh, and try not to wet yourself laughing:

As you've probably noticed, I decided that a group of dancing clones would be a lot more spectacular than one single elf. My favorite dances include the Charleston, 80's, and, of course, the Orginal.

If this wasn't good enough for you, there is another site that will never fail to impress me. For those of you who are not satisfied with the picture you were planning on using, there is a way to edit it, a very seamless way, I might add. Capable of giving any picture, or person, an upgrade at any time: InStyle Makeover. This tool is pretty self explanatory/I don't feel like explaining how to use it, so knock yourself out. Fortunately for this elf, I think that this picture and video combo is fantastic as is, so I'm not going to mess around with the whole makeover thing.

So there you have it. Make videos, memories, and possibly enemies with this wonderful, and embarrassing, tool.

Adult Swim

Cartoon Network is a scary channel at night. Well actually, Cartoon Network is a bit scary during the daytime too. As anyone who has ever seen any show on this channel will probably tell you, these are the strangest shows that have ever been aired/viewed. Upon watching Courage the Cowardly Dog and Powerpuff Girls when I was younger, I didn't notice anything odd. Now, on the rare occasions that I do see my favorite childhood shows, I do notice the oddness. Generally Courage the Cowardly Dog is just a weird show. Every episode is just as strange as the next, and sometimes even scary, but I have already done an entire rant on this show so I will now move on the Powerpuff Girls. This seemingly innocent show is actually anything but: have you seen the villains? Mojo Jojo for example is a criminally insane monkey with his brain hanging out of his head.

 And what about my personal favorite; Him? This villain's gender is still under question despite what the name implies, if you don't believe me just watch this:



Despite my criticism I still love the Powerpuff Girls and all of their ridiculous foes, especially Him.

Now I shall move on to Adult Swim. Adult Swim is what Cartoon Network morphs into in the evening, which is to say that the shows are equally as "unique," but include strong adult themes, hence the name. I rarely stay up late enough to watch any of these shows, but on the off chance that I do happen across one of them, I know that I am in for a show that will never be forgotten. With shows entitled "Robot Chicken" and "Assy McGee" you will receive a pretty blatant warning as to what you are in for, but then again maybe not.

About a week ago, while I was hastily finishing up one of my blog posts, I received a text from my sister which read something along the lines of: "watch adult swim right now." Being an experienced Swimmer, I knew right away that I was going to be shocked and disturbed by what was about to pop up on my computer screen, and I was right. The show that I witnessed was called "The Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! Chrimbus Special."

Just be glad I didn't include a video clip with this one.

The best show I have ever been introduced to on Adult Swim is called "Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law." Actually, my sister is the one who introduced me to this wonderful show. Unfortunately, it is almost never aired on Cartoon Network anymore. Sad, I know. Here is a preview of the wonder that is Harvery Birdman:

What did I tell you? Excellent, right? Well that is the end of my rant. I guess what i'm trying to say is "Beware of Cartoon Network." But, if you are brave, curious, bored, or all three, you should take the time to explore the water, so to speak.

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Over the summer my family obtained Netflix. We all automatically became obsessed with watching hundreds of movies per week, sometimes per day. While scoring the films in the Instant Queue, my sister (the oldest one, as in the not crazy one) came across an interesting Indie Dramedy entitled "Me and You and Everyone We Know." The movie commences with a strange artist creating an odd monotone poetic commentary for her artistic works. The rest of the movie is equally odd, including the best scene ever created in all of filmmaking history. I simply call it the "Back and Forth" scene:



As you may have noticed the whole "Back and Forth" story is continued in this video. The whole thing is a little hard to understand out of context, but it is super hilarious if you have seen the movie. The "icing on the cake," or whatever you would like to call it is unfortunately left out in this video, so I shall tell you. SPOILER ALERT! The lady sitting on the bench happens to be a very influential, and very harsh, art show coordinator. The main character tries, without success, to have her art shown in her display. Small World eh? Hence the title "Me and You and Everyone We Know." So anyway, at the end of this whole "Back and Forth" sequence, the banner to this women's art show is shown to reveal none other than, you guessed it, ))<>((. You'd have to watch the video above to understand exactly what significance ))<>(( has.

Top 3 Christmas Songs

Since I have absolutely no other ideas at the moment, I suppose I'll just do a short rant on Christmas music. Some people love it, some people hate it. I happen to love it. The old stuff, at least. I hate the new pop and hip-hop remixes of originals - gross. I love Hippopotamus and White Chrustmas - you name it. But my personal favorites rank as following:

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time - Paul McCartney

Note: while browsing for a decent replacement music video on YouTube I found a Demi Lovato version of it. I cannot describe the revulsion and disappointment I am feeling right now.

Step Into Christmas - Elton John

Elton John is just so amazing.

Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses

Excellence.

I apologize for the lack of original music videos, but believe it or not there aren't any out there, and live is just unexceptable. So there you are. I hope you enjoy my suggestions and share in my hatred for covers of originals.

Sequel Equals Reekuel

Why are sequels so horrible? I honestly don't understand. More so I don't understand why sequels even exist. I mean why does it matter what happens after Shrek marries Fiona? Who cares? Why is it necessary to continue to portray the thousands of possible alternate realities. I just don't understand. I actually somewhat enjoyed the second movie, it was interesting incorporating Fiona's parents, Prince Charming, Puss in Boots, and human Shrek into the movie, though it seemed like a completely different series. Come the third movie I was sorely disappointed. And as for the fourth movie? I refuse to even watch it. I mean in an alternate reality where Shrek doesn't marry Fiona she would STILL BE A PRINCESS! Not an ugly ogre superhero, or whatever she was supposed to be. I mean she had plenty of men interested in her: the King, Prince Charming, I mean surely one of them would've broken the curse. I mean what has this once great Pixar comedy come to? Resorting to sequels, please!

Unfortunately, Shrek is not the only series guilty of sequels. Take for example Air Bud. That dog lost popularity in the 90's. Come on. Just end it. And The Princess movies? What are you trying to prove?! Are you trying to make everyone hate you by destroying classics? Well guess what? It worked. In Cinderella 2 an ugly stepsister finds happiness and a mate. NO. She doesn't deserve happiness because she is too mean and ugly. In the second Little Mermaid movie Ariel has a twelve-year-old daughter. NO. Ariel is what, 16 in the first movie? I don't see much difference in her appearance in the second movie. Also, her daughter is super annoying. I don't think Ariel would have such an annoying daughter:

Again, no.

Now as usual my point does have another side. Think Harry Potter. I think most people would agree that the first movie is not the best movie. The reason for this? The series is based off of books. Each book builds on the previous so that the series as a whole only makes sense after reading every single book. You don't have to watch the fourth Shrek movie to know that it is stupid and pointless.

But what about other good sequels not based on books? You may ask. Well, I think that Toy Story is pretty darn good. But think about the time period between the second and third movie: years. The creators of the movie were planning on making sequels right from the start, they didn't just decide to make one last movie spur of the moment. The movie was meant to go on. It was meant to apply to the generation of kids who loved the first movie and who will love the third movie.

The one thing that really just kills me is when they change actors. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Oh our audience is too unobservant to notice the complete reconstruction of one of the main characters. Uh, no. We will notice. And we will hate it. You can't just replace Macauly Culkin, he makes the movie! What was the point of the sequels? I know I've never seen them. So what was the point of wasting money to make them? Another movie: The Mummy. How can you replace Rachel Weisz? She's a main character. Why even make the movie without her? Everyone will know and everyone will hate it. The result of replacing an amazing actress: a horrible hokey sequel. Truth is, Rachel Weisz refused to participate in the 3rd Mummy movie because the script was so badly written:

The same source that broke that original info to us contacted me tonight to update us on why Weisz left. Our source says, “the script is still in the same shape that it was the last time I told you about, meaning that its still crap and Weisz finally took the high road out of there.” It sounds like even if they do manage to get other key cast members to participate, it won’t matter. It will take a miracle to make The Mummy 3 good. (cinemablend.com)

So yeah. Sequels are horrible unless they are planned before the first movie. I honestly don't know why they exist. I mean, they can't bring in as much profit as the original. I guess I will just never understand what really goes on in the film industry.

Someone Please Explain to Me What is Even Happening!

What do music videos do for the song they are created for? Some have seemingly no relation to the lyrics or even the style of the song, yet those tend to be the more interesting videos to watch. Accoring to Wikipedia, music videos are used primarily as a marketing device. But how do body builders going up against drag queens make the song anymore popular? I mean sure it's interesting, but WHAT?! Here's what I mean:



Now does this video seem to fit this song? I think not. That being said, I do still love the song itself and I find the music video fairly amusing.

Another interesting video i've come across while browsing Youtube for music is the song Evil by Interpol. This video features a strange human-like puppet suffering from trauma after a car crash:



Odd right? Well somehow it works with the song, even though it is quite creepy.
This last video is one that my sister showed me, which actually fits the song pretty well, though, again it's a little on the creepy side:



So those pretty much prove my point that music videos, or at least the ones associated with the music that I listen to, have nothing to do with the actual song itself. And then, of course, there are the popular music that plays on the radio.

If you've seen any other MTV or Disney channel music videos, you will notice that the majority of them actually somewhat follow along with the meaning of the lyrics and tell a story. Granted, I am making a few generalizations but you know what I mean.
I personally prefer the unrelated music videos, the strangeness of them makes the already awesome song that much more interesting. As I have said before, my favorite music style is indie. As the music itself is very individual, it would make sense that the videos would be too. So, as my parting, I will share with you what is quite possibly the most confusing/amazing song/music video combo ever created, try not to wet yourself:

What's All This Craze About Harry Potter 7?

Yes. I have seen Harry Potter 7. It was excellent. I was one of the millions of people who flocked to the theater to see the beginning of the end of Harry Potter. The saga is almost complete. The story is getting progressively sadder and more realistic as the trio of wizards face the horrors of hiding out in the real world, always worrying about the family and friends that they left behind. Death is in the air and Harry and his friends know that it's coming for them next. And cut. Cliff hanger! The new Harry Potter does not fail to impress me. I have heard a lot of people say that the newer Harry Potter movies have been lacking, and though I disagree, I think that everyone can agree that this was one of the best, if not the best installment of the Harry Potter movies. I'm not saying it's my favorite, as my favorite will forever remain Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It was definitely way different than any Harry Potter yet. When reading the books it is hard to imagine a world outside of Hogwarts, but I think that this movie did an excellent job of portraying the settings and making them match the tense and depressing mood without having much to go on. We, the viewers, are finally forced to stop thinking of Harry, Hermione, and Ron as adults rather than children, which isn't hard as Harry is often topless. The only downside I see to it is Voldemort. And this has actually been a problem since the 4th movie when he first appeared in his human-ish form. He just isn't intimidating! What's worse is seeing him actually makes me laugh. That's just not right. He's just so strange! The way he says things, his mannerisms, it's just all wrong. I could say the same about the "new" Dumbledore, but those who have seen the newest movies know why that would be an irrelevant concern. Despite Voldemort and his quirks, the movie is great and everyone should see it. But only after watching all of the other movies! Here's the trailer (for both parts): Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Beginning of the End, or is it End of the End?

I finally finished the Lost saga, though I finished with a heavy heart. I suspect that there are very intense feelings about the season finale, some good and others not so good. The series ended like every episode ended, in a confusing cliff-hanger that leaves the viewer wanting more. Though I found the ending quite satisfying, I noticed that a lot of questions were left unanswered, which is a good reason not to like the ending. I have done a little research to see what other people thing. Here is the preface for the Los Angeles Times article on the topic:

If "Lost" guaranteed anything with its terrifically moving but mythology-deprived series finale, it's that the show will go on, as fans spend the summer re-watching and analyzing what "The End" offered and what, others argue, it failed to deliver.
The finale episode drew a respectable 13.5 million viewers, but by not attracting the huge finale audiences of other classic TV shows, the ABC series cemented itself as a cult phenomenon.

One major problem contributing to the mixed feelings over the ending is the masses of people that were interested in this show. Everyone is different. And since the show left a lot of wiggle room for the viewer to decide what they wanted to happen, when the end actually came and they did or didn't see what they wanted to see, the debate began. It is no surprise that people were put off when the show had to be explained out of context, but then another argument comes up, if everything was explained during the show, would that make it better or would it ruin the general effect? I believe the first. The show was great as is and the ending left the viewer thinking. I know it took a while to sink in after I saw it. I found myself day dreaming during school about what could've, would've, or, in my opinion, should've happened. I think this is a necessary quality for a truly good show. It should make the audience think. There are too many mindless reality TV show nowadays. Like I said before, originality is good. Lost, however, is like a jigsaw puzzle. You need each episode to understand everything. Miss one and the final picture is incomplete. Unfortunately, I missed several from the first season so that probably adds to my confusion.

I have another review coming up and I would first like to say, besides the fact that this is from someone who really hated the ending, there are detailed descriptions of exactly what happens in The End. So here goes:

Those who spent the better part of the last six seasons wondering where in the heck the sometimes frustrating, almost always entertaining mystery could possibly go finally got their answer. If they can make sense of it, that is.

In the end, the electromagnetically charged mystery island gave way to a hug-filled waiting room leading to a pan-spiritual afterlife, led by the aptly named Christian Shephard. Whew!

It’s a daring way to end “Lost” — leaving plenty of questions unanswered and winking out on what has to be its least satisfying twist to date.

At least no one can say they saw that coming.

Again, this is only an excerpt from the whole story, but you get the point. When browsing through the articles having to do with the Lost finale, I hardly found any articles praising the writers for their work on the ending, but I did found one which is necessary to show all sides of the story:

Thrillingly, cleverly, and in a manner that tapped into the simple, profound truths of great American works like Our Town, the show spelled out for viewers what it has been saying all along. Lost is about life and death, faith and science, spirit and flesh, and has always stressed that the title refers to the characters' souls, not their location.

So there you have it. All opinions on the end are adressed. Almost. Close enough. Now all that's left is for you to watch the show and form your own opinion about the ending and then post it in my comments. Happy losting!

Total Life Forever

I was recently introduce to an amazing new British Indie Rock band called Foals by my sister. From the moment I heard their first song my mind was instantly and officially blown. It's funky, it's fresh, it's fantastic! Here's a sample of their best song, in my opinion: Total Life Forever. Moving away from Foals and into the broader topic of Indie music in general, some of you may ask: What is Indie music exactly? Well, as provided by Wikipedia, the definiton is: In popular music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie," is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and and outonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing. Hmmm, and I always though indie was shord for Indian. Despite my ignorance to the origin of the name of this musical style, I have grown to love it. It is hard to explain what the sound is like. Some might call it trippy, others mellow. I call it amazing. One distinctive feature is the simple guitar riff, which is what I like most about this style. That paired with very talented musicians. In our world today there is a popular belief that anyone can sing. While it is true that anyone can sing, this does not mean that everyone can sing well. Take for example Disney channel. Now i'm not saying that all of them are bad at singing, but it should not be necessary to use that much technology on someone's voice. Especially when that person is famous soley for that purpose. It's like cheating. That's another thing that's good about indie music; originality. My biggest fear is that indie music will become a new fad to use and abuse, like so many other good styles before it. Part of it's authenticity is it's secrecy. When discussing music with my friends, or anyone for that matter, I often find that they have no idea who I am talking about when I mention Interpol or The Delgados, or sometimes even Stars. Of course there are some pretty well known indie bands such as Radiohead, but I still rarely ever find someone else who shares my love for indie. Though indie could be beneficial to society by restoring some of the originality that used to be necessary to become famous, but has as of late become a minor requirement, I am glad that this style remains shrouded behind the curtain of popular musical genres.