Game On: Week of Oct. 26

My recent column reviewing NBA 2K13 and NBA Baller Beats. Just glad the wife wasn't around to watch me nearly shatter multiple bones in my body trying to play Baller Beats. It's a rough one, kids. And thanks to the North Jersey papers for publishing.

  

Game On: Week of Oct. 17

My recent column reviewing XCOM: Enemy Unknown and The Walking Dead: Episode 4 — Around Every Corner. Thanks to the Toledo Blade for publishing.

  

Friday Funnies

Sure, it was great reading about Obama calling out Romney as the "bullshitter" that he is. BUt to be honest, I like my president to be a little more crass. And lo and behold, we have audio proof. I never knew about Obama's audiobook version of his "Dreams of My Father." I didn't have much interest in reading it, and so I never paid much attention until a friend sent me a website that has a selection of choice clips.

Mind you, Obama is just reciting his book and the memories he recalls. But still, it's 100% badass listening to him talk like a street thug and bitching about ordering french fries.

President Obama is Tired of Your Shit

My Childhood Bastardized

And the hits keep on coming from Hollywood. They are continuing to dip into the well of my childhood (or near-childhood, at least) and take things that I remember and sometimes deeply appreciate and mock sad mockeries or interpretations out of them.

First up is Carrie. This movie doesn't come out until 2013, but let's be clear … it's already been out before. Sissy Spacek rocked the pig's blood dye job, and Travolta even has some appearances. Of course, it's much more remarkable for Piper Laurie's performance as Carrie's cracked-out mother, who makes freakouts over wire hangers look like an innocent bake sale. I like Chloe Moretz and I kinda hope this movie does OK, but I have so little faith in remakes these days that I have little hope for this one.



Next is Evil Dead. This may be the greatest movie of the year or the decade, but to me it's an abomination. Honestly, go the "kids trapped in a cabin that turns into a hellhole" storyline and just call it something else. And I don't give two shits that Sam Raimi is behind this retelling of his classic. There is just no reason to invoke the name and all that is holy with Ash and that character and that run of cult classics. Yes, I may be a little too passionate about Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, but that still doesn't stop this "remake" from appearing like a gory cashgrab.

Idiot of the Day

All I wanted to do was pick up a pizza.

Normally I am fine with letting parents do what they have to do to keep a kid entertained. My dog has a longer attention span than a young kid so I understand you gotta do whatever it takes to keep the kid from causing all holy hell and throw a tantrum of King Kong-level proportions.

What I cannot handle is a parent BECOMING a child in order to entertain a child, thus removing your reason for being, which is being a parent and keeping things chill.

Take this lady. I was picking up a pizza at my local pizza joint and while I waited for the pie to be boxed and so forth, I could hear this incessant banging of silverware on plates and tables. I turned to quietly scorn a small child with my hate eyes, when lo and behold it was the kid's damn mother. The kid didn't seem interested in whatever musical creations she was hammering out, but by golly she kept on going. She was doing her best Animal from the Muppets impersonation, while everyone else around her were either laughing at them or just hoping the check would arrive faster.

Friday Funnies

I delayed my normal posting of Friday Funnies because Twitter was abuzz yesterday with news that the delayed premiere of one of my favorite shows, Community, would not stop the cast from premiering ... something. Well, they came through. Damn you, NBC. Just keep Community around for #sixseasonsandamovie

Game On: Week of Oct. 12

My recent column reviewing Dishonored. Only one game in this column because it was so good I ran long. Thanks to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune for publishing.

Game On: Week of Oct. 5

My recent column reviewing FIFA 13 and Resident Evil 6. Thanks to the Detroit News and Toledo Blade for publishing.

 

Friday Funnies

Because a world with Adam Scott and Jon Hamm working together is a better world for us all. It's a fact.

My Night Down the Rabbit Hole

Sunday night was a treat. Sure, it would have been awesome to experience this with some friends, but everyone was busy so I had to ride solo in seeing one of my favorite bands, Frightened Rabbit, play at the Black Cat.

They've released a few new songs over the last year, a few of them quite good and several just kinda meh. But the Scottish band only makes it over to the US once a year, and they included DC in the nine-city tour so I had to make sure I didn't miss them.

The played just about everything I wanted to hear, but what made the concert so awesome was how they slightly altered the arrangement of songs we all knew well. Many upbeat songs were played more dulcet or muffled, and the inclusion of a new guitarist meant more jamming and feedback when certain songs did reach their crescendo.

If there was a downside to the night, it was the dickhead behind me who proudly (and drunkenly) proclaimed, "Fuck all y'all, I'm the obnoxious 'whoop' guy tonight" and proceeded to whoop after every damn song and sounded like jackass the entire night. Luckily I was able to maneuver a few people forward that way their ears were blasted by his annoying bullshit all night. This was capped by him singing every damn song off key and out of rhythm because of the before-mentioned changes in how the songs were played.

Nevertheless, he didn't spoil a thing for me. Of the three big highlights from the show, the first was a pared-down version of Backwards Walk, which Scott almost apologized for as if he was reliving a bad breakup with a girl in front of us and just needed to grind through that song. It was stellar, and the best rendition I've heard them do of it in the three concerts I've attended.



The second was the band playing a 6-song encore, which just normally isn't done anymore because bands and venues try to keep the time limit on shows to a hard line. And it's not like they were making up for a weak main set. By the tail end of the encore, Scott kept saying, "OK, really, just one more. You are all too fucking good tonight" as they dipped into earlier albums or plucked a favorite B side track that everyone still knew the words to.

The last highlight was the top-tier of concert highlights … the white whale of live shows … the double encore. They closed the encore with The Loneliness, which if you listen to the song below, ends with a great opportunity for crowd interaction.



They finished the song with all of us reciting that cheer, and they took their bows, left the stage and the house brought up the lights and started the house music to tell us all to go home. Well, instead of shuffling off most everyone stayed and kept on singing that chant. Over and over again.

About 5 minutes of this (and believe me, that chant isn't very long, so five sustained minutes of this was worthy of giving you goosebumps) and the band strolled back up for a tired, but always-excellent, final closer of Keep Yourself Warm. I've been to many concerts where fans try to entice the band into playing longer and 99% of them never do. When Scott and the guys came back onto the stage with fresh shots of whiskey poured, you just knew they were feeling it. We all were.

Friday Funnies

Tuesday was the 25th anniversary of "The Princess Bride" being released in theaters. I can't actually recall whether I saw this movie in the theaters or not. Problem is, I know I've seen it twice for special screening type things in high school and college, so those memories cloud the past.

Nevertheless, it's in the Campbell Pantheon of Favorite Movies ever, and it's one I can always stop and enjoy no matter what scene its own when I stumble across it.

It would have been easy to pick the duel or Wesley's last speech, but I figure there are a million worthy scenes, so I'll pick a more obscure one. This is Billy Crystal killing it as Miracle Max, and I always like it when he breaks character to talk about how thinly sliced the meat is.

Trailer Love

I know it's been awhile since I was on the blog. Believe me, it was hurting me more than it was hurting the 8 of you. This most recent class was a real test of skill and time management, so some things had to wait (like blogging, and my career move into synchronized horse dancing).

But hopefully I am back for a bit and ready to dive back into the thick of things. Having only seven posts in September is just bad form. You deserve better, audience of under a dozen.

First up, some recent movie trailers that have caught my attention.

This first one I had no idea even existed. Never heard any buzz or early talk of it, and that is rather rare. So color me surprised when I watched this red band trailer for the 43 Movie. Crazy stuff, and probably 100% ignorant but certain to make me laugh. Hell, the trailer alone got three good chortles out of me. Has the chance to tap into that Kentucky Fried Movie sensibility that all those Scary Movie hackjobs could only dream of touching. OK, perhaps my expectations are a bit high.



Next up is Promised Land. Let's not play games, we live in a world where all things being equal, you put talented people in front of and behind a camera and make some kind of movie about environmental issues, and there is a damn good chance I am going to watch it. This my heroin. Damn you, heroin.



Identity Thief last up for this edition. The premise sounded really juvenile and an easy cash grab for the stars, but then I watched the trailer and my hopes were raised. There may not be much new in this movie that we haven't seen in other places, but damnit whoever cut this trailer did a fine job.

Game On: Week of Sept. 28

My recent column reviewing Borderlands 2 and Little Big Planet Vita. Thanks to the Evansville Courier & Press and the Detroit News for publishing.