Blink-182's Neighbourhoods Review

A One Year Later Review. 

blink-182

neighbourhoods

it's officially been a year since this album dropped, so I figure I'll write a review, why not?


WHY BLINK?

I've been a fan of Blink-182 since I was very little, after their hiatus I found myself to still be a huge fan. Being a kid of the 90's you couldn't turn on a radio or watch a music video channel without seeing or hearing their fun pop punk sounds. (this was back when music channels still showed music videos)

I remember them being described to be as a band that "sang a lot about chicks", which is very true for their earlier work, along with songs about having sex with animals, star wars, poop, sex with humans, all the good stuff. Later in their careers they began to write songs about heartbreak, divorce, alienation, depression, being unsure about yourself, death, isolation, confusion, losing loved ones, getting older, pretty much evolving as a band and playing rock songs about the realities of life. 

I thank the music video for All The Small Things for tuning me into the band indefinitely, basically taking everything I hate in popular culture and making fun of it, they deserve every bit of fame for reinventing themselves in such fun and clever way.

 

After a four year hiatus from 2005 until 2009 it took two more years for new material to finally be released, Neighbourhoods was their comeback and followup to a number of side projects from each member, seriously I could write for days about this band, all you need to know is that these three dudes have had a lot of play from my ipod/cd player (with anti-skip protection bitches) 

lets listen to the album shall we?

Neighbourhoods, 2011(deluxe edition) 

GHOST ON THE DANCE FLOOR:

lyrically this song is about losing a best friend and hearing a song that reminds you of them so much it hurts, oddly I think it's one of the funnest sounding songs on the entire album, the guitar riffs are quick and easy, this is definitely a return to their earlier work with the maturity of their new work, I do believe this song is worth being a single. 

NATIVES: 

the opening guitar work in this song bring me back to the days of Dude Ranch's "Dick Lips", but definitely a song that could of easily appeared on their self titled album. lyrically this is a fun fast song, which I think is about just being a shit head sometimes, I'm still on the edge about the bridge in the end. 


UP ALL NIGHT:

the first single and first new material we've heard from this album, this is a much more darker sounding song than anything we've heard from the band before, I definitely like the song but I do feel sometimes that it's a little over produced compared to the rest of the album. I guess you have to give it your all in a single, killer fucking ending though.  

AFTER MIDNIGHT: 

I'm surprised not a lot of people know that this is somewhat of a sequel to I Miss You from the self titled album, Blink-182 is never afraid to explore the concept of love, I felt this song was more of a tribute to the fans, it has pretty much everything you love about a Blink-182 song in it, the drum work is fantastic.

SNAKE CHARMER: 

A hard song to put my finger on, I believe the band wanted to show us that they're still not afraid to experiment with both sound and content. A song about Adam and Eve, this is the most unique and interesting song on Neighbourhoods, and a new 'anthem' for the album "good girls like to sin". I've heard mixed reviews of this song, but I think it's stepping into new territory for the band, and the closing beat fits so well with the tone of the entire album. 

HEARTS ALL GONE INTERLUDE/HEARTS ALL GONE:

a well crafted interlude, I wish it had showcased more drum work, but I think thats the point of hearts all gone, a fast song packed with loud guitar and drum work, this was the second song released to the public, I feel though that it sounds more like a +44 song than a Blink song, but it's songs like this that give the album title its credit, they wanted to show each member is from a different neighbourhood now, this is Mark's. 

WISHING WELL: 

When I first heard this song I absolutely hated it, not sure why it took a few listens for it to catch on, very quickly it became one of the most listened to song on the entire album, this is a return to their pop punk sound, an easy course that gets stuck in your head is pretty much what made this band famous in the first place. I can imagine in the studio they said "something fun". 

Kaleidoscope: 

I believe this to be the same case with Wishing Well, they wanted  fun sounding songs on the album, I do believe at the same time though they are singing about themselves and what was going on at this time in their lives, this song seems like a very personal view on the process of recording this album. the fade out is a perfect look at the self producing and somewhat hip hop influence Travis is bringing to the table. 

This Is Home: 

This is a song that could of appeared on Take off Your Pants and Jacket, mixed with the 80s influences "Always" had from their last album. Its indeed a good song but not the best they've come up with. 

MH 4.18.2011: 

I like this song, the lyric writing always bring me back to "Apple Shampoo" from Dude Ranch, Mark knows how to write a song and make you think about your own life at the same time, "stop living in the shadow of a helicopter" is one of the coolest verses in the album.

LOVE IS DANGEROUS: 

This song is so well produced, I'm glad both Mark and Tom are featured in this song, but this is probably my least favourite song on the album, it sounds more like a Angels and Airwaves song than a new Blink song. But again this is why the album is called Neighbourhoods, Tom is more into the stadium rock now a days. 

FIGHTING THE GRAVITY:

This is another song along with Love is Dangerous that remind me of The Cure. The beginning of this song is dark and the guitar keeps up with the theme throughout. Travis drumming really complete this song, though I think this is a song that still needs to grow on me because, well, I never really listen to this one and the last one in their entirety, I usually always skip to the last song. 

EVEN IF SHE FALLS:

They intentionally made this song the last on the album to say "everything is going to be alright" after the last darker slower songs, in my opinion anyway. This is probably my second favourite song on the album, it's exactly what Blink is really good at, and reminds me of that first time someone tried to explain that they "sang a lot about chicks". 

over all this album isn't about which song is the best, it comes down to "is this a good return?". so you kinda have to rate the album in it's entirety. 

I wish they had an acoustic song on the album, or some more slower songs, it was a darker album than anything they've ever done, but at the same time it's a proper return, any Blink fan who is a true fan would appreciate it as it is, sad that it got leaked but happy it reached number one on Itunes the first twelve minutes it was out. The reviews are mostly positive, Mike Giant doing the album cover pretty much makes the best album cover they've ever had. 

I highly anticipate what they do next as a band, they are done running around naked, but they continue to sing about truly meaningful things. This album makes sense for the band. 

In closing I would give the entire thing 8/10, but again I've been a fan of this band since I was about eight years old, and eight year old Mitch would of been pretty upset if I didn't go out and buy a physical copy of it. 

-mitch

The Dark Knight Rises (In my pants)

I watched Dark Knight Rises. I have to say, i thought it was great! I thought it book ended the trilogy perfectly.
Spoilers ahead.

So a lot of people were worried about Catwoman in the flick. Some people feel she could have been removed from the movie entirely and no changes would be made to the story. I disagree entirely. She was a pretty important plot point from the start. She clued Bruce Wayne into something starting in Gotham again, she helped lead Gordon to Bane, she represents Gotham. Period. If you ask me what that means; She represents the regular person, she has a dark past shes trying to get rid of, she wants to escape her miserable life, and when a chance to do it presents itself, who would say no?

My biggest issue was that the movie let us know who was the real villain the whole time. Talia was billed right from the start, and we knew who Miranda Tate was when we saw her. Anyone unfamiliar might have been surprised, but every batman fan knew exactly who she was, and knew exactly what the twist at the end was going to be. I was a little let down they didn't do very much with her. She is revealed, and then killed within what feels like a 5 minute span in the movie.

I loved Bane. Between his monologues and Nolans ability to make someone with no ability to emote with their full face fill us with dread and awe.... The character had a goofy movie history, but this movie made me feel like Bane is ready to be taken seriously in the film versions. Hell; even his cartoon versions were all kind of silly. (What a stupid accent in TAS he had).

Batman? Well he's going through an arc where he never let the Bat go, even when it was clearly time for him too.  But then he needs to face death, but be afraid of it. I think the movie delivered his arc pretty well. And at the end we get a dead batman!! It's weird to say, but they do actually "kill" Batman.

I love Joseph Gorden Levitt. I have since Third rock. He played a great character in this flick, and we get a nod at the end that indicates that he'll be taking up the Cowl. I could have done without them out and out saying he was "Robin" (that was his birth name). They got by without calling Selena Kyle Catwoman, why the fuck did you need to call him Robin? Dick Grayson would have worked out sooooooooooooooo much better and been less on the nose. I liked his character, from an over achieving Uniform officer, to detective, to disenfranchised with the law system as it is. If any sequels come out from this, I oddly hope it'll be a Nightwing Sequel, I would not mind watching him in that roll. (Nolan won't direct, but maybe he'll produce?)

The movie as a whole had some problems, but nothing I'm not unwilling to suspend my belief for.

Some of my friends like to compare it to Avengers, some prefer it, some don't. My feeling is that both movies are fundamentally different. The Batman Begins saga is very VERY grounded in reality. With most things being entirely plausible. All the Marvel movies on the other hand, have been very "Comic Book done as a movie." They aren't the same kind of flick. They are both comic book inspired, but Batmans entire premise eschews the idea that there are beings with super powers. Thats why the scope can be as massive as it is, and not involve a being like Superman, or Green lantern. In truth, that was my one big issue with the flick, its scope was MASSIVE compared to what a normal Batman story entails. But so be it.

Over all, the movie gets a 9.5/10 from me,  Same as The Dark Knight, but I still like Dark Knight over this flick.

a trilogy doesn't mean anything anymore.

Once upon a time Peter Jackson was going to make all three The Lord of the Rings into two movies.

shopping it around, nobody was down trusting the Meet The Feeble's director with such an expensive gamble. (the guy is talented I'm just giving him shit)

They even wrote the script for one movie, Fellowship, Towers and King all condensed into what I can assume was an incoherent mess, missing characters, merged characters, and what the fuck moments were probably all up in that. 

we all know there are three movies, and so did Robert Shaye, a CEO at New Line Cinema. 

Peter was granted the pass to make three Lord of the Rings movies, because it just makes sense, three novels three movies. So Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson (with Stephen Sinclair) wrote the three screenplays. 

And I was about 13 years old when The Fellowship of the Ring came out, I was all "fuck Harry Potter" at the time. If you knew me for ten minutes you'd know I was a huge Lord of the Rings fan, it's drastically calmed down since then I assure you. 

I even went as far as to do a book report on them in the 8th grade. I owned the extended dvd boner editions and fuck did I watch all the behind the scenes, something like sixteen hours of production footage, pain staking movie magic. 

yeah I was a fan, and that's an absolute perfect fan's adaptation of those three books. 

So I hear the news Peter Jackson is working on The Hobbit with Guillermo Del Toro, you may know him from his hit film MIMIC. (or Pan's Labyrinth/The Hellboy movies) 

I was instantly hard when I heard that news, what a rad pair, I'm sure they can turn The Hobbit into an absolute perfect movie. 

The Hobbit is a shorter book than any of the LOTR novels, sitting at around 310 pages. (The shortest being The Two Towers, 424 pages)

I can honestly deal with The Hobbit being two movies, that makes sense in this Hollywood cash grab state cinema is at. 

Take a look at The Deathly Hollows. (for the record I still don't think "fuck Harry Potter") 

I walked out of the first half so disappointed, nothing fucking happened in that movie, sure it was the first half of the book, they got a lot out of the way, but compared to what was going on in the other movies/books it was the flattest of them all. The second part felt kinda cheated to me in a way, I seen it twice opening weekend, I needed to see it a second time straight if you know what I mean. I walked away from Harry Potter scratching my head as to why those movies were split up. 

Breaking Dawn, I didn't think they should of split that into two movies either, but again they got to dive deep into the story and get a lot out of the way, like Bella and Edward having sex, a cringe worthy wedding montage that put Will And Kate's to shame, Edward giving Bella a c-section with his vampire teeth, just scene after scene of fan service. 

in the end thats all these movies really are, fan service. 

it ends with (spoilers) Bella finally turning into a Trampire. I get how that could be an ending, I mean, if you've decided to cut the book in half. 

I wish I could say something about The Hunger Games sequel being split up but I've never actually read those books, and I have yet to see The Hunger Games, is it good? Jennifer Lawrence is hot. 

anyways.

Guillermo backed out, and people said the footage looked silly, too many frames per second made the movie look so real it almost looked fake. And earlier this week it was revealed that there would be three Hobbit movies. 

extending the appendix, adding new shit, why is Elijah Wood in this flick?

There and Back Again, means you go somewhere and come back, which is pretty much what happens in The Hobbit, it is a shorter book than any of The Lord of the Rings, yet we are going to be treated to three movies... how?

fan service in this case would be cutting that shit out and making this one epic movie, because thats what the novel deserves and fucking is, it's one adventure, Bilbo's first adventure, but it's gotta be 3D, and we gotta sell toys.

fuck did anyone read this book? read it, it's the fucking tits, its a classic literature, my teacher read it to the class when I was still pissing my pants.

I wish this beloved story wasn't being treated like stretchy pants, because you know what happens when you out stretch stretchy pants? they give. 

Mind you this is the mere opinion of a big Peter Jackson, J.R.R. Tolkien, and cinema in general fan who quite simply doesn't really give a shit anymore. Just an angry nerd who doesn't want a story about, wizards, trolls, dwarves, and tiny ass people ruined. 

maybe he'll do a good job, and maybe it'll be an amazing trilogy, but film is art first and business second. Peter Jackson has made some amazing films, some of my favourite films actually. This just seems kinda fishy. 

I'm back writing for I Blog For A Website, sorry this entry was so angry, in the end all I really want to convey is that, I'm no longer stoked for this flick, as much as 13 year old Mitch would hate for me to say, I just don't want to sit through a 3D three parter, for the next three years. I'm done bitching. 

and I never laugh at a live dragons. 

-mitch

Design Students These days SUCK

Working where I work, I deal with a lot of customer types. From those that just need a copy, to those that need a complete design and business plan package. The problem I find most comes from design students. Any year really. Part of it is either they aren’t paying attention in class, aren’t being taught how to do things, or are just plain stupid. I don’t know or care which answer is right. But when you want to be a designer there are basic things you need to know beyond “LOLMAKEIT LOOKPRETTY!”. You need to know the logistics in printing.

Rule 1: Don’t design in RGB, you look like a moron to the printer.

This one is simple and obvious, when you start designing your file, change your settings to CMYK. On screen you may not see a difference, but when you go to print, it can make a WORLD of difference. If you’re anal about your colour, save yourself a headache, as switching midway through your design could really mess up your colours.

Rule 2: Design your file with bleeds.

I can count on my one hand how many design students have actually properly set up their bleeds. Its simple, if you want colour to bleed off the page, include a .25” border, if you don’t, don’t expect your file to be print/cut properly. It’s not hard, if you want full bleed 8.5x11” paper. Make the file 8.75x11.25”. For the record, this will cost more as the file needs to be printed on larger size (usually 11x17) and then cut down (additional cost usually).

Rule 3: Remember to embed fonts, convert to outlines/curves, or simply, PDF your file.

Any time you print from a machine that isn’t your own, there are a lot of variables. If you used a font that isn’t on the system that is printing the file, then it won’t show up, unless you take the above steps. If your document is final (and assuming you’re dealing with a printer, it is), then this shouldn’t be an issue, any text you need to edit can be done on an earlier version of your work.

Rule 4: You’re not clever, and anything “unique” you’re doing for a project has been done before. We know what works and what doesn’t.

This is a little vague, but I get dozens of students coming through, every time one comes and says “Oh I want to cut it this way and that way, and have it bound this way, but the printing is this way.” I get a headache. The worst part of this is that the student doesn’t understand the logistics behind the “unique” twist on the project that has been done by every student ever since it became a program at a school. I can do all of the above, most of the time, but I can’t do it right now, this instant, and it’s going to cost a fair amount of money to do it since it’s all custom. “How much?” well, going off the last example (a week or so ago). $340 for a 18x24 Full bleed, Bound book, on photogloss paper, cut at odd angles and bound along the “short” edge (it’s a weird file). “THAT’S RIDICULOUS” hey baby, you’re the one with the retarded demands, Now I’d like my 20 minutes back that I spent trying to explain to you why you should just do what the rest of your class did. I know most of these profs to, they don’t give two shits about “Unique” designs, because the truth is, in the very near future, you will be in competition for the same jobs they are, and that means money from their pockets. They grade you based on several factors, one of which SHOULD BE, “will the client like it”. One of my instructors had the best method of teaching. He acted like an asshole client who was never happy with what you gave in. Very instructional, because, especially when you work freelance, that’s almost every experience I’ve had. If you handled that kind of pressure well, you got a good mark, if you had your mom call up the Dean of the program, you usually got poor marks. Sadly the truth of the matter is, design grades are meant to ensure you understand the fundamentals, and those aren’t very hard to grasp, you’ll have plenty of time to be unique after school, but schools aren’t concerned with it. The classmate who handed in a bland poster, as long as the fundamentals were right, will get the exact grade as this crazy 18x24 monstrosity with the same fundamentals.

Rule 5: Printing isn’t an exact science.

Every printer has a different personality. There are 8 printers in our store. Each one has minor differences in its color, coverage, and speed. Paper choice makes a huge difference too. So when something prints, and it didn’t come out like you expect, before you freak out and yell at me, check your fucking file, and make sure it wasn’t some oversight on your part. I’ll try several printers to get the right colours, hell, I’ll mess with some post script settings if it makes you feel better, but the fact of the matter is, if you’re doing your printing with us, you need it quickly, which means Laser printing, which means toner, which means pantone simulation, and if you don’t know what pantone means, go back to arts fundamentals because serious, wtf dude?

 Rule 6: Listen to your Print Expert.

You can be a veteran designer of 20 years, know all about different printers, print styles etc. But you know who knows just as much, if not more? Your Print Expert. We see more print jobs than you do in a year in a week. We handle every odd problem that occurs. We know more than you most of the time, and in the rare case that we don’t, our experience can inform us enough to give you advice. If you want to bull charge your way through the print experience, ignoring warnings and advice, that’s your prerogative. Don’t expect us to have sympathy when the bill comes and you owe far more than you would have had you just listened to us in the first place. Now I’m fortunate, I work overnights and deal mostly with jobs already in production. My colleagues all have had experience where we told a client what would be best, got ignored, and then had to pay out in one way or another because the customer got mad at the bill. That’s the issue with customer service, 9/10 times, once a manager is involved, some revenue will be lost, despite the fact we warned the customer, and that effects our earnings.

I’m sure I have more but that covers basically all my feelings on the matter. I’ve been in this “industry” for 7 years and been on both sides, so I know the issues on both ends. Design students seem to have gotten worse, as I said earlier, they just don’t seem to be getting taught the basics. They know how to throw together a file in inDesign, but have no clue how to output it when it’s ready for print. What’s even worse is when they expect my expertise for free. And I’m a moron because I can’t help but want to help these idiots. I should petition the schools in the area to pay me a small fee every time I have to teach their student something the instructors didn’t. Or maybe I should teach a “Printing for Absolute Complete Fucking Morons” course as part of the program. Either way…

If you’re a design student, or hell, a designer, and you’re reading this, the next time you see your Printer, give him or her a hug, we really do hate most of you, but some of you make this job fun. Be one of those.

Update!

Listening to: “A List for an Occasion” - Playlist; Skrillex, The Birthday Massacre, HIM, Black Keys

Eating: Salt and Vinegar chips

Drinking: Bottle of Water

Playing: The Darkness 2, King of Fighters

Watching: Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs

Mood: Anxious.

I’ve been playing a lot of King of Fighters lately. That’s been brought on by Rene and Mike more than any one else. Weird part is I have only played with them twice. It gave me a desire to bust out Capcom vs SNK 2, my favourite fighting game of all time. However, my PS3 is at my girlfriends parents house, so I haven’t been able to play it. Sadface.

Anyways, I just wrapped up the Darkness, and it felt great to have finished the game, even though it was short, the story was done (Penned by the long-time comic author). Playing a well told story like that reminds me why I so badly want to be a writer for my own stories told in interactive narrative. I was thinking for the last few weeks. I remember role playing online with a whole whackload of people, crafting characters and stories that STILL influence me today. Alicia is responsible for no fewer than 3 of my personal favourite characters from that time frame, and they in turn have influenced Astra and likely will forever, or until that story is done. And So I began writing a new.

The Re-write on Astra is rough. I’ve changed the POV of the story away from Darius and Knight, which is a way bigger change than I was expecting, Telling it from Bianca’s place switches it to a more clearly defined “New World” story. She has only heard about legends and myths from the past, she has no idea that the Mythical world is getting ready to burst into the realm of man again. Nor did she expect to have a role to play in it.

I also have the interesting task of writing for a female lead... I’m confident I can do it, but it’s not something I anticipated for the story I was apparently going to tell. it’s of little consequence over all. I want to do it, and this seems like it’ll be more fun.

Death in the Family

I never really talked to anyone about the death of my grandfather. well, that's not entirely true. I tell Allison about it. Sometimes. I don't know, it's hard to talk about it still. There are some moments when it all feels too real. Like, I'll be walking down the steps and the house will feel like 2000x more empty than it does normally. Sudden waves of crushing grief that he is really gone.

I miss him. A lot. I don't let it out, because I don't think I can deal with it all at once. I think about having lost him, and then I get scared. I haven't felt this way since my mother died, and I wasn't even that close to her. I'm scared of losing people I care about. I make a cocoon around me. Very few people get in, and when I do lose someone. its like an entire part of me was shredded through to get get out.

Moving on is rough, and I dread that fast approaching day where I will have to. I don't quite know how it will work out. I don't know how my grandmother will react, I don't know how things will play out. But it has to happen, the stress levels in my life, worrying about Allison and Me, my grandmother, my brother, my job, and the changes I need to make in order to put everything back into balance, something just has to give. And I'm scared it'll be my sanity. People think depression and anxiety are caused by someone being weak, but I never thought that, maybe it's because I've fought with it from age 10 onwards. It's a symptom of having to be strong for long periods of time. The anxiety has been manageable, but the depression is seeping out in other ways. I'm irritable, more than usual, I'm up and down like a bipolar, and I rapidly lose interest in things I was initially excited for.

All of this has so much to do with my grandfather. It's weird, but I feel like if he was around, I'd be able to ask him, and he'd be able to tell me what I should do. It's fucked up, but I rarely asked him for his input, and now all I want is some of his advice.

-J

Am I the only Comic Writer who does this?

Starting work on a new project with a friend of mine, but as I work out the plot for issue 1, I can't help but wonder...

Am I the only one who does this?

Trash Talk #... I stop keeping track after 2 - In Time movie review

Again, I'm going to try and keep this review as spoil free as possible. I hate spoilers as much as the next guy (maybe even more) so here goes.

In Time - Starring JT, The Chick from Mean Girls (Not LiLo or the Bitchy one. No not the hot one either, I think she played the dumb one...), Scarecrow, That dude from Mad men, and that little dude from Big bang theory.

This movie is a pretty good example what Hollywood is capable of producing ON AVERAGE. (Okay this movie may be slightly above average when it comes to normal Hollywood crap) I did enjoy it. More than I thought I would, that's for sure. I was never bored and never thought that anything was particularly ridiculous.

The movie leans pretty heavily on it's own concept (what if time was the new currency, and when you run out you die?), but that's not really a bad thing. The movie centers around Will Salas (JT), who struggles daily to keep enough time on his "clock" for him and his Mother (Oliva Wilde to survive the ghetto they live in. (The "Clock" is on your left forearm, so people can look at their Clock like it's a watch. Kinda cute.) After saving the life of a mysterious (and filthy rich) stranger (played by some dude I kinda recognized but couldn't really put my finger on it), The stranger, tired of his lavish, rich, mundane lifestyle decides he's had enough and donates the remaining 100 years left on his clock (a significant amount considering at this point in the movie we haven't seen anyone with more than a couple days on their clock). From here, JT gets chased and shit and has to deal with some stuff. He meets a girl ETC... (all this is in the trailer).

The movie doesn't disappoint, but it doesn't overly impress either. Plot-wise, It doesn't take too many risks. It's nothing overly innovative. Just a typical Hollywood thriller with a cool Sci-fi backdrop.

I was actually pretty impressed with Amanda Seyfried (besides a hideously fake wig). Not that I hate her or anything but she has a couple moments in the movie were she's pretty bad ass. JT was also fine. He's certainly coming into his own as an actor. Now, he's no Will Smith when it comes to the action/thriller genre but I could see him doing a couple more films of this genre in the future.

My major beef with the flick is how JT gets out of situatuions too easily. Why is it that every joe schmoe in movies like this are fucking Jason Bourne? Is it really necessary that the main character is not only the smartest, most clever guy in the room, but he's also a crazy good fighter/martial arts guy? It's not a huge deal, and most of the fight scenes were pretty cool, I'd just like to see him struggle a bit more.

Cillian Murphy was also pretty sweet. A more or less typical cold, by the book villain. But it worked.

My favorite part of the movie was Alex Pettyfer. I didn't know too much about this guy, other then he was in I am number four and Beastly (both of which looked god-awful), but he really impressed me.He stole the show in basically each scene he was in. He looked a little bulkier than he did in the two movies I mentioned above and it gave him a somewhat more intimidating appeal. I could easily see him stepping away from the Teen driven dribble he's been cast in and play a real bad ass villain in the near future.

This was not the Director's (Andrew Niccol) best work. Better known for Lord of War or a similar sci-fi movie, Gattaca. But there was a certain confidence and knowledge of the genre about the film that really gave it a leg up.

The movie was by no means perfect, but it was a decent thriller with a very interesting setting. I mean, everyone is suppose to be 25 years old. The screen is constantly filled with random hot young people, so that's cool. The romantic sub-plot between JT and Seyfried was surprisingly realistic and considerably natural. There were some wasted performances considering how big the cast was (particularly Olivia Wilde and Johnny Galecki) but all in all it was a fine flick.

Go see this is you like sci-fi action thrillers and hot young actors.

Scary movies

Why do people go see horror movies?

I know what you’re thinking (Actually, I don’t but just saying so for effect), what a dumb question to ask, right? Yeah… I’m right. I agree, it is not the most poignant question I’ve ever asked. It’s simple; people go to see horror movies to be scared. But since YOU already knew that I’m going to go a little deeper.

What makes us scared at the movies? It’s not Linda Blair spinning her head around that makes us shield our eyes. It’s not the part of John Carpenter’s Halloween where Michael Myers (who we presumed dead) sits up that makes us gasp. It’s not the alien popping out of a dude’s chest in Alien that makes your jaw drop, (Welll… technically it is, but I’m not trying to be technical). What makes all of this stuff scary is purely the fact that we allow ourselves to think (sometimes believe) that what’s happening on screen is REAL. This is called the "willing suspension of disbelief".

The term "willing suspension of disbelief" is a pretty dumb sounding "Hollywood" term (I put that bad boy in quotations because I’m not exactly sure where it originated, but I assumed something this stupid had to come from there), that basically states that the audience member must believe what is happening on screen could or would happen if the scenario presented itself. Allowing ourselves to be put into the shoes of the characters on screen is a key part of being scared at the movies. Imagining how we would feel, identifying with the characters (often sympathizing or even empathizing with them), and almost re-creating the scene we watch in our own heads is really what scares us.

Obviously, any movie goer over the age of 10 (I’m just shooting out a random age here) realizes that what’s happening on screen isn’t real and it most certainly isn’t happening to them. But still, they are willing to believe it from when the lights go out to when the credits roll (possibly even longer on truly scary movies) that the movie is actually happening.

But what happens when the audience member isn’t "willing to suspend their disbelief"? Clearly they won’t be into the movie, right? Why go to the movie in the first place, if you’re not willing to believe what’s happening on screen could/would happen?

*** ASIDE ***

Now, I know that there are some horror movies that play with this and they don’t try and make you suspend anything, they just try to entertain. I have no problem with these types of movies they are fun and entertaining but they don’t scare you. I’m really talking about movies that scare you.

*** END ASIDE ***

Often, there are snobs that claim they only watch "serious" horror movies, you know the ones that could be real and don’t have any stupid monsters, vampires, ghosts, demons or even killer Klowns from outer space. (Hopefully you realized that last part of that sentenced was pure sarcasm, I love all those things, specifically Killer Klowns!) Calling a horror movie "serious" is a bit of a redundancy. In my opinion, any movie that should/will scare me should be taken seriously, at least within the context of the film and movie watching experience. Unless otherwise noted (such as with movies like Planet Terror, Piranhas (3D, 2D, 3DD whatever), Feast, etc…) All horror movies should be taken seriously. People can go to a horror movie, not take it seriously and still have a good time, but they won’t get scared, and that’s what were talking about here people.
At this point (if you’re still reading) you’re probably wondering why I’ve talk about being scared for so long. When the hell am I going to get to my point? Well, here’s my point…
…

The suspension of disbelief SHOULD ALWAYS BE SUSPENDED!

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking (twice in one blog, YIKES!) sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes bad acting, or bad CGI, or bad Dialogue can really take you out of a movie. But bare with me people. I’m not talking specific horror movies here; I’m simply talking about horror movies as a whole. Maybe it's naive of me to think that people can just believe in a horror film because they want to, but I've been doing since I was a kid and I've been getting scared ever since.

There are people out there who actively dislike horror movies (I will give you a short list of these people so you can hunt them down after reading this). What’s these people’s deal? Do they not like to be scared? Usually they’ll tell you that horror movies aren’t scary or that they're stupid. Does that mean these people can’t be scared? Of course not, everyone gets scared. Most people just don't want to be scared.

Fake Convo #1

Me – "I just saw this super scary horror movie called The Exorcist, it’s about this little girl who gets possessed by the devil!"

Horror Hater – "The devil isn’t real"

Me – "…"

Fake Convo #2

Me – "Holy shit, I just saw this movie; paranormal activity, pretty scary, man. It’s about a ghost—"

Horror Hater "Ghosts aren’t real."

Me –"…"

Fake convo #3

Me – "Maaaaaan, I just saw the craziest movie. It’s called Halloween!"

Horror Hater – "OMG the people in those movies are always so stupid. It’s so unrealistic."

Me – "That’s not really the point."

Horror Hater – "The people aren’t real."

Me – "…"

Fake convo #4

Me – "Have you ever seen Jaws, that shit is so—"

Horror Hater – "Sharks aren’t real."

Me – "…"

You get the point.

What those fake conversations were trying to get across is that these people are just plain no fun. Who cares if ghosts aren’t real? Who cares if you don’t believe in the devil? Who cares if you don’t believe in sharks?! That shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a good horror movie. Hell, I don’t believe in any of that stuff (especially Sharks) and I still get scared shitless from these movies. I wonder if you hid these people from some really atrocious news headline or current event, and then sprung it on them, would they believe it.

I want to say these skeptics aren’t truly skeptics after all, Sure they may not believe in the boogeyman, but only because they are not willing to believe. What they truly believe is that believing in this stuff will make them vulnerable and that’s just what they are terrified of: being vulnerable.

Because that’s what horror movies do. It lets us experience a form of vulnerability we would normally only get from risking our lives in the same form these movie characters are. We sit down in that theater, chatting it up, laughing, texting, sexting, zexting, (if you’re curious what zexting is, just ask my girlfriend via twitter: @_sarapullen) but as soon as the previews are done and the lights are down, we stiffen up and brace ourselves. And after two hours or so of sitting there, letting ourselves be vulnerable enough in front of a screen to scream, jump, cry or even puke, we are allowed to just get up, leave and forget about it. We’re allowed to experience terror and then immediately go back to our regular lives, there are no consequences to living the watching a horror movie, no serious ones anyway.

So, next time you sit down and watch a scary movie, no matter how farfetched it is, think to yourself, ask yourself a question, and I mean really ask yourself; what if this could happen? Don’t think about whether it’s possible or even probably. Just sit back, relax and let yourself be scared.

Because isn't that why you came to see the damn movie, anyway?

It has been a while since I updated.

One would think with me working a night shift I'd have more time to blog.

Truth be told, I could be. I spend about half my time doing proper work, the other half of the time fucking off. I write, of course, jotting down ideas. But a lot of the time I spend writing is spent watching shit on Hulu…. WHich I really want Canada to have. It's amazing. Being able to stream pretty much any TV show…. I just wish I was able to buy plus, because I would honestly stop downloading TV shows entirely. It's research I suppose. It actually allows me to see what's out there beyond what I can only limitedly see (More than whats popular.)

So without further…

SHOWS I LOVE THAT I FOUND ON HULU:

1. Kitchen Confidential.

So this show is from 2004. It's basically Bradley Cooper playing Bradley Cooper as a Chef. I think ti may be partially responsible for his role in a lot of movies. He is a washed out character, who is 1.5 years sober by the time we catch up, and he gets a second chance, being put in charge of a kitchen on a small New York boutique restaurant. I loved it. It's a shame was cancelled.

2. The League

A sitcom about fantasy football league. friends since high school, and their interactions with their families, and a few outside options. I gotta say, I didn't know what this was about before I started watching it. If I had, I may not have watched it. But I'm glad I did. It is hilarious. It's on FX so their is a lot of cussing (But no fucks). I like it and will continue to watch…. Any fans of Archer should check it out, it has a similar type of humour.

3. Misfits.

This one is kind of a cheat. I have wanted to watch this show for some time. But Never got around to it. I am just rounding out the second episode now. And I am enraptured. I'll introduce this one to Allison tonight. I don't know if she'll actually be interested enough to watch it, it's a little vulgar, even by my standards. But I love the british take on this kind of story, and I am looking forward to watching more.

4. Hells Kitchen

So what the fuck. I could be watching this outside of Hulu, but I never in my wildest dream believed I would get hooked like this. I am rooting for some, and want to see one of the bitches get kicked off the show. Needless to say, this show is great and Bad for the same reasons.

SHOWS IN QUEUE

A show called Whites, about Kitchen staff again, i think its less comedy though. Testees. a show about people who are test subjects. It sounds awesome!

In any event….. Back to work

Comics defined my life.

I was always into super heroes. When I was a kid, I used to dress up as batman, not just for Halloween either, because it was Tuesday, sometimes, because I wanted to beat up some bullies around the corner. (I was a neighborhood scale vigilante.)

Truth be told, I still buy the occasional comic, but most of the time, my money is spent on other hobbies and feeding my movie and TV addiction.

The comic characters I love best.

1. Batman

This is the easiest, and obvious one. I didn't grow up in the Batman is a goofy character phase of his existence. I've always known him as the Batman from Dark Knight Returns. My second favourite Batman book, by the way, my first favourite being The Killing Joke.

Even in kids TV, like Batman the Animated Series, or Justice League, he's always been a bit darker than his counter-parts. Recently "Under the Red Hood" has captured my imagination, much like Doomsday (A Superman movie) stirred up old emotions felt at the "Death in the Family" story line. They took creative licences, since it's a 2 hour movie. I will be a Bat-fan for life, he's the number 1 comic character in my opinion, and I doubt there will ever be a character that comes close to my affection levels as Bats.

2. Nova.

Now, the original Nova was kind of shitty. But his most recent re-envisioning blew me away. While Civil War was going on in the Marvel Universe, The greater Marvel Universe (outside of Earth) was under attack from a much larger threat. The Entire Nova Corps (basically the Green Lanterns, space cops, of the Marvel Universe) was obliterated. Except for Richard Rider. Nova. Earth Sectors officer. And now the FULL power of the Nova Corp is behind him. That makes him close to one of the most powerful beings. He also plays host to the AI mind that aided and controlled the Nova Corps.

The character steps up to his new responsibilities. And creates a fighting force of the MU's most nefarious and somewhat famous beings Including Super Skrull. Bad ass.

But my favourite thing, after sacrificing a lot to buy some breathing room from the Annihilation Wave, he goes back to Earth, home to get his head together. Of course A man-sized being entering the atmosphere of Earth sets off Alarms. So Iron Man approaches him, and tries to recruit him. Nova basically tells Tony Stark to go fuck himself. His petty little differences on the planet as insignificant, and if Earth can't pull it's shit together, they'll all die. Tony, the asshole he is, brushes this off as nothing. But Richard Rider is right. Oh, and he's pissed that Cap is dead, but who wasn't?

3. Deadpool.

Hands down the funniest Character in Super hero books. The Merc with a mouth is best known for talking to the reader. Something about the character being this self aware in a world where we're not supposed to think that way, makes it even funnier.

4. Superman

This seems lame. I don't like that people think it's lame to Like Supes. But after Batman, he's probably the most recognized world-wide character. and For good reason. A hero from the same coin just the other side of Batman. He was born on a planet that was destroyed, sent to earth to be the Last Son of Krypton. He was raised in Americas heartland, with down to earth sensibilities. And all thanks to that, he became the hero the world looks up to, the entire Earth, across hundreds of worlds in the Multiverse, one thing seems constant. Superman defined the role of the heroes.

How can you not like this guy?

5. Blaster

Transformers bitches. In the comics, the Transformers series was much darker, even darker than it's film equivalents. Bots died in droves, and at one point, everyone but Blaster and Ratcher were dead. And Blaster wasn't just a boombox who was an Autobot Soundwave. He was a BAD ASS. He kicked so much ass with his Electroscrambler and cassette buddies. He took on Megatron and won. He and Ratchet rescued and repaired Optimus Prime.

30 Day Song Challenge

So this is being spammed daily on my facebook, this whole 30 day component is horseshit. This is just the new wave of the internet Spam surveys that were oh so popular.

Anyways, I love these things, but I won't wait 30 days to do it (movie challenge inc as well.)

day 01 - your favorite song

Razorblade Kiss - H.I.M. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX8R5wIIKt4

This should come as NO surprise.

day 02 - your least favorite song

Fer Sure - The Medic Droid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwf9pSYZQ9g

I thought this was a joke the first Time i heard it. when I realized it was a real track, I wanted to kill myself.

day 03 - a song that makes you happy

Gorrillaz - 19 2000 (Soulchild Remix) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPZ7B_cB6LU

day 04 - a song that makes you sad

Gone with the Sin - H.I.M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifwf8RrU-94

I can't really explain it, something about Ville's amazing soulful singing in this song always gets me to think about shit I don't like to think about.

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

Big Machine - Goo Goo Dolls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAqt-Uxq2Hw

For the longest time, this song was my girlfriends ringtone. Before she was my girlfriend, now I associate the two always.

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

Freestyler - Bomfunk MC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXnT5NnHYEQ

I went to Cuba a long time ago, I lost my CD wallet, this song was one of 8 on a CD i had burned in my CD player.

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

Times they are A-changin - Bob Dylan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE

Pretty much anytime I feel the winds of change, i feel old and this song gets stuck in my head.

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to

I just Had Sex - The Lonely Island Ft. Akon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQlIhraqL7o

I laugh everytime I hear this, mostly because I am picturing Akons grinning mug the ENTIRE TIME

day 09 - a song that you can dance to

Nobody Beats the Drum - The Drum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrk_cEmNnPc

Possibly the most epic 4.5 Minutes on youtube

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep

Lullaby - A Perfect Circle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbxf78nfHao

Duh.

day 11 - a song from your favorite band

Heartkiller - HIM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5L9pvwKSjE

I just picked the most recent, it's bad ass

day 12 - a song from a band you hate

Cannibal Corpse - Hammer Smashed Face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNhN6lT-y5U

I hate grindcore. this shit makes even my ears bleed.

day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure

Telephone - Lady GaGa ft Beyonce http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U

haters gonna hate.

day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love

This is the exact same as above. this is why these things are stupid.

day 15 - a song that describes you

You - Bad Religion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PgiBpTtao

Nuff said?

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate

Slide - Goo Goo Dolls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP4qdefD2To

I loved loved loved this song, now every time hear it I want to punch a baby.

day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

Burn it to the Ground - Nickelback http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDrjcv6fTxA

Every goddamn time I turn on the radio this song is player.

day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio

YOu've got to Hide you love Away - The Beatles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKHA2AGbXtI

I love this song, so much.

day 19 - a song from your favorite album

Right here in my arms - HIM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SQGJ0rfIEk

Razorblade Romance, #1 of all time for me.

day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry

Rise - Boy Sets Fire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWF2ovWJ1P8

Oh boy does this get me riled up

day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy

In the Dark - The Birthday Massacre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLOfluH8mgQ

Makes me smile, I love TBM.

day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad

Burn - The Cure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyr5WdrEvGI

day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding

The Chicken Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdFIXsrjkXI

I'm white, fuck yoself.

day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral

The Hamster Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3G5IXn0K7A

I'm funny, and I want people to laugh.

day 25 - a song that makes you laugh

Any Wrestling intro theme, they're all terrible and awesome at the same time.

day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument

Chopsticks.... the first half anyways http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzjHgMENrc

day 27 - a song that you wish you could play

Black Magic Woman - Santanna http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaKnRUfh_5I

This blows my mind EVERYTIME I WATCH IT.

day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty

Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock - MC Lars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26NaGLx6Tdg

I agree mostly, but I feel guilty because I used to shop there.

day 29 - a song from your childhood

If you Steal my Sunshin - LEN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1fzJ_AYajA

I will beat you to death. This song permeated my fucking childhood, i could not escape it.

day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRvCvsRp5ho

I'm pretty sure thanks to Supernatural, I was obsessed with Bon Jovi songs for a while... that was a long time ago. Only the names Have changed.