What James Knows
Ramblings of a 20-Something
The Great Free-Food-A-Thon 2012
08 hours ago
I had this great idea last month. See, I love free food. I just think it tastes better. Each day of my life I’m trying to find a way to get free food. Whether it’s lunch with a vendor or cookies leftover from a meeting, I’m constantly on the lookout for it. My idea was to try to quantify it in some way. I want to keep track of it so that after any given time I can look at the amount of free food I’ve been able to get over the course of a given week, month, quarter, year. I was excited about this prospect but it’s proven very difficult.
The basics for what I’d do was as follows. For each item of free food gained, I’d note what it was, the quantity, and who was responsible for it. If possible, I’d also take a picture of it. Sounds easy enough, right? I tried this out and took a few pictures but I quickly forgot to do it much more. Then I started just forgetting to note anything about the food or if I even got any at all.
I’d like to pick this up again, but I think I need to do it with a starting point. Ideally, this would be something I would start on January 1st but I honestly don’t feel like waiting that long. Maybe I’ll try it out again starting on June 1st or July 1st. I just haven’t been motivated enough to do this.
On further thought, maybe this is something that’s better suited for Pinterest. I started up an account awhile back and I’ve been neglecting it somewhat because I still don’t really see the point of it. I could make a special board on it and that’s where I would post my free food pics. A bit to think about but I’d still like to put this together. I wrote a blog post every day for a year once. You’d think I’d be able to take a few pictures of food and note where it came from.
On the Subject of Comic Book Men and Nerds
02 months ago
I’ve written about it elsewhere, but I hate comic book fans. I’ve never been a part of a group of people that hated the thing they loved so much. I’ll be the first to admit that not every comic is great but I usually manage to find something to enjoy out of every one that I read. I’m glad that after all of the funny books I’ve read that I’m still able to find that in the medium. That doesn’t seem to be the case for most fans which is depressing.
Recently AMC (the same network that runs The Walking Dead…more on that later), picked up Comic Book Men from Kevin Smith. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a fan of Smith’s work. I’ve seen all his movies — even Cop Out
Then I went online to see how others reacted to it and I found a couple reviews from large comic sites bashing it. After reading through them, my initial theory of self-hating comic fans seems to still be true. I’m also puzzled by what these people expected Comic Book Men to be about. Smith has said several times that the show is based on the Tell ‘Em Steve-Dave! podcast. If you’ve ever listened to it, you can easily see how the show matches up to it perfectly. The personalities that come through on the podcast each week are the same that are on the show. The dynamic works. Based on the reviews I’ve read, it looks like these sites expected the show to come in and put comics on the map and totally change the negative fanboy stereotype that has stuck with comics for so long. That’s not what the show is about at all. Yes, it’s set in a comic book store and they’re talking about comic book stuff, but the show is about this group of guys that are friends. They joke around and make fun of each other and sometimes people come in with interesting stuff.
That brings me to the next problem that people seemed to have. Comic Book Men features a weird assortment of people coming in to try to sell comics, sketches, and other nerd items to the store. These writers thought that it was unreal or unbelievable or some other nonsense. Here’s the thing. If you think that that strange fat bald guy that was in the second episode trying to sell 3D comics shows up to a comic book store every week in a suit and tie, you’re a friggin’ idiot. The network sent a call out for people to come in with interesting stuff. It is staged. Otherwise it would be a bunch of losers walking into the store with beat up copies of the Death of Superman.
AMC put that together along with the other adventures that the crew has gone on in these first few episodes because working in a comic book store (or any retail environment really) can be incredibly boring. If they set out to make a show about what it would be like to work in a comic book store it would be canceled before it even made it on air. It would consist of a bunch of guys standing around, reading comics, and ringing a register. That sounds riveting, right? It’s got Emmy written all over it.
In case you want further proof of the masochistic nature of the comic book fan, check out this recent post from Blog@Newsarama. The post links to two different sources of people that continue to buy funny books and don’t know why. One of them freely admits that he doesn’t even like the stuff he’s buying but he does it anyway!
James Knows…DVDs: Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
03 months ago
Thanks to Geoff Johns, Green Lantern has become one of my favorite super heroes. Unfortunately, my love for the character doesn’t get past the comics. The live action movie last year was pretty lackluster to say the least and the first animated film left something to be desired. I held out hope for the next one though, titled Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. This time the rest of the Green Lantern Corps would get some time in the spotlight as the movie focuses on a few different members of the Corps, none of them being Hal Jordan.
Although I didn’t think it was as good as the main book, the Green Lantern Corps comic was still pretty decent with some interesting stories and more importantly, some characters that I grew to love. That was nowhere to be found in Emerald Knights as each chapter focused on mostly no-name Lanterns aside from Mogo and Kilowag, although the latter wasn’t really the main focus of that segment. The film should have just been called “Story Time with the Green Lanterns.”
The whole thing centers on new Lantern Arisia. Instead of going through normal new recruit stuff like training or learning how to use this immensely powerful weapon that she’s been given, she’s thrown right into an epic battle that has the Guardians so afraid that they’ve moved out of their fortress on Oa. Sounds reasonable. Hal Jordan (who goes on to bang Arisia in the comic, despite the fact that she’s really only like 13) spins a few yarns about past Lanterns to kill time or get into her pants until the big fight against Krona. This guy has a pretty cool story in the comics where he goes back in time to watch the Big Bang only to inadvertently create the Multiverse and the Anti-Matter universe. The filmmakers decided to skip all that interesting back story and just made him a power mad super villain who throws around Anti-Matter. The Green Lanterns fight him by shooting green beams at him. Hooray!
Outside of All-Star Superman
I Work for a Living
03 months ago
I don’t write a lot on here about my job and I’m not sure why. Things are actually going pretty well for me at work and there are several things I can talk about but I just don’t. Here are some updates.
I got promoted. That was exciting. My new title is Associate Director of Digital Operations. Fancy, huh? There are two people that report to me now and I promise I won’t abuse my new power. I have to order new business cards. I don’t know what to do with the old ones. I still have a bunch left because they give you a big box full of them so you don’t have to re-order them all that often. What do people do with the old ones? It seems like such a waste to just throw them out.
In related news, I participated in a recruitment video this week. Someone in HR asked if I’d be interested in being a part of it and I figured why not. I was told to wear a vibrant color that I’m comfortable with. “Vibrant” is not a word I would use to describe my vocabulary. I ended up wearing a blue shirt. No one complained. I was the second person to be filmed so I came in as the first person was finishing up. They asked her a question, I don’t remember what, but she gave a great answer to it. You can tell it was great because everyone turned to each other and nodded a lot. One of them wrote something down. I just thought “Crap. There is no way that I’m going to be able to respond to questions like that.” All I wanted to talk about was how I’m the mayor of the office on Foursquare and I get to eat free cookies a lot. The questions I was asked did not pertain to those aspects of my job at all.
I had to sit in this oversized chair for the video. I was already uncomfortable. The camera crew was setting up the shot and they were talking about me. I could only hear mutters of what they were saying but it was stuff like “He needs to move like this.” or “He should move that there.” I finally told them that if they needed me to do something to just tell me and I’ll do it. That started a process of trying to figure out how to get my shirt to not bunch up as I was sitting down. I didn’t notice the bunching but I guess it showed up weird on camera.
The whole experience lasted about 15 minutes. They said I did well but it feels like a blur now. I don’t think I gave that great of an interview, especially when I said that the thing I like the most about where the office is located is that I can eat outside when it’s nice out. I’ll share the final product when it makes it online if I’m in it at all.
This Just In: I Haven’t Seen Every Movie Ever
04 months ago
I know it comes as a surprise to some people, but despite my love of movies and TV shows and my ever-growing DVD collection, I haven’t seen every movie that’s ever been made. Every few weeks I end up in a conversation with someone and they mention a movie that I haven’t seen. The reaction is always the same: “What do you mean you haven’t seen MOVIE THAT I LOVE SO MUCH AND IS SO AWESOME?! How could you not have seen it?!”
The answer is easy: I’m only one man. I work full time and I try to watch as much as I can but it just isn’t possible. Plus, movies were being released for over 60 years before I was born. That’s a lot to catch up on. I’ll get to your precious movie sooner or later. Relax.
All that brings me to my recent trip down movie memory lane with Tron. I had heard about Tron, seen it parodied and referenced tons of times, but I had never seen it. Fortunately, Amazon had the 5 disc Tron / Tron: Legacy Blu Ray set on sale during Black Friday so I was able to pick that up on the cheap and finally see the movie. I’m not going to go way into it, but I really dug this flick. By all means, I should have. It’s got everything that I love in a movie. Yes, it looks cheesy as hell, but it was fun. I had heard a rumor that Disney didn’t want to release it on Blu Ray when the sequel was hitting theaters because the effects didn’t hold up. That’s believable as they don’t look all that great, even in HD. I can let the dated CGI graphics slide for the story.
The next day I popped in Tron: Legacy and was blown away. This was an awesome movie. It looked and sounded great. The story was amazing. They used magic to de-age Jeff Bridges 20 years. They took everything that was cool about Tron and ditched all the lame stuff to make an epic film. Very cool. The part that’s stuck with me the most is the soundtrack
I’ve definitely missed my window of appreciation for some movies. Case in point, I don’t really give a shit about The Goonies
The Perils of GameStop Math
04 months ago
I have had my issues with GameStop in the past but my Black Friday experience takes the cake. I went there to pick up three games: Heavy Rain
So I could buy these three games brand new for $35 but it costs $20 more if I buy them used? I tell that to the guy and he says “Well, you get one free.” Yes, that’s correct, but if I have to pay an extra 20 bucks to get one free it’s not much of a deal, is it? The cashier and one of the other associates were both holding to their story that I’d get one free and that would be the better deal. Sure, it would be a better deal for them because the markup on used games is ridiculous but it wouldn’t be much of a benefit for me. I left with my three new games while shaking my head.
So That’s What Stress Feels Like
05 months ago
I’ve never really let stuff get to me. Most things just flows right over me without bugging me too much. I never saw the point in getting stressed out about anything. I would get nervous about some things such as my wedding last year or the purchase of the house this year, but never really stressed. I think back when things were going to shit at SWMX my eye started twitching a little but I didn’t feel any different.
That changed recently. I thought I made a mistake at work the other day. It was a big one. I wasn’t sure of the details yet so I didn’t share it with anyone until I knew for sure because I didn’t want to cause a panic. Fortunately everything was OK but there was a day or two where I was worried and what I’m guessing is stressed out. My stomach was in knots and I felt like I constantly needed to take a deep breath. It was unlike anything I ever experienced. I lost my appetite and I generally did not feel good.
I’m glad I’m able to look back on it now with a sense of relief but also with an appreciation that the feeling was over. It’s also a kick in the ass somewhat to make sure that I’m always doing the best I can possibly do. There’s a lot of great things coming up in the next year and they’re mine to lose. Bring on 2012.
Facebook Marketng Fail
05 months ago
There’s no question that social media is a big deal now. It’s a great advertising tool but it’s one that needs to be used correctly. It’s also easy to mess up. Check out this ad for the latest Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris
I did what every sane Internet user does with a funny picture and uploaded it to the Cheezburger Network.
Are all Film Critics Whiny Douchebags?
07 months ago
I’ve been reviewing comics, books, and movies for HorrorTalk for a little over a year now. A few months back I started getting invited to a few screenings. They’ve always been in the city so I miss a lot of them, but when I can combine it with a trip down there for work, it ends up fitting together very well. I appreciate that I’ve been added to these distribution lists and try to attend as many as I can.
I was in the city today for the IAB MIXX conference and was hoping I’d be able to hit up a screening afterwards. As of this morning, there was nothing scheduled, but fortunately I got an email during one of the panels about a new one that was just added at 4 PM. Great! I set it up and ended up getting there about a half hour early. There were a few other reviewers there already and most of them seemed to know each other. I busied myself with my phone and a book but I couldn’t help but overhear their complaints. That’s all that was said. These people (mostly older, mind you), just bitched and complained for a good half hour about everything in the film critic business. They were annoyed that a previous screening started late. They were mad that they don’t get screeners for everything. They hated this movie and that movie. They were furious that one company stopped sending guest passes (meaning that they could go see the movie with a friend). It went on and on. The only good thing that I heard was one of them say that they saw the new movie, 50/50 and it was good. Nothing more was said. Just that it was good.
This boggled my mind. These people are getting to see movies for free and [some of them, although I have a feeling most of them] are getting paid to write a quick review of it and they have the audacity to complain about it? Your jobs are cake-walks! If I could review stuff for a living, I would do it in a heartbeat but the fact of the matter is that it just doesn’t pay the bills. I’m grateful that I’m sent things to review or invited to screenings because I genuinely like doing it. Yes, I’ve had my fair share of bad movies, books, and comics, but I still enjoy the whole process. These critics seemed like they didn’t even like movies anymore. They just whined the whole time. I hope I never get that jaded about this. Fortunately for me if that day ever comes I can just stop doing it.
Now to Figure Out What Character to Dress Up As…
09 months ago
Yes, I have a lot to write about with buying a house and a few other things, but this just happened and I’m excited about it.
About a year ago I started writing news and reviews for HorrorTalk, focusing mainly on comics. I did it not because I like horror as a genre as it’s not my favorite by far, but because I like comics. That was it really. Since then I’ve gotten in touch with several publishers and I’ve been writing up news and reviews on a regular basis. I even got quoted on the back of the Nanny & Hank trade paperback
I received a press pass for the New York Comic Con. To come from having absolutely no comic book coverage to getting accepted as press for a major comic convention is such validation for the work I’ve done on HorrorTalk. This will be my first convention too so I’m not exactly sure what to expect. It’s not as big as the San Diego one in July but it’s the largest on the east coast and it’s a quick train ride away for me. Who knows? Maybe I can piggyback on this and get into the San Diego one next year. Of course, I’d have to pay to get there but that’s something else entirely. Plus I’d have to be able to bring Monica because while she’s not interested in the NYCC, she might want to go to San Diego if for nothing else than to see Joss Whedon.
I’m going to have to get a new battery for my MacBook in preparation and I’ll make sure to have my phone, video camera and probably my wife’s digital camera with me at all times to bring all the updates to HorrorTalk as soon as possible.
