What James Knows
Ramblings of a 20-Something
This Just In: I Haven’t Seen Every Movie Ever
03 weeks 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 weeks 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
01 month 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
01 month 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?
03 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…
05 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.
James Knows…Comics: Fly #1
06 months ago
I received a copy of this book for review on HorrorTalk. While it doesn’t really fit into the stuff we cover on HT, I liked the book a great deal and wanted to write a quick review for it anyway, so here goes.
I think it’s safe to say that we’re never going to totally win the War on Drugs. It’s just not going to happen. What we can do is educate people so they know what they’re getting into and hopefully they make the right decision. Zenescope Entertainment sets out to enlighten and entertain with their latest ongoing series, Fly. Based on personal experiences with meth addiction, author Raven Gregory takes a look at a world with a drug that could give you super powers and the dangers it could cause.
The first issue of Fly really sets the groundwork for everything. It starts up with this guy Eddie having a really bad day. His car is on top of a lamp post and his super powered ex-wife Danielle is looking for something. She thinks Eddie’s got it and she begins beating him senseless in an effort to get it out of him. That’s now. Then there’s then.
We get a Lost-style flashback to Eddie and Danielle meeting in high school. Eddie seems like a great guy and later saves geeky Francis from some bullies. Francis decides to reward Eddie by showing him something in his dad’s safe: a drug called Fly that gives Francis the ability to…well…fly.
This is great framework and left me wanting some more. Eric J handles the art duties for the present-day stuff which looks great. It has this feel of darkness surrounding each panel. You can just tell that Eddie is in for a rough road ahead. The flashbacks are clearly done by another artist though as the style is completely different. It looks almost cartoony in the way it’s handled. I like that they have different styles for the flashbacks and the present day storyline though. The past is filled with bright colors and hope while the present is the complete opposite.
As I mentioned, this is a great setup for a new comic. I’m looking forward to more from Fly. There have been comics that are a little similar to it. The one that comes to mind first is Mark Millar’s never finished War Heroes, but this has an interesting take on it. Zenescope just announced that the first printing was sold out, so look around for a copy at your local shop. It’s worth checking out.
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Upfront and Personal
07 months ago
My journey into the world of advertising upfronts continued this year. I’ve already recounted the story of the Scripps upfront where I made it seem like I was a crazy person to one of their top talents. The next two I attended were very different. The first was for Hulu and the second was for Adult Swim.
I was excited for the Hulu presentation because I’m a big fan of the brand. They’re basically my cable provider now. I’m sure that Cablevision and other MSOs aren’t happy to hear that but I get all the TV entertainment I want, when I want it, from Hulu and Hulu Plus. The event was very laid back and much more relaxed than the Scripps upfront. While they talked about the new shows that they had coming up, it was more about how Hulu is changing the TV landscape which was far more interesting. As a cable cord cutter, I’m fascinated by how things like online and mobile video are changing the way we consume media. Appointment viewing is dying.
Anyway, they showed off the Hulu Plus integration with Xbox Kinect which should be coming up soon and now I really want to get a Kinect just so I can use it and feel like I’m in the future. After the presentation was over, the 88s performed while an impressive spread of food was served. I’m talking little grilled cheeses, tacos, and mini cheeseburgers. Very cool. Overall great experience.
A few weeks later I went to the Adult Swim upfront. I was hesitant about going to this one because it was from 9 PM to 1 AM on a Wednesday in the city. I don’t like to go anywhere, especially late at night because I’m an old person that likes to go to bed at a reasonable hour after having a glass of warm milk. My colleague, Rob convinced me to go, explaining that if you only go to one upfront, this is the one to go to. Plus they had Jay-Z as a musical guest. That’s big, right?
After a brief pre-party, we filed into the Roseland Ballroom and waited…and waited. We stood around and chatted for about two hours. There were some appetizers making the rounds, the most notable of which was some spaghetti and meatballs on a little fork. There is a plus here though. I got to meet Seth Green. He was just walking by and we went up to him and chatted for a bit. He seems like a generally nice guy. I didn’t figure out that my flash was completely turned off until after the fact, but hey, I got a picture with him. That was cool.
Also, the whole theme for this event was owls. They were everywhere. There were two huge owls shooting lasers out of their eyes. There was a guy in a big creepy owl suit operating an egg contraption at the door. Seriously, owls everywhere.
After standing and waiting for awhile, the presentation finally began, if you can call it that. There was an epic 120 second countdown while “The Final Countdown” blared from the speakers. Then the briefest and least pretentious reel was played where Adult Swim showed some of their programs and didn’t hide the fact that they invited everyone here for one reason and one reason only: They want our money. That’s what these things are all about but I’m just glad that someone had the balls to admit it.
After the video was over a 10 minute countdown came up on the screen. It was then that they stopped using the speakers that were playing the loud background music and started using the speakers that they’d be using for the performance. These were about 5 times louder and located about 10 feet away from me. After what felt like forever, the countdown reached zero and the show began. Jay-Z came on stage and started performing. He was ridiculously close, not that I could see him clearly with the wave of cellphone cameras that shot into the air. Up until this point, the only Jay-Z songs I had heard were part of DJ Danger Mouse’s fantastic Grey Album that mixed the rapper’s Black Album with the Beatles’ White Album. I’ve learned that most of Jay-Z’s songs have a very different feel to them outside of this album. As a result he would get halfway through a song before I realized I had heard it before.
The crowd went completely ape-shit too. Where I had a bit of breathing room before the show started, I was now cramped like a sardine. Jay-Z often yelled “Put your hands up!” and I attempted to awkwardly do so but could barely bend my elbow, let alone raise my entire arm. He played for at least an hour before I decided to call it a night around 12:15. I made my way downstairs to pick up my bag from the coat check and my ears were ringing like crazy. They continued to ring well into the next day but it was totally worth it. Amazing upfront, and like I said, they didn’t hide the fact that they just want my money. That’s great.
Why I Think Smallville was Broken
08 months ago
There have been a ton of articles and blog posts about the end of Smallville but this isn’t so much about the finale (which was heavy on the talking and light on the ass-kicking). Instead this is about the series as a whole, or rather one piece of it that I’ve had on my mind for awhile. I’ve seen the entire series. All 10 seasons. The first 9 I watched on DVD and caught the last one on air. Yes, the show outlived its welcome but I f-ing love comic books so I stuck with it. Plus there were the occasional episodes where Clark Kent would do something super heroic or team up with people that had far bigger balls than he did. Most of those really cool episodes were written by Geoff Johns.
Anyway, I thought the series would have benefited tremendously if they had just killed Chloe Sullivan. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like Alison Mack. I think she did a great job and I admire the fact that she actually stuck through it for all 10 seasons. I just think that she would have served the show (and the characters of Superman / Clark Kent and Lois Lane) far better as a martyr.
Picture this. Chloe goes down in some situation where Clark is powerless to do anything. Maybe it’s a terminal disease or maybe it’s some Kryptonite bomb that only she can disable. She dies. Then, Lois has a reason to be a journalist instead of suddenly becoming one around season 7 or so. This way she’s carrying on with what Chloe had wanted to do and she’s honoring her cousin that way. Meanwhile Clark is inspired by what Chloe sacrificed and realizes that he can’t drag his feet anymore. He has to step up to be the hero that the world needs. Bam. He’s Superman. This shit could have happened like 4 years ago. Instead we had this long drawn out series with the writers somewhat clueless as to what to do with Chloe as a character.
Yes, I’m an angry nerd but I just thought that would have been a much better story than what they ended up doing. Granted, depending on who you ask, anything would have been better than what they ended up doing.
My Social Media Circle Just Got Smaller
38 months ago
A few years ago I decided to become the “Social Media Guy” at work. I went out and joined just about every social networking site out there. This included but was not limited to Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Jaiku, Plurk, Magnolia, Wakoopa, Vimeo, Seesmic, and Yelp. There was one service that linked them all though: FriendFeed. On the surface, this was a great service. I was able to pull almost all of my ever expanding profiles together in one place and the community seemed pretty lively to boot. Then Facebook bought FriendFeed and everyone got bitter and defensive. Since then things just went downhill.
Services stopped working. Search didn’t work. The community got smaller and smaller. And people wondered why others left. Meanwhile the quality of the posts that were being shared just spiraled into boredom. There were seriously people that just posted pictures of themselves every day to get some sort of boost of self esteem in their dreary lives. “Please tell me I’m not hideously ugly by posting comments below.” That’s not contributing to a conversation. It’s the equivalent of going “Hey, look at me! Look at me!”
A few weeks ago I got into a heated debate about the upcoming Akira remake. People got really mad that I had a different opinion of them. Instead of engaging in a discussion like an adult, I was just called names and mostly ignored because it’s a lot easier to just stick your head in the sand if people don’t share your view on something that you feel passionate enough about to post a link about online. This put a real sour taste in my mouth about the whole community and I stayed away from the site for a bit. This has been maintained since then pretty much.
More recently, with the death of Osama Bin Laden, most of the people on FriendFeed seemed to stick their noses in the air, looking down on people on Facebook (which you could just tell they said with a sneer) who were “celebrating death.” I’m sorry but Bin Laden was directly responsible for the deaths of a shit load of people. Please excuse some folks who feel the slightest bit of closure as a result of the death of a mass murdering fuck-head. I commented on one such post but to no avail.
I’m just tired of this site now. I know I’m not the only one but I just don’t care anymore. FriendFeed has connected me with a handful of truly awesome people. Fortunately they’re also on Facebook and Twitter so I can stay in touch with them there without having to deal with the closemindedness of the rest of that community. So now I can free up some space on my bookmarks toolbar on my browser. If you need me, I’ll be on Facebook.
