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back where i belong. [five things, 12.11.11]

By Scott • On 2011-12-12 • In books, five things, movies, music, scott • 3 min read

Clinical depression and a new full time job don’t make for lots of blogging, especially when there were a few hoops to jump through to get said blog up and running again. It’s not that I’ve been sad, depression doesn’t always manifest as sadness. No, I’ve been pretty tired lately folks. Deep down in my bones exhausted. However, there are several things that have me hopeful that blogging will be happening more often now.

One: I don’t work at Java Bean anymore, and everyone at my new job is really great. It’s basically the anti-Java Bean. I’ve already felt more appreciated at UW (where I work now) than I did in the entire cumulative time I worked at JB. Good management is an amazing thing.

Two: I should adjust to all the things I need to learn and master for the new job, get used to the new social settings, and not be quite so tired anymore, that’s already starting to happen after week two. That means blogging goodness is on its way.

Three: Did I mention I DON’T WORK AT JAVA BEAN ANYMORE?!!!!!!

Four: I also have a new theme I’m going to be trying to get working to make things look nice and sexy here at RtM, which will add even more inspiration to be here. Plus, the lists of 2011 are coming!

Anyway, that’s why I think I’ll be blogging more often, as I should be. Here are five things I’ve wanted to share with you all over the last few weeks while I haven’t been able to blog.

1. Florence + the Machine

I know I was late to this party, but I’m glad to be here just the same. I’ve been listening to Ceremonials non-stop for weeks. Florence Welch’s ability to craft epic melodies and layer them with this big, cinematic sound makes for a crazy fun listening experience. She’s so wonderful. Her music makes you want to sing and dance, but without sacrificing a desire for strong lyrics and emotional depth.

I already mentioned my clinical depression, which means it isn’t too far from my heart when her first single from Ceremonials includes the line, / and it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back / so shake him off / Well, I can’t imagine a better soundtrack for doing exactly that than Florence + The Machine.

2. Ursula K. Le Guin

Le Guin has, for some time, been one of those authors at the top of the list of those I should have read a long time ago. Her famous Earthsea novels have been on my radar as classic fantasy novels that I really needed to get around to checking out, and finally I am in the know. I read A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan this month, and boy am I looking forward to future experiences with Le Guin.

Her prose is a delight to read. It’s crisp, and bright, and clean. Her work is deeply moral, as I’ve read it so far, and is filled with a beauty that’s never weighed down by a sickly-sweet sentimentality. She’s one of the masters.

3. Elizabeth

This film was beautiful in every way. I can’t wait to watch The Golden Age.

4. Sapphique

The sequel to Incarceron. This and the first book are YA novels about a dystopian future in which a sentient prison is created to be a paradise of rehabilitation, but ends up being anything but. Set both inside and outside the prison, the books are exciting and smart, and well worth a read.

5. Hugo

A magic trick of a movie about the power of story and identity, and the wonder of film, performed as only a master magician like Scorcese could offer it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll fall in love with movies all over again.

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five things. 1.3.11

By Scott • On 2011-01-03 • In books, five things, scott, television • 1 min read

I liked the idea of doing five things as only images, just five pictures of what I’ve been loving this week.

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five things. [12.10.10]

By Scott • On 2010-12-10 • In books, five things, nerd candy, scott, seattle, television • 2 min read

The first 2010 list should be up tomorrow. It’s almost entirely ready to go up now, but Brian is working like a million hours today, so we will have to wait until tomorrow for his finishing touches on his portion.

So, today, in lieu of that post, and in the hopes that this lets Jeff take a breath and keeps him from passing out for another day, here are five random things I’ve been enjoying lately.

1. Doctor Who

I’ve been watching the reboot, and as evidenced by its appearance in my “What to Buy Me For Christmas” post, I’m totally hooked now. Series Two is what did it. David Tennant is so awesome as The Doctor. I totally plan on coming up with a Tenth Doctor Halloween Costume for next year.

Also, my default ringtone is now the TARDIS taking off. Yep, that’s right, I’m awesome.

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2. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

This is going to end up on a list of its own, so I won’t say anything other than the fact that this book was brilliant. China Miéville is a genius. This story was so brutal and imaginative. I’m looking forward to reading more of Miéville’s work.

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3. Conan O’Brien

Conan is back, and that is most definitely a good thing. Now we can watch something genuinely funny, instead of watching Jay Leno punch comedy in the dick every night.

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4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One

We’ve seen it twice now. It was as fantastic as it should have been. Ever since Yates took over, the movies have been so sharp and well balanced. And wasn’t that animated short that told the story of the Deathly Hallows amazing?

The only downside is having to wait so very long for Part Two.

Seeing it here at Cinerama, I was surprised (based on reactions to certain moments in the story) how many Seattleites went to see the movie opening weekend, but have never read the books. I’ve just never thought of the movies from the standpoint of a purely cinematic event. I certainly think the movies are good enough to warrant that, but I’ve just always thought about the movies and the books joined.

I really wonder how I will feel after the final movie ends. Either way, come this summer, shits about to get real.

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5. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

So, let’s see here. An action packed steampunk story, set in an alternate history, Civil War era Seattle, in which the city has been cordoned off because of the release of a dangerous subterranean gas which kills those who inhale it, only to revive them as zombies?

Umm, yes, please.

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what to buy me for christmas. [seven things. 12.1.10]

By Scott • On 2010-11-30 • In five things, nerd candy, scott • 1 min read

Hm, I see that look in your eyes. You look worried, apprehensive, even a bit nonplussed. You don’t know what to buy me for Christmas, but you aren’t sure how to ask. Well, fear not, the mere fact that you want to buy me something for Christmas at all is charming. You’re so sweet!

I have decided to help you out, here is an entire post, a seven (because seven is the perfect number, making this the perfect list) things post, where I tell you exactly what sorts of things I like. You can take this information and simply buy me something off of my list, or, you can use the list as inspiration to buy me something similar. Also, feel free to use this list to buy things for other loved ones. My taste is pretty awesome, and regardless of who you are buying for, your kids, your pets, your spouse, your grandma… anyone would love to receive any of the gifts on this list. It’s universal.

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1. Number one of my list for a reason. I am in love with this print… I want a copy for every room in my house, and maybe two for the bedroom.

Buy it here.

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2. I already linked to this during the Halloween Moviefest, but it is worth linking to again.

Buy it here.

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3. Fucking Boba Fett sneakers!!

These had a limited run, and it was a while ago, so good luck finding them.

Buy it somewhere??

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4. Alt Movie Posters

These things are like hipster movie lover crack. I’m a sucker for them.

You can find some of my personal favorite designers of said posters here, here and here. Also, here.

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5. Jawa Lawn Gnome… this list makes me look more like a Star Wars fanatic than I remember being.

Buy it here.

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6. A Doctor Who keychain, specifically the Sonic Screwdriver. Unless you know someone who is selling their old Tardis, this is the closest I can come to actually being Doctor Who.

Flashlight form works too.

Buy it here: Keychain. Flashlight.
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7. The National

Would someone be willing to look into how much it would cost to put them on call at all times. All I really want is to know that whenever I’m in the mood for a National show I could just give them a call and get my fix. That would be really great, thanks!

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five things, 11.4.10.

By Scott • On 2010-11-04 • In books, five things, gaming, graphic content, nerd candy, scott, trailer park • 3 min read

Five non-Halloween related things I’ve been enjoying recently.

1. Dark City

This is a film I’d intended to see for some time. When detractors kept saying Inception was basically a remake of Dark City that pretended not to be, it moved higher up my queue. I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

This movie is pretty fantastic. A sci-fi noir story where a man wakes up in a strange city where it is always night and people are having memory issues. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that when he wakes up he’s in a hotel bathtub, there is a dead hooker in the other room, and he has no memory whatsoever.

The idea that Inception ripped this movie off is stupid. The similarities here aren’t any more pronounced than they would be if you compared any other films in the same genre or subgenre, to be honest there is probably even less. Yet, have a movie where reality isn’t exactly what it seems and memories are being stolen and you must be a straight copycat right? The Matrix is actually influenced by this film far, far more than Inception was. Also, David Goyer was one of the writers for Dark City and he is a friend and collaborator with Chris Nolan, so if he ripped it off completely I’m surprised Goyer never said anything. Although, their friendship is most probably responsible for the fact that they both write about similar themes.

The film does find a creative way to tell a noir story with totally different rules, much the way Inception did the same thing to create a completely different sort of heist film.

But anyway, Dark City really was quite good. As I said, lots of common themes and ideas with The Matrix, but much, much smarter. Also, the noir aspect of the whole thing was delightful. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out. If you have, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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2. Fable III

The first game from my ‘ten things’ video game post to be released, and I even got to pre-order it. Yay!

Nothing deep or profound, just a fun story played out through silly, enjoyable gameplay. Fun times.

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3. RED

I like good action movies, I just have a really small pool of action films that I actually consider ‘good.’ I’ll never even bother seeing films like The Expendables, or The Transporter: Parts 1-1,000, or anything that feels remotely like those films.

It’s sad that there are so few films from this genre that I like, because I have such a great time watching the ones that, to use a decidedly non-action phrase, tickle my fancy. What is a fancy anyway? Do I actually have a one?

Anyway, RED is definitely in the category of action films, or action comedies, that I really enjoyed. Great cast, fun uses of the genre standards, certainly nothing awe-inspiring, but for the genre, it’s smart, funny, and sharp. Plus, it has the wonderfully sexy Mary-Louise Parker.

If you’re looking for a fun way to spend two hours, you could do a whole lot worse.

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4. The Social Network

The Social Network is a brilliant film. The acting is impeccable, the direction is really tight all the way through, and screen-writing doesn’t get better than this. In the words of Josué Blanco, “God, I love Aaron Sorkin.”

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5. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

I should probably dedicate an entire ‘Graphic Content’ post to this once I’ve read the whole series, because this shit is for real.

The movie adaptation was a special kind of horrid in literally every way imaginable, and this is made all the worse now that I’ve read the first volume of the graphic novels. Alan Moore is a fucking genius. An homage/satire/commentary on Victorian literature and culture, Moore takes public domain literary figures and imagines a steam punk sort of alternate version of Victorian London in which Alan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Mina Harker, The Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll are assembled to thwart a plan which threatens all of England. The literary references abound, I spent probably four times as much time on the internet looking up what all the more vague references meant than I spent simply reading the book. I mention that because it was really fun, not because I’m complaining.

I can’t wait to get my greedy little hands on volume two!

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ten things. [10.1.10]

By Scott • On 2010-10-01 • In five things, gaming, nerd candy, scott, trailer park • 4 min read

That’s right, folks, TEN things. What better day than the first day of 10.10 to double our pleasure and our fun?

Plus, I’m naming off the upcoming video games I’m most excited for, and there are so many exciting titles on their way, it would be impossible to whittle a list down to five anyway.

I realize there are many glaring omissions as it is. There are a bunch upcoming sequels I bet I would be excited about if I had ever played their predecessors, but I haven’t, so they aren’t on the list. Most notable off the top of my head are Fallout: New Vegas, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Resistance 3, Portal 2, and Diablo III.

Anyway, on with the games that did make the list.

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1. Gears of War 3

Release Date: 4.5.11

As noted above, this game comes out April 5th. My birthday is April 8th. [Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiint.]

It doesn’t get better than GoW2. The Epic Games track record makes it likely that 3 will be just as good or better. I’ve already posted the trailer here.

Good stories, highly engaging single player campaigns, crazy fun co-op carnage, and some of the most satisfyingly cathartic combat. This game promises to deliver the goods.

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2. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Release Date: 11.16.10

Assassin’s Creed is back. Ezio is back. They seem to be brining back everything that made AC2 amazing, with a bunch of fun new goodies as a bonus. I am so in.

Warning, the video below is dangerous. It’s like crack fucking cocaine. Insanely addictive, and if you are in love with the first two it is entirely possible you will die of a heartache on your first use. In other words… watch it.

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3. Dead Space 2

Release Date: 1.25.11

I just posted the trailer for this one, as well as posting at length about why I loved the first one so much. So, obviously it makes the list.

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4. Fable III

Release Date: 10.26.10

Just a few short weeks until this one hits shelves.

I’ve always liked the concept they use in the Fable games, and I’ve really enjoyed games that draw from Fable’s attention to open decision making and morality determining what your gameplay experience is like.

Yet, while they’ve intrigued me, I’ve only played the first two briefly. They were released when life was either too busy to even think about playing a video game, or during one of those dark times in my life where I didn’t even own a gaming console. I won’t let the same thing happen with Fable III. Come late October, I’ll be Fabling it up with the rest of the gaming world.

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5. Mass Effect 3

Release Date: Very tentative, Late 2011/Early 2012

Speaking of games that draw from Fable’s decision making, choose your own morality type gameplay, Mass Effect 3 is on its way. The amazing thing about Mass Effect is that the decisions you make don’t just carry over into the next game battle, or the next cinematic, it actually carries over from game to game. The decisions you make in ME1 actually determine what the experience is like at the beginning of ME2, and depending on what characters lived and died at the end of ME2, I bet we’ll see that carry over into ME3 as well. Fun times!

If I had to pick my top five favorite video games franchises, Mass Effect would make it without a doubt. I love these games. Nothing gets sacrificed to make room for another aspect of the game. The stories are fantastic, the characters are engaging, the gameplay is addictive, and if the huge improvement between Mass Effect 1 and 2 is any indication, then this next one will be absolutely mind-blowing.

I need to get on the ball and finally get around to playing the DLC for ME2, I’ve heard good things.

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6. Dragon Age 2

Release Date: 5.8.10

From BioWare, the same people who brought us Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins was another outstanding title. Most games, even ones I love playing, would never be able to hold my attention through more than one play-through. Not so with games like Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, where the gaming experience can change so much every time. I could probably play each four or five times without getting bored. Soon I’ll get to see if Dragon Age 2 gets added to that list.

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7. Twisted Metal

Release Date: Late 2011

It’s been so very long since we’ve had a new Twisted Metal title. If it’s even half as fun as some of the old releases, then hours and hours of delight await us all. Trailer here.

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8. inFamous 2

Release Date: Late 2011

Cole is back, this time in fake New Orleans instead of fake New York. This one will definitely be worth playing, maybe even twice to try out being famous and infamous.

There have been a few changes since this trailer came out three months ago, mostly just to make Cole look more like he did in the first game, as opposed to making him look like an entirely different character.

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9. Bioshock: Infinite

Release Date: Late 2012

This one is still REEEEEALLLLY far away.

I’ve already posted the trailer for this, which makes it clear that things are going to be very different in this one.

It’s sad to be leaving Rapture behind for good, but that new city in the sky looks pretty damned intriguing. I want to go to there.

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10. Batman: Arkham City

Release Date: Fall 2011

There are no words in any language capable of describing how much I want this game to come out. It’s no secret that I love Batman. However, that doesn’t make me an easy mark when it comes to a Batman video game. I’m the harshest critic of anything Batman related because I hate when people screw it up. There are very particular things I love about Batman, about Gotham, about my own fantasies of being the dark knight. So, whenever you get Adam West putting on some fucking pajamas and camping shit up, my urge to kill rises.

Yet, as a Batman fan, I would give Arkham Asylum a perfect score in literally every Batman related category. They got everything right; all the details, the atmosphere, the little things were all spot on, and the big things were done to perfection as well.

I can’t wait for this game. More villains will be included (like Two-Face and Mr. Freeze, Stana Katic from Castle will be voicing Talia al-Ghul, you get more space to play in, and most importantly of all, Mark Hamill says this is the last time he’ll reprise his role voicing the Joker, which is really sad, but also really great that we know going into this game that it’s the end, thus we can appreciate every second of it.

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tv on the internet. [five things, 9.9.10.]

By Scott • On 2010-09-09 • In five things, scott • 2 min read

We are already well into September. For many, that’s terrible news, but for me it’s a wonderful time of year. My favorite season is almost here, playoff baseball is right around the corner, and the first NFL game of 2010 is underway as I write this.

And that’s not all, it’s also about that time for some of my favorite shows to return for the year. Here are the shows I am most excited to see return.

1. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

This is my favorite show on the air. End of story.

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2. Community

The fact that Two and a Half Men leads the comedy ratings when a show as amazing as Community airs on network television every week is proof we live in dark times.

Every character is so wonderfully sweet and hilarious. What’s not to love about Community? I want this to be a real community college, and, in the words of Liz Lemon (I know, that show didn’t make it on the list), “I want to go to there.”

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3. The League

It’s a show about a fantasy football league, and it probably doesn’t have the audience it should because people assume they wouldn’t like it if they aren’t into fantasy sports. That is false. The show is hilarious no matter how you feel about sports, football or the fantasy craze.

Filled to the brim with quotable lines, it often feels improvised in the best possible way.

Just watch the “Mr. McGibblets” episode and tell me you aren’t hooked.

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4. Archer

Have you watched this show? If not, you should. This show, about a skilled yet inept, womanizing secret agent with no morals whatsoever, is the third part of the FX trifecta, making them hands down the funniest channel on television.

It’s available to stream instantly from Netflix, so it won’t even be hard to find the first season.

The show is fucking hilarious. H. Jon Benjamin is amazing, and several Arrested Development alumns are cast members as well.

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5. Dexter

Emily and I finally made it to season four, which seems to be the consensus favorite among fans. Although most people hate season three and I actually enjoyed it.

We should be able to catch up by the time season five starts later this month.

The show continues to climb the ranks toward being my favorite drama currently on the air. I love it!

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five things. [7.12.10]

By Scott • On 2010-07-12 • In five things, scott • 2 min read

Here’s some random awesome shit I’ve been enjoying lately, that I probably won’t ever write about in more detail.

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

As the line between summer blockbuster movies and video games continues to blur, the Uncharted franchise is at the forefront. Wildly fun gameplay collides with a really entertaining action story, with a main character who is basically Indiana Jones meets Malcolm Reynolds meets awesome.

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2. Bioshock 2

Bioshock is another franchise that blurs the line between movies and gaming. The games take place in the 60’s, in an underwater dystopian city called Rapture. The fictional city is based in large part on what would have happened if someone took the egoism of Ayn Rand to its logical conclusion, without the constraints of society. It’s an ugly place, and since in both games you go there after it fell apart and all hell broke lose, it’s also as creepy as fuck.

Like the revolution in the 80’s that transformed comics from throwaway kids stuff into genuine storytelling art for adults too, video games have know undergone the same transformation over the last decade or so. Games like Uncharted and Bioshock are proof of that.

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3. Mystery Team

If entertainers were a commodity that you could invest in, seeing returns based on how much they made in the future, I would invest an awful lot in Donald Glover, the writing/acting/rapping wunderkind.

Mystery Team is a small, low-budget comedy written and peformed by Glover and his friends at Derrick Comedy. It’s more proof that an investment in Donald Glover would be money well spent.

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4. Art & Copy

A documentary about the world of advertising. It takes seriously that most of it is tawdry, cheap and nauseating, while also pointing to people of uncommon creativity and genius, who can actually create art and beauty in an otherwise soulless profession.

To use the religious imagery of U2, it’s like looking for baby Jesus in the trash.

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5. Crazy Heart

Movies like Crazy Heart are tricky. Not seen by many people, then they get a ton of Oscar buzz and people wind up disappointed when they finally see the movie because of all the hype.

If you can, just let Crazy Heart be what it is, instead of expecting it to be the greatest movie ever just because it got attention from the wildly arbitrary and political world of the Academy. The result is a superbly acted, well told story about the potential for redemption in the real world, set in the relationship between art and pain, and the tendency for brilliant artists to self-destruct for the very same reasons they are brilliant artists.

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the return of five things, again.

By Scott • On 2010-05-16 • In five things, scott • 1 min read

For the uninitiated, ‘Five Things’ is a post where I share five things I have been enjoying lately. At the moment, it isn’t returning as a weekly post like it used to be.

However, we will be using it from time to time here on RtM when we want to share multiple awesome things with you at once, but don’t have time to write a post on each thing individually.

Today’s five things are albums I have been enjoying non-stop lately. There is most certainly a possibility one of us may write about any of these CDs at length in the future. For now, you should check out these albums!

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1. The National – High Violet