T3: GHWT Songs I’d Like in RB2

Guitar Hero World Tour has been out for more than a week now. Reception has been mediocre, with the consensus being that its good but not as good as Rock Band. Which is fine, since I don’t plan on owning two sets of plastic instruments and I’ve already invested so much in Rock Band.

Have you seen those ads? Pretty fucked up. There’s the one with Kobe, A-Rod, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps, and then the other one with Heidi Klum. But that song isn’t in the game, and even though they have the instruments, it doesn’t look like they’re playing the game. I just don’t get it.

But GHWT does have a fairly strong track list. There are several songs that I wish would make their way over as Rock Band DLC. So I’ll list them, since I know no one else will be doing a T3, and I can probably crack this out before I go to bed. I’m not including Guitar Hero DLC, because then I would need to constantly revise this list. But if I was to pick the best DLC song right now, it would hands down be “Jessie’s Girl.”

Instead of pictures, I’ll just link videos of the songs in GHWT.

10. “Weapon of Choice” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Guitar. A catchy little number that I think Harmonix could make pretty damn fun.

9. “Assassin” – Muse
Band. Rock Band needs more Muse. This seems as good a choice as any other.

8. “Crazy Train” – Ozzy Osbourne
Guitar. This would be awesome. Like totally awesome.

7. “Beat It” – Michael Jackson
Drums and guitar. Fun for everyone. Well maybe not drums. I’m not quite sure about that.

6. “Hotel California” – Eagles
Guitar. I know everyone’s tired of this song at this point, but it should have been in one of these games by now. I’d just like to play it once. Especially the solo.

5. “Love Me Two Times” – The Doors
Drums. The Doors would probably be pretty fun to play.

4. “Rebel Yell” – Billy Idol
Band. “White Wedding” is a good second choice, but this is the song we wanted.

3. “Purple Haze” – Jimi Hendrix
Guitar. Yeah. Guitar Hero owns Jimi, so don’t expect this any time soon. He’s even a character in the game.

2. “Hot for Teacher” – Van Halen
I hate these developer guys. Oh my god. Nothing about this song would not be fun. That’s the reason they advertised it first, that’s the reason they foolishly made it the hardest song in GHWT.

1. “Band on the Run” – Wings
Guitar. It was a tough call, and “Hot for Teacher” would probably be more fun, but how incredible would it be to get to play this song?

So what did I learn from this list? Rock Band needs more classic rock. Who knew?

T3: Truly Terrifying

For anyone who doesn’t already know, I’ve been doing a timeline of horror movies on my personal blog, so for this week’s top ten I though it might be fun to watch some of the infamously bad entrees of the horror world… Oh how wrong I was. I’ve basically spent the past two days or so watching some of the worst horror/sci-fi movies ever to complete a list of my least favorite horror movies. I mean what’s scarier than a bad movie? But first off I got to set some ground rules and they are as follows

– I’m only gonna review movies I’ve seen all the way through.
– All of these movies must of been theatrically released in some form or another. So sorry Frankenfish today ain’t your time to shine.
– All of these films must be somewhat regarded as terrible by most.

Now I’m pretty confident with my top 6, but the last 4 could of gone any which way. I’ve seen lots of crap so it’s tough to sort through em all, but I trust you all these films are all worthy of this list.

10. Book of Shadows: The Blair Witch Project II (2000)
Synopsis: Obnoxiously revealed through flashbacks, this god awful sequel tells the tale of five annoying young adults looking for that legendary Blair Witch.

My Thoughts: More or less a pathetic attempt to capitalize off of the success of the first film, this hardly has anything in common with it’s predecessor. It’s basically just another sub par teenage horror flick but with no kind of payoff or anything. There’s probably a lot of other horror movies that I hate equally but this one has always haunted me.

Behind the Screams: Director Joe Berlinger ‘s previous experience was only with documentaries, maybe he should of stuck to documentaries.

9. Dead Silence (2007)
Synopsis: A Man returns to his hometown to search for answers to his wife’s murder, which may be linked to the ghost of a murdered ventriloquist.

My Thoughts: I know this one is pretty recent but it left quite an impact on me… The impact being that I was shocked that this was made and released in theaters. Probably one of the worst horror films I’ve seen in years. What’s scary about dummies? I mean there’s some ghost stuff going on but seriously dummies? They made a movie about a deceased ventriloquist and her menacing dummies in this day and age? It sounds like an R.L. Stine novel and I can’t believe how cliche and ridiculous this movie is. Non stop cheap scares where they just flash one those retarded dummies in your face accompanied by an incredibly bland and juvenile story. I don’t even want to think about it, makes me want to throw up.

Behind the Screams: Saw creator James Wan’s first attempt at a new film reveals him to be a one hit wonder. After this he made that critically panned Kevin Bacon movie.

8. House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Synopsis: Four college students intrigued by the legend of the mad scientist Dr. Satan travel through rural America ending up in the clutches of the murderous Firefly clan… Then a bunch of other avant garde horror shit happens.

My Thoughts: Rob Zombie creates a gritty atmosphere with absolutely no redeeming qualities. All the characters bring annoying to new heights leaving you with virtually no one to root for. I just don’t care what happens to anyone in this film. I feel completely detached and uninterested in anyone’s motives and can’t find a single absorbing aspect in the whole film. Zombie is basically just looking for an excuse to show blood and guts, like we haven’t already seen that, and has absolutely no talent for the written word. The movie has about 20 minutes of story and 60 something minutes of nonsensical violent images, it’s a disgrace to filmmaking.

Behind the Screams: Shock rocker turned filmmaker Rob Zombie tries his hand at making his own gory exploitation film, resulting in a universally panned pile of cheesy moments and meandering plot threads.

7. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Synopsis: There is like this cult of Druids and people get killed and it sucks. It’s just too complicated to explain the story.. If you can call it a story.

My Thoughts: So how can we further ruin yet another mindless installment to series that’s really only had one good film? Well we’ve killed Michael Myers like four times already… How about we say that Michael Myers is possessed by “The Curse of Thorn” and add in a murderous group of Druids. What the hell kind of direction is that? I could’ve of easily picked a terrible Friday the 13th movie but this flick is far more annoying and idiotic than any slasher flick I can recall seeing. Bringing in the element of the supernatural completely ruined this series and was a laughable explanation for Michael’s behavior.

Behind the Screams: This was Donald Pleasance’s last role and as much as I love the guy, he was just getting too old for this shit. He just slowly wheezes and putters around trying to help Paul Rudd defeat the now superhuman Michael Myers, it’s a sad way to see a talented actor go, I hate this movie.

6. Hobgoblins (1988)
Synopsis: A group of Hobgoblins, who allow you to live out your fantasies and then kill you, escape from a studio vault, and a security guard and his friends must stop them before dawn.

My Thoughts:There are bad 80s movies, and then there are bad 80s movies. Hobgoblin definitely came out of that “Little Creatures” sub-genre that Gremlins created in the mid 80s. There was Critters, Ghoulies, Troll but none of them quite rivaled the confusing and sleazy mess that was Hobgoblins. All the sexual fantasies that these creatures create seem to be the main reason this movie was made leaving for an incredibly dull and insufferable viewing experience.

Behind the Screams: At least exploitation filmmaker Rick Sloane was aware of how bad this was, I mean he submitted it himself to Mystery Science Theater 3000. He likes making “Classics of Trash” as he prefers his films to be called, well I’d prefer he was dead. I keed, I keed but seriously he should never make a movie again.

5. Robot Monster (1953)
Synopsis: The evil alien “Ro-Man”, who I guess is also robot, has killed all but eight people left on Earth with his death ray and must complete his mission.

My Thoughts: First off why is the supposed “Robot Monster” a guy in a gorilla costume with a space helmet? What is he the lost member of The Banana Splits? He’s supposed to be some fearless, emotionless destroyer yet he falls for a woman in the flick of a wrist and can’t even destroy an innocent family. Your telling me this guy destroyed everyone else on Earth? C’mon everyone in this movie is a complete moron yet there all that’s left? This is just highly illogical and cheesy to the max.

Behind the Screams: Writer/Director Phil Tucker was only 25 years old when he made Robot Monster and shot it in four days on a minimal budget. That may show some great initiative, but that doesn’t change the fact that final product is embarrassing. The dialogue is juvenile, laughable and the rhythm of the film falls flat, though it has gained somewhat of a cult following for appearing on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

4. Alone in the Dark (2005)
Synopsis:Edward Carnby (Christian Slater) is a detective of the paranormal, who slowly unravels mysterious events with deadly results.

My Thoughts: This just makes me feel sorry for everyone involved. To see former star Christian Slater reach an all new low in this god awful Aliens wannabe makes me weep. I don’t even remember why there were monsters or what the hell was even going on. The script is a muddled mess of cliches and terrible writing and the acting is pretty weak. I don’t know how Uwe Boll has made a career for himself, all I know is he needs to be stopped.

Behind the Screams:Infamous for making completely unfaithful adaptations of video games, Uwe Boll is probably one of the worst filmmakers of our generation and simply has no idea what he’s doing.

3. Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
Synopsis: Extraterrestrials decide to cause chaos on Earth by implementing “Plan 9” a scheme to bring back the dead.

My Thoughts: It’s like this movie is nothing but errors, you got actors reading from the script, ufos hanging from strings, people knocking over cardboard tombstones, extreme continuity errors and the list goes on. The story is confusing and ridiculous resulting in an embarrassingly cheesy sci-fi disaster.

Behind the Screams: Often noted as perhaps the worst director of all time, Edward D. Wood Jr. may of had a lot of enthusiasm for filmmaking, but his rushed and extremely flawed techniques led to some of the worst movies of the 50s. The sets and effects were highly amateur and Ed really wasn’t working with much of a cast. His star in Bela Lugosi had passed away leaving only a few minutes of footage Ed shot of him (his part being completed by a chiropractor with a cape over his face) while B-movie legends Tor Johnson and Vampira completely camp it up. This one is kind of a laugh to watch, but man is it bad.

2. The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)
Synopsis: A noted soviet scientist Joseph Javorsky (Tor Johnson) arrives in Yucca Flats, Nevada only to be ambushed by a pair of KGB assassins. Fleeing into the desert, Javorsky accidentally wanders on to a nuclear test site and is turned into an atomic beast who goes on a rampage.

My Thoughts: This low budget and infamously terrible Coleman Francis flick actually manages to top Ed Wood at his worst through some huge plot holes and terrible direction. Filmed without sound, the film makes heavy use of narration. The only thing is that the narrator never tells us anything we can’t already figure out. The film is so mind numbingly simple yet still contains some huge errors. For instance, our protagonists which are two cops set out after the beast with virtually no leads. They don’t know what it looks like (leading to a hilarious scene where they shoot a civilian with a rifle from a plane) they don’t know where they are going and how do they even know it’s a “Beast”? No one has any evidence in the film that the killer is not human, they just automatically assume it’s a monster… And that’s just a little taste of some of the errors.

Behind the Screams: Coleman Francis was highly known for his abysmal productions of the 50s and 60s but this one tops the cake. It was more or less an excuse to put the intimidating Tor Johnson into the role of a monster to make a few bucks, but Tor really doesn’t do much of anything here. He was severely overweight and could barely move, especially out in the desert. You basically just watch him wander around the desert for 50 minutes.

1. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
Synopsis: A family of three take a road trip through Texas but end up taking a wrong turn, becoming the victims of a Polygamous Pagan cult.

My Thoughts: Harold P. Warren starred, directed, produced and wrote Manos forever proving to audiences that he was a complete moron. I don’t know where to begin with all the problems in this film but here are a handful.

– The film was shot without audio and overdubbed later. Thus the timing and pacing of the dialogue is always off.
– The score never seems to hit the right cues and constantly segues in and out of place.
– Endless shots of pointless scenery and characters awkwardly standing around. It’s nothing but cheap filler.
– Plot holes and technical errors? Forget about it.
– The dialogue is incredibly wooden, none of the characters motivations or decisions ever make any sense
– Actually ends with “The End?”

Behind the Screams: The story behind this stinker starts in 1966 when theater actor/fertilizer salesman Harold P. Warren made a bet with future oscar winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant that he could make a successful independent horror movie. So he arranged a crew and cast of people with little to no film experience and made what’s probably one of the worst films ever to be seen by man. I’ll admit that the first twenty minutes are pretty funny but after awhile I found myself slowly slipping into a depressed state as the film got more and more out of hand.

Other Notable abominations
Anything else by Ed Wood or Rob Zombie, I really should of watched Troll 2 but I ran out of time.

Looking at the genre it’s unfortunate that there are probably more bad horror movies than good ones, this list could of been endless. So we should be thankful for the quality freaky flicks that we have receive, and hope there will be some more classics waiting somewhere out on the horizon. So I hope you enjoyed the chronicling of my painful viewing experiences, happy haunting everyone!

Unofficial T3: The Gospel According to St. Matthew

Well it’s that time of year again that we celebrate the birth of one of our own, Mr. Reverend Matthew Steven “Nancy/The Wiz” Carstens. Today marks his 20th birthday and by his own definition makes him a “Grown Ass Man”. So now let’s look at what some of his closet friends and colleagues have to say about the man.

“He’s dirty, short and I don’t like him, but he’s got a good heart.” –Paul Otteni

“He’s a born leader always making the calls to put stuff together like wiffleball games and he never gives up hope. When I grow up I want to be just like him.” -John Otteni

“I’ve always liked the fact that he pretty much doesn’t take anything seriously. He seems to be able to laugh at any situation, even a funeral.” -Me

“Don’t worry about him he’s just kind of retarded” – Max Brockman

“matt carstens is the truth.” –Oliver McIntosh (Facebook comment)

“Matt’s a great guy. He’s funny, is a solid musician, and loves to get his wiffleball on. You can’t ask much more of a guy.” -Peter Williams

“He turned out to be a pretty great friend considering I only became friends with him for his Star Wars figures.” -Sean Lemme

“This picture captures every part of his personality perfectly.” –> -A.J. Swan (Drunken Myspace Comment)

“ur a fuckin faget

do u want to die….”-Don’t Hate Apprecitate (myspace comment)

“Matt is a sincere friend, that I can always count on to back me up 100%. Dick’s Drive Inn is a very important place to me and Matt is the only one I can always count on to always want to go. He also always excepts my crazy ideas whether golfing or going to some foreign place-I can always count on at least 1 “Let’s to it.” He joins me on journeys all about the world and the best part is he doesn’t just come with me, he brings company, humor, and a good spirit.” – Kevin Lemme

90’s Week: Nancy’s Lists

Well since Colin decided to rip me apart in his 90’s week post, I guess I’ll do the same. Colin:
You suck.

Television

10. My Brother and Me
I can only remember a few particular scenes from this hella African Nick classic. I’m sure it isn’t as good as I remember.

9. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
I don’t think I ever watched a whole episode. Scary shit.

8. Kenan & Kel
Had to turn this show off too. Too much mischevious humor.

7. Angry Beavers
I seem to recall I’m the only person that liked this show. I was always impressed by how sweet their dam was.

6. Rugrats
This show taught me everything I needed to know about the Jewish faith.

5. Rocko’s Modern Life
This show was hella weird now that I think about it. It seems like animators are not as demented as they used to be.

4. All That
I was ALL ABOUT All That.

3. Almost Live
I wish I was cool enough to watch it when it was on.

2. Frasier
A nightly tradition in our Central Household, this show makes me proud to be from Seattle.

1. Seinfeld
Ya.

Music

10. Dr. Dre-The Chronic
Happy Birthday Jon.

9. Guns N’ Roses- Use Your Illusions I & II
These albums rock hella hard.

8. Green Day- .nimrod
Almost as good as Dookie. Almost.

7. Pearl Jam-Ten
The only Pearl Jam album I’ve heard. Seems like a necessary buy for a grunge kid.

6. Nirvana-Unplugged in NY
One of my favorite albums, acoustic or not, of all time.

5. Belle & Sebastian-If You’re Feeling Sinister
The predecessor to all modern indie music.

4. Green Day-Dookie
Better than .nimrod. Better.

3. Foo Fighters-The Colour and the Shape
They used to be so good! SO GOOD!

2. Bright Eyes-Letting Off the Happiness
Cat Fancy’s ignorance of this band cannot go on much longer! Go listen!

1. Nirvana-Nevermind
I guess there is an underlying Nirvana love-fest theme sweeping through 90’s week. Except for you Sean. Damn you.

Sorry for the weak/late post. But hey! It’s my birthday soon. Thanks to everyone for the great posts all week long. It was really fun to relive my life through these posts, because sure as hell can’t remember it myself.

90s Week: Colin’s Lists

Well this was hella hard work, but it’s gotten me back in the blogging spirit. I’m also not gonna put pictures for all of these cause that just takes way too much time and I have to finish an assignment for one of my classes tonight. Anyways here are some of my favorites out of all the crazy shit that made the 90s so memorable.

For some reason some of the text on this post is all fucked up and I don’t feel like messing with it anymore. Sorry.

Favorite Albums

I took the Sean approach and only added one album per artist.

10. Wowee Zowee – Pavement (1995)

Though critics usually hail Pavement’s first two albums as among the best indie-rock albums of the decade, I gotta say this one (their third outing) is my favorite. It’s a very quirky mix of their early lo-fi experiments and the more polished poppy material of their later material.

9. American Recordings – Johnny Cash (1994)

A very intimate and haunting record from the man in black. The album consists only of Cash’s voice and acoustic guitar, but that’s what makes it so powerful and it served as a great comeback album for one of America’s greatest musical talents of the 20^th century.

8. Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine (1992)

Unquestionably the only decent band to come out of the genre that came to be known as rap-metal. I guess what makes Rage makes so much better for me than say Limp Bizkit or Papa Roach is how tight and funky the grooves between Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk are, and with Zack de la Rocha’s angry politically charged vocals, the results were explosive.

7. Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)

With the Chili’s embracing a more melodic, but still very funky sound, this album’s hard not to love. Yup.

6. Odelay – Beck (1996)

After scoring a breakout hit with the slacker anthem “Loser”, Beck showed he was one of the most unique talents of the decade with Odelay. With the help of the Dust Brothers Beck created an album that somehow blends pretty much every genre imaginable, but still managed to be the most successful album of his career.

5. Grace – Jeff Buckley (1994)

This album makes great use of Jeff Buckley’s beautiful songs and his almost heavenly vocals. I mean damn, that guy had a great voice. It’s just too bad that this haunting gem was the only album Buckley made before his early death in 1997.

4. Achtung Baby – U2 (1991)

Coming four years after the hugely successful Joshua Tree, U2 solidified themselves as a band that would be around for quite a while. Achtung Baby shows them taking their sound in all sorts of directions by incorporating dance rhythms with the Edge’s continuing fascination with creating new sounds with his guitar playing.

3. Pinkerton – Weezer (1996)

Sure, the Blue Album’s fantastic, but I prefer this one just a little more. Weezer really tap into what made their brand of loud, melodic, and catchy alternative rock so great when there were about a million other bands trying to do the same kind of thing in the 90’s.

2. The Bends – Radiohead (1995)

Even though The Bends came at such an early stage in Radiohead’s brilliantly adventurous career, it’s still my favorite. A lot of the songs show Radiohead as a great alternative rock band, while still hinting at the sonic landscapes they’d explore on subsequent albums.

1. Nevermind – Nirvana (1991)

A classic album in the truest sense. Simply the most influential and important album of the decade, not to mention the enduring brilliance of Kurt Cobain’s songwriting.

Honorable Mentions: Dookie – Green Day (1994), Tragic Kingdom – No Doubt (1995), Loveless – My Bloody Valentine (1991), Automatic for the People by R.E.M. (1992), Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins (1993), (What’s the Story) Morning Glory by Oasis (1995)

Video Games

My list is pretty varied as far as systems, but that’s cause these are more based on games I played at other people’s houses, considering I really didn’t get into gaming until around 1998.

10. NBA Jam (1993)

I still enjoy kicking Nancy’s ass at this game.

9. Pokemon: Red Version (1998)

We all know how much this game ruled our lives back in the day, and I was no exception.

8. Tekken 3 (1998)

Really the only fighting games I ever got that into were the Tekken games. I remember playing this game with Fat Matt for hours.

7. Sonic Adventure (1999)

I had to represent the Dreamcast in one way or another. This might be my favorite Sonic game, but that’s probably just because I never owned a Genesis.

6. Super Smash Bros. (1999)

Even though I never owned it, I pretty much had to play anytime I went over to someone who owned a N64’s house.

5. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998)

These games were pretty much Sony’s answer to Mario, it’s just too bad no one cared about everyone’s favorite video game marsupial after the PlayStation became obsolete.

4. Donkey Kong Country (1994)

This game is just really fun and never gets old, especially that minecart level.

3. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

I played the shit out of this game, and it was pretty much the reason that I took up skateboarding.

2. Goldeneye (1997)

Still a fantastic first-person shooter even by today’s standards. I mean if I went over to Mike’s or Shaun Douchebag’s house back in the day, there was pretty much no doubt that we’d play this game at some point.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)

For me it really doesn’t get any better than the original 2D Mario games, and this is probably my favorite.

Favorite Music Videos

I hope it doesn’t piss anyone off too much that I decided to mix it up with this one. I mean if I made a TV list it probably wouldn’t have anything that wasn’t on Sean and John’s. So I thought I’d look back at the an aspect of TV that has kind of waned in popularity since the 90’s, the music video. If this was a proper list I’d put YouTube links to the videos but it isn’t, so I won’t.

10. Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve (1997)

Pretty simple, Richard Ashcroft walking down a street, bumping into people. But hey it’s pretty memorable.

9. Heart Shaped Box – Nirvana (1993)

Great use of color and some bizarre but effective imagery makes this my favorite Nirvana video.

8. Give It Away – The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)

Really captures the crazy in-your-face nature of the Chili Peppers at this point in their career.

7. Freak on a Leash – Korn (1999)

Sure the song isn’t particularly good (except for the sweet skat solo and clickity clackity bass), but come on, everyone likes seeing bullets go through shit.

6. Praise You – Fat Boy Slim (1999)

It certainly doesn’t look like any other video, considering it looks like it was filmed on handheld camera at some random mall. Spike Jonze definitely took the music video format in some very entertaining directions, plus he’s in this one.

5. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai (1997)

Who knows what happened to this guy, anyways his most famous video is awesome. I always wonder how they pulled of a lot the stuff in this hypnotic video.

4. Learn to Fly – The Foo Fighters (1999)

Back when the Foo Fighters we’re all about havin’ a good time instead of being all serious and heavy. It’s got everything from the Foo Fighters dressing up in drag, fat suits, babies, gay flight attendants and it’s even got Tenacious D in it.

3. Tonight, Tonight – The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

Just a really inventive and visually stimulating video that’s obviously a tribute to George Milies’ 1902 silent film, A Trip to the Moon.

2. Buddy Holly – Weezer (1994)

Weezer + Happy Days = Music Video Awesomeness

1. Sabotage (1994)

Obviously a spoof of 70’s cop shows combined with over the top acting from the Beastie Boys makes for one of the most entertaining videos ever made. I’m all about when the band actually stars in the video and the Beasties have a lot of fun in this one, plus the fact that the song rocks some much adds a lot to it too.

Favorite Movies

Don’t have much to say about these except that I also need to see Schindler’s List at some point.

10.Dazed and Confused (1993)

Richard Linklater pretty much spearheaded the ‘90s indie movement with his charming debut, Slacker. And this was another interesting, if somewhat laid back study of the slackers of a different generation.

9. The Thin Red Line (1998)

Coming 20 years after Terrence Malick’s last picture, this might be my favorite of his films. It’s pretty neat the way Malick’s meditative style of direction works so well in this fascinating study of war.

8. L.A. Confidential (1997)

A very entertaining crime thriller with great performances all around. I love the way this movie blends so many aspects of the noir and thriller genres, while also contrasting them with the glamorous world of 1950’s Hollywood.

7. The Terminator 2 (1991)

This movie just fuckin rocks. Probably my favorite action movie of all-time.

6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Yeah I know including two WWII movies on my list is kind of weird, but hey they don’t come any better than this.

5. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Just a great story that’s told beautifully, even if it doesn’t quite deserve to be number 1 on the imdb top 250.

4. Toy Story (1995)

I just saw this again a couple months ago and I was amazed a the fact that I was just as charmed by this movie if not more so than when I was a kid and would watch it all the time.

3. Fargo (1996)

A perfect blend of genres and the Coen Brothers’ strongest sensibilities as filmmakers. Plus it reminds me of my Minnesota roots.

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Probably the most influential film of the decade not only for it’s signature dialogue, but also in the way it influenced the way narrative was treated in film from then on.

1. Goodfellas (1990)

I just love this movie, it might be my favorite movie of all time. Scorsese truly shows that he is a master of his medium with this one. Everything from the acting, the cinematography, the editing, and the use of music is absolutely mind-blowing.

Well there ya go, I’m definitely looking forward to more themed weeks.

90s Week: John’s Lists

Sup y’all, time to bringeth you all of my favorite things from that bomb decade that was the 90s! My list will be comprised of my favorite movies, albums, TV shows, and Vidjuh games. I wanted to do a few more, “Most 90s athletes” (John Stockton) or something like ” best/worst catch phrases” and actually made a fads list but it made this post far too long, this is surprisingly a lot of work so let’s get crackin’.

Favorite Flicks:

I only have so many award heavy films here and still haven’t seen Schindler’s List even though I own it, but I’d say this list is a fair representation of my favorite films of the time and some of my favorite films in general

10. Edward Scissorhands (1990) – A dark gothic tale combined with a sweet love story, visually stunning and well acted.

9. Jurassic Park (1993) – Probably the first film I have a memory of ever seeing in theaters. The effects still blow me away and you gotta love the Goldblum.

8. Cannibal! The Musical (1996) – Not as widely known as some of these others (Probably cause it wasn’t theatrical) but probably one of my favorite comedies of the 90s. A non-sensical Pythonesque low budget film with some great tunes.

7. The Sixth Sense (1999) – A subtle yet thought provoking horror film, these are rare in the world of cinema.

6. The Usual Suspects (1995) – The ending to this excellently crafted story always hits me and in my opinion Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey’s best movie.

5. Reservoir Dogs (1992) – Pure and raw Tarantino with great music, dialogue (of course) and especially performances. There’s an iconic hip quality to this gritty crime story and an almost timeless feel.

4. Goodfellas (1990) – An epic crime story filled with colorful characters all played marvelously. The dialogue is classic, the story and pacing is flawless and it’s even got a rocking soundtrack. This is one in a million and in my opinion Scorsese’s greatest triumph as a filmmaker.

3. Groundhog Day (1993) – A loving drama/comedy wrapped up in a unique paranormal package. Some of the best films have the ability to make you feel something special inside, and this always puts me in a good mood. I make sure to watch this gem at least once a year.

2. Ed Wood (1994) – The film that most inspires me to make my own movies. A hilarious and heartfelt tribute that unlike most biographical films actually focuses on the craft of the subject rather than being weighed down by subplots of drugs, bad memories or any of those other cliches. This film holds a special place in my heart.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994) – Not only do I love the humor and intelligence of this masterfully made crime flick but it really has influenced my life. I don’t think I can go to a single burger joint without thoughts of Jules chatting up a storm about burgers to a frightened Brett or even go to any restaurant without remembering the scenes between Mia and Vincent. I mean it’s got to be just about one of the most quotable films ever made and definitely one of the best of the decade, it’s certainly stuck with me all these years.

Honorable Mention: Other cinematic masterpieces like “Meet the Deedles” and “Star Kid”

The Tube:

This may of been the hardest list for me to put together. This list could of ended up in all sorts of different orders, especially because I’m not sure how I feel about including shows from 1999. Anyways, here are the picks that I settled on which for the most part I’m satisfied with.

10. Freakazoid! (1995-1997) – Some of the references still go over my head. One of my favorite moments was when Freakazoid scared a group of children around a campfire with a frightening tale about “Sinbad’s show never being cancelled” or something around the lines of that, it was just totally off the wall.

9. Kids in the Hall (1988-1994) – Kind of like the second coming of Monty Python except it’s Canadian.

8. Futurama (1999- 2003) I’d probably say the first season of Futurama was actually my favorite. It was a fresh idea and one of my favorite shows of 1999. I just hope they’d stop releasing these straight to DVD features and get back to the damn show again.

7. Friends (1994-2004) – Everyone had their favorite friend, mine was Joey, and just about aynone could find some humor in this light hearted sitcom which screams 90s right at you.

6. Frasier (1993-2004) – You wouldn’t think a show about an uptight Seattle yuppie would catch on, but by golly it sure did. Wonderful cast with some really swell episodes.

5. Batman the Animated Series (1992-1995) – I’m amazed how well this show holds up and am not surprised that this two time emmy winner showed a handful of episodes in prime time. With fantastic animation, plenty of adventure for kids and serious complex story lines for adult this show had it all.

4. South Park (1997-Present) – Sure it was crude in the beginning, but there really wasn’t anything quite like it. I just wish Trey and Matt still made as immature episodes as they used to. I get a little tired of so many episodes these days that have to address their own personal agendas.

3. The X-Files (1993-2002) – One of the creepiest yet at the same time wittiest and funniest dramas ever to air on TV. Scully and Mulder are a classic team and I could watch them solve mysteries of the paranormal variety all day long.

2. Seinfeld (1989-1998) – I haven’t seen every episode yet but god is this show funny. It’s relatable, memorable, quotable and masterfully written. It’s nothing short of sheer brilliance.

1. The Simpsons (1989-Present) – Half of the things I say are just ripped off from The Simpsons. If my friends watched reruns as religiously as I do they’d probably see that I’m really not that funny after all.

Honorable Mention
Ren and Stimpy: Pushed the bar of what you could see in a children’s cartoon, gross but memorable.
Rocko’s Modern Life: A more mature yet silly cartoon program that ended far too soon.
Beavis and Butthead: Uh huh huh huh huh huh
Family Guy:Though Family Guy got it’s start in the 90s it didn’t really start to pick up until the new millennium.
The Sopranos: Same deal as Family Guy, I associate it more with the 2000s, but either way it’s one hell of drama.
Superman The Animated Series: Quality writing of Batman, just a step down in the animation department.
Myster Science Theater 3000: Great concept and wacky show.
And many more…

Rad Tunes:

Unlike Sean, I probably don’t have enough albums to allow only one per artist. Perhaps I should delve deeper into the 90s someday but for now this is what I got and this is what I like.

10. Green Day – Dookie (1994)
: Normally I wouldn’t consider this to be my kind of music, but damn so many of these songs are just too catchy. It’s basically one of those albums where every song had single potential and man did it rule the airwaves. Not only that but I remember being very aware of Green Day back in the day, at least in my household. I actually have memories of getting excited whenever the “Basket Case” video came on, I guess I used to really like it…. Come to think of it my mom strangely enough had a copy of Dookie… What a time to be alive for anyone.

9. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication (1999)
: Flawless funk and excellent musicianship, my favorite Chilly Willy album. Everything came together here with John Frusciante’s return to the band and it’s really a swell collection of tunes. This was my first experience listening to this band, after buying the CD in a Half Price Books, and for that it will always be my favorite work of theirs. Why I remember years after it’s release sitting in my room for hours learning how to play the title track on guitar. Remember the video game music video for “Californication”? That was legit, why they never actually made that game will always puzzle me.

8. Blur – Blur (1997)
: A nice transition from Blur’s Brit Pop sound to a more experimental and alternative style. Damon Albarn’s lazy British delivery is classic and Graham Coxon’s guitar work is always inventive. On this album you can never tell what’s coming next with no two songs sounding alike. I think Blur is kind of cast aside these days as just the number 2 band to Oasis regarding British rock in the 90s, but I think they’re definitely worth holding in high regard… Plus “Song 2” is like the most 90s song ever written.

7. Radiohead – Ok Computer (1997)
: I’ll admit there are a couple of numbers that kind of bore me, but some of the songs here are truly materpieces. “Paranoid Android” is a rock epic and “No Surprises” is probably one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. Thom Yorke’s presence is as usual haunting and some of the instrumentation and production on this album is definitely a standout for this era of music. A completely unpredictable collection of unique sounds, textures and feelings. It may not be my favorite Radiohead album, but it’s definitely a close second.

6. Oasis – Definitely Maybe (1994)
: The birth of that Oasis music craze in the 90s was all concieved with this first great album. A totally sweet mix of Beatles inspired pop with heavy, distorted guitars. Noel Gallagher was probably one of the best songwriters of the time and his ego maniac brother Liam was one of the most entertaining frontmen you could ever ask for. Definitely Maybe was as excellent as a debut that you could want from a band and I’m always game to pump it up and rock out when the situation calls for it.

5. Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York (1993)
: With the amount of of covers and new material, this was like getting an entirely new Nirvana album. A nice look at Nirvana’s softer side and a pleasant showcase of a classic band with some talented guest musicians like Pat Smear and The Meatpuppets. I mean you wouldn’t think that The Meatpuppets would add much but their songs are actually some of the best here. This also makes an impact as one of the last times anybody got to see Kurt performing. He really puts his heart into it and you can feel it.

4. Weezer – Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994)
: Perfect blending of chunky guitars and pop song-writing. I mean the video for “Buddy Holly” was so popular it was included on Windows 95. Their offbeat nerd rock wasn’t quite like anything else at the time and everyone loved them for it. There are a lot of memorable hits on this album, but overtime I think I’ve come to enjoy some of the lesser known songs better. “Surf Wax America” generates a great amount of excitement and “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” is sharp blending of acoustic and electric “In the Garage” ain’t half bad either.

3. Weezer – Pinkerton (1996)
: Rivers Cuomo masters his melodies on this Power Pop classic of the 90s. There’s a slick, hip flow to this excellent follow up album with it’s punchy running time of 34 minutes. It’s here that Weezer takes their truly original sound to an all new level. I love a lot of the material on this album and it constantly inspires me as a songwriter. “Getchoo” and “Pink Triangle” are definite highlights for me while “The Good Life” may be my favorite Weezer song in general. It may not be as famous as Weezer’s debut but it’s somewhat more straightforward composition, leaves the song-writing and musicianship as the main point of focus and I’m all about that.

2. Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
: This is like the third time I’ve written about this album on this blog, I think you get the idea that I like it. Songs like “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” were staples of the 90s MTV generation and truly bring me back to the days of Bill Clinton saxophone solos and uhh… Furby I guess. It’s Beatlesesque pop wrapped up in dirty, pure unadulterated Manchester Rock! Basically every song here had potential to be a hit and I just love em all. Not a dull moment on the whole album and the best piece of music this band has created… Period!

1. Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)
: It defined a generation, now that’s an impressive feat. Where music was still trying to recover from the damage done by hair metal, Nirvana became the saviors of rock even becoming the frontrunners in the new genre of “Grunge”. Their songs were heavy, intense and most often melancholy but ultimately moving and totally memorable.

Honorable Mention: Odelay I guess and anything by Weird Al

Extreme Gaming:

A handful of the games that I loved growing up and still have a soft spot for today.

10. Sonic Adventure (1999) – The best game I’d ever played on the Dreamcast. The graphics blew me away back then but the gameplay was something magical.

9. Final Fantasy VII (1997) – I just slipped write into this and never looked back, an epic steam punk-fantasy based game with all the trimmings.

8. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (1999) – I remember having a demo about a year before I had the game. I played that thing to death, something about that game was just addictive I mean when I finally did get the game I don’t recall putting it down.

7. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) – My favorite game on the genesis, me and my bro would play this colorful side scroller for hours on end.

6. Super Smash Bros. (1999) – Totally changed the way anybody thought about fighting games, this series has come a long way.

5. Pokemon: Red Version (1998) – Live Pokemon Red, die Pokemon Red. I liked it so much I was playing it even before it came out with some crappy bootleg version and then when everyone was playing it really became a phenomenon. I remember Jason Olivas calling me at home asking me how to beat Lt. Surge, what a strange time that was.

4. Resident Evil 2 (1998) – The Resident Evil games pretty much wrote the book on horror video games and this one is still my favorite. Creepy atmosphere and plenty of replay value.

3. Shining Force (1992) – Definitely stands out from any other Strategy game I’ve ever played. It was a truly unique experience when I bought my used copy at a Video Update back in the day.

2. Donkey Kong Country (1994) – I’ve never ever gotten tired of playing this addictive Snes classic and never will. Good graphics, good soundtrack and overall great gameplay.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) – A vast and beautiful epic fantasy game, especially considering when it came out. It definitely blew me away and still does.

That’s all folks I hope you enjoyed what took me far too long, Otteni out.

90s Week: Sean’s Lists

OK, here we go. I’m not going to right a long blurb about everything and get pictures, that would take forever. I guess I’d like to just preface all of this by stating that this is the opinion of me now, not me in the 1990s. If that was the case, this would just be a list of Weird Al albums and Power Ranger episodes. No, all of the items in these lists transcended timeliness and became all-time favorites of mine. They are:

Top 10 Albums of the 1990s

Like I said above, these are the 1990s albums I love now. Each of them are among my favorite albums ever. As usual, I only allow one album per band.

Honorable Mentions: Sigur Rós – Ágætis byrjun (1999), My Morning

Jacket – The Tennessee Fire (1999), The White Stripes – The White Stripes (1999), Muse – Showbiz (1999), Spiritualized – Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (1997), R.E.M. – Automatic for the People (1992), probably some Blur album I haven’t heard

10. Foo Fighters – The Colour and the Shape (1997)

There was a time there when I really liked the Foo Fighters, and this album is the main reason. With unforgettable tracks like “My Hero” and “Everlong” this album is a real blast to listen to.

9. The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
It’s weird. I don’t care much for the other work by The Smashing Pumpkins, and frankly I think Billy Corgan is pretty creepy. But there’s something about Mellon Collie that works for me in a really special way.

8. Weezer – Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994)
Yeah, even I’m suprised this is on my list. I’m not that big a fan of any of the work Weezer has done since this album, sure I like some of the albums but I wouldn’t say I love them. But this first one, man it is really good.

7. The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin (1999)
This album was never very popular, but at least the critics correctly got behind it. Soft Bulletin signified a shift in the Flaming Lips’ sound… Or at least I think so. I’ve never heard Zaireeka because I’ve never had a four CD setup to play it. That’s fine, Soft Bulletin is awesome enough.

6. U2 – Achtung Baby (1991)
I like it, I bet you would too.

5. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication (1999)

It was a real tossup between this and Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik and this, but ultimately you have to go with the one with a TV show named after it.

4. Beck – Odelay (1996)
The album that put Beck on the map, (is that true? Wasn’t “Loser” a success? That was on Mellow Gold) Odelay might not be a word I understand, but that just goes to show how unique this really is.

3. Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
Everyone song on this album screams the 90s, which is crucial to be this high on the list. What’s more important is how hard each track rocks. So hard.

2. Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)
I don’t need to write why this is on here, you all know it belongs. Maybe others would put it at #1. Maybe, but wait until you read about the next album.

1. Radiohead – The Bends (1995)
Again, this was a tough call. I mean, OK Computer is amazing. But The Bends was my first Radiohead album, and cemented me as a fan. Seriously, this is probably in my top 10 albums ever.

Top 10 TV Shows of the 1990s

In retrospect, this list was probably a really bad idea. My idea was to list the best shows to watch during the 90s. These shows may not all have started in the 90s, but they had to have peaked mostly during the 90s (Everybody Loves Raymond, I’m sorry).

Honorable Mentions: I’ve got a lot of these. I’d like to start two shows that I really enjoyed but haven’t seen nearly enough of; NewsRadio and Sports Night. Also, I have to list some of the many cartoons I grew up with. Remember, this list is just of the shows I still like today. Cartoons like Dexter’s Laboratory (1996-2003), Doug (1991-1994), Hey Arnold! (1996-2004), Rugrats (1991-1994, 1996-2004), The Ren and Stimpy Show (1991-1996), Rocko’s Modern Life (1993-1996). Finally, I guess I should be true to my deepest, innermost child and remind you of Pokemon (1998-), Dragonball Z (1989-1996), and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995-1996)

10. Home Improvement (1991-1999)
For the longest time, I couldn’t remember that this show’s title wasn’t Tool Time. Maybe that would have been better, the Tool Time segments of the show were always more fun.
9. All That (1994-2000)
It’s like SNL for kids! That initial run of All That was great, fairly clever too.
8. Freakazoid! (1995-1997)
It’s still pretty funny. Even now, as a 19-year-old, I laugh at it. That means something. That’s important.
7. Almost Live (1984-1999)
It’s like SNL for Seattle! I just wish I watched it more when it was going on. Never forget.
6. Beavis and Butt-Head (1993-1997)
This misadventures of two perverted dofuses, as done by the creator of King of the Hill.
5. Spin City (1996-2002)
Back when I had a TV that only picked up UPN in my room, this was my bread and butter. Lots of great moments in this classic political sitcom.
4. Frasier (1993-2004)
Yeah! Another show representin’ Seattle. No, scratch that. The show representing Seattle.
3. Friends (1994-2004)
The show that spoke to the youth. It knew how people were bumming around in coffee shops and getting similar haircuts. In those latter years it got a little too romantic, but it remains one of the funniest sitcoms ever.
2. The Simpsons (1989-)
Maybe things would have been better if The Simpsons ended with the 90s. Probably. Because the show was incredible in the 90s.
1. Seinfeld (1989-1998)
Possibly my favorite show ever, Seinfeld is genius. Just try to imagine popular culture without all the contributions from this show. I don’t want to live in that world.