MIXED BAG. PODCAST #4 Special Edition: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!

And the fourth Mixed Bag. Podcast rolls out, despite a month long delay. In the future, we'll be trying to get them done faster but, Zach has been having some problems and we're trying to adjust the schedule to better fit his own (since he edits the audio, which is the most time consuming part of the editing process). Regardless of the delay, I hope everyone enjoys this episode.

For those of you out of the loop, the subjects covered in the podcast are just like those covered in my blog; from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to 2001: A Space Odyssey, we'll cover films, television, video games and anything else that falls under our nerdy radar.

The program is hosted by Zach Martin (check out his blog by following him HERE) and myself.

This week's episode is a special edition discussion of the Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, including a discussion about the film on its own, the film as a trilogy, and comparing it to other big movies in the super hero genre.

A few notes about my opinion that has changed: Cat Woman was okay, but completely unnecessary.

WORD OF THE DAY! 8/11/12.

photobomb [foh-toh-bahm]
verb
1. To drop in a photo unexpectedly and/or spoil a photo with an obscene/silly gesture or facial expression that detracts from the tone.

EX. I dunno what's more interesting in this ruined photo: Mark Hamill, obviously bored, sticking his tongue out toward Carrie Fishers ear to photobomb the shot or Harrison Ford having a staring contest with the floor?

MIXED BAG. SMALL TALK #3 The Star Wars That I Used to Know

MIXED BAG. SMALL TALK #3

The Mixed Bag Podcast has kinda been hiatus, but Zach has managed to sneak me the audio from the last two we recorded and I've taken the liberty of slapping these nifty videos online for you guys to enjoy. Click, watch, and listen. I plan to try to get some type of new schedule for the podcast and if you have any suggestions about what we should do or would like to be involved in a future podcast, just let me know.

This Small Talk is about a great song parody and about George Lucas....Check out the link below and/or listen to the podcast. Thank you.

MUSICAL MONDAY: STAR WARS THAT I USED TO KNOW 

WORD OF THE DAY! 8/10/12.

skulltula [skuhl-chuh-luh]
noun
1. Video game. A common enemy in the Legend of Zelda series, first appearing in Ocarina of Time (1998), these large spider creatures exist in dark places, such as temple and caverns, inhabited by other malevolent creatures. A marking on their abdomen representing a skull probably serves as a warning to most creatures to avoid it.

EX. My experiences in Ocarina of Time are pretty limited, but its quite difficult to forget the more disturbing moments in the title. And, honestly, the House of Skulltula family in Kakariko Village is one of the most disturbing places/scenarios to discover; a family cursed to live as Skulltulas until some hero can save them from their nightmare.

MIXED BAG. SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE REVIEW.

MIXED BAG REVIEW OF

SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE

Developer: Nintendo

System: Nintendo Gamecube (Aug. 2002)

Genre: Platforming

WORD OF THE DAY! 8/9/12.

game genie [geym-jee-nee]
noun

1. Video game. S series of cheat systems designed by Codemasters and sold by Camerica and Galoob for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Sega Game Gear that modifies game data, allowing the player to cheat, manipulate various aspects of games, and sometimes view unused content and functions.

EX. I never had a Game Genie, but I kinda wish I had one to help me beat Keelhaul Pete in Goof Troop on the SNES.

P.S. If for some bizarre reason you haven't checked out Zac Gorman's website, CLICK HERE, and feel a wave of glorious comedy and nostalgia wash over you like the breath of a thousand people blowing in their Goof Troop cartridge so they can plug it, dust-free, into their SNES.

WORD OF THE DAY! 8/8/12.

needy [nee-dee]
adjective
1. In a condition of need or want; poverty stricken; impoverished; extremely poor; destitute.

EX. Pokemon be needy.

WTF WEDNESDAY! DOUBLE DRAGON: A DRAGON'S TALE

WTF WEDNESDAY PRESENTS

DOUBLE DRAGON: A DRAGON'S TALE

Make sure to click the link above and be patient; the video is a little rough around the edges, but rotoscope animation is definitely more of an art than a science. While some of the art style is pretty rough, I found it endearing, and the combination of human movement & humor makes it a rather enjoyable, but weird experience. If you've little experience with rotoscope, check out the following films:

Fire and Ice, Heavy Metal, A Scanner Darkly, Tom Goes to Mayor, The Lightsaber Effects in Star Wars, Wizards, Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, Don Bluth's Anastasia, the original Mortal Kombat, and much more...

WEEKLY ROUND-UP! 7/30-8/5/2012.

WEEKLY ROUND-UP PRESENTS

MANATEE WEEK!

7. WORD OF THE DAY! 7/30/12. Havoc.

Sometimes I wish I had a dog that was cool enough to LARP. All my dog does is pirate DVDs and watch old episodes of Battlestar Galactica...

6. WORD OF THE DAY! 8/4/12. Caliber.

Power Girl at least has a more defined character than Super Girl: excluding the boob hole, she is pretty funny and kind of a crazy biatch. Super Girl is sort of just "Superman's cousin".

5. WORD OF THE DAY! 8/5/12. Book it.

Screw that evil Mask and its preference for us not to steal its key from Doki Doki Pan...err...Super Mario Bros. 2. Adam West gifs because Batman.

4. WTF WED. MATRIX X OFFICE SPACE CROSS-OVER!

I wonder if staples represent something in the Matrix. All I know is that Keanu Reeves is one the about six people I like to see in every movie...

3. WORD OF THE DAY! 7/31/12. Sisyphean.

Four of the five people in my house have still not watched The Dark Knight Rises...I need to talk to someone about this film or, rather, make fun of Bane's voice in every situation.

2. MUSICAL MONDAY! THE EXPENDABLES: THE MUSICAL!

I am still waiting to see an action movie where Arnold Schwarzenegger plays every character: the protagonist, the antagonist, the supporting characters, the narrator, and even the animals...

1. TABLETOP TALES! FIASCO! EP. 1 DIRTY POLITICS PT. 3

The highlight of my last two weeks has been my first game of Fiasco. Spoilers about the next game: Vampires & HBO.

WORD OF THE DAY! 8/7/12.

red shirt [red-shurt]
noun
1. A high-school or college athlete kept out of varsity competition for one year to develop skills and experience.
2. Science fiction/ Slang. A stock character killed off soon after being introduced. The term originates from Star Trek (1966-69) where security officers wearing red uniforms were almost always doomed to die on some alien planet.

EX. Who do you think are the most obvious red shirts in genre entertainment? I'm gonna go ahead and say every character on Doctor Who, save the Doctor and his companions, because if you have any bit of a moment on that show you're doomed to be shot by living mannequins, fried by Daleks, or killed by your gooey clone.

MIXED BAG. BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY REVIEW!

MIXED BAG REVIEW OF

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

Developer: Rocksteady Studios

System: Xbox 360 & PS3 (Oct. 2011)

Genre: Action-Adventure, Stealth

MUSICAL MONDAY! BOB ROSS REMIXED: HAPPY LITTLE CLOUDS

MUSICAL MONDAY PRESENTS

SYMPHONY OF SCIENCE'S BOB ROSS REMIXED

CLICK HERE TO ENJOY

"This is your world; you're the creator
Find freedom on this canvas
Believe that you can do it
Cuz you can do it." -Bob Ross, on painting

Ever since I first discovered the "Symphony of Science", the world of popular science, an age of positive nostalgia, and the figures that populated it were open to me and I've taken several opportunities to learn from the great minds and amazing personalities of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

They understood the value of edutainment and the "Symphony of Science" series is an excellent celebration of their words and works.

Bob Ross was a man who brought a little bit of relaxation and meditation to the homes of millions of people; he inspired people to keep painting, to find the joy of painting, and that you can find peace in all manner of things. Basically, find something you enjoy doing and, even if you can't do it for a living, keep doing it. Take a little time each day and do what you love.

 Please make sure to click the link below to see and here some more amazing videos from the maker of the video I have linked above. Thank you.

SYMPHONY OF SCIENCE: WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

WORD OF THE DAY! 8/6/12.

Gerudo [geh-roo-doh]
noun
1. Video game. A race of humanoids introduced in the Nintendo 64's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), their most prominent trait is that the race consists almost entirely of females and a male Gerudo is only born about every hundred years. They are talented warriors, fear and respected, and known throughout Hyrule. The most infamous member of their race is the villain Ganondorf and, arguably, for this reason they could appear in almost every Legend of Zelda game.

EX. Link should be using his time with the Gerudos to discover some weakness in Ganondorf...but, instead, he is much more interested in the timeless question of "Where do babies come from?"

WORD OF THE DAY! 8/5/12.

book it [book-it]
verb
1. To run very fast, usually to get away from something or get to something before a deadline.

EX. "Holy librarian, Batman! We gotta book it to the Gotham City Library before the Bookworm eats through all of the encyclopedias, periodicals, and the microfiche!" Robin quibbled.

"Sounds like he needs a micro-fist to the jaw!" Batman guffawed.