It’s the annual Binge Halloween Bash and Law can think of no better way to celebrate than to bring on his favorite person in the world, Nate P. The two lovebirds catch up, discuss Haloween differences in the land of the Brits, recall some nightmares and then review THOR: RAGNAROK. Soon though, the evil duo of Moreno and Ammon join the party and everything goes to shit.
More reviews happen, Google Voice scares everybody, and a spooky version of Quote Whores sends everybody screaming into the night for surprise poops.
It has begun. My ridiculous attempt to watch 101 first-watch horror movies in the month of October is off and running and I can confidently say I’m going to go insane. As of writing this I’ve spent two full nights at work watching some epic crap. NYMPH is supposed to be about a killer mermaid. What NYMPH is actually about is some mystery involving the killer from I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, a bunch of stupid foreigners taking a day trip to a abandoned prison island, and five minutes of said killer mermaid towards the end. INFLICTION is pretty much the worst film I’ve seen this year. The acting, the story, and the camera work in this film was almost enough to make me throw in the towel for this task. It was the second movie I watched. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES is an abomination of cinema. DEAD WITHIN is so boring I was concentrating on my actual job. Things picked up a bit for me with HONEYMOON if only for the performances and the legit distress I had while watching it. “I fucking love you Jon Snow” is pretty great here as she transforms from ideal wife to creepy clone whom bleeds a lot. 7500 is interesting enough until you get to the end and realize it’s no better than a mediocre Twilight Zone episode. WER is great for an hour and then things get so goofy by the end it’s like your watching a different film, and should involve Scooby-Doo for some reason.
I’m two days in and have watched eight films already. I can do this. Tune in for the Binge Cast this Monday to hear how far along I am by then and allow me to verbalize my anger.
CROSSOVERS
I’ve said it time and time again – I’m a sucker for a crossover. The recent Family Guy/Simpsons event was, in my humble opinion, fan-fucking-tastic. Every note that should have been hit was hit and my appreciation for both shows was celebrated for an hour straight. Television has been doing these sorts of things forever so I’d thought I’d highlight some of my favorites through the years.
I used to lose my childhood shit when Lavern & Shirley would show up on Happy Days so you can imagine the pressure put on my little brain when Mork got in on the mix to stir shit up with The Fonz and Laverne.
The Emmy whore, Mad About You spread the love with Friends once but it wasn’t until Kramer from Seinfeld showed up that I watched my first episode of the show ever.
I watched some weird drama when I was a kid. For some reason I was obsessed with St. Elsewhere, an hour long hospital production that offered nothing for kids. When the doctors showed up on Cheers (my favorite show of all time) I felt sophisticated and privileged to be in on the joke.
This one came later in life, as I watched TV through the eyes of my kids every night. It was because of them that my excitment got the better of me when The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles popped up on The Power Rangers In Space. Oddly, my kids were very meh about the whole thing.
8
Speaking of my kids, my oldest turns eight-years-old today and I’m thinking it’s time to turn a corner when it comes to the movies he’s watching. I’ve shelved shit like MARMADUKE, ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS, and MVP to make room for GREMLINS, GOONIES, and GHOSTBUSTERS. There’s no way he’s going to share the same experience I had at his age however. When I was eight I was brought to the theater to see things like THE EVIL DEAD, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, and PORKY’S. Yes, my brother and father were the worst. I’m taking the “small steps” approach to parenthood and thus keeping THE EXORCIST out of reach until I know he’s not creeped out by vagina mutilation. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is fair game now me thinks, as is E.T., THE KARATE KID, and BACK TO THE FUTURE. It’s an exciting time around here for sure as I try to mold my kid’s brain into the perfect little fanboy mold. This is way more important to me than you can imagine.
Happy Wednesday everybody. So what’s new? How’s the work week? Hopefully it’s a short one for ya and you aren’t one of those poor bastards who has to work Friday. Either way here’s another dose of (Working on a Title) Wednesday to help you through.
Dirk Gently
Here it is, that little break between Television seasons where I need something to fill my time, but don’t have time to delve into anything too deep (i.e. The Wire). So I look for some short season runs that last between 6-8 hrs. This time I happened to come across a little BBC show whose first season comes in at a whopping 4 episodes totaling 4 hrs. Jackpot! The name of the show is Dirk Gently and stars Stephen Mangan (Episodes) as Dirk Gently, a private detective who believes there is not one action that doesn’t directly effect the entire universe. Think Butterfly Effect. The Pilot episode finds Dirk investigating a missing Cat for an elderly woman. That’s really all about the plot I want to give away as watching the story unfold is definitely part of the fun. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten to the other 3 episodes yet but will very soon. Hopefully they are just as fun as this one was. From what I can tell the show is available to purchase on DVD or Download and available streaming for free to Amazon Prime subscribers. The series is based upon a novel by Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy) entitled Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. I definitely recommend it.
World Cup Soccer
I really don’t understand how the one true World Championship, which happens only once every 4 years and is watched religiously everywhere else across the globe is getting so much hate from a sports loving nation. If you paid any attention to the action that took place in the round of 16 this past weekend you would have witnessed some of the most exhilarating action the game has to offer (especially the heartbreaking loss that the U.S. suffered yesterday). If you didn’t pay attention your probably still blindly bashing a sport that you don’t understand or enjoy. Stop being that Dick. You don’t like it fine, but why waste the energy hating something that honestly doesn’t affect your daily life? (your Twitter/Facebook feed doesn’t count) The World Cup happens every 4 years and lasts a month yet MLS has a season every year and no one says a bloody word. Nothing like an international event to bring out the ignorant assholes in droves. And people wonder why a large part of the of the world hates ‘Merica.
“Tapping” Games
From what I can tell The Simpsons franchise was the first known name to come out with this style of game. I, however, started with Family Guy but now play both, daily, at least twice. And somehow I haven’t dropped a single cent on these “transactional games”. What the fuck am I babbling about? Let me tell you. The basic premise of these games is to rebuild the town after it has been destroyed by some cataclysmic event. You do this by unlocking and sending characters on different missions which gain you XP, $, and special items ranging from common to extra rare. All of which are used to unlock different character actions, costumes and buildings for your City. It’s like a simplified version of The Sims built around a popular television show. Before and after each mission there is usually a self referential conversation pointing back to a classic episode or a new joke about an old character. I.e. Brian and his continuing attempt to write a novel or how Meg sucks and everyone hates her. All of this is done by tap, tap, tapping on that screen of your mobile device. The basic game can be completed without spending any of your real hard earned cash. However, if you want the best chance at unlocking everything, especially all the limited time bonus character outfits, character actions, and building options you’re going to want to spend some real money on in game currency. To entice those completionists out there they even made a mission which can only be completed by making an in game purchase. These games definitely capture the essence of their respective universe and they are an excellent time waster. I recommend checking them out.
Alright, enough nonsense for this week, get back to work so maybe you can go home a little early, and you know what, call in sick tomorrow too. Fuck ’em. You deserve it. Have a fun and safe weekend everyone, and remember to point the bottle rockets AWAY from your eye(s). Until next week, enjoy this –
I watch a lot of television at work. A lot. Every so often there’s a moment in one of the random shows I’m watching that needs to be praised. Then I get home, drink, and forget anything and everything that I did the night before. All potential Facebook/Twitter posts are drowned. All interesting BingeCast conversations are lost. So, instead of quitting the booze I’ve decided to instantly screencap some of my favorite moments throughout the week of television and post them here so everybody can enjoy them as I much as I did. And we can all continue drinking. Did I mention that?
BEWARE SPOILERS!!!!
Del Toro Intros the Treehouse – THE SIMPSONS
There was a lot of awesomeness in the intro of the annual Treehouse of Horror this year. Guillermo del Toro does a little bit of everything. And he does it all perfect. There’s throwbacks to TOHs past, nods to horror legends, and spectacular references to his own films. Can he do this every week? Please?
Boom Goes The Clubhouse – SONS OF ANARCHY
This would have been better had Jax’s head came off and rolled in front of the camera just before the credits, but it was still pretty cool nonetheless. The reveal was kind of weak (an Irish pen? Really?) but the panic that sets in immediately after is intense and the end result is spectacular. Still though, Jax lived.
Kenny Gets His Groove Back – EASTBOUND & DOWN
It only took a couple episodes but it seemed like centuries since we got to see Kenny Powers back in the spotlight. Am I the only one who’s head over heels in love with April? Expect her to show up in this column sooner or later. In a tight shirt. And we get an awkward BREAKFAST CLUB reference to boot.
Best. Chick-Fight. Ever. – THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
I’ve been a loyal TUF watcher since Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar almost killed each other in the finale of Season One. The addition of women to the house this year was a welcome change in my eyes. Too much sausage. Anyway, Raquel Pennington and Jessamyn Duke delivered one of the greatest fights the show has ever had this past week. Either one of this ladies would destroy my face.
Cop Killer? – LOW WINTER SUN
Low Winter Sun hasn’t got a lot of respect in it’s first year on the air (more on that here) but, overall, I was definitely involved throughout the season. The finale was batshit-crazy and found a way to surprise the viewers even though they were in on the secret twist all along.
