purposeful noise

hm

wattsu — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 05:56:15 GMT

Item!: The podcast is not only up, it's officially part of the iTunes search engine. You can pretty much find it by doing a search for "Geek Speak" or "Geek Speak Radio" or something of that nature. It's the one by, you know, me.

Bryan Carr.

Item!: I finished Metal Gear Solid 3! I greatly enjoyed it, and it washed the vaguely sour taste of The Twin Snakes out of my mouth. I'm not sure where it ranks in the series, but it's certainly not my least favorite. Review will probably be up later.

Item!: I did that interest collage meme. And I spent more than a few minutes trying to cut out the porn from it. I had no idea my interests were so smutty.

Create your own! Originally Written By ga_woo, Hosted and ReWritten by darkman424

IT BEGINS NOW

wattsu — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 19:54:47 GMT

Oh, it's ON NOW.

The show to end all shows begins tonight at 6:30 PM EST. There's a link available on the official website. Join the message board! Talk about stuff! Listen to the show! There will be a podcast later, too.

I'm excited. I hope you listen, too.

6:30 PM tonight. Link on the website. Or on Modern Rock 91.5 in Mount Pleasant.

That's when the show is on.

You know, 6:30 PM tonight. Website. Also 91.5 FM Mount Pleasant.

get it?

wattsu — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 06:06:30 GMT

the joke will never get old

wattsu — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 22:34:39 GMT

Saw Snakes on A Plane last night. Review is forthcoming as I stockpile content for the website I will at this rate never actually update, but to sum it up for you:

I smell a motherfuckin' Oscar.

Four out of five star-type thingies.

the twin snakes

wattsu — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 19:38:15 GMT

Rented Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Friday and beat it today. It was a cheap rental. Review will be forthcoming as part of the Pa Sa Reppu Grand Re-Opening process, but for now, enjoy this animaton I made probably about four years ago.

I think it's funny.

sorry about the ungrateful bastards thing

wattsu — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 19:19:41 GMT

I love you all, really I do.

Um, question. I want to sell some stuff on Ebay. I have never done so before. Does anyone have some pointers and/or advice they can offer? I've looked up stuff in the guides but they aren't much help.

oh yeah

wattsu — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 05:50:54 GMT

It was my birthday yesterday (August 2nd). Thanks for noticing, you ungrateful bastards.

I'll just go celebrate my birthday with my famous friend, here.

snort

wattsu — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:28:16 GMT

Wretched hive of scum and villainy AICN posted some early Comic-Con footage of the Simpsons Movie. I swear. I hate the site, but they get stuff like this and I am endlessly compelled.

Anyway, with regards to the footage, I laughed at one part (you'll see what I mean) until I almost cried. This is way, way funnier stuff than the show's been lately. Oddly enough, it's in the same vein, but funnier. Go figure. At any rate, this movie has just shot up to the top of my "Must See" list, where it is currently engaged in a shoving match with Spider-Man 3.

And that's pretty good company to be in.

Edit: The videos have been taken down. Oh well. I'm sure they'll resurface somewhere.

Intriguing!

wattsu — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 02:10:30 GMT

Matt from IGN talks about the need to re-conceptualize the rating scale for Wii games in this blog post.

It's really an intriguing read - since games are going to be so different on the Wii, does that mean we need to re-evaluate the concepts of quality in our games?

VENOM

wattsu — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 01:56:23 GMT

Loathe as I am to rely on AICN for movie news, they do tend to end up with scoops and good writeups, even though the Talkbacks are a toxic cesspool of the dregs of humanity.

Anyway, lots of good Spidey 3 info from Comic-Con. AND VENOM. They don't have a pic of Brock fully transformed yet, but they've got him in mid-symbiosis, and that's awesome enough for now.

Edit: Also, BusRadio is poised to take over the hearts and minds of young children on their way to school. Channel One was despicable enough, now we have to rape their minds on the way TO school, too? I mean, I obviously have no problem with advertising and marketing - I can't and still go into the career I'm in training for - but there are certain places that ads shouldn't go, and schools/buses are some of them. What do you think?

even anne frank could see it

wattsu — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 16:02:09 GMT

Saw Clerks II yesterday. In lieu of writing a full review (which I'd like to do, but a full-length one), I will just say that it is not only one of Smith's best films (if not his best), it is also one of the best movies I've seen all year, and the highlight in a theatrical summer that has thus far been disappointing at best. It gets, without hestitation, five star-type thingies.

Second, Nintendo has offered to repair cracked DS Lits for free. Good for them!

Third, the 9/11 Commission Report will be adapted into a graphic novel. I was pretty shocked at first, but once I read the article it all makes a lot of sense and I wish them the best of luck with the project. Your opinion may vary.

O_O;;;

wattsu — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 02:40:21 GMT

TMNT movie. Trailer. Now.

CLICK.

Behold.

cracked

wattsu — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 17:58:29 GMT

So, apparently, the DS Lite is having some crack issues. No, nothing that would involve detox, but the hinge on many people's devices is starting to show cracks.

Most of the comments I've read seem to imply that this isn't all that much of an issue - the Lite will still play fine, crack or not, but the real issue is that Nintendo is charging $50 to fix it.

Now, I've been pretty easy on Nintendo for a long time, but this is getting dangerously close to Sony-style thinking. If there's a crack in the casing of units that people take extraordinarily good care of, then that's a design flaw on Nintendo's part and they should fix it. For free. Or at least reduced cost. But $50 is the going rate to replace a defective unit, so in essence they are charging the same price to fix this hairline crack that they would to replace a screen or fix a cartridge slot.

So, in conclusion, non-issue or not, Nintendo needs to offer a free or low-cost fix for this, because clearly it's bothering their customers, and without customers, they have nothing.

my arm is getting tired

wattsu — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 14:21:29 GMT

Call me crazy, but I think The Amazing Screw-On Head is a show I could really get into.

Watch it. Now.

It's uh, from the creator of Hellboy. And it's really funny.

So go on. Skedaddle.

it's been a long time a-comin'

wattsu — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 00:28:51 GMT

Thanks to the help of the illustrious bradfromcmu, I have a website! There is next to nothing on it right now, but you can look at it right now:

Click here, or Ice T will punch you in the nose.

existential ennui

wattsu — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:10:28 GMT

So, I have moved in to my apartment early, rather than struggle to find a job for approximately one month back in Gaylord. I think this is a preferable course of action. Financially, it will be a bit of a trick, but I can handle it, especially since I loves me some Mount Pleasant.

I have a pretty cool Green Lantern henna tattoo that Pang made for me. I'd take a picture but nobody should be subjected to my scrawny, pale little girl arms.

My specialty show is definitely a "go" for this coming semester on Modern Rock 91.5. It's called "Geekspeak", and I will do my damndest to get a podcast up and available if I can. We're part of what looks like a block of nerd-oriented programming, with a movie-based talk show before my show that covers movies, games, comics, tv, wrestling, and more. I want to build a website for it, too, so we can have people interact with the show. It's only a half-hour program, but maybe if we knock it out of the park we can lobby for an additional thirty minutes and make it a lean hour. I am pretty excited, boy howdy let me tell you.

Hopefully will be starting back at WCZY ASAP. If not, I've got stuff to Ebay and plasma to donate to get me through a week or so before I definitely will be starting back there. Should have just stayed in Mount Pleasant in the first place, but you know - live and learn.

I'm home.

huh.

wattsu — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 18:06:05 GMT

Read this.

Political commentary can ensue in the comments page.

tsk tsk

wattsu — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 23:59:59 GMT

Oh, MSN. Did you really think you could write one of the worst top ten lists of all time and I wouldn't notice?

See, when you decided to make a list of the Top Ten Best Superhero movies, I assumed that you would let someone write it who knew what the fuck they were talking about. I am not sure in what universe Spy Kids is considered a superhero movie, but it is not one of which I want to be a part. Inframan? What is that?

They even say Batman Returns is the best of the Batman movies. If you wear black eyeliner and draw bleeding human hearts in the margins of your notebook, maybe.

The "Five Worst" list is better, but only slightly, because anyone who tells you Hulk or Daredevil was a bad movie probably can't read.

Edit: Frank, read the top comic on this page.

superman returns

wattsu — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:11:53 GMT

Well, I saw it.

And...well.

It was a beautiful movie, full of great imagery, impressive setpieces, solid performances, and the level of technical proficiency that you would expect from Bryan Singer.

...And I think I might, for the first time, be fine with never re-watching a superhero movie.

It's not that it's about twenty minutes too long. It's not that the storyline drags unforgivably in many sequences. It's not that there's really no serious sense of urgency or danger for the great majority of the film. It's just missing something, a certain je ne sais quois that keeps it from being a movie I have to see again. The ultimate litmus test of a film's quality for me is if I will pick up the DVD, and I don't know if I will get Superman Returns or not. It just feels as though I've seen what Singer has to say, and I don't really have any great need to go over it again, beautiful imagery or not.

Then again, maybe I have to mull it over some more. One thing is for sure: This ain't Batman Begins. The blue boy scout gets three star-type thingies.

omgzorzmd;kjgmag

wattsu — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 00:33:51 GMT

The Spider-Man 3 teaser is up.

Words cannot describe. I haven't been this excited for a movie since...um...Spider-Man 2.

I'm actually sort of a gibbering fanboy mess right now.

Want to watch it again.

i am i am

wattsu — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 23:54:43 GMT

It's been a couple weeks. Let me tell you about them.

First off, let's start with the good. Nacho Libre was good. It was ridiculously, perhaps idiotically silly, and yet it had a very sweet core and was very funny. Pang loved it. I did too. I found it far superior to Napoleon Dynamite, which has been co-opted by braindead high schoolers and is so totally not funny anymore. I just hope those little Hot Topic-wearing motherfuckers don't get their claws on my nice luchador movie. It would get three star-type thingies, but with the absolutely incredible soundtrack it squeaks out a four.

Justice League, that's pretty cool. Picked up the 2nd season on DVD, and the improvement in story and writing from the first season can only be measured in lightyears. Starcrossed in particular is one of the best hour-and-a-halfs of animation you will ever see. It gets five star-type thingies.

Pang? Pang is cute.

Now on to the bad stuff.

Namely: I don't have a job at the moment. My station let all the part-time people (that would be me) go in order to cut costs. Fair enough, and I really wasn't that bothered by it, since all the signs were there beforehand. I am, of course, seriously questioning the wisdom and business acumen of the owners, but that is a matter best left for private conversation. Feel free to email or IM me.

So, I may be moving down to Mount Pleasant early. Quite likely, actually. But not set in stone.

Plan accordingly.

couple things

wattsu — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:49:38 GMT

I picked up Brain Age, largely due to stevencwatts' recommendation and the fact it was 20 dollars. I'm finding it very engaging, and it actually does what it sets out to do, which is even more amazing. I'm not sure if I'll get any smarter from it, but I am getting waaaaay better at math. And Sudoku, much to my surprise, is a lot of fun.

Saw two movies (Walking Tall and The Rundown) over the last few days, both of which starred The Rock. Don't ask. But they were both pretty enjoyable "B" action movies. I liked Walking Tall a little better, if only because it had a little more emotion and depth behind it (and a gigantic 2x4 with which justice is dispensed). They're both about three star-type thingies out of five.

I've gotten much better at broadcasting since last I did it (you know, all those...well, I never really stopped). I've been doing a lot of live radio lately and I continue to improve, even if I'd kinda rather be back at WCZY. I think I'd rather be back in Mount Pleasant en general.

Probably going to see Nacho Libre tomorrow. If all the ingredients add together, it could end up being the greatest movie of all time. Or at least a pretty fun way to waste two hours.

Speaking of the greatest movie of all time, Frank, I found yet another way to get you into the comic book store.

Mark my words, this fall, you're coming with.

discussion catalyst

wattsu — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 20:36:25 GMT

Frank (or anyone else who saw it), what did you think of ECW last night?

wow

wattsu — Wed, 31 May 2006 17:28:13 GMT

It's kind of scary, but I think I might actually be in agreeance with Jack Thompson on this.

do you know who I am?

wattsu — Tue, 30 May 2006 17:33:50 GMT

Couldn't go too much longer without chiming in, so here's my spoiler-free review of...

X-Men 3: The Last Stand - Right to the point, this is not as good as the first two movies. However, Bryan Singer did something amazing with the first two movies. He took a group of characters who until then I had only been moderately amused by, and made them deeper and more interesting, to the point where I actually liked them a great deal more. I always say, I never actually liked Wolverine all that much until I saw the first X-Men.

So, up against that, Ratner didn't have a chance.

But to be fair, he didn't have much to work with, either. Singer bailed to do Superman - perfectly reasonable, and the movie looks great - but Fox had to rush X-Men out the door because they felt scorned. (Singer, for the record and to his credit, said he would have been happy to take on the third movie after finishing Superman, but the studio said no for obvious financial reasons.) Singer also took much of the original crew with him, too. The second director, Matthew Vaughn, took over but had to leave 9 weeks before shooting started. So it all fell to the guy who directed Rush Hour to whip out a blockbuster summer movie with only 9 weeks to tie up all the loose ends and get the thing made.

Looking at it through that lens, the fact that The Last Stand was a good movie is actually kind of a miracle.

I'm a little pressed for time, so I'm only going to gloss over the story. Basically, one of the major complaints I've heard was that there are characters who either die or are depowered that (and I'm quoting some radio DJ here) "had no business" being so treated, largely because they "live on" in the comics. First, the movies have never been considered official canon. Not for X-Men, not for any series. They are the interpretations of different artists on the same characters and materials, created for a different medium and a different set of constraints. I don't expect nor want the movies to be exactly like the comics. Second, well, lighten up. Maybe I'm just not as endeared of the X-Men canon, perhaps that is why these changes and decisions do not bother me, but I like to think that it's more that I just understand why they were made.

The real problem with the movie is that they tried to do too much with too little time. So many new mutants were introduced that only a handful had any real character development or screen time. Psylocke, one of my personal favorites, was nothing more than a purple-haired rabble rouser who was only on screen for about a minute and a half. Angel, who has been all over the commercials and the merchandising, is really only in the movie for about three. There are dozens of characters like this. Even the mighty Juggernaut got the short end of the stick as far as development and screen time, even though what was there was magical (for reasons I'll get to in a moment). Worse, the movie is never quite sure whether it wants to be the last film in the series or not. There is certainly a sense of finality that permeates much of the movie, but there's enough left open that it seems that Fox and the crew can't decide if they want to do another. So much of what's been done in the movie could be undone pretty simply, and that kind of bothers me. There are also points where the movie kind of drags. Oh well. Nitpicking, I suppose.

It sounds like this movie was a flop, and it isn't. There's lots of good stuff here. Some great humor, for example, which is sorely needed in a movie this dark. The new characters that DO get screen time and development are great - Kelsey Grammer is spot-on perfect as Beast, and Kitty Pride is cute and likeable, just as she should be. Juggernaut, as previously stated, is also spectacular. He, in fact, steals the movie on several occasions, and despite his ridiculous costume that looks like something pulled out of an S&M afficionado's closet (they could have at LEAST made it red), he manages to be an entertaining and threatening character at the same time. There's even a gag in the movie on his part that references an Internet in-joke, which I dare not spoil here, that actually made me sit up and clap in delight. I never thought they'd do that in a million years, but it's excellent. The returning mutants are, for the most part, cool - Pyro goes from disaffected whiny youth to genuine threat, Iceman does some good stuff too, Wolverine is Wolverine, Jean Grey is downright scary, Halle Berry actually manages to act and pull off a decent Storm for a change, and Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart are gods in their respective roles. You will do well to understand this.

What Ratner does do better than Singer is create a sense of epicness in the film. The first two films felt like small character studies at points, and lacked a sense of epic filmmaking. That's fine, because that's not what Singer was going for, but Ratner aims for a blockbuster extravaganza and nails it. The last half-hour of the film makes it feel like a much bigger movie than the first two. And that kind of sums it all up. X-Men 3: The Last Stand is bigger in every conceivable way than its predecessors, but it's not necessarily better. It is, I hasten to add, a pretty darn good movie in its own right, and I do not in any way regret going to see it. It's not a movie that will make everyone happy, but it's worth seeing. As for me...well...the litmus test I use as to the lasting quality of a film is whether I'll buy the DVD.

And I will. It gets three point five star-type thingies.