Stocking Stuffers for Gen X Pop Culture Geeks

For those of you out looking for the perfect gift to buy the Pop Culture -- and nostalgia -- geek in your family for Christmas (or Chrismukkah if your shopping for Josh Schwartz), I have a couple of sweet little items for you.

There are very few Gen X geeks who didn't marvel at Mel Stuart's version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory). I have watched the film again and again, each time finding new bits of magic to entertain me. The Stuart version is a true film classic, and those wanting to learn more about the film have one of two options available. First, they can beg someone who knows him for contact information and try to interview him (most certainly losing a friend in the process and probably failing to ask the right questions anyway). Or they can do the more rational thing and read Pure Imagination: The Making of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Director Mel Stuart with Josh Young.



Vanity Fair has described the book as "a genial, jocular explication (written with Josh Young) of the most sinister kiddie entertainment ever concocted. Any disquieting questions lingering in your skull since age 11 are duly answered." Make this a top priority present.

Most certainly next on the list of must haves for the pop culture fiend is The Art of Ray Harryhausen by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton; with a Foreward by Peter Jackson. Can you get more geek crack into one place at one time? Sadly the book isn't listed to come out until January of 2006 (just in time for my birthday, but sadly late for Christmas), so you had better run out and get Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton.



Harryhausen is possibly the greatest practitioner of stop motion animation and one of the fathers of modern special effects. His work on Mighty Joe Young humanized the title character and added pathos to the narrative, but for me it is his work on Jason and the Argonauts and his Sinbad movies that truly stand out as masterpieces of visual design. Go buy this book immediately or I will send Minoton to bash your head in.



Leaving the realm of books, and thus things that might at least appear to be useful, and entering the realm of mere idle recreation, who doesn't want an Atari Flashback 2? This "plug and play" console contains 40 classic Atari 2600 games for the low-low price of $29.99. How many times have you heard your friend speak longingly of days spent playing Pitfall with the "old style" joystick? Who doesn't want to play the bizarre 2600 ports of Asteroids and Centipede? Sure, we now have consoles almost capable of simulating reality, but who cares when you can play Pong? This is a must buy for any nostalgic Gen X-er. After all, how else are you going to be able to properly educate your children in the narrative history of video games? The youth of today must be taught the fundamentals before they can truly enjoy the modern "sophisticated" games. An important lesson in video game enjoyment is that playability is more important that graphical aesthetics. A game can look amazing and be entirely unplayable, but a game that plays well does so regardless of how it looks. A lot of those old 2600 games have playability in spades.

Comic Book Advent Calendar

Are you tired of yummy chocolate Advent Calendars?

Did your Oma forget to send you one this year and you find the German store intimidating?

Or are you just a comic geek in need of a way to countdown the days until Christmas?

Well...Scott at Polite Dissent has just the thing for you. Now you can count down the days with Christmas themed comic covers for each day from December 1st to the big day itself.

Thanks to Monitor Duty for the tip.

Awesome News for Savage Worlds Fans

According to The Gaming Report, the Pinnacle Entertainment Group (now known as Great White Games) has entered into an agreement with WizKids games. This agreement will allow Pinnacle, the creators of the Origins Award winning Savage Worlds game system to create roleplaying books based upon the collectible strategy games manufactured by WizKids.

What this means for Savage Worlds fans is a possible Rocketmen pulp/scifi rpg, a new Battletech rpg, a Pirates rpg, to quote,

" including the Pirates and Rocketmen Constructible Strategy Games and the Mage Knight Collectable Miniatures Game.

The deal also allows GWG to support such genre-defining products as Pirates of the Spanish Main and MechWarrior with a series of scenario books, including new rules, games pieces, and fiction, bringing an additional level of fun and a new twist to some of WizKids’ best-loved properties."

Having played the Necessary Evil "worldbook" and enjoyed its take on how to represent superheroes with game mechanics, I wish that the deal also included Marvel. But that is not to be.

2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Next year's batch of RnR HoF inductees includes two bands best known for their shocking first albums:

1. Black Sabbath
2. The Sex Pistols
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd
4. Miles Davis
5. Blondie

Of these inductees, I think that Skynyrd is an undeniable addition to the Hall, Free Bird is the Rock anthem for an entire segment of society -- not my part, but a part none the less. That shouldn't be read to mean that I don't like Skynyrd, I think they are pretty damn good, it just means none of their songs are life defining anthems for me. I won't be shouting Sweet Home Alabama anytime soon.

Miles Davis, too, unquestioningly deserves a place as well. Only Hugh Hewitt who doesn't understand the links between Jazz -- and the Blues -- and Rock and Roll could refuse Miles. Besides, this dude hung out with the early punk movement. To quote Ron Asheton of the Stooges (from the book Please Kill Me:

Every time we played New York, this guy would come by our show and give the Stooges a little bottle of coke, completely on his own volition. So we're sitting backstage with Miles Davis, and this guy finally arrives and just throws down a big old pile. We already had the straws ready. Imagine that great scene -- Miles Davis's head next to all the heads of the Stooges going "SNNNORRRT!"

We all just devoured that [expletive deleted, but it starts with f] pile, man. Later, Miles Davis said, "The Stooges are original -- they've got spirit," or something like that. It was great. My head next to Miles Davis, man

Now if that doesn't embody the "how fast can I kill myself" lifestyle that is Rock and Roll, I don't know what does.

And Black Sabbath...can you imagine being a forty-something mom wondering what the hell those bizarre sounds coming from little Jimmy's room are. You walk in and he's screaming out the lyrics to War Pigs"

Generals gathered in their masses,
just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerers of death's construction.
In the fields the bodies burning,
as the war machine keeps turning.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh lord, yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away.
They only started the war.
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor, yeah.

Time will tell on their power minds,
making war just for fun.
Treating people just like pawns in chess,
wait till their judgment day comes, yeah.

Now in darkness world stops turning,
ashes where the bodies burning.
No more War Pigs have the power,
Hand of God has struck the hour.
Day of judgment, God is calling,
on their knees the war pigs crawling.
Begging mercies for their sins,
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings.
Oh lord, yeah!

You'd run to the local church faster than the Pastor in Footloose, now that is Rock! But does Sabbath deserve the Hall? Ozzy...sure, but Sabbath? I guess, The Mob Rules is pretty bad-ass, so they outlasted Ozzy, but let's face it Paranoid is what defines Sabbath. Is one album enough for recognition?

That goes for the Pistols too. Is Bollocks enough? Sure the Pistols were a phenomenon, but they didn't create Punk. Maybe they defined its image and maybe that is enough for the Hall. I won't get into the whole poseur who created Punk argument, America vs. England and all that trash. We all know...no Who...no Punk.

But Blondie? Hmm...I know some major Punk/New Wave fan or discophile will hate me for this, but I don't think just hanging out in the right places makes you Hall worthy.

Jet Li Discusses First Marriage

When one imagines a typical American discussing a prior marriage, one imagines bitterness, sorrow, and Jerry Springer style unbridled rage. With Jet Li's (who will be starring in next year's movie and maybe his final martial arts film Fearless directed by Ronnie Yu) recent discussion of his first marriage one witnesses what one would hope happens when people discuss their ex-spouse.

Excerpting an interview Jet Li did for Life of Art --a mainland China entertainment show -- Sina.com (and Yahoo!) quote Jet Li as saying, "In terms of how much emotion each person devoted, she maybe gave 90 percent or 80 percent. At most I gave ... I still haven't figured out." If only most divorced adults where as honest about their own contribution to a marriage, I think we would have fewer "angry divorces" and possibly fewer divorces period.

The Next Ten Films on My Netflix Queue

Here are the next ten movies I will be getting via the Post Office for my viewing pleasure:

The War of the Worlds -- The original with the cool flying Martian vehicles.

A Very Long Engagement

Steamboy -- I liked it, but I want to be able to glean more out of LYT in conversation about it so another viewing is mandated.

Another Thin Man

Thin Man Collection: Alias Nick and Nora

December 7th the Movie

The Lion in Winter

A Man for All Seasons

Diner

The Bicycle Thief

I have seen many of these films before and want to watch them again. And yes, I did choose this particular time to list my next ten movies to make myself look more sophisticated. What was I supposed to do...list the following? (All of which are on my queue as well.)

Into the Blue

Go

Gothika

Magnum Force

Batteries Not Included

The Howling

Son of the Mask

Catwoman

Alone in the Dark

Roll Bounce

Of which, I am most excited about The Howling (one of my favorite Werewolf flicks) and Roll Bounce (which I haven't seen yet). And I am most fearful of Catwoman (a superhero flick I avoided in the theater, that in and of itself describes how fearful I am) and Alone in the Dark.

'Nuff Said

Statue of Bruce Lee Vandalized in Bosnia

Anyone who has happened upon, or frequents, this webpage knows who Bruce Lee is, but who knew that his image was "has been held up as a symbol of unity" in Bosnia-Herzegovina? I certainly didn't.

On November 28th, that's today folks, two statues were unveiled celebrating what would have been the Fist of Fury wielding martial artist, one in Hong Kong and one in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

I understand why there would be a tribute to the Master in Hong Kong. I was surprised by the Mostar commission, but it appears that Bruce Lee is a perfect figure to represent protest against the racial divisions of the Eastern European nation. It's too bad that the symbol has been so quickly a demonstration of their continued existence, as the statue was vandalized within hours of its unveiling.