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This is a good Tim Burton movie that takes place in a post apocalyptic world, which looks to be some where around the mid 1930’s and 40’s.  It speaks to mans dependency on technology and how that will be our down fall but my money is still on time traveling dinosaurs.  Though it’s a cartoon it still has an extremely cryptic feel to it with people getting gunned down by machines in the street and the wise old man who gives his life to these dolls so that they may live on and some how preserve mankind.  

This is more of an adult cartoon, I showed this to my niece at Christmas and she freaked out.  While this movie continues to get darker and darker it still manages to keep you hopeful and upbeat in a way that only Tim Burton can.  

Freaking Robots, can’t trust em

So I’m home alone again while everyone’s either out or past out and I’m to awake to sleep so I decide to do what any 30 year old single guy who thinks he’s to old to go bar hoping for chicks would do….I go to my movie collection.  No not adult movies, actual movie movies some are good, some are bad, some are great and some are big piles of Hollywood produced shit…an this is whats left of my collection after being picked over by plenty of friends and ex-girlfriends.  So here it is coming to you in alphabetical order my large, outdated, unwanted dvd collection…

• PI

A movie by one of my favorite directors; Daren Aronofsky.  I think this is one of the few movies of mine that I’ve never seen.  My first impressions are that I’m not really sure what to expect from this movie because it’s an Aronofsky movie. My next thought is that it’s shot in black and white giving this movie a kind of an ominous over tone to it and making it hard to tell whats real and whats going on in his head…I like that.  

So I guess whats going on here is that Max (main character) is a numbers genius who like most geniuses is socially awkward and plagued by some sort of inner demon, but not in an annoying chick flick kind of way where there is an underlining coolness to him but more in an autistic way.  Max has apparently decided to crack the mathematical equation of the stock-market? Is being hassled by people who want him to crack codes for them, and is going crazy hearing noises and seeing hallucinations.  He becomes paranoid and obsessed with the 200 and some odd numbers in PI starts to piss all of his “friends” off.  Hahaha Oh okay so this is just like every other Aronofsky picture…confusing as all hell.  Amazing cinematography and great flow to the story it just happens to be a bizarre topic, a blend of abstract thought based on real life interactions.

Wow! An actual upfront happy ending you don’t see that a lot with Aronofsky movies. Well played sir I didn’t see that coming, drilling a hole in your head to stop the voices IS the best way to reach happiness.

Sprawled on the floor amidst a collection of films in the form of round, plastic discs in black, plastic boxes, I notice I can feel my left leg and it’s twitching.  I lie there in my torn, faded green, bath robe staring at my ceiling, the same kind of boring white ceiling that hangs from any house made in the late seventies, early eighties.  Until recently I thought a robe was a pointless invention, the need to wear anything from the shower to the bedroom seemed unnecessary.  I had forgotten I even owned a bath robe until she moved out, now it’s all I seem to wear.  

How could she be worth all this?

Everything that had happened was because of her.

Oh thank god. 

The other leg is twitching now and I can feel my ribs, they feel broken.  Or at least I think they feel broken, I’ve never broken a bone before.  The numbing tingle of pins and needles fills both arms as I try to sit up, but I find that I can barley manage to roll over to cough.  I taste blood on the pores of my tongue and wonder, would she have done the same for me?  Wiping the blood from my lip with the sleeve of my robe, I manage to sit up and probe the two large pockets until I find the little box of cigarettes with a non-controversial camel on the front. Pulling the lighter from the opposite pocket I go to light my cigarette and notice I can’t move my thumb, broken.  I’m forced to smile, of course it’s broken, that makes sense.  Switching the lighter to the other hand I wince, FUCK my ribs hurt.  Flicking the lighter I breathe deeply…

…oh sweet tobacco goodness.

            Driving back to the city from the coast I reach over and push the button to lower the front windows so the damp, cool 5a.m. air can slap me in the face to remind me how tired I really am.  What was it exactly I had hoped to accomplish?  Did I really think I would get an answer just by driving out of the city to spend all night on the isolated beach?  How cliché.  Why do I always want people to see me even when I say I don’t?  Looking for answers to wash up on the shore I guess but at this point who really knows.  Wait where did I put that joint? 

            Searching all the compartments I can reach from the driver seat I start feeling around in the dark, dimly lit car for the rest of a joint that had been rolled to smoke while contemplating life on the beach, but the cannabis was just to strong and I could only smoke half of it.  Now with only the light of a disappearing moon and a dawning sun to guide me I finger threw old receipts, candy bar wrappers and other knick knacks that have made their way to their eternal wresting place.

Oh Shit that’s right, my sweatshirt I wore down on the sand.

I reach over to the old blue sweatshirt that sat in my passenger seat and grabbed the bic pen out of the pocket.  Popping the cap off I tip the pen up so the joint slips into the palm of my hand. 

Yesss.

Pinching the end of the roach with my greasy thumb and pointer finger I set the tip a blaze and concentrate again on the road while taking a deep breath.  

            My mind starts racing again…her smile…white teeth…long blond hair.  Why when I miss her can I only think about her features and not what she did to me?  This whole thing would be a lot easier if it was the other way around...

      To Be Continued

Little thoughts

            Little thoughts building up

                        Hundreds of little thoughts building up

                                                                                                            What to do with them?

                                                                                                Where to put them?

…I love you

                                                                        …I want to be your friend

                                                …I want to cause you pain

                        …I need you

                                                            …Without you I am nothing

            …You need me

                                                …You want me

                                                                        …Please love me                     

Should I say this?

            Should I write this down?

                        What would a man do?

We’ve all been there Sunday morning headache, the room’s too bright even with the shades drawn and you smell like a Ninkasi brewery. Here’s my non-scientific approach to feeling better when you need more then a bowl of Cheerios.

#1. McDonalds value meals. It’s a common known fact that greasy food helps ease the pain brought on by an evening better forgotten, and what better place to get greasy food then the golden arches. If the grease saturated fries don’t do the trick, the McChicken or double cheeseburger meal definitely will.

#2. Left over pizza. That five dollar hot and ready you bought two days ago to eat while you where studying all night is also good for relieving the early morning blues. No need to bother with the microwave, it works just as good straight out of the fridge.

#3. Chocolate chip pancakes.While you might not be in the mood to cook in your current state, catching a ride over to IHOP with some friends and ordering up a nice batch of chocolate chip pancakes can only get better when topped off with a whole lot of maple syrup.

#4. Biscuits and gravy. A classic American breakfast that not only tastes great but will help you feel great—probably the only time anyone’s ever said that about biscuits and gravy. Works best with a side of hash browns and toast.

#5. Fresh fruit. Looking for a healthier way to kick the headache, a bowl of fresh fruit with all the vitamins is perfect. Bananas or oranges are ideal but you really can’t miss.

Runners up: Mexican food, Bloody Mary.

ederc:

Buzzfeed.com has a Super Mario Crossover game that probably won’t be around for very long if I know my copyright laws—and I think I do. This isn’t just a simple palette swap game, either; each of these characters has his or her own special skill set and special moves and the music changes depending on who you’re playing as.

Let’s face it; the 80’s produced some amazing movies, such as the second and third Star Wars, the entire Indiana Jones trilogy and two of the three Back to the Futures. Here are a few of my favorites from the middle of that decade.

#1.The Goonies Filmed in Astoria, Oregon the Goonies is one of those movies that has it all; pirates, buried treasure, mobsters, and Chunk. Goonies follows a group of kids trying to figure out how to save their neighborhood from being turned into a parking lot, when they stumble upon a treasure map in one of their attics. From there the shenanigans begin and the kids set out on an incredible adventure.

#2. Back to the Future Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd in what may be one of the coolest movies of all time. When scientist Doc Brown (Lloyd) turns a DeLorean into a time machine he enlists the help of his high school student friend Marty McFly (Fox).  Marty ends up going back to 1955 when his parents are supposed to meet and ends up being the love interest of his own mother. Now he has to make things right and fix the time machine so he can make it back home in 1985.

#3. Weird Science Tired of being left out of things, two high school best friends build a machine that creates the “perfect” women with the IQ of Albert Einstein and the demeanor of a rock star. Wanting to help them, she tries to teach the boys how to stand up for themselves. Weird Science is just a fun coming of age movie. You know, the kind your older brother gets to watch but you don’t.

#4. The Man with One Red Shoe Quite possibly one of my favorite Tom Hank films of all time, The Man with One Red Shoe is old school Hanks at his best. It involves a violist (Hanks) who is mistaken for a Russian spy and is followed by CIA agents when it all starts going a rye. If slap stick comedy and fart jokes are your thing, you won’t find them here. This is good ol’ fashion 80’s comedy with depth and a lot of non-since.

#5. Vision Quest Maybe one of the only movies ever made about high school wrestling, Vision Quest follows Louden Swain, a kid who decides to drop two weight classes (from 190 to 168) in order to wrestle Brian Shute, the toughest kid in their district. Along the way he falls in love and loses sight of his original goal. This movie is classic 80’s style with the music, hair-do’s and clothing setting the tone for an amazing ride.

Runners Up: St. Elmo’s fire, The Jewel of the Nile, Teen Wolf

While Eugene is full of incredible bars, these five stand out as uniquely Eugene;

#1. Jackalope Lounge: Jackalopes is the kind of place where you can meet up with a friend for a drink and then end up needing to call someone for a ride home. Getting sucked into the welcoming atmosphere is not an uncommon occurrence and the sociable staff employed here only compliments the great food and amazing drinks that this bar offers.

Drink: Lynchberg Lemonade

Grub: Sliders

#2. The Loft at Turtles: It’s not just a clever name, this bar has a loft that overlooks the bar and pianist below.  The dim lighting sets the mood for a great date or a relaxing drink with friends. On top of the great environment The Loft creates, it offers the full Turtles menu with its wide variety of food options.

Drink: Disco Lemonade

Grub: Grilled Cheese

#3. Mcmenamins (all 3): The three locations in Eugene to choose from are as diverse as the people that inhabit this fare city. 

The North Bank location sits right on the bank of the Willamette River and is a fine establishment for any outing, with its bar by the fireplace and an outside patio to enjoy in the summer months. 

East 19^th Street location, located next to Hayward field is a great place for students to wind down with one of their house-brewed pints, a game of pool, or an amazing chicken pesto calzone. 

My personal favorite Eugene location happens to be the High Street house, as this is the only location that offers the Stormin Norman and an outside patio with a fire pit. 

Whichever location you choose make sure and try the Rubinator, the perfect mix of Mcmenamins brewed ruby ale and terminator stout.

Drink: Rubinator

Grub: Sormin Norman

#4. Eugene City Brewery: Located on Olive Street next to Jameson’s and across the street from Horsehead, it is owned and operated by Rogue Brewery and offers a change of pace from the usual four corners bar scene.  Make sure and stop by on Wednesday evenings and try your luck at free bingo to win prizes and food.  Whenever you decide to stop by, you won’t be disappointed in the food and beer selection.

Drink: Morimoto Imperial Pilsner

Grub: Kobe Blue ball Sandwich

#5. Luckey’s Bar: If you haven’t visited Luckey’s, you haven’t experienced Eugene.  How many bars do you know of where you can play pool while listening to a live band?  It seems that there is always something going on at Eugene’s oldest bar, including amazing drink specials like $2 Stoli Tic-Tacs or $1 Spiced rum and cola. 

Drink: Irish Car Bombs

Grub: 

Close favorites to make the list include; Diablo’s downtown lounge, Sam Bonds Garage, Starlight lounge, and The Horsehead.

Hollywood is constantly making movies that appeal to kids and families that can be easily turned into low quality video games, like Transformers.  In the past 17 years, however, a different type of movie has emerged, the video game turned full length film.

The first videogame to be turned into a full length motion picture was the cult classic Super Mario Bros. While the game, released in 1983, had much success and a huge fan following, the movie of the same name that was released ten years later didn’t fare so well.  Fans of the game where disappointed to see that the movie failed to follow the plot of the game in the least bit, save the names of the main characters. An animation based on the same game was released seven years earlier but was released only in Japan.

The movie consisted of two plumbing brothers, Mario and Luigi, who are being put out of business by the Scapelli construction company.  The brothers end up meeting a woman named Daisy who, later in the movie, is kidnapped.  Following the goon kidnappers, the brothers fall into a portal that leads them to a parallel universe, a world where man evolved from dinosaurs not apes.  It goes on to reveal that a King Koopa runs the world and is trying to merge the two universes by using Princess Daisy’s necklace which the brothers have in their possession.  This film has been highly criticized for its dark overtone.

While the movie may have failed to impress gamers, it seemed to have sparked a movement in films, the video game turned movie genre.

Over the next 17 years over 30 movies would be made spawned from video games, some without success, like “House of the Dead”, and others that would set new limits such as “Laura Croft Tomb Raider”.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, as of 2009, “Laura Croft Tomb Raider” is the largest grossing movie based on a video game, over $131 million.  This is a pretty sad showing compared to movies not based on video games.  Considering the top 30 highest grossing movies of all time, “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” is in 30th place with $602 million.

Laura Croft was released in June of 2001 to a barrage of negative reviews by critics and fans saying, “Angelina Jolie is perfect for the role of Lara Croft, but even she can’t save the movie from a senseless plot and action sequences with no emotional impact.”  While the fans didn’t seem to enjoy it, Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars.

Like Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy is one of the most popular video game series in history and has set new limits in the roll playing game world.  While the video games were extremely popular the movie, titled Final Fantasy: the spirits within, had the second largest animated box office bomb to date, only grossing $85 million world wide.  Since its release in 2001 the series has spawned a few more straight to DVD movies also met with mixed reviews.

Resident Evil is another video game series turned movie that, again, met with mixed reviews but grossed over $100 million world wide.  Resident Evil has since spawned two more films in the series, and one more to be released in September of this year making them the largest grossing film series, made from video games.

Not everyone who attends movies made from video games are fans of the games but people just looking for a weekend flick.  Silent Hill is a good example of such a movie that while it met with bad reviews was said to be, “one of the best looking bad movies,” by Don R. Lewis of film threat.  Weekend movie goers aren’t always looking for something that makes a lot of since but something that can captivate their attention for an hour and a half.

It seems that some of the harshest critics of the movies are the die hard fans of the games, wanting the movie to shed a little light on some of the questions that don’t get answered in the video games.  While the fans of the games might not enjoy the films, one thing that the movies accomplish is acquiring a whole new fan base