My Life In Film: 1987.

[Over the course of a few weeks, I will be looking at one year at a time from 1986-1999, one post for every year of my life prior to the new century. But because there are so many good movies, each year will have multiple categories. The following year(s) have already been discussed: 1986. Now we're moving on to the next year.]

MY LIFE IN FILM: 1987

OTHER

- Evil Dead II: Is it a remake? A sequel? Both? I'm pretty sure it's the latter, with the beginning being a strange mix of recap and remake (since stuff was changed), while the rest of the movie is a pretty obvious sequel to the original. The tone was knocked down to what the series as a whole is known for: over-the-top slapstick and gore. And it's oh, so fun.

- Full Metal Jacket: Great Kubrick film, but I have to admit, after the Boot Camp stuff, the movie kinda goes downhill. But up until that point? Epic stuff.


MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS

- The Gate: A really interesting B-Movie with some pretty creepy scenes and some cheesy stop-motion monsters.

- Good Morning, Vietnam: Robin Williams classic about a controversial radio host in Vietnam who shakes things up a bit to entertain the soldiers. I don't really remember specifics about this movie outside of a condom joke and an underage naked boy that's probably on screen for 1 second (which I remember because of how shocked I was to see that in a movie).

- Innerspace: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, and Meg Ryan in a movie that is essentially a comedy version of Fantastic Voyage. I mainly remember my mom being a fan of this movie, as well as how the trailer for this movie played right before the main attraction on my VHS copy of Little Shop of Horrors.

- Lethal Weapon: Um... yeah.

- Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Classic comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy. My family owned a VHS copy of this movie, though it was a pretty messed up copy... had some visual issues. Still, it's a really funny movie that I need to see again.

- Predator: Yes, the classic Predator staring the Governator himself. Like the previous film, I saw this one again sometime in the 2000s, but it still feels like it's been way too long since I've seen it. I need to check this one out again soon, especially with the sequel (?) coming out.

NOSTALGIC FACTOR

- The Brave Little Toaster: I remember really liking this movie as a child. It comes on TV (usually Disney) every now and then, but I always miss it for some reason. The main part of the movie I remember is when they're in the junk yard running away from the giant magnet thing and the dead/dying cars are singing that incredibly creepy (and sad) song. I love that song.

MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)

- Fatal Attraction
- The Lost Boys
- Robocop (*Honestly, I'm not sure if I've seen this or not. I have faint memories of scenes from this movie, so I very well could have... or I've just seen certain scenes. To be safe, I just put it here).
- Wall Street
- The Untouchables

RUNNER-UP

- Spaceballs: It was so hard to choose between Runner-Up and Favorite for this particular year. In fact, this movie was one I grew up with, while my Favorite choice was one I didn't become acquainted with until later in life. Between Star Wars jokes, self-referential jokes (which probably began my love for anything meta), or just Mel Brooks humor, this movie is a total classic. May the Schwartz be with you! (And you can't tell me you're not still waiting for Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money).

FAVORITE

- The Princess Bride: How can one not love this movie? Yes, I came into my love for this film in the mid-2000s, but it's one I've loved adamantly since. It has great characters, a great story, and great, witty humor most from its sharp dialogue. But I've rambled on about this film enough in the last week or so, so I'm just gonna leave it at that.

Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #5 - The One Where Travis Is A D-Bag.

I know I just posted my "Desert Island DVDs" list, but it's podcast time! It's our fifth episode, and we're here to do our Top 5 favorite movies and Top 5 favorite actors/actresses.

We start off with Plugs where I plug this blog's newest event, "My Life in Film." Travis plugs a friend's movie that just came out.

Then we get into our Top 5 lists, and we'll probably get hated on by classic film lovers. We almost miss the D-Bag, but rewind slightly to go into quite an interactive rendition.

Then we head into Reality Round-Up where we briefly discuss Survivor before heading into American Idol.

This week on Recommend A..., Travis recommends the strangest musical entity ever, while I recommend a little known movie that everybody needs to see, one which I reviewed on this blog in its early days.

This leads into the Monologue/Dialogue/Mono-Dialogue of the Week, where I read an overly dramatic scene from the film Bang Bang You're Dead. The scene can actually be seen in its entirety by clicking here (the music has actually been altered in this video, which is kinda annoying, but just disregard it). The mood then shifts by Travis reading a comical scene from Shaun of the Dead.

EDIT: The following player isn't currently updated. I'll remove this notice whenever it decides to show up... I don't know what the deal is, but if it doesn't say "Episode 5," that's not what you're listening to. But you can always find us on iTunes, as well.

Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!

And that's it for this week!

Desert Island DVDs.

I'm running a little late with this post. A while back, I signed up for a big blog post thing at Fandango Groovers Movie Blog called the "Desert Island DVDs." The concept is simple: If you were stranded on an island and could only take 8 DVDs with you to watch for the rest of your life, what would they be?

First, I wanna mention a few I'd love to take but won't:

- Napoleon Dynamite (because I can already quote the whole movie... who needs to watch it?)
- Little Shop of Horrors (The musical version. Assuming I'd be surrounded by trees and other foliage, I'd get paranoid that a giant fly-trap will try to eat me in the middle of the night)
- Almost any zombie movie sans one (because I'd get paranoid that zombies will try to eat me in the middle of the night)

So... here we go with the actual list (in no particular order):

1) Shaun of the Dead

This is that "sans one" I was talking about there. This is pretty much one of my favorite movies of all time, so it would have to go with me. I like to watch this movie when I'm sick or really down, because it always cheers me up.

2) The Princess Bride

So that if I'm ever found, they'll find me a crazy, deranged individual who can only say one line for the rest of his life: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Because, honestly, if you could only say one phrase for the rest of your life, that would be the coolest one.

3) Oldboy

Because who doesn't want bloodshed, revenge, and incest while stranded stranded alone on an island? Plus, it shows you how to eat raw octopus... you know... in case you ever catch an octopus and are too lazy to cook it (or can't make a fire).

4) Gamers: Dorkness Rising

Probably the best movie nobody has seen. You can only get it online, and it's incredibly low budget. But it's probably the best portrayal of pencil/paper gamers I've ever seen. It's hilarious for anyone, not just gamers. And along with the comedy, it has heart. If only these guys would write for Hollywood.

5) Inside Man

One of my favorite heist films, and I love me some heist films. Maybe it'll inspire me to figure out how to do the perfect crime. That way, when I'm rescued, I can go rob a bank and get away with it... though telling them to give me the money while I can only say "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."... will be a bit difficult.

6) Spaceballs

Another one of my favorite comedies, this is a Mel Brooks classic. There are quotes galore. And hey, I might actually have a reason to use the line "Comb the desert!"

7) MirrorMask

Any time I get a bad case of writer's block or I just need some good ol' inspiration, I watch this movie. It has never failed to get the cogs turning. And when I'm alone on a island, Lord knows I'll need some inspiration and a good imagination to keep both sane and alive. So this one is a must.

8) Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

I needed a musical on this list, and I'm just as surprised as you are that it wasn't "Repo! The Genetic Opera." So why Dr. Horrible? A few reasons. First, it's a short watch, for those times I wanna watch something but don't feel like watching something for 2 hours (like I'll be otherwise busy, but whatever). Second, it matches up with my plan to come back to the real world as an insane, bank-robbing supervillain. But this one will help me keep my priorities straight so I don't lose sight of what's really important. Next, the music is just awesome. And finally? Who wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island with Neil Patrick Harris?

Honorable Mentions:
-Repo! The Genetic Opera
-In Bruges
-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

(Seriously... there was a whole 'criminal' theme going on there, and that so wasn't intentional.)

My Life In Film: 1986.

I was watching a reviewer video of this guy's Top 10 favorite movies from the 80s, and that got me thinking. The 80s was a freakin' great year for movies. But as I was looking at a list of movies in the 80s, I realized my favorites (and, in fact, most of the best--in my opinion) didn't come in until the mid-80s, around when I was born. That's where this idea came in. I reviewed my favorite films from the 2000s at the end of the decade, so why not the movies from every other year I've been alive? So that's what I'm gonna do.

For the next few weeks I will be looking at one year at a time from 1986-1999, one post for every year of my life prior to the new century. But because there are so many good movies, each year will have multiple categories. These categories are as follows:

OTHER - These are other notable films of the year that don't meet the other categories, but which I felt worth mentioning (hence... notable).

MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS - These are ones I have seen, but I haven't seen for a very long time, so I don't remember all that much about them other than a few things here and there.

NOSTALGIC FACTOR - These are the films I have an attachment to due to my youth but they might not necessarily be good (or bad, either, depending).

MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame) - Popular films of the year that I haven't seen yet... and that probably makes me a really bad movie lover. I won't really commentate on these films... just a list as I duck my head in shame.

RUNNER-UP - My second favorite movie of said year.

FAVORITE - My favorite movie of said year.

All this being said, let's get to the first year... 1986!

MY LIFE IN FILM: 1986

OTHER

- Aliens: Not much to say... some say even better than the original, though it's almost comparing apples and oranges.

- Highlander: One I haven't seen in years, but it spawned its own mythology (and TV series). So, yeah.

- Pretty in Pink: It's a John Hughes classic... nuff said.

MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS

- Crocodile Dundee: The bane of every Aussie's existence. Don't remember much about it except a pretty big knife.

- Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Classic film in every regard, and I'm probably gonna get quite a bit of flak for not having seen it in years. But I still quote it in class when nobody will give me an answer (Bueller... Bueller...).

- The Fly - I'm actually gonna be seeing this in the relatively near future. This classic remake is on my Netflix queue and should be coming up sometime soon.

- Short Circuit: Johnny 5!

- Stand By Me: Leeches! (Seriously, that's pretty much all I remember)

- Top Gun: The guy snaps his neck when he tries to eject... yup.

NOSTALGIC FACTOR

- Howard the Duck: Considered one of the worst films ever made, this George Lucas classic (?) has everything from Lea Thompson to alien duck boobies. I actually used to watch this movie all the time when I was really little, which probably explains my capability to withstand and/or enjoy even the crappiest of films these days. Though I actually watched this movie again a couple years ago and... Good God, was it terrible. Not to mention I had a friend who liked to rewind the movie at the infamous duck-boobs scene... like I said, we were young and so, so naive (and/or immature).

MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)

- Big Trouble in Little China
- Platoon

RUNNER-UP

- Labyrinth: Could have fallen under Nostalgic Factor, but I felt it was more suited for this category. Granted, I saw this movie again recently for the first time in... forever... and I realized how strange it really is. But how can you not love David Bowie in this movie? And singing puppets? And Jennifer Connelly in her break-out role? Good stuff... strange stuff... but good stuff.

For the record, this spot almost went to Aliens. In fact, it probably should have. The reason it didn't? I haven't seen it in years, so I didn't think it was fair to put it as my Runner-Up, despite it being the better film.

FAVORITE

- Little Shop of Horrors: I grew up with this movie... which probably explains a lot about me. You know how everybody has that one movie that transcends their favorite movie? The one where, even if your favorite movie continually changes, this one stays the one you can quote endlessly and watch it over and over without getting sick of it? This is that movie for me. A singing, blood-thirsty plant from outer space manipulates a nerdy Rick Moranis (redundant?) into killing people to feed to it so to win over the ditzy blonde girl who is dating a sadistic dentist played by Steve Martin (who then has an amazingly hilarious--and improv'd--scene with a pain-loving Bill Murray). Really... that's about all that needs to be said.

Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #7.2: The Top 9 (Results Show).

[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]

After an actually pretty decent Lennon/McCartney episode last night (including both a bagpipe and a Diggeridoo), it's time for the results. Who is in the bottom? Who is going home? I figure the Bottom 3 is Andrew, Aaron, and Tim... with MAYBE Katie instead of Tim? And I think Tim might be going home (or Aaron?). I really have no idea. Let's just hope this results show isn't nearly as annoying as last week's.

8:01: "This... is American Idol!"

8:02: Uh oh... there are apparently shocking results tonight. This worries me.

8:04: The Top 9 are now performing a group song for Lennon/McCartney.

8:06: I just totally realized that Crystal, Katie, and Siobhan are the only females left. I guess it didn't click with me before. Despite that fact, I still think a girl (Crystal) will win. But Lee's starting to give her a run for her money. Not quite to her level yet, but if he keeps it up... he still has quite a few more weeks left to keep improving.

8:11: Of course we aren't getting to the results yet. It's time for the Ford music video. Does anyone actually care about these? Really?

8:13: Time for the results! Siobhan is up first. I... think?... she'll be safe. I really have no idea tonight with this promise of shocking results. And...

8:14: She has to stand in the center of the stage and wait. Crystal stands up.

8:15: She has to join Siobhan. Katie stands up. OK... Ryan's doing his thing where he makes groups and then has the last person choose where they think they should be. I always hate this little trick from Ryan. I think it's cruel to the contestants. Anyway, she joins the other girls in the center of the stage. The three girls standing alone.

8:16: Crystal is safe. Damn right. And so are the other two girls. So all the girls are safe this week. Alrighty then.

8:21: We're back. Oh, Adam Lambert will be the mentor next week. Katie's pretty excited. And Siobhan should be freakin' epic next week. Anywho, Jason Darulo is singing both "Whatcha Say" and "In My Head." Say what you want about modern hip hop, but I actually like Jason Darulo (despite him saying his own name in every song he sings). His songs are catchy and fun. He's obviously not lip syncing here, but it's not all that bad. Certainly not as bad as Usher and... well... everyone last week. And...

8:24: WTF? They just did some black-and-white choppy video thingy. That was strange. Anyway... his dancing is pretty good, and it isn't interrupting his singing ability all that much.

8:30: And... OK, we're STILL not getting back to the results. Instead, we're given another singer. This time, a previous Idol runner-up, David Archuletta. He's performing the song he did during this theme week when he was on, "Imagine." And he's still closing his eyes as he sings.

8:35: Alright, back to the results (finally). Lee stands up. He's moved to the far side of the stage to wait.

8:36: Big Mike stands up. He moves to the close side of the stage near Ryan.

8:37: Casey stands up. He joins Lee on the far side of the stage.

8:38: Aaron stands up. As we talk to the judges, I want to go out and say that Ryan is gonna make Tim choose which group to go to. Anyway...

8:39: He stands next to Big Mike. I'm thinking Mike's group is gonna be the bottom. Tim stands up. He joins Lee and Casey. There goes that theory. Andrew stands up. And...

8:40: Surprise surprise, Mike and Aaron. I guess Ryan isn't doing the "choose your group" thing tonight. If he says Lee, Casey, and Tim are in the Bottom 3...

8:41: OK, so Big Mike, Aaron, and Andrew are in the bottom. What exactly is shocking about this (maybe besides Big Mike... who wasn't even all that good last night?).

8:42: And Aaron is safe for another week, leaving the Bottom 2 as Big Mike and Andrew.

8:47: Of course, before we can get to the final results, we have to hear another singer. Rhianna. And she's totally lip syncing. I actually don't think she was moving her mouth at one point while the audio was going. You know, I've never understood this. Since when are rappers, hip hoppers, R&B singers, and country singers rock stars? They always sing about how they're rock stars or doing rock'n'roll... um, no. Rhianna, Lil Wayne, and half of any recent country stars... you are not rock stars. Lol, Rhianna has now given up with the mic. She threw it down, grabbed a guitar (which she's probably not even playing), lip synced a couple words (that she doesn't even have a MIC to sing aloud), and then proceeded to ignore the rest of the lyrics.

8:55: It's down to the results. It's down to Big Mike and Andrew. I'd say Andrew based on the past, but if the "shocking" comes in here, I'd say Big Mike. And the one going home is... Big Mike?? Holy crap. I didn't actually expect that. I wonder if the judges will use their save tonight.

8:56: He's singing for his life... and of course he's doing Maxwell. I figure the judges are gonna save him. So will they do it?

8:59: Yes. Yes they will. Big Mike's staying around another week. But this means that TWO people will be going home next week. Well... I'll see y'all next week.

Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #7: The Top 9 (Lennon/McCartney).

[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]

It's Idol night! And I'm kinda worried. Last year there was a ton of great talent, and almost all of them did pretty bad during Lennon/McCartney week. This year, there are about 4-5 good singers... and it's Lennon/McCartney week. Here's to hoping it's not as bad as I expect it to be. Let's get it started.

7:00: Ryan is showing us stuff from the control room to introduce the judges and stuff. It's the Top 9 of Season 9 (Does this mean something's going to explode?).

7:04: Cool. Paul McCartney sent a video of support.

7:09: Aaron's up first... oh joy. Ha... their video this week has the other contestants talking about each other. Apparently Aaron is Yoda. Um... no. (Though it was kinda hot seeing Siobhan doing a Yoda voice). He's singing "The Long and Winding Road."

7:11: He's already having some pitch problems. A lot of pitch problems. Ugh. This is pretty bad. Though I bet Randy will say something like "You know I love you, dawg. Right? You know I have mad love for you." Oh my God, drop that last note. That was horrendous.

7:13: Randy didn't say it, but oh well. He likes his voice, but didn't like this. Ellen thought it was a "long and winding song." Kara didn't like it, and she thinks he's doing the same kinda performance every week (will she say the same of Big Mike?). Simon rolls his eyes at Aaron's cheesy answer of him choosing this song because this journey has been a "long and winding road." Tee hee. Simon thinks he needs to be more young and relevant.

7:21: Katie's up. And apparently she's the happy, playful little sister. And she's gonna be singing "Let It Be." Um... hope she can do it.

7:23: Good vocals. I think she's doing well with it.

7:26: Randy thinks it's her best performance ever. I can agree with that. Ellen thought it was a perfect example of changing it up enough to fit her and the song. Though she thinks she won't be in the Bottom 3 again this week... but I still think she'll be there (not because this was bad... it wasn't... but just because everybody else it more popular). Kara is along the same lines. Simon really thought she did it right, mostly because she was listening to him as it sounded more "country" like he's been wanting her to do, rather than the pop/R&B that everybody else has wanted... and I can actually kinda agree with Simon there. I was thinking "Simon should be happy with this sound" as she was singing it.

7:34: We're back and with Andrew. Let's hope last week wasn't a one-hit wonder kinda deal. Everybody thinks Andrew is goofy and fun to hang out with and has the most personality of every contestant (he needs to bring that out on stage). He's singing "Can't Buy Me Love."

7:35: Eh... not as good as last week. It's kinda cheesy. It feels like he's trying to add a bit of soul to it, but to me it doesn't work in places. And it makes the song feel disjointed where he doesn't do it. And the vocals aren't super up to par. They aren't terrible, but... they aren't great.

7:37: Randy thought it was a solid performance, but corny. Ellen: "First of all, you can buy love." She loved it. Kara wanted to love it, but didn't think it was anything special. Simon thought it was corny, old-fashioned, and irrelevant and that the band overpowered Andrew.

7:44: Now we're up with Big Mike. They talk about his size. Casey says he snores really loud. He's a teddy bear. Ohhh... he's gonna do Elenor Rigby.

7:46: At least he's doing something different than a love ballad but... I'm not loving it so far. His vocals just sound awfully nasally at times. I like the arrangement, though. It had its moments, but overall... it was just OK.

7:48: Randy didn't think all of it worked, but the parts of it worked were great. Ellen thought it was incredible. Kara thought it was "fire" and his vocals were "amazing." I must have missed something. Simon didn't love it as much as the other three. He thought it sounded like it's from a musical, and he's not a big fan of musicals. He thinks it made him go slightly backwards. And now the judges are being confusing.

7:57: And now we're up with Crystal! Heck yeah! I need someone to blow me away tonight, and she's just the person to do it (that had the potential to sound quite dirty). All the contestants love Crystal and everyone calls her Mama Sox (as in Bowersox, her last name). She's singing "Come Together." I think this should be good.

8:00: Loving it already. Very soul-tastic. And she hit another high note... those are always so unexpectedly awesome. Great stuff, as per usual.

8:02: Randy can't talk due to all the applause. He thought it was another very solid performance. Ellen only worries about coming up with another way to tell her how great she is. Kara says it's one of her favorites that she's done. Simon says that's a song he can hear on the current radio. He thought it was terrific.

8:11: Ode to Joy... we're up with Tim. The contestants love how he's always smiling... which coincidentally is what annoys the judges the most (especially Simon). He's singing "All My Lovin'."

8:12: This actually isn't all that bad. Vocals are good... didn't change up the arrangement really at all. The tempo really fits Tim. All in all, a pretty decent performance.

8:15: Randy: "You're in your own category." Lol. He thinks it's a much better performance than he's done in the last few weeks. A good "Tim" performance. Ellen thought it was it was a perfect song choice and his second best performance, which I'll agree with. Kara commends him for taking what they continually dish out to him. Simon actually, based on the entire night (not just a "Tim" scale), did really well.

8:23: Casey's up! The other contestants make fun of him for calling him a soap opera star and they make up silly names for him. Then they talk about his boisterous laugh. Then they talk about his wonderful hair. So now he's singing... "Jealous Guy." Don't think I've heard this one before.

8:25: Great vocals and arrangement so far. And Casey's always fantastic on the guitar. I actually think this is something I could hear on the radio, so it's a check in the "contemporary" department. I'd have to say this is up there with one of my favorite Casey vocals. Really showcased his voice this week. He's shown us in the past he can perform, but this really showed off his voice.

8:27: Randy was really impressed. Ellen thought it was his best performance. Kara liked the vulnerability and depth he showed tonight. Simon thought it was the best performance of the night so far. He says the difference between him and people like Crystal is that Crystal is consistently great from week to week, while Casey just gets better and better every week. I can see that. Crystal is at the point she can't really grow too much more, while Casey is just skyrocketing as the weeks go on.

8:35: Siobhan! Hell yeah! Please redeem yourself, Siobhan. The other contestants think she's amazing...ly weird. Then they talk about her crazy notes she can hit. Oh, she's singing "Across the Universe." Maybe this will be like Adam Lambert's "Mad World"... subtle.

8:37: She's even sitting on a chair like Adam did. Great vocal so far. I'll take this moment to say I love her whole look this week... the hair and dress is so... Siobhan. Is it kinda weird that this is kinda reminding me of Audrey in the Little Shop of Horrors musical? Anywho, great stuff. Good comeback, kid.

8:39: Randy thought it was a little sleepy, but loved the tender side of it. Ellen loved it. Kara thought it was vocally good, but a bit restrained and "polite." What the hell do they want from her? They tell her to cool it on the screaming... she does... and now they're confused because she's not screaming? Simon thought it was much better than last week, and they focus on a guy who's been screaming all night from the audience. That's a first. And he came up on stage to say hi and hug Siobhan. His name's Earl. Huh. Anyway...

8:49: Wrapping things up with Lee! Come on Lee, stay awesome like last week. The other contestants thinks his their resident worry-wort, always thinking he's going home. And there's apparently a bit of a bro-mance between Lee and Andrew... and there's a "Danny Gokey" joke. Epic. Sweet! I was SO freakin' hoping he'd sing this song. Lee is singing "Hey Jude." Freakin' awesome.

8:50: Doing great so far. Looks like he's having fun with it. The vocals are great. Haha... he has a guy in a kilt coming down the stairs playing the bagpipe. No doubt Simon will comment on that. He's really getting into the song. That was awesome. I'm sorry, Siobhan, but Lee just took your previous spot on my favorites list.

8:53: Randy loved the bagpipe player, as well as Lee. Ellen loved it. Kara notices that Lee feels more comfortable and loved the performance. Simon is all giggles about the bagpipe player, but isn't sure he would have done it. But I think he liked the overall performance.

8:56: The Recap. Aaron... didn't care for it. Katie's was actually really good. Andrew... no so much (too cheesy). I loved Big Mike's arrangement, but didn't really care for the overall performance. Loved Crystal. Tim... actually good and enjoyable. I loved Casey... finally showing his range. I'm so surprised the judges didn't like Siobhan more than they did (or compare it to Adam's "Mad World" from last year). Lee was epic. No more needs to be said.

Final Thoughts: I think Aaron, Andrew, and Tim will end up in the bottom with Tim potentially going home? Who the heck knows, really?

Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #4 - The One Where Travis Does Christopher Walken.

I'd tell you what this episode is about, but I really don't remember much past the ending. I think we covered the topic of Found Footage films, as well as the usual Reality Round-Up... but really, this episode is truly about Travis' impression of Christopher Walken. I'll just leave it at that.

We start things off with about 4 minutes of plugs. I plug Rachel's Reel Reviews for reaching its 3rd year anniversary, while Travis plus his own blog's Christopher Walken Appreciation Month, as well as the Simon and Jo Film Show podcast (which had, in turn, previously plugged us. It's like "Adaptation." up in here).

Then for the next 27 minutes, we cover our thoughts on Found Footage films, including such titles as Cannibal Holocaust, Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, REC, and more! And then we're all shown up yet again by Rachel, who isn't even here this time, by her summing up (in the D-Bag) the entire last half hour of the podcast in about 1 paragraph.

We take a little extra time in Reality Round-Up this week to expand on a few thoughts, but it only stands at a total of 19 minutes. We discuss Rob vs. Russell in Survivor, as well as the comeback kid that is Colby. Then we switch to American Idol (where there's also a bit of comeback kid in Andrew).

In this week's "Recommend A..." (3 minutes), Travis recommends a nerd-band called ALL CAPS, while I discuss the YouTube sensation, ImprovEverywhere (*I know I said ImprovAnywhere in the podcast... my bad).

And finally we wrap things up with the Monologues of the Week. Travis shows us his amazing (?) Christopher Walken impression for his reading of "The Watch" scene in Pulp Fiction, while I just cry because I can't legitimately follow that up, but at least it allows me to attempt "The Apology" scene from The Blair Witch Project. And that's it for this week!

Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.

I went in with pretty high expectations for this movie. I thought it looked pretty good from the trailers, and then it started getting really good reviews (one of the lowest being from Travis of The Movie Encyclopedia, who thought it had some tone issues, but was still a pretty good movie). Needless to say, this could have easily been a huge disappointment for me. Luckily, it wasn't.

How To Train Your Dragon takes us back to the good ol' days when Vikings with Scottish accents ruled the seas and partook in a never-ending battle against dragons. OK, so we aren't going for realism, but we knew that going in. I mean, seriously... that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Vikings with Scottish accents? Pfft... they were totally Norwegian/German. But I digress. We focus on the scrawny-but-smart Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) who one day dreams of becoming a dragon-slayer like his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), and getting a girlfriend, particularly from Astrid (America Ferrera). But he's stuck in the smithy with Gobber (Craig Ferguson), while the likes of Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Tuffnut (T.J. Miller), and Ruffnut (Kristin Wiig) are out training to fight the monsterous beasts. But when Hiccup wounds a dangerous Night Fury dragon (and nobody believes him), he goes out to find it, only to begin him on a journey that gains him a reptilian friend, raises his understanding of the opposition, and increases his popularity back home.

The movie takes on some interesting themes such as being an outcast, building relationships between peers and family, learning teamwork, and even a bit of living with disabilities. And the movie works with these themes well, allowing anyone of any age to connect with the film and its characters.

And the characters are great, even down to the secondary folks. First the voice acting. I actually wasn't annoyed at Jonah Hill, as he wasn't playing his usual schtick, and I didn't even realize until about halfway through that McLovin was the voice of one of the characters (though I did recognize the voice... it just took me a while to place it). Gerard Butler did amazingly well, too, with me forgetting it was even him until near the end of the movie (and I swear I saw the animated guy talk from the corner of his mouth). And Craig Ferguson was just funny. But I think the most surprising character for me was Astrid. Not because of America Ferrera, who I didn't realize was her voice at all until the credits, but because of the character herself. She wasn't your damsel in distress, nor was she the total strong-girl stereotype with no soft spot. She had a fair balance of both. For most of the movie she's the tough girl, angry with Hiccup for taking the spotlight. But then her emotions start to sway at the right times, though she doesn't completely turn tail to her old ways immediately, either. It made her a more realistic tough-girl character, which was nice.

Then there are Hiccup and Toothless (the main dragon). Jay Baruchel brings a deadpan humor to the character that really was funny, but he also made him endearing and likable. You wanted him to succeed. And when he's hurting (emotionally), you are, too. Toothless was another surprise, much like Astrid. I suppose what I was expecting, at least from the trailers, was your cutesy animal character that seems dangerous at first, but then really shows his lovable side and that's about all he has to it. This isn't so. No, Toothless has the cute side, but it's always right underneath the dangerous side. So you know that at any minute, he can either share his food or bite your head off, depending on how he feels. In other words, they kept his animalistic nature and didn't dumb him down for the kiddos.

The humor and the action varied depending on the scene. Sometimes the humor was a deadpan comment, sometimes it was aimed at the kids, sometimes it was aimed for somebody a little older. But I think there was a good enough mix of all types to where it seemed balanced (as even the jokes for the kids weren't really silly or stupid. I never once rolled my eyes or felt left out due to a bad joke). The action was similar--it depended on the mood of the scene. There were the lighthearted training scenes where it was more slapstick. But then there were the dangerous, life-threatening battles that had you on the edge of your seat. And, amazingly, there was more than one of the latter. Usually you just get the 'dark' climax battle at the end of the movie, but there are quite a few dark battle scenes strewn in throughout the film, helping to keep the film balanced.

And then there are the visuals. There really are times when the animation is jaw-dropping, which is mostly surprising due to the basic animation of the Vikings or the dragons themselves. Most of the stunning scenes come either during flight scenes or scenes that deal with large amounts of fire. I'd equate the difference as almost like playing a video game and having the difference between gameplay graphics and cutscene graphics. And the 3D version just escalates it all, really pulling you into the world--particularly the flight scenes, which are just stunning. There was actually one moment where Toothless and Hiccup are diving down toward the water, and I actually felt like I was going down on a roller coaster or something. Insanity.

Overall, this turned out to be a wonderful film. I really couldn't find much at all wrong with it, and I really don't want to. Even the music is fun, taking a bit of a Scottish sound. So I'll leave it at that. I strongly recommend this movie, and I really recommend it in 3D to get the full atmosphere of it. Excellent movie.


Royale With Cheese

(P.S. I actually believe this is the first movie of the year I have given this rating.)

CLASH OF THE TITANS.

I haven't seen the original since I was in high school, but I remember its cheesiness (and the mechanical owl). But I was still incredibly excited for this remake. I love Greek mythology, and this movie looked totally epic. It tells the story of demigod Perseus (Sam Worthington) who, after his family is destroyed by Hades (Ralph Fiennes), is taken to the blasphemous town of Argus, where they hate on the gods and want to overturn their rule. Well, Zeus (Liam Neeson) doesn't like that, so he's easily talked into a little plan by his brother, Hades. In 10 days time, Hades will summon the Titan-killing beast, the Kraken, and destroy Argus and every person inside unless they decide to sacrifice the beautiful Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos). But Perseus, being a demigod, is foretold to have the power to defeat the Kraken, despite him only wanting to destroy Hades in vengeance. So Perseus must go on a journey, along with a band of other soldiers, as well as the immortal and all-knowing Io (Gemma Arterton), to discover how to defeat the Kraken and then return before it's too late.

The movie starts off kinda shaky. Up until Perseus gets to Argus, and even arguably up until they leave on their journey, the movie suffers from plot-point jumping. For what feels at least 15 minutes (or more) of the movie, it's simply going from one brief scene to the next, setting up plot points necessary for the film or characters. It just feels a bit jumpy and disjointed at that point. However, once he gets to Argus, the film slows down a bit, and then once he begins his journey, it really finds its stride.

The best thing about the movie, of course, are the visuals. The visuals are frakkin' fantastic. Some of the best I've ever seen in a movie not titled Avatar. It isn't all CGI, either. There is actually a fair balance of CGI and animatronics in the film... and even some old-school guys-in-costumes (really reminded me of Guillermo del Toro at times). But what is CGI is seamless. From the giant scorpions to the Pegasus to the Kraken itself, everything looks stunning. The only CGI shortcoming, I think, is Medusa, who reminded me of a better-done version of the Scorpion King from The Mummy Returns. But regardless of it being better done, it still looked fake, especially in comparison to the other effects in the film.

As it is a remake, I'm sure people are wondering how it compares to the original. Well, like I said before, I don't remember a whole bunch from the original, but I do remember snippets. There is a funny homage to the original with the metallic owl that was a good laugh. The original didn't have Hades as the bad guy, I don't believe, and I think Perseus fell in love with Andromeda in the original (which isn't the case here). Instead, Io replaces Athena as Perseus' helper, and you can say there is a bit of a connection there. Also (doing a bit of research here on the original), the Calibos character is a bit different, if that matters to you.

The only real major issue I had, besides the choppy beginning, is the fact that I really didn't know or care for any of the secondary characters. Besides Perseus, Andromeda, Io, Zeus, and Hades... I couldn't even tell you their names. I mean, you like them because of their personalities (the funny one, the stoic one, the newbie), but that's about as far as it goes. There are even a pair of characters that seem incredibly promising, but the film basically dismisses them as plot contrivances.

Otherwise, the film was a ton of fun. The action was awesome, but what else would you expect from Louis Leterrier, the man who brought us Unleashed? So to wrap this up, go for the action, the visuals (including creatures and cinematography), and the Greek myth fun. There's even a fair bit of humor in it, too. The film isn't perfect, but it's still a load of fun.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

(P.S. Maybe I'm just getting too nit-picky, but the supposedly gods-hating general dude telling Perseus to accept help from the gods and pray to them for help... it seemed a bit out of character. But then again, maybe he didn't care if Perseus did it, since Perseus was there to help them survive. I'll go with that.)

Podcast: The LAMBcast #17 - Foreign Films.

Though I'm pretty much on the LAMBcast weekly (the podcast of the LAMB), I don't pimp it here as much as I should. However, I think that if you're to listen to any LAMBcast, it should be this one. It was frakkin' epic.

We discuss out favorite foreign (language) films, and on hand were a gang of fools, from Dylan Fields to Mike Mendez to Jason Soto to This Guy and myself. We laughed, we cried, we broadened our horizons. That's followed up by a couple games of Last LAMB Standing and some Trailer Talk, in which we discussed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the epic Weird Al biopic.

Warning: This episode contains more adult language than usual, so be sure not to listen around the lil ones.

If you're interested, you too can be a LAMBcaster - we love new blood! For more information on the LAMBcast, check out the topic at the LAMB Forums.

As usual, the music, as provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website, is the bomb. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service.

You can find us on iTunes; just go to the Podcasts section and search for "LAMBcast." And hey - while you're on iTunes, why don't you go ahead and either rate the LAMBcast or write a review of it. Better yet, do both! It'll help us get noticed by the overlords at Apple and earn worldwide fame...or something like that.