Daily Dose of Awesome: Puppy and a Duckling

D'awwwww

The Stand: Captain Trips

Issue 1

Issue 2

Issue 3

Issue 4

Issue 5

Should Kim Possible fight for a fifth season?

*Originally published on 5/2/2008




Kim Possible can do anything, the question is can her fans bring her back on the air after the show has been cancelled? Last year the possible Disney cartoon concluded its fourth and final season, since then fans have put forth a campaign to bring the show back. I'm a fan of the show. It's very well written, has a wide array of characters who possess various quirks and eccentricities that many of us can relate to and does a very good job of parodying and poking fun at spy and action movie standards.

At first glance, bringing the show back after being cancelled seems like an excellent idea. If the show's great then more of it would be great right? I'm not so sure. It's true that fans have more power then ever. Family Guy and Futurama have both been brought back from cancellation due to fan following. What we have to remember is that Kim Possible already got another season as a result of this. The show was supposed to originally end after the third season finale, "So the Drama", it was because the fans clamored for more that we got a fourth season.

Maybe it's just me, but asking for another season after they gave us one more seems a bit greedy. In addition, the show has already had two finales that wrapped the show up. So the Drama did a decent job of it and had a "happily ever after" feel to it. Graduation did an even better job of bringing everything to a close. If the show were brought back, the writers would have to find a way to wrap it up yet again.

Frankly, I'm OK with leaving the show with Graduation. Remember the second season finale to Justice League Unlimited? Divided We Fall and Epilogue did a superb job of closing the book on the DCAU, CN went ahead and signed on for another season that was rather hit or miss. While Destroyer was an ok closing point it paled compared to the finale we saw before. It's better for a show to go out at its height rather then drag on too long. Especially after the writers drop the curtain and say "The End".

The fourth season of Kim Possible had its fair share of misses. There were some great episodes in there, to be sure, but it was clear the writers were running out of story ideas. They themselves even said that stories or fan ideas that were too bizarre before were fair game this time around. The show managed to get through the season without officially jumping the shark and I would rather it stay that way.

If a fifth season were to be made, major overhauls would be needed. The main suggestion made is to show them in college. The thing is that it was pretty clear Ron and Kim weren't attending the same college. Yes, they were going to make their relationship work, but having Ron loiter around campus for no reason is not something that would garner fan approval.

Most of the supporting cast would disappear as well, Bonnie would be at another school, Mr. Barkin is still going to be teaching high school, Drakken and Shego are reformed and Monkey Fist was turned into stone. They could try and introduce new villains but I doubt that they would be as fun to watch as Kim's original Rogue's Gallery. Heck, even Camille Leon was a pretty dull villain.

Buffy was able to continue after she graduated high school, but mostly because she dropped out of college. It hammered in the recurring theme of doom and gloom that slayers endure. The fact that the one season she was in college was kind of blah also may have had something to do with it. Such a thing would not only go against Kim's can do attitude and be completely out of character, but it would cause parents everywhere to become irate. Showing a hero who leaves college and still manages to be successful is not the message that parents want their kids to see.

I don't think that the crusaders should give up, simply reroute their focus. I think it would be a much better endeavor to fight for full season DVD box sets. This way, Kim Possible fans can get their Kim Possible fix in whenever they like. The reruns Disney Channel shows are pretty much just season 4. There are 3 other seasons of great material and I think we are entitled to see that as well.

Babylon 5 episode reviews

Well...some of them anyway.  Unlike the other shows, I stopped doing these reviews because the show was no longer streaming and, at the time, I was on Netflix's "stream only" plan. I'm back to DVD's, and the show is in my queue, but I haven't gotten to it yet.  With Reviewstream no longer being conducive to TV show reviews, I may pick this back up and just write reviews directly for this site when I get to that show on my queue. In case you were wondering, I'm still thinking of doing that with "Breaking Bad" as well since that was another show I started but never finished.  In any event, here are the articles.

Season 1, Episode 1: The Gathering

Season 1, Episode 2: Midnight on the Firing Line

Season 1, Episode 3: Soul Hunter

Season 1, Episode 4: Born to the Purple

Season 1, Episode 5: Infection

Season 1, Episode 6: The Parliament of Dreams

Season 1, Episode 7: Mind War

Season 1, Episode 8: The War Prayer

Season 1, Episode 9: And the Sky Full of Stars

Season 1, Episode 10: Death Walker

Season 1, Episode 11: Believers

Season 1, Episode 12: Survivors

Daily Dose of Awesome: Muppet Lanterns

Geoff Johns posted a link to this on his twitter page some time ago.  Being a fan of both the Muppets and Green Lantern, naturally it spoke to me.  With the wide cast, it would've been cool to see how they divide up into various corps, but that would take forever, so I certainly understand why there is only one muppet per ring.  I do have to wonder why there is no white lantern.  I don't know if the artist couldn't think of a muppet to match or if it was more about keeping it even.  Oh well, it's still a fun picture and I got a kick out of it.

Daily Dose of Awesome: 90 inch High Definition Television

Big screen TV's are cool.  Whether you're a movie buff or a sports fan, being able to watch it on a home theater really enhances the experience, especially now that the picture quality on high definition televisions is as mind blowing as it is.  Most people usually settle for an HDTV in the 40ish inch range area.  By and large, this is plenty and you can get a great viewing experience from a television of that size.

However, Sharp now has a television that is over twice as big.  That's right a 90 inch high definition television.  Drool.  It comes with an extremely high price tag, but being able to watch your favorite movies or the latest game of Football will make it feel like it's worth every penny.  Once I have the money, I'm sure as hell going to get myself one of these.  It really does take the phrase "home theater" to a logical extension where the phrase almost becomes literal.  Couple this with one of those old time popcorn making machines that you can buy and you can replicate the theater experience to a pretty great extent.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Greyhound AT-ATs

I came across one of these images a while ago on Comics Alliance.  As it turns out, they themselves got the image from another blog post that featured a few photos of a similar nature.  Now, I'm generally not big on the whole "dress up the dog" thing, but this is rather amusing.

Hosting an anime marathon

Anime examiner article

 Anime lends itself to marathons for some reason.  Fans love to pick out a series, sit down, and watch it on end.  Part of this may be because most anime series are self contained limited series.  Shows like Witch Hunter Robin and Neon Genesis Evangelion only have twenty or so episodes.  As such, you can go through the whole thing in a day if you so chose, and often anime fans do.

Unlike most shows, a three hour block does not constitute a marathon.  Anime fans go hardcore and dedicate about 8-12 hours for their anime marathons, sometimes going even further beyond that. 

Having an anime marathon seems simple enough, you put the DVD in the player, sit down and watch it.  Well, yeah, but much like making a mix tape, having an anime marathon is an art that requires a lot of preparation and skill.

The first thing to consider is whether you want this to be a group or solo activity.  It can often be fun to get a group of fans together to watch a series.  Sometimes, however, you want to hermit it up, close yourself off in a room and spend the day watching anime.

  

Which one you choose will affect the setting.  If you're hosting a large group, you will want enough seating.  A love seat works really well in this regard.  If you're on your own, you have a bit more flexibility as you can simply use your bedroom.

You'll want to use the largest television you have possible.  If you are going to watch it on your computer, it's advised that you use your laptop as that grants you greater movement.  While it's possible to spend that much time in a desk chair, having the option to lay down or to adjust positions will make the process much easier.

One important factor in your marathon is which series to choose.  There are, after all, tons of anime series out there that range from lengths of six episodes to a couple hundred. 

While FLCL is indeed a great series, watching that in its entirety doesn't really constitute a marathon.  On the other side of the spectrum you have shows like Dragonball Z or Yu Yu Hakusho that are over 200 episodes long.  

You can certainly choose one of these, and maybe go through one of the "sagas", but there's a certain joy that comes from watching a series from beginning to end. As such, the shows that have about 20 episodes are the ones you'll want to target.  Shows like the aforementioned Evangelion, Witch Hunter Robin, Hellsing, or Blue Gender are also of appropriate length.

You'll want to be well rested before starting this particular venture.  It is definitely not fun realizing you've dozed off and have to backtrack to figure out where you left off.  This also becomes a problem as it becomes more difficult to allot the necessary time you need.  

Beverages and snacks are a must.  This will help keep you in one spot as opposed to constantly getting up.  It will also make the experience more enjoyable as it's always good to have a tasty beverage on hand.  As for what snack to choose?  Chips are always a good choice.  You could do it movie style and cook up some popcorn.  You'll want something that you can snack on endlessly.  Cookies are great, but they aren't the type of food that you can munch on for hours on end.  Well, you can, but it's not as acceptable to eat a whole bag of cookies as it is to tear through a big bowl of chips.

If you are hosting a large group, be sure to have plenty of food.  It's better to have too much and have snackage left over than to run out halfway through.  

Also, be sure to use the facilities beforehand.  Try to take care of anything that may disrupt the flow of the marathon before you get started so that it doesn't become a problem later.

Now, the question arises of whether or not to watch it dubbed or subbed.  If you are watching the series on your own, obviously go with your own personal preference.  If there's a group you can put it to a vote (yay democracy!)  

Anime marathons can be challenging, but they are always fun.  There's quite a bit to consider, but at the end of the day, all of the effort you put into it will pay off in the end.

Yahoo Voices Article



*Originally published on 4/22/08


If you're an anime fan then, odds are, you've had at the very least a mini marathon. You set aside a block of a couple of hours where you sit down to watch several episodes of a series. Unlike most tv shows, a 3 hour block does not constitute a marathon, not when it comes to anime anyways. Much like creating a mix tape, having an anime marathon is an art that requires a lot of planning and skill. Several factors are involved in having a marathon of this sort.
The first is picking which series you want to watch. Most anime series have an average of 25 episodes. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Escaflowne, Witch Hunter Robin all have about this number. Hellsing has about 15 I think. These are the series you want to gun for. The more mainstream anime series (DBZ, Yu Yu Hakusho, Inuyasha) are a couple of hundred episodes. While you might be able to go through an arc of such a series, I would recommend going for one that isn't so lengthy. Having the story come to a complete end within your time parameters is a nice plus. You also don't want to go for a series that is too short. FLCL is only six episodes. It's a highly enjoyable series, and worth watching, but viewing this in its entirety does not constitute a true anime marathon.

Your average marathon will run you from 8-10 hours. As such it would be a good idea to do this when you have a large block of free time and no obligations the next day. Friday or Saturday are your ideal days, if you work in retail then the day before your day off is what you want to gun for. You also want to eliminate all distractions and make sure that you have no prior engagements. This is a marathon after all.

Which ever room has the largest tv is the room you want. If that doesn't work, then whichever room will allow you to have your viewing uninterrupted will also work. Either way, just make sure you're comfortable. Recliners are ideal but a comfortable couch or bed will do just nicely. It has to be a place where you can stretch your legs. It would be impossible, or at the very least very uncomfortable, to remain in one position for the duration so you want something that allows you to shift around with little to no trouble.

Make sure you're well rested. If you're comfortable enough, no matter how engaging the show is you will be tempted to curl up and take a small nap. Don't do this. If you do, you'll have to backtrack to see at which point you dozed off and go through episodes that you should have already seen. It also makes it more difficult to complete uninterrupted. You may be able to secure 10 hours to yourself but if you fall asleep at hour 5 for 6 hours, there's a good chance someone's going to want something from you before you finish your second set of 5.

You'll definitely want a beverage of some kind on hand. I usually go with soda, but if you prefer something else then go with that. This will give you energy should you start to tire and will also keep you from getting up repeatedly to get something to drink. Seeing as you are going to be there for a while, I suggest going with a large container, a big gulp or a 2 liter bottle of said item. If you have a mini fridge in the room then this is not as urgent an issue as you can easily grab a new can or glass between episodes or disc switches.

As you need drinks you will also need snacks. I usually go with chips but pretzels or popcorn will work just as well. While I enjoy cookies as much as the next person (more so even) I don't recommend going with these simply because they are not particularly filling and most people don't like the idea of going through a whole package of cookies in one sitting.

An important choice you have to make is whether to watch the series dubbed over in English or in Japanese with subtitles. If you hate subtitles, then you'll want to go with the dub. I myself have no problem with them and go with the subbed version when watching anime. If you don't them then I recommend going with the subtitles as they are usually better (DBZ is one exception where I prefer the dubbed version over the subtitles). Just be aware that if you watch the series in English and bring this up among fellow anime fans, depending on the person there's a good chance that they will chide you for it.

Much like before going on a long drive you will also want to use the facilities before beginning this endeavor. If you're not used to sitting and watching television for hours on end you may want to work your way up to the 10 hour block. You wouldn't run a marathon without spending a few months on a jogging regiment, the same idea applies here.

In closing, if you are new to anime just be prepared for a good deal of angst. Also, depending on which series you choose, don't be surprised if the ending is borderline incomprehensible, these are known as mind f-s and are fairly common in anime (Boogiebop Phantom is just one giant mind fuck from beginning to end). You just have to roll with it.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Gamer Bunny

Much like the Batman w/Lightsaber vs. Shark picture, I feel like this one speaks for itself.  I mean, it's a bunny with an Xbox controller.  What more needs to be said?

Daily Dose of Awesome: Polar Bear with a Chainsaw

I know, it's obviously photo shopped but I don't care.  It's funny and hardcore at the same time.

Birds of Prey TV Series reviews

Well...most of them anyway...

Episode 1: Pilot

Episode 2: Slick

Episode 3: Prey for the Hunter

Episode 4: Three Birds and a Baby

Episode 5: Sins of the Mother

Episode 8: Lady Shiva

Episode 9: Nature of the Beast




Honestly, I didn't think this show was that bad.  It had some kinks that needed to be worked out. Every show has that in the first season.  If you're a hardcore advocate of the Bechdel test, this show kind of fails that miserably. This show still could have gone places had it been allowed to continue.  The characters were solid, the cast was good, and it delivered some good action to boot.  It was a valiant effort, but alas it never took off....

See what I did there? "Took off"?  Because they're called the birds....oh never mind.

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Daily Dose of Awesome: Corgi School Bus

Stephen King bibliography: The Dead Zone

This novel concerns John Smith, a school teacher who falls into a coma after a car accident and awakens five years later to realize that he has psychic powers.

I was kind of surprised how much time is spent covering John's time in the coma. I can understand why, but at the same time, it would've been interesting if, after the accident, the next chapter showed him waking up so that the readers were as thrown off by the missing five years as John was.

What's with John referring to his father as "Daddy"?  For crying out loud, you're a grown man. He doesn't even do it once, but several times throughout the novel.  I found it really odd.

You'll recall in my review of the film adaptation, I said that the "dead zone" referred to the area of his brain that had activated and thus, caused the visions. While John's doctor, Dr. Weizak does say that a part of his brain did "wake up", that isn't what the dead zone refers to. One of my readers even kindly pointed out that this wasn't the case;  the dead zone referred to a damaged part of his brain that blurred the visions. Whenever there was some piece of information that John couldn't ascertain, he would declare that it was in the dead zone. So yeah, you could say that my knowledge of the dead zone was in the dead zone. It's worth noting that the book's page on TVtropes posits the same explanation that I did, even if it is an incorrect interpretation it's comforting to know I'm not the only one who had that impression.  Wikipedia's page, however, does provide the correct take on the term. 

Like most superpowers, John's abilities are viewed as a detriment. It's true, he uses them for the greater good to try and save lives (stopping a serial killer, warning a nurse that her house is on fire, telling a student to have his graduation party somewhere else since the steakhouse they were going to patronize is going to be hit by lightning) but he doesn't really want the power. When people send him letters asking for help, he often ignored them and whenever he did flash, the person who he was touching was often left terrified. They may not have known the exact nature of what was going on, but they felt that something was screwy.

You'll recall that one of the problems I had with the film adaptation of Thinner was the fact that none of the characters were likable. With the obvious exception of two, all of the characters seen in the novel are likable, decent people.  Even John's mother, Vera, in all of her religious mania never really came off as malicious.  She snaps at Sarah early on, but eventually warms up to her.

Speaking of Vera, she's a tad unbalanced to say the least. Passionate and faithful, sure, and it's clear that she loves her son, but her desire to believe reaches ridiculous heights. She's quick to sign on to any program no matter how bizarre.  She even embraces the idea of aliens coming to save her.

Now, I know what you're thinking, that it's some jab at Scientology. The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it since I saw the movement as too recent.  After doing some research (read: I checked Wikipedia) I saw that Scientology has been around since the 50's so while I won't declare that King's intention was to poke fun at the group, it's an interpretation worth considering.  Interestingly enough, I've seen History Channel documentaries that discuss the idea of extra-terrestrial encounters in the Bible.  I think Ezekiel was the book that came up most frequently. It's some crazy stuff, awesome in it's own way, but still kind of crazy.

One of the issues that comes into play (especially in the later pages) is the old "if you could stop Hitler before he rose to power, would you?"

This scenario becomes a driving force for Johnny after he has an apocalyptic vision caused by his handshake with rising politician Greg Stillson. That whole trait was an interesting development for John.  There's a point where he goes around shaking politicians' hands to see if they're on the up and up.  He even gets to shake hands with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, which is pretty cool.  Having a few psychics around would certainly make elections more interesting.

For a book with only 400 pages, there sure is a lot of plot crammed in here. Even with everything that happens, it never feels rushed and while it can be a bit episodic at times, it all comes together quite nicely. When it comes to essential King reads, I think this one is overlooked at times. It's got great characters, a good story, and it's long enough to flesh everything out, but not so big that it becomes long in the tooth.

If you haven't read it yet, I recommend checking it out, and if you have read it; it's a good book to revisit.

Zombies vs. Humans

*Originally published 4/17/2008

It's often said that in order for a zombie movie to work. It has to be apparent that we humans are the real monsters. This theme is not simply restricted to zombies either. It's been used for monster movies in general. I can see using such a scenario as an allegory. To show the foibles of mankind, however, within several of these plots I have seen theories that don't add up. In response I'm left wondering if we are in fact, the monsters that the movies insinuate we are.

One of the more well known uses of this theme is in the Twilight Zone episode The Monsters are due on Maple Street. In it, a neighborhood experiences bizarre activity and starts to turn on each other as paranoia takes over. I'm going to go out on a limb that this episode doesn't need a spoiler in regards to the ending. it turns out, extra terrestrials are the cause. They see that we turn on each other and use that by toying with our technology utilizing their own. Herein lies a major problem in the theory. We as humans are not defined by technology. Ipods are awesome and I enjoy blu-rays as much as the next guy but the loss of these will not force me to revert to some savage. We experience power outages all the time, whether it be rolling black outs or weather related. In said cases we stick our heads down and plow through. It's no big deal.

Another problem with this episode is the fact that the only reason the people turned on each other is because the kid planted the idea of alien invaders in his head. Now he turned out to be right, but had he kept his big yap shut people would've been confused but it would never have turned into a witch hunt.

This theme is most frequently used in zombie movies. Romero started it with his classic "Dead" series. He used the zombie apocalypse to make social commentaries, something revolutionary at the time. Ok sure, he beat his message over the viewers head but there was enough in the pro column to let it slide. He never went so far as to say that humans were monsters. On the contrary, his big thing was to say that the zombies were us. As such anything they did, such as go to a mall or watch fireworks was bad. I say fooey on that, zombies aren't us. OK, they were once us, but the thing that makes zombies so scary is the fact that there is no humanity in there. They are simply walking shells. Your sweet old grandpa who always brought you candy will now have no problem ripping into your scalp to try to get to your delicious brain.

A more recent example of this is in Stephen King's short story, The Mist, in it a small town is covered in a mysterious mist that hides hideous Lovecraftian beasts. A small troop of humans takes refuge in a grocery store. Mass hysteria starts to set in and human sacrifice becomes an actual consideration. No one considered the idea that one does not appease an angry God by further defying his commandments. You could write this off as mob mentality or simple panic. After all there is a good reason people are not supposed to yell "Fire" in a movie theater.

Maybe I'm just not that cynical yet, maybe 28 Days Later was such a bad movie that I dismissed the idea entirely or maybe I choose to follow the philosophies of characters like Dr. Frasier Crane and Superman by focusing on the positives of humankind. Sure we can panic and we are not without our faults. There are quite a few jerks out there and others who are capable of doing abhorrent things. By and large though I do believe that people are good. Even in extreme situations. Look at what happened after 9/11. Taking politics and the aftermath of the war on terror out of the equation, we all united. Our petty differences were put aside and many went out of their way to help the families of the victims. The same thing happened after the tsunami that struck a few years ago. Once again with Katrina, we offered a helping hand to those who were affected. Our prayers went out to them, people gave money, supplies, and their time to come to the aid of others. To be fair, inside the Superdome was more in line with the aforesaid stories, with instances of violence and even some cases of rape so we aren't as squeaky clean as idealists would like.

Ultimately, the real monster in any monster movie (whether it be zombie or otherwise) has to be the monster. Why? Because they're the monster. You wouldn't be able to pull of such a theme with Dracula or a Mummy. Allegory is one thing. If pulled off it can work wonders, however, perspective is an important factor. While we are not perfect, the monsters (in order to maintain any credibility in the scare department) has to be worse.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Velociraptor riding a shark holding dynamite and a gun

You read that title right.

Daily Dose of Awesome: TARDIS Bookshelf

I want this!!

Pop of King archive: 2008

Books with Batteries- Why Not?

The Celeb-ing of the President 2008

Your Movie and Concert Hall Hell

The Art of the Blurb

Video Game Lunacy

Playing Against Hype

My Favorite Year 1999

Horror Movies: Why Big Studios are Rare to Scare

Stephen King's Guide to Movie Snacks

How TV Ruined Baseball

Chick Lit vs Manfiction

Why I Love Prison Break

Stephen King's Real Top 20 Songs

10 Best CD's of 2008

Best Books of 2008

Best Movies of 2008

Daily Dose of Awesome: Puppy cuddling a teddy bear

Seriously, how cute is that?

100 movies that are better than Citizen Kane

For years, I heard about how "Citizen Kane" was the greatest movie of all time. So, several years ago, I rented it, saw it, and found it sorely lacking.  We watched it again in high school for a film class.  I thought that I would be able to better appreciate it as I was older and wiser; such was not the case.  The movie's boring.  The character's are boring.  The plot twist at the end is lame and the whole thing hinges on a glaring and obvious plot hole.  In short, it stinks.  People look at me weird when I tell them this, but it's true.  The movie doesn't even come close to being "the best movie of all time" and I've decided to prove it by giving you a list of 100 movies that surpass Kane in every way.  I thought about going into detail about each one, but the fact remains that they would all be the same: Better plot, better acting, not mind numbingly boring.  So, this will just be a list.  Also, keep in mind that movie enjoyment is subjective and quantifying different genres of movies is pointless, so there won't be a particular order here.  With all of that out of the way, let's do this.

1. Ghostbusters
2. Ghostbusters II
3. The Iron Giant
4. Pacific Rim
5. Wall-E
6. The Muppets
7. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
8. The Conjuring
9. Friday the 13th part 6
10. Pan's Labyrinth
11. Amelie
12. Super 8
13. The Dark Knight
14. The Empire Strikes Back
15. Return of the Jedi
16. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
17. Hellboy
18, Hellboy II: The Golden Army
19. The Shawshank Redemption
20. Toy Story 2
21. Heat
22. Top Gun
23. Exorcist III
24. Time After Time
25. Megamind
26. Raiders of the Lost Ark
27. Tombstone
28. The Exorcist
29. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
30. Garden State
31. Red Dawn
32. Star Wars: A New Hope
33. Leon: The Professional
34. Fantastic Mr. Fox
35. Back to the Future
36. Ratatouille
37. Pee Wee's Big Adventure
38. Beetlejuice
39. Stargate
40. Chronicle
41. Silent Hill
42. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
43. Gravity
44. Cloverfield
45. Silence of the Lambs
46. Jurassic Park
47. Evil Dead
48. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
49. Akira
50. Evil Dead 2
51. Army of Darkness
52. The Princess Bride
53. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
54. Shaun of the Dead
55. Predator
56. Iron Man
57. Despicable Me
58. The Avengers
59. Apollo 13
60. Star Trek: First Contact
61. Suicide Kings
62. Pulp Fiction
63. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
64. Wonder Woman animated movie
65. Enchanted
66. Edward Scissorhands
67. Superman
68. Shoot 'em Up
69. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut
70. X-Men First Class
71. Murder by Death
72. From Dusk til Dawn
73. X-Men 2
74. The Incredibles
75. Grindhouse
76. Misery
77. Brain Damage
78. Memories
79. Remember the Titans
80. Memento
81. Se7en
82. Rango
83. The Abyss
84. Godfather
85. Godfather part II
86. Flushed Away
87. Rocky Balboa
88. No Country for Old Men
89. There Will Be Blood
90. Batman Begins
91. Gran Torino
92. Jersey Boys
93. The Lego Movie
94. Spaceballs
95. Tropic Thunder
96. How to Train Your Dragon
97. Jaws
98. Kung-Fu Panda
99. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
100. Marley and Me

Now, some of these movies have their flaws, to be sure, but they still bring more to the table than Kane ever did.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Saruman with a Guitar

I came across this image via the "Finish the Book, George" blog on Livejournal.  I do believe I've already talked about said blog here on this...blog.  In any case, if you haven't already, go check it out as it is quite good for a laugh.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Hungry Hungry Hippos

Science fiction writer Stephen Hunt posted this on his Facebook wall.  It's a mock movie poster for a fake blockbuster based on the nostalgic game, "Hungry Hungry Hippos", poking fun at the trend of adapting old kids toys into major blockbusters.  I thought it was rather amusing.

"The Mist" audio dramatization

Originally published on 4/14/08

As a way to market the release of the film adaptation of Stephen King's short story, The Mist, Simon and Schuster released an audio CD. I had never read it and was curious so I picked this up after work one day. Before buying you should know that this isn't an audiobook persay. It isn't one person reading the short story to you as many would be accustomed to, or expect. This is more in line with the old radio dramas that they used to air back in the day. If you enjoy those then you'll certainly like this. If you want an audio-book i suggest you pick out another one of King's titles.

Before it even starts, the CD tells you to put on headphones and gives a small test. I ignored this because I didn't think it would make much of a difference. I, instead, chose to listen to it on my laptop sans headphones. I do regret that as it was quite muffled. You know those movies where the dialogue is way too quiet, so you turn it up and then an action sequence or some intense scene comes and it's way too loud? That's what it was like for me. I imagine that it works much better with the headphones. At least I would hope so, for as much as it pimps out the "3D sound" having the sound be sub par was rather anticlimactic.

The CD itself is quite good, only an hour and a half long, and it does a good job of establishing the mood of the story even without King's prose. While not as intense as the film, the CD does a good job of both disturbing you and giving you the creeps.

Some parts were unclear, but I attribute that to the sound. The voice acting is decent, not stellar, but not horrible. The woman voicing Mrs. Carmody does a good job with it, rivalling even Marcia Gay Harden's intense performance in the film.

If you have already seen the film, then a lot of it will seem glossed over. Darabont fleshed out a lot of back-story for the characters, here they are limited by time constraints. If you enjoyed the short story then I do recommend this as it does provide an interesting presentation of the material via a new medium. It's definitely worth the money, a fact that is augmented by it's low price.

Stephen King Examiner Review

*Originally published on 9/8/09


I already posted a review of this over on Associated Content, but I thought I'd revisit it and see if my thoughts had changed since the last time I listened to it.  One major change is that I will actually be listening to this on headphones.  I didn't last time, choosing instead to rely on my laptop's speakers, and I found the sound underwhelming (ironic given how much the cd pimps the 3-D sound).

I'm a big fan of audiobooks.  They're great while driving, or just when you're in a recliner.  When I picked up this cd, that's what I thought I was getting.  It's not.  This is more of a radio drama.  It works for the most part, but I can't help but think that an audio reading of the story would've been just as effective, maybe use the actors for the dialogue but fill in the gaps with prose as it's hard to get an idea of what's going on at times.

The sound is better with headphones, noticably so, but it's still hit or miss.  There are times where some of the actors mutter their lines under their breath.

The voice acting is fine for the most part, though the actors in the film did a better job.

The CD is cheap, so it's hardly a rip off, and it is over an hour long so you get quite a bit of bang for your buck, but you're better off just reading the story or watching the film.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Admiral Snackbar

The punniness of this picture is just amazing.  I love it.

Novel review: "Mr. Mercedes" by Stephen King

You can read the article here.








Oh, and another thing, an example of "missed opportunity" in regards to this book; there's great potential for paranoia fuel here.  Hodges is being stalked and watched by a psychotic murderer and knows it.  Now, this would put some people on edge.  After all, the guy could be anyone and he could be anywhere.  You'd think that the book would play that up, have him constantly looking over his shoulder and becoming distrustful of people he comes across.  Nope, Hodges couldn't seem to care less.  Even if you go with the argument that Hodges is a cop who's been there and knows not to freak out, you could have had Jerome be the one who's uneasy about being in the wacko's metaphorical cross-hairs and built up some tension that way.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Bane bobble-heads

I came across this while roaming through Barnes and Noble some time ago.  I'm not sure why, but I find this thing rather amusing.  I mean, people were sort of poking fun at Bane's mask already, and when you combine that with the fact that this movie is supposed to be really gritty and super serious, it just makes you wonder what made them think that a bobble-head was the right way to go when it comes to marketing.  I mean really, this is supposed to be the big bad-ass who gives the caped crusader a run for his money and they make a bobble-head out of him.  You've got to admit, it does rob him of any potential menace.

Oh well, I still got a kick out of it anyway.

Daily Dose of Awesome: Peanut Butter Waffles

One morning a few years ago, I had decided to make myself some waffles for breakfast.  As they popped out of the toaster, my mom suggested that I put peanut butter on them.  Seeing my perplexed gaze, she explained that it was something that my cousin did rather frequently.  I was skeptical.  I like peanut butter and I like waffles, but they were two flavors that didn't seem like they would go together.

Boy howdy, was I wrong.  The maple syrup and peanut butter blend together perfectly to create something even greater than the sum of its parts.  This is especially helpful as it makes the waffles more filling.  I can eat four waffles and still feel hungry.  Spreading peanut butter on them helps make them a bit more filling.  When I am left with only two or three waffles, I can still make a sufficient meal for myself out of it.

I should warn you that a beverage is highly advised.  Regular waffles with syrup tend to make you rather thirsty, and the peanut butter augments that effect significantly.  I usually go with milk, though something like Apple or Grape juice could go well with it..  I don't think water would go too well.

I know it might not sound too appealing at first, but it really is delicious.  If you find waffles lacking, adding peanut butter may be just the thing you were looking for to make it pack a bigger punch.

Kingdom Hospital

Episode 1: Thy Kingdom Come

I had seen bits and pieces of this mini-series, but never had the chance to watch it in its entirety, or even from the beginning from that matter.  Thanks to the wonder that is Netflix, I have finally been able to start watching this series.

It's an odd one to say the least.  It's not the talking aardvark or the two mentally challenged psychics that wander around the hospital's basement that come off as odd, but the hapless staff.  Honestly, there isn't a competent member on that staff.  Even during the surgery scene, Dr. Hook, the specialist shows himself to be a bit off keel.  Besides, I don't know how many people would be comfortable having the goofball from Weekend at Bernie's digging around in their brain.

As this is the first episode, its main purpose is to establish background and it does so.  We get a brief glimpse into the history of the area where the hospital now stands before we meet Peter Rickman (played by Noah Bennet himself), an artist who gets sent to said hospital after being hit by a van.  The driver, having a DUI on his record as well as an ounce of weed on him, decides to flee and leave Rickman to his own devices.

There are a few nods to King's work. Rickman's sweatshirt says Little Tall and of course a crow shows up early on.  It's hard to tell whether people are intentionally making the Randall Flagg reference or if I'm just reading too much into it. 

While the crow does "talk" it seemed like we were just getting his thoughts on the matter, much like we do with the German Shepard later (who, humorously enough, thinks in a German accent).

I dug the theme song.  Luckily, that isn't where the show peaked.  I've seen that happen a few times and it's quite sad.

The acting and writing are strong, outside of Mrs. Rickman's big no, there weren't any parts that seemed forced or overdone.  There aren't any lines that seem out of place or poorly put together so it was quite good in that regard.

Had I seen the original Kingdom series, I would make comparisons, but I can't as I haven't.  While the credits do say that this is based on that, King is still credited with the teleplay and is also credited as the executive producer.

It doesn't have the same gripping quality as Lost (or at the very least, not to the extent of it), but I am still curious to see how this all pans out.  I look forward to seeing what the deal is with the aardvark (Rickman made some mention of it being the guardian of the gate, but I get the feeling there's more to it then that). 

I read that fans wanted a second season, and that King even had one story-boarded.  I just hope that it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, because that annoys me.  Given that the last episode is called "Finale" I doubt it will be though, so that's a comfort.

Episode 2: Death's Kingdom

This episode went by a heck of a lot quicker than the first one, I don't know why it felt like that, but it did.  This episode sees the man who hit Rickman, named Dave Hoonan, suffer an accident of his own.  Drunk as all get out, and covered in what I guess are nicotine patches, the man falls off his roof and ends up severely injured.

The wheel of ka makes another revolution as the same EMT's who picked up Rickman pick him up.  The driver even notes how eerie the similarities are between the two.  This is augmented by the fact that the ant eater is stalking Dave as well.  The big difference is that he seems to be a tad more malicious towards this man than he was towards Rickman.  This is exemplified in the scene where the mysterious creature kills him.

What is up with all the close up shots of eyes?  The last episode had  a couple, but this time they're all over the place.

Meanwhile Mrs. Drusse holds a seance to see if she can put to rest the spirits that lurk in the hospital.  It's cut short by Stegman, who boots her out of the hospital for being a "leech".  She informs Hook of the ghostly situation.  He's skeptical at first, but then he starts to hear laughter coming from the top of the elevator. 

He comes across the doll that was seen repeatedly throughout and drops it after hearing more laughter.  Finally he sees the ghost of a young girl, confirming Drusse's story.

This episode had more of a spook factor while also giving us better insight into some of the supporting characters. 

There is another nod to King's work via the "nozzie" sodas.  During one scene where a character is standing at the vending machine, you can see it is a nickname for "Nozz-a-la" which was mentioned a few times in the Dark Tower books.

It's always tough to judge first episodes as you have to give them time to get their feet wet.  It seems with this episode that the ball has gotten rolling.  As mentioned before, this episode went by a lot quicker and I felt more engaged in the story this time around.  It's not the fault of the first episode, however, it's just that these things need a bit of time to gain momentum. 

Episode 3: Goodbye Kiss

Why did people not stick around for this show?  It's good.  OK, it isn't mind blowingly awesome, but it's an intriguing series and it actually delivers a few spooky moments.  It's entertaining and not in that "oh well there's nothing else on, I might as well just watch this" kind of way. 

Yeah there's an ongoing mystery/story arc, but it's not so different from other successful genre shows that viewers would've been put off by this.  Even the criticism that the show required a lot of heavy lifting doesn't seem to apply, at least not for me.  Maybe that kicks in later?  Weird stuff happens, but that's the point. 

Stegman really comes into his own as a reprehensible character.  Yes, he parked in a handicapped space in the first episode, but his scene with Mrs. Klingerman was actually able to top it.  It's revealed that he botched a surgery and did irreperable harm.  HIs way of consoling the grieving mother is to assure her that her daughter could still do housework.  I'm kind of surprised the nurse didn't face palm.  The more Stegman went on the more likely it seemed that the nurse would mumble, "dude, shut up".  It never did, and Stegman kept making it worse, but Klingerman dished out some verbal payback as well as a medical malpractice accusation.  He tries to turn the tables, but it came off as kind of pathetic.

I've been told that the series that this was based on was more of a dark comedy.  While I can't say if it continues through the series (and I've been told it doesn't) we see some of that here, mainly with a bizarre musical number involving the staff as well as a couple of corpses. 

We do get something of an explanation to the odd hand gesture that all the doctors seem to give each other as the Keepers plot element is introduced.  They probably should've spent more time coming up with a signal because, I'm sorry, that just looks silly.

This was an entertaining episode overall.  It had a little bit of everything, and all the elements seemed perfectly balanced.

Episode 4: The West Side of Midnight

While stuff happens in this episode, by the end of it, it didn't really seem like a whole lot has been accomplished. 

Mrs. Drusse talks to her friend Lenny as he lies on his deathbed.  After the two share a heartfelt goodbye, she asks him to linger between worlds for a while so that he can aid her in her mission.  He agrees and says that a patient in the hospital knows the name of the little girl. 

Paul, meanwhile, recruits the convict to dispose of Mrs. Drusse so that she can't achieve her goals. 

Elmer has a dream about Antubis (the strange anteater creature) and cites it as the most horrifying nightmare he's ever had.  Seeing as his nightmare isn't all that intense, I suppose it's a good thing. 

Much of the episode focuses on Elmer, whether it is via his continuous pursuit of Dr. Massingale or the recent death of his mother. 

Rickman and Stegman are almost reduced to cameos, heck, even Dr. Hook doesn't have all that much in the way of screentime.

Speaking of Stegman, he's set on finding out who defaced his car.  He approaches two of the people he saw laughing at him in the first episode and threatens them at gunpoint to reveal who did it.  They tell him what they know and he offers to reward them handsomely if they come across any more information, more specifically, he wants them to name names.   

I think this is the weakest of the episodes I've watched so far.  It wasn't bad, it just didn't seem all that eventful.  All of the dramatic moments were well done and it didn't seem forced or heavy handed.  I just think it would've been better to find one core plot element to focus on whereas here it's rather scattershot. 

Also, while the doctors don't break out into full on musical number mode, they do, once again, spontaneously break out into song.  Ghosts or no ghosts, that hospital is just weird.

Episode 5: Hook's Kingdom

Where the last episode was rather lackluster, this one compensates in spades.  The overall narrative is driven forward quite a bit and there are creepy moments galore. 

Paul strangles Rickman in his sleep, but is interrupted by Mary and Antubis.  Mrs. Rickman comes by with an audiobook, following on the advice of Dr. Hook that hearing voices helps keep Peter grounded. 

At a church book club, where the two men Stegman accosted last episode are also present, one of the members loses it and starts raving incoherently before attacking everyone with almost superhuman strength, throwing people several feet effortlessly.  The incident ends when the homeless man, named Frankie, repeatedly slams his head into a pillar.  He's brought in to the hospital and diagnosed with a brain tumor. 

The surgery takes an interesting turn when the patient wakes up.  Stegman assumes that the anesthesiologist screwed up despite the claim that they gave him the maximum dose for his weight.  After ordering a larger dose, Stegman flees the scene when things take a turn for the worse.  He complements this by saying that he did fine and he considers the brain surgery a success no matter what happens.  Just when you think the character couldn't be any more of a spineless schmuck, he manages to top himself.  It's rather amazing in its own deplorable way. 

Dr. Gupta (whose name Stegman chronically mispronounces despite being repeatedly corrected) claims that Frankie looks like Elmer, but I honestly didn't see it.  Even when Gupta put Elmer's glasses on the corpse, it didn't look a whole lot like him. 

Not forgetting the vandalism that took place, Stegman continues to search for the people who ruined his car.  He goes up to a random doctor and asks her to finish the quote "Physician heal thy..." Even if the doctor had finished the quote successfully, that really wouldn't have proved anything.  It's not like that's an obscure phrase.  All it really would've proven was that she knows famous quotes.  It's a moot point however as she doesn't follow and the confrontation ends with her utterly perplexed. 

We also get some insight into the odd nature of Dr. Hook.  He reveals that he lives in "the old kingdom", hordes medical supplies, and chronically keeps track of all the mishaps that go on in the hospital, whether they be innocent mistakes or malpractice level screw ups.  It is his own way of waging war on incompetence. 

The duo of Abel and Christa also play a larger role in this episode.  Where as last episode we only got one quick shot of them sleeping, here we see them ask Dr. James for a favor as well as taunt Stegman as he's passing them in the hallway. 

There's just something about these two that annoys me.  I don't know readers, should I hate em? I know they're generally harmless, but there's something about em.  Something around the eyes.  I don't know....No I'm sure of it; I hate em.

All in all, this is more like it.  This episode is a marked improvement over the last one and delivers everything you would expect from the series so far.  It fleshes out several of the characters, gives us quite a few creepy scenes and ends on a rather effective cliffhanger. 

Episode 6: The Young and the Headless

Antubis lies mortally wounded and Paul is about to deliver the killing blow.  Luckily, the ant-eater creature rallies enough strength to fight him off.  Paul resigns to let Antubis suffer.  Paul also calls him some name I couldn't understand, it sounded like "snowman" but that doesn't make any sense.  Even as a flat insult, it's rather lacking.

Mary recruits Rickman to save the creature's life.  He complies after getting a somewhat vague explanation of what Antubis is.  You ever notice how in genre shows, a character will confront the mysterious supernatural entity, ask it what it is and it will somehow dodge the question?  The smoke monster has done this a few times on Lost and Mary does it here.  In fairness, she did give a partial explanation where Smokey answered with "you already know" which is a complete dodge.  Also, she didn't really have time to go into exposition mode seeing as he was dying and all.

Topside, Stegman is initiated into the Keepers.  During the ritual, the head makes a reference to them fighting the occult and supernatural.  Whether this means that they don't believe in it and want to squash all speculation or that they are guardians who protect our realm remains to be seen.  If it is the prior (and I suspect it is since Stegman would have no part of it if it were the latter), I have to say it is incredibly ironic that they would station themselves in a haunted hospital.

Elmer, meanwhile, uses Frankie's head to play a joke on Lona.  I'm not sure what the joke is, exactly.  I kind of get it, what with him emphasizing that it was the solution to a philosophical problem, but it's not that funny.  In addition, he seems pretty mortified when the head rolls out into the hallway.  That part didn't make a whole lot of sense, but I'll forgive it as it leads to a rather glorious scene where the headless body is seen running around the hospital as the song "Where's Your Head At?" plays.  That's just awesome right there.

You know what else is awesome? The Cigarette Smoking Man has a guest role in this episode.  While I doubt Davis will be able to top the iconic character, it's still good to see him pop up from time to time.

This episode plays up the dark comedy angle more than the other episodes.  It's interesting to note how this show kind of shuffles back and forth between various genres.  It adds variety and a sense that you never really know what the next episode is going to deliver.

Episode 7: Black Noise

Johnny B. Goode remains unseen, his mysterious absence even extends to dodging jury duty.  This scene introduces us to a sleazy lawyer who had sex with a potential juror's wife, talked her into having an abortion, and then firing her when medical complications arose.  His partner is even more callous.  It's pretty mind boggling.

The accusation drives him to a heart attack and he is subsequently brought to Kingdom Hospital. 

It's revealed that Blondi is now a ghost, most likely killed by Paul after he crippled Antubis. Why he did this, I don't know.  Blondi's still awesome though, even if he is borderline demonic.

It was amusing to see how far the doctors went to avoid liability when the lawyer was brought in.  They bring in multiple cameras, have him sign a waiver, and even have a notary to record every bit of dialogue.  It's understandable, given how vulnerable doctors are to law suits, but they really went all out covering their bases.

The dark comedy from the previous episode continues with more antics from the headless corpse.  It might not have a perfectly fitting song to accompany it, but seeing a German Shepard carrying around a human head is so wrong, but quite funny at the same time.

This was a pretty entertaining episode.  It had a nice dose of humor and still drove the overall plot forward.  It's good to see peripheral characters like James and Nat get brought more into the story by having them become aware of the occurrences. 

We're coming up on the second half of the season.  While I'm curious to see how it all pans out, I read that it leaves a lot of plot elements open.  The fact that Stephen King had a second season storyboarded proves that this series won't tie up all the loose ends.  Hopefully it ends in such a way that it doesn't become frustrating. 

Episode 8: Heartless

One of the first things you'll notice when watching this episode is that the woman lying in bed looks awfully familiar.  That's because it's Evangeline Lilly, better known as Kate from Lost.  It's pretty much a cameo and she has no lines (given how much of Lost's fandom hates Kate, maybe it's for the best), but it's a nice little easter egg.

Otto makes a comment mocking Schwartzon, who claims to have made an "earthquake predictor".  I'm no expert on seismology, pretty much all of my knowledge comes fromTremors, but can't they already do that to a lesser extent? I mean, if you know what to look for, there are warning signs that allow you to predict that sort of thing aren't there?  Given the supernatural roots of the earthquakes, this might not be the case, but just in general, it seemed an odd thing to mock.

It's weird, Stegman's a gigantic, selfish, and thieving putz, but there are several instances in this show where he comes off as the only sane person at the hospital.  He gets a pretty good dig at Mrs. Druse after he sees her wandering the halls of the hospital yet again.   

More is revealed of Mary's past, such as her last name and the fact that two separate buildings built on the same site burnt down on the same day, although decades apart. 

I feel bad for Bobby.  He's just trying to do his job and his mother's constantly asking for ridiculous favors.  It really never ends for him. 

Antubis plays a fairly large role in this episode, making a bargain with Fleischer.  The spiritual ant-eater takes a cue from Dr. Doom's book and delivers pretty much what Fleischer asked for, though not in the context that he intended.  This is a common wish trope whether it be with a devil figure or with a simple genie.  It's even more impressive that Antubis pulled it on a lawyer (Antubis even asks, what exactly it is that Fleischer wants, since he is a lawyer).  The result of the wish is so shocking that even Mary is rather perturbed by it.

This episode is an emotional roller coaster.  There are quite a few humorous oddball moments, such as Hook's conversation with Elmer, some creepy moments, as well as a rather heartfelt scene with Elmer and Lona, the prior thinking the latter has died.  Up until now, Elmer's affection has basically been showcased through incessant horny and perverse lust, when he sees her "body" lying there he starts quoting Shakespeare and you do see some genuine feeling. 

The episode has an interesting blend of everything and it also drives the overall story forward a good deal.  Even upon second viewing I found it highly enjoyable.

Episode 9: Butterfingers

The title of this episode does not pertain to the candy bar, so at no point does any character utter the phrase" no one better lay a finger on my butterfinger".  You'd think that it would, at least, be an amusing one off gag, to just have one of the characters sitting around snacking on the candy bar, but no dice I'm afraid.

For the second time in as many episodes, we have a character who tries to end it all by putting a bullet through their brain.  Whereas the billionaire was only given any explanation, this time, the circumstances are fully fleshed out and become the crux of the episode's story.

The suicidal character this time around is a disgraced baseball player who made a critical error in the world series years ago and has never been able to live it down.  This error haunts him more than the pie scene haunts Jason Biggs.

You would think that people would move on, I mean World Series come and go, but at the same time, a local player like that probably would be constantly reminded of it by the populace.  The fact that the team, the Robins, have once again made it to the World Series has everyone excited and allows people to bring up the past error. 

The only character not wrapped up in the World Series is Stegman, who says that it's a game for morons.  That's just un-American right there.  I'm not even a big baseball fan, but that's harsh.

Alas, the poor baseball player's bad luck doesn't end with death.  Rather than crossover to the next world, he finds himself trapped in between worlds (or Swedenborgian space as they call it).  Not surprisingly, the spirits take every chance they can to mock him about the missed catch. 

Paul's status as an antagonist comes to play here as he holds the trapped spirit hostage.  You come to realize that he's a pretty lame villain.  While not creepy, Stegman's a better bad guy; Dr. Gottreich is creepier; heck, Antubis is a better villain and he's a good guy...sort of.  Paul's just a generic two-bit punk and it seems like he's trying too hard.

The Anubis reference was an interesting one.  It's understandable given the name similarities, but the two serve somewhat similar roles.  The fact that Anubis appears in "The Old Kingdom" texts is another stunning coincidence, on the other hand, King may have done that on purpose.

This episode is unique in that it's really the only one that really qualifies as a stand alone episode.  Yes, it ties in with the overall arc, but you can watch this episode with no real knowledge of the show and get a feel for what's going on with very little trouble. 

Overall, it was an enjoyable episode, but the ending really ruined it.  They could've just as easily found another way to let him cross over rather than go the route they did.  I don't want to spoil it, but it comes out of nowhere and is kind of a cheat.  It's vexing enough that it really knocks the whole episode down a few pegs, which is sad as it was actually quite well done up until that point.

Also, I still hate Abel and Christa.

Episode 10: The Passion of Reverend Jimmy aka On the Third Day

This episode takes a rather religious turn.  Really devout atheists might want to stay away from this one as there is a heavy Christ theme going through this episode.  It goes beyond a mere "Christ figure", you see that somewhat frequently in fiction with certain characters (like Superman, for example), but it seems like Reverend Jimmy is literally the reincarnation of Christ.  Most of the supernatural phenomenon in this episode comes from the recreation of many of Christ's miracles.

I didn't notice the resemblance before, but seeing the guy chained up to the fence, he was the spitting image of most portrayals of the figure.

While the miracles of James Criss are all portrayed in a positive light, as is the crowd's faith, seeing all of these things occur is still kind of spooky.  Seeing the tap water turn to wine or hearing that his corpse was still bleeding even though he was already dead (and drained of blood) was pretty awe inspiring on both the spiritual and unnerving fronts.

The religious imagery is prevalent throughout, but it never gets preachy or heavy handed.  It's not trying to shove a message down your throat, just tell a fascinating story.

It seems like there's a whole story on just the implications of the events that unfold in this episode.  I imagine something of this magnitude would have repercussions, not just in the state of Maine, or even the country, but on a global front as well.

On the more secular front, Stegman continues to hassle Dr. Abelson about obtaining a copy of Mona Klingerman's anesthesiology report.  While he baits her with a romantic weekend to Salem, it's clear that he cares more about his reputation than he does any getaway.

Dr. Hook, knowing the same info that Steg does, sends Elmer to obtain the exact same copy. 

I'm confused about Blondi.  A few episodes ago, we saw the dog with demon eyes, as well as walking through walls, the implication being that Paul got him.  Now, he comes back and everything's fine.  Maybe that was another miracle that went unnoticed or the ghost was just an illusion. 

Even watching it a second time, the episode still had me enthralled throughout.  It's definitely one of the highlights of the series.

Episode 11: Seizure Day

The crowd still clogs the parking lot of Kingdom Hospital and police are called in for crowd control.  After a long day of beating the hell out of believers, two of the cops ride off on horseback for some brewskis.  It's interrupted however when a light shines down and knocks one of the cops off his horse.  He starts spouting random phrases before saying that he's gone blind and starts going into seizure.  Your first thought upon seeing this is aliens, but somehow I doubt that.

On the other hand, why not right? I mean you've got ghosts, Antubis, Christ 2.0, and it's revealed that Abelson practices witchcraft, so why not aliens?  My roommates have been quick to point out how weird this show is.  It's unorthodox to say the least, but you never really think about the odd mishmash of theological elements as you're watching it.  

We're given more information on black noise and how the military has been experimenting with black noise generators since the 60's (not to be confused with the brown noise which the French experimented with during World War II.)

Did anyone else notice that Elmer put the copy of the anesthesiology report face up on the copier when you're supposed to set it face down?  It's a minor goof and nitpick, I know, but it was still quite noticeable.

Stegman flees a surgery yet again.  Had I known, I would've kept a count, because I honestly think we're up to three, maybe even four instances where he's utilized the "run away!" tactic.  The fact that this guy still has his medical degree is mind boggling.

On a random note, getting rats hooked on cocaine (for science of course)...that's just funny.  I don't know whether Hook's laughter was scripted or that was just the fact that McCarthy couldn't keep a straight face.  I kind of like to think that it's the latter.

The whole rant that the head of archives goes on about computers was rather ridiculous.  Yeah, it's most likely just the usual "old people hate technology" archetype but just because people spend a lot of time on the computer doesn't mean that they're committing blasphemy.  Most people need computers for work purposes.  Even beyond that, just because someone spends a few hours of their free time playing World of Warcraft or surfing TVtropes doesn't mean that they're losing sight of God.  Some of the more extreme users, yeah you might have a point, but stereotypes are bad and not everyone is that dependent on it.  In the computer addict's defense, you try going to TVtropes and only spending a few minutes there.  Can't be done people, you may think that it's been a few minutes, but it turns into an hour and a half with very little effort.  

I don't know whether Elmer hooking up with Lona in the morgue again (next to a decaying corpse no less) is squicky or deserves credit, just for sheer determination.  It's not quite an "eeeew, necrophilia is gross" moment, but it's close.  

Episode 12: Shoulda Stood in Bed

All of the characters come together to make one final stand as a devastating earthquake looms.  This episode started off a bit slow, and it seemed like it was going to be another one of those episodes that just kind of spun its wheels and passed the time.

A few minutes in, however, things kicked into high gear as plot-lines started to converge.  This episode shows us the fall of Dr. Stegman and he falls hard.  The anesthesiology report is posted all over the hospital, putting his reputation into question.  In fury, he snaps at Brenda calling her a bunch of names.  Stegman's not particularly good at insulting people, but seeing him get fed up is always amusing to watch.  Brenda, in turn, becomes crazed and shoots all of his lab rats.  To top it all off, he's called out on the plagiarism that he committed earlier in the series, so he's pretty much done career wise.

Another X-Files guest star shows up, this time it's Byers from the Lone Gunmen, playing one of the medical senior staff who talks to Stegman after everything is revealed.  I know he's the most clean cut of the Lone Gunmen, but how funny would it have been to see Langly as one of the head doctors? Heck, you could've gotten all three of them to play the parts, that would've been awesome.

We also get a nod to the Dark Tower when Mary tells Peter to "see it very well".  I thought that was a nice touch.

Paul and Gottreich make a stand, but it doesn't go too well.  Sure, Paul has force lightning, but he can't aim... at all.  He misses Peter and vows that he's going to hit the old lady (Mrs. Druse) but he shoots that beam several feet over her head.   This gives Antubis ample time to return fire and send them elsewhere.  

Why aren't they utilizing Reverend Jimmy?  He's still around, you would think he would be a pretty powerful ally, especially in a situation like this.  They're so intent on gathering Abel and Christa, when they have Nu-Jesus running around, priorities people.

What's even weirder is that there was talk of a second season and yet, the narration at the end says that our time at Kingdom Hospital is almost over and asks if we could make time for one more visit.     Maybe at this point they knew, but it's still a bit weird.  

This has been a fun show and I am curious to see how it all wraps up.  We'll find out in the shocking conclusion.

Episode 13: Finale

This is it, the shocking conclusion.  Does it satisfy the viewer and settle all the plot elements?  Not particularly.  It does indeed explain quite a lot, but that results in one of the rare instances where a season finale has more exposition than the whole series combined.  Some of it is stuff we already know (but other characters don't, thus filling them in) and a lot of it is elaborating on the mill fire that set everything in motion.  

The identity of Antubis is revealed, as is the story of how he befriended Mary.  Speaking of Mary, she takes the lead in this episode and it's here where she gets fully fleshed out as a character.  

We also finally see Johnny Goode, and the actor who plays him should be fairly familiar to long time Stephen King fans.  

Where the episode really falls apart is the resolution.  It's basically all one giant retcon.  They pretty much use a similar tactic to the one they used to save Earl Candleton and once again, I find it vexing.  Actually, this one's a bit more vexing as it is used to a much greater degree and has a much bigger role to play in the overall story of the episode.  

Even more vexing are the plot elements left untouched.  What was the point of Operation Morning Air and the Keepers?  They literally did nothing and added nothing to the plot.  Sure, Dr. James was an amicable character and made an interesting foil for Stegman, but really there wasn't much for him to do. 

Why did they decide at the last minute to throw in a reference to another Dr. Gottreich when it was pretty clear that the one we saw lurking around the hospital was the one from the 1860's?  Mrs. Druse says that their seance cancelled out his existence, but he was never seen or heard from to begin with.  What did the second fire have to do with anything?  

It seems like all is well, but in true horror fashion, it's revealed that an evil still lurks, thus ending it on something of a cliffhanger, but not one so urgent that it's annoying.  

If Stephen King really did want to see his story boarded second season come to light, I could see it making an interesting book.  This sort of thing isn't without precedent.  The most obvious example would be Joss Whedon's Buffy season 8 and Angel season 6 comics, but The 4400 also got a continuation through novels that were published after the show ended.

I'm kind of curious to see the original series now, if only to see how this compares.  This series was highly enjoyable, up until the ending anyway, so it would be interesting to see how the original handled the material.