Richard and Chris got handed a full plate of extremes this week. Like extremely great, as in our giveaway The Guest, and as in extremely shit, as in what’s left of our brains after having to watch The Brittany Murphy Story. Why do we do this to ourselves? So we get to take home awesome stuff like The Guest and Get On Up…BOTH OF WHICH, btdubya, are our GIVEAWAYS this week.
And no…it’s not enough to get just the Blu-rays…each comes with a prize package set. Oh boy, is this one episode you’re not gonna want to miss. Listen and win!!!
Please use our Amazon links for all your online shopping needs. We thank you!
Many comic fans have been curious about Ant-Man, the second Marvel film set to be released this summer. After numerous script changes and a change of director, many worried how the production was shaping-up. With the release of Ant-Man’s first trailer, it seems that those initial worries (at least for now) look to be unfounded. Thankfully, the trailer is now at a watchable size for viewing.
At first, the trailer seems to be fairly serious with Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) somber narration about the people needing a hero, an Ant-Man. The mood immediately shifts to a more comedic one after Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is visibly questioning the overall seriousness of Pym’s demeanor, letting the audience know which side he falls on when it comes to this superhero business. The bit at the end is also quite telling in regard to Ant-Man’s overall tone, with Lang expressing disappointment with the name of his costumed alter-ego.
What about you reader? Are you impressed by Marvel’s first trailer for Ant-Man? Still worried about the upheavals that plagued the film early on? Let us know in the comments below!
John Portanova (The Invoking, The Device, Valley Of The Sasquatch) joins us to discuss all things alien! We discuss his newest film, The Device as well as Kino Lorber’s blu-ray release of The Quatermass Xperiment and our Top 10 Alien Abduction/Invastion flicks.
“Abby and Rebecca Powell haven’t seen each other since a traumatic event in their youth ripped them apart. Reunited for the first time in over a decade, the sisters take a trip to spread their mother’s ashes at a secluded lake. As the sisters reconnect and try to heal old wounds, something waits in the nearby woods. A strange object, made not by the hands of man, beckons them to it. As they begin to try and unlock its secrets, Abby is plagued by nightmares of an alien presence that seem all too real. Little do the sisters realize that this object is actually a device, one with a purpose too horrible to comprehend. As the events of the past and the present begin to merge, new discoveries will threaten to tear apart their newly reformed family, and the inhuman creators of the device will attempt to finish a terrible experiment begun years before.” (The October People)
“Val Guest (The Day the Earth Caught Fire) directed this chilling film about a spacecraft returning to earth with a frightening surprise on board. Two of the ship’s three astronauts have mysteriously vanished, while the third is sick with an unidentifiable illness. While doctors try to help the third man recover, an investigation takes place to figure out just what happened to his comrades. As it turns out, the survivors body has been taken over by an alien fungus that needs blood to survive. After the astronaut escapes from the hospital, he transforms into a monster, attacking everyone who gets in its way. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard detective Lomax (Jack Warner, The Blue Lamp) and Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy, The Glass Key), a determined scientist, attempt to track down the creature before it finds new victims. Also known as The Creeping Unknown.” (Kino Lorber)
As pointed out in Vincent Smith’s excellent article, Heavy Meta – The AAA Games Industry: Too Fat to Fly, 2014 in gaming played host to a number of troubling trends in the medium. The release of unfinished or even broken games was especially disheartening, but 2014 did have a number of gems that helped ease the disappointment of some of the year’s most hyped games.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
“Don’t kill me, I’d die from that!”
Developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, players take control of Talion (Troy Baker), a Gondorian ranger tasked with guarding the Black Gate and preventing the evil armies of Mordor from pouring out into realm of Men. Due to Sauron’s rising influence and power in the region, Talion’s entire regiment and family are brutally slaughtered in front of him by the Dark Lord’s most loyal servants.
Seemingly killed, Talion is later resurrected, but his body now plays host to an angry, vengeful wraith wanting to lay waste to all of Sauron’s minions. Possessing great powers of influence and manipulation, Talion learns that he can control the most savage of Sauron’s Orc/Uruk warriors and chieftains. Using this ability, Talion wages a one-man guerilla war against the armies of Mordor.
The manipulation and control of enemies is where Shadow of Mordor’s greatest gameplay mechanics are put to fantastic use. This is seen through the “Nemesis System,” which randomly generates unique Uruk captains and war chiefs. Every Uruk leader has their own personality, appearance, fighting style, strengths and fears. Depending on the player’s actions in-game, the Uruks will adapt and react differently to Talion’s presence. Gameplay wise, Shadow of Mordor is amalgamation of Assassins Creed and the Batman Arkham series. Expect to stab and skewer more than a few hundred orcs throughout the game’s 20 hour campaign.
Shovel Knight
“Why, shovel knight, I know things are tough but don’t throw in the trowel!”
Looking for a game that scratches that nostalgic itch? Well, Shovel Knight is the game that does that in “spades!” Get it? Gamers take control of the blue armored Shovel Knight, a warrior who prefers to fight the many enemies of his medieval world with a shovel instead of your typical sword and shield. Following his code of “shoverly,” (which involves much digging and the bashing of heads), Shovel Knight’s grand quest is to find his beloved companion and 8-bit lover, Shield Knight. His side-scrolling adventure pits him against the most dangerous of foes known only as The Order of No Quarter, who take glee in their new found power and love of ridiculously awful puns.
Anyone who is nostalgic for side-scrollers reminiscent of the NES or Sega Master Sytem will be right at home with Shovel Knight. Yacht Club Games, honors past side-scrollers like Super Metroid, Castlevania and Super Mario while giving their game its own unique personality, look and combat system. The game’s surprisingly fulfilling eight hour campaign is even worth a second playthrough, and New Game+ mode gives retro game fanatics a chance to go back to grind for treasure and more powerful upgrades. Plus, it’s filled with puns. The puns are for you, Brian. All for you!
Alien: Isolation
“It’s time to close the book, Ripley.”
Created by developer Creative Assembly, well known to PC gamers for their multiple iterations in the Total War series, Isolation is billed as a pure survival horror experience. Taking place 15 years after the events of Ridley Scott’s Alien, Isolation follows Amanda Ripley, who is investigating the disappearance of her mother, Ellen Ripley, and the the Nostromo. Learning that the Nostromo’s flight recorder was discovered by the space station Sevastopol, Amanda travels with a small crew to a massive ore refining space station. Unbeknownst to her and the crew she is traveling with; an Alien is aboard the station and has been methodically killing off the inhabitants.
Anyone expecting a James Cameron styled action film will be disappointed going into Alien Isolation. The game prides itself on its atmosphere, stealth mechanics and enemy A.I. The game’s Alien, murderous androids and bands of human survivors will try there hardest to kill you, and players will spend most of their time sneaking or hiding on the decrepit space station. Using everything from flares, noisemakers and the occasional flamethrower, you’ll learn quickly that the only way to outsmart the many enemies is to stick to the shadows. Though the game has some pacing issues (the middle of the game’s campaign is particularly arduous,) you’ll find no game this year that replicates the horror and aesthetic of a film better than Alien: Isolation.
Mario Kart 8
“They see me rollin…they hatin.”
Nintendo has had a rough few years with its newest console, the Wii U. With a confusing marketing strategy and little third party support, Nintendo has had to rely on its first party developers almost entirely. Thankfully, the Wii U hasn’t been short of some pretty impressive games in 2014, and Mario Kart 8 was yet another success in a year filled with some truly remarkable and well-polished titles on the console.
Being the eighth game in the popular kart racing series, Mario Kart has only gotten better in terms of its visuals, gameplay and level design. With dozens of tracks and racers to choose from, Mario Kart 8 gives gamers their cart racing fix while improving on existing mechanics featured in the series. Nintendo fans will be pleased to see that multiple versions of customizable character carts, including motorcycles, hang gliders and hovercrafts are all present. With 30 racers to play as, over 30 tracks, a steady stream of DLC and the return of a number of fan favorite courses like Wario Stadium, Toad’s Turnpike, DK Jungle and Rainbow Road, Mario Kart offers near infinite replayability.
If you want to play a party game that offers overwhelming amounts of fun and mayhem, then Mario Kart 8 is the game most deserving of your time this year. Whatever you do though, don’t you dare even think about cutting off Luigi. That guy will fucking obliterate you.
Broken Age: Act 1
“I can’t wait to be in your mouth again!”
Developed by Tim Shaffer’s Double Fine Studios, Broken Age: Act 1 is the first point and click adventure game from the studio since 1998’s indie darling, Grim Fandango. Players follow two characters attempting to uncover a mystery that surrounds certain aspects of their lives and worlds. Those who have been following Broken Age’s development are familiar with Double Fine’s Kickstarter efforts to get the game made and perhaps even more aware of the studio’s numerous delays on the product they promised consumers.
The first playable protagonist, Vella Tartine (Masasa Moyo) is a teenage girl who lives in a cultish society that worships the Mog Chothra, a monster that is routinely offered young girls as sacrifices. Vella, among several other girls, is chosen to be sacrificed to Mog Chothra. Hoping to escape her death and save the other girls, Vella concocts a plan to kill the creature. The second protagonist, Shay Volta (Elijah Wood) is teenage boy and the only living passenger on board the spaceship known as Bossa Nosta. Told that he is the last surviving human by the ship’s motherly A.I., Shay lives a boring life doing seemingly mundane tasks. Seeking to know more about the worlds outside of his ship, Shay begins to unravel a conspiracy far more complicated and alarming than he ever expected.
A single screenshot of Broken Age showcases its beauty. The hand drawn look of the characters and environments feels warm and inviting to gamers and animation lovers alike. The art is only improved by the writing and dialogue, which features Shaffer’s notable humor. Whether it’s the calm dulcet tones of the A.I. aboard Shay’s ship or the robotic spoon that loves putting things into his mouth, Broken Age is a standout in terms of style and story.
The Wolf Among Us
“You’re not bad as everyone says you are.”
Telltale achieved critical acclaim with The Walking Dead, but many questioned whether that particular game was going to be a one-hit wonder for the company. All of those questions were swiftly answered with The Wolf Among Us, an adaptation of Bill Willingham’s popular Vertigo series, Fables. The game, much like The Walking Dead, received praise from players and critics alike for its art style, writing and characters.
The Wolf Among Us takes place in 1980s New York City. In this game, fairytale creatures have abandoned their stories after an apocalyptic event destroyed their homes. In “Fabletown,” fables are forced to live in rundown tenements, while struggling to provide for themselves and their families. The player controlled character, Bigby, originally The Big Bad Wolf, now operates as the town’s sheriff and chief investigator of a series of mysterious murders.
Forced into a position he did not think he was qualified to have in the first place, Bigby struggles to help the people of Fabletown while trying to prove his past as a villain doesn’t represent who he is today. Being a former bad guy allows players to play Bigby two different ways. Should Bigby try to show everyone that he genuinely cares for them, or should he prove that he hasn’t changed at all since his days of preying on grandmas and blowing down houses? Those decisions are up to the player.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
“The Inquistion’s here and it’s here to stay!”
BioWare, the company behind Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, was the first Western developer to launch a massive AAA RPG for the year, and it did so with great success. After the much maligned Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition feels like a return to form for the Canadian developer, and its newest game offers one of the most immersive stories and game world’s seen in quite some time.
After surviving a catastrophic event that kills a hundreds of well-respected and powerful leaders in Thedas, the setting of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the player character, who can be one of four customizable races, is surprised to learn that he or she has inadvertently involved themselves with the Inquisition, and organization that has the power to shape the political and societal structure of empires. Burned with a magical mark that is capable of closing demon-spewing rifts that have recently appeared across the land, the player character is sucked into a world gone mad. Templars and mages fight for supremacy, a civil war rocks a nearby nation and a mysterious cult claiming to worship an entity known only as The Elder One are only a handful of the problems that players must overcome. In time, the Inquisition’s most respected advisors choose the player as the leader of the Inquisition, and it’s at that point that the world of Dragon Age really opens up and reveals its wealth of content.
In terms of open world exploration in 2014, nothing comes close to touching Dragon Age: Inquisition. Players will travel to lush tropical forests, barren deserts, snow covered valleys and more than a few ancient tombs filled with all sorts of abominations and demons. Not only will players be gallivanting through the realms of Orlais and Ferelden, but a significant amount of time will be spent building the infrastructure of the Inquisition. Everything from supplying your soldiers with equipment, to helping your companions on personal quests to modifying your customizable castle of Skyhold will be at your fingertips.
The game even offers players the chance to act as judge, jury and executioner during key points throughout out the 90+ hour campaign. Want to force a barbarian war chief into servitude? Go for it! Want to make a snotty Orlesian noble into your personal court jester? You can do that. Want to cut of the heads of every single person who dares to cross you? You can lop of their heads yourself! Dragon Age: Inquisition provides enough side content that can engross players for days and it can be completed or ignored at the player’s own discretion.
Super Smash Bros.
“It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this beam sword, baseball bat, fire flower, Poké ball, magic hammer and this useless-shitty fan.”
Yes, yet another Nintendo title that deserves recognition for its polish and addictive gameplay is Super Smash Bros Wii U, the fourth game in the highly popular series.
Like all of Nintendo’s first party developed titles, Super Smash Bros. is exceptional when it comes to pure gameplay. The cast of characters all feel and fight as they should. Mario’s signature fireballs and jumping is fluid as ever and Link’s slashing sword attack and whirlwind move has that satisfying impact. Most of the games 51 playable characters are balanced, with no one in particular feeling over or under powered. Series newcomers Mega Man and Pac-Man are welcome sites and are appropriately honored with their own nostalgia inducing combat styles.
In addition to returning characters and battle modes, the series has introduced “8-Player Smash,” which allows up to eight players to smack the shit out of each other. Anyone thinking that the series’ usual four-player battles are chaotic will certainly be overwhelmed by the sight of eight Nintendo characters battling for supremacy. All in all, Super Smash Bros. is yet another reason to never count Nintendo out when to delivering quality software.
Dark Souls II
“Prepare to die, again.”
From Software wants players to die, painfully. Gamers will meet their demise more times than they can count in the developer’s newest entry in its strangely addictive third-person action/RPG, Dark Souls II. Taking place in the world of Drangleic, Dark Souls II follows an Undead known as the “Bearer of the Curse.” Traveling to the ancient kingdom of Drangleic, the unnamed Undead seeks to cure their afflicted body while battling the many horros and monsters that now plague the accursed realm. Seeking the souls of the Old Iron King, the giant arachnid Freja, The Rotten and the Foresaken Lost Sinner, the player controlled character believes they can cure there zombified form and become human once more.
Although the game’s lacks an easily identifiable narrative, it makes up for it with its challenging gameplay. There’s no better feeling than finally beating a particularly nasty boss. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been impaled, gutted, burned or knocked off the side of a cliff. The euphoria of finally defeating that single enemy that has been your kryptonite for two hours straight gives you a video game high like no other. That being said, much like Demon Souls and Darks Souls, Dark Souls II is not for everyone and its level of difficulty requires a steep investment in time and an infinite amount of patience. Still, those wanting a rewarding, but insanely difficult gaming experience can’t go wrong with the game that prides itself on killing you in so many wonderfully sadistic ways.
Sunset Overdrive
“Can you save Sunset City!? Of course you can! It’s a fucking videogame!”
Unlike the PS4’s lack luster year of exclusive titles (anyone remember Drive Club?), the Xbox One has leaped ahead of its console competitor in terms of delivering new quality software. The standout title being Sunset Overdrive, the first Xbox One exclusive developed by Insomniac Games.
Players are thrown into the fictional open world of Sunset City. Gamers customize their own character and navigate a world just recently overcome by the apocalypse. Don’t let the sound of the premise fool you. The dystopian environment of Sunset City is as wacky and as colorful as a Warner Bros. cartoon and the game wears its wickedly funny sense of humor on its multi-colored customizable sleeve.
After witnessing the outbreak of the apocalypse at a public celebration for FizzCo, creators of a deadly and mutant spawning soft drink called Overcharge, the player controlled character escapes and attempts to survive the bat shit craziness that has started to engulf the city. While fighting the games’ signature enemies, the monstrous orange OD, the player encounters a number of human factions who have quickly embraced the sheer insanity of the apocalypse.
Sunset Overdrive’s combat system and movement is particularly outstanding due to the game’s focus on agility. While the game offers a fast travel option, the process of getting to a destination by grinding, wall running and bouncing is far more enjoyable and rewarding. Whether it’s finding the games plethora of humorous collectibles along the way or blasting a few OD with the TNT Teddy, the ultimate weapon that fires explosive stuffed animals, the process of traveling to the next mission is usually just as much fun as that mission.
Instead of a cover based mechanic found in most third-person shooters, the player is encouraged to constantly move throughout the environment while fighting. Using weapons like the electrified record spewing gun called High Fidelity and the beloved shotgun known only as the Flaming Compensator, the protagonist wages a one man/woman war against the creatures and roving bands of violent bandits plaguing Sunset City.
Transistor
“Don’t let go.”
Supergiant Games is a bit of an indie darling among many gamers. Developers of the widely popular and critically acclaimed Bastion, Supergiant Games had a lot to live up to with their newest title. That title in question being Transistor, a game with a isometric point of view set in the beautiful futuristic 1920s looking city of Cloudbank.
The game follows Red, a famous singer, who is attempting to escape robotic assassins from a group called the Camerata. Through a series of events, Red comes into possession of the Transistor a greatsword that was supposed to be the weapon used to kill her. She finds the sword buried in a seemingly random person’s chest. The sword, having absorbed the very essence of the man, speaks to and advises Red often throughout the campaign.
Sporting one of the best scores in video games this year, Transistor is yet another example of an indie title that can stand head and shoulders alongside any AAA release.
Far Cry 4
“Do you think he knows the definition of insanity?”
Ubisoft has had a particularly terrible year in terms of the AAA games it has released throughout 2014. The much hyped Watchdogs disappointed many, The Crew was very much not the racing game it sold itself as, and Assassins Creed Unity was a broken mess of a game. Still, if Ubisoft can breathe one sigh of relief, it’s that Far Cry 4 delivered mostly what it promised.
Anyone who has played Fary Cry 3 knows how damn good that game was. Featuring a large open world, excellent FPS gameplay and a memorable villain, Far Cry 3 will be remembered as one of the best games on last generation of consoles. Far Cry 4 has all of those things and anyone wanting to play a Far Cry game set in the Himalayas instead of a tropical island will be pleased with Ubisoft’s latest entry in the series.
Returning to the fictional country of Kyrat, Ajay Ghale, a native of the nation and the player controlled protagonist, is on a mission to spread his mother’s ashes. He learns that a civil war is being waged throughout the country and that Pagan Min, the tyrannical and fabulously dressed dictator of Kyrat, is slaughtering both rebels and civilians for fun. Joining the rebels, Ajay becomes an important leader and combatant against Min.
Outside of the story missions, players are able to free roam the entirety of the impressive open world map. Hunting the native wildlife, infiltrating outposts, riding elephants and assisting the many over the top characters living in the region are available to players right away. If the game has one problem is that it barely uses its villain, Pagan Min, who happens to be voiced by the very talented Troy Baker. In the end, Far Cry 4 is an exceptional game that give players more Far Cry, and that’s not a bad thing is it?
Wolfenstien: The New Order
“I’m coming for you, you Nazi fuckin’ spaceman!”
Wolfenstien is a series that has been around for decades. The adventures of B.J. Blazkowicz have captivated gamers for ages, but fans of the series will be the first to say that many of the games have lost their luster over years. Because of this, Machine Games took it upon themselves to develop Wolfenstien: The New Order, a soft reboot of the series. Their creation turned out to be a shot in the arm for Wolfenstien, by providing fun gameplay and a fantastic story.
Taking place three years after the events of the original Wolfenstien, The New Order follows Blazkowicz and the Allies 1946 invasion of General Wilhelm “Deathshead” Strausse, the Nazi scientist responsible for the recent German dominance in the war. Eventually failing to kill the general, Blaskowicz end up in a coma and is placed in a Polish Mental Health Facility. Eventually waking from his coma, Blazkowicz leans that 14 years have passed and that the Nazis now rule most of the world. Joining a resistance group, Blazkowicz fights against the terrible creations of the Third Reich while trying to maintain some semblance of a normal life.
Being both ridiculous and dramatically poignant, Wolfenstien is able to tell a well written story with complex characters and is able to balance it with the more over-the-top aspects of the series itself. Players might find themselves laughing while slaughtering Nazi spaceman on the moon, or feel a heaviness in the pit of their stomach while slowing walking through a Nazi death camp in Germany. It’s kind of unbelievable that a Wolfenstien game could deliver one of the best stories in gaming in 2014, but Machine Games did just that. Plus, duel wielding rocket launchers and shotguns doesn’t hurt the game’s narrative either. It improves it actually!
South Park: The Stick of Truth
“Don’t ask why Kenny decided to be a chick, it just seems to be the way he’s rolling right now.”
Licensed games are so rarely good. Yes, there are a few notable exceptions, but for every Batman: Arkham Asylum and Alien: Isolation there’s a Superman 64 and Alien: Colonial Marines. Thankfully, South Park: The Stick of Truth falls into the category of being a well-made licensed game. Developed by Obsidian, a studio with a reputation of releasing buggy, unfinished games, South Park: The Stick of Truth not only breaks the developers long losing streak, but it shows that when a game studio actively involves themselves with the creators of a property, the results can be totally cool you, guys.
Placed in the role of the “New Kid,” nicknamed “Douchebag,” players join Cartman’s Kingdom of Kuppa Keep, and use the archaic battle system of turn based combat to wage a war against the evil marauding forest elves, who seek to steal the Stick of Truth, the most powerful object in all of the Universe. The Stick is eventually stolen and Douchebag goes on a lengthy quest to get it back while meeting the locale of the quiet little mountain town. The quest becomes more complicated overtime as Douchebag encounters probe loving aliens, zombified Nazis, undead aborted fetuses, underwear gnomes and Al Gore.
In a way, The Stick of Truth acts as its own season of South Park, and even harkens back to the days when Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny would go off on their own adventures, and didn’t spend their time criticizing the latest craze in pop culture. The presence of Matt Stone and Trey Parker is immediately felt, as both wrote and voice acted their signature characters. There are also numerous callbacks and references to earlier episodes throughout the series’ 15 seasons. Some of the jokes and references are obvious, but South Park aficionados will enjoy looking for the hard to spot Easter eggs.
Much like the series, The Stick of Truth is crude, hilarious and extremely graphic in terms of violence and sexual content. It’s basically the perfect South Park game ever made. If you still need a reason play your PS3 or Xbox 360, South Park: The Stick of Truth is a pretty damn good reason to do it.
“What about me!”
Now these are just 14 games worth playing, but there are many others that have been released this year that are deserving of attention. Did you enjoy TellTale’s The Walking Dead Season 2? Perhaps Sucker Punch’s Infamous Second Son? Maybe Bayonetta 2 was your Game of the Year? What game was your personal favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
If brevity is the soul of wit, than this week’s batch of Digital Noise titles is collectively the home entertainment representation of Oscar Wilde. Brian and Richard dig through a very small, but at times very infuriating batch of films in this, the first DN of 2015.
Join “The Two Brian’s” on a Trip to Italy that also takes them to a Sanatorium and into outer space! Ok, they don’t actually go to space, but we thought that was A Good Lie, much like the cover art for A Good Lie is a lie. As a special bonus, this episode includes a segment in which Chris Cox and guest host Matt Frank review, oh yes, the latest My Little Pony Equestria Girls release!
Stick around for the end and find out how you can get your hands on a mystery grab bag! On second thought, we’ll just send it to the winner…KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OUR MYSTERY BAGS!
Please do use our Amazon links for all your online shopping needs, we thank you!
Hey there all of you Oners, thanks for coming down to Animated Anarchy to unwind, leave your woes behind, and read some opinions of mine.
South Park is a cultural institution. As much as some people want to deny it’s sensational beginnings and what it’s doing now, South Park is one of the sharpest existing properties that delivers brilliant satire on a weekly basis. In a time where we acknowledge the influence of shows like All in the Family, The Daily Show, and The Simpsons, we have to appreciate the merit of shows that manage to say something about society even if they do it through foul-mouthed 4th graders or talking Christmas Poo. And yes, I have had to argue this point with professors of pop culture.
One of the best additions to pop culture being “Kyle’s Mom Is A Big Fat B in D Minor.”
In recent years, people started questioning South Park’s meandering quality as the show was starting to return to more silly episodes rather than topical ones. Especially by Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s own admission saying that they were getting burned out with the show and that they were intentionally tired of hating trends or news topics to create episodes. But somewhere around the time of Season 15, with the dark, poignant two-parter of “You’re Getting Old/Ass Burgers” did I feel like the creative duo hit an epiphany.
Parker and Stone seemed to come to an understanding that they could continue to use the main cast of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as developmental characters but shift many of the townspeople like the boy’s parents, Mr. Garrison, and Mr. Mackey to be the over exaggerated reactors to current media. It’s been a steady change since the duo became more satirical around the time of Season 4/5, but quite noticeable nowadays nonetheless. Very similar to how Bart became the standout character of The Simpsons who has now be replaced by Homer, much of the focus has been shifted to Stan’s dad Randy, who manages just to be idiotic and extreme enough to be consistently hysterical.
Ya ya ya, striking resemblance, ya ya ya
When you look at South Park scope as a whole, it has always been an incredibly enjoyable, fantastic show. Even at times when it dipped or felt lazy, I don’t think it ever got bad. There was always one episode or two to stand out per season that everyone would praise like “Canada on Strike” of Season 12 or “Trapped in the Closet” of Season 9. The fact that this show is at Season 18 and is still quite relevant and enjoyable is really something special. But all of it comes down to the fact that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are some of the hardest working, most insanely talented people in Hollywood.
South Park has been able to survive through some many big measures and shifts in medium because of the creative genius amongst all the writers. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is probably the best TV-to-Movie adaptation there is and showed that you could take the simple premise and expand it to be absurd, brilliant, and topical all at the same time. Book of Mormon is completely separate from South Park, but Parker/Stone practically foreshadowed their success of musicals with their movie, and the episodes “All About Mormons” and “Broadway Bro Down.”
Thanks to their involvement with Obsidian, South Park: The Stick of Truth stands out as one of the funniest games in recent memory, with enough story to encapsulate an entire season. And what was clever about this year of writing is how the Season 17 Black Friday/Game of Thrones trilogy worked as the perfect prequel to this game. That’s why I wanted to create this article, as Parker and Stone have shown off that they understand the importance of continuity.
Let’s look at some of South Park’s greatest episodes. If you were to narrow the list down, many of the great two/three episodes would appear on people’s lists because they happen to be so genius and rip-roaringly funny.
-The Imaginationland Trilogy
-Cartoon Wars I and II
-You’re Getting Old/Ass Burgers
-Pandemic/Pandemic 2: The Startling
-Go God Go (Probably the weakest, but still great for it’s commentary about religion versus scientific atheism)
-The Coon Trilogy
-The Black Friday Trilogy
-200/201 (Which has been making waves with the uncensored version of Kyle’s “I’ve Learned Something Today” Speech has hit the internet)
Season 18 is the build up to all of this research and time spent creating over-arching storylines. When this season was airing, many people were surprised at how great it was to see South Park work with continuity from episode to episode. But looking back at the pedigree of the show, it’s easy to understand how this all worked so well. I would put Season 18 up their with other great Seasons like 8, 10, and 14, which are some of the most consistently funny and biting seasons in the history of the show. Particularly because Season 18 has three of the best episodes in recent memorable that perfectly explain and/or decimate the subject at hand.
“Go Fund Yourself” was the best way to kick off the series and was practically tailor-made to make the Inside The Locker crew smile. As the boys start to see how people can succeed practically through doing nothing, they’ve adopted the name “The Washington Redskins” much to the chagrin of Dan Snyder and the team. (Perfectly coupled with punches at Roger Goodell and Jerry Jones too) It plays out beautifully as we just watch Cartman revel in his own self-satisfaction of finding this loophole while The Redskins struggle with losing their identity. This is irony at its juiciest level folks, and it continues to move on from there. But what really threw fans for a loop was how Gluten Free Ebola started with things the boys’ did off screen last episode.
Then we come to “The Cissy”, which is not only funny but also surprisingly heart-felt with its message of supporting the transgendered. I mean, an embodiment of evil like Cartman would abuse a new social query just to get himself a new bathroom, but there’s also Mr. Garrison there to explain trans/cis identification. Stan struggles through the episode being confused, but comes to an understanding of how to deal with himself through his father unveiling that he is Lorde. On top of all that subtext, but we get to follow the big plot-point of the season with Randy’s new career and observing how corporations handle the media.
(Sorry for the quality on this link, but it’s too funny to pass up. To think Tumblr hated this episode)
The final standout is with the episode Freemium isn’t Free. It boils down the science of the addictive qualities of Pay-to-Play Mobile Games with gleeful vitriol while covering the negative influence of the alcohol or other forms of dependence. I love craft beer personally, but I got a real kick when Randy was trying to justify a wine tasting as “elegant and classy.” Not only do we get the A-plot of Stan trying to understand addiction, but the sheer evil of Canada’s new Minister of Mobile Gaming. It astounded me how they were able to make such brilliant points about this issue only within 30 minutes. And that explanation factor also comes into play, as Satan himself talks about the hard chemical and genetic facts to why we create our own vices.
“Who’s not filling a f****** hole, right?”
Although not every episode was about following the big story, this season felt extra topical and fresh to make fun of new issues or rant about today’s technology focused culture. I guess that what comes from waiting until the last possible minute to write and develop an episode. I actually really enjoyed the finale too, which really made the whole season come together with Randy’s arc dealing with record companies and Kyle’s desperation to pry his brother away from Pewdiepie. What could have been an easy lambasting of kids who couldn’t get off their phones turned into a better commentary of everyone’s obsession with the media and comments above all else.
What also worked as a fantastic theme all throughout this season was the idea of #ReHash or Repeating ourselves. It didn’t hit me so much until the two-part finale, there’s some good subtext there about how we rely so much on other people’s commentary or nostalgia for just tweet and views. Some of the episodes felt like revisited version of another South Park episode, but they all ended with an acknowledgement of letting things go (“The Magic Bush”) or changing the world to adapt to a new, silly idea (“Cock Magic”).
That being said, this season has had a few problems. Most notably is the “Handicar” episode, which was a revisit of Looney Tunes parody from “Crippled Summer”, but made unnecessarily dark and sad with too many running gags. Still, it produced a really funny scene with the parents freaking out over the return of The Wacky Races complete with cereal and pajamas. And although many people don’t like “Grounded Vindaloop” for being so repetitive with it’s gag, I thought that it made everything all the more funny playing with the sci-fi tropes of dreams/alternate realities.
I’m surprised people actually predicted this ending, I didn’t.
Taking in people’s reactions, this season has been a real hit for Matt and Trey with everyone wondering what South Park will do next. I really do hope they stick by this reign of continuity because it really caused people to invest their time into the show again and love the wonderful satire told through all these characters. If I were to give it a rating, it would be 9 Out Of 10 Holograms of Famous Musicians.
As I was writing this review, I started to think of another time an adult animated show got attention for trying to establish continuity. Does anyone else remember in 2013 when Family Guy made a big deal about killing off Brian? I sure do, as people were pretty passionate over the death of a major character in the show. Family Guy has significantly fallen off in quality since Season 6 and has almost become vindictive of it’s own audience with offensive plots and most of the characters taking a mean-spirited turn. And although they buzzed a lot of attention with the announcement, I had no question in my mind that this change was not going to stick.
And look? It didn’t. What could have been a way to bring attention back to the shambling zombie on Fox was just became another reminder to how far Family Guy has fallen. It’s clear that Seth MacFarlane has moved on to doing movies and with the cancellation of Cleveland Show and American Dad’s move to TBS. The only thing I’ve come to learn about Seth MacFarlane over the course of a decade is how much he desperately wishes he could have been born in the flippant, openly racist time of the 1950s. We all know who really won “The Cartoon Wars” at this point.
Actually funnier than Family Guy at this point
If this revival of South Park has taught me anything, it’s the importance of taking a break and learning how to assess yourself before continuing on with your current interests. The time taken to produce Book of Mormon, Stick of Truth, and Bigger, Longer, and Uncut really details that the creative mind needs time to flex before you become stale and settle into popularity and mediocrity. That’s what I wish for this website and what I plan to keep doing with this blog. You can make an idea run for a long period of time, but the best writers are those who know how to diversify and keep an open mind to new ideas before deeming them stupid.
Thanks again for reading this entry into Animated Anarchy and I hope 2015 treats us all well. Do you want to suggest some new ideas for my blog? I would really appreciate it, as this blog is not going away! Come again next time, as I’ll be listing the Best and Worst of Animation in 2014!
Whether or not they celebrate or even care about Christmas as a holiday, every Whovian looks forward to Christmas Day because they know with it comes a new Doctor Who Christmas Special. A tradition launched in the second series of the revived show, watching the Christmas Special has become required holiday viewing in many households across the world.
With ten specials coming in at an hour or longer runtime a pop, that makes for a lot a festive fun to put your feet up to and enjoy. So as a holiday treat to myself I decided I would watch all the specials again and as long as I was set out to do that I should treat you guys by ranking them from the craptastic to the Christmas classics.
So which specials filled my heart with joy and which ones felt like getting a lump of coal? You’ll just have to read on to find out!
10. The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (2011)
We start off not with a bang, but with a dull thud, such is the case with this outing for everybody’s favorite Time Lord. It is the 1940s and to get away from the bombings a family decides to hit up the empty countryside estate of a family member’s for Christmas. There they meet the mysterious new caretaker (the Doctor) who has fantastic presents for them, so fantastic that they might just get them all killed.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that this is at the bottom of the list as fans seem to universally agree that this is the worst of the lot. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt so bad if Steven Moffat’s name wasn’t attached to this, but it just goes to prove that even Moffat can have a bad day. The story is lame, the characters are bland, the jokes repetitive and unfunny, and the whole damn thing is just too predictable and safe. The one saving grace is the final scene with the Doctor, Rory, and Amy. That one scene packs more punch then the rest of the special combined. You can check it out if you want to, but as their are so many better choices I say just watch the last bit and then move on to something else.
9. Voyage of the Damned (2007)
From the worst of the Smith era we slide right into the worst of the Tennant period. Hovering above the Earth is the space liner Titanic, and with a name like that you can pretty much guess what happens. Russel T. Davies had this whole “the Doctor is a Christlike figure” thing going on during the later half of Tennant’s run and woo-dogie is it on display here as the Doctor at one point ascends through fiery wreckage being lifted up by angels. True the angels are in fact killer robots only made to look like angels, but that’s still laying on the imagery pretty thick.
The supporting cast are cliches instead of characters so it is really hard to have any investment as they die in this desperate struggle to survive. Once you get past all the spectacle you’ll find a story that makes less and less sense the more you think about it, thankfully there is enough eye candy to keep you distracted during the initial viewing. Enjoy it for the mindless fun that it is because there is nothing deeper to be found here.
8. The Next Doctor (2008)
A fun enough story, however the years have taken all the bite out of this story. This was the first of the “Tennant Specials”, people knew that David Tennant would be leaving once these specials were complete and speculation as to who the next Doctor would be. That is what this story wanted to tap into. A Christmas Special where the Doctor fights the Cybermen in Victorian London with the aid of a possible future incarnation of himself, the fanbase was near frothing at the mouth in anticipation for this one. Was David Morrissey our new Doctor?
Well, unless you live under a rock you should know the answer to that question.
Without the hype we’re left with a story that is serviceable, but also rather inconsequential to the overall plot of the show.
7. The Snowmen (2012)
I’m just going to come out and say it, without the inclusion of the Paternoster Gang this sucker would not be as high on the list. They serve in inject a great deal of fun and personality in what would otherwise be a very average story. Sulking around Victorian London after losing Amy and Rory, the Doctor runs into Clara Oswald and some evil snowmen. Can Clara and the Gang shake the Doctor out of his funk before the evil Ian McKellen snowglobe can take over the world?
This was the proper launch into the “Impossible Girl” plot-line that would run through the later half of series seven, so if you’re a Clara fan this is required viewing.What stops me from enjoying this more is that I don’t find the story to have any organic flow to it.Nothing fantastic, but it has enough wit and charm to keep you warm throughout the snowfall.
6. The End of Time Parts One and Two (2009)
Sometimes referred to by fans as “The Passion of the Doctor” this is one of the most divisive entries in the entire show’s history, some seeing it as a fitting and powerful ending to the Davies era of the show and other viewing it as a bloated, self-obsessed mess that hurts the overall mythos of the show. While I do think the story is padded to high hell and their might be some character inconsistencies depending on your feelings about the characters, but I find there is still a lot to love in the Tenth Doctor’s swan song.
The story this time is that time itself has begun to unravel and at the center of it all stands three men, the Doctor, the Master, and of all people Donna Noble’s grandfather Wilfred Mott. Can these three men figure out what is going on before it is too late? Love it or hate it, this is required viewing for every serious Who fan out there so watch it and make of it what you will.
5. The Time of the Doctor (2013)
This one is ranked over Tennant’s final story for only two reasons, the first is that it isn’t nearly as needlessly stretched out and I dig the hell out of Matt Smith’s final speech. A strange signal is coming from a small planet in the middle of nowhere and everyone in the universe is gathered around the planet to investigate, including the Doctor. What secrets does this planet hold for the Doctor and will he even survive long enough to find them with all his enemies hovering overhead?
My only major complaint here is that there are large chunks of time dedicated to jokes that are okay at best meanwhile major plot revelations for the entire Smith era are only given one or two throwaway lines. Rest now Raggedy Man, it is time for someone else to run.
4. The Christmas Invasion (2005)
The one that started it all. The first special was a big damn deal, not only was this going to be broadcast on Christmas but this was the first proper outing for David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Having just survived their encounter with the Daleks the newly regenerated Doctor and Rose return to modern day London just in time for Christmas. The Doctor manages to crash the TARDIS in front of the building where Rose and her mother live before passing out. Seems the regeneration did not go well and the Doctor is now seriously ill, which is kind of a bummer as a full scale alien invasion is going on. Will the Doctor get better in time to save the day?
Russel T. Davies knew that this would be the first time many viewers had dealt with a regeneration and whole episode is meant to ease the audience into accepting the idea and Tennant as the Doctor. Things have gotten dire enough that when Tennant opens the doors of the TARDIS in nothing but PJs and a robe the audience is hungry for him to be the Doctor and save the day. A true treat, worthy of your time any day.
3. The Runaway Bride (2006)
I love the Doctor and Donna’s relationship, the way they bounce off each other is endearing and comedic at the same time and this is the story that first brought them together. Out in the middle of space the Doctor is shocked to turn around and find a woman in a wedding dress has materialized inside the TARDIS. Neither side wanting to deal with each other so they resolve to get Donna back to her wedding right away so that they can get on with their lives. However, there is something sinister going on behind all Donna’s appearance, can the Doctor and Donna figure it out before the Earth pays the price?
If you’re up for a manic romp full of twists and turns, then this is the story for you. Tate and Tennant have perfect chemistry be it comedy or drama and that’s a good thing otherwise they could never have pulled this one off.
2. Last Christmas (2014)
I really, really like this year’s Christmas special. It’s smart, funny, creepy, dangerous, slightly melancholic, and ultimately jubilant and hopeful. Everything Christmas Who should be. The Doctor pops back into Clara’s life on Christmas. Evil forces are at work tonight and if the Doctor and Clara are going to make it through the night they’re going to need to rely on one man to save them, and that man is… Santa?!
Here is a special that not only encourages but rewards those that rewatch it. It’s layered in such a way that you can appreciate it on multiple levels. Capaldi’s Doctor, who usually is such a grump has his defenses fall away just for a moment and we get to see a moment of pure childlike wonder. It really is very beautiful to watch. Jenna Coleman’s Clara also gets plenty to do and has some character growth of her own. Things like this make me excited to still be a fan of the show after all these years.
1. A Christmas Carol (2010)
Pure magic. Everything in this one shines like the brilliant diamond it is. This installment is not only the best of the specials, but many including myself would argue that this is one of the best things the show has done since its return. Up above an unnamed planet is a space liner of 4,003 people who are going to crash unless the man who controls the skies, Kazran Sardick saves them. Too bad for everyone that Sardick is about as apathetic and heartless as they come. Can the Doctor warm this bitter old man’s heart before everyone on the space liner dies?
A delicious blend of the show’s timey wimey wibbly wobbley ways and the Charles Dickens classic, this modern interpretation does the source material proud. The plot has logic issues, but I can’t say that I care given how heartfelt, imaginative, and wonderful this special is. The cream of the crop folks, as good as it gets.
Agree? Disagree? Hate my face? Let’s here your thoughts in the comments below!
Vince is kicking off 2015 by scrutinizing the blockbuster development philosophy of the AAA Games Industry on this week’s Heavy Meta!
This is my first year with a functional gaming PC, and the first where I haven’t bought, or planned to buy, any of the new consoles. A big part of why is that the offerings from the AAA industry, for any of the current consoles, just didn’t appeal to me: it seemed like companies such as Ubisoft and Activision were just churning out up-rezzed versions of the same old, same old. Another reason was price. The price of an Xbox One and PS4 are surely nothing over-the-top (compared, for example, to the PS3’s initial monstrosity of a $600 price tag), but the prices for games continue to go up.
Last generation, your typical MSRP on a game would be about 60 bucks. This generation has seen a bump up to 70. This might at first sound like the kind of complaint that I should be making from my porch, wooden switch in my hand and festering elderly racism in my gut, but I’d be willing to deal with the progressive price increase if the quality of the games increased with it. Not the quality of the textures. Not the number of cameos from Kevin Spacey. But the quality of the games. The quality of the experience overall.
“Jack, draw me like one of your French girls.”
This is especially glaring because, at least according to the marketing, this generation was supposed to be the one that *insert dramatic echo* ChANGED EEEEEVERYTHING. For the last couple years of the previous generation, devs whinged about how they were “hamstrung by hardware limitations” and complaining that that the PS3/360/Wii generation being the longest on record kept them from making the games they really WANTED to make. Well. They got the tools, but what we got in return was sorely lacking. Knack, an incredibly lackluster third person adventure game. Destiny; the MMO version of Halo, with all the grinding of Borderlands 2 but with none of the character, humor, or emotional depth. Assassin’s Creed: Unity, the game where you play a French revolutionary and sometimes ghost, passing halfway through walls, the ground, and occasionally transforming into a horribly nightmarish creature comprised only of eyeballs, teeth, and the blood of over-rushed production teams. Also, despite how devs were supposedly freed from the bondage of inferior tech, most of the new games coming out on the PS4 are just ports of previous-gen games. These are all complaints that you can find on any gaming message board (albeit with fewer spelling and grammar mistakes): the more important question is WHY? Why the mediocrity? Why the stagnation? These studios have the kind of production budgets that indie developers would sacrifice goats to have, together with the tech they so desperately craved.
Turns out that may very well be the problem.
Feeding the Machine
Pictured: Your typical day at Microsoft.
Unfortunately, cash doesn’t materialize out of thin air, and money for game production has to be provided by willing investors. While this is the same for indie teams as it is for publishing houses like Activision, the primary difference is that with indie games, the ones holding the purse strings are also the ones making the game. They care about pursuing quality and the evocation of a powerful experience in and of itself, rather than as a means to the end of acquiring more capital. That isn’t to say that you can’t have both artistic and financial success. Some of the more popular and beloved developers (guys like Valve and Double Fine) succeed financially largely because they continue to hold the quality of their craft as an equal priority to their sales numbers. I’ve referenced Ed Catmull’s Creativity, Inc. multiple times on Heavy Meta, but it bears repeating that the Disney/Pixar Animation President ascribes a great deal of Pixar’s success as a studio to the same uncompromising commitment to being ambitious and focusing on creating lasting experiences for those watching their films. Wealth in service of craft is not necessarily a bad thing, and the relationship between the two can even be beneficial for both, so long as they’re treated as equal partners.
The problem as I see it with the state of the AAA industry is that with the increase in gaming’s popularity, more business-folk began looking to game production primarily as a source of capital. As a result, more and more cash came funneling into development companies, but (importantly) it was money from people who may not play games, don’t know about games, and may not even LIKE games. As more control is put into the hands of such people (and those in their employ), the primary objective switches from making quality experiences, to getting a return on investment. The former may still arise, but only as a happy accident of pursuing the most financially successful product possible.
As a result, we get shorter and shorter development cycles as creators are pushed to create yearly installments (and sometimes multiple games in a year like Assassin’s Creed) for their franchises. Quality assurance, game testing, and any revision or refinement of the game deemed extraneous or unnecessary are shaved down in the interests of saving money and time. Creating more, faster, and cheaper. Game creation becomes fast-food.
Except that it’s not cheaper. In addition to the price hike I mentioned in the intro, game dev budgets have ballooned in the past decade. When I look at a game like Bioshock Infinite, which sold over 70 million units and yet was still considered a financial failure, I have to wonder if games becoming bigger and bigger productions is more a hindrance than a benefit. Together with the concern that commerce may take over the directing of art, there’s also the question of where all of this money is going, and if its really needed in order to make a great game.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. $10 million on “snacks.”
The sheer amount of manpower it takes to create such hyper-detailed environments (as well as animate them) leads me to believe that graphical fidelity is where a lot of AAA budgets is sunk.
There seems to be this mindset that players of games like Magic the Gathering may recognize as a form of “power creep”, where the developers feel the need to constantly outdo themselves by making something bigger and better with every iteration. I think a source of this desire to turn the gaming experience into as bombastic and huge a production as possible is one leached from Hollywood. The games industry has become increasingly more cinematic recently, trying perhaps to copy techniques from film in order to gain similar legitimacy as an art form. Thing is, games don’t necessarily need to be BIGGER in order to be BETTER. The indy market in particular has shown us that with strong fundamentals in gameplay and story cohesion, you can make an endlessly addictive and beloved games without having hyper-realistic graphics and celebrity likenesses. The Game of the Year last year was Journey, a game without the inclusion of upper appendages let alone having the latest in digital eyelash rendering. But since, as I mentioned earlier, the big-budget production of games is more often being directed by those without expertise or passion for game design, this reality is entirely overlooked. A businessman sees what one profitable industry or property is doing well, and seeks to copy the success by copying the formula in a way that lacks the essential qualities that the original had. This is observable in movies, television, and books as well as it is in games.
Less Is More
I’m going to make a bold statement and say that graphics as they currently exist could stay exactly as they are for the next ten years, and the quality of games would not suffer in any way, shape, or form for it. In fact, with additional time and resources to spend on gameplay design, quality assurance, and game testing, they might very well improve. In addition, with the amount of money saved on developing and rendering needlessly more advanced graphics, there would be less pressure on developers to recoup the colossal amounts of money initially invested. This would both give creators more freedom to make a quality game without marketers and bean-counters looking over their shoulders discussing demographics and market-share, and allow them to make more bold innovations without worrying about justifying to the boardroom how their mechanic could benefit the company’s bottom-line.
Better, cheaper, more innovative games. Isn’t that what we all want?
Vince Smith is a writer, podcast host, and dyed-in-the-wool geek of all trades. You can check out other articles and videos by him over at The Rogues’ Gallery, or drop by his Facebook Page, Vincent Smith: Writer, Scholar, Gentleman for other musings from the catacombs of the Internet.
I get obsessed with things. It’s just kind of what I do. Maybe someday I will get obsessed with something useful, like a potential career, but for now I seem to fixate on things that most people would consider worth an occasional thought at best. So, without any further ado, here are some things I was obsessed with in 2014.
Middle Earth – This is probably a yearly obsession from roughly 6th grade on, but it seems a little stronger than normal this year. Obviously the release of the last Hobbit movie capped the year, and even though I didn’t particularly like it, I still enjoyed my last couple of hours in the coolest place ever. I got Ash a framed map of Middle Earth for her birthday, and got a second one for me because I can’t live in a world where she has one and I don’t. I started pricing flights to New Zealand for my next big adventure, since that’s as close to Middle Earth as I’m ever going to get.
Netflix – I thought about putting Orange is the New Black on here specifically, but then realized it was just a symptom of the larger obsession. I love it. I can watch whatever I want whenever I want. Shockingly I think this has actually lessened the amount of TV I’m watching because I don’t feel tied to any kind of schedule. It’s like a relaxing vacation for someone who watches as much TV as I do.
The World Cup – The first 7 months of 2014 were completely dominated by World Cup fever in my world. The draw. Trying to figure out where Manaus is. The roster. The warm-up games. Landon Donovan. Getting stuck in Guyana. John Anthony Fucking Brooks. It took me a solid month to come down from the high after getting back from Brazil, and then I immediately started rethinking my “I will NOT be going to Russia” policy. See you there in 2018.
Unfriending people – My number of Facebook friends plummeted this year. It’s not that I’m not happy for people that get married or have babies. That’s all great! But seriously, I have my limits on how many pictures and posts I can see without losing my mind. (Don’t even get me started on that stupid elf on that damn shelf!) And I’ve lost my patience with ignorance. I fully support everyone’s right to believe whatever they want, and free speech is a great thing, but I don’t have to read about it on Facebook. Speaking of…
Equality – This was kind of an incredible year all over the country, but I experienced Indiana’s seismic shift in person. We started 2014 with a bill before our legislature to write discrimination into our Constitution and we’re ending it with marriage equality. Yeah we didn’t do it on our own, some federal judges helped out (thanks guys!) but I’ll take change where we can get it. Obviously we still have a long way to go as a state (and as a country) but I feel a hell of a lot more optimistic than I did a year ago.
John Oliver – He’s always been a delight. He was awesome on The Daily Show and was always one of my favorite parts when he popped up on Community. So I knew I would like Last Week Tonight. But I had no idea how much I would love it. Being on HBO gives him a freedom that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have never had. He can say anything about any subject without worrying about pissing off any censors. And when you tackle the absurd realities of life in the 21st century, from lost in space geckos to FIFA, you’re going to need an occasional f-bomb.
Group Texts – Do you remember what life was like before group texts? I sure don’t. Yes, they can be super annoying when you’re sitting at work and someone sends out an innocent “Drinks?” text and 14 people spend the next 20 minutes incessantly suggesting locations and times and/or offering excuses no one cares about. But more often than not they are hilarious. Just last week I enlightened a couple of my friends after discovering that the advice to drink more water is just a conspiracy by the toilet paper industry. It must have been exhausting to text my clever quips to all of my friends individually.
Bob Costas saying “Pussy Riot” – Originally this was going to be the Olympics, but looking back on those 2.5 cold weeks last winter the only thing I remember clearly is giggling while Bob Costas was forced to say “Pussy Riot” over and over again during the coverage. (Those were simpler times before North Korean hackers destroyed free speech.) Do yourself a favor and YouTube “Bob Costas saying Pussy Riot” right now. Maybe not if you’re at work. Or maybe, it’s the holidays, your boss is probably on vacation anyway.
I could go on forever, but I’m seriously in danger of becoming obsessed with making this list. Gotta nip that in the bud. So, what were you obsessed with this year? Other than the Serial Podcast, obviously.
Pull up a chair, have a seat at the table. This a Highly Suspect card game and here…the stakes are high! Seated across from you are Brian, Chris, Ashley, and J.C., but the one holding all the cards is The Gambler himself: Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg plays a college professor with an obsession for risking it all. He gets in way over his head and owes a lot of money to dangerous people. The shit of it is…he doesn’t seem to care?!
The Unusual Suspects are here to shuffle up their thoughts on the movie and let you know the deal. Whether you end up liking The Gambler or not, we’d wager you’ll still enjoy this review.
