Entries by Rob Dean (454)
Zelda Convention - June 8, 2011
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 5:00PM 
Quotent Quotables - June 8, 2011
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 3:30PM The dilemma of the critic has always been that if he knows enough to speak with authority, he knows too much to speak with detachment.
Headphones in Movie Theaters
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 3:30PM This is not my idea, nor is it my Immodest Proposal. It was created and presented by Joe Reid of the brilliant podcast Extra Hot Great. I am merely trying to encourage the conversation and spreading the idea around the internet so more people hear it and endorse it. I will refer to this episode throughout this post.
Nerds are a very particular bunch rife with contradictions. We like things in a specific and unique way, and yet we tend to be too meek or passive aggressive to effectively bring about change. Another group that suffers similar fate is the proper & polite: they are quiet and polite and refuse to cause a fuss or bother others - but are therefore held captive by their own passivity by rude people who crap all over decent etiquette in the smug confidence that no one will do anything. These two groups, though not mutually exclusive, have one common foe: Movie Theater Audiences.
On the cell phone, speaking loudly (or, worse yet, stage whispering) to whomever they please, Movie Theater Audiences have forgotten the simple social compact that says: "This is not your room. There are others here who are more interested in the film than your hilarious commentary consisting of 'Damn!' and 'Get some, Hulk!'"* Ironically, as our society's technology improves, making it easier to transform homes into theaters with Blu-Rays and stereo systems providing the same quality of sound and picture, our society's manners have taken a harsh nose dive - if my living room is more like a movie theater, then why shouldn't the movie theater be more like my living room? It's an awful premise that seems to be ingrained in our culture.
So what's the solution? As Joe Reid of Extra Hot Great podcast proposed: "Movie theaters should have headphone jacks just like airplanes have headphone jacks." (the clip starts at 29:30)
Co-sign on this. I co-sign on this SO HARD.
As the hosts of Extra Hot Great go on to discuss, there is no downside to this. Not only does it solve the awkward First World Problem of chatty theatergoers, shielding the sensitive, polite and/or meek cinephile from having to confront the braying jackasses - but it also creates interesting possibilities for theaters to provide unique services and develop new revenue streams.
Verbiage - June 8, 2011
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 11:00AM Today's word of the day is Unbridled:
un·bri·dled
[uhn-brahyd-ld]- not controlled or restrained: unbridled enthusiasm.
- not fitted with a bridle.
Zelda Convention - June 7, 2011
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 5:00PM 
Quotent Quotables - June 7, 2011
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 3:30PM If you haven’t already noticed, all my books are about a lonely person looking for some way to connect with other people. In a way, that is the opposite of the American Dream: to get so rich you can rise above the rabble, all those people on the freeway or, worse, the bus.
They Live
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 12:30PM Double Dip Demands is a column in which I propose films that deserve a re-release on DVD/Blu-Ray with more special features, better transfers and other nerdy bits. Some of the films have no DVDs out there for Region 1 viewers, and some of them have a really crappy version that's bare bones or poorly put together. Who speaks for these films? I do.
The Film: They Live (1988)
Cast & Crew: John Carpenter (writer/director); Ray Nelson (based on his short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning"); "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Plot Synopsis (from IMDB): A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth.
Is It Out on DVD Currently?: Yes - but in a bare bones release with no extras.
Why Does it Deserve Special Features?: Discarded and derided at the time of its release, They Live is a clever and profoundly prescient movie that arrived in theaters wearing the trappings of a dumb B-Movie. They Live has since gone on to influence many other films and filmmakers, as well as graffiti artists, video game designers with its stylish simplicity and biting social commentary. A forerunner to 21st century cultural memes, They Live lambastes consumer culture and the vapid selfishness that defined Reagan-era America and is just as relevant in today's world of Weapons of Mass Distraction.
What Should be on the Disc?
Verbiage - June 7, 2011
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 11:00AM Today's word of the day is Antagonistic:
Via 4GIFS
- acting in opposition; opposing, especially mutually.
- hostile; unfriendly.
"It's a Fat Baby, Melissa!!!"
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 9:31AM The Furthest Anyone Has Ever Put the Cart Before the Horse -- powered by Cracked.com
Zelda Convention - June 6, 2011
Rob Dean On Monday, June 6, 2011 at 5:00PM 
Quotent Quotables - June 6, 2011
Rob Dean On Monday, June 6, 2011 at 3:30PM The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true.
Week of June 6, 2011
Rob Dean On Monday, June 6, 2011 at 12:30PM Every week, we list our recommendations of new music, books, comics, movies and TV to check out. This is Recs in Effect:
New Music
The Book of Mormon
Who's Responsible? Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez
What Is It? The broadway musical by South Park's Parker & Stone and Avenue Q's Lopez focuses on the pros and cons of faith by examining two Mormon missionaries' exploits in Uganda. Hilarity Ensues?
Why's It Worth Noting? Firstly, Parker & Stone have proven their musical chops many times previously (Orgazmo, South Park, Team America) and paired with the more playful (and less dark) Lopez, they deliver a great musical that craps all over religion - but it also highlights the functions that religion can serve; basically stating that religion is dumb but can provide meaning and direction. The album was released on iTunes a couple of weeks ago, but the CD comes out on Tuesday and is definitely worth picking up. The songs are infectious, hilarious and brilliantly vulgar. Here's a sample (semi-NSFW, language):
Verbiage - June 6, 2011
Rob Dean On Monday, June 6, 2011 at 11:00AM Today's word of the day is perturbed:
Via 4GIFs.com
- to disturb or disquiet greatly in mind; agitate.
- to throw into great disorder; derange.
- Astronomy . to cause perturbation in the orbit of (a celestial body).