Today's word of the day is Defiant:

Via Senor Gif

de·fi·ant

[dih-fahy-uhnt]

Jhonen Vasquez (Invader Zim, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac) directs this video for "White" by The Left Rights:

Hang in there, baby!

Click to read more ...

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.

- Raymond Chandler

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.

Click to read more ...

Today's word of the day is Unbridled:

Music video for "We Are Water" by Health, directed by Eric Wareheim (Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!):

In this analogy, Gollum is played by Anthony Weiner...

Click to read more ...

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.

- Chuck Palahniuk

Your burningest questions answered! (hint: use a soothing balm)

If I could shape-shift, should I shift into a cheetah or leopard?

Well, that all depends. Cheetahs are capable of bursts of incredible speed, but can only perform said burst once every few hours. If you were looking to use your shape shifting abilities for a purpose, like say, challenging Jackie Joyner-Kersee to a duel of swiftness, then I’d say cheetah for sure. Leopards, on the other hand, are solid hunters and a lot less fragile than their equally as bespeckled counterparts. In a head-to-head battle, a leopard could probably beat a cheetah, but only if it could catch it. Toss up!

If you are thinking of shape-shifting into a baby cheetah or leopard (is that even feasible according to the rules of Einsteinian physics?), I would go for leopard, without question. The reason being that I could then take you home and cuddle you for hours because you are the cutest thing I have ever seen.  

Just please don’t shape-shift back. I don’t know what you look like, I don’t react well to strangers and I highly doubt the miniature set of footed pajamas I plan on putting the cub in would fit you.

My boyfriend just told me he is into water sports. How should I deal with that?

Click to read more ...

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?

Click to read more ...

Today's word of the day is Antagonistic:

Via 4GIFS

"Tell him about the Twinkie."

"What about the Twinkie?"

Click to read more ...