Entries from July 1, 2011 - July 31, 2011
Zelda Convention - July 8, 2011
Rob Dean On Friday, July 8, 2011 at 5:00PM 
Quotent Quotables - July 8, 2011
Rob Dean On Friday, July 8, 2011 at 3:30PM Not living in fear is a great gift, because certainly these days we do it so much. And do you know what I like about comedy? You can't laugh and be afraid at the same time—of anything. If you're laughing, I defy you to be afraid.
7 Great Summer Camp Movies
Rob Dean On Friday, July 8, 2011 at 2:00PM 
It's summertime, y'all! That means one thing - pack the kids up and get them the fuck out of your house. And if you can package it as a character-building exercise that'll give them lifelong friends and important lessons - even better!
I only went to sleepaway camp for 2 summers. A Christian camp in New Hampshire called Camp Squanto. It was...honestly, it was OK. This was before I became a secular humanist and when I really thought I'd like to be a pastor. Or a marine biologist. Or Wolverine from X-Men. Time makes fools of us all.
We played dumb games, went on disappointing hikes, prayed to nothing and learned songs - including Christian lyrics for well known song. Camp Squanto is why I can't hear the Rocky theme song without singing to myself "Trust in Goddddddd./He'sYour Friennnnnd./HeWill GuideYouuuuu/tothe Ennnnnnd/Through our trials and tribulations/blessthelord his holy nation!" I also learned the song Shut-De-Do, an a cappella staple that I still find very charming. Not so charming? The eventual revelation that the Camp President had been embezzling millions of dollars over the years from the Christian camp's funds.
Ultimately I thought camp was pretty lame and tame and not filled with any of the assorted hijinks the movies promised. Where was my rival camp with its dark color scheme and swanky clientele? What about some girl who totally hates me at first but eventually kisses me after I break her rough exterior? And the pranks - MY GOD THE PRANKS. Where were they?
Maybe it's because of my middling experience with camp that I've developed a soft spot for summer camp movies. Often times they are atrocious and follow the weird mixing of pubescent sexual depravity with innocent exuberance of youth that was begun by Meatballs many years ago. But there are some that are worth remembering and revisiting. Here are some...
(Honorable Mention) Poison Ivy (1985)
No, not the movies with semi-innocent actresses whoring it up in sub-softcore porn with the most dubious and flimsiest of plots. Although...those ain't bad either. No this Poison Ivy is a 1985 TV movie with such youth icons as Michael J. Fox, Nancy McKeon, Adam Baldwin and Robert Klein. I had this recorded from broadcast and watched the VHS often, but I can't remember much from it. So why is it on this list? Because there's one element that stands out vividly that is CRAZYPANTS.
Ayn Rand Never Looked SO Good
Rob Dean On Friday, July 8, 2011 at 12:30PM
I don't know if any of you saw this on SpikeTV last night - but it's a good, extended look at the upcoming video game Bioshock Infinite. I will note - SpikeTV, outside of their marathon showings of Star Wars, is godawful. MANswers? Go fuck yourself.
Verbiage - July 8, 2011
Rob Dean On Friday, July 8, 2011 at 11:00AM Today's word of the day is Endorse:
en·dorse
[en-dawrs] verb, -dorsed, -dors·ing, noun–verb (used with object) Also, indorse ( for defs. 1–6 ) .
- to approve, support, or sustain: to endorse a political candidate.
- to designate oneself as payee of (a check) by signing, usually on the reverse side of the instrument.
- to sign one's name on (a commercial document or other instrument).
- to make over (a stated amount) to another as payee by one's endorsement
- to write (something) on the back of a document, paper, etc.: to endorse instructions; to endorse one's Signature.
- to acknowledge (payment) by placing one's signature on a bill, draft, etc.
TGIFF, right? This Dog Knows What I'm Talking About
Rob Dean On Friday, July 8, 2011 at 9:30AM Thank God it's Fucking Friday - enjoy the original pilot for Cartoon Network/Nickelodeon's "Adventure Time."
Zelda Convention - July 7, 2011
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 5:00PM 
Little sumthin' for my godson Elijah and a little girl named Corinne.
Quotent Quotables - July 7, 2011
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 3:30PM Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.
Redbelt
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 3:00PM Rob Dean examines the overlooked, unappreciated or unfairly maligned movies. Sometimes these films haven't been seen by anyone, and sometimes they've been seen by everyone - who loathed them. This is Missing Reels.
"The hands are not the issue. The fight is the issue. The battle is the issue. Who imposes the terms of the battle will impose the terms of the peace. Think he has a handicap? No. The other guy has a handicap if he cannot control himself. You control yourself, you control him."
We are at a point of divergence in the history of action movies - it's happened previously, where two philosophies are diametrically opposed and stand in stark contrast with each other. One is the more popular, socially acceptable version that is equated with money, gloss and mindless fun that is represented by Hollywood. The other is more associated with smaller films, critical acceptance, international audiences and a lack of funds that is offset by a display of skill. I'm talking about Explosions vs. Fights.
Please note - these are overarching terms meant to reductively label two mindsets. They are not mutually exclusive, per se, nor fully descriptive of the issues at hand. But, for the purposes of this discussion, it's easiest to separate these two worlds using these (notably obsolete) words.
The School of Explosions is presided over by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay - it's the world of the flashy spectacle where excess is encouraged and there is no gesture considered "too broad" or an action setpiece that can be seen as "too convoluted." A reliance on celebrities, pretty people, and CGI, films made in the School of Explosions are geared towards ADHD addled audiences more interested in seeing something cool than seeing something that makes sense - even using the shaky internal logic of the movie itself.
Einstein is Ripe for Parody! (part 2)
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 2:45PM From Upright Citizens Brigade:
Einstein is Ripe for Parody! (part 1)
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 12:30PM From The Kids in the Hall -
If You Sweat Something, Say Something
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 11:45AM A Nerd PSA that finally shatters the silence...
Verbiage - July 7, 2011
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 11:00AM Today's word of the day is Ensnare:
Via Senor Gif
en·snare
[en-snair]King...Partyman? The Hell?
Rob Dean On Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 9:30AM How have I never seen this video before? "Batdance," sure, I'm familiar with "Batdance." But "Partyman" by Prince for 1989's Batman? Hooooooly crap. I actually really like this song and as a youth was obsessed with whether or not Prince says "the funkiest man" or "the fuckingest man." I know the latter choice doesn't make sense, but profanity is a mystery in the magical eyes of a child.
