Just wanted to share some of my Christmas swag:
Games:
- Gears of War 3
- PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment
- Rock Band Guitar
- Uncharted 3
DVDs:
- Futurama Volume 6 Bluray
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
- Simpsons Season 14 DVD Read More
Category Archives: Movies
Did Netflix Just Make My Shit List?!
Filed under Movies
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, blu-ray, DVD, gamefly, movie gallery, netflix, shit list, streaming, subscription, TV Shows
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, blu-ray, DVD, gamefly, movie gallery, netflix, shit list, streaming, subscription, TV Shows
I’ve been a member of Netflix for…I don’t even know. I know I was using it before I started dating Shell, and that was almost eight years ago. I never really had a problem with them, except for that time they decided to delete profiles so you could no longer have friends and recommend movies to each other…that was a lame move! But this time, Netflix has gone too far.
I received a lovely e-mail from them yesterday indicating that, starting September 1, they were going to be changing their subscription options. I currently have the one DVD/unlimited streaming (with Blu-ray) for $11.99, which is probably too much to begin with, but once I got the HDTV I just had to watch a few Blu-rays to see the quality difference. Under their new plans, streaming and DVD plans will be separated, so in order to keep what I have I will have to subscribe to:
- $9.99- one DVD at a time with Blu-ray options
- $7.99- unlimited streaming
So my monthly payments will jump from $11.99 to $17.98 a month! They aren’t just raising the price by a dollar or two, but by six bucks a month! When you look at the annual breakdown, that’s $71 extra smackers a year. That is a HUGE difference!
Thoughts on the Thor Movie
Filed under Movies
Tagged as asgard, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bruce banner, captain america, chris hemsworth, comics, frost giant, History, hulk, iron man, Loki, Marvel, mjolnir, movie, mythology, natalie portman, nick fury, norse, odin, oneonta, ragnarok, spider-man, stan lee, the avengers, thor, thor 2, tom hiddleston, tony stark, x-men, x-men: first class
Tagged as asgard, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bruce banner, captain america, chris hemsworth, comics, frost giant, History, hulk, iron man, Loki, Marvel, mjolnir, movie, mythology, natalie portman, nick fury, norse, odin, oneonta, ragnarok, spider-man, stan lee, the avengers, thor, thor 2, tom hiddleston, tony stark, x-men, x-men: first class
Growing up I was a huge fan of Marvel comics and regularly read Spider-Man and X-Men, with some Fantastic Four, Ghostrider, and a few others thrown in when I had some extra pocket change and the cover looked sweet. That being said, I never got into Thor at all, and have actually never read any comic with him in it. Yet I was still excited for this movie; not because I was a fan of the Thor comics (which I wasn’t), and not because it was simply another Marvel movie (though that did help a little)…the big selling point for me was my interest in Norse mythology. When studying at Oneonta, I took a course on ancient cultures, and the professor I had was quite the nerd who spent a lot of time teaching mythology and religion, mainly focusing on Greek and Norse mythology. This is where I was introduced to not only the gods like Odin, Thor and Loki, but also the Frost Giants, Fenrir, Ragnarok, the Valkyrie, and more. Ragnarok in particular was a really interesting notion to me, which is basically the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny as far as Norse mythology goes.
Oh, and don’t forget that my cats are named Loki and Odin.
The Guilty Pleasure of Mr. Poppers Penguins
Filed under Books, Movies
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, Books, jim carrey, movie, mr. poppers penguins, penguins, trailer
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, Books, jim carrey, movie, mr. poppers penguins, penguins, trailer
I read a lot growing up. My parent’s didn’t buy us many sweets or toys or other crud, but the one thing they were always willing to buy was books. I had tons of favorites growing up, and one I remember vividly was called “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” It was a great book, and back then I loved penguins (and as can be seen by my desk, I still do.)
Just Saw Battle: Los Angeles (contains spoilers)
Filed under Movies
Tagged as aliens, battle los angeles, big bad bob, bigbadbob, independence day, marines, Movies, Sci-Fi
Tagged as aliens, battle los angeles, big bad bob, bigbadbob, independence day, marines, Movies, Sci-Fi
Once I saw the trailer, I knew that I wanted to see Battle: Los Angeles in the theaters. It was one of those movies that appeared to be “epic”, in that it had to be seen in a theater, and it reminded me of Independence Day. Heck, I’m a sucker for most alien invasion films. The trick was convincing Shell to go with me, and in the end she agreed. So despite the bad critic reviews it received (which I ignore anyway) we headed to the local theater to check the movie out.
Battle Los Angeles is a very fast-paced film which focuses on a group of Marines during an alien invasion of the city of Los Angeles. Like Independence Day, it is a global invasion, and there are alien drop zones at twenty world cities, but the movie concentrates on Los Angeles. The group of Marines endure heavy casualities, amongst themselves and civilians they are escorting, as they try and fight their way through the ruins of Los Angeles in an attempt to get to a military safe zone. Eventually the remainder of the squad find the “mother ship” and attempt one last strike to take it down, in the hopes that with its destruction, the other alien forces will be lost (also like Independence Day.)
Jon Heder Returns as Napoleon Dynamite…As a Cartoon
Filed under Movies, TV Shows
Tagged as animated, big bad bob, bigbadbob, fox, imdb, Jon Heder, Movies, napoleon dynamite, Simpsons, TV Shows
Tagged as animated, big bad bob, bigbadbob, fox, imdb, Jon Heder, Movies, napoleon dynamite, Simpsons, TV Shows
Shell and I were hanging out tonight, and as we were talking we brought up Jon Heder. I didn’t know what he has been up to, so I ventured over to IMDB to see what he had in the works. As I looked at the entries in his filmography I almost froze…it was listed that he would be starring in a Napoleon Dynamite TV series in 2011. As many of you know, I am a HUGE fan of the movie, having paid to see it in the theaters three times! I immediately began to wonder how the cast would be in this TV series, and I craved more information. I eventually found some more news about it, mainly that FOX was picking it up for a six-episode season and it would be animated.
I am wary of this being an animated show, but I am somewhat relieved to see that the movie’s cast are reprising their roles for the show, so I’m hoping it won’t be awful. The show has a lot of potential, as the cast of characters are great (I almost pissed my pants when I saw that above pic containing Rex.) The funny thing is that Shell and I have always talked about how it’s probably a good thing that they never made a second movie, since the first was so different and original that it would be tough to live up to it. Now that there is going to be an animated series, with the original cast, my hopes are high for something decent. Read More
My Top Ten Posts of 2010
Filed under Books, Food & Drink, Geocaching, Movies, Sacred 2, Site Updates, TV Shows, Video Games
Tagged as aliens vs predator, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blog, captain morgan, combat arts, Gathering Storm, geocache, Geocaching, google analytics, high elf, jason lee, king of kong, lime bite, my name is earl, PlayStation 3, posts, PS3, Resistance, Sacred 2, shadow warrior
Tagged as aliens vs predator, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blog, captain morgan, combat arts, Gathering Storm, geocache, Geocaching, google analytics, high elf, jason lee, king of kong, lime bite, my name is earl, PlayStation 3, posts, PS3, Resistance, Sacred 2, shadow warrior
Last January, I checked out my top ten most viewed blog posts ranging from when the site started in April 2009 until January 2010. Today I was using Google Analytics to see how my site traffic has been the past week, and I decided to see how it was for all of 2010. While some of my posts continue to be popular, it seems that some new ones from the past year have swooped in and usurped some of my posts from 2009. So without further ado, here are my Top Ten Blogs of 2010 (in order of visits received):
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America
Filed under History, Movies
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, chapelle's show, civil war, confederacy, confederate states of america, csa, documentary, History, hitler, manifest destiny, mockumentary, north, reconstruction, south, terrorist, union
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, chapelle's show, civil war, confederacy, confederate states of america, csa, documentary, History, hitler, manifest destiny, mockumentary, north, reconstruction, south, terrorist, union
What would the nation be like if the Confederacy had won the Civil War? The mockumentary, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, explores this notion in a film full of satire and “what ifs”. The film is presented from the point of view of a British crew who expose the true history of the Confederate States of America after the South won the “War of Northern Aggression.” According to the film, while some things remain the same, other key events that we know from American history are now changed and altered. The documentary gives a retelling of the CSAs history, and is broken up with commentary from citizens and politicians of the CSA, as well as television commercials that viewers in the CSA would see on a regular basis. Most of these events and ads are indeed racist, but in the CSA that term wouldn’t mean anything. Here’s a shortened history of the CSA, based on the mockumentary: Read More
Guys Weekend-In A Success
Filed under Geocaching, Movies, Sports, TV Shows, Video Games
Tagged as 360, ahl, albany devils, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bigfoot, bioshock 2, castle crashers, co-op, east greenbush, fallout: new vegas, final fight: double impact, geocache, Geocaching, Ghostbusters, guys night, guys weekend, hockey, instant, lara croft and the guardian of light, left 4 dead 2, Movies, netflix, peggle, PlayStation 3, PS3, sasquatch, scott pilgrim vs. the world, street fighter puzzle fighter, super mario bros, svr2011, teenage mutant ninja turtles, wwe smackdown vs. raw 2011, xbox
Tagged as 360, ahl, albany devils, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bigfoot, bioshock 2, castle crashers, co-op, east greenbush, fallout: new vegas, final fight: double impact, geocache, Geocaching, Ghostbusters, guys night, guys weekend, hockey, instant, lara croft and the guardian of light, left 4 dead 2, Movies, netflix, peggle, PlayStation 3, PS3, sasquatch, scott pilgrim vs. the world, street fighter puzzle fighter, super mario bros, svr2011, teenage mutant ninja turtles, wwe smackdown vs. raw 2011, xbox
Shell was in Vegas this past weekend visiting with her family and throwing her sister a surprise baby shower. That left me alone for the extended weekend, which proved to be the perfect opportunity for me to throw a “Guys Weekend In” and have my friend Steve come up from Middytown. The weekend was full of gaming, cheesy movies, geocaching, hockey, and lots more. I fine time was had by all.
The main event of the weekend was WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011. I had created a co-op storyline for Steve and myself which followed our rise to the top, and eventually to the tag team titles. The storyline had everything: action, suspense, treachery, comedy, and more. It also included a variety of tag team matches of varying degrees, all culminating in a massive Hell in a Cell match at the PPV for the tag team titles. We also played plenty of exhibition tag team and other matches, including Royal Rumble, Table, Money in the Bank, Elimination Chamber, and many others. WWE SvR 2011 was clearly the winner this weekend.
Netflix Instant on PS3 Now Discless: Now Better than 360
Filed under Movies, TV Shows, Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, console, instant, movie, netflix, PlayStation 3, PS3, queue, Sony, TV Shows, xbox, xmb
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, console, instant, movie, netflix, PlayStation 3, PS3, queue, Sony, TV Shows, xbox, xmb
I loved that Netflix bought their instant movie/tv show watching to the home consoles, as it is way better to watch from your own tv as opposed to the computer. I used the PS3 initially, and it worked great. The only downside was that you had to put a Netflix disc in the system, so when I wanted to watch a movie I had to get up and change out the game disc with the Netflix one. Then I got a 360, and the fact that their Netflix features were discless made me watch most of my videos on there. I also thought the load times were faster on the 360, and there was less buffering instances.
But yesterday Sony rolled out their own discless Netflix, and I was instantly hooked. Once you select the movie you want to watch, it is played almost instantly. I would say that there is maybe a two-second load time, if that. Also, I haven’t experienced any buffering or lag during play. Also, the Netflix program itself loads up extremely quickly from the PS3′s XMB. The PS3 has also upgraded it’s Netflix capabilities by offering most of the features the 360 does, mainly the ability to get suggestions, browse more categories, and actually search the instant database for movie titles or actors/actresses. The only feature that the 360 still has over the PS3 is the ability to watch a movie/tv show with your online friends.
I am so glad the PS3 got this upgraded version of Netflix. Not only does it now offer the same features that the 360 does, but it is now superior to the 360, in terms of video quality and upload speeds. I’m not saying that the 360′s Netflix is bad, but the PS3 will offer the same quality experience, just faster. I truly love the instant Netflix on my consoles!!!
Busy Labor Day Weekend
Filed under Board & Card Games, Food & Drink, Geocaching, Movies, My Personal Life, Pets, Sports
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, booze, brooklyn, dallas bbq, drinking, geocache, Geocaching, killer bunnies, mason dixon, mexican food, nes, octoberfest, pizza, quest for the magic carrot, sam adams
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, booze, brooklyn, dallas bbq, drinking, geocache, Geocaching, killer bunnies, mason dixon, mexican food, nes, octoberfest, pizza, quest for the magic carrot, sam adams
We had a pretty sweet three-day excursion this weekend to see my sister and brother-in-law at their place in Brooklyn. It was an awesome time and we all had a blast. It’s always nice to get together with them, simply because it is so hard to do so.
We arrived there Saturday afternoon after coming into Grand Central and doing some subway hopping to get to her apartment on Greenpoint Ave in Brooklyn. My bro-in-law had ground up some home-made sausage and Cara cooked up some fresh ciabatta bread, so we had some nice sandwiches waiting for us when we arrived. I also got to finally meet their cat Amber (or as they prefer to call her, Puss Puss). She is a very cute, affectionate cat who tends to drool on you if she lays on you for even a brief amount of time. After lunch we hung out for a bit, and then headed out for a walk and some brief geocaching. We found one on a”nature walk” through an industrial section of Brooklyn, which ended up being a pretty scenic area despite all the garbage barges floating nearby. It was Cara and Nick’s first find so they were pretty happy! We then headed down to Newton Barge Terminal Playground for the next geocache. After much confused searching, we found the area where it should have been, but a local bum was literally asleep right on top of the area, so we had to forget about successfully finding it. Read More
Movie Review: Toy Story 3
Filed under Movies
Tagged as andy, big bad bob, bigbadbob, buzz lightyear, family, jim varney, Movies, netflix, shrek, slinky dog, toy story, toy story 2, toy story 3, toys, woody
Tagged as andy, big bad bob, bigbadbob, buzz lightyear, family, jim varney, Movies, netflix, shrek, slinky dog, toy story, toy story 2, toy story 3, toys, woody
It wasn’t until Toy Story 3 came out that I realized that I had never seen Toy Story 2. I don’t know how that happened, but it did, and I wasn’t happy. I quickly rented Toy Story 2 from Netflix so that I would be ready for the new one when it hit theaters. I had been hearing a lot of good things from reviews and friends alike, and being the big kid at heart that I am, I couldn’t wait to see this film. What everyone was saying is true…the movie lives up to the others, and delivers a funny and emotional film that is enjoyable to people of all ages.
The movie basically starts off with the toys’ owner Andy getting ready to go away to college. With him leaving, his mom wants him to clean his room up and get all his old stuff either in the attic or thrown out to the curb. A series of events finds the toys arriving at a daycare center, where they dream of being played with all the time (since the now seventeen year-old Andy has not sat in his room and played with his toys in years.)
Book Review: The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts
Filed under Books, Movies, TV Shows
Tagged as adam sandler, amish, black sheep, book, chris farley, chris rock, david spade, death, farley, fatty arbuckle, gelfin, jim belushi, kingpin, mike meyers, mitch hedberg, saturday night live, shrek, snl, the cable guy, the chris farley show, tim meadows, tommy boy, vince vaughn
Tagged as adam sandler, amish, black sheep, book, chris farley, chris rock, david spade, death, farley, fatty arbuckle, gelfin, jim belushi, kingpin, mike meyers, mitch hedberg, saturday night live, shrek, snl, the cable guy, the chris farley show, tim meadows, tommy boy, vince vaughn
I think it’s safe to say that, of all the actors/comedians who have passed away ever, the only two that I can truly say I miss are Chris Farley and Mitch Hedberg. I believe that both were extremely talented comics, and in Farley’s case, also an very talented actor, who passed away before he reached his full potential. The book “The Chris Farley Show” delves into Farley’s life through a barrage of excerpts from family, friends, co-workers, and other people who shared their life with him at some point. It’s a very eye-opening look into his life and death, and at the same time, is also very sad.
Reading the book, you will learn a lot about Farley. He was a very fun, loving, and caring guy, but at the same time, from his college years on, he battled his own personal demons. There are a lot of theories that people who knew him throw out in the book: some believed he was trying too hard to be like Jim Belushi, others felt that he was trying too hard to live up to his father, and others believed that he did what he did to “fit in” and get the attention he loved. By the end of the book though, most people who knew him seem to agree that his death was truly an accident, and that he had died way to early and before his time. Read More
My Top Three Non-Epic Saga Movies
Filed under Movies
Tagged as ben affleck, big bad bob, bigbadbob, clerks, dogma, empire strikes back, film, indiana jones, jack black, jay and silent bob strike back, jersey girl, kevin smith, lord of the rings, Movies, napoleon dynamite, orange county, Star Wars
Tagged as ben affleck, big bad bob, bigbadbob, clerks, dogma, empire strikes back, film, indiana jones, jack black, jay and silent bob strike back, jersey girl, kevin smith, lord of the rings, Movies, napoleon dynamite, orange county, Star Wars
Being the nerd that I am, it is a given that I am a huge Star Wars and Lord of the Rings fan, and definitely count them among my favorite movies of all time (well, as far as Star Wars goes, that refers to Episodes IV-VI, of course). However, despite how much I enjoy the Star Wars and Indiana Jones universes, I still do enjoy other films. Today I was thinking about what my top three were (aside from the crazy popular epic movies), and I think I widdled down the top three, which I will share in no particular order.
Clerks
This movie made me a fan of Kevin Smith years ago, before the days of Dogma and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. It’s definitely my favorite movie by him, and really does a great job showcasing what he does best: dialogue. Most of his really great movies don’t necessarily have a lot of action going on, but the conversations between characters really tell you all you need about them and who they are. He has a gift for this, and I wish I had the talent he does to have such great speech flow from the mouths of his characters. Clerks, with it’s simple filming and snappy, witty dialogue, really shows that you don’t need a huge amount of money and an all-star cast to make one of the greatest films of all time. Oh, and as a side note, I’m such a huge fan of Kevin Smith that I am not ashamed to say that I loved Jersey Girl!!! That movie got sooo underrated, and I hate Ben Affleck!
Our Massive Movie Collection
I just got finished cataloging our movies, and we own 357. To me, that’s crazy. I had gotten rid of at least twenty movies since we moved in, mostly crap movies that I purchased impulsively from Wal-Mart’s $5 discount bin, but I am still amazed that we own so many. Mind you, this is our movie collection, not our DVD collection. Not included in this count are the various other DVDs we own, whether they are TV shows (Simpsons, Futurama, Sopranos, etc.), music specials, TV specials (all the Christmas specials), and others.
So I figured I would share our movie collection here. There is a lot, and it may not all be in perfect order, but I got tired from just removing our old movies and adding in the ones we have received since moving. Just remember, I do live with Shell, so you know that the nerdy sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are hers, and all the really, REALLY cool chick flicks like Footloose and Dirty Dancing are mine…
Movie Review: Stardust
Filed under Movies
Tagged as comedy, dwayne johnson, fantasy, magic, michelle pfeiffer, movie, netflix, princess bride, robert de niro, romance, shakespeare, stardust, the rock, witch
Tagged as comedy, dwayne johnson, fantasy, magic, michelle pfeiffer, movie, netflix, princess bride, robert de niro, romance, shakespeare, stardust, the rock, witch
We got Stardust in from Netflix kind of on accident. I had been interested in watching it, but I hadn’t intended on seeing it yet. Needless to say, I didn’t keep an eye on my queue, and in it came. However, it ended up being quite a pleasant film, and if anything I was mad at myself for not renting it sooner.
Stardust is a romantic/fantasy/comedy movie, and definitely reminded me of The Princess Bride in terms of how it is presented to the viewer. The basic plot is that a star (that for whatever reason is human) falls from the sky, and everyone wants a piece of it. The protagonist Tristan wants to bring a star to the local woman he has his eyes on to prove his love for her. Some witches want her because, in this fantasy world, witches eat the hearts of stars in order to regain youth and magical power. There are also two princes who are attempting to get the star, because whoever has her necklace will become King. Tristan gets to her first, and attempts to escort her back to his town while avoiding the wily witches and greedy ruthless princes. As might be expected from a romance movie, along the way Tristan falls in love with the star, which eventually leads to a happy ever after.
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (or Losers)
Filed under Movies, Video Games
Tagged as arcade, big bad bob, bigbadbob, billy mitchell, fistful of quarters, game, high score, king of kong, steve wiebe, twin galaxies, video game
Tagged as arcade, big bad bob, bigbadbob, billy mitchell, fistful of quarters, game, high score, king of kong, steve wiebe, twin galaxies, video game
So this documentary is basically about two guys who compete for the high score in the arcade version of Donkey Kong. While I thought it would be interesting to see “professional” gamers go at it, I quickly realized the kind of people that play games professionally are vain, inconsiderate, arrogant, and all-around losers. Let me introduce the two main players in the game.
Above is the defending champion, Billy Mitchell. This mullet-toting weirdo has been known as one of the best gamers ever due to his high score in Donkey Kong. He enjoyed a simple life of selling hot sauce by day and being a gaming ambassador by night. However, this arrogrant prick is exposed as the jerk he is when a newcomer challenges his score.
Movie Review: Avatar
Filed under Movies
Tagged as avatar, big bad bob, bigbadbob, History, human, james cameron, na'vi, native americans, pandora, Sci-Fi, unobtainium
Tagged as avatar, big bad bob, bigbadbob, History, human, james cameron, na'vi, native americans, pandora, Sci-Fi, unobtainium
Ive been looking forward to finding time to see Avatar with Shell. It was one of those movies that looked so visually stunning that I really wanted to see it in the theaters. Today was one of the first free weekends we have had since before Christmas, so we headed to the mall for an afternoon flick.
The basic plot of the movie is as follows. Humans head to a planet called Pandora, which is home to an extremely valuable metal called unobtainium (which I thought was a pretty stupid name.) As the humans wish to strip mine the planet for the precious metal, they come into contact with an indigenous tribe of humanoids named the Na’vi. The corporation manning the mining operation wants a peaceful solution to the problem, so they create “avatars”, which is a genetic clone of a Na’vi that a human can control from a remote location by basically moving his mind to that of the avatars. One of the men who controls an avatar ends up realizing that the Na’vi life is better and that the humans are a threat, and he ends up becoming a leader to them.
Movie Review: 9
9 looked like an interesting movie when I first saw the trailer, but I never got around to seeing it in the theaters. I got it in from Netflix over the weekend, and Shell and I watch it tonight. An hour or so after watching it, and Im still a bit tossed up on it.
9 is about a cloth doll (who closely resembles a “sackboy” from LittleBigPlanet) who awakes in a lab in an apocalyptic wasteland. As he ventures out, he finds a desolate world where other dolls live, as well as machines. As the story progresses, it becomes a similar story to that of Terminator, in that a machine with a superior AI comes online and turns against humans, destroying them all. As the movie progresses, 9 leads the other dolls to revolt destroy the machine.
