I liked the write-ups from the Lost Week so much, I thought I'd do this in as regular a feature as I can. I do have a tendency of dropping projects midway, so we'll see how far this goes. I don't know what to tell you to expect, so other than "expect the best," you guys are on your own.
From Highspots:
What would be your dream match?
Posted on: 9/30/2005 2:10:42 AM
Have you ever dreamed of a match that you never thought was possible, try us!
We're looking for dream matches that can be put together for DVD/VOD purposes. That is right, tell us the dream matches that exist among available US talent and we're going to pass this information onto a promotor with the deep pockets and vision to make it happen. That is right, one night of dream matches made possible by the internet fans participation. Obviously, WWE talent is off limits, so please limit your dream matches to that talent that is currently allowed to wrestle on an independent card.
I think this makes Ring of Honor and TNA talent available, but also it would make sense that some of the fine Tri-Cities talent would be eligible too. So, start sending in those Sonjay Dutt/ Tony Givens recommendations now. How about the Monty Brown/Ray Idol match?
Picked up the Capcom Classics Collection for PS2, and so help me I've been playing "Street Fighter 2" 'til my eyeballs bleed. Been engrossed in "Final Fight" as well. Started playing "Mercs", but the arcade screen has been taking some getting used to. A great budget title at $20. I swear, this game took me so far back I thought I'd have to put quarters into the TV.
TNA makes its Spike debut tonight on Spike TV at 11PM. The matches include AJ Styles vs. Roderick Strong, Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley, Monty Brown against some unlucky sap, and the *riveting* match of Jeff Hardy vs. Rhino.
I ended up having to order the TNA boxed set online from Walmart.com (I'm not linking it ... I'm ashamed enough already) because Greenwood SC ain't shit when it comes to carrying good stuff, so I expect six DVDs of wrestling PPV goodness within the week. Might go on a tear and review all three shows next week ... that will also leave me with an extra copy of "Turning Point" that I might just open up the door for a contest for some lucky reader/contributor to win a copy of that show.
Gave my "Death and Dying" exam at Lander on Thursday, Sept 22.
Turned the exams back to the students last Tuesday (Sept 27). The grade distribution was:
90 - 100: 1
80 - 89: 2
70 - 79: 3
60 - 69: 10
59 & below: 11
The class average was a 60; the range was 26 - 91.5.
On Thursday, Sept 29, I only had 12 students show up for class. Kinda ominous, eh? Oh well, I did like the extra money I had coming in for a while there.
I love October, because in the celebration of the rapidly dwindling holiday that is Halloween, you can usually count on some good horror movie releases/rereleases on DVD. This month, we'll watch the market and see what's being offered.
DVDs of note that came out last week (Sept 27):
- Blind Dead Collection (Sightless Templar zombies that track their enemies by sound ... Italian creepshow cinema at its best)
- Evil Dead 2 (Yet another Evil Dead release by Anchor Bay; I like their attention to horror films, but they're habit of re-releasing the same film in multiple different formats is a motherfucker ... Evil Dead is the worst of the batch, but "Halloween" isn't far behind)
- Flesh For the Beast (This is one Misty Mundae away from being worth a damn ... without her, it's just crap on a swizzle stick)
- The Freakmaker (Donald Pleasance represent!!)
- Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (Part of the still-ongoing quest to get as many of the Fangoria's "101 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen" on DVD as I can)
- Kingdom Hospital - Making The Rounds (What exactly is this "Kingdom Hospital" project of Stephen King's? Something about it screams "USA Up All Night" material to me)
- Lucky Stiff (The last directorial outing of Anthony Perkins, about a guy who falls for a girl whose family are descendants from a family of cannibals ... sounds worth every bit of the $10 they're selling it for)
- X-Files Mythology, Vol. 3: Colonization (You know, if you're a die-hard X-Files fan, chances are you already have all this stuff on your season collections, so this release is a bit redundant ... pass)
Kind of a slow release week for horror films, but hey, it's not quite October yet, so they should get rolling proper come next week or so.
[Fiction] Opening Lines:
"He picked up the cinderblock and brought it down on Emil's head. Emil twitched and shook slightly before going limp. Jorge fell backwards, exhausted. He watched Emil closely, as if he mistrusted his own coup de grace. As if he expected Jorge to bolt upright, like a supernatural villain from a direct-to-video slasher film."
From off the magazine rack:
Fangoria has a look at the two upcoming "Return of the Living Dead" sequels, "Rave From The Grave" and "Necropolis." They look swank as hell, especially the updated look of Tarman. There's also a sneak peek at "Saw II."
PSM offers a preview of the "Warriors" game, and they appear to be all jazzed up about it, but I just don't know. There's also a fall game guide, which points you the direction of some choice games coming out this fall, among the better of the best being "Resident Evil 4," "King Kong," "Gun," and "Bully." Plus, the article on why the PSP is a worthless piece of shit ain't bad either.
Game Informer: Glad I picked up a subscription to this magazine at Gamestop. It's $14.95 and not a bad read at that. It's a more rounded, multiplatform look at gaming. This month has a head's up on the game "Crackdown," from the creator of the Grand Theft Auto franchise (NOT Rockstar Games). Throw in a decent interview with Dave Jaffe, developer of "Twisted Metal" and "God of War."
Scratch, the magazine that "reps the beats" a/k/a focuses on DJs and producers, has an interview with Danger Mouse and MF Doom, on the eve of the release of their collab album, "Mask and the Mouse," coming Oct 11.
Giant, as an entertainment mag, tries to be comprehensive but falls into the category of "Stuff" and "Maxim," which Joshua once so eloquently noted run articles that read like someone chopped off the beginning and the ending and left in the underdeveloped middle. But for reviews and previews, not shabby. A nice retrospective on "The Big Lebowski" (which is a film that for some reason I just can't get into), and the "25 scariest DVDs ever" (a decent number of which aren't on DVD anymore, you schmucks!). This also has, like "Scratch" before it, a review of Public Enemy's "Rebirth of a Nation," which, according to Guerilla Funk Records, won't be out until January 2006.
Rue Morgue is the Canadian equivalent of Fangoria, and is less mainstream in its vision. It's very review heavy, but there's an interview with Gwar and an article on the 20th anniversary of "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" that are nice, tossaway reads.
Retro Gamer: The sole reason to pick up this mag this month is the comprehensive look back at the "Last Ninja" franchise, as well as the complete "Last Ninja" game series on CD-Rom. Shogun Kunitoki, again I come for you!!!
Ready Made: One day, I'm gonna have to order that modular dwelling blueprint and make one of those things. And when I do, I'm going back to this issue and making that concrete tabletop. The "ReadyMade: How to Make (Almost) Everything" book is due out December aught-5. The primer on hardware tools that can also serve you well in the kitchen is a nice plus.
Watched "Street Trash" on DVD. I first saw this back in the 80's when horror movies ejected plot for gore and terror and images that burned in your brain (as opposed to horror movies today, which eject plot AND gore and terror and images that burn in your brain).
I forgot how much I missed the 80's. This film is one of the best for reliving what it was like for indy filmmakers then (this film has every bit of a Troma film feel to it). I couldn't find a thing wrong with this movie, even when the bums are playing "keep away" with the guy's detached penis. I'm telling you, come into this movie with a seriously open mind.
Tenafly Viper, a brand of liquor that apparently eats you up from the inside out, must be in the same food category as the "Stuff." Just a side thought there.
On the comic book horizon:
The Essential Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe Volume 1 is due out in January 2006. Back when I used to write non-stop, this was the tool that used to help me develop characters. Can't wait to pick this up. The Marvel Essentials are pretty damn good. At least, the two volumes of "Tomb of Dracula" I have are pretty damn good.
That's all the stuff that's been going through my head that ain't work related. Been a busy week, full of therapy, paperwork, and sleep. Hasn't been a lot on the brain except that. Hell with it, I'm off to order "Thriller" and "Dog Soldiers."
1 comment:
Wow there buddy! No need to completely run your students off with the first exam. It might be time for an extra credit assignment along the lines of "Watch the movie of your choice and describe in a two page essay how the main character copes with the death of another." That way you can get some movie comedy, build some good will up with the kids, and grade an assignment that will be less tedious than others. It will be fun to them, plus be mentally engaging because they are putting what they learned into context outside of the textbook.
Also, be sure to put a 24-hour rule in place....refuse to discuss their grades or the assignments until 24 hours have passed. That keeps people from saying stupid shit generally.
When my kids get bummed when an assignment comes back along those lines (usually their mid-term exam), I try to work in a discussion day in the next week of class. Last year it was "Are we really judged based on what we consume?" That one is great because without fail, some sorority girl will say "That's not right! I'm more than my possessions." Then, I wait for about three more people to comment and I ask "Wait a second, do you mean that girls don't date guys for their money?" Class dynamics dictate that at least two guys share my belief...and then its time to play the feud.
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