After going to see Guardians of the Galaxy for the second time, I felt it appropriate to utilize this favorite 80's track. As Bonnie Tyler was Holding Out For a Hero, so was everyone getting behind Peter Quill. It is with great pleasure that I present Footloose by Kenny Loggins.
Top Ten Favorite Scary Movies
Growing up I have always enjoyed the supernatural and the scary is some form. I read all the Goosebumps books I could get my hands on and loved anything by Betty Ren Wright. As I got a little older, I moved on to the more graphic Fear Street books and Christopher Pike novels. I did what I could with books in my tween years, because my parents were good parents and wouldn’t let me watch any scary movies that were above my pay grade. That doesn’t mean I didn’t sneak off to enjoy a few under the radar. But as much as I loved to watch movies like High Spirits, I was running out of choices.
I would watch edited horror movies on television until my parents finally decided to begin to let me watch R-rated movies when I was 15. In the beginning they watched them all with me and sent my ass out if they thought it was too much. Gradually I started getting access to more and more. When my parents realized that I was extremely cognizant of reality vs. story, they let me run free. My mom was pretty satisfied with my answer when she walked into the living room one day during a pretty gory scene, and I was eating spaghetti with tomato sauce. She asked how I could watch that and eat. I pointed at the screen and told her that was corn syrup and pointed to my bowl and stated that it was tomato sauce. I still don’t think she was fully comfortable with the thought until we both happened upon a reality show surgery, and I got grossed and left the room. I had a very clear grasp on what was real and what wasn’t.
Let me introduce you to my Top Ten Favorite Scary and Horror Movies.
1. Evil Dead Trilogy
So yes, it isn’t one, but can you really have one without the other two? Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness were waiting for me before I even knew it existed. I have to thank my brother for introducing me to them, but I had unknowingly been preparing myself as I grew up watching Hercules and Xena. Sam Raimi hooked himself a fan for life after watching these three films, and well Bruce “Don’t Call Me Ash” Campbell got himself another adoring follower. Now, if we can only get Mr. Campbell to do a cameo on Supernatural, now that his show is over, life would be complete.
2. House
Yes, another scary movie with humor in it. I tend to love these. Funny story about this movie. I remember watching this movie on television with my brother when I was little, and the scene where he tries to flush the monster hand down the toilet scared the mess out of me. I had serious issues with using our toilet for years, because I kept thinking that hand was going to come out and grab me. I have since come to terms with that and can use a toilet without fear. This is one of my favorites, because while it is funny, it is a great story.
3. Suspiria
Honestly, this movie isn’t terribly scary, but it is gorgeous. The set design and art design add another level to this late seventies movie that sets it apart from the rest of the horror films coming out at the time. It actually might be boring to those but the strictest of horror movie buffs. I still think it is worth a peek.
4. Pet Sematary
There are two things that easily turn on the creeps for me and that is dolls and small children. This adaption of Steven King’s novel has one of the creepiest children I have ever come across. While I hate it, I can’t stop watching. Small child, plus scapel, plus tophat? I have never been more terrified in my life.
5. 1408
I have always felt that John Cusack never got married, because he has been waiting for me to first grow up enough where it wasn’t creepy and then finally meet me. While this is highly delusional, a girl can dream. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put this man in a not only a horror movie, but a Steven King story, they need a monetary reward and a week’s vacation to somewhere tropical and not war threatened. This is a great movie.
6. An American Werewolf In London
This movie was just a stroke of genius. The practical effects were amazing for the time and the humor was sprinkled perfectly throughout the film. It saddens me that they tried to make a sequel of this gem, but I’m willing to ignore it.
7. The Possession
Yes it is another demon possession movie, but why did I like it so much to add it to the list? It deals with the Jewish faith and superstitions. The majority of the other demon or devil possession movies utilize Christianity to save the day. While completely acceptable, this movie changed it up and looked at a different faith making it strong enough to stand out. I think this movie was as good as The Conjuring.
8. Silent Hill
Just reading this title, would probably make horror buffs scream in outrage! I really like this one and here is why. I am a leisure gamer. If I had more time and money I would probably never leave my house. Resident Evil came out and was fun not super awesome, but okay. It took the sequel to make something out of it. Silent Hill was not only a better adaption of the game, but honestly had a better story. There were little touches in this film as well. They treated the story progression as if you were in the game, and how the main character looked for objects and clues to get them from point A to point B was standard game play. I don’t think there is a woman alive who didn’t cringe internally when Christabella bit it in the end.
9. Insidious
I know there is a large amount of people that hate this movie, but I loved it. I was sold at the opening credits with the homages to Alfred Hitchcock. This was very story driven, which makes for the best horror movies. If you forget about meeting blood and boob quotas and make a good story, people will watch and mostly likely buy your movies. It is a crazy thought. I loved the parallel between the father and the son, and how everyone in the house was affected. I even enjoyed the twist of the house not being haunted, but the kid because of what he can do. The sequel was even great, especially how it takes off right where this one left off. That’s fantastic!
10. Drag Me to Hell
My love of Raimi could not allow me to finish this list without this movie. I was so excited when it came out. Raimi hadn’t done a horror movie since Army of Darkness. It was everything that I imagined to be. It funny, disgusting at times, and fascinating. This was a damn near perfect movie. The only reason it didn’t reach perfection was there was no Bruce Campbell cameo. I mean the man made a cameo in Spider-Man 3, but we couldn’t get him to sign on to this. Well maybe he was angry with the cameo in Spider-Man 3, and this was Raimi’s punishment. I could probably get behind that.
There you have it. While the movies may not be considered the traditional classics, they are my favs and how I was really introduced to the horror genre. I love a lot scary movies, and it was hard enough to pick and categorize as it was. Let me know some of your favorites?
80’s Music Wednesday
Okay, so it really came out in 1990, but since my SiriusXM deems it perfectly acceptable to play very early 90's songs on the 80's on 8 channel, then so can I. On this very special edition of 80's......ish Music Wednesday, we honor the one that came before. Turtles in a half shelf are taking over the big screen again this weekend, so grab a slice and remember what Ninja Turtle movies meant to our generation! I present Partners In Kryme's T-U-R-T-L-E Power. Feel free to sing along, because, come on, you know the words.
Guardians of the Galaxy
I hope that everyone has been able to make it out to the movies this weekend to see Guardians of the Galaxy. If not, definitely make the trip. The non-comic book fan may have never heard of this motley crew of space explorers, but never fear, you won’t forget them after this movie. Honestly would you forget a giant walking and talking tree let alone a raccoon that can do the same? Just don’t call Rocket a raccoon to his face.
First off how will this movie fit in with the rest of the universe that Marvel Studios is creating? This movie will add more to the Thanos storyline. For those who do not remember, that was the giant purple guy during the Avengers ending credits. I am not going to reveal too much to the non-comic fans, but this guy is a big player when it comes to the final frontier in the Marvel world. Whenever he does make an appearance in the comics, it usually takes a mass majority of superheroes to team up and handle him. They bring in all the big guns. Guardians of the Galaxy just adds another page to the story. Thanos, himself, does appear in the movie, played by Josh Brolin. I wouldn’t call it brief, but it isn’t a massive part of the film.
Thanos is just there to pursue another infinity stone, the object that most of this movie focuses on. Film goers should recognize this term from the ending credits scene of Thor: The Dark World. In that scene it was revealed that the tesseract and the aether were indeed infinity stones. In the first Thor movie, it is believed that the Infinity Gauntlet is actually in Odin’s vault, and can be seen in the brief scene involving the frost giants breaking into it. The Infinity Gauntlet is supposed to hold all of the stones and become one the most powerful weapons known to the galaxy. If Marvel even decides to use the gauntlet story, this is where all the infinity stones will tie in. Marvel may even decide to utilize the stones in another manner.
Yes the focus of this film is keeping an infinity stone out of the wrong hands. It brings together a group of prisoners who decide to choose the needs of the whole planet above their own. Although for some, it did take a lot of convincing. What looks to be the most unlikely group of people to ever work together, turns out to be the family that the other was looking for.
The movie is hysterical, probably the funniest damn Marvel movie I have seen yet. Can I talk about Peter Quill a bit? I totally get why he does well with the ladies. He is smooth, a smartass, and is lost in the 80’s. That is a man I can get behind. I have always been entertained by him in the comics, and his charms, while adorable, don’t get too far with my girl, Carol. Captain Marvel happens to be helping out the Guardians at the moment in the comic version, and it has been fantastic. Between deflecting proposals from Peter Quill and trying to stop Rocket from killing her cat. She’s got a lot on her hands, but Peter never stops entertaining. His movie version doesn’t disappoint when compared to that.
Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and Drax make up the rest of the Guardians. Gamora’s character furthers the connection with the rest of the Marvel Studio movies. She is actually the daughter of Thanos, well kind of but you’ll have to watch the movie for rest of that. Rocket supplies the tech side of the group, while Drax, though his reasons are heartbreaking, joins and becomes the muscle. Groot the giant plant, tree, whatever, alien acts as the heart. Don’t mistake his kindness for weakness. That tree can’t beat some ass.
With a kick ass soundtrack that doesn’t seem like it should work, this film is a breath of fresh air. It is the perfect way to end the summer. I am just disappointed that I have to practically wait an entire year for a new Marvel movie. Couldn’t they have balanced out another movie for phase two? A little Doctor Strange? Dare I say Captain Marvel? And no, not the Rock movie. DC has a Captain Marvel as well, and by the time they decided to revive the character in the seventies, Marvel already had a character trademarked with the name. Shazam is what he is commonly known as today. When I say Captain Marvel, I mean Carol Danvers. Even if they choose to do Ms. Marvel instead, I personally think her rebranding and new incarnation is way more badass.
80’s Music Wednesday
I dare you not to bob along to this fantastic 80's track. It deserves to be blared loudly and sung along to at the top of your lungs. Try it, you'll see what I mean. I present to you Brand New Lover by Dead or Alive.
Xfinity, no one likes you
So, my honey and I were out at breakfast this past weekend when we tried to connect to the wifi. We have been going to this place for years and they have always had unsecured internet access for people to use. Recently they have made a few upgrades and locking down the wifi was one of them. Not a huge deal, but as I am looking at the list of available SSID's available to connect to, I noticed an unsecured "xfinitiywifi". I showed it to my husband and he informed me that this was a common thing now. Comcast is using your modem to broadcast a signal so subscribers can sign in and use wifi where ever they are at.
This doesn't seem safe, or legal. When I got home, I googled a bit of information on it and came across this year old article on Ars Technica. The article states the good it could be doing, but it doesn't talk about the possibility for hacking. Also, when people connect they are using a piece of equipment on your network. Which means they are using your electricity. Will this increase your electricity bill?! Is Comcast going to put some money on your electric bill? Since they don't want to credit your bill when they have outages for days (*cough polar vortex cough*) I am going to go with no.

http://sprudge.com/20-tip-jars.html
This whole debacle fortunately does not apply to me and mine. We do not rent Comcast's shitty equipment, we purchased our own. But it is still truly concerning.
Do you have Comcast? Do you take advantage of the wifi access points from them around your town? How do you feel about it?
Thor Won’t Be Sashaying Anywhere Soon
Marvel Comics has certainly been the rage this week. Two large announcements shook up Marvel fans everywhere. The news was so popular that I even had to hear about the change on the E! Network, which made me stop and ponder life and where it was heading for a minute. Marvel announced this week that Thor would be a woman in an upcoming series, and Sam Wilson would become the first black Captain America. The announcements unfortunately had a flip side, there have been a lot of angry and upset people making ludicrous statements. Do you want to know something else that’s crazy about these announcement. Most comic book fans didn’t really bat an eye at it. They were more confused by the manner in which the announcements were given and spent some time schooling people throughout the internet hoping to calm the masses down.
So is Thor becoming a woman? Yes. Is that woman Thor? No. That doesn’t make sense, huh? Here is what is actually happening. Marvel is giving a woman Thor’s powers and abilities and she will probably be called Thor unless something has to change during the period of her existence. She is not Thor himself, just someone worthy of his power and some form of his abilities. This has happened already with the alien named Beta Ray Bill. Yes, that was typed correctly. He is a, for lack of better description, a horse faced alien that was worthy enough to pick up and use Mjolnir. Of course Thor eventually needed it back, so a new powerful hammer was forged by the dwarves so that this worthy being could continue his destiny as a hero in space. There is also a Thor Girl, but she never really went over well with the masses. Beta Ray Bill has been around forever and has been romantically tied to Lady Sif in some books. Don't ask me about how that works, but love is love right? Looks like homegirl found a solution to not having Thor for herself and went and found the next best thing.
Thor himself has been a woman before just as his brother, Loki, was. Unfortunately for readers, they were never at the same time. That might have allowed us to avoid the awkward flirtations by Loki. I know that Loki has spent his existence proving how he is not related to Thor, but that's your brother, man, woman....frost giant. Thor has also been a frog, but we rolled with it. The woman thing was actually supposed punishment by Odin in both cases. It is hard being a woman, but I don't remember Odin calling them out for objectifying. Female Loki actually spent a lot of time in main comic world, but female Thor did not. Thor was a woman during an interesting comic storyline that was developed between two books called Earth X and Universe X. The whole series really took the Marvel world and did whatever they wanted. It was meant to be its own universe that didn’t affect mainstream Marvel comics.
The second announcement from Marvel stated that Sam Wilson, best known as the Falcon and one of Captain America’s sidekicks, would be taking up the mantle of the shielded warrior with the blessing of Steve Rogers himself. Sam Wilson is considered one of Steve Rogers most loyal and best friends, right up there with Bucky Barnes. Him taking over, isn’t a shock. This isn't the first time that Rogers has stepped away from the role. Bucky Barnes actually took up the star spangled uniform a few years back in the wake of Steve Rogers supposed death at the end of the Civil War storyline. Once it was revealed that Rogers was still kicking, he actually encourage Bucky to stay in his place, so he could go do some incognito work to uncover all of Norman Osborn’s grand and terrible plans during the Dark Reign arc.
To those who were so shocked and angered by these announcements that they took to the web to state explicitly their outrage, please, calm the hell down. The world isn’t going to end. Everything will be okay. Marvel has several universes in its comic world. They are usually called Earth and some number. We have the main universe that is the most common and universes where writers and artists are allowed freedom for a bit. They also create these storylines to breathe new and modern air into the characters. This allows the characters to never age by giving them a new background that is not only relatable to new readers but believable. These changes can be a gamble. If the entire story bombs they will just create a new universe for it and act like it never happened. If say a character works out, but the rest of the storyline may not be strong enough to take over the mainstream universe, they may pull the character only into the mainstream universe. This kind of happened with Nick Fury. Nick Fury actually became a black man in the Ultimate universe books for Marvel. This character was so popular that he has practically replaced the original version while the rest of the Ultimate didn’t quite make the cut, although it had a pretty decent following. They have explained away current Nick Fury's race as him actually being one of his seemingly large mass of illegitimate children. Seems like a stretch, but when you factor in how old the original Nick Fury is, his R&R activities were bound to lead down that road.
Two things. Yes, Thor really was a frog once. Second, whether or not Disney owns ABC and Marvel, why the hell they felt the need to have the Thor announcement come from The View, beats the hell out of me.
Basically Marvel isn’t going to do something crazy just to piss you off. They still have to make money, therefore your opinion is important. Just give these changes a chance, and if you don’t like them, then simply say that. Marvel’s ear is already on the ground waiting for your reaction. The anger and slander is unnecessary. Marvel will change it back if enough people don’t like it. All they are asking is for a chance. The world didn't fall apart over Nick Fury. True the change didn't win everybody. If you feel passionate and head strong about your loathing with that change, I invite you to make that statement directly to Samuel L. Jackson's face. If you survive that, then your opinion will be considered valid....maybe.
80’s Music Wednesday
Thought it was time for a little hair band rock. While I love Def Leppard, this song will now and for always remind me of Dean Winchester. If a car could saunter like its owner, that's what it would have been doing when he jammed this song as he rolled up to interrupt probably the biggest the world had ever seen, but that's why I love that man. Enjoy, Def Leppard's Rock of Ages.
My Top 10 Podcasts – Part 1
Two years ago, I did not listen to podcasts. I had heard of them, but I never really paid attention. That all changed a year ago.
"Give me some of your favorite podcasts!" One of my Facebook friends posted. In 15 minutes she had a resounding list. One kept popping up over and over and over again. "Welcome To Nightvale" I decided to check it out. I started at the very beginning and was hooked after one episode. I started at the beginning, and was done in no time. I began searching for other podcasts to listen to while I was waiting for an update to WTNV. It just kind of snowballed from there.
Let's start with how I listen to my podcasts. Podcasts are called such because of Apple. These types of broadcasts have been around forever, but Apple made it simple (as they do with most things) to get all of these in one spot. I am not an Apple product user. I never have been. I find it amusing that even when I was all about trends and trendiness, I never had an Apple product.
My current smart phone is an LG Nexus 4. My phone is great, however I got the low end of the memory when I purchased it. I know now that my next phone will have the most memory I can get.
The application I use to access podcasts is BeyondPod for Android. I tried other applications, but they didn't feel as user friendly to me. There is a free verion and a paid version. I used the free version for a while then switched to the paid one. According to the website, the Lite (free version) has the same features of the Pro (paid version) except the following:
- You will be able to update only one feed at a time.
- You can download only one episode at a time.
- You can play episodes only at normal speed.
- Chromecast support will be disabled.
- Scheduling of automatic updates will be disabled.
- EpisodeSync will be disabled.
The main things that I needed from Pro were the first two on this list. I have a lot of podcasts...as well as feelings.
It is user friendly and the only thing I wish that it had (and this is totally superficial) is the ability to change the color of the application. The only two color palettes you have are a khaki color or dark. Boo.
So that is the hardware my podcasts run on. Lets jump into the podcasts. These are my top 10 in no particular order. I like them all equally.
We've already talked about this in a previous post. Perfect Carlos, Cecil, The Old Woman who secretly lives in your home. They are all amazing characters. This podcast is delightfully weird and is an absolute joy to listen to. I wish I lived in Nightvale. I would happily join Tamika Flynn's band of mercenaries.
2. We're Alive - A Story of Survival
I discovered this podcast roughly a year ago. I don't remember how, and I do not remember why. But I was hooked instantly. It tells the story of a hodgepodge of people, banding together as the Zombie Apocalypse is in full effect. There are a lot of twists and turns along the way. This podcast has been going since 2008 I do believe. Sadly, it is coming to an end. According to the website the finale premeres in LA on July 19th in a live performance. It is killing me that it is ending, as I have grown to seriously care for some of these characters. It feels like it did when Harry Potter ended. I have thrown absolute tantrums on twitter about characters and they have responded. Observe:
@geekygirlguide @WerealiveFans chapter 44?
— We're Alive (@WereAlive) April 24, 2014
And
@geekygirlguide @WerealiveFans WOW! Take the day! — We're Alive (@WereAlive) April 24, 2014
As you can see, I love this podcast. And I love that they interact with my crazy butt.
3. The Read
I don't even know how to begin with The Read. Let me start at the beginning. I live for Kid Fury. I originally started watching his YouTube videos when he talked about the drama he had when trying to get home to watch Scandal:
I was in TEARS of laughter from the jump. You'll notice in this one he briefly mentions the podcast him and Crissle do. I went ahead and checked it out shortly after that.
Bruh. Bruh. Honey, Linda, listen to me right now. If you love Beyonce, pop culture gossip, ratchet music, and just straight silliness. You must listen. There is swearing on here. Please keep that in mind. I don't even care. I'm grown.
From my list so far, you can kind of guess that I enjoy podcasts that tell a story. I am an avid reader. I have never really used books on tape (or cd, or whatever medium you want), but this is what some of these would be. Leviathan Chronicles are no different. It tells the story of an immortal population with a twist. This took some getting into. I think it was roughly the third episode before I was actually invested.
They currently have up to the first half of season 2 out. There have been multiple setbacks recently and the owner (Director? Writer?) Christof Laputka has a State of the Union that has been out there for a while explaining the delays. Christof, if you read this please know that there are people who enjoy this podcast who would have no problems donating to a Kickstarter fundraiser for you. I need to know what happens to Tulley. I also want to punch Maccallen in the face.
BoN holds a special place in my heart. They reached out to us on twitter. Matt lives in Indianapolis (like me!) and Llana lives in LA. Kind of like how Blondie is in Vegas and we co-write on here! For those of you that do not know, a Blerd is just a Black Nerd. Growing up, I didn't run into many Blerds and it wasn't until I was a full fledged adult that I truly let my Geek Flag Fly. BoN talkes about the things that we all care about, such as E3, Comics, Gaming, and more. I appreciate what they do, and hopefully maybe we can collaborate on something someday!
6. Stuff you Missed in History Class
I am going to be honest with you when I say history did not capture my attention in High School/Junior High School. I always made it a point never to fall asleep in class, no matter how tired I was because I snored like a bear back then. To this day, 9th grade world history is the only class I have ever fallen asleep in. Seriously passed out on my desk. I got detention because it is pretty much impossible to discretly sleep when you snore like a damn bear.
I felt like adding this podcast to my roster was going to be a mistake. I figured I would try one and delete the stream if I did not like it. This particular podcast has over 600 episodes. I started with number one. I believe this podcast started in 2008. I am currently in the year 2009. I've listened to over 50 of them. One of the hosts has changed so far and it looks like both will be changing the later I get into them. My favorite podcast is where they talk about Australia's Stolen Generation . I had no clue that this had happened. I spoke to some of my Australian friends and they gave me the breakdown on how the impact of the stolen generation reverberates today in Australia. It is crazy.
I did not realize my countdown was going to be as wordy as it is. So I am going to save the last 4 for a Part 2!
Sailor Moon Crystal
Alas there has only been one episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, but it was effective none the less. Seasoned fans should have no fear of the new world presented by the original creator, Naoko Takeuchi. With only watching the first episode, I am confident it will only continue to satisfy.
Is there a difference between the beloved anime from the 90’s and the newest incarnation? As of yet, no, but there probably will be. The main purpose of the newest series is to devote itself to the original manga that inspired the 90’s anime. After watching the first episode of Crystal, fans will argue that it is virtually frame by frame the same as the first episode of the original show. There will be those moments throughout the newest anime, but the old anime jumped shipped and changed up the story more than a bit at times when compared to the original manga.
While the first season of the original anime followed the manga pretty closely, I suspect that we will not see a relationship between Zoisite and Kunzite. This relationship never existed in the manga. Some may be upset over this, but alas it is for the sake of continuity. The four Dark Kingdom Generals were originally the guardians and friends of Prince Endymion. Though never actually confirmed, they may have been romantically involved with the inner senshi. Naoko Takeuchi is the one that suggested the romantic relationship in the past lives of both the Earth and Moon warriors.
If the new anime makes it, and I cannot see a reason at this moment that it would not, the following seasons will probably be greatly affected. There will most likely be no Doom Tree storyline. While it isn’t horrible, it wasn’t really my personal favorite storyline. It just never seemed to fit with the rest of the show.
So what do I love about Crystal? The animation is gorgeous. It looks like it was ripped from the very pages of the manga. I know that there has been some groans about the unrealistic look of many of the female characters, but I don’t take it personally. It is a cartoon. In comparison to most of the other anime out there, Sailor Moon Crystal still wins for being less offensive. I cannot say enough about how much I love the art in this anime. The characters look so ethereal and magical just with this change. Basically someone came in and said we are going to redo your favorite cartoon, and we are going to clean it the hell up. They sure did, too.
All of the favorite characters are still back and at the end of the episode there was a silent nod to Ami, so maybe the next will be Sailor Mercury’s episode. Umino is back as well as Naru. They look exactly as they always have except they have that same finesse as with all the animation for the show. Of course, Mamoru makes an appearance and exactly as he did in the manga.
Mamoru is actually the character that I hope they get right this time around. I have found a way to ignore the awkward pedophile-esque relationship between Usagi and Mamoru from the anime with the knowledge that he was actually about seventeen in the manga and still in the high school. Why someone thought that it would be an awesome idea to suddenly make that man about twenty and in college when he meets and starts his relationship with Usagi is crazy sauce. He is way way more interesting in the manga and has better character development. Tuxedo Mask and Darien were my cartoon crush growing up. I wanted to be with a guy that always protected me just like him. Sailor Moon didn’t always needs saving, but he was there regardless. I also hope, they throw that awful green sports jacket away as well.
At the very least I am excited for this show, yes, even as a thirty year-old woman. This has always been one of my favorite love stories. I am a hopeless romantic, so a little bit of that hooks me well. This show depicts two people that have fought space, time, and death to be together. Edward and Bella have nothing on these two. Annoyed that I will only get a new episode every other Saturday, at least everybody will know what I will be doing next Saturday.




















