So last week, I put out a list of games I want to
play over…oh, I don’t know. The next
year or so, basically. That’s not a
complete and ironclad list by any means; I’d love to be able to get to all of
them (or remember that I wanted to get to all of them), but as I’ve found out
over the years, clearing video games within a decent time frame and writing
about them while they’re still relevant is haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard. It’s even harder when you willingly sacrifice
gaming time to try and fulfill your dream of becoming a novelist, and you know
you’ve still got 30+ hours of game time looming above you…from a single
title. But I digress.
And I’ll digress even further by saying that I
don’t want to just play a bunch of games.
There are a crapload of TV shows (and movies) out there that are worth
watching, to say nothing of what Netflix has been offering for ages. Unfortunately, I’ve missed out on a lot of
the greats; one of the biggest quirks of fate in my life is that I’ve rarely,
if ever, been able to get NBC on my TV(s).
Too much interference or whatever.
So, 30 Rock? Barely seen it. Parks
and Recreation? Gone. The
Office? Is that a thing? I feel like that’s a thing.
So it’s time to at least pretend I’m going to
remedy that. Come fire walk with me as I
run through a big dumb list of shows I want to watch. Oh, and movies too. I’m also bad at watching movies.
I’m a Superman fan in theory, if not in
practice. The Man of Steel has always
been a guy that’s appealed to me, but it’s so disheartening to know that his
image has been tarnished in the public eye by…well, Man of Steel. (And Batman v. Superman, of course.) From the little I’ve seen of Supergirl, however, it looks like there
are indeed people that understand the appeal, and how to deliver it to audiences in digestible form. A hero who actually talks with people that
might misunderstand her and her godlike powers?
Someone who actually espouses hope without
getting hung up on daddy issues?
Sign me the hell up. Especially
since they recently had Mr. Mxyzptlk on.
Comic books!
I was surprised to hear that Regular Show recently came to an end. I guess I just sort of took for granted the
longevity of TV shows; all good things must come to an end, but that end can
sneak up on you when whole seasons are missing.
To be clear, I absolutely think that Regular
Show is good -- great, even. Even if
that title is the biggest lie in the history of lies (one of the characters is
High Five Ghost, for God’s sake), that doesn’t stop it from being delightfully
bizarre yet shockingly poignant. Also,
there’s a none-too-subtle reference to Neon
Genesis Evangelion baked in there, sooooooooooooo…yeah, either these guys
know the audience, or they’re just trying to get away with animated murder.
This sort of ventures into spoiler territory, but
here’s a quick question: since when have mastodons had eight legs and trunks
that make them look like mosquitos? The
answer should be “never”, but that’s apparently not the case with the upcoming Power Rangers movie. I’m one reveal away from crying tears of
blood, but you know what? If the idea
was to push and market Power Rangers merch,
they’ve succeeded. I want to watch Dino Charge to see how the property can actually be handled. Handled well, hopefully. Failing that?
There’s always the sentai -- because damn, Kyuranger’s opening theme is god-tier.
Ever wanted to know how much of a fraud I am? Here you go.
I actually have no idea what Stranger
Things is, or is about.
Like…uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…something about the 80s? Something about kids? I think there’s a character in it named
Eleven? And it has a good font for its
title or whatever? I don’t know, and
honestly? I’m at a point where I don’t
want people to tell me what it’s about.
I’d rather experience as much as I can from a straight-up raw
perspective. One thing’s for sure: with
the announcement of (or at least potential for) a good four or five seasons, I
feel like this is one of those things I should jump on instead of dragging my feet
and being too crippled to even trail the bandwagon.
Oh, Game of
Thrones. Maybe someday…
This is another given, but…can we just have a
little back-and-forth for a second? It’s probably worth mentioning that, even if
Christina Hendricks makes a pretty convincing case to watch the show (or
rejoice in the dual efforts of the human race and good fortune to produce such
a divine being), she’s actually not my true celebrity crush. She’s way up there, no question, but to be
honest? I mostly have her pop up in my
posts as a way to maintain kayfabe. My
real celebrity crush is on Alyson Hannigan, and so it shall remain until the
end of days. With that said? I feel like Kristen Schaal is also pretty
top-tier on multiple fronts, and deserves more credit than she gets. She’s got a je ne sais quoi that’s unmatched
among the Hollywood regulars -- the sort of thing that makes her a shining
unicorn no matter what role she adopts (if she adopts a role at all).
I feel like I’m the reason why people file for
restraining orders.
Space is awesome, and don’t you ever forget
it. I certainly haven’t, because I’ve
been lucky enough to see a couple of shooting stars in my life, and always
marveled at the sight. Still, there’s a
difference between looking up at the stars and actually learning about them --
so I guess that’s where a show like Cosmos
comes in. Granted it’s about more
than just space, but that’s 100% okay.
Learning about science and history with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson as my
guide is an honor beyond honors -- and gaining knowledge is a reward beyond
rewards. I’ve never been an ace when it
comes to science, but I’ll suck up that edutainment like a hot ramen noodle if
it comes my way.
The Goonies
Count the number of classic, beloved movies I
haven’t seen. Count them. I dare you.
Actually, no, don’t count them. The number is very high and very
depressing. Maybe someday I’ll put real
effort into watching them all (as soon as I make a list of what I’m missing),
but for now the one that sticks out most is The
Goonies. I almost watched it on TV
as a kid, but instead I got dragged to Applebee’s for a family dinner, and it
never popped up again. Ever. I guess now is as good a time as any to undo
that twist of fate, especially since The
Goonies is probably next up to get a modern-day remake. Because as you know, the things from the past
are always better than things from the present, and we will never ever be rid
of properties that came and went thirty years ago.
Side note: Applebee’s, good or bad? Discuss.
Once upon a time, I said that Shakespeare in Love was my favorite movie ever. It still is, to be perfectly honest -- but
it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen it that I’m worried I couldn’t tell
you why. My biggest concern is that it’s
become one of those instances where “it’s my favorite because it’s my favorite”
instead of some pointed cases for why it works.
I feel like I need to change that -- to show some ironclad evidence
instead of saying something like “it has a dog in it” and leaving it at that. Failing that, I feel like I should put more
effort into getting in deep with the works of Shakespeare. Something tells me my life would only be
enriched by reading up on King Lear and
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Okay, now count the number of modern, beloved movies I haven’t seen. Count them.
I dare you.
I haven’t seen a single Mad Max movie. Not the
oldest; not the newest. The closest I’ve
come is 1) a couple of CinemaSins videos, and 2) playing Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage.
Honestly, there was a time prior to release when I was armed and ready
to shrug off Fury Road. “Oh, it’s just more nostalgia pandering!” I
cried. “Oh, it’s more grimdark,
post-apocalyptic fluff!” I scoffed.
Apparently, I was the wrongest of the wrong, because the movie’s a hit,
a critical darling, and a shining example of “how to make a good movie”. Soooooooooooooooooooooo…yeah, sorry
everyone. I’ll never have a terrible and
easily-refutable opinion again.
Do I need more science fiction in my life? I feel like I need more science fiction in my
life -- especially if we’re talking about something with a more cerebral
approach. Not every movie should be
about gunning down DA ALIENZ as they invade DA EARF, so it’s good to know that
a movie like Her is out there and
ready for viewing at a moment’s notice.
Admittedly I only know the bare-bones basics of said movie (debatably),
but at this point? I don’t care about
the particulars or plot synopsis. I just
know that I want to see it so that I can have my mind expanded. Who knows?
Maybe I’ll find some inspiration for my stuff. Although if I had to guess, I’d say that what
goes on that movie is strikingly similar to some of the stuff I’ve got
planned. Just a hunch.
I’ve never been the biggest sports fan, but I do
what I can to watch the Olympics (winter or summer, take your pick) whenever
it’s on. And of the myriad events? For whatever reason, I find the figure
skating strangely captivating. There’s a
part of me that wishes it was televised on a regular basis so I could watch it
more often. Until then? I guess Yuri
on Ice will have to do. It’s racking
up its fair share of awards and praise, after all, so it seems like I’ve got
more than a little bit of an impetus to check it out. I need some anime to fill the gap that JoJo has left in my heart (for now), so
why not this? Or, alternatively, Haikyuu.
Volleyball seems like my team sports jam.
Speaking of anime to fill the JoJo gap, we’ve got this baby waiting in the wings. I took to Twitter so that I could have
someone suggest a title worth watching, and this was the first one I got. “Oh, isn’t that the puppet thing?” I
thought. And yes, it is indeed “the
puppet thing” -- but said puppet thing is spearheaded by Gen “The Butcher”
Urobuchi, who in turn was inspired to help bring it to life after seeing the
Korean-born story for himself in a museum.
I’m guessing that I got the recommendation for a reason, then. Plus, it’d be cool to see what The Butcher’s
been up to, having been put on the map thanks to Kamen Rider Gaim. And he is
famous for absolutely nothing else.
Nope. Nothing at all.
…I’ll have to watch Madoka at some point, won’t I?
Kill la
Kill
You know, it’s always surprised me that anime
tends to come and go within half a year’s time -- if that. A show that’s over and done in as little as
52 episodes? 26? 13? It sounds inconceivable. Then again, I guess it’s better to burn
bright briefly than to go past your shelf life.
Plus, no one can argue that the industry’s lacking in new blood. It’s thanks to that need for new blood that
we got Kill la Kill once upon a time,
featuring some of the guys behind the irrepressible Gurren Lagann. I’d assume
(or at least hope) that the adventures of Ryuko Matoi have more behind them
than the goodwill earned by that giant drilling robot. Then again, I guess there’s only one way to
find out. I just hope I don’t lose my way in the
process…
This would be the part where I demand why Sunrise hasn't released another full season of Gundam Build Fighters, but then I remembered that the storyboard director passed away not too long ago. So a little tact is in order...but the sting of an MIA third season is still too real.
Oh well. If
I can’t have another sublime season of Gunpla battles (for now), I’ll have to
be satisfied by a mainline entry into the franchise. I don’t know much about this anime besides
the look of the main Gundam and a few of the characters, but I’m willing to
give it a look on good faith. Mecha and
their associated battles are more than relevant to my interests, after
all. Might as well take the plunge
before I remember that G Gundam exists,
and therefore invalidates all other art ever created. Oops. TOO
LATE.
And that’s about all I’ve got for now. What do you think? Any thoughts?
Reactions? Suggestions? Recommendations to add to the list? Knowledge of any of the stuff on this list,
and thus the power to warn me of the dark future I’m barreling towards? By all means, leave a comment and tell me
what’s on your mind. It’ll be helpful, I
think.
I mean, I already spend too much time as it is
playing games. What’ll it mean for me if
I start pissing away the hours while huddled in front of a TV screen?
…
…I feel like I got that wrong somehow.
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