Thursday, March 27, 2008

Taking a brief blogcation

I know, I know. You're angry the updates have been scarce this past week.

To tell you the truth, I meant to do this post last week and, since I forgot, I decided to just go ahead and do this week's staple-posts before finally informing everyone I'm going on a quick blogcation.

What's a blogcation, you may ask. It's like a real vacation, only nothing like it at all. Some big stuff is going on irl at the moment so I've been a bit too preoccupied to post properly as a result.

So, rather than keep you guessing, here's your official notice not to wonder why I've disappeared this week. staticEchoes will be back in the full swing of things hopefully by the middle of next week. To appologize, I have included in today's post a humorous picture of an overworked donkey to, not only make you laugh, but also parallel how I'm feeling right now.

Stay tuned!

*no donkeys were injured in the making of this post

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Movie of da week: The Mist

In case you didn't know just yet, staticEchoes is a big fan of Stephen King. Most of the movies based on King's work? Not so much.

However, though many of the man's novels and short stories get turned into horrid trainwrecks, every now and then a quality piece of cinema comes along with The Spooky One's name tacked onto it.

I give you The Mist. Based on a short story, this one comes from the guy who brought us The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and a delicious and ingenious snack food that incorporates pretzels, pepperoni and three kinds of cheeses. While the snackums are delicious, those two flicks are some of the best King movies you'll find.

Monsters crawling out of the darkness not being a big part of those previous two pieces, I'm looking forward to seeing how The Mist is handled. Go watch, or face the consequences.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Monday mini-movies: Gimme a P-A-I-N edition


While randomly perusing Youtube this weekend, X374 suggested "cheerleader almost dies" as a search criteria.

How could you say no to that?

Half an hour later and we had seen some pretty hilarious stuff. Click above to see our favorite of the selections. My personal pick is four or five clips in when the girl who falls still tries to throw her hands in the air in a pose as if she didn't just get dropped on her skull. Brilliant!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Movie of da week: Enchanted

I shit you not, I actually want to see Enchanted.

You know how on shows like Saturday Night Live where celebrities are willing to go on and make fun of themselves? Well, this is like the Disney version of that.

The scene in the trailer where Prince Charming leaps from a bridge in Central Park and lapses into unnecessary song before being ran over by a horde of bikers five words in...Yeah, that was the moment that did it for me.

Tell you what, to make up for the Horton review this week and this particular movie pick, I'll be sure to include something either A) Bloody, B) Violent or C) Bloody violent in next week's post.

Now if you will excuse me, I've got to go eat some raw meat and battle an armored grizzly bear with nothing more than my brawn and a battleax to reclaim my masculinity.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Super Smash Brothers Brawl: review

Okay, so I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous two Smash Bros. games.

Before you break out the flame swords, just know this was largely due to the fact I owned neither a Nintendo 64 nor a Gamecube and never got the chance to really sink my teeth into either title other than being mercilessly beaten by friends who had the system and would not so much as let me learn the controls before pwning myn00bish ass. I'm not bitter or anything...Just saying.

Anyway, since I have a Wii and next to nothing else worth mentioning has come out for the system in a while, I figured I'd let myself get swept up in the hype and give Super Smash Brothers Brawl a fighting chance. (Damn I'm hilarious)

So, yeah, count myself glad I did. SSBB is a top-notch brawler boasting a control scheme so well thought out it's perfectly suitable for button mashers and those in need of a deeper experience alike.

Along with enough fan-service in the form of characters, levels, music, stickers, trophies, etc. to smother a (insert clever comparison here), Brawl offers a unique side-scrolling platforming adventure, a level editor, four control schemes, mini-games and an online mode to boot. Yes, online is crippled, but it's a decent diversion every now and again.

Throw in a dash of uuber-collectibles and more than one way to unlock everything (for those who don't like grinding just to play as Snake) and you have yourself an entertaining single or multi-player experience that should last for hours upon hours of bruising good times.

If you own a Wii, I can't really think of a reason for you not to pick this one up. Unless you hate yourself, that is. And you don't hate yourself, do you?

Monday mini-movies: Splashdown edition


This week's mini-movie just goes to show how cruel kids can be nowadays.

Don't believe me? Did you laugh?...Sinner.

Horton hears a review

So, my day job often gets me into movies I may have otherwise never seen. When I wanted to review a family-oriented review for an upcoming publication this past weekend, the animated Horton Hears a Who was my only option.

I'll admit I went in a bit begrudgingly. I wasn't necessarily chomping at the bit to see, hear or do anything else involving a Who.

Just goes to show my quality radar isn't always perfect...I take that back. It is perfect. I don't know why I'd ever claim otherwise.

Anyway, long story slightly shorter, Horton Hears a Who is fantastic. I don't know if your average college kid would necessarily want to run out and see it based on this recommendation alone, but for those on the lookout for a decent family film or something to change the pace up a bit, you could do far worse.

The expected zaniness is present to keep the kiddies blissfully distracted while the vast majority of the film's jokes are targeted at a more sophisticated crowd. Myself and three 20-something friends were laughing loud and hard through most of the films hour-and-a-half runtime.

Rather than say something in a rhyme to close this out (I value your readership too much to do something like that) I'll just wrap it up by promising a free no-prize to anyone willing to do as I did and take a chance on this Seussian flick.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Movie of da week- Doomsday

Rather than go the easy route and recommend No Country for Old Men this week (it hit DVD Tuesday and is totally worth a watch...Make that two.) I'm going to go ahead and offer up something a bit more obscure.

But seriously, if you haven't seen No Country yet, you're only hurting yourself. Go ahead and watch it right now. I'll be here when you finish.
...
..
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Done? Fantastic.

So, yeah, that was a long introduction for me to simply say- The movie to see this week is Doomsday, hitting theaters Friday. It's from the guy who did The Decent (one of the best modern horror movies) and looks like a cross between Mad Max and 28 Days Later. These are all very, very good things. I mean, just look at that poster...Gorgeous.

Make with the watching.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Emo makes Echo happy

You heard me right. staticEchoes.com is on the lookout for the best (edit: most pathetic, hilarious, disturbing) emo pictures and videos out there. Bonus points if they're crying or playing a guitar. Double points if they're wearing something they didn't buy at the mall.

Add links in the comments or send them to my e-mail via the contact link to the left. I fully intend to post the best ones for your viewing pleasure.

Oddly, the whole "I'm miserable, nobody loves me, my dad only gave me $100 to spend at Hot Topic and school sucks" *guitar solo* thing makes me very, very happy.

So, bring on them emos.

Monday mini-movies: Cat vs. Fan edition


This is one of my favorite hilarious videos stolen from the interwebs.

I love cats. I also love fans. At last, a perfect melding of two of my favorite things in life.

I'm sure it would be ridiculously simple to make an inappropriate joke about this one, but I'll leave that to you kind folks in the comments.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Movie of da week- Into the Wild

Zzzz...Zzzz...Zzzz...

What? Oh, I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep looking over the list of this week's movie releases.

So you don't suffer the same fate, you might as well avoid the movie theaters due to yet another forecast of cloudy skies and crapstorms throughout the weekend.

As for DVD, there's nothing really special. You might wanna check out Into the Wild. YOU might want to. I'm not in any particular hurry.

Do me a favor and wake me when the Hollywoods want to produce something worth my two hours and 10 bucks.

Flogging Molly- Float review

Finally, a new album I can be excited about.

For those unfamiliar with the band Flogging Molly, for shame. Described by many as "Irish Punk," the group has spent the past eight years redefining genres with their unique blend of Emerald Isle poetry, banjo and fiddle routines.

Their latest offering, Float, is yet another evolution of that sound. From the opening "Requiem for a dying song," to the final "The story so far," no two tracks on the album sound alike. Covering the bases of punk, country, folk, rock and more, there's literally something here for everyone.

Though the band packs a little less bullocks than back in the day, their sound has matured to the point where every line, every chord, every verse entertains in perfect synchronization.

It being nearly St. Paddy's day and all, there's literally no excuse not to pick this one up and get in the spirits (get it!) of the holiday. I guarantee Float will frequent your CD player long after March 17 comes and passes.

Dungeons and Dragons co-creator dead at 69

This story is getting less ink than I would expect. I'm a frequenter of many-a geeky site on the interwebs and I've only seen mention a couple of times.

As is being reported by the Associated Press, Gary Gygax, co-creator of the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons, passed away yesterday at the age of 69.

I don't know about you guys, but I've been known to throw the dice around every now and again. Been in quite a few big campaigns, actually. So lets have a moment of silence and remember the, so far, 34 years of crowding around the table with enough chips and soda to kill a yak in order to live out those fantasies only D&D could provide.

Thanks Gygax. You'll be missed.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Monday mini-movies: Faceball edition


For this week's Monday mini-movie we take a look at a true classic.

As you watch, pay close attention to that young fellow in the foreground running left alongside the court. You see that look of simple joy on his face? Like nothing could possibly go wrong in his seven-year-old's world? Prepare to watch that innocence get wiped off with a last second, full-court shot of epic proportions.

If you want to contribute to next week's movie, be sure to comment with a random word for me to keep in mind while scouring the net for your weekly dose of mini-movie entertainment.