Pop Journal: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Season 12

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Season 12 (TV / 2011)

This was a good change of pace year for CSI. Gone is Lawrence Fishbourne and Marg Helgenberger and in are Ted Danson and Elisabeth Shue. Thank you very much. After 12 years you need to have a shake up, especially with Fishbourne's character being completely miss handled the last two years. This new team is much more watchable, and I never enjoyed Marg's character so good riddance.

Sure, the show still goes off the rails with some over the top schemes, but the show still shines when they let the investigating be the real star of the show. Many episodes are trying to hard to fill us in on the lives of the crew making the mystery of the week seem much more shallow. You know it's an issue when Hodges is the main POV character for an episode.

This gives me hope for next year as I had written the show off last year as destination watching and was brought back in to see the  cast changes, and they brought me back in the fold.

Pop Journal: New Girl; Season 1

New Girl (TV / 2011)

It took a while for New Girl to find it's voice, but now that it has it is great television. The entire cast works so well together with Schmidt becoming the most unlikely favorite of the bunch. Nick and Winston did some great work too, as well as Jess and Cece, but Schmidt had the most growth. It was like watching Barney of HIMYM rise to the level he is in the space of one month.

Everything works very well, the only part that feels a little heavy handed is the Jess and Nick foreshadowing. We know there is something there in the future and the writers always want to remind us. Can't wait for nest year.

Pop Journal: Castle; Season 4

Castle; Season 4 (TV / 2011)

Castle has had a lot of issues this year, with me missing a couple of episodes. The "Will they won't they?" was really getting out of hand with Beckett and Castle. Also the entire point of the show is having Castles expertise and imagination make the difference in solving these crimes, otherwise he serves no purpose. The Mentalist does a much better job of portraying a (quit frankly unbelievable) situation like the "consultant" for so long.

Unfortunately for both Castle and The Mentalist (and many other "blue sky" shows) they both have very heavy handed finales compared to their crime of the week shenanigans. There must be a better way to portray the "mythology" instead of treading in some very dark and out of place situations.


But... the show kept me interested enough to keep me coming back. I put a lot of that on Nathan Fillions shoulders as he makes the show watchable. I also like how they gave his daughter Alexis a better reason to be around. Overall a very disjointed season but now that the question of "Will they, won't they?" has been answered (they did) we cane hopefully move on to a new kind of sexual tension.

Pop Journal: The Avengers

The Avengers (Movie / 2012)

What an amazing movie!

In the realm of Summer kickoffs this might have to take the top spot. Joss Whedon did an amazing job of giving everyone of the Avengers something to do in this movie with Hawkeye unfortunately getting the least amount of time to shine here. The movie has great pacing and a ton of great set pieces with some really wonderful character moments sprinkled throughout.

Much like Star Trek a couple of summers ago, I was smiling the whole time save for a couple of moments. There were times near the end when they were fighting all of the aliens that it felt a little too long. We saw the same alien get smashed, beat and shot in many different ways and not once did I think any of the Avengers were in any real danger.

That being said what I really love about this movie is it didn't compromise on the comic feel. With the success of The Dark Knight and the impending "gritty" reboot of Spider Man, I am glad this movie was not afraid to have fun. In fact, the scene where Hulk rag-dolled Loki is one of the funniest scenes in any movie I have ever seen.

All said this is the perfect example of a "Summer Popcorn Blockbuster" and makes me incredibly excited to see what Marvel

Pop Journal: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (Video Game / 2012)

I really enjoyed this game with maybe only a couple of complaints. The story was fantastic and completely had me sold on this world in a way that I wanted to continue playing just to find out what happened next. The Game being split into 3 chapters was nice, especially with the second chapter having 2 different story lines (the second of which I am starting on a 2nd play through). The fighting was spot on and the presentation was top notch.

The only issues I had was with the maps and quests. This is a world where I really wanted to explore every nook and cranny but the maps made it really difficult for me to find where I should go. Also the Inventory and crafting could have been a little better laid out.

This tops every RPG that I have played in the last year by far and easily takes the sour taste out of mouth left by Mass Effect 3. The true test of a game for me comes in wanting to pick it up and play it again right after I finished it, and I am.

TMIX: 36 THE AVENGERS 2012

The 36th Mix is here, and it has been a long time coming. Really, this might be the longest gap that I've had on my mixes, but it is a really good mix with a very springy vibe to it.

TMIX 35: GAMESTOP 2011

Here is the latest and greatest, usually don't do 3 mixes in a year but there are too many good songs coming out right now. I also included a Spotify link, if you don't have it get it!

Top 30 Video Games

Here is the complete list of my top 30 Video Games of all time.

Top 30 Animated TV Shows FINAL

30. Captain N: The Game Master
29. The Brak Show
28. X-Men
27. Archer
26. Tailspin
25. Frisky Dingo
24. Voltron
23. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law
22. GI Joe
21. Garfield and Friends
20. Adventures of the Gummi Bears
19. Transformers
18. Metalacolypse
17. Darkwing Duck
16. Sealab 2021
15. The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
14. SpongeBob Squarepants
13. Muppet Babies
12. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
11. Robot Chicken
10. South Park
9. Batman the Animated Series
8. American Dad
7. Tiny Toon Adventures
6. Family Guy
5. Futurama
4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force
3. Ducktales
2. The Simpsons
1. Animaniacs

Pop journal: The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid (MOVIE / 2010)

Here we are presented with a good reason to remake a movie with the release of The Karate Kid. Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan take us back to the realm of martial arts competitions and life lessons being learned from the most unlikely tasks. Only the plot is carried from the original movie, and even then it more resembles The Karate Kid 2, as these are new characters with new motivations. Jaden's Dre is fully capable in all of the scenes we see him training to an ob absurd degree. Even more remarkable is the performance of Jackie Chan who is finally allowed to play a roll other than that of comic relief or pure fighting. There are real emotions evoked and we learn the same lessons from the first film, which is why I enjoy these remakes. The Karate Kid, or Kung Fu Kid as it is called internationaly (and even refered to in movie as purely kung fu, never karate), teaches a lot of things in a very entertaining way. Repackaging these stories for a new generation is getting the story out there in a way that it would otherwise never be able to accomplish with the originals (seriously, try and watch the original without laughing).

Tyler Says: GREEN LIGHT

Pop Journal: The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender (MOVIE / 2010)

If you've been reading my other theatrical reviews you may have noticed that I have given Green Lights to all of the movies that I have seen in theater. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I choose to go see the movies I want to go see in theaters. I am not in any way paid to go see other movies that I would write unfavorably about. I have taken more chances on DVD, where I have handed out Yellows and Reds, but this my readers is the first review that I am handing out a RED LIGHT for a theatrical release. To even talk about M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender would be a disservice as it is truly awful. This is coming from someone who defended The Happening to a degree, and actually enjoyed Lady in the Water. You watch this movie and you wonder "who is this made for?" It jumps from plot point to plot point with little tying it together. My favorite moment comes when are heroes arrive in a new village and the narrator tell us that her brother and the princess become fast friends. That is how this movie deals with complex relationships and emotions, and in the end when sacrifices need to be made we as an audience don't care. I will say that the special effects and music were fantastic, but that just makes me wonder how all of this money got thrown at this script. M. Night had a chance to redeem himself with this film and it may become the last nail in the coffin.

Tyler Says: RED LIGHT

Pop Journal: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (MOVIE / 2010)

Every once in a while you come across a movie that you think was made specifically with you in mind. Scott Pilgrim is one of those movies. It revolves around Michael Cera's Scott Pilgrim and his quest to obtain the hand of Ramona Flowers, which he can only accomplich by defeating her 7 evil exes. The movie is fantastic, I really cannot say enough good things about it. It's based on a comic book series that incorporates a lot of video game and music references and that really shines through. The battles are shown as if you were watching someone playing Street Fighter, and with the eventual demise of the exes occurs they explode into a sea of quarters. Another interesting fact is the way they portray Scott as a imperfect person, perhaps even as jerk at times, but not enough that would stop rooting for him. The exes all give great performances, each with their own weakness and fantastical abilities. You should get to the movies to see this one as it truly is an original and entertaining gem.

Pop Journal: Inception

Inception (MOVIE / 2010)

Inception comes from Christopher Nolan, the director of The Dark Knight and Memento. Let's get this out of the way, this movie was freaking awesome. There is so much to like in this movie it's hard to put it all in one little paragraph. If you know nothing about this movie it's about Cobb, Leonardo DiCaprio, who is an expert in invading someones dreams to steal information who is tasked with invading someones dream only instead of stealing an idea he is planting an idea. DiCaprio is surrounded by an amazing ensemble cast in this movie that straddles a lot of different genres; Heist movie, Sci-Fi, Action and Noir. As the movie is set in the dream world you would expect a lot more gimmicky things happening, but once the film hits it's stride at the end you are grasped by the different narratives being intertwined. Saying that I should warn you that near the end of the movie there are five different realties existing on screen at the same time, but things never get to the point you can't follow what is happening. The ending does leave some questions as to the true nature of what you saw and demands another viewing.

Tyler's Take: LeBron James to Miami

Last week LeBron James announced that he was going to leave the city where he was born and raise and leave to sunny Miami. Now I firmly believe that it is within LeBron's rights to leave and play basketball wherever he sees fit, but there is a right way to so these things and a wrong way. LeBron James has just forever given us an example on how not to do something.

There really is no way that I can put everyone into the shoes of the people of Cleveland and the heartbreak they just experienced. In short they had a young man who grew up in the city, or at least close to it, and rose to the level of savior when he was drafted 7 years ago. He took them to their first NBA Finals ever and it doesn't really matter then that he lost because the fans knew there was plenty of time for the titles to come. Cleveland went from the worst attendance in the NBA to selling out almost every game, heck the value of the team almost doubled in the seven years LeBron was there. Then this happened.

Imagine if you will that it's 1993 and Michael Jordan has just won his 3rd NBA title and a year removed from leading America to Gold in the Summer Olympics. Everybody loves Michael, there is nothing he can do wrong. He is on the Wheaties box and everyone is wearing his shoes. But something is different, instead of announcing his would be retirement Michael Jordan announces that he is moving to Spain and gaining citizenship there so he could play against the USA in the upcoming Olympics. It doesn't matter from here on out if this fictional Jordan would go on to Spain and have success, what matters is he left us for someone else and the day would come where we would have to face the man we idolized in another country's colors.

"People leave teams all of the time," you may say. And you'd be right. It's not the leaving that hurts, it's the goodbye. I had the opportunity to listen to "The Decision" as I was, like millions of others who watched it on ESPN, enthralled by what would happen. Mere minutes before the announcement experts were being asked what they thought would happen and many came out and said they thought he would stay because he wouldn't have gone on national television to rip out the heart of his home town. I even agreed with them, I thought that he would surprise everyone and say he was staying.

We all know that didn't happen. He was on that stage surrounded by kids and said he was leaving. He was calm, cool and collected and said all the right things. The only problem was he was saying all the right things to everyone. LeBron had just broken up with the city of Cleveland on national TV. Now we have a little over 3 months to listen to every NBA analyst talk about whether or not this will work. Personally I think it may work out and they may win some championships. I also know that I will no longer "witness" LeBron's ascension to greatness like I once did. I think that Cleveland feels the same.

Pop Journal: Predators

Predators (MOVIE / 2010)

Predators is a film that does to Predator (1987) what Aliens did to Alien, takes a thriller where you don't see much of the antagonist and follows up with a visceral action flick. And it works. It really works, in fact this movie even feels like it could have been released a few years after the original. Fortunately the makers of this film decided to match the R rating of the original, not that I didn't enjoy the PG-13 AVP films of recent years, this film shows you why you should fear these guys. Adrien Brody delivers a great performance, one you could tell he was having a lot of fun playing, and the rest of the cast works really well. There is one exception to this as Laurence Fishburne makes at best a cameo as a crazy survivor who's in the film for no more than 10 minutes it seems. For a moment I thought the ending my eschew from a true us versus them fight, but the finale delivers a great sequence and leaves this film open for a sequel of it's own. Predators stands apart from other films this summer, and as such may not make the most money but it definitely deserves some attention.

Pop Journal: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (MOVIE / 2010)

The Lightning Thief is the first movie based on a series of "tween" books that takes ancient greek mythology and brings it to the modern day. Many things in the films universe can be seen in the Harry Potter films, in fact this film was directed by Christopher Columbus who directed the first 2 Potter films. Percy is a young man who is a misfit who comes to find out he is the son of the God Poseidon and is thrust into a fantastical journey. He is framed for stealing Zeus' Lightning Bolt and his mother is taken hostage. The story is not an original one, but you do have fun following him on his adventure. The special effects are good, not great, and there are a lot of familiar faces in the film. The film presents you with enough mythology to keep you up to speed with Percy's race to save his mother. The idea may not be an original one but I had a lot of fun watching this movie and hope that good success comes from the rentals (it did pretty bad in theaters) that we can see Percy's next adventure.

Pop Journal: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (MOVIE / 2009)

Yes, I just watched New Moon. Since I don't have a review up for Twilight I will kind of lump that in with this one. You see, I don't really mind these movies and that is really the best I can say about them. While watching them there is never a point that I want to stand up and get out of the room as fast as I can. In Twilight I had a couple of issues with how cheesy some of the effect were, but all of that was addressed in spades with New Moon. There are a lot of interesting things going on around Bella, but the biggest problem I have with these films is that I cannot stand her. This is all coming from the movies as I have never, and probably will never, read the books. I don't know why Jacob and Edward are swooning over her, nothing was presented to me to say "Wow, this highly emotional chick is whats I need." But in spite of her moping around the entire time I found myself intrigued by what would happen next, a tepid intrigue but nonetheless I made it through the viewings unscathed.

Pop Journal: The Box

The Box (MOVIE 2009)

Here's an interesting film from the maker of Donnie Darko (which I enjoyed) and Southland Tales (possibly the worst movie ever made) that sticks to those previous works in pacing and themes. The Box asks a lot of questions and presents you with a lot of different ideas and leaves you to take what you will from it. What did I take from it? I don't know. The cast gives good performances that make you interested in what is happening to them, but as they have no idea what is going on the same is true for you as the viewer. It does feel very similar to Donnie Darko, which was also a period film, but there is not a really big emotional payoff at the end. Yes, a sacrifice is made but it is made in response to a situation that really has no connection to the rest of the narrative. The Box is one of those movies you may enjoy if you don't need answers and want to take a mind bending ride.

Top 30 TV Shows (Live Action) FINAL

30. Frasier

29. Fringe

28. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

27. ER

26. Iron Chef America

25. Human Giant

24. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

23. Monday Night Football

22. CSI:

21. Survivor

20. Seinfeld

19. Star Trek: The Next Generation

18. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

17. Dexter

16. Psych

15. The Office

14. Mythbusters

13. 24

12. Newsradio

11. Late Night with Conan Obrien

10. 30 Rock

9. How I Met Your Mother

8. House

7. Scrubs

6. The X-Files

5. The West Wing

4. Arrested Development

3. LOST

2. Saturday Night Live

No question. Friends has had more influence on my life than any other show out there. In the mid 90's I wore sweater vests because Chandler wore sweater vests. I would say that 50% of the in jokes I have with my family is references from Friends. Sure it got a little shaky when they focused on Joey too much at the end, but there is nothing as consistently funny to me as the 10 years of Friends.

1. Friends

Pop Journal: Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 (MOVIE / 2010)

I cannot say enough good things about this movie. It took the characters that many have loved for years and took them on an incredibly different adventure than we have seen before. Sure, there is obvious parallels of the toys being stuck in a prison, but that's not what the movie is really about. The movie is about the inevitable changes that happens in ones life and the ability we have to meet those changes head on, and on our own terms. There are not as many laugh at loud moments in the film as in Toy Story 2, nor does it get as depressing as the first film. Toy Story 3 strikes a balance between sadness and joy that I haven't experienced in a theater for a while. In the end I was tearing up, not out of sadness but because there was a real connection to the characters in the film. Pixar is now 11 out of 11 in not only the Blockbuster game, it will make a lot of money, but in making films that continue to surprise an audience who thinks it has seen it all. Again, I can't say enough good things about this film other than see it now and see it often as I can't take the fact Shrek the Third and Forever After could make more money.