CYaN Podcast Episode 18: The Stretchy One
The CYaN Podcast is now legal! Whoo, cigarettes and lotto tickets! In this episode Danny and Ricky talk about a few new TV shows coming out and new comic book news, with lots of tangents involved. At the end of the show, Ricky proposes an idea about how frequently comics should be published.
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“This moment will just be another story someday.” A Book Review with No Spoilers
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Lately, I have been asked what i thought about this book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I think the fact that the movie is coming out soon is behind the increased curiosity.
This is a straight forward YA novel, but Stephen Chbosky has made it so personal that you cannot help but connect to these characters. The protagonist, Charlie, is an innocent 15 year old boy who is trying to find his place in the world instead of observing from the edges. Read More…
Cheap Date: August 22nd
Welcome readers to another installment of Cheap Date, where I will provide my recommendations on what nerdy entertainment that you should partake this week. On top of that, I will aim to have everything be no more than $30. What a bargain, right?
Hit the jump to see what I recommended this week…
Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 6 Recap: Buyout
Walt and company are busy cleaning up after last week’s shocking murder and we start with a silent montage of how they disposed of the body. I love how they handled the scene. You see them carefully taking apart the dirt bike so it would fit into an industrial barrel which they fill with acid. Once this is done Walt brings out another barrel and you just know what they plan to do with the boy’s body.
Click for a full (yet concise) recap with pictures.
CYaN Podcast Episode 17: Dude Bro Wars
Hello, everybody. Call Yourself A Nerd presents to you the CYaN Podcast with your hosts Danny and Ricky. On this week’s episode, we will talk about a few movie trailers and some of the trailers released last week at Gamescom. But more importantly, we’ll talk about Black Ops 2 and Halo 4.
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Thoughts of….”Oh Love” Music Video
Attention Rock Stars and even Rap stars for that matter:
Music + Scantily clad females does not a music video make!
Okay so I have been listening to Green Day’s single all week, mainly because my local rock station likes to beat new songs into our heads by over playing them between Nirvana and Sublime songs which are wonderful, but lose something when played on the hour every hour. Sorry for the negativity, lets move on…
Oh Love is Green Day’s newest single which we covered a month or so back . I love being able to hear the evolution in a band’s sound. Green Day’s sound feels close to their Warning album, but perhaps with a dash of Ritalin. Listen to their second single “Kill the DJ” to hear what I mean.
Okay back to the topic at hand; “oh love”‘s music video:
The video opens like a bad makeup ad; you have vapid models hanging out in the GD rehearsal area while these boys sing about their struggles with keeping emotions intact while their hearts war with their loins.
I think that with such a basic song like this the band could have pulled out a better music video. These women seem like mannequins and barely even convey that they are enjoying the music. Don’t get me wrong, in a song like this where lust is a big part of it beautiful women are essential. Just give me live women, not mindless shells. How is your heart getting confused when all you are staring at lies between her neck and belly button?
Towards the end of the video there are a few shots of the guys enjoying themselves drinking and laughing with these beautiful girls, but I just don’t see the tension building conflict of the song.
This is a rookie music video! Why? IMHO When a band is new and not comfortable with the theatrical aspect of shooting a music video they play the song and usually the label just throws some females and Gibson guitars in for good measure. (Replace Gibson guitars with whoever the band is endorsing in the video). I suppose I expect more from a veteran band.
Am I wrong? Please watch the video above and leave me a comment. Art is always up for discussion, even if it seems as empty as this video is.
Cheap Date: August 15th
For some of you it is pay day and that money is burning a hole in your pocket, but you do not know what you want to spend your money on. You have come to right place. Here on Cheap Date, I will give a couple of recommendations on how to spend $30 on nerdy entertainment for the week.
Hit the jump for all my lovely recommendations
A Legend Passes
Sunday night, I was reading through news and was stopped dead by the news that comics legend, Joe Kubert, had passed away. I started reading comic books circa 1994. I never got a chance to see his major work, such as Sgt. Rock and Hawkman, aside for single panels and cover images. I’ve been trying to think of how to address this loss in the comic book industry, but nothing can top Ryan Sohmer’s tribute over on The Gutters.
Joe Kubert’s true legacy in comics lies in the Kubert School where artists learned their craft. These artists then went on to influence more artists including myself. Fellow legend Neal Adams provided the art for this piece in honor of Joe Kubert.
Courtesy of The Gutters and Neal Adams
Seven Psychopaths Trailer
From the director of In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths is a new crime comedy about a group of dognappers who steal a Shih-Tzu from a crime lord. It sounds like a goofy indie comedy, right? Well it looks like one, too. I’m sold just on the cast alone: Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, and Colin Farrell. Looks like a lot of fun. Check it out (from Machinima).
What’s in my Library Bag?
I practically live at my local library, I mean it is perfect for people who possess insatiable media-based appetites. I can find that book I have been wanting to read, listen to the new album by <insert band name here>, flip through magazines that I don’t want cluttering up my coffee table, and even rent a movie to take home.
This week my haul is pretty amazing. Here is my week of figurative consumption:
BOOKS
I have been on a quest to understand the comic book world and since Batman is such a big part of 2012 I thought I would start from the beginning. First page and I feel so comfortable because an old friend from my Archie Comics days is there. Commissioner Gordon is a dead ringer for Hiram Lodge (Veronica’s father) in my humble opinion. Sorry, I am partial to tangents. The dialogue in this volume is amazingly bad! I mean he sees a light in a window and says, “A light! I should go there!” don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t take much away from “The Batman”. It is fun to see where this character we all grew up with came from and appreciate the evolution in art and writing.
What stuck out?:
The violence in this book is different than what I see in modern day heroes. Batman has no qualms about killing in the early issues and he is injured quite a few times. He gets shot and because he is human, he needs to make tactical retreats and lick his wounds. Oh and of course the Joker! He is not some lame mobster like the other villains in this volume. He is smart and has a game in place while also being insane. I immediately thought of The Dark Knight when i read it because this Joker calls his plays. Another touch I loved was the use of nerve chemicals to leave his victims with a gruesome smile. Very dark, I enjoyed it.
Please Click to see my advanced review of the new Bloc Party album and the rest of what’s in my library bag.
Call Yourself A Nerd 