Johnny Depp Plays Rango

Ringo?

No. Rango.

Coming March 4, 2011





Directed by Gore Verbinski who made a name off of directing The Ring and the Pirates of The Caribbean series, and also staring Isla Fisher (best known for being the crazy red-head in Wedding Crashers) and Abigail Breslin (little girl from Zombieland). I'm guessing the twist at the end of the film is Raoul Duke wakes up from thinking he's a lizard in a spaghetti western, proving this film to be an acid-trip-based sequel to Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas.

Organized Remain's Overview 3

Video:


*Nick walks in singing Samba De Amigo*

Nick - Jon what are you doing?

Jon - Playing the drums, and reading Falling Up by Shel Silverstein.

Nick - Well Shawn and I are planning on shooting an Organized Remain's Overview.... So leave!

Jon - You can't make me leave! Mom said that I don't have to listen to you, and if you have a problem then you can just *bangs on drum* beat it!

Nick - Fine, just don't be too loud when Shawn gets here!

*Later on*

Shawn - Welcome to the Organized Remain's Overview. I'm Shawn, and next to me is Nick. It has been awhile since the last O.R.O. and lots to talk about.

Nick - That's right I would say that it's movie time of the year. It just seems everything in the news is about movies coming out, Scott Pilgrim, A Smurf and Crow remake, and an awesome Mortal Kombat trailer that sadly doesn't have the theme. *Jon starts a drum beat* We also saw the film Mystery Team by Derrick Comedy, and made our first video... Jon shut up!

Jon - *Yells from off camera* Can't you move out already?

Shawn - I thought your little brother had summer poem camp?

Nick - I did too, but here he is! I'll go take care of it.

Shawn - *looks at camera* Uh... *Cough* Anyways we also saw the movie Eagle Vs. Shark. Which was a movie similar to Napoleon Dynamite. It was an alright movie, nothing spectacular with a 3.5*'s out of 5*'s. If you like dumb people that will have a conversation like *Cuts to Nick and Jon*

Nick - Dude, your drumming skills are weak. If there was a weak drumming skills contest you would come in 3rd because you're so weak. I can't believe people say I look like you.

Jon - Well I know you're wrong. I mean with teaching from Bryan Hitt, you're head is pretty much brain dead... in the head.

*Cuts back to Shawn*

Shawn - Uh a new show called Dual Survival, and Nick can tell you more about that... *Yells* Nick! It's still recording! Talk about Dual Survival!

Nick - Oh Dual Survival is this new show on Discovery, that takes two survival experts and makes them work together. It's pretty awesome.

Jon *Yells from off camera* - You couldn't survive two hours in the back of mom's minivan!

Nick - Jon sometimes stupidity can be multiplied by 32... you're that case. You know you're so *Jon starts banging on drums, and yells I can't hear you! Over my awesomeness!* like a wild rabbit,*Shawn gives the sign to turn off the camera* so helpless against my power of a human being.

*Camera off*
*Nick off screen*

Shawn - Nick had to attend... uh let me just wrap this Overview up by saying Organized Remains has put its video game collection on Backloggery. Check it out the link is in the description, and make some game recommendations! There are a lot of games we haven't played yet! Also always check out OrganizedRemains.com. It's updated daily! Bye!

*Credits*

Samba De Amigo musical

*Credits*

Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do Review

image from Amazon

Thanks to my subscription to Marvel Digital Comics (which is a great service, especially if you can find a deal crunching the subscription price), I decided to check out actor/director Kevin Smith's Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do. It starts off with Felicia Hardy, an old flame of Peter Parker being called upon by a friend to hunt down the missing body of movie star Trisha Lane. Hardy dawns the old Black Cat costume and heads to Spider-Man's neck of the woods, where the web-head is on the hunt for a heroin dealer named Mr. Brownstone. Spidey and Cat reconnect and sparks fly which makes things very awkward for Parker who's married to Mary Jane.

The first three of the six issues combined into this graphic novel are amazing. Spider-Man's funny, Black Cat is sexy and flirtatious, each of the characters have their own issues they're trying to deal with and everything's fun. When Kevin Smith finished the third issue of the series he took three years off to work on various films. When the series came back, the final three issues were totally about rape. Maybe it's being a product of America where I'm okay being over-indulged with violence but sex is taboo. And I understand why Kevin Smith would want to do a dark storyline fully centered on rape, as it follows one of the best motivations for comics to be around - they hit upon real topics in the real world that real people have suffered and let them know they're not alone. And the characters don't make it subtle either, promoting that rape victims need therapy and support and to band together to overcome what they've endured to live whole lives. That's all well and good, but it's hard to stomach, especially with characters I love.


Overall Rating:
Because the half-way point serves as a division of two completely separate entities, I'll factor that into my rating. The first three issues get 5 *'s out of 5 from me because they're absolutely perfect. The last three issues get about 2 1/2 *'s out of 5. Combine those and you get 7 1/2, then divide it by two, and you'll find an overall rating of 3 3/4 *s out of 5. It's pretty good and some people, maybe even girls who read comics might really appreciate it. Know now though that it's not a comic for everyone.

Mario Marathon 2010

It's been going on since Friday, but it's still good to mention that the Mario Marathon is still going on. Donate some money if you want, it's for a great cause. Not much else to say except check it out!

*Update*
To donate you need to go to the Mario Marathon site. The donate button on our site is to to donate to us at Organized Remains... which would be awesome... just saying.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox Review

image from Amazon

Premise:
Mr. Fox (George Clooney) is a cleptomaniac, chalking his urge to sneak and steal from farmers as his true animal side. When Mr. Fox's wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) informs him she's pregnant, he gives up the wild side of his life to be a mundane husband and newspaper columnist. Mr. Fox hates his den however and goes shopping for real estate, finding a tree that overlooks three enormous farms, ripe for the thieving. Unfortunately for Mr. Fox these are the meanest most vindictive farmers you've ever met.


Standouts:
The first thing that stands out about this movie is the use of stop-motion animation. Everyone's seen and at some point loved a stop-motion animation film before, as they used to be all the rage. A few of my own favorites include Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Even Tim Burton's Corpse Bride wasn't awful, though not an ideal example of a great example to follow. There were very few points during the film that I forgot how evident the look of the film was and at times it was distracting, but what made it more distracting was the ridiculous Brit-Indie stunts the characters demonstrate. Overall, these factors really weighed the film down more than helping it. The worst offense of the film is definitely the use of "cuss" as a replacement word for any ... cuss-word. There was never any need for it. Real creative people find ways to demonstrate the same emotions without resorting to language censorship.

What I really liked about the film were the characters. Everyone had their own story going on. Mr. Fox was the middle-aged midlife crisis father/husband, his son was the awkward angsty teen that blames everyone else for his isolation, Mr. Fox's nephew was the victim who couldn't help that he was taught great feats by his own ailing father. The plot as a whole really worked in the film's favor.


My Highlights:
William Dafoe playing a sinister rat that works for one of the evil farmers. The Rat has a long and storied history with Mr. Fox and appear to be old rivals. For all the sinister acts the rat portrays in the film however, his ending is really sweet.


Overall Rating:
There were moments in the film I really didn't understand who the target audience was. Lots of the plot moments felt far too mature for kids, which is who you would think a cartoon is created for. Also the animation and language censorship, "barriers" I'm sure the creators called them were very distracting at times. Still not a bad movie though, just some odd production decisions made. 3 1/2 *'s out of 5 or 7 1/2 *'s out of 10.


When You Should See It:
If you're really into artsy films or studying animation then see it right away. I'm not sure if kids would really like the film but they might if they're about 7-12. So if you've also got kids in that age range it'd be worth it to test this movie out on them. Otherwise it's a film not worth the effort to see, but not worth the effort to avoid. Cable TV on a boring night worthy.

Blur the Story

On Sunday the gaming community went wild because of a little game called Blur. A racing game that just came out in May that is usually $60 became $10! This is how it works. First the game became $40 on sale at Best Buy, then Best Buy is giving away $10 off coupon to reward zone card owners, and finally the makers of Blur are throwing in a $20 off coupon. $60, $40, $30, $10!!!!!

On Sunday when the deal went live, I was reading through Cheap Ass Gamer and came across the thread. I was reading that it's working for 50% of the people, and failing the other 50%. So I sat in my chair, and thought about if I should go through with it. Half the time I don't like Best Buy, and the last time I went in I didn't have a good trip, so it was bothering me. I decide to go through with it. What's the worst that can happen, I don't get the game right?

Well on Sunday I'm getting the coupons and the $20 off one on Blur's website coupon works perfectly. The rewards zone one is a different story, turns out I'm not apart of their website? So I have to activate my card that I've had forever. I get to the part that it says click the link in the activation E-mail. I go and check my E-mail, and nothing is there. I keep checking throughout the day, and nothing. I give up.

I wake up Monday morning to see an E-mail. Took them over 12 hours to send me an activation E-mail! Oh well, so now I have the coupon. Now the quest officially starts. I get in my car and drive. During the drive I'm just thinking of different ways this can go through, and I almost make myself think there is no way Best Buy will let this happen.

I get to Best Buy, and I go into the store. Right where the games are I'm headed. I find Blur, and see many copies of it. This makes me think alright no one has got this game because they wouldn't allow the coupon!

I get to the cash register, and she rings up my reward zone card, and reward zone coupon. Now it's time to see if the other one works! She scans it, it seems like time slowed down. Nothing happens... so she scans the coupon. A message on the computer reads invalid coupon. My brain explodes inside my head, while I wait for the "You can't use both coupons talk." The girl behind the register then types something into the computer and says, "Your total is $9.99."

I walk out of the store in a happy mood, and for now Best Buy is back on my good side.... epic right?

Jerry Seinfeld vs. Lady Gaga

image from BestWeekEver.TV

According to Entertainment Weekly Jerry Seinfeld was either very upset or very amused by Lady Gaga's antics at a recent Mets game. Gaga held a front row seat and wore only a Yankees jersey over some black undergarments, and made no bones about her drinking habits. Hey, it's a summer game, probably very few people there didn't have a beer. But while other reports say she flicked off photographers, there are conflicting reports saying she flicked off the fans. Either way, her behavior saw her escorted from the front row to a box seat which Jerry Seinfeld paid for. The quote all the news sites are stealing for their headlines: “This woman’s a jerk. I hate her.” I'm not sure how to feel about this report, as no one seems to be able to put their finger on whether or not Seinfeld was serious. Before he branched off of the topic for a comedic bit about giving the finger, Senfield also had this to say, "I can’t believe they put her in my box, which I paid for. You give people the finger and you get upgraded? Is that the world we’re living in right now?”

It all sounds very bitter and whiny but from the audio clip I've heard out there he sounds like he's doing just another comedy bit, but with less laughter. So I'll respond on behalf of my two biases.

The bias that loved the show Seinfeld says this was just a radio show host trying to get Seinfeld's thoughts on a topic he never brought up, so Seinfeld took it and ran with it for kicks.

The bias that remembers Seinfeld agreeing when Leno gave Conan the figurative finger and got promoted says he's a washed-up C-lister who's jealous of Gaga's newfound fame and the fact she can get away with hijacking his paid-for box seats when she's too drunk to give a darn.

Depending on which bias you have, you might see the story one way or the other. Really it's all very open-ended.

Thoughts on E3 2010 Games

Video:


Script: We talked about the conferences, but lets talk about more of the games! Since there is a giant list, I'm not going to say a ton about each game.

Sly Cooper Collection HD: I'm very excited for this, since it's one of my favorite series. Hoping they do this with more games!

Mafia II: I never played the first, but this looks like a fun game.

Rock Band 3: The 4 player game changed into a 7 player game with back up vocals and the Keyboard. Also introducing a new guitar that has strings and all the frets! This game looks great... sadly $150 for just the new guitar.

Guitar Hero 6: "You hear about the new Rock Band 3 guitar?" "Ya, but our new guitar can change faceplates!" I guess a new setlist is always welcome, but it's kinda good knowing there's probably no way I will get a new guitar, and that's money saved.

Tron Evolution: It looks cool, but this game will either be a hit or miss.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future: Big fan of the other two, so this will be a must have for me.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge: Lucas Arts making 3 awesome looking Star Wars games, but Monkey Island 2 remake is what I'm most looking forward too.

Dance Central: I liked DDR, but will I like real dancing? I'm willing to give it a shot.

Pac-Man Party: I love Pac-Man, not sure how great this game will be, but it looks good for a party game. Also the mention of Dig-Dug can't hurt.

Wii-Party: I think I'm going to go with Pac-Man.

Twisted Metal: Looks pretty awesome... do I need to say anything else?

Portal 2: Looks pretty awesome... do I need to say anything else? Oh ya... CAKE!

Red Faction: Armageddon: Does this look like Dead Space? Still up for some Red Faction.

WWE All Stars: Lots of muscle.

Super Scribblenauts: Fixed the controls to the first game, and added a bunch of new objectives. This is the game I wanted to play last year!

Obviously a lot more games, Sly Cooper, Twisted Metal, Monkey Island, Professor Layton, Rock Band 3, and Assassin's Creed are the games I look most forward to. Then mostly every other game mentioned at E3 is on our games we look forward to after the most forward to.

They didn't even talk about Epic Mickey! Also I didn't hear Metal Gear Solid, Gears of War 3, Call of Duty or Halo on their most wanted list... how dare they!

Sherlock Holmes Review

image from Amazon

Premise:
The movie kicks off in the brunt of action with Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) foiling an occult sacrifice by Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Blackwood gets imprisoned but gives Holmes a cryptic promise of his resurrection and revolution which Holmes quickly dismisses. Well Blackwood gets hung but doesn't stay dead, so the case is re-opened and now the dynamic 19th century duo have to crack the case and stop Blackwood before he murders again.


Standouts:
There were three main things that stood out to me about this movie. The first was that there was a crap-load of action in this movie; much more so than someone who actually knows the tales of Sherlock Holmes would expect. So don't go in expecting a straight-mystery "who dunnit?" film.

Secondly, I can't attest if the books are like this but whenever I saw Holmes and Watson talking it reminded me of Dr. Gregory House and Dr. James Wilson. But then I've also heard that House is based off of Sherlock Holmes so that may not be coincidental. Regardless of what was an allusion to what, it was very entertaining.

Thirdly and finally, the final minutes really dragged on. Personally I think the last shot of the film should have been of Holmes and his love-interest Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) after she hints towards the plot for a sequel to this film, but someone clearly felt it was necessary to go back and explain Holmes discoveries from something in the beginning of the movie. Felt like they could have ended it with a bigger punch, even though the legitimate ending seemed like a snag from Batman Begins.


My Highlights:
Anything with the giant French henchman (Robert Maillett AKA ex-pro wrestler Kurrgan who played the Über-Immortal in the film 300). His character was overflowing with personality and tons of great fight scenes. Also the scene with Rachel McAdams undressing (no nudity in the film, but VERY hot).


Overall Rating:
The actual mystery portion of the film played a far-far-far second-fiddle to the action in this film, and all the discoveries are completely spoon-fed to you. However, the chemistry between the actors is great, the dialog is funny and believable and the action's amazing. Looking past that most will expect more intellectual process from a film about the world's greatest fictional detective, the only thing that really weigh down this popcorn flick is the run time (2 hours, 8 minutes). So the final score for this film is a very respectable and impressive 4*'s out of 5, or 8*'s out of 10.


When You Should See It:
If you're going on a trip or some occasion where you don't want a thinker, you just want to see stuff get destroyed and good bromance one-liners. Maybe it'd be a good date movie if your partner likes any of the actors / actresses involved.

Thoughts on E3 2010 Conferences

Video:


Script: E3 is passed, and my cold finally cleared up so I can make a video of it. I'm talking about the conferences in this. I don't see the need to mention Halo, Gears of War, Call of Duty, Killzone 3, or Metal Gear Solid because these are the main games people are looking forward to, and we've all have heard a ton about them.

First conference I watched was the 360 one. They talked a lot about the Kinect, and a lot of people are thinking, "Meh." I wouldn't think meh until I saw that the price is a little much for me to spend. The adventure game with the raft looked like it would be fun, and while we are all making fun of Skittles the tiger I know some people that would love it.

Next up is the Nintendo conference. Everyone is excited about the 3DS, but I'm not going to get excited until I hear a price. If it's a reasonable $150 too $200 then I will, but if it's over that I will wait till a cheaper price. Also the games they were showing looks very awesome. I'm looking very forward to the Donkey Kong Country game! I was sad to hear nothing about a Wii HD though.

The third one was the Sony conference. I was surprised to see the Move actually looks fun. Some of the games I will pass on, but Sorcery looks like a fun game for the Move. Also they're updating some games to use it for example Heavy Rain. What disappointed me was the whole 3D...ness. I hope they don't start making games with only 3D, because if people are like me we don't want to spend over $2,000 for a new TV. Also I was hoping for the announcement of down-loadable PS2 games.

I also saw the Ubisoft conference, which talked about the new Assassin's Creed game which I'm looking forward to. Also they showed a Shaun White Skateboarding game. I'm not sure what to think of this game, since the snowboarding game was pretty bad, I hope skateboarding is done better. With all the rails moving about... it's like an acid trip. From Skateboarding we go to a shooting game that doesn't take place infront a TV. Laser tag, but for around the house. Which I remember having as a kid. This version of laser tag will send all the kill points to your TV. I'm not to sure about this, it seems expensive, and possibly breakable.

The last conference I watched was the EA one. Everyone is excited for Need for Speed, and Dead Space 2. I'm more interested in Medal of Honor, Bulletstorm, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Nothing really to say about this one, but woo games!

Check back later for Organized Remain's thoughts of the games at E3!

Thoughts on It's Effin' Science

During the E3 craziness, G4TV put on a new show of theirs called It's Effin Science. This is where they take three people. A girl, a guy that looks like Jon Heder, and another guy, and they do stuff (yes stuff is the right word). They make a battleship game using a pool, a potato gun, and walk in the dark.

I thought this show was going to be like Mythbusters. Not in the myth way, but in the way they build something cool. They built stuff... yep.

As for the three hosts, they're actually entertaining. If it wasn't for them being entertaining this show would be super terrible. They're fun to watch and all, but not as fun to watch as the Mythbuster people.

My favorite part would have to be when they showed how to power a light using a telephone socket.

Final Say: I wish I could go into more detail about this show, but it's just meh. The positives being the hosts, and the pretty girls. The negatives being everything else. I understand science can be boring, and to make a science show watchable, you have to end up doing crazy stunts, or end up being crazy (I'm looking at you Bill Nye!). The show is half way there, they just need more interesting things to do. So I'm going to pass from watching next weeks show, unless it's the only thing on.

Smurfs

This film looks like such a typical cheesy modern-Hollywood adaptation of a popular franchise that it'll be definitely be loved or hated by the masses. I'm guessing hated but I'm a cynic. Things that make me think there'll be some outrage: they took a village of creatures that live in the grassy knolls and mushroom groupings and brought them to New York, they had over-used peppy late 80's rap music, and typical monuments being effected by the sure-to-be revolutionary changes that this movie will have on society. And if that wasn't enough, the cherry-gimmick, 3D. Can't wait to see how this does in theaters once released, just out of morbid curiosity.

Thoughts on Super Mario Bros. Movie

I just saw the Super Mario Bros. Movie for the first time, and yes it has been out for awhile, but I just wanted to say what's on my mind. I did think it was a good movie, and I know a lot of people that hated it. I think once you look passed the things they left out, Bowser, Princess Peach... the Mario theme, it's a decent movie.

Not going into to much detail since most of you have probably seen it. For the people that haven't seen it, it's a kids movie, and has little to do with the actual video game. If that sounds bad to you... maybe you should stay away.

CBVGR: Samba De Amigo

Video Review:


Script: Welcome to the Clearance Bin Video Game Review by Organized Remains. Shake Shake Shake the controllers as we play Samba De Amigo for the Wii. You can find this game for $10, or get it for 100 points on Goozex like I did.

In Samba De Amigo you point the WiiMote and Nunchuk in the direction the icons show you. When the notes hit the circles, you then shake the controllers to the beat. Let me quote the back of the case. "A maraca-shaking fiesta of fun!"... Sounds like a great game right? You're at a fiesta... party for you English speaking people, you got some maraca-shaking action, and you're having fun!... Right? Well to have a party, you need at least two people right?

While there is a single player mode, think about it. You're shaking these WiiMotes around to La Bamba, and you're boss walks in. Either you'll get promoted to lead teacher down at the local school for maraca-shaking, or you'll be demoted to cleaning the toilets at the local movie theater dressed in a VHS tape costume for $3.50 an hour! We want a fiesta! Take the dusty friends out of the attic, because playing this game with chums will let you enjoy it more.

Well to have a good music game, you gotta have some good music. Thankfully I found the set list for this game to be decent. Sure it's not the best soundtrack to a game, but for a maraca-shaking game it will do.

We now have a song, and a fiesta. How is the actual game? There is a list of mini games to choose from for multiplayer. I suggest playing the quick play option, because I found the mini games to be lame, but I guess the love one was alright. When it comes to actually playing the game, the shaking doesn't work perfectly, but once you get use to it, it can be fun.

Final Say: The fun might not last long for some people out there, because it couldn't keep me glued to the screen. While I was joking about the single player at the beginning, and it can be fun to play by yourself, I would suggest this game as more of a party game. If you think shaking the WiiMote would be fun, go for Samba De Amigo. If you think that sounds like a bad idea, you might want to go somewhere else.

Director Wants To Do Wonder Woman Movie

image from Amazon

According to Movie Line, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (known for The Pusher Trilogy and Bronson) did an interview where he showed a great amount of interest in doing a film based off of the DC Comic franchise, Wonder Woman. While DC Comics haven't shown this director any hints of interest they want him to do the movie, it's kind of awe-inspiring to me that anyone would volunteer to tackle that project. Granted, I haven't seen any of Nicolas Winding Refn's films, though Bronson is on my Netflix Instant Watch Queue, but what he describes in the interview for Wonder Woman makes me think he has a better head on his shoulders for the issues than anyone else.

Hit Upon Points of Wonder Woman:
- Shouldn't be excessively violent and gory. Yes, she's an Amazonian Warrior, but it's a character tailor made to inspire children.
- It's not the kicking butt that should intrigue people, it's the idea of a world where women are stronger than men.
- In addition to that theme, it'd involve a culture clash, where a woman stronger than all men is no longer in her world where it's the norm. Does she conform to a man's society, or do men conform for her?
- Kicking butt would still be involved, but you have to find the right villain.
- Wonder Woman villains in the franchise suck.
- Seriously. Read above-point.
- The biggest problem to tackle is finding if the lead villain is a man or woman. Man-on-woman violence is bad in Hollywood. Woman-on-woman violence is either hot, or dry and uninteresting.
- Maybe Wonder Woman's mother is the villain? Goin' Biblical all up in this house.

So overall, wow. This guy is looking in the eye of a storm and saying "Someone get me my rain coat."

Kansas, Foreigner, and Styx oh my!

Yesterday I went to the United We Rock tour concert featuring Kansas, Foreigner, and Styx. Kansas was good, Foreigner was great, and Styx was epic! There isn't much to say about the music except it was awesome! I'm just going to talk about what happened at the concert.

Lawn Seats: My girlfriend and I received free Lawn Seat tickets. Lawn Seats are the furthest away seats from the stage, but since they were free we can't complain. I can complain about the other people at the concert though. When you're on the lawn, you just pick a spot and set your chairs up. We are all set up, and these two high school kids show up without chairs and just sit in-front of me. He kept putting his hand on my shoe accidentally, and I would have been fine with this except THERE WAS PLENTY OF ROOM INFRONT OF HIM TO MOVE UP! Thankfully he didn't sit on my lap, and left after Kansas walked off the stage.

The lawn seats are the only seats at this place that people can smoke. No one blew smoke in my face surprisingly, but it seemed like every 10 mins they went for another one. I don't smoke, but I believe smoking is suppose to relax you a little... do you really need to relax that much at a concert!? Once again I could be wrong since I don't smoke.

People behind us: Lets go to a concert that features Foreigner, and talk about how we don't like Foreigner! You know how someone always yells Freebird at a concert? The guy behind me yelled "Skynyrd!" As if he didn't know what the song was. Way to be awkward, group behind us!

Shirts: My girlfriend left the seats to find a bathroom and a pretzel. When she came back, she surprised me with a very awesome Styx shirt! She told me that someone said this at the merchandise stand, "$30 for a T-shirt? I would understand if it was Nickelback." Do I have to explain more?

Leaving: Leaving a concert is usually a pain. You gotta be patient, so we waited in the car to let the traffic die down. Right across from our car is these two high school students (I'm guessing freshmen) standing on the back of their truck. Just laughing, saying "Have a good night!" To each car that passed, you know stupid high school stuff. Then my girlfriend noticed they're drinking liquor straight from the bottle. They had it out in the open, and I thought about how easy it would have been to bust these kids. I'm guessing their parents went to see the concert, and they couldn't arrange a babysitter so they told them to wait at the truck.

Franklyn Review

image from Amazon

Premise:
This film follows the life of four strangers, one of whom is not of present day or possibly dimension. In modern day London we follow Emelia a morbid art student wishing to kill herself to punish her mother, Milo a lonely love-scorned loser wishing for a new romance, and Peter an old man looking amongst the homeless shelters for his long-lost son. Juxtaposed against these stories is the tale of Jonathan Preest a masked vigilante in post-apocalyptic looking religion-enforced Meanwhile City with a score to settle.


Standouts:
Meanwhile City is holy-crap-awesome looking. The entire plot of Jonathan Preest's story is incredibly intriguing and well-done for a Superhero film, while the directing and special effects of the post-apocalyptic world are stunning. Unfortunately all of the surprising reveals of the film fall pretty flat. And speaking of flat, the action scenes were decent at best. With masked vigilantism, you know there's going to be some hand-to-hand combat but things more often than not felt kind of half-hearted.


My Highlights:
Jonathan Preest's describing of the world that is Meanwhile City. Nothing will impress me more about this movie than the telling of a vengeful faithless man living in a tyrannical city where everyone is forced to have, and recite upon asking, their religion. There's a little bit of force-feeding 'religion is bad' message in the description but it's something I've never seen done so uniquely and I thought it was really cool.


Overall Rating:
It wasn't an awful movie but baring one fourth of the movie's premise there's not a lot to take away from the film. I'll give it a 2 3/4 *'s out of 5, or 5 1/2 *'s out of 10.


When You Should See It:
It's not a film that all your friends have seen and will be talking about, or even just the first part - it's not a film that all your friends have seen. For a pretty unknown movie it's likely to stay that way. It's a film not worth the effort to actively steer away from but also not a film to make the effort to see.

Thoughts on Dual Survival

I'm a big fan of Survivorman, so when I saw a commercial for Dual Survival I knew I had to check it out. Dual Survival is on the Discovery Channel, and takes two different guys out into the wild to work together and survive. One of the guys named Dave Canterbury was in the military, and won't let mother nature push him around. The other guy named Cody Lundin is more of a hippy, and wants to be one with mother nature.

What I was worried about with this show was them arguing on what to do. I don't want to watch drama, I want to see survival techniques, two men working together, and sharing their ideas. If I want to see drama I will watch Survivor the reality game show. I'm very happy that the show is exactly what I wanted. Sure there was a little fighting, but these two people were smart enough to know that if you want to survive you have to work as a team.

Seeing both people with different outlooks on how to survive was very interesting. They both showed they had great ideas, and knew a lot about the outdoors. Cody built a great shelter that I've never seen before that was great for keeping heat in. Dave showed great hunting techniques, and how to catch wildlife.

I have really nothing to complain about except for the length of time. It seemed like they were only out there for 3 to 4 days. What I loved about Survivorman was that he was out there for 7 days, he would go without food for 3 days, and that's when the real surviving started.

Final Say: I still like Survivorman better because he was surviving longer, and he video taped everything himself, but Dual Survival is still a great show. There are not too many survival shows on T.V. (Survivor the reality game show doesn't count), but I'm always a fan of seeing them. I will continue watching Dual Survival weekly, and erge everyone to check it out. You might learn a thing or two about survival.

Final Warning!!!! The show did contain some gore, and killing of an animal. For people that are against seeing a Porcupine's intestines, might want to close your eyes during this scene, or check out a different show.

Are Ya Ready Kids? AYE AYE CAPTAIN!

According to USA Today, an 8 year old New Jersey Boy named Reese Ronceray used what he learned from Spongebob Squarepants to save a 5 year old drowning boy. The mother of the drowning boy thought it was safe for her child to swim near the shore of a lake, thinking it was shallow but it was actually six feet deep and she was too much in a panic to save the child herself.

Reese rides in in a white horse carrying the sun on his shoulders and whipping his wild hair around, then places the mighty Excaliber on his stead for safe keeping. Reese plunges into the lake with a kind of grace that would make Aquaman jealous and latches onto the drowning child. The vicious Poseidon called out to Reese "NOT TODAY BOY!" and took both children underwater but in the dark depths of the lake, Reese was blessed the wisdom of a holograph of his mentor Spongebob Squarepants.

With a new lease on life, Reese kicked and swam with everything he had until he surfaced with the young citizen pressed above his head! As the mother of the drowning boy hugged Reese, he called to the lake "Now Poseidon, just come on back if you ever wanna try again. Cuz I told you once, you son of a gun, I'm the best there's ever been!"

Movie Review: Eagle vs. Shark

Source of Image
Before Watching: A lot of people have suggested that if you liked Napoleon Dynamite you will like Eagle vs. Shark. Since I did like Napoleon Dynamite a lot, I checked this film out.

Premise: Lily (Loren Horsley) is reserved and awkward, while Jarrod (Jemaine Clement) is an introspective oddball who's blind to Lily's affection for him -- until a celebration mixed with a strange plan to exact revenge on Jarrod's high school foe brings the two misfits together. Oscar-nominated director Taika Cohen also penned this offbeat romantic comedy co-starring Joel Tobeck as Lily's brother and sounding board. (Taken from Netflix)

My Highlights: The characters were the biggest highlight, and how insane they were. We here at Organized Remains don't know too many people from New Zealand (Which we believe was the setting of this movie), but we wonder if everyone over there acts like this. I think this is the only film I've seen that took place in New Zealand. The fight at the end of the movie was also a great highlight from the movie.

Overall Rating: I liked Napoleon Dynamite better than Eagle vs. Shark but that doesn't mean it was horrible. I enjoyed the story, and the characters. The animated scenes with a walking apple I could have done without. The movie earns a little more than average with a 3.5*'s out of 5*'s with quite a few laugh out loud moments to the movie.

When You Should See It: If you liked Napoleon Dynamite then give it a rent. It's nothing you have to rush out and see. If you didn't like Napoleon Dynamite you won't like this movie. If you haven't seen Napoleon Dynamite, then go check out the trailer to both movies, and rent.

Mortal Kombat Reboot Proposal

A lot of people might pitch a movie with a couple of pages of script, or a line-up of potential cast and a brief synopsis of the plot, but these guys are so confident in their reboot of the Mortal Kombat film series that they filmed 8 minutes of the film already! And man is it awesome. Warning: the trailer doesn't include the Mortal Kombat theme, but I'll post that under the video for nostalgia. The reboot teaser-trailer abandons a lot of the camp and retro for grit and realism. Well, realism may be disputable given that Scorpion's still got a freaking grappling hook spear launching from his hand, but everything else is explained in the teaser trailer with enough detail that I'd buy into it.





For a little more information, see Kotaku.

Thoughts on The Hard Times of RJ Berger

Why did MTV have a movies award show in June? My guess is MTV has a contract of how many swears it can beep. The contract was almost up, so they put on an award show so they can use up the beeps in the contract. Sadly since I haven't seen Twilight, I felt left out. Most of the awards went to Twilight (big shock). Well after the MTV Movie Awards came a new show to MTV called The Hard Times of RJ Berger... then 6 repeats of the MTV Movie Awards.

The Hard Times of RJ Berger is about Michael Cera... I mean the guy that was Kick Ass, uh wait no, I mean the kid from Zombieland. Is that right? Both had the same haircut, both have crush on girl, both are awkward characters, both are involved in a zombie apocalypse... wait that's not right. Ah so they aren't the same! Also there is another difference (that we know of) between the two, RJ Berger has a big D***! Which is revealed to everyone in the school after some jock pulls down his pants. I never understood why people would do this. "Hey Brian watch this *pulls kids pants down* HAHA." "Man Tony! That is totally not gay! Which you show by dating the hot girl in school!"

My first impression from the promos was this was going to fail. Which it might... can you name any non reality program on MTV? Andy Milonakis, Beavis and Butthead, and Wonder Showzen you say? Alright name one that came out in the past 5 years that reached to a second season... Human Giant! Ok wow, you got me, but come on that has Aziz Ansari and that's basically cheating!

Final Say: I made it through the episode, and I'm surprised to say that I will be coming back to check out the next episode. Sure it's not the best show out there, but if you like the awkward characters Michael Cera plays in his movies, then you should enjoy The Hard Times of RJ Berger.

Watch it here.

Wolverine: Origins Vol. 1-4 Comic Review

Vol. 1 - Born In Blood (issues #1-5)The first couple of issues are a chore to read through, as there isn't much to glorify. The artwork stays consistently great through the entire series but other than that, things don't spell good for the first volume. In the first issue Wolverine is armed with a mega-samurai sword that can cut through anything, which seems so needless and excessive since he's got his claws. As for storylines, you're given the impression that Wolverine has his full memory back only to find out he's just as confused as the reader. There's an epic conspiracy going on that Wolverine, the US government all the way to the President, and even Shield. Nuke gets sicked upon Wolverine and looks like he's going to give him the fight of his life, only to get owned pretty hard, then get saved by the X-Men and Captain America to calm Wolverine down. Wolverine vs. Cap is pretty decent and Wolverine's flashbacks do get exponentially better with each issue that you go through, but the later issues in this volume are way better than the early ones. So if you buy this volume and start feeling buyer's remorse when you start reading it, I advise you keep reading because it's at least a decent 3 *'s out of 5 overall.

Vol. 2 - Savior (issues #6-10)
Omega Red attacks Wolverine in his hunt for answers and Logan has to turn to Black Widow for help finding an artifact that can beat Red. How do you beat a Russian? With a Russian. Wolverine shows intelligence, masterful planning and self-sacrifice rather than using Black Widow's added strength to fight, and it comes off beautifully. Wolverine's flashbacks however especially become intriguing and very shaping of the man he is today. Black Widow's childhood gets delved into as well through Wolverine's flashback and isn't half-bad. This volume is greatly better than the previous, making Born In Blood look like crap. 4 1/2 *'s out of 5, especially for the ending where Wolverine meets eye-to-eye with the man he's been looking for: His son.

Vol. 3 - Swift and Terrible (issues #11-15)
Another great volume, primarily spending all five issues getting to know Wolverine's son. It turns out he's a sick and twisted serial killer of sorts who's just given a direction by his handlers; the same handlers who made Wolverine into the animal he is today. We're also introduced between Logan's story and his son's story to a new villain: Cyber, with a fascinating backstory of military authoritative abuse and malice. There are two downfalls in this volume, both relating to Cyber. The first downfall is how quickly Cyber becomes allies with Wolverine, albeit just for information about their common enemy: Wolverine's son and the puppeteers who pit family against each other. It really softened Cyber's malicious and vicious nature built up in his backstory. The second downfall was how Cyber is written out, as he doesn't return in the next volume. Cyber's waffling could have been redeemed with a great ending for the character, but it fell really flat. Fingers crossed that Cyber returns in a later issue with more strength and conviction to kill Wolverine and/or his son, but if he does, it's beyond my knowledge. On the positive side, this volume is FILLED with gore, bloodshed and action. I'm talking a big number of extensive fight scenes which helps it out. The total score for this volume is 4 *'s out of 5.

Vol. 4 - Our War (issues #16-20 + Annual #01)
A little confusing in terms of continuity. Issues #16-20 completely drop the on-going stories and goals of Wolverine for an extensive dedication to Captain America. Wolverine details how he was something of a double-agent in World War II, taking orders from his handlers but by orders trying to gain the trust of Cap, but frequently butts head with Cap's sidekick Bucky. Things get gritty, intense and full of swerves, especially when Logan finds out his orders have changed. As it turns out this volume was full of Logan's memories of his time with Cap due to his death, which was the hot button topic at the time of print in the Marvel universe. While completely useless to continuity, holy crap what an awesome story! I greatly recommend everyone check out this graphic novel because it doesn't require any catching-up or understanding of on-going events. It's strictly in flash-back form, only jumping to modern day Logan getting drunk and thinking about things in retrospect. Then the additional Annual issue at the end of the volume goes back to Wolverine's story but is pretty meh and repetitive to anyone who's followed up to this volume. But I'm actually going to completely omit it because it doesn't add or subtract to the on-going stories built up in Origins and appears to be done by completely different writers and/or artists. Story continuity aside, this volume gets 5 *'s out of 5!


Overall Rating:
Averaging all the ratings, this collection gets 4 *'s. The first volume is really, undoubtedly the weakest, but it's not the worst thing I've ever read. Ironically, the worst thing I've ever read was Wolverine: Worst There Is. Check this series out, at the very least volume 4 because Captain America has never looked more amazing to me.

Phil Review: 3D Dot Heroes

Video Review:


Phil: This is Phil and Kent back again to do a review on the game 3D Dot Heroes on the PS3. I'm old, this game seems old... can it be trusted? I'm having difficulties picking a character from all these people... Santa...Funk? Poochie? President?

Kent: Just be the first guy and start the game already!

Phil: The game seems pretty cool, the water looks a little too realistic for my tastes if I do say so myself.

Kent: H2o OMG. The water isn't important in this game! It's the mega sword... all the way to the bank!

Phil: Mega sword, more like sword too big for the screen if I do say so myself. I'm trying dash over here, and bam I hit a tree! Why can't I just run to my destination!

Kent: You don't have worry that dad... Since you only get the mega sword if you have full health. Which you never.

Phil: What you little punk! Back in my day we had a little game called Zelda II. If you had full health, you had this little magically shooty thing coming out of your sword. I was a master of that game!

Kent: Zelda is so old, unless you're talking about that baby Zelda game, where the main character is like a child. A child with bone chillin moves.

Phil: I don't want to play that baby game! That's why I'm playing 3D Dot Heroes to get my Old School disco back. This game has stolen that though! It's exactly like Zelda!

Kent: That's what it's suppose to be! The game developers sat down, and wanted to take the best worlds possible and put it into the game. You Know it!!

Phil: Fine I'll look past it. They don't have to remind me though each time I find a dead guy... they make a joke. This soldier died! What do the game developers care though!

Kent: You need to take a breather walk down to the old man store, and get some old man stuff.

Phil: I can't! They closed at 4!

Kent: This review isn't about you! I'm going to talk about what I liked about this game! Mega sword, bombs, boomerang, and chickens! This game is a classic adventure!

Phil: I disagree... this review is about me. Enough said, I'm ending this review saying, yeah, this game is pretty cool and all, but come on. Zelda, Gauntlet, Crono Trigger, Lego Batman... these are all classics! I'm giving this game a 3.56 out of 5! That's it! This review is.

Credits

Kent: The game deserves at least! A 3.72 out of 5! Any classical old school gamer will like this!

Credits

Mystery Team Review

Video Review:


Script:

Nick: Recently we saw the low-budget film Mystery Team, created by the online comedy crew, Derrick Comedy.

Shawn: Three kids on their way to high school graduation are still mentally stuck at the age of seven, an age they received neighborhood fame for solving a minor local mystery. The leader of the team, Jason "The Master of Disguise" (played by Donald Glover of Community fame) decides The Mystery Team needs a big case to be taken seriously again! Just like when they were seven! Unfortunately the case they take is the double-murder that left two girls orphaned, one of which Jason immediately falls head-over-heels for.

Nick: What stands out to us at Organized Remains is that this was filmed in Manchester, New Hampshire, which is right by our hometown! But we won't show favoritism for location. If I had to complain about one thing that bothered me a little it was the acting performance of Jason's romantic interest, Kelly (played by Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation fame). Not a big complaint, just wished to see her have more emotions.

Shawn: I have to disagree. She's the dead-pan that reminds viewers that in this film, the main characters are goofy, and everyone knows it.

Nick: We might disagree with that, but we both agree the worst part about this movie are the reviews professional critics and even the people renting movies over at Netflix gave it.

Shawn: I've read such critiques that it's tone is too confusing, being about childish adults surrounded by smut and vulgarity. Look at the cover! If you can't tell that this is going to be somewhat childish then you shouldn't be able to pick films out of the comedy category.

Nick: "Worst I've ever watched." "Bad acting and not funny." "They should be called Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest instead."

Shawn: I've read critiques of, I kid you not, the camera shots being too long rather than cutting to different shots. To these critics we say, shut up.

Nick shaking his head: Just shut up. You're the reason we do reviews on this website.

Shawn: There's not a single human being I know that has ever turned down the opportunity to see a movie because "No thank you, I want more cinematic cuts!" Frankly big name critics, you're opinions are dated, antiquated and close-minded.

Nick: Entertainment value is why people visit the cinema or get caught up in film. And of the reviews I've read, among all the bad reviews, they all admitted it was an entertaining and funny film. So what's the problem? Yes it's childish, but if you go in being serious, you're not going to like this movie!

Overall Rating:
Shawn: We are giving this 5*'s out of 5*'s because it's the funniest film we've seen in awhile.

When You Should See It:
Nick: If you look at the trailer and think it would be funny, then right now! If you look at the trailer and think it's a kid's movie... never.

Remake or Reboot of The Crow

According to Geeks of Doom, who cite an interview done via MTV with a producer, a remake or a reboot is being created of the 1994 cult classic The Crow. I've spoken out about remakes / reboots today and how Hollywood is clearly on their hands and knees begging for stories to the point they'll remake anything rather than struggle for a new original idea. But this has only further infuriated me. The Crow is one of the most epic movies of all time and completely deserving of its cult following! If you wanted a great avenge the murdered and raped film, Death Wish owned the 70's, Sudden Impact owned the 80's, and The Crow owned the 90's!

What could possibly be looked at in the original Crow and made someone say they could do it better? The producer had this to say about the remake:

The Crow itself is a creature in this movie — it’s not just a bird; it’s got a personality and a character. Not like Godzilla exactly, but it’s very different [and has] a more active role in the story.

... Right. The Crow needed more character. What's that really going to boil down to? The main character cracks a joke and the camera cuts to the crow bobbing its head? You couldn't make The Crow darker or grittier. What strikes the most fear in me is that the producer states feelers have been sent out to a major actor for the lead role. If that lead actor is Robert Pattinson, so help me Kermit The Frog!!

I leave you with this beauty.

O.R.B. Backloggery

Video:


Script: A couple of days ago I announced that I was putting Organized Remain's collection of games on Backloggery. I put a couple of hours into this project, and it's done. I might find games that I missed, but it's done for now. I will update it every time I find a game, or receive one.

I'm even surprised at the results. I have over 400 games in my collection. Now before you say I have a video game buying addiction, let me say that my collection has been building since I was a kid. Also half of my Sega Genesis games came with the console when I bought it (same with my NES/SNES systems). Since I have three SNES consoles and two Sega Gen consoles, I got a lot of games bundled with them each time I got one. I looked at it as buying a bundle of games, and a system happened to come with it. Also yard sales can have a bundle of games available.

Why would someone like myself do this you ask? I look at it as a to do list. Also I wanted to give a chance for viewers to pick reviews for me to do. If you look at my collection, and see a game you want to know more about, just let me know through message, or comment. I'm more opt to doing a review of the game, and beating the game if I know someone wants to see a review of it. This hopefully will get me to play through the games I have not even played before.

Let me help you understand the site a little. There are three different icons, one for unfinished, beaten, and completed. If you click on one of them, it will show all the games in that category. Also there is a list of all the systems I have, all the games I gave a 5 star rating, and a wishlist of games I want. If you want to see what NES games I have, just click the NES logo. If you want to see what games I have not started or finished click the unfinished button.

I have put info into most of the games, telling you if I didn't start the game, or how far I've gotten into a game. Some of the unfinished games I probably will never beat, but I still played them a lot. So just because it says unfinished doesn't mean I will beat it, some of them just mean I want to beat it. Also when you're looking at my collection, you might come across a black circle with a white line. This means the game is either impossible to beat like Sim City, I only play the multiplayer, or I don't plan on ever beating it cause I don't like the game.

I hope you get a chance to check out my collection, and let me know if you want to see any reviews. Give me a list of ten games if you want! The more the better! I will even mention your YouTube name, and put a link to your channel when I do the review. Just don't be offended if I don't get a review of a game you requested right away.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Like Michael Cera? Want to see him with the awkwardness turned up but slightly more adult? You know what, forget it. DO YOU WANT TO SEE MICHAEL CERA AS A SUPER HERO!?

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World



Also, it's directed by Edgar Wright who directed Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It's current release date is August 13, 2010 according to wikipedia.

Movie Review: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

Before Watching: Alright I saw Iron Maiden: Flight 666, now to watch another documentary by the same person that is making the Rush documentary that comes out this Summer. I like metal music, so this looks like I could enjoy it a lot.

Premise: Toting his camera to the forests of Norway, the streets of Birmingham, Ala., and the dark side of Los Angeles's Sunset Strip, filmmaker and self-proclaimed headbanger Sam Dunn explores the heavy metal culture from the inside (and, sometimes, even he's shocked at what he finds), shedding light on the extremes associated with the art form. An authentic soundtrack includes music from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Slayer, Motorhead, Rush and Slipknot. (Taken from Netflix)

My Highlights: Dee Snider... always liked Twisted Sister, but never knew he went on Capital Hill, and defended his right to rock! It's something you have to see. Also the documentary had a lot of great interviews with great people of the music industry like Lemmy from Motorhead to Geddy Lee of Rush.

Overall Rating: While I enjoyed the Iron Maiden: Flight 666 documentary more, A Headbanger's Journey is a great documentary and shouldn't be missed by any metal fans. I'm giving this film a 4*'s out of 5 for showing a lot of information I would have never learned about metal, and all the great interviews.

When You Should See It: You a metal fan? Yes? Go see it now. You're not a metal fan? You should pass. What you will see might scare you.

Brand New Eyes by Paramore Review

image from Amazon

Artist: Paramore
Album: Brand New Eyes
Release Date: 09/29/2009
Tracks: 11
Run-Time: 59:57


Track Rundown:
(All ratings out of 5 *'s.)


1) "Careful" - A pretty solid open to the album that leaves a good impression for what the rest of the album may hold. Some great guitar work and some quotable lyrics, but there's something in the foundation that's just lacking a little something extra, keeping this track from reaching soaring heights. 4 *'s, which for the fourth single of the album isn't too bad.


2) "Ignorance" - I'm glad I didn't review this album as soon as it came out because I initially wasn't a fan of this track (which is the first single of the album and is supposed to be the hook to bring in the patrons). Having heard it a few times over the course of six months I can say I really have a new appreciation for it. It's not Crushcrushcrush or Misery Business, but 'different' shouldn't, and doesn't mean 'bad'. It's got a very deep rooted punk rock heartbeat to it which I think earns it some strong points. 5 *'s, deserving of it's choice as the album's first single.


3) "Playing God" - Quotable and relatable but the track lacks some consistency. In a lot of the verses it's an average, albeit well performed pop song that you might find in a Katy Perry or Kelly Clarkson album. Then the chorus gets gritty and rough, which in some song instances works, but comes off a bit awkward in this track. 3 *'s.


4) "Brick by Boring Brick" - The second single off the album and very possibly more deserving than the first. This one screams Punk Rock and is smash-mouth, morbid and aggressive while maintaining the flirtatious femininity of lead singer Hayley Williams. 5 *'s.


5) "Turn It Off" - While not a standout of the album, I wouldn't skip it if it came on over the speakers. It was strongly put together, keeps your foot tapping, and may very well be a favorite for you that just wasn't for me. A worthy 3 1/2 *'s at least.


6) "The Only Exception" - Yes. That is what I have to say about this track - yes. Everything in this acoustic, soft tempo, semi-emo but very beautiful song is right. 5 *'s without doubt, and how this third single didn't receive more acclaim is why I'm glad I do these reviews.


7) "Feeling Sorry" - Like the track "Turn It Off", a strongly put together song that I can't really find anything wrong with, but just doesn't have the strenght that the singles do. Also like the previously mentioned track, not likely to be skipped if I heard it come over my speakers. So another cemented 3 1/2 *'s.


8) "Looking Up" - An uplifting, positive, optimistic track by Paramore? Most music critics say yes! I say no. This one outright bothered me and came off as forced. I'm sure it was written earnestly and believed in, but it felt like the sell-out track that's written for the corporation to profit off of. I'm likely being too critical, but really, I don't have any problems giving this track 1 1/2 *'s.


9) "Where The Lines Overlap" - A slight improvement from Looking Up, while still maintaining a fairly positive message - "No one is as lucky as us. We're not at the end but oh we already won. No one is as lucky as us. Is as lucky as us." There's also more effort put into the formatting and organization of the song including such special effects as drop-offs and harmonizing with the the long stretched out vocals. 3 *'s, though a generous one.


10) "Misguided Ghosts" - Experimental and daring, very raw and unplugged, but not too bad. I've seen this track catch criticism but comparing it to the dreadful "Looking Up", it's a 3* track.


11) "All I Wanted" - A strong rock-love song to close out the album. Not fancy but quite beautifully put together. The whole thing sounds like one flowing harmony and really left a good impression on me. 4 1/2 *'s. And the answer to what it was All I Wanted = Was You.


My Highlights:
The singles of this album are definitely worth the money put into them. If you want a good idea of whether or not this album is for you, take a listen to "The Only Exception", "Brick By Boring Brick" and "Ignorance".


Overall Rating:
The average rating for the tracks on this album come to about 3 3/4 *'s out of 5, which I think is a pretty good representation of the album. Occasionally I'll give brownie-points to an album for it's runtime, number of tracks, hit-to-miss ratio, but this album gets none because while I felt the majority of the tracks were very strong and there isn't a lot I would change about the album, it was rather short and there wasn't any hidden gems. For those new to the blog, a hidden gem is a track that's amazing but doesn't get a lot of radio play, so when you buy the album off the strength off the advertised singles, you feel like you've discovered a hidden gem. And as a side-note, today was the last day Lala.com was active, so officially, rest in peace Lala, you gave us many a good opportunity to review albums.