January Movie Preview

Not much coming out in January, but then again, when is it ever?

 Insidious The Last Key

Kind of confused about this one. Didn't that lady die in the last one? Either way, I'd be for seeing this one but Megan is dead set against it so it looks like I'll have to catch it at Redbox instead.

The Commuter

I thought Liam Neesson was done doing action movies? It doesn't matter because to me this looks pretty good and Megan is always on board to see another one of his films so this one looks like a winner to us!

Any others I missed? I'm sure you'll let me know!

Board game themes we need more of

We have board games available for EVERYTHING these days. With that in mind you'd think there'd be more of these themes in the board game world...but there aren't.

1) Hockey Games

I may just have to go ahead and buy one of these instead of waiting for a decent board game about Hockey. Maybe it's due to the lack of interest in the sport as a whole or that no one can think of the best way to mimic a fast paced game via the board. Either way, I'd rather have one of these than a Foosball table any day....so maybe I should....

2) Postman Games

There aren't many games about delivering mail to residents and that's wild to think since, Police, Firemen, Construction Workers and other careers have so many board games out there, the fact that Mailmen have only this kiddie game out there is... embarrassing. Surely someone can come up with a better idea and then they do, I plan to add it to my collection for sure!

3) Running a Radio Station

Literally NOTHING out there about this. Though we have several games involving running TV Stations and Newspapers, no one has come up with a decent Radio station game and that confounds me!

I used to work for a Radio Station and I know it would be a great premise for a board game. Hopefully in time some one will make one for all to enjoy.

Any other suggestions I failed to mention? Let me know!

Sahara Review

One of the movies I've been wanting to see for years I finally had the time to watch and so today I thought I'd give me review!

The story has a pretty good lineup of actors, Penelope Cruz who plays the same character as she does in every movie, but Steve Zahn is a funny man I don't see much of in Hollywood. Though not his best movie here it made me miss him in cinema. Matthew McConaughey does a great job as always. This was made before he got "serious" with his films, so it was enjoying to watch for that reason as well.

Overall however, I have to be honest and say this movie is an average adventure type that easily gets lost in the thousands of others that also came out around that time. No one will ever remember this one as time goes on, but for myself I'm glad I gave it a shot!

The "New" Pepsi

THIS is what's replaced Crystal Pepsi?!? (sigh)

Too sweet. Don't even try it.

I miss Crystal Pepsi already....

Merry Chirstmas!

Have the most wonderful Christmas today my friends! I'm thankful for you all. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Greatest Showman Review

If you're debating on what to go see around Christmas break, you won't be disappointed if you go see this musical. Fast paced, fun and full of visuals that'll keep you content.

Not the best movie I've seen this year but certainly not the worst. Megan on the other hand, had her brain explode she loved it so much. It had three things she loved in a movie 1) The Circur 2) Ballet 3) Dance numbers

She's the biggest fan of this movie hands down. And if you love all those things as well, then here you go.

Happy X-mas Eve everybody!!

Survivor Ghost Island

I was a little confused when they introduced what the next season would be like. At first I thought it was returning players, but now I see it's a brand new cast. I'm really confused but guess I'll have to wait until they reveal more about the next season to get my full thoughts.

Either way, I'll be there next year when it premieres. 36 seasons running and still one of my favorite shows on TV!!

Survivor Review: The Day the Good Guys Won

How many seasons have I watched this show only to have the best candidate get eliminated at the end? Thank goodness for the new twist the producers put at the end of this show to at least give that worthy contestant I chance!

I liked Ben's gameplay the entire time. He hustled his way to the end and played his hardest. Not many times I can say this, but this season, the good guys won.

I may have to wait another 10 seasons to see it happen again so I'll revel in it while I can!

Christmas Cow

They say every year in Monroe the Christmas Cow comes to town and if you tip him just right, he'll make you're X-mas wish come true.

.....or it's Chic-A-Fila bringing business anyway they can. : )

Speaking of the Mall at Christmas time, it SUCKS! There's no parking, people block the isles and no one's nice. Season's Greetings indeed!

Christmas Tree Decor

 In keeping with this week's topic about Christmas trees, I thought I'd address this topic next. For us, we've always added candy canes to our tree. They were plan jane ones for years until I discovered Warhead canes (which we've used for the past 2 years now) A lot of people add more than just ornaments to their tree. Let's take a look at a few.

 I remember people used to put popcorn string on their trees all the time back in the day. I remember in school we even made some in class to bring home for our tree. (though I don't recall them ever making it on but rather in my mouth instead) I'm not sure if this tradition has died out by now but if you do it for your tree please let me know!

 Tinsel is something my grandmother had on her tree every year. It looked beautiful but I don't think I could ever do that with mine. With today's artificial trees (which I will always use) it seems like it would be messy and not worth the clean up. Though on a real tree I could see it being worth your time. 

Ribbon is something I see more common on trees these days. Seems like everyone has them now! I don't particularly like it but it seems to be the fashion so whatever floats your boat I guess.

What extra decor dons your tree this year? Let me know in the comments!

Top 5 favorite ornaments on my tree!

Tis the season....

5) Auburn Football

War Eagle

4) Ewok

Found this one at a antique store. Looks great on my tree!

3) Batman and Robin

80's style! From the Super Friends cartoon I used to watch as a kid!

2) More Ewoks

Tiny but fantastic on my tree!

1) Mets Baseball

A little cliche for an ornament of a baseball team I know, but I still smile every time I see it! LET'S GO METS!!

Christmas Tree Lights

I love me some lights on a Christmas tree! There's something wonderful about driving around town and being able to look into someone else's house just to see their tree. Makes you think you can "feel" the warmness of the home whenever you pass by.

Personally, I prefer the multi-colored twinkling lights on my tree, though I know some folks love straight white lights on theirs. I've actually thought about getting two different trees for the house but that's going a little overboard don't you think?

I remember when my Dad used to have the flower looking ones pictures above. I loved those lights. They last YEARS before he threw them out. (I'm talking close to 20 years here folks) I was sad when they were no longer a part of our family tree.

I also remember tree toppers like this ugly thing here! My grandmother used to put this on here tree back in the day and I used to think it was the most beautiful thing in the world! Only nostalgia upholds its beauty today.

What about you folks? Any tree lights you loved best? Let me know in the comment below!

Christmas Tree Toppers

 What goes on top of your Christmas tree this season? For us we used to have the classic "star" you see pictured above but now we have one that shoot multi-colored lights all over the place. Crazy fun!

Or do you go for the more traditional angel? We did as kids back in the day, but not something this nice like in the picture. More "home made" look. Some folks go for a bow but that seems "meh" for me.

What's on top of your tree? Do tell....

The Santa Clause Review

Years ago I saw the first one. I didn't remember much of it but since it's December (and Megan won't let me watch anything but Christmas movies with her) I decided to make it through all 3 of these.

For children's X-mas movies they aren't bad. There were a few laughs in each one and I did enjoy how they "explained" children's questions for Christmas. Like how Santa gets in your house without a chimney and why you can't see Santa's village in the North Pole. Pretty neat stuff.

If you have kids, this may be something for them to check out this holiday season!

Hell on Wheels Review

Last week I finished the AMC series Hell on Wheels so today I'd like to give my review of it.

Season 1 starts off strong, with good characters and a great story of revenge (which is sadly never resolved) of a Confederate going after the Union soldiers that killed his family.

Season 2 was just as good but ended in an amazing finale which saw half the cast die in the end. I later found out that the writers for the show were leaving and new ones were coming in, which probably led to the finale.

Season 3 started off well but the season stumbled along the way. My guess is after the blow out finale from the previous season, the writers were trying to establish new directions for all the characters involved. It also awkwardly killed off a character after the actor asked to be off the show. It was later resolved in the following season but still, it didn't feel like a proper ending to the character after 3 seasons.

Season 4 is where the story really started to struggle. One of the main cast had to be replaced with another actress which was unsettling at first. Like I had to get used to a new cast member who was pretending to be someone previously established. There's also the issue of the main villain on the show who walks around as if he's done nothing wrong, yet in previous seasons has made enemies with just about every other character. The fact that they let him live so long, I can only guess is because the writers were hoping folks would forget about his transgressions from previous seasons and let him stick around.

Season 5 the series steered to a end but looked more like the show had run out of ideas other than "finish the railroad" There were really no story lines to wrap up or big conclusions to be had.

Overall the series is decent. You'll love the main character and the first 3 seasons I think, after that you'll stick around because you love the characters, thought the situations and the plots get a little stretched beyond belief. But I'm glad I saw it and it was worth my time!

McRib-less

When returning home from Az last week I started searching for the McRib (which nearly everyone told me was out in Monroe the moment I left) Sadly, not a single Mickey D's in town carries them anymore.

I can't believe they only had them for a month! This is my first year without one and I'm super bummed!

Christmas....is ruined.

1st Appearace of War Machine

While working my way through the Iron Man series I came across an interesting find. The 1st appearance of War Machine! Thinking I'd struck gold once again with my collection, I proceeded on Ebay to get an estimate on how much the comic is now worth....77 cents.

Guess War Machine isn't a big hit with collectors.

Strays (thoughts)

I call this "thoughts" because I don't want to give away any spoilers from the story. But I finished it a few weeks ago while I was on the road and decided to talk about it a little now.

First off, let me say how incredibly awesome it is to be reading a story by my brother. I know how much work goes in to making one and it's not a small task! The effort and work that went into making this is nothing short of amazing.

As for the story, it's different....in a good way. It sets right between adult and young adult fiction, where any age could enjoy it. For me it's 300+ pages were a quick read, though I read a lot so I don't know if that goes for everyone. The story moves along and has an ending so don't think this is a "continued" story though I could see more stories from this worked in the future if needed.

Overall my brother did a great job and the book is well worth your time if you're interested! You can order a copy on Amazon here.

Have a good one folks!

Respectful drivers

Last month when I was working in Phoenix I noticed drivers there are much more friendly than other big cities I've driven in. Everywhere I went, people seemed more than happy to let you cut in front of them on the highway if you needed to get over. They even gave "thank you" waves when you let them in.

I've never seen something like this anywhere else. In Monroe, they'd just as soon shoot me the bird rather than let you over. What a strange site to see in such a big city. Good on you Phoenix!

Things NOT to watch on Netflix

Just because I wasted time with these stinkers doesn't mean you should too...

 The Awakening

Great movie...until the last 20 minutes has you scratching your head, yelling at the screen and wondering who put together such a terrible ending to what could have been a decent flick. Really, the movie tries to give you a "twist" that makes no sense and while you're still trying to figure out what's going on, this movie continues to laugh at you for wasting your time with it in the first place.

Alexander

I've seen just about every Val Kilmer flick but this one. I heard it was awful but with time to kill and hope filling my soul that Val would save this flick I couldn't have been more wrong. The movie is just like every critic says. Long, boring, dull and lackluster. Such a sad waste of talent and sets. Shame.

Proof Dr Doom is evil

Knock-knock

"Who is it?"

"I am...DOOM!"

POW!

Knocked an old lady out. That's what I'm talking about Doom!

This comic also has a seen where someone has a Gatling gun  pointed right at Doom but decides not to fire it because he knows it's no match for Doom.....uh...what?

Then in the next comic, instead of running to Iron Man's side his best friend runs away to call his brother to come help Iron Man. (like he would make it in time there) but his brother can't help because he recently decided to turn to a life of crime and helping Iron Man would be (in his words) "A conflict of interest"

LOL Oh man, I love these old books!

Iron Man Regret

So I'm reading through old Iron Man comics and came across a story line where Tony Stark is paralyzed and has to be in a wheelchair. The whole series is cringe worthy as Tony repeatedly states how he's tired of being a "freak" in a wheel chair and wants out of it. In his handicapped form, woman snubbed him and people see him as weak.

Instead of showing Tony to be none of those things, Stark somewhat agrees with everyone, that being handicap sucks and no one should ever want this "curse" upon them. Pretty sure Marvel would love to burn all these issues today and with they never existed but it was quite an interesting read to see what people thought back in the day!

Transformers: The Last Knight

With nothing to rent and an expiring coupon from Redbox, we decided to watch the new Transformers movie since we'd seen the others.

It was horrible. This is the proof Hollywood doesn't care about movie goers. It's slapped together, senseless action with a shoestring plot that has you sitting there for 2 1/2 hours being nothing but confused and disinterested in the whole thing. Amazing something like this even got the greenlight to be made in the first place.

I'm done with this series. 

Current board games that surprised me

Last week I spoke about the vintage board games that took me by surprise, now I'd like to address current games that shocked me as well!

 Firefly

When this game first came to my table it was by way of a friend. I loved the TV show but had no desire to play a board game that looked this boring....boy was I wrong!

This "pick up and delivery" game is excellent and one of my favorite games to play now. I remember after my first game I even dreamed about playing it for days afterwards. Great game!

Liguria

This game looks dull and I only bought it because it was cheap on Amazon at the time and it was from Queen Games. I manufacturer that I enjoy a lot of games from. When the game came in I thought it may have been a mistake...and then we played it. Surprisingly strategic in several ways this game took me and my gaming group by complete surprise!

At the Gates of Loyang

In general every Uwe Rosenburg game I dislike. So when I heard this was designed by him, I immediately passed. But as I kept learning more about it the more I was intrigued. I ended up biting the bullet and purchasing a copy only to discover I was wrong about the game. Super fun! And now that I see this game goes unmentioned by fans of his I can see why. It's very unlike anything he's previously created which is probably why love it so much.

Eketorp

A game knew NOTHING about and bought because it was from Queen Games and Amazon had it for $8. Fantastic game! Can not say that enough. My favorite viking game by far! Easy to play and fun to boot! My gaming group loved it so much one of them bought a copy as well. A huge surprise to us all.

Tobago

When I saw this at BGG Con this year I thought "Wow!" then after reading the rules I thought "Ugh!" than after playing it "I have to buy this!" Seeking treasure on an island has never been more fun! So surprised by the game play and flow of this this game, it defiantly deserves to be on this list!

That's my top surprises....what's yours?

A More Civilized Age

Just a short note to let everyone know that the book I wrote an article for is now out and available for purchase on Amazon.

Great X-mas gift for any fan of the Star Wars Expanded Universe....just saying!

Vintage Games that most surprised me

I love vintage board games but there are some in my collection I thought I'd never have but am happy I do. Today I want to share with you the games that most surprised me at how good they were!

 Murder She Wrote

When I saw this in a Flea Market with Megan last year, she asked if we could buy it. I looked at the cover, laughed and said "No". Now I own it and love the game. A great "who dun it?" mystery game that the designer took the time and effort into making stand out from the traditional roll and move game, while also making it thematic to the TV show. Well done.

 Ebay 

Look at this. I never game it a second thought until I saw a review that completely changed my mind! Incredibly fun auction game that feels a lot like bidding on Ebay. This has been played several times with my gaming group and it's one of my favorite action games out there.

 Masterpiece

Whoopie, a game about auctioning off and buying paitings. The 90's version of the game tried to make it seem fun, but looking at the premise you might not see it. However, the fun is there! I passed up this game for years at Flea Market's until finally biting the bullet and trying it out. Uh-Mazing game! Such a simple concept and so much fun!

 It from the Pit

I was bummed when I had to pay $35 for this game. I was just getting into vintage games but had never paid that much for one before. When I got home I was worried if it was even worth it.....and now it's one of my favorite vintage games in my collection. Fast paced, action packed, I don't think I could ask for anything more!

 Bargain Hunter

This game looks awful. I sat there in the antique store in Monroe thinking that. But it was only $5 and I thought "Well, if it sucks I'm only out that amount." WOW what a deal! This shopping game is incredibly clever with it's game play and forces you to look for bargains wherever you go. This is my official game for Black Friday. In fact, I re-theme of this game with that title wouldn't be a bad idea!

 Star Trek The Game

Don't fall asleep on me! I know this board looks boring but the game will keep you engaged the entire time! This is one I passed over for a year until seeing a review and finding out how thematic it is to Star Trek. My little nephews and their friends ask for this one all the time!

 McDonald's 

If you'd have told me 3 years ago I'd be raving about this game I'd have laughed at you in the face. Now I can only laugh at myself and proclaim it's praises to anyone who'll listen. Such an ingenious game, I'm shocked it came out by the company. If I ever get to make board games, I'd love to re-print this one most of all!

 Mr Creepy's Tomb of Doom

I bought this in a lot with other games I was more interested in. In fact, if this wasn't in the package I would've been just as happy. I'm so glad it was included. This game now outshines the others I got from that package and gets played a lot around the house. My nephews love it, my wife loves it. Simple and fun!

 Trump

Checked it out of the GenCon library last year as a joke and bought a copy right after we played. This game STILL gets played today and is so much fun! All it needs is an expansion where we can build a wall around the game and not let other players in!

How to Succeed

I loved the musical, I bought the game simply because of the game. When it arrived in the mail I was ready to accept it wouldn't be that good.....it's great. A bluffing game that has more strategy in it than I gave credit for. Couldn't believe how smart a game it was, just don't know who'd want to play it unless they enjoyed the Broadway musical too.

Ok folks, that's all for now!