September Movie Review

OK, let's do this!

 The Nun

Megan likes seeing all the Conjuring spin offs. I'm so-so on them but won't fight it if she wants to go see it. I'm curious to how cheesy or good it can be.

 The Predator

This one I'm hesitant about but will probably go see anyway. Overall the movies in this series have been pretty solid, hopefully this movie falls within the category of being one of the "good" ones.

Smallfoot

And this looks like the stuff dumpster fires are made out of. Dumbest looking movie I've seen all year. Pass!

Any others I missed? Let me know!

Batman Ninja (Review)

After watching another excellent DC cartoon, I have to say it was better than I thought it would be. not the best one and a little far fetched at times but overall, it was pretty good.

Kudos for the writers for at least trying to make sense of the plot to fit in a regular Batman story but overall you really have to sit back and forgot how far-fetched it becomes in the end.

I think people who love anime and Batman would eat this up by the animation alone. It was worth my time, glad I got a chance to see it.

Here's Lucy Review

Making my way through the "Lucy" shows the next one I finished was "Here's Lucy" A show Ball decided to do only when they agreed to have her real life kids star with her.

To be honest, it's a pretty deep step down from her previous show. Her kids are terrible actors which distract from every scene they're in. There are some highlights within the series as a whole but I'm not sure if this one's worth watching all the way through unless you're a huge Lucy fan.

There's a lot of Lucy being looked at as "young and beautiful" a testament to her vanity in these shows, but in the final season "aging" jokes slowly creep in to her monologue so I guess when she hit her 50's, she knew she was pushing it with the audience.

On to the next show!

Fantastic Four Comic (review)

At long last! Another comic review! I have to read an entire long box of these to finally get my opinion on the 20+ years collected inside it.....and it's all junk.

Great idea for a super hero team, interesting use of powers but the only fun thing about it was the occasional prank war between Thing and Human Torch and the Thing vs the Yancy Street Gang.

Other than that.....garbage. BORING garbage at that!

Susan Storm is a HO. Does nothing but dream about being with other guys (mainly Namor) only to "come to her senses" in the end and go back to Reed Richards, who's completely clueless about what's going on around him the ENTIRE time!

This comic also includes several guest appearances by....the writer of the comic book. 4 times *in my collection) they break the 4th wall and meet the person drawing their comic. Twice it's meant for humor, the other 2 times it's "cosmic"

The worst one was when the writer had no idea how to get the Fantastic Four back to the earth, so he had them enter a doorway on an alien planet....meet the artist and while they ask him what he's drawing, it turns out to be a picture of them in Baxter Building, which once he makes the final pen stroke they magically appear back at home on the next page.Wonder what happened, then laugh it off and pretend everything is normal.

Such garbage.

One of the worst comic series in my collection and THAT'S saying a lot!

Skip it if you were ever interested in reading this mind numbing series.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pebbles

I'm a sucker for unique cereals, so when I saw the new Pebbles cereal, I had to give it a try. It's
"meh" not that good but not that bad. I don't mind peanut butter flavored cereal but I think I've eaten better.

The King of Peanut Butter came out with their own cereal a few years back. It was ok but not the best. That winner goes to...

...the ole Capn'! Man! These taste like putting a spoon of peanut butter in your mouth! I haven't had them in a while but would try them again if I got in the mood.

Ok, that's my random thought for the day. Have a good week folks!

Dumbest News of the Week

Barnum's Animal Crackers is letting their logo animals go "cage free" in what has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of.

Maybe Little Debbie will start wearing a business suit next. Who knows. The world is officially that stupid now.

New Snickers

I'm a sucker for trying new Snickers flavors. So when they came out with 3 new flavors, I had to try them.

Espresso is what you'd think it'd be. Snickers with a taste of coffee. The Salt and Sweet has some kind of sea salt in it which was a good idea but taste like sand biting into it. Fiery actually has a bit of a kick and it was the best one of the bunch!

So give that one a shot if you feel so inclined.

Have a good weekend folks!

Go to 1:25 and enjoy

Lesson learned

So I bought this game for $10 thinking it looked fun and something up my alley. The game was made in 2000 and never reprinted. It combines area control, with card drafting and dutch bidding. Looks fantastic and it played pretty well too....until the mechanical bidding piece broke.....after 10 minutes into the game.

It makes sense. Making a crappy piece like that should've told me it isn't going to stand the test of time.

So we ended up throwing the game in the trash (where it belongs) and regretting the lunch money I had to forfeit for making such an ignorant decision.

This is why Cell phones still suck

So I've been putting notes for my YouTube Videos, Podcast, etc into my phone thinking it was much better than paper that can get lost.

But after a glitch this morning while adding to my notes the stupid phone deleted EVERYTHING.

So much for technology. I'm going back to paper.

Games that SHOULD'VE been on the NES Classic Mini

Since I did it for the SNES classic Mini I thought I'd better do it for this system too. Though I have 10 games this time around. Here we go!

Honorable Mention: Bible Adventures

I loved this game as a kid but being an unlicensed game Nintendo would never include this on their mini I know Wisedom Games came out with an "all in one" controller called "The Arkade" in 2016 that sadly isn't available anymore : (

Too bad, I would've bought it in a heartbeat if I'd have known about it back in the day!

10) Burger Time

With so many classic titles already on the system I have no idea why they wouldn't include this on the system. It was one of my favorite classic video games ever!

9) Contra

Really sad not to see this one on the system. EVERYONE knows the cheat code by heart and if would've been a blast to play again!

8) Spy vs Spy

Great memories playing this game at my uncle's back in the day. Played it all night once! A great game with many levels, this wouldn't been a great addition to the min!

7) Paperboy

Though impossible to play as the levels went on, the game was super fun. Really shocked this one didn't make it onto the system.

6) Double Dragon

The most disappointing omission from the mini in my opinion. Super disappointed this one didn't make it on the console. The sequel was lack luster to say the least. They should've had this one on the system.

5) RBI Baseball 2

I could have included the first game in the series on this list too, but the 2nd game was perfection. We played this DOZENS of times back in the day. I wish it would've been a part of the mini roster.

4) Blades of Steel

Best hockey game on the NES! I loved that you could also play a mini game within where you "boxed" the other player. GREAT game!

3) Double Dribble

Basketball games never got any better! These 3 sports game I mention were the trifecta of the NES system for sports!

2) Super Dodgeball

When my brother got this game for X-mas, he was bummed. He asked my Mom if he could return it for something else....then he played it.

Now it's one of our favorite games for the system ever! Really sad when NES was shopping around for filler games to put on the system that they ignored this one. Odd theme, great game!

1) North and South

This game flew under a lot of folks radar when it came out but it was a game me and my buddy Patrick played ALL the time! We loved it! SO much fun!! #1 game I wish they'd included on the system!

Games that SHOULD'VE been on the SNES Classic Mini

So last week I spoke about my disappointment in the lack of games available on the SNES mini. But today I wanted to give my Top 5 games I wish they did carry!

5) Ken Griffy Jr Baseball

Holy cow I loved this game back in the day. It was the best baseball game on the SNES and I loved playing it!

4) Killer Instinct

Screw Mortal Kombat, this was the game we played ALL the time. Best "VS" video game for the system and one of my overall favorite "vs" games of all time!

3) Super Star Wars

What a great game! I remember when they all came out and we played them in order. I was thrilled to play it. Not really in line with the movies but understandable for making a video game.

2) Super Empire Strikes Back

Even BETTER than the previous game! I came close to being my favorite game of the series but only misses by a hair.

1) Super Return of the Jedi

Bravo to the team who created these because each one that came out was better than the last. This was my favorite of the trilogy. It's too bad they didn't add these to the mini system, though I'm pretty sure (with the exception of Killer Instinct) copyright issues stood in the way.

TV Diet

Just realized I haven't watched Cable TV in months. All I've been watching is streaming services. I don't even channel surf anymore. If it's not streaming, it's YouTube.

Megan's the only one watching right now and it makes me wonder if it's even worth it.

Wait! Better Call Saul started. Maybe I'll give it a few more months until the episode build up.

Am I the only one who's like this?

Classic SNES Mini

Now it's time to review the other mini system I bought the same weekend as the Classes NES. I was fortunate enough to discover one that was misplaced in the wrong display case at Target. Since I had already gotten the NES Classic earlier I decided to go ahead and buy this one as well.

Though not as many games that I played on it, they did have 3 big ones I wanted to try again. Super Mario World, Zelda: Link to the Past and the game that started it all, Mario Kart.

Though we had Donkey Kong Country growing up, I rarely played it, that was a game for my little brothers more than it was for me.

The rest of them are "Super" versions of all the classic NES games from back in the day. I never had those games  (even popular ones like Starfox) so a majority of the games in the system I wasn't that interested in.

But of the games I played here's my thoughts.

Super Mario World- Loved it. GREAT ENDING. Beat it in 2 days. Surprised how much I remembered as I went through the levels. Really fun stuff!

Mario Kart: My favorite game of the bunch. SO many memories of racing upside down just to give people a chance to beat me....and they didn't. Though I doubt I have that skill today, I was able to kill it in races against the computer. So much fun to play!

Zelda: Link to the Past - This was my favorite Zelda game back in the day and now... I don't know why. The game is not that good. I forgot how boring it was running around in circles with nothing to do but chop at grass and bushes to find cash to buy stuff.

Most of the items you gather are hardly used and the game does a poor job of giving you hints at what you need to pass thru it. After a few days of boredom I stopped playing it and went back to Mario Kart.

Overall the game system wasn't worth my money. But Megan loves Donkey Kong Jr so I guess it's worth it for her. But if given another chance I would've passed on it due to Zelda being better as a child than it is today. My suggestion? Look at the list of games and if it looks good to you pick it up. For me, it'll be good for 2 games and Megan's one game that she plays. I already can see this game gathering dust by the end of the year.

Classic NES Review

When these were re-released last month, I was lucky enough to pick one up and try it out. Today I'd like to share my thoughts on whether it's worth the $60 I paid.

In short....yes. Every penny.

It comes with 30 games, and though they're not all homeruns in my books there's a lot of gems on the system I love playing.

Punch Out, Mega Man 2, All 3 Super Mario Brothers games (plus the regular version) Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, Galaga, Tecmo Bowl and Zelda.

It carries notable games like Kid Icarus, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Ghosts and Goblins, Kirby's Adventure and Castlevania, but since I never played those games as a kid, they didn't have an impact on me.

Dr Mario and Excite Bike I played but don't really care to play them again.

Disappointing additions they added were the dreadful Adventures of Link and the underwhelming Double Dragon 2.

Overall, I love the system. I can't beat Punch Out but then again I couldn't beat it as a kid either. It's still pretty hard. Same with Mega Man 2 but I beat one of my brothers could since they played it more than me back in the day.

I was able to easily beat Zelda and all 3 Super Mario Brother games which made me feel good. I still got it!!

These sold out all around town the week they came out but if you ever see one in stores, I'd suggest getting it. It's been well worth my money and time!

Remember Picture Page???

Wakko's Wish Review

Imagine my surprise when I noticed on Hulu that they'd made an Anamaniacs film back in 1999 and I had never even heard of it before?!

Being super excited for it, I saved it for last, watching the cartoon series and spin offs before sitting down to what I thought would be the cream of the crop.....and it's tee total GARBAGE.

There are ZERO laughs, tons of music (that's not funny either) and enough boring scenes to have you checking the internet on your phone in under 10 minutes easily.

I hate that such an opportunity to make an excellent film essentially ended up being the death of the franchise. What a low point for such an excellent cartoon.

Avoid this one folks. It's not worth your time.

Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain Review

After Pinky and Brain wrapped, they tried to continue the cartoon by adding Elmyra to the mix. Oddly enough, the story picks up from where Pinky and Brain left off. With the lab gone, they enter a pet shop where they are sold to Tiny Toon Alum, Elmyra who has thm as pets.

It's just as good as Pinky and the Brain but only went one episode so I guess the appeal of the characters had died off for the two zany mice.

It's short enough to enjoy without wasting too much of your time. I watched it all 13 (20 minute episodes) over the weekend.

Now it's on to the Anamaniacs movie!

Pinky and the Brain Review

I never knew they made a spinoff of Anamainiacs, starring these two. But thanks to Hulu, I was finally able to view all the episodes for this review!

The show is fun. Brain saying "Yes" and Pinky never pondering what Brain is pondering are usually the highlights of every episode. There's a few special issues that talk about their origin and fleshed both characters out well.

A neat idea for an episode was looking at it through the eyes of Pinky. Where we only understand half of what Brain is saying and how Pinky's brain works when he "ponders"

They also connect past adventures as well to reward those long time viewers of the show.

The highlight of the series was in fact the series finale, where they brought the entire cast of Anamaniacs back to play out Star Wars: A New Hope!

It also made me realize how this show lagged in variety without the other characters from its predecessor. The cartoon was good but just like if you were to eat dessert all the time, it'd eventually get old. Pinky and the Brain, though done well, was too much of a good thing and suffered because of it's lack of variety with having other characters tell their story as well.

I think the perfect mix would've been the Warners, Good Feathers and Pinky and Brain (with a few Randy Beaman and Chicken Boo stories thrown in every once in a while)

Though not as good as Anamaniacs, I did enjoy it.

Have a good weekend folks!

More memories from your childhood

Well...at least if you grew up in the 80's and 90's!

 Ole Tomy toys where you press them people down and watch them go. We'd race these across the kitchen floor back in the day.

Remember putting THESE bad boys on your bike back in the day?!

And an electronic flute. We didn't have one growing up but our neighbor did and I never really knew what the point of it was. You had a booklet that let you play all the nursery rhymes and we'd take turns doing it, then put it down and go play G.I. Joe.

Anyway, that's all I got for today!

My favorite podcast

There's a very short list of podcast that I listen to and Ben Shapiro's show is rapidly becoming my favorite.

Though I only agree with him 90% of the time, he consistently hits the mark in every other topic he speaks on. Plus, he gets me to laugh out loud EVERY TIME with his witty humor and slick come backs.

If you're looking for a podcast to listen to, this is one I can highly recommend. 

BEST Flea Market's in America!

Megan and I LOVE going shopping at the Flea Market and Antique Malls! And I've come up with my list of the Top 3 places we love to visit!

3) Montgomery, AL

Sure I'm naming a whole town on this one but it's true. We've only been through twice but we want to go back again someday. SO many great ones are scattered out around the area, that you're guaranteed to find something new every time!

2) Mobile Flea Market

Simply incredible. Always loaded with new stuff every year we go and we come away with more stuff than the year before, which just goes to show you that it's getting better! I'm looking forward to our upcoming trip in a few weeks just to see what they have in store for us this time around! This place is WELL RUN.

Just like Disney World, there are trash cans in the center aisles, every 15 steps! Which explains why it's so clean there too! REALLY love this place!

1) Brass Armadillo

But no one beats the masters in Phoenix, AZ. Brass Armadillo CONSISTENTLY surprises me every time I go. I have yet to make it away from a visit without purchasing something new! Constant churn of new items each month, it's no wonder why Megan and I agree this is the BEST place to go for antiques if you're a collector.

C-ya tomorrow folks!

MORE blast from the past!

It's been a while since I've done one of these. Here's a few more things from my past that you might remember as well!

 You flip the three bases around then rub a pencil of a paper inlay to see the result. Though very limited in choices (each block had only three sides) it was mildly entertaining to us for a while.

 Remember when Warheads got so powerful, they made it in the form of a spray?! Like idiots would just spray this nasty stuff in their mouths for fun!? Oh wait....that was me....

We had this as kids as well. Looking at the name I don't know why we didn't giggle endlessly over it.

And finally, I want to show you another hilarious ad from one of my old comics I'm currently reading through. Buy a Daisy BB Gun (check!) And they give you a cap and matching back pack that say "Daisy" on it. (Che- wait, whaaaaaaa?!?!?!?!)

What kid would think this was cool?? To have the name of a flower on your backpack and cap ensure that NO ONE would want to go camping with you back in the day!?! What are you going to say? "It's from the BB Gun company"

Yeah right! Try saying that fast enough not to get your ass handed to you pal!

Oh well, that's all I have for today folks!

Weezer Concert pics

 Oh man! I totally thought I'd posted these from late June on my blog, but when I went to look them up last week, they weren't here!! How did I forget?!

 Rivers visiting the crowd on a scooter.

 The man has endless energy.

 Megan took me to see them. It was a Xmas present from last year that finally came around! We traveled to Dallas.

It was AWESOME. They were wonderful. Only complaint is they only played for an hour and a half, where I would've loved to have seen 3! Megan even became a fan that night and has stated listening to them endlessly ever since.

Man this was a lot of fun!