Anime Corner: One-Punch Man (2015)

Based on a crudely drawn manga, One Punch Man (much like Attack On Titan) managed to succeed in a more mainstream context than most other anime, and I think it's largely due to how over-the-top ridiculous and self-aware it is. I fin a lot to admire about this show, with its inconsistent animation, idiosyncrasies, and memorable lead character. I sat down with my brother to watch it one day and before I knew it all 12 episodes had finished. So yeah, it's pretty addictive.

As I said before, the animation in this show is incredibly inconsistent, ranging from very visibly hand drawn to wildly imaginative and boisterously exaggerated. But while inconstencies may be bad in another show, this one matches its animation with the seriousess of its tone perfectly. The speed in which it switches back and forth from serious to absurd is so abrupt, it can't be anything but hilariously jarring, and the middle school sketchbook quality of some of the visuals thrown out of nowhere into a scene reflects that tonal range wonderfully. This show doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's important to keep in mind when watching it -- which makes it all the more powerful when it sneaks up on you with the more emotional moments.

Top 10 Star Trek characters

My favorites, out of all 5 series and movies. Normally I would just write this list down, but I've been wanting to expand into different directions and doing occasional videos seemed like a fun idea to me.

I was experiencing some technical issues with my recording, but since I didn't want to have to do all that talking again, I just left the audio as it is. A few speech problems occurred, but until I get more used to doing podcast type material, I'm sure that's going to be something I'll struggle with. For someone who talks so much, I sure do stumble over my words a lot when there's recording equipment nearby... Anyway, I've embedded the video below. Thanks for watching.

Anime Corner: Attack On Titan (2013)

When it comes to modern anime, few shows have managed to break through into the mainstream quite like this one. And it's not hard to see why. From the badass opening theme/credits to the fast-paced animation and grand scope, Attack On Titan is large scale sci-fi/fantasy action that rarely falls victim to the stereotypes of many shows before it. But that doesn't mean it isn't totally immune to criticism.

Pretty instantly, I was hooked to this show. Starting off with a bang, I never really knew what was going to happen or what to expect, with the show constantly reminding the audience of the danger of the situation by killing off characters left and right, even going so far as to off one of the leads within the first 10 episodes. Sadly, they backed away and brought them back to life, and it was around this time that I began to notice some chinks in the armor of an otherwise incredible show. Taking risks like that gains my respect, but finding a cheap way out of them lessens the entire experience for me. But it's not just that, where the show fails is in introducing giant fighting monster cliches that can only be described as uncharacteristic for a show that had been so clever up to this point.

Top 10 Favorite Movies of 1994

1994 was a pretty important year for me, since it was the year I was born. No it wasn't. But 1994 was a year, and that makes it special in its own kind of way. Movies came out in 1994 and I like some of them quite a lot. And while I would consider it one of the better movie years around, narrowing down a top 10 here wasn't as hard as I figured. Is this enough filler text? I think so, so on with the countdown.

Top 10 Favorite Movies of 1993

Okay, wow, I thought the last list was a tough one. There were 13 locks for my top 10 making this list, so excluding them honestly makes me feel a little dirty. Either way, I'm strictly following the rules laid out for me, making this into a firm top 10. So forgive me for my transgressions, don't hold it against me too much if I don't have your own precious favorites on here. It's my list, anyway, so stop crying about it. You really are pathetic, aren't you? I don't even know why you're still reading this, all I'm doing is insulting whoever you are. Go ahead, waste your time... Okay I'm done. LET'S DO THIS!

Top 10 Favorite Animated Shows of the 2010s

THIS LIST DOES NOT INCLUDE ANIME.

I feel it's important to clarify this, as there are plenty of anime shows that could be considered for this list, and I wanted to make an anime list sometime in the future, so that would be a bit of an encroachment. So now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's move into the other rules of the list.

This list includes shows that both started in and before the 2010s. However, their placement is based entirely on what they've done so far in this decade alone, I will not be considering material that was released before January 1, 2010. I have no distinction between kids shows and adult shows on here, though you will see more adult on this list, as I don't find most kids shows particularly interesting. Alright, now to the list itself.

Top 10 Favorite Movies of 1992

This was probably the hardest of these lists I've had to make (at least so far), as I had about 15 movies I wanted to cram into this top 10. Many of these movies are ones that people would probably want to slap me for excluding, but honestly I don't care -- "come at me bro", as they say. So let's get this proverbial show on the road, and don't forget the exact ordering isn't my main concern here and these are just my own personal favorites.

200 Items Or Less: Octaman (1971)

A few thoughts: Look at the title and look at the picture below. You may have never seen or heard of this movie before in your life, but you know exactly what it is just from these two things alone. This is a fake trailer type of movie never meant to sustain more than 5 minutes of entertainment. There's very little to be said for it that you can't figure out on your own, but let me throw out a few things that help set this apart from others of this variety. For starters, you don't feel cheated by the title at all. The Octaman has plenty of screentime, and is given plenty of people to kill, so in the very least there's that going for it. Secondly, some of the earlier scenes in this movie are bad in the funniest sort of ways, but the humor begins to dissappear as you realize there is nothing more to this movie than just the bad "effects" and the creature itself. It just sort of happens until it's eventually over -- but luckily it ends pretty quickly at just under 80 minutes. Worth watching if you're drunk.

200 Items Or Less: The Vampire Lovers (1970)

A few thoughts: Few things make me feel as perverted as sitting in the dark watching a smutty vampire movie with plenty of boobs, but there's also something very satisfying about it -- especially since the most recent movie I recall having seen (Nekromantik) was one so utterly devoid of pleasure or entertainment. Here we have a pair of sexy vampire ladies and a relatively minor appearance by Peter Cushing, which automatically makes this movie in the very least watchable. I didn't get much from this storywise, but the gore was satisfying, the women were attractive, and I got to watch possibly my favorite actor do his thing and behead people. Can't say I was disappointed at all. When it comes to Hammer films this wouldn't come near my top 10 (top 20 would even be pushing it), but I can't say I blame anyone who says this is among their favorites. It has its charms, it has sex appeal, it has blood, and it has Peter Cushing. What more could a growing boy need?

Top 10 Favorite Movies of 1991

After my stunning 1990 list that's bound to shock and amaze readers across the globe (I may only have 12 fans, but they're spread over 4 continents), I have prepared this next gem of a countdown. As I said in my previous list, this isn't some sort of attempt to compile the greatest movies of each year, I'm just naming my favorites. The precise ordering is pretty rough, so try not to take issue with where these are are placed. Half the time the tie-breaker amounts to little more than what title looks better next to a particular number. So keep that in mind, and enjoy reading.

Top 10 Favorite Movies of 1990

Oh my god, do you remember the '90s?!?! I REMEMBER THE '90S, I WAS THERE!!! Ahem, now that I've gotten that out of the way...

In the past, I made a top 25 favorites of 1990 list (being my birthyear, it seemed an appropriate place to start) but I never wound up finding myself fully committed to writing about 25 movies each year leading up to now. I tend to ramble when I'm writing, so that winds up amounting to thousands of words per post, and that's just too much work for something I consider little more than a fun hobby. So, instead of doing 25s, I'll just dial it back and write about the 10 movies of each of these years that I consider my favorites: the ones I return to most frequently, find myself thinking about the most, and just overall enjoy in whatever capacity. You may notice this list is different from the top 25. That is because my opinion is capable of changing. Let us proceed, but keep in mind my opinion and ranking changes pretty much every time I make a list like this, so try not to take issue with the exact placements. The numbers are more there for the sake of organization and build-up -- it's a lot more fun to work your way through a countdown than to just see 10 movies listed alphabetically, for example.

VFX favorites: Clash of the Titans (1981)