They knew it was Batman Week
BleedingCool.com reports that “4 pages of 1939 production proofs from Detective Comics #27 [the first appearance of Batman] just surfaced, having been in the possession of a man living in an apartment building were Bob Kane once lived, who rescued it from the curbside trash some 45 years ago.” There’s some great pics. Check it … Continue reading
What makes the Bat?
In honor of the upcoming The Dark Knight sequel (and the continuing and somewhat problematic Christian Bale interpretation of Bruce Wayne), here are five key traits of the Batman, according to Gavin. (Sources will be cited, but like Frank Miller’s bat-universe, my bat-universe may diverge slightly from accepted continuity.) 1. Bruce Wayne is the mask. … Continue reading
Four rules for a successful superhero film
As Kevin Mattison pointed out a couple of weeks ago, it’s really tough to make a video game work as a movie, but we’ve been fortunate in the past several years to have some really great movies based on comic books. Based on a long personal history of comic book reading, and more than a … Continue reading
Tom Bissell’s 2010 top ten
Tom Bissell is the author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter, one of Amazon.com’s 10 best nonfiction books of 2010. Since my gameplay tends to skew towards older games, re-releases, and games sold in red “Greatest Hits” packaging, I asked him via email for his 10 favorite games from 2010. 1. Metro 2033 XBox … Continue reading
The dogs’ days are over
So, my Terriers didn’t make it.
Twitter is abuzz with all the reasons it didn’t work—the title was confusing, the time slot was terrible, etc. But though I already miss the show and think its cancelation was a big mistake, I’m also willing to accept this decision. As much as it hurts to give up such a deftly written and acted program in this, the age of Bridalplasty and Skating With the Stars, I have to agree with Corey Barker to an extent and simply appreciate the gift of its one pitch-perfect and high quality season.
As my husband and I wax nostalgic concerning what we love about Terriers, we find that it reminds us of a tightly written book or novella. A modern day breezy noir (could it be a beach noir? daytime noir?), the dialogue is complex and playful, the characters quietly heroic, the adventures satisfying—all in a tight little package. Do I think the show had the gas to fuel another season with the same level of success? Sure. However, I’ve already constructed a little space in my heart that houses Terriers just as it is—a perfectly quirky and lovable space for a perfectly quirky and lovable story.
Pushing a show to epic proportions, stretching it across season after season, squeezing every penny out of its very existence is so cliché, so LOST. If anything, didn’t Terriers teach us that quality people and stories need not be behemoth or brobdingnagian? As a woman who is currently cuddling her fuzzy and beautiful rescue pup as she types, I can tell you that a scruffy little terrier, though obviously small in size, can easily be just enough.
Watch Terriers on amazon.com or itunes.com. Recent episodes can be found on hulu.com.
The war against Christmas music
While writing my pieces on holiday music I dug out an old mix CD (remember those?) I have been making in one form or another over the past few years. I tried to collect tunes that were different than the usual, overdone Christmas tunes that ruin your radio flipping or casual shopping experiences. I had fun with those mixes, lots of fun. Over the past few years as the so-called “War Against Christmas” was being drummed up by propagandists, I thought the only way to describe this mix of new, fun Holiday tunes was The War Against Christmas Music.
This year’s mix is different than previous year’s mixes, some songs were added, some were dropped and the running time was capped at right around one hour. Perfect.
Please download the mix, burn it onto a CD for the car or listen to it on your chosen digital music device. Leave feedback if you will or just listen and enjoy the songs. And feel free to comment on songs that are missing or your own favorite Christmas music. Consider it a gift from us here at “Dysphonia” to you, our four loyal readers during this Holiday season.
And always remember, we say “Happy Holidays” this month because there are more than just one every year. Oh, one more thing. Yes the mix is supposed to begin the way it does. . .
It’s cold. Play a board game.
At one point, I had intentions to write about games other than video games. I may or may not have given up on that goal, but while I’m figuring it out, check out Matthew Baldwin’s list of board games that you should consider picking up (and giving away) this holiday season.
The best new blogs of 2010
Not to toot our own horn, but The Idler got an honorable mention from The Bygone Bureau editor Kevin Nguyen in the Bureau’s “Best New Blogs of 2010” feature.
It’s a great list from a great site, and we’re a little bit humbled to be included. You should go check it out. You’ll definitely find something you never expected and won’t be able to imagine how you ever lived without.
Sparky and his daddy
In 1984, the Detroit Tigers were off to the strongest start in baseball history. On May 16, manager Sparky Anderson appeared on the CBS Morning News with owner Tom Monaghan. It wasn’t their first national interview: ever since Jack Morris no-noed the White Sox in Chicago live on NBC to go 4-0, everyone had wanted … Continue reading
Gamers read too
Amazon has named Tom Bissell’s Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter as one of the 10 best nonfiction books of 2010. Read my review from June, 2010: http://wordwright.blogspot.com/2010/06/diary-of-casual-gamer-2-confessions-and.html
