TMNT: Traversing the Uncanny Valley

When I was growing up, I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Of course, I'm referring to the classic television show from the late 1980s.

They were funny. They loved pizza. They were animated. They didn't look creepy. This is more than I can say (so far) regarding the newest incarnation of TMNT coming to theaters in August.

What do you think?

I'm not too excited about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie for the same reason I wasn't really happy with the newest Scooby-Doo movies. I don't live-action remakes of animated characters.

I understand this is an age where explosions equal great action movies, and new movie magic has its place in old classics, for sure. However, live action characters are simply creepy to me. They too often fall into "the uncanny valley", where they look too-fake-to-be-real yet too-real-to-be-fake. This ambiguity makes me uncomfortable.

You can't tell me that isn't creepy.

The movie hasn't even released yet, and fans are already making their corrections:

Much better. Well done!

Well, we shall soon see how the movie turns out. With the right story and acting, we might be able to ignore the creepiness of the turtles. However, it is a Michael Bay movie...

Are you excited for the new TMNT movie?

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Renegade Angel Brain Mush

I'm an Adult Swim fan. I have been since the good ole days where the promos were adults swimming in a public pool, and Adult Swim started around 10pm with: "All kids out of the pool!"

Those were the days!

Anyway...

Being a fan of late-night Cartoon Network, I've seen some strange stuff: Super Jail, Frisky Dingo, The Mighty Boosh, etc. But this recent show I've discovered takes the cake!

AdultSwim runs marathons on its website. Sometimes, these are their popular shows, like The Venture Brothers or AquaTeen Hunger Force. Other times, it's their lesser known original series like: Xavier: Renegade Angel.

This show caught my eye because it had the graphics of one of those Taiwanese news animations! The main character, Xavier the renegade angel, is a strange combination of an Egyptian hieroglyphic and a pseudo-enlightened, beach boy hipster. He's on a quest to find his train-wreck mother (I think...), and gets into these bizarre situations.

I was able to watch an episode and a half before I had to watch something else. This show made me feel like I was on some kind of hallucinogen.

That being said, if you're looking for a safe(?) way to kill some brain cells and waste a little time, two seasons worth of episodes are free to stream on adultswim.com! You never know; it might be somewhat enlightening...

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The Beauty of Being In The Same Room

Nowadays, video games are all about multiplayer. Even games that have been single-player for many years now have multiplayer capabilities. This is mostly because no plot imaginable could compete with playing with real people. Interestingly, the word "multiplayer" has evolved into something completely different in the gaming world...


When I was growing up, "multiplayer" looked something like this:

One console. Multiple controllers. Split screens.

Now multiplayer looks more like this:

One player. One controller. One Headset.

Online multiplayer has completely changed gaming. Instead of gathering all of your friends together in your living room (and creating a wire jungle with your controllers), you can play with people from around the world via the Internet. Online multiplayer is undoubtedly an incredible innovation that has improved the gaming experience.

However, it has almost completely eliminated co-opt gameplay! In my opinion, there is still something irreplaceable about having friends and family in the same location playing a game (without strangers). Not only playing video games; when was the last time anyone played a board/card game?

A few familiar faces in the geek world have YouTube series featuring games like these, and they're certainly worth watching. Check out a couple of my favorite episodes below! I guarantee they will make you want to get your friends together for a game night.

There's just so much fun to be had in this pile.

The Guild's Felicia Day & her brother Ryon have a hilarious web series, called Co-optitude, on the Geek & Sundry channel. On the show, Felicia and Ryon play the old school video games their mom never let them play as children. 

The frustration, Day-sibling-hilariousness, and nostalgia make each episode a side-splitting joy. It also makes me want to a get a Super Nintendo and play video games with my best friend. 

(Fun Fact: You can order a brand new Super NES on Amazon for $350!)

On The Nerdist channel, Wil Wheaton (of just-about-everything fame: Star Trek, The Big Bang Theory, Eureka, etc.) hosts a table-top gaming show called... Table Top.

The Haunt starts in Part 2

Until I came upon this show, I thought they'd stopped making table-top games. It's always fun to get a bunch of geeks together for a game. Whether it's D&D or something you've never heard of, there's nothing like basking in the boundless creativity no game design studio could muster.

These are my favorite episodes of Co-optitude & Table Top. I hope you've found them thoroughly entertaining. More so, I hope you've been inspired to gather some friends together and create some hilarity of your own!

Happy Gaming! 

My Quarter-Life Crisis

"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive." - Elbert Hubbard

Many people reach the middle of their lives and begin taking stock: How much time do I have left? What have I accomplished thus far? Have I ever truly felt alive? 

This internal struggle - commonly referred to as a mid-life crisis - usually manifests itself outwardly through risky/outrageous acts, spontaneous trips, and expensive purchases.

As painful as a mid-life crisis is, this is not the only crisis of the modern world some of us are bound to face...

Before you can even reach the "What Have I Done With My Life?" crisis, you must first encounter the "What Am I Going To Do With My Life" crisis: The Quarter-Life Crisis.

The overwhelming panic of being thrust into the "real world" clueless of what the future holds can be a terrible experience for us in our early 20s to 30s: What am I going to do with my life? Did I go to school for the right thing? Or have I screwed it all up already? Is happiness even a real thing?

Unlike a mid-life crisis, young people typically don't have the option to spend their savings on something to help cure their crisis. So what do you do?

Here's how I've been spending my quarter-life crisis...

Becoming A Warrior

Lately, my interest in martial arts has become a small hobby. Israeli Krav Maga, in particular, has piqued my interest, and I've been practicing a few techniques I found online. Feeling my punches have been weak (and my stamina should be better), I've also begun doing strength-building yoga from a book I bought a while back.

Becoming A Feng Shui Master & Fashion Stylist

My quarter-life crisis has brought out my creative side. Around Christmas time, I mentioned I bought a book about feng shui, and I love interior decorating! I've been watching a lot of HGTV and pinning a lot of home decor on Pinterest.

When I grow bored of interior design, I turn to exterior design. I watch Fashion Star and create outfits on Polyvore (inspired by music that I like).

Connecting To Culture

I've begun watching a period anime, Samurai Champloo, with deep plots in each episode and the smoothest music! This show has simultaneously educated me about Japan in the Edo period and reminded me of what hip hop used to mean before... what it is now...

This thought of culture has me into spoken word again, too. I actually got the urge to write a poem after a hard day at work while listening to the above song. (That melody soothes me.) I've also started listening to poetry on YouTube - which I strongly recommend on a bad day.

What are your suggestions for coping with a Quarter-Life Crisis?

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The Villainesses of Gotham City

I read somewhere: "If you grew up in the 90s, you know Batman the Animated Series/The New Batman Adventures is the truest form of Batman." I'm not sure if everyone agrees with that, but I do! From the art to the dialogue, even if this isn't the truest form of Batman, there is just a certain allure to this show that has yet to be surpassed.

Though, there is one thing in particular that I love most about this childhood favorite: strong female characters!

Every time I watch something action-packed, I look for the strong female character. Whether they're heroes or villains, I admire strong women who challenge the "delicate flower" stereotype. However, the creation of strong female characters isn't always done the best way...

But the villianesses of Batman: The Animated Series/The New Batman Adventures are more than men in drag. They hold their own as criminals while maintaining both their femininity and individuality. The following ladies of crime are far from stock characters...

Poison Ivy

First, prior to becoming a villain, Pamela Isley, was a botanist. (Yay! Women in science!) As one of Gotham City's Most Wanted, Poison Ivy fights to protect the environment and often experiments with natural ingredients to use as toxins. Saving the environment; one less Batman at a time.

Harley Quinn

Harleen Quinzel was another successful woman - a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum - turned bad girl. Granted, she's not a solo act, but what other woman could hold her own in The Joker's freak show? Harley is a fantastic character because her relentless infatuation/love for "Mr. J." (regardless of how he treats her) gives her character relatable and depth.

Catwoman

Selina Kyle is a socialite with a thirst for adventure by day. But by night, she gets her thrills stealing from vaults and museums. Personally, I like that her entire reason for being a criminal is boredom. Aside from that, what sets Catwoman apart from the other women of this series is her relationship with Batman. He's head-over-heels for her, so each encounter is an inner struggle between his fight for justice and his heart.

Is there a television show you watch solely for the characters?

Let me know below or on Facebook!