Buffalo MJ

Entertainment blogger from Buffalo, NY

[buffalomj]

Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

Part One in Which the Blogger Remembers How Fun Reading Can (and Should) Be I don’t remember the last time I really had fun while reading.  I love reading, and I love books, but the last few that I’ve picked up ended up feeling more plodding and tedious than I would have liked (I’m definitely looking at you, Lovecraft -- but more on him later).  So to break up the monotony of feeling like reading was a chore, I picked up a little book from my favorite Doogie Stinson himself: Neil Patrick Harris, or NPH as the world lovingly refers to him. He wrote a memoir, but not just any memoir.  He wrote a choose your own adventure memoir, and it works beautifully.  Reading became a tactile experience where I would hold my place in the book to flip thirty pages later to see what would happen if NPH had taken the role of Jack in Titanic or to read about the second time he appeared on Sesame Street. It made me a kid again.  I remember spending Sunday afternoons with my Goosebumps CYOA books laughing and trying to get out of them alive, but death was a very fun part of them.  You never want to make it out perfectly in the first read through. If someone was going to create an adult version of that, I cannot think of anyone more qualified than NPH himself.  I mean, is there anyone more likable than him?  I don’t just mean in Hollywood, because NPH seems like an all-around awesome guy.  His memoir takes us from his childhood through his big break, the Doogie years, Harold and Kumar, HIMYM, and his varied hosting gigs (watching Bret Michaels get knocked out becomes even funnier when you realize the cast of Shrek was taking care of him afterward).  We meet, fall in love, and have children with the equally charismatic and nice David Burtka.  And we often die in increasingly horrific ways.  (Hint, always read the “To work with so-and-so a second time, turn to page...”)  As a bonus, there are recipes, a crossword puzzle, and magic tricks along the way.  That’s right, NPH is so good at magic he doesn’t even need to be in the same room to wow you. Pick up this book.  Read this book.  Love this book.  It’s legen-wait for it-dary.

[buffalomj]

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Part One in Which the Blogger Contemplates the Usefulness of Questionable Narrators, and Defends the Readers Who Love Them I read an opinion somewhere that people who can like a book with a morally bad main character are themselves bad people.  That is a very narrow minded way to look at literature.  If you avoided bad protagonists, you wouldn't have books like American Psycho, The Catcher in the Rye, or the book that I just finished: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

The White Tiger is about a poor servant from India who murders his master and becomes an entrepreneur.  Don't worry, no spoilers, because Balram, the protagonist, tells us so within the first few pages.  The rest of the story is about how he gets to that point, and what lessons can be learned from it.

Of course, the entire novel is somewhat clouded by the fact that Balram is not really a nice person.  He tries to hide it because the story is told in first person, but this just makes him seem greasy.  I find this kind of character study facinating, because it's almost a horror story.  You are peeking at the action through covered eyes.  This kind of fascination with the macabre is echoed through the novel with many characters reading a smutty murder magazine.

Throughout the novel, Balram continuously tries to prove to us he is a good person, but each time he does he reminds us that his entire family was likely murdered because of his actions.  And he contradicts himself by telling us how much his master did not deserve to die, but how necessary it was to kill him.

Plus there is an entire subtext to The White Tiger that lies in the unsaid.  Balram is presenting us with his best version of himself, and to do that he is leaving out some key moments in his life.  Every once-in-a-while, they peer through though.  For instance, Balram refers to his master as his ex multiple times through the story.  He never really clarifies what he means by this, but there are some tender moments shared between the two men, and the passionate way in which Balram murders Ashok make me think Balram means something more than just ex-employer.

Overall, books with questionable narrators work well to make the reader think "Could I have done what Balram did?  Am I that kind of person?"  And more often than not, we balk at the thought and become more comfortable in our docile lives.  So I would disagree completely with the thought that immoral narrators breed immoral readers:  As Balram himself notes, "Just because the drivers of Delhi are reading Murder Weekly, it doesn't mean that they are about to slit their master's necks.  Of course, they'd like to ... You see, the murder in the magazine is so mentally disturbed and sexually deranged that not one reader would want to be like him..."

[buffalomj]

Historical Context on Cane

Part Two in Which the Blogger Talks About the Harlem Renaissance and Modernism and Expresses How the Book Shatters Expectations on All Fronts So some historical context about why Jean Toomer’s Cane is so important.

Most people know about the Harlem Renaissance.  If you don’t, it was this badass time in American culture where African American art, music, and literature surged.  It gave us some of the best art that America has ever seen: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Lois Mailou Jones.  Seriously, check them out if you haven’t heard or seen their amazing work.

Now, you are probably wondering “Okay, but what about the black writers that were around before the 1920s?  I mean, they had to have existed, right?”  Yes, they did.  Unfortunately, America wasn’t the best society to live in back in the 1800s or early 1900s.  (I hear you in the back of the class — I know that it’s still not an ideal situation now, but that’s a different story and it’s a different kind of problem than the ones back then.)  Most of what was out before the Harlem Renaissance was the slave narrative.  From Frederick Douglass to Olaudah Equiano to Harriet Ann Jacobs, there were hundreds of slave narratives that ranged from brilliant and moving to shady and possibly fabricated.  There are literally entire courses devoted to the problems and triumphs of slave narratives, but two big things to take away from this period in American literature is that they weren’t always written with the best intentions and they were often prefaced by some rich white dude.

Why were they prefaced by a rich white dude?  Basically it was a forward that said “Hey White America, I know that most black people that you’ve interacted with were property.  But trust me, this one totally wrote this book for you and it’s actually worth reading!  Imagine that!”

It was pretty offensive.

So that leads us to the 1920s.  Everything is different for culture now.  Ezra Pound challenges everyone to “Make it New,” and the great thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance did just that.  Jean Toomer comes around at a time when T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland” and James Joyce’s Ulysses are making waves.  This is a time when tradition is disregarded in favor of doing something never seen before.

It is also a time when African American voices are beginning to be heard on their own and not with the “endorsement” of some rich white dude.  (I mean, they were still there, but the whole process feels a lot less evil and ulterior motive-y than it did with the slave narrative…)  This is the first time in American culture where black voices are heard on their own.  

Toomer blends that authenticity of the African American voice with the stylistic voice of a modernist.  He rejects the structure of the past while embracing the many problems facing the African American community of the time.  While I did not love the way Toomer threw out old styles earlier in the novel, I still appreciate and love what Cane does.  Because it is pretty much a text book of the evolution of literature in one 160-page book.  It is a prose novel, it is a poetry chapbook, it is even a stageplay at times.  Toomer did things with words that just were not done before then.

Does it work 100% of the time?  No, I don’t think so.  But it is a great piece of modernist writing; it is a great piece of American writing; it is a great piece of African American writing.  Toomer is able to bring a new voice to the table of literature with this book.

Naturally I glossed over much of the history and background to what made Cane possible.  Did I leave out something vital to the story?  Want to talk about Cane some more?  I am always happy to keep the discussion going!  Please shoot me a comment!

[buffalomj]

Cane by Jean Toomer

Part One in Which the Blogger Expresses How the Book Did Not Live Up to His Expectations, But Would Still Recommend It Over Most of the Books He Has Read When I read books like this, a pillar of literary criticism and studied in universities throughout America (the World?  Does anyone else read this book in the world?), I find it hard to say something that doesn’t make me sound like (a) ignorant (b) elitist or (c) an ass.  So feel free to let me know which I am after this post. Cane is good.  Like really good.  For about the first third of the book, and then I promptly began regretting the decision to read this book on an airplane.  (I mean honestly, I couldn’t just get up an read something else.  Instead I had to plod through the rest like it was an endurance test or something.) I enjoyed the way that each story was about a different person, and I liked the thematic idea of each chapter being a name.  Then Toomer threw that idea out the window and moved on to another idea.  This made Cane feel more like excerpts from an anthology rather than one complete novel.  And you know, I woudn’t have minded this as much, but then suddenly Toomer did this weird thing with dialogue that took me right out of the novel.  It was something like Toomer: Suddenly, I am going to bracket off what people say not with quotation marks like I have for the rest of the book, but in this pseudo-play kind of way. MJ: But Jean, why this sudden change in style?  I mean it’s really distracting.  Like whoa.  It feels like you just ran out of ways to say ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ and just gave up. Toomer: I don’t really know why I changed it.  Maybe I got bored writing the first half of this book.  Maybe I’m trying to make a point about how human interaction is almost like a rehearsed play.  Maybe I just want to mess with pretentious assholes who will read this book in a hundred years. MJ: I mean, you are the author.  Do what you’re gonna do, but if you wanted to write this as a play, you totally could have from the beginning. Two more points about suddenly changing ideas mid-novel:  First, Toomer began inserting poems between chapters.  I enjoyed these breaks and I could see the poetry silently influencing the stories throughout the novel.  Then suddenly, Toomer stops this.  Also each chapter is a few pages, and for the first two-thirds of the novel, Toomer tells over a dozen stories.  Then he spends fifty pages on one story (”Kabnis”).  It’s not even than “Kabnis” is bad -- It just is not as interesting as most of the book, and Toomer taught me that each story would be over after a few paragraphs.  Suddenly I have to trek through some muddy allegory about torturing a blind old man who lives in a basement and only speaks “Sin.” So I have made it sound like Cane is not worth the time to read.  That is far from the truth.  Toomer writes beautifully, and the prose sing poetic.  I can close my eyes and imagine the South of Cane’s pages.  And those stylistic changes that irked me makes more of the tales told in the pages memorable.  I mean, how many anthology-type books have we read and we can’t even remember three of the stories in them? So many people would complain that I haven’t looked at Cane in the idea of the “modern novel” or that I haven’t even mentioned the Harlem Renaissance yet.  And I would agree with them about that, and this is for two reasons.  First, a book should be enjoyable regardless of its contemporaries (or what it is rebelling against).  Second, I will touch upon that in Part 2 of my Cane talk, where I try to become more scholarly and less personal about my interpretation of the novel.  So please come back and check that out! In the meantime, please feel free to send me any questions/comments you have on Cane, or my interpretation.  I am always interested in starting a literary conversation!

[buffalomj]

I Need Diverse Games Because...

In a wonderful state of chance, I discovered the Mass Effect series around the same time that Game Informer published an editorial talking about the under-represented gamer. The article covered all of the same topics that are being hashed out under the #INeedDiverseGames hashtag/movement, and it was a beautifully written sentiment that had me step back and think "I don't ever see a POC lead character in video games, do I?"

So I popped in my Mass Effect 2 (Because I have a Playstation 3, and could not start the series at the beginning -- at the time), and went in knowing that I was going to have a beautiful African lead character. I did a little bit of research into the voice actors who played the Male Shep and Fem Shep role, because if I was going to be spending hundreds of hours with this character, I wanted one that would not get on my nerves. When I heard Jennifer Hale deliver the rousing speech near the end of the game on YouTube, and compared it to the fairly stereotypical gravelly male lead, I knew that I was going to have a female lead character.

So already, I have created someone who is almost completely opposite from your typical lead character: an African woman lead. This was beautiful, and refreshing for me to see in a video game. The storyline (generally) is the same for any player or any gender, and it wass this specific fact that made it so powerful: It does not matter if you are a man or a woman, black or white, you can still save the galaxy.

If that was all that Bioware gave me, I would have considered Mass Effect one of the greatest series that I have played. But there was a deeply interpersonal connection with the team members on the ship. Romantic relations are an option for Shepard, and there are many, many options to choose from. Since I started at the second installment, I began with a short "Choose Your Advenure" style comic that got me up to speed with Shepard's actions from the first game. Here the romantic options for my Fem Shep were Kaidan, the traditional man to Shepard's woman, and Liara T'soni. Liara, voiced by Ali Hillis, is by all human standards a woman. (She's actually a race of hermaphroditic aliens that can have children by men or women, which opens up an entirely different conversation that I may touch on later.) In the comic Kaidan was kind of a jerk, so I picked Liara to be Shepard's love interest. So now we have a black, woman, gay character saving the galaxy and generally being a badass.

If that was all that Bioware gave me, I would have considered Mass Effect one of the greatest series that I have played.

I began playing Mass Effect 2 with the distinct intention of being faithful to Liara, because I wanted to see something completely fresh and original. Something that I had never seen in a video game before: two lead gay characters who balked at the stereotypes that have been handed to us. Unforunately, Liara left Shepard's crew and was in other parts of the galaxy generally being awesome. Shepard kept a picture of her in her room, and was committed to her, and was everything that a perfect Love should be during times of strain.

And then we picked up Garrus. Garrus is another character from the first game, and is generally the best character I have ever come across in a video game. (That. Voice. Brandon Keener, if you could just send me an MP3 of you reading the dictionary as Garrus, I would be set for life.) In my mind, Shepard was so excited to come across a battle comrade and friend. I spent a lot of time in the middle of some calibrations, and shooting the shit with such a well-designed character. I never conciously steered the conversation in any particular way -- I did not want to have a romantic relationship with Garrus. To be completely honest, I saw them as friends who shared a lot of great inside jokes and stories.

Near the middle-end of Mass Effect 2, Shepard runs across Liara again. (Or was that only in Shadow Broker? I honestly do not remember anymore, because I played the entire game and DLC as one continuous loop.) Shepard was elated to be with her love again, and I steered the conversations toward rekindling what I had wanted to dive into since I bought the game. However, in moment of stress and despair, Liara shouts at Shepard, "I know about you and Garrus!"

As a player, I never thought about Shepard and Garrus being together. Not in that way at least. I mean, I brought him on nearly every mission -- but that was because he was a crack shot with some history with Shepard. I was shocked, offended. Everything I wanted to be when starting this game: I wanted something that was going to completely rewrite the stereotype of what an epic, science fiction, action story was going to tell me. So I sat back and wrestled with the idea that maybe Shepard was developing feelings for Garrus. If that was so, what did it mean for her relationship with Liara?

There is an extremely touching scene after the Shadow Broker mission where Shepard invites Liara back up to her room. They talk about everything on their mind. Shepard still has feelings for this woman, and as a player, I did not know what was going to happen. (I actually still considered them to be together at this point -- though I was suddenly feeling very guilty for what she said about Garrus.) But then the point of actually having sex with Liara came up. And all Liara needed from Shepard was confirmation in her feelings. I was hit with the classic (maybe cliched at this point?) "Me or Him" trope.

And I balked. I realized that the character I was building, and her relationship with Garrus, was taking her in a different direction than what was planned. And that blew my mind. I created such a fluid, realistic relationship in a science fiction epic between two aliens and a human. I literally created something that mirrored my own personal experiences without setting out to do that. In fact, I wanted something so different from who I am that I purposefuly went out of my way to create a character that challenged every aspect about my gender, race, ethnicity.

So do you know why I need diverse games? It's because in diversity there is unity. In diversity, there is the chance for not just tolerance, but acceptance. In diversity, there is the chance to become in tune with cultures and people who are not one's own. And, let's be honest: in diversity, there is the chance to tell more stories than just the same old story done too many times. I do not need to save the damsel and shoot the (usually ethnic) bad guy in the face anymore. Can't I be saved sometimes? Aren't I in distress?

And for the record, Shepard and Garrus turned out to be the most satisfying and loving relationship I have ever seen portrayed on screen. To this day, the only cannon in my head is my own playthrough of the game. But your game may be (and probably will be) completely different. That's the beauty of Mass Effect. You don't have to prescribe to a single story. Because when has it ever worked that way in real life?

[buffalomj]

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiere review

Marvel took the next step in its cinematic universe this week with the television premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Tuesday.  It is a superhero cop drama with the big name lead of Clark Gregg returning from the dead (?) as Agent Coulson.  This show is the unholy child of Heroes and NCIS, and the question on everyone's mind is "Does it work?" For the most part, it does.  It might not hit the Joss Whedon high of Buffy or Firefly, but SHIELD is a quriky and quippy take on the fantastical elements of the Marvel characters.  It is extremely refreshing that the cast is unique to the show -- it would have been difficult to create such a grounded show if, say, Deadpool was a recurring character. That said, I'm a little disappointed in the "threat of the week" idea that the pilot set up, but hopefully this is something that edges away now that the show is actually on.  (To be honest, I thought that the exploding dad would come on the team to round out the cast.) So what does the show do right?  It knows how to hold its cards.  In the premiere alone we got a bevy of hints at future storylines.  Most importantly is whether Coulson actually died or not in The Avengers.  What is being held back there?  But smaller things such as May's awesome background and Ward's mysterious family history also intrigue me.  I hope that these are plotpoints that unravel slowly. Also great is Cobie Smulders' guest spot as Maria Hill.  I really hope that the show considers making her a permanent addition once her commitment to How I Met Your Mother ends this year.  She is a top-notch actress, and a continues to prove she's a great fit for the character. I look forward to seeing more from this show.  Hopefully it doesn't become another The Cape...

[buffalomj]

Superhumanoids "Bad Weather" Music Video Review There is terror in the disgusting at times.  For example, the sheer horror of watching someone's teeth fall out can stretch out into the longest four minutes of the day.  Superhumanoids fully realizes this in the video for "Bad Weather." This video is Kafkaesque in its simplicity.  It has two characters: a man and a woman, who we're not entirely sure are connected.  And the bulk of the video focuses on the man as he shaves and brushes his teeth. And then things get weird. The nonchalant atmosphere he has as his teeth fall out is flat-out creepy.  This is placed against the hauntingly beautiful vocals.  Sarah Chernoff has a vulnerability in her voice that makes the action more horrifying. This is a story with layers, and repeated viewings are encouraged.  "Bad Weather" is off of the band's recent album release Exhibitionists available on iTunes.  Superhumanoids is a Los Angeles-based band that I highly recommend keeping an eye on!

[buffalomj]

Zak Ward: The Gallimaufry EP Review

I have done a lot of talking on this blog about Son of the Sun: my personal favorite band, and fellow Buffalo native.  I have not, however, showcased one of their albums yet.  That doesn't exactly change today, but I will talk about lead singer Zak Ward and his solo EP The Gallimaufry. It starts out with a beautiful rendition of Shakespeare as Ward puts the most famous sonnet to song.  Of course that would be "18," better known as "Shall I compare thee..."  Through Zak Ward, the sonnet becomes the quintessential summer song.  It's lazy where it needs to be, and you have hints that fall is around the corner.  This isn't something that will last long.  But of course, we could write an essay on breaking down Shakespeare's poetry -- that is for another blog. Ward's next pick is a classic folk song in "Stewball."  Peter, Paul, and Mary famously covered the song, and their version is much more sad and clear than Ward's.  Ward's has a longing in the newer version.  It's a different take than Peter, Paul, and Mary and asks the question "What's the difference between sadness and longing?" From there we move to "The Djrunk."  This is a jazzy break of tempo from the first two songs.  The guitar is the voice of the song, as Ward has chosen to give The Gallimaufry an instrumental track.  But we jump right back into his style with "World of Woe."  This is Zak Ward's take on "The Wayfaring Stranger," an old spiritual from the 1800s.  The rendition given today resonates just as much as the ones by Johnny Cash, or Interestingly, Peter, Paul, and Mary. And to close out the EP, we return to The Bard.  "81" is a perfect inverse for the album.  Where "18" is about new, fleeting love, "81" is love that endures through death.  Much like The Gallimaufry is a journey through life, "81" proves that what we create will live immortal.  "Such virtue hath my pen..." The Gallimaufry is an incredibly intelligent EP.  It has a theme, and it follows through.  Zak Ward the listener through the various stages of life to death.  It works so well.  Even the EP's title "The Gallimaufry" represents what is being done: it is a jumble and medley of older music reworked for today's audience. Stand-out Track: "World of Woe"

[buffalomj]

Puppeteer Review (Playstation 3) I cannot remember a release that has as much fun with its concept as Puppeteer does.  It is a puppet play put on for the player, and there is a quite audible audience sitting around you.  They will react to the play with gasps or cheers, and each act is closed with a curtain and applause. It's an ingenious way to set the mood.  I frequently forgot that I was playing a game and thought that this seemed more like a Saturday morning cartoon.  The game is filled to the breaking point with interesting characters and layers upon layers of in jokes (the trophy list, for example, is all about making puns on stage plays: Much Apork About Mutton; A Toothache Named Disaster; Fiddler on the Woof...). However this is also a setback for the game.  At times there are literally so many characters on the stage, and so much kinetic movement that I lost track of what was happening.  It becomes clear in moments like this that Puppeteer is ideally a 3D game.  Without the added depth, the action is very muddled. The gameplay is adequate.  It's a simple system that adds new moves as you progress through the game.  Nothing revolutionary, but it works for a building reveal.  Each new button command is well-paced and it helps the player get used to old commands to move forward; however, simple things do get in the way of enjoyment. There is no double jump.  Players are instead given Calibrus, a magical pair of scissors that bridges the gap between platforms.  This mechanic is awkward at first, and it takes a while to feel comfortable using it.  Around halfway through the game, there is an enhancement that makes traversal easier. One of the biggest parts of the game is finding new heads to give Kutaro additional abilities.  This is extremely fun as each head has a backstory to read; a unique animation; and specific areas to unlock bonus content.  Unlike most games, Puppeteer gives players puzzle-like hints about where to find each head.  Playing through each level, it's a fun experience to check the environment and have something new pop out each time. I love Puppeteer despite its shortcomings.  It is a truly charming experience, and I love the story.  It's a modern fairy tale that deserves a standing ovation.

[buffalomj]

Arctic Monkeys: AM Album Review

It is an odd thing to follow a band from relative obscurity to headlining the front page of iTunes music, but that's pretty much what happened when I headed to the music store last week and saw Arctic Monkeys on the list of hot new music. AM marks the band's fifth album, and it has a very distinct tonal shift from their earlier work.  I'm not sure if it's a matured sound, but it's definitely a downbeat.  Songs like "Do I Wanna Know?" and "Mad Sounds" used to take the backseat to a more upbeat album.  (Think "505" from Favorite Worst Nightmare or "My Propeller" from Humbug.)  There is no "Fluorescent Adolescent" or "Fake Tales of San Francisco" on AM. Overall, the album is less "fun" than earlier ventures.  I think as an evolutionary step forward, this works very well.  It places the band more in the bar scene and less in the dance club.  As a long-time Arctic Monkeys fan, however, I do miss some of that get up and dance mentality.  The juxtaposition is most extreme in the middle of the album.  "No. 1 Party Anthem" sounds like it will be that exciting dance song that gets the blood pumping.  Instead it sounds more like the song that plays when the party is over: there is disaster everywhere, and people are passed out on the floor. Arctic Monkeys continues to defy expectations, and that is what makes AM such a strong addition to an already impressive discography.  It's a laid-back album that is great to play during extremely late nights where you want nothing more than to just chill. Stand-out Track: "Mad Sounds"

[buffalomj]

Hemlock Grove: Season One Review (I have tried to make this review relatively spoiler-free, but there are some big events that are mentioned.  If you want to go in completely fresh, I recommend watching the first season of Hemlock Grove on Netflix before reading this review.) I could never quite figure out the tone of Hemlock Grove.  Is it supposed to be serious?  Is it a satire on the horror genre?  Does it know just how bad it is?  Netflix's version of True Blood is campy to the extreme, and to be honest that's part of its charm.  Every time I watched an episode, I thought "Surely it can't get any worse than this, right?"  Then the next episode would play and I would find out that it never gets better -- it just circles the drain of awkward acting, laughable dialog, and offensively misogynistic tropes. It begins with a simple enough premise: A werewolf tears a girl in half, and a small town (filled with some supernatural aspects of its own) is thrown into panic.  Okay.  That is a strong enough Twin Peaks-like premise to get the gears rolling.  Now clearly the objective is to find the werewolf before it strikes again. Unfortunately we live in a world where Twilight and Vampire Diaries exists as well, so we need to bog that plot-line down with unnecessary melodrama.  There is a potentially incestual love triangle between a girl named Letha (Honestly described as "like Lisa with a lisp" at one point in the show), her brooding cousin Roman, and the questionably racist portrayal of a gypsy named Peter.  Now that's not exactly fair, because Peter is honestly one of the better parts about this show.  The point remains that the gypsies (not even Romani ... they go right for the "mystical" with this show) move to town, and bring werewolves with them. This all works as a satire.  It's a ridiculously convoluted story filled with so much bull that it can only read as funny.  However when given as a serial drama, as the show is billed, it is just too much.  It doesn't work, and I am increasingly frustrated by it.  I have honestly spent the entire summer arguing with myself trying to pin down its placement. If you're looking for an entertaining way to spend a month, watch Hemlock Grove and think of it in the vein of Evil Dead.  The original, not the remake, and laugh at the terrible decisions people make.  Essentially this show is a satire of the genre whether it wants to be or not.  If you try to take it seriously, you are bound to have a bad time.  And with werewolves, vampires, angels, Frankenstein monsters, and a whole host of naive young women dying who wants to have a bad time? I only hope that season two gives us some strong women that don't end up flayed in some warehouse.  And maybe some men dying?  Because only one man died this entire season, and that was self-inflicted.  Maybe.  Yay, magic!

[buffalomj]

Review Overdue: The Fucking Hotlights' High Society Torture Party

What happened to punk?  Not the whiny, pop-punk that bands like blink-182 or Green Day play, but that real 70s kind of don't-give-a-flying-fuck, messy, grungy kind of punk.  Like Sex Pistols punk.  There have been songs here and there that try to capture the old feeling, but few have really felt right. The Fucking Hotlights have tried to hit those punk highs with their first official album release titled High Society Torture Party.  At times, they sound like the perfect pick-up after classic punk tones.  Sometimes they almost bend into hard rock with their guitar riffs and tough vocals.  Let's just say that my throat hurts after listening to the album. The Fucking Hotlights almost edge their way into a Foo Fighters sound with songs like "Skinwalker" and "The Winding Sheet."  This works well to keep them from falling too much into the "intentionally bad" punk category. High Society Torture Party is the first follow-up to the band's 2010 three-song demo.  One song that has transferred over is "No Glory."  This is a re-recording of "No Glory in that Hole," and I'm not sure if I like the transition.  There's something about the garage quality of the original that the update sounds completely different.  Maybe it's just me pushing the punk tones of the band too much, but I liked the original more.  So if you pick up High Society, make sure you visit the band's website and grab their Demo as well. The Fucking Hotlights is a Buffalo-based band, and they released High Society Torture Party in 2011.  Unfortunately the last update on their website is from July 2012, while their Facebook states "Our last show before Peter goes on sabbatical to study deep tissue massage in Sweden and John goes under the knife to get his liver replaced with an old tennis shoe ... Come say goodbye."  That was dated August 30, 2012.  So it looks like this band may just be one to enjoy on record.  Either way, check them out!  They're worth a listen if you're into the hard punk rock scene. Stand-Out Track: "Skinwalker"

[buffalomj]

Jimkata: Die Digital Album Review

One of the best parts of Twitter is falling ass-backwards into things that you would have never known about otherwise.  One such hidden gem is Jimkata.  Calling Ithaca, NY home, they hail from one of New York's biggest college towns. Their most recent album Die Digital has a distinct sound.  It blends the laid-back sound of some Buffalo natives like Son of the Sun, while also pushing a rather catchy dance beat as well.  This is particularly noticeable in the second track "Night Shade," but carries on through the entire album. "Chain Store" is an especially apt song for the band, since it is about getting away from the chain store, big-box type mentality and going for something a bit more unique.  That's exactly what Jimkata does here.  This is a fiercely independent band with songs that are both catchy and have more to say than the latest manufactured pop band. To their benefit, Jimkata has offered two free albums off of their website ( www.jimkata.com ).  Ghosts & Killers and Burn My Money are currently available for a pay-what-you-will price.  This is one of my favorite things about independently-minded groups: the faith that their music will draw in fans by itself and without forcing their way into the listener's pockets.  This kind of faith has always, always led to my buying everything that the band has to offer. And the wait shouldn't be long for new tracks.  Their twitter account (@Jimkatamusic) announced today that they are back in the studio.  I look forward to more from this great band. Jimkata, "I like you cause you're not watered down." Stand-out Track: "American Cars"

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(I've tried to make this review spoiler-free, but if you want to go in cold turkey make sure you watch the episode first!) Well today is the day.  Again. Futurama aired its second series finale, and it hit all of the right buttons.  From the title screen asking the viewers to "Avenge Us" until the beautiful ending with old Fry and Leela.  This episode was very much about them and dealing with their relationship (finally ending the "Will they or won't they" question that has been lingering since season one).  This may disappoint some fans of characters like Amy or Kif or Hermes, but I feel like this was necessary for a finale. Secondary characters have been highlighted throughout the rest of the season (with a notable Guenter appearance earlier in the season).  This episode was all about closure. That's not to say that Matt Groening and company haven't left the universe wide open for return.  This was the best part about the episode.  When it was canceled on Fox, it was unlikely that we would see the crew again.  But after a successful DVD release, and then the pick-up by Comedy Central, it is possible that we haven't seen the last of Planet Express.  My fingers are crossed for a theatrical release and then life on Netflix, Arrested Development style. Altogether, few television shows have the kind of impact that Futurama has maintained.  The amount of love that comes from the show to the audience and from the audience to the show is staggering.  I am heartbroken that it's over again, but I absolutely love the way it gave its curtain call.

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Sean Nelson: Make Good Choices Review

When Sean Nelson announced that he was coming out with a solo album this year, I was so excited to finally have more music by this man.  I was among the early adopters who pre-ordered the album and received a t-shirt and flash drive with extra music in addition to the album, titled Make Good Choices.  The only question was whether the album would hold up to my extremely high expectations. Let's just say that for this entire summer, there has been only one cd in my car at any given time, and most days I forsook even the call of my iPod to just rotate this disc one more time.  So yes, it is definitely worth it. Sean Nelson, of Harvey Danger fame, has long been one of my favorite lyricists in music.  His biting tone and self-deprecation combine to create some of the most heartbreakingly witty songs.  In Make Good Choices, we see the same quality come through.  In the opener "The World Owes Me a Living (And I Intend to Collect)" Nelson asks what it means to be 'rock and roll' with a scare tactic quote that echoes the sentiment of the 50s: "The only real answer to the question whither rock and roll is hither; some misguided people think that the answer is thither.  They're wrong; those theories are passe."  Nelson spends the rest of the album questioning what it is to be a musician and what the expectations are. This is a theme that comes to its conclusion with the closer "Kicking Me Out of the Band."  Everything that a lead singer is 'supposed' to do (drugs mostly, but also ditching shows and having feuds with the other members of the band) is on display for the character of the song.  And that is something not many artists do nowadays: Nelson is a storyteller.  As a listener, I'm never really sure where the music is autobiographical and when it is a work of fiction.  This is brilliant, because it lets Nelson be both sympathetic and badass. By having so many layers to the music, each song begs to be listened to multiple times.  Each time I've listened to Make Good Choices I've discovered something new about the music, about myself, and about Sean Nelson as a musician. If the only thing you know Sean Nelson for is Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta," do yourself a favor and pick up his new solo release.  Some of the best basslines, lyrics, and hooks have come out of this one album.  Definitely worth leaving in the car for months on end. Stand-out Track: "Kicking Me Out of the Band"

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Neverending Nightmares Kickstarter Project When I think of horror, I generally do not think of what I can see on the screen or what is being told to me in a book.  I think of the dread that comes with what lies just beyond my field of vision.  When I was a kid, this kind of horror led me to hide beneath my covers and whisper to myself that the Boogeyman in fact wasn't hiding in the closet.  (Turns out that was just Mike and Sully in there anyway.) Matt Gilgenbach, of Retro/Grade fame, is turning to Kickstarter for his next project.  This is an autobiographical game titled Neverending Nightmares, and he turned inward to his own psyche for inspiration.  In the appeal video on Kickstarter, Gligenbach says that he wants to "Recreate the fear, the terror, the anxiety of suffering from Obsessive Compulsion Disorder and depression." The visuals are done in a gorgeous pencil drawing style, inspired by Edward Gorey.  This is helped by the fact that there is "no convoluted inventory screen or puzzles shoehorned in.  [They are] aiming to have no in-game HUD or UI elements," as they see these to hinder the immersion of the player. As far as the storyline goes, it appears that Neverending Nightmares will have an emphasis on choice.  Gligenbach promises branching narratives based on what the player finds to be "real" in the world of nightmares.  The gameplay will have a focus on exploration and stealth rather than combat and puzzles, and Gligenbach promises to make these accessible to all levels of gamers. If you are interested in learning more about Neverending Nightmares, please visit their kickstarter page ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/infinitap/neverending-nightmares ).  The team is looking to raise $99,000 by September 29, and have raised an impressive $22,168 at the time of this posting.  Teaser trailer via Polygon.

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The Thinking Man's Summer Blockbuster

I remember when Inception came to theatres there were two distinct groups of people.  The first was the group of people expecting another Michael Bay popcorn movie, and the second group was surprised that Nolan had delivered a thoughtful, psychological movie that required the viewer to actively think about the story. This was a dangerous move for a summer movie.  The summer is for explosions and breasts; not for philosophical conundrums and existential crises. The film proved to be successful, despite its highbrow view of the movie theatre.  That said, it seemed to be a fluke.  Instead we returned to the newest suit of spandex or bikini girl sexing her way through the beach.  (Not that your average superhero or macho-man movie is necessarily a bad thing, when done right.) This year, however, we were treated to Elysium. This is the newest science fiction movie by Neill Blomkamp (of District 9 fame).  Blomkamp does something that no other sci-fi master dares to do nowadays: He uses his movies to explore extremely topical social issues. With his first movie, Blomkamp uses the literally out-of-this-world conflict to highlight racism, and its crippling effects on South African life.  This was done to such success that it was nominated for an Oscar.  With Elysium, we have a movie that instead looks at classism and the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor.

Admittedly, this would have been more powerful when Occupy Wall Street was still going strong, but just because people aren't camping outside of the stock market doesn't make the issue any less important.  While the not-so-subtle declaration of communism may have scared McCarthy, it brings up an important discussion that can be overlooked.  When should we stop letting capital define us and help our fellow man?  Do we withhold health care because we have money to have it ourselves?  Do we segregate the poor just to keep our way of life in tact?  How oblivious must we be to keep this lifestyle? These are the kinds of questions that Elysium forces its audience to ask.  And to be quite honest, this is exactly what I want from a summer movie.  Big, fantastical set.  Crazy explosions.  But also consequence.  If shit blows up and there is nothing riding on it, what's the point of the movie. So keep them coming Mr. Blomkamp.  I will continue checking your movies out as long as you keep asking more out of me than some other directors in Hollywood today. Michael Bay