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Monday, December 30, 2013

Best and Worst of 2013 - Feature Presentations

With just two days to go in the year 2013, we're smack dab in the middle of a seven (well, six) day feature on the best and worst pop culture events that took place over the course of the year.

So far, we've examined the following pop culture topics...

12/27/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013:  Television
12/28/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013:  Video Games
12/29/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013:  Music

And today's plans?  How about dinner and a movie?
Or, at the very least, raiding your pantry of its supply of popcorn, jujubes, nachos, and cherry coke and having a movie night at home.

Believe it or not, there were a total of 281 films released in theatres (and that does NOT include the made for television movie "Sharknado" either).  And, naturally, I have not seen all 281 films that were released in 2013.  If anything, I've probably seen less than five per cent of the films.

However, I'm not going to let a minor fact like that prevent me from talking about the best and worst films.  I've also read reviews, seen the previews, and actually asked customers about their thoughts.  And, I've also kept close watch on the sales of both the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of all the New Releases (as of right now, movies from September 2013 are going to be released on video format within the next month).  I know exactly what movies are big sellers...and which movies were complete flops.

Are you ready for this retrospective?  Okay, let's start with a best...and worst.  A simultaneous and conflicting point, if you will.

THE BEST FILMS OF 2013 - BY THE NUMBERS

The good news is that 2013 was a very profitable year in the film industry, with the top film making a total of $1.2 BILLION dollars worldwide!

The bad news is that it seemed as though the pool of creativity and imagination is in further danger of running dry.  Believe it or not, of the Top 10 highest grossing films of 2013, seven were sequels, and one was a total reboot of a classic film series.  Heck, I may as well say it...the Top 5 films of 2013 were all sequels.

But hey, at least a sequel is better than a total remake.  I'm looking at you specifically production crew of "Carrie".  My goodness, that film's already been remade like three or four times!  Why another version!  And, what is the deal with the "Evil Dead" remake?  I mean, yes, it was incredibly scary and gruesome, but as far as I'm concerned, you cannot have "Evil Dead" without Bruce Campbell.


But then again, maybe I'm just spoiled.

For what it's worth, here's the Top 10 of 2013.




1.  IRON MAN 3
2.  DESPICABLE ME 2
3.  THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 6
4.  THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
5.  MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
6.  MAN OF STEEL
7.  GRAVITY
8.  THOR:  THE DARK WORLD
9.  THE HOBBIT:  THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
10.  THE CROODS

Okay, so I will make the following statements.  I loved Despicable Me 2, Iron Man 3, Monsters University, and Gravity.  And, apparently others share my point of view.  The rest of the Top 10 I have not seen, and in a couple of cases, I have no desire to see.

Though, I will give credit where credit is due.  I have not seen the Hunger Games sequel, nor have I seen the original Hunger Games.  However, I do know hundreds of people who are obsessed with these films (based on a series of books), and they have actually told me to check them out.  I'm considering it, because I really haven't heard anything negative about the series at all.




And, while I'm not really a huge fan of "The Fast and The Furious" series of movies, I can safely say that I sell at least a dozen copies of any of the six films in the franchise at any given time, and that "The Fast and The Furious 6" was one of the top selling DVD's at the store I work at.  Though, admittedly a part of it could be because of the tragic death of star Paul Walker, who was ironically killed in an automobile accident in November.

ENOUGH WITH THE 3D ALREADY!

You know, I get it.  3D is here to stay.  Even some modern television sets and Blu-Ray players have 3D capabilities.  But at the same time, I think that Hollywood is maybe pushing the 3D envelope just a little bit too much.  It was bad enough that every other film was released in 3D format in movie theatres, but then to release classic films like "Jurassic Park", "Top Gun", and "The Wizard of Oz" in 3D on top of that?  What next?  "Driving Miss Daisy" in 3D?




(Though I suppose that I can point out one good thing about the 3D obsession.  It did help the 1993 film "Jurassic Park" reach the one billion dollar mark overall!  And, I must admit, I think Jurassic Park would look cool in 3D.  The "Wizard of Oz", on the other hand...)

ZOMBIES ARE COOL AGAIN

I'll have to admit, the success of "The Walking Dead" has certainly re-ignited Hollywood's obsession with zombie films.  One needs look no further than the Brad Pitt summer blockbuster "World War Z" to confirm that zombies are alive and well in Tinseltown!  That movie alone made a little over half a billion dollars in 2013!




But there are other zombie films that are worth mentioning.  One of my favourites is the 2013 film "Warm Bodies", which is sort of a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet in which the zombified "R" falls in love with the much alive "Julie".  There were also a couple of films made with a little bit of British flavour, including "Cockneys vs. Zombies" and "Stalled".

Let's face it.  2013 was never a better year to be a reanimated dead guy...or gal, as the case may be.

2013:  THE YEAR OF THE ANIMATED MASTERPIECE




2013 was a stellar year for animated films.  Three of them (Despicable Me 2, Monsters University, and The Croods) were among the Top 10 films of 2013, and it appears as if the Disney film "Frozen" is well on its way to becoming a classic.  I wouldn't be surprised if "Frozen" ends up unseating "The Croods" at the rate it is going.  I have heard incredibly good reviews about "Frozen", and am debating on whether or not I should see it.  Maybe I'll wait until it comes out on video.

There's also the film "Epic", a beautiful breathtaking film that was based on William Joyce's "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs".  For little girls (and little boys, if you like), there were brand new "My Little Pony" and "Monster High" movies released in 2013.    The Smurfs decided that they needed a sequel which was delivered in the form of "Smurfs 2".  The weather forecast once again called for "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2".  Ryan Reynolds brought a snail named "Turbo" to life in the movie of the same name.  And just when you thought "Cars" was great, Disney decided to go ahead with the next big movie sensation, "Planes".  Admittedly, I liked "Cars" better, but "Planes" wasn't too bad.

And Disney also re-released quite a few movies on DVD and Blu-Ray this year, including "Robin Hood", "The Sword and the Stone", "Oliver & Company", and "The Little Mermaid".  But, you better grab 'em while you can...they won't stay outside the vault for long.




WHAT IS UP WITH DESTROYING THE WHITE HOUSE?

Apparently 2013 is the year in which the White House seems to be the target of mass destruction.  While it was never completely obliterated as it was during the 1996 film "Independence Day", the films "Olympus Has Fallen" and "White House Down" certainly damaged the iconic structure enough for it to at least be considered for a makeover on "Trading Spaces".  Well, that is, if that show were still on, anyway.

THE BIOGRAPHY NETWORK:  2013 STYLE

Currently, we're seeing a biographical film at the box office with the release of "Saving Mr. Banks", a film which depicts the story of how Walt Disney ended up making the classic 1964 film "Mary Poppins".  And this is admittedly a movie that I am interested in seeing if for no other reason than the fact that "Mary Poppins" was one of the first films I remember enjoying in my early childhood.  But there were other biographical films that are worth mentioning.




First things first, you have to take time out to watch the film "42", starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford.  The film depicts the struggles and triumphs of baseball player Jackie Robinson, who broke through the colour lines to become the first African-American baseball player to play on a Major League Baseball team.  It is such a fantastic movie.  I highly recommend it.

Ashton Kutcher also starred in a biographical film, taking on the role of Steve Jobs in the film "Jobs" - which admittedly I didn't like that much...as was the case for many film critics who slammed the film.  Though, I do have to admit.  Kutcher did actually kind of look like the young Steve Jobs, so at least he had that going for him.

As well, there were two separate films made about Nelson and Winnie Mandela - timely, given that Nelson Mandela passed away in early December at the age of 95.  For what it was worth, both films were released before Mandela's passing.

BOX OFFICE BOMBS

Until now, most of the movies I've mentioned have been given mostly positive comments.  And, for those that weren't, I did try to be nice about it.

That said, there's no hope for these stinkers.





BULLET TO THE HEAD:  Okay, Sly.  You were awesome in your eighty-six Rocky movies and twenty-seven Rambo movies.  And, at 67, I admit that you look better than other men your age.  But, this movie really shouldn't have been made.  I mean, this film was your worst opening weekend gross in over three decades!  I like you, Sly Stallone...but maybe you should consider putting action movies on your "Murtaugh List".  I don't care how popular "The Expendables" get.  Keep making more movies like this, and your career will become expendable!

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD:  Basically, I have the same exact message for Bruce Willis too.  Die Hard = awesome.  Die Hard 2 = just as awesome.  Die Hard 3 = losing steam.  Seriously, why even bother with this one?




THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE:  You'd think that a film that had both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell would do really well at the box office.  Unfortunately, the movie bombed, just coming short of breaking even at the box office.  The copies of Burt Wonderstone now collect dust on the DVD shelves at my workplace, but at least Carell rebounded with "Despicable Me 2".

THE HOST:  Once upon a time, an author by the name of Stephenie Meyer created a little book series known as "Twilight", which became a global phenomenon in the early 2010s.  So, naturally, once Twilight was over, Meyer hoped that her new project, "The Host" would also make a stellar film.  It didn't.  Though despite the critics panning the film, it did at least make eight million in profits.

SCARY MOVIE V:  Making a "Scary Movie" without Anna Faris is like making "Shrek" with Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of Princess Fiona.  Just plain awful.

THE BIG WEDDING:  Here's hoping that if a sequel is made, it's called "The Big Divorce".  None of the cast had any chemistry with each other - especially the people playing the bride and groom.




THE GREAT GATSBY:  Maybe I'm slightly jaded because I liked the original motion picture adaptation of this film one hundred per cent better, but I just wasn't feeling this one.  And, that's surprising to me, since I normally like Baz Luhrmann's work.  At least the film had financial success at the theatres...I certainly haven't sold many copies of the film at my workplace.

AFTER EARTH:  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

GROWN UPS 2:  WHY?!?!?!?!?!?

And, to close off this blog entry...one final sad note.




THE DEATH OF ROGER EBERT

Roger Ebert's death on April 4 marked the end of an era.  As a kid, I relied on Siskel & Ebert's movie reviews to help me decide what movies I would drag my parents to.  The duo worked well together until Siskel's death in 1999, and Ebert also shared chemistry with his new partner, Richard Roeper.  Certainly the last few years of Ebert's life were filled with hardships, but despite all the pain and surgeries he endured, Ebert continued to do what he did best, which was offer up his opinions on various films.  Roger Ebert truly loved his job, and he truly loved the movie industry.  And, how can you not love someone who has the passion?

He'll be greatly missed.

So, that wraps up our look back on 2013 films.  Tomorrow, the Best and Worst list takes a breather as I present the final Tuesday Timeline of 2013!



Hey...I had to slip ONE minion reference in this piece somewhere!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Best and Worst of 2013 - Spinnin' The Records

The special look back on the year known as 2013 continues with a musical interlude.  After all, this is Sunday - the day of the week that is typically reserved for the discussion of music.



And, let me tell you...2013 was one HUGE year for music.  As someone who has not really listened to Top 40 radio in approximately a decade, I must say that 2013 was actually not a bad year for music.  I even have a few songs from 2013 downloaded onto my iPod!

Before we continue with this look back on 2013 in music, I am going to be posting the previous two links so that you can keep up with this retrospective of the past year.

12/27/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013 - Television
12/28/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013 - Video Games


Feel free to peruse those lists at your leisure.  I even invite you to make comments about my choices or to come up with highlights of your own.

So, shall we get on with the look back at the year 2013 in music?  Yes?  

All right, let's get on with it, beginning with the biggest night in music history!

THE 2013 GRAMMY AWARDS

You know, I'm going to rank the 2013 Grammy Awards as being a mixed bag.  As far as the actual ceremony goes, I thought it sort of lacked something.  And this is coming from a guy who has watched the Grammy Awards nearly every year since the late 1980s (I missed the 2011 edition, as I was still in intensive care following a not-so-routine surgery).  But as far as the big winners of the night, well...I suppose it almost made up for it.

Record of the Year:  Somebody That I Used To Know/GOYTE f. KIMBRA
Album of the Year:  Babel/MUMFORD AND SONS
Song of the Year:  We Are Young
Best New Artist:  fun.
Best Pop Solo Performance:  Set Fire To The Rain/ADELE
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:  Somebody That I Used To Know/GOYTE f. KIMBRA
Best Pop Vocal Album:  Stronger/KELLY CLARKSON
Best Traditional Pop Album:  Kisses on the Bottom/PAUL McCARTNEY
Best Country Album:  Uncaged/ZAC BROWN BAND
Best Country Solo Performance:  Blown Away/CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Best Country Duo/Group Performance:  Pontoon/LITTLE BIG TOWN

Okay, so maybe fun. isn't my favourite band ever, and I honestly got more annoyed by Mumford and Sons "I Will Wait"'s repetitiveness than anything.  But, I have to admit that I do like that Adele song.  And, to have two former American Idol winners taking home a Grammy Award?  Sort of gives a smidgen of credibility to an aging reality show, don't you think?  

In fact, let's listen to a song from Carrie's successful album.  The track is "Two Black Cadillacs", and it reached its peak on the country charts in early 2013.




And since I've posted the first song, let's post some more!




SELENA GOMEZ - Come and Get It
Released:  April 7, 2013

Selena Gomez had a really stellar 2013.  Her latest album "Stars Dance" was a big seller in both record stores and on iTunes (I know that I stocked a lot of copies of her CD when it was first released in the summer of 2013).  And, one way that I could tell that it was a huge hit was when I was working in the seasonal section and I heard this song playing in every radio of cars that drove by the outdoor soil compound!  The single eventually peaked at #6 on the Billboard charts, and #1 on the dance charts.

This album also marked a transition of sorts for Selena Gomez.  She turned 21 years old this past year, and her Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place" ended, so it's quite clear that she could have gone one of two ways - The Hilary Duff way or the Lindsay Lohan way.  Fortunately, aside from an incident in which she goofed up at a concert and swore in front of a bunch of kids, Selena seems to be heading down a good road.   Course, in 2014, I could end up eating those words, but hey, I actually like her.  Maybe it has to do with the song "Who Says" being an anthem for self-esteem and anti-bullying that has to do with it.  

This next person though?  Well...let's just post the video, keeping in mind that it might not really be suitable for preschoolers and young children.




MILEY CYRUS - Wrecking Ball
Released:  August 25, 2013

Oh, Miley, Miley, Miley...you seem to have taken a wrecking ball to your Disney past this year, haven't you?  Surprisingly enough, your actions have probably made you more popular and relevant than ever before...even though your cavorting naked in your music video is hardly considered original.  Ever hear of someone called Madonna?  She managed to make it happen first with her "Express Yourself" video which came out three years before you were even born!

Now, here's the wacky part that I find hard to believe.  When listening to the song on the radio, I actually don't hate it.  Wrecking Ball is certainly a powerful song with good lyrics.  And, believe me, when it comes to Miley Cyrus, she certainly can perform a great ballad.  And, I suppose that in a way, she did have huge success with this single.  Despite the mixed reviews, the single did chart at #1.

But, everyone by now knows that Miley Cyrus seems to be well content on shooting Hannah Montana to death and burying her corpse in an oil drum to be buried in the Disney child star graveyard.  She says controversial things on Twitter, does controversial things in her video.  Uses controversial foam fingers in a controversial performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.





And, apparently she was on the shortlist for TIME Magazine's Person of the Year issue!  Go figure.  Although, I can show you what the supposed song of the year is.  And as it so happens, it is linked to Miley's controversial VMA appearance!




ROBIN THICKE, T.I, PHARRELL WILLIAMS - Blurred Lines
Released:  March 26, 2013

Ah, yes...the most requested, most played, most parodied song of the year.  No wonder I have a hard time listening to it for more than once a day!

Truthfully, I actually don't mind the song itself.  It was the music video that I wasn't overly a fan of.  I know a lot of people were saying that the video was extremely controversial given that the dancers in Robin's video were topless and scantily moving around in seductive poses.  But, honestly, I found it boring as heck.  I mean, the Twitter hashtags randomly appearing?  Lame.  The dancing girls?  Been done before a million times.  The song itself was fantastic, but the video was an absolutel snoozefest as far as I'm concerned.

And yet, it was the most requested song and video of the year.  Go figure.

To be honest with you, I can't really call myself Robin Thicke's biggest fan.  I mean, he's all right, I guess, but for some reason, I can't get past the fact that his dad played Jason Seaver on "Growing Pains".

(TRIVIA:  Robin's younger brother Brennan voiced the role of Dennis Mitchell in the 1980s cartoon series "Dennis The Menace".  Not really that interesting a fact, but it does go to show that show business definitely ran in the Thicke family tree.)


Though I will say this.  My own personal favourite song of 2013 happens to come from one of the guys whom Robin recorded "Blurred Lines" with.




PHARRELL WILLIAMS - Happy
Released:  November 21, 2013

I have to confess.  I loved this song from the moment I first heard it on "Despicable Me 2".  And, part of the reason why I love this song a lot is because it's one of the rare songs that got me feeling up and in a good mood amidst a sea of depressing songs and lukewarm pop music.  And, besides, the music video has minions in it!

But here's something quite interesting about this single.  It has done well in Europe and overseas.  It reached the top of the charts in The Netherlands and France, and hit the top ten in the UK, Australia, Denmark, and Ireland.  Yet, here in North America, the song remains unreleased.

Sheesh...is it any wonder why I tend to listen to music from the UK and Australia.  It appears that those nations still have musical taste!


Well...with one exception, I suppose...




ONE DIRECTION - Best Song Ever
Released:  July 22, 2013

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I've never really cared for boy bands.  To me, whenever I think of bands I like, I think of Stone Temple Pilots, U2, R.E.M., Collective Soul, and even classic bands like The Beatles, Badfinger, and The Rolling Stones.

And although I can probably find at least one song that I like from bands like the Backstreet Boys (Shape of My Heart) and 98 Degrees (Give Me Just One Night), I still wouldn't go out of my way to buy a whole album of songs, or concert tickets to see them live amidst a sea of screeching prepubescent girls in the audience.

One Direction seems to be the latest boy band who seems to be exploding in popularity.  The band seems to be part of a modern day British invasion (they started making music right around the same time that Adele, Ellie Goulding, and The Wanted did), and they have had successful album and DVD sales.  After all, their latest album "Midnight Memories" seems to be selling quite well at my store, and I can attest to seeing several 12-year-old girls getting their parents to buy them the new One Direction movie when it was released on DVD and Blu-Ray a few days ago.

That said, I have to admit that having a song entitled "Best Song Ever" is quite ballsy and cocky, even if the song really isn't about One Direction boasting that they have the best song ever.  Unfortunately, the song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Charts, making it rather ironic that a song entitled "Best Song Ever" could never really be that.





EMINEM - Berserk
Released:  August 27, 2013


I don't know if I could really consider this a "comeback" album of sorts, as Eminem never really left the music scene.  But when word got out that Eminem was releasing his seventh studio album in late 2013 - his first in three years - fans certainly salivated with delight until the album's release was made official in November 2013.  And, I can certainly attest to the popularity of the album - the first day it was released, we sold out completely.

(Thereby proving that the compact disc format isn't completely dead yet.)


And, I'll have to admit this to all of you right now.  I am an Eminem fan.  Certainly his songs do require some rather creative radio edits due to the language found in the songs...but at least Eminem has one thing that a lot of carbon copy, cookie-cutter, manufactured pop groups don't have.  And, that is the fact that all of his songs are written by Eminem himself, and are filled with so much emotion that built up from years of a tough childhood and adulthood.  And certainly, Eminem's trouble with the law and personal life have been well documented in the tabloids.  These days though, Eminem seems to be on the road back.  Even I've noticed that his songs aren't as angry and hate-filled as they used to be, which is a good sign.




BEYONCE - XO
Released:  December 16, 2013

Beyonce Knowles may just have very well had the best kept secret in the music industry - much to the chagrin of retailers who have launched a campaign to refuse to stock her album on store shelves (I'm looking at you, Target and Amazon).

It was pretty much given that Beyonce was overdue to release a new album.  It had been some time since her last project, and everyone believed that 2013 would be the year in which she would do exactly that.  After all, she would perform at the Super Bowl this past year and stage a reunion with her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams if she didn't have something up her sleeve.

What we didn't know was that Beyonce had planned to release the album on her terms.  In her own way.

So when people who have iTunes accounts logged on and saw that Beyonce's new album had apparently been released on December 13, it caused a major uproar.  There were no announcements by Beyonce, or any of the associates that Beyonce worked with.  Somehow, Beyonce managed to release an album digitally on iTunes without anyone else knowing about it!  Fourteen singles and seventeen music videos were released in secrecy on the thirteenth, and by December 14, the buzz had generated 1.2 MILLION tweets on Twitter and had several celebrities commenting about the secret release in complete shock and hysteria!

It was as if Beyonce had played the ultimate April Fools Day joke in December...and she caught everyone off guard.  It's unknown at this time how well the album will eventually do, but I have to say that it was a genius marketing strategy.  Well played, Beyonce.  Well played.





LADY GAGA - Applause
Released:  August 12, 2013



On the flipside, whereas Beyonce completely kept her latest project underneath her hat, Lady Gaga couldn't promote the album enough!  She did press tours, talk show interviews...pretty much everything that an artist would do in order to get people talking about the album.

And when her "Artpop" album finally did come out, it was released in several versions.  There was the standard CD, a Deluxe CD with added songs, and a special Lady Gaga package which had the Deluxe CD with added songs plus a T-shirt (that likely nobody over the age of nineteen could squeeze into).

But, Lady Gaga forgot one thing.  You could promote the hell out of the album all you wanted, but if the material wasn't good, it didn't really matter all that much.  I'm not saying that Lady Gaga's "Artpop" is horrible...I'm sure it's quite good.  But the lead single "Applause" certainly didn't measure up to her previous singles "Poker Face", "Bad Romance", and "Born This Way".  





CHER - Woman's World
Released:  June 18, 2013

I'm only adding this particular single in because of the fact that at my store, I cannot keep this particular album in stock!  We get copies in, and they automatically are sold out within a twenty-four hour period!  I get more questions about this Cher album than I do any other musical artist!  Of course, I do also happen to live in a town that is more or less considered a retirement community, and most of the people who live in town more or less grew up watching the Sonny and Cher show on television!

That said, while I can't call myself a major fan of Cher, I will say that I don't mind this single.  To be truthful, I thought Cher had a rather unique singing voice that definitely stood out in a sea of Madonna wannabes.  I don't see myself going out to buy her latest album (which is good since it's always sold out at my store), but if she happens to be playing on the radio, I'll leave it on.

And, besides all that - plastic surgery aside - Cher still looks fantastic at 67 years of age.


And, to conclude this look back on music in 2013 - a year which saw Michael Jackson's doctor released from prison and Justin Bieber announcing his retirement from the music scene at the ripe old age of 19 - here's one final song which was released in late 2012 by a teenage artist from New Zealand who is reportedly considered to be a frontrunner at the 2014 Grammy Awards.




LORDE - Royals
Released:  November 22, 2012

Coming up tomorrow, we'll pop some popcorn and buy some oversized Kit Kat bars to go over the Best and Worst in 2013 film.


Saturday, December 28, 2013

Best and Worst of 2013 - Video Games

Hello, everybody!  We are currently in the final week of 2013, and I decided to do things a little bit differently this time around.  For the last week of the year, I wanted to do a retrospective of the year gone by.  In the world of pop culture, 2013 was a year that was filled with ups and downs, and I thought that it would be good to have a look back on some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the year.

I will be doing this every day this week (except for the December 31 entry, which will be a Tuesday Timeline), and the event will conclude on Thursday, January 2, 2014.  For now, here's the list so far.

12/27/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013 - Television

Okay, I know that we only have one entry on the retrospective list for now, but I will be adding to this list over the next few days.

Like, for instance, today is Saturday, which is typically known as the day of the week known as the Saturday Smorgasbord - a day in which the subject changes from week to week.  Now, normally, on what is supposed to be the fourth Saturday of the month, we would be taking a look at a book or magazine to study.  But because it happens to be the final Saturday of the whole year, I thought I'd switch it up a little bit to present you with...

...THE BEST AND WORST VIDEO GAMES OF 2013!

Now, I'll tell you this much.  In 2012, I would not have been able to even write this entry because I was still stocking milk.  And, somehow, I don't think that any of you would have been all that thrilled to read a list on what the fifteen biggest selling cheeses are.

Now that I'm in electronics , I think I have a really good understanding of what video games and video game consoles were the most requested gifts underneath the Christmas tree this year!  And, that's what this blog is all about.


Now, keep in mind that it's very hard for me to give objective reviews on most of these items, as I don't own any of the three major video game consoles (though I do have a Nintendo 3DS).  I'm just going by what I have seen in the months that I have been in my current department

So, shall we go ahead with the list?  I'll start off with video games and work my way down to the consoles themselves.




GRAND THEFT AUTO V - PS3, XBOX 360

Remember when the biggest selling video game was Super Mario 3 back in 1990?  Those days are now over.  The new record holder is the extremely violent and graphic "Grand Theft Auto V".  And, as someone who was working electronics when it first came out, I can tell you that I must have sold at least twelve dozen copies of it in a time frame of 48 hours!  And I live in a small town!!!

Now, here's the deal.  I haven't played Grand Theft Auto V, and really don't have any desire to play it either as I'm not a huge fan of violent shoot-em-ups.  But, hey...the numbers don't lie.  The game is still wildly popular three months after its September 17 release date, and it was certainly one of the most anticipated video games of the year.  I suppose the only con about the game is that it forced people to buy external hard drives and flash drives because the older XBOX 360 and PS3 consoles did not have enough memory to load the game properly.  Of course, I suppose retailers were happy to do the extra business.




Other standout video games this year for the PS3 and XBOX 360 console were "Battlefield 4", "Call of Duty: Ghosts", and weirdly enough, "Farming Simulator"!  Imagine, a video game that teaches you how to farm without going outside!




POKEMON X/Y - Nintendo 2DS/3DS

Nintendo had a rather lacklustre year when it came to consoles.  The only one that Nintendo released was the Nintendo 2DS - a less expensive version of the 3DS that could play 3DS games without the 3D effect.  With me so far?

As far as games went, though, Nintendo made up for a lack of console ideas.  "Super Luigi U", "Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon", "Super Mario World 3D", and two new Zelda games for both the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 2DS/3DS were all big sellers over the course of the past six months.

But the biggest selling game for Nintendo had to be the much anticipated release of Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, which was released just months ago.  The popular video game series known for its slogan "Gotta catch 'em all" proved popular with gamers everywhere, as I recall many people pre-ordering this game at least two months before it was released!  In fact, both games sold in excess of four million copies just a few days after its October 12 release date!


As far as gameplay goes, both X and Y are very similar in gameplay (though when the game was first released, we sold more "Y" than "X" at a rate of 2:1.  But as far as the Pokemon you can catch in the series, some Pokemon are only available in X, while others are only available in Y.  So, this makes it necessary to swap games with friends so that they can get all of the Pokemon possible.  Nice little marketing strategy by Nintendo!

And, speaking of marketing strategies...




SKYLANDERS: SWAP FORCE - Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX One

I actually have a personal story to tell you in regards to this video game series.  And no, I haven't played it, but I probably know more about it than I really should because I was the one who set up the display for them when the game was released on August 18.

And what a disaster it was!




I quickly discovered just how popular Skylanders was when I had a crowd of people come in while I was setting it up and rummaging through the boxes of Skylanders figurines before I could set them up properly!  But, you know, I have to admit that if I were twenty years younger, I too would be all over those Skylanders too.

Anyone who has ever played the original Spyro trilogy on the PlayStation console might know a bit about Skylanders.  After all, Spyro is considered one of the main characters of the Skylanders world.  And, in the latest installment of Skylanders, you can play with a variety of characters - provided you bought the starter pack, which contained three figurines, a platform, and the game itself at a price of $75!

Told you that it was a marketing strategy.  Buy the starter pack, then buy the dozens of figurines that go with it to make your game more fun.




To add to the fun, some of the figurines could swap tops with other Skylanders.  And whenever you swapped them, your Skylanders could gain more abilities which could be very advantageous for getting through the actual game.




On a lesser scale, Disney came out with their own version of the game called "Infinity", which used characters from Disney movies such as "Cars", "Toy Story", "Tangled", "Monsters Inc.", "The Incredibles", and "The Nightmare Before Christmas".  It didn't do quite as well initially when it came out, but I do recall that I sold out of the figurines for the Infinity game a few days before Christmas this year, so I suppose that it's starting to pick up steam.




ACE ATTORNEY:  DUAL DESTINIES - Nintendo 2DS/3DS

Now, I've made it known that I am a huge fan of this game series, produced by Capcom.  And, the last game that was released in North America was all the way back in 2009.  So, to say that a lot of fans of Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, and the other motley crew of characters introduced in the series were looking forward to this game would be like saying that Donkey Kong loves bananas.

But there was a twist.  Players who wanted to play the game could only play the game by downloading it from the Nintendo eShop onto their 2DS or 3DS machines, which made some fans cry out in protest.  They really wanted to have the cartridge to play whenever they wanted.  

However, I kind of like the fact that Capcom released it the way they did.  For one, it likely cost less downloading it than it did buying it from a video game merchant.  And for another, it had an additional case that you could download approximately a month after its October 24 release.  And, for fans of the series, I have to say that it's one of the best releases yet of an "Ace Attorney" game.  With Phoenix's magatama, Apollo Justice's perceive ability, and new character Athena Cykes' Mood Matrix, bad guys had better beware.

Seriously, it's worth downloading.  It's quite a challenging game, but well worth it in long run.




PLAYSTATION 4 vs. XBOX ONE

Okay, so out of all of the innovations released in the year 2013 for the world of video games, this one was certainly the most anticipated of all.  With the release of the PlayStation 4 on November 15, and the XBOX One released on November 22, I seem to remember a ton of people waiting in line for both consoles, eager to be one of the first ones to get their hands on them.  And, I can only speak for the store that I work at, but let me just say that in the supply vs. demand aspect of things, we had great difficulty keeping both in stock.  




With the PS4, we received about two large orders of them - one in November, one in December - and we sold out of PS4's within 24 hours of each delivery.  With the XBOX One, we would get several small orders of half a dozen a piece, which seemed to not sell as well as the PS4, but we still sold out of them over time.

Personally speaking, I think a September release date would have been better, as the companies could have had more time to perfect and release more consoles so that more people could purchase them without worrying about any glitches or bugs.  But, then again, I don't work for either Sony or Microsoft, so my opinion means nothing.





So, here's the million dollar question.  Which is better?  PS4 or XBOX One?

Well, according to sales, it seems to be the PS4.  It is a hundred dollars cheaper, and according to various reviews, it offers more special features at a lower price than the XBOX One.  However, as far as game selection goes, I would say that the XBOX One has far more titles available than the PS4.

And one major point of contention...neither console appears to be backwards compatible - yet.  So, if you're prepared to buy either console, you keep in mind that you won't be able to play your old PS2 games on them at all.




As for Nintendo Wii U, it's still selling relatively well.  The company seems to be doing more business by creating special Mario and Zelda bundles at a more affordable price.  If ever I get enough living space, I will likely buy a Wii U.  It has more interesting games that I would more than likely play!

So, that's a brief look at video games of 2013.  Most of them were given positive reviews, but there are some negatives to throw in as well.  Ultimately, most gamers will have a sense of loyalty to one company and one company alone.  For me, it would be Nintendo, though I don't mind Sony products (I had a PlayStation 2 way back when).  Never have played an XBOX product, so I have no opinion either way.

What do you think, gamers?  What gaming systems do you play?  And, what were some of your favourite games to come out of this past year?

Well, coming up on tomorrow's blog, we're going to be polishing off our CD's, firing up our mp3 players, and downloading some iTunes cards onto our iPods and iPads, because we're going to be looking at the musical sounds of 2013!  Enjoy!



Friday, December 27, 2013

Best and Worst of 2013 - The Television Portion

All right! We're just a few days away from saying goodbye to the year 2013, and this week, I've got a special treat for you!

You know how in most cases, I have brought up pop culture references from the past? In some cases, I've gone so far back through the history books that many of you were not born yet when the event took place.

(Case in point...the oldest year that I have ever done in a Tuesday Timeline entry was 1888!)

Well, since the year 2013 is almost at a close, I thought...why don't I do a retrospective list of the year gone by? Why don't I make a list of all the best of 2013 moments, and the worst of 2013 moments (which of course is subjective, as these are merely just my opinions and may not necessarily match yours), and celebrate this past year in style?

Now, granted, 2013 was a rather weird year in the world of pop culture. We've had everything from wacky celebrity marriages, to celebrity Twitter meltdowns, to sudden celebrity deaths, and we quickly learned what “twerking” really was. As I said, it's been an interesting year.

And, on this...the first day of this retrospective of 2013, we'll be taking a look back at some of the television moments that really defined the year 2013. We'll take a look at the good, the bad, and the downright ugly that took place over the course of this year, and to begin with, let's take a look at how some shows concluded. After all, in 2013, we said goodbye to quite a few shows.



BREAKING BAD

This series is probably one of the most watched and most talked about series of the entire decade, and certainly the team of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul made the show very watchable.  When the show first began in 2008, you really felt for Walter White, who was a high school chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and had no way to pay the bills or secure his family's future.  So, he did the only thing he could do...he teamed up with his former student, Jesse Pinkman to create his own meth lab, cooking and selling it for extra cash to make sure that his family was well taken care of.  It involved a lot of crime, a lot of passion, a lot of deception, and a lot of scenes with Bryan Cranston in his underwear.

Of course, we all knew that Walter White's life of crime would come to a grotesque and tragic end.  What we didn't know was that it wouldn't be the cancer that killed Walter White, but a fatal gunshot wound after a clash with a neo-Nazi gang who kidnapped Jesse and left Walter with only a fraction of the earnings he made while making a living as a drug dealer and manufacturer.

It was a truly tragic end for a character who only wanted to ensure that his family was well taken care of after he was gone.  And the series finale could be considered one of the finest series finales of all time.




DEXTER

If only the series finale of Dexter only ended in such a fashion.  When the eighth and final season of Dexter concluded, it made lots of people feel as though they had been cheated.

As everyone knows, Dexter is someone who has an unhealthy fascination with blood and who possessed unhealthy homicidal tendencies.  He worked as a blood splatter analyst for the police department in his day job, and by night, he goes out and murders people who have committed unspeakable crimes against humanity.  I guess you could call him an angel of sorts...cleaning up the streets of Miami by murdering those who caused the most damage.  The very definition of irony, don't you think?

Anyway, the television series "Dexter" did very well in the ratings early in its run, and it eventually saw itself getting renewed year after year with compelling storylines and great character development.  But when it was announced that the eighth season would be its last, everyone expected an ending that would have been explosive.  And to the credit of the writers of the final episode, it started off that way.  With Dexter's sister suffering a stroke which has left her in a vegetative state, Dexter being forced to abandon his girlfriend and child, and him seeking out to kill the man responsible for shooting his sister, which caused her to go into the vegetative state, Dexter comes to the conclusion that all he does is hurt people, and therefore can't live the happy life he wants.  So, he pulls the plug on his sister, murders the man responsible for her death in prison, and sets out on a boat in the middle of a storm to kill himself.

So, imagine our shock when we not only learn that Dexter is not only alive, but working as a LUMBERJACK of all things!  I mean, I suppose I understand that Dexter was living a life of solitude - something that he actually craved - but come on!  Had the show left the last scene as Dexter heading out to sea, it would have made more of an impact.  That extra lumberjack scene ruined the whole finale, as far as I'm concerned.




GOODBYE, ALL MY CHILDREN AND ONE LIFE TO LIVE - AGAIN

In 2011 and 2012 respectively, ABC cancelled both All My Children and One Life To Live - two shows that aired for well over forty years - to replace them with a cooking show starring Mario Batali and the guy from What Not To Wear and a talk show hosted by Katie Couric.  In 2013, production company Prospect Park resurrected both shows for an online audience, which made soap fans rejoice.  And for what it was worth, many of the cast members returned, having high hopes for the shows online.

Unfortunately, in-fighting and lawsuits within Prospect Park productions caused both shows to be cancelled yet again in late 2013.  And, needless to say, if I were part of the cast and crew of either show, I would be absolutely pissed off.





MEANWHILE, IN SOAP OPERA LAND...

In December 2013, The Young and the Restless reached a major milestone.  Since 1988, the daytime serial has been the #1 daytime drama, watched by more people than any other soap opera.  Congratulations on being #1 for 25 years!

Although, given that as of 2013, four soap operas remain from the twelve that were on the air when Y&R first hit the top of the ratings heap, I suppose it's not really that big of a deal.  

Though, on a sad note, the show lost a great talent in Jeanne Cooper, who played the role of Katherine Chancellor for thirty-nine of the show's forty year history.  She passed away on May 8, 2013.




THE REVOLVING DOOR OF TALENT JUDGES

It's been a tumultuous year for reality television as several judges left their posts to be replaced by other people.


I guess one of the shows that really didn't see much backlash was "The Voice".  Arguably the best talent show on the air these days, fans seemed to accept Shakira and Usher as suitable replacements for Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green.  Even though Aguilera and Green returned for the following season, I think that the new judges really worked well together.  I suppose it also proves that Blake Shelton and Adam Levine have chemistry with just about anybody.

Which is certainly more than I can say for the train-wreck known as American Idol.  I don't know which producer thought that putting Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey together in the same room was a good idea, but the infighting between the two overshadowed the actual talent competition, which was a waste.  We can only hope that Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr. can breathe new life into an aging, stale show.

As for the X-Factor, I'm kind of happy that Demi Lovato stayed and Britney Spears left.  Did anyone really understand her ramblings?





DEJA VU ON HAWAII FIVE-0

Once upon a time, in 1968, a television show debuted which was called Hawaii Five-0.  Sometime during that series' sixth season, in 1973, the episode "Hookman" aired, which featured a man who was killing off members of the Honolulu Police Department because he blamed them for the loss of his hands.  Flash forward 40 years later, and the current reboot of Hawaii Five-0 re-enacted the script word for word using the new actors of the series.  It was an interesting look back through history to redo a script from the original series and put a modern twist to it.  It seemed to work out well, as Hawaii Five-0 still receives huge ratings.

(CONFESSION:  I admit that when I heard that they were remaking Hawaii Five-0, I didn't think it would last.  I'm happy to admit that I was wrong.  It's actually a decent show.)





MEET THE MOTHER

One of the most frustrating things about the show How I Met Your Mother was the fact that we were in season eight, and we still had no idea who Ted married.  And, by the time the eighth season finale aired in May 2013, people were starting to not care.


And then we finally met the girl with the yellow umbrella (no relation to the man with the yellow hat from Curious George).  Played by Christin Milioti, she was just simply credited as the "girl with the yellow umbrella" in the credits.  When the show announced that the ninth season would be its last, it was decided that Christin would join the cast as a regular for the last season, which depicts how Ted ends up proposing to the woman who would become his future wife.

The funniest thing?  We still don't know her name as of December 2013.  She's just known as "The Mother"!





VALERIE HARPER'S BRAVE FIGHT

You really think that the diagnosis of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (a.k.a. a rare form of brain cancer) was going to stop television actress Valerie Harper from living?  Hardly.  The inspirational story of Harper - who has so far outlived the three months to live diagnosis that she was originally given in the spring of 2013 - showed that she still had some fight in her from appearing on an episode of "Hot in Cleveland" to participating on the latest season of "Dancing With The Stars", Valerie Harper has shown all of us that she is a fighter, and we all respected and loved her for her bravery and honesty regarding everything that she was going through.




PAULA DEEN'S NOT-SO-BRAVE COMMENTARY

On the flipside, Paula Deen ended up losing her contract with The Food Network after uttering some not so kind racial slurs in the presence of her employees.  Even though these events took place some time before, I do understand why The Food Network let her go.  After all, the Food Network is a business, and if someone is representing the business in a negative fashion, then the business has every right to distance themselves from controversy.


Just as A&E has done with the recent Duck Dynasty scandal after Phil Robertson was suspended from the series for uttering controversial statements about homosexuality.  Again, I do understand that people have the right to free speech, and that's all that Deen and Robertson were doing...but regardless, it doesn't make the comments that they said acceptable.  Even though I don't support what they said, I certainly won't get mad with people if they decide to continue watching Duck Dynasty while cooking with Paula Deen cookbooks.  



THE DEATH OF BRIAN?


Family Guy caused a huge outcry recently when it aired an episode in which Brian got hit by a car and died of his injuries.  Many fans thought that the show had jumped the shark, and many more refused to watch it.  Even I talked about the event in this very blog!

But just because Brian died...didn't mean he stayed dead.  And, just a few weeks later, Brian was brought back to the show, courtesy of Stewie's time machine.  And, all was well.  I certainly hope that guy who got the R.I.P. Brian tattoo didn't feel too silly.




THE DEATH OF MRS. K...

Although The Simpsons still has yet to address the future of Mrs. Krabappel, the world was saddened to hear of the death of Marcia Wallace a few weeks ago.  And, to honour Wallace's memory...this simple, heartwarming blackboard gag.





THE TWELFTH DOCTOR

Finally, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor) left the series and regenerated into Peter Capaldi on Christmas Day, 2013.  

On that note, can you believe that Doctor Who just celebrated its fiftieth anniversary this past year?  That's a lot of TARDIS-travelling and Daleks!

So, that wraps up our look back on 2013 in television.  Coming up tomorrow, we take a look at the world of toys and games.  Which were the top toys of 2013?  What video games smashed records all over the world?  And, just how much did people want a PlayStation 4 or XBOX One?