2011 Media Log

So in this thread you post what things you are reading/playing/watching for each month of 2011. Ideally you should have one post and come back and edit it each month. Of course, you can post more if you want to comment on what other people are doing. :p You can also give ratings to the various media.

At the end of the year we'll have something to look back on and see what we did!

Hopefully I'll get through it this time. I see in the 2010 thread that some people kept it up, which is awesome. Maybe the fact that I made this thread will get me to keep it up more.

*Meh
**Good.
***Great!

January

Books

• The Book Thief *** - A great book. Beautifully, almost poetically, written. Kinda sad, but anything about Nazi Germany is going to be sad.
• Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Vol. 3 ** - Not as good as the first two.
• Star Wars: Dark Force Rising *** - I never thought I'd get into these books, but it really captures the feel of the classic trilogy and stays true to the characters.
• Ultimate X-Men Ultimate Collection Vol. 1 * - ugh, what a terrible take on the X-Men. Hope Joss Whedon's version is better.

Games

• Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) *** - Classic platforming at it's best.
• Portal (PS3) ** - It was fun, but short, and I expected more based on the hype it gets. GLaDOS is definitely amusing but I wouldn't rank her as the top game villain of all time.
• Eternal Sonata (PS3) - in progress
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP) *** - Probably the best battle system of any KH game, and a great story too.
• Dragon Quest IX (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• Toy Story 3 ***
• Once * - wenchfriend made me watch...neither of us finished it.
• Super Size Me ** - I'm glad I don't ever eat at McDonald's.
• Exit Through the Gift Shop *** - I smell a ruse, but either way this was entertaining as hell.

TV

• Two and a Half Men * - I can't remember laughing once. I used to love this show.
• Chuck ** - This show was getting bland but the last few episodes I watched were pretty good. Had me hooked.
• The Big Bang Theory **
• Modern Family *** - Best comedy on TV right now.
• Smallville **
• The Simpsons ** - Still makes me chuckle after all these years.
• Saturday Night Live * - Jim Carrey's appearance was great, but the rest was not.
• Jeopardy **
• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman **
• NFL Playoffs **
• The Bachelor ** - Good in a 'I can't believe these people exist' type way.
• Top Chef All-Stars **
• The Office ** - In the fall they had a brief return to the greatness they once had. They lost it again.
• 30 Rock *** - Funniest show after Modern Family.
• Outsourced *
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer ***
• Angel ***

February

Books

• The Golden Compass ** - it was a fun adventure story, though I hear it takes an odd turn in the sequels
• Wolverine: Origin ** - overall a well done rendition of the most speculated origin in comics
• Born to Run ** (audiobook) - I never thought I'd like a book about running, but this is pretty fascinating.
• X-Men Unlimited * - Blech. Terrible. It's not a 'reboot' of the X-Men if you change all the characters' personalities. That makes it a whole new thing entirely. Calling this the X-Men is an insult.

Games

• Final Fantasy XI (PC) - always in progress!
• Eternal Sonata (PS3) - in progress
• Crisis Core (PSP) - in progress
• Dragon Quest IX (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• Waiting for Superman ** - Fascinating and horrifying at the same time.

TV

• Glee ** - Super Bowl episode kicked ass, but the short memory this show has is annoying.
• The Big Bang Theory **
• Modern Family *** - Best comedy on TV right now.
• Jeopardy **
• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman **
• Super Bowl ** - Pretty decent game, even if I care little for those teams.
• The Bachelor ** - I could never do this.
• Top Chef All-Stars **
• The Office **
• 30 Rock ***
• Outsourced *
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer ** - Season 4 < Season 3. The Initiative is dumb.
• Angel ***
• The Simpsons * - They're back to making weird episodes.
• Two and a Half Men * - AVAST, YE LILY LIVERED LANDLUBBER! Chuck Sheen
• Saturday Night Live *
• Smallville **
• Raising Hope *** - This is a hilarious show and I hope it stays on the air.

March

Books

• Star Wars: The Last Command - in progress
• The Astonishing X-Men: Volume 1 ** - Whedon's version of X-Men so much better than Unlimited. SO MUCH
• The Astonishing X-Men: Volume 2 ** - The danger room stuff was an interesting storyline. I bet he wanted to use that for years.
• Batman: The Killing Joke - in progress

Games

• Final Fantasy XI (PC) - listing it but didn't play that much due to the service shutdown. Poor Japan. :(
• Crisis Core (PSP) ** - gameplay got a little stale but this felt much more like Final Fantasy than XIII ever did. I loved the ending, which was the expected tear jerker.
• Dragon Quest IX (NDS) * - A bit of a disappointment after the awesomeness of VIII. I got to the last boss and died horribly but I don't know if I have it in me to grind up the right classes to beat it. Maybe someday.
• Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (NDS) - in progress, had to restart because I missed a djinn (I hate when things are permanently missable!)
• Super Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - in progress
• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - in progress

Movies

• The Adjustment Bureau ** - A cute story though it gets cheesier as it goes on. But I'd probably watch anything starring Matt Damon.

TV

• Glee **
• The Big Bang Theory **
• Modern Family *** - Best comedy on TV right now.
• Jeopardy **
• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman **
• The Bachelor **
• Top Chef All-Stars * - Too many gimmicky challenges
• The Office **
• 30 Rock **
• Outsourced *
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer **
• Angel **
• The Simpsons **
• Saturday Night Live *
• Smallville **
• Raising Hope *** - This is a hilarious show and I hope it stays on the air.
• Fringe *** - finally getting back into this show and it is pretty good.
• Survivor: Redemption Island ***

April

Books

• Star Wars: The Last Command ** - Not as good as the other two in the series. As a whole it was a pretty good series and stayed true to the spirit of Star Wars.
• Batman: The Killing Joke ** - It was a pretty good Joker story, though kind of simple.
• The Hunger Games *** - Really awesome book.

Games

• Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (NDS) - in progress
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (PS3) - in progress
• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP) - in progress
• Super Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - in progress

Movies

• Aladdin *** - My favorite Disney movie holds up well to the test of time.
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace **
• Star Wars Eposide II: Attack of the Clones **
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith **
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope ***
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back ***
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi ***

TV

• Jeopardy **
• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• Top Chef All-Stars * - The reunion show was better than the regular show.
• The Office **
• Fringe ***
• Survivor: Redemption Island *** - Rob makes this season awesome.
• Modern Family **
• The Simpsons **
• America's Next Great Restaurant *
• The Big Bang Theory **
• The Office *** - AVAST, YE LILY LIVERED LANDLUBBER! Will Farrell
• 30 Rock **
• Outsourced *
• Glee **
• Chuck **

May

Books

• Catching Fire *** - An awesome sequel to Hunger Games.
• Mockingjay ** - Not nearly as good as the other two in this series.
• The Silmarillion - in progress

Games

• Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (NDS) - in progress
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (PS3) ** - This game is fun, but I suck at it. I've lost a step in my old age.
• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP) *** - Great remake. Almost like the older brother to FF Tactics, which I guess it kinda is, and that's a good thing.
• Eternal Sonata (PS3) * - This game is visually stunning and the battles are interesting, but I don't care at all about the story or characters and can't get into it.

Movies

• Cars * - For a Pixar movie, this was terrible. For a regular movie, it was ok. Why have they made a sequel to this?
• Thor *** - This movie kicked so much ass. Had everything you would want in a comic book movie.
• Hanna ** - This is an intense movie. Didn't really have a plot, but that wench kicked some ass.
• A Bug's Life ** - The final Pixar movie I had yet to see, and it was a good one. Kind of typical, but that's ok.

TV

• Jeopardy **
• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• The Office *** - The finale was fantastic.
• Fringe ***
• Survivor: Redemption Island *** - Rob wins his perfect season.
• Modern Family **
• The Simpsons **
• The Big Bang Theory **
• 30 Rock **
• Outsourced *
• Glee **
• Chuck **
• Smallville ** - Goodbye to a good friend.
• Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution * - He has a good heart but he's too idealistic and the show seems very produced.
• The Bachelorette ** - Ashley is boring but there is still plenty of drama.
• Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition ** - Has promise since you don't have to wait till the end of the season to see how skinny they get.

June

Books

• The Silmarillion - in progress
• Astonishing X-Men: Vol. 3 **
• Astonishing X-Men: Vol. 4 *** - Really digged Wheaton's take on X-Men.

Games

• Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (NDS) *** - I love me some GS and this stayed true to the series and improved on the first two games.
• God of War Collector's Edition (PS3) *** - Why did I never play this game. It's AWESOME. Can't wait to play the sequels.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) ** - Great game. The disappointing boss fights is the only reason I didn't give it 3 stars.
• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP) *** - How remakes should be done.
• Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy (PSP) - in progress
• Super Paper Mario (Wii) - in progress

Movies

• X-Men: First Class *** - Almost X2 quality. A few drawbacks but still well done.

TV

• Jeopardy **
• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• Chuck ** - Finally got around to finishing the season. Ending was AVAST, YE LILY LIVERED LANDLUBBER!.
• Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution *
• The Bachelorette **
• Battlestar Galactica *** - Rewatching this series for kicks and it's as awesome as it was. Can't believe SciFi produced something so great.
• Best Thing I Ever Ate *
• So You Think You Can Dance **
• Community *** - Love this show. The stop motion episode was brilliant.

July

Books

• The Silmarillion *** - Epic tale.
• The Glass Castle - in progress
• X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga ** - Classic X-Men, and full of that 80s comics cheese.
• A Study in Scarlet ** - First Sherlock Holmes story, a little rough around the edges.
• The Sign of the Four ** - More Holmes, I eat this stuff up.

Games

• Portal 2 (PS3) ** - Fun game, and the jokes were great, but it did get repetitive.
• Uncharted (PS3) ** - Definitely not as polished as Uncharted 2, but a fun adventure.
• inFamous (PS3) **
• Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy (PSP) - in progress
• God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) ** - Too short!
• Final Fantasy: Four Warriors of Light (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• Hot Tub Time Machine * - A few good jokes, but almost as many gross ones, and the plot was just silly.
• The Hunt for Red October **
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 **
• Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ***
• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ***
• Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ***
• Blade Runner * - Great concept, poor execution. And the 80s vision of the future was weird.
• Captain America **

TV

• Jeopardy **
• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• The Bachelorette ***
• Best Thing I Ever Ate *
• So You Think You Can Dance **
• Community *** - Love this show. The stop motion episode was brilliant.
• Mythbusters * - They are running out of good myths to test.
• Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition * - Guy on it last week was a FAILURE.
• Parks and Recreation ***
• Futurama *

August

Books

• The Glass Castle ** - It's crazy that this is actually how she grew up.
• Speaker for the Dead *** - Almost as good as Ender's Game, the ending is more polished at least.
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - in progress

Games

• God of War II (PS3) *** - Awesome sequel to awesome game.
• Mass Effect 2 (PS3) - in progress
• Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy (PSP) - in progress
• Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection (PSP) - in progress
• Final Fantasy: Four Warriors of Light (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• Cedar Rapids *

TV

• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• Best Thing I Ever Ate *
• So You Think You Can Dance **
• Parks and Recreation ***
• Futurama *
• Happy Ending *
• The Great Food Truck Race **
• Entourage **
• Breaking Bad *** - Great show, watched like 20 episodes in 2 weeks.

September

Books

• The Maltese Falcon ** - Very old school. Spade was too stoic for my tastes. Only gets the second star for the San Francisco setting.
• World War Z *** - This book is unique in its subject matter and method of storytelling. I highly recommend it.
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - in progress

Games

• Mass Effect 2 (PS3) *** - Awesome game. Great characters and setting. Gameplay rocked. Storyline was just ok. Makes me want to play ME1 and ME3.
• Super Mario Sunshine (GC) * - This game is evil.
• Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy (PSP) ** - The fighting is fun but gets repetitive quickly. Story is a mess but is told very well for a fighting game.
• Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection (PSP) - in progress
• Final Fantasy: Four Warriors of Light (NDS) ** - Fun little game that is a cross between FF and DQ.
• Pokemon: Black Version (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• Contagion * - Cool cast and realistic response to an outbreak but I couldn't get into it.
• Along Came Polly * - Watched it because people always refer to this movie when I tell them my job. Too much typical rom com garbage for me though.

TV

• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• Jeopardy **
• Best Thing I Ever Ate *
• Futurama *
• The Great Food Truck Race *
• Entourage * - WTF was up with the last episode? It's like they didn't even try to make it fluid. Lamesauce.
• Breaking Bad ** - Third season is losing momentum.
• Survivor *** - Still the best reality game show.
• Two and a Half Men * - Ugh.
• Glee * - Glee sucks now.
• New Girl ** - First episode was gold. After that, not so much. Casting change from pilot hurt.
• Raising Hope ** - One of the better shows of last season starts off good.
• Modern Family ***
• The Office * - Will need to try a lot harder to make up for the lack of Carell.
• Community **
• Parks and Recreation ***
• The Big Bang Theory **
• NFL Football
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series ** - Classic.

October

Books

• Looking for Alaska ** - interesting young adult story about life and death
• The Brothers Karamazov - in progress
• The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes **

Games

• Red Dead Redemption (PS3) - in progress
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP) - in progress
• Pokemon: Black Version (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• Moneyball ** - Great movie if you like the Oakland As, baseball, statistics, or well written dialogue.
• Hobo with a Shotgun ZERO STARS - One of the worst things I've ever seen. It's one of those 'give those 40 minutes of my life back' situations.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ** - Silly and nonsensical even for this series but at least it was entertaining.
• Bridesmaids ** - It was funny, but Kristen Wiig still annoys me and I don't see how here character was sympathetic at all in this movie.

TV

• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• Jeopardy **
• Breaking Bad *** - Season 3 finale was insane. Now to catch up with season 4.
• Survivor *** - Still the best reality game show.
• Glee * - Glee sucks ass.
• New Girl **
• Raising Hope **
• Modern Family ***
• The Office **
• Community **
• Parks and Recreation ***
• The Big Bang Theory **
• NFL Football
• MLB Playoffs
• Fringe **
• The Simpsons **
• Satuday Night Live *

November

Books

• The Brothers Karamazov - in progress

Games

• Red Dead Redemption (PS3) *** - Awesome Old West tale.
• Ico (HD Remake) (PS3) * - Interesting experience, but a little too simplistic for me.
• Shadow of the Colossus (HD Remake) (PS3) ** - A beautiful game with great music. Figuring out the bosses was also fun. I felt sorry for the colossi.
• Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (PSP) - in progress
• Pokemon: Black Version (NDS) **
• Radiant Historia (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• Rise of the Planet of the Apes * - So bad.
• The Three Musketeers (2011) ** - Second star for the airships, otherwise forgettable.

TV

• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• Jeopardy **
• Survivor *** - Still the best reality game show.
• New Girl *** - Picking up steam.
• Raising Hope **
• Modern Family ***
• The Office **
• Community ** - Season thus far is disappointing.
• Parks and Recreation ***
• The Big Bang Theory **
• NFL Football
• Fringe *** - Catching up with Season 3.
• The Simpsons **
• Satuday Night Live *
• Top Chef **

December

Books

• The Brothers Karamazov ** - Not sure why this is on so many 'best of all time' lists, but it was a good book that is very well written.
• The Night Circus ** - It's a magical use of words with vivid descriptions but there's not much action. I liked it but it's not really my thing.
• Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play - in progress
• Every Hand Revealed - in progress

Games

• Borderlands (PS3) - in progress
• Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (PSP) - in progress
• Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together (PSP) - in progress
• Radiant Historia (NDS) - in progress

Movies

• 50/50 ** - Endearing movie about dealing with something we will probably all deal with at some point.
• Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows ** - Fun, action-filled movie though it's not as good as the first one.
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ** - Very good adaptation of the novel with some great performances.
• War Horse * - A little too cheesy and animal movies aren't my thing.

TV

• The Daily Show **
• The Colbert Report **
• The Late Show with David Letterman *
• Jeopardy **
• Survivor ***
• New Girl *** - A good new show.
• Raising Hope **
• Modern Family ***
• The Office **
• Community **
• Parks and Recreation ***
• The Big Bang Theory **
• NFL Football - Raiders :(
• Fringe **
• The Simpsons **
• Satuday Night Live *
• Top Chef **
• Mythbusters **
• Game of Thrones *** - Just got into this show and it's pretty good.

Yay!

January
Books
1. The Hunger Games Part 3: Mockingjay ~ good stuff
2. The Lullaby ~ boring
3. Glass House ~ vampires as bad guys? madness!
4. The Dead Girls' Dance ~ pretty entertaining
5. Midnight Alley ~ a little ridiculous but good new characters
6. Feast of Fools ~

Comics/Manga


Movies
1. In & Out ~ cute but kinda dull
2. Eyes Wide Shut ~ worst movie in the history of all time
3. High Life ~ boring
4. Chaos Theory ~ ryan reynolds plays a non-douche?? much liked
5. I Love You Phillip Morris l~ ove the redonk. and it's a true story?? win
6. George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya ~ not his best, but good
7. Romeo & Juliet: Sealed With a Kiss ~ finally a happy ending!
8. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus ~ british people make no sense
9. The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia ~ i'm going to kill myself
10. Paper Heart ~ not what i thought it was; dunno why i watched it...
11. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ~ i can't get past my hatred for the mom from 7th heaven
12. The Parking Lot Movie ~ you are seriously making me watch this you bastárd...
13. Wristcutters: A Love Story ~ ending doesn't make sense, but otherwise pretty good
14. National Geographic: Stress ~ so interesting i almost peed
15. The Last Mistress ~ gorram frenchies. can someone say "bad boobjob"?
16. Maid in Sweden ~ i didn't know netflix hosted 70s rape porn
17. The Lover ~ why does netflix keep recommending i watch this old foriegn pedo crap?? i am officially offended
18. Unmistaken Child ~ he wants his mommy and daddy ;_;
19. No Strings Attached ~ i will surely download the 1080p of this; i'm pretty sure you can see nat's nips through her bra

Games
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ~ wheeeeee!
2. Your Shape Fitness ~ if i make my legs any wider i'll fall over biiiitch!
3. The Sims 3 - Now with Late Night! ~ late night is boring. bitches won't let me in the clubs
4. Dance Central ~ p-p-p-p-poker face p-p-poker face

Music
1. Pendulum ~ most songs suck, but the ones that are good are exquisite

Television
1. Desperate Housewives ~ finally zach is back! been waiting for this
2. Pretty Little Liars ~ i have no idea why i'm watching this
3. The Biggest Loser ~ the people this season are so amazingly fat
4. Modern Family ~ always lulz
5. The Vampire Diaries ~ getting bored; need more manboobs
6. Grey's Anatomy ~ one of the best seasons yet
7. Private Practice ~ this season is boring so far
8. The Office ~ steve y u no love me?!
9. Outsourced ~ this show is growing on me
10. American Dad ~ i like this show mm'kay
11. Supernanny ~ get on the naughty spot!!!
12. Battlestar Gallactica ~ people gotta be dedicated to sci-fi to get through that pilot...
13. Sailor Moon (re-watch) ~ maaaaake-up!
14. Invader Zim (re-watch) ~ i love you, cupcake

February
Books
1. Lord of Misrule ~ this series is very good for young adult urban fantasy
2. Carpe Corpus
3. Face Out
4. Kiss of Death
5. Ghost Town

Comics/Manga


Movies
1. Despicable Me ~ some good dialogue, but otherwise dull
2. Flipped ~ very cute movie, though I wish more happened
3. The Runaways ~ meh, not my bag
4. Somewhere ~ i cannot begin to express how boring this was; yet, i didn't hate it
5. True Grit ~ didn't meet my very high hopes, but it was good
6. The Fantastic Mr. Fox ~ very charming
7. Welcome to the Rileys' ~ better than i expected but sadder
8. Youth in Revolt ~ notably amusing
9. Middle of Nowhere ~ good cast and characters but not much plot at all
10. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ~ surprisingly enjoyable and pretty
11. Strike ~ movie nights with bj have a tendency to turn south quickly
12. Objectified ~ wanted to see things get manufactured; not people talking about it. boo.
13. Darkon ~ larping!! whhyyy!
14. How to Be ~ i just don't know how i feel about this
15. Two Lovers ~ well, at least i got to see paltrow boob
16. Major League II ~ what a unique and unpredictable movie /sarcasm
17. Teenage Dirtbag ~ i'm not sure what to think of this
18. Awful Normal ~ uncomfortable, but interesting
19. After Innocence ~ blah, boring
20. Prodigal Sons ~ more interesting than i had anticipated
21. Karate Kid (2010) ~ still bugs me that it's not karate, but not a bad movie
22. Fat Head ~ great counter to super size me
23. The Fighter ~ the acting made it great
24. Grey Gardens (1975) ~ i can't believe that was two hours long; crazy people lawl

Games
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ~ wheeeeee!
2. Your Shape Fitness ~ makes me sleepy

Music

Television
1. Desperate Housewives ~ finally zach is back! been waiting for this
2. Pretty Little Liars ~ i have no idea why i'm watching this
3. The Biggest Loser ~ the people this season are so amazingly fat
4. Modern Family ~ always lulz
5. The Vampire Diaries ~ something happen please
6. Grey's Anatomy ~ one of the best seasons yet
7. Private Practice ~ this season is boring so far
8. The Office ~ steve y u no love me?!
9. Outsourced ~ this show is growing on me
10. American Dad ~ i like this show mm'kay
11. Supernanny ~ get on the naughty spot!!!
12. Battlestar Gallactica ~ people gotta be dedicated to sci-fi to get through that pilot...
13. Sailor Moon (re-watch) ~ maaaaake-up!

Double Yay!

Older Stuff

January

-Movies-
The Men Who Stare At Goats

-Books-
Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie

-Music-
Five Finger Death Punch: Full Discography
Foo Fighters: Full Discography
The Legendary Shackshakers

-Web-
tripadvisor.com
[Clemens] Mark Twain short story: Advice to Little Girls

-Television-
Psych
A lot of stuff in syndication!
Tosh.0

-Video Games-
Parasite Eve

February
-Music-
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Full discography
March
-Video Games-
Fallout 3
Rhythm Heaven (replay)
Animal Crossing: Wild World

-Movies-
Crazy Heart
Suckerpunch

Television
The Walking Dead
April
-Music-
Coheed & Cambria Second Stage Turbine Blade
Crash Kings Crash Kings
Straight Line Stitch
Foo Fighters

-Video Games-
Fallout 3

-Television-
Conan
The Killing

April was a really busy month so I didn't do anything remotely cool. Going to try and start updating throughout the month, though. Soooo.

May
-Music-
Seether

-Television-
The Killing

-Movies-
Back to the Future III
Along Came Polly
Thor

-Books-
Water for Elephants Sara Gruen

I'm going to try to do this better this time. As for games, I'll include any game that has occupied a good chunk of time that month, and I'll find some way to mark them if I've actually finished it.

January

Games:
Epic Mickey
Goldeneye 007

TV:
Desperate Housewives Season 7

Movies:
Slumdog Millionaire
Á l'intérieur

January:

• Books
  Glinda of Oz
  


• Movies/TV
  Beauty and the Beast
  Wayne's World
  "Irresponsible Captain Tylor"
  "Video Girl AI"
  Avatar: The Last Airbender Riff Trax!
  


• Games
  


• Concerts/Albums
  The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
  Air - Talkie Walkie ***
  Animal Collective - Feels ***
  Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea ***
  Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress ***
  

February:

• Books
  
  


• Movies/TV
  The Seven Samurai ***
  Sledge Hammer ****
  Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future **... two and a half maybe? Had a hard time streaming it, which didn't help the already hard to follow plot
  Avatar: The Last Airbender - Season 1 *****
  Thundarr the Barbarian ***
  


• Games
  Dragon Quest IV DS ****
  


• Concerts/Albums
  Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More ****
  Devo - Something For Everybody ****

March:

• Books
  The Giver ***
  


• Movies/TV
  Rainbow Brite (the movie)
  The Big Bus
  Ben-Hur
  Sledge Hammer
  Avatar: The Last Airbender - Season 2, 3
  Conan the Adventurer


• Games
  Super C
  


• Concerts/Albums
  

April:

• Books
  Ender's Game
  


• Movies/TV
  Conan the Adventurer
  Sledge Hammer
  Giant Robo
  Blacula
  Where Eagles Dare
  


• Games
  



• Concerts/Albums
  

May:

• Books
  


• Movies/TV
  Conan the Adventurer
  Sledge Hammer
  My Neighbor Totoro
  Super Mario Bros.
  



• Games
  



• Concerts/Albums
  Așa - Asha
  

June:

• Books
  Snow Crash *****
  Slaughterhouse Five ****
  


• Movies/TV
  Sledge Hammer, Season 1 ****
  The Goonies ****
  Up ****
  My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic ***
  Fireball **
  Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie ***
  Devil Man (Debiruman) ***
  The Court Jester ****
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 1
  
  
• Games
  Legend of the Ghost Lion ***
  


• Concerts/Albums
  Regina Spektor - Far ****
  Beacon Street Union - The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens ***
  Beacon Street Union - The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union ****
  

I cba to do pretty charts, so for now you get this.

January

Books
These Children That Come at You With Knives
Angels Flight [In Progress]
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo [In Progress]
Ice Cream & Sadness


Games
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood [In Progress]


Movies
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Buried
The Other Woman
Good Dick
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
The Experiment
Frozen
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jump Off (I learned Wendy Williams is actually more so funny than insane and Super Head is a sociopath)
My Blueberry Nights
3 Days of Condor
Demon Lover Diary
127 Hours (The actual story is touching, but the movie is meh to me and the ending was ridiculously cheesy)
Blood Simple
Fatso



Music
Freddie Joachim
Get Busy Committee
k-os
Nujabes
SP (sort of had to listen to his song at least like 50 times now)
Wu Tang Clan
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Fray
The Fugees

Plays
Once Upon a Mattress

Television Shows
The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Crap show that my mom recommended me to watch)
True Life
Chelsea Lately
Modern Family (Needs moar Al Bundy)
Tosh.0 Season 3
Saturday Night Live

January

Books

• Vampire Academy Books 1-6
• Little Bee - In Progress
• The Windup Girl - In Progress (but oh my god, it's hard trudging through this one)
• Tinker - In Progress

Movies

• Toy Story 3

TV Shows

• Top Chef
• Grey's Anatomy
• Modern Family
• Big Bang Theory
• Jeopardy
• Daily Show/Colbert Report
• Say Yes to the Dress

Games

• Plants vs. Zombies
• Cut the Rope
• Angry Birds

I'm in. Listing stuff is fun! :D

JANUARY:

Books:
- The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown ***
- Ryhmy ja Romppainen (Ryhmy and Romppainen) by Armas J. Pulla ***

Films:
- The Last Airbender **
- Megamind ***
- Ponyo ***
- Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier, 1950s version) *****
- Waking Sleeping Beauty ***

Music:
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader by David Arnold ****
- The Lord of the Rings: Rarities Archives by Howard Shore ****
- The Social Network by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross * (I'd give it a Frisbee rating if I could but 1 star rating should be low enough...)
- Tangled by Alan Menken ****
- World of Warcraft Cataclysm by Various ****


FEBRUARY:

Films:
- Beowulf **
- The Men ***
- On the Waterfront ****
- One Eyed Jacks ***
- Tangled ****
- The Wild One ***

TV:
- Bleach ***
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic ***
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars ***


MARCH:

Music:
- Conan the Barbarian (Complete Rerecording) by Basil Poledouris *****
- La Herencial Valdemar by Arnau Bataller ****
- Les Deux Mondes by Richard Harvey ****


APRIL:

Films:
- Greystoke **
- The Last Unicorn ***
- Rebel Without a Cause ****

Music:
- Avatar (5CD edition) by James Horner *****
- Water Horse: Legend of the Deep by James Newton Howard ***


MAY:

Books:
- Sinuhe egyptiläinen (The Egyptian) by Mika Waltari ****

Films:
- Batman/Superman: Public Enemies **
- Firebreather ***
- Superman: Doomsday **


JUNE:

Films:
- Kung Fu Panda 2 ****
- X-Men: First Class ****

Games:
- The Witcher 2 ****


JULY:

Books:
- Romaanihahmon kuolema (Death of a Novel's Protagonist) by Matti Pulkkinen ***


AUGUST:

Films:
- Exodus ***
- Serenity **
- The Postman Always Rings Twice ****
- The Princess and the Frog ****
- The Strange Love of Martha Ivers ****

Music:
- Symphonic Shades ****

TV:
- GI Joe: Renegades ***


SEPTEMBER:

Films:
- Force of Evil ****
- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra **
- Lady Eve ***
- Moby Dick (1956 version) ***
- Thor ***

Games:
- Age of Empires Online ****

TV:
- The Venture Bros ****
- Young Justice ***


OCTOBER:

Books:
- Kati by Artturi Leinonen **

Films:
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 version) ***
- City Lights ****


NOVEMBER:

Books:
- Värväri (Drafter) by Artturi Leinonen **

Films:
- 12 Angry Men (1957 version) ****
- Anatomy of a Murder ****
- The Bicycle Thief ****
- Inherit the Wind (1960 version) ****
- Puss in Boots ***


DECEMBER:

Films:
- East of Eden (1955 version) ****
- The Fugitive Kind ****
- Heat (1995 version) ****

Games:
- Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty ****

Starting in late, but why the hell not.

January '11:

Books:
*** Snuff - Chuck Palahniuk - Interesting, but way over the top. Even for Palahniuk it's pretty harsh.

Movies:
**** Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World I'll give it credit for making me laugh, but I can't call it a masterpiece.
**** Adventureland I'd consider this pretty damn good, but it falls into the old trap of making young adults lives look like constant sex and drug fueled orgies with no repentance.

Games:
***** Plants Vs. Zombies Life sucker. Your iPhone/iPod WILL go dead. Guaranteed.
*** Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Competent, but it felt short. It had moments of brilliance, but I constantly felt like I was being teased with potential rather than delivered a full game. I'd like to see a more fleshed out sequel, definitely.
**** Skate 3 I'm giving it an extra star because of my love for the series. Skate 1 and 2 were 5 star game changers for me, and have served for years as my go-to "I want to play games, but I don't yearn for a particular game" disc's. 3 just didn't feel like it had the same mojo as the first 2 though.

Are people keeping up? I'm trying!

I posted what I can remember for this month.

Rather than trying to remember what month it was as I consumed each piece of entertainment, I'll just start with now.

April

Books
currently in between books due to lack of funds, but I'll pick up again with whatever Scalzi is flogging next time I get some spare cash
Conn Iggulden - Wolf of the Plains *** -- a book about Genghis freaking Khan.

Games
Privateer - Gemini Gold ** (It's a lot harder than I remember the original Privateer being. There are a lot of contraband runs in the mission computers and if I try to smuggle one unit of Brilliance even to a system one jump away, Confed is all over my arse for the next 2000 years)
Wing Commander Saga Beta *** (God I miss flying for Confed, even if all of the beta missions are in a Hellcat)

Movies
The Rocker ** - Will Arnett and Rainn Wilson in the same movie? How can it possibly be bad

TV
Running Wilde *
Spaced **
Black Books ***
That Mitchell And Webb Look Series 4 ***
The Mitchell And Webb Situation ***
InSecurity ** - A comedy about Canadian spies. They don't even have to make jokes, but they do anyways.

In March and earlier I was reading The Calculus Diaries*, Mr. Monster*, and Elantris***, playing WoW for a while, and watching MASH***, Better Off Ted*********, Arrested Development***, Father Ted***, and Being Erica**

Those who haven't watched Better Off Ted, watch it, and watch it now. It's the funniest thing I've seen in years.
Trailer for Better Off Ted (contains profanity)

^ Same. Better late than never I guess. :monster:

APRIL

Books

Decoded: Jay Z
- Not too far into it at the moment, but it's decent so far.

Games (I'm gonna leave out online gamer's like COD as I play them regularly anyway)

Need For Speed: Underground - ****
- Went back to playing this game since it was released and I'm hooked again, although I forgot how difficult and annoying it is in places. This is the type of game that should be filed under; "most likely to throw your PS2 out the window in a fit of rage" section. Still, gotta love it.

Spyro The Dragon - *****
- Bit of a nostalgic month for me. Went retro again and I still love this game to bits. The music is so good in parts words can't do it justice.

Virtua Tennis 4 - **
- Pretty :bou::bou::bou::bou:. Never really took the time to get into it, mind you it was only a demo I played.

Movies (Was blessed with seeing some of the best this month strangely)

The Outlaw Josey Wales - ****
- Got a Western genre box-set off my gran recently. Great movie, I'd look at almost anything with Clint in it too.

How Green Was My Valley - *****
- I love the feel and setting too this movie.

Unforgiven - *****
- Seen it plenty of times but watched it again this month.

Lantana - *****
Was on Film4 at 1am in the morning and I decided to look at it. Glad I did, because this movie is excellent. I came away from it feeling kind of odd, as if I didn't know if I enjoyed it or not. It's the type of film that will stay with you after you watch it. It deals with different stories and how they come to intertwine, and they deal with marraige at it's realest.

Casablanca - *****
- Watched it late one night when i was staying over at my gran's. It was either this or Snatch but decided to watch it. Glad i did, it's up there with my favorite movies.

Destination Moon - **
- Alright

TV

The Simpsons - Can't beat it
Desperate Housewives - Some bits can be so cheesy but I think it's a decent show.
Champions League - Best thing on TV!
Father Ted - Yeah...

And some other stuff on local Television.

April

Books:

The Name of the Wind*** - Amazing book. Best I've ever read. Really well written and an incredibly intriguing storyline.
The Wise Man's Fear*** - Sequel to NotW. Not as good but great nonetheless.

TV:

Stargate Universe**
Being Human***
Game of Thrones**

Movies:

Tangled***
James Bond 007: In Her Majesty's Secret Service*** - Only because it was so ridiculous it was funny.

Games:

Final Fantasy XII*
Kingdom Hearts***
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2**
Lord of the Rings Online***
Portal2***

May

Books:

Anathem - In progress. So far it's been a little overwhelming with the difference in language use.
The Hobbit***

TV:

Stargate Universe**
Game of Thrones**

Movies:

Tron Legacy***
Thor***

Games:

Lord of the Rings Online***

June

Books:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy***

Movies:

X-Men: First Class**

Games:

LotRO (still)***
LA Noire***
Black Ops**
Final Fantasy X***

Everybody come back and update! May is turning out to be just as busy and terrible as April so my media consumption just isn't any kind of fun AT ALL.

I will update. :)

If it doesn't have a rating then it means i'm not done with it yet :D.

May

* Books:
- Madame Bovary ***

(Manga) :
- Kuro:bou::bou::bou::bou:suji*** (AVAST, YE LILY LIVERED LANDLUBBER! IT GETS CENSORED)
- One Piece***
- Cradle of Monsters**
- Pokemon Adventures***

- Reborn**
- Fairy Tail*
- Fruits Basket***

* TV (Anime - I don't watch tv shows) :

- Arakawa Under the Bridge***
- One Piece**********

* Movies :
- All Star Wars episodes*** - Don't judge me! It's been forever since I last watched them so I thought I'd watch them again.
- Pirates of the Caribbean 4**.
- I've always hated movies, and I've watched very few, so you'll laugh at my list many times.

* Games:
- Touhou 7*** 8*** 9*
- Pokemon White***

June

* Books :
-Introduction to Philosophy* - :monster:

* Manga :
#Ongoing : Kuro:bou::bou::bou::bou:suji, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, Reborn, Cradle of Monsters, Pokemon Adventures
#Completed :
- Ouran High School Host Club*** ~ Not really into shoujo manga but I had to finish this one after watching the anime. It's actually pretty nice, wonky characters.

* Movies :
- Alice in Wonderland*** ~ Liked it a lot, brought a lot of memories. The hatter was a bit awkward though.
- The tourist** ~ Oh Angie, you and yer spy movies. I would have liked it more if it weren't so predictable.
- Thor* ~ Not my cup of tea. The romance was just silly.
- The curious case of Benjamin Button*** ~ Great movie, a bit long, but made me think about lots of things. Very touching.
- Black Swan*** ~ Great movie. Natalie really was perfect...
- 12 angry men***~ Old but still great.
- Requiem for a dream*** ~ I loved it. The effects, plot, everything. Not to mention the soundtrack. I almost cried at Sara's scenes.
- Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*** ~ Awesome movie. I loved all the songs, especially "The worst pies in London" one. I wouldn't really call it a horror though.
- Inception***~ Enjoyed it, wholly. Was a bit long though. I spent the entire time daydreaming about how I would construct my dreams and all *_*
- The hangover** ~ I expected it to be funnier...
- V for Vendetta*** ~ A rewatch. You all know it's good so no review here.
- 300*** ~ Saw it on TV today. Pretty good. I thought the soundtrack didn't really match the setting.
- King's speech*** ~ Very good movie. I expected it to be boring but nope. Actually laughed at few scenes - weird.

* TV :
N/A

* Games :
#DS :
- Professor Layton and the Curious Village.*** ~ Great game! Intriguing story and lovable and distinguishable characters. The puzzles were a bit of a distraction for me, since I really wanted to go on with the story. They are pretty easy though.

#PC :
-Touhou 11** ~ Finally beat it on normal. ReimuB is awesome.

#GBA :
- Legend of Zelda : A link to the past*** ~ Best GBA game.

July

* Books :
- The fall; Camus*** ~ What can I say? It's Camus. I had to stop and think while reading quite a few times.
- Animal Farm; Orwell*** ~ I shouldn't really review books because I always seem to like them.
- Gobseck; Balzac*** ~ A bit short but very interesting. What greed can do to people...

* Manga :
#Ongoing (see above for others):
- Soil.*** ~ This manga blows me away! I'll make a blog post about it later to show just how awesome it is.
#Completed :
- Psyren.*** ~ Shounen manga w/e.
- Veritas.** ~ A fighting/martial arts manhwa with a lot of text, dialogs, and explanations. That's not how action manga/manhwa should be...

* Movies :
- Iron Man 1,2** ~ I'm not really into superhero movies but this one was quite enjoyable. I love Pepper.
- Mary Poppins*** ~ I had totally forgotten the songs. It brought back too many memories. At least now I learned them by heart :D. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
- White Chicks*** ~ This movie has some pretty hilarious scenes.
- Hair* ~ Meh. It's an old movie, and I don't really agree with the whole hippie philosophy so I didn't really enjoy it.
- Sucker Punch* ~ Meh, chick flick. The story was mediocre at best. The action scenes were pretty weak and boring, not to mention that they made no sense story wise. (and they never showed the main wench's "dance" WTF?)
- The Matrix*** ~ Awesome tit. (gtfo I haven't watched many movies)
- The Matrix : Reloaded** ~ My least favorite.
- The Matrix : Revolutions*** ~ My favorite of the 3. This one had the best action scenes (but then again I haven't seen many action scenes :awesomeface:.)
- Lucky number Slevin** ~ 2 stars for having figured it out since the beginning. But it was a good movie nonetheless. I wish they had given more backstory to bruce willis though. I loved his character.
- Hobo with a shotgun** ~ Disturbing. Some scenes made me feel pain in my stomach. To be honest I was kind of expecting a comedy...:(
- Death Bed : The bed that eats*** ~ Though the effects were lame (very old movie) I thought it was quite well done and creative. A bed that eats people?
- Gladiator*** ~ Epic.
- Duck Soup*** ~ I can't believe how much I've laughed with this. Old movies are the best.
- Austin Powers 1,2,3*** ~ Funny as hell.
- Borat*** ~ I've always found him funny. The movie for me was like waiting for something to make me laugh. I like the dinner party scene the most. xD
- Bruno* ~ Thought it would be funny like Borat, but no. I only laughed at the talking penis scene. 1 laugh the entire movie.
- American Pie : Beta House* ~ Sucked badly. Why do i even watch American pies?
- The social network*** ~ Well done movie. Good to know how facebook was created.
- Tron Legacy ** ~ All right I guess. The main guy was kind of useless...

* TV :
- Gosick*** ~ Holy tit! I never expected this to be a mystery genre! I thought it would be the same goth AVAST, YE LILY LIVERED LANDLUBBER!i thing. Yay for murder mystery! Great anime.

* Games :
- Touhou 12 (UFO)*** ~ Absolutely loved it. It felt very refreshing (after the heavy SA atmosphere). And I could play as Sanae so I was happy. Beat it quite fast though. Guess it was easy.
- FFV* ~ Bleh, same old warrior of light bulltit - weak plot. The last boss was ridiculously difficult.
- Phoenix Wright AA : JFA*** ~ Yup, totally liked it. Same as the previous one with a few tweaks. Trilo is my favorite character for this game. I've had many heart attacks at the final turnabout. Oh and (SPOILER) Franziska crying

August

*Books :
- The trial ; Kafka

*Manga :
#Ongoing : See above.
#Completed : Change 123*** ~ Another Ecchi manga. It's about a wench who has 3 split personalities, each knowing a different martial art. Isn't that exciting?

*Movies :
- Harry potter Deathly Hallows 1** ~ Nothing happened. Oh well, better go watch part 2.
- Ali G Indahouse*** ~ Funny. Sacha Baron Cohen is my man.
- Hanna*** ~ Interesting story. I would have liked them to go into a lot more details about Hanna's condition, but other than that I really enjoyed the movie.
- Superbad** ~ Had some funny scenes, but I'm not really into high school comedies...anymore.
- The invention of lying*** ~ I really loved this movie, funny and it lets yer imagination run wild. Not recommended for believers :p
- The man who sued god* ~ Had great potential. Had to ruin it with that ending.

*TV/Anime :
- Gintama*** ~ Funny, addictive, wacky characters, what else can I say. Love it.

*Games :
- Phoenix Wright AA : T&T*** ~ The final Phoenix Wright game is pretty good, same as ever. I can't believe how much Maya has suffered .
- Final Fantasy Tactics : The war of lions*** ~ I loved the improved dialogues in this one, though I didn't like some of the names. Algus > Argath.

September ~
TBA

I forgot about this

May

Books
The rest of Conn Iggulden's books about Genghis Khan with the exception of Empire of Silver
Conn Iggulden - Empire series
David Thorne - The Internet Is A Playground

Games
Ragnarok freaking Online. Yes, I am being serious.

Movies
none

TV
Peep Show
Spin City

June
Books
China Mieville - Perdido Street Station (it doesn't live up to the hype)
Planning on finishing up Empire of Silver and reading Accelerando by Charles Stross.

Games, Movies, TV
None, due to insufficient me-time.

I see some people are keeping up with this. Excellent work.

it's hard to keep up with, but fortunately, I don't ingest enough media for it to be too hard~

July:

• Books
  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  


• Movies/TV
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2 *****
  Debiru Man ****
  Sledge Hammer, Season 2 ****
  Good Burger ****
  Just Go With It ****
  The Fantastic Mr. Fox *****
  Star Trek - Generations ***


• Games
  Final Fantasy V ****
  Forbidden Island ****
  Arkham Horror ***
  


• Concerts/Albums
  Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid ****
  Esquivel - Space Age Bachelor Pad Music ***
  

August:

• Books
  The Once and Future King *****
  Rosemary and Rue
  


• Movies/TV
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 3 *****
  Debiru Man ****
  Oldboy ****
  SVĚTLONOŠ ****
  The Conqueror *
  The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice **
  


• Games
  Dominion ****
  


• Concerts/Albums
  Cake - B-sides and Rarities (lol) ****
  Esquivel - Strings Aflame ***
  Faun Fables - The Transit Rider
  

September:

• Books
  Wicked Lovely
  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  


• Movies/TV
  Parker Lewis Can't Lose
  Debiru Man ****
  Look Around You
  Protectors of Universe
  


• Games
  Katamari Damacy
  


• Concerts/Albums
  Diablo Swing Orchestra - Butcher's Ballroom
  The Protomen - Act II: The Father of Death
  Abigail - Feel Good **
  Bill Evans - Soulgrass
  

I failed at media consumption for June but I'll try to make July better. Especially since I take vacation and intend to spend many days lying by the river reading.

That's an acceptable location as long as you're in a van down by the river.

I'll see if I can't contribute to this.

I'll take a stab at this. I tend to spread media across many, many, many months, so I'm sure this will repeat itself next time.

August

• Films

Captain America **
I was actually quite enticed by the 1940s aesthetic that decorated both the trailer and first half of the film. The first third in particular had a very acceptable pacing, while keeping a notable human element in a superhero film. This was seemingly cast aside by the second act, and utterly forgotten by the third, when action and adrenaline took over the screen.

Deep Red **1/2
Perhaps I am not as forgiving as I should be to older, foreign cinema (despite certain guilty pleasures of mine), but this Italian crime/horror film has the typical pacings and stylings of any 70s horror. The jerky zoom shots, awkwardly-placed inserts, and frenetic prog rock soundtrack are most defining, but as with most horror films, it delivers on an unpredictable, yet expected twist. It can be somewhat gory at times, but it's nothing that crosses the boundaries of tolerable.

The Cable Guy **1/2
I first saw this film as a kid, and though the film's lunacy stuck with me, I feel as though I can appreciate it more now. A Jim Carrey film, it was naturally filled with slapstick, and (somewhat thankfully) this brand of comedy has died down, but there are other elements that make this film more memorable. Its black humor-take on a monotonous figure (the cable guy himself) is cruel and hilarious, and though many of the film's elements are one-dimensional, it is certainly enjoyable for how sadistic the antagonist can be.

Lost In Translation ***
Stylistically sound and well-intentioned in scope, this film seems to have perfectly captured an emotion, but has no idea what to do with it. A good helping of loneliness, and a dash of mid-life crisis are well represented by the two protagonists, and they certainly pull off the roles with a subtle perfection. It was the script that left me at odds with the film, though its early ambiguity left me expecting a blank ending. I simply have a low tolerance for "observant" films, as their purpose seems unfulfilled.

• Television

Penn and Teller's ​Bulltit ****
I've been watching this sporadically, though recently saw three episodes within this month, so I'll count it here! Though the political leanings of others may be cause for avoidance, I find myself consistently in line with the "lessons" of each episode. I'll keep this up.

Dexter (Unrated until end of season)
So far, I've only seen two episodes of this show, and though I like what I've seen, my judgment shall be withheld until I finally finish the season. On top of that, for pure honesty's sake, I haven't actually watched the show since early July, but am listing here with every intention to watch more in August!

• Books

​You Don't Have to be Famous: How to Write Your Life Story - Steve Zousmer
I'm currently reading this at what, for me, is a fast pace (I'm a terribly inconsistent reader, often taking weeks or months to finish a book). In a quest to write a social commentary, I ended up realizing that the best way I could speak my mind was through a memoir form, and so I've been devouring this book for the last few weeks. I'll rate it upon completion.


Consider the Lobster - David Foster Wallace
I was reading this a bit more consistently before acquiring the above-mentioned book, but for the intellectual laugh, I find this a perfect fit. A bit lengthy at times, this series of essays and articles captures excess in prose at its finest. Never before have I seen such incessant detail used to, quite frankly, complain - and it's enjoyable too! I'll return to this book when I finish Zousmer's.

• Games

​Batman: Arkham Asylum ****
I'm about done with this game after a huge delay of actually taking the time to play it... and it's nearly perfect. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill make this game not only memorable, but a special treat for those of us who grew up on their voices. The stealth element makes this game superb, without cloning Metal Gear Solid in the process, and truly makes sure to use Batman's arsenal in creative ways. The sequel, Arkham City, is coming soon, so I've been in a rush to beat this right before. I look forward to it!

Team Fortress 2 ***1/2
I only gave this 3.5 stars simply because it has become a bit bombarded with items. What was a beautifully simplistic and enjoyable game, has continued to be enjoyable, but inundated itself with accessories. I only list it here because I consistently play it, but it is hardly new to the month of August.

Xenosaga (Eventually!)
Having JUST borrowed this, I hesitate to begin playing it because I'm well aware that it requires several devoted hours to actually accomplish much in the game. Thank god for my backwards compatible PS3.

Looks like it's me and you, Kossage. Though rubah is not far behind. The rest of you are lazies!

I get so busy and I forget to log stuff. Really the only TV I watched in November was The Big Bang Theory in syndication. And read Jezebel and cnn from time to time.

I suck at media intake.

We should have one of these for 2012. I'll participate! :)

Another year in the books. I'm proud of myself for keeping up with this. It really helped when I wanted to make 'best of' lists for 2011. Also it's nice to have what you are doing documented somewhere to preserve the memories. If you don't remember what you did then what was the point of doing it?

I'll start up the 2012 version.