If you don't know, now you know!

With today's media overload the world is flooded with absolute trash and often we are left misplaced in a scavenger hunt to find that which does not suck. An overdose of reality shows plagues Television making our search for a decent show is like finding a needle in a haystack or more like a good show in a stack of Bachelors, Housewives, celebrity dance offs and talent competitions, hoarders, pawnshops, pregnant teenagers and a group of idiots sharing their pointless lifestyle choices as they live along the SHORE. Our music industry is flooded with 5 million groups that sound exactly the same all lacking in actual talent as now anyone can sing if you have a microphone and computer to edit your vocals. The movie industry is so lacking in originality that it has resorted to an onslaught of remakes. Remakes of movies that either were good the way they were and a reload is pointless, or remakes of movies that sucked in the past. If it sucked then, it most likely is going to suck now. The book industry is faltering with Authors trying to jump on the latest fad. It's almost as if there is some secret alliance to see how many vampire novels and teenage love stories they can dish out at the same time. Listen, if it's about Vampires and wasn't written by Bram Stoker or Ann Rice then there is nothing original about it.

On that note, I would like to present you with a list of things that are laced with nothing but extreme awesomeness. If you're looking for a good book, an original movie, or true musical talent to make your day pass, ease your mood, or help you escape for even a brief moment, then I suggest you look into the following:

Authors - Chuck Palahniuk & Christopher Moore

 If originality is what you seek, then seek no more.

Chuck Palahniuk pulls no punches and has no problem writing about the things that most people wouldn't. He is a man and he writes from a Man's point of view. His work may be fiction but his stories are laced with truths and realism that can leave the reader wondering from time to time if they are reading a story or a biography. Originality, vulgarity, perversion, dark humor, and cynicism can be found in every page from this creative genius. His unique short-style of writing makes reading his novels fast and fun with an amazing way of making you feel as if you are witnessing and listening to the conversations and dialogue first hand.  If you are not easily offended, enjoy dark humor and are craving something original then I would highly suggest you give him a chance. Choke and Fight Club are two of his more popular pieces of work so you may want to start with those.

Christopher Moore is?!? Where does one even begin to describe Christopher Moore's style of writing? It is very difficult to classify his style other than completely original and unique. His stories are bizarre, completely original pieces of work laced with an insane sense of humor and total brilliance. I can't remember the last time I read novels that had me laughing out loud. His writing style is vivid and pulls you right into the world he has created without overly drowning you in detail. His comedic genius can be found page after page sparking the readers nerve of curiosity making one wonder what they hell kind of madness am I going to read next. If a story about Jesus' adventure as a teen with his best friend, or his novel about a Man who has a pet demon with a nasty attitude and an appetite for human flesh doesn't reek of originality then I don't know what does. For your reading pleasure check out Lamb and Practical Demonkeeping. 

Music - Soundgarden

Welcome back to the era of grunge music. When talking about the Seattle grunge scene that invaded our radios in the 90s Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains are typically the first 3 names mentioned. Soungarden combined the rough, rock stylings that made the genre popular with the insane vocal talents of Chris Cornell. The aforementioned groups without a doubt had a unique set of vocal talents but none could match the range and uncanny abilities of Chris Cornell. Hitting high notes that would pierce your eardrums with ease to a low somber style that gripped your emotions came from Cornell without effort. No matter how amazing a singer may be it would be completely meaningless without a solid band behind them. Crazy, funky guitar riffs, thumping base and drums complimented Cornell's vocal mastery perfectly. Together they formed an unforgettable group that pumped out some of the era's greatest achievements like Black hole Sun, Spoon man, Fell on Black days and Fresh Tendrils to name a few.  If you are a fan of rock, grunge music, or just music in general then Soundgarden is a must for all who appreciate real music.

Movies - American Beauty

 

Kevin Spacey is an absolutely brilliant actor. Whether he's portraying the psychotic, monotone serial killer from Se7en or a Neurotic Genius that believes he is an alien from another world in K-Pax, his performance is nothing short of masterful. In American Beauty he delivers a performance that surpasses them all. He plays a man on the brink of a midlife crisis, tired of his stereotypical life coping with the harsh realities of aging and normalcy. His wife is career obsessed to where her spark of passion for her husband and family is almost extinguished. His daughter is wrapped up with all the emotional baggage that comes with being a teenager while dealing with her dysfunctional parents at the same time. This movie is subtle, simple and above all realistic. It's an emotional drama that exposes the harsh realities of life in a beautiful way. Not everything is as perfect as it seems and this movie puts that all on display from the very beginning. This movie is as real as it gets without actually being a documentary. Life isn't always sweet and if you have a hard time dealing with that, then this movie definitely isn't for you. Excellent performances from all actors/actresses, a clever script and beautiful story, a chilling and somber soundtrack, mixed with astonishing cinematography makes this a must see. There is a reason this movie left with quite a few Oscars. 

That's about it for now and I'll continue this list later with some TV shows actually worth watching and other things that absolutely do not suck. 

On and How can I forget my Girl of the Week, the lovely Mila Kunis!

When a Ninja is not being a Ninja, he's playing Video Games

The responsibility of a Ninja often leads to him living a very selfless life. A life where the world around receives far more attention than his own personal needs. However, to maintain extreme sanity one must always take even the smallest amount of time to forget their life even for a brief instant and enjoy the nothingness. For me, one of my favorite methods of escape is found in the realm of Video Games. My responsibilities in the real word take away from my gaming, but when I can get my gaming on I do it without the slightest whim of hesitation.

At this very moment I'm currently entrenched in the dark insanity of Dead Space 2. However, this isn't about that. I'm going to get into complete dork mode and list 2 of my favorites that helped keep me sane throughout the years. These are in no particular order...just a mere list of 2 of my favorites. Why 2? Why not, it's a blog, a blog of pointless nonsense with no real value. And I'm bored.

Resident Evil 4

 

I have been a huge fan of the Resident Evil series since the very first game, which up until the 4th game came out held the crown as the best of the series. The first Resident Evil was dark, eerie, and truly embodied the feeling of being trapped in a Survival horror. Weapons and ammunition were limited, health was scarce and you were constantly left with the feeling that you were utterly alone and about to die any second. 

The other Resident Evil games were good but began to transform more into an action/thriller more so than anything else. If they could combine the heavy action moments of the later games with the intense, survival horror atmosphere of the original then they might just have a perfect game on their hands. Along came Resident Evil 4. Back was the supremely dark feeling of the original now mixed in with intense high paced action and a highly intriguing story to match. Gone were the sluggish zombies of old in which you could literally just walk around them to avoid their attacks. Instead they were replaced by infected humans that could think and move as any normal living individual can. They would run at you, dodge attacks, attack you in hordes and even use weapons. A constant level of suspense in which you never knew what was lurking around the corner just as in the 1st game but now, if you were unfortunate enough to be ambushed by a creeping villain, you'd better have your weapons ready as this time around they will chase you. The game moves at a very fast pace that keeps you involved from beginning to end, but not so fast that you miss out on the twisted world of evil around you. The game is beautifully detailed, exciting, scary and down right fun. This is a must have for any fan of survival horror games or just good video games in general. Sadly, Resident Evil 5 tried to capture on the look and feel of this game, but chose to make it nothing more than an action/shooter game. It was a great game but nothing compared to the 4th. Hopefully, if and when they make a new one they can get it right like they did in Resident Evil 4. 

Uncharted 2

 

Where do I begin with this game? I can easily get lost in a 500,000 page essay as to why this game is not but pure awesomeness. This is absolutely my favorite game of all time. But I'll leave it at that. 

Picture Indiana Jones meets National Treasure. The stories of both those films were never the most clever of stories and most intriguing, but they both proved excitement, thrills, and a highly enjoyable cast of characters that provided both the right touch of seriousness and humor to make it all worth it. Uncharted 2 follows suit perfectly. This game puts you directly in the shoes of a young, wittier Indiana Jones type of character named Nathan Drake. He's charming, funny, clever and down right kicks ass. But they made him very human and vulnerable. Nathan is an average man physically without any Bruce Lee style martial arts training, he's not a master of weapons, but what he's good at is using his head and the attributes he does have to get out of tight spots. This makes not only a very likable character but a character that is very easy to relate to as well. The villains are excellently cast, the female characters are surprisingly human and not just a busty rendition of a man's fantasy, the landscapes are captivating, the action is tight and suspenseful, this game rocks. The graphics are absolutely beautiful. Not many games carry this type of perfection in the worlds created around you. Play this and play it now.

But before I close this out let me leave this with saying that one of the most important aspects of the game is the voice acting. I have never played again where the voice acting is not only dead on accurate but well extremely well acted. The voice acting is so perfect that it truly makes you forget at moments that you are actually playing a video game. Now, go get this if you haven't played it. Get it now or I will find you and throw some ninja stars at your gaming console for ignoring this mastery.

So there you go, 2 of my favorites. In time I will list more and share my useless thoughts and opinions, but until then, feast on the words that corrupt this blog.

Oh and here is a bonus picture of my Girl of the Week...the lovely Mila Kunis.