Yes, after a long, long, long hiatus, I've returned to the Grimdark Parking Lot. I've no proper excuse for my lack of updates other than laziness, but, like my cat, nature abhors a vacuum. Although, to make it up, between my last post and this one, my mind has been putting a good deal of blog post ideas on the back burner so expect to see more posts than normal in the following weeks.
Alas, the muse has returned to me, so let's get drunk!
Full Sail Session Black Lager - Like most dark beers, I can smell that strong and familiar chocolate/mocha scent. It’s like opening a box of dark chocolates and taking a huge sniff . It’s surprisingly much smoother than I anticipated. It still has a bit of bitterness to it but not enough to distract from the coffee-like taste. The taste does linger on the tongue for quite a while though.
Redbridge Sorghum Beer - On the bottle, it says that this beer was made without wheat or barley and is gluten-free. I still don’t know what a gluten is but apparently a lot of people aren’t fans as I see gluten-free products everywhere. I don’t smell anything in particular when opened. Not sure if that’s a good sign or bad. It has an odd taste. Not bad, mind you, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it reminds me of. Sort of fruity with a tart taste. Overall, it goes down well though with no bad aftertaste.
(Note: This is the 230th beer I’ve tasted!)
Pedernales Classic Hefe-Weizen - This is Redbridge’s Bizarro double as it’s chockfull of wheat. It has a bit of a bread-ish smell to it upon opening. Like other hefeweizens, it has that dark wheaty taste, although, like some other wheat beers, it doesn‘t taste like liquid bread. It’s easy to drink but there is a slight bitterness when it hits your tongue.
Woodchuck Private Reserve Pink - This cider’s labeled pink not just because it looks cute but it’s for a good cause. Every purchase of this particular cider raises money for Dragonheart Vermont, a support group for cancer survivors. Right away as I open it, it smells like I walked into an orchard. Although a little tart at first, it’s quite smooth with a pleasant and sweet apple taste.
Dogfish Head Festina Peche - I’ll be honest, what first drew me to this beer was the artwork on the label: an angry, almost rabid-looking raccoon holding a peach like how Gollum holds the One Ring.
Aw, look at this little guy...
I can smell a very slight hops scent but nothing that reminded me of peaches. This one also has a tartness to it but not nearly enough of the sweetness that the Woodchuck had. It definitely has a fruitiness to it but it’s hard to pinpoint the peach flavor. Aside from the taste, it goes down easily with no aftertaste.
Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy - I can smell a strong citrus-y smell, particularly lemons. It tastes a bit sour at first when it hits your tongue but it mellows out pretty quickly for a smooth drink. Perhaps a bit too quickly as after that sourness goes away, there’s not a whole lot of flavor to go out on.
Jacob’s Best O’ the Bunch! - I’m going to have to give it to the Woodchuck Private Reserve Pink with Redbridge coming in at a close second. The sweetness of the cider really stuck with me in a good way. This is a drink I’ll be trying to get my hands on again. Plus, unlike its awesome Fall Seasonal cousin, Woodchuck Pink is available year-round!
Break out the popcorn and candy, it's time for one of my favorite activities: watching upcoming trailers! (Sad, I know.)
I was shocked at the amount of movies coming out this year that peaked my interest. Nearly 30 at last count. It's as if Hollywood is trying to pack as much movies as it can before The Avengers: Rise of Ultron comes out next year.
That being said, only a quarter of that amount has trailers currently available, so there will probably be a future trailer post later in the summer. Without further ado, in order of their release date, here's a sampling of movies for 2014!
300: Rise of An Empire
This is actually the third trailer for this movie but this one reveals more of the plot, specifically the prequel parts as we see how Xerxes becomes the "God-King".
I'm not feeling the same level of badass-ness from our new lead, Sullivan Stapleton, as I did with Gerald Butler, though. It's the voice, in my opinion. It doesn't have that same thunderous bellow that Butler had when he yelled. I am interested as his character, Themistocles, is an Athenian, a kingdom that King Leonidas slandered as a bunch of philosophers and "boy-lovers". I'm curious to see if the Athenians have any different combat tactics than their Spartan counterparts.
Also, I love the addition in this particular trailer of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" playing in the background. A bit strange though as it's an anti-war song but awesome nonetheless. Plus, it looks like we're going to see Lena Headly's Queen Gorgo go on a rampage against the Persians. We saw in the first movie she's not afraid to kill, so let's see how she does on the battlefield. If her skill with a blade is as deadly as her sharp tongue on Game of Thrones, I honestly feel bad for the Persians.
Noah
Being raised in a Catholic household, the story of Noah and the Ark is one of the first stories I can recall being told as a child. Though, if this trailer and related materials are anything to go by, this won't be your daddy's Noah. Just look at Russell Crowe, he doesn't look anything like the white-haired, long-bearded Noah I've seen in storybooks. Nor did I picture his family looking like Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson (not that I'm complaining).
Had this just be a standard retelling of the same old story, I'd not even give it a passing glance. But the fact there is an actual villain (Played by Ray Winstone, no less) and there are going to be more fantastical elements, such as multi-armed giant angels, grabbed my attention.
"Angels?", you might ask as they didn't appear in the trailer but there is a French graphic novel adaptation co-written by Darren Aronofsky that's been around the web for a few years called Noe.
Fun fact: Kevin Durand will appear as Og, an angel that helps Noah. This is not the first time he's played an angel, though. However, he's going to look a lot less like Gabriel from Legion:
And more akin to this:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Ah, the first Marvel movie of the year and who better to get things started than good ol' Cap? I was wondering how they were going to do another Captain America movie seeing as he was no longer in the 1940's. It seems like they're going with a more political thriller approach a la the Jason Bourne movies. Being a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., This looks like a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie as well although with more higher-up characters such as Nick Fury and Black Widow.
I'm excited to see not only Winter Soldier on the big screen but also Sam Wilson a.k.a the Falcon. He looks spot on from The Ultimates comics.
Although you could probably just look it up and it's been known amongst comic fans for years now, I can't wait until people who held out on spoilers to find out the Winter Soldier's identity. There's going to be a lot of posts on IMDB reading "IT WAS HIM?!?!1!"
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Oh man, I'm so hyped for this one. My favorite Marvel character on the big screen again and he's brought friends. Well, friends that want to kill him but Oh My God, Electro and Rhino are coming! And Green Goblin. And maybe Black Cat.
That is one of the things that worries me as too many villains was a problem that plagued Spider-Man 3. But I have noticed from the bits they show of the Rhino from this and other trailers that they're all set during the day, making me think he's only going to come out in one scene and the rest of the movie will focus on Electro and Green Goblin. That's only my guess, though.
I'm digging the new comic-accurate Spider-Man costume though and it looks like they really revved up the action for this one. I love the last ten seconds or so of this trailer with Spidey dodging Electro's blasts. Also, this:
OMG THE SINISTER SIX ARE COMING
X-Men: Days of Future Past
A very somber trailer for the third Marvel movie but exciting nonetheless. It's great to see the old X-Men crew again along with the X-Men: First Class team. Though if they're adapting the "Days of Future Past" storyline, things are going to get dark fast. Some fan-favorite characters are also making their film debut as well such as Bishop, Warpath and Blink. Also, Peter Dinklage (My favorite actor from Game of Thrones) as Bolivar Trask, the creator of the Sentinels. That alone has me ecstatic.
There's something about funky 70's Charles Xavier that I really dig. I want a shot of him rolling down the sidewalk with either the Shaft theme or the intro to "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" by the Temptations playing in the background. Seriously, play either of those and stare at the picture above.
Not to mention the fact the Sentinels are going to be the villains! There's only been concept art of what they look like so nothing's finalized as of yet. But there was this video that popped up last year:
Maleficent
I'll admit I was really skeptical when I heard they were making a live-action movie about Maleficent, the villain from Sleeping Beauty. But, Good God, did this trailer change my mind. The visual effects, the actors, that haunting rendition of "Once Upon a Dream" by Lana Del Ray. This trailer has everything going for it.
I do have a fondness for this type of story where we see a familiar tale told from another perspective. I'm also a sucker for epic army battles (Thanks, Lord of the Rings). I was a bit shocked to find out that Maleficent's horns are just that, horns, and not part of a headdress. Though it should be noted that in the original tale, she was a fairy, not a human witch or sorceress. How they're going to make her sympathetic is anyone's guess since, as shown in Sleeping Beauty, she cursed a baby girl to die by poking her finger all because she wasn't invited to a birthday party.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Out of all the movies based on Marvel Comics, this is the comic I know next to nothing about. When I first heard the announcement, My reaction was "..........Okay" in the most skeptical and bewildered way possible. "Out of all the comics and characters they have at their disposal, Marvel picked Guardians of the Galaxy? They didn't even have a 90's cartoon!"
Holy poop on a stick, was I wrong! I liked the fact they introduced the members of the Guardians one by one, giving the audience (and myself) a taste of their personalities and back-stories. The film looks...much more comedic than I envisioned. But when two of the members are a talking raccoon and a tree-man, would you expect anything else. Not to mention John C. Reily as a member of the Nova Corps, Marvel's version of the Green Lantern Corps. So, expect to see him fly around and shoot laser blasts from his hands.
The action looks tight too, reminiscent of both Star Wars and the recent Star Trek Films. I can't wait to see more trailers for this one in the future. Before I head to the final trailer, a parting shot:
OOGA CHAKA OOGA OOGA OOGA CHAKA
Godzilla
This movie actually comes out before Guardians of the Galaxy but I had to save it for last. Also,I know the new trailer came out recently, but I'm more partial to this teaser.
Godzilla and I go way back. I've been a fan of his movies since I was in elementary. I watched in both amazement and horror as he reduced Tokyo to rubble in Godzilla, King of the Monsters. I've cried when he fell into the volcano in Godzilla 1985. I cheered when he defeated MechaGodzilla in Terror of MechaGodzilla. I stared confused at the screen when he flew in Godzilla vs. Hedorah.
What has been seen can never be unseen...
But for all his campiness, I'm a devoted fan for life.
Who else do you know that owns a plush Godzilla?
That being said, I love how (thematically) dark they're making this movie, showing Godzilla only in glimpses and the aftermath that he leaves in his path (Those are bodies by the train at the 1:40 mark, you know). It makes me think more of a natural disaster rather than a giant monster. The creepy music from 2001: A Space Odyssey certainly doesn't lighten the tone either.
And that final shot with Godzilla in the dust as he roars? My reaction?
So with that, I leave you with the (paraphrased) words from J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the creators of the atomic bomb, from the San Diego ComicCon Godzilla teaser:
"We knew the world would not be the same. Few people cried... most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. 'Vishnu, takes on his multi-armed form and says:
Don’t call it a comeback ‘cause I’ve been here for years! (Or months in my case.)
I hope everyone had a fun and joyful holiday season. First things first, I apologize for the hiatus these last few months. I was recently hired for a second job at FedEx. While I’m getting more money overall, my free time has dwindled quite a bit. That and I had a bad case of procrastination (“I’ll write tomorrow”, “I’ll write on the weekend”, etc.).
With that said, hopefully I can start anew as I already have some ideas for future posts lined up. And what better way to start with a new Beer Thoughts!
These beers are courtesy of my local HEB, and by local, I mean nearly 20 minutes away from my house. Some of these are winter beers so they’re a little out of season, but thanks to old Punxsutawney Phil, I have six more weeks to enjoy them. Let’s get to it!
Drink up, Phil. You've earned it.
Saint Arnold Winter Stout - As with most stouts, it has that burnt coffee-ish, very dark chocolaty smell. It starts with a bitter taste but not enough for me to turn it down as it goes down easily with no real aftertaste. I think you’ll notice a pattern with me when it comes to these beers as when I let them sit for a while, the initial taste starts to improve. I think if it was a bit sweeter, it’d remind me of an iced coffee.
No Label Brewing Co. Ridgeback Ale - The smell reminds me of an IPA with a scent of hops but a bit sweeter. It tastes somewhat similar to the last beer but not as sweet and it does have an aftertaste that didn’t quite agree with my tongue. It’s not bad when you knock it back but when you actually let it sit in your mouth to taste it, it’s quite bitter.
Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark - Its smell was very slight but what was there was similar to the coffee smell of the Saint Arnold’s. The Creamy Dark lives up to its name as it starts a bit bitter but has the sweetness to prevent it from taking over. It’s much smoother than the last two beers, both on the palate and going down.
Shock Top Chocolate Wheat - It seems that Shock Top likes to experiment with wheat beers as the last two I’ve tried from them being Pumpkin Wheat and Apple Wheat. Like the Pumpkin Wheat, I followed the instructions on the bottle on “how to drink it“. It has a very chocolaty smell when opened. This is the beer version of chocolate milk as it’s not bitter at all and has nothing but a sweet chocolate taste all the way down.
Jacob’s Best O’ The Bunch! - It seems I picked the dark beer collection as all the beers were similar in taste and look. However, the Shock Top Chocolate Wheat is by far the Best O’ The Bunch. It appears I picked the best for last as it really lives up to its name. I wonder if you were to warm it up European-style, would it taste like hot chocolate? I hope this is still around by Valentine’s Day as it would make a perfect drink for all those sweets.
I hope everyone has a Happy and candy-filled Halloween! Also, Dia De Los Muertos, one of my favorite holidays, is two days away! Huzzah! For a quick post, here's the trailers for some movies I love to watch around this time of year. Enjoy!
The Omen (1976)
Army of Darkness (1993)
The Howling (1981)
The Crow (1994)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Underworld (2003)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
For an added bonus, here's one of my favorite scenes from Young Frankenstein:
And for another bonus, here's a song for the holiday!
Guten Tag, my faithful readers. It’s October and you know what that means: Oktoberfest! And you know what Oktoberfest means: Beer!
Lucky Germans...
It’ll be a quick post today as I only have four beers to try courtesy of World Market. Although I have no German beers to sample, I’m curious about ones I do have. Particularly, as two of them are fall seasonal beers. I don’t know about you but Autumn beers tend to taste particularly well in my book.
As the Germans say, Prost!
Kona Brewing Co. Fire Rock Pale Ale - Although the hops scent is strong with this one, I also smell a sweet fruity smell as well. It has a bitter taste when it hit my tongue. The aftertaste is not too bad though as it has an almost coffee-like flavor overall. As I go along, either I’m getting used to the taste or it’s losing its bitterness as it sits.
Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat - The cinnamon-y smell hits your nose quickly upon opening. Unlike how I usually drink my beers (pop the cap, drink), I actually followed the instructions on the side of the bottom to pour the beer in a glass until ½ inch remains, swish the remains around for a bit then pour into the glass to “release the flavor”. The spices (cinnamon in particular) in the beer give it a real sweet flavor as it goes down quite smooth.
Harpoon Brewery UFO Pumpkin - As the name suggests, it has that spiced pumpkin smell to it, reminiscent of a pumpkin pie. Although I was expecting a little more of a spiced kick to it, the taste is overall smooth with only a slight spiced flavoring. I do like the label design, very appropriate for the season.
Lucky Drink Co. Lucky Buddha - I gotta be honest, this is probably my favorite bottle design ever. It’d be one thing if they had Buddha on the label but the entire bottle is shaped like Buddha! Although the beer is brewed in China, the smell reminds me of a Corona or any Mexican beer for that matter. The beer goes down quite smooth, but it really reminds me of a Corona in taste as well. There is a slight fruitiness I detect, but just barely.
Jacob’s Best O’ The Bunch! - Although Lucky Buddha’s bottle design is the best in this bunch (and all the others before it), in terms of actual beer, I have to give it to the Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat. The sweet taste and smell might make it an autumn staple for me alongside Buffalo Bill’s Brewery Pumpkin Ale and Woodchuck Fall Cider.
I'll admit that, growing up, I never played Mega Man that much. (Or Rockman as he's known in Japan) Mostly because I didn't own a Nintendo. (Sega Genesis for Life!) But I did know him through other means, mainly through the Saturday morning cartoon as seen here:
As with most cartoons in the 80's and 90's, the animation in the intro
was vastly superior to what was in the actual cartoon.
I also had the action figure from the cartoon as well:
It wouldn't be until much later in life that I finally got to play Mega Man X and Mega Man Legends, finally giving me a much needed dose of the Blue Bomber.
Then Capcom, developer company and owner of the Mega Man franchise pulls this shit...
Mega Man Legends 3 was not only announced in 2010 but also had a strong fan community as the developer allowed fans to choose the design of new characters. Unfortunately, in the following year, the game was cancelled without much of a reason why.
It seemed that Capcom was trying to squash Mega Man's involvement in any game as no future games have been announced and Mega Man was suspiciously absent from Marvel vs Capcom 3's roster despite appearing in the last two games.
Although, it seems that Capcom might be getting off their ass with announcement of Mega Man as a fighter in the new Super Smash Bros.
Fortunately, Keiji Inafune, Co-Creator and Lead Designer of Mega Man all the way from the beginning, has the fix for us.
After quitting from Capcom, a company he's worked for for 23 years, he started his own company Comcept. Seeing as Mega Man is the legal property of Capcom, Inafune is dead set on giving us his spiritual successor: Mighty No. 9
Yes, I know he looks like Mega Man with serial numbers scratched off but that's the point. If Capcom isn't going to give us a new Mega Man game, then Comcept will give us a game that's true to the style and spirit of the Mega Man games.
On August 31, 2013, Inafune and Comcept put up a campaign on Kickstarter, the crowd-sponsored funding website, to help fund the game. With a goal of $900,000, Inafune pleaded with fans to help support the game.
In 24 hours, the game reached its goal. As of this post, they've collected a total of $1,629,900!
However, you can donate as the campaign still has 26 days to go. With each stretch goal, the reach of Mighty No. 9 grows larger as the game was only going to be released on PC. Now, because of the continuing donations, the game will be on Mac and Linux. And, knocking on wood, if it reaches a goal of $2,200,000, the game will be released on PS3, X-Box 360 and Wii U.
Even though the game's existence has only been announced a few days ago, there's been a plethora of fanart out on the web already, so I figured I'd close the post off with some of my favorites.
This is a whammy of a Beer Thoughts post as I have nine beers to review, all of them from either HEB or HEB Plus. Ranging from “I’ve been longing to try this beer” to “This beer sounds so fucked up, I have to try it”, these brews are a motley bunch. Without further ado, let’s boldly go where I’ve never gone before(Taste-wise that is).
Goose Island Honker’s Ale - Dedicated to my friend, Anthony “Goose Man” Guzman, I try these first two beers. When opened, it has a dark, but not too overpowering hops smell. The taste is actually quite smooth and much sweeter than I anticipated for it being labeled a “bitter”.
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale - As the name suggests, it has a slight wheaty smell when sniffed. Very smooth taste with a bit of both fruit and wheat flavoring to it. A fine companion beer to the Honker’s Ale.
El Hefe Weizen (No Label Brewing Co.) - The smell is like a stronger version of the Urban Wheat Ale, almost similar to cooked wheat. The flavor of this beer has a very wheat taste but overall, goes down smooth. It does have a very slight aftertaste, but not enough to detract it.
Rahr & Sons Texas Red - It has a “dark” but kind of sweet smell, if that makes any sense, like burnt caramel. Although, there is an aftertaste, its taste reminds me of mocha and is quite delectable to my palate. It reminds almost like a light version of Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin: Same type of taste but weaker flavor than the Hobgoblin.
Woodchuck Summer Cider - Brewed with blueberries, this apple cider has a sweet but tart smell. The blueberries don’t stop at the smell as it has a strong blended flavor of both fruits, making it very sweet and refreshing to boot, something I don’t get with most alcoholic drinks.
Flying Dog UnderDog Atlantic Lager - It doesn’t really have a very particular smell aside from a light hops scent. I can taste the hops, but rather than give the beer a bitterness, it has a slight fruit flavoring, making it a bit sweeter than expected.
Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout - Remember the beer I said was “so fucked up I have to try it”? This is that beer. Brewed with actual oysters, this is defiantly one of, if not the strangest beer I’ve ever seen or tried. It doesn’t smell like seafood, more like a strong coffee smell. It tastes rather like an ordinary stout, dark and slightly bitter. However, there is a slight sweet aftertaste, but nothing that tastes of oysters. Bit of a disappointment as I thought this would be the beer you could dare someone to drink.
Third Shift Amber Lager (Band of Brewers Co.) - Smells a bit sweet, but reminds me of Miller, Bud, etc. (your usual domestic beers) It’s slightly sweet but altogether, reminds me of Budweiser. It’s very smooth to drink, though.
Lobo (Pedernales Brewing Co.) - This beer has a strong dark, almost fruity smell. It has a citrusy taste, but like its smell, it’s a little bitter. It goes down smooth though with no distinct aftertaste. Again, like Third Shift, it reminds me of the more standard domestic beers.
Jacob’s Best O’ The Bunch! - I‘m not sure to label this a tie, but of the actual beers, I have to give it to Goose Island Honker’s Ale. I really should remember the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” as just because the beer is labeled a “bitter” doesn’t mean it will be bitter. I was quite surprised at its pleasant taste and will definitely be looking for this one again. It wasn’t technically a beer, but I have to give this brew props as my other pick for Best O’ The Bunch is Woodchuck Summer Cider. Like I said before, I don’t usually have my thirst quenched with beer, but this one was very refreshing and would be great to drink on a hot summer day. Get it while you can before Summer leaves us for another year.
