Help Us Get Off the Ground

Hey movie fans, I've birthed a new project. Along with the very talented staff of Nick Kohut and Ben Nelson, we've created a site where you get all of the latest movie news, reviews, and more. Spread the word if you like what you see, and please, at least check the site out!

www.cinema.judojoe.com

Three

Trash can.















An attempt to accentuate the peace sign.













I added a more reddish tint, in an attempt to make it look older, and more rusted. I'm not done with this.

Who Is That Sexy Stud?

Drawn in Adobe Illustrator with the pen and pencil tools.

Penny For Your Thoughts

We had to make something building off of the word cherry. Ran outta time on the deets, but no worries, it doesn't look that good anyway. I chose to make a penny.

Any guesses as to how they relate?

Project: Still Life

A still life drawn in Adobe Illustrator, using only fills. No strokes or other tools were allowed.

I think it came out pretty well.

My Dear Mother....

Bleh.

Tyler Welcomes Me As I Welcome You

Classes began for me today, and I don't know how many fellow Temple pre-collegiates are actually reading this. Anyway, for those of you that are, and haven't read my previous posts, my name is Andrew. Welcome to my blog, I hope you like what you see. I am a hardcore comic book fan, and have instantly fallen in love with The Dark Knight.

Movies. Art. Music. Literature. This is what makes me tick.

Since this is for art, check check here, these artists inspire me:
Adam Philips
Oliver Vernon
Pocket Clouds

Computer Problem

So my computer is flat out busted. This blog is indefinitely suspended until I can fix the computer.  Apparently some chip related to the internet/detecting an internet connection fried inside my computer. (It'll be kinda hard to update this without an internet connection.) Luckily the chip is located on my mother board, so now not only do I need a new chip, but a brand spanking new mother board. I don't even know if it is worth it at this point considering my computer is older than dirt in PC years. (like 20000000 years.... unless you have some REALLY old dirt, that's gonna be tough to top) Do they even make mother boards for my FUBAR computer? (My technical computer knowledge is noticeably vast...)

So I'll catch you guys on the flip side, hopefully soon.

P.S. I added an RSS feed option, just in time to not make any posts for a while! Now that's smarts.

Sorry Ben, Another Post About Video Games

So now that I've gotten back into stride with this whole summer thing, I have created a to-do list for myself to follow. Based on the fact that I don't follow it at all, I am not quite sure why I created it in the first place. Something about filing tax returns, backing up my music collection, and cleaning out my closet. Yet somehow video games managed to sneak onto the list, and completely take it over. Oh well, I have embraced this fact and have instead compiled a to-do list of video games. Much simpler, and much more helpful in allowing me to procrastinate from doing what I really need to. (A portfolio would be nice....) See that picture there to the left? That's it. We got Boom Blox (Wii), The Orange Box (Xbox 360), Condemned ([#1] Xbox 360), No More Heroes (Wii), Bioshock (Xbox 360), Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360), Battalion Wars 2 (Wii), and Mario Kart Wii (You seriously don't know?). Of those I've started plenty of them, and am currently working my way through Half-Life 2 of the Orange Box. This game is a phenomenal sci-fi shooter.
Hopefully this list will allow me to break the curse of starting a game for a few hours and never finishing it. (the dead pile of last-gen games sitting in the corner of my family room)

Hey Ben look down here, this may be a little more friendly to your interests.
Alas, I am not wasting all of my summer simply melting my mind with video games. Being the OCD nutcase I am, and feeling the need to keep everything in list or chart form, I've created a book reading list! This list starts with No Country For Old Men (Cormac McCarthy), then goes to my reading for next school year, East of Eden (John Steinbeck), and ends with Boomsday (Christopher Buckley). As always, No Country For Old Men is better in book form (somehow beating out that masterpiece of a movie).

I've also taken this summer to fall back in love with movies. I have been vigorously adding to my movie collection via used DVDs from Amazon, Netflix, or FYE. Surprisingly FYE has some good deals, considering their outrageous price for new stuff. (30$ for a DVD!?)
And, despite the inflated cost of going to the movies these days, I have pledged myself to see at least one movie a month. (Any guesses to this months? *Hint rhymes with Bark Right*)

No moron it's not Dark Kite....

Sorry For The Silence

Hey Wouldn't It Be Cool To Be Reading a Calvin and Hobbes Comic Strip In This VERY Space? I do too, but apparently Safari doesn't agree.

As of late, I haven't been posting (note: last post of May 28th). You can't blame me though, things have been hard of late. I've needed time to adjust to the rigors of summer vacation, what with the doing nothing but playing video games and reading books all day thing. That's a much harder adjustment than some of you think.

No that's not the ENTIRE truth. Honestly it has just been a combination of laziness and general lack of concern for my readers (all three of you [AJ Jenn Nick] and the occasional Fez). I just don't feel like talking about nothing a whole lot, but now that I have taken the time to post this, it has made me semi-interested again. You could say it has reignited the spark you have all so long waited for to be rekindled. Despite my being over dramatic look for more blog posts coming this July. I'm preparing for some pretty cool stuff, something like movie coverage, maybe a bit of messing around with the Creature Creator (check it out!) and some other fun stuff (reviews?) I don't know. Just get excited for what's to come. 

P.S. read The Wiire everyday and all the time. 

Hey Sucker!

I have a sudden obsession with lollipops. For some reason they have become something I depend on, and I rarely go a day without eating at least one. They are also a good stress reliever while driving (people are idiots).

I'm not addicted....I could stop at anytime. Seriously.

Sorry the blog posts have been few and far between lately, the school year is rapping up, and my job at The Wiire (check us out!) has me writing enough lately. Look for the blog to come back in full force this summer.

Also, look for my reflections on the Phily Wizard World Comic Con' on Friday.

A Kanye West Glow in the Dark Concert Review

Go see this.

Stray Thoughts #3

Sorry, it's been a week since my last post. I've been busy doing other things, and the blog was forgotten, for a while at least. But I'm back, and I'm still suave as hell, so 'sall good.

ANYWAY, Today's entry is going to be deep, but also shallow. It will have it's depressing moments, but it will also have lighthearted revelry.

I will start with the heavy stuff....Recently, The Sudanese Government has officially renounced Chad, and is on the brink of war with them. This cannot mean anything good for Sudanese refugees seeking shelter within Chad's borders. All of this makes me wonder...How can we solve this? I attend a Mennonite school, so I am constantly pressed with the ideals of Pacifism, but I am never satisfied with the response. Talks have broken down every time they have been arranged. Treaties have been broken every time they have been written. It is pretty clear that Omar al-Bashir has no intentions of negotiating. So I pose this question to those who advocate pacifism. How are the refugees to respond, without violence? The U.N. is useless and what little troops they have deployed are too few in number to make a difference. Do they not defend themselves? Do they allow the Janjaweed to trample all over them, rape the women, kill the rest? Now what? I hear the idea of pressuring China into stopping the support of the Sudanese government, but how do we pressure them? Would a boycott of something like the Olympics do it? How else are we supposed to "pressure" them? To protect the innocent should the U.S. step in? If they do, we are faced with another war, one that I do not believe the American people can take. Look at our previous record with getting involved in civil wars, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq. And yet we've tried isolationism, in World War II, but we got dragged into that as well. What the hell is the right answer!?! I have so many questions, and so little answers!

Moving on to some of the lighter stuff.....Kanye quickly approaches, and I personally think it'll change my life. All I have heard is this concert is hella sweet and will be a hell of a time. Here's to hoping Rihanna is on first.

I also got a job over at The Wiire, and I for one, am very VERY excited. The staff is very kind, very patient, and I look forward to working with them. I've been given editor status, basically meaning I'll post news and possibly some reviews and such. Great things will come from this.
Check us out.

We Are the Insurgents

If you would come to me a week ago and ask me who the Flobots are, I would look at you strangely, and ask if you were speaking of automated machines built to do work humans are too lazy to. However, about 5 or 6 days ago, I heard the song "Handlebars" on the radio, and here we are now.

I liked what I heard the couple of times I heard Handlebars, so I decided to buy the whole album (available on iTunes). This record is tight.

The Flobots themselves are an odd group. Featuring two vocalists, a violist, a trumpet player, a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. This quasi hip-hop/rock group creates a unique sound with tight beats and smart vocals.

Fight with Tools opens up with the track "There's a War Going On for Your Mind", a war briefing of sorts, preparing you for the onslaught of invaders competing for you. A sweet viola melody plays in the background and a warlike drum beat backs up the vocals, as you are made ready for the corrupt world of today. It ends with the words "We are the Insurgents" driving the point home. They are here to make a difference.

Vocals are border line stream-of-conscious at times, but remain potent as ever. Brer Rabbit and Jonny 5 have a lot to say and this socially charged music tackles problems such as poverty, hunger, and presidential power. The most powerful line to me has to be in the track "Stand Up" .
"Stand up, we shall not be moved, except by a child with no socks and shoes. Stand up, we shall not be moved, except by a woman dieing from a lose of food. Put you hands up, and I'll copy you." This track brings the plight of our world to light, and then urges action. It is powerful to say the least.

Instrumentals are what give the Flobots their truly unique sound. I never thought the viola and trumpet could be used in such ways, as they are in tracks such as Handlebars, Same Thing, and Stand Up. These songs attest to their creativity. The viola switches between staccato plucking, to rhythms custom crafted to match the song. Drum beats are far more than basic hip-hop beats and enhance the chanting vocals. The guitar and bassist round out the instrumentals, and when they get loose, they lay out sick rhythms. The instrumentals are then mixed in masterfully to create the sound that defines the Flobots. Nowhere is this more evident than in the tracks Same Thing, and Combat.

The Flobots are going to be huge one day, one day soon. They have a unique enough sound, that they will not fall into the pool of generic rock bands, and one-hit wonder hip-hop artists. No, instead they are the best of both, and the worst of neither. This packed with the motivation to change the world, will lead the Flobots to the highest pinnacle of success.

I rate this album a 9/10.

"Still Counting the Days...."

Well we have two countdowns today folks. Yes, I realize that my life is one perpetual countdown, eagerly awaiting the arrival of something, and once that something comes I instantly move on.
However, due to the disjointed style of writing, I almost forgot the first item which cannot come out soon enough.

Remember how awesome it was when Frank Miller gave Batman his Balls back when he wrote The Dark Knight? Remember how good of a Joker Jack Nicholson played? Now combine the two, and multiply by a billion. Christian Bale is in place to be the best Batman ever, and Heath Ledger's performance promises to be legendary. (but alas, life is unfair, R.I.P. Heath, you will be missed.) My most highly anticipated movie of the year, easily.

Haven't seen the trailer yet? Watch it here.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3JtIkTktz0


Next, I simply have one thing to spell. K-A-N-Y-E. May 17th is quickly approaching. Every time I check the calendar days decide to just forget to occur, and I am a lot closer than I originally thought. Less than two weeks.
Lupe, Pharrell, Kanye. All under one roof? Legendary.

As an aside, I found some good local Lansdale music. Even if you have no idea what a Lansdale is, check these guys out. They are incredibly talented, and are eventually going to be famous. Now is your chance to meet them, so in the future you can say "I knew them before they were big!"
Parkwright is their name, making sweet music is their game(really lame) nice rhyme!
http://www.myspace.com/parkwrightmusic

Brain Drain

So, in the process of attempting to attend college, I took the SATs for the first time yesterday. I'm still feeling a bit weary, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

This, is how I felt yesterday.

The GTA IV Midnight Blog: ........

HOLY SHIT. Who cares that it's not midnight on Monday anymore. I've gotten some play time with GTA IV (somewhere around 5 hours) I am speechless, and I seriously have to restrain from saying "best game ever." Why am I restraining myself? It's only been 5 hours, and things could always change, not to mention the enormous amount of responsibility that comes along with a game of that title. Onto the good part; why do I have to restrain myself in the first place, well my friend, I hope you're ready for this.

Reason #1: Improved graphics. Everything isn't cutting edge, and everything isn't the best graphics I have ever seen, but it looks like a game from this generation. Not to mention the fact that the past games have looked about 3 years behind, grainy, boxy and just sheerly ugly.
Reason #2: Likable character. Niko is an awesome dude, who can totally kick your ass if you talk too much, or get on his wrong side. He has a short temper, and will attack at the drop of a hat. He's also a P-I-M-P and gets the chicks.
Reason #3: Improved game play. Everything from little to large has been changed about the game play, and the overall feel in general. Little things include movement improvement (nice rhyme) like when Niko goes down steps, he actually goes down them, not running over them like in every other video game. Pedestrians and civilians also act more....complex. They move more, and react based on what you do. If you shoot one in the stomach, (s)he will hunch over, and hold their stomach and stumble away. Big things include the aiming system (excellent) and the cover system (excellent-er). They are by no means pioneering in terms of video games, but adds a sweet touch to the series.
Reason #4 : Physics. Blowing things up, and people actually go flying with realistic physics? When you crash into something, you go flying through the windshield? SIGN ME UP!
Reason #5: Multiplayer. With a boatload of useful modes, 'nuff said.

I'm done talking for now. I need to go play more. There shall be a review of this game upcoming in a few days.

P.S. If you want to get a party-sized turf war together, or any other form of online game going, lemme know. Add me if you'd like GamerTag = Clarky412

The GTA IV Midnight Blog: Nifty Invention!

So the dudes over at http://www.sa-mp.com have come up with a rather nifty multiplayer scheme. After some technical difficulty, I got it going (I needed to downgrade from v. 2.0 to 1.0 in support of the multiplayer) and I found there are a lot of servers, with A LOT of game modes.

The best one by far though, has to be Cops and Robbers basically, you play as a character you want to be (i.e. taxi driver, car thief, food delivery boy) and you carry out those tasks. If you choose an illegal profession (honestly, why wouldn't you?) you get warrants out for your arrest, and ticket able offenses charged against you as you commit crimes. (Like stealing a helicopter...I seriously got a ticket). You can then choose to either pay the fine, or a warrant will get put out for your arrest, alerting the police. From here, it's survival of the fittest. Humans, acting as the police will hunt you down, leading to a more intense chase than crappy A.I. After this if you are caught, you have to serve out a jail sentence, of some time.

But let's be honest. The far best way of playing is to screw around and do what you're not supposed to. I was a car thief, and instead of stealing people's cars, I ran people over with them. This pissed people off, especially when I parked on them. (They can't move unless they leave the server)

This is a sweet mod.
Next up on the dockett...the game arrives!!!

The GTA IV Midnight Blog: And So It Begins

Well, I don't feel like typing much, but here I am, still giving you updates as to what I'm doing with my time, up to GTA IV. I realized that running around is maybe (debatable) the best part of GTA. Granted, the story is usually at least solid, the humor is superb, and driving is always neat, running around killing people for no reason at all (as sadistic as that sounds) can easily be the most fun. Seriously, what's better than staking out and seeing how long you can last against the army and police? I Love This Franchise

I am now going to call it, before I get on the CIA and FBI's blacklist.

(Next stop: San Andreas Multiplayer Mod)

Stray Thoughts #2

Video games, banquet stories, car alarms, and so much stuff to get too!

Got Mario Kart at midnight today, and am thoroughly enjoying it. (Was it really necessary for it to release at midnight?) Well I guess I can't talk, I bought it then. But anyway, it is oodles of fun, and the wheel for it is less than charming. So far (2 hrs or so of playing) it is in line to be my favorite yet.
GTA COMES OUT TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT
Now that I got that out of my system, I guess I can mention my blogging tomorrow night leading to the release of GTA. In celebration, I will be playing some of my favorite GTA games, and posting about favorite moments, possibly screen shots, and other things. Then, I'm going to go buy it, and not go to school the next day.
Oh, also, if you're bored, and need a new video game website to use as your source of news, check out www.giantbomb.com starring former Gamespot employees Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. Go there now.

Car alarms are one of the worst inventions I can remember in the past......well the past....ever. Has a car alarm actually ever stopped somebody from robbing a car? In case you're still thinking about it, the answer is no. Instead, all they are good for is waking the ENTIRE neighborhood up at 6 a.m. (on a weekend!). They never go off at a useful time, and people ignore them. If somebody was to rob a car, the alarm would go off, and nobody would notice.

Oh about the banquet stories....never volunteer for an assignment involving every high school senior in the school. Just a word of advice.

A Movie for Old Men

What a movie. No country for old men? More like Country for Great Movie! Alright, that made no sense, but just as I thought, I am completely in love with No Country for Old Men. (NCFOM) I've watched it at least 3 times in the last two days, and I feel like I have a solid handle on the movie.

So why, do you ask, am I in love with it? Let's start with something important then, possibly most important, acting. Going into this movie the cast of actors appeared less than impressive. Javier Bardem...who the hell is that? The craziest (note: picture) most insanely awesome killer, maybe ever. Josh Brolin....iight so he had Planet Terror, but still he way surpassed his acting threshold with this one. And since when is Woody Harrelson a good actor...seriously! But it wasn't just the acting that made it, it was the overall tone and atmosphere exuded by the movie. There is NO music through the movie, except minimal beats in the intro and during the credits. This leaves room for intense silence, and one can really focus on how tense the movie actually is. This is all supported by probably some of the best writing of the last twenty years. The plot was thick and rife with sheer awesomeness.

This is seriously one hell of a movie. 4/4 Stars

Stray Thoughts

While procrastinating and trying my hardest not to start my english paper, a few thoughts have come to me. These thoughts are by no means related, and I will no doubt experience them again, so I've decided to make a segment called 'Stray Thoughts'.

We're down to 6 days left on the countdown til' this baby up there ^^
enters my Xbox 360's disc drive. Its all history from there.
I also have heard word of a GTA San Andreas mod, which intrigues me. Multiplayer role playing is the name of the game, and people dedicate hours to a particular aspect of San Andreas. (i.e. Taxi Driver, Ambulance driver, etc.) With the admins acting as police. Sounds like Second Life, except, minus the creepy sex-offenders looking for a "good time". (Don't ever ask me about my experiences with that game)

Something wonderful and something....so-so arrived in the mail today. I'll start with the lameishness first. Ultimate Spider-Man has come (issue #121) today, and I'm not at all excited. It has been SO boring as of late, and has no promise of getting better. Now, onto the good stuff.
No Country For Old Men has been touted as the best movie of '07, and an overall masterpiece. It came to me today, in a little red envelope with some word like....MetLix or something on it. (Maybe it was NetFlix). Anyway, I fully expect to report tomorrow with how in love with the movie I have become.

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

Welcome to my blog, I guess you want to read what I have to say. I figured it was time to create an environment with which I can get my opinions and interests out to the world, because honestly they need to be heard.

In general, I'm a cool guy, with cool interests. I'm also a die hard nerd. I geek out to video games and comics daily, but, it's not all taped rims and pocket protectors. I also am into a wide variety of music; Rock, Ska, Rap and all of the shitty made up sub-genres, are all choices I enjoy listening to. (Seriously...what the hell is Rap-Core???) I happen to play two sports right now, Cross Country and Tennis. I'm not an all star at either, but I mostly enjoy them (Cross Country...eh we'll see).
Hobbies consist mainly of anything creative. I would like to think of myself as a creative fellow, and drawing, writing, filming, recording, and a handful of other things are what give me true joy in life. Well, that and my girlfriend Jennifer Lynn Duncan.
I'm currently taking a course at tech school in Commercial Arts, that is the process of advertisement and packaging design. With portfolio in hand, I hope to be accepted to Montclair State University, and begin a college career double majoring in Graphic Design and Business (Marketing).
Oh yeah, I love movies. I used to try and create a top 10 list of movies, but quickly decided that was WAY too hard. However, here a bunch that I really love. 300, V for Vendetta, the Boondock Saints, Children of Men, Hotel Rwanda, Sin City, Batman Begins (Christian Bale), Ocean's 11 and 13 and probably lots that I forgot for now.
Video games wise, I'd have to list The Resident Evil Series, Super Smash Bros., Rock Band, Streets of Rage, Earl & Toejam, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Soul Caliber, and a myriad of titles that just aren't coming to mind.
I'm only going to say this once, so if you found it boring, you shouldn't have read it in the first place, but hey, it's over. Pat yourself on the back, you now know a lot more about one of the coolest kids ever. (No that's Ben Savage) seriously look at him. Boy Meets World = GREATEST SHOW OF ALL TIME.

I don't plan on posting everyday, just when I feel it necessary to say something. (Often)