Top 10 Christmas Movies

Okay, it's that time of year. (Obviously) Every year I tell myself I'm gonna watch alllll these Christmas movies, and I never do. Oh, I manage to squeeze one, two - maybe even three in there. But I never watch as many as I'd like to.

Until this year. I've actually watched 8 of the movies on this list! Plus I've watched other movies and TV specials that didn't make the list/couldn't make the list. (I didn't include TV specials, otherwise forget it!)

So without further ado, my top 10 favorite Christmas movies of all time.

10.  The Santa Clause

I've always had a soft spot for this one. You gotta admit it's pretty original - Santa dies so this working single dad gets stuck being Santa and has a year to accept it. Meanwhile his son runs around telling everyone he's Santa, and everyone thinks he's warping the kid's brain. Funny and touching - all the things a good Christmas movie should be. I even like the sequel, I must admit.

9. A Christmas Carol

I like the old school one starring Alistar Sim - it's my favorite version that doesn't involve puppets. Everyone knows the story here - unless you're secretly from Mars. It's the most classic Christmas story out there. Seriously, it's a brilliant story - far and away the best thing Dickens ever wrote in my opinion. ...And I don't like anything else he wrote, so that's not hard. But I love, love, LOVE a Christmas story, and yeah, I read it. Under my own power. This version sticks pretty close to the book, which is why I like it so much. "Bah! Humbug!"

8. A Christmas Story

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" There's a reason this movie is shown in a 24-hour marathon every year - it is hilarious! Oh, little Ralphie's quest for a Red Ryder BB gun never gets old. Who can forget Flik's tongue getting stuck to the pole? Or dad's "major award"? Or the Bumpass' dogs? There are just so many memorable scenes. Most memorable is probably the scene with Santa, where Ralphie grips onto the slide for dear life to tell Santa what he wants, only to get a shoe in the face. Ho ho ho!

7. Muppet Christmas Carol

Muppets? Songs? The story of A Christmas Carol? Yes, please! The Muppets can do no wrong in my book. And they certainly brought their unique sense of humor and their entertaining tunes to this version of the classic tale. Gonzo and Rizzo are great as the Narrators. And Statler and Waldrof as the Marley Brothers? It's packed with great stuff.

6. Bad Santa
This isn't your typical Christmas movie. It's rated R.
And for good reason. The main character is a drunken criminal named Willy who robs malls every year with his accomplice after he's been playing Santa and has had a chance to scope out the place. There is foul language and sex all over the place! But there are tons of laughs - and there's definitely heart here too. This is such a well written movie - you will root for Billy Bob Thorton's character despite his many, many faults. If you haven't seen this one, you're really missing a great movie.

5. Home Alone

If you were a kid in the early 90's, you've probably seen this movie many, many times. I know I have. What kid wasn't captivated by Kevin's fight against the evil burglar's? Plus he got to eat all that junk food and set up all those cool traps! This movie puts a smile on my face every time. And I even like the sequel. But those other movies were never made as far as I'm concerned.

4. Miracle on 34th Street

Colorized? No. That new one they made back in the 90's - hell no! How dare they! The original is an amazing film with a smart script and fantastic acting behind it. There was a reason Natalie Wood was a top child actress - she was brilliant. Just look at her face when Kris Kringle tells her he's really Santa Clause that first time. I absolutely love the scene where all the letters get dumped on the judge's desk. This is the kind of movies they made before they could rely on stupid special effects.

3. It's a Wonderful 
Life

Another old school classic. Watch poor George Bailey's life get messed up time and time again! But in the end, he realizes how much he's has. Jimmy Stewart is an amazing actor. You really feel for George at every twist and turn. And the part where he and Mary are sharing the phone - now that's real sexual tension for you! Also, if you don't at least have tears in your eyes by the end, you're a robot.

2. Elf

Elf is everything a great Christmas movie should be - original, clever, funny and it makes you believe in the magic of Christmas. Okay, call me corny, but I really love this movie. Will Ferrell is always awesome, but he's truly endearing as Budd the Elf who meets up with his real dad in a human world he just doesn't understand after being raised by elves. Sure, maybe the ending is a little corny, but I think the best Christmas movies have a little of that too. Plus, "You sit on a throne of lies" is one of the best lines ever.

1. Christmas Vacation


A small paragraph is not enough to truly convey my love for this film. I can quote large sections of it. Basically the whole thing is one awesome scene after another. It's hilarious and endearing - the best family related Christmas movie ever made. Well, in my opinion anyway. All Clark Griswold wants is to throw a fun old fashioned family Christmas - but his family and boss keep getting in his way. By the end, you'll be singing along with everybody else. And you gotta love Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis. And that squirrel.

My Top 10 Christmas Movie Quotes

Okay, this was a difficult list to make. I LOVE Christmas movies, and so narrowing it down to just ten movies was hard enough. But then I decided to choose only 1 quote per movie. Many of these movies have many quotable lines, but I stuck to only the best of the best and, in some cases, the most classic lines. And yeah, some of these are technically TV specials, but what're ya gonna do.

So here we go. These are in no particular order.

     Hey! If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?  

    Christmas Vacation (1989) This movie is full of classic lines - many of them ones I know by heart from watching it so often! If you've never seen this movie, you're seriously deprived - it is THE funniest Christmas movie ever, hands down. There are so many classic moments. "SQUIRRRRRRRREL!!!!" - Just one example. But the above quote comes at the climax of the movie, where the main character and family patriarch, Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase) snaps after finally getting his much anticipated "Christmas bonus". Ah, the holidays.

   The old man stood there, quivering with fury, stammering as he tried to come up with a real crusher. All he got out was...  
   Naddafinga!

   A Christmas Story (1983) Yet another classic movie chock full of quotable lines. It was hard to pick just one from this movie. "You'll shoot your eye out, kid." immediately comes to mind, of course. But I just had to go with the father's reaction to his "major award" being destroyed beyond repair. The whole lamp saga is my favorite part of this must see holiday staple. If you've somehow managed to avoid seeing this movie, um, TBS? 24 hours of it starting on Christmas Eve? Seriously. No excuse.

   Didn't I ever tell you about bumbles? Bumbles bounce!

   Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) I'm actually watching this classic TV special as I write this. Love, love, LOVE this one. I have tons of figures and ornaments based on the characters in this beloved Christmas staple. Yukon Cornelius is my favorite character - and he's the one who gives the line I chose to quote. The "bumble", of course, being the Abominable Snow Monster - post dental work.

   You sit on a throne of lies!

    Elf (2003) This movie may be only 6 years old, but it's an instant classic. Again, soooo many quotable lines. "I love smiling. Smiling's my favorite." Will Ferrel is hilarious and endearing as Buddy  - a human who managed to accidentally sneak into the North Pole as a baby and wound up raised by elves. It's a movie I have to watch every year. The ending always puts a big smile on my face. I wish they made more Christmas movies nowadays in the same spirit as this one. Anyway, the quoted line comes from Buddy when he confronts a department store Santa. It's a scene you really should see for yourself, if you haven't already.

   And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!

   How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) Yeah, I'm talking about the classic, original cartoon version that was made for TV - not that horrible Jim Carey movie that I couldn't stand watching for more than 10 minutes. Dear god, that was an abomination. Anyway, I absolutely love this version, as well as the original book. I know large portions of it by heart. I used to own Grinch hats and t-shirts and all that crap. I have a much loved stuffed Grinch that's comes out every holiday season. I'm sure everyone has seen this special. The quote I chose comes from the ending, and it pretty much speaks for itself.

   Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don't you see? It's not just Kris that's on trial, it's everything he stands for. It's kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.

   Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Again, I'm all about the originals. Remakes. Bah! Humbug! Anyway, this movie is another classic, of course. It's timeless. And, of course, I love it. It's just a movie with a great story before the days where special effects took over. The quoted line comes from Doris Walker, played by the beautiful Maureen O'Hara, who has spent her entire life teaching her daughter to view things realistically - that there's no point in make believe or believing in things you can't see. But after meeting Kris Kringle, the man she hired to play Santa at Macy's, she begins to see the world in a whole different way.

   Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.

   It's a Wonderful Life (1946) The movie the studio tried to kill by releasing it in summer, believe it or not. They thought it would bomb. Well, little did they know they had produced one of the best Christmas movies of all time. Like many of the other movies on this list, it's a classic, a classic that's been parodied many times. It's a wonderful story with a feel good message. The line I chose is, of course, a classic, from the very end of the movie. Atta boy, Clarence.

  This is my house. I have to defend it.

   Home Alone (1990) If you grew up in the 90's, you've probably viewed Home Alone many, many times. To kids, this movie definitely fulfilled some fantasies - being alone and having a house all to yourself. All of the tricks and traps Kevin sets up are awesome. Seriously - my favorite is still the part where Kevin makes it look like there's a party going on using his Michael Jordan cardboard cutout and some mannequins. Anyway, this is another movie chock full of great quotes - but I felt this one summed up the movie. Kevin says it right before the burglar's start their break in.

   Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! When I get home, I'm getting a CAT scan!

   The Santa Clause (1994) Okay, probably not a classic to most people, but I really enjoy this movie. It's clever and always enjoyable to watch. Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin, a man who accidentally becomes Santa Claus after the prior Santa dies on his roof Christmas Eve night. He then must cope with the fact that he's now Santa, and his young son won't stop telling all the unbelieving adults about it. My quote comes from Scott after he finishes delivering the gifts on his first reluctant Christmas.

   If they'd rather die, then they had better do it and decrease the surplus population!

   A Christmas Carol (Done soooo many times!) I love A Christmas Carol - I don't like Dicken's books, but this one is fantastic. I'm sure everyone knows the story here, so I'm not gonna bother rehashing it here. But Scrooge is a pretty quotable guy, and I never met a version of this story I didn't like, so it was impossible to pick a particular movie, and I had a tough time picking just one quote. I ended up settling on this Scrooge-ism, mostly because it's really the most evil thing he says. Enjoy your ghosts, jerk.

In case it wasn't obvious...I really love Christmas movies! And these aren't my only favorites. What are some of your favorite Christmas movies and quotes?

Tune In To ~ Million Dollar Listing

I ran across this show when I was sick a few months ago, and I was immediately hooked. It involves a bunch of things I like: real estate, rich people, and good looking guys - who could ask for anything more?

The show is on Bravo and the season finale for the third season is airing in like half an hour. (10 pm on Monday nights.) Basically the show follows three real estate agents in the Los Angeles/Hollywood/Malibu areas of California: Josh, Chad and Madison. They sell these fantastic multimillion dollar mansions (for the most part) and I enjoy just seeing these amazing homes and the gorgeous views of California. It's also entertaining to watch the agents interact with their clients (especially in this declining market) and occasionally with each other... Chad really doesn't get along with others, but his "business partner" aka a tiny dog named Starla, is cute.

The show is addictive. If you like reality shows, give it a shot. It's an entertaining look at a completely different lifestyle.

Christmas Crap

Right now my house is like Christmas exploded. Seriously. There are plastic tubs of Christmas related crap strewn in every direction. I'm spending my week working late...yay...so hopefully this weekend I'll be able to tackle my holiday hell and put up my tree, town etc. 

Since I don't have much time, here's a quick run down of what I've been up to:

• Thanksgiving was good, although I didn't pay as much attention to the parade as I would have liked. Every time we did look it was another music star we'd never heard of - they always parade (haha, intended) out these up and comers they want to get exposure for at the parade. The whole thing really has gone so commercial. My dad was laughing because one of the floats was sponsored by Jimmy Dean sausage, or something ridiculous. Well, it's kinda sad but kinda necessary. The parade don't pay for itself after all. Just look at the balloons - they're pretty much all corporate mascots. But I still think a corporate parade is better than no parade.
•  So...we got up at 5 a.m. for Black Friday. (We almost didn't get up on time at all because of an iPhone alarm snafu, but I digress.) Anyway, we get to the mall around 5:30 and the parking lot is PACKED. Seriously. It was re-fucking-diculous. I could not believe what a scene it was. It was NOTHING like that last year. So we go inside, and the line at Best Buy wraps around the entire store. Meanwhile, the same stuff is selling online for the same prices. Haha. But I leave my husband online with some stuff anyway, since we're already there and all, and my sister and I go to Old Navy. Line is to the back of the store. I'm not too impressed with the merchandise for sale, but I find a few things, she finds a few things, and she stands online while I check out Target. Another line that wraps around the store. "Fuck this", I say, because I am not about to stand in a line like that for a $10 pack of pajamas (which I was able to buy the next day, with no crowds, thank you very much.) Apparently there was 2 fist fights in Target, and while I thankfully did not see any such displays (seriously, people?! Seriously?! It's stuff! Not the last lifeboat off the Titanic!) I did see a cop. So I go to J.C. Penney. And omg, it was nirvana in there. So not crowded, found pretty much everything I wanted, and checked out quickly without waiting on a line that stretched on endlessly to a department I didn't even know existed. Thank you, J.C. Penney. They ended up getting more of my business because of the chaos at Target. I returned to Old Navy after this, where my sister was still waiting online (she was finally at the front) and had only been recently joined by Brian, the Best Buy line survivor. Once we were finally done there, it was on to Express (totally fine) and Bath and Body Works (crowded, but certainly manageable) before we headed to Modells. That store was also pretty quiet. Then we went home and shopped online. This was my fourth Black Friday, and I've always said the craziness was worth it...but this year I don't really think it was. A lot of the stuff was available online. I don't know if I'll get up early again next year.
• Have you seen Million Dollar Listing on Bravo? It deserves a post all to itself, but I certainly suggest watching it if you should stumble across an episode.
• Streaming Netflix? Amazing. How did we ever live without this stuff? It's so easy to get spoiled isn't it? Remember VCRs? I shudder just thinking about it. We had a separate device just to rewind the tapes! 

All right, well that about does it for now. I've seen no good movies lately, I'm behind on my TV shows and podcasts, and I've got a trip to California coming up in 24 days and a major holiday I still need to buy for coming up in 23. And before all of that I need to get some sleep. 

Tis the Season To Gobble

I love Thanksgiving. The food, the parade, and yes, how it marks the beginning of the Christmas Season. (And yes, how the next day is Black Friday. Amazon's already started their Black Friday deals.) But it annoys me how the stores go straight from Halloween to Christmas like Thanksgiving doesn't even exist. Of course they do that because people don't exchange gifts for Thanksgiving. They don't buy costumes. They buy food - a lot of food, yeah. But that only benefits the grocery stores. People don't really decorate too much. (Even me, I have minimal decorations, despite how I love the holiday - how many smiling turkeys do you want to look at while you're eating one?) Most people don't send cards. It's not much of a commercial holiday. It's a family holiday. And the stores don't like that so much. So they go right to the motherload - Christmas.


But Thanksgiving deserves it's due, dammit. It's really the only major holiday everyone in the United States celebrates. You get tons of yummy food. And the parade is awesome! I just love the Macy's parade. I watch the whole thing every year. I think the balloons are going downhill a little...the parade is getting a little too commercialized (especially with NBC plugging their shows the whole first part...) but I still won't miss it. I enjoy the performances from the various Broadway shows, as well as the marching bands and the familiar floats. (I particularly like the Sesame Street and Turkey floats) And you can't forget Santa, of course!


After the parade, it's time for the dog show, followed by the classic Miracle on 34th Street. Will I actually be able to eat any desert this year? Probably not.


But this year will be a little bittersweet, since we lost my grandfather in June, and his presence will certainly be greatly missed.

How to Save Money and Make Money Online

Okay, I'll say it. I'm a big time cheapskate. So I spend a lot of time online looking for ways to either make a little money in my spare time (or at least earn some free stuff...) OR save money. Here are a bunch of sites that I use. Before I begin, though, let to admit up front that some of these links are affiliate links - which gives me a little something if you do sign up for the site. But rest assured I seriously don't sign up for any old crap, and I definitely wouldn't take the time to recommend a site I didn't really like.

Disney Movie Rewards - Do you buy a lot of Disney movies? Then this is the club for you! It's totally free to sign up, and when you buy Disney movies or Blu-ray, they'll be a code inside that you can enter on the website for points. They run promotions sometimes where you can earn some bonus points, too. You can then turn in your points for prizes. I've gotten some limited edition pins using my points, and they really do have some really nice stuff.


Ebates - Like to shop online? Then you'll probably make good use to Ebates. It's free to sign up, and you basically get cash back for shopping online. The cash back ranges anywhere from 1% - 20% depending on the store, and there are lots of stores (hundreds probably) that participate. Ebates also posts coupons and offer codes so you can save even more money. You can get your cash back through a check, Paypal or you can even donate it to charity. You get paid every 3 months, as long as your balance is $5.01. (If it's not, don't worry - it'll just roll over until you have enough.) I've been a member since 2007 and have gotten over $60 in cash back - and I don't shop online too much. Most of that is just from Christmas shopping.


Slickdeals.net - Looking for a deal on something? Look no further than Slickdeals. You can find great prices on all sorts of stuff right on the front page. You can even sign up for deal alerts, and the forums there are great to get deal info from other deal seekers. There's a whole section just for coupon codes, too.


Swagbucks - Want to earn prizes just by searching? Then Swagbucks is for you! Use it just like you would use Google, and you'll randomly earn "Swagbucks". You can also earn Swagbucks via codes you can find on Facebook, Twitter etc. You can then turn your Swagbucks in for gift certificates, merchandise, or enter various Sweepstakes. What I like about Swagbucks is that the prizes don't cost a lot and it's easy to earn a few Swagbucks a day. I've been a member for not quite a month and already have well over 100. Also, if you have old video games or cell phones you don't want anymore, you can turn those in for Swagbucks.


Retail Me Not - Looking for a coupon or a coupon code? You'll probably find it here. It's easy to search for coupons for local stores, groceries, or coupon codes you can use online. I never buy anything without checking to see if there's a coupon available first. What's also great is the coupons are rated by site visitors, you can see how reliable a coupon is before you use it.



Sunshine Rewards - Want to earn money by taking surveys and shopping? Or just by clicking on a link? Sign up for Sunshine Rewards. There's several different ways to earn money here (which you can turn in for gift cards or cash - if you have at least $20). You can take surveys or shop and get cash back, like through Ebates. Sunshine Rewards has some stores that Ebates doesn't. Taking surveys is the best way to earn money, but it can sometimes be a little annoying to find a survey you qualify for. It's something to do once and awhile when you're bored, though. I've been a member less than a month, don't do surveys every day, and already have almost 15 bucks from just doing some surveys while watching TV.


Black Friday Ads -  Excited about Black Friday? I know I am! Well, if you want to see what deals are going to be out there, you can check the ad scans at this website. You can also check out their shopping guides and make a shopping list.



RewardTV - Want to earn points for watching TV or going to the movies? Then sign up for RewardTV. You can take quizzes about TV you watch (they're mostly interested in the commercials...), movies you've seen, and other random surveys. You'll then earn points you can turn in for gift cards, enter sweepstakes, or bid on auction items. This site doesn't have the best rewards - it takes a LOT of points to get anything, but it's something fun to do when you're bored.


Istobe.com - Like free shipping? Sure, we all do. Well, this site will show you whether or not a store offers free shipping - and if it does with a minimum purchase, it'll tell you what that number is too.


Amazon - Everybody knows about Amazon. But did you know they're going to be having Black Friday deals starting Monday, November 23rd? You can use the link right there to find the deals starting Monday. Amazon also has gold box and lightning deals every day. There's only one gold box item a day, and popular items can sell out fast. There are a few lightning deals a day - the exact number depends on the day of the week. Amazon also has various other sales and stuff all the time - you just have to do a bit of research to find the specials. And don't forget about the super saver shipping for orders over $25.


Well, I think that about does it. In my quest to save a few bucks here and there, I'll post more updates on how to be a cheapskate. :)

Review ~ Up

I always enjoy Pixar movies. Some more than others, but I've enjoyed them all. Still, when I first heard about Up and saw the trailer, I wasn't too excited about it. An old man floats his house using a bunch of balloons? Seriously? It seemed rather far out to me - and it is. But by the time you're done watching, you won't care.

Up is the story of Carl Fredrickson, a retired balloon salesman who lives in what was once a beautiful residential area, but is now a construction zone. Carl dreamed of being an explorer as a child, and rather than be dragged off to a nursing home, he attaches his house to a bunch of balloons and takes off to finally follow his lifelong dream. Only he discovers Wilderness Explorer (think Boy Scout) Russell has accidentally stowed away. And then there's this bird named Kevin. And a taking Dug named dog. And it's an hour and a half of laughs, tears and entertainment that will have to riveted from beginning to end. 

It's hard to talk about the movie without giving much away, but it really is a touching story and it kind of tells an important lesson. Carl may seem like a cranky old man a lot of the time, but you'll find yourself rooting for him all the way. Kevin the bird never says a word but will have you laughing anyway. And Dug is quite possibly the cutest and most darling Pixar character ever. You can't help but love him. Even if he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

The voice acting and animation in this film are both top notch, of course, but the important thing is this movie is not all pretty pictures and clever one liners. Pixar knows how to tell a gripping and emotional story, and they've proved it again here - big time. In fact, I'll be bold enough to say that this might be the best story they've told thus far. (And that is some high praise coming from me - especially on the heels of last year's WALL-E.)


So if you haven't seen this movie yet, you're doing yourself a disservice. You will enjoy this movie, I promise. If you don't, I'm sorry, but you  have no soul.

Review ~ Ratchet and Clank: A Crack In Time

This Ratchet and Clank game has been a long time coming – and with the rumors that it’s the last game (though I’ve heard that before…) this game has a lot of hype to live up to. Does it? Well…

First – graphics. Well, it’s a PS3 game, so of course it looks pretty. The in game movies are especially attractive. The environments in the Ratchet and Clank series have always been lush, and this game is no exception.

Story has also been a huge component in this series. This game picks up where Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty left off. Clank and Ratchet are still separated, and Ratchet (with the assistance of the bumbling and always amusing Captain Quark), is looking for him. Along the way, both learn more about their pasts and battle that devious droid Dr. Nefarious. While the story in the game is solid (and often very funny and heartfelt), I didn’t feel it was as strong as some past titles – mostly because it still leaves many questions unanswered. It also seems much shorter than past games, and there are far less planets to explore, but I’ll get into that more later.

As far as sound goes, voice acting has always been a prominent feature, and once again there’s wonderful voice acting here. The game is fully voice acted, but of course you have the option of turning on subtitles if you wish. The music is fine, but not particularly memorable. But you’re not playing this for the music.

Now for the main event – the gameplay. As there are many aspects to the gameplay in these titles, I’m going to break this down into categories:

WEAPONS: Weapons have always been a HUGE part of Ratchet and Clank games. Over the years we’ve seen all sorts of wacky weapons, and in more recent titles we’ve been able to upgrade them. After such a rich weapons history, I was somewhat disappointed with the weapons in this game. Of course, you have your basic weapons, but many of the funkier options – like the gun that turns enemies into monkeys – are just variations of weapons we’ve seen already. (Remember when you could turn enemies into chickens?) This isn’t such a big deal, really – how many different effective weapons can you dream up before you start repeating yourself? But what disappointed me the most was the amount of weapons I found to be kind of useless. Too many spots on my quick select were taken up with weapons that merely incapacitated enemies. A gun that temporarily freezes enemies comes to mind.

I’d say that about half of the weapons in the game I either used very rarely or not at all.

You get most of your weapons by purchasing them from vendors – a few others are won. The vendor this time is called GrummelNet, and whenever you purchase a new weapon from them you’re treated to a cute video about it featuring a cartoon Ratchet.

As in some past titles, your weapons level up. 5 is the max level, and it’s really not hard to level your weapons up to the maximum. In some of the past games you were able to upgrade your weapons further by giving them customized features. Well, in this game you can find upgrade packs on various planets and moons which add enhancements to certain weapons. These upgrades are free, and you can switch between them as often as you like. There are several upgrades that affect shots, range, power etc. These enhancements are pretty good, but not nearly as powerful as past games. Also, these upgrades are only available on 4 of the weapons, which I found disappointing. While all the weapons transform into a new weapon at level 5, this doesn’t really make up for the lack of customization.

Gadgets also used to be a big part of the game, but not any more. Aside from the grind boots, which come standard on Ratchet’s shoes nowadays, there are only four gadgets in this game. FOUR. And considering you start the game with swingshot again, and another gadget never requires Ratchet to use it, there’s really only two. While it’s easy to access these gadgets on the fly (just press up, right, down or left on the D-pad – each corresponds to one) only having a small amount of gadgets was a huge disappointment. I fondly remember the old days where you had to use several gadgets just to get through an area – not so much the case any more. And with the tiny gadget selection comes the absence of minigames where you unlock doors or solve other puzzles (Those aspects aren’t totally missing, but I’ll get there.)

Ratchet levels up in this game, too. And as his level rises his nanotech does too. You can also buy armor upgrades, but there are no wrench upgrades here.

There are crates a plenty – and once again bolts are not in short supply. I had no trouble affording anything ever.

There have always been sections in past games where you play as Clank, but it’s never been as much as it is in this game. Clank has long sections to himself, and while he does fight, a little, mostly he solves puzzles involving copying himself and using these copies to push buttons and open doors so he can progress further. Clank also has a minigame that I thought would play a bigger part (and is kind of a spoiler to explain) but you are only required to play it about 3 or 4 times. Neither of these aspects were tons of fun, but they weren’t horrible. Despite that, whenever the game switched to Clank, I couldn’t wait to get back to Ratchet.

Space battles have been a large part of the last few games, although this time there are far less missions and I found the battles easier in general. Your ship is upgraded as you find various Zoni scattered across the galaxy. This gives you better armor and weapons. I liked that system, but I didn’t really care for the new navigation system. Instead of going directly to the planet, on your first visit you must first go to the solar system and fly to the planet yourself. (On subsequent visits you can go directly to the planet.) Each solar system has 1, 2 or 3 major planets/ships to visit – these locations are where the story happens. Each solar system also has various moons where you can find Zoni/gold bolts/upgrade packs. These moons take the place of the multiple paths you used to find on the planets. Each planet pretty much has only one direction to go in now, and in all honesty I missed having multiple objectives on each planet. Most of the moons involve either killing a certain amount of enemies, or platforming elements that lead to your prize. There is no environment to these moons, and they’re pretty uninspired graphics wise. You also cannot warp directly to the moons – you must fly to each one yourself every time.

There are additional missions you can do in space to gain extra bolts. Most of them are very easy and take only minutes to complete. For many of them I felt like I was being paid more bolts than I deserved for the work I was doing. …Not that I’m complaining.

Gold bolts are a staple in Ratchet and Clank games, so of course they’re back. But, in continuation with the trend you’re probably noticing, most of them were very easy to find. Lots of them were in plain sight. In past games the gold bolts were often tucked away in hard to reach areas. Not so much here – I found many without much effort.

Skill points are also an expected feature that has returned. Skill points unlock cheats and other additional content. They range from easy to difficult and they involve completing skills you wouldn’t normally perform during the course of the game. The difficulty range in this game is on par with past titles, but I felt there was less of them this time around. There is also trophy support. You get most of them just by progressing normally through the game. If you’re looking to get rewarded for doing tough stuff, stick to the skill points.

This review was based on playing on medium, and I found the game to be pretty easy compared to past game. I had no problem affording anything I wanted to buy, ammo is plentiful and I didn’t find myself being slaughtered by enemies (even bosses) very often. Makes me wonder how easy the easy version is. (And yeah, I really think the game is easy – I haven’t become a better player.)

Overall I’ve been pretty down on this game during this review. The story and graphics certainly held up to Ratchet and Clank standards. But the game as a whole was too short. I didn’t feel like it had the depth of previous installments. There were fewer gadgets and too many useless weapons. There wasn’t as much to do. Not as much customization. Gold bolts are not hidden as well. The degree of difficulty is also kind of low. But even after all that, it was still a very good game. The thing is, despite all that negative stuff, Ratchet and Clank games are always so excellent that even one that isn’t quite up to par is still a fun, engaging experience. I’d definitely encourage everyone to play – but fans of the series, don’t expect the best one ever. This game is flawed, yes, but it’s still way better than a lot of other games out there. Not every game can be a masterpiece, after all. 

8 out of 10

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Oh, World Series win. I missed you so much. I will never take you for granted again.

We did it! Game over, Season over, World Series over - the YANKEES WIN!!!!


I was seriously so excited last night. I had a feeling they would win last night, and I'm happy to say I was right. It was basically the Matsui show (with a teeny bit of help from my man Tex) and he rightfully won the MVP award.


When it came down to those final outs... Man, I was nervous. Not because I really thought they would blow a 4 run lead and lose (THOUGH NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE IN BASEBALL AND YOU MUST NEVER FORGET THAT) but because I wanted it to be over! I wanted to watch the celebration! I wanted it to be real! And that one guy just kept fouling off pitch after pitch after pitch. God! I kind of wanted Rollins to be the last out - just 'cause he ran his mouth so much - but it was not to be. And as there were 2 strikes on that last Phillies player to come to bat... I wasn't sure if I wanted a strike out, or the ball to be put in play. I usually like the ball to be put in play - then you get to see everybody running in all excited - but at that point I just wanted an out to happen! Well, I got my wish and a grounder was hit to Cano. Tex caught it, and IT WAS OVER! 


I have a lot of baseball memories. The Yankees have been a big part of my life. I'll have to get into some of those memories another time. But a new memory was made last night. After years of shrugging my shoulders and knowing there would be no World Series championship this year - even dissing this years team early on - oh, the things that come out of my mouth when they're not playing well...even in postseason games... Anyway, to be in that moment...watching them win again. You know, you try and remind yourself it's just a sport. You're not playing. What does that win really mean to you? But I guess when you support a team for so long, when you're bound together with your family and it's ingrained into you from when you were born...it becomes an emotional thing. It's more than just entertainment. It's part of you. I don't know if I explained that right. If you get sports I think you just get it. And if you don't...well...you just don't.


But last night was another memory. I screamed as that easy grounder headed towards Cano. And when Tex caught it, the jumping up and down started. As I watched them celebrate on the field, I have to admit I cried. A little. For two reasons. First, they won the first year in the old stadium - way back in 1923. To have them win the first year in this new stadium...that cemented it. It's been broken in. The ghosts are there. They may have moved across the street, but it's still business as usual in the Bronx. Secondly...my grandpa passed away in June. He was a huge Yankees fan. We actually buried him with his hat. And to have them win last night... Well, I know he was up there watching, but I wish he was still around to talk about it. Still, I kind of felt in my heart like that win was for him.

And I totally regret never seeing this team play. Blah.


Oh well.


Anyway.



Well, championship #27 is ours! Also, I'm 27. Pretty neat! Maybe they'll win 28 next year when I'm 28! I can dream, right?

Tune In To...Great SNL Clips

This clip is kind of old...but I love it.

And then there's this one... I still quote this one all the time - "What you swattin' at?"

Halloween Tunes

I totally forgot about 2 movies last time: Ghostbusters, and Casper. (When you're 13, the scene where Casper transforms into Deven Sawa and dances with Christina Ricci is like the most romantic thing ever.)

So, in preparing for a party I'm having, I'm working on a Halloween tunes list. Here's what I have so far: 

• Addam's Family: Addam's Groove (The song from the end of the first movie - awesome!)
  
• Devil Went Down to Georgia (Charlie Daniel's Band)
• Don't Fear the Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult)
• Ghostbusters (The movie theme, of course.)
• Grim Grinning Ghosts (From the Haunted Mansion ride...I have 2 versions of this actually.)
• Monster Mash (Bobby Pickett)
• Munsters Theme (From the TV show)
• Oogie Boogie's Song (From Nightmare Before Christmas)
• Over at the Frankenstein's Place (From Rocky Horror Picture Show)
• Phantom of the Opera (Techno Version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic.)
• Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
• The Purple People Eater (Sheb Wooley)
• Re: Your Brains (Jonathan Coulton)
• Science Fiction Double Feature (Rocky Horror again)
• Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones)
• Theme from Halloween
• Theme from Puppet Master
• This is Halloween (Nightmare Before Christmas again)
• Thriller (Michael Jackson)
• The Time Warp (Rocky Horror. AGAIN.)
• Zombie Zoo (Tom Petty)

Not a bad list, but I'm hoping to add a couple more before next Saturday... Any suggestions?

Tis the Season For Scary

So, I hate scary movies. I'm a big wuss. Always have been, always will be. I hate horror movies. I just don't see the fun in gore or getting scared.

That makes Halloween a hard season for me TV/Movie wise.

I don't have too many favorite Halloween movies. Most Halloween related movies are scary/gross, which makes sense I guess, but I wish they would make some more kid friendly ones. I can handle kid friendly! Anyway, here are some Halloween movies I can handle:

• The Nightmare Before Christmas (My all time favorite.)
  
• Hocus Pocus (A classic.)
  
• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Another classic.)
• Garfield Halloween Special (Although it scared the crap out of me as a kid.)
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (The Disney one.) 
• Claymation Halloween (You probably haven't seen this.) 

That's all I can think of for now... Anyone else have any suggestions? I'm more into Christmas movies.

Movies On Base

So, with baseball season coming to a close, I've had a yearning to watch some baseball movies. Enter Netflix. After a simple internet search, I created a list of movies I wanna watch having to do with America's favorite pastime. Some of these are movies I've seen before. But most of them I haven't seen.

Here's the list:

bold - watched it since starting since project.
italics - seen it before


Mr. Baseball
Field of Dreams
61*
The Natural
Cobb
Major League
Major League 2
Angels in the Outfield
The Sandlot 
The Rookie of the Year
The Babe
Pastime
Bang the Drum Slowly
The Bad News Bears
Bleacher Bums
Bull Durham
Eight Men Out
For Love of the Game
Damn Yankees
Everyone's Hero
Fear Strikes Out
Mickey
The Winning Season
The Life and Times of Hank Greenburg
Finding Buck McHenry
A League of Their Own
Hustle 
The Pride of the Yankees
The Rookie
The Scout

So yeah, I've only watched one movie so far, Mr. Baseball, which is from the early 90's and stars Tom Selleck as a fading major leaguer who goes to play in Japan. It's a comedy, and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's pretty funny. Plus, Tom Selleck is just plain awesome. Also, it has the guy from those State Farm commercials. A good start to my project.


Next on my list? I'm not sure. I have a bunch of the movies waiting for me from Netflix, plus I actually own a few. I'll probably watch either Cobb or The Natural next.

The Wovie Channel

OMG.

The Weather Channel's gonna have movies.

Yeah. For real.

This is just so sad to me. I understand people can't watch weather all day...well, most people anyway, but seriously - movies?! That just seems wrong to me. And some of their choices - Deep Blue Sea?! That movie is hilarious - mostly unintentionally - is that really the kind of movie a respectable channel such as the Weather Channel wants to associate with? I mean, for the love of god, the ending theme is LL Cool J singing about how his hat is like a shark's fin. (I am NOT kidding!)

Though, when you resort to movies...is there any respect left to give? 


You'll have to look for your local forecast while Samuel L. Jackson yells about shit.

An ad worth rewatching again and again and again...

Can I tell you how obsessed I am with this commerical advertising this new NY lottery game? It's the cutest thing I've ever seen and it always brings a smile to my face. I've enjoyed ads in the past, mostly because they made me chuckle, but I have watched this ad a sick number of times. It's just soooo cute - especially since I own a rabbit. I know there are advertising awards, and I don't know what agency made this ad, but they deserve to win something. Brilliance. I don't play the lottery and it almost makes me wanna buy a ticket.

Are You Ready For Some Baseball?

I love baseball. It's the only major sport I get into.

I love the Yankees - I'm from New York, my father is a Yankees fan, my grandfather is a Yankees fan - my whole family bleeds pinstripes. My husband borders on fanatical. But I have to admit I've distanced myself a bit in recent years...so many bad memories...bad moments. I think I hit rock bottom when I literally could not get out of bed for 2 days after the 2004 ALCS collapse. It was pretty pathetic.

After all, it's just a sport, right? So I told myself to take a step back and go on with my life. I couldn't let my life get controlled by a game anymore. If the Yankees lost, I couldn't let it ruin my day. Life went on. It wasn't controlled by a ball and a bat. 

But I've never stopped being a fan. And now that we're back in the ALCS again I'm very excited. Nervous, but excited. I have a good feeling about this year. And while that may mean nothing to you, I normally have a very good feeling when it comes to baseball. No joke - I predicted the entire 2004 ALCS before any of the games even started. Well, kind of. But that's a story for some other time.


So. Baseball. It's going to be a great series. The teams are pretty evenly matched. I hate the Angels, mostly because they always tend to beat us, but this year we ended up even in the season series. It's gonna be a toughie. 


But let's christen our new stadium the Yankee way, okay?


That means we take home the championship.


Don't be the team from the last couple years. The team that lacked heart. That lacked drive. I think this year they want it - they've already proven they don't give up. So I won't. Not until the end. 'Cause it ain't over till the last out's recorded.


Let's play ball.

Toy Story 3!

The first full trailer of Toy Story 3 is out - Andy is going off to college and the toys find themselves stuck at a daycare. I'm sure hijinks will ensue.

Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are still my favorite Pixar movies - (even if I didn't go see them in 3D... I know, I know, but I just don't have the time to sit in the movies for that long) so I'm super excited about the 3rd installment. It's been a long time coming, but better late than never!

Review ~ Final Fantasy IV DS

Okay, this game is a little old. Well, technically the game itself is a LOT old, but this incarnation isn't so bad.

So on Saturday I finally beat the game, which I had previously complained about here and here. 


(Oh, and this review contains no crappy iPhone photos taken in a car.)


Let's get down to it.


Final Fantasy IV originally came out for the Super Nintendo a number of years ago. It has been reincarnated several times since, and I'm pretty sure I own all of those efforts. However, this version of the game was improved with new graphics, cut scenes and junk, which refreshed it a bit. After starting and stopping this game so many times, I was determined to finally beat it. (Success! Yay!)


Story: In the early days, Squaresoft (remember those days?) was obsessed with crystals, apparently, because it seems like the story of all their early titles revolves around them in some way. This game is no exception. An evil guy is stealing all the crystals in the world for an evil purpose and it's your job to stop him! OMG! To the 16bit airship! Okay, so the story isn't going to win any prizes, but it's really not bad as far as early RPG's go. There's a clear purpose and actually plenty of twists and turns along the way. What more do you need, really?


Characters: At most points in the game you have a 5 character party. A what? Yeah, it's worth repeating. 5 CHARACTERS. IN YOUR PARTY. AT THE SAME TIME. We can only dream of that in this gaming era, but the fact is you kinda need every last character you can wrangle into your band of misfits. But more on that later. As far as the characters themselves go, aside from Cecil, your main dude, and to a lesser extent Kain, his pal, there's not too much character development. They all have their own personalities though: Rosa, the annoying homemaker wanna be; Rydia, the mysterious one; Edge, the brash one; Yang, so full of pride and honor; Palom and Porom, the vivacious kids; Tellah, the old guy; Edward, the sissy; Cid, hardworking and determined - you get the idea. You don't get to pick and choose what characters you want to use at any point in the game. You use who you have and you deal with it. Characters rotate in and out of your party, but unlike most other games, they don't usually come back. It kind of makes it hard to power level, because there's a good chance you'll be losing a character or two in the not too distant future. One of the characters you finish the game off with doesn't show up until the final few hours of gameplay.


Battle System: There's really nothing special here. It's pretty basic for an old school RPG. Each character has a set job they're forced into. It comes with various abilities. You learn new spells and the like by leveling up. You can't see what spells or abilities you're going to learn, nor can you choose or control it in any way. There's no skill to learning stuff except grinding. However, there was a new augment system added into this version that reaps pretty good abilities - but if you don't understand how this system works, as I didn't, you'll miss out on a lot of good stuff. The game never really explains how this works. Once your character learns an augment they can use that ability. Some are battle abilities that you can add to your menu to use on the field, but others are default abilities you just have all the time. I strongly suggest using one of the good guides you can find at Gamefaqs if you want to get all the augments. It's worth it. Because a lot of them are pretty awesome.

Gameplay: Battles move fast in this game, even when you don't have the ATB set to active. (If you're not a gamer, that last sentence will mean nothing.) I found several bosses to be very difficult to defeat, despite being over leveled. (And there were even a few random encounter enemies - dragons, mostly. WTF is with the crystals and the dragons?! - that slaughtered my ass.) I was over level 70 and still had a hard time with the last boss - something I never have a problem with in Final Fantasy's newer installments. Cecil was the only one with decent HP when it finally fell. Another character had 2 HP and everyone else was KO'd. So you remember when I said you'd need every last character? Yeah. But there's more to this game than level grinding. Many of these bosses and enemies require good strategy to go down. Not just brute force.



Graphics: The updated graphics are pretty, if kind of cutesy. You even kinda wanna cuddle armored Kain. For a DS game, though, it's fine. The game has voice acting in most of the cut scenes, which really isn't a lot, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. The new graphics and updating really does a lot to make this game fresh, but at the same time proves that older games can stand the test of time.


Sidequests: The older Final Fantasy games aren't really known for their side quests - but there a few. Most of them involve getting better summon or equipment and can be completed later in the game. There's also the obnoxious Namingway side quest, which I never finished and don't feel about. If he wants to wait forever for that stupid pudding, so be it. You also get items for map completion, which I thought was a nice touch and really had me going into every nock and cranny of the dungeons in order to reap the rewards - which were pretty decent, especially towards the end of the game.


Overall: Great classic RPG with good story and characters, solid gameplay and appropriate, enjoyable updates. Fans of both new and old school RPG's will have fun with this one - I know I did. It really does stand the test of time.


93 out of 100

South Park!

I don't really watch South Park anymore, but EW put together a list of the 20 most controversial episodes, and I've actually seen a large chunk of them. How many have you seen?

'Arrested' in Development?

Looks like the Arrested Development movie might finally be happening sometime in the near future!

I really hope they get a script done and start filming already. I wasn't too satisfied with how the series ended, and I'd love to see more of the crazy Bluth family.

Arrested Development has to be my favorite TV series EVER - and that is pretty high praise coming from me because I like a lot of shows. (I'm a bit of a TV snob, I guess you could say.) Gob is my favorite character - I just love Will Arnett. He's actually working on a show for FOX, which doesn't sound like the type of show that I'll enjoy, but since he's staring and writing (and so is the creator of Arrested Development) I'll give it a watch should it ever appear in my local listings.

Killing Your Childhood, One Doll At A Time

So, last year I was horrorfied to find out my favorite American Girl doll, Samantha was being "put in the American Girl archives".

AKA she was being discontinued.

I was very saddened by this - I've had my Samantha doll since I was like 8 and I've always kept great care of her, even though I played with her frequently as a child. When I found out all her stuff was being discontinued I ordered all the outfits and accessories that I didn't own before they went away for good. 


So when I got a letter from American Girl today, saying there was big news about Kirsten, the only other doll I own, I knew it wasn't gonna be anything good.


Sure enough, she's being shipped off to the archives "soon" as well. And if I bought all the clothes and only SOME of the accessories I don't own for her, with the outrageous shipping charges ($16?! Are you kidding me?!) it comes to over $150 bucks.


WTF, Mattel? (Mattel owns the company now.) Is this how it's gonna be? You gonna kill off Molly next? Or Felicity? I guess you want to put out all new dolls. I guess I can see why - it's expensive to how so many different ones, but it's still a disappointment. Now I can't buy for my daughter in the future (assuming I have one, but let's not get into that) a doll like the one I had as a kid. 


In my opinion, the dolls have gone downhill. You used to be able to buy all kinds of cute accessories with the historical dolls - right down to their school lunch. (I have Samantha's.) Not anymore. Most of the focus seems to be on the girl of today. I remember when that doll was introduced, and that's all well and good - I know I sure as hell wanted one as a kid - but I think you're concentrating too much on $$$$ and not enough on what the original purpose of the dolls were. I loved history as a kid. It interested me. So having dolls that taught me about history was very appealing. And I think you're doing the real girls of today a disservice by churning one more ice skating outfit for the girl of today, while shoving another classic historical doll out the door. 

Learning through the dolls is fun. It's different. I can get a modern doll with modern clothes anywhere. The historical dolls are what made the American Girls different. It's why I was so excited to get the catalog in the mail. Please, I beg you, don't forget that. 


Kirsten, we'll miss you and your frontier spirit.