Top 5 Countdown - 2011 Black Friday MovieStop Specials

As we all know, the day after Thanksgiving is that infamous corporate holiday coined Black Friday. Two years ago I waited early in line for a 50 inch TV, but since then, I had no need to wake up before 3AM and fight others for some specials. Instead, I woke up around noon and went to my favorite store:

In case you never been to MovieStop (because I don't think they're as prevalent as GameStop), they're a store where you can buy and trade in for used or new movies. I know most of the time you can get better deals on Amazon, but sometimes it's just nice to browse real life shelves because you never know what hidden gems you can find. Also, Amazon doesn't have a hot female worker who has great taste in film and likes comic books...

Anyways, this Top 5 Countdown is featuring the best Blu-ray deals I scored at MovieStop for this year's Black Friday:

5. Muppets in Space - Not the best of the muppet films, but I couldn't beat the deal and had to support Kermit in some way since I didn't see his new film over the weekend.

4. Predators - This is the recent remake that came out about a year ago. I haven't watched it myself, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it with the Robert Rodriguez commentary.

3. Wonder Woman - In case you haven't seen any of the recent DCU Animated Films, you ought to check them out. Princess Diana doesn't get the credit she deserves, but this flick shows her some love.

2. The Exorcist - This really isn't in theme with the holiday season, but this is my scariest movie of all time. It comes with lots of features, unseen footage, and a couple versions of the film. I'm kind of excited to watch it with the commentaries and see if I can still get through it without covering my eyes.

1. North by Northwest - I've been meaning to get this one for a while, but I'm glad I waited because I got a great deal. It's been a while, but I'm super excited to watch this Carey Grant thriller and see what bonus features are included. As they come out, my goal is to get all of Hitchcock's films on Blu-ray, so this was the perfect one to start with!


So, if you have a MovieStop nearby, stop by and support them. Believe me, I enjoy internet shopping, but you don't always get the same experience and conversations like you would at a brick and mortar store.

Overall, I had a pretty good Thanksgiving eating too much food and goofing off. Sadly, I had to go back to work and school - meaning this will be my last post for at least a week until I finish finals and can enjoy the UCF Winter Break. I'll be back soon and can't wait to share a few more Tarantino Comics and review things in the entertainment world!

Halloween 2011

It appears my blog has turned from daily entries to the occasional monthly. But since it's Halloween, I thought I better write something in the spirit of October 31st. Besides watching horror flicks, my favorite activity during this spooky holiday is carving pumpkins. Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at making patterns from those paper cutouts, but wanted to expand my talent from those wimpy kid-friendly templates you buy at Walmart. Luckily zombiepumpkins.com has patterns to fulfill my pop-culture hunger.

In case you don't know the general process to making kick-ass pumpkins, you start by:

1. Ripping the guts from the pumpkin
2. Poking the pattern into the pumpkin
3. Carving the shapes from the pumpkin
4. Illuminating the pumpkin

So this year, I decided to carve the leader of the Cinobites, Pinhead. The Hellraiser flicks have always been hard for me to watch due to the masochist nature of the films, but this pumpkin turned out pretty mesmerizing.

As for my little 13 year old brother, he carved that scary demon face that occasionally pops up throughout The Exorcist (in which I consider the scariest movie of all time). I was pretty proud of him for his effort and choice.

Anyways, I hope everyone is enjoying the movies (Paranormal Activity 3) and TV shows (The Walking Dead and American Horror Story) that fit this season. Happy Halloween!

Top Five Countdown - Best Catholic Movies

Let's face it - As pop culture nerds, we like to categorize things into lists. We want others to know what we consider is the best of the best or the worst of the worst. Great conversations and debates come to fruition by comparing lists. However, the greatest payoff is when we discover something new we never heard of. Being the nerd that I am, I want to share my lists with you, so I'm starting a new blog segment called Top Five Countdown.

Since today is Ash Wednesday, this Top Five Countdown is a little quirky. Being Catholic, I've always felt I was a part of something grand and Holy by celebrating the ancient traditions of Catholicism. Yes, Catholics sometimes get a bad rap for those corrupt priests who molest young altar boys. However, to counteract this misfortune, I'm going to prove why Catholics are so kick-ass in my Top Five Countdown of the Best Catholic Movies:

5. The Godfather Part III: This is probably the worst movie in the trilogy, but it is still fun to watch. Al Pacino is trying to legitimize his empire by working with the Vatican, but "When he thought he was out, they pulled him back in!"

4. The Blues Brothers: You may think this Rhythm and Blues band was raised by Baptists, but remember, their mission was to save the Catholic Orphanage they grew up in.

3. Dogma: Two evil angels may potentially destroy all of existence through some Holy Dogma. However, if the Church didn't make this proclamation, you wouldn't see Salma Hayek as the beautiful Serendipity...

2. The Exorcist: This is by far the scariest movie. And I don't care what you say, only Catholic priests know how to exorcise demons.

1. Machete: Cheech Marin is the ultimate priest! Armed with crucifixes, holy water, and shot guns, why wouldn't you want to be part of his congregation?

This is my disclaimer: This post was purely for fun. Religion can be hard to write about without hurting people's feelings. So I am truly sorry if I've offended anyone! Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this new segment and look forward to my next Top Five Countdown!