SGU Season 2 - Oh. My. God.

I know I said I wasn't going to talk about SGU here any more in favor of ColonelEZ.net... but OMGWTFROFLBBQ AAAAAHHHHHHH. This trailer is SO INTENSE and SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD that I simply had to share it. If you are not on board yet with SGU, WTF is wrong with you?!?!?!

Season 2 starts next Tuesday, so catch up quick! It's going to be EPIC!

Chevelle in Concert Again (Finally)

Two nights ago, I went to Channel 93.3's "Big Gig", which was a music festival consisting of somewhere in teh neighborhood of 10 bands performing on a single stage. The event was held at what I will always know as Fiddler's Green, an outdoor amphitheater which was bought out and renamed after the Wal-Mart of dentistry, Comfort Dental.

I went with a group of friends who, aside from some questionable music for the drive up to Denver, turned out to be good concert-going brethren.

Did I mention that this is the first concert I've been to in over 3 years?? Well, it has, and shame on me. There isn't an experience quite like a concert - if you've never been to one before, I'd advise you to look at the tour schedules for your favorite musicians and correct that as soon as possible. There's and energy and an atmosphere at concerts that I haven't found replicated anywhere else.

Review - Inception

Two years ago, I sat down to write the review for a movie that I thought would be the best movie I'd ever see. The surroundings were a little different - I lived in a different place then, had a room mate and a cat. I had central air conditioning then too (something I miss desperately right now). Times have changed a bit, I drive  a different car, hold a different position at work, and none of this has to do with the movie I'm trying to review right now.

In the two years between The Dark Knight and Inception, Christopher Nolan's genius has grown in leaps and bounds. It took me a week from the first time I saw Inception until now, when , after the third time I've seen it, I'm sitting down to write the review. My intention in delaying this long was to prevent myself from rambling about the brilliance of the movie like a fool for a few pages. Well, a week has come and gone. I'm fresh off my third viewing of the movie, and I'm still not past mindless rambling yet.

Inception Looks to be Awesome

All right. First big summer movie is right around the corner. Christopher Nolan's newest film is almost upon us. I've been a fan of Nolan's movies since Memento, and he further solidified his position as one of the best movie minds around with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It should be sufficient to say that I'm almost drooling with anticipation. Plus, as an added benefit, the movie is currently pulling in a 97% on the Tomatometer.

Can't. Freaking. Wait.

In the mean time, enjoy the trailer!

It's Coming...

EA and BioWare have officially announced the sequel to one of my favorite RPGs of all time. It's supposed to come out around March of next year, and color me giddy. Can't wait for this. I am STILL playing the first one, about to complete my third complete play through (including Awakenings).

Apple's Got Me Wondering

So, as many Apple supporters and haters alike know, Apple flat out refuses to support Adobe's Flash product in their mobile devies. iPones, iPod Touches, iPads... none of them will work with flash content.

Soooooo, I stumbled across this article - on Apples's very own website, no less. It introduces their most recent, ah, allies in the fight against all things Flash.

The, ahem, drumroll please....... pornography industry.

No, seriously. Read the article. It's a hoot.

All this is kinda funny when you consider that Apple doesn't allow such content to be distributed through their App Store. Just sayin'.

Of course, I have no bleeding idea why Apple won't support Flash on its portable devices - lord knows they sure do on their laptop and personal computers. I imagine that it falls somewhere in the lines of Adobe refusing to make a Flash product that falls in line with Apples "high" standards. I say "high" in the most respectful of senses considering the quality control nightmare that has been the iPhone 4.

Speaking of the iPhone 4, it sure does have its fair share of issues... up to and including, "You're holding it wrong" (see here and here). Issues, I can understand those, but Apple's absurd responses to said issues (see here and here and here) really make me lose interest in purchasing an iPhone. Anroid, anybody?

Review - Mass Effect 2

Platform: Xbox 360
Spoiler Danger: Low

The Good:
+ Great characters
+ Much improved combat
+ No more texture pop in


The Bad:
- Some RPG elements were cut
- Not as much focus on the overarching story

Plans for the Future

I figured, as long as I'm in the writing mood and I'm already logged into blogger, I might as well jump on in and fill you guys in on the plans I have coming up for the blog.

First and foremost, I've been investigating other platforms, for use while blogging. While blogger has been my home for many a year, my experiences with WordPress (which is used as the back end for our reviews on ColonelEZ.net) have encouraged me to get out and see what else is available. While I have not reached a final decision about moving to a new platform, it is definitely being considered.

The much anticipated (if my inbox has anything to say about it) review for Mass Effect 2 is nearly complete. I've been working on it for a week, here and there. It's a long one, so expect a good read.

Twilight is coming. No, I'm not joking. And it'll be sooner rather than later. You've been warned.

More lists! In my free time, I often think about what things I like best. I'll be sharing real soon.

No more SGU. I've had some people write me about where all the SGU love has gone. Believe you me, I still LOVE the show, but I have a new outlet for my ranting and raving. Check it out at ColonelEZ.net. Our podcast is quite wonderful too. Like chocolate easter eggs filled with creamy goodness. Don't take that all dirty-like.

There's some other random goodness I've got floating around in the back of my mind (in my head, I'm listening to the Pixies), so stay tuned.

Ok, NOW I'm gonna go try to find the sequel to Boondock Saints. Peace.

New Mortal Kombat Trailer... or Not

So, I'm sitting at work, and a friend of mine, whose opinions I respect highly (well, most of the time anyway...) IMs me and says, "Have you seen the trailer for the new Mortal Kombat movie?"

"No."

"You should. It's badass."

He sends me the link. In the back of my head, I'm thinking, yeah right. Mortal Kombat movie and badass should not be used together in the same thought. Ever.

Review - Iron Man 2

I walked into the theater to see Iron Man 2 with mixed feelings – everybody I knew who saw the movie at the Thursday midnight release thought it was OK at best. Some of the comments were substantially more demeaning. On the other hand, I had my own confidence that as long as they stuck to what made the original a great movie, I’d leave the theater happy.

My Extended Hiatus

Soooo... many of my more regular readers have been wondering where I've been as of late. Prior to my Awakenings review, it had been over a month since I last posted anything on the site. Well... It's complicated. I've been slammed at work, working all kinds of silly hours. Plus...

Wait for it.

I'm contributing regularly to Terry's site ColonelEZ.net. Go ahead and check it out if you get the chance. Its a kick ass site, and we pretty much bide our time writing TV reviews. I contribute two weekly columns, reviews of both SGU and V. Additionally, Terry and I record a weekly SGU-themed podcast, which you can also find on the site. I'm told we're quite amusing.

And if that wasn't enough, the site also hosts some fantastic interviews with the cast of the show. Trust me, they rock.

There you have it. The excuse for my extended absence. Not much, I know, but it's something, right? My plans for the future involve more heavily investing time into writing on this here blog, so stay tuned for some updates coming your way very soon.

Review - Dragon Age Origins: Awakening

Platform: Xbox 360
Spoiler Danger: Low

The Good
+ Great story
+ Some memorable characters
+ Kicking more ass as a Grey Warden
+ The new mage skill trees are sick

The Bad
- Poor integration with previous DLC
- None of the new features available in Origins

Check out Gavin Mikhail's New Song!

Good evening! I should be in bed right now, but I must first provide some advertising for a friend. My pal, awesome musician, and all around good guy Gavin Mikhail has posted a pretty nifty YouTube video. It's his fantastic cover of Likin Park's "New Divide." Now, Gavin took a song that was already pretty good and made it into something far more beautiful... far more powerful. You really should be watching this video right now!!

Anyway, enough talking from me. Here's the video in all its high def embedded glory.

SouthLAnd Season 2, Ep 2: Butch and Sundance

Unfortunately, life's been rather busy lately, hence my lateness on reviewing the newest episode of SouthLAnd. It's been nearly a week, and I finally have a chance to sit down and put my thoughts to paper. Boy oh boy do I have a bunch of them. I'm looking at the notecard I was scribbling all my notes on, and it's covered front and back with my almost legible chicken scratch.

Stargate Universe Season 1.5 Trailer

This might be the best trailer for anything ever! No, seriously, absolutely amazing, omgwtfbbq!!!

I. Cannot. Wait.
EDIT: Is this... Michael Shanks?



WOW! April 2nd cannot get here fast enough!

The Return of SouthLAnd!! Season 2, Ep 1: Phase Three

It is with a great deal of excitement that I sit down to write this blog post. It's my first write-up of SouthLAnd in almost a year, and I couldn't be happier sitting here after watching the first new episode of the show in almost as long. I've spent the last several weeks positively giddy with anticipation, and all that waiting has finally paid off.

After an intermission that felt like it would never end, it is my pleasure to say that the best "cop show" in history is back on the air. After its short first season (all 7 episodes of it), NBC canceled the show, citing that it was too expensive to continue producing. I ranted at length about NBC's lack of intelligence in previous blog posts, but really, their idiocy turns out to be TNT's gain. And it works to the benefit of fans of great TV everywhere.

SouthLAnd is back, and it is better than ever!

Even More Old Spice Commercials

In keeping with my recent blogging trend of posting Old Spice commercials, I am about to post some more!

By popular demand, here is the Old Spice - Karate commercial.



I also happen to enjoy this one.



What humorous commercial campaign would be complete without some Bruce Campbell love? Check this one out.




Finally, just because I have a friend whose nickname is NPH, here is the NPH commercial!

More Old Spice Commercial Joy

Here's another Old Spice commercial that is hilarious! Horses for the win!

One of the Funniest Commercials Ever...

I was about to go to bed, but I happened to see this commercial. Why wasn't this on during the Superbowl? It is certainly better than any commercial they aired during the game...

Anyway - I'm on a horse!

The Value of the Customer Experience

It's been a while since I've written about anything that wasn't TV/movie/game related, so I'm going to step out of that world for a while here and put on my philosophy hat. And today's topic - the power of customer experience.

I have worked in the customer service industry for my entire working life - restaurants, fast food, call center. It's been an interesting experience, as I have been privileged enough to see both the best and the worst of people. Working in the customer service industry has changed my outlook on people and forced me to re-evaluate my stances on certain matters. It's something I think every person should experience, in fact. You can learn a lot from spending time in this field.

But this blog isn't about my stories from that end of the customer experience perspective. See, we're in the middle of this whole economic downturn and such. Without getting too much into the politics or the economic policies that have caused this crash, it remains obvious that businesses are fighting harder than ever before to keep their profit margins high. Most companies are doing this using the usual methods using headcount reduction and other cost reduction techniques such as the product shrink ray (by which products are sold in smaller sizes for the same price) and cheaper materials/ingredients.

Check This Song Out

If the NFL has one thing correct, it's that music makes everything better, including the bone-rattling explosions that pass as tackles in football. The NFL has long used the imagery of the players on the football field as gladiators engaging in epic battle, and few things put this imagery accross quite as effectively as a highlight reel backed by some epic classical music.

A few years ago, the NFL partnered with two composers who go by the name E.S. Posthumus to put together some epic sounding classical music to accompany commercials, highlight reels, and films. The latest piece to come from this union aired Sunday night prior to the Superbowl. Video inside!

Brian J. Smith on SGU

Good evening, folks. I figured I'd take a few moments away from the work that has consumed my life for the past week and put up a blog. And, well, it's SGU - I'll always find the time for that!

I've recently become acquainted with Curt, the awesome gentleman who writes the Show Patrol blog for chicagonow.com. Yesterday, he posted a positively fantastic interview with Brian J. Smith, who plays Lt. Matthew Scott on the show. Brian weighs in on some of the "bigger issues" plaguing the show including fans' reaction to his character, fans' reaction to the show in general, some juicy little spoilers for both the second half of season one (returning in April!!) and season 2, with some bonus classical music discourse to boot! Plus, he really digs into the psychology of his character - his attitudes, the effects of his past on his present, the way he makes decisions, including some of the very same things I mentioned in my Why I Love SGU post from a few months back (including his defining moment)! Brian also goes into some detail surrounding the motives and repercussions of the very controversial scene from "Air, Part 1," an explanation that is actually very logical, and one that I hit myself for missing almost entirely!

Did I mention the interview hilarious?

And I can't wait for this mysterious episode called "Faith"... sound amazing.

You can check out the interview by clicking here (<-- click there). I highly recommend it; it's a great read.

The Best (and Worst) of 2009

Welcome one, welcome all. It's time for my favorite blog post of the year, the annual Nunchux Best of "Awards." There are no actual awards, but this post fills my innate desire to order everything, and there are few better ways to do just that than sticking a bunch of things in a list (including runners up for the tougher choices!). People also tend to like to read these yearly posts, so it's kind of like I'm fulfilling two needs with one post.

Anyway, pretend that these are the Emmys, or whatever award show is popular nowadays. The People's Choice Awards, perhaps, except it's my choice instead of yours... It's better that way anyway - I kid, I kid ;-)

Without further ado...

Review - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Platform: PS3
Spoiler Danger Low

The Good
+ Everything, but seriously:
+ Graphics
+ Story
+ Nathan Drake
+ Stealth Kills (ninja strike!)

The Bad
- Nothing
- ...No, really, nothing

Review - Assassin's Creed 2

Platform: Xbox 360
Spoiler Danger Low

The Good
+ Assassin's tombs
+ Truth puzzles
+ One of the best soundtracks in years
+ A slam-bang ending

The Bad
- Ezio is a boring character
- Not enough Desmond parts
- Where are my timed attacks?!

Bill Watterson Gives a Rare Interview About Calvin and Hobbes

Bill Watterson, the author and creator of my all time favorite comic, Calvin and Hobbes, has resurfaced to give a very rare interview about his thoughts on the comic. It's a rather entertaining look into his perspective on the longevity of the strip's popularity and why people have connected with it so deeply.

Check it out.

I own the leather-bound collection of Calvin and Hobbes, and it will always have it's place on my shelves. In my humble opinion, a better comic has never been inked - nor will there ever be one.

Review - Halo 3: ODST

Platform: Xbox 306
Spoiler Danger Low

The Good
+ The score. Simply amazing, and it does exactly what it needs to do.
+ Best campaign in the history of the franchise.
+ Firefight!!!!
+ Scoped Pistol!
+ Silenced SMG!

The Bad
- No matchmaking in Firefight.
- Short campaign.
- Hands. The hands rendered with the Halo engine look awful.

Review - Modern Warfare 2

Platform: Xbox 360
Spoiler Danger: Low

The Good
  + The last two hours of the campaign
  + Spec-Ops mode is my new crack
  + The final confrontation is epic

The Bad 
  - The campaign's story is mostly ridiculous
  - How many Shock and Awe moments can fit into one game?

Review - Dragon Age: Origins

Platform: Xbox 360

Spoiler Danger Low 

The Good:
  + Deep characters and storyline
  + A world deeply impacted by the choices you make
  + So much to do

The Bad:
  - Graphics
  - Technical glitches that impede progress

Nunchux Back in Business... and Goodbye 2009

I'm in kind of a random mood today, and if the first paragraph is any indication, it seems my keyboard and I are gonna be fighting today - it may even come to fisticuffs. After a couple of weeks blog-free and an entire week completely internet-free (XBox Live excepted), I am back and am ready to begin more regular blogs once again. I've got some cool stuff in the works for the next couple of weeks, time permitting, not the least of which is my annual best of the year post, which I'm very excited to write. It's probably my favorite post of the year! Like my very own Emmys. I'm clocking through the last great games of the year (reviews for all also coming soon), then I will be ready to post the best of.

You can find a lot of great life lessons within the frames of Calvin and Hobbes. Just sayin'.

Anyway...