NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Well, looks like "Teen Titans" is canceled. Another one bites the dust. I am at a loss for words. Once I get over my disbelief, I'll DEFINETLY have something to say about THIS!!!!!

My XBox 360 Story

IGN: Did You Feel Lucky, Punk?

As listed above, everyone who attempted to get an XBox 360 on launch day has a story to tell whether they got one or not. Like many, I have one to tell too. It started on the Wensday before the week of the launch, when I went into my local Gamestop to finish paying off a couple of games for the 360 launch day. The manger (who I know so well is practically a good friend now), says "Kevin, since you're here I think we need to talk about your XBox 360. Our shipment got cut in half, and you won't be getting it on the launch." For a second I am mad. How could that be? I have thing PAID OFF!!! Does that count for nothing? He tells me that it was first come first serve. They're only getting ten systems. I'm number seventeen.

I'm stunned for a minute, but then I regain my composier. This isn't HIS fault, and for that matter I still haven't finished "Xenogears" yet?! I pretty much tell him thanks for being honest with me. I tell him I will attempt to get a 360 from somewhere else, but just the same I am NOT cancelling my pre-order! I want that as a back up just in case I fail in my quest. This way I at least get one before Christmas. I make a desision that while I will NOT camp out in front of any stores, I will wake up at 6:00am on Tuesday morning in an attempt to grab me a system! So I wake up at 6:00am (more like 6:17am), and I go out into the world in an attempt to get my 360.

But first I go through the drive thru at my local "Jack In The Box" (which is open 24 hours), as I know I'm going to be hungrey when I settle on a destination. For some reason I decide to first go to Sam's Club. Why? I don't know, maybe it's because whenever I buy games that's the last place I go, and maybe it would be the same situation today. I get there and while there IS a line, it only consists of about ten people, with a mother and her two children in the front (who decided to wait in line the previous day starting at 3:00pm). Shortly after I get in line, a Russian guy comes next to me, and we start chating a bit. In fact, sometimes I'm proud of these system launches, as they unite all sorts of people together for one noble goal.

Only about ten minutes pass before a lady comes out and tells everyone that she only got thirteen systems, and that people who have BUSINESS cards ONLY have first dibs on the systems!!! Unfortunetly (and this was, surprisingly, the most disapointing thing I saw all morning) the lady who sat outside the store with her two kids (who were around 7 or 8 years old) had a regular membership card, which meant that she didn't get her system. As she starts arguing with the manager (and for good reason too in my opinion), I sneak inside the store. If anything, I'm going to be getting a copy of "The Polar Express" if nothing else. I get my DVD and head out to try another store. The radio claims that Best Buy is getting a huge number of systems in stock.

I wanted to avoid going to Best Buy since that's where everyone was going, but it was only five minutes away, so what harm could I do by just driving by right? On the way I notice Toys R' Us only has seven people in line, and I figure maybe God has smiled favorably on me with this store. I get there and I see a sign that says they are only getting seven systems in stock, and there are seven people in line. Oh well, no problem, Best Buy is right next door. I get to Best Buy and not only is there a semi-long line, but employes are already counting people to see if they have enough systems to sell to all the people in line. Two people in front of me is the cut off point, and I don't get a 360 from them (although I wasn't expecting to).

I decide to stop off at one more place: Costco. If I don't get one there, then I'll go home and go back to sleep. I get there and there is no line. I figure this must mean all the systems are sold out, but it turns out there is a lady there giving people numbers, telling them to come back later with the number. I'm number 65. I go home, sleep for an hour, and wake up to go back to the store. I get in my proper place, I have my system in hand, and I swipe my card...and the total price is $17.39 above my limit, and the only type of credit card Costco accepts is American Express (I have Visa). Luckily for me, the store gives me one hour to go to the back, get the money, and come back to pay for it. I go to the bank, get back to Costco, and finally buy my system.

And that's my XBox 360 story. What's yours?

Sorry Guys

eBay: Microsoft Xbox 360 - Game console *MINT* (item 8236806775 end time Nov-24-05 19:06:40 PST)

Here's the link. That last one is dead.

Want An XBox 360?

eBay: Microsoft Xbox 360 - Game console *MINT* (item 8236546443 end time Nov-29-05 20:50:48 PST)

Well, I'm selling mine now. Bidding starts at $1.00, good luck.

P.S.

Looking at that last post I have one question: Why isn't Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" nominated? Surely THAT would have been a far more logical movie to consider for nomination then "Valiant!"

The Nominations Are In

Okay, so the list of films that can be nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Animated Film" have come in, and they are:

Chicken Little (Disney)
Howl's Moving Castle (Disney)
Valiant (Disney)
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (DreamWorks)
Madagascar (DreamWorks)
Robots (Fox)
Steamboy (Triumph Films)
Gulliver's Travels (Pentamedia/Weinstein Co.)
Hoodwinked! (Pentamedia/Weinstein Co.)

Looking at that list I realized something: This has been a REALLY sucky year for animation! I'm sorry, but practically none of these films are Oscar worthy material. Out of all those movies, "Wallace & Gromit" is easily the best movie of the bunch, so I guess I'll be rooting for that one to win. Of course, "Howl's Moving Castle" may also get nominated, simply because it looks artistically good (even though the movie falls apart in the last twenty minutes). I guess either "Chicken Little" or "Madagascar" will get nominated just because they both made some serious money (and the Academy LOVES films that make money). Of course, I'm not getting any hopes up for these films.

Call me crazy, but last year the Academy SEVERELY screwed up when they nominated "Shark Tale" for an Oscar and not the Oscar worthy "The Polar Express!" That slip up made me so mad, I almost didn't watch the Oscars last year (and if "Fahrenheit 9/11" got nominated for Best Picture, then skipping the Oscars would have been a sure thing). If I had to pick three of these films to nominate, it would be "Wallace & Gromit," "Howl's Moving Castle," and "Steamboy" (with "Wallace & Gromit" winning the gold statue). Somehow, I think the award is going to go to "Madagascar." It just seems like the crazy type of thing the Academy would do. Here's hoping I'm wrong though.

Can't Sleep

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

For some reason, I'm just not sleepy right now. It's currently 5:43am, and seeing as how I need to wake up at 7:00am to meet someone for breakfast, I see no reason to go to bed now (I'll take a long nap once I get back or I'll actually go to bed early for once). Since I'm awake though, I guess now would be a good time to make some comments on "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." However instead of doing a full blown review, I will simply make highlight points that I think everyone else is forgetting to mention:

1. Lots of stuff from the book are cut. If you are going into the movie with the intention to compare it to the book, then you might as well not even bother to go, as the movie's butt will get kicked like you wouldn't believe it. That said, most of the stuff that was cut would have probably dragged the movie down a bit, and as a movie I found that I didn't care so much that a good 40% of the book was missing.

2. I'm not sure what to think of Voldemort. On one hand he looks creepy, but on the other hand he looks like a Star Trek villain with lots of make up on. Not to bag on Star Trek, but I never did like the aliens who looked like they had too much make up on most of the time.

3. The "dating" scenes were more entertaining then any of the action sequences. There is nothing wrong with the action sequences, it's just I think most people will agree that the action has always taken a back seat to the character interaction in all the other installments, and this one is no different.

4. I'm glad that Ginny Weasly (Bonnie Wright) was given more to do in this movie then she was in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

5. The music in the movie wasn't as good as the music in the trailer.

6. This is NOT the darkest Harry Potter film made! Granted, it IS the most violent, but "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," with it's high tension throughout the film and all those night scenes that had snow (which made the film look gothic at times) had, in tone, a much "darker" edge to it then this movie does. But you DO get to see blood in this one, and there IS enough violence to warrant the PG-13 rating, so don't worry too much.

7. I'm getting used to Michael Gambon as Dumbledore.

8. Alan Rickman is still the best Snape.

9. I think the fire effect they used with Sirius Black was really cheesy and cheap looking.

10. Either way you slice it, this is a GREAT movie!

Now we just have to wait till 2007 for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Hopefully we won't have to wait as long for the final book to come out though.

No Update Friday

I won't be updating CBG.com on Friday. Why you ask? Well, me and my brother are catching a 12:10am showing of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" that morning, and I will be sleeping for a good portion of the day, and most likely won't be in any mood to post a review. Don't worry though, I'll update Monday (and maybe I'll comment on the movie sometime during the weekend).

Clearing Something Up

I am NOT a dad! When I said "I feel sorry for my kids" I meant to say "I feel sorry for my future kids." Somehow I forgot to write down "future." Sorry for the mix up.

The Best TV Shows STILL Aren't On TV!

Amazon.com: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers - Volume One Collection

A week and a half ago I wrote in my review/rant of Disney's newest animated film "Chicken Little." While it may still be easily readable if you scroll down, the basic idea is that "Chicken Little" was a poor attempt to copy the competitions (A.K.A.: Dreamworks) successes, and that I wonder whether or not we'll still want to watch "Chicken Little" twenty years from now. I could say the exact same thing about their TV shows. Last week "Ducktales" and "Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers" were released, at long last, in season box sets for the DVD format. These shows are both about fifteen years old, maybe more, and I swear to God these shows are still very good. Some of the animation may seem a little dated, but that is a rare case. These shows have great storylines, wonderful characters, and lots of humor and drama that works for both kids and adults.

Fifteen years old, and if Disney started to re-air these today on basic TV kids would still watch them and enjoy them as if they were brand new shows. Heck, they may even like these shows BETTER then most of the kids shows that are on TV now! Much like "Chicken Little," I watch some of the animation Disney produces for TV now. I think their most recent creation is "Dave The Barbarian," and compared to "Chip & Dale" and "Ducktales," "Dave The Barbarian" is a steaming pile of monkey crap. I watch most of the recent animation Disney has produced in the past seven years, and of ALL the shows Disney has made, the only two shows that I see holding up are "Recess" and "Kim Possible!" The reason Disney doesn't get too much respect is that for every good thing they produce, they produce five turds to match that one quality product.

While Disney may have made a great show in "Recess," at the same time they produced "Pepper Ann," "The New Adventures of Doug," and "The Weekenders." Maybe not all at the same time, but within the same two years. Compare THAT animation block (which was 1 Saturday Morning) to the four shows on Disney's old block (which was The Disney Afternoon) to "Chip & Dale," "Ducktales," "Tale Spin," and "Darkwing Duck," and there is NO question which block most people would rather spend time watching! I truly feel sorry for my kids. The shows on THEIR Saturday morning are going to be so poor, that they may just grow up thinking that cartoons really are just for kids! Oh well, at least I can always show them the good stuff on DVD. Thank God for season sets, otherwise there would be nothing on TV worth watching.

Of Course, I've Never Even BEEN To Kansas Before!

Amazon.com: The Wizard of Oz (Three-Disc Collector's Edition): DVD

So I picked up the three disk DVD set of "The Wizard of Oz" yesterday. I doubt I'll watch many of the special features (if any), but since I'm a collector I just have to have the big set every single time. Plus this was "The Wizard of Oz," one of the all time classic movies. If you're going to make a classic part of your collection, you may as well get the premium set right? Anyway, big sets aside, it has been quite a few years since I've seen the actual film itself, and I am amazed by it all over again. Not just because Warner Bros. did an excellent job with the restoration, but because this is just one darn good film. Period. "The Wizard of Oz" has been spoofed and quoted so many times, that somewhere along the lines I forgot what the actual movie was like.

The movie truly is a wonder to behold. Yes, I know it's an old movie, one that people role their eyes at because EVERYONE'S seen it, but sometimes you just have to rewatch something one more time in a long time to remember how great it was! So "The Wizard of Oz" is now on new two disk and three disk DVD sets, and regardless what your taste in DVD's are, you need to get one of these editions and rewatch this wonderful movie that I'm sure you'll fall in love with all over again. Oh, one more thing about the movie: Rewatching it I'm also reminded why the movie scared me so much as a five year old. Seriously, that witch really is quite scary.

No Dad, The Sky Really IS Falling!

Chicken Little

As you all know, Disney layed off all their 2D artists to go from making such classic films like "Beauty & The Beast" and "The Hunchback of Notra Dame" to making CGI comedies like "Shrek" and "Shark Tale." You know the story: Disney makes a couple of bad films that flop, and decide to play copycat with the competition. So hand drawn animation is out, 3D animation that shouts out pop culture references is in. As you all know, "Chicken Little" is the first of these films. This is the film that is supposed to establish Disney as a solid contender that can make hit CGI films without Pixar's help, and movies that could damage some of Dreamworks best films.

I went to see the movie yesterday, and let me tell you something: If this is the best Disney can do then they are, in a word, doomed. "Chicken Little" is not a terrible film, it's just not a very good one. As an hour long special I could see myself liking this, seeing as how I liked the first fifteen minutes of the film and the last forty minutes of the film, but other then that this film is such a bore. This movie takes the most basic approach to story telling you can imagine. Basic characters, basic jokes, and the most useless cast I've seen in a Disney film. There are over ten principle characters in this film, but only five of them do anything of importance. Of the five characters that do get significant screen time, I only liked three of them (Chicken Little, Abby Mallard, and Buck Cluck). Fish Out of Water never says anything so you can't relate to him, and Runt of The Litter is so annoying you wish he wasn't there at all.

As with most CGI films, there are several pop songs that may or may not age the movie faster, and while I did buy the soundtrack, I'm going to venture to guess I'll mainly be listening to score (and three of the seven songs). Right now the film is doing decently at the box office, but I'm guessing that reason is mainly because a lot of people were going just to see how Disney would do on their first CGI film apart from Pixar. But if the people are to be believed, it will be a short success. Poor reviews and early lackluster word-of-mouth is threatening to doom this film, and I'm kind of hoping it will.

Not because I have a grudge against the film, but because it would prove to Disney what we've known all along: Hand drawn or computer animated, it doesn't matter. We don't care about the technique, we care about the story. Hopefully this is a lesson Disney is going to learn (though hard they may have to learn it). I also saw "The Weather Man" yesterday, but maybe I'll talk about that in another post.