Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Lemmy






Another legend falls.

Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister has passed.


I was not a huge Motorhead fan, but one cannot be a fan of metal without knowing some of their stuff.



I saw then open an Ozzfest some years ago. They did not disappoint.


If don't know Motorhead or "Ace of Spades" , the go to Motorhead song, then go listen to it right now and drink in all that is awesome about it! That or go listen to "Hellraiser." Find his cover of "The Trooper." Listen to "Overkill." Even "Born to Raise Hell" from the movie Airheads (which is the third and final good bit of that film) is awesome!Then go break something, punch the gas pedal, blow something up or hit a dude.


This is what Motorhead music wanted me to do. They were mostly all great. Mostly. Sure, I know their songs all had a similar tone ,sound and rythm; but who cares! They were Motorhead and they made you want to rock!

 











Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Post X-mas



Well hope you folks had the happy holidays, merry Christmas, or whatever else you people do.

\



My father hand crafted a clock for us this year. It is amazing work! Thanks dad it really is a beautiful gift.

Now the nerd gifts.

 It was a very POP X-mas in the house this year As my collection of those little giant headed guys grew even more.



Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Cthul-mas everyone!


May the elder gods rise up to punish those who have naughty and reward those....umm...wait.. 
They will probably punish all the ones who have been nice too.


Merry Christmas everyone!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Happy X-mas eve!




Christmas eve and I’m home with the animals after work and nobody else.


No better time than now to crack open some nog, wrap gifts and throw in my quintessential  holiday film Die Hard.


Then possibly another of the Christmas classics; Gremlins, Lethal Weapon or the double holiday threat, Trading Places.

 
Hope you and yours have a Happy Christmas.


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Nerdy Basement build Phase Two

 With the walls done now becomes the time of putting  stuff together. My wonderful special lady chose the IKEA for our one stop shop for furniture that you don’t sit upon.


After piecing together a bookshelf, cabinet, desk, end table and cabinet for the t.v. and video games; I am completely fine with never putting together IKEA stuff again.


It is simply the easiest and most annoying construction ever. However, it will look good when finished and give a lot of room for the storage of knick-knacks and tchotchkes.  

Then the next step is sort of a waiting game. We have pictures and artwork to hang that is currently in the framing stages. Once done then it will be the time of the great hanging of stuff. This is another stage where I can shine because I am great at holding stuff.



Tuesday, December 22, 2015

The Force Awkens!


Now after two viewings I am, able to jot down my feelings on this movie.

15 years after the Phantom Menace we get another big tent pole Star Wars event.

Was it worth the wait? What did I think?

Yes and I fraking loved it!

A quick over view for those who have and for some reason haven’t seen this yet.
The First Order is the new Empire. They have Stormtroopers, Tie-Fighter and all the stuff they could find in the garbage after the previous galactic Empire was thwarted.

The new Republic/Rebels are trying to sniff out the First Order to stop their shenanigans.

Now throw in a Jakku female junk collector, a First Order trooper turned good guy, a BB-8 droid and everyone’s favorite walking carpet and his nerf herding partner into the mix. They just need to deliver a map to the Republic/Rebels.


There you go the plot of The Force Awakens that covers barley anything outside of the trailers we have all seen.




 

Friday, December 18, 2015

"Chewie, we're home."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, trailer, TV spot

Off to see The Force Awakens.

I've stayed away from the interweb reviews and news.
I'm going in completely blind.

Please be good. Gods please be good.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The begining of a nerdy gaming basement

It looks cluttered now, but soon!


With the world of outdoor fun over until spring, I was told it was time to upgrade the basement from storage dungeon to gaming nerd dungeon.

The walls have been cleared and painted.  The worst step of this project. I thank my wondrous and glorious special lady for doing the painting. She knows how I abhor painting walls, but like to paint little figures. Wyrd right?


Tuesday, December 15, 2015

What I am wearing to Episode VII?

 Well this!


SpiceLifeHoodBlack
“What are the odds of you ever finding a piece of Star Wars apparel that can perfectly define your avant garde, devil-may-care moxy…a brand of nerdiness born from a love of a galaxy far, far away?… …what do you care? You’re a blaster-slinging, blockade running scoundrel with a thirst for adventure, a penchant for misbehavior, and a love affair with Lady Luck. 
From the cantina to the cosmos, you play life close to the chest, but never get cocky about it. On the run from the law and the last creditor you owe, there’s nothing you enjoy more than giving your warrants and bounty hunters the Corellian slip, always one step ahead of their tractor beams. 
You…live the “Spice Life”.


Merchop- Star Wars hoodie  - clicky that to grab one today!

Just the perfect piece of apparel for those long nights on Hoth or on those runs to Kessel when you don't have a Wookie to keep you warm.








Monday, December 14, 2015

Cryx must have is done.

The gold standard of Cryx solos is prepared for spell tossing.I'm not usually the "must have model" type of guy, but with what it does the Skarlock Thrall is pretty much a must have.



Friday, December 11, 2015

Devastation -my Hordes thoughts

Well after some time to chew through the newest Hordes book here are my 2 cents.

Devastation!



Well the four full factions all receive a fancy new gargantuan. I am still not impressed with these giant models. I think they skew the game too much in one direction. They still remind me of when G.W. first decided to allow super-heavies and giant models into the game. Yes it looks cool, but it can turn a game sour. Especially if both parties are from different schools of game play. They may all look sure cool, if and when they get released, but I have no want or need to use them.


Thursday, December 10, 2015

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Krampus review


A Christmas horror movie based on an awesome Germanic folktale?

Alright for those of you outside the zone of awesome and don’t know that Krampus is the anti-Clause. Where Santa Clause rewards good children, Krampus punishes the bad children. He looks like a twisted evil satyr. He nabs bad kids and hucks them in a sack or basket (that may be strapped to his back) for transport to Hell, to be food or to be carries away for drowning. He carries a whip or reeds that are used to beat the bad kids. Also he can be depicted with various chains that are used to restrain or just confirm the demonic image. He was the old school version of the much tamer naughty list. Man kids today have it so easy. They just get put on a naughty list. They are not nabbed by a goat/man monster to be beaten and drowned since they were bad.





Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Pistol Wraith conversion done


The pistol wraith is complete. I know they suck donkey now according to the latest FAQ, but I like the ghostly gunman concept.

Friday, December 4, 2015

New Khador but........


.....where the frak is my Inflictor?


It looks impressive with that pair of autocannons, but it won't hit the broadside of a barn with it.

Once again! Where is the damned Inflictor?

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Best Hardees commercial ever!


I miss this show so much already!
If you haven't seen Rick and Morty season 1-2 then go do it now!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Weekly schlock and SHOCK!

While perusing the works of Wes Craven, I found films that I had never seen. How did I miss Shocker?
 

Here we have Los Angeles where a serial killer is on the loose. When the cop on this case gets to close, then the serial killer, a limping television repair man named Horace Pinker, strikes at the cop family. He knocks off the wife and two of his three foster kids. The third, Jonathan, somehow forms a mental/dream connection with this Pinker guy. Oh wait!  I forgot to mention that Horace is into the mystical black arts. Seriously, they mention it passing once and you are supposed to go with it.


Monday, November 30, 2015

Best LEGO set ever?

As of right now. Yes! Yes it is!







 Grabbed this before Halloween while just passing through Toys R' Us on an errand.
How could I not?

Thursday, November 26, 2015

HAPPY THANKSGIVING


Anyone is welcome at this table!
Get stuffed today while enjoying the company of family and friends!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Major Netflix and minor AMC binge

Well the weekend plans went South quickly with the Netflix release of Jessica Jones. What  started as a quick three episode viewing late Friday nite turned into a 10 hour binge Saturday.


What is Jessica Jones? Well it is an adaptation of a Marvel comic from back in the early 2000’s. The comic was Alias and it was penned by Brian Michael Bendis (A fantastic writer you should really pick up his stuff from back then if you haven’t read it!). It follows a defunct super heroine one Jessica Jones. She walked away from superhero work and became a private investigator. A lot of good stuff in this series run. Plus it was part of the Marvel MAX line, which was all about more adult and basically R-rated stories.  Now this character has jumped to Netflix to get a new treatment.


Friday, November 20, 2015

Weekly schlock and terrible time!

The TIVO is at it again. Thinking it knows what I enjoy it decided to record a film from last year called The Pyramid. I have no memory of this films occurrence, but since I was told by the mini SKYNET in my tele, I decided to give it a view.


The Pyramid Movie Poster

We open on Egypt in 2013. The country is rocked by violence. What does that matter? Well it doesn’t. However, in the desert waaaaayyyy outside of civilization (I think near Giza was where this was supposed to be located) a new pyramid has been discovered. Not only is it really old and buried deep within the sand, but it also has only three sides. No other pyramid has ever had only three sides.  Well the archaeological team decides it is time to go exploring!

They first send in a little robot to scurry about. That seems all well and good, but it gets destroyed by something. HOLY CRAP! What is in there! Honestly I don’t care as this has all the makings of a handy cam, jump scare found footage drek pile. Anyway, a team member has a hissy and wants his robot back. The rest of the team is being told they have to leave the excavation site soon due to the violence in the town they are nowhere near. This leads to the team of; scientist guy, his daughter, robot guy, on the scene reporter and her camera guy going into the pyramid when they are supposed to be leaving.
"Looks pretty stupid in there. I think we should leave."


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Gods of Egypt? What?


I have never heard word one about this movie!
It looks ridiculous!
Ludicrous!
Outrageously silly!

I cannot wait to see it!

Monday, November 16, 2015

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Halloween week hike #3




After two days of "fantastic" weather we hit Matthiessen State Park on a chilly morning but turning into a  sunny 70 degree day.
Great weather and a great looking park to visit.



Way to carve a face into the sandstone. People are the worst.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Halloween week off hike #2


The next day the weather had changed. It was no longer rainy it was just cold. It was now a  high of upper 30 degrees with wind kind of cold. We decided to explore the Illinois River around Starved Rock.






A pretty leisurely hike with a lot of fantastic canyons to view. Outside of one horrible set of stairs, this is an easy hike. A few mile round trip will get you to see the majority of the park.


Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Halloween week hike Day 1

Halloween week we took some time off. You know to enjoy stuff and things. We were hoping to get a series of day trips in, but we were hindered by weather a bit the first few days. Eventually we decided to go out exploring anyway. Weather be damned!

Our first trip out it was raining and windy, but it was tolerable. By the time we got to the trails it was just breezy and the rain became a fine and annoying mist. Still not terrible but not ideal. We hit two trails one at the Big Walnut Preserve and the other at Fortune Woods.

The two trails we hit were both only mile and change loops. 



The only other wildlife out on this cold and rainy day.


Saturday, November 7, 2015

It is still a video game movie.



This is what I am repeating in my head over and over again.
Yes I'll probably see it anyway due to the fantasy nature and history with this franchise.
That being said, name me a good movie based off of a video game franchise.
Yeah. Expectations have to be low going into this.


Thursday, November 5, 2015

Wow am I out of the loop.


I missed this because I don't pay enough attention to stuff. I guess.


So this is a new D&D expansion where Drizzt kills his way through Demogorgon, Orcus and an army of mind flayers?

What the crap did I just watch? 

Seriously? What else can that Mary Sue Drizzt do? I guess he has nothing left to do but kill his way through the demon pantheon? 

I have no idea what is going on, but the animation is at least a good time.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Next wave of bacon inbound!

Three of six counts as Razor Boars are complete. Grabbed these at Gencon from the Malifaux/Wyrd people.



Monday, November 2, 2015

2015 Halloween night review




Another Halloween night has come and gone. Here was the first of four bowls of candy we handed out that night. A great neighborhood turn out especially since it was raining for most of the day and about 30 minutes into trick-o-treating. The final count was around around 200 little monsters ( with a deviation of plus or minus 5 monsters). We still have some Snickers left, but those will find a good home!

Really love our neighbor hood on Halloween. We have people commuting here in mini-vans to grab snacks. We have a easy to travel street layout and almost all of the houses participate too. There is also a guy that makes fresh cotton candy. We have a family that runs a haunted house in their garage. How fun is that? 



This year my lady decided to be a fancy lady in a fantasy/medieval/Renaissance-ish dress. I went as a plague doctor...or a doctor that spreads the plague. No one will ever know!


Saturday, October 31, 2015

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 Another Halloween is here and so is  another sexy witch drawing!


Here's to a great night of fright!
Off to put the finishing touches on costumes for tonite!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Halloween reboot #8 Halloween

Alright this is another tough one for me. I love the 1978 original Halloween. It had everything you could want from a horror movie: unkillable killer, fantastic atmosphere, incredible music, fun deaths, Donald Pleasance, and the first cliffhanger ending I remember seeing.



VS.



October 31, 1963 in Haddonfield, Illinois and 6 year old Michael Myers stabs his sister to death. Fifteen years later, Michael Myers escapes from the loony bin to return home. Why? Well he got one sister, but not the second. He is out to finish the job. Hot on his trail are the cops and one Dr, Sam Loomis, his shrink. What follows is a fantastic slasher and the mother of all great Halloween films for years to come!



Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The Last Witch Hunter


800 years ago a group of warriors, who fancy themselves as witch hunters, strikes out to destroy a coven of witches. Well this not any ordinary coven, it is lead by the Witch Queen, who is a big deal. During the conflict one witch hunter faces off against the queen. As he slays her she curses him with immortality, not a terrible curse if you ask me. From that point on this lone warrior, Kaulder, is the witch hunter to end all witch hunters. Now after 800 years the Witch Queen is rumored to be coming back from beyond. It is now up to Kaulder to put her down a second time.

Ok before I go any further first know this. This movie is not great if you are a normie or not a hard core nerd. Stay away, and by the looks of it you people did.

Now if you are a D&D (or any type of fantasy RPG'er ) then there is something in this movie for you or many somethings. You might actually like it, like we did.

Movie The Last Witch Hunter
If this is your typical of your gaming group, then you'll love this movie!


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Crimson Peak

Friday night we had to the chance to pull a double feature at the movies. The first film we hit was Crimson Peak. The ad campaign made this look very suitable for the Halloween season. It has been a long time since I have seen a really good ghost story. Thank you Hollywood for releasing a ghost story movie in October and not in February or May.



We enter at the end of the 19th century a proper setting for some gothic horror or is more Victorian era?

Here we have young Edith, the only daughter to her widowed and wealthy father.  Edith is  aspiring to be a novelist.  Well that is until she falls in love with a not so wealthy English clay farmer, one Sir Thomas Sharpe. She is then visited by the ghost of her mother warning her to beware of Crimson Peak. Well ok then.  After a whirlwind romance ,and the horrible death of her father, Edith marries Sir Thomas and jets away to his estate in England. Her new home is the dilapidated Allerdale Hall. Her she is to live with her new husband and his intense and maybe crazy sister.

 

Edith soon learns that Allerdale Hall is called Crimson Peak due to the red clay that is farmed/mined there. Oh snap her mom told her about this!  Well that is just a bunch of hokum. Right? Well that is until Edith starts to see ghosts on a nightly basis. That leads her to do a bit of investigation into the history of this place and the Thomas family.

Meanwhile back in the U.S. a long-time friend (and want-to be beau) of Edith, Dr. McMichael, uncovers some information about Sir Thomas. Oh no there are some unsavory events in the Sharpe’s past and present. He is off to England to save her and the day!



Monday, October 26, 2015

Halloween reboot #7 A Nightmare on Elm Street



Alright. Here I go with the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street.


VS.




A Nightmare on Elm Street is….seriously do I have to go into what this is about? Well then ok. Freddy Krueger is a child killer. The  local parents seek some justice so they burn him alive. Freddy returns to get revenge on said parents by killing their kids in their dreams.

A new horror icon is born. He is always waiting for you when you fall asleep. He can’t be physically harmed. You can’t run from him. A villain that  you can never escape. Holy cow that was mind blowing creepy when I originally saw it! How in the world would they, or could they improve on the original story of Freddy Krueger?

Well they couldn’t and didn’t.






Bad CGI
Here comes the bad CGI rehash of a great original scene!


A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010

The overall premise of the 2010 reboot is very similar and still different, but in a bad way. Here Freddy Kruger is similar as he still kills teens in their dreams for revenge and sport. His back story is altered a bit.