Visit Florin & Guilder... Inconceivable!!!!

As a big fan of The Princess Bride I am always on the look out for cool shit related to the classic film. I take a lot of pride in the fact that my 9 year old son has phrases like "Inconceivable!!!", "Have fun storming the castle!!!", and "As you wish" firmly ingrained in his lexicon of memorable movie quotes. So when I saw this wonderfully detailed map of Florin & Guilder (The two main locales of TPB) over at my buddy Jaquandor's blog Byzantium Shores, I just had to steal it and re-post. There is no artist to credit, but it is quite spectacular and will make any real fan of The Princess Bride smile more than when Wesley kicked Humperdink's ass. Enjoy!!!

Wolverine's Syllabus

 

This is wonderful. Via Byzantium Shores.

Get 'Em Obama.... Yeah!!!!

Borrowed this one from Jaquandor over at Byzantium Shores. Thanks for this... go get 'em Prez.... Obama just locked up another term with the events of this week... rest in pieces Osama!!!

Yoda May Be A Lot Of Things, But A Christmas Caroler He Is Not

Thanks to Jaquandor over at Byzantium Shores. Wonderful... just wonderful.

20 Questions: Star Wars Edition

God knows I love me some Star Wars... so I have been seein the meme going around the net at some of my favorite sites (Byzantium Shores, Cal's Cave of Cool, etc) and had to get involved. So here are my answers to "20 questions: Star Wars Edition". Answer all or some of the questions with your answers in the comment section below. Would love to hear you opinions... especially you Joey Esq!!!!!

01. Who is your favorite character from the original trilogy?

Han Solo, bar none. That mofo is bad ass, takes no shit, knows when to get the F outta dodge, and at the end of the day is a true hero. Not to mention that if he didn't save Luke on Hoth there would have been no Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi as we know it.

02.How would you rank the original trilogy, in order from favorite to least favorite?

Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
A New Hope
03. What are two of your favorite action scenes from the original trilogy?

The Taun Taun scene on Hoth were Luke is on patrol and gets attacked by the Wampa & the scene in the Jabba's dungeon where Luke fights the Rancor. Those are MY favorite parts. Also, I love the scene when Leia infiltrates Jabba's palace with that bounty hunter outfit on. I love that F'n helmet she wears!!!!

04. What do you consider the most emotional scene from the original trilogy?

Probably when Lando betrays Han and Vader walks in... its a "Holy Shit!!!" moment that I did not see coming and it was wonderful to see Mikey (my sons) face when it happened. It was wild!!!

05. Do you have any favorite toys or collectibles based off the original trilogy?

The Imperial Walker toy from Empire Strikes Back is one of the all time greatest toys EVER made. I do not have mine anymore, but wish I did. I also used to love the figure holder cases that they used to make. I had the one that was a huge Vader head, and when you unsnapped it and opened it there were 20 or so figures inside. Those were cool as shit.

06. Which character had the most unsatisfying death in the original trilogy?

Greedo... by far. Why not explore that backstory a bit. I'm just kidding. Obi Wan dies a very unsatisfying death. He "chooses" to die in order to make way and inspire the rise of Luke, but at the time we did not know that. After seeing 3 movies worth of ass kicking Obi Wan (the prequels) after the fact, it is not so dissapponting anymore. But at the time, I was crushed and couldn't understand why it happened.
07. What’s your favorite ship or vehicle from the original trilogy?

I like Luke's flying car that he used on Tatooine, the X-34 Landspeeder. I had this toy, and it was SOOOO fucking cool. Love it. The Imperial Walker & Tie Fighter are also high on my admiration list.

08. Who is your favorite character from the prequel trilogy?

Mace Windu. Bad ass, and Sam Jackson played him. Wonderful. I especially love him in the Clone Wars cartoon shorts. He kicks General Grevious's ass in those, which was awesome. Which brings me to my favorite villian, General Grevious. Gangster. 4 arms = 4 Lightsabers. Plus dude uses his feet to wield them mid fight.... what??? I also like that he keeps the lightsabers of the Jedi that he kills. Further proof of how gangster he is.

09. How would you rank the prequel trilogy, in order from favorite to least favorite?

Revenge of the Sith
Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones (which I really like, but most don't)
10. What are two of your favorite action scenes from the prequel trilogy?

The underwater scene with the sea monsters in Phantom Menace, Anakin chasing the rouge bounty hunter in Attack of the Clones, and the Obi Wan/ Jango Fett fight in the rain. I also love the scene where Anakin blows Mace out the window while Mace is fighting Darth Sidious... its the beginning of his descent.

11. What do you consider the most emotional scene from the prequel trilogy?

The above Mace/Darth Sidious/Anakin fight. The epic turn of Anakin over to the Dark Side. It was a longtime coming, and for me it was EPICALLY SATISFYING. Very emotional, and extremely sad... but how can you not identify with Anakin wanting to save his loved ones.

12. Do you have any favorite toys or collectibles based off the prequel trilogy?

I am a big fan of all the Vader toys that have removable helmets. I never remember them having any Vadetr figures that you can take the helmet off of when we were kids, and I feel like its an easy enough thing to do. I am also a huge fan of the Star War: Galatic Heroes toys, which are the mini toy two packs that are modeled after "Marvel Superhero Squad"-type toys. Very cool.

13. Which character had the most unsatisfying death in the prequel trilogy?

Darth Maul & Qui Gon. Both had tremedous upside and were gone to quick. I have a similar feeling to Qui Gon as I do about Obi Wan dying (see #6 above), but having seen episodes 4,5,6 I knew why he sacrificied himself. I really like the way Yoda brings up the fact that Qui Gon "sacrificed" himself and that he is "not truly dead". A very cool nugget that Lucas put in there.

14. What’s your favorite ship or vehicle from the prequel trilogy?

I like the pod racers and the ship that they travel on to pick up baby Ani on Tatooine. Both are very cool.

15. If you could get a personalized Star Wars themed license plate for your car, what would it say?

Free Han!!! or Sith Lord

16. Do you have a favorite Star Wars based video game?

I absolutely loved the Jedi Power Battles for Dreamcast. It was sick to play as all the Jedi's in a walkabout style game. I know its not the best, but I loved it. Also, the Lego Star Wars games are wonderful, just wonderful.
17. Have you read any of the Star Wars books (expanded universe), and if so, what are your favorites?

I haven't, but I want to.
18. Are you a fan of the “Clone Wars” cartoon series?

Very much so. I like the side stories that the cartoon tells, and I do not agree that it waters down the brand... I think it giives anybody else that wants more just that. If you are content with the movies, you can ignore them. I love em!

19. What (or who) do you hope to see in upcoming Star Wars TV series?

I want it to be well execute and character driven like The Walking Dead. It can be done. Thats all I ask. i would also like to see cameos by past cast members in MINOR roles. Hamill, Ford, Portman, Jackson... just some small roles that they can play as a treat to true Star Wars Fans. They should also use obscure actors as well. Iif they were in the 6 movies, try and include em.
20. If you were stranded on a desert island with one Star Wars character, who would you want it to be and why?

I'll go with Chewy, cause he is a bad ass and can protect me. He is also a wild beast so he can probably hunt his ass off. Plus, he is the most loyal character in the whole series. He will never let you down. Chewy rocks!!!

15 Questions Posed To A Real Horror Fan

I caught this quiz over at fellow blogger Squandor's blog Byzantium Shores, and I though it was great since I am a huge horror fan. Leave some comments below on the questions you like the best!!!

1: In Ten Words or Less, Describe Your Blog:


Bring everyones Cultural Compulsive obsession to the forefront everyday, allday!!!


2: During What Cinematic Era Where you Born?
A: The Classic Horror Era (late 30's to 40's)
B: The Atomic Monster/Nuclear Angst Era (the late 40's through 50's)
C: The Psycho Era ( Early 60's)
D: The Rosemary's Baby Era (Mid to Late 60's)
E: The Exorcism Era (Early to mid 70's)
F: The Halloween Era (Late 70's to Early 80's)
G: The Slasher Era (Mid to late 80's)
H: The Self Referential/Post Modern Era (1990 to 1999)

I was born in 1979, so thankfully I fall in the Halloween era. Creepy, scary and full of tension... I love it!!!

3: The Carrie Compatibility Question:
 (gay men and straight women - make your choice from section A)
A: Billy Nolan or Tommy Ross, who would you take to the prom?
(straight guys and lesbians - make your choice from section B)
B: Sue Snell or Chris Hargensen, who would you take to the prom?

I'll take Sue Snell (Amy Irving... she was Jessica Rabbit's singing voice, so that helps!)

4: You have been given an ungodly amount of money, and total control of a major motion picture studio - what would your dream Horror project be?

My inner horror fan would say a really good H.P. Lovercraft/ Chthulu movie would be epic... and a long time coming (I am looking forward to Guillermo del Torro's At The Mountains of Madness)

As an early 80's Horror movie freak, I would like to do a Friday the 13th -type movie for the topless titty shots alone... god, they show alot of titties in those movies, no???

5: What horror film "franchise" that others have embraced, left you cold?

The Final Destination series... I thought the first one was cool, and in the subsequent sequels there are some great death scenes, but overall enough is enough. Death is inedible, so cut the sequels already.

6: Is Michael Bay the Antichrist?

I don't think so. I know Jeff Bond is gonna eat me alive in the comment section below (and Joe Esq as well) but I don't care. I love Armageddon as a ridiculous popcorn movie, and I am a big fan of Bad Boys Part 1 and 2... three good films are enough to merit him a bit of a reprieve. I know people do not like what he did with Transformers, but even if someone else did that movie there is no guarantee it would have turned out better. George Lucas CREATED Star Wars, and he gets all types of shit for direction he took HIS characters and story (albeit justifiable shit) Maybe it could have been better, but it also could have been worse (Uwe Bole anyone???)

7: Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Frankenstein Monster - which one of these classic villains scares you, and why?

The Wolf Man, by far... no control over himself once he changes, so even if you are a loved one you can catch a claw to the dome piece quick!!!

8: Tell me about a scene from a NON HORROR Film that scares the crap out of you:

The eyeball scene in Minority Report and the fat twins from Nothing But Trouble (one of my favorite 80's comedies) both freak me out... and the White House dance sequence in Head of State.

9: Baby Jane Hudson invites you over to her house for lunch. What do you bring?

A handgun and a knife... that bitch is crazy!!!

10: So, between you and me, do you have any ulterior motives for blogging? Come, on you can tell me, it will be our little secret, I won't tell a soul.

I like to see cool shit, and then like to help my friends see that cool shit that I just saw... what better way to share then blog???

11: What would you have brought to Rosemary Woodhouse's baby shower?

A fucking clue for that chick... how the fuck did she not figure out something was going on??? Tanis Root tea and all the rest of that weird shit??? Come on woman...

12: Godzilla vs The Cloverfield Monster, who wins?

Godzilla should win, but JJ Abraham's is much more creative tahn those Japanese Monster Movie writers... so I am going with The Cloverfield Monster

13: If you found out that Rob Zombie was reading your blog, what would you post in hopes that he read it?

I would post an editorial giving him props for making movies about things he loves, tell him to ignore the haters, and provide a desire to see more wacky shit come out of that sick head of his like House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects

14: What is your favorite NON HORROR FILM, and why?

The Pink Panther Strikes Again and A Clockwork Orange... Peter Sellers is my favorite actor, Kubrick my favorite director.

15: If blogging technology did not exist, what would you be doing?

Still buying tons of magazines like Fangoria, Gear, Entertainment Weekly, Stuff, Maxim, King, Sports Illustrated, and Complex to saty ontop of all the ecclectic stuff I love...