mark's blog

NOTE: The following episodes are listed in the order that they are designated on XBOX live, and do not neccesarily designate their order of release. The episode lists have differed on every site that I've looked at, including the XBOX site.

"Horror Meets Comedy" is a series of short film pilots that are available exclusively on XBOX Live. Episodes have been periodically released through the fall and winter, boasting current horror directors like James Gunn (Slither) and Adam Green (Hatchet). Over the next few weeks, I'll be sampling the series to see if these horror giants really have the comedy chops to match their horror cred.

Episode 1: Blue Like You

Directed By: Lucky McKee

Synopsis:

Fans of McKee's other work, most notably "May," will feel right at home with "Blue Like You." In fact, the character of Blue does bear a strange resemblance to the namesake of "May" in both her naivete and charm. Angela Bettis also has a starring role as Blue's friend Cyndy, which should be no surprise to fans of McKee's other work.

I had mixed expectations going into this short. I LOVED "May" when I saw it years ago, but haven't had a chance to see any of McKee's other films. This was also the first short of the series, so I was hoping to not be soured from the outset. Thankfully, "Blue Like You" starts the series off on a funny, if somewhat underwhelming note. Although the silliness almost reaches nauseating levels throughout, the ending is worth the price of admission alone. It also proves that you can take the director out of horror, but you can't the the horror out of the director. I would recommend not watching the trailer to preserve the impact of the ending. Overall, "Blue Like You" isn't such a bad way to spend 10 minutes, and it's free to boot, so get to downloading!

This weekend, I decided to give into the hype and purchase "Left 4 Dead" for the XBOX 360 (my system of choice, if you haven't noticed). Although I wasn't sure what to expect from the demo, I've decided that I made a great decision. However, I've also decided that playing alone, while fun, will get old, and I have no interest in playing against/with people I don't know.

Thankfully, we've built something of a community here at Bloody Good Horror, and based feedback from some of the followers of our Twitter account, it's clear that we have some gamers among us. As such, I've now added fields in your user profile where you can enter your XBOX Live Gamertag or PSN ID so that other users can meet up with like-minded zombie slayers (or closet Viva Pinata players like Casey). Currently, these fields serve no function other than identification and sharing, but I have some ideas bouncing around in my head for the future.

If you have any specific ideas of how we can get some gamer-ish things going on Bloody Good Horror, leave a comment on this post or feel free to e-mail me at m a r k @ b l o o d y g o o d h o r r o r . c o m.

Eric may or may not have been thinking about including this in his next headline post but it was too good for me to wait on...

(From CNN).

Normally, I wouldn't condone real life violence of any kind, but come on, aren't most of us one pistol permit away from doing this exact same thing? Another report says that even after people were fleeing for their lives, he sat back down to watch the rest of the movie. This story would only be more ridiculous if they were watching "Marley and Me" or "Tales of Despereaux" or something. I feel ok joking about it because the victim wasn't mortally wounded and this asshole is going to spend a long time in jail, but let this be a lesson to movie talkers!

Forgive my lateness on this one, but the new trailer for "Mad World," the ultraviolent action game from the makers of "Okami" and "Viewtiful Joe" has me thinking about buying a Wii again. Again, I'll reserve judgment until I can at least play a demo or something, but based on the success and critical acclaim of the publisher's predecessors I can't imagine that this game will disappoint. Leave it to the Euros to give me a tease of what I really want for Christmas this year:

P.S.: Props to Muttpop Bob for pointing out that Hard Gay would be an seamless addition into the world of this game.

* Or your holiday of choice, of course

It's that time of year when we open our wallets and our hearts for our loved ones. Now, we have pimped our Netflix affiliation on the podcast innumerable times, but this holiday season, I've compiled five additional reasons (besides "You just should!") to give Netflix via Bloody Good Horror this holiday season.

1. You'll never have to leave your seat
Of course, Netflix isn't the only thing that lazy shoppers can purchase online from the comfort of their own homes, but you can enjoy the gift without moving your squishy ass! You can add movies to your queue for home delivery, or Watch Instantly on your PC, Mac, or XBOX360! Why waste your life on gifts you have to use standing up!

2. It's MUCH Better Than Blockbuster
While Blockbuster changes their mind about late fees and rental plans, Netflix keeps adding more versatile plans and adding features. Plus, you really don't want to pay that late fee you've had since middle school, do you?

3. It's the perfect self-serving gift for a significant other
Convincing your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse that they meant to rent "Cannibal Holocaust" might be tricky, but it's certainly worth a shot.

4. "Leprechaun 5: In the Hood"
Yeah, they have it.

5. You won't have to get Bloody Good Horror anything else for Christmas
Every person that signs up for Netflix through our site contributes to our operating costs, just by signing up! No bullshit, no "sign up for 30 other things," all you have to do is hit our Netflix link and purchase a plan and we get a small kickback. It's the only thing on our list, and we don't ask for much! Plus, if we ever meet you in person, we'll likely buy you a beer in return. Who could resist?

So, it's that simple. Visit http://www.bloodygoodhorror.com/netflix, follow the link to Netflix from there, and purchase away! If you've already given the gift of Netflix via Bloody Good Horror, or you just want to pimp our holiday greetings, copy the code below and paste it into your Myspace profile/blog/whatever! Happy Holidays friends, and here's to another year of blood, guts, and good times.

<br /> <a href="http://www.bloodygoodhorror.com/netflix" alt="Give Netflix from Bloody Good Horror!"><img src="http://www.bloodygoodhorror.com/bgh/files/bgh_holiday.jpg" style="border: 2px solid black"></a><br />

...and makes him say silly things!

Even if you didn't know the name of Hernan Sanchez, you're undoubtedly familiar with his work. Naturally, when Maxim had a chance to speak with the unforgettable Mortal Kombat announcer recently, they wouldn't let him leave without recording some soundbites for posterity. After being forced the suffer the humiliation of recording the phrases "Babality" and "Friendship" in the mid 90's, I think the man deserves a bit of fun. As much as I'd like to think I could come up with some better things to say, "Flawless...ensemble" is worthy of more than a few chuckles. Enjoy!

To grab the embed code, visit Maxim's Site.

Anyone that has listened to the podcast in the last few months has likely heard me continuously mention the new Xbox Live Experience. This new update promised many things such as cutesey, Mii-like avatars (pictured) and the ability to install games to the hard drive, but I was truly excited about a slightly less-mentioned feature, a steaming Netflix app. As with any highly-anticipated tech event, there are about as many things that lived up to the hype as those that did not.

The Good

It LOOKS Good - As far as computers and aesthetics goes, I'm undoubtedly a Mac guy. I like my interfaces smooth and shiny, yet economical and not overly flashy. Someone from Apple definitely leaked a copy of their design standards to the NXE team, because this new interface is very Apple-y, and to me, that's a very good thing.

It's FAST- One of the most notable, yet rarely mentioned features in this update is the streamlined loading of content. Before, when browsing the marketplace or even your own games, things would tend to show up intermittently, which put a real damper on the navigation process. Now, things show up all at once in a very smooth manner. It seems small, but it makes a huge difference.

Installing games - My Xbox can sometimes sound like a NASA shuttle taking off. Installed games run quieter, if totally silent. Period.

The Not-So-Good

Avatars - I'm not saying that the avatars themselves are not so good, because honestly, I have weird soft spot for these sort of customizables. However, I resent the fact that I couldn't change the color of my clothes or remove the stupid chain that's associated with the shirt I chose, and for that, I will be forever bitter. Changes are promised, and I will await them with far more anticipation than anyone should be affording to that sort of thing.

Ads - Although the interface is slicker, it's now harder to differentiate between ads and content related to your console. This becomes especially awkward when you're playing a new release, and you're unsure whether or not you're selecting the game itself, an ad, or download content. It really takes a way from an otherwise markedly user-friendly interface.

Netflix app needs work - Understand that in order to run Netflix properly on your Xbox you need to either be wired into an ethernet connection directly or have a blazingly fast wireless connection. If not, you will be subjected to constant picture "readjustment," which often leaves you with the world's tiniest video at "full size," or the world's most pixelated video when stretched to the size of your screen. I don't expect HD video to stream wirelessly with no hiccups but I'd really like to see this app downgrade in a way that doesn't make me want to boot my console out the window. You also can't browse Netflix itself from the app, just view and play from your queue, but I keep a laptop on my coffee table so that's not a huge deal. I wouldn't say it's totally broken and it's probably awesome for people with great connections, but it needs an update to really be worth the hype.

(Shameless shill: Just because things are awkward on the Xbox doesn't mean Netflix isn't worth it. Sign up from our site!)

All in all, I'm very happy with the NXE. There are some features like the dev community that I haven't tried out, but that would just feel like icing on the cake. If Microsoft treated their Windows properties with as much reverence as they did this update, they might not have to make commercials convincing people that Vista isn't a total shit sandwich!

Let me start off by saying that life in Rochester, NY does not afford one many opportunities to attend an exclusive ANYTHING, aside from the occasional awesome opening at the George Eastman House. Needless to say, I was very interested to check out a pre-release screening of "The Alphabet Killer," a horror drama based on a series of real unsolved murders that occurred in Rochester, NY during the 1970's, at a local theater in Pittsford, a Rochester-area suburb.

I was a bit dismayed upon arriving to find out that my camera battery had died, but as it turned out, there wasn't much to take pictures of. The "stars" of the film, aka the director, writer, producer(?), and the actresses that played the three dead girls were all ushered in on a hybrid limo/shortbus, which I've actually ridden in before. They crossed over the "red carpet," which consequently is the same red carpet that is always there, but now blocked off by velvet ropes. I got there early enough to lurk in the lobby and watch these "stars" be interviewed by overly excited local news anchors, where I snapped the above iPhone picture, and moved on to the theater.

The first seat that I sat in just happened to be in one of the (poorly marked) "VIP rows" that took up half of the theater. I'm pretty sure that I only saw 10 people out of the limo, but I digress. I moved up a bit, and sat among the common folk for the entirety of the film with little incident save for the irritating stage-mom applause during the opening credits. As you'll find out when my review goes up, I wasn't all that impressed with what I saw. Fighting the urge to leave the second the credits rolled, I was urged by Eric to stick around for the director Q&A. This, my friends, is where things got interesting.

This particular Q&A sesh started innocently enough.

Of course, someone asked these three 13 year old girls if they have acting aspirations. Of course, they all do. Of course, a painfully awkward mid-pubescent boy struggled to blurt out an awkward inquiry about when the film was shot. Of course, it didn't matter to anyone. As my ass began to twitch in my seat, the mic was passed to a woman in the VIP section that claimed to be alive during the time of the murders, and OF COURSE, she had matching initials. Now, I found it hard to separate fact from fiction here, especially when claimed she was threateningly teased during the times of the real murders because of her unfortunately chosen initials, but I'll be damned if I wasn't paying attention now.

Finally, the moment I had been waiting for. The last inquiry came from a woman who was apparently a friend of one of the original murder victims. Practically in tears, she questioned the cast and crew as to why they played a credit about the most recent developments about the case but did not have a credit thanking the friends and the family of the victims for their support or even acknowledging their suffering. The room sank. One of our users noted earlier in the week that it may have been a bit insensitive to "premier" this film in the area in which the real murders took place. An interesting thought, no doubt, but I didn't feel it to be particularly true until that moment, and it left me with a bit of a knot in my throat. It made me wonder about all of the "based on a true story," films and TV shows that I've seen throughout my life, and how close each one was to the story that it was based on. Even when you see the family and friends of victims on TV specials, its really hard to feel the tragedy in any sort of lasting way. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. I was floored.

After watching the film and hearing the Q&A , I was almost mad at the people involved with "The Alphabet Killer" for using only convenient plot points from real-life unsolved murders, especially when we're only a few decades removed from the tragedy. It also served as a reminder of why I like my horror fantastical, because when you step into this sensitive of a territory, it's very hard to walk away unscathed, especially if the film does no justice to the atrocities its based on and the people that were affected.

Overall, tonight was both hilariously low-rent and markedly grave, a dichotomy that somehow represents the awkwardness of "The Alphabet Killer" perfectly.

I'm mid-way through my second playthrough of EA's Dead Space, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. As the game became more challenging, I came to notice one of the most underappreciated aspects of a game: the death scenes. Naturally, when you're playing a game, you want to avoid death at all costs, but in today's games, death is often inevetable. Thankfully, a game like Dead Space makes the experience less...errr...painful by offering up dozens of unique eviscerations to take the edge off. For those of you that haven't played the game, someone has compiled over 11 minutes of the gory deaths of Dead Space for your sick enjoyment.

Be warned, this video is MAJORLY SPOILERIFIC in that it gives away all of the game's enemies and boss battles...

The craziest thing about the depth of deaths in Dead Space (say that 10 times fast), is that in my playthroughs, I probably saw about a 10th of what was in that video, and I died A LOT. If you appreciate a more classic, blinky ending, I snagged this clip of classic video game deaths. My, what a difference 20 years makes!

For those of you that have listened to this week's podcast, the choice should be simple. For those of you that haven't, listen to it and then rush to the polls and vote! I know a lot of you live in swing states and as such, you are doubly required! All of our worldwide friends can do their part by crossing all of their crossables that things turn out ok!

Happy Election Day! (hopefully)