Netflix Minute: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Netflix Minute is a weekly feature highlighting a title from Netflix's catalog of instant view films. If you want to spend a night snuggled up with a bag of popcorn and don't want to drive to the video store, this is for you.

For quite a while now, Pixar has easily held the throne as premier animation studio. Companies like Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox Animation have approached their success, but Pixar's dominance remains clear both in terms of public mind-share and financial prowess (2010's Toy Story 3 earned a place as fifth largest grossing film worldwide, trumping Shrek 2 by nine spots).

While Sony Pictures Animation has found some moderate success with franchises like Open Season, they haven't made a transformative, company-defining film like Toy Story or Finding Nemo. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs remedies that with a truly comedic tale about food raining down from the sky.

DVD Review: The Sound of Young America Live

I've long thought of The Sound of Young America as the natural successor to NPR's Fresh Air. Not that I dislike Terry Gross and her particular brand of interviewing, it just seems like Jesse Thorn is more in touch with what 20-30 somethings are interested in. Unfortunately, TSoYA is only broadcast on a handful of radio stations around the country. Otherwise you have to have donated to Jesse's website, MaximumFun.org, to get the show, or listen to the individual interviews on said website. But The Sound of Young America Live DVD is a viable source for your interview fix.

Shuffled: Justification Edition

Every other Wednesday I hit the shuffle button on my 90 gigabytes of music and post the results. I might have to justify some of the stuff in my library, but hopefully it will help inform you of new music -- Or at least be entertaining.

Well, I knew I'd be justifying parts of my music library at some point, and it seems I'll be doing that twice this week. Don't judge my tastes! Luckily, the majority of the playlist is completely justified in it's own right. I mean, if you question The Beatles, you don't deserve to be a music fan. Anyway, let's get to the judging.

Worst Buy: A Rant Against Vendor Exclusive Songs

Its become somewhat common for separate vendors to offer products with slight differences from their competitors. Maybe Kmart will have those exclusive blue Doritos and Wal-Mart won't for whatever reason. When it comes to exclusives in things that matter -- like music -- it can be quite irksome.

Sophist Radio Episode 32: The Longest Drunk

That's right, Cerebral Pop has adopted Sophist Radio. If you're unfamiliar with the show, then it is time for you to get acquainted. I know, I know, a billion people have a billion different podcasts about video games, but honestly, I've been a big fan of Sophist Radio for quite awhile. I listen to a crapload of podcasts and this is a really great one. I'm confident that fans of Cerebral Pop will come to love the auditory antics of Aaron, James, and Harold.

Promising or Awful? A Quick Look at a Handful of New Fall Shows

Every year we are inundated with new shows from all of the networks vying for a new hit. It can be hard to pick out the gems from the shows that probably deserve to fail. I might as well make it a bit easier on you by offering up my opinions on the new shows I've seen so far. All five of them are comedies, and while I'm not a comedy expert, it should at least be helpful for you to know what made me laugh and what didn't so that you can give them a chance.

Video Round-Up: TGS 2010 Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

This year's Tokyo Game Show provided gamers with plenty to ogle and slaver about, some shocking announcements, and some news that downright offended audiences. Here are my picks for the most noteworthy trailers of the exhibition. They aren't necessarily the best--just the ones you need to see.

Insufficient Funds: The Smashing Pumpkins

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.

You might not think so highly of Billy Corgan and his musical whims, or the constantly evolving Smashing Pumpkins line-up. To a lot of people, the reforming of his most well-known project seemed a vain attempt at recapturing the spotlight, especially since not all the former band members were on board. And their first new release, Zeitgeist, was criticized as being a little shallow. But if you didn't like Zeitgeist for it's dependence on straight-forward rock, your answer may be on the way.

Movie Review: The Town

If you asked me five years ago whether or not Ben Affleck might be the next director to look out for, I would have called you an idiot. For good reason, I might add, considering the fact that actor/directors that manage to crank out any more than a single solid film are difficult to come by. With Affleck's second film, The Town, he manages to bring some fresh blood to the heist thriller subgenre.

It's obvious from the very first robbery that Affleck knows what he's dealing with. While many of the biggest action scenes could easily be compared to scenes in Heat or Ronin, there's a tangible feeling of originality despite the genre's tropes. This may be due to the fact that each theft is artfully executed in ways mirroring some of the scenes in Ocean's Eleven, yet these thieves don't come off as arrogant wizards in the process.

Unoriginal Soundtracks: Plants vs. Zombies Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.

Plants vs Zombies' cute aesthetic and accessible, addictive play are slowly infecting game platforms beyond its PC patient zero. Popcap promoted it with an even more infectious music video from the soundtrack's composer, Laura Shigihara. To get this song out of my head, I compiled this playlist. This certainly helped, as it sent me off on tangents, listening to every artist on the list.

A True Story of Identity Theft

I met Chris under the name J. Cosmo Cohen, writing at Bitmob.com -- a site that advocates for everyone to use their real names. It was only after getting to know him for quite awhile that he confessed to having lied about his real name, but he had genuine reason to. Cosmo (As everyone calls him now) had his identity stolen, and naturally has been a little wary of giving out personal information ever since. After I talked to Nick Gates about paranoia in the digital world, I thought it would be an interesting follow-up to ask Cosmo some questions about the event that probably forever changed his outlook on life.

Luigi's Strife - A Film Noir Rendition of Super Mario Bros.

Let me start this off by saying that I love StumbleUpon.com. It's one of the greatest things to ever happen to the Internet. I find such great stuff through that site and it's hard to imagine the internet without it. If you're not familiar with stumbleupon.com, I highly suggest you check it out and download the toolbar.

Anyway, using the site I came across this truly amazing little comic strip about what life is like for Luigi now that he has quit his job as Mario's sidekick and is living in Brooklyn. Mario is on the run with the princess in this highly film-noir-influenced story. How well can Super Mario Bros. possibly translate to classic film noir? Surprisingly, bringing the partnership of Mario and Luigi to a more real-life setting lends very well to the film noir style of storytelling. Just hit the jump to find out and if you know anything about the creator, let us know. Oh, and click any of the panels to get a larger version.

Video Round-Up: Musical Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

Chris is off on vacation, so I'm back again, hitting you with an all musical edition of the Video Round-Up. From a capella and auto-tune, to pop rock and rap, it's all across the board. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you'll... I don't know, maybe cry; Whatever you do, you'll hopefully be entertained.

Comic Review: Mythoi Book I: Birth

Mythoi is an upcoming comic series that follows multiple heroes through various times and places, all on their own quests. Its first book, “Birth,” begins the sixty-issue series the origins of the heroes' journeys. It features, by way of its multiple tales, influences from all over: Eastern, Western, ancient, futuristic, high and low fantasy, and Mother Goose. But should you pick it up?

Can Developers Make Mistakes?

Forgive and forget, that's my motto. Its worked well, too. Holding grudges brings conflict, and I'm a mellow guy -- conflict isn't my forte. Sure, I give anyone I know a "do-over," but do developers get the same treatment?

I just finished watching the new Last Guardian trailer and I couldn't help but wonder: What if this game sucks? Will Fumito Ueda (the developer of Last Guardian, as well as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) get another shot at making a game? I'm not saying Last Guardian will be terrible. In fact, I hope with everything in me it's just as rewarding as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Actually, I secretly hope it surpasses those two games, but what if it doesn't?

Insufficient Funds: Abandonia.com

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.

After I graduated high school I was in, what some would call, a pickle. I had massive amounts of free time but no full-time employment that would allow the disposable income to properly allocate those wandering hours. It was by sheer accident that I stumbled upon what soon became my haven for gaming. Abandonia.com provides classic PC games, free of charge.

If you grew up playing the adventure, strategy and action games of the '80s and early-'90s then this site will surely bring you tears of joy. Gathered from across the far reaches of the universe is a vast collection of abandonware; games that are no longer sold or supported by the companies who hold the copyright. These games have been preserved by the wonderful gang at Abandonia, who offer programs necessary to run these ancient capsules on the epic PCs of today. DOSbox will grind your behemoth to the proper speed most DOS games were used to and you can get VDMSound, for the midi-beeps of yester-year.

Netflix Minute: Objectified

 

Netflix Minute is a weekly feature highlighting a title from Netflix's catalog of instant view films. If you want to spend a night snuggled up with a bag of popcorn and don't want to drive to the video store, this is for you.

Objectified is the brainchild of documentarian Gary Hustwit, who you might be familiar with through his previous film, Helvetica. Hustwit seems to have a craving for interviews with people that have extreme domain expertise and this film is certainly no outlier.

Hustwit tells the story design in its many aspects, most focused on how products we use every day are best fit to our needs, both aesthetically and functionally. The core message of Objectified seems to be that design is at the core of our modern culture, shaping how we approach tasks and new ideas. Whether it's playing with our iPhones while waiting in a queue or sitting in a chair at the dinner table, design is important to everyone.

Book Ruminations: Catching Up On The Classics (Part One)

During my adolescent years, I regarded books as something that "got in the way of video games." As I matured, I realized my folly and began devouring as many books as possible. This is not a review, but merely my thoughts and musings about books in general.

The wonderful thing about books: Just because you missed a book when it was new doesn't mean it isn't still enjoyable today. I have to have this mindset because, like that little blurb up there states, I missed out on so many great stories.

Two of my recent acquisitions were devoured very rapidly, and with great delight. The first, 1984, sits in stark contrast to the second, Catch-22. While both books were written around the same time -- 1984 by George Orwell was first published in 1949; and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller was published in 1955 -- it's eerie how accurately they both depict modern society.

Shuffled: Filthy Liar Edition

Every other Wednesday I hit the shuffle button on my 90 gigabytes of music and post the results. I might have to justify some of the stuff in my library, but hopefully it will help inform you of new music -- Or at least be entertaining.

Good lord, doing Shuffled every other week has really exposed how little of my music library I listen to on a regular basis. Actually, I think the first band on this list has come up before and I said I would have to listen to them a bit more. Obviously I never did and I have been outed as a filthy liar. Great. Well, go ahead and enjoy the music anyway.

Video Round-Up: Adrian Brody Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

Are you prepared for impending Adrian Brody doom? I'm not sure you're ready for the sheer amount of sexy that will entail, so I'll build you up a little with some Internet meme-mixing and YouTube video response trolling. Then, after you've heard the news about our future world, I've provided some cool down in the form of Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice plastered over Darth Vader. Enjoy! And prepare.

A Piece of Gaming History Even Before Release

I feel a strange urge to own weird relics from gaming's history. I would have bought a copy of E.T. for the Atari 2600 -- the game that caused the industry to crash -- but I didn't end up making the purchase because my Atari was still at my parent's house. I will probably seek it out at some point, just like I will most likely end up with a copy of Zero Wing (originator of the oft-quoted engrish phrase "All your base are belong to us.") now that I have a Sega RetroGen that will play PAL Genesis games.

So, it should come as no surprise to you that, despite my complete lack of interest in first-person shooters, '90s snark, and bro-attitudes, I will very likely be picking up Duke Nukem Forever upon release, good ratings or bad. I won't rush to the store, but it will very likely be in my collection sometime down the road. Why? Because it is already a piece of video game history.

Milked by Tetris: The Once Embarrassing State of Mobile Gaming

On every cell phone I have ever owned, I have purchased Tetris. Every single time I do, it barely ever gets played, but for some reason I just can't resist it's siren call. No matter how many times I've gotten a version that plays like complete ass, I keep telling myself the next one will be better. That's the nature of the mobile games of (mostly) the past; A billion different variations of the same types of games, that can vary even more depending on what brand of phone or network you have.

Insufficient Funds: Codename Gordon

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.

Since I've gotten a laptop and Steam, I've begun collecting games like some sort of hoarder. As cheaply as possible, or even for free if I find someone with extra copies or codes they don't need. Or, of course, there is the generosity of Valve, with free releases like Portal and Alien Swarm. But there is a third free Valve-related game out there that you might not know about.

Movie Review: The American

There are some movies that don’t bother explaining motives, characters, or even the most basic of plot decisions. The movie starts, you’re plunked down in the middle of everything, and you’re left to figure it out as the story unfolds. Imagine opening a 400-page book to the middle, skipping every fifth page, and reading to the end. That’s what The American is like. And it works.

George Clooney stars as the eponymous hero, and honestly, the title is about as much information as you’ll get about his character. Is he an assassin? Is he a custom weapons maker for other assassins? Why does he accept orders from his boss without question or argument? How does he know who to kill? None of this is actually very important to enjoying the movie as long as you let yourself relax and take a trip. The American is quite a trip. It mostly concerns itself with placing you in an understanding of mindset, as opposed to a position of sympathy with the main character.

Movie Review: Machete

Note: Juan Letona helps us stay current by offering up his review of Machete. Be sure to check out more of his writing on Bitmob and follow him on Twitter.

Robert Rodriguez's latest movie, Machete -- based on a trailer created for Grindhouse, Rodriguez and Tarantino's tribute to b-movie schlock -- is a bloody, revenge-filled adventure. The story takes place in the capital of Texas, where the character for which the movie is named, a day laborer, is thrown into a mixture of politics, corruption, and law. Machete quickly realizes that law and order in the United States of America is just as corrupt as the United States of Mexico.

Unoriginal Soundtracks: Worms Reloaded Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.

Worms fills a hole in my childhood the same size as the Power Rangers or Star Wars. When online multiplayer still involved dialing your opponent's modem, Worms was as easy to set up as Monopoly. We gathered around a hot seat and took our turns with silly voices and sillier weapons. Worms Reloaded brought the franchise into the second decade of this century with Steam matchmaking and friends lists. That hot seat mode is still in there, though, and is the still the best way to enjoy one of the most successful indie franchises ever.

Video Round-Up: Labor Day Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

Happy Labor Day, readers! Now, I know that the US economy and the principles of capitalism detract from the purpose of Labor Day (Labour Day, as it's called in more fun countries). No, we cannot honor this holiday; we must work! The people need Long John Silver's greasy-ass fish, dammit! But for those of us who have the day off, or are getting home from work this evening and want to be happy, just click the Read More button and enjoy.

Netflix Minute: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Netflix Minute is a weekly feature highlighting a title from Netflix's catalog of instant view films. If you want to spend a night snuggled up with a bag of popcorn and don't want to drive to the video store, this is for you.

Being a fairly devoted James Cameron fan, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles marked a large hole in my experience with him at the creative wheel. The Terminator movies have been somewhat hit-or-miss as far as I’m concerned, with the second leaving the biggest impact overall. Despite the bad taste left in my mouth after Terminator 3, it didn’t take long for me to realize how much I like Chronicles.

Modern action serials have been able to offer more and more as time goes on, with some people going as far as to say they are at parity with cinema. While I might agree with that statement when considering shows like Fringe and The Wire, Sarah Connor Chronicles isn’t nearly as fine tuned an experience.

August Music Wrap-Up

The Music Wrap-Up is a monthly summary of my favorite and other notable new releases. Having trouble keeping up with all the new music? Need some music suggestions? Then the Music Wrap-Up is for you. And please support these musicians as that's the reason I'm featuring them in the first place.

There's no time to catch up this month, there were more than enough new releases to keep up with. Sure, you probably heard all about Arcade Fire's new album, but there were plenty more great CDs you may have missed. Also, I sort of debuted reader contributions this month by spamming Twitter a few days before the end of the month. In the future, if you'd like to write about a new release you've been enjoying, or at least just send me a tip and maybe some YouTube links, shoot an email to CerebralPop [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject "Music Wrap-Up." Now, onto the music.