Happy Halloween!

Since I'll likely be busy with the kiddos all day tomorrow, just wanted to wish everyone who stops by my little corner of the internets a Happy Halloween.

Mister Bones' Top 5

Just in case anybody still hasn't decided on what they want to be this weekend, I'm here to help with the 5 scariest Halloween costumes ever. Any one of these is guaranteed to make me scream like a little girl, and get you a door slammed in your face at my apartment.

Top 5 Scariest Halloween Costumes Ever

5. A humanoid creature with goat legs - I'm just going to let the picture speak for itself on this one *shudder*...


4. Airline tickets - yeah just try and get my ass on a plane....


3. A shark - just look at all those teeth!


2. A pregnant woman - those of us who have kids know, these are fucking SCARY.


1. A banjo playing mountain person - yeah this bad boy right here is not only guaranteed to get the door slammed in your face, but also send me running frantically in the other direction.


There ya go, scary shit, no? If anybody decides to use any of these, SEND PICS!

Joystiq's Halloween 2009 Pumpkin Carving Contest

Joystiq posted their entries for their pumpkin carving contest! I always love all the video game related Jacko's that my fellow geeks roll out every year. Here are my faves from the contest:




You can check out the rest of the entries here.

Infinite Playlist - The Theme from Halloween

You knew this was coming, the single greatest theme in movie history (take THAT Jaws theme!) on the week of the single greatest holiday in the world. I like the Rob Zombie version just fine, but the original John Carpenter version is where it's at. Enjoy!

Halloween Theme - John Carpenter

Who Wants to Live Forever

Been a little let down by Woot! this week. I had high hopes for their Halloween t's, even the community voted upon derby has been disappointing, none of the designs I voted on scored very highly. Ah well, always the outcast, even amongst like-minded people.

I did however buy one shirt last week, titled "Who Wants to Live Forever" because it had the Universal Monsters on the front, and I have a soft spot in my heart for Universal Monsters. From the description on Woot! I think the image has something to do with the band Queen maybe, but Queen sucks so I haven't bothered to research further. The shirt has monsters, and therefore is awesome, and therefore will shortly be claiming a spot in my Closet of Awesome.

Thoughts on Paranormal Activity

I finally got to watch Paranormal Activity last night. The short version: DO NOT BELIEVE THE HYPE.

The long version with spoilers:

This movie is the absolute epitome of a letdown, and really drives home the fact that sometimes hype can really sell a movie. This thing is pure boredom, and the one scene which I suppose was supposed to be really scary, literally made me laugh out loud.

Part of the problem, other than the fact that bumps and doors slightly opening and closing while people are asleep doesn't scare me, is that I didn't really give a fuck if these people were gutted in their sleep or not, let alone if something was bumping their walls and waking them. They were completely unlikeable characters, and to be honest they came off as completely fucking stupid throughout the entire movie.

I'd love to post more pics but this is essentially the only shot in the whole 107 minute movie anyway.

I get what the director was going for here, with the popularity of TAPS on Sci-Fi, ghost hunting seems to be all the rage right now, or at least its' in the spotlight more so than it's ever been before, and why not cash in on that a little using the old Blair Witch formula? And it appears that it's worked out big for them. Paranormal Activity just didn't work out for me though.

I absolutely loved The Blair Witch Project, and i defend it to this day, but what made it so great was how much you didn't see, how much it left up to the audience to interpret for themselves. It did just enough to put ideas in your head, but never gave you the money shot. Paranormal Activity goes the other route and pretty much blows it's load on three scenes, which I unfortunately laughed at all 3 of. No uneasy feelings, no screaming and crying giant man-tears, and no problems sleeping in my bed alone afterwards.

In summary, watch Paranormal Activity to see just how bad The Blair Witch Project could've been, watch it for two characters who you wish the ghost would just pick up and throw out the window, and even watch it if you're a fan of Ghost Hunters like me. However don't watch it if you're looking fora genuine scare, you won't get one, unless of course you're afraid of invisible chickens who live in attics.

Random Screen Grab of the Week

Some Random Bonestube

Been a little busy this week, but wanted to drop by and post a couple vids that I've seen lately...

Growth Trailer


Solomon Kaine Trailer


Wolfman Trailer 2


The Expendables Trailer


The Crazies Trailer


I'm going on record now stating Wolfman will be the best film of 2010, and looks like it will quite possibly finally give another viable choice in the "greatest werewolf transformation sequence ever" argument which has been owned by American Werewolf in London and Howling for far too long.

Comic of the Week 10/21

And yet another expensive week for Batman readers. Not that I'm complaining, I don't pay money for my comics anyway, but I feel for those of you who do. This stuff is getting out of hand. This week also marks the return of an old favorite of mine, though in name only, as the new Azrael gets his own series, and the Justice League gets a much needed kick in the ass from the new creative team of Mark "everybody will look like they're either teenagers or children" Bagley and James "I wrote Starman so worship me" Robinson! Excitement abound for sure, but it's my love for holiday themed specials that gets my pick of the week.

Comic of the Week

As mentioned I love me a holiday special, but I also love me an out of continuity anthology, and we all know about how much I love me some Halloween, so when DC puts all of these things together, then color me happy. 80 glorious pages of spooktacular thrills, including over 10 spine tingling stories, plus witness how Bizarro celebrates Halloween on Bizarroworld, which of course is worth the money by itself for me. The DCU Halloween Special for 2009 is upon us! Rejoice and read the solicit!

Darkness falls across the land as the DC Universe faces its greatest horror in this Halloween special filled with all-new stories! Watch as Guy Gardner continues his quest to share Halloween with the cosmos and his fellow alien Green Lantern Corps members. In another tale, Red Robin finds the true, deadly meaning of the sinister holiday while overseas on his quest to find Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, Bizarro receives neither trick nor treat in his own backwards celebration of the spookiest night of the year on his home world. Plus, 10 other ghoulish tales to fill you with fright this Halloween!

Honorable mentions for Batman vs an invisible mad scientist in Batman The Unseen #2, Ma Kent is gonna get crunk on zombie Lois Lane in Blackest Night Superman #3, and give Azrael #1 a look for nostalgia's sake of for nothing else.

The Pull List

• Amazing Spider-man #609
• Azrael #1
• Batman Confidential #35
• Batman Streets of Gotham #5
• Batman the Unseen #2
• Blackest Night Superman #3
• Brave and the Bold #28
• DCU Halloween Special 2009
• Deadpool Merc With a Mouth #4
• Elephantmen #22
• Justice League of America #38
• Outsiders #23
• Superman/Batman #65
  

Treehouse of Horror XX

What's almost better than Halloween? The single greatest holiday tradition in television history? The annual Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode of course! Don't forget tonight's the night for ToH XX! Twenty glorious years, and here's to twenty more.

Random Screen Grab of the Week

Simply because things "of the Week" are fun to post. I watch a LOT of movies, and some moments just scream for immortalization. Case in point, our very first screen from one of this year's, hell I'll say it, decade's greatest films....

Did anybody NOT love this scene? That's what I thought.

2009 Jack O Lanterns

So I picked today for my annual pumpkin carving and pizza Saturday Halloween tradition with the kids. I am by no means a professional pumpkin carver like my Uncle Violent J, but I always have fun with this. Previous years have produced two grim reaper pumpkins, a Batman one, a Gears of War one, and a Halo 3 logo one.

Jacob and Catie got to pick a pattern from one of my books first, and went with the following because and I quote "it looks like Joker" and well, I can't argue with logic like that. So with some help from daddy, here's what theirs ended up looking like:



I went without a pattern as per usual, but I knew what I wanted to do, and didn't expect to have much trouble with it. Unfortunately about half way through mine, I broke not just one, but both of my pumpking saw things and had to finish with a regular old kitchen knife. That coupled with the fact that it's not exactly easy to free hand a design on the surface of a pumpkin left mine just a tad "uneven" this year, but I still think it's pretty cool nonetheless.



So there ya go! The Bones family Jack O Lanterns for this year. The seeds are currently baking in the oven, and we're officially ready for the greatest holiday of the year. Hopefully we've done enough to keep our new little buddy Sam safely outside the door.....

Death Troopers

Ok, be honest, when's the last time a book trailer got you excited? Me too! But dammit this is just awesome. I love Star Wars, I do, but for me it's never really reached that "obsession level" like it has so many of my fellow nerds in arms. I've seen the movies, I watch Clone Wars on CN, I play most of the Star Wars related video games, I've even read some of the comics, but I've never ventured into the novels. This one however, Death Troopers, just looks awesome, and judging by the bloody Storm Trooper helmet on the cover, is likely right up my alley.

Check out this fan made trailer for the book, which is in stores now.

Comic of the Week 10/14

After a Bat-heavy pull list last week, DC drops a few more on us today with Batgirl, Batman, Detective Comics Annual, and Red Robin all shipping. The good thing about so much Batman related stuff coming out right now is that honestly most of it is pretty good, and even great in some cases. That being said, it's not a Batman comic that gets the dubious honour of being my pick of the week, instead I'm giving it to Hellboy. Again.

Comic of the Week

Everybody ran out immediately and picked up #6 last month when it was my pick of the week right? Of course you did. Holy shit was that a revelation or what? Yeah, this is definitely one of the best Hellboy stories to date. I can not wait to go back and re-read this whole thing in one sitting. This time around we also get a Henry Hood, Witchfinder back-up and while that means less Hellboy, as long as it's a solid read, I'll be ok with it. Let's just not make a habit of shortening my Hellboy comics, mkay Dark Horse? If you read the solicit, it goes a little something like this:

"In a terrifying fortress decorated with dead soldiers, Hellboy reels from recent revelations about his bloodline and his connection to British history, and to the Queen of Blood herself. But there's little time for him to consider his destiny when Astaroth arrives, leading to a battle that will tear down the castle walls around the unconscious Alice.

This issue also includes a backup story by Scott Allie (Solomon Kane) and Patric Reynolds, featuring Henry Hood, the zealous witchfinder introduced in Hellboy: Darkness Calls!"

Honorable mentions go to more Batman and zombies in Batman Blackest Night #3, the hunters find out just how Rick and co. roll in the finale of "Fear the Hunters" in Walking Dead #66, the new Azrael's story continues in Detective Annual #11, and Deadpool reaches an amazing anniversary in Deadpool #900 (?!).

The Pull List

• Batgirl #3
• Batman #691
• Blackest Night Batman #3
• BPRD 1947 #4
• Deadpool #900
• Detective Comics #11
• Green Lantern Corps #41
• Hellboy The Wild Hunt #7
• Red Robin #5
• Walking Dead #66
  

Instant Classic

Last night I was lucky enough to see the greatest comeback victory in NHL history take place. The Chicago Blackhawks came from a 5 goal deficit and eventually went on to win in the first minute of overtime 6-5 over the Calgary Flames. This is the most fun I've had watching a hockey game on television since the infamous Flyers/Penguins 5 overtime playoff game in 2000. I'll remember this game forever for a couple of reasons, it was definitely one for the ages.

Mister Bones' Top 5

Been spending a lot of time in the Xbox Live Arcade lately, and this year there have certainly been some great games available for download. This summer in particular saw Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, Shadow Complex, Marvel vs Capcom 2, and Zombie Apocalypse release. It's been a while since I sat down and did a Top 5, so I thought I'd do my best to pick the Top 5 XBLA titles so far. Let's see here....

Top 5 Xbox Live Arcade Titles

5. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - Seriously Capcom needs to work on shortening the name on some of these damn Street Fighter related games, don't they? Anyway, this game is the very epitome of video game crack for me. Take a Dr. Mario style drop down brick-breaking game and add some cutesy super-deformed Street Fighter flavor, and Mr. Bones is a happy gamer. Played a ridiculous amount of this game on my Playstation, then again on my PSP years later, and finally began my addiction all over again on my Xbox 360. The game can be punishingly difficult at times, but it's just so damn fun that you won't mind playing against Chun-Li over and over. Or at least I don't.

4. Shadow Complex - This one is awesome for many reasons, one of which being that it shows just how good a 2-D game can still be. It takes the exploration formula from games like Super Metroid, and every GOOD Castlevania game from the last 10 years, forcing you to revisit areas after you've found the appropriate upgrade for your armor suit, and throws in lots of guns, explosions, and giant mech bosses! I believe I read somewhere that this story has something to do with Orson Scott Card's writing, but I don't care enough to actually research that particular little tid bit. I'm not a Card fan, and not knowing anything about his work didn't detract from my enjoyment of this game or the story.

3. Zombie Apocalypse - Go ahead and pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, I put Zombie Apocalypse above Shadown Complex in the list. The reason is simple, what do you get when you take Smash TV and mix it together with Left 4 Dead? One bad ass mother-effer of a game, that's what. I absolutely love this game. Is it repetitive? Sure, it's kinda supposed to be though. This is as old school as you can get, with a high score being more of a point than actually playing from start to finish. Blood, gore, and limbs fly around as you gun down wave after wave of the undead through 55 days worth of 7 different locations. There are several weapons at your disposal including zombie game mainstays the chainsaw and shotgun, and even more fun stuff like a rocket launcher and chaingun. It's mindless fun that easy to pick up and play, and if you're like me, a couple of hours will pass before you realize it.

2. Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Ah the old PS1 classic, I broke my first Playstation controller over this one. Good times. The first Castlevania to make use of the aforementioned "Super Metroid" game type, you play as Alucard instead of a member of series mainstays the Belmont Clan. You transform into mist, bat, or wolf forms, and explore Dracula's Castle from top to bottom (and eventually bottom to top) before finally confronting the king of all bloodsuckers himself. It doesn't matter how many versions are released, or how many consoles I have to buy it for, this game will always be worth the money for me. While it's not my all-time favorite Castlevania game, it's definitely my favorite PS1 game, and anybody with an Xbox and 800 points should play it.

1. Battlefield 1943 - Battlefield is the shit. There's just something about jumping in a game with 23 other people and "playing army" together that I can't get enough of. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was my first Battlefield experience and I've been hooked ever since. 1943 is a bit light on content, with only 4 maps and 3 solider classes, but you'll hardly notice because you're having so much fun driving tanks, jeeps, and boats, or piloting fighter planes overhead. The one and only complaint that I see most people have is the lack of a single player component, but honestly other than maybe bot matches there really isn't a need for one in my opinion. This is without a doubt the best that the XBLA has to offer so far, and I'd love to see more downloadable Battlefield in the future.

As you can see, the bar has certainly been raised for the Arcade here lately. It's definitely come a long way since things like Dig Dug getting released got me excited. I didn't even mention some other really great games like Castle Crashers, Galaga Legions, Metal Slug 3, and Puzzle Quest. I never would've guessed that I'd be so into the downloadable games, but I love 'em. Being that I've also got a PS3 with it's own outlet for them, I think a Top 5 PSN games post may be coming in the near future, stay tuned.

Infinite Playlist x2 - Ravenous, Ravenous Rhynos and HxC 2-Step

A double dose this time from I Set My Friends on Fire from their album You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter. Enjoy!

Ravenous, Ravenous Rhinos - I Set My Friends On Fire

HxC 2-Step - I Set My Friends On Fire

Trick R' Treat review

I'd love to sit here and type a long, thought-out, glowing review for this movie. In fact that was my intention when I sat down. Unfortunately I can't think of a way to do that without spoiling something, even giving the smallest detail might detract from your enjoyment of this wonderful piece of movie making, and I just couldn't live with myself if I did that to you.

So here's the best that I could come up with, and while it's not exactly on par with my usually long-winded and pointlessly wordy reviews, at least it accurately sums up my feelings toward Trick R' Treat, and really, isn't that what a review is supposed to do?

Fucking A+

Comic of the Week 10/6

Well I left you hanging the past couple of weeks, but I'm sure you all made fine purchases being that you've had my guidance and wisdom to carry you through these past few years. This week is a bit of a mixed bag with strong contenders from not only Marvel and DC, but Wildstorm and Dark Horse as well. In the end, as it always does, Batman and Robin trumps all other comics on my list, and we've only had to wait 3 weeks since the last issue!

Comic of the Week

So when we left off, Dick and Damien were being targeted by the Red Hood and Scarlet, but we still didn't know exactly who Red Hood was. Dick called Jason's name, but Hood didn't respond to him. So is it Jason?! I NEED to know. Maybe we'll find out this time. I also mentioned before about how Philip Tan's art might be overshadowed by his predecessor Frank Quitely, and while to an extent it certainly is, I do think that this is some of Tan's best work to date. And at least he can maintain a montly schedule and that in and of itself makes him a rarity in the field. Solicit reads...

Are two Dynamic Duos too much for one city? Batman and Robin find themselves at cross-purposes with Red Hood and Scarlet. Who's right? Who's wrong? And who will end up being the chosen protectors of Gotham City?

Honorable mentions this week go to more Kelley Jones Batman goodness in Batman: The Unseen #1, looks like Moon Knight is finally back to his old self and this makes me happy so give Vengeance of Moon Knight #2 a look, and Warren Ellis and John Cassady's masterpiece Planetary is finally shipping it's last issue, and it's about damn time.

The Pull List

• Amazing Spider-man #608
• Batman and Robin #5
• Batman and Robin #5 Philip Tan variant
• Batman Confidential #34
• Batman The Unseen #1
• Deadpool #16
• Ghost Rider Heaven's on Fire #3
• Justice League Cry for Justice #4
• Planetary #27
• Sweet Tooth #2
• Vengeance of Moon Knight #2
• Vengeance of Moon Knight #2 zombie variant
• Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels #4
  

Prediction of Nostradamical proportion

Borrowed from The Nut and the Feisty Weasel

Quite Nice Black and White and other stuff

Entered my September Previews order at the store yesterday, and there was some really nice stuff this month. I got a bust, another beautiful Batman Black and White statue, and I'm still contemplating on another statue. Here's what I'm definitely ordering:

Frank Quitely Batman Black and White statue

Obviously I've included the art that the statue is based on for comparison, and this is easily one of the best looking of the series thus far. The sculpt is almost spot-on. Also worth noting is that the Batman in question is actually Dick Grayson and not Bruce, making this the first Dick as Batman statue. There's a joke there somewhere, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

Heroes Villains of the DC Universe Joker Bust

Simply because one can never have enough Joker statues. This one is based on Gary Frank's art, though I couldn't find any specific piece to use as comparison. Gary is hands down one of the most talented artists working in the field today, and nobody draws a better Superman, period. His Joker is nice too though, and I'm looking forward to adding this one to the Batcave.

DC Dynamics Batman Statue

And finally the one I'm still on the fence about, DC Dynamics Batman statue. This thing carries a hefty $195 price tag, which is about $100 more than I normally like to spend in this stuff. On the other hand though, holy shit is it gorgeous, I would get my 20% discount, and I would have until at least May of next year to save up. This will likely be ordered too, but as of right now hasn't been.

So either way, May is shaping up to be an expensive month for yours truly. However this is pretty much my one and only kind of thing I allow myself to splurge on, and I feel like I deserve it every now and then. Right? Right? Screw you guys!

"Mayhem" doesn't appreciate his stats....

....mayhem ensues! Got a legitimate laugh out of this, good stuff.