White Board Mafia

So we’ve reviewed a bunch of things on this site. Games, Movies, Music, Concerts. But never food. I think I have to post this as it is among the strongest negative responses I’ve ever had to a foodstuff…

OK, for most folks it goes without saying that something from Taco Bell would be absolutely disgusting. But I personally am a fan of the Bell of Tacos, having gotten stuff from them for lunch several times. Although I find some of their foodstuffs better than others, I have never been as disgusted by anything I’ve had from them as I am today.

They got these new “Cantina Tacos” which are supposed to be like their Chipotle/Moe’s/Panchero equivalent of like corner mexican joint legit tacos. Well, not only are they NOTHING like those other places, or legit Mexican joints, they are a disgusting, nauseating disaster.

I got a steak and carnitas one, as those are my favorite taco/burrito stuffing options. The steak itself was actually OK, it was pretty tasty along with the cilantro, lime and onions they add. However, the double tortilla thing they wrap it in is absolutely horrible. It doesn’t even taste like real food, it has the taste and texture of foam rubber. It’s all spongy and nasty, it should be insulating my house not cradling my taco filling.

That would’ve been bad enough but when I unwrapped my carnitas one, I did not recognize the substance inside the “taco” as any food I recognized. It looks like they put some kind of beast through a food processors and dumped it into a pot of brown Thanksgiving gravy. Then after boiling it for days, decided to take a spoonful of their meat glop and dump it onto the sponge tortilla. Also, I don’t know if they forgot the cilantro and onions by accident, but it didn’t come with any and it would have improved the gravyness.

I sit here an hour after the meal, and my insides are going nuts. This isn’t unusual for Taco Bell, but it is at this particular level of internal rage. Much like the Wayne’s World 2 red rope licorice, stay away from the Cantina Tacos, lest you want your tastebuds offended and your intestines raped.

I will gladly be going back for the Chicken Club Chalupa, however.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve actually bothered to blog about anything. I went and tried starting my own blog, but I ended up losing the purpose for my blog due to a lack of money. However, the writing bug does bite every now and then and thus I’d like to announce my official return to Whiteboardmafia.com. Reviews, complaints, rants, stream of consciousness writing, these will be all the things I write about here. Enjoy, mofos!

So I’ve managed to whittle down my top 5 favorite albums, but I’m still working on those video games! I’m having too much fun with Borderlands and Assassin’s Creed 2 to seriously get down to business, sit down and try to beat them!

Regardless, here’s Boomaga’s Top 5 Albums of 2009…

5. POS – Never Better

Rhymesayers continues to be my favorite label for hip hop. Atmosphere’s “When Life Gives You Lemons…” was one of my favorite albums of 2008 and their trend of excellence continues with POS’ Never Better. You’ll never hear me listen to a Top 40 or rap station on the radio, because 99% of what they play is garbage. However, there is another subsection of hip hop that actually is thoughtful, deep and culturally relevant, and POS’ Never Better is the best example of that sect In 2009. POS is a talented wordsmith, able to write and deliver his lines with flair and creativity and his beats are unique and catchy, letting you bob your head as you think about what he’s saying. As a metal head, the hip hop albums I like are few and far between, so when I say there’s one people should actually pay attention to, you can take it to the bank.

4. Megadeth – Endgame

Megadeth has this strange talent that seems to be exclusive to them. They’re one of the first bands I ever really got into, and unlike other classic metal bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica, they always seem to vanish from my attention. Then, out of nowhere, Dave Mustaine and his rotating collection of metal misfits seem to tear their way back into my metal consciousness. They did it in 2004 with the System has Failed and now again in 2009 with Endgame. Their 2007 album seemed kinda weak, but Endgame is short, to the point, heavy, thrashy and amazing. From the opening instrumental to the last few moments, Endgame doesn’t let up for one bit and recalls Megadeth’s finest days in the mid to late 80’s. Not one second of time is wasted in this perfectly executed, concise album, leading me to pop this CD into my car or stereo and listen to it over and over and over. It’s hard to say all of today’s long-time metal acts have what they had 20 years ago. Slayer seems to be writing the same album over and over again, Judas Priest doesn’t know if they want to be like Sabbath or Jethro Tull (Nostradamus, anyone?) but Megadeth still manages to stay fresh while reminding old metal heads why they loved the band in the first place.

3. Lamb of God – Wrath

I love Lamb of God, they are an incredibly energetic live act and their music makes me want to punch some faces. That being said, I can rarely listen to a complete Lamb of God album from start to finish. I have all of their albums but I’ve listened to them the whole way through very little. The reason being is that LoG’s hardest hitting songs are awesome, most of the stuff they play live and the singles are pretty intense and great to listen to. However, some of their deep tracks are pretty weak and everything starts to run together about 5-6 tracks in. Wrath breaks that cycle and delivers a solid metal experience from beginning to end. Each LoG album has its share of great songs, but this may be their first completely great album, despite what its naysayers think.

2. CKY – Carver City

This would be my dark horse. I didn’t really care about CKY prior to 2009, I had heard their older stuff and didn’t give it a second thought. Well, I’m glad I found Carver City or else I’d never know what I missed. Carver City isn’t groundbreaking or technically amazing, it’s just a solid, fun rock album and there aren’t nearly enough of those. Memorable riffs, catchy hooks, plentiful organs (it’s an inside joke and quip about some of the unique features of this album), Carver City just plain rocks. I’d recommend this to fans of metal, hard rock and alternative alike. These guys can span a pretty wide audience, it’s amazing they really haven’t broken through the mainstream yet, there are quite a few songs on this album I could imagine hearing on the radio, but I guess the record industry is too busy looking for the next AC/DC knockoff to find the quality rock music sitting right in front of them.

1. Mastodon – Crack the Skye

This one was a no-brainer. Anyone who’s known me, followed my Facebook posts or listened to my musical rants knows that Crack the Skye was not only my favorite album of 2009, but has quickly ascended to one of my favorite albums of all time and my favorite work from Mastodon, period. The third in a series of excellent and varied concept albums, Crack the Skye stands as Mastodon’s most mature, complex and emotional work to date.

Drawing from a number of musical, literary and metaphysical influences, Crack the Skye tells the story of someone’s soul losing its way across the universe, trying to find its way back home. There’s such a strong feeling of hopelessness and despair during the journey I can’t help but feel emotionally attached to the tale through some of my own personal journeys over the last year. A 50-minute long epic spread across 7 tracks scouring several metal and rock genres, its hard to pinpoint the words to describe how the album sounds and feels except for give it a try. You don’t have to love Mastodon or metal to appreciate what Crack the Skye does, you just have to have an open mind and an appreciation for something a little different.

And now, my biggest disappointments of 2009…

God Forbid’s “Earthsblood” and Chimaira’s “The Infection” – I am putting these two together for the distinct reason that they were both disappointing follow-ups to amazing metal albums. While I’ve made peace with both albums and think they are both decent, Earthsblood doesn’t touch Constitution of Treason and the Infection shouldn’t even be on the same shelf as Resurrection. Better luck next time, guys.

Every year on the message boards and blogs I post on, I usually post 3 messages, one with my top movies, albums and video games of the year. Well, I’m still undecided on the albums and I’m still playing through a lot of 2009’s best games, so I don’t feel I’m ready to write those posts, but in a generally disappointing year of movies, I’m ready to reveal which of the few good ones I saw were my favorites.

Boomaga’s TOP FIVE FILMS OF 2009

5. The Hangover – I usually don’t have any comedies on my yearly list, but that’s because most comedies nowadays kinda suck. I’ll see them in the theaters and they’re one and done affairs, walk away with a few laughs and never need to see them again. The Hangover was different, loaded with enough witty remarks, ridiculous situations and clever jokes to keep me laughing several times through, this movie is something different. It’s a comedy that almost anyone can enjoy, provided they’re not the easily offended type.

4. Up – I don’t think a single movie this year made me laugh or tear up as much as this one. While it’s not Pixar’s best movie, even their worst movies usually end up being some of the best films of their respective years. I never thought I’d want to see the adventures of an old widower and a young cub scout, but I couldn’t help but be drawn into their story of adventure and mutual friendship in a beautifully rendered wilderness.

3. Watchmen – This movie was made for people who read the book. That being said, I read the book and loved this movie. Slavishly loyal to this source material, this was literally the comic brought to life. Now, because of that it became a little long winded and hard to swallow for folks not familiar with the original material, but as a fan of the book I will say I don’t think they could have done a better job. All the intense moments and favorite characters brought to life before me couldn’t make me happier, kudos to Zach Snyder for giving us Watchmen fans the best film adaptation we could hope for.

2. Inglourious Basterds – SPOILER ALERT….

I can’t not like any World War II movie where they kill Hitler. After being sucked into Tarantino’s wild world by Kill Bill and massively disappointed by Death Proof, I didn’t know what to expect from Inglorious Basterds. World War II seemed like a time where Tarantino’s style and scripting wouldn’t really flourish, but I was wrong. From the drawn-out and increasingly tense dialogue in the first scene to our introduction to the titular Basterds to the very last swastika being carved into Hans Landa’s head, this was Tarantino at his finest, a truly interesting and original take on cinema.

1. Star Trek – Of all the movies I saw in 2009, none of them captivated me and kept a smile on my face like JJ Abram’s Star Trek. I was never a huge fan of the original series or any of the Trek material, or anything JJ Abram has done for that matter, but the stars must have aligned for this project. I had seen a couple of the older Trek movies and knew who the main characters were, but I was nowhere near a Trekkie, and this movie managed to blow me away. A fantastic and likable cast, which is uncanny in most of today’s movies, a mix of new and nostalgic elements from the series, great action and special effects and a well-paced storyline that was more likely to keep you enthralled and entertained. It wasn’t trying to be revolutionary like Avatar or pretentious like District 9, it was just trying to be fun, and that’s really what movies should strive to be, they are entertainment after all. I can honestly say I didn’t enjoy myself more at the movie theaters than I did watching Star Trek, and that is why it is my favorite movie of 2009.

Also, here were my biggest disappointments of 2009:

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: I watched Harry Potter 4 and 5 right before this came out and was actually pretty hyped for it. I’m not a huge fan of the franchise, but I enjoyed the previous two movies and was excited for the new one, which proved to be one of the most boring movies I ever saw. 2 hours long and covered a plot point that could have been wrapped up in like 10 minutes, the rest of the time nothing fucking happened. Just a long-ass teenage snogging Dumblebore.

- Public Enemies – Two of my favorite actors in a real-life gangster drama, sounds sweet to me, too bad neither of the actors played likeable characters and the entire movie seemed to put along at an uninteresting pace. I couldn’t get sucked into it and spent the entire 2 movies battling sleep.

- Avatar – This really shouldn’t be on here because I wasn’t that excited to see it, but this movie was all style and no substance with all the special effects to impress someone who’s never played a Playstation 3.

Although the top films were easily my favorites of 2009, I don’t think any of them would rank within my top 10 films of the decade, 2000-2009. I’m currently trying to break down what’s going to be included in that list but I already know what number 1 is by a landslide, I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with “Fjord of the Pings”.

I’ve been listening to video game music my entire life. Video game music was the first real music for which I had an ear and a passion. Eventually as I grew into a teenager I found my own musical identity, when I became a huge metal fan, listening to the bands which are still my favorites today like Metallica and Iron Maiden. However, before I first heard Master of Puppets, I had been making my own cassette tapes of video game soundtracks for years. Castlevania, Darkstalkers, Mega Man, these were the soundtracks to my early life, and to this day I still listen to the Final Fantasy, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros soundtracks today on my iPod from time to time. So when I heard a few years back that live orchestra concerts that played video game music were being organized, I just crossed my fingers and wished that one would come to Philadelphia. I had tickets to Video Games Live in Philly back in 2005, but the show was unceremoniously cancelled and I didn’t find out until the day of the show. I was disappointed, but I knew that I would get another chance. My time finally came last night, October 11, 2009. Video Games Live hit Philadelphia and I wasn’t going to miss it for anything.

                I approached the show with excitement laced with skepticism, because I had heard from a few people online that it was disappointing and overrated. I can gladly say the moment I took my seat and heard the orchestra start to play, the smile that came across my face wouldn’t wear off for the entire show. Of all the concerts I’ve seen in my time, the voice in the back of my head told me this was the one I had waited the longest part of my lifetime to see. I had gotten to see the video game-themed metal band Powerglove last year, but even their gaming-infused music paled in comparison to the experience that was Video Games Live.

The show started out with a compilation of music from older arcade games including Punch-Out, Gauntlet, and Contra among others and as it continued, the audience was treated to a musical “best-of” of some of the gaming industry’s biggest franchises. From the heavy handed themes to Metal Gear Solid, which I will admit had my eyes welling up in emotion and gamer pride, to the lighter hearted music from Sonic the Hedgehog, the show spanned the scope and history of gaming quite well. While the music was originally composed for video games, it still had the universal appeal similar to movie scores or other classical pieces regardless of the context of how the music was created. While the music may mean more to the gamer audience, it can be appreciated by anyone. The show’s host and co-creator, Tommy Tallarico even commented that one of the pieces was his mother’s favorite in the show.

The show proceeded through game themes new and old. The audience was treated to pieces newer franchises like Halo and World of Warcraft and classic games like the Legend of Zelda and Castlevania. There was something for everyone and even game scores I didn’t recognize, such as Civilization IV were so brilliantly performed and orchestrated that there was never a dull moment, even if I had never heard the music before. I was particularly enthused by some of the less currently mainstream choices, such as classic music from Metroid and Mega Man, which I yelled “YEAH!” out loud upon its introduction and was possibly my favorite part of the night. It’s easy to say that last night was the culmination of my 20 years as a video game music enthusiast.

I will say that there were a few things that bothered me personally, but that’s because of my depth of knowledge and experience with video game music. What bothered me first was a longing for more variety in the music from some of the older franchises. For example, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario both have long history of rich music and several memorable themes across that time but the orchestra just stuck pretty much to the main themes from the original 20+ year old games and it just felt a little limited like they were playing things a little too safe with those franchises. The screen was showing video footage from Super Mario Galaxy, but they weren’t playing any actual music from that game’s incredible soundtrack. I was also disappointed to see that VGL couldn’t secure rights to any SquareEnix footage to accompany some of the excellent Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy music they played. The music was still fantastic, but it took away from the experience to not have the accompanying visuals like they had for all of the other pieces in the show. These issues might not bother someone who isn’t as close to the original material, but as spoiled as I was the whole night it still left me wanting more. Of course, that just means I’ll be back to see what they play next time.

I feared with the rise of licensed music in gaming and the lack of catchy, memorable themes in most new games that the appreciation of video game music would soon die off. However, with the enthusiastic crowd and phenomenal performance from Video Games Live, I’m glad to say it’s now hotter than ever. Even if the music played isn’t exactly new, Video Games Live provides a whole new way to hear and appreciate it. If you’ve been a gamer for the last 10, 15 or 20 years I cannot give this show a stronger recommendation, and be sure to bring your non-gamer friends and family, because they’ll probably have a good time too. I can think of a few people I’m going to talk into coming with me NEXT time!

See you then, Mr. Tallarico!

So E3 2009 has come and gone. For those of you not familiar with the nomenclature, E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, basically the biggest video game show of the year. It’s like 2nd Christmas for over-enthusiastic gamer, the one who can’t wait to hear the news, watch the latest previous and see all the rumors relating to video games. Basically it shows me everything I’m going to be too impatient for to wait until Christmas to get and what I’ll be buying onwards in 2010. Now, for the last couple years, E3 has been tuned down, almost more like a businessmen meeting where they let a couple media observers in to take notes. This year, it was just about back to it’s earlier incarnation, which has been a full-blown convention where the top game companies show off their biggest guns to an overwhelmed media and a voracious public.

I thought the big three, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, all had fairly impressive showings, but I thought I would break it down into my thoughts on each company’s press conference followed by my top 10 most anticipated games coming out of the conference. Here we go…

1. Microsoft – Ever since Microsoft stepped onto the scene they’ve looked to make an impact at E3. Whether it was Peter Moore’s Halo 2 tattoo or Peter Moore’s “Zen of Gaming” or… Peter Moore… well, you get the idea. Peter Moore used to be Microsoft’s hot shit at E3, but then he left the company to go sell more copies of Madden and while Microsoft hasn’t had quite the same personality about their press conference, but one things they did have were great, exciting, solid games to show off and demo each year, and that didn’t change this year. While I may not be big on Modern Combat 2, it can’t be denied that it’s a beautiful, intense looking game that will sell a few million copies. I thought the Rock Band Beatles presentation was WAAAAY too long and overdone, and the fact that they brought out Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney was both cool and crazy. Especially considering how uncomfortable the former Beatles looked selling their own game. Some other sweet previews were shown off, like Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and the unexpectedly awesome-looking Alan Wake.  Microsoft also gave some great details on improvements to overall Xbox functionality, like new streaming and downloadable content improvements, social networking additions and other non-game related enhancements putting Xbox 360 way ahead of PS3 and Wii for an overall entertainment package. Then, they pulled out their “Wii knockoff”, Project Natal. Now, I think Natal looks like a sweet idea, being able to move your entire body and have the game recognize your movements, voice and face, but I don’t see it being the Wii-killing runaway blockbuster that Microsoft is hoping for. Natal is without a doubt ahead of the Wii when it comes to motion-capturing technology, but I don’t think the as-of-yet unnanounced price tag ON TOP of the cost of an Xbox 360 will do it any favors. Also, consider the already built fanbase that Wii already has, I don’t think those middle-age moms would be willing to shell out the money for ANOTHER motion-capturing video game system when they or their kids already have one. Sorry Natal, brilliant idea and I hope it works as good as it looks, but when you were conceived, you were already too late to the party.

Nintendo – Last year, Nintendo’s Press Conference was fucking abhorrent. You can pretty much see my thoughts on it and their overall business practices last year on a former post on this website: http://www.whiteboardmafia.com/?p=36. However, I feel Nintendo has heard the disgruntled moans of their historically loyal audience and sprung forth at this year’s E3 with nothing particularly revolutionary, but plenty to keep us happy. Forget Wii Fit, Wii Music and whatever other mommy-friendly programs Nintendo’s press conference vomited out last year, this year’s presentation was strictly for the hardcore… almost. There were a few “WTF?” moments with the Wii Vitality Sensor and Women’s Murder Club for DS, but for the most part, Nintendo brought their A-Game… for the most part. FOUR Mario Titles were announced, which sounds like they’re stretching the little guy a bit too far, but I disagree when they all look like they range from good to great. On the good side is a build-your-own-level gimmick game based on Mario vs. Donkey Kong for DS, and a hilarious brand new Mario & Luigi RPG for DS. Also shown ere two fantastic looking Mario Wii games, the sequel to the Wii’s best game, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the new ultra-fun 4-Player Super Mario Bros Wii. I will reserve both of them today, because I guarantee greatness. They pulled out some surprising and impressive smaller hardcore offerings like Golden Sun DS, Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers and a couple new Resident Evils, showing they learned their lesson from the casual, cuddley showing last year. Finally, their grand finale totally rocked every Nintendo Fanboy I know, and that was the first-ever unveiling of Metroid: Other M. This brand new Metroid game from the makers of the brutally difficult new Ninja Gaiden games is exactly what Nintendo needed to get back the trust of their long-time fans. It looks like a brand new experience using a familiar franchise and something to win back the integrity that it seemed Nintendo has been losing over the last few years.

Sony – In a word, boring and uninspiring. If there’s anything that’s a threat to Sony’s success it’s their own vanilla presentation and lack of identity. Microsoft goes out of their way to prove that Xbox 360 is THE hardcore gamer’s platform and Nintendo does the same to show it’s THE casual gamer’s system… so where does that leave Sony? Basically, nowhere, and that’s where they’ll stay if they continue to give these bland presentations. They showed off the PSP Go, a new UMD-less handheld system that really doesn’t look like it has a reason for existing and a collection of new, totally expected games. New Metal Gears that were already rumored, new Gran Turismos that we already knew were coming, and a God of War III preview, those were the highlights of a presentation that was stretched over two hours. Throw in tons of graphs and old Japanese men talking to prove that they have their place in Microsoft’s and Nintendo’s world. Sony looks exactly like what they are, the former kings of the industry who don’t know how to handle not being on top. Their motion-control device looked less impressive than Microsoft’s Natal and more convoluted than the simple-enough Wii. Sony needs a lot more than the same-old games and boring charts to take Microsoft or Nintendo’s lead.

If I had to rank them, I’d say Microsoft was overall on top for appealing to the gaming community. Nintendo would be in 2nd for some unexpected surprises and redemption. Sony falls into 3rd place by toting their own self-righteous company line against increasingly popular opponents. Now, here is what I’m looking forward too most down the line coming out of E3…

1. Metroid: Other M: Are you kidding me? A brand new Metroid game from the makers of the cool, new Ninja Gaiden games? I don’t care when it comes out, I’ll put my $5 down on it at Gamestop tomorrow!

2. Brutal Legend – FUCKING METAL. Done.

3. New Super Mario Bros Wii – A brand new old school 4-player Mario game. I can’t wait to start jumping on turtles again and throwing my friends into pits.

4. Bioshock 2 – I don’t care about the multiplayer, but any new trip to Rapture will get me excited.

5. Alan Wake – A new type of horror game, and in the wake of no new Resident Evil on the horizon, this looks like the best we’re going to get. Great visuals, neat concept, I only hope the actual game turns out as good as it looks.

6. God of War III – God of War on PS3, it can’t get much better than that.

7. Super Mario Galaxy 2 – The sequel to the best game on Wii, ’nuff said.

8. Left 4 Dead 2 – This would be higher on the list if were done with the first one. I think Valve jumped the gun on this one way too early.

9. Final Fantasy XIII – As much as this franchise TRIES to put me off, it keeps drawing me back. Crappy spinoffs, Final Fantasy X-2, XI and XII and a stream of generally mediocre titles can’t keep FF13 from looking amazing and possibly drawing me back into a series that has spurned me many times.

10. Assassin’s Creed 2 – The first game wasn’t my favorite 360 game, but I thought it was one of the most creative and beautiful games of this generation, even if it was a little monotonous. I have faith that Ubisoft has learned from their mistakes and will give us a little more variety in their assassinations.

So there is plenty to look forward to in our video gaming future. From Prototype coming out in a couple games to whenever the hell the next Zelda game comes out, This years E3 I would say was a rousing success in generating the excitement in the gaming community that’s been missing over the past few years.

My quintessential scene from any Pixar movie is from the film they’ll probably be least remembered for. If anything, it’ll most likely be remembered and admonished as being the least successful of all their films. It’s a scene from the climax of Ratatouille, not my favorite Pixar film, I didn’t even like it as much as last year’s Wall-E, but it was still an excellent movie in Pixar’s flawless cannon.

In this scene, Anton Ego, the harshest food critic in all of Paris, comes to Gusteau’s, the restaurant that is the main focus of the movie, prepared to critique their food and already anticipating extreme disappointment, having condemned the restaurant years prior. Ego is the most cynical critic around, to the extent that if he doesn’t like what he’s tasting, he refuses to swallow. Like a film critic leaving a movie early because he doesn’t like what he sees. After a lengthy wait, Ego looks disdainfully at the ratatouille dish that Remy the rat creates for him, only to be blown away when he takes one taste. The scene reflects Ego as a child, being served a simple bowl of ratatouille from his mom after seeming having fallen off his bike, and his demeanor immediately changes from almost tears to satisfied smiling. Then, we rejoin Ego in the present as his look of shock at the immediate taste turns into a look of delight as he joyfully chows down on the rest of the dish. With this small dish of food in front of them, even the coarsest, meanest, vilest of critics can remember what it was like to be happy and innocent. That is a Pixar movie to me.

The reason I feel compelled to write about this is because Up, Pixar’s 10^th full-length feature comes out tomorrow (or today depending on when I post this). The reviews have been excellent, the previews have been delightful and the hype has been rigorous if not a little understated. I’ve already got my ticket to see it, but it’s more than just a chance to go see a movie. It’s a chance to be that happy little kid again, sitting in the theater and not having a care in the world, if only for an hour and half.

I’m the living 24 year old incarnation of Randall Graves from Clerks. I’m about as far as he is in life when it comes to relationships, career, income and most of all, cynicism. I spend most of my time listening to caustic, angry music. I do not have what I would consider high job satisfaction. I’ve been to 6 Phillies game this season, and they’ve only won one of them. Everyone is stupid to me and I’ll always be the first to notice or anticipate someone’s faults before their benefits. And yet, for the last few years, about once a year, I’ve been able to feel wonder, imagination and amazement like I did 10, 15 or 20 years ago. It’s hard to see the beauty in the world around me with my daily disappointments and frustrations, whether internal or external. However, when the film rolls and the Pixar lamp hops across the screen, I’m transported out of my life to a variety of truly magical worlds without me realizing it until the movie is over.

While I was too young to truly appreciate some of their earliest films when they were released, I was 11 when the first Toy Story came out, each one of their latest movies has felt almost like an out of body experience. Each of their films has been a masterpiece of setting, character, plot and scripting that takes me into a world of fantasy like almost no other film company can hope to accomplish. I remember seeing The Incredibles in theaters the Sunday after it came out and wanting to talk about superheroes for hours, not even the excellent Iron Man did that to me. I remember wanting to go out and grab a bite to eat at a fancy restaurant when walking out of Ratatouille. I completely lost myself and felt at peace as Lightning McQueen and Sally took their little drive through the countryside in Cars. And just last summer, the music and motion in a few scenes of Wall-E literally sent chills down my spine and a scene towards the end almost, ALMOST, made me cry at the movies for the first time. Now, how does that happen to someone who’s favorite movies are Fight Club and Kill Bill?

I’m not sure if I can put it into words, the way Pixar’s movies draw me in and put me at peace. It’s a phenomenon that’s exclusive to them, what I like to call “The Pixar Experience”. I’ve seen some of my favorite movies of all time in the theaters, but never did I lose grasp of myself. I was always self-aware that I was a miserable wreck of a human being in a fleeting moment of happiness, but it was different during Pixar’s movies. It’s hard to explain the difference between knowing exactly who you are while genuinely enjoying a movie and letting your mind escape into the imaginary world before your eyes like you did while watching cartoons as a child. These are child-appropriate animated movies, both funny, emotional and critically acclaimed, how do they do it?

It’s not like every cartoon movie works this way on me. I saw Cars in theaters the same summer I saw Over the Hedge. I now own Cars on Blu-ray, I haven’t seen Over the Hedge since then. There’s a distinct difference between the power of Pixar and everyone else in the computer animated game, even Disney’s own animation studio. Everyone else looks like they’re looking for the slam dunk cash cow and pale in comparison to any of Pixar’s movies (the single exclusion was the great Kung-Fu Panda). They make movies with some endearing moments, pop-culture send-ups and adult-centric jokes, they have mom & dad buy a few tickets for the kids and sell some dolls and t-shirts for kids for a few months after the movie’s release and then vanish. Hey, does anyone else even remember that Antz existed? I bet we would’ve forgotten about Ice Age by now too if it wasn’t for the sequels. In watching Wall-E last year, I never thought about buying a Wall-E action figure or getting a shirt with EVE on it for my niece (well, a little…), I was just enraptured in an excellent, touching, poignant story about robots centuries in the future. It’s like Pixar has no rules, and they’re willing to break the barrier between making a successful franchise movie and creating an excellent tale that only has one intention. That intention is to make audiences happy, to take them away from their everyday problems without thought of marketability, sales, product placement or endorsements. I’m actually impressed by Disney’s obvious trust that Pixar will deliver an amazing product every time they make a movie. It’s so hard to find integrity and quality in family entertainment today, and Pixar is the top company for both in today’s movies.

That’s why by this time tomorrow I’ll have seen their latest film, Up. And for a short time within the next 24 hours, I’ll expect to be the happiest and most peaceful you could ever hope to see me. Like Anton Ego over his plate of ratatouille, my inner child expects to be released and hold my hand as I escape from reality, if only for a little while. The little while when I’m lost to the Pixar Experience.

Up, in theaters today!

Yes, it seems like an eternity ago when I sat with my sister among 75,000 fans under the cloudy Florida skies watching Ric Flair’s last match, CM Punk winning Money in the Bank, Big Show catching some brass knucks in the face from Floyd Mayweather and the Undertaker making the Rated R Superstar tap out for the World Title at WrestleMania XXIV. Now, things have come full circle as the whole White Board Mafia will be boarding a jet to Houston less than 12 hours from now, ready to fly to the 25^th Anniversary of Wrestlemania.

I don’t remember the exact date it put the Wrestlemania 25 countdown on my Myspace page, but I know it’s been counting down for over 11 months, and now we’re days away from the big event and less than half a day away from taking off at Philadelphia International Airport. Counterfeit God’s traveled all around the country with his friends, but I’ve never taken a vacation without family or without meeting family at my destination, so this is entirely new for me. Jezus 316, I’m not sure but I know he’s damn happy to be flying to his home state of Texas for his first WrestleMania.

This is my 3^rd WrestleMania, and I don’t know if I’m as excited as I was when I went to my first one at Madison Square Garden for WM XX 5 years ago, or having the rare chance to go to an outdoor WM last year, but I know I’ll really enjoy myself as this is the first time I’ll be able to endure the whole weekend WrestleMania experience. Here’s what’s on the docket for the WBM’s trip to Texas:

Friday, April 3

Thanks to Counterfeit God’s foresight, we bought one of the Gold Travel Packages last spring, which includes 4 nights at the Hyatt Regency Houston starting Friday night, so we take off from Philly at 8:20 tomorrow morning, landing in Houston a little before noon. Supposedly, we’re going to meet up with one of Counterfeit God’s Houston homies who’s a big sculptor and movie makeup artist and get a look at his workshop, which as a huge cinemaphile, I think that’s pretty awesome, and he knows where to get some sweet Mexican food.

Then, we’re gonna meander into the Hotel, ruin the bathrooms and get ready for a night on the town… drinking at the movies! The CG supposedly found a movie theater that serves beer in the Houston area, and I’ll be able to make one of my lifelong dreams come true… a beer at the movies I didn’t have to sneak in… also, we need to find a Wal-Mart or Target to buy all their poster board, afterall, the WBM can’t go to WrestleMania without signs!

Saturday, April 4

Our real WrestleMania experience begins at the buttcrack of dawn, as we have tickets for WrestleMania Axxess 8 AM session. It sucks to have to be there that early, but it’s awesome that we get to meet Chris Jericho, Christian, Kofi Kingston, Roddy Piper… and… uh… CHRIS JERICHO!!! Anyway, we also plan on making complete asses out of ourselves on the “Make your own entrance” WWE stage and doing commentary with a real WWE announcer (Think StrangleMania), plus lots of pictures of the Steel Cage and Undertaker’s Graveyard! Then, at noon, we get to be a part of the exclusive Ticket Package Midday Madness meet and greet. I don’t know who’s gonna be there, but I’m sure to bring all my WM swag from last year to get signed and pictures! I’m crossing my fingers to meet the Big Show, I NEED to get a picture with that guy!

Then, we go back to the hotel, get cleaned up, dressed up and get ready for the Hall of Fame, OH HELL YEAH!! The Fink, the Funks, the Dragon, the Cowboy, the Birdman, the Von Erichs and the Toughest SOB in WWE History, Stone Cold Steve Austin! Granted, in the late 90’s I was a Rock mark, but I never disliked Stone Cold and it’s going to be an honor to see him inducted in the Hall of Fame, I think the only induction I’d rather be present at would’ve been Bret Hart’s a few years ago. Either way, packing my good shoes, shirt and tie, I gotta look classy and that’s the bottom line!

Sunday, April 5

The big day is upon us. We start out with a comped breakfast, followed by an afternoon session at Axxess, with the chance to meet, well… Nobody important unless we stick around to meet MISTERRRRRR KENNEDY…. KENNEDY!!! But we’ll probably be inside Reliant Stadium before his signing session, wandering around the hallowed halls of WRESTLEMANIA 25! And oh man our seats are awesome, first row of the risers, almost direct camera side, expect to see some signs, some sign language and some Phillies love coming from big ol’ Boomaga. Here’s my rundown of the card…

JBL vs. Mysterio: Holy shit, there’s an Intercontinental Title now?

Hardy vs. Hardy: Potential show stealer, but I don’t think they’ll go as all-out on eachother as we’d like.

Tag Team Titles: Holy shit, there’s Tag Team titles too? Is it the early 90’s again?

Money in the Bank – Kinda lame this year, do you realize there’s only two guys who have never been in a MITB match before? And this is Shelton’s FOURTH?! I think it’s about time to put this gimmick to rest. I see Punk becoming the first 2-time winner or Christian getting the push.

Diva Battle Royale: Intermission

Jericho vs. Some Old Farts – Are you serious? Jericho has to be reduced to THIS?! If Jericho doesn’t win this, they might as well strip him of the 2008 Superstar of the Year slammy and go bury him on ECW. Also, expect him to get punched by Rourke whether he wins or loses.

Cena vs. Big Show vs. Edge – Maybe it’s me, but 3 way dances never seem to be as good as one on one matches, so I don’t expect this one to be great, but I expect entertainment. GO EDGE!

Undertaker vs. HBK – This has to be the most emotional match for the fans. I imagine greatness from these two veterans who both know how to put on an excellent show, but if it doesn’t end with 17 – 0, an important piece of WWE history will be dead.

Orton vs. HHH – Sure, they’ve had dozens of matches, but none had as great of a build up as this one. The storyline alone makes this match, and I expect them to put on one of their best. HHH all the way, Orton’s starting to get better after years of being stale, but he is no King of Kings.

Monday, April 6

Recovery and Raw. Sleep all day, Raw all night. Pack up and get ready to leave.

Then we drive to Austin on Tuesday to spend a few days with Jezus 3:16’s birthday, see what the big deal about Austin is as possibly get tattoos from his uncle. It’ll be my first, and I’m pretty stoked! Overall, I can’t wait until I wake up tomorrow and head to the airport tomorrow because WrestleMania… WHAT’CHA GUNNA DO WHEN THE WHITE BOARD MAFIA RUNS WILD ON YOU?!!

Brother.

This is the big one, for years I’ve written articles on my favorite video games of the previous year, and I fondly remember all my favorite games from years past. I’ve been playing video games since before I can remember, and as great as my favorite movies and albums are, none of them will have the same fond memories that I share with my favorite video games. Before I begin the countdown, let’s look at my faves from the past 10 years…

1998: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

1999: Soul Calibur

2000: Final Fantasy IX

2001: Super Smash Bros Melee

2002: Kingdom Hearts

2003: Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

2004: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eather

2005: Resident Evil 4

2006: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

2007: Super Mario Galaxy

Now, before I get to the list, I want to make a special mention of a game that was excluded from this list. Rock Band 2 is the best music game ever made, I only disqualified it from this list since Rock Band 1 was my 2nd best game of 2007 and while it perfected everything that the first Rock Band started, I feel it’s too similar of a game to its predecessor to make this list. I also feel bad for leaving off the amazing and fun Little Big Planet, but I just didn’t play it enough last year to justify putting it on this list.

And here are YOUR Boomaga’s top games of 2008…

5. Dead Space

Dead Space grabs this slot from a lot of other worthy contenders, beating out the likes of Mario Kart Wii, Soul Calibur 4 and Star Wars: Force Unleashed. Dead Space gets this spot not for doing anything remarkably new, but for polishing what it does right to an insane degree. I don’t scare easily, but Dead Space kept me on edge most of the time through it, with one really, really good scare that literally had me jump out of my seat. The gameplay essentially copies Resident Evil 4, but the original storyline, creepy environment, excellent graphics and sound, innovative HUD and awesome weapons make this one of the best and most underplayed games of 2008. When this game drops in price used at Gamestop, buy it, I guarantee satisfaction.

4. Left 4 Dead

This game only doesn’t nab a higher spot for the same reason Portal didn’t grab a higher spot last year, a lack of content. Otherwise, what we have here is one of the best multiplayer games ever made. Four humans, a shitload of ammo and thousands of zombies… have fun! Valve has given us nothing more than a simple concept brilliantly executed and if you have a few friends to blast away with, the time you spend playing this game just drifts away. Sure, there’s only 4 maps, lasting about an hour each, but I guarantee you’ll lose countless nights to those 4 maps and not regret a single moment. Maybe if Valve had added a few more maps or zombie types, this could’ve been the best game of the year, but the fact that this game reaches such great heights with such little content stands as a testament to Valve’s development staff.

3. Super Smash Bros Brawl

Only Nintendo could release one of the best games of the year and one of my personally most anticipated games of all time and still have it be disappointing. Now, that’s not to say that Brawl isn’t excellent, it takes everything that made Melee my favorite Gamecube game and expanded on it. More characters, more stages, more modes, more trophies, more of everything that have made this one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises. The only thing that holds it back is its own lack of vision. That doesn’t mean this is a bad game, if it were a bad game, it wouldn’t be my 3^rd favorite game of 2008, but it just seems Nintendo stopped a bit short. The online game is extremely limited in a game where it SHOULD be limitless, especially after Mario Kart Wii came out as Nintendo’s best online game a little over a month later. The story mode is drawn out and monotonous, nowhere living up to its potential and once you’ve had a taste of 3^rd party characters like Solid Snake and Sonic, you just want more! Super Smash Bros Brawl is an excellent, addictive, great looking, long-lasting multiplayer and single player experience with the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard in a video game. The only reason it isn’t the top game on this list isn’t because of what the great game turned out to be, but because of what the legendary game it could have been. But then again, maybe I expect too much… it seems Nintendo’s disappointing everyone nowadays…

2. Metal Gear Solid 4

Metal Gear is one of my favorite franchises of all time. I love the characters, the boss battles, the (optional) stealth gameplay, the music, the stories, the social commentary, everything that makes Metal Gear a unique and extremely ingenious series. Having said that, as the first new generation Metal Gear game, MGS4 has a lot to live up to… and I can proudly say that it met all the expectations. Even though he looks like he’s 80, Solid Snake is still as much of a badass as he ever was and one of the most endearing and outstanding characters in gaming. The script is a bit long-winded and there are a LOT of movie cutscenes, but the game goes to extreme lengths to wrap up every untied end in the series’ history. When it comes to gameplay, Metal Gear’s always been “Solid” … lol, and MGS4 takes that formula and adds a fully 3D camera to the series finally. Also, I need to give a shout out to the Octocamo, nothing like blending into ANYTHING in the environment to make stealth killing feel that much extra awesome. I don’t even need to go on about the boss battles, they’ve always been one of the highlights in the series, and the ones in MGS4 are as intense as ever. As for the voice acting, ending and all the little extras, everything here is top notch. If you have a PS3 and haven’t played MGS4 yet, go do so… NOW, if you’re disappointed, then you’re stupid. Also… Shadow Moses… best part of any game in 2008… that’s all I’m saying.

1. Fallout 3

Fallout 3 has a relatively simple concept, but the scale of that concept is mind-blowing. Go anywhere, do anything, be anyone. Want to be good? Go do it. Want to be evil? Go do it. Want to learn to reprogram robots? Go do it. Want to pick locks? Go do it. Want to murder people in their sleep? Go do it. Want to become addicted to drugs? Go do it. Want to be loved? Go do it. Want to be feared? Go do it. This game is utterly massive to its credit and to a fault. While I spent way too much time offing random dogs and scorpions in the wide-open wasteland, I always had a great time when I got to my destination after my long travels. Combining FPS and RPG into a creative little mutant genre, Fallout embodies the best of both worlds. The Capital Wasteland of the most original game worlds I’ve ever experienced, an enormous landscape dotted with diverse points of interest all around, scattered with a variety of missions and characters. In all honesty, this game is so massive I haven’t even finished yet and I don’t want to. I want to find more missions, more weapons, more towns, more everything! Fallout 3 brings so much new to the table it’s easy to find the game overwhelming, as many of my friends have, but if you have the time and commitment you’ll find one of the deepest, richest and most limitless game experiences ever. Fallout 3 may not get everything perfect, gunplay without VATS is kind of lame and the level cap prevents you from maxing out your stats as much as you like, but the effort and imagination that went into creating this game make it more than just the best game of 2008 and the value of this game goes far beyond the $60 it costs. This is the best true “next generation” gaming experience out there. Go anywhere, be anyone, no one has done this concept better in a single-player experience than Fallout 3.

BOOMAGA’S TOP 5 MOVIES OF 2008!

5. Tropic Thunder

4. Wall-E

3. The Wrestler

2. The Dark Knight

1. Iron Man

Why so serious about Iron Man?: Naming Iron Man as my favorite movie of 2008 is in no way, shape or form an insult to The Dark Knight. If anything, the Dark Knight is one of the grittiest, roughest and best superhero movies ever made and deserves all the accolades it gets… but it’s no Iron Man. “But it’s no Iron Man” became sort of a catchphrase about summer movies in 2008. Prince Caspian was pretty cool… but it was no Iron Man. The Incredible Hulk kicked that lame 2003 movie’s ass… but it was no Iron Man. The Dark Knight took the superhero genre to new levels… but it was no Iron Man. Of all the great things the Dark Knight did, there was one thing it didn’t… leave me with a smile, and Iron Man did that. Not only did Iron Man totally get the Tony Stark character completely right, they also cast the perfect actor to play him, a more fitting actor than Robert Downey Jr in the role of Tony Stark there isn’t… not even Heath Ledger, god rest his soul. The story of a careless billionaire trying to make up for the mistakes of his company and his peers is far too relevant in today’s world of economic problems and corporate corruption. Tony Stark is at the same time an untouchable figure and the everyman, just trying to set the record straight, and he’s pretty damn funny while he does it. Plus, who doesn’t want to see a superhero who can whoop the terrorists’ collective ass? Iron Man has all the action, drama and brilliant performances of the Dark Knight… and it does it with a smirk at the world of superheroes, that’s why Iron Man was my favorite movie of 2008. All those other movies on my list are incredible and deserve to be seen. Tropic Thunder made me laugh my ass off more than any other movie I saw last year, Wall-E could be Pixar’s best movie yet, I’m glad to see the world of pro-wrestling get its fair shake in the Wrestler, and I pray that Ledger wins the "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar for his performance as the Joker in the Dark Knight… but they’re no Iron Man. Also, sorry Batman, but Iron Man doesn’t have your “one rule", if someone deserves to die, he blows their ass up.