From Erik's Kitchen: Quesadilla Tips

So, the blogging software has been a bit twitchy lately, so today's post will be short and brief.

I'm going to explain how I make great quesadillas

Ask Erik: Episode Ten

Here at Ask Erik, we've spent a lot of time reading books and comics, watching movies, and browsing through the Internet in the hopes of finding the answers to life's biggest mysteries.  Is there life after death?  How can science and religion coexist peacefully?  Why is everything raspberry flavored always blue?  Having instead amassed a vault of useless knowledge stored in his head, Erik instead tackles your questions and tries to find the answers you care about (or a reasonable facsimile).

This episode might be short, but it's sweet.

Batroc Ze Leapair!

It was just recently announced that UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will be playing "Batroc the Leaper" in the new Captain America movie.  First of all, this is a superb casting choice, one that would only be made better if Georges already had the epic facial hair that Batroc requires to be "Batroc Ze Leapair."  Now, Batroc isn't a major villain.  He isn't a major character at all.  He's a one-note joke whose only role is to show up, get punched around, and go to jail before showing up to repeat the process all over again.

And god, I love this character so much.

Reaction to Kickstarter

So, everybody I know by now has heard about how Veronica Mars is easily on its way to becoming a movie thanks to earning two million dollars in its first day as a Kickstarter project.  Now, there's talks of doing Friday Night Lights the same way.  There's talk of trying to fund a Pushing Daisies movie or Chuck and I have to admit, this shift has me pretty concerned.

Now, I love Kickstarter.  I mean, I haven't contributed any money to anything yet, but I love seeing the variety of projects that get funded.  I love how small artists can get, well, their start (a kick, if you will) to finally be able to express themselves.

I mean, heck, if I thought I could get away with doing a Kickstarter so I could just blog all day, I'd start up one of my own.

But there's a darker side to Kickstarter, and it's starting to make itself known.

Podblast! Thrilling Adventure Hour

Some days, you just have to tune out everything and listen to something that makes you happy.

For that, they invented the podcast, the carry anywhere, listen anytime  radio program.  And there are podcasts about everything.  You want a podcast with Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser telling you how to get your life in order?  She has one.  You want a podcast from some record collectors discussing rare vinyl they've come upon?  There's a bunch of those.  You want a podcast about die-hard fans of a particular show who go by names of characters you might find in said show?

Well, they exist, too, and may God have mercy on your soul for listening to them.

In Podblast, I discuss podcasts I carry around on my little mp3 player, and discuss just what it is I like about them.

Review: Skyfall

As people who read this blog are wont to know, Erik enjoys a good movie.  Heck, sometimes he even enjoys a bad movie.  But how do you, the viewer, know which ones are worth your hard earned dollars and which ones shouldn't be saved if they're on the conveyor belt leading to the fire pit from Toy Story 3?  Well, Erik will do his part to help out.

This time, it's James Bond's latest blockbuster: Skyfall!

So, uh, yeah, there might be mild spoilers after the cut, but nothing more than you'd expect from most reviews.

Ask Erik: Episode Ten (R-Word Edition)

Here at Ask Erik, we feel like its our job, as massive absorbers of information, to help spread that knowledge to others.  In this spirit, facts and truths take root, connecting making and destroying the barriers that separate individuals, groups, and indeed entire cultures because of ignorance, facetiousness, and misinformation.  Whether it's "the truth about margarine" or simply "who would win if the Justice League faced the Avengers in a karaoke contest," this article gives the guidance for people to live happier, fuller lives.

For the record, Batman takes it for the Justice League, but only if he's voiced by Kevin Conroy and sings Am I Blue.

Something I did promise myself, when I first started this article, was that I would tackle difficult questions.  Well, this one's tough.

More after the jump.

It's The Last Day Of Winter!

So, it appears my master plan here in Maine to make sure we get one more blast before Spring's arrival has gone even better than I initially planned.

Which should make the following video all the more enjoyable.

As promised, it's the return of Winter Wrap-Up!

Reviewing is Magic: Episode 14

Acting on what was, in essence, the universe daring him to watch an episode, Erik sat down and started watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.  It is, by far, the most insane program he ever watched in his life.

And he used to watch a cartoon about Mr. T driving around the world with a bunch of teenage gymnasts.

After the jump, he'll break down another episode and discuss what makes it good, what makes it bad, and what makes it just outright crazy.  This week's theme?  Continuity!

Game of Thrones 1995 Edition

As a fan of classic television like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., and what I think was the most unfairly cancelled show of all time, Legend.

I mean, c'mon.  Richard Dean Anderson fresh off of MacGyver and John DeLancie fresh from Star Trek: The Next Generation?  In a steampunk old west setting?  How was that not pure gold for television?

So, now that theme-based shows set in older times with very liberal interpretations not just of legends but also of history with wry senses of humor and/or hair band rock aren't the fashion anymore...what's a guy to do?

Podblast! How To Do Everything

I listen to a lot of podcasts.  While driving, working (both at home and at the office), and sometimes while just sitting around, I'll have interviews, humor, and pop culture flowing into my ears from my tiny little music device.

This week, I want to spotlight the How To Do Everything podcast, brought about by two very funny guys: Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag.

Ask Erik: Episode Nine

Once a week (barring major events), Erik sits down with a question asked by one of you, the viewers, and does his best to answer it in an intelligent, thoughtful, and considerate way.


Barring that, he posts a bunch of animated gifs and makes references to things like Dinosaucers.

Review: Iron Sky Part 2

Every now and again, we here at Erik At The Gates like to sit down, pop some popcorn, and take in a good movie.  However, when a good movie isn't always available, we try for a fun movie.  When a fun movie isn't available, we at least try to learn something.

And when that isn't available, we really ponder whether it was worth the $3 spent on the DVD at the movie store.

Right now, the crew (read: myself) is looking at the "Nazis from the Moon" classic (read: from 2012) Iron Sky.  Is it any good?  Is it terrible?  Weill Erik ever get away from Udo Kier showing up in films?  Find out more after the cut.

Review: Iron Sky Part 1

Every now and again, we here at Erik At The Gates like to sit down, pop some popcorn, and take in a good movie.  However, when a good movie isn't always available, we try for a fun movie.  When a fun movie isn't available, we at least try to learn something.

And when that isn't available, we really ponder whether it was worth the $3 spent on the DVD at the movie store.

Right now, the crew (read: myself) is looking at the "Nazis from the Moon" classic (read: from 2012) Iron Sky.  Is it any good?  Is it terrible?  Weill Erik ever get away from Udo Kier showing up in films?  Find out more after the cut.

Reviewing Is Magic: Episode 13

After a pretty strenuous week of zombies, death, and pain (both physical and emotional), it'd probably do me some good to look at something lighthearted again.

So, in that spirit, here we go: the halfway point of the first season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  Let's see if it can restore my spirits.  It appears we've got an episode surrounding friendly competition and more examples of how pony magic has completely, royally screwed up the natural existence of every other living thing on the planet.  Awesome.

Let's get this party started.

Dead At The Gates: Aftermath (Spoiler Free Edition!)

In the aftermath of playing Telltale Games' The Walking Dead, Erik needs to take a little time to decompress, have a few deep breaths, and think about the experience he just went through.

We join him now, after the tears, the anger, the self-reflection, and the brief stint watching cartoons to get his spirits back up to see what he thinks, now that it's all over.

Dead At The Gates: Part 5

...there is no hope.  There is simply the inevitable.  This is a chronicle of my experience with The Walking Dead video game from Telltale Games, presenting my thoughts and some of the choices I made as I played.

Caution: The following articles will have massive spoilers for the storyline of the Walking Dead video game.  This is not to say this is how your playing the game would happen, but these are the events that occurred when I played.  But, really, does it matter?  We'll all die anyway.  Does not seeing a spoiler really matter so much?

Dead At The Gates: Part 4

Having just played through Telltale Games' heart-wrenching The Walking Dead, I'm going to be presenting my experience in each episode as well as some of the major choices I had to make.

Caution: The following articles will have massive spoilers for the storyline of the Walking Dead video game.  This is not to say this is how your playing the game would happen, but these are the events that occurred when I played.

Dead At The Gates: Part 3

Having just played through Telltale Games' masterful work The Walking Dead, I'm going to be presenting my experience in each episode as well as some of the major choices I had to make.

Caution: The following articles will have massive spoilers for the storyline of the Walking Dead video game.  This is not to say this is how your playing the game would happen, but these are the events that occurred when I played.

Dead At The Gates: Part 2

Having just played through Telltale Games' masterful work The Walking Dead, I'm going to be presenting my experience in each episode as well as some of the major choices I had to make.

Caution: The following articles will have massive spoilers for the storyline of the Walking Dead video game.  This is not to say this is how your playing the game would happen, but these are the events that occurred when I played.

Dead At The Gates: Part 1

Having just played through Telltale Games' masterful work The Walking Dead, I'm going to be presenting my experience in each episode as well as some of the major choices I had to make.

Caution: The following articles will have massive spoilers for the storyline of the Walking Dead video game.  This is not to say this is how your playing the game would happen, but these are the events that occurred when I played.

Morality, Opportunity, and Picking Sides: Choices in Video Games

The surge of "choice systems" in video games has had a rather significant resurgence in recent years.  Mostly, it seems like a way for a game developer to offer players a chance to customize their own game experience, make the story more unique to them.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  There have been a few games I've played where it felt a choice system was simply tacked on, others seem to have their entire game premise based around difficult choices.

Now, I'm not a video game scholar.  I haven't studied the history of video games, or interviewed developers, or anything like that, so all I can report on is my own impressions.  If I'm off, or wrong about something, I hope someone lets me know in the comments below.  I'm not looking to pick a fight, just express what I've experienced.

More after the cut.

Review: Black Dynamite

Every now and again, we here at Erik At The Gates like to sit down, pop some popcorn, and take in a good movie.  However, when a good movie isn't always available, we try for a fun movie.  When a fun movie isn't available, we at least try to learn something.

And when that isn't available, we really ponder whether it was worth the $3 spent on the DVD at the movie store.

Right now, the crew (read: myself) is looking at the blaxploitation satire classic (read: from 2009) Black Dynamite.  Is it any good?  Is it terrible?  Will Erik succumb to kung-fu treachery?  Find out more after the cut.

Influences: Spoony Experiment

It took me a long time to be able to understand that sometimes a movie, video game, or television program is just flat-out bad.  I saw Masters of the Universe with a group of friends in the theater in 1987 for a birthday party, and even at seven years old, we knew something was off.  Our usually rowdy group was quiet when the film ended, and I could hear other kids picking the specific parts that were cool and awesome, but nobody said "that movie was great."  It was like a friend had died, and nobody wanted to say it out loud, so you'd just go "Hey, remember that time he threw rocks at a bee hive and then ran seven blocks home with an angry swarm behind him?"