10 reasons to go see Interstellar again

Just when you thought Black Holes were getting dull....

Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States

History is a fascinating topic and here's why: It is the over-arching story of all of us. It is a highly interpretative and subjective art (it's not a science). It is hopelessly intertwined with the cultures that produce it. It serves as the larger context for every other type of information our society produces (be it science, religion etc.) It often involves people and events we know, or think we know. Oliver Stone and Showtime have...

A Tribute to the BBC

Today we're paying tribute to the British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC. This year has been tough for them due to a sex scandal over one of their show celebrities; however, we don't think that's how the BBC ought to be judged or remembered. The BBC for us is the network that gave the world Monty Python's Flying Circus and 100's of other memorable programs. The BBC has partnered with PBS since 1971 on what is the longest running prime time program...

The Spartacus Awards

The tale of Spartacus and his slave rebellion against Rome never seems to get old. The 1963 version of the movie about him propelled Kirk Douglas into super-stardom. The new Starz series (there are about 4 of them now) about Spartacus have decided to take a unique approach to telling the tale however; one that focuses on the shock and awe of life in Rome circa 75 B.C. Starz has taken the movie Gladiator, added some 300 and mixed in some of HBO's...

Sultry Florida Groove - A Raving Playlist

It was 25 degrees here this morning (in Ohio, USA) and it's getting to be that time of year when we ask ourselves why the hell we don't live in Florida. Sure, Global Warming is making things hotter up here but it's still not the same (and it still gets pretty cold). So we will be thinking about Florida a lot over the next couple of months and we decided to craft a playlist that will help us conjure visions of beaches, palm trees and Sea Gulls - well,...

The Idiots Guide to Writing Wine Reviews

Interested in a new career? How about being a professional wine reviewer? If you're not sure, take a look at the following reasons why you should consider it: You get to drink a lot of wine. (a spit the wine across the room into wine spittoons too which is more fun than it sounds) You get to use French words and act snobby.  You can impress people with your knowledge of soil and composting.  You can travel to many fascinating...

American Horror Story - Certifiably Scary

Somehow we missed that American Horror Story "Asylum" had launched before Halloween, otherwise we would have included it in one of many celebration of horror posts a month ago: The 10 all time best horror shows on Television  The Top 10 Horror films that need to be made  The 10 Worst Horror Films of All Time The 10 Ten Least Scary Horror Movies of all Time The Top 10 Scariest Movies of All Time We blame it on the fact that we forgot...

Driver San Francisco - Raving Game Review

Raving Reviews doesn't normally discuss video games, but as of this post that realm shall not remain unexplored. Today we give you our first gaming review, courtesy of one of our talented writers on staff. Driver: San Francisco, released in September 2011 is one of the more unique driving/adventure games released in the past few years. It's part of a larger Driver series which, with one exception, follows the adventures of Detective John Tanner,...

Worst Christmas Decorating Ideas

The holidays are a hectic time, what with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday piled almost atop one another. On top of that, we're supposed to decorate the house in between all this bargain hunting madness. Sometimes when we don't have enough time to think through our decorating choices, mistakes might be made. Today's post is meant to provide some guidelines that will help avoid some of the more common decorating faux pas's. Christmas Tree...

Hell on Wheels jumped the tracks

Or perhaps we should say they "jumped the shark." Hell on Wheels is another one of AMC's original series. Season 1 of the show (which debuted last year) started off in a very promising manner - introducing a wide array of interesting characters and setting the stage for a growing set of conflicts. The cast of the show is fairly impressive as well; from the lead character, Anson Mount, to nearly a dozen other supporting roles. Mount who plays Bohannan,...

Life of PI - The Tiger Within

We sometimes decry that we want movies that make us think, that make us feel something - then we're met with that movie which does both and it can be an unsettling experience. But then again, so is life. Life of Pi is just such a movie and we cannot go into why it unsettled us without giving away too much of the plot. What we can tell you is that Life of Pi while an imperfect story in some ways is an undeniably powerful one. The main character...

Arizona Skies - A Raving Playlist

This playlist was created one exceptionally clear and striking day three years ago in Southeast Arizona. It's difficult to describe Arizona to those who've never been there, especially the parts of Arizona that many have never visited - like the high Sonoran desert. Despite the decade-long drought there, the high desert with its many mountain ranges is more green than many might imagine - with mesquite trees at lower elevations and pine trees that...

Negative Ads have become Political Dialog

Just when people thought politics couldn't get much worse, the 2012 presidential election managed to pump $6 billion dollars worth of negative ads across television, radio, print and the Internet. Some estimates claim that more than 80% of all political ads this year were negative nature. Worse than this though, the downward spiral of political discourse is taking the rest of the media with it - tarnishing the image and credibility of everyone involved. If...