The Apocalypse Film Festival

Well, the big day is coming up soon (December 21st it seems) - it's the end of the world, again. We figured there may be some people out there who don't won't to celebrate with a big noisy Apocalypse Party - so we've got an alternative way to spend your last hours on Earth. How about a film festival? We've decided to compile several lists that will allow you build your own Apocalypse Film Festival.

Ouch!

The lists are based on 4 categories:

1. The Top 10 True Apocalyptic Films
2. The Top 10 Post-Apocalyptic
3. The Top 10 Dystopian Films (e.g. semi-apocalyptic)
4. The Top 10 Zombie Apocalypse Movies
5. The Top 10 Silliest Apocalypse-Related Films

There's something for everyone here...

We never realized how cute the 4 horses of the Apocalypse were, awww...

The Top 10 True Apocalyptic Films

To qualify as a true apocalyptic film either the entire planet gets wiped out or at the very least, the entire human race - no survivors, at least on Earth. 

• Number 1 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers: They take over so even though it seems as though everything is ok, it's really not. 

• Number 2 - AI, Artificial Intelligence: even though everyone dies at the end of the movie it still counts and it is a joy to watch. 

• Number 3 - The Core: This movie tells the story of what's going to happen if the Gas companies keep Fracking in our backyards. Ok - so the Earth doesn't get destroyed and the human race survives - we do think it's pretty cool though that hotshot former Shuttle pilots can ride a giant metal suppository into the Earth's core at 400 mph.  

• Number 4 - When Worlds Collide: A handful of people do escape in their giant Buck Rogers rocket, but the world does end. (BTW - it looks as though this is being remade). 

• Number 5 - Last Night: A more intimate view of the end. 

• Number 6 - Melancholia: This is the chick flick version of the Apocalypse, some might find a bit slow...

• Number 7 - On the Beach: The folks down under wait for the end. This is a classic film and probably inspired the follow on movie and TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. 

• Number 8 - Titan AE: So it's a cartoon; it's got Matt Damon. It's surprisingly good although it focused more survivors who got off of Earth before the end. 

• Number 9 - Dr. Strangelove: One of the truly great films of all-time and despite their plans on re-populating the Earth it's doubtful that anyone survives.  

• Number 10 - Carriers: The ultimate plague takes the last survivors one by one. 

All aboard for the Phallic Express !

The Top 10 Post-Apocalyptic Films

This category allows for survivors - forms of the destroyer may include; plagues, meteors, nuclear war, global warming and aliens. Also, the action needs to take place only after the crap had hit the fan.

1. Planet of the Apes: Charleton Heston had at one time corned the market on all things apocalyptic. The recent version with the CG apes sucked, and let's try to forget that thing Mark Wahlberg did around 2000. 
2. Logan's Run: Before there was Botox, there was the "Laser Lift." 
3. A Boy and His Dog: Before Miami Vice, Crocket was a in big demand with chicks after WIII. 
4. The Road: This is a really depressing movie, but it was pretty good.
5. Escape from New York - Taking the concept of The Warriors and placing it aftersome type of apocalypse (it's not too clear). 
6. Terminator Salvation - Finally we get a chance to see what it's like after Judgement Day - a bit of let down though.
7. The Day After Tomorrow - This is happening right now, we're not kidding.
8. The War of the Worlds - Both versions were pretty good; the story doesn't get old.
9. I am Legend & Omega Man - Omega Man was better but we still like Will Smith even when he battles animated zombies instead of real ones. 
10. Mad Max - This was before we know Mel was crazy and the Beaver. 

We were a bad influence; Apes killed Apes only after we showed up !

The Top 10 Dystopian Films (e.g. semi-apocalyptic)

Dystopian movies don't generally include apocalyptic events; yet things are so bad they might as well. The following movies represent the best in dysfunctional visions of the future:

1. Soylent Green: This the reason we can never be Vegetarians. Did you see that pathetic excuse for a steak they get in a few years - better eat up now before all we're left with is people wafers. 
2. 1984: Double plus good, but double depressing.
3. Brazil: Monty Python meets 1984.
4. 12 Monkeys: Brad Pitt was crazy before he married Angelina, this movie proves it.
5. Gattica: Anyone who doesn't like getting blood tests should avoid this movie.
6. Clockwork Orange: You'll never look at milk the same way again.
7. Looper - Bruce had lot's of experience with the time paradox issues after starring in 12 Monkeys.
8. Total Recall: We are wondering if Arnold can remember how many chicks he cheated on. BTW - as for the 2012 version of the show, forget it...
9. Rollerball: James Caan's best movie ever, even better than his role in the Godfather. Wish they hadn't burned down those trees though.
10. Blade Runner: Too cool not to be on this list somewhere.

The Simpsons appreciate the importance of a balanced diet

The Top 10 Silliest Apocalypse-Related Films

This category is pretty much self-explanatory.

1. Knowing - One of the silliest movies ever made with one of Nick Cage's worst Hairdos. All the aliens look like Sting. 
2. Water World - They managed to make global warming silly, how do you do that? Kevin Costner filmed this entirely in his own Olympic-sized swimming pool. Costner;s attempt some years later with post apocalyptic mail delivery was almost as silly but at least they got out oft he pool.
3. The Book of Eli - Denzel has his own reading club and don't you dare borrow books without returning them.
4. Escape from LA - This was a really pathetic attempt to extend the Escape from New York franchise. Besides, L.A. was really like that during the 1990's.  
5. Steel Dawn - They couldn't afford a wardrobe so Patrick Swayze brought his pajamas.
6. Barb Wire - If only Pamela Anderson had stuck to Internet sex videos she might still have a career.
7. 4:44 The last Day on Earth - So the way we're all going to spend the last moments on Earth is being bored to death and playing with electronics.
8. Perfect Sense - It wasn't the actors who lost their senses in this dull pic - the writers, producers and director might as well have been deaf, dumb and blind.
9. 2012 - This was like Transformers without, uhh, Transformers. One giant special effect with a goofball plot. Shame on you John Cusak...
10. Reign of Fire - This is the least likely Apocalyptic scenario of all time; the Dragon Holocaust. 

Dragons have really bad breath

The Top 10 Zombie Apocalypse Movies

Zombies deserve their own category and yes we included Walking Dead even though it's a TV show. 

1. Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Really fast and hungry zombies who love malls.
2. Zombieland - Zombies meet the Social Network - great cameo by Bill Murray. 
3. 28 Days Later - The Zombie virus is really easy to catch
4. 28 Weeks Later - Ditto
5. Night of the Living Dead - It all started here (well, at least the modern Zombie movement).
6. Re-animator - Love this movie.
7. Shaun of the Dead - Best Zombie Apocalypse comedy.
8. Resident Evil - This series of films confuses us but we tolerate it because we like Milla.
9. The Walking Dead - Please take that goofy hat off of the kid already.
10. Quarantine - Zombies meets extreme paranoia, good combo. 

Dinnertime at the Zombie Buffet

And for your listening pleasure...

Enjoy the End, and remember if it doesn't happen on the 21st, it will eventually. 

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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The Trouble with Country Music

Why is it that so many people detest Country music? Country music has even been used as a torture device in prisons and in assaults on hostile combatants. How did Country sink this low? Before we can answer that question, though let's clearly differentiate what we're talking about. Popular Country music is not the same as Bluegrass or even Ole Tyme music (you know, like "Man of Constant Sorrows" from the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou? - which is a truly great song). Pop Country has become its own unique medium, seemingly becoming further and further divorced from it Appalachian and Western roots.

Among Hee Haw's other achievements was the "Daisy Maefication" of Southern women

In contrast, the Beverly Hillbillies theme was in fact true Bluegrass - although they did have an Elly Mae on that show who looked a lot like the Hee Haw gals

We think the slow decline of Country Music began in the 1970's  with weekly variety show "Hee Haw." That's when somehow Country Music started becoming sexy. It was a strange transformation indeed - before that Country was associated with mountain folk and cowboys and maybe dust bowl immigrants. Then came the Beverly Hillbillies, Hee Haw and the Dukes of Hazard in relatively quick succession. Add to that some Cannonball Run and the CB Radio craze - all of sudden - Country was cool. The less than spectacular Grand Ole Opry moved from its old digs in downtown Nashville to a Lavish theater built next to what would become one of the largest hotels in the world (outside of Vegas). Dolly Parton had a big role in helping to make that transition and she now rules over a Country Music themed empire in Pigeon Forge Tennessee (which by the way is one of our favorite places).

Country Music has gone from the above to the below

Dolly is visiting the same doctors that have mummified Joan Rivers

What's happened to Dolly is a sad but apt parallel to what's occurred to the world of Country music and the actual music they now produce. Dolly went from being an authentic girl of the Smokies - with songs like "Rocky Top" to a Hollywood Botox junkie. Country music has taken a similar path  - moving away from the true sounds of Kentucky and Tennessee to adopt some sort of amorphous popular sound that is often now indistinguishable from the rest of popular music. We've got semi-Country singers now with $ signs in their names and who knows maybe Justin Bieber will start singing Country ballads soon - would anyone notice the difference?

Many have rightfully accused Nashville of producing Mickey Mouse music... 

Country Music is now a mix of tired cliches and familiar popular melodies with only remnants and symbolism to remind us that there is any connection at all left to the musical traditions that launched their industry. The following parody video ("America and Beer") works because it illustrates just how formulaic and hollow most Pop Country is today.

How many Country Music cliches can you pick out in this song?

So what happened? Did sex and commercialism kill Country music? Country and Folk music represented a unique and important American art-form - something that we could truly call our own. Artiest like Johnny Cash showed what it could be. Folk Music has largely disappeared though, and Pop Country has sucked in all the earlier variations of the genre and tossed them into a giant cultural blender - coming out with something hardly recognizable. 

The 10 Most Common Country Music Cliches

1. I love to drink (usually beer but I'll drink whisky 'cause it's cool)
2. I love my pickup truck (most often an F-150)
3. I love to drink while driving my pickup truck
4. Country girls (who love pickup trucks) are sexier than city girls
5. My sexy pickup truck-loving girlfriend left because I drink too much
6. Oh yeah, she took everything I own with her (except the pickup, got to draw the line somewhere)
7. Living in the middle of nowhere is actually a lot of fun, except when you're drunk and alone.
8. Saying "Hell Yeah" about things in general is important
9. Wearing Cowboy hats makes you country strong, even when you're drunk, broke and alone.
10. God loves me, because I live in the middle of nowhere, I'm broke, alone and drunk - but hey I've still got my pickup truck with a rebel flag in the back window - but I still love America even though I signed that petition for my state to secede from the union after them Democrats stole the election.

We live in region very close to where Country Music was born. The Appalachian culture is so much richer than the Tinseltown Hollywood crap Nashville has decided to mimic - there's still stories and great music out there - waiting to be heard. All that's needed is for Nashville to get real and remember what's its like to be unique. Tennessee ain't California !

Man of constant sorrows - a mix of authentic Bluegrass and Ole Tyme music

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Revolution - A Raving Playlist

Over the past few weeks there's been talk of States seceding from the United States, there's more unrest and "tumult" in the Middle East. And Congress, well they've all gone crazy again (it's getting old isn't it?). All of this is combining to provide perfect conditions for Revolution. Whose Revolution will occur, we simply can't predict, we can however provide a soundtrack for it. Today's playlist is that soundtrack and it is aptly named "Revolution." So sit back and plan your takeover to the best tunes we could find...

As usual you can find today's playlist on Spotify.

You can't find many Beatles tunes on Spotify or Grooveshark, oh well

Revolution


Jim Sturgess – Revolution
Sting – If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - 2011 Remix
Social Distortion – Ring Of Fire
John Mellencamp – Authority Song
Collective Soul – Precious Declaration
The Black Crowes – Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution
Rage Against The Machine – Guerilla Radio
Sheryl Crow – A Change Would Do You Good
David Bowie – Suffragette City - 2012 - Remaster
Arkasia – Fall Of The Republic - Original Mix
The Apache Relay – Power Hungry Animals
Soundgarden – Live to Rise
Bryan Adams – Can't Stop This Thing We Started
Soundgarden – Blow Up The Outside World
Pearl Jam – Do The Evolution
Daft Punk – Revolution 909
The Clash – Know Your Rights
Better Than Ezra – In The Blood
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
30 Seconds To Mars – This Is War
Soundgarden – Fell On Black Days
The Animals – House Of The Rising Sun
Soundgarden – Helter Skelter - Live at Crosby Hall, Del Mar - 11/30/1996
Nirvana – The Man Who Sold The World
The Decemberists – This Is Why We Fight
Placebo – Battle For The Sun
U2 – Bullet The Blue Sky
Collective Soul – Better Now
Nickelback – Fight For All The Wrong Reasons
Evanescence – The Change
U2 – One
The Goo Goo Dolls – Slide
The Black Crowes – A Conspiracy
David Bowie – Rebel Rebel - 1999 Digital Remaster
John Mellencamp – Rain On The Scarecrow
Santana – Well All Right
U2 – New Year's Day
Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Fight Like A Brave
Alice In Chains – Them Bones
Veruca Salt – Seether
Queen – Another One Bites The Dust
Gloria Estefan – Turn The Beat Around
U2 – Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Billy Joel – You May Be Right
The Killers – Smile Like You Mean It
Public Enemy – Fight The Power
Deftones – Change [In The House Of Flies]
Beck – Lost Cause
John Mayer – Waiting On The World To Change
Thousand Foot Krutch – War of Change
Passion Pit – Better Things
Matt Redman – We Could Change the World
The National – Start A War
Soundgarden – Blood On The Valley Floor
John Mellencamp – Cherry Bomb
Tenth Avenue North – Don't Stop The Madness
Rage Against The Machine – Born Of A Broken Man
Billy Joel – Prelude/Angry Young Man
Thievery Corporation – Truth And Rights
Mötley Crüe – Fight For Your Rights
I Fight Dragons – The Geeks Will Inherit The Earth
Red Rider – Lunatic Fringe

Lot's more loonies these days...

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Johnny Rockets - the Great American Diner

America has had a love affair with the Diner since the 1930's. Back then you could find them everywhere - in fact they were the predominant type of restaurant in America for perhaps 30 years. Sure there were variations on the Diner, some came prefabricated, others were made from train cars and then during the 1950's, the Diner morphed into the Drive-in. The Diner set within Arnold's Drive-in was the principle shooting location for 8 or 9 seasons on ABC's hit sitcom Happy Days. A Diner featured prominently in the movie Grease. And eventually a small Diner from California turned itself into the World's largest restaurant chain - McDonalds. Diners were everywhere - but not anymore. While there may be tens of thousands of McDonalds spread across the globe, the chain gave up on its Diner roots long ago.

One of the true great American diners

"Beauty School Drop Out" from Grease took place in the Diner

So what is it that makes a Diner a Diner anyway? Here are some of the key criteria:

• It must have the Diner look and Feel. That means lots of metal in the decor, stools to sit on with a counter and jukeboxes for starters. (booths are nice too)
• It must have a limited menu, one focused on traditional diner cuisine. Now this doesn't always translate to burgers and fries but it is limited pretty much to what you can be cooked short order using larger grills.
• A Diner absolutely, positively must serve Milk Shakes, Malts and Floats. Diners in fact inherited the role of Malt Shop once that institution migrated out of drugstores in 1920's and 30's. It is still the best place (outside of a Coldstone perhaps) to get real quality Milkshakes.
• Diner employees tend to wear white uniforms and funny hats. This is an important part of the experience.
• Diners aren't healthy - this is where fast food was born. Eating vegetarian or organic food in a Diner seems a bit oxymoronic. 
• Diners are friendly, casual dining environments. It's not meant to be fancy - you come as you are.

The opening of a Johnny Rockets Diner in Texas

In every city or region there a few hidden gems lurking about - Diners that somehow survived or were reborn. Place like Culp's Cafe in Dayton Ohio and Dot's Diner in Bisbee, Arizona. But there is only one true Diner chain that evokes the memory of what the American Diner used to be and that's Johnny Rockets. They've got outlets across the country and in more than a dozen nations. They've even put a number of Diners in Royal Caribbean cruise ships - that's not something we've tried but it certainly sounds intriguing.

The American Cheeseburger - king of cholesterol 

So why do we like Johnny Rockets so much? Here's our reasons:

• Because they have absolutely awesome Milkshakes - the cherry chocolate is a life altering experience.
• Because we can find them in the places we like to go - (from DC to Tuscon to Cincinnati).
• Because it's become a family tradition. 
• Because you can go there just for dessert and the experience of being there - so you could get a pizza somewhere else or go to a movie and then just stop by for shakes. 
• Because they know how to draw smiley faces and other animal characters using Ketchup. 
• Because we love only paying a nickel to use the jukebox that's at each table (when it's working).

This song has nothing to do with the restaurant but we liked it and put it in anyway

Eating at a Diner is a unique part of living in America and now it has become a way to relive our past in a tangible and tasty way. It may not be good for us but it's a heck of a lot of fun and Johnny Rockets is perhaps the best place across the nation to experience this for yourself.

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Pushing Daisies - A Garden of Colorful Characters

Standard network television is no place to showcase brilliance, not these days anyway. There are a handful of television shows that could be described as pure genius captured on video - Pushing Daisies is one of those shows. While it ran only about 2 and a half seasons on ABC from 2007 to 2009, it is still a joy to go back and watch. One can only imagine the heights it might have soared to if the network had allowed the plot to mature over several more seasons. 

hopelessly devoted to you...

Another short-lived yet brilliant piece of television

Pushing Daisies is a modern American fairy tale, complete with mythical characters and a surreal vision of the world splashed with brilliant colors. Mythical they may be, but all this show's characters are real on a level that is both intimate and sublime. The premise of the show is unusual, but then again most fairy tales are - there is a man named Ned or the "Pie-maker." He has the ability to bring back things from the dead by touch but only for 60 seconds or else something else similar will die to take its place. Also, if he allows the dead thing he touched to remain alive he cannot ever touch it again else it will fall dead instantly. 

Needless to say Ned falls in love with a girl he's revived from the dead, so he can never touch her again. Their relationship presents a number of challenges, but their love endures nonetheless. In the meantime he uses his unique talents to salvage rotten fruit for making pies at his bakery (called the Pie Hole) and for solving crimes by reviving the dead for 60 seconds or less to ask them how they expired.

Pushing Daisies was like the Wizard of Oz of contemporary television

The entire cast of Pushing Daisies is nothing short of phenomenal. Lee Pace and Anna Friel bring the Fairy Tale to life and a host of other fascinating characters pile on many layers of depth and surprises to the already mesmerizing presentation. Of particular note is Kristin Chenoweth as the tiny, love struck third wheel at the Pie Hole whose voice belies her petite frame (we've included two of her songs on the post). Then there's The Darling Mermaid Darlings, a distraught pair of former synchronized swimmers who are now afraid to leave the house. Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Green are the dynamic duo who represent what's left of Dead Girl's (Friel) family.  They may be two of the most enduring and charismatic characters in modern television. 

Perhaps the greatest joy of this movie is the mastery and pure joy of the English language that is infused into every episode. Clever or intelligent writing is so rare these days - so much of what comes out our end of the the flat-screen is formula-driven drivel. Not so here. Then again, Bryan Fuller is not your ordinary producer / director. He was involved with Star Trek Deep Space Nine and also created Dead Like Me, and Wonderfalls. So far he's batting a 1000. He's got two new series coming out soon so we'll see if he can maintain this streak of brilliance. In the meantime, it seems as though there is at least a glimmer of a chance that Pushing Daisies may end up on Starz as a new mini-series - hopefully someday soon. 

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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What is Camelot?

What is Camelot? Is it an idea or a shining castle on the hillside - is it a movie or a Starz series or perhaps a Monty Python skit? Camelot is a central theme of the Arthur legend - it is that place from which a just ruler becomes one with the land and brings peace and prosperity to the people. Camelot is where there is a grand conference room with a giant round table wherein all the knights of the realm can meet and discuss the virtues of being chivalrous.  

Richard Harris had some ideas about Camelot...

The story of Arthur seems ingrained in our culture for some reason - we just can't help returning to it. Arthur is the royal Robin Hood - a man who brings justice along with his god-given or Merlin-procured birthright. Last year Starz decide to reignite the Arthur legend once more, unfortunately despite a promising start the series wasn't picked up for a second season. Will Arthur return on Starz again ? Will a young squire locate the sword and pull it from the stone once more to become king? Will Guinevere play Yoko to the Round Table Knights again - leading them all into ruin?

The Stars of Starz shortlived series, Camelot

Maybe it is a silly tale, perhaps the Python boys got it right. Can it be retold without conjuring visions of the profoundly bad First Knight from the early 90's or the hopelessly outdated broadway musical from the 1960's? Most readers don't recall that Camelot was 'the' show on Broadway when JFK became President and partly for that reason the popular media began referring to the White House as Camelot (and like Arthur, Kennedy strayed from his queen). 

Who knew that this month had such unique powers

We like the Starz series Camelot with two major exceptions. First, the actor Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) was miscast. Bower appears far too feminine and looks hopelessly childlike (and often downright goofy). It strains the whole credibility of the show with him at the helm. The second major issue was the lack of budget. It seems as though Starz had directed all their resources into buying new loincloths for slaves on Spartacus. Camelot deserves some epic touches, a bit of grandeur. 

There was one movie which did give Camelot and the Arthur legend the epic setting it deserved and while it was relatively low budget it managed to hide that fact cleverly. We're talking about John Boorman's classic, Excalibur.  

Excalibur had an Arthur we could believe in, an unforgettable Merlin and the sexiest Morgana ever. It even had Liam Neeson in one of his first movies as the knight who accuses Guinevere of lusting after Lancelot. Granted, both Ralph Fiennes and Eva Green provide fantastic performances as Merlin and Morgana in the Starz version of Camelot, but it's hard to compete with the 1981 classic. Some of you might be saying, "everyone in the 1981 film was wearing armor the whole time, armor that hadn't been invented yet, they even wore it while having sex." So maybe they took safe sex too far in the 80's - Excalibur was still a great show.

Starz might want to try Camelot again, but this time add some more pizzazz and some armor and get rid of Denis the Menace as Arthur and pick a real king. One of the reasons that the show wasn't picked up was because Bower was busy working both Breaking Dawn films. That should be evidence enough that is not the chosen one...

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Dangerous Liaisons - A Raving Playlist

Love is the ultimate double-edged sword - it drives us to creative heights and also drives us crazy. Whether it is a chemical intoxication or an unpredictable psychosis or perhaps a curse from the gods we'll probably never know. We will continue to write poetry and make music about the wild leaps of passion and despair that one thing that marks the milestones of our existence. All love is, by nature, risky as well as being both wonderful and frightening. It makes the perfect inspiration for artists and we can share in that inspiration or empathize with it. This playlist is for all of you who are struggling with the consequences of seeking after and perhaps realizing true passion... good luck

As usual you can find this list on Spotify...

Dangerous Liaisons


Velvet Revolver – She Builds Quick Machines
The Black Crowes – She Talks to Angels
Matchbox Twenty – 3 am
The Black Crowes – Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution
U2 – Vertigo - Radio Edit
Staind – It's Been Awhile
R.E.M. – Living Well Is The Best Revenge
Buckcherry – Crazy B*tch
Foo Fighters – The Pretender
Weezer – (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
Hoobastank – Crawling In The Dark
Gin Blossoms – Hey Jealousy
Juanes – Me Enamora
Queen – Hammer To Fall
U2 – When Love Comes To Town
Counting Crows – A Long December
Staind – Believe - Amended Album Version
ZZ Top – Heartache In Blue
Don Henley – The Heart Of The Matter
Theory Of A Deadman – Bad Girlfriend - Explicit
Dead By Sunrise – Crawl Back In
Eric Hutchinson – Rock & Roll
Miranda Lambert – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Reel Big Fish – Your Girlfriend Sucks
The Rolling Stones – Bitch - 2009 Re-Mastered Digital Version
Jet – She's A Genius
Bush – The Chemicals Between Us
U2 – Magnificent
Weezer – Troublemaker
Coldplay – Hurts Like Heaven - Live
Live – Lightning Crashes
John Mellencamp – Your Life Is Now
The Rolling Stones – Can't You Hear Me Knocking - 2009 Re-Mastered Digital Version
Buckcherry – Talk To Me
We Are Trees – I Don't Believe in Love
The Wallflowers – 6th Avenue Heartache
Incubus – Love Hurts
INXS – Pretty Vegas
Rihanna – Hate That I Love You
Counting Crows – Mrs. Potters Lullaby
Default – Wasting My Time [Acoustic]
John Mellencamp – Lonely Ol' Night
The Black Crowes – Jealous Again
Jack Johnson – Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend - Explicit Version
R.E.M. – Everybody Hurts
Def Leppard – Bringin' On The Heartbreak - Live
Shinedown – Second Chance
The James Gang – Walk Away
The Killers – Smile Like You Mean It
J. Geils Band – Love Stinks
INXS – What You Need - Single/LP Version
Matchbox Twenty – If You're Gone
U2 – Mysterious Ways
Santana – Maria Maria - Radio Mix
R.E.M. – Shiny Happy People
John Mellencamp – Down And Out In Paradise
Nirvana – The Man Who Sold The World
Radiohead – Just
Fall Out Boy – I Don't Care
Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing
David Bowie – Suffragette City - 2012 - Remaster
3 Doors Down – Be Like That
Soundgarden – Spoonman
10,000 Maniacs – Candy Everybody Wants
Rob Thomas – When The Heartache Ends
The Cars – You're All I've Got Tonight
AC – YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG
U2 – God Part II
Steely Dan – Hey Nineteen
The Vandals – My Girlfriend's Dead
Phil Collins – Easy Lover
Dave Matthews Band – Lover Lay Down
Paul Simon – 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
Breaking Point – All Messed Up
Madonna – Bad Girl
John Mellencamp – Hurts So Good
Kings Of Leon – Taper Jean Girl - Explicit
Joe Cocker – The Jealous Kind
Queen – Jealousy
John Mellencamp – Crumblin' Down
Jack Johnson – You And Your Heart
Franz Ferdinand – Darts Of Pleasure
The Strokes – Last Nite

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Breaking Bad AP Chemistry 101

Hello and welcome to the Breaking Bad AP Honors Chemistry course.

We have lot's in store for you this semester and we're sure it will prove to the most exciting science class you've ever taken. Your professor this year is our Dean of Chemistry, Walter White. Professor White brings an unparalleled academic record and an absolute love for chemistry into every course he teaches. He is recognized worldwide for his skills in growing crystals and also runs a thriving small business in his spare time. Your course assistant this semester is Jesse Pinkman, he is majoring in Meth Production and Distribution as well as punk rock.

Your AP Chemistry course Professor, Walter White

Course Syllabus
This semester's course will be divided in the following categories or sections; we'll denote within each area when labs are required:

Bomb Making Essentials - We will explore a variety of chemical compounds used to produce explosives and even create triggering devices. These techniques will come in very handy whenever you may feel the need to blow the face off of any rival druglord.

Lab 1 - Mercury mini-bombs.

Lab 2 - Glycerin (how to turn soap into dynamite)

Lab 3 - Plastique basics   

Dissolving Bodies - There's nothing worse than using the wrong acid compounds to eliminate evidence, it can lead to serious damage to your lab or basement. This section will explore how to most efficiently dissolve corpses while leaving your lab intact.

Lab 1 - Dissolving Guinea Pigs in milk cartons

Meth Production - Baking crystals isn't easy. Professor White takes you from theory to large scale production. 

Lab 1 - How to make super-pure Blue Meth Crystals 

Lab 2 - How to clean your lab without driving your mentor insane

The Big Rock Candy Mountain...

Setting up Mobile Labs - Being stuck indoors all the time is no fun for anybody let alone homicidal chemists - there is a way around this dull routine however; build a mobile lab. This section will explore everything from the types of recreational vehicles to choose as well as finding the equipment best suited for mobile chemistry. 

Lab 1 - Properly weighting down the RV

Killing your co-workers - Competition within the chemistry field can be cutthroat and let's face it, who needs the aggravation? Whenever you find yourself at odds with up and coming talent why not just eliminate the stress altogether? Or what about that partner who got rich off of your discovery and screwed you over? This section explores the myriad of ways you can use what you love (chemistry) to kill jerks you don't like.

Lab 1 - Killing co-workers at the lab

Lab 2 - Killing associates outside of the lab

Mixing Poisons - Ever wish you could make your own Ricin? We'll cover that and much more in this section.

Lab 1 - Using household items to produce deadly toxins.

Chemistry and Glam Rock - Even Chemists need to unwind; why not do it by creating elaborate Karaoke videos to David Bowie or David Bowie knockoff songs. This section of the course will show you how. 

this seems so harmless... ha ha ha

Chemistry and Glam Rock go hand in hand

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States

History is a fascinating topic and here's why:

1. It is the over-arching story of all of us.
2. It is a highly interpretative and subjective art (it's not a science).
3. It is hopelessly intertwined with the cultures that produce it.
4. It serves as the larger context for every other type of information our society produces (be it science, religion etc.)
5. It often involves people and events we know, or think we know.

Oliver Stone and Showtime have teamed up to produce what can best be described as an alternative course in 20th Century American history called Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States. The truth is that Director Stone began this project 30 years ago through films like Salvador, Born on the 4th of July and JFK. But now it has moved from specific stories to an all-encompassing historical perspective.

Maverick Producer / Director Oliver Stone

The core premise of the show is that there are a lot of misconceptions in the traditional or common textbook versions of what happened in the US over the past century or so. Stone attacks what he sees as that bias and adds some very interesting spin of his own. The show is still early in its run and is just about to tackle the Cold War in its next episode. This week Stone explored myths surrounding the use of the Atomic bomb in Japan at the end of WWII. So far the most interesting part of the series has been the focus on Franklin Roosevelt's first Vice President, Henry Wallace. Most Americans don't even know that Roosevelt had another Vice President (other than Truman). Wallace's story proves both fascinating and tragic; but for one late night vote at the 1944 Democratic Convention Wallace would have become President and presided over post-war America. 

Henry Wallace - FDR's 1st Vice President 

In the following episode, "The Bomb"  Stone more or less eviscerates Truman on every possible level; from political skill, to personality flaws and even morality. Stone does correctly point out a number of key facts regarding use of the bomb though:

1. The estimate about how many Americans might be lost in an invasion of Japan were vastly inflated later to help justify the bomb's use.
2. Stalin's invasion of Japan (per agreement with the Allies) in August 1945 is what led to Japan's surrender much more so than the dropping of the two atom bombs (at Hiroshima and Nagasaki).
3. Japan would have surrendered months earlier if the US had made guarantees about about retention of the Emperor (something we ended up doing anyway after Japan surrendered unconditionally).
4. Probably the main reason why Truman and his political allies wanted to use the bomb was to warn or threaten the Soviets. This directly led to tensions which kicked off the Cold War. 

There had been strong opposition in the War Department including by the Secretary of War, Eisenhower and others to use of the bomb, yet all those objections were ignored. Truman took responsibility for the decision and the specific directives to use the bombs in populated areas as opposed to somewhere less populated (which could have demonstrated their destructive power without killing hundreds of thousands of people).

The series tackles lots of tough questions like this and that's a good thing. While all the points Stone makes are true, though, he also seems to paint Stalin in a more flattering light than the crazed Soviet dictator deserved (Stalin killed more of his people before WWII than Hitler killed across Europe during WWII). One has to wonder what might have happened if we hadn't taken a hard line with the Soviets or if the bomb hadn't been used. Certainly the using the bomb had little to do with stopping the war, but it did make an impression that was never forgotten and in doing so may have somewhat deterred use of the bomb in future combat (it still has not been used since 1945). We'll never know of course what might have happened if different choices were made - whether using the bomb made us safer or instead brought us to the very brink of self-destruction. These are questions worth asking and we're looking forward to seeing more of Oliver Stone's spin on American History.

Series preview for Oliver Stone's Untold History of America

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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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 in US television history - Masterpiece Theater. The influence of the BBC is probably more pervasive than most people realize as a number of American TV shows like the Office are in fact copies of previous British productions.

The BBC's understated logo

The BBC is in fact a series of state run television and radio networks. The BBC first began broadcasting TV programs in 1932 and began regular broadcasts in 1934. Television broadcasting was suspended during WW2, but BBC radio was there broadcasting the London Blitz to the world in 1940. The BBC has a long and storied history; it was the preferred method for coordinating resistance fighters in France and elsewhere and also served to inform Hitler that there was still one voice broadcasting Democracy across Europe. 

A family listening to the BBC during World War 2

Ten Reasons We Love the BBC

1. Because it captured Winston Churchill's defiant messages to Hitler and showed the world that Democracy would not give up without a fight.
2. Because Monty Python's Flying Circus probably wouldn't have happened anywhere else - it redefined comedy for generations. 
3. Because Dr. Who never gets old - and it's bigger inside.
4. Because they took Shakespeare and other British theater and made it fun (I, Claudius). 
5. Because the BBC is not afraid to take risks and launch groundbreaking shows across genres.
6. Because the BBC inspired Austin Powers. 
7. Because all the British Invasion bands and then later many Alternative bands helped get started through appearances on British TV. 
8. Because it is the launchpad for many of the best actors on the planet.
9. Because it represents the number one cultural exchange between Britain and the US (the British Invasion is a close second).
10. The BBC has absolutely nothing to do with Rupert Murdock. 

The Teletubbies eventually hit the gym to work on their image issues...

BBC Shows we're Going to Review

1. Sherlock
2. Dr. Who
3. Primeval
4. Masterpiece Theater
5. Torchwood
6. Walking with Beasts
7. Red Dwarf
8. Monty Python's Flying Circus
9. Life on Mars (BBC version)
10. I, Claudius
11. Teletubbies

The Dead Parrot Skit

Mrs., will ya, turn on the tele...

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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