I've packed more social activities into this week than I have in ages! Granted, they all took some form of nerdery, but it's still hard to stay "on" for so many consecutive nights. I shall look forward to a day of rest in the morning. Not to say that I'm complaining!
We've started up a mostly-weekly board game night at work, and this week I brought my cards to the table in the form of Give Me the Brain and my favorite card game, Once Upon a Time. It is an absolute joy to play Once Upon a Time with a group of creative storytellers who play in to the cooperative part of the game! I really do need to get a whole deck of blank cards to expand the storytelling arsenal. It's an exhausting game, however, requiring a lot of creative energy, so it is paired well with Give Me the Brain, which is quick and low-key.
Friday night was the first in a twice-monthly D&D campaign, again with friends from work, and it is a fantastic adventure so far! I love pen and paper RPGs, and have nothing but respect for people who are willing to DM. The format is lax enough that people can come and go from the core group, so that we don't face the often-game-killing dilemma of not being able to get everyone together at the same time. We're playing 3rd edition, as it was all of our favorites (I have no experience with 4th edition, but the ones who had played it didn't like it at all compared to 3rd).
Today I visited with Josh and we gave Borderlands a try, and ended up playing all day long! I really enjoy the game, but I can see how it shines best when played cooperatively. I think the music in the game has been under-appreciated - it sets the mood so well! It's a good combination of genres for my tastes, too. The FPSness is pretty mild, and the RPGness isn't too deep. A good "casual" blend, though I realize that casual is probably an inappropriate word for what I'm trying to describe. Plus, anything with quests is a hook in my mouth, and I foresee playing more in the future.
Tonight, I went to Will's to kick off the Venture Brothers Marathon which we have been talking about doing for some time. We skipped season 1, since I've seen it in full several times, and got good headway into season 2 tonight. It always surprises me what a well put-together show that is!
As for tomorrow, I intend to do some nesting, a bit of cooking, and then spend the rest of it in bed. Is the last week of January upon us already?!?
Showing posts with label cartoons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cartoons. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Monday, September 16, 2002
Numbing War Movies and Cartoons
I've often pondered the cartoons of my youth, and their inexplicable ability to parody the most unlikely movies to be seen by a child in my age group. Specifically, how Animaniacs, Eek! The Cat, *and* Tazmania all managed to do spoofs of Apocalypse Now, so well that though I've never seen the movie, I can give a decent rundown of the plot, characters, and general spectacle.
Now let's think about this a minute. Apocalypse Now? WHAT?? Looking back, I find it strange that these cartoons chose to entertain the youth of my generation by making fun of a serious, dramatic, bloody Vietnam war movie. In that case, why did I find these particular cartoons so funny? I'd never seen the movie, afterall. Was Apocalypse Now so ingrained in the culture at the time that I just sort of soaked it up through osmosis, or did I piece it together after seeing multiple parodies that they were making fun of *something*, and apparently doing it well, so it should be funny.
It's hard to determine after the fact. Kinda like how I got most of my understanding of pop culture through Muppet Babies. That's how I knew what Star Wars was, afterall. It was a fundamental truth of life at the time, I never questioned where it came from, it was just *there*, and I'm certain that I knew all the basics of Star Wars before I ever saw any of the movies. Muppet Babies was definately an educational show ^_^
It's interesting enough to think about this and look at current cartoons, and then try and deduce how this generation's youth is soaking it all up. I also get to see things from a new perspective, I get most of the things being poked fun at. Now that I think about it, I can't remember how my parents reacted to the Apocalypse Now parodies, it was something I just didn't pay attention to.
Now let's think about this a minute. Apocalypse Now? WHAT?? Looking back, I find it strange that these cartoons chose to entertain the youth of my generation by making fun of a serious, dramatic, bloody Vietnam war movie. In that case, why did I find these particular cartoons so funny? I'd never seen the movie, afterall. Was Apocalypse Now so ingrained in the culture at the time that I just sort of soaked it up through osmosis, or did I piece it together after seeing multiple parodies that they were making fun of *something*, and apparently doing it well, so it should be funny.
It's hard to determine after the fact. Kinda like how I got most of my understanding of pop culture through Muppet Babies. That's how I knew what Star Wars was, afterall. It was a fundamental truth of life at the time, I never questioned where it came from, it was just *there*, and I'm certain that I knew all the basics of Star Wars before I ever saw any of the movies. Muppet Babies was definately an educational show ^_^
It's interesting enough to think about this and look at current cartoons, and then try and deduce how this generation's youth is soaking it all up. I also get to see things from a new perspective, I get most of the things being poked fun at. Now that I think about it, I can't remember how my parents reacted to the Apocalypse Now parodies, it was something I just didn't pay attention to.
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