- XKCD: The East/West terminology always bugged me too. But then, living in California, I figure we’re also on the Pacific Rim.
- What makes people think it’s OK to post insults/threats just because your old blog post isn’t what they wanted to find on Google? It was on the one about using the disarmed emergency exit as a shortcut during construction…5 years ago. WTF?
- You know, it would be nice if ABC would SAY things like “In 3 weeks” when they’re going to preempt Pushing Daisies 2 weeks in a row.
- I like having (nearly) full movement in my arm again.
- End of an era: Our last box of real Sudafed has expired.
Category: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Best Ripoff Title Ever
Several months ago I was browsing the local Blockbuster video store for a movie to rent, and I stumbled across one that made me laugh out loud. It’s the title on the right, and you’ll see why if you compare it to the rather more well-known title on the left.
I mean, seriously, look how carefully they tried to match the source material.
- The title, Alien vs. Hunter, as close as possible to the original Alien vs. Predator, carefully using only descriptive names.
- The logo design, with the TLA (three-letter acronym) in large type and the full title in small type below it.
- The layout on the packaging, with close-ups of the two creature’s heads, one on each side.
- The monochrome design, using green instead of blue.
- The creature designs, one with an elongated head and nasty-looking teeth, the other wearing a mask.
- Even the font on the full title is similar.
I have to admit I haven’t watched either of them, so I have no idea whether this attention to detail pervades the actual movie. But I can seriously imagine someone not paying close attention picking up the wrong movie by mistake.
On the same trip, I found another video called Transmorphers — by the same production company, it turns out (big surprise) — but they didn’t try nearly as hard to match the packaging to anything Transformers-related. Still, for a good laugh, look through the titles of movies by The Asylum — I think Snakes on a Train may actually trump both titles.
Conan the Scheduler
Surprised to find no jokes online using the pun “Anvil of Cron,” just typos.
Oh well, there’s always S*P’s Google Crom.
NBC 3D
I caught a re-release of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D.
- Movie: Still good.
- 3D: Still good.
- Digital Projection: Not so good. Pixels were visible in high-contrast or fast-moving scenes.
OC D&D
Something like 10 years ago, Katie saw a self-storage place in which the opening S was unlit, making it read, “Elf Storage.” She’s been looking for another one ever since, and we finally caught one in Newport Beach a few months ago. This one was even better, because the S had actually fallen off.
Of course, there are other things in the area that could easily come out of a Dungeons & Dragons manual. Such as this Kobold Construction truck.
And then there’s the fact that all fire engines in Orange County are labeled ORC.
Let’s not forget the previously-blogged Hobbit Center in Laguna Beach.
And that’s not even getting into all the Tolkien-inspired street names in Lake Forest…