202 replies to this topic

[Nate River]

Where did you see that? I remember my trip to NYC. There were street venders all over the place selling knock-off Oakley's, Rolex's (Rolec's is how it was spelled on the watch), and bootleg movies (which was just some dood in a theater with a camcorder).e\

[Lid]

Where did you see that? I remember my trip to NYC. There were street venders all over the place selling knock-off Oakley's, Rolex's (Rolec's is how it was spelled on the watch), and bootleg movies (which was just some dood in a theater with a camcorder).e\

 

Haven't actually seen any myself. I just share photos I find on the Twitter account Bootleg Stuff: https://twitter.com/Bootleg_Stuff I just find it funny.

[Lid]

Cold weather and the holidays means it's eggnog and rum time again!

 

So, me right now:

 

[Lid]

Hello NaruSaku peeps! Time for another blog post!

 

Hope everyone is doing well as December gets into the second half. This weekend for me has mainly been wrapping up Christmas shopping. I got it done yesterday. Late, yes I know  , but the gifts are on their way and I ordered with fast shipping  .

 

I'm going to be traveling Friday to my home town, about a two hour drive, so hopefully the weather will hold up during that time. This past weekend the area south of where I live, mainly the Twin Cities metro, was blasted with a snow storm and the entire state of Minnesota had a wind chill advisory. Temperatures got to about -45 with the wind chill overnight  .

 

Interesting that both holidays fall on a weekend this year, too, huh? The weekend after Christmas will be New Year's Eve/Day, and my plan is to head to Minneapolis to catch some Oscar-worthy movies!    

 

My hope is that I'll be able to see La La Land, Jackie and Elle. After catching some movies I'll probably spend some time watching the college football semi-finals.

 

However, I'm also thinking of getting some people together to go on Xat for a New Year's Eve party to ring in the new year like we've done the past couple times.

 

Other than all that Jazz, my time as been spent watching sports, per usual. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings are an absolute wreck lately. The Gopher football team, meanwhile, got a black eye ahead of their bowl game. 10 players were suspended because sexual assault and it's led to a major scandal. As of now, the team will still play in the Holiday Bowl, but the excitement is gone.

 

At least, though, the Golden Gopher basketball team is doing well right now. If they win their next game they will be 12-1 headed into conference play. it's a big turn around from last season where they only won eight games. Another bright spot that's been fun is the Minnesota Wild, who've won seven games in a row.

 

Another thing I've been watching is of course, RWBY. Here are my thoughts on the most recent episode.

RWBY Spoiler

I really liked this episode. First of all, it was intense seeing RNJR get so outclassed. And the set up for the Qrow fight was superb. Should be a really great fight coming up.

What I liked most, though, was seeing Weiss' continued character arc. She's come an incredibly long way from being the stuck up person with limited scope to now having a greater world view and having some gritty experience under her belt. Her outburst at the party was fantastic.

 

Probably the only other thing I've been watching lately are the Bee Movie memes. I, just can't stop. 

 

 

 

 

I've also tried some new beers since last big post. Both of them were winter beers.

 

This is one of the more interesting and complex IPA beers that I've had. It certainly is hoppy and has bitterness, but there's also plenty of citrus flavor there. It's good stuff. 

 

Next up was a porter from Bell's Brewing company. This one didn't jump out too much at me, but it's still a fine beer. It does everything that a porter should do. Have creamyness, have hints of chocolate and coffee and be all around a good drink on a cold night. 

 

Now, as usual, here's some bootleg stuff for a laugh

 

 

Spange Bab.

 

 

Sugar, spice and everything nice... and peppers.

 

 

Console vs PC?

 

 

Busy Bee, but every time someone says the word Bee the service gets faster.

 

 

Aladdin's frightening brother

 

 

King Donkey Kong

 

 

Finally, my favorite Marvel heroes together! Leonardo, Spiderman, Little Pink Riding Hood, Bear and Batman!

 

Till next time. 

 

   

[Lid]

Hey everyone, I hope all of NS had a wonderful holiday weekend. Mine was quite a bit busy, with plenty of traveling.

 

So first thing's first, I drove to my hometown Dec. 23 and enjoyed some homecooked food, my mama made Rouladen. She's originally from Germany so she has a great recipe for the traditional German dish. That evening we watched "The Muppet Christmas Carol," which remains my favorite adaptation of the classic story. Michael Caine is phenomenal in it and the muppets humor back in those days was always on point.

 

Then came the day of Christmas Eve. The afternoon my dad and I watched in agony as the Minnesota Vikings were shredded by the Green Bay Packers, so that wasn't too fun. But, dinner was still fantastic. We had fondue, which is a family tradition we have on Christmas Eve, the four of us in my family get some really nice cuts of steak and pork and have the fondue pot filled with oil and just cook the meat in there. Then we have some great dipping sauces an noodle salad with it.

 

Christmas morning was great, too. I think my gifts were well received which is always nice and as for me, I got mostly travel money. Then, I was supposed to leave on Monday, but a major snow storm moved in so I ended up staying around until Tuesday, which was fine because the company I'm at gave Dec. 26 off. 

 

So, then this past weekend, New Years, I hit the road again and went to the Twin Cities for some movies, where I used my Christmas present. During my time there, I watched La La Land and Jackie, two phenomenal films.

 

Then I went out for a great dinner at a place called Joe Sensors where I had some great food.

 

Once that was wrapped up, I went back to my hotel, watched the rest of the Ohio State vs Clemson game (what the hell happened there?) and then watched a Twitch channel called Watch Girls Play, which was having a special New Years Eve stream.

 

I was a little sad that not many people were able to make it to the Xat event I made for H&E, but I understand that people were busy and that the forum isn't as busy as it once was.

 

The next morning I got up and wrote my reviews for La La Land and Jackie as well as for Fences, which I saw earlier in the week. I also typed up my top 10 worst movies of the year.

 

Here are some links to what I wrote

• La La Land review
• Fences Review
• Top 10 Worst 2016 Movies
• Jackie review (will be published 1/3)

So I got back home last night and today I've just been lazy. I was planning to go to the grocery store but we got hit with another snow storm so I just stayed in doors.

 

One thing that I did do, though, is watch the new episode of RWBY, so here are my thoughts on that:

 

RWBY Spoiler

Really an exposition episode for the most part, filling in on a lot of lore and details for the heroes. Although, sometimes those are just necessary and this one was handled fairly well. I'm curious to see what has been set in motion. I'm also anxious to get back to Yang's progress.

 

Looking to my days ahead, there will probably a lot more basketball and hockey watching since football is winding down. The Golden Gophers football team won their bowl game and I was happy that they reached that win, yet still disappointed in the players involved in the misconduct. However, the players who were just there to be student athletes and did everything right deserve credit for going out with a win and a trophy.

 

I was also happy to see the Vikings end the year with a win. Yes, it was disappointing to miss the playoffs, but they went 8-8 so it wasn't a losing season and they finished the year with a win over the rival Bears.

 

Other sports teams I follow are looking pretty good, the Gophers basketball team, for example, just had a big win over the No. 15 team in the country and are 13-2 while the Minnesota Wild have won a ton of games lately.

 

And with all that said, here are some more bootleg pics I found that you can laugh at.

Best portable, 10/10

 

The darker sequel everyone's been waiting for

 

The Sampsons.

 

Gotta catch em all, I think.

 

Transformers: Ice Age of Extinction 

 

Why does sonic need to ride a bike? Because reasons

 

Speaking of Sonic, here's another example of his desperate quest for edginess.

 

Till next time. 

   

[Lid]

What is with me? 

 

Every time football season end the amount of posting on my blog here just seems to drop off the map   . I guess I just get to it more during that time, whatever.

 

I suppose I did get really busy here the last few months, especially with award season reaching its climax. 

 

I've shared some of my movie reviews from the other Oscar films but here's the ones I didn't get a chance to post:

Elle (Best Actress Nominee)

Lion (Best Picture Nominee

Hidden Figures (Best Picture Nominee)

 

When Oscar night finally came, I did OK in terms of predictions and was happy with most of the results. However, my jaw certainly dropped when the big flub happened

 

 

Since that time I've reviewed some other movies, and there have been some pretty good ones in the early months of 2017.

The LEGO Batman Movie

Logan
Kong: Skull Island

 

Outside of movies I've been paying a lot of attention to sports. First of all, it's been a great season for the Minnesota Wild, who've been racking up a lot of wins this year. This is one of their more successful seasons in a while and I have my fingers crossed for a good run in the playoffs.

 

More than that, though, I've been paying attention to the college level. My own alma mater, Minnesota State University won a regular season conference championship this year and earned a bid to the NCAA DII Tournament.

 

At the Division I level, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have had success. Today they've earned their first bid to the NCAA Tourney since 2013. It's Coach Richard Pitino's first NCAA Tournament appearance ever. He won a NIT Tournament Championship in 2014, so this is a good step up. 

 

The hockey team, meanwhile, has won another regular season conference championship, which has become more or less a tradition recently. They've now won six titles in a row.

 

 

So many trophies! 

 

Oh, and on the topic of RWBY, which I've also talked about on my blog.

 

RWBY Spoiler

Volume 4 was certainly different, but I think it was really necessary. Splitting up the team and having the main four characters face some of the issues that were building up in their lives and overcome them to get stronger was especially important and goes a long way for the series.

After the tragic ending of Volume 3, it was great to see these characters show major growth. I'm so excited now for the RWBY reunion. I'm also very happy with the development of Jaune this season and I feel like he will continue to become more of a leader next volume.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't kept up with many other anime series. I have to check out more of them but always put it off for some reason  .

On another note, how about some more bootleg stuff?

 

 

When Captain America isn't available. 

 

 

The artist formerly known as Knuckles 

 

 

How does this happen? 

[Lid]

April is finally here! It's a bit gloomy here and the grass is still a dirty bronzed gold instead of bright green, but the snow is gone and the warmth is finally on the way.

 

There's definitely a romanticized view of winter that I happen to enjoy. Having hot chocolate, warm coffee or some nice eggnog with a little rum on a cold day, seeing the snow and ice cover trees just the right way and all of the holidays associated make winter pretty nice.

 

Buuuuuuuuut, still. Winter up here basically lasts from mid-November to mid-March. So, having the snow all gone and spring being ushered in is always fantastic. April and May are especially nice as everything starts blooming again up here and the sun is able to reflect off the lake more, rather than it just being covered by ice. Also, I get to sit out on my balcony again! 

 

With the end of winter and start of spring, though, it also means the end of winter sports, meaning a lot of my teams will be done. The Minnesota State University Dragons ended their run in the Division II tourney, and both the Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey and basketball teams ended their seasons in the first rounds of their respective Division I tournaments.

At the pro level, meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to miss the playoffs again, having not made it since 2004  . 

 

That said, all those teams I mentioned should have better seasons next year. The TWolves have a lot of young talent, Gophers hockey is always a contender, Gophers basketball has had some great recruiting and the Dragons are a legit power house in their conference now. 

 

One team that is still in the running is the Minnesota Wild, who've clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They've been on a slide lately, but hopefully they get a boost of energy when the playoffs start.

 

On the movie side of things, I've reviewed a couple more flicks over the last couple of weeks, with two of them being good, but not great. They included:

Beauty and the Beast

Power Rangers

Ghost in the Shell

 

While we're on the topic of movies, I should bring up the topic of Death Note, or more specifically, the American adaptation for Netflix. I think one thing I have to say first is that the word adaptation is key. This isn't a remake, it's not a shot-for-shot recreation, it's another artist's take on an idea.

 

From that perspective, I think I'm rather fine with how the characters look. What I'm more concerned about is the execution. I'll be honest, I wasn't a big fan of the way Light looked, in the direct trailer thread on this site, I said he looked a bit too evil, when he's just supposed to be an average high school student.

 

With that said, if the actor plays him right, meaning he gives him the narcissistic attitude that Light always had and melds that with a misconstrued ideal of justice, I think they will have gotten it right. The same can be said for L, if the actor plays him with the same quirks and the flashes of brilliance layered beneath the odd personality, they'll have done something right.

 

I understand being a bit worried with many things being different (the look of the characters, the setting), but think about how this has been done well before. The Magnificent Seven in my view was more or less a remake of Seven Samurai and it turned out fine. Same can be said for the Ring being based off Ringu or even The Birdcage, which was a remake of a French picture.

 

On the flip side, not only has there already been a complete (two film part) live action adaptation that took place in Japan with characters who look practically the same, but just doing a shot for shot recreation wouldn't interest me much. Look at the 90s Psycho remake, that was basically a complete recreation and people simply said they'd rather watch the original than the same thing but with a different director and actors.

 

I think taking the premise and structure of Death Note's story and adding some differences could be a good thing and something fresh. In the end, it will come down to execution and delivery. 

 

Whew, that went on longer than I thought   How about a change in topics? Maybe a drink.

 

Recently I tried the beer Sam Adams Fresh as Helles and it turned out to be pretty good. 

The beer has tastes of citrus, spice and a dash of honey for a sweet, refreshing flavor. It's a beer that's certainly high on malts and goes down really smooth. This one, which pours a nice gold color, is worth checking out.

 

And just for fun, let's add some boot leg pics to this mix.

 

Remember when Lupin the Third changed his name to BeetleJuice?

 

 

Gotta be a Poche Man Master.

[rikakim94]

Hello nice to see you again Im planning to make a original digimon idea also im planning to pair up a pairing that simliar to what taiora could have been can you give me any ideas to work off of?

[Lid]

Hello nice to see you again Im planning to make a original digimon idea also im planning to pair up a pairing that simliar to what taiora could have been can you give me any ideas to work off of?

 

No. If you're going to post on my blog, please make it relevant to what I've posted about. I like Digimon but I'm not the go to person for Digimon related subjects.

[Lid]

Hello Summer.

 

OK, technically, summer around here doesn't technically start until around June 20, but, for many of us, the weather is warming up, school is getting done with and a lot of vacations are right around the corner.

 

For me, a sign of Summer is the first weekend in May. My Birthday is May 3rd and usually that weekend is warm, sunny and the blockbuster season starts up. This time around, it kicked off with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which I loved.

 

Here are some of my reviews for the summer so far.

Guardians Vol. 2

The Circle

Snatched

Fate of the Furious (Technically the movie released in April but it more or less is a summer blockbuster)

 

Aside from movies, I've also had my eyes glued to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Wild got kicked to the curb with relative ease by the Blues but I still enjoy watching the different series. As of now, the NHL Playoffs have been far superior to its NBA counterpart. There have been so many damn blowouts in the NBA, it's unreal.

 

At least a few years ago when James was with the Heat there were still some good games, there was a great series between the Heat and the Celtics and later the Heat vs the Pacers. The other day they had a Celtics vs Cavs game and it was an absolutely one-sided affair. The same has been true on the Western Conference. Hopefully the Finals will at least be good.

The race for the Stanley Cup has been a whole different story. The amount of overtime games has been outstanding and the speed of the game has been consistently entertaining.

 

At least both playoffs are still on, though. I'm always a bit down when it ends because I'm not really a baseball fan so It's just a long wait until football starts again. At the very least, Minnesota has a new Major League Soccer team in the United FC Loons and I get more time to watch some other sports like boxing. Plus, I try to keep my appetite somewhat by watching the Canadian Football League and even Arena Football to an extent. But all of it still doesn't fill the gap until August when football returns.

 

Something I am looking forward to this summer, though, is the return of Food Wars. From what I've read, Shokugeki No Soma will come back for a third season this summer and I can't wait. It's been a great, fun series so far and I'm looking forward to seeing more. I'm hoping it eventually gets to the status of other anime with continuous seasons like most Shonen.

 

Aside from watching stuff, I've also been trying some new beers.

 

First up is Maibock from Minnesota's own Summit Brewing.

This one definitely fell more on the malty side, which I enjoy. It is rich, has a bit of sweetness and just a bit of bitterness to balance the whole thing out.

 

Next one up was Citradelic from New Belgium Brewing

 

As one would expect from the name, this one does hit with citrus and sweetness. However, being an IPA,, it still has some bitterness to make for a fairly solid blend.

 

Another one from New Belgium was its Cherry Almond Ale.

I have to admit I was skeptical with this one, as its flavors are certainly more unique. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The brew mixes the sweet cherry flavor with the roasted nut taste amazingly well. If you're in the mood for something new and different, give it a go.

 

And, since I haven't done this in a while, here are some good bootlegs.

 

Dora, but from Hell.

 

 

I don't even...

 

 

Hail Hydra?

 

 

The gang's all here, and they all want to fight.

 

 

Mega Burger Man

 

 

Where did ya come from, where did ya go? Where did ya come from Sharp Hand Joe 

 

 

Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler, welcome to WAAAH Park. 

 

 

It's a little bit scary game! 

 

 

No words... 

 

Till next time.

   

[Lid]

So, I think I can speak for all of us when I say: "What the hell PhotoBucket?!"

 

Seriously, my signature, many other peoples' signatures and all of the photos I had shared here on my blog for YEARS are now all gone. Apparently PhotoBucket won't even share the photos anymore. What a joke!

 

Anyways, how's everyone's summer been? Haven't posted on here since May, O__O, so I figured I'd check in, stop by and give an update on my life because it's so exciting...(sort of) XD.

 

On the real, not a whole heck of a lot has been going on with me. However, I did introduce Food Wars to one of my good friends and they're hooked so I find that to be a win! 

 

Speaking of which, I can't wait until Season 3! This show deserves the treatment of Naruto and One Piece. It should be a long form show considering the manga.

 

So what else have I been up to? Well, earlier in June I beat Link to the Past, 100%. I played the game before and shared it with you all on here. I try to play it at least once a year, so I reached my quota I guess. I also enjoyed the 4th of July, had some awesome BBQ:

 

Also, I watched Manny Pacquiao's most recent fight earlier this year. He should have won, look at the stats:

 

While we're on the subject of sports, the Minnesota Timberwolves made some huge offseason moves and should have enough firepower to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. However, we also traded Ricky Rubio, so I don't know what to do with this:

 

 

Also on sports, I miss football so muuuuuuuch      .

 

I'm trying to get by with a mix of summer basketball special tournaments, soccer and Canadian Football, but yikes, the wait is long in summer.

 

On the movies front, it's been pretty nice, though. Here are some of my recent reviews:

• Dunkirk
• The Big Sick - 4.7 out of 5
• War for the Planet of the Apes - 5 out of 5
• Spider-Man Homecoming - 4.4 out of 5
• The House - 1 out of 5
• Baby Driver - 4.5 out of 5
• Rough Night - 1 out of 5
• Transformers: The Last Knight - 1 out of 5
• Cars 3 - 2.9 out of 5
• The Mummy - 1 out of 5
• Wonder Woman - 5 out of 5

While we're on reviews, I'll also go over some beers.

Castle Danger Cream Ale

This stuff lives up to the name. Creamy, smooth, full of flavor, not very bitter. Can be enjoyed in summer and winter alike.

 

Shiner Berliner Weisse

Probably my personal preference, but I was not a fan. Extremely tart, tasted like I was drinking grapefruit juice.

 

Shell's Frost Hop Helles

Great mix of hops and malt. A little bitter, but still sweet. Reminded me of something better for fall than summer, though.

 

Summit Witbier

Strong flavor, definitely a thick, wheat beer. Little hint of citrus.

 

Hoegaarden Wit

Very spicy and malty, hint of citrus. Tasty, but not the most refreshing wit I've had. 

 

Blue Moon Honey Ale

I've always dug Blue Moon and this hits the spot. Has the traditional Blue Moon taste but the honey adds more sweetness, making for a nice summer drink.

 

Goose Island Summertime

Might be my favorite beer of the summer. This was very good, Bit of bitterness, lemon is in there. Refreshing stuff.

 

On another note, does anyone else watch the channel AkiDearest? She's an anime Youtube creator and she's hilarious:

 

 

That's about it for now. Glad to update this thing again. Till next time.

   

[Lid]

So because I enjoy sharing things, especially videos, I'll recommend another fun Youtube channel. This one is Jaiden Animations. Check it out.

 

 

 

I also wrote another movie review, this one for Atomic Blonde.

[Lid]

 

This is life changing

[Lid]

OK, I don't know about anyone else, but I am TIRED of summer. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm begging for frigid temperatures or anything.

But geez, this summer heat, I hate it. I have my air conditioner at full blast right now because my apartment is like a heat collector. This is why I like fall, not too hot, not too cold. 

 

[narulsaku]

Lol u can't blame the summer he he its what it does. I bathed in sweat more than all water in use in my bath all week which is well not much but u know pleanty

[Lid]

FINALLY

The wait is mercifully over. This weekend I've been able to enjoy college football again for the first time since January! You may have guessed that I love college football, and it's true. I like it even more than the pros. 

 

I know not everyone here is a sports fan, but everyone can relate to a long wait to watch something they really like when it's on a break. That long wait gets hella painful in the last few weeks. But, it's over.

 

This past weekend I took it all in, watching my favorite Division I team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers get a win Thursday.

 

I followed that up by watching my alma mater, the Division II Minnesota State University Dragons come out with a big victory yesterday!

 

It's great when I can celebrate one win, but two, that's a real treat. So the rest of my weekend has been welcoming in September and the ensuing fall months. I've probably mentioned it before, but autumn is my favorite season out of the four by far. 

 

In fact, in my 'rankings' of the seasons, summer comes in pretty low for me. I'm a sports fan, except for baseball, so most of the summer just has one sport that I don't like on unless I can catch a soccer game. It's usually way too hot for me to be comfortable, and some of the movies that come out can be hit or miss. It also doesn't have a ton of holidays, except for the Fourth of July. Holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day always feel like the tail end of spring or the start to fall in my opinion.

 

Fall, meanwhile, is one of the best. Like I said, it sort of kicks off with a holiday in Labor Day, then has another great holiday in Halloween and an awesome holiday in Thanksgiving. Plus, the trees are turning beautiful shades of colors, it's not too hot and not too cold, and there are some great Oktoberfest beers. And all of that of course is on top of the fact that football is center stage.

 

One thing that remains constant no matter the season, though, is me seeing movies. Since my last post with some review links, I've written about some more, so here links to some of my latest pieces.

• Atomic Blonde, 2.8 out of 5
• The Dark Tower, 2.4 out of 5
• Detroit, 3.9 out of 5
• Annabelle: Creation, 4.0 out of 5
• The Hitman's Bodyguard, 2.9 out of 5
• Logan Lucky, 4.2 out of 5
• Leap! 1 out of 5
• Wind River, 4.5 out of 5

Besides movies, another thing I've been watching lately is an anime called Tsuredure Children, it's a series of slice of life/romantic comedy shorts about multiple high school relationships. It's quite funny and actually quite heartfelt in some instances. 

 

Speaking of anime, this is also coming out soon...

FOOD WARS SEASON 3! I can't wait!   This is by far my favorite anime series right now, and judging by the length of the manga, this should definitely get more seasons greenlit the same way Naruto and One Piece have done.

 

Anyways, that's about it for now. Just wanted to update this thing. Before I go, though, another bootleg picture because I haven't posted one in a while. 

 

Haunting, I know.

   

[Lid]

So, someone took statements made by the conspiracy nut Alex Jones and turned them into musical remix parodies. 

Have a laugh.

[Lid]

Well, the Golden Gophers got off to a really late start last night, kicking off at 9 p.m. in the great state of Oregon, playing Oregon State University. The late start didn't matter, though, as the Gophers WRECKED the opposition, 48-14!

 

 

Just had to get that out of my system, we're 2-0! Let's goooo!

 

Other than watching my team get a great win, I also watched "IT" last night. I still have to write my full review, but I can say right now that I really enjoyed it and it's highly recommended. I'll post my review as soon as it's up.

 

Speaking of watching, I also wanted to recommend the series "Really That Good" by MovieBob. Basically, he breaks down why many films have earned their acclaim in detailed, longform fashion. His most recent one was the Transformers animated picture

 

So, just wanted to get that out. I'll post again when my It review is done.

[Lid]

Short week for me this week. Two more days of work, then a long weekend, Friday and Monday off! Will be a long day tomorrow, though, have to work late. Still, finish line is close. 

[Lid]

Caught a game at TCF Bank Stadium today!

Check it out!