The Sallie Gardner Effect: 2009 Movie of the Year

Issue # 9
by ManicallyDepressed

2009 is almost over and what a year it was! From the highly disappointing Transformers sequel to the sleeper hit, The Hangover, this year had its fair share of both good and bad movies. For this issue, I reviewed a movie I considered the best for this year.

Read the review for ManicallyDepressed’s 2009 Movie of the Year after the jump…

Et Cetera 12/24

Stuff we found on the Internet
by ManicallyDepressed

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Childhood memories crushed. The 6 Most Horrific Ways Pop Culture has Misused Santa Claus.

The ugly truth behind Home Alone.

Whose lap are you willing to sit on? The 10 Types of Mall Santas.

Merry Christmas, Batman.

Management: We want you to be VERY sure of what you’re buying.

The Sallie Gardner Effect: Terminated

Issue # 8
Terminator Salvation (2009) Review
by ManicallyDepressed

IMDB

Unless you’re living under a rock, then you’ll know James Cameron’s Avatar is now in theaters. So far, it is doing financially and critically good. Unfortunately, I haven’t watched it yet, so instead I’ll be reviewing the fourth movie from a franchise started by James Cameron, Terminator Salvation.

I am a very huge fan of the Terminator movies, so it’s a shame that it took me this long to watch this one. Probably, I avoided watching this movie, because it was widely panned by critics. Now, it’s my turn.

Et Cetera 12/18

Stuff we found on the Internet
by ManicallyDepressed

Avatar is now in cinemas. Yay! Here’s an article on a slugfest between Avatar director, James Cameron and LOTR director, Peter Jackson.

Cooler than the self-lacing shoes from Back To the Future. 21 Shoes Every Geek Would Love.

When kids are your target market, it doesn’t mean they don’t think. The 10 Most Baffling Action Figure Accessories of All Time.

I don’t know who were meaner, the kids who made fun of him or his parents.

Don’t Drink and Read.

Alice in Mordor

 By Starman

A new trailer of "Alice in Wonderland" has just been released.It stars Mia Wasikowska ast the protagonist Alice, Johnny Depp as the really mad Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and Helena Bonham Carter as the main antagonist, the Red Queen. It is directed by Tim Burton and will be released on March 5, 2010.

It looks awesome. It's starting to look like a "Lord of the Rings" movie. The plot of the film seems somehow different from the book with the same name. It is a sequel because you'll see in the trailer that most of the characters are delighted that Alice is back. You'll also get to see Alice in a full armor suit and the Mad Hatter in a swordfight. This is a  film that explores what could have happened if she returned back to Wonderland.

Here is a link to the new trailer of "Alice in Wonderland".

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"Help us make the world right again."

-Mad Hatter on Alice

Meatier Shower

 By Starman

Movie: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 

Synopsis: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is an animated film released on September of 2009. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed this movie. It is loosely base on the children's book of the same name. Voice cast includes Bill Hader, Anna Farris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T and Neil Patrick Harris. The film is about an enthusiastic inventor, Flint Lockwood, who attracts disaster with his odd inventions. When his town started to suffer with its food supply, he created a machine that will turn water into any kind of food. Accidentally, his invention flew to the Earth's stratosphere. This resulted to different kinds of food raining down on the town. But when the machine started to malfunction, giant pieces of food started to destroy the town. It is now up to Flint to save the day from this delicious weather.

The Sallie Gardner Effect: The Not-So-Great Showdown

Issue # 7
Righteous Kill (2008) Review
by ManicallyDepressed

IMDB

Robert De Niro. Al Pacino. In a crime thriller film. Written by the same guy from Inside Man (2006). What could have possibly gone wrong?

The Maternal Congruence

The Big Bang Theory S03E11 Review
by ManicallyDepressed

This episode marks the second appearance of Leonard’s mother, Beverly Hofstader (Christine Baranski). It revolves around Beverly’s visit for the holidays. Dilemma arises for Leonard on whether or not he will tell his mother about his relationship with Penny. What Leonard didn’t know is that his mother is bringing far serious news.

Frankly, I didn’t enjoy this episode. I found the main plot to be dull, and there was no subplot to support it. The episode presents no development to any character, even to Beverly. Beverly’s character had too much focus for this episode, disregarding most of the main characters, especially Raj and Wolowitz. For its humor content, it hardly presents something new. Most of the jokes in this episode are recycled from the episode of Beverly’s first appearance. Beverly’s character was well received on its first appearance. In fact, Christine Baranski received an Emmy nomination for her performance. It is perfectly logical to put Christine Baranski back on the show, but to repeat everything she did the first time, and capping it off with a “Fa-la-la-la-la la-la la-la” (to let you know that this is the last episode before the holidays), will surely not earn her another nomination.

There is really nothing to look forward to in this episode, except if you think a kissing scene between Sheldon and Beverly is funny. Personally, I might have two or three sleepless nights.

The 12th Friday the 13th

 By Starman

Movie: Friday the 13th

Synopsis: "Friday the 13th" is a horror film which serves as a reboot of the original film series. It is directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Pathfinder). Jared Padalecki, star of the TV show "Supernatural", is the main protagonist of the film. With him are Danielle Panabaker (Sky High) and Amanda Righetti (The Mentalist). Trent, along with his friends, took a vacation on his summer cabin which is at Crystal Lake. A man named Clay Miller who is in search of his sister makes his way to the cabin and meets the group. They are all unaware of the events that took place in the camp. Now, the dreaded Jason Voorhees is back to lash out his anger on everyone for the death of his mother.

Et Cetera 12/12

Stuff we found on the Internet
by ManicallyDepressed

These albums are awful to the EYES. The 25 Worst Album Covers of the Decade.

2009’s Most Ridiculous Uses of Photoshop. Including a Katrina Halili magazine cover.

Warning: Viewing this picture will cause a nosebleed of infinite proportions.

The things people will do to get Legolas-like ears. The 7 Most Pointlessly Horrifying Plastic Surgery Procedures.

Did you notice how desperate Wikipedia become?

Sectionals

 By Starman

Sectionals is the 13th episode of the first season of Glee. It is the mid-season finale of the show and will continue airing next year on April. The cover songs performed by New Directions are the following: "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"(Dreamgirls), "Don't Rain on My Parade"(Barbara Streisand), "You Can't Always Get What You Want"(Rolling Stones) and "My Life Would Suck Without You"(Kelly Clarkson).

Lea Michele impresses everyone again with her broadway-like performance of "Don't Rain on My Parade". Their choreography for their final song("My Life Would Suck Without You") is also a collection from their previous performances (in case you miss it). There is emotion attached to it and it just fits the moment everyone was in. This is definitely one of their best performance. Storywise, there are a lot of development in everyone. Though I think they cramped up too much of the plot in this one episode. It was a satisfying ending now that all of the previous conflicts are now resolved. This episode will show us more of the lovely Jayma Mays. Her portrayal of the myosophobic Emma Pillsbury is just great.

Sectionals is definitely the best episode, as of now. Overall, it has great performances and resolutions in the plot that will surely make you crave for more Glee. I can't wait to see how things will turn out for the next episode which, unfortunately, will air next year.

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"Just left your wife. Exactly... you just did."

-Emma Pillsbury

The Gorilla Experiment

The Big Bang Theory S03E10 Review
by ManicallyDepressed

The main plot of the episode revolves around Wolowitz being jealous because of his girlfriend’s growing interest on Leonard’s work. This is the third episode we have seen the character of Bernadette (Melissa Rauch). The subplot involves Sheldon trying to teach Physics to Penny.

Admittedly, the subplot overshadows the main plot. The best thing about the main plot is that it grants a huge buildup on Bernadette’s character. I guess we will be seeing more of her in the future. A common-themed humor presented in the episode is the one about the shoes which I didn’t find funny at all. The subplot is simply ingenious. The very thought of having a student-teacher relationship between Sheldon and Penny is hilarious. The subplot paved way to the closing scene, and despite the last joke being predictable, it still turned out funny as Penny delivered it, and was redeemed by the Fig Newton bit.

In summary, the episode was good but not great. I just hope there will be more of Raj in the upcoming episodes. We miss those Raj's one-liners.

Ninjas Are Bloody Awesome!

 By Starman

Movie: Ninja Assassin 

Synopsis: Ninja Assassin is an action film directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) and produced by the Wachowski Brothers(Matrix trilogy), Joel Silver and Grant Hill. It stars international superstar Rain (Speed Racer), Naomie Harris (28 Days Later) and Rick Yune (The Fast and the Furious). Raizo is an orphan who was adopted by the Ozunu clan. He was trained to be the deadliest ninja assassin. His loyalty was shook when a loved one died in the hands of the clan. He rebels against them and went into hiding. After a few years, a Europol agent, Mika Coretti, got into trouble for investigating the clan. She was saved by Raizo and now must work together to find a way to bring down the clan.

The Sallie Gardner Effect: Way Before Spider-Man

Issue # 6
Darkman (1990) Review
by ManicallyDepressed

IMDB

20 years ago, a comic book enthusiast wanted to make a film adaptation of either The Shadow or Batman. They denied him the rights to both comic book characters, so Sam Raimi told himself, “Screw them. I’ll create my own.”

The Great Showdown

 By Starman

Movie: Heat

Synopsis: Heat is an action crime film released in the year 1995. It is directed by Michal Mann known for movies such as Hancock, Public Enemies and The Aviator. The film boasts an ensemble cast which includes Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Ted Levine and many more. It centers on the two main characters, a calm professional burglar(played by De Niro) and an explosive devoted policeman(played by Al Pacino). Neil McCauley is the mastermind of a group of criminals who carry out carefully planned heists. When a robbery turned into murder, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues between them and a newly assigned officer, Vincent Hanna.

Et Cetera 12/5

Stuff we found on the Internet
by ManicallyDepressed

No, we don’t have New-Moon-mocking articles this week. Only this Edward-Cullen-and-the-entire-Twilight-series-mocking article.

The worst nightmare of each of the 350 million Facebook users.

Awww. I can’t imagine how proud will his parents be.

I mean it’s possible to use these at the same time. It’s just gonna be awkward. Urinal Fail Pic.

But Jay Leno’s monologue is my daily drug habit. Newsweek’s List of Unfunny Comics.

Mattress

 By Starman

"Mattress" is the 12th episode of Glee. The plot revolves around the Glee club being left out of the yearbook because of budget cuts and other issues. Cover songs include "Jump" (Van Halen), "Smile" (Lily Allen) and "Smile" (Charlie Chaplin).

Best. Episode. Ever... Simply because the fake pregnancy plot is finally over. We get to see the other side of Will Schuester. Matthew Morrison provided some intense acting in his confrontation with Jessalyn Gilsig's character, Terri. I have never seen him that angry before. Revelations will be seen in how Will and Terri individually see their relationship. Nice timing for the end of this plot because Emma and Ken's wedding is drawing near. I am excited to see how things will turn up. Most of the performances were lead by Rachel, now the official captain of the club. Their tiring performance of "Jump" was great.

"Mattress" is an episode that has few performances and a large development in the plot. This is what we need especially now that Sectionals is right around the corner.

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"You're too busy chasing tail and loading your hair with enormous amounts of products."

-Sue Sylvester on Will Schuester

War Machine Revealed

War Machine's look is recently revealed in a poster for the movie Iron Man 2. War Machine is the superhero-ego of James Rhodes (who will be played by Don Cheadle). No trailer have been released for the film. It is also not clear if whether War Machine will be an enemy or an ally to Iron Man.

Et Cetera 11/29

Stuff we found on the Internet
by ManicallyDepressed

Great news! You don’t need to waste two hours of your life. Here is The Plot of New Moon Summarized in Three Panels.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… FACEBOOK! 5 Star Wars Status Updates.

Geek-o-meter: See how many of these are you thankful for.

Quit stealing our letters. Seriously.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here is The Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody Video.

The Sallie Gardner Effect: Top 5 Breakups… Not Mine, Of Rob Gordon

Issue # 5
High Fidelity (2000) Review
by ManicallyDepressed

IMDB

After 2012 and Being John Malkovich, I am reviewing another John Cusack movie. So, am I now starting to have an affinity to John Cusack? Yes, after I watched High Fidelity.

Hairography

 By Starman

The title of the 11th episode of Glee is "Hairography". Prepare to see more of Terri in this episode. Nevertheless, it is still a great, though not the best, episode. True Colors (originally sung by Cyndi Lauper) and Imagine (John Lennon) were some of the cover songs in this episode. Another mash-up was performed which included the songs Hair (cast of Hair) and Crazy in Love (Beyonce Knowles). The mash-up was a forgettable performance but they were able to redeem themselves by following this with a tear-jerking performance of Imagine. It was nice to see and hear Tina as the lead for the final performance. I think we all need a break from Mercedes and Rachel's voice.

Sue Sylvester is back with her old antics. She will surely bring twists to the New Directions' road to the sectionals. Emma is starting to lose screen time. In the last few episodes, she is reduced to giving advices. I hope we see more of her soon. Terri is back in this episode and along with her pregnancy plot, she will surely annoy you. I hope they end this plot soon. The main topic of the episode, however, was the many distractions presented to the different characters. Finn with Rachel, Mr. Schu with a car, Quinn with her kid's future, and the whole Glee with hairography. A solid episode with great performances.

Hairography is a solid episode and I can't wait for the next episodes as the Sectionals draws near.

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"Never let anything distract you from winning... Ever."

-Sue Sylvester

Fate/Stay Night Episode 1&2 Summary: The Fated Night

By werdan88

The episode opens with the last part of the last Holy Grail War with two servants fighting. After that, an explosion was shown and a child standing after the fire was shown. After that, it brings the story back to the present in the home of Rin Tohsaka, a magician who summons forth  hero to aid her in the Holy Grail War. The defective summoning brings forth Archer, who due to the defective summoning didn't have any memories of his life. After this, the scene shifts to the backyard of Emiya Shiro. the protagonist of the anime.

Emiya Shiro  is a typical student and a part time mechanic at that. However, he has a secret. He is a magician. He is the son of Kirutsugu, well actually he is the adopted child of Kirutsugu, who is a magician from the recent Holy Grail War. However, Shirou is only familiar with the spell of reinforcement. It also introduces us to the character of Sakura Moto, who usually visits Shirou in his home togeter with their teacher Taiga.

Shirou and his friends are alarmed that a series of crimes had been happening in the city where they live, Fuyuki City. Then one night while he was in school, he chance upon a person in blue who turned out be a hero, Lancer. Lancer attacks him and he was stabbed because he could not afford to be seen. Rin Tohsaka arrives at the scene and revived him with the help of her jewels. Archer and Lancer then had a short battle. Afterwards, Lancer catches up with Shirou and tries to kill him. However, a mysterious light covers him and before him a woman in full armor stands before him calling him master

Review:

The anime starts off in an exciting mood. It begins off with a battle between two servants. However, the shift to the present in the introduction of Shirou's life is quite boring. Nevertheless, this episode picks up the action in the battle of Archer and Lancer. Moreover, the climax of the episode is the appearance of the mysterious woman who came to the rescue of Shirou.

Rating: 8/10

Remember Edward

 By Starman

Remember Me is a romantic drama film that will be released on March, 2010. It is directed by Allen Coulter (Hollywoodland). As you can see in the poster, it stars only Robert Pattinson (Twilight). Not really, they forgot to put names like the lovely Emilie de Ravin (Claire from Lost), the suave Pierce Brosnan (Die Another Day, Seraphim Falls) and the acting veteran Chris Cooper (Adaptation, Seabiscuit).

It is about two lovers whose relationship gets threatened after tragedies occur both in their family. I am not a fan of Rob Pattinson but the trailer looks pretty good. I am a sucker for this film's kind of genre. I can't stop myself from crying in almost all of these movies. This movie will surely attract all Pattinson fans out there. I will surely watch this especially because I miss Claire Littleton (played by Emilie de Ravin) from Lost.

Here is a link for the trailer of Remember Me.

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"...and I am working on the forever part."

-Tyler Roth narrating on the trailer

Christmas Is Early In Madagascar

 By Starman

Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are back in this special TV broadcast of Merry Madagascar. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimmer are all back to reprise their voices in the film. The story in here takes place in between the first and the second film.

Alex and the gang accidentally caused Santa Clause to lose his memory. Worried that Christmas will be ruined for everyone, they took over Santa's goal of delivering every gifts. Meanwhile, Santa is left to deal with King Julien's behavior with his subjects.

Merry Madagascar offers plenty of laughs whether they would come from the penguin's quick-witted conversations or Mort's annoying voice, thanks to Andy Richter. They did an orchestra-like opening for "I Like to Move It" which was great. You would not know what they were singing until they burst into their dancing mode. King Julien and his self-worship attitude is the main focus here. We all know that Christmas is a season of giving and the king of Madagascar is infamous for his abusive, yet funny, treatment to his subjects. Watch the credits so you could listen to King Julien's funny "Santa Clause is Coming to Madagascar".

This is a must-see show for the family. It has the laughs and the moral story that the children will surely love.

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"What's so special about Julianuary if everyone gets to have something?"

-King Julien on his subjects

Fate/Stay Night

By werdan88

Fate/Stay Night is an anime based from a visual novel. It is about a battle for the Holy grail which would grant the one possesses it any of their deepest desires. The Holy Grail had been happening in each century between the top magicians of the world who summon servants of heroes of past to aid them in the quest for the Holy Grail. The protagonist of the Fate/Stay Night is Shiro Emiya, a boy who was adopted by Kirustugu Emiya when fire or holocaust blazed forth in Fuyuki City. He always wanted to be a hero of justice. He knew his foster parent was a magician but he was only able to learn reinforcement or the spell to make materials stronger and more durable. That is why, he had a part time job as a mechanic. He never knew that he would get mixed up in the battle of the servants and magicians until he meets a servant who stabbed and killed him supposedly.

From this day forth, I would be making reviews and summaries of each episode Fate/Stay Night, one of the best anime I have ever seen. I hope, these summaries would get you to have a better appreciation of the anime, Fate/Stay Night. :)

The Sallie Gardner Effect: $200 for 15 minutes

Issue # 4
Being John Malkovich (1999) Review
by ManicallyDepressed

IMDB

The movie title refers to John Malkovich, the actor, but this is not a biographical film on him. It’s more like the worst nightmare he can ever have.

One of the, if not the most, essential characteristics of a fantasy-based film, or any literature for that matter, is the originality. Originality is an understatement for Being John Malkovich.