Closing Up Shop

I suppose the headline says it all. After five years, it’s time to close the doors on Popcornworld.

Darn It to Heck: On Writing Profanity

Note: The following contains profanity. Duh.

I love profanity. Not saying it so much as reading it and, more importantly, hearing it. True, to some, dirty words are just placeholder syllables, the sign of a weak vocabulary. But to others, the ones who know how to use words as tools, it can be pure poetry, as angelic a sound as your more family-friendly portions of the English language.

The Blue Duck Philosophy

I was griping on the social media a while back about my brand recognition fatigue and how, in this Age of the Franchise, I was desperate for something new. My mind, prone to wandering, soon began wandering to something I learned long ago from an old friend: the Blue Duck Philosophy.

Music to Be Bipolar By

It’s been quite the weekend for me. My brain chemistry had a bit of an explosion, first slamming me into the worst depression/anxiety mix I’ve had in years, then overcompensating by tossing me into heavy manic mode. As mental discombobulations go, this was one rough ride. I got through it in part, as I often do, with the help of some favorite songs. Consider this a virtual mix tape of some of the tunes, both high and low, that rambled through my brain in the past few days. Happy songs, sad songs, and, for the advanced manic-depressive, happy songs that sound sad and sad songs that sound happy. As lame excuses to just post a bunch of videos go, this one’s not too shabby. Enjoy.

23 Things You Didn’t Know About Godzilla

Gareth Edwards’ hotly anticipated reimagining of Godzilla opens in theaters this week. To celebrate, here are some surprising facts from the sixty year history of the famous monster (and his friends).

What I’ve Watched Has Moved

As you probably know, posting around here has slowed to a… well, whatever’s slower than a crawl, let’s call it that. (I was going to go with “plate tectonics,” but even that’s speedier than my output of late.) To keep this blog somewhat clean in presentation – that is to say, to keep it from getting cluttered with nothing but “What I’ve Watched” posts – I’ve moved the entire What I’ve Watched set-up to a companion blog, which I’ve cleverly named What Dave Watched. Cute, huh? This should help keep my personal OCD list-making and diary-keeping away from the random blatherings that make up the rest of this blog. Or, in other words, it’ll separate the stuff people want to read here from the stuff they don’t. The diary will still be updated on a daily basis, but it’ll be over there, not here. Sound good? Good.

Because Why Not: My Oscar Predictions

My Oscar predictions have a history of being thoroughly, spectacularly wrong. But if that didn’t stop me before, why should it stop me now? Here are my wild guesses for how this year’s Academy Awards will play out. Disclaimer: Using this as a guide for your Oscar pool is a surefire way of losing five bucks in your Oscar pool.

Random Facts for the Oscar Obsessed

Sure, there were a few surprises in this morning’s batch of Academy Award nominations – no Hanks! no Phoenix! no Johansson! no Lee Daniels or his Butler! not much Llewyn Davis! – but nothing to cause too much of an internet freak-out. So instead of complaints, I offer a random list of facts and figures from this year’s batch of nods.

A Guide to 2014’s Movie Anniversaries

Wondering which classic movies are celebrating a big anniversary in 2014? Here’s a handy guide:

A Little Love for Christmas

It’s not the holidays until Darlene Love belts it out. Merry Christmas, everybody!