Straight Up Reviews #39: Angry Video Game Nerd The Movie

I finally got to see the movie. It's worth it.

Sounds by: SoundFXNow.com and Freesfx.co.uk
Music By Teknoaxe
Specifically:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CylDcBfb4zY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6oOaEDXy3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6oOaEDXy3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgH3Bcs60d0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgH3Bcs60d0
Images From:
http://cinemassacre.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/AVGN-Movie-update-December-2013.jpg
http://filmdump.com/2014/09/03/film-review-no-333-angry-video-game-nerd-the-movie/
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=37694575
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/angry-video-game-nerd-the-movie
http://thatkidwiththesideburns-panelbypanel.blogspot.ca/
http://www.americanbeerbuzz.com/product-detail.php?productid=1483
http://deadshirt.net/2014/09/08/angry-video-game-nerd-movie-takes-back-past-leaves-fans-smiling/
Wikipedia.org
avgn.wiki.com

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/avgn

That Guy With The Glasses Tetrology Audio Edition

Ironic I am doing an audio version of a text analysis of their anniversaries, on the month of mine.

Before watching this let me make something perfectly clear:
My CIEIR's have a bit of a humorist formula every now and then.  However in this case, due to the recent things regarding TGWTG I want to make it clear that I in no way shape or form make light of the recently deceased.  However it doesn't mean I am not gonna mention them from time to time if the subject involves them or the companies they are associated with.  Case in point Justin Carmical aka JewWario.  While his passing is mentioned, I in no way make light of it as I find that sort of thing disgusting to do, but I am not gonna ignore it like it's some elephant in the room.  That said enjoy the CIEIR.

Music from freestockmusic.com

The Odd Life of Timothy Green Audio Edition

I originally wrote the text version of this back when Nostalgia Critic's return was fresh in our minds. Enjoy.

Straight Up Reviews #4: Atop The Fourth Wall DVD Vol. 1

After a few days of patience, I finally managed to purchase the DVD.  This was actually the first time I ever purchased anything from the states let alone merchandise from Channel Awesome and it's affiliates so needless to say I was excited.  Mainly because I, like many fans of the show have wanted to know the Secret Origins.  Fair warning to those that haven't purchased the DVD, there will be spoilers.

First and foremost the package itself.  I got it through Airmail as it was the cheapest route.  It was essentially a Parcel Envelope with Bubble Wrap.  What kinda sucks about it is that I can't take said bubble wrap out, but that's a petty nitpick......What I like popping bubble wrap. Normally I would just throw the packaging out but because this was my first merchandise I ever purchased from Channel Awesome, I am thinking of framing this.

I don't know if it's easy to see due to my poor lighting but the case is awesome in my opinion. It looks reminiscent of the Star Trek and Indiana Jones covers and it has some of the Iconic Characters without mashing them together.  Clearly Linkara and MTC Studios wanted to make it unlike the comics he read.  We got the Trio as the main focus with Linksano on the Spock side, Harvey Finevoice on the McCoy side and Linkara as center Kirk.  In the middle has Zeo Linkara, duking it out with a ravaged Mechakara with lightning coming out of his hand presumably to say the iconic "You are an android, I AM A MAN!!!" Punch. Under them has Ninja Style Dancer, Pollo and Munroe  and at the bottom there is Moarte, 90s Kid and Boffo the Clown.  Lewis if you are reading this I understand your intentions with Boffo not being evil, he still creeps me right out.  Not for the same reasons as most people fear clowns.  Just that I get the feeling he might become disgruntled.   All and all great cover none the less.  I would like to mention the figure behind Linkara, it's too obscure to make out but would anyone else who purchased the DVD help me out and tell me what's up with that or is it just another clue for the recent storyline. 

The back part of the case is pretty cool too as it was made in the style of an actual movie cover.  Which we have a critic byline on top Reminiscent of the Nostalgia Critic.  As well as the plot Summary under it.  The pictures I must say are better because shows what to expect without giving anything important to the storyline away.  Under it has the Special Features list and the standard Technical Jargon you find on all DVD cases.  And I must say the Time Length section is the best, because rather than show by the minute, it says the exact hours and minutes.  The Bullshit Man would be pleased.

The Disc itself is Awesome Personified with nothing more than the iconic logo as if to say. "Ya there's no title, but you know who I am already otherwise you wouldn't have bought it."


Now for the features itself.  I am gonna save the storyline for last because they are the best part. But since extras qualifies as part of it I still call spoilers.

Now the first thing I watched was the Origin Featurette,  it was pretty much a standard interview panel, in which Lewis talks about his inspirations of some of his characters.  What made this a good thing to watch was that if you're like me, you are watching this DVD in the living Room on the couch, it gives the impression that you are sitting with Lewis hearing what he had to say.

The Making of Feature I must say is the best part of the DVD as it shows Lewis' unique style of screenwriting an acting.  I never knew he took his cues from a teleprompter.  It makes me wonder if his friends try to prank him with that every now and then.  Kidding aside, it's actually a pretty clever way to keep your face on the camera and not mess up your lines.  But what I really like about this making of feature is that once he's finished the episode, he shows the final product to his parents to review.  That is heartwarming at it's finest and something I completely envy.

Last but not least is the main events.  In which he reviews three golden age superhero comics.  I am not gonna review his reviews because I am afraid that creating such a paradox will destroy the universe.  Just kidding that only happened once.  Actually the real reason is because I am not the right person to review this reviewer.  That spot is reserved for the parents I mentioned.  However I will review the storylines.

How Lewis purchased the Magic Gun was......unexpected at best and kind of creepy, but hey that's what Linkara does, he makes sure an origin story is like nothing we ever seen before.  Still if there was one nitpick that I would want to point out is that the gun didn't attack him upon picking it up.  Then again Lewis is one of the nicest people on the net, so odds are the titular empathic weapon couldn't attack anyone that didn't deserve it.  The Construction of Pollo was pretty good too and we even get more insight on the magic book.  As well as why Linkara didn't die from prolonged usage of Magic.  It was also nice to see that Iron Liz was in the origin story.  Out of many of the characters on AT4W (90s kid being a personal favorite of mine because he reminds me of my own love of the 90s.  Hell I wanted to call myself Canadian 90s kid at first.)  Liz was one of my other favorites because well it's kind of embarrassing to say and I hope Lewis doesn't take it the wrong way,  but Liz reminds me of my mother.  Her over all look and attitude during her spots on the show reminds me of the stories my mother used to tell me about her own youth.  The only difference being that my mother not being a fan of table top RPGs, she was a fan of Tetris.  That aside Liz being one of the key features of his origins is pretty heartwarming by itself.  And she was kinda right, that Obelisk Blue uniform looked like a Full Metal Alchemist costume.  That's not your fault though Lewis, blame the artists on the show.  I myself am a Slyfer Slacker though.

But I ramble on.  The DVD is an excellent buy for the first volume and I hope to purchase the next volumes in the near future.

As usual debate, argue, and let me know what I missed. Stay Tuned For More.  And seriously Linkara who the hell is that behind you?

FAQ

I just want to take time off to thank you guys for reading my blog.  I never thought I would get as far as 10 but 50, holy sh**.  I figure for my 51st post I might as well do an FAQ. I am gonna take questions that I assume you'd probably ask and answer them as plainly as possible.

1. What inspired you to do this?

Believe it or not it was actually a lot of things.  First was my ambition to become a filmmaker, I figured if I wanted to make movies one day I would have to see if I could make some of the most impossible things, possible in theory.  The second was my mother, we had a bit of a debate years ago about the nature of the fictional world. She believed it wasn't possible save for a few things and I was actually determined to prove otherwise.  The third is something you guys are not gonna believe.  I have a very strong empathy for fictional characters, it's bizarre but I react the same way to them as if they are standing next to me. If someone was good and gets hurt, I feel just as hurt for them. The best way would be Jaden Yuki in the Yu-gi-oh GX Series.  He had the uncanny ability to see "Spirits" of his cards and would react badly to them getting hurt than he would on just losing the game.  Though there have been hints that the cards were based off real monsters with in the show, but as far as everyone in the Yu-gi-oh universe was concerned that was only a myth.  But in a way I share that same empathy of sorts. Last but not least I wanted to be an internet reviewer like the guys at channel awesome. However like others before me I wanted to do something unique, something that would make me stand out.  So I did what most reviewers didn't, I try to find ways to make the mediums they review fit in a real life setting.

2. Who were your influences?

Well I was heavily influenced by Channel Awesome.  Nostalgia Critic and Linkara especially. However other influences included James Rolfe aka Angry Video Game Nerd,  Mathew Patrick aka Game Theory since his show is similar to what I am doing only he is more focused on defictionalizing video games, whilst I decide to tackle all mediums.

3. What is defictionalization?

Defictionalization is, where you take a concept from a fictional medium and you try to see if it exists in real life.  The word was coined from TV Tropes, but the concept has been around since the 1970s when the movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory hit theatres.  Though I'll explain why when I get to it.  However I'll give you a hint, it involves product placement.

4.  What is your favorite fictional medium?

Well that's a tough one because I like em all, but if I had to pick a personal favorite, it would be Movies, Games and Anime. Mainly because I grew up watching those mostly.

5. How does Folklore fit into the real world category?

Well I always believed that Folklore, Myths, and other Urban Legends have some grain of truth in them. I mean it's not like you can pull thousands of years of stories out of thin air, you need to witness some aspect of it.  The way I see it the formula for Folklore goes like so:  It starts out as a guy witnessing something incredible, he tells his friends, who tells their friends and so on. However in the process the story gets jumbled up and it then becomes a rumor.  This in turn becomes a story.  Because it's such a good story, it gets passed down from generation to generation until one day someone, a child perhaps asks "Is this for real?" Which sparks an argument between the people who heard the story.  This turns the story into a Myth because the term Myth literally means "It could be true."  Because that Myth becomes synonymous with the country or town it takes place in, it becomes Folklore.  Now look at fictional mediums today, we know most of them, like Superheroes and Monsters like Freddy and Jason, are not real.  However in 1000 years I would predict that they too will go through the Folklore formula, people would talk about these beings as if they existed at one point.  Criminals would scare each others with stories of the Batman.  Anti-Drug and Abstinence groups would scare developing teens with Jason Voorhees stories.  The possibilities are endless.

6. If you are neutral in the matters of faith why do you express your beliefs?
There is a fine line between being neutral and expression.  My beliefs while I consider facts only to myself, I treat like an opinion.  I can express my opinion so long as I don't try to shove it down your throats. In other words I only express my beliefs because of my freedom to do so rather than contradicting others in terms of fact. However when it comes to other faiths I do not say anything about them unless I did my research on them first. That being said I remain neutral.

7.  You seem to like mentioning Channel Awesome a lot why?
Well aside from being an influence in my life, it's actually helped me through rough patches. Their style of comedy and entertainment  has helped me get through those patches and I thank them for it. In return a direct insult to them is an insult to me too. There's a fine line between debating with them on matters and just simply calling them assholes only because you don't like their show.  If you don't like it don't watch.

8.  Why do you do web comics and jokes between articles?
Well I wanted to do a storyline between them much like Linkara does, but at the time I didn't want to do videos.  As for the jokes I was born on April Fools, if I wasn't a funny person I'd shame fellow April Fools.

9. Will you do Articles on fictional mediums you don't like?
Eventually.  Just because I don't like them doesn't mean there aren't some truth to them.  However I will not, ever under any circumstances do Twilight.  Hell I would take my chances with My Little Pony and I am not even a Brony. Hey that rhymed. However the main reason I am starting with the mediums I like is because I know them better than the ones I don't like.

10. Why won't you defictionalize Twilight?
 Ok I'll say it.  Twilight is the worst thing to happen to fiction.  First it takes Vampires, a concept that I have enjoyed from Dracula to Van Helsing and smashes it to bits.  Turning them from badass creatures of the night to sparkling, whiny wussies whose only concept true to the lore is drinking blood.  Second, take all the Vampire stuff out of the equation and you got the worst romance story in the world. It clearly let's women know that it's ok to have a boyfriend that controls every aspect of their lives and that they are nothing without him. While at the same time the one that does truly love her will never have her, because she has a warped view at what a true man is.  Take the entire supernatural aspect out of it, and its a Steve Wilkos special with a downer ending. I could totally see Steve tear Edward a new one. Third, unlike other vampire fictions where the vampire thing is only a minor inconvenience unless brought up then in that case they deal with it. This however brings it up every single damn time like Meyer was under the impression her readers are idiots. She may as well be in the movie with a picket sign saying "Oh did I mention he's a Vampire?"   Last but not least, they took the concept of the word Twilight and made it all about that series.  Everywhere I go whenever I mention the word they instantly think that series.  When I think Twilight I think the go between light and darkness, I think of one of the greatest Zelda games in the world. I even think of one of the greatest anthology series that ever graced television.  I do not think of this crap. However there is one thing I did like that Meyer didn't even bother with. Charlie Swann, Bella's dad.  Whenever there is a mysterious attack he calls the Cullens up first, when Bella mentions Edward he says something along the lines of "Isn't he a little old for you?" And the first thing he grabs nonchalantly is his shotgun when he answers the door.  It was almost like he knew the Cullens were vampires. Did Meyer develop this any further? No.  And let's talk about Meyer shall we?  Stephen King said when it comes to writing, write what you know.  If all Stephenie Meyer knows is that in order to succeed in life as girl is to have a boyfriend, that controls every aspect of your life, then what does that say about her own life?  Now I am only just guessing, but I believe that she got out of a bad relationship and rather than admit the guy in it was in the wrong she decides to immortalize him in story.  I am with Freud on this. If that is what she knew then she has some series F***ING problems. Get help. You can afford it now.

11. What do you hope to gain from defictionalization?
I hope to gain more open minds on the subject and I hope one day to inspire others to actually prove what I put up.

12.  If that's the case why put disclaimers?

I only advise not for them to try stuff like this at home because I know that not all my readers have any expertise on the stuff and could either get hurt and arrested. That being said I don't want to be blamed for it.  There's inspiration and there is being stupid. Don't be the latter.  If a person is truly qualified to do such an action then by all means do it.

13.  Who do you try to appeal to?
This blog is not only meant to appeal to movie geeks like me, but also scientists, historians and other experts on the matters that these mediums use.  I really hope that one of these experts would talk about this or at least try to contradict me.

14. How did you get the Wii Zapper and Identity Disc to work in your comics?
Obviously it's not real, however my weapons are Defiction incarnate, they represent every aspect of defictionlization I write on this blog. As for how, you figure it out.

15.  What do you personally hope to defiction?
That Zapper,  I myself am trying to figure out how to work that.  If I can't defictionalize my own work then there isn't point of dificitionalizing others. Then again to defiction my own I have to defiction others.

16.  What are your beliefs?
Well as mentioned in my articles I am an Agnostic Pagan,  however my beliefs stretch farther than just that.  My main belief is the concept of the Mutliverse and it's branch fictional realism.   For those who don't know the multiverse concept was a theory that there is more than one universe.  My belief in it stems from the fact that every fictional medium, from The Dark Tower series in books, to Atop The Fourth Wall's Warrior review, have covered the multiverse in various forms. As for fictional realism its a branch concept that is simple "If there is more than one universe, then there should be a universe, where fictional characters exist in the flesh."  However as mentioned before I am neutral.

17. What was your favorite article so far?
The Zelda Series,  I grew up with it and can't wait for the next one so I can defiction that too.

18. Are you out of your mind?
I can assure you I am quite sane.  Just extremely passionate on making the unreal, real.

19.What do you plan to do once this takes its course?
Unlike MissingNo I have no One goal in mind.  I got dozens of ideas I want to express. However as for what? Stay tuned and find out.

20.  What are your sources for images and research?
Aside from what is mentioned in the article, I get most of my research and images from various wikis. Except the comics and the bumper sticker I did that myself....ya I am a pretty crappy artist and i'm F***ING PROUD OF IT!!!! HA!!

21.  What do you have planned for your next article?
Stay tuned and find out.

Now if there are any actual questions you want to ask post them in the comments below.   

My Response to Atop The Fourth Wall: JLA/Titans Technis Imperitive

I couldn't drive you guys any more crazier than I have at how much I love Channel Awesome and their affiliates including Atop The Fourth Wall. But I also do this as a fellow fan of the Titans.  After watching this Particular review I decided to do a little Defictionalization on my own. Linkara and any fellow fans of Teen Titans be it the show or the comic, this one's for you.

If you guys have a printer and special sticker paper to print it on I encourage you to print this out. Even if you don't have a car.

Team Four Star

I was originally gonna do an article on The Spoony Experiment, but seeing what he did to Nostalgia Critic......I was wisely afraid not to so.   Moving on here is Team Four Star.  What started as a bunch of anime geeks shortening and parodying their favorite Anime blossomed into a super team of comedians dedicating to killing us by making us laugh to death.  Team Four Star had a long history as both individuals and a group all together.  It all started with a man named LittleKuriboh, who decided to come up with an idea. "What if you could take a show, shorten it to the best and iconic parts, and make fun of it?"  His idea was Yugioh: The Abridged Series.  He took some of the most loveable characters, twisted them into semi-bizarro versions of themselves. Others followed suit, the most popular being Vegeta3986 and Masako X who created the Naruto Abridged Series,  Lanipator who created YuYu Hakasho the abridged series Megami33 who made the Sailor Moon abridged and Takahatta101 who made the Helsing abridged series.  However much like the Angry Video Game Nerd, their collabaration was not meant to be taken seriously.  It started as a side joke between Vegeta, Masako, Lani and another Abridger known as ITouchedYusuke who was on TeamDattabayo's Death Note Abridged.  I.T. suggested, well threatened the Trio into working together on a project that had nothing to do with their respective series.  This project became Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone Abridged.  However much like AVGN, it became so popular that more had to be made.  Like all other abridged these characters became twisted versions of themselves:

* Goku went from a nice naive hero, to one of the dumbest people on the planet.
* Gohan went from a boy who didn't like to fight, to a foul mouthed blood thirsty warrior whose intelligence matched his ruthlessness.
* Krillin went from a lovable strong human, to a perverted useless coward.
* Bulma, to my surprise hasn't changed one bit.  Kudos to Megami for keeping to her character.
* Piccolo went from a tough antihero, to a tough antihero desperate for social activity.
* Kami went from a wise mentor to a somewhat senile jerk with a god complex
* And Mr. Popo went from.....duh I mean nothing's wrong with Mr. Popo he is perfectly ok in every way. O_O

Moving on. While it was mostly  for comedy there were various aspects that have intrigued me, some of which were seen on other comedy shows.  While others were concepts they came up with themselves. Some of which set off my defiction meter. Could It Exist In Real Life?

Let's start with the obvious.  It's awareness of the fourth wall.  Time and again each abridged series have made some reference to the fact that they are a web series.  Even the dumb Goku made that aware with the classic dialogue.
Raditz: I see you brought the Namekian Along
Goku: Actually that hasn't been explained yet.

What is it that compels characters to break the fourth wall? Is it scripted or are they really aware? I once again think of To Boldly Flee when thinking this, how a character takes on a life of their own.  This series is a perfect example of them on down time.  In case you don't know what I am talking about.  Characters on Down Time is a concept that has been done a long time ago where characters are aware of the fourth wall and often complain about it.  This was made famously in Space Jam when Bugs and Daffy complain about not getting money for likeness rights of their merchandise.  While this series and others progress through their story, the characters fluctuate between in story and down time through their jokes.  Why else would a show in the 80s -90s make jokes about Lady Gaga or 2012s Avengers?  This one is a grey area.

The other concept that intrigued me was something in universe.  The concept of the muffin button.  What started as a joke to prove the impossible ended up being an actual thing. A device that makes muffins appear.  It can exist. This is both a mix between my earlier talks of teleporter and the vibranium. Using particles to form it together rather than just forming elements and metal.  It's not impossible, but you would have to be a genius or an alien with advanced tech like Frieza's Ship.

As usual debate argue and let me know what I missed. I am gonna go hide for 3000 years. Or however long it takes for god like entities capable of horrid unspeakable acts to die.

Atop The Fourth Wall

Atop The Fourth Wall has been what I like to call the second of the original Channel Awesome Trinity. The first being Nostalgia Critic and the third being the Spoony Experiment.  In it's humble beginnings it was a text review site based only on reviewing comic books that have alot wrong with it, such as plot holes, controversies, bad art and all around bad ideas.  That is until a contest turned it into something more.  In 2008, reviewer Lewis Lovhaug submitted a video for a contest to come up with the best "Ask That Guy With The Glasses." Impersonator.  Lewis Lovhaug, the host of the reviews submitted a video of his own as "That Guy With The Hat."  As a result he killed two birds with one stone.  I'm surprised GlaDOS didn't find him after that........moving on.  He decided to do video reviews rather than text and also became a full fledged member of Channel Awesome, ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, and their subordinate Inked Reality.  At first it was a typical review show of CA quality: reviewing the respective medium and almost going insane from it.  However later on Lewis, or Linkara as he now calls himself has added his own storyline.  I don't know the exact origin of adding storylines came from, but my guess it was his apology for putting his fans through the same horrible ordeals of reading a bad comic.  It this show that partially inspired the character in my webcomic: S.T. Filmmaker, as the Wii Pistol S.T. uses was inspired by his trademark Magic Gun.  When I was first coming up with this blog I had a lot of wii stuff and one of the things  I had was cheap knock offs of the controller shells. One of which was a variation of the wii zapper in the shape of a cross between a flintlock gun and a sawed off shotgun. Any who I ramble on so here's the story.....

Along with reviewing comic books, Linkara moonlights as a superhero with access to magic and technology. Most famously his Magic Gun: A flintlock pistol that started out as his comic suicide prop whenever a comic becomes too much for him.  With the help of his friends and Robot Buddy Pollo, he defends the earth from threats such as Mad Scientist Doctor Insano, whom I mentioned in my TGWTG article. As he journeys through his life, we discover secrets behind his magic and the past of his friends. His formula goes like so:
* He reviews a comic.
* Makes jokes and references.
* Goes crazy.
* Doesn't Swear (Save for Hell, Damn, Ass, Crap and Bitch. All of which have double meanings.)
* Burns comic
* Shares his final thoughts on the end credits.
* Sometimes Storyline.
* Stinger Joke.

Now for the fun part, Could It Exist In Real Life?

First and foremost.  While I do try to keep my spoilers to a minimum most of my explanations are spoiler heavy. Normally I would let it pass on movies and shows, but I don't want to spoil anything for those just watching AT4W. So unless you haven't seen it I advise you to shut this blog off go watch AT4W.  You have been warned.

Ok let's start with the first concept of that of Pollo.  Like I have said in my Tron Legacy analysis, true AI is impossible.  However making a robot is a different story.  There have been various robots in the past that did various chores.  Most famously the assembly line Robot for car factories and the Robotic Arm in Space Shuttles.  However the most famous one now is Aiko the Android.  Le Trung created her back in 2007 in Canada starting with her head and kept at it until she had working arms.  She is also the first robot to feel pain as well as the sensation of touch.  And no you sick bastards she wasn't built for sex. Hell she even punches you if you try to cop a feel. Three Laws must have jumped out of the window. Why this example specifically?  His motivation for building her was because he was obsessed with Manga, more specifically Chobits a manga revolving around a boy and his female robotic companion.  Trung obsessed with Manga builds an android. Linkara obsessed with comics builds a robot.  If that is not the mother of all defictional holy S*** In the world. Still if Pollo is reading this Linkara won't hear the end of it about functioning arms. As for my remark about AI.  Trung is one of the few that got it right.

As for the concept of magic.  In the world of Atop the Fourth Wall, magic revolves around its wielder's state. If he/she uses magic for good, more power to them.  For evil it either cancels out or comes back to bite you in the ass.  This is by far the most realistic portrayal of magic I have ever seen since The Craft and I'll get to that why when I get to The Craft. However one specific spell on the show intrigued me.  "The Image Becomes Reality."  A spell he used to make his toys become the weapons they represented. For example fake power morphers become real morphers.  I originally thought it was something he made up on the spot. But doing some digging on some sites on fictional and realistic magics (pagan and wiccan mostly.) I couldn't find the proper key words in order to find a similar spell.  Then it hit me this of course was from The Craft, but I'll explain this one now.  Glamour a spell designed to make the user look, sound and feel like the person they are disguising themself as.  However as far as the Wiccan community is concerned, it's not a real spell.  However the concept behind it is quite similar to Linkara's spell. The only difference being his is cast on objects while Glamour is cast on people.  So even if it did work odds are it won't work on objects.  Though I am optimistic. Maybe Glamour isn't real but the concept behind it could be.

Last but not least there is the Magic Gun.  A spirit of a girl ruthlessly tortured to death in a ritual to create a weapon that a religious sect intended to use in their cause.  Could such objects exist in real life?  According to an urban legend there exists a Dybukk box. A wine cellar that contains a vengeful spirit.  However like that legend there are variations of spirits trapped in container like objects.  So far not one urban legend of a spirit trapped in a weapon.  So its in the grey, don't try it though just don't for various reasons.  One it's illegal. Two it's immoral. Three on the off chance it works it will get you. Four on the off chance it doesn't you'll spend your days in an insane asylum.

As usual debate, argue, and let me know what I missed. Stay Tuned for more.

Angry Video Game Nerd

What started as a practical joke and escalated into one of the greatest internet phenoms in the world.  The Angry Video Game Nerd became synonymous with both retrogaming, retro movies and the net rolled into one.  In 2004 indie filmmaker James Rolfe decided as a joke to put two videos on youtube showcasing his least favorite of videogames.  His videos were well received and since then there is now 109 and a movie underway.  It was because of him that I was made aware of Channel Awesome and the Nostalgia Critic. Now the reason why I got to this later and put Karate Kid up first when I said I would dedicate my next posts focusing more on New Media.  It was because the game I mentioned in said article was the first episode of the titular Nerd I ever seen.

The story goes like so, we have the Nerd an adult child that dedicates his life to searching for the worst games ever made and try to beat them.  He moodswings between an intelligent game reviewer to an obscenity spewing, nitpicking, violent tempered individual that is gradually going crazier the more he loses the game he is reviewing.  When all is finished or he can take no more he sucks down Rolling Rock Beer to ease the pain.  Sometimes he is not alone for he has many enemies who force him to play the worse games based on them. From Freddy Krueger to Rob the Robot.  As he fights for his life he teaches us a valuable lesson: The enemies are easier to beat in real life than they are in their crappy games.  When he is not going crazy over his games he spends his life making the Nostlagia Critic's life a living hell or saving Chirstmas with Captain S.

Now the main question is Could Angry Video Game Nerd Exist In Real Life?

To put it bluntly yes.  He represents everyone who has played a game in their life. He was us when we missed the gap an inch away from jumping one platform to another.  He was us when the controller stuck or the light gun stopped working. He was us when ET killed the videogame industry.  He even was us when we found out Jessica Rabbit's phone number was changed into a sex hotline. Despite all that, we never change the way we play the games.  I myself have still often lost my temper whenever I lost a video game. My screams and swears can be heard from space louder than Reb Brown's JAKODAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!...................................................Now that I taken a moment to watch out for Spoony fan lynch mobs here's my final thoughts.  The Nerd was what helped most of us discover the lighter side of New Media.  Most of us would shut off the computer if all we saw was Chris Crocker or Don't Taze Me Bro.  And it was shows like that, which gave us net enthusiasts to fight back against SOPA.  The Nerd has been there for us for a laugh or too and will always be there long after games become Holodecks.

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed.  Stay tuned for more.

That Guy With The Glasses Tetrology

I figured for my 30th post onward I should get started on the New Media genre. So I figured what better place to start than with Channel Aweseome and That Guy With The Glasses.  I first caught a glimpse of Channel Awesome during The Nostalgia Critic and Angry Video Game Nerd Feud.  The Angry Video Game Nerd was the very first Internet review show I ever watched but I'll get to that one next time.  As for Channel Awesome it opened my eyes for the first time and was one of the things that inspired me to do this blog.  I have the utmost respect for Doug and Rob Walker, as well as Lewis Lovhaug and the rest of the team for all that they do for new media entertainment.  However the main focus isn't on the numerous shows that are on that site.  My main focus is on the anniversary specials and the videos leading up to it.

This one will be different while at the same time share the same ideals of fictionalization, but first the story. Since I am going through a lot for this, there may be spoilers.

It all started with The Nostalgia Critic, a reviewer that made it his life's mission to seek out any and all nostalgic movies and rip them apart figuratively and sometimes literally.  His trademark appearence included a hat, suit jacket and a tie worn over casual clothes, whilst his trademark formula included the following:

1. Watching the movie and analyzing the pros and cons.
2. Going insane over every inconsistency.
3. Sometimes taking it out on others in the most comically violent ways imaginable.

And boy did it have dire consequences.

The first anniversary started with hate comments.  That's right, something bad turned into something good.  See what happened was as Nostalgia Critic became popular, most AVGN fans accused The Critc of copycatting.  So he made a series of videos to challenge the nerd in many ways imaginable.  None of them worked and the Nerd bested him with hidden retaliations such as sending hidden insults, reviewing The Wizard before him and sending a challenge video of his own.  Critic decided go to Clifton New Jersey to challenge the Nerd into reviewing a horrible nostalgic movie.  The Nerd accepted on the condition that Critic plays a bad video game. Critic refused and they fought with Captain S (The Now Retired Hero Of Video Game Land) mediating between the two.  They eventually called a truce and reviewed each others respective mediums.  Nostalgia Critic reviewing Babe's Kids: The Game and AVGN reviewing Ricky 1, a poorly done parody of Rocky.  The result cost them both their sanity.  Critic was to announce that the feud was far from over when to his surprise, Nerd hijacks his video feed to apologize.  However he stealthy insulted him in the process culminating in another fight this time at the Nerd's own home.  This became a battle of geeky proportions as every fight scene was parodied in the process. The Nerd won in the end but that wasn't the last of the Nostalgia Critic.  Now onto the first Anniversary.  Critic was singing about Chicago when he and the Nerd cross paths once again.  The fight was taken all over Chicago and ended up in a Holiday Inn. Here all of Channel Awesome joined the fray and for the first time ever, they were in a crossover of epic proportions.  We have Nostalgia Chick (Who started out reviewing female appealing nostalgic movies but escalated into a Nostalgia Critic herself much to the original's protest.)  Linkara (A comic book reviewer/part time superhero.)  Handsome Tom and 8-Bit Mickey (ScrewAttack's most well known game reviewers save for the Nerd.)  TheSpoonyOne (A former TGWTG member who is determined to beat every Final Fantasy, and has a psychotic alter ego in the form of Doctor Insano.)  Marzgurl (An anime reviewer.) HopeWithinChaos (A reviewer who considers bad fictional mediums to be an Epic Fail.) Paw (A music Critic) On the Critic's team.  Whilst Kyle Justin (A musician and writer of the AVGN theme.) Benzaie (A french game critic that specializes in games not available in North America.) Little Miss Gamer (A game reviewer from the same company as Captain S.)  ThatAussieGuy (Another former TGWTG member)  ThatChickWithTheGoggles (A game critic that specializes on her own personal nostalgia.) Lee (A reviewer whose recurring gag is he uses still photos rather than live video.) Bennett The Sage (A Fan Fiction Reviewer, who specializes in scaring the daylights out of his fellow cast mates.) AngryJoe (A game reviewer obsessed with guns and Chic-Fil-A) and Ma-Ti (A former Captain Planet Planeteer, who just wanted to belong. His ability was the Power of Heart.)  The fight rages on with even wrestler style commentary from TransmissionAwesome as well as shout outs to comedic and action movies.  However the fight ends when ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, (Walker's other alter ego who is mostly known for answering submitted questions in the most dark and disturbing fashions.) breaks it up and tells them to use their crossover time to get along and hate everything else.  The once feuding group gets along and has done crossover reviews following the fight.  The most well known being Critic and Nerd's review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out of Their Shells Tour.  The review took most of their sanity away and they continued fighting each other out of boredom.

The Second Anniversary was different for rather than just senseless violence for the sake of comedy, it became the very first Story Arc for ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.  They even gave it a title: Kickassia.

The story takes place in Molossia, a Micronation in Nevada owned by Kevin Baugh and his family.  The Nostalgia Critic wants the land for himself.  At first he tries to intimidate Baugh into giving it to him.  Baugh on the otherhand is unfazed.  So the Critic rallies up members of TGWTG old and new, including Filmbrain (A film critic that specializes in recent bad movies.) Cinema Snob (A Z grade movie reviewer) LordKat (Who specializes in games he is determined to beat.) and JewWario (A reviewer who also specializes in games that are not normally sold in North America.)  and Phelous (A movie reviewer that specializes in Meta: Pointing out that he himself is in a video.).  Much to their reluctance they take over Molossia.  However not all is well, for many of the members are sick of the Critic's laziness and Spoony is struggling with his Doctor Insano persona.  To make matters worse, Baugh in is Fritz Von Baugh Persona, plants seeds of rebellion within the group.

The third Anniversary had a darker turn than the second as much of it was a balance of comedy and drama.

Suburban Knights starts out with Angry Joe waltzing down the road in a good mood.  Why? Because he won a free car. However he finds out that he has been deceived by the Nostalgia Critic along with other reviewers new and old including Obscurus Lupa (Who specializes in Z grade movies.) ToddInTheShadows (Who reviews modern music. His trademark is never showing his face.) and Luke Mochrie (Who specializes in using Split Personalities to comment on the good and bad side of movies. You may also know his father Colin Mochrie a famous comedian and regular on Who's Line Is It Anyway?).  For he has found a map and clues to an ancient magical artifact known as Malachites Hand.  However it is not that simple, for they have to participate in a LARP (Live Action Role Play.) in order to decipher the clues to get it.  To make matters worse they are pursued by both the obstacles defending the Hand and Malachite himself, an evil technophobic wizard who created the hand.

Their Fourth and final anniversary was a big one for both the cast and the fans. For it put Nostalgia Critic in temporary hiatus.  It also burned out most members who either left or decided not to participate in anymore anniversaries.

The story picks up where Suburban Knights leaves off.  The Critic is under house arrest for his numerous crimes in the previous anniversaries.  To make matters worse a hole in the sky is getting bigger to the point where it could spell disaster for the universe as we know it.  So he rallies the crew up one final time to go to space and stop it.  However there are villains who want to use the hole for their own diabolical ends as well as a traitor of the crew.

Now this entire series has had a lot of things that seem impossible however there are two things I found out about it that may seem plausible.  Could It Exist In Real Life?

The first thing is  the hole in space. It is known as a plot hole a wormhole that causes nonsensical plot devices and mistakes to occur. Take the Black/White hole theory out of it and this phenomena does still exist.  For as every great fictional medium goes along there are a ton of bad ones that follow.  From Games that have terrible glitches, to movies with bad story structure in favor of "Great Effects" What if there is in actuality a phenomena that compels all the bad in fiction history to create their horrible art.  As sort of a way to balance it out with the good art in the world.  Maybe people like Michael Bay and Stephanie Meyer are simply doing bad in order to keep the scales from toppling.  Think of how many good mediums in your life and how many bad ones come. Normally one overshadows the other whilst other times there is a perfect balance.  For every Batman and Robin there is an X-Men or Blade. For every Tron Legacy there is a Transformers 3.  For every failed attempt at a Justice League, there is a successful avengers.  All mediums both good and bad, perceived or not have a place in the world. Some of which teach us great values whilst others show us what not to do.

The Second thing is a lot more crucial.  The Character.  In To Boldly Flee, Nostalgia Critic meets his creator Doug Walker.  Walker explains to him that it started out as him writing the character, but later said character takes on a life of their own and telling the creator what to write.  As crazy as it sounds it makes perfect sense.  Think of all the many poor received sequels as well as comics that have been contraversal.  The reason being is that their creators as well as future contributors fail to realize that their creations have a life of their own and that instead of listening to them, they try to take control which in turn screws their comic up and ticks off the fan base they are trying to appeal to.  A big example would be Roy Harper aka Arsenal.  As Linkara once pointed out what made this character unique, was that he was the first member of the Titans to be a single father.  However Cry for Justice, decided to take that away by killing his daughter.  This was a big result of the writers taking control of the story and screwing it up for the sake of shock value. Its one thing to kill a character off when it works, but its another if someone just does it on a whim especially if said character had no importance to the main story.  To make matters worse they take a unique character like Roy Harper and turn him from a lovable character to a downward spiraling unsympathetic asshole that lashes out on his friends and loved ones and becomes a villain.  If that is not an example of not listening to your characters then I don't know what is.

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed. Stay tuned for more.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Ok let me get this out of the way, I love Channel Awesome.  The Nostalgia Critic and Atop the Fourth Wall are my favorite internet shows and when I heard the Critic was back, I was excited.  When he reviewed this movie I was kind of curious about it.  It's not a particularly great movie, but some of plot elements of the movie sparked my defiction alarm.

For those who haven't seen the movie or the review here's the jist of it. A couple that can't have a kid, grows one from the ground.  This kid has leaves on his legs, is powered by the son, and can breathe under water. The important aspect of the kid is that he embodies everything both parents wanted in a child.

As impossible as this seems, a kid like this can be possible.

Could It Exist In Real Life?

The method of which young Timothy  came to existence was based off an Urban Legend, which comprises of a baby coming from a Cabbage Patch.  Naturally this was an old wives tale to keep kids from finding out about sex and conception, until they were old enough for said birds and bees. This same conception was made popular by the Cabbage Patch Kids toys. While there is no evidence of a living sentient being to come from plant life....so far, what I am about to explain here, you have to pretty much think in what ifs.  Should a part Plant like species appear, The Odd Life of Timothy Green has proven to be the most realistic portrayal of such both scientifically and mystically.

The mystic side is easy, what the parents did in creating the kid was known as a wish box. A container that is used to grant your wishes by placing written notation of them in order for them to come true.  It does exist, but their effects are debatable.  However should one try to use one I do have one phrase of warning. "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it."  That being said I encourage you to give it a try, even if it doesn't work, it's fun to express hopes and dreams.

The scientific side is somewhat more complicated.  The mentioned box above doubles as a seed.  When it's buried in soil and watered it grows and we have your plant human hybrid.  Of course the method in growing plants, was exaggerated and sped up for dramatic effect, but the process is similar.  His ability to breath underwater was a result of his leaves. They weren't really leaves, they were roots which absorb any nearby water to keep him hydrated.  Hence why they are on his feet and no where else.  His solar power is the result of Photosynthesis a phenomenon that involves plant life converting sunlight into energy.  The more he absorbs the more powerful he become, hence how he became a superb athlete.  Last but not least his leaves falling off, while the story version was interesting, in which every goal he succeeds in a leaf falls off, when they all go he dies.  However the real reason was very simple, he should have stayed in the ground.  When a plant is uprooted and taken from the soil, it dies of starvation.  The water and sun kept him alive enough to complete his goals.  However because he wasn't around any soil, he wouldn't absorb the minerals and nutrients around him and he died.  In other words from the start of this movie he killed himself.  Pretty dark for a family friendly movie isn't it.

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed. Stay tuned for more.

Introduction

Welcome to "Could It Exist in Real life". This site is dedicated to defictionalization. A study to see if certain topics of fictional mediums could exist either literally or theoretically. The mediums include, Books, Movies, TV Shows, Cartoons, Anime, Video Games, and New Media.  Now these defictionalizations range from, gadgets, scientific theories and superpowers.  Yes, you heard that folks superpowers.  I put more emphasis on that for the following reason.  Many superpowers  are often split into three factors.  One, is that they are exaggerations of natural abilities that living being have. Two, performance enhancing chemicals and technological prosthetics.  Three, supernatural abilities. The latter is often debated, but its also been talked about since the beginning of time. So I treat it just as true. Does that mean I believe it's true?  It really depends, but I remain neutral on the subject, you can debate in the comments below.  Here's how the site goes. I will post one entry at a time of a different fictional medium.  I will discuss the possibilities of said defictionalizations existing either in literal form, theoretical form or both.  Then I would also talk about the pros and cons of said defictionalization.  However I shall not have all the fun. In the comments below I leave it to you to discuss things I missed or different facts and opinions. I will also use theories that have been discussed by other theorists off of shows and should I find a difference of either fact or opinion I will post that as part of it.  I do not however allow trolling. If someone trolls on my blog I shall block their comments.  Aside from that have fun and stay tuned.