We very nearly finish earthbound. BOING.

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

We kick evil FOXY’s ass, and hit the mother-load.

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

We go into the land Magicant created by our own mind.

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

Here is a papercraft model I created that you can build! Just print out the pdf on some thick paper(photo paper works well), then cut and fold him until he’s done. There are instructions on the paper, but you should be able to figure it out for the most part just by looking at the finished product.

You will need scissors, or an xacto knife, and glue or tape to stick the arms together.

Check it out, and tell me on twitter(@wegetgeek) if you build it. Download the PDF here.

This episode we travel through a volcano and find the final piece to the song.

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

The Valentine’s Special is here!
Tim and Devin invite a camera crew into their home for a week to give people a glimpse into their lives. Things quickly get out of control

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

Links to The Christmas Special:

Part 1

Part 2

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

I’d like to say that this list is my list. That is I don’t pretend to be an all knowing source. I did not see every movie, or video game, or book that came out this year. This list is not meant to be comprehensive in that sense. Instead it is meant to reflect my experiences this year. What follows are the things that were the most important to me in 2012.

Then I’d like to say that I worked on a ton of shit this year. All the video content. All the podcasts, and reviews were fun. And I wrote a damn book. I mean wow. Now that stuff doesn’t belong on this list. This list is about what I enjoyed about what others have done.

Before we begin – honorable mentions to Fringe, The Hunger Games(maybe my soundtrack of the year), Being Human, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and Hyperion.

Favorite Movie of the Year:

The Avengers

It’s hard to believe I was worried during the pre-release of the Avengers. The trailers just weren’t really doing it for me. But like I said I shouldn’t have been worried. I’d thoroughly enjoyed every Marvel produced movie yet and this one was being written and directed by Joss Whedon.

I think I was worried because of what this film would mean to me. In 2008 Iron Man came out in theaters. I saw the trailer and knew I had to see it. So I did and I loved it. Later that year I saw The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton which is a great movie as well. When I saw Tony Stark show up at the end of The Hulk I knew something special was happening. I ran to the library and asked where I could find the Avengers books. I came out of the library with a smattering of volumes including a retelling of the Avengers origin story. Shortly after that I began my descent into full geekery. There’s more to the story but this is not the place for it.

Needless to say Marvel’s plan to create a series of films culminating in The Avengers is inadvertently what lead me to asking Tim if he wanted to make a website with me. Which is crazy for me to think because I can’t imagine my life going any other way. OK so all that aside: I don’t think I need to say that I loved the film. But I did. It was more than I could have hoped for. I also love it for just the ballsiness of it. I mean nothing like The Avengers has ever happened in cinema before. And I love that Joss Whedon is finally getting the widespread renown that he deserves. And I love that his success is not changing his projects, well it sorta is cause there’s that whole Avengers 2 thing, but he’s still writing comics, and webseries, and making independent stuff like Much Ado. Anyway even without all of the Avengers significance to me it would still be one of my favorite films of the year.

Favorite Video Game:

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

It’s a remake of an old 90′s strategy game about saving the world from an alien invasion. You play the role of the commander of XCOM – the multinational task force in charge of defending the planet. The game is split into two parts. In one hand you have a deep tactical turned based game in which all of your actions have meaningful consequences. On the other you have a broader strategy game about researching different techs, building different ad-ons to your base, shooting down UFOs and the like.

Both of the layers are a lot of fun but it is the way they mesh together that makes the game so special. Because you decided to help Africa because they were going to give you money instead of helping Egypt, now Egypt has left the program and you have less monthly funding to work with. Because of this, you now don’t have enough money later in the game to fully equip your soldiers and the sniper you’ve had with you your entire game dies, and death is permanent in this game. Every decision you make in the game has consequences, and that leads to intense heartbreak when you lose a valued member of your team, but it also leads to a huge sense of accomplishment because it is what you did ultimately that lead to your victory.

That sense of ownership, and personal investment is what makes XCOM despite its flaws an incredible game.

Best Surprise:

Cabin in the Woods

Best weapon ever.

Cabin in the Woods is “Best Surprise” because I really didn’t know what to expect when I sat down to watch it. And after I’d watched it – I was a bit exited. It is surprisingly funny, surprisingly horrifying, and surprisingly original. Those are three adjectives I never thought I’d use on a slasher film. If you haven’t seen Cabin yet do yourself a favor and watch it unspoiled.

Best Game that Came Out 2011 that I didn’t Get Around to Until 2012:

Saints Row: The Third

That’s right, there is a gang comprised only of luchadores!

If you’re thinking that calling the game Saints Row: The Third is ridiculous that’s because it is. But if you think the ridiculousness stops there you are dead wrong. Don’t let the marketing turn you off the game’s humor is far beyond what using a giant dildo as a weapon would lead you to believe. It’s constantly surprising and ridiculous in all the best ways. Whether you think it or not the game continually ups its ante until the final mission which had me literally buzzing in my chair.

It’s an open world game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto but whereas GTA4 took a turn for the serious I’m not sure there is a game more perfectly insane than Saints Row: The Third. The game has you diving out of airplanes then back into them, fighting inside of a virtual world in which your avatar is a toilet for a large portion, and teaming up with the mayor of the town Burt Reynolds to fight zombies. Do these things sound exiting? Then get and play Saints Row. Just make sure no one too sensitive is around.

Biggest Geek Fest:

Ready Player One

I’ve already reviewed the book, and my review still stands. It’s a great book, and it’s a unique book.  Just like everything else on this list Ready Player One was not just more of the same it was trying something new and in my opinion it succeeded. If you are a fan of the internet I can reasonably bet that you will be a fan of this book.

Best TV Show:

Breaking Bad

Watching 4 seasons of Breaking Bad in a few weeks seriously takes it out of you. I laughed the first few minutes I watched of Breaking Bad. Here was Bryan Cranston – you know Malcom in the Middles dad – driving through the desert in his underwear in a dirty motor home.

I quickly learned that not only did Bryan Cranston have some serious acting chops, but that Walter and Jessie’s meth cooking adventures together would be anything but funny. They would be twisted, dark, taxing, and more. Watching their unending descent into darker and bigger stations is some of the most gripping television I’ve ever seen. I can’t remember the last time I loved to hate characters as much as I do Mr. White and Pinkman.

Biggest Disappointment:

Dungeons and Dotes

Remember how I said this list wasn’t about what I did this year? Well I feel like this one was done TO me it hurt so bad. So there.

Dungeons and Dotes was awesome while it lasted. I’m sorry it ended the way it did but it has gone away. We’ll never know what happened to Palias What-Eva-Ya-Want or Rice but maybe one day it can be revived as something else.

I don’t have a lot else to say except that Dungeons and Dotes’ legacy will live on in our other projects. Heck Dungeons and Dotes is where the thumb thing came from in the Christmas Special.

Best Book:

Tigana

Ok so it didn’t come out on, or even around 2012 but that doesn’t stop it from being the best book I read all year. For the first hundred pages of this tale I wasn’t sure I was in. But I soon found myself in a full love affair with this book.

It’s characters are deep, its themes are important. It’s seriously a touching book. This is a book in which you will be torn over the ending.

Authors always talk of having sympathetic villains and how it’s very important, but never have I seen it done as well as I have in Tigana. That said there is a very 1 note villain but he’s almost more of a plot device than a character.

I love this book – and no it’s not just because the main character is named Devin… jeez.

Simultaneously the Best and Worst Movie:

Troll 2

Wait…that’s goblin backwards!

Troll 2. Ok there really isn’t much I can say about Troll 2 that hasn’t been said. It’s a god awful film made by a directer who couldn’t speak English with horrible special effects, the worst acting I’ve ever seen, and a script that I can’t imagine a human being working on…yet I love every minute of it.

My love is only compounded by the fact that my birthday part was troll 2 themed. That is the cake was covered in green frosting and we played pin the tail on the goblin. It was glorious.

For those of you on the fence this clip should tell you if Troll 2 is right for you:

The You’re Going to Joseph Gordon-Love-It Award:

Looper

I almost didn’t include this in favor of something else. But it does belong on this list. Looper is under appreciated in my opinion. It has its problems, some of the make up is weird looking and I think Bruce Willis’ section was a little rushed, however I think its one of the best treatments of time travel in this millenia.

When people complain about time travel problems in this film I don’t think their getting it. The dinner scene – my favorite scene in the film – is there specifically to tell the audience that time travel doesn’t make sense. The film is saying, “We know. Just go with us.” Yet even so Looper is one of the tightest time travel scripts around. I certainly never felt any glaring holes.

The Critical Backlash Award:

The Hobbit

The Hobbit is the film that has finally solidified what has long been standing mistrust of critics, or rather aggregate score sites like metacritic and rotten tomatoes. I believe in finding a few critics with similar taste as you and just shutting out the rest. The critics I follow loved this film, so I was and still am puzzled at the extreme backlash that the film has had.

Are there some scenes that could have been cut from the film? Yes. Did they have to artificially insert character arcs and motivations that don’t exist in the book? Yes.

But it works. Oh god it all worked. In my opinion the changes that Jackson and crew have made are for the better. My memory of the book is of a bunch of greedy dwarves looking for gold. Tolkien didn’t do a very good job humanizing his characters, but watching Thorin and company try and win control of their ancient home was a quest I could get behind.

It lacks the dark and driven mood of LOTR but it is foreboding where it needs to be. In short – no it’s not as good as LOTR – but it’s damn good, don’t listen to those critics.

I Already Gave Away this Award but Wanted it to be on the List:

Portal 2

Portal 2. Wheatley. GlaDOS. Cave Johnson.

Wow. Just wow. I only played the single player because Tim’s computer couldn’t handle the game unfortunately. But I think I’m safe in saying that I played the best part of Portal 2. Even after all the hype I didn’t think I would feel the same way about Portal 2 as I did about Portal 1.

There is something magical about these games. Their easily among the funniest games ever written, some of the most ingenious puzzle games ever invented, and the moods that are created are incredible.

Portal 2 takes everything that was great about Portal and improves upon it. Exactly what a sequel should do.

So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Think I’m an idiot for leaving off your favorites(Batman anyone?)? Please let me know just how big of a screw up this list is(and therefor I and my entire existence) is in the comments below.

This is it. The finale to the Christmas Special – on new years!

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

Can’t believe I forgot to put this on the blog! Anyway here it is, part one of Tim and Devin’s Christmas extravaganza. Part 2 coming out soon!

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

Joy 2 Da World.
Shot by Timothy Blakely.
Edited by Devin Curtis.
Performed by Deaf Devin.
Support Deaf Devin by getting his album as deafdevin.bandcamp.com

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

Deaf Devin Sings the Christmas Classics is the first album from the sensation Deaf Devin.

Obtain your copy at a pay what you want price(that means you can give us all your money!) at http://deafdevin.bandcamp.com/ hurry supplies are limited!

This episode Deaf Devin joins us as a special guest to promote his newly released holiday album( http://deafdevin.bandcamp.com/ ), as we continue to trek through this mysterious new prehistoric land(see what I did there).

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

We fight our way through a boss and take on some dinosaurs in an all new landscape.

Yes, his hair is like that when he gets up.

In this episode we talk about Prince, Morgan Freeman’s new app, and more.

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

This episode we go underground. Dat about it, though you can count on some other shit.

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

We make it out of the dungeon alive for once and on to new(sort of) things.

Well would you look who it is! I tried my hand at papercrafting with the man you know as FOXY or if you don’t watch our Earthbound LP Ness. You can find the files to build him and tons of other little guys over at Cubecraft.

Again….we go through the dungeon. But we have an ace up our sleeve this time!

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

The end of SPOOKFEST is upon us. We hope you enjoyed your time with us!

Song: Sexy Witch by COUCOU
Maria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aBBobxUgqVQ
Andy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV3WauTb8eA&feature=plcp
Deaf Devin: In your Heart

It’s the penultimate day of SPOOKFEST 2012 and that means it’s time for someone to die. Make sure you check back on Halloween for the finale and bloopers.

Here is the complete animated gif collection: https://plus.google.com/photos/111292427684284901612/albums/5801954898018593905?authkey=CLbprYHFufnoDg

And here are the bloopers: http://youtu.be/G5JsdgZW7rQ

We read the Give Yourself Goosebumps novel “Into the Twister of Terror”
Check it out here:

Sorry I guess it was a pug

Download the reading jingle AND SO MUCH MORE:http://wegetgeek.bandcamp.com/album/outrageous-soundtrackdotes

It’s the third day of SPOOKFEST 2012 at wegetgeek.com and that means we’re carving pumpkins.
Like the music?
Check out COUCOU: http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/533/coucou
and Electron 7: http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/343747/electron7

We watch The GingerDead Man and Troll 2

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

But a lot of people myself among them didn’t care. We kept reading through GIANT Dawn and Nic Furry Xander(how god damn ironic is that) and hundreds of slayers and maybe we cared about the continuity error but we kept reading anyway. I never finished season 8 because I just didn’t care – it was trying to be something that it wasn’t.

I’m glad to say that so far Season 9(or at least this trade) is an improvement. It’s still not the show. No, I don’t think the comics will ever capture the show completely, how could it, but the writing feels more true to what made Buffy great.

Like I said I never finished season 8, but you can pick up the important bits as you read and not be too confused. Basically in order to save the world Buffy destroyed this seed and upon doing so magic went poof! Oh and everyone knows about vampires and slayers(of which there are still a bunch? Not really clear). And Giles is dead .

Freefall starts with Buffy trying to remember what happened at a party she hosted the night before. The four part series tracks Buffy throwing said party and recovering while trying to figure out what she wants with her life.

Willow’s relationship with Buffy is strained after her magic goes bye bye, and she’s not the only one who is angry. Meanwhile vampires are being un-vampirified(dying without dusting). The cops blame it on Buffy leaving her to avoid the cops while solving the mystery herself.

After the main storyline there is a bonus comic about Spike flying around in a bug driven spaceship. It’s weird as ballz.

The art isn’t perfect, but it captures the characters in broad strokes. There is one character who I could never figure out. I don’t know if it was some character introduced in season 8 or not.

The nice thing about Season 9 is that the story gets back to Buffy basics. How does this girl make her way in the world? and let’s throw in some new monsters too. It works for me.

The dialogue is perhaps the greatest triumph of the book. It reads almost all of the time in such a way that you can hear the actors reading the lines in your head.

Also despite the large gap between the show and the comics, they manage to feel like no time passed in between. And although it is weird that Buffy and crew haven’t aged, but instead have just been placed into the current day it never took me out of the story. And I believe it is necessary, because what is Buffy without it’s timely jabs at pop culture.  There are a myriad of references to old episodes too, some of which are pretty obscure, and they are a joy to read.

The comic will never be the show. It’s no surprise that the best Buffyverse comics are not ones directly about the show(e.g. Tales of the Slayers, Fray). But season 9 comes just as close to the feel of the source material as any adaptation comic around. And if nothing else it is a delight to be back in Buffy’s sometimes alarmingly normal life again.

You’ve probably heard that Agent Coulson will be starring in the S.H.E.I.L.D TV show helmed by Joss Whedon and Jed Whedon. This was troubling news to me. Don’t get me wrong I love Phil as much as the next guy – his death was among the most emotional moments in Avengers.

Upon hearing the news I immediately asked the question any rational person would ask, why is Coulson alive?

The way in which they decide to treat Agent Coulson’s return will ultimate decide for better or worse the fate of the entire franchise Marvel has tried and succeeded at building over the past 6 years.

I love the fanbase he’s been able to amass for such a relatively small role.

Forget for a moment that ABC is betting on this show, probably giving it one of the largest budgets on network TV. Forget for a moment that every Marvel movie since Iron Man has been a big success. Forget for a moment that Joss is a god among men who created such wonderful characters as Mal, Wesley, and of course Buffy. Forget that TV is where Joss is most comfortable.

S.H.E.I.L.D. is too big to fail in a way. And it won’t. No matter what happens S.H.E.I.L.D. will be a success. There is no way in my mind that it can’t be. But it could mark the beginning of the end if Marvel isn’t careful.

Self contained and fun as shit? Yes please.

If you look back at comic reviews I have done in the past you will not see many if any super hero books at all. But I love superhero’s as much as the next guy who is willing to put the words geek in the name of their website. And I do read superhero comics(they do occupy a sizable majority of the medium after all), but I prefer smaller titles that aren’t connected to the universe at large – stuff like Invincible, Starman(90′s), Hellboy, Iron Fist and anything else that can remove itself from all the bullshit surrounding the big two(Marvel and DC).

That bullshit if you are not familiar include but are not limited to the following(I won’t even try to list all the shit that is messed up with the way they do things. There are more knowledgeable people to look to for that):

retcons, and character death.

Retcons are, or should be the bane of any sane person’s psyche. However in practice retcons are used more often than we would like to admit. They can be used well, for instance Buffy’s return from death can be viewed as a retcon as season five was going to be the last season. The difference between what Buffy did and what comics do is the care, and volume by which they dole out retcons like bandaids to fix boo-boo’s.

Buffy,

a) sparingly used retcons

b) did not use retcons flippantly and without cause. When Buffy came back in season 6 things were not all back to normal, Buffy was a changed person. Can anyone tell me that Batman is a changed character because of his death?

Professor X has died more times than I care to count. Seriously I started counting.

I hold that the reason comics are not a growing industry(besides marketing and an attached stigma) is the plain stupid way that they advertise character deaths MONTHS ahead of when it’s happening in a hope to boost sales, and the way that they continually kill off characters only to bring them back twelve months later.

I once heard someone say that there are only a few people sacred in the comic book world. Among them Uncle Ben. In other words there are only a few characters that the companies care enough about not to completely discredit by using them for marketing gimmicks and stupid events.

People dying aren’t the only examples of retcons in comic books but they’re certainly the most glaring. Of course that is up for debate as most hate One More Day, in which Peter Parker and Mary Jane become divorced, and his secret identity re-secrified… WITH MAGIC.

Enough about comic books though. My point here is that even the biggest comic fans agree the industry is royally fucked up.

So what does any of this have to do with Agent Coulson? Everything in fact.

If Agent Coulson comes back from the dead(or is a robot or something) Marvel is sealing its own fate. So far no characters have died and come back from said death in the marvel films.

If Phil is the first he will open up a floodgate. We might not see it immediately, but somewhere down the road they will kill a character and then a few movies down the road say, “whoops…can we bring that guy back? Ya the guy with the big purple hat.”

Then the films and by extension any more spin off TV shows/web series will have all of the same baggage as the comics. This is an eventuality I hope can be avoided.

Of course the other option is that  S.H.E.I.L.D. is a prequel. This is ultimately the best direction they can take, but at the same time it puts limitations on where the show can go. I’m not saying they couldn’t make it good, but I can’t help feeling that some great stories of a post-Avengers S.H.E.I.L.D. would be lost.

Either way they do it, and I’m not seeing a third option here, something is compromised.

Again I’m not doubting S.H.E.I.L.D. will be a great TV show.

No in fact I’m sure I will love it. I just wish I could be happy that I am able to see one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite films back on screen… However I can’t help but feel that Phil and his Captain America trading cards should have been left behind.

Download the Mp3

- Mp3 Download
- RSS Feed
- Itunes Feed

The Cocktail Waitress is the final “lost” novel of James M. Cain(Double Indemnity) published by Titan Books Hardcase Crime imprint. It is a quick solid read full of vice and vigor.

Cain never finished The Cocktail Waitress. Years later it was compiled from different drafts and compiled notes into the finished tome. You’d never guess it by reading the book though – it feels just as complete as if Cain were alive today. That is except that the book is rooted in the time period it was written.

The waitress in question and the protagonist of the book is the down on her luck widow Joan Medford. The book begins at her husbands funeral, though Joan doesn’t consider it a sad occasion. Her husband was abusive,  and although he’s out of the picture his death is just the beginning of Joans problems. With her husband gone she has no income, her power is off and worst of all her son, Tad, has been taken custody of by her sister in law. The same sister in law who calls the police to falsely accuse Joan of murdering her late husband so that she will be able to keep Tad. This wouldn’t be much of a problem if it weren’t for the rookie cop who is investigating the murder who wants to find a case where there isn’t.

Desperate for work she finds a job as a waitress at a local bar. While there she makes friends and thanks to her striking looks – her legs are described more than a dozen times – a few admirers. There is the good looking Tom, or the rich but old Mr. White, both trying to woo her. Joan has to decide what is important to her, or if she can’t do that how she can play both sides.

Joan is a strong and selfish character who will do whatever she can to get her son back, and have a good life.

It’s a good setup and rarely is there a dull moment in the book. The characters are pretty one note, besides Joan. That said Joan herself is a conflicted and interesting character.

I’m not a big crime reader but from what I know characters with a very specific almost mechanical purpose are par for the course in the genre. The plot is interesting but in my opinion it leaves too many of it’s twists and turns for the very end, but it is quite an end.

The prose was occasionally odd sounding but it never got in the way of enjoyment. The book is pretty quick to read, at around 250 pages.

The afterword is also a good read. It describes the process of putting together the novel from its pieces as well as some of the things that a contemporary reader might miss(trust me it puts the last chapter into a whole different perspective.)

Speaking as someone who does not have a lot of experience reading crime I can not compare The Cocktail Waitress to other books in the genre, but I can tell you that it was an entertaining read. It was enjoyable, solid, and surprising in moments. However it was not a spell binder – none of the characters really connected to me and I was never compelled to keep reading just one more chapter.

It is a good read; if you’re a fan of the crime genre I would say pick this up just as a piece of history if nothing else and you’ll have a fun time reading it as well.

If you are not a fan of the genre but the description intrigues you, I’d say give it a shot and see if it grabs you.