Supernatural Season 1 by Eric Kripke

Did you ever see Are You Afraid of the Dark? Did you grow up on Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?  Then OMG is this series for you.  Sam and Dean Winchester are brothers with an unusal side job, they hunt ghosts and demons and just about anything that goes bump in the night.  Fueled by the incident of their

Dean Winchester

mother dying at the hands of a demon, the seek revenge on the thing that tore their family apart.  Each episode the brothers encounter some supernatural event and a hot girl that seems to be ties up in it somehow.  As trite as that may sound, the formula works.

The over arching story is that Sam and Dean along with their Father (who comes and goes) are seeking the demon that killed their mother.  They get close but

Sam Winchester

the problem with hunting demons is that they can take over any persons body.  There is tension in the family because Sam went off to college abondoning Dean and his Father.  However, after a few close calls and saved lives most is forgiven.

The show is a fast paced thriller that sucks the viewer into the story.  Definitely worth checking out (your local library should be able to get it for you).

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider has a tumultuous life at best.  An orphan at an early age Alex was taken in by his uncle, Ian Rider.  Unknown to Alex, Ian Rider was a spy for the British intelligence agency MI6.  Ian had trained Alex in martial arts, taught hims 3 different languages, and prepared him to become a spy without Alex knowing.  Tragedy strikes again when Alex is informed that his uncle has died in a traffic accident.  Having an uneasy feeling, Alex decides to investigate and discovers that Ian was killed in his car but not in a collision, the car was riddled with bullets.  After narrowly escaping a crushing incident at the auto wreckers lot, Alex is invited to his uncle’s job at the bank (or so Alex thought).  The bank was not a bank at all but a cover for MI6 and Alex was their newest recruit.

In order to infiltrate billionaire, Harod Sayles, secret operation Alex must go undercover as a British school boy (not that much of a stretch).  Sayle, a computer entrepreneur, is gifting a free ‘Stormbreaker’ computer to every school in England.  MI6 has discovered that Sayle has recently acquired a biological weapon and Alex is just the boy to find out why.

The first book in the Alex Rider series explodes with action.  The story is fast-paced and laced with enough cool gadgets to keep any middle school teen intrigued.  This book is highly recommended for teens that are fans of action/adventure and fast-paced series.

Bleach Season 1 by Tite Kubo

Ichigo Kurosawa is your typical animated 15 year old boy.  He’s tall, super-skinny, and sees ghosts.  Oh, wait that’s not that typical is it?  Ichigo has been able to see spirit’s who have not crossed over (to the Soul Society) yet.  Basically, in the world of Bleach there are two spheres of existence, the living world and the Soul Society.  From the Soul Society come  Soul Reapers which are assigned with returning Hollows (malevolent human spirits) by killing them.  Rukia, a Soul Reaper in the living world has been injured and as a last resort she tries to transfer some of her

Hollows can be killed by slicing through their masks.

power (which is forbidden by the Soul Society) to Ichigo.  Instead of getting some of her power Ichigo unintentionally takes it all.  He has now become the substitute Soul Reaper. With Rukia’s help Ichigo must learn about his new powers while new Hollows are appearing everyday.  A rough life for a high school teen.  With the help of his friends Chad, Orihime, and Uryu Ichigo might just make it as he must journey to the Soul Society.

Bleach has reached the level of phenomenon in America largely due to it’s run on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.   The anime began as a Japanese serial that debuted in 2001 it has not concluded.  The manga is on it’s 39th book as of June 2009 and shows little signs of ending.

The plot of Bleach and the characters are engaging which makes the show great to watch.  The story is not formulaic like Dragon Ball or Naruto so you are apt not to get bored.  The art work for the manga and anime are both superb.  This anime is highly recommended for fans of Death Note.

Super sweet Grand Theft Auto style wallpaper.

Little Big Planet by Media Molecule

Little Big Planet is quite possibly the most fun you can have with Playstation controller.  Meet Sackboy, yes that cute little character on the front of the box, he/she/it is your representative in the world of Little Big Planet.  Here’s the premise: Little Big Planet is a world created by the little bits of dreams that float up and out of our atmosphere and manifest in a completely, dare I say, psychedelic world.   In the world of the LBP there are several creator curators that host the different continents you’ll find on LBP.  Each of the creator curators has a task or mission for you to accomplish.  Along the way you pick various items (housed in little bubbles that make a very satisfying pop as you collect them) used for costumes, stickers, and materials to create your own world.

Aww, how cute.

The game presents exciting puzzle challenges and features cooperative play within the levels.  In each level new elements are introduced and combined with previous features that allows for fresh gameplay and a challenging learning curve.  The levels become increasingly complex to the point of having to play them multiple times to collect all the items.  To me this game is combines the best elements of Mario and Sonic while offering a customizable world, gameplay, and best of all character.

oh, so fierce.

It is impossible to review LBP without discussing the beauty in the game.  Each world is made from various materials, some interactive, some animated and all are organic.  Every inch of the game looks as if it was cut from cloth or constructed from a crafting material.  One wonderful aspect is that you can coordinate your wardrobe to the level you happen to playing, as well as decorating your own pod (which is your options selection screen).  The level builder function to LBP is phenomenal, allowing you to build and test your level as you go.  You can then upload your level for other players to try.

It is hard to imagine this game being any better!  If you haven’t tried LBP, check it out ASAP and if you happen to already be a convert…here’s some pretty wallpaper for your computer.

Crystal Castles by Crystal Castles

In a world where everything sounds pretty much the same comes Crystal Castles to save the day.  The Canadian duo consists of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass.  Kath is responsible for the music end of the group while Glass is the vocalist.  The band produces an eclectic mix of electronic, new wave, punk, and dance and while it may be a mix of these genres it does not fit into any of them.  Ethan Kath uses an energetic, chaotic samples with blips and bleeps scatteded through out to create Crystal Castles unique sound.  Alice Glass’ vocals are reminiscent of Kathleen Hannah and the album does sound like an over-produced Julie Ruin (Kathleen Hannah with keyboards and a drum machine) project.

The band reportedly gets their name from She-ra’s (old Saturday morning cartoon) Sky Fortress.  This is ironic since Alice Glass was not even born when the show had aired.  They frequently tour the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan.  You can see them in Chicago this year at Lollapalooza on Friday, August 7th on the Vitamin Water stage.

I know what your thinking, shut up already and tell me if it’s good.  Well, it’s better than just about anything else realesed in 2008.  Nearly every song is listenable and most are excellent.  They are unlike anything on the radio and anything you’ve heard since Kill Rock Stars in the early years.  I give them 2 and a quarter thumbs up.

The Simpson Game by EA

It’s un-American to not love the Simpsons, however, it is also un-American to play crappy video games.  Here in lies the quandary, maybe you see where I’m headed with this.  The Simpsons are the most popular family on TV but that does not equate success in the gamer world. In the game you can play as Homer, Bart, Lisa, and Marge with Maggie.  Each player has an attack appropriate to them, for instance Bart has his slingshot, homer belches, and Lisa battles with her sax.  This part of the game is reminicent of the hilarious Simpsons Arcade fighting game (circa 19-before-you-were-born).  The story line is that certain people must be stopped in Springfield, the first foes you face are Jimbo and the gang.  There is an element of free play and getting from mission to mission you must walk around Springfield which is rather cool.

First, I’ll start with the compliments.  The Simpsons Game looks awesome.  You feel like you are behind the controls of an  actual episode.  The voice acting is excellent *said in Mr. Burns voice* and the story is, well, eh.  Just like some Simpsons episodes.  That is, unfortunately, all the good things I have to share about the game.

Once you start the game you’ll immediately notice how wonky the controls are, characters are stiff and jumping to platforms requires you to line up shot rather than being designed for fluid motion.  The rotating view gets caught against walls and makes looking around in tight spots very difficult.  The game play is also very repetitive, you are constantly doing the same objectives over and over.  I mean Tomb Raider is the same objective over and over but at least the puzzles are different.  There are some missions that require cooperation between two characters that you can switch back and forth between.  The problem here is that  character you are not controlling sometimes moves away from the spot you need them to be in.

Over all the game is visually appealling but that is about it.  My recomendation is to watch the simpson and play games that were intended to be played.  The Simpsons Game is merely a novelty.

Cowboy Bebop by Shinichirô Watanabe

Dubbed the greatest anime of all time Cowboy Bebop has something for everyone.  The story mostly takes place on the “bebop”, a run down space ship and revolves around a ramshackle crew of bounty hunters, “cowboys”.  Spike Speigel, the protagonist, has left “the Syndicate” an organized crime outfit and linked up with Jet Black, the owner/captain of the Bebop.   The two of them are wandering through the solar system picking up bounty heads when they start to pick up other crew members: Radical Edward, a androgynous child hacker, Faye Valentine, a mysterious hard luck woman, and Ein, a data dog/Welsh Corgi.

The anime’s charm lies in the “cool” motif that runs through the show from the jazzy funk opening to the beautifully choreographed battle scenes.  Every character, minor and Major, has quirks that beg to be explored and Watanabe does a splendid job fleshing them out.  Spaghetti western, space opera, epic, sci-fi, thriller, horror, romance, and adventure are the different story genres that mesh together to make Bebop one of the most memorable Anime ever.  Told in 26 episodes the action explodes from the first scene and hardly lets up through out.  If you missed this one go and get it, immediately!

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The original story (an inspiration for the movie)

Where the Wild Things Are is one of the greatest children’s books EVER.  It is the story of Max who is too wild.  So his parents send him to bed without supper, and if he wants to be so wild he can just go and live where the wild things are.  That night Max’s room begins to change and soon he is sailing to the land of the wild things.  When he gets there instead of being frightened he shows the Wild Things what being wild really is.  The Wild Things then make Max their King.

Brilliant story, I know.  Now director Spike Jonze has adapted the beloved book into a movie; brilliant, I know.  I was a little concerned about turning a 10 minute story (if you read slowly) into a feature length film but then I heard Spike Jonze was involved and he is, after all, brilliant, I know.  Check out the trailer if you haven’t already because it will be brilliant, I KNOW.

Metalocalypse by Tommy Blacha & Brenden Small

Dethklok, the greatest act in the world, has come to DVD.  The first season of Metalocalypse is, in my humble opinion, the funniest show on Adult Swim since Sealab 2021 (Murphy episodes).  The story follows the world’s most popular death metal group, Dethklok.  The band is made up of 5 not so bright individuals in a quest to “make everything metal”.  Meanwhile a secret government agency keeps an ever watchful eye on Dethklok and attempts to thwart their popularity and thus their grip on the world.  However, the band goes on, oblivious to the dangers that threaten them as they deal with band issues like: what kind of present do you get a bassist that hates everything, internal disputes betwaeen the rythmn and lead guitarist, and getting a GED.  As I’ve said the show is hilarious so I’ll leave with you a quote from frontman Nathan Explosion “Go forth, and DIE”.

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin Jacobson (Q to his friends) has lived next to the beautiful, energetic, and mysterious Margo Roth-Speigelman all his life.  When the were children they were best friends until junior high when they drifted apart (Margo is a cool kid and Q, tragically, is not).  So Q is very surprised when Margo shows up at midnight at his bedroom window dressed in all black with her face blacked out.   That night they embark on an 11 step night of revenge.  The next Margo ends up missing.  Her disappearing is not unusual, but the clues she left for Q to follow are.   Q takes it upon himself to follow Margo on her journey, but what he discovers along away may not be what he hoped to find.

John Green has proven himself an excellent writer.  His fiction is funny, smart, and observant.  However, if he writes one more novel about a obssessed boy and uniquely damaged girl that is a mystery to be figured out, I will scream.  Paper Towns could have been more aptly titled Looking for Alaska 3.  It could be that most people don’t care if he writes the same book over and over (I mean I love CSI but it is the same episode with differently named charactors every time and I don’t mind that).