At The Movies Retrospective Pt. 4: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert

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We’ve come to the end of my four-part At The Movies recap, which tragically marks the end of Everyview editor-in-chief and highly decorated Vietnam Conflict veteran Zac Pritcher’s bitter and sarcasm-laced plugs on Facebook. You’re the one who made me keep going, dickhole!

But anyway, this capper is dedicated to two individuals who are actually very worthy of being written about, as they were responsible for bringing movie criticism into mainstream America, and had a major role in helping expand the reach of art house cinema.

They were Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, perhaps the two most important media critics of all-time. Continue reading →

[Relaxation Drink Review] Vacation in a Bottle: Pomegranate Berry

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Here’s a portion of a Caffeine Critic review:

Vacation in a Bottle, or ViB for short, is the exact opposite of what I usually review on this site. Much like the recently critiqued Drank, ViB is an anti-energy drink — a beverage that induces lax and calm feelings as opposed to bursts of excess energy. While it is true, as you all surely know, that I love caffeine and the awesome stimulating effects, I also purely adore relaxation beverages. They are an awesome invention with an outstanding effect when they work properly.

Be sure to read the full review on Caffeine Critic.

At The Movies Retrospective Part 3: Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper

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We’ve now entered the second half of this cockamamie retrospective idea, and I’m pretty sure by the end I will have close to 50 accumulative hits! I would just stop altogether, but for my loyal readers I persevere. After all, we here at Everyview only give up on good ideas.

So here’s my take on Ebert and Roeper.

After original co-host and balcony mainstay Gene Siskel died of a brain tumor in early 1999, there was speculation the show, better known to the public as Siskel and Ebert, would be unable to continue with one-half of the duo deceased.

However, Ebert quickly let it be known he fully intended to keep the series running, continuing it for well over a year-and-a-half with 26 different guest critics.

Then in September 2000, it was announced Chicago Sun Times columnist Richard Roeper would accept nearly impossible task of sitting across the aisle and debating movies with Roger Ebert week after week. But while replacing Siskel wasn’t something he could have ever done, it’s hard to look back on the tenure of Roeper as anything but admirable.

Continue reading →

[Food Review] The Alamo

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Here’s a portion of a review on Does It Hit The Spot.

A while back I reviewed Kringle’s Kafe’, one of the most likely lunch spots during a visit to Holiday World for many consumers. I was less than impressed with the quality, price, and the way the food sat on my stomach. Now I’m back with a review for one of the more popular dinner spots at the park, The Alamo.

Located at the heart of 4th of July, The Alamo is surrounded by rides like the Liberty Launch and the Lewis & Clark Trail, an attraction that sees visitors driving extremely slow go carts modeled after old cars around a set track. Lewis and Clark didn’t have cars. This has nothing to do with the restaurant at hand, but this just infuriates me. What the hell, Holiday World? Go to school. They teach you that shit.

Be sure to read the full review on DIHTS.com!

At The Movies Retrospective Pt. 2: Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott

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One part in and this four-part series has already proven to be a humiliating failure. Oh, well, it’s not like I have anything better to do. After all, you can only watch so many old episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond before you’ve seen them all, and have to say enough, it’s time to do something productive.

So here’s my opinion on Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott.

For their first few weeks on the air, Phillips and Scott (film critics for the Chicago Tribune and New York Times, respectively), were a breath of fresh air. Not that it was difficult outperforming their predecessors, but actually having two legit(imate) critics on the air was a nice change after the year-long piece of wet diarrhea stank produced by the Lyons/Mankiewicz combo.

Continue reading →

[Album Review] Arcade Fire “The Suburbs”

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Arcade Fire did it. Amidst unreal expectations and an absolute cavalcade of hype, the Montreal based alternative rock band managed to deliver an album that embodies a genuine sense of suburban frustration while coupling it with a slight embracing attitude of the situation.

The album contains sixteen tracks, and it’s the variety that keeps the album fresh even after several listens. This isn’t a fast food album, where you whisk through the drive-thru, pick up your food and go and it’s over too quick. This is a fine dining experience at a five-star restaurant, where each course blends together with the previous and subsequent selections.

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[The Top Five] Legend of Zelda Clones

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It’s a very exciting time to be a Zelda fan, as it always is when a new game in the series is slated for release. It’s been a long wait since the last console installment in the legendary franchise, as it’s been four long years since Twilight Princess hit shelves, but thankfully we’ve had multiple games in between to keep us from cracking. Two new handheld games in the form of Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, and the entire backlog of Zelda games from the NES, SNES, and N64 have finally been released on the Virtual Console. Still, it’s not enough.

That’s why I’m making this list. We’ve got less than a year (hopefully) before Skyward Sword gets an official release and if you’re anything like me you’ve already burned through the Virtual Console offerings, and are ready for something fresh. Something new. Something different. These five clones should give you exactly that: a break from Hyrule so you don’t get burned out on saving the princess before it’s time to go back to work next year, while still offering very similar experiences so you don’t get rusty while waiting.

Enjoy.

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[Movie Review] The Other Guys (2010)

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The Other Guys is the proverbial mixed bag. The movie is never tremendously funny, but it is at the very least an enjoyable action comedy. The crime subplot is extremely convoluted, almost garishly reexplained over and over to little result, but the performances of the two leads carry the film to moderate success overall.

Ferrell plays Allen, a straight laced desk cop. Wahlberg is Terry, the rogue bad ass. Together they form the mismatched NYPD detective team at the heart of our story. Ferrell and Wahlberg have an unmistakeable chemistry that, at times, provides some laughs. Their characters are well developed, engaging, and they have some pretty fun interaction that carries most of the movie.

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At The Movies Retrospective Pt. 1: Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz

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By September 2008, all shreds of At The Moviesas it once was were gone. Gene Siskel was long dead, Roger Ebert had lost the ability to speak due to a bout with thyroid cancer and Richard Roeper, who replaced Siskel following his death, left the balcony after eight years due to failed contract negotiations.

Even the show’s most notable trademark, the “Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down” grade were gone (Ebert retained the rights which he kept for himself), replaced with the far less memorable “See It,” “Rent It” and “Skip It.”

Hoping to “take the program in a new direction,” producers appointed E! Online columnist Ben Lyons and Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz as the new co-hosts. And while this lineup wasn’t the last ATM would produce, the abysmal program they created was undeniably the biggest deathblow planted on the once great show.

Continue reading →

At The Movies Retrospective

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After 24 years on syndicated television, At The Movies, the landmark film criticism show will air its final episode this week. Better known to many for its runs as Siskel and Ebert and Ebert and Roeper, the show accomplished a rare feat in its prime, in that it made middle America at least somewhat interested in what stuffy, pretentious film critics had to say.

In its time, the show went through four major hosting formats (aside from those listed above, the show also featured hosting duos Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, and Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott). To pay homage, I will run a four-part series ranking my favorite ATM duos from worst to best starting tomorrow.

I don’t assume many of our readers will have a great deal of interest in this series, but as a long-time fan of the show (as well as a pretentious asshole in love with his own opinions) I feel compelled to recap the program which I’ve watched since I was a kid. Also, now that this is a salaried gig ($3/post), I’d be a fool not to stockpile content.