Staff Picks – Week of July 29th, 2016
It’s the end of another week here at Rogues Portal, which means it’s time for our staff picks! Each week a select group of our staff share with you what has been entertaining them. And each week you are forced to tolerate me coming up with new ways to say this! So I’ll shut up now, continue on to the picks!
Amelia’s Pick of the Week – My pick of the week is FNaF Parade by Snudder Mado Productions on YouTube. The internet is going crazy for Scott Cawthon’s newest game (Sister Location), which is being teased by him and over analyzed by everyone else (MatPat’s game theory on the matter is amazing, but I digress), but I think some love is in order for FNaF Parade! This adorable 3 minute video has been an obsession of mine since I first found a link to it on Tumblr. The base is the MitchiriNeko March, an animated parade featuring colourful cats playing instruments. FNaF Parade switches out the adorable cats for adorable versions of every character that’s ever been in a Five Nights at Freddy’s game (before Sister Location of course). If you have any love for Five Nights at Freddy’s or just can’t help yourself around cute things, FNaF Parade is 3 minutes well spent! FYI, that initial 3 minutes might turn into hours as you replay it over and over again, but I can’t be held responsible for that!
Michael’s Pick of the Week – My pick for the week is The Invitation. This atmospheric horror movie is currently available on Netflix. It’s an expansion of the “Mumblegore” sub-genre (which would include Creep, You’re Next, The Sacrament etc.) that shows a dinner party among friends take some weird twists and turns. The acting is solid across the board, with Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michael Huisman, and especially John Carroll Lynch putting in some solid performances. The film is shot like an overly-warm David Fincher piece and the pacing constantly keeps us on our toes about what — and who — to believe.
Stephanie P’s Pick of the Week – My pick this week is HarmonQuest. The show is an offbeat improv comedy that explores yet another of Dan Harmon’s geeky fandoms, Dungeons and Dragons (but they are totally NOT playing D&D…) Watch Harmon and his comedic cohorts hilariously, and somewhat awkwardly, play HarmonQuest, a tabletop fantasy role-playing game, all filmed before a live studio audience! Rotating celebrity guests, such as Paul F. Tompkins, Chelsea Peretti, and Aubrey Plaza join the chaos as the show jumps between their funny team deliberations and an animated story based on their actions, all orchestrated by geek incarnate Spencer Crittenden. Let’s QUUUEEEESSST!
Gregory’s Pick of the Week – My pick of the week is Green Lanterns. One thing that I have enjoyed with the DC Rebirth is that each of the titles have their own feel despite the fact that they all came out of the same event. One of my favorites has been the Green Lanterns. The Green Lantern is supposed to be one of the most powerful weapons in all of the universe, and when a veteran like Hal Jordan is using it, you have to question how he could ever be defeated. With Green Lanterns, we get Simon Baez and Jessica Cruz, who are not only new to being Green Lanterns, but also new to being heroes. Each is having to learn on the job while also trying to overcome their own personal issues. The first arch has not only highlighted both of them trying to overcome their personal issues, but also having to learn to work together despite their differences in style and motivations. It’s refreshing to see two Green Lanterns that are not perfect and following them as the grow with the most powerful weapon in the universe is proving to be entertaining.
Billy’s Pick of the Week – My pick of the week is Bad Lip Reading: High School Musical. As someone who sings dumb songs to himself on a regular basis, Bad Lip Reading: High School Musical speaks to me far more than the actual High School Musical ever did. A 22 minute retelling based solely on the lip movements of the actors, the entire soundscape of the film has been replaced by the professional meddlers at Bad Lip Reading with an entirely original story. The result is some of the most surreal and hilarious dialogue you’ll come across in any film. Imagine a duet awkwardly shouted between two children without any backing music. Big musical numbers become “talk-dance” sequences where the leads spout stream of consciousness nonsense as they shuffle around the room. The addition of audible footsteps, coughs, and general awkward mouth noises delights me to no end. The songs that have been retained as songs are even better. The basketball song is a particular highlight. The young Zac Efron singing about his pretty little bouncy ball is everything I ever wanted. If you have time for a silly sitcom episode, you have time for this. The story of high school boy Chorky and his robot girlfriend Lumkinella is a timeless classic.
