It’s a wonder any of us still use Facebook throughout the day, considering what a wasteland it has become. We’re all annoyed by much of what we see on our newsfeeds as we mindlessly scroll, but nonetheless, we’re all still addicted, myself included. While no amount of annoyance will likely ever lead me to shut down my own profile, there are so many things that I see on a daily basis from people I should no longer “follow” that make me seethe with anger. Continue reading
Welcome back to The Beer List at The No Seatbelt Blog! It is here that I recommend some outstanding brews to beer fans everywhere, every Sunday. Whether you’re doing yardwork, watching your favorite football team kick ass or get slaughtered on the gridiron, or are just simply kicking back, you could use a beer. Every week, you get a review of a high-quality beer that I truly like, or even love – you’ll find no bottom-of-the-barrel swill here. So, without further ado, let’s pop one open and enjoy! Continue reading
This week, I present another edition of Funko Friday, showcasing none other than the popular toy company’s version of “the heart of the Ghostbusters,” Dr. Raymond Stantz. Played with a signature “aww, shucks” charm by Dan Aykroyd in both movies of the franchise, Ray Stantz was a thoroughly lovable character. Built with equal parts childlike wonder and real world smarts, poor Ray was conned by his partner Pete Venkman into selling the house his parents left him so that the future foursome of paranormal investigators and eliminators could purchase a dilapidated firehouse where they would store the supernatural baddies they snared. Continue reading
Hold on little girl
Show me what he’s done to you
Stand up little girl
A broken heart can’t be that bad
This week on Growing Up 90’s, I’m reaching back to the beginning of the decade for what might be the biggest campfire sing-along in modern rock history, from none other than Mr. Big. “To Be With You,” from the band’s 1991 album Lean Into It is a hugely successful acoustic jam with an insanely catchy chorus, with lead singer Eric Martin’s incredible voice soaring over the backing vocals of his bandmates. Continue reading
Hello, beer lovers, and welcome back to another installment of The Beer List here at The No Seatbelt Blog! I’ve made it no secret here that I thoroughly love Belgian-style beers, and that I hold Dogfish Head in the highest of regards when it comes to breweries. As a result, I’m introducing you to one of my favorites from the Delaware-based brewery, and it goes by the moniker Namaste. Continue reading
This week on Funko Friday, everyone’s second favorite character (arguably) from Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket Raccoon takes the stage! Rocket, featured in the Guardians of the Galaxy comic book series, is a galactic warrior who in his current state was born of genetic experimentation that granted him superior intelligence, and the ability to walk on two legs. He was also given a raging attitude and hangs out with a mutated tree named Groot. And this, my friends, is how intergalactic fiction can be great.
In the movie that nobody saw coming, and that nobody expected to do as well as it did, Rocket, the pint-sized mammal with a mouth was voiced by Bradley Cooper. If you didn’t know any better, you’d never guess that it was Cooper, as Rocket’s gruff, gravelly intonation was most certainly a put-on for the actor. I can’t imagine it was anything short of a blast to do, however. Rocket will be returning to the big screen to get into more trouble with his merry band of misfits for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017.
Peter Quill: I can’t believe I got taken down by a raccoon
Rocket: Raccoon? What’s a raccoon?
Peter Quill: You are! I’ve seen many of them, like you, on Earth!
Rocket: Ain’t nothing like me, except me!
I picked up the Rocket Raccoon vinyl Pop! doll from Funko at Hot Topic a while back, as the store’s combination of selection of the collectibles and “buy one, get one half-off” sales is, well, just goddamn irresistible. This model of Rocket is depicted as he appears throughout most of the movie, in his orange body suit, gripping his weapon of choice. Let’s not forget the menacing stare – he may look diminutive, but he’s fierce. Look at him, he’s about to kick your ass. The Rocket Pop! is also one of the select few that features a bobble-head! Funko’s line of Pop! dolls also consists of Star-Lord (masked and un-masked), Gamora, Drax, several versions of Groot, Ronan, Nebula, Yondu, Thanos, and The Collector!
This has been another edition of Funko Friday here at The No Seatbelt Blog. Past and future installments of this series can be found under “The Toy Chest” section on my website. Check out all the other blogs that I write on movies, music, beer, toys, and more, every week! Until next time, keep calm and collect on!
They say misery loves company
We could start a company
And make misery
Unless you had a predilection towards that “pump up the jams” garbage during the 90’s, you most likely had to find a way to tolerate the dominance of the grunge wave over the popular music scene. Songs about despair, depression, and pill-popping took over rock radio, and you might have had to flip over to a jock jams tune to find anything remotely positive or encouraging. Luckily, there were some gems that came from the grunge movement, and often enough, the MUSIC was good. Continue reading
The Beer List is back with a vengeance at The No Seatbelt Blog, as two different batches of gift brews were bestowed upon me by friends and brothers this Christmas season. I’m kicking off the resurgence by cracking open the first of seven beers that my good friend Chris brought back from California as a birthday gift for me. Just upon seeing the name, I already loved it, and decided that Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company’s Weiss Weiss Baby would be the first down the hatch. Continue reading
My collection of Funko’s Pop! vinyl dolls has grown significantly over the past couple of weeks, and the latest addition to my burgeoning trove of these addictive collectibles is none other than Butch Coolidge, the character made famous by Bruce Willis in Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece, Pulp Fiction. If you want just a glimpse of Butch’s trials in this most brilliant film, he spends his time beating an opponent to death in a boxing ring, evading and eventually attempting to run down his former ally Marcellus Wallace, berating his well-meaning girlfriend about forgetting to bring along his father’s prized watch before they try to make their escape, and having a climactic run-in with Marcellus’ henchman Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta in one of his greatest roles. Continue reading
Once upon a time, the college campus was the last bastion of progressivism – a place where new and unique ideas that threatened to break any given status quo were shared, challenged and often put into action. As the new millennium progresses, however, that former haven for free speech and the development of ideas is suddenly regressing, as a new generation of students seeks to shut down any words or ideas that they deem to be offensive, scary, or simply against their own opinions. A new phenomenon has descended upon higher education institutions in the United States, and it takes the form of “trigger warnings” and “safe zones.” Continue reading
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