The Bad Influence Speaks

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Yes, Halloween excites me. That whole time of year, autumn, I find exhilarating. A passionate season. The others are so bland. In the fall, you see opportunities for change. Real change. Possibilities present themselves. None of the renewal and redemption cliches of spring. No. Something darker and more primal and more important than that.
-Alice LaPlante

BIS Review: Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter

by Josh Gates

 

“Wind is suddenly screaming into the cockpit of this aging Antonov biplane. Charts and a half-assed, handwritten flight plan whip by my face and through the cockpit door into the main cabin. In the rear of the plane our director of photography, Evan, who has been filming out the open door, is suddenly thrust forward toward the edge of open space, only to be yanked to a stop by his four-point harness. Documents eject past him into oblivion.”

Josh Gates brings his customary wry sense of humor and boyish charm to Memoirs of a Monster Hunter, which tells the story of the Syfy series Destination Truth. For those not familiar with the show, Josh and compatriots travel the world digging into stories of monsters, ghosts, and other things that go bump in the night. The book takes the same tone as the series as Josh looks back over their varied misadventures. The opening paragraph above aptly demonstrates the crew’s luck with modes of transportation. It also shows you should not read this book while sitting in an airport or on board a plane especially if you are a nervous flier. (Though that boarding pass does make an appropriate bookmark.)

I forgot about that fact and read it on a flight last week. Even with their horrid travel luck, I struggled not to howl with laughter at some parts and enjoyed remembering favorite investigations. Also included are travel tips and the exhortation that Americans need to step outside their comfort zones and travel more. And he’s not talking about tours where every stop is planned out. Book a hotel, or bed and breakfast somewhere, rent a car, and stop anywhere that looks interesting.*

Even if you aren’t a fan of the show, I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys or is interested in travel adventures. Plus you really can't beat Josh's sense of humor.

You can pick up a copy from Amazon here.

 

BIS Rating: 4 nightlights

BIS Rating system:
1 nightlight = put it down and didn't care to pick it back up
2 nightlights = finished the book
3 nightlights = enjoyed the book but probably wouldn't re-read it
4 nightlights = had a hard time putting the book down
5 nightlights = stayed up way too late to finish instead of going to bed

 

New episodes of Destination Truth will air in 2012 on Syfy. You can find season one on DVD, all  seasons on Netflix, iTunes and Amazon instant video, and 4.5 on hulu.com.

*My sister and I have done this. A few years ago, we took a week long trip to Wales. We booked B&B’s in both the north and south of the country for several nights each to be used as a home base. Then we flew into London, rented a car, and saw everything that caught our interest. Yes, there were transportation hiccups along the way, but nowhere near as bad as on the show. I mean, the live fire range wasn’t active that day or anything.

Captain America: The First Avenger

 

Steve Rogers, a slight man from Brooklyn, desperately wants to join the Army to fight in World War II, but is rejected through all attempts until he meets Dr. Abraham Erskine at the fair. He is accepted into the SSR program and is chosen to receive the super soldier formula. Shortly following the successful procedure, Dr. Erskine is killed by Hydra agents, and Steve is shuttled off into a promotional tour to sell bonds as Captain America. When the tour goes oversees, Steve gets the chance to be a real soldier when his friend, Bucky's, unit suffers disastrous losses. Captain America rescues the soldiers and earns his own team to lead in the fight against Hydra.
Based on the Marvel comic.

Cast:
Chris Evans..........Steve Rogers/Captain America
Hayley Atwell...............................Peggy Carter
Sebastian Stan...James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes
Tommy Lee Jones..........Colonel Chester Phillips
Hugo Weaving...........Johann Schmidt/Red Skull
Dominic Cooper..........................Howard Stark
Stanley Tucci....................Dr. Abraham Erskine
Toby Jones..............................Dr. Arnim Zola
Neal McDonough.......Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
Derek Luke.................................Gabe Jones
Kenneth Choi................................Jim Morita
JJ Field...............James Montgomery Falsworth
Bruno Ricci..........................Jacques Dernier
Richard Armitage.......................Heinz Kruger
and
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Quotes:

 

Bucky: Sometimes I think you like getting punched.
Steve: I had him on the ropes.

 

Steve: Bucky, come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. It's not about me.
Bucky: Right because you've got nothing to prove.

 

Bucky: Don't do anything stupid until I get back.
Steve: How can I? You're talking all the stupid with you.
Bucky: You're a punk.
Steve: Jerk. Be careful.

 

Erskine: Do you want to kill Nazis?
Steve: Is this a test?
Erskine: Yes.
Steve: I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from.

 

Erskine: Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is the little guy.

 

Erskine: This is why you were chosen because a strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength and knows compassion.

 

Phillips: If you have something to say, right now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself.

 

Gabe: Wait. You know what you're doing?
Steve: Yeah, I've knocked out Adolph Hitler over 200 times.

 

Steve: I though you were dead.
Bucky: I thought you were smaller.

 

Bucky: I'm invisible. I'm turning into you. It's like a horrible dream.
Steve: Don't take it so hard. Maybe she has a friend.

 

Zola: What's this?
Phillips: Steak.
Zola: What's in it?
Phillips: Cow.

 

Red Skull: So what made you so special?
Steve: Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.

Comments:

 1) I guess I should explain my reaction to Chris Evans in general before I get into this comment. My first thought when I see him (once I get over the hum of appreciation) is "Holy crap, I'm so fat." I have no idea why I have this reaction, but I do. (This does work out well in motivating me to do my workouts.) In Captain America, I had a slightly different reaction. I think he's over-muscled as the Cap. As pre-Cap Steve though, I find him adorable. I'd date that. This is also why I appreciate the fact that the movie spends so much time on Steve before the procedure. He is sweet, fairly intelligent, clever, and wrap-your-arms-around-him-and-never-let-go adorable.

2) I've read some commentary on the movie where people complain that the dialog was too simplistic. From what I've read of the comics (bless Marvel for having digital editions of them), the dialog was simplistic in those too. I only read them a few weeks before seeing the movie and don't have fond childhood memories hanging on this though.

3) After the procedure, his pants were just a little short. Shouldn't they have been hulked out?

4) Is the thing with the cube during the fight in Red Skull's plane a way back in for Thor? I hadn't seen Thor until recently so hadn't really noticed.

5) The fight scenes looked like they were straight out of the video game.

Pictures:

Note: All rights to the above photos and quotes belong to Marvel, Marvel Studios, the producers, and creators of Captain America.

Hump Day Quote: Paul Murray

Life makes fools of all of us sooner or later. But keep your sense of humor and you'll at least be able to take your humiliations with some measure of grace. In the end, you know, its our own expectations that crush us.

-Paul Murray, Skippy Dies

Hawaii Five-0: Ka Hakaka Maika'i

Season 2, Episode 6

 

Joe White calls in a favor from Kensi Blye (NCIS: LA) to analyze the surveillance footage of John McGarrett with Wo Fat and the governor. In the mean time, Steve and the Five-0 team look into a series of home investigations where a well known restauranteur is killed in one. In the course of the investigation, Steve agrees to take part in a MMA fight for charity. Terry O'Quinn and Daniela Ruah guest star.

Danny: You didn't miss anything. This guy's vocabulary does not stray too far from the word "lawyer."

 

Steve: Hey, uh, is Kensi still with you?
Joe: No, I dropped her off at the airport an hour ago. Why?
Steve: Well, I was just wondering, I mean, you guys seemed, uh, seemed to have quite a past.
Joe: Steve, she's young enough to be my daughter.
Steve: You know something, Joe? She kind of reminded me of wife number 2: tall, dark, lethal. Seems to be your type.

 

Kono: Oh, one more thing. Word to the wise, Boriero is trained. I wouldn't engage him hand to hand.
Danny: That's not going to happen. I like my gun.

 

Danny: Whoa, stay down. Let's go home. Can we go home? It's charity. Don't get up.

Comments:
1) I like crossover episodes (even though this wasn't a major crossover). I hope they do a full crossover with NCIS: LA. I can't figure out who I find cuter on that show, Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) or Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah).
2) During the chase scene where Steve was running rooftops after Boriero, Danny jumped into the car Steve had been driving and followed straight off. How did he reach the pedals? There's got to be a good 6-8 inches difference in height.
3) I seems more shows are having episodes that feature MMA. I wonder why. (This is not a complaint. If I had the money to afford lessons (and the time to do them), I'd give it a shot.)

Hawaii Five-0 Quotes Main Page

Haven: Lockdown

Season 2, Episode 9

 

When an officer dies mysteriously with blackened veins, the police station is put on lockdown by the new chief as others start developing symptoms. Jason Priestley, Adam Copeland, and Dylan Neal guest star.

Chris: Nobody wants to shoot me.
Audrey: Really? You're a scientist. Tell me what works faster: your trouble or a bullet?

 

Dwight: Bullets, uh, they tend to find me. It's a long story.
Nathan: Bullets tend to find you? That's your trouble? Well, you're right. The way things are going, I might need you more than ever.

Comments:
1) A Dwight episode! What? I like Dwight and am getting rather fond of the actor who plays him, Adam Copeland.

Haven Quotes: Main

Eureka: Of Mites And Men

Season 4, Episode 16

 

Fargo, Jo, Holly Martin, and Isaac Parrish are trapped in a Astraeus test with a surprise guest, Zane, but when builder mites go wrong at GD they are stranded. Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton guest star.

Carter: Should I sit?
Senator Wen: Just stand there and look pretty.

 

Fargo: Parrish. Time to cowboy up.

 

Henry: We are getting married!
Vincent: Aren't you already married?

Eureka Quotes Main Page

Hawaii Five-0: Ma'ema'e

Season 2, Episode 5

 

A college volleyball coach is murdered in his locker room which leads to a money laundering operation, a missing wife, and Kono. William Baldwin and Meredith Monroe guest star.

Danny: What are the perks of being a cop? Pay sucks. Hours suck. Sometimes...no, all the time, I get shot at.
Steve: What are you talking about? You never...you hardly ever get shot at.
Danny: Is that a joke?

Hawaii Five-0 Quotes Main Page

Hump Day Quote: Jim Butcher

And faith isn't about perfect attendance to services, or how much money you put on the little plate. It isn't about going skyclad to the Holy Rite, or meditating each day upon the divine. Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others - even when there's not going to be anyone telling you what a hero you are. Faith is a power of its own, and one even more elusive and difficult to define than magic.

-Jim Butcher, Changes

Eureka: Omega Girls

Season 4, Episode 15

 

Once Allison takes over as the head of GD, Beverly puts her plan into motion, but she doesn't take into account that Jo and Zoe would be out of range.

Zane: Classic. I can't apply for the Astraeus mission because of my past felonies for computer crimes, but every time I turn around, you guys are asking me to commit them.

 

Zane: Someone hacked your girlfriend.

 

Jo: Atta girl. You can do this.
Zoe: Okay. Not go get that bitch.

Eureka Quotes Main Page