Best Halloween Costumes

Another great part of Halloween is the creativity that people put into their costumes. I never, ever will buy a store brand costume, the beauty of it is making your own. Here are few exceptionally awesome costumes to inspire your own Halloween creations.

You deserve a trillion breaks today

Say you’re stranded in an unfamiliar part of the Country. All of a sudden you have a craving for two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles onions, on a sesame seed bun. You worry that maybe there isn’t one nearby. Poppycock. Look at this.
This magical map features every single McDonalds in the U.S (minus the wonderful Alaska and Hawaii) It might not look like much at first, but then you realize that those bright dots in the Midwest and East and actually concentrated smaller dots.

That’s a lot of Egg McMuffins.

Because it Rules

Happy October!

Winter is a time for sharing. During the spring hearts are filled with love and a feeling of awakening. Summer is dedicated to all things sunny and outdoors. But fall means one thing. Terror.

To me, nothing says fall like getting the bejusus scared out of me. Sure the leaves are changing, and you can pick apples, but for me the month of October, is strictly dedicated to Halloween and all the accoutrements that accompany it. Candy, horror movies, haunted houses, pumpkin flavored everything, costumes, parties, lame TV show specials (Like when they cover the Wheel of Fortune Set with spooky spider webs and junk), and anything else related to the Holiday.

So, seeing as how it’s October 1st, I’m going to go through my Halloween movie must list. These are movies that are left on my shelf (or hard drive as of late) but don’t get opened until October creeps around.


15.) Saw, Saw II, Saw III

To me, the Saw franchise was nothing more but shock value. When it first cam out, it truly was a disturbing and grotesque creation. Then came the hundreds of copycats that followed. Although I loved the first movie (the first time I saw it), as the sequels kept coming, they started to be very formulaic. How many different times can I be grossed out by the way someone is dying? Regardless, they are great October staples because they are nothing but gross out, jump –out scares, just what I want in a Halloween movie, or a haunted house.


14.) Scream

Wes Craven made slasher movies cool again, by making fun of them while still making one hell of a scary movie. While the first one is a classic, the sequels are just as fun for cheap thrills. The only bad part? The hundreds of people who still think it’s cool to dress like ‘ghostface’ for Halloween every year. Really people?

13.) The Typical, Textbook-Formulaic, Horror Remake or Sequel. See Dawn of the Dead (2004), House on Haunted Hill, or any of the several Jason, Freddy, or Mike Myers Sequels.


While far from original, these movies always give me a good time if not a good scare. Plus, they make perfect background noise while carving pumpkins and drinking pumpkin ale.

12.) Child’s Play

While being one of my least favorite of the big slasher stars, Chucky is still terrifying. If I ever woke up to find that doll anywhere near me at night, I’d be freaking out. While the sequels inevitably got lame and comedic, this original still scares me. Chucky’s death scene, where he melts and screams, is a classic horror villain death.

11.) Shawn of the Dead

My favorite zombie movie by far, but let me also say, I don’t like zombie movies. While I love the originality of this movie, the last ¼ of the movie, turns into a typical zombie runaway movie. Still a must to watch in October.

10.) Classic Horror. See Suspiria, Pet Semetary, The Exorcist.

Although awesome in their own way, these are the must have movies that I typically interchange from year to year. They don’t have the must-watch-annually feel that some of the other movies on my list have. In fact I saw Susperia last year, and don’t want to watch it for another ten years, not because it’s bad, but it’s so disturbing, I couldn’t handle a repeat watching so soon.

9.) Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2

You’ll notice I left of Army of Darkness and yes, I did so on purpose. I just don’t like it, sue me. To me it’s the equivalent of Spiderman 3 to the ‘Spiderman’ series. However the first two are masterpieces of horror because they were done so low budget, yet still remain scary. The second one is great because it’s essentially a remake of the first movie rather than a sequel, yet different enough and awesome enough to hold it’s own. Plus how many great movies involve tree rape.

8.) The Descent

By far the scariest movie to come out for a while. Not only does it work on those that are afraid of claustrophobically small places likes caves, but it also works for us monster lovers. Kinda like Dusk til Dawn in a sense, as you didn’t realize it was a monster movie until halfway through when it switches gears dramatically.

7.) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 & 2003)

The original slasher movie. I enjoy both of these for different reasons. The original, for its originality and creepiness (remember this came out before Freddy, Jason and the others), the remake for its jump-out scares and updated effects. Plus the dude from Full Metal Jacket is just fun.

6.) Foreign Horror. See Ju-On, Rec, The Audition, Let the Right One In, The Orphanage


Some of the biggest surprises for me in horror over the last few years are how much better foreign horror movies are then they’re quickly, badly made American counterparts. Movies like Rec and Ju-On are much scarier than Quarantine and The Grudge. Do yourself a favor and see Let the Right One In and The Orphanage before we remake it (both are in production).


5.) Mel Brooks Horror Comedy

Both of these are great comedic parodying of classic horror monsters the way that only Mel Brooks can do. I dare you to not laugh when Frankenstein lights his finger on fire or when Remfield eats a bug. I dare you. Plus you need a few laughs with your scares.

4.) Poltergeist

Several of the scariest scenes are in this movie. Trees come to life, toy clowns bare teeth and some dude’s face melts off. From Tobe Hooper, one of the best director’s of horror. Plus it has Coach’s Craig T. Nelson.

3.) The Shining


The best Steven King book is also the best movie adaptation. This one is just pure creepy. It doesn’t need jump-out cheap scares to get you with this one. Teddy bear BJ’s, elevators pouring with blood, and bartenders that are bad influences. Do I also have to add that Scatman Crothers is in this?

2.) Sleepy Hallow

Now I know this one seems odd to you. But for me, I haven’t gone a single Halloween without watching this Tim Burton classic. It’s got Johnny Depp and the super hot Christina Ricci, plus Christopher Walken is the horsemen (when he has his head). Full of blood, suprises and lots of Halloween goodies, to me, it’s a must.

1.) Halloween

I know, big surprise right? But it really is the best movie to watch on Halloween. The very best slasher film ever made. Rob Zombies version doesn’t even come close. Don’t waste your time and stick with the classic.

So that’s my list of must watch Halloween movies for this October. Update your netflixes, grab some pumpkin ale and enjoy my friends. I know I will.

Why We Love Coke

Coke vs. Pepsi. It’s a rivalry as old as time. Today, I’m going to show a few examples of the differences between the two just by looking at the general mood and feel of their commercials.

What I love about Coke (and apparently Coke Zero) is the strikingly visual ways they show all sorts of people just having fun. To me, Coke is similar to the Disney of soft drinks. It’s not edgy or super cool, it’s wholesome and makes you nostalgic for happy, good times.

Every Coke commercial places happy uplifting music over fantastic, colorful visuals that end in a happy way, whether that be getting the coke or a reveal.

Coke is a fantastic company and one of the few large corporations I respect and admire. I am a Coke drinker through and through and will always be.

Damn, now I’m thirsty. Looks like I’m off to the soda machine.











Now let’s look at a few Pepsi ads.

Cheap humor, celebrity endorsement and cameos, bright colors, and (in my opinion) an attempt to fit in with the young crowd in an unsuccessful way.









And this is why I love Coke. They don’t need cheap humor or celebrities. They get by and are successful because instead of copying pop culture and borrowing from it, they are pop culture.

Why Placement is Just as Important as Execution

Getting right back into the swing of things, here are some great examples of when great ads go horribly wrong, just because of where they’re put. Placement is just as important as the actual cleverness and originality of the ad, and in these cases, the media buyers have ruined a potential great message. All these examples come from we luv great ads, a fantastic reference for us ad men and women.

We’ll start with some bad and just unfortunate placements of billboards outside.


I always wondered why by Drumstick tasted a bit like garbage.


Oh, and how did you get that nasty ol’ cancer? Oh yeah right.


This is great irony. The copy says, “If you don’t have Third Party Property Insurance we suggest you don’t hit this bus.” Heed these words friends.


404 error mean anything to you?


Yeah, saying mmm in the copy isn’t helping anything.


Yup, and don’t eat greasy fast food.



When the only thing that can quench your mighty thirst is anal penetration.


The next examples are what can go wrong in a digital environment.


I like to imagine that they’re drinking coffee while they see this too.


That’s just mean.


On route to Australia, on an Oceanic flight.


There’s just something about little ballerina legs.


Dead babies, plus fire.

Happy 100th Post!!!!

This will be my 100th post, and now that I am finally settling into a new job, new town, and new life I'm so happy to be posting this. This blog, although not popular by any means, is one of my favorite things to do week by week. If you are a follower, thank you and stay tuned, because I'm not going anywhere.

For this magical event, I'm doing something different. The following is a love letter to the internet.

Dearest Internet,

Thank you for everything you are and everything you strive to be. You give me so much; yet ask for so little in return.

I was so lost before I met you Internet. Really, I couldn’t find anything. Then you showed me your beauty with google maps, and mapquest, and even started to include pictures of places I wanted to go. You told me which bus, which street to take a right on, even how many miles I needed to walk.

You’ve helped me meet the right people in order to find shelter. You introduced me to Craig and his list of people, places, and things. You helped me find new roommates, sell things I no longer loved, and buy things at a discounted price.

You’ve been with me at my loneliest times. You’ve helped me broaden my sexual exploration showing me things I’d never even dreamed of. The words two girls will forever be followed by one cup for me now. You’ve even protected me from viruses while perusing your sexy offerings (although you occasionally let a pop-up or sexy email chain through).

You’ve made sure I stay in touch with those I care about. With the magic of Facebook, I can now watch all the people I went to high school with, get fat every day, not just every ten years.

You’ve even given me employment. I didn’t have to make a single phone call, or write a single letter. I was able to research and find the right job for me just by typing into your wonderful search bar. You’ve made me look good to a potential employer even in my PJ’s.

You’ve even helped me find romance. It’s hard to believe that the person, with whom I’ve been with the last four months, was first introduced to me by you, as an ill-fated attempt at hooking up friends.

You’ve been that cool friend who suggests cool music that only the super cool and super trendy knows about. You’ve even found a way to buy any of that music you recommended, no mater how outdated or obscure.

You’ve done everything I could ever ask for in a companion. The bad news is you’ve made me and thousands of others, so comfortable with your knowledge and convenience, that we forget there is a whole World out there. A World where we used to have to trust our instincts on which direction to turn. A World where you discover new music by asking a human at a record store what he recommended. A World where you go out, and chat with friends with real words, not just emoticons.

This is why I love you and hate you Internet.

XoXo,
Justin

Gotta do a shout out for the boys

Anyone that knows me at all knows that Weezer is and will always be my favorite band. They’ve been with me forever and they will always be a part of my life, no matter how many times they disappoint or make me mad, I’ll always crawl back.

But on the hopeful news. I found this today.


It’s the new album cover for “Ratitude’ which comes out October 27th. Apparently Rivers found this picture in a user submitted contest in “National Geographic.” Although I was hoping, or expecting another color album I am hopeful of the new album. The single “ If You’re Wondering if I want You To (I Want You To)" came out August 25th on iTunes and although I’m not as excited as I was after hearing “Pork and Beans,” I expect good things. Good not great.

Fast Food For Psychos

Here are some really cool art inspired by mascots for fast food chains. My personal favorite is the video game-esque, Wendy vs. McD. Check em out.