House Calls

Welcome to another edition of House Calls with DocDoom, I think this weeks list my be the strangest combination I've mixed together yet, take two and call me in the morning.

Cinema:


Anyone who does't like Winnie the Pooh can stop reading this, get up from wherever they're at, and go slam their head in a door a few times. I've been watching all of the adventures in the hundred acre woods since I was a tiny little doc, and I've gotta say this new release of pooh to the big screen really does the silly old bear justice. It's clever and well put together, with plenty of familiarity and good laughs for people of all ages. I personally think you're never to old to enjoy the things you loved as a child, and this is a great movie to sit down with your significant other and enjoy.


Music:


The first time I ever heard Game was on the track "Dreams" when it was out on MTV. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but proceeded to hear none of his other music until some years later when a friend of mine recommended I listen to LAX Files. What I found was not only had he taken an already solid sound and molded it into something amazing, but he found artists to feature that actually fit with each song's style. When i listen to songs featuring other artists, most of the time it just feels like they were told to write a verse so they could slap a new name on the album. This album feels like they really sat down together, for each track, and he went over what the main idea and direction he wanted it to go in was. There are a few tracks I could do without, but most of them are heavy hitters, with great lyrics and metaphors abound.


Gaming:


The original will always hold a special place in my heart, if only for the fact that it taught me you can jump and crouch at the same time (fans of the series will get that). Having said that, Half-Life2 is one of the best games made to date in my opinion. Say what you want about Valve's release schedule for the sequel episodes (I'm highly convinced that episode 3 is going to give you a blowjob while you play, that's the only reason it should take this long), but they know how to make a quality game. Physics and a quick trigger finger are the key to beating this game, and your metal will be tested in both areas. I have to say though, after you've played the game and beat it fair and square, look up the console commands to crank up the knockback and power of the crossbow. Then give yourself unlimited ammo and go to Ravenholm. Nailing head crab zombies to walls was probably the most enjoyable experience of my adolescent gaming career.


Comics:


If you've never seen the television show for Dragon Ball, I'd like you to scroll up and read the instructions for people who aren't fans of Winnie the Pooh, then do it. Dragon Ball has been unfortunately tainted by all the memes making fun of it's older, inferior brother Dragon Ball Z (the show most known for it's ability to burn up 10 episodes for a 5 minute fight to happen). While the manga differs in some ways, the characters are still there and there's plenty of laughs and excitement to be had. I would suggest reading the manga first if you're a newcomer to the series, and then watching Dragon Ball the TV series afterwards (it's up to you if you continue on to watch Dragon Ball Z, just be prepared to watch everything good and fresh about the franchise deteriorate before your eyes).


Literature:


Although this won't technically be a full review since I'm only about three-fifths done this book, it's a good enough read so far that I'm confident the ending will not disappoint. This book is the latest installment in The Amory Wars series, which you may remember in the form of comics and the concept albums of progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria from my previous editions of House Calls. Year of the Black Rainbow is a prequel, taking place at the start of the story (although it's rumored their upcoming album will go even further back in history). It involves many adult themes, including rebellion, loss, revenge and the question of faith. I'm a firm believer in reading thing in the order they were published, but for this series it would be perfectly acceptable to read this as a toe in the water to The Amory Wars, and then read the comics sequentially from there. Solid writing and deep characters make this a book I will be picking up again and again to reread.


Please let us know if you've enjoyed any of these things yourself, and feel free to discuss what you liked about each one in the comments!

See you next week!