2008 Woodie Awards
TimeOut's Island of Overlooked Misfits
By: Brandon Bilinski, Adam Griffis, Amanda Gurganus, Michael Hunley and Rob Leake
| |
| |
|
Sometimes a sport can transcend generations and ages to appeal to almost anyone, anywhere. Wiffleball is a shining example of one such sport. To those of you who were never in elementary school and never played Wiffleball, it is pretty much like baseball except with a plastic ball, a plastic (mainly yellow) bat and pegging to get outs. While it seems like a simpler form of baseball, it is actually more fun than its father sport. Depending on where you place the holes of the Wiffleball during the pitch determines the curve on it, and when hit, a Wiffleball can only go a certain distance due to its light plastic composure. This evens the playing field (and also shortens the playing field) making for more interesting in field play. Stealing a base is always fun, but someone can easily chuck a ball at you to get you out. This is also a risky maneuver that has cost the fielding team many a run with a badly timed throw. Gloves are illegal since it is a light plastic ball, and a glove would just be an inconvenience. You can pick up all the equipment for a five on five to an eight on eight game for a mere ten or so dollars. If you think Wiffleball is a forgotten sport that is made for children, get 11 of your friends together and start playing. Within no time you will realize the depth and pure fun that Wiffle company has packed into its patented yellow bat and white plastic balls, and when 'Wiffleball: The Really True Underdog Story' comes out in theaters, you will know what the craze is all about.
Other games you may want to give a try are: cornhole, bowling, kickball, racquetball and beach volleyball.
'Metal Arms: Glitch in the System' was released in November of 2004. Despite a large amount of praise from the press and a relatively large advertising blitz, 'Metal Arms' never got the popularity it deserved. This was due to a failing genre (platforming) and the lack of any big ticket license. However 'Metal Arms' really represents everything that"s missing from many modern games: humor, a terrific story line and a great reward structure.
The premise behind the game is that you"re one of the last of a group of robots fighting an enemy group of androids. The entire game is based on this premise of robot fighting; for example, arms and legs will blow off of enemy robots as they continue to fight. You can control other bots through a special hacking tool and use a rivet gun as a sniper rifle. Humor is pervasive throughout this game with terrific remarks made by fellow robots and the great voice acting in the game"s cinematics.
Finally 'Metal Arms' is very careful about continuously rewarding the player with new vehicles, weapons and multiplayer maps as they play so the game remains fresh from beginning to end. While the developers behind 'Metal Arms,' Swingin" Ape Studios, are reportedly working on 'Starcraft: Ghost,' it"s a shame that sales for 'Metal Arms' were not good enough to warrant a sequel. 'Metal Arms' can easily be found for $20, so go give this great game a try.
Five other overlooked games (Note: you could pick up any of these for $20 or less): 'Voodoo Vince,' 'Oddworld: Munch"s Oddysee,' 'Top Spin,' 'James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing' and 'Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.'
Many authors and books go unnoticed, because the public is being surrounded by a million others in a bookstore. One of these authors is Laurell K. Hamilton, an acclaimed science fiction writer which specializes in supernatural events. Hamilton was born in Arkansas and raised in Indiana. Her mother died at a very young age, causing her to be raised by her grandmother. Also noteworthy, there were no men surrounding Hamilton in the home when she was young. She claims that these are all things that make her who she is today. Her grandmother sparked her interest in the paranormal, and then she became especially interested in vampires after finding and reading 'The Natural History of the Vampire' several times, instilling a passion to her pleasure.
Hamilton embraces sex and violence in her books to make the story believable and intense. To her, writing is a way of life, 'because to not write -- even for her own enjoyment-- would be like not breathing.' Hamilton now lives with her husband and daughter in St. Louis, Mo.
Her most developed series stars Anita Blake, a vampire hunter that involves herself in a relationship triangle with a vampire and a werewolf. 'Guilty Pleasures,' the first book in the series, is about the titular nightclub and the vampires who run it. There are more than 10 other books in the series and she publishes approximately one each year. Hamilton"s style of writing, with witty dialogue and short chapters, makes reading each book addictive. The sarcastic nature and idiosyncratic logic of the main character, Anita Blake, will keep you laughing throughout the entire series.
A second series Hamilton started is about a fairy named Meredith Gentry. The first out of now three in this series is 'Kiss of Shadows.' Meredith is a princess who is exiled for being of mixed blood. She also intentionally surrounds her character with adverse company to ensure many adventures. Meredith then finds herself in competition with her cousin over the crown. The series has the same unconventional behavior as her first series, which continuously amazes how far the characters must intensify and expand a situation before they find a way to make it better. This is only one aspect of Hamilton"s novels that makes them so great. All of Hamilton"s books are electrifying page-turners that always leave you wanting more.
There are no sitcoms on network TV today that can come close to the comedic genius of 'Arrested Development,' yet most college kids haven"t ever seen the show. You would think that when a show wins five Emmys, the network that broadcasts the show would promote it more, but such is Fox. Here lies a channel that changed the time slot of 'Family Guy' almost weekly until even its diehard fans didn"t know when to watch it. Most people"s problem with watching 'Arrested Development' is that they feel lost while trying to watch new episodes. This is because the show is a mockumentary of the Bluth family, who just happens to be the most screwed up and hilarious bunch of people on TV. Each episode uses jokes from previous episodes and follows a storyline throughout the first two seasons. What I recommend doing is finding someone with the first season on DVD and watching every episode. The closest show that I can relate this to is in fact 'Family Guy,' because there are no laugh tracks in either show, and both come at you with a joke at every possible place. I have watched most episodes at least two times, and each time you see one, you hear jokes that were missed on the first run through. All 12 or so main characters have a few hilarious personality traits that make each one worth watching. Too many times you have shows with some very funny characters, while the rest are dry. This show makes every person hilarious loveable in their own screwed up way. Watch 'Arrested Development' at all costs to keep great sitcoms like it on the air and to one day topple the ivory tower of reality shows that plague the airwaves these days.
Other TV shows not known to the common viewer but worth watching are: 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force,' 'Da Ali G Show,' 'The Daily Show' and 'Real Sex.'
Some of you may remember the release of a groundbreaking double CD during September of 2003 called 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' by a group you may also recall, Outkast. What many don"t know is that Outkast, particularly Andre 3000, was aesthetically beat to the punch nearly a year earlier. 'The Headphone Masterpiece,' crafted by Cody ChesnuTT, represents two full CDs of the same compelling, idiosyncratic qualities present on the 'The Love Below.' The major difference here is the production quality. Primarily considered a soul singer, ChesnuTT recorded the entire double disc from his Atlanta bedroom, also playing the bulk of the instruments. The result is a unique, lo-fi creation of dusty R & B, gritty hip hop, dynamic rock 'n' roll and smooth funk, all topped off with ChesnuTT"s eccentric, yet engaging persona. Much like 'The Love Below,' ChesnuTT delivers up an abundance of egocentric, sex-obsessed lyrics that are contrasted by an equal amount of spiritually sincere subject matter. Released on his independent start-up label Ready Set Go, the album is often overlooked, even with the moderate fame ChesnuTT garnered from his collaboration with The Roots on the song 'The Seed 2.0' (which is a ChesnuTT original featured on 'The Headphone Masterpiece,' hence the "2.0"). Bursting with talent, ChesnuTT has constructed a superb, ambitious debut and is undoubtedly capable of much more.
Other CDs for you to discover are: "Hard Groove" by The RH Factor; Bend of Bees's "Sunshine Hit Me;" "The Scoggins Beatdown EP" by Wyatt Snakes/Archdale Boys; "Hope" by Non-Prophets; and "Soul Strike!" by Calypso King & the Soul Investigators.
One of the greatest filmmakers working today is, sadly, also one of the most overlooked. British filmmaker Mike Leigh has become revered by the acting community for his offbeat way of developing a film: Instead of writing a script, he and his actors improvise the film"s plot, characters and scenes in order to get a more in-depth and lifelike feel.
Nowhere is this unmatched realism more evident than in his lauded 1996 drama 'Secrets & Lies.' Though the film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Director, few have, unfortunately, seen the film. Well, now"s your chance. Last week it was finally released on DVD, and one can purchase the disc for the low price of $9.99 on several online stores.
'Secrets' tells the dramatic story of Cynthia (the heartbreaking Brenda Blethyn), a working-class mum who is often brought to tears by her rebellious daughter Roxanne, and her distant brother Maurice. Enter Hortense ('Without a Trace"s' superb Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who gets in contact with Cynthia, informing her that she is the daughter she put up for adoption decades ago. There"s just one setback: Hortense is black and Cynthia is white.
An emotionally wrenching, yet warm and heartfelt drama, 'Secrets' is a fascinating, touching film that, despite its critical adoration, has become ignored by present-day viewers. But thankfully you now have the opportunity see one of my favorite films ever (seriously, I"ve seen this film about five times, and it"s about two and a half hours long).
Also check out these other superb Mike Leigh dramas: the family drama 'All or Nothing;' the amazing Gilbert and Sullivan biopic 'Topsy-Turvy;' the very funny 'Career Girls;' the superb 'Life is Sweet;' and his caustic philosophical work 'Naked.' His most recent film, 'Vera Drake,' which just earned him two Oscar nominations, will be available on DVD next month.
