tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73330504853531433982024-03-15T21:09:51.603-04:00NewtCaveNewthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.comBlogger992125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-56673015597166700182017-12-25T08:05:00.000-05:002017-12-25T08:05:12.396-05:00Review: Justice League "Comfort and Joy"Looking back on it, Batman and Wonder Woman are probably missing from this episode because he's an eternal Grinch and she's... well, a Pagan. She probably doesn't see much point in the holiday celebrating Jesus' birth when she can go hang out with Zeus and Hermes.
Still, you have to wonder how they spent the holidays.
I have a pet theory.
At the risk of sounding like a closed-minded, jaded Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-74701858679011703712017-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:002020-02-02T20:58:15.819-05:00Recap: Justice League "Comfort and Joy"December is the perfect time for peace and togetherness, and not just because we're all huddling together for warmth.
Sure, it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere, meaning those of you down there might not be huddling together for warmth... and okay, not everybody celebrates Christmas, or Kwanzaa, or Hannukah, or Festivus....
But gosh darn it, we shouldn't need an excuse to appreciate the Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-11224962730119387392017-12-17T23:27:00.002-05:002017-12-17T23:27:35.552-05:00Under the weatherPost soonNewthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-42688231791555000182017-12-11T08:05:00.000-05:002018-12-28T19:30:49.586-05:00Review: Doctor Who "The Shakespeare Code"Alright, before I review this episode, I'm going to address the elephant in the room that only fans of the Classic Series noticed. It's a pretty small elephant, all things concerned.
In "Planet of Evil," the Fourth Doctor claimed to have met a young Shakespeare and told him "There's no point in talking if you've got nothing to say."
As I understand it, Gareth Roberts wrote a line or two into "Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-71047557105240323042017-12-11T08:00:00.000-05:002018-07-20T17:02:36.359-04:00Recap: Doctor Who "The Shakespeare Code"Now that's a 2007 episode title if ever I saw one! According to David Tennant's video diary, the working title was "Theatre of Doom," which I guess riffs on the second Indiana Jones film, rather than 2006's then-culturally-relevant The Da Vinci Code.
That's like if, next year, they end up giving Jodie Whittaker an episode called "War for the Planet of the Ood," or "Time Wars: The Last Time Lord.Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-89866892656913998572017-12-09T08:05:00.000-05:002017-12-09T08:05:09.230-05:00Review: Teen Titans Go! "Hey Pizza!"Before I actually Review this episode, I'd like to ask you something real quick.
What would you say the A-plot for the episode is? Robin's dilemma over
building a pool or a senior center? Or Beast Boy/Cyborg's quest to con
the pizza place?
Because I always assumed that Robin's plot was the main plot here, with
the pizza shenanigans serving as a B-plot. So I was always confused as
to why theNewthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-33690047309869667212017-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:002017-12-09T08:00:30.023-05:00Recap: Teen Titans Go! "Hey Pizza!"Beast Boy and Cyborg try to slow down the pizza guy to take advantage of their "30 minutes or it's free" deal.
Boom. I've said all I need to say. The episode is pretty much exactly what you'd expect this show to do with that premise.
It's common knowledge by this point that "Meatball Party" was the moment
where the writers realized how off-the-wall they could make these
episodes. And if you Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-46116858621155024562017-12-04T08:05:00.000-05:002017-12-05T14:11:17.645-05:00Review: Goosebumps "The Haunted House Game"Before I discuss what this episode is, I'll take this moment to talk about what the episode isn't.
It's not a faithful adaptation of the source material.
In 1996, Scholastic published "Even More Tales to Give You Goosebumps," which was the third Goosebumps anthology of short stories. Now, I can't be 100% certain that R.L. Stine wrote any of these tales intended to give you goosebumps. From whatNewthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-33297574370206037482017-12-04T08:00:00.000-05:002017-12-04T08:00:13.824-05:00Recap: Goosebumps "The Haunted House Game"<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->In 1981, Chris Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated Jumanji, a
short story about a magic board game that raised all sorts of jungle-related
Hell when you played it.
In 1995, TriStar Pictures distributed Jumanji, starring Robin Williams. It
expanded on the book and took a few liberties with the source material,
becoming a fondly-remembered '90s film.
It is Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-89172838123931886572017-12-02T08:00:00.001-05:002020-08-07T16:39:28.678-04:00December 2017 AnnouncementsReally, I only have one thing to announce. After December, the NewtCave will be going on hiatus once again. Usual reasons. Real life, work, et cetera.
The current plan is to return in February. Should this plan change at any point, I'll be sure to make another announcement.
But, yes, I did say after December. There will be a few more NewtCave posts before the year is out, including a special Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-89395776505185228002017-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:002017-11-25T08:00:03.630-05:00Recap: Doctor Who "The Face of Evil" Episode 2<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->When last we left off, we discovered that running around the
universe and meddling in other civilizations' affairs tends to leave a bit of
an impression. In the Doctor's case, he seems to have visited this planet a
long time ago.... and has now been immortalized in the side of a mountain as
this planet's version of el Diablo.
Go big or go home, I guess.
Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-76699313078435725012017-11-20T08:05:00.000-05:002017-11-20T08:05:03.300-05:00Review: Teen Titans Go! "Ghost Boy"In my opinion, this episode marks the moment where the Titans' sociopathic tendencies are truly born.
I mean, sure, there were glimpses in earlier episodes.
Cyborg made fun of his best friend. Beast Boy chewed up Cyborg as a T-Rex. Robin kidnapped and impersonated Speedy.
But Cyborg didn't realize how much he was hurting his friend's feelings. Beast Boy thought he and Cyborg were having fun. Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-83660221574536330322017-11-20T08:00:00.000-05:002017-11-20T08:00:03.571-05:00Recap: Teen Titans Go! "Ghost Boy"One of the things about Teen Titans Go! that some take issue with is the Titans' modified personalities. Their personalities changed on an individual level, to be sure, but every Titan went through one specific change together: They're sociopaths now.
The dictionary describes a sociopath as "a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial behavior and a lack of Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-57502466275539792972017-11-04T12:00:00.000-04:002017-11-04T12:00:18.596-04:00November UpdateGonna be taking a couple weeks off for real life stuff.
Will return with new recaps of a show I haven't covered in a while.Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-26351659424958382752017-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:002017-11-01T08:00:01.146-04:00Review: Goosebumps "Werewolf Skin"<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->Sorry, I can't really be bothered to say something snarky
here. I googled "skin" to try and come up with jokes on the title of
this two-parter, and I got some horrifying news stories to instantly pop up,
from some lady with worms under her skin to a guy who got the skin on his arm
bitten off.
So my mind is occupied with trying to not think about skin. Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-74577877477674622592017-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-31T08:00:05.574-04:00Recap: "Goosebumps" Werewolf Skin, Part 2<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->Now, you might be thinking at this point that it's pretty
ironic for a town called Wolf Creek to have a werewolf problem. And you'd be
wrong. "Ironic" means "the opposite of what's expected."
If Wolf Creek had a vampire problem, that would be ironic.
If a Goosebumps episode ended without an ironic twist, that
would, ironically, be ironic due to the Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-36763621450330534852017-10-30T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-30T08:00:04.856-04:00Recap: "Goosebumps" Werewolf Skin, Part 1<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->Readers, for Halloween this year, I'd like to welcome you to
the final werewolf story to be adapted into a Goosebumps episode. And
ironically, the first one I'm going over. And like "The Werewolf of Fever
Swamp," this one's a two-parter.
Full-body werewolf costumes are expensive, I guess. Gotta
get your money's worth.
The episode opens up on that ol' Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-35299265166379528102017-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-28T08:00:00.160-04:00Recap: Doctor Who "The Face of Evil" Episode 1<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->Today, the Doctor goes someplace and causes more of a stir
than usual. And when you consider that the Doctor usually upheaves six
civilizations before breakfast on your average day, that's really saying
something. Of course, you have to keep in mind that a "day" is a very
arbitrary concept when time travel is involved.
Time is an illusion. Breakfast timeNewthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-11267649403085283702017-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-27T08:00:27.738-04:00Review: Goosebumps "Ghost Beach"<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->This is definitely one of the better adaptations. And by
that, I'm referring to the actual process of adapting the book into a TV episode.
Plot/Themes
The book has more back and forth as the living Sadler
siblings try to decide to trust Sam and Louisa or Harrison, and the rock slide
trap is actually tried twice; first on Harrison, then he explains hisNewthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-39318622028679853062017-10-24T13:00:00.000-04:002017-10-24T13:00:11.283-04:00Recap: Goosebumps "Ghost Beach"There are some pretty interesting monsters out there. Well,
not really "out there," I guess, since if "monsters"
existed, we'd probably just call most of them "animals."
But unique and interesting monsters add flavor to the
world's various mythologies and folk tales. Conversely, there are also some
very mundane monsters. Wikipedia's exhaustive list of every mythological
creature is simply Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-7337003149538358002017-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-14T08:00:27.826-04:00Review: Gravity Falls "Summerween"You know, just for fun, I'll do my usual post-Goosebumps checklist to see how this episode fares as a Goosebumps episode.
Barking Dogs: No
Boring Best Friend: No
There are very few "boring" people in Gravity Falls.
Child Grabbing: Yes
The Summerween Trickster nabs the kids multiple times.
Foliage POV Cam: Yes
Mad Scientist: No.
But who knows exactly how the Summerween Trickster became Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-27073746388784521982017-10-13T08:13:00.000-04:002017-10-13T23:22:54.621-04:00Recap: Gravity Falls "Summerween"<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->Today, Gravity Falls does its first Halloween special.
Ordinarily, this wouldn't be very noteworthy, since plenty
of cartoons do Halloween specials. And I'd actually be recapping this on
Halloween. But this show takes place during a single summer, meaning that
simply setting the episode on Halloween is right out, barring time travel
shenanigans. And it's Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-89533411837537557942017-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:002018-08-05T22:56:52.543-04:00Review: Goosebumps "Be Careful What You Wish For"<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->On a note unrelated to my examination of this episode, the
tagline for the original book was “It might come true.” Which isn’t so much a “tagline”
as it is a “continuation of the saying that forms the book’s title.”
It’s not relevant one bit, but it bugs me.
Plot/Themes
Randomly finding a witch's amulet on the floor of a middle
school gym seems Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-59731662699289196212017-10-09T08:00:00.000-04:002020-05-15T12:57:17.800-04:00Recap: Goosebumps "Be Careful What You Wish For"R.L. Stine is often written off as somebody who writes
nothing but kiddie monster stories with nonsensical twist endings. But I think
it's important to keep in mind that the man can branch out if he ever wants to.
I mean, we are talking about Jovial Bob Stine, the author of 101 Vacation
Jokes, here.
Today, I'll be covering the first episode of Goosebumps's
second season, which adapts a book Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7333050485353143398.post-46325136720307283562017-10-07T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-07T08:00:11.732-04:00Intro: Doctor Who "The Face of Evil"<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->"Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious
Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion-- several of
them."
- Mark Twain, The Lowest Animal
Writer Chris Boucher was very interested in religion. Not
any specific religion in particular, just religion in general. Since the man
was a devout atheist, he looked at religion from more of a
Newthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16119990569168625660noreply@blogger.com0