First up is Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price. I like to watch it at Easter. Why? Well, it's about the last normal human in a world where everyone's been driven mad by (I think) a virus...and in their stupidity, they kill him...and then they realize they can create a cure from his body. Yeah, uh, go ahead and tell me that's not an Easter movie.
Vincent Price in general, really—the Tingler is another good one. It's a hell of a lot scarier than you'd expect, given its special effects.
Judge Dredd: I don't really care that the people involved distance themselves from this, or that the British comics it's based on are supposed to be satire. British people have long contented themselves with making smart remarks—because it's so much easier than making smart reforms. But the movie's awesome. Also, though, doesn't a Russian Udar revolver, designed not to catch on clothes when carried concealed by detectives, look like it'd be right at home tucked into Dredd's sock?
Chronicles of Riddick is a very nerdy little film—the Necromongers are basically anti-paladin Planescape Dustmen, and Riddick is, pretty much canonically, Chaotic Neutral. Plus, the elementals: why didn't they just come out and say they're from the Inner Planes?
Speaking of D&D, I'm pretty sure Cartoon Network picked up Adventure Time because of the short's viral-ness on the interwebs, but here's the thing: the short was awful. It was that same faux-whimsical, incredibly forced "wackiness" as Spongebob, the sort of thing where being killed with a spork (along with all the cockroaches in the kitchen) would be the best you could expect, and better than you'd deserve. But the show is hilarious stuff—Finn went from being Spongebob Earhat to a paladin who chose INT as his dump stat. So yes, Jake is his paladin mount. Seriously, though, Adventure Time is probably the second weirdest thing mankind has ever produced (the weirdest, if you're keeping score, is King of Bandit Jing In Seventh Heaven). Well done, gentlemen: we can finally compete with the Japanese.
It's been mentioned over on the Ane-ue's blog that TaleSpin is Baby's First Steampunk. Similarly, Gummi Bears is Baby's First Fantasy. What is it with the quality of shows involving anthropomorphic bears?—as long as they're made by Disney, Care Bears is a scourge to rival the Flood, let's be very clear. But some of the worldbuilding in Gummi Bears, while keeping the same Disney tone, is easily the equal of mainstream fantasy intended for grownups.
Hmmm. That's all I can think of off the top o' me 'ead. Happy Easter; the unremitting negativity will resume probably long before Pentecost.
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