and the sky is filled with light. can you see it?

Saw 3D

2010-11-03T23:46:00.001-06:00

Here it is...

I went to see "the final chapter" of the Saw franchise, Saw 3D, on 10/30. It has been quite a few days since I saw it and have had time to cool down and process what I paid to see.

Initial thoughts: It was terrible.
Thoughts after letting things simmer: It was terrible.

It wasn't the 3D that made this movie bad, surprisingly enough. It was the script, the acting, the traps, the execution of the story, the rushed 90-minute time slot, etc.. Nothing came together in this movie. There were way too many traps that didn't have anything to do with what was supposed to be going on (specifically the public trap), the underlying plot of Bobby Dagen was fucking retarded and way too similar to William's game in Saw VI... the list could just go on and on:

The opening credits sequence was ridiculous. Kevin, I thought you said you hated the sequence in Saw V. Why make it so similar?
Gibson was the dumbest character in the history of Saw. His dialogue was nothing but lulz and he fell into a trap way too easily.
Tobin Bell was hardly in this movie. You see him dressed as a gangster getting a book signed and that's it. I understand he's dead but he all know the significance and possibility of flashbacks at this point. Come on.
Bringing back the RBT yet again was dumb.
Jill's dream sequence was both hilarious and dumb. Her dead body snapping in half with her fake tits flying at your face was just too much.

The main things I hated:

They made Jill too much of a pussy in this movie. Looking back on Saw IV, V, and VI she proved that although she didn't necessarily agree with John's work she was able to do what he requested of her (RBT on Hoffman, framing Strahm). In this one, she runs scared to the Police and it turns out to be her kiss of death. The main mistake she made in Saw VI was leaving Hoffman's fate to chance which is where she differed from John. If I would have written this script I would have had Jill either outsmart Hoffman and get killed in the process or have her flat out leave town and disappear. Making her out to be capable of at least some of John's tasks and then making her a helpless weakling was a mistake.

They didn't emphasize just how crazy Hoffman had become. I mean, the asshole ran around the Police Dept. stabbing people in the throat for like 5 minutes. Not only that but he has a mega God complex which allows him to set up William's trap, get caught in the RBT, rip up his face escaping the RBT, sew up his ripped open face without bleeding to death, set up Bobby's game, set up the public trap, set up the car trap, set up a trap to catch Gibson, and catch Jill. All in a day's work without breaking a sweat. I mean come on. The fact that Jill went to the Police claiming Hoffman was after her didn't get enough attention which is why they fell into his traps.

I also didn't get why people weren't alarmed that Erickson and Perez mysteriously disappeared (aka, died at the hands of Hoffman in an FBI facility). They were fucking FBI agents. Someone would have noticed their absence and investigated it fully.

Gabby West, the winner of Scream Queens 2, got severely screwed over. I swear if you yawned you would have missed her. Tanedra Howard, the winner of season 1, had a good 5-6 minutes of total screen time in Saw VI and appeared in Saw 3D. Gabby was on the ground under a car tire screaming for like 10 seconds. That was it. She went through hell on a reality show against some mega bitches to win absolutely nothing.
An interesting side note that I got from Youtube and HOJ: Gabby's role was the girlfriend of a man part of a white supremacist group. She was one of two white girls in the Top 3 and wound up being the only white person in the Top 2. Having blonde hair just worked in her favor for being "perfect for THIS role." Either way you spin it the contestants of Scream Queens 2 got played.

Pretty much either way you spin it, this movie sucked.

I'll talk about how shitty the ending was later.

Top 50 Horror Films...

2010-11-03T14:44:00.002-06:00

According to Rotten Tomatoes these are the Top 50 Horror Films of all time.

50. Misery (1990)
49. Eraserhead (1977)
48. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
47. The Mummy (1932)
46. Carrie (1976)
45. Fright Night (1985)
44. Zombieland (2009)
43. I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
42. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
41. Cat People (1942)
40. Suspiria (1977)
39. The Wicker Man (1974)
38. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
37. Village of the Damned (1960)
36. Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu the Vampyre) (1979)
35. Peeping Tom (1960)
34. Halloween (1978)
33. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
32. Ringu (1998)
31. Martin (1978)
30. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
29. The Wolf Man (1941)
28. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
27. Dracula (1931)
26. Don't Look Now (1973)
25. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
24. The Birds (1963)
23. Dead of Night (1945)
22. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
21. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
20. Freaks (1932)
19. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
18. Låt den Rätte Komma In (Let the Right One In) (2008)
17. Eyes Without a Face (1962)
16. Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey (1931)
15. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
14. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
13. The Evil Dead (1981)
12. Jaws (1975)
11. Aliens (1986)
10. The Invisible Man (1933)
09. Alien (1979)
08. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
07. Frankenstein (1931)
06. Repulsion (1997)
05. Das Cabinet des Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) (1919)
04. Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922)
03. King Kong (1933)
02. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
01. Psycho (1960)

I think Carrie and Misery should have been higher on the list and there was a serious lack of the first Saw movie. Not a bad list, though. I'm starting to really like Rotten Tomatoes.

Paranormal Activity 2...

2010-10-25T11:44:00.002-06:00

I will admit I wasn't a fan of the first Paranormal Activity but I decided to give the sequel a chance. 20 minutes into this movie I regretted my decision. It was the same slow paced, boring technique the first film used. I thought having more characters would give you more to go off of, but it actually made it sloppy.

The scares were not there.
The script sucked.
The camera angles they repeated (the front door and the pool) were retarded.
etc..

Not to mention the fact that it was actually a prequel and both Micah and Katie showing up was utterly ridiculous. It takes place in August 2006. The first movie took place in late September 2006 and went into October. They tell you right at the beginning that it is within the final 60 days of Micah's life. They try to touch on the back story of Katie and her sister but they still don't get there. Katie refuses to talk about anything despite being picked on my Micah and her sister's husband.

The advertising tricks you, as well. Trust me when I say all the "scares" present in the movie are in the TV spots. You are not missing anything but seeing a baby sleep, repeated footage of the front door, and an automatic pool cleaner cleaning the pool. I expected more and was extremely disappointed. If they make a third one they won't be getting my $8.

Just to say...

2010-10-11T09:20:00.002-06:00

I hate:

Glee
Twilight
Justin Bieber
Hannah Montana
Dora the Explorer
Baby Einsteins

No wonder our kids are getting dumber by the second.

Seeing that I'm still intrigued...

2010-10-07T12:31:00.002-06:00

Another thing I have done since August is get addicted to a new movie. I went and saw Let Me In with some friends as my birthday celebration and I wound up seeing it again this past Monday.

Let me tell you... I don't know why this movie hooked me so much or why I liked it so much, but I really did enjoy it. I have seen the original film, Let the Right One In, and I have to say I liked the American version a little bit more. The acting danced circles around what the Swedish actors laid down, it was more intense, and it didn't drag as much.

Chloe Moretz is a phenomenal actress for being 13-years old. I had to constantly remind myself that she was that young while watching this movie. I thought she was great in Kick-Ass, but she was even better in Let Me In. As a viewer I felt like I was able to understand and feel everything her character, Abby, was showing in her facial expressions and her body language. Most actors wish they could do that as well as she can. She has a very bright future ahead of her. I can't wait to see her in future films.
This was the first glimpse I got of Kodi Smit-McPhee and I was also very impressed. He had a very sweet, innocent quality that made you not want to look away from him. The emotion he was able to relay to the audience was fantastic.

One thing I was very happy with was the fact that they got kids that were the same age to play the roles. Most movies and TV shows these days have actors that are much older than the characters they are supposed to be playing (like Robert Pattinson playing a 17-year old at age 24 or the Harry Potter kids all hitting puberty after the very first movie). Both Kodi and Chloe would have been 12 or 13, depending on birth date, at the time of filming. I liked how they got kids that are really at that level of innocence to portray the characters.

What I didn't like is the fact that they don't specify exactly who Abby's caretaker was and how Abby's real age wasn't revealed. Was Richard Jenkins' character supposed to be a family member, a pedophile, or just another boy like Owen who stuck with her for so long? I can deal without knowing that because it is heavily implied that he was just another boy who loved Abby and stuck around until he couldn't do it anymore. The one thing I really would have wanted to know is how old Abby was. She said she had been 12 for a very long time, but how long is a long time? I have heard in interviews with Chloe Moretz and director Matt Reeves saying she was supposed to be somewhere around 250-years old. I think that should have been hinted at a little more than just having old puzzles in her apartment.

Anyway... I really did love this movie. It was very emotionally intriguing and moving. The children in this movie were phenomenal and they really interpreted the story well. I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you saw Let the Right One In.

9/10 for me.

Been a while...

2010-10-07T10:21:00.002-06:00

I have seriously been neglecting this thing. Let me think of what has happened since August 19th...

One of my co-workers retired and another is retiring in two weeks.
I turned 22 on 9/30.
I got two more tattoos.
I saw Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed in concert.
I found out another friend is going on a Mormon mission to Argentina. Damn it.
I've seen a lot of movies.

I can't think of anything else. Just life.

In other news...

2010-08-19T08:31:00.002-06:00

Since I went on a True Blood rant about last week's episode I guess I'll go on another one about this past episode...

Why the F are Bill and Sookie still together?

FRANKLIN IS DEAD!!!

Jason is a dumbass. Crystal is retarded and he's going to get himself killed.

Speaking of Crystal's family, what the hell is up with Sam? He is going to pay dearly for beating the hell out of her father at Merlotte's.

Tommy is an asshole.

Holly is really, really creepy. Bon Temps sure knows how to attract the creepy ones.

Eric is a Virgo (LOL). In all seriousness, I'm surprised the Authority completely ignored him. They can't really ignore what he said after what Russell did on the nightly news. Ripping out someone's sternum will get lots of attention.

EPIC

2010-08-19T08:30:00.001-06:00

This has to be the most epic wedding cake I have ever seen.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/9-awesome-wedding-cake-toppers-2227128#photoViewer=9

AN EFFING ZOMBIE CAKE!

Ok...

2010-08-08T20:23:00.002-06:00

True Blood is really starting to turn into a shit storm. Tonight's episode was just... I don't even know how to describe what I'm thinking. There are way too many storylines going on at one time.

Sookie is afraid of Bill so they break up. Jason wants her to press assault charges on Bill for nearly killing her in Alcide's van. Sookie declines claiming she still loves Bill and that he was just plain hungry and couldn't control himself.

But wait... Jessica is very pleased with Bill coming home and can't resist hugging him and crying. However, Bill doesn't want her around anymore, releases her, and tells her to leave. She's not happy with that, refuses to leave, and he winds up teaching her shit that he should have taught her from the beginning such as combat and how to be faster.

Now there's more... Talbot is having problems adjusting to Russell's power trip and is angry that not only has Russell married the Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne, and wants to leave Mississippi again to bring Sookie back to his home but that Sookie staked Lorena and Franklin's brain tissue won't wash out of the sheets. Russell strikes a deal with Eric to keep him with Talbot while he is away with his wolves in an attempt to fetch Sookie.

There's more! Now we have Jason and his idiotic quest to kill Bill for hurting Sookie, right? Kind of. That chick with the really square jaw and thin neck, Crystal, comes running to his house with a black eye and tries to take his truck so she can flee. His infatuation suckers her into sleeping with him and he leaves her in his house and runs off to her drug lair and threatens her family.

Speaking of her family, they came barging into Merlotte's asking Sam whether they had seen Crystal and claimed his truck was parked in the lot outside. Tommy, who had just left his parents to stay with Sam, tries to pick a fight with them and with Hoyt. Sam tells him to calm down and kicks Crystal's family out of his bar. He also mentions to Tommy to leave Tara alone and that he hopes Tommy will find something he will want to live for or build.

Speaking of Tara... she just returned from Mississippi with Sookie and Alcide after being held captive by an obsessive, creeper vampire named Franklin. She escaped him by bashing his head in while he was sleeping. We all know he's not dead because she didn't stake him but that's for another episode. She keeps trying to convince Sookie that she is stupid for still loving Bill and claims that he is just as cold and crazy as any other vampire. Her cousin, Lafayette, is trying to comfort her and get whatever happened while she disappeared out of her.

While we're on Lafayette, he has become infatuated and semi-involved with his mother's nurse Jesus. After Jesus discovers Lafayette is a drug dealer he runs away. However, Lafayette's mother escapes from her care facility and runs to his house to protect him from the evil of the world. Jesus comes and decides to make out with Lafayette after discovering that his boy toy is being forced to sell substances.

Who is forcing him? Mr. Eric Northman who is stuck playing chess with Talbot while Russell is away. Talbot gets bored and decides to have sex with Eric. Mind you Eric found out earlier that Russell was the one who killed his Viking family while he was still human after finding his father's crown in Russell's display case. He claims the only way to get his revenge and distract the King of Mississippi was to get to those close to him. Therefore, he stakes Talbot while they are having sex.

Almost simultaneous to Talbot's death, we find Sookie waiting in her house with a shotgun looking out at Werewolves in her front yard. Debbie, Alcide's ex-fiance, has sworn revenge on Sookie and Alcide because her current fiance, Coot, was shot and killed by Alcide. Bill and Jessica show up to attack the wolves and protect Sookie but are ambushed by Russell. He takes Jessica hostage, bites her, throws her to a wolf to be destroyed, and goes after Bill. While attacking Bill the women upstairs are still fighting. Sookie gains an advantage and gets Debbie out of her house. As soon as Russell gains an advantage on Bill he feels the death of Talbot and flies away. Sookie and Bill embrace each other and have the most graphic sex scene in the entire series so far.

The basic point of all that... there is way too much going on. That was all in one episode and there was even more that I didn't summarize.
I know what Sookie is because I know what happens in the books. I also know that her attitude towards Bill is still not accurate to the books. It is starting to irritate me because at this point it needs to be somewhat accurate or else they might as well not even try to follow anything else the books put forth. Bill and Eric should have been out of the picture by now.

Personally, I think the storylines of Arlene & Terry, Tara & Franklin, Lafayette & Jesus, Sam & the Mickens', and Hoyt & Jessica are completely pointless. Sookie and Bill is getting old, too. They need to move it along.

Sick, sick bubblegum...

2010-07-20T14:08:00.003-06:00

MAYHEM WAS AMAZING!!!

I know it was Sunday and I'm just writing about it now, but I was recovering.

After waiting in line since 12:45ish, and not getting in until around 2:30, I saw people drunk off their shit in 100 degree weather, fights, baby bunnies hopping around the grounds (I hope they all made it), sloppy sunburned women, Nazis, and only 10 black people. In a way I felt like I was at a white power festival but I accept it. I would have been the minority at Jay-Z.

Here's a breakdown of the sets and the stages...

Silver Star Stage:
In This Moment
Norma Jean
Atreyu
3 Inches of Blood

Jagermeister Stage:
Winds of Plague
Shadows Fall
Chimaira
Hatebreed

Rockstar Energy Main Stage:
Five Finger Death Punch
Lamb of God
Rob Zombie
Korn

The best bands of the day, by far, were Rob Zombie, Korn, Chimaira, and Shadows Fall.
Five Finger Death Punch surprised me, though. I wasn't a huge fan going in, and they overhyped the fact that their singer lives in Denver, but they put on a fun show. I didn't realize until after that he was also in Motograter back in the day. I lol'd.
I could take or leave Lamb of God. They're not one of my favorites and I don't think their set was that great. When you have to constantly tell the crowd to rock out you're doing something wrong. That place was more than alive when Zombie and Korn took the stage.
Speaking of Zombie, he rocked it so hard. His set was off the chain. By far one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. He was playing White Zombie songs, he was getting the crowd going, he was funny, and he didn't babble. He even came back for an encore to play "Dragula." I can't even describe how awesome. Just search for his 2010 Mayhem stuff on YouTube and you'll see.
Korn was good but not as good, in my opinion. Their set was cut short because of the curfew and because Zombie ran long. I give Jonathan Davis props for busting out the bagpipes, though. I was not expecting to hear "Shoots and Ladders."

Despite the sunburn I still have and the incredible heat (peaked at 103 F) I would do it again. I drank water all day. The only thing I would do different is bring an umbrella to shield the sun a little. That's all.

Go if you can. It's worth it.

Got me thinking...

2010-07-14T18:27:00.002-06:00

I was listening to and reading news about the BP oil spill in the Gulf and I thought of something... what if they don't want the oil to stop gushing out?

It has taken them this long to develop caps and test them and when they found something that was working they had to remove it. In the meantime our administration has been grilling BP and pushing the move toward green energy on the US and using the spill as an example. If the problem was fixed they wouldn't have a disaster to use as an example in an attempt to show us how "evil" fossil fuels are. They want us all walking and biking to and from. They want us taking mass transit everywhere. They want us using low flow toilets and shower heads that use just as much water when you think about it. They want energy star washers and dryers that use less water but take forever and don't clean as well because they use almost no water and just spin your soapy clothes around for an hour. It's all a joke and this oil spill might be one of the few things that I see where the conspiracy nuts are coming from. It's all too convenient to create or use a crisis and milk it for all it's worth to try and prove a point.

I'll close by quoting our current administration... "Never waste a crisis."

NL is the winner...

2010-07-13T23:13:00.002-06:00

I am so excited the National League was able to beat the American League. It's the first time since 1996 and it feels great. My favorite pitcher started for the NL and went two scoreless innings. Tulowitzki had tough luck being injured but at least he was in the dugout. He deserved to be there for sure.

Let's go for 2 in a row and win it next year too.

The Traps Come Alive...

2010-07-08T21:58:00.004-06:00

So... now Saw VII is Saw 3D: The Traps Come Alive. I hope Lionsgate goes bankrupt for this one.

First they make Saw VII in 3D despite how much the true fans (aka, their gross income) barked against it. Then they screw over Kevin Greutert via a contractual clause. Now they give the movie a dumb as fuck title? Hell no.

This is retarded.

I want to see...

2010-07-01T08:34:00.002-06:00

I was thinking about some of the movies that are coming out this summer, and the rest of the year, and I realized I want to see a decent amount of them...

Predators
Inception
Salt
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Piranha 3D
The Last Exorcism
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Saw VII
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Movie theaters will be the end of my bank account.

Hmm...

2010-06-26T16:04:00.002-06:00

I just haven't had much of anything to say recently.

Knibb High football rules.

On fire...

2010-06-18T09:13:00.002-06:00

Ubaldo Jimenez!
13-1 with a 1.15 ERA.

This kid is amazing and we need to hang onto him for years and years. If he keeps this up he's going to sail to the All Star Game and potentially win the NL Cy Young. No doubt in my mind that he can do it. He doesn't even have a no decision this season. That W-L record is in 14 starts. Only 4 people have had a start this great since 1920; Roger Clemens, Lefty Grove, Lefty Gomez, and Ubaldo Jimenez.

Happy Memorial Day...

2010-05-31T08:55:00.003-06:00

To all of our current, retired, DAV, and fallen service members,

Thank you for your service. Your sacrifice is never forgotten.

LEE DEWYZE!!!

2010-05-26T21:52:00.002-06:00

I could not be happier right now. Lee has won American Idol and triumphed over yet another judge's pet. This is the 4th year in a row that this has happened and I am happy.

Jordin Sparks slid by the beatboxing favorite Blake Lewis.
David Cook beat the adorable yet boring favorite David Archuleta.
Kris Allen surprisingly crushed the overly praised and obvious favorite Adam Lambert.
And now, Lee DeWyze has beaten Crystal "Mamasox" Bowersox to claim the Season 9 title.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike Crystal. I actually like her a lot. I think she has a neat sound and she is very interesting and unique. However, I like Lee more. He appears to be normal and genuine and he never once looked arrogant and never once gave the impression that the voters needed to know he deserved it. He was a true competitor. I look forward to hearing more from him and I love him to death. I intend to enjoy myself while watching him perform in August.

PS... This is also the 4th year in a row that I have predicted the winner from early in the season. I pegged Lee back in Hollywood week as one we would be watching in the finals. I predicted Kris a winner, or at least a finalist, when he sang "Man in the Mirror" in the Top 36. I said David Cook was one to watch and I said Jordin was going to win when she sang "Broken Wing" during Country Week.
I still got it baby.

Almost over already...

2010-05-25T01:16:00.002-06:00

It's hard to believe May is almost over already. Time seems to be flying by faster than ever before.

A couple things have had my mind occupied for the past couple of weeks, though...

I bought a new computer on impulse. I really didn't need it but I wanted it.
I'm still in the process of packing away old stuff and de-cluttering my walls a little bit.
The kid I have considered a little brother for many, many years is graduating high school this weekend. I am so proud of him and couldn't be happier.
I bought Daria on DVD and have been watching nonstop. I really know where I got it now.
My Stanley Cup prediction got flushed down the toilet. Damn Flyers.
I still need to decide whether I'm going to go to the reception or not.

Out of all these things, I think the most important is the fact that I really need to decide whether I'm going back to school or not. I just don't really care. I have wasted enough money and time already on something that I never cared about. I hate college. Hell, I hate school. I always have. I've been saying since high school that if I could get somewhere to do something I love without having to be formally educated I would be the happiest camper ever. I always feel like I'm underwater when I am in school. I don't absorb anything, I suck at tests, and I have a hard time communicating with people. The fact that I passed a communications class with such ease shocks me still.
I never even wanted to go to college. I went to Metro State to make my parents happy. That's all it was. I didn't know what I wanted to major in, what career I wanted, or even who I wanted to be. When I realized I hated college so much I figured transferring to community college was a good option because it would be similar to high school in terms of ease and accessibility. I quickly found out that I hated it there too. How I lasted as long as I did will always remain a mystery. I failed classes, didn't show up for a lot of them, and had to take 2 remedial math courses. For as smart as I am, and yes I do believe I am, I don't feel like it sometimes. I don't know how someone who graduated with a 3.7 GPA could be such an academic failure 2 years later. School was always a breeze. I hardly studied, half-assed my homework, didn't care, and I still passed with flying colors. The only classes I had to devote any time to were any math course, Architectural Drawing (roof plots were a pain), and Chemistry. Physical Science was simple, Biology was even easier, English was always easy, Social Studies felt like kindergarten, and electives were electives.
I wasn't popular, despite being in honors classes with all the popular people, but I was alright with that. I didn't participate in much, attend school activities, or worry about what college I was going to as early as 9th grade. I didn't even worry about it in 12th grade. I briefly toyed with going to the University of Georgia because they had a great biology program with an emphasis on forensic sciences but I realized how in debt I would be and how far away from home I would be. It's one thing to go an hour away, like to CSU or UNC, but Georgia was on the other side of the country in an area that I had never been before. I'm not ashamed to say it scared me. That is the main reason I declined Berklee College of Music despite the scholarship I kept a secret from everyone. Not only was it more expensive than it was worth but I didn't want to live in Boston. I had never been there and it was even farther away.
But to tell the main reason why I didn't leave... I felt like it was financially dumb. I had no goals and no motivation from the start. Knowing my parents were paying my tuition and fees wasn't something I wanted to take advantage of no matter where I went. Sorry to say it but I learned from observing my brother's college experience. My parents paid for him to go to the Colorado School of Mines and we all watched him earn an engineering degree. He's making pizzas at a restaurant in Minnesota 6 years later and my dad is still paying off the student loans. I know my parents want me to get an education but they also have the typical parental thought process of wanting their children to be happy. The problem is I'm not happy even when I'm not in school. I know what I would love and I am sure that I would have a blast doing it. I just don't want to sit through earning the $30,000 a year piece of paper to prove it.
When it comes down to it, college is a waste of time and money. Half of the student body at any given university is wasting someone's money and time. They're too busy ditching class, getting wasted, getting laid, and cramming for exams at the last minute because they haven't been to the lectures all semester. Naturally there are exceptions but come on, just how many are there? Take a poll on campus and ask how many students have gotten drunk or partied since they've been in college. All of my friends went away to school and I have heard a lot of their stories. The fact that people actually pass their classes is what shocks me. I didn't do 99.9% of what they, or their friends, have done and I'm the one that failed classes. Really?

Maybe there is just something wrong with me. I've felt like there was since as far back as I can remember.

Give me your heart and soul...

2010-05-18T15:52:00.002-06:00

I have been addicted to the Muse song "Hysteria" for the past 3 days. Something about the bass/synth riff is just an eargasm for me.

So much of one that I felt the need to learn it on drums this afternoon... My hands hurt now. On the bright side, it only took 4 play throughs. Well, 4.5.

RIP Dio...

2010-05-17T08:39:00.001-06:00

Music will miss you so much.

Such a sad day...

2010-05-10T23:50:00.002-06:00

I found out this morning that my neighbor Curtis, who I had known since I was a toddler, was killed in a car accident this past Friday.
He was in the car with another person when they went off the side of the road and crashed into the concrete barrier. The police concluded that neither of them were wearing seat belts and Curtis was ejected from the car into the wall. The other man in the car is alive but Curtis died at the hospital from massive injuries. He was only 23 years old.

I have so many fond memories of Curtis. He was an extremely nice guy and very athletically talented. We always cracked jokes with him saying we would be attending an NBA game one day and have nothing to say but "I knew him back when." I just can't believe he's gone. Realizing that I'll never see him shooting hoops in front of my house again just breaks my heart.

I just want to cry.

Counting out our potentials for VII...

2010-05-09T19:49:00.003-06:00

Seeing that the pages of our calendars are quickly getting ripped away (yes, it's already May 9th) I started thinking about Saw VII a little bit more. I know it's not coming out until October and we're just starting to get minor details about the film but we have a little bit to work with so far... and like I said, it's already May 9th. It will be October before we know it.

Let's think about the information that we have so far... Betsy Russell, Costas Mandylor, Tobin Bell, and Cary Elwes are the major big names confirmed so far. Our Saw writers, Marcus and Patrick, also hinted at us a couple months ago that not only was Saw VII going to be the last Saw (well, they wrote it as the last Saw) but that it will have the most returning characters out of all the movies in the franchise so far. We also got the official plot synopsis introducing a new character named Bobby Dagen. It describes him as a fellow Jigsaw survivor that will team up with other survivors for a "new wave of terror." This got the gears turning in my head after Cary Elwes' return as Dr. Gordon was made official and after being introduced to Dagen. Who all survived either their own trap or just survived a game in general?

Jeff "

Allison Gordon

Diana Gordon

Dr. Lawrence Gordon (speculation and we don't know this for sure, but I'll indulge the Gordonites for now)

Daniel Matthews

Corbett Reinhart

Morgan

Brit^

Mallick^

Simone

Addy

Emily

Shelby

Pamela Jenkins*

Tara Abbott*

Brent Abbott*

" Was saved from the drill chair in Saw but we've never seen or heard from him again. Presumed alive.

^Saw V ended with them having just finished their game and there was no mention of them in Saw VI. We are still unsure whether they are alive or not but they're presumed alive.

*Saw VI ended with them still in their game but they are alive as of right now.

Compared to all of these guys that have fallen victim to Jigsaw and died in a trap or during a game that isn't a bad list of people...

John Kramer (kind of fell victim to his own philosophy)

Amanda Young

Paul

Mark

Zep Hindle

Adam Faulkner

The man Amanda killed in the original RBT

Det. Tapp

Det. Sing

Michael

Gus

Obi

Jonas

Laura

Addison

Xavier

Det. Kerry

Troy

Jeff Reinhart

Judge Halden

Timothy Young

Danica Scott

Lynn Denlon

Sgt. Rigg

Det. Matthews

Rex

Trevor

Art Blank

Ivan

Brenda

Cecil

Seth Baxter

Luba

Charles

Ashley

Agent Peter Strahm

Agent Dan Erickson

Agent Lindsey Perez

Eddie

Allen

Hank

Debbie

Dave

Josh

Aaron

Gena

Sachi

The main question I have is, which survivors are going to appear, why, and how? I am still going to be really pissed if Dr. Gordon is alive but I have accepted the fact that in all likelihood he will be. The writers have mind fucked us like that before with Det. Matthews and Agent Perez so if he hobbles in on crutches I'm going to try not to be too angry and surprised. It's not right and it's stupid but that has never stopped them before. The survivors I really want to see are Daniel and Corbett.
I honestly think that Daniel was the one to give the police information on Amanda as an apprentice, especially if Hoffman was an officer he was questioned by. Daniel was in the house until the end with her and unless he lost consciousness after he jumped Xavier in the bathroom and didn't know she administered him an antidote he would have seen that she knew the combo to the safe and knew how to protect him the entire time. Even a teenager could see that she hadn't done anything the whole time to work with the other players and figure out the combination. He of all people would know because he was close to her almost every second of the game.
Corbett could open up a number of windows, too. She was told by Amanda not to trust the one who saves her and she was saved by Hoffman. It wasn't until she was saved and handed over to the police that Perez and Erickson went after Hoffman with intensity. Strahm was on forced medical leave and thought Perez was dead. He wouldn't have been communicating with the FBI and giving them any information about the clues he was onto or what he had uncovered about Hoffman and the victims. Plus, Erickson was successfully bamboozled into thinking Strahm was an accomplice via Hoffman luring him to the end of the Fatal Five. It just doesn't add up. It makes the most sense to think that Corbett said some lady with a gun told me not to trust the person that saved me. However, Amanda could have talked to Corbett about that previously. More often than not the keyword "remember" implies that you have already told someone information and you're stressing how important it is to remember it while repeating it.

The more I think about Saw VII the more nervous I get. Seeing that it's apparently the last film I just hope that it's good and that it ties things up correctly. No contradicting information, no last minute connections that don't make sense, no more bringing back people from the dead, etc.. I have faith in Kevin because he managed to produce a winner with Saw VI after 2 extremely shitty movies but the fact that he got screwed out of Paranormal Activity 2 at the last minute and had little to no time for Saw VII pre-production has made me nervous from day one.

I just don't know.

A Aaron...

2010-05-06T08:56:00.002-06:00

I'm actually really sad Aaron was the one to go on American Idol last night. He was good enough to last another week and definitely better than Mike and Casey were on Tuesday. The fact that Casey wasn't even in the bottom two shocked me. Based on performance and not looks or popularity the bottom two should have been Mike and Casey. People are still voting Mike's corny, theatrical fat ass through for some reason. It is on my last nerve. I can't stand him.

YOU A WINNER!

2010-05-04T15:30:00.001-06:00

I won the autographed Cary Elwes Saw script! I am still super excited about that. I can't believe I won.

Out of all the emails in that mailing list. Wow. Just wow.

Never sleep again...

2010-05-03T09:58:00.003-06:00

A Nightmare on Elm street was such a mistake. Jackie Haley ruined Freddy Krueger. The face, the Rorschach/Batman voice, etc..

I didn't like it at all. Don't see it.

The only plus side is that it was better than the Friday the 13th remake they released last year.

Show them to meeeeee!

2010-04-25T07:49:00.002-06:00

So... it's official. Our snoopy Saw fans leaked the Lionsgate publicity sheet/EPK that had the plot synopsis and a partial cast list.

Cary Elwes is on it as Dr. Gordon and the plot synopsis is enough to give you the impression that his bitch ass is alive. I am so furious.

We can't question whether or not Dr. Gordon will be in Saw VII because of this and because John Raybin responded to it within a day. He said they had an autograph session with Cary and worked really hard to keep his involvement a secret.

So much for that.

So long Stanley...

2010-04-24T22:40:00.000-06:00

I don't know what universe the Avs were in these past two games. You pull Anderson with a minute remaining in the 3rd when you're down a goal against a team that has been outshooting you all series? What in the hell...

Now we're out of the playoffs. Maybe we'll wake up and learn how to play playoff hockey next year. Damn it.

Adios, Mr. Urban...

2010-04-21T23:16:00.000-06:00

Finally! Tim got voted off American Idol!
He should have gone home the week of the Top 24 when he tried to sing "Apologize."

However, I cannot stand listening to Michael Lynche anymore. He should have gone home the other week and I still can't believe the judges saved him. I'm hoping Country Week with Shania Twain is the final straw for him.

LOL

2010-04-18T23:13:00.001-06:00

WTF Boyle?! HAHA!

Thanks for shooting the puck into your own net in sudden death OT and giving us the win!

I would be throwing rocks at him right now if I was a Sharks fan. Holy crap. That was just unbelievably strange and hilarious. I'm not complaining, though. Now the Avs lead the series 2-1.

Jimenez the beast...

2010-04-17T20:39:00.001-06:00

Congrats to Ubaldo Jimenez for gaining yet another win, pitching a full game, and for throwing the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history.

You are this team's future.

#52...

2010-04-17T00:00:00.001-06:00

You are the reason we lost tonight. San Jose wouldn't have had the OT powerplay opportunity if you would have been playing smart, playoff hockey. Dumb shit.

Someone remind me why Adam Foote is our team captain again.

Hints, hints, hints galore...

2010-04-15T23:51:00.002-06:00

I watched Saw II tonight and picked up on something I never noticed before. When Amanda and Daniel finally get caught by Xavier in the bathroom he tells Amanda that he just wants their numbers located on the back of their necks. Amanda asks him how he expects to get his number if she doesn't tell him what it is.
Now... how would Amanda know about the numbers so quickly unless she was in on the whole thing? Xavier came across two other livings players, Addison and Jonas, and neither of them had any idea why he wanted to look at the back of their neck. Jonas unsuccessfully fought to resist it and Addison thought he was just being an asshole by leaving her in the razor box to bleed out. Amanda gave Xavier a weird look before making this comment, "You still don't know your own number..." I perceived it as a look of, wow he actually figured out that clue on the tape.
I am keeping in mind that Amanda had played before and could have just as easily figured out what the number clue in the tape was, but I don't think she would have figured it out if she would have been a regular player like everyone else. No offense to the character but she didn't seem to be the puzzle-solving type. Her original test consisted of stabbing someone to retrieve a key. Her second test was a riddle and she failed it and failed it hard. Yes, I know she was blackmailed by Hoffman but at the rate she was going I don't think she would have passed anyway. Jeff was so clouded with rage he would have most likely shot anyone he came across.

Point being, it is just another one of those subtle hints they gave us before the big reveal. I didn't pick up on it until now.
I love how I am able to notice something new each time I watch a Saw movie. They pay so much attention to detail. I love it.

Cabin fever...

2010-04-09T16:39:00.000-06:00

I hate being stuck inside when it's lovely outside but you just have nothing to do.

I am going insane with boredom.

This is going to be epic...

2010-04-08T12:14:00.001-06:00

I finally ordered a video camera.

I can't wait. Now I can start making some movies. I've wanted to do this for so long.

Clinched!!!

2010-04-07T09:07:00.001-06:00

Our win over Vancouver last night pushed us into the playoffs!

Hell yeah! I want the Stanley Cup!

Insulting...

2010-04-06T11:54:00.001-06:00

I read an article this morning in regards to our troops in Afghanistan. Apparently the military is not going to renew contracts with food vendors at the bases overseas because the officers believe the soldiers need to, "remember they are at war and not in an amusement park."

What in the hell are they thinking? We have placed American institutions, such as food, overseas since WWII when Coca-Cola manufactured soft drinks overseas for the troops fighting in the war. Now they're going to deprive our troops in Afghanistan, that have nothing, of their Pizza Hut and Burger King. That is ridiculously insulting. I can't believe it.

It might make me a little more angry just because I work for AAFES and my company is what puts those things over there. I'm curious to see if it was the military going to AAFES and they agreed or what happened. If HQ agreed to pull out of the warzones that defeats the purpose of our slogan. "We go where you go."

I'm angry.

Back on the blog...

2010-04-06T00:38:00.002-06:00

So I got back from my week in Minnesota this past Saturday. It was totally needed. I had a really enjoyable vacation.

My brother is just as fun as always. I beat him 5x in a row in MLB The Show.
My sister in law baked all week. She made strawberry upside down cake, strawberry muffins, triple chocolate oatmeal raisin cookies, strawberry pancakes, and blueberry scones. Yum!
My nephew is adorable. His permanent teeth are pretty much fully grown and we had many Nerf wars.

We went up to Duluth and into Superior, WI on Wednesday. That was neat. Lake Superior is cool and the water was extremely cold. We couldn't stand in it long enough to take a picture. It was the kind of cold where you feel like you're on fire, as odd as that is.
I went to a craft brewery (Summit Brewing Co.) in St. Paul with my brother and did a tour. It was a small place so it didn't take too long. Most of the tour took place in the main area with a guide and a powerpoint presentation. I'm not too much of a beer person, though. I gave a majority of my samples to my brother.
We also went to a Minnesota Twins game at the new Target Field. That, my friends, is an amazing baseball stadium. It is really, really neat. The HD scoreboard was epic eye candy. I wish Coors Field had a scoreboard that looked that good.

Long story short, I watched a lot of movies, ate at a lot of restaurants, had many Nerf wars, and played a lot of PS3. Everyone needs a vacation from time to time.

I hope you're all pleased with yourselves...

2010-03-21T23:36:00.002-06:00

When you get fined for not enrolling in Obamacare and when you have to wait months for tests and when you die waiting for treatments and when you're denied coverage because of "pre-existing conditions," you'll probably think twice before saying the phrase "Yes we can" again.

Thanks a lot for fucking up our freedom and our country. Not all of us look good in red and yellow.

Why do they do this...

2010-03-19T10:49:00.002-06:00

Saw on Tour... sounds awesome, right?!

It does, but it would be even more awesome if I could go.

The only location that makes sense for me to go to is in Anaheim, CA at the Anaheim Comic Con. However, that is less than a month away. A week from this Sunday I am flying to Minnesota to visit my brother and my vacation leave from work ends on April 11th. The con is April 16-18. Yes, you read it correctly. It is the weekend after my vacation ends.

It is easy to say, "why don't you just take another weekend off?"
I would if my co-worker wasn't leaving for Japan the day after I come back. We aren't allowed to have 2 people gone at the same time because there are only 5 people in our department. In theory I could catch the flu or something and get the weekend off to go... if I want to lose my job. It sure is tempting but I can't afford to lose it right now. There are still 0 jobs out there thanks to the economy and Dumbo (aka, Obama).

Ugh. *slams face down on desk*

Alice in Wonderland...

2010-03-09T23:21:00.002-07:00

Eh.

Definitely not worth the addition $3 for 3D. If you are determined to see this movie and haven't already, see it in 3D. Trust me... you aren't missing anything.

As for the story, it was much different from the Disney cartoon. Alice isn't a child, "Wonderland" is in turmoil, and she basically is lured back into Wonderland by the white rabbit so she can help the residents out of the Red Queen's slavery. That's what I got out of it.

Johnny Depp wasn't that great, to be honest. He was mad, I'll give him that, but the make-up and Helena Bonham Carter upstaged him. Anne Hathaway was a lousy White Queen, the Cheshire Cat wasn't as trippy as he could/should have been, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum looked like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family, and the talking animals kept reminding me of Narnia... well, Narnia on crack.

I'm still debating on if I liked it or not. I didn't really want to see it in the first place.

WTF COLORADO?

2010-03-09T08:35:00.002-07:00

My dad told me this morning that Colorado wants to start adding state sales tax to internet purchases, on top of shipping & handling fees, and Amazon.com is refusing to cooperate. Apparently they're talking about shutting off service to Colorado customers because they don't want to charge the sales tax the state is trying to demand.

I use Amazon all the time and now because of our stupid Democrat-filled state government I might not be able to order stuff from there anymore. I am so pissed.

Repo Men...

2010-03-06T15:43:00.003-07:00

This whole concept is such an obvious rip-off of Repo! The Genetic Opera without the music. I mean, come on.

You don't pay for your organs, a repo man comes and repossesses them. We've seen it before and it didn't have Jude Law in it.

I refuse to see Repo Men.

16 and Pregnant...

2010-03-03T10:36:00.002-07:00

I swear... this show is a perfect example of how stupid our teenagers are.

I watched the first season (yes, yes, I did) and have been watching the second one. So far, the 3 girls they have focused on are even dumber and more immature than the girls from the first season, except Farrah. Farrah was just a dumb bitch.

I don't understand how these kids get themselves into situations like this. The episode from last night with Valerie, who is the youngest girl focused on so far, was an eye-opener. You can tell how young she is by just looking at her face and listening to the tone of her voice. I mean, getting pregnant by an older boy in 9th grade? Seriously people.
These boys that knock these girls up don't care and almost never stick around. All they are doing is becoming statistics and bringing children into the world that don't deserve the lives that they inevitably have almost 100% of the time; a life surrounded by fighting, loneliness, and poverty. I always have felt sorry for the grandparents of these babies because they wind up raising another child 8 out of 10 times because their children are too immature to do so.

I'm not saying these girls, and maybe even the boys, don't love their children but every single one of them wishes they would have waited after everything is said and done. How about this idea... actually wait.

Crosby can suck ice...

2010-02-28T17:41:00.001-07:00

3-2 OT win for Canada to win gold over USA.

I'm not a sore loser but you do tend to be bummed and irritated when your team, that had better stats going in, has their worst game when it matters most.

And no... Canada didn't deserve to win because the Olympics were in Vancouver.

More fun than I expected...

2010-02-20T23:02:00.002-07:00

DU Hockey is pretty enjoyable. It's a lot cheaper, the venue is smaller, and it's pretty much the same game. Rapid line changes and automatic icing was annoying me, though.

I would go again. Magness isn't too far away from me.

9 seconds...

2010-02-11T09:19:00.001-07:00

Anyone else see that killer goal by Kyle Cumiskey last night?

We went into OT tied and he scored the game winner 9 seconds into the period. Hell yeah!

I'm proudly wearing my Avalanche t-shirt today.

One reason Myspace still has a leg up on Facebook...

2010-02-08T15:36:00.001-07:00

Myspace doesn't change their layout every month or two.

I swear, Facebook is really starting to annoy me with their redesigns. As soon as you get used to a new layout they change it on you again with no warning. This is bullshit.

Connections to Det. Mark Hoffman

2010-02-06T21:20:00.004-07:00

Part 3... Moving onto Det. Hoffman.

John Kramer (aka, Jigsaw):
Mentor. John was framed by Mark via the Pendulum Trap for the murder of Seth Baxter, the man who killed Mark's sister Angelina. Shortly after the murder he captured Mark and tested him. He recruited the detective as an apprentice and used him to lure fellow detectives and members of law enforcement to other potential accomplices. John swallowed a cassette tape shortly before his death that was targeted for Mark. He included testing Mark again after his death as part of the scheme to create a way out for his ex-wife, Jill.

Jill Tuck:
She was married to John Kramer, Mark's mentor. She was interviewed by Mark, along with Strahm and Perez, throughout the duration of the Jigsaw murders. She collaborated with Mark after John's death when he left her a box with 6 envelopes inside. Mark demanded the envelopes and made it clear that the two were never to have contact after the games were over. She kept one envelope which had Mark's name on it, placed him in the Reverse Bear Trap 2.0, and delivered a "game over."

Gideon Kramer:
John and Jill's unborn son. His death was brought to light when Mark wrote Amanda her letter acknowledging he knew of her involvement.

Amanda Young:
Fellow apprentice of Jigsaw. She worked with Mark on traps and was aided in avoiding the police by him. She was blackmailed into shooting Lynn by Mark. The letter she discovered in John's desk was written by him. Whether the unwinnable traps she took the fall for were Mark's is still unknown. Any further information is also still unknown.

Dr. Lawrence Gordon:
His pen light was planted at a murder scene by Mark. Mark's fellow detectives found it and were led into believing Dr. Gordon was a suspect in the Jigsaw murders. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Adam Faulkner:
No known connection to Mark.

Zep Hindle:
No known connection to Mark.

Alison Gordon:
No known connection to Mark.

Diana Gordon:
No known connection to Mark.

Det. Tapp:
He was a fellow detective with Mark in the Police Department. He was hunted, along with his partner, by John after Mark told him they were getting closer to finding out the truth. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Det. Sing:
He was a fellow detective with Mark in the Police Department. He was hunted, along with his partner, by John after Mark told him they were getting closer to finding out the truth. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Det. Kerry:
She was a fellow detective with Mark in the Police Department. Mark was on site at the scene of her murder and she was the reason the FBI stepped in and began investigating the Jigsaw murders. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Paul:
He was kidnapped by John and Mark outside of his car and placed in the razor wire trap. His game was observed by Mark through a hole in the wall. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Mark:
His game was observed by Mark through a hole in the wall. Dr. Gordon's pen light was also planted at the scene of his murder by Det. Hoffman. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Jeff:
No known connection to Mark.

Det. Eric Matthews:
He was a fellow detective with Mark in the Police Department. Was dragged away and held captive for 6-months and placed in Sgt. Rigg's game with Mark. Eric's ice blocks were connected to Mark's electric chair. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Michael:
No known connection to Mark.

Sgt. Rigg:
He was a fellow member of the Police Department. After assaulting Rex when investigating domestic abuse at a school, he was covered by Mark and did not have criminal charges filed. He was on site with Mark and Det. Kerry when Troy's body was discovered and was on site with Mark when Det. Kerry's body was discovered. He was warned by Mark to never enter cleared areas. He was also advised by Mark to take a leave of absence after Kerry's body was found. He was left for dead with a gunshot wound by Mark after failing his final test resulting in the deaths of Art Blank and Det. Matthews.

Daniel Matthews:
His father was a fellow detective with Mark in the Police Department. He was placed in the House Trap by Mark. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Xavier:
He was placed in the House Trap by Mark. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Jonas:
He was placed in the House Trap by Mark. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Gus:
He was placed in the House Trap by Mark. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Obi:
He was placed in the House Trap by Mark. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Laura:
He was placed in the House Trap by Mark. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Addison:
He was placed in the House Trap by Mark. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Troy:
His murder was investigated by Mark along with Sgt. Rigg and Det. Kerry. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Dr. Lynn Denlon:
She was shot by Amanda because of the letter that Mark wrote. Her daughter, Corbett, was saved by Mark after the games inside of Gideon Meatpacking were completed. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Jeff Reinhart.
His wife, Lynn, was shot by Amanda because of the letter that Mark wrote. His daughter, Corbett, was saved by Mark after the games inside of Gideon Meatpacking were completed. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Corbett Reinhart:
She was saved from Gideon Meatpacking by Mark. She was told not to trust him by Amanda. Any further connection is unknown.

Dylan Reinhart:
No known connection to Mark.

Danica Scott:
No known connection to Mark.

Judge Halden:
No known connection to Mark.

Timothy Young:
His trap, The Rack, was set up and manipulated by Mark. It was also made clear by Mark that he wanted Timothy to suffer. Any other connection to Mark is unknown.

Nurse Deborah:
No known connection to Mark.

Cecil:
He was involved in the accident at Jill's clinic with Amanda. Mark knew of this event somehow and used it as leverage to blackmail Amanda. Any direct connection to Mark is unknown.

Agent Peter Strahm:
He deciphered a theory while investigating Det. Kerry's murder scene that Amanda wasn't helping Jigsaw by herself. His theory was picked up on by Mark and he later set Peter in a trap and placed him in an unwinnable trap, the Water Cube. He survived by giving himself a tracheotomy and began following Mark and piecing together evidence placing him at most of the Jigsaw murders. Just when he uncovered the evidence, Mark set him up to be the second Jigsaw apprentice by planting and manipulating evidence and killed him via the crushing room. After his death, Mark used his fingerprints to continue placing him at the recent Jigsaw murders in hopes that the FBI would stop with considering him as the apprentice.

Agent Lindsay Perez:
Right after she took the explosive Billy doll to the face in the school she said Mark's name to her partner, Peter Strahm. She survived her attack and began working with Agent Erickson and began gathering more evidence on Mark. She dug up the tape found at Seth Baxter's murder scene and told Mark they were going to reverse the audio to hear the real voice of the person who made it. When it was revealed to be Mark, she was attacked and stabbed to death. When asked who else knew he was the apprentice, she said "everyone."

Art Blank:
He was the lawyer on site after Sgt. Rigg assaulted Rex at the school. He knew Rigg had committed the act and was taken back when Mark revealed that he had already testified against his client and signed affidavits acquitting Rigg of any charges filed. He also watched over Mark and Det. Matthews during Rigg's game to ensure that they remained alive until the end.

Trevor:
No known connection to Mark.

Brenda:
No known connection to Mark.

Ivan:
No known connection to Mark.

Rex:
He was assaulted by Sgt. Rigg after being questioned by Mark in a domestic abuse investigation. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Morgan:
She was questioned by Mark in a domestic abuse investigation against her husband, Rex. Any further connection to Mark is unknown.

Det. Fisk:
He is Mark's right hand man in the Police Department. He was present at the scene with Mark when Seth Baxter's body was found. He also gave frequent reports and updates to Mark in the department. Any more information is unknown.

Agent Dan Erickson:
He fell into Mark's set up of Peter Strahm but began investigating deeper when he was paired with Agent Perez. He uncovered information that placed Strahm at the scene of the recent Jigsaw murders only Strahm was already dead. When he put this information out Mark slit his throat and proceeded to burn him to death.

Seth Baxter:
He murdered Mark's sister, Angelina, and was sent to prison. He was sentenced to 25 years but was released after 5 on a technicality. He was captured by Mark shortly after his release and placed in the Pendulum Trap. He noticed Mark watching him die through a hole in the door. Seth's murder was made to look like a Jigsaw murder even though it was Mark indirectly killing him in cold blood.

Brit:
She was placed in the Fatal Five game and observed in it by Mark. Any direct connection to Mark is unknown.

Mallick:
He was placed in the Fatal Five game and observed in it by Mark. Any direct connection to Mark is unknown.

Luba:
She was placed in the Fatal Five game and observed in it by Mark. Any direct connection to Mark is unknown.

Charles:
He was placed in the Fatal Five game and observed in it by Mark. Any direct connection to Mark is unknown.

Ashley:
She was placed in the Fatal Five game and observed in it by Mark. Any direct connection to Mark is unknown.

Simone:
She was placed in the Pound of Flesh trap and survived. She was questioned by Mark in the hospital while in recovery. Any further connection is unknown.

Eddie:
He was placed in the Pound of Flesh trap. Any direct connection to Mark is unknown.

Pamela Jenkins:
She sat in on the press conference where Mark was promoted to Detective Lieutenant. She was also present in the hospital containing Simone and stopped Mark to ask him where she could find Jill Tuck. She was placed in William's game and observed by Mark. Any further connection to Mark or information is unknown.

William Easton:
No direct connection to Mark.

Harold Abbott:
No direct connection to Mark.

Tara Abbott:
No direct connection to Mark.

Brent Abbott:
No direct connection to Mark.

Allen:
No direct connection to Mark.

Addy:
No direct connection to Mark.

Debbie:
No direct connection to Mark.

Janitor:
No direct connection to Mark.

Aaron:
No direct connection to Mark.

Emily:
No direct connection to Mark.

Dave:
No direct connection to Mark.

Gena:
No direct connection to Mark.

Shelby:
No direct connection to Mark.

Josh:
No direct connection to Mark.

Dr. Heffner:
He called homicide after finding a tape coated in wax while performing John's autopsy. The responding detective was Mark. He also found the difference in knife cuts in the Jigsaw victims and reported it to Mark, Agent Erickson, and Agent Perez.

Honestly, this is where the connections start to blur for me and I can't guarantee that everything is correct. They just kind of threw Hoffman in there and built these connections with characters that already existed and had connections of their own.

I'll do my best to finish one for Jill next. Her's will be even more empty.

Connections to Amanda Young

2010-02-03T22:19:00.003-07:00

Second part of the Saw connections. This time we'll take a look at Amanda...

John Kramer (aka, Jigsaw):
Mentor and father figure. Amanda was a regular at John's wife's drug clinic. John placed her in the Reverse Bear Trap and recruited her as an apprentice shortly after she survived. John planted her in the House Trap to ensure the rules were followed and to make sure the players made their own choices. He later re-tested her through Dr. Lynn Denlon after her traps appeared to be unwinnable. It was also revealed that she inadvertently caused the death of John's unborn son, Gideon, by forcing Cecil to rob his wife, Jill.

Jill Tuck:
Ran the drug clinic, Homeward Bound, where Amanda regularly sought out treatment. Jill told her husband, John, that Amanda was a lost soul and would never be clean. Amanda forced a fellow addict, Cecil, to rob Jill the night Gideon died. Her child was inadvertently killed by Amanda. John brought Amanda to Jill as proof that his system and methods worked.

Gideon Kramer:
John and Jill's unborn son. Killed in the womb due to events begun by Amanda.

Det. Mark Hoffman:
Fellow apprentice of Jigsaw. He worked with Amanda on traps and aided her and John in avoiding the police. He blackmailed her into shooting Lynn. The letter she discovered in the desk was written by him. He claimed that he would tell John of Amanda's involvement with Gideon if she didn't kill Lynn. Whether he rigged the traps to make them appear unwinnable is still unknown.

Dr. Lawrence Gordon:
He sat in on Amanda's police interrogation testimony after she survived the Reverse Bear Trap. He was under investigation by Det. Tapp and Det. Sing at the time. They requested he stay and listen to her testimony. He referenced it as an incredible story to Det. Tapp. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Adam Faulkner:
Was abducted by Amanda in his apartment. He was brought to the Bathroom, chained to the pipe, and placed in the bathtub by her. After John left Adam chained in the Bathroom Amanda came in and suffocated him as a mercy killing. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Zep Hindle:
No known connection to Amanda.

Alison Gordon:
No known connection to Amanda.

Diana Gordon:
No known connection to Amanda.

Det. Tapp:
Was the officer questioning her in the interrogation after she survived the Reverse Bear Trap. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Det. Sing:
Was present during her police interrogation after she survived the Reverse Bear Trap. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Det. Kerry:
Is thought to have been partners with Det. Eric Matthews around the time he would plant evidence to obtain convictions. Amanda was one of numerous victims of his set ups. She noticed Amanda watching her struggle to escape the Angel Trap. Whether Amanda rigged the trap to be unwinnable is unknown. Any further or exact connection to Amanda is also unknown.

Paul:
He was a fellow user of Jill's drug clinic. Any other connection is unknown.

Mark:
No known connection to Amanda.

Jeff:
No known connection to Amanda.

Det. Eric Matthews:
Was the arresting officer on Amanda's case. He framed her on drug possession charges and sent her to prison for an undisclosed amount of time. He was captured by Amanda in the Bathroom while frantically searching for his son, Daniel. She chained him to the pipe by the ankle and left him in there. Eric escaped, found Amanda in the underground hallways, and brutally beat her as he did John earlier that day. She managed to disable him and get away.

Michael:
He was a fellow user of Jill's drug clinic. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Sgt. Rigg:
Was a part of the department containing Det. Tapp, Det. Sing, Det. Kerry, Det. Matthews, Det. Hoffman, and Det. Fisk. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Daniel Matthews:
He was a fellow player in the House Trap. Amanda made sure Daniel was free of severe danger and was able to escape the house safely. He was administered an antidote to the nerve gas by her before being brought to John. She is most likely the person who locked him in the safe with the oxygen mask on.

Xavier:
He was a fellow player in the House Trap and was also convicted by Det. Matthews. He threw Amanda into the needle pit forcing her to search for a key so he could retrieve an antidote to the nerve gas. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Jonas:
He was a fellow player in the House Trap and was also convicted by Det. Matthews. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Gus:
He was a fellow player in the House Trap, also convicted by Det. Matthews, and was a fellow user of Jill's drug clinic. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Obi:
He was a fellow player in the House Trap and was also convicted by Det. Matthews. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Laura:
She was a fellow player in the House Trap and was also convicted by Det. Matthews. Died from the nerve gas in Amanda's arms. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Addison:
She was a fellow player in the House Trap and was also convicted by Det. Matthews. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Troy:
Fellow user of Jill's drug clinic. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Dr. Lynn Denlon:
She served as leverage for Amanda's second test. She was abducted by Amanda in the hospital and wore the Shotgun Collar, one of Amanda's creations. She was ultimately shot by Amanda in the abdomen.

Jeff Reinhart:
He shot and killed Amanda. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Corbett Reinhart:
She was told by Amanda not to trust Det. Hoffman. Any other connection to Amanda is unknown.

Dylan Reinhart:
No known connection to Amanda.

Danica Scott:
No known connection to Amanda.

Judge Halden:
No known connection to Amanda.

Timothy Young:
Was placed in the trap Amanda caught Det. Hoffman making last minute changes to without John's approval. No direct connection to Amanda is known.

Nurse Deborah:
No known connection to Amanda.

Cecil:
He was Amanda's lover in the time frame of the accident at Jill's clinic. He was persuaded to rob Jill by Amanda to get her drugs. Any further connection to Amanda or information is unknown.

Agent Peter Strahm:
Determined that Amanda wasn't aiding John by herself. He stated that there was a second apprentice when he noticed Amanda wouldn't have been able to lift Det. Kerry into the Angel Trap without assistance, if she did it at all. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Agent Lindsay Perez:
Determined that Amanda wasn't aiding John by herself. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

Art Blank:
No known connection to Amanda.

Trevor:
No known connection to Amanda.

Brenda:
No known connection to Amanda.

Ivan:
No known connection to Amanda.

Rex:
No known connection to Amanda.

Morgan:
No known connection to Amanda.

Det. Fisk:
Was part of the department containing Det. Tapp, Det. Sing, Det. Kerry, Det. Matthews, Det. Hoffman, and Sgt. Rigg. No direct connection to Amanda is known.

Agent Dan Erickson:
No known connection to Amanda.

Seth Baxter:
No known connection to Amanda.

Brit:
No known connection to Amanda.

Mallick:
No known connection to Amanda.

Luba:
No known connection to Amanda.

Charles:
No known connection to Amanda.

Ashley:
No known connection to Amanda.

Simone:
No known connection to Amanda.

Eddie:
No known connection to Amanda.

Pamela Jenkins:
She discovered the letter written to Amanda by Det. Hoffman. The letter was given to Jill. Any further connection to Amanda is unknown.

William Easton:
No known connection to Amanda.

Harold Abbott:
No known connection to Amanda.

Tara Abbott:
No known connection to Amanda.

Brent Abbott:
No known connection to Amanda.

Allen:
No known connection to Amanda.

Addy:
No known connection to Amanda.

Debbie:
No known connection to Amanda.

Janitor:
No known connection to Amanda.

Aaron:
No known connection to Amanda.

Emily:
No known connection to Amanda.

Dave:
No known connection to Amanda.

Gena:
No known connection to Amanda.

Shelby:
No known connection to Amanda.

Josh:
No known connection to Amanda.

Dr. Heffner:
He has examined every body connected to the Jigsaw murders.

A lot easier to do than John's connections. That was just painful, lol.

I'll most likely do Jill or Hoffman next. Probably not for a day or two. Just keep checking back, I guess.

Connections to John Kramer (aka, Jigsaw)

2010-02-03T16:51:00.002-07:00

Being the nerd that I am I have decided to write out all the known connections between Saw characters. I tried to stay in chronological order the best I could, but there are no promises.
Let's start with John Kramer...

Jill Tuck:
Ex-wife. Ran the Homeward Bound clinic with John's slogan, "Cherish Your Life." Treated future Jigsaw victims Amanda, Cecil, Gus, Paul, Michael, Troy, and the unnamed man. The only known survivor who was a user of the clinic was Amanda who inadvertently caused the loss of Gideon Kramer, John and Jill's unborn son. Jill was under heavy scrutiny by Agent Peter Strahm when the FBI got involved with the Jigsaw murders, but he never uncovered evidence to keep her under investigation. Jill knew about John's work but lacks the desire to continue it on a permanent basis. She was left a box negotiated through John's last will and testament and was determined to carry out his final wish.

Gideon Kramer:
John and Jill's deceased, unborn child.

Det. Mark Hoffman:
Police detective who has been involved in every Jigsaw case. Framed John via the Pendulum Trap for the murder of Seth Baxter, the man who killed Mark's sister Angelina. Shortly after he was captured by John and tested. After intriguing him, Mark was recruited as an apprentice and continued to do so until after John's death. He was warned by John of another test through a hidden tape cassette and was placed in the Reverse Bear Trap 2.0 after attempting to walk away untested and scot free.

Amanda Young:
Ex-con and heroin addict. A regular at Jill's drug clinic, Amanda inadvertently caused the death of Gideon Kramer by forcing Cecil to break in and rob Jill. She was later captured and tested via the Reverse Bear Trap and was the only known Jigsaw survivor up to that time. By surviving the test she was successfully "reborn" in John's eyes. She was later recruited as a second apprentice and tested again after her traps appeared to be unwinnable. The final game resulted in her death after being shot in the neck by Jeff Reinhart.

Dr. Lawrence Gordon:
Oncologist and surgeon. Served as John's doctor while undergoing cancer diagnosis and treatments. Was captured and placed in the Bathroom Trap while a secondary game with his family was being held. After gaining knowledge of the secondary game he chose to saw through his foot to escape. Dr. Gordon's whereabouts are still unknown.

Adam Faulkner:
Undercover photographer. Served as a victim in the Bathroom Trap and was Dr. Gordon's target to win. He was left chained in the bathroom by John and was later suffocated to death by Amanda. No further connection to John is known.

Zep Hindle:
Orderly. Was a frequent orderly for John while he underwent cancer treatments. Was the main subject of the secondary game played during the Bathroom. His aim in the game was to kill Dr. Gordon's wife and daughter if he failed. He monitored the Bathroom Trap and was ultimately killed by Adam. Any further connection to John is unknown.

Alison Gordon:
Lawrence Gordon's wife. Involved in Zep's game. No direct connection to John is known.

Diana Gordon:
Lawrence and Alison Gordon's daughter. Involved in Zep's game. No direct connection to John is known.

Det. Tapp:
Police detective who was involved in the Jigsaw murder investigations. He was tricked into following Dr. Gordon as a suspect and continued to follow him even after his name was cleared. He was injured by John in a raid attempt of his lair. His partner, Det. Sing, was killed in action during the raid attempt. He survived his injury but was later indirectly killed by Zep.

Det. Sing:
Police detective who was involved in the Jigsaw murder investigations. He was killed in action by a Shotgun Trap hidden in the hallways of John's lair.

Det. Kerry:
Police detective who was involved in the Jigsaw murder investigations. She was first seen at the murder scenes of Paul and Mark. She was the officer who located Dr. Gordon's penlight, which John had Hoffman plant, at the scene of Mark's death. She convinced Det. Eric Matthews to assist her in investigating John and tried to help him stay in his game and not lose his temper after finding out John had abducted his son, Daniel. When Eric failed and was led away from the lair she located Daniel kept in the safe being administered oxygen. She was the officer who first found the inconsistencies in Troy's chain trap and was soon after captured and placed in the Angel Trap. She was killed in the trap.

Paul:
Suicidal male. Was seen leaving Jill's clinic the night she lost Gideon. Abducted and placed in the Razor Wire Trap after attempting suicide. He was killed in the trap.

Mark:
Con-man. Placed in a candlelit room with flammable jelly rubbed all over his body. He was supposed to figure out the combination to a safe and retrieve an antidote to a poison injected into him. He was killed in the trap.

Jeff:
Placed in the drill chair and found by Det. Tapp and Det. Sing during their raid. Was saved by Det. Sing after John set the trap off. Whereabouts and direct connection to John are unknown.

Det. Eric Matthews:
Police detective who is known for his fearlessness and intimidation. He is also known to have framed suspects by planting evidence to obtain false convictions. Was led to John via the Venus Fly Trap and discovered that he had abducted his son, Daniel, and placed him in a game. John gave Eric a game proposal directly after his discovery to sit and listen to him until the time clock ran out. Eric allowed his temper to take over him and failed his test. After being brutally assaulted, John led Eric to the house Daniel was kept in. While frantically searching for his son he was knocked out and chained to the Bathroom by Amanda, one of the suspects he framed and sent to prison. He escaped, was captured again, held captive for 6 months, and ultimately killed by Sgt. Rigg after he failed his final test.

Michael:
A user of Jill's drug clinic and police informant. Placed in the Venus Fly Trap and used as bait to lure in Det. Matthews. He was killed in the trap. Any further connection to John is unknown.

Sgt. Rigg:
Police sergeant and SWAT leader. Involved in most of the Jigsaw murder investigations. He was on scene when they raided John's lair and discovered the House Trap that Det. Matthews' son, Daniel, was being held in. He was also on scene when Troy's body was discovered and when Kerry's body was discovered. Was placed in a game by John in an attempt to teach him his methods and prove that he couldn't save everybody. He was ultimately set up to appear at the scene of Kerry's death. By failing his final test he caused the death of Eric Matthews and Art Blank. He was killed by a gunshot wound fired by Eric.

Daniel Matthews:
Det. Eric Matthews' son. Was abducted and placed in the House Trap with 7 people that his father had framed and sent to prison. He was protected by Amanda throughout the duration of the game and safely brought back to John by her after the game had finished. He wound up killing Xavier in the Bathroom to avoid him hurting or killing he and Amanda. Was discovered hidden in a safe under oxygen therapy by Det. Kerry. Whereabouts and any further connection to John is unknown.

Xavier:
Drug dealer and ex-con. Placed in the House Trap with 6 others framed by Det. Matthews and his son, Daniel. Killed by Daniel in the Bathroom. Direct connection to John is unknown.

Jonas:
Ex-con. Placed in the House Trap with 6 others framed by Det. Matthews and his son, Daniel. Killed by Xavier by the nail bat. Direct connection to John is unknown.

Gus:
Con-man and user of Jill's drug clinic. Placed in the House Trap with 6 others framed by Det. Matthews and his son, Daniel. Killed by the shotgun door.

Obi:
Arsonist and ex-con. Seen in John's surgery flashback and a passerby when he and his wife, Jill, were walking through the park. He was revealed to have aided in the capture of other players in the House Trap. Killed in the Oven Trap. Any further connection to John is unknown.

Laura:
Ex-con. She was abducted by Obi and placed in the House Trap with 6 others framed by Det. Matthews and his son, Daniel. Killed by the nerve gas. Direct connection to John is unknown.

Addison:
Hooker and ex-con. Attempted to negotiate a sex hookup with John outside of Jill's clinic the night Gideon was killed. Placed in the House Trap with 6 others framed by Det. Matthews and his son, Daniel. Killed by the Razor Box. Any further connection to John is unknown.

Troy:
Ex-con and user of Jill's drug clinic. Placed in a chain trap and killed by an explosive nail bomb after failing his test. Any further connection to John is unknown.

Dr. Lynn Denlon:
ER doctor and surgeon. Examined John during his cancer diagnosis and treatments. She was abducted by Amanda and placed in the Shotgun Collar. Provided medical care to keep John alive during her game. She also successfully performed emergency brain surgery on John after he suffered a severe seizure. She was revealed to be Jeff Reinhart's wife and was ultimately shot in the abdomen by Amanda. She was killed by the Shotgun Collar when John's life ended.

Jeff Reinhart:
Lynn Denlon's husband. Placed in a game through the Gideon Meatpacking building. Was faced with those involved in the death of his son, Dylan. Ultimately shot and killed Amanda after seeing her shoot his wife, Lynn, in the abdomen. He then failed his final test by killing John and causing a chain reaction that resulted in the death of his wife. John set off a final tape recording telling Jeff that he had taken his daughter, Corbett, hostage. Jeff was shot and killed by Agent Peter Strahm in the sick room.

Corbett Reinhart:
Jeff and Lynn's daughter. Held captive during the Gideon games. She was told by Amanda not to trust the one who saves her. She was saved by Mark Hoffman after the games were completed. Whereabouts are unknown.

Dylan Reinhart:
Jeff and Lynn's deceased son who was killed by a drunk driver, Timothy Young. No direct connection to John is known.

Danica Scott:
Abandoned witness to Dylan's accident. She was tested and killed in the Freezer Room after Jeff failed to save her in time. No direct connection to John is known.

Judge Halden:
Judge. He sentenced Dylan's killer, Timothy Young, to 6-months in prison. Was rescued from the Pig Vat by Jeff and later killed by a shotgun wound. No direct connection to John is known.

Timothy Young:
Medical Student. Drove drunk and killed Jeff and Lynn's son, Dylan. Served 6-months in jail for his crime. Was placed in The Rack and killed by the trap after Jeff failed to save him in time. No direct connection to John is known.

Nurse Deborah:
ER nurse. Was the nurse on duty when John brought Jill to the hospital after the accident at the clinic. She also was a co-worker of Lynn Denlon in the trauma ward of the hospital. She has never been tested and is alive.

Cecil:
Drug addict and user of Jill's drug clinic. He was forced by Amanda to break into Jill's clinic and steal drugs from her. While escaping he pushed a door into Jill causing her to miscarry her son, Gideon. He was captured by John and placed in the Knife Chair. Cecil escaped the chair but was tricked into running into a bundle of razor wire. We don't see exactly what caused Cecil's death, but John did cause his death.

Agent Peter Strahm:
FBI agent. He was brought in with his partner, Agent Perez, to find the person aiding John and Amanda. He also made it his mission to uncover the involvement of Jill Tuck in the Jigsaw murders. He was led to the Gideon building and warned not to proceed after finding the dead bodies of John, Amanda, Lynn, and Jeff. He chose to proceed and was captured and placed in the Water Cube. He survived by giving himself a tracheotomy with an ink pen. He began to investigate and suspect Mark Hoffman, even after being taken off the case. He was framed as the second Jigsaw apprentice the police had been searching for by Mark Hoffman and led to the crushing room where he was killed. Peter was framed to give immunity to Jill.

Agent Lindsay Perez:
FBI agent. Brought in with her partner, Agent Strahm, to find the person aiding John and Amanda. She and Strahm were led to believe Jill was involved in the murders, but Perez began finding evidence that it was someone on the inside, specifically Mark Hoffman. She was caught in a side trap at the scene of Morgan and Rex's trap and took an explosive Billy puppet to the face. She was believed to be dead until Agent Erickson revealed the news as witness protection. After discovering with Erickson that Mark Hoffman was the apprentice they had been looking for she was stabbed and killed by him.

Art Blank:
Former business partner and lawyer of John's. He and John built housing for low-income families as well as sharing ownership of Wilson Steel and Gideon Meatpacking. Art and the projects were abandoned by John after he lost his son, Gideon. Art survived the Mausoleum Trap and was killed by Sgt. Rigg after he failed his final test.

Trevor:
Placed in the Mausoleum Trap with Art Blank, John's former business partner. Killed by Art. No direct connection to John is known.

Brenda:
Hooker. Placed in a trap in Rigg's house as part of his game. She was told to kill Rigg if he was successful in saving her. She attempted to kill him after he did and was thrown through a mirror and killed by Rigg. No direct connection to John is known.

Ivan:
Ex-con and rapist. He was a part of Rigg's game. He was placed in a trap where he had to destroy his eyes or allow his limbs to be ripped off his body. Rigg left Ivan to save himself, but he failed to escape the trap in time. No direct connection to John is known.

Rex:
Principal. Questioned by Sgt. Rigg and Det. Hoffman about spousal and child abuse. His defense lawyer was Art Blank. Placed in a trap with his wife, Morgan, where spears pierced through every main artery. Morgan pulled the spears out of his body causing him to bleed to death. No direct connection to John is known.

Morgan:
Rex's wife. Placed in the artery trap with Rex and pulled the spears out of his body which resulted in his death. She was discovered alive by Rigg and left to save herself. She reported to officers on the scene that Rigg saved her life. Her whereabouts and direct connection to John are unknown.

Det. Fisk:
Police detective and assistant to Det. Hoffman. He reported another missing doctor, Lynn Denlon, and was on the scene of Seth Baxter's murder. No direct connection to John is unknown.

Agent Dan Erickson:
FBI agent and superior to Agent Strahm and Agent Perez. Was the newest addition to the Jigsaw murder investigations after Strahm and Perez appeared to be Jigsaw targets. He fell into Hoffman's trap and found the evidence placing Strahm as an apprentice. After digging deeper with Agent Perez he began going after Hoffman. While researching Seth Baxter's Jigsaw tape he was stabbed and burned to death by Hoffman along with Perez and the sound technician.

Seth Baxter:
Ex-con and murderer. He was sent to prison for the murder of Det. Hoffman's sister, Angelina. He was placed in the Pendulum Trap, and unwinnable trap, shortly after being released from prison on a technicality. It was observed and made clear by John that it was not one of his own traps. Seth is the only known victim killed by a Jigsaw trap that wasn't originally thought of or approved by John. Seth was "tested" by Det. Hoffman and maliciously killed. His murder caused John to capture Hoffman and recruit him as an apprentice.

Brit:
Senior VP for a real estate firm. Performed real estate deals and illegally tore down properties. Part of the Fatal Five. She was one of two remaining players at the end. No direct connection to John is known and we still don't know whether she survived or not.

Mallick:
Drug addict. Avoided criminal charges after burning down a building with 8 people inside. He burned it down to obtain heroin from a dealer. Part of the Fatal five. He is the other remaining player at the end. No direct connection to John is known and we still don't know whether he survived or not.

Luba:
Dept. of City Planning worker. She was promoted so she could approve specific projects related to her father's success. Part of the Fatal Five and killed via electrocution in the second to last trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Charles:
Investigative reporter. Knew information about the other 4 players in the Fatal Five. He was investigating Mallick's fire and Brit's crooked real estate firm. Killed by nail bombs in the second game. No direct connection to John is known.

Ashley:
Ex-fire marshall. Filed phony reports and was involved in Mallick's fire. Part of the Fatal Five. She died in the first game and was the first player to die. No direct connection to John is known.

Simone:
Insurance loan officer. Granted bad loans to patrons assisting them in wasting money and buying properties that they couldn't afford. Placed in the Pound of Flesh trap with her co-worker, Eddie. She cut off her arm to survive the game. No direct connection to John is known.

Eddie:
Insurance loan officer. Granted bad loans to patrons assisting them in wasting money and buying properties that they couldn't afford. Placed in the Pound of Flesh trap with his co-worker, Simone. He attempted outdoing Simone in cutting off body parts and was killed in the trap.

Pamela Jenkins:
Investigative reporter and William Easton's sister. She has made the Jigsaw investigations her specialty and began trying to obtain information from Det. Hoffman and Jill. She was abducted and placed in her brother's game. She remained alive throughout the game. Any other connection to John is unknown.

William Easton:
Insurance agent at Umbrella Health and Pamela Jenkins' brother. He was John's direct line of contact when he seeked coverage for experimental cancer treatment. William denied coverage, as he did for most of his customers. He was under a lawsuit by the Abbott family for denying coverage to a heart disease patient. He was abducted and placed in a game involving his employees and the Abbott family. He was killed by Brent Abbott.

Harold Abbott:
Heart disease patient. He was denied health coverage by William after his company dug up a pre-existing condition. His wife, Tara, and his son, Brent, were involved in William's game. Any other connection to John is unknown.

Tara Abbott:
Harold's wife. Placed in William's game. No direct connection to John is known.

Brent Abbott:
Harold and Tara's son. Placed in William's game. No direct connection to John is known.

Allen:
William's assistant at Umbrella Health. He was killed by William in the Hanging Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Addy:
William's secretary at Umbrella Health. She was chosen by William to survive the Hanging Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Debbie:
William's lawyer. She served as William's defense in the lawsuit by the Abbott's. Placed in the Steam Room and failed to retrieve the key to her device from William's abdomen in time. She was killed in the trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Janitor:
Janitor at Umbrella Health. Placed in the Oxygen Mask trap with William. He was killed by the trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Aaron:
Part of "the Dogpit" at Umbrella Health. Worked for William, with 5 others, by finding errors in insurance claims and applications. Killed via the Carousel Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Emily:
Part of "the Dogpit" at Umbrella Health. Worked for William, with 5 others, by finding errors in insurance claims and applications. Survived the Carousel Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Dave:
Part of "the Dogpit" at Umbrella Health. Worked for William, with 5 others, by finding errors in insurance claims and applications. Killed via the Carousel Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Gena:
Part of "the Dogpit" at Umbrella Health. Worked for William, with 5 others, by finding errors in insurance claims and applications. Killed via the Carousel Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Shelby:
Part of "the Dogpit" at Umbrella Health. Worked for William, with 5 others, by finding errors in insurance claims and applications. Survived the Carousel Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Josh:
Part of "the Dogpit" at Umbrella Health. Worked for William, with 5 others, by finding errors in insurance claims and applications. Killed via the Carousel Trap. No direct connection to John is known.

Dr. Heffner:
Coroner. He has examined every body connected to the Jigsaw murders, including John. He also found the hidden tape intended for Det. Hoffman while performing John's autopsy and discovered the difference in knife cuts in the Jigsaw pieces cut out of the victims. Dr. Heffner has never been tested and is alive.

*sigh*
That's all I have for John and yes, it took a long time to write. I don't think I made any mistakes and if I did, don't base them on speculation. I based everything on what we know for sure as of right now.
I'm currently working on a connection list to Amanda and plan on starting one for Det. Hoffman, Jill, and Det. Matthews.

Stay tuned, I guess.

Grammy time...

2010-02-01T10:44:00.002-07:00

For the first time in like 3 or 4 years, if not longer, I watched most of the Grammy Awards. The show has changed a lot since I watched it last. It's more focused on performances than awards now. Most of the awards are announced ahead of time so you're forced to just look at the final list to see all of the winners. Lame.

As far as the performances that I saw, there were good ones and bad ones.
The best:

Pink
Black Eyed Peas
Lady GaGa and Elton John

The worst:

Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks (by far the worst, holy shit)
Beyonce
Zac Brown Band (booooooring)

The Michael Jackson tribute wasn't too bad. The fact that it was discolored and fuzzy as hell for those without 3D glasses was pretty retarded, in my opinion. Celine Dion still has it, Usher was oversinging and out of key, Carrie Underwood killed it, Smokey Robinson did what he does, and Jennifer Hudson oversang it. Then again, she oversings everything. I will admit that seeing Beyonce jamming out in her 3D glasses made me laugh.
The thing that shocked me the most was seeing Jackson's kids, Prince and Paris, without masks. We saw them at the televised funeral without them but it's still shocking. They seem well mannered, well spoken, and educated. No doubt the stumbling was nerves. They're just kids, after all.

And it has to be said... What in the hell was Taylor Swift doing? That girl was so flat and out of key it wasn't even satisfying to make fun of. I wanted to hit the mute button so many times. Stevie Nicks still sounds like a goat and didn't compliment Taylor at all. That combination was a huge mistake. I'm no Taylor Swift fan but her performance on the VMAs was a lot better. This performance was embarrassing.

Beyonce was overhyped yet again. Her short cover of Alanis Morissette made me angry. She didn't even do a good job. Stick to being Sasha Fierce, honey.

Pink was amazing, as always. She always finds a way to take it to the next level and it always works.

The Black Eyed Peas did a good job, too. They are still weird and their dancers looked like Bib Fortuna from Star Wars, or as my dad put it "the dancing red vaginas." The dancing stereos were fun, though. As a result I have resorted to singing "I Gotta Feeling" yet again.

Lady GaGa should have picked a different song, but it still worked. She and Elton John complimented each other via sparkles and piano. I enjoyed it. I don't really get why "Pokerface" was her big nomination. I think it's one of her weaker songs. I would have gone with "Paparazzi."

I stopped watching after Jay-Z and Rihanna accepted their award, so I missed the Eminem performance and all that. I got bored. Plain and simple.

Hell yeah...

2010-01-31T18:18:00.003-07:00

I got The Blob for 50 cents today. I also got Creepshow and House of the Dead for $5 each.

I love my job sometimes.

Now I'm even more curious...

2010-01-27T12:02:00.003-07:00

I bought Saw VI yesterday and have managed to watch it 3 times already... Don't judge me. In all fairness, I watched it once normally and the other two times with the two commentaries. They can reveal clues that you wouldn't hear otherwise.

Anyway, in the Unrated Director's Cut (which is the only version available if you want widescreen or Blu-Ray) there is a little more footage included with Cecil and Amanda. From what I remember about the Theatrical Cut we just saw them outside of the clinic and the brief driving scene while Hoffman's voice over is reading the letter. Cecil hesitates, you see Jill turning off the lights in the clinic, and Amanda pushes Cecil out of frame telling him to just do it. He slams the door into Jill's abdomen killing Gideon, yada yada yada. We all know what happened in Saw IV. You see Cecil running away and Amanda collapses into a corner in shock and awe.
The difference between the DC and the TC is basically the length and what was included. In the DC we see a longer driving scene with Amanda and Cecil (which was completely out of place, in my opinion) and there is more interaction between them outside of the clinic. If I remember correctly, the extended interaction introduces the first real glimpse of sexuality in the entire Saw franchise so far. Cecil turns back, tries to tell Amanda that Jill has been good to them, Amanda goes on to say "I've been good to you," leans in toward his face, and her hands go south and start feeling up his crotch. Not only does this finally show what we all suspected of Amanda in terms of being willing to go as far as necessary for drugs, even sexual favors, but it implies that she and Cecil were a couple. How does this effect previous theories, Cecil's knife trap in Saw IV, and Amanda? Here's what I'm thinking.

John knew Cecil was present at the time of the accident with Jill. He is reading in his car and sees Cecil run outside. That gives him a face to place at the scene. However, to our knowledge John didn't notice Amanda at the scene. Unless she managed to get up and run away, or hide somewhere else, in the time that Cecil left and John came running into the clinic and found Jill, I think she could have been spotted. Especially if she kept making all of that noise.
As a result of the accident we see John's first test. He follows Cecil to a parade, captures him, and places him in the knife chair. Let's take a brief look at what John said to him:

"I want to play a game. Your life is a lie Cecil, but now comes your moment of truth. As a drug addict and a theif you've preyed on the kindness of others to fuel your addiction. Today, we bring the ugliness inside of you out into the open. Now in order for you to stay alive, you have to match your face to the ugliness of your soul. Just lean forward into the knives with your face. Press hard enough and you will release the arm and leg restraints that bind you. Press hard though, and you'll be free. Or you can sit idly and bleed out on the floor. Live or die, Cecil. Make your choice."

So... seeing that Amanda was really the one behind breaking into the clinic for drugs, should Cecil's trap have really been her's? I see the way things turned out and how symbolic the RBT became as the plot unfolded movie by movie, but in terms of principle (we all know John and his principles) the knife chair should have had Amanda in it and not Cecil. After seeing the events of Saw VI it shows even more so that the knife chair was used by John purely for revenge. Cecil had a chance and technically won, but when he was released John led him into the razor wire. Say self defense all you want, but that's in no way what it was. Not in my opinion.
I always thought Jill inquired about Cecil with John fairly quickly. If Amanda was a regular at the clinic and was linked to Cecil publically (I have no doubts about that) she could have been the one to report him missing, she could have said something about not knowing where he was to Jill... any number of things are possible. Jill knew what Cecil did to her but at that point she didn't know about Amanda's involvement so she would have seen her as a woman just not knowing where her man was. Not to mention that Jill always possessed a great amount of sympathy for addicts, which is mainly what irritated John, so she might have been inquiring for Amanda's sake out of conscience. Seeing how upset John was about Gideon and how crazy he got, the fact that she even thought to go to him and ask was very plausible and I always thought it showed how well she knew John.

Personally, I think John knew Amanda was involved in the loss of Gideon. His dialogue with Jill in Saw VI with Amanda standing there clearly indicates that Jill had spoken to John about Amanda. He flat out says Jill had told him she was a lost soul. John was also a frequent visitor at the clinic and according to Saw: Rebirth, he was in a rehab hospital with her after she overdosed. Granted Rebirth isn't 100% credible anymore but it gives insight to possibilites that have been written in association with the actual franchise.
If John knew it would potentially explain how Hoffman knew about her involvement and why he included it in the letter. Another possibility with that is that Hoffman could have added to it.
Compare the two letter possibilities:

John's
"Amanda, you were with Cecil the night Jill lost Gideon. You killed our child. You know it and I know it. (insert more text if desired)"

Hoffman's:
"Amanda, you were with Cecil the night Jill lost Gideon. You killed their child. You know it and I know it so do exactly as I say. Kill Lynn Denlon or I will tell John what you did."

It is more than possible that Hoffman could have inserted that last piece. The new scene with him setting up the Rack with Amanda shows that she wasn't necessarily intimidated by him. She flinched at him and laughed, picked on his inability to perfect traps, and basically rubbed in his face that she was an apprentice too. Her only true weakness was John. Their connection and her level of love for him was obvious all throughout Saw III. Hoffman knew that and the only way he could create the leverage to get her to do something was to threaten the relationship they had. By setting her up with unwinnable traps (at least I think he did) and making her kill Lynn it ensured that Jeff would most likely take out his vengeance and frustration on the last two people he faced, if his wife was killed or wounded. Seeing that Amanda shot Lynn, it was only natural for Jeff to use his one bullet to shoot her. He went even farther and killed John, too. The fact that he killed his own wife by killing John is just ironic.
Who does that leave as a sole survivor and newly promoted hero? Mark Hoffman.

I like the scenes included in Saw VI. It opens up a lot more windows. I wish there were more and I hope this isn't the last we see of Amanda, but I have a feeling it is. They can't really expand on too much and still have it be relevant. Not to mention that Shawnee Smith is still pregnant and most likely will be cruising into February. Production on Saw VII starts in about a week and a half. Unless it does well and there is a Saw VIII, I am doubting the return of Amanda for another movie right now.

What can you do except theorize, eh?

This happens about once or twice a year...

2010-01-24T14:11:00.003-07:00

Yes, my annual day of deep thought about my life has come again. Saddest part about it is I think about the same things every year. I have thought about this same subject for the past 3 or 4 years now.

My social and love lives are pieces of shit.

I haven't had a boyfriend in years and years, I haven't even had people like me in forever (no one that I know of), I don't have very many close friends and never really have, and I find it difficult to make friends. Have I liked people? Of course. Do I have friends? Well, yeah. So what's the problem? I think this is the best answer I'll ever be able to give myself...

I'm a very shy person and I have been told on several occasions that I'm very unique and hard to understand at times. People my age often don't understand me and don't understand the way I see things. I am very mature and have been for a long time. I remember people thinking I was in high school when I was a 6th and 7th grader because I was very well spoken, opinionated, and smart. As a result, people around me found me weird and always told me things like I should lighten up, I should have more fun, and that I should stop trying to be people's mom. I actually still hear that often and I'm 21 years old now.
I guess we could start as far back as I can remember.

Elementary school was never fun for me. When it came to peers I was never well liked. I got picked on and secluded from the "main groups" a lot. I had friends but they were always kind of on the same wavelength as me. They were shy, weird, or fellow fat kids that no one else really liked. When it came to boys I was always seen as one of the guys, even back then. I would come to school with my Mariners hat, jeans, sneakers, and baseball glove in hopes that I could play with the guys at recess and lunch. The fact that I almost never got to play was beside the point. None of them ever liked me. I started playing girl's softball on a team (Spartans, FTW) and I made one really good friend on that team out of like 14-15 girls. We would always go to each other's birthday parties and stuff like that and I remember my mom telling me once that everyone thought I was weird and boyish because I wanted action figures instead of lip gloss and glitter. Excuse me for wanting to play wrestling guys with my older brother and my friends at school, right? Bitches. I mainly hate females to this day.
I "dated" (whatever you call it at that age) this boy in 5th grade for almost the whole year and we broke up a little before the year ended. We were both little chunked out, rock music loving nerds that would play wrestling guys at recess. We had a little group that we had nicknames for with our other friends. I had the biggest crush on one of the other boys in our group and I remember us "dating" for like 3 weeks and it just kind of fizzled out. Kids that age are fooling themselves with that stuff, lol. I still talk to him and we apparently are in like with each other still, but nothing ever happens. Life, college, and growing up happens. We went to different middle schools and didn't talk for 3 years. Seeing him at freshman orientation when we started high school was just complete gift.

When I reached middle school I was still a fairly quiet, fat kid and I wasn't always the happiest pre-teen at Mrachek. I struggled with some things and it took me a couple of years to just find a semi-comfortable place to be. To get to that semi-comfortable place I felt the need to grow up in my own mind. I didn't want to deal with this petty crap that everyone else made such a big deal about; stuff like dating, make-up, sex, and dressing like a whore. I just never saw the point in overly girly things and the things all the popular kids were wasting so much time on. In 6th grade I was more than happy in a hoodie, jeans, and some Chucks or Vans playing Tech Deck mini-skateboards and bikes with some of the boys at lunch.
Sure I made friends eventually, but they seemed to worry other people like my mom. By the time the end of 6th grade and the beginning of 7th grade rolled around the people I befriended were the "goth" kids that wore all black and studs and were all anti-social. The unfortunate part for her and anyone else is I was one of them. People didn't like me and they always found something to pick at. I wanted to just ignore them and hanging with people that also wanted to ignore them was really easy to do. I suppose it's every parent's dream to have a happy, thin daughter wearing make-up and pink and has lots of friends. I was a fat kid in black clothes that sat in the corner with no lights at lunch and was in the orchestra and the smart classes. Boys looked at me like one of the guys, like a sister, or said I was an ugly, fat nerd with glasses. I liked guys, of course, but they never liked me. The only two that ever told me they liked me were losers and I didn't like them. One of them asked me out for a month straight and I had to dig to a really low place to get him to leave me alone. Classic psychological damage everyone talks about, eh? lol

High school really wasn't any different. I had a select group of friends that were pretty much in the same gothy-indie style, some of which I had carried over from middle school. The only difference with high school is those kinds of people actually have the potential to be popular. You're thrown into a melting pot of classes, sports, and activities spread across 4 grade levels. It can be overwhelming if you let it get to you. I guess I can admit that I let it get to me for most of 9th grade. I was a sarcastic little shit that didn't really have any interest in opening any doors with anyone because I figured I would get the same results. Nothing at all. To quote the Wedding Singer, "I listened to the Cure a lot, so..."
By 10th grade I had made some new friends and had finally started to feel a little better. I was still involved in the music program, found that people that were considered cool and normal shared the smart classes with me, and I began to find more people that seemed to like my humor and nerdiness. I'm not embarassed to say that they were mainly band/orchestra people. I went on a band trip to California, placed highly, had awesome roommates, got to spend a full day at Disneyland, spent days at the beach, and had a great time. Still didn't have any guys interested in me, but by then I had gotten used to it and just didn't tell anyone anything. You get tired of hearing the same things and getting put down.
I lost a lot of the friends I had kept from middle school and made by 11th grade. We met new people, became interested in different things, and all just moved on. I became close with some kids in orchestra and we had some of the best times I have ever had that year and that summer. Even though high school was going well, my grades suffered that year because I didn't care about much of anything. I was ready to make it to senior year and just get out of there. That's pretty much exactly what I did. I went to my senior prom with a friend because I was too chicken to ask anyone for real and no one asked me. I knew if I didn't lock down a friend date I would be going solo and who seriously wants to do that? I graduated, was set to go to college (not away to college, but I didn't mind), and looked forward to seeing what life outside of high school had to offer.

Much to my surprise, in all honesty, it didn't offer much. I hung out with the same people, didn't make any new college buddies, and ended up switching to a local community college because I didn't like the overcrowded atmosphere of downtown. Not to mention that Metro State sucks. Every Tuesday and Thursday I would get dropped off at the lightrail station, wait for 15 minutes with my backpack that weighed like 30 lbs., get on the train, sit next to the same kid that I went to Rangeview with and babble about nothing for a half hour, go to my classes, bump into people outside and in the halls, hop on the train home, sit in silence with my iPod on, get off and walk to the bus stop, wait for 15 minutes, get on the bus, sit in silence with my iPod on, and spend 5-10 minutes walking home from the bus stop. That went on for 17 weeks and I hated every minute of it. How do people actually like college? I dropped out of Metro when I was 19. Ever since then I have been stuck in the same spot. CCA has officially gotten on my nerves and I didn't enroll in classes for the spring 2010 semester. I'm tired of school and at this point, I never want to go back.

I'm tired of a lot of things. I've been working at the same place for over a year. Same people, same customers, same bullshit, etc.. It's all so monotonous and I am starting to just lose my mind. Now my friends are all gone, too. They're in Fort Collins or Boulder or Greeley or in another state. I'm quite lonely and bored. I am a sad panda and it's a struggle for me to even be happy these days. I don't feel like I have any reason.
Men still don't see me as anything but one of the guys or as a sister. They probably still see me as an ugly fat nerd, too. I'm just not very girly and I never have been. I just found a comfortable spot and stayed there. Sorry that I like hats, baggy jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, sports, and Star Wars. Sorry I don't like make-up, tight clothes, belly shirts, or that I don't look like Megan Fox or Angelina Jolie. Being alone for so long really sucks. I don't even have anything to compare it to. I'm not opposed to finding someone one day. I actually look forward to it. It would give me someone to talk to and hopefully they wouldn't just tell me to be quiet when I am just being myself. I see cute guys all the time, especially at work. I just am too shy and I don't think very highly of myself. I don't see myself as anything but an ugly fat nerd, to be honest. Who would want that? People in general are too petty to look deeper and see what's inside. At this point, my cynical self probably wouldn't believe anyone that said they liked me. People say things to try and make me feel better all the time. Why would that be any different?

Maybe I really am unusual. I am not even close to the same mindset as other people my age. I'm not concerned with parties, drinking, drugs or anything like that. I tell people to be careful and I tell people what they're doing is stupid. I either get ignored for it or picked at. If it isn't that, I get told that I should just let go and start living. That's not living to me. I have morals and values and a picture of how I want to remember my life. Looking back and seeing multiple sexual partners, nights where I drank so much I couldn't remember anything, waking up and not knowing what I did or who I did it with does not appeal to me at all. People that live it and/or want to live it confuse the hell out of me. I do not understand it at all. There are bigger things to be concerned with, in my opinion. I always said I should have been born in a time with higher morality and maturity. Being overly mature for my age got old years ago. I often relate more with adults (people I work with, family members, etc.) than people my age, including my close friends. How pathetic is that?
I have a sense of humor that is very dry and sarcastic. I say things and wonder why people are laughing. I laugh at things that people think are disturbing and completely unfunny. I guess all I can say is you get it or you don't.

Hearing that I need to just go out there and put myself in an uncomfortable situation to make friends or break my shyness isn't an option for me. I don't know how to make friends. I don't know how to meet guys. I just don't know how to do a lot of things when it comes to the social and love subjects. I have never been good at it and I don't think I ever will be. If you actually read this whole thing you should have been able to see why. Years and years of being rejected, pushed away, and ignored takes its toll. You get stuck in a place that is very hard to get out of.

Yes, I'm tired of being alone. I'm tired of feeling lonely. I'm tired of not knowing what I'm doing or where I'm going. I am tired of not knowing what certain emotions feel like. I am a religious person and I do believe that God has something, or someone, waiting for me and I just haven't gotten there yet. I just can't help but ask, when?
I have had things that I wanted to do that I can't do. For example, I really wanted to enlist in the US Navy. I talked with a recruiter with the intentions of enlisting either before 2009 was over or shortly after 2010 began. However, I am physically ineligible because of health conditions (aka, my vision is too bad for enlistment). Is that part of it? Being constantly depressed about my social and love status was enough. Now I've been upset about that since last fall.
I regret not going to college for art and film to begin with. I didn't want the criticism from my family, who find it a waste of time, so I just went to college picking things that I liked but didn't want as a career. Now I hate school and wish I would have been doing what made me happy in the first place.

I know what I want but I just don't know how to get it, I guess. I don't know how much longer I can wait without melting a microchip.

Alicia Keys...

2010-01-20T16:42:00.002-07:00

She always sounds like she's pushing and straining her voice. I was just listening to "Empire State of Mind" and really noticed it.

USA... USA...

2010-01-19T13:52:00.001-07:00

I want a Team USA Hockey jersey. I did some searching and found them on the official website... for $140.

Wtf... my overpriced RBK Avalanche jersey wasn't even that much.

Sweet, sweet irony...

2010-01-19T08:19:00.003-07:00

Anyone that followed Saw VI knows that its main box office competition was Paranormal Activity. It pretty much got crushed and kicked while it was already on the ground. You would also know that a man named Kevin Greutert, who edited the first 5 Saw movies, directed the 6th one. He announced after Saw VI was released that it was going to be his last Saw movie. Sad day for fans because he brought a lot to the franchise and is an all around great guy.

Ready for the funny?

Kevin will be directing Paranormal Activity 2.

When I say "irony" you all should laugh. Irony! *insert laughter*
I know I probably sound like a bitch, but I am so disappointed with Lionsgate/Twisted Pictures for letting Saw get to a 7th movie, having David Hackl direct again, and making it in 3D that I will be rooting for a movie that I think is an even dumber idea. Not to mention the fact that Paranormal Activity was the worst movie I think I have ever seen. If I wanted to watch people sleep and argue for 2 hours I would just get a roommate and do it for free.

Both movies are set to be released on October 22, 2010. For the love of your mother, people... go against your morals and see Paranormal instead. Just be sure to pray after you get out of the theater. You'll no doubt feel like your soul got a piece taken away.
However, Kevin showed a lot of promise with Saw VI so it might not be as bad as the first one.

I just can't stop laughing.

6-0, baby...

2010-01-18T22:35:00.001-07:00

We just crushed Edmonton, 6-0. It feels really great to bleed blue and burgundy sometimes.

Cumiskey and Duchene had a 2-goal night. They are really stepping up to the plate and performing well.

Well how about that...

2010-01-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

HOJ was re-opened. The entire section for off topic conversations has been removed (including music, celebrities, games, site links, random, etc.)

Layout is a little different but it'll be easy to get used to. I'm just happy they brought it back. I went there to discuss Saw and Saw related things. I can get used to just discussing Saw and Saw related things. No use in doing much else, I suppose. That's what started all that shit in the first place.

Best news yet...

2010-01-10T22:11:00.003-07:00

Trent Reznor has confirmed new Nine Inch Nails material will be released in 2010 along with material from a new project.

HELL YES!!!

I love that guy. I don't care if he's married now. I still just want to hug him.

I freakin' <3 zombies...

2010-01-09T20:27:00.003-07:00

I read this a little while ago and it made me think Hollywood still has a chance. That is, if they do it right.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies starring Natalie Portman... Epic, lol.

Oh, come on...

2010-01-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

We lost to the Hurricanes? The Hurricanes?!

Come on, guys. We're entering the critical part of the season now. We can't afford to make mistakes like this. We actually have a chance at the playoffs this year. Don't blow it!

Son of a bitch...

2010-01-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

They closed down House of Jigsaw.

Mmm mmm good...

2010-01-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

Pineapple juice mixed with pineapple rum = delicious

Pineapple rum mixed with pineapple sherbet and sugar in a blender = even better

Don't call me GaGa...

2010-01-05T14:15:00.003-07:00

I have been on a real kick of listening to Lady GaGa in the past week or so and I discovered the trick to this girl... at least, I think I did.

If you can get past how weird she is and actually listen to the music you'll find that it isn't half bad. My complaint that all of her songs pretty much sound the same remains, but she creates catchy songs and it has an 80's-like element that I really like. The electronic sounds and beats are well blended and she actually has a good voice. If you listen to live performances you can really hear the range and clarity of her voice that you don't hear on a recorded track. It is impressive and very surprising.

I was able to get past the fact that she likes to walk around with a birds nest on her face or dripping blood from her top on MTV and I'm kind of glad I did. Give her a chance, people...

Olympic cheer is in the air...

2010-01-02T08:26:00.002-07:00

So the 2010 US Olympic hockey roster was released...

Goalies:
Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings)
Tom Thomas (Boston Bruins)

Defensemen:
Erik Johnson (St. Louis Blues)
Jack Johnson (Los Angeles Kings)
Mike Komisarek (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Paul Martin (New Jersey Devils)
Brooks Orpik (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Brian Rafalski (Detroit Red Wings)
Ryan Suter (Nashville Predators)

Forwards:
David Backes (St. Louis Blues)
Dustin Brown (Los Angeles Kings)
Ryan Callahan (New York Rangers)
Chris Drury (New York Rangers)
Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
Ryan Kesler (Vancouver Canucks)
Phil Kessel (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Jamie Langenbrunner (New Jersey Devils)
Ryan Malone (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Zack Parise (New Jersey Devils)
Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks)
Bobby Ryan (Anaheim Ducks)
Paul Stastny (Colorado Avalanche)

I'm kind of surprised Craig Anderson didn't make the roster. He has had a great season so far and has made the NHL Star of the week list numerous times, if I recall correctly. The neck injury that stuck us with Budaj (who also made an Olympic team) for a week was just bad luck.

At least we got some representation with Stastny, though. Lucky for us he didn't choose to play for Canada. That dual-citizenship of his could work to his advantage.

The final countdown...

2009-12-31T23:36:00.002-07:00

Nothing like an ode to the final 20 minutes of 2009... You sucked but at the same time you were awesome. Here's to the final year of saying it easily.

I'm curious to see whether 2010 be "two-thousand and ten" or "twenty-ten." I still haven't decided on which one to use for the next decade. Saying "twenty" and then the year seems a lot easier, but knowing me I'll probably fluctuate between the two.

And I need to decide whether I'm going to Mardi Gras in the Spring or not. I was invited, after all.

Last day of 2009...

2009-12-31T08:38:00.002-07:00

Hard to believe that this year is already on its last day.

This year has been a pretty lousy one for me but at the same time I had a lot of fun. I turned 21, I found some people that I love being around, I found out a lot about myself, and had a lot of let downs. Overall I think it made me stronger, though. I found out that it isn't always worth it to hide. Hiding only causes you to be more involved and get more hurt.

What else did I find out?

- I am tired of being alone.
- What I thought I never wanted is actually becoming desired.
- Being straight-forward about something isn't a bad thing.
- As much as I hate my job I think a part of me would miss it if I left anytime soon.
- I'm eager to leave and try something new.

I'm tired of being in the same spot with the same people and surroundings. I want to see who else is out there. I want to brush myself up a little bit. I want to see what certain emotions are like.

I just want something more.

Happy 2010. I hope it's a better year for all of us.

9...

2009-12-30T22:06:00.001-07:00

I forgot how visually stunning this movie was.

If you buy it, buy it on Blu-Ray. It does the animation and sound true justice.

There is so much stuff...

2009-12-29T14:36:00.003-07:00

I was just looking at my Nightmare Before Christmas stuff on my shelves and around my rooms and I think it finally hit me... I have a lot of stuff. Granted it is my favorite movie and I love to collect memorabilia, I really do have a lot.

Allow me to give you an idea:

Pumpkin Jack scarecrow figurine with 4 Jack-o-Lanterns

Santa Jack figurine with the boy and the shrunken head and evil Christmas wreath

Pajama Jack figurine with a stack of books and Zero sleeping in his dog bed with the dog bowl

Pumpkin King Jack figurine with Halloween Town sign and flying Zero figurine

Jack standing over Christmas Town Hallmark ornament

Jack sitting with Zero by his tombstone Hallmark ornament

Santa Jack hiding behind a Christmas tree Hallmark ornament

Jack sitting in front of the Christmas Town sign Hallmark ornament

Double-sided Jack face porcelain jewelry box

Jack head-knocker of him hiding behind a tombstone

Jack talking doll with Zero head

Jack dashboard ornament

Jack shot glasses (3)

Jack desk lamp

Jack car antennae topper

Jack snowglobe of him reading a book about Christmas (plays "This is Halloween")

Santa Jack snowglobe of him in the coffin sleigh (plays "What's This?")

Jack pumpkin snowglobe with Sally, Lock, Shock, and Barrell (plays "Kidnap the Sandy Claws")

Jack mini-snowglobe of him as a jack in the box with the killer duck toy

Jack coffee thermos (2)

Jack baseball

Jack coffee mugs (4)

Jack car magnets (2)

Jack fleece throw blanket

Sally figurine of her sitting in the graveyard with one arm torn off

Sally figurine with her sewing table and Santa Jack picture

Sally abdomen-up figurine of her holding a flower

Sally mini-figurine of her standing with the gift basket for Jack

Sally coffee thermos

Sally and Dr. Finkelstein statue

Dr. Finkelstein figurine with the wheelchair and detachable brain

Dr. Finkelstein mini-figurine in his wheelchair

Behemoth figurine with Nutcracker toy

Vampire Brothers figurines with sun umbrellas

Hanging tree figurine with all 5 hanging skeletons

Jack and Sally bust figurines

Jack and Sally shot glasses

Jack and Sally statue in the graveyard with flying Zero

Deadly Night Shade cookie jar

Nightmare Before Christmas Trivial Pursuit

Nightmare Before Christmas Monopoly

Nightmare Before Christmas clear playing cards

Nightmare Before Christmas conceptual art book

Nightmare Before Christmas storybook

Nightmare Before Christmas piano sheet music

Jack tattoo on my right calf

Add in clothing and two versions of the movie on DVD and you pretty much have it. I'm sure that isn't all of it either.
Has this movie completely taken over my bank account? You tell me.

Merry Christmas...

2009-12-25T13:39:00.003-07:00

Remember the reason for the season, people.

With that said, everyone celebrates the commercialized version of Christmas anyway.
I got:

Arrested Development (season 3)
The Hangover (Blu-Ray)
Nightmare Before Christmas Monopoly
Nightmare Before Christmas desk lamp
Nightmare Before Christmas ornament
A leopard print Snuggie
Clue (board game)
Wii remote recharging station
A giant tin full of popcorn
A bag of Skittles
A bag of Gummy Bears

Thats about it. Now to go on iTunes and get the music I was holding on in case someone got it for me. I'll be hitting Amazon sometime next week to do the same thing there.

This I just don't understand...

2009-12-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Why would Jason Marquis leave the Rockies and sign a 2-year deal with the Washington Nationals?

Yeah! Let's go from being an All-Star on a team that made the playoffs for the second time in three years to go to the worst team in the National League!
What is the reasoning? The Nats are worse than the Pirates and that is really saying something. They shouldn't even exist.

Dumb move, kid. Dumb move.

AVATAR!!!

2009-12-20T20:23:00.003-07:00

This was an incredible movie. Holy crap.

The visuals were outstanding. The planet was beautiful. The scientific concept was impressive... I could just keep going.

Pandora, and the Na'vi, were the most beautiful at night. The way they would glow and stand out was like being in a room with blacklight paint lit up. It was like an eyegasm.

I'm glad I didn't see it in 3D. It was a little too busy. I don't think my eyes would have been too happy with me, especially during the battle and flight sequences. I saw it on an IMAX size screen so I got the full effect.

Bye bye bye...

2009-12-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

We finally did it.

Garrett Atkins is no longer a Colorado Rockie. He declined arbitration, became a free agent, and has apparently signed a 1-year 2011 option with the Baltimore Orioles.

Best of luck to him. He'll be nothing but a DH the rest of his career.

Avatar...

2009-12-17T21:00:00.003-07:00

I really want to see Avatar. Like... I really, really want to. It looks so freaking epic.

Hopefully I'm going on Saturday.

LOL...

2009-12-10T20:13:00.003-07:00

http://thesnuggiesutra.com/

December 7th really is a bad day...

2009-12-07T16:16:00.003-07:00

First the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor then my dad loses his job.

Yes ma'am. He came home early to show his cell phone, badge, and American Express card missing and said he got layed off. They claimed there wasn't enough work to go around and that they had to let go of certain people in specific departments. They are giving him two weeks pay after today and insurance through the end of the year. Seeing that there are only 3 weeks of the year left it won't do anyone much good.

I really should have enrolled in the insurance package through work. I didn't think I was going to need it for another year, or so.

Regret?

2009-12-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

I kind of regret selling my guitar. I have been getting the music itch recently and all I have is my drumset and my bass. Those aren't what I want to play, though.

Happy Thanksgiving...

2009-11-26T19:41:00.002-07:00

What am I thankful for?

Things being revealed before it's too late. My family. My friends. My gifts and my talents. My job, even if I hate it 95% of the time.

I'm sure there's more. I try not to take anything for granted.

New Moon...

2009-11-24T10:34:00.002-07:00

Yeah... that movie failed. It was overloaded with bad acting, drawn out storylines, and shirtless men. Not to mention it was boring. They spend way too much time on one thing at a time.

Kristen Stewart is the worst actress on the planet. I fear seeing her attempt to pull off a honeymoon with a vampire, a dangerous pregnancy, turning into a vampire, and being a vampire. She can't even believably beg for Edward's life and love. Luckily Robert Pattinson wasn't in the movie very much. He's just as bad.
Surprisingly, Taylor Lautner is more than a nice body. His acting is quite believable. They would have been stupid to replace him with another actor. He was lucky to keep that role... regardless of the fact that all the teenage girls do whenever he appears on screen shirtless is giggle, scream, and breathe heavily. I was about to complain to the theater but I knew if I left my seat I wouldn't come back.

I don't know how they're making 3 more movies, though. I understand a lot happens in Breaking Dawn, but they ended New Moon with the beginning of Eclipse. They are going to have to draw out a hell of a lot to fill Eclipse with just Bella and Edward's short wedding and her rapid pregnancy. They should combine the rest of Eclipse with the beginning of Breaking Dawn and then make one more movie equaling 4 total, not 5. They're just making them to earn the money. Seeing that New Moon made almost $108 million in 2.5 days, I'm sure they have nothing to worry about. Add merchandise sales on top of that and you have an unnecessarily big franchise.

Cell Phones...

2009-11-22T22:39:00.002-07:00

Why are they so stupid?

Before this morning, my phone worked perfectly fine in my house. I was getting ready for work and tried to send a text and my phone said "service failed, try again?" I tried again like 3 times and it wouldn't let me do anything. I couldn't even make a call. I went to work and it worked all day. I could make calls, send texts, and receive texts. The minute I step into my house at 5:30 and sit in the kitchen I notice that it won't work again. I go into my bedroom and I am able to send some texts. I go into my computer room and my phone won't work at all.
I called T-Mobile and first the girl says they were having network issues. Then she said something about me not being connected to the network and fixes my texting and my outgoing calls, but I still wasn't able to receive calls. She transfers me to tech support. The guy has me dial some number and everything worked fine after that... for like 5 minutes. After I hung up with him, my phone won't work anymore. Trying to avoid calling customer support yet again I start thinking to myself, what if I put my SIM card in my old phone and see if everything works.

It worked like a charm, so it has to be my new phone.

The thing that pisses me off the most is the fact that I got this phone on October 12th. That isn't even two months and I take good care of my phones. In the 4 years I have had a cell phone I have had 3 phones total and I just got the third one 6 weeks ago. What does that prove? I'm not a cell phone abuser and if I take it into a T-Mobile store they will give me a new phone. Not to mention that I spent additional money for phone insurance when I renewed my contract. The girl at the store said that if I had any problems, accidental or not, they would replace my phone at no charge. If that isn't the case I am going to be at war with T-Mobile.

I spent a half hour on the phone with customer support trying to fix my service thinking it was my network which for all I know it could still be. What I don't get is how it randomly chooses to work in specific areas of my house. I have never had a single dead zone in my house before and my mom's phone is working with no problems at all. I baffled both people at T-Mobile because I have 4-5 bars of service strength, my 3G logo is on, and my phone still won't let me text (outgoing or incoming), receive calls, or make calls. My old, beat up Motorola will but my brand new Samsung won't all of a sudden. I didn't even do anything to it.

Yay... yet another unexpected trip to the mall tomorrow to deal with T-Mobile. I'm going in the morning to get it over with as soon as I can. If it isn't my phone after all I don't know what to do. I don't want to keep using my Motorola. I got a new phone for a reason.

Oprah...

2009-11-20T18:03:00.001-07:00

So she's quitting her talk show in 2011 and it doing televised farewells with tears now. 2009 isn't even over yet. Oprah, you still have almost 2 years left. Cry when we're actually into 2011.

These people are retarded.

Wtf...

2009-11-20T10:10:00.002-07:00

Why and how are people so obsessed with Twilight? I seriously don't understand.

It's a sappy, stupid, predictable story that is ruining teenage perspectives on relationships and love. Sorry, but if some guy was coming into my room at night and tells me that he's been coming in for the past couple of months watching me sleep... THAT IS FUCKING CREEPY!!! All of these dumb kids, and adults, watching these movies and reading the books think that's romantic. That is not romantic.

The thing that baffles me the most is the adult obsessions. People in their mid-late twenties, thirties, and even forties are wearing "Team Edward" shirts and wearing the stupid jewelry. Grow up, people. You're not 14 anymore.

Veterans Day...

2009-11-11T21:52:00.002-07:00

I hope all veterans and active duty service members had a wonderful Veterans Day. The day is reserved for and dedicated to them.

I don't take any of my freedoms for granted and I have an indescribable amount of respect for those who have the determination, courage, and strength to serve their country. We are in hard times right now. We're at war, we're trying to rebuild our own government, and we still have men and women volunteering to serve every single day. They are the heroes and reasons we are able to rebuild and continue to be free. One of the main reasons I haven't quit my job yet is because I love feeling like I am serving those who protect my liberty and maybe even my own life.

To those serving overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan, or wherever else, I hope they know their fellow citizens respect them, want them to be safe, and want them to come home as soon as possible. I have friends that have served in both places and luckily they have returned home. One of them has been more than once and has come home each time. I wish this was the case for all of our men and women over there. I want them to be safe and to not be discouraged. Their country loves them and respects them. Those who don't are a minority and need a reality check. Without our military we wouldn't have anything we have now.

I had hoped to serve in the US Navy, but I have a physical condition keeping me from enlisting. I should have stepped up and made a decision earlier but I'm dumb and didn't realize that it would have been a good thing. I hope to be involved in the military somehow, though. I'm looking into civilian service and jobs.

I hope our veterans, and soon to be veterans, know that people do want to continue to join them. To use myself as an example... not all of us can be out there with you, but we are with you in hopes and prayers. Stay safe, come home safe, and never doubt your service. I, along with many others, waive their flags proudly.

La la la la la...

2009-11-11T15:12:00.002-07:00

I just found out that MTV has announced a 2010 release for Daria on DVD.

FINALLY!!!

I have waited so long for this show to be released on DVD. No major details yet, but apparently there was a teaser that simply says "Daria on DVD in 2010" on the DVD release of The State. I am so happy.

Halo...

2009-11-10T09:23:00.002-07:00

Who really understands the point of Halo?

To me it is just an excuse for guys to hook up multiple Xbox systems to multiple TVs, cuss each other out, drink soda, eat chips, and kill each other. I have been to lots of Halo parties, because I have a lot of guy friends, and I'm always the one person sitting there bored out of my mind. I have actually played the game a couple times and am not only the first person killed, but I am killed multiple times. In the hundred times I have been killed I have only shot and killed one person. The odds are not in my favor.

I imagine this applies to games like Call of Duty, too. My brother plays these games and tells me stories of the loser 12-year old kids on Xbox Live calling grown men pussies and trying to be all bad ass.

Is this really what we're doing with our lives now?

Regina Spektor w/Jupiter One...

2009-11-08T17:15:00.003-07:00

Regina Spektor w/Jupiter One
November 7, 2009
Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO

Setlist:
The Calculation
Eet
Folding Chair
Ode to Divorce
Machine
Laughing With
One More Time With Feeling
Blue Lips
On The Radio
Dance Anthem of the 80's
Bobbin' For Apples
That Time
Silly Eye-Color Generalization
Après Moi
Poor Little Rich Boy
Human of the Year
Man of a Thousand Faces

Encore:
Samson
Us
Fidelity

I had a really fun time. This adorable woman puts on a really, really good show. She jokes a lot with the audience (including saying "I'm meeeelltttiiiing" when someone threw glitter at the stage), swears like a sailor (saying "oh fuck!" whenever she would make a mistake), and will actually start over if she messes up too badly (we pretty much heard Après Moi twice) . I find it very cool that she pauses to thank the audience after every song and looks at everyone while she's doing it. Most bands will just hold up their hand and say "thanks" while the rest of the band is already starting the next song.

She is touring with a band called Jupiter One. I didn't really care for them. I thought all of their songs sounded the same and that they were trying too hard to be "indie." She also has a violinist, cellist, and drummer that played most of the set with her. I think there were only 7 or 8 songs out of 20 that were just her and the piano/guitar.

The funniest moment would be her cussing out a member of the audience. Before every song this guy kept yelling out "COME ON PEOPLE! DANCE DANCE DANCE! DANCE REGINA!" Dead serious. Every single song. Zach and I were fortunate enough to be like 7-8 people away from him. After 2 or 3 songs other members of the audience, including myself, started telling him to shut up. When she started playing Blue Lips he did it in the middle of the song and I decided to release my rage and yell out "shut the fuck up!" Not even two seconds after I yelled it, she paused and yelled "shut the fuck up" into the microphone and then kept playing. That entire place cheered throughout the rest of the song. Needless to say, we didn't hear him yell out again. She also dissed him after the song was over saying something like, "we need to just put him in the direction of a dance class so he can do it there."

I was annoyed with the amount of scenester posers at this show, though. All of the guys in ungodly tight pants and girls in flowered, old lady dresses shouting out the lyrics to songs off Far and then standing there scratching their heads when she would play an older song. It was pathetic and I feel sorry that Regina is gaining those kinds of fans. Price of success and an SNL appearance, though.

However, I really enjoyed myself. I was mega disappointed that she didn't play The Genius Next Door, but that's alright. I'm sure I will see her live again and I might hear it in the future. I would recommend her shows and music to anyone. It is absolutely wonderful.

Oh, and we saw a homeless guy with a shopping cart and a sign saying "savin' up for a hooker." Zach wanted to give him money.

Fort Hood...

2009-11-05T19:45:00.002-07:00

My prayers go out to the families of those killed and/or injured at Fort Hood today.

I work on a military base and we were all shaken up after hearing what happened. It could happen anywhere and it's always a wake-up call when it does happen.

I'm reading articles about this officer that shot up and killed 13 people, so far, and wonder how we have so many fucking lunatics running around. The guy worked at Walter Reed, got poor performance ratings, and was now set to be deployed overseas. I have read that he was under suspicion for 6-months prior to today for bomb threats and internet talk of suicide bombings. Why in the hell are we not acting on this stuff? The same goes for these kids building bombs in their basement and taking them to school.

The world we live in is getting scarier every single day. It makes me very sad and my chest tightens just thinking about it.

I might have found a new favorite...

2009-11-05T07:24:00.002-07:00

I am a Chipotle/Qdoba addict. I won't even hesitate to admit that. It is the best food ever.

I went to Qdoba yesterday and saw the sign saying that signature tastes will currently earn you double points on your Qdoba card. Being the fatty that I am, I'm always eager to earn that free burrito. I looked at the menu and almost got the queso burrito, but I realized that I'm not crazy about the peppers in it. I decided to try the ancho chile BBQ burrito. Let me tell you... it was one of the best burritos I have ever tasted. That sauce is just wonderful. Not too spicy and kind of sweet.

It's like 40 cents more, but I think I have found a new favorite. I usually just get a naked chicken. I will be adding the ancho chile sauce from now on. You can bet on it.
One more reason why Qdoba is better than Chipotle. They're cheaper and they have more combination/flavor options.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T16:14:00.001-06:00

Nothing like kicking back blasting David Bowie.

I think I'll go watch the Nightmare Before Christmas now.

Saw VI...

2009-10-27T11:26:00.002-06:00

Well... I'm still pretty torn on what to say about this movie. It was an improvement over Saw V (Kevin Greutert is the man, fuck David Hackl), but it still wasn't the same as the first three movies. It carried the same basic complaints that I had with Saw IV and Saw V; it was very rushed and there was too much going on at one time. The amount of flashbacks was insane and it was very back and forth. Thank God for the special filter they use for flashback sequences or you wouldn't know where the hell they were on the timeline.

Main disappointments:
-SERIOUS lack of Amanda. For all the hype and announcements of her return, she wasn't in it nearly as much as she could have/should have been. I bet if you added up her screentime it would total somewhere between 3-5 minutes.
-Bringing Agent Perez back for 10 minutes just to kill her off again. She was splashed with hot coffee and then stabbed numerous times. Coffee? Really?
-Very predictable, in terms of William. Granted I did read spoilers before I went to the theater, but it was quite easy to figure out. A lot easier than previous movies.
-Jill's involvement. Can we all say predictable together in unison next to the Lionsgate offices?
-Hoffman's survival. What the fuck? Now we have to deal with that, now facially deformed, asshole for yet another movie? Thanks a lot.

Angering disappointments:
-The ending. The whole ending just pissed me off.
-The flashback showing Amanda's involvement with the loss of Gideon and the explanation of the letter wasn't enough. Showing her freaking out in the corner for 5 seconds after Cecil slams the door into Jill's abdomen wasn't enough to justify all the hype and the photo release. It just wasn't enough. Making us wait 3 years just to hear Hoffman read the letter was retarded, too.

On the subject of Amanda's return, allow me to elaborate on what exactly was revealed in Saw VI; basically we find out the contents of the letter we see upset her so much way back in Saw III. As we found out in Saw VI, Hoffman wrote the letter and placed it inside of the envelope along with what appears to be a key. The letter was abandoned in Saw VSaw IV. Hoffman states in the letter that if she did not kill Lynn he would reveal this information to John.
Before this flashback, there was one of John trying to convince Jill that his work was superior to hers and that his actually worked. He claimed that addiction was incurable as long as you keep fueling the fire with alternative drugs. Jill disagrees and John makes her witness his "proof" which happens to be a clean and sober Amanda standing in the corner of her office. John tells Jill to take a close look and remember that she once mentioned to him that Amanda was a lost, hopeless soul. Amanda then says that his games work and that he helped her.
We also finally see Amanda and Hoffman interact in a short flashback. Hoffman enters the room with Timothy Young (from the Rack in Saw III) in a wheelbarrow and Amanda is pushing John into the room via wheelchair. Amanda and John both comment on the way Hoffman is setting up the trap and Amanda criticizes the lack of attention to detail. John offers advice on how to quickly improve it. As they move away from John, Amanda asks Hoffman when his test is. He says that he didn’t need one because he appreciated the value of life. Amanda criticizes again and says he knows nothing about the value of life because he is still dragging his knuckles on the ground. She adds on that he needs to get used to her because she’s not going anywhere. As she walks away to attend to John he adds on, “You sure about that?” Amanda then takes John down the hallways of the Gideon building and they run into Jill. John instructs Amanda to go kidnap Lynn from the hospital and to do it quickly. As she walks away she and Jill exchange glances and Amanda is obviously stricken with discomfort at the sight of Jill. and has now been fully revealed... Amanda technically is the reason John and Jill lost Gideon. We see, in a very short flashback, Cecil and Amanda outside of Jill's clinic arguing and Amanda appears to force Cecil to break into the clinic to get her a drug fix. Amanda remains outside and witnesses Cecil slam the door into Jill's abdomen causing her to miscarry. As you see Jill begin to collapse and Cecil run away, you see Amanda begin to freak out and collapse in a corner outside. John runs in and finds Jill on the floor as we see in

Other than shots from previous films (mainly Saw III), that’s about all we see from Amanda.

If you have read anything that I’ve said about Saw in the past, or know me personally, you know Amanda is my favorite character. How do I feel about these flashbacks and the revelation of the letter’s content? Not too bad, but there is always room for improvement. I was hoping to see a flashback of Hoffman and/or John kidnapping Amanda to put her in the Reverse Bear trap or see more details of her arrest or see more of her addict life in Jill’s clinic, not necessarily just her making Cecil break into it. John telling Jill that she thought Amanda was a lost soul tells me that Jill treated her for a significant amount of time. I’m still curious to see the timeline between Amanda’s jail sentence, her abusive drug habit/lifestyle, her test, and her partnership with John.

What this all does finally prove is Hoffman’s manipulation and framing of Amanda. By him writing the letter and giving her consequences if she didn’t kill Lynn is blackmail. Flat out blackmail. Amanda’s motivation obviously was to keep the sensitive information from John by any means necessary. We still don’t know if Kerry and Troy’s traps were truly rigged by Amanda. Agents Strahm and Perez do state in Saw IV that Amanda couldn’t have gotten Kerry into the trap herself and that she would have required help. How do we know Hoffman didn’t give Amanda yet another ultimatum for that trap and manipulated her to make it unwinnable? We don’t. The same would/could be with Troy. Even if Amanda is the one actually making the trap, it was under influence of another person. In this case it would be Hoffman. That tells me that he is the true killer and that Amanda was the true Jigsaw apprentice. She wanted to please John and fulfill his work. There were a couple questions I had with this; did Amanda stay with John as an apprentice out of guilt? If she would have let Lynn go, as instructed by John, and lived would she have continued John’s work or would she have disappeared and let Hoffman carry it out?

I didn’t think Saw VI was bad, but it wasn’t great. I would rank it right next to Saw IV which would put it behind I-III and far ahead of V. The fact that David Hackl is returning for Saw VII is ridiculous and I will not be seeing it. I mean it this time. His directing and vision of Saw V was the worst I have ever seen… not to mention that VII is going to be in 3-D. Lionsgate, what the fuck? These movies shouldn’t have been continued past Saw III, but I can admit that Saw VI was a pleasant surprise after seeing two bad sequels before it.

Paranormal Activity...

2009-10-27T10:27:00.002-06:00

How in the hell are people finding this movie scary?

I saw it last night with my sister and we both spent the whole movie laughing. It was badly acted, badly filmed, and extremely predictable. They show what happens at the end in the previews. If you have seen the previews you have seen the end of the movie that everyone is talking about.

The basic premise of this movie... There is a demon spirit in the house and it is haunting the couple, Katie and Micah. I fell asleep for about 10 minutes at the beginning so I'm no help there, but they say they hear footsteps, water shutting on and off, lights going on and off, and doors creaking. As they continue filming themselves the events become more prevalent and more extreme as they are pissing the demon off more. We find out from a psychic they contact the demon is haunting Katie and wants her. Micah, like a dumbass, gets a Ouija board and attempts to contact the demon and tell it to leave. Katie flips out and from then on the paranormal events get worse. She is dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, has bruises and bite marks on her body, begins to sleepwalk and stand in the middle of the room for hours while Micah sleeps, the doors forcefully slam open and closed, they see footprints on the floor after placing powder down, etc.. The ending is like the 20th night of filming themselves sleep. You see Katie get out of bed and stand over Micah for hours as he sleeps, go downstairs, and then start screaming his name. He jolts awake, runs downstairs to aid her, about 45 seconds of nothing pass, and you see his body come flying through the door frame into the camera. You find Katie standing in the door frame with her shirt covered in blood. She walks over to Micah's body, looks at it, crawls toward the camera (like the chick in the Grudge did), smile and turn her head, and then she flashes demon teeth and jumps at the camera. Things go black as they say Micah's body was found like a week later and Katie's whereabouts were never discovered.

Scary? No.
Suspenseful? No. More like boring.

If I wanted to watch time lapsed sleep I would record myself for a month and edit it appropriately. I don't understand how people are finding it scary at all. It a dumb documentary-style movie with elements from the Exorcist and Poltergeist.
Do yourselves a favor and wait until it's played on TV.

Out of pure, fan curiosity...

2009-10-20T16:40:00.002-06:00

I'm actually going to see Saw VI on Friday night. I know I swore after seeing Saw V that I wouldn't do another one in theaters, but I just can't help myself. It's amazing how we can still be addicted and interested in something that has gone so downhill. That explains why people still watch The Simpsons, I guess. That show hasn't been any good in 8-10 years, but it's still going strong.

On an unrelated note, I think I'm finally fully getting over the Swine Flu. Nothing like being sick for almost a full week. I still don't think I'll be better by the time I go back to work/school, but who cares. I'm not contagious anymore.

Obama's Nobel Prize violates the US Constitution...

2009-10-09T13:09:00.003-06:00

Indeed, people.

Article 1, Section 9 of the US Constitution states:
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State."

Let's check the facts here...
-Nobel Prizes come out of Norway.
-Nominations ended in February. Obama was sworn in as President on January 20th.
-Yes, Al Gore won the Nobel Prize... however, he was not a current office holder.
-Even if he was still sitting as an Illinois Senator, it would still be unconstitutional.

Rumors are circulating that it was given as a sympathy award for Obama losing in the Olympic nominations. Who gives a flying fuck? We shouldn't have been fighting for the Olympics anyway. It actually costs more to host an Olympic games than it does gain revenue for the host city/country. We're already billions and trillions of dollars in debt. Not to mention the fact that he wants to push through Universal Healthcare and add yet another stimulus bill that will destroy more small businesses and raise even more taxes.

He's nothing but a teleprompter reading puppet. I'm embarrassed to call him my President.

Doesn't feel too good when the shoe is on the other foot, now does it? People, like me, that supported George Bush have our turn now. The main difference is we actually have reasons to oppose and verbally trash.

Eulogy...

2009-08-29T17:03:00.001-06:00

Obama's eulogy today wasn't that impressive, people. It was nothing but a history lesson with the same vocal tone of another damn campaign speech.

Same head movements, same vocal tone, same over pronounced words, same pauses, same disconnected syllables, etc.

I am sick of it and it hasn't even been a year yet.

MUST!!!

2009-08-21T21:59:00.003-06:00

I MUST see Star Wars in Concert. It's coming to Denver on October 18th.

It looks so fucking amazing. I must. I just must.

District 9

2009-08-15T22:45:00.002-06:00

Now this was a great movie. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I was going to.
Kudos to Peter Jackson for presenting a movie shorter than 3 hours.

Aside from that, I thought it was very well done. You feel a lot of sympathy for the aliens and I think you should. They are the victims this time around. The main alien and his son just grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. I loved his character and was glad to see how things turned out.

The other thing I liked was that the aliens weren't necessarily vicious. They were being held captive and that's as simple as it gets. They didn't really understand why and they were perceived as bottom feeding slobs because they were made that way by the government. The people had no choice but to believe it.

I think I might even see this one again. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thinking a little bit more...

2009-08-14T07:49:00.002-06:00

I was thinking about Saw more...

I think I have started to believe that John (aka, Jigsaw) deliberately screwed Amanda over. I think he began to have more faith in Hoffman and thought that he needed to get rid of Amanda while it was still possible because of her instability, despite how much he apparently cared for her.

His games and determination meant more to him than she did. In the end, I think he wanted someone that could carry the games as close to his style as possible.

However... it was all bullshit because John based everything on Amanda's vengeance and her emotions. Think of it, all 3 of them fell victim to it. John's vengeance led to Cecil, Hoffman's led to Seth, and Amanda's led to Eric and Kerry. They have no reason to blame her for that, but they obviously felt the need to chastise her for it.

I think there was something else with her that we don't know yet. Saw 6 couldn't come any sooner.

Wtf...

2009-08-05T16:43:00.001-06:00

My semester hasn't even started yet and I have already had to replace a class. The Music Theory II class I tried to take last semester got force canceled again this year. If no one ever registers for it then why even offer it and get people's hopes up?

Luckily I went to print my schedule this morning so I could get my books and I noticed it wasn't there. I had to scramble to fill the space with another class, like I did last semester. Now I'm enrolled in Art Appreciation. That sounded so unappealing to me but it was the only thing still open. I stuck with music to avoid taking art history and/or appreciation.

I got screwed over like I always do. Damn it.