The Amazing Spider-Man

As I'm sure you faithful readers are aware, I'm kind of a Spider-Man fan.

Yes.

YES.

YES!

YES!!!

FUCKING YES!

Anyway, unless you've been trapped in a psychopath's basement for the past month or so, you're probably aware of the new Spidey movie.

Now with 100% less Maguire!

Of course, being the fan that I am, I had to check it out. Despite my utter contempt for 95% of the shit Hollywood churns out, my fanboyishness won out.

So, saw it I did! And now I'm here to share my thoughts about it in comparison to the original movie trilogy, to the comics, and to my own opinions.

Let's webswing in!

Let's go right for the metaphorical jugular and talk about Spidey himself. First and foremost, I did NOT like Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. In my experience, Peter was always moderately attractive, in a nerdy, awkward way. Maguire was a fugly, FUGLY guy. He never screamed "Peter Parker" whenever I was watching him in those films.

There's a reason this is a meme

Now, the new guy, Andrew Garfield...HE'S more toward what I imagined. Despite looking like Edward from Twilight (which, by the way, distracted me for a good five minutes when that connection was made in my head), he has an awkward attractiveness about him that seems right for ol' PP.

Performance-wise, both are about on part. I think Garfield was a bit better, and that's compared to Maguire's three movies to his one. I just really felt that Garfield gave a good "teenage Parker" vibe and I hope he can keep it up as the character grows.

Now, one of the more notable changes from the original trilogy of movies was the departure from using Mary Jane as the love interest and replacing her with the chronologically correct Gwen Stacy, portrayed in The Amazing Spider-Man by Emma Stone.

There is literally not a number in existence that quantifies how many people I'd kill to have this

This change in character and casting not only brings in a new face to the Spidey franchise, but also gives the audiences the strong female support character they've been wanting in their Spidey films! I'll be honest again and admit that I did NOT like Kirsten Dunst from the original films either. Not only did I not find her visually appropriate to play Mary Jane, but she also played the cliched, overused, and tired "damsel in distress" character.

Now, I know those of you that have seen the new movie will rebut with "But Gwen Stacy got in trouble all the time!". First of all, yes, duh. Second of all, not in the way that you think. In the school, she went back for Peter and friggin HIT THE LIZARD WITH A CHAIR. That's badass. At Oscorp, she was actually doing something useful for our hero and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And what does she do when the bad guy finds her? FUCKING TRIES SETTING HIM ON FIRE!

I'm serious. Gwen Stacy is the strongest love interest character I've seen EVER in a Spider-Man film.

Hmm...a few other differences between the films that I noted...

Well, Peter Parker in the new film is actually written as an intelligent individual. And in a balanced fashion too! He doesn't come across as unbelievably intelligent. On the contrary, many minor scenes are dedicated to showing him working and figuring things out. For example, the creation of his web shooters is shown through a series of scenes where he's analyzing and experimenting until he gets it right. THAT is how you properly portray an intelligent character...by showing them figuring things out as opposed to them just KNOWING something without much context.

You're supposed to believe I'm intelligent because the script says so. So there.

The secondary characters, however, were hit or miss for me. I didn't like Sally Field as Aunt May. It isn't that she doesn't do a good job, but rather she only did an "okay" job. That and she doesn't look the part. Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, however, was pretty good. I felt that he portrayed Uncle Ben as an individual struggling to be the father figure to a son that a) has nothing in common with him as he's getting older and b) is going through some difficult changes in his adolescence. Very well done, in my opinion. Denis Leary does a good job, too...I was honestly expecting a much more outlandish performance (considering the actor and his previous works). However, if Rescue Me taught me one thing, it's that Leary can do subtle and serious when he needs to.

The writing seemed, for the most part, crisp and clean. The dialogue seemed believable. I only recall one unresolved plotline from the movie, and it was such a minor one that I'm willing to let it go.

I could go on and on about this movie, rambling for paragraphs upon pages, but I won't bore you any longer. My recommendation is that you go see the film and make your own decision. Personally, I feel that this was a very promising start to the rebooted franchise and I hope they keep it up with the sequels.

Then again...

Boycotting Hollywood (Mostly...)

The date is currently August 23, 2011.

I am currently taking a look at the listings for a nearby movie theater.

I am not pleased with what I see.

Now, this isn't the first time I haven't been pleased with a movie line-up. As a matter of fact, I oftentimes look on with passive hate when I see a month's coming attractions. Hollywood, in this day and age, churns out more bile and shit than ever before.

Seriously! Look at the movies playing right now!


30 Minutes or Less
Honestly, anything with Nick Swardson as a lead is destined to be terrible. I've only ever seen this guy on episodes of Reno 911! and in Blades of Glory. I've never seen his stand-up, I've never watched his Comedy Central show (thank god...), and I've never caught any other movies he's been in. Other than that, the movie has a smattering of other "actors" that haven't had any real roles other than the Social Network kid. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo.

Captain America: The First Avenger
Now, I haven't seen this yet. And, honestly, I was looking forward to this movie all summer. I still have high hopes that this movie would be another step toward the serious superhero movie that The Dark Knight began. Now, that may be the case. It may not. However, there's a greater evil at work behind the scenes of this summer blockbuster: Hollywood greedily cashing in on any and every marketable superhero franchise they can get their hands on. We're at the forefront of this movement. In the coming years, I can guarantee that Hollywood will eventually start ringing the superhero teet for some of the most bottom-of-the-barrel heroes they can find until every usable resource has been tapped. Sucktastic.

Conan the Barbarian
Ah, Hollywood's OTHER source of cheap income: the remake. Anything that was made prior to a certain date (let's just go with....1992) is in danger of being remade in such a fashion. The original concept, with as much likability, character, and charm that it originally possessed, will oftentimes be put through the Hollywood ringer. What's left is a lifeless, like-less husk of the original product, all of the charm removed in favor of better graphics and "cooler" stunts. The Conan remake is no exception. I haven't seen this movie and I don't want to because I'd like to honor the memory of our esteemed Governator and the role HE originally played.

Cowboys and Aliens
This is an example of a fun premise being pushed too far by Hollywood. Cowboy & Aliens was going to be an effects-driven film centered around the heavy-hitter duo of Harrison "Han-Fucking-Solo" Ford and Daniel "I'm-James-Bond-Bitch" Craig. Now, with talent like Ford and Craig, along with the unique and quirky premise, one would expect an exciting cinematic romp. However, Hollywood somehow fucked it up and the whole thing turns out mediocre. Again, I haven't seen this film myself to comment on where it fell short, but I probably will at some point in the near future. For shame, Hollywood. First Morning Glory and now this? You're trying to kill Han Solo's career.

Final Destination 5
Y'know what I love about this movie line-up? It covers pretty much all of the general problems with Hollywood today. We've had the unfunny 3rd rate comedies, the milking a concept/franchise til it's dead, the unoriginal and constant remaking of EVERYTHING, and the effects driven, star-studded blockbuster of mediocrity. And, now, we have the overdone, oversequeled horror series. The Final Destination series is known, primarily, for its creative death scenes. That's pretty much the gimmick behind it: to see how clever the writers could be in the first couple of films. Now, audiences groan as they see just how far writers have to stretch before even the dumbest audiences' suspension of disbelief breaks.

Fright Night
Here's another example of shameless remaking. Even with the addition of the AMAZING David Tennant to the cast, I'm still shaky on how good/bad/awful this will be. It's a remake, however, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth to begin with. If I had to make a prediction, I'd go ahead and assume I'll hate everything about this movie EXCEPT Mr. Tennant. I mean, c'mon...you can't hate the Doctor.

Glee the 3D Concert Movie
Now, I'll be a man and admit that I watch Glee. Religiously. I download every episode after its premiere, have a few of their songs on my MP3 player, and ever teared up at an episode or two. However, I have NO desire to see a concert in a movie theater. And don't get me STARTED with the 3D aspect (3D is another rant entirely...). It basically boils down to this: if I want to see a concert, I'll go see a concert. Live. I have NO desire to see a rock concert in a movie theater (though I have been interested in seeing those operas that some theaters offer). The point is that I find that a concert in a movie theater lacks the atmosphere and character that a live concert possesses, and that's Hollywood's fault for doing it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Ah, yes. Harry Potter. How many years has it been since you first made your on-screen debut? Too long, in my opinion. I stopped watching the HP series of movies after Goblet of Fire. Why? Not because the movies suck. No, because of the ravenous fanbase. I HATE Potter fans. They are, to date, some of the most ridiculous, fanatic, obsessed fans I have ever witnessed (outside of well-known sci-fi circles, of course). This is another product of Hollywood, what I like to call the Twilight effect (though it wasn't the first, it is the most mock-able). Basically Hollywood takes an already mildly popular franchise and explodes the FUCK out of it all over everything. This irritates me because it creates these monsters (both the franchises and the fans) that normal people look upon with fear and disdain. Thankfully, this is the last HP movie to grace the screens. Thankfully.

The Help
I have no idea what this movie is about beyond African-American servants and that it's a period piece. This may very well be a good movie. However, I can still find fault with Hollywood concerning this one: the advertising. The only reason I didn't look at this movie and go completely "Huh?" is because I saw some minor advertising on some video sites I frequent. Like I already stated, this movie could be fantastic. However, the potentially fantastic movie isn't going to get the box office numbers it should get because of Hollywood's reluctance to advertise it over other, more popular, and more shitty films. It pains me to see potentially great movies get thrown to the wayside because the studios are aware that the public would rather see fart jokes and explosions than memorable characters and good writing.

One Day
Oh, look! The romantic dramedy! I was wondering where this one was. Well, here it is. It's another of those "they're two different people that are friends and finally discover they love each other" stories. That falls into romantic movie cliche number #385473. And is there ever any tension about the two getting together in the end? NO. And why is that? Because no studio is going to put out a romantic comedy where the two characters DON'T get together because they're cowardly sheep that refuse to break the mold and try anything new. That's why I like movies like Lost in Translation (the two mains DIDN'T get together in the end), Sin City (love interests often ended up dead), and, yes, The Notebook (the characters ended up together but it was bittersweet). I can't STAND romantic movies where everything is wrapped up in a nice, neat bow. It fucking sucks.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is kind of an off-shoot of the remake, but worse. This is the reimagining/add-on. Oh yes, somewhere some Hollywood idiot said to him/herself "Planet of the Apes was a great movie...but I bet people would love to see what happened BEFORE that." And y'know what? No. No one wanted to know what happened before that. We were all perfectly content with the amazing original Planet of the Apes and the shitty remake. And you'd think Hollywood would've learned its lesson with that godawful remake, but no. No, they didn't. God I hate all of them over there.

The Smurfs
WHY?! WHY DID THIS NEED TO BE MADE?!  WHAT POSSIBLE REASON WOULD ANYONE HAVE HAD FOR MAKING THIS?!?! WHY DID NEIL PATRICK HARRIS AGREE TO BE IN THIS?!?! THERE IS NO GOD!!!!!!

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World 4D
Wha...huh...y'know what? I give up.

The point of this exercise was to show how, on any average week in the theaters, Hollywood not only screws up, but FLAUNTS its flaws in all of their variety and shamelessness.

And the worse part about all of this?

We're to blame.

That's right, faithful readers, we're to blame for all of this. Not just us, but the movie-watching masses as a whole. We're the ones that pay to see crap like The Smurfs and 30 Minutes or Less. It's OUR ticket sales that let those movie executives know that we're cattle, easily led to the next big, dumb blockbuster. For every Epic Movie and The Happening we go to see, a Munich falls through the cracks. For every awful remake and sequel we encourage the studios to make through our ticket sales that is green-lighted, a GOOD script goes into the dumpster.

THAT is the reason why our films suck. Us.

That is why I'm boycotting going to the movies. I'm boycotting buying any DVDs. I'm doing my very minor part in fighting against Hollywood to show them that they can't promise us steak and give us raw ground beef. If there's anything I want to watch, I'll acquire it some other way to watch. For now, however, they won't get one more cent from me until the quality of cinema improves.

Wordslinging Critic: I Am Number Four

Wordslinging Critic: Hall Pass

Wordslinging Critic: The Green Hornet

A superhero movie...starring Seth Rogen?? NOOOOOOOOOO!

Wordslinging Critic: The Fighter

I check out another of this season's Oscar bait with Marky Mark in The Fighter

Wordslinging Critic: Tron Legacy

I get my light cycles and identity disks ready as I take a look at the nearly 20-year-waiting sequel, Tron Legacy!

Wordslinging Critic: True Grit

I take a look at the Coen Brothers latest cinematic venture as they remake the famous John Wayne film, True Grit.

A Doctor Who Christmas Carol: The Christmas special we've been waiting for

As most Doctor Who fans are aware, having watched the past several seasons and their various Christmas specials, the specials tend to be less about Christmas and more about some crisis that happens to be occurring ON Christmas. The "Christmas" aspect just doesn't seem to play a part in them at all.

However, head writer Stephen Moffat doesn't disappoint with the 2010 special "A Christmas Carol" as he merges the classic Charles Dickens tale with the unusual adventures of our favorite time traveler. This special actually feels like it's injecting heart and drama into the action and conflict being presented as the Doctor's "Problem of the Week", giving a real sense of Christmas emotion instead of Christmas setting.

The story begins with our favorite new companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill, now upgraded to full companion) in danger as the ship their honeymooning on is crash landing on a cloud-covered planet. Amy, knowing exactly what to do, calls the Doctor for help. The Doctor visits the man who controls the cloud cover, the miserly and Scrooge-like Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon), and finds him unwilling to help and perfectly content letting the 4000+ passengers die. To save the passengers and show Kazran the error of his ways, the Doctor, using Charles Dickens "The Christmas Carol" as inspiration, travels back in time and begins altering Kazran's childhood as the miser's "Ghost of Christmas Past".

Heartwarming, heartbreaking, light-hearted in the right places, the 2010 Doctor Who Christmas special has a lot of heart. Stephen Moffat not only succeeds but excels at giving the viewers the special they've been clamoring for since the days of Christopher Eccleston.

Wordslinging Critic: Skyline

Green Lantern Movie Trailer

Green Lantern trailer
Well there it is, folks. The much anticipated Green Lantern movie. I've, personally, been waiting for this movie for a long time and now it's almost upon us.

I have a few thoughts, however, on the trailer and what it's telling us.

Clearly, it seems Ryan Reynolds is portraying a much looser and carefree Hal Jordan than what's been presented in the comic books. Honestly, I assume the movie producers/directors/writers/whoevers did this because they felt a carefree Hal Jordan would be much more entertaining to watch than the clean-cut Boy Scout Hal Jordan we all know.

I can't say I agree with this, but I'm willing to give it a shot and see if it works.

The CG looks pretty all right. I can't say it's the most spectacular CG I've seen (literally everything in outer space, including the people, is CG), but again, trailers are usually created before last minute cleaning up so maybe it'll look nicer in the actual film.

Otherwise, I have to say that this movie looks AMAZING. I can't wait to see one of my top five superheroes finally on the big screen!

And speaking of my top five superheroes on the big screen, the Deadpool movie trailer should be coming out soon, so whenever that rears its ugly, cancerous head, I'll get back to you guys about my thoughts.

Wordslinging Critic: Morning Glory

Wordslinging Critic: Machete

Wordslinging Critic: Parnormal Activity 1 & 2

Wordslinging Critic: Red

I share my thoughts on Bruce Willis' new action flick!

Wordslinging Critic: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

All right...I've been catching a LOT of flack from my friends for any naysaying I do about this movie, so I'm going to put down into words what I DID and DID NOT like about. This way, all my feelings will be out there and any legitimate debate can follow.

First and foremost, I am in NO WAY saying that this is a bad movie and you should not see it. All I am saying is that, from my point of view, this movie had some flaws. That being said...let's dive in.

I'll begin with the negative points first, just so everyone can stop reading this article after this portion's conclusion (as I know most of you are going to, you lazy fucks).

By the way, spoilers.

First, the pacing. Honestly, I thought the pacing at the very beginning of this movie was fairly poor. Let's look at it from several viewpoints. If you're viewing this is an action/kung fu movie, the pacing at the beginning nearly killed it. There was literally NO ACTION for a good chunk of the film (leading up to the introduction of the first of the evil ex's). Normally, this wouldn't have bothered me, but when you billed this movie as an action-y type flick, and than wait that long to provide what you were selling, that's almost false advertising. If you're viewing this as a teen drama, than the pacing at the beginning was just fine. Good build-up to a crescendo, which built up into the climax, but therein lies your problem. No one that saw a SINGLE trailer for this film was going in expecting JUST a teen drama. No, the main pull of this movie was the action, and the pacing at the beginning nearly ruined it for me. I was literally sitting in the theater thinking to myself "Hey...wasn't this supposed to be an action-y flick? Where the hell is all of it?" Additionally, because of the poor pacing at the beginning, I felt the fight scenes later were SLIGHTLY rushed and weren't done as well or as expanded upon as they could have been.

Next, the casting. Now...this is a duel point with me. I both liked and didn't like the casting in many regards. The main issue I had with the casting was with Michael Cera. Now, before you all start chucking your flaming copies of "Juno" and "Superbad" at me, let me explain. I won't use the excuse that Michael Cera plays the same character in every movie (even though he does, the typecasted motherfucker). As a matter of fact, I believe Michael Cera was perfectly cast for the teen drama half of this movie. The action half of it, however....well, a Jackie Chan he ain't. I use Jackie Chan because, in many early Jackie Chan movies, Jackie portrays kind of a somewhat goofy, outnumbered, out-skilled guy caught up in these monumentally dangerous and precarious situations. Jackie Chan pulls that off VERY well (thus explaining how he built a career on it), but Cera doesn't. When I look at Cera in this film, I don't get the blundering but lovable underdog feeling I get from those early Chan movies, but rather a scrawny, douchey kid that would NORMALLY get his ass kicked by any one of these seven opponents (and please don't start with me about how its a surreal reality where Vegans are super warriors and such bullshit because I think my point still stands).

Finally, the writing (to an extent). Now, being a writer myself, I always make sure to focus a great deal on in-story continuity, plotlines, and dialogue when I'm watching a movie (because it's my area). This movie was fairly tight overall when it came to the screenplay, but I did notice ONE thing that stood out and bothered the fucking fudge out of me. One particular plotline that is built up from almost the very beginning of the movie revolved around Scott Pilgrim's ex-girlfriend "Envy" who dumped him to become a famous rockstar. This plotline was frequently hinted at, touched upon, and built up to the point where I expected some huge moment of resolution between the three characters (Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, and Envy). But what did I receive for my patience? A dropped plotline. After defeating Envy's current boyfriend, one of Ramona's seven evil ex's, Scott apologizes to his ex and we never see her again.

We never. See her. Again.

She's not even mentioned! I figured Scott would have a huge revelation about how the pain he felt from that relationship translated over to how he was treating women, or Ramona and Envy get into a fight themselves, thus allowing another fun action sequence. But no. We got NOTHING. Well done, writers.

Okay...now, the negative is done with. Those of you that wanted to only read those points first and flame me with comments, go ahead. The rest of you, the intelligent lot, may continue with me.

Let's go back to the casting, to begin things. I have to admit that the remainder of the cast was very well chosen. Standout performances, specifically, from Ellen Wong (who played Knives Chau), Kieran Culkin (who played Wallace Wells), and the majority of the seven evil ex's were all fairly spectacular. Pretty much the entire secondary cast was fairly phenomenal in their portrayals of the various characters. Everyone did a stellar job bringing such subtle nuances to each character, such depth and growth, that I could've enjoyed watching the movie for one character at a time. I won't go into details about each particular actor and their portrayal (as I did with my Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy review), but I will say that as an ensemble, I wouldn't have deviated too far from those chosen. Good job, casting director.

Well...good job, except for Michael Cera.

The visuals and editing were above par. Not much to say beyond the fact that the special effects were big and in-your-face when they needed to be, and much more subdued and subtle at the quieter, more emotional moments. Not at any time did I find the SFX intrusive or the editing confusing and unnecessary. Yes, the editing at times was very quick, but not in a "I have no idea where we are now" kind of way. Now, the effects and editing weren't anything award-winning (not by a longshot) but I found them, overall, to be an asset to the movie rather than a hindrance.

I think the selling point for me, after thinking long and hard about this movie, was the underlying story and subtext. It took me several days of contemplating the movie before I came to the realization of what this movie was really about. Now, before I explain myself, I want to address those out there that call shenanigans on this movie because they found the characters of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers to be too "douchey" and "bitchy" respectively. What do I have to say to you lot?

That was the point. And you missed it.

The whole point was to present these two characters in that way. The character of Scott Pilgrim is meant to start as a somewhat unlikable figure in his slacker, aimless lifestyle and in the manner he treats women. Ramona Flowers, also, is MEANT to be seen as a cold and distant character, detached from pretty much everything around her. The whole point of the movie to watch the growth of these two characters from the points they start at into what they become at the end.

I'll explain.

Scott Pilgrim's journey in this movie is really a journey of self-discovery in that EVERYONE around him in his life recognizes what a dopey, douchey loser he is. The point is that he really doesn't see it himself. His relationship with Knives Chau is meant to be seen as an outlet for his immature ways because the intimacy and speed of the relationship is within his control, and when that control is lost, he doesn't know what to do with it. When he meets Ramona, the object of his desire, he finds that he desires something well outside of his controllable little world and, because of the evil ex's that enter the picture, discovers something that is worth fighting for and THUS discovers, ultimately, that the one true thing he's fighting for is himself. The entire movie is his journey to discover the errors of his past, the growth he goes through into a more mature individual, and hopefully the self-respect he needs to make positive steps forward away from his slacker lifestyle into something a little less....loser-ish.

Ramona, on the other hand, already starts the movie having realized the mistakes of her past. The difference is that she allows those mistakes to continually haunt her (literally) in the form of her seven evil ex's. She knows, from the very first scene she appears in, that she's wronged these seven individuals in some way or another, and honestly wants to step back and reevaluate her life and the choices she makes. The introduction of Scott into Ramona's life comes as a conflict for her, considering she wants to be close to Scott, but fears repeating the same mistakes she's already made with the other seven. In the end, her ex's defeated, she comes to discover that life is full of mistakes and wrong turns, but it's what we take from those mistakes that truly moves us forward.

The last bit I'll touch upon is the general complaint I've heard about the audiences disapproval of Scott ending up with Ramona at the end when Knives is a much more realistic and compatible choice. This, believe it or not, is true. Knives and Scott are the much more likely match up. It is also true that there probably isn't much of a future between Scott and Ramona. But, again, that's the point. Growing up and being an adult means making mistakes not always choosing the path that is "right" at that point in your life. I earnestly believe that this is the message the movie was trying to convey in its ending.

Aaaand that's my review of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Not as vulgar and insulting as my other review, but I think I covered my thoughts fairly well.

All I can say now is...let the flaming begin!

Wordslinging Critic: Toonami Cancellation

I hadn't realized it until just this moment, but September 20, 2008 was the point in history when Cartoon Network took a downturn into the almost unceasingly mind-numbing dreck programming that they play now.

Why is that, you may ask? Well, my dear friends, that date marked the end of the 11-year-long run of one of the greatest blocks of young adolescent programming on television. I am, of course, talking about Toonami.

Toonami

Now, before I get into it, I have to mention that YES, I do know this criticism is coming almost two years late. YES, I know Adult Swim still exists. But a) I needed to collect my thoughts and b) that's going downhill as well.

"Now what IS Toonami?" you uninitiated heathens may be asking yourselves. Well Toonami was an action-animation block of programming of Cartoon Network's creation. The block made its premiere on March 17, 1997, putting together a lineup of action shows that dominated the airtime. I'll get to what shows later on...

The face of Toonami changed quite a bit from year to year. The whole "gimmick" behind it was that it was supposed to make kids think that it was being broadcast secretly from Ghost Planet Industries (where Space Ghost Coast to Coast was made) by Space Ghost's villain-turned-producer Moltar.

Moltar, Toonami's first host

As time went on, the host changed to TOM (a nifty robot dude with a badass voice), and the environment changed to the wicked CG spaceship, the Absolution. Other changes occurred, mainly to TOM's appearance, alternate locations, so on, but the overall feel of Toonami was the same. It made kids feel like they were part of the action, right there with TOM and his computer counterpart SARA.

TOM, Toonami's second host

TOM's second incarnation

TOM's third incarnation

I have the fortune to say that I actually got to watch Toonami from the beginning and stick with it through the majority of its run. The lineup changed yearly, adding and subtracting shows (as most blocks of programming do to stay fresh) but it never disappointed with the overall quality it offered (until the last few years...).

Here's the yearly lineup for this wondrous gem:

1997
* Super Adventures/Roulette (composed of Space Ghost, Birdman, The Herculoids, Shazzan, Speed Racer, The Impossibles, Superman and other Hanna-Barbera action shorts)
* ThunderCats
* Voltron
* The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1998
* Robotech
* Beast Wars: Transformers
* Sailor Moon
* Superfriends
* Dragon Ball Z
1999
* The Powerpuff Girls
* Ronin Warriors
* ReBoot
2000
* G-Force: Guardians of Space
* Tenchi Muyo!
* Batman: The Animated Series
* Superman: The Animated Series
* Gundam Wing
* Blue Submarine No. 6
2001
* Dragon Ball
* Cardcaptor Sakura
* Batman Beyond
* Outlaw Star
* Zoids: New Century Zero
* Mobile Suit Gundam
* 08th MS Team
* Gundam 0080
* The Big O
2002
* He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
* Transformers: Armada
* G.I. Joe
* Hamtaro
* Samurai Jack
* G Gundam
2003
* Martian Successor Nadesico
* Gigantor
* Dai-Guard
* Yu Yu Hakusho
* Rurouni Kenshin
* .hack//SIGN
* Yu-Gi-Oh!
* Cyborg 009
* IGPX: Micro Series
* Justice League
* SD Gundam
* Star Wars: Clone Wars
2004
* Duel Masters
* Astro Boy
* Transformers: Energon
* Jackie Chan Adventures
* Dragon Ball GT
* Gundam Seed
* Megas XLR
* Teen Titans
* Justice League Unlimited
* Rave Master
2005
* D.I.C.E.
* Zatch Bell!
* The Batman
* One Piece
* Transformers: Cybertron
* Yu-Gi-Oh!
* Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
* IGPX
* Naruto
2006
* Wulin Warriors
* Pokémon Chronicles
* Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes
* Pokémon: Battle Frontier
* Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
* MÄR
* The Prince of Tennis
2007
* Storm Hawk
* Mega Man Star Force
* Ben 10
2008
* Bakugan Battle Brawlers
* Blue Dragon
* Ben 10: Alien Force

If memory serves me correctly, I primarily watched from 1997-2003. My viewing began to falter and peter out about 2004-2005 and by 2006, I had stopped watching altogether (college and growing up SUCKS).

Regardless, I have Toonami to thank for introducing me to not only some incredibly awesome and classic shows (like Thundercats, Voltron, and Ronin Warriors) but also planting and fostering my love for anime. Before Toonami came about, there wasn't much of an anime outlet for kids my age on television (unless you were one of those rich families with the 30,000 channels...jerks), so Toonami served to bring about a generation or two of anime fans!

HELL! Toonami dedicated an ENTIRE MONTH to honor the legendary anime director Hayao Myazaki. Showcasing his movies (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) all month gave many new anime viewers something drool over and older anime viewers a chance to revel in true animated art!

Not only THAT but to keep viewers roped into the "feel" of Toonami, Cartoon Network created several Total Immersion Events (TIEs) that were interactive adventures that TOM and SARA went on inbetween shows. The kids viewing could go online and take part in the adventure via minigames and other nifty tidbits! This was awesome programming that made you want to watch both shows AND commercials for fear of missing one action-pumping moment!

But, I digress, Toonami was a phenomenon for what it was. It even broadcast the midnight Saturday run for many years, showcasing popular anime with all the blood and violence intact for the more mature viewers. And, to top it off, they did this TWO YEARS before Adult Swim came along and eventually stole that time slot away. Granted, as Cartoon Network began gearing more for the younger generation, the midnight run was removed and the daytime programming became more...er...unbearable. Eventually, Toonami's four hour time block as reduced to two, and than it was canceled altogether last year.

TOM's fourth and final incarnation
(Drastically different AND kid-friendly?? Clearly to keep in-step with their abysmal programming)

Now, what was left in Toonami's wake to fill the void of actiona-adventure shows and whatnot? Well, let me show you...

• Total Drama Island/Action - has to be the most BLATANT pandering to preteens I've ever seen.
• 6teen - ANOTHER show pandering to preteens, cliques, and stereotypes
• Stoked - IS CARTOON NETWORK TRYING TO BECOME NICKELODEON OR THE DISNEY CHANNEL?!?!
• Bakugan - Pokemon ripoff
• Johnny Test - CN's attempt at bringing the old spark back like they did with Dexter's Lab and whatnot...but it's a failure
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold - ONLY decent show worth watching these days
• Any of their live action shows - ......NO. You're CARTOON Network. Stick with your guns and stop trying to be everyone else!
• Adult Swim - has gone severely downhill since the older days

And there you have it. The birth, life, and death of one of the greatest blocks of programming to have ever hit young adolescent programming. Now, my generation having been raised on anime and action, has to watch the next being raised on preteen garbage. It's a sad thing to view, but perhaps things will come full circle in another generation or so and the kids after THIS up-and-coming generation will have something like Toonami...or maybe the generation after that.

Toonami 1997-2008

"Well, this is the end, beautiful friends. After more than 11 years, this, is Toonami's final broadcast. It's been a lot of fun, and we'd like to thank each and every one of you who made this journey with us. Toonami wouldn't have been anything without you. Hopefully we've left you with some good memories. So, until we meet again, stay gold. Bang."

Stay gold, indeed.