The PC Thug: 25 Facts You May Not Know About Reading

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Believe it or not, there was once a time where not all kids shows was about goofy characters singing songs in repetition. Surely, we had “Barney,” and “Bananas in Pajamas,” but we also had shows that taught, educated, and brought us an experience. Before Elmo took over, “Sesame Street” was a great parade of puppets and humans learning together. There was also “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” and “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?” The best among them though was “Reading Rainbow.” After the heartbreaking cancellation of “Reading Rainbow” in 2009 by (the gradually right leaning) PBS Network in America, Levar Burton fought to bring the show back, and despite his difficulty the series still lived on through memories and the love by fans of all ages.

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The PC Thug: Bidding an Exasperated Goodbye to “Warehouse13”

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“Warehouse 13’ was one of the last science fiction oriented scripted series of the Syfy channel in America, and it’s finished its run. Airing on a network that now only cares about making and saving money at the expense of quality by pushing more unscripted fare, “Warehouse 13” was given an unfair eviction notice; one not deserving of a series so entertaining, rich in character and mythos, and filled with a flawless ensemble cast. “Warehouse 13” was a light hearted mix of “X-Files” with “Friday the 13^th: The Series” and a touch of “Moonlighting” for good measure.

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Throw Batman At It.

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Guest Contributor

Warner Bros. has yet to capture the cinematic success of the Marvel movies with any of its properties other than Batman. And that’s because Batman is so close to being a Marvel character that if he killed people he’d be one.

All the WB knows how to do is Batman, which is why they’ve decided to throw him at the already ailing new Superman franchise to forgo the trouble of rebooting yet again, in a shamelessly blatant attempt to repackage the classic Frank Miller penned The Dark Knight Returns (a book which pretty much laid the foundation for the modern portrayal of Batman) and distract detractors of Man of Steel.

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The PC Thug: Why I Love the Comic Book Movie Wave

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Wait, so you’re telling me, Kevin Feige the Marvel CEO claims that he and the company have planned Marvel Cinematic universe movies well in to 2025? So by the time I’m in my forties I’ll still be watching superhero movies? And you’re also telling me that FOX is expanding the X-Men movie line? And you are also telling me that Sony is planning to make more Spider-Man movies, and a Venom movie, and a Sinister Six movie? Also, Netflix is going to have three series based on overlooked Marvel heroes like Daredevil soon?

Have I died and gone to heaven? It has never been this good to be a superhero fan. Never. You can argue that there was a time before this, but you’d be wrong.

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The PC Thug: Re-Visiting the Weekenders

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

The constant about kids animated programming is that we almost always see children going to school. From “Hey Arnold!” and “Rocket Power,” we always see them going to school. Heck, eventually “Ed, Edd, and Eddy” began featuring its core cast going to school. What was so fun about “The Weekenders” is that every episode took place during the weekend and only the weekend. Hence, the title. In 1999, Disney helped create the antidote to the wildly popular animated series “Recess,” which centered on kids going to school, and instead focused on a show about a group of friends whose weekends were almost always wild or eventful.

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Breaking Well: Why Walter White is Better Than Dexter

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Guest Contributor

Breaking Bad is the best television show of the 21st century (so far). It managed to offer week after week of not only compelling stories, but enough symbolism and alternate character interpretations to keep even the most snobby English-Lit major interested, while distracting less intellectually focused viewers with instances of “bad ass” behavior.

Vince Gilligan used to write for The X-Files (in fact, Bryan Cranston appeared in the episode directly before the first episode Gilligan wrote) a show I haven’t watched regularly since the nineties, but proves to me that he has a lot of talent. He knows how to tell a good story, obviously. His real genius with Breaking Bad is in how he draws characters, especially television characters. On TV, people don’t really change. There is an illusion of change, but very little actually occurs.

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The PC Thug: “Game of Thrones” Renewed my Faith in the Fantasy Realm

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

People often ask me why I took so long to watch “Game of Thrones,” and it’s pretty simple, really. For one thing, at the time, “The Walking Dead” had premiered, and my attention was completely on its season runs, and number two: I just didn’t want to invest time in it until I understood what it was about. In the past I’d invested time in period series based on source material, and came up with no real rewards for my investment. I spent many years watching “Deadwood” only for HBO to give it the shaft and never deliver the finishing movie that we deserved. “Carnivale” bored me to tears, and despite my best efforts to dig in to the world unfolding, “The Tudors” was just a tedious droning drama that offered nothing in return. I gave up after the second season, and I never tuned in to “The Borgias.”

It’ll be a cold day in hell before I watch a period show on Showtime ever again. No thank you.

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