Fishing in the Discount Bin - Transformers: Age of Extinction

Welcome to Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I ramble about a movie I own.  I made a very important discovery when I watched Transformers: Age of Extinction:  I'll forgive just about anything if you give me a Dinobot.  This is in my notes at October 19, 2014.

Netflix Nonsense - Battle Royale

So I told a friend of mine I was going through the Hunger Games franchise on Netflix to see what all the fuss was about, and he immediately responded with, "So...did you ever see Battle Royale?"  To which I replied, "Next on my Netflix queue." 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Ghostbusters II

Here we are again, with Fishing in the Discount Bin, as I bloggity blog about some movie I own.  It's time for another classic from my childhood.  While I don't think it's as awesome as when I first saw it, I still think it's better than most people give it credit for:  Ghostbusters II.  This appears in my notes at September 28, 2014.

Netflix Nonsense - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I

Well, if there's one thing I hate to do, it's leave a franchise unfinished, so let's return to Netflix to finish catching up on the global phenomenon that is The Hunger Games with the second-last film, Mockingjay Part I. 

All That Disney and Star Wars Stuff

So,  your Facebook feed has probably been lighting up with the news that Toy Story 4 is happening or that a massive Star Wars Land will be coming to Disneyland.  All this news is breaking because D23 -- the official DisneyCon -- happened this weekend, and as such, Disney made all kinds of announcements about what they've got coming up.  Rather than share each and every story on my Facebook page, or tweet my thoughts on it, I thought I'd just sit down and ramble on the ol' blog.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Godzilla (2014)

Here we go again with Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about one of the movies I own because, really, I've got nothing better to do.  Today, the king of the monsters returns!  Godzilla, the 2014 American-made reboot.  This was originally in my notes at September 28, 2014.

Netflix Nonsense - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Well, I'm continuing my journey through the global phenomenon that is The Hunger Games to see what all the fuss is about.  I found the first one to be quite good, so lets see if that momentum continues into the second film, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Now and Again: The Complete Series

Here we are again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about something in my movie collecting that I've watched.  This time out, we get to one of my favourite "Brilliant-but-cancelled" TV shows, Now and Again.  This originally appeared in my notes at September 26, 2014.

Get Out and Do Something

I'm fighting a cold.  Just when I thought I was over it, it came back.  I just went into the city last week and spent too much money.  I fully planned to just spend my long weekend on the couch, doing nothing, binging on The Hunger Games franchise on Netflix.  Facebook has their new "On This Day" app, where they show you your postings from a few years ago.  On Monday morning, I clicked that app, and I saw I posted this about three years ago.

"I really want to get out and do something this long weekend, because I just realized that this is my last free weekend until about the middle of September."

I'm pretty much in the same boat again.  I think Labour Day is going to be my next free weekend.  So I took a shot of Buckley's for the cold, payday has come and gone so there's a little bit of money in the bank.  And Mockingjay - Part I isn't leaving Netflix anytime soon.  I put some gas in ol' Bessie-Lou and I was off to the city.

Netflix Nonsense - The Hunger Games

As you've probably noticed, for the past few months, I've taken advantage of the streaming video services to fill in some notable gaps in my personal film viewing history, and binge on certain franchises I'd never watched.  Back in November, I poured through every Rocky film.  Coming home from Mad Max: Fury Road, I figured it was finally time to go through the Mad Max franchise.  And so, when I recently noticed that the first three Hunger Games films are on Netflix, I decided it was finally time to see what all the fuss was about.

Final Targ of the Season!

My season finale!  August is shaping up to be a busy month, so it’s time to take a step back and focus on what’s going on in the real world.  But before I walk away, I pump out one last one, Episode 8.17: Kinda Sorta.  So what’s on the agenda for this one?

• Well, my PVR glitched out, and I lost the Toy Story Christmas special, Toy Story That Time Forgot.  So it’s time to do a much-delayed review!
  
• Beijing was awarded the 2022 Winter Olympics.  I have a rant about that.
  
• I found this article on the official Star Wars website, giving the history of the Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure, leading me to reminisce about mine.
  
• Another installment of Mark Tastes Random Things, where I sip on Sparkmouth Ginger Ale.
  
• And just wondering what to do with my long weekend.

I hope this’ll keep you satisfied until September rolls around, and I can start pumping things out on regular basis.  So listen, and enjoy!

Go listen to it at the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

It's Fishing in the Discount Bin time again, as I blog about one of the movies I own.  This time out, we get to the super-awesomeness that is Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  This showed up in my notes at September 14, 2014.

Flush with Birthday Cash

I've been feeling good lately.  I know I've been panicking quite a bit about my personal finances, but, after balancing the books and paying bills a few days ago, I noticed that I'm a little bit ahead.  It's mainly because I got a little bit of birthday cash.  That, and I've mentioned that summer is a busy time for us radio folks, as we're live on location from all the festivals that come around.  It's the only part of the job I get paid overtime for, and that's starting to show up on my paychecks.  I know such a reprive is temporary, but it's making me breath a bit easier.

New Week Means New Podcast!

Pluggin’ along at the ol’ podcast, and we really are in the dog days of summer.  I’m running out of fascinating things to talk about, as there’s not much going on.  But still, I battle my stuffy nose in these finals days of fighting a cold to bring you Episode 8.16: All Stuffed Up.  What are my rants?

• With my love of superhero films, I just got home from Ant-Man, so I share my thoughts.
• I came home without any new Blu-Rays, and somehow that gets me ranting about the secret origins of special editions
• I share my fascination with Charlie Brown cartoons, as I picked up a lot on DVD lately.

That, and a few other digressions and rants await you in Episode 8.16: All Stuffed Up.

Give it a listen on the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Here we go again, with Fishing in the Discount Bin.  I watch a movie I own, and blog about it.  Sometimes I have to question why own some of movies...such as that hot mess that is The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  This shows up in my notes at August 24, 2014.

Netflix Nonsense - Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird

Sunday morning, I was finally able to do what I'd been wanting to do all week:  lie on the couch, binge on Netflix, and fight this cold that's been plaguing me all week.  Looking for something to watch, I stumbled across the first Sesame Street movie, 1985's Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird.

A Wild Podcast Appears!

I almost skipped doing an episode of U62: The Targ this week. It's another busy weekend, but, I did find a few moments to myself, so I decided to throw together a mini-sode! It's shorter than the typical episode, where all I really do is ramble about the awesome trailers that were released from the San Diego Comic Con this week.

 You know, that Star Wars: The Force Awakens featurette:
 


And that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer.
 


Here my ramble on Episode 8.15: Waitin' for the Pizza!

Download over at the official site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Toy Story of Terror!

Here we are again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I ramble about one of the many movies I own.  This time, we get into Pixar's first foray into animated TV specials with Toy Story of Terror!  This was originally watched and blogged about on August 23, 2014.

Reflections on the Great Canadian Taste Adventure

So I was out for my evening constitutional last night.  Taking a walk, enjoying the sunshine, listening to my favourite podcasts, when i get a text from my best friend.  "So, with that McDonald's Taste of Canada thing, did you ever have more than the McLobster?"

See, I do this bit on my podcast from time-to-time called Mark Tastes Random Things.  I'll grab some food item that's caught my eye (90% of the time it's whatever promotional item a fast food restaurant currently has), eat it live on my podcast and offer my thoughts.  I hate doing it, mainly because I don't know how to fill the dead air while I chew.  I should find a good music bed for it so the music fills the dead air.  But my best friend loves the bit.  I joked on my podcast where I speculate as to why he loved it.  About 10 or 15 years ago, he developed a strong activist streak, and as part of that, he swore off all fast food, declaring the fast food corporations to be among the most evil of the evil corporations.  It was nothing but all organic, locally sourced, Mom & Pop sandwich shops for him!  I, however, developed no such convictions.  So I think he enjoys Mark Tastes Random Things so he can vicariously enjoy fast food through me.

Anyway.  The last time I did Mark Tastes Random Things, I did the McLobster.  And I had to tell him that, yes, I tried all of McDonald's Tastes of Canada.  He then asked if I could give a rundown on all of them and my thoughts.  He then said that such a thing might be more appropriate as a blog entry.  So, here we are.

For those who, like my best friend, have cut the cord and don't watch TV anymore, in the month of June, McDonald's was running a promotion called The Great Canadian Taste Adventure,   Each week, they had another burger representing a region of Canada, trying to reflect the regional tastes.  They also had a few side dishes and deserts that were available for the whole month.  And yes, I sampled them all.  So here's my thoughts on The Great Canadian Taste Adventure, from the worst to the best.

#5:  Representing Ontario, the Cottage Country Chicken Sandwich

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 3, 2015 at 11:04am PDT

This chicken sandwich was topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a special sauce designed to "invoke the flavours of Ontario cottage country."  I was unimpressed.  Pretty much just a McChicken with a zestier sauce.  And, as my Ontarian co-worker told me, "When we're at the cottage, we're not having chicken.  We're firing up the grill and having steak."  Easily the least.

#4:  Representing Western Canada, the Western BBQ Burger

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 10, 2015 at 11:03am PDT

This cheeseburger was topped with onions and BBQ sauce.  Good lord, the onions.  Two different kinds:  grilled onions and deep fried onions.  Fast food really has discovered the deep fried onion, as they seem to be an a lot of burgers these days.  Too much onion for my tastes.  It reminded me of A&W's short-lived Grandma Burger, as that was another one that had a lot of onions it.  That aforementioned Ontario co-worker had one with no onions, and said it was much better.

#3:  Representing Quebec, Maple Bacon Poutine

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 13, 2015 at 11:00am PDT

Poutine is still a relatively new addition to McDonald's regular menu.  For this promotion, they just took the poutine and tossed on a handful of bacon bits with a drizzle of some kind of maple flavoured BBQ sauce.  The sauce kind of gets drowned out by the gravy, but the bacon is a nice touch.

#2:  Representing the Atlantic provinces, the McLobster.

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 17, 2015 at 11:17am PDT

If the Internet is to be believed, Western Canada went absolutley nuts for this.  This seasonal item, typically only available in the Maritimes, was made available all across Canada for the first time.  I've got a colleague who's a Maritimer telling me that she and her friends always mocked people who had the McLobster, dismissing it as pure tourist garbage.  When I ate this on my podcast, I noticed that you never realize how much of McDonald's unique flavour comes from their buns.  I opened up the box, and even though this was a cold sandwich, it smelled just like a McDonald's burger.  I took a bite, and right away, it tasted like imitation crab meat.  If you've ever had the Seafood Sensation Sub at Subway, it tasted pretty much just like that.  And I must say, I got lucky with the amount of lobster salad they scooped on their.  My Maritimer friend, curious by the hype, had her first one, and she easily got 1/2, maybe 1/3, of the lobster stuff that was scooped on mine.

#1:  Representing the West Coast, the Chocolate Nanaimo Sunday

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 23, 2015 at 7:06pm PDT

It's just a McDonald's Chocolate Sunday, but I don't know what kind of magic cookie crumbs they sprinkled on top, but they tasted just like nanaimo bars.  And nanaimo bars and ice cream make a good combination.  The only way I can think about making it better would be if McDonald's did a nanaimo bar McFlurry.  This was just so good. 

And that was my trip across Canada, from the comfort of my local McDonald's.  I hope McDonald's does this again, and make it the tastes of the world.  I'd just like to have a Teriyaki McBurger again someday. 

New Week Brings New Podcast!

Here we are again, with the good ol’ podcast.  Not much to talk about, but there’s enough out there to get me talking.  At least, to fill 20 minutes of airtime.  So what ramblings to I ramble in Episode 8.14: Funghi Pizza?

• I tell you how I spent my birthday this year, including having a pizza at Famoso and seeing Inside Out.  (Complete review here, in case you haven’t seen it yet.)
• The latest Star Wars news, including my thoughts on the upcoming Young Han Solo spinoff film.  (I do so much rambling about Star Wars I should turn it into its own segment.)
• I ponder whether I own a lot of DVDs or whether the DVDs own me.
• And hey!  You ever see the “special thanks” in the end credits of a movie?  Ever wonder what people did to get those special thanks?  Well, I share some special thanks stories I recently heard.

And that’s what you’ll find in this week’s podcast!

Oh, and I didn’t realize I accidentally gave the date as April 12 until I got home from recording it, re-listened to it, and noticed it.  But trust me, it’s July 12.

Head to the main site to listen!