Asher’s Art Gallery (Every Other Monday)

Hello fellow art lovers! It’s Monday, and my Art Gallery is open once again! I hope you guys are ready for some awesome art pieces. Now, have fun exploring my Gallery!

• The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins 1875 Oil on canvas 

This is a very visceral, yet intriguing piece by Philadelphia-born artist, Eakins. It reminds me of Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp in that it displays an operation taking place in a surgery theatre. The painting can be hard to look at if you are squeamish around blood, but I find it to be very fascinating. Eakins amazing attention to detail makes the audience feel like they are there. It also displays raw human emotion with some of the students paying close attention to Dr. Gross’ techniques, and others moving away in disgust. The work was rejected at first for being too brutal, but now stands as one of the best American art pieces ever made.

 

• Homage to Bleriot by Robert Delaunay 1914 Oil on canvas

This is an awesome Orphic Cubist work by French Artist, Delaunay. Not only did he start a new brand of Cubism, but also incorporated tons of abstraction in his works. This particular piece is absolutely gorgeous and is a tribute to Louis Bleriot, the first man to fly across the English Channel. The work is a brilliant blend of vibrant colors and hidden man-made objects. The leftmost part of the painting reminds more of a pain palette with various colored dots cascading down. We also get the image of the Eiffel Tower in the distance, as well as Bleriot’s plane. Tell me what you think of this piece in the comments’ section below.

 

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Strange Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards

Hello fellow Duelists! It’s time for another card post! This time, we’ll be covering some of the strangest cards in Yu-Gi-Oh. Now, let’s Duel!

• Boar Solider Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect 4 Stars Attribute: Earth Appearance: A boar warrior with a giant hammer. ATK/ 2000 DEF/ 500 Effect: If this card is Normal Summoned, destroy this card. If your opponent controls 1 or more monsters, decrease the ATK of this card by 1000 points. 

At first glance, minus the effect, this looks like a pretty formidable monster. Unfortunately, its effect makes it nearly unplayable. It does have synergies with Skill Drain, but you’re just wasting resources to keep this pathetic creature alive. 

 

• Savage Colosseum Type: Field Spell Appearance: An ominous arena with skull-shaped sky. Effect: If a monster attacks, at the end of the Damage Step: Its controller gains 300 LP. All monsters must attack, if able. During each End Phase: Destroy all face-up Attack Position monsters the turn player controls, that did not declare an attack.

This is a super fun and strange Field Spell that makes both players play very aggressively. The small LP gain is not where this card shines. The forced attacking of monsters is quite insane, and both players have many opportunities to trap their opponents. 

 

 

Asher’s Art Gallery (Every Other Monday)

Hello fellow Art Lovers! It’s Monday, and my Gallery is open once again! I hope you guys are ready for some incredible works. Now, have fun exploring my Gallery!

• Memory of a Journey by Rene Magritte 1952 Gouche on Paper 

This is a very unique piece by “Belgian Surrealist” Magritte. It’s a humorous take on the standard “Fruit Still Life Piece”. The fruit are made out of stone, and there’s a bottle to the left side of it. The rigidness of the work lets you fill in the details with motion. Tell me what you think of this piece in the comments’ section below.

 

• Reconnaissance without End by Rene Magritte 1946 Gouache on paper

This is a beautiful work by “Belgian Painter” Magritte. It’s an outdoor scene with a gorgeous blue sky, and creamy colored grass. There’s also a big tree in the center that houses 2 blue figures. Tell me what you think of this piece in the comments’ section below.

Some of My Favorite Cult Films Part 1

Hello fellow Movie Lovers! It’s time for a very special post! I have a very soft spot for the bizarre side of cinema, and think people can make some pretty impressive films with a low budget. The following is a multipart post about some of my favorite Cult Films, and a short spoiler-free summary of each. Be warned though, some of these films contain some pretty controversial content.  Let me know some of your favorites in the comments’ section below, and I may feature them in an upcoming post. Now, grab so popcorn, and let’s begin!

• The Room Type: Black Comedy, “Romance”, Tragedy,  Directed, Produced, and Written by Tommy Wiseau Rated: R (Language, Violence, and Sexuality) Date Released: June 27th, 2003 Starring: Greg Sestero, Juliet Danielle, Tommy Wiseau, Carolyn Minnott, and Philip Haldiman Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min 

No Cult Film list is complete without this “Painfully Funny” entry. The Room is a massive train wreck created by the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau. It has horrible acting, a shallow plot, and is ironically funny as hell. The story is about a wealthy banker named Johnny (Wiseau) who has a backstabbing fiancée, Lisa (Danielle) that cheats on him with his best friend, Mark (Sestero). What follows is a horribly made love story, that’ll will leave you in stitches.  The film is known as the Citizen Kane of Bad Movies, and has a huge cult following. The story of the film’s production is also quite fascinating, and Greg has released a book on it called The Disaster Artist. 

• Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead Directed by: Lloyd Kauffman Written by: Gabriel Friedman Produced by: Andrew Deemer Not Rated (But Probably R for Gore, Blood, Sex, Strong Violence, Politically Incorrect Humor, Gross Scenes, Strong Language, Nudity, and Alcohol) Starring: Jason Yachanin, Kate Graham, and Allyson Sereboff Release Date: July 6th, 2012 Genres: Comedy, Musical, and Horror Runtime: 1hr 43 min

If you like incredibly comedic Body Horror films, you’ll fall in love with this film. Be warned though, it’s a Troma film, so expect gratuitous violence, sex, and other gross bodily functions. The plot tells the story of a military fast food restaurant called the American Chicken Bunker. It just so happens to built on ancient Indian burial grounds, so all sorts of chaos ensues. All of the main characters are named after fast food restaurants, and this really adds to the film’s charm. It’s also part musical, and the songs will have you dying of laughter all the way through. 

More Fascinating TV Tropes

Hello fellow Media Lovers! It’s time for another TV Tropes post! I hope you guys are ready for some interesting media tropes. Now, let’s begin!

• Beware the Nice Ones: This is one of my favorite tropes in all of media. It occurs when a character, who’s generally a happy and charming individual, flies into an unstoppable rage or becomes the scariest character in the show. Examples of this include (with possible spoilers); Nagisa from Assassination Classroom. This main character is one of the most lovable and caring individuals in the entire show. However, upon assassinations, his composure completely changes, and he becomes filled with bloodlust. This change is known to make even veteran soldiers shit their pants. Akimichi Chouji from Naruto is a lovable chubby ninja who is best friends with one of the most intelligent characters in the show, Nara Shikamaru. During the Sound Ninja Arc, Shikamaru nearly gets killed by Jirobo, and this cause Chouji to go berserk, and brutally kill the ninja in awesome fashion. Lastly, we have Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. This Jesus Loving neighbor of Homer is always in a good mood. That is, until one episode, when he releases the pent up anger he has at the town in an explosive rant that shocks everyone.

This is Nagisa from Assassination Classroom

 

• Acrofatic: A very funny trope that occurs in all forms of media. This occurs when a generally fat individual is actually very quick on their feet. They end up perform feats that aren’t usually possible for people their size. Examples of this include; Rufus from Street Fighter IV. He’s a big man that weighs about 410 pounds. Strangely enough, he’s one of the fastest characters in the series, and can perform ridiculous stunts like firing himself like a missile, or transforming into a tornado of punches and kicks. Next, we have Bo Rai Cho from the Mortal Combat series. This obese drunken master is extremely fast on his feet, and one of his fatalities has the fatty jumping unbelievably high in the air, and crashing down on his opponent. Lastly, we have lovable bald dimwit Jerome “Curly” Howard from The Three Stooges. The bumbling idiot was a surprisingly fast runner.

More Crappy Book Covers (Every Other Tuesday)

Hello fellow book lovers! It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means! Yes, it’s time for us to take a look at some more crappy covers. Now, let’s begin!

• The Lord of Shadows Redemption by James Terzian  Genre: Fantasy Release Date: June 26th, 2016 Quick Summary: The Master fights against an ancient and unspeakable evil. 143 Pages

This “work of art” seems like it was put together in 10 minutes! First of all, the title of the book is in a lazy white font. Second, the shadowy image is laughably tame, and doesn’t portray fear. The last thing that makes me face palm is the two random swords that appear to be floating in midair. Tell me what you think of this cover in the comments’ section below.

 

• Freezer Burn Blues by Shannon Danford Genre: Humorous Fiction Pages: 358 Release Date: April 29th, 2011 Quick Summary: A humorous tale with many different wacky characters.

This book has a very fascinating synopsis, and I might want to read it some time. Unfortunately, the cover is quite the opposite. It looks like it was made with little to no effort. It depicts a poorly drawn woman in a yoga pose surrounded by a deteriorated background. Also, for some reason, there’s a cat “creature”in the leftmost corner. Tell me what you think of this cover in the comments’ section below.

Bizarre and Wonderful Books Part 1

Parental Advisory! These books may discuss some controversial themes. You have been warned!

Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand new post! I’ve wanted to discuss this topic for a very long time, and I thought that today would be a good place to start. Throughout the years, I’ve read some absolutely bizarre books. When I discovered “Bizarro Fiction” for the first time, it was like a match made in heaven! This genre is insane, and covers some of the most mind-blowing stories I’ve ever read. I see it as the “Abstract Art of Literature”. It has different meanings depending on who reads them, and isn’t afraid to touch on some offensive subjects. If this post makes you interested in this wonderful genre, then I’ve done my part. Now, let’s dive into the amazing world of Bizarro Fiction!

• John Dies At The End by David Wong 2009 Genres: Bizarro Fiction, Horror, Humor, Science Fiction  464 Pages Age Rating: 17+ (Strong Language, Gore, Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Drug Usage) 

I’ve talked about this book multiple times in the past, and I still love it to death. The story is about two college kids that fight the paranormal occurrences in their undisclosed town. It also has to do with an absolutely insane drug known as “Soy Sauce”. The book was made into an equally awesome film, and spawned two sequel novels which are just as crazy.  Unlike most Bizarro Fiction books, this one can be found at local bookstores and libraries. I highly recommend checking this book out, and would love to hear what you think of it in the comments’ section below.

• Zombies and Shit by Carlton Mellick III October 17th, 2010 Genres: Bizarro Fiction, Horror, Survival, Punk, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Fantasy 312 Pages Age Rating: 17+ (Gore, Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Shocking Imagery, Cultural Issues) 

What is there to say about Carlton Mellick III? He easily is one of the godfathers of Bizarro Fiction. His crazy look and explosively intriguing books make him standout in the crowd of literature. I first discovered him when I was researching books that were similar to the one mentioned above. The crazy artwork alone pulled me into the rabbit hole, and there I stayed. This particular novel is one of his coolest and most fascinating. It literally is what would have happened if you were to put Battle Royale, Mad Max, and Dawn of the Dead into a blender. If you like survival novels, you will adore this book. It is equally humorous and tragic with an excellent blend of hardcore punk. The twenty different characters are also very unique, and the story has many ridiculous plot twists throughout. Once again, I highly recommend picking up this book because it is one hell of a unique ride. (Zombies and Shit can be purchased on Amazon for $13)

 

The main picture on this post is of the “Godfather of Bizarro Fiction” himself, Carlton Mellick III.