The Internet has reached a certain level of harmony with the universe (toh) now that I can post an entire Shô Kosugi classic on my blog and not feel a premonition of danger (kai). Sure, I could have posted better known movies that I enjoy like 28 Days Later, Meet Joe Black, Point Break, Requiem for a Dream, The Usual Suspects, and Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. But Kosugi has shown more strength (rin) than any other actor ever put on film.

The television episodes that I recommended recently where all downloaded on bittorrent. I simply had no other means of watching them. The networks know I’m not alone.

Finally these networks and studios have realized that to control (zai) this tide of Internet viewers in their immediate favor, they should provide that same content directing the energy (kyo) toward themselves. It’s not a matter of mastering time and space (retsu) but of understanding what the viewers think (jin) and want.

Hulu can heal (sha) the differences between the studios and pirates. Hulu is enlightenment (zen).

25. Dark Sector
Set in the crumbling infrastructure of a fictional Soviet-bloc country in the near future, the game’s main character is a man named Hayden Tenno, a morally ambivalent clean-up man employed by the CIA. He suffers from a real-life disease called congenital analgia that does not allow him to feel pain. On a mission he is exposed to a biological compound which mutates his right arm, giving him the ability to spontaneously grow a three-bladed throwable weapon. During the course of the game, Hayden encounters others that have been similarly mutated by the compound. However, the mutation process is painful to the point that its victims go mad. Hayden’s congenital analgia inadvertently protects him from this aspect of the mutation. [Trailer]

24. LEGO Indiana Jones / LEGO Batman
The games will allow players to control the iconic characters in humorous renditions of their adventures. They are expected to feature the same drop in/out co-operative play mode as seen in the Lego Star Wars video games. [Trailer]

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[Continued from part 1]

We’ve just hit fall and the new television seasons are dawning. So it seems like a good time to look back into my brain and see what episodes stood out in the last year. Here’s the second half of my list in order of airing dates:

Update: I should have warned that there are spoilers all over, so tread carefully.

House
“One Day, One Room”
Season 3: Episode 13
First aired: 1/30/2007
Writer: David Shore
Director: Juan J. Campanella

While House is forced to work full-time in the clinic and deal with a rape victim who insists on confiding with him, Cameron deals with a terminal cancer patient trying to take advantage of her state of mind.

What makes it great: There’s so much I can say about this episode. Shore started it off just like any other, and as the formula we all know and love unravels, he suddenly tears it all down. At that point we have no idea what will happen next. There is no medical mystery in a show about medical mysteries. In an instant we are unexpectedly watching a short movie about two people trying to figure each other out. Two people who have nothing in common except that they’ve found refuge in abandoning trust. The cast, joined by Katheryn Winnick, do impressive performances in what is easily the best episode in this list.

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We’ve just hit fall and the new television seasons are dawning. So it seems like a good time to look back into my brain and see what episodes stood out in the last year. Here’s the first half of my list in order of airing dates:

Update: I should have warned that there are spoilers all over, so tread carefully.

Avatar: The Last Airbender
“The Blind Bandit”
Season 2: Episode 6
First aired: 5/5/2006
Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino
Director: Ethan Spaulding

In search for an Earthbending teacher for Aang, the kids go to an underground Earthbending tournament called Earth Rumble 6, where they encounter Toph (aka the Blind Bandit), a blind, but powerful Earthbending girl. After seeing her unique style of Earthbending, Aang wants Toph to become his teacher, but there are complications with Toph’s family.

What makes it great: While the stories and animation of this show are consistently excellent, this is the episode that made me really curious about the actual fighting styles of each culture. According to Wikipedia: “The creators use Tai Chi for waterbending, Hung Gar for earthbending (although Toph employs a Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style), Northern Shaolin for firebending, and Ba Gua for airbending.” Also, this episode introduces Toph, who has become my favorite character. It’s amazing how deeply developed she feels in her first minute on the show.

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Ben “yahtzee” Croshaw’s website, Fully Ramblomatic.com, states that “If Bruce Campbell were a website, he’d be this one”. It takes balls to actually publicize such a bold statement. Fortunately for him, he’s got a pair… and it’s filled with awesome.

He’s best known for making a couple of hilarious video game reviews on YouTube. They’re composed of simple animations and his brilliant, fast, non-stop ramblings. This led to him being hired by The Escapist Magazine to release new episodes every Wednesday.

Here’s every episode so far:

• The Darkness Demo
• Fable: The Lost Chapters
• Zero Punctuation
• Heavenly Sword and Other Stuff
• Psychonauts
• Console Rundown

Having played the Heavenly Sword demo last night* made that episode even funnier. Plus, his views on the video game industry are as dead-on as Adam Sessler’s. And his praise of classic adventure games and Beyond Good & Evil made me extra happy.

* Heavenly Sword looks like a Ferrari with amazing cornering to anyone looking at it. To someone playing, it feels like a go-cart on rails.