PCP on DVD - Vampires Suck

Welcome back to CRAPOLA.  In honor of the recent scandal of Kristen Stewart cheating on Robert Pattinson, for today's hit of PCP I'll be doing a quick review of Vampires Suck - a parody of the first 2 Twilight films.  It wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, it has a couple redeeming qualities to it, but really you should only watch it if you have absolutely nothing else to do.  On the bright side, at least the film is short so it won't cost too much of your time if you decide to check it out.

Vampires Suck - 2010, Rated PG-13.  My rating:  4 out of 10.

Vampires Suck is a sendup of the first two films of the Twilight franchise.  Considering that the movie manages to parody the entire important points of plot in two whole movies in the span of only 82 minutes, that kind of says something about the films of the Twilight franchise being slow and bloated, right? 

If you are the type of person who enjoys making fun of Twilight, you'll probably find a few laughs in this film.  There are some clever sight gags and throwaway jokes, and at least the plot is coherent compared to some of the dumber parody films recently (Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans - I'm looking at you), but really there's not a whole lot to this film.  It's almost exclusively Twilight jokes, with only a few other scattered pop culture references, so if you're unfamiliar with the Twilight franchise, you're gonna miss all the jokes here.

All in all - if you like making fun of Twilight, then this movie is for you.  If you couldn't care less about the Twilight franchise or never saw any of those movies, take a pass on this one.  If you're a Twi-hard, then only watch this film if you can laugh at yourself, because otherwise it's gonna make you angry.

Blog reformat - now easier to use!

Tonight at CRAPOLA we undertook a blog redesign.  I wish I could say this is my doing, but alas I am not nearly as tech savvy nor have the same level of attention to detail and organization as my wife.  I'd like to give her a huge thanks and shout-out for the new layout that she put about 4 hours in updating tonight.  The layout should allow you the reader to better flow through the blog.  Here are some of the new features:

-Handy quick link to the 3 different categories of posts on the right side column - just click the tag for the acronym for the section you are looking for and it'll take you there.
-Only the 2 most recent blog posts on the homepage to declutter the homepage
-A Twitter feed of my 3 most recent tweets.  Follow me @MikeCohodes by clicking the link at the bottom of the feed
-A link to my wife's photo blog with more updates on our son than I regularly post on the top right - follow the link to "The Cohodes Family"
-The About Me, Favorite Webcomics, & Other Websites links have been moved to the bar on the top of the page instead of clogging up the right sidebar

Thanks for dropping in, I hope you like the redesigned layout.  If you do, be sure to let my wife know!

One additional new change - I also intend to be updating more frequently now.  At least once a week if not more (ideally every other day or so).  Coming soon - reviews of The Dark Knight Rises & Amazing Spider-Man, as well as a few films I caught on DVD recently.  Check back often!

POS - A Modest Proposal on Gun Control

Today in the POS (Politics or Stupidity) section of CRAPOLA I'll be taking a shot at the controversial topic of gun control in the wake of the mass shooting in Aurora CO at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises.  I found myself engaged in a debate on gun control after the shooting happened with some friends and family that are more pro-gun than I am.  And unlike this Modest Proposal, mine today is not a work of satire but a legitimate path for what I think should be done in terms of gun control in our great nation.

I'm going to take a look at some of the arguments about guns, both for and against their spread in our culture, and weigh in on them with my thoughts and ideas for where we should go from here, in the wake of yet another mass shooting.  As most of you know, I'm primarily a Democrat, but I actually do support gun ownership.  I also enjoy firing guns, I think it can be a lot of fun.  I don't own a gun myself, but I have family and friends that own guns.  Personally I would like to own a gun for home protection, but my wife does not want me to have a gun in the house in case our son gets his hands on it.  Like most debates on issues, I think there is clearly a middle ground solution that we can agree is in the best interest of all moving forward.

Guns seized by Mexican police that originated in the U.S.

To start any examination of gun control and gun rights, we need to take a look at the gun laws and their history here in the US.  That look starts with the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution.  We all know how that goes, right?  "The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."  At least that's the text of the Constitution that is most frequently quoted, especially by the NRA and its supporters.  However, that is not the full text, and by omitting the full text, we are missing out on some key ideas behind gun rights.

The full text of the 2nd Amendment is as follows:

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."


Continue reading after the jump ---->