The Advocate

(Paramount Theater, Oakland, CA. © 2018 FRANCK BOHBOT) I have 7 movies (at least) that I feel have flown under the proverbial radar, sat on shelves underestimated, or otherwise not received their proper due from audiences and critics alike. These are movies that make me cry, make me laugh, become nervous, get excited, tremble in fear, and exult in the pain of love so bright it burns. But seriously, these are just awesome films that deserve some respect on their names! So, without further gilding of the lily, preamble, and adieu, I bring you...

I've recently been obsessively playing DragonQuest I, II, and III, through Google Play while, simultaneously, playing Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy VI. All on my smartphone, a Google Nexus 6P purchased direct from Google but using T-Mobile's network. Now, if you've never played any of these before -- then this post is probably going to bore the fuck out of you and hold absolutely no interest at all, so you might want to leave unless you enjoy (possible) spoilers, in-depth game discussions about games you've never played, and super-technical blah-blah. For those of you that have  played these games. 1) Good for you! 2) Let's talk about why FF is so much more popular in North America than DQ. Seriously. Both were groundbreaking games! Both featured revolutionary job systems, character design, battle design, artwork, etc. They are the definitive JRPGs (Japanese Role-Playing Games) we all know and love. They feature turn-based battles, mult...

Because Adult Swim in the early 2000s was so good, so revolutionary, and so unappreciated for its time that one can't help but wanna fanboy dick-ride it into the dust of hearty nostalgia.   I mean, we're talking the magical line-up to end all magical line-ups! We're talking Space Operas, Old Westerns, straight up Street Fighters, Mecha, Samurai epics, Post-apocalyptic Wastelands a la Mad Max, Historical Revisionary pseudo-homoerotic Pedagogy, Crime Thrillers, Nightmarish Acid Trips, Ancient Japan, Cyber Punk, Sci-Fi, Hi-Fi, Lo-Fi, Comedy, Dramedy, Romantic Fappery, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Demon Fantasy, Detective Mystery, and fricking Comic Books! And the best part? It was all late night. Meaning after the 'rents were asleep, after the ankle-biters were tucked, and when all the kids were out of the pool. It was a hidden gem amongst an endless cavern of coal in TV land. They even showed special full-length features that you couldn't find anywhere outside of Ja...