Spock's Pickled Brain

1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) In a wasteland ruled by the unforgiving environment and psychotic warlords, life is unpredictable, violent, and usually short. Enter Max, a lone survivor haunted by his dead family and captured by the War Boys of the cruel Immortan Joe. When Furiosa, one of the dictator's commanders, frees Immortan Joe's wives and flees, Max is unwittingly catapulted into the conflict. What follows is a high-octane chase pitting Furiosa's crew against a series of bandits, killers, and weirdos. If they're to succeed it will take as much grit, resourcefulness, and bullets as they can muster. It wouldn't be a list on post-apocalyptic films without including at least one of the Mad Max films. And though I love the western-style siege warfare of Road Warrior and the zany world-building of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome , the most recent film is perhaps my favorite. The plot is tight and streamlined, the characters layered and compelling, and the action...

1. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival) I see a bad moon a-rising I see trouble on the way I see earthquakes and lightnin' I see bad times today 2. John the Revelator (Depeche Mode) John the Revelator Put him in an elevator Take him up to the highest high Take him up to the top where the mountains stop Let him tell his book of lies 3. Armagideon Time (The Clash) A lot of people runnin' and a-hidin' tonight A lot of people won't get no justice tonight 4. Radioactive (Imagine Dragons) I'm waking up to ash and dust I wipe my brow and sweat my rust I'm breathing in the chemicals 5. Hammer to Fall (Queen) Here we stand or here we fall History won't care at all Make the bed, light the light Lady Mercy won't be home tonight 6. Losing My Religion (R.E.M.) That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion 7. Long, Long Way From Home (Foreigner) I was inside looking outside The millions of fac...

For me one of the iconic characters of urban fantasy is Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is the protagonist of the prolific urban fantasy series Dresden Files. As the only wizard listed in the Chicago phonebook, Dresden is constantly getting entangled with vampires, werewolves, faeries, trolls, and countless other supernatural beings. He is also the snarkiest SOB out there. Some favorite quotes? "Harry Dresden. Saving the world, one act of random destruction at a time." - Mean Streets "'I still can't believe,' Michael said, sotto voce, 'that you came to the Vampires' Masquerade Ball dressed as a vampire.'" - Grave Peril "In the name of the Pizza Lord. Charge!" - Summer Knight "In the action business, when you don't want to say you ran like a mouse, you call it 'taking cover.' It's more heroic." - Dead Beat "Murphy hung up and I said, to the s...

Alright folks, I know I already did a playlist for urban fantasy, but consider this a more targeted list, combining music used in the show, as well as music that I feel thematically fits with the series. I'm also on a Supernatural bender and I just started Season 4, so be thankful I'm not just crying into my computer. Instead, buckle up for some classic rock, folk, and the side of country that is not deeply embarrassing twanginess. 1. Foreplay (Boston) Played to great effect towards the end of season 2 (Sam gets abducted by the Yellow-Eyed Demon!), Foreplay is better known as the badass instrumental opening to Boston's Foreplay/Long Time combined track. 2. I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag (Country Joe McDonald and the Fish) Sometimes know as the Vietnam Rag, I prefer the Woodstock live recording of this song where the traditional "FISH Cheer" is changed to the "FUCK Cheer." Which sounds insane if you don't know the song, but it...

Alright, the time has come for some Urban Fantasy cocktails! Chupacabra Takes a Vacation 2oz silver tequila .75oz mango habanero liqueur .75oz lime juice 3oz pineapple juice soda water chili lime salt for rim pineapple chunks for garnish Instructions Carefully wet the rim of the glass and dip into chili lime salt. Gently add all other ingredients to the glass except for the soda water. Add a handful of ice cubes and a few pineapple chunks to the drink and top with soda water. Add a pineapple chunk or two to the rim of the glass and enjoy! Imminent Doomsday After you've saved the world, you definitely need a stiff drink. And sometimes you need a stiff drink before you save the world too (we don't judge here). This particular drink got named after the apocalypse because between the dark cherries on the bottom and the white ice cubes on top of this red drink, it ends up looking like a bloody war scene between heaven and hell. It's a riff on a cl...

This could be venturing into a different genre, but to me urban fantasy is so diverse that you could break it into sub-categories. Different types of movies set in the modern time, like fairytales, vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc. Along with that is a populous sub-category I call "angels and demons" or modern-era fantasy films involving the angels and/or demons. Now some of these movies edge more into using these ideas to specifically praise and reinforce Christian teachings (there's a whole genre of Christian fiction), but the ones I think of in urban fantasy lean in another direction. These are the films that use these Judeo-Christian supernatural beings to explore good and evil, faith, the nature of existence, etc., but they don't hold one religion or way of existence above any other. In other words, the focus is on storytelling rather than religion. Anyway, here's a few favorites that fall into this weird category. 1. The Prophecy (1995) Did you ever wa...

So because I'm a big fan of the most sarcastic modern wizard in urban fantasy I've been working on a Harry Dresden costume build. I have all of the clothing already, but the real trick is getting the accessories right. One of Dresden's mainstays, whether in the books, graphic novels, or TV, is a shield bracelet that deflects bullets, redirects energy, and otherwise saves his bacon at least once a story. But how to make such a lovely thing when you have no background in metalworking? I chose to recreate the shield bracelet depicted in The Dresden Files rather than the typical charm bracelet. Why? Well first I actually like the design better. The leather cuff with overlapping round shields is reminiscent of something that felt workable in Merlin's time as well as the modern day. The silver charm bracelet looks kind of silly, like something you'd pick out from Pandora or some other mainstream jewelry store. It's less utilitarian as well, the charms would ge...