The Modern Materialist

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• Top 17 Coolest Movie Vehicles Of All Time... And How To Buy 'Em

  The history of film has been littered with memorable vehicles. Cars, trucks, and other things that go vroom have often been as important as the people who drive them. So herewith, a list of the seventeen coolest movie road vehicles (so no boats, or planes) of all time. And, since this is the Modern Materialist, we're going to hook you up with how you can grab one of your own movie rides. It may not be in everyone's price range, but it'll certainly be on your wish list:   Read More... Posted Aug 28 2008, 03:05 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: cars, Movies, listicle, automobiles

• The Goonies Shoes 'R' Good Enough

  Guess what, everybody? The '80s are back! Though, in this case, only in shoes themed around '80s action comedies. First, we had the McFly 2015 Hyperdunks, now, we've got these Goonies Pumas: Read More... Posted Aug 05 2008, 11:58 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, shoes

• Top 20 Products in Movies (10-6)

  We're getting down to the nitty gritty now, the top ten movie products of all time. These are the items that you saw in a movie, and rushed out and bought afterwards. Or at the very least, put on your wish list, and had someone buy for you. They are the things that not only appeared in the movie, but also made the movie. In case you need a review session, Check out 20-16, and 15-11, then head back here for the beginning of the Top 10 countdown: Read More... Posted Jul 24 2008, 11:30 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: clothing, Food and Drink, Movies, books, listicle, dresses, bathing suits

• The Top 20 Products in Movies (11-15)

  A: Handjobs, trans fats and applause. Q: Name 3 things that are hard to get at the movies nowadays. But you and I can certainly get tons of righteous style and product tips. And the Internet helps you find the actual items or worthy facsimiles lickety-split. We here at TMM add a little WD-40 for ya with our list of 20 top movie products. Hoping to build upon Steph's great kick-off from yesterday, I give you products 15 through 11... Read More... Posted Jul 22 2008, 12:45 PM by Brian Marabello with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: scarves, Movies, Knives, Harry Potter, films, Flashdance, Psycho, Cast Away, chocolates, Forrest Gump, sweater, volleyball, mariebelle, russell stover

• How To Become Batman

  In order to become the Dark Avenger of the Knight, you could: - Swear vengeance for the death of your parents. - Spend millions of dollars developing a high tech suit. - Live in a cave. - Train for years with ninjas and criminals. - Never, ever, go to sleep again. Or, you could just get this: Read More... Posted Jul 18 2008, 12:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, books, batman

• Hands On: The Dark Knight

  Hey, did you guys know there's some sort of Batman movie thing coming out this weekend? Well there is. And, I'm not trying to boast or anything, but I've already seen it. And, it's amazing. So herewith, without any spoilers, a few reasons to check out this film: Read More... Posted Jul 16 2008, 10:30 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, hands on, reviews

• Back To The Future Made Real

  Some exciting news, everyone: your favorite invention from Back to the Future 2 is now a reality. Nope, not the hoverboard. It's actually... Read More... Posted Jul 08 2008, 12:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Fashion, Movies, sneakers

• PSA: Why Haven't You Seen Wall-E Yet?

  It's come to my attention that a lot of you didn't see Wall-E over the past weekend (or the weekend before, for that matter), and I have to say: what's wrong with you guys? I know you'll think I'm hyperbolizing here, but you have a chance to see a classic American movie in the theaters, the way it's meant to be seen. It's just that good. Actually, it's better than that. Not only is it a good-hearted, funny film, but it pushes forward animation in a way no film has done since, perhaps, the introduction of CGI animated films. Not convinced? Here's two videos, and an amazing story, that might change your mind: Read More... Posted Jul 07 2008, 12:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Movies

• Retro Wall-E Posters

  I totally can't wait for Pixar's latest flick, Wall-E, and these retro posters designed by Eric Tan (he also designed some for previous Pixar films) are only stoking the flames of my geek passion hotter. The best part? They won't come cheap, but all of the posters below can be purchased, for permanent placement on your wall: Read More... Posted Jun 23 2008, 03:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Robots, Movies, Posters

• The Constant Gardene(r)

  Here's a riddle for you guys: Question: What would you get if the amazingly popular and well known Ralph Fiennes movie The Constant Gardener wasn't rated R?   Read More... Posted Jun 03 2008, 03:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: speaker system, concepts, office, Movies, desk

• Whip It Real Good

  I know. I've been going on about the new Indiana Jones movie for the past couple of months, and you've kept your mouths shut in polite indulgence, but you're really wishing I would post some more about wall decor or ukuleles or something. But you guys, the moment is finally upon us, and I'm going to be seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this coming Friday, and I'm really wishing that I had had the foresight to actually purchase a fedora to wear to the theater, or something equally humiliating. Read More... Posted May 22 2008, 09:45 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: toys, Movies

• NetFlix Adds a Set-Top Player

  Now, I’m no pundit, nor is this anything new, but the death of physical media is upon us. I’ve been saying for years that unless there was a palpable leap in technology, no one would care about the next step after DVD. And if you look at sales for Blu-Ray (HDVD, R.I.P.), I think this theory is pretty well supported. The future of entertainment is in downloads, and NetFlix, already a home video giant, has just stepped up their game by adding a dedicated TV Set-Top player, built and distributed by Roku. So what does this mean? NetFlix has been steadily adding “Watch Now” titles, as part of your regular NetFlix subscription, which means you can download them from the internet onto your computer, and “keep” them for as long as you want. With Roku’s Netflix Player (and similar players are coming from LG, and others, in the next year or so), you can cut the computer out of the equation, and watch, download, and set up your queue, directly on your television. After the jump, the bad news...  Read More... Posted May 20 2008, 10:30 AM by Alex Zalben with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, tech, Movies, netflix

• The Entertainment Top 5: Wii Fit, Tom Petty, and Muppets!

  The Entertainment Top 5 is how you should spend your hard won dollars this week. Check out the full list, below: 1. Wii Fit [$90] Why? It’s a big week for video games, what with Garfield’s Lasagna Tour coming out and all, but the bigness news is Wii Fit, the exercise machine for your video game system. The Wii is already the 800-ton gorilla of the video game industry, so why not make that an 8000-ton gorilla by taking over the exercise industry as well. Reportedly, the Wii Fit lets you feel the burn, but will it be fun? Only time, and hundreds of thousands of Wii Fits sold will tell. Oh, and if you haven't gotten one yet? Good luck, they're already out of stock. The rest of the Top 5, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 19 2008, 01:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: video games, entertaining, Music, Movies

• The Weekly Top 5: SNL, Indiana Jones, Death Cab, and More

  Whether it’s SNL back when you remember it being good, or Welsh neo-Big Band music, The Weekly Top 5 tells you how you should be spending your entertainment dollars this week. Check out the whole list, and then let me know what I got horribly wrong, or missed, in the comments below: Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 02:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: video games, Music, Movies, weekly top five

• The Weekly Top 5: Boom Blox, Teeth, and More

  The Weekly Top five (formerly the weekly top four, but there’s so much awesome stuff out, who needs just four things?) is what you should be spending your entertainment dollars on this week… Assuming you didn’t already spend all of your fun-money on Iron Man and GTA4 last week, of course. Check ‘em all out, after the jump: Read More... Posted May 05 2008, 01:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: video games, Music, Movies, the weekly Top 5

• The Weekly Top 4: Madonna, GTA4, and More

  I’m not going to lie to you guys… It was very difficult to decide what deserved to be in the top spot this week, i.e. what’s most deserving of your entertainment dollars. The question really came down to: am I a gay man, or am I a mentally repressed man-child, with both sides of my personality fighting for dominance. Find out which half of me won out, after the jump… Read More... Posted Apr 28 2008, 04:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: video games, Music, Movies, weekly top four

• Hands On: Samsung’s 3-D TV

  Last night was Samsung’s Spring Fever Showcase, showing off all the products the electronics giant will be hitting the public with in the next few months. Though they plied me with tiny crab cakes, and all the booze I could drink, I stayed on task, and throughout the rest of the day, will give you my impressions of a few of those products. I want to mention right off though, that the parting gift from this electronics showcase was a regular note-pad. I mean, a really nice notepad, but here I am, taking pictures with my Sony camera, and no-one came up to me and said, “Hey, it looks like your camera is awful. Why don’t you have one of these Samsung cameras, free of charge?” I guess looking doe eyed and sad in the corner doesn’t get you free gadgets? I dunknow, I’m new at this. Anyway, a little while ago, I posted about Samsung’s 3-D TV. Well, now I’ve got to play around with it, and I can say that it is, without a doubt, pretty darn cool. Impressions, and more info, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 25 2008, 12:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, video games, Television, Movies, samsung, hands on

• The Weekly Top 4: Cloverfield, Whitesnake, and More

  Every week, awesome stuff comes out in the worlds of DVD, Music, and Video Games. Every week, I tell you the top four things you have to buy. This is the Weekly Top 4: 1) Flight of The Choncords [$10, Amazon] What The? First official album from the HBO musical/comedy duo. Sorry? Flight of the Choncords has been tickling your funny bone since last year with their absurd and hilarious songs. This album collects them, officially, for the first time. Fifteen songs on the album range from the brilliant French class parody “Foux da Fafa,” to the moment you first fell in love with the Kiwi duo, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room.” Check out the rest, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 22 2008, 12:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: video games, Music, Movies

• Sexy in the City

  I don't care what you think about the show. I loved Sex and the City and I still love Sex and the City, and the upcoming movie is a true source of excitement for me. Now, while I can't afford Carrie's flouncy skirts or Charlotte's sexy-preppy ensembles, I can apparently afford their underwear. Tell us which SATC fashionista you are, and then follow the jump to see which undies would best match your personality.    Read More... Posted Apr 22 2008, 12:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: Television, Movies, Apparel

• Geek Out: Cantina Band Shirt

  There’s a pretty simple crib sheet to figure out the sort of stuff I like to post here under the heading “Geek Out." What's on that crib sheet, after the jump: Read More... Posted Apr 22 2008, 09:30 AM by Alex Zalben with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: video games, Movies, Shirts, Geek Out

• There Will Be Monopoly

  Sadly, by the time you read this, the auction will most likely be over, and none of these will ever be made again. But for posterities sake, please feel free to torture yourself with what might have been. I drink your milkshake, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 15 2008, 02:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: toys, games, Movies

• The Weekly Top 4: Okami, Asia, Juno, and More

  The Weekly Top 3 feature I did last week was SO POPULAR*, that I’ve decided to turn it into The Weekly Top 4! How amazing is that? For the very few of you who didn’t read last week’s feature**, I’m going to tell you the Top Four things you should be looking out for in the world of Entertainment, from DVDs, to Music, to Video Games, to anything in entertainment. So let’s get to it, homeskillets, after the jump...   Read More... Posted Apr 14 2008, 12:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: video games, Music, Movies

• This Weekend at The Mmovies: Prom Night, Street Kings, and Smart People

  We’ve got another light week at the movies, with slasher flick Prom Night, Keanu Reeves acting dirty in Training Day [co] Street Kings, and Sideways Part 2: This Time There’s No Wine. So let’s get to it, shall we, and talk about the perfect products to purchase while pursing this pieces of… cinema. Check it all out, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 11 2008, 03:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: toys, Food and Drink, games, Movies, At the MMovies

• The Weekly Top 3: Portal, There Will Be Blood, and Leona Lewis

  Hey, it’s Monday! Assuming you didn’t blow ALL of Friday’s paycheck on strippers and booze, you’ll still have a little left over to buy yourself some fine entertainment this week. So what should you pick up? Glad you asked; that’s where The Weekly Top 3 comes in. I'll let you know the Top 3 things you should be picking up from the world of entertainment, and then you take your money, and go buy them. Then, you invite me over to hang out with you. Check it all out, after the jump: Read More... Posted Apr 07 2008, 03:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: video games, Music, Movies, The Weekly Top 3

• This Weekend At The MMovies: Leatherheads, Nim’s Island, and The Ruins

  You guys all like movies, right? And I gather if you're here on this blog, you like material goods and services as well? Okay, cool. How about we combine the two by taking a look at what's coming out in the Cinemaplex this weekend, and coming up with a complimentary thing to purchase? Granted, this is a rather light week to start things off on, but we'll persevere together.  Anyway, let’s get into it, after the jump: Read More... Posted Apr 04 2008, 05:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: toys, Food and Drink, Sports, Movies

• Top Two Needs for a Sick Day

  I have a ginormous cold today, which comes from the rapid changes back and forth in the weather. I can deal with consistent cold, consistent hot, or consistent… Medium? I dunknow. But for some reason, you rapidly fluctuate the temperature, and my body breaks faster than stone in a similar circumstance. With the recent, terrifying revelation that AirBorne does absolutely nothing to help prevent colds, I’ve had to go back to my old ways of healing a cold. Tissues, chicken soup, a warm blanket, blah, blah, blah... What about the really important stuff? Check out my two top picks, after the jump. Read More... Posted Mar 31 2008, 10:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, Mugs

• “I Wish I Were Big”

  I swear I’m not only posting movie memorabilia from now on. I was just wondering whether it was possible to purchase a fortune telling machine when, lo and behold, Zoltar popped up. For those of you babies who read this blog*, Big was a hit movie starring famous American actor Tom Hanks… You know, the guy from Polar Express? Anyway, he’s a little kid that wishes he would become big, and then he has sex with a grown up lady, and in retrospect, it’s totally the creepiest movie ever made. More about Tom Hanks, and actual information about the product, after the jump...    Read More... Posted Mar 27 2008, 12:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: toys, Movies

• Scratch His Back, and He’ll Melt Yours

  Umm, this is totally awesome. I think I’ve hid it pretty well, but I’m a super-geek about certain things. In particular, the Alien series is one of my large weaknesses. That doesn’t extend into the Alien vs. Predator franchise*, but I’m a complete sucker for the four Alien movies, even Resurrection. Which had some pretty terrible parts, but give it a second chance if you have a moment, because there are some sequences that are downright brilliant. The other important piece of info you need to know about me to understand why I appreciate this piece of info is that I love getting my back scratched. That may be filed under TMI, but hey, let’s go for it. There are very few things that are quite as satisfying as getting my back scratch, and only one thing can come even slightly close**. In fact, my back is getting itchy just thinking about getting itself scratched. Seriously. So thank you H.R. Giger, designer of the Alien, for putting my two great loves together into one handy resin unit. Another pic, and then pricing, after the jump... Read More... Posted Mar 25 2008, 02:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: geeky, Movies

• Product Porn: Rotating Home Theater

  This video starts off super dorky, takes a while to get to the good stuff, and then totally skimps on the money shot. So why am I posting it? Because a home theater that rotates with the push of a button is pretty rad: [Via Geek Alerts] Posted Mar 07 2008, 11:30 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Product Porn, Movies