Girl of the Week Julia Gilas

Slickster

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December 24, 2017

Girl of the Week Julia Gilas

Instagram megastar, Julia Gilas, is the Slickster girl of the week. She has earned over five million followers on her Instagram profile. An immigrant to the USA, she embraces all that is good about the country and believes there is no substitute for hard work. She weighs in on the future of crossfit and what her experience has been as a personal trainer, helping others. Oh, and she is knockout, drop dead, 10+ hottie too…

12/24/2017, 3:05 p.m.

Slickster: How long have you been a personal trainer?

Julia Gilas: Over the past few years, I’ve helped a lot of people get into shape, eat better, and in general feel much better about themselves. I made mistakes, I did some things right, I tried different things along the way. I’m still learning. As you know, the science keeps changing. What’s the accepted way today, often isn’t tomorrow. Right now, it’s mobility, functional movements, and high intensity workouts. But many people have a different approach to what are the correct mobility exercises and functional movements. It took many years for me to figure it out for myself and I’ve passed along what I’ve learned. I’ve been doing this for many years, I’ve lost track of how many it’s been.

There’s so much information out there, and it’s so hard to know what to do. Along comes another workout program or new fad diet and that seems like the answer. There’s always going to be another workout program, or another fad diet. But eventually, all extreme diets or workout programs fail. For people that are competing that’s one thing, but for someone who’s just trying to stay in shape, and be healthy. My advice is to lighten up the weights, do more reps, maintain perfect form, go for the squeeze, sit less, move more, eat more fish, put more colors on your plate, (purple, red, orange, etc) and eat less junk.

The Crossfit debate

Slickster: In your opinion, is crossfit another fad in the exercise paradigm? Like aerobics in the 80’s, will crossfit eventually fade away and die, only to be replaced by something else?

JG: Great a question about Crossfit! The Crossfit debate; I wish I had a crystal ball. I know people out there that think Crossfit is another fad, and many who think Crossfit is here to stay. But it seems that anything that’s “radical” always fades away. Think of everything that’s like that, radical or trendy hairstyles, clothing, diets, drinks, literally everything that’s very polarized. But, If someone takes the concepts of Crossfit, and uses that to stay in shape, and feel better, then that won’t fade away, or maybe what happens is it “morphs” into something different.

The foundation of Crossfit is very sound. Julia Gilas

Train with weights, variation, functional movement, high intensity, overall body…. But you’ve got to know when to back off the intensity, and give your body a rest. A lot of people are focused on the training aspect, but neglect the food. Carbs have been demonized. If you’re training overall body with deadlifting, squats, push, pulls, high intensity, etc, good carbs must be part of your diet. The expression, “you can’t out train a bad diet” is so true. You mentioned “Aerobics” and that was a fad partly because it didn’t work in the long run. Aerobics was all cardio with no weight training and that won’t change the shape of your body.

Slickster: Have you ever competed in the Arnold Classic? Did you meet The Terminator?

JG: I’ve never competed in the Arnold Classic, but I’d love to meet him, who wouldn’t? Arnold, in my opinion is still the greatest of all time.

Julia on Instagram

Slickster: Are guys intimidated by you? I mean, come on, you have over 5 million followers on Instagram. Many of them must think you are out of their league?

JG: Thank you for the compliment. I guess some are, but I’m just like everyone else. I wake up, somedays I feel great. Some days, I have to kick myself in the butt to get going. Doesn’t everybody? I have all the “life” stuff everyone else has. I’m beyond grateful for so many people who follow me. I put in a huge effort. Sometimes a guy or girl will write to me about how to approach someone. I’m not a psychologist or relationship therapist, but the best advice I can give is just “be yourself”.

Slickster: You immigrated to this country. What drew you to the USA and what do you love about it?

JG: I could write a book on this. The USA was like dream for me. I remember when I first got here, I arrived at JFK Airport. I went into NYC. One day, I took the double decker tour, (I know real touristy!) Wow! It was incredible. The City has a pulse like no other I’ve ever seen. The food is at another level! Everyone should go to NYC at least once and see it. But I’ve also had the good fortune of going to Miami, South Beach is really, really cool. Las Vegas, love the shows and the strip, (what better place to people watch!), Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, New Orleans, and many other cities. If you think about this country, it’s incredible.

Fitness has taken me to many cities.

I’ve gone from the high intensity of NYC, to the very cool, South Beach “Eclectic Scene” in Miami, strolling down Toulouse Street in the French Quarter, to “LA”, top down, drive Sunset Boulevard to the beach, Phoenix, horseback riding in the desert, to an awesome, no stress afternoon with a cup of Java in Seattle.

Every city is different and has something great to offer. If you think about America, it’s so diverse, so many cultures all rolled up into one country. I watched American movies, listened to American music when I was a kid. I love this country, I became an American Citizen and I’m so proud. Now, I live in Southern California. I love it here. It’s more than the weather, it’s the people, the scenery, and the lifestyle.

Slickster: What do you want for Christmas?

JG: I had some friends who had a tough 2017, and I wish for them all the best in 2018. My family recently moved here, and I really hope they can make a life for themselves. That would be the best Christmas present.

Slickster: Thanks again for sharing your stories with Slickster Magazine and best of luck with your projects. Is there anything else you’d like to add or promote? Anything goes!

JG: I’m going totally off the page here with one of my new projects…I love fitness, and it will always be a part of my life. But I also need to keep branching out and trying new things and still do the ones I love. I’ve been playing the piano and in a few months, we’re still putting the finishing touches on the song, I am going to release a song that I’ve co-written. I’ll be singing on my new track also. I’m very excited about my new project.

Bridge Constructor Portal Review

Jon Lee

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December 23, 2017

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Written by Jonathan Lee, December 21, 2017, 11:00 PM. Tweet to: @Writerscube

Get Ready to Play with Portals! In Bridge Constructor Portal!

On December 20, 2017, Developer ClockStone Software released another of their Bridge Constructor games, and this time with an Aperture Science flair! Thanks to the folks at the publisher HeadUp Games, I was given a chance to play around with Bridge Constructor Portal, and let me begin with how good it felt to hear the robotic voice of Glados and the morbid humor of Aperture Science while sending unlucky Aperture Science employees to their untimely doom. After playing Portal, I think we’ve all had our share of falling into acid pools and fire. It’s someone else’s turn!

Gameplay

Bridge Constructor Portal is like its predecessors in that your goal is to successfully assist vehicles (in this case, Aperture Science drivers moving boxes) from start to finish. The challenge is that the road’s not complete. It’s up to you to build bridges and use various techniques and materials in order to get the vehicles to the end. First, you’ll have to test your constructions by sending a single vehicle over. But if you really want that big score, you’ll have to test a convoy of vehicles to see if it will all hold up.

But like Portal and Portal 2, the game gets more complicated with new challenges. Making bridges and ramps to overcome acid pools is fine and dandy, but let’s toss in those good ol’ portals. Now speed physics. Now gun turret drones. And poor, poor Weighted Companion Cubes.

For those that have played Portal and Portal 2, you’ll quickly get a grasp of how this game plays because the various gizmos and obstacles are from the games that inspired this Bridge Constructor.

As with other Bridge Constructor games, weight, force, and gravity are all big parts of how you will succeed and fail in this game. Your bridges need to be well supported, but also properly designed. You’ll have a lot of trial and error as you calculate and test the trajectories of ramps and jumping vehicles. And you’ll also have to account for the speed of the vehicles as they are affected by inclines, declines, drops, and the iconic blue and orange portals. Also expect other fun devices that Glados will want to put you through.

It’s approachable enough for casual gamers, while still giving Portal fans a bit of that Aperture Science goofiness.

Oh boy! Here come the crazy talking turrets!!

Final Thoughts

This game quickly brought back my joy of puzzles. From the humor of Glados and her robotic deliveries to the increasingly challenging bridge construction puzzles, it was not hard to get lost in the many levels this game has to offer. Whether you want to have a quick break from your work, or you’re looking for a relaxing evening of gaming without the frantic spectacle that we see in many games today – Bridge Constructor Portal is an easy (and good) choice. I would give this game a Buy! You can find it for $9.99 on Steam. It currently has a holiday offer going on where “Everyone who purchases Bridge Constructor Portal on Steam will also receive the original Bridge Constructor for free“. This sounds like a great opportunity to get two physics puzzle games for the price of one!

Top 10 Things We Hated About The Last Jedi

Staff Report

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December 22, 2017

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Top 10 Things We Hated About The Last Jedi

Written by Cleveland Oakes, December 21st, 2017, at 9:17 a.m. Tweet to @Oakes945

A good movie should stand on its own merit. Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and the Washington Post shouldn’t have to convince you that you really liked it. The Last Jedi has been the most polarizing Star Wars film since the loathed prequels. Critics have heralded the movie as the second coming. However, fan reaction has been overwhelmingly lukewarm.

SPOILERS AHEAD

After some debate between those of us that loved the film and those of us that were disappointed; these are the top ten things, we can all agree that we hated.

10. The Porgs

Since the legendary Ewoks first graced the movies in Return of the Jedi, Star Wars has constantly been in search of that new toy the kids and adults will love. Enter the Porgs. The Porgs were intended to be the next big thing. But like so many elements of this film they missed the mark. Painfully and obviously sentient it just didn’t make sense that Chewbacca would murder a Porg and eat it in front of the poor guys family. This was a moment that fell flat. Thank god the Porgs didn’t play a pivotal role in the film. None of us thought we could bare them for a moment longer.

9. Rose and Finn’s Side Mission

Most of The Last Jedi centered on Finn and Rose’s side mission to find a code breaker to sabotage the tracking device on the First Order’s lead ship. What could have been an interesting love story or a whacky caper turned out to be nothing but one giant McGuffin.

Poe’s ill-conceived plan led to a disastrous failure and the near total destruction of the entire Rebel Fleet. Honestly, this whole middle section of the film was just poorly conceived. If General Organa and Admiral Holdo had a plan to save the fleet, why not just share it with Poe in the first place?

The level of miscommunication and poor planning was like something out of a poorly written 80’s sitcom. With their rogue mission leading much to the total annihilation of the rebels why would Rose and Finn be welcomed back as heroes with only a minor reprimand?

8. Welcome to Canto Bight the most boring Casino in the Galaxy

Speaking of that side mission, Canto Bight was a complete snoozefest. What could have been an opportunity for some Jabba the Hut style danger was replaced with a bright and opulent sanitized version of the cantina at Mos Eisley.

This possibly dangerous side mission was played entirely for laughs. There was never any real tension or stakes. Just another Deus Ex-Machina to introduce a later plot point in the film. And like we already mentioned this entire mission turned out to be a waste of time. So why waste ours exploring this boring backdrop?

7. Star Wars Battlestar Galactica Edition

So maybe we missed that 30 minutes in The Force Awakens where the Resistance was wiped out after destroying Starkiller base.

Oh, that never happened you say? Yeah, we didn’t think so either. Because at the end of The Force Awakens it was pretty much The First Order that took some devastating loses and the Resistance was all nice and safe on their base.

It was only the Republic that was wiped out. Guess we all saw a different movie than Rian Johnson.

In the space of a few hours, the Galactic Resistance ends up being a patchwork of a few dozen ships embroiled in a low-speed chase being hunted down. That was pretty much the entire premise of Battlestar Galactica. Rian maybe you should work on that reboot and leave your Star Wars trilogy idea alone. Which leads to our next point.

6. The Last Jedi was a Standalone Movie

Riddle me this. “When is a sequel not a sequel. And a trilogy, not a trilogy?” Answer when Rian Johnson directs a Star Wars movie.

While its fine to throw convention on its head and move in an unexpected direction The Last Jedi takes this to new heights. Established through lines, characters arcs, character personalities, are thrown out of the window to go in a bold yet strange direction.

The movie didn’t even end on a cliffhanger. It’s like Rian Johnson decided to literally make his own movie, his way. Well, that’s actually is what he did.

What’s amazing is how this hackneyed script got past anyone at the Studio. Whats even more amazing is Disney fired Colin Trevorrow from episode IX because they disapproved of the direction he wanted to go in. The Last Jedi movie didn’t end on a cliffhanger! For the first time since the prequels, many of us actually aren’t in a hurry to see Episode IX.

5. The Movie was way too Meta

After being called a whiny Darth Vadar fanboy by Snoke, Kylo Ren, smashed his helmet.

When Luke reunited with Leia he said, “Wow you changed your hair.”

Later when Luke was reluctant to help Rey, R2-D2 replayed Leia’s old plea for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Later in the film when Rey asked Luke for help he pretty much said, “Hey I’m just a guy with a laser sword versus an entire army.”

Once again it’s cute to be self-deprecating and point out fan jokes at times. Deadpool broke the 4th wall from beginning to end but Johnson was hitting us over the head with reference after reference this was not your dad’s Star Wars.

By the way, when Luke rescued Han from the clutches of Jabba the Hut. He was just one guy with a laser sword against an entire an army.

4. Too Many Jokes

This was one we had a hard time with. Many of us enjoyed the lighter whimsical nature of the movie. I personally enjoyed the humor.

Yet sometimes the jokes went too far or were just odd. Why would Luke just take his father’s lightsaber and just toss it away so glibly? As we mentioned earlier Chewbacca eating a Porg as the dead bird’s family looked on was just weird.

BB-8 had some fun moments. I thought it was cute that off camera he was able to tie up and subdue an entire squad of guards. Nevertheless, some of the other fellas found that too unbelievable.

I did enjoy the “Your Mama” jokes that Poe ran on General Hux. But for many others that intro section was just grown inducing banter.

Luke became a cranky old man drinking raw milk directly from the teet of an alien.

Hux was reduced to a straight man in an ensemble comedy. Which brings us too.

3. Wasted Characters

General Hux reduced to a bumbling straight man. Kylo Ren becomes slightly less whiny but still superficial. Captain Phasma utters a few lines of dialogue before being unceremoniously dumped into a flaming explosion after 10 minutes of screentime. Admiral Ackbar unceremoniously killed in the vacuum of space as an aside.

And the biggest mystery that fans have been waiting on with bated breath for years. Who are Rey’s parents? Well, it turns out Rey was nobody. An orphaned child of two drunks who sold her off to slavers for booze. And that reveal was made during an aside “blink and you missed it in the moment.” By the way we still don’t know her last name.

The movie is being praised for Rian Johnson’s bold decision to jettison the old.”Let it die” the defenders keep quoting. Which I’m cool with if it was well written.

However, the original Knights of the Old Republic video game blew away many preconceived expectations of the Sith and the Jedi. The true natures of the light and dark sides of the Force. The perceptions of good and evil.

Unlike Knights of the Old Republic which also asked gamers to think of the Jedi and the Sith in a different way, Johnson never introduced fully formed new ideas or characters.

Rian, bro, we totally get it. You wanted to too put your own stamp on things. But you totally neutered the story, the characters, and the future of the franchise. Good luck to JJ Abrams to fix the mess you left behind.

2. Snoke Dies in the Middle

Listen fans aren’t upset that Snoke died. We honestly actually thought it was a shocking twist that Snoke died so suddenly. The problem is we don’t know who Snoke was. Why he hated Luke so much. How he came to power. Or how he turned Ben Solo to the Darkside. And you know what? We never will.

1. Old Man Luke

Look it’s a fact of life that people get old and they change. Maybe lose their patience. Or some pep in their step.

However, heroes that save the galaxy and who have walked through hell and high water to get there and back; well those things don’t change.

We’ve noted that many critics have defended the movie as a deconstruction of Star Wars. We admit that’s what Rian was going for. But he didn’t quite stick the landing.

Logan was a dark somber movie. In which, Wolverine, Professor X, and the X-Men met the worst fates imaginable. But fans enjoyed the movie. Becuase even though Logan was old and dying, he continued to do what he always does best. Care for the weak and downtrodden and be an unselfish hero. Even more importantly Logan was a well-written movie.

Speaking of successful deconstructions; we hold up Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, The Dark Knight Returns, Unforgiven, and Watchmen as excellent examples of that style.

Luke was a selfish cranky old man. That sent himself into exile because he failed his spoiled nephew. He became a guy who wouldn’t come saves his sister. Nor seek revenge for the death of Han Solo. And then dies, not in a real fight but as a trick because basically, his ass was too lazy to travel with Rey across the Galaxy to save her friends in the first place.

Honestly, this was the worst death ever since James T. Kirk died, being shot in the back.

Well, that’s our rant. What are your thoughts? We’d like to hear.

Elves of Skyrim

Slickster

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December 20, 2017

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Elves of Skyrim

You may remember the game Skyrim. Whether you played it or not, you have to admit, you heard of it or seen someone playing. It became a popular RPG game after its release in November of 2011 causing it to win the “VGX Award for best RPG”. We could go further into what made it a famous game that is still being played to this day with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition being released in October of 2016, but what I would like to talk about are the races that are in the game; Elves to be more specific. In the games, there are three races of elves; The High Elf, Wood Elf and Dark Elf or Altmer, Bosmer and Dunmer as they are commonly referred to by veteran elder scroll players and in the game. This is my general overview of the three so let’s start with my personal choice and favorite of the elves the High Elf.

High Elves

High Elves (Altmer) are very proficient in the magical arts and make for very powerful Mages, Alchemist or Enchanters. Many of the high elves you will encounter in the game are one if not a combination of the three but what aids the player to chose a high elf are their two Magicka regeneration traits. First is their well known Highborn ability that gives the player the ability to replenish any lost Magicka for only 60 seconds, a good trait as this became very useful when I was being attacked and would need to heal or I needed to deliver a finishing attack. Second is the Fortify Magicka that will increase the players Magicka by only 50pts when it is used this is also a big help as it was a quicker to equipt and unlike the Highborn it could be used more than once per day.

Once you start leveling up and finding other ways to help regenerate your Magicka quickly with trinkets, apparel, and accessories, I found you did not need to use these abilities as often. However, they were very helpful when I was starting out in the game. When I was fighting against a fellow high elf I found it seemed like my opponent had unlimited Magicka or replenished more quickly than I was able to during battle. which resulted in a quick death or me making a hasty retreat many times during my travels.

Dark Elves

Dark Elves (Dunmer) are a race I’ve never personally played as, but much like their high elf cousins, they make very powerful mages and necromancers. Their added stealth bonus makes stealing and pickpocketing a lot easier for them to accomplish. Playing as a dark elf gives the player bonuses in destruction and Alteration as both are very useful if you were to pursue becoming a mage but are the complete opposite if you were to come across a powerful dark elf in your travels as I had many times.

The dark elves have a natural resistance to fire with fire attacks dealing 50% less damage when compared to the other races. This caused me a lot of pain and frustration as a high elf who leveled up his fire spells first, making any battle against a dark elf longer than necessary. Dark elves are also able to call upon their Ancestors Wrath ability that will cause a small amount of fire damage to any enemy that gets too close to them. This being my main cause of death when faced with a dark elf as they preferred to approach me until they were within range to attack me with a poisoned dagger causing major amounts of fire and poison damage early in the game.

Wood Elves

Wood Elves (Bosmer) are my second favorite race to play as they are resistant to disease and poison meaning it was less of an issue when I was attacked with a poisoned weapon. Wood elves happen to have excellent archery traits since they start out with an archery bonus similar to their dark elf cousin they can be used as thieves given their sneaking and stealth bonus in the game. I leveled up my lockpicking and pickpocket skill very quickly in the game both skill very helpful when I needed to retrieve an item or had to hide from enemies and angry guards.

Fighting against a wood elf was very similar to fighting a dark elf in my experience. Both attack with ranged attacks up until a certain distance, then lash out with a poisoned dagger. I occasionally was shot with a poisoned arrow first, then attacked. A noticeable trait that comes with choosing a wood elf is their Great Power. This gives them the ability to command a nearby animal to become their ally for 60 seconds. I for one found out that if that particular animal was a bear and they should accidentally attack the bear, you would have the bear turn on both you and the enemy after the 60 seconds were up. This ability, however, was difficult to fight against at first being a lower level and new to the game but after reaching a certain level it would be the same difficulty as walking into a low-level bandit camp.
Written By: Allen Ward

Kickass Kickstarter: Broken Reality

Tanner Banks

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December 19, 2017

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Some video games are all about being weird. One of those games is not Broken Reality. Don’t get me wrong, this really, really weird, but it’s also really fun. A lot of games try to just use a gimmick as a way to drive sales despite having an unpolished product. Despite being only a demo, Broken Reality is a wonderful, weird time. And it is our next Kickass Kickstarter!

A Broken Reality indeed

Taking place in a vaporwave and LSD inspired internet, Broken Reality is a satirical love letter to the weirdness the internet has spawned. Whether it’s liking dank memes and advertisements, using your Cyber-Katana to cut through viruses, or racking up tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt with your JR Gangsta Credit Card, Broken Reality has a firm grip on insanity. The whole visual aesthetic of the game is a hodgepodge of memes, super bright colors, and 1980s fashion faux pas. The game is really weird. Besides trying to get as many likes as possible, you just go around doing one random objective after the other. It’s like actual browsing of the internet! Everywhere you go most of the “humans” in this world are busy looking at their phones while mumbling to themselves. Just like in real life!

Broken Reality Sword — Taste my 1000 compressed file death!

Playing the game

The game is built with a collectathon mindset. Everything is about getting more likes. Some of them are just scattered about the level. Some are gotten through taking pictures, or by clicking on advertisements or other objects. And some are kept in giant groups that you have to eliminate viruses in order to gain access to. The whole level of the demo is there from the beginning, but you need to have certain abilities in order to get to those locations. Some require removing a door. Others you need to teleports to after activating a set of stairs that is only open for a certain amount of time. All the while you’re meeting a mix of such odd characters that range from caricatures of Sonic, the sun hating Easter Island heads, to a literal troll under the bridge.

The whole goal of the game is to get to the Admin. A secretive creator of this island in the world of NATEM. The demo is about an hour long in my play through and that’s without getting all of the likes, finding all of the secrets, etc. It feels a lot like a tutorial level in how it slowly shows you each aspect of what you’re doing. That being said, I would love to just explore this game and level for hours trying to get every like and find all of the secrets. It really helps scratch that collecting and exploring itch that I got as a kid playing games like Spyro.

Music

Broken Reality Screenshot — These guys dig it.

I can’t say enough good things about this Broken Reality’s soundtrack. Each section of the level contains its own song, and all of them are extremely pleasing to my ears. The songs range from Lo-fi to Vaporwave, glitch hop, and another net-genres. All of it really helps split the level up and give them personality. You can really feel like you’re in different parts of a cohesive world with the places you explore. There were times where I just wanted to stop whatever I was doing and just listen to the music that was in the levels.

Get in on it!

Bottom line: Go and back this game. Is ridiculously fun and they have Jam packed this game with a lot of content. Really tell that a lot of love is being put into this game. During a livestream just today the developers explain how they had spent 4 months just on the demo level! This is a game that has decided to go with the Retro nostalgia train but do it in its own way. It’s not just a pixelated game for the sake of pixelation. It’s an honest-to-goodness rapper haitian of what it was like to play games back in the 90s with a modern spin on it. And it is wonderful.

If you want to check their Kickstarter click here.
You can check them out on Twitter click here.
If you want to like them on Facebook go here.
And if you want to try the game out yourself click here for a demo.

Vvon Dogma I

Slickster

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December 18, 2017

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Vvon Dogma I

12/18/2017 – Arising from the current hot bed of musical creativity, Montreal, djent may have found a new icon to follow. VVON DOGMA I is a quartet that is anything but common. Brutal yet gentle, electric yet acoustic, angular yet linear… with their debut EP timing in at only 14:45, there isn’t a wasted note on the entire album.

There is a one two punch combo when you press play.

Opening with a beautiful string quartet, and then smashing your face in with a hammer. It’s like that crazy, way too hot to be using online dating, girl you met once back in Portland on a weekend layover. That’s the kind of girl you fuck on the weekends, but don’t take her home to mom. She’ll do ass to mouth, but then try to tongue kiss you right afterwards.

‘Communion‘ is the second track on the EP. Blurring the lines between synthetic dubstep and acoustic instruments loose their standard identity. Lose isn’t a negative word though. It’s more like a bird loses it’s fear of heights and spreads it’s wings for a first flight. Soaring above the noise that comprises most of the unispiraed and fear-drenched music that is created today, Communion takes risks. It’s kind of a mandatory requirement. Like rubber sheets with the Portland sex freak. Ending ‘Communion’ is a fantastic RATM style ascending riff that just pummels. Credit to the band for cutting it off a little too early. ‘Always leave them wanting more’, is great way to engage the listener. For a sparse :35 seconds, Vvon Dogma I, precisely delivers the goods. Just a taste of commercial rock that sounds so fucking good after the dubstep mind fuck, you can’t help but head bang.

Is nine string bass necessary?

VVON DOGMA I, Frederick Filiatrault — “I wanted to feature my freak instrument of a nine-string bass. It is often a Frankenstein of bits and pieces of writing. But I also want people to know it’s not about shredding or anything. I wanted to see how I could apply this weird playing style in a musically accessible venue. My art is song writing plus arranging and the 9 string is only one aspect of it. I find it definitely adds an interesting flavor. Hopefully people will see it for what it is as a whole.”

The musical skeptic in me almost instantly discredited the press release sent to me by the talented Jon Asher at Asher Music Publications. I’m glad I didn’t. When dissent becomes fashionable, uninspired artists will do and try anything to create a false image of individuality. I thought the 9-string bass angle was just that; a gimmick to separate Vvon Dogma I from everything else out there in musical space. It was a refreshing surprise to discover just how wrong I was. The bass is a focal point of the band AND it utilized very musicallcally. I am reminded of a time when a friend handed me a François Rabbath album back in the 90’s. Although I loathe bass solos, here in my hands was proof that not all bass solos are narcissistic piles of musical shit.

Vocoder and two handed 9-string bass tapping begin the track ‘Lithium Blue‘. While the ethereal lyrics of ‘Just reborn as a ghost’ echo and haunt, the drums slowly build in. Brash and angular rhythms are jarring to listen to, while there is a delicate melody floating over it. Like a flower petal dancing on the waves in a maelstrom. Breaking out of predictable pop-song structures, really keeps the listener guessing what might come next. Excellent use of dynamics, and don’t forget this is metal, so your sick double bass drum kick pedal fetish will be delivered too.

The album, Communion, is very short. Only four songs comprise the EP. Ending on ‘The Mask’, it finishes on a more subdued note. Not, as quiet as the strings in the beginning, but not as head banging as either. Look for great things to happen on the djent scene in the future. As long as bands are fearless to take risks, progress can be made. The caeavat: If said bands haven’t been forged in the fire in fire of hard work and discipline to hone their craft to sharpness of a katana blade, all of the dare-devilism in the universe doesn’t mean shit. The best steel goes through the fire, and Vvon Dogma I has felt the burn.

Epilogue: The Portland Sex Freak

I know the readers of Slickster Magazine. Yes, the ass to mouth chick was a true story. She said her name was KiKi, or QiQi, or Eva…. I’m not sure. What I do know was, that there were warning signs of danger screaming all around me and I chose to ignore them. The porn star style sex was hot at first, but then things in my life started getting weird. Extortion phone calls and emails began showing up regularly and referenced our ‘relationship’. Was I under surveillance?

Luckily, I had to work overseas for an extended period of time and it was an easy way to escape her and the situation I had gotten myself into. I learned my lesson; no amount of butt sex with a gorgeous woman is worth your sanity.

Tucker Max for president.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Demystification

Will Chandler

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December 17, 2017

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Demystification

from The Disney Wiki, Disney Studios and Lucasfilm

Hold On To Your Lightsabers

This article may contain spoilers. Star Wars, as a legacy, has a solid idea. It brings good against evil, in a series of epic battles. The two sides exist in an endless war. The Star War’s universe of movies represents great technological strides in cinema. In the same way, they symbolize hope for our society going forward. This same hope drives positive change in these movies. In Star Wars, the force, an unknown power that binds all life, influences all aspects of the films in the name of balance. This idea extends outside of the cinema. In an article, from the Guardian, by Alice Ross, a group, known as Temple of the Jedi Order, in the United Kingdom, almost became a charitable organization just last year. Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi upsets me. It is the same feeling I got watching James Mangold’s Logan. They are movies you want. Nevertheless, the perspectives on the movies can put you off. Logan as a movie, in my opinion, gets to be the only real Wolverine film in a series, but it is at the end of the story. This is after paying money for X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine, Fox’s previous movies. Before, there was a hope for a better movie, and a more comic-like Wolverine. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a Star Wars movie. However, in my opinion, it takes a direction that serves the actors, director, and company, but not necessarily all of the fans. Allow me to explain.

The Last Jedi Borrows

Luke Skywalker, though in a more dramatic scene, is similar to Obi Wan Kenobi, and Yoda, in Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Supreme Leader Snoke’s near rise mimics Darth Sidious’ shift to power. Poe Dameron carries shades of Han Solo. The rebellion, in a dark place, moves into a positive and hopeful direction by the end of the film. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is not exactly a rehash. It is a piece of complex art, you can accept, or not. It has components that you can point to and admire forever. Other parts of the piece you can look past and ignore, because they do not call to you. I am in the camp, for now, as not being able to accept Star Wars: The Last Jedi, just yet. Luke’s turn to kill Kylo Ren does not seem far-fetched. You can link it to Obi-Wan’s reaction to the end of Anakin Skywalker, and rise of Darth Vader. Captain Phasma’s existence almost copies Boba Fett’s existence in the first Star Wars’ trilogy. Supreme Leader Snoke’s purpose elevates and descends in almost the same way as Emperor Palpatine, for Christ’s sake. Kylo Ren, while Adam Driver’s portrayal of this character is solid, and fun, is a continuation of a dark, Anakin Skywalker, without the severe damage. The difference is he may get to redeem himself sooner. This movie, and so far set of movies, borrows so much, in my opinion, but repurposes it. The difference is you see more history unfold. Poe Dameron learns, the hard way, to become a leader. Kylo Ren runs a galactic army. He rules the galaxy, as long as he knows his place. Rey exists as a Jedi, but has to find her purpose. For me, this movie, and new series, is a dichotomy.

The New Direction of the Force

I have an investment in George Lucas’ first films, as a fan. I know I have a bias. In a sense, the weight of those films, the first of their kind, carry importance. I was not able to see it as a kid in theaters. I actually saw it on television, first. This was an awesome experience. Star Wars: The Force Awakens did not resonate with me. It is the first cannon Star Wars film I did not want in my collection. It just seems like a movie, now, that calls back to the past, in order to drive individuals to the movie theater, because it has the name “Star Wars” on it. That is good for people who did not see the first Star Wars. That seems to be my problem. The dilemma, I believe, is this movie is for children, and new comers. In some way, this is a call to the past, for a specific group. It seems like a way to relate, the past experiences, in the present to new comers. How many children could relate to Kylo Ren. What teens, and even young adults, could mimic similar behaviors? How many others visit Star Wars films, but may feel overwhelmed? This series could be a good place to start? Now, back to the rant. Enter Kylo Ren, in a similar way to Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope. He deals out fear. People die. Instead of a search for rebel plans, Kylo Ren searches for the location of Luke Skywalker. The movies differ when Finn, played by John Boyega, breaks his soldier programming. He decides to help a rebel pilot, Poe Dameron, escape the clutches of the First Order. An adventure, and a rebel plot, begins to undo the First Order’s, in the role the Empire, plans. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a clear indication of a new direction with an attitude of “whether you like it, or not.” That is fine, but it does also mean you can lose viewers at the movie theaters.

Daisy Ridley’s Finish

Rey as a character is awesome. The only thing that really draws me to this movie is her actions, in a final film. Daisy Ridley, as a product of Westminster, London, portrays a complex female character well. She is very capable. Rey is independent and powerful, but must deal with her past before she can get to her best self. Ridley’s example seems to reflect in John Boyega, as Finn. Even Oscar Issac’s character takes a step up as Poe Dameron takes an awesome turn in Star Was: The Last Jedi. Adam Driver is Anakin-like in this movie, but his acting chops are solid, as well. As a whole, the movie has great actors. The visuals in this film are great, and sometimes good. The problem is the direction of the end of a franchise. Let us follow the Star Wars film saga up to this point. The Jedi discover Anakin Skywalker. He is force sensitive. While older, a Jedi master, Qui-Gonn Jinn, wants him to learn the ways of the Jedi. Qui-Gonn, in his death, passes this on to his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to complete. Obi-Wan teaches Anakin, now older, to be a Jedi. At the same time, he gains knowledge from a Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Anakin takes to Palpatine’s teaching more. It leads him to turn on the Jedi. He helps them to their downfall. During his personal collapse, he becomes Darth Vader and helps to spread the influence of Palpatine’s empire. He has children. The children grow. One becomes a princess that leads a rebellion that battles Vader’s, and now Emperor Palpatine’s, influence to end the Empire. The other becomes a powerful Jedi, Luke Skywalker, that ends the Sith. Years later, Kylo Ren continues, under a powerful, military force, The First Order and Supreme Leader Snoke, the business of Darth Vader. He wishes to end Luke Skywalker. His actions awaken a storm trooper. The storm trooper turns on the First Order and helps a rebel pilot. The pilot leads the storm trooper, Finn, to Rey. Rey discovers she can be one of the hopes for the Rebellion against the First Order.

What Happens Now?

by The Conmunity – Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA Wikimedia Commons

A true rebellion can now happen in the last film against the First Order. The stories of rebellion now circulate across the galaxy. Would you want to see it? The biggest concern I had at the end of this movie is there are no stakes. Why would I want to see it? The end of this movie leaves open what could happen in the ninth film of this series. It could be a musical. It might be a dream sequence. I have no idea what is going to happen. The concern is Star Wars: The Force Awakens had this end. What is going to happen? Now, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has a similar end. The problem is neither of these films has anything new to add to Star Wars. The content in Star Wars does not necessarily have to be brand new. It just has to be a little more cohesive, and less past-driven. In these movies, the machinations are different. The story is the same. The point is still to get you to the theater. I do not wish to see a similar story play out, again. Who cares about possible speculation of a ninth movie? The objective seems to be to get to a new trilogy of films. That is where it is going it feels like. What seems clear is the makers of Star Wars want it to be less legendary. The Force Awakens and Last Jedi seem to ground the mythology of Star Wars, by George Lucas. It is as clear as Kylo Ren’s destruction of his helmet. It is a call to see Star Wars as something else. That is fine. However, do not take the Star out of the Wars, or vice versa.

Conclusion

Just like anyone else, I wanted to emrbace Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I enjoyed much of it. My biggest concern is I do not think it is going anywhere. I can say I am a former film student. I have some experience viewing movies. That does not matter. This movie, in my opinion, does a better job marketing Star Wars than being “it”. The Force Awakens seems to mimic this same idea. The feud between Kylo Ren, and the character Rey seems moot. It is two people, on the same level, but with different ideas on how to approach change. In some sense, the objective might be for Kylo Ren to turn good. It might be at the cost of Rey’s turn to evil. A war is going to take place. Does it matter, though? George Lucas’s films had moments of levity, horror, action, drama, etcetera for a reason in different parts of the film. Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a science fiction piece, with Star Wars on it, which was okay. The Force Awakens was okay. This, however, is supposed to be the end of Star Wars as a saga. Some scenes have to pop. Character arcs have to push through three sets of films. As an example,they can end Finn’s character arc in this series. His reason for being in these films seems pointless. His focus is on Rey. We know that. I once speculated either he was a Jedi, or his good turn was false. He might serve some evil purpose. He now knows he must be a rebel at the end of this movie. What the heck? He acts like a rebel at the start of this movie. Why is he important to the story overall? It is not clear yet. It might say it in the next film, though.

Rest in Peace Misses Carrie Fisher. You will be missed.

n0ne – The Anti-Meta Falcon

Staff Report

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December 17, 2017

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12/17/2017 – Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby, from Nicaragua, is one of the most insane/innovative Melee players that has ever played the game. His explosive dual main of Captain Falcon and Ganondorf have earned him the honors of being the best player in Canada, getting a sponsorship from the high profile organization; Team Allegiance and is currently ranked No. 18 in the world according to the 2017 summer MIOM top 100. In this interview, n0ne talks a bit about his Melee career, and how he was able to push the anti-meta Captain Falcon.

Tyler Linden: About how long have you been playing Melee competitively?

n0ne: I’ve been playing Melee for a long time, around 10 years now, but competitively would be since when I moved back to Toronto in August 2014.

N0ne, Edgar Shelby — N0ne, Edgar Sheleby

TL: Who was your biggest inspiration to play Falcon/Ganon and why?

n0ne: I didn’t really have any inspiration. It was more the fact that I didn’t like the way other players played these characters. So I picked them up to try to prove a point.That point was, that you didn’t need to follow a set of rules or guidelines to play these characters. With good game sense, awareness in combination with creativity, you are able to be your own inspiration. This in itself makes you want to improve yourself more. I did look to Isai (Joel Isai Alvarado) and $mike (Mike Scaturchio) back in the day though, since i saw them as a bit different than the other Falcons.

TL: How do you feel about the 20gx Falcons?

n0ne: They’re the other side of the spectrum from how I see the game, and that’s fine. It’s also cool (and ironic from what I said previously) because it gives newer people that are trying to get into the game a way to learn the game since 20gx requires a lot of discipline. Newer players will have footage and material to study to improve themselves, since 20gx is the more common way nowadays to play Falcon. Anything that´ll bring newcomers to our game is good in my eyes.

TL: What’s your opinion on UCF?

n0ne: I personally don’t like it because it affects a lot of my muscle memory timings and tech on how I hold the analog stick. Kind of hard to explain. Also buffs Fox who is already the best character in the game. But overall its a good concept because GC controllers have a random factor to them since they’re not all the same to each other and they’re becoming scarce.

TL: Do you have any tips for falcons who want to play like you do (flashy, super cool)?

n0ne: Just be ready to be called a dumbass when something doesnt work or you go too deep LMAO
Learn to find the balance between flashy and efficient, and remember that it’s easy to be fast with Falcon, but it’s harder to know when to hit the brakes and not lose control of your character.

TL: What is your favorite matchup in the game?

n0ne: Fox-Falcon on vanilla Melee. UCF Fox is too OP and I’ve been having trouble against him recently.

TL: What are your goals as a player for 2018?

n0ne: Overall improve myself as I’ve always been doing, keep my motivation up and to not let the fans down. I’m abroad at the moment, but once I’m back home in Canada, to keep streaming and stay connected with the people.

TL: What’s your next big event that you’re going to?

n0ne: For now, I have Genesis 5 planned and announced. Future attendances will be revealed eventually when the dates come closer.

Follow n0ne on Twitter @n0ned if you want to keep up to date with the flashiest Falcon alive.

Tyler J. Linden

Girl of the Week Camilla

Slickster

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December 17, 2017

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Girl of the Week Camilla S

Brought to you by MMA Candy.

12/17/2017, 3:05 p.m.

MMA Candy

MMA Candy is a collection of all the best of MMA and fighting. We produce videos of fighting techniques, fighters, ring girls, models, live events and appearances, and everything great in the world of MMA to our fans. We are huge MMA fans ourselves.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

Chris Sawin

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December 14, 2017

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Destiny Fulfilled

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

By Chris Sawin – We have had a Star Wars film every year since 2015 and with every year that passes another part of the already dwindling fan in me dies a bit more upon each film’s release. While it’s nowhere near as bad as getting four to five superhero films from the same studio every year, that feeling of being burnt out on everything related to a galaxy far, far away grows stronger than the overwhelming amount of hatred for Jar Jar Binks felt by every Star Wars fan around the world. However, now that Disney and 20^th Century Fox are under one roof, it’s only a matter of time before this golden horse is milked to death and its corpse is ransacked and violated in every way imaginable until there’s absolutely nothing left. Only then will we realize that the The Star Wars Holiday Special is the least of our worries.

With that said, Rian Johnson brings a glimmer of hope to The Last Jedi. The Force Awakens was as formulaic as Jurassic World and never really strayed far enough from its predecessors to make a lasting impact. Some think Rogue One is an awful film, but I thought Gareth Edwards delivered a solid prequel that was far better than the prequel trilogy George Lucas gave us; and you better shut your face if you don’t think K-2SO was the best part of that film. Rian Johnson had the opportunity to bring something really unique and essential to Star Wars fans with The Last Jedi and the results are more than satisfactory.

Finn (John Boyega) battles Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie).

There is at least one aspect going into The Last Jedi that Rian Johnson and Walt Disney Studios couldn’t have prepared for; the loss of Carrie Fisher before the film’s release. While viewing the film and realizing that this is Fisher’s last completed on-screen role, The Last Jedi becomes much more touching and personal than anyone could have hoped for. Quieter and tenderer moments in the film featuring Leia have this incredible emotional impact because the entire film feels like a glorious sendoff not only for Leia but also for Fisher’s contributions in front of and behind the camera. In more ways than one, The Last Jedi waves goodbye to the beloved characters that got us all to this point and finally allows the newer characters to take center stage. That isn’t meant to be taken as a spoiler, but finally seeing the likes of Poe, Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren step out of the intimidating shadows cast by everyone who originally occupied the likes of the Millenium Falcon and The Death Star is a huge step towards refreshing Star Wars material that isn’t just a rehash of previous films.

This is also the most humorous of the Star Wars films. There’s always been this kind of cheesy, eye-rolling, slightly lame and dad-jokey quality to Star Wars that has been there from the beginning; it wouldn’t be Star Wars without that there. But The Last Jedi is as laugh out loud funny as the Guardians of the Galaxy films and even Thor: Ragnarok. The decision to inject more humor into superhero and epic space opera blockbusters has so far paid off in phenomenal ways. There are so many great jokes featured in the film like Poe’s communication call to General Hux and Leia’s line about having different hair. Some of the humor happens so quickly like a throwaway gag, but it always hits its mark and is consistently entertaining.

The film is a visual spectacle and does so much with color, especially red and black; it’s almost as if Rian Johnson was visually inspired by most of the music videos The White Stripes put out. Supreme Leader Snoke’s lair that he’s constantly beckoning Kylo Ren to is pure eyeball ecstasy with the dynamically designed Praetorian Guards lurking in the background. The battle between The Resistance and The First Order erupts with explosions of red on the white canvas known as planet Crait. With the exception of the opening sequence, the majority of the action takes place in the last third of the film. The Last Jedi is fairly spectacular from beginning to end, but that home stretch is a jaw dropping wet dream for anyone who enjoys unreal light saber melees and dizzying starfighter pursuits.

The Last Jedi does utilize familiar characters in ways that are different than what they’ve showcased in the past. Luke has lost the innocent charisma he once had and is now a cynic of the Jedi as he willingly isolates himself from his family, friends, and the rest of the galaxy. Leia has lost her husband and her son to the dark side. She’s still in command of The Resistance, but she has the opportunity to portray why she’s in the position she’s in and why it’s an important role for her and her alone. Chewy is basically sidetracked by Porgs, R2-D2 steps aside so BB-8 can take over as the most useful droid, and C-3PO is still the snootiest droid around but at least everyone seems to call him out for it.

Poe is incredibly impulsive with a delicate trigger finger that is activated more often than his short temper. The sacrifices he makes to get a point across make the character more hazardous than he is useful, but interesting nevertheless. When Rey disappears to find Luke and takes longer than expected to return, Finn takes it upon himself to go after her but runs into maintenance worker Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) along the way. The two become partners throughout the film and encounter a stuttering thief and self-proclaimed master codebreaker named DJ (Benicio Del Toro). Del Toro steals the limited amount of screen time he has as DJ is shady and could be working for either or neither side, but you can’t help but enjoy how eccentric he is. Rey is struggling to find herself while exploring what it means to control The Force. She is drawn to Kylo Ren, but doesn’t understand why. Meanwhile Kylo Ren is dealing with shedding Darth Vader as his inspiration.

Performance wise, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver are most impressive. Ridley can portray so much with a simple look; completely overcome with bewilderment, sorrow, or frustration. Rey is on the brink of either embracing The Force or succumbing to The Dark Side similar to Luke and Daisy Ridley’s portrayal of the character could either be seen as a powerful mastery of The Force or deceitful trickery involving The Dark Side and that’s what makes Ridley’s performance so fascinating. Adam Driver is passionate and astoundingly angry as Kylo Ren. Driver’s rage is just exquisite to witness as he literally trembles with animosity and his violent actions are practically felt through the seat at the movie theater. Andy Serkis makes a lasting impression as Snoke. Snoke’s appearance resembles that of The Elephant Man, but he is absolutely wicked in nature and his deep voice is hypnotically haunting as it hammers whatever nefarious idea he may have into Kylo Ren’s head.

Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) wants to touch your face.

I don’t consider myself a Star Wars fan. I mostly felt like the franchise was a waste of time after The Empire Strikes Back even though Rogue One is entertaining as hell. Empire was also my favorite of the franchise before The Last Jedi came along. It’s a bold statement to say that The Last Jedi is better than Empire, but personally speaking it is currently my favorite film of the franchise. Rian Johnson has limitless potential when he returns with the Star Wars trilogy he’s currently developing, but with The Last Jedi he takes the Star Wars franchise in a direction it’s needed to go since The Return of the Jedi ended 34 years ago. The film is brilliantly mesmerizing with a dazzling use of color, the action sequences are perhaps the best they’ve ever been, and the comedy in the film made a guy who generally rolls his eyes at everything laugh like a damn fool for two and a half hours straight. The Last Jedi takes you to emotional destinations the other films fail to visit. This is what The Force Awakens should have been and everything the franchise should aim for from here on out. Rian Johnson has revitalized what I considered a stagnant franchise.

Vaping in the boys room

Marijuana

Slickster

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December 14, 2017

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Vaping in the boys room

Once a Reddit punchline, has become a reality.

In 2017, CNN.com reported that Colorado generated over $500,000,000.00 in marijanua sales tax. That’s a half a BILLION dollars. Let that sink in for a moment. For skeptics who think that the legal marijuana industry resembles the days of shady drug deals from sketchy sorts… think again. The green gold rush is a modern day cash machine, and many states are following Colorado, Oregon and Washington for a piece of the action.

Yet, while the industry is starting to see the rays of light, coming out of the dark ages of marijuana prohibition, certain aspects of life have not changed. I am reminded of a r/showerthoughts I read on the front page of Reddit.com. It said,

Back in the 90’s it was smoking in the boys room. Now it’s vaping in the gender neutral bathroom.

I got a laugh. A fan of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe growing up, I remembered the classic hit, “Smoking In The boys Room“. A coming of age rock anthem, it tells the genrationless story of breaking the rules, disobeying authority and of course, sneaking away from class to have a smoke with your buddies in private. I passed the punchline around the water cooler at work and didn’t think much about it.

Then, it finally happened.

Not too long ago, I walked into a public restroom in Colorado, and there it was staring me right in the face. Two teenage guys passing a vape pen back n’ forth in the bathroom. I hummed the melody to myself and couldn’t help but smirking. The Redditor had foretold the truth. Smoking in the Boys Room was what your dad and grandpa did… Now, we VAPE in the boys room. Truth be told, the mixture of odors in the bathroom was overwhelming. Shit in the stalls and industrial grade chemicals designed to mask the smells therein made it impossible to tell if the guys who were vaping were smoking weed or nicotine oils. Besides, I didn’t care anyway. For me it was the humor of the situation.

Hard facts on the recreational marijuana tax income are tough to dispute. Similarly, it’s hard to dispute that vaping has now become… ahem, cool in a bad boy sort of way. Vaporizers, well known among recreational marijuana customers for their practical usage, are making the transition into mainstream culture. Some of the benefits listed among pro-vaping advocates include no ash, no tar, no second hand smoke and no smell. The devices are largely customizable and the individual owner can adjust the amount of nicotine which they inhale on each puff. It’s their preference; It’s their choice.

With any product, there will be clientele for the high end and more economic, i.e., less pricey options. Tesla has the Model X (MSRP: From $79,500) and the Model 3 (MSRP: From $35,000) Vaporizers range in price from $12.99 for a cheapy to over $4000! According to online vape dealer, Sky Life, mid-level portable vapes are selling. “The Boundless CFV Vaporizer ($219) is a popular item”, says Sidney Rockwell of California, Sky Life LLC. “It offers a lot of options, but it won’t break the bank either. We’re seeing more buyers who want certain features, but don’t want to spend a lot of money”.

But these are just teenagers and they shouldn’t be smoking anyway, some of you might be saying now. Let me do a little self reflection. Did I have a fake I.D. when I was a teenager? Check. Did I use that fake I.D. to buy booze and share with my friends? Double-check. So, just like Mötley Crüe reinvented Brownsville Station’s 1973 hit to appeal to their 80’s metal audience, so vaping in the boys room is ushered into 2018. As a wise man once said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Oz Noy Speaks

INTERVIEWS

J. G. Bennett

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December 11, 2017

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12/29/2017 – Oz Noy isn’t a household name, but he deserves to be. I first remember hearing of this innovative guitarist among my jazz peers in 1997. Who was this Israeli musician? Rapidly making a name for himself among jazz and fusion New York music circles, Noy established himself as one the best new guitarists within the hyper competitive scene. That’s saying a lot when you think about the other titans that are still active; Pat Martino. George Benson. John McLaughlin. Mike Stern. Russel Malone…. just to name an elite few.

Noy has a new jazz-commercial music hybrid project on Abstract Logix, Ozone Squeeze. Alongside keyboardist and vocalist Rai Thistlethwayte and bassist, Darren Stanley, Noy continues to craft his unique blend of jazz tradition with strong melodies, clever rhythms and ear bending harmonies. Fearlessly executing musical ideas with conviction, Ozone Squeeze keeps the music spontaneous and fresh.

Two decades later I finally got the opportunity to speak with Mr. Noy. While on tour, Noy took a few moments on a busy Sunday morning to chat with Slickster Magazine. The results were insightful and oft humorous.

Slickster: Anything you’d like to clear up about you that people always get wrong? Is there any mis-information online that needs to be corrected?

Oz Noy: Uhhh… I think the perception that I like complicated music. Some people think that is what I am into, and I’m not.

Slickster: That’s it? So, some people think you like complicated music, but you do not. Anything else?

Oz: Well, actually!…. That I like complicated music and my music is complicated!

Slickster: You kicked off a new tour with the group Ozone Squeeze in support of the self titled debut record that is released next week. How’s the tour going so far?

Oz: So far, it’s great. We’ve been opening for Jimmy Herring, so it’s been a blast.

Slickster: How did Ozone Squeeze come together?

Oz:

Abstract Logix

Rai Thistlethwayte’s Youtube Channel

Slickster: Awesome. I noticed you did a very old jazz standard on the new album, Skylark, but it has some really different textures and feels, especially rhythmically. How many takes did it take for your solo on Skylark? Was it completely improvised or kind of planned out?

Oz:

Slickster: So, your solo was just a live take. There were no overdubs?

Oz: Naw, there was no overdubs. On that record, we overdubbed some of the vocals because there was some (microphone) leakage, but everything we played live. You know, I’m just kind of playing live and the interaction with the band.

Slickster: Can you discuss the impact and influence Mike Stern has had on your playing.

Oz:

Slickster: You often incorporate abstract sounds into your music to ‘paint with textures’, and I personally find this extremely musical in the way you craft dissonance. Can you talk about how you do this?

Oz:

Questions from r/Jazzguitar Reddit

Slickster: We invited users from the r/jazzguitar sub-Reddit to submit questions for you. MdCarrol asks, How does you come ups with his rythymic ideas? You have a way of syncopating that can seem off but ends on the right beat. Love that.

Oz:

Slickster: dsquidmusic, asks, “Can you provide some tips for surviving financially as a musician?“

Oz:

Slickster: Anything goes. What message would you like to share to the world.

Oz:

You can purchase Oz Noy and Ozone Squeeze’s first album here.

Special thanks to publicist David Monnich for setting up the interview… and being patient!

Girl of the Week Bun

GIRL OF THE WEEK

Slickster

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December 10, 2017

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Girl of the Week Bun

Bun is boudoir model who has been featured in FHM Taiwan. Now she graces the pages of Slickster Magazine. Originally from the sunshine of Hawaii, she now stays busy overseas modeling lingerie, bikinis and high fashion. Check her out on Instagram at the links below.

12/10/2017, 3:05 p.m.

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii

Measurements (Bust, waist, hips): 32″ D, 25″, 37″

Favorite band or musical act: My favorite musical group is currently a J-pop vocal group called Little Glee Monsters.

Which movie that scared you the most or what is your favorite video game: My most favorite video game is Super Smash Brothers Melee.

Tell us about your hobbies: My hobbies include drawing, reading literature and self improvement books, learning Mandarin Chinese, and practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Model Mayhem

The Sleaze Box – Chris Woods interview

Slickster

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December 9, 2017

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The Grindhouse of Today

Chris Woods interview. Pushing the boundaries of sex and gore in underground horror.

12/10/2017 – Exploitation films of the 1960’s, 70’s and up until the 80’s featured waton nudity and graphic realistic violence. Then the 90’s came along, and with access to cheap equipment hard core horror filmmakers went underground. Out of the public eye and pre-internet time, they could make the horror films they wanted to without the support of motion picture studios. Writer and director, Chris Woods, was one of these people.

Woods’ production company, The Sleazebox, has built a reputation on going for the jugular in his movies. Using grassroots techniques and living up to the namesake, he packs his films full of sleazy wonderment. But, there are limits he feels that can not be crossed. Saturated with blood, T n’ A, and fond appreciation of Italian shock cinema, Woods’ films are not for the feignt of heart… or kids. So, obviously, what follows is for adults only.

Don’t confuse his grindhouse with the Tarentino film of 2007. While both drawing from the same source pool, Woods’ low budget labour of love doesn’t pull punches. Busily preparing for his third installment of his Death-Scort franchise, Woods’ caught up with Slickster Magazine for an insightful phone call on a snowing Sunday morning.

Slickster Magazine: How has the horror genre changed over the past two or three decades?

Chris Woods:

SM: You brought up some good names in your response. Shallow Films from Italy and George Romero to name a few. So, one word answer; Which do you prefer, fast zombies or slow zombies?

CW: Slow!

SM: Slow zombies. No hesitation with that answer!

Another thing you mentioned was how the 90’s changed everything. It wasn’t just filmmaking. It was music, fashion… there as a definite shift for those of us who lived through it. Why do you think that was? Was there a backlash against the excess of the 80’s? What brought that on?

CW:

SM: What was your first camcorder?

CW: My first camcorder was a VHS-C. Technically, I used a regular VHS camcorder.

SM: Are we talking about one of the huge shoulder mounted ones with large tapes?

CW: Yep. That was the first one I used. The first one I owned was a VHS-C. Which is pretty much a more compact version of regular VHS camcorder. The tapes were smaller, so you had to use an adaptor to play them.

SM: When we interviewed James Rolfe, The Angry Video Game Nerd, he talked about having two consumer VCRs and used them to edit his movies together. What was your first editing set up like? Was it anything like Rolfe’s; a crude two VCR setup?

Chris Woods:

SM: So, that leads me to believe that all of your early work was filmed in a linear fashion? Meaning, you filmed the first scene first, then the second second next, etc…?

Chris Woods:

SM: You are big presence at horror conventions. What advice would you give to people who want attend horror conventions, or Comic Con, or any fan boy convention in general?

Chris Woods:

SM: Where will The Sleaze Box be presenting next?

CW: I’m shooting a film next year, so were saving costs at the moment. It probably won’t be until late August, which will be here in Tampa. It’s the convention run by Sean Donohue, Tampa Bay Screams. It’s the third annual one. It’s a cool little convention.

SM: As the name, Sleazebox, implies your films have a lot of nudity, sex, gore, and violence. You really push the envelope on some it; your film Naughty, Dirty, Nasty, for example. When does ‘schlock, or sleaze, or what you referred to as The ‘grindhouse of today’ or ‘horror underground’ cross the line? When does cease to be ‘shock’ or ‘gore’ and when does it become softcore porn or obscenity?

Chris Woods:

SM: What is a highlight of your career? It doesn’t have to be a movie per se. It could anything; something that during your career as a filmmaker you are really proud of.

Chris Woods:

SM: You’ve already let the cat out of the bag on your next project. You and Sean are going to be making Death-Scort 3. Without giving away too much information, what can you tell us about the upcoming project?

Chris Woods:

Daily Fantasy Sports: Read This Before Giving Your Money Away

SPORTS

Staff Report

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December 9, 2017

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Daily Fantasy Sports: Read This Before Giving Your Money Away

DFS Part One Here

December 9, 2017- Randy Dicker – I’ve heard pimpin’ ain’t easy, but I bet it’s easier than playing daily fantasy sports (DFS). I’ve given some thought into the mistakes I made early on in my DFS experience. I remember making my first deposit of $25.00 and jumping in to the contests that had the highest payouts. I set my lineups and sat back waiting for the money to start rolling in. At the end of the night my $25.00 was gone and I finished 99,200 out of 100,000 and 45,500 out of 50,000. Ahh, just a bump on the road to glory, so I did it again the next night, and the next night, and so on until I was hundreds of dollars in the hole. It was then I realized (yeah, I know I’m an idiot and it takes me longer to come to grips with my failures) I needed to dig into DFS and see what I was doing wrong and figure out a way to tell my wife that my “sure-thing” money making endeavor was an utter failure. Till death do us part, right?

This began my long road to better understanding DFS and what it takes to be successful and achieve longevity in a volatile game. I’ve pinpointed some knowledge that I wish I could have had before depositing money on any DFS platform. Let’s get in the trenches and start your road to glory.

Note: To start, we will be talking strategy on DraftKings and FanDuel. The reason for this is they are the most popular and, in my opinion, the most user friendly and straightforward DFS sites out there.

Get a Twitter Account

Twitter is the first thing this guy mentions about DFS, (WTF, is he high?). Fair question, as I am from the Denver area, but no, I’m not. Twitter is instant news and will become the first weapon in your resource arsenal. The key is following the right people. Each team has reporters that cover their practices, upcoming games, and talk about what is going on with players. This information is vital when setting a DFS line-up. You can find out who is healthy, injured, or has a bad match-up.

What makes it even easier is there are DFS accounts that follow all the teams, beat reporters, and post on their feed. These are free and save you a ton of research time, and can save you from playing someone who is injured or not playing at all.

Playing a player who isn’t playing, 9 times out of 10 is the kiss of death to your line-ups.

Twitter allows you to network with other DFS players, ask questions, and discover resources that will help you become a better player. The DFS community is, for the most part, full of people like you and me that play for fun, but have dreams of taking down a big tournament and winning $50,000-$100,000.

Do not pay for any services offered to you on your Twitter account. New frauds show up daily that claim they can sell you winning DFS lineups. They will find you eventually, follow you, and try to convince you to subscribe to their service. No matter how good it sounds, don’t do it. Most of these people suck at DFS and are trying to make money by scamming others.

I will help you with any questions you have and give you great resources to follow. There are many and I can’t begin to list them all here.

Explore and Educate Yourself

Whether you choose DraftKings or FanDuel, it is important to learn the ins and outs of each site. A common mistake people make is playing DraftKings and FanDuel the same way. Both sites are very different and require different strategies to be successful. Lineup configurations, scoring, game options, and player pricing varies from each site. My suggestion is to pick one when you first start. For me, FanDuel was easier for me to learn on. I find the usability and lineup construction easier to understand. However, you can choose whichever site you want as they both are a great product.

Create an account on whichever platform you choose. You can create an account without depositing any money. Take advantage of the free contests that each site offers. You can play other people in $0 contests and hone your skills before you start playing with your money. Also, both sites offer free contest that have a cash payout quite a few times a week. In fact, on DraftKings, I cashed in on a couple of these contests and haven’t had to deposit any money in over a year. This was after I learned bankroll management and contest selection, which we will cover in future articles.

Win by Losing

Stay with me now. DFS is not easy. It’s a tangled mess of statistics, strategies, emotions, hard decisions, second guessing, and losing more than your fair share of the time, and that’s the reason why I love it. No matter what you read or what anyone tells you, no one wins all the time. At the beginning, you will lose more than you win and that’s ok. All players do, but not all players take the time to understand why they lost. Some nights you will feel so damn excited about the lineup you submitted, only to check later and the lineup is a complete dud. Ask yourself, why was this line-up a dud? Did you roster a player with a bad-matchup on name alone, or was the team you focused on playing a back to back or three games in four days? These are just a few of many valuable lessons you can learn from a losing line-up.

Look at the lineups that cashed in your contests. How were they different from yours? Were they heavy on superstars with value players filled in or were their lineups balanced with only one superstar? I recommend getting a notebook and write your analysis down and go over the previous night the next day. By then your emotions have calmed down, and you can focus on how you’re going to win today by analyzing the lineups you lost with yesterday.

I want you to have fun playing DFS, even when you lose. Sure, it sucks to lose, and it will piss you off, but you need to be ready to jump back up on the horse the next night, learn from your losing lineups, and be in a better position to get back in the win column.

It’s going to be hard, but hopefully you can develop these habits before depositing any money. After you win a few free games and maybe even a little cash with the free money games, you will have a much better chance at becoming a profitable DFS player over time.

Thanks for reading and let me know about your DFS journey.

Next article: An in depth look at the types of DFS contests and strategies to be successful