10 Pokémon that should have been awesome but sucked

I'm what they call a "90s Kid." I was born in 1986 and spent my most formative years in the 1990s. It was in the blessed year of 1996, when I turned 10 years old, that the United States were introduced to a Japanese phenomenon known as "Pokémon." That Christmas was one of my all-time favorites. I spent days glued to my Game Boy and my new "Pokémon: Blue" video game.

I assume that if you took the time to pull up this blog post, you know what Pokémon is, so I'm not going to bore you by trying to explain it. I will, however, clarify that my knowledge of the franchise mainly stops a couple games in, so, despite there being 807 Pokémon (currently, at the time of writing), in my mind, there are only about 200 or so: the original 150 from the "Red" and "Blue" video games and the original TV show, plus a handful of others that I would recognize from later video games. For the purposes of this blog, I have only taken into consideration the original 150 monsters.

The idea behind this blog stems from a conversation I had with my siblings a couple days ago during a family vacation. While roasting S'mores, we discussed our favorite and least favorite Pokémon. We eventually wound up talking about those that we thought were the biggest disappointments. If you ever played any of the Pokémon video games, you understand from personal experience that there were some characters that initially looked amazing but ultimately didn't end up meeting your expectations. It happened to the best of us.

Let's break down ten of my biggest Poké-flops, in no particular order:

#132 Ditto

• Type: Normal
• Attributes: 1'0", 8.8 lbs.
• Rarity: Common
• Pokédex entry: Capable of copying an enemy's genetic code to instantly transform itself into a duplicate of the enemy.
• Why they should have been awesome: Ditto can mimic any Pokémon. On paper, that's an awesome stat. Plus, he just looks so cute!
• Why they weren't: In reality, nobody stuck with Ditto. The only move it knows is Transform and its primary power turns out to be little more than a gimmick, at best - certainly nothing you'd ever want to take into a serious battle. Also, if you've seen "Detective Pikachu," there's a great chance you've had nightmares about Ditto at some point since you left the theater.

#104 Cubone

• Type: Ground
• Attributes: 1'4", 14.3 lbs.
• Rarity: Common
• Pokédex entry: Because it never removes its skull helmet, no one has ever seen this Pokémon's real face.
• Why they should have been awesome: The skeleton mask is a baller costume choice, for sure. The boomerang bone is also a nice touch.
• Why they weren't: Mama drama! Cubone is frequently portrayed as a scared, lonely crybaby with major parental issues, completely negating the awesome character design.

#068 Machamp

• Type: Fighting
• Attributes: 5'3", 286.6 lbs.
• Rarity: N/A - Third evolutionary stage of Machop
• Pokédex entry: Using its heavy muscles, it throws powerful punches that can send the victim clear over the horizon.
• Why they should have been awesome: A four-armed pro wrestler? Heck yeah! He certainly looks like one of the strongest Pokémon in the Kanto region, and I know I wouldn't want to mess with a Machamp if I ever met one in a dark alleyway.
• Why they weren't: Raise your hand if you ever fought more than, like, four times with Machamp... Exactly. As far as I know, he just wasn't a very popular character in any of the video games. Missed opportunity, people. Missed opportunity.

#048 Venonat

• Type: Bug / Poison
• Attributes: 3'3", 66.1 lbs.
• Rarity: Uncommon
• Pokédex entry: Lives in the shadows of tall trees where it eats bugs. It is attracted by light at night.
• Why they should have been awesome: I hate bugs in real life, and I'm not too fond of them in the world of Pokémon, either, but, for some reason, I always thought Venonat looked cool. If nothing else, Venonat is unique; you'd definitely stand out if it was your main companion. I wanted to like him. I really did.
• Why they weren't: First of all, Venemoth is a crappy evolution that nobody likes, so if you ever chose to evolve a Venonat, the chances are that you never played with it ever again. Bug type Pokémon are weak against Fire types, which are some of the most commonly encountered and strongest monsters during trainer battles, and insects like Venonat are only super-effective against Psychic, Grass and Dark type creatures, which... isn't helpful at all, really.

#123 Scyther

• Type: Bug / Flying
• Attributes: 4'11", 123.5 lbs.
• Rarity: Rare
• Pokédex entry: With ninja-like agility and speed, it can create the illusion that there is more than one.
• Why they should have been awesome: Look at that thing! Look at those dang razor blade-arms!
• Why they weren't: Scyther could only be found in the Safari Zone or at Rocket Game Corner (depending on whether you were playing Red or Blue), which meant that it was incredibly difficult to find. Then, if you were lucky or rich enough to get your hands on one, you very likely already had a go-to squad, so adding a Level 10 or 15 Scyther would actually be a downgrade.

#108 Lickitung

• Type: Normal
• Attributes: 3'11", 144.4 lbs.
• Rarity: One - via trade for Slowbro
• Pokédex entry: Its tongue can be extended like a chameleon's. It leaves a tingling sensation when it licks enemies.
• Why they should have been awesome: Lickitung looks like a lot of fun. What's not to love about that goofy face and extra-long tongue?
• Why they weren't: As a rule of thumb, any "Normal" type Pokémon sucks. It's a fact. Check for yourselves. Furthermore, you have to trade for Lickitung in Versions Red and Blue, which means that its previous owner already gave it a nickname. "Marc." That's right. MARC. That's what Lickitung is called when you get him. Why on earth would you want to play with a Pokémon named Marc? Ugh. So stupid.

#134-136 Eevee's evolutions (Vaporeon / Jolteon / Flareon)

• Type: V: Water / J: Electric / F: Fire
• Attributes: V: 3'3", 29.0 lbs. / J: 2'7", 54.0 lbs / F: 2'11", 55.1 lbs.
• Rarity: N/A - Only available via elemental stone evolution of Eevee
• Pokédex entry: V: Lives close to water. Its long tail is ridged with a fin which is often mistaken for a mermaid's. / J: It accumulates negative ions in the atmosphere to blast out 10000-volt lightning bolts. / F: When storing thermal energy in its body, its temperature could soar to over 1,600 degrees.
• Why they should have been awesome: Water, Electric, Fire. Take your pick! And all of these Pokémon look really fancy. Which to choose? Which to choose??
• Why they weren't: Well, you can only get one Eevee in Red and Blue, and you only get to evolve it once, so you've got to choose wisely. More often than not, fear of making an unwise decision prevented me from evolving Eevee at all! Plus, if you're looking for an elemental creature, there are much better ones out there than any of these three.

#137 Porygon

• Type: Normal
• Attributes: 2'7", 80.5 lbs.
• Rarity: Unlimited - via purchase at Rocket Game Corner
• Pokédex entry: A Pokémon that consists entirely of programming code. Capable of moving freely in cyberspace.
• Why they should have been awesome: Porygon was the first completely synthetic Pokémon. That's pretty sick. The jagged, futuristic design is also really cool. Who among us hasn't ever coveted that nice, shiny toy at the top of an arcade prize wall?
• Why they weren't: You had to buy this dang thing from Rocket Game Corner. Had to! In Pokémon Blue, a Porygon cost 8,300 coins. In Pokémon Red, it cost a whopping 9,999! Did ANYONE save enough coins to buy one??

Editor's note: Mere hours after writing this blog, I was playing "Let's Go, Pikachu!" on the Nintendo Switch, making my way from Lavendar Town to Celadon City, when lo, and behold - a freaking Porygon was floating around in the bushes! Apparently, Porygon is a catchable Pokemon in the modern version of the old game! Coincidence??

And it only cost me a couple berries and like 5 Ultra Balls. Now, I guess I'll finally be able to tell whether or not Porygon actually sucks.

#093 Haunter

• Type: Ghost / Poison
• Attributes: 5'3", 0.2 lbs.
• Rarity: Uncommon
• Pokédex entry: Because of its ability to slip through block walls, it is said to be from another dimension.
• Why they should have been awesome: Haunter is easily one of the funniest Pokémon from the animated series. He has the best laugh! And he just seems so mischievous and fun!
• Why they weren't: Ghost type Pokémon aren't super useful in standard battles. They're only effective against Grass and Fairy types, and they're weak against Poison, Ground, Rock and other ghosts (which doesn't even make sense). There's a small window in the game where it can be fun to use ghosts (right after you first encounter them, typically), but it uses its luster quickly. Sadly, Haunter was not nearly as fun in the game as he was on TV.

#026 Raichu

• Type: Electric
• Attributes: 2'7", 66.1 lbs.
• Rarity: N/A - Second evolutionary stage of Pikachu
• Pokédex entry: Its long tail serves as a ground to protect itself from its own high voltage power.
• Why they should have been awesome: Everybody loves Pikachu, the face of the entire franchise. Surely, everyone would love a stronger, evolved version of the little lightning ball, right?
• Why they weren't: Wrong. Using a Thunder Stone is simultaneously one of the saddest and most disappointing decisions you could ever make in the game. After spending so much time nurturing and fighting with your beloved Pikachu, one use of the evolution stone will irreversibly take your pal away from you, never to return. I'm telling you - instant regret.

***

How did we do? Were there any of the original 150 Pokémon that should have been included on the list? Which Pokémon were the biggest let-downs for you? Let us know in the comments section below, on Facebook or on Twitter.

15 things we want to see in 'WWE 2K19'

Last week, it was announced that "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles will be the coverboy for "WWE 2K19," which is slated to release on major video game consoles in October. This first announcement will set off a string of revelations about the game over the next three months, which got us thinking - what are some things we would like to see in "WWE 2K19"?

Here is our wish list:

1. Mixed Match Challenge: WWE debuted a new, relatively interactive show exclusively on Facebook Watch this spring, which featured "mixed" tag team bouts (one male and one female superstar) in a single elimination tournament. The winning team allegedly gave a donation to a charity of their choice, which was a valiant cause. But the best thing that came out of the Mixed Match Challenge was the fun combination of men and women from RAW and SmackDown - teams like Finn Balor and Sasha Banks, Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair, Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss, and the eventual winners, The Miz and Asuka. Mixed tag has not been an option in WWE video games for years (likely due to the implications of men inflicting potential violence on women). Of course, as on WWE television, this mode could force teams to tag out so that only same-gender fighting could occur, but the inclusion of this new mode would certainly be a breath of fresh air into what feels, at times, like a stagnant formula.
2. Easier Alternate Attires: Previously, WWE games allowed players to customize superstars' attires in a simple and straight-forward manner. You'd just go into "Edit a Superstar," modify the color of their attire (even picking different colors for boots, kickpads, tights, shirts and accessories, if desired), and save your changes. You could usually save two or three alternate attires, and, although they would basically just be different colorways of the same single outfit, it was really easy to switch between those options. Now, alternate attires take up a Create-a-Wrestler slot and it's not very clear how to actually set the attire as an alternate. Simplify this process and free up our CAW slots, please.
3. Seamless Saving for Tag Teams: Currently, if you want to keep stables and tag teams up-to-date with WWE TV, you've got to create the faction in the "My WWE" section of the main menu, then create it all over again in "WWE Universe" mode, which is a real pain. There should be an option that asks, "Do you want to save this team in 'WWE Universe,' as well?" Simple yes/no. If you want your Universe mode to be a fantasy league of sorts, keep it that way. But give those of us who keep the default roster and the Universe roster current a break and don't make us do the same work twice.
4. More/Better Created Tag Team Entrances: Speaking of tag team creation, it's lame to use the same two or three generic entrances for created teams. I like that they have unique entrances for created teams, but there should be more options for generic "babyface" or "heel" stables to prevent things from getting too repetitive. Not every trio team wants to enter like Evolution.
5. Bring Back "Showcase Mode": One mode that was a bit of an acquired taste over the past few years was "Showcase Mode," which was a linear story mode that recreated classic moments in the WWE history. From the all-Stone Cold Steve Austin mode featured in "WWE 2K16" to the "Hall of Fame" and other miscellaneous storylines featured in several other games, "Showcase Mode" was a fun way for nostalgic fans to be a part of some of their favorite memories. The mode was not present in "2K18," and it would be nice to get it back in the fall.
6. Bring Back "GM Mode"/Superstar Draft: Another mode that we would really love to get back is "GM Mode," which was last used in "WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2008." It's been 10 years since players had this mode, which allowed a fantasy draft between SmackDown and RAW. The absence of a "draft" feature makes running a completely customized "Universe" mode a bit of a chore, and bringing it back would help more easily facilitate year-long dream match-ups between legends and the current active roster. WWE TV holds a "Superstar Shake Up" each year, and it's time that the video games allowed fans the same option again.
7. Ditch "MyCareer" Mode: WWE 2K has tried to copy their sister series NBA 2K by utilizing a "MyCareer" mode, which was meant to allow players to create an upstart wrestler and run them through the ranks of the WWE roster, from "jobber" status to headlining Pay-Per-Views. However, unlike the success of this mode in 2K basketball games, the "MyCareer" mode in "WWE 2K18" really, truly sucked. The mode, in general, seemed pretty cookie-cutter, essentially presenting two linear options (good guy/bad guy), restricting nearly all freedom of choice for the players. The worst offender was the dialogue, which was absolutely unbearable. It seemed like it was written by a 4th grader. Honestly. "MyCareer" was rarely touched by us, here at the Underground, and we firmly believe that it's time to either scrap it in favor of other modes or at least have the story written by someone who speaks fluent English.
8. More Coherent Promo System: Another feature that was recently introduced but could really use an overhaul is the Promo system. Both "MyCareer" and "Universe" modes allowed wrestlers to occasionally cut promos on the mic, which sounded like a great idea on paper, but the execution was botched harder than a bad match in NXT. Supposedly, players were to assess the characteristics of the crowd (or something) as they cut their promos, but, unless you Googled how to do this effectively, it was pretty much a guessing game. Here, again, the dialogue was pretty juvenile and surely could have been presented more clearly. It just didn't make much sense and it wasn't intuitive at all. Come on, 2K. Iron this out and come back stronger next year. Cutting promos should be fun, not tedious. (Check out the G.O.A.T. Chris Jericho cutting the first of his classic "List of Jericho" promos here.)
9. Clearer Money in the Bank Cash-in Process: WWE's "Money in the Bank" Pay-Per-View is one of the most exciting shows of the year. The winner of the MITB ladder match gets possession of a briefcase that can be cashed-in for a championship match anytime, anywhere. While this concept exists in "Universe" mode, granting the winner similar privileges, the cash-in process is muddy, at best. We would explain to you how to cash-in the briefcase, but we don't really know. Randomly, the player will be asked if they want to cash-in their briefcase after a championship match, but when can this be done? Only at the end of a PPV? Only at Wrestlemania? Like WWE TV, Mr. and Mrs. Money in the Bank should be able to cash-in at will, with the press of a button - not just at a time that the game deems to be convenient.
10. Additional Match Options for Universe Rivalries: "Universe" mode consists of a rolling calendar that gives players the power to book matches for RAW, SmackDown, NXT, custom/created shows and their associated PPVs. Along the way, superstars can develop rivalry storylines (both singles and tag teams), which is great. But the part that needs to be fixed is that rivalries, as presently constituted, must be head-to-head. For instance, if you are running a rivalry between Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura, every match for the duration of the rivalry must be those two wrestlers fighting against each other. Why not give us the option to have Orton fight Jinder Mahal, with Nakamura as a "guest commentator"? It would be fun to have an option to make Randy and Shinsuke be tag team partners for a week, which is not uncommon on television? Or how about Nakamura versus Bobby Rude, with Orton causing a mid-match distraction? Having to pit the rival competitors against each other for 8 straight SmackDowns, only then to make them fight again at the PPV isn't realistic and just doesn't make any sense.
11. More Versatile Commentary: If I have to listen to Michael Cole spout off the same lines he's been using for the past four years one more time, so help me... "And the sound of human flesh on the ground echoes throughout the arena..."
12. Gauntlet Matches: WWE TV has been loving the Gauntlet match lately, having prominent gauntlets run on both RAW and SmackDown. Gauntlet matches typically involve four or more competitors, with two wrestlers starting in the ring. When one superstar pins, submits or is disqualified, another competitor will enter the match, and the process repeats itself until the last fighter is left standing. Seth Rollins recently lasted an hour in a Gauntlet match on RAW, so you would think that this match type would be on 2K's radar for next year. Gauntlet matches have been featured in the past (either as "Gauntlet" or "Slobber Knocker" matches), but if you wanted to do something along these lines in "2K18," you'd have to go into the new "Match Creator" feature, which was an underwhelming addition to the game, at best. Just give us the straight-up Gauntlet match without requiring any additional effort on the part of the gamer.
13. Women's Royal Rumble: With the WWE's crusade for gender equality over the past couple of years, the option to run a Women's Rumble has got to be in "2K19," right? WWE held the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble in January, so failure to introduce this game mode would be a tremendous oversight.
14. Hulk Hogan: It's time to welcome him back to the WWE. Please give us a Hulkster and a Hollywood Hogan so we don't have to create him ourselves. Thank you.
15. Periodic - FREE - Content Updates: "NBA 2K" does it. "MLB The Show" does it. "Madden" does it. Heck, every major sports franchise gives free roster updates. If a player changes his number or gets traded to a different team - even sometimes if a player makes a noticeable change to his appearance - the company will update the character model in the game to keep the content accurate. Such is not the case with wrestling. They do have a "season pass" that will offer (not for free) additional characters that were not included at the time of the release, but if, say, Matt Hardy completely changes his gimmick, as he did this past calendar year, TOO BAD. We're stuck with the "Hardy Boyz" model and we have to rely on some talented CAW perfectionist to create the "Woken" attire. Why doesn't 2K patch the game and allow this content, free of charge?

Oh yeah. To make sure that we are forced into buying the game next year.

-_- (Sad, neutral-faced emoji)

"WWE 2K19" launches on October 9, 2018. Hopefully somebody at 2K is reading this blog and will include solutions to all of our suggestions. That would be WONDERFUL (*Woken Matt Hardy voice*). Pre-order the game to play as Rey Mysterio.

The top TV moments of 2015 (that you probably didn't see!)

The older I get, the more I realize that nobody really likes most of the TV shows I watch. The unfortunate thing about that is that you guys missed out on some awesome stuff last year. With that in mind, I thought I'd rank the top TV moments of 2015 that you probably didn't see!:

5. Sleepy Hollow - Abby goes to the underworld

Following what critics deemed to be a disappointing second season, "Sleepy Hollow" has kicked things up a notch for season three. There's a new "big bad" and Ichabod is no longer tied down by Katrina, which has led to some good storylines with Betsy Ross. The big cliffhanger heading into the mid-season finale involved Abby sacrificing herself and entering Pandora's evil tree, heading down to the underworld, presumably. What's down there? Do we even really know? Does Abby have a plan? She's alive, I take it, but what awaits her in Pandora's demonic lair? I suppose we'll find out in a couple weeks, when "Sleepy Hollow" returns (on Fridays #gulp) in February.

Also, Ichabod Crane is still the greatest character on TV.

4. Gotham - The death of Fish Mooney

I think a lot of people probably bailed on "Gotham" mid-way through its rookie season, and I totally understand that because, as much as I wanted it to, season one just wasn't very good. Nevertheless, I have stuck with it for one reason or another and, thankfully, season two has really taken a couple steps in the right direction. One of my main issues with season one was Jada Pinkett Smith's portrayal of Gotham kingpin Fish Mooney. I hate-hate-hated that chick. I'm not sure what it was - the over-dramatic acting, her desire for gratuitous violence or that weird torture scene where her old-lady armpits were on full display, perhaps? - but I don't remember ever wanting a fictional character to die as much as I wanted her to bite the big one. Thankfully, Oswald Cobblepot came to our collective rescue, pushing the former Queen of Gotham off of a very high wall to her (implied) death. You know what? I never publicly thanked the Penguin for what he did, so let me just say, on record, "Thank you, Oswald, for killing Fish Mooney!" (Note: We didn't see her lifeless body, however, so I suppose the door is open for a potential return at some point in the future, but let's just cross our fingers and hope that doesn't happen.)

Honorable mention: My brother Cody brings up a great point: the scene in season two where Penguin and Riddler are singing a duet was hilarious - almost as good as Fish dying, but not quite.

Also worth mentioning: Gordon's elevator fight scene was classic (especially the 1:18 - 1:24 mark).

3. Survivor - Crazy Tribal Councils

While I'm not a huge fan of the "new school" strategy that these returning players are attempting to infuse into the game, I am still a die-hard fan of this series. To this day, THIRTY-ONE SEASONS LATER, I truly believe it to be one of the best shows on television. The most recent incarnation of the program, "Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance," was pretty good. I liked the way the cast was selected - entirely by fans' votes. I thought they had a nice balance of fan favorites, villains and characters. Things began to get crazy about 75 percent of the way through the season, with a handful of immunity idol-driven blindside oustings and a couple crazy Tribal Councils that will live in "Survivor" lore for years to come. Two Tribals, in particular, stood out to me: the time when Stephen Fishbach tried to get cute and vote out Joe with "his own vote," only to get sent packing, himself, and the Tribal in the finale where Jeremy and Kelley Wentworth both used their hidden immunity idols, resulting in zero valid votes -- and Keith almost agreed to walk away from the game!! That was crazy. I'm glad Jeff Probst explained what had happened afterward because my parents and I were all left scratching our heads. Long live "Survivor."

2. The Flash - Who is Harrison Wells?

I binge-watched The CW's "The Flash" on Netflix a month or two ago and really enjoyed it. It wasn't as immature as "The Arrow" (which I only made it through about four or five episodes of before throwing in the towel) and wasn't as dark as "Gotham," which makes it a show you don't need to be ashamed of for watching. The best storyline of season one involves Barry Allen's relationship with his mentor, Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). Because, out of all of the shows I'm discussing in this blog, I believe "The Flash" is a show that some of you might actually care to watch in the future, I will not spoil the surprise, but I will say this - it is crazy. (Unfortunately, since I watched the show on Netflix and not on The CW, I knew the secret beforehand.) Cavanagh plays that role like a pro and makes every episode great. I'm not a big DC Comics guy, other than Batman and a little Superman now and then, but "The Flash" is a fun, family-friendly show that I'd recommend if you've got the time and are looking for something to watch.

1. Wayward Pines - Going down?: Ethan Burke versus the Abbies

I absolutely loved "Wayward Pines" this summer. It was originally just a 10-episode "event," but, to my great pleasure, FOX has decided to renew it for a second season. How on earth are they going to follow up that ending? Good heavens. In spite of all the haters that made it their personal mission to tell me that they will never watch the show, I thought "Wayward Pines" was freaking awesome. And the scene, in my opinion, that was the most freaking awesome of all was when Ethan Burke took on the Abbies for the sake of that confusing community. The elevator scene in the season finale solidifies Sheriff Burke's status as a stone-cold baller for time and all eternity. The man is a legend. No doubt about it, it was a weird little show with a weird little ending, but I loved it. It was mysterious, exhilarating, scary and intriguing and I couldn't get enough of it. (By the way, I just picked "Wayward Pines" up at Best Buy for $16.99 - not a bad deal!)


What were your favorite TV moments from 2015? Comment below and let me know!

2015's best movies in 140 characters or less

As we come to the end of another year, we pause to reflect on the highlights from 2015. The next few days will certainly be filled with introspection, goal setting and quality time with our families, but let us take just a moment to ponder another important aspect of the past 365 days of our lives: the best movies of the year!

In this blog, I'll count down my favorite movies of 2015 - and I'll do it Twitter-style - in 140 characters or less. (Disclaimer: Keep in mind that I did not see every movie that came out this year, nor am I listing every single show that I watched.) With no further ado, here are my top 15 movies. Let's get to it!

15. The Divergent Series: Allegiant (@Divergent)

• I struggled to finish the book. The movie wasn't any better. I'm losing faith in this series and I'm not looking forward to #Insurgent.

14. Tomorrowland (#TomorrowlandMovie)

• Biggest disappointment of the year, in my opinion. I fell asleep during a pivotal scene in the movie's "third act." No Space Mountain? #lame

13. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (@TheHungerGames)

• This was the "least good" of the four movies. Felt a bit too long - and I didn't love the ending of book it was based on, either. #TeamGale

12. Inside Out (@PixarInsideOut)

• A witty, clever movie about childhood depression. So sad. I saw it first at a drive-in theater, which was a terrible idea. #BingBongBingBong

11. Ant-Man (@AntMan)

• It definitely didn't suck as much as the previews made it seem. Better the second time. Funny, but not my favorite from Marvel's Phase Two.

10. Bridge of Spies (@BridgeOfSpies)

• Cold. Gray. Amazing. A fascinating story that kind of made me feel bad for the Russian. Tom Hanks is great, as we've all come to expect.

9. SPECTRE (@007)

• Not as good as #Skyfall, but a fun ride with a surprising twist that is a big payoff for long-time Bond fans. Also, Batista is a beast.

8. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (@ManFromUNCLE)

• Bond with a sense of humor. A couple of truly laugh-out-loud scenes and a totally rockin' soundtrack. Cavill and Hammer make a good team.

7.  Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (@MissionFilm)

• Is there anything @TomCruise won't do? The airplane scene was definitely the best opening sequence of 2015. This tweet will self-destruct...

6. The Peanuts Movie (@PeanutsMovie)

• I'll be doggone if this wasn't the cutest little movie I've ever seen. A wonderful, G-rated family film that anyone can enjoy. #TwoThumbsUp

5. Avengers 2 - Age of Ultron (@Avengers)

• Not as good as the first one, but a great addition to the franchise. Gotta love those action scenes with all of the Avengers in action.

4. McFarland, USA (#McFarlandUSA)

• Having served Spanish-speaking, this movie nearly brought me to tears on several occasions - and I don't even like running! A 2015 must-see.

3. Jurassic World (@JurassicPark)

• A big-budget blockbuster with plenty of excitement and superb CGI. A step up from J.P. 2 & 3 and practically on par with the original film.

2. Creed (@creedmovie)

• Creed got me right in the feels like a sucker punch to the kidney. A worthy successor to the Rocky films. Hoping for a sequel. #GonnaFlyNow

1. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (@starwars)

• My most anticipated film of 2015 was absolutely worth the wait. It's now one of my new favorite movies and I'll definitely see it again.

Well, there you have it. What were your favorite movies of 2015? Feel free to comment below in as many characters as you so choose.

Happy new year, friends.

Lists: 10 things I hate about Facebook

You know, Facebook has been really good at a lot of things for a really long time. I like Facebook. I do. In fact, depending on who you ask, I probably like Facebook too much. But, in all honesty, I've found myself posting and "liking" things on Facebook less and less these days. And, in no particular order, here's why:

1. Birthdays. Don't get me wrong - I'm all about birthdays. In fact, my favorite day on Facebook every single year is undoubtedly my birthday. It makes me happy to see kind messages from my family and friends every year. I always make sure to thank each and every one of them for their wall posts. A couple years ago, actually, I had my account temporarily suspended by Facebook for "suspicious activity." I guess if you consider posting a "thank you" message on the wall of each person that told me "happy birthday," I'm guilty as charged. So that was weird and slightly depressing. But here are my two problems with birthdays: 1) It bugs me when people don't respond or even "like" when I tell them "happy birthday," and 2) I have this internal struggle every time I see that it is someone's birthday who didn't acknowledge me on my special day. Know what I mean? Like, if they can't take five seconds to wish me a happy birthday, why should I do the same for them? Inevitably, I do and they don't even "like" it. Rude.
2. "Seen 10:49am." I hate, hate, hate this feature of Facebook. As an eligible bachelor, the "Seen" feature of Facebook Chat is the absolute worst. "Hey, so-and-so, how was your day?" ... ... ... ... Check mark. "Seen 10:49am." No response. Are you kidding me? I KNOW YOU SAW THAT! SAY SOMETHING! In my opinion, multiple unanswered instant messages is grounds for unfriending. For heck's sake, at least when I text a girl and she doesn't respond for five weeks, there's a chance that she just didn't ever get the text.
3. Pictures with the opposite gender. When I post pictures on Facebook, I often try really hard to avoid posting pictures with girls. Why, you ask? Because, at least where I come from, if you take a picture with a girl and post it online, it means you're about to propose. I've done it before. Post pictures with girls, I mean. Not... nevermind. But yeah, seriously. I post one innocent picture with, like, a girl in my ward or something, and I start getting text messages from relatives. "Who's that girl??" "Uh... a girl in my ward." "She's cute!" "Um... sure. Yeah." "So do you like her?" "We were in the same group together at FHE. They assigned the groups and I didn't really have a choice in the matter." "Well you should ask her out!" "Oh. Yeah. Maybe." Bless their hearts.
4. Old people. And I use that term loosely, of course. But this seemed the next logical step after #3. I remember when Facebook first started and you had to have a college email address to sign up for an account. I think that was the only time I ever used my @snow.edu email address. Those were simpler times. Less tweenagers and less responsible adults. Bless their hearts. (I know I'm going to offend somebody with this blog, by the way. Oh well.) The problem with old people on Facebook, related or otherwise, is that they frown upon me acting my age. I'm 27 and that's pretty dang old. I know. But, for instance, I get really worried about members of my singles ward bishopric adding me on Facebook because... what if I post a picture with a girl?? What if I "like" a YouTube clip of a TV show where somebody gets shot?? What if I link something that had a minor swear word in it? :-/
5. Grammar. On the other end of the spectrum, "I just can't" with all these young people and they way they talk with their terrible millennial jargon. Worst. Grammar. Ever. And I freakin' hate how many periods. They. Use. When. They. Type. Talking like that was cool like four years ago but now I'm over it. Obvi. They're, like, totes lazy b/c they feel the need 2 abbreviate even the simplest of words. It's cray. U feel?
6. Hashtags. I HATE hashtags on Facebook. Hashtags don't belong on Facebook. Hashtags belong in one place (ok, maybe two) and that's it: Twitter and Instagram. On Twitter, if you want to see everyone who is talking about the #NBAFinals, you simply click on the hashtag and it brings it right up. On Instagram, if you want to see everyone who posted a picture of their #salad, you click the hashtag and there you go. But on Facebook, when I see people using hashtags like #wearethebestfriendsinthewholeworld #I #love #her #so #much, that's just plain annoying. #I? Really? What is that supposed to bring up? Another thing that needs to stop is people hashtagging the names of babies. Or just names in general. #PatrickDavid might be cute if that's your boyfriend or whatever, but, first of all, nobody cares, and, secondly, now we all know his middle name. Ha!
7. Quote attribution. Here's one that has really started bothering me in the last six months or so. I'm done with all these cheesy inspirational quotes. I'm totally fine if you want to quote an apostle or a scripture or something. Or Abraham Lincoln, I suppose. But what I really hate is when people attribute a quote to "Unknown." If you don't know who said a quote, you should either look it up or don't use it in the first place. "'The winds of change blow swiftly from the south.' - Unknown." Wow. So profound. I wish I knew who said it! The other horrible Facebook error that some people occasionally commit is to attribute a quote to themselves. Why?? "'There are two ways you can live your life: the right way and the wrong way.' - Aaron Christensen." Ok, first of all, who are you? Socrates? Since when did you become some profound philosopher? Also, if you want to attribute something to yourself, don't put your name on it! Posting a status IS attributing it to yourself, is it not? "Aaron Christensen: 'There are two ways you can live your life: the right way and the wrong way.' - Aaron Christensen." Seems a little redundant to me. Maybe I'm just out of touch.
8. Lack of interest. I figure that if a cute girl can post a status that says something bland like "The grass outside is growing slowly" and have it receive 80 "likes" in 14 minutes, I should receive at least a few "likes" when I post a DVD review. Generally, the only ones who like things that I post are my parents, my brother, and a couple cousins. Maybe my grandma, too, if she's online that day. She likes a lot of my stuff. I have always wanted to post a status that says, "Like this status if you've hidden me from your news feed," but I guess that wouldn't really work, now, would it?
9. Publicly visible "likes" and comments. This might be the main offender. With the evolution of Facebook, now people can pretty much see anything you click on at any point in the day. Even if you tried secretly "liking" something at 2:00 in the morning, there's a good chance it would be recycled for the news feeds of your parents and potential suitors when they log on at 8:45. It's not that I'm trying to "like" the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition or anything, but how can you Facebook-flirt with anybody by "liking" their profile picture these days? ("Who's the girl? You should ask her out!") I try not to "like" a whole lot anymore, unless it's Austin's status or a picture posted by either ESPN or Disneyland. Can't go wrong with that, right? I also try to keep my comments to a minimum for the same reason. Nothing is secret. Nothing is sacred.
10. Engagement pictures. And finally, maybe I'm just waxing bitter in my old age, especially since most of my high school classmates are either on their third child or third marriage by now... (*shakes head in disgust*) ...But is it obligatory to take that picture where the girl is leaning on the guy and awkwardly holding up her left hand to show off the ring? That's annoying. The great thing about my awkwardly posed Facebook engagement picture will be the text messages I get immediately after. "Who's the girl? She's cute. Do you like her?"

I can't be the only one feeling this way. What do you hate about Facebook? Or am I wrong entirely? Wouldn't surprise me. Leave a comment. And be sure to "like" this post on Facebook.