Bad-Ass Pumpkin Line-Up 2014

It's that time of year again: Halloween! The time when "Pumpkin Spice" and "Candy Corn" flavored-everything hits the stores and amazing pumpkin carvings start coming out of the woodwork. One of my favorite parts of being a blogger is that I have a reason to search out these awesome designs and share them with you. In fact, my Bad-Ass Pumpkin Line-Up feature is probably the only reason I haven't gotten rid of this blog completely.

So without further ado, let's take a look at this year's entries!

Krang/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
I've had this one sitting in my Tumblr queue since just after the 2013 edition of BAPLU went live. I found it a little too late to include it then but wanted it to highlight this year's entry. Why? Well, look at it. It's a pumpkin/watermelon hybrid, making it a marvel of artistic design. Seriously, this pumpkin raises the bar for carvers everywhere.

By Mike V Design

Firefly/Serenity:
Twenty fourteen marks the year that I watched Joss Whedon's Firefly and Serenity for the first time and despite nearly losing my geek cred for taking so long to do so, I absolutely fell in love with it. The the point of obsession. So of course it would be lax of me to not try and find a few Firefly pumpkins to include.

Luckily, the internet didn't let me down. Not only did I find a sweet pumpkin featuring the Serenity, but there's also one of River Tam, the kick-ass heroine played by Summer Glau. In addition, the Fireflyfans.net forum thread also includes stencils so you can make these pumpkins yourself. Shiny! (It had to be done.)

By Joh Wee

By Akaaria

Cameron / Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Alex Wer is no stranger to this list; I've included a few of his designs in past entries. He came up in my search for Firefly carvings, even though what he has listed as River Tam on his website is clearly not River. It is, however, another character played by Summer Glau: Cameron from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. And the likeness on this design is so damn impressive, it deserved to be included. So enjoy!

By Alex Wer/ The Pumpkin Geek

Joker/Two-Face
Two classic Batman villains, right here. Not your typical pumpkin carving, these are more like "pumpkin sculptures". You can tell a lot of time, patience, and talent went in to creating these and holy hell did it ever pay off! I would kill to have something like this sit on my stoop during October, but then shed a tear when it got all moldy and squishy and I would have to throw it away. Either way, these are friggin' amazing!

(Supposedly there was a time-lapse video of the artist creating these but sadly, that has since disappeared. I hope it pops up again somewhere as I'd love to watch it.)

By Andy Bergholtz

By Andy Bergholtz

Parks and Recreation
I've recently started watching Parks and Rec and it's quickly become one of my favorite shows on TV. Just a shame I got into it so late. So when I stumbled across the Tom Haverford pumpkin, and by extension the Ron Swanson one, both by Loren Solomon, they had to go in. Even if only for the phrase "Trick or Treat Yo Self!" Classic.

By Loren Solomon

By Loren Solomon

House
I used to love House M.D. But even though the show is over, it's influence on pop culture remains. Here we have a sweet black-and-photo photo of a Hugh Laurie carving referencing the series' running gag.

Found on LowDownBlog.com

That's it for this year! We'll see you in about 12 months for the 2015 edition of Bad-Ass Pumpkin Line-Up! And if you're looking for more bad-ass pumpkins, check out our previous entries. They'll be sure to inspire you and get your creative carving juices flowing. (Or ruin your desire to make a killer pumpkin with how awesome they are. Really, it could go either way.)

2013
2012
2011
2010

Review: Arrow, Season 3 Premiere

It's almost universally acknowledged that Arrow is the best super hero television show on right now, if not ever and a lot of that has to do with its second season. The showrunners created an excellent antagonist in the form of Slade Wilson and only compounded that with the "trinity of evil" with Brother Blood and Isabel Rochev. But can they maintain the momentum into the third season? Most of what we've seen in press releases and teaser trailers leads most to believe that they can. However, a less than remarkable season premiere may prove otherwise.

That's not to say "less than remarkable" means it was bad. For the most part, the episode, "The Calm", gives fans a chance to catch up on what the characters have been doing during the hiatus. Starling City is trying to rebuild after the havoc wreaked by Slade's Mirakuru powered army while Oliver is still broke and no longer in control of his company, Queen Consolidated. However, there are some bright spots on the horizon. Detective Lance has been promoted to Captain and issues a statement pardoning the Arrow, actually thanking him for his help. Diggle and his ex-wife, Lyla, are about to expect their first child. And Felicity is working with the Queen Consolidated board to give Oliver the chance to argue his case for being in control again.

But more than this, "The Calm" offered fans what they've been clamoring for for two years: Oliver and Felicity getting together. While I don't like the idea (seriously, Oliver has already slept with most of the primary ensemble; Felicity would just be another notch in his belt), I can see that I am in the minority on this. And at least their "date" made for a good scene, allowing Oliver to open up about his feelings and his fear of relationships. So at least we can see where he's coming from with his hesitance to get closer to Felicity.

We also got introduced to a new character, Ray Palmer. Comic fans know who Ray is and what he could mean for the series but all we've seen is that he's a scientist/industrialist who is also vying for control of Queen Consolidated. He's basically a more likable, less pretty version of Isabel Rochev. (Don't get me wrong; Brandon Routh is a pretty guy but let's face it, he's no Summer Glau.)

Fans also got the chance to see Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) slip into his Arsenal persona. Though he's never addressed as such, he's fully suited and acting as Oliver's partner in the field, which I thought was a little quick. Granted, most of season 2 set up his eventual rise into the role, and months have passed since he's proven himself in battle in the last season finale, but to see him already in action was sudden for me. What I did like was his uncertainty. For a guy as cocky as Roy, seeing the doubt creep into his face as key points at least helped to strengthen his character, which was sorely needed.

It was a laid back episode, without a doubt, as evidenced by the title itself, "The Calm". The plot itself was formulaic in the way it reintroduced a legacy character into the mix but at least the action and stunts held true to what fans expect from the series. As far as season premieres go, I was pretty bored with this one.

Right up until the last minute.

No, I won't spoil it but I will say that the final minute of the episode is what made sitting through the rest of it worthwhile. That one minute, hopefully, will set the theme for the entire season. That one minute could have changed the course of the show. And because of that one minute, I cannot wait to see next week's episode.