» Editorials & Rants

• Trip Report: Filming Bert the Conqueror at Carowinds

  Written by The Coaster Critic 12 Comments
  Last Updated: August 12, 2010
  

  After signing a few waivers, the group of about 30 of us made our way to Intimidator. It was hours before the park opened to the public and it was neat seeing the normally busy park empty, but not lifeless. Maintenance and groundskeepers were hard at work making sure that Carowinds looked pristine as always. We entered the station where the crew, except Bert, were already setting things up. There ...

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• 5 Most Missed Defunct Roller Coasters

  Written by The Coaster Critic 16 Comments
  Last Updated: August 11, 2010
  

  I hope that you have some tissues nearby. This post could be a real tear jerker if you’re still missing a rollercoasterthat’s no longer with us. I invite you to let go. A good cry could help you move on. A recent comment on the Drachen Fire post inspired me to take a look at some of the most missed defunct roller coasters of the past decade or so. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ...

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• What Will Cedar Point’s 2011 Ride Be?: Possibilities & a Poll

  Written by The Coaster Critic 11 Comments
  Last Updated: August 8, 2010
  

  What do you give the park that has everything? Once again the Web is buzzing over what new ride, roller coaster, or attraction year. Even the Coaster Capital has a hole or two in its massive lineup of thrill rides and roller coasters. To be honest, I don’t follow the park that closely, but I’ll throw out some rumors and thoughts on what the ride could be. Let’s take some time and...

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• Bizarro Will Be Featured on the Travel Channel this Wednesday

  Written by The Coaster Critic 6 Comments
  Last Updated: August 3, 2010
  

  National Spotlight on The World’s Best Roller Coaster Bizarro at Six Flags New England, the roller coaster that many consider to be the Best in the World, will be featured on the Travel Channel this Wednesday night at 10 PM EST. This week’s episode of Bert the Conqueror finds comedian Bert Kreischer facing Bizarro in all of its upgraded, special effects laden glory. It’s my top r...

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• MSNBC’s 10 Gut-Churning Attractions

  Written by The Coaster Critic 2 Comments
  Last Updated: July 26, 2010
  

  MSNBC.com’s 10 Gut-Churning Attractions – Amusement Park Rides For the Emetically Immune Recently, I was interviewed by MSNBC.com for an article about extreme thrill rides and roller coasters. I came up with a list, but the writer only chose a few of them. He also chose a few rides from Robb Alvey of Theme Park Review and Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider That’s some great comp...

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• POV Videos & Sneaking Cameras on Roller Coasters

  Written by The Coaster Critic 27 Comments
  Last Updated: June 10, 2010
  

  Sneaking Cameras on Roller Coasters: A Public Service Announcement Technology’s a great thing. Who would’ve thought ten years ago that we’d be able to do the cool things that we can with our gadgets? Cameras have become so small that they can easily fit into our pockets. Or they can be integrated into even smaller cell phones. Just this week, Apple announced that the new, slimmer...

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• Why Looping Coasters Deserve a Separate Top Ten List

  Written by The Coaster Critic 17 Comments
  Last Updated: May 30, 2010
  

  Aric Davis is a working writer, body piercer, and the author of From Ashes Rise. He rarely updates his website, www.aricdavis.com, but plans to someday. When not writing, Aric can be found riding rollercoasters, playing hockey, listening to punk rock and knocking holes in people. If you’re at a park in the Midwest and see a guy covered in tattoos with really big ear piercings, it’s pro...

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• Music & Special Events at Theme Parks

  Written by The Coaster Critic 11 Comments
  Last Updated: May 28, 2010
  

  Austin, a theme park fan and writer at Theme Park Syndicate is today’s guest blogger. Ah, the classic amusement park image: great rides, irresistible food, addicting midway games, and that genuine one-of-a-kind atmosphere of non-stop fun. Not much else a person could think of to compose a perfect day at the park. But there is one element which I feel is often overlooked: the special events...

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• Top 3 Theme Park Foods

  Written by The Coaster Critic 18 Comments
  Last Updated: May 27, 2010
  

  Aric Davis is a working writer, body piercer, and the author of From Ashes Rise. He rarely updates his website, www.aricdavis.com, but plans to someday. When not writing, Aric can be found riding rollercoasters, playing hockey, listening to punk rock and knocking holes in people. If you’re at a park in the Midwest and see a guy covered in tattoos with really big ear piercings, it’s pro...

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• Roller Coaster Tycoon Movie On the Way

  Written by The Coaster Critic 19 Comments
  Last Updated: May 20, 2010
  

  This news is just big enough for me to briefly pause my hiatus. Sony Pictures has acquired the rights to make a Roller Coaster Tycoon movie. More from Reuters: Sony Pictures Animation has pre-emptively picked up rights to the Atari video game “Rollercoaster Tycoon,” and is developing the project as a live-action/CGI hybrid. The “Tycoon” franchise, created by Chris Sawyer, i...

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• Top 10 New Roller Coasters for 2010 Part 2

  Written by The Coaster Critic 11 Comments
  Last Updated: May 3, 2010
  

  This the conclusion of my annual New Roller Coasters List. In case you missed it, here’s Part 1. This year was tougher than usual as there weren’t many new coasters opening in the States. Also, there were a few attractions with very little information for me to go on. Here are my top five picks for 2010. Thirteen | Alton Towers – Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom Alton Towers&...

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• Kennywood Couldn’t Save Adventureland Movie

  Written by The Coaster Critic 17 Comments
  Last Updated: April 20, 2010
  

  When I saw trailers for Adventureland last year I was interested as soon as I saw that it was filmed at Kennywood. The amusement park in the movie is referred to by the fictional name “Adventureland”, but long shots with Phantom’s Revenge looming in the background are dead giveaways. I got my wife to buy in when I told her that her favorite actor Ryan Reynolds was in it. It l...

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• Clash of the Titans Coaster Edition: Medusa vs. Kraken

  Written by The Coaster Critic 10 Comments
  Last Updated: April 13, 2010
  

  Roller Coasters & Greek Mythology I saw the new Clash of the Titans remake over the weekend. Even a special effects laden action adventure movie couldn’t take me out of my roller coaster geekdom. Throughout the movie I was constantly reminded of the roller coasters that were named after these classical Greek gods and mythical creatures. A struggle between brothers Zeus and Hades was a c...

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• Top 10 New Roller Coasters for 2010 Part 1

  Written by The Coaster Critic 17 Comments
  Last Updated: April 8, 2010
  

  With the start of the 2010 roller coaster season underway, it’s time for my annual top picks for the best new roller coasters. This year was tougher than usual as there weren’t many new coasters opening in the States. Also, there were a few attractions with very little information for me to go on. After much deliberation and repositioning here’s Part 1 of my Top 10 New Roller Coa...

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• The Best Roller Coaster Commercial Ever

  Written by The Coaster Critic 8 Comments
  Last Updated: March 23, 2010
  

  Recently, I stumbled across what may be… No, what IS the best commercial featuring a roller coaster ever. If you’re a roller coaster fanatic like myself then you likely imagine how a roller coaster would look in the landscapes and cityscapes that you encounter on a daily basis. This commercial for UK-based credit card, Barclaycard, seemlessly integrates a roller coaster into the crowde...

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• Gravity Group’s Timberliner Trains Could Be a Game Changer

  Written by The Coaster Critic 23 Comments
  Last Updated: February 28, 2010
  

  I’ll start by admitting that this is not a breaking story, but it does deserve a post. The Gravity Group is a wooden roller coaster design company. They’re a fairly young company, but they’ve churned out some amazing coasters in the past five years including Hades, Ravine Flyer II, Fireball (China’s first wooden coaster, and the top rated wooden roller coaster in the World,...

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• Nara Dreamland | Abandoned Amusement Parks

  Written by The Coaster Critic 13 Comments
  Last Updated: February 12, 2010
  

  Nara Dreamland: Former Disneyland Knock-Off, Now Creepy Abandoned Amusement Park As I was doing research for The Final Project! (insert Europe’s “Final Countdown” music here), I came across the enigma that was Nara Dreamland. It was a Disneyland clone in Japan that closed a few years ago. From looking at a photo trip report from Theme Park Review, I’m not surprised that it ...

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• Top Ten List-O-Rama!

  Written by The Coaster Critic 25 Comments
  Last Updated: February 9, 2010
  

  It seems like coaster enthusiasts stay sane in the off-season by doing polls, top tens, awards, and coaster/ride tournaments. Even I’m starting to get a little tired of them at this point. But, Brady over at the LA Time Funland Blog has done something a little different. He created his top tens based on a panel of coaster ‘experts’ (including me!). The panel includes such lumin...

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• Roller Coasters on the Move in 2010

  Written by The Coaster Critic 14 Comments
  Last Updated: January 29, 2010
  

  Everyone does a ‘New Roller Coasters List’ (my official Top 10 of 2010 is coming up), but what about the new-ish roller coasters. Quite often there’s a shell game happening behind the scenes with rides and roller coasters being swapped, recycled, re-themed, and given a new life at a different park. Just like used cars, or should I say ‘pre-owned’, they’re new to...

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• A Coaster Enthusiast’s Resolutions

  Written by The Coaster Critic 9 Comments
  Last Updated: January 16, 2010
  

  As represented by the sudden increase in attendance at my gym, January is the month to start New Year’s resolutions. It’s the chosen time to turn over a new leaf, start better habits, and end bad habits. I thought of a few ways that I could be a better roller coaster enthusiast in 2010. Learn About Coasters & Theme Parks of the World Of course many of us know and love our local par...

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