Paeter's Brain

Upcoming Changes For This Blog

2012-01-26T16:14:00.004-07:00

Recently it's become necessary to adjust my work schedule significantly to better serve my wife and two boys. The amount of time I spend working will change very little, although my day to day routine is being put on its head.

Because of this, blog posts are now much more likely to go up in the evenings and I'm also planning a change in the regular content of both the Spirit Blade Underground Weblog and Paeter's Brain.

My plan is to temporarily switch to a twice weekly posting schedule on Paeter's Brain (instead of three times) while retaining the regular schedule and content for the SBU Weblog. However once I have my ducks in a row, I plan to stop posting to Paeter's Brain and instead place the posts that would normally appear here elsewhere.

When I started "Paeter's Brain", I saw it as a way for listeners of SBP to see a little more of me as a person, and share in some of my random or not so random thoughts. But I believe the forums we launched in 2010 now serve that purpose much more effectively.

The movie reviews, my odd game reviews and philosophical musings about Geekdom from a biblical perspective will soon be posted on a new blog designed specifically for that purpose. I will also include an archive page that contains all of my past reviews and some other posts from Paeter's Brain. This will serve as a growing resource for Christian Geeks who are interested in engaging in their faith more as they enjoy the crazy fun that sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic books offer.

In the end, I'm hoping this will allow me to leverage my time a little better and bring more focus (and more readers!) to the content I put online to represent Spirit Blade Productions.

If you have any questions, thoughts or suggestions as I prepare to move into this new territory, I'd love to get your feedback!

Underworld: Awakening (Movie Review)

2012-01-24T20:09:00.005-07:00

I'm a big fan of the "Underworld" movies. It's hard to beat vampires in leather and trench-coats leaping from tall buildings and blowing away werewolves with handguns. But this cool concoction gets even better when you add a dash of character and story worth caring about.

Star-crossed love has been a consistent theme in all three of the previous films, and two of those featured a pivotal romance between Selene, the ultimate werewolf killer among vampires, and Michael, the first vampire/werewolf hybrid in history.

Underworld: Awakening opens a few months after the events of Underworld: Evolution. The existence of vampires and lycans (werewolves) has now been made public, resulting in a worldwide attempt to exterminate both species. Michael and Selene make hasty plans to escape and live in secret far away, but are captured in the attempt. Selene is frozen by scientists for experimentation and is freed 12 years later. She immediately begins looking for Michael, but instead finds her 12 year old daughter, removed from her womb and allowed to grow up in the confines of a laboratory. Together they hope to escape and find Michael.

First off, I should say that if you haven't seen the previous films in the series, don't bother with this one. Although they briefly try to "catch you up" in the beginning, you really have no reason to invest in Selene if you haven't watched her story from the beginning. This, in itself is not a mark against the movie, just something viewers should be aware of.

The action in this flick is some of the best yet, especially where Selene is concerned. She has tons of cool drops, jumps, flips and fight choreography that make the first 30 minutes possibly the best action in the series so far. If you were hoping to have that itch scratched, you're in for a treat.

The visual look of the series is also intact, with washed out, cold color schemes even during the daytime. Costumes and props all look great. It's the signature look of Underworld from start to finish, gory action and all.

What seems to be missing is the movie's heart. As I mentioned, the previous films all had a romance at their core. Two people in love that the people around them viciously aimed to tear apart. This movie was completely missing that element, and the absence was obvious through most of the movie, which often seemed like a horror/action flick on auto-pilot rather than the emotionally driven pattern (or attempted pattern) of the rest of the movies.

Scott Speedman, who played Michael in the previous films, was not involved in Awakening, and as of yet I've been unable to hunt down a reason why. The Hollywood politics of this remain a mystery for now. Instead, in the brief moments Michael is seen, he is represented by a stand-in (human or digital, I'm not sure) always partially obscured by an object or special effect.

The script feels like the result of trying to scrape together a replacement for Michael, the result being his role clumsily divided among multiple characters. Selene's daughter is a hybrid like her father, and so brings the special abilities that he had to the movie in his absence, and two male characters serve as "stand-in male support characters", though without any romantic connections to Selene. (Though I often thought things like, "I'll bet that was Michael sitting next to her in the first draft.")

Many other elements also feel like uninspired repetition of earlier characters and story elements.

Selene encounters a vampire coven leader who stands in opposition to her agenda, with age, hair and wardrobe almost identical to the Victor character in the first three films.

As each film progresses and Selene becomes stronger, the final threat she faces must increase as well. First it was an ancient and powerful vampire. Then it was the first and very oldest vampire. But in this flick, her final foe is just a really big lycan who heals extra fast. Honestly, I was never concerned for her safety for even a moment.

The fact that the existence of vampires and lycans is now public knowledge is an interesting new twist, and I don't think it hurts the movie. In fact, it may just be the game-changing breath of fresh air the franchise needs. On the other hand, this is the "Underworld" series, taking its name from the HIDDEN war between vampires and lycans. So this change seems to go against the original premise of the movies.

Bringing a daughter into Selene's life is another big game-changer. Even if Michael were present for most of this story, a child usually changes the core story from a romance to a story about family. I'm not against this idea, but it seems like the writers aren't willingly invested in it so much as they've been forced into it.

Selene really could have carried one entire movie by herself, dealing with the tragic loss of Michael as it rips her part. After building up this romance for two movies, we should have spent one entire movie mourning its loss with Selene. Instead, Michael is quickly yanked out of the picture and Selene is forced to give lip service to her grief while also dealing with the sudden existence of a daughter. Bringing her daughter into the story before we could see Selene fully deal with the loss of Michael cheats those of us who have invested in the romantic side of these films, and I believe it was a big mistake.

Of course you might say, "they had to cram a lot into this movie since they never know if they'll be making another one later". But the writers seem very confident that they'll be making at least one more, as this movie virtually ends on a cliffhanger. (A poor choice, given our reduced lack of investment in these characters.) With a run time of only 88 minutes, a disappointing final fight and the ending they chose to go with, this feels like only the first half of a complete movie. If that's the case, and they can manage to get Scott Speedman back next time, there is still plenty of opportunity to restore this series and end it very well, placing this movie in the role of "set-up" for the grand finale. And I'd be cool with that. But this is a hard one to recommend to anyone but big fans of the previous films.

I'm scanning my brain for something I might remember in this flick that might lead to worthwhile discussion afterward, but I'm coming up with nothing. In many respects this feels like your average "Resident Evil" movie: Cool gory action with zero substance. Pure, mindless escapism, if that's what you're in the mood for.

For fans of the genre, it's not bad. A cool flick that even has moments of visual greatness worth a ticket or rental. But it's definitely missing something substantial.

Rated R for strong violence and gore, and for some language.

Quality: 8.0/10
Relevance: 5.5/10

For info on my review score system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores

And to listen to this review this weekend, visit spiritblade.net/podcast

Forced Agnosticism In Skyrim

2012-01-23T11:18:00.004-07:00

Last time I brought up anything philosophical regarding "Skyrim", I was talking about the choice of religious views one can take in the Elder Scrolls world, and what my choice is as I play.

This time, I have a political decision in front of me. There is a war going on between the emperial forces and those of a rebellion known as the "Stormcloaks", and in order to see one of the major plot-lines of the game I have to choose a side to join.

The Stormcloaks are fed up with the how things have been in Skyrim for hundreds of years. They believe Skyrim's High Kings have been nothing but puppet tools of the empire, and believe the status quo should be forcefully overthrown. (Of course, they have a High King of their choosing ready to fill the empty seat as soon as the war is over.)

On the other hand, you have the empire, the legal, rightful ruler of all kingdoms, who reigns from a far off land, removed from the struggles of Skyrim and taking them for granted, except when they need men from Skyrim to fight their wars.

The status quo clearly has some shortcomings that may even be responsible for the loss of many lives in Skyrim. But the Stormcloaks are all reckless passion and little reason as they aim to make things better.

The problem is that, much like I feel in American politics, all I'm getting are opinions. No matter who I talk to, I'm getting editorial rather than straight up news. Fox and CNN talk shows instead of C-SPAN coverage of the legislative meetings. So I'm forced into a kind of political agnosticism.

Now, there are two main forms of agnosticism. The pop-culture form, when someone says "I don't know" and the more formal philosophical definition, which says something "CAN'T be known".

Far too often in our search for the truth about God, we claim to take the former definition while living like we believe the latter. We say "I don't know if God exists, or if such and such is true about God" and leave it at that, as though the answers are not available no matter how hard we search for the truth of the matter. We assume that truth really can't be found and begin to value the search for it less and less in our lives, whether the search is related to God, our next President, or the best dentist to go to.

As I read fiction and enjoy the new wave of RPGs boasting complex moral choices, it sometimes seems as though the choices aren't all that complex, they just don't provide the necessary information to make an educated decision.

True, if we go back to real-world agnosticism, we can't know with the certainty of proof that God exists or that "so and so" would be the best choice for president. But there are many things in life we choose without proof that they are the best choice. Our family doctor, our brand of toothpaste, our next car, etc. In all of these cases we examine the available evidence and make the choice that we think is most likely to be the best one. The same is true (or should be) regarding our position on God's existence or attributes, or our position on who should be governor or president.

Maybe the lack of useful decision-making information in video game RPGs like Skyrim and Mass Effect is simply because it would make the writer's job far more difficult than it's worth. Or maybe it's because there is a tendency in our popular artists to believe that truth really cannot be found.

Whichever the case, it's an interesting phenomenon I've run into in books and movies for a number of years now.

Hmm... books. Maybe the College of Magic at Winterhold has some books about the political history of Skyrim that would help me make my decision...

Movie News And Trailers!

2012-01-20T15:33:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile, so I thought I'd share some tidbits about some upcoming movies and my projections on whether they'll sink or soar. (Thanks to David Arington for tipping me off to a few of these bits!)

The Avengers movie is coming May 4th, but if you just can't wait that long (and Marvel is banking that many of you can't) there is a four-issue comic mini-series that takes place in the Marvel Movie Universe and leads up to The Avengers. The mini is called "Road To The Avengers" and will come out in March, giving more details about Nick Fury and what the "Avengers Initiative" is for.

The next DC Universe animated movie is coming out February 28th. Justice League: Doom will be an adaptation of the Mark Waid "Tower Of Babel" JLA story, in which the JLA's villains use Batman's secret files on each JLA member's weaknesses to take them all down! This story was a significant shake-up in the DCU when it came out, since it severely strained JLA team members' relationships with Batman. It will be interesting to see how it plays out next month!

A pair of new directors are in pre-production on Monsters 2, the sequel to the indie film about an alien invasion that focused more on human relationships under extreme circumstances than it did on aliens. This choice was carried out to great effect, which is why I'm nervous to hear the guys working on this film saying things like, "There will be more monsters, more tension, more action and more extraordinary effects. We will expand the world created in the original movie whilst upping the action ante. This is our Aliens to Alien!" Good luck guys. Sounds to me like you're doing all the wrong things.

The Resident Evil: Retribution movie trailer starts out looking like a Sony commercial (and in one sense it certainly is) but gets more interesting after 15 seconds or so. Still no indication that this series is wrapping up. I'll definitely see it. I've enjoyed all of the movies to some degree. I just have trouble getting too excited about a movie series that I suspect will die with a whimper, on a cliffhanger, killed by a poor box office before anyone gets a chance to actually finish this story. It's like investing yourself in a cool tv series that get's abruptly cancelled. (Oh, Sarah Connor Chronicles... I'll never forgive Fox.) Will this finally be the end? Doubt it, but we'll know for sure September 14th!

Mania.com reports that at a Tokyo press conference, Amazing Spider-man star Andrew Garfield talked about the new approach to the movie's action, describing how he collaborated with the stunt team to do as many in camera(as opposed to digital) stunts as possible.
"A lot of the stunts are practical and grounded in reality. That was something that Marc, the director, really wanted to make sure happened in this movie to set it apart from previous ones... I would exhaust myself every day and get into near-death experiences every hour on the hour..."
I'm ALWAYS up for practical over CGI, but in filming a live action version of Spider-man, it's always gonna be challenging to go practical, since the character moves in a very inhuman way. We'll see how it turns out when Amazing Spider-man hits US theaters on July 3rd!

The remake of Total Recall starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel comes out August 3rd of this year, but I'm less than thrilled to go see it at this point. I thought the original was a fantastic flick, and it feels a little too soon to be doing a remake. Mania.com posted a recent synopsis of the movie, and it sounds all but superficially identical to the original flick. I'd rather they went with different characters and a new story, if not a new concept. I have a feeling this movie will do well in the box office on the recognition factor of the original, but is also destined to be forgotten.

On Febuary 3rd, The Chronicle will arrive in theaters, and may be an interesting study on human nature in the vein of "Watchmen", though likely dumbed down a bit, given it's produced by MTV films. The concept is stated as: Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to them developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities, and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over.

Personally, I'm hoping for a cool, emotionally intense "super-powers flick" and the trailer makes me think "The Chronicle" may just deliver.

Over the Christmas break when my wife and I went out to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie (which I LOVED by the way!) I saw a promo poster that I thought must be a joke. But Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter looks like an attempt to actually tell a serious vampire story. Well, mostly serious. Even after reading the article at mania.com I couldn't quite figure out how much intended humor will be in this flick. I haven't read the book it's based on by Seth Grahame-Smith, but I'll enjoy finding out on June 22nd!

All kinds of speculation surround Ridley Scott's Prometheus, coming to theaters June 8th. It started as a prequel to Alien, with the intent of answering the question "Who was the 'space jockey' and what was he doing on the planet they found the Alien on?" Scott has since revealed that the famous "Alien" will not even appear in any form in this movie, although it does take place in the same "universe" as the Alien movies. (Or at least the first one that Scott made.) One thing is for sure, millions of rabid fans will line up on June 8th to witness Ridley Scott's return to the sci-fi genre after a 25 year absence. Count me among them!

Principle photography on the new Star Trek flick has finally begun, and the release date set for May 17th, 2013. All the familiar stars and creative forces are returning, hopefully the disfunctional relationships will make a comeback as well and keep Roddenberry's once daring and now relatively boring execution of a utopian future far in the past.

If you haven't seen the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey yet, your hopes for the prequel to the epic "Lord Of The Rings" movies are about to be renewed. Though some familiar faces (like Galadriel for one) indicate the movie will be mining Tolkien source material outside of "The Hobbit", the look and feel of the everything in the trailer says that the property is in trustworthy hands once again. Can't wait for December 12th!

The SBU Movie Awards!

2012-01-18T16:35:00.003-07:00

Spirit Blade Underground Podcast listener and contributor, David Arington, gave me what I thought was a great suggestion to have some kind of "movie awards" in January or February for the flicks of the previous year.

So I'm giving it a go this year, and starting fairly small. But if people respond with interest, I can increase the number of available award categories next year.

This year there are two awards to be announced. One for the highest quality film and another for the most thought-provoking.

I've narrowed down the nominees based on the highest scores I gave out in each category of my movie reviews in 2011. Four have been selected in each of the two categories and polls have been set up to determine the winners. All that remains is for YOU to VOTE!

You'll find both polls on our forums, and can jump to them easily by clicking here!

Polls close on Thursday, February 9th and the winner will be announced on the following episode of the Spirit Blade Underground Podcast! Don't delay! Vote right now!

Movie Day!

2012-01-16T09:23:00.003-07:00

Today I'm taking most of the day off and the main event this morning is a movie with my oldest son.

We're fixin' to pop some popcorn, get under a blanket on the couch and throw in a DVD. Well, carefully place one in the player, touching only the rim of the disc and never the data side. I'm trying to teach my son proper care for DVDs. (Wish I could teach the same thing to more Red Box renters. Yikes! Scratchy fingerprint city! Who are these animals?)

I'm thinking he might be ready for Prince Of Egypt. He likes songs in videos a lot. But if there aren't enough of them, or if he decides some parts are too scary, we might switch over to the Superman animated "movie" The Last Son Of Krypton... which would also be fine with me. ;-)

Diggin' DCU Online

2012-01-13T09:21:00.003-07:00

I'm not a fan of MMOs. I hate the monthly subscription concept. Call me traditional, but I like to pay for a game once, and for that game to be complete. I also dislike the idea of having my play experience spoiled by someone who just feels like anonymously ticking off other people.

But if there were ever an MMO I would give a try, it would be DC Universe Online. And when it went free to play, and I suddenly had a new laptop that could run it, I had to give it a go.

The experience has largely been amazing. The world feels large and open, the action is sweet and feels great with a controller, though it's still an action RPG, meaning that hand-eye coordination skills are not required if you're willing to level grind. (Woohoo!)

Character creation is a bit narrow and pre-packaged, but the biggest thrill for me is just being able to explore my favorite comic book universe at will. It's also finally a game I can play with my gaming buddy Mark, who lives 9 hours away by car.

The game still isn't without the annoying trappings of MMOs. Even in a non PvP server I've gotten one or two requests to fight somebody. Another time several players decided to team up and block access to a room that is commonly needed by all players, just standing there to block movement, knowing they couldn't be attacked in the non-PvP server. I had to wait about 10 minutes before they were booted from the server, though other players seemed to have been waiting much longer.

My only other gripe is that once you reach about level 10, most missions basically require you to team up with others in order to be successful, or spend insane amounts of time level grinding. (Bad guys yield very little XP. Completing missions is the primary way to earn it.) So I've got my gaming buddy Mark that I'll be able to partner with, though eventually we'll probably have to find one or two others to group with if we want to see all of the game's content. Bummer.

Not that there aren't nice gamer folks like you out there that I wouldn't enjoy gaming with, but for me, video gaming is a solitaire experience almost by definition, and I prefer my rare times of co-op to be of the couch variety, with friends I've already built a relationship with away from a computer screen.

Even so, if you play the game on PC, feel free to look me up. I'm not very good at using the chat interface yet, so please forgive any perceived ignoring. So far my two characters include "Vincent Craft" when I play solo and "Paeter" when I play with my buddy. (Though I've already snagged the name of CFOS and suspect he will emerge in the world of villains sometime soon.)

Midnight Chronicles (Movie Review)

2012-01-11T16:15:00.004-07:00

As a fan of Fantasy Flight Games, I came across news in 2007 that one of their fantasy role playing games, "Midnight", was being developed into a movie. A TV pilot, to be exact. Written, Produced and Directed by Christian T. Petersen, the founder of Fantasy Flight Games.

Looking at the promotional clips online gave me mixed feelings about what the final quality of the production would be like. And the fact that a game producer was doing all the creative heavy lifting could be awesome, since he would have complete control, but also terrible for the same reason, if he doesn't know how to make movies.

The movie was passed up by all those considering it for going to pilot. Not a good sign. But nothing in the clips or trailers I'd seen told me this movie would be monstrously bad. (The first "Dungeons And Dragons" movie comes to mind in that capacity.) So I watched and waited until it finally came to DVD, and waited even longer until distribution made it possible for me to rent it before making a blind purchase. This week it was finally available for me to rent and my curiosity at last was satisfied.

From the very opening of the movie, a dark, dreary tone is established. This is the story of a fantasy world with elves and magic, but one in which the big, bad, unspeakable evil... won. For 100 years the world has lived under the cruel oppressive rule of the dark god Isrador. Commonors move from city to city under the watchful eye and lashing whips of orc soldiers. The premise of this movie is ripe for some wonderful storytelling. But the script never gets around to it.

While the opening tone of the movie is great, and the depressing grit remains through much of the movie, the writer seems more interested in introducing us to the world than in giving us a story to follow. The pace moves incredibly slow, with very little action to break things up. This would be fine if the movie worked as a character drama, but there are no characters I found myself relating to or caring about. The script would have been served well by cutting out a number of plot lines to center on just two or three, using the remaining time to give us reasons to invest in these characters. It seemed to me as though many of these characters had rich stories that wanted to be told, but all of the best material was left in the writer's notebook instead of being put in the script.

Performances were also pretty bland, with a few performers that I wouldn't be surprised to learn are just really good volunteer LARPers (Live Action Role Players) rather than actors, especially given the presence of a particular, minor speech impediment that I've found to be most common around a gaming table.

Visual effects were standard TV series quality, which is not an insult, given that the movie was shot for consideration as a TV pilot. But in a fantasy movie with a run time of an hour and 40 minutes, I would have liked to see more of them.

The fighting scenes, when they did get around to them, seemed to be put together without any benefit of a fight/stunt coordinator. Very poor even by TV standards of 15 years ago.

The included documentary about the making of the movie is a little interesting, and the fact that the entire thing was produced by a table-top game company should not be overlooked. But their first time out should have been less ambitious.

This movie might have worked if they had focused the script on two or three characters and what they want to achieve, and searched far and wide for stronger actors (volunteers though they may be) and a stronger director, who could tell a character driven story that was emotionally involving, without needing fight scenes or lots of effects.

As it is, I can't even recommend spending a dollar to rent it, or two hours of your time to watch it unless you really have nothing else to kill time with. It's not offensively bad or cheesy, just extremely uninteresting. For the same reason, I find it highly unlikely that any meaningful conversation would come after viewing it.

For a better experience in the same intended mold, try "Dragon Age: Redemption" for free on YouTube.

Not rated by the MPAA, but I'd roughly place it at PG-13 for violence and language.

Quality- 6.0/10
Relevance- 5.5/10

For information about my scoring system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores.
To listen to this review, visit spiritblade.net/podcast this weekend

Lookin' For A City

2012-01-09T11:55:00.003-07:00

Back from my Christmas break and ready to crack open my brain for you once again.

This time, you get a dose of the "musical performance" that's been running through my head ever since my wife cursed me with the link to it.

I get such mixed feelings from watching videos like John Daker and this one. I cringe, I laugh in shock and disbelief, I get frustrated with the stereotype of Christians being perpetuated... the list of conflicting feelings and reactions goes on. I'm left in state of befuddlement where I don't know how to respond except to say... what the crap.

Enjoy!

Christmas Comes Early!

2011-12-16T15:00:00.002-07:00

Every other year we go visit my wife's family in Pennsylvania for Christmas. (So if you live near Grove City, shoot me an e-mail and maybe we can get coffee!) Although I miss being around my family for Christmas, and the richly meaningful Christmas Eve service our church puts together each year, it's fun to be with my in-laws (yes, you read that correctly!), to see snow for a change and to celebrate MULTIPLE Christmases!

One fun little bonus of these odd years is celebrating Christmas early with my parents and one of my sisters, then again with just my wife and our boys before flying out to Pennsylvania to celebrate our third (and the "real") Christmas on the 25th.

So I get to have family get-togethers earlier, eat our traditional lasagna/seven-layer salad dinner earlier, and open some presents earlier! (Woohoo! More vacation time to play with new toys!)

With the three nights of "hardcore caroling" finished, and the big sale we're having at Spirit Blade Productions wrapping up after the weekend, I'm fixin' to settle into a nice vacation groove on Monday or Tuesday, and boy am I ready for it!

Since this is my last "Paeter's Brain" post until January 4th, I hope you have a wonderful, meaningful Christmas, and I'll see you back here again next year!

Hard Core Caroling

2011-12-14T15:10:00.003-07:00

Last night was the first of three nights of caroling I organized again this year for those in our church community who could use an expression of love and encouragement.

It usually rains lightly on one night of caroling every year, but last night it rained the entire time, harder than it ever has. It was cold, wet... and TOTALLY AWESOME!!

Maybe I've lived in Arizona for too long, but I LOVE the rain. And even though it added complications to the night, it made it even more of an adventure than usual to get our carpooling caravan of cars from one location to the next without getting lost.

And the amazing looks of appreciation on the faces of those we visit took the experience over the top, as it always does. Here's hoping we get another downpour tonight!

Day Off

2011-12-12T13:10:00.003-07:00

So yeah. That's what's up. I wrote about it here. See ya!

Worship In Skyrim

2011-12-09T16:07:00.005-07:00

With "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" sucking the hours and social lives out of RPG gamers all over, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the world of Elder Scrolls from an angle that usually isn't covered. That of the religious culture.

Almost every big name RPG and fantasy novel series incorporates religion in some form. Neverwinter Nights and Dragon Age had polytheistic and somewhat monotheistic settings. Even sci-fi RPGs like Mass Effect 1 and 2 and Fallout 3 have religion involved in numerous subplots, if not the main story. But the Elder Scrolls games may have one of the richest fictional theologies ever developed for a video game RPG.

MY GAME WITHIN THE GAME

A fun little exercise I like to do when I play a new RPG is try to figure out what religion I would follow if I were in this world and doing my best to seek out the truth about who is really running the universe. I play the part of a spiritual "seeker", letting every nut-job prophet, uptight priest or tranquilized shaman talk my ear off about the virtues of their faith.

This isn't something I do to be arrogant or judgmental toward the creators of the games. It's purely a fun little intellectual diversion. However, I've found that the experience of playing this little "game within the game" offers some tools useful for evaluating the truth claims of real-world belief systems. I'll leave it to you to determine where the parallels lie between Elder Scrolls and the various belief systems in our world, but I thought it would be fun to share some of the kinds of thought processes I go through as I "search for the truth" in a fantasy world.

Since each Elder Scrolls game only scratches the surface of the rich fictitious theology acting as the foundation, I found the information gathered on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (http://www.uesp.net/ ) to be valuable. So I'll reference them a few times and you can feel free to check them out yourself if you'd like.

WORSHIP

As humans, we're made to worship. And by worship, I mean "assign immense personal value and priority". We all worship something. And when we find something that seems bigger and better than our current focus of worship, we shift focus to worship the bigger and better thing that has come along.

Elder Scrolls has a polytheistic setting. (Many gods instead of one.) So my first objective in a polytheistic setting is to look for the oldest, biggest, best god in existence. If I worship anything less, there will always be the potential for me to be less satisfied than I could be in the focus of worship I have chosen. "Yeah, Sheogorath, I know you're one of the gods "assigned" to this world I'm supposed to worship, and I know you're great and powerful and stuff. But the god that made YOU is all you are... and MORE! So why waste my time when I'm eventually gonna want to obsess over him instead?"

SMALL "G" GODS

Sheogorath and most other gods commonly mentioned during gameplay in "Oblivion" and "Skyrim" are among the "Daedra", the beings most commonly thought of as the gods of Elder Scrolls. But upon closer examination, these gods are really just extremely powerful, incomprehensible, yet FINITE beings. They came into existence as a result of "the interplay of Anu and Padomay". (See http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Gods ) Even more interesting, two other gods, Talos and Arkay, were once human beings (See http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Gods_N#Nine_Divines ), which means that not only are they less than infinite, they are little more than role models in the final analysis, since theoretically I can do what they did and become a god myself.

Hmm. Maybe I've set my standard too high. Why demand for myself the expectation of finding a truly infinite god to worship, who has always been around and always been a god? Because logical deduction indicates that a god like that should exist.

NEED FOR THE INFINITE

In every way detectable, the idea of decay is a physical reality in Elder Scrolls as it is in our world. Physical objects and life forms slowly break down over time. (How many tattered and rotted "ruined books" have YOU run into so far in Skyrim?) This means that in the universe of Elder Scrolls, matter is not eternal. It is constantly progressing toward decay. This also means that matter had a beginning point, just as the nature of decay points to a beginning for our universe.

Here's where deductive reasoning kicks in and tells me to expect to eventually find an infinite god in the world of Elder Scrolls. (Please bear with me, it's a bit of a mental workout. My apologies also for many of the finer details left out of the expression of this deductive progression. Just trying not to be too long-winded.)

1. Everything that has a beginning has a cause. So the Elder Scrolls universe has a cause. Now maybe the cause of the Elder Scrolls universe has a cause too, but we'll just cut out any middle steps and cut straight to looking at the very "First Cause" for the Elder Scrolls universe.

2. Since there can't be an infinite chain of successive causes(and because time began with the universe), the "First Cause" of the Elder Scrolls universe must be without beginning and uncaused.

3. Since this "first cause" (which we'll call the FC) precedes matter, it cannot be material itself. So the FC must be immaterial.

4. Since natural laws came into being with matter, the FC precedes natural law, and so is "supernatural".

5. All causes are either natural (the result of cause and effect based on natural law) or generated by free will. The FC of Elder Scrolls is "supernatural", and so must instead have a personal, decisive will, as opposed to being a vague "force" of some kind.

6. The Elder Scrolls FC must exist outside of time, since time is part of the natural universe of matter and the FC precedes matter.

7. The Elder Scrolls FC must be unchanging, since change is a limitation imposed by time, and the Elder Scrolls FC exists independent of time.

8. The Elder Scrolls FC must be infinite, since limits are measured based on natural law and potential(the potential to be more or less of something) and the Elder Scrolls FC is independent of natural law and without potential (i.e.unchanging).

MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION

So now I'm looking for a god that has no beginning, is non-finite, and is incapable of change. The gods presented so far all had either beginning points or obvious points at which they were different than what they became later(such as Talos and Arkay, who were once human). Meaning they are all finite and fall short.

From what I understand, Anu and Padomay were the gods responsible for forming the cosmos out of "Aurbis", which is the name for "the chaos, or totality, from which the cosmos was formed". ( See http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Aurbis )

So it sounds like maybe this "chaos or totality" (whatever THAT means) might be without beginning. But it still needed a cause to turn it all from whatever it was into the cosmos. So maybe Anu and Padomay are, together, my FC. The infinite beings I should be aiming my worship at.

Hmm.

From what I understand, "The brothers Anu and Padomay came from the Void" (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Void). This poses a bit of a problem. "The Void" in Elder Scrolls is "the name applied to the dimensions outside of the known realms". For something to "come and go", it has to travel. If something can travel, it's not in all places at once. But something that is infinite IS in all places at once. So Anu and Padomay cannot be truly infinite if they "came" from somewhere, and must themselves have some source or cause.

Crap.

This is where the revealed theology of the Elder Scrolls universe ends. There must be a personal being above and beyond Anu and Padomay, but there is no record of this being revealing itself to anyone in the Elder Scrolls universe. So it appears I'll have to join the likes of real-world ancient Athenians and construct an alter "To The Unknown God" and hope that someday he'll see fit to reveal himself or send a "Paul" my way.

Acts 17:22-31 (ESV)
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

Bake-A-Thon This Saturday!

2011-12-07T12:43:00.002-07:00

This picture is from last year's Bake-A-Thon, but the awesome apron still awaits my use this coming Saturday as I pile ingredients on my kitchen counter and prepare to make a mountain of cookies, muffins and of course my favorite... peanut clusters!!

This year I'm excited to try a new recipe, the Larfleeze "Orange Lantern Cookies" from the Green Lantern "Larfleeze Christmas Special" comic book. (Go hunt down a copy if you haven't read it!)

The annual Bake-A-Thon has become one of my favorite traditions of the season and I can't wait to kick it off again this year!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-05T16:10:00.003-07:00

I'm normally not nostalgic or traditional by any stretch. But in the last few years I've begun to enjoy nostalgia a bit during Christmas and have also discovered some "traditions" that I've developed for the season.

We decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving on what we call "opening ceremonies" day. My favorite part is decorating the tree, because I've established the tradition of watching/listening to a DVD commentary or geeky documentary. This year, my DVD of choice was "Secret Origins: The History Of DC Comics".

Coming up next Saturday is my marathon baking day, in which I bake candies/cookies/muffins to help fill the gift baskets of the caroling ministry I run each year. (Of course I make enough for us to stuff ourselves with, too!) And while I bake, I usually try to watch every cool Christmas movie or TV christmas episode I have. (Batman Returns, Christmas episodes of Justice League, Batman the Animated Series, Farscape etc.)

For the caroling ministry, I go to the church leadership and ask for a list of names of people in the church that could use an expression of love or encouragement right now. They give us 20 names and I get help from other volunteers to make content for gift baskets that we surprise them with some evening, along with a big group of carolers to sing them a few Christmas songs at their door.

Christmas eve, when we're in town with my family, is a Lasagna dinner, after which we read the Christmas story from Luke, sing some Christmas songs and then open presents. (We opened ours Christmas eve growing up because we would always travel to grandma's the next morning for the extended family Christmas.)

Holly (my wife) started a new tradition this year with our oldest son. An advent calendar where each day on the calendar has a little box that kids can open. You put candy and a note with a special activity on it inside. (Sing Christmas songs, Be nice to Mommy day, go look at neighborhood Christmas lights, etc.)

Christmas morning involves one tradition I started a few years ago, where I create a trail of riddles around the house that Holly has to solve in order to find her last present. Usually the riddles require her to call upon knowledge of my geeky interests and a few of her own as well. Sometimes there's a time limit, sometimes not. Always a blast, but it's getting harder and harder to come up with new riddles every year!

That's about it for me. Anyone else have some Christmas traditions to share?

It's Not Christmas Without Stress!

2011-12-02T16:09:00.003-07:00

I've been a singer for as long as I can remember and have been performing on a fairly regular basis for most of my life. But some kind of switch was flipped in college and since then performing live has become a source of stress. Once I'm actually performing, things are usually fine, and those who see me perform are most often surprised to learn of my anxiety. It's the waiting to go on before hand that stresses me out. It's one of the reasons that I find myself in the realm of recording now, instead of live performance.

But I still do the odd wedding or funeral every few months, or sometimes sing at someone's church when invited. And it seems that someone, somewhere, always asks me to sing for something during the Christmas season.

I want to avoid sounding ungrateful here. It's both flattering and encouraging when someone asks me to sing for something. And in some cases I'm paid, making it a financial help as well. But it's still ironic to me that in the time of year we most often think of "peace on earth", I have at least one or two days on my calendar that unavoidably induce stress.

Speaking of which, I've got a few other things I need to get done before I go out to do some "stress-inducing" later tonight! See ya!

Christmas Every Day

2011-11-30T19:37:00.002-07:00

I was driving around tonight doing some Christmas shopping, listening to some Christmas music and drinking hot chocolate with peppermint. Doing all these things to conjure up that "Christmas feeling" that is so wonderful when it comes on but is often elusive.

It got me thinking, why is it that we love Christmas so much? Why did Elvis Presley sing "why can't every day be like Christmas"? For me, the Christmas season brings to mind things I've enjoyed during past Christmases. Game nights with family or friends, music, time off to relax and read or play, getting presents, taking fun trips, eating good food and a number of other things. It's a time of year when, at least in theory, everyone is more cheerful, more giving, and more patient with each other.

But we can only keep the act up for so long. Making special meals takes time and effort and often more money. We have to go back to the daily grind of work, so that free time for relaxing and reading vanishes quickly. We aren't very willing to keep buying presents for each other on all the other days of the year. There are video games to buy for ourselves, after all.

In some ways, the Christmas season is like taking a few days or weeks and living in denial of our natural, selfish tendencies. But in another way, it foreshadows, just a tiny bit, what God has in store for those who love and trust him.

A time will come when evil and selfishness are completely removed from our thoughts and actions. God will completely and overwhelmingly satisfy our every need and desire and so we will have no reason to live selfishly. Instead, we'll spend our time for all of eternity selflessly loving God and loving others, which will only increase the excitement and joy we each experience!

The Christmas season foreshadows a time when our lives will be alien by comparison, radically different from what they are now. Every day will be an amazing experience. But it won't be like Christmas. It will be even better.

Goodbye Toenail!

2011-11-28T15:10:00.003-07:00

Yowch!! Friday morning I slammed my big toe into the fence we put up to keep our 1 year old in a single area. Thought it hurt more than a usual toe-stubbing so I took my sock off and found my toenail bent up at almost a 45 degree angle with blood underneath it. (Gives me shivers just thinking of it again!) Freaked Holly out to look at it.

Taped it down with a bandage, though I'm told I'll probably lose it. Hurt less than I might have thought, but then again I've been spending as much time as possible off my feat the last couple of days and it's still pretty tender.

Good excuse to kick back and play Skyrim, but Friday was "opening ceremonies" for us, when we go buy our tree and put up all the Christmas stuff! Still managed to limp around getting things done and as of last night all of our Christmas stuff is up. (Whew!)

Trying Out "The Hunger Games"

2011-11-23T07:38:00.002-07:00

If you just knew me and my younger sister superficially, you'd say we don't have much in common. She's probably more serious than I am much of the time, a whole lot smarter, and hardly watches any of the same movies I do.

But one thing we have in common is that we are both nerds. She is very selective in her nerdity, but when she geeks out, it's every bit as hard core as I am with comics, sci-fi flicks or RPGs.

She's a Harry Potter nut. Read the entire series around seven times so far and found a way to get me to read most of the books, too. (Though I didn't enjoy them as much.)

Her more recent obsession began one or two years ago when she discovered a book called "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. She suddenly kept telling me, "you gotta try this one out! You'd like it so much better than Harry Potter!"

I was skeptical, because I know firsthand that we nerds can get excited about things that really no one else will find very exciting. So I put her off until the whole trilogy was written. (I don't like cliffhangers or unresolved plot threads in novels.) Then I put her off until my wife read the trilogy, hoping she'd tell me they weren't that great. (She didn't.) Finally she tells me the movie for the first book is coming out soon. I figure I'll just watch and enjoy it as a movie. But then I saw the trailer, which looked pretty interesting, and realized "crap. I may want to read the book first."

So I'm giving it a shot now. There have been several hurdles I thought would be a problem. I don't usually like sci-fi novels. (Movies and TV, yes, nut novels for some reason no.) The "first person present tense" took some adjusting. (But not near as much as you'd think.) And almost halfway through the book now there has barely been any action. But I'm really enjoying it!

The main reason is simple. Character. The author keeps us inside the mind of the main character constantly. We know what she fears and hopes for. We feel it right along with her. Action in novels can be detached and superficial, descriptions of blows and blood with little more. (*cough* Salvatore *cough*) But when those blows, and their results, have personal meaning to the characters involved in them, the action becomes heightened and intense.

My sister assures me that some major, bloody action is coming in the series. So far, I'm enjoying the tension Collins provides even without much action. I can only imagine how much more gripping a read this will be when the characters I care about are fighting for their lives!

Thanks for prodding me, Karyne! Consider me hooked!

Timeless TV

2011-11-21T10:38:00.002-07:00

Recently I've taken an interest in watching the old "Incredible Hulk" tv show that I watched as a kid. In those days I LOVED the Hulk. I would stomp around the house in slow motion, growling as I released the beast within. The Hulk scenes were the best part of the show.

But I remember once in college when they played an Incredible Hulk marathon on the sci-fi channel. I sat to watch just a little bit and was soon sucked in to a two-part episode. By the end, I was in tears as a heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded. This show had more to it than I remembered!

Now as I've purchased the first season on DVD from amazon and watch it on Hulu as I wait for my package to arrive, I see again and again that this is not some simple action sci-fi show. It has a tremendous amount of drama as well. In fact, I might even call it PRIMARILY a drama, and a good one!

Bill Bixby as the gentle but haunted David Banner gives us a beaten-down hero to root for, and the pain he experiences, though presented in 1970's packaging, is timeless and felt far more by me as an adult viewer than I ever had the chance of feeling as a kid. The authenticity of his performance was virtually unique in this era of television, far ahead of its time. In fact the show works so well for me and lacks almost all the "cheese" of 80's action shows, that at times I can almost imagine it was produced yesterday, but as a 70's/80's "period piece".

The Hulk scenes are okay. They don't age as well, but still serve a greatly needed function in emphasizing Dr. Banner's plight. And Lou Ferrigno is HUGE!

I'm still digging "Chuck" as I catch up on Blu-ray, but I'm amazed at how often I've opted for "The Incredible Hulk" instead!

The Craziness Begins!

2011-11-18T16:05:00.003-07:00

Good grief. Not even Thanksgiving yet and the Christmas season is already kicking my butt. Although to be fair, not all of it is Christmas related.

I've got two songs to prepare for a memorial service Monday, a phone meeting over the weekend to go over details with an author whose audio book I'm producing, sign-up sheets to copy and put on clipboards just a few minutes before I run around at the beginning and end of classes on Sunday to announce and start organizing the annual caroling ministry I run(that a huge crazy animal by itself!), another song to prepare for a women's Christmas event at our church, 4 readings to write for use in our Christmas Eve service and the list seems to go on and on.

It's actually not so much finding time for all of these things as it is remembering to get them done and at very specific times. I can hack away at a to do list all year long. In fact, that's basically what my work entails. But when that to do list has specific times and dates attached to it, I start to lose it a bit and have to start writing on my hand to remember what's coming next.

Hopefully I won't be adding a trip to the hospital to my agenda to be treated for ink poisoning!

East Mesa Has A Comic Book Store!

2011-11-16T10:39:00.002-07:00

For all you comic book fans in Mesa, East Mesa now has a comic book store! No more driving 20 minutes (or more!) to hit the comic shops in West Mesa. Hot Ace Comics opens TODAY on the south-east corner of Apache Trail (Main St.) and Signal Butte!

For more info, go to their facebook page!

I tried the mail order route for a few months, and there's just nothing like walking into a comic store every week and talking a little "shop" with the staff.

If you've been waiting for YEARS like I have for a comic shop to open on this side of town, come by the store today and check it out! Show your support and help this little family owned and run business succeed!

Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls V ("First Five" Review)

2011-11-14T11:32:00.002-07:00

Oblivion was my first experience with a 1st-person RPG, my strong preference then being 3rd person, and it took me two attempts before I could adjust. But once I did I discovered a gaming experience nearly without equal. For months I've waited in eager anticipation for the next game in the Elder Scrolls series, and Skyrim does everything but disappoint.

My first five impressions of any game's first five hours have almost always been an accurate summary of my thoughts on the game even after I finally play through the whole thing. So here are my first five impressions of the first five hours of "Skyrim". (Well, actually I've played twelve hours so far.)

1. The visual design has gotten a very nice upgrade. I was very impressed with the look of "Oblivion", but the new spell animations and gritty textures of "Skyrim" take the experience even further. (And people don't look weird anymore!) There is something strangely "Fallout 3" about the look of things that I can't quite identify, but that's no insult! The game looks fantastic! Though I'll echo what a reviewer at Gamespot said by observing that the world of Skyrim is best experienced by looking at the big picture rather than the details, where the graphics betray plenty of blocky pixels up close. Still, character animations have been improved and other visual upgrades have been made across the board that add wonderful life to the game.

2. They've put more effort into the auditory design as well! The score is still epic and sweeping, while having some great masculine tribal men's chorus added to great effect. The biggest improvement is the increase in the number and quality of voice actors used. My biggest gripe with Oblivion is that the game was fully voiced... by only about five actors, who made little or no effort to change their performance for different characters. (I played much of Oblivion with the voices turned off.) The character animations in conversations haven't been improved to "Dragon Age" quality, but the expanded voice cast adds some welcome life to character interaction.

3. The interface has been streamlined, in many ways cloning elements from Fallout 3. You are ultimately given less information about your character, which in some ways is fine, since I never understood every detail of my Oblivion character anyway. But some info seems missing. I didn't know I had a disease until I noticed everyone telling me I look sick. (Your character records only indicate how many diseases you've caught, not how many you currently have.) But in almost every other way the simplification in menus is appreciated. The controls also respond wonderfully and never get in the way. As an added bonus, 3rd person mode is actually an enjoyable alternative playing mode! (It was lousy in Oblivion.) I still use mainly 1st person, as the game is primarily intended to be played that way, but now and then it's helpful, or just a nice change of pace, to switch to 3rd for a bit.

4. "Immersive" is a word that keeps coming to mind. Even more so than Oblivion, Skyrim is an open, living world, with people and creatures in the wild living their own lives. I even passed a giant who had no interest in attacking me, and a dragon circled over head for three minutes while I was wandering in the forest. Scared the crap out of me but he finally moved on. It might seem counter-intuitive in design, but I actually love that this game isn't always "about me"! And again there is a ton to do. You can mix potions like before, as well as work in the smithy, smelter, tanner, workbench and grindstone to make your own weapons from scratch or improve existing weapons! And there are more quests than I can possibly keep up with!

5. This game is addictive! Finishing many quests introduces new ones and the sights and sounds of this world just beg to be explored from top to bottom. My hand-eye coordination is lame, so I'm playing on easy, and I'm in the sweet spot of my difficulty curve. Combat is challenging, and yet I feel like somebody that no one should mess with. Dungeons are now also marked "cleared" on your world map once you've actually explored them (instead of just "discovering them"), making it easy to check dungeons off the completist's exploration list, and tempting to tackle "just one more". And the story is engaging and feels "alive" rather than scripted.

In simple terms, this games just "works" on every level. Although there are small details I could nitpick, the sum of this game's parts is probably the best RPG video game experience I've ever had.

Immortals

2011-11-11T15:07:00.002-07:00

An evil King leads an army across the land on a quest to retrieve an ancient weapon and awaken an evil power that will destroy the world. It falls to a man named Theseus, battle trained by Zeus himself, to lead the forces of good and fight for humanity's survival.

"The producers of '300'" were heavily marketed as being behind this flick, and between that, the cool slow-mo action trailers and the plot description, you're probably thinking this movie sounds like the stuff the best brutal, fantasy action flicks are made of, right? Unfortunately, this one was mostly knock-off style with little depth or substance.

Director Tarsem Singh is best known for his trippy visual style, as showcased in movies like "The Cell". And he brings those sensibilities to "Immortals" as well, though I'm not sure they're always the best fit.

There is a lot of green screen going on here, but it didn't bother me too much. I even got used to every shot obviously looking like it was created on a sound stage somewhere. (All the big "epic" shots of armies and such were CGI filler.) So I didn't suffer from much visual claustrophobia.
But the costumes and sets jumped back and forth between fantastic and cheap.

The gods are played by what look like hairless male models wearing just a hint of lipstick, dressed up in golden plastic clothes and armor that look ornate and mythological. But the end result looks less powerful and majestic and more like a strange fantasy-themed perfume commercial, only without the wind-blown bedsheets in the background. One set in particular looked like little more than white cardboard walls, spotlessly untouched by human hands.
The bronze breastplates worn by many look fine, until late in the movie when Theseus takes his off and it bends and wobbles like plastic in the process.

Speaking of artificial, these were some of the most two-dimensional characters I've seen on screen in awhile. There were plenty of theoretical reasons for me to care about them. We saw loved ones getting killed, fathers having to punish their sons and love bubbling to the surface amidst terrible circumstances. But none of the characters were invested in enough for me to care.

Killing someone's mother won't feel very jarring to movie watchers if we don't see before hand the relationships she had with her children. The pain of a father having to punish his son won't come across unless we see first how much he loves his son. And why should we believe that a complete stranger could infuse soldiers with sudden courage who had never met him before and had no reason to believe he could lead them in battle? The script tried to take advantage of numerous emotional beats that it just plain hadn't earned in advance. I couldn't have cared any less how this movie ended.

What it did have going for it, in addition to some striking visual designs, were some cool, brutal, slow motion action sequences. Despite being ripped straight from 300 and some of your favorite video games, they were still fun to watch and make me wish I could have stopped the movie a few times to go back and watch them again. Very cool looking stuff.

Given the polytheistic setting and the theme of belief vs. unbelief present in the movie, there are several jumping off points for worthwhile discussion after seeing this movie. In fact, one of the exercises that kept me interested in the experience of watching came from making quick comparisons between the gods of this flick and the God of the Bible.

The gods may or may not choose to "have faith in" humanity. God doesn't "have faith" in anything or anyone, because faith only exists in someone who does not have complete, objective knowledge of all things.

The gods, even in their "divine forms", can be injured or even killed. God is completely unchanging and unchangeable.

In one scene near the end, Zeus even looks up into the light above him before making a major decision. A gesture that implies he is looking for guidance or some kind of reaction from a power above him. God has no beginning, nor is he the effect of some cause before him. There is no source or standard of power, knowledge or goodness greater than him and therefore no reason for him to ever seek council or approval.

It was an interesting little mental activity, but one resulting from a lack of interest in the movie, not a desire to talk about the themes it developed or thoughts it provoked. The movie was neither thematically interesting or thought-provoking. Only those bent toward "getting philosophical" are likely to have any meaningful discussion as a result of seeing this flick.

Fans of brutal fantasy will likely want to check this one out, and I wouldn't advise them not to. But I'd wait and rent this one. It wasn't worth the five bucks I paid.

Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence, and a scene of sexuality.

Quality: 7.5/10

Relevance: 7.0/10

For information about my scoring system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores.
To listen to this review, visit spiritblade.net/podcast

Blehh

2011-11-09T11:57:00.002-07:00

Not much to say today. Got some kinda bug in my stomach. No vomiting yet, but if it happens and you'd like pictures or video, please leave your request here as a comment.

Countdown To Skyrim And Potentially Huge Disappointment!

2011-11-07T16:16:00.005-07:00

Friday is the big day. If you're an RPG video game fan, then by now you've seen the trailers and game play footage. You're probably even watering at the mouth as much as I am, while also making a point to not schedule social activities for at least the next 2-3 weeks.

I've been between games again for a little while now, play testing my card game and playing "filler video games" for the last couple of months. But as the anticipation builds I find that the filler games just aren't scratching that nerdy itch like they used to. And more and more I'm itching for the kinda stuff that only Skyrim is likely to provide anytime soon.

The last time I was this excited about a game was for the release of "Dragon Age 2". Of course, Bethesda won't disappoint me like Bioware did, will they? Please?

(Sigh) Let's face it. The more we nerds let things like this build in our minds, the more likely they are to disappoint. There's an elusive standard of bliss that we keep thinking that next game or movie will match, but it never really does, or at least not for long.

I think it's a reminder that we weren't built for temporary fulfillment. The intention all along has been for us to be completely fulfilled and for that experience to last forever. We were engineered to anticipate and think in terms of "forever".

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
(Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV)

So while the nerd in me is still aching for Bethesda's next (hopefully) triumph to be released on Friday, I'm also aiming to remember that there's an experience waiting for me that a million of the best game designers working for billions of years couldn't achieve. And it won't get boring or stale with time. It will only get better and better... and last forever.

I'm An American Again!

2011-11-04T10:06:00.003-07:00

In early August my Xbox Live account was hacked and then transferred to the Russian server. A huge pain in the butt that meant I couldn't download new content, couldn't re-download games I'd previously purchased and couldn't navigate any of the Xbox Live menus without a Russian translator sitting next to me. (I don't have one of those.)

Repeated calls to Xbox support ended with basically "it should just be a week or two more, sir". A week or two must mean three months in Microsoft Math. (Which shouldn't surprise me based on their wonky "points to dollars" ratios.)

But FINALLY I got an automated e-mail from Xbox support (still in Russian, but I found an online translator) on Wednesday telling me that my account was back in the US again. I launched my Xbox desktop and lo and behold, I am no longer a Russian!

Of course there's still the matter of the 120 Microsoft Points that the investigation team hasn't added back to my account yet. (Sigh.) Where is that phone number again?

Bye Bye Cable!

2011-11-02T10:10:00.003-07:00

We finally did it! Over the weekend my wife brought up the idea of ditching cable again. We'd been weighing pros and cons and were sitting on the fence for quite awhile, but on Sunday when it came up we both just said, "Let's do it!" And so after one phone call with a persistent cable rep., our cable is no more.

We really hadn't been watching much TV at all. I would tune in to G4 for X-Play in hopes of seeing coverage on a game I care about. But that was usually wasted time and there are plenty of both written and video(my preference) reviews for games online.

I LOVE AMC's "The Walking Dead". And though it can't be seen for free online, each episode can be purchased soon after its TV airing for two bucks. And I'd MUCH rather watch it commercial free on MY schedule anyway. Granted, watching movies and TV on my computer isn't as cool as watching on my TV, but I'll eventually buy the blu-rays for the full experience, and in the meantime 8 bucks a month is a lot different from 80 bucks, which is what we're saving now, since we also downgraded our phone service. (No caller ID, so we're back to screening every call with the machine. Sorry folks. Try my cell instead!)

The only gap left to fill in my normal TV watching is my "lunch break tv", which used to be the Daily Show and/or the Colbert Report (incidentally, two GREAT ways to keep your hand on the pulse of American pop-philosophy, even if you don't agree with the ideas and assumptions presented), though Comedy Central recently started playing movies in that time-slot instead. As of now, the previous day's shows are put up on their websites, so no problem there.

And if those websites stop posting full episodes, I've been looking for time in my schedule to enjoy a geek podcast now and then anyway. (I usually listen to theology/apologetics teaching podcasts when I exercise and the rest of my work day demands too much mental focus to listen to podcasts.) Yesterday I downloaded a bunch of different episodes from a variety of board game enthusiast podcasts, so I think I'm all set.

So... why have we been paying for cable for all this time? Hmm. It must have been for the privilege of watching "Two And A Half Men" on at least two channels at any given time of day.

My Board Game Obsession

2011-10-31T15:43:00.004-07:00

My love of board/card games recently only seems to be swelling every day. But not just because I'm developing a game myself. A couple of months ago I started reading my back issues of Knights Of The Dinner Table, which I'm planning to resume purchasing after a three year hiatus from reading it.

Even though the characters in the comic are bellying up to a table to play role-playing games, the kind of chatter and fun that happens during an RPG is similar to what I experience while playing board games. KODT also has a great feature called "The Lost Game Safari", in which out of print board games worth a second look are reviewed. Combine that with the store available at boardgamegeek.com and ebay, and a world of awesome board games suddenly becomes available!

Today I'm on the hunt for boardgame podcasts. I'm not normally a podcast listener, but a recent change in my habits (which I'll probably talk about on Wednesday) means that I'm now looking for something interesting to listen to during my lunch breaks. Boardgamegeek.com has an index of board game podcasts, but there is quite a lot to sift through. So if you know of a good boardgame podcast, I'd love to hear about it!

My Brain Falls Short!

2011-10-28T19:40:00.004-07:00

A buddy of mine pointed out that he saw a special feature using "before and after" footage to show the "re-sizing" effects of Captain America on his copy of the Blu-ray. I double checked mine and discovered that the feature was in fact on there!

Not sure how I missed it, but I checked it out tonight and it has some great "before and after" footage that is really cool! So please disregard most of my previous post. (Though the filmmaker commentary is still pretty dry.)

Sorry!

Captain America Blu Ray Features Fall Short

2011-10-26T19:14:00.002-07:00

Picked up the Captain America Blu Ray yesterday and immediately popped it in to check out the special features. It has a handful of behind the scenes documentaries on the making of the movie that are pretty interesting, and one documentary about the origin of the comic book character. But I'm half way through the commentary and it's pretty dry.

The commentators are pretty sedate as they talk about the flick and there are no actors involved. Personally, I like commentaries where those involved feel free to joke around a bit, and enjoy actors being involved because they are closely associated with the illusion of the film presents, which I enjoy looking behind.

But the biggest ball dropped in the special features surrounds the amazing effects used to shrink the buffed up Chris Evans into the scrawny Steve Rogers for the first 30 minutes of the movie. (Chris Evans filmed all of those scenes after buffing up to play Cap, and they shrunk down and reshaped his body digitally to make him look skinny.) I saw more about these effects in TV and web specials before the movie was released. I really wanted to see some before and after shots for the "shrinking process", and although they describe how it was done in the commentary, there are no visuals with which we can appreciate this amazing digital feat. What a shame.

My Sister Is In Town!

2011-10-24T10:29:00.002-07:00

Woohoo! This week my older sister, Jhannea, and her family are visiting from Grand Forks, North Dakota. A great excuse to take a little time off work and bum around with her at my parents house. (Bound to get some free meals out of it, too!)

I wonder if she remembered to bring her copy of "Circus Atari"? I'm pretty sure I still hold the record on that.

DC Universe Online: Free To Play "Coming Soon"?

2011-10-20T19:10:00.002-07:00

Although DCUO was supposed to go "Free To Play: on October 19th, the banner on the site still lists the change as "coming soon". What's up, guys?

I'm getting hosed by Xbox Live's lame security (they're STILL fixing my hacked account) and can't play the game I want to because of it.

It's still a week and a half before Lord Of The Rings: War In The North comes out, which is still just a "maybe" for me until I see reviews.

Elder Scroll 5 doesn't hit stores until November 11th!

What does DC expect me to do in the meantime? Spend money? Be productive? Read a book? Totally unacceptable.

Maybe I can use the extra time to develop my superhero character concept: Theme Music Man!

Okay, I can't take credit for that one. And if you've never read the short story, you're missing out.

Batman: Year One (Blu Ray Review)

2011-10-19T15:29:00.002-07:00

In 1986, DC published Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns", which arguably re-established Batman as a grim and gritty character and influenced the way Batman stories were told forever after. One year later, DC hired Miller to retell Batman's origin in a story entitled "Batman: Year One". Unlike "The Dark Knight Returns", this story was part of official DC Universe continuity, and even further established the dark tone that this well-known character is defined by. "Year One" served as source material for a number of great comic book stories, and was drawn from heavily in Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" movie.

Now, the DC animated studios have turned their attention to "Batman: Year One" and set out to create an animated version of this iconic story. I'm pleased to report they succeeded wonderfully.

The character driven story is what really sells this movie so well. Surprisingly, for those who haven't read the original comic, this story is more about James Gordon than it is about Bruce Wayne. Gordon has just transferred to Gotham with the rank of police lieutenant, and is having to survive as an honest cop amidst a corrupt police force. His stance for honesty and justice put both himself and his family in danger, and his only ally may just be the vigilante he is trying to capture!

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is discovering his calling and what it really takes to fight crime in Gotham City. This is Batman well before he becomes the seasoned veteran with a plan for every situation. He makes mistakes and suffers the consequences, resulting in injuries he's forced to suffer through and "back to the wall" situations he has to think his way out of on the fly.

With Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" being the only exception, I think DC's animated version of "Batman: Year One" is the single most faithful adaptation of specific comic book pages to the screen. Fans of the comic will recognize numerous panels that have been brought to life, though with a cleaner look and a few more colors added to the palette.

The cast performances were solid, though not perfectly suited to the project. Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli captured the grim despair of noir. And though this film aims to retain that feel, the 1st person voice-overs, representing the thoughts of James Gordon and Bruce Wayne, have a little too much inflection from time to time. I also thought that the voice of Batman, while appropriately young sounding given the age of the character in this story, was having to try a little too hard to achieve that natural, guttural sound that makes the best Batman voices work.

The animation and lines are beautiful on Blu Ray, and the the character of Gotham City deserved its own credit. The original artwork was clearly the basis for the visual design, and with just a few enhancements, the original visuals translate wonderfully.

The run-time is once again pretty short at only 64 minutes. But it's more than enough time to tell this story well. And the numerous great features on the Blu Ray(creator commentary, round table with current Batman creative staff, documentary on the original comic, Catwoman short feature and more!) easily make up for any perceived brevity in the main feature.

Although it may not lead to conversation after watching the movie, a major theme in James Gordon's story is doing the right thing, even when it hurts. Gordon is a flawed man, but strives for most of the movie to make the right decisions, despite the pain it brings him. When contrasted with the modern pop-philosophy of "do what feels right" or "follow your heart", Gordon's pursuit of honesty and justice is refreshing and inspiring, whether it impacts the entire city, or just his relationship with his wife.

For those interested in an introduction to the Batman comics mythos who aren't quite ready to flip through an actual comic book, this is as good as it gets. A solid, serious representation of Batman with a grounded, human story that even many non-genre fans will appreciate.

Rated PG-13 for violence and some sexual material.

Quality: 9.0/10
Relevance: 7.5/10

For information about my scoring system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores
You can also listen to this review this weekend at spiritblade.net/podcast

Green Lantern Extended Cut

2011-10-17T10:24:00.003-07:00

As you might have guessed, I rushed to the store on Friday to get my copy of the extended Bluray version of the Green Lantern movie.

For those wondering, the added footage is great and adds appreciated depth to character arcs, though it doesn't fix any shortcomings you may or may not have felt in the flow of the story as a whole.

What it DOES do is give us more reason to invest in Hal and in his fight to overcome fear. The added 14 minutes is almost all in one section at the beginning, which flashes us back to Hal's childhood. We see his childhood connection to both Carol and Hector and experience with more vulnerability the death of Hal's dad.

With a little more time and less freshness to my first viewing experience, I might modify my quality score to an 8.5, which I don't think this extended cut improves enough to bring it back up to 9. But the degree to which I personally enjoy the film still hasn't changed. (LOVE it!)

In fact, now months later, with the responsibility to write an unbiased review well behind me(and failed anyway), there are aspects of the movie that I'm even allowing myself to be more forgiving in. I'm even more impressed with the CGI suits now that I've seen the "making of" and know how much work went into them. And Blake Lively's portrayal of Carol Ferris, while no better, is one I'm "adjusting to".

Everything else I loved about the movie: the constructs, the action, the performances (Peter Sarsgaard is AWESOME as Hector Hammond!), they're all still fantastic. A great flick!

The Thing (Movie Review)

2011-10-14T15:01:00.002-07:00

I'm a big fan of monster movies. And the more creative the monster, the better. I'm a sucker for that tried and true formula of mysterious frightening deaths, followed by glimpses of a creature, followed by progressively revealing looks and information about the creature and culminating in a terrible, expansive revelation of the creature in the climax. It worked in Jeepers Creepers, Alien, Predator and my choice for "King Of All Monster Movies", John Carpenter's The Thing (a 1982 pseudo remake of 1951's "The Thing From Another World").

This awesome flick was unfortunately in theaters at the same time as E.T. and was essentially a box office failure. But it has gained a wild cult following on television and home video and you can consider me a card carrying member of that cult.

What I love about the 1982 film is the great character performances and use of suspense and paranoia to carry the film, rather than the creature effects. But the creature effects could have easily carried this film by themselves. Grotesque and gory, The Thing is the most bizarre creature I have ever seen on screen. And although the movie was made long before the use of CGI in films, the very fact that almost every effect was in camera still gives the film a tangible quality today that is lacking in so many CGI flicks whose effects look to my eye like glorified cartoons. (Even giants like the Lord of The Rings Trilogy have many phony CGI moments to my eye.) CGI is something I tolerate, and sometimes enjoy, but am rarely fooled by.

When I heard they were making a prequel to my favorite monster flick, I was immediately stoked. But as the time drew closer and I saw some obvious CGI effects in the trailers, I started to prepare myself to be let down and resolved to just enjoy the movie as best as I could. All things considered, I had zero cause for concern. This movie nailed it.

A Norwegian team of scientists have discovered a spacecraft buried in the antarctic ice for thousands of years and hire an American female paleontologist and a few other Americans to help them excavate it. But as is often the case in movies like this, the scientists make reckless decisions out of impatience and pride that lead to disaster and horror as they unleash a terrifying creature that is far more than they are prepared to deal with.

It's hard not to compare this movie to the 1982 film, because it draws so heavily from it. Both films occur in some of the same locations and the producers of the new film obviously used the 1982 production documents as source material. In many ways the plot uses the same skeleton as the original film as well, but is fleshed out in different ways and somehow still feels very original.

This was due largely to the fact that, like the first film, this one keeps you guessing until the very end regarding who is human and who is The Thing. The sense of isolation feeds the paranoia, and the performances by the cast keep the tension levels high throughout the movie. It's this attention to character and the pace of the script and editing that kept me hugging my shoulders for much of the 103 minute run time.

The creature design is a major selling point of the film. As The Thing absorbs and imitates other life forms, it transforms in gruesome and gory ways, contorting the human form into horrific shapes that just plain give you the willies to look at. Although this movie could stand on its tension-setting alone, when The Thing literally bursts onto the scene, it pays off the mounting tension to jaw-dropping effect.

My only point of criticism, the only way I could think to make this movie any better, would be the CGI effects. The film uses some great practical effects to portray The Thing, but also uses CGI now and then, some parts of which look better than others. I would have preferred that they go practical the entire film. But the creature design still looked creepy and bizarre, and even the original movie switched over to some questionable stop-motion animation at the climax of the film.

For fans of the original flick, there are a multitude of connections to the original film. So many in fact that after the last sequence during the credits, which re-creates the opening shots of the original movie, you'll want to go home and watch the 1982 movie.

Ever wonder what led to that crazy "two person meld" they find in the original movie? This flick tells the whole story. There are bits like that throughout the film, although they are handled in such a way as to not be obvious "inside jokes" to old-school fans, such as those peppered throughout the last Indiana Jones movie. This isn't nostalgia film-making, but it does honor the original movie and even enhances the experience of watching it again.

Never seen the original? No worries. This film doesn't depend on that a single bit and stands completely on its own, a modern creature horror masterpiece. But you may just find yourself looking for a copy of the old one as you leave the theater!

Although I always look for something of real-world importance in the themes of the movies I watch, this movie was just pure escapist entertainment. It's not making any philosophical statements. It just wants to scare the pants off of you. As far as I'm concerned, mission accomplished!

Rated R for strong creature violence and gore, disturbing images, and language.

Quality: 9.5/10

Relevance: 3.0/10

For information about my scoring system, visit www.spiritblade.net/reviewscores
You can also listen to this review this weekend at www.spiritblade.net/podcast

A Golden Age Of Gaming

2011-10-12T13:04:00.003-07:00

It's very possible that I have just hit the "Golden Age" of gaming for myself in this console cycle. By that I mean that there are more good games to play than I have time to give for them. For me it usually comes around 1/2 to 3/4 through the life of a console.

Part of the reason for the timing is that I wait until some games, which I'm not as desperate to play, have come down in price on the used games market. Part of the reason is that game producers have learned how to better use the technology of the current crop of consoles.

Usually I have a pretty even flow of gaming, playing just one game at a time and not having more than a few weeks between games, or a month if it's an especially dry spell.

Dry spells are more common than I'd like, but unavoidable when I limit myself to RPGs. But for awhile now I've had a string of games that I've really enjoyed. And with my new laptop, some other gaming options have opened up that I plan to explore. (Which may now even include World Of Warcraft, since they've gone free to play up to level 20.)

Here's a quick rundown of what I've been playing on my 360 for the first time in the last 2-3 months and what I'm looking forward to playing (or at least trying out) either on my 360 or laptop:

Torchlight
Two Worlds ($4.99 used at Gamestop!)
Two Worlds 2
Fable 2 ($4.99 used at Gamestop!)

(Playing Soon!)
DC Universe Online (Free to play starting October 19th!)
The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North(Action RPG by the makers of "Champions Of Norrath"? Suh-WEET!)
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrum (Wetting my pants in anticipation)
World Of Warcraft (It can't REALLY be that addictive, can it?)
Crimson Alliance
Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning
Mass Effect 3

And that's just through March of 2012! Let the Golden Age begin!

X-Files Replaced By Chuck

2011-10-10T10:18:00.003-07:00

Recently I've been looking for a show I can watch on DVD/Bluray while making dinner or just spontaneously killing time. I developed an interest in The X-Files, given the dark and serious tone of the show, the long-term "mythos" elements that reward viewer investment, and the fact that I'd never seen it before outside 10 minutes here and there and both movies.

Although I enjoyed a handful of episodes from the first season, it was far from a consistently enjoyable experience for me. Still, I got season 1 and 2 for just over 10 bucks each, so it was hard to complain. But more than halfway through season 2 I realized that, although I was more than willing to pay the price in cash, the price in time was not worth it. I've just gotten too much of a taste for more character driven stories, and X-Files, like many sci-fi shows, was more concept driven. (AKA, "freak of the week")

So I took both of my X-Files seasons to the used bookstore and used the cash to help buy season 1 of Chuck.

This show has been recommended to me by several people for years. But I've been burned too many times by shows I enjoy getting cancelled before they resolve the plot. (The 4400 and The Sarah Connor Chronicles both come to mind) I've resolved, except for rare exceptions like AMC's "The Walking Dead", to wait until TV shows are completely finished before watching them. But now that Chuck is in its final season and the creators will be able to end the show the way they want to, I've given myself the "green light" to start watching this show from the beginning.

I'm only three episodes in, and while the humor dips into a strong lack of realism from time to time (Chuck flies a helicopter because he played a helicopter video game??), the characters are what this show seems to be about, which I love. And of course the many geek-culture references rock. (I understand they are a staple of the show, which I'm looking forward to.)

Speaking of geek-culture crossover with Chuck, the actress that plays Sarah looked VERY familiar to me. Soon after the pilot started I turned to my wife and said, "She looks JUST like this character in Mass Effect 2." Suddenly, a foggy memory I'd once filed under "irrelevant" because I wasn't watching Chuck at the time resurfaced (much like Chucks unfortunate "memory flashes") and I remembered that she actually served as the voice and model for a character in the game.

Anyway, in just three episodes I'm already hooked and regretting that I offered to "save" each episode for viewing with my wife. She's not so good at taking down-time, so it may be painfully slow going.

Still Cut Off From Xbox Live

2011-10-07T10:07:00.002-07:00

It's been two months now since my Xbox Live account was hacked. They told me on the phone that they were very backed up and so there would likely be a delay. A month later I got an e-mail from them telling me they were still backed up. They gave me a code I could use to create a free, temporary gold account. Perfect for me, since I don't play games online.

For awhile, it was no big deal to not have my account working. But now I've got some games I've purchased in the marketplace I'd like to re-download to play, and some other games that will only work when I'm connected to Xbox Live so they can verify I own my DLC. (An entirely different element of stupidity in modern gaming.) And unless I feel like repurchasing stuff I've already bought so I can use it while I wait for my account to be repaired, that free month of gold is still useless.

Lame.

Just sent them an e-mail on Tuesday and haven't even gotten an auto-response. Looks like I'll be listening to their hold music again sometime soon.

My PC Is Lame

2011-10-05T15:33:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I got a new laptop to replace one that died. I bought my PC about 8 or 9 years ago and it's really showing its age sitting next to my new laptop. It's actually been really good to me, but over the years has just gotten slower and slower.

I keep up with anti-virus software, registry cleaning, and de-frag (mostly), but it seems to recover a little less every time.

I imagine I can still squeeze a couple more years out of it, but it's clear the time has come yet again, especially before I start recording or mixing for another project, to figure out every trick I possibly can to get it running faster.

So if anyone has any suggestions on things I can do to get my PC running better, outside what I've already mentioned, I'd love to hear them! (And FREE options are what I'm mostly aiming for.)

The Evolution Of My Hobby

2011-10-03T11:58:00.007-07:00

FROM THIS...

TO THIS...

TO THIS...

Although I started out as a HeroQuest gamer, as soon as I discovered real role-playing games during my first year of college, I was hooked. And I usually wasn't content to just be a player either. I wanted to be the game master. The one who holds all the cards, crafts the story (or at least runs it) and doesn't have just one little character to play, but sometimes a dozen in one night!

My game of choice was (contrary to the D&D image posted above) DC Heroes by Mayfair games. The rules were extremely flexible and pretty easy to learn. If I were to ever design a "Spirit Blade" paper and pencil RPG, I would probably look into licensing that rules system.

Great memories of not just playing the game, but pulling out my tattered notebook between lame college classes to add more details and choices to the adventures I created for my players.

My RPG habit took a break for a couple years after our group went separate ways. A year or two into marriage I introduced an entirely new group of friends to role-playing. We started out using the DC Heroes rules for a Matrix RPG, which was a huge blast. That naturally led to playing the DC Heroes game again.

But alas, life and responsibilities made it harder and harder to get the group together, and that season of life never quite returned. A few years later I had one more gaming group that lasted a year, maybe two. But for me the magic had been lost, for no fault of the players. I just didn't have the time to give to game preparation anymore. Even the time needed to read and get familiar with a pre-written adventure was more than I could spare.

So I turned to boardgames like "HeroQuest", "Descent: Journeys In The Dark" and "Doom: The Board Game". These fantastic games had the RPG elements of a "gamemaster" and players, instead of the usual competitive nature of most boardgames. They also required no prep time except to set the game up on the table!

My buddy Mark and I had long since exhausted any published adventures for HeroQuest, but I could take advantage of a TON of player-made quests online and even modify them to fit my own tastes if I wanted. But when Fantasy Flight started putting out Descent and Doom, I knew HeroQuest had just been replaced. These games had amazing game components and detailed rules that suddenly gave our strategic minds workouts they hadn't had in years. A golden age of board gaming had begun!

That lasted for about 5 years. In that time, with each expansion released for "Descent", more rules were added and games became longer. The release of a "campaign" play mode was intended to shorten the required length for a single game, but it never seemed to have that effect for me and my friends. Setting up the table alone took about 30 minutes or more. Aside from my "gaming weekends" 2-3 times a year, I could never find time in my schedule AND another person's schedule to play a game. And even with playing sessions spaced months apart, I began to show signs of burnout in the last year. On my most recent gaming weekend I concluded that I would need to play something different after we finish the campaign we're working on.

For gaming weekends, finding a new game won't be tough. But I also want to be able to scratch that gaming itch more regularly, even when me and my wife or a buddy only have 30-60 minutes.

A couple of years ago I started collecting DC Hero Clix. Just individual figures to get the ones I wanted. Then I use the point building system to create games that can be played in a "Player/Game master" style. Games usually run less than 60 minutes (and HAVE to if you use the official rules, which I don't in that regard), but as more figures are added to the board the complexity does grow some, and games can start taking longer and longer. So my attention has turned now to card games.

Early in our marriage, my wife and I played "Magic: The Gathering" together. A fantastic card game with great production value, rules that are easy to learn and tough to master, and a game is usually played in 30 minutes or less. Two major downsides though, and they both start with "C". Competitive and Collectible.

I am terrible at losing, because I tend to (wrongly) identify my self-worth with my performance. So losing seriously bums me out. That's why I enjoy RPGs so much, because as the game master, I'm just trying to make things fun and challenging. I'm not trying to "beat" anybody, nor am I bummed when the bad guys are beaten. (They're SUPPOSED to be!)

I also like to buy a game once, with options for expanding to make things more fun, not forced expansion to make me a better player. In collectible games, there are two routes to success. Be a better player or spend more money. If I can't do either of those, I face defeat again and again. So returning to Magic is not an option I've even considered, despite loving many other things about the game.

And because of the competitive nature of most card games, my search for a co-op or player/game master type card game that can be played in 30-60 minutes has been largely unsuccessful.

I've been told I should check out "Space Hulk", so that is certainly on my list. "Dungeon Run" is (I think) the name of another that was recommended to me. But my search has barely begun and there's no guarantee that either of those games will be the right fit. Any suggestions?

I dunno. Maybe I should just create my own card game...

DC's "New 52" Batman Books

2011-09-30T15:35:00.003-07:00

Given my disappointment over Superman, I wanted to give Batman, another DC icon, a shot at hooking me in with a fresh take. I hate pretty much everything Grant Morrison did with Batman. All the Damien stuff and Batman Incorporated just seemed a far cry from the brooding loner version of Batman that I think works best.

But seeing that some of that stuff is being carried over into the new DC, i decided to give the Batman books one last chance to make these ideas work for me. Although I wanted to read Detective Comics #1, local stores were sold out, so I'll have to wait for the reprint. But I did manage to snag all of the others. My first stop was Batman and Robin.

Batman and Robin

Again, more wrong turns, in my opinion. As a "new" reader again to the Batman books, i kept asking myself, why is this guy taking his 10-year old son out to fight crime with him? I don't care how well his son is trained. Granted, Bruce is a screwed up guy, but his decision to take Damien out with him was not treated as screwed up. It was taken for granted.

Batman also seems to be emotionally "healing" from the death of his parents. In a scene with Damien, he says that it's not important how his parents dies. It's important how they live. And from now on he's going to replace remembering them at Crime Alley on the anniversary of their death with celebrating their wedding anniversary. Whaa?

That sounds more like Superman, to me. Batman hangs onto his pain. It;s what keeps him paranoid and screwed up enough to zealously sacrifice every ounce of his being to what he does. Remove the perpetually unhealthy emotional condition of Batman and you begin to remove his essence and the reminder of what he does all that he does.

One bright note for me is that a mysterious villain is trying to kill all the members of Batman Incorporated. I hope he succeeds. There are enough Batman knock-offs in Gotham. The more you add, the less unique Batman becomes.

My hope is that the events of this book (except for eliminating the Batman Inc. characters) will in no way be referenced or reflected in other Batman books. I'd like to forget nearly every page of this issue.

Batman

This book seems to be a little more bent toward new reader accessibility. The writer cleverly has Bruce Wayne testing out an interface device that gives him basic information on everyone he sees, easily introducing key characters to readers as a by-product. It seems to be mostly a solo book, with brief interaction with Batman's supporting cast current and former sidekicks.
The story sets up an interesting mystery that I wouldn't mind reading, but this book isn't the re-invigoration of the character I'd been hoping for. I doubt I'll get the next issue.

Batman: The Dark Knight

This book felt a lot like Batman #1. It even shared some plot points, which was disappointing. But the art was great and the narrative was cool, and no sign of any sidekicks.

Again, once of my complaints is that Batman seems to be losing his loner essence a bit. In one scene he's actually leading a squad of policemen into a tactical situation. In another, it's made clear that Bruce Wayne funds Batman's operations, and this is public knowledge! (Smells a lot like Tony Stark, DC. Too much in fact.)

I enjoy Batman best when he's an urban legend, an seemingly unstable, driven, semi-psychotic loner who even makes his allies uncomfortable. In recent years his supporting cast has exploded, shining unwelcome light into the dark corners of Batman's world, and he has struck me as less and less dark and mysterious as a result.

As a result of my experience with the Batman books, I still plan to give Detective #1 a try when I can get my hands on the second printing that I imagine is coming. But in all likelihood, the Batman stories I want to read will only be found in special miniseries or one-shots, rather than the ongoing Batman books.

More Hits And Misses With DC's "New 52"

2011-09-29T15:47:00.003-07:00

The Savage Hawkman

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this one. The creator's compared it to Indiana Jones fighting aliens, and the first issue delivers on the concept. I'm also encouraged by the revamp of Hawkman's powers that seems to be going on, centering them even more fully on the mysterious properties of the Nth metal. There's great potential for the concept of Hawkman to get a fresh new take. What i would have liked was a slight retracing of Hawkman's origin story, so I know whether or not it's the same as it has been. But hopefully they will take the opportunity to re-establish that at some point in the first story arc. I wasn't blown away, but this book will bring me back for at least one more issue.

Aquaman

I admit. I doubted. I hoped, but I doubted that Geoff Johns could work his magic on Aquaman and for the first time create a book that would have me genuinely invested in this character, and not just wanting him to be worthy of investment. But he did it. And by means that are so unexpected but so completely appropriate.

Rather than trying too hard to re-invent the character with new powers that would make him demand respect even on land, Johns plays up the fact that the average joe thinks he's a joke among the other superheroes. The result is some great laughs but also almost instant identification with and sympathy for Aquaman.

I'd still be excited to see him gain new powers over water (think Magneto but with H2O), but Johns is already establishing Aquaman's desire to leave Atlantis and his kingly status behind him. A pretty big move that probably upsets the apple cart enough for now.

In the first issue alone, Aquaman is already a fascinating, butt-kicking character that I care about and I can't wait to read the rest of this series for as long as it is in the care of one of the comic book industry's best writers.

The Fury Of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men

Notice the plural in that last word? Not a typo. The new take on this character concept involves the existence of multiple "Firestorms" and we get to see the origin story for the two this book will focus on in the first issue.

Although she isn't writing it alone, I can see the touch of master scribe Gail Simone in the dialogue, which helps the book a lot. Some great character moments and baddies that are REALLY bad. My only complaint is that things seem to ramp up almost too quickly. I would have been content to just see Firestorm on the last page and leave the action that follows for #2. Instead, our main characters suddenly have brand new powers that they already seem comfortable with, except superficially.

I'm also not impressed by one of the bad guys quoting the Bible as he helps kill people. C'mon, Gail. I'm not even offended as a Christian, but more as a reader. Bad guys being "Christians" is long past being an interesting twist. It's a tired cliche.

Still, the issue was solid and Gail Simone, whatever her level of involvement, has earned my attention. I'll be back for at least another two issues.

The Flash

I'm pretty happy with how this book is starting out. We get to see a Flash that, while still very powerful, is slightly less experienced in the use of his powers. And while I think some characters are at a disadvantage by having their marriages erased with this reboot, I think Barry being single (with Iris still in the comic) brings a youth, a freshness and an insecurity to the character that is nice. Barry has not been a very interesting character historically, so taking away some of those supportive characters will help define who he is.

The art is different from previous flash books, but the coloring and lightning effects work really well. It's a visual treat on every page and suits the character very well.

The story also presents a mystery I'm interested in solving. Interested enough that the lost opportunities (few though they were) to focus on character in this issue didn't bother me at all.
I wasn't blown away by this issue, but I'm a Flash fan and really liked it. I'm sure The Flash will be a regular purchase for me unless they really do something to screw this up.

Teen Titans

This issue delivered just what it needed to. Great art and action and nicely paced, character revealing introductions to the future key players of this book. Because the DC universe timeline is being condensed, Red Robin (who now has a MUCH better costume!), Wonder Girl, Superboy and Kid Flash are all coming onto the DC Universe scene "for the first time" in this issue. And the chance to get in on the ground floor is a very exciting one for me.

The story doesn't start out with the team formed and ready to fight crime. The issue consists of seperate smaller stories introducing each character, slowly connecting them to each other. Teenage meta-humans have a reputation for being reckless loose cannons, and so the government is rounding them up for... we don't quite know yet. But these teenagers suddenly have a common problem and it's clear they will need each other to deal with it.

I am SOO hooked!

Tomorrow I'll wrap up my coverage of DC's "New 52" with my thoughts on the Batman books!

Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 and Superman #1

2011-09-28T18:13:00.002-07:00

I picked up another load of DC's final comics of the first month of their new universe. here are my thoughts on two. More to come soon!

Green lantern: New Guardians

Given that this book shares a subtitle with a TERRIBLE concept that came out of the lame "Millenium" crossover way back in the 80's (do I get some extra geek cred for that reference?), I was reluctant to check it out. But as a die-hard GL fan, knew I at least had to give it a shot.

This issue is almost pure set-up, mainly of Kyle Rayner's character. It retells his origin with a few modifications that make him less of a loser (he wasn't fixing to puke in the back alley, just urinate) and firmly establish him as having been specifically chosen to bear the ring. The other elements of the issue set up what will be coming, which is still very unclear, but I'm interested.

It's a quick read, with a little less dialogue or other text to give it meat. And while I hope that won't be the norm (I like to feel like I've read three to four bucks worth) I'm on board at least until they make it clear what this series will be about.

Superman

This book is in trouble. Or at least hope it is. I hope it does terrible and DC quickly recognizes that they need to go in a different direction with their handling of the most iconic character in comic book history.

Unlike the current story in Action Comics, Superman #1 picks up where Superman is at today, establishing his current status quo as a character. So what is that status quo in a nutshell? No different from what I saw in Action Comics #1, except for a different costume. (And BTW, the costume changes are now not even the LEAST of my concerns.)

Both Clark and Superman seem much like the same person. Really odd, given that DC is hoping to get non-comics fans in on this book, who won't as easily suspend disbelief when it comes to the whole "glasses disguise" thing. Superman and Clark are both always frowning in some way. Either in anger or disappointment. But mostly anger. (His one smile is while he is threatening to drown some bad guys if they don't surrender.)

Again, as with Action Comics #1, they seem to be pulling specifically from Superman's "social crusader" roots to the exclusion of the rest of this character's history, giving us someone who comes across like a self-righteous college kid who just discovered public protesting.

His dialogue as Superman is also surprisingly old-school sounding. As he prepares to throw a giant object at the bad guy he says, "So far you've been doing all the pitching in this game. Now let's see if you can catch!" The rest of the script has plenty more moments with a "tell don't show" writing philosophy. (The wrong approach in comic books, I think.)

Although there are a number of better directions you could take this character compared to where they are, for my tastes it would have been great to see a new kind of Clark persona that Kal-el puts on. Maybe a socially awkward gaming nerd who is really good at expressing himself in writing but is lousy in conversation. And a Superman who is a strong, encouraging example of service and self-sacrifice, who is there to help people in the moment, rather than solve the world's problems at their root cause. (Again, this would be my take, but DC could do any number of things that would work better than what they're doing now with Superman.)

I have a sneaking suspicion that no one at DC knows how to effectively write the iconic Superman anymore. When we see knock-off heroes based on the icons like Batman, Wolverine, Superman or Captain America, we see through the name and costume and say, "this guy's a so-and-so rip-off", because the essence of those iconic characters is much more than their costumes. But DC seems to be taking away Superman's essence as it has been established over the last handful of decades. If you took away this Superman's costume and name, the Man Of Steel would be the last character that would likely come to mind.

DC can naturally do what they want. These are just "funny books" at the end of the day and I'm not bothered by what they're doing with Superman. I'm just not interested in it, and neither is my wallet.

But DC, if you decide to take that "essence of Superman" that you're not using right now and inject it into another character, could you send out a memo? I think I'd like to read that guy's book.

My Kind Of Propaganda!

2011-09-26T16:07:00.003-07:00

While substitute teaching at a High School today I scanned the walls of the classroom I was in, reading all of those educational "propaganda posters" that teachers put up. Some of them are little more than bad pop-philosophy cliches, while others are nice little nuggets of wisdom. But they almost always prove to be an interesting window into the personality and values of the teacher I'm subbing for.

In today's classroom, there was one poster I was tempted to rip down and take home to put on MY wall! It showed some awesome artwork of Barbara Gordon purposefully storming through a library with a forensics book in one hand. As she passes by a window we see that her reflection is that of Batgirl, symbolically cluing us in to her true identity. The bold caption reads, "Librarians are heroes every day!"

Extremely cool! How come *I* never had an English teacher like Ms. Bishop?

More DC "New 52" Reviews

2011-09-23T15:02:00.004-07:00

Mister Terrific

I picked up this one because I like sci-fi themed super heroes and Mister Terrific was a character I enjoyed in JSA. The redesign of his costume is in keeping with his former look and the character itself is largely the same. Although his origin is retold in flashback without the Spectre's involvement, it retains the same basic elements. His wife and unborn son are killed in a car accident, leaving Michael Holt crushed. But a time travel visit from his future adult son (instead of The Spectre dropping by) convinces him he was meant to do greater things. Specifically "educate the world", although it's not clear what this will involve.

One point of interest was Holt's profession of anti-theism. After retelling the tragic story of his wife's death, he says "I don't believe in God. Now you know why." This is an interesting position for the writer to take, since it establishes his atheism as being rooted not in some scientific argument, but in a very personal and emotional experience. This is something few atheists will admit to being the true source of their atheism. Although in general this first issue was not remarkable, I will probably give it one more month and see what happens.

Wonder Woman

This was an impulse buy. I read Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman and naturally loved it. I've wanted to love this character in comics since watching Lynda Carter as a kid. But all the togas, sandals and Greek gods just never worked for me. Unfortunately, this new iteration isn't working either. My chief complaint is the art. The gritty, imprecise style would look better to me on a Batman book, or some other character that is more "earthbound" or "street level" in concept. I think they're hoping the art will help sell the brutal feel they're trying to give this book, but it wasn't working for me. The story also keeps us at a distance from Wonder Woman's thoughts at a time when I want to be re-introduced to what makes her tick. I won't be giving #2 my money.

Green Lantern Corps

Like the Green Lantern solo book #1, this issue doesn't represent a leap forward in quality from what's come before, but rather a continuation of the great quality I've already come to expect. One difference though is the story, which features a vicious, invisible killer capable of slicing right though even the incredible defenses of a power ring, making short work of any Green Lantern. The gore factor is up a little more than usual, but it works here as this book appropriately has a more military vibe to it than the Green Lantern solo book. The serious tone and sci-fi action will no doubt keep me coming back for more every month, just as I have for years.

Supergirl

This was another last minute decision. I was intrigued by how the creators described this book in the San Diego ComiCon panels. The idea is to tell the story of a kryptonian who grew up on Krypton, is already in her teens, but is now suddenly thrust into life on earth, without any of the moral values that Clark Kent was raised with. The first issue focuses on the alien nature of her surroundings. No one speaks her language and she can't understand anyone else, leading to some naturally intense conflict. Hopefully, she won't learn English and become adjusted to earth life for a VERY long time, as I think it keeps her distinct from Superman and gives us a potential story link to Krypton, as well as provides potential for other great story opportunities. I'll definitely be coming back to check this one out for at least another month or two.

Blue Beetle

I love the Blue Beetle concept that was introduced in Infinite Crisis and have been following his solo comic and enjoying his appearances in Teen Titans ever since. A great sci-fi superhero concept. Blue Beetle is like the Swiss Army Knife of superheroes. His alien armor can shift and change to suit nearly any task at hand.

This version of the character, as far as I can tell, has been changed very little. His origin story is now free of any Infinite Crisis story elements, and the concept of the Reach, his arch-nemesis, is more clearly tied to his origin story. The art is solid and the story has my interest, even though we don't see Jaime, the main character, as Blue Beetle until the last page.

The writing has a strong Latino element, due to the cultural backgrounds of the cast of characters. A minor complaint is that enough of the dialogue momentarily drifts into Spanish that I have to use context clues to decipher the finer points of what characters are expressing now and then. It's not a big problem, but my hope is that the writer doesn't confuse adding "culture" with adding "character". I think writing comics in this way has some bonuses and adds a layer of realism to the script, but since I don't speak Spanish I hope I'm not missing out on some nice character bits because I don't understand what's being said. In the end, the language issue doesn't effect my enjoyment of the book to anywhere near the proportion I've spent talking about it, and this book will likely be a regular purchase for me for a long time to come.

Captain Atom

The cover of this book has had me anxiously awaiting the first issue. The solicitations gave me the impression that this book will take Captain Atom down the road Alan Moore intended to take him with Watchmen, before he was asked to create an original character (Dr. Manhattan) instead. Although his origin isn't retraced in the first issue, we understand that his ability to absorb energy and manipulate matter came by way of some accident. Now he has incredible powers that he doesn't fully understand and that may also be killing him as he uses them.

The opening narration of the book sets a somewhat naturalistic philosophical tone, stating that humans are really no more special than animals, while at the same time acknowledging our inherent evil. (This is interesting, since purely naturalistic philosophies have no logical basis for any moral positions.) The title of this issue's story is "Evolution Of The Species" and the title for next issue's story is "Messiah Complex". So it sounds like this book will be traveling a somewhat philosophical route, despite having lots of super-powered action and explosions. Naturally that interests me, provided the philosophy is thoughtful and not the same old naturalistic stuff we've heard for years in science fiction.

Where this issue fell enormously short for me was the interior art, which is made up of more "gritty", imprecise lines with low detail, carried chiefly by the coloring. Once again, I think this art style better serves more "earthy" characters, and those rooted in the fantastic, as this one is, would be served better by clean, dazzling art. I never used to care about art in comics like I do these days, but the way this art rubs me may just make for a deal breaker unless issue #2 is really something special.

More Of DC's New 52

2011-09-21T16:37:00.002-07:00

Last week DC introduced several more #1 issues, re-introducing us to more of their properties in hopes of grabbing new readers and reminding existing fans why they love DC Comics. As you might expect, the effort produced mixed results, at least as far as I'm concerned. Here are the titles I picked up:

Hawk And Dove

Although I'm not a longtime fan of these characters, I like the contrast between the pacifist Dove and the enraged warrior Hawk, and I enjoyed their inclusion in Gail Simone's "Birds Of Prey". And while the art in this first issue was great, the characters were fairly well-defined and I'm curious about where things will go, I'm not sure that all adds up to a purchase next month, especially since DC has launched a number of other books that I enjoyed more than this one. If they had showed more of their hand regarding the future direction of this book, they might have sold me, but at this point there just wasn't quite enough to hold on to me as a reader.

Superboy

I've never followed Superboy's comic before, though that may change now. Although they are retracing Superboy's origins as a clone of Superman, they are doing so independent of the "Death Of Superman" story, and with more attention to Superboy's internal thoughts and feelings. As a result, this is an intriguing, serious, character driven story that seems to lead into the new Teen Titans book, setting up Superboy as a potential tool for deception, if not outright evil. Can't wait to see where it goes next!

Demon Knights

For years I've wanted to read a sword and sorcery comic book that was dark in tone, character driven and has great art. As I've flipped through fantasy comic books on shelves over the years I've been met by disappointment again and again. When I saw the solicitations for "Demon Knights" I didn't even want to get my hopes up. But then I read in an interview with the creators that they were aiming to capture the same readers who dig "Dragon Age". I figured if this comic read or looked even remotely like those games, I should at least give the first issue a try. I'm so glad I did. The story centers on Jason of Norwich, who for reasons unknown is cursed to host the demon Etrigan in the final moments of the age of Camelot. The main story picks up hundreds of years later in the Dark Ages. Jason has apparently been made immortal through his bonding to Etrigan, and now travels with fellow immortal Madame Xanadu, who serves as his companion and love interest but with hidden motivations. The first issue has dark sorcery (and I mean REALLY dark sorcery!), brutal action and the blood, grit and grime you'd expect if you were playing Dragon Age: Origins. Fans of dark, brutal fantasy shouldn't miss this one and the last page, which I'd LOVE to spoil but won't, left me with a crazy kind of itch to read the next issue. And the fact that all this fantasy goodness just happens to take place in my favorite comic book universe (albeit hundreds of years in the past) is just icing on the cake. If they can keep this quality up, Demon Knights will be one of the books I look forward to most every month.

Suicide Squad

Since there is no longer a Secret Six book being written by Gail Simone, and I've developed a taste for "villain books", I decided I should give the new Suicide Squad book a try. The premise is that super criminals who want to reduce their sentences can enroll in black ops government missions from which they will likely not return in exchange for reductions in their sentences. Honestly, I have no idea why they didn't just keep the cast of Secret Six and bring them over to this book. Apart from Deadshot and Harley Quinn, I barely recognize any of these characters. And when you've read a villain book by Gail Simone, it's hard to read another one by anyone less gifted to write dialogue. This issue does little more than establish the basic premise of the book, though there are enough questions raised that I want answers for that I will be giving the second issue a fair shot.

Deathstroke

This book is my second attempt to fill the "villain void" left behind by The Secret Six. Deathstroke is supposed to be the baddest of the bad when it comes to mercenary villains. And this issue establishes why. Only in "Identity Crisis" have I seen him pull off cooler moves. But in the midst of all the butt-kicking I think they dropped the ball just a little regarding character. All of their character work seemed bent on portraying him as the most vicious and efficient killer out there, when I think they should have spent some of that time reminding us who Deathstroke is, where he acquired his abilities and why he does what he does. The only possible character plot is obscured, left as a hook for future issues. But if they don't reveal more character bits in #2, it's a hook I won't bite for #3.

Green Lantern

I'm a big Green Lantern nerd, so there was no way I'd miss this issue. DC must think I'm not the Only one, because this is one of the few titles that, while renumbered to #1, doesn't seem to provide the same jumping on point seen in other books. Hal Jordan isn't a Green Lantern and instead Sinestro, long time enemy of the GL Corps, is chosen to wear a ring for reasons no one, including Sinestro or the Guardians, understands. It's an interesting plot hook, and reads just as great as we've come to expect from Geoff Johns. But it's an odd choice of storyline in a month when they are looking to bring in new readers. The concept of a Green Lantern is presented well for those new to the book, but I can't imagine Sinestro will be the long-term "hero" of this book.

New Laptop In My Future?

2011-09-19T11:08:00.003-07:00

Over the weekend my laptop (which I spend most of my time working on as I watch my boys at the same time) started acting up. The screen wouldn't turn on, though it otherwise seemed to boot up okay. Then after a few minutes of no screen it would just shut down by itself.

It's an old, hand me down laptop that was convenient at first but with the birth of our second son has now become a necessity if I want to get anything done. So having it die on me was not cool. Add to that the fact that replacing it would mean a bit of a bite from our Spirit Blade Productions budget, which although always slowly improving, has yet to hit black. So having to buy a new laptop AND finance the 2-3 projects going into production soon would be a frustrating setback.

My laptop decided to boot up okay last night and today, but I've taken everything off of the hard drive in anticipation of a fatal crash in the near future, and will now begin looking for a replacement laptop to grab when this one finally dies.

(...grrr.)

Descent Weekend!

2011-09-14T11:03:00.002-07:00

Has it really been a year since I last drove out to California for a "Descent Weekend" with my buddy Mark? Either way, it's that time again!

Tomorrow I leave work and family behind and live the live of a nerdy bachelor again for an extended marathon weekend!

I'll get to Mark's place sometime late Thursday night and we'll be rolling dice before lunch on Friday! These weekends are always more intense than when Mark comes to visit me in Arizona, since he often has family and friends in the area that he is somewhat obligated to at least share a meal with. I, on the other hand, know almost no one else in the area where he lives. He also usually takes a day off from work when I come out, extending our time even further. In fact, it's not uncommon when we game at his place, for me to hit a "wall" at some point, when I start to burn out and we have to either play a different game for a bit, watch a movie or at least go for a walk.

By the end, I've usually had my itch scratched for a few months more and drive home Sunday afternoon in a state of nerdly contentment and a belly full of pizza, pepsi and other assorted crap foods. Ahh, good times.

Let the games begin!

Back To The Grind

2011-09-13T16:31:00.003-07:00

COMPLETELY forgot to post yesterday, although that's no surprise to me. Yesterday was the first day of substitute teaching I've had this fall.

Although most of my time is spent running Spirit Blade Productions, I substitute teach at the high school level an average of five days a month. I never know when I will sub. I could get a call as late as 5-9am the morning of. This is the beginning of my 6th consecutive year "subbing", and yet it's still a bit jarring each fall when I start up again. I have to learn all over again how to rush out the door half-awake at a moment's notice without leaving my lunch or laptop behind.

My regular work routine also takes an obvious hit. Well, obvious to me. If I'm on top of things (unlike I was yesterday), people who connect with me online never notice when I'm subbing, since I make it a priority to still get both blog posts up three days a week, process and ship any physical orders in our online store and answer any e-mails I can, as well as get on the forums and respond to any new comments there. Makes for a long day that usually lacks any creative work to make it fun, but you do what you gotta do to fill those little holes in the budget and keep a small company rolling at the same time.

All things considered, I enjoy subbing more than any alternative I can think of for a "side-gig". The work isn't difficult most of the time and it's good to stay connected to the rising generation, keeping my hand on the pulse of popular thinking. Subbing sometimes even serves as a reminder of why I started my little company in the first place.

I'll be posting this when I get home, but as I type it now I'm sitting in another high school classroom today. (Empty at the moment, I'm waiting for my next class to start.) I'm reminded of what a formative time high school and college are for so many people. It's the time of life when many people settle into believing what they will believe for the rest of their lives, regarding God, themselves and the purpose of existence.

I steer well clear of having "religious" discussions with students. But every once in awhile I find an opening to stimulate a student's thinking about truth in some way. As frustrating as the subbing grind can be to my short-term plans, I think in my better moments I recognize what a gift it is to "make tents" the way I do.(Acts 18:1-3)

DC's New Stormwatch, Batgirl and Action Comics

2011-09-09T09:46:00.004-07:00

This week I checked out three of DC's new titles from the launch of their new DC Universe continuity.

Stormwatch #1

I'd read and enjoyed some previous iterations of this book and these characters, but this one wasn't really working for me. If you're looking for a comic book about super-powered people who don't necessarily wear costumes and aren't necessarily heroic, this might be a good fit for you. That was one of the draws for me in previous versions. But the writing this time around seemed to simply present the concept of the book rather than introduce us to who these characters are. It felt like a page by page run down of quick character bios that included little more than their names and their powers. Speaking of powers, I'd forgotten that the power sets represented in this book are a bit odd and abstract at times. One guy can control and communicate with cities (huh?), another woman can mentally access any information from every media source in the world and a young girl can do anything the physics of the 21st century can make possible... or something like that. It was all a little odd, and I highly doubt I'll be sticking with this title, as much an I enjoyed seeing Martian Manhunter.

Batgirl #1

I wasn't going to even try this title. The cover, with Barbara Gordon in a costume much like her classic black, yellow and purple digs, with a big ruby lipstoick smile on her face and shampoo commercial hair flowing out the back, just looked like a betrayal of the entire Batman concept, which Barbara supposedly used as inspiration for hewr crime-fighting persona. Frankly, I saw little resemblance... until I started reading. I should have trusted what I know of Gail Simone. She can write the phone book and make it a compelling character piece. We get to be inside Barbara's mind for most of the book, experiencing her excitement over being able to fight crime again and the scars of fear the Joker left behind when he paralyzed her. For those concerned that her paralysis is being wiped away, don't be. It's a major part of her character and informs everythign she does. The story is also the same gritty tale with the creepiest villains that I've come to expect from Simone's work on Birds Of Prey and The Secret Six. I picked this up as a last minute impulse decision and am SO glad I didn't ultimately judge this book by its terrible cover. I'm amazed to say it, but I'll probably be buying this book every month.

Action Comics #1

And now for the big boy. The re-launch of the world's most famous hero and the re-imagining of his origins. I'm thrilled that Grant Morrison is not destroying this book so far. I'm very interested in where things will go. Rather than re-tell his Krypton or Smallville origins, this origin story centers on the first six months after he first appeared in Metropolis, and establishes him as the first super-human that anyone has ever seen. Although we get a few nice moments with just Clark, this story is mostly about how people perceive "Superman" and so our perspective is somewhat that of an outsider. There were only one or two minor details I found confusing. The rest of the story made perfect sense, which I think is a step back in the right direction for Morrison, who is taking Superman back to his roots as a social crusader, looking out for the underdog. It gives the book a slightly liberal political vibe, but I'm not very political myself and even if I was I don't think it would bother me. My one point of concern is the furrowed brow that Superman seems to constanly have. He strikes me as being an angry man. Granted, this is in keeping with the character of Superman as he first appeared in the late 1930's, but I hope we will also get to see the personality traits of the later Superman, who was optimistic and quick to smile, while being kind and polite in all of his interactions. Based on the way Superman's powers are not fully developed yet in this story, I wouldn't be surprised is Morrison is planning to take him on an evolutionary journey that leads him through his various interpretations, so I'm hopeful the "angry Superman" isn't the one we'll be stuck with in the end. Either way I'm intrigued and plan to follow this book at least until the first story arc is complete.

A Few Thoughts On "Paul"

2011-09-07T12:59:00.004-07:00

Last night I watched the sci-fi comedy "Paul", which had a handful of funny moments but a lot of missed opportunities. Unfortunately it never quite took off as the celebration of geek culture it was likely meant to be, but I still enjoyed much of it and thought the performances were great.

It also had an odd subplot the writers (who also starred in the flick) used to knock theism in favor of naturalistic evolution. In the commentary there was a brief reference to a scene that, had it been included, would have brought a little more balance to the topic, but as it was handled in the movie it made the writers come across to me, ironically, the same way they apparently aimed to portray Christianity: Emotionally driven, intolerant and ignorant of the facts.

It reminded me of something C.S. Lewis (brilliant thinker and a fan/writer of sci-fi) once wrote in "Mere Christianity", and made me think he may have invented a time machine, traveled to 2011, watched this movie and then traveled back before writing it. He made the observation that some people "put up a version of Christianity suitable for a child of six and make that the object of their attack". Seems to me that's what the writers of "Paul" ended up doing, unintentional though it may have been.

It wouldn't be anything worth mentioning if we lived in a world in which people normally sat down and discussed opposing ideas in a reasonable, even-tempered manner. But instead, we tend to simply absorb our life philosophies through entertainment, an emotionally charged medium not equipped to properly examine ideas logically.

I'd guess "Paul" will mostly "preach to the choir" (an ironic metaphor), but hopefully those interested in seeking the truth about the existence or non-existence of God will put in some time to try and understand the best arguments put forth on both sides of the discussion.

On a side note regarding the topic of "tolerance", I can't help but wonder if this movie would have been a LOT more controversial if the subject of theism-bashing were Islam or Hinduism, instead of the far more common target of Christianity.

Flashpoint and Justice League #1

2011-09-02T13:12:00.002-07:00

DC's new universe started with the end of the Flashpoint Mini-series and Justice League #1, which both came out this week.

Although Flashpoint was drawn and written fairly well, it was ultimately just another ho-hum "alternate reality story" which we all knew would not stick around. Although surrounded by tie-ins, the Flashpoint universe was predictably here and gone, giving me no reason (as I knew it wouldn't) to invest in the alternate versions of my favorite characters that were presented.

Where it functions well is as a Flash story, dealing with Barry's greatest enemy, The Reverse Flash, and bringing the stakes close to home as the story hangs on the death of his mother. The ending felt a little rushed and I think it would have been stronger if it wasn't attached to the "New 52" event, but these are five issues that would stay in my collection even apart from their soon to be historical significance in attachment to the relaunch of DC's continuity.

The real fun this week began as I opened to the first page of "Justice League #1". The story takes place five years ago, when superheroes were first coming on the scene. In fact, we get to see Batman and Green Lantern meet for the first time! The writing is great, showcasing the core of who these characters are and with the backdrop of freshness that the editorial staff is no doubt aiming for. It looks as though this entire opening story arc in the Justice League book will be about the team's origins.

Not all DC books are using their first issues this year to tell origins stories, though I kind of wish they would. In fact, part of me wishes that DC would have just gone all the way and done a COMPLETE re-launch of the universe, with no stories outside of character origins retained from the previous continuity. That may sound strange from a guy who's been a hardcore DC fan for 15 years and who LOVES the rich history of the DCU, but I for one would love to see DC's answer to Marvel's "Ultimate" universe, and the New 52 isn't quite that.

Even so, I can already tell that this is the best jumping on point that new readers have ever been offered for their universe. And the pages of Justice League, if issue #1 is any indicator, will be a great place to get more big iconic heroes for your buck and maybe test the waters and see what heroes you might be interested in following in their own books. If you only try ONE DC book, Justice League should be it! (At least until more DC books come out later this month.)

DC has already sold out on their first print run of Justice League #1, but the second print is already coming to stores next week, and you can always go digital and get it right now for your mobile device!

(Boy, I wonder when that publicity check from DC is going to get here.)

HeroQuest Still Rocks!

2011-08-31T10:39:00.003-07:00

If you've never played Milton Bradley's "HeroQuest", you've missed out. In junior high, my parents probably never imagined what kind of a treasure they gave me one Christmas. It wasn't on my "wish list". I'd never even heard of it. I was in that limbo stage where action figures weren't doing it for me much anymore but hadn't discovered any new hobbies yet.

HeroQuest is an out of print fantasy adventure board game, like an EXTREMELY light version of Dungeons and Dragons. No role-playing involved, just four heroes, controlled by 1-4 players, exploring dungeons, taking out monsters and recovering forgotten treasures. The rules were much simpler than modern equivalents like "Descent" from Fantasy Flight Games, but they all owe something to this gem.

Recently I pulled my old game boxes out again and re-discovered a lost world that I had adventured in for over a decade with my long-time gaming buddy, Mark. We went far beyond any published material and I began writing epic quests of my own. To keep pace with his growing heroes, I created pages and pages of new monster stats, new artifacts to be found and new rules to keep things interesting.

Little did I know I was one of many, and was doing it with far less attention to detail. Now you can find a number of awesome websites online dedicated to HeroQuest, with carefully balanced new character classes and tons of new spells, artifacts, monsters and of course QUESTS!

My reigning favorite and "one stop shop" for all things HeroQuest is Ye Olde Inn, which resurrects a site I used to visit all the time and also adds more material to it.

You can even find software that will run the game for you if you need a game master but don't have one. Never as good as a flesh and blood person to play with, but those are hard to come by, and all this reminiscing might just make me desperate enough...

Descent 2nd Edition!

2011-08-29T09:46:00.003-07:00

Over the weekend I went to the Fantasy Flight Games website since I hadn't been there in awhile. And what should I discover but the news that a second edition of my favorite board game, "Descent: Journeys In The Dark", is being released in early 2012!

At first, the news was frustrating, as I've pumped so much money into this game over the years and new editions often seem to be more about milking customers than making a significantly improved product.

But as I looked into the details some more, my hope began to be restored. The rules will reportedly be streamlined for faster play and less player downtime. ("Is it still your turn? Okay, I'm gonna go get some more pepsi and maybe put a pizza in the oven.") It's also designed to have many more easy stopping and starting points, allowing for shorter game sessions when time demands. I haven't done a comparison yet of what you get in the box compared to the first edition, but I know that the map tiles are double sided and rules for campaign play are already included. Very good news! Sounds like they're aiming to give us the most bang possible for our buck!

The only news I'm not as excited about is the "conversion kit" to allow you to adapt all of your old Descent stuff to the new rules system. I like having that ability, but having to buy it separate for 25 bucks is a little lame. That brings the total cost of this "upgrade" to over $100. Yikes.

Hopefully they will put the rulebooks online before the release like they usually do so I can really see what I'm buying. Getting more details will make a big difference in convincing me to put down the money for this.

Saying Goodbye To The Old DC Universe

2011-08-26T16:40:00.002-07:00

Although DC has said that past stories matter in the new DCU launching next week, they've been pretty vague about which stories matter enough to be carried into the new continuity. So I'm taking a moment to look back and give a nod to the stories I most enjoyed in DC continuity since the last extensive continuity game-changer, "Crisis On Infinite Earths", in 1985.

In no particular order:

Crisis On Infinite Earths

This was the first major story I collected in back issues when I started my hobby. It was the foundation for the (then) all-new DC Universe continuity and introduced me to a world of characters (nearly every one in DC continuity made an appearance!) that had already been around for years. It was also beyond epic in scope and to this day the stakes have never been as high as they were in this massive, cosmic story.

Cosmic Odyssey

This "event" story featured the DCU heavy hitters and gave me a proper introduction to Darkseid and the horrors of Apokolips, with gritty art by Mike Mignola that I was amazed grew on me so much!

The Spectre

Written by John Ostrander with dark, "smoky" art by Tom Mandrake, this series explored the supernatural world and concepts of justice, vengeance and punishment from a viewpoint that largely paralleled Biblical thinking, and with a storyline that was dark and delightfully disturbing.

JLA (Grant Morrison)

Although I've taken issue with his recent work, Grant Morrison's run on JLA continues to be my all-time favorite. Seeing the "big seven" heroes of the DCU play off each other was amazing and every storyline featured epic opposition worthy of their combined might. And Batman has never been cooler as Morrison used clever writing and Bruce Wayne's mind to easily make him one of the most "powerful" members of the team!

Emerald Dawn

Although I'd known Green Lantern from The Superfriends and already thought he was cool, this revamp of his origin story made me a GL fan for life.

Identity Crisis

DC is less known for gritty, emotional stories than Marvel is, but this story introduced a new level of seriousness and moral complexity to the DCU through an emotionally involving story, while also making classic villains suddenly much more dangerous.

Superman/Batman

The first 12 issues of this series gave comic fans a much needed reminder of the relationship dynamic between DC's two most iconic characters. The creative overlap of independent inner monologues contrasted Superman and Batman, while giving me a reason to sympathize with both of them. These were stories that clearly defined who these characters are at their core.

Emerald Twilight

Although it meant the corruption of a much loved Green Lantern, this intense story led to more fantastic, morally complex stories and resulted in the introduction of a new Green Lantern that many, including myself, quickly grew to love.

Green Lantern Rebirth

Far more exciting for me than the return of Hal Jordan was the return of the Green Lantern Corps. This series, in addition to masterfully reworking continuity, reminded us what it means to be a Green Lantern and why the concept is so...freakin'...cool!

The Flash (Mark Waid)

Wally West finally came into his own under the guidance of writer Mark Waid, who injected life into this series as he explored the ramifications of superspeed far beyond simply "running really fast". The Speed Force is possibly the greatest gift to The Flash concept since the character was originally created, and Waid's respect for legacy was a foretaste of what future writers would aim to deliver.

The Flash (Geoff Johns)

Although I wasn't sold right away, Geoff Johns won me over as soon as he began focusing on the villains of the Flash rogue's gallery, revamping them into interesting characters who were also more challenging to the Flash than ever before. In the pages of this book, Johns demonstrated his knack for making old things new again while respecting the past.

JSA (Geoff Johns)

Nowhere else has Geoff Johns displayed his love for the history of the DCU more than in his run on JSA. Characters who had fallen on the back burner for years became exciting "new" characters in the DCU. This series made longtime fans of the DCU (like myself) glad they chose to invest in the rich history of DC Comics.

H.E.R.O.

This series last 22 issues and brought the strange, corny "Dial H For Hero" concept into the serious world of the modern DCU. Much of the series focused on a wide variety of new characters as the device that grants super powers fell from one set of hands to the next. What would people REALLY do if they suddenly had super powers? This treasure of a series attempts to answer just that question with both funny and frightening results!

Batman: Year One

Although Frank Miller can be hit or miss in his writing, he was at the top of his game in this revamp of Batman's origins, which served as key source material for the recent Chris Nolan Batman movies. Gotham has rarely been grimier and Batman rarely cooler than in this fantastic look at who Batman is and why Gotham needs him so much.

The Killing Joke

If you've ever wondered why the Joker is such a frightening nemesis for Batman, you haven't read this story by Alan Moore. Both disturbing and fascinating, this story continues to have impact on Joker stories today. I'm happy to say that DC has at LEAST confirmed that this story will still be part of the new history launching next week.

Thanks for some amazing characters and stories, DC! I can't wait to see what comes next!

Out Tubing! See You Friday!

2011-08-24T10:15:00.003-07:00

The Death Of My Comic Store, The Birth Of A New Era

2011-08-22T21:25:00.005-07:00

In 1989, the year Michael Keaton's "Batman" opened in theaters, "Atomic Comics" opened in Mesa, Arizona with the mission of creating a comic store that appealed to the general public's shopping expectations. In other words, it wouldn't be a scary, cramped hole in the wall with a single hairy guy running the register and giving off the evil eye. For over 20 years, Atomic Comics was a rarity in the comics retail business, spawning three more stores, regularly attracting the biggest creators in the business for signings and other events, and even being featured, with the same logo and employee T-shirts, in the superhero movie "Kick-Ass".

Today, with zero advance notification to its loyal customers and just over 12 hours notice to its employees, Atomic Comics closed its doors forever. I got word about the event on Saturday, before even many employees knew. (I know a guy who knows a guy.) But when it became official today, as evidenced only by the disconnected phones and signs on the doors of all 4 store locations, and one (former) employee's facebook post, it was still a blow. But not as hard hitting as I might have thought.

My comic book hobby has gone through a number of changes over the years. I've always been a big superhero fan and acquired comics here and there growing up. But it wasn't until after high school, when I got my first job and a steady income, that I became a true "collector".

Back then, "Atomic Comics" was "the establishment" comic store. They had employees with name tags and a bright, clean-smelling environment. But over at "Books Comics And Records" (or as I called it "Hairy Chest Man's"), a hole in the wall comic shop, I was elated to buy my weekly comics without paying tax, while also collecting back issues at insanely low prices. And back issues were a big part of my hobby then, since I was "catching up" on about 10 years of DC comics history. Despite the fact that the place smelled like cigar smoke (with maybe just a touch of urine) and was run by a guy who seemed to expose his chest hair through the same half-unbuttoned shirt every time I came calling, I had zero interest in giving my money to Atomic Comics... until about three years later, when "Hairy Chest Man's" closed.

A buddy of mine was kind enough to add my name to his "box" at Atomic Comics. (Or simply "Atomic" as most regulars abbreviate.) A box was a then-coveted spot in the store where they set aside comics from a list created by you based on what you regularly buy each month. You had to purchase a certain number each month to qualify, but the pay-off was being assured that the treasures you wait each month for will never slip out of your hands because someone else got to the store first. I wasn't buying enough on my own to qualify for a box, so I gratefully accepted my friend's help.

From here my hobby began to change again. After "Hairy Chest Man's" closing sale, I had pretty much every back issue I wanted, so I was just getting the new stuff now. As time passed, the extra money no longer spent on back issues began to leak into new book purchases. And a year or two later, as my friend and I began to fall out of touch, I took the plunge and requested my own box, which I have had at the original Atomic store in Mesa for over a decade.

Atomic changed locations once, and remodeled another time two years ago after a drunk driver plowed through their front glass wall. But their service remained the same. This was always the real reason I came back every week. Atomic employees made it a priority to know each of their regulars by name, on sight. Thinking about that store often mysteriously caused me to hum the theme from "Cheers". ("Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name...") The employees often knew their comics better than you did, and always enjoyed talking about their favorites as well as ranting, or letting you rant on the stuff you hated.

My life changed more than Atomic did. Four years ago my wife and I had our first child, and last year we added our second. Little boys this age are many things. What they are not is "easy to take out with you". And with time to myself at a premium, the most economical option has been for me to take one or both boys with me on my "Atomic runs". And while a new policy at Atomic recently started saving me 20% on all of my comics, the company of my boys on each trip still didn't allow me to appreciate the browsing or social experiences of going to Atomic, which were a large part of the appeal. Soon my weekly trek became a chore.

Add to this the fact that Atomic seems to attract young employees who don't stay very long. A trend that became more dramatic and noticeable with each passing year. In the last 3-5 years, it seemed only ONE person knew my name when I came to visit. And that person wasn't always working on Wednesdays. In the last 6 months, the "Wednesday Crew" changed once again, meaning I was suddenly yet again just a box number until the new guys learned my name. But this latest crew didn't seem interested in learning my name. Maybe it was a sign of the end.

As I've considered my options, I've decided to enter the world of mail order comic subscription. With the company I'm planning to go with, there's no long term commitment (as there is if you order direct from DC Comics), you just have to place your order two months in advance. I will also save over 30% on comics, with no tax added on. And although shipping does add some to the final cost, I will still get my comics twice a month without investing that total of 40 minutes in driving each week. And after all the number crunching I'll actually save over $10 a month! But that only helps with the comics I start getting in October, and September is no ordinary month this year.

DC Comics is relaunching all of their main titles to number 1's and rebooting their entire continuity. A massive, almost unprecedented event. The issues selling in September will go extremely fast if DC's strategy is successful. Fast enough that "walk in" customers are far from guaranteed to get the issues they want. With Atomic I was sitting in security. But with Atomic closing without notice, I'm suddenly outside the inner circle and among the ranks of "walk in" customers!

Thankfully, after some quick research and a couple of phone calls, I was able to secure a "box" with a "hole in the wall" comic store just five minutes further from me than Atomic. I explained my situation and the owner was kind enough to hook me up, even knowing he would not retain me as a regular customer after the end of August. I could still save 20% a month with him, but the extra drive time just can't be overlooked in my stage of life. Hopefully he'll still be around when my boys are both in elementary school.

So my collecting habit is safe and should proceed without any serious bumps from here. But what about the "Cheers" factor? Can chat rooms ever replace talking to a real fan face to face, sharing excitement or despair over what has happened or what is rumored to come? I don't think so. I think the death of the comic book store is easily as significant to hardcore fans as the death of arcades once was for regular weekend quarter-pushers. But as with video games, the hobby of comic books has been evolving, and I'm stepping into a relatively new way of approaching it that many have already entered into. Counter-side conversations with whispered "spoiler-filled" highlights will be replaced by comic news websites and newsletters, and possibly a forum (if I can find some nice enough people). Scanning the "new release wall" will change to scrolling on a monitor. And yapping my rants and raves on the latest comics news will have to be directed toward a podcast. (Good thing I host one of those!)

I've been amazed that the death of my comic store has not been a bigger deal to me than it is. I look forward to the future of my hobby with a sense of renewed expectation. With DC comics offering all of their titles in both print and digital form on the same release day(starting in September), we could be looking at the rebirth of the industry as new fans who wouldn't brave those scary comic shops before now safely enter this amazing visual world on their mobile devices.

If DC Comics is ready to go out on a limb and risk approaching production in a brand new way, it seems somehow fitting that at the same time I re-imagine what my favorite hobby could look like and enter into a new era of comic book collecting. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Conan The Barbarian (Movie Review)

2011-08-19T14:10:00.002-07:00

I've never read a word written by Robert E. Howard (Creator of "Conan") and I barely made it through the Schwarzenegger "Conan" movies, but I love dark, brutal fantasy and have been waiting for Hollywood to make one to scratch my itch. Today, that itch was scratched!

In a legendary time of humanity's past, a barbarian child named Conan is the only survivor of a raid that wiped out his entire village. Growing into manhood his greatest wish is to kill the men responsible for the murder of his people. As it happens, the man responsible is also trying to awake an ancient evil and plunge the world into darkness, death and chaos, so if Conan succeeds, everybody else wins too.

The action is bloody and brutal and the portions are generous. The fight choreography is cool, but not too fancy and in favor of the dark mood.

The story isn't original by any stretch, but feels like a return to a classic framework in this movie, rather than a tired cliche. Jason Momoa (Stargate: Atlantis, Game Of Thrones) is perfectly cast as the title character. The trailers made me feel like he was trying too hard to sound tough, but the movie itself is a different story. He fits the part like a glove. Not much depth or subtext in his performance, but the character of Conan isn't about either of those things.

That said, the movie had some welcome and unexpected heart in the first 20 minutes as we see Conan's relationship with his father, played both firmly and tenderly by Ron Pearlman. This plot point also has a nice payoff at the end. If they had found ways to insert more of this kind of emotional depth into the rest of the film, it would have made it a truly unique experience. But as it is, it still offers more opportunities for emotional investment than most fantasy movies.

The rest of the cast does a fine job with what they are given to work with. These aren't Oscar-worthy performances, but the sum is a far cry from the horrible acting you'll find in most fantasy movies of the 70's and 80's.

One of the biggest stars of this movie is the visual design. Ancient temples and crumbling cities of dark design create a world that seems to jump right off the cover of the best dark fantasy novels of former decades. Costumes and props all fit perfectly in a barbaric world I would love to spend more time in. This is where the CGI effects are put to best use.

By contrast, CGI is put to mediocre effect in a scene late in the movie in which Conan squares off against a "sea monster" of some kind. I'm still waiting for Hollywood to raise the bar for CGI. CGI creatures have largely held the same amount of "realism" since the first Jurassic Park movie. I was wowed back then, but the technology hasn't moved forward much. This flick was another ho-hum example of the status quo, though still not "bad" by that measure.

I could have done without a few instances of "peripheral nudity", in which women appear topless, though not as the main focus of the camera and usually in the background. These instances can be narrowed down to about two brief scenes and were more an annoyance to my sensitivities than a problem. But they could have conveyed what they wanted to about these women and this culture without actual nudity. All of the above is also true of a relatively brief "sex scene" later in the film that is mostly covered in shadow.

I highly doubt that any meaningful conversation will spring from watching this movie. Although technically the movie is said to take place on our planet in the distant past, the mention of Atlantis in the opening narration and the rest of the film's story removed it so far from reality for me that I thought of this as a completely fantastical realm with no supposed relation to human history. This movie isn't presenting or suggesting any historical truth claims.

Conan is far from a pinnacle of virtue. He does what he wants, when he wants to, yet he still holds to a few moral absolutes. His brutality can't be commended, but is also satisfying in some ways for those of us who crave justice for wrongdoers.

Fans of dark, brutal fantasy simply can't miss this movie. It's what we've been waiting for Hollywood to make for years. And though it doesn't leave you with anything of value to ponder, its a fantastical adventure in a barbaric fantasy world that I hope the filmmakers will return us to very soon!

Rated R for strong bloody violence, some sexuality and nudity

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 4.0/10

For more information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast

Two Worlds 2 (First Impressions)

2011-08-17T16:01:00.002-07:00

Recently I posted about "Two Worlds", a seriously flawed yet underrated RPG on the Xbox 360. Just a few days ago I finished that game (which I can still say I really enjoyed!) and immediately started playing the sequel, Two Worlds 2. I'm currently just over five hours in. (Though I'm not writing this as a "First Five Review".)

The story picks up after the events of the first game, but omitting some key details that connect the two games. This may be because there are two very different endings to the first game. But while the beginning of this game could potentially work with either ending from the first game, it also doesn't quite work smoothly with either. A bit odd, but I didn't play the first one for the story. I should mention, though, that the dialogue is MUCH better, without the forced Olde English. (No more "mayhap" or "methinks")

The two main things I noticed immediately were the improved visual and audio presentation and the significantly different interface.

The combat system is still largely the same, but with a few re-assigned buttons. The unusual "dodge" mechanic has been removed in favor of blocking, which I think I like better.

There's a great new stealth/assassination mechanic that is a LOT of fun to use, and you don't have to pump XP into it. So I get to build my guy as a brawler, but enjoy a cool "thief" ability for free!

I miss the ability to quickly and easily "stack" items of the same kind to upgrade them. Looting is also handled automatically, assuming you want to pick up everything a vanquished enemy has. This results in more trips to town than I'd like (or having to periodically open my inventory just to drop things), but hasn't bothered me otherwise.

The horse controls have been completely re-invented... and I don't ride horses any more. The controls are TERRIBLE! It's easier to ride a REAL horse! (And I've only done that twice in my life!) To keep your horse moving you have to constantly, repeatedly, press the left trigger, as though your constant "kicking" is the only thing that keeps this dumb animal moving. The rest of the horse controls are just as clunky. It's such a mess that I opted to just pump as much into my endurance as possible so that I can simply run from place to place when not using teleporters.

There may be an option to turn the voice acting off, but I haven't felt the need to look for it, since the voice acting is much improved. Nothing compared to a Bioware game, but much improved. (They actually used actors this time.) The storytelling also uses more cut-scenes with cool, cinematic camera movement and...have I mentioned the graphics are much better?

All in all, a stronger game than the first, with new bugs/flaws to get used to, but that aren't requiring as much patience on my part this time. Still worth every penny (I paid 22 bucks) until Elder Scrolls 5 or, if we're lucky, Deus Ex!

Western Weekend

2011-08-15T11:02:00.003-07:00

For whatever reason, this weekend I got an itch to see some westerns. I'm not a fan of "classic" westerns, like those starring John Wayne. But the more modern westerns such as those from the 90's and onward have caught my interest in recent years.

On Saturday my wife and I watched "Unforgiven". Her first time and my second. And on Sunday I watched "A Fistful Of Dollars", Clint Eastwood's first western flick, for the first time! (I may have to watch his others now, too!)

I think some of the appeal must be from my love of dark fantasy. In westerns they've got very little technology, ride around on horses, and themes of justice or vengeance are front and center. (And the guns are a little bit like "magic", especially the way Hollywood uses them.)

Although it doesn't perfectly fit the genre, I think my favorite western is "The Last Man Standing", with Bruce Willis, based on "A Fistful Of Dollars" (which in turn was based on a Japanese film called "Yojimbo"). "Last Man" is possibly the coolest gun fighting movie I've ever seen. It may be time to pull it off my shelf for another viewing soon!

Hacked!!

2011-08-12T13:53:00.003-07:00

PS3 owners may have had to deal with a major hacking issue lately, but us 360 owners aren't immune!

A few days ago I noticed that all of my Xbox Live menus were in Russian, and yesterday I received three e-mail notifications from Xbox Live Marketplace, notifying me that I had successfully purchased 10,000 microsoft points and changed my account to Russia instead of the US. Yikes!

So we're getting new credit cards and my Xbox Live account has been frozen until they sort out the details.

I have always been somewhat against consoles going online. It leaves room for incomplete, buggy games to be released ("Whatever. We'll just release a patch later."), encourages companies to require internet connection for their games to be played (Lookin' at you, Bioware!) and also leaves gamers open to attack from hackers.

For me, playing video games is a solo experience. The rare times I play with others is limited to couch co-op. But my preference is still mostly to go it alone in a dark corner of my house. So online consoles have been more of a nuisance to me than a benefit.

I'm not troubled by my account being frozen. The game I'm playing now doesn't require an internet connection. But it's pretty annoying to have to change our credit card information with all the various places we have registered our credit card.

Super (Movie Review)

2011-08-10T10:42:00.004-07:00

I wasn't going to review this movie, since most people have never heard of it and wouldn't be expecting a review of it from me. It would have been a great chance to free up my time a little this week. But after watching this highly unusual film on Blu-ray this week, I felt compelled to express some thoughts about it.

"Super" is a low-budget, independent film (that uses it's money to GREAT effect!) with some very familiar faces and names. The story follows Frank D'Arbo, a socially awkward short order cook (played by Rain Wilson, The Office) whose wife, a recovering drug addict, leaves him for her dealer. Desperate to reclaim his wife and furious over the injustice of life, Frank creates a superhero persona that he believes is inspired by God, and hits the streets to fight crime and save his wife. Joining him in his odd quest is comic book store employee, Libby, who is even more socially inept and seems to live almost completely in a fantasy world the more she involves herself with Frank.

Performances are wonderful across the board. Though not quite Oscar worthy, Wilson shows some wonderful emotional depth and portrays Frank with a vulnerability that at times nearly made me well up with tears. Ellen Page is startling in her psychosis and provides some of the best moments of dark humor. Liv Tyler is both sweet and sadly damaged as Frank's wife. And Kevin Bacon is an interesting focal point for each scene he is in as the drug dealer and villain of the story.

The tone of the movie is a bit scattered, starting out slow and uncertain, but ramping up into gear once "The Crimson Bolt" chooses his crime fighting weapon of choice. (A Pipe Wrench.) Much of the time, the movie aims for either seriousness or dark humor, but occasionally wanders into spoof or moments that distract from, rather than serve, the story. Chief among these are the religious spoofs featuring Frank's "visions" or the over the top "Bible Man" tv show spoof that Frank watches. Moments like these take away the sense of realism that otherwise grounds the movie so well. There is also a seduction sequence that, while lacking any nudity and initially serving the story and character development, goes on for too long and seems exploitative after the first 30-45 seconds.

Despite some of it's awkwardly "off" moments, Super also has moments of (often dark) comedic brilliance, touching vulnerability and incredible "heroics" that rival the best moments of either "Kick Ass" or "Defendor", two other films that also deconstruct super heroics with relative realism.

The small budget (just a few million dollars) is used wonderfully, and the movie still has some extremely satisfying action and one very weird, but great-looking, digital special effects sequence.

Super may also trigger some worthwhile conversation or at least personal reflection. Christians like myself will likely be frustrated by the moments that grossly spoof either Christian beliefs or Christian culture. But it's worthwhile to look beyond these to see the themes of absolute morality and justice that the script grapples with. Frank is a character who mourns the injustice he has experienced in life. He has a childlike innocence about him as he expresses his longing for a better world. And though his actions can obviously not be supported by the Bible, they are still cathartic for anyone who is tired of the bad guys always winning in life.

I don't think I've ever seen a movie that had such a wide contrast of lousy and incredible moments, though I do think that the good moments of storytelling significantly outweigh the bad and make this movie worth watching, especially for superhero genre fans. The experience is likely to stay with you and provide some food for thought.

Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, sexual content and drug use. (I would add "brief nudity" to the MPAA's description)

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 8.0/10

For information on my scoring system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at spiritblade.net/podcast

Can Truth Be "Turned On"?

2011-08-08T11:04:00.003-07:00

Last night I recorded a three hour block of programming on the Discovery channel about the origin of the world/universe and whether or not God was responsible.

I haven't watched it yet and will probably hack away at it during my lunch breaks this week and next. But I'm very curious about how they handle the topic, which experts they select to interview and what kind of material surfaces after the editing process.

I was telling my wife yesterday that it's a little scary how much stock we put into the stuff we see on Discovery, National Geographic or The History Channel. I sometimes have to remind myself that no matter how boring the documentary or how serious and smart-sounding the narrator is, I am not getting an unfiltered look at the issue being covered. There are journalists picking the experts they think are best (or sometimes that they just think will fit their vision for the final product), editors choosing which words will be heard and which will not and producers and network execs trying to sell sponsorship slots with interesting content. And since controversy is entertaining and therefore equals ratings, we get a healthy dose of opinions mixed in smoothly with facts.

I'm convinced that, even though channels and documentaries like these can be helpful in stimulating conversation or initiating a search for truth, the actual hard work of fact-checking and investigation must be left to the individual. Especially in controversial matters. TV, Wikipedia, chat rooms and message boards might play a role in stimulating our interest or passion, but they are poor substitutes for genuinely seeking out truth.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (Movie Review)

2011-08-05T14:13:00.002-07:00

This weekend Fox Studios rebooted (again) their Planet Of The Apes franchise with "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes", starring James Franco as a scientist developing a cure for Alzheimer's who gets more than he bargained for.

Before I get into the meat of this review, I should admit some bias and baggage I took into the theater with me, which you should keep in mind when applying my review.

First, I don't like what I call "horse movies", in which an animal is the focus of the plot (and usually has the movie named after it) and audiences are expected to emotionally invest in the fate of this animal in the same way we would for human characters. I like animals (a dog person myself, my wife prefers cats) and believe that part of our role as stewards of God's creation is to safeguard and care for them when possible and reasonable, given our other responsibilities as humans. But I do believe that animals do not have value or rights equal to humans and that humans are much more than simply the most intelligent creatures on the planet. So I become a little annoyed when I feel as though a movie is asking me to accept a different view of animals and humans in order to suspend my disbelief and enjoy a movie.

I'm also not a fan of CGI characters getting equal or greater screen time in live action movies compared to flesh and blood actors. For whatever reason, I'm cursed with a good eye for CGI characters (such as Clu/Flynn in Tron: Legacy, or the blue aliens in Avatar) and they take me out of a movie pretty easily, distracting me with thoughts of actors staring at ping-pong balls.

This movie had some of both issues working against it for me, but I can still say that I enjoyed it and many others may enjoy it even more.

Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist whose father is suffering from Alzheimer's, which Will hopes to cure with an engineered virus that repairs brain functions. During testing on apes, however, the treatment actually enhances existing brain function enormously, giving one ape an intellect that far surpasses the average human of the same age. Due to complications, human testing is prohibited, but Rodman continues to do research with, and secretly keeps, the intelligent ape, whom his father names Caesar.

As time passes, Caesar gains awareness of his status: More than a pet yet held in captivity, subject to human rule. And though Rodman treats him well, others are abusive and cruel. Caesar naturally wishes to be free, which propels the rest of the movie forward.

Performances by the flesh and blood cast are great. Franco is sympathetic, and the storyline with his father, played with fragility by John Lithgow, gives much appreciated emotional depth to the story. The CGI characters (the apes) are admittedly some of the best looking I've ever seen. Hair is extremely challenging to pull off, but the texture mapping on these effects is many times indistinguishable from the real thing. As usual, the flaws show up in facial movements. A flaw that might have been hidden had the filmmakers not decided to give Caesar so many uniquely human expressions, subtle though they were.

Although this is definitely a sci-fi flick, don't go expecting much action. While it does have some intense action sequences, this is more of a sci-fi drama, depending on the emotional plight of characters to move the story forward, rather than a series of life-threatening obstacles. As a drama, it works best when focusing on the human characters, and slows down just a little too much in the second half as the focus turns to the Apes.

I think sci-fi movies dealing with "hyper-evolution" or artificial intelligence that becomes "self-aware" are potentially ripe for meaningful discussion afterward, and this movie is a great example of that.

What makes us human, or "people"? Is it our level of intelligence? Are we simply biological machines with enough processing power to attain the self-described status of "person"? Could apes become "people" simply by making them more intelligent?

I can't be sure where the writers of this movie fall, but I would guess they might say "yes", as would those adhering to a purely naturalistic worldview. Whatever the writers' stance, I would argue for "no" and would also love to see fiction deal with this issue in a less predictable way.

It's common in fiction for "self-aware" machines to be devoid of morality and simply use their superior intelligence to survive and take over the world. (The Terminator franchise being one example.) But I'd love to see a super-intelligent animal who is not also given the traits of philosophical introspection and moral awareness that this script gives to Caesar.(Implying these traits naturally come along with intelligence, which I don't believe is the case.) I think the result would be much more imaginative and lead to far less predictable places than this movie did.

Despite having some predictable plot points and a few slower moments, this was still an enjoyable, though-provoking movie. And I suspect a sequel, if made, will be twice as good!

Rated PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 8.0/10

For more information on my scoring system, visit- www.spiritblade.net/reviewscores
Or listen to this review this weekend at- www.spiritblade.net/podcast

Cool Free "Sci-fi" Web Series!

2011-08-03T09:44:00.002-07:00

The Booth At The End

My thanks to Mike L. for pointing me to this Hulu original web series starring Xander Berkeley(Nikita,24) as a mysterious man who takes meetings in a diner, offering clients whatever they wish in exchange for a "task". The task is always challenging and often criminal, but sometimes it's also a challenging act of goodness. The Man's motives, power and origins are a mystery that may or may not be revealed. (I've only seen the first episode so far.) What's more revealing is the lengths people are prepared to go to get what they want, or what they think they want.

It's anyone's guess what kinds of philosophical claims the script will make as the series continues (one client wants to feel closer to God and The Man claims he can deliver on that as well!), but the series looks to be very compelling from a character standpoint, intriguing from a sci-fi/fantasy standpoint, and worth talking about from a philosophical standpoint. I for one am already hooked!

You can check out "The Booth At The End" at- http://www.hulu.com/the-booth-at-the-end

Why You Should Try "Two Worlds"

2011-08-01T11:34:00.003-07:00

Recently I was looking for a new Xbox 360 RPG to play and picked up "Two Worlds" to try out (with a seven day return option). This game came out about a year after "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" and shamelessly rips off of it in a number of ways. Before Two Worlds came out, it was being hyped as an "Oblivion killer" and had so much anticipation attached to it that when it came out and ended up being a seriously mediocre knock off instead of all it promised, fans were angry. (As evidenced by the extremely bitter reviews of the game on Youtube.) Most reputable reviewers, who were a bit more objective, gave the game lukewarm reviews, but few considered it a truly bad game. Personally, I'd recommend it to anyone in the same boat with me. First, let me describe that "boat" a little bit more, and then I'll tell you why I think this one is worth trying.

My Boat:

Play only RPGs or action RPGs because my hand-eye coordination sucks and I can "level grind" my way out of trouble if I need to in RPGs. Burned out on Mass Effect 1&2, Dragon Age 1&2, Oblivion, Torchlight and Fallout 3. (Fallout New Vegas won't load my saves.) Not into Fable 2 or 3 that much. Grew up playing and loving RPGs with no voice acting, where you had to read all the dialogue. (Some of which was translated poorly.) Think nice graphics are nice, but not necessary for a great gaming experience. Found a used copy of "Two Worlds" at my local Gamestop for $6.99, with a seven day return/refund policy if I don't like it. Didn't ever have my hopes dashed by Two Worlds when it came out and went into the playing experience with low expectations compared to other games I've played.

If you're riding in a different boat, read no further. But if that's your boat too, I'd HIGHLY recommend giving this game a shot. Here's why:

Two Worlds has a visual design that is serious in tone. If you like the semi-dark "D&D" tone of Oblivion or Dragon Age, the tone here is similar. (No spunky youths, purposefully comical moments or cute monsters.) The graphics are 360 quality, but not by much. There are also a number of stutters in frame-rate performance, even including some quick pauses now and then in combat with multiple opponents or while exploring the countryside. But if you can get used to this (which I have) the hack-n-slash combat is very satisfying. (Though I'd recommend the "easy" difficulty.)

The controls in general are not intuitive, but not prohibitive either. It wasn't long (a couple of hours) before I stopped experiencing frequent missteps in button pushing and have now settled into comfort with almost every aspect of the controls. The Horseback riding is also less intuitive than in Oblivion, but not terrible. In fact, I can almost say the developers succeeded in their aim to create a sense of accomplishment and skill when learning to control the horse, which has a mind of its own and must be "guided" with the controls. It sounds more complex than it is. The difference for me is that in Oblivion, the horse is the fastest way from A to B when not using the fast travel feature, and that's about it. In Two Worlds, riding the horse is like a mini-game in itself that I've come to enjoy and take satisfaction from! (You also don't have to ride it if you don't want to, and there are numerous teleport points.)

It can't be avoided. The dialogue is poorly written/translated (Polish developers) and also badly performed (by the development staff instead of actors!). I found it especially rough at the beginning. But thankfully, the game allows you to lower or completely mute the volume of dialogue in the game, which I have done. Since then, I've been able to make the dialogue sound/work better in my head, a skill developed from playing RPGs questionably translated from Japanese for most of my life. And I've found that the story, while not great, is still interesting and more than the sum of the dialogue.

The music has been a surprising point of pleasure for me. It has an interesting blend of orchestral and synth sounds that give it a unique flavor. The gentle exploration theme has a dissonant chord in one progression that grabs me every time I hear it. What it lacks in polish may even contribute to its original sound.

Looting...is...a BLAST in this game! Not only do you have an alchemy pot with you at all times for item creation experiments, but you can "stack" equipment of the same type to instantly increase its stats. You'll likely leave no chest unopened, no plant unpicked or body clothed as you explore and hack your way through this world.

And the world is HUGE! There is so much to do in this world and so many quests to undertake. There aren't near as many random dungeons as Oblivion has, but the number of quests to do easily makes up for it. The magic system, which I've barely tapped into, is also very original, involving spell creation mechanics that are easy and fun.

There are also competing social groups that you can choose to align yourself with. The kingdom is almost up for grabs and you can choose your side or play the middle ground, working both sides (at least for awhile). I'm not usually taken in by political stories, but being part of the struggle for power and making choices that significantly effect the game world has been a lot of fun.

There are more ways than I can count in which this game attempts to mimic Oblivion (despite being 3rd instead of 1st person). But if something works, it works, and the game feels different enough in a number of ways that it is still a very different experience from Oblivion. If you played Oblivion for its open world exploration, questing and looting (as opposed to the story/character interaction, like you may have played Dragon Age/Mass Effect for), then you'll find that itch scratched with Two Worlds. I'd even go so far as to say that I'd pay more than twice what I did for this game and when I'm done with it, I'd be willing to pay full price for the second one if I had to. (Though luckily I really doubt that will be the case, given the price of Two Worlds 2 at Gamestop right now.) RPG nerds, check this one out!

Cowboys And Aliens (Movie Review)

2011-07-29T13:20:00.003-07:00

In a small Arizona cattle town in 1873, an outlaw awakens with no memory of his past and a strange alien device strapped to his wrist. As he struggles to regain his past the town has troubles of its own. The various points of conflict in the ensemble cast would be enough for their own story, but they only make up one half of this flick. When menacing alien forces arrive and begin abducting people, the remnant must overcome their differences to save the ones they love.

So often, genre films forget that characters are the best special effect. But Jon Favreau, who also directed "Iron Man", learned that lesson long ago. The ensemble cast is made up of wonderful actors turning in great performances, resulting in interesting characters and some welcome emotional depth.

Even so, this is a movie about (you guessed it) cowboys and aliens, and it delivers on that promise with gusto. The wild west is dirty and dusty. The sounds of horses, harnesses, gun-belts and leather provide an earthy feel that makes the sci-fi explosions and spaceships all the more wild and unusual. The blend of genres works well because Favreau treats them both seriously. The western aspects are all grit and stubble. And the aliens are slimy and genuinely scary. Despite the title, this movie is anything but a B-movie or spoof.

I would have loved to see just a little more money thrown at this flick to provide some truly unforgettable visuals, and some more creativity in the way it was shot would have taken the quality over the top. But these are such minor complaints about a truly great movie.

There are some interesting spiritual beats in the first third of the film that those sensitive to spiritual themes will pick out easily. The aliens are thought to be biblical demons of some kind and a sympathetic "town preacher" played by Clancy Brown offers up some memorable "spiritual slogans" worth noting.

The first is that "whether you go to heaven or hell isn't God's plan. It's YOUR plan." The second is "you have to earn God's presence, then recognize it and act on it." The third is "God doesn't care about who you were. He cares about who you are." What strikes me about each of these "slogans" is that they can be interpreted in a way that reflects biblical truth, and yet they are so carelessly worded that they could also be interpreted in ways very counter to biblical truth.

The first slogan is true in that is a choice left to us, but false in suggesting that these choices are not still part of God's plan. The second slogan is true in the sense that God will "draw near" to us if we draw near to him(James 4:8) but false in potentially suggesting that the permanent presence of God (through the Holy Spirit) in us is something we must "earn". The third slogan is true in the sense that God puts the sins of those who trust in him behind them(Romans 8:1), but false in suggesting that God doesn't care about our past. If God literally did not care about anyone's past, the sacrifice of Christ would be pointless.

This is a fantastic flick worth almost anyone's attention for the unique blending of two genre's and wonderful characters. It has a few points worth talking about, but that are also easily forgotten after the first third of the movie.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 7.0/10

For information about my scoring system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores.
Or listen to this review this weekend at spiritblade.net/podcast!

DC Comics At Comic Con!

2011-07-27T09:08:00.002-07:00

This weekend I took time out and listened to most of the recordings of the Q&A panels for DC Comics at Comic Con, giving priority to those that dealt with the continuity reboot the company is enacting in September.

I’ve had my share of both reservations and excited hopes for the reboot, and still do. But DC shared some interesting information that corrected misinformation and gave us new things to ponder. Here are the moments that stuck out to me.

COSTUMES

Jim Lee said that many classic superhero costumes call back to the 30's and circus strongmen, a look that readers then would understand and see the logical connection for. DC now wants looks that evolve like Batman’s has over he years, toward more functional and “real-world”. This is the philosophy that motivated all of their biggest costume changes, including the most talked about involving the removal of Superman’s “red underwear”.

BATGIRL

The Batgirl book launching in September features Barbara Gordon, the original Batgirl, back in the costume and no longer paralyzed. Barbara Gordon was paralyzed by the Joker in the compelling DC classic by Alan Moore, “The Killing Joke”. Putting Barbara back in the costume and removing her paralysis seemed to imply that “The Killing Joke” never happened in the new continuity, which I thought was a real bad move. But DC said clearly that "The Killing Joke" DID happen in the new continuity, and Barbara’s recovery from paralysis will be covered in the story.

I still happen to think that Barbara Gordon has much more to add to the DCU as Oracle, the hi-tech information jockey of the DCU. And I have HUGE issues with her Batgirl costume. Batman is all about being a scary urban legend. A creature of the night. Batgirl’s look, with her bright yellows, ruby red lipstick, flowing red hair flowing out of her cowl, and most of all, the big “fun-loving” grin on her face on the cover, communicates the exact opposite of the character her persona is supposedly taking inspiration from. But Gail Simone is writing this book, and I’ve never read anything of hers that wasn’t fantastic. So hopefully I’ll be hearing enough good buzz about this book to make it worth a try.

CONTINUITY

Despite lowering the age of DC's main characters and making virtually all of them single again, some other major events of the old DCU remain surprisingly intact. Superman was still “killed” by Doomsday. And the events of "Green Lantern: Rebirth" are still in continuity. These announcements were interesting, given that both of these events involve a multitude of other characters and situations that are not part of the new continuity. Hopefully we’ll get some kind of special mini-series that will help us old fans blend the old continuity with the new, because otherwise we’ll be left guessing about the details of these major events.

SUPERMAN

Some of the most controversial changes surround Superman, who has a modified (no underwear) costume and is now confirmed to be single. Grant Morrison(who is introducing the new Superman in the re-launched Action Comics) continued to emphasize that there are specific reasons for Superman's costumes (in Action Comics AND Superman) to look the way they do. I plan to hold them to it!

Morrison hinted that Superman wears the cape because it is the baby blanket he had with him in the rocket from Krypton and it always protected him from damage as a child. He compared it to the blanket “Linus” carries around in the “Peanuts” strips and cartoons. Personally, I think this makes Superman sound insecure and immature, but I’m willing to see how it actually plays out in the comic.

I’m also very interested in the specific reasons for Superman to be wearing a “utility belt” (which takes the place of his red underwear) and a suit with seams that look a little too much like “armor”. The powers of Superman have classically been his own, so to indicate any dependence on gadgets or his costume seems a bad move. But we’ll see. On a bright note, Morrison said he wants Action Comics to feel very different from All-Star Superman. Yay! Maybe this story will be stripped of enough of his “post-modern” sensibilities to actually make sense!

GOLDEN AGE HEROES

One big bummer was the news that Alan Scott, Jay Garrick and all the Golden Age heroes will be “given a rest” for awhile in the new DC. This is a huge shame, because they represent a rich history that makes DC different from every other comic book company. Hopefully they won’t be gone long.

WALLY WEST

In related news, Wally West will be “given a rest” as well. With Barry Allen made younger and single, it didn’t make sense for his nephew Wally (who has always been younger than Barry) to have a wife and kids. Although I loved Wally’s time as The Flash, I thought the family elements they brought into his story were hugely mishandled, so I’m willing to wipe them from the record. And as great as Wally is, I’m content with Barry as long as the stories continue to be strong.

LEGAL BATTLES

One Elephant in the room that I was glad to hear brought up was the legal battles DC is having over the rights to various elements of the Superman mythos. It was rumored that this legal battle was the real reason for the reboot of the DC universe. But DC Editorial stated that all the story points, costume changes and decision to reboot the continuity were devised completely independent of the legal battles over the Superman related properties. This was good news to me, since I think creativity and re-invigoration are better motivations for good stories than legal battles are.

DIVERSITY

On a different note, I found it very interesting how often people were asking about having more gay characters, Latino characters, African American characters, and disabled characters. “Diversity” was an issue that came up roughly every five questions! One fan asked the panel how they could justify saying they are being gender diverse when only 1/4th of the superhero characters are female.

Now, I think diversity in fiction can be great and I also think DC actually leads the charge in this area. But here’s my question. Is it the duty of comic creators to have their line-up of superheroes reflect the various demographics of the US or the world on a one-to-one ratio? Will locking themselves into that kind of agenda result in the best stories that will appeal to the widest variety of readers? I’m an Evangelical Christian. (Evangelical meaning “pertaining to or with emphasis on the Bible or the Gospel” and not politics or whatever other crap comes to mind.) Over 1/4th of the population of the U.S. identifies themselves as Evangelical Christians, but I don’t see a single Evangelical Christian character in comics, and even having one or two pop up in DC wouldn’t come close to 25%. I’m not saying that’s what I want, either. (I doubt anyone at DC could both write awesome stories AND portray an Evangelical Christian positively.) If I feel like entertainment that will portray Christianity positively, I’ll look for material that’s marketed to Christians. I don’t look to comics to validate my sexuality, my ethnicity or my beliefs, and I don’t understand why self-validation in the comics they read seems so important to these readers. The artistic realm is a thin foundation for supporting personal identity. I think those foundations should be built outside the fiction we enjoy and comics should just be about exciting, escapist entertainment.

ComicCon TV Shows

2011-07-25T18:21:00.004-07:00

As I checked out some ComiCon coverage this weekend, a few TV shows jumped out at me. Here they are with some quick links you can check out for yourself.

Once Upon A Time
http://abc.go.com/shows/once-upon-a-time

A blend of fantasy and modern storytelling that has potential to be solid, serious fantasy. The only strike against it is that it’s written by the writers of Lost. (Which ABC is promoting like it’s a GOOD thing.) Not a problem, as long as they decided in advance where they’re going this time, or stay away from posing a bunch of unanswered questions.

Person Of Interest
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/person_of_interest/video/

Creepy “Ben” from Lost plays a billionaire stay at home vigilante who uses pseudo-sci-fi tech to track down bad guys. He then sends Jim Caviezel to go get ‘em. A lone tough guy story that Caviezel says takes some pages from “24”. My take? You had me at “vigilante”. Hope it’s good!

Terra Nova
http://www.fox.com/terranova/

According to FOX-
TERRA NOVA follows an ordinary family on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race. In the year 2149, the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped and overcrowded, with the majority of plant and animal life extinct. The future of mankind is in doubt, and its only hope for survival is in the distant past.

I was bummed to learn it’s about dinosaurs. But the biggest threat to this show is that it’s sci-fi and showing on the Fox network. That combo= cancelled in three seasons or less.

Captain America (Movie Review)

2011-07-22T13:00:00.003-07:00

I can say that, at least in a limited sense, I'm a Captain America fan. I only have a few issues of the comic from the mainstream Marvel Comics universe, but I've bought about everything I can of his appearances in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. His character is Marvel's analog to DC's Superman (or what Superman USED to be like). Honest, morally conservative, brave and self-sacrificing. In a post-modern world of gritty or insecure "heroes", Captain America is one of the few in comics who actually comes across like a hero in every sense of the word and stands as an example we can aspire to be like.

The movie captures all of these elements wonderfully(as the last Superman movie should have), and for that alone stands out as unique and worthy of attention. But it also has most of the other stuff you enjoy seeing superhero movies for.

Steve Rogers is a scrawny young man who wants badly to enlist in the army, but never passes the physical exam. An opportunity presents itself for him to be part of an experimental "super soldier" program, which ultimately heightens every natural capability he has in dramatic ways, enabling him to fight for the good of others. And to do so better than anybody else!

A major theme of the movie is helping the downtrodden and standing up to "bullies". And as the action plays out there are several moments where it is gratifying to see the weak being defended and rescued. These elements, along with the character of Steve Rogers, provide some emotional weight to key moments in the movie.

The performances are great across the board. Chris Evans moved me with his sincere desire to do good, Hugo Weaving was captivating and menacing as The Red Skull, and some great bits from Tommy Lee Jones as a military supervisor were gold nuggets.

The action is great and explosive. The blending of sci-fi technology with World War 2 is a lot of fun and makes for some of the best visuals and action beats in the movie. Unfortunately, I think that the specific abilities granted to Rogers by the super soldier experiment are not very well defined or given focus. His abilities receive almost no more attention than all the other sci-fi elements in the film, which seems to miss the mark somehow in a superhero flick. In the end, although the action and visuals are great, they lack that "wow factor" that makes for a truly unforgettable experience.

As I said before, the themes of defending the defenseless, heroism and self-sacrifice are very present, and executed well enough that they might lead to worthwhile conversation or comments after the movie. Captain America is not someone who is heroic because he feels obligated by his abilities(Spider-man), because he wants to redeem himself and have purpose(Iron Man) or to deal with his insecurity (X-men). He is heroic because in the most pure and selfless way he sees the state of the world and as a result wants to help others and make the wrong things right. An old stereotype during the Golden Age of comics, but a bold, unique and welcome vision in the world of today.

Although the movie didn't quite reach its full potential, it's a great movie in a long line of great Marvel Comics movies, and also offers inspiration that you can carry out of the theater with you. (But don't leave before the end of the credits!)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 7.5/10

For information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast

Prepping For The DC Comics Reboot

2011-07-20T10:32:00.003-07:00

Last night I finalized the list of comics I will have pulled for my comic book store box in September. The list is significant because DC Comics is completely rebooting their continuity in September, an idea I have mixed feelings about.

But I'm willing to give it an open-minded try, and these are the comics I'll at least be buying issue number one of and why:

JLA- Written by Geoff Johns. 'nuff said.

Action Comics- Despite being written by Grant Morrison, this issue is being called the foundation of the entire new universe, so I better not miss it.

Superman- Supposed to establish the new status quo for Superman.

Superboy- I'm intrigued by the fresh approach to Superboy's existing story as a clone of Superman. It looks like it might have some things in common with his origin as presented in the "Young Justice" animated series, which I thought was cool.

Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and Green Lanterns: New Guardians- I'm a GL nerd. And while I'm passing on Red Lanterns until I hear good buzz, these are the titles I HAVE to check out.

Teen Titans- I love team books. And while the magic of Geoff Johns' run has never been recaptured, I'm interested enough in the core characters that I want to see how this version starts.

Savage Hawkman- Geoff Johns demonstrated that this character can be a lot more than just "the guy with wings", though the book was mishandled after he left. I'm hoping Hawkman will be re-invigorated again.

Blue Beetle- I love sci-fi heroes and loved this character's book. He is DC's "Spider-man", only with cooler powers.

Fury Of Firestorm- Love the Firestorm character concept and anything that Gail Simone even HELPS to write, I'm buying. (Except Batgirl. She's on that book, but I hate the Barbara Gordon costume and think Babs has always been much cooler as Oracle. I'll be waiting for good buzz on that one, too.)

Aquaman- This is the DC character I've MOST wanted to get "the Geoff Johns treatment". And though I see no indications that he's using the "god of water" concept that I've always thought Aquaman should have in order to make him useful on land(think "Magneto", but with H2O instead of metal), I've seen him work enough magic with lame characters that I can't wait to see what he does.

Mr. Terrific- Again, I like sci-fi characters. I've also found Terrific's atheist perspective in the DC universe odd and interesting. Love the re-vamp Johns gave him in JSA and I'm hoping this will be another step forward. (Despite the semi-lame looking costume change.)

Flash- I've always been a flash fan, especially since Mark Waid's historic run and the invention of the Speed Force for the mythos. Unless they REALLY screw things up (which has happened before), I'll follow this speedster wherever he runs.

Captain Atom- This version of the character looks like they're taking notes from Dr. Manhattan (originally BASED on Captain Atom by Alan Moore!) and early issues of the 90's Dr. Solar comic. I'm a big fan of uber-powerful characters and stories dealing with the philosophical ramifications of being that powerful.

Stormwatch- I enjoyed the early issues of the Wildstorm version of this book. A harder, darker look at "superheroes". And giving Martian Manhunter a prominent role isn't hurting anything.

Deathstroke- This character was amazing in "Identity Crisis" and I'm hoping that the book will take us on a tour of the DC universe through the eyes of Slade Wilson. Though I have no particular reason to suspect that will be the focus. But I do like villain books, and without "Secret Six" returning, this is one option for me.

Suicide Squad- If I can't have Secret Six written by Gail Simone, I'll certainly give Suicide Squad a try! (Secret Six essentially WAS Suicide Squad anyway, but without the exploding bracelets and suicide missions.)

Doing The "Cable Math"

2011-07-18T13:04:00.002-07:00

Although we've toyed with the idea before, my wife and I are considering our options for ditching cable and watching our shows in alternative ways that will save us tons of money.

Currently, getting a basic Netflix and Hulu Plus subscription would cost WAAY less every month than keeping cable. Between those services and the free online options, we'd be doing pretty well except for a few things.

First, even if we get an additional cable to easily run a laptop to our TVs, we'll still lose the ease of using a remote and will have to hook it up anytime we want to watch TV. My 360 might be an option, but its an older model with the risk of heat damage, so I don't want to use it for common TV watching. (Although replacing my 360 every six months would STILL cost less than keeping cable.) So a casual "flip on, surf, slip off" will not be likely.

Second, even with a great connection speed, minor stuttering and buffering is going to be a factor on a semi-regular basis while watching online content.

Third, my wife watches basically two channels: HGTV, whose programming CAN be found online somewhere. And TLC, whose programming is NOWHERE to be found online. Nowhere! Not Hulu, not on the TLC website, not on i-tunes...NOWHERE! Seasons also haven't been released on video for four years, so that's not an option either. So giving up cable, despite the savings, would cost half of what my wife watches TV for.

So we can't quite bring ourselves to do it yet (unless we can get my parents to regularly DVR some shows for us), but I'd imagine it's only a matter of time before we're all singing the death mass for cable TV.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Movie Review)

2011-07-15T16:11:00.005-07:00

After eight movies, the Harry Potter epic storyline is finally over. As someone who read and enjoyed the books once when they came out (but isn't a "fan" in particular) I wondered how the last movie in this franchise would wrap things up.

I can definitely say it went out with a bang. Action and effects were numerous and the best I remember in the series. Character mortality rates were higher than ever. (In fact keeping track of deaths almost requires pen and paper!) The stakes were higher than ever and the epic battles do not disappoint.

The supporting adult cast does the heavy lifting and engaged me emotionally in ways this series never has before. Alan Rickman (and Severus Snape's story) is certainly the standout dramatic element and nearly brought me to tears.

The visual design is appropriately dark, sinister and even depressing, while still captivating and fantastical. A far cry from the bright colors of the earlier films in the series. Every character looks ragged and worn.

The music also contributes a lot to the mood, sounding almost like a creepy horror flick at times (though without the cheap "jump scares").

All this work put into mood still only helps to offset, rather than contribute to, the performances of the three heroic leads. It's great that the studio ended up with passable adult actors considering they were cast as kids. But I would still place the calibre of their performances alongside or below most TV guest performers, rather than movie actors or even TV regulars. And whether because of their performances, the script, or both, I didn't find myself the least bit invested in their well-being. A very big problem, given that they are the center of the story.

Speaking of story, this movie, like the last one or two, is unforgiving toward those who do not watch previous movies in the series (or know them very well) right before seeing this one. Few or no reminders are given about who people are, what things are significant and what all the objectives for victory are. Although I've read all the books once and seen all the previous movies, I felt lost in a number of ways. My guess is that this movie (and others in the series) will be more greatly appreciated for its story on home video, rather than in the spaced out theatrical release schedule.

I personally doubt that much worthwhile conversation will come out of seeing this movie. But a few topics that you could squeeze out of it (if you have strong hands) would include: The afterlife, sacrificial love, the death and resurrection of Christ (as subtly modeled in this movie in a way I won't spoil further) and doing right while being villainized by others. Those points are all present, but would have come out much more strongly had the performances been more emotionally engaging.

This flick is a good end to the franchise that would be stronger in the immediate context of the previous films. Although key performances are lacking, supporting actors and good direction make up enough ground to provide an enjoyable experience.

Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images.

Quality: 8.0/10

Relevance: 5.5/10

For information about my rating system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores.

Or to listen to this review, visit spiritblade.net/podcast this weekend!

Colbert Report: Science Is The Only Source Of Truth?

2011-07-13T09:18:00.004-07:00

During my lunch break I sometimes watch The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. I liked them both better when they weren't as politically charged (The Daily Show for years and Colbert for just a few weeks). But I tune in these days to keep my hand on the pulse of pop-philosophy, the current trends of which I think both shows represent well.

The Colbert Report in particular seems to enjoy mocking an over simplified version of Christianity or at least Catholicism.

The show I watched yesterday had an interview with a "skeptic" named Michael Shermer.

Here's the video link:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/391554/july-11-2011/michael-shermer

In the interview, he claims that the only way to be sure that what we believe is true is through science. I'd like to give him the chance to correct or clarify his position, because that assumption not only doesn't stand up to logical evaluation, it defeats itself.

In the interview, Colbert responded to Shermer's claim by pointing out that the claim he is making is itself just another belief. (Colbert did this in a comedic sort of way that makes me wonder if he realizes how strong his counter-argument really is when stated more cleanly.)

Let's take the truth claim "Science is the only way by which we can know if something is true or not" and call that "A".

"A" cannot be tested by the scientific method. There is no experiment that could be designed to conclusively prove that "A" is true. It is a philosophical assumption, not a scientific conclusion.

Shermer admitted that science is "just another belief" but claimed the difference is that science has built into it "self-correcting machinery that says if you don't look for evidence to debunk your belief, someone else will".

The problem is that science is not the only system that does this. Science deals specifically with the realm of observable phenomena. But logical deduction also has the same systems in place. We can deduce a lot of things without the aid of the scientific method. So Shermer is limiting his ability to discern truth WAY more than he should, by the sound of it.

Who knows? Maybe when he says "science", he means "critical analysis and logical deduction". I guess I could read his book to find out, but something tells me there are better minds out there writing books from the skeptic/atheist position and that Shermer is not doing them any favors.

Looking For An Author...Again.

2011-07-11T11:48:00.005-07:00

Once again it seems I'm looking for that next great fantasy author to capture my imagination.

I read through 2 1/2 books of the Noble Dead series by Barb and J.C. Hendee. It had most of the ingredients I need. Dark, serious tone, regular insight to characters' thoughts and feelings, and some brutal violence to up the stakes.

What it was missing was truly tortured characters. While the expressed inner feelings of characters told me what they were feeling, they didn't seem to be preoccupied with their feelings enough for me to buy that they were as troubled as they claimed now and then. And the issues bothering them never quite seemed to be THAT monumental. Sick as it may sound, I like my characters to be emotionally tortured.

After reading some samples online and making some reservations at the library, these are the next books on my "try out" list.

I'm a sucker for a cool cover, but I also found myself interested in the first chapter, where a young girl is desperate to escape the life of prostitution she has been sold into. Reviews inform me that there's plenty of the usual sword and sorcery goodness to come in the book, but this beginning reminded me in some ways of Brent Weeks' "Night Angel Trilogy" and anything that can do that is worth a further look for me.

This was not the cover that initially got my attention. (The yellow and purple on this one make it look like a romantic fantasy to me.) The prologues (yes, there are two) had a great sense of dark foreboding, although the first chapter made for a bumpy ride as I got a handle on the strange dialects and lingo of this fantasy world. This will be the third time I've read through the first chapter of this book. But this time, I continued to the second and was delighted by a shocking twist and some more dark elements like those in the prologues. I suspect that if I allow myself to be stretched a little, this might be a very rewarding experience.

Not sure at all what to expect from this one. Two chapters in and no hint at even the existence of magic. If magic is too sparse, it may not hold my interest. The first chapter had some great visceral combat, but if some more emotion isn't injected into future combat it may become repetitive. On the other hand, a disgusting, pathetic and oddly sympathetic character is introduced that I suspect I'll be captivated by. This book may have the most promise of all three.

Hopefully at least ONE of these will be a new author I can sink my teeth into!

Considering Watching X-Files

2011-07-08T11:39:00.003-07:00

I'm thinking about starting to watch X-Files. Yeah, I know it ended almost 10 years ago, so I'm a little behind.

I remember when the show first started. I was in 9th grade and still mostly preferred Saturday morning cartoons over prime-time sci-fi, although by that time I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation faithfully every week, and catching up in syndication on weeknights.

I can't remember exactly why I didn't watch more than a couple episodes of X-Files then. I remember being suitably creeped out, so it must have been fairly good television. Maybe I wasn't much into creepy shows back then. Or maybe, because of Star Trek, I was expecting my sci-fi and fantasy to be less "grounded" and more otherworldly.

For whatever reason, I didn't watch the show. And a few years later when it looked like something I might like, I was so far behind. Having heard about the complex "mythos" of the show, I figured I missed my shot at following the show and really knowing what was going on. (DVD sets of TV shows also weren't around much yet to help me catch up.)

Now years later, I'm starved for good television. AMC's "The Walking Dead" (freakin' AWESOME!!) won't start again till mid fall and will be another very short season. I was unimpressed with the pilot for "Fringe" and so never watched more of that. (I've heard it's really good, but after being burned by sudden "cliffhanger cancellations" of amazing shows like "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", I've resolved to wait for most shows to finish airing completely before investing my time and emotion in them.) I've also been told I should try out "Chuck", which will be starting it's final season this fall. But as is my new custom, I'll still be waiting for that one to completely finish.

I seem to be feeling a hunger for good, dark, sci-fi TV, and the prices for seasons have dropped to less than 10 bucks on amazon, so X-Files seems like a decent bet.

I'm sure the effects will show some age, but it also happens that I didn't discover the Highlander TV show until after it was finished, and I still love watching those DVDs. Even with the synthy 90's music and fashion sensibilities.

Ready For Class 5!

2011-07-06T09:58:00.002-07:00

Well, it looks like I survived my white-water rafting experience!

Last weekend I went rafting with my wife on a two-hour trip that took us through class 3 and 4 rapids. Previously we'd been on a 2-4 class trip and my wife wanted to sign us up for a class 5 trip this time. But cautious (aka, cowardly) as I am, I insisted on "baby steps" and we took the 3-4 class trip.

As I might have expected, it was a great time and a fun challenge. When we put our paddles away and walked up from the shore I told my wife that she could go ahead and put a class 5 trip on the books.

I hear the Grand Canyon has some good rapids! And I'm always up for riding a donkey!

White Knuckle Rafting

2011-06-24T10:13:00.002-07:00

I'll be out of town on vacation all of next week (so you won't see any posting here), and around this time next week I'll be gripped with terror on some big whitewater rapids in Alaska.

My wife is into nature and outdoors and things that can potentially kill you, so we're going to get in this inflatable group coffin and paddle ourselves to the presence of God.

She tells me it will be fun, but I have my doubts. I've gone rafting before, but these rapids are scaled up from the last ones we attempted. All dramatics aside, we should be just fine. But will I still be stressed out? Yep.

See you on the other side!

P.S.
I may not have mentioned it here yet, but since July 4th is your last shot, I thought I'd mention the MASSIVE 50% off sale going on at the Spirit Blade Productions Online Store. Don't miss it!

Playing as "Ebony" In Mass Effect

2011-06-22T11:36:00.005-07:00

Just started my second play-through of Mass Effect 1&2 last night. My first time I went with a soldier and used the default name and visual design for Shepard. I also made choices like I would try to make them. (Y'know, if I were actually tough, brave and selfless instead of weak, cowardly and self-absorbed.)

But this time I wanted to be a bad boy. And since the male voice actor still sounds pretty straight and narrow no matter how you play him, I decided after 10 minutes to start over with the female version of the character.

The female voice actor sounds much less formal (saying "gonna" instead of "going to", etc.) and has a somewhat husky tone that fits the way I plan to play. I also gave her pale skin, black hair and black lipstick and named her after every Spirit Blade fan's favorite demon-possessed butt-kicker... Ebony!

Havin' a blast so far! Now if only I could get my wife (the voice of Ebony) to wear black lipstick. Mmm...

Falling Skies

2011-06-20T14:21:00.002-07:00

After a couple months of anticipation, TNT's new series "Falling Skies" premiered last night in a two hour special.

The story begins six months after an invading alien force has wiped out all military forces and disabled electronics across the globe. Humans survive in roaming "camps" and ordinary fathers and mothers have become scavengers and warriors in the fight to keep their families safe. Meanwhile, children are being kidnapped and forced into mind-controlling harnesses by the bug-like alien race. The purpose of these devices and the agenda for controlling the children is still a mystery, but removal of a harness has so far been fatal every time.

Noah Wyle plays a father of three boys who lost his wife, and their mother, in the initial attack. One of his sons was thought dead but is discovered alive...wearing a slave harness.

The budget invested for the appropriate action sequences helps to make things engaging, even if the promised "limited commercial interruption" at the top of the hour was actually multiple breaks at about 7 minutes apart. (Whaa?)

The visual design of the show is appropriately bleak and there is so much potential for this to be another "Battlestar Galactica". But the light tone of the dialogue and unrealistic ability for most everyone to emotionally adapt to their circumstances takes a tremendous amount of power away from the story.

Considering the stakes and the tragedy involved, I wanted to see so much more gripping, emotional drama, which could have been implemented without sacrificing a single beat of action. It's also made far too easy to identify who is in the right and who is in the wrong, which further removes tension from the viewing experience. When you're settled on who the black and white hats are and think you know who deserves what, it just becomes a waiting game for everyone to get what they are due.

This is the kind of show that, if it lasts two seasons or makes it all the way to a non-cancelled conclusion, I'd go back and check it out on DVD. But time is a very precious commodity for me these days, and I could spend that "Falling Skies" hour more enjoyably each week with an involving RPG on my xbox.

Green Lantern (Movie Review)

2011-06-17T14:46:00.003-07:00

Over 20 years ago I read my first Green Lantern comic and knew immediately that he would forever be my favorite superhero. Since then I've been waiting for Hollywood to take interest in him enough to make a big screen, big budget movie, and at last it has arrived.

Because I'm such a huge fan of Green Lantern, writing this review has been a significant challenge. I tried not to go too easy on the film because I love the source material so much. I've tried not to be too hard on it for the ways in which it didn't meet my hopes and expectations. In the end I did the best I can to be objective, but I obviously make no guarantees. ;-)

A race of ancient beings called The Guardians have taken it upon themselves to protect and preserve order in the universe. To this end they have divided the universe into 3600 sectors and given a powerful ring to one representative in each sector, inducting them into The Green Lantern Corps. The rings can create from solid energy anything the user imagines, and these "constructs" are as powerful as the will of the user. The chief requirement for entrance to the corps is fearlessness.

While fighting off an ancient and powerful entity, one Green Lantern is mortally wounded, and passes his ring on to human test pilot Hal Jordan, who finds himself a fish out of water in a strange new world. Hal must learn what it means to be a Green Lantern and rise to the challenge of protecting those he cares about and his entire world from the most powerful threat the Green Lantern Corps has ever faced.

The action is visually imaginative and explosive from the very beginning. The pacing is almost perfect throughout, balancing adventure with character driven moments. Ryan Reynolds has a quick whit that keeps the movie fun without spoiling the serious moments or taking things too far. Reynolds handles the intimate character moments as well as he does the one-liners, and though he may feel a bit different from the Hal Jordan of the comics, the core of his character is consistent with what fans have enjoyed reading for years.

Peter Sarsgaard is a wonderfully pathetic and creepy Hector Hammond. This is a villain who has very different motives than any comic villain I've seen on screen. Hammond already feels alienated, and the powers he gains only enhance this feeling in him, driving him to lash out for very personal reasons and in very personal ways.

While Blake Lively as Carol Ferris is fine as Hal's love interest and moral support, I would have liked her to be a much firmer, stronger character, as Carol Ferris is in the comics. Not just for consistency with the comics, but because the chemistry may have been stronger between her and Hal if she were able to match his bravado more equally. I also thought chemistry was lacking between Hal and his "best friend" Tom Kalmaku, who seemed friendly, but not like a guy who had really spent a lot of "buddy time" with Hal.

Mark Strong is both commanding and subtly layered in his portrayal of the Green Lantern Sinestro. He makes for a wonderful obstacle for Hal to overcome as he finds his place in the corps. (As an aside, stay and watch for a scene with him during the ending credits.)

Of course one of the big stars in a movie like this is the visual effects. The variety of ring constructs in this movie is wide and they are often used in dazzling rapid succession. I'm extremely pleased that the best moments of this movie were never shown in the trailers or TV spots that I saw. It's also fun just to watch constructs come together as they form from separated green energy particles that pull together and assemble into the ring-bearer's selected object. There are a lot of cool things to see when it comes to the constructs alone.

Oa is a mysterious and beautiful world that feels ancient and even fantastical despite the alien sci-fi trappings. The visual design of the Guardians is true in essence to the comics, but employs some design changes that add a sense of myth and wonder, giving the Guardians and their world a sense of history and making both ripe for further exploration. Oa represents a new realm for audiences to explore and become fascinated with and stayed with me well after leaving the theater.

My early fears about the visual effects used to create Green Lantern's costume were quickly put to rest. The costume works very well, along with the motion capture technique used to put it on screen. Rarely did Hal's movements in the costume seem animated and the effect offers a new way to approach superhero costumes that is uniquely appropriate to this particular character concept.

I wish I could say the same for my fears about the CGI for the various alien races. While the various CG created alien Green Lanterns and the Guardians look as good as any CG aliens in the recent Star Wars prequels, to me that is not a compliment but rather a way in which Hollywood continues to fall short. A combination of CG and puppet animation, like that used in Hellboy 2, would have been much more satisfying.

On the whole, this movie delivers for those expecting a big summer special effects bonanza. I'm thrilled that Warner Brothers took a chance and invested the kind of money needed for this project to be made the way it needed to be made.

Audiences may have mixed feelings about the climax of the movie, which I won't spoil. I saw what I interpreted as a significant plot hole, but my wife also provided a counter argument that I had to grudgingly leave room for. Some may find the ending to be anti-climactic, wanting more of the Green Lantern Corps than we're given. Others may be content for this movie to be primarily Hal Jordan's time to shine. I sit somewhere in the middle, and found the ending cool and satisfying, but not all it could have been.

The central theme of this movie is fear, and the need to overcome it in order to do what is noble, courageous and right. Hal is forced to not just face his fears, but admit they exist in the first place, as he has been living in denial of them. The same, Hal says, is true of the Guardians, whom he accuses of denying the existence of their fears. In this I think there are two themes that could potentially be discussed after watching this movie.

The first is fear itself, and what it takes to overcome fear. The Green Lantern Corps members and the Guardians would answer with "will". But will has to have a source of strength as well. Psyching yourself up can only go so far.

The will to persevere is fueled by belief in something. Christians who accept torture in countries hostile to their beliefs do so because they believe this life is only a dot on the line of eternity, and that living for what comes after this life is infinitely more important that living for the comforts and pleasures that can be experienced temporarily right now.

The second potential, though less likely, discussion topic may be truth. In order for Hal and the Guardians to face their fears, they first have to stop kidding themselves and admit that their fears exist. We so often fail to grow in this life because we hold onto views of ourselves that are false. We try to convince not just others, but ourselves that we have it all together, when in fact we are broken and need repairing. This mentality prevents many non-Christians from turning to Christ for forgiveness and many Christians from turning to him or those around them for help in areas where they are weak or dealing with sin.

While the theme of fear is very present, the way in which it is treated is not as emotionally involving for audience members as it is an obstacle for the characters, so the likelihood of it triggering discussion after the movie is still pretty low.

This is a fun, adventurous movie that every fan of action/sci-fi effects movies should see. It's not without some minor flaws, but the experience as a whole amounts to one of the best superhero movies made recently.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 7.0/10

For information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast

Green Lantern: Rise Of The Manhunters (Video Game Review)

2011-06-16T10:10:00.004-07:00

Since this is a big week for Green Lantern (I'm seeing the movie tomorrow morning!) I thought I'd squeeze out an extra post and give a "First Five" review of "Green Lantern: Rise Of The Manhunters" as it plays on the Xbox 360.

I reserve my "First Five" reviews for video games. They involve me giving my first five impressions of the first five hours of a game. So they are not complete and thorough reviews, but hopefully they're both timely and helpful.

This time around, I actually ended up getting through the entire game, although only on the lowest difficulty and without trying multiplayer.

Up front I should say that I almost never play action games because I suck at them. Anything requiring the precise movement or timing of joysticks or buttons is going to kick my butt and leave me frustrated. Especially if death or failure means playing the same section of a game over and over and over again. (Burn in hell, Super Mario Brothers!) I much prefer RPGs or action RPGs, which allow me to go and level up somewhere for awhile if a foe keeps killing me.

I only bought Green Lantern: Rise Of The Manhunters because it was a Green Lantern video game (which I've waited for almost as long as for a movie) and because I'd been hearing surprisingly good things in multiple previews. Surprising because it is both a comic book property and a movie tie-in. Usually a one-two knock out punch against any hope a game will be good.

But this game IS good! Not fantastic, and certainly made mostly for fans, but still good! So here are my first five impressions:

Visual Presentation

The visual design is a high point of the game. Based on the movie previews, it looks like they've used the concept art from the movie to create the world of the game. You spend much of the game on the Green Lantern planet headquarters, Oa, but also visit two other planets, one of which (Zamaron) has similarities to Oa, and the other (Biot) which looks very different (made entirely of metal).

There's enough variety to keep things from looking old. The environments are all cool to be in. But the variety won't captivate you, either.

The ring constructs look great and when the action goes into slow motion it's really cool to see them form. There are some really epic looking shots of Green Lantern that remind you of his power.

In between levels are some brief animations as Hal flies or jumps from one section to another, that are extremely cool at first. But as they are used over and over again for the entire game, they get downgraded to "neat" looking.

On the Xbox, I noticed some "stuttering" in the image of the cut-scenes, and a number of times there are "jaggies" visible that I would normally only expect from a PS2 game. Bummer.

Sound

The music, (which may be lifted from the movie, I'm not sure) sounds really good, if understated much of the time. It has the orchestral/electronic blend of many modern scores and fits the material almost perfectly. But it has a reputation for sometimes cutting out during cut-scenes, which I think I only experienced once.

Sound effects are all fine, though not very creative. Though I do like the ring energy related sounds better here than on the Justice League animated series.

What works especially well for this type of game is the voice acting. Ryan Reynolds plays Hal here as well, and his approach was a nice departure from the normally over the top performances that voice actors give to these games. The other actors also do a great job and are very well suited to their roles.

Writing

The story takes places sometime after the events of the movie, and no spoilers are present. (Although the presence of Sinestro does eliminate one possible ending for the movie.) The action is all in space. Nothing on earth. The game opens at the funeral of Hal's predecessor, and then an attack by The Manhunters throws everything into chaos. From that point on, there is a bit of a mystery to be solved as to who is ultimately behind the attacks, but most of this game is about blazing through bad guys with the most powerful weapon in the universe.

The dialogue is fine, although I hope the writing in the film will be much better. Nothing stands out from any conversation in this game.

Gameplay

Have you ever played God Of War 1 or 2? Strip that game to its skeleton and paint Green Lantern all over it. That's what this gameplay is.

You've got constructs that you earn by collecting experience orbs from enemies. Though unlike God Of War you don't have to keep learning button combos and can instead map your construct abilities to the button of your choice. (Much easier to remember and use.)

Your normal attack options (which use various ring constructs but are not technically called "constructs" by the game) are upgradeable (which freshens them up visually as well!) and don't use energy from your ring.

"Constructs" use ring energy with every use, but you always have a small amount of reserve ring energy that regenerates quickly. But if you want to have enough energy to use a bunch of construct powers quickly in a row, you'll need to recharge your ring by smashing "pots" with ring energy in them. (I know. Lame.) Now and then you'll also find a Lantern Battery that fully restores both your ring energy and health, and often enables you for "Ring Surge".

Ring Surge is the same as "Rage Of The Gods" in God Of War. You power it up by giving and taking damage and when activated, it increases your damage and defense for a short time, during which you also have constantly full ring energy.

As I mentioned before, there is drop in/drop out co-op play, where player two takes on the role of Sinestro. But I have no experience with this function and so can't comment on it. (I haven't pinned my wife onto that second controller yet, but soon...)

For someone like me, who sucks at games requiring any level of hand-eye coordination, this game was challenging even on the lowest difficulty. I died two or three times over the course of the roughly 8-10 hour game. (I've heard a number of others finish in closer to 7 hours.) But never in the same place, which kept me from being frustrated. Often I just realized I hadn't upgraded in a little while and that, along with lessons learned the hard way, gave me the boost I needed to succeed on the next try.

But in addition to dying, there are also some puzzle elements that, while not too hard on the noggin', were sometimes tough to complete because they require quick, precise timing. One or two of these I had to try 3 or 4 times in a row before finally getting it. A little frustrating, but on a second play through now I think I'd do better.

In addition to the normal "God Of War" levels, there are flying/shooting levels where you travel on a pre-determined course, blowing every enemy out of the sky that you see. Once I realized that holding down the rapid fire blaster doesn't drain ring energy on these levels, I found them easier, but they were still very challenging and were one of the first places I died.

My sweet spot for difficulty would have been just a little easier. This game had me stressed out more than I would like. (Especially since I'm a GL fan and wanted to be able to play through the entire GL game I just paid 60 bucks for!) But I was rewarded by a largely fun experience and the ability to replay levels after beating the game with my acquired experience and upgrades. (This option appears before beating the game, but I do not recommend using it, as glitches have been reported that make the game impossible to finish if you use Mission Select before beating the entire game.) This is great because now I can play through the game more casually (like I wanted to the first time) and when someone joins me for co-op, they have the same experience level I do, so they can enjoy the more casual Green Lantern experience as well.

A few minor glitches have been reported for this game in addition to the ones I've mentioned. The manual is virtually no help in understanding your options either. FYI, your game is ONLY saved through the autosave function. And you can only have ONE game save at a time. Starting a "New Game" will erase any previous save, along with the experience and upgrades earned. And if "Mission Select" is used before beating the game, it will make uncompleted levels impossible to play. (Meaning you have to start all over again.)

I've heard reports of in-game bugs, but only once did I ever have to restart my game because of one, and the autosave feature kicks in fairly often, so I didn't have to backtrack much. I'm still hoping that a patch will fix all of these bugs in the future, as it would improve the game a bit.

Nerd Factor

So how faithful is this game to the Green Lantern concept? There are some great nuggets from the recent Geoff Johns run in the comics that make it into the game.

The emotional spectrum is referenced (although on a side note I don't agree with Johns that "will" is an emotion). And some great characters from the Green Lantern supporting cast appear, like Amon Sur, Queen Aga'Po, Kilowog and the Manhunter Grandmaster.

There are also references to the book of Oa and the Central Power battery is the focus of an early mission. So lots of cool lore make it into the game that GL fans will dig.

Even though it's a little lame that you get health and ring energy from breaking containers and meteors, they match the function of each restorative energy to an appropriate "emotional spectrum" energy. Green Will energy refills your ring, of course. Blue Hope energy refills your health. (I know *I* was more hopeful when I found those!) And White Life energy gives you added experience. So those little touches were neat. And as a nerd, I have the power to make the cannisters and meteors work in my head. "Well, the Manhunters have been collecting energy on Biot. And Zamaron and Oa are probably somehow especially suited to collecting energy from the emotional spectrum. And they just kinda put it in cannisters until they decide what to do with it. Yeah... yeah that works."

In Summary

Gamers who dig the new movie and want to ride that excitement into a video game experience will find a fun but flawed game here that they'll probably enjoy but that won't stand the test of time. This is no "Batman: Arkham Asylum", but it's far better than we have a right to expect from a movie/comic tie-in. And for Green Lantern fans, this is probably a buy, or at the very least a "must-play".

Essential Green Lantern Comics

2011-06-15T18:27:00.005-07:00

So you're interested in checking out the Green Lantern movie this weekend but want to be able to appreciate its comic book origins while you watch?

Actually, you probably don't care at all and are just hoping it will be one more cool summer movie. Me too! But here are my picks for some Green Lantern reading that represents the core of who GL is and what he's about that are serving as my primer for my movie experience this weekend.

Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn

This trade paperback was my first comic book exposure to Green Lantern and remains one of the best Green Lantern stories I've read. Hal Jordan's origin is presented wonderfully, and although a few elements have been "ret-conned" out of more recent versions, other key elements have been retained because of their power in providing motive and heart to Hal's character. It also serves as a great introduction to the Green Lantern Corps and was originally going to be used as the chief source material for the live action movie. (I even remember seeing concept art for the villain "Legion", who has been replaced by a different villain in the movie, though some visual elements of Legion are retained.) Just a couple of years ago this trade paperback was re-released with new digital coloring, but even in its original form the art is beautiful and I consider it to have aged very well. It remains possibly the best introduction to Hal and the Green Lantern Corps.

Green Lantern: Secret Origin

This more recent retelling of Hal Jordan's origin story by superstar writer Geoff Johns is another great representation of Green Lantern essentials. Even more than "Emerald Dawn", we see more of who Hal Jordan is and are given greater reason to invest in him as a character. The art is some of the best in the business and the visuals alone make this worth the read. Hector Hammond is featured prominently as a villain, and this story served as significant source material for the character as he appears in the new movie. But despite the movie tie-in cover art, this is NOT an adaptation of the movie story. So you're safe to read it before or after seeing the new movie.

My only complaint is that Johns used this origins story to plant elements for a story he was writing at the time in the main storyline of Green Lantern comics, infecting what should be a timeless origins story with elements that tie it to a then-current story. The result is that new readers who choose this trade paperback as their starting point will repeatedly run into elements that have no bearing on the immediate story and never seem to be properly resolved. Despite this, it's a great read that should be considered by newbies to the world of Green Lantern.

Green Lantern: Rebirth

Although appreciating this tradepaperback fully requires you to know who the chief characters are before starting it, it can also be enjoyed by someone coming in with no Green Lantern exposure. This story was a necessary step to bringing Hal Jordan back from the dead, and cleans up a mess of continuity while somehow also telling a compelling and character driven story. Despite being harder to follow for the uninitiated than "Secret Origin" or "Emerald Dawn", enough details are given to get you up to speed quickly and some very significant concepts are established here that changed the nature of the Green Lantern Corps for every comic published afterward.

If after seeing the movie you'd like to try out the comics, this should be your first stop before starting the main series. Just know that if you feel a little lost, it will be offset by how much you'll likely enjoy the rest of this book and the main Green Lantern series, should you continue reading afterward.

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (Blu-ray Review)

2011-06-13T16:36:00.005-07:00

To coincide with (a.k.a "milk every drop from") the release of the live action Green Lantern movie, the DC animation studios have released another Green Lantern animated movie on DVD and Blu-ray. This time, instead of focusing on Hal Jordan as "Green Lantern: First Flight" did, "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" tells a handful of stories from the history of the Green Lantern Corps in anthology format. The Corps is about to fight an extremely powerful enemy, and to encourage a rookie, Hal Jordan and some other Green Lanterns tell stories that highlight interesting facets of the Corps' history.

When I heard they were going with an anthology format for this release, I had major reservations. I found "Batman: Gotham Knight" to be an odd assortment of different storytelling styles that had no momentum driving it. Although "Emerald Knights" also lacks a strong and consistent build from beginning to end, each story is packed with action and the animation style remains consistent throughout. The rings are used creatively and the animation in action sequences is beautiful and busy. The battles are fierce and fast-paced. I'll need to watch this multiple times to appreciate it all. There is a lot to see in these action scenes and they are a significant improvement over "First Flight".

The voice acting is solid almost across the board. Nathan Fillion("Firefly") has been a fan favorite for the Green Lantern live action movies for years. But since he didn't get the gig for the live action flick, fans can at least hear him in this version. Unfortunately, he doesn't get near as much humor to work with compared to his performance as Steve Trevor in the Wonder Woman animated movie. Jason Isaacs replaces Victor Garber as Sinestro, and does a fine job, even though I personally prefer Garber's version. The casting that missed the mark for me was Henry Rollins as Kilowog. Although he has the raspy tone appropriate for a drill instructor, he sounds inappropriately small in Kilowog's bulky frame.

Each story is memorable. No strange duds in this bunch as in "Gotham Knight" or "The Animatrix". And the writing in each segment is great. One moment between a father and daughter even threatened to blur my vision with tears. But newcomers to the Green Lantern mythos may feel a little lost, as only a very basic introduction to the concept occurs at the beginning before throwing us into the stories.

An odd point to note is that the animation models are identical to those used in "First Flight", giving the strong visual impression that this movie shares the same continuity with First Flight. The trouble is that Sinestro went rogue in First Flight, and even after that story it was clear Hal Jordan was still a rookie in the Green Lantern Corps. But in "Emerald Knights", Sinestro is a respected member of the Corps and Hal Jordan is a veteran.

My guess is that they used the same models to cut corners in the development cycle so they could get this release to time with the live action movie. But they could have created this project without Sinestro by modifying the script slightly, resulting in a story that fits with the previous animated release as well as the visuals so obviously do.

The Blu-ray extras are great, starting with a 30 minute documentary that delves into the psychological nature of bravery that hits on the strong moral component involved. Some very thought-provoking stuff that could easily lead to worthwhile conversation!

There is also a commentary to the movie featuring Geoff Johns and Dan DiDio, who talk about Green Lantern comics in general as elements of the animation trigger memories and topics. I’m no fan of what DiDio has been responsible for in the DC universe, but it was a lot of fun to listen to him and Geoff Johns talk Green Lantern for 80 minutes. (Even if DiDio didn’t know the difference between Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner when describing his “favorite” Geoff Johns Green Lantern scene.)

This movie is a “must see” for Green Lantern fans and also shouldn’t be missed by the average fan of sci-fi animation.

Rated PG for sci-fi action violence throughout, and for some language.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 8.0/10

Please note that the “Relevance” score in particular takes the blu-ray special features into account.

For information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast

As an added bonus, if you’re looking for some more animated Green Lantern to watch before seeing the live-action movie this weekend, here is my short list of essential Green Lantern animation.

Green Lantern: First Flight- This flick might spend a little too much time developing the “mystery” aspects of the plot, but it captures Hal Jordan’s origin really well and the climax is about as cool, and massively cosmic as Green Lantern stories get!

“In Blackest Night”- This two part episode from season 1 of the Justice League animated series takes a little time to get going, but it’s got some great Green Lantern Corps action and classic Green Lantern villains, The Manhunters!

“In Brightest Day”- This classic episode from season 2 of “Superman: The Animated Series” is still my favorite on this list. In a little over 20 minutes, this episode introduces the character concept with a great origin story and features some extremely cool Green Lantern action.

Super 8 (Movie Review)

2011-06-10T12:34:00.003-07:00

Let's get this out of the way. Super 8 is a 10 out of 10. I don't know how it could realistically be any better. The "Goonies" for this generation. Go see it. Now for why...

In 1979, a pre-teen boy and his friends pass the summer by making movies together on 8mm film. But while passionately shooting their zombie flick, a train derails right in front of them, and it is later learned that something emerged from the wreckage and is now causing dangerous and mysterious happenings in this small town community. There is so much more I'd like to say about the plot, but giving any more detail in a synopsis would risk spoiling the various gems in this story that should really be experienced on a first viewing.

The movie could be described as a blend of mystery, drama, suspense and science fiction. It works for the same reason that Battlestar Galactica and the best of Farscape work. It works for the same reason that Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and E.T. work: Compelling characters you care about who experience real, emotional, human drama that just happens to have a sci-fi backdrop.

It's no surpise that this flick feels a bit like classic Spielberg movies despite being written and directed by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek). Spielberg served as a producer for this movie, and it has his trademarks all over it.

The performances are amazing across the board, especially among the kids in the lead. I felt like I was watching real kids. Not the kind that are too clever, too capable or too nice. These kids cuss when their parents aren't around, they're funny in that awkward pre-teen way and have tremendous vulnerability, which lends incredible tension to the action and suspense sequences. Either these kids will be big stars in the near future, or J.J. Abrams is a genius at bringing out authentic, genuinely emotional performances in young actors.

This movie has mastered the art of surprise action. At the moments I least expected, bad things suddenly started to happen and I jumped in my seat more times than I can keep track of. And the natural vulnerability built into young protagonists kept me cringing and on the edge of my seat during action sequences more than any movie has in years. Abrams knows that suspense works in direct proportion to how much we care about those threatened, and puts that knowledge to skillful use.

The effects are great, though not groundbreaking, and they are used very well. Creature effects are used sparingly, but not so sparingly that the movie feels cheap. Rather the creature is kept hidden and revealed only bit by bit as the movie progresses, and even in the end we never get a full screen, brightly lit shot that allows us to examine every detail. I wish more film makers would do this, instead of assuming that their special effects "masterpiece" is so cool and real looking that they can and should show it off in every frame possible.

The movie is much more cathartic than it is about expressing ideas or messages. I think you're highly unlikely to talk about anything of philosophical value after seeing this, but you may just spend 20 minutes sharing what it was that made the experience so intense or enjoyable for you.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and some drug use.

Quality: 10/10

Relevance: 5.5/10

For information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast

X-Men: First Class (Movie Review)

2011-06-08T09:48:00.002-07:00

When I first heard rumors that an X-Men Prequel was in development (shortly after seeing the disappointing X-Men 3), I figured things would continue to go downhill with the franchise as it desperately tried to milk itself dry with an unneeded story. It wasn't until some of the latest trailers for X-Men: First Class were released that I thought we might have a movie worth paying to see here.

Matthew Vaughn directs this flick with less style and creativity than his amazing film, "Kick Ass", but he gets the job done well. The story is a period piece and takes place in the 1960's, with the Cuban Missile Crisis at the core of the plot. Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender, is on a hunt to kill the man who experimented on him and killed his mother when he was just a boy during the Holocaust of World War 2. Along the way he meets Charles Xavier, played by James McAvoy, who is beginning to connect with other Mutants for the first time, assisted by the US government. As more mutants collect around the two leading men, and the object of their pursuit is approached, the place of mutants in society is explored and dividing lines are drawn more and more deeply.

The movie has plenty of cool mutant action and the special effects are enjoyable, despite not making any improvements over the last one or two Marvel mutant movies. It's enjoyable to watch new mutants learn to use their powers and the fact that the world has not discovered the existence of mutants yet adds a breath of fresh air and a clean slate from which to re-discover the exciting and imaginative world of super-humans. There are also a couple of cool cameos (one that's especially cool) by former X-Men cast members that help connect this flick to the others.

The performances by Fassbender and McAvoy stand out, especially in one moving scene in which Magneto's hardened heart is confronted as he trains to use his powers. But the rest of the cast never really made me care about them much, despite characters like Mystique and Hank McCoy having some great, potentially emotional material to work with.

Kevin Bacon plays the villain surprisingly well and provides a charismatic and extremely powerful threat for the heroes. Unfortunately, his final scene misses the opportunity to truly showcase that power and left me feeling just a little let down.

The "Mutant=Homosexual" metaphors of the first two movies are still present but much more subtle. This movie doesn't seem to be selling any particular worldview to the degree of previous franchise installments. Although the Marvel mutant concept itself is certainly in support of classic Macro-evolution. ("From Goo to You")

Many classic evolutionists believe that the massive explosions of new species we see in sudden "bursts" in the fossil record are times during which massive amounts of favorable mutation occurred, as opposed to the more slow and gradual change that is commonly associated with evolution the rest of the time. The X-Men movie franchise suggests that "mutants" are the result of a similar spontaneous (almost "miraculous") burst of favorable mutations. It might make for interesting conversation to ask someone who holds this position if they believe that the basic plot of X-Men could actually happen.

X-Men:First Class is a cool flick that genre fans will probably enjoy, although it doesn't reach the bar set by X-Men 2. Worthwhile conversation can be mined from this movie, but you may have to dig fairly deep unless you're with someone who especially enjoys discussing evolutionary theory.

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 6.5/10

For information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast

My First Beer

2011-06-06T14:41:00.003-07:00

Last weekend I tried about a cup of beer (as in, a measuring cup) for the first time. I'm told it was good beer, though admittedly "strong". To me, at best, it tasted like carbonated cardboard and nearly triggered my gag reflex on the last swallow. I thought champagne was bad.

Like coffee, I honestly can't understand why anyone drinks stuff with alcohol in it. My exposure is limited, I'll admit, but anything with even a hint of alcohol detectable in the taste is ruined for me.

Maybe I'm naive, but it seems to me the benefits of coffee drinks can all be gained by popping no-doze and the benefits of alcohol can be gained by popping Benedryl or getting self-help books and/or a healthy perspective on yourself. (The latter being for those who use alcohol to lose inhibitions or "escape".) I can't see a single reason to put myself through the taste of either of these crap-tastical tongue-killers.

Today, Candy Land...Tomorrow, Dungeons and Dragons!

2011-05-27T09:15:00.003-07:00

Our older boy is finally old enough to play his first board game! I sensed this might be the case recently and suggested to my wife that we go pick up that classic game of fantasy questing... Candy Land!

True, the "campaign setting" is a bit light for my tastes. Black Licorice is the biggest hazard. (Although let's be honest. That crap is nasty.) And success or failure is based solely on the whim of the deck. But it's a start. And our son is crazy about it.

A few weeks ago in Knights Of The Dinner Table I read a strip involving some "modifications" to the game using combat equipment and other adventuring necessities, but I'm in no hurry to implement them yet. I'm happy to give our son a few more weeks of the pure experience before "spicing things up"...

Oh, and his OTHER new favorite game? Rolling my collection of RPG dice and naming the numbers that come up! (He's surprisingly good with the 20 sider, so maybe we'll move onto percentiles next!)

Geek Pride Day!

2011-05-25T09:23:00.004-07:00

Happy Geek Pride Day! My dad just notified me about this holiday this morning. The Wikipedia entry for it gives some details on the history:

Geek Pride Day is an initiative to promote geek culture, celebrated on 25 May. The date was chosen as to commemorate the release of the first Star Wars film on 25 May 1977, but shares the same day as three other similar fan 'holidays' - Towel Day, for fans of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy by Douglas Adams, one possible date of Star Wars Day, and the Glorious 25 May, for fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

The initiative originated in Spain in 2006 as "Orgullo Friki" and spread around the world via the internet.

So get your geek on as never before! Hmm. I wonder if a parade is being organized...

Free "World Building" Tools

2011-05-23T10:39:00.003-07:00

This weekend I started doing a little bit of prep work for a paper and pencil fantasy RPG I hope to run in the fall or spring. Yeah, it takes me a while to prepare...

Which is why a couple of tools I found online are so cool! They help cut a ton of time (and potential cost!) out of building a world for your paper and pencil RPG campaign.

The first is a Town Generation Tool. More accurately, a town population tool. Just feed this online tool some info about the town you want to populate. Choose from options including size, military level, setting, alignment, economy, and political type. Then with one click your town is populated with numerous types of characters of appropriate levels, stats and abilities, each with their own name! Populate courtyards, taverns and merchant districts instantly!

Of course populating a town without any kind of physical setting is a bit pointless. So for town maps you can download this City Map Generator, which allows you to instantly create town maps after feeding it some basic information (population, setting, etc).

Free dungeon adventures are pretty easy to find, so these two tools have been an awesome way to help me create a campaign world without spending any money. And yet I still need all those other details to come together in order to have a world that's sufficiently realized for my players when they emerge from their latest dungeon crawl.

Unless you already read novels associated with a fantasy campaign setting (Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, etc.), reading campaign books can be lengthy and boring. (Especially for a guy like me who reads fantasy primarily for the story and characters, not the world they live in.) But the wild world of Wiki's, (and the help of tools like those above) makes it possible to create a campaign world for free without spending time and money on products that give you WAAAY more information than you need.

RPG video game wiki's can be a great source for world-building. Adventure in the world of Dragon Age or see what might happen in Cyrodil between Elder Scrolls 4 and 5! And if you want the world to be your own without putting in all the work, just take the ideas, change the names of places, gods and people and presto! A new(-ish) fantasy world for you and your players!

Dragon Age Wiki

Elder Scrolls Wiki

Forgotten Realms Wiki

The Blank Page

2011-05-20T14:50:00.003-07:00

I got nothin'. I just started writing again today. Usually don't talk about my Spirit Blade Productions stuff on this blog, but I'm running into the same issue writing Spirit Blade 3 as I am writing this blog post. The blank page is staring at me, mocking me, whispering things like, "Really? You think THAT'S interesting enough to type?" or... Hmm, actually I couldn't think of anything else interesting that my blank page might say to me.

I couldn't even find a picture of a blank page to go along with the theme of this post. Just a lot of interesting pictures of stuff I don't have anything to comment on.

Attempting this blog post is even tougher than writing Spirit Blade 3. At least there I have an outline I'm working from. Here, I got nothing!

Umm, I spent last night reading my new Swords And Wizardry RPG rulebook. (Nah, see I've already talked enough about Swords and Wizardry and paper and pencil RPGs lately. You don't wanna read more crap about that.)

Skipping the new "Pirates" movie, so no review. (Lost interest in that series halfway through the second flick. Like a harmless amusement park ride where no one was in real danger. Like Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.)

Hmm. Well crap, guys. I still got nothin'. Have a good one.

The Summer Of Free Archive!

2011-05-18T13:32:00.003-07:00

Summer is here and once again it's time for "The Summer Of Free", the annual, summer-long event featured on The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast!

A big addition this year is the launch of The Summer Of Free Archive! This archive will feature what I think are the best of the best free, geeky entertainment options that have been discovered by myself and the Spirit Blade Productions Community.

The archive will continue to grow each summer and be available all year for your fun and amusement. There are already a bunch of great entries from years past and a few new nuggets for this year already! So what are you waiting for? Put away your wallet and go have some free fun!

Fallout New Vegas STILL Filled With Glitches And Bugs!

2011-05-16T09:29:00.003-07:00

Last October, when Fallout: New Vegas came out, I already had some games I was playing on my 360. (Fallout 3 still among them.) I also heard about a ton of bugs in the game play. Game crashes, corrupted saves and players having to start games entirely over just hours from the end. So naturally I was in no rush to get a copy.

Fast forward 6 months and I'm itching for a good RPG, I've forgotten most of the New Vegas horror stories and assumed that Bethesda would have cleaned up that whole mess (at least the worst of it) with patches by now. So when I saw a new copy of the game for 20 bucks, I grabbed it and started playing. About 5 hours in, my game saves wouldn't load. After some trial and error involving removing the fourth patch (yes, I said the FOURTH patch) and re-installing the game to my 360, I was able to load my save and keep going. 13 hours in and as of last night no amount of trickery will allow me to load my saves again.

Did some checking online and it appears my problem is very widespread. Why Bethesda isn't dropping all DLC plans (they've got two or three coming out this summer) to fix these bugs yesterday is a mystery to me. Why would we buy DLC for a game we can't even load?

As a side note, I realize that it makes no sense to take jobs from DLC developers to hire more bug fixers when the DLC guys have likely already been contracted, but there's got to be SOMETHING they can drop to fix this faster!

A real shame. Even with some of the weird bugs like floating props and half-buried bad guys, it's been a great gaming experience. But with the game saves problem, it's just a ton of gaming greatness wrapped in a liquid poop tortilla.

Priest (Movie Review)

2011-05-13T19:54:00.003-07:00

Based on an imported Japanese comic book, Priest takes place in a distopian future in which humans live in walled away cities built and run by “the church”(a Christian entity with a Catholic vibe) to be protected from the vampires out in the wilderness. The Priests are men and women trained and empowered supernaturally to hunt and kill vampires, although their order has been disbanded for years because the vampires were supposedly wiped out. But when word arrives to one Priest that his niece has been captured by vampires, he acts against direct orders from the church in order to rescue her, making himself a target of both vampires and Priests who remain loyal to the church.

The story is brought to life mainly by Paul Bettany, who plays the title role, Karl Urban, an ex-priest turned vampire, Cam Gigandet, the niece’s boyfriend, Hicks, who initiates the rescue mission, and Maggie Q, another priest who also serves as love interest to Bettany’s character.

Despite having some familiar faces with excellent track records in acting, none of the characters proved compelling to me. The Priests were too stoic and Hicks never seemed to be genuinely distraught over his girlfriend’s predicament. When Bettany’s character made the decision to go against the church, a real opportunity was missed to make that sacrifice mean something to him. As it was, he didn’t seem all that torn over it.

Likewise, none of the characters seem afraid of the vampires. Just determined to destroy them. And since the vampires were obviously CGI creations, a lack of obvious fear in the main cast only acted as a one-two punch against me ever being really concerned or on edge during the movie.

The vampires do have a cool look to them, however. Unlike traditional vampires, these look more like rabid aliens. Their skin is slimy and gray, their fangs are large and they have no eyes. A very cool take on the vampire concept.

The action is also pretty cool, with some over the top Matrix-inspired shots that are fun to watch, even if it feels like we’ve seen them done a little better before.

The visual design is a big part of the movie. A cross between “The Book Of Eli” and “Judge Dredd”. I wouldn’t mind spending more time in this world, and given the ending it seems that’s what producers are hoping will happen.

The movie offers some good opportunities for conversation about organized religion. A main slogan of the church in this movie is “to go against the church is to go against God”, to which Priest replies at one point “then I go against God.” Yet he still clearly holds onto his faith on some level. Later in the movie, Maggie Q’s character tries to comfort and encourage him by saying “our power doesn’t come from the church, it comes from God”.

Today it is very popular to be “spiritual” but be “against organized religion”. Even a number of Christians feel this way. When it comes to the connection between God and organized religion, we tend to fall into one of two extremes. 1. See the organized church as synonymous with God and develop a corrupted view of God as a result. 2. See the organized church as obsolete and resolve to maintain whatever “faith” we have independent of others. (Which also tends to result in a distorted view of God.)

The Biblical view is that the church (meaning the entire group of people in the world who are genuinely Christians) is vital for our growth, despite the fact that it is made up of flawed individuals, and that we should continue to meet together and be “organized” so that we can share our strengths and help each other grow.

Priest is a cool genre flick (that could have been much more memorable, involving and polished) that also provides some great opportunity to think about the role of “organized religion”.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and brief strong language.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 9.0/10

For information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast