Legend Of The Seeker This Sunday!!

Don't miss the TWO HOUR Premiere of "Legend Of The Seeker" this Sunday night! (Check local listings)

To get a taste, got to http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/ for behind the scenes interviews and the first 10 (although not it may be 30!) minutes of the premiere!

If you're a fantasy fan, you will kick yourself for missing this!

In fact, what the heck let me see if I can...(jumps over to YouTube)...YEP! Found it! Here's the first few minutes of the premiere and a trailer to go with it!

Enjoy!

The Reading Quest Continues

As I worked my way through the first 100 or so pages of Brandon Sanderson's "Elantris" last week, I realized something that has never been true for me before. I really enjoyed this author's style, but the story didn't hold my interest. Usually I read books with lots of action and a cool world, but no character insight to keep me invested in the heroes and villains. Sanderson did a great job of bringing me into the minds of his characters. He didn't give me too many names or facts to remember. The book read very well. But it was lacking in "threat of death".

I've told my wife several times that for me to really enjoy a story, there has to be the threat of death at some point. It's escapist entertainment, so I need those intense, larger than life scenarios to make it worth my while. Courtyard politics do nothing for me. I want my characters to be in physical pain, suspecting their next moment may be their last. I want magic and swords flying all over the place, and for my characters to be emotionally involved with the combat.

So I've moved on. I picked up "Marked For Death", an EBERRON book by Matt Forbeck. It doesn't have a ton of character insight yet, but the premise has me interested. Then there's "The Verdant Passage", a DARK SUN book by Troy Denning. I'm not sold on the world yet, but Denning has a good amount of action that is accompanied by ongoing character insight. A great combination for my tastes.

I've got a week to see if I want to return one or both of these books for a full refund (I LOVE my used bookstore!) but I'm actually hoping I like them both. Each one is the first part of a trilogy, and I could use a reliable list of books to last me until "Genesis of Shannara" is in paperback.

Looking For Books...

Once again I'm looking for some good fantasy to read. I tried out Steve Erikson's "Gardens Of The Moon". It looked like a promising book with a lengthy series attached to it. Potentially a new author to provide volumes of enjoyable material to invest in!

But after reading about 100 pages, I gave up. It was dark and gritty enough for my tastes, but there were just too many names, places, ranks, organizations, etc. to keep track of, and not enough character development. I like to feel what the characters are feeling and go on their internal journey with them. Terry Brooks is a master of this style in the Fantasy genre and Terry Goodkind as well.

Erikson just had too many things he didn't explain that I was expected to keep track of.

Now I'm trying out "Elantris", by Brandon Sanderson. I've read the first chapter so far. The setting is nicely dark, fitting my tastes, but also focuses on character in the way I like. So far so good. The down side is that it's a stand alone book, with no promise of a series from the writer. Still, I'll be happy with just one good book for now, while I search for a new series and wait for Terry Brooks' and Weis and Hickman's current series to get to paperback. In additon, Sanderson has written some other books too, so if this one is good, I may like his other ones.

Here's hoping!

Some "Heroic" Advice

On Monday's episode of "Heroes", Matt Parkman strayed from "likable everyman" to cookie-cutter spiritual guru. Or at least his writers did.

While trying to convince the speedster that she needed his help, he said:

"Forget your thoughts! What is your heart telling you to do?"

How many times do we all need to hear this slogan before we actually realize how insanely stupid it is?

It sounds really nice, and "feels right", doesn't it? Well of COURSE it "feels right" to follow my heart! If following my heart means suspending rational thinking, the only thing left is emotion. "Do what feels good." But how can this be universally good advice when some people feel good about shooting their parents, or beating up their wives?

If we break this statement down, it means "do what gives you immediately pleasurable emotions or experiences". How can any marriage last given that philosophy? How can anyone be disciplined in anything following that advice?

Is following my heart good when my heart wants to be selfish and think of me first?

We use this slogan because it feels good. And when writers are telling a story, they want their audience to enjoy it and feel good. But we can't take this philosophy and apply it to life.

Don't get me wrong. We shouldn't abuse and neglect ourselves. But to place "follow your heart" above rational, careful and reasoned decision making, even when you aren't sure what to do, is a solid way to screw up your life.

Diablo 3 Gameplay Video!

First saw this on G4 and then found this footage on YouTube. This game is gonna ROCK!! Too bad my PC probably won't run it...

Max Payne (Movie Review)

This movie provides only a mediocre diversion to your afternoon or evening. Once again, a filmmaker fails to capture, in a movie adaptation, the elements that make the video game what it is.

I've played and enjoyed the first and second Max Payne video games for PS2. What fan could forget the hallmarks of a Max Payne game? That dark, film noir voice-over that takes you through the plot, a grizzled hero popping painkillers to avoid succumbing to his multiple wounds, and gunfights with bullet-time. Lots of bullet-time.

This film failed to deliver on all three counts. The only narration we get from Payne is at the beginning and end of the film. Everything in between departs from this style of storytelling. Throughout the film, when Wahlberg speaks, you are reminded of how much he sounds like Mark Wahlberg and how little he brings to mind Max Payne. Don't get me wrong, Wahlberg did a fine job. They just cast the wrong guy in this part.

As for painkillers, we don't see a single pill popped. Max does make use of something else to keep him going near the end of the film, but it's not quite the same. And did I mention it's near the END of the film?

It almost seems like the writers said, "Let's see how long we can make our audience wait for the gunfights in this movie." The first half of this movie moves pretty slowly as it sets up the mystery. But with no memorable style in the storytelling method, the first 40 minutes tend to crawl.

There are brief moments of action and special effects, but not the kind that fans would expect. Instead of putting that special effects team to work on numerous slow-mo gunfight sequences, we see a ton of "hallucination sequences" as characters experience the effects of an illegal drug which acts as the centerpeice to the film.
People are tripping out seeing winged wraiths and it all looks very cool. It just doesn't feel like a Max Payne story.

The bullet-time moments are few and far between, and one or two seem to have been chosen from the script at random, not being used to heighten the action or increase intensity. Just suddenly going into bullettime for no dramatic reason.

There are also no surprises in this film. Even though you sense that you're not supposed to know who the bad guys are, when they turn out to be evil, you've already been waiting 30 minutes for it.
As for truthfulness in the film, there's not much to talk about. If you and a buddy both like the flick, you could potentially talk about justice and vigilantism. (When, if ever, is it right for us to buck the authorities and take the law into our own hands?) However, the script doesn't spend time focusing on this theme, so you have to pull it out yourself.

There is one interesting phrase spoken by the title character, "I don't know about heaven. But I do believe in angels." If we feel like being philosophical and picking apart this idea, we could ask "why does Max believe in creatures called 'angels' and not heaven?" This phrase is subtle and not a focus of the film, but it is a small reminder of our tendency to pick and choose what we believe about the supernatural, as though reality will conform to our preferences.

The film leaves plenty of room for a franchise, but I don't see it happening. In fact, this movie may turn interest away from another game, too. It's not that it's bad, it just isn't much good. Wait for it to play on TV. But Tivo it to skip commercials. You don't want to spend too much time on this movie.


Quality: 7.0/10.0
Veracity: 5.0/10.0

Green Lantern Movie Script Review!!

Here's a bit of concept art for the Green Lantern movie if you haven't seen it yet. But what you should REALLY check out is this review of the script!

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/07/5-reasons-why-fans-will-love-the-green-lantern-movie/

For those who want to go into the movie knowing NOTHING, you ought to avoid this review. However, there are no significant spoilers. Mainly what you'll learn are who the villains and supporting characters are, the kinds of locations the plot takes place in, an idea of how the rings are used, and the ideas for a few action sequences.

For those sensitive to swearing, there are a few f-bombs in this review as well.

All that said, I would HIGHLY recommend reading this if you are a long-time Green Lantern fan. You'll likely be more excited than ever for this movie to come out!

GL Movie Lookin' Good!!

Today I discovered a great blog that chronicles news and reports about the upcoming Green Lantern movie hitting theatres in 2010. I've only started looking through this blog and haven't hit any major spoilers yet. Just enough details to make my mouth water. Enjoy!

http://green-lantern.moviechronicles.com/

Don't Kill Pa Kent!

Geoff Johns has worked his magic once again and recreated the villain Brainiac. While respecting continuity, he breathed a little (though not a lot of) new life into the character. At the very least I thought he made him creepier.

However, near the end of Action Comics #870, Pa Kent seems to suffer a heart attack that looked a lot like the event as told in Superman: The Movie. While I don't mind a heart attack, DO NOT kill Pa Kent!

Superman can experience darkness in his life without removing either of his parents. How many superheroes in comic books have a great relationship with both their mom and their dad? Seriously, let's make a list. A relationship with both parents that is really, really good, not weighed down by baggage or angst or dysfunction.

Clark's parents provide such a great model. They are such a source of wisdom, love and comfort for Clark. They keep this near-cosmic level character grounded. It's such a unique element, and to disrupt it by removing one of his parents would be a huge step in the wrong direction.

I realize that there are many homes, maybe even MOST homes in America (I haven't done any research) where parents like Clark's would seem alien in and of themselves. But let's not lower the ideal to match the sad reality.

Paeter For President?

Last week I had a little fun with some friends and family members by sending this e-mail and link out to them. One friend of mine really got freaked out and was buying into it, until about half-way through the video that the link leads to:

Hey guys,

I've just been getting so frustrated with politics lately. I don't know who to trust. But last week I realized something. I trust me.

So with alot of prayer and tears, Holly and I made the decision to channel all of our finances from Spirit Blade Productions into a campaign to elect me President of the United States. We started last week and I haven't slept a single night since then, working as hard as I can to develop an online following. It's amazing to see how our efforts have been blessed! Contributions are coming in from all over and the campaign is suddenly taking off like wildfire. Check out this news story about us!

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=46832&altf=Qbfufs&altl=Gsboetfo

Anyway, thanks so much for your love and support. I hope you'll continue to help me out in this new life direction by voting for me in November.

See ya!

Paeter

Sanctuary Pilot, the quick and dirty

I finally got around to watching the pilot for "Sanctuary", a new sci-fi channel series. Okay, I guess I only watched the first hour. That's why I really can't do a full blown review. I just lost interest. Once again, we have another sci-fi tv show where concept rules character.

An overdone attempt at giving our male lead a quirky personality introduces him to the audience in a contrived and forced manner. Soon after, his personality blends into the background, despite being the focal character.

Amanda Tapping has dyed her hair and taken on an actor's british accent. While this move helps separate her from her Stargate character, the script doesn't give her much personality to play with. (Or maybe that's the director's fault.)

Camera angles present nothing new and the whole affair feels dry and static, despite a few interesting creatures.

But let's face it, we've now been exposed to both Farscape and Battlestar Galactica. The bar has been raised and my personal tastes and busy schedule demand shows with characters worth investing time in. While this show may potentially deliver that (anything is possible, right?), they didn't convince me during the pilot that I should stick around for more.

Price Hike At Fantasy Flight!!

As I prepared to head out for another "Descent" weekend in California, I went to the Fantasy Flight website to see if there were any news tidbits or downloadable content for my favorite boardgame.

Not only was there no GOOD stuff, but I read a press release on the site saying that the company is increasing the price of nearly all of their products by about 10 bucks!

Some of the price changes are already in effect. Others will take effect November 1st. So if you've been considering a game made by Fantasy Flight, now is the time to get it!