2011-05-22
2011-04-02
The Aquaman Predicament: A Geek's Solution
Poor Aquaman. Despite being one of the few superheroes who were published continuously through the Golden & Silver Ages, he's often dismissed as "swims fast, talks to fish" (and yet, no one ever dismisses Flash as "runs fast", or Green Arrow as "shoots arrows"). He's remembered more for his portrayal on the Super Friends over 30 years ago, than for the decades of stories before or since.
And now, Geoff Johns has announced he's relaunching the character with a new series, post-Flashpoint. And before he reveals his take, I thought I'd take a shot at my version. Why? Because I'm a geek, that's why. :)
2011-03-27
Sucker Punch
I saw Sucker Punch, the next movie on The LIST today, accompanied by my usual partner in crime Margaret, a.k.a. The Cerebus Fangirl. I have to admit, this is not the movie I was expecting, given the trailers and clips released online.
True, the action scenes were kinetic, explosive, and not a little fan-servicing, but they really weren't the focus of the film. If anything, they were just the icing on a much deeper cake. But I really can't explain why without going into spoilers.
The movie operates on three levels of reality, although it spends most of it's time on only one. The primary level of reality, as hinted in the trailers, is of Emily Browning's character, who is only called by the nickname "Baby Doll" being committed to an insane asylum after a series of tragic (and criminal) events. She is ordered to be lobotomized (illegally) in 5 days, and we actually see the procedure begin.
And then, in a sudden shift, we enter the secondary reality, where Baby Doll is instead sent to a burlesque club/bordello, and the 5-day threat is to her virtue, not her cerebral cortex. This is the reality we spend most of the time in, and (to be honest) it's a bit dull. While it's clear that Zack Snyder (the director) wanted to make the characters sympathetic, we get so little back-story on most of the other girls that they seem like ciphers. Really, the only thing allows us to tell Amber and Blondie apart is Amber's race. Otherwise, we have no idea who they are, why they are prostitutes, or what makes them different from the multitude of other "danncers". We get slightly more information about Sweet Pea and Rocket, but not much. And that's only because they are sisters.
In any case, Baby Doll is made to dance, and that catapults her into the tertiary reality. which is the one where all the over-the-top action takes place. Apparently, she only exists at this level so long as she dances, for as soon as she completes her first mission, the dance concludes in level 2.
(This is actually one of the niftier bits of the movie. We never see her actually dance, but only the impact of it on other characters. a daring conceit, and executed well.)
The film dances between the secondary and tertiary level, as Baby Doll's plan to escape is reflected in her adventures in various alternate worlds (or partly the other way around. Things get fluid after a while). At first, she and the others do very well, winning their missions and gaining the proper McGuffin for their escape plan.
The rest of this review are BIG spoilers, so turn back now if you don't want to know more.
True, the action scenes were kinetic, explosive, and not a little fan-servicing, but they really weren't the focus of the film. If anything, they were just the icing on a much deeper cake. But I really can't explain why without going into spoilers.
The movie operates on three levels of reality, although it spends most of it's time on only one. The primary level of reality, as hinted in the trailers, is of Emily Browning's character, who is only called by the nickname "Baby Doll" being committed to an insane asylum after a series of tragic (and criminal) events. She is ordered to be lobotomized (illegally) in 5 days, and we actually see the procedure begin.
And then, in a sudden shift, we enter the secondary reality, where Baby Doll is instead sent to a burlesque club/bordello, and the 5-day threat is to her virtue, not her cerebral cortex. This is the reality we spend most of the time in, and (to be honest) it's a bit dull. While it's clear that Zack Snyder (the director) wanted to make the characters sympathetic, we get so little back-story on most of the other girls that they seem like ciphers. Really, the only thing allows us to tell Amber and Blondie apart is Amber's race. Otherwise, we have no idea who they are, why they are prostitutes, or what makes them different from the multitude of other "danncers". We get slightly more information about Sweet Pea and Rocket, but not much. And that's only because they are sisters.
In any case, Baby Doll is made to dance, and that catapults her into the tertiary reality. which is the one where all the over-the-top action takes place. Apparently, she only exists at this level so long as she dances, for as soon as she completes her first mission, the dance concludes in level 2.
(This is actually one of the niftier bits of the movie. We never see her actually dance, but only the impact of it on other characters. a daring conceit, and executed well.)
The film dances between the secondary and tertiary level, as Baby Doll's plan to escape is reflected in her adventures in various alternate worlds (or partly the other way around. Things get fluid after a while). At first, she and the others do very well, winning their missions and gaining the proper McGuffin for their escape plan.
The rest of this review are BIG spoilers, so turn back now if you don't want to know more.
2011-03-15
Geekstory: Birth of a Geek
When you get down to it. it's really all my sister's fault.
I learned how to read very early. The way it was told to me was that my sister taught me how to read sometime during my toddler years as a way to keep me out of her hair. It must have worked, because I have also heard tales of me sitting in the back of kindergarten with a big book on my lap.
But in those days, I wasn't a geek. Not yet. For the most part, I read the usual picture books (Richard Scarry was big in my house), and while I was a fan of superheroes, I really didn't read comics. I had TV for that (Wonder Woman, Superfriends, Six Million Dollar Man).
Then I had my tonsils out. And, to keep me entertained during my recovery, my folks bought me a bunch of books:
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume One: Batman
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Two: Wonder Woman
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Three: Superman
And, on the other side:
# Origins of Marvel Comics
# Son of Origins of Marvel Comics
I read the HELL out of those books. But I still didn't buy more than the occasional newstand comic. And, in time, they ended up in a box somewhere, forgotten and eventually tossed out. I moved on to Encyclopedia Brown, Danny Dunn, & the Hardy Boys (among others)
Interestingly, this accidentally led to one of my other obsessions. My dad knew I liked books about superheroes, so when an itinerant bookseller visited his store, and he saw a book called The Wonder Book, he assumed it was about Wonder Woman. Turned out, it was a very different book:
And my lifelong fondness for mythology began.
Time passed. While I was socially introverted, poor at sports, and academically adept, I wasn't yet a geek. Then my sister came back into the picture…
One day, while at the mall with some friends, she picked up a couple of paperbacks for me on a whim. And these are the books she brought home:
And a geek was born.
I haven't looked back since. :)
I learned how to read very early. The way it was told to me was that my sister taught me how to read sometime during my toddler years as a way to keep me out of her hair. It must have worked, because I have also heard tales of me sitting in the back of kindergarten with a big book on my lap.
But in those days, I wasn't a geek. Not yet. For the most part, I read the usual picture books (Richard Scarry was big in my house), and while I was a fan of superheroes, I really didn't read comics. I had TV for that (Wonder Woman, Superfriends, Six Million Dollar Man).
Then I had my tonsils out. And, to keep me entertained during my recovery, my folks bought me a bunch of books:
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume One: Batman
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Two: Wonder Woman
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Three: Superman
And, on the other side:
# Origins of Marvel Comics
# Son of Origins of Marvel Comics
I read the HELL out of those books. But I still didn't buy more than the occasional newstand comic. And, in time, they ended up in a box somewhere, forgotten and eventually tossed out. I moved on to Encyclopedia Brown, Danny Dunn, & the Hardy Boys (among others)
Interestingly, this accidentally led to one of my other obsessions. My dad knew I liked books about superheroes, so when an itinerant bookseller visited his store, and he saw a book called The Wonder Book, he assumed it was about Wonder Woman. Turned out, it was a very different book:
And my lifelong fondness for mythology began.
Time passed. While I was socially introverted, poor at sports, and academically adept, I wasn't yet a geek. Then my sister came back into the picture…
One day, while at the mall with some friends, she picked up a couple of paperbacks for me on a whim. And these are the books she brought home:
And a geek was born.
I haven't looked back since. :)
Tweaking the Focus
Looking over the last several posts on this blog, I see a lot of videos and images, but not a lot of original content. And since most of my readers are also on my personal Facebook page, that's a little redundant (particularly since I can share vids faster there than on here).
So I'm going to change things up a bit. The "stuff I found" posts will be on Facebook (if you aren't a friend there, drop me a line), while I'll save the longer posts, including List reviews, for here. It means I won't be updating as often, but when I do, it'll be all me.
I already know what the next post will be. A semi-biographical take on my evolution as a geek, and who can be blamed for what I became. :)
Look for it in a short while.
So I'm going to change things up a bit. The "stuff I found" posts will be on Facebook (if you aren't a friend there, drop me a line), while I'll save the longer posts, including List reviews, for here. It means I won't be updating as often, but when I do, it'll be all me.
I already know what the next post will be. A semi-biographical take on my evolution as a geek, and who can be blamed for what I became. :)
Look for it in a short while.
2011-03-14
2011-02-22
RIP Dwayne McDuffie
It has been reported that Dwayne McDuffie, who wrote the All Star Superman cartoon, and was a tireless campaigner for people of color in comics, has passed away.
My condolences to his wife & family. He will be missed.
My condolences to his wife & family. He will be missed.
All-Star Animation
Well, the time has finally come. The All Star Superman animated movie hits the stores today. Does it hold up? Or does it miss the mark?
Like any adaptation, All Star should be judged on two levels. First, as a standalone movie, and secondly as an adaptation. I have to confess that the first is a bit tricky for me, because I am so familiar with the source material. So let's do this backwards, and talk about the adaptation first.but I'll do my best.
2011-02-17
Hammer Time, Again!
This, I like. If it had been the first trailer, I would have been much more excited.
Urge to watch... rising
Urge to watch... rising
What happened to my horizon?
It's funny, really. Despite having done panels and articles about steampunk for a good five years now, I never really sat down and thought about exactly what attracted me to the genre.
Was it the aesthetic? No, not really, although I do enjoy dressing up in a suit on occasion.
Was it the period? Again, no. While I'm a fan of many of the writers of the Victorian era, there's little about the time that makes it stand out from any other.
I never really worked it out, until just recently:
It's the adventure.
Was it the aesthetic? No, not really, although I do enjoy dressing up in a suit on occasion.
Was it the period? Again, no. While I'm a fan of many of the writers of the Victorian era, there's little about the time that makes it stand out from any other.
I never really worked it out, until just recently:
It's the adventure.
Tracking the Wild Geek
Beware of Geek can be viewed the following ways.
Web page:
http://bewareofgeek.blogspot.com/
RSS Feed:
feed://bewareofgeek.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
Facebook Pages:
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/beware_of_geek/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beware-Of-Geek/113878782012900
There is also a Twitter feed, at http://twitter.com/#!/BewareOfGeek but I only use it on occasion, and posts are not echoed there.
Join one, join all!
Web page:
http://bewareofgeek.blogspot.com/
RSS Feed:
feed://bewareofgeek.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
Facebook Pages:
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/beware_of_geek/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beware-Of-Geek/113878782012900
There is also a Twitter feed, at http://twitter.com/#!/BewareOfGeek but I only use it on occasion, and posts are not echoed there.
Join one, join all!
2011-02-14
2011-02-12
Thundercats, Huh?
Apparently, there's a CGI movie coming out, independent of the new cartoon, and Bleeding Cool has some footage:
It doesn't grab me as well as the art for the toon did, possibly because the lighting makes it hard to figure out exactly what is going on. That, and my allergy to goofy schtick. :)
But it's not THAT bad, I guess. And I doubt I'm the target audience, anyway.
It doesn't grab me as well as the art for the toon did, possibly because the lighting makes it hard to figure out exactly what is going on. That, and my allergy to goofy schtick. :)
But it's not THAT bad, I guess. And I doubt I'm the target audience, anyway.
2011-02-10
2011-02-08
I can't recall if I posted this before...
A show about the swinging 60's.
The 2260's, that is.
http://www.sleepydog.co.uk/slingers/ has more details.
The 2260's, that is.
http://www.sleepydog.co.uk/slingers/ has more details.
2011-02-07
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