tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940782034498174202024-03-12T18:45:08.143-07:00Sliding Past the SunWattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-67335235259976696182020-06-23T12:00:00.003-07:002020-06-23T12:00:57.067-07:00Last Archon on Amazon and Other Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsI/RSRgUIPfDnca5_JEujdHA6vx35nhyAjswCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsI/RSRgUIPfDnca5_JEujdHA6vx35nhyAjswCPcBGAYYCw/s400/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<i>The Last Archon</i> is now live on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BNBBJ47?fbclid=IwAR1_6JRbbEXW1tioXt6yt3kQUi08-E_L3l575hEmnJBTAl2p2YW-PNTaDkI">Amazon's bookstore</a>! </div>
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Those of you waiting for free Prime shipping, now is your time. Once you've devoured your copy, leave a review and let me know how you liked it. </div>
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If you <i>did</i> enjoy my book, don't forget to check out the <a href="https://storybundle.com/superheroes?fbclid=IwAR2OxE3-P_Aqi52YEsg7Az30x6TwjurEalxZtoVyaE_rjxek_HUvaKzdkxs">Up, Up, and Away Storybundle</a>, which includes Jon Mollison's super-spy novel, <i>Overlook, </i>also set in the Heroes Unleashed universe. Get 13 books for the price of one. The Bundle deal ends July 9th, so don't wait!</div>
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And check out the rest of the Heroes Unleashed books, available on Amazon or at <a href="http://www.silverempire.org/">Silver Empire</a>.</div>
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Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-52272714849566922652020-06-18T06:52:00.002-07:002020-06-18T06:54:44.838-07:00Up, Up, and Away StoryBundle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ8pH1Lv9aI/XutveXjDLkI/AAAAAAAAAtc/k2sqwG_K5EwGqzdJDBj7BZZ1mGf2UQQ-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/StoryBundle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="960" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ8pH1Lv9aI/XutveXjDLkI/AAAAAAAAAtc/k2sqwG_K5EwGqzdJDBj7BZZ1mGf2UQQ-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/StoryBundle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey, readers! <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_J._Anderson">Kevin J. Anderson</a> (of Star Wars Jedi Academy and Dune prequel fame) has put together a collection of superhero fiction for this year's <a href="https://storybundle.com/superheroes?fbclid=IwAR2OxE3-P_Aqi52YEsg7Az30x6TwjurEalxZtoVyaE_rjxek_HUvaKzdkxs">StoryBundle</a>! For the price of a single hardback, you can get 13 books.<br />
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What's more, he's included <i>Overlook</i>, by Silver Empire author Jon Mollison, in the collection!<br />
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<b>Nothing is more dangerous than an invisible man. </b></blockquote>
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Joe’s spent his life being forgotten. Not even the IRS comes for his back taxes. He’s a ghost, a perfectly average, perfectly forgettable man. It suits his purposes, though it’s a lonely existence. He can live as he wants, plying his almost-invisibility for freelance jobs. </blockquote>
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Then a pretty blonde finds him when no one else can, asking for his help solving a murder. He almost says no, despite his instincts to help a damsel in distress. But how did she find him? And who is she? </blockquote>
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He takes the job to find out. But he bites off more than he can chew as he realizes a brutal secretive organization called The Phoenix Ring is behind the murder, and somehow they can predict his every move. </blockquote>
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A new Heroes Unleashed series begins with Jon Mollison’s Overlook, a fast-paced, action-packed superhero spy novel that will keep readers guessing until the end. </blockquote>
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Can Joe defeat the shadowy Phoenix Ring? Or will his powers fail him when he needs them the most? Read Overlook today and find out!</blockquote>
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The Bundle ends July 9th, so don't wait to snatch up this collection!<br />
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For more superhero fun, join the <a href="https://silverempire.org/">Silver Empire Book Club</a> and pick up the entire Heroes Unleashed series!<br />
<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-56108569104662321812020-04-02T08:49:00.000-07:002020-04-02T08:49:15.259-07:001st Review of The Last Archon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsI/RSRgUIPfDnca5_JEujdHA6vx35nhyAjswCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsI/RSRgUIPfDnca5_JEujdHA6vx35nhyAjswCPcBGAYYCw/s400/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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The first review is in for <i>The Last Archon:</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic;">What an outstanding novel to end the first wave of Heroes Unleased. It’s the story of Deckard, last knight of Atlantis who must stop an otherworldly horror called the Worm. At the same time, he’s mentoring a young apprentice Haden, who’s young, impulsive but with great potential. And Vivian the prophetess who can see possible futures. Together thy have to stop the Worm and its minions from destroying Atlanta- a fictionalized version of the real one in the U.S.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px;" /><span style="font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The story is a mash up of superhero, horror, mystery. The pace is relentless and the plot is seat of your pants tense. A real page turner.</span></span></blockquote>
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Read the <a href="https://silverempire.org/product/the-last-archon/#reviews">whole review</a>. If you want action-packed, heroic adventure, nab your copy of <i>The Last Archon</i> direct from Silver Empire.<br />
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Better yet, join the <a href="https://silverempire.org/book-club/">Silver Empire Book Club</a> and catch the whole wave of Heroes Unleashed!<br />
<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-71081020279974056542020-03-09T20:39:00.000-07:002020-03-11T14:14:30.684-07:00Last Archon is Live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsI/RSRgUIPfDnca5_JEujdHA6vx35nhyAjswCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsI/RSRgUIPfDnca5_JEujdHA6vx35nhyAjswCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://silverempire.org/product/the-last-archon/">The Last Archon</a> goes live today! Get your copy now from Silver Empire. From the publisher:<br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">The man who thought he would live </span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">forever is running out of time.</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">For three thousand years, Deckard Riss has been alone. Ever since his home sunk into the sea with Atlantis, he has been the last of his people. The final Atlantean knight, the last Archon.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">Then fate forced an apprentice on him, and now the pair of them police the streets of Atlanta, magicians in hiding as superheroes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">Now there are whispers of Atlantis on the wind, another sorcerer at work. This unknown dark wizard sacrifices superpowered teenagers in grisly ritual suicides. And Deckard’s magic, once so easily accessed, starts slipping beyond his grasp.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">If he doesn’t have his powers, he can’t stop the rending of reality to allow monsters into our world. If he doesn’t have his powers, he is nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">Deckard only has to hold on for another year. Just one more year, to train his apprentice to take his place, and stop the end of the world. And he’s not sure he can do it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">Will his apprentice step up to save the world, or will he drive the boy away with his secrets?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">Doctor Strange meets HP Lovecraft in this new Heroes Unleashed series about wizards, prophets and superheroes in Atlanta.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #6fa8dc;">Can Deckard find the mysterious sorcerer, stop the portal from opening, and prepare his apprentice to take his place before his time runs out?</span></div>
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And don’t forget to sign up for the<a href="https://silverempire.org/book-club/"> Silver Empire Book Club,</a> the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on the best new fiction from some of the brightest stars in the industry.</div>
Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-46522923592289800752020-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:002020-03-06T10:00:06.194-08:00Reading List: Hollow City<h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: trajan-pro-3, serif !important; font-size: 1.6em; font-variant-caps: small-caps !important; font-variant-east-asian: normal !important; font-variant-numeric: normal !important; font-weight: normal !important; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; text-rendering: optimizespeed; width: 1050px;">
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<span style="background-color: black; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Six kills in six years.</span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">Super powered cop Adam Song has dedicated his life to the law. In the military and the police force, Adam ruthlessly protects the innocent.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">But this time he’s killed the wrong bad guy. Now the local drug lord’s son is dead, and the boss is out for Adam’s blood. Even his secret identity won’t keep him safe. The police department hangs him out to dry, his years of exemplary service forgotten. Adam must take justice into his own hands to keep his family safe.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">Because Adam is a Song. And Songs take care of their own. No matter the cost.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">When does justice become murder? And just how far will he go to protect his clan?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">Dragon and Hugo Award nominated author Kai Wai Cheah steps onto the superhero scene with his debut Heroes Unleashed novel. His characteristic fast-paced action and attention to detail brings Adam Song and the Chinatown of Hollow City vividly to life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15.84px;">For those of you late to this game, Kai Wai Chea is a stellar author with a gift for gritty, in-your-face violence. His first Heroes Unleashed outing has action movie written into its DNA. </span><i style="font-size: 15.84px;"><a href="https://silverempire.org/product/hollow-city/">Hollow City</a></i><span style="font-size: 15.84px;"> is one part Daredevil, two parts Punisher, all wrapped up in one taut action-thriller package. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Fans of the above comic franchises or the Bourne movies are going to love this ride. Do yourselves a favor and mark Chea down as a must-follow author.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 15.84px;">And don't forget the <a href="https://silverempire.org/book-club/">Silver Empire Book Club</a>, where you can snap up the latest from Heroes Unleashed before the public! </span></div>
Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-65951729924787963972020-03-04T19:22:00.000-08:002020-03-04T19:22:01.847-08:00The Last Archon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsE/yu7VZPiuLEgXHJSrY7hPk-z9S2sDpG_wACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wa3BYlPb_1o/XmBgwB_z9FI/AAAAAAAAAsE/yu7VZPiuLEgXHJSrY7hPk-z9S2sDpG_wACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Last%2BArchon%2BCover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well, THAT is one pretty cover.<br />
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Buckle up and put on your safety gear. The ride is about to start...Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-68419036219772250842020-03-02T20:00:00.000-08:002020-03-02T20:00:07.554-08:00Reading List: Heroes Fall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Morgon Newquist unleashed the heroes with the first novel of Serenity City, <i>Heroes Fall, </i>on sale now from Silver Empire:<br />
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<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: black;">Victoria doesn't need a Cape to be a Hero.</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #a2c4c9;">Living and working in the slums of Serenity City, she has become its faceless and nameless defender. She turned her back on the glittering world of professional superheroes years ago. If she has her way, she’ll never go back.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #a2c4c9;">But the young and forgotten teens she helps are disappearing from the street, and nobody seems to care. As Victoria unravels this mystery, she is lead back to her old life in the star-studded glamourous superhero circles. No matter how much she hates it, she can’t abandon the helpless when they need her the most.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #a2c4c9;">All clues point back to The Rampage, the terrible day when their mightiest champion Achilles fell to darkness. Will Victoria uncover the truth of what actually happened twenty years ago in time to help her lost boys and girls?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #a2c4c9;">And what will happen when the fallen hero Achilles escapes, and Victoria is the only one who can stop him?</span></div>
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This novel is full of great world building, colorful characters, and classic superhero action. From the rise and fall of the Triumvirate to the gleeful chaos of one villain, I got a strong DC comics vibe.<br />
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The action is vibrant and the stakes, both personal and city-wide, loom large for the heroes. Choices made in this book beg to be answered in later installments. The characters are consistent and complex, as heroes fall and, maybe, rise.<br />
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This was a brilliant outing by Newquist. Any fans of the Justice League or Young Justice cartoons would do well to check this out.<br />
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You can find <i>Heroes Fall </i>on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Fall-Unleashed-Novel-Serenity-ebook/dp/B07MQJY3RS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=heroes+fall&qid=1583181497&s=books&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> or at the <a href="https://silverempire.org/product/heroes-fall/">Silver Empire store</a>. Better yet, join the newly launched <a href="https://silverempire.org/book-club/">Silver Empire Book Club</a> and receive a steady stream of top tier fiction from one of indie publishing's best houses.<br />
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<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-14282542142069097272020-03-02T11:03:00.000-08:002020-03-02T11:03:02.471-08:00A Year in SilenceIt's been more than a year since I posted anything on this blog. There are four draft posts that didn't make it into public cyberspace in that time, now way out of date. (Who wants a review of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5095030/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Ant Man and Wasp</a>? Anyone? Bueller?)<br />
<br />
That's just sad.<br />
<br />
You know what's not sad? Taking a year off a blog to change careers, write a novel, and work on building a life one can be proud of.<br />
<br />
I think I'll take the trade.<br />
<br />
More posts on the way, friends. Many happy returns.Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-28764181430179462202018-10-19T20:14:00.002-07:002018-10-19T20:14:15.484-07:00So I Re-Watched Blade...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XEDmF5hN5X8/W8pdofKA8pI/AAAAAAAAAmY/cFBEepjBRO0DXzIA8wD6ZYuhY0Ydk4T3wCLcBGAs/s1600/Blade%2Blogo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1001" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XEDmF5hN5X8/W8pdofKA8pI/AAAAAAAAAmY/cFBEepjBRO0DXzIA8wD6ZYuhY0Ydk4T3wCLcBGAs/s320/Blade%2Blogo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
So you're home sick, it's late at night, and you're the only one there.<br />
<br />
Of course you turn on Netflix.<br />
<br />
If you're me, you break up your binge watching of murder mystery shows with something a little less intellectual.<br />
<br />
This past weekend, I picked <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120611/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Blade</a></i>.<br />
<br />
Released in 1998, the film beat Sam Rami's <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Spiderman</a></i> to the box office by four years and the amazingly campy Nick Cage version of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259324/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2"><i>Ghostrider</i> </a>by nine, making it the godfather of the current generation of Marvel movies.<br />
<br />
So, how does Blade hold up now that it's old enough to enroll in college?<br />
<br />
I think it does fairly well for what it is: a late 90s Action Movie.<br />
<br />
Let's run through the checklist:<br />
<br />
- Grim Loaner Protagonist with a Tragic Backstory?<br />
<br />
Blade is the Daywalker, the result of an in utero infection by the vampire curse. He inherited supernatural speed, strength, and senses along with a thirst for human blood and an aversion to sunlight. He was rescued from the streets by a grisly <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001434/?ref_=tt_cl_t3">Kris Kristofferson</a> and now lives in an abandoned factory with his adoptive father and every day is a war zone.<br />
<br />
He's so hardcore focused on killing vampires, he starts a firefight with one in the middle of a crowded park and basically ignores a hostage until she's about to be hit by a bus.<br />
<br />
Status= Check<br />
<br />
- Dark clothing? With buckles? Sunglasses <i>at night</i>?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2B68zjaGokU/W8pdrpzA3HI/AAAAAAAAAmg/nV3qa2Rte7ILHISYGziA2cwb8TlQy0EvQCLcBGAs/s1600/Blade%2BBuckles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2B68zjaGokU/W8pdrpzA3HI/AAAAAAAAAmg/nV3qa2Rte7ILHISYGziA2cwb8TlQy0EvQCLcBGAs/s320/Blade%2BBuckles.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
Status= Check, Check, and Check<br />
<br />
<br />
- Sweet fight scenes?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WO9DPZuHC28/W8phsZOul4I/AAAAAAAAAnM/QALczRIUxkszdV8F2iC6dFesQfr_DKFbwCLcBGAs/s1600/Blade%2BFight2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="245" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WO9DPZuHC28/W8phsZOul4I/AAAAAAAAAnM/QALczRIUxkszdV8F2iC6dFesQfr_DKFbwCLcBGAs/s320/Blade%2BFight2.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Status= Check.<br />
<br />
- Old People being one-upped by the younger generation?<br />
<br />
The Vampire Council is straight out of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade">White Wolf playbook</a>. Only, you know, without the superpowers.<br />
<br />
So, when frat boy vampire Deacon Frost pulls a coup, the audience (of mostly young males ages 18-25) is supposed to...empathize? I guess?<br />
<br />
Too bad his master plan would lead us directly into <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433362/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Daybreakers</a>...</i><br />
<br />
Status= Check?<br />
<br />
- Computer technology that miraculously solves an ancient puzzle?<br />
<br />
Because literally antediluvian beings (previously characterized <i>in this movie </i>as ossified fossils obsessed with past traditions) have failed to remember the language and religion that provide both the teleology and eschatology of their entire race?<br />
<br />
They <i>misplaced</i> an entire temple? <i>Forgot</i> how to speak vampire?<br />
<br />
Status= Sigh. Check.<br />
<br />
- Pervasive Profanity to prove we're edgy?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHuUt-7UTOg/W8pdriJxAQI/AAAAAAAAAmo/AWFOKDnVowEmeFyOhl30axHbFLhHDo5zQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Blade%2BDonal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHuUt-7UTOg/W8pdriJxAQI/AAAAAAAAAmo/AWFOKDnVowEmeFyOhl30axHbFLhHDo5zQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Blade%2BDonal.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donal Logue's character alone would carry this</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Somehow, I had not remembered the amount of foul language in this film.<br />
<br />
Status= Check.<br />
<br />
- C. G. I. (!!!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6AodEmRhb4/W8phJMP9ASI/AAAAAAAAAnE/9KTi1WA4x-IBmP-OkefRqVV0s_0y6drgACLcBGAs/s1600/Blade%2BCGI.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="500" height="135" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6AodEmRhb4/W8phJMP9ASI/AAAAAAAAAnE/9KTi1WA4x-IBmP-OkefRqVV0s_0y6drgACLcBGAs/s320/Blade%2BCGI.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Status= Check<br />
<br />
90s Action Movie Status= Definitive.<br />
<br />
Let's be honest. Why did I, or <i>anyone</i>, watch this movie?<br />
<br />
To see Wesley Snipes kill vampires with style. And that just never gets old.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1anemveGHj8/W8phI_UfMKI/AAAAAAAAAnA/WFzaAdrUUwwaImmsqv5BdxP8fSYm0DF9wCEwYBhgL/s1600/Blade%2BSunglasses.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="240" height="173" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1anemveGHj8/W8phI_UfMKI/AAAAAAAAAnA/WFzaAdrUUwwaImmsqv5BdxP8fSYm0DF9wCEwYBhgL/s320/Blade%2BSunglasses.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-78984727626686295322018-08-21T09:04:00.000-07:002018-08-21T09:04:31.790-07:00Heroes Unleashed is LIVE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V8hBe94iB7I/W1ZH8j51OxI/AAAAAAAAAl0/-IO5_BcbfkwiFFAxPYcMdHogJwBloAUDQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/HeroesUnleashed_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="600" height="161" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V8hBe94iB7I/W1ZH8j51OxI/AAAAAAAAAl0/-IO5_BcbfkwiFFAxPYcMdHogJwBloAUDQCPcBGAYYCw/s400/HeroesUnleashed_600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/silverempire/1308136901?ref=551470&amp;token=6247a667">The Heroes Unleashed Kickstarter is Live!</a> </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pxk6wPby9j8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pxk6wPby9j8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
That's right, super hero goodness is right around the corner, but we need help from YOU to make it happen!<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>What do you get for your support? </b></h3>
<br />
As little as $1 gets you a sneak peek at <i>Serenity City: Heroes Fall</i>. If you saw my last post, you know I enjoyed the heck out this story.<br />
<br />
If you're on the fence, pick this up. I promise not to smirk when you come back to pick to up the whole thing.<br />
<br />
Additional support will snag you anything from a discounted E-book to a T-shirt to autographed, limited-edition hard copies.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>What does this have to do with your blog, Wattsbot?</b></h3>
<b><br /></b>
I've been asked to join a group of talented, award winning indie authors to bring you one of the series for Phase I of this project!<br />
<br />
I cannot express how excited I am to be a part of this team. I've been reading comics and writing stories since middle school and to have the chance to bring both of those things together in my own series is simply mind blowing.<br />
<br />
I'm hard at work on the first novel, <i>Apprentice</i>, which should be out Spring 2019.<br />
<br />
I'll have a little something to whet your appetite soon.<br />
<br />
Until then, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/silverempire/1308136901?ref=551470&amp;token=6247a667">keep your eyes glued here</a> and check out the <a href="https://heroes-unleashed.com/">Heroes Unleashed</a> website for more info!<br />
<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-83532418619104374442018-07-23T14:34:00.005-07:002018-07-23T18:41:13.902-07:00Silver Empire Announces: Heroes Unleashed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8hBe94iB7I/W1ZH8j51OxI/AAAAAAAAAlw/UcdiZuCt9Xwo7v9cTTgZrdiz8mabOtSwQCLcBGAs/s1600/HeroesUnleashed_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="600" height="161" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8hBe94iB7I/W1ZH8j51OxI/AAAAAAAAAlw/UcdiZuCt9Xwo7v9cTTgZrdiz8mabOtSwQCLcBGAs/s400/HeroesUnleashed_600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Today, the fine folks at <a href="https://silverempire.org/">Silver Empire</a> announced their latest project- "A massive foray into the world of superheroes. Heroes Unleashed is a multi-author, shared-universe superhero world launching this fall from award nominated and critically acclaimed authors."<br />
<br />
They're kicking things off in style, too.<br />
<br />
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "libre franklin", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">He wanted to be a good man. Instead he became a hero.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Imagine Serenity City, a beachfront city on the east coast. For years, the city has been protected by the Triumvirate - three of the most powerful, and certainly the most famous, heroes in the world. Achilles with his super strength. His wife, The Banshee, master of deception and guile. And their best friend Pendragon in his shining armor. No serious threat lasts long in Serenity City under their watch!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Until the Rampage - the infamous day when Achilles lost his mind, leaving a half-destroyed city and the body of the Banshee in his wake.</span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "libre franklin", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Twenty years later, Serenity City is completely changed. Pendragon still reigns as the world's most famous hero, but he reigns alone. Banshee still lies in her grave, and Achilles rots in solitary confinement. Young Victoria, an up and coming hero, finds herself investigating a new mystery. Why are young and forgotten heroes disappearing off the streets? Why doesn't anybody else care? And how is it tied in to those infamous events that brought the city's greatest heroes to ruin?</span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "libre franklin", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">And when Achilles escapes, it throws a wrench in everything!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">But nothing is as it seems in <em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Serenity City: Heroes Fall</span></em> by Morgon Newquist, kicking off Heroes Unleashed this fall.</span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><a href="http://morgonnewquist.com/">Morgon</a> was the editor on the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Paragons-Anthology-Superheroes-Morgon-Newquist-ebook/dp/B076XZ9QW2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8">Paragons anthology</a> from Silver Empire, and also a contributor. I got to take a sneak peek at her first Serenity City novel and you will not want to miss out on this one.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Visit the <a href="https://heroes-unleashed.com/">Heroes Unleashed website</a> for more details and stay tuned!</span></div>
Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-66428681689566554892018-05-21T19:12:00.001-07:002018-05-21T19:12:20.658-07:00Lost in A Series of Unfortunate Events- Episode 4: The Robinsons Were Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s1600/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s320/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Netflix re-imagines the legendary 60's sci-fi series of the same name.<br />
<br />
Rather than deluge you with a rapid-fire reconnaissance flight take on the show, I thought I'd try something a little different and take things episode by episode.<br />
<br />
This level of detail will involve heavy spoilers for each episode. [Danger Pun Goes Here].<br />
<div>
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
- Our episode begins with John "Action Hero" Robinson getting shone up in front of his son by Deus ex Robot. The Robot shoves the fence posts in with its bear hands in one swift move. <a href="https://slidingpast.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-cw-superfriends-smallville.html">I've seen this move before</a>. Robot is strong. Duly noted.<br />
<br />
- This Alpha Centauri propaganda ad / training guide is brought to you by the letter "W" for Well Defined Abs.<br />
<br />
- Now we get the joy of watching a snarky teen and her half-pint brother set up a space RV! I think the Action Generator is on low battery after being drained by Episode 1.<br />
<br />
- Sensor data that can map a planet from orbit. AI programs that can perform emergency shuttle landings. Working eyesight. The kids have all these things and somehow <i>still</i> manage to miss the giant rock that will block the extensions from opening on the space RV.<br />
<br />
- Robot moves a rock. Seen this move too. Robot is REALLY strong.<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith lounges in the shadows, drawing the Robot's name in her notebook over and over again, plotting to make little half robot babies with it and rule the galaxy as Queen of Air and Night.<br />
<br />
- John and Maureen take a road trip with Judy to meet up with other survivors, one of whom is injured. John has seen one of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Shelley%27s_Frankenstein_(film)">Frankenstein movies</a> and thinks it's a Bad Idea (tm) to tell the others about an alien killing machine.<br />
<br />
- Hey, Don West is alive and so is the chicken! Dr. Smith is going to be so happy!<br />
<br />
-The rest of the Jupiter 11 crew is in good spirits and has communications and locations for other survivors, but NO ONE HAS FUEL. Because eels. Despite no one else being in water...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TP9wYcjMx4/WwN50WWPDHI/AAAAAAAAAkk/Jt7S7fxlp3cXkHyx9rDLT6HVgib9M7pxQCLcBGAs/s1600/WormholeGif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TP9wYcjMx4/WwN50WWPDHI/AAAAAAAAAkk/Jt7S7fxlp3cXkHyx9rDLT6HVgib9M7pxQCLcBGAs/s1600/WormholeGif.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone forgot to close the plot hole...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
- Unconscious Angela, whom Don rescued, is alive and stable, but clearly traumatized.<br />
<br />
- Remember the transmissions from the Resolute? Well they're a regularly scheduled program, apparently, but they aren't getting return calls.<br />
<br />
- John notices a different sort of crash site on the map. Maureen thinks that could be components or supplies from the Resolute.<br />
<br />
- Don wheedles to get invited along on the inevitable Side Quest. How kind of him to volunteer!<br />
<br />
- Middle Kid Penny wants to wander the killer planet aimlessly. Apparently, she has forgotten the last three episodes.<br />
<br />
- Angela is awake and remembers the attack on the Resolute. Judy "Action Heroine In Training" Robinson naturally she freaks out and runs to see if the Robot has killed her siblings.<br />
<br />
- Will is drawing in the dirt. Robot draws...something. If this doesn't turn out to be important...<br />
<br />
- Judy reaches home and wants Will to stop playing with the Alien Death Machine. Naturally, Will decides to cycle power on the comms to keep her from informing John so he can keep playing with the Alien Death Machine. I mean, did you see how fast he put up that fence? Besides, I'm sure we won't have an emergency that can only be solved by our comms. Look at our history with this planet so far!<br />
<br />
- Will has a plan to hide the Robot in a cave. Dr. Smith has a plan to 1) Follow Will to the cave 2) Swipe the only gun on the planet and 3) Begin laying the groundwork for her seduction of the Robot. Guess which one plans better?<br />
<br />
- Will stops at the fence to see if the Robot's Spidey-Sense is tingling. "No danger. Yet." Well, he's <i>kinda</i> paying attention.<br />
<br />
- Judy: Why are you trusting this thing? Will: We're connected! Judy: Riiiiiiight. Look, let's hide it in a cave so I can tell Dad and he can nuke it from orbit. Will: Did you say something? Judy: Nope, not a thing.<br />
<br />
- Crash site. BIG chunks of the Resolute. Blast damage evidence of the Robot attack.<br />
<br />
- Episode paused for floral arranging.<br />
<br />
- Possibly dangerous wildlife in the woods on the Terror Planet. You don't say?<br />
<br />
- How did Will miss the river on the map? Not to worry, we'll cross on this newly felled log! Did we mention the Robot is strong? Onward!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_-joL6DdaI/WwN7863G_bI/AAAAAAAAAkw/H50TbM4yUVIP0f6U3urHxYKqVsJ_WeBEACLcBGAs/s1600/following.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="245" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_-joL6DdaI/WwN7863G_bI/AAAAAAAAAkw/H50TbM4yUVIP0f6U3urHxYKqVsJ_WeBEACLcBGAs/s320/following.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
- Looking through the supplies. Don is here to dump cold water on Maureen's Utopian fantasy by reminding us of the fallen state of the human condition. Cause he's a smuggler.<br />
<br />
- Maureen is ticked that the parts are missing and the whiskey is here. She takes a walk and sees the Resolute's receiver has crashed to the planet as well. There is no hope of the Resolute hearing them.<br />
Whiskey doesn't look so bad now, huh Maureen?<br />
<br />
- Hey, let's hide from the bureaucrat and his group so they don't see the Robot...or we can wait, like, four seconds and then reveal the Robot to his son, and then blackmail the son into secrecy. This plan is Great!<br />
<br />
- Look, we made it to the cave! But it's getting late. How will we get back home before Mom and Dad? Good thing Maureen and John RAN OUT OF BATTERY in the Chariot.<br />
<br />
Yes, you heard me. All this advanced tech and nothing tells them to top the Chariot off before they take a drive.<br />
<br />
- Penny is much better at lying than Will.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
- Camping! In a cave! With no gear! On a hostile planet! With an alien murder-bot as a bunk mate! This plan is GREAT!<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith is even more creepy in the dark.<br />
<br />
- A brief tangent into philosophy of art, followed by peer pressure. This is the worst After School Special I've ever seen, but the Robot seems to be buying it. Does he consider himself a Robinson?<br />
<br />
- John tries to give Maureen a pep talk and they watch schools of flying, bio-luminescent jellyfish take to the night sky. They will probably attack the humans at dawn.<br />
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<br />
<br />
- John and Maureen reminisce about their honeymoon. Maybe these people DO care about each other.<br />
<br />
- Wait, nope, momentary lapse. Maureen is right back to anticipating John's failure.<br />
<br />
- EARTHQUAKE! This planet is cursed!<br />
<br />
- We're trapped under a giant satellite dish. Let's hash out our marital problems!.<br />
<br />
- So, let me get this straight. ::Deep breath:: John volunteered to go fight to stabilize some government (probably a U.S. ally given he's a Marine) during the anarchy of a dying planet. Maureen feels he chose others over his family. John felt it was his duty and that it was best given their already simmering relationship issues.<br />
<br />
Gonna shock the audience and agree with Maureen on this one, John. Family first. Also, Maureen FINALLY makes sense.<br />
<br />
Also Also, why am I watching a SOAP opera and not a SPACE opera? Did someone switch the labels around?<br />
<br />
- Don West is a smuggler with a heart of gold and blasts John and Maureen free. Still best Han Solo in years.<br />
<br />
- Kids leave the cave. Robot stays. Dr. Smith channels Mr. Burns.<br />
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<br />
<br />
- Bureaucrat learns that the Resolute is missing a dish and has a plan B. I'm rethinking the nickname. He's far too efficient to be a bureaucrat.<br />
<br />
- Mom and Dad are back. Go Go Gadget Bluff Check! I can only assume Penny came up with this.<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith makes the Robot an offer he can't refuse.<br />
<br />
<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-4647796248697186852018-04-27T20:52:00.002-07:002018-04-27T20:52:24.242-07:00Lost in a Series of Unfortunate Events- Episode 3: Infestation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s1600/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s320/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Netflix re-imagines the legendary 60's sci-fi series of the same name.<br />
<br />
Rather than deluge you with a rapid-fire reconnaissance flight take on the show, I thought I'd try something a little different and take things episode by episode.<br />
<br />
This level of detail will involve heavy spoilers for each episode. [Danger Pun Goes Here].<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
In today's episode, the cast enters the plot of Alien! Or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Tribbles">The Trouble With Tribbles</a>.<br />
<br />
- We begin with a flashback wherein Dr. Smith reveals her true nature to us by drugging her sister, assuming her identity (complete with cutting out an identity chip and re-implanting it in herself), and stealing her spot on the Resolute. This is after her sister has left her the keys to a fortune.<br />
<br />
Stone. Cold.<br />
<br />
- Back to the present. Maureen to kids: "We're lost."<br />
Kids: "How lost?"<br />
Maureen: "Oh, we're probably dead."<br />
John: "Maybe don't tell them we're gonna die?"<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith begins ingratiating herself to the Robinsons with little one on one chats.<br />
<br />
- Judy is still working through the trauma of being trapped in the ice. John tries to help, but is rebuffed.<br />
<br />
[I really like the scenes of both John and Maureen trying to connect with the kids. The actors do a great job, the themes are eminently relatable, and there's a lot of character development.]<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith watches the kids sleep. Not. Creepy. At. All. *shudder*<br />
<br />
- Will has a nightmare about the attack on the Resolute and finds Dr. Smith in the mess. She tries to get him to open up about the robot, but he's not ready to trust her yet. Smart boy, Will.<br />
<br />
- Remember when Middle Kid Penny wanted to go fast with melting through the ice? Yeah, about that...the weakened glacier has crumbled and trapped the ship.<br />
<br />
- Here it is folks: Maureen Robinson immediately has a plan. No hesitation, no wasted floundering. NOW we have something to back up the attitude from the first two episodes.<br />
<br />
-Unfortunately, the plan calls for Judy to head into an enclosed space. John privately expresses concern for Judy and he and Maureen have a spat.<br />
<br />
- Maureen discovers flecks of plastic in the 3D printer and sees the unauthorized attempt to print.<br />
<br />
- John and Judy in the flooded fuel tank. Something is in the water.<br />
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<br />
<br />
- John and Maureen have a fight about which is more dangerous, a gun or the Robot. *coughROBOTcough* More importantly, who hacked the security to print it and how?<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith is laying it on thick with Maureen when the alarm sounds. Fuel levels drop rapidly.<br />
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- Dr. Smith considers stealing the Chariot and fleeing. Dr. Smith has Spidey-Sense.<br />
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<br />
- So does the Robot, who locks Will in a supply closet with Dr. Smith...who was trying to pack a Go-Bag... Deus ex Robot has an ironic sense of humor. Worst. Escape. Ever.<br />
<br />
- John "Action Hero" Robinson is attacked by a space eel. Which he kills. With a knife. I half expected him to walk away from an explosion. Also, Space Eels? This planet is cursed!<br />
<br />
- The eels eat fuel! Fuel levels at 52%. Cue the ticking clock.<br />
<br />
- John goes eel hunting to buy time, but he needs Judy to print him a wrench because the Robot is guarding the door to the locked supply closet. Which contains the wrenches. I'd make a joke like worst demi-god ever, but then there's Orpheus.<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith realizes Will controls the Robot. They're connected.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
- Flashback. Aboard the Resolute, Dr. Smith JUST HAPPENS to run into a man her sister was having an affair with. She lets him be spaced to cover her identity theft. Are we sure she's not a demonic entity wearing a human skin?<br />
<br />
- Present: Penny fights the eels! With salt! She's seen way too many <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460681/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Supernatural</a> reruns...<br />
<br />
Maureen, meanwhile is pretty dismissive of people who didn't make the cut for Alpha Centauri.<br />
<br />
- Ice shifts. Judy is pinned by a security cabinet and begins to panic. Penny is dropped into the water with the eels. The reserve fuel tanks break open. I swear this planet took "The Robinsons" as its <a href="https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Favored_Enemy_(5e_Class_Feature)">favored enemy</a><br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith plays Yoda to her young padawan.<br />
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<br />
<br />
- John deliberately covers himself in fuel to pull the eels off Penny. Dad Level: Over 9000.<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith convinces Will to make the Robot let her out. She races to the ejection seat, but hesitates. Is she growing a vestigial conscience?<br />
<br />
- Ding! Wrench is done. It JUST HAPPENS to be the right size for Judy to free herself.<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith arrives to help Maureen finish engine repairs, but they still won't fire.<br />
<br />
- Judy wants to dump the fuel to clear the lines. John agrees and the fumes in the lines are JUST ENOUGH to break the ship free of the ice and let them make an emergency landing.<br />
<br />
- Live radio? Other survivors! Good things CAN happen.<br />
<br />
- What's that Maureen? A smile for John? And to think, all he had to do was throw himself into mortal jeopardy repeatedly for you and the kids!<br />
<br />
- Flashback. Dr. Smith/ June Harris has been caught on tape committing manslaughter. But then an alien Robot attacks...<br />
<br />
- Present. Judy and John jog silently side by side. What would normally be really boring filler is freighted with meaning by the context. Do we have an Action Heroine in the making?<br />
<br />
- The Robot printed the gun for Will. Will, apparently sharing his mother's fear of firearms, orders the Robot to "never hurt anybody, ever!".<br />
<br />
- Dr. Smith sees Will hiding the only firearm on the planet under his bed. This is an obvious genius move. Yep, nothing bad will come from this.<br />
<br />
<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-45722776871687954862018-04-24T04:50:00.004-07:002018-04-24T04:50:51.734-07:00Infinity War Giveaway!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pto3IiIW-cQ/Wt8ZgtIPQ8I/AAAAAAAAAjM/klBjEXrMZTEeee_k-WCTvxcjmQKZKgclgCLcBGAs/s1600/Infinity%2BWar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="674" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pto3IiIW-cQ/Wt8ZgtIPQ8I/AAAAAAAAAjM/klBjEXrMZTEeee_k-WCTvxcjmQKZKgclgCLcBGAs/s320/Infinity%2BWar.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<br />
The good folks at <a href="https://silverempire.org/">Silver Empire</a> are sponsoring an <a href="https://silverempire.org/giveaways/avengers-infinity-war/">incredible prize pack give away</a>!<br />
<br />
From the announcement:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">Prizes include: an original 1994 print run of <em style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;">The Infinity Gauntlet</em> limited series comicbooks in near-mint condition, Marvel Legends Series Electronically Articulated Infinity Gauntlet, your choice of Avengers character t-shirts in your size, <em style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Marvel’s The Avengers</em> in Blu-Ray or DVD (your choice), <em style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron</em> in Blu-Ray or DVD (your choice), and a $25 Fandango gift card so that you can get your own tickets for Infinity War!</span></span><span style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">The comics alone are worth the price of entry. Check out the </span><a href="https://silverempire.org/giveaways/avengers-infinity-war/" style="background-color: black; font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">link</a><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"> and throw your name in the hat!</span>Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-4248934746862205952018-04-18T21:01:00.001-07:002018-04-18T21:02:01.516-07:00Lost in A Series of Unfortunate Event- Episode 2: Diamonds in the Sky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s1600/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s320/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This time in our episode-by-episode synopsis/reviews: Han Solo and This Planet is Cursed!<br />
<br />
This level of detail will involve heavy spoilers for each episode. [Danger Pun Goes Here].<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div>
- Episode two begins with Don West, Dr. Smith, and a chicken coming to jammed in their restraints in a crashed, fractured ship hanging over a precipice. Already better than Episode 1!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Don saves everyone while flippantly tossing out one-liners. Seriously, I was iffy about <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Solo: A Star Wars Story</a> before, but now I don't even have to see it. Don West is the best Han Solo in years.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- We then shift to the Robinsons patching up the Jupiter 2 with the aid of Deus ex Robot and his space magic.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Okay, Don Solo hasn't saved everyone. Tammy is dead. So Don loots her boots. Don is obviously a veteran tabletop gamer.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S745eqhZ1ts/WtgE4YxlBKI/AAAAAAAAAhk/jwvJv_6iu0k8vjWjLNOUUboVGMDdeR7WQCLcBGAs/s1600/Roll%2Bthe%2BBodies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="960" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S745eqhZ1ts/WtgE4YxlBKI/AAAAAAAAAhk/jwvJv_6iu0k8vjWjLNOUUboVGMDdeR7WQCLcBGAs/s320/Roll%2Bthe%2BBodies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always Roll the Bodies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Judy has PTSD from her brush with death, but refuses to show it to her family, especially her somewhat estranged and stalwart father, John "Action Hero" Robinson. This is actual character development! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Dr. Smith has already read Don like a book and started building the persona that will make him help her. Dance, puppets!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- A 3D printed leg brace can compensate for two broken bones and deep surgical lacerations! It's Science! Maureen can now hector her kids with full mobility!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Middle Kid Penny sees an explosion! Maureen (heavily wounded and up to now unhelpful) wants to go on the hike to see what it is. Oh, and wants her husband to be a mouthpiece for her will.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- The colony authorized 3D printer will let you have a magic leg brace, but no firearms...because frontier settlers have no need for such things as firearms for hunting or defense. I mean, everyone dies of dysentery before you get there, anyway.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-atcRI1GKnm8/WtgHPrkhK6I/AAAAAAAAAh8/02XoNEO0IY0mOWOhScSl3MkGSdunCvFdgCLcBGAs/s1600/Dysentery.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-atcRI1GKnm8/WtgHPrkhK6I/AAAAAAAAAh8/02XoNEO0IY0mOWOhScSl3MkGSdunCvFdgCLcBGAs/s320/Dysentery.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
- And now, today's <u>Maureen Moment</u>! Maureen passive aggressively excoriates her husband for trying and failing to keep the family safe. Meanwhile, she has complete trust in her own plans (we've seen none) and actions (we've seen none) and in the total cipher that is the alien robot she has just met.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, Maureen, you silly minx! Till next time!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Don and Dr. Smith discover Angela, a wounded and unconscious crash survivor. What if there are others?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Middle Kid Penny sees Oreos!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- The explosion was the crash site of Jupiter 17. Did anyone survive?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Middle Kid Penny sees a storm! Mom, Dad, and Will are in danger. Seriously, stop looking at things! This planet is cursed!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Sister Judy and Penny fight over whether to burn through the ice slow and safe, consigning their parents and brother to mortal jeopardy, or burn through fast and possibly kill themselves. Middle Kid Penny sees the shiny buttons and makes the call: They'll go fast and then use the Chariot/Mako/Golf Cart to rescue the fam!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwPhGXpuX5k/WtgSGIqXLvI/AAAAAAAAAiw/CMouSwB3X7A0595GceZZWO1vRLRAzTMyACLcBGAs/s1600/Mako.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1400" height="222" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwPhGXpuX5k/WtgSGIqXLvI/AAAAAAAAAiw/CMouSwB3X7A0595GceZZWO1vRLRAzTMyACLcBGAs/s320/Mako.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It originally looked like this, but the colony doesn't allow guns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- The Chariot has no wheels. This planet is cursed!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- The alien ship makes a noise. Maureen immediately forsakes her daughters to chase fame and glory making discoveries. For Science! (To be fair, John does go along with this.) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Don sees an explosion, then a storm, then physically carries Unconscious Angela over his shoulders. John "Action Hero" Robinson has competition.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Epic one woman pit crew! Middle Kid Penny sees her sister frozen with PTSD, then takes off in the Chariot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Will and Robot play catch, revealing that Will is more at ease with an impassive, godlike, potentially violent alien construct than with his own father. Man, this dysfunction is depressing. Isn't this supposed to be entertainment? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Will shares the Robot's memory of the attack on the Resolute via... electroshock? I'm just gonna go with This Ship is Cursed!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Exploring inside the momentarily powered up ship, Maureen discovers they are in an unknown galaxy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Will discovers the Robot will obey his commands. Why? The Robot is Cursed!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Dr. Smith leaves Don and Angela to "go get help". This will end well. I can feel it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Diamond hail!?!? This Planet is Cursed!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Deus ex Robot does a lighthouse impression.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Middle Kid Penny's epic Golf Cart Rally makes it to her folks. Safe inside, Maureen thanks Penny for rescu...no, wait. For her quick think...nope, not that either. Ah, yes. For finishing her chores!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Priorities, Maureen!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- John Robinson pulls back into the lead for Supreme Action Hero by heading back into the storm when he sees an emergency flare. Good thing Dr. Smith went for help and left that flare for Don!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
- Dr. Smith has duped and double-crossed Don (gasp!), leaving him and Unconscious Angela stranded in a hail of diamond hard rocks. </div>
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I guess you could say that she's </div>
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Stone Cold. Yeeeeaaahhh!!</div>
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Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-48062827602846061222018-04-16T18:35:00.002-07:002018-04-16T18:35:25.594-07:00Lost In A Series of Unfortunate Events- Episode 1: Impact<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s1600/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IwslkYkqqU/WtVOu5-H0NI/AAAAAAAAAhI/rBTiL-VXtyIQj7acCryxJKzrojjWipxcgCLcBGAs/s320/lost-in-space_2400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Netflix re-imagines the legendary 60's sci-fi series of the same name. <br />
<br />
Rather than deluge you with a rapid-fire reconnaissance flight take on the show, I thought I'd try something a little different and take things episode by episode.<br />
<br />
This level of detail will involve heavy spoilers for each episode. [Danger Pun Goes Here].<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Both the original show and the remake feature a family of space colonists thrust into danger on the other side of the universe.<br />
<br />
And there the similarities end.<br />
<br />
<b>CONS</b><br />
We begin the episode with (I kid you not) a game of Go Fish in zero G. The ship is executing an emergency landing, everything is terrifying, and you don't see any of that for the first five minutes of the show. Instead, you see cards flipping through the air and snippy siblings arguing about how she knew he had drawn a nine.<br />
<br />
That's right. Action-adventure tale of one family's struggle to survive in the most hostile environment imaginable is ignored in favor of the Thing You Do to Stave Off Total Boredom in an airport terminal waiting area.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Family_Robinson_(1960_film)">Swiss Family Robinson</a> did an opening better.<br />
<br />
The action does eventually ramp up, with a series of catastrophes so improbable as to beggar belief.<br />
<br />
In this one episode:<br />
<br />
- An ASTEROID IMPACTS EARTH, destroying the weather and setting up the need to evacuate to Alpha Centauri as many people as possible.<br />
<br />
- ALIENS ATTACK the colony ship Resolute, despite never so much as being seen on 23 consecutive successful trips previous.<br />
<br />
- The alien attack ruptures the FTL drive, causing the formation of a WORMHOLE.<br />
<br />
- The wormhole JUST HAPPENS to lead to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumstellar_habitable_zone">Goldilocks planet</a>.<br />
<br />
- The escaping Jupiter 2 habitat pod (basically the Robinson's space RV) is STRUCK BY DEBRIS during an emergency landing, causing the ship to crash.<br />
<br />
- The crash causes a secured supply crate to come loose and CRUSH MAUREEN'S (Mom Robinson's) LEG.<br />
<br />
- The crash DAMAGES THE ESCAPE HATCH, so only young Will Robinson can fit through it.<br />
<br />
- The ship has landed on a glacier shelf, which BREAKS and sends the ship plummeting into FREEZING WATER.<br />
<br />
- It is so BITTERLY COLD that the small, man portable batteries for their gear WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION (despite the humans being fine in less protective gear than one would wear at Antarctica).<br />
<br />
- Judy (Oldest Sister Robinson) jumps back into the glacial lake in her space suit to retrieve an industrial battery that can withstand the storm. However, because the HATCH IS DAMAGED, she has to re-enter the ship through the garage with is much further down.<br />
<br />
- The lake FREEZES OVER and TRAPS BOTH JUDY AND THE BATTERY IN ICE. Judy has 5 hours of air left. (Ticking clock? Check.)<br />
<br />
- Will and his dad, John, leave an unconscious Maureen in the care of Middle Sister Penny and hike over the glacier to a MOUNTAINOUS SEAM OF PURE MAGNESIUM (that JUST HAPPENED to be near by AND just happened to get struck by debris and partially ignite so they could identify it). This will melt the ice over Judy.<br />
<br />
- Will falls from a COLLAPSING SHELF inside the Magnesium Mountain (of course he does), survives miraculously uninjured (of course he does), and lands at the foot of the glacier where it is warmer and he can survive alone for a short time (of course he does).<br />
<br />
- Mom Maureen wakes up, suffering from COMPARTMENT SYNDROME as a complication from her broken leg. Judy (an 18 year old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doogie_Howser,_M.D.">Doogie Howser</a>, apparently) is the ship medic and talks Penny through the emergency surgery to relieve the crushing pressure.<br />
<br />
- John returns with magnesium filings and begins to melt Judy free of the ice, when a FREAK RAIN STORM refills the hole with water which quickly refreezes.<br />
<br />
- Will wanders off despite instructions to stay put (of course he does), gets ATTACKED BY THE DAMAGED ALIEN ROBOT who JUST HAPPENED to crash nearby (of course he does), and climbs a tree to escape, only for the top half of the robot to be in that same tree (of course it is), and then the alien forest CATCHES FIRE (of course it does) preventing his retreat.<br />
<br />
- Will, in an act of irrational compassion for his robot assailant, saws the limb off with an emergency saw (basically a serrated garrote with handles) that he JUST HAPPENS to have in a pocket (of course he does).<br />
<br />
- This causes the Robot to save Will from the flames (of course it does) and return him to his family JUST IN TIME to use its Deus Ex Robotica powers to free Judy and restore access to the ship.<br />
<br />
I reiterate: One. Single. Episode.<br />
<br />
I'm exhausted just writing it out. This isn't a plot, it's a game of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiasco_(role-playing_game)">Fiasco</a>.<br />
<br />
But we're not finished! Oh no! What episode of tragic circumstances driving a family together to survive would be complete without <u>Maureen Robinson's Moment of Unearned Self-Righteous Snark!</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
Today's Maureen Moment: A disabled and serially unconscious Maureen is nothing but a burden on her family and still berates John "Action Hero" Robinson for:<br />
<br />
- Operating as though his family all passed the same emergency training he did to be cleared for the mission. Which they did.<br />
<br />
-Taking Will (the only genius available) with him to identify and instruct in the proper handling of, the magnesium for freeing their daughter from certain death.<br />
<br />
-Makes the tough call to go save the child who has less than 2 hours of air remaining rather than letting her die to rescue the kid who's alone, but fine and in radio contact.<br />
<br />
Oh, Maureen, you silly minx! Till next time!<br />
<br />
<b>Pros</b><br />
Parker Posey is June Harris, a criminal sociopath who steals the identity (and priority access) of the real Dr. Smith (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0612621/?ref_=tt_cl_t9">Bill Mummy</a>, the original Will Robinson and everyone's second favorite Minbari) in order to escape the damaged ship.<br />
<br />
Unlike the bumbling Dr. Smith from the original show, Posey is intelligent, driven, and utterly without remorse. She brings real menace to the show, giving her plot lines teeth.<br />
<br />
Molly Parker and Toby Stephens are both veteran television actors and they do a good job as the bickering Maureen and John.<br />
<br />
Even the children are decent and mostly endearing.<br />
<br />
The original music for the whole series was composed by Christopher Lennertz, who I know mostly from his great work on Mass Effect 2 and 3. It's a big, cinematic score.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Additionally, the CGI is actually pretty good for a television production.<br />
<br />
Things do seem to be getting better with successive episodes as I watch, with good characters being introduced and tensions slow building as back story is revealed in flashbacks.<br />
<br />
Next Time: A Diamond in the RoughWattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-46073358975662938372018-03-11T16:48:00.000-07:002018-03-11T16:48:41.611-07:00Marvel's Black Panther<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yhDBJvoN8Hs/WqW9XiJSvkI/AAAAAAAAAgg/1uDaJwNaDEUY9QtouiZgI7wdGlIC5oSxQCLcBGAs/s1600/Black%2BPanther%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yhDBJvoN8Hs/WqW9XiJSvkI/AAAAAAAAAgg/1uDaJwNaDEUY9QtouiZgI7wdGlIC5oSxQCLcBGAs/s400/Black%2BPanther%2BCover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
Finally got to go see this last week. Here are some thoughts on the biggest movie of 2018 (so far).<br />
<br />
[Heavy Spoilers in the Screenplay section]<br />
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<b>Expectations:</b><br />
While I'm not as familiar with Black Panther as some other Marvel properties, I thoroughly enjoyed Chadwick Boseman's performance in Captain America: Civil War. Additionally, T'Challa is a major figure in Jonathan Hickman's <a href="http://www.howtolovecomics.com/2015/04/06/jonathan-hickman-avengers-reading-guide/">excellent run on The Avengers</a> from a few years ago.<br />
<br />
The trailers looked good and I was hearing good things from people I respect, so I went in with high hopes.<br />
<br />
<b>Action:</b><br />
There is a lot going on in this movie. We have clandestine meetings, a jailbreak, ritual combat, coronations, proclamations, rebellion, car chases, a museum heist, an ambush, betrayals, and a couple near death experiences.<br />
<br />
People are shot, stabbed, choked, pummeled, and trampled by a rhinoceros. Cars crash, walls are blown open with explosives, and jets are destroyed with missile strikes. Opposing tribes attack one another with high-tech versions of traditional weaponry.<br />
<br />
Black Panther, gifted with superhuman agility and strength, leaps from a plane, hops over cars, and sends foes flying.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Music:</b><br />
Very eclectic, with traditional African chants, modern hip-hop, and haunting classical pieces. In the main, it fit the action very well.<br />
<br />
The only possible exception I noticed was during one of the scenes of the afterlife border, when T'Challa is speaking with the spirit of his father. Playing behind the scene is very beautiful cello piece which, while lovely, seemed out of place given the context.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Costuming/Visuals:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6mr_kn0Ntg/WqW9W1E8lTI/AAAAAAAAAgU/VF06fyWB4tMnco2iACYlgBa2Hk99IIAqwCEwYBhgL/s1600/BP%2BLion%2BKing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="618" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6mr_kn0Ntg/WqW9W1E8lTI/AAAAAAAAAgU/VF06fyWB4tMnco2iACYlgBa2Hk99IIAqwCEwYBhgL/s400/BP%2BLion%2BKing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be honest. You started humming the Lion King too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Speaking of beautiful, the costumes, sets, and landscape used in the film are incredibly lovely. Lush jungles, massive vistas, snow capped mountains, and mighty rivers fill the screen with natural wonder.<br />
<br />
The CGI sets add man-made awe, with massive sculptures of totem spirits carved into hillsides and futuristic takes on more traditional architecture.<br />
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<br />
Costumes contain elements from various parts of Africa, with each of the five major tribes distinct and easily recognizable, and stylish modern touches incorporated seamlessly.<br />
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<br />
This is an arresting movie, visually, and I hope any future Black Panther films take as much care with the details as was shown here.<br />
<br />
<b>Original Material:</b><br />
Stan Lee makes a cameo as a thieving gambler. I'm just not familiar enough with the property to spot much more than that.<br />
<br />
<b>Screenplay:</b><br />
The story picks up a week after the events of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/">Captain America: Civil War</a>, and follows T'Challa as he deals with the loss of his father and his ascension to the throne of Wakanda. Challenges come in the form of Ulysses Klaue (played with manic glee by a stellar Andy Serkis), an arms dealer who stole the quasi-magical metal vibranium from Wakanda, and from a challenger to the legitimacy of T'Challa's rule.<br />
<br />
Along the way, the film explores the nature of leadership, the demands of honor, the historical and present struggles against racism, tribalism, and imperialism, and family loyalty. The writers manage to be fair and deft in their ability to show both sides of an argument and to provide solid motivations for any character decisions that are made.<br />
<br />
But the film is about none of those things.<br />
<br />
Instead, it's main theme is the centrality of fathers in the lives of their sons.<br />
<br />
Throughout the film, T'Challa is faced with the fallout of decisions his father made as ruler of Wakanda. Klaue escaped justice for his crimes because his father did not prioritize his capture. Wakanda also remained isolated and secretive, even in the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2395427/">age of Ultron</a> and extinction level events like the alien invasion in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Avengers</a>.<br />
<br />
The threat to T'Challa's rule is also a direct results of his father's attempts to keep Wakanda's wealth of vibranium and the near miraculous technologies the mineral makes possible a secret.<br />
<b><br /></b>
That threat takes the form of Eric Killmonger (played with magnetic intensity by an impressive Michael B. Jordan), the abandoned son of a Wakandan prince who was sent to spy on America and was radicalized (it's implied) by the poverty and prejudice he saw there.<br />
<br />
King T'Chaka, T'Challa's father, kills his brother Prince N'Jobu for betraying Wakanda's secrets to Klaue. But the king leaves Eric in Oakland, with no father and no explanation.Eric had heard stories of Wakanda from his father and sets out to use their own power to carry out his father's mission.<br />
<br />
Killmonger is an excellent villain. He's smart, driven, and ruthless. He spends years becoming exactly what he needs to arrive in Wakanda as a conqueror.<br />
<br />
And while he announces that he is there to lead Wakanda to an age of empire, at his core, he's still that small kid wishing that his father would come back and bring a world of wonder and innocence back with him.<br />
<br />
We see this explicitly in the dream/vision Eric experiences during a ritual and again as he is dying. He speaks of his father's promise to take him to see sunsets in Wakanda, "the most beautiful sight in the world".<br />
<br />
"You believe that? A kid from Oakland runnin' around, believin' in a fairy tale."<br />
<br />
That one line contains so much: loss, longing, the power of myth, even in hard places and hardened hearts.<br />
<br />
Both T'Challa and Eric carry the weight of their father's presence and absence in their lives. The difference is that T'Challa chooses not to follow in his father's mistakes, while Eric seeks to justify his own actions by them.<br />
<br />
It's a suitably mythic showdown between equal and opposed icons.<br />
<br />
<b>Summary:</b><br />
This was a very entertaining film. T'Challa is everything you could want from a hero: noble, caring, humble in his own search for wisdom, and confident once his decision has been made. With outstanding foils in Serkis's and Jordan's villains and an excellent and relatable supporting cast, it's no wonder it's stayed on top of the movie heap for weeks. Definitely recommended.Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-55688226656826363832018-03-06T05:04:00.000-08:002018-03-06T05:04:25.036-08:00Secret Stairs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-su2EoshLwPI/WpYVsNuXgsI/AAAAAAAAAfg/__OU4LvcYBEQIXrsvp7nRHymLCeqXZfWQCLcBGAs/s1600/Secret%2BStairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-su2EoshLwPI/WpYVsNuXgsI/AAAAAAAAAfg/__OU4LvcYBEQIXrsvp7nRHymLCeqXZfWQCLcBGAs/s640/Secret%2BStairs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">There they stand, surrounded by nothing but forest, pristine as the day they were built. No sign remains of any other structure around them, no ruins of long forgotten buildings. They look... wrong. They feel wrong. Bad things happen if you get too close. Horrible things.</span><br style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">You must never, ever ever talk about them.</span><br style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Thirty-four of today's best up and coming writers provide wonderfully unique interpretations inspired by the urban legends of the Internet age. Tales range from science fiction to fantasy, horror to mystery, and one writer even penned a romance!</span></i><br style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b>But you must never tell anyone about the stairs</b></span><b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12.8px;">I am very pleased to announce that my short story, <i>The Sentinel</i>, was chosen for inclusion in this anthology. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 12.8px;">Secret Stairs will be on sale from today until March 10th for only $0.99! Get yours at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B3T2HZC">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38820902-secret-stairs">Goodreads</a>!</span></span>Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-87186973947992880932018-02-27T19:01:00.003-08:002018-02-27T19:01:26.781-08:00Netflix's Altered Carbon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UolMkOXLts/WpYaViAFQxI/AAAAAAAAAf4/Lr6U67YZH50PZzSmo9PUDIEq2-B3ZsU2QCLcBGAs/s1600/altered-carbon-logo-desktop-wallpaper-62906-64916-hd-wallpapers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UolMkOXLts/WpYaViAFQxI/AAAAAAAAAf4/Lr6U67YZH50PZzSmo9PUDIEq2-B3ZsU2QCLcBGAs/s320/altered-carbon-logo-desktop-wallpaper-62906-64916-hd-wallpapers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I watched the first episode of this show. I won't be watching any more.<br />
<br />
For the analysis, I refer you to the inimitable <a href="http://www.castaliahouse.com/altered-carbon-all-the-corruption/">Daddy Warpig</a>:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Netflix’s new Cyberpunk-Noir series (because what Cyberpunk needed was even MORE cynicism and venality), based on the 2002 book of the same name by Richard K. Morgan, is ten hours of the worst humanity has to offer. Literally. The very worst. The series is more violent, uglier, and more all-around depraved than HBO’s </span><em style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Game of Thrones</em><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Watching it leaves you feeling filthy inside, like your soul itself needs a good, hot shower."</span></span><br />
<br />
There's more at the link.<br />
<br />
Watching this first episode reminded me of a C. S. Lewis quote:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. </span><b style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.</b><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.- <i>The Weight of Glory</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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I've covered before how <a href="https://slidingpast.blogspot.com/2017/06/babylon-5-our-last-best-hope.html">hope is what's missing</a> from many of the stories of our modern day. <i>Altered Carbon</i> proves the point eloquently. </div>
Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-82197051965597389802018-02-03T20:17:00.001-08:002018-02-03T20:18:39.444-08:00Update on the Unplug and Some New PlugsTurns out I'm not dead, just really busy. The post-Christmas season has been one thing after another for me, but it seems to be calming down.<br />
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In the odd five or ten minute break, however, I have found some fun entertainment.<br />
<br />
First, Larry Correia has these <a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2018/01/19/gritty-cop-show-test-game-recap-1/">two</a> <a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2018/01/22/gritty-cop-show-test-game-episode-2/">posts</a> over at his blog about his experiments in creating a fast paced, simple table top game based on Gritty Cop Shows.<br />
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The recaps were incredibly fun (more so for me since I've actually seen Heat and am a big fan of cop procedurals and crime dramas). I so want to play this game.<br />
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Second, I stumbled across the You Tube channel for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfjaAUlTZRHJapJmCT6eyIg">Spacedock</a>. From the channel: <span style="background-color: black; color: white;">"<span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A series where we look at the specifications, history and lore of fictional spacecraft from science fiction. Any Spacecraft, any Sci-Fi."</span></span><br />
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The videos are usually short, running 5 to 10 minutes, but new videos are posted often and there are plenty of them. I've enjoyed listening to the breakdowns there, especially getting a peak at franchises I'm not as familiar with, like The Expanse.<br />
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If that weren't enough, the host of Spacedock has a longer form podcast called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOEDroJnZHzV2pHclAWUCd1k7ybFgxA3">Subspace</a> that has just begun.<br />
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Go check those out and check back here soon for some exciting news!Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-53691615935262793052017-12-26T20:48:00.000-08:002017-12-27T10:21:22.464-08:00Star Wars: The Last Jedi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fTpWSpjx8xg/WkMiVlqorjI/AAAAAAAAAe0/VjBTXV_aU-sKBBxPmmvlIDEs0-MiHtScgCLcBGAs/s1600/Last-Jedi-Landscape-Poster-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fTpWSpjx8xg/WkMiVlqorjI/AAAAAAAAAe0/VjBTXV_aU-sKBBxPmmvlIDEs0-MiHtScgCLcBGAs/s400/Last-Jedi-Landscape-Poster-.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Star Wars as a brand is either dead or getting much better, depending on who you ask about this movie. The halls of the internet echo with the clamor of battle as entrenched armies lob verbal artillery at one another.<br />
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I'm going to try to discuss both the good and the bad in the film. Obviously, this will involve spoilers so if you haven't yet seen the movie you may want to wait before reading the rest of the review.<br />
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<b>Expectations:</b><br />
I did not know what to expect when I walked into the theater. People I knew and respected were on both sides of the "Hate it / Enjoyed it" divide. The trailer looked good and I was hoping for a lot of payoff from things set up in the previous film.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Action:</b><br />
If there's one thing you can't say about the film, it's that it was light on action.<br />
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The film opens with a Star Wars style fleet battle to protect a <strike>Rebellion</strike> Resistance evacuation. There are laser blasts, space fighter dogfights, bombing runs, heroic sacrifices, and hectic droid repair work.<br />
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From there we have a jailbreak involving alien koala-horses, a mutiny and counter-mutiny, TWO lightsaber battles, a Force powered showdown with Snoke, a desperate escape from First Order custody, the utter devastation of a First Order fleet, and Luke Skywalker taking a stroll out of the wreckage of the Resistance's last redoubt to stare down a line of heavy artillery by himself.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Music:</b><br />
John Williams is a wizard and his music is magic. Anyone who doesn't know this by now hasn't been paying attention.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Costuming/Visuals:</b><br />
I think one of the things that bothers people about this movie is the fact that it looks and feels like Star Wars. This means that if you hated what was done with the franchise, it MATTERS because this isn't some tertiary side property. It's Star Wars itself.<br />
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In terms of technical acumen, the CGI is well used and the sets look like something from the previous movies and games.<br />
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Obvious call backs were made to the original films with Luke taking on not only Obi-wan's status as a hermit, but his clothing and appearance as well.<br />
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There were some odd choices. Much hay has been made over the milking of the alien sea cows. Also, the porgs just made me think tribble-penguin hybrid and I do not envy Chewie trying to rid the Millennium Falcon of their infestation.<br />
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Also off putting is Snoke's golden bathrobe outfit, which felt very out of place among the rest of the aesthetic, but it really tells you a lot of what you need to know about him instantly which is a necessity for reasons we'll get into later.<br />
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<b>Original Material:</b><br />
Seeing one of the "normal" members of the Resistance go full fangirl on Finn because of his status as a hero differed pretty heavily from the respectful deference given to the heroes in the original trilogy.<br />
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Luke uses the Force in some heretofore unseen ways, which some people didn't like. There's nothing inherently against cannon for a Force user to communicate across great distances like that. In fact, it is an expansion of how Luke senses Leia and Han and Vader at Cloud City whilst on Dagobah.<br />
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<b>Screenplay:</b><br />
Rather than rehash the entire plot, I will endeavor to give my take on highlights and lowlights in the film.<br />
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<i>The Good</i><br />
-Poe Dameron gets to be the hotshot pilot. He takes on active defenses and a TIE fighter squadron nearly single handedly and earns his reputation as one the best pilots in the Resistance.<br />
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-Snoke speaks out loud all the objections people had to Kylo losing a fight to an untrained girl who had never before held a lightsaber. This actually addresses a legitimate fan complaint from the first film.<br />
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-Snoke also shows up as a true villain. He backhands Kylo in a calculated display of power, plays on Kylo's emotions in a display of ruthless intellect, curb stomps Rey, and leads the First Order to within a hair of wiping out the Resistance. I was worried he would still be a giant floating head, but Andy Serkis got another power role to play with.<br />
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-Rey LOSES something in this film. I say that it's good only because it will ultimately be good for her character. Now she has setbacks to overcome. Now she is not infallible. It humanizes her and gives viewers something to come back for in the next film.<br />
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-Finn got to have closure to his antagonism with Phasma in a fairly cool looking, if generic, fight. There is actual growth to his character in multiple scenes including this one. Definitely a step in the right direction.<br />
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-Kylo and Rey fighting back to back was a great scene. It was made all the better by the fight choreography which shows Kylo using skill and training to take on three opponents at once while Rey is more or less flailing about with speed and quick thinking. They're both necessary to victory, but it helped cement her dearth of knowledge.<br />
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-Luke Skywalker uses the Force to project himself across the galaxy, where he delays Kylo Ren and the First Order to give the Resistance survivors a chance at escape. It is at the same time noble, proactive, and COOL.<br />
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-Luke dying while gazing at the double suns setting. The circle is now complete.<br />
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<i>The Bad</i><br />
-Poe deserved a demotion for ignoring orders and placing his unit in unnecessary jeopardy. However, he did not deserve to be slapped and reprimanded publicly (undermining his position with his subordinates and peers) over completing an authorized objective AND he should have been reminded of Leia's ability and planning. This would have established more trust for what came later and loaded Chekov's Gun for the audience.<br />
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-Luke's character arc up until the last few minutes of the film. I just don't think the director and writers get him as a character. He is one of the most proactive characters in the original trilogy. Even seasoned by age and wisdom, he wouldn't do NOTHING while his sister, brother-in-law, and friends continue to fight for their lives. At least, he wouldn't do that for the reasons we're given.<br />
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Here's my opinion on the writers' reasons for it: they needed him out of the way. This makes sense. He's shown to be one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy. If he's there, he can challenge Snoke and/or Kylo by himself. It leaves most characters with nothing to do.<br />
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But it should have been better handled. Maybe he was injured during Ben's betrayal at the temple. Maybe he was being hunted by Kylo and the turned students and had to shut himself off from the Froce and hide just to keep from being killed while he healed.<br />
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Just give us a good reason for him to lay low. I mean, even if he did want the Jedi disbanded (which is understandable given what he could rightly see as it's failure) he still left his sister to face the First Order and her own turn coat son alone? Throwing away his fathers' lightsaber and with it all the history and questions that Rey holding it brings up? That is not the character we've seen in Luke before.<br />
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-Unanswered questions. Who is Snoke? How did he come to power? How did he turn Kylo? How did Luke know about the ancient Jedi temple in the back end of nowhere? If the First Order knows Finn is alive and working with the Resistance, why haven't they changed the lock codes and installed extra security measures to counteract whatever intelligence he's given to the Rebels? How did a wimp like General Hux gain command of First Order forces? Who is Maz Kanata and why would did she have Luke's lightsaber?<br />
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I know some of these are answered in the books. Here's my problem with that: if the movie can't tell me the complete story, then the story isn't complete and needs to be reworked. You cannot count on fans of movies to also read books, watch TV shows, or play games to get answers to their questions. Some questions don't matter too much, but some, like how Snoke corrupted Kylo, are integral to the plot. Especially if that turning is what makes Luke act like he does.<br />
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-Vice Admiral Holdo could have avoided a whole subplot by taking her hot-shot pilot (that both she and Leia seem to be grooming for a future leadership role) aside and giving him a reason to trust her. I'm not saying Poe's mutiny is right, but at the point he's got a blaster at her head seems like a good time to take the wind out of his self-righteousness with a bit of information that would be difficult for the enemy to use in time.<br />
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Also, no mention of any suspected traitor despite the ability to track through lightspeed being "impossible". Why not use Poe's actions to sift out a traitor?<br />
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-Rose denying Finn's heroic sacrifice. This one did irk me. I understand her reason for saving him. She's fallen for him during their escapades. Sure, makes sense.<br />
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But you just hideously injured yourself and Finn, foiled the whole REASON for the attack in the skiffs (to bring down the big cannon to buy the Rebels time), and left the people you say you are trying to protect to die. That's right, as far as she knows, no help is coming. She's saved Finn for about thirty minutes at the expense of everyone else.<br />
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FAR better would have been to bump him out of the way and take the cannon out herself. Heroism on the small and big scales at the same time and it would give Finn a loss to overcome himself in the next film.<br />
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-Why should the Jedi be disbanded? Luke's decision seems very emotionally based, not rationally or philosophically. It seems like he's got nothing against Force users in general (since he'll train Rey enough to not hurt herself), but he is obviously against unmitigated use of the Dark Side. He reveres the Jedi texts enough that he can't bring himself to burn them. Even if he no longer agrees with their philosophy or religion, those writings are priceless works of art. He should be teaching people what's wrong with them (which seems to boil down to "too enmeshed in Republic politics"), not erasing them from history.<br />
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Force users will continue to be born. Someone will train them. Did he want their only alternative to be Kylo Ren? Seems like a Zoroastrian style worldview needs the Light Side teacher there as well.<br />
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This question was just not answered very well.<br />
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<i>The Pointless</i><br />
-Finn and Rose's whole escapade on the casino planet. It was a way to give Finn something to do that is important enough to mess up Holdo's secret plan, but you could have accomplished the same thing with a traitor aboard the Resistance ship for them to track down or by making them have to Macguyver access to the tracking system aboard the First Order ship. (Mechanic twin powers, activate!) It ends up being a lot of filler with a lot of the CGI budget and a big waste of a Benicio Del Toro cameo on an anti-arms dealing rant.<br />
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-Maz's cameo. Mostly for the same reasons above. There's no need for her in the film that isn't contractual obligation.<br />
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-Luke's "Day in the Life of a Jedi Hermit" montage. Do we really need to see the milking? It's not a test of Rey's commitment, doesn't tell us anything about Luke's reasons or mindset for not joining the fight, nothing. Rey's line about seeing his daily routine could have been used for shorthand and that's that.<br />
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-Yoda showing up to rehash Luke's arguments for and against the Jedi. Luke is a Master Jedi himself. Yoda even says pupils are supposed to grow beyond their mentors. There's no reason for Yoda to have to show up and put him straight. He should choose that himself.<br />
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<b>Summary:</b><br />
This is quality production with the look and feel of Star Wars and some excellent space opera action. It suffers in that too much time is spent on non-essentials, leaving it feeling bloated. Add in the character motivation missteps and it loses a bit of it's shine, but I think the general direction for the character arcs is positive.<br />
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All in all, I don't think the film deserves the excoriating it is receiving in some quarters. Is it a perfect Star Wars story? No. But it is an enjoyable, big budget popcorn flick with a heart.<br />
<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-71196553308722295752017-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:002017-12-22T05:00:32.787-08:00Dreamwork's Trollhunters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDJf8UWvNMg/Wjh5SMjBDKI/AAAAAAAAAeU/lRCLPJgeJN0xqF_v4MqZiMz-2IYUrlK1gCLcBGAs/s1600/Trollhunters%2Blogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDJf8UWvNMg/Wjh5SMjBDKI/AAAAAAAAAeU/lRCLPJgeJN0xqF_v4MqZiMz-2IYUrlK1gCLcBGAs/s400/Trollhunters%2Blogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Frequent readers of the blog will know that I enjoy shows that hit the sweet spot where kids and adults can both enjoy them. Animated or not, if they give me a good, fun story of Good vs Evil with character development and interesting visuals, I'm in.<br />
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Dreamworks and Netflix have hit one out of the park with Trollhunters.<br />
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<b>Plot Summary</b>:<br />
High schooler Jim Lake is chosen as the first human Trollhunter, a protector endowed with magical might to defend the peaceful residents of both the human and Troll worlds from the evil armies of the banished Gunmar. Now Jim must balance the needs of both worlds and grow to become the champion he is called to be.<br />
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<b>Costumes and Visuals</b>:<br />
With character designs by Guillermo del Toro, well, I don't have to say much more, do I?<br />
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Like Dreamwork's Voltron reboot, the show uses color and character design to convey the obvious light vs dark motif. Trolls vary in shape, size, and personality and there were meticulous choices made to differentiate them from one another.<br />
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In addition, the Troll society is odd, silly, intriguing, and wondrous. The first scenes depicting Hearthstone Trollmarket (the major safe haven for Trolls) is beautiful. Touches like having Gnomes be "pesky vermin" were weird but funny and endearing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-muf0ml00Jys/Wjh5R3MjFwI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/c4xin85EnNM7fkkqrcSup-1SqTdtYwtsQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Gnome%2BChomsky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="864" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-muf0ml00Jys/Wjh5R3MjFwI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/c4xin85EnNM7fkkqrcSup-1SqTdtYwtsQCEwYBhgL/s320/Gnome%2BChomsky.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't Touch His Hat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Human society is a little more staid, but the show is bright and visually appealing throughout.<br />
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<b>Acting:</b><br />
There is some serious talent on display in the voice acting for this show.<br />
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Kelsey Grammer as Blinkus Galadrigal: Grammer steals the show as the mentor/father figure of Blinky. His delivery is perfect, whether wise advice or comedic jump shot.<br />
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Anton Yelchin as Jim Lake, Jr. : The sadly departed Yelchin delivers a solid performance with good range to it. I hope that whoever fills his shoes as the show continues can do as well.<br />
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You'll also find the voice talents of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851317/?ref_=tt_cl_t5">Fred Tatasticore</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0919798/?ref_=tt_cl_t14">Frank Welker</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000579/?ref_=tt_cl_t15">Ron Perlman</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0404993/?ref_=tt_cl_t7">Jonathan Hyde</a>, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001855/?ref_=tt_cl_t13">Thomas F. Wilson</a>.<br />
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That's right: Frasier, Lt. Chekov, the animated Hulk, Optimus Prime, Hellboy, and Biff (from Back to the Future) are in this show.<br />
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<b>Writing:</b><br />
There is just so much good to talk about, I'm uncertain where to begin.<br />
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First, there is actual character development for both heroes AND villains. Jim in particular doesn't just learn how to fight Gunmar's forces. He comes into his own as a young man. He has purpose and responsibility and he takes both of those seriously. In so doing, he eventually brings his Troll detractors (more than a little skeptical of a human protector) around as allies and friends.<br />
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Second, the show treats the threats seriously without being gory or gross. This is part of what makes the show enjoyable for whole families.<br />
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Third, the writers slowly ramp up the stakes and make them more personal. Complications abound and the plot is not so simple it can be solved in a single episode. Again, they successfully walk the tightrope between "too kiddy" and "for grown-ups only".<br />
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Fourth, despite the high school kids getting most of the attention, the grown ups in the show are (with a few exceptions there for comedic relief) genuinely interested in their charges well being and are not simply wallets with legs, providing for some of the complications mentioned earlier.<br />
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Fifth, and lastly, the show is genuinely funny when it wants to be, with good dialogue and use of subtext. (Yes, a "kids" show will introduce them to subtext if you help them connect the dots. Almost as if the writers aren't talking down to the audience...)<br />
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There is some crude potty humor at times, but I can put up with that for the sake of an engaging and entertaining plot with complete characters and good dialogue.<br />
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<b>Action:</b><br />
We have car chases, fights with bullies, sword fights, arena combat, magic curses, vandal gnomes, a forbidden house party, Romeo and Juliet, kidnapped baby brothers, a horde of rampaging goblins, and super fast travel by light speed roller coaster.<br />
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Fight scenes are many, well choreographed, and different in each environment.<br />
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There are mysteries to be unraveled, quests to fulfill, and people to rescue.<br />
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Did I mention airborne fight with the pterodactyl in a lightning storm?<br />
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<b>Summary:</b><br />
If you haven't seen this show on Netflix, go check it out. If you've got older elementary school aged kids who enjoy fantasy action or superheroes (or if you're in touch with your own inner 8 year old) you'll have a blast watching this show together.Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-38709788513055151622017-12-18T18:25:00.000-08:002017-12-18T18:25:04.959-08:00Reading List: Vigil by Russell Newquist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I was honored to receive an Advance Review Copy of Russell Newquist's newest book, <i>Vigil</i>.<br />
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I was pretty excited for this one. I greatly enjoyed his debut novel, <i><a href="https://slidingpast.blogspot.com/2017/08/reading-list-war-demons-by-russell.html">War Demons</a></i>, earlier this year, so my expectations were high.<br />
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I mean, how do you top spec ops, demons, car chases, a warlock, and a dragon vs helicopter fight?<br />
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Mr. Newquist's answer is to give you a modern day paladin who must take on said dragon by himself, on the dragon's home turf, and throw in a hostage and a time limit.<br />
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<i>Vigil</i> is superior to <i>War Demons </i> in several ways. Mr. Newquist keeps the frenetic pacing and high octane action from the first book, but ups his game when it comes to the dialogue and the characterization. The plot was tighter and if the scale is smaller the stakes feel more personal and thus the payoff more rewarding.<br />
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Mr. Newquist continues to improve his craft while losing none of the things that made his debut novel enjoyable. I highly recommend <i>Vigil</i> to fans of urban fantasy and am looking forward to more stories in this world.<br />
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You can purchase your copy on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vigil-Fantasy-Thriller-Russell-Newquist-ebook/dp/B0789KZ8VJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513630092&sr=8-1&keywords=russell+newquist+vigil">Amazon</a>.<br />
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You can keep up with Mr. Newquist on his <a href="http://russellnewquist.com/">blog</a>.Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-29274593426763085632017-12-04T18:40:00.003-08:002017-12-05T07:23:38.890-08:00Marvel's Punisher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KrtlfJM7bsA/WiYGNaty35I/AAAAAAAAAdk/72GaxhkNrz0f3yRPf8txVDDYBO9_7rZ3wCLcBGAs/s1600/Punisher%2BLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="341" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KrtlfJM7bsA/WiYGNaty35I/AAAAAAAAAdk/72GaxhkNrz0f3yRPf8txVDDYBO9_7rZ3wCLcBGAs/s400/Punisher%2BLogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
One of Marvel's best known anti-heroes hit the small screen with a bang in Season 2 of Daredevil.<br />
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Now that Frank Castle has finished his <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071402/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Death Wish</a></i> To Do List, what's in store for the one man assault team?<br />
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Spoilers ahead.<br />
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<b>Opening Sequence</b>:<br />
Interesting visual with the liquid, paint-like quality and the high contrast black and white. The music running through is alright, though I expected something a little more heavy metal than they chose.<br />
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<b>Themes:</b><br />
The Punisher is a tale about taking personal responsibility for your choices and their consequences. Frank cuts through the shields those powerful, wealthy, or connected enough have against the consequences of their actions. He is karma, personified.<br />
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He's also haunted by the thought that the things he did as a soldier put his family in harm's way.<br />
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Other characters struggle with the fallout of their choices, whether Micro having to watch the toll his "death" has taken on his family, Madani dealing with the death of her partner during a sting she lead, or Curtis fighting to hold onto his sense of worth and help other veterans do the same.<br />
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Contrasting all this is Lewis, who labels everyone who disagrees with him an enemy and refuses to own up to his mistakes.<br />
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<b>Acting:</b><br />
There's no <i>bad</i> acting here, as we've come to expect from a Marvel/Netflix production. But there wasn't much range required for most of the actors.<br />
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Joe Bernthal's Frank Castle is mostly monosyllabic and either sad or enraged at any given point in the show. We do see glimpses of a much more normal and nuanced Castle in flashback sequences.<br />
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The highlights of the show, in my opinion, were Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jamie Ray Newman as David "Micro" Lieberman and his wife, Sarah.<br />
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Ebon in particular vacillates from confident, even cocky, in his initial meetings with Frank to tortured to jealous to relieved and back again.<br />
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<b>Writing:</b><br />
There are several things that the writers of the show <i>didn't</i> do that I want to highlight.<br />
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First, they did not excuse Frank entirely for actions. The Punisher, comeuppance incarnate that he is, is portrayed as a necessary evil, not a role model. In fact, his attempts at being one evaporate immediately when his identity is revealed to those looking up to him. The consequences of Frank's choices, to him and those he cares for, beg the question "When does it stop being worth it?"<br />
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Second, the writers did not make Agent Madani a Mary Sue. I was very concerned about the direction of her character in the first episode. But the writers (through the characters of Sam Stein and Rafi, mostly) manage to humanize her into a competent, driven agent instead of a demi-goddess.<br />
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Lastly, they avoided the temptation to make everyone involved in law enforcement incompetent or evil.<br />
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Kudos to the writing team for all three of those decisions.<br />
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Additionally, the writers for the show understand their characters. Motivations make sense and everyone acts in concert with those motivations. This one thing places The Punisher well over <a href="https://slidingpast.blogspot.com/2017/06/marvels-iron-fist.html">Iron Fist</a> and ahead of most of the <a href="https://slidingpast.blogspot.com/2017/06/batman-vs-superman.html">DC films</a> to date.<br />
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Sadly, not all writing decisions can be placed in the "Win" column.<br />
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Let's start with Madani and Castle having a "joust" in their muscle cars.<br />
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Why on earth is that scene in there?<br />
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It makes no sense and even if it did, Madani is driving a classic <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/thepunisher/comments/7dzynh/what_car_did_dinah_madani_drive_in_episode_04/">1969 Mustang Mach 1</a> . Frank is driving the modern version. Hers wins that particular game of chicken by virtue of being made of steel rather than plastic.<br />
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Speaking of things that have no need to be there, let's talk about Lewis. Lewis is, as discussed above, a counterpoint to Frank on the responsibility axis. You know who else rationalizes his choices? The actual bad guy.<br />
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Lewis isn't really an antagonist; he's a plot device. But because of that his character arc goes nowhere. He doesn't change, doesn't seek help, and he contributes almost nothing to the story. He is there to set Frank up as a terrorist (because, y'know, the head of Covert Operations for the CIA couldn't have arranged that without help...) and provide the catalyst for the confrontation at the hotel.<br />
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Nothing he does before that matters, but he eats a huge amount of screen time.<br />
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Then there's Donny Chavez, the idiot kid who's sole purpose is to get in trouble in the first episode so Frank has to bail him out by killing a building full of mobsters.<br />
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Honestly, almost the entire episode could have been cut. Show him hammering his way through his anger at the construction site, then have Micro call him at the diner. How did he find Frank? Who cares! He's the flippin' Wizard!<br />
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And now, at last, we come to Madani and Russo.<br />
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I buy their relationship. I buy both characters' reasoning for it. Do we really need three separate scenes of them in bed together, let alone her wearing bandages and bruises from her car crash? Seems like a cracked rib would put a damper on things for a bit.<br />
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Seriously, they have two moments of anything close to intimacy that matters: when he's washing her partner's blood off her in the bath and the moment she realizes he's the bad guy.<br />
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The latter of those two scenes is one of the dumbest reveals I've ever seen. He basically confesses rather than just SHOOTING FRANK AGAIN. I am really tired of here-to-fore smart villains suddenly becoming incompetent because "Plot!"<br />
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Let Madani find a version of the Assassin's Blade in his office or something and put two and two together. Bonus if he doesn't realize she knows and you get the tension of double cat-and-mouse games between them.<br />
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Speaking of tension...<br />
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<b>Action:</b><br />
It's the missing ingredient in the action of the show.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. The writers get The Punisher. They know fans are there to watch Frank take the bad guys apart with superior firepower and a dogged refusal to lay down and die. And they deliver.<br />
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The violence is graphic and nearly ubiquitous. People are shot with bullets (and arrows), stabbed, blown up, pummeled with a sledgehammer, fall prey to home-made traps, and beaten with fists and feet. Frank hits a cop with a thrown brick and slams another repeatedly with a car door as part of an escape attempt.<br />
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Wartime violence is on display in multiple flashbacks. Several people are tortured. One character is knocked out with a poisoned needle. One has his head slammed against a mirror and his face shoved into the resulting glass fragments.<br />
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In all of this, the outcome is certain. Of course Frank is going to walk away. The question is, how will he do it and what will it cost him to do so?<br />
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Here the writers and choreographers let us down. The camera work is very competent, but not interesting. The deaths are mostly to gunfire or a quick stab. Some are snapped necks. We don't get much in the way of Batman-like ambush tactics, just FPS style run-and-gun.<br />
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Because there are so many deaths in this show, the viewer just gets numb to it all and it loses shock value. So the writers keep making them more grisly.<br />
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Additionally, Castle nearly dies four or five times, collapsing from his injuries only to hobble away, patch himself up (miraculously, but it is a comic book property), and head back out to do it again. By the last time, it's robbed his injuries of any tension.<br />
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Not only that, but one scene is so ridiculous the show ventures into self parody for a moment. I refer, of course, to Curtis being beaten unconscious with his own prosthetic leg. I couldn't tell if they meant for us to be horrified or to snicker like eleven-year-olds who've overheard a naughty joke.<br />
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All these things cause the tension to bleed out of the on screen fights, especially when interspersed with the slower, soap-opera moments of drama.<br />
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<b>Summary:</b><br />
I'm not the biggest Punisher fan out there. He works best as deuteragonist or erstwhile antagonist for a more main stream hero from the comics. That was part of the reason he worked so well in Daredevil.<br />
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Here, the writers aren't entirely sure what to do with him. As a result, the show slips on the blood and the bumpy plot and falls down for a while.<br />
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<br />Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594078203449817420.post-36493038920239935092017-11-13T20:53:00.001-08:002017-11-13T20:53:08.680-08:00Paragons is Really Good!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4g79CddPouo/Wgp2pDhrmmI/AAAAAAAAAdI/TvAIiGU-0Wkb0KpvYzRsT3H_CORYKtMsgCLcBGAs/s1600/Paragons%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1058" height="176" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4g79CddPouo/Wgp2pDhrmmI/AAAAAAAAAdI/TvAIiGU-0Wkb0KpvYzRsT3H_CORYKtMsgCLcBGAs/s320/Paragons%2BCover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I finished reading my copy last week and there are some excellent stories in this anthology!<br />
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<i>Nightstick</i> by <a href="https://www.benjamincheah.com/">Kai Wai Cheah</a> is wall to wall action-thriller. It is begging to be put to film. Any fan of Jason Borrne, Taken, or Batman is going to love it.<br />
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<i>Someone is Aiming for You</i> by <a href="http://wastelandandsky.blogspot.ca/">JD Cowan</a> is an ode to The Shadow. The mysterious Seeker brings evildoers face to face with their secrets. Great action with some horror elements thrown in.<br />
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<i>Blackout</i> by <a href="http://morgonnewquist.com/">Morgon Newquist</a> is Justice League style heroic action with ::GASP:: an intelligent villain! Fun story and a most intriguing set-up for future stories.<br />
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All three stories do a great job with world building and fans of comic book action will be left wanting more. I know I was.<br />
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You can find these stories and more for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076XZ9QW2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=rusnewsblo-20&linkId=8adb8620b5a53ea64a5891b35babb8f1">less than $3 on Amazon.</a>Wattsbothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06563847550413791621noreply@blogger.com0