Category Random Thoughts

Star Wars…Nothing But Star Wars…

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This is posting the day after a terrific weekend that started with Free Comic Book Day 2014 and ended with Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you).

The very first movie I ever saw in the theaters was Star Wars (back then it was not referred to as Episode IV: A New Hope). This movie left an indelible impression on my life that has stuck with me for many years. It was fun, exciting, well written, and something very new that paved the way for all science fiction movies to come.

I will give just a brief opinion without spoilers (not sure if there is anyone left who has not watched these movies or at least knows all the details about them) of all six movies starting with the original trilogy.

Episode IV: A New Hope – Simply WOW. As a little kid my parents figured this movie kind of “flew” over me since I did not react much to our first viewing. When we went to see it a second time I was giving a scene by scene replay of the majority of the movie before anything even occurred on the screen. This movie impacted a lot of ’70’s/’80’s kids in a positive way and I was no exception. I actually feel this movie led to my eventual love of Star Trek since it really opened my eyes to the excitement of science fiction.

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – For most original trilogy fans this is the best in the series and I can see why. It really delved in to the background of this universe and gave us some very shocking and impactful moments. From beginning to end it was exciting and getting to meet Yoda and Lando Calrissian was the icing on the cake.

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – This was my absolute favorite of the 3 original movies and one of my favorite movies period. It was exciting from start to finish and I do not find the Ewoks annoying at all. It had a great ending that really wrapped up the storyline and was a very fitting conclusion in my opinion.

One brief aside…the above opinions are based on the original, un-bastardized versions of the movies. The repeated Special Editions were unnecessary and blasphemous in my not-so-humble opinion. Especially when they added in a Force-Ghost version of Hayden Christensen to ROTJ.

Which leads me too (drum roll please)…the recent trilogy.

Hmmm…I was very excited when these movies were announced, but overall disappointed. And no, it is not because of some wistful look back at when I was a child (I feel the two recent Star Trek remakes are terrific), it is because they are not as good as the original movies.

Episode I: The Phantom Menace – I was so excited to see this. I just knew it was going to be great. Oh well, that is what I get for blind faith. The extreme CGI took out the organic feeling of Star Wars that made it so appealing. The acting was overall wooden. Jar Jar Binks was just plain stupid. Jake Lloyd’s Anakin Skywalker was an embarrasment and almost destroyed Darth Vader’s mythos. That kid is the worst child actor in history and should be shunned for all time. I liked Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn, but thought the character was wasted. Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi was so-so, but that will change in the next movie. Ray Park’s Darth Maul was the best thing in that movie, but still felt wasted. Not a good start to modern Star Wars movies.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones – Better than the first, but still not as good as any of the originals. Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Queen Amidala got increasingly better in these movies, but was overall wooden. For such a good actress she did not really seem to give any effort in this trilogy. Hayden Christensen as an older Anakin is better than Lloyd, but still made the future Darth Vader look like a pansy. McGregor really owned the character of Obi-Wan in this movie. He really seemed to understand the character better and did a great job. I enjoyed learning more about the future Boba Fett and how the Stormtroopers came to be. Overall, it was better than Episode I, but still not worthy of the Star Wars name.

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – The best of the new trilogy by far. Christensen was much more convincing in his role. Obi-Wan got to kick some serious butt and we got to witness some key Star Wars lore that was hinted at in the original trilogy. If the effort that was put in to this film was put in to the previous two, we could have gotten a trilogy that may have rivaled the original films, but that was not meant to be.

I for one cannot wait for Episode VII. I feel that J.J. Abrams will do an excellent job with the franchise and make us forget about Episodes I-III. If he does not, he should be banned from making movies ever again.

The Digital Revolution

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I have been a comic book reader since I was in grade school. I remember watching the G.I. Joe cartoon and playing with the toys daily when I saw at a local convenience store a G.I. Joe comic on a spinner rack.

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I asked my Dad if I could buy it and he agreed. I read it on the way home and I was officially hooked. My parents got me an annual subscription to G.I. Joe, The Uncanny X-Men, and X-Factor. I started regularly going to the comic book store and buying anything that looked fun to me…Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, you name it I would buy a copy. I went through a brief period of disinterest and got back into the world of 4 colors around my junior year of high school and never looked back. I am nearing the big 4-0 and enjoy taking my family to annual comic book conventions. Usually, that is the only time I find myself purchasing graphic novels during the year since we do not have a nearby comic store of good quality. I find myself buying graphic novel collections at the conventions and no matter how many I get my hands on they are usually read within a week after the con and I would not find myself reading another comic until a year later at the next convention.

Things changed a little over 2 years ago when I purchased an iPad 2. I discovered two things that changed my purchasing method…I could subscribe to magazines and read them on their corresponding apps through my iPad and I could purchase comic books through Comixology and do practically the same thing. As an adult, carrying a comic book to work to read during my lunch break can be a bit mock-worthy, but having several downloaded on my iPad was unnoticeable. I returned to reading single issues because of the ability to buy them through the app and the simple convenience of it all. Late last year I saw that Marvel comics had an unlimited subscription where you could either pay an annual fee or a monthly one and have access to thousands of Marvel comics at any time through an internet connection. I went with the monthly fee at $9.99 (annual is $69) a few months ago to check it out and so far it has been a blast. I have truly enjoyed catching up with 1960’s/70’s Iron Man issues, reading all of the modern Incredible Hulk’s from the 2000’s, and taking in various mini-series set in the Marvel Universe. The app works great and you can download up to 12 comic books at a time for offline reading.

I know there are people who will always prefer a physical copy in their hands, but for me digital versions are just plain convenient. I only have so much room in my house, so doing most of my reading on electronic devices is a great way to enjoy one of my favorite past times in a convenient manner. One device can store my magazines, comic books, and novels and I can switch back and forth between them with my finger. Digital is the future and the future is now.

Check out Marvel or Comixology and give it a try.

 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

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G.I. Joe is a brand that I am quite familiar with having played with the 3 3/4 inch toys, watching the cartoon, and reading the comic books as a kid. After Star Wars, G.I. Joe was next on my list of favorites in grade school.

When they came out with the first live action movie a few years back I was excited to see it. It was okay…not as fun as I hoped it would be, but there were some things I enjoyed like the portrayals of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, my two favorite characters from the property. Then they announced a sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, followed by the casting of The Rock Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock. Now I was getting hopeful for a much better second movie since I am a big wrestling fan and really feel that The Rock has made an excellent transition to movie making. I did not see this movie until very recently through Amazon Prime and was very pleased with what I saw.

I had heard about the beginning featuring the death of the majority of the Joes except for Roadblock, Snake Eyes, Flint, and Lady Jaye. I was still a bit surprised by the scene though. Channing Tatum’s Duke was fairly popular and killing him off seemed like an odd choice, but it worked out since the leads really came off well. The Rock was his typical fun, badass self who always seems to have a way of making the audience root for him right off the bat. Ray Park as Snake Eyes and Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow were simply awesome and Adrianne Palecki was an effective Jaye. The only one that seemed a little off from the way the character was portrayed in the comic books/cartoon was D.J. Cotrona as Flint. Flint was always one of the leaders of G.I. Joe and in the film version he came off as an unsure of himself subordinate. Of course, the plan could be for him to build up to being a leader in the next movie which would work, but it still was a little strange to see the character portrayed the way he was in this movie. Also worth mentioning is Bruce Willis as Joe himself. He was typical Bruce which worked great for the role.

What pleased me the most in this movie was the portrayal of Cobra Commander. In the first movie he came off as a non threatening, weenie of a future commander. In the cartoon his voice was so over the top it would become annoying at times. In Retaliation he was a much more menacing figure and really seemed like the type of character that could take over the world. The other character on the Cobra side that was a ton of fun was Ray Stevenson’s Firefly. You could tell he was having a blast being the bad guy and it made for a very enjoyable character.

Overall, this was a fun, solid film that did not disappoint. It was much better than it’s predecessor and made me look forward to a possible third film.

This type of movie is not supposed to be an Academy Award winner. It is not supposed to be critically acclaimed. It’s only goal is to provide the movie audience with a way to escape from their hectic days and just have some good old fashioned fun.

It is streaming on both Amazon Prime and Netflix and is well worth a couple hours of your time.

A Slight Change

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Just a quick post today. I decided to turn my blog into an actual website and when I went to register thegeekinitiative.com I discovered someone was already using that domain. Slight bummer since my wife came up with that name a couple of years ago and it was perfect.

After a couple of weeks trying to come up with another title she came up with The Geek Registry, which I loved as well, so this time I secured the domain name thegeekregistry.com immediately and here we are.

My hope is to continue to become a better writer and develop this website/blog into more than just a hobby.

I appreciate all comments, good or bad, because I truly want to improve my skills and over time develop this in to something big.

Thanks for reading!

Role Models

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One of my favorite comedies is Role Models starring Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott. When I am having a not-so-good day and just want to laugh, this is one of a handful of movies I throw in to my blu-ray player.

Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott play energy drink salesman who have to perform community service when after a school rally, Danny (Rudd) gets into an argument with a tow truck driver who is taking away his company truck for parking in a restricted zone. He winds up running over a security guard and crashing his truck in to a statue and unfortunately, Wheeler (Scott) is with him when this all happens. Danny is going through a bit of a mental break down when he realizes his life is going nowhere in his current job and his relationship with his girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) starts going south after the truck crashing incident. Danny and Wheeler perform their community service at a big-brother style center called Sturdy Wings (led by a hilarious Jane Lynch) which is their sentencing judges favorite charity. This is where the real humor begins.

Danny is partnered with Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who is a LARP loving, shy teenager and Wheeler works with Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson) who is a hilariously fouled-mouthed little kid with a major attitude. As can be expected, things do not start off well for either Danny or Wheeler, but over the course of the movie they become close with Augie and Ronnie and as can be expected, everything works out in the end.

Without spoiling anything for someone who has not seen this movie, it ends uproariously with a fantastic homage to Kiss at the end.

I have only seen the unrated version so I cannot speak on the difference in content between this version and the theatrical one, but there is quite a bit of sexual innuendo and vulgarities which might offend some people.

If you want some non thought-provoking humor that will keep you laughing throughout the movie then this is a great pick.

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South Park: The Stick of Truth

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One of my new favorite games is South Park: The Stick of Truth. This game is a must buy if you are a fan of South Park or just a fan of ridiculous, over the top humorous RPG style gaming.

The game starts off like most RPG’s with you creating your own South Park character to represent you in the game. Just this small part is laden with humor that will have you laughing from the get go (just an FYI, do not spend too much time trying to come up with your character’s name…you will see why). From this point forward you are now in a long episode of South Park. The graphics are spot on and really give you that feeling of playing around in an episode.

I am only a little over half way through the game and it does not disappoint. There are many inside jokes that may get lost on the non fan, but overall it is still that same crude, socially/politically biting humor everyone has come to expect. The game play is fast paced and even though there is a story line to progress through, you can still spend some serious time just walking around and trying to find all the easter eggs you can.

This game is definitely one that must be added to any gamer and/or South Park fan’s collection.

Pacific Rim

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Pacific Rim is one of the most fun movies that has come out in a while. I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro and when he first announced he was working on a Kaiju movie I was very excited by the possibilities. He is one of the most talented filmmakers today and I knew he would not disappoint. I did not get to see this movie in the theaters but watching it on blu ray was worth the wait. The movie looked perfect in HD and the sound was intense.

The Jaeger were impressive and came off very realistic as did the Kaiju. You truly got a sense that these monsters and robots were all real and beating the living daylights out of each other while destroying everything in their path.

Overall, the performances were good with Idris Elba and Ron Perlman standing out. Idris Elba is great in every role he plays and he really seems to take every part seriously no matter how silly the subject may seem. Because of that he always stands out and makes every movie he is in that much better. Ron Perlman is simply an iconic genre actor and he never disappoints no matter the role.

I sincerely hope we get a sequel to this movie and get to see much more robot on monster action.

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Echo

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Last year I started reading Terry Moore’s Echo (yes, I realize I am a little late to the show)…an excellent comic book that is available digitally through Comixology. I bought the first 3 issues and really enjoyed it. It is about a woman dealing with a divorce, financial issues, etc…who is suddenly bestowed a high tech battle suit by accident which obviously will change her life dramatically. I am only three issues in so I do not know much past that and do not want to spoil it for myself even though it has been out for a few years. It is produced in black and white which really adds to the artwork much like it does for The Walking Dead (a personal favorite of mine that I will discuss at a later date).

Terry Moore really seems to have a strong respect for women and does not overly sexualize them like many male comic artists do. It is nice to read a comic book featuring a female character that I do not feel weird reading in front of my daughter due to the ridiculous poses/proportions. He is an excellent writer/artist and after I finish reading Echo I plan to buy the Strangers in Paradise collections (I know…even later to the party) which I have heard nothing but good things about.

Here’s hoping to a satisfying read of all 30 issues of Echo and an enjoyable start to Strangers!

 

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The Winter Soldier

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Oh hell yeah! I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier this past weekend and it blew me away. The first movie was my absolute favorite of all time and the second one has quickly replaced it. In my opinion this is a great movie period, not just in the comic book genre, but of all movies. It was nearly 2 1/2 hours long and you could not tell since it was very fast paced and keeps you interested throughout. Chris Evans is the perfect Captain America and you cannot help but root for him. Sebastian Stan nails the character of The Winter Soldier perfectly. I cannot wait to see his evolution throughout the various upcoming films. Frank Grillo was a great Brock Rumlow/Crossbones and I cannot wait to see what evil stuff he does in the next Captain America movie. Anthony Mackie, Robert Redord, and Samuel Jackson were excellent as The Falcon, Agent Alexander Pierce, and Nick Fury respectfully. There was not a weak performance from anyone in the entire movie.

Steve Rogers going head to head with the artist-formerly-known-as-Bucky were some of the best fight scenes I have seen in some time.

Only one spoiler I must discuss, the extra scene during the credits. Getting our first glimpses of Baron von Strucker, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver (who will all feature prominently in the Avengers sequel) thrilled me to no one end and somehow made me even more excited for a movie that I was already thrilled to see.

This is a movie you must see wether or not you are a comic book fan. It will not disappoint.

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Munchkin

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My latest gaming addiction is the card game Munchkin, http://www.worldofmunchkin.com/cardgame/. I have owned the Munchkin Cthulhu set, and three of the expansions, since I bought them at San Diego Comic Con in 2009. They collected dust until September 09, 2012 when my wife, daughter and I finally played it for the first time. The first game was a little awkward since we were still trying to figure out the rules, but after that we were on a roll and really enjoying the game. We have bought various themed dice, level and kill counters, the official IOS app, storage boxes, figurines, etc…when I really get into something, I have a tendency to go “all in” and learn everything there is to know about it and buy all the merchandise I can find related to it. All three of us are really enjoying this game and I have added the original Munchkin, Munchkin Apocalypse, Munchkin Bites, and Munchkin Unnatural Axe to our collection.

It is one of those games that is simple enough for non hardcore gamers to learn and enjoy and for hardcore/experienced gamers to find challenging and just downright fun. What is great about it is the fact that my wife and daughter enjoy it as well. I am not the kind of guy who hangs out at bars with “the guys” or goes fishing with “the men” on the weekends. My most memorable and enjoyable times are with my “ladies” (wife and daughter in case that was not clear). I try to find things that all three of us can enjoy and this game is one of them.

If you have not played it, you really need to. You can find the various 100+ card sets on Amazon (just search for ‘munchkin card game’) for less than $20. Barnes & Noble stores also carry Munchkin and even have exclusive sets. There are various themed sets that fit all kinds of interests…Pirates, Space, Superheroes, Vampires, Zombies, etc…

I wholeheartedly recommend this game for anyone who likes to game and who enjoys goofy humor.