The Hobbit Needs More (Michael) Jackson

Hi everyone! It's been a while. How's everyone doing? How am I doing? I'm great! I can't wait to watch The Desolation of Smaug! Two more days (12/13/13)! I'll be counting the minutes. In the mean time, to tie us over, here's a new video from the geniuses who brought us Freestyle Bane: Auralnauts presents: THE HOBBIT (10 Guaranteed Improvements) Auralnauts

Misty Mountains Cold (Beat It Dwarves!)

From the geniuses who brought us Freestyle Bane: Auralnauts gives us the other version of "Misty Mountains Cold" THE HOBBIT - Misty Mountains Cold (Michael Jackson Tribute Auralnauts

Darth Vader Voiced By Schwarzenegger

Hello Youtubes! A bit of a silly post but I know a certain Master Jedi would've loved it. He was a dear friend whose impact still resonates. This one's for you SC. The Force will be with you always. Darth Vader Voiced By Schwarzenegger Jason Einert

BANE OUTTAKES

Hello Youtubes! "I'm Bane, yes, that's my name. Bruce Wayne and the Batman are totally the same. I broke his back mortal comBAT smack, then I cracked my '28 Krug champagne." I had my doubts about this video when it was linked to me on Facebook. It started out ok and I had some chuckles but, I totally lost it after minute 2:25. I highly recommend checking this out. The sound mixing and voice over is amazing. BANE OUTTAKES (Auralnauts extended edition) Auralnauts

The Cosplayer Nation Documentary Premiere

On a warm sunny November afternoon, I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary. The documentary was part of a film festival that was held at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square featuring local film makers and musicians. Amongst these artists is of course our friends, Cosplayer Nation. The CEO and Founder, Joshua Adams and the President and Co-Founder, Uke Li were in attendance. During the first intermission, I got a chance to talk to them and gave them my opinion of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary premiere. They're very nice people and never too busy to say "hello" and chat. So, if you ever see Cosplayer Nation at a convention, don't be shy, just say go up and "Hi!" What did I think of the documentary? Oh... "But wait," you exclaim! "What is Cosplayer Nation?" The short of it, Cosplayer Nation is a project of love started by local New Englanders whom are fans of cosplay. This project later became a legit Organization. Cosplayer Nation travels the world attending conventions seeking out cosplayers and documenting their love and devotion to the art of cosplaying. Basically, cosplaying is dressing up as your favorite character from but, not limited to anime, comic books, movies, pop culture, etc. There's a much deeper level to it but I'll let the real documentarians tackle that. It's literally, "COStume PLAY." A tribute to ANY character or any THING that you're a fan of. You like Einstein? Go ahead, dress up as the wacky atom splitting physicist. Your favorite is a German from the 40's? Sure? BUT! Make sure you don't unintentionally turn that into a hate crime. I'll save the skin and Nazi part of cosplaying for another post. Now, how did I like the Cosplayer Nation Documentary? I enjoyed it a lot. Uke Li was nice enough to show me a trailer of the documentary a couple of years ago and asked me to give an opinion. I ungraciously forgot (sorry Uke. I hope this post makes up for it). My reaction to that initial trailer was very positive. When Cosplayer Nation announced the premiere of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary, I immediately made plans to go and check it out. The film opens with a news reporter interviewing a cosplayer. The reporter was wondering why the cosplayer was dressed up since it wasn't Halloween. Then the film cuts to the news room and you can definitely see the confusion in the news correspondents' weirded out faces. It provoked laughs in the audience but more importantly it sets the tone of the film on answering the question, "what is cosplay?" From the intro, the film rolls into a segment with people dressing up as their favorite characters. Cosplayer Nation definitely took the time and effort to go through hundreds of hours of footage to cut together a very impressive looking group of cosplayers. The music Cosplayer Nation chose to accompany the colorful characters on screen was a very interesting (good interesting) cover of the Legend of Zelda theme with a melodic beat. I have to say, it's pretty Cool! There were people in the audience bopping their heads to the beat. The documentary is not a just a drawn out showcase of people in costumes. It's an unbiased look into the world of cosplaying and goes deeper into the psyche of the culture. It included interviews on the whys and the whats of these devoted artists. Why the many painstaking hours of work in making the costumes? What inspired these people to work so hard to risk being ridiculed? Some of these costumes are much better than what the professionals in Hollywood with a huge budget can create. Actually, I'd always felt that simply calling these incredible works of art "costumes" and "cosplays" does them injustice. But for a lack of my limited vocabulary, I'll stick to what I know. The love for this art also shines through the making of the documentary. The Cosplayer Nation Documentary took us back in time to WorldCon with The First documented costume. It even educated us on the etymology of the word "Cosplay." Diving deeper into the meaning of this art form, the film makers interviewed Danny Choo, the Dancing Stormtrooper of Tokyo, who gave us his take on the culture over in Asia. Another well known cosplayer interviewed was Holly Conrad. She's a Mass Effect cosplayer who got noticed by the movie and videogame industries. Now she's a professional costume designer. Holly Conrad was also featured in Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con movie, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. A segment in the documentary that I really liked was the counterpoint of cosplaying. You know, that person who just doesn't get the art: "Why are you dressed up?" "Are you trying to get attention?" "What's the difference between this and a cry for help?" Later on, the film appropriately cuts to professionals such as system administrators, accountants and lawyers who participates in cosplay as an art form and self-expression. It included a well known Mr. T cosplayer in the New England area telling us what it's all about. He sounded rough but very articulate which is a lot like the documentary itself. The documentary is a bit rough on the edges. I had trouble hearing some of the interviews because the audio was a bit low. But the message it was getting across was legible. During my talk with the film makers (Joshua Adams and Uke Li), they assured me that the sound mixing will be better in the final cut. Yes, final cut. The version of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary shown at the Brattle Theater was only 15min long. This was not because of the film makers short sight. It was because of the time constraint set by the Film Festival. The film makers went on saying that the finished documentary will be much more focused and it'll touch upon the different cultures of cosplaying in other countries. I can not wait. I'd seen documentaries on Pop Culture Conventions such as Trekkies and Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con movie but, none of them focused on just cosplaying. Cosplaying has became a phenomenon. You've probably seen someone walking down the street as some sort of character when it wasn't Halloween and wondered if the person was crazy. Maybe? But this art form definitely needs a movie if not, a series of movies to tell its story and to clear up misconceptions. It's been months since I did any real writing on this blog let alone, a review. I am glad that the Cosplayer Nation Documentary gave me the inspiration. There is a preview version of the documentary that is longer than 15min and it might show up in a theater, college or convention near you. I highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance. Whether you understand this type of art form/culture or not, the film is highly enjoyable and you'll definitely come out knowing much more about cosplaying. The Cosplayer Nation Documentary was both captivating and fun and as a cosplaying friend of mine would simply put it, "EPIC!" Below is a link to the Cosplayer Nation youtube channel and Facebook. There are hours of cosplay footages and interviews from all around the world. I highly recommend subscribing: Cosplayer Nation's Youtube Channel Cosplayer Nation on Facebook I also linked the trailers of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary. Enjoy! You Know My Name - Cosplayer Nation "CMV" - Cosplay Music Video Cosplayer Nation Cosplayer Nation (2011 Trailer) - Documenting American Cosplayers across the U.S. Cosplayer Nation One of the highlights of the premiere was Cobra Commander shown at 0:47 of this trailer getting a huge applause. RATING: 4/5

Angry VIdeo Game Nerd The Movie - Trailer

After the horrible World War Z trailer, I'm glad to see a trailer for a movie that I've been anticipating and actually want to watch. Thank you for saving my internet Angry Video Game Nerd! It's approved for your ass and coming this lifetime: Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie - Official Trailer (HD) Cinemassacre.com

World War Z - Trailer

Z-Nami This year in New England we had a fare share of mother nature's anger: a 4.0 Earthquake, Hurricane Sandy and the recent Nor'easter. Winter hasn't even come yet! But it seems as though next year everyone will be feeling mother nature's wrath with a Zombie Tsunami. A "Z-Nami" if you will. You'll understand what I'm talking about after watching the trailer below. Actually, I'm not sure if the undead in the World War Z movie is a man-made disaster or a natural phenomenon. World War Z Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Brad Pitt Movie HD MOVIECLIPS I don't think I'll be watching World War Z based on the trailer. Most likely I'll watch it on video because I did have a fun time watching this awful trailer. I couldn't stop laughing. I don't mind movies veering from the original source. I don't mind fast Zombies but World War Z the movie just looks terrible. World War Z (an extension to the Zombie Survival Guide) is based on one of my favorite books written by Mel Brooks' son, Max Brooks. The book is social commentary on how the world can be brought down by slow and dumb zombies because of political unrest, weak economic structures, stubborn pride and vapid practices. The book is not about ONE man on a mission to save the world. It actually follows a journalist who travels the world interviewing people post Zombie War. I also recommend the audio book version. World War Z's audio book features a couple of stories that's not told in the book. It also features great voice acting by: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, Henry Rollins and Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill plays a veteran of the Zombie War and does an awesome job especially in the retelling of "the Battle of Yonkers." For the people whom had read the book. You might be wondering, "what were they thinking?" Well, here's your answer from Entertainment Weekly: Visual effects supervisor John Nelson (Iron Man) said World War Z’s zombies lean more toward sci-fi transformation victims rather than supernatural resurrection subjects. That led to a lot of research into animal behavior, especially for creatures under the amok-time sway of predator appetite or spawning urge. “They are like predatory animals that can’t control themselves,” Nelson said. “I worked with tigers [while shooting Gladiator], and if you watch them when a horse goes by they go batty, even if they know they can’t reach it. When Zs see humans they do same thing, they activate. They launch themselves.” Here's the link to the Entertainment Weekly article: Brad Pitt amid the panic of 'World War Z,' and why its zombies are more 'predatory' than plodding Maybe these more science-rific tidal wave of zombies should go against the Sharknado. I'd go to the theaters for "that" movie!

The Hobbit - Trailer Alternate Endings

There are four other endings to the third trailer of The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey. Finding this out today is like finding money that I didn't know I had in some pants I haven't worn in a while! The hobbit-NEW TRAILER (alternate endings) Iris Flower

The Hobbit- An Unexpected Journey Trailer 3

Wow! Wow! Wow! Precious! My Precious!!!! I can't wait! December 14th! The Hobbit- An Unexpected Journey 2012 #3 Trailer maksleosamchik

Olympics XXX - London 2012 Nostalgia

The Summer Olympics are over! The Closing Ceremony happened on August 12th and I missed it. Not to worry, I DVR'ed it and will be watching NBC's crappy coverage when I get a chance. No need to get into NBC's unimpressive coverage here. I'm sure it's all over the internet. Like at the link below: NBC Cuts The Who, Ray Davies, Muse From Olympics' Closing Ceremony Broadcast For the Kate Bush Song that was cut check out this link: Here’s the Kate Bush Song That Was Cut from the U.S. Broadcast of the London Olympics Closing Ceremony Anyway... Yes! I think 2 days is long enough to garner a nostalgia post. Olympics XXX is in the past isn't it? What were some of the geeky things that happened during the 30th Olympiad? There were Mary Poppinses flying in to save the kids from their nightmares which had Voldemort in it: Olympics opening ceremony. Voldemar arises, dozens of Mary Poppins descend... kozmik1 Also, James Bond escorted the Queen to Olympics in a helicopter. And the queen sky dived into the stadium: Mr. Bean also made an appearance: Mr. Bean at the Opening Ceremony of The Olympic Games of 2012 in London LondonOlympic4U If you're in the USA, you might have gotten some of the results of the Olympics spoiled for you before you get a chance to watch the NBC broadcast. John Stewart sympathizes: The Daily Show Olympics Spoiler Alert Here's something that probably wasn't spoiled for you because the networks didn't care much for this awesome geek performance of the 30th Olympiad: Olympic Gymnast Uses Zelda Medley During Performance My Awesome Sister is the Zelda Gymnast and Yes, She’s a Lifelong Gamer That's not enough Olympics for you? Here's more. From Middle Earth. Hope this ties you over until Brazil 2016! Middle Earth Olympics . Minas Tirith 3042 mert655a0d

Olympics XXX - London 2012 (Geektastic!)

The Summer Olympics are here once again and I'm psyched! Wait... OH! I see why you're giggling. The XXX doesn't mean that this is a porn parody of the Olympics. XXX is the Roman Numeral for the number 30. This is the 30th Olympiad. The Opening Ceremony is on 27 July 2012 at 21:00 (9:00pm) London time. It will air in the USA at 7:30pm EST on July 27, 2012. Check out the link below for local times: NBC's Coverage of the Olympics For official news of the Olympic Games Check out this link: London 2012 at Olympic.org Danny Boyle, the director of 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours is directing the London 2012 Opening Ceremony. There are rumors that there will be a Voldemort vs Marry Poppins duel! Please please please let this be true! Voldemort vs Marry Poppins Rumor at the Mary Sue London 2012 started off geek-awesome with the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) carrying the Olympic Torch: Matt Smith carries the Olympic Torch hbyrnes09 Here's another geeky Olympics trivia. During the 2004 Olympiad in Athens, the USA Synchronized Swimming Duet used music from Final Fantasy VIII. I can't remember the name of the piece. Do you know which one it is? I know it's Ultimecia's theme but I forget which part of the game it was used in: USA synchro duet free 2004 durangopsi I almost forgot to mention Olympics Basketball! It's only my favorite event, that's all. My favorite, even before the original Dream Team. Below is a link to the USA Men's Basketball Participants: USA Men's Basketball Here's the USA Women's Basketball Participants: USA Women's Basketball Also, I read on the Metro this morning that James Bond (Daniel Craig) might make an appearance at the Opening Ceremonies. Danny Boyle is tight lipped on what is installed.

The Dark Knight Rises

I don't want to review The Dark Knight Rises. There's a bunch of reviews out there already which are definitely more eloquent then what I can write up. With that said, if you're still sticking around and would like to know my opinion: The Dark Knight Rises is a good movie but, it's not a good stand alone movie. Unlike Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, you'll have to know what went on in the previous two in order to understand The Dark Knight Rises. If you are on the fence about watching The Dark Knight Rises and don't like Anne Hathaway, stay away from this one. Personally, I really enjoyed Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Catwoman. I like the street smart "Audrey Hepburn-esque" cat burglar portrayal much more than the seductress that recent stories had painted her out to be. If you liked Batman Begins but hated The Dark Knight er... give The Dark Knight Rises a watch. This recent installment addresses certain issues from Batman Begins and provides resolutions. In fact, the consequences of the Joker's actions in The Dark Knight looms over The Dark Rises like a dark cloud. So, in a way the Joker is in this movie. If you like Joseph Gordon-Levitt you will like The Dark Knight Rises. Why? Just trust me on this. But if you want to know more I'll discuss that after the "JUMP!" If you don't care much for Chris Nolan's style of Gotham, definitely skip this. Other wise, it's a pretty good movie and it's uplifting. The Dark Knight Rises closed the series on a good note. For more, I have a list of spoiler-full observations and maybe a smidgen of a review after the "JUMP!" The Dark Knight Rises - Official Trailer #4 WarnerBrosPictures RATING: 4/5

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Martial Arts

The Art of Bending Avatar: The Last Airbender has the moniker of Nickelodeon's "Last Great Nicktoon" that was produced in the Orlando Studio FL before the studio was taken down. People who knows the show still argues whether it is "anime" or "cartoon". I don't really care because what Avatar: The Last Airbender is. All I know is: It's Excellent! But for the sake of this post I will refer to the show as an "animation." To me "anime" or "cartoon" are two of the many categories/styles/techniques in the "animation" medium of story telling. The setting of Avatar: The Last Airbender is heavily influenced by Asian culture. The characters of the show practices real world religions and philosophies such as Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism. At first glance Avatar: The Last Airbender seems like a kid's show full of slapstick humor and mindless action used as a platform to sell toys. These are misconceptions. Especially the toys bit. There are yet to be a cool Avatar action figure! Believe me I've looked :( The show introduces four nations in its world. Each nation representing a philosophy, personality, martial arts style and element. The Fire Nation was founded by people who can wield fire by focusing their energy with mental and physical discipline. This nation has a very Northern Chinese feel to it which reflects in their martial arts. On the other hand The Earth Kingdom founded by people who can bend earth, gives off a Southern Chinese vibe in their culture and martial arts. It is not often to have an American produced show to have such a heavy Eastern theme WITH respectable Asian references. The creators of the show definitely did their research with much respect. With that said, Avatar: The Last Airbender is not dominated by Eastern culture. It's well balanced with diversity. Some of the costume designs and buildings gives off an Eastern feel but it's mixed with true to life cultural references from all around the world. The show's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, did a great job balancing the different cultures represented on the show as well as successfully mixing the kiddy fun with some of the more mature themes. If they lived in the Avatar: TLA I guess their speciality would be "story bending." One of the resources the creators of Avatar: TLA used is Sifu Kisu. Sifu Kisu is a an Executive Protection Specialist for celebrities. He was brought onto Avatar: TLA as the fighting instructor and consultant. With his extensive knowledge of Martial Arts and the philosophy behind them, Sifu Kisu brought depth into the show's action sequences. The fights are not just mindless action, they are full of conversations, inner conflicts and philosophical debates. A good example is when Aang was able to solve a puzzle with his airbending by pushing a door open. The act was simple but it required the character to develop confidence. As the characters grow in Avatar: TLA, so does their ability and this reflects the hard work and sacrifice one could acquire by committing to a discipline. Avatar: TLA conveys a valuable message of: to be good at something, whether it'd be martial arts, dance, music, painting or writing... patience and dedication are essential values. Being able to represent these values and still being a fun show is what makes Avatar: TLA one of the best shows on television within the last decade. That and lots of cool martial arts! I know, it's a bit long winded to get to this point but, I wanted to praise the show a bit more before talking about the art of element bending. One more thing before the "JUMP!" here's a compilation of videos of Sifu Kisu talking about the four featured martial arts styles used on the show. The four videos can be found in the special features on the Avatar: TLA DVD's: Avatar creating the legend of Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending and Airbending 12mirri More on the Arts of Element Bending (and spoilers) after the JUMP! >>>

Prometheus

I'm going to start with listing some of the Prometheus flaws that I've heard: Being a prequel to Alien, it doesn't answer enough questions It's too open ended Too slow Not the movie that was advertised If you are looking for the action that was introduced to the series by James Cameron and continued on with Paul W.S. Anderson, chances are you will not like Prometheus. The trailers and promos are sort of misleading and strangely enough, it gives away a lot and at the same time it doesn't spoil anything. Even after watching Prometheus, I am left with more questions than answers. Ridley Scott had left most of the ideas introduced in this movie to be vague and open for interpretation. It's really tough to talk about the movie with the mindset of not spoiling anything while, I'm not even sure if there's anything to spoil. With that said, I'm going to have a spoiler section after the review at the "JUMP!." I found more strengths in Prometheus than flaws. With most Sci-Fi stories, more questions are asked than answered. This is the same with the original Alien movie. The first act introduced a lot of questions which some were finally answered 33 years later in Prometheus. Then there was Blade Runner, we didn't get answers to the replicants' story until it was analyzed many times over since the movie's premier in 1982. What about 2001: A Space Odyssey? Some of the ideas from that movie is still a mystery and it is considered one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever if not one of the greatest films of all time. I consider Prometheus not being a true prequel as a huge plus. The movie introduced a lot of concepts which expands upon the universe that the Alien Series is a part of. This gives the stories more depth and makes it richer. The Star Wars Prequels were sorely missing this. The universe is a BIG place, if you have every single thing connected in the saga, this makes it feel like a small community and not a "saga." When I first heard Ridley Scott say that Prometheus is not a prequel, at first I thought to myself, "yeah, ok. Have you gone insane? How can it not be a prequel? This is set on the same planetoid that the Nostromo in the original Alien film explored (Update: actually, according to the Prometheus website, the moon the Nostromo crew landed on was designated LV-426 while the Prometheus crew explored LV-223)." I finally realized what he meant after watching Prometheus. The movie is set in the same universe as the Alien Series. Weyland Industries funded Prometheus' expedition. The space jockey  (Update: I found out that there's a strong chance that this might not be the same Space Jockey in Alien) A space jockey (called an "Engineer" in this movie) made an appearance; which answered some of the first movie's mysteries and also interjected more ideas. Xenomorphs invaded (raped) and terrorized the expedition crew. Xenomorphs, not necessarily THE Xenomorph. Those are the connections that I can remember. The movie opened up a bunch of concepts and veered off into a tangent that moves sideways from the Alien Series. What the hell am I talking about? Well, let's go with what Prometheus is about. Simply, it's about searching for the origin of life. As you can tell from the trailers, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Halloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discovered a star map from the art of Earth's ancient civilizations which pointed towards a distant moon, LV-233. Once they touch down on the moon the crew of the Prometheus discovered what they didn't expect and had their faiths shaken. Impressively enough, even the android's, David's (Michael Fassbender) faith as well. Surprisingly enough, even the "Engineers' '" faith was put into question. Essentially, Prometheus is about procreating and the relationships between Parents and Children. What the hell am I still talking about? Actually, I don't really know what I want to say, especially without giving away too much of the movie. Let's see, how is it not a prequel? Again, there are xenomorphs in this movie which are different from the ones we are used to in the previous Alien movies. We were introduced to, what I can best describe as a parasitic type of organism that breaks down DNA and reconstructs it into another type of being. Hmmm... that still sounds like THE Xenomorphs. Let's start from the beginning then. I don't think I'll give too much away talking about the beginning of the movie. There is no secret that human DNA comes from the "Engineers." All the trailers had introduced this. So, the movie started with who I like to call Prometheus (an "Engineer"), standing on a cliff, near a waterfall on Earth. He drinks out of a vial, the contents causes his body to break down immediately. Eventually, he falls into the waterfall. As his remains washes down river, the camera zooms in and gives us a look at his DNA string. It breaks apart and reforms and then the camera zooms out and shows us a familiar cell mitosis. Then the rest of the movie is about finding out why this happened. What was the reasoning behind it? Was there a meaning? Was it deliberate? With these questions being the background of Prometheus, we don't get the survival horror movie or the action movie. We get a philosophical movie. Prometheus was not what most people expected it to be but, it was still creepy and scary. I liked it a lot and I have a lot of ideas rolling around in my head while I'm still digesting the movie. I was talking to RFblues after watching the movie and he had an interesting observation. Prometheus is a haunted house movie. The characters sticks their nose into where they shouldn't and gets haunted and possessed. To go a bit further, I thought it was like The Mummy from 1932. With the expedition, the infections (cursed), the "Engineer" being... well, I'll touch upon that after the "JUMP!" Is the movie for everyone? No. For me, Prometheus is along the lines of Solaris (both versions), Moon and Sunshine. It's thought provoking, haunting and exhilarating. Sure, there are action sequences in Prometheus but it's mostly built by tension and less of the "Get away from her, you Bitch!" type. It's atmospherically scary and not the slasher movie/cat scares type. If you are still curious, ignore the trailers, and go in with an open mind. The acting was great as you might have already heard from other critics. Prometheus had an awesome cast which includes Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce and Michael Fassbender. Even the minor characters played by Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliott, Benedict Wong and Kate Dickie were really good as well. But Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw and Michael Fassbender as David, I just need to mention that they were amazing. Noomi Rapace plays an annoying idealistic archeologist in the beginning of the movie which convincingly grows into Perseus by the end (keeping in the theme of Greek Mythology). Michael Fassbender as the android David, stole the show. If you liked Rutger Haur's Battie in Blade Runner you will like David. Actually, there are a lot of parallels between David and the Battie. Hmm... My absolute favorite scene with David was when he confiscated one of the crew member's rosary because he believed it might be "contaminated." At this point in the film the crew member's faith was shaken. When David said it might be contaminated, did he mean physically or spiritually? Keep the rosary in mind because it comes back later near the end of the movie. It's a small subtle scene but, it's a huge statement on faith and the soul. Ridley Scott is both amazing and insane at what he wanted to show us in Prometheus. His statements on reaching the heavens and finding the creator/s and procreation is both familiar and alien. With the screenplay written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof... Lindelof being one of the head writers on Lost, no wonder Prometheus has a similar tone in mystery and faith as J.J. Abram's TV Show. One thing that absolutely met my expectations were the visuals. Prometheus is such a terrifyingly beautiful movie. Even the weird looking phallic designs were captivating. Was it worth it in IMAX 3D? It was worth waiting one and a half hours in line to get good seats at the IMAX theater. It was also worth awkwardly wearing the stupid 3D glasses over my own prescription glasses for the great atmospheric 3D. If you care about the visuals and not too opposed to 3D movies. I highly recommend watching Prometheus in 3D. There are some great 3D shots: the Prometheus shuttle traveling in space, the storm on Moon LV233, the "Engineers' " star map...those were the scenes that stood out for me. The 3D was not distracting at all. Nothing poking you in the eye. Speaking of atmosphere, the music was built a lot of tension and really sets the mood. It was done by Marc Streitenfeld who also worked on most of Ridley Scott's films like American Gangster and Robin Hood. Prometheus is a great film and works as a stand alone movie (from the Alien Series). It introduced THE Xenomorphs in a way that allowed the story to veer into another arc. As for the flaws, I really don't consider the open ended ideas as a flaw. I also didn't believe Prometheus is a ploy to create more sequels. I think as movie goers we are so used to the devices that film makers set upon us that we tend to look for gimmicks and it has become hard for us to see pass the cynicism. Ironically, the Prometheus trailers being cut like the Alien trailer was a gimmick to get us back into the survivor horror mind set and it worked. The movie is not entirely different from the advertisements but it is different enough to disappoint certain viewers. It was a bit slow at times but, there's always some sort of mystery and tension. I found the mysteries to be more compelling than an annoyance. It's unfair to judge Prometheus with the same expectations as Alien. The 1979 movie gives off a claustrophobic feel, while the 2012 addition opens up the universe and reminds us why we fear the unknown.. For me, Prometheus is Sci-Fi at its best! Prometheus International Launch Trailer Prometheus6812 Prometheus Viral Clip # 4 (Elizabeth Shaw) FilmsActuTrailers RATING: 5/5

Prometheus: Happy Birthday Joel!

I thought Prometheus' first David 8 promo video was creepy (Prometheus: More Promos!). This one gave me goosebumps. Check out Fassbender's David 8 crying without emotion at 1:20. No wait, that's not David! It's Joel McHale of The Soap and Community! Well, it's still creepy when Joel cries without emotion at 1:20: Happy Birthday Joel (Prometheus Parody) WatchTheSoup (Parody of Prometheus: Happy Birthday David!) What is Prometheus' flaw? Why do so many critics not like it? The biggest complaint is that it's like the TV show Lost. It introduces a lot of ideas and opens up a lot of mysteries but fails to answer them at the end of the film. In any case, I'm still super excited about Prometheus. I will be watching it this coming Friday (June 8, 2012) at the IMAX 3D. I know I will at least like the art direction and the cinematography... and Michael Fassbender... and Charlize Theron... and Idris Elba... and Noomi Rapace... There's a TV spot with TIme Magazine calling Promethues "The most anticipated event of the summer." I have to disagree with that one. What about The Dark Knight Rises? That's been anticipated since the release of The Dark Knight. No one cared for Prometheus at first and some people still thinks it's superfluous. Also, it's not summer yet! I guess Times Magazine is more excited than I am, they even forgot which season we're in.

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)

The highly influential author Ray Bradbury passed away at the age of 91 on June 5, 2012. To label him as just a Sci-Fi author does him a lot of discredit. Being able to convey human nature and emotions through his writing which we can all relate to, makes him one of the greatest authors who ever lived. He had received numerous awards through his huge catalog of creative and thought provoking stories. Even one of the awards was named after him, The Science Fiction Writer's Association (SWFA) Award. How influential can one get?! A bit on Ray Bradbury on the main page of his site: RayBradbury.com I used to hate reading when I was younger and Ray Bradbury was one of the authors who got me into books. I started out watching TV shows based on his writing. Then eventually, I started reading his short stories and books. Aside from Fahrenheit 451 or The Martian Chronicles, I knew him through the original Twilight Zone's I Sing the Body Electric, the 80's Twilight Zone's The Burning Man and the Ray Bradbury Theater. After the "JUMP!" are a couple of Ray Bradbury adapted teleplays that stood out for me (the ones I can find on youtube).

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

Wow! It's been a while since I wrote a review? I was referencing one my movie review templates and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was the last one? In any case, I had been super busy transitioning to a new job along with a few other things in my personal life. I apologize for not being able to find time to update GroggyBot. A lot has been happening for me. Going to conventions and watching movies has been part of that. Oh, also the NBA Playoffs are on! This year I'm rooting for the Boston Celtics. If they'll get eliminated, which they won't but, if they do, I'm going with the Oklahoma Thunder! Oh right, movie review... here goes... Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is a documentary on the convention scene directed by Morgan Spurlock. You might not recognize his name but most likely you'd recognize his work. He's the guy who directed Super Size Me. That's the movie with the guy (Morgan Spurlock) eating nothing but fast food for 30 days from one of the well known burger places; the one with the giant yellow arches. He also directed Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden and a very interesting TV show called 30 Days. 30 Days is similar to Super Size Me but, instead of Spurlock being the "test" subject, it features different people whom are willing to live outside their comfort zone for 30 days; to walk in other people's shoes. I highly recommend checking the show out. As for Morgan Spurlock's latest documentary, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope... I went to a special screening at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA where the director himself made an appearance. Morgan Spurlock gave us a brief introduction before the start of the movie and he stayed after for a Q&A session. In the introduction Spurlock gave us an interesting story about Comic-Con Episode IV's conception. Stan Lee (of Marvel Comics) is in the same movie agency as Spurlock. On a fateful day in 2010, Morgoan Spurlock met Stan Lee through their agents. During the impromptu meeting Stan the Man said to Spurlock, "we should do a movie." Spurlock told Stan Lee that he's trying to film a Comic-Con movie. Shortly after their meeting they both met with Joss Whedon and that was when Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope started to take shape. The idea was to get separate camera crews to follow the different type of convention goers at the 2011 San Deigo Comic-Con. Auditions were held and the final cut of the documentary features: The Comic Book Vendor: the owner of Mile High Comics, Chuck Rozanski trying to sell a rare Marvel comic, Red Raven #1 The Toy Collector: Camping out in line long before the convention opens its doors in order to get the Con Exclusive Galactus Figure The Attendees: a couple who are seemingly attending San Diego Comic-Con but, the boy friend of this couple plans to propose to his girl friend at Kevin Smith's panel. The Cosplayers: Holly Conrad and her team of cosplayers signing up for the Con's Masquerade and hoping to win first prize. While in the contest, they have a chance to be noticed by effects team and costume departments in the movie and gaming industries. The Aspiring Artists: Skip Harvey and Eric Hanson treats the Con as a job fair. Showing off their portfolios to different comic book companies, hoping they can land a job as professional artists. The documentary does a great job jumping from one story arc to the next eventually culminating with resolutions. Inter-cut between the stories are talking heads made up of convention goers and guests such as artists and celebrities. Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Seth Green, Eli Roth, Joss Whedon, Paul Dini and Grant Morrison were some of the more well known people who showed up as the talking heads in Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. There were a few who got cut out because of time constraints; like Felicia Day and Nathan Fillion. What I like most about Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is that it doesn't poke fun at the convention scene or the people who attend. In documentaries such as this, they tend to point out certain people as the "freaks" of society. Spectacles to ridicule and to be laughed at. Sure there are stereotypes at Comic Book Conventions or, at any conventions for that matter. It could be a Car Show, a Garden Show, a Work "Forum" (come on we all know it's a convention), even at Sporting Events. Yes, ESPECIALLY Sporting Events! Why is the "fat drunken guy who painted his body and face in his favorite team's color" different form the "fat comic book geek dressed up as Wolverine?" Why are the fanatics at Sporting Events more accepted? There are always the stereotypes and the super fanatics everywhere you go. We tend to forget about the passion, the devotion and love for the subject and just laugh at what we don't understand. Morgan Spurlock did a great job with this understanding in Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope and my hope as a fan is that the documentary is able to convey the fun side of conventions and that it's more than just a barrel of geeky fish for people like "Men's Fitness Magazine" to shoot down with their derogatory gun. I highly recommend Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. Not just to people who are into comic books but to everyone. The documentary follows real life people whom we can all relate to and this makes it easy to follow without any inside comic book knowledge. It also impressively explains the different aspects of comic book fandom in under 90 minutes. Again, highly recommended! I'm not sure if the theaters are still showing Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. It was released in theaters on April 6, 2012. There is no video release date yet. But there will be a DVD full of extras. That was one of the Q&A questions and Morgan Spurlock confirmed it! Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope Official Trailer #1 movieclipsTRAILERS RATING: 5/5

Happy 35th Star Wars! And Batman Narrates...

35 years ago today, back in May 25, 1977, Star Wars premiered for the first time in theaters. Let's celebrate with some silliness. Voice actors Kevin Conroy (Batman), Billy West (Fry), Tara Strong (Bubbles), Rob Paulsen (Pinky), Maurice LaMarche (The Brain), John DiMaggio (Bender) and Jess Harnell (Wakko) does a reading of the Star Wars: A New Hope radio play as different characters. Mostly characters throughout their voice acing careers. Tara Strong does Darth Vader as Bubbles, John DiMaggio does Princess Leia as Jake the Dog, Rob Paulsen does Han Solo as Christopher Walken... you get the picture. Kevin Conroy is the only person who stays in the same character: Batman! The Dark Knight narrates Star Wars! The video is about an hr and a half long. Initially, I thought about just listening to the opening (when Darth Vader boards the Ambassador's Cruiser) and save the rest for later but I couldn't stop. So here's your warning, make sure you have an hr and half to spare before clicking on the video. And you may experience extreme stomach cramps, snorting, and/or farting from laughing too hard. ECCC 2012: Star Wars Trilogy: The Radio Play - Official Video emeraldcitycomicon

Prometheus: Happy Birthday David!

I thought Prometheus' first David 8 promo video was creepy (Prometheus: More Promos!). This one gave me goosebumps. Check out Fassbender's David 8 crying without emotion at 1:20: Prometheus Viral Clip # 3 (David the Android) FilmsActuTrailers What is David 8's flaw? Why did Weyland Industries need to build the Bishop series? Are the androids in the Alien Series the same as the "Replicants" in Blade Runner? Is our technology there yet? I'm afraid to google it. I'm sure Japan is working on something that most likely will enslave us into the Matrix soon. Go ahead, look up "realistic robots" on youtube. I guarantee it'll creep you out.

Prometheus: More Promos!

More Prometheus promos! I'm getting super excited for this next installment in the Alien series. After watching all these trailers and comparing the designs to the art found on the Specials Disc in the Alien Quadrilogy Set, it seems as though modern special effects technology has caught up to HR Geiger's vision. Please Prometheus don't suck! First, we have the UK version of the full trailer that came out this weekend: Prometheus International Trailer - UK Prometheus6812 Then, we got a tie in to the original Alien movie with Guy Pearce: Next, we have a Michael Fassbender being built: Prometheus - David 8 Viral Video joblomovienetwork