Titans, GO!

When I last ranted in your general direction, I talked about shows going beyond their natural life. Well, the other day I finished one such series; Teen Titans.
For those not in the know, it was a toon that ran between 2003 and 2006 that depicted the adventures of a group of teen superheroes in the form of Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy and Robin, the Boy Wonder. You may have missed it because it was somewhat criticised for being noticeably inspired by anime, mixing it with the DC Animated Universe style.
It was only meant to have four seasons, hence the finale for the fourth being a three-parter called "The End".
Needless to say, there was a fifth. It didn't exactly suck, but it just wasn't as good as those before.
One reason was the focus on an arc. All the other seasons did have a continuous story threaded throughout, but it would usually only make up five of the thirteen, with the remainder being stand alone episodes. This time there were only three stand-alones, leaving it a little stretched out. Although the preliminary and concluding episodes were excellent.
The next issue was that the arc revolved around recruiting new Titans to help fight the Brotherhood Of Evil, which kind of meant that there were a few episodes that didn't have the whole team of five. There was even one without any of them.
This one's more along the lines of nit-picking, but a big part of the series was a lack of secret identities. Robin was just Robin, not Dick Grayson, Jason Todd or Tim Drake. However, that slightly disappeared with the Doom Patrol members using "real" names.
Speaking of the Patrol, I'd preferred it if the arc was Beast Boy trying to save his old team, rather than just being in the first two episodes.
I'm not saying it's not a bad season, on the whole, I mean, I still recommend you give it a look. Just, maybe reverse Four and Five, so you do get to go out with a bang. Aside from the movie, Trouble In Tokyo, which still gives plenty of bang.

Six seasons and a movie

Despite the title, this rant isn't about Community. Well, at least not entirely.
You may have heard the news that Arrested Development would be returning in some form. And the world did rejoice. Except for me. I am a fan of the series, but I don't see why more needs to be made. The last episode tied everything up relatively nicely. Yes it was cancelled, but the writers were given warning to ensure they completed the story in the available episodes.  Which also meant less filler. Along with some great moments. My absolute favourite moment came from the final series (the kaiju fight in Mr. F).
And yet, people still want more. It seems TV shows aren't allowed to stop. Smallville was originally only going to have eight seasons. It finished with ten. Supernatural was only meant to go for five. It's still going during a seventh. And how about the ninth season of Scrubs.
Back to Community, there's the idea that as the school would only go for four years, so to would the show. The writers were already working on ways to keep it going.
Yes, I'll still give it a look if and when it sees the light of day, but I still don't know why.
P.S. Can anyone tell me if a show has gone for six seasons and one movie?

The continued journeys of one of the best from the blue box

I noticed I haven't rattled on about Doctor Who yet. Let me rectify this. Well, I'll actually be going for one of the spin-offs. After the second series of the 2005 continuation, two spin-offs were developed; Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. I've seen about one and a half seasons of the former, and I feel it doesn't retain the fun and wonder of it's parent series. Which brings me to Sarah Jane Smith.

Don't let the whole "kids show" thing bring you down, this was a damn fine series. Admittedly, like most it took a bit of time to find it's legs, specifically through about the first half of the first series. So, as you're watching Revenge Of The Slitheen, just keep reminding yourself "It gets better". Another way to assist the enjoyment is to forget about Doctor Who. The more you compare them, the less you'll get out of Sarah Jane.

I've told you one of the lesser episodes, but what of the good ones. This may sound odd, considering the name of the show, but some of the best have been stories where Sarah Jane takes a back seat and the focus is on one of her young sidekicks. In fact, the second to last story, The Curse Of Clyde Langer, is one such story, and is one of the shows finest hours. Doctor Who has often had trouble with having more than two companions at a time, SJA has had a total of four at one time, without getting crowded. Although, there have been a few episodes that scale it right down to just Clyde and Rani. It's these two that make it a shame the series has had to end. Hopefully they can find a way to have those two continue saving the world.

Green Hornet

Remember how I said I wouldn't watch the Green Hornet because it was a Seth Rogen film? Also, remember how Seth Rogen totally blew me away with his acting in Paul? Well, those two are very much related to today's post.
After watching what has to be the strangest form of cross promotion, a special episode of Mythbusters based on the Green Hornet film, I decided to track it down and give the flick a look. Once again I overlooked a film based purely on his involvement. Personally, I blame Knocked Up, so I've kind of been ignoring his rise. Anyway, Green Hornet. In case you're not familiar, Britt Reid is slacker son of a respected media magnate. Unfortunately, Daddy dies and Britt has to deal with responsibilities. While getting a little merry he proposes an idea to his mechanic, Kato, that the world needs justice. So the two become heroes with a twist, they'll pose as villains.
Going in, I was quite doubtful of their decision to do it as a comedy. But thanks to every directors favourite phrase being "dark and edgy", this change was quite welcome.
I never thought I would ever say this a million years, but I kind of wish I had seen this in 3D. It looks like it was used rather well in the fight scenes using "Kato vision", where time is slowed down and Kato sees each attacker's movements and locks onto weapons, which looked brilliant. On that note, how well did Mr. Rogen handle the action? He did a pretty good job of it, even slimmed down quite a bit. After all, the film was his idea. Plus he got a "Kato vision" scene of his own.
As for the humour, there was some good stuff, especially the villain, Chudnofsky, with Christoph Waltz having a lot of fun. There was even one gag that have been layered. Kato starts his life story mentioning he grew up in Shanghai, to which Britt replies "I love Japan". On the top layer, it just shows Britt as being an idiot, but going further, we have the fact that Kato was originally Japanese in the radio series, changed to Korean during WWII and best known through Bruce Lee's portrayal in the TV show. With that much foreknowledge needed, this one of the best fan nods I've come across.
Hopefully next time I won't prejudge Mr. Rogen.

Six winds blow as one.

Having another shot at an album review. This time it's Van Canto's new album, Break The Silence. Not that they have been particularly silent, with only a year since their last one, along with a number of tours and appearances on other albums. I reckon they should have gone with the same title I did, "Six Winds Blow As One", because that would encapsulate the feel of the album.

For those not in the know, Van Canto are an a capella metal band from Germany, although they prefer the term hero metal a capella. And believe it or not, they're more than just a gimmick. Now, why do I reckon the six winds works better? Because, now they've really worked out their sound and created some great compositions. They even break tradition on a few tracks and introduce instruments. Well, they already do with one of the six being a drummer. But, two tracks feature extra instruments, an acoustic guitar in "Spelled In Water", and a piano in "Master Of The Wind", a Manowar cover.

That's something I should have mentioned, each album has a handful of covers. This one has four, including bonus tracks. In fact, it's one of these that gives the album its lowest point. A cover of Alice Cooper's "Bed Of Nails". In this case, its just that the original isn't one of Alice's best either, so it really does bring down the feel of the whole thing. Another cover I have a slight problem with is "Primo Victoria", originally by Sabaton. Mind you, they do get Sabaton's singer, Joakim Broden to appear. It is a damn fine cover, I'm just a little biased as I also really like the original. Mind you, this is the first time this has happened. But it is growing on me.

Some highlights include "Neuer Wind", their first song in their own language. I may not speak a word of German, well not enough for a coherent sentence, but I do like hearing it sung. I'd also praise the opening track "If I Die In Battle", which features the repeated lyric about those six winds. I could go on but basically, aside from "Bed Of Nails", this album is one hell of a good way to spend an hour. Just make sure to get the deluxe edition with the three bonus tracks. Mostly for the last one, "A Storm To Come".

Shining Night

Considering I'm quite a fan of Tom Holland's 1985 classic horror flick Fright Night, I was a little worried about a remake. I don't know why considering there have been some good horror do-overs such as John Carpenter's The Thing, Cronenberg's The Fly, or as I told you earlier, the Nightmare On Elm Street remake. The Fright Night remake doesn't surpass the original, but it definitely works as an equal.  My cautions kind of disappeared once I found out Marti Noxon, one of the writers of Buffy, was behind the script. Fortunately, she wrote something that differed enough from the source to be enjoyed on its own, while still including a few nods to the original.

The most notable changes are in the characterization.  First up, Jerry is no longer the suave and sexy neighbour but goes for just the new guy on the block, before changing to the cold menacing bastard pretty early on. Then of course we have Peter Vincent. No longer is he an aged horror actor, stuck hosting repeats of his work on TV, but a Vegas magician with a penchant for the occult. Admittedly, it was the casting of Peter Vincent that got me interested even more. If there was anyone who could do Roddy MacDowall proud, it'd be David Tennant.

Mind you, with Anton Yelchin as Charley, I kind of looked at this as Star Trek/Doctor Who crossover. Even there, it succeeds. Even if there wasn't any technobabble.

The token cameo by original Jerry, Chris Sarandon was also quite well done. An improvement on the usual Stan Lee variety.

Another highlight was the surprise repetition of a character arc. If you've seen the original, you know who I'm talking about, if not, I'll shut up. Anyway, when you-know-what happened to you-know-who, I wasn't quite expecting it to happen.

All in all, it comes across a neat flick, even if the vampire effects aren't quite up to scratch.

Bunch of words making a title

Evening all, thought I'd just go for another one of those insights into my life.
I haven't kicked my social networking habit. Still addicted to facebook. Even worse, last week I got bored and got a Twitter thingy (Raoul_Thompkins if you're interested). Now all I have to do is get a decent webcam and start a vlog. Then I'll never have free time ever again, yay!
I've even been doing some proper socialising. I'm talking, to people. Real, live people. With a face and everything. OK, I'm doing it a little serial killery by getting people when they're alone-ish and have a casual chat. Bus stops are the best spot.
I met that competitor I mentioned this way. Fortunately, they've realised I'm not enough of a threat and has decided to live, we've even gotten to be quite friends. But in twenty years time, I will have to meet them for a Thunderdome type battle. I'm already working on my glaive skills (both the polearm and the Krull shuriken thing).
Last week I sort of broke my vow of not seeing 3D films. I got free tickets for Priest. It wasn't particularly great. Definitely best suited for beer and pizza night. It went for just about every cliche in the book. All that was missing was a post-credit sequel tease where the bad guy picks up his hat. It does have some good stuff though, namely good action sequences and Karl Urban. I really hope he'll get a few more things worth putting on a resume. So far he's only got Red (2010) and Star Trek (2009). Fingers crossed for Dredd. As long as the helmet stays on.
It wasn't the only film I've seen this week that was sort of saved by its action and one actor, the other was Bitch Slap. In that case the actor was Michael Hurst, the real star of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. I kind of had high hopes for that one, what with it being an exploitation tribute with the cast of both Hercules and Xena. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a Star Trek Generations type hype, where Hurst was the only one with noticeable screen time.

Bob: A fine name for a planet

Last year on Doctor Who, there was a crack in the universe. Anything that came in contact with this crack stopped existing and never did. It seems this crack made contact with a very good film. Hopefully, this will make people remember it and will it back into existence. The film in question is Titan A.E. I discovered it was forgotten when it seems to be the only part of Joss Whedon's work that doesn't get brought up, when even he's frequently remembered for a single line from X-Men he did. Yes, there's a Joss Whedon film that's virtually unknown. To make the outrage worse, it was also written by Ben Edlund, the mastermind behind the Tick, among other things.

What's all it about? Early on in the 31st century, mankind have invented an experimental ship known as the Titan. So the Drej, energy-based evil aliens, attack the Earth and eventually blow it up. The remnants of humanity are adrift throughout the many galaxies, and aren't exactly one of the popular races. Cale, the son of Titan's lead researcher gets recruited by a ship thanks to having the map to Titan. Cale and crew journey across the stars to find the Titan, while escaping the pursuit of the Drej.

Sure it's a Don Bluth film, but you've got to remember, he only made the first Land Before Time movie. In fact, this is quite a dark film, I really don't know it managed to keep the classification of kiddy flick. There's a fair bit of characters dying, including a neck snap, and a few bits of bleeding, which makes it the only kid's movie you can unashamedly bring along on a bloke's night. I wouldn't be surprised if some notes for this went to the other Joss Whedon sci-fi, Firefly.

There are really only two problems with it. It was a bit rushed and would've been better as a series instead of a movie. Second, the trailer features a Creed song. Fortunately, it doesn't appear anywhere in the film. Plus, I'd have really liked to have known what it was that Gune had made in his sleep. What am I talking about there, well, you'll just have to see the movie and find out.

5, 6 Grab your crucifix.

Now for the final part in the rundown of the Nightmare On Elm Street series. Yes, I know yesterday ended with "The Final Nightmare", but they decided they could get a few more out of it. So we got a meta fiction type thing, a crossover and a reboot. At least I'm not doing Friday the 13th. There's been 12 of those, including two "Finals". Those were 4 and 9, in case you were wondering.

Let's start with 1994's Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Yep, Wes stuck his name in the title. This is the meta fiction, where it set in the "real world" where Wes is making a new Freddy film and real life starts mimicking the events of the script. Apparently there's some great and ancient evil that can only be stopped by encasing it in stories, and this evil has taken the form of Freddy. Unless Wes can finish the script, the world is doomed. I think he may have a high opinion of himself. Anyway, this is another of the truly great ones, even if it falls a little short of its potential, and acknowledges number 6. On that note, I guess you could say that this is an apology for how crap that one was, and they didn't want to finish on such a sour note. Shame Clint couldn't do the same after The Dead Pool. That killed all the awesomeness of "Dirty" Harry Callahan. Another highlight is that it basically kicks you in the face for liking a sick son of a a bitch, by reminding you just what Freddy is.

Onward to 2003's Freddy vs. Jason. They're getting pretty far apart now. It seems the only way Freddy can keep on killing teenagers is to get Jason Voorhees to do it for him just enough to get people thinking Freddy is out there again. Needless to say, it works, and Jason quite likes having all these teens around, and takes away Freddy's fun, bringing about the fight the title promises. OK, we're back to jokey Freddy, but for some reason it's not so bad. Maybe it's because logic and adherence to canon aren't important in crossovers. Let's face it, a film that promises a clash of cultural "icons" needs almost nothing other than said battle. At least the battle is worth the admission, as opposed to some other clash films.

Now we move on to the 2010 remake/reboot/reimagining. Story wise, it's pretty much the same as the first one, with a few extra bits added in. The most noticeable is that it doesn't cover up Freddy's dark side. While the previous ones only hinted at what he did, this one didn't really pull it's punches. It does have a bit of a reliance on jump scares and doesn't quite have the usual dream-like quality, but is still just as good, maybe a little better than the original. Of course, the most important thing is; how does Jackie Earl Haley match up to Robert Englund? I'd have to say he fills the glove quite well.

Can someone please break my legs before I get the same idea for the Leprechaun series.

3, 4 Better Lock Your Door.

OK, yesterday I covered the first three films in the Nightmare On Elm Street series, now I shall the next three. This time around, there will be a bit of spoilers for both the 4th and 6th. For the 4th, it's just difficult to cover the plot without doing so, and in the case of number 6, well, you'll see.

A whole year after the third, we were given The Dream Master. Hey, wasn't the last one Dream Warriors? They're really sticking with this dream thing, then. Now as I stated just five sentences ago, here be spoilers. It seems the kids who survived the third film have been released from the looney bin and are back at school. Thing is, Kristen isn't completely convinced Freddy snuffed it for good. Turns out she's right. Freddy comes back and kills the three of them. Just before he takes out Kristen, she brings Alice into her dream. When she dies, she sends her soul, and power, to Alice, via Freddy, thus connecting Freddy and Alice. Thanks to this, Freddy's allowed to continue killing teenagers despite finishing his vengeful rampage. Alice also gains some powers by obtaining aspects of her friends personalities as they're taken out, eventually turning her into the titular Dream Master, Freddy's antithesis. I know I've just told you three quarters of the damn thing, but this is another of the ones that are well worth a look. Usually by number four, the writers and such stop caring and just give the most generic stuff. OK, they start going for basic characters, like the nerd, tough girl and jock, but everything else stays more or less on par, with it's predecessor.

Onward to The Dream Child. Alice is now up the duff and Freddy is using the unborn child's dreams to keep on going. Apparently, this is one of Robert Englund's least favourite. It's definitely one of the ones that suffers from great idea, poor execution. It really dabbles in a bit of psychology and other such science talk. Unfortunately, the writer(s) weren't quite as good at adding this into the actual film. It's definitely not the best, but it's just as far from being the worst.

I came into this world in 1991. I was that awesome, the world had to restore the equilibrium by unleashing Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. To call it a crap sandwich would be an insult to fecal matter. In 1999, Freddy has killed all the children in Springwood, except for one. Freddy lets him leave so that he can find Freddy's daughter and bring her back to Springwood. Freddy then hitches a ride on his daughter so he can spread hi evil across the world. His daughter uses the magical power of 3D to enter Freddy's own mind and kill him once and for all. I know what you're thinking, it doesn't sound too bad. You know how they dabbled with jokey Freddy earlier? This time they went full blown comedy. Yes, the murderous pedophile gets turned into Bugs Bunny. Then for some reason, it regains the usual tone for the last 20-30 minutes. Even if you have some kind of OCD where you have to see an entire series once you start it, avoid this one completely. Cut off your own arm if you have too. And yes, Freddy is dead.

At least until the next sort-of sequel, which you can hear about tomorrow.

1, 2, Freddy's coming for you.

Depending on who you ask, the slasher genre started in either 1974 with Black Christmas or '78 with Halloween. Either way, it grew old fairly quickly as writer's ran out of holidays to make a movie out of. As proven by the decision to do Friday The 13th. By 1984, it was definitely wearing out it's welcome. Until Wes Craven decided to build on the formula with A Nightmare On Elm Street. It managed to fix things so much, that the genre made a brief return to popularity, and would explain why Michael and Jason also got a bit of the supernatural. Of course, it also created Chucky and Leprechaun. So maybe it made things worse. Anyway, I got considerably bored and went and watched all eight of the damned things. So I guess what, I'm doing a rundown.

OK, the first one was pretty good. Even if you haven't seen it, you know what this one's about, so I'll ignore plot and move right on. It kept the characters to a minimum, and more importantly, they were a bit more fleshed out then your average slasher teen. This one does still have a few problems. Some aspects of the idea aren't as well developed as they could have been, which is a recurring problem with most of the movies. Also, the $1.8 million budget for an effects heavy movie kind of shows, not that that's a huge problem. After all, I like classic Doctor Who. But the biggest thing that gets me is the ending. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. Of all the ways to beat Freddy, that was pretty weak. Unfortunately, it became a bit of a recurring theme throughout, being somewhat repeated in the immediate sequel, and the basis for the 7th(?) and 8th.

A whole year later, we got Freddy's Revenge (I can't be bothered doing the proper title, you're just getting subtitles). This time around, Freddy wants a more corporeal form to roam free once more. To do so, he needs to possess the latest teen to move into Elm Street. This is one of those sequels that seems only vaguely connected to the others, which would explain why it's not particularly well liked. However, if you look at it as a separate film, it's also pretty good. It's also known recently for it's undertones. The writer kind of took his own experiences of coming to terms with his sexuality into the script. In other words, Freddy was an allegory for doubting one's own homosexuality. Overall it's a bit of an improvement on the first one, especially in the effects, so it really got to set the standard for the rest.

When along came, The Dream Warriors. Wes Craven didn't really want this to be a series, so he returned to hopefully end it. At least they didn't put Final in the title. Apparently, it's six years since the first film and Nancy's now a bit of a psychiatrist who's moved to an institution that seems to be having problems with dangerous dreams. So she teaches them that it's freaking dreams, you can do all sorts of stuff, so the last Elm Street kids find a new way to turn the tables on Freddy. Also, they dabble into the origins of Freddy, it's quite dark, even for something like this. If you only ever see one Freddy flick, this would be the best bet. It's actually quite well written, even if it marks the beginning of jokey Freddy, mostly in the form of Arnie type puns. I'm just wondering why it took them three movies to decide people do amazing stuff in their dreams.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I do the next three in the series. Hell, I'll have time to watch the remake so I can do three on Friday as well. Until then.

Where are my pants?

There's a possibility that you've been informed of the change in Superman's uniform. He's about to lose the bright red underpants. This has become clear thanks to set photos of the upcoming film, The Man Of Steel. Despite the fact that these undies have been a source of ridicule for at least the last 40 years, people, and the internet, have exploded at this change. Somehow, no one seems to care about Batman having lost his some time ago.
I can sort of see why they're complaining, as they do break up the wall of blue. Plus, it takes your eyes away from his Supermanhood. However, the new suit looks, oh, what's the word, alien. You know, just like Superman is.
Mind you, most of the hatred seems to be aimed at the guy making the movie: Zack Snyder. The internet really doesn't like this guy. He's only made five movies so far in eight years. Among them there have been a remake of a zombie movie, two graphic novel adaptations, a children's book series adaptation, and most recently, a piece of original work. While, I only vaguely remember the Dawn Of The Dead remake, it was most assuredly a brilliant debut. The lapse in memory is partly to do with the other zombie movie released at roughly the same time (Shaun Of The Dead). He disappeared for two years before giving the world 300. This one was a wee bit silly, but mostly due to the source material. Frank Miller can be pretty good (Sin City), but 300 isn't one of the best ones to make a film out of. Maybe Snyder should've gone for a more historically accurate telling. He disappeared for three years before returning with Watchmen. Again, it was a pretty good flick, especially compared with all the other directors who decided it was an unfilmable graphic novel. Anyone who can succeed where Terry Gilliam failed definitely deserves respect. (I wonder if he'll give Don Quixote a shot then.)
Just last year, he gave animation a try with Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole. Despite being an Australian film (let's face it, most of them are crap) and coming across as a little bit "magical journey", the only real problem was the insanely large title. This year, he went for his first original piece, Sucker Punch. And you know how much I love that movie.
There are many claims that he goes for style over substance. This is somewhat true, what with the slow-mo and fantastic scenery and the like. But, the key word is "over", it's not that one is represented and the other left out, but that the style is merely layered over the substance. You need to look through the bells and whistles. Or would you rather he just beat you to death with the messages.

A compliment to the chef.

On numerous times, I've attempted movie reviews. As a fat guy, I definitely know a thing or two about some good eatings. So, let's have a change of pace. I've been a bit of a fan of spicy food. Even looking forward to all the times the major chains have a limited time only super special burger. And each time I get considerably disappointed. Then, one day, I discovered a new shop in the food court, Burp: Mexican Made Fresh. Mexican food, it has to be spicy. It would be against the law otherwise. Eventually, I twisted Mum's (a.k.a. Money Lady) arm to go along so I could try it out. Holy Burt Ward, it was amazing. I've since been a regular customer for many moons. And am only now telling you about this wondrous place. I know, I'm selfish.

Now, they describe themselves as "Subway but with Mexican food", or variations of that phrase. It's more or less accurate, but doesn't do it justice. You can get your meal in a variety of ways, be it taco, burrito, enchilada, quesadilla, or nachos. Once you've made that choice, you get to work out what to put on it. All of it is absolutely brilliant, but personally, I go either a chook or meat lovers quesadilla with the lot. If you're not overly fond of spicy stuff, there are more tummy friendly options.

Then, there's the service. They seem to genuinely give a damn about the place. I've even managed to befriend one of the higher-ups. (Don't question my integrity.) In fact, remember when I was all excited about scamming the Man by seeing a movie for a mere $6? When it comes to Burp's loyalty card, I feel kind of bad about getting a free meal. That's right, this stuff is so good, it can make a student feel guilty about free stuff.

Finally, the most important detail. Where is this dispensary of ambrosia? You can find a Burp in either the Elizabeth City Centre or Hollywood Plaza food courts, or there's another one on Hindley Street.

They say a burp is a compliment to the chef. Burp has chosen a truly appropriate name.

Who's the Mon.

No, you shouldn't be reading the title in a Jamaican accent. I am instead referring to the great monster debate. Should they be pocketed or digitalized? For the less nerdy, which is better; Pokemon or Digimon? I'll the argument of who's ripping off who. Especially when one was a card game and the other, a virtual pet. Mostly because I'm focused solely on the cartoons. (If you want me to use the correct term of anime, I might as well use the correct names of Poketto Monsuta and Dejitaru Monsuta). Even in this case, the cartoons are two completely different series. The only connection being kids with cute little creatures. The creators of Troll have a better argument against Harry Potter.

Now, back when they were on, Pokemon was just a little more popular simply because it came to attention first. Of course, they were both on Cheez TV, so channel loyalties were out of the question. In fact, I felt a little dirty, siding with those who killed the one and only, Agro. Back then, I didn't really hold a loyalty, I had a stronger one to Power Rangers and related shows. But recently, I had one of those nostalgia-based cases of boredom and decided to re-watch them. I gave up on Pokemon after about 15 episodes. Why? Because I'd also been killing time playing the old games on a GBA emulator, which the series seemed to just adapt as faithfully as possible. And the games were a lot better. The show had such a repetitive formula. Even for a kids show. Plus, there are a few unanswered questions, such as why is Ash even doing this if the pokemon are already well documented?

As for Digimon, I found that a lot easier to get through. Possibly because there was a continuous story line. And there was a greater variety of characters, who grew in episodes. And stayed grown the next episode. Also, maybe, I just liked it more because of a stronger sci-fi connection, what with the whole Tron deal of entering a digital world.

No one would have believed

One last bit of music, for now. This time around, I'm just going to fill you in on the greatest album ever made. The album in question is Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. I'm mainly doing this because I can't fully connect with a generation that hasn't heard this musical masterpiece, even if I'm placed in that same one.
First things first. Just what is it? It's a 1978 progressive rock concept album that adapts the classic H G Wells novel. As a hopeful writer, I'd love to see my own work get the same alterations. It occasionally wobbles on the line between audio drama and musical piece. In fact, rather than have me explain, give the first track a go. I'll see you in 9 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFfZFvvuXWc&feature=fvwrel

Pretty damn impressive right. Don't you just wish Spielberg did this instead of the one he did make? In fact, by Saturday, I expect you all to have obtained and listened to the whole album. I find the perfect way is to completely turn the world off. I go to my room, close the door, turn off the light, put my headphones on/in and lie down and visit this new world. In fact last week, I repeated this ritual with a set of in-ear phones. They greatly improved the listening experience. Each cry of "Ulla" sent shivers all through me. The way it should.

Enter the metal world of doom

OK, yesterday was a bit crap, but it was just a warm up for a few music related posts. So this time I'm having my first shot at an album review. And so I start with "Steel", the debut album of Finnish heavy metal band Battle Beast.

Apparently they've been fighting since 2008, but they've only just (March 2011) put something to disc. There's nothing particularly new, with them being part of the 80's metal revival. But, fortunately they have a few songs that differentiate that just enough. While they may refer to themselves as the ugliest band in the world, singer Nitte Valo's voice is just as powerful as any of the other instruments. In some cases, specifically ballad "Savage and Saint", she well and truly denounces that claim of ugliness. I'd even go so far as to compare her to the great Rob Halford.
Admittedly, quite a few songs are written in the "Rock 'N' Roll All Nite" method. A couple of verses and repeat the chorus. A lot. Maybe even fit in a solo or two. But it just makes the more diverse all the better.

After listening to it a few times, something clicked. I realised why it sounded so familiar. They shared a few inspirations and such as Lordi. It really sunk in on the title track "Steel". This one could almost be passed off as a Lordi song. Then this thought sunk in throughout the whole album. Now, Lordi's latest album (don't say last, that means no more) "Babes For Breakfast" was pretty crap, so I can think of "Steel" as being the album Lordi should have made.

If you're a fellow metal warrior, this is worth a listen. If you're not, maybe give it a miss.

The savage beast

Many times I've rattled on about my taste in movies and the like. I say it's time we move to the other great source of entertainment: music.  I'm even more varied in that field. But again, I tend to stick closely to a particular genre. A very diverse genre at that. It is rock/metal. I tend to put them in the same basket, I mean there's sub genres for when I'm feeling extra picky, but on the whole, they're fairly close.
Apparently, I've been a headbanger since day one. Mum and Dad were doing some renovations with the musical accompaniment of AC/DC (my keyboard doesn't have a lightning bolt), and I remained peaceful. Then they changed over to the Beatles, to which I disapproved greatly. And the rain went torrential. (I know that doesn't make much sense, but I wanted to avoid some cliche about fire still burning, especially while talking about rock.)

I started like most, just raiding Dad's collection. So I grew up on Kiss, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Adam Ant and Ozzy Osbourne, to name a few. Then as I got older, I started doing some discovering of my own. I found the rest of the world. It began when Lordi won Eurovision in 2006. They were followers of Kiss, so I checked them out and became a fan. Then I went on a quest to find more European stuff. Which led to Nightwish, which went on for even more fantasy symphonic/progressive metal.
In fact, that genre is great, because I don't just go for random songs. A lot of the time, I want to listen to a whole album. If there's time, I'll go for a whole discography. So when you get stuff that seems to have some kind of story to it, it's nice to sit back and turn off the world as the story unfolds.

In brightest day, in blackest night.

Despite the frothing hatred of other critics, I decided to check out Green Lantern yesterday. I should probably start by mentioning that I'm a sci-fi nut and a fan of the comics. So, critics be damned, I was paying to see this one. It was worth it. It seems most of the critics found the simplest description of the plot to be ridiculous. Pilot gets a magic ring with the power of green to fight the evil of yellow. Any plot sounds stupid when simplified to that level. For instance; orphaned teen trains to be swashbuckling monk with psychic powers and teams up with a homeless drifter to destroy a super space laser. Yeah, I went there.

Back to Green Lantern, it isn't like other heroes. It was the first series to work on a mythos and continuity. In a Superman comic, Lois gets kidnapped, Jimmy says "Gee willikers", Lex gets punched in the face. Then they'd do it all over again in a month. Green Lantern changed that around so that there was character development. Then they went into the galactic stuff, and things got pretty expansive. That was the problem of making a Green Lantern movie. Just how much of the sixty years of history do you provide for a two hour movie? Unfortunately, the film makers went for a little too much info. Aside from that, it served as a pretty good adaptation. It's just not as good as the animated flick Green Lantern: First Flight.

On the note of adaptation, I don't understand why superhero movies get held up to others, rather than their source material. For example; the Fantastic Four movie. It was unlucky enough to come out about the same time as Batman Begins. So of course people called Fantastic Four a steaming pile because it wasn't Batman Begins. That's because Batman and the Fantastic Four are two different heroes. Both of them fit in perfectly with the mythos of their respective franchises.

What you doing?

The last time I gave you all some kind of insight into my life story, I brought you all to tears about my dead cat. I'd say it's about time we did it again. Don't worry, it'll be happy this time, I'll even put on happy music while I type (when I'm done with the Suspiria theme). OK, gone for Bond. That's the classical crossover string quartet, not a spoken word album by Timothy Dalton, yeah, you heard right, Timothy Dalton.

Now then, I mentioned I'd have six weeks of FREEDOM! after my first semester of Uni, so I'd probably post more regularly. I kind of didn't. Surely, I was off doing great and exciting things as only that could keep me from loyal, possibly imagined, followers. Well, um, er, uh, I kind of didn't really do anything. Except get horribly addicted to the book of faces. I also got the bloody cold for two freaking weeks. The worst part, Mum called dibs on the telly for most of that fortnight. Today Show, Mornings with Kerri-Ann, The Circle, Dr. Phil, Oprah and Ready Steady Cook. Monday to Friday. It's a miracle I didn't make it onto the 6 o'clock news.

I'm now back at the house of learning and am just a little bit annoyed. Went and made all those awesome friends in the first semester, and now have to start all over again. Pantsing Agadoo! But, they cannot defeat me, for I am the Zex-Kwivian Warrior of Wonder and I will not be silenced! In other words, I have been meeting other new friends. Even found someone looking at the same field of journalism as myself. Woo Hoo, got some competition. It's only three weeks in and the semester's looking to be good one, even if there is a two hour lecture in there. I know it seems to go by relatively quickly, but still, two hours.

This last week in particular was a bit of a mess. On Tuesday morning, I had to give an oral presentation based on a pain-in-the-arse reading. So I got up at 5 so I could have extra time to make it look like I knew what I was talking about. It could have gone better, but I don't think the teacher noticed. For some strange reason, I chose this same wake-up time on Wednesday. As a result, I was getting pretty knackered and got tired at 10. Then Thursday was looking pretty good, slept in til 7 and had a pretty good morning. Then I started to drop at 4. In the end, I went to bed at 9:30. That hasn't been my bedtime since I was 15. Here's hoping things improve in later times.

Unless I find something shiny, or my competitor finds a way to get rid of me, I shall return, eventually.

The Whingers Rise

You may be aware of a little flick out next year by the name of The Dark Knight Rises. You may have also seen some of the slowly leaked promotional material such as a sub par teaser which was most likely put together just so they could have something to show off now. Then there's the official pictures of the villains. This is where the fans start going nuts. Bane's mask doesn't look right, Catwoman doesn't have cat ears, the suit isn't black enough, etc. Then you have the people who reckon it'll be incredibly bad, simply because all other third movies in superhero series haven't been that great. Plus, there are those who simply want to have sex with Christopher Nolan by reminding us that he hasn't made a bad movie. Now, I can't really comment on that as I've only seen his previous two Batman movies. However, I can disagree as I didn't like The Dark Knight. This dislike comes from the same thing that makes everyone else love it; by holding it up to it's predecessor. Batman Begins was brilliant. It took the caped crusader back to a place he hadn't been (film/TV wise) since Batman: The Animated Series, an intellectual, rather than just punching the evil out of people. He was the World's Greatest Detective once more, and given a villain that challenged that intellect in the form of both Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul. Then, once the inevitable sequel revealed itself, they threw that out the window. OK, the "Joker" claimed he had planned for all that stuff to happen but there was so much left to chance. Why have I put "Joker" in quotation marks? Because, in my eyes, that wasn't the Joker.
To tell you the truth, the minimal, slow marketing actually gives me hope. The Dark Knight had a huge viral campaign that went on for months. So why aren't they doing it this time? Maybe The Dark Knight was simply a lead up to this one. The breaking of the signal was just Marty being handed the hundred year old letter.

Jennifer's Body

OK, here goes my first attempt at a proper movie review. So, of course I've chosen something that's two years old. Jennifer's Body begins with best friends forever ,possibly more, "Needy" and Jennifer (Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox, respectively). The two go to the local pub to see a Low Shoulder concert. During the concert, the pub burns down and Low Shoulder act as heroes, even offering to drive Needy and Jennifer to safety. Needy declines but Jennifer goes along. This is just what they were hoping for. They want to sacrifice a virgin soul to the devil, as it's the only for an indie rock band to "make it". Things don't quite to plan and Jennifer is possessed by a demon instead, eating boys as sustenance, particularly those Needy likes.
At first, I thought it was ridiculous, and didn't even give it the time of day. Mostly because of the line "She's evil... and not just high school evil". If a movie uses that as a tag line I want to see either "A Disney Channel Original Movie" or "Produced by Lloyd Kaufman". Better yet, "A Disney Channel Original Movie produced by Lloyd Kaufman". I decided I'd give it a look because, well, Amanda Seyfried. That and I liked both Juno and what I saw of United States of Tara, so I thought I'd see how Diablo Cody goes with horror. She manages to do a pretty good job of it.  I was particularly fond of the way it turns the tables on on a few tropes, in particular the reversal of gender roles. All in all, it ain't a bad little horror flick, which is nice considering how many are bad.The news that Cody will also be doing some writing for the Evil Dead remake/sequel/jam sandwich is pretty sweet, because after Drag Me To Hell, I don't think Raimi can do it on his own.. 

Send a message out across the sky.

Previously on the Order of ZXQYV...

I mentioned something about Star Wars cash-ins. There were actually some good ones, on the telly. These included Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, V, and Star Fleet. It's that last one I've logged in for. No, it isn't a Star Trek rip off, it's an "anime". I put that in quotation marks because it's done with puppets, so I'm not sure if it counts. Anyway, Star Fleet. At the end of the third millennium, peace rests over most of space after the Space Wars. Until Commander Makara attacks Earth's Pluto and demands Earth hand over the mysterious F-01. Earth says "Bugger that for a joke" and sends out the X-Bomber, their most powerful ship to chase Makara through the depths of space. As an added bonus, and because it's a Japanese show, X-Bomber also house three smaller scouting ships that can combine into a giant robot, known as Dai X. So basically, imagine if the Millennium Falcon was also a transformer that could punch a hole into the Death Star instead. If you can find this in your travels, I do recommend you get it. Like most shows with a single major arc, it does drag on a little bit, but otherwise, all 24 episodes are well worth your time.

I first came across it through Brian May and Friends's cover of the theme, which you can hear, with some footage of the series here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7GFU5ncKhU

I'll do anything to get out of life, to survive, not ever to be next.

Unless you're living in a bunker beneath the Earth's surface, in which case I congratulate you on your internet service, you're probably aware that the Last Ever Harry Potter Movie has recently been released. Considering the series has made a ridiculously large pile of money that would freak out Smaug, producers are mining children's bookshelves to find the Next Big Thing. Since the release of the first film, way back in 2001, they have tried multiple times. The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Chronicles Of Narnia, The Golden Compass, Inkheart and Percy Jackson. Their may be others, they are just the ones I can remember. Only one has done well enough to continue the series. You'd think they would have learnt by now.
To get a better idea, Roger Corman hasn't attempted a cash-in of his own. He is considered the king of the cash-in, having done Star Crash for Star Wars, Piranha (the original) for Jaws and Carnosaur for Jurassic Park, which he even brought out a week before Jurassic Park. In fact, most attempts to be The Next anything, don't tend to do terribly well. Go to the horror section of a bookstore, and see how many authors are hailed as the Next Stephen King. So far, I have only come across one worthy of such a title.
The main reason I'm going at this, is the top contender seems to be Artemis Fowl. In fact, I first came across this when I heard a film was in development, back in 2003. Personally, I prefer it over Harry Potter, and would love to see an adaptation, provided it's given proper attention, and not just rushed ahead to give everyone their fix of "boy discovering magical world".

Defending my laziness

You've probably noticed that the movie reviews on here are pretty half arsed, that essentially boil down to "Dude, this movie is freaking sweet. You have to see it". There is reason for that. I'm reviewing movies I saw at the cinema (don't forget to emphasize the "ma"). Growing up, I didn't get to go to the cinema that much, so it got to be something special. I still view seeing a film at the cinema as something special. I'm known to occasionally jump on the bandwagon and hate The Phantom Menace, but I got to see that with my Dad and brother. To this day, I still remember that my brother needed the toilet during the big battle bits in the end, so he and Dad missed bits of that. To put things into perspective, I saw that 12 years ago, I can't remember what I had for lunch 2 days ago. I don't just go down there on a whim. I'll think long and hard whether or not I want to see a movie up on the really big screen. No matter how many bad reviews I see, I'm still looking forward to seeing Green Lantern when it comes to Australia in another 4 weeks. Maybe I can lose this special feeling, given time. But, do I really want to?

Countdown to nothing

About a week or so ago, there was a countdown for a special announcement from J K Rowling. With all the time given, there was much speculation as to just how this countdown would end. Would she finally release the encyclopedia that was announced a few years ago? Was it one of the two non-Potter books that have been "nearing completion" since 2008. Could she be bringing out an eighth Harry Potter book, that would come out the exact same moment as the midnight premiere screenings of the eighth film? Personally, I'd love to pull such a tactic. Watch them all squirm as they battle to decide which event to camp out for. Maybe she'd decided another character was gay. Any of these would have been more worthwhile than what we did get. Soon, there shall be a website where fans can share new ways to enjoy the books and the like. In other words, it's a fancy forum. But, wait there's more, there's always more. She'll be adding some extra bits herself, such as notes on the wizarding world. Hang on, wasn't the encyclopedia going to made up of notes of this nature? So, Pottermore will basically serve as a trailer for the encyclopedia. Congratulations J K Rowling, you just brought the whole world to a temporary freeze so they could watch a trailer for a trailer. That is the ultimate dick move, I salute you.

MRYOW!

Like a majority of the internet, I like cats. You probably guessed that by looking at my picture. Or the fact I created a facebook page dedicated to one of them. My own family have joked they wouldn't recognise me if I wasn't cuddling a cat in some way. Why am I telling you this? Last night, Jasmine figured she'd spent more than enough time among the living. Bob only knows how long that was. She had only been with us for about four years, after Grandma went on a country-wide tour and dumped her on us. At the end of the trip, Jasmine had built up a nice arse groove and decided she was staying. Of course, she had to fight Gemini and Carmello for ownership of the house and its foodbringers. At least for me, it was a battle she had won. Jasmine may have smelt a bit more than kinda funky, and was a bit of a lump, but of all the smelly lumps, she was one of the best. Dad would often comment that Carmello was the only cat that seemed genuinely pleased to see you. If that's the case, Jasmine must've been ecstatic. All I'd have to do is call her name and sit on the porch steps. No matter how far she was from those stairs, she'd run straight there for a patting session. You had to go to Carmello.

Some kind of cliche featuring the word class.

Alrighty, yesterday I went and saw the fourth X-Men film. You, there in the back row who said "But Wolverine came out 2 years ago, why are only now talking about it?" Get the hell off my blog, it's taking a lot out of me to even acknowledge The Last Stand. Now back to X-Men First Class. Throughout all the marketing, I was looking a wee bit worried side of things. The posters took photoshopped mess to a whole new level, and the multiple trailers tended to use a lot of the same shots. It was looking beyond spoilery. Once again, I'm going to have to beat the crap out of film marketers. I bloody loved it. I may even go so far as to say it beats the second for sheer excellence. Hopefully, the inevitable sequel will give the other characters a bit more to do. Aside from that the only thing I didn't like about was that cameo. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If not, I won't spoil things, you can do that yourself. The second cameo was a lot better, as it was a nice little wink and nod. The first one just took me out of it and seemed unnecessary. Apparently it was Bryan Singer's idea. You know, the guy who buggered off to make Superman Returns, instead of finishing a trilogy he already started.

Oh Jemima, how I missed you.

You may have noticed that it's been over a month since I last posted on here. There's a perfectly legitimate reason behind that. I had been away on a secret mission for Gemini. I was off in another house training three new recruits, who moonlighted as my aunt's cats. I wasn't that keen on being away from home for so long. Especially considering it meant a considerable reduction of hugs. I mean be a 6 foot 20 year old ape man, but I still like hugging Mum & Dad good night. A month without any of that, and was going a little Bonkers, even a little Marsupilami. Fortunately, I had contact with reality thanks to uni and facebook to help out with the crazy. OK, the facebook didn't help in the traditional sense. It just gave a place to let out the crazy in short bursts. I haven't let it all out, and I never will. I think I've still got an extra large sack of it in my room.
So, now that I have returned to home, and am uninhibited by blasted assignments, I may well return to some kind of schedule. Or completely forget I ever did this. Whichever works out. Hell, I've now got 6 weeks in which people won't be telling me to do stuff. So maybe I can go back to my original schedule, at least for that short time.

I have no plans to right a title today.

It's official, I'm a student.  I went and saw Thor the other day, and only paid $6.  I already had a voucher to shave a fiver, plus because I saw it before 11:00 on the school holidays it was extra cheap.  It was most definitely worthwhile.  I was most surprised by its lack of a soundtrack.  The main tagline was The God Of Thunder, so I already had a certain Kiss song running through my head on the way to the cinema.  But lo and behold, it did not appear.  After all, Iron Man 1 & 2 both featured songs with the same name as characters.  If there is one recommendation I can make, stay until right after the end.  There's a post credit scene that gives a pretty big insight into the plot of The Avengers.  It was also nice to see heroes going back to saving the world, instead of just a few close friends or a little city.  Plus, we got some perfect character development in the character of Thor.  However, if you're looking for something with the Camembert smell of something Flash Gordon, you might want to look for the Asylum knockoff.

Ben: Legacy

I'm fairly quick to adapt to new ideas, such as not not picking fights with crocodiles.  Unfortunately, I'm not as quick where technology is concerned.  I was pointing and laughing at the people spending hours on myspace.  I've had the same phone for seven years (Nokia 3315).  I didn't give youtube a shot until 2009.  I was only using the internet for quick bits of research on imdb and Wikipedia.  Then, with nothing better to do, I decided to reveal my thoughts to others with nothing better to do.  As you may recall, I was informed I'd have to familiarize myself with facebook if I wanted to get into journalism.  I considered dropping journalism instead of taking up facebook.  In the end I caved, though the I.T. Crowd "friendface" episode didn't exactly help.  Two months later, and I've changed my tune just a little bit.  I've discovered Laura Shigihara's blog for a start, which looks a little something like this; http://shigi.wordpress.com/.  A video game musician behind Plants Vs. Zombies's soundtrack, and good golly miss molly, is she talented.  Also, I've managed to build a little army/friendship made of my youngest brother's friends.  That's right, I've been having some of the best conversations with 15/16 year olds.  Please don't call the authorities.  Oh, we've even started a page for one of the cats.  We're aiming for 100 likes by the start of next month.  So help Carmello rule the world by liking this page; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmello-Evil-Overlord/217785521572156

Gene...no, Peter...hang on, Ace... Wait, it's

I went and saw Paul last night, and was pleasantly surprised.  There were a few aspects that had me worried about it.  Firstly, daytime television was in love with it, which usually equates to pure evil.  Secondly, I'm not a fan of Seth Rogen, except maybe in small doses.  Finally, I was worried about it being rather, well, American.  These were unfounded speculations, although daytime television is evil incarnate.  I bloody loved it.  I rather liked Ruth's learning profanity, that is by far the best of swear words I've ever heard.  If you want to know if this is your kind of movie, there's a simple test.  Knowing Sigourney Weaver was in it, I was waiting for a particular line to show up.  If you don't know the line, this ain't for you.  I've gotten rather fond of seeing films on opening night.  Next Thursday I hope to see Thor.  The reason I say hope is the trailer announces it will be in 3D, and 2D in select cinemas.  I've avoided 3D this long, and I don't intend to start now.

I really needed that.

I've managed to get a lucky break in the form of a two-week holiday.  Okay, I still have some bloody homework, but I don't have to stick to some schedule.  Last Thursday, I went and saw Sucker Punch.  I highly recommend you give it a look.  You've probably noticed it isn't getting terribly great reviews, with claims that there isn't much character development or reason to care about them, and the debate that if it's empowering to women, why are they sexualized?  Well, if I was facing the possibilities of a lobotomy or prostitution, I'd be trying to escape as well.  Also, the sexualization comes in the fantasy.  In other words, thats how she feels shes being treated.  If you've seen the ads, with all the violence and 'splosions, it's not that that kind of movie, you are required to kind of think.  When I defeat MCP and become ruler of the Internet, movies will stop having marketing, unless they can do it properly.  Now go see this movie, and you will be unprepared.

Sorry about the not posting last week but uni beat the crap out of me.  Anyway here I am, as moderately sane as ever.  I've seen a few bits of upcoming things on my wishlist.  I'm now much more stoked for Green Lantern and Doctor Who than humanly possible, and I wish I knew more about Thundercats to give an opinion on the new series,  but the main one I'm blabbing about is The Governator.  Originally thought to be an early April Fool's Day prank, it was revealed Arnold Schwarznegger (I gott it without checking) is making a cartoon with Stan Lee.  In it, Arnie has ended his time as Governor of California and is looking to join civilian life, but is actually a secret crimefighter, with a recurring villain gang known as the G.I.R.L.I.E. men.  Despite a decade of [adult swim], people still think cartoon = kiddie show, and are claiming he's really lost it.  But from the looks of things, it'll be in a similar style as Last Action Hero.  What, don't look at me like that, it was a goodun.  I can't wait.

Moon Prism Power

As promised, this here's about the Sailor Moon tokusatsu.  For those of you who can't remember (or haven't bothered reading posts of the past) a tokusatsu is essentially a live action anime.  Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon was made in 2003, but I didn't discover it until 2008.  When I heard about it, the words "O.K. then".  Go to 2009, and I had ridiculous amounts of spare time.  With nothing better to do, I went looking for it on YouTube.  After the first episode, I was stuck at that "O.K.", but continued watching.  By about the fourth, I was hooked.  There were a few things that did make consider not watching.  The first was a crap reason, my only memories of Sailor Moon were the poor English dub/edit of the anime.  But it was the first anime I saw, and I was going through that horrible nostalgia thing.  The second was that they decided to make Luna a stuffed toy cat, with the occasional CGI to have her walk around.  But I quickly came to my senses, remembering that effects don't affect quality.  Although there is another sort of problem, the show gets you into J-Pop.  There's one particular song, C'est la vie, that's featured in a few episodes, and as a result, it gets stuck in your head.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6AmJ-KBQKY  I double dog dare you.
I would make the suggestion that you wait until the end to watch Act 0, because if you start with this prequel, you probably won't want to continue.  Also, if the first episode doesn't quite take your fancy, try fast forwarding to episodes 21 to 28 for the Dark Mercury saga.  This little story was unique to the tokusatsu, and one of the best arcs in the series.
If you want even more footage, this time set to Go, Go Power Rangers, here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwGtr1tbq28

This is the 21st century, right?

Had I been born a girl, I would have been named Deanna.  It would appear I'm becoming Deanna.  I've been having yoghurt for breakfast (name one yoghurt ad where a bloke even acknowledges its existence), and I quite like Sailor Moon, even watching a live action version (next time).  It seems being a lass is a bad thing, but what bloke hasn't done "The Woman".  The reason I bring up all this is Sucker Punch, a movie that looks to be an epic tale of epicness (nudge nudge, wink wink).  It concerns the tale of a girl sent to an asylum by her evil stepfather.  Her and four other girls enter some kind of fantasy world in order to escape and avoid lobotomies.  The earlier mentioned forum idiots claim this will be a total piece of crap.  Their justification; girls are kicking some serious arse, and the violence isn't "proper" violence.  Unless it's R-rated, it doesn't register.  Tomb Raider has been the only outright female based action movie to truly register at the box office, and even then, you had a set audience from the game and the people who wanted to see a scantily clad Angelina Jolie.  DC's holy trinity consists of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.  Those first two have had as many completed movies as Wonder Woman has had in development.  At the same time as Smallville had started, the same people produced Birds Of Prey for the same audience.  One of these shows is currently in its 10th season, one barely got 13 episodes.  In all honesty, I've preferred some of the female spin-offs over their male counterparts.  Hell, having Arnie in Red Sonja to tie it with Conan is my only major criticism.  So, if you're not going to see Sucker Punch, let it be because it didn't take your fancy, not because it doesn't have Stallone pulling someones spine out thier arsehole and bludgeoning them with it.

I'm being a little idle this week

O.K., I can't be stuffed doing a proper post just now, so instead, I've decided to put up some former writings.  In this case, one of those getting to know you email questionnaires.  I don't exactly take them seriously, and neither should you.

WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME?: Sir Benjamin Darcy Roberts the 1st, Esquire
NICKNAMES?: The Grey Badger, The Zex-Kwivian Warrior of Wonder, He Who Rides The Pale Horse
BIRTHDAY?: Gods don't tend to worry about that, but I was banished from Asgard in1991
ZODIAC SIGN?: Cerberus
AGE?: How old is the universe
HAIR?: No thanks, I've got enough
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?: A cave amongst the Nordic fjords.
WHAT COLOUR UNDERWEAR ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?: Which pair?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?: Preparing for Ragnarok
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU DID?: Wrestled a Bear
WHAT IS RIGHT NEXT TO YOU: The Bear's carcass.
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU ATE OUT WITH?: Azrael.
IF U WERE A TOY, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?: A Nerf Vortex. 
WHERE WOULD YOU WANT TO GO ON YOUR HONEYMOON?: I'd like to return to Asgard.
WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH?: Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger
HOWS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW?: Snowing.
LAST PERSON YOU SPOKE TO ON THE PHONE?: The Valkyries, They're helping me get back.
LAST PERSON WHO TEXTED YOU: Anubis.
LAST PERSON YOU TEXT: Shazam.
DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?: Occasionally
WHAT DO YOU THINK A TOBLERONE IS?: The best thing since Ambrosia
WHAT'RE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?: The skin of a different bear.  maybe I should install a door on the cave.
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?: Never!.
WHO DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR CLOSEST/BESTEST FRIEND?: J'onn J'onzz.
WHAT WAS THE BEST ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO YOU?: Don't steal Mjollnir.  I wish I'd listened.
DO U OWN A VEHICLE?: Does a tiger-drawn chariot count?.
HAVE YOU EVER WON A SPECIAL AWARD?: Many a time.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?: Survive Ragnarok, return to Asgard and have one day that doesn't involve bear wrestling.
FAVOURITE FOOD?: Turkish Delight 
FAVOURITE FILM: Sergio Leone's "Dollars" Trilogy.
LAST FILM YOU SAW AT CINEMA?: Unknown, that's the name by the way

IF YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR NAME TO ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?: Darcy Llewellyn Roberts

WHAT IS THE MOST STUPID THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE?: Used Mjollnir as a croquet mallet.
CHRISTMAS OR EASTER?: Friday.
KISSES OR HUGS?:Hugs 
WHAT COLOUR ARE YOUR PYJAMAS: Bear colour.
WHAT COLOUR'S YOUR TOOTHBRUSH?: Blue.
WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?: Hermes.
WHO IS THE LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?: The bears.
FAVE PART OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?: Their smile.
WHATS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP?: Must get a door.
ROLLER COASTER, SCARY OR WICKED??: If you can get me on one, I shall give you an answer.
IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE?: Sailor Jupiter 
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB IN THE WORLD WHAT WOULD IT BE: Professional haggler
IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?: Both, and yet neither
WHATS YOUR FAVE NUMBER?: 37


So, copy and paste this, put in your own answers and send them over.  If you can't be bothered looking into my profile, the correct address is zxqyv37@gmail.com

Expletive Deleted

Remember back in January, I mentioned I'd be going to Armageddon Expo.  Well, turns out I won't be.  Had my first week at Uni and they already want me to do stuff, I've got to participate in Clean Up Australia Day tomorrow.  So if there's anyone out there who wants keep me from doing something I'll regret (more so than watching Final Destination) I'm doing some of that good ol' cleaning around the McDonald's at Smithfield between 9 and 11 am.  Anot'er bad t'ing about Uni is t'at it 'as reminded me just 'ow 'orrible my 'andwriting is.  As you can see, it's so bad, the letter H wants nothing to do with that last sentence.  But at least it gets me out of the bleedin' house.  Seriously, if you thought just hanging about all day watching cartoons would be living the dream, it stops being a novelty a week in.
I'll see you when I see you

The first step is admitting

I have something to tell you.  I'm addicted to reading Internet forums and comments pages.  I know it's an addiction, because I keep doing it despite the pain I know it causes.  Sure not all commenters and posters are idiots, such as the bearded god of sexy manliness you're currently reading, but they do exist.  For instance, looking at the discussion pages for Hop, I came across a discussion of someone telling me that it is my moral duty to boycott.  This person had discovered that one of the three writers spends some of his time writing a "pornographic" web cartoon called Angry Naked Pat.  I looked into it, and can safely say it isn't porn.  It's just the oddball adventures of an angry man who happens to be naked.  It's got a similar style of humor as Family Guy, minus the cutaways.  And what do you know, Seth MacFarlane also wrote episodes of Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo, so I guess I can't watch those either.
Another idiot wants to know why Matthew Vaughn makes different movies.  Sure, he started as a producer behind the likes of Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, as well as Snatch and Mean Machine, with the similar Layer Cake as his directorial debut.  But then he made the Neil Gaiman fantasy Stardust., followed by costumed vigilante Kick-Ass.  Now he's making a character-driven superhero movie in the form of X-Men: First Class.  Why can't this man just stick to a single genre, it's so confusing.
But, the thing I hate the most is people's undying love of a particular actor.  Look at any dreamcasting for a slightly out there or eccentric character, and if you haven't seen the name Johnny Depp by the 10th comment, don't read the 11th.

Pair-o'-ducks

This morning I got round to watching the Aquaman pilot from 2007.  Not a bad show, shame it didn't get made though.  It was a sort of spin-off of Smallville with Justin Hartley as A.C.  Hang on a second, doesn't he play Oliver Queen in Smallville.  Man the torpedoes, war has been declared.  (We're moving into the rant now, but check out that pilot.)
There seems to be quite a few people Chicken Little on just because Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans are playing multiple heroes.  Ryan Reynolds is actually working on them fairly close together as Green Lantern and Deadpool.  Although, for some reason few people mention his role in Blade: Trinity.  As for Chris Evans, he's going to be  Captain America when he was already The Human Torch in Fantastic 4.  Oh, and he was Casey Jones in TMNT and Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.  But what do you know, they were all different characters.  Mind you, I'd like to know why no one mentions Jon Favreau was Foggy Nelson in Daredevil and Happy Hogan in Iron Man.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, actors pretend to be different people.  Believe it or not Hugh Jackman is actually a 40 year old Australian, not a 100 year old Canadian with bone claws.

I've finally lost it

I've now lost all sense of internet anonymity, I've joined facebook.  Apparently it's a good idea to do so if you plan on being a journo.  Mind you, I've still got some level of anonymity.  You won't find me under my own name, instead I am Raoul Thompkins.  This alias is due to the fact that people who used to know you tend to want to be friends, even if they were ones who'd push you in the shrubbery.  Hell, most people will have to find me through this thing, and I only promote to those I give a damn about.  If there is a Raoul Thompkins out there, I do apologise for stealing your name.

Yet another series speculation

This week I was overcome with an urge to watch all four Final Destination movies.  Now you may have heard that there's a fifth one on it's way.  I hear you say "Hang on, wasn't the fourth called The Final Destination".  Oh, you poor, naive fool.  If a horror movie describes itself as the final chapter, it very rarely is.  Hell there were two 'Final' Friday The 13th movies.  Any way, Tony Todd will be returning as Bludworth, the creepy mortician from the first two, who has some idea of Death's design.  I better warn you that I'll be getting into some spoileriffic musings, so if you haven't seen all four, you may want to wait awhile before reading.

Let's start with some genuine straw clutching first.  Tony also appeared in the third as the voice of the "Devil", the rollercoaster mascot.  Now was that just so they could have him in there, or are the two connected.  With that out of the way, we can move onto something with more to it.  There seems to be some speculation as to which sucked more; the 3rd or 4th.  Personally, I'd say no. 4 sucked harder than a Hoover in a black hole, especially when it didn't really add anything new, aside from 3-D.  It was just filled with so many references to the predecessors that it seemed more like a bad fanfic then a continuation.  It was set in the same town as no. 3, yet there's no actual mention of those events.  People seem to harp on about how great the ending was, how maybe Deaths whole plan was to have them at the restaurant in the first place.  The first ended the same way. So let's just pretend that one doesn't exist.

Now just what were the new additions for 3.  Well, we had the main hints in the form of photos, taken before the disaster.  So, maybe Death's plan was for them to skip the coaster.  Plus, Wendy's photo suggested that Ian would be responsible for her Death, rather than the usual freak accident.  So not only does the order of the list have little significance, but the "survivors" are actually Death's pawns.

Let the speculation commence.  Bludworth's return must mean we're getting some answers to the great mysteries.  Who is Bludworth and how does he know so much?  Who's behind the visions?  How are the "clairvoyant" and the survivors chosen?  And for the Lostees out there, what's the significance of 180?  Tony Todd has been informed, and revealed that if 5 is a success, 6&7 will be made, back-to-back.  Is there to be a trilogy that answers these, or are they just money hungry?  Here's hoping it's the former.

I have returned at last.

Sorry about the long wait.  I haven't forgotten about you, I just found something shiny... and wobbly.  Upon closer inspection it appeared to Hot Gossip.  After several cold showers I'm now able to string together a coherent sentence.  First off, I am both shocked and outraged at Finland.  They're the second best Metal country, behind Germany, and few years back they won Eurovision with the help of Lordi.  Well, this year Stala & SO, a glam rock band fronted by Lordi's former drummer, were in the running to represent.  Instead, some hippy with an acoustic guitar will be representing them on the world stage.  On a note with much more happy, the trailer for X-Men: First Class has been released.  This movie is going to be awesome-on-a-stick.  I particularly like how it isn't really having much to do with previous films, instead being its film, which was the one problem with Superman Returns.  I'm also a fan of the way they're giving it a real world setting, firmly placing events around the Cuban Missile Crisis.  As opposed to Christopher Nolan's "Fantasy World, Real Abilities" approach.