The (Orchestral) Power of The Force

This one just has to be seen.



Brilliant. Just freakin' brilliant.

Role-Playing The Movies

What would happen if a GM tried to run the average D&D group in an epic Fantasy or Sci-fi campaign? I think it'd run something like these two webcomics:

The DM of the Rings

Darths & Droids

I tried to think of some witty remark to insert here, but the comics speak for themselves. Read them. You'll like them.

When In the Course of Human Events . . .

The SciFi Channel keeps green lighting pilots which have a ton of potential. Unfortunately, the follow through is usually severely lacking (see Flash Gordon). Once again, SciFi has me intrigued with a revisioning of the American Revolution. This could be a great series . . . if done correctly. Focusing on the two different families--"a loyalist family and a family that is leaning toward rebellion"--is a good start. I hope they also incorporate the view of those who really didn't support either position but were more concerned about making ends meet.* Imagine an episode or two centering on the imposition of a Stamp Act, another on quartering soldiers, yet another on a Boston Massacre like situation and the subsequent trial (and defense of the soldiers by a lawyer who actually leans toward rebellion), and so on. History provides an almost limitless number of plots from which to draw. What gives me great hope regarding this series is the fact that SciFi isn't doing this in house but is purchasing the drama from CBS Paramount Television.

*Most historians will acknowledge that 1/3 of the colonists remained loyal to Britain, 1/3 wanted rebellion, and another 1/3 were apathetic.

Wildly Inconsistent

I've been making my way through the first two seasons of Star Trek:Voyager these past few weeks. I enjoyed the series when it made its initial television run, probably moreso than most Trek fans did. True, it had its low points, but so did every series, especially in the first two seasons. Remember, even season 1 of The Next Generation was mostly awful.

I'm in the middle of season 2 of Voyager now, and I recently watched two episodes in the order on which they appeared on the disc. First was the train wreck that is Threshold, often 'honored' as the worst Trek episode of any series. And it was bad. It didn't induce the gag reflex that it appears to in a lot of other Trekkers, but it was bad.

Immediately after that, however, was the episode Meld. In this episode, a crewman named Suder, a Maquis with a history or violent behavior (or at least violent impulses), murders one of his crewmates. Under interrogation by Tuvok, Suder confesses that he did it because he didn't like the way the other crewman looked at him. Tuvok cannot comprehend this motive; it is not logical that such a minor act could not trigger such a violent response. So in an attempt to stabilize Suder's mind and to learn more about his motives, Tuvok initiates a mind meld with Suder.

And for the rest of the episode, we watch as Tuvok struggles with his own darker nature and nearly succumbs to violence himself. Meanwhile, Suder has become placid, almost stoic. In the end, Tuvok returns to himself, but it's clear that the experience has changed him, and not for the better. Real conflict, real character growth. The episode was amazing.

How is it that a single series can have two consecutive episodes that are so vastly different in quality? How could the show have been so bad one week and so brilliant the next?

Bionic Wednesdays!

Anyone else excited about the new Bionic Woman show? Reviews suggest it's a mediocre remake of the original series, which I loved, but that Katie Sackoff steals the show as the bionic prototype gone bad.

I once won a free Chipotle burrito for answering the pop culture trivia question of the day relating to the original Bionic Woman show. The question: What was the name of the bionic dog?

Free Chewbacca!

Miscast

I meant to post this a couple weeks back. Keanu Reeves has signed on to play Klaatu in a remake of the Day the Earth Stood Still. Klaatu? Really? I think Reeves' acting skills make him the perfect choice to play Gort.

Personally, I think it's a travesty that such a classic is being remade. Leave it alone.

Friendly Neighborhood Postage Stamps

I think I've lost a few geek cred points. Would you believe I had no idea the Marvel stamps had already been released? For the most part, I dig 'em.


I have to ask, though, if Spider-woman and Elektra are the most iconic women characters in Marvel comics. Wouldn't the casual person on the street be more familiar with the Invisible Woman? What about the Scarlet Witch or She-Hulk? The most deserving of the Marvel women is probably Wasp, a founder and long time member of the Avengers.

The Sub-Mariner and The Thing stamps don't do much for me, either. What about Thor or Daredevil? One would think either of them are more recognizable than Sub-Mariner.

Nevertheless, I have my sheet of Marvel stamps sitting in my desk and will use them with pride. Now, who will be deemed Iron Man worthy?

teh borgz

And another, to go with the last one:

Borg

Just a little something I put together the other day.

Sloshed!

A "Favorite Comic Book Artist" discussion over at the Hero Games discussion boards led me indirectly to this bit from Ben and Alice:

Rob Liefeld drinking game

The rules are as follows:

Read any comic both drawn and written by Rob Liefeld (X-Force, Youngblood, Brigade, etc.)

Take 1 drink for every time the following occur:

* clenched teeth
* mouth open really wide in battle cry
* action shot where background is just abstract colored space
* leg of running/jumping character positioned so that you can only see thigh
* spray of bullets that doesn't hit anybody
* large gun that shoots colored blasts of indeterminate nature
* character or team moves into/out of another dimension or otherwise warps
* character seeming to fly, who cannot actually fly
* character who is not invulnerable casually jumps out of plane/space ship
* indoor floor that is colored green, silver or red

And that doesn't even cover the bonus round.

Good thing none of the regular contributors to this blog are drinkers....

Friendly Neighborhood

Spider-man is heading for Kid's WB!

If this show follows the WB tradition of such shows as Batman, Superman, X-men Evolution, and Legion of Superheroes, we could have a hit on our hands.

My Roleplaying Cred

Your Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Score
Category	Your Score	Average
Hacklust	40.57% Will kill for XP	53.5%
Sensitive Roleplaying	45.57% "But what's my motivation for this scene?"	54.7%
GM Experience	42.75% Puts the players through the wringer	69.4%
Systems Knowledge	91.95% Played in a couple of campaigns	90.4%
Livin' La Vida Dorka	66.67% Goes nuts on the weekends	63.3%
You are 59.82% pure Average Score: 68.8%
Take The Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Test and see how you match up! (By The Ferrett)

And Yet Another

Well, Lucas didn't announce another movie or anything at CIV but TPTB did release a trailer for the new 3D Clone Wars series.

Clone Wars Trailer

The shot of Anakin jumping from STAP to STAP, deflecting blaster bolts, is pretty nifty. My hope is that this series will develop Anakin and Obi-wan as the heroes of the Clone Wars. The novelization of ROTS did a nice job of emphasizing the fact that Anakin and Obi-wan were household names, but the movie did little in that regard.

Truth be told, I'll love just about anything Star Wars.

Another Reason to Celebrate

In remembrance of influential (nay, legendary) science fiction writer Douglas Adams, let us all take a moment and grab a towel:

May 25th is Towel Day

Have a great day, all you hoopy froods out there. And Don't Panic.

30 Years

Star Wars was released on this date in 1977.

Who could have imagined how big it would turn out to be?

Edit: UserFriendly.org offers this tribute today:

Most excellent.

Spider-Mess

I've been meaning to post my thoughts on Spider-man III for the last couple weeks. When I heard about all the different players included in this film (Sandman, Green Goblin II, Venom, Gwen Stacy), I suspected a messy plot. My fears were not unfounded. There's way too much going on over the course of 2:20 or so. Three villains involving different plots? Come on. You don't need to be a film executive to know that's a train wreck waiting to happen. The action sequences are fun, but the film feels rushed and sloppy. Rather than offering a point by point review of Spider-man III, I thought I'd offer my thoughts on how Raimi could have made an excellent, character driven superhero movie.

1. Ax Venom. The character only works with significant set up. Introduce the black suit in this film and save Venom until the IV installment of the franchise. With all the money generated by the Spider-man films, there will be a IV film.

2. Make Green Goblin II the primary villain. Rather than having GG II and Spidey duke it out all movie, go for the psychological angle. The two meet early in the film and battle to a draw. Harry decides to completely destroy Peter's life (which he does in the current incarnation of the film . . . in 15 minutes. Argh!). Harry dismantles Peter's life in every way possible: job, school, and home. Jameson stops buying his pictures, he gets evicted, flunks out of school, and Mary Jane walks away (manipulated or on her own--doesn't matter). Aunt May might even be hospitalized (Harry will stop at nothing to have his revenge). Much of the film would be about this systematic destruction of Peter's life.

3. In the midst of all this personal chaos, the Sandman goes on a New York crime spree. This further exasperates Peter's situation; he's trying to fight crime while his life unravels.

4. Somewhere along the line, the symbiote enters the picture. Down and out, Peter encounters the new suit and embraces the power it provides.

5. Spider-man finally defeats/apprehends Sandman, only to discover Harry/GG II is behind the crime spree. Sandman is part of the larger plot to unhinge Peter.

6. Feeling the influence of the symbiote, Peter finally gives in to the dark side. Green Goblin II and aggressive Black Suit Spider-man duke it out in a climactic battle.

7. Spider-man wins, but beats Harry to a pulp in the process. Harry's amnesia protects Peter's identity. The film closes with Mary Jane and Peter encountering one another in Harry's hospital room. Visiting hours end and the two leave the room together; Peter asks MJ if she wants to grab a cup of coffee. She agrees and we see the two walk away together, hopeful that things will be set right. As they walk away, we see a shimmer of the black suit from beneath Peter' clothes.

8. Roll credits.

9. No Gwen Stacy. This storyline is sacred ground for Spider-man fans. The films went in a different direction. Leave it alone. Period.

Film IV focuses on Peter putting his life back together, symbiote in tow, and the downfall of Eddie Brock.

You should have talked to me, Raimi. There's no reason these films can't be entertaining as all get out and offer a quality story.

The Top 15 Han Solo Quotes You Need to Use in Regular Conversation

From Double Viking via Fark.com. The article gives full descriptions of each event.

15. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
When to say it: When you get a bad feeling, obviously

14. “Had a slight weapons malfunction, but everything's perfectly alright now. We're fine, we're all fine, here, now, thank you. How are you?”
When to say it: When your cell phone signal begins to break up

13. “No, no, NO. THIS one goes THERE, THAT one goes THERE.”
When to say it: When working on a project with a partner

12. “Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.”
When to say it: When a friend accomplishes something

11. “Never tell me the odds!”
When to say it: When gambling

10. “Yeah, I’ll bet you have.”
When to say it: When an intergalactic bounty hunter tells you he’s been waiting a long time to bring you in

9. “Here’s where the fun begins.”
When to say it: When you’re about to enter a dangerous situation

8. “You know, sometimes I amaze even myself.”
When to say it: Anytime

7. “What an incredible smell you’ve discovered!”
When to say it: Anytime you smell something awful

6. “Laugh it up, fuzzball.”
When to say it: When a fat/hairy person laughs at you

5. “Wonderful girl. Either I’m going to kill her, or I’m beginning to like her.”
When to say it: When talking about a woman you’re attracted to

4. “How we doin’?”
“Same as always.”
“That bad, huh?”
When to say it: When asking someone about their day

3. “I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field controls my destiny.”
When to say it: During a debate on religion

2. “Hey…it’s me!”
When to say it: When someone tells you to “be careful”

1. “I love you.”
“I know.”
When to say it: Duh

Look at the size of that thing!

Well, this should make the postal service rate increase a little more palatable, anyway:



Fifteen Star Wars stamps on a single sheet. Impressive. Most impressive.

Even with a Millennium Falcon stamp, though, I doubt a first class letter will be able to make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

Marketing Stunt

From a message board I frequent: