#RPGaDay 2017 Day 1: What Published RPG Do You Wish You Were Playing Right Now?

While I have no real intention to keep up with the full RPGaDay bonanza, this question did peak my interests and remind me of all of the good times I had while running this campaign world. Then the realization crystallized in my mind that I have never been a player in this world and that bums me out. 

If you were to ask me to describe Eberron, I would tell you it is a high-octane, cinematic, pulpy magic-punk world. I ran it character driven with a focus of making the players not just world shakers, but superstars. They were heroes of legend in the new world, they were the Defenders of the Eberron world. I said Defenders because the dynamic felt like the Hulk/Strange/Namor/Surfer line-up on most sessions; that was a good thing. Being an Eberron DM helped me to become a better DM and cemented having a few players that I've shared a table with for well over a decade now as well. 

Another reason I love the setting is because I like the creator, Keith Baker. I had the privileged to have met and spent time, at two different Gen Con trips, with the man and he is a wealth of knowledge and just a down to earth individual. Keith would hold impromptu meet-ups with people who followed his blog and would tweet out the location and time. Anyone could show up, and he would hang out, answer questions about the game, swap stories, and enjoy the company. On the first trip to Gen Con, we even gave him a t-shirt from the our official adventurers guild in our campaign called "Adventurous Endeavors".  I can say this would be similar in geek factor to eating hot dogs with Steve Jackson at a con.

Keith also signed my copy in 2009: of course my GenCon badge had my formal name on it.

With luck, some day I'll get to play in this world, and I don't care what rule set is used to facilitate this game either. If the stars align maybe it will be at Keith's table, if he does this. Either way, this is my favorite setting and the one I miss the most. 

Runners Up

1. Delta Green
2. Torg
3. West End Games Star Wars

The Day the Fandom Died.

Friends of mine have been inquiring as to when and how many times I'll be screening Star Wars VII when it debuts this December in multiplexes across the world. None have actually asked if I actually wanted to see it, essentially assuming I was going to, except one person and that came about due to my hesitation on giving an answer. That answer is no, I don't want to see Episode VII: The Force Awakens. 

Frankly nothing up to this point has stoked my fires and has worked me up into the required fan frenzy needed to throw money and time at the object of said fandom. The trailers have mostly left me cold and that isn't a good sign. And after the "Force Friday" merchandise nonsense ended I have a great opportunity to check out the goods as that might clue in more about the film which might pique my interests.

When I stopped by my local Target to do some basic needs shopping and decided to walk past the toys and seasonal garbage section to check out the Star Wars goods. I spent close to thirty minutes going up and down the aisles, checking out every bit of product, and then I reached a point where I was standing in front of the LEGO displays for J.J.'s space opera odyssey where I said something out loud that took me by surprise.

"....I don't want any of this." 

It wasn't spoken in a loud or condescending manner but one of quiet disappointment. If you saw my face when I spoke those words it may have looked like I lost my best friend; a defining part of who I was that up and left. This was the realization of something coming for a long time: I don't need Star Wars any longer. 

I have my memories of the original films and those have had a lovely rose colored gloss that has lasted for years yet as I have aged and become more critical of the media I consume as well as how I spend my time I become thankful that I watched Lucas' original films as a child because if I went in today I'm certain I wouldn't have devoted so much energy to this brand.  And this isn't anything sudden because when I look back and really think about it all of the signs were present in the Kubler-Ross model for coming to terms with an emotional experience. 

Denial appears early and for me that came about during the prequel films which released back in the late 1990's/early 2000's. This was especially true with The Phantom Menace. I kept denying how terrible the movie really was, denying the possiblity that the other films to follow would be equally as bad because George was just getting his movie making legs back with this one so it could be a dog in the manger, and outright denying that I was no longer the target audience for this series; I will return to that later.

Anger manifested a few months after Phantom Menace left the theaters as I had time to digest just what I watched and realized just how bad it was. Not only that but while being caught up in the fandom I went multiple times, gleefully I might add, while also spending my hard earned money on the relevant merchandise on something that I actually hated. I felt bamboozled and, more importantly, wasted my time with this which really made me angry. I also was angry when it was even more painfully obvious that this was and will always be a kids film and the brand didn't mature with its original audiences. I was angry that I didn't get something more developed and evolved but was given 2+ hours of Jar Jar and Jake Lloyd delivering such Shakespearean lines like "Woo-hooo!". 

Bargaining hit right around the release of Attack of the Clones with the "if/then" deals I made with myself to justify keeping up with brand such as "If the movie gets ok reviews then I'll check it out a few weeks after release" and "If the movie is ok then I'll consider checking out the toy lines, etc." It wasn't good and I didn't follow through with the second statement. Anger and denial reared back up as well during this phase too. Bargaining also creeped in regarding making silent deals internally as to what merchandise I would consume from the brand to keep up so to speak. My fanboy "drug" of choice was Star Wars branded LEGO model kits; eventually I realized I just enjoyed putting together LEGO and I didn't need the Star Wars branded ones for that amusement.

Depression crept in post prequel trilogy and well before Disney got its white gloved talons into it. Lucas was doing jack shit with his brand except re-release after re-release of the films in various formats, games that were on the horizon were promoted then cancelled, and nothing new was coming out except TV shows such as The Clone Wars but that was aimed again at 1) children and 2) it was set during that prequel era which was horrible. My object of fandom was falling by the wayside in a very slow, methodical march; I was feeling left out of the thing that I adored. I was no longer feeling included for wanting more out of this brand and it really bummed me out that others my age could still find that same bliss which has now escaped me. Anger creeps in here to as I began to resent others for their fandom which is an interesting concept; I was pissed off and jealous that I didn't have another's level of obsession. 

Finally Acceptance happened in that toy aisle in Target where I admitted that I didn't want Star Wars any more.  More specifically I admitted that I wasn't a child any longer and this brand didn't grow as I did which then lost its value to me and my resources (time, money, etc). I have to say just because I reached this stage does not mean I'm content. In all honesty anger emerged again because of this revelation yet I will move forward and leave this in my past. Interestingly these stages do not fall in a strict pattern and will bounce around depending on the level of the emotional investment towards the object in question. In a bizarre twist when I look back at this process it feels like it is part of a maturation ritual for the mass produced age. There is a journey involved where on an emotional level I am questing towards adulthood and in the process I must kill my childhood to move forward. The destruction of my fandom of a product that is for children is just another step on the path I am on which has taken years.

So while I am fine with not watching the film it didn't stop me from acting cheeky and doling out faux spoilers to the movie such as "BB-8 is a DROID!" or "The movie is 2hrs and 15min long!!!" just so I can play around with those on social media I'm friends/friendly with. The most I may ever do involving Star Wars would be playing the table top RPG that a friend of mine runs periodically as it fills that child-less yearning I craved that the main content maker, Disney, will not fully venture into. Past that Star Wars becomes that part of me from a long time ago and that is where it needs to belong.

Side note: when thinking about writing this I went poking around and found an article from 2011 via Slate.com which gives a humorous look at this process that was similar to mine minus watching 150 episodes of Pokemon.

Another side note: Back in 2012 I wrote a post about changes Lucas made regarding Star Wars and I was horribly wrong about it but totally fanboyish.

Review: Ant-Man

Marvel movies have stopped being a must see event for me post Guardians of the Galaxy. To date I have still not watched Avengers 2 as I don't feel I need to watch a retread of the original film regardless of the fact I liked that movie. So what attracted me to seeing Ant-Man? Frankly it was Thomas the Tank Engine. That blurb from the commercials showing the hero battling the villian, Yellow Jacket, shrunk down on top of a toy Thomas evoked actual laughter from my cynical self. But past that I wasn't impressed with the movie from what I've seen so far and written it off as "Yep, it's another Marvel film". 

Choo-choo Mother F*cker!

And that isn't an exaggeration as it feels similar to the other Marvel films. It holds to the similar tropes of the MCU's other flicks within the superhero genre. And, yes, it's time to start examining these types of films, superhero films, as genre films unto themselves; that's a bigger subject for another day. So at the very least I anticipated a fun flick that might have some elements that stick with me after the house lights come back up. Surprisingly Ant-Man is now being inducted into my personal collection once it hits Blu ray. It was a damn fun film; it satisfied my craving for action and the fantastic beyond my original expectations. It also delivered in an area that I wasn't expecting from this heist flick: heart. 

"He kept his gimp suit in a vault?!?"

 

This is an area that is really a hit or miss when it comes to any movie; you can have the greatest actors in the world with the best script written and still feel cold and clinical. Usually these are best picture winners for award ceremonies. Here it feels like this cast and crew felt that even within the Marvel brand they are the underdogs and for that reason threw themselves even more into their roles to make the characters just feel real and welcoming into their niche within the bigger picture of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ant-Man did this, even after all of the Edgar Wright troubles ended, and kept the initial promise of a heist flick with solid laughs. I was pleasantly surprised when watching this movie just how damn much fun I was having here. And I knew the movie was a success when it can make you feel for ants. Yes, I said ants.

D'awwwwwww.

The traditional pest became heroes in their own right in this film and I found myself thinking of the ants Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) works with as part of the team instead of just cannon fodder. Speaking of Rudd he was apparently born to be a superhero instead of a bumbling comedic actor the whole time. Who knew? He is also a father who is trying to get back into his young daughters life after serving time in prison for burglary. His kid, Cassie, is adorable by the way.

Diabetic coma inducing level cute.

 If I had a daughter like her I would put on a super suit to save the world if it means I get to be in her life again. Yeah it was kind of sappy and soft but Rudd made the exchanges between them just pleasant and moments I looked forward to seeing.

Deal with it.

I also enjoyed Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. The man has been a favorite actor of mine for decades and finally seeing him in a big budget effects flick as a hero was bliss. Evangeline Lilly as the new, film created character, Hope Van Dyne was sold to me as a wild card who's loyalties were unclear. That is bullshit. She is very clear as to her loyalties and she is a force to be reckoned with; I'm certain she will be more prominent in future Marvel films.

Gee...wanna guess who she will end up as?

In fact having Hope is a boon as now the films have an original, strong, female hero to take point. Black Widow was somewhat wasted as a second banana amongst egomaniacs, gods, giants, and war heroes as she faded into the background or was written as soft as perceived by some fans. Hope can cut loose and be a front-line personality easily. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the action in this film some more. I found the innovative use of size and space for the battles refreshing. Yes there is lots of punching bad guys in the face, lots of gun fire too, but fluctuations in size which alter the battlefield made the movie light up in a manner that I'm afraid won't be successfully transmitted via advertisements. 

Ant-Man may not be the biggest grossing film for Marvel but do not discount its ability to make the audience transform into little kids full of awe and wonder with almost as much heart as Guardians of the Galaxy. That comparison alone makes Ant-Man a winner and it won over this jaded prick.

On the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Fundraising and awareness are wonderful things. Through them people become informed about issues that can harm people as well as raise capital to support finding solutions for the aforementioned issues.  Yet with regard to the Ice Bucket Challenge I find a few points that sour the experience and will prevent me from joining in the campaign (but not from donating towards a cure). 

The first point that I have noticed through social media and tv programs that discuss this is a shaming of those that criticize any aspect of this. Seriously. There emerges a gang level mentality of those that are pro this movement (or any popular movement) where the mass erupts in many different ways to defend itself from any and all perceived attacks. An example is one that I watched happen via social media where a person I know was shamed into doing this after previously stating they would not and gave many reasons why.

But I suppose beating down a persons resolve so they can "see the errors of their ways" and become part of the mass once more is all par for the course of being a good person, right? Hell I'm absolutely expecting the shaming, the insults, the attempts to get me to open my mind and reconsider, the attempts to get me to ask forgiveness by participation. 

Good luck with that. 

And the damnedest part is that once a person rejects the course of action of the masses the individual becomes vilified and disliked. In my case I'm used to being the villain; it comes with the territory if being a ginger.

The most pressing point I have about the Ice Bucket Challenge is it wastes a finite resource: fresh water. Yes I know that it's not much per each challenge however that usage just keeps adding to the already wasteful treatment of our fresh water reserves. This challenge adds more strain on all the water wasted from poor municipal infrastructure, leaky pipes, excessive watering of lawns, filling swimming pools, and so on. 

Now we think that this is no big deal to use our fresh, drinkable water for such a good cause. Is that a case of American Priveledge? Not really as other countries have adopted similar challenges for causes other than ALS. So then is this First World Priveledge? Quite possibly yes. First world countries have access to better living conditions and more resources than others have. In turn we are more 

Iikely to indulge in excess; especially when that excess is for a good cause.

Now am I a saint that never wastes water? No way. I know I am bad about my water usage some days but I have been trying to curb excess use as much as possible. Just do some research about the area you live in and check rain fall totals as well as drought conditions. Just some cursory research can show you that our water reserves are not as strong as we perceive them to be. 

Again bringing ALS to the collective mind and generating funding to help put down this disease is a grand, noble endeavor. My challenge to those who are advocating this is as follows:

Can we come up with another way to raise awareness and generate funding for ALS without wasting our water? 

Goings on in the world outside of Blogger.

The biggest things outside of classes going along swimmingly is I've been doing a project over at Outright Geekery called The 37 Movie Blitz where I've tasked myself to watch 37 randomly selected films and write about the experience of it all.

So far I've fallen a bit behind on the writing part mostly due to my summer class I was taking as well as the World Cup going on. The film watching is coming along well and I cannot wait to get this all out there into the interwebs for people to read.

The cool thing is the page's lord and master and I want to do something special when its all done. I'll keep you all posted about what that is when it comes to light. In the meantime check out Outright Geekery to see how this is going.

By the way if you're curious here is the list of the films being screened.

 

On the topic of "Guild Drama"

I don't understand why it is needed. It is a corruptive force that will eventually wreck raid groups, friendships forged online, and make other people want to leave the guild in some cases.

Today I had an guild officers meeting in the SWTOR guild I belong to and within moments of beginning it degraded into a "he said/she said" complaint fest. These complaints, while valid and important for those players involved, should have been addressed outside of that meeting with the parties involved. Frankly it was a load of kindergarten bullshit and I eventually got tired if it and firmly suggested we move on to actual business.

It comes from a pet peeve of mine; I do not like having my time wasted.

Now things kinda-sorta get back on track, we discuss some issues with policy, set raid schedules, discuss doing older content instead of just the new stuff....it concludes and people appear slaked. So I log out of the voice chat to have dinner with my wife. The meeting started at 3pm and concluded at 5pm. Just before 6pm I get a text from the guild leader that 1/2 of the officers/Co-GMs quit the guild shortly after the meeting that they happily went through and agreed on stuff. Needless to say this royally pissed me off as I now just wasted 2hrs of my life I will not get back.

I tracked down in game one of the former guildies and got his reasons (which felt valid) and got the guild masters take in it (which too was valid) and all I can think about now is why am I still playing this? I'm also thinking that it was all juvenile across the boards and I am glad that my class schedule will limit my online time so I am less exposed to this nonsense. It's frustratingly stupid. Now when I am around there is fewer geared people to actually do the end game content so I will be back on the "pick up group" express. All aboard the P.U.G.

Whoo-whoo.

Feh.

I wish all parties involved the best of luck in their gaming and new guilds. If we do meet up in game in the future....please keep your drama cooties to yourself and no longer waste anyone's time further.


Why am I still playing Star Wars: The Old Republic again?

On time management skills...

When it comes to time allotment for doing school work I feel I am capable (including procrastination time as well). However I am apparently lousy at including people other than my wife into my allotments. In other words I miss spending time with my friends dearly.

I understand that plans get cancelled by myself and others as real life and other issues arrive but I got to say that knowing this still doesn't ease the feeling that by neglecting my friends (even for real reasons) I am losing touch with them and they will fade away some and move on. That depresses me somewhat.

So it needs to be something I will address more; taking time to keep in touch more with those who's friendships I value more than they probably know. I should send an email (at minimum) to check on them but in lieu of a meet up I will call on the phone.

I will just need to start to rely less on Facebook to be a point of contact. That shit is just evil; you are connected to a small degree but it is painfully impersonal. Essentially I miss the messiness of actual interaction; it is all the flubs and mistakes that represent us more truthfully and honestly than a format where we can edit and carefully craft messages.

All I got to do now is find some time to make some calls.....

2014: A Discussion

Mentioned in my last post was the beginning to use this space more of a journal of sorts. So in the spirit of that I want to lay out some things I would like to change about myself. Not a New Years resolutions list, those are complete horse shit that nobody ever follows, but a list if things I want to work on from here out (not just for the year).

Starting it off I will continue to mellow out more. I know I have over the course of the years but this is a work in progress that will continue into the future. A good deal of it has to do with the influence of my wife. Without her I do not think I would have been as far along in this as I feel I am. Frankly looking back on my late teens and early twenties I am amazed I had any friends at all with how tightly wound I was. I was just a walking wall of angry. This came off as mean, spiteful, and moody; all of that could be focused upon others for no damn good reason. Why? Because at that time I didn't care about embracing dickish behavior; I relished it.

Not any more though. In fact I haven't in awhile and I will continue to further remove myself from such things that help enable any kind of relapse. I have no clue what those are but, like art or pornography, I'll know it when I see it. It's just not a healthy way to live.

I also will ween myself away from the SWTOR MMO this year. Yeah I want to complete the last two Republic class story lines first but then I'm done. It has reached diminishing returns with me. The time invested is not worth what I get out of it. I've met some cool folk online with this game but it's reaching the time to move on.

Speaking of moving on: I now acknowledge that both of my Pathfinder RPG's I run are dead in the water. I do not see myself getting behind the screen again to DM for a very long time. With my schooling I know my availability and I do not see time that I will have available to run a campaign any more. That sucks but it is a truth; I don't have time anymore. It is easier for me to be a player, for now, as it takes less prep time but even that may vanish. I dislike not being able to spend time with my friends gaming like I used to but I do not regret losing that to gain my college education and eventual move into grad school (and beyond).

While discussing gaming I want to note that GenCon 2013 was fun but not as fun (gaming wise) as in  prior years. After really thinking about everything that we did there in August the con part was not as fun as just spending time with my wife. It was also really REALLY packed full of people with close to 9000+ attendees there from the 2012 con. If this keeps up come 2015 ( when we return....maybe) it will be unbearable with the crowds. At least it still did not have that "unwashed masses" aroma large gatherings of gamers bring.

On a lighter note some people I know got engaged recently and I couldn't be happier for them! There is also another gent I used to be friends with that got remarried recently and I couldn't be happier for him too. Our departure was all my call as, when it happened, I was not in a place where I could be there for him (he was getting divorced....and was the 3rd person I was friends with that divorce happened to....I could not handle a third go around in the span of about 9 months). I actually felt that I needed a break, broke off contact, and as time passed I realized months, then years, passed but I did not feel the need to reconnect nor felt that I chose the wrong path. I still think this was still the best choice as both our lives moved on to bigger and better things. I do not hate the person, I hold no ill will, but sometimes you need to move on and move away to grow. And now he's in a really great, loving place and I couldn't be happier for him and his new wife.

Those that have done wrong by me in the past that I severed ties with I can say that I'm not angry about it anymore.

I will expand my horizons more when it comes to friends. I want to keep meeting new friends from all walks of life, with different beliefs, because it enriches my own life and expands my world view further.

Lastly I will work on getting more things written online whether it is here for the self reflection or other things or on the OG blog about movies and pop culture. Why? Because I want to. I also want to read more books for fun this year. My wife gave me two new ones as Christmas gifts and I am looking forward to finally getting into their pages.

The Interference of real life.

It happens, especially when going deeper into a college education while married and trying desperately to have any social life. Something will always give and in this case it has been the social life and blogging here.

Frankly I lost interest due to all of the writing I am doing for my schooling; research papers tend to suck the soul out of folk. I all but stopped playing tabletop RPGs as I needed my weekends to do research, draft essays, read academic journals, etc. Additionally trying to come up with my own topics to write about for fun was a chore when focusing on topics for a grade. By the way I did well this semester with 5 A's.

But I am writing some but for a community website. A friend of mine started it and contacted me about contributing. While I just put up my third post there I seem to be the TV/Movie guy on a site all about various trappings of pop culture. If you wish you can check out Outright Geekery , it has all sorts of interesting reviews, discussions, and more about comics, games, movies and such.

In the meantime I will use AE to keep tabs on stuff in more of a journal capacity and for posts that won't fit into OG's footprint.

Take care all & have a Happy New Year!

Movie Review: The World's End

I did not like it. 

I did not like it and I was surprised by this. What went wrong for me? Where did this fall flat when I was watching this movie? Some of the answers may surprise you. 

Let us begin with that the movie gets off to a painfully slow start. Really. It takes quite awhile before the meat of this movie begins to emerge. And once the ball gets rolling and King Arthur and his knights.....er..... Gary King and the boys begin to discover the truth of their former hometown the movie picks up steam and improves slightly.

I also did not find the movie very funny either. For a trio of extremely talented, funny people who make genre hybrid films that infuse comedy with another (Hot Fuzz was a blend of comedy and every action movie trope ever) this movie felt lacking. A great deal of the humor in the movie felt forced and it made the dialogue come off as uncomfortable rather than humorous. Some jokes just fell flat for me as well. Comedy is hit or miss and mostly they missed the mark for me. In fact I do not remember the audience in attendance laughing at all. Possibly the two times I did but it was really quiet in there. Just and uncomfortable time.

The movie is also a thinly veiled Arthurian legend retelling. While you may think I'm crazy for thinking this as a fast example just check out the last names of the main characters: King, Paige, Knightley, Chamberlain, Prince. Their names sum up how they act in film too. Hell, Gary King and Steven Prince both have a thing for Samantha Chamberlain and at the end of the movie Steven wins her heart. So Lancelot wins Guinevere away from Arthur. The use of circles in this movie are references to The Round Table as they usually involve the boys sitting around them. And the pint at the end of the golden mile pub crawl, the twelfth pint....which is sitting alone on a table for Gary....labelled #12, is his Holy Grail and the answer to becoming a legend, worthwhile, and gives his life meaning. To become immortal.

Which brings me to the main part of the movie that I did not like. Simon Pegg's character Gary King. I loathed this character. All charisma, but hollow. He is very difficult to like. He is this person who was somewhat popular, arrogant, a bad role model, was not very good at anything, and for some unknown reason people would follow him to the end of the earth. I watched how the others in the group talked to him; a specter of their past that reemerged and is once more making their lives a chaotic mess. 

Just watching how they talk to Gary they feel uncomfortable being around him. They know this will end poorly for them. Think about someone you knew in high school that you had tons of fun with, your parents disapproved of, and you knew had no ambitions past fun. Now imagine meeting that person 10+ years later and they are still the same even down to their clothes and wanting to resume just where you left off without taking into account you've grown up, you have changed and have moved on with your life. Uncomfortable.

Fortunately once the booze starts flowing some of that unease dissolves and they start to reminisce and have some fun. But you still cannot shake the feeling that being around Gary King is a bad idea and he is a lost artifact that should have stayed that way. And the damnedest thing is Gary King is played to NOT be likable, to be that ghost from a past time. To be that asshole friend. Simon Pegg plays this brilliantly.

And I saw parts of Gary King in who I was and people I know now. I did not like this. I go to a movie for fun and entertainment not for self reflection especially in a comedy about a pub crawl with alien replicants assimilating mankind. I saw my youth and people I once spent time with. I saw some of the behaviors of my misspent youth and cringed at what I was. I watch King and saw some people in my life currently that if given a push the wrong way will become Gary King. 

Then in the final act we see why Gary needs this crawl. At the start of the movie you think he is in an AA group meeting. In fact it was a suicide survivors group meeting in a hospital. Gary's wrists were bandaged up with the hospital wrist band still on. Gary NEEDS this to accomplish something in his life because he knows how much everyone else as moved on and he remained stagnant. He knows he is pathetic and a loser. And I saw that in myself in my late teens. And I contemplated suicide myself. Stopped myself short of actually pulling the trigger and broke down in tears. This is a literal statement. So yeah I hate Gary King because I was him as I felt hopeless and pointless in my life. I am fortunate that I have moved past that and have done something productive with my life and am happy. 

And this stained my view of this movie. Perhaps after a few more viewings I can appreciate this movie for what it was. But for now....some of it hit too close to home for me and made me uncomfortable. 

Movie Review: Elysium

 

 

 

Hollywood desperately needs to pay more attention to writer/director Neill Blomkamp. I know some have taken him into account with him first being announced as the director to the vaporware HALO film and after District 9 you think more would have looked at what this former Visual Effects/3D Animation graduate could bring to the table. That would be smart right?


Nope. Not in Hollywood where film budgets spiral out of control, blockbusters fail to live up to expectations constantly, and the studio execs cannot discover why they are losing money like water flowing out of a pasta strainer. I say this because Blomkamp took a meager (by Hollywood standards) budget of $30 Million dollars and crafted District 9 which looked and felt like a movie with four times the budget. He did it again with Elysium's $90 Million budget and the end result looked like it was hitting the upper 150-200 million range. The man knows HOW to utilize special effects for maximum effect, impact, and does not bust the budget doing so. He (Neill) can also craft relevant stories about issues of today all set in a familiar yet futuristic setting.


In Elysium we see the story of the very rich and everyone else. This has been a hot button debate in this country now for a few years and the movie is using this as the basic premise for a satisfying, visually stunning, and somewhat violent science fiction dramatic action film. The basics of this movie is the story of Max (Matt Damon) and Frey (Alice Braga) two childhood friends who grew up together in an orphanage in the slums of Los Angeles who dreamed about leaving the squalor of Earth for the pristine life in the orbiting space station Elysium. Max promises to do anything to take his friend away from this life and to a better one orbiting above Earth.


Cut ahead a few years and we see a grown Max as a man still living in squalor, working a job for a company that provides supplies to Elysium and trying to survive day to day with out violating his parole. Max went the criminal route while Frey went in another direction. Through an injury Max is once again reunited with Frey at a local hospital where she works as a nurse. Interspersed we are introduced to Jodie Foster's Delacourt (the Defense Secretary to Elysium) and how she handles problems of illegal entry into the wealthy paradise....by having them killed. She unleashes her undercover agent Kruger (Sharlto Copley) to dispatch the would be immigrants with a cold demeanor I have not seen her display in her film roles yet. Kruger reminded me of Marvel Comic's Kraven the Hunter in an exo-skeleton. He is ruthless, cunning, relentless and enjoys his job and position as apex predator amongst unknowing masses.


Moving ahead Max tragically becomes exposed to lethal doses of radiation while on the job and is given about five days to live. The company's owner and Elysium citizen John Carlyle (played by the horribly underrated William Fichtner) could care less and wants Max disposed of asap so he does not need to change out the linens in the medical bay (because that will cost money) and could not care about those lesser than him. So Max approaches a former criminal associate and immigrant runner named Spider (Wagner Moura) and offers a trade: a ticket to Elysium where he can be healed by their technology and he will do whatever Spider asks. Wouldn't you know Spider has a job lined up where they need a desperate person to complete it: to kidnap an Elysium high ranking citizen, download their neural data for any access codes, data, anything that they can use to get people to Elysium so they can get care from the beyond futuristic technology they are hoarding for themselves. Max agrees under one condition that the target is John Carlyle.


Carlyle is captured, the data is downloaded and now Delacourt has unleashed Kruger to hunt Max for the data he has stored into his head. Trust me this makes perfect sense when you see the film as to how they do this. For further plot spoilers you can go elsewhere or better yet just see the movie. Frankly I do not want to give the movie away as I found it worth watching. While the overall story is not exactly new territory it is the way Blomkamp has his actors give genuine human reactions to the situations they are in. There is a scene in the movie where Max is asked to help another get to Elysium with him and he instead flees as he is more concerned with his own self preservation than helping another. It was not the atypical action movie hero response of helping at all costs. Hell no, this man leaves with no intention of helping. He is dying and is running out of time.


The friendship between Julio (Diego Luna) and Max also felt natural. It felt as these two have been best friends for years who look after each other because they want to. I wanted to see a bit more of Julio in the movie as I liked their interactions quite a bit. Spider was another interesting character as a man who wants to help people yet still does not mind profiteering from those he wants to save. I was unsure where Spider was going until the scene where he sees just what the data Max is carrying in his head and how important it was. You could see the change in the character then and it played out from there nicely.


Jodie Foster is a stone cold bitch in this movie just as she should be. She is a monster in a while suit doing everything necessary to make sure "safety" is kept. Delacourt was Elysium's Homeland Security and she was drunk on that power. It was delicious.  Finally Sharlto was just glorious as Kruger. I do not want to spoil him to any potential viewers but he made this movie for me. I cannot wait to see what he does in the upcoming film OLDBOY as one of the villains.


Now the visual effects of this movie were top notch. It felt as if everything was real and actual technology (even technology that is obtainable in our near future). I seriously want to fire one of the rail gun rifles Max shoots in the final act. The robots has an natural look about them that blended in with the rest of the sets and scenes as if they were actually there. Again Blomkamp uses effects in a conserved manner (almost minimalist compared to other heavy effects laden films) and the result gives a realism to each scene. The man knows how to frame shots to get the biggest bang for his effects budget and having Weta do the effects means they look spectacular.


I loved the audio in the film as well. From the dialogue volume to the sound effects, ambient sounds, musical score everything blended together well. My one criticism involves a monologue a little girl gives as it was hard to understand at points due to her age and a slightly mush mouthed delivery. Past that nothing else was lost in the audio department.


I do need to add that this movie continues the tradition of showing the world why Neill was the best choice for that HALO movie that never materialized. District 9 used repainted prop weapons that were built for HALO as their tech. Here we see a aerospace craft that is reminiscent of the Pelican as well as more military gear that the Spartans and Covenant may have used (let's just say Jackal's energy shield). But the look of Elysium station itself is an interpretation of a HALO ring. The space fly-by scenes kept reaffirming this by how it looks. You can see the man worked his ass off on prepping the film that fell through and is now reclaiming his take on things for his own works. And it works too.


I cannot recommend this movie enough. It definitely scratched the sci-fi itch I had all summer and has become another must own for my personal collection. My wife and I have been talking about this movie all day since seeing it and we keep coming up with more to discuss whether it is the acting, look or what the underlying story was about. Now I am looking forward to Neill's next movie due out in 2014 called Chappie which is another sci-fi film. Which is one of my favorite genres. It also stars Sharlto as the lead. My butt will be in the theater on day one yet again and now I wait eagerly.

A new blog to follow.

A little shameless promotion here. My wife started a blog and I'm trying to encourage her to keep writing by getting people to read it. I'm proud of her writing and I see a future for her as a novelist. I just want to keep the encouragement going from more than just myself.   So check out http://skewedshadows.blogspot.com/ and follow it so she has no choice but to keep writing. 

Movie Review: Pacific Rim

I went into this virtually blind. I will admit that my usual modus operendi when following a summer tentpole movie is to check out multiple articles, photos, set reports, et cetera to check out how the movie is developing. I try to shy away from spoilers for the most part but I have noticed that the less likely I think the film will amuse me the more likely I will check spoilers. The exception is if I feel I have the movie figured out by watching the trailer then I go to see how accurate I was in my analysis of said trailer. The Cabin in the Woods is a good example. Figured out the whole movie including the twist before I stepped into the theater and was not suprised with how sad (read: poor) that movie was.


All I knew about Pacific Rim was this: Kaiju monsters, giant robots, Del Toro was directing, I was going opening night. Thats all. I did not even know the run time for the movie. This is unheard of for me.


The film starts out with a recap of how the world ended up in the situation it is in. A dimentional rift opened up at the bottom of the Pacific ocean where the first Kaiju emerged from. Our first encounter took place in San Fransisco where the Kaiju caused unheard of distruction. After a few days and numerous tanks, jets, military power, and guile the armed forces put this beast down. But more attacks kept coming. The worlds governements joined together to come up with a solution to the kaiju: The Jaegers. Jaegers are man made giant robots piloted by two humans built to fight the beasts. The solution was working. We were winning, Jaeger pilots were celebrities, kaiju toys are being sold, and we become complacent to the real danger these beasts present.


When US Jaeger "Gypsy Danger" was deployed to defend Anchorage, Alaska we learned that something changed. The kaiju are adapting. Becoming stronger, smarter, and ready for us. Cut ahead five years and the Jaeger program has been defunded, the world's government has placed all the hopes of protecting the people on the Wall of Life project. And we see one half of Gypsy Dangers pilot team working on a wall segement in Alaska where he is reactivated as a pilot again and the Jaeger teams are now part of the resistance. And only four Jaegers remain. As the frequency of the attacks increase, more powerful kaiju emerge from the rift. A plan is set into motion to seal the rift once and for all.


And that is all the story you will get out of me for this review. If you want it in detail I advise you to forgo spoilers and just see the film. Yes I enjoyed this movie. It ticked off all the boxes of my expectations and exceeded many of them as well. The biggest one for me was is the movie fun. It was fun. Fun may not be strong enough to describe the enjoyment I got on a purely emotional level. During the battle of Hong Kong I realized that for the entire sequence my mouth hung open in pure awe at the specticle that was being shown on screen. Visceral, powerful, and epic are decent adjectives to try to explain such spectacles.


The movie also is quiet and reserved at moments when dealing with the human element but make no mistake the personalities are just as large as the mecha and monsters themselves. If I was to give a negative criticism to this film is that is does not allow you to get to know the other Jaeger pilot teams outside the US and Australian units. I would have loved to see more of the Chinese team (triplet brothers) and the Russian team (a married couple piloting the last first generation Jaeger and they have been in active duty for six years). What I wrote is about all you get for those units. That is a shame considering how lively and unique all the characters are in this movie. Ron Pearlman's "Hannibal Chau" damn near stole the film for me and I wanted more of him on screen. Overall I was pleased with the actors and their roles.


Though any audience will like this movie for numerous reasons people with a passing knowledge of Japanese Anime, specifically the mecha genre, will get the most out of this film. Del Toro crafted a live action anime done with not only the love of a fan of the genre but the eye and skill of a master film maker. All of his signatures of his prior works are present like his use of the mundane and weird, his use of color in every scene, how he frames shots and look of his sets. Del Toro also reaches into tropes associated with various anime and manga and utilizes them through out but in a way that feels natural and blends into the world he has crafted instead of standing out awkwardly. This movie is a blending of cultural influences unleashed into a big budget Hollywood blockbuster. To delve anymore into that logic would have me spoiling moments in the film.


With regards to the visuals and sound used this was superb. Visually the Jaegers and Kaiju all looked as if they were real and belonged in the world and not just CGI added in production. The visual looks of the robots and monsters were all distinct and gave a personality to each. I especially liked how the various Kaiju all looked different and had different abilities. And the sounds that came from the battles just rocked the theater with out being over powering. Loud is fine but when its loud just for the sake of then you lose purpose. Sound was crafted and utilized very well here. I would not be suprised if this film gets nominated for Sound and Visual Effects Oscars.


I know for my money this was a major win. I want more good films in this vein and I would like them now. Now dammit! However I will also say that I do not want a sequel to this movie. Pacific Rim is a contained story, much like some manga and anime are, and does not need further exploration into this world. But my oh my what a story is told. Action, drama, comedy added at the right moments. I could not have been happier with the final product if I had made this myself.


So do go see Pacific Rim. Take your kids if they are 6-8 and up even though its PG-13. I did not find it too scary and to be frank they will be entralled by the giant robots kicking tremendous ass. Be warned though: they will want more of this when it is over. For the young kids today this should become the defining movie that moulds their interests into adulthood and beyond. Kids in the 1950's had westerns and pulp stories, kids my age had Star Wars, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, and kids today get Pacific Rim. I cannot wait to see what todays kids create when they become adults.

Confessions of a 35 Year Old College Sophomore: Semester is Over Edition!

This semester has been difficult to say the least. I had more 300 level courses which have more intensive workloads. I had a few more gen ed's; one of which I disliked immensely. I wrote more papers this semester in two classes then I did through out my high school career and I loved it.

Sure the time and effort I needed to put into college ate away at most of the fun stuff I wanted to do when I was just a wage slave. I wanted to game yet I needed my weekends to keep up with a mountain of reading and writing that never quit. I wanted to see people more however being a partial hermit works for school. It is easier to concentrate when I only resort to keeping touch via Facebook or other social media. It is not the same as face to face but I just wanted my friends to know I still like them.

I am looking forward to this summer break for two reasons. First my wife and I get to spend it together! We get a few months of uninterrupted time with each other and I'm looking forward to it. Second this summer is our pilgrimage to GenCon. We are both excited at this prospect! Games, seeing friends we don't get to see, games, meeting new people, games......all the good things.

The sickest part of this vacation is I actually spoke to my one professor (who I will have again in the fall) and got the book titles for that class. I'm ordering them in a week and will read them before class starts. I'm even going to take detailed notes from the books so I am slightly ahead of the game. Mostly because I want some breathing room. This past semester really taught me lessons on time management that I wasn't versed in. Needless to say the lesson was learned.

Confessions of a 35yr Old College Sophomore: Spring Break Edition

Above and beyond last semester this one has been brutal. In both workload and subject matter this is a trial by fire that I just want to pass and move on. While I have a favorite or two this semester a few I thought I would enjoy have fallen flat with me and have become a chore to complete. I soldier on only because I have a wife that needs me to complete this and get that better career so we can be comfortable in life for a change.


Obviously I took another film studies course this semester and love it. I just am in my element examining film, considering why a director chose those elements to show, discussing in critical detail nuances of film and appreciating its art. In other words when I want to discuss a film seriously I can and will bring insight to any conversation. I feel that my thoughts and words will now matter to more than just myself. Also when I trash a movie now it really deserved it based off its merits versus typical neckbeard basement dwelling fanboy-ism. This semester I have viewed films that have moved me, enriched me and made me hunger for more. My favorites have been Bicycle Thieves and the short films of Lumiere. (Now before any film buffs get their panties in a wad the movie is not Bicycle Thief. That was a mistranslation that was corrected on the Criterion edition of the film.) Both were beautiful in ways I haven't experienced in modern films. One was a stark view of life post WWII while the others were short subjects, most about real life, that were glorious glimpses into the wonders of life. Yes they made me smile and crave more of this style.


That said my love of bad cinema is still intact as well as the mass produced pop corn summer faire. Nicholas Cage is still one of my favorite actors and Sam Raimi is still my favorite director. I now
 just have a better, more educated, grasp on that which is film. My journey is still ongoing and I love that.


Suprisingly I am mixed about the Media Criticism course I'm taking this semester and I'm not sure why. I like my professor, the subject matter, workload but I'm just blah about it all. I still will be a media critic, no doubt there, I just suppose I need to transform what I am learning about different criticism techniques (semiotics, Marxist criticism, psychoanalytical, sociological) into my own method. I will say I was quite proud of my semiotic analysis of a Viagra commercial and my Marxist critique of the Star Wars MMO.


I also have a consumer chemistry class that is taught by a man who reminds me of Viscount Eric. My Intro Sociology course is a tad dry at times (Psychology was MUCH more interesting and engaging last semester). Finally I have a Human Ecology biology course. This is fascinating and I am enthralled in this course. Truly learning for the sake of learning. I also had to take a mathematics competency examination. Frankly math is as scary to me as Dr. Bob cosplaying as Dr. Frank N Furter. Well I was relieved that I scored proficient on that exam. You needed 19 of 32 correct to pass. I got 26. A happier man there wasn't in my household Monday when I got this result.


This gets you few readers up to date with goings on in academia. There is some gaming, a few movies and a couple of LEGO models to report on as well. Those are for another time.

Scrapping the 12 Days of Blogs-mas.

Frankly after some rather horrible stuff going on in the world (read: school shooting in CT), friends going through personal problems, my own personal problems....I'm not feeling very Christmas-like right now.

In fact I'm pretty damn angry. I don't think that is conducive to writing fluff pieces related to holiday dorkery. What I want to go after is the gun issue in this country. I want to address the topic of organized religion and its influences (good or ill). I want to completely bitch about that Pathfinder MMO Kickstarter for various reasons.....and compared to the other two topics it doesn't matter.

I don't get paid to do this. I do this for enjoyments sake and to leave some sort of mark out there in the aether. And while I was getting learned up in college I was very brief in my online appearances here now I'm going to take my time and craft something worthwhile to read for a change. Something I feel may actually be important to read and one that is all me.

So if you're looking for holiday cheer in this spot.....that isn't what you're going to find as Krampus as taken residence this year at AE.

12 Days of Blogs-mas: Confessions of a 35yr Old College Student on Winter Break

Finals are done and now it is time to relax and reflect about what I subjected myself to for the past few months.

The workload isn't as terrible as I was expecting it to but I was taking Gen Eds with some courses that pertain to my major. There was work but I didn't feel the class work was overwhelming. The readings were fairly easy to keep up with. So far I am pretty proud of how I did. Yeah a few finals I feel I could have done better on but I now know what to expect in the future.

I also realized most folk on campus generally do not want to be bothered. Occasionally I hear a hello from people I go to class with but I am generally left alone and give the others the same courtesy. It can feel lonely at times but I usually distract myself with keeping up on my readings while trapped on campus. I don't see this pattern changing in the spring semester either and I think I'm ok with that.

As for the professors I don't think I could have asked for a better group of educators for my reintroduction back into academia. All were professional, passionate about their work and the fields they are experts in and each was very personable and willing to talk and assist with concerns. A few of the professors I'll be looking to take more courses they offer in the future because of the rapport I built over the semester.

As for my fellow students most as good people. I have noticed over the course of the semester that a large majority of young adults straight out of high school have no capacity for a healthy skepticism. None. Everything is either black or white, good or bad. It is the lightswitch mentality (on or off) with these kids and it is pointless trying to engage them in discourse as the arguments are just wastes of time. Everything is taken at face value with no desire or consideration to examine/question what is in front of them. This is pretty damn distressing and frankly worrisome. I will keep an eye on this as my college career continues and see if I notice as change as they get older and experience more.

So now I'm off until late January and feel I've earned it. I can't wait until my spring semester to see what new stuff I get to learn there and how I will apply what I have learned in conjunction.
The biggest thing I have learned from this experience so far is I can do this. I can do this and I am enjoying this as well.

12 Days of Blogs-mas: The Year In Review Edition

I am so tired as I write this. You see as this gets posted on 12/13/12 I've actually written it on 12/12/12 as part of a mental break I needed from studying for a final exam on 12/13. So that is such a wonderful doorway into just what has happened this year to you're intrepid writing pal.

1) College. Yes I went back to school full time in August to pursue a degree in Communications (Media Studies) at my local state university. I have enjoyed it so far but the depths of how much and what stressors it has brought upon me I will save for a 'Confessions...' article later in the month. Right now my brain is hurting trying to come up with the bullet points for my blue book essay for 19th Century U.S. History.

2) Gaming! Yes the fun stuff. On the table top front I've been GMing two different Pathfinder games. As my school semester hit the half way point I breaked due to work load but I have both games set up after my finals to get one last session in before 2013 hits. However if the Mayans were right then the Runelords group is screwed as it is supposed to run on 12/22.

I've also had a fun playing in the odd Eclipse Phase game this past year. Call of Cthulhu has also popped up on radar with some new folk added into the mix of Viscount Eric's group of insane investigators. I also had the privilege of running a TOON! game for some of the old guard. It sure was nice reconnecting with those fine folk again and their families too.

I supported a Kickstarter and I was not disappointed as it was very awesome. The breakdown of goodies and a critical review of the quality of the product and the Kickstarter process is in the pipeline or whenever I finish my finals.

3) Video Games! More fun stuff. I've played some good games this year but recently there have been only two that have consumed more of my time than any others have this year. Star Wars: The Old Republic and Borderlands 2. I loved the first Borderlands and this improves on the first in so many ways its silly. As for the MMO....I never thought I would get involved (read: sucked in) with an MMO but this one has got me doing the end game gear grind, running operations (high level dungeon raids) and being silly. So yeah, I've been having fun playing it. So has my wife.

Anyways there have been some other gems in the video game rough but nothing that has kept my interest like the two above. Two games I see myself playing way into 2013 (Mayans be damned).

4) Life! I has one! The best parts of this year have been the times I've spent with my wife. In the best times it has been more enjoyable and in the worst times her being there has made it easier to handle. Interspersed through out the first half of the year there have been some very bad times dealing with a toxic relationship and its fall out. Being demonized is no fun let me tell you. However the exact opposite started to happen shortly afterwards as I reconnected with some old friends who showed back up at just the right time. Its like the opportunity for this to happen was just around the corner and its timing couldn't have been more perfect.

We took a trip to Washington D.C. this summer to see the historical sites, the monuments, The Smithsonian and the Art of Video Games exhibit. Excellent exhibit and we had a fun time there with our excellent company. We also popped out to Pittsburgh to check it out and had fun there as well with our friends living in that region. No GenCon trip this year however as that is slated for 2013.

We've also had the chance to attend two concerts. The Last Summer on Earth Tour with Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveller, Big Head Todd and the Monsters and Cracker. It was a 90's music experience and all the acts were great. More recently we attended the Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Tour. Some Christmas music a'la BSO, some good rockabilly swing and rock and roll. Add to that Dr. Bob and his lovely lady and the night was a rousing success.

5) Movies! Best one I watched this year? Wreck-It Ralph. It was the most enjoyable movie going experience I've had all year. I also enjoyed Brave, Prometheus, The Dark Knight Rises, The Expendables 2 and The Rise of the Guardians. The more I think about The Avengers the less I can remember about it except Hulk playing "put out the Darkwing" with Loki. Great example of mass produced pop-culture garbage but there is not a good movie lying under that facade. Now I just have two more to see before the year's out: The Hobbit and Django Unchained. Guess which one we're seeing Christmas night...

6) LEGO! There is a rather large backlog of material I need to get through here but it has been a fruitful year in this department.

All in all this year was like every year past; full of stress, fighting, dealing with situations beyond our collective control. However I've managed to find more highlights within my past year and that is a win in my book. I have great friends, a wonderful family and a wife that is there with me through thick and thin. I've had experiences (good and bad) that have just made me a stronger person. And with all that I can say that I'm happy.

QMR: Wreck-It Ralph

I chose this poster because 'Paperman' was equally awesome!

This should have been under the Pixar banner.


I'm sure you've heard this assertion many times since Ralph hit the theaters on Friday. Well it was that good. I enjoyed this more than "Brave" and I think that was one of the best movies I've watched all year. I will give the crew credit for handling a subject so near and dear to my heart, video games, with complete respect and dare I say love of the medium. From the cameos, to the inside jokes, to the writing of how the game characters behave when not on the job it is handled well and by people who care about this world of electronic entertainment.


"Wreck-It Ralph" was funny, well written, extremely well cast and is, hopefully, the start of more 'Disney magic' to come. "Tangled" was the start of this and "Ralph" continues to blur the line between Pixar and Disney faire. You can thank John Lasseter for this.


Now I also highlighted "Paperman" in the poster as well. It is the accompanying short that plays before the feature. It is just glorious! It blurs the lines between hand drawn animation and computer in such a way that I was speechless. Not only that it tells a very cute and heartwarming story of how two people meet for the first time.

So "Wreck-It Ralph" is full of all sorts of value and easily worth going to the movies to check this out. I can't talk about any 3D showings as I generally skip that but from what I have heard from a discriminating source it was awesome in 3D.


Go and see this!

QMR: Hotel Transylvania

Sandula and his crew being themselves disguised as monsters. Funny.


Yes it is just Adam Sandler and his usual crew of idiots getting paid for goofing off but the movie was amusing at worse and laugh at loud hilarious at its best. The casting was spot on for the roles with Steve Buchemi as the wolf man, Phil, being my favorite. The story was somewhat akin to the typical Disney princess story where one or both of the parents were deceased. Fortunately this was more about Dracula dealing with his daughter than his daughter dealing with daddy.


I enjoyed how this was quite enjoyable for both parents and children and some of the jokes skewed into adult humor quite easily and without making junior or little miss aware of the transition. The bottom line was this was worth the price of admission and is a fun movie to watch.