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#31
Movies / G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 06:48:45 AM
Like most movies that have 6 different people involved in creating it (3 for the screenplay, 3 for the "story" and one for the comic although one dude made the screenplay and got credit for the story) this movie is rife with plot holes and inconsistencies.
There are serious problems with the motivations of some of the characters and once again, like the Transformers, the good guys hold back almost every time, allowing the bad guys to run roughshod over them.
At no time did I think this movie was in any way plausible and I had to completely disable my bullshit meter because after the first 5 minutes it was already on overload.
The special effects were in some places impressive (the accelerator suits come to mind) and in other places not so much. Actually most places not so much. They had a real problem blending the effects in this movie and the sense that things were "fake" was an ever present companion for me during this film.
I have to just sort of smile and chuckle as I find myself longing for the days of "The Rock" or "Independence Day": movies that were considered long on effects and short on plot in their time. At least back then they were trying. There used to be a saying that "if there is a gun on the table in act one it must go off in act 3" in storytelling. Nowadays it's more like "if there's a gun on the table in act one it must go off every 40 seconds or we will lose the audience."
All of that said: this is fairly standard "Summer Blockbuster" fare. If you can shut your brain off and enjoyed any of the other big movies this summer (Terminator, Transformers) you will probably like GI Joe just fine. It's essentially the same movie so you might want to save yourself a few bucks and just think about the ones you already saw but that's up to you.
GI Joe does a few things better than the second Transformers movie. The acting is much better and there is a significant decrease in silly one liners. It also does a few things worse, the blending of effects I mentioned for instance.
Overall it's not terrible. And I really wish someone would give Dennis Quaid a decent job. But I can't recommend it any more than I recommended "Terminator: Salvation" or "Transformers."
It would make a fine Netflix rental.
#32
The Tube / The Daily Show With Jon Stewar...
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 06:46:32 AM
Jon Stewart is in a rare place right now. Although he loathes to admit it, he might just be the single most powerful man in the news business today. Gone are the days of the Cronkite's, Brokaw's and Rather's. "20/20" is something that grandmothers and shut-ins watch. Network news is largely a local matter now and stands more as a recap of the area police blotter than anything else.
In these days of "news osmosis" (Jon Stewart's words) more and more people are getting their news from multiple sources. I know from personal experience that I am a mix of local small papers (skimmed at best), a daily trip through the AP and Reuters on the internet, an occasional news channel visit if something big is happening and of course, "The Daily Show."
The main reason that Stewart would loath to admit that he is a "news" man or that people get their news from his show is because of his respect for journalistic integrity and journalistic requirements. He goes out of his way in every interview to point out that his show is a comedy show; not the news.
So why do better than two million people a night tune in to get news from him? I can't say, but my own personal opinion is that while "The Daily Show" makes a point of their lack of journalistic integrity it is the hypocrisy in the supposed "news" today that breeds such contempt for those who purport to uphold those standards.
In short, if the guys who are supposed to be reporting the news are biased, have an agenda and flout the most common and time honored rules of journalism at least I can change the channel to "The Daily Show" and get news where the only agenda is to be funny.
The real problem with the news is something for a full blog some time. To summarize my feelings they did it to themselves when they started worrying about ratings and competing with each other instead of just reporting the news. The people who make news learned very quickly that they had options when it came to their public face. They could go with the honest reporter who will check his facts and ask the hard questions or they could guy with the guy who wants the ratings so bad that he's willing to softball the interview and make the subject look good.
Once ratings became king in the news game all hell broke loose and now we are lucky if we get any real news anymore. But I digress.
"The Daily Show" is funny. It is informative in its way. The interviews may not be the hardest hitting in the world but they are both entertaining and often more true to the subject than the prepared interviews you will see on news networks. And they interview authors; something that is very rare on television these days (I don't watch "Oprah") and scores big marks in my book. I wish they did a little fiction to mix in there with the history and politics books but hey, nothing's perfect. "The Daily Show" is just, close.
#33
The Tube / Leverage (TNT)
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 06:45:49 AM
"Leverage" is fun. The premise is shaky, the acting is sketchy and the stories are stock standard; but as I said, it's fun.
Watching Timothy Hutton chew scenery can be painful. I remember when he was a fairly serious actor in fairly serious roles so there are moments, usually when the fourth wall becomes in serious danger of being broken, where I feel the need to turn away. But he has the range to handle the dramatic parts of the series, like the death of his son and recovery from alcoholism better than most.
Another old friend is Christian Kane. I've always enjoyed his tough guy performances. He was on "Angel" for years and it's good to see him back in action.
The rest of the cast I'm unfamiliar with but they handle the roles competently.
Leverage is, in short, a modern day blending of "Mission: Impossible", "Ocean's Eleven" and "The A Team." If you liked any of these shows then you will find something to enjoy with "Leverage."
There are some really bad moments, for example when Aldis Hodge's "Hardison" hacks an airplanes' electrical system and computer, via another character's cell phone, from thousands of miles away. Stuff like that really sets of my bullshit alarm and smacks of dues ex machina.
Then there are some really cool moments. "Leverage" is at its best when the plan is working and everyone is very slickly doing their part without whining or problems. There are a lot of these moments.
In the second season the show has moved more towards being character driven with, sadly, more whining and more blown plans and less plot. I'm hoping the pendulum swings back a bit but it's apparent that the actors are having fun with the roles. Hopefully the writing staff can start firing stuff that's a bit more complex than the corporate investor who stole from the shelter that they've done about four times now.
But as their plots usually involve money in some way (or why else would four mercenary thieves want to get involved I guess) I doubt it. I had a mechanic charge me $400 bucks once for essentially breaking my car worse than it was when I brought it to him. I could have used the Leverage team.
The first season was a hoot and I can recommend it. The second season less so but it was still enjoyable. The absance of Sophie (the actress who plays Sophie was off on maternity leave) was felt, but the time the show spent dwelling on it made it worse. The entrance of Jeri Ryan as her (short term I guess? I don't think anyone knows for sure and the producers aren't telling) replacement I saw coming a mile away. I enjoyed her (what hetero male didn't?) in "Star Trek Voyager" so hopefully her presence will usher in a good third season.
#34
Books / Winter Duty (Book 8 of the Vam...
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 06:44:50 AM
Once again full disclosure, EE Knight is a friend. That said, I met the man through the admiration of his work. So I was a fan first and I think that's important to my integrity as a reviewer. And yes I have an ad for the series on the site but I'm actually using it as a placeholder until the store is operational. No money has changed hands and I'm happy to give some small amount of free advertising to me friend.
First off; if you haven't read any of the series I want you to stop what you are doing and get to reading. You are eight books behind with only eight months until number nine comes out (the author has told many people that the series should run into the area of 14 or so books).
"Vampire Earth" is a series relating to a dystopian future in which mankind has not only been enslaved but replaced at the top of the food chain by a ravenous alien race who does not crave our blood, but perhaps our very souls.
The Kurians softened us up with a global pandemic and natural disasters which reduced the human population of Earth by about eighty five percent. Then they struck. Bringing genetic monstrosities of their own design they quickly conquered what little resistance there was and then a land rush to establish small kingdoms began. The quarrellous Kurians divided us up, fenced in their area and, through the use of their Reapers, began to consume mankind.
Kurians, being weak and cowardly use a genetically created horror that resembles a legendary vampire to consume their victims. Psychically connected to these creatures they consume the "aura" at the same time the Reaper kills a human and subsists on the blood of its' victim.
The series is the story of David Valentine and his part in the war to free humanity.
Valentine is a member of a special caste of warriors called "Hunters." Another alien race, related to and at war with the Kurians, have enhanced humans through genetic manipulation to fight this war against their common enemy. .
The author always tries to make each book stand on its own, but unlike previous entries "Winter Duty" is very much a sequel to last years' "Fall With Honor." You could read "Winter Duty" on its own but I wouldn't recommend it.
David Valentine is now a Wolf, a Cat and a Bear. All three caste animals from the Southern Command area Hunters. He has become the ultimate warrior. But he is a soldier without an army and a man without a nation. In his younger days this bothered him tremendously. His ideals shattered he wondered why he should even fight the Kurians. His fellow man has abused him, labeled him a criminal and in the process of petty infighting and short sighted selfishness, nearly destroyed one of their greatest weapons. The alien "Lifeweavers" who gave him his powers use the humans to fight the Kur.
But Valentine has decided to fight on: for his own reasons.
In "Winter Duty" the shattered remnants of the operation from the previous book are consolidating and licking their wounds. Expecting a counterattack the humans of Fort Seng are surprised to find the Quisling forces of the Kur retreating from the combat theater.
Then a threat of total annihilation is issued and once again David Valentine must find a way to do the impossible with almost no support.
One of the things I really liked about this book and the last one is that they are starting to read a bit like war documentaries. As if the person telling the story is a historian relating what is past.
If you like science fiction, military science fiction or even history you will probably enjoy this series. The characters are vivid, the stories complex and exciting and the writing exceptional. EE Knight has a particular flair for describing the places, geographically speaking, where his stories take place. Each chapter begins with the kind of description you might expect to find in a travel book you might read if you planning on visiting Hell.
#35
Books / Yellow Eyes (The Posleen War)(...
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 06:44:17 AM
John Ringo has been busy. After essentially ending the Posleen War series with "Hell's Faire" (the fourth book in the Posleen War series written exclusively by Ringo) he publicly stated he was tired of writing the series and wanted to move on to other things.
Boy did he.
Since the 2003 release of "Hell's Faire" Ringo has authored or co-authored books approaching the number thirty. That's nearly thirty novels in six or so years. So yeah; he's been a little busy.
Since Ringo had no desire to continue with the Posleen, others rose to the challenge to join him in the tale. Julie Cochrane wrote three novels with Ringo focusing on the daughter and father of the main character from the first four books and their clandestine attempts to subvert and exact revenge from the Darhel. An evil, corporate like race that hamstrung the defense of Earth in the first four books and was essentially responsible for the needless deaths of billions of humans.
Michael Z. Williamson penned a tale called "Hero" with Ringo that took place in the Posleen War Universe, a thousand years after the events in the first four novels. The story of a courageous Darhel (a race usually only concerned with selfish interests and arrogant beyond belief) fighting for survival against a human who has come unhinged was a little hard to take. My opinion; the book was the low point in the series.
And Tom Kratman brought an expansion of the past: first with the book "Watch On The Rhine" about the German defense of the first Posleen incursion, and later in "Yellow Eyes" a detailed description of the war to save Panama.
"Yellow Eyes" at 848 pages is more than a hundred pages longer than any other entry in the series: and you don't notice it at all. The pages fly by. This complex tale of the buildup, battle and climax of the Posleen invasion is a breathless rip through South American landscapes, history and cultures.
Both Kratman and Ringo apparently served in the U.S. Military and their service included tours in Panama. Their love of this chaotic and dangerous corner of the world is like an extra character that is in every scene and every word; traveling through the story with you. It is a tangible thing you can feel in the way the story is told.
If you have never read a Posleen War book then I can easily recommend the entire series. You should start at the beginning (just check the publishing dates on Amazon and you will keep yourself oriented) but "Yellow Eyes" is a very bright spot in a very fun series.
As Ringo has decided to continue the series on his own, bringing back his main characters and consolidating the fascinating extensions he created with Williamson, Cochrane and Kratman into a new book (the recently released "Eye Of The Storm") I'll be revisiting the series again in other reviews, but I wanted to start with the one I read most recently.
If you have only read some of this series, trust me when I tell you that "Yellow Eyes" is the Posleen War at its best.
#36
Games / The Overlord Expansion: Raisin...
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 06:43:19 AM
I know, I know; Overlord 2 is out and I'm reviewing the expansion pack for the first game. Well tough. That's what I most recently played, Overlord itself was a great and fun game and can be picked up cheap now; folks might find the information about the $10 expansion useful. So there.
The story in the expansion begins with the appearance of 5 gates. One in each previously conquered realm and each a hellish mirror of that realm. Also in residence are the tormented souls of the vanquished "heroes" from the main game.
To be honest I wasn't expecting much from a cheap expansion. And in the graphical area the expansion definitely leaves something to be desired. They essentially repurposed most of the settings, plants and props from the main game and simply changed their color or orientation to inhabit these "scary" abyss realms that must be cleared to win the game.
But the game play, is a whole other matter. Some of the newer challenges were downright fantastic. The level with the obese halfling king Melvin Underbelly is particularly fun. It was such a treat that I would have paid the $10 just for that one level. It was a lot of fun.
The remaining levels range from ok to good but for the most part I would say that this is one of the better expansions. The addition of unique weapons and new enemies made for a fun time and it was well worth the gold. The additional story element that sets up the sequel is also a nice touch.
And speaking of sequel: I have played the demo for Overlord 2 and I have to say I have some concerns. The camera is definitely a little glitchy and I'm not crazy about some of the art changes. That said, the first time one of my minions tamed a wolf and started riding it around and attacking my enemies I was hooked. I've never had so much fun bashing in the skulls of baby harp seals.
The sequel is not getting the best reviews but I'll probably pick it up in a few months when the price comes down. If you have Gamefly both games would make for an excellent lost weekend.
#37
The Web / Questionable Content (www.ques...
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 06:42:17 AM
Jeph Jacques doesn't need me to promote his site. The enormously successful web comic has been covered by a feature in the Boston Globe for crying out loud.
And yet here we are.
Jeph is one of the reasons I got into this (feel free to blame him; I do) crazy business where you work your ass off and never get paid. In 2007 I had the pleasure of meeting him at Connecticon and I was immediately struck but how nice and supportive all these popular web comics people were.
Since then Jeph has allowed me the pleasure of contributing a guest comic to his site and done a drawing of Remedy for me. It has brought us lot's of publicity and many new viewers to the site.
For years I've been reading his stories, laughing at his jokes and empathizing with his characters. As interesting as his stories are the amazing evolution of the man as an artist; from awkward newcomer to the pro cartoonist he is today is really something to enjoy.
And if you are into indie music then Jeph is like your Mecca. He has an entire recommended listening section. He has expanded on his characters through separate Twitter accounts for each one and their "tweets" are often hilarious. His shirts and prints are fun and well made (Brunetto T-Shirts FTW). His Livejournal never fails to entertain (when he updates) and he even has a house band of sorts. He offers free tracks from "Deathmole" on Last FM with some truly questionable subject matter (most of the song names contain the word "Unicorn"). And he has a forum for the truly devoted.
If you only read one web comic, read this one. LOL
But if you have time for two, Questionable Content is definitely the place to go.
#38
Music / 21st Century Breakdown (Green ...
Last post by Rob - November 09, 2009, 03:49:36 AM
Rolling Stone wrote a review of "21st Century Breakdown" in which they stated that it was a better album than Green Day's previous effort "American Idiot." It isn't. But it is pretty good.
When I decided to write this review I had to look up the definition of Punk Rock. I wanted to speak intelligently about the genre Green Day is supposed to belong to. I've loved Green Day for years and I never really gave much thought to the "category" they are in. I just liked what I heard; good music, good lyrics.
So I was surprised to find that "Punk Rock" is defined largely by what the band sings about rather than a particular musical style. Anti-establishment lyrics are apparently the mainstay of punk.
Ok.
I'm going to have to go with Billy Joel here and just say "It's still rock and roll to me."
Sure I get that Green Day doesn't like the government or the corporations. Or at least that's their message. But it's a little hard to take them seriously when they are one of the biggest music acts in the world. It's a little like throwing rocks at your own windows. Can you really claim to hate the machine when you are part of it?
"21st Century Breakdown" proves you can.
What's most surprising about Green Day is how good they are twenty years into their careers. So many of the bands I listened to in my twenties are just gone. Or they limp along as shadows of themselves, appearing as multiple headliners at local casinos.
Green Day retains the fire in their belly. You feel the anger and frustration in their lyrics; just as you feel their admiration for those who still fight on.
What the fight is about exactly has always been my blind spot with Punk Rock. Criticism without any kind of suggested solution to the issue, at least to my mind is the height of gasbaggery. That said, this is entertainment not network news. And as entertainment it succeeds on a grand scale.
Where "American Idiot" was a surprise (in many ways it seemed like a surprise to the band as much as it was to the rest of us) "21st Century Breakdown" was a planned, theme album. Each song is designed to tell a little bit of the story of Christian and Gloria, their fight against the establishment and their doomed relationship. The story is a little vague. This isn't "Kilroy Was Here." But the liner notes help get the message across.
My personal favorites, "Peacemaker" and "Last of the American Girls." I may not agree with Green Day's message but they do make great music that's a blast to listen to.
#39
Music / Re: Zebrastreifen - Rolf Zucko...
Last post by Citi - November 01, 2009, 08:00:53 PMNah, just fake cartoon band death metal.
#40