A completely arbitrary collection of my thoughts.
For those who know me, it’s a place to be assaulted by even more of my extensive rants, entrenched opinions, and rapier wit, when you just can’t get enough of them in person.
Or, for those who can’t stand me, it’s a place to remind yourself exactly why that is.
This series is designed as a way to call attention to things, practices, places, activities, or anything else you might not be aware of that I think are worth checking out. I try to cover as wide a variety of topics as I can.
Last Friday marked the 35th anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars, so I figured that was as good an excuse as any to take a look at some of my favorite Star Wars inspired video games.
Rebellion was a real time strategy game giving player the opportunity to control fleets, conquer planets, and assign troops on a galactic scale for either the Rebel Alliance or the Empire. Overall, it got lukewarm critical reception but sales suffered as it was released just as the 3D RTS genre was becoming popular. None of that mattered to me, though, as I sunk hundreds of hours into it.
Another game that didn’t get great reviews that I loved nonetheless. 23 different vehicles and tons of tracks set on different planets filled with a wide variety of hazards made this extremely replayable. I literally broke a joystick playing this game, and if that isn’t a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.
The X-wing series is one of the true gems of gaming history. While Tie Fighter is widely regarded as the best of the series, and rightly so, my personal favorite was always X-Wing Alliance. Getting the chance to dogfight in all the classic Star Wars ships, to play as a smuggler, and to fly into the second Death Star made stand out to me in a big way.
Knights of the Old Republic is the game that introduced me to both Bioware and RPGs in general, both of which fast became my favorites for gaming in general. Featuring a rich universe set in a previously untapped era, deep characters and a fantastic story, KOTOR changed what I expect from a game. It’s still available from Steam.
The original Dark Forces may very well have been the first Star Wars game I ever played. I never completed it, only dabbling in a few levels at a time at a friends house. When its sequel, Jedi Knight, was released I immediately spent all the cash I had to purchase it. I’ve likely played it from start to finish over twenty times, originally trading off levels with my younger brother and controlling it with a joystick, then eventually graduating to the mouse and keyboard. To this day I can still recreate every level and mark the points that each music cue begins. Jedi Outcast eventually surpassed it in terms of being the best Star Wars FPS, but Jedi Knight remains my favorite. The whole 5 game series is available on Steam (though, sadly, the music is absent from Jedi Knight, and Mysteries of the Sith).
Like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as a child Pinocchio never really resonated with me. The pacing was a little slow and I was scared by Stromboli and the idea that there was a place where bad behavior could turn you into a donkey. Re-watching it now, it’s still not my favorite film, but those problems are completely removed.
Pinocchio has aged very well. It is often referred to as the most beautiful of the original golden age films, if not the entire Disney canon, and with good reason. The hand-painted backgrounds are all gorgeous, it’s full of great character design, and, unlike Snow White, the character movement feels natural throughout. There really isn’t anything here that reveals the film was premiered in 1940. One of the things that stood out about it to me were the fact that, while it opens with a shot of the storybook, like the other early animated fairy tales, the book in this case is animated, as opposed to the live action used in the other films.
This film probably plays better for slightly older audiences than the youngest children, and some modern parents may object to the main characters smoking and drinking in several scenes, but this is an excellent film which should not be missed.
Every week there are tons of newly released films, Blu-rays, books, comics, and CDs, but the truth is, very few of them are worth your time. That’s where this feature comes in. Each posting attempts to highlight the best new media releases of the coming week. It’s far from exhaustive, and of course it will be mostly according to my taste, but I’ll try to do my best to include a wide variety, so hopefully you’ll see something that interests you too.
I’m a big fan of Bioware’s Dragon Age series, from the core games to the expanded universe in the novels and comics. This week marks the franchise’s entry into yet another medium: film. Their first foray was handled by Funimation Productions, creators of Dragon Ball Z, Afro Samurai, and Fullmetal Alchemist. Since Bioware is headquartered in my hometown of Edmonton, I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of the film last week, before it hits shelves tomorrow. The CG anime stylization took me a while to get into, and the plot likely isn’t strong enough to win over anyone not already invested in the universe, but for Dragon Age fans, it is well worth picking up.
This is one recommendation that could easily come back to bite me, but I am looking forward to Snow White and the Huntsman. In general, I’m not a fan of reimagining classic literature for the soul purpose of making it “edgy”. I love the Fables comic series and American McGee’s Alice, and still have hope for Once Upon A Time, but use existing characters in more of a “further adventures” type of situation and attempt to make a very specific comment on our world. On the surface, SWatH appears to be the type of revision I dislike, where the creators attempt to make everything dark and “cool”. The difference here is that it actually does look cool. I don’t care at all that this is allegedly the Snow White story, it looks like it could just be a really interesting fantasy. That being said, this could also easily be a quick cash grab aimed at luring in Kristen Stewart’s existing Twilight fan base. With any luck, though, this will instead help introduce that fan base into a richer, more intelligent level of drama.
Snow White has never been one of my favourite Disney films. It’s certainly not a bad film, it’s just not to my taste. One of the things that most bothered me about it, even as a child, was the voice given to Snow White herself. I’ve never been able to find any official explanation for the thought process behind the choice, and I certainly cant’ come up with one of my own, but whatever the reason it was picked, the gratingly high, saccharine, and nearly shrill sound of the actress has always driven me nuts.
The film does hold up fairly well when being viewed by a modern audience. The biggest giveaway that this is a 75 year old film is the editing style, full of hard cuts with little contextual transition. Additionally, while the animation is beautiful, and certainly far superior to anything else being produced at Disney or elsewhere at the time, it does occasionally reveal the the art form was still in its infancy. While the more cartoony dwarfs look consistently great, the more human characters, particularly Snow White herself, betray something of an unpractised hand, not present in later films once the animators had had more of a chance to develop their skills. One of the things that surprised me the most about the film was the number of songs. Of course I remembered that were musical numbers, most famous of which would be “Whistle While You Work”, but I had forgotten just how many there were, and while some were forgettable, many of them are still easily recognizable by the general public today.
Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable film that easily stands up despite its age.
Original Theatrical Trailer for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Anyone who has known me for more than about ten minutes can probably tell you that I’m something of a Disney geek. They might describe me as being an insane Disney fanatic, but I think that’s being slightly hyperbolic. Regardless of where I actually lie on the Disney Fan Spectrum, it’s safe to say I’m well above average. One of the easiest ways to see this would be to simply take a look at my movie collection, which contains nearly every Disney animated film, most of them in more than one format, some of them in three formats (yes, I still have my VHS tapes, despite not owning a working VCR for years).
It is this collection that motivated today’s post. There are so many great animated films, many of which I haven’t watched in years. In fact, when I looked into it, I discovered that Walt Disney Feature Animation has released 51 films. Combining that number with my desire to re-watch so many of them led me to deciding to undertake this project, which I’m calling D52. If you haven’t pieced it together for yourself yet, quite simply, my goal is to watch one of the Disney animated films each week for the next year, chronologically based on the year they were released. After watching, I’ll post my Flixster review (as I do after every film I watch) as well as write up some very brief thoughts here on my blog.
There will, no doubt, be weeks that I won’t have time to screen one of the movies, so rather than scheduling down to the week, I’m scheduling by the month. This allows you to have a general idea about when I film should be coming up, but also allows me some flexibility in viewing. As it stands, the schedule is as follows:
May 2012 1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 2 Pinocchio (1940)
June 2012 3 Fantasia (1940) 4 Dumbo (1041) 5 Bambi (1942) 6 Saludos Amigos (1943) 7 The Three Caballeros (1945)
July 2012 8 Make Mine Music (1946) 9 Fun and Fancy Free (1947) 10 Melody Time (1948) 11 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
August 2012 12 Cinderella (1950) 13 Alice in Wonderland (1951) 14 Peter Pan (1953) 15 Lady and the Tramp (1955)
September 2012 16 Sleeping Beauty (1959) 17 101 Dalmatians (1961) 18 The Sword in the Stone (1963) 19 The Jungle Book (1967) 20 The Aristocats (1970)
October 2012 21 Robin Hood (1973) 22 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) 23 The Rescuers (1977) 24 The Fox and the Hound (1981)
November 2012 25 The Black Cauldron (1985) 26 The Great Mouse Detective (1986) 27 Oliver & Company (1988) 28 The Little Mermaid (1989)
December 2012 29 The Rescuers Down Under (1990) 30 Beauty and the Beast (1991) 31 Aladdin (1992) 32 The Lion King (1994) 33 Pocahontas (1995)
January 2013 34 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) 35 Hercules (1997) 36 Mulan (1998) 37 Tarzan (1999)
February 2013 38 Fantasia/2000 (1999) 39 Dinosaur (2000) 40 The Emperor‟s New Groove (2000) 41 Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
March 2013 42 Lilo and Stitch (2002) 43 Treasure Planet (2002) 44 Brother Bear (2003) 45 Home on the Range (2004) 46 Chicken Little (2005)
April 2013 47 Meet the Robinsons (2007) 48 Bolt (2008) 49 The Princess and the Frog (2009) 50 Tangled (2010)
May 2013 51 Winnie the Pooh (2011) 52 Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
In addition to the Feature Animation films, there were also a number of animated films, usually handled by the Television Animation division, which were also released to theatres. Upon completion of the core Disney canon, I’ll also be looking at these. Currently, my plan is to do those weekly as well, but that may change in the next 52 weeks. The ones I’ll be checking out are:
Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) A Goofy Movie (1995) Doug’s 1st Movie (1999) The Tigger Movie (2000) Recess: School’s Out (2001) Return To Neverland (2002) Piglet’s Big Movie (2003) Teacher’s Pet (2004) Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005)
So that’s the goal. I hope you’ll find it interesting as I revisit many of these childhood favourites. I know I’m really looking forward to it.
Every May, the US television network executives travel to New York to put on the week-long Upfronts. Each day during this week, the networks present their plans for the upcoming television season to advertisers, trying to convince them to buy commercial time during their shows.
As viewers, though, this week is notable as the time when we finally find out, with certainty, which shows we watch will be returning, which are cancelled, and and get our first glimpses of the new shows we can check out in the fall. For the most comprehensive list of renewals, cancellations, and pick ups, head over to Futon Critic.
Each day this week, I’ll be looking at the news from each of the networks that caught my interest. Today is The CW.
As the smallest network, The CW is under less pressure to achieve huge ratings with its shows and is additionally buoyed by the fact that the shows it has skew heavily towards young females, the most lucrative market for advertisers. Because of this, it has picked up only five shows, and only three of them will premiere in the fall.
Cancelled
Nothing of note for cancellations, they were all pulled early or announced previously.
Renewed
Supernatural: After struggling for its first couple seasons, Supernatural has become a relatively large cult hit, and has now been renewed for its eighth season.
Picked Up
Arrow: Smallville got increasingly terrible as the series wore on, so my hopes are not high for this one. Additionally, the creative team seems to be taking rather large liberties with the character’s backstory, though, as I’ve never been a fan of Green Arrow, this may actually be for the better.
Arrow
The Carrie Diaries: This Sex and the City prequel is going to be a bad show. Just as the original series episodes lost much of their polish and appeal when they were censored and edited to be able to be run on standard cable, this promises to be a bland, whitewashed imitation of the show that inspired it. That being said, I’m sure it will do very well for the network.
And that’s it for this year’s Upfronts! Overall, I didn’t find this year to be terribly strong. None of the new shows appear at this time to be extremely promising, and there are very few risks being taken. One of the more promising aspects is that it appears reality shows have fallen out of favour, with very few new ones being introduced and some notable cancellations. All of the networks look to be relying heavily on comedies, which makes sense given the strong performance of comedy this season, but it does demonstrate the risk averse, playing catch-up thinking that seems to dominate these new schedules.
I’ll check back in on all these shows, as well as some that didn’t catch my attention this time but may increase in buzz in the coming months, during premiere week in the fall.
Every May, the US television network executives travel to New York to put on the week-long Upfronts. Each day during this week, the networks present their plans for the upcoming television season to advertisers, trying to convince them to buy commercial time during their shows.
As viewers, though, this week is notable as the time when we finally find out, with certainty, which shows we watch will be returning, which are cancelled, and and get our first glimpses of the new shows we can check out in the fall. For the most comprehensive list of renewals, cancellations, and pick ups, head over to Futon Critic.
Each day this week, I’ll be looking at the news from each of the networks that caught my interest. Today is CBS.
As the strongest network, CBS has little incentive to change anything, so they haven’t, picking up just five new shows.
Cancelled
CSI: Miami: This was an expensive show which had seen better days, to be sure, so it makes sense that it would be cancelled. It’s notable only as the first of the three CSI series’ to be removed from the air
Renewed
Person of Interest: This high concept procedural (does CBS have any hour-long that isn’t a procedural?) never really made a splash either critically or in the ratings, so it’s a little surprising to see it return, and perhaps more so to see it remain on the competitive Thursday night.
Picked Up
Elementary: Yet another updating of Sherlock Holmes. CBS has faced (and is still attempting to fend off) accusations from the BBC that this is merely a rip off of their own excellent Sherlock, which it certainly appears to be on the surface. If it turns out to be unique and interesting, it could be worth checking out, but there’s a good chance it’ll turn out to be just another formulaic CBS procedural.
Vegas: Set in Las Vegas of the ‘60s, this show follows the local sheriff trying to deal with the mob. Normally I’d write this show off, given that nothing we’ve seen yet is all that impressive or indicates it will be anything other than a cookie-cutter procedural (albeit a period one), but the buzz around this show is good, so it’s one to keep an eye on.
Partners: This comedy doesn’t sound very good at all, but I’ve included it here because it seems that it was already made once, 17 years ago on Fox. Both shows have the same name, both follow two male architects who work at the same firm and are lifelong friends, and both focus on the trouble that begins to brew in their friendship when one of them gets engaged. Probably a lousy show, but an interesting coincidence/blatant theft. You can see a full rundown of the similarities here.
And that’s it for CBS. Tomorrow brings us to the final day of the upfronts with a presentation by the CW.
Every May, the US television network executives travel to New York to put on the week-long Upfronts. Each day during this week, the networks present their plans for the upcoming television season to advertisers, trying to convince them to buy commercial time during their shows. As viewers, though, this week is notable as the time when we finally find out, with certainty, which shows we watch will be returning, which are cancelled, and and get our first glimpses of the new shows we can check out in the fall. For the most comprehensive list of renewals, cancellations, and pick ups, head over to Futon Critic.
Each day this week, I’ll be looking at the news from each of the networks that caught my interest. Today is ABC.
Like NBC and Fox yesterday, ABC’s new schedule is dominated by comedies, most of which, but the overall schedule does take slightly more risks than the competition. The most interesting thing they are doing this year seems to be the return of an unofficial TGIF comedy block on Fridays, harkening back to the network’s ‘90s heyday.
Cancelled
Like Fox, there are no real surprises in the cancellation department. GCB got moderate ratings, but was never the Desperate Housewives replacement the network hoped for. Most of the rest of the canned shows have already been long gulled from the air.
Renewed
Cougar Town: This series got off to an extremely rough start, but by the end of the first season it had been completely retooled and turned into a quirky, well written comedy. Unfortunately, perhaps because of the poor start and a name which now has nothing to do with the premise of the show, Cougar Town never became a ratings success. It has been renewed for a fourth season, but this year it will be moving to TBS, where, if it can retain its audience, its ratings will look impressive.
Grey’s Anatomy: As the highest rated drama with viewers under 50, it’s not terribly surprising that Grey’s has been renewed. The core cast has signed contract renewals through 2014, and the lack of an announcement about this being a final season suggest that the extra year was not merely a precaution to keep the cast locked in, which should please the extraordinary SHF and other fans of the show.
Picked Up
Last Resort: The crew of a nuclear submarine disobeys orders to attack Pakistan and goes into hiding on an exotic island. Created by Shawn Ryan, who has a strong history of quality, the stumbling point could be the inevitable comparisons to Lost.
Last Resort
Zero Hour: This sounds like a combination of National Treasure and The X-Files. If taken seriously and given the time to grow, this could potentially become a great cult show.
Zero Hour
666 Park Avenue: Terry O’Quinn as the owner of an apartment building full of supernatural tenants is an idea that immediately appeals to me. There are so many ways this could go wrong, however, that I’m keeping my expectations suitably low. I’ll still be checking it out, though.
Every May, the US television network executives travel to New York to put on the week-long Upfronts. Each day during this week, the networks present their plans for the upcoming television season to advertisers, trying to convince them to buy commercial time during their shows.
As viewers, though, this week is notable as the time when we finally find out, with certainty, which shows we watch will be returning, which are cancelled, and and get our first glimpses of the new shows we can check out in the fall. For the most comprehensive list of renewals, cancellations, and pick ups, head over to Futon Critic.
Each day this week, I’ll be looking at the news from each of the networks that caught my interest. Today is NBC and Fox. NBC
NBC may finally manage to move up a position from the last place standing it’s been stuck in for the last several seasons, but if it does, it will be solely on the merits of being able to air this year’s Super Bowl. As a result, they are doing some serious re-tooling of their lineup (again) and have picked up quite a few safe (if bland) looking shows. Cancelled Awake: About the only show worth mourning on NBC’s cancellation list. It had a unique premise and was very well executed, but it was always going to be too difficult to appeal to the mass audience. With NBC’s ratings struggling across the board, there was no time to try to grow the audience for this one. Renewed Community: Perpetually on the bubble, Community has been saved for the fourth season, even though it is currently scheduled for a shortened 13 episode run. Also worth noting is that it has been moved to Fridays, traditionally a death slot for most shows, but if it can hold on to most of its current audience, it may actually been seen as a success here. Smash: Notable only for the fact that it’s still hanging on. What was supposed to be a huge hit and an anchor for the network has delivered below average ratings at best. It’s being held for mid-season, which will hopefully allow the creators time to fix its many flaws, but will anyone in its small audience even remember it exists by then? Picked Up Revolution: This new series from JJ Abrams (Lost, Star Trek), Jon Favreau (Iron Man), and Eric Kripke (Supernatural) is about a future world where all technology has been wiped out. The creators all know how to do science fiction well and have a proven track record for quality, serialized television, so this one will definitely be worth checking out.
Next Caller: I know many are going to disagree with me on this one, but I’ll be trying this show out. Though he has crested the wave of being extremely popular and moved into the internet-reviled range, I still tend to enjoy Dane Cook. That being said, he has yet to make a watchable film. As a self centered radio personality, this could be a good fit for him, but it could also easily be a disaster.
Hannibal: My interest here is based completely on the creator, Bryan Fuller. I’ve enjoyed his work on Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, and the first season of Heroes. Beyond that, though, I have no interest in the exploits of a young Hannibal Lector, so, while I’ll be checking this one out when it debuts midseason, I don’t know if I’ll be sticking with it. I’d be much more interested in Fuller’s other NBC reboot (noticeably absent from today’s announcements) Mockingbird Lane. Fox
Fox has been on top of the ratings for a while now, but this season sees the departure of one of its last remaining, long running shows in House, as well as declines for Glee (particular steep) and American Idol. Cancelled
Nothing surprising here, everything that was canned suffered miserable ratings or, in the case of House, was announced to be ending long ago. Renewed Fringe: The one big renewal surprise, albeit one that was revealed a couple weeks ago, is that cult favorite Fringe would be returning for a fifth, and final, 13 episode season. This will allow it to reach the syndication important 100 episode mark and to bring the proper sense of closure to the best show on network television. Picked Up The Mindy Project: I’m interested in the show with the terrible name simply because it is by Mindy Kaling. What’s unfortunate, however, is that the premise seems designed to hide Kaling’s normally biting humour behind a light, female friendly façade. I’ll sample, but my hopes aren’t very high. Axe Cop: This could be terrible, but I’m a fan of the source material. Axe Cop is a web comic which was written by a 5 year old and illustrated by his 29 year old brother, telling the story of a cop who fights crime with an ax. That sentence should probably give you all the information you need to decide if the comic will appeal to you. The real question is how well a team of adults will be able to translate that very unique sense of story and humour to an animated show.
That’s is for today. Tomorrow: ABC.
This series is designed as a way to call attention to things, practices, places, activities, or anything else you might not be aware of that I think are worth checking out. I try to cover as wide a variety of topics as I can.
I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a videogame junkie. Fortunately for me, that moniker no longer carries nearly the social stigma it did even 10 years ago. I enjoy titles from nearly all different genres (though I’m still waiting for the fighting game that can hold my interest for more than 2 minutes), but many of my favourites are adventure games. These heavily story driven games that require players to solve puzzles throughout in order to progress have largely fallen out of favour with the marketplace, except in Germany, for some reason, to the point where Telltale is really the only company still producing them. Today, though I’m going to focus on some of my favourite classic adventure games.
This is the series that first introduced me to adventure games, thanks to a free copy on the PC Gamer Demo Disk. There are now five games in the series, with the first two having recently received a Special Edition makeover with modern sound and graphics. The series follows the comical tale of wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood and his battle with the ghost pirate LeChuck. The first three are done in the classic point and click style, while the final two graduate to full 3D. 1, 2, and 5 are available on the PC (and Mac for 5) through Steam, as well as on iOS devices through the App Store. 3 and 4 are only available for PC and may be harder to track down.
Widely considered the greatest adventure game of all time, this is the brainchild of Tim Schafer. Set in the Mexican Land of the Dead, this is an epic, four year, noir journey, filled with intrigue, humour, and fantastic dialogue. Released for PC and Mac, this one is tough to track down, but it’s well worth the effort.
This one’s a bit of a cheat, since it’s not one game, but four, but it’s also the best $10 you can spend on gaming. Available through Steam for PC or Mac, any one of these games would be worth the price on their own. It includes Steven Spielberg's The Dig, the story of a mission to investigate an asteroid, Loom, a fantasy set in an alternate earth, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a loose adaptation of the film, and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, a completely new Indiana Jones story and my personal favourite.
There are plenty of other adventure games worth checking out, so I’m sure I’ll revisit the topic in the future. Be sure to let me know what you think if you play any of these, and feel free to suggest others you think are worthwhile.
Every week there are tons of newly released films, Blu-rays, books, comics, and CDs, but the truth is, very few of them are worth your time. That’s where this feature comes in. Each posting attempts to highlight the best new media releases of the coming week. It’s far from exhaustive, and of course it will be mostly according to my taste, but I’ll try to do my best to include a wide variety, so hopefully you’ll see something that interests you too.
I’ve previously written about the phenomenal BBC series Sherlock, a modern day interpretation of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle books. Unlike the recent film adaptations, this series is intelligent, entertaining, and actually features mysteries. The second season aired in Britain earlier in the year, but here in North America is just began airing on PBS last night. Having seen the entire season, I can say it does not disappoint, easily living up to the high standards set by the first season and ending with a fantastic cliff-hanger.
Sacha Baron Cohen is usually reliably funny, and his latest project definitely has potential. A departure from his previous films, which saw him playing a character and interacting with folks who were unaware he was acting, this is a traditional, fully scripted film. While there should be plenty of material to mine from the premise, it does have the potential to become very one note. Regardless, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
This series is designed as a way to call attention to things, practices, places, activities, or anything else you might not be aware of that I think are worth checking out. I try to cover as wide a variety of topics as I can.
As I mentioned in my post on Monday, this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. In honour of that fact, today’s post will focus on some of the free books being released for the event.
From Dark Horse, this issue contains two stories. In a perfect sci-fi combination, it’s a Star Wars story focusing on Han and Chewie paired with a story based on Joss Whedon’s Serenity.
Another fantastic pairing from Dark Horse, this time with an all Whedon connection. It contains a stand alone story from Buffy Season 9, based on Whedon’s original hit TV show, and a new Guild comic, written and created by frequent Whedon collaborator Felicia Day.
Continuing its reprinting of classic comics, Fantagraphics presents one of the greatest cartoonists of all time, Carl Banks. This collection of three of his legendary Donald Duck comics will certainly be worth picking up.
