A New Geek Milestone: My first viewing of TRON

So the new Tron: Legacy movie is due this December, and there has been much buzz about it care of Disney and ComicCon and Fan Expo, etc. But it's got me wondering; how many people have actually seen the original Tron? It was a bomb back in 1982, and while it's visual style is still recognizable thanks to references in many forms of media, who's seen it? Who remembers it? Who actually knows what it's about?

Well, I can officially add myself to that select group. I can now see Tron: Legacy and say that I have seen Tron. Yay for me!

So what is it about? Basically it centers around a software engineer named Kevin Flynn (a young Jeff Bridges), who was with the powerful computer company ENCOM until his colleague stole his ideas for games and forced him out. Flynn now runs a video-game arcade, and he's a little annoyed about the whole thing. He's been trying to hack ENCOM to find the code he needs to prove the games are his, but the artificial intelligence that runs ENCOM's mainframe, Master Control, keeps him out. So with the help of a couple of his friends, Flynn makes one more ditch effort to hack in. But Master Control has a surprise for him. Using new ENCOM technology, Master Control digitizes Flynn and brings him into the mainframe. Now, Flynn must survive games and light cycles and work with the computer program Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) to bring down Master Control and find the codes.

Honestly though, the plot is rather secondary to the visual effects. Yes, though the technology was absolutely groundbreaking back in 1982, it looks dated by today's standards. Regardless, it is still visually stunning to look at. Part of it might be that I had the opportunity to watch it in high def, but still it looks amazing. It really gives you an idea of how far film technology has come, and it really makes me wonder why this film wasn't a bigger success. This would've blown people away back then. Maybe it was too new for the early 80s crowd. A shame really. But still, sequel coming!

So join the nerd masses and see it. That way when Tron: Legacy makes use of modern film technology and blows us all away in the present day, you'll know where it all came from.

My annual war on Christmas begins even earlier

I saw the most ridiculous thing yesterday. A Christmas commercial. Do you notice the date on the calendar? Halloween hasn't even happened yet.

Hell to the no! I am such a big advocate of keeping Christmas at Christmas time, that to see a commercial before my second favorite holiday has even happened just burns my canolli. They are not taking Halloween from me, darn it! Who's with me?

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving People!

The leaves have changed, the air is crisp, and the smell of turkey and pumpkin fill the air. I love this time of year so much. And again I have a lot to be thankful for. Of course there are my friends and family, my job, my kitty. There's also my new car, my new computer, my HD DVD player. Plus the world of entertainment has been intriguing and well...entertaining.

Not too many recommendations for Thanksgiving entertainment that I haven't already mentioned from last year, but there is "Thanksgiving" from the final season of Boston Legal, and the song "I've got plenty to be thankful for" from Holiday Inn.

Now go eat the turkey!

Simpsons + Glee + Flight of the Conchords = AWESOME!

The Simpsons being back for their billionth season wouldn't normally be big news to me, but then I found out who was guest starring. In "Elementary School Musical", the 22nd season opener, Fox has decided to merge their powerhouses of entertainment together by having some of the Glee kids, namely Cory Montieth, Lea Michele and Amber Riley, stop by and add some music as fellow members of an arts camp Lisa attends. I did wonder, though; Where the heck were arts camps where I was growing up? Seriously?

But if that wasn't exciting enough, playing camp counselors were Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, otherwise known as Flight of the Concords. Their show that aired on HBO is dearly missed by all of us fans of guitar-based, digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo. Clement and McKenzie actually played a much bigger role in this episode than the Glee kids, but I can see why all the promos hyped the Glee stars instead, since Flight of the Concords have more of a cult following.

It's all good though. A solid episode with funny songs. I may have to download this one. Anything with more Concord action is alright by me.

Movie Review: Easy A

So I saw this little gem yesterday. Let me just say, I'm glad Juno re-introduced the concept of movies revolving around smart teenage girls. So many of our young women are overexposed to spoiled, entitled, plastic bimbos in the media that are as dumb as boxes of hair and glorify frivolous things like partying and being super rich (Paris H., I'm looking at you!). It's so refreshing to see a young heroine who actually has something of substance between her ears.

With my rant now out of the way, Easy A introduces us to Olive Penderghast, deftly played by Zombieland's Emma Stone. Olive soon finds herself right in the midst of the high school rumor mill when she helps a friend (Dan Byrd) out with his rep. As the rumors of her promiscuity run wild, she must deal with the fallout with both the help and hindrance of the people around her, including a loud best friend (Alyson Michalka), holier-than-thou good girl (Amanda Bynes), cool teacher (Thomas Hayden Church), unconventional parents (Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci) and potential love interest (Penn Badgley).

The dialogue is one of the best things about Easy A. The characters talk with a snappy wit which never seems forced and which issued many chuckles from me. The cast was great, and I was especially impressed by Amanda Bynes, who was hilarious and managed to avoid doing that weird bug-eye thing she's often done in her roles.

Easy A, I think, really accurately portrays the high school rumor mill, especially in the information age when cell phones and texting make news instantaneous. It made me very glad that I'm no longer in high school, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way as you feel for Olive and admire how she uses her wits and her integrity to deal with the situation.

My Verdict: A smart, funny and real film about teenagers and rumor, and how the two never should meet.

Series One of Sherlock ends with a potential bang

NO! NO NO NO NO NO! DAMN IT, THAT'S NOT FAIR!

Why the passionate response? You see I just finished the third and last episode of Series One of Sherlock, the BBC update I posted about a few weeks ago. What you read above was pretty much my reaction from the couch. Only three episodes ever...and this one ended with a cliff-hanger!

WHAT? It's only been recently announced that the show's been picked up for a second series, and the writer's decide to end "The Great Game" like that, with all of us hanging on the edge of our seats? I just looked, and the next episode isn't scheduled to appear on English TV until the fall of 2011 at the earliest. A whole freakin' year from now! And Lord only knows when we'll see it here in Canada. WHAT THE HELL, MAN?!

Alright, I've vented. You know what? It was still a great show, and I will be counting down the days until we see more. I'm kind of foolish that way.

Just when I thought I was out...

I've had my ups and downs with American Idol for a while now, ranging from true love to serious disappointment. And like a bad relationship, the last couple of years I kept telling myself I wasn't going to watch, but I've ended up watching from start to finish anyway. But I always told myself that if Simon Cowell ever left, then there would definitely be no reason for me to keep tuning in, and that dark day has come to pass. And over the summer both Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi have jumped ship as well, so things were looking pretty bleak. Yep, definitely not going to watch now!

But then today they announced the new judges that would be joining Randy Jackson come the new year; Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

Aww hell, now I'm going to have to see this. Damn you Fox!

Glee is back, and I'm seeing a pattern here...

...the pattern is that every time Glee comes back from some time off they always seem to start off on a downer.

Has anyone else noticed this? Lets review; "Showmance" airs after the sneak peak of the pilot, and the episode ends with Rachel having set the club back with a reckless group performance, and then finding out Finn is staying with Quinn. Bummer. Then "Hell-O" is the first episode after the fall hiatus, which ends with Rachel and Finn and Will and Emma broken up, plus the emergence of sleazebag Jesse St. James to play with Rachel's heart. Major bummer!

Now tonight Season 2 kicks off with "Audition", and what we get is a solid episode, but once again ending on a down note (pun totally intended).

So what happened, you ask? If you haven't seen it, then skip these next two paragraphs. Things start of promisingly enough, lulling us into a false sense of security. Finn and Rachel are together, New Directions is down a member (so long Matt, we hardly knew ye), but they're eager for new recruits, including new football player Sam, and Filipino student Sunshine (Charice), and Will and Sue are BFF as they join forces against a common enemy, new football coach Shannon Beiste. Plus, the amateur documentary style opening was hilarious (we found out Brittany spent her summer lost in the sewers).

But problems surface early; Tina and Artie are broken up as she's bonded with Mike over the summer and Will gets down and dirty in his dealings with Beiste. And then things gradually get worse, despite the awesome musical numbers for "Empire State of Mind" (a public lunchtime performance to instill excitement about Nationals being in New York), "Billionaire", "Telephone", etc. Rachel's self-absorption (seriously, that girl is nuts) ends up screwing the club's chances to add Sunshine to their ranks and she ends up being swept up by Vocal Adrenaline's new coach. Finn gets kicked off the Football team, loosing his quarterback status and dissuading Sam from joining the glee club when he sees first-hand how it affects your status in the school. Quinn ends up back on the Cheerios, but at the cost of Santana's standing as head-cheerleader, causing serious tension between the two. And Will looses Sue's friendship when he decides to be nice to Beiste. Things end with Rachel singing "What I Did for Love" (what she did indeed), before stepping into the choir room presumably to beg the club's forgiveness.

A great episode, but once again I feel depressed. If there is a pattern here, what is the plan? To start off so low that the only place to go is up? If that is the idea it's working, because Glee is not likely to slow down anytime soon, nor am I likely to stop watching.

And if this pattern is to continue, then things will perk up soon. Next week is the much hyped Britney Spears episode, and future episodes include a tribute to Rocky Horror and a Christmas episode. So we all know it's going to be great, and gosh darn it I just can't wait!

A new modern update of Sherlock Holmes and it's not House!

I almost missed this show. Let me say that again; I almost didn't see this! Can you believe that? This is so up my alley it's not even funny. The only reason I heard about it was because I was checking my email and once I signed out I came across a link for new TV on Canadian channels, and there it was. And of course, I was intrigued, and immediately marked it on my calendar so I wouldn't miss it.

That show is Sherlock, a BBC series that aired across the pond earlier this year and has now made it's way onto Showcase here in Canada. The premise is that it's the Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson we all know and love, plus other familiar characters like Inspector Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson and Mycroft Holmes (plus a certain notorious villain), but their adventures are set in 21st century London instead of 19th century London. A modern retelling if you will. So we have Holmes practicing his deductive skills amidst the practices of forensic science and during the height of the information age.

And while that sounds like a total gimmick, it works so well. So well. Our two heroes call each other John and Sherlock now, because nobody calls their friends by their last names these days. The John Watson presented here is still a veteran of Afghanistan, but the war he fought in was the war on terror instead of the second anglo-afghan war. Plus he still writes about the adventures he has, but on a blog.

As for this Sherlock Holmes, he is a modern man in every sense of the word. He makes full use of texting and the Internet and posts a website on the art of deduction, but he can still read a crime scene or a person with just his eyes and a magnifying lens and make it look like he has ESP or something (a notion he would find laughable). The modernness never feels forced, I think because Holmes himself was always a modern man, even in Arthur Conan Doyle's stories.

The first episode, and there are only three 90 minute episodes, so I don't know if that counts as a series, is called "A Study in Pink", and as you may have guessed it's an update on "A Study in Scarlett" the very first Holmes story written. Many of the same elements are there, including Holmes and Watson meeting and forging their immortal partnership. The entire 90 minutes was so gripping I couldn't dream of turning it off. There was action, a great chase scene, intense stand offs, and a surprise twist regarding one character that I never saw coming. And the two leads fantastically embody their characters. Benedict Cumberbatch (great name) perfectly portrays Holmes' energy, eccentricities, humor and cool demeanor. Plus he's fairly easy on the eyes, which I can always appreciate. And Martin Freeman, who I recognized from the BBC's The Office and The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, nicely pulls off the more down-to-earth counterbalance to Holmes, while keeping Watson a smart, resourceful, funny man-of-action that he is.

Can't wait to see what else is in store, and I'm so glad I came across that article. Funny how fate comes along and brings a new obsession.

Book Review: Blood Oath

I am reviewing yet another vampire book. Yeah, don't act so surprised. But Christopher Farnsworth's Blood Oath is one of the most satisfying books of any genre I've read in a while.

In a unique set-up inspired by an actual historical event, the reader is introduced to Nathaniel Cade, a vampire who has spent nearly his entire second life in the service of the highest office of the United States, through several different administrations since the 19th century. Why he does so is something to be discovered by the reader, but Cade is officially "The President's Vampire", and it's his job to deal with the supernatural threats that crop up against the free world.

Blood Oath centers around a new emerging terrorist threat just as Cade is breaking in a new human partner, Zach Barrows, a young up-and-coming White House staffer who, of course, has no idea what he's in for and sees this assignment as something of a punishment.

I loved the set-up, which kind of fits along the same lines as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, mixing up real world politics with supernatural elements. The characters were intriguing, complex and never boring. Cade could carry a whole series of books, as Farnsworth has already discussed writing. Plus there was a lot of action, cool gadgets both magical and technological, truly scary villains (ranging from megalomaniacs to the purely psychopathic) and adult language. Plus it touches on themes of religion, addiction and the fear of the unknown, so it's a little deep on top of everything else.

My Verdict: Gripping and high octane, everything you could ask for in a grown-up supernatural novel. No Twihards need apply (yeah, I know, I'm ragging on Twilight again, but come on!).

Oh yeah...the Emmy's were on.

Geez, I was so busy with everything else it almost didn't clue in that the Emmy's were on this past Sunday. By that point my brain was so fried with Fan Expo it almost didn't register. Yeesh!

So just a quck word or two. Jimmy Fallon did fine as a host. Loved the opening Glee number (though could've done without Kate Gosslin). Cheered for Jim Parsons and Jane Lynch winning acting awards, as well as Neil Patrick Harris for his role on Glee and Betty White for SNL. Still annoyed that Hugh Laurie keeps getting shut out by Bryan Cranston. Surprised by Modern Family's win and disappointed by Glee's loss.

There we go, short and sweet. See you next year, and hopefully I'll have the energy to give the ceremony it's due.

Fan Expo 2010: Day 3 (Last Day)

Ahhhh, last day. But what a day it was. I'm exhausted, I'm sore, but damn it I'm happy! And I'm so glad I did all three days to get the true experience.

So, to recap: Got down to the convention center right around 10 am. The line down Lower Simcoe was almost under the tunnel, but not quite, and before too long I was back up across the parking garage and very nearly where I was yesterday. But Lord it was hot. I stood baking in the sun for over an hour, listening to very loud geeks discuss whether or not David Tennant's sideburns are real and whether or not Data could have a child biologically. Sigh. I ended up meeting one of those geeks, dressed head to toe in a Doctor Who suit, named Ellen, when I discovered she was also racing to the line-up to get James Marster's autograph. It was just after 11am by that point, and he was starting at 11:30. She made a beeline for one of the merchant tables, however, to buy a sonic screwdriver, so when I got to the line-up a mother/daughter team by the name of Denise and Alicia got in behind me, and then Ellen got in behind them. Denise and Alicia chatted me up as we waited, and it turns out they're pretty hardcore fans. Alicia apparently had even been to a Twilight convention.

As we got closer, and I could see Mr. Marsters sitting up front, dressed in a blue t-shirt that hugged his torso nicely, I began to get nervous. Just as I had done with Bruce Campbell the year before, my nerves were getting to me. I checked with my new friends if I looked alright, and they assured me I looked fine and to relax, it was going to be fine. But still, this is James Marsters were talking about. There was no relaxing here.

Once I paid for my autograph and handed over my DVD cover of Spike episodes that I wanted him to sign, I found I was having the opposite problem that I did with Mr. Campbell. Instead of rambling, I clammed up! The two people ahead of me had lovely chats with the man at the booth, and he seemed happy to talk with them (this was a little less formal than the session I went to last year), but as soon as I got up there it was almost death. I smiled and said hi, he said hi and shook my hand (I TOUCHED HIM!), I asked how he was and he said fine. He complimented me on my hair, and I said thanks, I had just got it done. Then there was a lull as he signed my cover, so I mentioned that I had been to the Q&A yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. He said he had fun to, but wished that the hosts hadn't asked quite so many questions so that the fans could get more of an opportunity. And here's where I choked. In retrospect, I could've said how his singing was my favorite part, but my mind went blank at that moment. I smiled, nodded, said thank you very much it was nice to meet you, and made a hasty retreat. Gaaah. I hope he could see I was nervous and he didn't think anything of it. He meets lots of people, I'm sure, so he could probably tell. But I went and stood at one of the tables behind the lines for the autograph tables and waited until I settled down and was sure that the ink had dried on the signature before sliding it back into the DVD case with trembling fingers. Still, I looked at that signature, in silver ink, and was so happy. I had done it! I had met Mr. Marsters, shaken his hand, spoken with him and got his autograph. So cool! That disc will now have a place of honor on the shelf.

After that I had another mission. I had t-shirt requests from my brother and my roommates sister and brother-in-law. After looking at some of the tables that had shirts, and getting side-tracked at the Marvel table with free comics and a photograph with Captain America's shield (which made me look so tiny, as you can see) I went back to the big Stylin booth to find two Bazinga shirts for my roommates people, and a Green Lantern shirt for my brother. Mission accomplished, and they still had the sizes I was looking for.

After all this, I figured I'd earned a break, and I was not going to make the same mistake I did yesterday, where I only lived on granola bars. I got a slice of pizza to keep my energy up (and listened to a kid have a full blown tantrum in a stroller. Lovely). Then, as it was just past 1pm by that point and I had some time to kill before the afternoon events I wanted to attend I worked the floor, searching through boxes and boxes of discount graphic novels and getting some more free stuff. There weren't quite as many people as there were yesterday, which made navigating the crowds easier.

By the time I made it to the lowest floor for the Vampires in Film and Television panel discussion I was really feeling the exhaustion. Because of that, and because of the podium blocking off the table from where I was sitting so I could only see three of the five people, and the guy sitting beside me leaned forward the entire time, so I had to as well to see even that, I didn't catch every point that was made. But what I did catch was very interesting, like how some mediums use vampirism as a commentary on homosexuality, and the defanging, so to speak, of vampires in YA fiction when adult vampire fiction is so mature. There was a little talk on the difference between Western and Eastern vamps, and on favorite vampire movies or books. I do love my vampires.

Once the discussion was over I raced up one floor to find the room where they were screening an episode of Supernatural. I found it full, so I stood for the first few minutes, but people were coming and going, so it didn't take long to find a seat, and even though it was in the back I could see everything perfectly. I hoped it would be one of the many episodes I haven't seen yet, but nope; it was "Lazarus Rising". Still, an excellent episode, introducing favorite character Castiel, and I stayed and watched the whole thing.

After that it was just before 5, with a little more than an hour until the Expo shut down. So I decided to make a few last loops around the convention floor. At the Tron booth they were throwing out t-shirts and light disc frisbees, but I was not fortunate enough to grab one. What I did find though was the other iTunes card I wanted sitting out on the DC table, so I grabbed one for myself and some for other people. Sweet.

A lot of the collectibles I was looking at were so expensive, so I ended up getting one more graphic novel. By then it was twenty to 6, so I took a moment to take every in one last time, and then went downstairs to head back out onto Front street and to Union station. The ride back had a slight delay (what is with Subways this weekend?) but nothing major, so I got back home alright.

I'm sad it's all over, but I'm also wiped, so maybe it's good that it is only three days. Back to work I go tomorrow, but I feel happy. I feel like I was a part of something special, something big, and the more I go to Fan Expo, the more I feel that these memories will stay with me forever. I really feel I belong, and it's a great feeling.

Another year until we do it all again. I'll see you there.

Fan Expo 2010: Day 2

I think I'm in love. With who you ask? James Marsters. Now lots of you will probably think, yeah, we know, you've been in love with Spike for ages. True, but now I'm in love with the man behind Spike.

And so leads us to my second day at Toronto's geek heaven. The trip to and from was much easier this time around (thank God, no smoke on the tracks I guess). How would I describe today? Exhausting and not without it's mild irritants, but mostly...magical.

I arrived at the Convention Center around 9am and found a line, as I'd expected, but a much shorter line this time around, only going down Simcoe a little ways. And though I travelled alone, I managed to make a line buddy by the name of John. We chatted for some time about likes, dislikes, home life and what brought us here today. He was there mostly for gaming and anime, so the opposite of what I was there for, but we found a lot to talk about regardless and he explained the finer points of his costume to me.

I got in at about 10:15am. Perfect. I had time to take a quick look around, ask about the iTunes gift cards and discover that they were only being given out to people buying tickets that day (Boo!) and to find the room, two floors down, where the DC Universe panel discussion was being held. That was a very interesting talk between some DC writers and artists about some upcoming projects, and some very interesting questions came up (among them were what everyone's favorite DC and Marvel characters were).

I left that a few minutes early to get in line for the Tron Legacy sneak peak. I was a little worried once I saw the line, but it turns out it was in a huge theatre, so finding seats was no trouble. There was some talk of everyone having to confiscate their cameras and phones, as they were showing secret movie scenes, but fortunately it did not come to that. They just had security guards to keep an eye on things. Once in my seat I met another Melissa and her mother and brother. The Tron preview was hosted by InnerSPACE hosts Ajay Fry and Teddy Wilson, and featured a peak at the new video game with one of the games designers and a Wii demo on the big screen. Then we had a great compilation of clips showing Tron references in pop culture, from 30 Rock to Family Guy to music videos and South Park. Then a very cool surprise; Mr. Bruce Boxleitner was brought out, an actor who has starred in both the original Tron and the upcoming feature, and is maybe best known for starring in Babylon Five. Then we were shown both a trailer and seven minutes of never before seen footage, all in 3D (glasses were handed out as we came in). Honestly, the movie looks pretty cool, and I'm excited to see it. Mr. Boxleitner came out with Ajay Fry to answer a few questions from the audience. I quite enjoyed Mr. Boxleitner, he was funny and charming. One thing he pointed out was that the original Tron was slammed by the critics at the time and did poorly at the box office, but he feels that some of the blame for that lands on the fact that E.T. came out that same summer and, as he put it, sucked all the oxygen out of the room. But, he was quick to point out, E.T. doesn't have a new movie coming out 27 years later. The audience cheered at that. He also encouraged all of us to go out and see it four times each opening weekend.

By the time that wrapped up and we had deposited our 3D glasses in the recycle bin it was a little after 1. I knew it was too late to try to go to the Stan Lee presentation, but as that wasn't high on my list of things to do this weekend that was alright. I was ready to get some lunch. But, by then the size of the crowd had ballooned to almost locust-like proportions. There was a nice sized crowd of people waiting to get in outside, so leaving the building was impossible unless I wanted to join the wait to get back in. And they were only letting people back upstairs a few at a time to try to control the crowd, so there was a crowd of people waiting around the escalator. Seeing I had nowhere to go and nothing to do, I decided to go get in line for the James Marsters Q&A, even though that wasn't for a couple of hours. I found the right line, got comfy, found a granola bar I'd packed for just such an emergency and settled in with my iPod Nano. Plus I had to deal with a mass of people, including a few behind me who kept talking at booming volumes and kept wiggling into my personal space. Grrr.

But you know what? Totally worth it! I got a great seat, just a couple rows back from the front and on the aisle, so I had the clearest view I think I've ever had at Fan Expo. After another half-hour, our hosts (Teddy Wilson and Natasha Eloi) introduced the man of the hour. He's looking good, that guy; his brown hair's grown out a little bit and he had on a sleeveless shirt, showing off his arms. Meow. It was funny hearing him talk and not sound British. He sounds very American, and I thought at times I detected a Southern twang to his voice. Still, I'm not picky.

He was an absolute delight. He was funny, intelligent, gave nice full answers and was great with the fans. Turns out he's a well rounded actor. He's not only done the Sci Fi stuff like Spike or Captain John or Brainiac, but also the stage and Shakespeare and more main stream stuff as well. When asked about playing villains he talked about how in Shakespeare there are no villains (with the exception of Iago or maybe Richard III), and that that's how he's always seen the characters he's played. He told some great stories about working on "Once More With Feeling" and how hard the cast worked to make that come to life. He talked about his new projects and how much he relates to his character on Caprica. He talked about Angel and having to make it look like he was kicking David Boreanaz's butt while Boreanaz had a bad knee but wouldn't give up until the scene was finished. Of course he was asked about his kiss on Torchwood with John Barrowman. Again, meow. He described Barrowman as a born leader who helped him out of a tight spot while filming and made him feel comfortable about that hot and heavy scene. Apparently Marsters was originally hoping to get on Doctor Who but they didn't need him for anything there and came up with this role on Torchwood instead. Our gain.

A couple of my favorite responses: when asked if there was anything about Spike he would've played differently; "Nothing." And when asked if it was better playing a supercomputer than a vampire; "Actually, I don't think anything's been better than Spike." Yay! Spike's voice even made a brief appearance this afternoon.

But the most awesome thing came right near the end. He sang for us. Someone asked him if he remembered any lyrics from "Once More With Feeling" and would he sing them for us. He confessed that he didn't, but he could sing something else. A song from a TV movie he'd done for SyFy. I made sure the video option on my camera was running. Honestly, it was lovely when he started singing. For a song from a TV movie it was haunting and sad, and he sold it. The whole auditorium went silent. I was beaming and felt something pretty deep. It was a real moment.

And then he finished, and it was over. One last round of applause and a standing ovation, myself included. I left feeling so satisfied and happy. I knew that if I'd experienced nothing else that whole day that one hour would have made the trip worth it.

The crowd had dispersed somewhat by that point, so I made it back upstairs and basically walked around for about an hour and a half looking at comics and collectibles and displays until my shoulders ached, my feet started to hurt and my mind went numb. I got some graphic novels, some free stuff, and checked to see when Mr. Marsters would be signing autographs tomorrow. Then a little after 6 I left to head back to the subway. They were keeping the Expo open until 8 tonight to meet demand, but I figured it's been a good day and the time had come to leave.

So there's two good days. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Last day, a few things on the agenda. How will it all go down? To be continued...

Fan Expo 2010: Day 1

After a long wait, a year of anticipation, one of my very favorite times of the year is finally upon us. Fan Expo, one of the biggest geekfests in all of geekdom, opened it's doors to all at 4pm this afternoon. And where was I at that time? Not quite where you might think.

Picture this. I and my roommate Andrea get ready to leave for about 1:30pm. I've got my Batman t-shirt on, my new Capri jeans, my shape-ups in the vain hope that this will tone my legs (I've put on weight recently), and I've done myself up with black-eyeliner, silver sparkly eyeshadow and red lipstick to go with my awesome, recently dyed purple hair. I'm dressed to kill, I have everything I need, my ticket is in hand, I'm ready for anything.

Or so I thought. We get on the subway line from Yorkdale headed to Union station. So far things are fine, we're aiming to be at the Convention Center early to avoid a massive line-up. We get to the St. Claire West Station, and are told that due to some smoke in the tunnels, we all have to leave the train because it will go no further until the fire department gives the all-clear. But don't worry, they tell us, because shuttle buses will take you to the next station down south and you can hop the train from there. All of this would have been fine with me...if we did not have to wait a good forty minutes or so to catch one of those buses. Lord, did that tick me off. I felt like I was waiting for Godot. Not so much the wait, but the fact that the instructions for where we wait and for what were not very clear and there was no one to ask. I mean, what kind of operation are they running?

But we get our shuttle bus (we practically had to knock people over to get on), get to the St. George Station and take that the rest of the way in. We end up chatting to a Melissa, a fellow geek who's meeting her husband down at the convention. We finally get to Union, get to the Convention Center...but by this point it's after 4, and my worst fears have been confirmed. A line up. A massive line up, snaking all the way down under the tunnel on Simcoe Street. And not only must we wait, but we must wait in separate lines, because Andrea still needed to buy her ticket. So I'm standing alone for about an hour and a half to get in. Fortunately there were lots of costumes to see and I had my iPod with me, but still it was a long wait.

By the time I get in, get my wrist band and get onto the convention floor it's about twenty to 6. I figure there's no point in trying to make any of the 6pm panels I was hoping to get to and try to occupy myself until Andrea makes it inside (the line for ticket buyers was longer than the one with advanced tickets). However, how could I possibly stay down hearted? It's Fan Expo, for God's sake! Even in the little bit I saw tonight and with the heavy crowds my heart leapt. These are my people! This is where I belong!

And boy was there a lot to see. The tables for Marvel and DC and the Tron Display kept me occupied until Andrea made it in at about 6:15. We went to the food court to get some pizza (with me getting a Fangtasia tattoo along the way), which was right near the autograph stations so we saw a few famous faces like Ernest Borgnine and Felicia Day. After getting my picture taken with the Metallicar (see above, so awesome!) we went to the big T-Shirt store and Andrea got some really good scores with shirts featuring Sheldon Cooper's Friendship Algorithm and Pinky and The Brain's to-do list (1. Wait until tonight 2. Take over the world). While she was doing that I tried to find out about the collectible iTunes cards that the Expo is handing out. She got one, with Doctor Who on the front, when she got in but I didn't, so I went back to the ticket counters only to find out that they were fresh out. Aaahhhh! Fortunately Andrea gave up hers, as she's not a fan of Doctor Who or Torchwood, so yay! Hopefully they will have lots to give out for the next two cards over the next couple of days.

After a stop at the HMV set-up there, we went downstairs to room 205B. That's another thing that surprised me about this year's Expo. While last year it was held in the South Building in the deepest, darkest depths, this year it was in the North Building, which is all open with lots of room and lots of natural light. A nice improvement. Anyway, room 205B was a panel discussion on the X-men comic series, featuring bigwigs from Marvel comics. Andrea was talked into this with the promise of having somewhere to sit. Before it started and while she was saving our seats I picked up a couple of things and had two separate but similar conversations about True Blood with two vendors, after they noticed my Fangtasia tattoo. Once they heard I haven't seen Season 3 they kept mum so nothing would be spoiled, which I appreciate.

The discussion itself was very interesting. I admit, I did wonder if I would get kicked out once people noticed my Batman t-shirt, but nobody seemed to mind. After our speaker pointed out a kid Wolverine and his X-23 mom, we got into an update of what's been going on in the comic series and what we can expect in the near future. This is great for me because I'm very behind on the comics and have no idea what's going on. For instance, I had no idea that one of my favorites, Nightcrawler, had died. Whaaa? Or that the devastation to the mutant population from the House of M events may start to turn around with a new group called Generation Hope. Plus we got into a little bit of insight into how that industry works. Once I heard the questions from the hard core fans, I was a little reminded of how out of my league I was. Wow.

So, aside from a few hiccups, it was a good day. I got some great free samples, especially from the DC table, where I lined up to get free comics and lots of buttons and posters. I was able to squeeze in an event, and there's two more days of cool stuff to look forward to, with my orange Deluxe wrist band strapped on for the whole three days. All in all, a good start.

Now please God, let the subways be working tomorrow...and let the line ups be short.

Movie Review: Eat Pray Love

On Sunday Mom and I had an afternoon at the movies, and she wanted to see Eat Pray Love, the new vehicle for Julia Roberts based on the best-selling book. Not top of my list of movies to see, but I figured I'd give it a shot. It's always good to step outside your box every now and then.

And I have to admit, I liked it. Quite a bit actually. Roberts plays a woman looking for meaning in her life, and ends up taking a year to live in Rome, India and then Bali. I could go on and on about how this is total wish-fulfillment for most women, as the average person could never afford to do this, but hey, it's an excuse to see lots of gorgeous scenery, and boy did we.

But that's not the only reason I liked it. As someone trying to do some soul-searching herself, I couldn't help be relate to what our heroine is going through. She tries to find what will make her whole and truly happy in life, including eathing pizza, and that's a journey that anyone can relate to. Plus she meets some colorful characters along the way, gets spiritual and again, that scenery makes the price of a ticket worthwhile. Plus it's Julia Roberts! The woman is luminous and doesn't seem to age, ever.

My Verdict: Give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Cloverfield and the genre of "Lost Footage"

I got around to watching Cloverfield, the surprise Sci-Fi/Horror hit of 2008. And while I enjoyed the movie very much, though it was a little bleak, it got me thinking about the genre of "Lost Footage", or "Found Footage", a genre of filmaking often used in horror, in which the movie is presented as recovered footage made by the poor schmucks who are going through what you see on screen, giving the film a touch of realism. This has been used not only in Cloverfield (the note at the start of the footage states that it was found in the area 'formerly known as Central Park'; well that can't be good), but in movies like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and The Last Exorcism. It's use dates all the way back to 1980 with Cannibal Holocaust.

The real question is this; is this an effective form of filmaking? Does a movie seem scarier when it looks like it actually happened? I found it particularly effective for Paranormal Activity. But, considering how some people just can't watch the shaky camera films without feeling queasy, is it always the way to go?. Sound off below on if you feel this ramps up the fear factor, or if it's just a gimmick.

Supernatural Soundtrack - What a rip!

I just caught wind that there is a soundtrack for the show Supernatural. Immediately, I'm excited. I've always been both a fan of the show and a fan of the music that's on it. You see, Dean Winchester is stuck in a pretty firm time warp when it comes to his musical tastes. He's a big fan of Metallica and 80s rock in general, or as his brother Sam once referred to it; "The greatest hits of the Mullet rock era" (to which Dean gave the immortal reply; "Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake-hole"). The very thought that there's a CD out there that compiles all this great music that fits the show to a "T" was enough for me to emit squeals of joy.

But those squeals were quickly stifled. The soundtrack is entirely instrumental. What the hell? It begs the question; why put it out at all if you're not going to give the fans what they want? Likely it has something to do with money; royalties can be a pain to pay.

Another great opportunity lost, and I'm back to playlists on my iPod. Anyone else as ticked off as I am?

Movie Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World

As promised, here's my take on the film adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's series.

Here's the thing; it's darn near impossible to judge an adaptation like this on it's own merits. Of course comparisons are going to be made to the comic book, especially since I and everyone else only just finished reading it, if they even have. Having said that, my only conclusion for the movie is that it's great...but the comics were just better.

If taken on it's own, it's an awesome movie, at least for the first two-thirds or so. It's funny, hip, has great videogame and pop culture references and is true to it's Toronto setting, even poking fun at it. Michael Cera does a great Scott, Mary Winstead is a cool-as-a-cucumber Ramona, and the entire cast did admirably. My favorite was Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells. Visually it was a stunner, especially with the fight scenes. Awesome soundtrack too, with performances from the fictional bands featured in the film and other artists.

Yet, in spite of all of that, I am disappointed, especially with the last showdown. While the film stayed true to much of the plot points and a lot of the dialogue of the comics, a lot was changed as well. I understand that this needs to happen to condense everything to a 2 hour movie, but often times things get lost in the translation. And, unfortunately, that's what's happened here. Everything moved around at such a fast pace, and while Wright is a master of the fast cuts, I didn't feel the connection to it that I did when everything had time to marinate and grow on it's own. A lot of character development had to be sacrificed, and the plot was changed around at times to such an extent I found it rather ludicrous (see Ramona's reason for staying with Gideon and an unexpected third party in the final scenes). Things were added that didn't need to be. Things were taken away that shouldn't have been. The twins didn't even have a chance to actually speak. And while they managed to maintain most of Scott's personal growth, I feel that Ramona didn't have the chance to close the door on her own past like she did in the books, which was sorely disappointing. Plus, Gideon was introduced way too early. Part of his whole appeal was that he was so mysterious.

That last fight was the most disappointing of the whole movie. It made me wonder if Wright had sat down with O'Malley at all and had discussed how the series was going to end.

But again, these are all opinions based on my comparisons with the books. Can this movie be good when taken on it's own? Feel free to set me straight below.

My Verdict: An epic of epic epicness...but only if you haven't read the comics first.

Book Review: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

Boy, that was a fast read. Two days! That has to be a record for me, but I just had to see what happened. Finally, we have our conclusion to the saga of everyone's favorite slacker, Scott Pilgrim. And thankfully volume 6, Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour, was a fitting end to an indie phenomena.

With Ramona gone and Scott once again aimless, it seems like a bleak time for our heroes. The band has broken up, Knives is moving on, Kim is up north, Envy is lingering around where she's not welcome, and there's the lingering threat of ex #7, Gideon Graves. So many questions remain. Will Scott have his final showdown with Graves? Where is Ramona? Will true love conquer all? Oh the drama. It's all been leading up to this.

I can't go into too much detail without giving things away, but I will say that the clashes are epic, the character development heart warming and heart breaking, the story development very real despite the surreal setting, and a lot of issues about our pasts haunting us and how we can be our own worst enemies are explored amidst all the video-game mayhem.

Last volumes are always a gamble. Will they live up to the hype they have built? In this case it does, and I was more than satisfied to see how Scott's journey came to an end. And I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I love O'Malley's drawings; not quite Manga, and very expressive.

My Verdict: Very cool, with a lot of fun and a lot of depth, but that's all you'll get out of me. Go read it.

Book Review: Little Vampire Women

So onto phase two of my mash-up fiction experience; Little Vampire Women, author Lynn Messina's attempt to add blood-suckers to Lousia May Alcott's beloved tale. I haven't read Alcott's original book, but I am familiar with the story, thanks to the 1994 film version starring Winona Ryder and the book adaptation, which I must have read a hundred times (and yet never the original). So how could I pass up the chance to see the March sisters as vampires?

Turns out, I probably could've done without it. You see, all the March sisters, their parents and even Aunt March are all vampires. In this Concord, Mass. vampires live out in the open with their human neighbors. The March's are strict humanitarians, in that they don't eat people, so neighbors Laurie and his grandfather are free to form a friendship with them.

So this probably sounds not too unreasonable right? But you see, here's my problem; there just didn't seem to be any point to the changes. The plot stays just about the same as the original text, but certain factors had been tweaked or edited so it makes sense in this new world of vampires, with mixed results. Was the story still enjoyable? Sure it was...but it was when they were human too. It seems the only reason they were made vampires was to cash in on this fad.

I liked Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter so much because it had something interesting to say and the supernatural elements worked within the realm of American history. The changes in Little Vampire Women were not necessary, and sometimes seemed kind of ridiculous. The book's ending, though nice, was too tidy and had one glaring plot problem that was not resolved to my satisfaction. I hate when that happens.

My Verdict: A fine read, but don't go into it expecting too much.

My Second Helping of True Blood

I finally got the second season of True Blood on DVD from my library and finished watching it last week. I think this second offering may have been even better than the first. With the inclusion of religious intolerance, vampire intrigue, an ever expanding world of the supernatural and a maenad to add a touch of crazy (look 'em up), the second season provided further character development, cliff-hangers to keep you guessing, moments to make you laugh, cry and cringe, and a climax that was thrilling. My man Eric showed a lot of depth this season, Sookie and Bill grew closer and other characters learned more about who they are. It was all so...awesome!

Now season 3 is on air and I'm missing it! I'll have to wait for that to arrive on DVD too. It's the waiting that's going to kill me.

Album Review: Night Work

Allow me to clarify something real quick. The album cover you see here is not the cover for the new Scissor Sisters album Night Work. It is in fact the cover for the first single off that album, "Fire with Fire". The reason for the switch? The cover for Night Work is basically some guys butt. Literally, someone's butt. I really didn't feel like posting that on my blog, thank you very much. A pair of legs seemed a better alternative.

Well, now that my guilty conscience has been expunged, the Scissor Sisters are back! Yay! Their two previous albums have turned me into a big fan, so I was happy to get my hands on their latest work. Boy, was it worth the wait. Night Work is a genre mashing ode to the night club scene, giving the listener a strong sense of the New York underground clubs. There's a lot of 80s influence here, from New Wave to dance to rock and hair bands. But there's some 70s sound thrown in too, a real Bee Gees/Disco feel. The whole thing is sexy, danceable and even a little dark, giving it a nice edge.

Some standouts include the uplifting first single, the sexy "Whole New Way", "Any Which Way" and "Harder You Get" and the perfect jogging song "Running Out".

So totally recommendable. Shame about that album cover, though.

You too can be Pilgrimized!

See that picture to the right? See my new profile picture? Pretty cool right? Now where would I, and perhaps you, get something like that? I'll tell you, dear reader. On the official website for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, users can create an avatar based on the drawings of Brian Lee O'Malley. You can choose gender, skin, hair, eyes, clothes, accesories, etc. to make it just your own. It'll even give you a rating to tell you how epic your avatar is. How awesome is that?

Give it a try. The site is listed on the bottom of this picture, along with the release date for the movie. Mark your calendars, it's going to be AWESOME!

Movie Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Last Sunday my mother and I went to see this new Disney offering, as we're both fantasy fans. I liked it, she didn't. We're different people, she and I.

In this expansion and update of both the Goethe poem and Disney's Mickey Mouse-starring cartoon short from Fantasia, the titular sorcerer Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage), a magic maker from the age of Merlin, must train the titular apprentice Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), who may be the prophesied heir to Merlin's legacy. They try to accomplish this while attempting to defeat an evil sorcerer named Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina), trying to bring back supreme evil sorceress Morganna Le Fey to power, and Dave trying to impress the girl of his dreams (Teresa Palmer) from his physics class. All of this takes place in modern day Manhattan, and the film makes good use of the city and it's scenery.

Let me just start right off the bat. Were there gaping plot holes in this? Absolutely. Was some of the dialogue stilted and uninspired? Check and check. Could this whole project have been so much better. An emphatic yes. But you know what? I still liked it. The story, however thin, was enough to hold my interest. The actors were charming. There were some genuinely funny moments. And the climax was pretty cool. Plus, in a movie with magic and fantasy, director Jerry Bruckheimer managed to fit in a car chase. Like I'd expect anything else.

My Verdict: Don't go in with overly high expectations, but just enjoy it for what it is: A fun, dumb summer movie.

Movie Review: Despicable Me

Another late addition to my Summer Movie list, but boy am I glad I added it. Without overselling it, let me say that Despicable Me could be one of the best movies I've seen yet this summer, animated or otherwise.

Steve Carell voices Gru, a super-villain with a plan to get back in the big leagues after being upstaged by a young wannabe villain. In order to accomplish this plan, however, he takes in three young girls, who then proceed to turn his life and his goals upside down.

Despicable Me is one of those rare movies that walks that fine line of being sweet but not too sweet, and does so beautifully. Gru's relationship with the girls, however unusual, feels real and unforced. The mix of humor, action and heart blends nicely together.

The voice work is great here. Carell gives Gru an Eastern-European-esque accent that brings to mind Dr. Strangelove. Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, Will Arnett and even Julie Andrews are all here as well. The one that really impressed me was Russel Brand, playing an elderly scientist who works with Gru. The comedian demonstrates some range here; for those only familiar with Aldous Snow, you'll be surprised by what he pulls off.

The 3D is made good use of here, especially during the end credits, and there's great music as well. And the minions...oh my God, the minions. So adorable and so hilarious, speaking a made up language that is surprisingly understandable.

My Verdict: A great surprise for a summer movie, and one that will likely join Toy Story 3 in the Best Animated Feature category next Oscars.

Book Review: Scott Pilgrim Volumes 1-5

Thanks to the power of a good movie trailer, I have borrowed and read all five volumes of Bryan Lee O'Malley's indie comic series Scott Pilgrim. I can now see why there's so much popularity and why a movie was made. The whole thing was highly addictive, fresh, hilarious, action packed and surprisingly deep. How many comic books can boast all of that?

You see, Scott Pilgrim, our main protagonist, is a 23 year old slacker with only a band, a teenage girlfriend and a staggering number of video game hours logged to his name. Things change when he meets Ramona Flowers, a hip ninja delivery girl for Amazon.ca. There's a slight catch to dating Ramona, however...she has 7 Evil Ex's that Scott must defeat. Over the next few volumes he tackles an assortment of villains in video-game style showdowns, as well as his own relationship history and coming to terms with being a grown-up.

What's truly surprising about all of this is how well the fantasy element works with the heavier stuff. Yes, it's real life set in a video game, but boy do you buy into it. Basically the evil ex's are metaphors for the emotional baggage so many people bring into a relationship, and the interplay between the characters can suck you in just as much as the awesome action.

Plus, everything is set in Toronto! I got so excited as I read through the books and recognized landmarks like Casa Loma and Dundas Square. And there's a bit of a professional connection. O'Malley cut his comic book teeth by working at The Beguiling, the Toronto based comic distributor that my library gets all their comic books from.

So, that just leaves Volume 6, the final chapter in Scott's quest where he will face off against Ex #7, the mysterious Gideon Graves. That's out on the 20th, and I'll have to read it quickly so I'll be ready for the August 13th release of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, the hopefully epic film adaptation. Keep your eyes peeled for my takes on both.

Trailer for Paranormal Activity 2 released: Too scary?

The trailer for Paranormal Activity 2 was released with the new Twilight movie, and already there's buzz around it, because not only is it fairly horrifying, but many are arguing that it's too scary for the younger Twi-hards watching the movie. Some people in Texas have apparently complained about it, and it's been pulled from several theatres in that state. I've watched it online, and yeah it is startling, and maybe it's even worse when it's up on the big screen in a darkened theatre, but it's not graphic and it's pretty short, so no I don't think the trailer in and of itself is too scary, but it does show promise that the movie it promotes will have some chills, maybe as much as it's predecessor (see my previous post).

Ew.com had a great post about the PA2 trailer, and poses the question of what other trailers and TV spots have sent chills down the viewers spine. Clark Collis, the author of the post, lists the trailers for Phantasm, the remake for Dawn of the Dead and The Shining, and he includes youtube videos of each one and for the PA2 spot. I have to agree with the Shining trailer, which is simple (only focusing on one particularly jarring scene), elegant and terrifying, much like the film itself. And as freaky as that elevator scene is, you have to admit it's beautifully shot, and the music itself is enough to give you nightmares. Phantasm looked nonsensical and the 2004 DotD trailer was short and to the point but not overly scary. One trailer that freaked me out as a kid was, and this is embarrassing to admit, from one of the Tales of the Crypt movies. Give me a break, I was just a kid!

Any trailers that have scared the heck out of you? Post away.

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

First of all, Happy Canada Day! May the maple leaf wave forever and all her loyal citizens sport red and white with pride. So how did I choose to spend this special day? By going to see a movie, natch.

Yeah, so Toy Story 3...11 years in the making and the latest chapter in the ground-breaking, hugely beloved series, we finally got to see Woody, Buzz and the whole gang back for another adventure. You know what? The damn film was amazing, but it made me freakin' cry. Not just getting me misty eyed, but full-blown tears rolling down my face. And like with Up, another Disney/Pixar masterpiece, I was glad I was wearing 3D glasses so no one could see my red watery eyes.

But it wasn't just a few scenes that touched me. The movie as a whole gave me a rollercoster of emotions. I'm still reeling as I write this, several hours after the fact. The plot hits on several themes of growing-up and changing lives as the toys deal with their owner Andy getting ready to move to college. With the gang worrying that they're going to be thrown away they wind up at a daycare, one where the kids play too rough and things aren't at all what they seem. We're introduced to new toys, treated to a lot of action, all in the complete CGI 3D treatment, and the lingering question: Does Andy still care about his toys, and if not what will happen to them now?

I was really shocked by how dark some of the scenes were. The first two movies had their unsettling moments as well, but 3 took it to an unprecedented level. I was sure some young kids in the movie would be bawling not from the touching scenes, but from the scary ones, though thankfully I heard no terrified kid sounds as I watched. There were some funny moments as well, and some lighter ones. I loved seeing Ken and Barbie together. The film's ending surprised me, but I felt that it was appropriate, and met the whole theme of Andy's childhood ending and the transitions that brings, and for things coming full-circle for the toys themselves.

My Verdict: A very deep, moving film that I think resonates more with adults than with kids, and satisfyingly completes the saga for these very special characters. One of the best movies I've seen all year.

Now, as a special Canada Day bonus, check out this link on cracked.com entitled 15 Reasons Canada is better than your country. Bonne fete du Canada!

Summer movie watch: Rough waters ahead

So my new EW has the provocatively titled article "What's Wrong With This Summer's Movies?" It appears that box office revenue's are down about $147 million so far, and 2010 had the worst Memorial Day box office since 2001. Eeep! The article argues that by this time last year two future Best Picture nominees had been released and several blockbusters had arrived. Definitely not so this year.

So what gives? Bad movies seems to be the main explanation. Sex and the City 2 fizzled both with critics and with ticket sales, and has since had the even more dubious distinction of being taken off my must-see summer movie list. The Killers, Prince of Persia and Shrek: Forever After all have taken big hits from their reviews and it shows in their weak opening weekends. Could it also be, as the article suggests, that we've been majorly spoiled with great TV shows that have just wrapped for the season, and we therefore don't have the patience for mediocre crap like we used to? Both valid arguments.

What irks me, however, is there have been a couple of good movies released the last few weeks that I think should have gotten higher box-office draws. Get Him to the Greek is one. The night I went to see it my roommate and I had narrowed our choices to either that or SATC. We went with Greek because, as I argued, it had better critical praise and it was an hour shorter. And it was good, damn it, as I pointed out in my earlier review. So why did it cough up only $18 million it's opening weekend.

Anther film is The A-Team, which, I've discovered, pulled in a low enough opening weekend that hopes for a sequel have been pretty much scrapped. What the hell? It was so fun! So what if it wasn't Oscar worthy, it was a great summer movie! I would've loved to see round two. Life so is not fair.

So what does all this mean? Not sure. Perhaps Hollywood's umpteenth wake-up call? The summer season is still early, so hopefully things can still pick up. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has been added to my summer list, which will hopefully salve my wounds over Sex and the City. I'd even bought a shirt with a stiletto to wear when I went and saw Carrie and the girls. That shirt will have to wait for something special (cue tear drop).

New music videos you might want to check out

Couple new music videos out this week that have made it onto my iPod.

First is the new flashy Adam Lambert video for his latest single "If I Had You". Awesome song, but basically the clip is a rave in a forest; pretty to look at, but not much else to it. Still, bonus points for Lambert's weird ass, Braveheart hair.

Second is the new Gorillaz video for their latest single, "Melancholy Hill" (in my humble opinion, a much wiser choice for a second single than "Superfast Jellyfish", which was originally slated to be the next single but has been bumped). At the moment this one is offered exclusively from iTunes for a nominal fee. I really like it, but anyone unfamiliar with Gorillaz mythology would be lost. Basically it's about how the band and their collaborators made it to the Plastic Beach, and kind of picks up where the video for "Stylo" left off. Gorgeous animation though, and it propels the vague storyline along.

My iPod is officially jammin'.

Movie Review: The A-Team

After a few false starts (read: shows being sold out) and much speculation on whether it would be worth checking out I finally saw The A-Team. Before we get into it though, bear in mind my analysis of this pic comes from having never seen the TV show before, so I apologize in advance to all die hard fans out there who might find that I'm lacking the true scope of all this, but just consider it my two cents from the outside looking in.

The A-Team was much of what I expected; lots of action and maybe not a whole lot of plot...but damn it, it was fun! The action was truly action, and the plot, though thin, was enough to keep you guessing and intrigued as you watched it unfold. The premise is basically the same as the TV show: an elite special forces unit is convicted of a crime they didn't commit, and now must try to clear their names (this time the setting has been updated to the Iraq war instead of the Vietnam war), and of course the people who set them up soon realize they screwed over the wrong guys. But I can't overemphasize those action scenes! Motorcycles and tanks and helicopters and guns and explosions. Perfect for a summer movie.

But not only that, the four members of the A-Team are just so likeable, and the actors who play them have great chemistry together. For this outing we have the always classy Liam Neeson as team leader Col. 'Hannibal' Smith, his hair dyed silver as an homage to the original actor to fill that role, the late George Peppard. Hannibal's "boys" include the nicely buffed and very gorgeous Bradley Cooper as Lt. 'Faceman' Peck; Ultimate Fighting Champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as Sgt. B.A. Baracus; and District 9 star Sharlto Copley as Cpt. 'Howling Mad' Murdock (roles originally inhabited by Dirk Benedict, Mr. T. and Dwight Schultz respectively). Wow, that was a lot of nicknames to type. But this quartet was a real team on screen, and each inhabited the uniqueness of their characters, from B.A.'s toughness to Face's superficiality. Copley in particular impressed me; what passed for crazy in the original series doesn't do so now, and he brought a manic and hilarious new take on Murdock, with glimpses of something deeper.

Patrick Wilson and Brian Broom make suitably slimy villains, and Jessica Biel adds a feminine touch with a tough, smart female character who (of course) has a romantic past with Face. Overall, lots of energy and lots of laughs abound. And from what I hear, despite any flaws, this film does capture the noisiness and bombast of the TV show on which it's based. So for a movie adaptation, what more could you ask for?

My Verdict: Not cerebral, but who cares? It's just awesome.

The only Doctor I trust

There's a t-shirt on ThinkGeek.com that I have been sorely tempted to buy. On it is a 1950's style London police call box. Underneath that are the words "You never forget your first Doctor."

To the uninitiated into the pantheon of Sci Fi, that t-shirt probably wouldn't make a lick of sense. What, some would ask, does a police call box have to do with a doctor? And what the heck is a police call box, anyway? (There's a Wikipedia article on them here.) Shall I fill you in? The shirt is in reference to Doctor Who, a British Sci Fi series that first aired all the way back in 1963. I actually just finished reading the graphic novel Doctor Who: The Forgotten, which was excellent by the way, so it's been on my mind lately. Why should anyone care? Because Doctor Who has the distinction of being the longest running Sci Fi series ever. Ever! And not just in England, or in North America, but in the entire world! Check the Guinness Book of World Records, it's in there. 31 seasons (or series, as they call them across the pond), and as of June 12, 2010, 767 episodes! Considering how some shows barely last a season, that's an amazing feat.

And that's also a surprising feat, considering that the premise for the show is a little out there. It would be almost impossible to summarize the entire show here, but in a nutshell the main character is an eccentric, mysterious, 900-and-something-year-old humanoid alien known only as The Doctor. From the planet Gallifrey, the Doctor is a Time Lord, which is an extraterrestrial race that has mastered time travel through advanced technology. The Doctor achieves this through a device called the TARDIS (and to really earn my geek stripes: that stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). The TARDIS is a vast, complicated space ship capable of going to any point in time or any planet in the galaxy, but from the outside looks like a standard police call box (aahhh, now the t-shirt makes sense). With this ship the Doctor goes on many adventures to face foes and right wrongs, often bringing along at least one companion on his journeys (a companion is a general term for whomever the Doctor travels with, often human and often female, who acts as a stand-in for the audience).

So how can the series have lasted this long, you may ask? I mean, surely one actor hasn't played the Doctor since the 1960s, right? You'd be right, and actually the show's creators found a way around this, and rather brilliantly I think. You see, Time Lords are able to do something called Regeneration. What that means is when they've been critically injured and/or about to die, they're able to regenerate into a new body. Same character, different appearance. So whenever an actor is tired of the role, a 'death' scene is filmed, and a new actor steps into the part. As of right now, eleven different actors have played the Doctor over the years, starting with William Hartnell in 1963, all the way up to Matt Smith, who took over the role in January of this year. Likewise there has also been a stream of companions and villains, many of which are unique to one Doctor, others of which have transcended several regenerations.

You know how the shirt says you never forget your first Doctor? For me, that would be Paul McGann, the eighth incarnation. My first exposure to the world of Who came in May of 1996 (I would've been 14 at the time). Fox had created a TV movie with the BBC, starring McGann, as a continuation of the Who franchise. The show had been off the air since 1989, and this movie was intended to be a back-door pilot for an American produced Doctor Who series, which would've also starred McGann. Alas, it was no meant to be, as the film did not do well on American televisions and the show was not picked up. Though McGann only appeared on the screen once as the Doctor, he continued to play him in radio serials and the Eighth Doctor appeared in other media. I remember when the movie aired, but as I had school the next day I was only able to watch the first half. Looking back on it now, I realize it was a pretty bad movie. Still, in spite of that, it managed to capture my imagination, and I never forgot about it.

Then in 2005, I got my second taste of Who when the BBC decided to relaunch the series as an hour long, modern, action-packed Sci Fi drama. Bring in Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston (btw, the Doctor's change from his eighth to his ninth incarnations is the only regeneration that has not been shown on screen). After one season, Eccleston dropped out and then David Tennant stepped in as the Tenth Doctor (pictured above with companion Martha), who is probably my favorite incarnation thus far, and also a huge fan favorite in general. Though I haven't seen all the episodes of the revamped series, every single one I have seen has been tense, funny, deep, filled with action, sometimes dark and often resonant. It's really breathed new life into the series as a whole and created a whole new fanbase. While I haven't seen Matt Smith's work on the role yet, the general buzz has been good. Things are going well.

So there's Doctor Who in a fairly large nutshell. It has a cult following, critical acclaim and awards, longevity, instantly recognizable theme music and a fair share of spin-offs, including other British Sci Fi cult series Torchwood. It's influence in the Sci Fi world as well as in pop culture, particularly British culture, is beyond measure. Call me crazy, but I think it's here to stay, at least for a while longer.

If you're curious, check out this YouTube clip to see the different regenerations over the years in order. Now, I should probably just order that t-shirt. Fan Expo's coming, and I'll need things to wear.

Lady Gaga's Alejandro video bows

So Lady Gaga's new video for "Alejandro" was released today, which happens to be one of my favorite Gaga songs. And may I just say that I totally called that "Alejandro" would be one of her singles from her last album The Fame Monster.

My summary of this new 8min clip: Cool, but what the hell?

Gaga does what she does best; selecting different aspects of the cultural landscape and mixing them together into something new. For this particular offering she takes her cues from gay culture, the military, Cabaret and even Catholicism to come up with something vaguely Gothic, rather stylized, risque and compelling to watch, though you're not quite sure what you're looking at. There's no storyline to speak of, and there are bowl cuts on a lot of the guys to go with their high heels, and a bra with machine guns. Yeah, I don't get it. Like it, but don't get it. And there seems to be a funeral and a gang bang in it as well. Hopefully an explanation will be forthcoming.

Check it out here.

After a long & glorious year, season one of Glee ends at Regionals

Can you believe it was over a year ago that we got our first taste of Glee? May 19 2009 was when the pilot episode first aired as a sneak peek right after American Idol. Two long hiatus', 21 episodes, 5 albums, a slew of guest stars and a whole lot of musical numbers later it all came down to tonight. And I think you'll be hard pressed to find a single Gleek that was disappointed with how the show wrapped up it's ground-breaking first season. Check out my recap but be warned, lots of spoilers ahead.

"Journey" saw the long-awaited showdown between our intrepid heroes New Directions and bitter rivals Vocal Adrenaline. And after Jesse St. James defected back to VA last week and showed what kind of lying despicable snake he is, I was eager to see their asses handed to them on a platter tonight. But *gasp* Sue Sylvester is one of the judges, along with fellow celebrities Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John (both guest starring as themselves) and local news anchor Rod Remington. All hope seems lost. To add insult to injury, Emma tells Will that she's seeing someone else. Moment I Almost Cried #1: Will, after hearing Emma's news, is driving in his car and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" comes on; Will pulls over and bursts into tears.

But the team rallies back, deciding that even if they don't win they're going to plow ahead because they love to do it. And of course they do a medley of Journey songs at regionals, with Will watching from the wings, including "Faithfully", a mash-up of "Anyway You Want It" and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"...and of course, and this brings us to Moment I Almost Cried #2: a new version of "Don't Stop Believing'". Ahhhh! It was a fantastic performance, one of the best I've seen on the whole show, and that's saying something.

Quinn's mother Judy, who you'll probably remember kicked Quinn out of the house upon discovering her pregnancy, made a surprise appearance at regionals and caught Quinn coming off stage to ask her to come back...'cause, you know, kicking your daughter out when she needs you the most can all be fixed by just coming to one of her shows. Before Quinn can unleash the anger that's plain on her face, her water breaks (kind of convenient for the plot, but alright). While Vocal Adrenaline is overdoing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on stage Quinn brings little Beth into the world at a local hospital with her mother, Puck and Mercedes in the delivery room with her; otherwise known as Moment I Almost Cried #3.

The judges confer amongst themselves, and Olivia Newton-John reveals herself to be a bigger bitch than Sue. The glee clubs gather on stage to hear the news...and New Directions looses! WHAT? Not only did they loose the championship to Vocal Adrenaline they didn't even place runner-up, not fulfilling their end of the deal with the school's principal to keep the club running. Oh no! Honestly I had a suspicion that might be the outcome. You don't want the show to conquer all of it's obstacles too quickly in the series.

Thinking the club is over with, the kids gather on stage at the school's auditorium to tell Will how much he and the club has meant to them and to sing "To Sir, With Love" especially for him. That was Moment I Almost Cried #4.

But this is Glee after all, and just when thing's look their bleakest a happy ending is often not too far away. This time it came in the most unlikely of places. Sue ended up buying the club one more year, having not only been moved to defend them against Newton-John at the competition but to realize that with the club gone her sparring matches with Will would come to an end. And who wants that, let alone a woman who lives for a good fight? Sue continues to be a complex and oddly lovable character, and with Jane Lynch's handling of her and the writers keeping her one step away from being a caricature it really works.

So good news all around. Shelby adopts Quinn's and Puck's baby, Will professes his love for Emma and leaves that hanging for next season, Rachel and Finn seem to be back together and the kids can keep being social outcasts and loving every minute of it. The final scene brings us to Moment I Almost Cried #5; with everyone reunited in the choir room, Will returns the favor to his kids with a rendition of "Over the Rainbow". A touching end to a true phenomenon.

So we only have to wait until September for new episodes. We've waited before, we can do it again. Glee's already been picked up for a third season, so hopefully this Journey isn't over yet. Now I want to be in a show choir. Anyone want to start one with me?

Who else saw the finale? Any other takes on it? You know where to turn...