IndieRoyal released their newest Bundle recently, and it’s a good one. (more…)

Game of Thrones S02E03 “What Is Dead May Never Die”

By Bobot Fett

Warning! Spoilers for S02E03 and Book #2 (A Clash of Kings) included!

If the “Song of Ice and Fire” is anything it is large. Season one of Game of Thrones’ most impressive accomplishment may have been how much information they packed into so few episodes and hours. Season two continues this tradition with episode three as dense as any yet.

We wake from the break between episodes with Jon Snow as he wakes from the blow Craster gave him to close episode two. This scene is obviously needed to resolve the aforementioned cliffhanger but unfortunately it plays like the half dozen other scenes just like it; Jon: ignorant, naïve, good. Mormont: seasoned, patient, forgiving. Almost the same scene just occurred between the two men in the same physical spot in the episode before. (S02E02)

We round out our time in the north for this episode with Bran in Winterfell. Bran’s dreams continue and he associates them with Old Nan’s tales of people who could inhabit the bodies of other creatures. Issac Hempstead Wright (Bran) continues to be one of the highlights of the cast as does Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin. Their scenes together feel genuine and natural. Maester Luwin’s subtle and casual acceptance of the historical fact of all manner of magical beings should not be over looked. Magic and the mystery of the “old world” is what makes the north so fun. Game of Thrones often feels more like the Borgias than Lord of the Rings so any chance to put the fantasy back in is a welcome distraction from the political intrigue that dominates the south.

In the far south, at Storm’s End, sits Renly Baratheon gathering his troops. The list of names and faces to remember grows as we meet his queen, Margarey Tyrell played by Natalie Dormer. Natalie has very captivating eyes and neck line and her morals would make a Lannister or Targaryen proud. With Jamie imprisoned and Viserys dead I feared that HBO would lose its incest cred but then came Margarey Tyrell and totally redeemed the show. We also meet the female knight Brienne ‘the beautiful’ of Tarth. Gwendoline Christi (Brienne) dominates every scene she is in with her 6’3” frame. The exploration of the look of something broken behind her eyes could be one of the surprise treats of season two.

Over on the Iron Isles Theon Greyjoy struggles to reconcile nature vs. nurture. Is he his father’s son, iron born, or is he the man that he was raised to be by Eddard Stark? In a story/show that revolves around questions of family, power, and honor Theon’s journey is one of the most interesting the story/show has to offer. Balon Greyjoy plans to reconquer the north with a fleet led by Yara and Theon must choose between families. Ultimately siding with salt over snow Theon’s story arc will be a major component as the season continues.

In King’s Landing Tyrion plays the game of thrones masterfully. The star of the show baits his opponents with ease and by episode’s end has played Cersei, Varys, Littlefinger, Grande Maester Pycelle like children. This week Maester Pycelle follows Commander Slynt out the door as Tyrion cleans house. Tyrion, like any good Lannister, knows you must eliminate your enemies to stay in power. The show continues its “featured whore”’ of the episode with Shae. She is unattractive, and her voice is grating, but I digress… This subplot moves too slowly especially given that Varys knows she is there and the eventuality of tragedy is almost assured.

The episode closes with Lannister troops aiding the Kingsguard in taking Gendry from Yoren and the Night’s Watch. In the calm before the storm Arya asks Yoren how he sleeps after having seen so many terrible things. Arya’s eyes tell the story of a girl casting off the last vestiges of her childhood and committing to the fight and vengeance, a Stark of Winterfell, and Winter is Coming.

Vaughan and Staples hit us with another installment of their epic sci-fi/fantsy slipstream this week. I was on the fence before, but go ahead and count me in now. (more…)

I’ve been a great fan of Wallace and Gromit for close to two decades and when I heard they were doing a new TV show, I was pretty thrilled. When I heard the show would be part reality show, I was a little disappointed, but then when I found out they’d be showcasing real life-scientists and their inventions, I was once again thrilled.

Aardman and crew didn’t fail to disappoint. The show is like a high-tech, all ages Sesame Street and my kids and I completely ate it up.

My daughter has, for as long as she’s been able to understand the concept of wanting to be something when she grows up, has wanted to build robots. The very first episode addresses this very issue and the brightness in her face couldn’t be measured. The show gave her all kinds of ideas and she went right to her drawing board to draw out new ideas for robots she had.

It’s exactly the sort of show I think kids need and don’t get enough of on American television. (It’s no wonder this show hails from across the pond.) It tackles science in fascinating ways, shows the tinkerers and inventors failing time and again with their inventions, improving them constantly, and then finally reaching success. It seems like the average American kid doesn’t have that same fascination with science that sent us to the moon, and I think shows like this could help reignite that spark.

On the technical side, this show is put together well. Sure, there’s some dodgy bits of archive footage, but other than that it looks great.

There’s a tendency for live action shows framed with animation to have a sub-standard animation style, or lip synching that’s not exactly right, but it’s not a problem this show had. Wallace and Gromit, renowned for their own tinkering, were brought beautifully back to life in a way that was indistinguishable from their previous on-screen outings. And they were up to their old hijinks like no time had been missed between now and then.

For the price (Less than $12 on Amazon) it’s something that should be in the collection of any would-be tinkerer or inventor, young or old. And I think fans of Wallace and Gromit are hip to this sort of show, even if they are expecting full length episodes of Wallace and Gromit comedy.

It reminds me quite a bit of the documentary shows and movies that the Monty Pythoners put together after the dissolution of the Flying Circus.

It’s funny, charming, and enlightening.

Pick it up. You’re really not going to regret it.

John Jackson Miller serves up a double helping of fun with Zayne Carrick in this week’s other Star Wars comic: Knights of the Old Republic – War #4.
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Double dose of Star Wars comics this week! Let’s start off with the final issue of the inaugural run of John Ostrander’s Agent of the Empire.
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Editors Note: For those interested, CitizenBot reviewed Cabin in the Woods during SxSW as well.

Here’s SithBot:

I’m somewhat scared to write my thoughts about this movie, as I’m afraid that anything I say might run the risk of giving away some plot point or twist (or lack thereof) that would dampen anyone’s enjoyment of discovering these things first hand in a theatre. And yes, I recommend seeing it in a theatre, not just because I think it deserves to make a lot of money before the Avengers comes out and crushes everything, but because horror movies should be a group experience. There’s nothing quite like watching something scary with a group of strangers and finding yourself immersed in the psyche of the crowd and reacting, whether in fear, a laugh, or catharsis, with everyone else. At least, that’s the reason I enjoy seeing horror movies in theatres. If you’re in it just for the blood, guts and torture porn, then I suggest you skip Cabin in the Woods and rewatch Human Centipede for the 100th time, as this movie is something you not only wouldn’t enjoy, but is probably too smart for you. For everyone else who didn’t go to the midnight screening of Saw 525 in 3D, you’ll love the film.

As I stated before, I won’t go into too much detail of the plot aside from what you may have gleaned from the trailers and tv spots. Five good looking and (gasp!) smart 20 something college kids head out for a weekend of fun and some debauchery (even smart kids like to party) out in the woods in a cabin that one of their cousins apparently purchased from the Evil Dead films (I’m seriously doing research to see if it’s from the same set). Once there, the booze and weed are unleashed and then, well, something happens and they start to be stalked by some kind of ancient evil that needs their blood to be spilled to be quelled. Oh, and this is all being controlled by a group of people in a lab/tv station somewhere who are upset with the Japanese and spend time betting on what is going to kill these kids.

Confused? You should be, but don’t worry, as you’ll fully understand everything, and then some, once the credits roll. The easiest way to sum up what is going on is to say Cabin in the Woods is like the Truman Show meets Evil Dead, except ratings aren’t what the producers are going for … It’ something a bit more sinister.

The Cabin in the Woods is the first film since Scream to take the entire horror genre and completely turn it on its ear — not only in pointing out how cliched and predictable they have become, but to prove you can have a smart, fun and gory movie that doesn’t rely on gross out parlor tricks that have become commonplace ever since the first Hostel was released. In fact, had this movie been released back when it was originally finished, the writers of Scream 4 could have taken down a few notes to learn what ‘meta’ really means and how to appropriately include that in your script. I don’t think its a stretch of the imagination in any way to predict that less talented directors and writers will be ‘borrowing’ the tools Whedon and Goddard used to put this thing together.

Speaking of Whedon, I’m pretty sure most everyone who reads this site was at least somewhat on board the moment they learned he was involved in this project. The pedigree he brings to everything he touches almost guarantees high quality and enjoyment; the Avengers is one of the most anticipated movie of the year, and a lot of that is due to who is leading the helm, not just the characters. Goddard was the only one I was worried about. Despite the fact that nearly everyone and their brother was in love with Cloverfield, I really dislike that film based mainly on what I feel to be a contrived script and boring characters. The fact he was not only writing but also directing was my sole sticking point going in, but I can thankfully say my fears were allayed as he proved masterful in both roles. The script is quick, witty, fun and avoids obvious plot twist pitfalls, and the movie drags you in from the first scene and never lets go. There are no lulls of exposition to explain ‘what is going on’, instead allowing the story to unfold organically with no wasted moments. In fact, the one brief scene where ‘all is explained’ just sums up what we have already learned, and exists to allow a very fun cameo and to setup the finale. I really wish more writers and directors would follow suit and allow the audience to discover things for themselves instead of spoon feeding them in one big reveal or trying to be extremely clever and spouting a bunch of nonsense (Matrix Reloaded, I’m talking to you).

My only (little) complaint is that the acting is just ok. You really care about the characters and none devolve into complete horror movie stereotypes, but none really stand out as doing an amazing job, with the exception of Fran Kranz as the resident stoner and comic relief. He really manages to steal the scenes he’s in, doing so with a wide eyed glance or something muttered under his breath. Again, everyone did a good job and run circles around the actors in every other horror movie in recent memory, it’s just everything else in this movie sets the bar exceptionally high, so that’s what I have to grade it by.

So in case you couldn’t tell, I really love this movie, and am incredibly excited for the wide release this weekend so I can run out and see it again, this time hopefully picking up on some of the nuances I know I missed the first time around. I also can’t wait to show it to my circle of friends, and it’s been a long time since a film had me this excited to get others onto the bandwagon. While Whedon and Goddard didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel or anything, they did manage to create a worldview that will have you rewatching your favorite horror movies through a new lens and make you wonder if THAT’S what was going along the whole time. I predict many will imitate what has been accomplished here, but just as people tried with classics like Psycho and Scream (including some of its sequels), few will be able to reach the benchmark set by Cabin in the Woods.

-Sithbot

Available on DVD tomorrow is Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous from Marvel Knights Animation.  This is an animated version of the comic of the same name, written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassaday, and it’s the second story arc of Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men.  Whedon should be a familiar name to you (Buffy, Angel, Firefly), but if those shows don’t ring a bell, then hopefully you know that he is also the guy bringing The Avengers to theaters this summer.  When I saw his name attached to this DVD, I knew I had to seize the opportunity to review it.  Plus, I like X-Men, but while watching this I immediately realized how woefully ignorant I am of what’s been happening in the comic books.

That aside though, I was able to appreciate this as a casual fan.  I generally find Cyclops to be annoying, but he wasn’t the least bit irritating. Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) was definitely the stand-out in this series, though.  She was both pouty and assertive, childish and strong.  And I felt like more energy was put into drawing her, since the close-ups of her face were rendered so well.

I’m also a complete newbie to the world of motion comics, but I think I will watch more from this point forward.  It was really exciting to see the pages of a comic come to life with sounds and music, even though the animation is a bit jerky.  That took some getting used to, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me.

The storyline is:  “The tragic death of a student at the Xavier Institute reveals that a powerful enemy is working from inside the mansion to destroy the X-Men.  It’s an enemy who knows all their weaknesses and can predict their every move.  This new foe doesn’t want wealth, power or world domination – it only wants them dead.  As the X-Men fight for their lives, they learn they’ve been deceived by one of their own.  Even if they survive, the team will never be the same.”

While the storyline at times felt a bit generic, I enjoyed the series overall (except for the cameos from  members of the Fantastic Four.  That just didn’t make any sense to me).  I think the best line of this arc was when Emma Frost said, “I turn into a diamond sometimes.  Are we really going to discuss impossibility?” A blunt remark, but she has a point.

To say too much more would reveal the true foe of the X-Men, and I’d rather keep that under wraps for those who don’t wish to be spoiled, but the epic battle at the end kept me wondering how the team would get themselves out of this mess.  And in addition to the outside forces bent on destroying them, the X-Men also must confront more personal issues. Loyalties will be tested, and lovers will be torn apart.

I’d recommend this to an X-Men fan, particularly to casual fans like myself.  In short, it was fun to watch.  (I just hope the next X-Men story I read or watch has Mr. Sinister in it.  I think he has great fashion sense).

You can check out some of the videos in Swank-mo-tron’s preview of the DVD here.

The latest installment in HBO’s Game of Thrones brought the multitude of characters closer to their various goals, and the episode ended with a cliffhanger.  Sadly, another week must pass before we learn what happens next.

SPOILERS BELOW

Arya Stark continues to travel with the future men of The Wall, maneuvering her ever closer to her home at Winterfell.  But even at such a distance from King’s Landing, she and her companions are not safe from the guards of the city.  Though they are in search of King Robert’s bastard son Gendry, she is all too aware of the precariousness of her situation.  She also discovers that Gendry is not ignorant of the fact that she is a girl, and she admits that she is of House Stark.  It must be a weight off her shoulders to be able to be honest about her identity, and she may have found a friend in Gendry.

Games of a subtle nature continue to be played in King’s Landing.  Tyrion returns to his room to find the Varys flattering Shae, but The Spider mentions to Tyrion that he knows that Tywin Lannister expressly forbade his son from bringing Shae back to the city.  Tyrion will not fall for the veiled threat, telling Varys, “I know how this game is played,” and that he is no Ned Stark, to be manipulated and lied to.  I think we can all agree that one of Ned’s tragic flaws was his belief in the honesty of others.  He was loyal and trusting, and he believed that others would be so, also.

Only a brief glimpse of Daenerys this week, and it is only to reveal that one of the men she sent in search of civilization was beheaded, possibly by a Khal.  Her situation looks ever grimmer, and she and her loyal companions are tired and hungry.  She has fallen a long way from being the beloved Khaleesi of Khal Drogo.  Born in fire, she is now the mother of three dragons, but the Iron Throne is very far away and not the most important of her concerns.

Tyrion continues his own personal game, and he focuses primarily on safeguarding his life.  He dines with Lord Janos, commander of the city watch, and calmly explains that he is sending the unfortunate man to The Wall.  Tyrion explains that he doesn’t feel comfortable with him lurking about, since he gave the order to kill the men of the previous Hand, and he also was responsible for the murder of Robert’s infant child.

Theon Greyjoy returns to the Iron Islands, and his dreams of a happy homecoming are quickly dashed when is father does not welcome him back with open arms, calling him more Stark than Greyjoy.  The Greyjoys still have no love for the Starks, and all signs point towards a battle with the scattered family, even as the Starks fight the Lannisters.  There are so many wars being fought on so many fronts now, it truly is a Game of Thrones.

Within the walls of Dragonstone, the Red Priestess Melisandre tells Stannis, “I have seen the path to victory in flames.” She continues to urge worship of her god, telling Stannis that he must embrace the religion fully. (In other words, she wants him to throw her down on the table and ravish her, which he does.)  She uses his wife’s frail health as an excuse when he reminds her he is married, and she promises him a son.  In my opinion, Stannis shows himself to be easily manipulated and naïve.  His role in the game is not a very strong one at this point, other than having the blood claim of being the eldest Baratheon brother.  If I were his advisor, I would suggest he bide his time and let everyone else kill each other before making a move towards the Iron Throne.

Back at Craster’s home, Sam befriends Gilly, Craster’s pregnant daughter.  She is afraid that she will have a son, and no one has at this point discovered what happens when boys are born to Craster (though we can suspect that it’s bad).  She wants to leave with them when they continue their journey, but Jon refuses to listen.  He knows that to get involved with Craster’s family will only lead to trouble.  However, his own curiosity wins over sound judgment when he sees Craster carry an infant out in the snow and returns with empty arms.   Just as Jon nears the child and the creature that retrieves it from the frozen ground, he is hit over the head by Craster, and the credits roll.

I think my biggest frustration with this show is that there are so many characters, and there is no way to devote enough time to any single one in an episode.  Instead, we are given only tidbits of what is happening in Westeros and beyond its borders.  Though frustrating, this does provide more suspense and a desire to see what will happen next.

And, since I’ve read the books, there are certain scenes I’m waiting to see on screen.  Winter can’t come quickly enough!

It’s been 2 weeks since I put my Vivid down and switched to the Lumia, graciously provided by the kind folks at Nokia. I find myself shocked at what an incredible device this really is. Nokia has been absent from the U.S. for so long, and this phone can truthfully be called a triumphant return. I’ll do my best to differentiate the phone’s features and Windows 7.5 for you, but honestly they integrate so well together that I can’t say enough good things.

First of all let’s discuss price point, it’s a 99 dollar LTE phone with an 8mp camera designed by Carl Zeiss, front facing 1.3mp, 16 gig internal memory, 512 ram, and 1.4 GHz Qualcomm processor. The phone is a steal, packed with features and not mega expensive.

The phone has a sleek unibody design that fits in your palm beautifully. The battery is not removable, which can be considered a con, but it’s easy enough to perform a hard reset on the device, that it isn’t noticeable. It is one of 5 At&t devices using a micro sim, and the charging port is placed on the top instead of the bottom. I thought that would be a bother, but I’ll explain why I love it later on.

This phone integrated itself into my world within minutes, from the fast set up to the ease of use. I barely missed my Android phone, (I had just updated to 4.0 the day I received the Lumia so that’s saying something.) Even though it’s running a single core processor the phone is snappy and responsive and I found data speeds and install times to match my Vivid. App availability has reached a point with WP7 that I found something to cover all of my bases. Metro Radio took care of Pandora, Zune organized my synced music (with WP7 connector for mac which is pretty solid.) And the gaming integrated to my Xbox flawlessly with a simple sign in process. Next Thumba Photo Editor for my instagram needs, FourSquare and Facebook, and finally My Expenses for those pesky travel reports and we’re home free.

For you work junkies out there, let’s talk email. I haven’t found a faster way of managing email, than the one provided by WP7, touching to the left allows you to begin checking messages to be deleted or moved to a different folder, a quick touch on the message pulls it up with all of your items waiting on the bottom. The keyboard is fast and responsive, and the auto correct is incredibly accurate, my typing times are so much better on the WP7 keyboard than on Android. (This is whether I use swift-key x, swype, or the stock keyboard.) My fingers find the keys much easier, and I don’t find myself adding extra spaces or periods when I type fast, (swift key you devil.) For heavy users you’ll find the battery life to be great. I went from 6-8 hours before charging to 10-12, making it through a work day was pretty exciting for me, seeing as most of my devices spend a portion of their day charging at my desk before I return for them.

The top charging port ended up being quite a plus for me, and here’s why. Generally when I’m driving I use my Blue-Tooth, but on days that I’ve forgotten it I leave my phone plugged into the car charger and use it like a normal phone would require, pressed up against my face. The distance is a bit far from my cigarette adapter to where I sit while driving and generally the power gets pulled out of the phone. With the port on top the charger stayed in perfectly, life was that much easier, also, while laying on my seat or desk charging the device is still upright, pretty nice eh?

The phone itself has kept very well, seeing as I’ve been walking around with it before launch cases and screen protectors haven’t been overly abundant, or truthfully at all available. The poly-carbonate body has stayed completely scratch free, and the screen looks as perfect as the day I un-boxed it. However there is a small patch of stainless steel by the camera lens that made it about 30 minutes before getting scratched. If I have to find something to complain about, my stainless piece is scuffed, scratched, and dinged, the rest of the phone looks perfectly fine, When showing others the phone I generally cover the lens in shame.

Windows Phone itself has quite a few inherent features that make the switch almost painless. Again for us business folk, and even students the built in Office integration is a huge win. Quick access to Word docs, Excel, and Power Points makes moving data and editing a breeze, and has shaved hours off of my work day. By default the phone will read text messages to you and allow you to reply through voice with a blue-tooth. No additional app needed, no set up it simply does it. The first time my Jambox yelled at me I was shocked, and my wife thought I was just talking to myself. Being given a truly hands-free experience through the operating system is quite a relief, I realize that Siri does many of these things, but the Windows development made it feel effortless.

I whole heartedly believe that Nokia has made a triumphant return into the marketplace and has given WP7 a huge chance to continue growing. Currently there are few Windows Phones that I would heavily recommend to someone switching operating systems with the Lumia is at the top of that list. When doing a price point comparison, I don’t know why you wouldn’t save $100.00 and go with the gorgeous solid-body Lumia.