The last time we had an episode dealing with Mandalore of the Deathwatch, things didn’t go so well for audiences. Coming back to the scene of the crime, the cast and crew of The Clone Wars gave us another chance to see how cool the Deathwatch can really be.

The Republic and the Separatists decide to have their first official face-to-face meeting and Mandalore is where they’ve agreed to hold the meeting.

Surprisingly, Lux Bonteri (whom Ahsoka befriended the last time she went on a mission with Padme) arrives and throws the talks into chaos. Getting captured and sentenced to death by Count Dooku, Ahsoka comes to the rescue, but Lux has other plans. He knocks Ahsoka out and drags her to the backwater hideout of Deathwatch, whom he’s contracted to kill Dooku.

The episode’s story is fairly by the numbers, but the action in this episode was pretty spectacular. Pre Vizla’s ancient black lightsaber is always a very cool centerpiece to a fight, throw in Ahsoka’s double-saber technique and you have all the makings of a fantastic fight sequence. This episode brings Deathwatch to the forefront of terrorist organizations in dire need of being eliminated. They’re going to be causing problems in the future, mark my words.

But something tells me that this terrorist portrayal of Mando warriors is going to be controversial with the set of fans who are completely devoted to Karen Traviss’ vision of them.

Perhaps my favorite element of the episode was everything Artoo Detoo was given to do. It was all perfectly timed comedy and brought a smile to my face the entire time. From his bit hiding Ahsoka’s lightsabers to cobbling together an army of misfit droids to help turn the tide of the battle with the Mando’s, it was all just preposterously well executed.

There’s a deep measure of love in the direction of this episode. Dave Filoni took directing duties for this episode perfectly, and you can tell with the maturity of action and nuance to the comedy.

Much to do was made of Katee Sackhoff’s turn voicing a female Mandalorian, but she wasn’t a very major part of this episode at all. That makes me feel like they’ve got bigger plans for her coming up. Either that, or it was just a fun cameo she had. Jon Favreau (as Vizla) had much more to do and has become much more sinister and evil since his introduction. The only thing he was missing was a mustache to twirl.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the lighting and effects in this episode. It’s taken another leap forward. The backlighting, the atmosphere in the rooms, and the way the colors of light change naturally from room to room were all orchestrated with the greatest of care. The wind effects and its interaction with the snow were much better than the last time we saw that environment on the snow. (In particular, the fur around Ahsoka’s hood was fantastic.) But the moment that stood out the most was the low-light fighting in the middle of the third segment’s climax, lit largely by the hand flamers and lightsabers.

Overall, this was a very fun episode. I might still be more enamored by the Slavers Arc, but this was a solid stand-alone. And any chance to see Ahsoka on her own is a good time, if you ask me. In fact, it’s been interesting to see how, in a lot of ways, she’s being brought up by both Anakin and Padme.

It should be no surprise to anyone that we here at BSR are pinball fans. We’ve espoused the virtues of Zen Studios excellent pinball simulations time and time again. Now the Budapest-based team has brought their skills to the portable arena. While the iOS and Android ports have been around for a bit, the version for the Nintendo 3DS’ eShop has been delayed in North America. It finally releases today, is it worth your time? Let’s find out.

First off, because of the way the eShop works, Zen Pinball 3D is a little different for those familiar with Pinball FX2. You unfortunately are not able to play a sample of the game before you buy it. While I was told not to rule out a free table in the future, for now the starting price for pinball goodness on your 3DS is $6.99. For your money, you get a nice bundle of four tables (Excalibur, Earth Defense, Shaman, and El Dorado). What’s especially nice is that Shaman and El Dorado have up until now been PlayStation 3 exclusives. Having them to play on the go is quite nice indeed, though my favorite PS3 table, based on famed scientist and internet darling Nikola Tesla, would be a welcome addition.

I have to commend the team at Zen for the presentation they give Zen Pinball 3D. Not only is the interface attractive and functional, Zen has gone the extra mile to include as many of the console familiar features as possible. If you know anything about the way Nintendo systems usually handle online modes, you’ll be doubly surprised to see that ZP3D not only has leaderboards and the superscore feature from the consoles, but they’ve actually managed to include achievements for each table. I hear the actual 3D effects are no slouch, either (Note: The reviewer cannot see 3D imagery).

Now, onto the gameplay itself. Unfortunately, this is where I wasn’t as satisfied as I’d like to be. Don’t get me wrong, it is still very fun, and decidedly zen-like (see what I did there?), but the 3DS itself has a couple of limitations that kept me from having the experience I expected. I’m not one to obsess over ball physics and technical things like that, but when I was first playing, I did notice things seemed a little off. At first, I chalked this up to the way the ball move to indeed be a little different. What I came to realize after a bit more play though is that I was playing a bit differently because I had a hard time seeing the playfield itself. You see, while the game does allow many view modes to see the playfield, most of them are at an angle, and on the small screen of the 3DS, it’s difficult to decipher things the further back the perspective goes. This is alleviated a bit with the views that focus the camera more on the ball itself, but I wasn’t able to find a view that I felt fit perfectly, unlike on the consoles. That being said, once you get past that, the gameplay is as smooth as silk, and is the high quality you’ve come to expect from Zen.

Normally, I’m not one to give a numbers-based review score, but if I had to score Zen Pinball 3D, I’d give it an 8.5. It looks nice, it plays well, and above all else, it is fun. Couple that with future table packs coming as downloadable content. I can also confirm that the beloved Marvel tables are due to hit the handheld, likely in a 4-pack. In conclusion, I can safely say that this is (so far) the best pinball experience you can get on the 3DS, and you’d do well to pick it up.

Zen Pinball 3D is now available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop for €4.99 or $6.99, depending on your region. A download code was offered for review purposes.

Jahan Cross is the “Death” of the party? GONK takes a look at this week’s Star Wars comic release: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse #2.
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I am an unabashed fan of Mega Man. If a game or piece of merchandise features the Blue Bomber, it’s a safe bet I plan on adding it to my personal stash. That being said… 2011 was a terrible year for Mega Man fans. Not one but two upcoming Mega-games were cancelled. To add insult to injury, the co-creator of Mega Man, Keiji Inafune left Capcom (the company that publishes/owns Mega Man) due to being disenfranchised with the company and their way of doing business. Because of this, I actually instituted a one-person Capcom boycott. The one Mega-related product I’ve allowed myself is my subscription to Archie’s Mega Man comic book. That being said, if the company that owns the Blue Bomber treated him as well as the chroniclers of his adventures do, I’d gladly open my wallet for them.

Previously in Mega Man:

The second arc has just wrapped up and essentially finished retelling the story of the original Mega Man NES game. As you might expect, this issue starts the retelling of Mega Man 2. While that may sound incredibly uncreative and lazy, the team behind the comic make it their own while still leaving a few winks and nudges to people (like me) who are intimately familiar with the games.

Case in point, as you may or may not know, Mega Man can absorb the abilities of the enemies he defeats. In the videogame Mega Man 2, the Metal Blade weapon is so overpowered that it can be used almost exclusively. It is so powerful in fact that Wood Man and Bubble Man can be defeat in seconds. The writers of the comic seem to know this, as Metal Man and his blades are nowhere to be found, leaving our hero to take on the other two robot masters without the aid of a crutch.

Furthermore, since this is a comic book format, the robot masters themselves can have actually personalities, an aspect early Nintendo games couldn’t really elaborate on. Wood Man knows that he is an anachronism, being a robot made out of wood. He has made his peace with it and is as calm and serene as the forest, until it’s time for battle, that is! On the other hand, Bubble Man has a chip on his shoulder the size of Gibraltar. Being the butt of many jokes due to his having bubbles for a weapon and his aforementioned weakness to metal blades. Bubble Man strives to overcome his shortcomings. This more than anything makes these robots seem very… human.

The real star of the show however, is Mega Man. His characterization is the most poignant of all. Originally a robot built to help his creator Dr. Light with lab experiments, Mega Man volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot when the evil Dr. Wily unleashed his madness on the world. When Wily appears again, Mega Man is of course off to fight again, but he has an inner conflict. He regrets his need to “kill” his robotic brethren. As he defeats his “brothers” there also seems to be consequences lurking around the corner that the games never touched on. It’s fairly heavy stuff for an all ages comic, but at the same time it remains enjoyable for all.

I’ve espoused enough about Ian Flynn’s writing, but so far I’ve neglected to mention the superb art of the Ben Bates/Gary Martin. The art pops off the page at every turn. The storytelling is fluid and dynamic, and gives you the sense of urgency required when running a gauntlet the likes of the one Mega Man is facing. In addition, there is extra eye candy for videogame fans as the art team recreates the opening of Bubble Man’s stage from a new perspective that would not be out of place in a modern-day remake of the game.

All things considered, Mega Man #9 hits on a lot of levels. It’s instantly accessible, leaves you wanting more, and restores my faith in a franchise I was getting ready to leave behind. I can’t think of better praise than that!

Mega Man #9 is now available from finer comic shops everywhere for $2.99. It is also available digitally for $1.99. Enjoy the five page preview in the meantime!

It’s here! Knights of the Old Republic – War #1 is out today and GONK reviews it.
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If there’s two things I love in movies, it’s Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau. Seeing the two of them on screen together facing off during a hostage situation wasn’t anything I’d ever expected to be able to see, but I assure you, such a thing exists.

For context: Robert Shaw is the James Bond villain in From Russia With Love and was Quint in Jaws. Walter Matthau is… well, he’s just Walter Matthau.

In this film, Robert Shaw plays the mastermind of a ransom situation, where he and his team of mustachioed men (all named after colors, a precursor to Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs) take over a New York Subway Train and take everyone inside hostage for a million dollars.

The film is cleverly written for what is essentially a throwaway of a suspense/heist thriller. The dialogue is snappy and all parties deliver it brilliantly. In fact, the supporting cast in this film is as good as the leads. Jerry Stiller plays a great transit cop, Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo do fantastic turns as robbers, Tony Roberts is an incredibly compelling deputy mayor. The whole film works masterfully, even though it’s very much a by-the-numbers robbery movie.

Seeing it on Blu-ray for the first time (it came out theatrically years before I was born) was a real treat and I tried to imagine what it would be like to see this film in the theatre in 1974 when it came out. In fact, going to the movies, even to see the big dumb action movies like this must have been a treat. The craft of screenwriting and filmmaking on display for even popcorn movies like this seems head and shoulders above what passes for popcorn entertainment these days.

I never saw the remake of this film and after watching this version, I’m not really interested. This film worked so beautifully for me as a document of classic 1970s cinema that I’d hate to tarnish it with a remake. It should be a rule (with very few exceptions) that you only remake bad movies. This film is anything but.

It’s fun to watch and it’s incredible to witness it unfolding.

If you’re looking for a well-put together movie with great actors, you could do a lot worse than this film. In fact, I think you almost have to watch it. It informs quite a lot of cinema today (especially the parts Tarantino stole).

The Blu-ray is available on Amazon for $15.99.

The Mission: Impossible series has been hit or miss over the years, but it’s been getting better since the last installment that JJ Abrams took the helm on. Between the last installment and the choice of director for this film, my expectations were sky high. Brad Bird has directed some of the best films I’ve ever seen, from The Iron Giant to The Incredibles, he has a lot of potential and a lot to live up to.

And I have to admit was that this film met my expectations.

Was the story as good as the rest of the films in Brad Bird’s filmography? No. But it was completely adequate for what this film was. They needed to stop a nuclear war and that’s the goal. Everything else is inconsequential.

The way this film was assembled is second to none. While Brad Bird wasn’t necessarily flexing his story muscles with his live-action film debut, he was certainly showing off his understanding of craft. Each sequence in this film is so neatly fit together and each level of it raises the stakes on the action and the intensity so much that, at times, you can get dizzy if you’re not careful. Or afraid of heights.

This was just an incredibly well put-together film with action sequences that put the rest of the action sequences we saw in 2011 to shame. Particularly the fight scene in the automated parking garage in India. That was incredible to behold. And it was put together with the eye of an animator, someone obviously accustomed to putting together every single shot with care.

The other thing about this film was that it wasn’t just the Tom Cruise hour. There was an entire team of IMF agents on display and each of them brought something to the table, though none more hilarious or witty than Simon Pegg.

This movie is definitely worth your time and I have to say: See it in IMAX if you can.

One thing I only barely noticed in the film was the shoes.

The shoes? Yes. You’re as surprised by me saying that as I was when I got an email from Giorgio Brutini asking me if I’d like to review a pair of the shoes featured in the film.

I said, “Why not?” and they sent them right out to me.

I’ll admit that I didn’t notice them in the movie, but the shoes they sent me (pictured above) are way cooler than I deserve. They’ve been incredibly comfortable, stylish looking (as though I know what that is), and just all around solid.

I’m not accustomed to being complimented on my shoes. In fact, before this pair of shoes, I’ve never been complimented on my footwear. They seem completely durable and if you’re looking for a really solid dress shoe, these might be the ones for you. As I’ve worn them in over the last week, they’ve actually become more comfortable than when I first put them on, which was surprising to me.

You can check out their website and pick them up if you’re interested. They’re a steal at $65.

You can do what I did: wear the shoes to the movie. It won’t make the movie better, but it’s an odd and hilarious story to tell people.

Tonight’s episode of The Clone Wars, the first of 2012, was the conclusion of the Slavers arc and had a lot to live up to after the strength of the last episode. When we last saw our heroes, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were both held prisoner by the Zyggerians and the Queen herself was holding Anakin hostage as her bodyguard.

This episode brings Count Dooku into the situation, demanding the executions of the Jedi.

The first third of the episode felt very much like Indiana Jones, across the board. Obi-wan spent his time as the Short Round of this episode, slaving away in a mine (that was lit very much like the mines in Temple of Doom.) Anakin spent his time during this first break dealing with the Queen as though she was a fierce mix between Marion Ravenwood and Belloq, and the lighting and architecture of the Zyggerian palace was so much like Egypt in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Visually it was just stunning and, as a setup, it worked gangbusters.

My only complaint? In the first third, I felt like I was promised a Clone Wars version of the mine cart chase from Temple of Doom. Why else would they have a mine set and show mine cars and make Obi-wan Short Round if not to have a mine cart chase, right? Wrong.

It was sad, but I got over it.

Then Dooku arrives to cancel the party. The first thing I noticed about Dooku, though, was how improved the facial animation was. I think facial animation was one of the last frontiers The Clone Wars had to explore and they’ve just started knocking it out of the park in this episode with Dooku. It was so noticeably amazing that I was taken aback. And there was something in his eyes… They were black eyes, a dolls eyes… It was very creepy.

The rest of the episode plays out as a rescue mission with the Jedi involved all having to make very hard choices about how they’re going to proceed. This is all part of Sidious’ plan to weaken and ruin the Jedi. Obi-wan spends his time not helping anyone because he simply can’t, he’s broken. And he can’t make the hard decisions to end the conflicts quicker. If Obi-wan were more like Anakin, willing to force choke some guards and get out by force, there would have been far fewer lives lost.

Should he have succumbed to using the Force for attack in that way?

It’s a difficult choice and it’s writing like that that makes this show the best one on television.

This episode also brought us Plo Koon and his Wolf Pack, which put a smile on my face. I know how much Dave Filoni loves Plo Koon and the Wolf Pack, so when they jumped out of hyperspace on Anakin’s mark, it was as cool as that moment in Serenity where the Agent realizes that there are thousands of Reaver ships coming in out of the distortion cloud. That’s how satisfying that moment was for me.

The music in this episode told a story that was at once beautiful and tragic, but somehow at odds with the events we were being shown. When Ahsoka is looking to find her people that had been sentenced to die with electric walls and a disappearing floor, the music slowly told us that the Jedi were losing and it never got better from there. Though they win and save the day, they lost here. And there was something sad and tragic about it that the music conveyed perfectly.

I also want to specifically mention one shot that completely took my breath away: After the action was over and the camera cuts to the space above Kadavo, there is a beautiful establishing shot of Plo Koon’s fleet and the planet behind. That single shot was a work of art and should be framed. Though that can be said of most shots on this show, it’s doubly true of that particular shot. It was just incredible.

Though I felt a little cheated that there wasn’t a mine car chase, I was intensely satisfied by this episode. It was exactly what I needed after this too-long break from the show. This is certainly one of the standout arcs of the entire series and I think it might be my favorite arc of the season so far. The Umbaran arc was incredible, yes, but there was something about this one that just worked much better for me.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t have a lot of high expectations for the remake of Fright Night. I wasn’t any great fan of the original (in fact, I only barely recall seeing it once, vaguely) and as much as I like vampires, most movies about them tend to blow. (That sentence originally ended in the word suck, but I thought better of it.)

The remake of Fright Night had things going for it that I rather liked. Anton Yelchin is a fantastic actor, for one. For two, I’m a big Doctor Who fan and who doesn’t like seeing David Tennant cutting loose? Third, I really like Colin Farrell. I even liked him in Daredevil.

And I’ll be even more honest. When this movie started and it was sort of like a teen angst movie, I was on the verge of tuning out.

Then it got awesome. Fast.

It had the absolute perfect mix of comedy, suspense, tension, and fantastic scenes to not only regain my interest but get me rooting for the characters and be hanging on the edge of my seat by the end. This was movie was so damn fun that I can’t even begin to describe to you…

There were a few scenes that would, on their face, seem so innocuous that they would never be a standout, but the director was able to pull it off. Take the scene where Jerry, Anton Yelchin’s vampire neighbor, wants to borrow some beer, but he can’t enter the house uninvited. The scene dripped with all kinds of tension and dread and I was biting my fingernails. Colin Farrell (as Jerry) just oozed danger and menace, completely making my skin crawl.

And David Tennant, as soon as he comes into the movie, manages to steal every scene he’s in. It’s such an oddly different character than I’ve seen him play and it makes me want to watch more Doctor Who.

But really, the person that carries this film is Anton Yelchin. He’s one of the finest young actors of his generation. You’d remember him as Chekov in the latest Star Trek movie. He pulled me through the beginning of the film and really brought me into it.

The film was well-shot, well-edited, the music was great, the performances were fantastic. Was it a little cheesy? Yes. But it was a remake of Fright Night.

Is it worth your time? Absolutely.

You can pick it up the Blu-ray on Amazon.