I really hope Guillermo Del Toro hits a home run with this one and they let him make anything he wants to after this.

I’m also obligated to say that we were not, in any way, compensated for the use of Big Shiny Robot!s in this trailer.

Pacific Rim hits theatres July 11, 2013.

While my review of The Hobbit is still forthcoming, there’s something even larger at play that is the first question out of everyone’s mouth, “What was the 48fps like?”

“Was it any good?”

“Should I bother?”

And I think the answer to those last two questions is a resounding, “Yes.”

Of course, there are undoubtedly a few of you asking, “What in the name of Sauron is 48fps?” In fact, I told a few people how great I thought it looked, people that I thought were plugged into what was going on, and that was their first question. “What’s that?”

Well, without descending into the condescending, here’s the brief overview: movies for the last 80 years have been shot and projected at 24 frames per second. The Hobbit is the first major Hollywood film release that has been shot and in some cases (not all, due to outrage and skepticism) projected in 48 frames per second. What does that mean? It means that all the motion blur you get between shots are gone. It means everything is in a crystal clarity that is breathtaking to behold. It’s the film equivalent of jumping from VHS to Blu-ray. It’s a marked difference in image quality and clarity.

Battles that were once just blur are now rendered in stunning quality, allowing me to drag my eyes to any part of a battle and focus in. Landscapes are incredible. Sets and props are rendered in a detail higher than anything we’ve ever seen, which means there will need to be a new renaissance in those fields of artistry.

I think all the reports are true: when you see The Hobbit, there is a period of adjustment. For me it was between 5 and 10 minutes and it was because I was actively looking for the differences in projection rate. After that, the film became immersive and never once kicked me out of the film again. To that end, it would have been wise of the studio to make sure there was a 20 minute trailer reel or short presentation that showed off 48fps BEFORE the film started so that when The Hobbit started, all the stigma and “getting used to it” were gone.

But it might only be required for the first viewing. I talked to another gentleman in the press (and a sometime Big Shiny Robot, Nexus 9) who was seeing the film for the second time and he found that those issues were simply not present on a second viewing.

Make no mistake: this is a different way at looking at cinema, and for many people (and I would say virtually all of the naysayers) it’s going to be a hard adjustment. We’ve been accustomed for so long as of to what films “look” and “feel” like and this is a step beyond.

I’ve likened it to how jarring it must have seemed to audience used to a jerky, hand-cranked variable 14-24fps frame rate of the silent era to the consistent 24fps paradigm. It was an increase in quality, but must have been awkward during the transition period.

Try these two clips on for size:

The first is from Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece, The Immigrant.

Compare the look of that to the look and sound of Al Jolson’s (admittedly racist) number in the Jazz Singer just ten years later. The film had to stay synced at a constant frame rate to maintain the sound and must have seemed jarring to an audience used to the jerky nature of silent films to that point.

Now imagine the leap of slightly over a decade later, when the technology grew up even further. Would you have a hard time adjusting to a story told in color? Here’s a scene from Gone With the Wind…

This early color process was extremely difficult and a new technology. They had to film each color spectrum on separate reels of film and combine them in post production to produce a color image. It didn’t look like reality. And with the nature of color dominating mood and theme in the film, set dressers used to black and white had to completely relearn how to learn their craft. Which is why you saw black and white movies winning Best Picture Oscars on a fairly consistent basis through 1960, with Billy Wilder’s masterpiece The Apartment.

The art of storytelling and dressing sets and costume design was more tried and true in Black and White. But color pressed on. It was a tool in the storyteller’s kit and people grew used to it and we moved on.

Another thing to consider is the time at which the movie comes. Watch this clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie:

It looks like standard Hitchcock fare, yes? You know it was a commercial and critical failure? Not because it was bad, though it was lesser Hitchcock, but because audiences in 1964 were thirsty for movies that looked more realistic and were shot on location. Marnie utilizes many, many bad matte paintings, rear-projections, and mechanical horses and moving backgrounds that would have seemed revolutionary a decade prior. But with movies like James Bond forcing audiences to ask for more, it just didn’t click at the box office. Time has been much better to Marnie, and it’s watched in context with Hitchcock, not the fickle demands of the audience of the day and what they were used to. He stayed too locked in the technology of days gone by and paid a price with the success of the movie.

I think the 48fps phenomenon is exactly like all of these examples. It is a new tool in the toolbox of filmmakers. For those whose story it will enhance, it will do so. But there are naysayers reacting to it in a knee-jerk way, saying it’s just the latest gimmick, but why do we need to think of film as constrained to the limitations of 24fps? Tradition? It doesn’t make sense. That’s like saying Gone With the Wind should have been black and white because color was just a gimmick.

The Hobbit looks stunning. I truly felt immersed in that world watching it in 48fps. I think those that approach it with an open mind and give it a chance will find the same thing. It’s a beautiful film and the 48fps even clears and clarifies the 3D, making it not only more bearable (I’m not typically a 3D fan), it felt more immersive than a film ever has.

Some have been complaining that it looked like Masterpiece Theatre or some other soap-opera like production because it had an odd quality that we associate sometimes with programs like that instead of film. I argue this has everything to do with their misconception of what things should look like, not what they actually look like.

Bottom line is this: The Hobbit looks fantastic in 48fps. I wouldn’t want to see it any other way (though I’m curious to see 48fps without the 3D). It was immersive, detailed, and stunning. I hope to see more films utilize this tool. I wouldn’t be surprised if the new Star Wars films were filmed with this technology and I’d be happy and grateful for it.

Is it different? Yes. Is it unlike anything you’ve seen before? Yes. Does that make it bad? Not in the least. It added a depth to locations and places I’d seen a hundred times in the Lord of the Rings movies and breathed new life into them. Seeing Rivendell literally forced the breath from me it was that awesome. And I say that not as slang, but actually awe-inspiring.

If you’re not sold on 48fps after the first time, give it another go. You’ll definitely see something new.

First, we have a new perspective on what Ewan McGregor feels about the possibility of doing new Star Wars films. It’s no surprise that he feels if anyone is going to do it, it would be weird for it not to be him. And it’s also interesting to note that he found out about the Disney acquisition the day before it all went down.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the video is the fact that Ewan McGregor knew about the third trilogy from the get go, and that it’s always been Lucas’ plan to let other filmmakers take it on. It seems to be the best kept secret of the last fifteen years in Star Wars-dom.

The video has a lot of good tidbits in it, I would recommend you watch it.

But that’s not why you’re here, specifically. You want to know what Samuel L. Jackson had to say about his continuing involvement in the Star Wars saga.

When speaking to E! News at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, he had nothing but enthusiasm:

“I’m not surprised but totally geeked by the idea of there being more Star Wars,” Jackson told E! News at the Spike TV Video Game Awards Friday. “It’s like, okay, Obi-Wan was dead when episode four started, so maybe everyone thinks I’m dead and we’ll find out what happened to Mace Windu. I can come back as one-armed or a one-handed Jedi that’s still around that didn’t actually die.”

He went on to explain that he’d even be a ghost hologram if that’s how he could be involved.

For my money, this idea is as good as any, and I’m just excited to see what we’re finally given in the realm of new Star Wars. I’m willing to see whatever it is they show me, and Mace Windu as a grizzled, old, one-armed man sounds awesome. There would be so many unanswered questions there… And I’m pretty sure it couldn’t happen since Yoda did say that after his death the last of Jedi would he be, but anything is possible. If anyone could have shrouded himself in the Force to keep out of Yoda’s purview, it would be Mace Windu.

Aside from the droids (who I would almost certainly say will be back) what characters and actors from the previous installments of the saga would you like to see in the sequel trilogy or subsequent films?

I’ve been a fan of the Space Hulk games and Games Workshop world for a long, long time. The original Space Hulk video game cause many sleepless nights for me and I’ve spent plenty of time looking for ways to play it these days with my Mac.

I’ve even been looking for the board game version and I can’t even find that.

But today, it was announced via the above trailer that there will be a new Space Hulk game and I couldn’t be more excited. And I’m not even a video gamer. At all. By any stretch of the imagination.

Here’s the scant details that have been released via the official website:

Based on the best-selling board game and set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Space Hulk is a 3D digital turn based strategy game that recreates the classic claustrophobic board game experience for single player and multiplayer cross-platform play between PC, Mac and on iOS.

Space Hulk is set in the isolated corridors and tomb-like chambers of an ancient vessel lost in the graveyard of space. Players lead a small army of fearless Space Marine Terminators to battle in a ferocious fight for survival against hordes of predatory alien Genestealers.

The main features are
Blood Angel terminator squad
Fearsome Genestealers with challenging AI
Thematic 3d environment
Single player campaign based on the “Sin of Damnation” hulk
New coop multiplayer levels against the Genestealer AI
Multiplayer head-to-head recreating the board game experience against a friend
Cross platform multiplayer between PC, Mac and iOS
Level editor with ability to share creations
Game expansions in the future as DLC

This game can’t come out fast enough.

This week was (relatively) light for me, comic wise, but it was made up of quality to make up for lack of quantity. We had so many great issues this week, that’s I’m not going to give any one book Pick of the Week status, because I couldn’t choose! Here’s what I thought about comics, this week. Feel free to agree, disagree, or send me money, I’m easy.

Kevin Keller #6: I really wish this book was monthly. While it’s a little far-fetched that George Takei would visit Riverdale due to Kevin’s essay, the actual message of this issue, one of  tolerance, diversity and equality brought a tear to my eye. This book is great.

Action Comics #15: If you define Grant Morrison by his boundless imagination and high concepts, this is the issue for you. The New 52 version of Mr. Mxyzptlk is awesome. I don’t know if his status quo is going to let me be a recurring nuisance for Superman, but I really hope so.

Doctor Who #3: An adventure with Rory and the Doctor while Amy is on holiday!  Will they be buddies, are kill each other? The jury’s still out on that, but the voices of the characters in this book is pitch-perfect, and I’ll continue to pick it up.

Thunderbolts #1: I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book, as I’m not a big fan of anti-heroes, but this was compelling enough to get me to continue reading. We also learn the only way to get Frank Castle to be a team player. Hint: It ain’t pretty.

Detective Comics #15: Pretty interesting that the New 52 Clayface is the original Basil Karlo version. It’s kind of funny that going back to the original after so long is actually a fresh take at this point. Also, Emperor Penguin is a bit on the nose, but Ozzie will clip that bird’s wings for sure soon.

Human Bomb #1: Oh, he’s a human bomb so obviously we have to tie it into terrorism in our post 9-11 world. Despite me hating that aspect of the story, the rest was actually pretty interesting. I want to know why there are human bombs. I’ll pick up the next issue.

All New X-Men #3: I like this series better when it focuses more on the original team, and not Cyclops’ Wackos or whatever they call themselves. You can’t have one without the other though, and it looks like they’ll actually confront each other next issue, so it had that going for it.

Avenging Spider-Man #15: 8 year-old me loves this book. Devil Dinosaur versus Demon Dinosaur with Spidey mixed in? Yes please. I did enjoy this issue more than the last, but it probably could have been a done in one.

Dial H #7: I love the off-kilter superheroes that show up in these pages. Daffodil Host? That gets a bwah-ha-ha from me. The new conflict is set up this issue and it takes place in Littleville, setting of the original DIal H stories. I still hope it means Robbie Reed shows up, but if not, the book is good enough on its own.

TMNT Color Classics Micro Series #2  Michaelangelo: A Christmas-themed reprint of one of the earliest TMNT stories. I know Mikey has the reputation for being the “party dude”, but this issue proves he’s also the heart and soul of the TMNT. Also, Klunk is awesome.

Earth 2 #7: Aside from the team building between Hawkwoman and Green Lantern, this issue was a near insurmountable wall of text peppered with “Hey, here’s our interpretation of Insert Golden Age Superhero Here. In other words, bleah. We do learn the fate of Mr. Terrific though, if you used to follow that series.

Amazing Spider-Man #699: So last issue, we get Ock in Pete’s body and this issue is the opposite. It raises some very interesting questions as to whether or not their whole Freaky Friday situation is making them rub off on each other. At any rate, I can’t wait for #700.

World’s Finest #7: I would definitely buy a Robin/Huntress title if it was anything like this issue. It’s a weird brother/sister dynamic, but it works. The Power Girl stuff was OK too, and it looks like Apokalips rising!

Avengers #1: I’m not sure whether I liked this book or not. It’s an admirable premise, taking the Avengers most people know from the movie and building a larger team around them, but it’s getting into the realm of Marvel’s cosmic stuff, and that’s never really done it for me. Time will tell.

Iron Man #3: We continue Tony hunting down rogue Extremis in this issue with an interesting, humanizing twist. You still get a cool battle scene, and some seriously kickass newtype Iron Man armor as well. Also, it may have been a one off joke, but I seriously want to see a superstar Doombot DJing in Latveria.

Invincible #98: The blurb on the cover calls this story The Death of Everyone. Reading it, it looks like not only is that not hyperbole, but it’s being done in a way that makes sense in the context of Invincible as a whole. Also, Mark (Invincible) Grayson makes terrible, terrible decisions.

Over the course of video game history, there are only a few game companies have stood the test of time. Nintendo, Sega, Konami,  and of course, Capcom. One of the best things about Capcom is the rapport they have with their fans. Case in point, the community-centric site, Capcom Unity and collaborations such as having fans contribute the soundtrack to their Street Fighter HD remake. What they just announced though? Well, that brings the gap between company and fans to it’s closest point.

That’s right, to celebrate the end of Street Fighter’s 25th anniversary and the beginning of Mega Man’s, Capcom has announced the aptly named Street Fighter X Mega Man! Conceived by Capcom fan Seow Zong Hui, this game was picked up officially by Capcom and fleshed out into a full game.  The best part? It’s going to be absolutely free! Check the trailer below and hear my thoughts afterward.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61-OMrOxyso

Well, that looks pretty cool. From first glance, it seems to be a Mega Man styled game casting various Street Fighters in the role of the normal Robot Masters, with everyone’s famous Blue Bomber gaining their various powers for himself! You can find out all of the details on the main site, and pop on over there on December 17th, to download some mash-up goodness!

And now, a bit of editorializing. Already on the Internet, people have been poo-pooing on this game. They’ve been calling it a stopgap for Mega-fans, and no real effort is being made to make up for last year’s cancellation of both Mega Man Universe, and the much lamented Mega Man Legends 3.  I’ll admit that these things bother me as well, but I’m sure as heck not going to say I won’t play an absolutely free game that is an obvious labor of love for both franchises. My Internet-enabled snark can only go so far, after all.

Honestly, I’m just happy that Capcom is showing they still care about one of their most venerable franchises, and despite their tight-lippedness, they do still care about their fans. I’m sure to be hitting F5 on my browser repeatedly come the 17th. What say you?

This arc is clearly the comic relief before we get into the meat and bones of what this season is really about and the overarching arc. But I don’t care that this is a distraction. Gascon and D-Squad are still escaping with the stolen cryptography chip and making their way back to the Republic.

Everything about this arc is working for me and the humour of these episodes are firing on all cylinders. Gascon is such a likable character and the way he plays off of WAC is simply perfect.

But the humour isn’t all that’s well done in these episodes. The lighting in this episode must have been exceedingly difficult to pull off, but all of the hard work certainly paid off. The first bit of lighting effects that took my breath away was BZ’s surgery. The bits of electricity and puffs of smoke were extremely pretty. But then they were outdone by the beauty of the comets. With the droid pilot and running into the comet field, it felt very much like an homage to the original Star Tours, and the only thing that would have made it better was if Paul Ruebens was voicing WAC and he actually said, “Comets?… COMETS!”

The next homage I loved was something from Phantom Menace. One of my favorite tense but comedic moments in that film was when Artoo and the droids are sent out in the middle of the blockade to fix the shield generator. Seeing Artoo learn from those mistakes at set up the other droids as spotters was genius and played to the themes of the episode about altering programming and perspective. Perhaps that was me reading too much into things, but that’s how I saw it, any way.

As soon as they landed on the salt flats of the planet, I was instantly reminded of a more colorful THX-1138. Half of that movie plays out in a white void and it’s unsettling, working to great effect here on Gascon. This is the challenging part of the lighting, but the model painters and the lighters did a fantastic job making this entire landscape plausible.

The other thing it conjured (especially knowing the new love of Doctor Who the cast and crew has found) was the David Tennant Doctor Who special called Planet of the Dead.

And the comedy… I mentioned the comedy, right? But the heights of maudlin humour this episode reaches when WAC is almost hoping that Gascon will kill himself had me howling in laughter. Might some people find it inappropriate for the kids? Maybe. I thought it was funny. Especially since Gascon was forced to pull himself together and endure.

The only thing funnier than that were the arguments about who would lead D-Squad once Gascon offed himself.

Then, when they decide to split up and WAC remains loyal to Gascon (of course the other faction is led by Artoo), they find themselves running out of options. Then, a Jurassic Park happens. A flock of flightless birds run through the desert, scaled appropriately to Gascon as WAC as the Galimimus were to Dr. Grant and the kids. Gascon decides to trust their instincts and hop a ride to water, knowing the birds will be attracted to it.

The shots, animation, and lighting in the sequence screamed Jurassic Park and it put a smile on my face.

The episode ended mid-story and I’m quite disappointed that we’ll have to wait until next year to reach the conclusion of the arc. I’d have almost liked for them to wait on the whole arc until they came back from break. Either way, I suppose, there’s something to look forward to.

Congrats to the cast and crew for another great episode of The Clone Wars.

There are few things I find more fascinating than medieval weapons and their use in our current government structure, even if they are ceremonial. The Mace as used as a symbol of authority in government has a long history that derives from Medieval Europe. Commanders during the era of heavy armour would task a Sergeant-at-arms with bearing their ceremonial mace into battle.

Here is the Dark Lord Sauron, pictured with his Mace.

After maces grew unpopular and impractical as a weapon for combat (since it would take someone the likes of Sauron to do damage with it) the idea of a civic mace took hold. The Sergeant-at-arms of a given body of representatives would carry their own ornate ceremonial mace as a figurehead for their duties. Many countries around the world use these maces, but some are surprised to find that the United States uses one as well. As one of the first resolutions by the first Congress of the United States (in 1789), an office of the Sergeant-at-arms was established and soon after a ceremonial mace was ordered for him to carry out his duties. The Mace of the U.S. House of Representatives is the symbol of authority of the House and you can always tell when the House is in session because the mace will be resting on a green marble pedestal next to the Speaker’s desk. When not in use, it’s housed in the Sergeant-at-Arms’ office. It’s also used to bring order to the house. Though it seems like something you’d see more in British Parliament, if a member is out of order, the Sergeant-at-Arms will take the Mace off its pedestal and present it to the member to restore order. It happens so infrequently and is such a powerful symbol, the idea of the Mace being used in such a way is supposed to put things back in order immediately. If it doesn’t work, members could very well be arrested.

Congressional Pugilists (1798)

The first recorded presentation of the Mace to unruly members was in Congress Hall in Philadelphia in 1798. We thought our politics today were divided, but on this January day a fight broke out between two congressmen. Roger Griswold, a Federalist from Connecticut, insulted Vermont Democrat Matthew Lyon, who, for the insult, spit in the first man’s face. Griswold responded by attacking Lyon with his cane at the next meeting, to which Lyon responded by retrieving a pair of tongs from the fireplace to retaliate. The Mace was presented, order restored, neither member was expelled, and business carried on. There have been three Maces of the House of Representatives. The first was in use from the beginning of the country until The War of 1812. The British invaded the District of Columbia, burning the White House and the Capitol and one of the artifacts lost forever was the original Mace of the U.S. House of Representatives. A wooden substitute was used until the current Mace was commissioned, built, and then put into use by 1841. Though there aren’t any representations today of the original Mace, it’s said that this Mace was commissioned to be like the original.

The Mace in an engraving from 1877.

The current mace is definitely not the sort of thing you would take in battle, much more ceremonial and symbolic than anything. It’s made of 13 ebony rods, representing the original colonies, bound together in intertwining silver bands and culminating in a headpiece that consists of a silver globe etched with the world, United States front and center, and a solid silver eagle.

The current Mace

As the symbol for authority for the House of Representatives, it is presented before their procession at presidential inaugurations, and is held and presented throughout the ceremony by the Sergeant-at-Arms or his deputy. It’s this really cool piece of often overlooked bit of American history that’s still in use that should be fascinating to everyone. Here’s this thing that’s been present during the ascension of every president since John Tyler, in every session of Congress through the Civil War and today, and carries on. I’m told that it literally takes an act of congress to have it cleaned since it’s so delicate and the Smithsonian is charged with the task. Because of the difficulty of the preservation and the need for it to be present in Congress, it’s only been cleaned three times in all of those years.

You’ll notice the Mace on the left on the green marble podium.

If ever you visit the House of Representatives, there you will see it sitting there if the House is in session, watching over the proceedings and waiting to deliver a symbolic beat-down if order is disrupted. And if you’re very lucky, you might even get to see it up close.

Swank, touching the Mace.

Maybe this isn’t geeky enough for you, but I found the idea that United States has a ceremonial version of a medieval bludgeoning weapon constantly in use and on display endlessly geeky and fascinating. (More info on the Mace can be found here.) And be sure to check out more installments of The History Geek here!

Secret Weapons is the first part of the D-Squad arc and I have to admit, it’s a wonderful setup and a great side-story to the heart of The Clone Wars. It follows a very James Bond-like storyline with a Dirty Dozen style of mission. Colonel Gascon (played quite wonderfully by Stephen Stanton) is assigned a team of droids of varying abilities and told to infiltrate the Separatist fleet to steal an encryption module so they can crack enemy cryptography. It’s the same sort of set up you saw repeatedly in James Bond films, starting with Sean Connery’s hunt for a Lektor in From Russia With Love.

Then, the team is taken to a Peter Lorre-like Doctor (played by Dee Bradley Baker) who gives them gadgets specific to their mission. Then, they’re left to carry out the assignment.

This episode is quite wisely played for laughs and charm, but it also has action and suspense elements to it that can’t help but be compelling.

Artoo, WAC (a wise-cracking screw up of a Pit Droid), and a few other astromechs (including an adorable and indispensable pink QT-KT droid) infiltrate the Seperatist fleet and go on their covert mission to steal the codes that will aid the Republic. It’s straightforward, fun, and incredibly well-lit and animated. It’s amazing how much personality can be infused into a group of faceless astromech droids and a Plankton-like colonel with a Napoleon complex when they’re arrayed against an entire army of Seperatist droids.

The lighting through the ships, on the display panels, and coming from the droids themselves is second-to-none. Even in what some might consider to be a series of throwaway episodes, the artistry on display is nothing short of jaw-dropping.

And more than anything? This episode just made me laugh. The whole way through. I’ve really enjoyed when the series gets silly now and again. Star Wars is fun. Bombad Jedi is still one of my favorite episodes. This is very much in that vain and it’s a good thing.

This episode put a smile on my face the whole way through, and that’s all you can ask for. It was good Star Wars and I’m excited to see the rest of this arc play out.

Finally – the official teaser trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness is here! It doesn’t show a whole lot of revealing plot-related details, but I am still SUPER EXCITED:

-o_JxysA

Via Apple Trailers:

“When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.”

Even better, check out this Japanese trailer with a few extra seconds of footage that will have any Trek fan going “WHAT!?!” (Seriously, J.J. Abrams clearly wants us to think about a very specific, very famous scene in a previous movie…and it’s working!)

What do you think? Honestly, I can’t wait!