Maleficent - My Review

Tonight my buddy Brett and I went to the Walt Disney Studio for a special PGA screening of Maleficent in 3D.

Maleficent synopsis: The untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty." A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman with stunning black wings, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army of humans threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal - an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the king of the humans and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom - and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

FYI.... there might be slight spoilers, so be sure to have seen the movie before you read this.  

First I will say I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!!! Since the very first teaser trailer I have been wanting to see this movie. I don't know why this movie appealed to me. I mean I enjoy Angelina Jolie as an actress but I'm not particularly a big fan of the Sleeping Beauty and/or Maleficent story but when I saw the preview I think it was the world in which the movie took place that really caught my attention. I LOVE Fantasy, especially Mythical fantasy and from the previews alone they had some amazing looking worlds and creatures.

So needless to say I was super excited for this. The movie starts and we see a young Maleficent flying round "the moors" (Fantasy world) and we are introduced to some amazing and beautiful creatures. Maleficent falls in love with a human but greed and ambition consumes him and soon he not only breaks her heart but cuts off her wings to win the throne. This is when the story of Sleep Beauty starts and Maleficent curses Aurora for what her father did to her.

The story that they have re-imagined for Maleficent is just beautiful. There is a reason for what she does and I like that we get to see the repercussion of her actions.

Angelina Jolie is amazing as Maleficent, both the good and bad fairy version. When she wakes after getting her wings cut off her cries are bone chilling. You can just feel all her pain, not only from her missing wings but from her braking heart.

I can't say enough about the special effects, I mean the story and the acting are fantastic but the SFX are just unbelievable.. or I should say are super believable. They created this amazing fantasy world and had three "real life" people interacting with it and it was flawless. The three tiny faeries look amazing and the battles scenes were fantastic.

Something that surprised me was the humor in this movie. Lots of little quips and jabs that made you laugh out loud.

I really liked the twist at the end with the kiss to awaken Aurora. Like with Frozen it wasn't a prince's true love kiss to break the enchantment it was the true love of a "mother" figure that would free Aurora from her slumber.

I walked out of that theater smiling from ear to ear, it was everything I was hoping for and so much more. It jumped to one of my top 5 all time favorite fantasies. I can't wait to see it again and again, and it will defiantly be purchased when it comes out on blu-ray. I give Maleficent an A for story, A for acting and A+ for visuals.... truly breath taking.

Sorting Vacation Pictures

Today I finally downloaded all of my pictures that I took while on my dream vacation to Ireland and the UK. I took just over 5400 pictures... that's just crazy. It took me almost two hours to go through them all and make sure they were right direction. After I did that I started sorting them into groups. First Ireland and the UK, then into smaller groups within those. It's going to take me a while to go through them all but I'm happy that I got a start on them. After I sort them all I'll post some to Facebook. I'm thinking maybe 500 or so. After I post them all I then have to go through and label each one with where and what it is. I don't plan to be done with this for a good month, but who knows maybe I'll get a burst of energy and tackling it all in a day. I'll keep you all posted.

More Potter and Captain America

Another great video taking us behind the scenes of the upcoming addition to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando.

 

They also announced the DVD/Blu Ray release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier which I'm super excited for. Here is the press release from Disney:

From the studio that brought you the biggest Super Hero movie of all time, Marvel’s The Avengers, comes this year’s #1 live-action adventure, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, available early on Digital 3D and HD August 19th, 2014, and on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand September 9th, 2014.

Here's the list of features for Blu ray: Making-of Featurettes, Audio Commentary, Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, And More. 

Here is the list of features for the DVD: Making-of Featurette and Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scene

Powder

While cleaning up my bedroom (I still have boxes all over the place from setting up my toy/guest room) I decided to watch some of my favorite movies. First was Willow, it's one of my all time favorite fantasy movies but the movie I really wanted to talk about is Powder.

Powder came out in 1995, I was 25 and saw it four or five times in the theater. I just recently got it on DVD (Christmas) and decided to put it on, I haven't seen it since I saw it in the theater, 19 years ago. OMG!!! I forgot how much I love this movie.

First here is a short synopsis of the movie if you haven't seen it: When sheriff Barnum investigates the death of an elderly rural resident, he discovers a teenage grandson living in the basement. Raised by his grandparents, he has experienced the world only through books, never leaving the family farm. He is sent to a state home for boys where he has trouble fitting in socially. His odd appearance and unusual abilities cause the small town residents to fear and ridicule him. However, not all are afraid. Some begin to view his potential and gifts with wonderment.

This is a very rare gem of a movie. In a time when movies have a lot of fx to cover up a weak story, to graphic unnecessary violence and sex. Powder basically shows a pure and unique individual that is not accepted in today's society that has become jaded with discrimination, and overall being afraid of someone who looks different.

There are several important elements in the movie. There is the paranormal factor that challenges what we know of science and the human mind can achieve, the extent of human cruelty, love and forgiveness, and a hope that one day that our humanity will advance beyond our technology. But most of all, raw emotion that reaches deep into the heart and leaves a impression that will stay with you forever.

The idea of being different because of looks or something that makes you stand out from the status quo, we can all relate to. This movie achieves this in a powerful, passionate and inspirational way. This movie makes you sit back and take in everything, showing us what the world may be if we stop judging one another and start to accept our uniqueness. What also is shown in this movie is just that just because someone may look different or how they act that they are some how weaker or a part of the undesirables. Time and again this movie shows us that perception needs to be changed. You have a movie that looks like it could be a Carrie type movie but ends up showing the sad inability to treat Powder with any sense of humanity and dignity. But no matter what, he stays his pure positive self. In some scenes showing the error of our ways and then in the end makes a final act that hopefully makes people want to change for the better.

Powder is one of the most powerful movies that I have seen in a long time. I remember loving it when it first come out but even after watching it again almost 20 years later it still has the same effect on me. It tugs at the heart and brings you to tears.

I'll be the first to admit that I cry fairly easy at movies/television, but there are those rare times when watching a movie and it feels as though someone has ripped out your heart. There is a physical pain from what is happening on screen, this is one of those movies. There are three or four scenes that the tears just flow uncontrollably.

Here are some of those scenes... (WARNING SPOILERS) The  scene that kills me every time is when Jeff Goldblum's character is talking to Powder and Powder says that after a while his grandparent were afraid to touch him. And Jeff's character says how wrong that is and gently touches the side of his face and as Powder begins to cry and lay his head down Jeff's character continues to lovenly rub the back of his head, it's beyond touching. Jeff's character is doing what the audience wants to do. To let him know he's perfect the way he is and no one deserves to be alone and unloved.

Another scene is where Powder helps the local sheriff understand what his dying wife wants, which is to just reconcile with his son. Again the acting is amazing and I'm getting chocked up just thinking about that scene.
 

Another good scene is where a hunter (racist Deputy) shoots a deer and Powder touches the deer and the hunter and shows him the pain the deer feels before it dies, which has a profound effect on the hunter, but he is still a ass afterwards.

There is this scene when Powder is talking to a girl that he likes and they touch hands and both start feeling each others emotions before they kiss.

I can go on and on with favorite scenes but I want to talk about the acting.

The main character Jeremy "Powder" (Sean Patrick Flanery) is so gentle, so kind hearted, so lonely you just want to wrap him up in a huge bear hug. Sean is amazing playing this shy, sensitive, awkward young man. He defiantly make this "fantastical" character believable.

The other main characters are portrayed by Mary Steenburgen, who I love and plays the mother figure for Powder. Lance Henriksen who is amazing and has some very emotional scenes and Jeff Goldblum, who once again shines as the loving and caring Science teacher. 

I just want to mention the music real quick... which was done by Jerry Goldsmith. It's AMAZING... haunting and chilling at times yet beautiful and fantastical. Very much what you would expect from the very talented Mr. Goldsmith 

Of course you can't talk about Powder without mentioning the writer and director of the film Victor Salva. Who was convicted a few years prior for molesting a 12-year-old child actor during the production of his previous film. When Powder was released, the victim came forward again in an attempt to get others to boycott the film in protest. It kind of put a black cloud over the release though the movie is still considered a sleeper hit grossing just over 30 million (costing only 10 million to make). It's unfortunate that such a beautiful movie has this horrible stain that will forever be associated with it.

The cynics will cry out the usual "manipulative!" and "sappy!" jibes but pay no attention. This is a beautifully shot film telling a moving, fascinating tale of a boy who happens to be different. I really love this film and think it was one of the unsung movies of the 90's. Highly recommended.

Already purchased this movie on DVD (still waiting a blu-ray release) and give Powder the highest rating I can... A+

Win a Maleficent Prize Pack!

So I was contacted by a company that is promoting the upcoming movie Maleficent and they asked if I'd like to partake in a give-a-way and being a huge Disney fan and really looking forward to this upcoming movie I said yes.

The contest will run from today 5/28/14 to 6/2/14

All you have to do to enter is Tweet or Facebook "I want to win the @Maleficent prize package from @Geekyfanboy #MaleficentRocks"

Make sure you use the hash-tag #MaleficentRocks so I'm able to track all entries.

When the contest ends I will choose five winners at random, contact you for your name and address and pass that information along to the company who is hosting this and they will mail out your prize package. Unfortunately this is only for folks in the US and Canada. 

Please read all the details below including what cool prizes will be included in the package.

Enter For a Chance to Win a Maleficent Prize Pack!

Disney presents

Maleficent

Maleficent explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic Sleeping Beauty and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone.

Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

Starring Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.

Maleficent opens in theaters in 3D May 30. Rated PG. 

Tickets available now: http://di.sn/pYC

The Maleficent prize pack includes a t-shirt, mini-poster, and pair of paper Maleficent horns! 

http://www.Disney.com/Maleficent

http://www.facebook.com/DisneyMaleficent

http://www.twitter.com/Maleficent

http://www.DisneyMaleficent.tumblr.com

#Maleficent

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

Walt Disney Studios and their affiliates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of a prize. Prizes cannot be exchanged, transferred or redeemed for cash, in whole or in part. We are not responsible if, for any reason, recipient is unable to use his/her prize in whole or in part. Participating sponsors, their employees, and family members and their agencies are not eligible. © 2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Wil Wheaton Project Ep1 & Bloopers

Wil Wheaton released a blooper scene from tonight's episode of The Wil Wheaton Project. Though it appears in tonight's episode, it was actually filmed last week when I went to the "test" episode. You can watch the hilarious clip below. I'm laughing and clapping among the audience.

Speaking of The Wil Wheaton Project, episode one aired tonight. I would say about half of the jokes and clips were from the "test" episode I saw. I watched with my buddy Erik via Skype and we both laughed alot. Though I heard some of the jokes they were still funny. I think this could be a really fun show and I look forward to episode 2 which has a special guest, my friend Felicia. Can't wait!!

Chef - My Review & Goodbye Chris

Chris is heading back to Montana today but first we went over to Jes and Dallas' place for him to do a fitting for something Jes is making for him. Afterwards the four of us headed over to Laemmle theater to watch the first showing of Chef. Here's a brief synopsis: A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie, but it was not what I envisioned and certainly exceeded my expectations. Favreau did an amazing job as a writer, director, and actor in this film. The movie focused on the Chef, the emotions, the challenges and the insecurities he goes through and not the food. It showed a very humanized version of a celebrity chef and the storyline was feel-good, fun and very heartwarming. It's a simple story. The acting was great, so many fantastic people in the film. I especially liked the son. It's a hit and miss when it comes to young actors but this little guy nailed it. His heart to heart talks with his dad had me in tears.

I love that they used twitter as a major part of the storyline and how it's an important part in today's society. I don't know how this film will hold up in ten or twenty years when we move on to some other form of social media but in today's times it's a very relevant topic and very well done.

I don't think I'll be buying this on blu-ray and really don't need to see it again but that doesn't mean I didn't really enjoy it. I give Chef a solid B+

After the movie Chris said his goodbyes to Jes and Dallas then stopped by our friend Jen's place to say goodbye before heading back to my place and picking up his bag. We stopped by Panda Express to grab some lunch before going next door and dropping him off at the Burbank airport.

I remember the first time I had to say goodbye to him and the thought of not being able to see him whenever I wanted to made my heart ache but now it's different.. I mean I'm sad, don't misunderstand me, I'd prefer that he stayed.. but it's kind of gotten like a routine now. I know he'll be back in a month for LOJ and then a few weeks later for SDCC. So we always seems to have something to look forward to.

I ended my night with a 2 hour skype call with my buddy Erik who I hadn't talked to since Thursday.. great way to end my night. 

X-Men Again, Fox Lot and IKEA

Today Chris and I went to see X-Men Days of Future Past again. Producer's Guild of America was having a screening on the Fox lot and since Chris had never been on the Fox lot I figured it would be fun to not only see the movie again but to show him around the lot.

We got to the screening an hour early and luckily we did as the line just grew after that. We got into the theater and found some good seats. Saw a few friends there but was surprised when Kim Evey and Greg Benson came walking in. They actually sat next to Chris and I so we got to catch up a bit.

Please read my previous blog post HERE for my review of X-Men Days of Future Past. All I will say here, upon watching this movie for a second time I didn't think I could love it any more then I ready did but I was wrong. It was so much fun watching it a second time and this time I knew what was going to happen to I got excited for certain scenes and was able to see things I missed the first time I viewed the film. I know for a fact that I'll be seeing this movie at least a third and maybe fourth time before it leaves theaters.

Come to find out that they had actual props in the lobby area of the theater but it was so crowded that I could only see bits and pieces as we made our way out of the building.

Chris and I made our way through the studios to the "backlot" this is my favorite area as it looks like a New York street. They film alot of the out door scenes for How I Met Your Mother there which is one of Chris' favorite series. We continued to walk around and check out the different murals but I knew one that Chris would want to get a picture in front of, it's the one mural that greets you as you drive into the main studio entrance.. Star Wars.

After taking pictures we made our way back to the car and down the block to grab lunch at Islands.

We played a bit of Lord of the Rings Online later in the day before heading to IKEA. Chris had never been to an IKEA or eaten their meatballs.. so we had some for dinner. Happy to report that he enjoyed them. We walked around the maze that is IKEA. Chris wanted to get me some book shelves (apartment warming gift) so we looked at various ones until I found one that I liked. As we went down stairs to the warehouse section of the store we found out that they were out of the book shelf that I wanted but did have a smaller version and if  you put two of them together they made the full size one. The cost of the two totaled the cost of the one so we picked up two of the smaller book shelves. We managed to get them into my little Fiesta and made our way home. Since Chris' wrist is broken and I don't really have room in my place at the moment we just left them down in the carport with all my empty plastic bins. I hope to have them built and up in the apartment in the next week or so.

After we got home our friend Dallas came over to watch Avengers and drink a few beers with us. We call it a night around midnight.

So Much Geeky Goodness!!!

Today is a very special day in the Geek/Nerd world. It's the 37th Anniversary of the release of Star Wars which in turn created Geek Pride Day and it is also International Towel Day, for all you fans of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,

37 years ago today I went and saw a movie that would forever change my life. I credit Star Wars (and no I'm not calling it A New Hope, because when I saw it 37 years ago it was called just Star Wars) anyways I credit Star Wars for making me the Sci Fi / Fantasy lover I am today and that series will always hold a very special place in my heart. It will always be part of my life and I am forever thankful to George Lucas for the world that sprung from his imagination.

Geek Pride Day is an initiative to promote geek culture. The date was chosen as to commemorate the release of the first Star Wars film as mentioned above and I don't mind celebrating Geek Pride day but honestly I celebrate Geek Pride everyday of my life.

Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001), who wrote the very famous series The Hitchhikers Guild to the Galaxy. On that day, fans around the universe proudly carry a towel in his honor.

And one more geek note.. the Glorious 25th of May is known to fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

This is truly a day of geeky goodness!!

X-Men Days of Future Past - My Review

Today I went to see X-Men Days of Future Past with a group of friends at the Arclight theater in Sherman Oaks. This is based off an extremely popular storyline that the Uncanny X-Men comic book published back in 1981.

If you've been living under a rock here is a synopsis: The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

(If you haven't seen the movie I'd avoid this review)

I'll start off by saying I LOVED THIS MOVIE. I loved the story, the special effects, the acting, the emotion.. everything was just so good.  It was great seeing the old crew and the new crew on the same screen.

My favorite scene in the movie is alot of people's favorite scene and I just have to say two words.. Quicksilver and kitchen. Everything about that scene was incredible, especially the way it was shot. Visually it's amazing. But I have to be honest and say every scene with Quicksilver was amazing. They so nailed this character.

The other breakout character for me was Blink. I'd had never heard of her before but I loved her look and her power to produce portals, the effect was amazing. Definitely gonna find out more about her character. I also really enjoyed Bishop, they did a great job with him as well. I'd definitely would want to see a movie based on those characters at the beginning/end of the movie.. lots of cool mutants.

I think it's funny that they made 3 X-Men movies then (soft reboot) with X-Men First Class and introduced an entirely new cast of characters and now most of those characters are dead before this movie starts and we wind up negating the first three movies and create a whole new timeline ending with the entire original cast back again. Don't get me wrong.. I'm extremely happy with the decision as I love the original X-Men cast but it just seems weird to me.

Even before this movie was out they announced a sequel to this movie called X-Men: Apocalypse. Again this is from a very popular storyline from the comic books. Can't wait to see who shows up in that one.

I'm seeing this movie again tomorrow on the Fox lot and I can't wait. I'm definitely going to be buying this movie on blu-ray and I give X-Men Days of Future Past a very solid A

After the movie the gang went to Denny's to grab some dinner. We had some great geeky conversations, not only about the movie and it's franchise but so many other geeky things... it was awesome.

Thanks Dallas, Jes, Chris, Adam, Scott, Katie, Aaron and Andrew for sharing in this fun experience with me.

Webseries, Mustaches and Friends

Today Chris and I worked on revamping our web series GE3K'S Company. We initially had written 6 of 10 episodes for season one and each episode was about 10 minutes each. But I spoke with several "seasoned" web series creators who said that for a first season they'd suggest that we keep the episodes to 2 to 3 minutes each. And once we establish a fan base then we can do longer ones.

So we took our idea and refined it down to just one storyline. We actually took the first episode and half of the second episode and re-wrote them into the new season one (which is now only 5 episodes). We kept alot from the original scripts as we did like alot of what we wrote but somethings had to change since it's a much shorter season now.

In the end I'm very happy with the final result. So far Chris and I are the only ones who have read the season but I do plan on opening it up to some friends for notes. Still don't know when it will be filmed but it's moving forward... slowly

Since Chris is visiting for the extended weekend he put together a gathering of his friends.

Earlier in the day Chris and I went shopping for mustache/beard wax as now that my mustache and beard are getting longer I wanted to see if I could shape them. So I had a bit of fun twirling my stache. I think it turned out pretty good.

First to arrive at my place was Arron, then Rupert and Luis. We all took a shot of Jameson before heading out to Pitfire Grill to meet up with Jes and Dallas. On the way over I realized I forgot my phone and ran back home to get it while everyone waited for me. While at home I took another shot of Jameson. The five of us got to Pitfire and met up with Jes and Dallas. We hung out there for a bit and had a few pitchers of beer (I tried three different kinds) I also had a glass of Sangria (which I had never had before).

After Pitfire we headed over to Jes and Dallas' place to pick up a new card game that Jes had gotten from Wondercon called Superheros. We then proceeded to my place to grab some beers but then got a message from our buddy Will who was now home so we ventured over to his place and met up with him and Becca.

We did a few more shots and beers before starting up a game of Superheros. About halfway through the game Jen woke up and came downstairs to join in. It was some good times.

I got back to my place around 1:30am and didn't feel so well. I spent the next few hours running back and forth to the bathroom thinking I might throw up (which I never did). I feel asleep sometime after 4am... it was totally worth it.

Toys, Walk and Wars

I finally finished my guest/toy room. I also managed to clean up the living room area but there are still 25 toy bins left over. It's a far cry from the 60 that I had but still way to may to keep in the apartment. There are also about ten boxes in my bedroom that will need to be gone through as well. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do next. For now I'm ready to host my buddy Chris for the weekend.

I picked Chris up just before 4pm, we came back to my place to hang before heading out for dinner. Chris picked a new "local" Chinese restaurant. I'm apprehensive when trying new places as I'm a creature of  habit and I know what I like but he wanted to try this place, it's call Hot Wok. I am very happy that he did. I not only enjoyed the food but it's my new favorite Chinese place in town.

While there our friend Dallas contacted me and asked if I wanted to walk around the park with him. Chris and I both agreed that we'd like to join him so we did. Also joining in the walk was our buddy Robert and Doug. We walked around the park three times (about 3 miles) but it felt like forever and I think that's because we did a lot of talking and walked extremely slow. Afterwards the gang came to my place to hang for a bit.

In geeky news I came across this video on Facebook and had to share it there and figured I'd post it here as well. It's an interesting look into the influence/creation of Star Wars.

Marriage, Justice & SW Charity

Spent all day working on my toy/guest room. My buddy Chris is staying with me for the extended Memorial Day weekend and arrives tomorrow around 4ish. By the end of the night I was about 2/3's done but luckily I have a few hours tomorrow to finish up. I'm really liking how things are turning out.

I still have way to much stuff to display and I  know I'll have to make some hard choices on what to get rid of or sale. The point of renting a two bedroom was that I wouldn't have to rent a storage unit. Hopefully I can stick with that plan.

I want to congratulate Pennsylvania on becoming the 19th State to legalize Gay Marriage. They join California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

It's been 10 years since Massachusetts was the first to legalized gay marriage back in 2004 and since then 18 more states have followed suit. It's a far cry from 50 but it's progress.. baby steps.

In geeky news.. two very cool things were released today, the first was a logo & title for the upcoming Man of Steel 2 movie. The title is Batman v Superman "Dawn of Justice" and the new logo is below. I like both the logo and title. Obviously it's setting us up for a Justice League movie. Besides Batman and Superman in this movie we are also getting Wonder Woman. Can't wait to see how this all plays out.

The other very cool geek news was a video that was released by J.J. Abrams while on set on Star Wars Episode Seven to promote Star Wars: Force for Change, a brand new Star Wars initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm, in collaboration with Bad Robot, dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will raise funds and awareness for UNICEF's Innovation Labs and its innovative projects benefiting children in need. For every $10 you donate you get a chance to win the grand prize of getting a walk on role in the next Star Wars movie, currently titled Episode Seven.

Besides the awesome charity event a lot of buzz in the geek world was when a "practical" non-cg character showed up on screen with J.J. He has said in the past that he plans to do as much practical effects as he could. I think he purposely had this character on screen to prove a point. To show fans that he wasn't just blowing smoke. Can't wait for more SW news, you can watch the video below.

Roller Coaster Fun

I got to meet an online friend (Michael) today. We actually met through our love for The Guild. We chat from time to time on Facebook and he was visiting from Kansas this week and wanted to know if I wanted to join him for a trip to Magic Mountain. I said yes of course as I love Magic Mountain and have a season pass.

We got to MM around 10am, got his ticket and got in the line to get in, it opened at 10:30. Once inside we made our way to X2 but it was closed for the moment, we then went next door to Viper and it too was closed. The day wasn't started off that great... We continued up the hill to Tatsu and this one was open so our first roller coaster of the day was Tatsu.

Next up was Apocalypse, every time I ride this coaster I swear it gets faster and faster. Afterward we rode Gold Rusher and were the only two people on it. Next was The Riddler and then Green Lantern which is always a blast.. we were really spinning on that one.

Batman was next and for the first time they were running it backwards and it's a completely different experience.. crazy fun.

We stopped to enjoy some lunch before getting on Wonder Women Lasso of Truth, then we rode Lex Luther's Drop of Doom and boy was it windy so we were swaying quite a bit at the time.

Colossus was next and once again it was going backwards, they have done this from time to time but I had never ridden backwards.. again it was crazy. We then did Scream and Goliath.

Full Throttle was next and I think that was the longest we stood in line.. a little over an hour. The rest were less then 30 minutes each. We made our way back to the front of the park and rode Revolution.

We checked out X2 but it was still closed. We then walked up the hill and rode Ninja before going over to Superman but that too was closed so those were the only roller coasters that we were not able to do. We still had an hour and a half before the park closed so we re-rode Apocalypse and Goliath.

Afterwards we grabbed some fudge and then headed to dinner at Islands (my favorite burger joint and Michael had never been to one).

Back at my place Michael and I hung out and I found out that he had not seen Sherlock so we watched season one, episode one.

Around 10:30pm we said our good nights. It was a fun day, I got to know Michael better and rode lots of roller coasters.. doesn't get any better then that.

Building a Toy Room

Today was all about my toy room. I spent the entire day on and off working on the room. I have several large book shelves downstairs in the garage area that needed to be brought up. I knew there would be no way I'd be able to bring them up myself I instead I disassembled them and brought them up piece by piece. I have to say that was the best idea I could have had. It was so easy and they were disassembled and assembled within 15 minutes.

Spent the day going through bin after bin trying to organize and figure out which figures I wanted to sale. I'm also discovering quite a few "toys" that I had forgotten that I purchased. Some of them are really cool.

I'm super excited to get this room up, it's been years since I've seen some of them. I've also decided that if it can't be displayed and has to stay in a plastic bin then it has to be sold. I'm sure I won't sell everything but still have a few bins to store but there is no point in having something if it's can't be displayed and enjoyed by all.

The Toys, The Race and The Roundtable

Spent today working on my guest/toy room. As I said earlier it's taking me a lot longer to unpack everything and figure out where things are going. I seem to get a full steam and work for about two hours and then hit a wall or get frustrated that I just have to much stuff and I don't have a clue where everything is going on.

So I stop for a few hours until I get motivated again for a few hours until the same thing happens again.. it's a viscous cycle.  As my buddy Erik says.. you have to make a bigger mess to clean everything up and that's exactly what I am doing. There are plastic bins and boxes all over the apartment. Which again leads to adding to my frustration. But it's coming along, at least it's starting to look like a toy room.

Besides working on my toy room off and on today I also watched the season finale of The Amazing Race All Stars. I was rooting for two of the three teams so the odds were good that the team I disliked the most would not win and I'm happy to say that they did not win. Though I would have preferred the two country girls to win, I'm happy the dad and son team won, especially since the way they went out during the last race due to an injury. So another season is done.. I enjoyed this all star season. Most of the crappy teams were eliminated early on. I would say that this finale race in Vegas was kind of lack luster but other then that it was another fun season. Can't wait for the next one.

I finally started moving forward once again on my general "geek" podcast, The Geek Roundtable.. I've been wanting to this podcast for the past four years. I had this idea way back in 2010 with a different co-host and title but things never really moved forward. It saw the light of day a few years ago with a new co-host and title but once again life got in the way so nothing happened. Well I'm dusting it off once again, still with the same co-host and title. But now I'm determined to actually start recording in June and have my first episode out by July. I'm going to do it this time.. no more delay. Follow @Geek_Roundtable for more info about this new geeky podcast.

New TV Series Trailers... So Good!!

The toy/guest room is taking alot longer then planned but that always seems to be the case. I also have way more then I even thought. I'm going to have to make some hard choices in what to display and put out and what to sell or get rid of.

I saw three new trailers for new TV series that will be premiering this fall and I wanted to share them with you.

First one is for The Whispers. Aliens have invaded Earth by using our most unlikely resource to achieve world domination—our children. As the kids unwittingly help these unseen enemies, the clock counts down in this suspenseful race to save humanity.

I found the trailer kind of creepy and spooky... I'm looking forward to this series.

The next one is for Forever. A 200-year-old man works in the New York City Morgue trying to find a key to unlock the curse of his immortality.

This one looked interesting so I'll be sure to watch the first few episodes to see if it's any good.

The third one looks the best to me.. Scorpion. It follows an eccentric genius and his international network of super-geniuses as they form the last line of defense against the complex threats of the modern age.

This one looks soooooo goooood... it's fun, suspenseful and geeky.. I'm all over it.

So many new and interesting series are starting up this fall.. I hope a few survive to make it a full season.

Potter, Toys, Wars and More Potter

A friend on Facebook posted this picture in my time line and I got a kick out of it so I figured I'd share it with you all. I'm not big into beer pong but I'd play this version for sure. ---->

If you know me or read my blog on a regular bases you know I collect action figures and other movie and TV memorabilia. In the past I would have up to 70% of it displayed in the extra room I always had when renting apartments. When I purchased the house some years back my plan was to build a toy building on my property but as you know things didn't quite work out as planned and my collection sat in the plastic bins in the garage for over four years. Well I sold the house and am now living in a much smaller two bedroom apartment. And as much as I hate to do it, it's time to thin out my collection once again. I did this once before around 10 years ago and it's time to do it again. I plan on selling up to 1/3 of my collection. Some of the things are easy to get rid of like Chicken Run action figures.. why did I buy these back then... not a clue. Guess I enjoyed the movie so I purchased the figures. But others are tough like my X-Files action figures. I'm still a big fan but I don't love them like I do my Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings things.

So starting today I am going through about 50 plastic bins and seeing what I can't live with out and what I sell on ebay or give away. It's tough to get rid of things but I know there is no way I'll be able to display everything and there is no point in keeping it if it can't be displayed... I gotta be strong.

Today social media went crazy with the release of the very first image from the new Star Wars Episode Seven movie. I mean it's only a slate with the title on it but it's official.. a movie that we thought we would never see has actually started filming... woohoo.

And the last thing I wanted to share with you guys is a USA Today video taking it's readers behind the scene of the new section of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley. I can't wait to go (though it will probably be several years before I get there.. I still can't wait).

Flash, Twin Peaks & Some Movies

Two pieces of geeky news that I wanted to share with you guys.. first is the extended trailer for the new CW series The Flash. I've always been a huge fan of the The Flash so I was excited to hear that they were going to make a series about him. Well I have to say that after watching this trailer I am even more excited. This looks amazing and I can't wait for it to start this fall. 

The second geeky piece I wanted to share with you all is the announcement that Twin Peaks is coming to blu-ray. I'm a huge Twin Peaks fan.. I watched it originally when it first aired on ABC and owned it on VHS and DVD, but this new Blu-ray set sounds amazing with so much bonus material.

On stunning High Definition Blu-ray, Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery is a comprehensive collection with every episode from the complete television series; both the U.S. and international versions of the series’ Pilot; the North American Blu-ray debut of David Lynch’s follow-up feature Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me; and nearly 90 minutes of deleted and extended scenes from the film. The set also features newly transferred Log Lady introductions for each episode; picture upgrades to many shots in the TV series; a new featurette with series creator Lynch and the actors who portrayed the Palmer family which includes a mesmerizing return to the lives of their characters today; and hours of never-before-released material that dives into the fascinating story behind the celebrated pop culture classic.

It comes out on July 29th.. this is defiantly going on my list of things to buy when I get a job. 

I watched two more "gay" themed movies. First one was "Petunia" An off beat family of New Yorkers must come to terms with their own misgivings about life, relationships and the sheer unpredictability of love itself. Petunia weaves together the lives of brothers Charlie, Adrian and Michael as they unlearn everything their psychoanalyst parents have taught them. While Michael's cynical wife Vivian discovers she is pregnant, the family is also changing. Charlie's would be boyfriend George is in a polyamorous relationship with fitness fanatic Robin and Adrian has developed a unrelenting sex addiction. Meddling parents Felicia and Percy must decide whether to reignite the spark in their relationship or start all over again. Petunia is a film about a dysfunctional family unit on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This is the story of how they pick up the pieces. 

I wouldn't say this was a "gay" themed movie per se. I mean it does have several gay characters but it's more about a very dysfunctional family. It had some amazing moments of human relationships, very true and honest but then there were some that were so over the top to the point of being ridiculous. There were a few inconsistency in the storyline but only one that I felt pulled me out of the film. The acting was good and I did enjoy the 'gay' character though he was a bit to quirky, even for me. Over all a decent film, not what I was expecting but still enjoyable. I don't need to see it again or buy it on blu-ray. I'd give Petunia a C+

And the second movie was called "Were the World Mine" Timothy is an openly gay student at a private boy's school. Although now in his senior year, he is still persecuted by the aggressive rugby team, on whose captain, Jonathon, he has a crush. Timothy lives with his mother, Donna, who is struggling with her son's sexuality and with getting a job, and his father who is not a part of his life.

Timothy is cast as Puck in the senior production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. While reviewing his lines, he discovers the recipe for creating the flower love-in-idleness. Timothy uses the flower to have the homophobic town take a "walk in his shoes". The entire town is thrown into chaos as previously heterosexual community members fall in love with their same-sex friends, bosses, and co-workers: whomever they first saw after being sprayed by the flower. The school drama teacher, Ms. Tebbit, guides Timothy towards the question of whether his actions have caused more harm than good.

I've passed by this movie many times as I didn't like the idea of someone turning someone "gay". But I have watched quite a few of the gay themed movies on netflix and am running out of new stuff so I gave it a shot. I have to say it wasn't anything like I expected. It was more fantastical then reality based.. It's kind of like a gay version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's also a musical with some very cool "dream/musical" sequences. I liked the acting and the story was entertaining for the most part. I do think they went a little over board at turning the town gay and the way they resolved it was just okay.

I would watch this again just for the musical aspect of it as those were defiantly some of my favorite parts. I'm glad I watched it and would consider buying it on blu-ray. I give "Were the World Mine" a solid B.

More Potter, Attacking Cats and B5

Warner Bros announced the release date for the first of three films adapted from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter companion book; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The date they chose is November 18, 2016. Interestingly, this release is only two days after the 15 year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie release, which was in theaters on November 16, 2001.

The film will be set in New York, 70 years before the tale of Harry Potter becomes famous within the wizarding world.

What is crazy is the release date is set but that's about it, the have not announced a director, or cast for this film.. but I guess there is plenty of time for that.

This video is making the rounds on the internets today and when you first watch it, it's hard to believe.. but this is what happens with a dog picks on this cats human.

 

TV night continues with my buddy Robert. We are still watching Babylon 5. Tonight we watched S4 Episode 15, 16 & 17

First is S4 Ep 15 "No Surrender, No Retreat" After Clark's order causes the death of civilians, Sheridan decides it's time to attack Clark's forces directly. First mission is a colony that's being oppressed by some Earth Cruisers. Some in Earth force also distrust Clark, Sheridan might find some allies, amongst those he might be fighting. Meanwhile, Londo and G'Kar begin the slow process of rebuilding their frayed relationship.

I really enjoyed this episode, it's the beginning of a new civil war. It has some great writing and the battle scenes were cool. It brings up a good question about the military. When is following orders to much, when do you say no to killing innocent people. I like that we got a wide spectrum of different opinions among the ship captains. It's not so black and white. 

I liked the scene with Londo offering an olive branch to G'Kar and G'Kar's initial reaction to it. By the end he does take Londo's offer and signs a joint resolution to support Sheridan efforts to free Earth (But of course he won't sign on the same page at Londo). 

And Garibaldi leaves Babylon 5 for good and heads to Mars. If you have read my previous review you know I haven't been a fan of Garibaldi this season. I know "something" happen to him and he's not being himself but it doesn't make me like or accept what he is doing any better.

Our second episode of the night, S4 Ep 16 "Exercise of Vital Powers" Garibaldi meets with his benefactor. He wants to join with Edgar Industries. But his employer wants proof of his commitment. He want Garibaldi's to bring in Sheridan. Meanwhile Franklin finally manages to temporarily revive a telepath that had been captured by the Shadows. He'll need Lyta's help to continue his research.

Another good episode, both A& B stories dealt with telepaths. First we kind of find out what Williams is up to and that it involves telepaths. Back on the station Lyta and Dr. Franklin are also working on helping the telepaths they have on ice on B5. I like the Lyta character so it's always nice when she has a bigger role. I can't wait to see her full potential. I know they are leading up to something with the telepaths.. I just don't know what exactly... 

I'm so hating Garibaldi more and more, I hope they explain what happen to him very soon as he's pissing me off with everything he does. They have taken one of my favorite characters and turned him to one of my least favorite. Kind of like what they did to Londo and though Londo has his moments of being a decent person I still dislike his character and think it will take a lot for me to like him again.

And our final episode of the night, S4 Ep 17 "The Face of the Enemy" Garibaldi sets up Sheridan who is promptly taken into custody by Clark's men. Garibaldi's behavior and what happened to him when he disappeared in his Starfury is revealed.

We go further and further down the telepath rabbit hole in this episode. We find out that telepaths are taking the law into their own hands and doing things that made Lyta want to leave the core. Garibaldi finds out that William has a virus that will kill all telepaths unless they take the antidote every few weeks, which of course William has control of as well. Garibaldi set's up Sheridan and when he just sits at the table while Sheridan is beaten down. I didn't think I could dislike Garibaldi any more.. but I was wrong.

But the big reveal of this episode is that they finally explain what happen to Garibaldi and why he is the way he is now and I have to say it was a satisfying explanation. I had no clue what had happen to him so it was a surprise to me when they revealed that Bester and the telepaths were controlling him.

During the beginning of the episode Robert and I were discussing that maybe this was all planned by Sheridan to get Garibaldi in good with William but when he turned on Sheridan and betrayed him we realized that this was not the case.

I'm so glad that we finally found out what's be going on. And unlike Londo's character I felt sympathy for Garibaldi, I look forward to his redemption. It's going to be a struggle because all of his friends think he betrayed Sheridan, and in a way he did, but not by his own doing. 

So that's it for our TV night.. the story is ramping up.. I know something is going to happen with all these telepaths.. can't wait to see what it is.