BlackGeekdom Science-Fiction from a Different Perspective

Eleventh Hour is based on the BBC show by the same name (BBC America was nice enough to show it).  One problem I have is that it is completely exactly like the BBC show.  I mean the dialogue is the same minus the British accent.  So, CBS loses points for lack of originality.  Now that that’s out of the way, I liked everything about the show.  This show plays more like the X-Files then any other show that has ever tried to copy Fox and Scully.  The show doesn’t leave you asking more questions than when it began.  Its like what Fringe would be if it were streamlined and you combined Joshua Jackson and John Noble’s characters.

I don’t normally mention this but I do read message boards.  There seems to be a lot of people out there on the net who don’t like this show.  They fall into two categories, those who like Fringe (and are J.J. Abrams die-hard fans) and calls this a rip-off, and those who are former X-Philes who are still searching for that perfect replacement.  As a fan of genre shows, I think this is the best new genre show on T.V.  It gave me a self-contained story with an ending, plus planted a seed for a long arc story.  Rufus Sewell’s Dr. Jacob Hood is obviously a brilliant scientist, but he isn’t all knowing.  I say watch this show, and see how it plays out. 

Posted under Reviews, Television

As part of my ongoing quest to discover minority fantasy and scifi writers, I have found another gem that I am going to recommend.  I just finished the book Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell.  The story follows Loic, the first born and heir to the Warrior Chief of the Doreni Pagatsu clan, and Satha, the daughter of one of his father’s oldest friends.  Loic sees Satha one day and demands that he marry Satha.  What follows is a quest by Loic to find the Creator and bring him back to the three tribes who thought that he had abandoned them.

The story concerns four tribes.  The Ibeni, Theseni, Doreni, and the newly arrived Angleni.  It seems to me that the story is a retelling of African history and colonization by the English.  The backdrop of this is the spiritual journey that both Loic and Satha take separately.  When  I first began reading the book, I was distracted by the new vocabulary I had to learn.  But the further into the story I went, the more I was drawn into the world that McDonnell had described.  The characters and their personalities came alive.  This is the second book that I have read (see The Alchemist) that has given me a visceral emotional response.  The Christian themes are very apparent in the book, but the story is not meant to be preachy.  The characters and their motivations are not hidden and aren’t impossible.  Without spoiling the ending, I was taken by surprise.   However, in retrospect, I realized that Loic and Satha’s story could not end any other way.  The amount of research that the author put into this book must have been daunting.

As far as Christian fiction goes, I thought this was a very interesting and thought provoking book.  Am I a fan of Christian fiction?  Not really.  I read the entire Left Behind series and found that series of books to be over written, drawn out, and preachy, which most Christian fiction novels tend to be.  Not so with Wind Follower. 

The best thing that I liked about the book was that it was one fantasy story that began and ended in one book.   Most of your Fantasy stories take place over several novels.  Lord of the Rings had three volumes.  We followed the adventures of the Shannara decendents in 12 novels; The Belgariad and the Mallorean were 12 novels.  Not that I don’t like series like that, but it’s nice to have a story begin and end in one novel.  Though I do see where she could write a prequel or two.  And I wish I had known about the glossary before I finished the book.

Posted under Books, Reviews

I initially had my reservations about this movie.  After seeing it, I was really impressed with the action stunts.  First, let me get the comparison to the graphic novel out of the way.  The movie deviated from a good deal of the story without actually changing the main overall plot and theme of the story.  I credit the

screen writer for pulling it off.  For the most part, the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes are just like the story in the graphic novel, with a few small minor changes.  They even managed to work in an aspect of superpowers into the movie.  Secondly, I want to commend the casting.   James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie all turn in spectacular and convincing performances.  The thing about the rest of the cast is that they spoke few words, which was quite effective since the movie was more about feeling and emotion than words.

The effects were solid except there was one scene on top of a moving train where the CGI looked rushed and unfinished, but over all everything looked realistic.    If you’re looking for a good summer action flick and a solid story that doesn’t require that much thinking then this is for you.

Posted under Movies, Reviews

We know that Thor is rebuilding Asgard in the Thor series right now, but Marvel has come out with this double sided issue of Thor: Ages of Thunder.  This builds on the new, post-Ragnarok Thor, whose has a harder rougher edge to go along with more introspection by giving you a mature in depth look at where his character comes from.  I know it’s been out a week, but it’s better late than never.  The story is broken up into too parts, the first part deals with the Frost Giants and the second part deals with Loki, but that part of the story is set up by the first, so make sure to read both.  Just be wary that its gruesome.  The artwork is fantastic.

Its not really fair for me to pick this book because I am such a Mythology geek, especially for Norse Mythology.  So, the historical context of the war with the Frost Giants makes this issue really good for me.  Also, I like it because it reminds me why I consider Thor one of the preeminent Marvel characters, as well as being one of my favorite.  I had thought that Marvel had sort of abandoned him, but I’m glad that they took Ragnarok and Civil War as an opportunity to reboot the character and to build him and the other Asgards from ground up.  I liken it to what Marvel did with Annihilation to bring relevance and interest to the cosmic universe of Marvel.  The only question is, what’s going to be his role in Secret Invasion?

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Posted under Comics

I have always liked Cable. To be honest, I was probably most anticipating this relaunch more than any other comic this year. (At least until Skaar, Son of Hulk). This was a very good issue. The art was good and clean. The artist was Ariel Olivetti whose art I loved when he was on X-Man. The book starts post X-Men Messiah Complex with Cable some years in the future. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you like the soldier side of Cable, then you’re probably going to love this book. So, go pick it up.

Posted under Comics

Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson really made this limited series pay-off and leave you wanting more.  (I can’t wait to buy the trade).     At the start of the series we find Atlantis in ruins and what appears to be Namor dead on his throne.   Tony Stark has come to Atlantis to make Namor answer for the terrorist acts of an Atlantean sleeper cell.   Every friend Namor had on the surface world has turned their back on him and refused to aid him in his quest to stop the cell, which is being lead by his banished son.   Namor has to make some hard decisions for himself and Atlantis in this issue.   The most shocking thing in the whole issue is who finally does come to his aid.   The writers really make you feel the burden of being a King.  This is a definite read for fans of Namor and Marvel fans in general because some of Namors decisions will have a lasting affect on the Marvel universe.  

Posted under Comics

I have seen the movie and I liked it. Beowulf the movie is based on the old English poem by the same name. I read the poem, or some of it, in high school, and most english literature scholars know the poem very well. They have taken some liberty with the original story but kept the spirit and gist of what was going on. The movie was done completely in CGI and with the aid of motion capture. Done by the same people who brought us Polar Express, they have seen to have learned from the mistakes they made in that movie. Here, the actors were life-like and the facial expressions were real enough. Anthony Hopkins’ Hrothgar was perfect; he looked the most real of all the characters. Ray Winstone as Beowulf was well done. But the gem of the movie was Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s Mother. You could tell that the animators took time and care in getting every physical detail about her just right.

The action was great. Going into the movie I was slightly worried that it would be a repeat of Final Fantasy as far as looking more like a video game cut-scene than an actual movie. But I was more than impressed. The one thing that I look for in animated movies is camera angles. Since there are no physical constraints of what a director and a director of photography can do, I am always looking to see if this is taken advantage of. In Beowulf, we get numerous wicked angles and shots that can’t be done in a regular action film. The animation was life-like, and the voice acting was excellent. At almost 2 hours, you don’t even notice the length of the movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should.

Posted under Movies

In the aftermath of Civil War, the Black Panther and Storm take up temporary residence in the Baxter Building while Reed Richards and Sue Storm attend to important personal business. Can a team-up with the Thing and the Human Torch be far behind…? It’s clobberin’ time. Collecting BLACK PANTHER #26-30.

The Panther is one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe and this trade sends him on a dimension hopping adventure most notably the Marvel Zombieverse.  I appreciate Hudlins decision to send him on an intergalactic adventure Fantastic Four style.   We all know how Reed Richards would handle things,  but now we get to see how T’Challa handles things.   This is a definite read especially if your a Panther fan or a fan of Marvel Zombies

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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Posted under Comics

The Transformers DVD far exceeds expectations. Everything about the movie is stunning. The effects, the sound, the story, and the acting are better than average. I am not going to go into the technical aspects of the presentation (you can read the back of the box) but I will say the transfer looks great on my HD TV. It would probably look even better if I had an HD player and the HD DVD version of the movie.

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Posted under Movies