Biggs' Zone

A Gamer Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Geek Canon Page 2 of 9

Star Wars Month and the 501st

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On May 1, 2020

In Geek Canon, Star Wars

I’ve made the argument before that May should be Star Wars month. There are numerous days in May that have some kind of Star Wars relevance. Therefore most of the posts this month, if not all of them, will be Star Wars themed. There is one day this month that is a bit of an exception. May 25th is Geek Pride Day because its the anniversary of the first Star Wars movie and Towel Day.

Despite the negativity from the “so-called” fans about the sequel trilogy, I’m excited for Star Wars month. This year is particularly special because it is the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back (most common fan favorite). Today, as it turns out, is the first of the Star Wars themed days in May, the 501st day.

What Is The 501st?

Click to Enlarge ImageThe 501st Legion is a stormtrooper squad, often seen in The Clone Wars, but canonically known as “Vader’s Fist”. Outside the Star Wars Universe, the 501st is a real life organization. Fans all over the globe are apart of this group of people with a passion for Star Wars. Their mission is to help facilitate the love for the franchise through elaborate and, often times, extremely accurate and life-like costumes. In fact the stormtrooper costumes were so accurate several members of the 501st were brought in to be extras in the final two episodes of season one of The Mandalorian. The actors in the show were also impressed with the quality of craftsmanship.

I wish I had the fabrication talent these folks have for making Star Wars costumes.

In addition to all the other celebratory days, the 21st marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back. As is my usual plan, I will be doing the first ever 11 movie re-watch during the month of May. I may also try to finish watching Rebels and Star Wars Resistance. If I finish all of that in a timely manner, I will be re-watching the first season of The Mandalorian.

It has been a challenging and tumultuous start to this year, so I’m looking forward to making this May fun and exciting. I’m going to try hard to show my Star Wars pride!

How will you spend your Star Wars month?

/MTFBWY

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

 

I Still Respect the Trek

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On April 8, 2020

In Geek Canon, Geek Culture

April 5th is “First Contact Day”; for those of you unfamiliar with geek canon, First Contact Day is a Star Trek holiday. It’s the day Earth launches its first warp-capable rocket, in 2063. So the actual First Contact Day is still 43 years away. So now you’re probably wondering why I’m talking about Star Trek. I am an avid Star Wars fan after all. Despite my loyalty to “a galaxy far far away”, I still respect the Trek.

How Do I Respect the Trek?

I remember my dad introducing me to Star Wars but I can honestly say, I don’t know how or when I was introduced to Star Trek. If I had to wager a guess I probably stumbled upon an episode of The Original Series or The Next Generation while watching TV. It probably wasn’t until I met my good friend Nathan (around middle school) that I began to appreciate Star Trek more. He is the proverbial “Trekkie”. I hadn’t seen any of the movies in the theater until he and I met. After which I’m pretty sure I saw several movies starting with Star Trek Generations.

He and I were roommates in college where we often binged on Deep Space Nine. Ultimately DS9 became among my favorite of the Star Trek television series. The recent Picard series is now a close second. I own all the movies and I love the music, though I’m not as inclined to listen to it as often as I listen to a Star Wars soundtrack. I enjoy the action and adventure of Star Wars however its more about the science that I enjoy in Star Trek. Lightsabers are not scientifically possible however warp drive and even teleportation have more real life credence. I also happen to share a birthday with the late Leonard Nimoy (RIP).

While I will often wear a Jedi robe and wield a Force FX Lightsaber, just for fun, I still enjoy celebrating Star Trek. First Contact Day is one one example. I often try to squeeze in a few Trek movies, but I almost always watch First Contact (for obvious reasons).

#LLAP

“When I was a kid, it was a huge insult to be a geek. Now it’s a point of pride in a weird way.” – J.J. Abrams

Happy Towel Day!

By

On May 25, 2019

In Geek Canon, Geek Culture

Happy Towel Day!

And Happy Geek Pride Day!

Movie Review: Avengers Endgame

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On April 28, 2019

In Geek Canon, Geek Culture, Marvel, Movies, Reviews

Avengers Endgame

Avengers: Endgame

Directed By: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

My Rating: [rating=5]

Despite the looming “Superhero Burnout“, this movie is crushing it at the box office. It is already breaking the same records The Force Awakens broke four years ago. I fully expect this film to continue to break records set by Star Wars, including top grossing movie of all time in the domestic box office. Honestly, I’m glad it’s a Marvel movie too.

In the spirit of the #DontSpoilTheEndgame trend, this is a SPOILER FREE movie review, however if you have not seen Infinity War yet, then consider this your **spoiler alert**!! It is impossible to talk about this movie without talking about the events of the previous film.

Half of the living things in the universe, including half the Avengers, are gone; wiped out with a single snap. Thanos has vanished to bask in the balance he has created. Meanwhile the remaining Avengers are trying to piece the world back together and move on. However “moving on” will not be something they are willing to do, especially when Scott Lang shows up with an idea.

Biggs’ Review

This is a pretty amazing movie, though I do have one particular complaint, which I will get to shortly. This movie has quite a few epic moments, one of which I know many fans have been waiting for since Age of Ultron. I will not say what that is so as to remain spoiler free but I think you will know it when you see it, and deem it “worthy”. This movie is quite the finale for the Avengers Initiative. One of my favorite parts happens during and end credit montage. This is not a spoiler. The signatures of Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner are shown as if to signify the signing of their magnum opus. This is such a fitting tribute.

Is This The Best Movie I’ve Seen?

No, not by a long shot. In all fairness I almost gave this movie 4 stars. There is a particular plot mechanic that is rarely done well and Bruce Banner’s rationale is pretty insufficient, in my opinion. There is also a “passing of the torch” moment which does not particularly coincide with canon (at least from what I’ve read); however, it is still pretty cool. Be that as it may, the way in which they wrap up the story’s of a few of the character’s is brilliant and well done … and emotional. After the movie ended, my first instinct was not to see it again; at least not right away. The main reason being the 3 hour run time. Actually I feel more inclined to watch all the other movies again!

This movie is a magnum opus and truly a fitting end of the past 11 years and 21 movies. The feeling I had leaving this movie will probably be much the same feeling I will have leaving The Rise of Skywalker. A sense of emotional finality; these are characters that not just defined our lives, but a generation. Watching these events come to an end feels akin to a graduation or major life milestone. The events and the people of the years prior make up the journey we all had to take. Sometimes the end is hard because we endured so much to get here, but we grew along the way. We form bonds and relationships with people, real or fictional. It’s the journey that’s worth celebrating at the end but it’s also what makes it difficult. After all, part of the journey is the end.

#ThankYouAvengers

film_reel“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick

 

Book Review: From A Certain Point of View

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On March 19, 2019

In Book Review, Geek Canon, Geek Culture, Science Fiction, Star Wars

From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars)From a Certain Point of View by Ben Acker
My rating: [rating=4]

When I picked up this book to read, I had similar concerns about it as I did about the Princess Leia book. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. In fact before I even added it to my “Currently Reading” list on Goodreads, I read the first chapter. It didn’t take much after that for me to keep reading it. This book was published back in 2017 for the 40th anniversary of the Star Wars franchise. It is a massive collaboration of 40 different authors (because 40 years, get it?) each writing a chapter. Some of the more well-known contributors are Christie Golden, Chuck Wendig and Wil Wheaton (yes, Wesley Crusher). Here is my book review of “From A Certain Point of View”.

No Synopsis Required

I should have read the synopsis before I picked up this book. This book doesn’t require a synopsis because it’s the plot of Star Wars A New Hope. If you don’t know the plot of Episode IV then why are you here? The unique feature of this book is the events of A New Hope are told from the perspective of background characters. As boring as that sounds, it’s actually quite interesting.

Every chapter isn’t as interesting as some of the others. In fact there are a few chapters that are really superfluous. There are too many chapters that focus on the events in the cantina. The Greedo chapter and, perhaps, the Wuher chapter are really the only ones worth keeping. There are a couple of chapters on the Death Star, during the destruction of Alderaan that are pretty uninteresting too. For example, the chapter with the MSE droid and TK-421 is probably my least favorite chapter. His personal life and aspirations of MSE racing were gratuitous; so much so I actually skipped some of it. Another chapter I felt similarly about was Omi, the trash compactor beast. Pretty dull.

A Handful Does Not Ruin the Bunch

Despite the handful of tedious chapters, there are many that more than make up for it. There is a chapter where Qui-Gon is communing with Obi-Wan that I really enjoyed. The chapter from Tarkin’s point of view as well as a couple of members of the Imperial High Council are really fun. I think my favorite chapter is the one where a stormtrooper is filing an incident report from the events at Mos Eisley. I know that probably sounds as dreary as MSE racing but the author, Daniel Jose Older, makes it very entertaining. In fact his Star Wars book, Last Shot, is on my short list to read next.

Superfluous chapters aside, this is a great book to read. I would definitely recommend it for any Star Wars fan. If you’re reading a chapter that you find especially boring, you can freely skip it without missing something important. None of the chapters really build on each other, they only accompany the main plot of the movie. I’m really glad I decided to read it.

View all my reviews

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

 

Movie Review: Captain Marvel

By

On March 18, 2019

In Geek Culture, Marvel, Movies, Reviews

Captain Marvel

Directed By: Anna Boden
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson

A Kree by the name of Vers (Brie Larson) crashes on Earth, circa 1995. She is hunting Skrull who are seeking technology the Kree do not want them to have. Assisting her on her mission is SHIELD agent Nick Fury. During her search she also has flashbacks that seem to be from a previous life. Are these flashbacks key to defeating the Skrull and/or helping her find out who she really is?

Biggs’ Review

I really enjoyed this movie. I can’t say if it’s the witty writing or the homage to the 90’s that I found truly entertaining. The flashbacks to Blockbuster Video and Alta Vista were especially memorable. This movie ties into all the other films so nicely (and not just the specific Avengers movies). It is also entertaining to see a young Nick Fury and a young, newly recruited, Phil Coulson in action. I hope Clark Gregg is comfortable with being typecast because he’s going to be Phil Coulson for the rest of his days.

In fact one of the fun things to do during this film is to spot the easter eggs, especially if you are a child of the 90s. However, it isn’t just the 1990 cultural references. There are also little bits of minutiae from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as the other MCU movies.

The SHIELD Inconsistency and Stan Lee

Perhaps the one issue I found to be inconsistent in the film is the use of the S.H.I.E.L.D. acronym. The events of this movie takes place in 1995, which is 13 years prior to Iron Man. When Coulson introduces himself in Iron Man he always recites the entire name of SHIELD. There are even jokes about “working on the name”. However throughout the entire Captain Marvel movie they always call themselves SHIELD. So either Coulson is being a smart ass in Iron Man or its a missed inconsistency. If anyone knows of another explanation which I have not yet found, please comment.

If you haven’t heard by now, Captain Marvel is the first Marvel movie to be released after Stan Lee’s death. Which means his cameo in this film is also the last cameo he will ever do (and its an excellent cameo, especially if you’ve seen Mallrats). To honor Stan Lee and his work, the Marvel Studios sequence at the beginning of the movie has been changed to be all of Stan Lee’s cameos. What a truly fantastic homage and I hope that is a permanent change (including the “Thank You Stan” at the end).

Female Empowerment

I am, by no means, a feminist. However, despite my presumed political leanings, I do support gender equality. Therefore I think this movie makes huge strides in support of gender equality. It is the first solo-female lead in the MCU universe. It is written exclusively by women. The soundtrack, which is very good, is composed by Pinar Toprak who is the first female to compose an MCU movie. In fact I really wanted my daughter to see this movie because its exclusively about a female super hero. The best part is, the movie never tries to make that point. There are no subtle undertones or subliminal messages and nothing is constantly shoved in your face. All of the female empowerment associated with this film is tucked away in the trivia. /end slightly political editorial.

Final comment: this is an excellent addition to the MCU collection of movies, definitely worth seeing in the theater, despite the lurking “super hero burn out”.

/cheers

film real

“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.” 
– Stanley Kubrick

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