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Biggs Zone – 2016 Year in Review

On January 3, 2017

Another year is over and we now look forward to a fresh start in 2017. As we prepare our resolutions or intentions or what have you, let’s reflect back with a 2016 year in review. By the way, there will be NO politics or political hot topics/agendas in this post.

I hate to start on a somber note but I would rather get the depressing stuff out of the way first. We lost some amazing celebrity icons this year. One of our favorite TV dads, Alan Thicke (“Growing Pains”), and our favorite TV mom, Florence Henderson (“The Brady Bunch”) both passed away this year. We lost our faithful Shepard on the Serenity, Ron Glass (“Firefly”). Some of the biggest icons in sports history, American history, and geek canon also passed away. These people include John Glenn, Nancy Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer, Gene Wilder, Alan Rickman (“Snape”), and David Bowie. Star Wars and Star Trek both suffered tragic losses when our beloved Kenny Baker, known eternally as “R2-D2”, and Anton Yelchin, our modern day “Chekov” passed away.

RIP Princess Leia

The hardest loss the Star Wars community suffered happened while writing this post. Our most beloved Princess and General, Carrie Fisher, passed away at 60 after suffering a major heart attack. I am beside myself after losing yet another one of my favorite actors. I send my thoughts and prayers to her family. MTFBWY, Princess Leia!

Thank you for enriching our lives with your gifts and Rest In Peace.

Ok, enough sad talk. Let’s move on to the brighter things of 2016.

Movie Review – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

By Biggs

On December 28, 2016

In Movies, Reviews, Star Wars

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Felicity Jones, Alan Tudyk

My Rating: [rating=5]

A second Star Wars movie in a year is a dream come true for Star Wars nerds the world over. I saw this movie in a Dolby Cinema off of Times Square in New York City. It’s one of 10 Dolby Cinema theaters in the country and this should be the only way to watch a Star Wars movie.

Rogue One takes a different approach to telling a story in the Star Wars universe. It’s a movie that isn’t part of the main story but it does make a significant contribution to the original story that we all first fell in love with.

This is a war movie and honestly, it isn’t a happy movie. In fact it’s probably one of the most depressing movie of all the movies (from a story perspective). I saw this movie the day after Carrie Fisher passed away so the final scene was probably the most heart-wrenching scene in the whole film. If you have seen this movie then you know to what I am comparing it to.

It Changes ‘A New Hope’

I talked about the story this movie was going to tell and I was right on the money. Granted that isn’t saying much because it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out the plot of the movie. Jyn Erso discovers a message that tells her there is a weakness in the Death Star. If the Rebellion could obtain those plans, it would change the outcome of the war (which we all know it does).

Rogue One could literally be Part One of A New Hope. After watching the former you will want to go home and watch the latter immediately. It will change the way you see it.

Many other fans have said they think this movie is how Episode III should have ended. I can see their point but I liked the way III ended and I loved Rogue One. It was not better than The Force Awakens but it does present an interesting thought. Considering the success of the first two Star Wars after George Lucas sold the rights, perhaps Lucas was the problem with the prequels.

/MTFBWY

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

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

By Biggs

On September 7, 2016

In Comic Books, DC, Movies, Reviews

Suicide Squad

Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie

My Rating: [rating=4]

It has been a while since my last movie review post. Batman vs Superman (BvS) may have been the last one I did so it’s serendipitous that Suicide Squad is next. I can’t believe there was no warning that you should see BvS before you see Suicide Squad. It picks up shortly after the events of BvS so you should watch that first, if you don’t want a spoiler.

Suicide Squad is esoteric to comic geek canon. In other words, if you are not familiar with DC villains then you probably have no idea what the “Suicide Squad” is. The Joker (Jared Leto) will be the most recognizable name among this motley crew. Those that are slightly more enlightened will recognize Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). The lesser known villains in this movie are Deadshot (Will Smith), Killer Croc, Boomerang and Diablo. They are all villains that have been captured by either Batman or The Flash, both of which make cameo appearances.

[Quick Plot Summary]

When the kind of justice Gotham needs isn’t the kind Superman or Batman are willing to provide, a new kind of vigilante is needed. The most dastardly of Gotham’s villains are locked away and forgotten. However, assembling the right group of them will provide a set of skills that can thwart meta-human terrorist threats. The trick is, how do you control them so they don’t start their own terrorist plots.

Don’t Believe All The Critics

Despite what many other critics and movie goers have been saying, Suicide Squad is a good movie. Granted I am not a big DC comic nerd or pundit. I don’t know how well each actor portrayed their respective villain as it pertains to canon. Will Smith is the biggest name in the movie and I’m glad he didn’t turn it into “The Will Smith Show”. He did share the spotlight well with the other characters, especially Margot Robbie. There is good chemistry between Deadshot and Harley Quinn, and the rest of the crew to be honest. So with that said, I think Suicide Squad is a better movie than Batman vs Superman in terms of plot and the quality of the acting.

One final note. I firmly believe that the music makes the movie and this wouldn’t be a “Biggs Movie Review” if I didn’t comment on the music. Keep in mind that I am referring to the score soundtrack and not the album soundtrack. The film’s composer is Steven Price and an hour into the movie I began wondering if it was available on iTunes. The mood of the music matched the mood of each scene perfectly. When you don’t realize that you have been completely bewitched by a scene, that is a sign of good music. Hats off to Steven Price.

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

Read Kubrick’s Game, You Will Love It

By Biggs

On August 29, 2016

In Book Review

Kubrick’s Game by Derek Taylor Kent
My rating: [rating=5]

Have you ever finished reading a great book that you enjoyed so much you have to tell everyone about it? The problem is you don’t know where to start. It was a problem I faced after reading Ready Player One, and it’s the problem I am facing after finishing Kubrick’s Game. Coincidentally Kubrick’s Game has been compared to Ready Player One, and rightfully so. It’s another puzzle-adventure novel whose clues and characters will keep you turning the pages.

Kubrick’s Game is about a brilliant UCLA film student named Shawn who receives a very unusual package. The contents will take him on a quest to solve a puzzle left behind by the late Stanley Kubrick. The answers he seeks are buried in the legendary filmmakers movies and his life. A prize awaits the first person that completes the game; a prize that will “change the course of history”. Shawn’s task isn’t going to be easy, there are other nefarious groups also on the quest and trying to stop him.

A Book For The Movie Nerd

I am a huge movie nerd and I love a great movie so I appreciate Stanley Kubrick’s films. Granted I haven’t seen all of them, but just a couple of chapters into this book and I was ready for a marathon! Many times I thought about popping in 2001 or The Shining just to see the clues for myself. Throughout the whole book I was trying to anticipate how it will end and what the prize will be. Just when you are convinced that you know what is going on the author throws in a twist as clever as Stanley Kubrick himself, and your mind is blown. A part of me was waiting for the cliché reward at the end but instead, it’s perfect. It’s a prize worthy of the puzzle and the man who created it.

Narrated by Jonathan Frakes (aka Commander Riker)

I had the privilege to read Kubrick’s Game before the publish date (on September 26th) and it’s definitely comparable to Ready Player One and other great puzzle books like The Da Vinci Code. The author uses a perfect balance of fiction and non-fiction similar to writers like Ernest Cline and Dan Brown. He collaborated with the founders of The Fantastic Race to create the film-based scavenger hunt. By the end, Kubrick’s Game easily claims a spot in my top 5. If you love movies, and especially if you love Stanley Kubrick’s films, then this book is a must read!

If audio books are more your speed then the treat gets even sweeter. Jonathan Frakes, Star Trek’s Commander Riker, provides the narration with Yvette Nicole Brown providing the voice of Desiree Jackson. The audio book will also be available September 26th on Audible and iTunes.

Additional Links

Check out the trailer on YouTube: Kubrick’s Game – Book Trailer #2
Here is the author’s website for additional information: Derek Tyler Kent
There is even some cool Kubrick’s Game merchandise: KG Gear @ Zazzle
Kubrick’s Game is available for pre-order: Amazon

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
– Dr. Seuss

The Story Rogue One Will Tell (For the Noobs)

By Biggs

On May 3, 2016

In Geek Canon, Movies, Star Wars

If you’re a Star Wars troglodyte (aka a Trekkie – j/k Trekkies!), or just a newbie you may have no clue as to the story Rogue One will tell. I’ve also been reading a lot of fan theories trying to connect characters in Rogue One to The Force Awakens. While I admire the hypothesizing, I was never under the impression that there would be a lineage connection between any of the new faces in Rogue One with any character in The Force Awakens. All of these fan theories has given credence to how successful the story is in The Force Awakens. If the movie hadn’t been so cryptic as to the origins of Rey and Snoke, people wouldn’t be trying to find the answers in trailer subtext.

Is Jyn Erso Rey’s mother or Captain Phasma?

Is Snoke in that bacta tank?

The Rogue One creative executive, Pablo Hidalgo, ended all of that speculation with his tweet (as mentioned in this article):

@SWHolo_Net @TAnders843 Snoke is not in Rogue One. Like, in any way, shape or form. This is a standalone movie.

— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) April 22, 2016

The producers (and Disney) want Rogue One to be a stand alone film with the only common element being that it’s Star Wars (hence “anthology film“). The movie will be the telling of how the rebel spies (as mentioned in the opening crawl of A New Hope) managed to steal the plans to the Death Star. While its true that the movie “is set between Revenge of the Sith and the classic that started it all, 1977’s A New Hope”, its chronologically much closer to A New Hope. In fact my suspicion is that the movie will end with the delivering of said stolen plans to Princess Leia thus triggering the events that unfold in the beginning of A New Hope. Granted I don’t know how much lore already exists surrounding the theft of the Death Star plans but I hope Disney sticks to it if any lore exists (remember they only debunked any lore post-ROTJ). Be that as it may, the unequivocal answer to these questions is “No”. Jyn Erso is not kin to Rey or Phasma. Supreme Leader Snoke is not bobbing around in a bacta tank.

Rogue One will be one of three anthology films Disney plans to release (the other two will be a Han Solo film in 2018 and a Boba Fett film in 2020). I do not expect this film to have the same success as The Force Awakens as I believe all three of these films are simply for the fans (and another profit-generator for Disney, since they love to milk a subculture for every dollar they can). I do plan to see this movie in the theater (because its required to see a Star Wars movie in the theater). The director, Gareth Edwards, doesn’t have a lot of highly successful credentials, with the possible exception of Godzilla (2014) so that could be a red flag but I think it has the potential to be one of those obscure fan favorites (The Ewok Adventures anyone?). Regardless, I’m excited to see it

/MTFBWY

ICYMI: Rogue One Teaser Trailer

By Biggs

On April 7, 2016

In Movies, Star Wars

As promised, on Good Morning America the teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered. You can watch the trailer below. Personally I think these anthology movies are really just for the fans. I’m not expecting the regular movie goers or critics to rave about this movie as much as they did for The Force Awakens. I think it looks pretty decent and I’ll probably see it in the theater. I am excited for a full length trailer.

My understanding, as to where in the timeline this movie falls, it takes place just before A New Hope. It’s the story of how the Rebel spies managed to steal the plans for the Death Star. The one question I have so far is, Where Is Alan Tudyk???

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Biggs Zone – 2016 Year in Review

Movie Review – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story