Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Geek Canon Page 5 of 12

Movie Review: Wonder Woman 1984

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On January 4, 2021

In DC, Movies, Reviews

Wonder Woman 1984Wonder Woman 1984 IMDB Link

Directed By: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot, Kristin Wiig, Pedro Pascal

My Rating: [rating=4]

While this is my first movie review of 2021, I did not see this movie in 2021. In fact we watched this film on New Years Eve, so technically I saw this movie last year. However since it was a movie we watched in the evening, I did not have time to write up a review before 2020 ended. I think we were all ready for 2020 to be over.

The year is 1984 (obviously, by the title) and Diana is still going about her day covertly rescuing people and stopping crime. Although it’s been 40 years, she still laments the death of Steve Trevor and seems to accept the fact that she will always be alone. She befriends Barbara Minerva, a socially awkward archeologist and anthropologist who finds a particularly powerful artifact. An artifact that grants wishes, but at a terrible cost. Now she must stop The Cheetah and Max Lord from abusing the power of this “dream stone”. 

Biggs’ Review

I am really surprised to find so many low and harsh reviews of this movie. I’ll admit it isn’t as good as the first movie but I, honestly, didn’t think it was terrible. There isn’t as much action but Chris Pine provides sufficient comic relief. I really enjoyed Pedro Pascal’s (aka The Mandalorian) performance as Max Lord. Actually, if I’m being honest, Kristin Wiig is an excellent villain. I’m used to seeing her in more comedic roles (ex: Bridesmaids) so when she becomes full on Cheetah, she looks pretty damn badass.

My harshest criticism would probably be the end. The tactic Wonder Woman uses to “defeat” Max Lord is a little corny. Granted Wonder Woman’s whole philosophy is built on the power of truth (hence the “Lasso of Truth”) so it fits the character. Unfortunately human kind is not so willing to embrace truth so its difficult to believe that she can easily convince the world to “renounce their wishes”. I’m also not really sold on the way in which Max Lord “touches” millions of people via a satellite broadcast. I feel like that whole scenario wasn’t entirely thought out.

Initially I wanted to give this movie 3.5 stars but the addon only supports whole numbers. Since I would consider watching this movie again I decided to go ahead and bump it up to 4 stars. I think Patty Jenkins did the best she could with the script she was given. I’m excited to see what she does for the Rogue Squadron movie; hopefully she will have better screenplay writers.

What did you think of Wonder Woman 1984?

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

 

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

By

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

 

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