Gaming, Reading, Movies, Star Wars and other Geek Culture

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 1

On December 29, 2021

Title: Stranger in a Strange Land
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Runtime: 38 minutes

I enjoyed doing this for The Mandalorian so I’m going to do it again for The Book of Boba Fett. There will be spoilers if I need to discuss them but, as I did for other series, I will provide a warning. So let’s get started dicussing The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 1.

I’m under the impression that Robert Rodriguez will be directing all of the episodes so I may not always list the Directed by in the future. Also, I’m going to assume you have watched all of The Mandalorian, including the post-credits scene of Chapter 16.

On my first watch through, I freaking loved it. It does start a little slow to give some back story in the form of flashbacks (more on that later). I think the point of the backstory serves as a tribute to the Skywalker Saga with references to ROTJ and the prequels.

The flashbacks are dreams while Boba rests, but the episode does set up the series. Boba is the new crime boss after dethroning Bib Fortuna and he sets out to ensure he is recognized as the new leader.

spoiler alert!!!

The following content contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett S1E1

Merry Christmas!

By Biggs

On December 25, 2021

In General Cogitation

Movie Review: 8-Bit Christmas

By Biggs

On December 13, 2021

In Movies, Reviews

8-Bit Christmas

Directed By: Michael Dowse
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Zahn, Winslow Fegley

My Rating:[rating=5]

It is rare to get to review a Christmas movie at Christmas time. I usually stick with watching all the Christmas movies I like instead of watching new ones. My brother-in-law sent me a text telling me I needed to watch this movie; so far I’ve watched it twice.

This movie is our generations version of “A Christmas Story”. I might even go so far as to say its a soft remake. The bulk of the film borrows several themes from A Christmas Story but applies them in its own unique way. It even goes so far as to include it’s own “F–––” moment. By the way, I have actually held that infamous Bill Ripken card in my hands; in fact my father still owns it.

Biggs’ Review

You can probably assume that I enjoyed this film since I have already mentioned I have watched it twice. It is rare to find a new Christmas movie to add to my cadre of Christmas movies I watch each year. This movie definitely makes the list. I remember getting my Nintendo, and playing it probably more often than I should have. It is the toy that defined our generation.

If you are a member of the Nintendo generation, I highly recommend this movie. If you don’t like “A Christmas Story”, you should still watch this movie because the beginning and ending is a lot different. Also, NPH is your narrator, the Jean Shephard, of this film. You can’t go wrong when Doogie Howser is telling the story.

“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

WoW: State of the Raid (9.1.5)

By Biggs

On December 9, 2021

In Gaming, World of Warcraft

It’s been a while since I’ve done a “State of the Raid” post. Blizzard is kind of a sore, perhaps even taboo, topic right now. Every time there is more sickening news makes me sad.

I play this game to hang out with the friends. The kind of friends where hanging out in person isn’t convenient because of distance and borders. Raiding has become difficult over the past few months. Some friends have left the game and recruiting new people is difficult.

Progession

Despite these circumstances, we are enduring. Personally I think our goals are shifting to accommodate the reality and current environment of the community. Ahead of the Curve has always been our main objective before the conclusion of a tier. This rut in active players and the obvious adjustment in the difficulty of heroic encounters may be changing that objective.

As much as I hate to let go of achieving Ahead of the Curve, I think it’s best for my sanity. I really don’t want to burn out because this is my social activity. Several of my friends have already reached this point so I don’t want to be the next victim.

We are currently 6/10 in Heroic and our latest attempt on Guardian has me feeling confident we will be 7/10 soon. Depending on the complexity of the next 3 bosses, and the release date of 9.2, we may still have a chance at AOTC.

I’ve Been Slacking

There is so much to do after you hit max level that I’ve had a difficult time leveling my alts. I’m still sitting at just under half of my alts at max (46.6%). I’ll admit the events going on at Activision Blizzard is awful and gives me a lot of mixed feelings which affects my motivation. I won’t quit though, for reasons I’ve expressed before. This time of year is also very busy for me. I’ve got lots of planning, decorating, and Christmas to enjoy.

While Blizzard has not given us a release date for 9.2, my hope is try to get to as close to 100% on all my alts before it hits live servers. That’s probably a stretch goal by now.

Ultimately I hope Blizzard gets their act together and finds a way to bring players back. I really miss all my friends that have left the game.

If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We've been waiting for this all our lives!

ICYMI: The Book of Boba Fett Trailer

By Biggs

On November 2, 2021

In Star Wars, The Book of Boba Fett

I am a slacker. This trailer was released yesterday and, for reasons beyond explanation, I am just now posting it here. In case you missed it, here is the Book of Boba Fett trailer:

This will not be one of those posts where I break down every frame because that’s ridiculous. I’d rather let the trailer speak for itself and we will see what all of it means on December 29th.

With that said I am very much looking forward to Temura Morrison kicking some more ass along side the lovely Ming-Na Wen. I’ve always been a fan of her work. I am excited for this new addition to the amazing Star Wars Universe!

/MTFBWY

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

Disney and Galaxy’s Edge [Cont.]

By Biggs

On October 11, 2021

In General Cogitation, Star Wars

There is nothing else more to say about Magic Kingdom or Epcot, other than masks it was very similar to my last visit. The one difference between then and now is the absence of Fast Pass. Let’s be honest though, you don’t want me to talk about those other parks. As an avid Star Wars fan, you want me to talk about Galaxy’s Edge.

It’s taken me over a month to write this post and its primarily because I don’t know what to say about Galaxy’s Edge. There is so much about it that I loved I just don’t know where to start.

The Rides

There are two rides, Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. Rise of the Resistance is unlike any ride I’ve ever been on, when it’s operating. Apparently this ride breaks down a lot so I imagine there are often several disgruntled guests. It’s like they took Star Tours and made it more immersive. It’s probably one of the most popular rides at Hollywood Studios so getting on the ride is a challenge.

Falcon Cockpit (Pilot 2) — Falcon Cockpit – Pilot 2 – Lightspeed Controls

Smuggler’s Run also went beyond my expectations. It’s going to be better for anyone that knows The Clone Wars, otherwise the appearance of Hondo Ohnaka isn’t as exciting. This ride is like Star Tours but more engaging. There are 6 “places” for “riders” and you are IN THE FREAKING COCKPIT of the Millennium Falcon. There are spots for 2 pilots, 2 gunners and 2 engineers. My suggestion, be the pilot on the right; that person gets to make the jump to lightspeed!

It’s Really Immersive!

Disney Imagineers are amazing and they pulled out all the stops when designing Galaxy’s Edge. To put this place into context of the Star Wars universe, it’s a spaceport called Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu. Before the Empire and the invention of hyperspace travel, this spaceport was a popular place for travelers heading to Wild Space. Now it’s desolate and often forgotten. It’s kind of a Radiator Springs of the Galaxy’s Outer Rim Territories.

To give the illusion that you are in a spaceport, Disney has speakers discretely positioned all around. These speakers are constantly playing ambient noises of a bustling spaceport. Everything from the manhole covers to the light fixtures and door switches are all styled to look like you’re on a planet from Star Wars. The cast members are trained to use esoteric vocabulary such as “credits” instead of “dollars”. Cast members that are in costume are also supposed to engage with guests to create a more immersive experience. Unfortunately, due to the covid restrictions, they could only stand and wave from afar.

This place felt so immersive that I could have sat at an outdoor cantina all day. I would feel perfectly happy just sitting there and watching the people, listening to the sound effects and drinking blue milk (which is delicious!). Of all the parks we visited, I took the most pictures at Galaxy’s Edge. I am working on a gallery where I will eventually post all the pictures.

Of course I built a lightsaber (with my daughter). It’s so fun and an amazing experience. It’s also a bit expensive which is why we did not create a droid during this visit.

I could go on but this post grows most verbose. If you haven’t been to a Galaxy’s Edge park yet, I highly recommend it. Especially if you are an avid Star Wars fan.

/MTFBWY

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

Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 1

Merry Christmas!