Alpha Nerds And Bullies Within Fan Groups

Lake Charles, LA

Let me start off by saying that this post will probably tick off a few people.  It will most likely tick off those good folks who believe that they are not exactly what they appear to be.  They don’t see themselves as the problem that I’m about to yap about, but they are.  My ramblings don’t make sense yet, but they will if you read the entire post.

The term alpha nerd has often been used to describe those people who are intellectually superior to those within their personal circle of nerds or those who have seemingly unlimited intelligence.  There’s even an argument against this term stating that the top nerd in any group is the omega nerd.  For this particular post, however, alpha nerd will refer to anyone within a group who THINKS that they are the smartest, brightest, most well-informed person in the batch, but are actually giganitc douchebags instead.

I happen to be a member of many fan groups on both the local and worldwide level.  All of these groups have their good and bad people within them (Heck, I’ve probably been accused of being a baddie in a few of these groups), but for the most part, everyone is pretty cool.  Some of the groups that I am a part of include Southern Geek, the Doctor Whooligans, and the Star Trek fan group, Starfleet International, where I happen to be a crewmember of the USS Lafitte in Lake Charles, LA.  Now, outside of one person in one of these groups, I’ve never had any type of confrontation with anybody other than a few friendly arguments about Superhero X fighting Superhero Y and what the outcome of the fight would be if said superheroes were to ever clash.  I actually enjoy these types of arguments because it allows myself and others to not only socialize, but to dig even deeper and get to know one another as people on a more personal level.  You’d be amazed with what one can learn from a simple argument over who would win between Batman and Superman (and for the record, Batman ALWAYS wins!! ;-)!!!).

However, there are some people within other groups that I am in that insist that their opinion is superior to any and every other person in the group.  If you don’t agree with them, they get angry.  They believe that their speculations, their ideals, and their interpretations of whatever we happen to be discussing are gospel, and all others are wrong.

I do not like these types of people.

I once made the comment that while I enjoy Peter Capaldi as the Doctor on Doctor Who, the episodes that he has been a part of so far have been lackluster.  Immediately one of the alpha nerds piped in stating that I didn’t understand the Doctor well enough and that I needed to give the series more time.  I’ve given it almost forty years of my life.  I believe that I’ve given it plenty of time.  When I replied with that, this person said that I was apparently enjoying the Doctor for all of the wrong reasons and that I couldn’t appreciate it on the same intellectual level that he/she appreciated on.

Seriously.  They said that to me.  About a show.  A FICTIONAL show.

I simply replied that we are all entitled to our own opinion and that I was glad he/she was enjoying the current season.  When another person piped in to defend me, they were immediately shot down because they hadn’t been a Whovian long enough for them to understand what we were talking about.

Again.  They said this.  To another person.  About. A FICTIONAL show.

In other groups I have watched as myself and other fans have been laughed at for appreciating or enjoying things like the Star Wars prequels, the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films, and comics from either Marvel or DC.

People who believe that because they have watched something or read something more than myself or others have think that they can walk all over other fans.  They try to shame people who like Jar Jar Binks.  They pick at females fans who dress up as Robin but can’t name any Robin (including the female ones) other than Dick Grayson.  They laugh at people who don’t get some vague reference or don’t catch all of the Easter eggs in a certain show.

Simply put, these people are bullies.

They are no better than the guy in high school who knocked your books out of your hands.  They are just as scummy as the girl who made up a terrible nickname for you because you were overweight or wore glasses.

They are all BULLIES!

So, with that said, I hope that all of you reading this will step up to people like this who are ruining fandoms.

Don’t be the douche that points out mistakes in someone’s cosplay.  Don’t let them walk all over a new fan of your favorite comic book.  If you love Firefly but can’t remember the name of the person who played Jayne and somebody gives you lip about it, tell them that they need to back off.  We are all in this crazy world of fandom together.  Don’t let anybody get ostracized or taunted by the guy or gal who believes that they are the greatest fan ever.

Support one another.  LOVE one another.  Make new FRIENDS!

It’s a great time to be a geek.  Let’s keep it that way!

As always, thanks for reading.

A Fun Run

Central City and, uh, The CW

I’m going to come right out and say that I love The CW’s new show, The Flash.  Having been lucky enough to see the old John Wesley Shipp version of the series and being really ticked off when that show was dropped (Does that mean I was Firefly before Firefly was cool?  I’m a hipster!  Look at that!), I was both excited and worried that this new series would be either great or terrible.

Luckily for me, it’s great.

Tons of other bloggers and critics have mentioned how light-hearted The Flash is compared to Arrow, the Dark Knight films, and even Man of Steel, and I can’t help but agree with them.  The Flash IS funny.  It isn’t full of brooding or grimacing or conflicted heroes.  It’s Barry Allen, good guy supreme, given amazing abilities and doing all he can to use them to help those in need.  Heck, he has no special training, outside of forensic sciences he isn’t necessarily super-intelligent (but he’s no idiot, either), and he doesn’t go into a fight thinking that he’ll best the villain right away.  Nope, Barry has doubts, learns from his mistakes, and sometimes forgets that he is now leading a double life (I love how in the latest episode he forgot his normal clothes when heading to work).  He also realizes that as cool as it would be to tell his friends about his new abilities, he can’t do so in order to keep them safe.  I love that about this guy.  He’s nice and funny (much like in the comics).

I’ve never laughed at a DC property on the big or small screen as much as I have laughed at The Flash.  DC is known for their gritty films (even the animated ones) whereas Marvel seems to be (successfully) taking a lighter route.  The Flash seems to be walking the fine line between both.

The cast is excellent.  Grant Gustin (Flash) is funny, and has decent comedic timing.  Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin Snow) is funny as well, which is an amazing feat considering that she’s probably the most serious member of the S.T.A.R. Labs team.  Jesse L. Martin (Detective West) is Barry’s cornerstone in the show, but delivers a performance that is more patronly than gritty or tough.  Carlos Valdes (Cisco) is possibly the funniest member of the cast, and I love his one-liners and “villain name making” abilities.  Tom Cavanaugh (Dr. Wells) is probably the most serious guy in the bunch, but even he shows a little heart here and there (whether or not it’s genuine, though, remains to be seen).

Basically you have a light show about a powerful superhero that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It does all of this, with attention to detail.  From hinting at future heroes and villains and even blatantly showing some (Reverse Flash, for starters), The Flash has a very formulaic quality that is somehow fresh.  It’s one of a very small batch of programs that I actually look forward to each week.

Here’s hoping that The Flash keeps up the good work.  I know there’s plenty of season left, but I believe it is safe to say that The CW has a hit on their hands.

Sprukits Are Super!

Somewhere In My Imagination

For those of you who aren’t aware, I review quite a few items on websites like http://www.amazon.com and http://www.lunch.com.  I’m also a member of many reviewing groups and have been offered different items over the years to review.  In one group I was offered a Sprukits The Dark Knight Rises Batman action figure.

The cool thing about this toy is that YOU build it!  Batman comes in eighty-eight pieces and after about forty-five minutes I had my very own action figure that stood about five inches tall.  It is highly articulated, comes with a Batarang and a cable gun, multiple hands to interchange, and a nice base to stand the figure on.

sprukit2

The figure was very fun to assemble, and if there’s anything that I don’t like about it, it’s the stiff plastic cape that’s included.  I would have much rather had a cloth cape to go with the figure.

 

Despite this, I really like this figure.  In fact, I plan on purchasing some of the other figures in this line.  This particular figure was a “Level 2” figure, but there are actually three stages of difficulty in this line.  I want to get the Joker figure in the “Level 1” line and the Arkham City Batman in the “Level 3” line.

sprukit3

My son helped me out with this figure a little bit, but he lost interest fairly quickly.  Of course, this figure was aged out of his range, so it didn’t surprise me whenever he left the room.  He does really like the completed figure, though, and he wants me to build more figures like this one soon.

If you get your hands on a Sprukits figure, let me know what you think of it.

As always, thanks for reading!

The Sun Is Going Down On “Gotham”

Gotham City

FOX has a hit on its hands…..at least in my opinion, with the wonderful series called Gotham.  It follows a young and well-intentioned James Gordon, freshly dubbed Detective Gordon, as he and his senior partner, Harvey Bullock, tackle crime in the very crime-ridden town of Gotham City.  This story takes place before Batman is Batman, before Poison Ivy is Poison Ivy, and at the dawn of characters like Catwoman and Penguin.

For those of you who have not seen any of the episodes of this program so far, you might want to stop reading NOW.

The series begins with Bruce Wayne witnessing the murder of his parents for some pearls and money.  All of this is seen through the eyes of young Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova).  We then see Gordon (Benjamin McKenzie) getting teamed up with Bullock (the always enjoyable Donal Logue) despite the latter’s multiple angry requests for such a pairing to not occur.  They are attempting to find out who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents.    On the surface, it looks like a random hold-up that ends with the death of innocents, but there is something deeper and darker just under the surface.

As the dynamic duo attempt to solve the crime, Gordon finds out very quickly that Bullock isn’t necessarily the cleanest of cops.  Using criminal sources and less-than-proper interrogation methods, Bullock gets answers, but not the ones he is looking for.  Eventually the services of Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) are called upon and we get our first glimpse of Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), also known as the Penguin.  Mooney provides a quick and easy frame job to make the city of Gotham rest a bit.  She sets up the future Poison Ivy’s father for the murder, and he in turn is murdered for his troubles.

Mooney then gets caught up in a scandal herself, and recommends Bullock to make Gordon murder Cobblepot to prove his worth.  This leads into the second episode of the season which finds homeless and street kids going missing.  Gordon and Bullock are on the case once again and we get a deeper look at not only the development of Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), but also Selina Kyle.  Hints of another villain, the Dollmaker, are also tossed about, and we get a second but brief look at Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith), who will eventually become the Riddler.

I like this series.  It has a very solid cast, especially Taylor as the Penguin, Mazouz as Bruce, and Bicondova as Selina.  Logue hams it up a bit, but not so much that it’s unbelievable.  If there’s one weak link in the whole series, I’d have to say it’s Pinkett Smith.  She is either intentionally over-acting to bluff her constituents OR she’s just doing a poor job.  Hopefully she’s just portraying a character that is scared to lose power and is attempting to look overly secure and/or tough.

Taylor has stolen the show as far as I’m concerned.  He hasn’t had nearly as much screen time as most of the other primary players, but he’s brilliant in each moment he does have.  Hopefully we will see Penguin rise to power soon.

The newest episode hits tonight, and I’m finally looking forward to Monday night television again.  Sadly I am missing The Big Bang Theory (although I’m watching it on CBS’ website a week later), but Gotham is just a cool program.  I can’t wait to see the rest of the characters get fleshed out more.  If the program is a success, I’m guessing that Batman will eventually make an appearance.

Kudos, FOX, for an excellent program.  Now just don’t go all Firefly on it and cancel it before the first season is complete!

 

Could I Be…..A DC????

Lake Charles, LA

I recently started buying comics regularly again.  The Dark Horse Darth Maul:  Son of Dathomir series caught my attention and I gobbled up each issue.  While the ending was a bit of a cop out (I’ll eventually review the series), the whole run was good enough to spark my interests in comics again.

I ventured over to my local comics shop, Paper Heroes, and started perusing the graphic novels and comic compilations in the hopes to find a book on Batman or one of any of a multitude of Marvel heroes that I’ve enjoyed over the years.  To my surprise, I found myself going to the DC shelves over and over.  I couldn’t make up my mind, but nothing on the Marvel shelf really spoke to me.  However, the DC shelf intrigued me with titles like Flashpoint, Blackest Night, and Infinite Crisis.

**Spoilers Ahead**

I settled on Flashpoint, and was very pleased after reading the book.  While the story is obviously centered on the Flash, it was the peripheral characters that really grabbed at me in this tale.  The most interesting of all was Thomas Wayne as the Batman in the altered timeline in which this story takes place.

Thomas Wayne is a brutal version of his son’s Dark Knight.   Instead of catching villains and bringing them back to Arkham Asylum or GCPD headquarters, Thomas Wayne doesn’t think twice about killing his enemies.  Much like Bruce Wayne’s Batman, he has become a legend, an impossible creature that scares villains, but he’s much, much deadlier.  I love this character and want to read more about him!!!!

Other characters that get a brilliant spin on their stories in this timeline include Superman, who is SOOOOOO much more interesting here than he is elsewhere, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg.  It’s my understanding that these characters are expanded upon in other volumes in the Flashpoint story and I plan to read as many of them as I can (starting with Superman and Batman).

I don’t want to reveal too much more, but know that an event in the Flash’s past sets off the events in this story, and it’s up to him to make things as right as possible.  This is a brilliant story.

Now, having been hooked on graphic novels and comics once again, I started looking for Marvel graphic novels that might offer up similar brilliance to Flashpoint.  On a whim I found Captain America:  The Winter Soldier and a Guardians of the Galaxy graphic novels for the wonderful price of five bucks each at a Walmart while I was working out of town.  They were obviously meant to be cash ins for the recently released films of the same name (there was were Spider-Man and The Avengers graphic novels for five bucks, but I passed on them) and were also previously released novels in a new edition.  I’ve only read Cap’s novel so far, and while it is definitely a good read, it doesn’t quite meet up to the standard set by Flashpoint.

In The Winter Soldier, Red Skull is mysteriously murdered and the Captain, along with Agent 13, has to find his enemy’s murderer and also thwart the plans of a once thought defunct terrorist organization.  I do not yet know if I’ll pick up the second volume in this story, as I’m much more interested in the Flashpoint books now.  If they hold up, I’ll probably scoop up Blackest Night next.

**End Spoilers**

flashpointcover

I’ve always considered myself a Marvel guy.  In my early years I loved the colorful characters of Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc. but as I grew older, the grittier characters of the Marvel universe grabbed my attention.  Now I’m swaying in a sea of doubt.  Could it be that DC is winning me over yet again??????  Will Marvel win me back with a brilliant X-men story?????  Who knows???  Maybe a “dark horse” like, um, Dark Horse, will steal my soul?

Stay tuned, true believers and, as always, thanks for reading!

Cap Finally Gets To Shine!

Lake Charles, LA

 

There has been a ton of hype about the recently released (and very successful) Guardians of the Galaxy film. Needless to say, the film did manage to live up to the hype and showed that Marvel could take characters that are fairly unknown out of comic reading circles and make an excellent film with them. I saw it and I loved it, but the real shining star in Marvel’s cinematic releases this year has got to be Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Cap’s first film was very good, but I felt as if it (as well as the first Thor film) was rushed along and used more to lead up to the heavily anticipated The Avengers instead of giving us a decent story about the hero. In The Avengers, Cap took a backseat to the other players, with most of the action going to heavies like Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man. This time around, Cap leads the story and never lets go of that lead.

The Winter Soldier is not heavily laden in CGI or even close to as humorous as GOTG is, but it is an excellent espionage thriller with a major whodunit plot that perfectly addresses similar actions happening in our world now, a brilliant cast, and excellent direction.

The film takes a look at Cap’s world post-New York incident (The Avengers). S.H.I.E.L.D. is taking measures to not only protect the United States, but the world. When Cap finds out what S.H.I.E.L.D. is up to, he instantly questions the reasoning behind it. Soon enough, Captain Steve Rogers finds himself on the run with few clues, fewer friends, and a very nasty group of villains hot on his heels. I honestly cannot say too much more than this since revealing the enemy in this film would ruin it overall. Just know that if you haven’t seen the film in theaters (I did, but am just now getting around to my review after buying the Blu-ray), you’re in for a surprise.

Oh, and that whole Winter Soldier bit? It’s pretty important as well, as the Winter Soldier is a key member of the enemy’s arsenal, and he more than holds his own against Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, and even old Nick Fury.

Watching this film reminded me of the spy flicks and political thrillers that came out during the 70’s and 80’s. It’s fast-paced, there’s a constant threat, and the resolution leaves you with more questions (that I’m sure will be resolved throughout the other Marvel films) than answers.

The cast is solid. Chris Evans nails his role as the Captain once again, and I still can’t get over how brilliant he is in the role. There is no other Steve Rogers as far as I’m concerned. Evans is it! Scarlett Johansson does a fine job once again as Black Widow. We get to see a little bit more about her character (especially in the deleted scenes), and she brings a bit of humor to the film much like she did in “The Avengers.” Anthony Mackie introduces us to Falcon, a soldier who counsels fellow soldiers that are trying to adapt back into their former civilian lives. Falcon gets back into uniform to help the Captain when friends are far and few between. Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Nick Fury, and even though he’s put this character on multiple times, he gives us an even deeper look at Fury in brief sequences with Rogers and other characters in the film.

Sebastian Stan portrays the Winter Soldier. Fans of the comics know this character’s real identity, but for those of you unaware, I won’t reveal who he really is. Just know that his battle with Captain America becomes very personal and is intense both physically and emotionally for both of them. I hope to see more of the Winter Soldier in later films. Another brilliant castmember is the legendary Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Sadly, that’s all I can really say about him without giving away too much.

There are a lot of supporting actors and actresses that did brilliant jobs as well. Most notably, Frank Grillo, Cobie Smulders, Hayley Atwell, Emily VanCamp, and Toby Jones. There are others, but the list is much too long.

Simply put, this film is brilliant. The direction was great. The production layed off of the CGI as much as possible and used real props for most of the scenes (even many parts of the bigger action scenes). The story took the front seat while the gee-whiz factor took a step back. It’s literally a superhero film with a very real and grounded superhero.

Highly recommended.

“Weight” A Minute!

Lake Charles, LA

 

I haven’t posted anything on my weight loss struggles and victories recently, so here’s a brief update.  As of today, I’m actually gaining weight.  It’s not all muscle, either.  Ever since I returned home from Missouri back in July, I’ve been having this on again/off again relationship with my eating habits, exercise routing, and willpower.  At first I thought it was just me becoming bored with Insanity because I’ve done so many rounds, so I grabbed T25 in the hopes that a new routine would kick me back into overdrive.

Well……it hasn’t.  In fact, I’m less enthusiastic about T25 and have been debating on whether or not to start up the old Insanity routine again.  I’ve tried to integrate jogging into the picture, but haven’t been very successful due to the fact that the roads by my house are rather traffic-heavy and I don’t have time in the evening to drive down to a park.

My appetite has gone bonkers over the last couple of weeks as well.  I’m eating a lot more, working out a lot less, and have lost pretty much all desire to lose more weight despite seeing the scale creep back up on me.

So, with all of this said, I come to you, beloved reader, and ask you what do you think I should do?  Also, words of encouragement are also welcome.  I’d rather not use supplements (although I have been known to use raspberry ketones and pre-workout powder recently), but if any of you know of a decent one, I’ll give it a shot.

Thanks ahead of time for any and all comments.

Geek of the Week!!!!

Facebook, Deep South, Worldwide

My friends over at Southern Geek, a Facebook Group based primarily out of Mississippi, have started naming a Geek of the Week recently.  I’ve been a part of this group ever since I first ran into two of its founders, Rafe and Shannon White, a couple of years ago at Wizard World’s New Orleans Comic Con event.  We’ve been friends ever since and while we don’t get to physically see each other in person very often, we do get to hang out on Facebook quite a lot.

I was dubbed Geek of the Week for the week of September 1.  I’m very proud of this fact, because it not only confirms my nerdiness in the Southern Geek community, it also lets anyone who happens upon the group’s page know that all of us, whether it’s myself or any other GotW or any other member of the group, are not ashamed to admit our varying levels of geekdom, nerdiness, or the degree to which we love different television programs, comic books, films, musicians, etc.

Check the group out at https://www.facebook.com/groups/southerngeek/ and be sure to tell them that Kendall and/or DDK sent them your way.  Who knows, if you join up with us you might just become the next Geek of the Week!!

Thanks for reading this brief post folks.  I hope to have something a bit more longwinded soon.  I have a couple of topics that I’ve been throwing around lately and I’m feeling the need to write about them.  Stay tuned!

Heroes And Villains: A Hit List

Lake Charles, LA

Being a geek for the entirety of my life means that I’ve picked up quite a few favorite heroes and villains over the years.  Heck, I’ve even looked at a lot of villains as heroes and a lot of heroes as villains as I’ve gotten older.  For you, fine reader, I offer up a humble list of some of my favorite heroes and villains from science fiction, fantasy, and the pages of comic books.  This list is in no way complete and, in fact, is always changing.  A few of those listed here might move up and down my scale of adoration and others might be removed entirely tomorrow, but as of this writing, here are ten of my favorite heroes and villains in no particular order.

  • Boba Fett – Who put the “man” in “Mandalorian” you ask?  Why, Boba Fett, of course!  Yes, his well-known and very laughable exit in Return of the Jedi would have booted any average famous villain off of everyone’s heroes and villains list, but the Fett is so cool throughout the rest of his brief existence in the Star Wars films that he wills people to love him.  In fact, Boba Fett became so popular that Uncle George slapped some additional footage of him in the special editions of the original trilogy and fleshed out his backstory in the prequel trilogy.  On top of that, Boba Fett became an unstoppable force in the Expanded Universe, managing to crawl out of the Sarlacc Pit and live to be awesome another day!
  • Batman – If you don’t know who Batman is, you have been living under a rock forever.  I’m a Marvel guy for the most part, but Batman is one of just a few saving graces for DC.  Batman is the thinking man’s superhero.  He has no super powers (unless being awesome is a super power), yet he has managed to throttle that lug called Superman a few times and has made numerous enemies hide in terror while he brings the pain.  He uses his mind and his unlimited income to battle crime and, let’s face it, his Rogues Gallery features some of the greatest comic villains of all time such as The Joker, Two-Face, Clayface, and Mr. Freeze.  As Bruce Wayne, he’s a humanitarian who gives to those in need.  As Batman, he brings justice to those that deserve it!
  • Nightcrawler – There aren’t many so-black-it’s-blue furry skinned heroes out there that have three-fingered hands and a tail, but Nightcrawler is definitely the best of the lot.  In fact, he’s better than most average looking heroes as well.  How many superheroes do you know actually joined the priesthood because of their strong Catholic faith?  On top of that, how many heroes make swashbuckling look cool?  Only one as far as I know, and that dude’s name is Nightcrawler!  Kurt Wagner is a hero who doesn’t fit the typical hero mold.  He’s deeply religious but looks like a demon.  He can teleport (BAMF!) all over the place and he can be pretty mouthy when needed.  I’ve always loved Nightcrawler and I always will.  He’s my favorite Marvel character of all time.
  • Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy – Most Star Trek fans (at least those who love the original series) always seem to pick Captain Kirk or Spock as their favorite character.  Not me, though.  Nope, my favorite Trek character is, was, and always will be Dr. McCoy.  DeForest Kelley breathed life into the man that I always saw as the emotional center of TOS.  Where Spock used logic to influence Kirk’s decisions, Bones was always there to give the emotional aspect of every move Kirk made.  I saw Kirk as the truest unification of Spock and McCoy’s two sides of the coin.  He took the best logical advice from Spock and coupled that with the unbridled passion (sometimes love, sometimes anger) of McCoy to make what he believed to be the best decision.  Kirk looked to both of these men for advice, and it was always fun to see Spock and McCoy go toe-to-toe over actions that needed to take place.  On top of all of this, McCoy was straight-up funny.  I laughed more at his abuse of Spock than of any other humorous moments in the Trek’s entire run.
  • Mr. Freeze – Yes, yes, I know that most people consider the Joker to be Batman’s greatest villain and I agree with them entirely, but the story of Mr. Freeze has always amazed me.  He became a villain not to hurt others, but to get revenge against those who harmed his wife.  He’s more of a lover than a fighter when you think about it, and I believe that’s why Batman has always seemed to go a bit easier on old Freezy than he has with other villains.  The guy has a busted heart, and all he wants to do is take out his enemies and work on bringing the love of his life back into his arms.  Can you really hate a guy for that?
  • The Wolf Man – Lon Chaney, Jr. will always be one of my favorite actors.  I’m a huge fan of the old Universal Monsters, but Chaney’s Wolf Man is my most beloved monster of them all.  Cursed, longing to be freed of said curse, and terribly in love, the Wolf Man was a desperate character.  There have been multiple versions of werewolves over the years and even a remake of the classic Chaney tale in recent years yet none of them can even come close to the brilliance of Lon Chaney, Jr. as Larry Talbot, my favorite werewolf!
  • Doctor Octopus – Let’s be honest.  There aren’t very many heroes or villains out there that are a bit on the pudgy side.  Otto Octavius is one of a very small list of heroes and villains that fall into this category.  As a person who has fought with his weight over his entire life, I was naturally drawn to Doc Ock because he was about the only cool villain that I could attempt to dress up as for Halloween or comic conventions.  Doc is intelligent, evil, and has those sweet appendages of his that gives ol’ Spidey fits.  What’s not to love?
  • Beowulf – When I first read the epic tales of Beowulf, I was immediately drawn to Grendel, one of the primary villains.  This was primarily due to the fact that my sister had a school project to do in which she was asked to draw a picture of the villain despite there being no real description of him in the stories.  When she asked me to draw the character for her, I decided to read about the character and the hero on my own.  I did this as a child of around eight years of age, so it wasn’t the easiest of tasks for me, but I eventually came to love the epicness of Beowulf.  He’s one of the first great heroes that I ever loved who actually dies at the end of his story.  Of course, he’ll always live on in my mind, but knowing that this guy took out a son and mother duo in which the mother was even badder than her offspring makes him a really cool guy.  I’ve always been a fan of mythological heroes like Beowulf, and to this day I read books about the myths and legends of the Norse, the Greeks, the Romans, Native Americans, and other cultures.  Beowulf started it all for me, and if you aren’t familiar with him, check him out.
  • Captain America – Steve Rogers is one of those heroes that most folks can get behind.  Sure, he’s not the strongest, fastest, or most intelligent, but when it comes to being a leader, few men can match the skill of ol’ Cap.  He’s like the guy on the NFL squad that the commentators refer to as “the kid with a lot of heart.”  He gives it his all on every outing even if he gets his backside handed to him.  He’ll almost always need a little backup whether it comes in the form of Thor, Falcon, or Bucky, but he will not run from a fight.  Plus, he’s got a heart of gold that is matched only by the likes of Superman.  What makes him better than Superman, though, is the fact that Captain America knows that he is often not the best man in the fight.  He has to use his mind (like Batman), his heart (like Superman), and weapons (like Iron Man), but on a much smaller scale.  Ultimately, Cap believes that the good guys will win, even if he personally doesn’t survive the battle.  You’ve got to appreciate a man like that.
  • Doctor Who – Quite possibly my favorite sci-fi/fantasy hero of all time, the Doctor pre-dates Star Trek, Star Wars, and pretty much any and every hero created after the mid-1960’s.  He has changed faces, attitudes, clothes, and companions over the years and has experienced quite the renaissance since coming back to television in 2005.  It seems that most of the newer fans’ experience begins with Chris Eccleston’s Doctor and ends with the current incarnation, Peter Capaldi.  That’s all well and good, but there is SO MUCH MORE to the Doctor than the new stuff!  My personal favorite incarnation of the Doctor is Peter Davison, #5, and while I’ve been very impressed with some of the newer guys, particularly Matt Smith, Davison will always be my favorite.  I loved how his Doctor made “decisions by committee” and how he brought a certain indecisiveness and deep emotions to the character.  Of course, he could channel the smarty pantsness of the second Doctor or the grouchy tenacity of the first, but ultimately Peter Davison’s Doctor was a culmination of every Doctor before him locked in an internal struggle with a character realizing that he may not have all the answers all of the time.  Davison brought humanity to the character more than any other Doctor before or after excepting David Tennant.  That’s why I love his version of the character so much.

So, there you have it.  A list of ten of my favorite heroes and villains.  Who are your favorites?  Be sure to list them in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading!!!

Cowabunga, Dude!

The Sewers of New York

I’m old enough to remember when the Teenage Mutatnt Ninja Turtles were the newest, biggest thing on the block.  From the comic and the cartoon to the original film and the wonderful toys that came with all of the turtle power one could muster, I was a big fan of the heroes on the half shell.  I managed to get my hands on all four of the original TMNT figures (alas, but no villains, Splinter, or April O’Neil) and still have them to this day.  I’ve even let my son play with them a few times.  He thinks that they are boring (not nearly as cool as his shiny new versions of my beloved turtles), but appreciates them for what they are.

When it was announced that a new TMNT film was heading for the big screen and Michael Bay (while not directing) would be involved with the project, I was a bit scared.  Bay’s first foray into my childhood heroes with the Transformers films was terrible.  I enjoyed the first film well enough, but each film after that was wretched.  It was so bad, in fact, that I didn’t even bother with the latest one and only own the first film on DVD.  I feared that Bay and company would shred yet another memory from my youth and also set the plate for the early destruction of my son’s young memories.

Instead, director Jonathan Liebesman, producer Michael Bay, and writers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Evan Daugherty, have taken a cherished childhood memory given to us all by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, twisted the origin story a bit, and made a very good film.

Is it as good as Guardians of the Galaxy?  No, and it’s nowhere near as brilliant as Captain America:  The Winter Soldier, but it is still a very fun film that’s loadaed with action, humor, and expected Turtle silliness.

The plot focuses on struggling entertainment/puff piece reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox, who holds her own in the flick) attempting to report something worthwhile instead of her usual exercise craze bits.  She starts to snoop around and uncovers info on the Foot Clan, a crime syndicate that has all of New York in a state of fear.  On one particular investigation, she finds a vigilante fighting the Foot Clan and thwarting one of their jobs.

She attempts to get her story aired, but gets shut down by her boss, Bernadette Thompson (Whoopi Goldberg in a role that could have been forgettable but wasn’t), who believes that April might be getting a bit unhinged.  Her only real supporter in this whole ordeal is Vernon Fenwick (Will Arnett) who thinks she should leave the whole thing alone, but has so much of a crush on her that he is willing to help her…..but just a bit.

As the story rolls along, April finally runs into the Turtles, and their new backstory is revealed.  From there, it’s the TMNT gang and April trying to stop the evil Foot Clan and their leader, Shredder.  I won’t go into too much more detail, but know that there are other players in the game that are pretty obvious once they are introduced.

The story is full of fun moments.  The turtles are very funny, ranging from the sophomoric antics of Michelangelo (Noel Fisher) to the grumpy resistance of Raphael (Alan Ritchson).  There’s also a lot of action that’s usually headed up by Leonardo (Pete Ploszek as the motion capture body and Johnny Knoxville as the voice).  Heck, even the super-intelligent Donatello (Jeremy Howard) gets in a few butt-kicking moments, as well as a chance to show off his tech smarts throughout the film.

Splinter (Danny Woodburn as the motion capture body and Tony Shalhoub as the voice) also gets an excellent action sequence when he faces off against Shredder (Tohoru Masamune).

For the most part, the cast is solid.  As I already stated, Fox holds her own but does reveal a few limitations in her acting abilities in certain scenes.  The always reliable William Fichtner, who portrays Eric Sacks, does an excellent job, but editing and direction seem to stunt his work in a couple of scenes.  Minae Noji, who portrays Karai in the film, gives an excellent but limited performance.  Hopefully her character will be expanded upon in the next film.

The action sequences are nearly flawless.  There were moments in the film where I forgot that the turtles were CGI.  With Bay’s hand on the production, you know that there are plenty of explosions throughout, and TMNT does not disappoint in that aspect.  The action is quick, fun, and totally unbelievable at times.  HOWEVER, if you go into a film that features four mutated turtles that are teenaged ninjas and have a rat as their master and expect it to be believable, you’re an idiot.  Just sit back and watch the action unfurl on the screen and check your mind out for a bit.

When the lights finally came up in the theater after watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, my childhood memories were still there and just as fine as ever.  Donatello is still my favorite turtle and Leonardo is still my son’s favorite shell shocker.  I don’t hate Michael Bay any more than I did prior to this film either.  In short, TMNT is a fun film that’s suitable for almost the entire family.  The violence is pretty heavy, but it has a comical twist to it throughout the film.

I recommend checking this one out.  It’s a great summer popcorn flick.