Greetings, Deadly Friends!

So, some of you may have seen that Iron Man movie that came out a month or so ago.

You may have even stayed until the end credits.

You further may have known that Robert Downey, Jr. made a cameo as Tony Stark in a related film that opened this past weekend.

What am I getting at?  Wait.  What was I getting at?  Oh yeah – I saw that film last Sunday and I’m going to do a mini-review for this week’s Office of the Don.

That’s right, this week I talk to you about The Incredible Hulk.

Now, from what I’ve seen and heard, there are two classes of people – the bourgeoisie and the laissez-faire.  No, wait.  That’s not right.  Hang on, let me look it up…

 
*elevator music*

 
Okay, got it – there are those who like the Hulk film that Ang Lee made a few years ago, and those that don’t.  I, personally, liked the film for what Ang Lee tried to do despite a couple of daddy issues I had with it.  His personal take made for a decent psychiatric study into a popular comic book character.  But it wasn’t the Hulk we geeks know and love.

Now, the latest and greatest from The Transporter director Louis Leterrier?  This is the Hulk film the fans wanted.  It took elements from the Bruce Jones run in the comic (Mr. Blue), the TV series (including the theme song – well done!), and mixed it together with some top-notch talent.

Is this movie as good as Iron Man?  No.  But, it’s close.  The pacing is excellent – it’s set up almost like a combination of a Bourne Identity-style thriller and a monster movie.  All the actors gave great performances.  The only exception was Liv Tyler.  She wasn’t bad, but I preferred Jennifer Conelly’s Betty Ross.

The CGI stands out a little at first.  But by the time Hulk and Blonsky are duking it out on a college campus, the CG effects are forgotten as it pulls you into the action.

The plot seems more cohesive and put together better than in Ang Lee’s effort.  There are a couple of divergent storylines going on with a couple of different characters, but each one seems to serve the greater story, merging into the main plot before the end.

And there’s no crap involving crazy fathers and weird character amalgamations.

Then there are all the little shout-outs to the fans – the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, Stark Industries, the Stark cameo, a sequence towards the opening that seems rather familiar to anyone who has seen the show, and the theme song.  Oh, and there is not only a cameo by Lou Ferrigno (jerk), but a surprise cameo by Bill Bixby himself!  All of these are sure to make a fanboy giggle with glee.  I should know.  I tested that personally.

Again, this movie isn’t as good as that other Marvel movie that came out this year, but it’s a fun and wild ride.  If you’re looking for “Hulk Smash!”, you’re gonna get it.

Plus, that feeling I told you about in my Iron Man review?  The one where it felt like the Marvel Universe is finally coming into being and expanding?  This film is just handed us another piece of the puzzle.

And not even Mr. McGee could make me angry after watching this film.

The Don is trying to find a way to control the raging heartburn that dwells within him.

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Greetings, Starfighters!

Okay, I think I’m recovered enough to give you a full article this week. Maybe. Possibly. Ah, who knows?

What I do know is the settling in is going well, and I’m in the mood to write.

This week, I review the new Indiana Jones film – Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Now, I’ve been a huge fan of the Indy flicks since I was a kid. When I first saw Raiders, I was blown away. A throwback to the adventure, cliffhanging serials of the 1930s, Raiders of the Lost Ark perfectly captured the themes and excitement of its source material. And it also captured my attention and imagination.

I was less enthused by the darker tone of the follow-up, Temple of Doom (don’t worry, I got better), but found Last Crusade to be a fun return to what I enjoyed about the first film, despite how derivative it was.

So, how does the latest installment stack up?
I hate to say this, but it’s probably better if you don’t compare it to the other three.

I didn’t hate it. In fact, I liked it a lot. I think a friend of mine said it best: “The worst thing I have to say about it is it wasn’t bad. Unfortunately, that’s also the best thing I have to say about it.” I have to agree. What we ended up getting, in essence, feels like a mediocre Indy film. Indy deserves better than that.

Now, before I continue, I want to warn you – do not watch the first three before going to see this film. The reason for this has something to do with something Steven Spielberg said in a recent interview. He mentioned that while the first three films are an homage to the previously mentioned adventure serials from the 30’s, the new film was more of a throwback to the sci-fi and adventure B-movies of the 50’s.

That was my first mistake going in. I did a marathon earlier in the afternoon. So, when I got to the theater to watch the newest addition to the franchise, I was carrying the spirit and essence of those films with me. And for the first twenty minutes of the film, I had to adjust, pulling myself out of the old mindset and slipping myself into the new one.

There are so many things about this film that just didn’t seem to fit. For example (without spoilers), there’s a scene towards the beginning involving a nuclear testing site that I recently found out was taken straight from an early draft of Back to the Future. Once I found that out, I knew exactly why the scene didn’t fit well at all. It was written for a completely different type of character, and Indiana Jones just seemed out of place trying to get through this scene. And that’s part of the problem: there were simply a lot of scenes that just didn’t feel right in context with the rest of the movie.

But, despite the ill-fitted moments in the film, there were just as many scenes and sequences that they got completely correct. Once you get past the set-up and the action sequences commence, you get sucked in and realize that yes, you are indeed watching a new Indy flick. And during those moments you are back in the high that you loved when you saw the first one in the early 80s.

The acting is great. Harrison Ford picks his character up right where he left off and he never misses a beat. Karen Allen pulls her weight as well, and you feel the old chemistry between her and Ford when they are on screen together. Even Shia LaBeouf does good work here – he holds his own against Ford well. It’s almost a competition to see who has better on-screen chemistry with Harrison – LaBeouf or Allen. The rest of the cast isn’t too shabby either. They take the movie they were given and carry it effectively.

I’m not usually one to nitpick about this, but I did have a problem with the CGI. I expected better from Spielberg and Lucas. Okay, maybe not Lucas. I mean, really – CG gophers and monkeys? I seem to remember a time when you guys practically had the market cornered on your excellent use of real livestock. But, the creatures in Crystal Skull looked CG. That’s pretty bad if you can’t even get a gopher to look like a real gopher.

Besides, if there’s a movie series that should never resort to such blatant CGI effects, I would think it would be the Indiana Jones series. That’s always been part of its charm. It feels organic. Star Wars can have its updated CG effects. It works just fine in that genre (I know it’s debatable in the fanboy community), but part of the charm of the Indiana Jones series is that it feels like a world you can find in your own backyard… provided that your backyard looks like a jungle with temples in it or a desert littered with Egyptian ruins. (Shh. You know what I mean.)

Even the soundtrack seemed uninspired to me. I am a big fan of John Williams’ film scores. I’ve always loved his work. Even with the mediocre Star Wars prequels, the one thing that stood out was Williams’ awesome soundtrack.

But while watching the newest Indy film, I felt for the first time like there was nothing spectacular about the accompanying musical score. In every Indiana Jones film, there are always pieces and movements in the score that stick out and grab you, thrill you, and move you along with the scene it’s played over. I didn’t get any of that during Crystal Skull. And it’s a shame. Plus, I noticed that Williams reused a few pieces from his previous films. Now, I don’t have a problem with that at all. I expected “Marion’s Theme” to show up, and even smiled when he included a snippet of the “Ark Theme”. But imagine my surprise when I also hear the “Holy Grail Theme” from Last Crusade… several times throughout the movie. It’s sad when the only pieces that stand out during the film are ones you know all too well from the previous installments.

That said, I did pick up the soundtrack the next day just to see if maybe I was mistaken. Apparently, I was. The soundtrack is actually really good. But, I’ll be damned if I can remember where any of that music was in the film. Not good.

Overall, I will say that I did enjoy Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But here’s what I would compare it to – say you meet up with an old friend you haven’t seen in about 20 years. Since high school. You meet up and catch up on old times, get to know the current versions of each other a bit and even bring out some of the old jokes and anecdotes that made you both laugh. Problem is, the jokes aren’t as funny as they used to be, or at all. You realize you don’t quite know this person that you used to be close friends with anymore. You two are both different people now, and that friendship you’re both trying to rekindle is a pale shadow of what you remember. You part ways, promising to keep in touch. Admittedly, you both did have a lot of fun meeting up and it was an enjoyable experience. But, will either of you really wanna do it again?

Sadly, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull feels a lot like that. I do recommend seeing it. In fact, I plan to go back and see it again. I wanna see if it works better without the first three films tagging along with me.

Maybe I’ll find what Henry Jones Sr. found – illumination.

For The Don, it’s not the years… it’s – well yeah, actually it is the years.

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Greetings, Highlanders!

Gonna be another short installment this week. My wife and I moved into our new home over this past weekend, and now the unpacking begins. And that is going extremely slooow…

That’s why I’m glad I purchased my very own Flux Capacitor.

“What’s that?” you say? (Aren’t these made-up dialogues between us fun?) Well, let me tell you, over the past couple of years I’ve acquired the irresistible urge to buy authentic, prop replicas. It started with the Master Replicas Lightsabers (of which I own six), worked its way over to Thor’s Hammer from Marvel Comics (Mjolnir for those in the know), and has recently made its way to my newest purchase:

The Flux Capacitor.

That’s right, the device created by one Doctor Emmett L. Brown and used (and abused) repeatedly by his young friend – one Martin S. McFly.

And this sucker’s fully functional (No, this sucker’s electrical). Just 3 AAA batteries and this awesome piece of memorabilia does what it was best known for – fluxing.

And now that I have one of my very own, I intend to use it to go back in time to get all of this unpacking done…before I even started.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

….

But first I need to get me a DeLorean.

The Don is your density. No, that’s not a slip of the tongue.

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Greetings, Shubs and Zuuls!

(A free shout-out in my next article to the first person that gets that reference.)

It’s Thursday again, and time for more rumblings from The Office of the Don. This week, I will review the new Iron Man movie.

As all of you know, Iron Man is a character featured in Marvel Comics – a millionaire playboy named Tony Stark who is the head of a multi-million dollar weapons manufacturing company. After getting kidnapped and suffering a severe heart injury, Stark was forced to build an incredible suit of armor in order to keep him alive. Over time, the armor has gone through many modifications. Stark himself no longer needs the armor to keep himself alive, but continues to don the hi-tech suit to fight crime, run S.H.I.E.L.D., force people to register their secret identities with the government, and to get drunk.

Oh wait… he doesn’t do that last one anymore. But he certainly does the previous two with raucous aplomb.

So, how does the movie stack up? Let me give you some insight as to where I’m coming from first:

I was born in a small town in Connec—oops. Too far back. Let’s take you back to my first article for Spwug. As you recall, I’m a big comic book fan. Spider-Man has always been my favorite. One of the things that has always appealed to me about Spidey has been the fact that his abilities were apart of him. He is Spider-Man. At the end of the day, he can’t just remove those powers. Although he’s tried (and occasionally succeeded) many times.

Iron Man, on the other hand, gets all of his powers and abilities through his armor. I’ve never been a big fan of artificial abilities like that. When he takes off his armor, he is completely vulnerable. And usually drunk (but not any more). Add to that the fact that Iron Man has never had a really great rogues gallery like Spidey, Hulk, or any of the other mainstream Marvel superheroes, and you have a character and a title that both leave me cold.

So needless to say, I came to this movie with the feelings of one who doesn’t even care for the character.

And then the movie handed me my ass and made me carry it around while sucker-punching me repeatedly in the kidneys.

This movie was outstanding! The film’s weight is almost carried on Robert Downey Jr.’s shoulders alone. And he’s up to the task. The man exudes charm and charisma. I don’t think any one else could have done the character justice. He is able to convincingly take a character who is a total jackass and make him lovable. Then he breaks that man down through his journey into personal tragedy and builds him back up through redemption. And that act makes you love him even more. He steals every scene he’s in, and it almost seems like every other character who shares screen time with him feeds off that energy and gives off better performances themselves.

That’s not to say that the other actors are slouches. Far from it. Terrence Howard brings a fresh perspective to the character of James Rhodes. Jeff Bridges proves the man can do evil, and do it well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play an evil character like Obediah Stane, but he kills this role. And I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed Gwyneth Paltrow in anything. She really shines here as Tony’s assistant Pepper Potts.

In fact, that’s one of the things that I really liked about this movie - it didn’t fall into the standard Hollywood cliché of automatically pairing up the male and female lead in an automatic romance. This movie, in fact, bucks it intentionally. It keeps throwing the characters together in scenes where, in any other film, they would already be on their way to second base. Iron Man instead gives you the set-up, then throws the water on the flames - oftentimes to comedic effect.

Which leads me to the writing and direction. Both are top-notch. The pacing and character development are handled perfectly. A lot of film adaptations based on a comic or book series have a difficult time in their first installment just getting through the origin. Iron Man doesn’t seem to have any trouble at all. You’re kept so amused or amazed throughout the whole film that you forget that you’re even seeing an origin unfolding. And Favreau’s directing, already proven to be spectacular from films like Elf and Zathura, continues to prove he has the chops to take on such an endeavor like Iron Man. This guy has come a long way since Swingers. He has an incredible eye for visual framing, as well as a great talent for stage direction. This movie feels natural and organic, like you aren’t even watching a movie at all, but instead viewing someone’s life unfold in front of you. Well, if that life had armored heroes and giant armored villains battling all over the west coast.

Overall, Iron Man is a nice reminder that Marvel still knows what it’s doing, despite the less-than-stellar results of the past couple of movies that have come from The House of Ideas. Iron Man is a great movie that focuses on the redemption of a man. It’s also a great superhero move as well.

I want to drop one last bit of knowledge on you. This is the first movie to be made specifically by Marvel Studios. While the previous movies based on Marvel properties were in their own self-enclosed world, this is the movie that officially gives birth to the Marvel Universe on film. And you feel it, too. You can just feel that while Tony is trashing bozos in his armor, somewhere there is a man struggling to contain the gamma-irradiated beast within, or that there’s a school for gifted youngsters somewhere in New York. And be patient, my geeky friends. That’s what Marvel is aiming for. In fact, you may not have seen the last of Tony Stark this summer.

Oh, and take the “initiative” to stay until after the end credits of Iron Man. You will be rewarded.

The Don is a cool exec with a heart of papier-mâché.

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Well hello, random passers-by!

Here we are at installment number three, and so far I show no signs of slowing down or changing my gait.

*pant, huff, huff, pant*

Hang on, let me catch my breath… Okay! As promised, I’m changing this week’s segment of OotD up a bit. Nothing related to Spider-Man, no sir. This week, it’s zombies! You know, zombies? The living dead? Reanimated corpses come to devour your flesh and/or your brains?

Yeah… you know zombies. Otherwise, why would you even be here? You didn’t actually believe there would be punch and pie, did you?

So today I’m talking about zombies. And not just random zombies, mind you. Nope. This week I’m going to tell you a little tale about how I was a zombie for a day.

First, a little back story: A few years ago a friend of mine – we’ll call him Dan -and I went to our first Horrorfind horror convention in Baltimore. While we were there we watched this horror/comedy film made by an independent film company based out of Charlottesville, Virginia called Darkstone Entertainment. The film in question – Skeleton Key (no, not the one starring Kate Hudson).

Johnny Johnson of Darkstone Entertainment, minutes before his pants were slain by poisonous guppies.

I have to admit, my first reaction was “What the hell am I watching?” It was a low-budget, direct-to-video, horror film. It looked very amateurish. We sat there as we were bombarded with strange and insane imagery, and walked away thoroughly confused.

Then we found out that Johnny and his cohorts were there at the con in person. Dan was the first to approach and converse with Mr. Johnson. I followed suit, and over time began to realize just what mad geniuses these guys are. They are well aware of the kind of films they make, and make no apologies. The genius is that they have a great sense of humor about themselves, and it’s apparent in the films they make.

Over time, Dan and I have become acquaintances of Johnny and company. Every year we talk to them for awhile at their table during Horrorfind. Every year we talk bravado about how we definitely want to participate in some of their films. And every year we do the exact opposite.

Until this past Sunday.

It was Dan that made the initial jump. He’d been in contact with Johnny for awhile, much to my unawares. He had finally coordinated an opportunity to be a zombie in Darkstone Entertainment’s newest installment of the Skeleton Key series. And being the friend that he is, he brought me along for the ride…

First off, the obligatory disclaimer – I am not responsible for any blindness, madness, loss of mental facilities, or eye gouging that may occur upon viewing the pictures you are about to witness. That said, my humble apologies for what I’m about to subject you to.

One lesson to be learned when filming a movie of any sort – when the call sheet (that’s that neat piece of paper telling you what cast and crew are to report that day at what time and for how long) says you will be filming from 11 AM to 5 PM, that really means that make-up, prep and travel time will take 5 hours, while the actual filming will take all of 30 minutes. Better bring a book to read or whatever portable game system is fashionable this week. Or you could actually talk to the other poor folk who are suffering this with you. Insensitive jerk.

So there I was, knee-deep in local insurgents… oops. I mean Dan, our friend Megan, and I had arrived reasonably on time and rushed upstairs to the offices of Darkstone Entertainment.

And waited.

Even after getting shot several times, I still managed to snag that jerk’s camera.

The next several hours were spent quoting different facets of pop culture, picking the brain of the head honcho (see what I did there?), and each of us taking a turn going through the make-up process:

Mariah’s plan to fool Gargamel with giant Smurfs seemed like a foolproof plan…

The process was not quick. First, we each had to have all of our exposed areas airbrushed with a blue, water-soluble mixture. This took anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour. This, of course, depended on how naked you were. Then we had to dry, which took a couple of minutes. The results left me feeling a little blue:

Using magic to turn up the thermostat when it’s freezing does not work. Even when angry.

After the first process was complete, we were then bombarded with black highlights to give us that spooooky, zombie look.

“Why blue,” you ask? You know, that’s a good question. I have no frelling clue. I never even bothered to ask. Yeah, I’m not very good at this. I do know that it’s the color Johnny Johnson uses for all three films, so there’s that.

And there’s this:

Blue Man Group, Wyoming chapter.

After make-up was complete, and the “guts” to be used for the day’s filming had been mixed together, we were on our way to the shooting location. It was a fun shoot. The clouds above were threatening to dump upon us, but they backed off when I threatened them with threats. Our scene was shot rather quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to pack up and go home. And to wash off all that make-up that took hours to apply.

Overall, it was a fun experience. I look forward to this August, when the film premieres at the next Horrorfind convention. And I may even get another chance to get more screen time. The movie shoot runs through May, and I’ve been invited back to go through the whole experience again. I just might. I’ve been bitten by the “bug”, and now I’ve got the fever… or maybe that’s the infection.

Brains?

The Don just died in your arms tonight. Must have been something he ate.

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Oh sure, a new anime spring season is upon us…  But sometimes, it’s the nuts and bolts of the industry that’s the most interesting and rewarding part.  Just a quick entry this week to show what this blogger’s been watching lately.  Some recent, some not; but it’s always inspirational to see animators both professional & upcoming work, talk and show off their stuff.  

“Kings of Power 4 Billion %“, by Paul Robertson (Pirate Baby Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006), recently completed in January

“Altitude Adjustment“, a student film by Nick Butera at CalArts, May, 2006

“God Slayer“, by Johnathan (PersonaSama) Kim from his CalArts presentation, May 2007

Brad Bird (direction, Pixar — Ratatouille, The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) for ThinkTank.com, Jan. 2008

Glen Keane (supervising animator for Disney),  in an interview & discussion over his work on Tarzan

More to come!  See ya’ll next week!

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First, my apologies for being really behind once again. If I get some spare time, I’ll try to catch up on the posts I’ve missed. 

So, a few weeks ago, a coalition of 12 environmental groups from New Mexico suggested that a tax be levied against video game and television entertainment, (link from Kotaku) so that the tax could be used to fund outdoor education programs. These programs would be aimed at getting children out of their homes and into the parks and such. 

I, for one, am both for and against such a tax.

I’m for it, because while I love video games and television, I do believe that education of all kinds is important. Even if I’m not personally a fan of the outdoors, I do think that it’s good for children to experience it for themselves, at least somewhat.

I’m against it because of the way it targets just video games and television, and not other forms of entertainment, like sporting events and movies. I’m against it because it’s trying to blame video games and television for the waning numbers of children visiting their parks and recreational areas, as opposed to themselves.

If they are going to levy a tax on entertainment, it should be on all entertainment, not just video games. That would be fairer, and get them even more funds.

What do you think? Should we tax our entertainment? Why? Why not? What would be fair if we did?

On a happier note, with the Writer’s Guild strike ended, some of favorite shows have come back. In my case, I’d been waiting for Big Bang Theory to come back, along with Heroes (sadly postponed until the next season) and How I Met Your Mother.

What show(s) did you miss the most, if any? Did the WGA strike affect you at all?

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Here in the D.C. area, Mother Nature decided to unload last night. She’s had a lot on her mind lately and felt like we haven’t been paying attention to her. So we’ve got a mix of snow and freezing rain and everything is closed. It’s time to snuggle up on the couch and watch a flick with your loved one. Here’s a list of five good ones in no particular for romantic crappy weather day watching.

• Love Actually - What I like best about this flick is that most of the love stories are awkward and clumsy. The film never goes out of its way to idealize relationships. We get to see the messy side of love that doesn’t always end happily.
• The Holiday - Kate Winslet is absolutely brilliant in this flick. Vibrant, full of life. You can tell she had a great time with Jack Black. Cameron Diaz isn’t so bad either, but Jude Law’s end of that relationship made it all worth watching.
• Juno - When it comes out on DVD, Juno will be a perfect addition to your rainy day, rom com movie fest. Fun, quirky, post-modern coming of age story more than a typical romantic comedy, but it still leaves you feeling all warm and lovey.
• Knocked Up - A slightly vulgar and hilarious take on the rom com, this one will have you laughing you ass off.
• The 40 Year Old Virgin - As a card carrying geek, this one has a special place in my heart.  I was cringing the entire time he was packing up his Star Wars toys.  Geek tragedy!

And that should take you to about nap time.

It’s a decent enough start. What films would you add to your list of staying-in-to-snuggle-cause-the-weather-is-absolute-shite movies?

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When Hatsune Miku, the first Japanese Vocaloid2 program, was released on August 31, 2007, she was like God’s gift to Sprouting-type moe fans on YouTube and Nico Video.

With “her” easy-to-use interface and cutesy vocal stylings, users could re-imagine any song they wanted, set it to some video - or even just a still image - and voila! Instant audio/video contribution to dazzle fellow otaku. You don’t have to be able to sing (though the “I tried to sing it” genre is huge on Nico Video these days), you don’t have to have much musical talent, and you don’t have to have your own recording equipment, but you can still give the world some “new” music.

Just a quick search for 初音 (the kanji for Hatsune) on YouTube pulls up around 14,000 results for Miku-mixes of all kinds of songs, from Nanoha openings to the Kefka boss fight music (the best part is at 2:37).

Meanwhile, more machinima-minded otaku have had their toy since January 2007 - the home version of THE iDOLM@STER (yes, that’s the official spelling, and yes, it makes me sad whenever I have to write it out). With its impressively expressive cel-shaded characters, a multitude of camera options, energetic dance moves, and ultra-Sprouting costume choices (I was a big fan of the Iron Mask, but I may have been the only one), it practically begged for anyone with a good video card to make music videos with it.

And they have been at it for over a year now, producing everything from brief, soulful ballads to full-length denpa dances. If you’re of a mind to blow some time at work and want to see what the minds of otaku can do when combined with decent video capture cards, you could do worse than the 6,000-plus iDOLM@STER (god, I had to write it again) videos on the ‘Tube.

Anyone have any favorite performances from the Vocaloids or the iDOLs they want to share? I’m getting pretty bored at work these days…

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“A moment of silence, for Optimus Prime, who gave his life in 2005…”

And that was how my new year of 2008 was kicked off.  A nice social gathering and a toast at midnight, with that reminder that here we are, still at the dawn of the 21st century.  And eight years in, we’ve not (yet) been assailed by robots from a robot planet, subject to some  time-shattering horror clawing up from the Earth’s core, and STILL we’ve not had the request for flying cars or giant space elevators satisfied… (Well, we’re at least DAMN CLOSE to a modern Babel Tower. Thanks United Arab Emirates!)

Readers rejoice, for science fiction (hard or soft, whatever your fancy) is slowly but surely making a ressurgence!  We’ve had plenty of time to enjoy all that the Lord of The Rings trilogy spawned, and I’m sure all the spoilers for Harry Potter have been spoiled.  Magic and swords and fightin’ polar bears continue to be cool, but it’s about time for classic space opera revivals, dimensional super powers and the dependability of plot-holes-via-time-travel-dysfunctions. 

We have the here-and-now monster movie jangling of Cloverfield, a new Star Trek revamp in production (Sylar as Spock?!  Choice.)  The Terminator is on prime-time television (and hey, that beats a generic Bionic Woman remake!), and even next-generation games like Too Human, Starcraft II and Everyday Shooter are making headlines and whetting appetites.

Rock/Mega Man celebrated his 20th anniversary this past Christmas too – that should immediately warm the steel-plated geek’s heart!   And for the Gradius fans out there, hey another (spinoff) game can’t hurt!  Of course, there’s also the venerable Transformers on Cartoon Network… in one form or another.  Be glad though.  It’s not Master Force.

 But, again rejoice and celebrate!  2008 looks to set the pace for another glimpse into the future, be it tomorrow or 2356AD.  And something to look forward to is always, always a good thing.

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