PS2: Because Your ....

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Image courtesy of http://www.vgcats.com. I didnt ask for permission, but i thought this was funny as hell!

Series Update

Been a while, but in that time, I've been a bit busy with series. Not surprisingly, I haven't bothered at all with those overtly popular ones. I mean, I've actually not gone past Prison Break Episode 3 of the second season. What I'd rather not do, is let a less popular series pass under the radar. I'm sure everyone knows Bauer is back, so I wont touch that.
What I will comment on, however is a series, which at the time of writing this, has been cancelled

Day Break

The story goes: Today Detective Brett Hopper will be accused of shooting state attorney Alberto Garza. He will offer his rock solid alibi. He will realize he's been framed. And he will run. He will get caught. Then he will wake up and start the day over again
It was a fairly nice premise for a show. Given Taye Diggs was going to star in it, I was curious how they were going to handle a story that's been done dozens of times over. There was always the danger of the show becoming tedious as a result of the same thing happening over and over again. But it was surprisingly good. Particularly the fact that he carried injuries across days (which I thought was a nice spin), and the fact that its not repetitive at all (which was a hard one to pull off)

So it was disappointing that the American public didnt take to this show & as a result was pulled. Fortunately, for the fans, the Network decided they'd go ahead and make the entire unaired episodes available online. So, while we definitely wont be seeing a season 2, we will be able to put a conclusion to the thrilling, engrossing story of a man living the same day over and over again.

Supernatural
This is a series I only started watching recently, and only cuz a gun was put to my head - and a dvd with the first 12 episodes of season 1 slotted into a dvd player. The story follows 2 brothers; Sam and Dean Winchester, as they travel across places investigating the paranormal, while searching for their missing father; a father who's hunting for the demon that killed their mother when they were children. With the first episode set to Boulevard of Broken Dreams, I was sold. I like this show for a couple of reasons;

1. When its freaky, its freaky as hell. I'm not an easy scare, but it has really great visual effects. While the blood and gore is kept to a minimum, you can at least be assured that at least you'll see one or 2 deaths. Personally, i think this is very hard to pull off, a series with genuinely scary bits.

2. The main protagonists are regular Joes. There's nothing particularly special about Sam, Dean in their battle against the supernatural. Well, not counting the fact that since the death of their mother, their father raised them to be hunters - hunters of the paranormal. But there's something very human about them walking into a house, they know is haunted, with nothing but shotguns loaded with rock-salt pellets, which they know will only repel their prey - only to have their butts whupped so bad they barely make it out alive. silly - i know, but it adds on to the thrill i mentioned earlier.

3. Its hilarious. When they're not being whupped, the brothers have some crazy-funny banter and some escapades which mostly involve them posing as priests, cops, doctors - anything it takes to gain entry into a community/family overrun by the paranormal.

My only regret is that I didnt start watching it earlier. I'm slowly finishing season 1 and starting on season 2. Currently watching.... and enjoying

Heroes

While there's not much to report about this series, be not mistaken - its the best new show since, well - a while. Ever since the old established series started dropping new seasons. The cast and story of Heroes has grown and matured into something major, setting a standard for future super-hero type shows that might ever want to make an appearance. The villain(s) are twisted and fearful, without being campy and the story-telling manages to put in a couple of interesting twists.

Smallville
Boys and girls wouldnt you know it. Smallville is fun again - well, fun if ur a fanboy(hahaha...pun? geddit? no?). Remember the Green Arrow episode I reviewed, sortof? Well, I think everything cool about this season has to be with:
1. The presence of the Green Arrow. His appearances are always super super cool.
2. Lex's fall from cool rich dude to twisted villain we all know and hate.
3. Clark's break-away from the Lana saga, which was way waaaaay overdue
4. Clark's growth from lovesick-farmboy to Hero.

In between episode 6 and episode 10, a couple of relatively non-important things happened. Fans might have noticed the brief appearance of the Martian Manhunter in one of the episodes, but other than that, nada much. Episode 10 brings back the Green Arrow - when Lois suspects her boyfriend of being more than he appears. Last night's episode 11, Justice - was the long-awaited Justice League formation. With the Green Arrow as Leader, first to make an appearance was Bart Allen himself. Mr. (Faster-than-light-run-on-water) Flash. Next up, was beefed-up fishboy, Aquaman; closely followed by an uber-upgraded Cyborg. Pure delight. Fine, the episode was light on story, but it was heavy on everything a comic geek would want. I mean it was The Justice freakin League!!!

Naruto
Ending this series recap/update, is another Anime series I found. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to download enough episodes. Only the first 5, but I'm already liking what i've seen. Anime is generally filled with sad heroes fighting for their place in the world.

It goes that twelve years ago, a powerful nine-tailed demon fox attacked the ninja village of Konohagakure, raising chaos and slaughtering many people, until the leader of the Leaf Village – the Fourth Hokage – defeated it by sacrificing his own life to seal the demon inside a newly-born child.

That child grew up to be called Naruto Uzumaki.

The Fourth Hokage was celebrated as a hero for sealing the demon fox away but he wanted Naruto to be respected in a similar light by being the containment vessel for the demon fox. The village he grew up in, however, mostly shunned Naruto; they regarded him as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood.

A decree made by the Third Hokage made it so that the other villagers were forbidden to mention the event to anyone, even to their own children. However, this did not stop them from treating Naruto like an outcast. Although their children did not specifically know why their parents treated Naruto the way they did, they learned through example to despise the boy. As a result, Naruto grew up as an orphan in a lonesome atmosphere without friends, family, or acknowledgment. As a loner, he sought acknowledgment and attention the only way he knew – through pranks and mischief.

His moment of awakening however comes, when he's tricked into stealing an important Scroll, by a renegade ninja instructor and cornered. In the chaos that ensues, he learns the dark secret of his past & that someone else cares about him, when his teacher comes to his aid and makes a grave sacrifice. In a moment of angst and desperation, he manages to perform a tremendously powerful Forbidden Technique, thus saving his sensei, and cementing his place as a ninja of great potential.

It's even more fight-packed than Full Metal Alchemist. Genuinely funny, deeply sad. So's the story of Naruto


Thats about it. There's a lot more I saw, that I wasnt excited abt enough to write. House 3; while still funny, took a rather dark turn - but is thankfully picking up the pieces. I decided to give up and drop LOST. I finally made some time to start seeing Grey's Anatomy.

Interesting TV

TV has never been this interesting, I wanna cover a couple of cool shows I've been following a while now. Naturally, I'll start with the coolest

Heroes

Ok, now this is a show to watch out for. All you superhero geeks who haven't picked this up should. Not after Episode 5. In case ur in the dark, Heroes is a series that tells the story of people who discover they have abilities that make them special. Their lives intersect LOSt-style and they're supposed at one point, to come together to save their city (or mankind?) from some great catastrophe

It has quite an assortment of characters with weird cool powers. There's the male nurse, who believes he can fly, the cheerleader with a healing-factor (wolverine-style), the japanese geek who believes he can manipulate time & space, the painter who believes he can paint the future when high... etc. the rest would be spoilers.

It had a fairly strong pilot episode. A whole lot of potential, then Episode 2 upped the ante some with an awesome cliffhanger ending. Episode 3 was mediocre at best. 4 was so pathetic, I was ready to give up on this series... Then came 5

It would appear the producers listened to criticism and delivered the perfect episode. Likewise, this shows ratings sky-rocketed after 5 making it the highest rated show this "Fall" (lol). The Japanese dude, Hiro, is clearly my favorite. And after watching the entire Full Metal Alchemist series in Japanese with subs, I have this admiration for the Japanese culture, language and expression. Anyways, I can't explain enough how wicked cool this show is & how great it could become. Watch it

Dexter

This show requires an open mind. I should tell you straight up, its not for every one. Its a dark quirky series about this guy, Dexter - a forensic blood-spatter detective by day, and a serial killer by night. Whats dark about it, is that he actually enjoys the kill. Although, the people he kills probably deserve it - homicidal maniacs who somehow escaped the long arm of the law.

Its a very well-done/acted series that doesn't take itself too seriously & Dexter himself is an likeable character with his weird fetish & all. Its done about 4 episodes at the time of writing this piece, but its looking to be a solid must-watch series.

Smallville

Lets face it, Smallville has gone to the dogs lately. I couldn't bear to sit through the last quarter of Season 5. The Clark-Lana relationship was annoying as hell & the story-lines were very sloppy. How I longed for the good old solid days of the first 2 seasons. Enter Smallville 6.

It has started off on a rather strong note. Gladly, all the questions from the previous season (which I couldn't finish) were answered in an action-packed first episode. Then came the introduction of badass billionare playboy Oliver Queen of the future Justice League. The Justice League, is sortof DC's version of Marvel's Ultimate Avengers. Of its members, Aquaman & the Flash have made an appearance in the Smallville Universe. And now, Green Arrow (Oliver Queen). The Green Arrow costume makes an appeareance in Episode 3 - at a fancy-dress ball, but he really shines in Episode 4 - when he goes all out as "The Green Arrow Bandit" going all Robin-Hood on Metropolis. The costume was very very cool, as was the deep Green Arrow voice.

Rumors are flying around on the Net that this Season is where Clark will have the chance to be part of a team. With Green Arrow, Aquaman & the Flash. I'm hooked again, Smallville. Dont let me down...

Fullmetal Alchemist

...people cannot gain Anything without Sacrificing something. You must present something of equal value in order to gain something. That... is the principle of equivalent trade in Alchemy... We believed that was the Truth of the world when we were young...

I came across this animated series a while back while looking for an anime show to watch and enjoy. Its set in an alternate world coexisting with ours where Alchemy was developed and heavily used as a science as opposed to magic.

It follows the journey of redemption for the Brothers Elric, Edward & Alphonse; who, when faced with the death of their mother as children, erred tragically & disregarded the Laws of Alchemy. This grave mistake cost Edward his left leg & Alphonse, his entire body. In a desperate effort to save his brother, Edward sacrificed his right arm to affix his brother's soul to a hulking, giant suit of armor, and thereafter had to be fitted with advanced prosthetic limbs, for his lost arm & leg. Thus their journey to seek the Philospher's Stone to recover that, which they'd lost, began

Alchemy is a science where one understands the structure of matter. Breaks it down... and then rebuilds it. If used correctly, It could turn plain lead into gold... Since its a science however, the principles of nature still apply. You can only create something of a certain mass, from something of the same mass... It is the principle of equivalent trade...

Now while all this might sound unbelievably dark, for a cartoon - I must point out, its one of the most engaging series to come out in years. For all the sacrifices to be made in equivalent trade, theirs was the greatest. The path the boys chose is fraught with deadly encounters, life lessons and political intrigue. It has deeply sad moments, counter-balanced with lots of anime style humor, and of course - loads and loads of frantic battles. This is helped by the fact that Edward & Al happen to be pretty damn powerful at alchemy. Above all, it emphasizes the bond & loyalty between the two brothers. All these components make a show truly worth watching to the end

My Cubicle a.k.a ...work sorta sux especially after too much James Blunt

Enjoy, & pump that volume up

Pink is the new... black?

The latest attempt into tapping into that largely unexplored girl-gaming demographic. Pretty colors... I wonder how it tastes, though

On a similar note - i'm starting to notice a surge in the number of iPod owners in Kampala. According to some dailies, its the latest fashion trend so everyone's treating it like one. I say, down with the oppressor. iPod? - iDont

The Geek Beat

Comic book geeks are among the most unusual and idiosyncratic subcultures currently existing in the mass-media, pop-culture candyland the world over. Our peculiar crowd is one which prides itself (like many subcultures do) on being different, atypical, and not a part of the "normal" scene. We are "outsiders," if you will, and we like it just fine that way. In fact, we're very pleased with our identity. We embrace the geek label and make it our own -- something to be proud of rather than something to be mocked.

Geeks come in all flavors and types. The common ground, however, is a stubborn pride in their hobby; even those of you who are businessmen and jocks and act apologetic when admitting to your buddies you subscribe to fifteen different comic titles, you know if someone makes a joke about the X-Men your preternatural reaction is to jump to their defense. You may stay quiet for fear of humiliating yourself, but inside your mind you are loudly protesting the loser who doesn't understand the inherent awesomeness of Professor X's mental prowess or the sheer tragedy of Rogue's inability to touch another human being. They just don't understand.

This fierce loyalty leads to many an interesting debate between comic geeks. Some of us are dedicated only to a particular or group, while others follow a label (Marvel or DC, for instance). When these fans meet and interact, they will often argue amongst themselves as to the merits and flaws of their varied interests, spiritedly defending their particular love against the equally insistent love of other geeks. But when the dust settles, there is a common respect and understanding among the community -- because even if the other guy mistakenly thinks The Hulk can whop The Thing 9 times out of 10, he still understands. He gets it. He, like you, feels the irresistible magic compelling him to read.

Perhaps as powerful as the unity felt among geeks is the simple disdain (and in some cases, visceral hatred) felt towards the casual fan. You know him, he's the guy who says "Oh yeah, I really LOVE the X-Men. They are so awesome. Iceman is totally my favorite," but when you start chatting with him you realize he doesn't even know Iceman's real name. This guy, you think to yourself, is not a real fan, a True Believer. He doesn't understand. Maybe with some effort and a lot of reading he can grow into a member of the subculture; but if he never feels that magic he'll never earn the respect of the real fans.

This feeling has created a real identity crisis for many comic book fans thanks to the recent avalanche of comic book movies. Essentially, it has caused the entire country to turn into the casual fan described above. We geeks have spent decades defending our hobby against those who dismiss comic books as childish until all of the sudden we find ourselves surrounded by a legion of people who call themselves X-Men fans, Spider-Man fans, or Hellboy fans. And these fans are really excited for the next movie to come along so they can see their beloved hero again, while the geeks among them shake their heads in sadness. These guys don't really understand comic books, right? They think Mary Jane was Spider-Man's first girlfriend. They think Rogue was a young lass who fell for an equally young Iceman. They think Wolverine was among the first X-Men and Beast didn't come along until years later. They don't KNOW, but they've co-opted our heroes and made them their own. They've turned our decades old subculture into a part of the mass-market, pop-culture candyland we are so readily used to despising.

And yet... we can't help but enjoy ourselves. The age of the comic book movie has been long awaited by fans of every type; and now that its here we are in our glory. Sure, some movies may disappoint, but hey, the Thing is on the Silver Screen smashing everything in all his glory, Nightcrawler has Bamphed in full Technicolor, Batman looks more like Batman than he ever has and even Frank Miller has seen his glorious Sin City perfectly translated into a cinematic masterpiece. It is a Comics Renaissance, and it has brought with it a powerful economic resurgence in a previously flagging market. When we bump elbows with each other while perusing the shelves of the local gaming shop we excitedly discuss the next project on the way, the next deal which is bringing another of our comics to the big screen. We agonize over whether it will be the next Elektra or the next Hellboy, we debate who should be cast for the leads, and we find ourselves thrilled with excitement and hope.

Sure, there are a few among us who like to think of themselves as "purists" and disdain every film as inaccurate and an abomination unto Jack Kirby, but for the most part we are willing to forgive some changes to canon and enjoy the films for what they are, as long as they encompass the real essence of the books. As long as when the credits roll we feel that same sense of irresistible magic calling us to the Story.

Its an interesting position the geeks are in, caught between our love of the Story and our disdain for the casual fan. It is almost irritating to have read every issue of the Fantastic Four, only to have most people think you mean Jessica Alba and Mike Chiklis when you tell them you are a Fantastic Four fan. You love Sin City starring Bruce Willis, but it hurts your soul when some Hot Topic poseur says "I hope they bring that guy back for the sequel!" You cringe when some friend watches the X-Men trailer and asks "why the heck are they bringing in that Angel guy, he just looks stupid." Ultimately you console yourself with the knowledge that while your beloved heroes have been hijacked by a fan base of pop-culture craze-seekers, it's okay because you really know what its all about, you are a true fan. Those other guys, those johnny-come-lately's, they just don't understand...

...Mark Beall (Cinematical.com)

15 Men...

Let me get this out of the way real quick. I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest this weekend, and quite frankly, it was a bit underwhelming. I rather dont like those cheap attempts at making pple interested in sequels.

...Spoilers begin here so if u havent watched it, look away...

First off, let me start with what was right about the movie.

1. Davey Jones & The Crew of the Flying Dutchman. Remember the wonder u felt the first time u realised what Barbosa's cursed crew became when they stepped into the moonlight? Well, i took a quick look round in the cinema when this badass made an appearance - the magic was still there.

2. It was bigger. Bigger is always better. When in doubt, go big. From the special effects to Elizabeth's betrayal to the number of meaningless deaths which were there to glorify the menace that was...

3. The Kraken. This beast in itself deserves special mention. The summoning of the Kraken, Captain Sparrow's bane was always a welcome event. That and ...

4. The creative sword fights. These were interesting. Reminiscent of Jackie Chan shenanegans. The fight for the Locker Key & 2-sword-3-man fight against Davey Jones crew come to mind immediately.

5. The humor stayed intact. This in itself, is self explanatory. Jack was as hilariously tipsy as ever... or is that tipsily hilarious. All the other jokes didnt fall flat either.

You'd think that all the above makes an excellent movie. well, not quite

Maybe somewhere down the line, i forgot what Pirates of the Caribbean was about. Maybe i never even got it in the first place. I always thought it was abt the return of the swash-buckler movie. Adventure on the high seas, meaningless fun and idiotic Jack Sparrow, who is, at heart, a good man. Well problem numero uno

1. Inconsistency. I felt as if there was a sort of, lack of consitency of character. Jack was actually willing to let Will Turner suffer an eternity of service with the crew of Davy Jones & keep Elizabeth for himself. He & his crew were also willing to sacrifice 100 poor souls for his one life to Davey Jones. This doesnt make sense. Jack is supposed to be a good man - and i'd think,... more loyal to Will.

2. Elizabeth's Betrayal. Maybe it was used as a plot device but this just plain sucked, literally. Sucked the fun out of the movie. She betrayed both Jack & William at the same time, when she smooshied Sparrow(hehe), chained him to the mast and left him to die. Also, her quick turnaround & remorse for what she had done was also weird

3. Deaths. I was rather alarmed at the number of people who got fed to The Kraken. I'd count close to 150 (Jack's worth 100), but really i don't think all of it was worth it. Part 1 got away with just one death, Barbosa's (... i know, i know - he didn't really die) I'd particularly warmed up to the crew of the ship that fell prey to "Elizabeth's Ghost" only to see Davey Jones' boys chop them down.

4. Inconclusive & annoying ending. Self-explanatory. I dislike being set-up to look forward to a sequel to any movie. All along, Jack is searching for the Dead Man's Chest (more importantly, its contents). For crying out loud, its even in the title, but nooo.... we never see it get used even once. Fine everyone fights abt it but comeon! Oh, & Jack dies, then someone's gonna pull some occult crap to get him back from the Underworld (read World's End)- grrrr

In short, this movie sorta reminded me of Matrix Reloaded. Morpheus and his followers spend the whole episode adhering to a prophecy, that is supposed to be fulfilled when the One enters the door - only it turns out, the Prophecy was a tool of control & they have nothing - yeah - stupid Davey Jones' heart. Oh, & i really liked Matrix Reloaded.

However The Matrix trilogy had one up on this one. IT WAS MEANT TO BE A TRILOGY IN THE FIRST PLACE. This one will only be one cuz of the money its pulled in...

In short(...again), i liked it, but it could've been better. Kudos to the first one.

[Update] The trailer for The Last King of Scotland is up at Apple.com. check it out here

The race for sleekest & sexiest portable media player alive is a tight one. Many times i wonder how long the Sony PSP is going to stay on top, when devices like this keep dropping. This baby here is the QCOX device from Curon. Its a Windows CE 5.0-based device sporting a 4.3-inch screen, 30GB HDD, DMB tuner and TV out. Apparently it has a snazzy Flash-based UI to keep up appearances. :-)

And whats that cool-looking thingy to the side? Oh, thats just there to sit & look pretty - a mode switching wheel to "choose different functionalities" whatever that means.

[Update] Finally got the pic to show. Some bit of html trickery