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The Return of GEEK Magazine!

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June 19th will mark the long-awaited return of Geek Magazine to print, available on newsstands nationwide (along with a digital edition on tablets). The magazine, which produced over 30 issues in its initial run from 2006-2010, has been resurrected in the wake of the former publisher (Fusion) closing their doors after having purchased the magazine from CFQ Media several years earlier. Got it? Good. Now under the umbrella of the much bigger Source Interlink, Geek will attempt to break back into the print business with comprehensive look at geek culture from music and video games, to television and movies, to technological advancements and interviews.Among the many featured articles in the 100+ page first issue is a Spider-Man cover and an interview with its director Mark Webb.

The creative staff includes a wide array of writers from several backgrounds ranging from comedy to music to movies and television, but most importantly, I will be a regular contributor to the magazine to ensure that it keeps its ‘Geek’ cred. Booyah. Grizzly Bombed.

TV

Star Wars – The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 22 : ‘Revenge’ Review

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*FULL SPOILERS*

The Clone Wars finale wasn’t what I expected in the first half, but it was still pretty excellent. This is episode was ALL Darth Maul, and only a little bit of it being “crazy” Darth Maul. Witwer turned that character off to give us the cold and calculating Darth Maul who kept his rage in check for the most part… until his first confrontation with Obi-Wan Kenobi since the bisection he dealt out to the horned Sith Lord on Naboo.

The first half of the episode involved Savage taking his twisted, spider-legged brother Maul to see Mother Talzin on Dathomir in order to “fix” him. Not only does Talzin repair Maul’s damaged mind to help give him some focus but she also fashions him some new sturdy legs that are far superior to the rickety old spider ones he had. After appearing in about five episodes at this point, Talzin remains to be a mystery to me. She obviously wouldn’t mind seeing Dooku dead, could care less about the Jedi being killed, and she helps Ventress and the Maul/Savage siblings without either one being aware of it. So it remains to be seen just who’s side she is on. She’s obviously on her own side, but to what end is uncertain. It will be interesting to see next season what all of her plans finally culminate into.

It was very interesting to hear a couple of things that Maul had to say after his enlightenment by Mother Talzin. He stated that the Clone Wars had began without him, which makes it clear that the plan to use the clones was known to him through Sidious far in advance. Also involving Sidious was Maul’s statement that he was apprentice to the most powerful being in the galaxy once and that he had a greater destiny than the one that befell him on Naboo. That has me thinking that Maul not only has business with the Jedi, but perhaps with Dooku and Sidious as well. It makes me wonder what the future has in store for us. Possibly some sort of future confrontation between Sidious and Maul? Personally I’d like to see a clash between Maul and Dooku sometime also. I can’t wait if those things actually end up happening next season!

After Talzin departs we are treated to some mercilessness from Maul as he lands on a planet to lure Kenobi to him. I felt a little chilled as children gathered outside of their spaceship, under the impression that it was a routine supply ship and Maul calmly declared to his brother- “In a galaxy at war Savage, there is only one way to get the attention of the Jedi…. Slaughter of the innocent, mercilessly and without compromise.” After a decapitation by lightsaber ridden hologram message to the Jedi council, Obi-Wan is off to a date with destiny… and one pissed off half Sith Lord.

The four way lightsaber fight between Ventress and Obi-Wan v.s. Savage and Maul was pretty darn spectacular. It couldn’t top Dooku v.s. Ventress v.s. Savage, but to be able to see Kenobi and Maul throwdown was enough to put it damn close. I’m a huge fan of trash talk during lightsaber fights, as a Sith Lord tries to lure the Jedi into using the Dark Side. Maul tried accomplishing this by throwing Qui-Gon’s death in Obi-Wan’s face which had the Jedi more than a little angry. In the end it was curious to see how outgunned even Ventress and Obi-Wan were up against the brothers. Maybe if Obi-Wan could fight without having the tar beat out of him previously, then that might have tipped the scales in their favor.

As welcome a sight as it was seeing Obi-Wan and Ventress fighting side by side, I still don’t know how I feel about seeing Ventress as even a reluctant hero. And it’s not because this current path she is on screws up EU continuity. She has been an agent of Dooku and killer of many for far too long for me to accept her as anything more than a villain. True, they’ve done a lot with her character in this season and the last but that doesn’t mean she should be the redeemable bad guy at this point. But then again, if Anakin could be redeemed by the end of Return of the Jedi, then why not Ventress.

It was an interesting way to see the season end, with Maul and Savage being credible threats in store for season 5 and Ventress on a ship with Obi-Wan. Maul is not only anticipating Jedi coming after him and Savage, but he is actually wanting it to happen. I sense there might be more than a few Jedi deaths next season.

I knew after the first ten minutes that there wouldn’t be enough time to expand on the story as much, but the Clone Wars team did a great job with the time that they did have. I give the episode four out of five grizzlies and eagerly await the next season. Usually we get a preview of the next season via one of the comic conventions, so stay tuned!

TV

Star Wars – The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 21 : ‘Brothers’ Review

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The wait is over for the last two weeks of Clone Wars season 4 and it seems like we’ll be waiting a little longer until next week to get a little more of Darth Maul onscreen. This episode deals mainly with Savage Oppress still searching for his brother, a search that takes him to the planet of Lotho Minor. Lotho Minor was a very interesting planet, akin to the junk planet of Raxus Prime,  and it had its very own collection of hazards and residents. One character who I really couldn’t stand was one of these residents in particular who guided Savage through the wilds of Lotho Minor, a snake-like alien that reminded me unfondly of an evil Jar Jar Binks. I still cringe at the thought of him.

The reveal of Darth Maul of course was the best part of the episode. He was very dark and menacing, though more along the lines of a rabid dog than a carefully calculating Sith Lord. Maul has definitely gone through some mental wear and tear over the years and it shows through Sam Witwer’s voice acting of the character as he moves fluidly between sobs of sadness into yells of rage. His body itself is quite the mess with his upper torso being covered in dirty bandages and his legs replaced by an amalgam of metal parts to form spider legs. It appeared in the trailer as if we will get to see him next week with a little more functionality in the form of two sturdy legs instead of the nearly broken down spider body he was sporting this episode.

Other than that, there isn’t really much else to say about the episode. I’m putting all of my hope into the finale next week since this one was a bit of a letdown. Mother Talzin is clearly still alive, and Ventress isn’t out of the game yet as she is still hanging out with the bounty hunters on Tattoonie. The Jedi are also very much aware of Darth Maul’s return as Yoda very ominously warns Obi-Wan at the close of the episode. The showdown between Obi-Wan and Maul next week will no doubt be fantastic. I remember reading the Star Wars: Visionaries graphic novel short story where Obi-Wan and a half mechanical Darth Maul dueled on the sands of Tattooine and that was tension filled, even though at that point it wasn’t continuity as this portion of the Clone Wars is.

Savage Oppress – Womanizer

I give the episode a 3 out of 5 bears. I enjoyed seeing the planet of Lotho Minor and the return of Savage Oppress who is still just as brutal as ever. I mean, the guy was choking some random lady in a diner and jettisoned a guy out of the airlock of his own ship!

And Darth Maul goes without saying that I enjoyed seeing him back as a twisted shell of his former silent and stoic self. Sam Witwer is definitely bringing new life to the character with his portrayal of him. I can’t wait to see how Maul uses his rage as a weapon in the coming episode. Until next week!

TV

Star Wars – The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 20 : ‘Bounty’ Review

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At least the Clone Wars is providing us with some entertaining filler before the final two episodes of the season featuring Darth Maul. Last night’s episode ‘Bounty’ was rather excellent, featuring a new planet and a couple of species that I’ve never seen before. Not to mention the newest addition to the growing cast of bounty hunters. Not only do we get to see some of the soon to be veterans such as Bossk, Dengar and Boba Fett but also a couple of newcomers.

The episode follows Ventress after last weeks defeat and general annihilation of the Night Sisters on Dathomir by the Separatist forces of Count Dooku. It seems like Ventress is basically on a path to nowhere, perhaps letting the force lead her to her next point in life which in this episode happens to be on Tatooine where she runs afoul of Boba Fett and his motley crew of bounty hunters. After killing one of their number for the huge mistake of hitting on her, Ventress is sort of forced into joining their team for a job, even though I’m pretty sure that she could have killed them all in about ten seconds flat if she wanted to. And so begins the episode which is ultimately not linked to the storyline for next week’s episode but filled with plenty of action which was beautifully shot against the backdrop of a unique planet where all of the action takes place well below the surface.

Continue reading Star Wars – The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 20 : ‘Bounty’ Review →

Movie Trailers

Four Minute ‘John Carter’ Clip – v.s. the White Apes of Mars!

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I swear I’m not being paid to promote this movie, but seriously it is shaping up to be pretty damned awesome as is evidenced by the following clip which shows John Carter in action against some crazy looking beasts in an alien gladiatorial arena that is reminiscent of the Geonosian arena on Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (John Carter came first though):

This movie just looks better and better every time I see a new trailer or clip from it. The visual landscapes are beautiful and the CG aliens and spaceships as good as anything to come out of Star Wars and Avatar. It remains to be seen if the story and acting are up to snuff, but it looks to me from the many glimpses of the movie that it will fare just fine.

Not to mention Michael Giancchino’s score seems absolutely brilliant during the presented scene. This guy is well on his way to becoming the next John Williams who is by far my favorite composer in regards to movie soundtracks. Giancchino has been able to capture the spirit of pretty much every project he has worked on since his days as the Lost composer, none more so thus far than 2009’s Stark Trek which had one of the most invigorating soundtracks I’ve heard in almost the last ten years. I can’t wait until March 9th to see this movie!