I must first off state that alas, we will not be talking about zombies today. Maybe one day, as let's face it, the theoretical Zombie Apocalypse is a very serious issue and our responses to such event should be discussed. And thanks to so many directors, we have a lot of source material, rules and general guidelines to follow. As demonstrated in Zombieland, where I get the above quotation (obviously). But it's the reference to cardio in general that is the reason for this quotation being used as the title. For this entry is very, very tenuously touching on a form of exercise. Ish. I think.
Today, we're talking about freerunning. And why?
Felicia Day.
The geeky lady of supreme awesome, of Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and The Guild fame, tried her hand at freerunning in her video blog, The Flog. Initial verdict - Felicia Day attempting parkour is very gigglesome and cute, freerunning looks awesome, can I take it home with me? And why isn't there a place like the Tempest Freerunning Academy (where Felicia Day attempted parkour) in the UK.
Disclaimer Note: At the time of writing, I have not sufficiently trawled Google to find out if there is a similar freerunning institution in the UK. That comes later...
Anyway, back to...something of a point.
Usually I talk about some kind of historical precedent for freerunning in my life. There isn't one really. I have three major sources for it, that's about it. 1) An episode of CSI:NY involving freerunners. 2) The video game Mirror's Edge, that I watched people playing but never played myself. 3) The Bond movie Casino Royale, which featured noted freerunner and founder of parkour, Sébastien Foucan. In my lifetime though, many people have told me that I would very enjoy freerunning. And watching Felicia Day attempting it (one particularly amusing part beginning at 1:55 in the video in particular), I thought "I can do that".
And it is very, very tempting to give it a go.
Now at first I thought "You know, this could be good. Freerunning/Parkour (whichever you want to call it, I like interchangability though) is free. Free exercise. This is good." Then I thought, "Wait a sec, my Converse probably aren't the best footwear for freerunning. I might need to invest in some new trainers or something." But regardless of these tangential thoughts apparently appearing for the sake of padding this out, I'm giving freerunning some serious thought. I mean, I discovered that a friend of mine, one of the fabled Writerverse, found a roller derby league nearby. Even if there aren't freerunning groups in the area...well, screw it. Don't need a group to run and jump around the worlds. And it might make my morning walks to work a lot more interesting. Might even shave some precious minutes or seconds off the journey time. Who knows, eh?
In the spirit of random babbling and giving readers sufficient material to read for the investment of their time, I'm going to talk about a couple of tangential things - American Warships, a movie I caught the end of today and Jericho, a short-lived TV series that I have on DVD and am slowly working my way through.
American Warships. Direct-to-DVD movie, released in 2012, starring Mario Van Peebles and Carl Weathers, released by a film studio called The Asylum. I discovered that The Asylum make "mockbusters" in tandem with the release of summer blockbusters and American Warships is their response to Battleship.
Let's set the scene. Battleship stars Liam Neeson. Budget: US$209 million. American Warships had a budget of US$1 million. To say that American Warships is hilariously bad is putting it mildly. It's gods awful. The special effects are emphasis on "special". The dialogue is laughable, the acting...well, give them credit, they're doing their best with the material at hand. And let's face it. They're being awful very, very deliberately. Which makes this movie...hilariously bad but brilliant in its gods awfulness. I've not seen Battleship, but I just get the feeling I'll prefer American Warships. Just a hunch. But just to emphasise in case you do watch American Warships...IT'S FRAKKING TERRIBLE. We're clear on that? Good. On to Jericho.
I was bequeathed Jericho, the "Decisive Boxset" that has both seasons. It lasted one full, twenty-two first season, then a fan-campaign earned it a seven episode second season to resolve the cliffhanger ending and lingering storylines. So far, I've watched the first season and three episodes of season two. And I must say, I rather enjoy it. I question how much longevity it may have had, but regardless I think it's rather good. Some of the storylines/character relationships are painfully obvious, but they're executed well. And the character of Johnston Green (played by Gerald McRaney) is one hell of a badass.
I should probably mention what's about...
Jericho centres around the eponymous town in the quaint state of Kansas. The prism through which we come to know this town is Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich), the wayward son of Jericho Mayor Johnston Green (the aforementioned Gerald McRaney). Jake returns to Jericho just in time for...well, the end of America. Twenty-something nuclear devices, detonated in twenty-odd major US cities, crippling the United States overnight. The series focuses on the day-to-day struggles of the people of Jericho, while delving into the mysterious conspiracy surrounding the "September Attacks", which are shown through the very shady new guy in Jericho, Robert Hawkins (played by British actor Lennie James). It's an ensemble(ish) cast, but it's the Green family - Jake, Johnston, Johnston's wife Gail Green (Pamela Reed) and his son Eric (Kenneth Mitchell). There's a lot of internal and external intrigue, confounded by the aftermath of a nuclear strike. It's an intriguing mixture and like I say, I'm rather fond of it. So I highly recommend watching it. Also, in series two, Esai Morales (who I know mostly as Joseph Adama in Caprica) is pretty damn awesome.
And on a final note, a Song of the Mind entry. It's something very new to me. This evening new, in fact. I was listening to a song by The Pretty Reckless and encountered these guys in suggested videos. The video involves a lots of fire. I fear there's a tiny bit of Targaryen mixed in with my Stark blood...
(Song of the Mind: Fire with Fire - The Letter Black)
Showing posts with label Casino Royale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Casino Royale. Show all posts
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Frakkin' Toasters
It seems I'm going to be trying that whole "being prolific" thing with blogging. At least in the sense that for the first time since I started this blog in January I've done two posts in rather quick succession. But then again, in my last entry, I did promise my judgements on Skyfall and Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome. Since I have watched both, it's time to get on with the judging.
Of course, no blog entry would be complete without my establishing ramble about the historical context of how things came to be in my life. The James Bond movies were strangely ever-present during my childhood, perhaps because of the influence of my ownership of a Nintendo64 and my love of the timeless classic, GoldenEye. So we'll say it all kicked off for me around the mid-1990s, taking full hold around 1999 when television channel ITV went a bit James Bond happy and were showing one Bond movie a week (or maybe a day, I can't entirely remember). I pretty much religiously taped these movies, watching and absorbing useless trivia facts and favourite lines ("Don't touch that...! That's my lunch." - GoldenEye, Q to Bond). Pierce Brosnan was the definitive Bond as far as I was concerned and I think his movies will remain my favourites. That being said, I am quite enjoying the new Daniel Craig movies.
Now, just for a moment, let's have a little discourse on the major differences between all these movies. You see, in last ten years or so, movie studios have gone a bit reboot mad. On some levels, it's been brilliant - Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman movies - and on others, not so much (Superman Returns. Sorry, Brandon Routh. But we loved you in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World). But the James Bond franchise is one of those Marmite Principle things - people tend to love it or hate it. Of course there's grey area ambiguity where people neither love nor hate, but for the sake of argument and discourse it's the Marmite Principle. So in 2006, when Eon Productions where gearing up for Bond 21, they decided to reboot - take the series in a different direction. Dispose of the gadgets and make it grittier. Make Bond get his hands thoroughly dirty. And I'd say, personally, I think it worked. I enjoyed Casino Royale. I did miss Q and all the wonderful gadgets (I still do), but it seems, with Skyfall, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel on that score.
Judgement time!
I'll start with this - I really enjoyed Skyfall. It was almost grand, but still gritty - the villain, brilliantly portrayed by Javier Bardem, wasn't just some power-crazy megalomaniac, but by gods could he bring MI6 to their proverbial knees. The premise of his character, Silva, is that he's a former MI6 agent with connections to M's past. He's deranged and he wants to kill M. Naturally, 007 turns up and decides to be a snag in that little plan. What ensues is your standard fare of chaos, mayhem, one-liners and things going *BOOM*. And very awesomely so.
What's interesting about Skyfall is it's sense of the past. 2012 is the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Dr No, the first ever Bond movie. So naturally, there's a lot of cheeky references to past movies - especially the classic Aston Martin DB5. But more than that - the scriptwriters not only interwove those little references to the last fifty years of Bond movies, but they also delved into the chequered pasts of our beloved characters - James Bond himself and his boss, the ever-wonderful M. Once again, Judi Dench is on excellent form as Bond's superior. The relationship between the two characters is explored in a lot greater depth in this movie, once more linking in to the theme of the past being thrown at us throughout the entire movie.
On a happy note, the movie sees the return of Q. This time, it's the youthful Ben Whishaw taking the mantle of MI6 Quartermaster. Now let's face it - Desmond Llewellyn will forever be the definitive Q. John Cleese did a sterling job living up to the legend after Llewellyn unfortunate passing in 1999 and from what I saw in Skyfall, Ben Whishaw will be bringing his own unique charm and wit to the role. So while Skyfall does dwell a lot in the past, there's a glimmer of hope for the future - although Q quips "Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don't go in for that sort of thing anymore", I hope to see some level of plausible gadgetry being developed by Whishaw's Q Branch in future movies. He's also a bit of hacker/computer wiz and was given quite the expanded role in Skyfall compared to the role of Q in previous movies. Again, pinning one or two hopes on this young whipper-snapper.
In overall conclusion, Skyfall was a very much enjoyable movie.
Now, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome.
Loyal Colonials and Frakkin' Toasters everywhere have been champing at the bit since the demise of prequel series Caprica for the promised release of prequel series Blood and Chrome. We've been through a lot in that time. A promise of a television release downgraded to webseries and constant delays and setbacks. But finally, last night, episodes one and two were posted on YouTube! Thank you, Machinima Prime!
Watch them here: Episode 1 and Episode 2.
First off, I did enjoy the episodes. Short and sweet, but what do you expect from a webseries? And I'll be honest, I was very sceptical about Blood and Chrome. It was Luke Pasqualino, the actor chosen to play Bill Adama. For one thing - where the frak is his gruff voice? But credit to the boy I watched in Skins, he actually pulls it off!
The premise for those rooks just joining the worlds of Battlestar Galatica is thus: it's year ten of the Cylon War. Fresh out of the academy, Ensign William Adama has been assigned to Battlestar Galactica, one of the fiercist (and newest at this point) battlestars in the Colonial Fleet. Adama is a typical rook - he's cocky, eager and wants to rack up a quick kill count and few dozen medals, then return to Caprica a hero.
Of course, nothing ever happens that way. War is Hell, remember?
Adama is quickly put in his place and assigned to pilot a Raptor, not the Viper he had been hoping for. His ECO, Lieutenant Coker Fasjovik, is bitter and war-weary, coming to the end of his mandatory second tour of duty. He wants out, a concept Adama can't quite wrap his head around. I'm intrigued to see how this plays out through the series.
Now the budget isn't as big as the re-imagined 2004 series. There's a lot of CGI backgrounds, which doesn't necessarily bother me - it's the changes they've made that irk my brain a little bit. Galactica is one of my favourite ships, it's been discussed before. So when I see what they've done to the interior of my beloved Battlestar with their CGI, I'm a little confused. I can easily explain it away - by the 2004 series, Galactica's been in service for forty years. There's probably been endless updates and refits. So while it irks me, I can get over it.
There's not a huge lot to say about Blood and Chrome for the moment. So far, I like it. I might try and make it a weekly thing to keep this blog updated on my growing opinions of the series, might not. We'll see. Regardless, by the end of Blood and Chrome, I'll likely have a lot to say. I might not say it week to week, but by gods I'll be saying something eventually. For now, it's good. Carry on.
Well, that's all for today. Until next time...
(Song of the Mind: Immigrant Song (Cover) - Karen O, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross)
Of course, no blog entry would be complete without my establishing ramble about the historical context of how things came to be in my life. The James Bond movies were strangely ever-present during my childhood, perhaps because of the influence of my ownership of a Nintendo64 and my love of the timeless classic, GoldenEye. So we'll say it all kicked off for me around the mid-1990s, taking full hold around 1999 when television channel ITV went a bit James Bond happy and were showing one Bond movie a week (or maybe a day, I can't entirely remember). I pretty much religiously taped these movies, watching and absorbing useless trivia facts and favourite lines ("Don't touch that...! That's my lunch." - GoldenEye, Q to Bond). Pierce Brosnan was the definitive Bond as far as I was concerned and I think his movies will remain my favourites. That being said, I am quite enjoying the new Daniel Craig movies.
Now, just for a moment, let's have a little discourse on the major differences between all these movies. You see, in last ten years or so, movie studios have gone a bit reboot mad. On some levels, it's been brilliant - Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman movies - and on others, not so much (Superman Returns. Sorry, Brandon Routh. But we loved you in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World). But the James Bond franchise is one of those Marmite Principle things - people tend to love it or hate it. Of course there's grey area ambiguity where people neither love nor hate, but for the sake of argument and discourse it's the Marmite Principle. So in 2006, when Eon Productions where gearing up for Bond 21, they decided to reboot - take the series in a different direction. Dispose of the gadgets and make it grittier. Make Bond get his hands thoroughly dirty. And I'd say, personally, I think it worked. I enjoyed Casino Royale. I did miss Q and all the wonderful gadgets (I still do), but it seems, with Skyfall, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel on that score.
Judgement time!
I'll start with this - I really enjoyed Skyfall. It was almost grand, but still gritty - the villain, brilliantly portrayed by Javier Bardem, wasn't just some power-crazy megalomaniac, but by gods could he bring MI6 to their proverbial knees. The premise of his character, Silva, is that he's a former MI6 agent with connections to M's past. He's deranged and he wants to kill M. Naturally, 007 turns up and decides to be a snag in that little plan. What ensues is your standard fare of chaos, mayhem, one-liners and things going *BOOM*. And very awesomely so.
What's interesting about Skyfall is it's sense of the past. 2012 is the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Dr No, the first ever Bond movie. So naturally, there's a lot of cheeky references to past movies - especially the classic Aston Martin DB5. But more than that - the scriptwriters not only interwove those little references to the last fifty years of Bond movies, but they also delved into the chequered pasts of our beloved characters - James Bond himself and his boss, the ever-wonderful M. Once again, Judi Dench is on excellent form as Bond's superior. The relationship between the two characters is explored in a lot greater depth in this movie, once more linking in to the theme of the past being thrown at us throughout the entire movie.
On a happy note, the movie sees the return of Q. This time, it's the youthful Ben Whishaw taking the mantle of MI6 Quartermaster. Now let's face it - Desmond Llewellyn will forever be the definitive Q. John Cleese did a sterling job living up to the legend after Llewellyn unfortunate passing in 1999 and from what I saw in Skyfall, Ben Whishaw will be bringing his own unique charm and wit to the role. So while Skyfall does dwell a lot in the past, there's a glimmer of hope for the future - although Q quips "Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don't go in for that sort of thing anymore", I hope to see some level of plausible gadgetry being developed by Whishaw's Q Branch in future movies. He's also a bit of hacker/computer wiz and was given quite the expanded role in Skyfall compared to the role of Q in previous movies. Again, pinning one or two hopes on this young whipper-snapper.
In overall conclusion, Skyfall was a very much enjoyable movie.
Now, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome.
Loyal Colonials and Frakkin' Toasters everywhere have been champing at the bit since the demise of prequel series Caprica for the promised release of prequel series Blood and Chrome. We've been through a lot in that time. A promise of a television release downgraded to webseries and constant delays and setbacks. But finally, last night, episodes one and two were posted on YouTube! Thank you, Machinima Prime!
Watch them here: Episode 1 and Episode 2.
First off, I did enjoy the episodes. Short and sweet, but what do you expect from a webseries? And I'll be honest, I was very sceptical about Blood and Chrome. It was Luke Pasqualino, the actor chosen to play Bill Adama. For one thing - where the frak is his gruff voice? But credit to the boy I watched in Skins, he actually pulls it off!
The premise for those rooks just joining the worlds of Battlestar Galatica is thus: it's year ten of the Cylon War. Fresh out of the academy, Ensign William Adama has been assigned to Battlestar Galactica, one of the fiercist (and newest at this point) battlestars in the Colonial Fleet. Adama is a typical rook - he's cocky, eager and wants to rack up a quick kill count and few dozen medals, then return to Caprica a hero.
Of course, nothing ever happens that way. War is Hell, remember?
Adama is quickly put in his place and assigned to pilot a Raptor, not the Viper he had been hoping for. His ECO, Lieutenant Coker Fasjovik, is bitter and war-weary, coming to the end of his mandatory second tour of duty. He wants out, a concept Adama can't quite wrap his head around. I'm intrigued to see how this plays out through the series.
Now the budget isn't as big as the re-imagined 2004 series. There's a lot of CGI backgrounds, which doesn't necessarily bother me - it's the changes they've made that irk my brain a little bit. Galactica is one of my favourite ships, it's been discussed before. So when I see what they've done to the interior of my beloved Battlestar with their CGI, I'm a little confused. I can easily explain it away - by the 2004 series, Galactica's been in service for forty years. There's probably been endless updates and refits. So while it irks me, I can get over it.
There's not a huge lot to say about Blood and Chrome for the moment. So far, I like it. I might try and make it a weekly thing to keep this blog updated on my growing opinions of the series, might not. We'll see. Regardless, by the end of Blood and Chrome, I'll likely have a lot to say. I might not say it week to week, but by gods I'll be saying something eventually. For now, it's good. Carry on.
Well, that's all for today. Until next time...
(Song of the Mind: Immigrant Song (Cover) - Karen O, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross)
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