Category: Movies

Are there things to look forward to in 2023?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Comics, Movies, Sports, Television

I want to talk about 2023. Why? Um…let’s see. It’s nice to see the back of 2022 and usher in 2023, so Happy New Year! Because we have a brand new year, filled with fear and disappointment, I thought it might be optimistic of me for a change, to discuss what I’m looking forward to this year.

This is not a New Years Resolutions List, because you know, they don’t work. No, these are special events that are happening in 2023. It could be the release of a new movie, tv show, book, sporting event, of just about anything, as long as it is happening in 2023. They are five notes that go with the list.

1.) Just because an event is on the list, does not mean I will get to experience that event in 2023. A book might be released in May, a movie might come out in December, or a tv show will be released on a streaming platform that I don’t currently subscribe to, so I may not read and watch them until 2024. Also I can’t watch every single World Cup match or sports game either; I wish.

2.) Annual events like birthdays, anniversaries, Free Comic Book Day, or annual sporting competitions are special, but they don’t count, because they happen every year.

3.) Sour Cream and Chives being banned is very hopeful, but severely unlikely, so I can’t really put it on the list.

4.) Some dates could be confusing because of time zones differences, but they are subject to change,

5.) Against popular belief, I don’t know everything. There will be information about an event that hasn’t be released yet, that I could be interested in; but if I don’t know about it, I can’t add it to the list.

Right, I’m not here to shag spiders, so let’s do this.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Sport

Cricket

  • ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: 11th February-27th February
  • New Zealand Tour of India: 18th January-1st February
  • England Tour of New Zealand: 16th February-28th February
  • Sri Lanka Tour of New Zealand: 9th March-8th April
  • New Zealand Tour of Pakistan: 13th April-7th May
  • New Zealand Tour of England: 25th August-15th September
  • ICC Men’s World Cup: 10th October-26th November

Football

  • FIFA Women’s World Cup: 20th July-20th August
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup: 24th June-16th July

Side note: The 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, have been pushed back to late 2023 to early 2024, with no confirmed dates. Thanks COVID-19 and climate change.

Rugby Union

  • 2023 Rugby World Cup: 8th September-28th October
  • I have no idea about international fixtures, other than the Six Nations and the World Cup.

Rugby League

  • I have no idea about international fixtures or tournaments.

I live in New Zealand, so these are my favourite sports. I’m very sorry.

Movies

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February)
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March)
  • John Wick: Chapter 4 (March)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May)
  • The Flash (June)
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June)
  • Oppenheimer (July)
  • The Marvels (July)
  • Blue Beetle (August)
  • Dune: Part Two (November)
  • The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (November)
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December)

And for various reasons, I’m a little nervous for this one:

  • Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June)

I’m painfully aware that out of all of these movies I want to see, only one is not a some type of sequel. Damn you Hollywood!

Television

  • The Mandalorian (March)
  • Superman & Lois (March)
  • Loki (Unknown)
  • Secret Invasion (Unknown)
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender (Unknown)
  • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Unknown)
  • Invincible (Unknown)
  • Doctor Who (Unknown)
  • Star Trek: Discovery (Unknown)
  • House of the Dragon (Unknown)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Unknown)

Wow, what a list of superheroes, fantasy and science fiction shows! I’m embarrassed now.

Music

  • I have no idea, I have to start listening to more music created after 2005.

Literature

Manga

  • Sadly, I read six different titles and they’re published sporadically; so I don’t know when they would be released in 2023.

Comics

  • Saga is back in January with #61.
  • Any Locke & Key or The Umbrella Academy mini-series.

Fiction

  • The Nature of Middle-earth (February-paperback)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – The Battle of Jedha (February)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Quest for Planet X (April))
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Cataclysm (April)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Path of Vengeance (May)
  • The Fall of Númenor (Unknown-paperback)

Non-Fiction

  • Starry Messenger : Cosmic Perspectives on Civilisation (June)
  • A Brief History of Black Holes : And why nearly everything you know about them is wrong (Present)
  • The Men Who Destroyed Africa (Unknown)

Let’s be honest, shall we? One day I will talk about Star Wars: The High Republic; I purchase too many books; but also, my to-read pile is not getting any smaller. It has grown to three piles now. Because of that, I could continue listing books, but you’re probably already bored with my ramblings anyway, so I won’t add any more.

Random

  • New Zealand General Election (Sometime in mid-late 2023)
  • More news of nuclear fusion discoveries.
  • Any new SpaceX , ESA or NASA launches.
  • New images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
  • Any new species discovered.
  • Any new Count Binface election campaigns.
  • New content from my favourite bloggers and YouTube channels.
  • UMC1 and UMC2 could be playing sport this year, so I’m looking forward to that.

The problem is that I’ll publish this blog and then realise I’ve missed something; as usual. Anyway, is there anything that you think that I’ve missed? What are you looking forward to in 2023? Please let me know.

That’s it for me. Read some banned books, walk your dog, and I’ll see you next week. Thanks for reading!

Who loves Christmas Movies?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

I want to talk about Christmas movies. Why? Over the last few weeks and with Christmas less than a week away, we seem to be drowning in Christmas movies. They’re everywhere, they’re cringey, and they’re terrible, right?

Well, that’s not 100% accurate. Apart from the fact that most Christmas movies are set in the Northern Hemisphere, with winter and snow; which to someone living in the Southern Hemisphere, means it’s not a surprise that I have a problem relating to these movies.

I mean watching an inspiring Christmas movie about people finding love and having a white Christmas, when it’s 28 °C outside my house, is quite surreal. A summer Christmas is where snowmen come to die, after all. Anyway, that topic is for a future blog. Can’t wait for that one!

Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay

Now let’s get back to today’s rant. Not all Christmas movies suck, some of them I actually like and in some cases, I actually love them.

I thought about what type of Christmas blog I could write about, and this was the best one; though I have been known to being wrong in the past. From time to time.

Below I have a list of 16 Christmas movies, that I have judged worthy enough to be here, based on three easy criteria.

1.) I needed to have seen the movie, whether on television, DVD or at the cinema.

2.) The movie must be some kind of Christmas story, or at least, the story is happening at Christmas. This is regardless of genre.

3.) I need to actually like or love the movie.

I will give you some warnings though; not all of these movies are typical traditional Christmas movies. Also this list contains two stories that have been adapted into four movies; A Christmas Carol with two movies and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! with two movies. These movies still fit within my criteria.

For the sake of simplicity, I have sorted them by order of chronological release, not by awesomeness. However, the final entry is very special to me.

I have included the title and a trailer with each entry, because…I’m a geek. Please enjoy.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

Trading Places (1983)

Die Hard (1988)

Home Alone (1990)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

(We watch this movie with UMC1 and UMC2, every Christmas Day)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Preacher’s Wife (1996)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Elf (2003)

Bad Santa (2003)

Love Actually (2003)

Black Nativity (2013)

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018)

8-Bit Christmas (2021)

Welcome to the final entry, because in my very humble opinion, this is my favourite Christmas movie. I loved it then and I still love it now. Always.

Scrooged (1988)

So that’s it. What did you think of the list? Do you agree or disagree with any entries? I do realise I haven’t seen every single Christmas movie, so did I omit your favourite Christmas movies? Please let me know.

Since next Sunday is Christmas Day, I’ll be posting a short blog then, and not on the usual Monday. My aim is to spend some extra time with UMC1 and UMC2, so the blog will be smaller. I hope you understand.

Also congratulations to Argentina on winning their third FIFA World Cup. That was a batshit crazy game! Can you imagine the amount of hangovers that country is going to have?!

Anyway, thanks for following, read a banned book, walk your dog and I’ll see you on Christmas Day.

Black Adam Movie Review: Banal and boring vs Brilliant and beautiful?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

I want to talk about Black Adam. Why? Oh this is quite easy! I saw the new movie last weekend, and I thought I would share my unbiased and unsolicited opinion, because why not? 

So let’s start at the beginning; Black Adam is the new movie released by Warner Brothers, starring Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, as the main character, Teth-Adam/Black Adam.

I’m going to establish a few things first. The movie we’re going to be talking about is not going to win any acting or writing awards, but winning set designs and special effects awards, are definitely on the table. I mean this is a movie about people with superpowers; it’s not an art house or an independent film. This film is designed to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars.

If you have no idea who or what Black Adam is, I’m not sure whether that is an advantage or disadvantage, though it depends on how you view  it. As for me I know the character, though I’m not an expert, but I do know him. My wife asked me who exactly Black Adam was, because she was unsure about seeing the film. The reason was because she was not familiar with the character and to be honest, who could blame her? Maybe me? Just kidding.

The terrible point that I’m making, is that I’ve always viewed Black Adam as a character very similar, if not running parallel to Namor from Marvel. They are both leaders of a country, both are slightly less arrogant than Batman and both have a wobbly moral compass, that is extremely brutal and dangerous.

I don’t write a lot of movie reviews, because as you can see, I’m only a few paragraphs in and I’m only just starting to talk about the movie. However more importantly, it’s rare for me to actually go to the cinema. That’s because sitting in the dark with random strangers, eating whatever food I want, while watching a movie, is something I don’t do enough of.

Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay

Anyway, let’s actually get around to discussing the movie, shall we?

Warning, major spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen the film and you don’t want to know about it, please stop reading now. No, I really mean it. If you do stop reading, you can go and read some of my other blogs, because that would be really handy, even though I don’t get paid.

Let’s start with the Sour Cream and Chives portion of the movie.

When we first meet Teth-Adam, he’s speaking in what I only assume is some type of ancient Arabic language. The next time he speaks and I could be mistaken about this, is when he is in Amon’s bedroom, where he speaks English. I thought this was kind of weird considering Teth-Adam was taken out of the world for around 5,000 years, so how did he learn to speak English? 

I know what you’re about to say. He’s got the wisdom of Solomon; though to be technically correct, Teth-Adam actually has the wisdom of Zehuti. So it is technically possible that Teth-Adam could speak a language he has never spoken before, or the fact that this language had not been invented 5,000 years ago, because of his magical abilities. It is possible, I just would have liked to have see that explained, because it just didn’t quite fit or feel right. Does that make sense to you?

And speaking of 5,000 years, I think it would have been quite fascinating for the viewer to be looking at the world through Teth-Adam’s eyes. I mean he’s over 5,000 years old. Entire civilizations would have risen and fallen, with technology, politics, medicine, philosophy, music and science would have all been developed to modern standards.

However by the end of the film, Black Adam seems to have completely adjusted to his new world. I just feel it would have been a bit of a stretch for that to happen, because he’s got 5,000 years to catch up on, so it’s going to take him a long time to adjust to this new world. Yes, I know he’s got the godly magical abilities and they could possibly help him to adjust, but I feel like the film makers could’ve had a lot of fun with it, but also being serious at the same time. Or maybe Black Adam just didn’t care enough about the world to learn about the last 5,000 years.

I think there’s another thing to consider with Black Adam; he’s a difficult character to relate to or at least like.

I mean is Black Adam the protagonist, or just another antagonist in the film? Is he the villain or the hero, or maybe he’s exactly what he’s supposed to be in the comics: an anti-hero.

The thing is, Batman is an anti-hero as well and people love him; but the character is pretty brutal. The difference with Black Adam, is that the brutality is dialled up to 11. He’s not hiding behind a mask, that’s just who he is and he does not give a damn whether you approve of his methods or not; you’re beneath his attention.

I think this is one of the things that they’re going to have to work really hard on, if they want people to care about the character or at least, care what happens to him. Or maybe they don’t need to. Maybe he’s exactly the way the film makers want him to be, sitting in the middle of a Venn diagram of good and evil.

As for the Justice Society, I would love to have seen them being fleshed out a lot more, but when you have an ensemble cast, everyone is jostling for the spotlight and it would make it extremely difficult for everyone to have their time to shine.

Having said that, I thought Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) was pretty cool. I think he was the very first superhero magician, I had ever read about. From the helmet to his costume, I thought he was awesome. I discovered Doctor Fate, before I discovered Doctor Strange, so when Fate was in full costume for the first time on screen, there was a small part of me that was yelling, “It’s about time!”

I really hope they flesh out Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) as a character, whether it’s through more movies or television shows, because I think he has left us with more questions than answers, which is a positive thing.

Ok, I want bring balance to this review, just like the Force.

I thought the special effects were amazing. I also think they did a great job of mixing practical effects with CGI. The scene where Black Adam was floating down the staircase in the apartment block, was outstanding. I could be wrong about this, but it sure looked like a practical effect!

As for Black Adam himself, I thought it was very brave that DC made this film, basing it on an anti hero/villain. What I mean is the fact that the main character is going out of his way to murder people. He’s not holding back, he’s doing what needs to be done and very similar to Namor.

Black Adam is not Superman or Captain America or Wonder Woman or Black Panther. It was very interesting to see a character like this, to use their abilities in a twisted and demented form of altruism. Some of those death scenes were funny, but some of them were very brutal and gruesome; but that’s the whole point of his character.

Another aspect of the movie I liked, was the use of geo-politics. I’ve heard this example used before and it’s the best one I can think of: One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. This example fits exactly into the Black Adam mythos. There is a scene with Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) arguing with the Justice Society.

They are claiming that Black Adam is a villain and a killer, that needs to be stopped. However to Adrianna and the citizens of Kahndaq, Black Adam is a saviour, a liberator, a hero. Who is right and who is wrong? Is it possible that the Justice Society and Adrianna can be right and wrong at the same time?

I thought it was very powerful and meaningful for Adrianna to be pointing out, that after so many years of Intergang controlling Kahndaq and the world not caring about them, it was only until Black Adam appeared, that the world gave a damn about them. I thought that was extremely important and profound; but hey, what do I know?

I could keep talking about this film, but basically it has several good and bad points, just like any other film. To be honest, I liked the film. It’s not perfect, but that’s ok with me. For a superhero movie, I was entertained and that’s one of the biggest compliment I can give.

I know there is a criticism that this movie was only made for comic book fans; but isn’t any adapted film made for old fans, as well as new fans? I mean isn’t the whole point of adapting films to bring in new audiences also? I mean imagine if there was a disclaimer that every time you wanted to see a Harry Potter film, you were only allowed to see it, if you had read the book? Imagine if going to watch a new Stephen King film, you were only allowed to see it, if you had read the book first? It doesn’t work like that and it shouldn’t.

The point of this completely disjointed review about Black Adam, is that you shouldn’t listen to me about the film and don’t listen to anyone else. If you’re curious about the film, go and see it and make your own mind up. It’s the same for any product, whether it’s a movie, TV show, book or music; don’t worry about what everyone else is saying about it, if you’re interested, go and read it or watch it or listen to it. Make your own mind up about it, because that way you’ll know.

And that’s a wrap from me! Thanks for stopping by, now go walk your dog, read some banned books, and I’ll see you next Monday.

San Diego Comic-Con 2022: Was there anything interesting?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Comics, Movies, Television

I want to talk about San Diego Comic-Con, in particular, the 2022 edition. Why? Well for starters I’ve never been. I live over 10,730 km away, so I’m practically next door, but I have yet to drag my broke arse there.

Another thing is that this year was the first one to be held in person, since the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled, because of everybody’s least favourite virus, COVID-19.

For those of you that already know about the San Diego Comic-Con, congratulations! For those of you that don’t know about it; I’m very sorry, but I’ll give you a quick summary. Don’t panic.

The San Diego Comic-Con is arguably, one of the the largest events; if not the largest, celebrating popular culture on the planet. The event is designed for creators and companies to advertise new products coming up like toys, anime, computer games, manga, books, comics, movies, tv shows and anything else; as well as being able to sell their existing products to the public.

Because of this, it attracts people from all over the world, to help celebrate everything that is pop culture. Oh, I forgot to mention the cosplayers. So many cosplayers!

I think San Diego Comic-Con is usually held over 3-4 days in July, and even though I’m thousands of kilometres away, I can still get excited. This is because of the important reveals, trailers, and announcements.

This year has been no exception, with an avalanche of information released to the public. But is any of it interesting? Being the writer of this blog; and the person to blame for anything that happens here, I’ve decided to breakdown the most interesting things I have discovered from the event.

Let’s establish a few things first:

1.) I have not read or seen, every article or trailer released from San Diego Comic-Con. There’s probably a ton of information I have missed, but I’m only one man against the odds. I can only discuss the things I have knowledge on, but also things I’m actually interested in. Any news about a Sour Cream and Chives themed computer game, will not be mentioned.

2.) Just because a product is on my list, does not mean I’ll actually get to see it or purchase it. There are so many different streaming services, I can’t subscribe to all of them; I would need a higher paying job for that. Simply, if something has landed on this list, it has my attention.

Let’s do it!

Image by Tania Van den Berghen from Pixabay

Literature

Star Wars: The High Republic

I know the High Republic is not for everybody and that some people don’t like it. Having said that, no one is perfect, and I fall in the other camp, because I enjoy this series!

I loved learning about the Phase II reveals, new characters and stories, listening to the creators, but also looking at the amazing novel and comic book covers for the series. I’m invested with this for the long haul, so I was pretty happy to learn new things about Phase II. One day soon, I’ll write a blog about the High Republic and explain it better. Anyway, we are off to a good start!

Batman/Spawn

There was news that DC and Image will be getting together for another Batman/Spawn crossover. I understand that Batman and Spawn alumni artist, Greg Capullo, will have the art duties, with Todd McFarlane as the writer.

Apparently it will be released this December, and I thought these characters would never met again, after their two 1994 meetings. I didn’t see this one coming at all. I’m not sure what to expect from this, apart from the stellar art. I’m quite interested, to be honest.

As for other comic news, um…..nope. I have to admit, nothing else that I’ve heard from Marvel, DC, Image or anybody else, released from Comic-Con actually has me interested in their upcoming comic book projects. It’s quite strange. Just Star Wars: The High Republic and Batman/Spawn. Maybe I’m getting too picky in my old age.

Movies

DCEU: Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The first film, Shazam! was cool. I mean I thought the film makers did a great job balancing Billy’s personal and superhero life. It was also refreshing to see the villain actually survive. What mischief will Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind get up to?!

It was fun, which is why I’ve been looking forward to the sequel. Bringing more mythology into the franchise with Hespera and Kalypso, will be entertaining. Will it be predictable and a bit corny with Billy’s family? Yes and yes, again, however it will be a lot of fun.

It just makes you want to stand up and shout, “SHAZAM!” Damn, I want to watch the first film again now. How good is bullet immunity?!

Black Adam

Speaking of Shazam!, how about we discuss the Big Red Cheese’s antithesis villain. I have always thought that Teth-Adam is similar to Magneto, Namor, or Ronan the Accuser; a leader or symbol to his people, which means he can and will fight alongside the heroes, as easily as against them. A classic anti-hero.

I’m nervous, but I have high hopes for this film. Having the Rock play Black Adam is a master stroke, and it will also be interesting how the Justice Society will connect with audiences. Doctor Fate was my first introduction to a superhero magician, so hopefully this film will not disappoint. How far will they push things? I have no idea.

We do need to see the Shazam!/Black Adam or Superman/Black Adam fight somewhere in the future. Pretty please? Teth-Adam is the last person on Earth that should have these powers, so let the smackdown begin!

MCU

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I liked Black Panther, because at least to me, it brought a lot of political and social issues of living in a superhuman world into the light. Plus I thought Chadwick Boseman was phenomenal as T’Challa. He’s one of the greatest characters Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, ever created together. I’ve always liked T’Challa.

So because of that, I’m nervous about the sequel for three reasons. Firstly, since the original film was such a massive success, there could be a lot pressure to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time. An example of this is Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. The sequel did not quite hit the mark.

Secondly, I feel it was a mistake not to recast T’Challa. I know they did it to honour Boseman’s memory, but I feel allowing T’Challa to exist in the MCU, would have been a better tribute. Allowing another excellent actor to step into T’Challa’s sneakers, is not something uncommon in superhero films.

And lastly, Namor. I’m always concerned when great villains are not adapted in the best way. Doctor Doom is the best example, with three films behind him, the film makers got it wrong, three times over.

Namor just like Black Adam, he is an anti-hero. His arrogance is only equal to Batman’s, so it will be interesting to see how the film makers translate this; but also for his culture. Obviously there will be some tension/conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis, just like T’Challa and Namor in the comics.

I want this film to work, which is precisely the reason why I’m interested in it. And the Dora Milaje kicking arse helps.

Phase 5 and Phase 6: The Multiverse Saga

This covers Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Blade, Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars (February 2023-November 2025).

I’m interested in all of these films, but I’ll wait to receive more information about them as the wheel turns, as the world moves on.1 I also do realise there are some MCU tv shows as well, but I’ll talk about them below.

Television shows (streaming)

Disney +

I don’t have Disney +, but if I did, I think my family wouldn’t see me for a few weeks. Without discussing the shows already on the platform, the reveals and trailers from Comic-Con include Andor, She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and I am Groot, sound quite fantastic.

These announcements are awesome and I’m interested in watching all of them…one day I guess. However, there was one reveal that was jaw dropping: Daredevil: Born Again.

I’ve seen Netflix’s Daredevil Season 1 and 2 on DVD, and that show was astounding. I loved it, but I haven’t seen the third season. I’m very impressed that Charlie Cox and the rest of the crew (I think) will be coming back.

Whether the show will be based on the famous Born Again storyline, or a play on words like Spider-Man: Homecoming, I don’t know…but Daredevil is back! I’ve always thought Daredevil was a very underrated character, so I’m stoked that he’s getting more camera time.

The Sandman

If you’re a follower of my blog, you will understand how special this show is to me. I’m actually not going to discuss it too much, other than stating that The Sandman trailer was mind blowing; but also this was the most interesting reveal/trailer/announcement to come out of San Diego Comic-Con.

Meeting the Endless will bring me a lot of happiness, but I also can’t wait for people to meet Desire, because they were woke, before woke was a concept.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

I understand the Rings of Power are getting some flak from Tolkien super fans over changes to characters, the timeline, and other things. As a Tolkien fan myself, not every fan has to agree on a product’s direction; however, I am ready for this show.

I’m not sure how much of the plot will be taken from The Silmarillion, The Fall of Númenor, The Nature of Middle-Earth or Unfinished Tales, but it looks great. I know it’s set during the Second Age of the Sun, and….I’m so excited for this.

Will we see the Silmarils? Will we see the rise of Sauron? Will we see Angband? Will we see the War of the Last Alliance? Or even better, will Morgoth have a cameo, even in a flashback or prologue? I have no idea!

There are many things that can go right or wrong with this show, but I’m choosing to be positive; I have to. I’m just stunned that the show exists at all. I love the genres of superheroes and science fiction, but throw fantasy in there also, and I’m going to be immersed in geekdom.

I’m not a subscriber to Amazon Prime, but this show is tempting me.

Can I also mention House of the Dragon? This show is one I can actually watch on my streaming platform, so I have to research the Targaryen family tree a lot more, before it starts in a few weeks. Things to do.

Ok that’s it. What reveals from San Diego Comic-Con were you interested in? Please let me know. My dog needs his belly rubbed, so look both ways before you cross the street and I’ll see you next week.

1 Anybody for some Ka?

Saying Goodbye to a Series: Are You a Quitter?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Comics, Literature, Movies, Music, Television

I want to talk about saying goodbye to a series. Why? Over the many times I have travelled around the Sun, this strange event has happened repeatedly. To understand this subject better, you won’t need Herb Powell to build a translator for you, I’ll just try to do a better job at explaining it.

You don’t have to be a geek or nerd to enjoy a series. This could be in the form of comics, novels, television shows, movies, video games, music, or just about anything that is created for people’s enjoyment and entertainment.1

Now for whatever reason, you love that series. Maybe you have grown up listening to a special artist or band, read all of the books in a saga, played all of the games in a franchise, watched every episode in a tv show, or seen every movie in a series.

Whatever it is, there is something you like watching, listening to, or reading, that…well, makes you happy; like lying in bed, listening to the rain fall on the roof, or eating some some Salt and Vinegar chips, while watching your favourite team win.

Whatever the case, you have a relationship with…and I’m doing to use the word, product, for the purposes of context. You have a relationship with that product; whether it is positive, negative and everything in between.

But here’s the problem: just like the relationships you have with other homo sapiens, every relationship has a beginning and an ending. Just the same as the relationship you have with your product.2

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The way I see it, I can think of three different ways the relationship with the product will end.

1.) The product stops creating

The band could split up; the singer retires; the monthly comic book finishes; the tv show screens the final season; the final movie in a trilogy or series is released; the makers of the video game, have discontinued the line; or the last and final book in a saga, is finally released.

It doesn’t matter what the reason is, but the product that you enjoy, will no longer be creating any new content going forward, on a regular basis. Yes, it’s possible that tv shows and movies, could have spin offs; the monthly comic book could come back as a mini-series; the band members could join or create new bands; or the author may decide to explore prequel eras of the saga; but it’s not the same, is it?

Basically what I’m saying, is that the product broke up with you. It hurts, but it’s out of your hands. There will be no new book, album, movie, tv show, or comic book; whatever story the creators of that medium were telling, that story has been told and now, it’s finished.

You also know, if it was up to you, the product and yourself would still be together. All you can do now, is listen to the songs again, reread the saga, play the games again, or binge watch the tv shows and movies; compounded by the blessing and the curse, that you know what happens.

2.) The product is high maintenance

As the stale, old, bread winner of our one income family, this reason is a no-brainer: money. ABBBA and Pink Floyd warned us about this in the 70’s, to various degrees. The loss of a job, extra bills, crossovers, multi-media projects, dwindling savings, or just the slow and steady rise of the product’s cost, could result in you declaring that the product is now, high maintenance; therefore, you can’t afford it anymore.

It sucks, because you love the product, but the product is out of your league now. You could try to figure out a way to keep it: buy less food, give up the gym, or decrease on using electricity.

However when there are children or UMCs involved, you have to admit that you’re the adult, and you need to give up the product for their sake. Bread vs the new book? Electricity vs the new video game?

You’re a parent and you’re doing the best that you can for your kids, so you quit the product to help them. Or until you can afford it again!

3.) You and the product want different things

So we have finally arrived at the most strangest and personal reason, you and your product are no longer together: you’ve lost that loving feeling.

There are so many various situations about why this happens. It can cover the product receiving a new artist, new writer, new direction, new singer, death or return of major characters, new music video, new songs, games becoming easier/harder, storylines getting repeated, bad dialogue, or maybe just the fact that you have moved on from the product.

Whatever it is, the love and the passion you once had for the product, has slowly faded away. It could have been your family’s influence, or your friends, spouse, partner, work mates, or quite honestly, it was you realising that you and the product are travelling down different roads now, and you want something else.

There is no shame in this. I think about my own life and the products that I have quit for different reasons, is probably more than Chuck Norris has executed a roundhouse kick. Wait…that’s physically impossible. You can’t beat Chuck Norris at anything, except receiving roundhouse kicks to the face.

And you’re back in the room. This may sound quite odd, but hey, a geek’s going to do, what a geek’s going to. Every time I have quit a product; whether it involves movies, novels, comics, bands, or tv shows, I feel the need to explain myself.

By this I mean writing an email or letter to the director, author, or whomever it would be, to apologise for leaving the product, and explain why I have done it. I never have though, but the desire is there.

Sometimes it’s extremely easy for me to identify, the reason(s) why I’m not interested in a product anymore, but there are times when it’s the opposite. I’ll know that I’d like to quit the product, however I’m unable to explain why.

I may start second guessing myself over the decision, but if I start doing that, I know it’s over. Throughout my life, my love of music, books, comics, movies, and tv shows has not changed, but the genres have.

My tastes in popular culture have changed, just like me. I’m definitely a work in progress, but I’m still evolving, which means the products that I spend my hard earned money on, have to reflect what makes me happy. Though my taste for Sour Cream and Chives will never, ever change. Ever.

We have now arrived at the point of the conversation where I ask you the question: Are you a quitter? What products were you interested in, but have now left behind? What caused the break up? Please let me know.

Sorry, this was a long one. As usual I have a bad idea, then it spirals out of control. Alright, thanks for reading, walk your dog, and I’ll see you next Monday.

1 Alliteration much?

2 Am I the only one that has Closing Time, by Semisonic, as an earworm now?

Happy Star Wars Day 2022

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Children, Comics, Movies, Television

I want to talk about Star Wars. Why? Hmmm….maybe because it’s Star Wars Day! The 4th of May aka May the 4th be with you, can mean different things to different people; but ultimately, it’s a day to celebrate all things Star Wars.

Slowly over time, UMC1 and UMC2 have been becoming more interested in Star Wars. They recently saw A New Hope, last week for the first time, and they now want to see all of the films. Patience, my clever padawan and youngling, patience.

Oddly enough, they like Star Wars for different reasons. UMC1 seems to be all about the different vehicles, whether they fly or drive. He wants know to about their engines, passengers, speeds, and other capabilities. UMC2 on the other hand, is all about the droids. He is nearly 4 years old, but he is hard core about droids.

Because of Star Wars Day, UMC1 and UMC2 decided to take after their artistic mother, and make some Star Wars art projects.

Utinni the Jawa by UMC2
Utinni the Jawa by UMC2

UMC2 decided to make a Jawa, named Utinni. This is because he thinks they’re the worst aliens to purchase a droid from. He also believes that Jawas are extremely funny, but he doesn’t trust them. UMC2 constantly tells random people, to never buy droids from Jawas, because they’ll have bad motivators.

Gonky the power droid by UMC1

UMC1 chose to create a power droid, called Gonky. Apparently Gonky is some sort of super power droid, because he can run at extremely fast speeds, helping to fix broken spaceships, by supplying power to them. Oh, I forgot, he can also dance.

That’s it for today. From all of the staff at Some Geek Told Me, have a Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you. Always.

Thanks for reading, wash your hands, and I’ll see you next week.

Rethinking some Children’s Pop Culture Names

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Children, Comics, Literature, Movies, Television

I want to talk about children’s names. Why? This is because selecting a child’s name is supposed to be a meaningful process, but sometimes it feels like it’s one of the most difficult things a parent can do. I thought my wife and I would get divorced, over our inability to compromise on UMC2’s name!

Both UMC1 and UMC2 have pop cultures names, but they are not mainstream names. It would only take a geek to identify their names and the meanings behind them.

Now this blog is not an original idea. My wife saw something similar on social media, about non-geeks giving children extremely cool sounding names from pop culture, but the parents not understanding the background of the names.

I liked the idea so much, that I put it to a vote to all of the staff at Some Geek Told Me, and I received 100% support for this, to create my own list.

As a parent, you could name your child after anything; like a traditional name from your family, or your favourite singer or sportsperson. Maybe it’s a name you have heard from pop culture that you quite like, but have no understanding about where it’s from.

Could you imagine yourself as a parent saying, “Luke, please wash your hands,“ or “Where are your shoes, Shuri?” That works, right?

But, what about, “Iago, please wash you hands,” or “Where are your shoes, Cruella?” Does it work now? No, no it doesn’t. Not for a child, at least. Or an adult I guess.

Below you will find some truly awesome sounding names from across pop culture. The issue is that these names will be from characters that have not made the wisest of choices. This will be because of two reasons; 1.) Characters that have very wobbly moral compasses, so they have made some very shitty decisions, or 2.) Characters that have betrayed their values, beliefs, country, family or friends, for vengeance, money, or power.

My humble apologies if there are real people with these names out there. It’s not to cause offense to anybody, I’m just trying to get some parents to rethink their choices, because you’re upsetting the geek community. And that is dangerous….just kidding, no, it’s not. We’re harmless, apart from trivia nights, where we conquer all whom stand before us. Pity the fools.

Alright, let’s do it in alphabetically order, because I can’t think of a better way!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Anakin Aoyama Atomica Baelish Barriss Belloq Bellwether Bertholdt Black Adam Briony Brutus Caliban Cersei Claudius Cruella Cypher Daenerys Davros Demona Don John Dooku Ephialtes Fredo Gambit Ghirra Gin Goneril Gothel Hamlet Hans Iago Judas Kaede Kisma Kylo Loki Lotso Macbeth Madhouse Maeglin Meleoron Melkor Miek Mondego Morgoth Namor Nedry O’Brien O’Dim Obadiah Othello Palpatine Pettigrew Pong Prosset Reiner Roose Saruman Sauron Scar Severus Sinestro Smeagol Squard Starscream Stinky Pete Tandro Terra The Master Tyrion Valeris Vegeta Vizsla Volemort Vulko Walder Waller Waternoose Zuko

If you’re thinking of selecting a name from this list for your future child, please reconsider. Seriously, please rethink it. Don’t be a hipster; just trust a geek when I say: Your child will not thank you for it, nor will the geek community. Stay away from these names, like the Bog of Eternal Stench!

Did you recognise any names on the list? Do you think I missed some out? Please let me know your thoughts.

That’s another blog down, and a whole week to think of a new topic to rant about. Thanks for reading, wash your hands, and I’ll see you next week!

Reviewing my wife’s favourite musical: Les Misérables 

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies, Music4 Comments

I want to talk about my wife. Why? Among many things that she likes, which include Lego computer games, painting, Harry Potter, and stealing blankets from her cold husband, she also likes musicals. To say she is a fan of musicals, would not do that statement any sort of justice. She is a geek in her own right, but her love of musicals takes it to another level.

Now I do need to address the misleading title for this blog post; my wife has two favourite musicals: Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. So for the sake of getting sleep this week, I’m only going to look at Les Misérables, so the Phantom will have to wait his turn.

So…musicals. I’m not like my wife, because I actually try to avoid musicals; I’m not a huge fan. I mean I did grow up watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, being screened for every public holiday in New Zealand. As I’m writing this, I’m having flashbacks of “Me Ol’ Bamboo” and “The Candyman”.

Before we can dive into Les Misérables, we need to understand why my wife loves it so much. This is her response:

The book I hate. It was too long and complicated.

The soundtrack is great, because it’s perfect for a long car trip, not that you [as in me] will sit and listen to it.

The movie [the 2012 version] was visually cool, but half of the cast couldn’t sing.

My favourite version is the 25th anniversary concert. I could watch that once a week and never get tired of it.

It makes a depressing subject, fun and I’m really good at remembering song lyrics, so it’s a challenge, so I like that aspect of it. A lot of the songs are catchy and memorable.

Image by Jonas Manske from Pixabay

With that in mind, I have never seen Les Misérables, as a live production. I knew it was based on a book, written by the ultra happy, Victor Hugo.

I remember I saw the 1998 movie version at some point, and I liked it. Javert seemed like a jerk, but I enjoyed it anyway. I also realised that they had made the film into a historical drama, but without the singing. Liam Neeson could have kicked more arse in it though.

Fast forward to early 2013, when the new film came out. My girlfriend at the time was my future wife, and she had explained her love of Les Misérables to me, so we agreed to go and see the film.

Now I had heard that this film version of Les Misérables, would not be like the 1998 film, because there would be singing, hence the whole musical aspect. I understood this, so I told myself that I could handle it. “A few songs here and there, mate, you’ll be fine“, I told myself. What an idiot.

So at the cinema, we sat down and my girlfriend was extremely excited, because she had already talked about some of her favourite songs; she was ready. As the film opened, it began with a song, while the prisoners were working. I thought that was common for a musical to open with a song, so I let it pass.

Then Russel Crowe’s Javert, started singing to Hugh Jackman’s Jean Valjean. It was at this point, that my Geek-Sense started tingling. “Why are they singing dialogue?” I asked myself. That’s really odd.

As the film progressed, I found characters singing more dialogue. A lot of dialogue. I was starting to get worried. I suddenly remembered the Billy Connolly joke about opera, with a character singing about going over a hill. I started to get anxious about what I was watching.

I leaned over to my girlfriend, and whispered in her ear, “There seems to be a lot of singing in this movie.” She turned to me, laughed, smiled, and whispered back, “That’s what the whole movie is, it’s all singing.” With that, she turned back to the screen.

I was now at the stage where I was noticing the other members of the audience. People on my left were singing. People on my right were singing. People behind and in front of me, were singing. The whole theatre was singing; whether it was softly or loudly, but they were singing.

I turned back to my girlfriend, and I finally understood. She was singing softly as well. I was surrounded by people singing their favourite songs, and I didn’t know a single word. I was watching a movie where people were singing dialogue. The singing had not stopped, nor would it. For 158 minutes, I was trapped, and it was all my fault.

After accepting my fate, I decided to try and concentrate on the film and block out the singing, which was extremely difficult. However, there was a shining moment for me. Javert confronted Valjean, where they started having a sword/wood fight.

I loved this, because I knew Crowe was going to play Jor-El in Man of Steel, and Jackman was Wolverine. So to me, Jor-El was fighting Wolverine. Because of this, I popped my claws on my left hand, and quietly said, “Snikt.”

My girlfriend saw me waving my set of claws about and quietly asked, “What are you doing?” I gently replied, “Wolverine’s fighting Superman’s Dad”, to which she just rolled her eyes and turned back to the screen.

I’m pleased to report, that I managed to survive the experience. After it had finished, my girlfriend laid out the positive and negative things about the film; apparently the plot flowed quite well, but the actors were terrible singers, in her humble opinion.

This leaves us with the question: what do I think of Les Misérables? I love history, so from that viewpoint, I loved it. It’s a great story, just a bit too much singing for me. I mean, do people really have to sing dialogue? No, no they don’t.

Anyway, my wife loves it, so I guess that’s what counts. Maybe.

If I was a faster typist, I could write more blogs per week, but I’m slower than Uncle Iroh serving and drinking tea, so sorry about that. Thanks for reading, wash your hands, and I’ll see you next week.

Four Movies That I Will Never Watch

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies2 Comments

I want to talk about movies. Why? I love movies, for a list of reasons that are longer than Dumbledore’s beard. There are movies that I would happily watch again and again, because I love them. There are other movies that I’ve seen, and that I’ve liked or hated; but ultimately, I have no desire to watch them again.

There are also movies that I haven’t seen, because I haven’t gotten around to actually watching them yet, but I will one day. They’re on my to-do-list, along with finish painting the house and find my missing Superman socks.

However, there is a small group of movies, that for different reasons, I have absolutely no desire to view them. Ever. I could go the rest of my life without watching these movies, and I’ll be ok with that.

Seriously, I never want to see them, because there is no reason why I would want to. There is a greater chance of me becoming an All Black, than viewing these four films.

Before I go on, I need to address something. I could have easily researched about these four films online, and given you a synopsis about them; but I haven’t. I thought it would be better to talk about them, from what I know through pop culture, so they may not be 100% accurate; though that’s the point.

Sweet? Awesome, let’s discuss four movies that I will never, ever watch.

Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay

The Exorcist

Where do I start for The Exorcist? From what I understand, some type of demon/devil has possessed a young girl. I understand that the girl’s face changes; there’s serious vomiting; head spinning; and maybe she walks up walls or on the ceiling? I’m not sure on the last one. I think two priests turn up to exorcise the demon/devil from the girl, which I can only guess is just utter carnage and depressing.

I realise millions of people have already seen The Exorcist, and I feel happy for them. Well done them, I just don’t need to. Damn, if I see that film, it will be a case of that I can never “unsee” it.

I love black comedies and I have seen horror movies before, I mean I’m not a total fool. I saw A Nightmare of Elm Street when I was 11, and it scared the shit out of me, so I’m not a big horror fan. I feel that watching The Exorcist would not add anything to my psyche, but only take things away. I am so afraid of that movie!

I have enough bat shit crazy stuff rolling around in my head, that I really don’t want to import any. As I’m typing this, my mind’s eye is projecting every small clip I have seen of the film on repeat. I can never see The Exorcist, it will haunt me for the rest of my days; and I’m being polite in saying that.

Dirty Dancing

It seems to me that nearly every female over 25 years of age, has seen Dirty Dancing. My wife has seen it, her friends have seen it, along with the majority of my work colleagues. As for me, I have no desire ever to see that film.

My lack of understanding of the film, reveals that the central female character is called Baby, for some reason. I have no idea why, though it could be a nickname I suppose. I do know for a fact that the line, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” comes from the film. This was pointed out to me by a work colleague, when I said I had never seen it.1

As for the plot, maybe the film is named Dirty Dancing, because Patrick Swayze’s character (I have no idea about his name), and Jennifer Grey’s Baby (I did know that), have to practice their dancing in a run down hall, with bad plumbing and mud. Or their clothes are dirty, because the town’s water supply is contaminated with racism, stupidity, or some other insane thing.

I really hope it’s not called Dirty Dancing, because of some forbidden, exotic dance moves, that other people call dirty, that Baby wants to learn; but only Patrick Swayze can teach her. Please remember, I have deliberately not researched the movie, so this is just me throwing ideas around. I’ll be so disappointed if I’m actually correct.

The main reason I have not seen Dirty Dancing, is that I’m not a fan of dance movies. Now, don’t get me wrong; I love a good romance movie. Batman Returns, Bad Boys 2, The Empire Strikes Back, and Die Hard 2, are some of my favourite classic romance movies.2

However Dirty Dancing will forever be a big, fat, no thank you, for me. I guess it just doesn’t float my boat. Dirty Dancing is probably a cinematic masterpiece, but I am very proud that I have never seen it, or have any motivation to see it.

Marley & Me/A Dog’s Purpose

Even though Marley & Me and A Dog’s Purpose are two different films, I have grouped them together for the same reason: they’re films about dogs dying. I can’t handle that.

I’ve had dogs before, and I currently have one that sleeps wherever he pleases. I love dogs, so movies featuring dead dogs, is something my tiny geek heart would not handle. If I sat down and watched either film, the end result would be that I’d cry. Seriously. I can’t simply handle stories/films/songs featuring dogs that die.

My wife has seen me cry before; when the All Blacks lose, when I stub my toe, or when I look at my bank account. These moments of sadness occur often, so she is used to them; however, in her eyes, my status of being a cool husband will be shattered, when I start crying like an anti-vaxxer with no vaccine pass, because I saw a movie featuring a dying dog.

So basically, hell no; I will not be watching Marley & Me and A Dog’s Purpose. Ever. Though this raises the question; does anybody else have a list of movies that they will never watch? I would love to know your answers!

Alright, I can hear UMC1 and UMC2 talking in their fake fart language, even though they are supposed to be asleep; so I’d better go. Stay safe, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week.

1 I thought it was some kind of parental advice from a film, explaining that you should, “Never put a baby in a corner.” I had no idea the baby, was an adult woman named Baby.

2 Sorry, I have a thing for sequels. I’m trying to seek help for it.

Three of the best underrated action films ever

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

I want to talk about action films, in particular, underrated action films. Why? Because when they are done correctly, action films are simply amazing. From the fight scenes, vehicle chases, one liners, and stunts, action films can help push movie making into new and exciting territories.

Sometimes you want to relax and watch a film, where two cars hitting each other can cause an explosion, and the laws of physics have been screwed up and thrown in the bin.

Like my previous blog post about underrated science fiction films, I would like to shine my Bat-torch on to some great underrated action films, that I love and admire. And just like before, my definition of an underrated film can cover lower box office earnings, winning little or no awards, or conflicting receptions to the film; but still be an arse kicking action film.1

And just like before, films within action franchises will not be considered, because they could fall under their own list. The films have been listed in chronological order of release, so please enjoy; because I would happily watch these films at any time.

I am also very aware, there are some other awesome underrated action films, that have not made my list. For that, I am very sorry, but there are only so many hours I am actually conscious.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

WARNING, there are spoilers, so read at your own caution.

1.) The Running Man (1987)

To start my small ode to underrated action films, I have to discuss The Running Man, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film is loosely based on a Stephen King story, that is set in the future. 2017 to be accurate.2

To explain the film, here’s the opening crawl:

By 2017, the world economy has collapsed. Food, natural resources and oil are in short supply. A police state, divided into paramilitary zones, rules with an iron hand.

Television is controlled by the state and a sadistic game show called The Running Man has become the most popular program in history.

In this game, criminals are granted pardons, if they can win. The problem is that highly trained gladiators/stalkers are released to locate and kill them. All for television ratings; it’s the OG reality show.

Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, a man that has been framed and sent into the The Running Man tv show. From there, he has to build alliances with other contestants and try to win the game, by defeating the Stalkers.

I think I saw The Running Man on television, and I blown away by the entire structure of the movie. A dystopian society, television shows building empires, the injustice and oppression, Schwarzenegger kicking all different kinds of arse, and all in the futuristic year of 2017.

The Stalkers were creative, with names like Professor Subzero, Buzzsaw, Dynamo, Fireball, and Captain Freedom. They were all experts in dealing out death, and they were the people’s champions. And that was something that has never left me: the concept of live executions, to satisfy the masses, via a television game show.

I feel the film is underrated for all of these reasons, but also because it was ahead of its time, with the whole deadly game show gimmick; but also how easy it was for a government to distract the public with death and carnage, so they wouldn’t have to think of how terrible the world had become. It reminded me of the Ancient Romans and the Colosseum.

The Running Man’s social, media, and political messages, were very apt for our 21st century, but for 1987, it was too outrageous. Not only does the film have some bombastic action and violent scenes, but it works in with the tone of the film.

For a product of its time, The Running Man is simply outstanding and underrated. Do yourself a favour and watch this film; if only for Schwarzenegger’s one liners. They will never age.

2.) Payback (1999)

Payback is a film that I didn’t think I would enjoy, but I did. Mel Gibson stars as Porter, a thief that is out for, well, payback. He was betrayed by his best friend and his wife, and left for dead, all for $70,000. Porter goes through a lot to gain his revenge, but also to get his $70,000 back.

I found Payback underrated for three main reasons: the first thing is that the protagonist, is actually a criminal. For Porter to succeed in his quest, people are going to have to be tortured or killed. For me, that concept was interesting, because you were cheering on a bad guy. You wanted a bad guy to win. Now Porter, is no angel. He’s a con man, thief and a murderer, but liking him is actually quite easy.

The second reason is the amount of money Porter is trying to get back: $70,000. I still find it funny, when each character learns that Porter is trying to track down his $70,000, they can’t believe the carnage he has caused, all for $70,000. Not $7 million, not $700,000, or even $130,000; but $70,000 and not a dollar more. Some of their reactions are priceless.

For the last reason, Payback is an action film, but for some action loving fans, it may come across a little light in that area. Yes, there are gunfights, but they are spaced out throughout the film. Because of this, people could be dismissive of the action element.

Payback did turn a profit, but inspired a lot of average reviews. Don’t let that put you off, there are some great action sequences, especially with Lucy Liu stealing every scene, she’s in. It’s a excellent film, that deserves a little more attention.

3.) Dredd (2012)

This is an odd film, because it can easily fit into the action, science fiction and comic book genres. Putting aside my love for sci-fi and comics, I consulted the staff of Some Geek Told Me, and they agreed that Dredd should be placed the action genre. Mainly because I said so.

Dredd is based on the 2000AD character, Judge Dredd, the ultimate futuristic lawman. Set in the future (somewhere around 2080-2100, I think), Mega-City One is the home to 800 million people, with crime and unemployment out of control.

Because of this, law enforcement has evolved and changed into Judges; law enforcement officers that act as judge, jury and executioner, when attending a crime. The toughest Judge of them all, is Judge Dredd. Dredd is called in to assess a rookie cadet named Anderson, whom has psychic abilities, by taking her out into the field. Dredd’s assessment of Anderson is very comprehensive, because of the shenanigans in Peach Tress, a 200-storey slum tower block.

For me, I loved Dredd for multiple reasons. The first was Karl Urban’s portrayal of Dredd was bang on, including never removing his helmet, so you don’t see his face; just like in the comics. The soundtrack, along with the incredible action sequences, give you a front row seat to the chaos. It’s truly epic in its ambition, which fits with Lena Headey’s villain, Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madrigal.

To add to the film’s tone, it was shot in 3-D, and also has some mind blowing slow motion sequences, due to…oh, yeah, spoilers!!

Sadly, there were contributing factors, which led to the film’s low box office taking. It was released with a rating of R, because of the violence, swearing and drug use in the film. This meant, people under 17 years old, could not watch the movie without parental supervision. This automatically limited the range of the audience.

Another factor was the lack of marketing for the film. Dredd passed under the radar in several countries, because of the lack awareness of the film.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, Dredd was praised by audience members and the media, through the initial release, but mainly through the DVD release, which has turned it into a cult film. There’s been discussions about a possible sequel, which I have stated before, that I hope does not happen. Instead, I want a television show, because the world of Judge Dredd, needs to be explored next week. Drokk it!

Dredd is a criminally underrated film, that you need to see.

Alright, that’s it for me. If you ever get a chance to see The Running Man, Payback, or Dredd, please take it. And just like Aang marrying Katara, it’s something you won’t regret.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week.

1 Pun, very much intended.

2 I know, who knew 2017 was going to be that interesting.