No, I haven't seen Django Unchained yet

I hope everybody enjoyed Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or whatever end-of-the-year holiday you may choose to celebrate.

We returned from a trip home from Louisiana, and on the drive back my thoughts kept drifting to when I was going to see Django Unchained.  Today was going to be the day, however my girlfriend is working and wants to see it.

I'm patiently waiting until Sunday, which is the first day we both have free to see it.

The wait, however, is horrific.  One waits years for a new Tarantino film, it's just cruel to wait a few more days.

Cinema 2012

So, I was wondering how to wrap up a year in movies.  Thankfully, editor Kees van Dijkhuizen did it for me.  He has compiled a wonderfully edited piece including all of the year's best and worst (I'm looking at you, Twilight).

"On the Road" trailer shows promise

Although I was originally extremely skeptical, I believe that "On the Road" is showing a lot of potential to be a fantastic (or at least average, which is more than I hoped for) film.

Of course, I'm quick to admit that most of my previous criticism of the film is the fact that Kristen Stewart was set to play the role of Marylou.  Of course, her often dry performances receive criticism from most fans of film.

Additionally, the novel upon which it's based is going to be quite hard to pull off on the big screen.  The prose of the novel is going to make it quite difficult.  The director, Walter Salles, has pulled it off before with "The Motorcycle Diaries," so it can be done.

I'm going to be watching.  The trailer below finally got me at least the little bit excited about the new film.

Ingress: A different type of game

A few weeks ago, I downloaded something touted as a "new" type of game to my phone.  A few days back the authorization code was finally sent.

The game is named "Ingress"and happens in the real world.  Your task as a member of one of two factions, is to capture portals appearing multiple places in your city of residence.

So far, I am barely out of training, but the appeal is in the way you need to stay mobile to play the game.  You're not going to get anywhere sitting on the couch.

I think I'll go play right now.  The dog needs a walk.

"Alien" and "Blade Runner" art by Matt Ferguson

Artist Matt Ferguson has amassed quite the collection of alternate movie posters, and the work is exquisite.  Below are a few examples from "Alien" and "Blade Runner"

Of course, I never would have seen these great works without Geek Tyrant

How things change

It's amazing how things change.  Over the past six months I left my home in Louisiana for beautiful Austin, Texas.  A new job I tried as an experiment didn't work out, which doesn't surprise me.  Also, the geek world has changed as well.

Well, sales definitely isn't for me.  I'm currently looking for another writing gig at a newspaper.  If that doesn't happen, there's something out there.

Thankfully I'm in the great city of Austin, where there are actual jobs.  That's a far cry from Louisiana which is sorely lacking in that department.

That isn't all that has changed.  The world of geekdom has forever been changed by the purchase of the Star Wars properties by Disney.  Like anything related to the franchise, there are those in support and those opposed.  As shouldn't need to be stated here, I gave up on Star Wars many years ago due to the prequels.

This may be a good thing, as we are all aware Lucas had no idea what to do with the franchise.  Sure, they had the cartoon series (which I've never watched), but his idea of making Star Wars better was to simply tweak/rape the films most of us have loved since childhood.  With Disney, at least we will get something new, and hopefully see the universe expanded upon in a positive way.

By positive, I mean not insulting the intelligence of adults while maintaining interest for the little ones.  To save the franchise (for me, at least) this has to happen.

Quick thoughts on Austin

One of the best things I've found out about Austin so far, is that people are actually passionate about things like writing, film, and music.  It isn't just listening or watching to do so.  They actually feel so strongly toward their chosen medium.  Louisiana just doesn't seem to have that.

Busy, busy, busy....

Been a few hectic weeks with a much-needed and long time coming move to Austin, Texas.

The new job is long hours and not as much fun as the newspaper business, but I'm making it through.  Expect more entries as time permits (and as I get tired of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation).

Me? A Trekkie?

I'm an avid reader, and love film.  However, long-running television shows have never been my thing.  Sure, there have been a few that were worth the time, namely Rome and Deadwood (which I still need to finish).

Of course, my love of those two shows most definitely has something to do with my love of history, which has been one of few constants throughout my entire life.  As mentioned in a previous entry, my love of the western goes back many, many years.  My first exposure was easily through the John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies that were mainstays on TBS and TNT during my childhood.  The Sergio Leone masterpiece "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" has, and will probably always remain my favorite film.

It is the perfect example of what television series lack.  Masterful execution in directing, interesting characters, the best soundtrack imaginable, and the plot featuring three admittedly shady characters chasing for a sizable sum of Confederate gold in an area one can only assume is the border between the United States and Mexico.

Also, I have never been a huge fan of science fiction.  Well, most science fiction.  As a child and teenager, I loved Star Wars.  Sadly, the man responsible for that love is also responsible for my current disdain for the series as a whole.  My beloved "holy trinity" of science fiction was ruined as I was exiting high school by the ceasing of the trinity actually consisting of three parts (and plenty of books, many of which I read).

For years, I lashed out against science fiction as a whole, as I was quite angry that an expansion of the series had so much promise, but was executed so poorly.  In order to even admit to liking Star Wars, it must always be noted that I cannot accept that those movies even exist.

At the urging of several friends, I began watching the classic British science fiction series Doctor Who around June or July of last year.  Being me watching a television show, only a few episodes were watched at first.  I wasn't that impressed.  Eventually I got through several more episodes and was hooked as I had never been hooked on a series before.  Once it was rolling, it took me two weeks to finish the first series.  It was impressive, but then this guy happened...

Never had I been consumed in a series like this.  The premise is simple.  An alien traveling through space and time in a space ship shaped like a police box.

It's so much more.  Hard to explain why, but it is.  Maybe it's his enthusiasm or seeing the best in the human race in so many situations.  Within six months the first five series had been fully consumed by myself.  That's a record.

Now, with all of my newfound time since leaving the newspaper business, I've turned my attention to a different show, which is oddly enough also science fiction.

I had caught the odd episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation during its original run, but was never really a fan.  Star Trek II-IV were a mainstay of favorite movies when I was a kid.  The episodes of the original series were always corny, but that is their appeal, in my opinion. They just really weren't my cup of tea, especially in terms of a weekly television series.

It must be my always accumulating age or something, but I'm enjoying the series.  Over the past week I'e watched maybe six or seven episodes and have loved them.  I like the mix of action and science presented in the series.

With my fickle nature, series come and go.  The Doctor is definitely a mainstay, but will Trek stick around or go the way of Star Wars?

Only time will tell.  Wish I had a Tardis so an immediate answer could be given.

Christmas will be great this year

Christmas is going to be something special this year.  Not because of some extra special present or the prospect of ham and dressing.  Instead, it will be the release of Quentin Tarantino's newest film, Django Unchained.

Tarantino makes the movies I would make if directing was my chosen profession.  For a long time, movies were consumed by myself more rapidly than air, and the genres he chooses to direct are exactly what I want to see.  This time, it seems as though we will be treated to a combination of 1970s Blaxploitation mixed with a personal favorite film style, the spaghetti western.

Recently released are high quality versions of the film's trailer, and I just don't know if I can wait for it.

The strange allure of professional wrestling

I like professional wrestling.  There, I said it.  For some reason, there is a stigma associated with actually admitting that.  I'm not some toothless redneck living in a trailer park.  I do consider myself a reasonably intelligent and well educated person, and believe most are inclined to think the same.  I do admit it isn't the most sophisticated of entertainment choices, but at least it's better than reality television.

Yes, it's "fake."  How do I know...well that comes later.

Professional wrestling has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  It has been around just as long as comic books, Star Wars, and Ghostbusters.  How can I be sure?  My favorite toys when I was a kid were my old eight-inch LJN WWF figures and G.I. Joes.

I went from there, to watching World Class Championship Wrestling and the Global Wrestling Federation out of Texas, along with the National Wrestling Alliance, which eventually became World Championship Wrestling.

I took a break from watching as my teenage years began, but picked it up years later when the upstart Extreme Championship Wrestling offered a violent, adult-oriented alternative to the completely ridiculous characters the big federations were pumping out at the time.

ECW and WCW also featured a great deal of international talent, which coupled with the emerging World Wide Web, move my interest overseas to Japan, where matches were based on athletic merit instead of story lines.

Somewhere in there, I became friends with a pro wrestler, who opened me up to the oddly addictive world behind the scenes of the wrestling organizations.

Those days sadly passed, but so much was gained from them.  I learned how to run a business, as well as began experimenting in webpage design.  It isn't a stretch to say that my journalism career started in professional wrestling, as I often wrote columns and covered events for the webpages I created.

Eventually, it was time for another break, which brings us up to the present time.

I caught the occasional show on TV, and followed Ring of Honor for a little while when it was televised on HDNet.  It was simply amazing, as they adopted the aforementioned Japanese wrestling style, which was unheard of in the United States.

However, several months ago I returned to the WWF (which is now called the WWE).  WCW and ECW were both bought out by the WWE, which left one big federation.

Do I like what I see?  Yes and no.  There are definite bright spots in the WWE, but the product itself seems a bit stale.  At some times I can watch a match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan (new main eventers) and be astounded with their talent.  Other times I see a lot of the same old thing in "bad guy management" angle.

Will I continue watching?  Who knows.  Will I offer my opinion while I do?  Absolutely.

Wallpaper: Smoking the Universe

Found on Reddit, of course.

Camping, it's amazing

Sorry, I don't have any information on who took this picture or where this amazing place is located.

Formula 1 is coming to Austin!

Formula 1 racing is coming to Austin, and I, for one, am psyched!

Of course, the form of racing hasn't really attained the proper popularity in the United States yet, which doesn't surprise me as the driver's seem to do more than simply turn left every few hundred yards.

I jest.  Surely the NASCAR drivers have a bit more going for them than simple left turns, right?  

Honestly, I know nothing about cars or car racing.  I have fond memories of watching Formula 1 while Michael Schumacher was the top paid athlete in the world and driving for Ferrari.  After a quick search, it turns out that he retired into an advisory role before taking up driving for Mercedes since 2010 (Note:  Read more about this later).  

I don't know what the allure is.  I'm not one of the typical "car guys" in that I drive one of the most economical, gas-saving car I could find.  I don't necessarily want to go fast.  Maybe it's the extreme feat of engineering each one of these cars actually is.  Just a simple F1 steering wheel contains more technology than I could handle while driving.  Knowing me, it would be that the races are something that is popular everywhere else in the world except for here.  It could be that I know nothing about the races other than the most basic of information.  

Surely tickets will hit the market for Austin's US Grand Prix soon.  I'll be waiting in line eagerly, looking to get my first taste of live racing action (that isn't on a dirt track).

The following editorial, entitled "Lasting Tribute to War Dead" originally appeared in a 1968 edition of the Los Angeles Times:

In 1868, three years after the end of the bloodiest and most traumatic conflict in the nation's history, the commander of the Grand Army of the Republic ordered that the graves of the late Union dead be suitably decorated on May 30 as a mark of remembrance for the sacrifices they had made.

Thus began the custom of Memorial Day. In time it evolved as a commemoration for the dead of all the nation's wars, and is today observed in nearly all states throughout the land.

Few holidays, secular or religious, remain static in observance. The respectful simplicity of the early Memorial days has grown into a time of speechmaking and parades, of brief paid vacations for most Americans, of an opportunity for picnicking or beach-going or whatever, punctuated at public gatherings perhaps by a single minute of silent tribute to the nation's war dead.

We note these obvious facts, removed as they are from the purpose for which this day was first proclaimed, not in any spirit of sanctimonious condemnation.

The personal grief felt by many thousands whose relatives and friends fell in time of war does not require any special day for expression. For millions of other Americans the deaths of their countrymen on foreign fields is something of an abstraction, not inviting of sustained, mournful introspection. Tacitly, we all accept this.

But a Memorial Day commemorated in the midst of a war is particularly deserving of more than pro forma observance.

The last few weeks in Vietnam have witnessed the highest death tolls for Americans since our initial involvement in the conflict began seven years ago. The President speaks somberly, and no doubt accurately, of planned accelerated efforts by the enemy to inflict further civilian and military casualties and widening damage on the allied cause, in hopes of creating political and psychological pressures that will gain at the conference table what is unattainable for him on the battlefield.

At the Paris talks, the facile predictions of foreign and domestic critics of U.S. policy, who proclaimed for so long that if only the right American concessions were made the Communists would show themselves to be reasonable fellows willing to work for an honorable compromise, have thus far proven erroneous.

Instead we are once again face to face with an obdurate opponent who has proved himself ready to sacrifice the lives of combatants and innocents alike to realize his odious goals.

We do not know how much longer the struggle in Vietnam will go on, or how it might end. All that seems predictable, if we can use the past as a guide, is that future Memorial Days will, sadly, serve to commemorate many who have yet to give up their lives in their country's service.

We would suggest that the best remembrance, the greatest tribute, we can pay those who have died in their nation's wars, and those fated to do so, is not simply to institutionalize their sacrifice on one day out of the year. Rather it is to live our own lives as citizens of this Republic, and conduct our affairs as a power in the world, according to the higher goals in whose name these sacrifices are made.

That would be tribute indeed, and surely little enough to ask.

It began with a Dalek wallpaper