Orphan Black Season Two Kicks Off With A Few Bangs…

Posted on April 19, 2014 by geelw

Thanks to a hectic week, I’d allllmost forgotten about this, but a little bird (well, four or five little birds) reminded me that tonight I get to glue myself to the couch for an hour and wonder how Tatiana Maslany does it. You should glue yourself to something as well, as this show hooks you in from the opening moments and keeps you there until the credits zip by too quickly and you want MORE. yeah, it’s that good. If you still haven’t seen Season One yet, no worries. Just watch this episode and then go on a binge over the next week so you’re all caught up by next Saturday. Oh, let me be “mean” and spoil things for last season OR pique your interest for this one: Hey, don’t blame me – blame the Beeb A for posting that full episode! I only do what I’m told, heh. Most of the time…

Godzilla “Nature Has An Order” TV Spot: Or: If It’s Bigger Than You, RUN!

Posted on April 18, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, you’ve probably figured that out as well, but just in case you have yet to for some strange reason, there it is in plain English. Some of you will no doubt want to stop and take a selfie or something stupid like that before you make with the light jogging stuff, but I say go right on ahead. No one will miss you that much once you’re stomped flat other than the people who are used to you jamming a camera at them to snap away or being a photo-bombing pest they’re actually sad to see gone because they never got any work done when you were snapping away. Anyway, May 16, 2014 at a theater near you. Bring a hardhat (just in case) and maybe a first aid kit (just in case).

I’ve Got The Power (Back)! Or: Be Careful What You Wish For…

Posted on April 17, 2014 by geelw

Ha and double ha. So, my replacement laptop power supply arrived this afternoon and works fine (it’s not OEM, but it’s getting the job done), but I’m now faced with the hi-larious dilemma of catching up to a ton of stuff I haven’t been able to do until now. My brain and overstuffed inbox just let me know what’s in store for me:

(thanks, davstern1500!)

Ouch. Let’s see now… I’ve a bunch of games to download, some articles to complete a digital stack of email to answer and a few other things that have my head spinning a bit. Oh well, no use complaining about it – there’s work to do so let’s get to it. Er, you might want to stay back a few feet… this could get messy.

Bundle Stars’ Toxic Bundle Will Eat Away At Your Free Time For A Mere Five Bucks…

Posted on April 17, 2014 by geelw

Well, now. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is worth the five bucks alone, but this ten-game Steam bundle is packed with a bunch of other great titles to keep you glued to that mouse and keyboard for ages. Classics are part of the deal (The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour, Desperados 2 and Shadowman) as are some newer to not so newer indie titles (Xotic, Darkout, Runespell Overture, Tribloos 2 and Heroes of Annihilated Empires). Even better, if you happen to be a fan of all things S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Bundle Stars has the two other games in the series for a mere five bucks each, so you can pick up digital versions of Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat for only five bucks each. Grab those two and that bundle for 15 dollars and even if you ONLY go on a massive S.T.A.L.K.E.R. binge, you’ll still be making out really well. I say give the rest of those game a shot at some point, as there are some true gems here from days gone by. This deal only lasts 20 days, so grab it while you can!

2K Games @ PAX East: Borderlands And More Borderlands And Stuff…

Posted on April 16, 2014 by geelw

I did not go to PAX East this year, but here’s a tiny sliver of what I missed. I’m not keen on conventions these days because I prefer being a fan who just PLAYS the games, not one who goes all out and dresses up like a favorite character or does anything else that keeps me away from a controller for too long. Granted, I admire ANYONE who has the guts to squeeze themselves into a costume that’s either hand made, cobbled together from what’s in the closet or store bought. I’m just way too busy poking around in assorted game worlds looking at stuff and admiring the hard work that goes into making them to get busy behind a sewing machine or makeup mirror. As for fan art? I’ve done my share and then some over the decades, but these days I’m more of an idea guy than anything else.

Slow, Sleepy Sunday Soars…

Posted on April 13, 2014 by geelw

So, I saw The Wind Rises today and it’s quite a magnificent sendoff for Hayao Miyazaki (if this is indeed his final film), although it’s not quite a film for kids unless you want to be studying aviation history and a few other things afterward. It’s absolutely gorgeous to look at and while the grand dream sequences and a stunning interpretation of the massive 1923 Kanto earthquake here are amazing blends of that wonderful Studio Ghibli hand-drawn and CG animation, the film’s intentionally slow pace means some viewers might find themselves drifting off when the film is making it’s points. For a biographical film (animated or not) both the subject and subject matter call for post viewing brain expanding because unless you’re an aviation nut who knows names, places and anime faces really well, some parts of the film may seem hard to follow until you can place dates to some of the important events shown.

This isn’t a review at all, though. It’s a recommendation if you’re wanting to hit the theater near you, this is playing and your curious as to whether it’s worth the price of a ticket. The short and easy answer is a resounding yes. Okay, back to being bored as hell by Mad Men. Man, this show needs to end or hopefully get better. I missed it, but after such a damn long delay, I find I don’t care about it all that much now…

Tech Review: Color Cables

Posted on April 12, 2014 by geelw

Welcome to the easiest review I’ve ever done: Color Cables are AWESOME (The End!). Okay, there’s a bit more to write about, but the direct and simple nature of this cool, colorful luminous charge and sync cable makes this one a no-brainer replacement for any OEM charge cables thanks to a few fine features. Available in seven colors with 30-Pin, Lightning and Micro USB options with two length choices (3 or 6 feet, $15 and $20 respectively), Your iOS, Android or Windows phone or device gets a superior cable that’s well worth the price point.

As the cables are flat and extremely well made, they don’t tangle up while in your bag of choice and solid connections on both ends mean you’re not likely to see any splitting or fraying form general wear. The cool factor comes from the distinctive luminosity on display and yes, it’s pretty nifty to let your cable sit in the sun or under a light for a bit during the day and have them giving of that soft glow in the evening or night. If you grew up with stars on your walls and ceiling or had some toys that gave off that familiar greenish color, you’ll get a grin going every time you use your cable.

Sure, there are similar colored cables out there for less that don’t have that funky glow thing going for them, but the smarter of you out there know you get what you pay for and often “cheap” refers to both price and quality. Color Cables are a nicer (and still affordable) solution that take care of a few problems as well as making for a great gift for that phone or device user you know who wants something to stand out from the crowd when they need a recharge at home or away.

– Greg Wilcox

How Come No One Told Me There’s a Gauntlet Remake On The Way?

Posted on April 11, 2014 by geelw

Well, thanks to whomever is handling PR for WB Games these days, grrr! Anyway, the fine folks at Arrowhead Game Studios (makers of the fun Magika games) are busy bee-ing it as they whip up this digital only (and so far, PC only, boo) solo, co-op and online Gauntlet reboot that actually looks as if it will a as fun as the 1985 arcade classic. Sure, this update gets a bit squishy with the blood effects, but that classic top-down viewpoint, simple but challenging gameplay and loads of loot to grab are all intact and that’s a good thing. This one’s coming this summer via Steam (I’d bet it’s one of their big summer game releases) and I hope it does well so Arrowhead can get to porting it to consoles, as there’s no reason this shouldn’t be on anything that can run it. In other words, I’d LOVE to see a Vita and Wii U version at some point down the road…

Wait. Orphan Black Won A Peabody Award? How Great Is That?

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

Okay, it’s MORE than cool. I’m pleased to see all that hard work is getting noticed, although poor Tatiana Maslany not getting that Emmy was a shame, as she definitely deserved it. Granted, try telling that to people who still don’t watch the show or who think network dramas are as good as what this show has done in less time and you’re in for a fight of some sort. Me, I’m a lover, not a fighter at all, so I say check out Season One of Orphan Black before Season Two drops in about nine days and see for yourself. Um, that’s all I have to say, but it looks like OB will have a post show show just like The Walking Dead does.

100 From 2001 Is A Pretty Prime Number!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

EDIT: Duh, I forgot to put the link in. See below for that link. Heh, sorry!

A friend sent me a link to “something wonderful” the other day and after taking the ultimate trip through this amazing imgur gallery of stills and behind the scenes production shots from the filming of one of my favorite films, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, I’m reporting back and sharing the link for all to discover on their own time. I’ve seen a handful of these here and there over the years, but the entire gallery all at once is amazing and quite educational on a few fronts.

As with any film, I knew there were bits shot and discarded, but I’m now wondering about that lovely futuristic (well, for 1966-67) automobile among other things. Was that a mere production still or was/were there a scene or scenes shot on earth? Anyway, the placement of the images seems to follow the film’s plot, but if you’ve never seen 2001 before, fear not. Not knowing a thing about it means you’ll be scratching your head until you DO finally see it. Which is a good thing, of course…

Still… let me slightly not “ruin” things with this trailer (thanks, the cultbox!):