Blogga's Wall - 2013 roundup

Here's a summary of what went up on my wall in the latter part of 2013.

1) The World Set Free

One of a collection of Wells' novels donated to me by a friend. I've found a lot of his work to be quite tedious and self-important (Star-begotten being enough to put me off him altogether were it not for having read the masterpiece that is War of the Worlds). This book starts off in the same vein with a lengthy monologue about man's grasp for power, however the books progress into elaborate political alliances collapsing into a global war devastating countries with nuclear weapons and resulting in a global government is an uncannily accurate vision of what became and what could have been which can't be denied.

2) Under the Dome

The series from Stephen Spielberg and Stephen King adapting King's own novel was exciting to watch, with a town suddenly and dramatically (they kept reminding us with the image of a cow split in half by the dome's mighty power at the recap of each episode) cutting them off from the outside world and changing the face of the town. The series was well paced with engaging characters, but I'm waiting to see if the sliffhanger at series 1's end is going to be resolved well in the next installment.

3) Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

I've already posted on this and expect a post in the near future so I won't say anything except it's good!

4) Thor: The Dark World

With a somewhat ambiguous title I wasn't sure about this film but it totally delivered. The Marvel studios blend of engaging action and humour worked again with the relationship between Thor and Loki making for some great moments. The cinematic battle on Asgard as well as the wider conflicts were well realised and Chris Eccleston's Malekith was a believable and menacing villain.

5) Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

Again a review of this is long overdue so I won't say much other than that this totally delivered too!!

6) The Food of the Gods

Another Wells novel, this time dealing with a discovered substance that produces incredible growth in this who ingest it. As the produce spreads to local wildlife as well as a few humans grown to gigantic proportions the impact on human society is enormous.

7) Chronicle

A very powerful take on the superhuman power story with three friends discovering an alien artifact the gives them tghe ability to move objects with their minds and move themselves through the sky. What begins as an opporunity to have fun soons turns dark as they start to see the full extent of what they can do if no one can stop them.

SF at the Movies - November '13

2 days late but here nonetheless


Gravity

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

More next mon...err, this month!

SF at the Movies - October '13

Diving in at the last minute, but with one big hitter not yet released I think I'm ok for once!!

Here's what's on screen this month

Ender's Game

Thor: The Dark World

Can't wait for Thor, I haven't read the novel so Ender might have to wait but especially with the new Cap trailer released it's a great time to see an Avenger in action.

More next month!

SF at the Movies - September '13

At the very last day let's see what movies were out in the cinemas this month.

Riddick

And that's all I can see I'm afraid - but we've got some crackers coming up soon!!

Blogga's Wall - June-July '13

Wow it's been a long time since I did one of these, and the last one was a catchup too! Anyway here's what I was into over the summer break.

1) Man of Steel

I really enjoyed the Superman reboot. Not having read any Superman comics I didn't have any hangups going in and I thought the artifical birth/ trying to create Krypton on Earth was a good valid reason for Zod to fight Superman rather than simply wanting to conquer. The fights were suitably epic and the story held together well.

2) Gone

 

A teen Sci-Fi series, I was attracted by the plot of all adults (in fact everyone over 15) disappearing, which reminded me of The Tribe TV series, but the book stands on it's own. Some of the kids develop superpowers, some of the animals mutate and something worse is hidden in the darkness, not to mention the struggle for control. A force field traps all the kids in, similar to Under the Dome, but Stephen King endorses these books so I don't think the similarity is a problem for him!!

SF at the Movies - August 2013

Wow! July just came and went, but with the arrival of the summer holidays normal service has been suspended, though I hope to resume more regular posting over the next few weeks if the return to work allows time for it!!

Anyway, at the very last minute but here's what is up on silver screens this month

Kick-Ass 2 (not strictly SF, but superhero comic-book adaptations qualify I think!)

Elysium

And that's your lot! Sorry again for missing July out!!

SF at the Movies - June '13

Back to normal - thios one's late, but only just - here;s what went up on the silver screen in June.

After Earth

Man of Steel

World War Z

Despicable Me 2

More than the usual handful!!

Next Up: Doctor Who!!

SF at the Movies - May '13

Here's the Sci-Fi on our screens for this month:

Star Trek: Into Darkness

And that's it!! Let me know if I missed one!!

SF at the Movies - April '13

Here's the Sci-Fi on our screens this month


Oblivion

 Iron Man 3

That's all I can see - but they're pretty good ones, I'm looking forward to seeing Iron Man next week.

SF at the Movies - March '13

Feels like forever since I did one of these!! Anyway, here's a look at the Sci-Fi in cinemas this month.

Earthbound

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

The Host

More next month!!!

Blogga's Wall - June/ July '12

 

Here's what went up on my wall in the months of June and July. 

1) Kinect Star Wars

 

I bought this game with some trepidation but it has proved to be quite fun. The Kinect control isn't the best and it doesn't always follow what actions I'm doing but the various modes offer plenty of fun. The campaign is actually pretty decent and the other modews likes podracing, rancor rampage and dancing are a good laugh too.

2) Knight Errant: Escape #1

 A new series of Knight Errant is underway from Dark Horse with Kerra now infiltrating the ranks of Odion's Sith troops on a mission of her own to save her parents. Very exciting but the downside was that the issue lacks the encounter with the beastie shown on the cover, hopefully it will show up later in the series though.

3) The Amazing Spider-man

I really enjoyed this re-boot of the Spider-Man series with Andrew Garfield managing to create a very convincing Peter Parker who is both the wisecracking hero and awkward teenager in one. The tension with the mystery concerning his father's death is a key part of this movie and future ones in the series. Rhys Ifans (who went to the same school as me!!) was fantastic in the role of the Lizard.

4) The Dark Knight Rises

 
  A Nolan Batman film is of course going to be nothing less than spectacular and with Tom Hardy playing a marvelous interpretation of Bane and Anne Hathaway playing a very convincing Catwoman it delivered on all fronts. I can't say much without giving away the storyline, but if you read this blog I'm almost certain you will have seen this movie by now anyway!!

Next: More Mass Effect!!

SF at the movies - August '12

Well in time to make a change, this is the rundown of the sci-fi on the big screen this month.

The Watch





Total Recall


Have fun watching!!

SF at the Movies - June/July '12

This blog is turning into one long apology, so without any further word here are the movies you MIGHT have watched in June!


Prometheus Storage 24 And now here's what you COULD watch in July!! The Amazing Spiderman Seeking a friend for the end of the world The Dark Knight Rises Happy watching!!

Blogga's Wall - May '12

 

Spectacularly out of date as always, but here's what went up on my wall in the month of May!

1) Mass Effect: Homeworlds #1

 

A new series from Dark Horse comics set in the Mass Effect universe. This series focuses on individuals within the continuity and fleshes our some of their backgrowund and other details to set the scene for Mass Effect 3. This issue focuses on the new character James Vega and his getaway from a life on the edge of the law to serving with the Alliance military, nice to put a bit of flesh on the bones for this character and I look forward to getting to know him better in game. 

2) The Hunger Games

  Worth seeing for the haircuts alone!! A very well realised sci-fi world complete with sci-fi haircuts in a range of colours. The setting of a televised death match between children in the different 'districts' was very well realised and an exciting watch. 

3) Avengers Assemble

 Now THIS is a movie!!! It was great to see all the new Marvel stars in action in this action-packed movie pitting the rough around the edges Avengers against Loki and an invading army of Chitauri. With a fantastic balance of action and humour (Hulk absolutely stole the show!) and great comic book fanservice (Helicarriers!) it was a visual delight and a worthy comic book adaptation. 

4) Heir to the Empire: 20th Anniversary edition

 

 I was given this book as a wedding present and it has been fun to re-read the definitive Star Wars book wioth my wife and finally having an actual purpose for all those Essential Guides I bought!! Annotations by the author make it fun to re-read with his perspective on certain parts and the challenge of establishing a new Star Wars story. 

More soon!!

Blogga's Wall Catchup

Well it's gonna be catch up central on this blog for a while I'm afraid!! Get ready for a few comic series reviews and old video game content while I'm at it.

I hope you'll let this blogger off as the delay in content is due to HIS WEDDING!!!! So obviously the preparation for said event and changes afterward have caused a bit of a delay but I hope to be posting more regularly soon. It was a lovely day by the way!!!

So here are a few things that went up on my wall during this busy time.

1) Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

 I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the sort-of sequel 'Glasslands' which is apparently going to tie in to the upcoming Halo 4 (release date in November has been announced by the way!!!). The story of the Spartan IIIs was very well done as well as their battle with Foreruner forces on Onyx. I did find the Covenant side of the story very confusing as it was hard to place within the context of the games, it seemed to be around the time of the Covenant civil war, yet the Elites are still warring against the humans - it does make sense but it was a bit hard to follow for my muddled brain - I might do a more in-depth review of this book at a later date so I'll stop here.

2) Star Wars: Agent of the Empire # 1

 A nice new series from Dark Horse and Legacy writer John Ostrander, sort-of James Bond meets Star Wars. This first run of the series 'Iron Eclipse' has come to and end so I'll be posting a full review up soon, so I won't say more on that either!

3) Assassin's Creed: Revelations

 The latest  game in the series lets you play as both Ezio and Altair as Desmond tries to puzzle his way out of a coma in the Animus. Fun additions are the opportunity to play some of Desmonds memories (in a weird 3D puzzle mode) and the Multiplayer which now has more of a story to it, you're still a Templay fighting other Termplars in the Animus but you can now unlock Abstergo files and there are even cutscenes as you progress - a good game so far!

4) Star Wars: Episode 1 3D

I enjoyed this loads more than I actually expected - even as a die-hard Star Wars fan. I love watching the movie in the big screen and the added scenes were fun, especially the extended Podrace sequence and extra details on Coruscant were a delight - worth another trip to the cinema for me!!

5) Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #0

This is a very exciting new series by the Legacy team chronicling the origins of the Jedi Order. This was a very handy guidebook to the series, which I am reading with my wife as it is perfect for new Star Wars readers as almost all the story content is new and the guidebook helpfully explains the stuff that isnn't such as the Sith species and the Rakata, which might otherwise confuse a new reader - this is a great new era to explore.

And that's it - movies next I think!!

SF at the Movies - February '12

Yes that's right - on time for a special February edition...cough...hem, let's see what's on at the cinema.

Chronicle



Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D



Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengance




More next month!

Blogga's Wall - December '11

So a little behind, as with everything else, but here's what went up on my wall this December.

1) Crimson Empire III













This is a long-awaited treat for Star Wars comic fans, a return of one of the best comic series produced by Dark Horse's Star Wars line. If you don't know the story follow Kir Kanos, the last of the Emperor's royal guard as he struggles to find his place following the death of the Emperor. It's great to have a comic series in the early New Republic era, it makes me very nostalgic to reading the original series when they first came out and the Thrawn books etc. Now informed by the prequel trilogy and the Vong books (Nom Anor, one of the key Yuuzhan Vong characters originated in Crimson Empire II) it is an exciting and relevant comic for any reader.

2) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy












Having long lost my copy it was great fun to watch this movie again through Xbox and their LoveFilm service. Not only is it great watching the movie, the novelty of shouting 'Xbox pause' at the TV has yet to wear off!! If you haven't seen this yet I reccommend it, Stephen Fry's narration, the musical number 'So long, and thanks for all the fish' and Bill Baley's voice cameo as a Sperm whale unwillingly called into existence are priceless moments.


3) Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe












This was a good, fun episode and a nice break from the pace of the last series. While a little overly soppy and I've given my quibbles about the whole 'life force' thing I did enjoy it, the comedy Doctor moments at the start were delightful and the acting was great - another appearance by Bill Bailey was well worth seeing.

More soon!

SF at the Movies - January '12

Let's see what was at the movies this month, you never know some might still be showing!!!

The Darkest Hour





And that's your lot - more next month!

SF at the Movies - December '11

Let's see what Sci-Fi goodness is on our screens this month

The Thing



And that's about it - we've been a bit slow on the Sci-Fi front for a while now - but there is the new Sherlock Holmes and Mission Impossible to keep cinema goers happy at least!

SF at the Movies - November '11

I had a good time down in Cardiff recently at a Doctor Who party hosted by my good friend Caleb of the Impossible Podcast team, we enjoyed watching Who (obviously!!) wearing masks and eyepatches and a Fez sent by the promoters 'Come Around' (the party is to promote the release of the latest series if Who. We also played Doctor Who top trumps and we even tried fish fingers and custard which wasn't too bad actually!!!

Anyway let's look at what's showing this month.

In Time




There's a fan film Superman: Requiem - I don't know if that will make it to your local theatre but it looks good!



And that's it as far as I can tell - though apparently there's some vampire movie out too...