Editorials | Geek World Order

Time For Marvel To Take Control

May 222012

If you haven’t heard by now, Marvel’s The Avengers has pulled in over $1 Billion worldwide in just three weeks of its release. That means Marvel has made a lot of profit from this film. They have crafted an amazing universe of characters that fans adore and want to see more of.

The problem with this universe is that it’s missing several of its heavy hitters. in their efforts to build themselves as a movie making juggernaut, Marvel first worked with several companies to bring their characters to the big screen. Fox and Sony hold the movie rights to several of the major Marvel franchises including X-Men, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. Any or all of these would be great under the current Marvel movie production house or as cross overs and cameos with such franchises as Iron Man, Captain America, and The Avengers.

Like I said, Marvel has made a tremendous amount of money with The Avengers. To really cement their vision and direction, I believe it’s time for Marvel to bring their heavy hitters home. It’s time for Marvel to pull out the checkbook and write some big checks to bring the movie rights back to them.

I’m not saying Fox, Sony, and others haven’t done well with the franchises they have, but Marvel having full control of their own properties would take them all to a great new level. With The Avengers out, the trend will likely shift to crossovers and extended cameos of the Marvel characters in each others films. It would make sense that the fans would want to see Reed Richards talk science with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, or for Peter Parker to throw out one liners amongst the others Avengers. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see an Avengers lineup that included a few X-Men and the Fantastic Four take on a powerful Apocalypse or Galactus? But to do so, Marvel needs to get the movie rights back and control the entire Marvel universe in it films. It can’t happen with multiple movie companies owning the rights.

With Disney backing and their own success, Marvel knows it can stand on its own as a movie making giant. They need to payoff the contracts of the other movie companies and begin to weave together the complete Marvel universe that we know is waiting to be assembled.

Social Media and the Age of Spoilers

Editorials 1 Response »

May 162012

Social media has given us access to a means of almost instantaneous communication with the world around us. That can have its advantages and disadvantages. One of the emerging disadvantages is the increase in spoilers available on the internet. You’ve had it happen to you before. One of your friends makes a post on facebook loudly proclaiming “I can’t believe they killed so and so.” or “Did you see when X beat the crap out of Y?! Awesome!” You then respond with the obligatory “Thanks for spoiling the movie.” So is the effect of social media. Reactions to anything are almost instantaneous and our newsfeeds fill with post after post perpetuating this vicious cycle.

This cycle also sparks the debate of social acceptability. When is it appropriate to discuss such things on social media and how can we talk about them? Several recent events including Game of Thrones season 2, The Avengers, and likely the upcoming season of True Blood, have and will see many seeing red as they see spoilers posted online.

It’s natural to want to talk about a show or a movie you saw. The world of social media provides an instantaneous proverbial office water cooler to chat and discuss what you saw with all of friends across the world. A drawback to this is that not everyone can see the show or movie at the same time you did. Many have jobs that require them to work during prime time hours. Not everyone can afford to go out and see a movie at the midnight premiere or even opening day. That is the inherent problem as people post the good parts and many times lay out whole scenes before other fans can watch. Many say this takes the suspense out when they do get to watch.

Many are attached to the social media world and have a hard time avoiding it. Avoiding the online world is a recommended action to avoid spoilers, but it is not a fair method to take. Many, such as myself, have to be connected to the social world. We find news, build connections, and have other reasons to actively monitor a social network. Having numerous connections means we are more likely to encounter spoilers.

Now there is a way to talk about something online and not post a direct spoiler. At the bare minimum, you should begin your post with the words “Potential Spoilers Ahead”. This will tell someone to not read any further on your post and go straight to the next. Reactionary posts are fine. You can say it was great and things like that, but please do not post a full play by play of the scene (you can save those for the comments section at a bare minimum proceeded by “Spoilers in Comments”).

Another helpful tip is to wait until at least the next day to provide commentary on a television show. This allows most viewers to watch something after work to get caught up. With a movie, I would recommend waiting until after the weekend opening at a minimum to into detail. That will provide a good chunk of viewers time to see the film.

The main theme comes down to a little bit of courtesy. Just give us a chance to see something before gushing on and and on about it. We’d love the chance to join in on the conversation. We just want to be prepared to enjoy the moment with you.

Michael Bay Is At It Again

Editorials No Responses »

Mar 222012

Film producer Michael Bay is at it again. He’s been given the reins to another well loved franchise from the eighties. This time it’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Just remember that title. It’ll be important later.

With a recent announcement of how the direction of the film would be going, he has essentially broken the internet. A tremendous amount of fan outrage has poured out from the community at this. Bay announced that the turtles would be from an alien race. The filmmaker goes on to say: “When you see this movie, kids are going to believe one day these turtles actually do exist when we are done with this movie,” said Bay as he took the stage to discuss his new vision for the reptilian reboot. “These turtles are from an alien race, and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely lovable.”

This ignited the fan base. While some details have changed through the years, the basic premise of TMNT has remained the same. Four turtles and a rat are exposed to radioactive ooze and mutate into sentient beings with the turtles going on to fight crime while the rat, Splinter, becomes their sensei and advisor.

Bay fired back with a quote saying: “Fans need to take a breath, and chill. They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of ‘Ninja Turtles’ to help expand and give a more complex backstory. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world.”

While we understand Bay’s or any directors right to add their own creative twist to a film or a franchise, this time he plans to heavily alter the backstory of these beloved characters. It would be comparable to giving Batman an origin story where he gets bitten by a radioactive bat or Spider-Man’s powers are purely technological.

Many people still have not forgiven him for his treatment of the Transformers film series. While I think the films are okay, I will defend them in one way. Michael Bay did not mess up the basic story. We got a story about two warring factions of robots from the planet Cybertron that have the ability to change into alternate vehicular forms. Those factions being the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons led by Megatron. The rest of the film was his take on the events that branch from that, but we still got the basic plot we were all expecting. Bay’s plan is to completely alter that with a completely new story that ignores most of the original title of the franchise.

Fans are not the only ones outraged. An actual Ninja Turtle is outraged by it. Robbie Rist, who voiced Michelangelo in the nineties live action TMNT movies wrote out to Bay saying: “You probably don’t know me but I did some voice work on the first set of movies that you are starting to talk about sodomizing,” Rist wrote. “I know believing in mutated talking turtles is kinda silly to begin with but am I supposed to be led to believe there are ninjas from another planet? The rape of our childhood memories continues.”

What else Bay will do the franchise is still unknown. Will Bay hire a Victoria’s secret model and turn April O’Neil from a reporter into the manager of an all lesbian bikini car wash? Will Casey Jones be a crazed paranormal investigator trying to prove the existence of the “turtles”.

The fans have spoken and we hope Bay will listen to us. This film could be a huge success, or it could be another step in a large geek population choosing to boycott any future releases from Bay.

Is That Game Really Worth It?

Editorials No Responses »

Feb 072012

Marathon gaming is no new phenomenon. Players all over the world will log long hours into their favorite games in order to make it to the end and beat whatever quest or goal they looking to achieve. Perhaps a newer epidemic is that of players suddenly dieing while in the middle of their games.

The most recent report of this was that of Chen Rong-yu of Taiwan, a 23 year old gamer who died of a heart attack after having played the game League of Legends at a New Taipei internet cafe for at least twenty three hours straight. When he passed, his body was still in a position that made it look like his arms were still extended toward the keyboard playing the game. He was believed to have been dead for at least nine hours when a waitress of the cafe came by and made the discovery. The cause of death was ruled to be cardiac arrest from a combination of cold temperatures, exhaustion, and lack of movement. Chen was also known to have a pre-existing heart condition.

This is not the first time this has happened either. Through various combinations of factors, many gamers have suffered similar fortunes in their long term gaming marathons. Is it really worth it though? It has long been preached to take breaks during long gaming sessions. To rest your eyes some and to calm down from adrenaline rushes during particularly taxing sessions. There have been numerous reports of aneurysms, heart attacks, dehydration damge, and other maladies occurring from an extreme sedentary lifestyle. When undertaking any long task, it is important to pace yourself, stay hydrated, eat right, and rest when needed. Achieving the world record score in Halo is not that big of a deal if you have a heart attack after entering your name on the high score leaderboard.

Geek World Order Convention Survival Guide

Editorials No Responses »

Feb 032012

Convention season is upon us again. Conventions are always a fun time and can be quite exhausting as well. For both new attendees and veterans alike, conventions take their toll on everyone. But today, I’m here with a few helpful hints to help all of us survive a convention weekend.

Hygeine is the most important thing to keep in mind at a convention. Please do us a favor and first of all bathe every day. There is a problem known as con funk that shows up by Sunday afternoon. People start to stink. They sweat. Please shower and use deodorant. Everyone will thank you for it. Also, wear clean clothes every day and try not to wear the same costume every day unless you have a way to wash it.

The next most important piece of advice I can give you is wear a good pair of shoes. Now, that may not be possible if you’re in a costume, but otherwise get a good pair of New Balances or other sturdy walking shoes. You are going to be doing a lot of walking and although they look great, those Chuck Taylor’s just won’t do the job.

Have a rough idea of your plans. Grab the convention guide and have a rough ideas of when the panels you want to attend are and when the celebrity autograph signings you want to attend will be. Allow adequate time to get in line and wait for those events.

It’s a very good idea to carry a backpack. Carry a camera, have a place to store the stuff you buy at the con, and carry snacks. You can carry a refillable water bottle with you. Convention food is ridiculously expensive. Carry around some nuts, protein bars, or even pack some sandwiches to help save some money at the convention.

A tip for the hotel you stay at is to bring a pillow and a blanket. Most hotel bedding is very uncomfortable, and often washed in harsh commercial cleaning products. I have slept in a few hotels where all the bedding had a strong bleach smell. Also, most hotel pillows are very small and very lumpy. You won’t get a lot of sleep over the weekend, but a nice familiar pillow from home will help you take advantage of the couple hours you do manage to sleep.

When you’re in the convention hall, have some business cards or fliers handy if you have something to promote. You don’t always need a media pass or a table to promote your site, business, etc. There will be plenty of opportunities to network. You can visit a lot of tables and make a lot of connections at a convention.

Five Games I Want To Play In 2012

Editorials No Responses »

Jan 072012

Another year is upon us and the world or gaming throws us another slew of titles to keep us in front of our consoles and PCs. Many games are coming out this year and here are a few of them that I particularly want to play.

Soul Calibur 5 (X-Box 360, January 31)

Among the first releases of the year, is the latest in the Soul Calibur series. These games have been good in the past. I’ve been playing since The second in the series was released on GameCube. Fighters have always been a favorite of mine and this series ranks among my favorites.

Gotham City Impostors (XBLA, February)

The world of Batman has always been intriguing, and Gotham City Impostors adds to the intrigue. This downloadable game will allow you to create your own rogue Batman impersonator and explore Gotham City dishing out your own brand of vigilante justice. Release was pushed back to February for a few last minute refinements.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (X-Box 360, Likely Q4 2012)

The sequel to 2010’s War For Cybertron promises to up the experience. Adding in new characters to the game such as Grimlock and combiners will add to the gameplay experience. The first game was pretty good and being a fan of Transformers means I’ll be sure to play this game for a while.

South Park: The Game (X-Box 360)

I’m going down to South Park, gonna have myself a time. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are actively involved in the development of this RPG to make sure it is the South Park experience. You will be able to make your own citizen of the quiet mountain town of South Park and interact with all the faces you’ve come to know for almost two decades.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 (Nintendo DS)

Luigi’s Mansion was one of my favorite games on the GameCube and in my opinion, a very under rated game. I was a bit disappointed to hear that the sequel would not be getting a full console release. Instead, the title will be relegated to handheld units. A game very deserving of a sequel so I will still be playing it. Would have been a nice excuse to finally go buy a Wii. Should still be promising but I think this sequel could have been given a better treatment.

My Geek Goals For 2012

Editorials No Responses »

Jan 042012

It’s a new year and that means a new slate. The start of the year allows one an opportunity to set new goals and try to better ourselves. I’m not going to use the word resolution. That sounds a little too firm. I’m going to set some goals since they’re flexible and allow for change depending on the situation. Here are some of my geeky goals for the year.

1. Watch a complete series no longer on the air

There are a lot of shows that have come and gone that are geek staples. In 2011, I watched my way through Buffy The Vampire Slayer and loved it. With shows like Battlestar Galactica and other sci-fi staples available, I’m going to pick at least one new well loved show and get caught up.

2. Watch at least 25 movies I haven’t seen before

I set out to watch a bunch of movies last year and managed to catch 25 that I had not seen before. This does not include theatrical releases from 2012. It has to be stuff I need to catch up on. Plenty of good geeky stuff I still need to watch. So I’m looking to at least match that number.

3. Watch at least 1 foreign television series.

This one shouldn’t be too hard for me. I love anime and most Japanese television I’ve seen. The series will need to be in its original language to count. Subs are acceptable. Dubbed series are not.

4. Learn Japanese

I have wanted to learn this language for a long time. I just want to have a working understanding of how to speak the language and build up a decent vocabulary of words and phrases. It would be nice to watch anime and not have to pay attention to subtitles for the most part.

5. Read more comics

Comics is probably one of my weakest geek areas. I have basic knowledge of my favorites but haven’t read many story arcs. I’ve been reading some of the New 52 and it’s been good so far. I’ll be looking to go back and read a few major arcs from Marvel and DC to help build my comic knowledge.

6. Discover a new author

I’m a person that loves to read. I’ve read a few popular series and gotten to be familiar with a few authors. This year I want to sample some new authors or read ones that have been around that I just haven’t given a chance before. Definitely need to do more reading this year.

12 Movies I Want to See In 2012

Editorials No Responses »

Jan 012012

Underworld: Awakening (January 20)

I am a fan of this series so it makes sense to go see the next one. Looks pretty good from the trailers so far. One of the better Vampire and Werewolf series out there.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (February 17)

I love comic book movies and will see just about all of them. I’m not expecting much from this one but I thought the first was okay enough. I expect a lot of cheese, so I’m just looking to have fun with this one.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (March 2)

A new twist on an old classic. The title characters are now fully grown and hunting witches. Sounds like it could be fun enough.

The Avengers (May 4)

Biggest movie Marvel has done to date. Looking forward to this one. I’m hoping for big things to come out of this and really want it to do well to give some major credit to big time geek director Joss Whedon.

Men In Black 3 (May 25)

The MIB series is among my favorite movies, so it’s a no brainer to go see this one. Plus they get into dealing with time travel, which is a favorite subject of mine.

Snow White & The Huntsman (June 1)

Another re-envisioning of a classic fairy tale. The movie looks solid enough even with Kristen Stewart in the title role of Snow White. I’ll try to look past that and try to enjoy this one.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22)

Here’s one in the revisionist history fiction section. The book has gotten rave reviews and the concept just sounds really cool. Should be a good entry into the vampire section of movies and everyone knows we need some good vampire movies to balance out that not so good series.

GI Joe: Retaliation (June 29)

I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I enjoyed the first film in the series. The trailers shown already make this one look better than the first so I’ll give this one a chance.

The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3)

The long awaited reboot of the Spider-Man series is finally coming out this year. Andrew Garfield takes over the title role in this new series. Gotta go see the comic book films.

The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)

Probably the most anticipated movie for myself and many others. Christopher Nolan hasn’t gone wrong in the first two of his Batman trilogy. Everything I have seen so far makes me want to see this movie more and more.

World War Z (December 12)

Another in the based on a novel movies of 2012, this one follows the book by Max Brooks describing the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse. Zombie films is a category I’m working to get more into and perhaps this one will help.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14)

Based on Tolkien’s famous novel, The Hobbit sets in motion the events of the Lord of the Rings series. One of my favorite books and I’m more excited about this one than any of the LotR movies.

My Biggest Fears As A Geek

Editorials No Responses »

Dec 232011

Everyone has something they don’t want to see happen. It’s no different in the geek realm. There are many things I fear may happen during my lifetime. Here’s a quick rundown of a few of my biggest geek fears.

1. More directors giving their films the George Lucas Treatment

The more and more George Lucas changes his films, the less and less I want to watch them. So far no other major director has made as many edits to their works like Lucas has. George, we love the movies you made. We appreciate the work you did at the time and love them because you had to get creative with how you made the movies and that showed in the final product. Going in and adding cheap CGI to enhance or redo a scene to match your original vision is blasphemy to others. My sanity will remain whole as long as other directors don’t follow your example.

2. Joss Whedon doing another show on a major network

Let’s face it, Whedon does not need Fox. They spit in his face every time he works for them, and his franchises die before they can achieve the long term vision Whedon lays out for them. Whedon needs cable. Something like AMC that will allow him to take risks and be rewarded for it.

3. The economy destroys local business such as Comic Book Shops

With our economy going downhill with each passing day, more and more businesses continue to plummet and shut down. Many of those closing are small independent businesses that cater to local clientele. One day I fear the operating costs will just become too much and beloved shops will close. With that, will be a loss of opportunities to build bonds and cultivate great geeky friendships.

4. Print literature ceases to exist

The advent of the tablet and more and more digital content may mean the end of print literature. While I can understand the convenience of digital media, it can never replace the feeling of a good book and wanting to keep one on your shelf. From time to time I may use a digital copy as a trial and buy the best I find to put on my home library. I will, however, keep building my library and enjoy books the way they are meant to be enjoyed.

5. An idiot with a real weapon single-handedly destroys the convention scene.

This might just be the scariest one on this list. We know cosplayers who build very realistic props. There have been more and more reports popping up of bomb threats and violent threats made to convention attendees. There was that one pen stabbing incident at Comic-Con a few years ago. One day some psycho with an actual weapon may open fire and that would be the end of the convention scene as we know it. Weapon rules are very strict at cons right now but that doesn’t mean someone will get one through eventually. I love conventions and the friends I have made at them. This is my biggest fear as a nerd that something like this will happen and we’ll have to pay for one person’s screwup.

Is The Chris Benoit Biopic A Good Idea?

Editorials No Responses »

Dec 092011

In 2007, tragedy struck the wrestling world. That July, Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before ultimately killing himself. That event ultimately stemmed from behavior Chris developed from years of head trauma suffered during his career. SRG Films is now working on a project based on his life entitled Crossface. The film will be based on the book Ring Of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry. The script is being written by Sarah Coulter.

SRG Films’ Dale Alexander Carnegie issued the following statement about the film:

“Chris Benoit has become a poster child for everything that’s wrong with professional wrestling and Sarah’s terrific script captures his struggles and the many factors that led to the deaths of three people. People immediately point to steroids, never thinking about the brain trauma these wrestlers can and do incur in their profession, nor do they consider the rigorous schedule that keeps them working even when they shouldn’t.”

Chris’ death shook the wrestling world very hard. His situation has also led to advancements in the field of brain study. Studies of his brain show the lingering concussion damage rendered his brain to the state of an eighty year old man suffering Alzheimer’s disease. New data has also been collected on the effects of concussions and new ways to protect athletes have been developed. WWE and the wrestling world have even begun to limit or eliminate the use of chair shots to the head and other activities known to cause or aggravate concussion to help prolong the health of their talents.

Here’s the description of the book the movie will be based on:
“In the notoriously crooked and exploitative world of professional wrestling, WWE legend Chris Benoit was supposed to be the exception. Chris was universally recognized as the best pro wrestling had to offer: a decent, humble, and devoted family man loved and admired by all who knew him. Nobody could have predicted the horrific events of June 22-24, 2007 when Chris strangled his wife and seven-year old son before committing suicide. RING OF HELL is the true story of Benoit’s journey through the destructive, dysfunctional, and bizarre pro wrestling industry and the catastrophic physical and mental breakdown that led to his grisly end.”

For many this will be a hard film to watch, it’s going to reopen a lot of painful memories. Wrestling fans were shocked and appalled at the events that occurred. Many have tried to forget the tragic events and focus on Benoit the performer. The man who many considered to be the greatest pro wrestler to have ever lived in terms of pure wrestling skill. At one time, Benoit was a sure thing to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Now, it is taboo to even mention his name.

The film will also be used by the media. Pro wrestling has a negative stigma attached to it already. Many opposed to wrestling will use this as fodder to condemn the sport and its participants much like the original events that inspired it were used to negatively impact the business.

I am personally against this film. I don’t want to see it made and drag these memories back to the surface. The family and friends of Benoit should be able to move on with what they have already dealt with and not have to deal with it all over again as many will certainly be asked difficult questions when the film does release. The fans should also be allowed to only remember the performer and not the one misdeed that wrecked an entire legacy. This film is going to open a Pandora’s Box. The production crew is likely aware of this and that’s why they are going to make it. As Eric Bischoff once said “controversy creates cash.”