Category Archives: TV and Movies

Become a Nerdfighter, Decrease World Suck

nerdfighter

Written by Lauren Knowles

You might be asking yourself, what is a Nerdfighter? World suck, I hope, is pretty self-explanatory. Nerdfighters is a group created by John and Hank Green, who originally gained notice through their Youtube channel, Vlogbrothers. They went a year without text correspondence, their vlog being their main source of communication. Anyway, John Green is an author and Hank Green is a musician/total renaissance nerd. They still post videos every week on their channel, just not everyday. I imagine that would get pretty time consuming.

Back to the Nerdfighters. The Nerdfighters do many awesome things to decrease “world suck”. With the help of this community, many charities have been donated to and many other charitable projects have been funded. The community is a very welcoming bunch of nerds who enjoy reading, watching Doctor Who, or other nerdy pursuits. In fact, if you have nothing to do for the next 3 to 4 minutes, I suggest going to check out one of the Vlogbrother videos. Even if you have something to do, this is probably cooler. Don’t worry about the lack of understanding of certain phrases such as, “French the llama!” or “Best wishes”, those will be explained in due course.

Check out their latest video below.  Happy Youtubing, and DFTBA (Don’t Forget To Be Awesome).

Comediva’s G-Male & Siri Love Story

comediva header

Comediva is one of my favorite websites for a good laugh. I spend way too much time watching their videos and then sharing the giggle with friends. Their newest video is about what happens when G-Male and Siri fall in love. If you have yet to watch the original G-Male video, catch it here.

Check out this love story like no other, and make sure to check out Geek Therapy on their site. It’s my favorite.

Zenescope is Kick Started

grimm exclusives

Zenescope Entertainment has met their KickStarter goal and it looks like the Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series will become a reality. As Zenescope is my favorite comic company, but still isn’t “mainstream” enough for my local comic book store to carry their comics, I really hope this puts them on the map and makes them an even bigger success. I also really hope to see one of the fantastic Wonderland books written by Raven Gregory turned into an animated series.

If you weren’t aware of the awesomeness and haven’t made a pledge yet, it’s not too late, there are still 20 hours to go. Not only are you supporting a really fantastic project, but you get free swag and everyone loves free swag. Check their project out here and watch the video below for details about what Zenescope has in store.

Hugo Award Nominees Announced

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I love awards shows. I think there should be televised award shows on every month. For all the sci-fi and fantasy fans out there, the Hugo Awards have announced their list of nominees and it is sure to make you proud. What makes the Hugo Awards so incredibly awesome, besides the fact that past winners include Stanley Kubrick, Isaac Asimov (posthumously), and George Orwell (posthumously), is that they not only honor those high up in the ranks of sci-fi and fantasy, they appreciate the little guy by offering categories such as Best Fanzine and Best Fan Writer. Three cheers to the Hugo Awards for recognizing talent! Check out the complete list of nominees. Fingers crossed for “The Doctor’s Wife” the best episode of Doctor Who written to date.

The Guild’s New Video

The Guild crew is back and reassuring us that the torture we endured as geeks in high school has well paid off. The new video “I’m the One That’s Cool” written by Felicia Day and Jed Whedon, who also directed the video, stays true to the fun videos we expect from our Guildies.  Take a look and make sure to subscribe to the new Geek and Sundry YouTube Channel that premiered April 2nd.

Star Wars TIE Fighter for Sale

Being a Star Wars fan and a part of the 501st, you see some pretty awesome stuff laying out, Grievous’ head on the table, Ewok eyeballs on the floor, and duct tape. (Lots and lots of duct tape.) However, this is one of those for the “I Want That” list. For a father/son project for church movie night, an Olympia, Washington man built a replica Star Wars TIE Fighter. No doubt he takes the prize for coolest dad EVER. Now, he’s selling it on Craigslist. The 1/3 scale TIE Fighter even shoots party poppers out of the laser cannons.

**It has been sold, but he received so many calls about the history of the project he posted it’s back story in the ad. Take a look.

Now, I'd buy that for a $1

Felicia Day’s Geek and Sundry Preview

Felicia Day, the geek goddess we all love to love, has brought us new information on her project Geek and Sundry. Not only does she give us a preview of the new shows that premiere starting April 2nd, but there’s news about The Guild. Watch and subscribe, so that Wil Wheaton doesn’t have to set any interns on fire. (He’s got a crazy look in his eye.)

Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D- Uncle George got it right

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace 3D Poster

Over the weekend we took the kids to see Star Wars Episode 1. Being a member of the 501st, my husband was on hand for the first release of Episode 1, and was one of the many fans that were disappointed. After so many years of growing up loving Star Wars movies, buying every one of the released and then re-released action figures, and late night runs to Taco Bell to make sure he had a complete set of collectibles, it was disappointing for him and most fans to watch the bad acting and ridiculousness that is Episode 1. I chalk it up to bad marketing. The boys at heart who wanted to relive this great action science fantasy didn’t get what they paid for, and everyone got mad at Lucas. Instead of being mad at sweet Uncle George, I’m glad that he decided to try again and this time around marketed Episode 1 correctly.

The kids were totally stoked to see Episode 1 in 3D. They weren’t around for it the first time, and we are all diehard fans. We knew it was going to be the same silliness that it is; the absurd dialogue of Jar Jar Binks, Jake Lloyd’s terrible acting (which honestly paved the way right into Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin the Mannequin, so whatever), the awkward ick factor of 18 year old Natalie Portman and 10 year old Jake Lloyd. What made this film perfect this time around was not the storyline; it was what came before the movie, a trailer for the new SpiderMan, a friendly reminder for us to put on our glasses by the birds from Rio, and a Scrat short. It was marketed as a children’s movie. I was in the right frame of mind to watch it, because I spent 15 minutes prior getting into the same frame of mind I had when I took the kids to see Up or Cars. We all laughed our way through it, were awed by the depth that the movie was given with the use of 3D, and had a great time, so I say thank you, George Lucas. Thank you for giving my family Episode 1 in 3D and for doing it right.

Smallville to Return with Season 11

In our last episode our hero donned his cape and took on the official identity of Superman…and then the show went off air. Not exactly what fans were hoping for, after ten years of success. Thankfully DC has decided it’s time for Smallville to return with season 11; however, this time in digital comic form. Yes, DC announced that Smallville writer Bryan Q. Miller will continue to write for the series, it will just have a new delivery method. Beginning April 13th, 2012, with new chapters released weekly thereafter, Smallville fans can get their fix of all their favorite characters, including Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Chloe Sullivan-Queen, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and General Lane. According to DC’s announcement, “SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 creators include print cover artist Gary Frank (SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN), digital cover artist Cat Staggs and interiors by Pere Perez (BATGIRL).” Online chapters will be presented in print periodicals, along with an episode guide to the popular television series. Look for the first print issue to hit around May 16th.

Hungering for a New Idea in Hollywood

hunger games vs battle royale

 

The idea that Hollywood has run out of ideas is running rampant in my head lately. They killed Footloose. Total Recall is being remade, but I’m not complaining because I could look at Colin Farrell for two hours straight even if he weren’t speaking. The Crow is being remade, and there is no way you will ever get me on board with Mark “you’ll always be Marky Mark to me” Wahlberg playing a part that was immortalized by Brandon Lee. Hunger Games is coming out soon, and honestly, if you want to see Hunger Games just watch Battle Royal. Hunger Games is Battle Royale for an American audience, because Battle Royale is full of Japanese crazy over the top-ed…ness. Yes, it’s not a word, but if you watch Japanese films the way I do, you know what I’m talking about. Battle Royale is magnificent, over the top, bloodshed of awesome, and there is no way a large portion of American audiences could appreciate it. It seems there were talks of making an American version of BR, but due to the release of Hunger Games the idea was shelved. Glad I’m not the only one who sees that Suzanne Collins’ idea wasn’t exactly original. I’m delighted she is successful, and the books are great. It just proves the point that there are no original ideas anymore.

Could we all be experiencing Morphic Fields? Could Hollywood be out of ideas, so it’s time to start remaking all the favorite movies of the 80s? Hell, they’re even remaking movies from the 90s. The reasons elude me. At first I thought it was to bring great movies to younger audiences, but we have Blu-Ray for that. I’m out of ideas. Oh wait….ya, so is Hollywood. I think it’s time to start protesting the remake movement, and start calling upon writers to throw out some original content. Please. Hurry. Quick. I heard there’s another American Pie movie coming out.