Take A Stand!

So last night during "24" Fox decided to air the brand new trailer for "X3: The Last Stand", (that's X-Men 3 for those of you who are out of the loop). The teaser that was released a few months ago was a bit of a disappointment. I truly feared for the future of the franchise. I mean, come on, it was one of the first comic book films that brought dignity and humanity to the genre. It wasn't campy or generic, but more of a dramatic interpretation of themes that most of us confront in our lives: descrimination, alienation, isolation, depression, anger, a desire to fit in, search for identity, etc. Without it, Spiderman would probably not have seen the light of day. Anyways, last night totally restored faith in me that the series could end, if not at least continue, in the same vein in which it had begun. Don't get me wrong, I still would have preferred that Bryan Singer had helmed the project, although I understand and respect his decision to take on the monumental undertaking of bringing the Man of Steel back to the silver screen, but the trailer still felt like X-Men (if that makes any sense at all). The teaser felt too much like a music video, which would make sense because that is where Brett Ratner got his start. (Potential Spoilers Ahead! Proceed At Your Own Risk!)The trailer showed us a lot more of the new mutants that have joined the cast, as well as giving us a basic plot of the film. The movie is going to focus on the creation of the Legacy Virus, which is supposed to be a cure for the mutant X gene. The trailer showed that the source of the virus is in fact a mutant, Leech, one of the Morlocks, who has the power to dampen or inhibit any mutant's abilities. This was showed in the trailer when Beast, played by Kelsey Grammer (which I still can't get over the fact that Sideshow Bob's voice is coming out of this guy), was approaching Leech, and his outstretched hand was losing its fur and blue tint. I'm still up in the air about Beast coming on board, I mean Nightcrawler already had the Blue animal-like character slot filled. In the film Beast is the first mutant that Xavier had ever taken in, and is now deeply involved in mutant rights.We also got to see more of Angel in the trailer. The teaser showed us Angel in some sort of laboratory unfurlling his wings, but in the trailer we got a small taste of what it will look like when he takes flight. It seems that he perhaps was an unwilling volunteer to some sort of mutant tests of the Legacy Virus. The subplot of the film involves the return of Jean Grey, an perhaps the emergence of the Phoenix. The trailer showed both Wolverine and Cyclops still trying to cope with the loss of Jean, and her subsequent return. The final shot of the trailer is Jean asking Wolverine to kill her. (Scarred psyche, anyone?) She seems to shift sides, and ultimately stands beside Magneto. The mutant community is forced to make a choice between keeping their uniqueness, or embracing the cure that will help them fit into society better.One cool shot that I liked was one where Juggernaut was chasing Shadowcat right through some walls. As she phased right through them, he would crash through them right behind her. It was a pretty nice visual. (Although I still think that they could have done a whole lot better with the Juggernaut costume).There is also talk that the Danger Room finally makes an appearance in this installment. Some of the shots of Wolverine and Colossus are said to take place in the Danger Room, and perhaps there is a shot of the Fastball Special.All in all, I'm looking forward to this film with cautious optimism, seeing how it could potentially be the last in the franchise, although I hope not. There would be nothing worse than having it all end on a sour note. And it will be the sourest note, if we don't get to see this man......play Gambit in an X-Men movie.

What's In Your iPod?

I've been getting a lot of new music lately, thanks to a few friends, so my musical horizons have been expanded further than I've allowed them to in the past. I've ventured past the Korn's and Metallica's and Linkin Parks of the world. (Although I still like them a lot!). I guess my brother's and their friends have a little wider perspective on stuff like this, so they've introduced me to many new bands as well. Here are a few bands that I'm really into right now.
Bloc PartyPanic! At the DiscoCoheed and CambriaDredgHawthorne HeightsThriceA Static LullabyJack JohnsonMatchbook RomanceHIM

These are a few of the new bands that are on my iPod right now, and that I really like. I know I may be a little bit late to the party on some or most of these, but better late than never, right? If your interested, feel free to give them a try.

Adopt A Friend

I know I've already blogged about how some of the best cartoons on television today are more adult oriented, thanks to Cartoon Network's [adult swim]. Now, there are way too many kid cartoons on the air to watch, but there is one particular one that has caught my attention, and that is "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends". I had heard about this show previously, but like most kid shows, I dismissed it right off the bat. Then my brother's started TiVo-ing it, and I got to admit, I'm hooked. The humor in it is a lot more sophisticated than I would have expected from a child's program, but it is still silly at heart. I haven't liked a cartoon like this since Animaniacs and Tiny Toons.My favorite character is, of course, Blooregard Q. Kazoo (Bloo for Short). He's a wise-cracking, trouble-making, little blue guy, who belongs to Mac (who's the small boy that imagined him). The show mainly focuses on their misadventures. It's funny, it's silly, it's a good time. I highly recommend it.

Hearts of Steel

Saw something interesting today that got me excited. It's a new comic book storyline featuring everybody's favorite Cybertronians. It is a "What If...?" type of story where the Transformers landed on Earth during the Industrial Revolution. Many of the main characters have been re-imagined and re-designed to fuse with vehicles and technology of that particular time period. IDW Publishing released some preliminary sketches from the series, and I present a few here for your viewing enjoyment.The Leaders, Optimus and Megatron. Prime is a compound steam locomotive, and Megatron is a telescoping armored cannon. I like how much Megatron looks like his classic design, while still being completely new. The Decepticon Jets, Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. These evil jets take on many characteristics of the plane first flown by the Wright brothers. I particularly like the robotic forms on these guys. The extra wings and propellers are a nice touch.The Insecticons. I like the fact that they combine into a rather menacing looking locomotive. I was never too fond of the Insecticons, but here they look very cool. I particularlly like Bombshell .Shockwave. He's always been one of my favorite Transformers. I think that he's probably got the best designed head/face of all of the Transformers in general. And the design of an armored battleship is interesting.Bumblebee. What's not to love? He was the one I could most associate with as a child, and he was always one of Optimus's most loyal friends and allies.

I can't wait to see more artwork from this series. Apparently Transformers: Evolution will follow our Heroes through different time periods. Hearts of Steel, the first in the series, will focus on the Industrial Revolution, and should be in stores this June.

Living In An 8-Bit World

I enjoy video games as much as the next guy, maybe a little bit more. Mario Kart DS has definitely become a part of my every day life, as well as for most of my friends. We're still having our daily tournaments, but now our little group has grown to 5 strong. (And I occassionally win from time to time, imagine that!) Like I've said before, I'm primarily a Nintendo guy, but we do own a PS2 as well. And there are very few titles that get me excited enough to rush out and buy them right away. I think the last two games that did that were "Shadow of the Colossus" for the PS2 and "Ultimate Spiderman" for the Gamecube. "Shadow of the Colossus" was a beautifully rendered game, with a very expansive environment, and one of the coolest concepts. You're primary goal is to take your horse, and hunt down giant, colossal creatures that roam the land, and slay them in order to gain the power to bring a loved one back to life. 16 giants, one small boy and his horse. Awe-inspiring!I rushed out to get "Ultimate Spiderman" because I'm a big fan of the comic book, and I was excited about the prospect of being able to play Venom throughout the game. Both are really cool characters that play really well, and the comic book style cell animation is top notch. The panel effects are particularly cool.

Here are a few games that I'm excited for that are coming out pretty soon, sometime within this month or the next.
Kingdom Hearts 2: The first one was excellent. It was the first game that I bought for the PS2, solely because I loved the use of Disney characters not only as background players, but as fully rendered heroes that help propel the action of the story forward. With the promise of such environments as Pirates of the Caribbean, Lion King, and even Tron (Yep, THAT Tron!), Kingdom Hearts 2 is gearing up to be a very worthy successor.Metroid Prime: Hunters: The Metroid franchise is perhaps my favorite in the entire Nintendo line. The Gamecube versions brought on a whole new dimension to the series, where you fully immerse yourself in the adventures of Samus Aran. Although Hunters won't be the first Metroid title for the DS (Metroid Pinball is out, and a pretty good game in its own right!), it is the first FPS for the series on this console.Tetris DS: Another DS title that I'm excited for, this one is the first Tetris game for the DS, and I'm a bit excited about seeing how it will utilize the touchscreen technology that the DS provides. This version pays homage to classic NES games like Mario Bros., Zelda, an Metroid, among others.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: Windwaker was a great game for the Gamecube. I can't tell you how many countless hours I spent exploring the vast environment of that game. But the cell-shading animation, and the childish appearance of Link made this feel like a tangent to the original series rather than a follow-up. This new game (which has been promised to us loyal fans for a long time now) is visually more like a "Lord of the Rings" game, and Link is all grown up. This may be the last great game released for the Gamecube before the Revolution takes its place.On the console front, I'm looking forward to the DS Lite. It's supposed to be an improvement over the regular DS in that it is slimmer, lighter, offers a brighter screen (with brightness control), and has the potential for web-browsing and perhaps TV watching. (We'll see!)And when it comes to the Next Gen consoles, being a Nintendo guy, I'm looking forward to the Nintendo Revolution this holiday season. It offers not only reverse compatibility with the Gamecube (which I shall sorely miss when I trade it in for the Revolution), but it will offer access to the entire Nintendo libraby, every game, every console. I'm still not sure exactly how they are going to pull that off, but it is a very big draw for anyone who is a devoted Nintendoee.

It's going to be an exciting year for gamers, seeing how the Next Gen consoles are going to be popping up in stores soon. (Xbox 360 is already ahead of the game, but I hear that it was perhaps premature!) PS3 is next up, and good ol' Nintendo will bring up the rear. Hopefully that means that they saved the best for last.

"Don't Confuse Coincidence With Fate!"

Why is "Lost" such a great show?? I know it seems like a rhetorical question, but seriously, why is it such a great show? Not since "The X-Files" have I been so commited to a television show so fully. I have friends who are all about the "CSI"s or the "24"s, but "Lost" stands alone as a uniquely enthralling television show. Not even "The X-Files" devoted so much attention to character development, but it did create the same type of conspiracy and theory hysteria that "Lost" has become so adept at. There's Drama, there's comedy, there are elements of both the supernatural and the spiritual, and it is both primitive and science fictionesque without betraying the integrity of either. True, things like the black smoke, and the so-called "monster" do taste slightly of the improbable, it is really the interpersonal relationships, both on and off the island, that inspire and maintain the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Mr. Eko and John Locke are two of the best characters to be on television in a while. They provide the moral conscience of the show, while also raising many philosophical and existential questions in the process. Hurley is the comic relief (come on, who doesn't love a fat guy?). Kate and Sawyer bring an edgy sex appeal with their shady past, and dashing good looks. Sun and Jin draw in the couples in the audience, while most parents will identify with Claire and Michael. Sayid is pretty much an enigma, is he a warrior with a soft heart, or is he a gentle soul with a killer's instinct. His true nature is tried when Shannon, (one half of the perpetually incestuous sibling rivalry that was Shannon and Boone), is prematurely terminated by a tailie. Charlie is the rebel of the group, and also the only one who has to deal with withdrawls from a drug addiction, as well as withdrawls from society while stranded on the island. That leaves Jack, our protagonist, who becomes the de facto leader of the group. He's the rational mind, as well as the skeptic, much like Scully was to Mulder. (Much of the interplay between Locke and Jack is very remeniscent of the infamous FBI duo). But he is also the heart, which is emphasized by the fact that he was a doctor before back home before the crash. He tries to show as much compassion and understanding as possible, but due to the added pressures of recent events (the hatch, the numbers, the countdown, the "others", etc.) he's been more and more at wits end.It'll be interesting to see if Jack and Ana Lucia will be able to raise this "army" of their's, and just how effective it will be in the upcoming confrontation with the others, the "monster", of perhaps it will be revealed that they are one and the same. You can never tell with this show, which is one of its draws. Maybe the real battle will emerge from within the group itself, Charlie and Sawyer have already moved forward with plans of their own, and Locke is steadily becoming a constant thorn in Jack's side. That's the beauty of this show, you just never know. And thanks to the Dharma Initiative, perhaps we were never meant to know. (Bet you didn't see that one coming, did ya?)I'm soooooooo glad that it's back on tonight. (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42)