Ok Folks, I do apologize for the delay however real life issues have kept my hands full for the past few weeks.
Ok on with the blog. This week I'm going to review a few of my favorite shows and movies. Let's start with TNT! No not explosive but the cable channel. It's got two shows I have become quite hooked on.
The first is Leverage. The basic premise is former insurance investigator Nate Ford, played by Oscar Winner Timothy Hutton has recruited a team of unique individuals I.E. crooks all of whom he has chased over the years to help people who have been wronged but can't be helped by the law. His team includes British actress Gina Bellman as Sophie Devereaux, con artist extrodiniare, who could charm just about anybody. Christian Kane as Eliot Spencer, the hitter of the group. He supplies the muscle. Guns or fosts whatever the situation calls for (uaully fist) he's the man. Beth Riesgraf plays Parker, the thief. She is also a little how shall I say, unbalanced. However, there isn't a place she couldn't break into. Finally Aldis Hodge is Alec Hardison, Super Hacker. There is nothing this guy can't do with electronics! Nothing is safe from him. Together they provide “Leveredge” , helping people who need it but can't be helped by the law itself.
The second show is Saving Garce. Holly Hunter stars as Det. Grace Hanadarko, an Oklahoma city det. For the major case unit. It has a small town feel to it in some ways but it is very raw. Grace has problems. She drinks too much, smokes too much and screws around too much. Enter Earl. Her last chance Angel. Earl if a white haired , tobacco chewing good ol' boy of an angel. He's there to get Grace to turn he life around. Now Grace has only told one other person about Earl and that's her best friend 'retta who is the resident police scientist type person played by Laura San Giacomo. They have known each other virtually their entire lives and 'Retta's scientific curiosity is aroused. She wants to know all she can about Earl. Then we have Ham, her partner and lover. Then there is Bobby Stillwater and Butch Ada the other two detectives in the unit and Captain Kate Perry, whom is an old friend of Graces having worked together before.
This show is very raw, there is quite a bit of nudity full front and back for basic cable. It is always Grace getting naked it seems but I really can't complain. Holly Hunter is very sexy but grace's road to redemption is not an easy one. The real hook of this show is the woman herself as she struggles to find her way and struggles with the choices she's made. Earl pops in quite often to check on Grace and see how she is doing and offer a bit of guidance. I find it irresistible and can't wait for each ep.
Now onto a cute movie the who family can enjoy. Monsters vs. Aliens. Now this movie isn't complicated at all. The plot isn't anything we haven't seen before for the most part. However the in jokes alone make it very funny. Things like “Code Nimoy”, “Supernova this is red Dwarf” things like that are strewn throughout the movie. Basically a girl gets hit with a meteorite, grows to gigantic proportions on her wedding day, in fact while she is at the altar itself,and is imprisoned by the U.S. government. Of course the real fun begins when the aliens arrive. In the meantime , Susan, the afore mention giant girl, makes a few discoveries about herself. I don't want to say to much but she and the other monsters are the real stars of this show. It's a silly, light hearted, cgi animated, sci-fi romp from dreamworks. If you wants a fun movie and you like this sort of thing, I highly recommend this. Susan and the other monsters are actually really likable characters and the whole movie is worth an afternoon matinee, especially if you have kids. It's funny, and not overly complicated but well enough written so it isn't complete nonsense.
Commander Mike Vivian
XO, ISS Tomahawk
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Mike Musings part 3
Welcome to the third installment of my Blog. This week the topic is Comic books. Indeed it is a subject of which I am quite knowledgeable. Now first I will talk about an independent comic called Tarot witch of the Black Rose, published by broadsword comics, written and created by Jim Ballent.
This concerns the adventures of a witch called Tarot. Now this is very pagan friendly as Tarot herself is a pagan. It follows her as she battles evil forces. However this is not your ordinary super heroine comic. You see Tarot has a sister, Raven Hex and she would like to destroy ordinary people or at least enslave them. She feels witches should rule and will go to any means necessary to achieve those ends which often puts her at odds with Tarot. As handmaiden of the goddess, it is her duty to stop Raven and others who would do evil. Tarot is not alone though. She has her boyfriend Jon who can talk to and see ghosts and her other lover, Boo Cat, a lesbian were cat! Yep, you read right. Tarot's values are pagan values. Not the mainstream stuff most superheroes subscribe too. That sets it apart from regular comics plus the nudity is also a factor. That said it is an interesting read and the lovely Tarot is quite the captivating lady as she fights for right even if those she is saving seem to hate her for her beliefs.
Tarot is not afraid to embrace her sexuality as you may have guessed. She is very open about sex and feels that nudity and sex are nothing to be ashamed of. I applaud that and feel if everybody were less ashamed of stuff like this then maybe the world might be a little happier.
Now next up I will return to the Dc universe to talk about one of the most interesting characters to come a long in a while. I refer to DC's revamped Batwoman! Back in the 50's and 60's Batwoman hung out with Batman and helped him out. There were even hints of romance between them. Back then Batwoman was Kathy Kane, ex-circus performer and current socialite. Now Kathy Kane has become Kate Kane, socialite, crime fighter and Lesbian. A definite departure from the original. As Batwoman Kate has made her Mark on Gotham City to be sure. This Batwoman has a much harder edge than the original and knows how to handle the bad guys in Gotham City. Now how and why she became Batwoman is still unknown, but the Ravishing redhead will be starring in Detective Comics starting this month. Rest assured she holds her own against anybody as well as Batman himself as many a felon has found out.
Sticking with DC, let me mention one of my favorite titles, The Justice Society of America. The original Super team is still around, well several of them anyway. This is truly a multi generational team raging from the old times Like Wildcat, green Lantern and the Flash to the new Mr. Terrific and Dr. Midnight, not to mention Libery Belle II ,Hourman II and StarGirl who represent the younger adults to Jakeem thunder and Cyclone who are the kids of the group.
This title always has the most interesting stories, especially with interaction between the different members and the different generations. The kids are learning to be heroes and experiencing their fair share of growing pains. The young adults have their own hang ups, some are following in their parents footsteps, others just try to make the best of their abilites while the old timers struggle with a changing world and trying to find their place in it. Throw in some supervillans into the mix and you have one seriously cool team title. If you pick up one team book I highly recommend this one. I truly feel there is something for everybody here. Not to mention the characters are fresh and interesting and the stories always are interesting.
Well that's it for this week. I will see you next week, same bat-Time, Same Bat-channel! :)
Commander Mike Vivian
XO, ISS Tomahawk
This concerns the adventures of a witch called Tarot. Now this is very pagan friendly as Tarot herself is a pagan. It follows her as she battles evil forces. However this is not your ordinary super heroine comic. You see Tarot has a sister, Raven Hex and she would like to destroy ordinary people or at least enslave them. She feels witches should rule and will go to any means necessary to achieve those ends which often puts her at odds with Tarot. As handmaiden of the goddess, it is her duty to stop Raven and others who would do evil. Tarot is not alone though. She has her boyfriend Jon who can talk to and see ghosts and her other lover, Boo Cat, a lesbian were cat! Yep, you read right. Tarot's values are pagan values. Not the mainstream stuff most superheroes subscribe too. That sets it apart from regular comics plus the nudity is also a factor. That said it is an interesting read and the lovely Tarot is quite the captivating lady as she fights for right even if those she is saving seem to hate her for her beliefs.
Tarot is not afraid to embrace her sexuality as you may have guessed. She is very open about sex and feels that nudity and sex are nothing to be ashamed of. I applaud that and feel if everybody were less ashamed of stuff like this then maybe the world might be a little happier.
Now next up I will return to the Dc universe to talk about one of the most interesting characters to come a long in a while. I refer to DC's revamped Batwoman! Back in the 50's and 60's Batwoman hung out with Batman and helped him out. There were even hints of romance between them. Back then Batwoman was Kathy Kane, ex-circus performer and current socialite. Now Kathy Kane has become Kate Kane, socialite, crime fighter and Lesbian. A definite departure from the original. As Batwoman Kate has made her Mark on Gotham City to be sure. This Batwoman has a much harder edge than the original and knows how to handle the bad guys in Gotham City. Now how and why she became Batwoman is still unknown, but the Ravishing redhead will be starring in Detective Comics starting this month. Rest assured she holds her own against anybody as well as Batman himself as many a felon has found out.
Sticking with DC, let me mention one of my favorite titles, The Justice Society of America. The original Super team is still around, well several of them anyway. This is truly a multi generational team raging from the old times Like Wildcat, green Lantern and the Flash to the new Mr. Terrific and Dr. Midnight, not to mention Libery Belle II ,Hourman II and StarGirl who represent the younger adults to Jakeem thunder and Cyclone who are the kids of the group.
This title always has the most interesting stories, especially with interaction between the different members and the different generations. The kids are learning to be heroes and experiencing their fair share of growing pains. The young adults have their own hang ups, some are following in their parents footsteps, others just try to make the best of their abilites while the old timers struggle with a changing world and trying to find their place in it. Throw in some supervillans into the mix and you have one seriously cool team title. If you pick up one team book I highly recommend this one. I truly feel there is something for everybody here. Not to mention the characters are fresh and interesting and the stories always are interesting.
Well that's it for this week. I will see you next week, same bat-Time, Same Bat-channel! :)
Commander Mike Vivian
XO, ISS Tomahawk
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Mike Musings part 2
Welcome to the second installment of my blog. This week I want to talk about a series of books I have been reading. They are known as the Kitty Norville series. They are written by Carrie Vaughn, a very talented woman who is out of the Denver, co area. The first book is “Kitty and the Midnight Hour”
The protagonist, one Katherine “Kitty” Norville is a late night DJ for KNOB in Denver, CO. She is also a werewolf. Life changes for Kitty when one night she gets a call asking for advice on being a werewolf. This triggers many more calls and soon Kitty is the host of the Midnight Hour, a weekly radio talk show about the supernatural. It isn't long before she comes out on air as a werewolf.
However her rising popularity is not viewed as a good thing by all. Arturo, the Master Vampire of Denver doesn't like it. He wants the supernatural community to remain a secret and will go to great lengths to stop her including hiring a werewolf hunter to end Kitty and her show permanently with a silver bullet.. Carl the leader of her werewolf pack doesn't like that the former submissive Kitty is starting to stand out on her own and orders Kitty to quit the show which Kitty refuses to do.
To further complicate her, there is a rogue werewolf on the loose killing people and Kitty is drawn in to the investigation by one Det. Hardin, a woman who will use any tools at her disposal to catch this Rogue and stop him from killing. Kitty forms a wary alliance with Hardin as the neither trusts the other completely.
Kitty prevails throughout with all the twists and turns as she grows as a person and learns about herself. Everything leads to a climatic showdown with Carl and his wife Meg, the alpha female of the pack vs Kitty and her best friend TJ, another member of the pack. I won't say how it ends but the battle is fierce.
Throughout the series Kitty finds herself going through many trials and tribulations which only make her stronger. She also makes friends with people that she would have considered enemies. Vampires in particular. In Denver, Vampires and werewolves didn't get along but Kitty Norville finds outside of Denver, things are quite different.
I highly recommend this series as I find the heroine enchanting and captivating as I watch her endure trail after trial and become a stronger person for it. However my heart aches for her as well as she goes through much pain and heartache as well. Now this really doesn't get that graphic there are some sex scenes and some nasty fight scenes but neither one is described in too much detail. I would rate it PG-13 at worst.
Well until next time, this is Cmdr. Mike Vivian of the ISS tomahawk signing off!
The protagonist, one Katherine “Kitty” Norville is a late night DJ for KNOB in Denver, CO. She is also a werewolf. Life changes for Kitty when one night she gets a call asking for advice on being a werewolf. This triggers many more calls and soon Kitty is the host of the Midnight Hour, a weekly radio talk show about the supernatural. It isn't long before she comes out on air as a werewolf.
However her rising popularity is not viewed as a good thing by all. Arturo, the Master Vampire of Denver doesn't like it. He wants the supernatural community to remain a secret and will go to great lengths to stop her including hiring a werewolf hunter to end Kitty and her show permanently with a silver bullet.. Carl the leader of her werewolf pack doesn't like that the former submissive Kitty is starting to stand out on her own and orders Kitty to quit the show which Kitty refuses to do.
To further complicate her, there is a rogue werewolf on the loose killing people and Kitty is drawn in to the investigation by one Det. Hardin, a woman who will use any tools at her disposal to catch this Rogue and stop him from killing. Kitty forms a wary alliance with Hardin as the neither trusts the other completely.
Kitty prevails throughout with all the twists and turns as she grows as a person and learns about herself. Everything leads to a climatic showdown with Carl and his wife Meg, the alpha female of the pack vs Kitty and her best friend TJ, another member of the pack. I won't say how it ends but the battle is fierce.
Throughout the series Kitty finds herself going through many trials and tribulations which only make her stronger. She also makes friends with people that she would have considered enemies. Vampires in particular. In Denver, Vampires and werewolves didn't get along but Kitty Norville finds outside of Denver, things are quite different.
I highly recommend this series as I find the heroine enchanting and captivating as I watch her endure trail after trial and become a stronger person for it. However my heart aches for her as well as she goes through much pain and heartache as well. Now this really doesn't get that graphic there are some sex scenes and some nasty fight scenes but neither one is described in too much detail. I would rate it PG-13 at worst.
Well until next time, this is Cmdr. Mike Vivian of the ISS tomahawk signing off!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Star Trek (2009) review
Greetings to all reading this,
If you don't know who I am, let me introduce myself. I am Cmdr. Mike Vivian, X.O. Of the ISS Tomahawk. That's a local Star trek group. If you want to learn more, well fell free to browse this website. This is the first entry in what I plan on being a weekly blog about whatever interest me. A lot of it will be sci-fi, fantasy, comic books and whatever else I can come up with. For my first installment, I will be reviewing the new Star Trek Movie!
To begin with, let me warn you there are spoilers so if you do not want to be spoiled, read no further!!!
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
SPACE
Ok, now on with the review! Let me start by saying I loved it! It was fantastic! JJ Abrams is a genius! It was one of the best Trek Movies in a very long time.
It was extremely well written. The whole plot was rather believable. A renegade romulan ship travels back in time altering history. Thus it paves the way for the reboot. It is an alternate timeline so things didn't happen as they did before or somethings happen that didn't happen before.
Now the cast is superb! Chis Pine as Young Kirk is cocky and a chronic skirt chaser. He even makes a play of Uhura on several occasions with very little success. It turns out she and Spock have a thing going! Hmm, it seems he is not quite so upstanding as we are led to believe as he was an instructor and she was a cadet at the academy. I'm willing to bet even in the future that is a no-no.
Speaking of Spock and Uhura, Zachary Quinto nails Spock. Very talented actor who turns in a fantastic performance as young spock. Zoe Saldana is very hot as Uhura! Very self assured she struts stuff like Nichelle Nichols probably would have given the chance.
Simon Pegg is hilarious as Scotty! I think he did Jimmy Doohan proud. He has the right attitude and his famous line will be “I Like this ship! It's exciting!” and shows what Scotty can really do and just how much of an engineering genius he is!
Then there is Karl Urban of Xena and LOTR fame! I kid you now he channels De Kelley and absolutely nails McCoy! I could almost hear De Kelley speaking at times. He is absolutely dead on!
Anton Yelchin doesn't look much like the checkov I know but he gets it down really well. I think he will be good.
John Cho as Sulu really shines! I think he captured the essence of Sulu quite well. He even go to do some fencing. Yes indeed! This new cast really shines as does the whole movie! Yes it is a Trek Movie and will reinvigorate the franchise! I am quite sure there will be a sequel. I highly recommend it even if you are not a die hard Trekkie like me
So I leave you for this week with that famous Saying, “Live Long and Prosper!”
Commander Mike Vivian
XO, ISS Tomahawk
If you don't know who I am, let me introduce myself. I am Cmdr. Mike Vivian, X.O. Of the ISS Tomahawk. That's a local Star trek group. If you want to learn more, well fell free to browse this website. This is the first entry in what I plan on being a weekly blog about whatever interest me. A lot of it will be sci-fi, fantasy, comic books and whatever else I can come up with. For my first installment, I will be reviewing the new Star Trek Movie!
To begin with, let me warn you there are spoilers so if you do not want to be spoiled, read no further!!!
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
SPACE
Ok, now on with the review! Let me start by saying I loved it! It was fantastic! JJ Abrams is a genius! It was one of the best Trek Movies in a very long time.
It was extremely well written. The whole plot was rather believable. A renegade romulan ship travels back in time altering history. Thus it paves the way for the reboot. It is an alternate timeline so things didn't happen as they did before or somethings happen that didn't happen before.
Now the cast is superb! Chis Pine as Young Kirk is cocky and a chronic skirt chaser. He even makes a play of Uhura on several occasions with very little success. It turns out she and Spock have a thing going! Hmm, it seems he is not quite so upstanding as we are led to believe as he was an instructor and she was a cadet at the academy. I'm willing to bet even in the future that is a no-no.
Speaking of Spock and Uhura, Zachary Quinto nails Spock. Very talented actor who turns in a fantastic performance as young spock. Zoe Saldana is very hot as Uhura! Very self assured she struts stuff like Nichelle Nichols probably would have given the chance.
Simon Pegg is hilarious as Scotty! I think he did Jimmy Doohan proud. He has the right attitude and his famous line will be “I Like this ship! It's exciting!” and shows what Scotty can really do and just how much of an engineering genius he is!
Then there is Karl Urban of Xena and LOTR fame! I kid you now he channels De Kelley and absolutely nails McCoy! I could almost hear De Kelley speaking at times. He is absolutely dead on!
Anton Yelchin doesn't look much like the checkov I know but he gets it down really well. I think he will be good.
John Cho as Sulu really shines! I think he captured the essence of Sulu quite well. He even go to do some fencing. Yes indeed! This new cast really shines as does the whole movie! Yes it is a Trek Movie and will reinvigorate the franchise! I am quite sure there will be a sequel. I highly recommend it even if you are not a die hard Trekkie like me
So I leave you for this week with that famous Saying, “Live Long and Prosper!”
Commander Mike Vivian
XO, ISS Tomahawk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
