“Arrow” Trailer
Warner Bros. and the CW has been trying to capitalize on the success of Smallville for a long time. First, there was the pilot for the Aquaman show, Mercy Reef. There was the short-lived Birds of Prey. Recently, rumors and test footage of a Jaime Reyes-led Blue Beetle have been flying around. But now, we have to prepare ourselves for Arrow, based on DC’s Green Arrow. Hit the jump to read the synopsis and see the trailer. Read More…
Return of the Toonami
Toonami is back, bitches!
Honestly, that is all I really have to say. Next Saturday on May 26 Cartoon Network will bring back one of the most beloved blocks of programming, Toonami. Apparently it will be a part of the Adult Swim programming block which I do not know if it will be a good thing or bad thing.
Nothing else has been announced, so we do not know what the programming will be. But it should be filled with anime, which may include already airing episodes of Bleach, Ghost in the Shell and others.
What we do know from the promotional teaser is that TOM will be brought back to a form which we are familiar with and not the 4.0 version that was introduced in the downfall of Toonami.
For those that do not know, Toonami was a programming block that began airing on the Cartoon Network back in 1997. They featured basically unknown animated shows, mostly anime which included Dragon Ball Z. A lot of Japanese shows were first introduced to the U.S. by way of Toonami. If it were not for Toonami, a lot of people may not be into anime today. The block was hosted by a CGI robot known as TOM. Sometimes he was given a story, and at other times, he was just an animation of someone pushing a button. Either way, Toonami was the birthing place for a lot of Japanese animation in the U.S. as well as a few original favorites like Samurai Jack.
I hope they continue bringing in new anime and more original shows. My only concern is how well Toonami will do in a world where most fans now torrent the latest anime episodes a day after its initial Japanese airing instead of waiting the months for a dubbed version to come to the U.S. Still, I am glad that something that helped shaped my nerdiness can now be shared with younger audiences.
#ToonamiisBackBitches
Falling for Shows
A lot of great TV seems to coming down the pipeline for this Fall. There are two shows that with their trailers I have become very excited about. It is really amazing how great work can be done for network TV, meaning it is all for free!
Elementary coming to CBS stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as current day Holmes and Watson. Instead of being from London as in the original story or even the BBC version Sherlock, this version is from New York City. But from the trailer, the show seems to keep the charm and abrasiveness that we have all come to love from the great detective. It is funny though that they cast someone with an English accent even though they place it in New York. The sex change for Watson seems a little forced, but I have liked some of Lucy Liu’s work so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. This will be one show that I have on my DVR from the very first episode.
The Following from FOX starts Kevin Bacon as an FBI agent after James Purefoy who plays a serial killer. FBI agent after a serial killer, sounds familiar? Well, this will be FOX’s answer to NBC’s Hannibal series that is coming out as well. While I may enjoy the Hannibal TV show, this show has promise. Kevin Bacon looks in great form and Purefoy looks to be a force all his own in the role. Add to that the fact that it will not be just Purefoy every week as the villain, he will have an army of followers that Bacon must stop. My only concern truly is how FOX seems to mismanage its TV series that do not revolve around a megalomaniacal doctor.
Those are two great shows that I am looking forward to this fall. I can not wait to see what else is slated and hope that these shows really do interest me when I watch.
To close out for a bit of fun, in tomorrow’s season finale for Community there seems to be a little fun being had. According to the AV Club the episode will have the cast being depicted as video game characters. Not just any version, but retro versions of themselves. Should be a nice send off for the season.
DVR Weekly: 5-14-12
Life can get pretty busy, so the invention of the Digital Video Recorder, aka DVR, has been a godsend for those of us who love television programming. Well, I’m one of those people. In this weekly article, I’m going to talk about some of the shows I am keeping up with on my DVR. Pretty straight forward, right? Well let’s get started.
The New Girl – Ep. 1.24 “See Ya”
Finally took the time to go back and catching up on this show. 5 or 6 episodes in 2 nights. I had forgotten how enjoyable this show is. This episode wrapped up some story elements that I imagine will tilt back and forth as long as this show stays on air. Schmidt continues to be the funniest character while bringing some serious heart to a generally silly character. Nick has made strides in not being such a wet blanket. The only real disappointment to me is the end. The series is essentially back where it began. If it gets renewed, we’ll see if they figure some way to shake things up. Loved the joke about Damon Wayans, Jr.’s character, Coach, going off to hang out with other white people (Happy Endings).
Community – Ep. 3.19 “Curriculum Unavailable”
Another clip show like they did last year. It’s a fun way to do jokes that don’t fill an entire episode. Definitely barrel rolling toward the season finale in a fun way. Looking forward to the fall of Chang. But does that mean we lose Ken Jeong in season 4?
Young Justice – Ep 2.03 “Alienated”
This show keeps rolling along. In this episode we learn a) Aqualad’s whereabouts 5 years later and b) his dark parentage. An interesting twist based on the character’s origin and I’m looking forward to seeing what that spells out for the team.
I was originally going to talk about Sherlock but decided I’m going to wait until next week to do a special wrap-up edition.
I’ll see you all next week… same DVR channel… same DVR time…
This news is cool. Cool, cool, cool.
According to Deadline, NBC has decided to renew Community for season 4. The order, however, is only for thirteen episodes. This is not terrible news because it also appears NBC is saving money on comedies by ordering shorter seasons.
I, of course, am looking forward to this. As I said in the recent DVR Weekly, I’ve been a fan of Community from the beginning. Hopefully Troy and Abed continue to be prominent in the series, as they are the most fun.
Battle Royale: Game of Thrones Ep. 2.06
So as a trio, we enjoy getting together to watch certain shows. The current series we’re enjoying as a group is Game of Thrones. For those wishing to avoid spoilers of the books or who haven’t seen this week’s episode, avert your eyes.
Without any further ado, Game of Thrones Episode 2.06: The Old Gods and the New.
Ricky
The amount of things that are being changed from the book interests me. So far, we lost Storm’s End and Edric Storm, and in this episode, we’ve lost Reek to the gods of adaptation. Granted, his true identity is mentioned as the Bastard of Bolton, but we’re bound to only see him take Winterfell. The occurrences surrounding Daenerys’ visit to the House of the Undying is changed. Only time will tell if it was for the better. Overall, a good episode. A first glimpse of Ygritte, and yet again the circumstances are slightly different. But those scenes were enjoyable.
The complaint I did have was the riot in King’s Landing, specifically the scene with the High Septon. It just seemed poorly directed. The crowd seemed more like zombies than unruly hellions. And yes, I know in the book they tore him apart, but in a show that is so consistently realistic, it just could have been better.
Danny
They have definitely started to rewrite the story or maybe I just do not remember it from power-reading I did over the summer. Either way while they are leaving some of the fans from the books a little disheveled, they are keeping the story fresh and different for everyone (still surprises to be had for someone who is caught up in the books).
I am a little on edge on whether I liked this episode or not. I mean it still keeps the story interesting, but the whole hour feels disjointed. As a person who was able to follow what was going in season one and knows the story of the second book, I am frankly lost as to where they are in the story. With so many different ideas being rewritten, it is hard to know how accelerated the show’s story has become. Now I have to wonder how Theon and Reek will interact, knowing that there is no subterfuge. The show’s budget is obviously to blame for most of this. Again, I hope it shows when it comes to the Battle of Blackwater.
On a positive note, the show continues to impress me with the location of their shoots. The frozen wasteland of the north is a great backdrop for the Night’s Watch. I especially enjoyed the chase scene between Jon Snow and Ygritte (Ygritte is pretty hot).
Natalia
I think I must have asked Danny 5 or 6 times while watching this episode, “Was that in the book? I don’t remember this at all.” I understand that this show is not going to follow the book word for word, but I think some of the plot points they’ve changed are kind of important. Many minor characters are missing from Winterfell and they killed Sir Rodrik so early! Well, I will put my faith in the series to sort it out.
Was is just me or was this episode kind of funny? We finally get to see Ygritte and she is doing her best to get under Jon Snow’s skin the whole scene. Eventually he ties her up to make camp where they are forced to spoon to keep warm. “Stop Moving!” “I didn’t even realize I was doing it that time…” Another fun exchange was between Arya and Jaqen H’ghar; she is frantic trying to keep Tywin from learning she stole his correspondence and demands that Jaqen kill the messenger. The messenger dies in Tywin’s doorway without a word. Well… my synopsis leaves much to be desired, but I laughed when I watched it.
Daenerys is becoming so strong and her speech about how she is a special person was great. Although I think the choice to have her dragons stolen was a poor one. The character in the book had instilled enough fear and awe that no one would have been successful in stealing her children. Perhaps, I just want to think that though. As I said earlier… I am putting my faith in the series. What would happen to the Mother of Dragons amazing storyline without her dragons? This will be resolved in the next episode… right?
Well four episodes left… I am expecting big things!
DVR Weekly: 5-7-12
Life can get pretty busy, so the invention of the Digital Video Recorder, aka DVR, has been a godsend for those of us who love television programming. Well, I’m one of those people. In this weekly article, I’m going to talk about some of the shows I am keeping up with on my DVR. Pretty straight forward, right? Well let’s get started.
Due to some weird confluence of synapse firings or the alignment of some stars, I missed out on Thundercats and Sherlock this week. I’ll get caught up on those ASAP, but until then, let’s see what I have watched.
Community – Ep. 3.18 “Course Listing Unavailable”
Before I get into this week’s episode, let me acknowledge the wonderful spoof of Law & Order from last week. It really stuck to its guns as far as spoofing. And it led us to the tragic loss of Starburns.
And now this week’s episode: I’ve loved Community from the beginning, and I believe that the focus shift to Troy and Abed is one of the best decisions made since coming back. Having said that, this episode fell a little flat. It was a build up episode to what may be the series finale. However, the episode won me back a little at the end with the reference to “Remedial Chaos Theory”. It almost felt like a finale on its own, but there are a few episodes remaining before the big question of renewal or cancellation is left hanging in the air.
Young Justice – Ep. 2.02 “Earthlings”
Young Justice lives up to being an excellent follow-up to both Justice League and Teen Titans. In this episode, we get to join the “away” team’s visit to Rann. In terms of redesigns, I am loving the look of Beast Boy. The fact that he has also altered his appearance so he wouldn’t look like his original appearance from last season adds an interesting twist to the tragedy surrounding his origin. Adam Strange is also in a redesigned costume, but I was left wishing for the Pascal Ferry armor. Adam Strange is definitely a lot of fun to watch as little as he actually makes it on-screen. The mystery of the “missing 16 hours” will be revealed soon as the surprisingly brutal Miss Martian has discovered the truth. So many things to love about this series.
Green Lantern – Ep. 1.10 “Regime Change”
What is it about Warner Bros. that they make their animated media so good, but they cannot make a decent superhero movie to support a franchise (Batman not included)? Green Lantern: The Animated Series is a new add. I wasn’t sold by the mini-movie that launched the series, but I went back and watched a few episodes on demand and was blown away by how much they are squeezing in. Comic book fans, keep in mind canon is slightly different, but they are doing a fine job of inserting Geoff Johns’ run. Previous episodes have featured the likes of Iolande, Mogo, Saint Walker (pre-Lantern), and of course, series baddie, Atrocitus. This episode is no different as the Guardians are taken to task for their history, and the lines are being drawn between Appa Ali Apsa (C’mon, Nerds…. you know!) and Ganthet. In fact, we get our first glimpse at the effects of hope.
Ultimate Spider-man – Ep. 1.07 “Exclusive”
This episode managed to hit all the wrong notes. The use of the Hulk was fairly standard. The “found footage” look was really annoying. It begged too much of the viewer. Keeping this short and sweet, I didn’t like this episode that much and the series as a whole is falling short, in my opinion of course.
I’ll see you all next week… same DVR channel… same DVR time…
Battle Royale: Game of Thrones Ep. 2.05
So as a trio, we enjoy getting together to watch certain shows. The current series we’re enjoying as a group is Game of Thrones. We’re already five episodes into the second season, but we’ll jump in right away. Keep in mind, the three of us have read and enjoyed the books, so there will be spoilers as to content that may or may not show up in the show. For those wishing to avoid spoilers of the books or who haven’t seen this week’s episode, avert your eyes.
Without any further ado, Game of Thrones Episode 2.05: The Ghost of Harrenhal.
Ricky
This was a more story-driven episode, so don’t expect too much action in this episode. Let’s look at some of the highlights of the episode for me. Catelyn witnesses some of the most explicit magic we’ve seen in the show so far: a shadow demon literally born last episode. This effect was definitely well done, as you can see the shape of Stannis. I’m not seeing the naivete of Brienne in these episodes, but she has room for growth as the show continues. Bran hears of Theon’s attack on Torrhen’s Square and sends Ser Rodrick to deal with it. Rickon is present also, but I don’t think they’re doing enough to display the feral nature that he develops in the books. I am a little disappointed by the look of the Fist of the First Men, where the Night Watch have made camp when meeting Qhorin Halfhand. It doesn’t seem nearly as defensible as it is said to be in the book. Daenerys meets Pyat Pree in this episode, and again magic is definitely being used more explicitly. The audience, along with Jorah, gets to meet Quiathe, who I did not recognize at first and goes unnamed. I had forgotten that she wears a wooden mask, but thinking back, I didn’t expect one as ornamental as the one shown. I hope it changes from appearance to appearance, but they definitely made sure she remained cryptic as all hell. And finally, the best scenes of the show occur in my favorite location: Harrenhal. Arya runs into Jaqen H’ghar who promises her 3 deaths to appease the 3 lives she saved. Her first is the Tickler. There continues to be some trimming from the source material as Storm’s End has apparently been forgotten. We have also apparently lost Vargo Hoat, who I was anticipating meeting this episode. Time will tell if these are revisited, but these events should have already come to pass.
Danny
I have to say that after watching the last few episodes and the last episodes at the end of season one, I am a little disappointed in this one. A Clash of Kings, which this season is based on, is one of the most action filled books of the series. For Christ’s sake, the time is called the “War of the Five Kings.” So far they have cut out the siege of Storm’s End, Jon Snow finding the dragon-glass and they are not really mentioning all the raping and pillaging being done by the Mountain That Rides.
Before I go any further, I want to iterate that I do enjoy this season so far. It is just that last night’s episode left me disappointed. For an episode titled “The Ghost of Harrenhal,” it left me wanting more Arya. I know they have a lot to cover but it feels like they spread this episode. If I remember correctly, I recall the show runners stating that they would not “Tyrion knock-out” other battles. Maybe they are saving it all for the Battle of Blackwater that comes later in the book, but I am not seeing a change from last season.
I may just be whining to whine, but there are things that I do honestly miss in this show that are in the book. The dialogue between Stannis and Renly with the peach, the taking of Storm’s End and one of the best known bastards of Robert, and Arya’s interaction between so many characters at Harrenhal are all gone from the show. Yes, they have to cut stuff to fit into the show. It does not mean I am happy about it. Hell, they have even added things that are not in the book to flesh out the story. I guess with a book that is over ten years old, they get to play a little more loose than I would have liked.
On to the positives of last night’s show. Missing some of the character moments that are taken out, I am happy they kept that oath between Catelyn and Brienne. I was not a fan of their characters in the book, but I can always appreciate the connection those two shared. Visually, the show continues to shine. I immediately liked how they showed the wildfire in the glass vase. It was an interesting look that I wanted to grab and launch as a grenade. Every showing across the Narrow Sea is showing some fantastical images and magic. The differences between Qarth and Westeros really intrigue me. Westeros is dull and stuck in reality. Qarth is bright and full of magic. But I am still waiting to see my damn cape of feathers!
Next week I can not wait to see more Halfhand and to see more about a certain marriage proposal.
And a little bonus: Roy Dotrice, the narrator for the audiobooks, plays the pyromancer. He has such an excellent voice and presence that I got a kick out of.
Natalia
This episode is really moving us closer to big events. We started out with a major show of magic and of course the scheming began shortly after. That Tyrell girl doesn’t want to be A queen… she wants to be THE queen. Very bold statement from a character that is kind of a pawn in the books. Natalie Dormer was tapped to play her for a reason, I believe that we will see this girl make some moves this season.
My favorite character in both the book and television series is Tyrion Lannister. He is witty and conniving, but at the end of the day his motives are for the greater good. He is not pleased to find out from a raving peasant that the people see him as the source of all their suffering, but he pushes on with his own agenda. This episode we get to see wildfire which is revealed to be this glowing-green-extremely-explosive substance. Cersei has apparently been stockpiling it and Tyrion has just stolen it for his own purposes. The groundwork is being laid for a huge battle and I hope we get to see it in all its green glowing glory.
On the other side of the world we have Daenerys finally out of the desert and into some color. I find Daenerys to be one of the most interesting characters because we are watching her grow and learn to play the games of society on many levels. She is one of those characters that teaches the audience about the world through her experiences. She started out this lost little girl being sold to a barbarian and now she is the mother of dragons demanding hospitality. Inside Qarth we get a glimpse of the warlocks from the house of the Undying. I really hope we actually get to see more from that before we leave Qarth behind.
All in all, this episode had so much story and I am excited for what’s to come. Hopefully we see more magic and more action!
One last thought though… What about the red comet? I haven’t heard much about it in a few episodes.
DVR Weekly: 4-30-12
Life can get pretty busy, so the invention of the Digital Video Recorder, aka DVR, has been a godsend for those of us who love television programming. Well, I’m one of those people. In this weekly article, I’m going to talk about some of the shows I am keeping up with on my DVR. Pretty straight forward, right? Well let’s get started.
Short list this week, as I’ve fallen behind on some shows.
Up first, Young Justice. This has been a great animated show. It definitely maintains the standard set by the Justice League animated series. This past weekend saw the season premiere. Felt a little weird considering the previous season finale was the week before, but I digress. This season pulls a “Five Years Later” on us. Dick Grayson/Robin has graduated to Nightwing and has also passed the mantle onto Tim Drake (a personal favorite). Aqualad, Artemis, and Kid Flash appear to no longer be members allowing room for new members such as Bumblebee, Blue Beetle, and Lagoon Boy. Zatanna and Rocket have also achieved League membership which Miss Martian, Superboy, and Nightwing have all turned down. Definitely a status quo shake up for the new season. I look forward to finding out more of the missing years especially with the slight hint of Jason Todd’s death as Robin. This episode we also get to meet Lobo (with a cool redesign), Wonder Girl, and Batgirl. Next episode looks like we’ll get a peek at Rann and find out about the missing sixteen hours of the six Leaguers.
And, Ultimate Spider-man. A few episodes in, and we’ve yet to see Spider-man’s rogues gallery really take some action. Doc Ock is still meddling in the background for Norman Osborn (aka Green Goblin, but not yet). The series has a fun feel to it, similar to the Teen Titans series from a few years back, but I’m not completely sold on the illustration style of the characters. I felt like last week’s episode was stronger with its ties to the Marvel movie universe, but this week fell a little flat. Taskmaster is the villain of the week, and they do some cool/overdone things with mathematical equations as he learns the heroes’ moves. This episode also highlighted the relationship between White Tiger and Spider-man which is being hammered to death. We get it… she takes everything more seriously than him. I’m gonna leave this on the DVR for a couple more episodes, but it may become a dud.
Check back in next week, hopefully I’ll be caught up with shows like Once Upon a Time, The Voice, and Thundercats. If not, I will definitely be able to talk about series two of Sherlock.
Call Yourself A Nerd 