This Week in Geek (21-27/07/08)

Buys

Contrary to appearances, I am not made of money.

"Accomplishments"

As you already know, I saw The Dark Knight this week AND flipped Batman: Gotham Knight. Didn't say much about the DVD extras, so I'll spill it now. Nice commentary track with the likes of Kevin Conroy and Denny O'Neil which makes some interesting points about what Batman at his best should be. Of the two documentary featurettes, the better one is a loving but unflinching look at Bob Kane, Portrait of an Egomaniac (not the real title). The other is standard fare about Batman's rogues gallery. A preview of the upcoming Wonder Woman direct-to-DVD movie rounds out the package, though it's all at the storyboard stage right now. There are also four bonus episodes of the Batman Animated Series, but since I own all the seasons, that's just wasted place. Do I really have to pay more for your marketing strategy, WB?

The other DVD I flipped is Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron, a WWII film starring James Coburn featuring the German side of things. Mostly devoid of politics, it's really about the soldier's reality in any war, and indeed, feels a lot more informed by Vietnam than it does the Russian front (and yet, the details are authentic). I enjoyed it, though it was very bleak. The DVD includes an expert's commentary, very interesting, with a strong focus on how the novel was adapted and period detail.





Comics: Read through all three available volumes of Jack of Fables, and I of course loved them. They totally feel like extra issues of Fables, and yet have their own spin with knowing references from Narrator Jack and other characters. It's a comic that doesn't take itself too seriously, and in which characters definitely have the Reality Check power. It only got better as I went along and it's a real shame that a fourth volume isn't immediately available.

RPGs: Monday was Episode 1 of our Warehouse 23/Black Ops campaign (of a proposed 6), entitled "Ley of the Land". Grey aliens using ley lines to power their spacecraft and a druidic con game at Stonehenge. A slo-mo snowmobile accident turns into an attack. And the rookie gets an odd vision, perhaps pertaining to a secret destiny. Good stuff to start with! I also just finished compiling a soundtrack for the series, which I'll happily trot out tomorrow night.

New Unauthorized Doctor Who CCG cards: 5. Not a lot, but I've given myself the task of adapting Timelash, which is just so painful to watch that I haven't been able to find the motivation. I'll strive to do better soon.

GTA4 completion: 80%. Addiction Level: One Foot in the Hole.

Someone Else's Post of the Week
Sea of Green made me laugh this week with her post on the Crisis Event to Beat All Crisis Events. Seeing as I'm not to far from that Crisis myself, I've chosen it as my Post of the Week!

Comments

rob! said…
i would've loved to have seen a Batman movie directed by Sam Peckinpah.

and people think TDK was dark!