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Sneaky Zebra Announce Latest Short Plans

TinkerTonks
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Sneaky Zebra Announce Latest Short Plans

UK based filmmakers Sneaky Zebra last week launched a new Indiegogo campaign to fund their latest short film: Echoes of Darkness.

The Star Wars themed fan film, penned by Sneaky’s very own Gary Scullion, aims to explore the new landscape of the universe created between ‘Return of the Jedi’ and ‘The Force Awakens’. Instead of focusing on the canonical battle of the Jedi vs the Sith, the new film offers a different perspective and aims to tell the story of the unsung heroes, of the smugglers and rogues that have previously only be touched upon in the guise of Lando and Han Solo.

“Echoes of Darkness takes place about 30 years after Return of the Jedi,” explains Scullion. “and follows this rag tag group of treasure hunters, or generally just smugglers, who are hired to collect a more recent relic than any old Sith holocron or Jedi lightsaber. One that can only be found on the forest moon of Endor. Unaware of just how dangerous their employer is, and the true magnitude of the package that they’re carrying; (the helmet of the dark lord Darth Vader), they play a very dangerous game that could make them rich – or it could cost them everything. “

While Star Wars may seem like a hot button topic considering the success of December’s hotly anticipated release ‘The Last Jedi’, the project is certainly a labour of love for it’s creator.

“Echoes was an idea I had from a few scenes in The Force Awakens, the idea was almost fully formed when I left the theatre, but it also seems like a timeframe no one in the fan film community is trying to explore, we’ve had 15+ years of fan productions set in the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy and the EU, but people seem to be avoiding the new era, for the moment.”

“What I wanted to do with this film, was show a different side of the Star Wars fan film universe. Typically there’s a lot of films that cover the Jedi and the Sith. The battle between the light and the dark. I wanted to step away from that and tell a very different story. I wanted to tell a story about the other guys; the guys that aren’t fighting a rebellion, fighting for the resistance, aren’t part of the empire. They’re not part of the bigger scope of the star wars.”

“The bulk of what we ever see are the scoundrel as they hit a turning point, we get hints at it, and I’m sure with ‘Solo’ coming out we may get some more of that world. But it’s always been a part of the films that fascinated me. What are all those other people in the Cantina doing, what are their stories and adventures.”

Building on the success of their previous shorts ‘Prop Wars’ and it’s sequel ‘Prop Wars: Prop Harder’, Sneaky have recruited some top names to headline their newest project, including film and theatre veteran Charlie Bond (The Fall of the Essex Boys, Dracula) and Jo Marriott (Exodus: Gods & Kings, The Monument Men, Torchwood). The film also aims to focus more on practical effects, with a host of SFX makeup and prosthetics going into it’s creation. Some of these, such as the Twi’lek played by Bond, might be species quite familiar to Star Wars fans, but others are entirely new and designed solely by Scullion for this particular film. 

“As someone who grew up wearing out VHS tapes of Star Wars, and films like Terminator, Alien and Predator I have always had a love for practical Make-up and Special Effects. We live in a real digital era, especially with making stuff on YouTube, you don’t have the luxury of doing things for real, you’re usually limited to After Effects. But I always knew if I wanted to do a Star Wars short, I’d want it to feel like the tactile real world of the original trilogy, well as much as you can get on a low budget!”

Initially hoping to raise $3500 to fund the short, at the time of writing they seem well on their way to success, with fans having already pledged $3050. There’s no word yet on whether or not stretch goals are in the works, but considering the scale of the project and the level of detail and planning going into it, suffice to say, every single cent will be put to good use.

To lend your support check out the campaign here; or tune in to tomorrow’s GP podcast to find out more.

Pitch, Please! S02 Ep01 – Super Smash Brothers

Matt Geary
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Pitch, Please! S02 Ep01 – Super Smash Brothers

In the first episode of the new season Ben and Callum pitch a Super Smash Bros Film; sans Mike Orvis!

Don’t forget that all Geek Pride Podcasts, including this one and the Geek Pride Cast can be found on Itunes, Google Play, youtube, spotify and our website for download.

 

If you would like to see live streamed podcasts, then please check out our Facebook, Youtube and Twitch channels.

Http://www.youtube.com/geekpridetv
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Bright – or not so bright

Cristina Bogdan
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Bright – or not so bright

According to Max Landis, Bright had the potential to become his Star Wars, but as he wrote the movie, let’s say he is biased. Since I am biased myself, I will have to say that while the movie had potential to be something memorable, it failed spectacularly.

The general premise of the movie revolves around the idea of a society where elves and orcs live alongside humans. There are other creatures as well, used mostly for comic relief or punchlines, but this is hardly explored.

And since we have this brand new world to work with, do we get to see all creatures work in harmony and act like they are enlightened beyond our day to day existence? The short answer is no. The long answer is that the movie is supposed to be a metaphor for reality, but for that to work slightly more thought needed to go into what was presented on screen. Oh and cops are bad. Really bad. Don’t ever trust cops.

As far as potential goes, Bright had a lot – even as a social commentary piece – but it failed to properly address the very issues that were at the root of its creation.

Will Smith portrays Daryl Ward, the unfortunate cop that has to accept an orc partner, as part of a new integration program, Derek Jakoby played by Joel Edgerton. Without mincing words, the orcs are seen as crude, violent and the target of many prejudices and stereotypes – the biggest being that they are all criminals lacking common sense. I will leave you five seconds to guess just who the orcs are supposed to represent. The Elves are the opposite of orcs – smart looking, sharply dressed, smart and superior in both behaviour and generally keep themselves from mingling with the orcs or the humans if they can help it.

The social divide between the three factions is palpable and the way everyone is disgruntled about it – with the exception of the elves (have a wild guess who they are supposed to be) –  is hardly used in the movie, with the exception of some slurs thrown in at random times – lest we forget we’re supposed to care about this. Most people are motivated by greed or by lack a lack of understanding regarding the effects of theri actions, but the racism takes a back seat to that, even though this was supposed to be the exact thing the movie was created for.

The movie focuses on Tikka (Lucy Fry), a young elf that steals a magic wand in order to prevent her “sister” from using it to do evil (this seems to involve a Dark Lord, but it’s never properly elaborated on, as most things in this film), and the struggle Daryl and Jakoby have to face in order to keep her safe. It had so much potential to be an amazing movie that the disappointment that followed me after it was over, was even less palatable than if it had been destined to fail completely from the start.

But everything fell flat. You’re supposed to root for Daryl and Jakoby, but one by one their decisions range from misguided to downright stupid. Jakoby’s arc – him learning to accept both sides of himself: Derek the cop and Derek the orc – would be much more compelling if he had shown that he was not, simply put, a bad cop. It’s hard to argue with the fact that even the worse cops their precinct has to offer agree that he is not cut for the job, as he either fails to react or reacts in the worst way possible, when needed.

MK1_6576.CR2

There was a single interesting character, in my opinion, and that was Kandomere, played by Edgar Ramirez. He seemed to know what he was doing, at least. While perhaps that was the whole point, having our “heroes” run around like headless chickens, throwing around Fairy lives don’t matter!  and presumably learning to be better, it was disappointing for it’s flash without substance behaviour. It reminded me of another movie directed by David Ayer that came with an equal dose of disappointment. Suicide Squad, anyone?

The movie hits all the notes of a classic fantasy work – unwilling partners on a surprise quest, a prophecy, it even throws in a resurrection for the hell of it, making it also a movie without lasting consequences – and yet. At least the villain was compelling, in that Leilah was smart and for the better part of the movie she managed to avoid all tropes that befall villains all too often. Then the ending ruined it all by having her fall in the same trap that all villains must fall into, in order to give our heroes time to save the day: the speech about her motivations. I really want to see a movie where the villain wins by simply dispatching of the hero while they can, as opposed to provide them with ample opportunity to save themselves.

Maybe I am too harsh of a critic, but the movie drowns in its own hubris and the side plots that fail to be distracting (does anyone remember Ward’s partner being…speciest? Or that he has trouble paying for his house?) are just there to fill the time and at two hours, Bright really did not need them.

The jump between one dark room and a dark street, with loud music and noises in the background are enough to both distract and fill the time, especially when all the disjointedness of the narrative needs to be pieced together by the viewer, because the background of this world is never explained, nor are the rules by which it works.

All in all, Bright is watchable, but not impressive enough for a rewatch or a sequel.

The Last Jedi – Not better than Empire

Matt Geary
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The Last Jedi – Not better than Empire

ALERT – ALERT…….SPOILER WARNING, THERE BEE SPOILERS AHEAD, ALERT -ALERT

Only a few hours since The Last Jedi’s release and it, like Rogue One, has polarised opinion already, with some people saying it was the best Starwars to date but with many others leaving, confused, deflated and even disappointed; I unfortunately am of the latter.

First off, and I’ll get this out of the way now, its not a ‘bad’ film; far from it. Action sequences are grand, explosion filled and immersive; most acting is intense and believable and the added comedy was, well, comical; I definitely lol’d.  Unfortunately though, despite having separate ingredients that on their own were favourable to the proverbial pallet, when they were mixed together, in the way they were, it just didn’t work. And it is here where TLJ falls down and the reason I think a lot of people have come away, like myself, disappointed.

Now I understand why friends of mine have come out and said it was amazing, the constituent parts, on their own merits, are great: the attack on the Dreadnought, the Throne Room fight, the Hoth esq battle at the end and fricken force ghost Yoda were great scenes but the sinews that held them together, the eggs and milk to our Star Wars cake, were either weak, actively trying to undermine the story or just none existent and so instead of a perfectly formed entity we get a messy hybrid that on paper should have been the best film yet but which ffailed on nearly every test.

Here is a list of the problems:

Porgs and general slap stick comedy –  For me the greatest annoyance in TLJ was the over use of comedy and those freaking Porgs.. it just seemed to be brazen and pointless in parts and it really affected the mood / shape of the entire film. Sure, as I stated above, each comedy part was amusing but instead of bringing the movie together it proactively undermined it.

We have a desperate situation, a rebel fleet needing man power and fuel, a newly resurgent First Order that’s tendrils are dominating the galaxy, Luke struggling with his faith, Kylo and Rey struggling with their identities, a more in-depth look at the Force but aww look, chewi can’t eat his dinner because the Porg is being cute and doing funny things and dawwww the Porgs are on the Millennium Falcon now doing porgy things .. lets adopt them, dawww lets buy loads of Porg toys and have it as the lasting symbol of the entire film franchise.

The Porgs are symptomatic of but not the only comic relief I have issue with. General Hux, with his side kick Eddy from Bottom (Adrian Edmondson), Po’s time wasting gambit, all of Canto Bight and most of Lukes gaffs, quips and isms all made me feel like I was watching a Marvel film and as much as I love Marvel films it just doesn’t sit right in the context of this story ark and to me seemed like they were trying to mask a messy plot by over compensating with cutesie comedy.

Had this been a different story, a part of a new trilogy , a part of something different then I don’t think I would have had such an issue but this was the penultimate film of a 9 film series (12 if you include stand alones ) that has touched on a lot of very dark source material and to just throw in cheap gaffs and jokes cause, at the minute Marvel are making a killing by adding comedy in their films, just seems to sully the canon and the ending of a story many of us have grown up with.

Marry Poppins Leia – seriously WTF?! Leia is meant to be force sensitive, able to feel the force, I understand that, but she’s no jedi. Yet she is blasted out into space and is able to return, weakened but pretty much unharmed; it just doesn’t make sense. Actual trained Jedi’s have fallen foul to lesser events than that and I just can’t see how they are going to move forward to Episode IX, bearing in mind Carrie Fisher is now dead and they said they wouldn’t CGI her in?

It was as if  Rian Johnson has just gone.. “hmmm, everyone is expecting Leia to die in this movie, let’s throw them a curve ball and keep her alive but incapacitated; everyone loves curve balls right.. right?” And yeah, I don’t mind the odd curve ball to be honest, killing off Snoke (though bearing in mind Darth maul survived being cut in twain, having a powerful force user like Snoke die from it does seem slightly lazy) for example, didn’t bother me that much because it at least provided the mechanism for one of the greatest scenes in the film; the Throne Room fight. Leia coming back did very little for the film and just added complications to shooting the next… also, it was ridiculous.

Snoke’s death – Ok so it didn’t bother me that much and I can see where it could lead but as I mentioned above he only got cut in two and if Leia, an untrained force sensitive can survive the void of space and Darth Maul a Sith apprentice can come back from that, then having Snoke, an apparent Sith Lord of great power simply ended  just seems lazy; especially as he hasn’t really been explained yet.

Rey’s use of the force with no training- This is a bit of a bug bear I’ve had from TFA. She’s no doubt had to train in some sort of martial art on Jakku to survive the harsh environment but bar ‘having a feeling’ something was up, being able to use force powers, as if she was a trained Jedi,  seems to fly in the face of all the other films, general canon and it seems that TLJ compounds this by pretty much saying you don’t need to be trained to do cool stuff.. none of this training in the Jedi temple on Coruscant or a swampy Degoba, na, just do it, things will float and mindless troopers will do what you tell them.

Luke – I just didn’t like how he was portrayed and to be honest I don’t think Mark Hamill did either

“When I read 8, I told Rian [Johnson, the writer-director], ‘I fundamentally disagree with virtually everything you’ve decided about my character…”

At the end of Return of the Jedi we have a Jedi Master, a trained, disciplined and stoic character but in TLJ hes a sullen hermit who has given up and that doesn’t sit right with me. Granted there are times that the old Luke shows up but despite his sacrifice at the end he’s weak, his end, another shoehorned curve ball readying for a force ghost appearance in Episode IX, is pretty lame and he seems more like comic relief than a main protagonist; which is upsetting.

Finn and Rose – Completely unmemorable in the entire film and their side quest to Canto Bight just pointless. It felt like I was watching A Phantom Menace or one of the prequels at some points and I was half expecting pod racing; though I got the next best thing with Camel Dogs. Also I feel that in a bid to work Rose into the franchise and build her back story a bit, they weakened Po’s character; someone who needed more development himself and became the victim of Rose’s exposition .

The attack on the Dreadnought killing Rose’s Sister, Po’s mutiny to give them a chance to get a code and his indecision at the end on Crait  are just plot devices for Rose and make Po out to be a rank amateur with little care for his comrades lives and to be honest that’s not the same Po from TFA.

Nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake –  Don’t get me wrong nostalgia is good and you have no idea how much I fan boyed when Grand Moth Tarkin, Gold Leader and Red Leader turned up in Rogue One, that film is better than Empire (see HERE for explanation ) but its nostalgic nods were just that, nods, passing Easter Eggs in a film that was very much its own story. TFA and TLJ on the other hand, as much as they did have subtle moments, also added massive plagiariffic head bobs and were as subtle as a Bantha in a high end Coruscant boutique.

I wanted to love this film, I wanted to come out hyped, unable to sleep and just longing to see it again, like I did for Rogue One, but I didn’t, I left confused about what I had seen and unable to reconcile myself with some of it. I was sure I enjoyed a lot of it…I laughed, the battles were cool, Yoda came back and the scene with Rey and Kylo fighting Snoke’s bodyguard was epic but I just felt slightly empty , not to mention slightly bored in the middle.

Yes it is a good movie and far from the worst in the franchise but instead of making sure that the separate ingredients were mixed carefully, and with the right portions, it seems that it was all just jammed in there and the result was one being left with a confusing taste that wouldn’t go away.

Definitely not better than Empire and number 6 in my all-time Ranking

 

1 -RO

2- TESB

3 -ANH

4 -ROTJ

5- TFA

6- TLJ

7 -ROTS

8 -TPM

9 -AOTC

The Geek Pride Cast #Justiceleague

Matt Geary
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The Geek Pride Cast #Justiceleague

Better late than never, Matt, Dave and Jonjo talk Justice League.. despite Matt not having seen it at the time of recording the podcast.

Don’t forget that all Geek Pride Podcasts, including this one and Pitch Please can be found on Itunes, Google Play, youtube, spotify and our website for download.

 

If you would like to see live streamed podcasts, then please check out our Facebook, Youtube and Twitch channels.

Http://www.youtube.com/geekpridetv
http://www.facebook.com/geekpride1
http://www.twitch.com/geekpridetv

Pitch Please S01.5 Episode 1 – Obi Wan Kenobi

Matt Geary
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Pitch Please S01.5 Episode 1 – Obi Wan Kenobi

We’re back.. ish… Season 2 is coming soon but in the mean time here is Ben and Mike pitching an Obi Wan Kenobi Film.

Don’t forget that all Geek Pride Podcasts, including this one and the Geek Pride Cast can be found on Itunes, Google Play, youtube, spotify and our website for download.

 

If you would like to see live streamed podcasts, then please check out our Facebook, Youtube and Twitch channels.

Http://www.youtube.com/geekpridetv
http://www.facebook.com/geekpride1
http://www.twitch.com/geekpridetv

Cosplay from MCM Birmingham Comic Con – November 2017

Rach Griffiths
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Cosplay from MCM Birmingham Comic Con – November 2017

No edition of MCM Birmingham Comic Con would be complete without the vast array of costumes on show from the various cosplayers in attendance. Varying from accurate representations of much loved characters through to imaginative cross-overs, there was a wealth of work and creativity on show throughout.

Here is a selection of just some of the amazing costumes on display during the weekend.

All photos by Rachael Griffiths at BlackLotus Photography.

Po-Zu launch Star Wars inspired footwear

Peter Ray Allison
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Po-Zu launch Star Wars inspired footwear

Finding geek-wear for the ethically-minded has always been tricky at best.  Often, geek clothing was manufactured to meet the exacting demands of fans , with little to no thought as to the environmental sustainability, use of animal products or fair deals for workers in the supply chain. Until now…

Ethical clothing company Po-Zu have been approached by George Lucas (you may have heard of him) to make some Star Wars inspired footwear.

Unlike previous licensing deals, where companies pay for the privilege for being able to create branded footwear, this is different.  Here we have The Man himself approaching a company, whose values he obviously respects, to make Star Wars clothing.

Po-Zu create not just ethical clothing, but vegan as well.  Thus, the Star Wars footwear are all made from environmentally-friendly materials, without the use of any animal derivatives.  The leather is mushroom leather, the canvas is made from organic cotton, the soles are made from natural rubber and the fur is fake.

They also look amazing and feel incredibly comfortable.

These Star Wars shoes are not just plain shoes with the Star Wars logo emblazoned on the side.  Instead, Po-Zu have designed their shoes to reflect the characters they are based on; from the BB-8 inspired orange and red sneakers, to the mid-calf boots based on Rey.  There are even some vegan Wookie boots, which will be perfect for these cold winter nights.

So, if you have a loved one who is into Star Wars and you are still looking for the perfect Christmas gift, then you not could go far wrong with the Star Wars shoes from Po-Zu.

All photos by Rachael Griffiths.

MCM Birmingham Comic Con – November 2017: Is that a chicken?

Peter Ray Allison
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MCM Birmingham Comic Con – November 2017: Is that a chicken?

Wandering into MCM Birmingham Comic Con for the first time, you may be excused for being awestruck for a moment.  The entrance is a visual assault on the senses, with banners hanging from the ceiling, videos playing non-stop on the monitors and hordes of costumers of surrounding you.

From traders and authors, to cars and robots, MCM Birmingham Comic legitimately had it all.  Previous comic cons, despite being held over a weekend, could be easily visited in a day, but the November 2017 event was the first time where two days were needed to take everything in, due to the number of activities taking place.

Once again, the convention was spread across three halls of the Birmingham NEC, with a fourth hall dedicated to tickets sales and collection.  The map provided inside the MCM show guide were useful in navigating the convention, but it would have been helpful if areas such as the comics village had been more clearly indicated.

MCM had invited some fantastic guests, including Pearl Mackie from Doctor Who and Anthony Daniels from Star Wars.  Guests like Virginia Hey, who took the time to engage with their fans and chat to them, truly made the day unique.

If I had one criticism for the weekend, it would have to be the crowding.  This could have been down to the new layout meaning the floor size was smaller, or that there were even more people than last time (we are talking tens of thousands of people).  Saturday was worse, as there were so many people that it became claustrophobic and caused hassles.  Some traders also found they were unable to connect to the wi-fi due to the number of people using it.

Sunday was not as bad, but it was still incredibly cramped in the trader zones.  Some people gave up trying to browse the stalls, which was a shame as there was some fantastic gear on offer, such as the vegan/ethical Star Wars shoes by Po Zu and the chance to speak to authors like A. S. Chambers at their stands.

Despite the crowding, there remained an incredibly friendly and positive atmosphere.  Much of this was due to the number of cosplayers who were present, from the casual cosplayers to those in full animatronic gear like Iron Man.  It was also gratifying those who dressed conventionally were in the minority, compared to the number of cosplayers.

The shear breadth of costumes highlighted the diversity within the cosplay community.  Costumes ranged from the classic Deadpool and Stormtroopers, through to some truly unique and creative interpretations of classic characters, which left even me guessing… ‘Is that a chicken?’

There were also some great cosplay discussions led by Tabitha Lyons of Artyfakes and others about the history of costuming and how some of their costumes were made.

Birmingham Comic Con proved that geekery is not just for the kids, as young and old alike were found to be dressed up.  It was great to see a kids’ zone had been set aside for families, which included displays by the Silver Sabres fencing group.  However, the presence of several gruesome zombies roaming the halls might have upset the more sensitive children.

Birmingham Comic Con is justifiably one of the most fun conventions in the Midlands.  MCM have curated an excellent event by developing an incredible atmosphere of shared geekery and allowing it to flourish.

All photos by Rachael Griffiths.

The Geek Pride Cast #Paytowin

Matt Geary
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The Geek Pride Cast #Paytowin

Last Weeks Podcast is up for download! This time we actually have a topic of conversation and discuss, in depth, Micro Transactions, Loot crates and paying to win. #Geekpridecast #paytowin #ea #starwarsbattlefront2

 

Don’t forget that all Geek Pride Podcasts, including this one and Pitch, Please! can be found on Itunes, Google Play, youtube and our website for download.

If you would like to see live streamed podcasts, then please check out our Facebook, Youtube and Twitch channels.

Http://www.youtube.com/geekpridetv
http://www.facebook.com/geekpride1
http://www.twitch.com/geekpridetv

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