While at MCM London last weekend, we got invited to a round the table interview with Agents of Shield Stars:
Elizabeth Henstridge
Luke Mitchell
Nick Blood
Lotte Verbeek
5 Things we learned from Belfast Film and Comic Con May 2016
Convention season is upon us and Showmasters and their crew delivered a fine event at the Titanic Exhibition Centre on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of May with plenty of stalls, exhibits, cosplayers and cult celebs to keep the discerning nerd happy. Here’s five things we learned from the first of this years Belfast Film and Comic Con’s.
1) Peter Jackson is a huge Doctor Who fan.
Speaking to the adoring collective of Whovians on Saturday, Sylvester McCoy aka The 7th Doctor revealed that Peter Jackson revealed to the cast at the wrap party of The Hobbit that he was a massive fan of the Time Lord. McCoy, who played Radagrast the Brown, said that Jackson never mentioned it to him whilst working on the film in New Zealand. In fact the LOTR director even has the costume of the 7th Doctor amongst a vast array of film and TV memorabilia including one of James Bond’s cars!
2) ….and Ace still has “that” jacket.
Actress Sophie Aldred revealed that whilst filming Dr Who in the late 80’s the BBC props department allowed the cast to keep items of their wardrobe for promotional appearances. After the show was cancelled in 1989 Aldred simply kept the famous leather jacket. Over time she lost some of the badges which keen eyed cosplayers have noted when attending conventions.
3) Michael Biehn wasn’t a fan of Alien 3.
Whilst attending a screening in LA a trailer for Alien 3 preceded the feature which he stood up and shouted “BOOOOOO!!!” Beihn, who starred in the previous movie Aliens, was disappointed to learn that he was written out of the next chapter. So much so that he pushed to get paid just as much for his image to be used in a few seconds of Alien 3 as he did for Aliens. Biehn, who also starred in three other James Cameron pictures, Terminator’s 1 and 2 and The Abyss, was quick to defend Cameron’s rigorous work ethic on set claiming that he was a passionate man who was passionate about making movies and that if people had a problem with his style of direction they could tell him to go f**k himself! He also mentioned that he could have been in Avatar but it didn’t work out because audiences could have associated himself and Sigourney Weaver too much with Aliens. The rumour mill about his possible resurrection in a future Neil Blokamp directed reboot of Alien 3 were also thrown out there but due to Ridley Scott’s Alien projects these have been put on hold.
4) The Titanic Exhibition Centre was a good move for BFCC
Showmasters moved the BFCC from the SSE Odyssey Arena to the larger, roomier Titanic Exhibition Centre right in the shadow the Titanic Studios where Game of Thrones is filmed. The extra room was a welcome sight for Belfast convention going folk as the stall space on the floor of the Ice Rink Arena was a little tight back in September. One drawback was the lack of cash machines at the venue which meant that impulse purchases at the merch stands had to be deferred from time to time. But overall the stark surroundings of the H&W shipyards coupled with the great weather made for great photo shoots.
5) Cosplay is alive and well in Belfast
With more and more conventions coming to the area in the past few years the cosplay community has grown from strength to strength and this was very evident at BFCC. In fact you only have to look at the amount of Facebook pages created by local cosplayers; they are like mini celebrities these days with many signing prints at their own tables and even giving their own talks . Check out our review of some of the best cosplay creations here.
Bippity Boppity Boooooooooo – Mary Poppins 2 Confirmed
Do you know what this world needs? Aside from more Dragonball Z Abridged episodes and a general lack of Donald Trump? Now, I’m pretty sure that the last thing you would have said would be ‘A Mary Poppins Sequel’. Because who in the hell wanted or needed a new Mary Poppins film?
Well, someone in Disney seems to want it/the ridiculous amount of money they will sadly somehow make out of this cold, soulless move, because we’re getting a new Mary Poppins. Titled Mary Poppins Returns as though she were Batman – which would admittedly be a very interesting take on the character – we should expect this sugarless medicine to appear on our screens on Christmas Day in 2018.
Starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Poppins Returns at least isn’t going to be set in the modern day. Set in London between the two World Wars, Poppins will reappear in the Banks’ lives when they are adults, having completely forgotten the weird wonder that she brought into their lives when they were children. Lin-Manuel will play Jack, another cockney chimney sweep who definitely will be completely different from Dick Van Dyke’s Bert in many ways.
With the number of creative people working at Disney and their sheer budget following the ridiculous successes of the last few Marvel films and The Jungle Book remake, you would have thought the House of Mouse could take a few creative risks and create some a new franchise. Instead, sadly, they are banking on nostalgia and people’s childhoods for money.
Which, in fairness, they sort of did with Star Wars: The Force Awakens…
Dungeons 2 Review – Or “Embrace the Evil Within”
So often in video games, we, as the player, find ourselves placed in the role of the hero, striving to battle against the greater evil and save the wider world from its clutches…. but being good all the time can get boring, fast; if only you could be the villain?
Well there have been several games over the years that have taken this line of thought, the Overlord franchise for one, but none have been perhaps as iconic as the Dungeon Keeper series.
You may recall, the first Dungeon Keeper game was released back in 1997, with its sequel following shortly after in ’99 and both games gaining a solid following as the player set out to create dungeons filled with monsters, traps and treasure, to lure in bold adventurers and crush them in advancement of your evil whims.
Fast forward to 2011 and Kalypso Media / Realmforge Studios released what was heralded as the spiritual successor to the Dungeon Keeper franchise, simply titled Dungeons.
With a moderate success, Kalypso decided to launched a squeal in 2015; one that has now been reissued for the Playstation 4 and one I got to get my hands on to play!
Now, I’ve always been hesitant when approaching real-time strategy games on a console, as they’ve always felt inherently designed for play on a PC, with the cursor click and drag play style. However, with various helpful HUD elements and an in-depth tutorial spanning the first few missions of the Horde campaign, I was put at ease and found myself able to play quite easily.
Admittedly, there were a few hiccups, but I think this was more my approach to playing, not through the actual gameplay itself (because somehow I completely forgot that I can have more than one unit highlighted at a time).
Graphically, Dungeons 2 has an eye catching vibrancy to it, with some well animated character models and visual effects on spells and skills. The textures and landscapes are rich, colourful, and really capture the high fantasy feel of the world.
On top of this and to my absolute glee, there was the inclusion of Kevan Brighting (The Stanley Parable, DOTA2) and his trademark dry, sarcastic narration, which fits perfectly alongside your evil escapades and added humour and depth to the game.
I can fully see myself sinking many hours into Dungeons, especially with both the Horde and the Demons providing different play styles and unit options,but where this game really shines is in the ability the game gives to you to not only create daunting dungeons, but to send minions out into the Overworld and destroy the smelly, pitiful humans of the Alliance… Wait, Alliance? Horde? Hmm… Nah, must just be a coincidence.
This release on PS4 includes bonus content such as 11 new maps from the Pixieville, Morningwood, A Chance of Dragons, A Song of Sand and Fire and A Clash of Pumpkins expansion stories (wait a minute….)
Featuring 26 unique creatures, multiplayer Skirmish maps and over 30 hours additional gameplay from the original release, you will not be short of things to do.
If you are a fan of the Classic RTS with a a dash of humour and a dollop of Evil, this game will be right up your street.
Available now for £49.99… Go and give it a try!
Homespun Heroes of Cosplay – Belfast Film and Comic Con May 2016
Cosplay as a hobby has gone from strength to strength the world over in the past decade but has recently began to take hold as a major way of life for many people in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the likes of MCM and Showmasters bringing conventions to the four corners of the UK and Ireland in the last few years, cosplay hungry nerds in the Emerald Isle have been getting the sewing kits and glue guns in action and making their mark on the world of cosplay. Geek Pride sent TrekkieMark and cameraman Dave Foy to meet some of the rising stars of cosplay in NI.
Shannen O’Doherty and Anthony McKee as Nick Wilde and Officer Clawhauser from Zootopia
GP: So what are you cosplaying as today?
S. Nick Wild…
A. …. and officer Clawhauser, both from Zootropolis (Zootopia)
GP: What’s your go to Cosplay costume?
S. I would normally do Moriarty.
A. I would do a lot of Disney characters recently but I’ve done a lot of video games, I would say I’m a really casual cosplayer; I just go with whatever I feel like going.
GP: How did you make this shirt?
S. Fabric markers. A LOT of fabric markers!
GP: What type of cosplayers would you say you are? Hands on with sewing or good at finding things?
A. I’m terrible at sewing but I’m good with a glue gun.
S. I can’t sew, it’s just glue, paint and markers. Anything you can make it with and find.
A. It’s about finding things, not just going online and buying an entire costume but making an effort by going to thrift shops and going on eBay.
GP: How long you guys been cosplaying for?
S. Oh gosh …
A. About 2 years. I cosplayed once when I was 13 years old. I went through a Naruto phase but everyone thought I was FlyMan so I put it on the backburner.
S. 7 or 8 years.
GP. Of all the local cosplayers who are the ones that impress you the most?
S. Ruairi! (Reds Domain)
A. Yeah, he’s really good. Mines not really local but one I’ve seen online, Drefden.
S. And all the Harleys are amazing!
Damian Mallon aka Agent Delta Cosplay as Ace Ventura
GP. How long have you been cosplaying for?
D. I’ve been cospaying for about 3 years now, properly for about 2, I started out small and worked from there but about 3 years.
GP. What’s your number one go to cosplay costume.
D. People know me mostly for Ace Ventura, I would say. I’m also known for Ash Williams (Evil Dead) but Ace would be my number one.
GP. What’s your process when it comes to making costumes?
D. (laughs) Well I’m not that talented, a lot of my “costumes” are cheap clothing from vintage shops and charity shops or just existing clothing I’ve had and altered. I’ll get the character and I’ll look up online and see what they’re wearing like Ash Williams is just shirt and trousers, Ace is just a vest and crazy trousers. The only thing I really made was the Ash Williams chainsaw. All of my props are made out of foam board and pins and glue and crossed fingers basically.
GP. Of the local scene of cosplayers who impresses you the most?
D. Ruairi (Red’s Domain) of course who does HellBoy, he’s always mentioned. He’s a prop-master; he’s done HellBoy Beast, Mr Freeze, Genie, he’s done more than I can remember. I quite like Megan (VeggieFiend Cosplay); she sews her own costumes and makes everything from scratch. I’m not just bigging them up because they’re my mates but they are two really talented individuals. I’m always referring people to check out their costumes. I like Charlie for blackink, she’s done Zoolander last night, she’s one of the best character cosplayers I know.
Lee Hill as Kristoff from Frozen
GP. When did you start cosplaying?
L. I started cosplaying about 8 years ago, my first costume was Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist. I started cosplaying at Q-Con (Belfast) and it was just amazing. And I haven’t stopped since, it’s just got bigger and bigger.
GP. What’s your number one go to costume that you have?
L. My new one Dipper Pines, it’s not too warm and easy to wear, unlike this Kristoff one! Far too hot!
GP. What type of cosplayer would you describe yourself as? Someone who makes, creates or finds things?
L. I’m a bit of mixture. I would like to start building my own costumes, at the moment I’m building my own Samurai costume using PVC plastic.
GP. Of all the cosplayers here today who impresses you the most?
L. The Big Hero 6 cosplayers have impressed me the most!
Amy Donaghey as Emma Frost from X Men aka Bontanical Beauty
GP. So tell us how long have you been cosplaying for?
A. About a year and a half maybe.
GP. (Shocked) Is that it?
A. (Laughs) Yeah, the first time I came to a convention I didn’t cosplay as anything and then saw everyone else and was like “I wanna get in on that!”
GP. You look like you’ve been cosplaying for a lot longer! What’s the costume you’re known for the most?
A. It has to be Poison Ivy. She was the first. Everyone knows me for that now. People come up to me and ask “are you not Ivy today?” So yeah people recognise me as that.
GP. So what type of cosplayer would you describe yourself as?
A. I would generally buy bits and pieces and assemble them together, I’m not the best at sewing but I am getting there. I’ve tried making things out of foam so I’m starting to branch out and getting better.
GP. And in the local cosplay scene who impresses you?
A. Oh there’s so many now. I really love Lady Bane, she’s awesome but there’s so many out there now!
Mark Agnew as Mad Max
GP. So how long have you been cosplaying for?
M. Since last September.
GP. Wow! So only a couple of months! (Mark had just won 1st Place in Sundays Cosplay Competition)
M. Well I’ve been a comic book fan for over 30 years and I’ve decided to start. I’m 45 actually!
GP. Amazing, so what made you start cosplaying?
M. Met a few friends who were into cosplay who mentioned to me that this was a thing and I started going to conventions. I was The Joker last year and now I’ve decided to do something a bit different.
GP. So is that the one you’re known for the most?
M. Yeah, The Joker, the classic comic book style. Too many movie Jokers out there.
GP. So what’s your process when it comes to making costumes?
M. I get bits and pieces online like the mask made from latex, the jacket I bought, I distressed it and dressed it down, altered it myself. Some stuff from charity shops and the likes, jeans and boots. The leg brace I made myself and the t shirt dyed with Punjanna Tea Bags!
GP. Locally who in the cosplay scene impresses you the most?
M. My friend Stephen and his kid is cosplaying at Hit Girl. It’s amazing that a whole family are doing it, it’s inspiring the next generation of cosplayers. I’ve heard a lot of negativity out there about cosplayers who look down their nose at costumes that are not screen accurate but at the end of the day if you spend £5 or £500 its about how much fun you get out of it!
Suzie Swann aka Lady Bane as Magneto
GP. How long have you been doing this?
S. About 2 years when the first big comic con came about. MCM was my first one and after that it’s just sort of snowballed. Actually the last convention I was going to pack it in and be done with it but then I was asked would I like to be a judge at this years BFCC. I was like sure ok!
GP. So the costume you are known for wearing is of course Lady Bane. Why that particular costume?
S. I don’t really know. I was my first one. I figure because I hit the bar so high I couldn’t really top it so I brought out Loki and no one cared so then I went on to Magneto and that was received very well but people still recognised me as Bane so it stuck.
GP. What’s your cosplay process? Do you build things?
S. Not really good at sewing and I’m hit and miss at building things but I made this Magneto helmet. But it’s not perfect as you can see (points to some obscure bubbling on the helmet).
GP. I have to say it’s very impressive. Of all the local cosplayers out there who impresses you?
S. I really dig Ruairi (Reds Domain) and Damien (Agent Delta), they just think outside of the box and they are really funny to watch whatever they do! They’re fantastic and they know how to work a crowd.
Eli Mottram aka Attack on Leon Cosplay and Alannah Ashcroft as The Joker and Harley Quinn
GP. Tell us about your costumes and who you are here as?
E. I’m here as The Joker and Alannah is here as Harley Quinn.
GP. So how long have you guys been cosplaying for?
E. Eriticon 2014 so just about a year and a half?
A. About a year.
GP. What do people know you best for cosplaying?
A. I mostly do DC Characters.
E. I’ve only started doing Joker in the past 6 months but Red Hood would be my main one.
GP. What’s your cosplay process? Build? Buy?
E. It’s a bit of everything really, the Joker costume was stuff I bought on eBay and then Alannah did my makeup. But a lot of my costumes , especially the Anime ones I make myself because I’m really handy with sewing.
A. I’m just starting to make armour and sewing but this was put together with the help of me and my granny and the internet. It depends on how much time you have and how dedicated you are and how you feel about the moment.
GP. So how has the Cosplay scene in Ireland evolved? Has it upped its game over the past few years?
E. Well in good ways and bad. The cosplay community in Northern Ireland can be a mixed bag of personalities. I met some of my best friends through the Belfast cosplay community but some of the nastiest people I’ve met are there too but you don’t let people like that stop you. If I was going to let the haters get in my way I would have stopped going to cons ages ago.
GP. Who do you admire on the local cosplay scene?
E. Micheal McCabe who runes LocDown events. Everything he does is so fantastic, the amount of charity work he does sets him apart from all the rest.
A. I’m from Dublin so I don’t know many of the local Belfast ones but I’ve met Micheal and hes really nice so I’d have to agree with Eli.
Tanja Angela aka MarlyJack Costumes and Amie Martin as Natasha Romonoff from Avengers and Owen Grady from Jurassic World
GP. Tell us who you are cosplaying as?
A. I’m cosplaying Owen Grady from Jurassic World
T. And I’m Natasha Romanoff from the Avengers.
GP. And how long have you guys been cosplaying for?
T. About 5 years now.
A. About 7.
GP. Was there much of a cosplay scene in Belfast 5-7 years ago?
A. Not so much here but down south in Dublin with events like Ertikon and from there it went from other conventions like Q-Con and the big ones so it’s been around for a good while.
GP. And what are you go to cotsumes for conventions? What are you known for the most?
T. Black Widow would be mine. Mostly because it’s so easy to put on! (Laughs)
A. I don’t have one yet I don’t think. But I do love Chris Pratts characters and I’ve cosplayed Star Lord and Owen Grady but I think my favourite ones are the Star Trek ones because they are a lot more comfortable to be honest.
GP. What’s your cosplay process?
T. I love making my own costumes but I wouldn’t be elitist by looking down at someone for buying their own costume because all of this is bought. You’ve got to sometimes!
A. I like to find bits and pieces, it’s not going to be exactly who you want it to be. When you get it you’re not going to get it completely right so you have to modify things to suit your tastes. There’s a lot of screengrabbing and a lot of work to look into it. Make up is tough as well.
GP. Who in the local cosplay do you look up to?
A. Shannen and Charlie, definitely.
T. Yeah those two are amazing. I’m good with costumes but with make up I cant quite get it and they’re great.
A. Shannen and Charlie are very supportive!
The Showmasters Belfast Film and Comic Con took place at the Titanic Exhibition Centre Belfast on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of May 2016.
A Chat with Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton (JoCo to his fans) is known worldwide as the geek’s musician. Spinning lyrical tales about everything to do with geek culture, creating memorable pieces for some truly epic video games, and even releasing a comic based on one of his song characters. Recently, I had the opportunity to ask him a few quick questions about his music, geekiness, his comic ambitions and what the future holds. Enjoy.
GP – You are known as one of the worlds best known “geeky” musicians, but you started out as a computer programmer back in the 90’s. Whilst being geeky is almost mainstream now, how easy was it being a geek back then and did you face any challenges as a young geek?
JoCo – “When you work at a software company, it’s pretty easy to 
find your own kind. And when I was in college, I spent a lot of time in the acappella scene, which is pretty geeky too. It’s never been that hard to find people who were interested in the same stuff, and in many ways I’d say it’s more the labelling of things that has changed over the years. People loved science fiction and comic books before there was such a thing as geek culture. “
GP – Geek culture is becoming much more mainstream. Numerous comicons, Marvel movies, DC movies, geek culture seems to be taking over the world. Do you think that this is a good thing, or do you think that the Geek culture will be diluted and become almost “Pop”?
JoCo – “I think that’s already happened. But I don’t think it matters all that much. When I go to a convention, I’m always amazed at how many people are huge dedicated fans of stuff that I’ve never heard of. For every person who’s only seen a couple of Marvel movies, there are ton of people making and enjoying stuff that will never make it into the mainstream. There will always be pop, and there will always be niche. The good news is, it’s easier than ever for people to create and discover new stuff. “
GP – You have contributed music to several video games with overwhelming success. Are there any particular video games that you would have loved to been asked to do a song for? Likewise were you approached to write music by any games but turned them down? If so, why?
JoCo – “The great thing about the Portal games is that they had a really strong character in GlaDOS. It’s a rare thing, and without it, the songs just wouldn’t have been that interesting. I’ve passed on some other opportunities to do more incidental music for games, and that’s really not my speciality – I’m much better when there’s an actual song to be written. “
GP – With the stunning success on Kickstarter of Code Monkey Save World, do you have any plans to go back and look at bringing some of your other song characters out on paper?
JoCo – “Maybe! Greg Pak and I actually followed up on that project with a children’s book called “The Princess Who Saved Herself,” which was a lot of fun. I think we hit most of the good ones in the Code Monkey book, but I’m certainly curious to know more about the backstory of a character like Mr. Fancy Pants. We’ll see!”
GP – You are well known for the range of instruments you can play. Are there any instruments that really boggle you and that you just cannot get the hang of?
JoCo – “Well, I’m one of those guys who can play a lot of instruments poorly and none of them really well. If it’s got strings that you pluck, I can probably fake it ok. Piano I’m only barely competent at. I would love to someday learn pedal steel, but that’s one of those things that seems to take a lifetime to get good at, and I’m not sure I have that kind of time. “
GP – I would be remiss if I did not bring up your decision to release all of your music for free under creative commons. Do you think that, given the success you have had releasing your music this way, that other artists in the industry should consider trying the same thing?
JoCo – “I think the landscape has changed a lot since I did that. It seems like most people have come around to the idea that you can’t really keep people from copying and sharing music, though the rise of streaming is certainly going to change things again. I don’t think there’s any right way to do it. What works for me might not work for someone else. The nice thing is that there are many different approaches these days, so I think everyone has to decide for themselves. “
GP – Obviously you love being a musician and a geek. But, somewhere out there in an alternate dimension there is a Jonathan Coulton who is not so musically gifted. What do you think that JoCo would be doing at this stage in his life?
JoCo – “I really enjoyed writing software. Working with code is a great pleasure of mine. I was very interested in robotics for a while, and I still like soldering and building and debugging. So probably non musical me would be making something with wires.”
GP – You have worked with many truly talented musicians over the years. Are there any left out in the world that you have yet to work with, that you really want to collaborate with? If so, who?
JoCo – “All! This is a tough question because while there are many musicians I admire, the idea of working with them is always a little scary. Though every time I HAVE collaborated with someone, I have always found it very rewarding. Collaborating takes you out of your comfort zone, which is what makes interesting things happen. So let’s see, what’s the scariest? Radiohead. “
GP – I am almost afraid to ask this question, but as a Geek I have to. Which is best? Star Trek or Star Wars.
JoCo – “I have to go with Star Wars on this one. Yes, some of the movies were terrible, but forget about that. Star Trek is much more of a SITUATION than a STORY, especially since it all flows from the original series. It’s mostly a schlocky sci-fi set-up that got stretched into several series and a bunch of movies. Star Wars is an actual story. I like both! But Star Wars is better. “
GP – And finally, what words of wisdom or advice would you give to young musicians who want to follow in your footsteps and turn their love of all things geek into a successful music career?
JoCo – “There’s no magic advice bullet. All anyone can do is make the thing that they care about and hope for the best. I write music that I wish existed already, and luckily, enough people agree with me that I can make a living this way. Probably won’t work out that way for everyone! But I will say this: whatever it is that you want to do, you should start doing it in whatever way you can. Don’t wait for the big budget, the right tools, the perfect idea. Just start. You’ll figure it out from there.”
Extra (From Mark – GP Writer) – JoCo. Do you feel fantastic?
JoCo – “Hardly ever. “
Jonathan Coulton was speaking exclusively to Chris, writer for Geek Pride. All images are (c) Jonathan Coulton.
Warcraft: The Beginning
Video games have been created off the basis of films for a long time now, which seems to work out very well, However when the process is reversed and a movie is based on a game, there seems to be some kind of curse that means they’re instantly going to be terrible. I’m glad to say that Warcraft: The Beginning may well be one of the few that buck this trend.
Set in the world of Azeroth, Warcraft is a story of two halves – the Orcs and the Humans. From the Orc’s perspective, we have Durotan (Toby Kebbell – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Prince of Persia) who is a clan leader whose world is dying, and they need to find a new home. The Orcs’ leader Gul’dan (Daniel Wu – Europa Report) commands magic called “The Fell”, and uses this to create a portal to their new prospective home in Azeroth.
When the Orcs invade, they start to do their usual pillaging of the nearby villages and towns, which captures the attention of the Humans in Stormwind. King Lane Wynn (Dominic Cooper – Captain America, Preacher) is alerted to the goings on by Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer) and a quest to stop the destruction is launched with the assistance of Lothar (Travis Fimmel – Vikings) and “The Guardian”, Medivh (Ben Foster – Pandorum, 3:10 to Yuma).
There’s obviously more to the story than that, as thankfully as the world of Warcraft (heh) has a ridiculous amount of lore attached to it, it’s easy to pull from that to create the story. Duncan Jones has done a good job of this, and I was never bored throughout the movie. I won’t spoil anything for you though, as it looks like there’s plenty of scope for sequels, should Warcraft do well enough at the box office.
From an aesthetics point of view, I was really impressed with how the Orcs were depicted. They’re freaking huge, with legs and arms the size of bloody tree trunks… and you’ll never see one Orc look the same as another; they all have different skin tones, hair and tusk modifications, armour… the works. The armour for the soldiers of Stormwind is perfect too – makes them look like massive hulks of men (except when they’re next to the gargantuan Orcs).
However, lets talk locations. Stormwind, Ironforge, Elwyn Forest… they’re all faithfully recreated, and they’re done really, really well. Even the point at which you land on a Griffon in Stormwind is accurate. Ironforge (though only used for a few minutes near the beginning of the movie) is absolutely spot on, with it’s snowy exterior, and constantly running red-hot forges on the inside. I even had a little “holy shit!” moment when there was a panning shot though Elwyn Forest and there was a Murloc next to the river. Unfortunately no-one drop kicks the Murloc (sad face).
All the sounds and music fit really well to the subject material, and there’s a decent job done by all the actors involved too. I must acknowledge the actors taking on the CG roles though – all the Orcs are so well done, and very believable in their mannerisms. The effects and motion capture is excellent in this regard.
Although I’m not a seasoned WoW player (I only got to level 42 with my Warlock, and this was about 10 years ago), the film had enough for me to be pointing out things to my wife (not that she gave a shit)… and there was enough I didn’t know that kept me entertained throughout. Even at the point that when the movie came into the final act, I started seeing things reminiscent of The Burning Crusade.
However, there’s a ton of things you won’t see in the movie – for example: several races (Blood Elves, Draenei, Gnomes, Worgen, Panderan, Undead, Tauren, Trolls & Goblins), along with several character types (like Death Knights for example). Personally I like that not everything is included from the off – it’s almost like a promise of more things to come in future movies.
All-in-all I was quite impressed with Warcraft; it’s a wholly-immersive fantasy world, with endearing characters and a thoroughly entertaining story. The only thing I could criticise about the film is that it is a little predictable, but even though I could see some of the reveals coming, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of it. Warcraft: The Beginning is well worth your time, and will be fun for most ages.
Trailer:
Game of Thrones: Blood of My Blood
Further Warning: This review has been identified to potentially trigger rage in people with ‘All Caps and Exclamation Mark Sensitivity’. Reader discretion advised.
What a week! After watching last week’s episode Game of Thrones: The Door, I’ve been constantly triggered by doors, lifts, doorstops, holding doors and large beards. All due to that final scene. Say it with me now: “HOLD THE DOOR! HODODOOR! HODOR!”
I’m not crying, YOU’RE CRYING!
I’m so glad that it wasn’t my turn to review the show last week, because there are only so many crying gifs I could post in one article without pissing all of our readers off. Hani did a great job of getting through it though, and I loved her review. Now it’s my turn to brave the show this week, so my fingers and toes are crossed that no more of my favs die because seriously, I’m not sure I can handle it.
This week’s episode opens where the last one left off, Bran is still dream-downloading important information from the Weirwood network as Meera does her best to drag him to safety. Hodor and Summer’s sacrifices seem to have bought them some time, but not enough as they are quickly tracked by a number of wights.
As Meera’s efforts give way to exhaustion, Bran sees flashes of vision after vision of his mother, father and brother Robb’s deaths. He sees the Whitewalkers when they attacked at Hardhome and also what they do with the babies from Craster’s Keep. He flashes through visions of recent and distant past at Kings Landing and at the Tower of Joy. From all of these rapid scenes though, there were two in particular that held the most interest for me.
First we see The Mad King Aerys being murdered by Jaime Lannister in the throne room.
Enter the Kingslayer
We know from previous seasons that Jaime murdered the king to stop him from raising Kings Landing to the ground, saving thousands of lives in the process. But seeing him sat on the throne afterwards with the dead King at his feet, in addition to the other scenes of pyromancers making wildfyre, feels as though we’re seeing some serious foreshadowing here. The visions are like pieces of a puzzle coming together but we don’t have a view of the full picture yet.
Second, there’s also a very brief flash of important information slipped in between the others. It’s hardly a second long, a bloody hand over a wound that could be something or nothing. But on closer inspection, it seems that though it’s Ned’s hand and potentially his sister’s wound. We know from earlier this season that Ned was about to rescue Lyanna after he and Howland Reed defeated the Kingsguard, but is this what he finds in the tower? And if so, why is she fatally wounded? Did someone do this to her or did she do it herself? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
I NEED TO KNOW!
Once the visions reach their end, Bran finally awakes with an ominous “they’ve found us” as the wights close in on them causing Meera to draw her blade in a brave, but surely futile attempt to fight them off. Fortunately for our heroes though, Season 6 of Game of Thrones is not fucking around. So we get a cloaked figure wielding a fiery flail, riding in to save them in a moment where I literally stood up and shouted at my screen.
COOOLLLDHANNNDSSSSSSSSSS!
For those who haven’t read the books, this was a character that helped Bran, Meera and Jojen reach Bloodraven when they first went north of The Wall. The show has skipped over Coldhands entirely so far, so seeing him in this episode is a pretty big revelation for book fans. But then Season 6 has been full of big scenes that confirm theories that have been discussed for years, the plot is finally and decidedly starting to move towards it’s end. Whether or not the books will follow the same trajectories as the show, now that it’s passed events in A Dance With Dragons, we will have to wait and see. It is definitely making for some excellent viewing though.
Is anyone else seriously impressed by Sam’s dad’s house?!
Next we travel to Horn Hill with Sam, Gilly and baby Sam to meet the Fockers Tarlys so that Sam can leave them with his family whilst he goes off to Oldtown to begin his training as a Maester. During the final stretch of their journey, Sam warns Gilly not to mention that she’s a Wildling as his father hates them, which of course will be revealed in order to set up events for the best awkward meal in television (or at least the second) later in the episode.
At Kings Landing we’re back to playing The Game of Thrones. Lannister, Tyrell and the Faith Militant are the major players this season as they manoeuvre against one another. I’m on team Tyrell (as it has the best characters), and my girl Margaery is definitely in top form as she convinces the High Sparrow that she’s devoted completely to the Faith and manipulates Tommen into joining her. The High Sparrow has been laying the groundwork with Tommen since the beginning of the season but Margaery’s nudge sets events properly in motion.
Come to the dark Faith side Tommen. We don’t wear shoes. It’s great.
I know that some people are not completely convinced that she’s faking her new found religious fervour, but putting myself into Margaery’s shoes, I can see that it’s the only option if she wants to get herself and her brother to safety. Certainly defying the Faith hasn’t helped anyone so far, so playing along seems to be the way to go.
Back at Horn Hill we have the promised meeting with Lord Randyll Tarly, a man renowned for being one of the best war commanders in Westeros and for generally being the worst dad ever (a title previously shared only with Stannis Baratheon). We already know that he forced Sam to renounce his heritage and join the Night’s Watch in order to “make him a man” and it is hardly a surprise when he is disappointed by what he sees. When the inevitable reveal comes along that Gilly is not a whore from Moles Town but a Wilding, then of course the awkwardness goes up to 11.
Meal times at Horn Hill, second only in awkwardness to Breaking Bad
Sam is banished from Horn Hill forever by his father, but Gilly is allowed to stay and clean the kitchens and baby Sam will be ‘looked after’. This is the best that Sam could hope for, certainly safer than fightin’ The Whitewalkers at The Wall, and he tells Gilly that as he goes to leave them. But after a moment’s reflection, he swiftly returns to take them away with him (yaaay!). Sam says that they ‘belong together’ and they sneak out during the night, stopping only to rob his father’s incredibly precious Valyrian steel sword Heartsbane in a moment of brilliance or madness or both.
Not sure this is a good idea Sam, given that your dad knows exactly where you are going next *facepalm*
And over the sea we go to Braavos and my favourite part of the episode. My MVP for this week Arya is watching the Ember Island Players Izembaro’s Braavosi acting troupe as she scouts the target she must kill her for final Faceless Man assignment. Lady Crane it appears, has inspired some serious jealousy in the actress playing Sansa and has had a contract taken out with the Faceless Men against her life.
A girl shouldn’t be taking this much enjoyment from the play, but since it’s Joffrey’s death scene I’m sure it’s allowed
It’s very poignant as we see Arya relive some of the history that she’s been a part of, as well as having other events such as the death of King Joffrey filled in for her. Despite her enjoyment of the performances, she is in intent on fulfilling her mission, slipping backstage to poison the actress’ wine bottle. On her way out she bumps into Lady Crane and we get some fantastic writing from the show, as a discussion about the play starts to take on two meanings.
At face value, when Lady Crane complains about the writing to Arya and the girl who is No One tells her to change the script, they are just simply talking about the play. But as the scene goes on, we start to realise that the advice Arya is giving Lady Crane could also be applied to her own life. She didn’t come to Braavos to be ‘No One’. She came to Braavos to be strong enough to take revenge on those who had wronged her and her family.
When shit gets real at Kings Landing and the Lannisters move against the Starks in Season 1, she could do nothing to help her teacher Syrio Forel. Since then, she has been captured and used to other’s gain and not her own. Even as a Faceless Man, she has still been following someone else’s story, the story of No One. Arya realises in this moment that she doesn’t have to be No One or A Girl or any of the roles she’s been playing since her father died. She can change the script herself.
She realises that she can be Arya Stark and she remembers her purpose, why she came to Braavos in the first place and where she needs to go next.
She loved [him] more than anything, and he was taken from her before she could say goodbye. She wouldn’t just cry. She would be angry. She would want to kill the person who did this to her.. I have to go. My father’s waiting for me. – Arya Stark, Episode 6: Blood of My Blood
So instead of allowing Lady Crane to drink the poison she saves her life and warns her about the actress playing Sansa who it seems took out the contract in the first place. What this means of course is that The Many-Faced God require a death. The Kindly Man warned Arya last episode that they would need a face for the wall in the House of the Undying, and if it’s not Lady Crane’s then it will be Arya’s own face that they will come for – specifically that The Waif is coming for.
Arya retrieves her things from her hidden place, including the sword that her brother Jon gave her, Needle. The last moment we see her she blows out a candle, seemingly in wait for those who are coming to take her life for their god.
Cersei, Illyn Payne, the Red Woman….
But what do we say to the God of Death Arya?
NOT TODAY!
From Braavos, we head to Kings Landing for the clash between the Lannisters, Tyrells and the Faith Militant. The tension has been building for this face-off since Cersei armed the High Sparrow last season and her plans entirely back-fired ending up in her Walk of Atonement (SHAME!). This was definitely one of my favourite moments in this episode, not least because we get to see Mace Tyrell in all his splendour, his horse being led by soldier we presume because he can’t ride it properly himself. His speech is brilliantly uninspiring too. GO TEAM TYRELL!
Tyrell helmet: + 50 Charisma, -25 intimidation
Whilst the Tyrell forces are impresive, the hoards of civilians watching the spectacle completely and utterly outnumber them. If there is to be an attack on the High Sparrow and his men, then surely the people will revolt and massacre everyone in their way. Unintimidated however Jaime rides up to the High Sparrow like a total badass to claim Margaery and Loras (or else!).
What a majestic, kingslaying, incest loving kid-crippler! My feelings about Jaime are not torn at all
However somewhat predictably, the High Sparrow has out-manoeuvred his foes by telling Tommen (who had been kept in the dark about all this) of the High Council’s plans to go behind his back and attack the Faith Militant. Not only that, but Tommen strolls out with his newly armoured Kingsguard (check out their breast-plates) and announces that The Crown and The Faith are now as one. The High Sparrow has usurped all the other players in one bold move, and in front of thousands of onlookers too.
Lady Olenna said it best
We have no idea of the fates of the Tyrells yet, but for Jaime he has been exiled from Kings Landing and stripped of his position as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Jaime is completely incredulous at this turn of events, but we book fans don’t care because someone else is going to the Riverlands too (BRIENNE!!!!) and another plot-line may be back in play. We can only wait and see and be utterly GETHYPE!
Not only that, but Cersei refers to her upcoming trial by combat as her and Jaime say their goodbyes. She is utterly confident because she has the (un)Mountain as her protector, the greatest warrior alive in Westeros. In the distance I can hear a train whistle shrilly. It is the hype train and I am fully onboard for Clegane Bowl. I really can’t believe that it almost certainly looks as though it’s going to happen with a potential reveal of Sandor Clegane being alive and well in the next episode? WHAT IS HYPE MAY NEVER DIE!
Also before I forget to mention, Walder Frey returns briefly in case we forgot how utterly reprehensible he was. It’s worth mentioning because he has Edmure Tully as a hostage and he wants Riverun back in Frey possession. We can only hope that Walder Frey dies terribly very soon, preferably at the hands of a Stark/Snow.
Back up North with Bran, Meera and their saviour we get our Benjen/Coldhands reveal and it is a beautiful thing. Starks seem to be reuniting across Westeros and we can only hope that they are carrying massive karma bombs with them to right the so many wrongs that they have faced as a family.
Had to turn himself in because he was just too good
Benjen reveals that he is not fully human any more after the Children of the Forest saved his life. He had been attacked by the Whitewalkers whilst out ranging and was beginning to turn into one of their wights when their magic managed to stop the effect. He had been working for Bloodraven up until this point. Benjen tells Bran that he must get ready to face the Night’s King at the Wall and I get a really bad feeling about all of this. Bran still has the Night King’s mark on him. The mark that dispelled the magic on Bloodraven’s cave and the magic that is imbued in The Wall to keep the Whitewalkers out of Westeros. Yes, let’s go there Bran. Good shout Benjen. NOT!
Only Joffrey approves of this stupidity
And now over to somewhere in the Dothraki desert, where Dany is in full-on white saviour mode. She disappears for a brief moment and arrives riding Drogon. It is an impressive display that shows the Mother of Dragons finally in control of her mount. Previously she had been too afraid of her dragons and unable to control them. Even when Drogon saves her in the fighting pits and drops her off with the Dothraki, it is the dragon in control and not Daenerys. Now though it seems that she is worthy of her steed and delivers a speech that echoes strongly of the one Khal Drogo gave his Khalesar in Season 1.
She is going to Westeros as a conqueror, not a just ruler. She is going to break the wheel and I can only wonder at her character development this season as it seems more and more that she’s somewhat unhinged.
Maybe she isn’t the saviour we have been waiting for all this time?
Preview for episode 7, Game of Thrones: The Broken Man
A few final thoughts:
- NO ONE BOWL CONFIRMED
- Jaime x Brienne ship vs Tormund x Brienne Ship
- LSH CONFIRMED?
- CLEGANE BOWL CERTAINLY CONFIRMED
- Arya to take the Waif’s face?
- Is Cersei going to burn Kingslanding down?
- Mace the Ace for the Throne!!
- CHOOOO CHOOOOOOO
I will literally die if we see this fella soon :p
Is Fair Use Abuse a Thing of the Past?
I’m sure that most of you who spend a lot of time on YouTube and follow one or more of the top guns are aware there is a huge problem with fair use abuse. Often people are known for exploiting the law to their advantage in order to monetise another person’s video for merely mentioning them in some fashion.
Let’s take Nintendo for instance. Use any of their games in any sort of fashion in your video, even if it’s a news or promotional piece, you can be sure that they will claim the entire video as their own content and make money from it. By that I mean all of the money.
In recent days a YouTube Channel by the name of h3h3Productions released a video stating they were being sued for making a comedy video about another YouTuber by the name of Matt Hosseinzadeh aka Bold Guy. He made claims such as the popularity of their channel was almost entirely down to the video they made on him and that most of the content in the video was a straight copy of the original. These claims become uncontested and now lawyers are involved costing the channel thousands in legal fees merely because Matt Hosseinzaden didn’t like to be mocked.
The case could cost up to $10,000 before the end of the case and if they were to loose they would lose their entire channel. Should one person have this kind of power? And what happens when this blatant abuse of power affects those who do not have the money to defend themselves?
The YouTube community came together with the help of Philip Defranco and started a GoFundMe to help raise money for their defence and the result was astounding. In only 24 hours they raised nearly £120,000 dollars for their defence with help from individuals like: Notch (the creator of Mine Craft), PewdiePie, Jenna Marbles, Leafy, Philip Defranco etc… The list goes on. But one thing is for sure and that’s the community doesn’t like to be threatened. .
H3h3’s response was one of being overwhelmed and have decided to set up an account to help fund the fight against the abuse of fair use which they call the Fair Use Protection Account or “FUPA”. This account is available for anyone with a legitimate case to use and will be available to fund the fee’s involved in the defence.
With this now set up people can start fighting back and take control of their own content without the fear of losing everything. No channel will have to suffer this abuse no matter how large or small they are. It’s a great feeling to know that the community cares about these matters and I for one will be supporting them and I encourage you to do the same.
Visit the GoFundMe page here :> https://www.gofundme.com/h3h3defensefund
Kickstart this – A crowdfunding roundup
There’s a lot of stuff wanting your support via crowdfunding these days, so to save you sifting through the hundreds of different campaigns here’s a few highlights that are worth your attention and support. This time we’re focussing on comics and sequential art with four distinctly different books from different creative teams, taking in Noir, Horror, History and the Western.
Black Mumba is a graphic novel of noir inspired stories set in Mumbai seen through the eyes of a weary police inspector. Black Mumba first appeared as a single story named “Dead Rain” back in 2012 which featured in the Blood Root anthology published by Sawdust Press.
Why is Black Mumba worthy of your attention? Besides a collection of noir stories set in Mumbai, which in itself is pretty interesting, the whole creative team from writer Ram V to artists Devmalya Pramanik, Kishore Mohan, ROSH and artist, letterer and editor Aditya Bidikar are all from India with most still living there. A story set in Mumbai being written by a writer who lived in Mumbai makes a big difference and an art team who are from India also makes a big difference to the visual identity.
For more on Black Mumba go here
Cold Bones is a horror graphic novel by writer Jenn Corella and artist Angel Tovar set in the Ithaqua Mountains. Cass and Richard Ward are setting out on a trip to help out Cass’ troubled brother Aiden at his cabin, only the trip soon takes a turn for the worse as the group faces an ancient evil.
Why is Cold Bones worthy of your attention? One of the big reasons is Tovar’s art which looks great but another is it’s refreshing to see a horror story that doesn’t revolve around the usual zombies, vampires, etc but rather taps into the Native American folklore of the Wendigo, a malevolent evil spirit with a taste for cannibalism.
Whilst there have been various films, books and TV shows that featured stories built around the Wendigo I haven’t seen a graphic novel.
For more on Cold Bones go here
In Search of Hannibal by Nikolas Lloyd and Christopher Steininger is a graphic novel which tells the story of the Second Punic War and how Hannibal Barca, a military commander from Carthage, earned his place in history in a fight to secure the freedom of Carthage from Rome.
Why is In Search of Hannibal worthy of your attention? Whilst you might be familiar with something about Hannibal involving elephants that’s just the tip of the iceberg Hannibal hadto conquer Spain, cross the Pyrenees mountains, fight his way through the territories of the hostile Gauls in southern France, out-manoeuvre a Roman army to get to the Alps, and then cross the mountains at the mercy of the cruel weather, and that’s the short version.
The Second Punic War is so rich with mindboggling military feats that you don’t have to make stuff up for dramatic effect and Lloyd and Steininger aren’t planning on it. This will be a historical story telling Hannibal’s story in a medium that is far more accessible that a history textbook thanks to Steininger’s art.
For more on In Search of Hannibal go here.
Red Range by Joe R. Lansdale and Sam Glanzman is a “Western” story set in the 19th century in the Lansdale style – weird, violent, and comical. Out of print since 1999 Drew Ford is wanting to bring Red Range back into print in a new edition via his It’s Alive publishing company.
Why is Red Range worthy of your attention? For those that don’t know Joe R. Lansdale has written numerous novels, short stories and a few comics too, with several being adapted for film (Bubba Ho Tep memorably featured Bruce Campbell playing an aged Elvis Presley fighting an Egyptian mummy in a nursing home) and TV (like the Hap and Leonard books which inspired the recent series of the same name) whilst Sam Glanzman’s detailed art deserves to be seen by a wider audience.
For more on Red Range go here
