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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: First Look & Casting News

Becca Harper
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: First Look & Casting News

With the massive success of Vol. 1 we’re all eager for details of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 luckily a few little snippets have been released . Let’s start with this…

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

James Gunn has released this image and announced that principal photography has begun, yay! Can we also just take a minute to acknowledge super cute little Groot. Prior to this news, Gunn has already had us all excited on his instagram – which you should be following by the way – by posting pictures such as this

Using Bautista as an example of good acting during rehearsals for #GotGVol2.
“Using Bautista as an example of good acting during rehearsals for #GotGVol2.

I imagine it is a ton of fun working on the set of this film.

Today’s official announcement also included a mini synopsis

Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

So it seems the next film is all about finding Quill’s dad, which brings us to the new casting – Kurt Russell. Now his exact role has yet to be confirmed with many already assuming Russell will play the dad in question. However which character from the Marvel universe this will be is still speculation with the idea that Gunn may not be sticking to comic canon that would put J’son, also known as ‘Jason of Spartax’ as the father.

Other casting announcements include Pom Klementieff as Mantis. The half Vietnamese half German girl was left at a Temple by her father to be raised by the alien Priests of Pama, a sect of the Kree. Trained in Marshall Arts, Mantis has been a member of a number of teams including Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy in comic history – even coming up against Thanos. Elizabeth Debicki and Chris Sullivan have also been confirmed new cast members but with no information on their characters.

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Pom Klementieff to play Mantis

Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn are all returning to their respective roles with James Gunn also confirming the return of Nova Prime, Glenn Close. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is slated for release in April 2017, which feels long way away.

We’re looking forward to the next few months of more snippets and announcements but with the outstanding success of the first movies soundtrack, the thing I’m looking forward to most is those songs on Mix Tape Vol. 2, I could do with something new in the car.

Exploding Kittens

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Exploding Kittens

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At the time of its release, Exploding Kittens was the fastest-funded item in Kickstarter history, hitting its goal of $10,000 USD in just 20 minutes. Although I was not one of the backers, I did manage to get a commercial release copy shortly thereafter for a reasonable price and decided to check it out.

This is one of the easiest card games I have ever come across. The way it plays is easy enough for anyone to figure out: Several exploding kitten cards are inserted into the deck (the number varies depending on the player count), and you as players want to avoid getting one. Otherwise, you are out of the game.

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Each player starts with one diffuse card as part of their hand, which is used exclusively to stop the kitten from exploding. The rest of the cards are similar to face cards in poker, which can be paired up in order to steal other cards. There are also cards that can prevent the actions of other players, reverse cards, stops (instantly preventing an opposing player from an attempted action) and a few others. All of these are used to not only keep you alive, but knock out the other players as well.

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Because it’s a random draw card game, it’s hard to plan a strategy.Although it is possible, you really just have to work with what you get and either avoid the kittens or hope you have a diffuse card in your hand, should you draw a kitten.

The cards themselves all feature hand-drawn cartoons in the Oatmeal style many of you are familiar with. Although many of the cards do the same as others, many of them have their own pictures and captions on them as well. Although not important to the game, they’re still pretty fun to read.

Each game takes about 15 minutes or less, so it plays incredibly fast, and you can get quite a few rounds in in no time. This is actually a negative for me, as I like a longer card game, but others will probably appreciate the pacing.

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While it is fun and I do enjoy busting it out with the family, I feel there was far too much hype and not enough substance. Perhaps if the deck had more options for cards to play, it might change my mind.

It’s not a bad game by any means, and I can definitely recommend it for parties or if you just want something quick to play. However, if you’re looking for length, plot, etc., there are better choices available.

The Read Pile – The GP comics blog

Andy Haigh
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The Read Pile – The GP comics blog

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Greetings dear readers and welcome to the inaugural instalment of The Read Pile the new semi-regular blog all about sequential art. The Read Pile will feature myself ( you can find more of my random utterings on Twitter @Wolverinesclaws) and various others from the rogues gallery that is GP discussing what we’ve read recently, what’s good,1439134279019 what’s not so good, what you should check out and other occasional randomness. (A quick note: the author’s comments will appear in plain black, other contributor’s are colour coded)

Myself I’ve been reading a lot of indie stuff including Copernicus Jones Robot Detective which is a sublime sci-fi pulp noir comic (Monkeybrain Comics, writer Matt D. Wilson, art by Kevin Warren and letters by Dylan Todd) about a robot P.I which could be straight out of 2000AD, Katrina Hates The Dead (Wannabe Press, writer Russell Nohelty, art by Juan Frigeri, Fernando Melek and Thomas Bacon, letters by Bernie Lee) about a girl sick of dealing with the apocalypse, demons, zombies and more and decides to ride into Hell with her friend Connie to confront the Devil, it’s a bit Thelma and Louise and the art is amazing. Another thing I’ve been reading is Bonnie N. Collide Nine To Five (Lipstick Press, art and writing by Monica Gallagher) which is a collection of comic strips about Bonnie who is a roller derby girl who also works in an office which has a werewolf on staff, it’s really funny and reminds me of how good comic strips can be as I’d kind of forgotten.

Ben –

Oh shit, son! Metabarons! (Humanoids writer Alejandro Jodorowsky, art by Juan Gimenez) Did not think it would be my bag at all but I am loving it! An epic space saga charting the descent of a powerful family as they influence and are influenced by turbulent space politics. It reads like an ancient myth peppered with futureshocks and has amazing art.

2016-02-14_1937Jodorowsky‘s graphic novels are amazing, have you read The Incal, which features the first appearance of one of the Metabarons?

I should also point out that numerous films have stolen ideas wholesale from Jodorowsky’s graphic novels , which were where a lot of his ideas for his ultimately doomed adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune ended up.

Sidenote, you should really check out the great documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune which will explain what I mean in detail.

There’s also several other Incal books, Before The Incal, After The Incal and the most recent one Final Incal.

Oh the art for The Incal is by Moebius, one of the best sequential art artists ever pretty much.

Jodorowsky has also done several other graphic novels which are equally amazing, most importantly though they’re utterly different from anything you’d get from the American comics market.

Callum –

I just got through Old Man Logan (Marvel writer Mark Millar art by Steve McNiven) and issue 1 of the new Old Man Logan run (Marvel 2016-02-16_2125writer Jeff Lemire art by Andrea Sorrentino). Both fairly excellent.

I’ve read the original one, didn’t know they were milking it for more but since Wolverine is “dead” it was inevitable really.

It’s because of secret wars. Old Man Logan, like Miles Morales, has ended up in the 616. He’s decided that because it’s before the super villains took over he must be back in time to stop them and has thus decided to hunt down and kill every last person responsible for the original story. It’s not bad actually. I feel like it’s one that’s definitely gonna grow more as it goes on though.

Just seems like Marvel recycling their old ideas which is nothing new.

Laura –

On that same topic: All-New Wolverine (Marvel, writer Tom Taylor, art by David Lopez and David Navarrot). Or Wolverina, as I call her. There’s a new Weapon X program, and Wolverine has a bunch of little sisters who are all dying and out on a rampage. She has a bunch of guest stars, like Dr Strange and Wasp, who mostly just point at Laura and say how great she is. And Laura makes a point of mentioning the “guys on the internet” who said she shouldn’t be Wolverine. It’s painfully obvious, but it’s actually well written and well drawn enough that I’m not cringing my way through it. Also helps that one of Laura’s little sisters has the same name as my little sister, so we get to pretend it’s true.

Monstress_01-1Best line so far: ‘The next time you want to transport desperate, armed people onto my property, you call ahead. It may not sound very “Sorcerer Supreme” but it’s common courtesy, Stephen.’ – Wasp

Other stuff I’m reading: Captain Marvel ( Marvel, writers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, art by Kris Anka and Matthew Wilson) (I wasn’t planning on getting it after DeConnick left, but the Forbidden Planet guys snuck it in, and ABIGAIL MOTHERFUCKING BRAND is in it, so I’m keeping it. Plus Danvers is Husband’s favorite.)

Monstress (Image) is one that I got because Marjorie Liu is writing it, and (oddly for a primarily visual medium) I tend to buy comics based on who’s writing them- what they’re writing about is irrelevant. Monstress, though… it could be about the finer points of business accountancy and I’d keep getting it for Sana Takeda’s art. It’s got this art deco meets high fantasy vibe, and it’s ridiculously beautiful without watering down the violence and other ugliness. Furthermore it has Kippa, who is a little girl with a fox tail, who holds it like a comfort blanket when she’s scared. And she’s scared a lot. I want to adopt her SO MUCH.

I tend to pick stuff up if it’s by a particular writer or creative team, like Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are one of the best double acts in sequential art.

Although I will pick up pretty much anything if it looks interesting, I cannot stress enough how covers are important, a good cover will postermake me check something out even if it’s by some obscure publisher I’ve never heard of with a creative team I’ve never heard of.

I picked up Monstress purely because the cover got my attention.

I’ve also been reading Mercury Heat (Avatar) which is a great bit of sci-fi from Kieron Gillen & Nahuel Lopez about a law enforcement officer of sorts called Luiza on a mining colony of sorts on Mercury, it’s got cybernetics, memory manipulation and political intrigue, it’s also darkly comical and brutal. There’s a bit of a Judge Dredd vibe.

Also Jenny Bones Legend of the Peril Squad by Ben Newman (Clandestine Republic) which is a sequential art book telling the story of adventurer Jenny Bones, her robot boyfriend Coop, her chaotic friend Tessa and Tundra a strange furry carapaced creature. It’s an art book so there’s no dialogue and it’s also a bit filthy because that’s Ben Newman’s thing but it’s really good.

That’s it for the first installment of The Read Pile if you found something you might want to check out then cool and don’t forget to join me and various assorted other GP types in the near future for the next installment.

You can find the contributors’ various other articles here: Ben, Callum, Laura and Andy

Joking Hazard – A Kickstarter from Cyanide and Happiness

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Joking Hazard – A Kickstarter from Cyanide and Happiness

 

Over the years there have been many successful campaigns on Kickstarter supporting card games. Just recently The Oatmeal successfully funded their popular game “Exploding Kittens” which was able to reach $8,782,571 before ending. At the time that was record breaking but other projects have since moved on to raise even more!

Explosm have taken to the stage revealing their new game, Joking Hazard. The game has already smashed its target of $10,000 and 7 days later has raised a massive $939,600 (at the time of writing) with over 20,000 backers.

The team have already shot through two sets of stretch goals and have scrambled to put together more with their “water land” goals. Such goals are completed by drawing 20 C&H snowmen and making a Cyanide & Happiness (C&H) themed video game mod!

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Round three of the stretch goals

 

The game its self draws a lot of its inspiration from the wildly popular game Cards against humanity (CAH). With big shoes to fill, one would hope that this new game will be a great compliment to an already fun game. Whether or not it can fill those shoes… well we will have to see.

Half the fun with CAH is using your imagination with answers and dreaming your own version of events so it will be interesting to see if a similar game that fills in those gaps with comic strip style panels can hold its own.

I for one am eager to receive my copy.

Lanterns: The Harvest Festival (Review)

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Lanterns: The Harvest Festival (Review)

Lanterns-Box

Lanterns: The Harvest Festival is a fairly new game that has been getting high praise from around the internet, with actor and mega-gamer Wil Wheaton most notably singing it’s praises. Based on that, I decided to get a copy of the Mensa award-winning game for my daughter for Christmas.

The concept of Lanterns is simple: the harvest festival is about to begin, and it’s the job of you, the players, to make it’s as spectacular as possible. Based on that, how does it play out? Turns out the play is almost as simple.

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The game is for 2-4 players, and involves tile-laying in a similar fashion to Carcassonne. The same tile always starts the game, and players take turns laying down tiles around the starter, matching lantern colors in order to earn corresponding cards, which are then in turned traded back in for points. If you lay down a tile with a picture in the center, you can also earn honor tokens, which you can then trade in for the lantern cards you need to finish a set. This continues around the table until the tiles are exhausted (you draw new tiles as you play them, similar to a card game), and that’s when the festival begins. From there, you add up your points, and the person with the highest score is the winner.

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Even though the game play is simple (you should have it mastered after just one game), that does not mean there is no challenge. You have to be smart with how you lay your tiles as you attempt to score the cards you need and trade them in for maximum points. Putting thought into each move improves your chances of winning.

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Now, the big question is, with the simple format, is it still fun? The answer is a resounding yes. The ease makes for a quick game, and you can get in quite a few rounds in a short amount of time. Plus, thanks to the concept, combined with quality components that are beautifully drawn with vivid colors, it is very relaxing and encourages friendly competition. Also it’s very family-friendly and great for kids. The recommended minimum age is 8, but at just under 7 years old the first time we played, my daughter got the hang of it with no problems.

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While not the most complex game, Lanterns is a great game for a few friends or family members and a welcome addition to any game night. It’s well designed and is great in execution. After only a handful of rounds, it’s already found it’s way into regular rotation on game night in our household. If you’re looking for something fast-paced but still  encourages competition as well as strategy while being easy on the wallet, pick yourself up a copy.

Lanterns: The Harvest Festival is available now from all good board game shops.

 

 

 

Have Joystick, Will Travel: Postcards from the Gaming World

Lauren Croft
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Have Joystick, Will Travel: Postcards from the Gaming World

When I first got bitten by the travel bug I spent far too much time planning where to go and what to see. My problem was that there was just too much that I wanted to do, but I found an easy way to narrow my list down: by visiting locations based on some of my favourite games to relive some of my triumphant moments in the flesh. I’m already half way through and thought I’d share my list with you.

Tomb Raider – The Last Revelation

The Last Revelation was by far my favourite Tomb Raider game and was solely based in Ancient Egyptian ruins. One of my favourite areas in particular was Karnak Temple, located in Luxor’s temple complex in Egypt.

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The Elder Scrolls Vs Skyrim

Norway’s Folkemuseum is located just next to Oslo’s Fjord and Viking Ship Museum, it has an open air exhibit in the form of a small scale village compiled of different periodic buildings. For those of you who’ve played any of the The Elder Scrolls games, their links to Norwegian history can’t go unnoticed and this is a perfect example of that.

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Fallout: New Vegas

Whilst Fallout New Vegas is full of memorable locations and moments, the second battle for the Hoover Dam was always one of my favourites, followed by a victory swim in Lake Mead.

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Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Dragon Age Inquisiton is full of stunning areas based on some of the worlds greatest landscapes, the Storm Coast stands out because of it’s similarity to the mystical Giant’s Causeway and it’s hexagonal columns. Based in Northern Ireland not too far from Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway is a national treasure compiled of lava columns on Ireland’s Northern coast.

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Assassins Creed 2

Probably the most expected on this list and one of the few places that a lot of people (such as myself) have gone to particularly for this reason is Florence, Italy. The Piazza Del Duomo stands out due to it’s visual importance in Assassins Creed 2, along with the Ponte Vecchio and the Giatto Bell Tower where one of the first tragic scenes involving the protagonists Ezio’s family occurs, setting off the events of the game.

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Resident Evil 4

Although no one knows the true location of the game, developers have made it clear that it takes place somewhere in Spain not too far from the coast. The Coca Castle in Castilla, Leon near the Bay Of Biscay is one of the few castles in Spain that strike a resemblance to Salazars Castle (minus the lake, sea, mountains and Las Plagas).

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Uncharted 2: Among Theives

The game starts in a Turkish Museum and features many real life locations, despite that the majority takes place in and around Nepal, In particular Temple Valley near Katmandu.

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The Last Of Us

Towards the end of the game you end up in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. In particular Temple Square stands out due to the the whole calm amongst the chaos after Ellie notices the giraffes and before everything comes to a halt.

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Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3 is based on the fictional Rook Islands located somewhere between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Although there is no real clue to the location besides this, guesses can be made based on the local animals and accents seen and heard throughout the game. In the end I settled for Bali for this location as the landscape holds a striking resemblance.

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Prince Of Persia (2008)

Ok, so i know that this one’s a bit of a long shot seeing as there’s no sand it’s not really based in what was once classed as the great empire of Persia, but the Taj Mahal is the best example of Indo-Persian architecture still standing and you can see it’s style being embraced throughout not only this particular game but the Prince Of Persia series in general.

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Have you traveled anywhere that has inspired a video game location? Maybe you dream of visiting a fictional place from your favourite game? Let us know in the comments below.

My Top 5 Retro Arcade Games

redhotbear
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My Top 5 Retro Arcade Games

Being a 37 year old male, it’s safe to say I have sampled most of what the gaming world has had to offer. NOW, I won’t be including games like Space Invaders or Pac-man as they have there own place in the history books. This article is about the games that caught a young, impressionable Redhotbear’s imagination, and set him (i.e.. – me) on the path that I have walked ever since.

So, to kick us off on this nostalgic look back on when we could play our favourite for as little as 10p, (YES KIDS, GOOGLE IT, IT’S TRUE!) at Number 5 is…

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MIDNIGHT RESISTANCE – 1989 – DATA EAST

The first thing that struck me about the game had nothing to do with the game itself, but rather the strange looking joystick that not only moved in the traditional 8 directions, but also twisted around a full 360 degrees. Once I popped in my 20p and pressed the P1 START button (god I miss that) it all became apparent why I needed to be able to shoot in any direction, while jumping in the opposite direction to avoid being hit by enemy fire. You play as Johnny Ford, a Special Forces soldier tasked to rescue his family before they succumb to the evil plans of King Crimson

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WEIRD TWISTY JOYSTICK

As long as you collected the special “keys” dropped by the usual differently coloured enemy soldier, you could treat yourself to some Homing Missiles, Shotguns or a 3-Way (Steady now!) scatter-shot. These keys also played a vital part of the final encounter with King Crimson and the amount held by you and/or your co-op partner, as these keys unlocked your family members

Next up on the countdown, is a game most teenagers have probably never heard of. Which is a rotten shame, because without it, their would be no Call Of Duty. Presenting your Number 4…

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OPERATION WOLF – 1987 – TAITO

I adored this game growing up! Coming out at a time where Hollywood was beginning to saturate the cinemas with the latest instalment of another “ONE MAN ARMY YADDA YADDA YADDA” and now, you could be that guy, YOU COULD BE THE HERO. Well, you could if a 9 year old me could properly see over the rather nicely designed (and properly heavy) replica Uzi 9mm…admit it, you read that last bit in Arnie’s voice

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Gun Cabinet

You have limited ammo and grenades, but these can be replenished by shooting barrels and crates, and also you can top up your health by shooting pigs and chickens, because nothing gives you an energy boost like raw chicken and bacon. Progression through the levels advances the game, pretty standard stuff really, but to help you out a bit, power ups are available such as O.P weapons, higher fire rate and unlimited ammo (for a short amount of time). As far as I’m aware, this is the first FPS to my knowledge and it certainly paved the way for modern day FPS’s, and without Operation Wolf, I would never have found the SBS Gaming Community.

Screeching into number 3, is an absolute gem of a game, Sega’s iconic OUT RUN.

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OUT RUN –  SEGA – 1986

This was a massive critical and commercial success for Sega. It always makes me think of family holidays at Butlins and Haven, pumping pounds upon pounds trying to make it to the end. If I’m honest, I wasn’t that bothered about making it to the end. All I wanted to do was listen the smooth sounds that is chosen from the in-game car radio, for which you had 3 channels to chose from. Passing Breeze, Splash Wave and my personal favourite, Mechanical Sound Shower

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TUNAGE!

In order to progress, you have to reach the check point before then timer reaches zero, but before that happens, you have to make a choice, LEFT OR RIGHT. With five possible route destinations, making you chose left or right before the end of that particular stage could be more stressful than the actual countdown edging closer to the dreaded GAME OVER screen. The big selling point for a young RHB (me) was the fact that if I was lucky enough to find it, there was a sit down version of the game, which just added more to the game-play experience as the speakers where strategically placed right behind your ears, so it really threw you into the game.

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OOOH…DELUXE!!!

Swinging his way in at Number 2, join Sir Arthur as he battles zombies, demons, ogres and the likes as he tries to rescue Princess Prin Prin for the claws of Satan himself in Ghosts and Goblins

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Just the sheer amounts of money I shelled out on this game over the years is mind boggling and I still couldn’t get past the second stage. It was rear I got past the end of stage one. A super hard game to say the least as you only had to be hit twice before you lost your life, but if you managed to get to the end and defeat the boss, unless you defeated him with the Cross weapon, you didn’t beat the game and had to return to the beginning of level 5 and do it again…how harsh is that?

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CAN ANYBODY SPOT THE MISTAKE???

I’m not sure whether or not I loved the game or the heroic score played in the background, but even to this day, seeing a screenshot or hearing the opening to the levels takes me back to the Orrell Park youth club, where I patiently huddled around the machine, eagerly awaiting my turn.

And so to round off this inaugural countdown and trip down memory lane, we arrive at the number 1 slot….

A LONG TIME AGO, IN AN ARCADE FAR, FAR AWAY!

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STAR WARS – ATARI – 1983

Imagine being 5 years old, you have just discovered Star Wars then suddenly you a hear a plink plink version of a very familiar theme tune. You tune around and to your amazement, you see THIS! You would flip your lid, I did.

Ok, graphically by today’s standards, it’s as basic as can be, but in 1983, you WERE in an X-Wing Fighter, that WAS the Death Star blowing up and the dogfights were real. It had the digitised voices of all the films lead characters such as Han, Luke, Obi-Wan and Vader.death star run

STAY ON TARGET!!!!

The game-play was super fluid from what I remember and I’ve lost count of the amount of hours lost on this game…so much so, when we would go on family holidays, my mum would leave me alone in the arcades with a fist full of 10 pence pieces, knowing the galaxy was safe in the hands of the meanest 5 year old since the pod-racing Anakin Skywalker came along.

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USE THE FORCE LUKE!

Once you made it to the end of the trench and shot the exhaust port, the Death Star exploded with a fit-inducing strobe effect, only for you to start all over again but with a higher difficulty, it didn’t matter though, IT WAS STAR WARS!

I do hope that you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane…if you have any opinions you wish to share, feel free to do so, leave a comment in the comments section, or you can get me on twitter @redhotbear .

Room

Callum Tyndall
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Room

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Room is a hard film to watch. It’s a hard film to write about as well. On the one hand, it’s an achingly beautiful piece of cinema with some of the most emotive, genuine performances I’ve seen in a while. On the other, it’s a film that will wrench at your gut, tug at your heart and challenge you to try not to cry. Harrowing was the description given to me before I saw it and I have to agree. I am torn in reviewing it because I want people to see it, because it is truly superb, but I also feel the need to warn anyone going to see it that it will not be a pleasant ride. Maybe that speaks as testament to the film’s strength though, the fact that it can inspire such division. So let this serve first as both inspiration and warning. Room is an excellent film but it will hurt you to watch it. And in as lot of ways that’s what makes it so excellent.

Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue (who also wrote the screenplay), Room tells the story of a woman (Joy, played by Brie Larson) who has been held captive for seven years and her five year old son (Jack, portrayed by Jacob Tremblay). Beginning with the portrayal of this grim imprisonment, the film moves on to show the pair escape and attempt to put their lives together in a world that, for them, is unfamiliar. For Joy, it is a world that has moved on around her. For Jack, it is a world he has never known. For both of them, it is an environment that is alien in landscape, both physically and emotionally.

This is a landscape that Larson and Tremblay explore wonderfully. I have never seen a child actor perform so well as Tremblay and the controversy over him not receiving an Oscar nomination makes a hell of a lot of sense having seen what he does in the film. This is not your typical child actor performance in which they are simply annoying, precocious or tacked on to provide a bit of visual motivation for our real, adult characters. Instead, Tremblay, as Jack, serves as much as a primary character as Larson and, in fact, dominates the screen time, his journey being our primary observation of the way in which these two characters adapt to their freedom. All of the character arcs within Room are superbly genuine, the emotions achingly real. Cinema often relies on melodrama to make us feel in a scene, going big in order to try and drag out a big response. Room refuses to do so, instead digging deep, playing on emotional chords that are consistently understandable and convincingly relatable.

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This is in no small part due to the fact that every actor in the film gives it their all. From the anchoring, painfully heartfelt work of Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay to the smaller, but no less committed, parts played by Joan Allen, William H. Macy and Sean Bridgers (as Joy’s parents and her stepfather respectively), Room is a film that draws out the best from its cast and has them work the audience hard. This is a film that is unrepentant about bringing the viewer to the brink of tears, providing some respite, some glimpse of hope, and then once more hitting you with tough reality. There is some peace to be found by the end but the journey there is one that the cast, guided by director Lenny Abrahamson, makes sure to draw out, to transform it into a piece of truly emotionally confrontational art. Room is many things, but a film to be emotionally detached from is not one of them.

The narrative itself is simple enough but well served by its cast and crew. The journey we are taken along is one that is more about gradual evolution than set piece moments. There certainly are what could be described as set pieces (the tension of Jacob’s escape and the shock of Joy’s suicide attempt stand out) but the film is more concerned with the connective tissue between these pieces, with the whys and wherefores of how the characters come to be there. And once again, what this tissue is primarily rooted in is a sense of realness, of genuine, believable transitions and progressions. Room is determined to make sure that there is not a moment in the film that takes you out of the flow of the narrative, no false notes to distract you.

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I nearly cried twice during Room. Importantly however, it was not during any melange of misery and tragedy but instead during moments of joy. And therein lies the true beauty of the film. It is a hard film to watch and it is one that is emotionally taut and demanding of the viewer. It is not a film to watch casually or to detach from, it is a piece of emotional art, reliant as much on how we respond to it as what it displays. There are large segments of darkness in the film, the narrative leaning hard into the struggle the characters go through and the turmoil they experience, but amongst this are profound moments of joy. Of all things, Room understands family in a way that is superb for its pure simplicity. There is a moment where Joy apologises to Jack for not being a good enough Ma. His response? “But you’re still Ma.” No matter the pain and the hardship, what carries the film through to the finish is the fact, right in front of you, is a love that is wonderfully real.

I could not pinpoint a moment in the film where it falls false. Its strength is in its sincerity and its devotion to bringing you along with a narrative that is not the most comfortable to observe. Ultimately, Room is a film that is hard to watch but, for that difficulty, is all the more rewarding.

As You Wish: Great Geek Romances

Ben Fee
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As You Wish: Great Geek Romances

Love is in the air here at Geek Pride Headquarters (that or someone forgot to change the cat litter again) and so we thought we’d take a moment to celebrate some of the great loves of geek culture. From the tragic and unrequited to the platonic and bromantic, geek movies, games, TV and literature have provided us with love stories to rival even the greatest of the romantic poets, tales of affection to make hearts sing and the very stars weep.

We have below collected those romances which have stirred even our cold dead souls but, if you feel we have missed any out, please let us know in the comments.

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Buffy & Angel

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Buffy who fell in love with a tall, dark, and mysterious man named Angel. The end. Oh, how nice that would have been had it been true. As a vampire slayer and her vampire, theirs was a romance doomed from the start. It didn’t help of course that he had been cursed to lose his soul and try to kill her the first time they were intimate. That kind of shit is hard to come back from.

As it was, theirs was a love forever denied (except for those few times…), too dangerous to burn, yet never extinguished.

 

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Adama & Roslin

Battlestar Galactica

As a couple, the commander of the Battlestar Galactica and the President of what remained of humanity were prone to perhaps more weighty arguments that who gets to choose the next show to Netflix binge. Both unready for the responsibilities placed on them by circumstance and unable to show any weakness in front of those who needed them to remain steady, they found solace with each other, first as confidantes and then as more. A long-matured companionship borne of friendship and the particular stripe of loneliness known only to those at the top.

 

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Apollo & Midnighter

The Authority

What started out as a fairly broad swipe at DC’s “Big Two”, the relationship between these unashamed Superman and Batman rip-offs develops quickly from “Ha ha, what if they were gay!” to telling the story of two outsiders finding love among the wreckage of their mutually broken lives. Also, kicking people in the face so hard their eyes pop out.

 

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River & The Doctor

Doctor Who

Loved and loathed in equal measure, the Doctor’s relationship with archaeology professor-cum-intergalactic criminal River Song is exactly as convoluted as you would expect from a show famous for making shit up on the fly and explaining any confusion off with the words “timey” and “wimey”. In this case, River was the daughter of one of the Doctors companions, stolen by an evil religion to be molded into the perfect assassin to kill the ubiquitous Time Lord and then sent back in time to become her mum’s best mate for a while before joining her on a time-travelling adventure, getting killed, regenerating (because reasons), trying to kill The Doctor, snapping out of the brainwashing, marrying The Doctor, and then dying the first time they meet. Yay, sci-fi!

All of this nonsense is saved of course by the genuine chemistry between the pair(s) and, because of the way their relationship laughs in the face of linearity (freakin’ time-travellers) it’s always a surprise where on each others time-line they’ll meet. The ultimate long-distance couple who have learnt the value of finding love in the moment.

 

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Aragon & Arwen

The Lord of the Rings

Geekdom’s own star-crossed lovers, JRR Tolkein told the story of a mortal man who fell in love with an immortal elf, much to the disapproval of her father, Elrond, Lord of Rivendell.

After thirty years apart, circumstance forces them back together and, finding their love undimmed, they pledge themselves to each other on Cerin Amroth.

With the elves leaving Middle Earth, Arwen is forced to give up her immortality to stay with Aragorn, abandoning everything she knows and an eternal life for a few short years with the man she loves.

 

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Peter & Gwen

Spider-Man

Forget Mary-Jane Watson, Spider-Man’s first true love was a young girl named Gwen Stacey. The daughter of a police chief, Gwen was attracted to Peter by a feeling of intellectual kinship and he to her by a depth of character not found in the other girls he knew. A young infatuation blossoming into something more, their relationship was cut short when the Green Goblin threw the girl from the George Washington Bridge and she died in the rescue attempt.

Years later, the death of Gwen Stacey is still a defining moment in Peter Parker’s life and has informed every relationship he has had since, for better or worse.

 

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Jadzia & Worf

Star Trek

One could be tempted to dismiss this pair’s romance as a contrived way to generate character development by simply throwing two B-listers together randomly. And you’d be right. Jadzia and Worf”s relationship and subsequent marriage was as believable as that drunk your parents paid to dress as Santa and look after that one Christmas while they brought your sister to Disneyland. But then Jadzia died and, as is her people’s tradition, a part of her was transferred into a different person, a person who retained all Jadzia’s memories and even some of her personality.

The pain felt by Worf, a man only just getting over the death of his wife, upon meeting the new Dax was palpable and heartbreaking; seeing something of a lost love in someone else and knowing that, although it survives, it can never again be yours.

 

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Swamp Thing & Abby

Swamp Thing

In the relationship between Abby Holland and the Thing that was her husband Alec, writer Alan Moore explores the ways in which a love can change when the ability to connect on a human level is removed and what remains when that is taken away. From their early attempts to find some kind of common ground to later employing the use of John Constantine’s penis, Swamp Thing is tragic study in the lengths we will go to to hold onto love when circumstances are against us.

 

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Han & Leia

Star Wars

It’s still hard to write about this so soon after having lost him. Han and Leia’s was a wartime romance borne out of constant adventure and nail-baiting escapades. It could not last and, as we now know, it didn’t.

The story of two people from different worlds, flung together in the white hot crucible of revolution and finding love from the often fertile ground of mutual dislike, is at the very heart of Star Wars and, seeing them together again in Episode VII, it is clear that, despite everything, some loves will never die.

 

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Lois & Clark

Superman

Although their relationship has undergone many,Lord  many revisions, Lois Lane and Clark Kent have proven to be as unbreakable as Superman’s bullet-proof skin to the point that even death cannot keep them apart.

In recent years writers have attempted to mix up their status quo, finally letting Lois be angry for the tall building full of lies Clark has dropped on her over the years in trying to cover up his identity, but it won’t last. In the 853rd century, when he emerges from his Fortress of Solitude in the heart of the Sun, she will be there, faster than a speeding bullet.

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Buttercup & Westley

The Princess Bride

In his abridgment of S. Morgenstern’s classic tale of true love and high adventure, William Goldman tells the tale of the beautiful Buttercup and her doting farm hand, Westley. Their relationship takes a strange path to love, Buttercup delighting in verbally abusing the poor boy and demanding he perform more and more menial chores as her whim dictates, to which she receives nothing more from him that a heartfelt “As you wish.”

That Westley used this phrase to mean “I love you!” has, along with action, adventure and spot-on comedy, made both the book and the film geek classics, twisting the old cliche of dashing hero saving the damsel-in-distress, into something far more modern and relate-able.  At its heart the story of how imagined slights and silly arguments can only hold back true love so long.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Ben Templesmith unveils collection for people that like to get their squid on

Andy Haigh
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Ben Templesmith unveils collection for people that like to get their squid on

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Artist, writer and general all ’round creative type Ben Templesmith might be best known for his atmospheric art which has featured in 30 Days Of Night, Welcome to Hoxford, Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse, The Squidder, Singularity 7 and Gotham By Midnight amongst other projects , recently though the artist has been stretching out into other creative avenues like clothing.

Following the success of the previous squid inspired collection dubbed “TENTACLE RISING” Templesmith is back with another collection named “OCTOPUS IN BLUE” (seen modeled by Ashley Templesmith) which is available for pre-order now.

For more details and to pre-order visit 78SQUID

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