Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1 Review

SPOILER ALERT!!!

 I will start by saying I enjoyed this episode, but I enjoy most Walking Dead episodes. Maybe the series set the bar too high last year with the explosive tense filled takeover of the prison. This year was not as exciting. Maybe it was not supposed to be. The group has grown, started routines and settled into a somewhat normal existence. I, personally, just wanted more of a running start for the season.
The good aspect of the episode was the set up for the next few episodes. The pig being sick and then dying from a disease, I assume a form of the flu, WARNING SWINE FLU OUTBREAK!!!, was an indicator of how living in close quarters with no modern medicine can be just as deadly as living with walkers.
The next few episodes, I assume, will deal with the flu outbreak and how to contain it, and possibly having to leave the prison.  They may even play this as the walker disease becoming airborne, though not sure how many people could survive in the world with it becoming and airborne virus. Only a few individuals are immune possibly?
The zombie kills at Big Lots were great. Though the raining zombies seemed forced. To me it seemed they said, look at our cool idea about falling zombies. The world they have created is scary enough without resorting to gimmicks. The guy knocking over the liquor and making a big racket could have triggered a zombie horde to storm back into the store, and would have had the same effect as the falling zombies. Others probably feel differently, but to each his own.
The Rick story-line was a complete waste. We did not need a whole episode with a random person trying to kill him to know Rick was not crazy anymore. They could have done this by him going on the raid, or staying at the prison and interacting with Carl and the Baby.  This part of the episode seemed forced to me as well, they where stretching to come up with some clever way to show Rick was normal again. This was not necessary, just show Rick acting normal and we will know he is not seeing ghosts. Though at one point I did think they where going to have the women turn into a Walker, and Rick just imagine her saying "help me." Then he would have a mad scramble to use his gun and kill her, and fight his way back to the prison. Rick is still crazy would have been an interesting story to pursue, instead of Rick is normal.
The falling zombies and Rick story-line where stretched aspects, but the other parts of the episode were solid. The side story with Beth losing a boyfriend, and saying she doesn't cry anymore when lost was nice to see. If she is going to be in the show they actually need to grow her character. Though she may die in the next episode the way the show goes through cast members. Carol and Daryl maybe possibly dating... I think just about everyone wants to see this. Carol characters growth has been amazing, to go from relying on everyone to a strong independent women is one of the best arcs of the show. The community growing and becoming setting into a routine was nice to see, to know how much they gained,  just to be lost all over again.

Brian Urlacker Retirement

While I am sad to see Urlacker announce his retirement, I am happy he did not go to another team for a year or two and just hang on for a another paycheck and love of the game. I wish his realization would have come before the ugliness between him and the organization.  He probably needed the split to realize an aging middle linebacker with injury concerns was not going to make what he felt he deserved. He deserves big money, he earned the right to demand big money for how he played the game. Teams have the right not to pay an aging middle linebacker who cannot stay on the field. I am not sure how situation could have been handled differently between the Bears and Urlacker, but both sides need to come together now and have some sort of formal retirement ceremony for the star. He has been the face of the franchise for nearly 13 seasons. Both sides have made millions for the other and it would be a shame for them not to reconcile. Urlacker should remain a part of the Bears family. He should not feel cut off from the organization due to the the issues from the off-season. Hopefully in the next few weeks their will be a ceremony, and both sides who have stated publicly no hard feelings, will finalize it in a formal press conference. 

Urlacker has been my favorite Bear for the past 13 seasons, his name alone is fun. I own a jersey and glad I can still sport it. He came into the league as a Bear and he is leaving as a Bear.  This fact shows how great of a player he was and what he meant to the organization.

The Lost Fleet Beyond the Frontier: Guardian Review

This is a good book, not a great one. Campbell/Hemry uses his tried and true formula to finish the Lost Fleet trilogy with a flourish. The major issue with the novel is the formula is getting old, and many of the battles and character interactions seem to be repeated from other books.
The book still has all of the things fans of the series have come to expect. Great space battles, good character interaction, interesting politics, and moral decisions. Hemry  placed more emphasis on PTSD all solders feel, and how this could effect the many sailors in his universe. This added to the overall story and is a glimpse into the feelings of our current solders when they come back from years of war.
These are the highlights of the book. The rest of the story was situations the fleet had been in before and had to face again. The final battle seemed forced.  My impression was Hemry did not want to put a final battle in the book, but felt obligated to have one more for the trilogy finally.  It was a different enemy, but the end result was the same, Geary triumphed and won the day. Sorry if this is a spoiler, but if you have read the entire series then this will not be a shock to you. I am leaving off where the battle is and who the battle is against. This is the surprise. I think a more symbolic end to the trilogy would have been for Geary to lose a battle, or go down with Dauntless in another heroic act. Hemry probably has more story ideas for the universe so I understand not taking this track, but something different would have been a good change of pace.
The universe Hemry has created is an intriguing one and I really have enjoyed all of the books, but this one just felt slightly rehashed. Maybe since it is the 9th book for Geary, Hemry does not know where to take the character. He has triumphed over every obstacle and fought every demon. There is nothing more for him to do. This may be the last time we see Geary.  I could see Hemry having another character take center stage in another book series. Maybe Rione or another politician and having them work to rebuild the alliance through politics. Hemry is going to have to go in another direction with Geary, either having him play more of a political role, or taking a more exploratory role and traveling through the galaxy finding new lifeforms in a pseudo star-trek universe. Whatever it is I will read the novels and give them a chance. I am invested in the universe, and while I usually like my hero's with a few more warts I like John Black Jack Geary and look forward to any new adventures.

Star Trek: Into Darkness Review (Spoilers

Star Trek: Into Darkness is everything a summer movie should be. Action packed, funny, solid story and plot. The last two are only slightly lacking in the movie. Roger Ebert said a good movie is one you could watch multiple times. Into Darkness is one I will be able to watch over and over again.

The best aspect of the movie is the character interaction. Quinto and Pine, as Spock and Kirk, are great together. They play off each other as well as, if not better than, Nimoy and Shatner. (Trekkies can gasp and call blasphemy all they want, but it is what I believe). Karl Urban is perfect as McCoy. Capturing the essence of the character Kelley perfected. Nothing seems forced with any of the charecters. This is what makes the movie work. The bangs and explosions are nice and fun to have, especially the scene with Kirk and Kahn racing through open space in nothing but environmental suites, but without the great cast and Abrams ability to direct them the movie would have been a flop.  

Cumberbatch is magnificent in as Kahn, if you are upset after reading this too bad it is Monday after movie came out and I warned for spoilers, and the writing has been on the wall for months. He had the steely coldness the part deserved. He oozed meticulous cunning and ruthlessness.  If I had to pick a highlight of the film it is him as a villain. The first movie did not have a strong villain. Eric Bana as Nero was a flop, and the one major void from the first film.

This is what gives me great hope for Abrams directing the new Star Wars movies. The fact he can create a great popcorn flick with special effects, great dialogue and  character interaction, something Lucas was not able to do in the prequels, will be a sigh of a relief for all Star Wars fans.

The story is a little lacking and there are plot holes, the same as in the first from 2009. These can be overlooked, and again with the great acting you do not notice them until the end.  The whole being stopped in the middle of space by a strange warp malfunction is one such whole. How did the admiral get someone to sabotage the Enterprise so quickly? Why did Scottie not notice this before he left the ship? It was too convenient for Scottie to resign over the torpedo issue. These are minor issues, and can be overlooked. The first movie in 09 had these flaws as well. What it did not have was a good villain or the budding friendship between Spock and Kirk because they were at odds with each other during the first film.  I have many reviews stating they do not know if this movie was as good as the 09 movie. I disagree, I think Into Darkness outclassed it by a few degrees.  Anyone can enjoy this action packed Sci-Fi movie. I even think many Trekkies will like it. 

Iron Man 3 Review SPOILERS

I waited a whole week to write a review of Iron Man 3. The movie was just OK for me. It was good, everything you want for a summer blockbuster, but I was expecting something more. Maybe I was expecting Iron Man to actually be in his suit for most of the movie... This is my biggest complaint. We did not see Iron Man be Iron Man. We saw Tony Stark struggle with PTSD and therefore tinker with his suits. He was broken, so his suits are broken.

This track would have been a good route for the movie if Iron Man was an introspective character. He isn't, he lives in the moment. This is at least the way I have seen in him in the last two movies, plus Avengers. It may have been the symptoms and way they wrote the PTSD into the script. It was hokey, yes I used the word hokey. The symptoms and the portrayal did not ring true to me. Watching Tony Stark get thrown into a panic attack by a 10 year old boy was too unbelievable. 

There was many things in the movie to like. Ben Kinglsely was brilliant. I know comic book fans hate the twist, but I actually loved this part of the move and loved Kingsley and his role. He played it beautifully. What else do you expect out of a man who can play Gandhi? I am ecstatic too watch him as Major Rackem in Enders Game. 

The skydive sequence off Air Force one was spectacular. Heightened by the fact they did not use special effects to capture the scene. The villain was OK, nothing special, but not horrible either. All in All Iron Man 3 was a fun movie, and one I will buy. It just left me wanting a little more. More action, more actual Iron Man, more fun banter. The things which I loved in the first two movies. 

My Ramblings on Jason Collins

A gay player came out today. Many comments I saw on this thing called the World Wide Web stated: What’s the big deal? He is just trying to draw attention to himself. He is a part time player who just wants his day in the sun. I am a heterosexual male with two kids, no one is doing a story about me!

My only reply to these individuals, and to the many other responses they garnered in defense of Jason Collins is, Haters Gonna Hate. How else to describe these comments about the first openly gay athlete in one of the four major sports in America. I will be happy when this is not a story, when high school athlete can be openly gay in a locker room and not have to face ridicule and mockery. That day is not today.

This story is a big deal. He is the first. The first is always important. Is this as big as a deal as Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier? No it is not, but it is still a big deal and one we have been moving towards for a long time. Jason Collins should be applauded and he will be my many. He will also have to deal with hate and bigotry. If he did not have to deal with this, then this truly would be a non-story.

There will always be individuals who do not see homosexuals the way I do. I have friends and relatives who are, and I love them. Others see their way of life as a sin, they can. It is there American right to have this view and to tell others about it. They do not have the right to tell these individuals whom they can marry or where they can work, or to make them feel uncomfortable in the workplace. They can think it is wrong, and they can say it is wrong, but to take any action on these beliefs is wrong.

I applaud Jason Collins. He is the first, but will not be the last. I can only hope that his brave example will cause a multitude of other men in the four major sports to come out and be who they are not only to their friends and families but to their teammates and the rest of the world as well. Hatters Gonna Hate, but Lovers will always Love, and will eventually win the day.

(That is at least what I keep telling myself to be able to sleep at night)