Nerd Culture Podcast

For this edition of Spotlight On… I’ll be covering the Best Film nominees for this years Academy Awards. That’s right, I’m watching them so that you don’t have to! We’ll be covering winners in our Academy Awards special on episode #45 so join us then!

Note: As of this time I haven’t seen Amour or Beasts of the Southern Wild yet.

Argo

Released: 2012

Directed by: Ben Affleck

Written by: Chris Terrio (screenplay), Joshuah Bearman (article)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston & John Goodman

Plot: A dramatization of the 1979-1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.

For: Very well directed. Affleck is a far better director than he is an actor / The Argo read through is awesome, I would love to see this actually get made (but of course it won’t) / Mark steps up to the plate at the airport / Alan Arkin is awesome (as always)

Against: Not as gripping as I expected. It is entertaining but could have been so much more. For example, instead of chasing the plane down at the airport (which apparently never happened) why not just radio the plane from the tower and demand that they not take off?

Favourite Scene: The Argo read through, and every scene with Arkin.

Rating: 4 Lukes

Django Unchained

Released: 2012

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Written by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson

Plot: With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

For: Some very funny scenes / Has the usual Tarantino flair / Waltz and DiCaprio are magnificent

Against: Ridiculously over the top – typical over-blown Tarantino production / It is at least 45 mins too long / The soundtrack is unbearable / What is up with the horse dance at the end?! / Nowhere near as funny or clever as it thinks it is / Unfortunately Tarantino has reached a point that no one has the spine to tell him when he is over doing it, which this film desperately needed. It is unlikely that he will ever return to the brilliance of his earlier films.

Favourite Scene: Collecting the Bill Sharp bounty / Candie goes ballistic at dinner / Meeting Big Daddy

Rating:  2.5 Lukes

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Hold onto your hats pop culture fans in Adelaide & Perth, ’cause Oz Comic-Con is only 3 weeks away!

The fun begins in Perth on Saturday 9th March and Sunday 10th March 2013 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre and them goes to Adelaide on Saturday 16^th March and Sunday 17th March 2013 at the Adelaide Showgrounds.

Richard Dean Anderson will appear alongside Captain James T. Kirk himself – William Shatner – making Oz Comic-Con the must-attend event of the year!

There is a great range of ticket options, and all are selling fast. In fact the VIP tickets for Adelaide are already sold out! Great work Adelaide fans! The tickets range from General Admission ( available through Ticketmaster) through to Platinum and Ultimate Experience tickets (available at www.ozcomiccon.com).

For William Shatner or Richard Dean Anderson fans, the Experience or Ultimate Experience tickets are a must. Experience tickets guarantee a photo and autograph, along with reserved seating at an exclusive panel, and priority weekend entry. Ultimate Experience ticket holders get all that, PLUS an exclusive meet and greet on Saturday evening with Mr Shatner or Mr Anderson!

Joining Shatner and Anderson are Patricia Quinn (Rocky Horror Picture Show), Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones, Stargate Atlantis and Conan), Star Trek’s JG Hertzler and Robert O’Reilly (Gowron!) & J August Richards (Angel) – alongside a growing list of international and local film, TV, animation, voice over and comic stars, including Nicola Scott (Wonder Woman) & Mathew Clark (Nightwing).

Alongside celebrity appearances, Oz Comic-Con will also feature exclusive film screenings, an array of exhibitors and retailers selling unique collectibles and rare merchandise, comic books and anime, gaming demonstrations and Cosplay competitions (a unique type of performance art in which participants don costumes to reflect cultural ideas and concepts, often from Japanese popular fiction).

Oz Comic-Con 2013 is brought to Australia by DCA Enterprises – the Sydney-based company also responsible for The Hub Productions’ intimate popular culture events (www.thehubproductions.com). Oz Comic-Con made its debut in 2012 to record-breaking crowds in Adelaide and Melbourne, drawing numbers over 50,000, and the 2013 tour (which includes Perth, Adelaide and a return visit to Melbourne in July) looks set to surpass 2012!

Oz Comic-Con is an event like no other – and definitely not to be missed. For full details visit www.ozcomiccon.com.

Cya there!

Welcome to our new segment – Comics Newbie – where I’ll be reviewing some of the titles I’m reading as I jump into the world of comics.

For my first comic review I have read vol #1 of the Marvel title Exiles which contains Exiles #1-#4.  First off I have to thank David for suggesting this title and providing the volume to read (huzzah!).

Exiles vol #1 is written by Judd Winick and drawn by Mike McKone.

I went into reading Exiles with a lot of excitement. It is a series that I had not heard of before and when it comes to a new comic series I am like a kid in a candy store (gimmegimmegimme).

A quick summary: The Exiles are a group of characters from different Marvel universes who have been grouped together and now must roam the Marvel universes to save their own lives.

This first volume is broken down into three stories:

1. The team coming together and character back story
2. The first adventure
3. A famous Marvel story mash up

The opening story of a new series must be a very tricky thing to tackle for a writer. Take too much time with exposition and you risk the comic not kick starting quickly enough, too little and the reader may not know what on earth is going on and may give up there and then. I feel that Winick got the balance right with Exiles. The characters Winick has chosen are good choices as they all relate to major characters from the Marvel U even if it is a different universe so you can feel a certain familiarly.

The art of McKone was visually pleasing. A particular highlight was a series of panels near the end of the book when two of the characters were discussing leadership of the Exiles.

The highlight of the book for me was in the Exiles’ first adventure, when it is revealed that Charles Xavier is not who you expect him to be. I love when the status quo is shaken up. I also really enjoyed some of the jokes in the book.

My only issue with the book is that the chapters were spaced awkwardly.  For better or worse I like to read a chapter take a short break and then get back into it. It gives my brain and eyes time to rest and to take in everything I have just read. Not a big issue but a slight annoyance.

The ultimate test for a first volume or first comic in a series is ‘will it make me want to read more?’ In this case it is a big yes. I cannot wait to read more stories about the Exiles and after a little bit of internet research I’ve found that I have a lot of reading ahead (hooray for my brain, but bad news for my wallet).

I give Exiles Vol #1 – 3/5 Lukes

I would love to hear your feedback on Exiles and my review. Please comment on this post, or you can contact me via Twitter @bennykane1983.  If you have suggestions on other titles that I should read I would love to hear from you.

For my next review I will be looking at the first issue of the Image Comic Snapshot.

Benny

Episode #43 features:

Special Guest – Bo, from the ECN Podcast

Round Table:  Marvel Now! – every Marvel Now! title available, reviewed by the NCP Crew

Also featuring a special Competition! – Like, Retweet or Comment on the special Totally Irreverent post to win an awesome T-Shirt!

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*Please Note – due to having the Skype call going through my iPad there are some parts of the recording where you can hear some weird feedback. Be assured it isn’t your equipment and doesn’t affect the awesomeness of the episode 🙂

Oh, and as a special bonus, here’s a photo of me meeting Neil Gaiman 🙂

Thanks to our awesome sponsors – Totally Irreverent – we have a special Competition! – Like, Retweet or Comment on the special Totally Irreverent post to win an awesome T-Shirt!

It can’t be any easier 🙂

The Winner will be announced on episode #44, February 17!

In the meantime check out totallyirreverent.com.au – they rock!