First
go and listen to Episode 196 of the Earth Station One Podcast.
I'm not on it, but that's why you're getting this post today.
Okay,
now read this:
2013
was a pretty huge year for me personally and for dorkery in general.
We had the 50th
Anniversary of Doctor Who, Marvel Comics’ “Marvel NOW”
initiative, which seems determined to make comics fun again (and is
succeeding), the biggest TimeGate ever, the biggest Dragon Con ever,
the continued excellence of Arrow,
and Pacific Rim.
There
was a lot more than all of that, but you get my point. Things were
good and dorky.
For
my part I expanded the pool of Guest writers for Needless Things,
recorded fifteen episodes of the Needless Things podcast, continued
as co-host of Earth Station Who, hosted Monstrosity Championship
Wrestling as often as my day job would allow (including the run of
October shows at Six Flags Over Georgia as part of their Fright
Fest), hosted various panels at TimeGate and Dragon Con, introduced
national rock n’ roll act CALABRESE at the latter, and was an
actual media presence at several cons.
It
was a great year, and now it’s time to take a brief look back at
some of the specifics as designated by our glorious leader, Director
Faber.
Favorite
Geek Out Moment (Movie, TV, Comic, etc)
– I was floored when Paul
McGann appeared in the Doctor
Who webisode The
Night of the Doctor. If it
hadn’t been spoiled for me by a fellow Doctor Who podcaster I
probably would have jumped up and yelled like a little kid. But even
with the surprise taken away it was a wonderful moment seeing McGann
back in the role of the Doctor in a visual medium. It was a bit
bittersweet, though, as it gave us a brief look at just how great
McGann is. There was a brief outburst of support for some sort of
vehicle for the Eighth Doctor, but I can’t imagine that will bear
any fruit. For now, we must be content with his Big Finish work
(which I am currently making my way through and enjoying every minute
of).
A
close second for the Big Geek Out was seeing all of the Doctors on
screen in the big climax of The
Day of the Doctor. That was
crazy.
Most
Disappointing Moment (Movie, TV, Comic, etc.)
– Realizing that he new season of Arrested
Development wasn’t very
good. There might have been more disappointing things, but I’m
having a hard time coming up with them. I block that stuff out, you
know. Bury it deep inside and try not to think about it. But this was
pretty disappointing. It wasn’t even terrible, it was just sort of…
boring. I had to force myself to watch it all.
Favorite
Character of 2013 (Real or Fictional)
– From Hackers
to Trainspotting
to Dexter,
Jonny Lee Miller’s onscreen presence has always fascinated me. He
is a man that can portray a diverse range of characters that all have
one thing in common – you can’t take your eyes off of them. His
portrayal of consulting detective Sherlock Holmes in the modern day
interpretation is no different. Miller’s Sherlock is fascinating –
from his incredible egotism to his body language to his occasional
vulnerability. The character demands your attention every second he
is on the screen.
Least
Favorite Character of 2013 (Real or Fictional)
– Clara Oswald, as she is
the personification of Steven Moffat’s determination to insinuate
himself into every corner of Doctor Who history. I don’t dislike
Jenna Coleman and I don’t even necessarily dislike her character.
My problem is with the things her character did throughout 2013.
Namely, becoming a character even more important to the 50 year
history of the franchise than the Doctor himself. And when she became
the default hero of “The Time of the Doctor” by telling the Time
Lords to give the Doctor – who had basically resigned himself and
the village under his protection to death – a new cycle of
regenerations; well that was enough for me.
Favorite
Word, Phrase, or Quote
– “Happy New Year! CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!”
Favorite
Geek Out Moment (Real Life)
– Nothing can compare to
the experience of taking my family to see Doctor Who in 3D in the
movie theater. Not only was it possibly a once-in-a-lifetime
experience, it was a really good story. I suppose it really was a
singular experience, because we will never again be celebrating the
Fiftieth Anniversary of Doctor Who. I can only hope that when the
Hundredth rolls around I will be at the holoplex with my wife and son
and grandchildren enjoying the exploits of the Twentieth and
Twenty-First Doctors. And maybe David Tennant will show up at the
end.
On
very close to equal footing with that amazing experience was the fan
reaction to my panels at Dragon Con. All weekend long and for weeks
after I was hearing about how much people loved the panels. I was
even contacted to help one person out with a very specific collection
issue. And that’s what I really want to be doing – helping people
out.
Most
Disappointing Moment (Real Life)
–
Getting my work schedule and seeing that I was going to miss the
Great Atlanta Toy Convention, TimeGate, MonsterMania, and various
other holidays and occasions. 2014 has brought the
worst work schedule I have
had at this job. I had to use 72 hours of my vacation just to get
Dragon Con and HeroesCon off and there wasn’t a whole lot left
after that.
Prior
to the schedule being posted I was talking to the guys running the
Great Atlanta Toy convention about panels and appearances. TimeGate
is my home con. And Monsterama is a new horror con that I was
really excited about. But when I’m scheduled to work weekends it’s
either nights or days, 5 to 5 Friday through Sunday. So I can’t do
anything.
A
close runner-up here was the day that I got called into my real job
and had to miss working the MCW show with Jake “The Snake”
Roberts on the card. I could
have worked with Jake the Snake.
I’m still furious about this one.
What
Geeks You Out the Most about 2014? –
Despite my depressing work
schedule, I am still excited about the year. I’m going to do as
many things as I can – MCW, cons, podcasts – and make the name
Phantom Troublemaker bigger than ever. I will continue to grow
Needless Things and improve myself in live formats. I know that I can
be better and I am going to work all year to become so.
Outside
of personal improvement there are other things to get excited about,
and as always the easiest dorkery to discuss is what’s going to hit
the theaters. 2015 is shaping up to be the biggest movie year ever
(with the most potential for disappointment), but 2014 has a very
strong list to start:
I,
Frankenstein
– I am somewhat less excited about this one after seeing the
trailer in front of Anchorman
2.
I thought Aaron Eckhardt as Frankenstein’s Monster would be
awesome, but it turns out he doesn’t look all that Frankenstein-y.
This could still be a good flick, but now I’m concerned that
somebody, somewhere had to bow to studio demands and it might be
watered down.
The
Lego Movie
– The Troublemakers will be there opening day. In 3D. There isn’t
one thing about this film that doesn’t look awesome.
RoboCop
– I am still totally stoked about this one. I love the different
take on the story and I can’t wait to see Michael Keaton as a bad
guy again.
Veronica
Mars
– I watched the first season and a half on Netflix due to the Buffy
Factor. The Buffy Factor takes into consideration that I am generally
uninterested in television shows that appear to be geared towards
teenage girls, but also that Buffy
the Vampire Slayer
is the greatest television show I have ever seen (until I saw
Firefly).
Once I got all caught up in the exploits of Veronica and her pals,
Netflix dropped it. So I immediately went on Amazon and just ordered
everything on DVD. I cannot wait for this movie.
And
if you’re curious – no, I did not help to fund it. I can barely
fund my own projects, let alone some big-time Hollywood writer’s.
But I’m glad it happened.
Captain
America: The Winter Soldier
– Captain
America: The First Avenger
is still my favorite of the Marvel movies and I am so stoked about
the sequel. I’m a little disappointed that Joe Johnston isn’t
directing, but I get that that’s how Marvel is rolling with these.
And it’s probably a good thing to keep directors fresh (it
certainly was in the case of Thor:
The Dark World
– how epic was that?). Everything about this movie looks great.
The
Amazing Spider-Man 2
– I loved the first Marc Webb Spidey flick. I absolutely hated how
the Lizard looked and acted and pretty much everything about the
Lizard except for Rhys Ifans’ performance, but the rest of the
movie was almost perfect. I loved Andrew Garfield’s smart-ass web
slinger. While I am excited about this sequel, it looks like it’s
going to have the same overall issues – I hate everything I’ve
seen of Jamie Fox as Electro, I’m not crazy about what I’ve seen
of Rhino, and please tell me that wasn’t Green Goblin.
But
the movie looks bright and colorful and fun and Lil’ Troublemaker
is excited about it and for the first time ever I thought, “Well,
if he ends up liking it that’s kind of all that matters,” and you
might just have to yank my Nerd Card now. Some folks are apparently
already trying.
Godzilla
– Speaking of hate, I thoroughly disliked Gareth Edwards’
Monsters.
As a matter of fact, I gave it Worst Movie of 2010. You’ve got to
have some set of balls to call a movie something powerful like
“Monsters” and then make it about two assholes falling in love
with the occasional semi-Kaiju wandering around (or porking, even) in
the background. Monsters
is
on a short list of movies that have pissed me off so much that I
still don’t quite believe they exist.
Needless
to say, I was not happy when I heard that Edwards was directing this
new Godzilla flick. I am not a Godzilla fiend like my close, personal
friend Johnny Danger Van Helsing, but I have a deep respect for the
King of Monsters and have seen most of his movies. I want this movie
to be powerful.
I want it to make Pacific
Rim look like a Wallace and
Grommit story. I can’t believe that the dude that gave us that
chick flick in the jungle is going to deliver.
I
have hope because the trailers I have seen so far look badass. But
that hope is tainted with chick flick feelings. Because sprinkled in
the midst of those trailers are slow, lingering shots of people
feeling feelings. Instead of what should be there – people feeling
Godzilla’s atomic fire breath.
X-Men:
Days of Future Past
– I loved the first two X-Men movies. Of course they could have
been better, but they were still pretty great. I didn’t hate X-Men
3 like a lot of people did. It was a mess and didn’t make a lick of
sense, but I had a great time watching it.
X-Men
Origins: Wolverine was the
worst theatrically released comic book movie I have ever seen. Worse
than the 1990 Captain
America. Worse than Batman
Forever. Even worse than
League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen.
X-Men:
First Class was fantastic,
though mostly due to Michael Fassbender James Bond-ing all over the
place. I am stoked about this sequel, but very disappointed that
Matthew Vaughn isn’t in charge. Bryan Singer used to have a lot of
stock with me, but then Superman
Returns happened and I had
to wonder if somehow the first two X-Men movies were flukes.
And
yes – X-Men Origins:
Wolverine was even worse
than Superman Returns.
Maleficent
– There was a time when I would have said I was a huge fan of
Angelina Jolie. For me, the peak was Tomb
Raider.
That movie was outstanding and I kind of hate that it seems to have
fallen by the wayside. It was the closest we’re ever going to get
to another Indiana Jones movie, what with all of the sets and
locations and practical effects. Since then Jolie has done some
things that ranged from awesome (Wanted)
to far outside of my areas of interest (whatever dramatic movies
about people feeling feelings she has done).
I
am very
excited to see Jolie as a villain. Given the title I’m afraid she
might end up being more sympathetic than I might have liked, but I
think this should be a killer flick if the studio didn’t interfere
too much with Paul Dini’s script. Not that I know anything about
said script, but it’s by Paul
Dini.
Hercules:
The Thracian Wars
– The Rock fights monsters from Greek mythology. Sold.
Guardians
of the Galaxy
– I have never read a comic book featuring the Guardians. I just
couldn’t ever get into Marvel’s cosmic stuff (except for the
Starjammers because they were part of the mutant side of the MU). But
when you combine the forces of Chris Pratt, Karen Gillen, Batista,
Michael Rooker, and Zoe Saldana under the direction of the mighty
James Gunn with a score by the near-infallible Tyler Bates (I’ll
never forget that one episode of Battlestar
Galactica
with the weird score); well buddy – I’m there. I don’t care if
it’s a movie starring a CGI raccoon.
What?
Oh.
Well, there you go.
Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles
– Ugh. I’m not looking forward to this, I just can’t even
imagine how badly Michael Bay is going to f**k it up. And I like the
first and third Transformers
movies. But Transformers aren’t one of my passions. The Turtles
are. And so far, every single thing I have heard about this movie
sounds terrible.
But I have a morbid interest in seeing just how awful it’s going to
be. My biggest problem with the whole thing is that I know Bay is
going to make it inappropriate for children and Lil’ Troublemaker
will not be able to see it. He loves
the Ninja Turtles. They’re his big thing right now. And because
some egotistical Hollywood jerk can’t grow up and make a movie that
is suitable for all ages I’m going to be stuck explaining to my son
why he can’t go and see the movie about his favorite characters.
Because there are too many jokes about turtle dicks or something and
because Michelangelo says, “F**k”.
F**k.
The
Expendables 3
– YES.
Sin
City: A Dame to Kill For
– The first Sin
City
lies at the far end of the spectrum from X-Men
Origins: Wolverine.
It was the perfect
comic book movie. From the performances to the visuals, everything
was not only a perfect adaptation of Frank Miller’s work, but also
an incredible movie. I am eagerly anticipating the next installment,
though I am concerned about how long it took to happen.
Interstellar
– Time and again I have said that Nolan’s Bat movies are terrible
Batman movies. But – like everything Nolan has created – they are
excellent films. I can see past all of the things that I do not like
about Nolan’s version of the Dark Knight and recognize that (well,
except for The
Dark Knight Rises
– I still think that was just plain bad). But I remain a fan of
Nolan’s non-Batman works and am very excited about this one.
Whatever it is. I have no idea.
Dumb
and Dumber To
– I hope this is as funny as the first one. It took me a couple of
years to like the original Dumb
and Dumber,
but once I did I decided it was genius. I’d really like to see a
worthy follow-up, and I think that all of those involved are
comfortable and mature enough to make something that not only matches
the first, but surpasses it. We’ll see.
Paddington
– What? I loved Paddington Bear when I was a kid. I’d love to see
a thoroughly British adaptation of the original book. Lil’
Troublemaker might be a bit too old to appreciate this one, but I’m
curious about it.
I’m
sure there are all kinds of other things I could discuss about 2014,
but I passed my minimum word count long ago. Chime in in the comments
section about what you’re excited about, or post over on the ESO
Facebook page. I can’t wait to see what else this year has in
store, both for me and for everybody else here at Earth Station One!
-Phantom
Nice list, sir. When you head out to see Dumb and Dumber To, keep an eye peeled for me. I was an extra on that one. In fact, I stand right next to Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels for a bit.
ReplyDeleteBobby