Other than the Doctor Who dynasty of shows, I don’t watch much television. However, there is one new show that I have totally fallen for in the past year… “Chuck” on NBC. The show is about a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government’s most vital secret. With the government’s most precious secrets in Chuck’s head, NSA’s John Casey and CIA’s Sarah Walker assume the responsibility of protecting him. The show is a mixture of action/adventure and sitcom, with just a dash of angsty romance. Somehow they’ve hit upon a magical formula that just works.
If you haven’t seen the series, you can watch a few episodes (including the pilot) at the official NBC web site for Chuck. The series features the hilarious and brilliant Zachary Levi as Chuck. Sara Walker is played by one of the hottest women to come out of Australia, Yvonne Strahovski. John Casey is played by fantastic Adam Baldwin. The supporting characters are also awesome (pun intended, if you watch the show)!
Recently Wildstorm comics started a six-issue mini-series based upon the show. It’s being written by series co-executive producer Peter Johnson and series writer Zev Borow, so it’s not just some lousy throwaway spin-off. The first issue came out last month (hopefully you can still find it in stores), while the second issue is slated to come out this week. I felt that Issue #1 was well done. Since its being written by people from the actual show, you get the sense that they got the characters “voices” right. I love the homage to Gilligan’s Island in the beginning where Chuck plays Gilligan and his boss plays Skipper. Funny stuff! Also, some former Chuck adversaries make appearances in the comic, so that was fun. Finally, there is a one-page back-up called “Captain Awesome’s Tips for Being Awesome!!” That was great… or dare I say AWESOME! All told, I think the comic mini-series is off to a good start.
While the reviews have been somewhat mixed, I personally enjoyed the new movie “Hancock“. I felt the movie delivered on what was promised in the trailers (a down-and-out superhero mends his ways to become a hero). There were fun displays of superpowers, such as the way Hancock does super-jumps and his landings. They also did an excellent job showing the collateral damage caused by superheroes. It makes you think how dangerous it would really be to have super-powered beings running around.
Surprisingly, there is a whole other plot that takes place on the back-end of the movie that was not featured in the trailers. I won’t spoil it for you, but I imagine that is what most people are fussing about. The expectation nowadays is that every major plot thread should be featured in the trailer. When something hits you during the film you weren’t expecting, you should rejoice! Wow, a genuine surprise during a movie! When was the last time that happened? We’ve all become so used to knowing in advance what is going to happen, we’ve forgotten how much fun it is to be surprised. Good job Hancock!
Finally, there were some concerns early on about the similarities between the Hancock plot of a down-and-out/alcoholic superhero and the potential “Demon in a Bottle” plot for Iron Man 2. In fact, the director of Iron Man 2 suggested they may have to drop the entire Tony Stark alcoholic storyline if it would be too repetitious of Hancock. After seeing Hancock, I don’t think they have anything to worry about. I think the storyline of Tony Stark spiraling into self-destructive alcoholism could still be done quite well without concern for plot repetition. Just my two cents.
Once The Unique Geek Presidential Debate podcast is posted, this will make a little more sense. Be watching The Unique Geek website for this special event!
To anyone with a sense of humor, I highly recommend the comic ”Maintenance“. This comic revolves around Doug & Manny, two janitors for the world’s biggest and best evil science think tank. Some of their misadventures include dealing with toxic spills, getting drunk with a talking manshark, accidentally time-traveling back to the Stone Age, and being shrunk so they can deal with evil micro-organisms that have taken control of the company toilets. They even have to deal with typical inter-office crap like department meetings and speeches from the boss on morale.
The comic is witty and drawn excellently. Oni Press publishes the book and you can read a 32 page preview for free online at their site. There are two trades already in publication, and the third trade is due out within the next couple weeks.
It’s definitely worth your time. C’mon, you know you need a laugh.
I heard about this on THE UNIQUE GEEK list serv, so if you’ve already seen this I apologize. It’s a webcomic called “Breakfast of the Gods” and it’s hilarious! There are on the third issue now. The cast features all your favorite morning cereal characters (i.e. Tony the Tiger, Captain Crunch… etc). The storytelling is really well done, the art gets better with every page, and it’s a decent page-turner. I’m surprised every time a new major cereal icon shows up because I’m thinking, “Surely by now they’ve tapped out all the major cereal characters”. But sure enough, a new one will turn up and I’ll slap my forehead thinking, “How on Earth did I forget about that character.” I feel this series is vaguely reminiscent (with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek) of the Vertigo comic series “Fables”.
So give these webcomics a try. They’re Grrrrrrreat!
Watch the YouTube video below for a really funny Aquaman song by Ookla the Mok. By the way, that is the coolest name for a band ever! The video is mostly made up of clips from the failed Aquaman TV show pilot, however, I’m all about the lyrics of the song.
If you are unable to view the embedded video, click here.
Fanboys the movie looks as if it could be the quintessential geek movie of all time. Production has been delayed a whole bunch, but the trailer makes it look to be worth the wait.
It’s got a great bunch of supporting actors, including Kristen Bell, Ray Park, William Shatner, Billy Dee Williams, and Jaime King.
Hey gang - I’m out of town for work and sick as a dog (sinus infection that won’t quit). So nothing deep for today. Enjoy another oldie, but a goodie. Watch “The End of the World” by clicking here.
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About Shag
By day, The Irredeemable Shag plays the part of a wealthy industrialist, playboy, and philanthropist. By night, he is a frightening creature that strikes terror into the hearts of criminals! ... or ... maybe he's just this really vocal geek who is part of THE UNIQUE GEEK and a semi-regular on the VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX podcast. You decide...
Other than the Doctor Who dynasty of shows, I don’t watch much television. However, there is one new show that I have totally fallen for in the past year… “Chuck” on NBC. The show is about a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government’s most vital secret. With the government’s most precious secrets in Chuck’s head, NSA’s John Casey and CIA’s Sarah Walker assume the responsibility of protecting him. The show is a mixture of action/adventure and sitcom, with just a dash of angsty romance. Somehow they’ve hit upon a magical formula that just works.
Recently Wildstorm comics started a six-issue mini-series based upon the show. It’s being written by series co-executive producer Peter Johnson and series writer Zev Borow, so it’s not just some lousy throwaway spin-off. The first issue came out last month (hopefully you can still find it in stores), while the second issue is slated to come out this week. I felt that Issue #1 was well done. Since its being written by people from the actual show, you get the sense that they got the characters “voices” right. I love the homage to Gilligan’s Island in the beginning where Chuck plays Gilligan and his boss plays Skipper. Funny stuff! Also, some former Chuck adversaries make appearances in the comic, so that was fun. Finally, there is a one-page back-up called “Captain Awesome’s Tips for Being Awesome!!” That was great… or dare I say AWESOME! All told, I think the comic mini-series is off to a good start.
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