Curiosity

Hello to whoever, if anyone, is reading this blog.
Since I do not really know who, again, if anyone, is reading this, I would like to ask the people who do read this to comment in this post just so I can see if people actually read this.
That's all. Nothing big, just post your name. Say, "Hi."
Donate some money if you know where I live.
That's all for now.
Hasta La Pasta,
Chuck

AFI Top 100 Movie Quotes

So, I watched that show last night. I was intrigued by all of the different quotes. I even found myself hearing certain quotes and thinking, "Oh, that's where that quote came from." However, the show did leave me feeling a little dissapointed.
There were not that many quotes from non-mainstream movies. There are many many several quotes that are more famous than some of the ones that they listed.
Some of the quotes I have never heard nor do I recognize the significance of some of the quotes.
So, I have decided to take it upon myself to start a new list of famous quotes. Because I believe that good quotes were omitted. At this point I would normally ask for help in adding to my list of good quotes from other people reading this blog, but I do believe that I am the only one who is reading this anyway. But, I will go forth anyway.
I am going to try and use films that are not necessarily mainstream. Now, they can be. But, I am trying to add to the AFI's list. I will say the actor/actress and the name of the movie if at all possible. And, since I appear to be alone I will have to rely upon myself to correct any errors below.
Here we go:

"I'm you're huckleberry." - Val Kilmer - Tombstone

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." - Mandy Pitinkin - Princess Bride

"Luke, I am your father." David Prowse (James Earl Jones) - The Empire Strikes Back

"Never leave your wingman." - Anthony Edwards - Top Gun

"I'm Batman." - Michael Keaton, Christian Bale - Batman, Batman Begins

"I have a bad feeling about this." - Too many actors and actresses to name - Every Star Wars movie

"KAHN!!!!" - William Shatner - Star Trek II

"You die first. Your friends may get me in a rush but not before I make your head into a canoe." - Kurt Russell - Tombstone

"I may not be able to carry the ring Mr Frodo, but I can carry you!" - Sean Astin - The Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King

My D&D Campaign

So, I'm sitting here trying to figure out what to write for the new entry into my blog when it dawns upon me: my role playing campaign that I run.
It is pretty much my first time running adventures. Up until now I have always been a player.
So, the campaign is in a fantasy setting. It is what I know best.
The basic gist behind the campaign is the idea that at some point, the Greek gods of our history decide to up and leave this plane of existence and seek out a new land to rule. The Greeks have started to move on past them and they need new fresh followers.
They find this new world and fight the gods currently there. These gods would be the gods of the D&D world. The Greek gods win, because they are better, simply put.
During the god war the land is ravaged, torn asunder, etc. The world population has to start over, and since there are VERY FEW people left in this world now, the Greek gods have carte blanche with the rules and such.
So, the world grows and there are formed nations based upon the names of Greek city-states. Athens, Sparta, Mycanea, etc.
Furthermore, into this world is born an elven urban ranger, an elven wizard, and a human Acolyte of Hades.
They have had about 3 adventures so far. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.
I have to be careful what I write so as not to give away any information to the players.
Later.

Batman Begins

Well, I have seen the movie now. I must say that it is the best Batman movie ever made.
Chris Nolan and David Goyer get it. They know what makes Batman, well, Batman.
We are finally introduced to the origins of Bats. How he becomes the Bat after the death of his parents. Very good stuff.
I can kind of agree with some reviews in the fact that the fight scenes are kind of awkward watching. You never really see Bat fighting people. A lot of camera movement.
Yes, there are some kind of disturbing images, mainly the fallout from the Scarecrow's fear gas. The fear gas gets a big play in this movie. It was nice to see after having read the Batman comics for a few years now.
They set up a sequel with the ending of the movie. I cannot wait for the next one.
I will be going back to see this movie again. I still have friends that have not seen it.
I would encourage everyone who has not seen it to go see it and to see it again if you have already seen it. Go multiple times. It is that good.

It's Almost Here

Just wanted to say that I am at about T-minus 5 hours until I see Batman Begins on the IMAX screen. I cannot wait.
Before we go see the movie I do get the great benefit of eating Tumbleweed. I love the 'Weed.
All in all there are 15 people going to see the movie in my group.
I will review it after I have seen it.
Later.

OMAC Project

Well, I said that I would try and talk a little bit about each of the 4 mini-series that are spinning out of Identity Crisis and into Infinite Crisis. I am going to spill some beans about OMAC now.
Spinning from the events of DC COUNTDOWN and IDENTITY CRISIS, a crackerjack thriller by Greg Rucka (ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN) comes to life in the brooding, gorgeous art of Jesus Saiz (MANHUNTER) in a 6-issue miniseries featuring covers by Jose Ladrónn that can't be missed!
Every hero and villain in the DCU is under the gaze of an unbelievably powerful spy satellite. It's a technological marvel that answers to only one person — and he's got plans for it that are completely unknown to the superspy organization he controls: Checkmate!
In a world where men can fly and melt metal with their eyes, there's now an army created specifically as an answer to them: a One Man Army Corps. Batman and an old ally are about to learn the chilling truth behind the OMAC Project — but will they work with or against each other?
The above description is from the DC website. I would like to add some facts to it. One being the fact that the OMAC satellites are Batman's creation. HE built them after he figured out that the Justice League mindwiped him as he was trying to stop them from mindwiping Dr. Light.
Dr. Light is a villian that had just snuck onto the League's base and was assaulting the wife of a superhero. After this event the League decided to wipe his mind to protect themselves. Batman disagreed with this action and they wiped his mind to be able to wipe Light's mind.
This all sounds kind of confusing, however, OMAC is probably the best mini leading up to Infinite Crisis.
So, the spy satellites were created by Batman in order to keep track of all of the superheroes to prevent what happened to him from happening to others, good or bad. There is a line you do not cross as a hero. They, the League, crossed it and now they cannot be trusted.
From the beginning of the mini you find out that Batman is no longer in control of the satellites. Someone else is controlling them. This is a problem.
I have read 2 of the issues so far. I cannot wait to read the rest of them. I am curious as to if Bats will regain control and how this mini will tie into Infinite Crisis. I have faith in Greg Rucka to get me there.

Anachronism

I would like to take this time to talk about a new obsession of mine. It is called Anachronism. It is a card game from TriKing Games. It is utterly fantastic.
The basic set up is a gladitorial combat between two warriors from myth and history. The starter game comes with the warrior decks of Spartacus and Achilles. Booster packs are non-randomized. You know exactly what you are getting when you buy a pack. If you like history or playing a card game with friends that will take all of five minutes when you learn the rules, then I suggest that you give this game a try.
Series 1 of Anachronism includes 16 other warriors in addition to the starter game warriors. Series 2 will be out in June and includes 16 more warriors as well as another starter deck.
The four cultures included in the first series are the Japanese, Vikings, Romans, and Greeks.
The cultures include the following warriors:
Vikings: Canute the Great, Freydis Eiriksdottir, Grettir the Strong, and Harald Hardrada
Japanese: Nakano Takeko, Ninja, Oda Nobunaga, and Saito Musashibo Benkei
Romans: Amazonia, Julius Caesar, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, and Maximinus
Greeks: Alexander the Great, Herakles, Leonidas, and Milo of Croton
There is also a promo pack that features the Viking warrior Beowulf and the Japanese warrior Miyamoto Musashi.
There is a total of 5 rounds maximum in the game. The idea is to kill the opponent. You do this by damaging the other person with weapons and such.
I cannot recommend this game enough. You will have some fun and possibly learn some things along the way. All in all, not a bad proposition.

Infinite Crisis

Well, it appears that I am getting to the point that I may write in this thing every day. I must admit that when I started I had absolutely no idea what to write. I mean, I know of several things that I know and like, but why would I write them down?
I just want to put this out there. DC Comics is kicking some serious butt. Right now I am in the middle of reading the four mini-series that spin out of the events of Identity Crisis and Countdown to Infinite Crisis. (Day of Vengeance, OMAC Project, Rann/Thanagar War, Villians United). They are outstanding. They are all leading up to Infinite Crisis. Infinte Crisis is shaping up to be a major cataclysm in the DC universe.
Infinite Crisis will be a mini-series that will follow in the footsteps of Identity Crisis. In Identity Crisis, it is shown that the members of the Justice League mindwiped some villians as well as Batman. It is this mindwipe of Batman that has sent severe shockwave throughout the DC universe. So, in Infinite Crisis you will be able to see the repercussions of that decision. Because, Batman knows that they stole his mind from him. I anticipate that the Justice League will not be the same after this mini-series. I cannot wait to read this. October cannot get here fast enough because that is when the mini comes out. It is written by Geoff Johns.
I have never enjoyed reading comics more than I do now. The stories are engaging. The writers are fabulous.
DC has managed to accomplish something with me. They are making me want to read more and more of their titles. As long as DC keeps writers like Judd Winick, Geoff Johns, and Greg Rucka on board I will keep reading their books.
In a later post I will try and describe each mini and maybe even some of the other books that I read.

Comic Books That I Currently Read

Adventures of Superman
Batgirl
Batman
Batman/Superman
Batman: Gotham Knights
Birds of Prey
Breach
Day of Vengeance
Detective Comics
Ex Machina
Flash
Gotham Central
Green Arrow
Green Lantern
JLA
Legion of Super-Heroes
Nightwing
OMAC Project
Outsiders
Rann/Thanagar War
Robin
Teen Titans
Villians United
Wonder Woman

As you might be able to see, I am a big DC fan. I love the characters. The writers are very good. They have an upcoming event called Infinite Crisis which I will discuss more in a later post.
Batman is my favorite character, as you might have noticed from an earlier post.

Batman Begins

OK. I am almost counting down the minutes until the Batman movie. I have been waiting YEARS for a good Batman movie. It appears that it has finally arrived.
It seems that out of like every 10 reviews that come out for the movie, about 8 of them are positive to very positive.
Chris Nolan and David Goyer have evidently nailed it this time. Christian Bale looks and sounds like Batman/ Bruce Wayne. Add in Michael Cane, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, etc and you have the makings of a phenomenal cast.
I know that the movie comes out on Wednesday. I will, however, be waiting till Friday to see it. I would still rather go and see the movie with some friends. That way, afterwards, me and some of my buds can argue about how Bats is a better superhero that Superman.

Darth Tater

The other day, while I was shopping at our local Kroger, I came across a toy that I had heard about. It was the Darth Tater toy.
It is almost exactly like the original Mr. Potato Head, except that the toy comes with the helmet and face shield of our favorite Sith Lord, Darth Vader. Darth Tater also comes with two arms in the design of Vader's arms, as well as a red lightsaber in his right hand.
Needless, to say, it was a very good impulse purchase. If you are a Star Wars fan, this should be on your list.

The New Beginning

Well, it seems that I have just created a new blog space. Away from the overbearing confines of MSN.
I am going to use this space for many things for me. Info for a campaign that I run. Books I am interested in. Etc.
And, after I see Batman Begins, I will try and write a nice little review of the film.
Till later.