Who doesn’t love cookies? We’ve all seen amazing geeky cookie cutters, but have you seen epic cookie stamps?
Totalum is a shop where you can find any geeky icon you could possibly want to stamp onto a delicious cookie. And if you don’t find one you like, you can have one custom made just for you!
Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, dinosaurs… you need to go visit Totalum today!
Normally you would see a comic book article this week. But for the past couple weeks I’ve been too busy staring at girls in bikinis like a creeper to read many comics. But since I had a fairly long travel time, I was able to read a few freebies thanks to an app called ComiXology. It’s an app for your phone and/or tablet that allows you to purchase and download a wide array of comics. They also have a number of free comics for download as well. Ninety percent of them are just number one issues to get your beak wet, but I hardly have any right to complain about something free. So here are my thoughts on the free samplings I enjoyed while on vacation.
You know what happens when a man swears an oath to never use his weapon again? He’ll end up using his weapon again. There is a one hundred percent guarantee of that. It’s like a universal law of physics or something. But aside from the small bit of obvious foreshadowing, this was a really great comic. It hodgepodges modern and classic literature into something that is ultimately new and very creative. Saga is one of the best first issues I’ve ever read and contains more than enough depth and complexity to build into a super great series. I’ll be sure to get the trade paperback next time I’m in the comic shop.
There are four of these digital exclusive comics that highlight a character from the guardians’ team. Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, and Groot each get a small side story that loosely ties in the main comic we have to pay money for. The comics themselves have mediocre writing and art, but they do use the idea of digital comics to create a more interesting experience. When you slide a panel, the frames use more of a stop motion animation technique instead of the panel by panel slideshow of a more traditional comic. It shows a creative way to introduce the idea of digital only comics and that they have a place in the future of the industry. So all we need now is a better story and art with a creative multi-issue story.
I’m actually ashamed that I haven’t read this comic before. It’s one of those I wanted to wait until the trade paperback came out, but just never got around to. But thanks to the ease of free digital comics, I was able to taste the first chapter. Fatale doesn’t disappoint in any way and Ed Brubaker’s noir style satisfies all of my fanboy needs. It’s fairly a typical Brubaker affair with heavy internal dialogue and deep characterization that feels so human you would swear that you could feel a pulse in the panels. However I should warn you that you shouldn’t read this one unless you’re old enough to be legal for everything except to run for President. Fatale is bloody intense, literally.
Have you ever felt the urge to play a tabletop game in the middle of the day, but you just don’t have the time or space to do it?
Arian Croft of Ill Gotten Games has a solution for you: Pocket Tactics. This awesome tile-based strategy game fits completely in a small bag, and each game only takes about 20 to 45 minutes.
There are several different factions you can purchase, such as goblins or elves, so go take a look today!
So, I don’t know why it took me this long to watch Adventure Time, but it did, and I’m sorry. So to make it up to everyone, Melvin and I decided to make… Jake’s Bacon Pancakes! Bacon pancakes, makin’ bacon pancakes, take some bacon and I’ll put it in a pancake, bacon pancakes, that’s what it’s gonna make, Bacon Pancaaaaaaaaaake! So easy to make, and you can sing Jake’s song the entire time you make them. That’s what I did anyway. So if you’re a huge fan of Adventure Time and you want to join in the fun, read on! Continue reading
If you travel somewhere, do you ever see people with those neck pillows? I always think they look comfy, but I would never use one. Until now.
Felicia Rose of Creature Comforts creates neck pillows with personality. This zombie cat will definitely show off your love for zombies, and maybe even encourage people to leave you alone and let you rest on your travels.
There are other neck pillows to choose from, such as a skeleton or friendly French man named Pierre. Go visit today!
Pop quiz hot shot. What is the most pretentious movie title in the history of cinema that didn’t even come close to living up to its expectations? Answer: “Star Trek Into Darkness.” I was confused as to the title choice when it was first announced, but figured it would make sense once I watched the feature. Now that I have seen J.J. Abrams’ second shot at the Star Trek franchise, I have to say that I am even more confused by the title than before. Darkness, real and metaphorical, isn’t even referenced in this movie. The title just comes off as a hipster’s attempt to market Star Trek. Or it’s just bad writing. Both explanations work.
However the title is probably the smallest problem this movie has. The directing is subpar from what we expect from Abrams, the writing is piss poor, and Zachary Quinto’s yelling of “Khannnn!!” makes William Shatner look like a great actor. Oh, in case you haven’t figured it out by the previous statement, the villain of this movie is Khan Noonien Singh. No spoiler warning for this reveal because it doesn’t deserve one. There was a great deal of misinformation spread around to keep the villain identity a secret, but they weren’t fooling anybody. Well, at least they weren’t fooling me. But bad marketing aside, they don’t make good use of Khan as a character. Sure Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance was hands down the single greatest part of this movie, but the bad writing doesn’t really do anything with it. Khan is inconsistent and his motives are more sympathetic than they should be. I was just never convinced he was the super intelligent threat he was supposed to be.
There are a few good things about this movie, but hardly enough to save it from the rental pile. The performances from all sides were nice. Peter Weller was the most interesting and his character was the only one I didn’t have at least a small problem with. The special effects, in both design and function, are splendid. The inclusion of Klingons was a good touch, but they are still the most under used aspect of the post-reboot Star Trek universe. And the movie has little bits of awesomeness sprinkled about with a better use of humor this time around. But everything good about this movie can’t save it from the overall lackluster emotional impact or the plot holes the size of the Mutara Nebula. 
Even the vengeance dialogue Khan recited in almost every single advertisement was cut out of the movie because it wouldn’t have fit among the lame motives the writers cooked up. Either that or I zoned out for a few minutes during the movie. Considering the continuing lack of interest I developed while watching this film, it’s entirely possible.
But despite all the good and bad this film has to offer, it still can’t surmount one huge problem. “Star Trek Into Darkness” isn’t really a Star Trek film. It is a Star Trek reference film. Instead of using the plot tools of the Trek universe to invent something new, this film has, and more often makes fun of, old Star Trek references. For example there is a part late in the movie with a dead tribble that is being used by McCoy for an experiment. Now, that tribble could have easily been replaced with a rat or a monkey, but a tribble was used for no better reason than because it’s a reference to an old Star Trek episode. It’s one thing for this movie to have a few references here and there for the fanboys, but the film’s script is operating under the belief that if five minutes go by without a senseless mention of pre-Picard Star Trek than you’re not doing it right. This film was created with the desire to please fans with in-jokes and tributes to the classic series instead of depth and characterization. If you take the bait you might actually have fun with this film. But if you’re like me, the only time you’ll truly enjoy yourself is when you realize you were right about the villain being Khan all along.
Also, in a shameless plug to myself, check out Bruce Osborne on Facebook. I post/link all my stuff there, including chapters on a book I’m working on. Feel free to hit the ‘Like’ button as if you’re an addict.
I also write publish works of fiction on my Bruce Osborne Blog. Feel free to read, follow, or even hate my stuff. I don’t care if people like it, only that they read it.
There are too many movies for me to review in full, so I created a twitter account to give brief opinions on the many movies I view. If you wish to read my smart ass remarks, follow M.O.V.I.E. Reviewer @MutantOpossum.
