Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me

Firefly: Blu-Ray Edition

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Now, what kind of Browncoat would I be if I didn't have the Firefly box set on Blu-Ray? A ruttin' bad one. However, I have put off watching the series for a month or so now, simply because it depresses me, especially during the last couple of episodes. The knowledge that this great show, a haven for sci-fi geeks and people looking for something edgy and different, was coming to an end is one of the most heart wrenching feelings in the world. The thought of how much potential this show had, the stories it could have told and the places it could have taken us to leaves such a sense of longing that it's unbearable. People may not understand that, it's just a show after all. 

But it wasn't just a show - it was an amazingly good show. There weren't dramatic twists every episode, nor were there the tense action that one might find in 24 or something of that ilk. Instead, it was character driven, and with a main cast of nine, there was something for everyone. 

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You had Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), the captain of the Firefly class ship Serenity. A charismatic, cunning, but damaged man from a war he was on the losing side of (though not convincingly the wrong side), Mal takes the opportunity for freedom in the universe by captaining a ship made for smugglers. Taking both legal and illegal work (mostly illegal), Mal seldom breaks his own moral code, and nothing is more important to him than the welfare of his crew - something that comes as a surprise to those who don't know him. A great lead for a show, not always chirpy and honest - a regular Han Solo of sorts.

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Zoe and Wash, played by Gina Torres and Alan Tudyk respectively. Zoe, the battle-hardened first-mate of Serenity, dutifully following her battle comrade Mal Reynolds wherever his misfortune takes them. Stern, determined and strong, Zoe is a woman you don't want to cross. If it wasn't for the airtight relationship and respect between her and Mal, you'd think she'd aptly be able to captain the ship herself, and possibly do a more efficient job of it. Joss Whedon is known for creating strong female characters, and this is one you'd definitely want on your side. And in the case of ace-pilot Wash, you'd want her by your side through sickness and in health. The pairing of the ice-cold Zoe and the jolly joking Wash is an interesting one, and they work as one of the more realistic and admirable on-screen couples of television. Wash provides comic relief in any situation, but we can also see that he has his own fire in his belly when things get heated, even when confronting his amazon goddess of a wife. Following their relationship past the series would have been interesting, knowing Whedon's style of mixing up relationships in his shows.

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Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin) brought an element of elegance to the dusty, gritty world of Serenity in a most unusual fashion. As a Companion - something akin to a geisha - Inara maintained an air of grace in an otherwise rude and uncompromising world. She was an insightful and beautiful character, and one not easy to figure out - she had her own secrets and was very good at, nay, trained in ways to keep them. But that isn't the main reason we love her; she was the unobtainable prize that our Mal Reynolds secretly sought, and we were all wishing and waiting that they would put aside their petty squabbles and sing out their feelings to the vacuum of space. They bickered and challenged each other, both quite obviously afraid and uncertain of the feelings between them, and by the final episodes anyone who wasn't screaming at the screen for them to get together can only be described as heartless. Also, she's hot.

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If Inara Serra had secrets to keep, you can bet they weren't as much interest to fans as the dark and mysterious past of Shepherd Derrial Book (Ron Glass). A evangelist of sorts, Book joined the ship as a sort of pilgrimage, and since boarding took the role of reminding the crew (much to the chagrin of the ship's captain) of the morality of their actions. That isn't to say he was a buzzkill, he just tried to keep people on the straight and narrow, though in many instances this proved impossible. But, behind this good-willed nature, was a mystery that befuddled both fans and shipmates - for a Shepherd, Book was remarkably well versed in the goings on of the type of crime that Mal and his crew found themselves in, and showed proficiency in both armed and unarmed self defence. The mystery of Book was unravelled in one of the recently released comics that tie up some of the loose ends created by the shows sudden demise, which if you are a fan of the series and haven't read, it's definitely worth forking out for.

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The hero of Canton is the man they call Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) and for fans of the show, Jayne was a different type of hero. Crass, sometimes disgusting, not plagued with an abundance of schooling; Jayne was the oaf that you just had to love. His loyalty was bought rather than earned, and it was no secret to anyone on the crew that he if the reward was big enough he'd likely turn on them in an instant. Why did they tolerate him? Because he was the muscle, and a damn useful piece of muscle to have in the various sticky situations they were often found in. With the strength of three men and an unhealthy obsession with firearms, Jayne is the character most people would want by their side in a fight, as long as they could keep a steady income. He may have rubbed others in the crew the wrong way, but he had his own moments of heroism that showed that there was at least some conscience buried beneath that thick skull.

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Kaylee Frye(Jewel Staite) is the adorable mechanic that is too cute to function. I'm not really sure what that means, but I'll explain why I love her. Kaylee seems to represent innocence in the 'verse, and plays a part on the ship that not only keeps in running in a mechanical sense, but in a communal sense as well. You can imagine that it must get awful lonely drifting through space, but with Kaylee around you wouldn't feel unappreciated in any way. She had time for everyone and always thought the best of people, even knuckleheads like Jayne. For this reason, it seemed as if the crew used her as an outlet for their caring nature, forming familial bonds as protective brothers or doting mothers. I think in most social groups there's that one person that you look out for more than others, and Kaylee is that person on Serenity.

In some ways the focus of the series, Simon (Sean Maher) and River Tam (Summer Glau) are the out of place wanderers far, far away from home. River, a mysterious young girl who is wanted desperately by her past captors, the Alliance, was freed by the sole efforts of her older brother Simon, a gifted surgeon from one of the richer planets in the universe, damning the both of them to live as fugitives. Where their lives would have ended up if they hadn't boarded Serenity? Who knows, but thank goodness they did. Simon never thought he'd be out in the ass-end of the galaxy scrounging for scraps, but here he is as a thoroughly overqualified ship's medic. As a result, it takes him a while to shed his formerly pampered roots and adjust to life on a ship of thieves, and in watching him grow more and more accustomed to this new life he has been forced to lead is a great piece of narrative. Despite empathising with his situation, at first you too will at points find him annoying and wish for him to loosen up, and though he never really loses his manners or general demeanour, throughout the course of the series he becomes more and more willing to take on a rougher version of himself. And, his courage and determination to protect his sister is always admirable; a true hero in that sense. River is even more out of place than her brother, not just on the ship, but with people in general. We don't know what the Alliance did to her or why they did it, but what they created was a young girl who spouts nonsense one minute and delivers chilling insight the next. She has a much more established role in the film that eventually followed the series, where a lot of the questions that we had about her were answered, and we saw more of what she was capable of. Had the show not ended and the film not occurred, you can bet that the development of River's adventures would have gotten more and more complex and thrilling as time on the ship passed by.

And that is that, my love for a show that should have seen more of the world than it was allowed. If you haven't been blessed with this knowledge, then find the series, watch the film and read the comics - it will raise the bar for all film you ingest from then on.


Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't coming back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...


Firefly Theme Song Written By Joss Whedon and Performed By Sonny Rhodes

For the guys....

Melanie Iglesias Flip Book: Part 3 - Halloween Edition!

The good news; we have another stunning and heart-attack inducing flip book from the beautiful Melanie Iglesias showing off her steaming body and picturesque visage. The bad news; it's the finale! Hope to whatever power in the 'verse that we see more and more of this girl, and follow her on twitter(click the link below the picture from her twitter account) for first grabs at updates - or to just kid yourself that she's talking to you and you alone (that's what I always do!)

Love it. If you haven't seen the other two (what have you been doing with your life?) then either search through the backlogs of this blog or do the hard work yourself and find it on YouTube.

Note - this has been the only thing to pull me away from playing Batman: Arkham City

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Alex Reviews...

Arkham City

This is both the game that the world needs, as well as the game that the world wants - I tried to think how I would word that Dark Knight reference; it didn't really pan out all that well. Anyway; one day after release I got my hands on Batman: Arkham City for the Playstation 3 and I have wasted a whole day playing it. Well, not wasted; just spent a whole day on a highly addictive game. And oh, is it addictive. 

So anybody who played the Arkham Asylum game a couple of years back will know why everyone was waiting with baited breath for the release of this sequel. Asylum did for Batman games what Christoper Nolan has done for Batman films. We relished at the combos, counter-attacks, gadgets and pummelling familiar villains, and Arkham City delivers more of the same, with a whole lot more pumped in. I have only progressed so far into the game, and I can tell that I've only brushed the top of the sidequests and challenges available, and immediately I'm kicking ass and taking names. I've seen Two-Face, Catwoman, The Penguin, The Joker, Bane and heard rumours of many more lesser known Batman baddies to come. The combat mechanics are just as gratifyingly awesome as before, with more satisfying counter-attacks added to Bruce Wayne's arsenal; a particular highlight has to be being able to counter-attack three goons at once, and whenever Batman uses his environment as a tool to smash a thug's face into. And although the moves are simple to execute with one button for attack and one button to counter, the game doesn't seem too easy; early on there are different types of enemies to face that require different tactics, and if you aren't paying attention they'll get the better of you. My only problem with the combat system is you barely notice that your health is almost depleted - you'll be merrily fighting, and then one lame kick to the knees will have 'killed' you, and you'll realise that you've taken a few too many hits in your attempts to finish of each thug in a spectacular fashion.

Arkham City is also a bigger playground to play in, and being able to grapple and glide your way across the city in style reminds me of the successful Spiderman 2, except darker and more gritty. You'll often be distracted from the main goal by Riddler's Trophies, or a citizen in distress, or just a bunch of goons minding their own evil business. Then, you'll likely enter one of the many buildings to continue the main story line, and at some point you'll have to utilise the gadgets at Batman's disposal to navigate your way through, as well as think of ways to defeat a room of guards with guns. Here, so far, I haven't been blown away. In Asylum, the parts where you stealthily took out thugs one by one was particularly satisfying because of the options you had available. The options are still here in Arkham City, but you'll probably find yourself falling back on familiar techniques to get the job done. That being said, the AI has improved considerably and you will have to try and be more original as the game progresses; now your enemies will blow away the handy vantage points you use to swing from, just because they know it will make your job that little bit harder. And, once you've used one trick (say, breaking a fire extinguisher to catch their attention), you'll be hard pressed to convince them to fall for it again (one thug actually shouted out into the darkness "you think I'm that stupid to fall for that twice?"). I'm just hoping that there will be more opportunities to feel like a real Batman predator in the later parts of the game.

I don't want to spoil any of the plot points or anything like that, but the story is gripping and has a sense of urgency, although you won't feel too bad if you divert off the path now and then to grab a few items. It's hard not to squeal in nerdy excitement when some of the characters that you love or love to hate appear, (as you may have noticed I have not commented on the playable Catwoman section - my internet is down as I am in university dorms so I can't download it to my Playstation!) and when you have a spare moment it's worth looking through the database of characters that are mentioned. You'll be surprised when you spend a good five hours playing, and upon reloading your game you find you've only managed around 7% completion, which can only be an encouraging sign. If you like Batman, you'll like this. 

Incoming...

Uncharted 3

This may be old news to some of you, but in Japan they had the original treasure-hunter badass Harrison Ford playing through some of the upcoming Uncharted 3 Playstation 3 exclusive game. The Uncharted games are known for their cinematic action sequences that allow the player to perform amazing feats; in this clip it looks like a fight on board a aeroplane. What's particularly cool about this video is how excited the normally grumpy Harrison gets over playing through the game; close to how I imagine most adults who have decided videogames are for children only would react if they were allowed to quickly sneak into their youngster's room and boot up the PS3 for a glimpse at what all the fuss is about. Games have come such a long way, the industry is as big if not bigger than Hollywood, and the possibilities just keep on growing with the great minds behind the development companies. I wonder what where the world of gaming will end up by the time I have kids, and whether or not I will have laid down my controller long enough to be surprised like Ford here.

Alex Reviews...

Real Steel

So, in a few words; Real Steel is a pretty good film that is a few screws loose from being a great film. See, I said 'few screws' - it's a pun right? Ha ha ha. 

Anyway, so Real Steel is a film about robots fighting robots, which is pretty much a tried and tested form of entertainment for most children when you think about it; Transformers, Gundam, Power Rangers, you get the idea. Throw in some state of the art motion capture technology and some blockbusting actors and you're set, right? Well, yeah, actually; the film does what it sets out to do, and that must surely be to entertain. There's nothing overly complicated or original, you have the father-son bonding, a underdog fighting his way to the top, realising your true potential, yada yada, but somehow the film seems fresh aid ropes you in to rooting for the little guy, or in this case, the little robot; Atom. The special effects are amazing, and although this is rarely a real selling point for a good movie, it allows the fight scenes to seem more realistic, which is hard to say for a show that is essentially two action figures going at it. Hugh Jackman is his regular buff self, the kid (Dakota Goyo) isn't annoying, and the support cast are pretty neat too. (Pretty neat? I don't know, it's been a long day) You will find that familiar tingle in your spine from Rocky and most other well-done fighting films at the climactic showdown at the end, and the general storyline is satisfying without straying into corny. There are just a few things that I had issue with.

Firstly, the robot that is, I guess, the main robot character (Atom) isn't really developed too much. In this film, the robots are essentially just clever machines that are still controlled by a human, but quite early on in the film (so this isn't really a spoiler) it seems that Atom has some sort of understanding of himself, conceptualised by a moment where it looks into a mirror to see the metallic form of its...face I guess? Because of this, I was expecting some sort of revelation where this robot proves that he is actually an intelligent piece of equipment, rather than just a drone following orders, but it never came. So it just feels as if maybe they missed some parts out. There will be one moment where you'll be wishing for the Atom to take a mind of its own and save the day, but it doesn't come, leaving me to wonder why they added this bit of personification in in the first place.

The other point that I feel was missing was that there wasn't really a bad guy in the film - so while you'll definitely be rooting for Atom in the climax, they could have intensified this by, I don't know, having the opposing robot break Hugh Jackman's arm or sleep with his girlfriend. Yes? Maybe not. Finally, in this world where there are these state of the art robots fighting battles against each other, you can't help but think that there should be some pretty hefty technological developments everywhere else - but you don't see much of that. Are fighting robots the only robots that exist? 

But, all in all, worth a view, even if only once. Oh, and also...

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and

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Lovvvely

Incoming...

Gotta love it! I cannot express how pumped up I am for this game, and although the cinematic trailers that we've seen already are amazing, it's nice to see something that focuses a little more on what gameplay might actually look like. Yet still, the greatest worry I have is deciding what character class to take on! For those of you who don't know, I will briefly outline the classes available to you in this new MMORPG coming from Bioware; the minds behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Knights of the Old Republic.

The Republic/The Light Side

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Trooper - Probably going to be the choice for people who want to play as the tank in The Old Republic; Troopers have heavy armour and pack a heavy punch. While the Jedi are all calm and righteous, it'd be nice to play as a gruff soldier who is fighting for honour and all that jazz.

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Smuggler - For those that can't get enough of those Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds characters, if you prefer flashy moves and sarcasm, the Smuggler is probably the way to go. Light armour, light weaponry, but more than a few tricks up their sleeves, that's to be certain, and I'm fairly sure your main companion will be a Wookie...what more could you ask for?

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Jedi Knight - Duh, it's a Jedi Knight - why wouldn't you want to be a Jedi? Lightsabers, force pushing and pulling all over the place - the Jedi Knight will probably be a basic character for everyone; a class that can run into the midst of battle and expect to come out the other side unscathed. The specialisation that leads to being able to wield two lightsabers at once is sure to be popular

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Jedi Consular - Probably for the more tactical players, the Consular is sure to boast status boosting skills for their party, and detrimental area of effect attacks for any enemies that cross your path. Mastery of the Force will surely come in handy when being faced down by an army of Sith, and you can bet that whoever you play with will be happy for some powerful healing and power-boosting 'magic' when things get heated.

The Dark Side

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Bounty Hunter - Where's the fun in being good all the time? Kicking ass isn't nearly as fun unless it's coupled with not taking orders from anybody. The Bounty Hunter may work for the dark side for a price, but you can bet that they'll have their own rules. Not to mention they'll be armed to the teeth with flamethrowers, poison darts, the works.

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Sith Warrior - You don't know the power of the dark side. The Jedi may be cool and calm, but when you see the hulking mass of a Sith Warrior bearing down on you, you'll know which side you'd prefer to be on. Kitted out with heavy armours and the like, the Sith Warrior is likely to be the tank for the Dark Side, and a tank that nobody will want to get too close to.

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Imperial Agent - I don't quite know what to make of this character class; I figure people are more likely to choose one of the Sith or Bounty Hunter types instead. But it looks like the Agent will have something a bit more subtle than the jetpack wearing Bounty Hunter or lightsaber wielding Sith Warrior. I'm thinking sniper rifles, stealth, and a whole load of other tactics that will have the player chuckling with glee, and the opponent crushing his keyboard in frustration.

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Sith Inquisitor - If you prefer the whole 'I'm going to kill you with lightning' thing that the Sith have going on, then the Inquisitor is the way to go. It looks like you get some hulk of a beast to help you out from the beginning, so while you're torturing hapless Republic Troopers you can be confident that they won't get too close to you if your companion has anything to say about it.


The best part is, you don't have to pay attention to any of what I just said. The game is going to fit around how you want your character to act. Who says your Jedi has to stick to the rules all the time? Maybe your Sith Warrior doesn't feel like killing that third person today? Bounty Hunters have time for love too, right? Knowing this is going to make the decision even harder for you, and I haven't even detailed the ships, the specialisations, the companions, and so on that differ for each character class. Ever wish that games were back in simpler times where you had to be one type of character and that was it? No? Me neither.


Check out the official site for all the details right here

In other news...

This is the Shooting Beauty trailer that I somehow got involved in - you can see why I wasn't too fussed about spending an afternoon helping this guys pro-bono....I said pro-bono!

Check out their facebook page here



ANNNNDDDD


Check out the new Avenger's trailer here!

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Alex Reviews...

Johnny English Reborn

Let's be honest. If you are over the age of twelve, you aren't seeing this film because you're expecting drama akin to Crash, comedy in the realms of The Hangover, plot twists on an Inception level, tension matched with Black Swan, or special effects in the Avatar region. You're seeing this film because you like Rowan Atkinson, and because you want a bit of a harmless laugh. And in that respect, obviously, this film delivers.

Some may have seen the original Johnny English film a good while back; slapstick action, a satirical view of the spy-films we're used to, and ridiculous car chases and fight scenes. And you'll be getting more of the same in Reborn as well. So you would think, perhaps, that we've grown out of this style of humour. I certainly haven't, and if you were ever a fan of Mr. Bean or pretty much any of Atkinson's work, you'll be chuckling along to this adventure as well. The jokes aren't subtle or classy, they're just funny; and that's all you need. Yes, a lot of them may be 'oh come on, that's just stupid' moments, but that won't stop you from creasing up at some of the stronger moments of, as an audience, being two steps ahead of the central character. Atkinson is a genius in physical humour, not only in slapstick moments, but by simply pulling that facial expression that leaves you in tears. Amongst some of the bigger, more serious blockbusters of this year; Johnny English Reborn is a nice break from the norm and a worthwhile British comedy for youngsters and adults alike. 

Also - Rosamund Pike anyone?

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Alex Reviews

Star Wars: Blu-Ray Edition

Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

So, we come to the final Star Wars film created and the end to the prequel trilogy following the story of Anakin Skywalker and the emergence of the Empire that takes focus in the original films. Blu-Ray has been kind to this film, perhaps because it is the most recent, and so each piece of CGI is as vivid as it can be, with clashes of lightsabers and acrobatic piloting of starships immersing the audience with ease. And, despite a few flaws, this is probably the better of the three films, successfully tying off the loose ends to make way for A New Hope.

But yes, there are flaws in the Star Wars magic here. The dialogue can often be weak, and the relationship between Anakin and Padmé is more sickening than convincing. Somehow Obi-Wan Kenobi has taken on the role of comic relief in this film, as if George Lucas got a memo that fans weren't warming to his grumpy demeanour in the first two. But at least his haircut is more sensible this time around. I'm not sure if I am alone in this feeling, but I feel that the budget of the films and the development of CGI has in some cases hindered the grand moments of space-battle. The original films, with the first and second assault on the Death Star, just seem more gritty and satisfying than the battle over Coruscant that takes place at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. I think that in some cases, the development of technology that allows props and actors to do more or less anything (such as somersaulting out of a spaceship that is crash landing, or jumping between high platforms whilst duelling with sabers) provides more of a disconnect between the audience and the film. It makes the Jedi seem cool and all, but not the same as Han Solo cool, or Lando Calrissian cool, or Boba Fett cool, and so on. 

What really sets this film up is the story behind it; for fans, the knowledge that it's all going to end badly. You would wonder how the films would have been received if they had been played out in order, perhaps an experiment to play on younger audiences who have yet to see where the saga takes them. Hayden Christensen is able to convincingly portray the confusion and torment going on in young Anakin's mind, and the careful steps taken by Darth Sidious to bring his evil plan into fruition are borderline genius. The powerful conclusion won't leave you satisfied - but this isn't to say it is bad. Instead, you will mirror the feelings of Obi-Wan and Yoda, that evil has won this time - the good guys have failed and hope is lost in this wonderful universe that you have grown to care for. And in this sense, it is a great film; to set up A New Hope as the next chapter in the saga. 

Rest In Peace...

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Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, unfortunately passed away yesterday. I only found out about it this morning, living in the UK and all, and already it's obvious the effect that this entrepreneur has had on the world, with statements about his death reeling in from US President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg; with the latter's being particularly touching; "Steve, thank-you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."

Jobs' battle with cancer had been well known for quite some time, and his resignation earlier this year indicated that he was in his last stretch before it would beat him. And he has changed the world with his passion and his ingenuity; for the younger generation, and especially people of my age, thinking back on how technology has progressed since we were children under Jobs' influence is pretty remarkable, even over short periods of time. There was a time when to listen to music, we'd carry around portable CD players. Then came the iPod, and since then this has developed to a place where we can't believe that we used to even carry around the original iPod with the new sleek and tiny gadgets that have since been released (seriously, go and find the old iPod and see how chunky it actually is).

A revolutionary of our time, Steve Jobs will be sorely missed.

Rest in Peace.

Alex Reviews

Star Wars: Blu-Ray Edition

Episode II: The Attack of the Clones (2002)

Spoiler alert up above, by the way

So, after Phantom Menace which received generally little praise, we got Attack of the Clones which introduced us to more Jedi, more planets, and more of an insight into the origins of Darth Vader. In terms of the Blu-Ray edition, there isn't much of a difference apart from better picture and sound quality, and a few minor enhancements to the story; nothing major, and nothing to get your Yoda-print knickers in a twist about.

There are only a few issues I have with this entry in the Star Wars saga; just little things that puzzle me, and nothing to take away from the larger scale battles and introduction of some of the cooler characters from the prequel saga. We get Jango Fett; father of the ever popular Boba Fett, Mace Windu; kicking ass with a purple lightsaber, and Count Dooku; who may not be as kick-ass as Darth Maul...but come on, it's Christopher Lee!

The first grievance I have is with Padmé...actually, it isn't a grievance, I'm not complaining...you'll see what I mean. So she's a senator now and blahdeblah, and people are still trying to kill her for being too hot or whatever, so she has to go into hiding on her homeworld of Naboo (yeah, they'd never think to look there) with good ol' Anakin Skywalker at her side. During this time is when the young duo start to develop feelings for each other, frolicking in the grass, having picnics, etc. But, hold on, Padmé doesn't want to get involved with Anakin, what with him being a Jedi and she being a Senator. Fine, but did she have to tell him this while in some tight, black, bust-exemplifying dress? Not only that, but from this agonising rejection onwards (oh yeah, Anakin poured his heart out to this minx), Padmé seems to wear whatever clothing she feels most inappropriate around her Jedi chum. Bear in mind that generally, Jedi are supposed to be like monks and nuns...all about the faith, no real fun stuff, especially in the bedroom department. It can't help that some fine-ass woman is prancing around with her midriff on show and without the invention of a space-bra. Look at this!

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 Why do you even have this in your wardrobe, and more importantly, why did you decide to bring it along with you on your adventure? But hey, seriously not complaining, when I first watched this I must've been 12 years old...yeah.

My other issue is the Clone Troopers. They are badass, don't get me wrong, but they did raise a load of questions about Stormtroopers and clones in general;

- With the Stormtroopers...are they all clones too? This growth acceleration thing that one of those Kamino aliens blabbered on about, wouldn't that mean they'd mostly have died by A New Hope? Why did they change their kickass armour to something much less effective, it would seem?
- And cloning? Well, cloning has been touched upon in Star Wars fiction outside of the films, and in some cases, not very successfully. Apparently, even the Emperor was cloned, continuing to try and rid the universe of Luke Skywalker even after death. Weird huh?

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And finally the last thing, which again isn't really an issue as without it there wouldn't be much of a story, but executions? The whole execution scene seems weird for Count Dooku, who out of the Sith who appear in the prequels, seems the most mature. Not only that, but he knows what he's dealing with - Jedi. Why even go to the bother of setting wild animals on them; they have the Force! You know, that all powerful thing that is the whole point of being a Jedi? Jango Fett showed us that he was quite capable of shooting down a Jedi, I'm sure Dooku could have arranged for a quicker and more certain death.

But anyway, I like this film, Yoda's little battle is a mixture of hilarity and heroism, and yes, Padmé is hot. I'm not a massive fan of Obi-Wan Kenobi's hairstyle though...

May the Force be with you.

Gaming

Aliens: Colonial Marines

Here is the first video walkthrough of Aliens:Colonial Marines - think it'll be able to recreate the terror of some of the old Alien games way back when? Let us know what you think

The Old Republic - Huttball

On that note, take a look at this play of some Player vs Player action in The Old Republic in the form of 'Huttball'. Excited?