The Punisher on Netflix

I kept reading how amazing The Punisher on Netflix is. And having enjoyed a lot of the Netflix Marvel shows (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist ... in that order) I decided to give it a chance. I can had never read The Punisher, Punisher War Journal or any of the other Punisher titles that Marvel would publish throughout the 1980s and 90s, so I had no frame of reference when I began to watch The Punisher as a clean slate. And I was not disappointed.

Having no preconceived opinions on the character and the universe, I was able to enjoy the show for what it is. This isn't a spoiler but, the show is really violent. You don't expect a guy called The Punisher to be someone who talks things out.



The basic story is Frank Castle is a Marine Corp vet (now of deployments in the Middle East, as opposed to the comic book Frank Castle who got his PTSD in the jungles of Vietnam) who after the murder of his family, seeks revenge on all of those who were involved. This happens before the series and is often referenced to. Frank Castle died before the series began, at least that is what the general public is lead to believe.

But he was very much alive, living a low key life as laborer Peter Castiglione. He was waiting to find the last few people on his list. He then learns about a vast conspiracy that involved him, which forces him to come out from the shadows guns a blazing. Seriously.

There is a grittiness and tone that I haven't seen much on TV since the early seasons of Sons of Anarchy. Frank who despite his very violent nature is kind hearted and has a strong sense of morality that drives his every move. Frank is played by Walking Dead alum Jon Bernthal and he makes a seemingly uncomplicated guy, into someone you really care about. The show is really well acted and the other characters are full and as 3 three dimensional as you can get in 13 episodes.

While this show exists in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, and The Punisher appeared in episodes of Daredevil season 2, you can watch this show without having seen a second of any of the other shows and not miss a step. Which is what I did not like about The Defenders, since I didn't finish watching Daredevil I was extremely lost.

Not to be too spoilery, but the show ends in a way that there is a perfect setup for a second season, also while wrapping up this story perfectly. I know a show is really worth my time, when I finish binging it and am mad that I have to wait probably a year to see more.

Note: This is a totally independent review, I was not compensated by #Marvel or #Netflix ... but I'm open to working with them.

Sometimes you want to listen to some death metal

The other day I was at one of the last FYE stores in New York. One of my buddies was browsing, he ended up with a few Jackie Chan movies for his kids. So I had time to look around I grabbed some new headphones and checked out some of the latest metal albums. the first one that caught my eye was Dear Desolation by Australia's number one deathcore band Thy Art is Murder. Admittedly you need to be in a certain kind of mood to listen to death metal, but there is only so much of the SING soundtrack a man can listen to. I found the album on Amazon Music and as I ran some errands the sound of TAM blasted in my ears. Their music is loud and aggressive, but also oddly melodic. I'm pretty sure I was the only person listening to Slaves Beyond Death as he put a 20 pound container of kitty litter in his shopping cart. That is one of the things that I really like about Amazon Music, you can listen to full albums and individual songs. And unlike old school streaming/download sites its totally legal and the artists get their fair share as well. Its great to listen on the go or at home with my Amazon Echo.   Try Amazon Music Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial you will not regret it.

Rogue One Trailer speculations ...revisited

Last November I wrote a preview of Star Wars Rogue One based on the trailer. And then life happened and I never got around to seeing the movie. Thankfully it came out on Netflix a few weeks ago and I was able to scrape together a few forty minute chunks to watch the movie, I don't have the attention span to watch anything longer than an episode of Game of Thrones in one sitting.

Now that I know what happens I look back on what I thought the movie was going to be. And if you haven't seen it yet this post is super spoilery. But guess what the movie came out in the theater nine months ago, it came out on DVD/Bluray three months ago, its been streaming on Netflix for almost a month, so if you haven't seen it at this point its your own fault.

When does this movie happen? Rogue one takes place somewhere between the time of Episode 3 (Revenge of the Sith) and Episode 4 (A New Hope). How do I know this? They are building the first Death Star, and probably working on the second one as well, which became fully operational in A New Hope. Don't think it was fully operational, ask you friends on Alderaan. Too soon? And Darth Vader is in it.

I was right, it takes place right before the original Star Wars begins. But the Death Star was fully operational. Alderaan was just the first test of the FULL power of the space station.

Is that Rey?No.

So who is that woman who looks like Rey? That character is Jyn Erso. And yes it's confusing to have back to back Star Wars movies with a dark haired, feisty and seemingly independent woman as the protagonist. But they are not the same person.

And Jyn, like Rey (who she is not related to) she speaks with a British accent. But she is not related to her, or Pricness Leia, or Han Solo, or Obi Wan, or any other character you have ever seen in Star Wars. Like Jyn herself, everyone the Star Wars universe she is related is killed during this movie.

Oh my god they cast Mon Mothma awesomely. (Your kids will never ask this but your nerd friends will) That is very true. Genevieve O'Reilly played the same character in Episode 3. Oddly enough both O'Reilly and Caroline Blakiston, who played the older Mon Mothma in the Star Wars saga, are blonde in real life.

And if you thought that was amazing, please take a look at Princess Leia and Governor Tarkin before Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing's faces were superimposed on them.

So where is Rey?Rey was born somewhere in the 30 years between Return of the Jedi and  The Force Awakens. This movie takes place somewhere in the 20 years before A New Hope. So if that character was Rey, she would have been in her 80s during the Force Awakens.
What about Finn?See "So Where is Rey?" And every African American actor that you will see on screen isn't Finn's dad. Finn may have no relation to anyone we have ever met in the Star Wars universe.

Unless Rey is a time traveler, she nor Finn are in this movie. Wait is Saw Gerrera Finn's grandfather? No he's not.

Are Luke and Leia going to be in it? My guess would be no. Since Darth Vader is there, it takes place after Luke and Leia were born. So they exist. You would assume that there won't be any reason to go to Tatooine, so there won't be a young Luke cameo. But Jimmy Smits as Bale Organa is in the movie so there may be a young Princess Leia cameo.

Darth is in the movie but he looks off. I am not sure what it was. But he was having out in the same kind of water rehab tank that Luke goes into in Empire Strikes Back. Jimmy Smits was there, but its unclear if he dies when the Empire attacks the rebel fleet, or when he gets back to Alderaan. And Leia is in the movie since it take place right before A New Hope. Luke is buying power converters at Tosche Station off screen.


The movie was great, it was a great spy thriller set in the Star Wars universe. I'm glad there were not Jedi's coming out of every corner. When A New Hope happens all of the Jedi were either dead or in deep exile, and there were only two Sith (master and apprentice). Though knowing that all the characters have to die in the end, I never got very attached to any of them. 

The Art and Science of ANGRY BIRDS

For many of us, Angry Birds was the first game we played on an iPhone. It got us hooked. And subsequently, it got our kids hooked on gaming on iPhones and iPads. Toys, movies, and dozens of upgrades later, Angry Birds has become part of the fabric of our lives. That is why I was so excited when I learned that the New York Hall of Science was going to have an Angry Birds exhibit.

I was a little skeptical, but they had me at life-sized slingshots that you could use to destroy structures and knock down pigs. No actual pigs were harmed in this exhibit, they are just large green vinyl pillows. We went early in the afternoon and the exhibit (which is actually open already) was not very full. Which was good.

 

The highlight of the exhibit is the slingshot area, where you have to build a structure. Place your “pigs” and then fire Angry Bird kickballs at them. You could hear squeals of delight and laughter as kids and grownups alike played. The staff keeps it safe by being very firm with the rules, about when you could fire. Since there were very few people there, we were able to go back on line over and over again. But during busy times, there may be a wait.

But there is more. There are stations where you can play the classic version of the game, it is actually behind a beautiful display of the Angry Birds, with descriptions of the characters. There are stations to draw, to compose music, design scenes on the computer and even make short animations.

Science!

The staff that developed the Angry Birds Universe exhibit, are very clever as they snuck in a lot of science in the fun. Don’t tell the kids but they are learning. One of my favorite parts is the interactive pulley display. There are three birds that say they weigh 25kg and you can try to pull them up by a rope. The secret is each of the pulleys that are attached to the birds makes it easier or harder to lift the bird. My son insisted that one of the birds was heavier. Then I explained the pulleys and he saw why one seemed much heavier than the others.

On the weekends this exhibit will be really crowded (especially at first) but take the opportunity to see some of the other great exhibits. My personal favorite is Connected Worlds, which is basically the virtual waterfall room. It is beautiful and relaxing and simply amazing. And you should interact with the staff, they are all very enthusiastic, great with kids and love sharing their love of science.

The exhibit which officially opens July 1^st and runs all summer through August 27^th is free with admission. The Hall of Science is located at 47-01 111th St, Corona, NY 11368

A tribute to a ranch, and a dad

I have always been a fan of pro wrestling and in recent years I have become a fan of podcasts. And one of the podcasts that I listen to regularly fits into both of those interests it's The Steve Austin Show (both regular and unleashed). I was never the hugest Steve Austin fan but I really like how he tells a story and conducts an interview. I'm much more of a fan of his podcast than I was as a sports entertainer.

In a recent episode Steve was talking about selling his ranch in South Texas, the so-called Broken Skull Ranch. It soon evolved into the story of the man he calls dad. Ken Williams.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE

Steve Austin, was born Steve Anderson. But his parents split up and he and his brothers moved with their mom to a small town in Texas, where she met and eventually married an country western guitar playing insurance salesman named Ken Williams. He adopted her sons and they went on to have two more kids. Mr.Williams was (and still is) an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He found himself with three sons so he passed his love for the outdoors onto them. Because as Steve said that is what a dad does shares his passions with his kids.

The four Williams boys are all outdoorsy, not all of them hunt but that is only a part of what Mr.Williams past along. His daughter (and her kids) are talented singers and musicians. Another thing he passed along.

I was really taken aback, a big portion of this tribute to this ranch, was really a tribute to his dad. You could hear the pride in his voice when he spoke about his dads hunts on the ranch and the same routine he followed every day.

That ranch was not just a place for Stone Cold Steve Austin to hang out, do some hunting, drink some Broken Skull margaritas and drive around on his off road vehicles. It was about following a tradition that his dad gave to him. It was about a legacy.

Not a lot of men would step up and marry a divorced telephone operator with three kids. But Ken Williams was the kind of man who did. And that's why to this day he is so loved and revered by one of the most famous professional wrestlers of all time.

My reading journal - Tuesday

My daughter's teacher took making sure her class is reading to the next level. She makes them do a reading journal where you have to write about what you are reading. I love it. So this week I will do it as well.

Tuesday: in a few sentences summarize what you read today.

Beware the Power of the Darkside

By Tom Angleberger

Much to my chagrin my daughters teacher mixed up the reading journal assignments. I guess to keep them fresh. So instead of the book I'm reading ( Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman), since I didn't get a chance to read today I am writing about the book Inread last night to the kids at bed time.

Tphis book is an adaptation of Return of the Jedi, from a series of noveliizations of the original Star Wars Trilogy. Unlike some of the others this one is very close to the original. We are still in the part when the heroes are in Jabba's palace. The kids like my impression of Jabba's laugh and when I speak in huttese and whatever language that Bib Fortunate speaks in. The kids drifted off as the sand skiffs approached the pit of Carkoon, the home of the Sarlac. It's really great that they are enjoying these stories that brought me so much joy when I was their ages.

Reading Journal - Monday

My daughter's teacher took making sure her class is reading to the next level. She makes them do a reading journal where you have to write about what you are reading. I love it. So this week I will do it as well.

Monday: What happened in the chapter you read? Summarize in 3-5 sentences.  

Norse Mythology
  By Neil Gaiman

In the chapter I just read, Loki the trickster removed the hair from Thor's wife Sif's head. Thor was mad and Loki made a deal with him that he could get the Dwarves to make her new hair. Loki had two sets of dwarfs making five items, he made it a competition telling one group they could have his head if they one. They made hair that would magically grow on Sif's head, they also made a boat that folded down to pocket size and they forged Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Odin and Thor were pleased and the dwarfs won. But ever the trickster Loki said they couldn't have his head because it would require them to take his neck and that wasn't part of the bet. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Long before Robert's rebellion. Before the untimely deaths of four of the last five Hands of the king. Before dwarves drank and knew things. Before a noble girl became no one. And before an exiled princess became the mother of dragons. There was a young bald squire named Egg and his very big, very inexperienced but well intentioned knight Ser Duncan the Tall. 

The adventures of Dunk and Egg are the main focus of George RR Martin's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. These stories are rumored to be the basis of the yet to be announced but eagerly anticipated Game of Thrones spin off series on HBO.

 Unlike the Ice and Fire main novels, this collection of short stories are quick, fast paced and a little bit short on killing characters you have grown to love and care for. Honestly, despite being published after the novels it acts as a real nice intro into the world of Westeros, during a time where the only important family name was Targaryan. All the other known great houses of the TV show and books were just in their places below them. The horrors that lurk beyond The Wall were just tales that were told to little lordlings to scare them to sleep. 

I had started this book in the summer, right before our annual trip to the renaissance faire. Let me tell you the joust is way more entertaining when you have been reading about hedge knights, their squires and the inner workings of an afternoon of sport to entertain the highborn. There is very little mention of turkey legs and funnel cake. But it really got me in the mood to watch the joust. 

 It is a really fun book. It moves and doesn't get so bogged down with endless exposition in the way that the main books do sometimes. If I had the time set aside to read I could have blown right through this book. I guess I am back to the main novels, only 4000 more pages to go before Winds of Winter the long anticipated sixth novel is released at some point this summer.

Killing Joke

In an effort to post things on Facebook that aren't related to President Trump and the Dystopian Near Future YA novel he is apparently the villain in, I posted the question. Was there some lesser known band that you were into at one point in the past.

I put up a video of the band Killing Joke. And remembered back to the winter/spring of 1994-95 when Killing Joke was a big part of not only my life but the lives of my group. We headed into the city to see some local bands at a Killing Joke listening party in this dive bar on the lower east side. I think there is a TD bank there now. A few weeks later I was at the world famous and infamous Limelight club. The music was so loud coming out of the speakers and bouncing around the vaulted ceiling of the converted cathedral. All I heard was a loud dull buzz for the next few days. I can't imagine how loud we must have been ordering food at the Union Square Dinner after the show. CHEESE OMELETTE WITH A SIDE OF SAUSAGE.

While I was on the way home from work this morning I was playing some of the songs from their 1994 album Millennium in the car. And that was some good stuff. No, it doesn't hold up today, but there was something so familiar about several of the songs.

Then it hit me. This was the sound of our adventures playing the near future role-playing game ShadowRun. Not that we ever played Killing Joke during our sessions, but it had the right sound. Sort of a loud chaotic future. Filled with screams and lasers.

And for the first time in a long time, I thought about Cyboman. My character a split personality Killing machine. He was all equipped with every bit of cyber-wear he possibly could. In role play lingo he was a tank. Break things first ask questions later. But he also had a second personality, reclusive though very charming Billionaire named Jon Heyman. Long before Michael Kaiden said it, we wondered aloud which one Cyboman or Jon was the mask.

Those were fun times. But people move. And are busy. They start families. Have responsibilities but one day I'd like to take out the dice. Blast some Killing Joke. Down some Mountain Dew and take out minions of my enemies.

Everything your kids will ask you about Rogue One ... based on the trailer

Recently I went to to see a movie, and before the movie there were some good trailers. The one that stuck out for me was the trailer for the new Star Wars movie Rogue One. It looks so good it kind of makes up for the not so good Star Wars movies we had to watch (not pointing fingers but their names rhyme with Episodes 1-3).

I thought back to a conversation I had with my daughter about this movie and came up with this easy guide for parents to talk to their kids about Rogue One. All based on the trailer, Star Wars cannon and the basic concept of time.

When does this movie happen? Rogue one takes place somewhere between the time of Episode 3 (Revenge of the Sith) and Episode 4 (A New Hope). How do I know this? They are building the first Death Star, and probably working on the second one as well, which became fully operational in A New Hope. Don't think it was fully operational, ask you friends on Alderaan. Too soon? And Darth Vader is in it.


Is that Rey?
No.


So who is that woman who looks like Rey? That character is Jyn Erso. And yes it's confusing to have back to back Star Wars movies with a dark haired, feisty and seemingly independent woman as the protagonist. But they are not the same person.


Oh my god they cast Mon Mothma awesomely. (Your kids will never ask this but your nerd friends will) That is very true. Genevieve O'Reilly played the same character in Episode 3. Oddly enough both O'Reilly and Caroline Blakiston, who played the older Mon Mothma in the Star Wars saga, are blonde in real life.


So where is Rey?Rey was born somewhere in the 30 years between Return of the Jedi and  The Force Awakens. This movie takes place somewhere in the 20 years before A New Hope. So if that character was Rey, she would have been in her 80s during the Force Awakens.


What about Finn?See "So Where is Rey?" And every African American actor that you will see on screen isn't Finn's dad. Finn may have no relation to anyone we have ever met in the Star Wars universe.


Are Luke and Leia going to be in it? My guess would be no. Since Darth Vader is there, it takes place after Luke and Leia were born. So they exist. You would assume that there won't be any reason to go to Tatooine, so there won't be a young Luke cameo. But Jimmy Smits as Bale Organa is in the movie so there may be a young Princess Leia cameo.

These are all theories. See for yourself when Rogue One is released in December.

Free Comic Book Day

Hello, true believers, this Saturday marks the unofficial beginning of summer for comic book nerds everywhere. The first summer blockbuster is showing in theatres and it is Free Comic Book Day at your local comic book store.

Started 15 years ago, as an industry-wide attempt to bring more people into comic book stores. The event has grown into a nationwide celebration of comic books. Many stores have contests, special guests, discounted products, and people in costumes along with stacks of free comics from all of the major publishers and some of the not so major publishers.

This year there is a great crop of new comics for all ages. I know I will continue the annual tradition by picking up this year's free The Tick comic. It seems like every year NEC releases a new story of "The City's" greatest hero The Tick and his very adequate sidekick Arthur. I am also excited by the DC Comics DC Superhero Girls comic. I really think my daughter will be into it. She likes a lot of shows and franchises with similar good girl v misunderstood “bad” girls set in high schools, so this seems to be a natural fit. And as an emerging reader, I think it would be good for her to find a comic that she really likes.

 

Nothing from the published list of titles really catches my eye as something that the little guy might like. But on Saturday he’ll check them out for himself and maybe he’ll see something he likes. If not He’ll get to carry extra comics for me. Just kidding … but not really.

Go to Free Comic Book Day to find a participating store near you.