Prometheus
Posted: June 29, 2012 Filed under: Movies, Opinion, Review | Tags: alien, ash, charlie, charlize theron, dallas, david, elizabeth, guy pierce, harry gregson-williams, ian holm, idris elba, janek, logan marshall-green, meredith vickers, michael fassbender, noomi rapace, peter weyland, promethus, rafe spall, review, ridley scott, robot, sean harris, weyland Leave a comment
Prometheus is, in case you somehow haven’t heard, a prequel film to Alien. Not a direct prequel, granted (which oddly earned the movie some scorn from reviewers), but I guess an origin story. In fact, I think calling it an origin story is about a million times more accurate, because the movie explains the origins of the Aliens, while the cast attempts to search for the origin and the creation of mankind.
Oreo Pride “Controversy”
Posted: June 27, 2012 Filed under: News, Opinion | Tags: abc news, android, android pride, controversy, gay marriage, gay rights, google, homophobic, homosexual, kraft, kraft pride, new york, oreo, oreo pride, oreos, pride 1 Comment
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about this “The Facebook” thing that the kids are into, but did you know that those queer lovin’ chocolate thieves down at Oreo posted this unabashed declaration of war against God.
Rush: Clockwork Angels
Posted: June 25, 2012 Filed under: Review | Tags: 2112, Alex Lifeson, Candide, Clockwork Angels, Geddy Lee, Moving Pictures, music, music review, Neal Peart, progressive rock, Rush, Snakes and Arrows, Voltaire Leave a comment
Progressive rock can be a tricky thing, both to listen to and to make. For those not in the know, progressive rock (or prog rock) is an attempt at expanding the scope, the meaning, the technicality, and the significance of music. Missing from most prog rock songs are the trappings of pop music, including (at times) even a chorus. Even the idea of a “single” is missing, and instead the focus is on the album as a whole. Artists typically take the advantage of an album’s full runtime to tell one huge, overarching (sometimes epic) story. A multitude of instruments are used to this end, with some songs simply being instrumentals intended to convey a particular emotion following (or preceding) a particular song. Prog rock albums tend to be, in and of themselves, entire rock operas. Rush’s 2112 is an excellent example of a prog rock concept album; it’s set in a dystopia controlled by the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx, who control Earth and are agents of the Solar Federation, who in turn control the universe. The priests control all cultural matter, from the posters that people can hang on their walls to what they can listen to. The protagonist finds a guitar and is amazed at it’s beauty and perfection; he shows the priests, who destroy it and rebuke him. The protagonist commits suicide just as another planetary war breaks out which frees the planet. 2112 is one of the best concept albums ever made which, for Rush, is (and has been) a tough act to follow. Read the rest of this entry »
Blood, Sweat & Tea
Posted: June 22, 2012 Filed under: Books, Opinion, Review | Tags: alcoholism, ambulances, blood sweat and tea, brian kellett, drug abuse, emergency response, EMR, grey's anatomy, healthcare, house, LAS, paramedic, prejudice, racism, sirens, tom reynolds, tv medical drama 5 Comments
Sirens is, undoubtedly, one of my most favourite shows of all time. As I explained in my review, part of what drew me to it was the utter realism of it all: I’ve never been a big fan of shows like ER or Grey’s Anatomy or House or whatever. These shows all seem to deal with diseases or conditions or people that are, in some way, supernatural. Working in a healthcare setting, you get to realise that the vast majority of what you deal with is, obviously, the ordinary. You occasionally get surprised but typically it’s the same thing; where I work, 95% of the time the individual we’re dealing with is either strung out on drugs or incredibly intoxicated. While there is the occasional variation, day-in and day-out, it’s the same thing. Occasionally you get to make a real difference — you save someone’s life, for example (but giving a drunk an IV and pumping him full of fluids and sending him off in the morning just for him to come back the next day just as drunk doesn’t count, I think) — but typically it remains normal. The conflict is one that is never ending and is ultimately more about the healthcare professional (the nurse, the doctor, the paramedic, etc) than it is about the patient. Read the rest of this entry »
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Vita)
Posted: June 20, 2012 Filed under: Review, Video games | Tags: bluepoint games, david hayter, hideo kojima, kojima productions, konami, metal gear, metal gear solid, mgs, patriots, ps vita, raiden, snake, snake eater, sons of liberty, sony, steve jobs, the cloud, transfarring, vita Leave a comment
Released on June 12, Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection for the PS Vita feels like it’s long overdue (seeing as how the console edition was released in November), but it is a very welcome addition to the Vita’s somewhat lacking lineup of video games.
The IT Crowd
Posted: June 18, 2012 Filed under: Review, TV | Tags: BBC4, big bang theory, british television, chris morris, chris o'dowd, denholm reynholm, douglas reynholm, jen, katherine parkinson, matt berry, moss, nerds, noel fielding, ralph ineson, richard ayoade, Richmond, roy, The IT Crowd 1 Comment
The IT Crowd is another one of those kooky British TV shows on BBC4 (which, unlike Sirens, wasn’t unceremoniously canned), set in the fictional offices of Reynholm Industries in London. The show follows Moss (played by Richard Ayoade, middle), Roy (Chris O’Dowd, right), and Jen (Katherine Parkinson, background). Chris Morris plays Denholm Reynholm, the CEO, and Matt Berry plays Douglas Reynholm, Denholm’s son. I’ve heard the show described as a sort of “British Big Bang Theory” (BBBT if you will); I would add the caveat “except not shitty.” Moss and Roy are two, 30+ men working dead-end jobs as IT professionals. Their love lives are bleak, and have few friends. They’re witty, of course, and they like the hip, indie music scene. They’re nerds at heart, and are social pariahs in the officeplace. Jen, a new hire, is their manager, despite not knowing anything about computers (not even knowing what I.T. stands for) Denholm and Douglas are ultimately in charge, the former being an incredibly competent and firm businessman who rarely jokes, and the latter being an incompetent one who never stops joking. This main cast is supplemented by Noel Fielding who plays the IT department’s token goth, Richmond (left), and is one of the funniest characters on the show.
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide I: Onslaught
Posted: June 15, 2012 Filed under: Books, Review, Star Wars | Tags: anakin solo, dark tide, han solo, luke skywalker, mara jade skywalker, michael stackpole, new jedi order, onslaught, r. a. salvatore, ruin, star wars, vector prime Leave a comment
The New Jedi Order series continues with Dark Tide I: Onslaught, which happens to be one of the longest titles for a Star Wars book and certainly one with the most colons. Onslaught resumes where Vector Prime left off. The New Republic has dismissed the Yuuzhan Vong threat as having been dealt with and finished with their loss at Helska, but obviously the Original Trilogy gang know that that is not the case.
Mayor: Vancouver’s Riot Prevention Plan a Complete Success
Posted: June 13, 2012 Filed under: Canadiana, News, Satire | Tags: gary bettman, gregor robertson, jonathan quick, la kings, overlord, playoffs, project janus, roberto luongo, stanley cup, vancouver canucks, vancouver riots 2 Comments
Project Coordinator and LA Kings goalie Jonathan Quick carries the Conn Smythe trophy after the Stanley Cup final.
VANCOUVER: When Mayor Gregor Robertson revealed Vancouver’s riot prevention plan in late March, it was ridiculed as being tantamount to doing nothing. Robertson took the criticism in stride as what city officials dubbed “Project Janus” took hold. After the LA Kings won the Stanley Cup on Monday, Mayor Robertson announced that Project Janus was in fact, successful.
Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime
Posted: June 12, 2012 Filed under: Books, Star Wars | Tags: aby, alien, chewbacca, dozen-and-two x-wing avengers, expanded universe, george lucas, han solo, kyp durron, leia organa-solo, luke skywalker, mara jade, mara jade skywalker, new jedi order, new repulic, r. a. salvatore, star wars, the phantom menace, vector prime, yuuzhan vong Leave a comment
Set 25 years after the Battle of Yavin 4 (ABY, if you will), Vector Prime is an excellent introduction into The New Jedi Order, a series which is essentially the old Star Wars universe gang handing off the torch to the next. Vector Prime begins as most Star Wars novels do: the Skywalker and Solo families deciding to take a vacation when everything seems calm. Unbeknownst to them, the Yuuzhan Vong, an ancient and so far unknown race from outside the galaxy have begun their invasion. They’ve begun so subtly, by having insurgents and the like on various planets pretending to be rebels themselves and upsetting the balance, but they’ve yet to do anything concrete; that’s where we begin.
Bargain Bin Reviews: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Posted: June 8, 2012 Filed under: Bargin Bin Review, Review, Video games | Tags: bargain bin, dog days, eidos, electronics boutique, fragile alliance, gamespot, gerstmann, gertsmanngate, jenny, kane & lynch, kane and lynch, multiplayer, square-enix, xiu Leave a commentIt’s The Pletteau’s favourite video game related feature: The Bargain Bin Review!
Here’s how it works: I dredge the depths of video game stores / Steam looking for cheap games in the $1-$20 range. Games that were once $50-70 and were either very bad or have been out for a long time. I then review said title, taking into account the quality of game and its price. I pass this information on to you and we are both richer for it.
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Remember Kane & Lynch: Dead Men? Released in 2007, Kane & Lynch looked incredibly promising. It followed a pair of prisoners, Kane and Lynch, forced to team up. You played as Kane and the catch with Lynch was that he was a heavily-medicated psychopath. It seemed really cool, but less-than-stellar reviews coupled with “Gerstmanngate” (the incident wherein Gamespot fired reviewer Jeff Gerstmann allegedly for a bad review). Kane & Lynch was, in a single word, awful.
The Daily Pletteau 