Monthly Archive:: March 2016
Mar 31 2016
Throwback Thursday: Excalibur Is a Grand Arthurian Epic
Throwback Thursday examines films from the past, “classic” films that might not be in the current cultural zeitgeist but can still be important, interesting, fun, or all of the above.
I didn’t plan for this to happen, but I just realized this is the third film I’ve looked at in a row that came from 1981.…
Mar 30 2016
The Death of a Hero: How DC Killed Superman to Make Way for the Man of Steel
I shall tell you of Clark Kent, otherwise known as Kal-El. Historians from DC Comics will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes. The powers that be at DC felt it was dying without a legacy, and the chief creative officer, a cruel man known as Geoff the Longshanks, claimed…
Mar 30 2016
Cos-Buyer Beware!
As Con Season 2k16 kicks off and we look toward Anime Detour in just under a month, it’s doubtless that many cosplayers new and experienced are beginning to feel the pressure when it comes to finishing their costumes. It is usually around this time that cosplayers start looking to outside sources…
Mar 29 2016
Leprechaun Assassin: Following the Clues in Codenames
Codenames, designed by Vlaada Chvatil and published by Czech Games Edition, is a wordplay game for two to eight players. Like Smash Up, which I reviewed in January, it’s on Popular Mechanics’ list of the 35 Best New Board Games to play.
I recently got a group together for it—we started with five…
Mar 28 2016
This Week in Geek (03/28/16–04/03/16)
Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, March 28th through Sunday, April 3rd.
Girly Book Club: The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
What: Meet-Up, Books
When: Monday, March 28th at 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Pint Public House
The Minneapolis…
Mar 27 2016
Fuller House Is Full of Headaches
I was born in 1988, so needless to say, I grew up watching Full House. I remember loving it as a youngster. It had some comedy and a lot of heart, everything that may appeal to a child . . . and then it ended, and I eventually outgrew it. As of today, I probably haven’t seen more than five minutes of an episode…
Mar 26 2016
The Overstuffing of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Amid the vast landscape of modern superhero movies, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice takes aim a little higher than the usual popcorn entertainment. It wants to ask the tougher questions of vigilantism and how a being such as Superman fits into the politics of national security. It delves into the…
Mar 24 2016
Throwback Thursday: Dragonslayer is Not Your Typical Hero Quest
Throwback Thursday examines films from the past, “classic” films that might not be in the current cultural zeitgeist but can still be important, interesting, fun, or all of the above.
Last week, I looked at 1981’s Clash of the Titans. Another fantasy film from the same year that tends to get lost in the…
Mar 23 2016
Taking the Gotham out of Batman
I believe that every Batfan has their own version of Batman running around in their head. Despite his extraordinary circumstances, the orphaned seven-year-old who invests his time, body, mind, and resources to become a grown-up hero is someone just about everyone can relate to on some level—though…
Mar 22 2016
Geek Recommendations for the MSP International Film Festival: April 7–23, 2016
I feel like a bad film geek. An especially bad film geek. Here I am every week extolling the virtues of films from around the world in my Throwback Thursday column, and yet I didn’t know there’s an annual festival right here in town that celebrates the diversity of films from around the world.…