If Preorder66 ever happened to be given creative control of a summer blockbuster sequel (I have to be very specific here), it would resemble something very close to JURASSIC WORLD.
6.11.2015
5.19.2015
Simon Pegg on Geekdom and the Real World
Simon Pegg gave an interview in which he said "geekdom" is "taking our focus away from real-world issues."
Well, allow me to retort.
Geekdom is an odd term, but I'll run with it because that was Pegg's phrasing and I can only assume he means anything that involves fantasy, science fiction, comic books and "non-real-world" storytelling. If the concern here is that we're neglecting the social and economic ills of our time because we're too busy figuring out what Hulk is doing in the Quinjet all day long, then I think Pegg deeply underestimates his audience. I am close friends with many people who are geeks and I see firsthand that they're dealing with the real-world head-on. They have families, loved ones, real problems that occupy them for most of the day and night. So, when a movie about a bunch of super strong/smart people fighting aliens or robots comes along, it's a welcome escape from daily stresses for many of us. The value of these films/shows is not in the material's subject matter, but rather in the catharsis it provides us to have our imagination unlocked for a couple of hours. As with anything, people can take their devotion too far. But from my personal experience, those folks are in the minority. Swap out "geekdom" for sports, cars, music or other pastimes and you'll see that there is nothing particularly unique about this hobby.
I think he also vastly overestimates the value of his profession in motivating progress on real-world issues of importance. I love THE GODFATHER, TAXI DRIVER, THE FRENCH CONNECTION and many other "serious" movies (these are the films Pegg cited as that which are missing in today's theaters). But have these films affected the real-world apart from being interesting, diverting experiences for their audience? Does what "Popeye" Doyle do to a drug-running Frenchman affect real-world issues substantially more than what the Hulk does to a maniacal robot? Perhaps the tragedy of Michael Corleone's rise and fall (spoilers, Nickbot) inspires deeper emotions than Tony Stark's character arc, but in the end we're dealing with personal taste over substantive worth. The value in entertainment is for an audience to be engaged by the material.
I think Pegg has mixed his personal frustrations as an "artist" with the box office trends of the moment. The funny thing is, serious movies are still being made! And if Pegg wants to do non-genre work, he can direct his agent to find that material for him.
Finally, as he is a person guiding the next STAR TREK film, he should take a step back and realize that his statements draw a line where one certainly shouldn't exist. STAR TREK has inspired discussions on "real-world" issues for decades through brilliant storytelling and potent symbolism in a very non-real-world context. If Pegg is concerned with doing something important with his time, I hope he recognizes that his position, particularly with STAR TREK, affords him an important opportunity to deliver on the things he longs to achieve.
So, stop bitching and make a good Star Trek movie already.
Well, allow me to retort.
Geekdom is an odd term, but I'll run with it because that was Pegg's phrasing and I can only assume he means anything that involves fantasy, science fiction, comic books and "non-real-world" storytelling. If the concern here is that we're neglecting the social and economic ills of our time because we're too busy figuring out what Hulk is doing in the Quinjet all day long, then I think Pegg deeply underestimates his audience. I am close friends with many people who are geeks and I see firsthand that they're dealing with the real-world head-on. They have families, loved ones, real problems that occupy them for most of the day and night. So, when a movie about a bunch of super strong/smart people fighting aliens or robots comes along, it's a welcome escape from daily stresses for many of us. The value of these films/shows is not in the material's subject matter, but rather in the catharsis it provides us to have our imagination unlocked for a couple of hours. As with anything, people can take their devotion too far. But from my personal experience, those folks are in the minority. Swap out "geekdom" for sports, cars, music or other pastimes and you'll see that there is nothing particularly unique about this hobby.
I think he also vastly overestimates the value of his profession in motivating progress on real-world issues of importance. I love THE GODFATHER, TAXI DRIVER, THE FRENCH CONNECTION and many other "serious" movies (these are the films Pegg cited as that which are missing in today's theaters). But have these films affected the real-world apart from being interesting, diverting experiences for their audience? Does what "Popeye" Doyle do to a drug-running Frenchman affect real-world issues substantially more than what the Hulk does to a maniacal robot? Perhaps the tragedy of Michael Corleone's rise and fall (spoilers, Nickbot) inspires deeper emotions than Tony Stark's character arc, but in the end we're dealing with personal taste over substantive worth. The value in entertainment is for an audience to be engaged by the material.
I think Pegg has mixed his personal frustrations as an "artist" with the box office trends of the moment. The funny thing is, serious movies are still being made! And if Pegg wants to do non-genre work, he can direct his agent to find that material for him.
Finally, as he is a person guiding the next STAR TREK film, he should take a step back and realize that his statements draw a line where one certainly shouldn't exist. STAR TREK has inspired discussions on "real-world" issues for decades through brilliant storytelling and potent symbolism in a very non-real-world context. If Pegg is concerned with doing something important with his time, I hope he recognizes that his position, particularly with STAR TREK, affords him an important opportunity to deliver on the things he longs to achieve.
So, stop bitching and make a good Star Trek movie already.
5.17.2015
Empir3 Talks: Hot Toys Vision Preview
Labels:
1/6,
Empir3,
Empir3 Talks,
Hot Toys,
Preorder66,
Preorder66 66,
Preview
5.15.2015
Empir3 Talks: Mad Max Fury Road
That movie may have taken all of my adrenaline...
5.13.2015
Empir3 Talks: Mad Max
Is this how Mel Gibson really got his start?
Labels:
Empir3,
Empir3 Talks,
Fury Road,
Mad Max,
Mel Gibson,
Movie,
Review
5.11.2015
5.10.2015
Empir3 talks : an update

4.25.2015
Ichabod and Marvel Collector Corps
So I did a thing.
Its 25 a month. I was wrong. I say worth it. All EX stuff. Also apparently there are 4 variant shirts.
3.23.2015
Tangent66: STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.
I grew up a Star Wars kid- born 3 days after my mom saw the original film opening night. If I could have talked upon birth, I would have said to my mom "Thanks for the ride-- now, let's go see that movie again."
The first several years of my life on Earth were spent largely concerned with my getting into outer space. My methods of travel were simple and readily available- repeatedly watching the Star Wars movies was essential. I also had my toys, my pencil & paper and my imagination to guide me home. By 1983, the Star Wars series was effectively over. My love of it didn't diminish, but my desire for new space adventures remained. A year later, I saw STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. In that film, I saw a ship explode in a desperate move by its crew to save a man with pointy ears and cool eyebrows. He wore a bathrobe and seemed confused. Fade to black.
The emotions of that story didn't affect me, but the flavor of what Star Trek offered had me very interested. My journey from a galaxy far, far away into the final frontier had begun.
The first several years of my life on Earth were spent largely concerned with my getting into outer space. My methods of travel were simple and readily available- repeatedly watching the Star Wars movies was essential. I also had my toys, my pencil & paper and my imagination to guide me home. By 1983, the Star Wars series was effectively over. My love of it didn't diminish, but my desire for new space adventures remained. A year later, I saw STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. In that film, I saw a ship explode in a desperate move by its crew to save a man with pointy ears and cool eyebrows. He wore a bathrobe and seemed confused. Fade to black.
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Spoilers, Nickbot! |
3.10.2015
Me, Grimlock: The Emotional Intelligence of a Robot Dinosaur.
The year is 2005 and everyone is dying.
As some of you may know, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE was a oil-bath of destruction. Having lost Windcharger and some other noble warriors (whose names escape me at present), the remaining Autobots had to quickly gather themselves to defeat Galvatron and his planet-eating patron, Unicron.
Amidst all of this survivor's guilt, there was one robot who's indomitable spirit went largely overlooked because of his primitive speech patterns- the Right Reverend, (King) Grimlock.
As some of you may know, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE was a oil-bath of destruction. Having lost Windcharger and some other noble warriors (whose names escape me at present), the remaining Autobots had to quickly gather themselves to defeat Galvatron and his planet-eating patron, Unicron.
![]() |
Sharkticons of the world unite! |
Amidst all of this survivor's guilt, there was one robot who's indomitable spirit went largely overlooked because of his primitive speech patterns- the Right Reverend, (King) Grimlock.
2.27.2015
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy connected with countless people over the past half-century. I think there is no finer example of a "friend" in popular fiction than Captain Kirk's right-hand man, Mr. Spock. And while Leonard Nimoy was a fantastic actor, he was most certainly not faking Spock's quality of character. To be precise, we loved Mr. Spock because of the man who played him.
The friendships between its characters is what makes STAR TREK so enduring. How do we grow as a species? How do we overcome the limits of technology and achieve discoveries beyond our imagination? How do we survive in the face of all-surrounding danger? There are many factors that combine towards our heroes finding a way to succeed, but the one that matters most is that they didn't do it alone.
Leonard Nimoy was Spock and Spock was our friend.
Thank you, Leonard.
2.24.2015
February PoopCrate
I made a video, but, like - fuck this crate.
2.03.2015
Video Games and Ichabod
THE DESTINY PROBLEM
So, let me start off by saying I like Destiny. I love the ideas behind the world, or what tidbits I've managed to gleam off the surface. I want more lore! I like the mechanics, namely the world traversing and the shooting. But I have a problem every time I play – I keep thinking I could be doing something better with my time.
1.24.2015
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