March 2015 | Otaku No Culture |

Oh’s Not ‘Home’ Alone, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest) and James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Home_(2015_film)_poster E: Home is truly where the heart is, and in my case, that’s with living in the Pacific Northwest. In DreamWork‘s case, that message gets gently delivered when Oh (Jim Parsons) just does not know how to belong.

He’s an outcast in his own community. When the Boov aliens are always on the run from a menacing alien Gorg race (Brian Stepanek), there’s never any time for them to settle in and be neighbourly. These simpletons are led by Captain Smek (Steve Martin) who is even worse. And when they decide to claim Earth as their own and relocate the entire human population elsewhere, I’m left wondering if the billions of people can even live on one single continent? Well, tossing logic aside, I can accept a few questionable moments in this film’s story direction. Overall, it’s an enjoyable family film which delivers strong messages.

J: The story of Home is a double-edged sword. On one side it delivers a positive message about friendship. No matter what you look like or what background you’re from home is where your friends and family are.
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The Vintage Tempest’s Emerald City Comic Con Journal 2015 & Ch-ch-changes!

Changes are in store for Emerald City Comic Con now that it is under new ownership. Some of it is noticeable at the 2015 event and based on what I have experienced, I think what’s planned will be good. For one thing, instead of three days of the show, there will be four. That might alleviate some of the congestion as not many people will attempt to cram as much into a day.

Emerald City Comic Con

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

And maybe for next year’s show, some events can be spread out better or there will be the return of some fond favourites. The Star Wars reading by Twisted Toonz was missing this year. In previous shows, it was re-enacted by the voice talent that comes to this Seattle-based show. This year would have been killer with the fact that Patrick Warburton, the voice of the Tick and the television version of Buzz Lightyear, was in the house! Include Janet Varney, the lead character in Avatar: Legend of Korra, Steve Blum (voice of Starscream in Transformers Prime), Veronica Taylor (Ash from Pokemon) and Tabitha St. Germain (My Little Pony), and the possibilities would have been stellar!

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How to Buy Noise Cancelling Headphones for the Budget Conscious

Finding a good set of noise cancelling headphones can be tough. Quite often, you do get what you pay for and I’ve gone though a lot of these over the past 15 years. I found that I’m always upgrading every two or three years. I tried plenty, ranging from ear buds, in-the-ear, over the ear and the like. That list includes Princess Leia style mufflers! But to find that what’s suitable is never ever perfect. There’s even days I feel like a Cyberman because of what I put over my head.

To nail that right pair of speakers to strap on to the sides of my ears or anyone else’s really depends on the shape of each individual’s ears and in how that person perceives sound more so than the latest fashion trends. Yes, I admit it, I still love my TRON inspired KOSS Porta-Pro. The foam needs replacing but for the rest, it has yet to die on me even though my much beloved V-Moda for my iPod Mini (still the best engineered sounding player in my opinion) from 2004 have long since disappeared.

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Going into the Matrix with Insurgent, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Insurgent-officialposter2 Newcomers to the Divergent series are best advised to see the first film before going to see Insurgent, the sequel of a four-part movie series. Although this young adult series is technically a trilogy, Summit Entertainment (one of the production companies involved) decided to split the last book up. The question of whether that’s just another money grab or not will depend on how well audiences are willing to put up with this constant separation of a final book into two films. This idea is wearing thin and I’m one person who is really tired of it.

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Harry Potter, Funk You Up!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

DarkLord4
Everyone is jumping on the nostalgia bandwagon and that’s not a bad thing. Wether you are groovin’ to the 70’s disco-influenced song She Keeps Me Up by Nickelback or the pure 80’s funk of Mark Ronson‘s Uptown Funk featuring Bruno Mars, there is something for almost everyone to get down to.

Now even geeks, specifically the Potter fans, have a similar song they dance in their Hogwarts cloaks to. From KFaceTV — the people who brought you last year’s YouTube sensation Talk Nerdy To Me (original Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo) — comes Dark Lord Funk, a parody of Mark Ronson’s previously mentioned work.

The video has so far racked up over 450,000 views.

MogaPro Power Controller Zaps the Competition

MogaPro Power Controller

I’m the type of person who carries a lot of tech and when I’m getting ready for a convention, I also want some games on the go to enjoy. Emerald City Comicon is right around the corner and I need to do something while waiting in line! When I carry a tablet, smart phone, Bluetooth headphones, a dedicated digital camera and portable gaming device, reducing the load is a must. When I have everything with me, one of these devices is guaranteed to be nearly drained by the end of the day.

With MOGA’s Hero or MogaPro Power Controller for Android devices made by Power A, an all-in-one smart phone is all I need. It can keep running like an Energizer Bunny thanks to MOGA’s Boost technology; the controller doubles as a spare power charger. As a bonus, the company now has the MOGA Rebel which works for Apple devices. That took a while to come and I’m glad, but for now I will focus on the Android version to review. They all operate similiarly, because I feel that they all can can recharge not only my smart phone but also my Bluetooth headphones. Not every device that uses a USB cable for recharging can be charged with the MOGA, but I feel that since they can, and I’ve tested it with my tablet and headphones, my life is made all the more simpler than to carry different chargers with me during my trips.

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