Where are the Ties that Bind the “Fellowship of the Lance” in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow?

Fellowship of the Lance

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

There are times DC’s Legends of Tommorrow is simply coasting on a riptide of fun bits for geeks to take interest in. Tried as I might, to see if there was anything great about the last two episodes “Land of the Lost” and “Moonshot,” there was not much to truly write about as special. All it did was show how the team still needs to figure themselves out, spotlight Victor Garber’s musical talent in more than one episode and retrieve parts of a mystical weapon. The latest had something which spoke to me since I am a King Arthur enthusiast and I wondered who would play J.R.R. Tolkien. Jack Turner (Stitchers) does a great job at bringing to life an interpretation of this author whom I’ve admired since reading Lord of the Rings in high school.

Like the seminal books, some series require a Deux et Machina to give a saga a particular focus. After a slow start, the season unveiled an item to focus on. In the aptly titled, “Fellowship of the Spear,” the team is still divided like the fragmentary weapon and there’s more development in seeing what Rory (Heat Wave) is going through. I love his backstory and the obvious parallels he has with Gollum/Sméagol is a huge easter egg I’m sure many have picked up on. The way it is being handled suggests he has it in control in one episode and others, there’s not enough to see he is still struggling with it. Is his hallucination real? Apparently so, and I’m wondering at which point in history did the Legion of Doom take Snart from? My guess is that it was sometime in the past, before he and Rory joined the Legends. He’s all snark, pardoning the pun.

Also, the pieces of how each episode ties in (aside from searching for the spear) as a whole looks better when seen in sequence than left to viewers to wait week after week. I’m looking forward to seeing how the final two episodes are going to play out in the next two weeks. “Doomworld” will obviously look at a remade world but is “Aruba” in reference to a particular island in the Caribbean or something else?

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Go No Power Rangers or Go See It? A Movie Review

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
* Minor spoiler alert

The Power Rangers movie has the potential to be better than its “original” product — a hodge-podge of American shot storyline mixed in with fighting footage from Toei’s Super Sentai series. Thankfully, as a product from a single producer with a think tank of creative minds, it’s not as much of a mixed product, but a well to do update of series still beloved by those who love tokusatsu (entertainment emphasizing special effects more than character drama).

This film offers all the right tones in the opening act which no doubt showed the producers are aware of Power/Rangers, the fan film. Praised for its darker story and lamented because it was not for kids (it is gory violent), I wondered how deep the back story would get. I enjoyed the opening moments since it hinted towards this bloodier direction. As a PG-13 rated film (there’s some bad words said and a LBGT character), I was a little dismayed but did wonder how long this movie will take to get past all the origins and team-building exercises to get to the big fight which marks the last act of every television episode.

But is this movie better than the dubbed parody Dynamen which premiered on Night Flight? While this other show introduced me to this world with its hilarious send-up and mix of 80’s music, hopefully the series I truly adored does not jade what I have to say. While I care little for this decade’s modern music, this movie released by Lionsgate is wildly entertaining. It is set to look at problems some youths face today. Mind you, I will not be drowning my sorrows at a Krispy Kreme, since none exists in my hometown and I ignored this laughingly blatant product placement.

When you get used to seeing a lot of Michael Bay style films over the years to which this film obviously draws its style from, there comes a time where switching the brain off during these type of movies is a must. You watch it for the eye candy and I must admit, those Zords (the mechs the Rangers pilot) look cool! The look of the bad guys is another story, which I’ll get into later.

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30 Years of Predator, as Revealed By Fright-Rags

Fellowship of the LanceBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

There’s plenty of special anniversaries going on at some point in the year, and for me, yes, I want to get my inner Predator on! This alien who is out to slay the most dangerous prey from the Milky Way galaxy did not know who he would end up facing in the movie that launched this franchise. John McTiernan’s 1987 film showed Arnold Schwarzenegger saying, “If it bleeds, we can kill it!”

Although there have been numerous sequels, comics, novels, games, and a reboot movie on the way, nothing compares to the original. Personally, I caught a sighting of Dark Horse Comic’s continuation of this world when the first collection came out in June of 89 and I read all the releases since then. In honour of this franchise’s 30th anniversary, Fright-Rags will soon unleash the Predator Collection, a set of mask and clothing to show how much fans like me love this beast. At the same time, perhaps I should get around to finishing painting up my Super Deformed Predator I found a while garage kit hunting. I’m not talking about the Funko Pop! vinyl, but rather a resin kit.

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[Sidney, BC] Disney’s ‘Moana’ Co-Director, Chris Williams, to Appear at Van Isle Comic Con

Fellowship of the LanceBy James Robert Shaw
(The Wind up Geek)

Sometimes for a con going big or go home can be dangerous. When your event makes a single guest your draw, going big can be a good thing. As in the case with Van Isle Con, Vancouver Island’s upcoming comic and cosplay convention, having Moana‘s co-director Chris Williams as your guest of honor is a very smart move. Sure, Williams doesn’t have the muscles of Dwayne Johnson (who voiced Maui), and okay, maybe he can’t sing like Auli’i Cravalho (Moana), but what he does have is a lot of talent and experience when it comes to creating films for all ages to enjoy.

William’s earliest credits are as story contributor for Disney on animated feature films such as 1998’s Mulan, The Emporer’s New Groove, and Brother Bear. More than just an ideas man, Williams also performed story artist duties on films Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Tangled, Frozen (where he voiced Oaken), and the Academy Award winning Zootopia.

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LANtasy 2017 is Taking Place This Weekend in Victoria, BC, But Will I Go?

Fellowship of the Lance

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Pearkes Recreation Center
3100 Tillicum Rd
Victoria, BC

March 18-19, 2017

To attend LANtasy 2017 or not to get my game geek on is debatable. At home, I have my three game consoles and a huge collection of Chaosium and GURPs role playing books. I like the idea of playing games with folks with similar tastes as mine. But in what I’m discovering post- Emerald City Comicon (ECCC) is whether or not smaller events can live up to what I enjoy from the bigger shows. Here, I can seek out those rare bits of merchandise, chat with players about those lost games, namely Nephilim, or try tabletop card demos.

I like to browse and wander through a huge hall of exhibitors (I kept on wandering back to Steve Jackson Games at ECCC to view their merchandise) and talk to companies to learn about what’s coming for the “industry” the convention is representing. This Seattle-based show has a floor dedicated to all things gaming, feels more welcoming (the staff here are really helpful and nicer if I had to start making comparisons) and is spaced out. That is, rooms exist to locate games in (controlling noise levels is always important) than to stuff it all into one huge basketball court.

A few local video game developers, namely Codename Entertainment and Piranha Games, are attending and supposedly, they are giving a panel somewhere in the Pearkes Recreation Center. But I can not find further information in where panels are located. It’s not clearly defined when there’s no online map to consult.

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The Vintage Tempest’s Emerald City Comicon 2017 Journal

Fellowship of the Lance

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Last year, Emerald City Comicon (ECCC) expanded to four days and I attended the full show. By day three, I was sort of bored. I checked out every aspect of the event that spanned three buildings and had the luxury of attending more than one panel. I wondered if it’s possible to attend for a day and get the most out of the con. It’s possible, but I do not recommend it.

I barely had time to look at the TCC level (the other part of the Seattle Convention Center where events were held). The LEGO exhibits were located here and what was offered was mainly for the kids in attendance. Hasbro also had a presence but what they offered was not what I expected. What I was told was that they had Beyblade demos than a full-on exposition of all this company’s many properties. Had there been Transformers and other brands they made toys for, I’d be a kid in a candy store!

Suspiciously missing in the guide is the location of where the modelling club displays their work. I could not find them last year and wondered if they were around this time. They might have been, and if they are, advertising this aspect of the show has been very low-key.

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