A Worthy Kickstarter

For those unaware here is currently a Kickstarter in progress to create a documentary about Dungeons and Dragons and the people who created it.  I know many of you are probably burnt out from contributing to such awesome kickstarters as Reaper's miniatures bonanza and the Gamers 3 film, but I really feel that this is an important one worthy of every Gamer's time, attention, and money.  

The kickstarter is set to end on Sunday and as of right now it has not reached its goal, though it has made great lengths in the last few days from people getting the word out (specifically Lisa Stevens from Paizo).  Even with its recent surge it has a ways to go so check out the videos below about the story these guys are trying to tell.  I think you'll find you are interested enough to contribute to this movie getting made. 

D&D 3 Trailer: Good God Make it Stop!

In the past I have bemoaned the fact that the Dungeons and Dragons have been terrible, and how easy it should be to succeed.  Well get ready to the bar or terribleness to be pushed to its absolute limit.  

Down your anti-depressant of choice and watch the trailer below, if you dare.  

Prometheus Trailer

A lot of great trailers this week. The Dark Knight, The Hobbit, and now Prometheus. If fans of the Alien series aren't excited for this movie, check for a pulse.

The Hobbit Trailer

It's going to be amazing!

Avengers Trailer

Just in case you've been living under a rock, and so often these days I know I do, here is the Avengers Trailer.  With so many characters no one character get's much face time, but it looks like it could be a really fun movie.

Dark Tower Canceled

Movies based on Stephen King's books usually suck.  Not always, but it's a general rule.  I can't explain it and I certainly don't blame the source material.  

So with that being said I'm not sure how to feel now that plans to make Stephen King's epic Dark Tower series into three feature films and two miniseries have fallen through.  It seems that despite the promise of the project, the cost is simply too staggering and risky for Universal to commit to.  

If you are a fan of the Dark Tower series who hopes to one day see it appear on screen then not all hope is lost.  Howard's production company Imagine Entertainment is going to be pitching the idea to other studios.  We'll see if any of them feel that Dark Tower is worth a big (and expensive) leap of faith. 

The Avengers Gets a Second Villain

This according to Latino Review.  Major spoilers... be warned!

Here's hoping that the Avengers doesn't suffer from having too many villains without focusing on any of them.  That seems to be one of the major pitfalls of making a comic book movie.  There is this desire to cram in extra characters, especially villains, and no one get's ample screen time and the movie sucks.  

Still, in Joss Whedon I trust.  I fully expect (and hope) that he succeeds and the movie is good. 

The Best Worst Movie: Troll 2

When I was a young lad I saw a terrible movie called Troll 2.  I didn't really understand a lot of what was going on, but I figured that was because I was a kid.  It wasn't until years later when I saw it again that I realized the reason I didn't understand what was going on was because the movie was fricken insanely bad.  It is so bad that there is a documentary about how bad the movie is. 

In the most recent episode of Half in the Bag, Red Letter Media did a review of both Troll 2 and the Documentary about it.  Check it out!


(Note: Like most Red Letter Media productions this is NSFW due to language)

First Look At Bane From New Batman Movie

Here is a first look at Thomas Hardy depicting Bane in the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.  Also the Official site for the movie is up, but it just has some ominous chanting. 

Gollum to Help Direct the Hobbit

How is this for getting the most from your actors?  It seems that Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, is the second unit director for The Hobbit.  When interviewed Serkis said, "I think I understand Peter's sensibility and we have a common history of understanding Middle Earth.  A lot of the crew from 'The Lord of the Rings' was returning to work on 'The Hobbit.' There is really a sense of Peter wanting people around him who totally understand the material and the work ethic."  It is a real vote of confidence from Jackson, who obviously sees eye to eye with Serkis on their interpretation of the source material.  

 

Peter Jackson is one of the few directors that I have so much confidence in that I just believe that everything they do will work out perfectly.  So though some people might be raising their eyebrows at this development due to Serkis' lack of experience, I say just sit back and relax.

This movie is going to be amazing.

New Conan the Barbarian Teaser Trailer

Well, I've mentioned before that I didn't have a whole lot of hope for this movie.  To me this trailer just confirms my fears, but you judge for yourself.

Gamemaster Alignments

Characters are given alignments as a way of summarizing their personality and world view into one of nine easily understood categories.  As I mentioned before, this is sometimes done with players as well, sometimes for humor and sometimes to help classify them as well.  Yet few attempt to categorize the person who has the greatest impact on the game, The Gamemaster.  Well, that is just what I mean to do today with the help of a handy aid I made.

You'll notice that the diagram represents slight upgrade over the previous version, but that's just window dressing, it's more of less the same. 

I will go through the alignments one at a time.  I will list who has been chosen to represent the alignment, what they are from, a summary of the alignment, and why that character was linked to that one specifically.  All of these are people from TV Shows, Movies, or some other video who are running D&D, or an equivalent.  If you want to take a shot at guessing who is who better do so now for spoilers lurk below.  Make sure to check out their quotes found underneith their alignment.  If you are stumped they might offer a clue as to who they are and where they came from.

Lawful Good (Daniel from Mazes & Monsters)

The Lawful Good Gamemaster believes in adhering sternly to the rules, believing that to be the best path to everyone having fun.  He believes in running a game that is fair, and in doing so believes that fun will be derived from such a game.  Daniel was chosen to represent Lawful Good because he cares very much about the game and wants everyone to have a great time, but at the same time refuses to bend the rules to save Freelic, a much beloved character of Jay-Jay's.

Lawful Neutral (The Gamemaster from The Gamers)

The Lawful Neutral Gamemaster believes in adhering to the rules, regardless of whether anyone is having fun or not.  The Neutral Good GM is no more likely to bend the rules to save a character than he is to kill one.  He favors very strict and often literal interpretations of the rules.  He will not bend the rules no matter how it might benefit the story in the game, to him the rules are the game.  The Gamemaster from the first Gamers movie is chosen to represent the Lawful Neutral GM because of the famous scene where the Thief states his intent to backstab an opponent with a Ballista.  This may sound ludicrous, and of course it is, but the GM looked it up and there was no rule to prevent it so it was allowed.  This kind of decision, playing strictly with the rules even when it flies in the face of logic and the game's story, is a classic example of a LN GM

Lawful Evil (Harris Trinsky from Freaks & Geeks)

The Lawful Evil GM believes that anything is allowed so long as he is playing within the confines of the rules.  The LE GM is more likely to take on an adversarial role, not caring much about whether his "opponents" (the players) are having fun.  Though he might be "out to get" the Players and their characters the LE GM only sees this as acceptable behavior because he is staying within the parameters of the rules.  The LE GM sees it not only his right to attempt to "beat" the players, but his duty as GM.  Harris from Freaks and Geeks was chosen for this role because in the D&D episode when he was called out by his players for exhibiting the above behaviors he doesn't shy away from it, rather says, "Oh I'm sorry perhaps I should let you encounter kittens and Grandmothers so as not to upset you."  Harris, like all LE GM's does not see anything wrong with going after his players, he sees it as his job to challenge them, push them to the bring, and if he is able, over a cliff. 

Neutral Good (Martin from Night of the Zombie King)

Striking a balance between rules and story the Neutral Good Gamemaster wants everyone to have fun and enjoy the game.  That is his first and primary goal when behind the screen and he is often willing bend, break, or fudge whatever he has to make that happen.  Martin from Night of the Zombie King is a great example of a Neutral Good Gamemaster because when the group is about to wiped out against their foul Dragon nemesis, Darkmoon, Martin fudged a die that would have ended all for his valiant players.  He turned a 20 into a 1 and gave the party a chance for victory.  A chance the part seized, creating in each of them perhaps their greatest gaming memory.  This sacrificing of the rules in the game of everyone's good time is a classic Neutral Good move. 

True Neutral (Abed from Community)

The True Neutral Gamemaster is the Switzerland of the Gaming world.  He is impartial in everything, preferring to look at himself as, "having no horse in the race."  He is a judge and arbiter, but has in a way, no active interest in the game save to mediate and run it.  Abed was chosen to represent True Neutral because he exuded the ideals of a TN GM during the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons episode of Community.  When the players went at each other Abed refused to help the, "good guys" instead stating that he needed to stay impartial or the game would have no meaning.  He stuck to those beliefs, those of a True Neutral Gamemaster, through the entire episode.  

...To be continued tomorrow in part 2!

DM Alignment Chart

Characters have an alignment which we use to give a general idea of how he views the world.  We often jokingly assign alignments to players as well, but rarely the man behind the screen. 

Here is the Dungeon Master Alignment chat.  I'm writing a longer piece to go with it that you'll probably see earlier next week, but for now see if you recognize all the DM's on the chart.  They are all running D&D (or an equivalent) in a movie or TV show and are all used to represent one of the nine alignments.

Browncoats on the Move: Fans Begin Effort to help Nathan Fillion Buy the Rights to Firefly

Apparently Nathan Fillion recently said, "“If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet.”.


Oops!

This was just an off hand comment and I don't think Mr. Fillion meant to spark an attempt at Revolution, but that's what has happened all the same.  You'd think by now everyone would realize not to put dangerous ideas in the heads and hearts of fans.  The Browncoats, like the fictional group they take their name from, just don't know when to quit.

That's right, there is now a movement to get Nathan Fillion the money to buy the rights to Firefly.  It's still in its infancy, and it would certainly be an uphill battle, but I don't think that's like to dissuade the fans. 

A model for an internet show to succeed financially is not only a realistic possibility, most think it is inevitable.  Couple that with a fanatic fanbase like the one Firefly has and you have the recipe for potential Revolution.

The organizers of the movement, who are anonymous and plan to remain that way, are not accepting money yet.  They are getting the word out there and testing the waters.  There is no telling how they will find those waters.


One thing remains clear.. the Browncoat mantra, "You Can't Stop the Signal"  remains as true today as when the fans fought to get Serenity made.

Will the other mantra, "Keep on Flying" prove true?

Who can say what will happen? 

Mazes & Monsters Chapters 1-3

The Blog of Holding has released the first three chapters of the Mazes & Monsters rules.  Mazes & Monsters was a terrible anti-D&D movie from 1982 that I just found out was based on a book.  Now that I know that I have to get the book... I'll also see if I can dig up a copy of another book released around the same time and with much the same premise, Hobgoblin. 

Should make for some hilarious reading. 

Back to the Blog of Holding game; it is both free and frickin amazing.  If you are a fan of the movie you will laugh yourself silly.  I know I did. 

The Greatest Star Wars Episode III Review... EVER

Red Letter Media strikes again with their long awaited Episode III review. Mr Plinkett spares no one in his comprehensive review of this absolute train wreck.

Yes, it is hilarious.

Yes, almost everything he says is true.

Third D&D Movie: Book of Vile Darkness

Stop me if you've heard this before... There is a D&D movie in the works.  This movie, the third attempt, is called The Book of Vile Darkness. Though I haven't seen it confirmed anywhere I can only assume this movie, like the second one, will be a made for TV SciFi channel movie. 

I'll be honest, I don't have a whole lot of hope for this movie.  The first one was a train wreck, the second one was a low budget film that did its best but mostly fell short.  They seem to have a new director and a bunch of inexperienced B film actors.  Like I said, don't get your hopes up.  That having been said, it should still be light years better than the first one.

 For their part, Wizards of the Coast is supporting the film by having a contest where people can submit their characters for a part in the movie.  Head over and read the contest rules and enter if you dare.   

For those who are too lazy for that, here is the deal...

***

Do you think your Dungeons & Dragons character has the "it" factor? Are you
ready for your close up? Now's your chance to turn those daydreams into a
reality!

Dungeons & Dragons and Silver Pictures are joining together for the ultimate
casting call in search of the most menacing, flavorful NPC as created by you.
The winning character will be brought to life on the big screen – played by YOU.

That's right, you'll be packing your bags for Louisiana where the upcoming
original movie, Book of Vile Darkness, will finish shooting after weeks of
production in Eastern Europe. There, with a little help from the talented hair
and make-up department, you'll be transformed into the winning character your
created and then whisked off to the set to portray that character in an epic
battle scene in the movie.

To enter, create a heroic tier (1st – 10th level) character using the D&D
Character Builder tool, currently available through Dungeons & Dragons Insider.

Your character should lend itself to:

* Evil or mercenary behavior
* Magic and spell casting

And be one of the following races:

* Bladeling
* Changeling
* Deva
* Drow
* Duergar
* Dwarf
* Eladrin
* Elf
* Genasi
* Githyanki
* Githzerai
* Goblin
* Half-Elf
* Half-Orc
* Hobgoblin
* Kalashtar
* Kenku
* Longtooth Shifter
* Mul
* Orc
* Razorclaw Shifter
* Revenant
* Tiefling
* Wilden

Add no more than 100 words of flavor to the submissions box along with your
complete name, address, e-mail address, date of birth, and daytime and evening
phone numbers.

Save your character as a PDF (instructions below) and attach it to your
submission form.

Contest ends January 1st.

See you on the big screen!

How to Save Your Character as a PDF

On a PC:
To save your character, first you'll need a PDF printer driver.

Common PDF printer drivers are

* CutePDF
* PDF Creator
* Adobe Acrobat (the full version, not the free Reader).

Once one of these drivers is installed, just go to the character sheet page in
the D&D Character Builder and click Print. The print window will come up, select
the PDF printer from the list of available printers and click print. The Save As
window will come up, enter your last name for the output file and click save.
Make sure to attach the PDF to the entry form.

On a Mac:
To save your character, go to Print, click PDF, then save as PDF. Enter your
last name for the output file and click save. Make sure to attach the PDF to the
entry form.

***

Best of luck to all those who decide to enter.  Remember that the deadline is January 1st to don't waste time getting your submissions in. 

As for the movie, we'll just have to wait and see.  Maybe this is the one that will beat the odds and be a really cool film despite budget constraints.  I have a feeling that Dead Gentlmen's The Gamers and The Gamers: Dorkness Rising are going to continue to be the real D&D movies. 

Though the budget for the new D&D movie is no doubt meager it makes the budget for Dorkness Rising look like pocket change.  Just imagine what Dead Gentlemen could put out with resources like that.  I think someone should find out. 

Weekend Roundup

Well I saw Voyage of the Dawn Treader and thought I'd warn you all to do the wiser thing and wait for video.  I wanted to like the movie, and thought that I would.  The trailer looked solid and I had no problem with the major change (adding an overall plot to diminish the episodic nature of the story), but I gotta tell ya... this one is a disappointment. 

It's hard to put my finger on exactly what made the movie so inferior to the ones the preceded it.  One theory is that they spend a great deal of time in the series building up this magical land, developing it's visual style and getting you to love it, but in Voyage of the Dawn Treader you never see it.  Now this wasn't a problem in the book, so I'm inclined to think this isn't really the problem in the movie. 

My second theory, and the one I'm more inclined to believe, is that this movie is just spastic.  It jumps all over the place, never focusing on any one character or event for more than a minute or two.  The movie seems to want to have five main characters: Lucy, Edmund, Caspian, Eustace, and Reepicheep.  Lucy is probably the closest the story has to a protagonist, but she get's only slightly more focus than the other four.  Having so many characters to focus on really split each character's time for focus and development down so low that they all end up being pretty two dimensional.  Each character has a vice, Lucy's vanity and Edmund's pride for example, that they must battle during the course of the voyage.  This would be great except that there are so many would-be protagonists that each character's screen time to work against their weakness is next to nothing. 

Now I'm not saying that this movie is Last Airbender kind of bad, but like I said wait for video.

I had a far more pleasant surprise waiting for me when I got him from the movie and started watching the Starz miniseries Pillars of the Earth.  Based on the historical fiction novel by Ken Follett, Pillars of the Earth is about a community that works together over decades to build a cathedral against great opposition.  It has some great actors (including Ian McShane of Deadwood fame), excellent characters, and a complex plot filled with political intrigue. 

Being a historical fiction one shouldn't take a history lesson from PotE, but it does use an interesting time of political upheaval in England (a period known as the Anarchy) and uses it as the backdrop for its story.  The Cathedral and indeed the town, along with all of the main characters from the story, are all fictional.  It takes some liberties with history to advance the story, but none of it is done in a way that made me cringe.

Unfortunately PotE was a miniseries so it only lasted eight episodes, but better a short run of quality than a longer one of mediocrity.  I highly recommend you check it out as there is some great inspiration for GMs and players alike to be found within.  Bishop Waleran in particular would make an excellent adversary.  A man who ranks high in the church and is a clever and experienced political player would make a truly formidable opponent indeed. 

Harry Potter and the Last Airbender's Sorcerer Apprentice

It's only recently hit me how popular the fantasy genre has become in the last ten years.  Setting aside the Vampire sub-genre, which itself has ballooned largely due to the success of the much loved and much reviled Twilight series, Fantasy has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last decade largely thanks to the success of the Lord of the Rings films and Harry Potter series. 

Thinking back I realized how great we had it in the early 2000s.  In 2001 for example, we saw the release of both the Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone within a few months of each other.  Also released that year was Shrek, a somewhat unconventional Fantasy film, yet a fantasy all the same.  The following year had another the second installment of both the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchise, the last hurrah for how truly great the latter might have been.  In 2003 we saw the conclusion of the Lord of the Rings films and a new franchise burst onto the scene, Pirates of the Caribbean. Curse of the Black Pearl was an amazing film that little hinted at a couple of bad sequels that were waiting in the wings.

Then in 2004 we begin to see a drop in quality.  No, I'm not speaking of Shrek 2, a faithful and well made sequel, or even the awful fairytale film Ella Enchanted, but rather of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  HP3 wasn't nearly as bad as some of the films that would come after it, but it heralded in a new era for the series.  Columbus left the director's chair and in his place came men who cared less for the story and more for the glamor.  Important and fun scenes were cut from the film, a necessity when dealing with very long books I know, but if you have no time for them why waste valuable time with worthless special effects that add nothing to the story?  The reason of course is a shift in priorities, substance was no longer the order of the day, style was.  That is what HP3 represents, the pursuit of style over substance.  It's really too bad Columbus didn't stick around for one more film because PoA is page for page the best book in the Harry Potter series. 

Moving onto 2005 we have a disaster of a Harry Potter movie (Goblet of Fire), but are given a brief reprieve with the release of a new movie franchise, The Chronicles of Narnia.  The first installment of this movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, was faithfully adapted to screen and though it didn't perform nearly as well it the newer and more popular Harry Potter, it was much better than the tripe the makers of the HP films were spewing out for the general public.  The following year we saw the first of the bad Pirates of the Caribbean squeals, Dead Man's Chest, as well as a number of other fantasy films including 300, Pan's Labyrinth and The Prestige.  300 was good, though slightly over-hyped in my opinion.  Not that I can blame anyone, give the amount of other crap being released people had the right to enjoy a good film when they finally got one.  Pan's Labyrinth and The Prestige were not traditional fantasy films.  I enjoyed the latter and found the former to have been way over-hyped.  The true horror of 2006 though was the film Eragon.  Truthfully, this movie is so bad that I don't trust myself to discuss it here without going into an angry tirade, so it's best to just move on. 

In 2007 bad fantasy films hit a crescendo and we were forced to suffer through what seemed to be bad film after bad film.  Specifically, and in nor particular order they were: Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Shrek the Third, Enchanted, Beowulf, and The Golden Compass. These movies range from bad to God Awful, and suffice to say I wouldn't recommend them to a friend.  However, 2007 did have a single ray of sunshine in it for Fantasy fans, the somewhat under the radar film, Stardust.  It was a quality film that really hearkened back to the immortal classic, The Princess Bride.  Stardust, unlike the other 2007 films all of which had a higher budget, is a movie I would have no trouble recommending to a friend.  

Well we're onto 2008 so you know what that means... Twilight.  Look I'm not going to waste space here bashing Twilight into the ground, it is a series that is very popular with its target audience, the "tweens," but for the rest of us it just isn't worth the time.  The other major fantasy film of 08 was the second installment of the Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian.  While some changes were made were made for the worse (Prince Caspian himself is older and FAR more annoying than in the book), this was still a quality film that I enjoyed.  The following year (09) we saw the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (another stinker), the new Twilight film New Moon (another waste of time for non-Tweens), and Avatar (a waste of time for everyone).

That brings us to 2010 and the slew of bad fantasy film on display at present.  I was going to include Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in my clever tittle, but to be honest it wasn't worth the effort.  I fell asleep during that movie, but stayed awake just long enough to lament that it might have actually been good in more competent hands.  More recently the wife and I have watched 3 fantasy films in the last couple of weeks: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1), The Last Airbender, and The Sorcerer's apprentice.  I'm going to start with the Sorcerer's apprentice because that is the movie that I watched last.

The Sorcerer's apprentice is bad.  The script sucks, the acting is terrible, the characters are unlikeable, and I spent the whole movie rooting for Morgana to just end the world and put me out of my misery.  Truth be told this isn't even a Fantasy Film.  That's right, folks!  The makers of the Sorcerer's apprentice decided to go all "Midichlorians" on us and explain that a Sorcerers powers are actually just science.  Nick Cage explains to his apprentice in one seen (that made me want to gouge my eyeballs out with a spork) that though most people can only use 10% of their brains, Sorcerers can use 100% and manipulate the natural world around them. Yep, it's that old myth, used as a crutch once again for bad storytelling.  I guess they never read our article on keeping magic magical.  Sadly as bad as this film is, it isn't even the worst of the three.

The worst movie of the three (dare I say by far?) is by far The Last Airbender (I do!).  I almost can't put into words just how bad this movie is.  The acting is absolutely atrocious, seriously it is one of the worst acted films I have ever seen.  I don't know who cast this movie, but they should be put out to pasture.  The villain is the pizza guy from Spiderman 2!  I shit you not.   The fact is, that everything about this movie is bad save for the special effects.  Once again, we see style trump substance and this time it leads to an unmitigated disaster.  I think the wife and I would have shut the movie off but we were both like a deer in headlights the entire time. Fortunately, it was all downhill from there.

"Fear my flame bending powers, for I shall burn your crust!"

The Deathly Hallows (Part 1) was the best of the three.  It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though given that I thought it would be terrible this isn't saying much.  This one is still pretty new so I'll leave it at that for now.

So now that we've gone though the recent past and present of Fantasy Films what do I see in the future?  Well given that I've been pretty doom and gloom for this entire article you probably think all I see is darkness and despair, but actually that isn't the case.  Fantasy will see an inevitable dip in popularity next year when the Harry Potter films end, but there is actually a lot coming up to brighten the horizon and it isn't all coming on the big screen.

For starters you have the new Chronicles of Narnia movie (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) which looks promising.  The biggest and best hope is Peter Jackson's return to middle earth for a two part version of The Hobbit.  With Jackson on board, and with the quality cast he has assembled, I am so sure of this films quality that I would bet my house that it will be great. 

Despite some great movies on tap at the movie theater I actually think the future of great fantasy could come on the small screen.  HBO's A Game of Thrones is bound to be some of the best fantasy we have seen in a while, if not ever.  It has that type of potential, given the impeccable source material combined with a commitment and integrity that just isn't seen much on blockbuster films anymore.  Also busting onto the small screen in 2011 is a new Starz series, Camelot.  Camelot tells the story of King Arthur and his Knight of the Round table right from the beginning.  Like HBO, Starz seems to be aiming for a grittier and more realistic fantasy, cut with a healthy dose of political intrigue.  

Though the future of quality fantasy looks like it may be on the rise watch out for landmines such as the World of Warcraft movie, The new Conan film, The Elfstones of Shannara, and other highly questionable projects on the horizon.

Newest Green Lantern Trailer

Yep, it looks awful.