A Quick Note

Hey there.

Quick blog, something just occurred to me. This past weekend was supposed to be when the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs were supposed to start.

Of course, that was before the stupid, idiotic powers that be blew the hockey season all to hell.

Damn.

Anyway, a moment of silence for what might've been.



P.S. 10 days before Star Wars Celebration 3!!!

The Big News!!

Hey there.

Now, a lot of my online friends have been getting on me about this BIG news that I've been teasing about on my blog.

Well, at long last, I'm ready to reveal all.

Here it is:

I'm going to Star Wars Celebration 3!!!

That's right, I'm going to what could be the largest fans convention ever later this month.

How did this go about?

Quite simple really.

A few weeks ago, my friend Rob sent me an e-mail with a short but simple message:

"Want to go to the Star Wars Celebration?"

Now after I read it, I thought it over for, I don't know, a millisecond before I gave him a short, but simple reply:

"Hell yeah!"

Now I asked him how this is going to happen, since this came completely out of the blue.

Well he had planned the week of the event off, but didn't want to go alone, so he asked me if I could go along. Looking it over, I had no problem with it.

Now, after the next few weeks of clearing vacation time (I had to move my vacation up several weeks), getting funds together(paying for the registration and raising funds for other stuff) and getting the official OK from the guys running the event. I can proudly say that me and Rob are going to Indianapolis April 21-24 for Star Wars Celebration III!!!

I cannot wait.

Now, if you're not a fan of Star Wars, something like this may not resonate with you. But if you've been a fan of the saga, as both me and Rob have been for years, this is the ultimate in cool. My experience has gone back to seeing the original movie when it debuted on TV as a kid, then going to see "The Empire Strikes Back" with my brother at the theater. I've been a fan of it ever since.

I've since seen the third film in the original trilogy, "Return of the Jedi", owned the special edition set on tape, seen both the prequel films "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" (both of their posters are proudly hanging on my bedroom wall) and have purchased both films on DVD as well as the original trilogy. Not to mention the few bits of toys, t-shirts, and caps I have of the set.

And now, a few weeks from the release of the final big-screen movie of the saga, "Revenge of the Sith", me and my best friend will be gathered at the ultimate fan event, along with thousands of other Star Wars fans from around the world.

What's going to happen to me during those days will be huge. First, this will be the biggest fan event I've ever been to, topping even the MST3K convention I attended a few years back. Second, this will be my first time visiting Indianapolis, which I hear, is a pretty cool city to visit. And the topper of all this, will be the fact that me and Rob will be flying there for the event, which will mark my first ever trip on a airplane. So, I'm nervous, excited, and psyched-- all at the same time.

As I write this, it will be about two weeks before I embark on this way cool event. As it draws closer, I'll be filling you in on all the preps as we get ready for the trip. And when I come back, I'm going to have tons of stories and photos of my adventure.

So, there it is, folks. Now you see why I've been making such a big deal about it. Because it is.

And I can't wait.

Star Wars Celebration 3 at Indianapolis. I can't wait to go and have a fun time... in a galaxy, far, far away.

New Links

Hey there, it's been a while since my last entry. So much has happened in the past few weeks and I can't wait to tell you all about it. Believe me, I have a lot to tell you. So much in fact, it'll take more than just one entry to tell it all. I will say this, I'll save the best news for last.

First things first, I've added a few new links to my site. Batman Fan Films is a site I came across while I was continuing my new found search for fan films online. As the site's name suggests, they have plenty of fan films, teasers, trailers and scripts based on the Caped Crusader. Many of the projects have came about after the dreck that was "Batman & Robin" hit the screens several years ago. Now, with the new "Batman Begins" film coming later this summer, more emphasis has come to these films as that date draws near.

I now check this site every day for news, new project announcements and stuff like that. And in the several weeks since I came across this site, I've found several that I really like. I'll tell you about them in the next entry. I've even contacted some of the people behind these films and they've been real cool in responding back.

The other site I'm adding to my list of links involves another of my favorite subjects: werewolves. One of my online friends, Nathan, e-mailed me about this new site called The Werewolf Cafe. It has photos, stories, and other cool stuff about werewolves, which I love. What's cool about this site is that the main part of it is active only during nights of the full moon, give or take a day or two. But, the site also has a forum which is up every day. I've met so many cool online friends while exchanging messages on the forum. It's another place I go to every night now, sometimes more than once. If you're a werewolf fan, I definitely suggest you check it out. The guys and gals there are great.

That's it for now. But trust me when I say, I've got better news to come. Stay tuned.

The NHL Lockout: IT'S STUPID!!!

I'm a sports fan. Been one all my life. I'm especially a hockey fan. I've experienced many moments as a hockey fan, especially with my hometown team, the Red Wings. I've been to several key games, met up close and personal with several players and coaches, and was among the millions of fans that was there when the team won the Stanley Cup a few years back.

But I never expected this.

I never expected the announcement Wednesday that the NHL season would be officially canceled as a result of the labor dispute.

I never thought it would come to this. I never thought that they would pull the plug on the season. I just knew that somehow, someway, the players and the owners would come to their senses and look at what's good for the game and the league and make some sort of deal to save the season.

I honestly thought that their egos their pride and most importantly, their greed would be put aside and they would look at the big picture: the game and the fans.

I was wrong.

As a fan, I'm beyond being angry. I'm beyond being upset. I'm even beyond being livid. I'm just so mad at BOTH sides for letting one of the sports I love disintegrate over something so petty.

And you heard me right, I'm mad at both sides --the players and the owners-- for letting it get to this point. I'm mad at the players for being so hard headed over not having a salary cap (every major league has a salary cap, what makes hockey so high and mighty that they don't) until the last minute. I'm mad at the owners for letting it get out of hand for several years (signing players for exceedingly high salaries and overextending the league beyond its scope with way too many teams) and being so hard headed over imposing their stance, again until the last minute.

And I'm really mad at both sides for the name calling, the petty potshots, and the ego trips each group had, seriously underestimating the resolve of the other. As far as I'm concerned, both of these groups acted like a bunch of spoiled brats over this.

So now what? What happens now?

In my opinion, I think if and when they ever get this situation fixed, they need to make some changes. Major changes. Not just to the league and to the sport, but to the hierarchy of both sides. I'd be surprised if all 30 NHL teams will still be around when this mess is finally cleaned up. I'd be very, very surprised if the NHL commissioner and the NHLPA director retained their jobs after this, because both of them could've handled this better and worked on this a lot sooner. And we could've had a season right now.

And it'll be a damn shame if players such as Steve Yzerman, Chris Chelios, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, and others who are at the end of their careers, would ever play again due to this extended stoppage.

Now, for the big question. If and when they ever resume NHL hockey, would I go back to it?

I honestly don't know. Right now, my emotions are getting the best of me. I'm too hurt and angry and bitter over this whole situation to know if I can ever go back to this sport. I mean, I have several Red Wing caps, shirts and other stuff in my possession. I have several Wing photo pucks resting on a frame atop my computer desk for crying out loud, so I still have a love for this game. Does this mean I'll go back to it? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. It'll depend on a lot of things for me to return. All I know right now is there will be no hockey this year. No playoffs. No overtime games, and most important of all, no Stanley Cup. And that sucks big time.

I never thought it would get to this.

But it has.

And as a fan of the game I love, I hate it.

Super Bowl XXXIX Pick

Sunday's the big game, Super Bowl XXXIX. New England vs. Philadelphia, two teams I figured would meet each other as the NFL season got underway. Who do I like?

New England 33, Philadelphia 27

The Eagles will give a good effort, but the Patriots are just too good, too deep and, hey, they're the defending champs playing in their 3rd SB in 4 years. No one's stopped them yet, and even though Philly will try, it won't happen Sunday. It won't be a blowout though, and the game I feel will be decided in the fourth quarter by a key play, not necessarily a field goal.

So here's hoping it's a good solid game, that the high-priced commercials don't suck, and that the halftime show doesn't have any wardrobe malfunctions :)

Mad About Fan Films

Hey there.

I've been so busy with working on the old website and other things that I forgot to mention about something else I've been getting into the past few weeks.

Fan Films.

I love them, especially if they're creative, unique, and touch on something I like.

I want to talk about three films in particular, involving things that I'm a huge fan of: The Incredible Hulk, superheroes, and werewolves.

First up, the Hulk: I'm a huge fan of the big green guy from way back. Beginning with the comics, the various cartoons, and, of course, the 70s TV show. Meeting Lou Ferrigno in person still ranks up there as one of the coolest moments of my life. So it was cool to check out a fan film about the Hulk online recently.
It's called "Hulk:Aftermath" and there are several things I liked about this six minute short: One, the very cool use of the music from the 70s TV show. Not only is this a good homage to the old show, but it fits in very well to the story. Second, the guy who plays Banner fits the character to a T, complete with glasses and purple pants, (straight out of the comics) so to pull that off was very good.
Next, the storyline involves not the green goliath that we all know and love, but rather the grey Hulk, which was the color of the first incarnation when the character was first introduced. Hardly anyone touches on the true origins of the Hulk, so for them to touch on that in the movie was well done. And finally, they incorporated footage from the recent Hulk movie to show Banner's transformation. They did that very well, using a morphing process and also using selected scenes from the movie to tell the story. I won't spill too much more on the plot, but Gary M. Lobstein, who directed the six minute short did a very good job with it. Go to the link above and check it out for yourself. I hope he plans to do more films in the future, especially ones involving the Hulk.

Next, comes superheroes. It's rare to find films these days that touch on heroes with human issues, such as love and relationships. Rarer still to find it in a fan film. I found one online with a film called "Cape Chaser" .
This funny and witty short film touches on two heroes, who as the film starts, just got thru, um, being intimate. When the male hero, Ultimus, is called away by his fellow colleagues, he's not there for a meeting, but rather an intervention on why he shouldn't get serious with Serena, the female hero.
I won't give away any more than that, but I found it funny, unique and giving off a different spin to what we're used to when we see superheroes in action. Click here to see this short film (It helps if you have Quicktime to see it) Hopefully, this won't be the last film involving these characters, cause at the end, it definitely makes you want to see what happens next.

Last, but not least, is a subject near and dear to my heart: werewolves. Recently, I came across a website that had just made a fan made werewolf movie, "Curse of the Wolf".
Now, going into this, I had my doubts about such a film, especially after seeing more than my share of crappy, awful, pathetic werewolf movies. Films that had no plot, made no sense, and overall was a complete waste of time and space.
I didn't find that at all with this film.
FIrst of all, it embraces the fact that it is a comedy. There were several moments that I laughed out loud in fact. Second, the characters were believable. Characters that you can see or know in person thrown into an totally wild situation. Next, the storyline makes sense as far as the movie goes, so it wasn't something that would make the die hard fan feel like this film was a bust, which it wasn't in my opinion.
Now, one of the things I strongly look for in a werewolf movie is how the werewolf looks and how the transformations go. The werewolf in this one is one that you would expect from a student film (a guy in a werewolf mask and fur covered torso) and there's no transformations scenes either. Now to me, that would be a disappointment, but it's OK as long as you know what to expect going in. Overall I found this to be a humorous and witty film, even with a few well placed scares here and there. There were also some surprises as well, such as who is the werewolf responsible for the attacks and a nice little twist at the end after the maddening climax.
I give props to John McGuigan, the cast and the crew at Fire Assault Productions for putting together this effort. I found very interesting reading the behind the scenes stuff as far as shooting and things like that. It made seeing the finished product even more enjoyable knowing what it took to get it all together. And as one who is planning to do his own werewolf movie in the near future, reading about that was very helpful. Good job all around for a film that puts many of the other werewolf movies I've seen lately to shame. Imagine the possibilites if you had the budget these other guys had with their crappy efforts.
Anyhow, if you want to check it out, click the link above and you can download the 62-minute epic for yourself. I, however, have a better suggestion. Go to their website and order the DVD copy of the film., like I did It costs $5, not counting shipping, and has a lot of cool extras, including deleted scenes, trailers, and two bonus student videos that are werewolf related.

OK, those are my two cents on three fan made films. I'll keep an eye out on any more and post them here. Blog at you later.

Web Site Relaunch

Finally, it's done!
My website, the Mark One Network, is back up and running again after a major overhaul. I thought I'd have it done in time for the website's sixth anniversary January 23rd, but that was before I realized how much crap I had to get rid of over the years. So, between doing all of that and trying to squeeze in time to do this in between work and other matters, it took about two weeks total to get all of it done.
So, a lot of the old pages are gone and the majority of the remaining pages have been redesigned, including the front page, which, in keeping with the M1N tradition, has a photo with yours truly and a celebrity.
So please, go check it out. After almost two weeks of work, I insist. Click on the links above and look them over and tell me what you think. I still have some tweaking to do, but it's relatively minor compared to what I've just completed.

Blog at you later.

Out with the Old, In with the New -- Part 2

Hey there, here's Part 2 of my old(2004)/new(2005) themed blogs. Let's start with some photos. First, I had a computer that I worked with for over two years. It was great, but late last year, it was starting to bog down. The time had come for a change...



Here's my old computer.


And here's my new computer.

Nice, eh? And, my overhaul doesn't just stop with the computer.


Here's my old printer.



And here's my new one.

Yeah, another beauty. And it matches with the computer too. :)

I've had both of these machines for almost a month now and I LOVE them. My new PC has a wireless keyboard and mouse, so I can take them outside the computer table. It's loaded with memory so I can download a ton of stuff if need be, and I can do several tasks with it at the same time. Something I couldn't do with my old one. And with my printer, I can print photos now and a lot of other stuff quickly and easily compared to my old one.

So, as I told you from my previous blog, this is the coolest things I had ever owned and I'm sure that I'll have both of these machines around for a long, long time. Now, all I need is access to high speed internet and I'm set to go.

I forgot to mention two other movies that I enjoyed last year: "Anchorman" and "Hellboy".

Things I'm looking forward to in 2005: "Star Wars: Episode III --Revenge of the Sith" as well as the new season of the "Star Wars: Clone Wars" animated series that will set everything right up to the start of Episode III; "Batman Begins", which I hope revives the movie franchise for the Dark Knight; "Fantastic Four", which looks real promising from that trailer I seen; and "Cursed", a werewolf movie that looked doomed with all the changes and delays and recasting it went through, but surprisingly looks pretty good from that trailer I just seen.

Well, I hope 2005 is a year that a lot of good things happen. I also hope that it's a good year for you as well.

Blog at you later.

Out with the Old, In with the New -- Part 1

2005 is here! Hope everyone out there had a good holiday season.

With the new year comes a chance to reflect and look ahead, so I'll devote this and the next entry of the blog to the old (2004) and new(2005) theme.

First, looking back at 2004, I had a relatively average year. Average in that I met some cool new friends (both online and in person, you know who you are : ) and done some cool things. But it was average in the fact that I'm still in my average job, even after several visits to radio job fairs and sending out resumes.

So among my goals ( I hate using resolutions) for 2005 is to aggressively continue my pursuit of working in broadcasting, no matter what it takes. I've been at my dull job long enough.

Another of my goals for 2005 is to travel more. I haven't been outside my home state of Michigan in almost two years, so that needs to change. One goal I want to do this year is to go out of town and attend a comic book convention, preferably the Comic Con International in San Diego. I may settle for the Wizard World event in Chicago if I can't get enough funds together for the trip out West.

Best things I saw in 2004: (Movies)"Kill Bill, Vol. 2" and "Spider-Man 2", (TV) "Lost", "Desperate Housewives", "24", "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars", and "Star Wars:Clone Wars"; (DVD) "Shaun of the Dead", "Super Size Me", and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Extended Edition"

That's it for now. On my next blog, photos of the coolest thing I have ever owned and I got it a few weeks ago.

The Brawl at the Palace

I've seen a lot of wild things in the world of sports, but I have never seen anything as wild as what I saw on TV Friday night when the Pistons-Pacers basketball game turned into a flat out insane brawl involving players and fans in the stands.

After taking a few days to soak all of this in, here's my two cents on the matter.

First, Ron Artest of the Pacers is an idiot. Period. As far as I'm concerned, he lit the fuse to this whole mess by committing a stupid hard foul on the Pistons' Ben Wallace in the late stages of the fourth period. The Pacers were up by 15 with under a minute to go in the game. It was over and Indiana was going to win. There was no need for Artest to do something that stupid with the game already in the bag.

Then to add matters, he decided to sit on top of the scorer's table as the two teams milled about exchanging words and shoves. Best thing for him to do was walk away, but for him to sit on the table was akin to taunting and adding fuel to an already volatile situation.

But then, when that idiot of a fan tossed the cup on Artest, the Pacers player crossed the line.

Granted, the fan was a complete jerk and had no right whatsoever to do that, but what Artest did to get into the stands and confront the fan (the wrong fan, by the way) and exchange blows, that was light years worse. He had no business going to the stands. None. And I don't want to hear that talk about the heat of the moment and disrespect and all that macho crap, a professional athlete has no right to go into the stands and confront a fan. Period. A true professional would've went to security, pointed out the nutjob who tossed the cup and had him ejected. That should've been the end of it. But, Artest, being the bully that he is, didn't go that route. So, as I said before, he lit the fuse to all of this and he's damn lucky that he only got suspended for the entire season. Considering all the other incidents he's been involved in, he's lucky he wasn't banned for life. The guy needs help.

There are others to blame for this too. Artest's teammate, or thug, Stephen Jackson is just as guilty, for first trying to start a fight on the court when the Indiana and Detroit players were jawing at each other after the hard foul and then for going into the stands after Artest and not trying to pull him back to the court or be a peacemaker, but to join in the fisticuffs. Another idiot who should be lucky he got only a 30 game suspension. Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers, who's been trading pot shots at the world champ Pistons for several months after Detroit beat them in the conference finals last summer is another idiot for fighting with the fans as well.

And then there's the stupid fans, pumped up on beer concentrate, adrenaline and some insane egomaniacal trip that makes them think that they're part of the Pistons squad. The ones who threw the cup and the chair and the ones who got on the floor are all a bunch of jerks who got what they deserved. If it was up to me, I'd ban each and every one of them for life for doing something so stupid. You're a fan, for crying out loud! You can cheer, you can boo, but that's it. Anything else is crossing the line. You guys are no worse than the players who crossed the line to go into the stands.

Lastly, I want to talk about how the national media got on their moral high horse to criticize Detroit and how this was expected of the city. First of all, the brawl happened in Auburn Hills, a suburb some 30 plus miles away from Detroit. Second, you're supposed to be a neutral party, not see this as an opportunity to get a cheap shot in. All those announcers who called Detroit fans a bunch of punks and sissies (yes, I'm talking to the guys at ESPN) ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Don't lump a handful of knuckleheads with the rest of us fans. Remember last summer when the NBA Finals was here, not one single incident happened with us fans. Not one.

That's my feelings on the matter. I hope we never see an incident as ugly as that ever again.

Sports Page Blog: Over and Out

Hey there.

Here's a question :Have you checked out my Sports Page blog?

No?

Yeah, same here.

I had high hopes for this blog when I started it last summer. Being a major sports fan, I would use it as my platform for writing everything involving sports.

But as my schedule got way too busy, and I got way too lazy to contribute to my site, much less my blog, the chances for me to write my regular blog and then do something for my Sports Page blog were becoming few and far between.

So today, after looking over the huge amount of blog entries for it (read: 3), I've decided to pull the plug. The Sports Page blog has been cut and now I'll only concentrate on this one as my sole blog.

Maybe one day, I'll revive it when I get more time and a chance to talk more on sports, but right now, I think it's best to let the old page retire in peace.

Blog at you later.

Back on the Blog

Hey there. I'm back again, after yet another self imposed hiatus from writing on the blogs. Sometimes there are days when you come in from work, or other stuff and the last thing you want to do is write something up on the blog. But I feel inspired enough to get back to it and catch up on a few things.

Among them:

-- The new TV season is well underway and out of all the new shows, there's 4 that I like and watch every chance I get. ABC's "Lost", "Desperate Housewives", and "Boston Legal" and CBS' "CSI:NY" The others I could care less about. "Lost" puts me in a dilemna cause it's on the same night and time as the WB's "Smallville". Thank goodness for the VCR, so I can tape one while watching the other and then seeing my taped show later on.

-- Went to yet another Comic Con last month. As opposed to the ones I've attended in the past, this time around there weren't any major celebs for me to meet up with. That's OK, cause this time I couldn't afford the autograph fees even if there were someone I wanted to meet. I did pick up some good stuff this time, including a good DVD of several superhero fan films, a Wolfman action figure playset, and a special edition DVD of the zombie flick "Shaun of the Dead", this one from England, so I don't have to wait several months for that to be released here.

-- Going to all these cons over the years has given me an idea. I want to go to San Diego next summer and attend the Comic Con International over there. We'll see if I can save up enough bucks to attempt that, but I'm certainly going to try.

-- Lastly, have to give a shoutout to several new online friends I've met over the past few months. To Ron, Kent, Robert, and Josh, good meeting you all and welcome to the club!

Well that's it for now. I'll do another entry real soon, I promise . :)

Goodbye, Superman

Christopher Reeve : 1952-2004

I cannot begin to describe how devastated and saddened I am to hear of Christopher Reeve's sudden death on Sunday. To me, and thousands of others, he was-and always will be- Superman.
I'm old enough to remember seeing the "Superman" movie when it first came out in the theaters. I recall me, my brother and a family friend seeing it on the big screen for the first time. I was in total and complete awe. Back then, it was OK enough to let us see it several times on one ticket, so I got to see the movie at the theater several times that day. To this day, in fact, this movie is the one film that I've seen the most, like over a hundred times in one form or another. After that, I truly believed that Reeve was the Man of Steel and that he could really fly.
Of course, over time, I grew up and eventually learned that it was a special effect, but I still had a respect for Reeve, not only for the way he played Superman but as Clark Kent as well. I enjoyed seeing him in the other sequels (yes, even the crappy third film and the even worse fourth.) I even enjoyed some of his other works, like "Somewhere in Time" and "Street Smart".
I was stunned when he suffered that horrible accident in 1995 that paralyzed him and was proud to see him recover from that, become an activist for spinal cord research, and return to acting. And when he appeared on the WB series "Smallville" two years ago to essentially pass the torch in the Superman mythos, I again had that feeling of awe I felt years ago when I first saw him on the big screen.
Last month, when the show returned for it's new season, me and my friend Rob had talked about how cool it would be to see Reeve return again on the series, now that Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the movies, had joined the show in a recurring role.
Sadly and tragically, that will never happen.
Lastly, I have an image of Christopher Reeve that I want to remember him by. It's from the final scene of Superman, where he's flying off into beyond with that trademark smile. That's what I hope he's doing now.
Goodbye, Superman. You'll always be a hero to me.

Good News

On my last post, I talked about two of my friends facing some tough decisions about their health. My best friend Rob had a bone marrow test and my online bud Grant had a test to see if he had a major illness or not.

Well good news on both fronts. Rob mentioned that he doesn't have leukemia or any major illness from his test. He still has to take another blood test in six months though. And Grant found out that the illness may have been caught early so he has an about 90% chance of living unaffected by the disease. He still has a chance to live under constant treatment though.

So even though both of them aren't officially out of the woods, the situation isn't as grave as it was a couple of weeks ago. As I told them before, just hope for the best. And that is what both of them have received. As a friend to them both, hearing that is very good news indeed.

A Show of Support

Normally on my blogs, I like to keep it light, telling interesting things that's happening with me or talking about stuff I've seen in the movies or on TV, but with this entry, I want to talk about something serious concerning two of my friends.

First, I hear that Rob, one of the closest friends I know (he's the "Pratt" of "The Pratt/Brown Discussions" blog that we work on) had a bone marrow exam taken last week to see if there was anything serious going on with his blood cells. He'll get his results Monday.

Then, recently I got some news from Grant, one of my online buds. He's been fighting headaches and other ailments for quite a while. After getting a checkup, he was told that he may have Wilson's disease, an condition that causes the body to be unable to remove copper from its tissue. This could lead to all kinds of problems, such as liver failure or brain damage, and if not medicated could be fatal. He won't know the test results for a while.

Hearing this bit of news about two of my friends flat out sucks. It makes the things that I talk about on the blog seem trivial and insignificant compared to the potentially life and death situations my friends are dealing with. As I've told both of them, I hope for the best results and that both of them will be in my prayers.

Guys, you have my total and complete support and I hope and pray that things will work out.

Movie Review: Spider-Man 2

OK, I've seen Spider-Man 2 opening night yesterday.

All I can say is this: If the first one was amazing, the second one is spectacular.

This sequel went the way that X2 did, in the fact that it improved on the original. And it improved on it in ways that I didn't think possible.

It's rare that a comic book movie can deliver action, drama, good character interaction and depth all at the same time. It's rarer still to do that again, and in a sequel of all things. That's what this film did.

Once again, Tobey Maguire hit it out of the park with his portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. This time, he not only handled playing his heroic alter-ego, but also in dealing with it. More so in this film, he made Parker feel like a real life guy, not just a character drawn up in the comics over forty years ago. Kirsten Dunst did a good job as Mary Jane, this time not just being the damsel in distress, but also standing on her own two feet. The scenes both actors did together in the movie showed that the chemistry hasn't left since the original film.

As opposed to the first film, where the Green Goblin was OK, but not a dynamic villian, Alfred Molina, as Doctor Octopus, was very good. We got to see both sides of his character, before he became Spidey's nemesis and afterwards, and he handled it quite well. The scene in the hospital where he awakens after having the tenacles fused to his spine was one of the most violent scenes I've seen for a comic book film. And he had some good one liners and interaction with Parker/Spider-Man.

The action sequences were incredible, with the two duking it out aboard a speeding train topping the list. It was one of those scenes that I wished lasted longer than it did. And even though I have my beef about CGI, this film came as close as it did to really showing how good CGI effects can look in a movie. I especially liked how the camera swayed back and forth as Spidey swung over New York, almost giving the effect that you were seeing it thru his eyes. That was a definite improvement from the first film.

What made the second film better than the first? More humor. I was really surprised with the balance of laughs along with the drama and pathos of the movie. Every scene that had J. Jonah Jamison in it was a laugh riot. And I do mean every scene he was in. And, one scene involved Parker leaping from the roof and landing hard to the ground was hilarious, especially if you know the story about how Maguire almost had to pull out of shooting because of a chronic back ailment.

And they were a few surprises thrown in as well, especially involving Peter's friend Harry Osborn. I won't give it away, but you can definitely see a set-up for the third movie (which is supposed to be out in May 2007).

I hand it to director Sam Raimi for putting it all together again, after what he did with the first film. I read that he had more freedom with this effort as compared with the first. He again knows how to make a comic book film right.

So, all in all, I would call Spider-Man 2 the best film I've seen this year, slightly below Kill Bill Volume 2. And I'd rank it up there as the best superhero sequel I've seen (topping X2) Can't wait to see what they'll do in another three years to top this one.

Spider Man 2: It's Finally Arrived!!

It's here! "Spider Man 2", one of the most anticipated film sequels in quite a while, finally opens in theaters Wednesday.

And I'm going to see it on opening night tomorrow.

Out of all the comic book characters, Spider Man is the one that I can closely relate. So in 2002, when this character made its big screen debut, I was dying to see what it looked like. I mean, would it suck or not? I had my doubts about it at first, until I saw the trailer. I was blown away. Then I saw the entire film. I was even more impressed. And a lot of people worldwide agreed with that assessment as it took in a lot of money making it a huge blockbuster.

Which brings us to 2004, and the upcoming sequel. Like the original I had the same doubts about whether it will suck or not. Superhero sequels are very hit(see X2: X-Men United) or miss (see Batman & Robin, a film that I don't want to talk about.) So will this be as good as the original or even better?

The buzz going around is that it will be a lot better. We've got a way cooler villian this time in Doctor Octopus (Now come on, who didn't think the Green Goblin's costume in the first one didn't look flat out stupid!) and the scenes they've shown for the trailer look incredibly awesome. So once again, my interest in it has again peaked. Even some of the reviews I've read in the paper have been good.

But all the reviews and trailers don't mean anything until tomorrow night, when I sit down at the theatre and see it for myself.

Is "Spider Man 2" the real deal? I'll let you know on my next entry.

New Stories, New Friends, New Look

Hey there.

I've been slowly getting my website in order. Getting rid of old, dead links and features and cleaning them up. I've also been adding new looks for each of the pages. They're in the test stages right now, but hopefully, if they all work, I'll have them all done in the next week or so.

I've finally gotten back into the writing game. Writing for stuff other than this blog. I've started on a new story, a request for my online bud Adam, about a man-to-cat transformation. I've never done a story like that before, but so far, slowly but surely, it's getting together. I'll let you know when it's done and up on the Stories page of my website.

I've also got a new idea I've been toying around with, thanks to a drawing my friend Lance showed me a while ago. It's still in the early stages, so I'll tell you more about it when I have it more together. I can say that it's another transformation story that I've never done before.

Got a new update to my "Mark of the Wolf" movie project page. Things are moving very well as I hope to get started on filming next year. I plan on a MAJOR announcement on the film's early development in the next week or two.

And finally, I want to give a shout out to my newest online friend, Grant. Met him through Lance's online chat room and we've gotten to know each other pretty well through our late night chats. It's good to know you Grant and welcome to the club!

That's it for now. Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day holiday and don't forget to remember the men and women who've served (and continue to serve) our nation's military.

Blog at you later.

Comic Con: The Post-Game

I've just came back from attending the comic book convention I'd told you about in my last blog, and it was, by far, the best experience I had in all the times I've gone there.

I met a ton of cool stars, among them: "Hellboy" himself, Ron Perlman; Dean Haglund (Lone Gunman Langley from "The X-Files"), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane from the "Superman" movies), Michael Dorn (Worf from "Star Trek: TNG") and novelist Peter David, who got to sign my copy of one of my favorite werewolf novels, "Howling Mad" which he wrote.

There were others there that I wanted to meet, but due to things outside my control, such as limited finances and long lines at their respective booths, I couldn't get them all.

But, all in all, I had a great time there and you'll be seeing some of the cool photos I took pretty soon. I can't wait to go to the next convention, which takes place on Halloween weekend.

Blog at you later.

Going to the Comic Con

I was asked a while back how do you meet all these celebrites and get those photos that wind up on your website. Well, I'm about to reveal my source.

Twice a year, in May and in October, I head off to a comic book convention about several miles away from my house. Sometimes I go alone, other times I go along with my friend Kevin. The convention has tons of comic books for sale, of course. But it also movies, action figures, and other cool items available. I've been able to snag some cool items, like t-shirts, caps, posters and the like. Plus, I've been able to acquire some nice additions to my comic book collection. But I have the most fun seeing the celebrities at the convention, getting to talk with them, sign their autograph and hopefully, take a photo with them.
Now these rare opportunities don't come cheap, costing about $20 to meet each star. But, it's well worth it.

The first time I went to the convention a few years back, I scored a major coup: I got to meet the Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. It was awesome to not only meet one of my TV idols, but to have a picture taken with him as well. That was the first star photo I used on my webpage. I've gotten so much good buzz from that photo, I decided to make it a permanent part of the Network website, adding a new picture with a celebrity every few months or so.

Over the years, I've gotten to meet other cool celebs, including David Naughton of "An American Werewolf in London", Dee Wallace Stone of "The Howling", and recently, LeVar Burton of "Star Trek:The Next Generation". It's a great experience and I have a good time each time I check it out.

The spring edition of the convention will be happening this weekend and I'll be heading out there tomorrow. Now, I hear there will be a lot of stars coming to this one, so I'll have my digital camera loaded and ready to go. With any luck, the stars I see tomorrow at the comic con will wind up on the front page of my website in the coming months.