Jacob Foxx's Blog, page 63

Update: The Times That Try Men’s Souls

The cover for the new novel, The Fifth World: The Times That Try Men’s Souls has been selected and the first round of editing is complete. Unfortunately, the process is taking longer than I hoped but we are moving ever closer to a release date. The sequel will be available in paperback and ebook for all readers for $3.99.

I am pushing the publisher to have a deal where both novels can be purchased for $4 or $5 to encourage people to read the first novel.

The sequel is not really a stand alone novel. After going through it again, it is clear to me now that it is not very understandable unless you read The Fifth World. This is regrettable but can’t he helped at this point. Just the same, I want people to read all my books anyway.

The release date has been pushed back again, to late July. It sounds like there will be no more delays though. Most of the grunt work of preparing a novel for release is done or underway.

I have two other projects coming along. The third novel in The Fifth World series is coming along nicely. I haven’t started writing it yet but a large amount of the research and outlining is complete. I’m also working on a military science fiction novelette that is coming along as well. It will be done sooner and will be available on ebook on all readers hopefully before the end of the year. No title for either project yet.

That’s all for now.

Jacob

The post Update: The Times That Try Men’s Souls appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Movie Review: Man of Steel

Man of Steel came in with a top-notch cast, a dynamite crew, and the greatest superhero in the genre. Yet with everything put into this movie, it fails to deliver. Fans and general movie-goers alike will come away disappointed.

The movie begins with the fall of Krypton. An environmental disaster ensures the planet’s destruction. Jor-El is a leading scientist who warned the planet’s leadership but was ignored. His plan is now to move survivors to a new world, but not to carry on the civilization but to start a completely new one. General Zod decides the leadership must be executed and the remains of the civilization rebuilt on a new planet. Jor-El sends his son Kal-El to Earth, where he is raised as a human. The rest you know. The conflict is between Zod, who wishes to rebuild Krypton civilization on Earth, and Superman who decides to defend Earth.

The biggest problem with the film is that it moves like a montage. The scenes are heavy, well-directed, but move so rapidly through the story you get only snap shots of the characters. It is such a large story, the writers had to condense it to the point that you don’t really get into it. If there is going to be an uncut or extended version, I bet it will be great. The theatrical release just isn’t.

Great acting saved many scenes and a good amount of the story but the talent in this film is wasted. We get only glimpses of these characters, with Russell Crowe and Diane Lane having to put so much into a few lines. Again, you feel like if the movie were longer or split into two, it would be fantastic.

The greatest problem with Superman is the inability to generate drama. The hero is invincible. In this movie, the villains also appear to be invincible. Only the ships and buildings around them get torn apart, and of course the humans. There is tons of violence, destruction, and mayhem – all of which you don’t normally see in Superman movies. It is part disaster movie, part alien invasion movie. Neither makes sense in the franchise.

Choosing Michael Shannon to play General Zod was a mistake. He is paper thin despite some good lines. For a superior being, he is entirely single-minded.

There is no humor or romance in the movie, both elements of previous Superman movies. Amy Adams could’ve been a good Lois Lane but we’ll never know. She fulfilled only the journalist part of the character in this movie. There was no chemistry between her and Henry Cavill.

The climactic battle is another example of sensory overload similar to Iron Man 3. This is unfortunate and numbs you by the end.

There are also several plot holes. Jar-El is able to upload part of his consciousness into a 20,000 year old ship… how??? Why does General Zod bother terraforming Earth? Aren’t there more suitable worlds? What about their colonies? Does his desire for vengeance against a dead adversary really extend to his son?

The amazing special effects, including the depiction of Krypton, along with the heroics of Superman make parts of the movie likable. But it still falls short of expectations. It is incredibly disappointing from director Zack Snyder, who produced a masterpiece with 300. Since then he’s produced less than stellar works such as the epic failure Sucker Punch. Christopher Nolan helped with the film and you can see his influence in the dialogue and parts of the story but he did not deliver like he did with Batman.

This movie gets 3 stars but only because some of the individual scenes were very strong. The movie as a whole isn’t.

Jacob

The post Movie Review: Man of Steel appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Game of Thrones Preview: Mhysa

We’ve reached the climax of season 3! In a devastating episode, Robb Stark is assassinated, his forces all but destroyed. John Snow abandons his woman, demonstrating he is still loyal to the Night’s Watch. Bran and Osha part ways. Daenerys takes Yunkai. The epic Song of Ice and Fire has taken quite a turn.

Who is our hero in Westeros now?

The assassination of Robb leaves House Stark in ruins. Their castle is burned to the ground and its two remaining heirs scattered in the north. Sansa is married to a Lannister and Arya remains on the run after witnessing the brutal attack at the Tully-Frey wedding.

I always felt Frey’s deal was too easy. Robb’s situation was precarious all season long and in the end he could not get out of it. He made a series of blunders derailing his war and leading him to this moment. Keep Theon at his side and Winterfell is intact. Spare Rickard Karstark and you don’t have to beg Walder Frey for an alliance and get killed. Don’t marry Lady Talisa and you keep Frey as an ally in the first place.

Robb’s sense of justice and honor undermined his strategy. He also failed to recognize the shrewd ruthless worldviews of those around him. Only the Starks seem to care about justice or honor in the land of Westeros. The rest switch sides when it suits them.

Blackfish Tully may still be alive, along with the groom from the wedding. Frey might spare them in order to keep them as vassals. Either way, the northern rebellion is no longer the primary concern for the Lannisters.

Tywin’s sole remaining rival is Stannis Baratheon. Stannis is pretty unimpressive as a leader but he benefits from Robb’s death. It is one rival dead and any Stark bannermen who can’t or won’t join with Frey and the Lannisters can switch to him.  If Stannis wants to get back into this war he better get to it. He’s been sulking in his castle all season.

John Snow betrayed the wildings, which was probably inevitable. He is still a Night’s Watch man but his betrayal of Ygritte was a surprise. Bran and him were extremely close to a reunion, which is frustrating. Bran is now the heir of Winterfell and the throne of the north should he try to carry on the war of independence from King’s Landing. For now, he’s distracted with his desire to find some three-eyed raven. That storyline was pretty boring all season.

Arya was very close to a reunion with her mother and brother. To walk in as they are getting murdered is a pretty cruel plot twist. It is similar to the Greek tragedy of Theseus and his father, Aegeus. He returns from slaying the minotaur of Minos, but forgets to use white sails to signal to the city and his father that he survived the minotaur. His father commits suicide before he learns his son actually survived. Their tearful reunion was that close!

This kind of tragedy is very rare in American fiction. We prefer heroic victories, heartfelt reunions, and the little guy winning in the end. Tragic deaths are kept to a minimum and are often secondary characters only. Martin’s world doesn’t operate that way. Martin demonstrated a commitment to realism with a brutality that existed in medieval times. For the second time, the hero is killed.

The last remaining admirable leader is Daenerys Targeryen. Daenerys got a major victory over Yunkai, leaving only one large slave city left. She remains a huge distance away from Westeros. She won’t be a player in the war for the iron throne for a while. The leader of the Second Sons has a serious crush on her, and it appears she might have a thing for him. She needs to be careful. Alliances are often sealed with marriage. Taking a non-royal lover is a major complication. You also risk Jorah’s jealousy creating new drama.

Knowing Daenerys, this might be a means of keeping the young leader in her control until Yunkai is taken. She might be using her charms (a euphemism for standing in front of him butt-naked) to keep him at her side but has no intention of taking him as a lover or giving him any significant power in her moving court.

If she arrives in Westeros with her army, will any of the great houses join her? My thought is no. Unless she can add to her forces, acquire siege weapons, or some other advantage none of them will switch sides to a new player. It is a Lannister vs. Baratheon war now.

We’ve reached the season finale. What is the fate of the north? Is their rebellion over? Is House Stark dead? Will the Tully’s survive, cutting a deal with Frey?  Where can Arya go now? What of House Arryn? Can Tyrion and Sansa keep their celibacy secret?

The remaining drama is in King’s Landing with the Lannisters. Hopefully Jaime is back by now. We will see their next move. My guess is their attention shifts to Stannis.

Jacob

The post Game of Thrones Preview: Mhysa appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness is an entertaining summer blockbuster movie with fantastic 3D effects. While regular movie goers will love it, Trekkies may be a little disappointed.

In the beginning of the movie, Kirk finds himself in trouble after ignoring the prime directive to save Spock’s life. Command of the Enterprise is taken away only to be given back after several terrorist attacks. For some reason they trust a novice captain with a troubled record with the most important mission of all. The Enterprise must hunt down and kill the terrorist John Harrison. The movie proceeds revealing the truth of Harrison, that he is in fact Khan.

The 3D special effects are awesome, equal to Avatar, and better than Iron Man 3. The story has a couple twists and turns, some great lines, excellent chemistry with the cast, and some cool little throw ins from the old movies, especially Wrath of Khan.

However, Star Trek is not supposed to be like Iron Man or Batman or any of the other summer blockbusters. The original series, TNG, and the movies had some action and twists but were not heavy on special effects, explosions, and cute lines. The franchise is more cerebral, more optimistic, and inspirational. The most recent movies are not.

First, the writers are playing fast and loose with Star Trek technology, with a transporter that can take someone from Earth to the Klingon home world. Nowhere in the movies or TV series did I ever see that done. Transporters have limited range. The weaponry of the Enterprise, while present in the first movie, is absent in the second going back to the idea that it is an exploration class vessel. We know it is multipurpose. Finally, how is it that Khan represents a leap forward in technology when he is 300 years old? This oddity is never explained.

There are several plot holes.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

For example, how could Khan possibly convince someone to initiate a suicide attack by saving his daughter’s life? Once the daughter was saved, why would anyone go through with it? The bomber put a ring into a glass of water and blew a hole in the city. What substance can do that??? Why would anyone think it was a good idea to thaw Khan out? To bring someone to life with no knowledge of 24th century technology is not very practical if you want him to be some weapons expert.

It has long been a Star Trek tech rule that transporters can’t work when shields are up. This rule was broken.

Finally, the Enterprise is disabled in the middle of Klingon space right next to their home planet. How did they manage to survive and not be detected?

The original Star Trek crew were professionals, well-educated, well-trained, and experienced. This storyline begins when they are just out of the Academy. Granted they aren’t as experienced yet, but why do they all behave noticeably less professional? Why is Spock’s logic constantly torn down and abandoned in favor of his human emotions?

Probably the biggest strike against these movies is their dark militaristic style. Star Trek is supposed to be optimistic and inspirational, not apocalyptic and brutal. The show and movies often involve military confrontations but they are rarely at the center of the conflict. The Wrath of Khan is considered by many as the greatest Star Trek movie, but J.J. Abrams and the writers missed the point as to why. It was about death, and the breaking of Kirk’s invincibility. Into Darkness cleverly avoids that, instead making it about feelings of vengeance.

Star Trek Into Darkness is a good movie and will make money, but does not fully fill the unique role of the Star Trek franchise in American entertainment and culture. If they make a third, I am not sure they can get away with it again. I’ve already heard some rumblings from Trekkies. While the casual moviegoer will still go, the bulk of the fanbase is Trekkies and their nostalgia is wearing thin.

The movie gets 4 stars from me, but with some reservations about it. I love Star Trek, it is why I got into science fiction and represents a profound achievement in entertainment in my opinion. It is a franchise for nerds. These last two installments, were not.

Jacob

The post Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus is an entertaining read, excellent for fantasy-lovers and romantics. The visuals, the smooth style, and Shakespearean love story are high quality and impressive from a first time author, Erin Morgenstern.

The Night Circus is about a competition between two very old magicians or supernatural beings of some sort, sometime in the late 1800s. They each take on an apprentice to teach them magic in order to prove which teaching method or magic technique is superior. The competition takes place in a moving circus that is open only at night, established by numerous non-competitors ignorant to its real purpose. While the patrons of the circus view it simply as an amazing feat of trickery and misdirection, it is in fact an exhibition of true magical power. There are ice gardens, a permanently burning white flame, cloud mazes, and a gifted fortune-teller.

The competition is thrown into chaos when the two apprentices fall in love, refusing to carry on with the duel.

It is a neat Romeo and Juliet story adding in magic, Victorian era costume and entertainment, but also has a dream-like quality. Morgenstern doesn’t try to explain how magic works in her world, only that it is there and has power. By leaving it a mystery it creates a true aura of fantasy. All too often, fantasy stories attempt to impose rules or rigid restrictions on magic or supernatural forces, all of which is for the author’s convenience. Basically the rules are written around the story. Most readers pick up on this even if they don’t realize it. Often reviews of these stories are average or lackluster, with most not really able to explain why they didn’t love it.

Maintaining a fantasy world without any clear rules or boundaries is not easy either. I think it works for Morgenstern because the real bulk of the novel is about the characters, the love story, and the awe people have when they see something spectacular. There is a part of us that wants to see it and be in awe, but to learn the secrets or tricks behind the spectacle can take away from it. Morgenstern plays on this innate human desire to be deceived.

Many people pride themselves on being observant skeptics, able to discover the magician’s secrets or tricks. They like being the ones in the room that aren’t “duped.” They need to know how everything was done, unimpressed with any magician. There isn’t really anything wrong with that, but it does take away from the experience in a way. If we want to be entertained and enthralled with anything imaginary, fictional, or spectacular, it requires a suspension of belief in some form. We have to believe the world exists somewhere even if it is only for a short period of time (the length of a movie or the time it takes to read a novel).

The Night Circus captures this well.

I am not a huge fan of fantasy, or stories about circuses or magicians (I hate clowns), but the uniqueness of the circus in the book was fascinating. It made me forget that if a place such existed I’d probably despise it or be terrified by it.

Morgenstern uses a third person omnipotent perspective well and gives you a clear picture of everything going on in this wondrous circus. The jumping around of time and places does get a little troublesome but usually the book gets on track quickly so I didn’t get frustrated. The build up to the novel’s climax is short and a little disappointing. The ending was good, not great. It seemed to be more workmanlike and tedious, as if Morgenstern felt like she needed to check each box for the conclusion to be complete. It clashed with the more free-flowing dream-like style of the rest of the book.

I think what I liked most was its lack of vampires, werewolves, swords, or dragons. It’s fantasy elements were more conservative but beautifully executed within the story.

It gets 4 stars from me and I definitely recommend it to fantasy readers and those that love the Victorian Era (fans of steampunk and goth).

Jacob

The post Review: The Night Circus appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Game of Thrones Preview: The Rain of Castamere

Well the people of Game of Thrones sure find ways to surprise you. Some of the bad guys actually aren’t that bad. We found out about Jaime’s heart last week, now for the other Lannister.

Tyrion marries Sansa, gets drunk later then decides he won’t sleep with her. The actress Sophie Turner is actually 17 but Sansa is only 14. It was common in medieval times for girls to marry that young, statutory rape didn’t exist (true in Westeros as well). Her young age along with Tyrion’s relationship with Shae made it impossible for him to consummate the marriage.

This is a long-term problem for Tyrion as it can nullify the marriage. I don’t know marriage law in Westeros but in medieval Europe, a marriage that is not consummated is not legal and can be declared null and void. For Sansa and Tyrion’s sake I hope this is possible. At the same time, they are both in danger. It will be a while before anyone outside the bedroom wonders if the marriage has been consummated or not (no pregnancy) but in say a year or so, Tyrion has some explaining to do. Shae knows but has every reason to keep her trap shut.

For now, the Tyrion situation is off the table. There’s still Jaime and his promise to release Sansa, which is highly unlikely. She’s married to his brother and Tywin would lose a bargaining chip with her release. Joffrey certainly doesn’t want to see her released.

By the end of this, Lord Tywin will have alienated all three of his kids. Will it matter? Probably not. None of them have the balls to take him on, or eliminate him.

Daenerys has emerged as a wise queen to-be. When meeting with the mercenaries known as the Second Sons, she doesn’t have the dragons with her. She didn’t want to intimidate them, she wanted to buy them off. The numerous perverted comments didn’t rattle her. I suppose by now she’s used to it. An excellent display of strength, poise, and resolve.

One of the young lieutenants was quite taken with her and decided to kill the other two leaders of the Second Sons. They wanted to kill her to avoid battling her army. Instead, the lieutenant wants to fight for her. He snuck into her tent during bath time and announced his intentions. He got an eye full of his new queen and that was that. She was brave and unashamed. Loyalty shouldn’t be a problem after that.

Yunkai is in bigger trouble than I thought. Their army is weak and Daenerys got 2000 new allies. The Second Sons might have a way in too. It looks like a second slave city will be liberated. There remains the big slave city to the west. By now they’ve heard of her and are gathering forces to defend themselves. Are there others in the region willing to join her like the Second Sons did? From what I can tell of the geography there are no free cities near Yunkai.

The nudity continued with Melisandre and Gendry. Finally, we learn she wishes to sacrifice him, getting some king’s blood in the process for some ritual. Stannis believes it will help him regain the favor of the Lord of Light. Davos is released but remains skeptical. Gendry isn’t killed in the episode, so I’m not sure about that whole deal. These omissions are annoying.

Can the Lord of Light win battles and change the course of wars? There is zero evidence to suggest that. It seems capable of individual acts of magic, resurrection and assassination. If Stannis can have Robb Stark and Tywin Lannister eliminated, his chances greatly improve. Otherwise, he’s too dense to win this war.

The Dog decided to bring Arya to her family at the Twins. This is a surprise development. Arya wanted him dead but apparently he doesn’t hold it against her. His defense of Sansa and his refusal to fight for King Joffrey suggested he was a decent guy but I didn’t see this coming. I figured there’d be a confrontation between the Dog and the Brotherhood or something.

But here we are 7 or 8 episodes in and Arya still hasn’t reached or family or been dragged back to King’s Landing. PLEASE, Mr. Martin/HBO, tie up this subplot!!!

We got a glimpse of the white walkers. While steel swords have no effect, an old dagger found by Sam up north shattered the zombie looking monster. In his fear, Sam left it on the ground. At least, he gathered the courage to take on the monster.

Can the Mother of Dragons take a walled city? What of Lysa Arryn? Will she side with the Lannisters as Tywin believes she will? What about John Snow? Can Melisandre’s magic pull off another assassination? Will Robb take Castlerock?

Jacob

The post Game of Thrones Preview: The Rain of Castamere appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Review: Netflix original Hemlock Grove

I started watching the Netflix original show Hemlock Grove about a week ago. After four episodes I was intrigued. I finished the show this weekend and now am completely lost. The show went in five directions, raised tons of questions while answering only one or two, had bizarre dialogue, cold characters, and limited plausibility.

Hemlock Grove is based on the novel by Brian McGreevy. I haven’t read the novel and after the show, I have little interest in picking it up. It is horror fantasy novel taking place in a small town in Pennsylvania. Young women are being brutally murdered and some think it’s a werewolf.  It is Twilight with sex and graphic violence.

If the novel is anything like the show, it must be pretty confusing. The show introduces numerous subplots, several mysterious symbols, and provides a large amount of background without tying much of it together. It involves attractive drug and sex seeking teenagers, there are brutal murders, werewolves, vampires, magic, and an evil corporation. The story also throws in a little class warfare, genetic engineering, and some anti-Christian themes. It is a dark and depressing world. By the end you feel lost and numb.

First the setting: it is “small town America.” Normally this trope is used to convey innocence and normalcy. Not here. This small town has a culture more like a big, dark European city. There are skycrapers, prostitutes, and some sort of class warfare going on that is never explained.

The characters are unusual to say the least. There is a wealthy family with a ruthless black widow mother played by Framke Janssen. The story mostly follows her two children, Roman Godfrey, the spoiled brat, and Shelley Godfrey, a young girl with incredible deformities. For example, she glows blue when you touch her.

Some are pretty normal like the baffled local police officer, the cruel judgmental high school kids, and the angry blue collar workers. Yet most of the characters talk like college-educated hipsters. The dialogue is cold, mechanical, and cryptic.

Women don’t fare to well in the show. The first female character you meet is a teenage prostitute who is brutally murdered. The creature attacked her genitals first for reasons that are never explained. Olivia Godfrey, one of the main characters, is a wealthy widower and matriarch sleeping with her late husband’s brother. She has an inexplicable British accent and a strange drug addiction. Most of the teenage girls are either ditsy blondes or mindless whores. There are exceptions of course but they don’t play significant roles. Of those, most are killed.

Roman Godfrey is very similar to Ryan Phillipe’s character in Cruel Intentions. In this version, his mother is the Sarah Michelle Gellar bitch character. Hence instead of brother/sister sexual tension you have mother/son sexual tension. The show also throws in some faint homoeroticism with the strange friendship between Roman and Peter, a gypsy werewolf.

Sigmund Freud would probably have some interesting insights into the writer’s attitude toward women and sex.

The acting is very solid and you definitely buy into their personalities, strange as they may be. The two most appealing characters are Roman’s deformed sister Shelley and his beautiful cousin Letha.

In the early episodes a pair of gypsies come into town, one a werewolf (Peter) and the other his pocket-picking mother with a heart of gold. Peter also has a beautiful cousin who is a fortune-teller slash prostitute (noticing a pattern?).

The show gets pretty implausible towards the end. Being horror fantasy obviously requires a suspension of belief but the setting is supposed to be a normal town. The problem is the town and the overall setting are far from normal. A bunch of brutal murders in a small town makes national news quickly now a days. One would expect state troopers the FBI or some other reinforcements. Instead, the town is left to find this brutal serial killer by themselves. The town folk immediately jump to “it’s a werewolf” without any alternative explanation. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife official shows up to help, and is given unfettered access to the investigation as if she’s NCIS.

Another thing, Godrey Industries pivots from steel mill to biotech easily and builds a white skyscraper in the middle of this small town. I know of no small town that has a building higher than 5 floors.

Towards the end of the first season there is a bloodbath where half of the main characters are killed off. The climactic battle between the killer and the heroes made no sense. After all the preparations, magic spells, and bizarre ritualistic sacrifices, all it took was for Shelley to break the wolf’s neck with her bare hands.

McGreevy’s world is dark and angry. The world is filled with cold brutality and there seems to be no purpose or meaning for anyone. Everyone does drugs, everyone has sex for the hell of it, rich people and big corporations are evil, and only the strange have any redeeming qualities. It gives you a feeling of helplessness, depression, and despair. In the end you don’t really love any of the characters, except for the one they had to banish: Shelley.

For people who like horror, werewolves, and vampires I guess you’ll love the show. For everyone else, this show is just too much confusion.

Jacob

 

The post Review: Netflix original Hemlock Grove appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Game of Thrones Preview: Second Sons

Not a lot of movement in the plot last week, just more annoying subplots. The middle of this season has really been slow. It hasn’t seemed to damage the ratings too bad (although they had a drop last week).

Robb Stark is on his way to the Frey wedding. HBO treated us to some nudity and the news that Lady Talisa is pregnant. Arya had enough of the Brotherhood Without Banners and fled. Unfortunately the Dog caught her, which puts her on Deathwatch. Arya tried to kill him and wanted him to die in the duel. While Dog seemed to have sympathy for Sansa I don’t think he feels the same away about the younger sister.

John Snow is over the wall and finally revealed some common sense. The whole Mance Raydor over the wall idea is hopeless. Even if they capture Castle Black, they have to contend with the whole north. Robb Stark may be preoccupied in the south but the Karstarks are up there and it wouldn’t take more than a small detachment to deal with the northerners. Ygritte doesn’t believe it. She’s getting annoying too, not quite sure if she is clear on her loyalties.

For someone watching this show, this had to be obvious. There is no way a bunch of eskimo tribes could take on the Starks, let alone the whole north. It is a pointless move.

Danaerys reached Yunkai, demanding all of its slaves be freed. Her army isn’t big enough to take the city but the three dragons make them a threat. Still, she approached their leader with a lot of aggressive posturing. It was all a demonstration. I am curious if Yunkai actually has any allies. Surely the slave cities aren’t too excited about a wannabe-queen liberating slaves everywhere she goes. Her only refuge will be free cities and I don’t think she’s very close to them.

Tyrion is having relationship problems with Shae, might have something to do with the fact he’s getting married. Marjaery is trying to cheer her up, maybe she really is that nice or she genuinely likes Sansa. There’s no real gain for her to be close with Sansa anymore.

Tywin and Joffrey finally had a scene together. It had to happen. Joffrey is afraid of his grandfather. I think everyone is. Even the little psychopath doesn’t want to piss him off. Joffrey may turn out to be a puppet after all, with Tywin, not Cersei, becoming the actual ruler of Westeros.

Jaime left Haranhal only to run back and save Brienne from a bear. He put his life on the line to protect her, which doesn’t fit his character up to this point. It also doesn’t compute that he had that kind of a debt with her. He doesn’t. Jaime Lannister has a heart??? Well, it tends to attach itself to one or two souls (Cersei and Brienne) and no one else.

Can Jaime deliver on his promise? Can he convince Tywin to let Sansa go? Would Joffrey let that happen? Tywin has no reason to. He doesn’t want peace. Even with Sansa back, Robb hasn’t avenged the death of his father. Some other price must be paid by the Lannisters.

Melisandre brought Gendry to King’s Landing or at least sailed by it. Why??? No answer here. A bastard has no legitimate claim to the throne. Joffrey wiped out the other bastards but only to help put the incest story to rest.

Is Theon dead yet???

Boring episode, too much filler. The show is losing momentum. Hoping for a turnaround soon.

Jacob

The post Game of Thrones Preview: Second Sons appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

For the very few out there that haven’t seen Iron Man 3 yet, here is my review. The lesson here being reviews probably aren’t that helpful two weeks after the release. Oh well.

Iron Man 3 continues the two-layer plot of Tony Stark’s inner demons and outer demons. This time the exterior demon is a mysterious terrorist called the Mandarin (played by Ben Kingsley). Stark is inexplicably anxious since the huge Avenger battle in New York City. While some may find it understandable the movie doesn’t really reach an ah-ha! moment with this. He just… gets over it. His fear is mostly of losing Pepper and some of his other friends. To stave off the anxiety, he doesn’t sleep, instead building and completing over 40 suits.

The new suits are incredible, able to fly around on their own and form up on his person. There is also the innovation of the new bio-tech from a fellow industrialist. When properly administered it allows the human body to repair itself almost instantly. It also gives the power to breath fire and inflict damage to powerful alloys, like iron man suits. Cool stuff, more super hero than legit sci-fi.

The action sequences are amazing for the most part. They truly outdid the previous two movies in that category. One complaint: the 3D had problems with a one or two scenes, moving way too rapidly. It almost gave me a headache with the rapid movement, switches in frame of reference, and the bright flashes. Really, why do we still have to endure this sensory overload? It isn’t necessary, I think audiences will appreciate pulling some of this back a bit. Avatar set the standard for quality 3D, and Avengers did an amazing job as well. Iron Man 3 simply did not match them on 3D effects.

Robert Downey Jr is hilarious and his chemistry with Gwyneth Paltrow is amazing. Ben Kingsley did a fantastic job as did Guy Pearce. Don Cheadle was cool but I think the script short-changed his character. Also, there is a little kid that works with Tony Stark in the middle of the movie who is hilarious.

RDJ adds a lot to this movie. Without him, I don’t think this franchise works. I give a slight nod to the first movie as being the best, but this one comes close. I give it 4 Stars and recommend it. Star Trek Into Darkness has a tough act to follow.

Jacob

The post Movie Review: Iron Man 3 appeared first on Jacob Foxx.

Game of Thrones Preview: The Bear and the Maiden Fair

The war has taken a turn. Robb Stark has regained momentum, the Lannisters put down a potential threat, and Stannis still wastes time pouting about his loss at Blackwater Bay.

First Robb: Walder Frey agrees to the alliance quickly with only minor demands. I am really surprised. Frey was a pretty tough negotiator the first time around but I guess it was because he knew he had Robb over a barrel. Robb needed to cross the river badly. With Robb now on the same side of the river, Frey’s strength shrinks. He asks for an apology, a dump of a castle, and a marriage between one of his daughters and his uncle, some Tully fool. Not really a big list of demands.

Stark’s forces double and now he is ready to move on Castlerock.

Tywin proved his political genius again. In a one-on-one encounter I desperately wanted to see, he backed Olenna Tyrell into a corner and killed the Loras-Sansa engagement. Loras will marry Cersei. The alliance is secure.

Sansa gets the raw end of the deal, losing her escape route out of King’s Landing. I didn’t think the Lannisters would let her out whether it was with the Tyrells or Lord Baelish. Baelish kills his assistant for betraying his motives to Varys. This is mostly inside politics and doesn’t matter much in the big picture.

Arya loses her friend, the bastard son of King Robert. Somehow that red priestess knew who he was. He doesn’t seem to know. I suppose this is how the whole Baratheon story is going to unfold. Stannis has a bastard nephew, exactly why that helps him I don’t see yet.

John Snow and Ygritte are nearly killed scaling the wall. There is treachery afoot. What will he do when he encounters his old Night’s Watch buddies? Or better yet, how will he protect Bran and Rickon when they arrive at Castle Black? Snow is in a position to reunite with his sort-of family and actually bring the northerners into the primary story line in the south.

I sure hope so. The John Snow story has been pretty boring.

Jaime is being sent back to his daddy a hand short. My guess is he is in the doghouse for a while. On the show, Tywin is keeping his distance from Joffrey, probably to avoid the temptation to strangle the little shit.

Can we please just unite Arya with Robb and her Mother already!!! That is another storyline that has been painfully dull. This sucks because she is a favorite character of mine.

Stark will draw Tywin out but the outcome of a battle between the two is up in the air. John Snow must find a way protect his half-brothers. We probably get a Danaerys update. Theon will die soon or be turned over to Robb. I have a sense that Stannis is in trouble.

Jacob

The post Game of Thrones Preview: The Bear and the Maiden Fair appeared first on Jacob Foxx.