Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Man of Steel 2: Electric Boogaloo is probably going to be a clusterfuck of a disaster, but at least the new batsuit looks cool

(via ComicsAlliance)
It's nice to see designers moving away from that armored batsuit shit that we've had since 1989. Who knows, maybe Affleck will be able to do something none of his predecessors have been able to do since Adam West and actually turn his head. It's been pointed out that the new suit looks similar to the one Batman wore in The Dark Knight Returns and I see it, but I'm hoping that the suit evolves into something like what he wore back during the Silver and Bronze Ages. To me, it looks like the suit in the picture isn't the finished product because the bat symbol is the same color as the rest of the suit and I'd imagine that you would want that to be more visible for the audience. I'm also hoping that those lines I see on the torso, legs and upper arms are just rough edges from the molding process that will be removed, but I get the feeling that those are designs meant to add detail.

I am not a smart man

My dad couldn't get the webcam on his laptop to work for the past few days. His computer runs on Windows 8 and the camera app kept saying that it needed permission to run (it clearly had it before) and that permission could be given in the apps setting.

I had no clue what that meant and I spent about an hour or so searching the computer and the internet for the permissions setting. All the official help pages and forums did nothing, but I eventually found a video on YouTube from Acer with the exact solution I needed. It turns out that when you go into one of Win8's apps, the sidebar (which Microsoft calls "The Charm" and I don't) has different settings than what it normally does. I have no idea how the setting had gotten turned off, but it did.

It's always the minor things that trip you up.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Just a heads up: imported posts

I just imported about eight posts from another blog that I just deleted, so if you see any that mentions "The Low Culture", then you know what it is.

NBC's Constantine looks hot



For those who don't know, Constantine is based on the very popular DC/Vertigo Comics series Hellblazer, which originally ran from 1988 until 2013. The comic starred John Constantine, who was a magic user and detective who handled occult related incidents. Fun fact: Constantine's physical appearance in the comics is based on that of Sting and apparently he was originally created by Alan Moore because Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben wanted to draw Sting in an comic.

I have to wonder, though, if Constantine will even survive a season. It seems a bit outside of what NBC or any of the networks normally do, but then again, so is Hannibal, Sleepy Hollow, and Once Upon A Time. Who knows, maybe broadcast networks are finally expanding their horizons beyond what their comfort zone in response to Netflix and internet-based entertainment.

Bravo for actually casting a Brit to play Constantine, unlike a certain movie that shall go unnamed.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Black Cat-urday #2, Cosplay Edition

(via Alyssa Ravenwood)
(via Oki-Cospi)
(via ToxicHime)

Thoughts on TV show cancellations and renewals

And yes, I am stealing a post idea from SamuraiFrog. :P

Honestly, I'm not too terribly affected by cancellations and renewals because I've only recently gotten into watching TV more than like twice a week. But I guess I'm lucky in that the shows I watch have all been renewed.

Cancellations: Can anybody on this planet, let alone geekdom be surprised that Fox killed Almost Human? The better question is why do people keep shopping their scifi shows to them anymore? I actually liked Almost Human, but didn't watch because it came on at the same time as Monday Night Raw, and I kept forgetting to catch up on Fox's website.

I'm actually glad to see Revolution go. I really liked the premise of a post-apocalyptic world where electricity has stopped working. What I didn't like was the second season where Aaron gained superpowers because of the nanites that caused the world to go dark. It just got weird after that. Then there's the fact that despite the main characters hating his very existence, none of them would kill Monroe, even though the guy had committed crimes against humanity and was responsible for the deaths of people close to the main characters.

Then there's Community, which I personally think was just too different for broadcast television. Still, I think fans should take pride in the fact that the show lasted way longer than anything probably thought it would.

What I would really like to know, however, is how Two and a Half Men isn't on the cancellation list? I mean, is CBS just trolling us by renewing it every year? It doesn't even have the "Half" part anymore because the kid left. It's more like Two Guys, a Girl, and No Pizza Place.

Renewals: Yay, S.H.I.E.L.D. is getting a second season! I kind of expected it would since Disney owns both Marvel and ABC. The show started out slow, but has really picked up steam lately, especially after The Winter Soldier came out. Also yay for Supernatural and Arrow getting renewed.

Hannibal getting renewed pleases and surprises me. The show itself is a constant surprise as it is so completely different from anything else on television. I mean, a show on a broadcast network where one of the main characters is a serial killer and cannibal? And the goriness? Holy shit, that alone I figured would have gotten it axed quickly. I guess people just want something different and they found it in Hannibal.

New shows: I'm really looking forward to Flash, Gotham, and that Peggy Carter show that ABC has greenlit. Looks like comic book-themed TV shows didn't die with Heroes.