The Geekorium

I think a little wee just came out

Who else is excited about the new season of Doctor Who?

April 18th.

Doctor Who - Now with more… This Guy!

I want to share one of my favourite things with you. Superheroes. Actually I want to share a few of my favourite things - Superheroes, old crappy movies, and animated GIFs of people doing amusing things.

Check this out:

Check the pointy ears

Yes, that is supposed to be Batman. Nice eh?

Batman has pointy antenna sticking out of his head. This is from the 1949 Batman and Robin movie serial, as seen on DVD. I bought it to grow my ever expanding superhero collection, and wound up watching it one saturday while Mil hogged the computer. Her selfishness bought about something good, as I was slowly drawn into the Dynamic Duo’s web (sorry, mixing my super-hero allusions). See, I wasn’t expecting something amazing - and I wasn’t surprised that it is silly and badly done - but I’ve found myself addicted. I have to watch 3 episodes every Saturday to get my fix. It really is very fun. Firstly, every time I see Batman’s cowl, I laugh out loud. Those ridiculous ears and that pointy nose - cracks me up. Let me share how marvellous this truly is.

Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson - played by Robert Lowery and John Duncan are our dashing heroes on the trail of the dastardly Wizard.

Run Batman, run!

Who is the Wizard? Well I don’t know, as I’ve only seen ten episodes, but there are a few suspects.

It’s the dastardly Wizard

The eccentric Genius, Dr Hammil who created the remote control device that the Wizard is using to terrorise Gotham City.

Surely a man in a wheelchair can’t be the bad guy.

He’s very shifty - he’s got a device that gives him back use of his legs for a time:

It’s a festivus miracle!

Then there’s the radio presenter Barry Brown, who always seems to know what the Wizard is planning.

Who is that “Barry Brown” character?

Then there’s Carter - Hammil’s butler/helper - he seems a bit sly, but I don’t know if he’s mixed up in this crazy game.

Hmmm, suspicious

Batman and Robin are a little different to how we’ve come to know them. They don’t drive a Batmobile as such, but you know that when Bruce Wayne’s Mercury Convertible has the top down - Batman and Robin are on the case! And when Vicki Vale asks if Bruce Wayne knows Batman is using his car? Classic!

Na Na Na Na Na BATMAAAANNNNN

I thought for the first 8 or so episodes that Batman and Robin might have well have been plain clothes detectives for all the distinctly un-bat-like things they did - but then in a cliff-hanger moment - Batman pulled a blow-torch from his utility belt. The thing was huge!

And the cliff-hangers are what it’s about. Like the time Batman was helplessly electrocuted above a cliff by the Wizard. It made him dance apparently… Check it if you don’t believe me.

Batman’s life “hangs” in the balance

At least you might think the cliff-hangers were important, that is until the following week, when Batman (or Robin occasionally) simply punches the bad guy, or grabs a branch to stop their fall, to continue the adventure another week (I think this series paved the way for the cheesy camp of the 60’s series - Batman just brushes off things that were guaranteed to be lethal by the voice over guy the week before).

Since starting this write-up, I’ve finished the series (and started on the 60’s series - even more fun!) and trust me - you won’t see the ending coming. Well worth the $16 bucks I spent on it (and the money my sister and brother spent on it later for a thoughtful, but too-late birthday present - thanks!). Just the ridiculous costume was enough for one chuckle every Saturday for a month, not to mention the stunts.

Oh yes, this is one action-filled romp. Batman and Robin run, leap, fall, punch, drive, dodge and detect like the heroes they are. And to prove it - I’ll leave you with one last animation of Robin leaping to Batman’s aid. Around a corner, and for no real reason.

Oh, he’s so pretty…

I’m loving this.

In Australia we’re about - I dunno, somewhere past halfway through the season. Hurley has just had his ‘crazy’ episode, and things seem to be getting nowhere for anyone.

I was thinking about where everyone in this episode is at the moment - how it seems like all the things we started to learn about them last season were meant to build them up in our minds - only to tear them down again with newer revelations. On a writing level it’s brilliant. Other dramas do it to their characters - but in Lost it feels like the Island is doing it to them.

Hurley was always a lovable guy - still is - but now we wonder if he isn’t a little bit broken by being stuck on the Island.

Sawyer was always bad, but we were beginning to like him (as were the Islanders). Now we cheer when he gets pummelled by Hurley. Rat bastard.
When we found out that Kate was the one in handcuffs on the plane we figured someone that cute couldn’t have done anything wrong. Yeah well - murdering your dad… for being your dad - that’s pretty bad.

Sun’s affair.

We still like these characters - don’t get me wrong, but they started out in season one as clean slates and we started forming opinions of them (Jin for example was a mobster and killer) as soon as we could. By the end of the season most of them had won us over, by doing the ‘right’ thing when it mattered. Now their other sides are coming out - and some of them aren’t easy to like at all.

Locke seemed so in-control, but we’re seeing that he’s actually just as scared and lost as any of them, prone to irrational decisions and fits of rage - full of as much doubt as faith. And when he hit the hobbit - he kinda lost some cred.

As for Charlie - his indiscretions seem minor in comparison to some, but because of them he’s been outcast into Sawyer’s little world. I can’t not like Charlie though - he’ll always be a bit hobbitish to me (And Dominic has my respect, to go from a fantastic movie like Lord of the Rings to a TV show seems like a step down for lot of actors - but he’s done a great job of it. And unlike some nameless people (*cough Sean Astin - There and Back Again

• this guy whines almost as much as me - but I haven’t made a bunch of great movies *cough) he doesn’t give the impression that he thinks the world owes him for being such a great actor.)). So Charlie isn’t so bad.

Whatever your opinion about any of these character flaws in real people, you have to admit that the Islanders aren’t coming out of season two as rosily as the first. They’re being broken and damaged - and none of them for the first time. It’s great TV - even if you do want them to all just get along.