'The Help': Bringing Down Societal Barriers (BOOK REVIEW)

  Hey there Geeks. Today, we're going to be talking about The Help, by a Ms. Kathryn Stockett. Now recently this best-selling book was made into a movie which I'm sure most of you know, starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and now Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer. Already that says something about the text, for when book to film adaptation occurs and an Oscar wins comes out, what do you think that means? Excellent character development, and allow me to say The Help has some of the most intriguing, funny, and respectful characters I've read in any book in quite some time. Now Geeks, listen to me, this is a book about social barriers, human dignity, and combating fear while comprehensively discovering who you are many a time through the choices you make. All this and more, is centered around the lives of three women. Now, I want to make this clear, I don't want any of you to be turned away by this. Yes, this book is more so aimed at a female audience, however, that in no way means that men will find no enlightenment or passion, or joy from reading this wonderful novel. Don't believe me? I'll add that this is the best book I've read in years, and that my fellow geeks, is saying something.

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REVIEW: The Legend of Korra: Pilot Episode.

Last Saturday, I finally got to watch the much anticipated sequel to 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', 'The Legend of Korra', and I was very excited about it. I am a big fan of the original, and so naturally I thought Korra dwindled in comparison. The show takes place roughly 70 or so years after the last series. It is set in a Hong Kong or New York sort of town with the 1920's feel, known as Republic City which has cars and is a little industrial. By this time Ang, Sokka, and most of the gang except Katara are dead. I like the fact the Republic City exists because it was founded by Ang. It's going to take some time for all of us to warm up to the new Avatar: Korra of the Water Tribe; her introduction into the show was a bit less epic than Ang's but that will always be my opinion...that Ang is better.

  The original series had such great characters and such great stories and it will be hard to live up to that. Most everything in the show makes sense, meaning their are no contradiction form the A:TLA. It is really cool seeing the Pro Bending tournaments they have now and I hope they don't use it to sell some cheesy toy in real life, but it was fascinating to see how it all worked. I give this first pilot episode an A--  because I have faith in the writers-- but It's going to take time for us to warm up to the new Avatar. And I would also like to see more of the world and not just Republic City. The Legend of Korra airs on Saturdays at 11 am on Nickelodeon.  

The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors; A Game of Thrones Review

The crimson comet rages across the sky; some say that it is Lannister red, some say it is heralding the return of the dragons, others think it is the blood of the young wolf's enemies. This world that George R.R. Martin has created has turned me into a carrion crow, a tick, a hyena; digging into the haunches of the story, sucking the marrow from its bones. I have to scrape up every last morsel. Season 2 of Game of Thrones has me dying for more already. Fitting every character into one episode is tricky business, see how we think they did after the break in the review for Game of Thrones 'The North Remembers'.

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'The Hunger Games' REVIEW: The World Will Be Watching...

Good day to you geeks. It was on the night of March 23rd that I ventured to the theater with my sisters Barbie and Megan to wait on a concrete floor, with unbridled anticipation on all our hands, for the hour 7:20 to arrive. Once in the theater, the full house, with glorious popcorn and soda whose taste seems to amplify in a dark theater setting, we were ready. The film played, the crowds laughed, shed tears, and gasped, and when all was said and done, an outstanding applause bombarded the theater. Mission accomplished. This film is one that I have been waiting to see for months, and that anticipation was met with open arms. It is a film about independence, utter determination, and the love that keeps you going when you want nothing more than to stop. What are we talking about? The Hunger Games.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic Levels 1-25 Review

Well after almost 48 hours, multiple trips to Sombrero’s Mexican Food 24-hour drive thru, and twenty-five levels, I am ready to rundown my full synopsis of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

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The Walking Dead: Season 2, Part 1 Review (SPOILERS!)

                

               And so it comes to pass, that AMC’s The Walking Dead ends not with a whimper, but a bang. The season that started very slow, exploring the emotions felt with having been thrust into a post-epidemic zombie apocalypse resolved with an unexpected death, and an emotionally charged resolution. Season 2 was a change of pace from the heart pounding chases and drama associated with Season 1, which was chock-full of action around every corner.

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Minecraft 1.0 Review

There are very few games on this earth that deserve such an in depth review as Minecraft. And as a tester for the last year, my accumulated time put into this game is arguably greater than any other experience. Using my experience and involvement in the community as a basis for a well rounded review, we are about to go on a journey that encompasses every aspect of the game. Where most reviews encompass the final product, that structure would not do Minecraft justice. Therefore, this review will not only account for the confirmed release that launched on November 18th, but also for the year and a half of testing and tweaking that shaped the game into the masterpiece that it is today.

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Inheritance Book 4: Inheritance Review

November 8^th marked the release of Christopher Paolini’s fourth and final piece of what has been known as the Inheritance Cycle. Originally slotted for a three book trilogy, Paolini’s third book, Brisingr was so jammed with content that the publisher granted a fourth book to be added to the series. This surprised fans as it was not revealed until the ending of Brisingr. After a three year wait, Paolini released Inheritance, and the series was brought to a close. Paolini does a few things in Inheritance that exemplifies him as an author, the first is ability to show extreme amounts of natural growth in his characters' personalities. They all evolve and mold into characters that are believable and interact in a predictable, yet pleasing way. Eragon, who is portrayed as an immature, almost ignorant youth through the first and much of the second books, finally grips his position in Alagaesia in the final entry of the Inheritance cycle. Another thing he does exceptionally well is show his characters in different light. What started as a few chapters in Brisingr shown through Saphira’s mind, accumulated into a deep understanding of his both Dragon and Rider. There is only one chapter in Inheritance shown through Saphira’s eyes, and it’s a good one, although he promised more, I feel like it was mostly cut due to length as the book stands a hearty 860 pages.

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Bethesda's Skyrim - Review

"Bethesda hits another target with Skyrim."

With all games of this nature, it takes time to build a fair and conclusive review. With over 300 hours of gameplay, not including a quest generation system which will keep you busy long after you finish with the main storylines in the game, Skyrim is not short on content. I have spent several hours in Skyrim and have been extremely satisfied thus far. Skyrim is a great continuation of the Elder Scrolls series, bringing the best of each series and tieing them together in a cohesive and engrossing RPG.

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Review: Battlefield 3

On Monday October 24 I waited in line for EA and Dice’s Battlefield 3 to launch. I was on the fence on this game, sure it looked amazing, the beta was fun albeit full of problems, and I wasn’t sure if I would want to start a game with Skyrim only a few weeks away. But I was convinced by a friend and fellow writer Jon Jacobson who had already pre-ordered and was heading over to wait in line. So I said “what the heck I’ll do it” and we were off to the nearest GameStop to await the highly anticipated Battlefield 3. After I put the disk in, and started to play, I was not disappointed. Ill start on the one part of the game that no one else seemed to like…

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