Tampa Bay Comic Convention. Day 1 Diary

Prelude.

We were awake and up at 9:00 am, running around on automatic pilot to get ready to go. Our furry and feathered children were given all that they would need for the day while we were away, I made sure they had plenty of food and water and all the creature comforts they would need.

Depressingly, an infection in my jaw and face that had persisted all week was now worse than ever and complicated matters for the weekend. The current antibiotics I was prescribed didn't seem to be working at all and I felt like I'd been smacked hard in the left side of my face, neck and back with Mjonir. A convention isn't really an ideal place to go if you feel feverish, light headed and or are dealing with acute pain in multiple places on your body. Travelling to and from the locale, negotiating crowds off people with no sense of direction or an awareness of body space when you are saddled with a headache, ear ache, lethargy, nausea, dizziness, muscle and bone pain and weakness becomes a bit of an ordeal and trial of stamina, core strength and will power.

I made one quick phone call to our local walk in clinic before we set out. I told them the current antibiotics weren't improving my condition and asked if they could call in another one to our chemist/pharmacy. Luckily this clinic doesn't operate like a doctors office. The receptionists don't insist on you coming in for an appointment in order to fill a prescription. They complied with my wishes and called a different antibiotic in so that we could pick it up within half an hour. The antibiotics were available in record time so making a detour to pick them up didn't eat up into much of our time. The good thing about having Publix as your pharmacy is that all antibiotics are free. I find that amazing in a capitalist driven country that is all about commerce and making as much money out of people as possible. We made one stop at the bank to withdraw cash from the hole in the wall (be ever mindful, some vendors at these places only take cash) then dropped by a gas station to fill the tank up for the journey ahead. We needed fuel too so a Dunken Donuts drive through provided us with a much needed coffee and breakfast to go.

The Journey.

Why do satellite navigation units take you on the most roundabout and overly complicated route to your destination? Is it part of a Sontaran plan to take over the world? Tampa is a maze of criss crossing roads, one way streets and tram lines. Even for the seasoned driver it can be a bit of a nightmare. After travelling past the same landmarks several times we finally found the hotel parking garage and stored our car there until the end of the day. I couldn't tell you if it was hot and humid outside because my infection made every environment feel overly hot. One trip down a lift/elevator, a short walk across a road and through another underground garage and we were at the Tampa Convention Center.

Expectations and Reality.

I'd read horror stories of previous Comic Con's held in this area online, describing how people had to stand outside the Tampa Convention Center in long lines that snaked around the block with the full power of the sub tropical Florida sun burning down upon them while they waited for the doors to open to the event. I was not looking forward to that with the way I was feeling in fact it's not the most pleasant of things to endure even when you feel great and healthy.

We arrived there a little after and hour of it opening so we just walked right in and headed towards will call and collected our lanyards. It was a very quick process and much faster than the way Mega Con or Star Wars Celebration events deal with tickets. The dealer room/exhibition hall surprised me by it's size. It turned out to be much larger than I expected it to be. It was comparable in size to one of the rooms they would use at Mega Con at the Orange Center. The dealer room also housed the celebrity autograph and photo opp section on the left hand side of the hall along with a cafeteria. Artists alley and the merchandise dealers were situated in the middle and dead center of this space with cosplay alley set up at the right end wall along with a zone allowing graffiti artists to produce huge finished pieces of art work over the course of three days. The hall was well lit and also provided bathroom facilities.

The People.

Walking in front of us to will call was a beautifully crafted Groot alien tree creature from the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. This cosplayer really created a visual feast for the eyes. I think it was made out of foam and I believe he was wearing some kind of stilts on his legs to give him some height.

I saw plenty of Harley Quinn's, (the Joker's main squeeze) some wearing the various comic book costumes she's worn over the years. Others were wearing the outfit she sports in the video console games. Even more impressive were the ones who had put together an accurate movie version of Harley Quinn that appears in next years Suicide Squad movie. The teaser trailer for this film only came out a few weeks ago so anyone putting together this costume had to work around the clock in order to unveil it at this con.

There seemed to be an over abundance of Joker's; I'm not sure why this was the case, but they did out number the other costumes on display. I'd say the next prevalent cosplay was Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Deadpool both male and female (no surprise there since the Ryan Reynolds Dead Pool movie trailer was a big hit with fans when it was released online just recently, Jedi ( there are always Jedi and a Sta Wars presence of some kind at these conventions, probably  more once Star Wars Episode VII the Force Awakens hits cinemas at Christmas time. Poison Ivy, and surprisingly enough, Castiel the angel from the Supernatural television show.

There were a few iterations and interpretations of Catwoman and Black Widow. We saw Black Cat's, Rogues, Wolverine's, Hawkeye's, Captain America's, Silk's, Spider Gwen's, Batmen, Wonder Women, Flashes, Batgirls, Bane's, Deadshot's, Princess Leia's, Stormtroopers, Tie Fighter Pilot's, Mara Jade's, Silk Spectres and Rorschach's.

Some cosplayers were dressed as characters from video games or anime so I had no idea who they were or how close they resembled the characters, but one could tell they were impecable creations; detailed outfits that must have taken those fans many man hours to stitch and sew to put together for this show The novel and rare cosplays I caught on my travels were a Lelu Dallas from The Fifth Element, a version of Jason Voorhees from Freddy Versus Jason in which the cosplayer went the extra mile and rigged up a speaker in his costume to play music from the horror franchise to accompany him were ever he went. There was even a female version of David Bowie's goblin king from Labyrinth.

Some mash ups were on hand too, like an Iron-Man/Venom costume which had electronically controlled moving parts, it was very impressive. I spotted a Star Wars characters such as a Wookie, a Darth Vader, a Wampa Ice Creature, a Tusken Raider, some Doctors from Dcotor Who most notably the fourth and the tenth, a Black Canary, a cartoon version of Mr. Freeze, a Zatanna, a Baroness from G.I. Joe, a Na'vi...Neytiri from Avatar, an Iron-Man, a Star Lord and Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, a Peter Griffin from Family Guy, a Ned Flanders from The Simpson's, and a Bender robot from Futurama.

There were lots of cosplayers here today and there wasn't even a contest. Most conventions have their main cosplay events on Saturday's so considering all things...the dreadful weather outside, the fact that Friday was a noon start, it was a good turn out and fortunately for everyone attending it never felt too crowded.

As expected we had to get a feeling for the layout of the place before we could move ahead with the list of things we wanted to see and do. At this point I felt like I was going to collapse. I was overheating, wobbly on my feet, experiencing sharp knife pains in several places in my my head. Time for more medication to get me through the day.

Gripes.

Barriers.

The set up of the barriers and cordoned off areas leading to the upper and lowers levels was strangely thought out and impractical. Nobody really wanted to walk half the length of the building to get from one side of the dealer room/exhibition hall to the other side via a convoluted pathway from a landing foyer outside this room, down two flights of steps and along a 100 meter floor space at the bottom of those steps. They made it far too difficult and confusing for visitors to go to and from the second floor that housed the exhibition hall to the area on the ground level floor that lead to all the conference rooms and ballrooms. People were squeezing past gaps in blockades as staff watched on. That should have been their cue to open up these areas to ease the flow of traffic lessening the congestion around the dealer room parallel entrances and escalators. I completely understand the necessity to have perimeters that stop people from sneaking into the building without passing the will call ticket booths, but some of the choices they made were inane and potentially dangerous.

Official Convention Merchandise.

There was only one small store near the foyer outside the dealer room/exhibition hall selling the official convention t-shirts. They are made from 100% white cotton material with the Tampa Bay Comic Con logo emblazoned on the front of them. I think it's safe to say without conducting an in depth study that most geeks prefer black t-shirts because they are flattering to those of us who are carrying some extra poundage on our bodies. The very young convention goers who don't have such body mass concerns in mind still opt for the darker colours because...well, black is more hip and cool. They would definitely sell a truck load of con t-shirts if they had printed the logo on a black fabric.

At Star Wars Celebration VI every one of the darker coloured Star Wars themed t-shirts had been sold by the end of the second day. At the first Mega Con we went to the vendors sold official t-shirts with two variations on a black cotton tee and all sold out towards the end of the second day too. Jump ahead a few years to our next trip to Mega Con and the only official shirts being sold there were printed on a bright orange material. We asked if the shirt came in black and the woman behind the store said, "No, they only come in this one colour." Those orange shirts were still piled up high at the end of the third and final day of that particular convention.

I find this kind of thinking very strange and counter productive to the market you are aiming to sell your goods to. One only has to look around a convention hall to see that most people who aren't cosplayers are wearing geeky themed black tops which out number the lighter ones. Maybe some day, someone will catch onto this discrepancy. It probably boils down to printing costs and I believe it's more expensive to screen print on black. My wife kindly treated me to one of these items despite the fact that they were white; she knows I'm quite the t-shirt collecting fiend. It's still a nice memento and it will make a great lounge around the house kind of clothing item.

Last minute cancellations threw a hydro spanner in our planned schedule.

Geekapella Group.

We managed our time so that the first thing we could see and do on our list was Geekapella at 1:30pm – 2:30pm in room 13. The website write up says says this about them..."Geekapella are Orlando’s only geeky acappella group! Do you like Star Wars, Harry Potter, anime, or just enjoy nerd culture? You’ll find all this and more in their repertoire!" Unfortunately, the Geekapella Concert was a no show, guess there's a reason why they are Orlando's only geeky cappella group and not Tampa's.

Geekapella Facebook Page

The Great And Powerful Tim.

At 5:00pm – 6:00pm in room 10 we planned to see The Great and Powerful Tim. The website blurb claims that..."Tim is a comedy mentalist and magician. He’s performed at festivals and events all around the country, and is now bringing his hilarious mind-bending routine to the Tampa Bay Comic Con! Enjoy his hilarious video game and comic book themed show with plenty of audience participation!" Today the Great And Powerful Tim...was not so great or powerful after all. It's not like he needed a conjuring spell or teleportation cabinet to get to this venue, a vehicle would have sufficed in this instance.

Sadly, Tim does not appear to have any web presence what so ever, unless he goes under a another name when performing at other shows.

Remy Connor Thief.

Surely good ole Remy would be all set to entertain us at 8:30pm – 9:30pm in room 13, right? The website description declares..."Come witness the amazing talents of Remy Connor, as he astounds you with his mind-blowing magic and daring stunts. Leaving you both astounded and amazing, he is a one-of-a-kind entertainer that will make this a show to remember! My wife and I are still waiting to be astounded and amazed. Remy Connor Thief must have used a very powerful vanishing trick on himself while setting up for the show. It was certainly a daring stunt to say he would appear there and then not turn up at all. Maybe he got caught stealing a rabbit out of a top hat? Time to regroup and rethink our strategy. All that careful pre planning might well have been be jettisoned into space along with that unwanted Xenomorph in Alien. Maybe room 13 is cursed?

Remy Connor Official Website.

Poorly Conceived Talks.

The Doctor Through The Ages.

Our next event after the Geekapella let down was at 2:30pm – 3:20pm in room 18. The website hype indicated the following..."Join the Palm Harbor Doctor Who Club as we travel through time to relive some of the greatest moments of Doctor Who! From the First to the Twelfth every regeneration has made this wonderful show what it is today. Come share your favorite moments with us!"

This talk was run by two giggly sisters with a clear love for Doctor Who both classic and new. However, there was no structure to their seminar and it basically became an exercise in them asking the crowd questions about the show rather than them giving a lecture. There were screens set up in the room and I expected some kind of presentation, montage or selected scenes from Doctor Who that would enable them to delve deeper into the themes of the show and formulate a great discussion. No such luck. The long gaps between speeches was a very awkward affair.

During the session one of the sister's answered her mobile/cell phone to give directions to the convention center to one of her friends who was lost, she stayed on the phone for about ten minutes and the other sister just sat there in silence. It was at this point nearly half of the audience in the room left to find something better to do. These girls seriously need to work on their public speaking skills and create a program that is fun for the crowd. Showmanship was sorely lacking here. It could have been fixed quite easily by...putting on a quick quiz at the beginning of the talk with some Who related prizes to give away. This would have hooked the majority of the people who came to see them. A promise of one more quiz at the end of the talk would have secured the audience into staying until the conclusion. A Doctor Who Bingo Game would have been a fun activity to offer guests too.

I am of the impression that it is illegal to screen any kind of television or movie material at a public venue without getting official permission from the companies who make the TV shows and paying them a broadcast fee. This is probably the reason why none of the talks used any clips to enhance their presentations or music soundtracks to complement the shows.

I was a member of the Palm Harbor Doctor Who club on Meet Up and it consisted of just four members that included the two sisters. I never met up with any of them whenever they had planned a group get together. I couldn't justify a taxi ride fair to and from these meetings since it seemed like the group just sat around watching old episodes of Doctor Who every time they got together.

With very little interest in this area for Doctor Who they were forced to close their group down on the Meet Up website because it costs money to promote your clubs on there. I feel bad for them. They obviously had good intentions, but even though Doctor Who has become a familiar name in America, it still doesn't have the pulling power of the likes of Star Trek, The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones.

Environment Issues.

I suspect the air conditioning was turned off in some of the conference rooms to save money. Not good when you have several hundred sweaty geeks in costumes sitting in one space. Especially bad if you were like me and sick with a temperature.

The Comedy Of Geeks group had to perform in a room that had pillars in front of the stage so only one half of the audience could see the performer at any given time depending on which side of the stage they moved to. Was it really so hard for the organisers of this event to give these guys a room without these obstacles?

Pleasures.

Film Festival.

We managed to catch the short horror movie section at the film festival that was running all day on Friday. There were three stand out entries, out of the seven; two took a humorous approach and one seemed inspired by the silent movie genre. Regrettably, other events prevented us from viewing the additional categories and the awards ceremony. My mini film festival review will be posted in an individual post.

The Mythology Of Supernatural.

This was held in room 7 which was probably the actual smallest of all the conference rooms we'd seen and the only one I observed having windows. It started 4:30pm and ran to 5:50pm.

The websites brief piece on this event went like this..."Nathan Robert Brown, pop culture mythologist and author of The Mythology of Supernatural, will discuss various mythological themes and figures found in the CW show Supernatural. Book signing and Q&A session will follow the presentation."

The Mythology Of Supernatural by Nathan Robert Brown was a very interesting and informative seminar. He did touch on aspects of the CW network television series, but concentrated much more on the real world mythological history behind some of the supernatural beings that appear in the show. We learned that all the creatures and their back stories were researched quite thoroughly by the script writers and very little was made up or reinterpreted by them. Nathan told us how amazed he was when he realized that some of the more obscure references in the episodes were based on things that were extremely hard to track down. Knowing this gave me a whole new respect for the work that goes into the stories for the show. His scholarly presentation informed the patrons that many cultures throughout time have shared variations on the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve and serpent fables. Interesting to note that all white eyed demons in Supernatural were all characters based in Judea Christian teachings. I wonder if the same rules were applied to the black eyed demons, the ones with red eyes and the few we've seen with the yellow peepers? I never got the chance to ask him about that, wish I did now.

Natahan Robert Brown Blog.
Nathan Robert Brown Twitter Account.
Nathan Robert Brown Books On Amazon.

Geeks Of Comedy.

We headed towards room 10 for the 7:00pm performance of The Geeks Of Comedy show which lasted one and a half hours to finish at 8:30pm. The website description was as follows... "The Geeks of Comedy return to TBCC to assault fandom & fanDUMB with Geek themed stand up that can crit-hit even an adamantium laced funny bone. Some of us curse worse than 4chan on new-comic Wednesday, so leave the kids at home for this one.

Geeks Of Comedy, is not a perfect show by any means; it feels very rough around the edges as if the comedians are honing their craft and experimenting with new material, but I think it was still worth an hour of our time.

The first comedian was a short and stout Italian guy by the name of Kevin White and he ended up being the best of the trio of comedians in this show. He was the most relaxed on stage and the only one able to throw together spontaneous ad libs during his routine. This was advertised as an 18+ show, but some teenage brothers had dragged their youngest sibling along who must have only been ten years of age. Kevin used this to his advantage and made some very funny cracks about the kid becoming a man after watching this performance. He did six great impersonations relating to a joke about the worst five voices you could use for role playing in the bedroom, done in the style of a Casey Casem music count down. Hearing blue rated sex talk from the likes of Fred Flintstone, Shaggy, Pumba and two others I can't recall while writing this, was hysterical especially since he had the voices perfected. It was hilarious stuff.

The second comedian Allan Forbes a tall gangly fellow was also a very good impressionist too. He impersonated William Shatner, John McCain, Adam West, President Barack O Bama and Arnold Schwarzenegger in his act, but his comedy material was poor; his jokes sadly fell flat more times than not; he also had to keep checking notes and cues he had written on his arm for the entirety of his act. I felt like the audiences attention was waning once his rythum had become choppy. Kevin was a tough act to follow since they started the show with their strongest talent.

The third comedian on the bill was short in stature with a baby face visage, this was Patrick Hawkins the main headliner apparently so I was expecting the level of humour to bounce back up, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I think he was trying to go for that Stewart Lee edgy comic vibe thing, but came across as a bit of an angry, aggressive and unfunny twonk. I'm no prude, but a couple of his jokes were a little crude and a bit pointless. One of his closing visual gags involved a skeletal hand glove and a pair of those X-Ray specs you used to see advertised in the pages of old comic books. He puts the glove on his hand and the glasses on his head and says..."Look everybody I'm a comic book advertisement." Most of us got the reference to the little picture from those comic book ad's which depicted a black and white drawing of a kid holding up his hand in front of his eyes while wearing the X-Ray specs and seeing the bones in his hand. The convention served alcohol throughout the day and night and regrettably some of the audience members for the Geeks of Comedy had become belligerent drunken hecklers which wasn't very nice for the gusy on the stage. If I wasn't feeling so under the weather I probably would have ended up having "strong" words with the wise cracjkng idiots we had to listen to.

Links to the comedians websites are here...

Kevin White Official Web Page.
Allan Forbes Facebook Page.
Patrick H Hawkins Facebook Page.

The Official Mobile Convention App.

I thought the official convention app for mobile devices came in very useful since it kept us up to date on all the changes being made by the minute.

The Asian Cuisine Vendors.

The food wasn't the usual calorie adding, artery clogging junk they normally serve at these events. The Asian cuisine was pretty good quality. The coffee was fairly cheap too at $3.00 for a small cup. You'd normally pay twice that amount at a theme park, concert, or a similar themed convention in a bigger city.

Doctor Who Past Present And Future

Around about 9:00 pm we decided to opt for the Doctor Who Past Present And Future talk which started at 9:30 pm and went on until 10:20 pm in room 18. The website wrote the following..."Doctor Who has swept the nation, and now where does it have to go? Join us as we discuss all the timey wimey facets of Doctor Who, from Hartnell to Capaldi. Nothing will be held off the table!

It was compared by just one guy who seemed to have gotten onto the Doctor Who band wagon since it returned to our screens in 2005 and gradually became popular with Americans and grew a fan base. Consequently he managed to play catch up with it's fifty years worth of classic series episodes  which then qualified him as a specialist speaker on this subject and gave him the opportunities to moderate panels with Doctor Who companions/actresses such as Clara Oswald/Jenna Coleman and tomorrows Martha Jones/Freema Agyeman. If only I could get over my stage fright and social phobia I probably could have done a much better job than he did and I have many more years of knowledge on this subject matter. Oh well, no use in having sour grapes about my situation, it is what it is.

Unlike the Safety Harbor Doctor Who girls who allowed their show to fall apart this guy kept the momentum going and took plenty of questions from the people sitting in the auditorium. He raised some interesting points to discuss, but he also fell into the trap of being a supporter of the online fan base hate campaign towards Stephen Moffat the series show runner and head writer. All the negative press and attention he receives is unwarranted and displays an almost fundamentlist extremist and insidious side to geek culture.

I never speak up at these types of conferences because I get too nervous and the words I want to say just become a jumbled mess in my head. However, I felt I had to speak up in Moffat's defence when several audience members launched into nasty criticisims of actor Peter Capaldi's first episode as the newly regenerated Time Lord, Doctor in Deep Breath and Moffat's script.

I made it clear to everyone sitting in the room that Mr. Moffat had a tremendously hard job introducing a new Doctor who was now being portrayed by a much older gentleman. Winning over the current audience who were only weened on a diet of much younger actors playing the same role...David Tennant and Matt Smith was always going to be an uphill battle convincing the strong tween fan base that this was still the same character. The character is 900+ years of age despite his outward appearance so you'd think it would have sunk into their heads at some point especially when the shows goes to great lengths in telling the viewer that whenever he gets mortally wounded his regeneration process could change him into anything, gender, skin colour, age, an alien with four ears, twelve eyes and a snout even...anything.

I went on to say that it wasn't a bad episode at all. In fact it was very self exploratory and a relevant story for all fans of the show. Having his companion see the change take place right before her very eyes, but have her display prejudices towards the 12th incarnation, because he looked so much different from his youthful 11th body and face in which she had fallen in love with was the perfect time to have this debate. It was mirroring the new fans outrage when dream boat young Matt Smith stepped down from the role and was replaced with this "OLD MAN" Peter Capladi!  I thought it made for a very compelling and satisfying episode that focused it's attention on ageism and a post regenerated amnesiac Time Lord who wasn't sure who or what he was yet.

This episode was a study in how people pre judge others simply by their outward appearances. A message obviously lost on the American Doctor Who fans in that crowd who wanted more of the young and sexy.

This was supposed to be a talk about the shows past, present and future, but way too much time was spent on modern Who. The future of the program was never covered despite me bringing up the rumour that BBC Worldwide are planning to make a Doctor Who movie once Moffat leaves and the series and it is rested from the small screen.

Charging Stations.

There was plenty of seating and electrical points in the corridors outside all the rooms.

The Convention Hours.

I liked the fact that the event stayed open until 12.00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Other conventions like Mega Con close much earlier than that so don't give as good a value for money.

Postlude.

We did two rough sweeps of the exhibition hall floor; one when we first got there and one before it closed for the day. It was interesting to see the vast difference between a room full of people and vendors busy at work to an empty one where all goods and wares were covered up for the night. It was odd to see Roxy the Rancor without his head. Poor Roxy. Maybe we'll actually get to see some of the merchandise tomorrow and buy something. After seeing the seemingly endless meandering lines you are forced to wait in to get a celebrity autograph and photo op; I think I'll pass on that one.

All in all a nice day out and even better since I started to feel more human towards the later part of the afternoon and evening thanks to my wife's diligence in providing me with the right medications throughout the day. We even missed all the rain today; there were tell tale signs of it in the form of moisture on the steps and pathways outside the convention hall.

We did have one misadventure after leaving the con. We tried to use the elevator to get to our car on top of the parking garage and it was locked. We found the night valet and he unlocked it for us to get to the top of the building, but to our surprise this was not the building we had parked at. I glanced over to the next building and there was our car looking back at us. A quick detour down the emergency staircase, a walk across the road and up that buildings elevator and we were all set to get out of there. The charge for parking from 12:00 pm to 12:00 am was $9.50.

The ride home was much easier and faster. Why is that? We came home a different way without all that bullshit the SatNav took us through in the morning.

Preping For Tampa Bay Comic Con. How To Prep For A Convention.

It's the day before the three day annual Tampa Bay Comic Convention and like any geek I'm really excited and fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go. This will be the first year my wife and I have been to this particular one. We're not convention virgins. We popped out cherries a long time ago in a country far, far away; actually Great Britain. We attended a couple in the 90's that were held in Bristol and Birmingham. We've also been to several conventions in the USA like Mega Con, Spooky Empire's Screamfest, Hurricane Who and two Star Wars Celebration events (V and VI) that were all held in Orlando.

This particular convention has been in existence since 2000. Like most conventions of this nature it covers comic books, collectibles, science fiction, fantasy, horror movie and television show memorabilia. Cosplay is welcomed and celebrated with competitions. There are appearances from media celebrities who are available throughout the day for fans who may wish to purchase an autograph or have a photo taken with their favourite star. They are also scheduled to do panels where they discuss their iconic roles and recount their experiences. Towards the end of these panels they answer questions from the fans in the audience. There are a multitude of things to do from gaming rooms, film festivals, specialized debates, seminars and demonstrations on all manner of geeky subjects.

According to the Tampa Bay Comic Con website they are a family-friendly and fan owned comic book convention. I would say this looks like a small to medium sized event. I don't think this will be as huge as Mega Con, but I have the feeling it won't be as small as the Doctor Who ones we've been to in the Florida area.

Plan Ahead.

Having never been to this convention before we're bound to make a few mistakes that often plague first timer's who are unfamiliar with the destination and layout, but you can limit some of the problems you may encounter by researching the area thoroughly online. Make sure you are aware of all the parking areas near to the convention center because it's quite possible the parking space at the venue will be full when you get there. Type the sites co-ordinates into your car's GPS or mobile device the night before and it may prevent you from getting lost saving valuable time. If you're travelling to the convention, go early; there may be lots of traffic or road problems ahead. Plan for these issues. Be aware of which entrance to head to. A lot of these venues have multiple entrances, but usually only one that is officially open for ticket holders to enter. My wife and I didn't read the small print once and found ourselves walking around the entire length of the Orlando Orange Convention Center in the searing heat of Florida to find the right entry point. We could have saved ourselves all that discomfort and lost time (about an hour) by checking where to go first.

Remember to charge all the batteries on your cameras and camcorders before you go. Bring a back up camera, spare batteries and SD cards. The last thing you want to have happen to you is miss out on a unique photo opportunity because your camera broke down or you ran out of space on your cards memory or the battery ran out of juice.

We're not cosplayers so we won't be working up to the last minute to complete our costumes for the event, but we do have to decide what clothes to wear for such an occasion. Geek shirts are a must. They can sometimes become a great ice breaker and a useful talking point when you meet other convention goers. Comfort should be your main priority and we always look through our wardrobe with the environment in mind. Florida it's often hot and humid so bundling up with many layers would be bad in this instance. You may be expected to wait outside in a long line in the heat before the convention doors open so light clothes and a hat of some kind are a must.

Bringing a back pack with some bottles of water to keep you hydrated is also very important. An umbrella could also come in useful, but keep in mind whatever you carry in with you may be subject to security checks and you'll either be asked to put them in a storage area or put them back in your vehicle. Consequently you could be stuck with them all day as you walk around the convention halls.

During this time of year, Florida experiences a lot of storms so also bring a rain coat or a cheap fold up poncho. Lastly...shoes. Wear shoes that you can walk around and stand in for a whole day. Your feet will thank you later when you get back to your hotel room or when you get home. A back pack will certainly help you carry some items you buy at the convention, but inevitably you'll end up trying to carry merchandise that won't fit inside the bag or you won't want getting creased or damaged in any way. I suggest buying any exclusive con t-shirts first because they are light and can be easily rolled up into a bag and they are usually the first products that sell out. As for anything bigger, more valuable, heavy and cumbersome , I'd leave off buying those until the end of the day before the con closes.

Study the calender of events and make an itinerary of things to do and see, in the days leading up to the con. Be prepared to make changes as celebrity schedules get moved around and some events taking place at the convention may get cancelled altogether. You will not be able to get to all the events being held at the convention because there is always a large degree of overlap in the times that they start and end. Cherry pick the ones you want to see and accept the fact that some of the things on your list will be impossible to do. If a convention has a mobile/cell phone app download. They are very useful in providing you with news and up to date information on any changes that may occur. The websites and their accompanying Facebook and Twitter accounts don't always update as fast as the apps. If you buy your tickets online and you've opted for a receipt that can be scanned via a bar code or QR codes make sure you've also printed up a paper version of those tickets and the confirmation e-mail just in case there is a glitch with the tech.

Pace yourself throughout the day and make sure you rest your legs, back and feet whenever you can. Even those of you who are physically fit with youth on your side will eventually succumb to fatigue, especially if you're doing all three days and partying every night into the early hours of the morning. I've seen some very exhausted convention goers over the years. Remember to make time to eat and drink. An army marches on it's stomach and Jim Kirk said it was his first rule of survival. :) Most of all have fun. Expect it to be crowded and hard work at times, go with the flow. Everyone else feels the same way you do...tired, hot, uncomfortable and anxious to get to and from their next event. Be polite to the cosplayers too, there are human beings with feelings inside those costumes too. Oh yeah, get plenty of sleep and rest before you go because you probably won't get any once you're there. Too much to do with so very little time to fit it all in.

To Summarise.

1. Work out an itinerary of the events you want to see and do, include their times and the rooms they take place in. Do this a few days before you set off.
2. Familiarise yourselves with the convention hall layout. Print up the websites floor plans and take them with you.
3. Plan your route to and from the convention by typing the destinations address into a navigation device or app.  Do this a few days in advance.
4. Charge your mobile/cell phones, tablets, cameras and camcorders the night before.
4. If you have two or more cameras take them in case one breaks down. The Florida humidity can do a number on electronic devices when you go from air conditioned rooms inside a building to the heat of the outdoors.
5. Take back up batteries, SD cards, memory sticks and even chargers. Most places have a wall socket you can re charge your ailing phone or recording device.
6. Bring food and drinks with you. Sometimes these venues don't check bags so you won't have to hand over huge sums of money for over priced food and drinks from the vending stalls.
7. Medication, if you have any kind of illness or condition make sure you bring the appropriate medicine with you for the day or if you're away at a hotel for the full three days bring enough to last you throughout that period.
8. Wear clothes that are loose, light and cool for the Florida heat and shoes that are comfortable enough to stand and walk in for more than 10 hours.
9. Bring pack away ponchos in case you get caught in a torrential down pour. It happens all the time in Florida.
10. Sunglasses, if you have to spend any amount of time out in the sun waiting to get into the event, protect your eyes with a good pair of sunglasses; there are so many cases of cataracts and macular eye degeneration caused by the strong harmful UV light of the sub tropical sun. Your eyes will thank you later in life for implementing this measure.
11. Take a hat and or an umbrella to shade you from the harsh sunlight.
12. Bring a decent sized back pack with you to carry some of the merchandise you will undoubtedly buy at the convention.

Here is the link to the Tampa Bay Comic Con official website.

My Thoughts On Ant Man

My Thoughts On Jurassic World

Pluto

I couldn't let this momentous occasion pass by without saying something on the subject. Today was the day the "Plutonium" powered New Horizon's spacecraft made it's closest approach of the planet/dwarf planet Kuiper Belt object Pluto. The picture above was taken the previous day before the piano sized probe zoomed past the little mysterious sphere that's parked 30 to 49 astronomical units (4.4–7.3 billion km) from our Sun.

My Thoughts On Terminator Genisys

The General Consensus Towards Terminator Genisys

I saw the trailer for Terminator Genisys several times in the cinema, online and during TV commercial breaks in the months leading up to it's release. Every time it ended I looked at my wife and pulled the "Meh", face. She mirrored my expression too. Everything in the promotional and advertising campaigns pointed to yet another Hollywood remake cashing in on a well known film property. Every truncated scene played like hyper active re visitations of the first two Terminator movie's greatest hits, but with interlopers portraying characters already established by other actors and yet here was Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising one of his most popular screen roles as the original T-800 infiltration cyborg. So was it a remake? Doubtful, with Arnie involved; if they intended to do that they would have recast that part too. So one had to assume it was a continuation of the original films, but with new "younger" people slotted in. I think they call it a soft reboot these days. J.J. Abrams Star Trek featured all new fresh faced participants to portray the Enterprise crew, but managed to find a way to write the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy into the tale, thus handing the baton over to the next generation of performers who will take up the mantle of these iconic roles in future films.

Normally, with a genre film of this type I would have tried to have made the first showing on the first day of it's release, but everything I'd seen and read about Terminator Genisys left me cold. July the 1st came and went and I still hadn't seen the fifth film in the franchise.

I scoured the net and noticed it was getting some very poor reviews across the board. (27% on Rotten Tomatoes) I found an interesting article by, Scott Mendelson contributor to Forbes who cited six reasons why this movie bombed; it can be found by clicking the following link here... Box Office: 6 Reasons 'Terminator Genisys' Bombed (In America). I'm inclined to agree with most of what he said yet my eventual review won't be passing a dour Judgement Day verdict on this film despite all the negativity surrounding it.

Before I type up my thoughts on the film I'd like to bring up those six reasons Mr. Mendelson talked about in his piece and discuss them further.

First off he mentions the bad marketing campaign despite the blessing of original creator, James Cameron. It's not the worst though; at least the Genisys advertising department put together and released enough promotional material before it's release date to let the general public know that another Terminator film was on it's way to a multiplex in the summer of 2015. Maybe some of it was poorly executed along the way, but despite it's flaws and clumsy handling people were made aware this movie existed. A truly bad marketing campaign is a nonexistent one and that has to be reserved for the film Dredd. That movie had zero build up in it's lead up to it's release. Dredd, stealthily played out in cinemas in America for several weeks then it was gone. I can't help feeling that a decent campaign with the full backing of the studio would have put it on every one's radar; this would have greatly improved it's box office takings and we would probably have had a sequel in the works already.

I don't buy Entertainment Weekly magazine, but I used to receive old copies of it from my sister in law for several years so I am very aware of it's layout and pictorial style. Mr. Mandelson pointed out how terrible the cast promotional photos were in the magazine so I had to do a search for them online so I could see just how bad there were. He was right, all the actors are in character costume; most of the shots depict them putting on their best angry face, shooting big guns in front of a drab background. I can't say I was surprised; this is pretty much the standard set up for an Entertainment Weekly photo shoot session. I've seen similar glib and uninspiring photos within the pages of this magazine in the past. Maybe if the big wigs at Entertainment Weekly arranged to send their photographers out to the sets and locations while these movies and television shows were in production the results would be more organic and less contrived.

He brings up the fact that director, Alan Taylor concentrated far too much on talking about his bad experiences working for Marvel Studios on Thor: The Dark World during the Terminator: Genisys press junkets rather than try to generate interest for the film he'd just completed. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when a "professional" can't put their sour grapes aside and concentrate on the task in hand. It's as if this project wasn't satisfying enough to take away the pains of the previous job, so how invested could he have been in it really? Shouldn't a director be really elated to have had the opportunity to work on such a legendary film franchise? To be fair to the man, I've only seen one of his interviews for Terminator: Genisys and in that one he only brought up the problem with the "creative issues" he had with Marvel and the trying time he had while directing Thor: The Dark World when he was probed by the journalist. These kinds of interviews are usually conducted in a cookie cutter sort of way. The names promoting the film usually the director and the actors, sit in a room for many hours answering preset questions that have been vetted by the studios public relations people beforehand. It's run like a well oiled conveyor belt providing a slew of entertainment media reporters one after another. They go in, have five minutes to "ask the questions" then leave only to be replaced by one more. Can you imagine how mind numbingly boring that must be? To know what questions you will be asked and have to give the same formulaic answer each and every time and make it appear like it's all natural and off the cuff? Maybe, Alan Taylor was simply exhausted and in a bad frame of mind when he went off script during that particular day of the interviewing tour. Having spoken to so many people in one day there was probably no contingency plan to limit damage control once all those outlets had their interview done and dusted and ready to go to print or air on the small screen. I'll cut him some slack, maybe he behaved perfectly after that minor glitch? Just a thought.

Apparently, there was even a tie in game at selected Imax cinema's around the country that was designed to be played while the movie was in progression. I don't think any movie studio should be creating app's for mobile devices that encourages the younglings to light up their screens in the auditorium while a film is playing. Isn't it bad enough that they text and check their social media pages on their phones every few minutes for the full running time and whole duration of the film without any consideration for anyone else who is...uh...actually there to watch the movie? Let's not give the digital junkies more distractions, please. I'm not opposed to some types of movie tie-in's, but when they undermine concentration and focus to this extent then what's the point of going?

I understand the thinking behind such ideas, it's the notion that interactive methods will "enhance" the theater going experience. For decades Hollywood has experimented with all kinds of screen formats, sound systems and 3D enhancement to draw audiences in to see their motion pictures. William Castle was the master of it. He utilized a variety of gimmicks with the technology of the time to ensure large attendances to all his B-Movies.

I'll highlight four of his most famous stunts. For Macabre he devised a plan where women pretending to be real nurses would to hand out $1,000 life insurance policies from Lloyd's of London to customers in case they should die of fright during the film.

On House On Haunted Hill he came up with the fancy name of, Emergo which involved a skeleton prop on wires housed in the ceiling of the theaters the movie played at and it would seemingly drop down and float around over the heads of the audience near the climax of the film.

Then he created the name, Percepto for, The Tingler. Castle's staff fitted small hidden electrical devices to a select number of seats in the movie house before the film was shown. Towards it's finale, there would be a planned break in the film making it seem to all in attendance as if the projector had broken down. Vincent Price would break the fourth wall and warn the audience members that one of the creatures in the film had escaped and was loose among them. The devices would then be activated to buzz at this point giving some lucky patron's hilarious bum tingles.

In 13 Ghost's he deployed his next amazing concept, Illusion-O, these were cardboard viewers that housed red and blue cellophane filters. These were given out to everyone who purchased ticket to see the film. The viewer gave you the option to see the ghost with the red portion or not see them with the blue part.

One can understand why Mr. Castle felt the need to go to such lengths; these were B-Movie flicks made on the cheap and aimed squarely at the teen demographic. Something with the Terminator name should not have to resort to such cheap devices like a game app. There are still a lot of elitist film critics out there who regard science fiction and horror movies as B-Movies, they just call them by different names these days like summer blockbusters of popcorn movies, but clearly, there have been some excellent sci-fi/horror genre movies made over the years that have risen above their B-Movie trappings and the original Terminator and perhaps it's sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day are so well made with such a great story to tell that they have to be considered worthy equals in every way to films that are widely viewed as the great classics of the silver screen.

Secondly Mr.Mendelson brought up the bad reviews it received and how they said it was a "narrative mess, was a general bore, did little with its time-hopping scenario, and was a mere arbitrary franchise reboot with no major story twists beyond the big one that the trailers revealed." Not sure I accept this generalized consensus.

Are they talking about the same film I saw? I eventually made the decision to go and see it during the back end of it's opening week and went in with very low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised with the effort. Surely these bad reviews Mr. Mendelson highlights for Terminator Genisys could be points that easily describe the fourth entry, Salvation? Maybe they just watched the trailer to Genisys and wrote a review from that because if I was tasked to do such a thing that's probably the conclusion I would have come to if that's all I had to work with. Like I said, the trailers were bad for this movie.

How can a film series involving timey, whimey, wibbly wobbly stuff, paradoxes, a multitude of possible future outcomes have a clear narrative? Isn't it apparent by now that the future in the Terminator universe is always in flux and fixed points in time can be constantly manipulated in a person's time stream possibly creating or destroying alternate universes both fixing and damaging what has already been established in each movie? If we're talking dodgy plot points, gaps in logic, unanswered questions and continuity errors; then yes there are, but they were also evident in the other movies in the series too which I will tackle in my comprehensive review following this.

I did not find it a general bore at all, far from it. If the two hours consisted of a bunch of Skynet AHK'S-Ariel Hunter Killer Drones and Goliath's, HK's-Hunter Killer Tanks fighting the last vestiges of the human resistance, with explosion after explosion, lot's of environmental destruction and a multitude of purple plasma bolts fired by both sides; then one could say that would be boredom personified; maybe McG, Michael Bay and all men with the emotional age of a ten year old boy would probably disagree with me on that one.

Thankfully, the makers of Genisys were not afraid to play around with the time travel concept and it was all the more fun for it; how people can say it did little with it's time hopping scenarios mystifies me; they must have been playing angry birds or some other shit on their mobile/cell phones; most probably multi tasking trying to type up their scathing reviews. This movie used more time jumping than all the other movies combined and yes the trailers and TV spots did spoil the major plot twist, but they had little time to reveal how the protagonists would successfully deal with said plot twist and how it all came to be.

If you love the original Terminator movie and are not a fanboy purist then I think you'll get a kick out of the way they revisited and recreated some of the most memorable and quoted scenes from that first film with the unexpected added twists.

The third and fourth reasons why Genisys failed to terminate the box office competition on Mr.Mendelson's list was down to timing and film classification ratings. He puts forward a compelling case. Indeed, this film had to contend with the release of Jurassic World and Inside Out. Both movies are more family friendly offerings with multi age group appeal whereas the Terminator has a reputation for containing lots of violent adult orientated material. The original Terminator, Terminator 2 Judgement Day and Terminator 3 Rise Of The Machines were rated 'R' when they were theatrically released. Then it was decided that more money could be made off of the next installment, Terminator Salvation if it catered to a wider and younger audience so they set out to create a product that would secure a PG 13 film board rating. Salvation retained the usual action set pieces everyone expects from this series, but the obscenities and scenes of a sexual nature were discarded at the scripting stage of the process. The violence was softened, with less attention to the cause and effect of physical blows and damage on the human body meaning there was very little blood and zero gore in any of the scenarios. Despite the toned down nature of this outing, the general public still regards all these films as inappropriate entertainment for children. The same decision was made to make Genisys a PG 13 too. This may well have alienated the older long term fans who were not up for another kid friendly "killer cyborg" excursion and one has to wonder how big of an audience could be out there for a film that's relies on the spectators knowledge of the 80's and 90's Cameron versions which were made long before the desired PG 13 age groups were even born. It's true, Jurassic World also had the advantage of hiring the very popular and likable Chris Pratt as their lead actor who was enjoying universal fame and critical acclaim off the back of his stand out role as Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy.Inside Out released on June 19th, 2015 is a 3D computer-animated comedy-light drama produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. This is the company who has found the secret formula to make massive hits all the time such as Toy Story, Up, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall-E and so on and so on, this was always a guaranteed hit considering it's historical pedigree and the colourful, attractive characters kids adore.

I think there is another component at play here. The insipid and uninspired Jurassic Park III (50% on Rotten Tomatoes) was launched on July 16th in 2001; the fourth installment Jurassic World was released on June the 12th, 2015 making that a 14 year gap between the two. Movie goers benefited from the longer span of time between chapters thus cleansing the palette and erasing any bad memories one may have had from the past effort. The fourth Terminator movie, the dull, noisy and vacuous Terminator Salvation (33% on Rotten Tomatoes) was released on May 21st 2009. This has only given people a six year respite between that misstep and Terminator Genisys playing in cinemas now. There was also a lackluster television series in the interim gap called Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles which also served to weaken the brand further. It's very possible that the constant recasting of the characters and bland direction the show and Salvation took weakened the myth of the story and bred Terminator fatigue in most peoples minds.

For his fifth and sixth points, Mr. Mendelson factored into his equation that the public weren't chomping at the bit for another Terminator movie and Schwarzenegger was not the box office draw he once was anymore. I'll somewhat concede to those two points he made. It's highly possible the public and the fans alike have been burned out by the subsequent decline of the Terminator brand, I know I have. Having said that, the strong box office numbers of Jurassic World prove that an old film series can make very good numbers even if the audience weren't salivating at the mouth for another one. Strangely enough the inclusion of Arnie in Genisys actually made this one feel like a proper, genuine Terminator movie. Unlike, Salvation which used a variety of practical and visual special effects to have his image do a non speaking cameo. I can't speak for anyone else, but it's become apparent to me that Arnold is an asset and an essential part of the Terminator movie franchise despite his fading star power pull and what many would say his limited acting abilities; I would go as far as saying he is the connective tissue that holds these stories together whether he's playing a bad or good cyborg in the films. Can other stories be told without him involved? I guess they can, in fact something happens towards the end of the film that gives future installments some wriggle room to pass on the Governator if they so wish. A new direction would have to shake things up significantly so that there was no reliance at all on Sarah Connor, John Connor, Kyle Reese and the T-800 characters; maybe all the time tampering could eventually screw things up so much that they are wiped from existence altogether (seems unlikely if it's true, Genisys is part one of a planned trilogy) or Skynet becomes sentient beyond any preset "Judgement Day's" we know of and comes online in a far flung future, but I think we already had those movies they were called The Matrix, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions.

What did I personally think of the film? My review will follow.

Horror Block Subscription Box For The Month Of June, 2015

A few months ago my wife and I were viewing a plethora of those specialized subscription boxes that have become popular online over the past couple of years. There are boxes that target all kinds of interests and hobbies from sports, arts and crafts, clothes, food, wines; you name it there is probably a company out there that has created a mailing bundle to suit almost everyone. There's even one that provides survival items which could come in useful in a zombie apocalypse.

The ones we perused through were aimed strictly at science-fiction, horror, comic book and game geeks and nerds. I must admit, I was intrigued by the idea of these monthly boxed packages that contain a variety of mystery surprise items pertaining to specific themes and topics.

I know why I was drawn to the idea of these boxes. As a child I used to love the mystery of wondering what was inside one of those things they called lucky bags. A lucky bag was simply a foot high plain paper bag which contained an assortment of penny sweets/candy and a couple of novelty toy items that ranged from whistles, compasses, miniature board games, tattoo transfers and collectors cards. They were sold at our local newsagents which was the kind of old fashioned style British corner shop that sold sweets/candy from glass jars stacked on shelves from behind the counters. I'm not sure if the lucky bag was a local invention or if it was a nationwide fad, but I know the children at my school always tried to save some pocket money in order to purchase at least one of them during the school week. Sometimes you'd be happy with what was inside those bags and other times you'd be a little disappointed.

As children we went through a similar range of emotions when visiting an outdoor summer fete or a Father Christmas/Santa's grotto that provided what we call in Britain a lucky dip. If you've never experienced a lucky dip then I'll explain what they are. They are usually big barrels filled with a myriad array of wrapped toys and games which were then hidden in copious amounts of sawdust. You reached into the barrel not knowing what gift you would pull out. The organizers of these events always made sure boys and girls never ended up getting what was "considered" a toy or prize more suited to the opposite sex by having two barrels set up.

Flash forward to the near present and that wave of excitement and anticipation I experienced as a kid was re-ignited somewhat when I used to buy the SFX magazine special editions where they would provide several geeky and nerdy free gifts to give away with each issue. If they could make an item fit inside the protective polythene bag then it was included. Over the years they doled out... posters, postcards, coasters, novels, badge pins, fridge magnets, stickers, key chains, audio CD's, edibles and even an 11th Doctor Bow Tie which was very cool. Sadly, Future plc, SFX's publisher found this too costly in the current economic climate and stopped doing it. These mystery themed pop boxes seemed like the next logical progression of all those ideas that came before.

Out of all the boxes we scrutinized we decided on purchasing a three month Horror Block subscription because it seemed like the one box that would deliver goodies I would appreciate the most. According to online reviews the quantity of products varies from month to month depending on the dimension limitations of the boxes and what they decide to pack inside them. Horror Block guarantees an exclusive limited edition horror themed t-shirt in their box that you can't purchase anywhere else; they also include the latest Rue Morgue horror magazine which is published every month. Everything else that is mailed along with these two items are ultimately unknown variables until one has opened the package and studied the contents.

The website gives you updates on when they send the boxes out and sure enough, within a few days of their notification I received my Horror Block. The black shoe box shaped rectangular container replete with one bloody hand print motif on top of the lid with blood streaks and drips that continue down one of it's sides was waiting for me outside my door. I couldn't possibly open it up without my wife being present; this was a gift from her to me so I dug deep, tapped into my Jedi Master training skills and patiently waited for her to come home from work.

So what horrors lurked within the box?

I'll try to describe everything in as much detail as I possibly can.

The Horror Block is sealed with a brown masking tape that is flourished with a blood splatter pattern. The tape is there to show you that it hasn't been tampered with during transit. It's very easy to cut open with a knife. The small concealed lid flaps pull out from their slots in the sides of the box and the lid lifts upwards and back; you would find the same set up on a standard shoe box. Inscribed on the inside of the box in a bloody letter font are the words..."DON'T OPEN DEAD INSIDE" which we both found amusing and a nice little presentational touch.

The first packed item we came across on top of the pile was the t-shirt. It's black, I suspect all the Horror Block t- shirts come in black since black represents all absence of colour or the complete absorption of light and in Western cultures it's closely associated with death, mourning, the end, secrets, magic, force, violence, evil, and it makes any overweight geek or nerd look a few pounds lighter and appear sexy time elegant with the ladies.

The Shirt depicts an off white printed face with red blood droplets embedded into the design. The logo also printed in an off white reads "SURVIVE THE NIGHT". I deserve to lose geek points for not instantly recognizing what horror film this was from. My wife got it so I think she deserves the mention and recognition on here. It depicts the punk with face paint and a cross drawn on his forehead from the Purge: Anarchy.There are two cardboard labels attached to the shirt. One has the Horror Block logo on one side and on the reverse side the words scrawled in blood saying ..."A SHIRT TO MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL" The other label is from the online store Shirt Punch with a 10% saving off your next t-shirt purchase; on it's reverse side is a website address for the company and a statement saying "LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRTS" "4 NEW SHIRTS 24 HOURS ONLY. The suggested retail price for this shirt is $19.99 which I think sounds about right. I have bought similar shirts at comic book stores and they range from $19.99 up to $24.99. The shirt is made from heavy cotton and I would say they favour the larger figure. They are not slim fit shirts. In my case I tend to wear extra large t-shirts, but opted out of paying a little extra money to get a XXL. I took the chance that the their XL is not designed for someone who comfortably fits into a large or medium size and the gamble paid off. The shirt fits perfectly and sufficiently hides all my geeky bulges in the process, er...I meant to say my, Thor Odinson rippling geek muscles.

Click here for...Shirt Punch Website

Surprise item number one...a stuffed mini toy or plush mini toy if you are American. It's roughly around three inches tall and is the cutest depiction of H.P. Lovecraft's, Cthulhu I've ever seen. It's utterly adorable. It's emerald green with touches of pastel green on his back wings, stomach, webbed ears and head fin. He has little sewn in octopus suckers on his tail. His eyes are partially red and his mouth area has little felt tentacles which brings to mind the squid like aliens called Quarren from the Star Wars universe; the Pak'ma'ra from the Babylon 5 and the Ood from Doctor Who television shows. There is a cardboard label attached to his head which depicts a coloured drawing of the toy accompanied by the words..."Hello!". The other side of the card gives safety and washing instructions, website addresses to Nerd Block, Horror Block's other subscription package and one for, Infinifan the company who constructed this toy. We checked out their website and there is really nothing on it yet, there are no other products in this line. We came to the conclusion that this must be a newly formed company that must have made a deal with Horror Block to provide future toys for their boxes. This means you cannot buy this little guy anywhere else so it makes it a one off exclusive. I have no idea how to price this toy if you were to purchase it from a store. Mini plush toys range from $5.00 to $40.00. I'd bump this from the lower range and give it a mid range price because it's not available anywhere else as yet.

Click here for...Infinifan Website

Surprise item number two...a sage green silicone ice tray representing the Xenomorph, Facehugger eggs from the movie Alien movie series. There are four small molds and one large one built into the tray. It comes in a cellophane wrapping with a cardboard backing. It's made by a company called, Kotobukiya. I visited the website and they have licenses to make merchandise for Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Clone Wars cartoon, Alien VS Predator, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Capcom, Shadow of the Colossus and Halo 3. They make Anime statues, model kits and books. I think this is also a cool item, no pun intended there or was it? These will come in very handy during Halloween time or a normal day in our household. I think a lime and lemon juice mix poured into these molds will create some very striking ice cubes/shapes for drinks that will keep them staying frosty. I've seen other sci-fi themed silicone ice trays at the Think Geek and Hot Topic websites and they range from $9.99 to $16.50.

Click here for...Korobukiya Website

Surprise item number three...a ReAction three and three quarter inch fully poseable action figure of Ghost Face from the,Scream film franchise with his signature weapon of choice the kitchen knife. It's blister packed on card. The card backing has a printed photographic still of the character from the movie. If you look at the reverse side of the card it shows you the other figures you can collect in this horror series of toys. They include...Micheal Myers from the Halloween film series, Classic Freddy Krueger, not the remake version from the Nightmare on Elm Street film series, Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th film series, Eric Draven from The Crow movie, Pinhead from the Hellraiser film series and Sam from the Trick R Treat movie. I think the fun aspect of this figure line is that the company, Funko who produce them have purposely styled them to be retro looking. They've simplified the sculpting, and paint work. They have limited the amount of articulation too as was the case with the same sized, Kenner, Star Wars figures back in the 1970's and 1980's. I would say the quality of this figure and packaging would put it in the C10 category, that's the best rating you can appoint a collectible figure. C1 being the worst rating, clearly stating that the toy is loose with paint damage and missing all it's accessories. This blister pack is in mint condition and completely flawless, there are no dents, scratches or warping of the plastic. The card is also in mint condition, it's flat with not a rip, scratch or tear in sight, plus the hook hole is unpunched and intact. This looks like the figure was obtained directly from the manufacturer. I've seen these action figures priced from $6.00 to $12.00 on eBay and Amazon and that's not including postage and packaging. Horror Block timed this inclusion very well since the MTV, Scream television show started the week these boxes were shipped out.

Click here for...Funko ReAction Figure Line Website
Click here for...Funko Website

Lastly...the Rue Morgue horror magazine issue no 157,July 2015. The cover features a photo of Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman from the American Psycho film. It's been 15 years since it was released and director Mary Harrison takes a look back at her controversial adaptation. There are informative articles throughout it's 62 pages on the latest horror DVD and cinematic releases to special featured pieces. In this case one titled Love You To Death a new movie by Joe Dante; They Get you While You Sleep which talks about a new film exploring the real life horror of sleep paralysis and Overlook'd No More a retrospective on Kubrick's The Shining. The one item that instantly caught my eye was the one in the Classic Cut section which reminisced about BBC's horror double bills in the 70's and 80's and the reason why I got into this genre at an early age. It was a nice trek down memory lane for me. This magazine retails in Canada and the USA for $9.95. As was the case with the action figure packaging the magazine is in also in pristine condition.

Click here for...Rue Morgue Magazine Website

There is also a post card that features photo thumbnails of all the contents that came with the box with a brief and whimsical description underneath them. It looks like the silicone ice tray maker came in two varieties the one with the Alien egg sculpts I received in my package and a blue silicone ice maker tray that came with a sculpt of a profile, side view of a Xenomorph's head; The picture is partially obscured in the promotional material, but it looks like it has two large head molds and four small ones.

I have one more thing to do which is to total up the cost of all the items in the Horror Block and compare it to the subscription cost. I've tried to be conservative with the pricing on the items that have various or unknown price ranges and aired on the cheapest estimations or taken some other factors into account... rarity and condition and picked a fair price accordingly.

Exclusive T-Shirt = $19.99
Cthulhu Stuffed/Plush Toy = $15.99
Themed Silicone Ice Tray = $9.99
ReAction Ghost Face Action Figure = $12.99.
Rue Morgue Magazine = $9.95

Total = $68.91

Horror Block Subscription per month = $19.99
USA Shipping Costs = $9.50
UK & Europe Shipping Costs = $12.50
Canada Shipping Costs = $8.75

Blocks typically take 2-10 business days to arrive at their destinations. North American and UK customers generally receive their blocks within 6 days, and sometimes much faster.

I received my first Horror Block within two days of them notifying me via e-mail.

Final thoughts and conclusion.

I was very happy with the quality of all the items in the box. They were pleasant surprises. Even if stuffed/plush toys, action figures or ice trays are not your thing you can always give them away as gifts to a family member or friend who does. You could hand the stuffed/plush toy to your pet. Then there are the options; you could re-sell the things you don't want from the box on eBay, Amazon, Craig's List, your own online store or a specialist comic book collectibles shop. You may want to donate them to a worthy charitable cause; although I'm not so sure Horror Block movie and television show related memorabilia would be welcomed at the likes of Toys For Tots. The surprise items owe you nothing since the t-shirt and magazine more than cover the cost of your subscription. The other contents are bonus material. If you can spare the cash to treat someone to this kind of a gift then I would say choose wisely, make sure you know that person very well and do a thorough research on the net before picking one.

Here are a list of links for websites that offer subscription boxes that cater specifically to geeks and nerds.

Click on following links below for more information and purchasing details...

Horror Block Website
Nerd Block Website
Comic Block Website
Geek Fuel Website
Loot Crate Website
Collectible Geek Website
Power Up Box Website
Boxy Chan Website
Booty Bin Website
Gizmo Crate Website
Games Box Website

This ends my review of my first Horror Block, this is Pitch signing off last surviving member of the Nostromo.

Keep a look out for my YouTube review of this months Horror Block; I'll post details and links when it's up.

The Very Strange View Of Mr. Morrison.

This is an odd one to start my blog off with...a review and critique of another person's review which can be found by clicking the link here...TV review: Alan Morrison on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (BBC One), but the power of my geekdom calls and I feel compelled to share my own thoughts on this one. I found a May 23rd write up on the television series Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Alan Morrison, Arts Editor of the Herald Scotland newspaper. I agree with most of the points he made in his article. I too, thought the first episode was an uneven affair and the material needed to be handled by a director deft at balancing the dark and light aspects of the story. I found it strangely silly in places and then dull and uninspiring at other times.

Mr. Morrison isn't wrong when he says most of the performances exhibit a flash of exaggeration; I would go as far as to suggest that they dangerously veer from cliched BBC costume period drama mode to the precipice of pantomime. First off he cites, Paul Kaye's cavorting, Catweazle of a street charlatan, a valid observation indeed. Mr. Kaye is allowed to go totally off the range in many of the scenes in this episode. Did we expect anything less? This is the same, Paul Kaye the creator of that vile, comedic, faux journalist, celebrity stalker personality, Denis Pennis in the 90's. He may have some dramatic small and large screen role credits to his name, but I find his idiosyncratic traits as an actor and off kilter ways of tackling characters are perfectly suited to this kind of genre fair. Mr. Morrison also mentioned, Marc Warren's faerie gentleman and Vincent Franklin's camp social climber, Drawlight. My first impression of, Marc Warren's faerie make-up and costume get up was that it borrowed too heavily from, David Bowie's, Jareth, the Goblin King character from the 1986 movie, Labyrinth, let's hope the similarities stop there because magical musical numbers may just be a stretch too far for this show. Mr. Drawlight is undeniably camp and a little raucous and puts me in mind of Doctor Who's, Dorium Maldovar the alien blue skinned 52nd century black marketeer and Game of Thrones, Vary's the eunuch. His pronunciation of "Mr. NorrELLL!" became quickly annoying, lets hope the script writers tone this kind of dialogue down a bit later in it's run. Mr. Morrison's write up even declared, Strange himself, Bertie Carvel was presented as a silly fop in the first act and I'm inclined to agree with his assessment too. Thankfully, Mr. Strange becomes a more intense and reflective fellow as the story moves forward.

I do take issue with one thing, Mr. Morrison said in his piece..."I've peeked ahead, and later fantasy sequences do improve on the opener's Doctor Who-standard set-piece as statues in York Minster began to move and talk."

Did he just slyly and disrespectfully criticize an aspect of modern Doctor Who that isn't a universally shared notion by the majority of viewers and Whovian's these days? I can only assume he was trying to say that the "standard" fantasy special effects set pieces in a typical, Doctor Who episode are a bit poor since he goes on to say that the fantasy effects in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell get better and less "standard" as the series progresses. What "standard" Doctor Who fantasy set-piece or pieces could he be talking about when referring to the church stone statues and gargoyles that were brought to life in the first episode of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell? In said scene, Mr. Norell conjures up a spell to animate these sculptures and make them speak thus proving to the skeptical York Society of Magicians that he possessed a clear understanding of a forgotten ancient magic. I'd say it was far more reminiscent of something you'd see in a Harry Potter movie rather than liken it to something seen in Doctor Who.

I wonder if, Alan Morrison has ever watched a full episode of Nu Who? Maybe he's just a casual viewer? Could he have been thinking about those very memorable and popular Weeping Angels? If he is in any way acquainted with these Doctor Who antagonists then I'm sure he is well aware that they are quantum locked and the television viewer never sees them move or speak on screen. Part of the genius of Steven Moffat's creation is that they suddenly appear to attack the screen victim when they aren't seen. If the potential prey keeps direct eye contact with the alien stone angel sculptures and doesn't blink then the predatory alien angels are forced to stay frozen on the spot.

There was only one scene in a two part episode of Doctor Who (The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone) in which we saw the Angels actually move in real time and this effect was not achieved on a small BBC television budget using computer animation as was the case in Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but it involved real flesh and blood female performers decked out in excellent practical effects make-up gracefully miming the slow movements and motions of an alien creature made from a stone like material. Quite outstanding visual work if you ask me and eerily beautiful.

I respect, Mr. Morrison's right to his own opinions, but why does the Art's Editor of a Scottish newspaper feel the need to put down another show in order to bolster the reputation of one that he prefers? Why is it that a writer who critiques TV series as a job appears to be a little biased and perhaps uninformed about another shows "standard fantasy set-pieces"? Yes, there are some ropey computer generated effects here and there, what show doesn't? I wouldn't call the majority of the ones in Doctor Who "standard" or use them as a prime example of something that could or needs to be improved upon when clearly there are far, far worse examples out there he could have used. Even the worst CGI sequences in Doctor Who are the result of the program makers attempts to try and extend beyond their reach and falling a bit short. That's not a bad thing in any way; you have to admire that mentality because it proves they are trying deliver on the incredible premise of the show. Was Mr. Morrison referring to classic, Doctor Who's wobbly walls, pop bottle spaceships and bubble pack monsters? I doubt he was because that would be a very one sided and an unfair thing to do since special effects and production values have come a long way since then. If we were to compare stone creature appearances in the classic series like Bok, The Ogri, Malus or Melkur comparisons or distinctions can't be made to computer generated effects because they were realized by actors in costume or brought to life by some form of practical puppeteering techniques which were quite sufficient for the budget and restrictions of that era. If he has other "typical fantasy set pieces" from modern Doctor Who in mind that he thinks are just "standard" I would have preferred a more detailed explanation so as to better understand what he had in his head when he wrote that.I could speculate all day on the meaning of that vague line and still not know if I am close to the truth.

I on the other hand, happen to think the practical make-up effects work created by British based, Millennium Effects studios far surpasses most if not all other make's ups and costumes I've seen in other genre shows past and present and I've seen a lot during my time on the Earth. I'm not going to name which ones I'm referring to because that wouldn't be fair on the people who work on those shows or the fans. Let's just say every show is not without it's own merits. When one considers the fact that, Doctor Who has half the budget of most American TV series then the visual computer generated effects provided by the British based VFX studio, The Mill and now, Milk are quite exceptional. The unique format of a show that can be "anywhere in space and time" in reality means a VFX company has the very difficult task of generating or digitally augmenting new settings, creating new creatures, spaceships for every episode from scratch. Other shows can keep reusing their fully rendered computer models for a whole season or beyond because their stories are set and bound to one time and place. In fact, I think the highest of praise should be bestowed upon all facets of production on this great British institution of a television show. Each episode is quite different from the previous one or the one that comes after it; each series/season juggles a diverse set of past, present, future and alternate stories. Therefore I happen to think the designers, set builders, costumers, props and model miniature departments have their work cut out for them every year. Anyone who casually dismisses the current special effects in, Doctor Who as "standard" and in need of improvement does a disservice to the quality of work from these UK based companies.

I guess there are critics out there like, Mr. Morrison, who are apparently blind to the truly wonderful accomplishments that the Doctor Who pre and post production houses achieve on such tight schedules and meager budgets. Conceivably, Mr. Morrison may not have watched enough genre TV shows to know the difference between the good effects and the bad ones and lumps them all together? Maybe, he just isn't a fan of the show and likes to take a jab at it whenever he can? I'm not sure why his comment rubbed me up the wrong way, but it just felt like a cheap shot and with very little substance to back it up. Just a guess, but the reason why we may not see eye to eye on this is perhaps I'm a huge Doctor Who fan and perhaps more informed about the workings of this show thus appreciating the final results of all that hard labour. Or, maybe that little out of place negative dig in his write up about another show felt like one of those vague "standard" throw away put down lines you always read on the web by "haters" and "trolls". One hopes that as he progresses and evolves as a "professional" reviewer and writer his "standard" ambiguous throw away lines will magically improve like the special effects in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.