XBMC DVD

I usually use XBMC on a PC hooked up to the TV with HDMI, usually for streaming or local TV shows.
But with the lull over the summer, I'm popping in a few DVDs from the library.

My first impression with XBMC playing DVDs was
  'Great, a new menu option just appeared to watch DVDs'
and my second impression was
  'This is so slow and choppy it's unwatchable'.

After some internets searching I stumbled across this XBMC forum.
And the solution of changing the audio settings also worked for me.

I had Audio Output set at HDMI and it needed to be Analog.
I did also set the Audio output device to WASAPI - HDMI.

All was well with the world again.
Well other than the fact that I ended up playing DVDs on the PC because the DVD player is only pushing sound and not video.

Batman Rises

finally saw dark knight rises
i really enjoyed it (no surprise, well deserving of the 94+% rotten tomatoes rating)

i think it's a perfect companion to the novel i finished reading earlier, no mans land
with many of the same elements:
batman is out of commission for a while, giving up
gotham city is condemed
the city is a mess and controlled by criminals who are let loose from the prison
a small group of cops are still fighting for the city on their own
batman symbols on the buildings (as a symbol of hope)

but the film is different and much worse is many other ways.
it should really be called batman: no hope
since he really loses everything and gotham is destroyed
instead of an earthquake as in the novel, it is bane kidnapping the city with a nuclear bomb and sealing it off with explosives
batman is almost always one step ahead in the book, and almost always ten steps behind in the movie
batman/bruce's own money and machinery is used against the city
bane is actually quite civil in the book, only playing his small role, he is far from the worst
batman has a lot more help in the book, those who can almost match him (nightwing, robin, batgirl), while the film does have catwoman and not-yet-robin?

Trek Catchup

i really like the bbc sherlock and i've been catching up with the few episodes there are (like s02e02).

when i heard about the new star trek into darkness possibly featuring the star (cumberbatch) as khan.

so of course today i caught up on my khan-ness.
i watched the original star trek season 1 space seed episode (on hulu, remastered).
and then watched star trek 2 wrath of khan.

then i also heard he could be playing gary mitchell instead,
so i checked out that episode on hulu as well.
between the two i'd vote for this.
it seems to make more sense, with a few scenes matching: the blond on the bridge, gary in the cell.
gary is definitely more dangerous, since he seems almost invincible and can reshape matter on his own (more than khan with genesis)

interesting is the similarities in the characters khan and gary.
both augmented humans in some way.
and both could say they can do "everything" better than kirk.

whether he ends up playing khan or gary or neither, the movie looks great from the trailer.

Batman Animated Beginning, Reading

Just watched batman year one on netflix
awesome beginning stories for batman and gordon
it's really about batman, gordon, and gotham all meeting each other for the first time
and kicking each other's ass until they find their place
well done, i liked the graphics
only downside is how abruptly it ends, making you want more
it stops just short of actually seeing gordon and batman working together

continuing my earlier reading post and somewhat related...

Earlier this week I finished the batman novel, it was good
At first, i thought it was strange to read a book about batman but read nothing about him for the first 1/4 of the book, but it was part of the story
i liked the characters and there were plenty, the story actually feels like a collection of related stories (most likely because it is based on the series of comics)
i thought it was strange to bring in lex luthor but he works as a counter balance to bruce wayne in terms of power/resources (especially in gotham),
also lex is most likely explained through the comics (which included superman)
while reading, i was always waiting for the big bad moments to come, expecting the worst
and i knew there would be a sucker punch at the end,
and there it was right down to the wire in the last few pages

Also in reading,
I started and finished the second volume star wars comic in the series

i'm not a fan of the changing artists and having to adjust to characters new appearance
But after i did, i still enjoyed the story
now waiting for the next 2 to arrive

Zombie Cinema and Gaming

I saw Warm Bodies at the theater yesterday
sounds like an aweful or cheesy story from the title and even from the description as a zombie love story
it's apparently based on a novel of the same name which sounds very similar in its summary to the film
but i was pleasantly surprised, i really ended up enjoying it
especially the internal monologue at the beginning
it was really funny, i would totally watch it again
the big baddies (bonies) in the movie look a lot like immolators from zombie master, fast blackened skeletal zombies except not on fire

In related news, zombie gaming over the weekend
mostly zombie multiplayers with headset on steam: left4dead, zombie master, killing floor
zm is still awesome for being a dated game with few servers and players, and maps focused little on zombies and more on random challenges and traps
i was surprised to realize i actually like killing floor now. i disliked it initially from being tough and dying, which still happens on single player, but multi is fun,
even with team killers, and mods killing team killers, even accidental (hey don't walk right in front of my spray haha).

Horror Spin

Saw Cabin in the Woods finally.
It was better than expected.
I really liked the plot.
Definitely a different take on horror.
Almost as a way to explain every horror film ever made, as this larger goal.
Very cool to see the cube-like underground facility filled with monsters.
Watching the film did make me wonder who I was rooting for.
So I especially liked the ending which could have gone either way.

Even the credits were great with nine inch nails 'last'.

New Spider-Man

I saw the new Amazing Spider-Man film in 3D.

Here was my attitude going into the movie:
I don't have a huge motivation to see this in the theatre, I could wait until it's out on NetFlix or somewhere else. I do like the main actor Andrew more than Toby, but I can't imagine the story is different enough. Hopefully I will be proven wrong.

Well, I'd say it was worth the trip.

To me it felt less campy, almost realistic (if you ignore some of the over-the-top only-CG sections) and a bit raw.

I like that Peter's not perfect, he's human (for the most part). He's awkward at times, injured, struggling to control his abilities, learning on his own, creating his suit, causes his uncle to be shot and cannot save him, seeks revenge against a bully and his uncle's killer. He brings some nostalgia to me as a hoodie-wearing chain-riding and skating kid. And of course I'm glad he's not a wrestler in it but I like the reference to creating his mask.

We see his parents with a better backstory (apparently to be continuted in later films).

I really liked the few funny scenes like the smart-talking spidey "i'm scared of knives" (reminding me of the animated TV series a little) and the Stan Lee's cameo in the library. Oh and the accidental beat-down in the subway "sorry sorry".

I also didn't like the number of people that saw his abilities as Peter: kids at high school playing basketball, people on the subway, police and public out in the street. Maybe it goes to show how inexperienced and vulnerable he is starting out.

I'm not a big fan of the lizard, definitely low in my rank of enemies, but it ended up being a great start to a series of films. I had completely forgotten about Dr Connors appearing in the earlier Spider-Man 2/3 films (not as the Lizard but as a professor/physicist).
The film did have me wondering about how Spider-Man and the Lizard were transformed.
For Spider-Man, did the spider bite transfer part of the spider DNA with the serum to allow merging across species/materials (assuming spiders were spliced with a strong material).
But Peter's appearance does not change to look like a spider (as happens to the Lizard). He gains speed, strength, senses, climbing ability. Is this from such a small exposure allowing a partial transformation with possibly multiple bites from the spider required?
Since the Lizards transformation is different, I assume the formula/serum used is also different. Was the formula from Peter's father wrong? If so why? Did Peter's write it down wrong (he did just memorized it)? Or had his father left it flawed in-case found? It's interesting since both point to Peter being flawed (not remembering correctly or being in over his head).

In comparing this film to comics/animated TV:

• Core theme of Spider-Man is the same as the comic: relatable teen with no mentor, learning for self.
• Peter bit by modified spider (not sure if radioactive as in comic).
• Spider-Man shooting web from devices is same as comic (but unlike earlier films).
• Peter does not catch his uncle's killer (not yet atleast), unlike the comic (and earlier film).
• Peter's parents backstory is different from comic (meeting and death, and probably also working for CIA)
• Peter meets Gwen in college in the comic (some also have this in high school).
• Gwen's dad is a cop and does have a fight with Peter, but he instead dies from Dr Octapus in the comic.
• Gwen is an intern with Dr Connors similar to the animated TV.
• Lizards backstory is different from comic (lost arm in army and works from home in Florida) but similar in animated TV (lost arm from accident, working for Oscorp).
• Lizard also wants to turn NY into lizard-people in animated TV.

There are many different comics and TV shows, so there is sure to be a combination of these that can match the movie.

So why was this film needed?
Apparently there were stories missed in the earlier films that can now be explored. 
An obvious opportunity is a tie in to the Avengers, such as Dr Connors working for SHIELD or a Captain America connection with the Red Skull and Peter's parents (similar to the comics, although probably not since the film appears to blame Oscorp).
I missed the ending providing a sneak peak ahead into the next film, but hopefully we find out the truth about his parents.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

As mentioned earlier, 
ever since I heard about Abe Lincoln and vampires being mixed together I had to check it out. 
And now 3 months after listening to the audiobook, I finally got the chance to see the film.
SPOILERS below about the film and book.

The beginning of the film including his childhood felt rushed in comparison to the book. It does include his father being in debt to a vampire and the death of his mother but then skips ahead, missing 1/3 or more of the book. 
I can't say these were my favorite parts of the book, with his drunk father and moving around. But in the book he avenges his mother as a child, staking his first kill.

In general the film chops out a lot of character development, personal connections, and motivations. Abe's father explaining the truth about vampires is replaced with a rushed version by Henry.
There is no slave friend in the book to push Abe to fight slavery. Instead he sees the truth of slavery with his own eyes, seeing vampires kill slaves on a plantation after an auction.
Actually, there's not much of a link between slavery and vampires in the film. And the film is also missing examples like vampires snatching children as reasons to kill them.
I don't remember silver having any big signifigance in the book, but it is the primary/only weaspon against vampires in the film. For example, although the emancipation proclamation is shown in the film, it is not the cause for winning the war, but instead silver wins the war.

In the end, the biggest missing piece for me in the film is Abe and Henry's relationship.
The film treats Abe like just another vampire hunter to do Henry's bidding. There is no reason given for Henry to save Abe's life or train him. He doesn't even appear to like him in the movie.
And then there is the ending, which was another huge disappointment compared to the book. We don't see anything about Abe's death: we have no backstory on Boothe as a vampire, we don't see Henry fighting Boothe to avenge Abe, we don't see Abe as a vampire in current times.
Instead, we see Henry in current times, but it has no real meaning. To me, it seems like this film should fit into a larger series of vampire hunter films, where Henry goes to recruit famous people from history.

I walked into this movie knowing the Rotten Tomatoes rating of 35% and expecting the critics to be wrong. But this ended up being the percent of the book in the film (small snipets from the the middle), which is strange since it was written by the author of the book.
I personally didn't like the overuse of CG for vampire faces and the chase over horses during a stampede.
My hopes were just too high for this film and it didn't live up to the book.

Snow White and Huntsman

Yesterday went to see this in the theater and gave it a mixed rating. Somehow it felt pretty shallow, like the over 2hr running time wasn't enough.

I think it came down to a few specific points:

1. I really enjoyed the beginning, following the classic story setup and some cool fighting/CG. Basically the scenes before Kristin Stewart appeared.

2. The dark forest didn't feel dangerous enough. Scary mostly from trippy mushrooms? Only one troll? And he gives up after losing a staring contest? I wanted more monsters and more threats.

3. Aweful ending? Feels like it rushes to a predictable end and then unsure what to do, just lingers on the last scene. I would have preferred jumping further into the future to show the land and people recovered.

4. So it's not a love story? Not that its a requirement, but there's the love triangle for the last 1/3 of the movie. And its unresolved so she ends up with no one? Is the huntsman the real "prince"? His name is in the title, he revives her, and there is that last look at each other.

TV and Movies Recap

TV Season finales with shows including Fringe and Supernatural, I've been enjoying delayed on Hulu (well not enjoying the delayed part).

I feel like Fringe really stepped up in season 4 and delivered. And wow on the jumping to the future for the one episode filled with Observers, bringing back Bell and tying pieces together. Looking forward to season 5, though sad it will be the last.

For Supernatural in season 7, glad to see Castiel come back and Bobby as well, though different and shortlived apparently. I wasn't into this season a lot, including the leviathans. Different to have an almost-invincible and smart enemy (bent on global domination), contrasting the monsters of the week. I think the episode with Felicia Day was the highlight of the season. Exporing purgatory in next season 8 sounds interesting.

Season and series finale of House! It was a nice ending to an awesome show.

For Castle, all I can say is finally! and hopefully we find out more about the mysterious assassin/conspiracy. Not sure how I feel about that whole story now, but I did enjoy the episodes this season with superheroes, ghost hunters, and zombies.

Finished getting caught up on Californication, a fun rollercoaster season and cliffhanger ending. Made me think back to the previous season 4 that had Hank almost die from drinking/drugs and drowning.

Now getting caught up on Being Human (US version).

Still enjoying Game of Thrones as well, such a dark and awesome show. Sad to say there is only 1 episode left this season (too short).

Seen a few movies in the theater lately including Lockout and Avengers.

As expected, Lockout was an ok action movie, I went in with low/no exceptions so no way I was leaving disappointed. But yea, bad story, bad CG or editing, but some actors I enjoy. I really wanted to see Gilgun from Misfits in it.

Avengers was better than expected, again I went in with low expectations. But it surprised me in a good way.

On Netflix, I checked out 13 Assassins which I really enjoyed.

Weekend - tertainment

saw hunger games in the cinema this weekend

it was pretty good, and although i haven't read the book myself, it seems to follow the story well

the districts reminded me of the timezones from in time, segments distancing the rich from the poor

my only real complaint is that it felt unfinished, which is to be expected as the first in a trilogy

although i'm not a big star wars fan

i picked up a comic tag and bink and book darth plagueis from the library

looking forward to getting back into some reading

fringe is in high gear with lots of reveals and drama

with alter lincoln's death, broyles being revealed, and more insight into jones and his plans

i can feel the end of the season coming, and hope for atleast another partial season to follow

John Carter (Virginia) of Jasoom

Went to see the John Carter film in the theater.

I enjoyed it more than expected, but then again I enjoy most scifi movies.

I liked the mix of different times/places or atleast civilizations with different technology, aliens of mars and civil war veteran. A little bit of the cowboys and aliens feel mixed with conan.

I enjoyed the mysterious bald men in robes influencing events, reminding me of fringe (bald,suits,fedora), adjustment bureau (suits,fedora), etc.

I didn't necessarily like all the CG and especially didn't like seeing it in 3D (gah hate it).

One thing that I enjoyed the most was the concept of traveling to/from Mars.

Specifically the notion of being copied and your body being in some sort of stasis.

How long can your body last in this state? How does it survive?

What happens to the copy when you return? Does it just disappear?

What about if your copy dies? Like what happened to the Thern who was shot on Earth, did he return to Mars?

The history of having a film created based on the books is interesting.

Seems that the film is different enough to not ruin the books, if I ever get around to reading them.

Content Backlog

I've had plenty of material sitting around to catch up on and I've finally started digging in.
At the moment, I've caught up on Fringe (a favorite) and The Cape.
I was caught up on The Event until new episodes just came out.
Starting to catch up on V and No Ordinary Family.

Other TV shows we have in rotation for new episodes:
Castle
The Big Bang Theory
How I Met Your Mother
The Mentalist
House
CSI
Grey's Anatomy
The Office

Smallville and Supernatural are on hold at the moment.

Newest TV shows we are catching up on:
White Collar
Parenthood
Community
Modern Family

And in prep for PAX East (this weekend!), I'm catching up on Penny Arcade: The Series.

In comics, I finally read The Walking Dead #81 and also read #82 released today.
I also caught up on Penny Arcade and I can only hope I don't feel like this during PAX

I see a lot of comic based movies coming up this summer.
None I'm super excited about, maybe X-Men: First Class (imagine X-Men as friends again!) and Green Lantern.

But next year is a different story.
New Batman along with reboots for Spiderman and Superman.

Inception

Saw Inception twice recently

Although long, I enjoyed it both times

but wondered about the ending

On first seeing it, I thought the top continued to spin at the end, meaning he was still in Limbo and the entire happy ending was just a dream

But on the second viewing, it appeared the top was wobbling enough and was about to fall over, meaning the happy ending was reality

Apparently that's the point of the ending, to be wondering

but also see that regardless of the outcome, Cobb has changed and could go home

XBMC Initial Setup

Thanks to Euicho, I downloaded and installed XBMC (version 10.0) to try out for a flashier movie and tv experience, since my normal mode of operation has been to just use Media Player Classic (Windows only) and uTorrent (no automated downloads, little use of RSS).

My first concern before even downloading what organizing the video files to what XBMC expects. For movies, I just put them all in a directory called Movies. For TV, I created a directory called TV Shows with subdirectories with the TV show name and possibly sub-subdirectories for each season. Otherwise, the files themselves, if from torrents, usually have the expected format. I added in both these directories as sources with Videos -> Add source.

My initial reaction was unimpressed. I did see the show information was being retrieved, but it didn't appear that the posters and images were. Eventually (after finally loading), I realized image loading was incredibly slow, as was updates on the weather page.

After reading forums, I found a couple solutions.

One was to create advancedsettings.xml in the AppData/XBMC/userdata directory with:

<advancedsettings>

<sleepbeforeflip>0.85</sleepbeforeflip>

</advancedsettings>

The second was to use: Settings -> System -> Video output -> Use a full screen window rather than true full screen. Both allowed the image and weather loading to be bearable.

I continued to strive toward getting a setup that looked like the screenshots I saw for XBMC, using the default skin Confluence. I went to Settings -> Skin -> Home window options, and hid all options except Movies, TV shows, and weather. Under the now visible Movies menu, I set the view as FanArt using the hidden menu that pops out from the left side. For TV shows, I set both the show name and episode list screens as the Media Info view, and Media Info 2 view for the season list screen.

Here are the results:

Now I can only hope to someday have a dedicated media Linux box using uTorrent and XBMC.