CW's "Vortexx" Premiers!

The CW's new kids programming black, "Vortexx," premiered this morning. I didn't get to watch all of it, but I wasn't that impressed by the network presentation and bumpers themselves. Hopefully they'll get some stuff in there to help liven up the line-up, as well as some fresh new shows.

Of course, Power Ranger Lost Galaxy was among the line-up (since Saban Brands, who reacquired the Power Rangers franchise from Disney a few years back, had bought the CW's Saturday morning programming slot), and, having not watched it in many years, I was a little surprised how long it took to get going, with no Ranger powers at all in the first episode! But they do have some cool powers, and it will be fun to relive this FOX Kids season.

—Charles M Warren

The Golden Bird Quest, 2nd Edition!

   I finally revised my ebook "The Golden Bird Quest," adding a new illustration, and the original Grimm's fairy tale (in case you would like to compare the two, or relive the original adventure). If you ever got the chance to read the first edition (and few people did), I cleaned up every typo I could find (how did those get there to begin with?), tweaked/enhanced certain parts, and rewrote some of the ending.
   I think it turned out great, and I encourage you to at least check out the Amazon.com preview.

   It's an eBook, but you don't need a portable eReader to view it. You can download the free Amazon Kindle Application for your desktop, or laptop computer, or even smartphone! Here's the link:
Free Reading App

   And here's my book:
The Golden Bird Quest

   I really hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you think!

—Charles

Snow White And The Huntsman

   Finally went and saw "Snow White And The Huntsman," and was rather disappointed.
   It was a little dark and grungy for my taste, and was a little slow to start.

   However, it certainly had the most interesting and unique set of Dwarves I've ever seen!
   Some of their interpretations of the original elements of the story were interesting (such as the Queen being wrapped up in a bit of a spell of her own), but, overall, I just didn't care much for it.

   And the ending left more to be desired.

—Charles

The Avengers... in 3D!

   Saw Marvel's The Avengers in 3D today (actually my second time to see it).

   I really enjoyed the movie, they really went all out in using the heroes, incorporating fights with each other, and exploiting nearly all of their characters' potential!

   Two negatives though: Hawkeye spent to much time as a bad guy, and I would've liked to have seen a new villain.

   As for the 3D: It was good 3D, with nearly every scene having a sense of depth to it, but (for me at least, and I'm a fan of 3D) it wasn't pop-off-the-screen amazing. (of the 3D trailers, "Frankenweenie" actually had the best 3D depth I've seen in a while)

—Charles

John Carter: Man Of Mars (2012 movie)

Months ago, when I watched the TV trailers for the Disney movie "John Carter," I was only mildly amused. Until I heard that it came from a story written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the distinguished creator of Tarzan. And the more I looked into the background of the story, the more intrigued I became, realizing how much I had come across other stories and art that were directly inspired by this series (such as a story line in the Marvel X-MEN comic "Excalibur," and tons of popular fantasy art).

So I just had to see this movie before it left theaters! But things kept getting in the way, until one week ago from today, when I finally got to see it with some family and friends, turning out to be the very last day it was in theaters! (at least in my area)

And I really enjoyed! Unsure of why it wasn't more successful. (During its 7 week run, it made about 75 million domestically, and 200 million internationally, totaling 275 million in ticket sales for a movie that I've heard cost closer to 300 million to make). The story, CG characters, and alien society weirdness were especially fantastic to me!

But it wasn't without its flaws. I thought, after a brief glimpse of what was going on among the martian people, they took too long to get John Carter there (I would have cut out much of his antics with those military officers). And once he did get there, his adjustment to the red planet's lighter gravity was... a bit awkward. Yet, perhaps the most damaging shortcoming, was how some of the sets – only early on in the movie, really – had a very cheap, B-movie look to them.

But overall, I really enjoyed the movie, and highly recommend it for Sci-Fi fans! The Video comes out June 5th.

–Charles M Warren

Eve's Dairy

Thanks to a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire question, I heard about this lovely little Mark Twain short-story titled "Eve's Diary." And though every detail of the first woman may not be entirely accurate, it is a wonderful little story, filled with fantastic pen & ink illustrations!

You can download it as a free ebook from Google! Here's a link: Eve's Diary

Some time after Mark Twain wrote Eve's Diary, he wrote one for Adam too, mostly focusing on their first child. But I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. It tries too hard at being humorous, and just doesn't have the same charm.

But here's a link to the free ebook if you want to check it out anyway: Adam's Diary

I'm back!

 Sometimes, life just gets away from you...