Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.14 - "2010: At the End"

Bobbie and Chase spend time going over what happened in 2010.

If you were a basic D&D character

Hola ya´ll. This is Michael, or as the students spell it, Mikle/Mikul/Mikel.

Have some time before my next class so I decided to make the fellow Warp Zone Nerds into basic D&D characters. If you want to do the same look up srd20 ( http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/classes.htm ) on google or contact me for help. I made the character's abilities using a 32 point buy using the point buy calculator found here http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/169520-how-does-point-buy-work.html . Also, I will try to give each character a flaw/benefit that will both help and hurt the character and make them more unique.

First, and foremost. Thomas.

Thomas the Wordslayer, also known as Thomas the Bat Man, is a Lawful/Neutral human Wizard. Thomas does his best to enforce the law by settling disbutes. He often feels that taking the law into his own hands will be better but he does his best not to. He is fully capable of feats that allows him to do things from convincing someone that they need to obey what he says to simply fireballing a room. He has an extremely high Intelligence and uses his photographic memory to his advantage. He tends to lean towards using magic instead of brute physical strength to get things done. While he has an average Charisma score he is able to substitute that with his high Intelligence score when it comes to debate, easily being able to manipulate others, and this is before his use of magic. He will, however, have to be able to sway the argument into an intellectual manner of facts. In other words he would not be able to convince someone to leave his guard post, just because. However, depending on the situation, he could convince him that he is fighting for the wrong side by giving the history of whom he is working for. The Ability change used will have to be approved by the DM per scenario. Also, he can only do this once successfully per gaming session.

Due to his high dependence on Magic, he has a high Intelligence and Wisdom with a average Charisma. However, due to this he has a lower Strength, Constitution and Dexterity. He is an important person to have in a fight and in other varying situations but he will need to stay in the back lines when it comes to a struggle. Still his enemies will have to get close to him first in order to make him worry.

For his use of word manipulation he is known as Thomas the Wordslayer. In some circles he is known as Thomas the Bat Man because of his unusual choice for a familiar, a bat.

Thomas's Ability Points and bonuses before any modifications are made are:

Str 9 - 0

Dex 10 - 0

Con 10 - 0

Int 18 - 4

Wis 15 - 2

Cha 11 - 0

He has a custom made flaw/benefit:

Photographic Smugness:

He has photographic memory which allows him to be able to skip the preparing spells in the morning process. He will still have a limited amount but he will have to keep track of the scores just like a sorcerer. However, he knows he has a photographic memory and is smug about it. In gameplay the character should play this smugness in an "I'm better than you" attitude. Because of this, the character receives a -3 in Charisma.

Well, more to come. Hope you enjoyed this. Until next time, when we see Chase the Wise, our mighty Bard, I'll see you.

Michael

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.13 - "Christmas or Whatever"

The Nerds spend a good deal of time talking about Christmas time, and Die Hard.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.12 - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1"

The Nerds finally talk about one of their most anticipated films of 2010.

Thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Just thought I'd take this moment to say what I am thankful for.

I am always thankful to my family but every year it seems like I am more and more thankful to have them. My parents have been very supportive of me and I know it can't be easy. This year I decided to pull a fast one on them and accept a job in Spain. They were thrilled that I had this opportunity and have helped me in any way imaginable. I love them and appreciate them more than I can say.

I am also thankful for all the friends that I have back in the states that still somehow manage to keep in contact with me. I would be lying if I said that I do not get homesick but my conversations with them help keep me grounded...Especially with my nerdy/geeky friends 8P. I am pretty sure I am one of the bigger nerds in the country of Spain, definitely one of the biggest in Plasencia (the other runner ups I'm thinking of are in fact two other Americans). Nerds here are treated like aliens. People just stand back, stare at us and wonder whether they should run away from us, interact with us or poke us with a giant stick. Being able to log on to L4D2 or TF2 randomly with people or seeing a random twitter post from a fellow nerd is surprisingly refreshing. So thank you all, especially those on twitter I do not know but follow us anyway because they deem us worth following.

Finally, I am thankful not only for this teaching job in Spain but also the new friends I have made because of this. Without these new friends, life here would be more complicated. A couple have provided a place for me to stay while I was looking for a flat of my own. Another has become a great flatmate (watch out Tom, competition for best flatmate 8P ). Everyone helps with my Spanish and they are just so extraordinarily friendly. Also, they are so awesome that we all just finished a Thanksgiving dinner that we all prepared ourselves. Think about, we just had a successful Thanksgiving dinner in a country where Plymouth Rock has no meaning to them other than maybe a chapter in a world history book. Five of the people who attended are not even American and yet they still wanted to be involved. I get asked in class many times why I like Plasencia so much, out of everywhere in Spain I could have been, and a big reason for that is you guys. Thanks.

Well, thank you all for reading this. I am of course thankful to those who read this because I did not write this for nothing! 8P

The Thanksgiving holiday may be over for me (you know, time difference and all) but for others the Thanksgiving dinner is just beginning. Have a great meal and a great day with your families....And please, eat an extra slice of pecan pie for me....I miss pecan pie....

LLAP and geek out with pride,

Michael

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.11 - "The End of Day...And Wall-E Too"

At first the Nerds were going to talk about the Apocalypse in media, but suddenly they were talking about Ryan Reynolds CGI junk.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.10 - "Endings"

The Nerds go over why Endings are so important in media.

A retrospective post Halloween

Hey all, Michael here again from Spain (nope, you can´t get rid of me 8P ). I am here to talk to you about Halloween. Now, Halloween has come to pass. I love Halloween, and what´s not to love? You are able to dress up into costumes and disguises that you wouldn´t normally be caught dead in. You get to watch scary movies (I include Rocky Horror Picture Show in the scary movie category) and it is publically accepted to knock on people´s doors and threaten them into giving you candy (or what I like to call, protection money) or else! Halloween is glorious. However, it is not an Españoles (Spanish) holiday...and yet. Every year more and more people celebrate this crazy annual tradition. People can be seen here in the discoes (clubs) dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow, if your lucky you´ll see a zombie walking around and also, everynow and then, you´ll see a mime. This year, I´ve been told, was one of the first years that some of the television channels stopped their normal viewing schedule to show only scary shows and movies (peliculas de miedo) for the week of Halloween. I was curious, ¿why? ¿Why in the world would Halloween, of all holidays become so popular here?

In America we have Thanksgiving, which has evolved into a day to be with family and give thanks to everything that we have: family, food, life, and everything the word etcetera has to offer. We have Independence day. A day where we shoot off fireworks and have fun to remember when America declared it´s independence and it truely started to be America. Surely Spain has a day where they commemorate their country such as this (I´ve been told yes by some and no by others, so if they do have it, it does not seem to be as big a deal as ours). So why? Why Halloween? I asked someone this and all they had to say was, ``No sé. ¿Porque tú celebras Halloween?´´ Why do I, no, why do we celebrate Halloween?...I had no clue! So, I went into research mode.

I started the research determined to find the cause for Halloween and what I found surprised me...NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE WHY WE CELEBRATE IT! What am I to tell the students here in Spain when they look at me with there earnest eyes ready to learn and ask, ¨Why do we celebrate Halloween, a holiday that has become the second biggest commercial holiday (I´ll let you guess what´s the first) in America?´´ I´ll look at that student completely confused. Once the teacher in charge translates to me what that student said though I will then have no excuse not to answer! So, what am I to tell them?

``Well kids, Halloween, just like the American language, is a deformed combination of several other cultures. The date may have Celtic roots because the Celts celebrated New Years on the night of October 31st. You see this was when it usually got very cold for them and they associated the cold with dead people trying to come back to earth.
``Trick or treating maybe came from the English´s All Soul´s Day where families handed out snacks (a.k.a. bribes) to other people asking them to pray for various deceased family members. It may be that or another Celtic tradition where people put a bowl of food (BRIBES!) outside their doors in order to beg the dead and the ghosts not to enter their homes and do bad things to them.
``As to dressing up in costumes? Meh, we´re unsure about that too. It likely came from the Celts, as well as some other European peoples, who were still terrified that the dead came back at this time. Due to this, they would wear masks in order to trick the ghosts and monsters into thinking that they were a ghost and monster too. This way the monster, or ghost, would not be stab them in the back (and sorry Marshall Grey and Lauren Reynolds of Late Night Spookline, but this is the explaination for a great deal of monster and ghost sitings during this time. It was actually people dressed up as monsters who were terrified by other people dressed up as monsters who were terrified as well...wow, say that run on sentence ten times fast.).
``Then, when people started realizing how awesome America was, they came over and continued their traditions there.´´

The students will look at me with a blank stare and when the teacher translates what I said to them the same student raises his or her hand, ``So, Halloween wasn´t normally a fun holiday but one about blackmail? It was a tradition to fear and not to celebrate? A day where everyone felt their life could end at any moment due to an unseen horror?´´
Me, ``......Yes.´´
The student, ``So how did America make it so fun.´´
``Well,´´ I reply, ``Well, you see Americans are notorious jerks. I can only guess that while all the new people were dressing up in costumes and terrified for their lives, Americans, I suppose, just made fun of them. Then some corporate brain for...I don´t know, a Wal Mart must have said, `You know what? We can make money off of this.´ And then a superstitious and extremely feared holiday became the marketing scheme it is today.´´

...Can I really have that conversation with a student? Do I really want to. Knowing how the holiday came to be actually makes me want to celebrate it less. However interesting it is that it exemplifies how America is a melting pot...it also shows that what the melting pot cooks can sometimes leave a sour taste in your mouth and make you wonder, ``If it smelt so funny, why eat it?´´ ...But then I remember my Mom helping me in my first costumes. I was a ghost one year and then the Blue Power Ranger the next (even when I was little I knew I was a nerd...and if you do not know who Billy Blue is then you did not watch Power Rangers. No, the 50 spin offs do not count!). I remember how much fun we had. I remember shopping for costumes and candy with my family and going from door to door to get more with my parents and sister. I remember going to my first dance dressed as Dracula. I remember going through my very first haunted house (casa de miedo), being scared half to death and then going back into the line to go through it again. I remember neighbors and friends that I have lost touch with dressing up in costumes ranging from Frankenstein to Buzz Lightyear. I remember being blown away by my first massive group showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and learning how do to the Time Warp with my friends, who are now spread out in different states. Then, in college, I remember making close friends through creating our own haunted house for four years and scaring other people half to death with it (seriously guys, you do not run backwards in a haunted house, that is just stupid).

Now I am in Spain. A place where Halloween is not traditionally celebrated...and yet, I will not be able to forget having a Halloween party and watching scary movies with my new American, Scottish and Españoles friends (we saw ``Rec,´´ a Spainish film which is officially my favorite scary movie). I will remember going to the disco and seeing zombies along the way who were badly singing the music (not the lyrics) to Michael Jackson´s thriller (``dun dun dun thriiiillerrr, thriller nocheees). I will remember classes being so curious about this Halloween holiday and yes, I will most likely remember writing this blog, which, when I started it, originally had nothing to do with what it turned out to be (I was going to do a cultural analysis on how different societies view zombies...maybe next year...or on the season finale of AMC´s newest show The Walking Dead, WHATCH IT!).

So...What do I tell the class? Do I want to tell them the real reason America celebrates Halloween and spoil the fun? Or do I tell them the reason we as a people celebrate Halloween. We do not celebrate it with the Celts in mind. We do not hand out or dress up because we think are lives depend on it. We do not think about how the holiday (if it can even be called that) started when we egg or teepee a person´s house. Heck, pretty much no one knows for sure how this annual celebration even started. So I tell them the truth, I tell them why we actually celebrate it.

``¡Because it is freakin´ egg smashing, sugar coma enducing, crazy, unadulterated fun!´´

===================================================

I used two souces to write this amazingly perfect article/essay on this confusing Spanish keyboard. The second being this link http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Do-We-Celebrate-Halloween---The-Spookiest-Holiday-Of-The-Year&id=272487

The first and most important source is my supreme intellect....that is all.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.09 - "Sitcoms, But Really Arrested Development"

The Nerds were going to talk about sitcoms, but really it was just an excuse to talk about Arrested Development.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.08 - "Return of the Cult Films"

The Nerds return to a subject they have touched on previously and expand on their opinions.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.07 - "Concerning Zombies"

Finally, after much promising the Nerds speak out about Zombies and how they have effected pop culture since the 1950s.

Spain, Pancakes & Zombies...wait, what?

Hello all. This is Michael all the way over here in Plasencia, Spain. Right now I'm in a flat with a German, a Scot, a New Mexican and an Oregonian. Pretty soon we will be joined by a Minnesotan and a Espanoles from Sevilla. We are living the life in Spain...and by living the life I mean after finishing the viewing of another fantastic sunset, we are about to have a pancake dinner and watch a fútbol match between Real Madrid vs AC Milan. Yes we are living the good life. Meanwhile, we are teaching kids of various ages, drinking what I call concentrated coffee and enjoying it.

Also, as a side-note, I've been getting familiar with Steam. Yes, I've finally been pressured into it and I have been enjoying it. So, yes, I suppose this will be my review of Steam and the games I've been playing.

STEAM: So I am completely in love with Steam. They are fantastic with supplying great video games for great prices. Seriously, I just got a 34.00 Euro Package of Monkey Island games for 4.00 Euros. What's also great about it is that it remembers the games you bought. If you loose your laptop and/or buy another one then you can just re-install it without having to purchase it again.

It works great as a communication forum too. I am able to keep in touch with friends and can use it as a form of Skype with other Steam users. It also let's you do status updates without the 140 word limit 8P.

Final thing I'll talk about that I love about Steam, is that they'll update your games automatically for you. For example, it automatically added The Sacrifice DLC in L4D and L4D2!

PORTAL: I replayed Portal and it reminded me why it is one of my favorite games. The game-play and the physics of it is incredible. Cake anyone?

Left 4 Dead: Yes, I finally played through the whole game and I loved it. The game-play, single player and co-op, is amazing. In involves fantastic teamwork, strategy and a certain amount of badassery (yes, I actually said it!) that's hard to achieve in any game. Oh, and the zombies in this are scary as, cue the shift key and number line, !@#$.

Left 4 Dead 2: Same as above but even better. There are more and scarier zombies. Plus I played some versus for the first time which was amazing. I didn't think I'd enjoy playing as the zombies that much but I did...oh I did...

L4D 1 & 2: Co-Op Mode: So, I've been playing L4D with my two good friends Chase, who your familiar with from this blog and our show, and Justin. I was heavily impressed with how smooth it ran. It has a very good controller system to work with your character, control that one idiot bot and communicate with each other verbally. It turned out to be one of the most interesting gaming experience I've ever had.

L4D The Sacrifice Comic: IT WAS FANTASTIC! I'm usually not a fan of video game comics but whoever made this one knew what they were doing. It is very character based, managed to take lines from the game without it being corny and added so many dimensions to characters we already enjoyed. If you've played L4D I highly recommend you read it on the L4D website.

Well, that's all for me tonight. Hope you have a fantastic day. I'll talk to you all later.

Representing the Nerdverse here in Spain, this is Michael saying let your inner nerd show. Shalom out...oh, and nerd out too 8P

SPANISH TV LINE OF THE WEEK!:

Hola, me llamo McLoovin'

Google Pic of the Week of where I'm at:

Placensia, Spain - Plaza Mayor

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.06 - "Horror Fun Month Part 2"

The Nerds continue talking about their favorite month of the year.

Chase's 100 Movies/100 Scenes: 94 - Hannibal (2001)

Soon I will be finished with films like this, but for right now we must trudge on with another film that isn't good but I still like. Today's film is the 2001 film directed by Ridley Scott called Hannibal. Hannibal is a sequel to the far superior 1991 film Silence of the Lambs. this film follows the characters of Dr. Hannibal Lector as he tries to remain in hiding in Italy, and Agent Clarice Starling (this time played by Julianne Moore). The story is about Clarice trying to prove herself as an agent in the F.B.I. and to find Hannibal Lector who is also being tracked down by a former patient of his. the film is very weak with only the performances of Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore to make up for the weak story by author Thomas Harris. Honestly the film suffers for trying to be as smart as the previous, but is unable to be as simple.However, the film has amazing atmosphere. This is mainly due to how amazing of a director Scott can be, but also from how perfectly Anthony Hopkins can play the Lector character.

The scene that ultimately portrays this is around the mid point of the film when Lector is discovered in Italy. Hannibal is hiding out in Florence playing the part of a Dante scholar. he has many communications with local detective and they become friends. However, the detective discovers who Hannibal is. He goes to confront Hannibal while he is giving a lecture on Dante's the Inferno. After the presentation the detective goes to Hannibal and wishes to make a deal with him or he will turn Lector in. Lector out smarts the detective and is able to paralyze the man. He then asks him the morbid question of "bowl in or out?" this is referencing a conversation the two shared earlier in the film where the detective reveals his genealogy is shared with a man famous for his suicide. Hannibal cuts the man's abdomen open and hangs him out the building. his bowls spill out onto the ground below.

This terrifying scene is my favorite from the movie because it shows how intelligent and brutal the character the of Hannibal can be. In one scene he goes from lecturing to slicing a man open and hanging him out the balcony. It just brings into focus how wonderful and interesting this character is even if he is a monster, he alone makes this mediocre film. also, this scene shows of the other high point of this film which is the score by Hans Zimmer. It isn't as subtle or as haunting as the score for Silence of the Lambs but it is still interesting on dark featuring haunting choir work and samples of dark operas.

Hannibal trailer:

Chase's 100 Movies/100 Scenes: 95 - Lost in Space (1998)

To preface this, Lost in Space is a bad movie. No, I mean it. The move has terrible writing from Akiva Goldsmith. Horrendous acting from William Hurt and Mimi Rogers. A third act that crumbles in on its own logic, and finally some very cheesy over blown action set pieces. With all that, I still love the hell out of this dumb movie. It never ceases to put a smile on my face whenever I watch it. I recently watched the Blu-Ray which came my way via Netflix. However, the movie is still bad, but pretty and nostalgic to my 1998 mind set. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, and is a remake of the 1960s television show of the same title Lost in Space follows a family hoping to save to human race by traveling deep in to space to find a new home for humans, but everything goes horribly wrong. Dr. Smith, played very well by Gary Oldman, sabotages the ship and he and the family end up...well lost in space.

It was very hard trying to figure out a scene that really stands out in this film simply because there are so many great moments ruined by the before mentioned issues. In the end I ended up going back to one scene that comes up around the mid point of the film. The family has just realized that they are really lost and they discover an odd "hole" in space in the system that they are in. They fly into the "hole" and discover a spaceship that is from earth, but most likely from earth in the near future. while they are looking over the ship they find another ship docked with it. This ones does not appear human. So...uh...yeah. That's it. That is my favorite scene form this movie.

Now on to the why. why I love this scene is because of the idea of space travel films in the 90s. these films had an odd quality that you never see any more or at least rarely. In the 90s filmmakers were using both models and CGI so you get a really nice bled of the two. This is one area where Lost in Space really knocks it out of the park. The only other film that I feel is similar is the far superior Serenity. The other thing that is wonderful about this moment is the discovery and the confrontation with the unknown. In this scene there are three unknowns: the "hole" in space, the human ship from the future and the alien spaceship. This sense of the comes up here and pretty much no where else in the film. It is the one aspect of the film that it really makes its own and I rarely see this in film today. This doesn't save the movie from being bad, but it certainly makes me happy whenever I watch this movie.

Lost in Space trailer (this trailer is so bad):

Chase's 100 Movies/100 Scenes: 96 - Hellboy (2004)

6 years ago feels like ancient times to me. that was a simpiler time of Half-Life 2 and high school. it was also a time when i was introduced to a filmmaker that still captivates my imagination. I'm of course speaking of Guillermo del Toro and his work on Hellboy. Like Spielberg I will be mentioning del Toro again, but early on I want to highlight Hellboy and why I love this film. Hellboy is based on the Dark Horse comic by Mike Mignola. The Film follows a demon who works for the United States government by eliminating and investigating paranormal activity. It is a fun, weird movie that even my mom loves. no seriously, I should it to her in 2006 and it became one of her favorites.

the scene that really makes this film for me is at the very beginning when Hellboy is "born." The opener follows a platoon of US soldiers as they are sneaking on to an island that is swarming with Nazi scientists. apparently the Nazis are using the island to test a portal technology and unleash a god onto the world. the US soldiers stop the test, but not before a a demon baby escapes the portal. A scientist in the platoon takes in the demon and the soldiers affectionately call him Hellboy.

why this scene is so wonderful to me is that it appeals to my most nerdy sensibilities. You've got Nazis and demons and conspiracies and dudes with swords for hands! It is a wonderful mess. I understand I'm spending very little time on this film. Watch it, it is a wonderful film, but right now the concept of 100 films is getting to me. I really can not wait till I get to my top 25.

Hellboy trailer:

The Dream is Over

I remember hearing my very first Beatles song. It was on a cassette tape my mom bought at Christmas time, and she said to me,"listen to this, you will enjoy it." She was right. My ears consumed that tape. And from that time forward I was a Beatles fan.
I bought my own cds to listen to, and one Christmas in junior high my parents gave me my first copy of John Lennon's solo work. It was a greatest hits album entitled "Lennon Legend", and it was the same experience all over again.
You see John is my favorite Beatle, because John is the most human to me. The Beatles to me are not a super group, but THE super group. This band had every element working for it, they pioneered popular music, no, music in general. They seemed untouchable to me, that is everyone except for John.
John was a troubled youth. He did not know his father, and his mother was a singer and spent a lot of time away from home. He was raised by two aunts. John found comfort in music. He learned to communicate through music, and I eventually found comfort in John's music.
John never tried to hide the fact that he could be a real ass sometimes. He was loud, argumentative and rude. He never tired to hid these things, in fact John embraced all his traits.
When I was in junior high I feel into a deep depression. I felt no emotional attachment to this world. I was not particularly close to any of my friends, and I did not feel close to my family. I had an identity crisis along with a loss of faith. I spent a good portion of my time alone in my room pondering what my place in this world was, and I felt guilty for doubting all the things that were so clear to me as a child. This was when I heard John's music for the first time.
I played that "Lennon Legend" album all the way through and closed my eyes and heard John Lennon describing the same feelings I had, telling me it was alright. He shifted my focus from the turmoil inside of me to the world outside. John's music gave me a purpose again. He told me I could change the world, that I was the answer to my problems.

Nobody Told Me, Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGiV7mxzdGQ&ob=av2e

Take for example the song "God, or the Dream is Over". This song starts off nice and quit, John sings, "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." and then the song begins to build. Up and up the music builds it becomes more intense and John lists all the things he does not believe in anymore. At the end the music stops, and with out auto tuning or voice enhancement John sings " I just believe in me." This is the most intament of songs I have ever listened to in my life, still to this day. John exposes his heart to us and in the end alone as naturally as can be John says he believes in himself.

God, Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv3ic6OOXns

John wrote what he felt always, but especially in his solo career. I watched documentary footage of a man, starving and tired standing outside of John's door explaining that John wrote those songs for him. John said "no, I wrote those songs because that is what I was feeling at the time. You know I got up that morning and had a good shit, so I thought I would write a song about it." The man, like myself felt close to John, but he is not writing to us but to himself. After the conversation John did something no star would, he invited the man to join him for breakfast in his home.
Sometimes I wounder what it would be like if John were still alive. This Saturday he would have turned 70, and I want to know what his razor sharp wit would write about the politics of today, and then I realize that is not what John would want. John would want me to make up my own mind, to voice my own opinion, not his. Lennon would want me to be like him, by not being like him. If that makes any sense?
I would just like to thank John Lennon for helping to make me the woman I am today.
Happy Birthday John Lennon. -B

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.05 - "Horror Fun Month Part 1"

The Nerds spend their favorite month talking about one of their favorite topics.

Michael from Spain AKA Donde esta La Batcueva?

Hey all. This is Michael. If you listen to our show (kxua.uark.edu Wed 6-8pm CST) or follow our twitter (twitter.com/warpzonenerds) you may know that I am currently living in Spain to teach English to high schoolers. While I obviously won't be able to be on the show anymore I will still be updating the twitter and the blog with reviews and news of the sorts. After all I've officially found my comic book source.

You should have seen the amazing looks I got while asking people, "Donde esta La Batcueva?"

Michael

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.04 - "The Next Big Thing Part 3"

The Nerds conclude their conversation on the next big thing with what will come in the future of media.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.03 - "The Next Big Thing Part 2"

The continued conversation on the next big thing, this time concerning 3D and motion controls.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.02 - "The Next Big Thing Part 1"

The Nerds talk about big changes in the history of media.

Chase's 100 Movies/100 Scenes: 97 - National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

Back in the days before I was born and my parents were still in college existed some of the funniest people to ever work in Hollywood. I mainly say existed because many of them have fallen off the map, died or are no longer funny. John Belushi was god and Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd were still funny. Also, during this wonderful and mythical time that was the late 70s and early 80s was one of the only comedies about college life that is actually coherent and funny. Animal House created the sub-genre of the college comedy and excluding Revenge of the Nerds, is the only good member of the sub-genre. Animal House follows the adventures of Delta Tau chi House as they try to tear down the prestigious and snodish Omega Theta Pi house and have a good time. While this is happening, the dean of the college is trying to destroy the Delta house and have them kicked out of the school. This plot might sound cliche, but Animal House created these cliches that so many films use to sleep walk through a film.

This is going to be short since the scene which I love the most is literally a small moment in the film. The Delta house has a massive party at around halfway into the film. It is a massive toga party with many sheet clad college students running around and dancing in a decrepit old building. There is band playing "Shout," people that are completely trashed and John Belushi...pretty much the greatest party in history. There is a small moment where John Belushi is sitting in a chair by himself. He is holding a jar of mustard and is obviously drunk out of his mind (most likely in reality as well). he is staring at the mustard in this weird sneering sort of way then pours it all over his chest.

Before you as an audience member can go"What the hell?" the scene cuts away to another part of the party. I laugh every time I see this scene. it is perfect because it demonstrates the mind set of most people while they are drunk. Suddenly a jar of mustard takes on the attributes of something that is meant to be on your chest. it is stupid and wonderful all at once. The movie never seems to live up to the comedic timing of this moment. If you have not seen Animal House I suggest you get together with a group of people that share your sense of humor and enjoy this pitch perfect comedy about being stupid and in college.

The scene I was talking about is at the end of the trailer:

Chase's 100 Movies/100 Scenes: 98 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

This film is mainly on the list because I feel like it gets nothing but a bad rapt. When Indy 4 came out it broke a nearly 13 year long tension in me that had been brewing ever since I'd heard the possibility of a sequel to one of my favorite films of all time. For me, I was an Indiana Jones kid, I saw Star Wars later in my childhood. Indiana Jones was there from the beginning. I mean I was there back in the days when we thought this movie was going to be about Indiana Jones searching for the lost city of Atlantis or fighting the Chinese in San Fransisco trying to solve a mystery involving Chinese workers who built the American Rail system. I saw this film at a midnight release with many of my friends. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. It felt like I was on the edge of the biggest unknown of my younger days. Finally, I reached the end and asked my friends what they thought.

Really the plot for this film is one that I love. I have always had a thing for the stories of extra terrestrials and their involvement in shaping ancient history. Those were my bed time stories if I were to quote Indy, so I never really felt lost in this film as it seemed others were. The story takes place during the Cold War era, 1957 (just a year before my mother was born). the Soviets are hunting down the famous oblong Crystal Skull that is said to be part of a set of thirteen that once belong to a race of beings that inspired the Mayans. Indy is trying to stop them, but the Red Scare cause him to lose his job as a professor, so now he needs to stop the Russians to regain his position.

The Scene that truly reflects my feelings on this film is in the very first moments of this movie. Indy and his colleague are captured in Mexico and brought back to the states by a "rag-tag" team of Russian soldiers. They break into Area 51 where the leader of the "group," Irina Spalko, forces him to find a box that contains the remains of a creature who crashed his ship just outside of Roswell, New Mexico. Indy helps them find it, but escapes and so ensues a wonderful/classic Indiana Jones chase through the warehouse. Indy menages to escape but not after a mixture of "whip-swings," double crossing, a car chase and an interesting fist fight around a rocket sled.

I love this scene for many reason. Right off the bat it was god damn Indiana Jones through and through. Several years had been leading to this and the opener did not disappoint. Second, by combining Roswell Mythos and Indiana Jones in a clear cut manner was nothing more than pure nerd-gasm for me. Thirdly, it is just an all around wonderful scene. It is daring, intriguing, mysterious and above all else incredibly fun. Now, I'm not saying this film is perfect or that it is the best Indiana Jones film, but I still call it a highly underrated film.

I do have many issues with this film as well, anything that I could tell George Lucas's hands on (Monkey's on vines, "I've got a bad feeling about this," many of the CGI sequences) I had a real issue with. Also, I feel like Spielberg should have made this film in the 90s. However, Harrison Ford comes back in prime fashion, John Williams creates a wonderful score and there are some impressive scenes that feel like an Indiana Jones film instead of just acting like it. I have this movie along with the other Indiana Jones films on my iPod. If I'm in a bad mood, I'll watch this film and instantly feel better, because sometimes waiting really does pay off. I really enjoyed this movie and overall I'm happy I live in a world where it exists.

I swear my next film will have nothing to do with aliens.

Chase's 100 Movies/100 Scenes: 99 - Signs (2002)

Okay...right off the bat, I don't like M. Night Shyamalan. After this film he started to fall off the map into the sinking vapor filled hell of the creative nutjob. This is more or less another film on this list that is a bad movie. I really like this movie for multiple reasons, but it isn't a good film. To sum up the story, it is about a family who live on a secluded farm that is in the middle of an alien invasion. They are stuck in their home while the world is decimated by the extra terrestrial force. What works in this movie is the sense of claustrophobia and isolation that comes from following one family. It works very well for some key scenes and adds some really interesting horrifying tension. However, the film falls apart due to its too perfect climax.

One of the strong moments in this film comes in around the halfway point where we are still uncertain as to what is happening. the family has just come back from a day in town. The boy has been carrying a baby monitor with him, commenting that odd noises are coming from it. When they reach the house the baby monitor starts to emit some very distinct weird sounds. The boy believes it is from the aliens. the father disregards this, but very soon wonder and curiosity leads the family to crawl onto the hood of the car to get a better signal. It quickly becomes obvious that what you are listening to are the communications between two extra terrestrial beings. Then, the signal is lost.

This scene is compelling for one reason; the horrifying reality that this is the first alien language heard by humans. This is where the film really shines. It is about horror coming from what you hear rather than what you see. You imagination paints a terrifying picture of these unknown beings as they talk to one another miles above the earth. It is extremely effective and still creeps me out today. However, when you start to really study the scene it starts to fall apart. the idea that a baby monitor would be able to pick up an alien transmission is preposterous, but it still remains an effective scene in a film that snowballed in to chaos very quickly. On a side note, James Newton Howard's score for this film is among the best work he has ever done. The track that plays during the Baby Monitor Scene is among my favorites and really add to the near perfect atmosphere of this film.

I'm going to start including the trailer to all the films I talk about:

Chase's 100 Movies/100 Scenes: 100 - War of the Worlds (2005)

Over the next few/several months, I'm going to be going through my 100 favorite films and my favorite scenes from those movies. I will be counting down from 100, but overall the order does not matter until I reach around the last fourth of the list. I hope all the readers will find this interesting. This list isn't really full of "good" or "timeless" films, but rather what I love.

To kick off the list I will be talking about Steven Spielberg's 2005 sci-fi "remake" War of the Worlds. Now, I'll be the first to say that this is not a good film. In fact, I have a lot of issues with this movie. For one it exists in too many Spielberg cliches such as broken up families, crazed righteous fathers, so on and so further. the film has a lame ending, poor casting and Dakota Fanning...you get what I'm saying. Where War of the Worlds fails on the big storytelling elements, it makes up in perfect small moments. Spielberg gets family dynamics in big bad way, most of the dialogue is fluid and natural and the special effects are really amazing and terrifying in many ways.

I like this movie, but it is bad. this is my 100 because of one scene that is one of the most amazing and compelling moments in sci-fi film history. The scene is around 15-20 minutes into the film. We've gotten to know the characters, we get the family dynamics and such. Then a massive lightening storm takes place just down the street from the main character's house. The Tom Cruise character, Ray, leaves the house and follows a massive crowd of people to a hole in the middle of an intersection caused by the lightening storm. suddenly the ground begins to crack and split open and a massive alien/tripod ship...thing comes out of the ground and starts vaporizing people.

Why this scene is so amazing is in how intense everything is. It seems like such a cliche scene, but these cliches are revitalized in such a brilliant ways where we get something that is more like Saving Private Ryan than an alien invasion film. When people are being vaporized by the alien death ray it is terrifying. The way Spielberg shoots the scene and the effects used make the moment someone is blown to dust horrifying. When I first saw this film I was shaking from fear, the scene truly unnerved me. I watched this film recently and it still holds up in a big way. Again, War of the Worlds isn't a good film, but it has a scene that holds some hope for the future of alien invasion film.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 3.01 - "Fixed Points In Time and Space"

The Nerd try to wrap their brains around the concept of time travel.

Nintendo topic with Brawl in the family creator

Today, 09/03/10, our topic will be Nintendo, and who better to speak with us than Matthew Taranto, creator of Brawl in the Family. Hope you all can listen in at 88.3Fm or kxua.uark.edu 6-8PM CST.

New time, New guests, More fun!

Our show will be Friday 6-8. We have great new plans and we will be having fantastic new guests such as Jeff Suter, Senior Art Director of Marvel, and Matthew Taranto, creator of webcomic brawl in the family. Also, with me leaving the show soon, expect to see a revolving fourth person on the show, each giving a fantastic unique point of view. Hope your able to listen in on 88.3fm or kxua.uark.edu.

-- M

LLAP (sorry Nemoy, had to do it once)

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.15 - "Scott Pilgrim vs the F***ing World!"

The Nerds have now seen Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and they have the capacity to freak!

Tonight, now!

Join us as we talk about Disney as our topic on kxua.uark.edu.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.14 - "Doctor Who Series 5, Series 31, Doctor 11"

Once again the Nerds talk about Doctor Who, this time focusing on the new series.

Season 5 Doctor Who Show

We will be talking about season 5 of Doctor Who on our show.

Tonight 10-midnight CST. kxua.uark.edu anywhere or 88.3 fm in Fayetteville, AR.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.13 - "ComicConference"

As the the 2010 Comic Con comes to a close, the nerds are on the air talking about what happened at the largest comic event of the year.

Kill Shakespeare and the topic of Movie creativity

Today we will be interviewing Anthony Del Col, co-creator of the new sold out comic series Kill Shakespeare. Our topic will also be about movie adaptations and whether or not it compromises film creativity.

Hope you all listen in.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.12 - "The Pixar Experiance Part 3"

Over two hours of nerding out over the Toy Story films.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.11 - "The Pixar Experience Part 2"

the Nerds continue talking about the saga of the Pixar Studio.

Pixar/Toy Story episode

Our Episode on Tuesday will be Pixar, Toy Story 1-3 in particular. It'll be informative and exciting! Tune in 10-midnight CST on kxua.uark.edu to listen.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.10 - "The Pixar Experience Part 1"

The Nerds talk about their favorite topic.

Chase's Review of Toy Story 3 *Spoliers for Toy Story 1 and 2*

I love movies, I always have and I have a feeling I always will. In 1993, I was 4 years old. My parents took me to see Jurassic Park. I loved the film. I still to this day hold Jurassic Park in high regard. I'm writing this to get the picture across that there are films that I love in my life and I remember fondly. One of these films was 1995's Toy Story.

I'm not going to go into the experience of seeing the film, but I will say that it made a lasting impression on me. However, I only loved it at surface level then. The same goes for Toy Story 2. It took seeing the films recently that opened my eyes to the idea of the Toy Story films as the most important character driven stories to every be put to film. Let us say that Toy Story is about the importance of identity.

Take for example the first film. It is the story of Buzz Lightyear, a new toy, coming to terms with what he is in the world. Also, you have the character of Woody who is trying to gain a sense of self while he feels he is being replaced. In the end Buzz and Woody work together and become friends. The part of the film that always gets me is where Buzz and Woody are locked away in Syd's room. Woody tells Buzz to leave him saying that Andy doesn't need him anymore. Buzz saves Woody and has him realize that Andy still loves him and always will. Toy Story is a film about existential identity. Realizing who you are and living with yourself.

Toy Story 2 continues this logic flawlessly. In Toy Story 2 Woody is stolen by a toy collector and Buzz is searching for him. Woody discovers that he is a rare doll that is being sold to a Japanese toy museum. Buzz finally reaches Woody who is now completely for leaving Andy behind, all in the name of Andy will one day grow up and no longer love him. Buzz, however, tells Woody that one day Andy will grow up, but it isn't now. Andy still needs them. Toy Story 2 is about the possibility of existential death. One day we all will lose meaning in the world.

Now we come to Toy Story 3. Toy Story 3 takes place 11 years after the events of Toy Story 2. Andy is moving, going off to college and the Toys are coming to terms with living in the attic. However, due to unforeseen events, they end up at a daycare where they are continuously abused by toddlers. Woody wants to get out to Andy, but the others feel forsaken by him. Existential death has come to them, they feel as if they have no purpose in the world. This is why Toy Story 3 is so great, and so perfect. It is about facing the demise of one's purpose and even soul.

I was an emotional train wreck from the beginning of this film to the end. At first I was tearing up because I felt at home with these characters. However, I was eventually crying for the fact that this film was about the lack of importance we all have. In the end the toys are made of plastic and are loved and then forgotten by children. This statement made by one character hit me very hard. Though, the film answered a question that was being asked since Toy Story, "There is no purpose for a toy, what do we do?" the answer comes as a resounding, "You make your own purpose." Toy Story 3 is about the inevitability of losing the drive to live, and that there really is no meaning in the world. But, we have to make our own meaning.

Toy Story 3 is a perfect film to me. It is my favorite in the trilogy. It is a wonderful story with dark themes that were all handled flawlessly. It is a film that knows exactly what it is doing at every minute and executes its rationale in perfect fashion. I will hold this film and the others in high regard for what they stand for. It is odd that this film comes out now, I feel as if the creators weren't making a film for the children of this generation, but for mine. I love this film, and I hope you will as well.

I don't like giving scores much, but I have to give the film a 10/10.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.09 - "Best Worst Films & Cult Films"

The Nerds talk about those amazingly bad films.

Warp Zone Drinking Game (Draft 1)

WARP ZONE SWIGING GAME

(needs to be edited and updated)

5 or more people on the show: 3 swigs

Michael makes up or mispronounces a word: 2 swigs

Tom says the word “Actually.”: 4 swigs

Tom corrects somebody: 1 swig

Someone says that they're crying/going to cry: 1 swig

Chase uses Myst or Doctor Who as an example: 1 swig

Somebody speaks like a Dalek: 3 swigs

Someone threatens somebody else: 3 swigs

Bobby is on the show: 2 swigs

Michael’s intro gets insulted: 2 swigs

Michael’s intro gets interrupted by someone: 2 swigs

Somebody calls in during the show and not the break: 4 swigs

Michael fails the 6 in 60: 1 swig

Michael succeeds the 6 in 60: 5 swigs

It is mentioned someone is playing a game during the show: 5 swigs

Myst is mentioned: 1 swig

Doctor Who is mentioned: 1 swig

Steam or Valve is mentioned: 1 swigs

1 person disagrees with everybody else: 1 swig

For each tip of the Wii-Mote and wag of the Num-Chuck 1 swig

For a Rage: 2 swigs

It is alluded that someone is about/will/or had vomited: finish your drink

Wikipidia, Dictionary.com, IMDB, Google or Youtube is mentioned: 2 swigs

The Warp Zone script is mentioned: 2 swigs

Someone strays from the Warp Zone Script: 2 swigs

When Chase calls himself a meat popsicle: 1 swig

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.08 - "E3 2010 Madness"

E3 2010 was a bit of failure and the Nerds feel that it is their duty to be pessimistic about the video game industry.

Trailers that are better than the movie/game

Watchmen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4blSrZvPhU

great movie, fantastic trailer

300

Superman Returns

X-Men Last Stand

Davinci Code

Ocean's 12

Matrix Reloaded

Star Wars episodes I-III

Sin City

Terminator Salvation

Iron Man 2

Cloverfield

Red Eye

Spiderman

Mass Effect 2

--great game, perfect game trailer

Dante's Inferno

Bio Shock

--At least Chase thought so....

Iron Man Simulator

link to the Iron Man Simulator talked about on our show.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101028-Behold-the-Awesome-and-Impractical-Iron-Man-Flight-Simulator

Old Video Games 6/1/2010

Our topic for today will be Old Video Games. Please listen in at kxua.uark.edu. If you have anything to add or that you would like us to go over, please email us at WarpZoneNerds@gmail.com.

-Michael

It has begun! - Welcome

Welcome to our official blog spot. The Warp Zone Nerds started as a radio show that could be heard in Fayetteville on 88.3FM. Over time as they left the University radio station and the University itself they continued their show through podcasts. Our show is about all things media and all things nerd. We cover N
ews, Reviews, and Previews and also have topics, such as Censorship in the Media, Portrayals of and What it Means to be a Hero (or Villain) in the Media, Star Wars, Marvel vs DC, etc. Our previous guests include Web Comic Creator Mookie (Dominic Deegan) and Comic Creators Conor McCreery (Kill Shakespeare [IDW]) and Erik Northfell (Mercy Me). We are always looking for more guests and if your are interested email us at WarpZoneNerds@gmail.com. Also, please check out twitter.com/WarpZoneNerds where we tweet reviews and whatnot as well as previews to our future shows. This blog will also share any relevant news and topics as well as more in depth reviews that are too big for twitter.

I am now in the process of updated our website to make it more efficient and easier to find what you are looking for. There will be a News section, Reviews section and a section for each of us to write any article we would like to share with you. If you want to submit a story and contribute to our website we will have a section just for that, as well as for episodes that we have special guests on. More importantly I am in the process of making separate episode lists for the shows

included in the Warp Zone. This will take a while to update so please be patient, and as always, thank you for visiting and stay tuned for more!

Michael

(from left to right: Corey, DJ Roboto, Michael, Chase, Thomas, Bobbie)

Michael - Co-Founder of the show. The comic guy and knows a bit about many other things too. Likes to argue and is completely awesome. Also, if you follow our twitter it's probably him tweeting and if you couldn't tell this is him making this first post (back when this was the website´s first post. Michael is currently teaching English at a bilingual school in Spain and has a double bachelor´s degree in English, with a Concentration in Creative Writing, and Communication. (M)

Thomas - Co-Founder of the show. The gamer guy. Thinks he's always right, and he usually is....USUALLY (just don´t tell him that, it´ll go to his head more than it has already). He has graduated from the University and has continued his education to get a Law degree. (T)

Chase - The movie and Myst guy. He also either knows a great deal about everything or is making it up and likes to hear himself talk...haven't decided yet. We invited him on and now he won't leave, so we decided to recruit him. ;P. In all seriousness though he is an invaluable part of the team. He records and edits all our podcasts and I honestly do not know how we would get by without him. (C)

Bobbie - The journalist of the show. Well rounded knowledge of a great many things. If there´s something going on in the world she´ll know about it. She is the journalist of the group. (B)

Corey - Another movie guy in the group. Why? Because we can´t have too many, that and he just to awesome not have. Knows a great deal about a great deal and brings it all to the table. (Co)

Feel free to make as many copies of this and advertise the life out of our show.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.07 - "Nerd Rage!"

Rage is the topic tonight. The Nerds talk about their biggest disappointments.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.06 - "Nerd BS-ing"

Due to lack of a topic, the nerds take this time to talk about whatever comes to their minds.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.05 - "Star Warp Zone Episode 2"

The Warp Zone Nerds tear apart the Star Wars Prequels.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.04 - "Star Warp Zone Episode 1"

The Warp Zone Nerds give an overview of the original Star Wars Trilogy.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.03 - "Kill Shakespeare"

Michael and Bobbie play host to special guest and co-writer on the comic book Kill Shakespeare, Conor McCreery.

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.02 - "Pet Peeves"

What is it that gets under the warp Zone Nerds skin?

Warp Zone Nerds Episode 2.01 - "Villains"

Due to technical difficulties, the last half of this episode was lost.

Chase's Top 10 Films of 2010

As always this is still a work in progress as I've still yet to see around 6 important films from this year. These are my favorite films from this year.

10. I'm Still Here

9. Monsters

8. Catfish

7. Exit Through the Gift Shop

6. The Fighter

5. Scott Pilgrim v.s. The World

4. Toy Story 3

3. Inception

2. The Social Network

1. Black swan

If I had to make a top 20, these would be 11-20

11. Enter The Void (The first hour and a half)

12. Kick-Ass

13. MicMacs (2009)

14. How To Train your Dragon

15. TRON: Legacy

16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1

17. Sweetgrass

18. Legend of the Guardians

19. Despicable Me

20. ...I honestly can not think up a 20th one.

Disappointments and plain bad films:

1. Alice in Wonderland

2. Never Let Me Go

3. Enter the Void (the last hour)

4. Cop Out

5. True Grit

6. Green Zone

7. Survival of the Dead

8. Youth in Revolt

9. the Book of Eli

10. Iron Man 2

Movies of note coming out this year: The Green Hornet 1/14, Apollo 18 and Rango 3/4, Battle: LA 3/11, Paul 3/18, Sucker Punch 3/25, Source Code 4/1, Your Highness 4/8, Thor 5/6, Priest 5/13, Pirates 4 5/20, The Tree of Life 5/27, X-Men: First Class 6/3, Super 8 6/10, Green Lantern 6/17, Cars 2 and Rise of the Apes 6/24, Transformers 3 7/1, Harry Potter 7 and Winnie the Pooh 7/15, Captain America 7/22, Cowboys and Aliens 7/29, The Smurfs 8/3, Piranha 3DD 9/16, The Thing 10/14, The Muppets 11/23, Mission Impossible 4 12/16, Tintin 12/23, War Horse 12/28