Green Phoenix - 1633 Review

Last July, I released my review of Eric Flint's first novel in the Ring of Fire series, 1632. I expressed at the time how I wanted to review and show off all the books in the series, as it has long held the position of my favorite literary series of all time.

But for whatever reason, I never did get around to reviewing the sequels to 1632. Of course, the series is quite prodigious, with more than 2 dozen books and hundreds of associated short stories through the Grantville Gazettes. So going book by book like I often do with my reviews of film series would be rather ridiculous and completely dominate the majority of weeks that I have access to with the website.

But I do want to get through  and review each o f the series' main titles at some point or another. And it is with that spirit in mind, that I will take a look at the second book in the Ring of Fire series, published in 2002, 1633.

This is the book that truly lays the groundwork for the rest of how the Ring of Fire series is written. While 1632 might have introduced us to the world, it is 1633 that solidified and established the outside world with sufficient enough details for future arcs and story lines to be expanded upon.

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Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger Number 51: I'm Sure We'll Meet Again - Summary/Review

shoutout to tv-nihon for their fan sub 

This is it! The final episode! Last time, the Lupinrangers achieved their wish and their battle was over. However, they are trapped and unable to aid the Patrangers in their final battle against the gangler leader Dogranio. Everything is up to the Global Police now. Click "read more" and let's put this season to a close.

Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger Number 50: An Eternal Adieu - Summary/Review

It's almost over. Last time, Lupin Red took his final stand against Zamigo and Dogranio defeated all the rangers which caused Tooma and Umika to be hospitalized and captured by the Patrangers. What will happen? Click "read more" and let's see if they dud this right.

Epanalepsis (Steam) Review.

The indie gaming scene is full of experimental gems.  There's a lot of interesting and great ideas that have a lot of effort put into them.  But for every Octodad and Hollow Knight, you get gunk such as That Bastard Is Trying To Steal Our Gold, and today's game, Epanalepsis.  (Try saying that name three times real fast.)  Why is this game such a disappointing mess of an indie title?  Click on "Read More" and find out why.

Green Phoenix - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Review

As stated in my Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom review, the Indiana Jones franchise was originally pitched as a trilogy of stand-alone films. Following the mixed reception of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Spielberg and Lucas elected to make the third film in the trilogy more traditional and in line with the first film the franchise.

This resulted in the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. The film in the franchise that is easily my favorite and honestly the entire reason why I decided to take a look at the Indiana Jones franchise in its entirety.

Bringing back many of the powerhouse cast from Raiders of the Lost Ark and adding in the overwhelming charisma of Sean Connery, otherwise known as James Motherfucking Bond, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is widely considered to be the perfect Indiana Jones movie.

But does that hold up on a more analytical level? I may love this movie subjectively, but when taking a look at the more generalized elements of effects, music, characters and story; does Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade really deserve its place as the most popular of the franchise?

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Green Phoenix - 8 Epic Video Game Tracks

I have never been much of a video game player. I did play a bit when I was younger and I still enjoy the occasional computer game now and again, being a big fan of simulation and RTS games. But the real draw that I have to video games is the immersive cinematic quality that so many possess, especially as the technology and financing as grown to enable that level of narrative story-telling.

And much like films and television, a key element to a cinematic experience in video games is the music that accompanies it. While most early games at pretty basic 8-bit musical sections, as technology and visuals advanced, so to did the musical compositions. And the effect was some truly stellar and epic video game music tracks.

And it is these tracks that will be the focus of today's article. Today we will countdown, in no particular order, and highlight 8 absolutely epic video game tracks. Those musical pieces that you find yourself listening to completely outside of the gaming experience. The songs that get played over and over again or seem to represent the very thematic heart of the game in question.

Today is going to be a hell of a lot of fun and I hope you all will join me in geeking out about some of the coolest sounding video game music I can think of.

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Green Phoenix - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Review

The Indiana Jones franchise was originally pitched by George Lucas as a trilogy of films, much in the style of adventure serials of the 1940s. Raiders of the Lost Ark was a tremendous success, popularizing and revolutionizing the fantasy adventure genre in much the same way that Star Wars had revolutionized science fiction film. And so with that success in mind, Director Steven Spielberg and Producer George Lucas set about working on the next film in the trilogy.

When Lucas conceived of Temple of Doom, he imagined the film would stand within the Indiana Jones franchise much like The Empire Strikes Back stood within the Star Wars saga. The darker and grittier middle child that was more experimental and adult-oriented. Something that could steer the direction of the entire future franchise down an unexpected course, despite the intention of each film to be standalone adventures.

But where The Empire Strikes Back succeeded in its dark tone, Temple of Doom was much more controversial. The film was too dark for many audiences and especially the MPAA, who refused to give the film a PG rating. Knowing that an R-rating would kill the film in its cradle, Spielberg and Lucas worked with the MPAA to design an entirely new rating system, creating the PG-13 rating.

Temple of Doom's legacy within the Indiana Jones franchise remains a black sheep. Its middling performance revealed that it was more than the pure spectacle that drew audiences into the franchise. But was it deserving of its lukewarm reception?

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