Avengers: Age of Ultron, the second installment of Avengers came out on DVD and Blu-ray a couple weeks ago. I happened to see it when it was in the theaters this summer which was cooler since the sound in general is better, and the images had more impact. However, it is definitely worth seeing at home on your smaller screen.
The movie continued the story set out in the individual franchise movies like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, in addition to the first Avengers movie. Developing the characters with more depth and including the plotlines of the other movies. For instance, the Bruce Banner/Tony Stark relationship of geeky-science-bro was expanded in Age of Ultron where they got to work together on their artificial intelligence project. We learn more about what happened to Black Widow/Natasha Romanov when she was being trained by the Russians in the Red Room, which strangely has ties to Agent Carter storylines from season one. We also find out that Hawkeye has a secret life beyond the Avengers and SHIELD that Nick Fury has helped him hide. All of these relationships and more tie into the plot well and make you more interested in the characters.
Another thing Marvel does well is adding humor to both their characters and the situations that they get in. For example, Tony Stark bugs Captain America throughout the movie for chastising Tony for his colorful language which either shows Capt's age and shows his "goodie-good" quality or shows Stark's crassness. Other characters also mirror Stark's teasing behavior to Capt. Also, some of the minor heroes or "sidekicks" like Falcon and War Machine provide humor too. Since they are more down-to-earth, the Avengers act like their sidekicks don't do much important work, but they are still amazing to the public. The relationship between Quicksilver and Hawkeye is antagonistic in the beginning, but it grows in some interesting ways.
Continuing the tradition of inspired villians, Ultron (voiced by James Spader) is hypnotic in his speaking and intellectually creepy. He isn't alone as a challenge to the Avengers. They also face the Twins and another branch of Hydra, albeit, not for very long.
Finally, the plotline ties into the entire Marvel Universe really well including one more infinity stone--so stay around for the very end credit scene, not just the mid-credit one! Agents of SHIELD tied this new season and the end of last season into Ultron which comes as a surprise in the show. Even though Pepper Potts and Jane Foster are not actually in Ultron, they are still referred to and given updates on them in a friendly argument between Tony Stark and Thor.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys hero movies and science fiction with a bit of humor.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Online Video Games You Might Have Missed: Star Trek Online, Galactic Civilizations III, and Clash of Clans
Ever since the advent of the graphical user interface (and even before), software developers have made games for those operating systems. And with the explosive expansion of the availability and the market for computer parts and custom built computers has made high performance gaming a common-place occurrence around the world.
One of the games I like to play is Star Trek Online. This is an excellent game because it extends the main-line Star Trek universe through the Hobus event that destroyed Romulus (see Star Trek 2009 for reference) and beyond. The storyline is well thought out, incorporating references and characters from the earlier TV shows and movies(Star Trek Voyager, Next Generation, The Original Series, the movies). In-game, you can choose between 3 factions; Federation, Klingon, or Romulan; and then specialize in one of three subject areas, Science, Engineering, or Tactical. Although it is kind of restrained in the areas of spontaneity and a full Trek experience, it is quite fun, allowing you to participate in large-scale space battles, time-travel, continue to explore strange new worlds, and seek out new civilizations.
Another game is Galactic Civilizations III. This is truly a galactic "Civilization" game because you can colonize new planets, establish starbases that can collect resources, become an extension of your civilization, or become military outposts, conduct large scale operations with huge fleets of starships, and expand your territory through diplomacy or war. It also allows you to build your own ships. I really like the ability to modify the game, allowing me to be whatever and do whatever I want. If you like sci-fi civilization building games, I highly recommend this game.
Another one of my favorite games is Clash of Clans. It's strange how this simple game could have become so popular in so little time, having been released in the summer of 2012. This game is a city building and battling game that uses a theme that draws elements from D+D, magic(not the game), other city-building games, and the Middle Ages. I was introduced to it by my uncle Bryan who lived in Pennsylvania at the time. He showed my brothers and me how to build villages and battle with Barbarians, Archers, Goblins, Giants, and more. The commercials to promote it are very funny and appealed to us. It was appealing to connect with people around the world, including my uncle who lived far away. The clan wars update was very impressive, I mean, now clans have a reason for being other than troop support. Battling together against another clan allows you to get more money to build. I like to war with my family in Clash, too, since we all play it.
All in all, computer games are an excellent time-kill and something to do to relax.
One of the games I like to play is Star Trek Online. This is an excellent game because it extends the main-line Star Trek universe through the Hobus event that destroyed Romulus (see Star Trek 2009 for reference) and beyond. The storyline is well thought out, incorporating references and characters from the earlier TV shows and movies(Star Trek Voyager, Next Generation, The Original Series, the movies). In-game, you can choose between 3 factions; Federation, Klingon, or Romulan; and then specialize in one of three subject areas, Science, Engineering, or Tactical. Although it is kind of restrained in the areas of spontaneity and a full Trek experience, it is quite fun, allowing you to participate in large-scale space battles, time-travel, continue to explore strange new worlds, and seek out new civilizations.
Another game is Galactic Civilizations III. This is truly a galactic "Civilization" game because you can colonize new planets, establish starbases that can collect resources, become an extension of your civilization, or become military outposts, conduct large scale operations with huge fleets of starships, and expand your territory through diplomacy or war. It also allows you to build your own ships. I really like the ability to modify the game, allowing me to be whatever and do whatever I want. If you like sci-fi civilization building games, I highly recommend this game.
Another one of my favorite games is Clash of Clans. It's strange how this simple game could have become so popular in so little time, having been released in the summer of 2012. This game is a city building and battling game that uses a theme that draws elements from D+D, magic(not the game), other city-building games, and the Middle Ages. I was introduced to it by my uncle Bryan who lived in Pennsylvania at the time. He showed my brothers and me how to build villages and battle with Barbarians, Archers, Goblins, Giants, and more. The commercials to promote it are very funny and appealed to us. It was appealing to connect with people around the world, including my uncle who lived far away. The clan wars update was very impressive, I mean, now clans have a reason for being other than troop support. Battling together against another clan allows you to get more money to build. I like to war with my family in Clash, too, since we all play it.
All in all, computer games are an excellent time-kill and something to do to relax.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Wireless Beats Can't Be "Beat"
Since buying my PowerBeats2, I'm rarely seen without them since they are so lightweight and comfortable, well, plus they cost me a lot of money. Although there may be cheaper or better quality wireless earbuds, PowerBeats2 offers the best all around of this style of earbud. It combines superior quality sound with durability, comfort and style.
Of all the earbuds I've owned, my Beats have the best overall sound. They have crisp highs and excellent bass. When listening to something, it has a balanced sound through both sides. It has a good range if you have a line of sight connection to your mobile device, at least twenty feet, but sometimes it gets choppy if you there's too much physical interference with the Bluetooth connection. Instrumental music like movie soundtracks and swing jazz are balanced between both sides of your earphone. However, in some rock music, like AC/DC, usually one side is louder than the other, and it can be strange sounding, but there tends to be more bass in those kinds of music.
Another aspect is durability. I've had these earbuds for about a year, and I've dropped them several times. However, they are still working as well as when I got them. Because they are wireless, they don't have the wear and tear as the regular headphones because they don't "weak points" from being bent and twisted. Since there isn't a long cord, they don't get caught on things which can cause damage.
A final aspect of my Beats is the style. They are designed with sleek lines, plus futuristic curves. The earpiece curves around your outer ear to keep it secure without smothering you ear like some other full head-set styles. It is lightweight and compact so you can wear them all the time. They aren't waterproof, but were designed to wear while playing sports so they are sweat resistant. They come in multiple colors to choose from including white/grey, black/red, and blue/white.
So, if you aren't worried about splurging a little bit, Powerbeats2 are well recommended to any consumer.
Of all the earbuds I've owned, my Beats have the best overall sound. They have crisp highs and excellent bass. When listening to something, it has a balanced sound through both sides. It has a good range if you have a line of sight connection to your mobile device, at least twenty feet, but sometimes it gets choppy if you there's too much physical interference with the Bluetooth connection. Instrumental music like movie soundtracks and swing jazz are balanced between both sides of your earphone. However, in some rock music, like AC/DC, usually one side is louder than the other, and it can be strange sounding, but there tends to be more bass in those kinds of music.
Another aspect is durability. I've had these earbuds for about a year, and I've dropped them several times. However, they are still working as well as when I got them. Because they are wireless, they don't have the wear and tear as the regular headphones because they don't "weak points" from being bent and twisted. Since there isn't a long cord, they don't get caught on things which can cause damage.
A final aspect of my Beats is the style. They are designed with sleek lines, plus futuristic curves. The earpiece curves around your outer ear to keep it secure without smothering you ear like some other full head-set styles. It is lightweight and compact so you can wear them all the time. They aren't waterproof, but were designed to wear while playing sports so they are sweat resistant. They come in multiple colors to choose from including white/grey, black/red, and blue/white.
So, if you aren't worried about splurging a little bit, Powerbeats2 are well recommended to any consumer.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Valleyfest Showdown XXXVI
Aside from being the main entertainment of the football game (though kudos to the undefeated Kennedy football team this year!), marching band has developed a competitive culture that includes competitions at the regional and state level. This weekend the Kennedy High School marching band competed at the Valleyfest Showdown XXXVI an invitational at West Des Moines Valley High School.
It was very entertaining to see all the great bands including CR Washington, LinnMar, CR Jefferson, and Prairie from Eastern Iowa, as well as Dowling, Johnston, and Ankeny from Central Iowa. Show music varied from spooky, voodooey selections by Bellevue West Nebraska to swing music by the Pella Marching Dutch. The Cedar Rapids bands also had a variety of music including Washington marching to music from Les Miserables, and LinnMar doing a theme of Transfiguration which took one of the songs used by the Kennedy band who performed selections from the musical, Jekyl and Hyde.
Unlike in the past, this year's Valleyfest was relatively warm. Regularly, we have to keep our instruments constantly warm or they will freeze, as I learned my freshman and sophomore years. We didn't have to multiply layers of clothing, two sweatshirts, and a blanket to stay warm in the stands while watching the other performances, either.
The highlight of the night for many people was Kennedy performing. The opener, "Prologue", "Take Me As I Am," and "I Need to Know," kicked off our performance. McKenna Woods soloed on flute for the ballad, "Once Upon a Dream," (the song that LinnMar stole from us) which was beautiful beyond words. As we ended our show, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause for our closer, "Murder, Murder!, World Gone Insane, & Confrontation." We finished fourth, our highest rank since 2002, overall. We finished as the top ranked band from Cedar Rapids, and the second ranked in the state at Valley.
We have improved tremendously from August band camp, and we got here through long hours and much practice.
It was very entertaining to see all the great bands including CR Washington, LinnMar, CR Jefferson, and Prairie from Eastern Iowa, as well as Dowling, Johnston, and Ankeny from Central Iowa. Show music varied from spooky, voodooey selections by Bellevue West Nebraska to swing music by the Pella Marching Dutch. The Cedar Rapids bands also had a variety of music including Washington marching to music from Les Miserables, and LinnMar doing a theme of Transfiguration which took one of the songs used by the Kennedy band who performed selections from the musical, Jekyl and Hyde.
Unlike in the past, this year's Valleyfest was relatively warm. Regularly, we have to keep our instruments constantly warm or they will freeze, as I learned my freshman and sophomore years. We didn't have to multiply layers of clothing, two sweatshirts, and a blanket to stay warm in the stands while watching the other performances, either.
The highlight of the night for many people was Kennedy performing. The opener, "Prologue", "Take Me As I Am," and "I Need to Know," kicked off our performance. McKenna Woods soloed on flute for the ballad, "Once Upon a Dream," (the song that LinnMar stole from us) which was beautiful beyond words. As we ended our show, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause for our closer, "Murder, Murder!, World Gone Insane, & Confrontation." We finished fourth, our highest rank since 2002, overall. We finished as the top ranked band from Cedar Rapids, and the second ranked in the state at Valley.
We have improved tremendously from August band camp, and we got here through long hours and much practice.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Donald Trump: A circus spectacle
Real estate and entertainment mogul, Donald Trump, as you may have noticed, has been in the news. After a series of alleged dirty deals with Italian-American mafia, he has gained a large popular through his reality tv show, "The Apprentice." Because of this it has somehow turned his tarnished image around so that he is the front-runner of the Republican nominees for president.
Although he says crazy things in public like, ""He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured." –Trump on John McCain, or “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. . . . They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people,”on immigration, he wants to inflame the Republican voters to get them on his side and to raise his numbers in the polls. These statements are shocking since they are so blunt and politically incorrect that rational people don't know how to respond to them. He promotes incorrect information about Obama and the global climate change problems in the same way he promotes a tv show or beauty pageant, with repetition, glitz, and vagueness. But, running our country is NOT a beauty pageant. It is real life, and too complex for him just promote himself and his ideas.
This raving lunatic has been voicing the deepest, darkest thoughts and ideals of the Right-wing, and the scary thing is, people are agreeing with him. He is voicing these things just to get attention. His power and wealth allow him to say these things with no or little repercussion. His presence in media and television have made him well known, and because of this, he has an impact on more people because they assume that since he is rich, he would know what he is doing to run the country and the economy. As expected, he doesn't promote that he has had alleged shady dealings with mafia and that four of his companies went bankrupt, proving his ineptitude for running our country.
As president, you are supposed to be a public servant. Donald Trump is not this. He has an ego the size of a galaxy, and he has a selfish, self-serving personality to match. He uses social media and television to flaunt his ego and wealth. By what he is saying about how he would act in office shows his ego since he seems to believe that by the shear force of his personality, he will change the government and country. He has an "ends justifies the means" attitude in business where he doesn't care what happens to other people, as long as he is on top and the "winner." Doesn't sound like someone who would think of the people of the country first.
To prove that he is really only in this for the publicity, he treated the conservatives to a potential run several years back, and that he'll drop out if his polls drop.
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/donald-trumps-craziest-quotes-the-2016-presidential-hopeful-speaks-201568
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-polls_5611856fe4b07681270265d5
Although he says crazy things in public like, ""He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured." –Trump on John McCain, or “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. . . . They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people,”on immigration, he wants to inflame the Republican voters to get them on his side and to raise his numbers in the polls. These statements are shocking since they are so blunt and politically incorrect that rational people don't know how to respond to them. He promotes incorrect information about Obama and the global climate change problems in the same way he promotes a tv show or beauty pageant, with repetition, glitz, and vagueness. But, running our country is NOT a beauty pageant. It is real life, and too complex for him just promote himself and his ideas.
This raving lunatic has been voicing the deepest, darkest thoughts and ideals of the Right-wing, and the scary thing is, people are agreeing with him. He is voicing these things just to get attention. His power and wealth allow him to say these things with no or little repercussion. His presence in media and television have made him well known, and because of this, he has an impact on more people because they assume that since he is rich, he would know what he is doing to run the country and the economy. As expected, he doesn't promote that he has had alleged shady dealings with mafia and that four of his companies went bankrupt, proving his ineptitude for running our country.
As president, you are supposed to be a public servant. Donald Trump is not this. He has an ego the size of a galaxy, and he has a selfish, self-serving personality to match. He uses social media and television to flaunt his ego and wealth. By what he is saying about how he would act in office shows his ego since he seems to believe that by the shear force of his personality, he will change the government and country. He has an "ends justifies the means" attitude in business where he doesn't care what happens to other people, as long as he is on top and the "winner." Doesn't sound like someone who would think of the people of the country first.
To prove that he is really only in this for the publicity, he treated the conservatives to a potential run several years back, and that he'll drop out if his polls drop.
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/donald-trumps-craziest-quotes-the-2016-presidential-hopeful-speaks-201568
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-polls_5611856fe4b07681270265d5
Saturday, October 3, 2015
A review of Nice People (2015 play)
Kennedy High School had the honor of premiering a Iowa-written play, Nice People. It premiered on October first at 7:00, along with repeat showings on the second and third and an unplanned 4th showing on Thursday. The play was written by a Kennedy graduate, Alosha Robinson. The play was workshopped this summer, after multiple drafts, which began during Robinson's senior year.
The play is about several people who are cheating on their partners due to a bad relationship. They find other people that click with them better, and most everyone ends up happy. Most of the characters exist in their own self-centered world, other than Ron Dorrow, played by Caleb Marner, who sees that there could be better things in life to make life great, not just fine. The main character, Daniel Harkin, is played by Brennan Urbi, who happens to be an excellent actor. Daniel is a self-centered, egotistical man-whore who has no respect for people's personal space, and appears to be completely unaware of that. His wife, Melinda, is a shrill(when she's angry), emotional, and passionate woman with a temper. She leaves Daniel for Blaine Redbrick, played by James Tolly. Blaine is not the brightest chap, but still. Blaine eventually ends up with Monica Lucce, played by Maia Bennett. Daniel was cheating on Melinda with her until she and Blaine wisk each other away. Melinda ends up with Robert Scrood, played by Cameron Currie. Robert is a run-of-mill, oh, what's the word... Jocular pervert? I don't know, but he obviously doesn't care very much about work, instead focusing his mind and body on the pursuit of women. Nobody in the play likes Ron Darrow, but the audience feels for him because he is the constant emotional punching bag for these people.
I read the Kennedy Torch article on this, where they got Robinson's perspective and insight on the play. His original idea for the play stemmed from his love of farces, which he acquired when he did 'Rumors' his senior year. “I’ve always loved farces, I’ve always loved comedy,” Robinson said. “We did ‘Rumors’ here my senior year, and I ended up reading a lot of farces because I’m really into that. Kind of the premise of a farce is entrances and exits, everybody’s hiding, everybody’s having sex with everybody, everybody’s lying to everybody, and the initial idea for the play was I wanted to kind of take a play that hyper-inflated the traits of a farce. I just wanted to play with the things that I love about a farce.” He wrote this play in response to a question he asked himself, "How would a anti-farcical person operate in a farcical universe?"
The play is about several people who are cheating on their partners due to a bad relationship. They find other people that click with them better, and most everyone ends up happy. Most of the characters exist in their own self-centered world, other than Ron Dorrow, played by Caleb Marner, who sees that there could be better things in life to make life great, not just fine. The main character, Daniel Harkin, is played by Brennan Urbi, who happens to be an excellent actor. Daniel is a self-centered, egotistical man-whore who has no respect for people's personal space, and appears to be completely unaware of that. His wife, Melinda, is a shrill(when she's angry), emotional, and passionate woman with a temper. She leaves Daniel for Blaine Redbrick, played by James Tolly. Blaine is not the brightest chap, but still. Blaine eventually ends up with Monica Lucce, played by Maia Bennett. Daniel was cheating on Melinda with her until she and Blaine wisk each other away. Melinda ends up with Robert Scrood, played by Cameron Currie. Robert is a run-of-mill, oh, what's the word... Jocular pervert? I don't know, but he obviously doesn't care very much about work, instead focusing his mind and body on the pursuit of women. Nobody in the play likes Ron Darrow, but the audience feels for him because he is the constant emotional punching bag for these people.
I read the Kennedy Torch article on this, where they got Robinson's perspective and insight on the play. His original idea for the play stemmed from his love of farces, which he acquired when he did 'Rumors' his senior year. “I’ve always loved farces, I’ve always loved comedy,” Robinson said. “We did ‘Rumors’ here my senior year, and I ended up reading a lot of farces because I’m really into that. Kind of the premise of a farce is entrances and exits, everybody’s hiding, everybody’s having sex with everybody, everybody’s lying to everybody, and the initial idea for the play was I wanted to kind of take a play that hyper-inflated the traits of a farce. I just wanted to play with the things that I love about a farce.” He wrote this play in response to a question he asked himself, "How would a anti-farcical person operate in a farcical universe?"
On Thursday, he got to watch his vision unfold as the Drama dept. at Kennedy performed it. “I’m just exceptionally proud of what these guys have done it," he said, "You’ve just got to invest yourself entirely and these kids are insanely talented, I can’t imagine such a talented bunch of kids. I couldn’t be more happy and thrilled with what I saw tonight, I’m so proud of them. I can’t imagine it any other way now.”
But, to know more, go see the show. Overall, it was a very funny, very crazy show, with lots of laughs.
But, to know more, go see the show. Overall, it was a very funny, very crazy show, with lots of laughs.
Links:
http://kennedytorch.org/10833/artsculture/back-in-the-black-box/
Friday, October 2, 2015
CR Museum of Art: the Ryan Bentzinger exhibit and ICON featured artists exhibit
The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is opening a new exhibit on October 3rd, running it through January 17th, 2016. This new exhibit showcases artwork by Ryan Bentzinger, for his first of five graphic novels, entitled nAMUH (Human backwards). Rayn is 26 years old and lives in Iowa City. He uses watercolors to paint each "scene" of the book, essentially creating a cinematic "storyboard" of his book. He takes elements of a Lord of the Rings fellowship, Dungeons and Dragons, magic, etc. and combines them into this graphic novel.
It takes place in a post-apocalyptic realm, which is divided into three "levels". The lowest level is The Rere Islands which consists of the sea, Blur, and 5 islands, Criime, Povertee, Salvaj, Lazee, and Kretivitee. The 2nd level consists of Dolg City, the Smog, and Sucksess. The Hevens is the 3rd and final level. All these are connected by the Ladder of Konfidense.
The prologue to the story is a series of apocalyptic events that happen from 2027-2233. These events include loss of the ozone layer, higher solar+other radiation levels, etc. Eventually, the human population has to escape due to adverse conditions.
I talked with Ryan, and he told me he drew these originally so he would know what to draw everyday when he was in collage. He based the world off society, exaggerating it exponentially, and all the characters off his friends and their personalities. The first book is almost done and the 2nd book is going to be worked on for the next 2 years.
It takes place in a post-apocalyptic realm, which is divided into three "levels". The lowest level is The Rere Islands which consists of the sea, Blur, and 5 islands, Criime, Povertee, Salvaj, Lazee, and Kretivitee. The 2nd level consists of Dolg City, the Smog, and Sucksess. The Hevens is the 3rd and final level. All these are connected by the Ladder of Konfidense.
The prologue to the story is a series of apocalyptic events that happen from 2027-2233. These events include loss of the ozone layer, higher solar+other radiation levels, etc. Eventually, the human population has to escape due to adverse conditions.
I talked with Ryan, and he told me he drew these originally so he would know what to draw everyday when he was in collage. He based the world off society, exaggerating it exponentially, and all the characters off his friends and their personalities. The first book is almost done and the 2nd book is going to be worked on for the next 2 years.
Another exhibit also opened, featuring several Iowa CON (ICON) artists, on September 12, 2015 to January 3rd, 2016. This exhibit showcases 10 ICON Artist Guests of Honor's work. As a sidenote, ICON is Iowa's longest running science-fiction and fantasy convention, and this year is it's 40th anniversary.
So, come to the CR Museum of Art to see some great artwork from Iowa artists.
So, come to the CR Museum of Art to see some great artwork from Iowa artists.
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