Dude Meister Blogs 2.0

In the words of clichéd dialogue, "that went well"...

Approximately 11 weeks ago my summer began, and I made a promise to you (the world), and me, myself (or 'I' as he has also been called), that I would write and that I would be truthful and generous and varied in said writings. I have not. Written. Anything.

So tonight, I apologise for my misgivings; my failure in motivation, inspiration and productivity. I apologise for my laziness, my boringness and my absence. But most of all, and by default most importantly, I apologise if you do not care about any of this. For surely, an apathetical audience is an unsatisfied one, with which blame lies solely with me. Myself. Or, 'I'.

Like the end of a second act, things are looking bad. The protagonist is losing, everything's going wrong, the antagonist has the upper hand. Feel free to slot me into any role you like in that scenario, but the truth of the matter is this; I am down, but not out. The darkest times supply the strongest rises (just ask Batman), and that is every bit what I intend to do. (Rise, not Batman).

This is Dude Meister Blogs 2.0. A little bigger. A little better. A little more badass.

From here on out (or until I hit another lapse), this is how it's going to be. Clearer, Copiouser, Cleverer. And all brought to you by the beauty of scheduling, regularity and alliteration:

• Tuesdays are for Trailers, as they've always been, with the ever time-consuming popular, Trailer Tuesday.
• In Web Weaver, I'll be bringing you a menagerie of original web-content I've found along my travels into the WWW. Ideally this would be for a Wednesday, but that'll be a bit tough to guarantee, so these will just come along as they will, any day.
• Thursday will be a deep, unrelenting journey into philosophical and psychological lands, usually focusing on some aspect of pop-culture, no doubt. But something so intellectual needs a genius name, nay, it deserves one. Thinky Thursday it is!
• And finally, the accursed day of Rebecca Black. Fridays - not all of them, just occasionally - will be reserved for Film Content, in some way of another, from yours falsely truly.
• In between that, I'll try and churn out at least one review of something each week. Most likely there'll be some light, list-type filler posts here and there too, 'cause they're always fun and easy. God help my social life. Or failing his existence, friends. Please? Anyone?

It'll all kick off this coming week, and with a stretch of effort, most weeks after that. Because it's time I upped my game, and became the moral centre of the show, to be the integrity! Welcome to 2.0 people.

See you back here next September for the inevitable 3.0!

ATR

Kudos to anyone who picked up on what I was kind of riffing off with this; you have good taste in Sorkin-created HBO shows!

The One Year Anniversary Giveaway!

Yes indeed my friends, after successfully completing a whole year with Dude Meister Blogs, I'm celebrating with a giveaway. And the best part? You get to choose which one out of these 4 incredible DVD boxsets you'd like if you win:

Spaced: Definitive Collector's Edition
Firefly: The Complete Series
Sherlock: Series 1
Community: Season 1

To enter, simply post a comment on this post stating:

1.  Which ONE of these 4 you'd like to win.
2. Plus your email address.

or, if you're unable to do that or want to increase your chances with a second entry, you can:

1. Go here, to the Dude Meister Blogs Facebook Page.
2.  Like the page.
3. Then just post a comment on the status containing this post with which Boxset you'd like to win.

 And you'll be entered into the prize draw next week. Competition closes 5pm (UK Time) on the 16th January, only one comment per person please, and this is for UK residents only. Sorry, rest of the world! The winner will be notified by email (or Facebook) shortly after the competition closes and asked to provide an address to receive the prize through.

So get those comments in quick for your chance to win, and feel free to follow me on Twitter (@DMeisterTweets) for all the latest here and for more future giveaways.

EDIT: Just to clarify, this will be a brand new boxset the winner receives, not one taken from my own collection and passed on. Hope that prevents any confusion.

Don't forget to check out the special DMb Birthday post too!

ATR


Supported by the Blog Giveaway Directory

The Obligatory "What I Got For Christmas" Post

Ah Christmas, that annual time where most people celebrate that snowballing mish-mash of traditions and joy, and get given a bunch of stuff from friends and family, as well as giving back to them in a gracious show of love. Now, of course, the question on everyone's lips is obviously, "What did you get, Arnold?", because that's how god-damn inspirational I am to the world. Well alright, if you insist then... Don't worry though, I'm not going to start talking about all the pairs of socks I was given, no matter how awesome they were. Just significant, perhaps more exciting gifts, the majority with a hint of my absolute nerdiness.

Here are some awesome tile coasters, via my lovely Sister, each with a nice little nod to certain pop-cult entities. Left: Castle reference, Right: Superman/Smallville reference. 

A tidy set of Blu-Rays, featuring the coveted Star Wars set.

Some shiny brown work boots, just 'cause. 

Halo: Anniversary, and Assassins Creed: Revelations: Because no Holiday is complete without a fair share of video games.

A couple books, both with the Comic book industry in mind. On the left we have Grant Morrison's documentation of the world through superheroes and panels (signed, of course), and on the right, a visual commentary on the timeline of Marvel. 

A very pretty letter opener (because I suck at doing it with my hands), with an awesome Limited Edition Supes theme going on. 

Another sweet Superman thing: This huge canvas will look epic on my wall.

Writer/Actor/Comedian Alan Davies' new part auto-biography, part "talk about people he is inspired by" book. 

3 Graphic Novels, 2 of which changed the face of the industry forever (The Dark Knight Returns and The Sandman), while Old Man Logan is just too awesome. The quilt cover they rest on was also a present.

My highly-anticipated Jayne Hat, straight outta Firefly, complete with replica box and letter. "How's it sit?  Pretty cunning, don't you think?"

And the "I wonder what this could be used for" Blue Yeti USB microphone, for all my vocal and musical needs. Seen here accompanied by my new "We're not fancy, but we still rock" JVC headphones. Unlike me, who's always fancy. (Each gifted separately)

'Course, this is just a taster of all the awesome shizzle I got this year, because I don't think it's safe to expose your minds to the actual level of generosity that I was granted by my family. So thanks to all of you who were silly enough to spend unheard of riches on my humbled, yet grateful self. 'Tis a kindness, truly. Most of what you see here is from my Mum, Sister and Dad, so big, big props to them, and I hope you too were gifted such nice products of materialistic properties. "And a Happy New Year".

ATR

RE:View: Firefly: The Complete Series Blu-Ray

Ah Firefly, the gleaming gem in a forest of blackened crystals, whose searing brilliance was extinguished long before its time. Often considered the greatest sci-fi television series ever, and often true in that statement, Firefly become a pop-culture phenomenon after its premature cancellation in 2003, and set itself deeply into every geek guy and girl's hearts who were lucky enough to glance upon it.

    So when I first picked up the series (of which there are but 14 episodes) on DVD back in April of this year, I had some high hopes. Now, 8 months later, I don't think a day goes by where I don't spare at least one thought to the show. It is that amazing. So when the Blu-Ray was finally released in the UK, I was lucky enough to win myself a copy.

The Show

Created by TV legend Joss Whedon, Firefly is a genre-bending experience, blending that of the classic sci-fi conventions with a scruffy Western feel to bring us something entirely unique. It takes place five hundred years in the future, where a totalitarian regime known as the Alliance rules the systems as a combination of both America and China. The show follows the escapades of the crew of Serenity, a Firefly-class vessel as they drift through space looking for work (legal or not) to keep food on the table and fuel in their engines.

    Scattered with layered and deep characters (some of which are the best I've ever seen), choc-full of witty dialogue and intelligent scripting, yet still shiny in the special effects, Firefly presents you with a realistic science fiction world, in which our "Big Damn Heroes" aren't always winning. It's this honesty and relatability that gives the show its edge that has carried it in such high regard after all these years. It kick-started literally everyone in the extremely talented cast into pretty big careers, namely Nathan Fillion, who's now regarded as a God of Geekdom.

So without further a-do, I obviously present the show with:

5/5 Stars

The Quality

Of course, this is a Blu-Ray upgrade, and so I must also cast an eye on how the new and improved picture and sound matches up. Putting the show in 1080p was always a bit risky with the fan base, who adored the classic roughness the show had pertained with its grains and flares. Luckily though, this charm still remains, but the whole thing just looks a lot crisper. We don't peer at all into what I like to call "Mexican-Soap-Opera" territory (whereby the HD makes the program look cheap), and instead are rewarded with a sharp, detailed and colour popping viewing experience of Captain Mal and his Crew. And those shots of Serenity - in 1080p - are to die for. The only issue I had with the picture was when there were really dark scenes (namely the battle of Serenity, in the first episode), and it became almost squint worthy to get what was going on.

   The sound, now in 5.1 audio is obviously a vast improvement on the DVD's tinned noise. While volume may be a problem with this (i.e. effects too loud over voice), and some SFX still sounding cheesy as hell (*Kapow!* for punch!), the thing that makes up for it most is Greg Edmonson's rich and culturally bizarre score. The stuff is like gold dust to the ears - banjos, violins, big round drum thingys - you name it, it's in there, and it sounds great.

All in all, I'd give the quality:

4/5 Stars


The Extras


A blu re-release always means one thing for sure, and that's new special features. Building upon the DVD's bonuses (which included a few short featurettes, 4 deleted scenes, gag reel, 7 commentaries and a few goodies), is a new commentary track (on Our Mrs Reynolds) featuring Joss and literally half the cast (it's mostly them laughing for 40 minutes, but still fun) and a half hour "Reunion Lunch" with Joss, Nathan, Ron and Alan. Both new features are worth the watch, almost purely because they were recorded over 5 years after the show's original 2003 run, so there's a lot of hindsight and reminisce. They also talk about Monster Cows and how there should have been an episode where someone's hands expand...

More Firefly stuff obviously equals more awesome, but only 2 added things is slightly lacking compared to how some re-releases work. Paired with the original extras, this is easily 5 Star (mostly down to the insightful commentaries alone), but as the bonuses on top alone I'm only going to say...:

3.5/5 Stars

If you own a Blu-Ray and are a Firefly fan (or Browncoat), then it is literally your duty to go out and buy this, even if it's for the picture upgrade alone. Fans without a Blu-Player, I'd say that this isn't your sole reason to get one, because even though the new stuff is cool, it's not quite worth that much, especially if you're not too interested in commentaries or behind-the-scenes stuff. And those who've never seen Firefly, well shame on you! Go out and at least pick up the DVD and experience this most tasty of TV shows. 

Show: 5 Star

Quality: 4 Star

Extras: 3.5 Star

Stand-Out Episodes: "Serenity", "Shindig", "Out of Gas", "Ariel", "The Message" and "Objects in Space".

ATR

Occupy: My Mind

So all the commotion of Occupy Wall Street and, more recently, Occupy LA have got me a'thinking. After over 200 arrests made last night during the LAPD raid of the downtown protests, and plentiful more over in NYC, what are we actually learning from all this? Are the police just making things worst by making arrests and potentially sticking up for the "1%"? Or does this whole thing need to be put to bed now, because let's be honest, nothing's really happening.

That has got to win  the Best Sign of the Protest award.

  But then again that is an unfair statement in itself because things are happening. People are watching and hearing and understanding these people -- their motives, their drives, their mission. Every time the press get turned away from reporting, it just becomes more and more sickening. The mere fact that I'm writing a piece considering the issue proves that it's on my thoughts. The result may not be change (not immediately anyway), but instead mere thought; a message to the people. A single message, containing a single idea that just needs to be planted (Inception style) into the international population's head: We are not happy.

  And if it is how they say, that they are "The 99%" then shouldn't that include you and me as well. I'm not saying go pitch and tent and yell at bankers for weeks, but I'm saying you should at least spare it the thought. Surely no one appreciates the economic imbalance and corporate greed that plagues the western world's society. Because this isn't just an issue for a niche audience, like protesting for animal rights or for Firefly to come back on TV: this is money we're talking about. And without money, there is no structure, and with no structure there is no world.

Pictured: Misdirection

  So you begin to understand the importance of merely passing the subject across your mind. And then you begin to understand why it's kind of a big deal. And then you begin to wonder why it hasn't been given much coverage across the pond to our humble abode of the UK. While there has been a few unwashed folk camping out by St Paul's Cathedral in London, we're not getting half the response America has had. Our guys haven't even thought it through; you're campaigning against economic unfairness yet you choose a church to place your stakes? Nice going guys...

 But that is beside the point, because the real issue is that we are only being fed fragmented pieces of the story from our US buddies. Go ahead, go watch a news channel or read a UK news site. What do you find? The small print, identified as an unimportant story, even in international news. Some reading this may have no clue what I'm even talking about. The only way to get at it is through hunting the web space, which to some is too much effort and to others just plain unheard of. And it is this kind of, dare I say, censorship that is making us question the insecurity of  our news outlets and governments.

  It's fair enough for them to be a little paranoid after the looting and riots of this past Summer, but you can't help but beg the question of whether they are worried about what that level of peaceful protest could do to their institutions. After all, who knows the British public better than those who have to watch them everyday and who, more than anyone, needs to keep the equilibrium than those who have to serve it. This could very well be a pure example of the 1% in action...

So although we may not agree with everything that Occupy Wherever suggests, it should be at least rudimentary to process the ideals it is promoting to decide your stance on the argument. After all, odds are you're classed as the 99%...

Vote on the poll to the right to have your say on all things Occupy!

Enjoy learning about economic inequality? Then maybe check out the In Time Review!

ATR

Lookie What I Won!

The fansite, whedonesque.com(devoted to all things Joss Whedon), recently held a competition to win a copy of Firefly on Blu-Ray with the simple of question of "Why do you love Firefly?". Me - being the writing sort that I am - dived into it with a lengthy entry from the heart, about the greatest Sci-Fi show that ever was. And it won. So, YIPEEE! HD quality perfection is on its way now, courtesy of Amazon. Here's the "award-winning" entry:


I love Firefly because it was what it was.
It was a hybrid of two genres, that had been dying to meet in a passionate lock of love for generations.
It was shaky and unpolished - it had that homely charm of not-perfect to it, something that it mirrored in its characters and its tales, through its use of lighting, camera and sound.
It had a great cast, that were willing to take these unique and quirky characters to new and exciting places.
It told us yarns of great prose, combining that of humour, action and drama into pieces that were as much about humanity as they were about the crew.
It was inviting and fuzzy, yet deep and dark when it needed to be.
It was made by a man who loved it dear and was making it for himself and his fans, not money or fame.
It was, in summary, the Shiniest show in the 'Verse, and something that will remain in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to glance at its beauty before its sudden but inevitable defeat.
When we think of Firefly, we feel a sense of... Serenity about the memories and places it takes us to.
I guess you could say it was a unique and lonely leaf on a burst of unrelenting and cruel wind, letting us watch as it soared from its tragic struggle into our lives, our minds and our hearts.
It was Firefly.
And it was great.


Dramatic? Yes. Pretentious? Perhaps. But did it save me £25? You betcha!


What can I say? The words just kind of flowed out my fingers into something I'm pretty proud of, considering it was just for a small competition. So I guess it's time to re-live all my favourite moments, listen to all new commentaries (yes, I actually watch those...) and experience the Big Damn Heroes in stunning 1080p quality. Shiny - that's all I'm saying...


ATR

The Morocco Trip: Part 5

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Once we' showered and changed after the uber cool camel trek, it was 4x4 time back to the coach. Once all on we travelled for hours and hours, pretty much following the route back to Marrakech. On the way we saw plenty of sights, including this symbolic photo I took about religion (2 burqas, a mosque and Arabic text).

And there were lamp-shade men.

Not to mention the amount of ninjas that roamed the streets.

The Sunday Supdate: 29/05/11

The Return.

Yes, I'm back after a week of un-supdated-ness. Apologies if you missed me, but don't be too worried because you're in luck with this considerably monster-sized update! (Assuming that I can find enough things to talk about - I do make this up as I go along, after all.)

  Okay, so "WHERE THE CHEESE BALLING THUMPER CATS HAVE I BEEN!?!?!"?. In short, nowhere. The lack of a Supdate last week was in fact wholly unnecessary, and should be blamed solely on my shoddy, uninterested brain. In even shorter terms: CBA. No matter, comrades; I will work harder!

  Anyway, here's the first picture of Tom Hardy (Inception, Bronson) as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises:

Pretty sweet, huh? The mask design looks very contemporary and thankfully non-camp (ala Batman and Robin)and director Nolan's style is flawless, as ever. I know it's a bit old now, but absence is absence, and I really wanted to include it; especially for those of you who's eyes haven't graced its presence as of yet.

           On the topic of movies, I saw Pirates 4 (after a bit of a Hangover 2 cuffufle)  today and was pleasantly surprised by it.  Depp was as good as ever, and there was a great showcase of  recognisable faces on screen (Richard Griffiths, Stephen Graham). In all honesty, it was far more enjoyable than I had expected and reminded me a lot of Indy's The Last Crusade, what with the "hunting down of a mythical object" angle of the plot line. RE:View? Stay tuned...

  I also seem to be getting really into Joss Whedon's works at the moment. As you know, I expressed interest in his sci-fi/western series, Firefly, a couple of weeks ago (of which I am now in love with) and have since expanded into some of his other stuff. Namely: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Possibly the only good thing to come out of the writer strike of 2008, this delightful tragi-comedy musical web-series has been stuck in my head for the last two days. Here's a taster: 

Yep, it's the openly awesome Neil Patrick Harris!

You can actually find the whole thing on YouTube if you want to check it out in its entirety, which I implore you to. Seriously, you'll thank me. You may even want to buy this after:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: The Book 

          Now I know the hits have dived this month, and you can't blame really blame the little guys. There's been very little activity and nothing new has flourished yet. But hold onto your savoury snacks, because I'd like to (try to) introduce the new WTF (What The Fridge) weekly feature. It could be a picture, video, track or generally anything that makes no sense and just makes you question humanity, the world or even yourself. Suggestions would be nice too, if you ever have anything in mind. And the best thing; it's not going to be restricted to a certain day of the week! It could be anytime! Okay, so maybe that's not the best thing, but it certainly helps me out having no commitment deadlines (Tuesdays can be a tough squeeze).

Stuff like this? I think so.

  That's all for now, so come back in the week for the first WTF, a new trailer, maybe an RE:View and if you're really lucky, perhaps a special feature. Stay safe now.