Tag: Reviews

Trisha’s Take: Anime Fusion 2013

Trisha Lynn

AnimeFusion2013-logoAnime Fusion 2013

October 18-20, 2013
Bloomington, Minnesota

Ever since I moved to Minneapolis in Minnesota, I have slowly been exploring the geek spaces around me by going to geekish concerts and movie showings. I even have a local gaming store which is three or four blocks away from me where I play in a weekly role playing game campaign and where I’ve begun playing more Magic: the Gathering.

However, when it came to conventions, I just didn’t have the time or the money to attend any this summer, including gaming convention Con of the North in the late winter, Anime Detour in the spring, science fiction convention CONvergence in the summer, or any number of larger group gatherings that take place in and around the Twin Cities.

All of that changed when I noticed from a Facebook post that voice actor (and friend) Taliesen Jaffe was going to be attending Anime Fusion in the nearby suburb of Bloomington, home to the Mall of America. The convention was taking place the weekend after my wedding celebration, so I thought it was a perfect time to get myself back out there and to attend my first anime convention since 2008. Continue reading “Trisha’s Take: Anime Fusion 2013“ →

Around the Water Cooler: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Eye Spy″ (spoilers!)

Trisha Lynn1 Comment
Because two exclamation points are better than one. © ABC/Marvel Studios
Because two exclamation points are better than one. © ABC/Marvel Studios

‘Ware the spoilers for this commentary on the latest episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., now available to watch on the official website. Continue reading “Around the Water Cooler: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Eye Spy″ (spoilers!)” →

Geekly Speaking About… “The Resonance of Commander Shepard”

Trisha Lynn
He was the best of commanders, she was the worst of commanders...
Meet my Commanders Shepard! (c) Bioware

Thanks to a confluence of events, I finally finished playing the original Mass Effect as both a male and female Commander Shepard in July… which means it’s podcast time! After a bit of juggling and some technical difficulties, I sat down to check in with co-editor Jill Pullara, and writers Jonathan Cherlin and Lowell Greenblatt on how their summer has been going, to do a review of an indie game called Resonance, and to answer a very important question which we asked previously: Does the gender of your Commander Shepard really have an influence on how you play the game? Show notes after the jump.

Continue reading “Geekly Speaking About… “The Resonance of Commander Shepard”” →

Trisha’s Take: Le Concert review

Trisha Lynn1 Comment

Le Concert

Directed by Radu Mihăileanu
Starring Aleksei Guskov, Mélanie Laurent, Dmitri Nazarov, Miou-Miou and more

On Midsummer Eve, I was walking through a park in Brooklyn with some friends on our way to get some artisanal ice cream. As we neared the park’s exit, the unmistakable sound of a piano wafted towards us in the summer air.

There at the crux of two paths stood an upright piano, and a bushy-haired hipster was coaxing out a very familiar classical tune. No, not Für Elise or the Moonlight Sonata, but Chopin’s Nocturne in E flat (or Op.9 No.2 for the musical geeks). A crowd had formed, and everyone applauded with verve as the final notes died away, the pianist acknowledging the applause briefly before melting back into the crowd. A friend who was visiting from L.A. said later that it had been the fourth time that day he had encountered spontaneous music that day coming from people who weren’t busking.

It’s that idea of making music for the pure joy of making music or the beauty of it that permeates every frame within Le Concert, and I’m afraid that if you don’t understand that, you’re definitely not going to understand or like this movie. Continue reading “Trisha’s Take: Le Concert review” →

Trisha’s Link of the Day: Holy mix of parody and sex, Batman!

Trisha Lynn

Back in May, the Internet was a-buzz with the release of the Batman XXX: A Porn Parody trailer. And while I’d normally link it here because I’m not a prude and I’m assuming you all are adults, I won’t because even if the version on the BoingBoing site is totally “safe for work,” I still feel guilty even writing about it while I’m at my desk.

However, what I really wanted to link you to is this oh-so-clever review of the film done in comic-strip form by by Ward Sutton, mostly because he manages to take every visual incarnation of Batman there ever was (including the LEGO version) and put them all into one strip. That takes a lot of artistic talent, and reminds me of the Batman: TAS episode called “Legends of the Dark Knight” (yes, the one with the poke-in-the-eye for Joel Schumacher), which did the same thing, but animated (they stuck to Dick Sprang and Frank Miller’s work).

The review alone—especially Sutton’s assertion that they used the actual 1960s TV series Batmobile—is pretty damn awesome and has firmly placed the movie into a “Rent if you’re secure enough not to download or pirate porn” list.