The Reel Nerds attend a sneak preview of Ted and talk to Robert of Post Game Report podcast about E3!
(35:26) Interview with Robert from TalkingAboutGames.com/Post Game Report podcast
I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that some of the questions left by Prometheus have nagged at me over the weeks since I first saw the film, but they nag at me in a good way. I find myself playing out scenarios and imagining myself in a world like that one, filled with malicious aliens crafting devices and diseases that we here on earth cannot comprehend. Trying to piece it all together is a puzzle I enjoy playing with, but if that’s not you I can’t change your mind. If you’ve already seen the movie and the amassing questions—mixed with the knowledge that a real human being invented them for your entertainment and either knows or doesn’t know the answers—frustrates you instead of entertaining you, than your first viewing of Prometheus is a wash. I can’t change your mind or explain it in a way that is satisfying. As Brian K Vaughan pointed out in the final issues of Y: The Last Man, few answers ever are.
What I find remarkable about the questions that Prometheus leaves us with is that they all function within the universe set up by the original Alien mythos and follow the rules of that universe so that we aren’t left frustrated by too many obvious oversights. Having seen the movie twice now, and being the great lover of Ridley Scott’s Alien that I am, I’d like to work through my thoughts on the film.
What is the Black Ooze?
This is perhaps the element that I love most about Prometheus’ interpretation of the Xenomorph. The only line that we get in Alien to describe what the Xenomorph really is comes from Ash’s disembodied head, “You still don’t understand what you’re dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.” I guarantee that this is the line that writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof took and ran with.
The black substance, which David tells us is organic, is a genetically engineered bioweapon for uses of mass destruction that attacks organisms on a genetic level, causing mutation. In more complex and evolved creatures it simply kills them, high doses causing practical disintegration—as with the Engineer—and small doses eating away at the insides of a being like a more common virus—as it does when Holloway is infected. This was likely the intended purpose of the weapon because the Engineers would have little reason to make war on less evolved forms of life. It also has some lasting influence on how we interpret the Alien franchise because it deepens our understanding of why Weyland industries would want to capture the xenomorph and bring it home, in hopes that they could reverse-engineer it back to this deadly weapon.
The unexpected side-effect is that the mutations it causes when it comes into contact with less complex forms of life, like the meal worms or an unborn fetus—or unfertilized egg in a damaged uterus—are a more stable mutation, something akin to the rapid evolution of the parasite itself. This mutant origin ties in perfectly with the rules already set up by the Alien films which make it clear that the xenomorph takes on some aspects of the host it was birthed from. That means that the xenomoprh is a highly evolved, biological weapon of mass destruction. It’s a seven foot tall embodiment of VX nerve gas. This is a really badass way of looking at the xenomorph that I think undoes most of the damage done to it by its sequels. If this is the origin of the xenomorph than they shouldn’t be cannon fodder in Aliens or lab rats in Alien: Ressurection. They aren’t just a rabid dog meant to be hunted by Predators. They’re a Frankenstein’s monster. A creature so deadly that its primordial soup would have caused you to disintegrate!
All of this is of course silly sci-fi science and wouldn’t stand up in a scientific laboratory as we know it today, but I was an English major and the movie is meant to be fun, not perfectly plausible science.
Why are these people so dumb?
This is an easy one. They aren’t. End of argument.
I’ve seen complains about how often people take off their helmets in the movie and the truth is that they do it for two reasons: firstly it is a tactic on the part of the filmmakers so that we don’t have to watch our actors act inside a helmet for half the movie; and secondly, because Holloway takes off his helmet and he’s fine. It’s not that they don’t know they shouldn’t take off their helmets, that they don’t consider the possibility that they can get sick. People are screaming at Holloway not to take his Helmet off just before he does it. Holloway takes off his helmet from a place of faith, believing that he’s found the answers to his questions and that he’s safe where he is because his creators are not dissimilar from himself. He is overconfident, not stupid.
Space truckers, like the crew of the Nostromo, have a healthy fear of space; but a group of overzealous scientists do not. They believe themselves pioneers of a new frontier and as such allow their curiosity to be their guide. Predicable as it may be, the scene when the worm-snake first appears and kills the biologist is one of my favorites. Again people have accused that character of being stupid, but he’s not. He shows some fear towards the new life form but encourages both himself and Fifield not to be afraid, that everything is okay. He pushes himself to approach the new creature the way we’ve seen so many hosts on so many nature programs approach snakes so they can grab them by the tail and hold them up for the camera. He’s afraid, but he’s making a new discovery. Scientists here on earth have become so knowledgeable that they believe in a peaceful balance of nature. How many times has someone told you that an animal you think is scary is more afraid of you than you are of it. Heck, I’m afraid of garter snakes so I hear it all the time. Millburn relies on his faith in a nature that he understands. That’s not stupidity, it’s overconfidence and misguided faith.
The reason that you choose space truckers to first run into the xenomorph in Alien is because much like the audience the space-truckers wont know how to deal with a creature like that. What’s cool about Prometheus is that it argues that even scientists would have their faults in first exploring new worlds and new forms of life. But for more complex reasons that just because they’re stupid characters.
Though those two ladies do run the wrong direction from a rolling object. That was dumb.
Why were the cave drawing of the stars left there?
I can invent a scenario for why the cave drawings are there involving a misinterpretation of the drawings, or Elizabeth’s continuing belief that the Engineers were once caring and interested in humans before they went evil, but there is really no need. This is a question that only bugs people because it’s in a movie full of questions. The cave paintings are a macguffin. Without it there simply is no story. If this were a movie where they went to the planet, had long-winded scenes of exposition, had bad things happen to them, and then it ended without any lingering questions, most viewers would forgive it. Perhaps in a sequel we’ll get to explore this question more.
What are the holograms all about?
This relies on David’s understanding of the Engineer language enough to access holographic recordings akin to security footage of what happened on the ship just as things were all going down hill. I would have liked if the scientists had spent a little more time searching the ship initially, giving David more time to really investigate and learn how the ship works rather than him just stumbling onto them, but this comes down to a question of pacing and time management.
Science vs. Faith, order vs. chaos
These are the really interesting questions in Prometheus. This isn’t a theme completely unexplored by LOST scribe Damon Lindelof, but it’s one that drives the very heart of this movie. The motivations of these characters search towards the stars is reminiscent of 2001 and Sunshine. Ostensibly Elizabeth Shaw and her crew are seeking answers about these clues left behind in ancient drawing and what that means for humans if the Engineers were involved in our creation, but the real struggle in the movie for these characters is whether or not they’ll ever get their answers. Whether or not there are any answers. When Holloway first sees the inside of the temple room he calls it ‘just another tomb’ and circles into a depression as he realizes that he’s not going to get to talk to his creator and have his questions answered. And yet through that discovery, through Holloway’s death, through the creation of monsters and the revelation that the Engineers are hostile, Shaw still has faith that there is a reason for her existence and a reason for everything that’s happening around her. Prometheus, and by extension its writers, would be remiss if they didn’t pass on this conflict to their audience. This is a movie about unanswerable questions. The writers cannot give you an answer to the question of why we are here, what our lives really mean, where we come from or where we go when we die. And if they tried, their answer would be unsatisfactory. As Shaw herself points out, if we were given an answer, that answer would simply lead to a new question. Instead we are left with David’s resigned comments that ‘There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing’ and our hope laid upon Elizabeth as she takes off from the moon in a continuing effort to find answers to unanswerable questions.
This is neither a perfect film nor an easy one. But I love thinking about it.
These are of course just my interpretations. If you’ve got something different or if there is a question I didn’t discuss that you’d like my thoughts on, leave a comment below.
– James
For the most part I write blogs that are silly and fun with not much heart. Tonight I am going to change that(maybe). The journey of me finally getting the first part to the most amazing(pun intended) Spider-Man story is long and full of highs and not really lows because I have had a great time tracking this elusive issue down. I have told some of these stories before to my friends and quickly on my podcast but never in a short story form. I just cracked open a bottle of Yoohoo so sit back and enjoy a quest 23 years in the making…
1989 was a tough year for my family. My parents just got divorced and for awhile my mom, my two brothers and I lived in an apartment not far from my father. But when we finished our school year in Arvada my mom chose to move us west to Golden. I don’t remember the move that much but I do remember not wanting to be further away from my dad, and I was not happy that I had to make new friends in a new school.
(welcome to Golden Ryan)
The school year approached fast and I was nervous about going there. (It’s strange how no matter how much time has passed you can remember how you felt at specific parts of your life.) The dread was really creeping in when my mom pulled into the round-about of Earl Johnson Elementary School. “Have a nice day boys” my mom would say in the sweetest voice. My mother still has the most comforting voice when it is needed. My brother Steve was in the 4th grade and nothing seemed to phase him. Much like today he walks into any situation like he owns the room and if you don’t like him, so what, he can kick your ass. I was more nervous. I used to want people to like me, which I think I still do but to a lesser degree now that I’m married, and really only make sure I don’t look like an ass in front of my wife. My brother Nathan was in 1st grade and seemed to just go with the flow.
So we all parted and went to our separate classrooms. I can’t remember my teacher but I do remember Jimmy Bollinger. A friend who not only is a great guy but was so gracious to me it’s something I will never forget and I am proud to say that he is still my friend. (He is always helping people in other countries but thanks to facebook we can still talk). I was introduced to Jimmy and he was assigned to help me get used to being at a new school. A job most kids would not like but Jimmy took me under his wing and a friendship was born. After getting to know more kids through Jimmy(he was popular and a nice guy what a combo) I was adjusting to life in Golden well.
One day at recess a bunch of kids were hanging out by the swings. I Must have gotten out of lunch late because Jimmy was already down by the swings as well. When I got to Jimmy he was trading cards with a bunch of other kids. At first I was excited because I thought they were baseball cards. Which I collected with my brothers and my dad. But as I got a closer look at them I saw that they were comic cards. These collectible cards were a lot like baseball cards were they had the hero or villain on the front and on the back were a bunch of stats. I asked Jimmy were he got those cool cards and he said any comic or card shop has them. I told Jimmy that I thought they were cool, but I knew in my head I would not be able to get any because we were poor. But Jimmy being the stand up guy he has always been said, “Here Ryan you can have all my doubles so you can start a collection.” Jimmy reached into his pocket and handed me a stack of cards. The first card I flipped over, Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin.
(this is the card that I was given)
I was mesmerized by the card. Spider-Man I knew, but the Goblin was something new. I loved his character design. He was smiling while he was fighting. But my true fascination started when I read the back of the card. It turns out that the Green Goblin was Spider-Man’s greatest enemy and he killed Spideys girlfriend Gwen Stacy by throwing her off a bridge! My inner Spider-Man geek was awakened! Soon I was bugging my dad to take me to a comic shop so I could buy the comic of the Goblin killing Gwen. He finally agreed and we stepped foot into Colorado Coins, Cards, and Comics!(my favorite comic store that I still go to every week to pick up Peter Parker’s adventures.)
I asked the gentlemen working there if they had an issue where the Green Goblin kills Gwen Stacy. He said yes and pointed me to the comics that were hanging from the ceiling. There it was calling to me, as my father and I approached it my excitement soon turned to sadness. The price on the comic $75. My dad said “there is no way I am spending $75 on a comic book! Here’s $20 and go pick out a bunch of Spider-Man comics.” I did, I found as many comics with the Green Goblin I could find and that my $20 would buy. I left with 15 comics most with the Goblin, but that was the first and not the last time Amazing Spider-Man 121 would slip through my fingers…
A couple of years passed and I would save all the money I could to purchase more Spider-Man comics. My collection was getting bigger but my one true prize kept on being out of reach. My father owned a hydraulic company for a long time and I was finally old enough to “work” there. I told my father that I wanted to work with him over the summer so I could save enough money to buy that comic. My dad said “ok I have a bunch of things for you to organize and you can sweep my shop everyday and I will give you $50 a week.” I thought wow $50! I would only need to work two weeks and I would have enough money to buy that comic! My dad would pay his employees every week so the first check I got I kept safely in my piggy bank. Next Friday came and I was so excited, my Grandpa Leon was my dad’s accountant and gave out the checks. So I waited for him to come by with my money. When he handed it to me I ran to my father’s office and said “Dad, can we go and get the comic I want? I saved my check from last week and I can pay for it!” My dad didn’t think I should spend my money that way but was proud I saved the money. “Ok Ryan we can, but it’s only 10:30 you will have to wait until 4 when we leave work.” Talk about a long work day.
After work my dad took me to the bank where I cashed my checks and was holding a cool $100 bill. As we pulled into the parking lot I was so excited. Just imagining myself holding and reading that issue was so amazing to me. We entered the store and I went to where the comic was for the last year and…it was gone! I was heartbroken. I asked if they had another one and they did not. I was too late! The next best thing was issue 122 was there which I bought instead for $65, I was so upset. The comic shop guy did tell me I could get the reprint for only $1 if I wanted to read the story. So I got the original 122 and a reprint. It would be a long time before I even saw 121 again.
(this is the first expensive comic I ever bought. It was at the time an unhappy purchase. I really wanted 121, but it was gone by the time I saved enough money to get it. An ironic twist is this has become my most favorite single issue of Spider-Man. I could write a whole other blog about this and I probably will but for now I will just focus on issue 121)
As my comic collection grew so too did my quest to track down all the comics the Goblin has appeared in. I became obsessive however about finding issue 121. I didn’t trust websites because I could not see the issue and I didn’t want to be ripped off. I found some amazing issues along the way. But for some reason I saw more of the first appearance of The Green Goblin then issue 121.
(the first issue featuring the Green Goblin is rare and expensive but I saw this more in the last 15 years then I did of 121. This comic is worth 4k in near mint and is one of only 3 Goblin comics I do not own. The three I do not have are Amazing Spider-Man 14,17,39)
When it was announced that Denver would be having its own comic-con I made it my mission to find 121 and get it no matter what. I waited too long not to get it and I wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass me by. One of the greatest things that has come from this podcast was I had the privilege to showcase my podcast at the Denver Comic-Con. When we arrived at the con before the doors opened to the public and our booth was set up I took it upon myself to check out all the vendors that were there so I could see if maybe 121 was there.
To my great surprise there were at least 6 copies of 121 and I was now on the prowl for not only the comic but also not to be ripped off. The first place I checked wanted $425 for it! If it was in near mint maybe but it wasn’t so that one was a big no especially since I knew there were others. I decided to wait until Sunday to buy it because I figured maybe I could get a good deal on it. So on Saturday I took another lap around to make sure there were still a few options if needed. And to my surprise I still counted 6 different copies of the comic.
Sunday was here and it was no or never for this Green Goblin collector. In between juggling my duties as the host of this podcast and my James Marsters panel I knew I had to make my move. So with James in tow I set out to buy the most elusive comic for my collection…
We stopped at a couple of vendors just to get a feel and they were not budging on the price. I wasn’t trying to take advantage but I knew how much the comic was worth and I didn’t want to over pay. James told me he saw the first appearance of Captain America in the modern age just tucked in a box if I wanted to see it. And of course I did. So we headed over to a great little vendor set up and James pulled out Avengers #4, that was cool. I glanced over to my right and there it was, Amazing Spider-Man 121 just staring at me. I asked the gentleman running the booth if I could inspect the book and he said yes. As he pulled it out I was getting anxious because I knew I was going to buy this book…
(yes I was really nervous holding this book, I wanted it so bad)
I asked the gentlemen if they would be willing to sell me this book for $30 less then they were asking for it. A very long 30 seconds passed before the owner of this book looked at me, looked at the book and said “yeah, we can do that”. Joy soon crept in. After 20 years searching and wanting this book my moment had arrived! I reached into my wallet and pulled out all my cash, I was short! I got really nervous again, I asked “do you take debit?” he said “we do but there is a charge for it” I didn’t care I wanted that comic so bad! But James swooped in and said “here’s the $30 you need happy early birthday.” And like that the transaction was done and I was in possession of the comic I wanted the most my whole collecting life.
(me at our podcast booth so excited to finally be holding my very own copy of Amazing Spider-Man 121!)
So that’s my really long winded story about my search for Amazing Spider-Man 121. I really want to thank Jimmy Bollinger for introducing me to the sensational world of Spider-Man, even if it was by accident I appreciate it. Also thanks to my dad for not getting why comics are important to me but supporting me anyways. Thanks to James for being there so I didn’t have to pay the extra charge for the book. Thanks to Brad and James of Reel Nerds Podcast for helping make our podcast the official podcast of Denver Comic-Con. And thanks to my rock, my best friend, my better half, my beautiful wife Laura. You never get mad when I spend our money on my funny books, you just support me and love me for me. And that’s why you will always be my Gwen, I love you.
(my wife Laura, me, incredible comic artist Zach Howard, James Hart, and Brad Haag, we are the Reel Nerds Podcast)
The Reel Nerds brave a new Pixar movie and chat with Reggie in their second Denver Comic-Con interview.
Reggie Interview (28:48) Check out Reggie’s Comic-Con Movie Screening!
This week the Reel Nerds recap their amazing experience at Denver’s inaugural Comic-Con in an episode that includes reviews for Rock of Ages and That’s My Boy, as well as the first of many fan interviews. This week’s guests: Not Literally. Also, raffle winners announced!
(32:18) Not Literally interview
(1:38:30) Raffle Results
The costumes this year were unbelievably great. It felt like about a quarter of people were dressed up (Way more than I could ever take pictures of) which has to be some kind of Con record. I kept telling people that the line outside the building showed how hungry Denver has been for a con like this, but that’s not true. It was really all the costumes that communicated the level of passion built up among a community of dessert dwellers too far from a great con to roadtrip. Thank you all for making this first year so special.
There was a Washing machine running around the con floor too but I guess he’d lost it.
No Villainous photoshoot would be complete without a Thor photobomb!
These two Caps are the same guy on Friday and then Saturday.
These kids were so cute! And one of the most unique and well-crafted costumes I saw.
This is what happens when Brad turns off my Autofocus without telling me. Sorry man, you were among the best Doctors.
These guys got a double take out of me. I passed them, then realized how awesome their costume was and had to chase them back down.
These guys had a Captain and a Ship at the Con too, but I never saw them. I’d love to see what a Serenity costume looks like so if you’ve got a picture email it to us.
A great set of costumes but I was slightly rude to them. If you see this, Sorry Indy, sorry rogue, you guys were great.
This last guy wasn’t dressed as the Doctor. He wasn’t dressed up at all. He told me he just used to work at a book store, which means that unlike the rest of us, who are normal all year round, this guy is as awesome as Matt Smith every single day!
You were all so amazing! Thank you for bringing so much fun and excitement to the Con and We’ll look forward to seeing you all again next year. I expect a few very detailed Stan Lee costumes.
-James
Mediocre Photographer
Comic Book fans flock to Denver Comic Con by Colleen Bement
Check out Examiner.com Denver Geek Culture reporter Colleen Bement’s awesome recap article and photo slideshow of Denver’s Inaugural Comic-Con! Thank you again for stopping by our booth Colleen!
This weekend your favorite host of a podcast about movies that are recorded in Denver is hosting a panel with the Awesome James Marsters. Mr. Marsters is best known as Spike in the Buffy universe and here are my favorite moments with the love sick vamp.
7. School Hard Buffy Season 2, episode 3
Spikes first appearance on Buffy was memorable. Hearing that Sunnydale had a slayer problem Spike offers to kill her for the Anointed One. Spike meets Buffy at her school during parent teacher night and is shocked to learn that the slayer has friends and allies. Unable to kill her he kneels before the Anointed One asking for forgiveness, but then changes his mind and kills the little bugger, thus ushering in the era of Spike.
6 & 5. Lies My Parents Told Me Buffy Season 7 episode 17
Cool flashbacks tell the story of Spike. One is how he turns his mother into a vampire after she nearly succumbs to tuberculosis. But when his mother awakes a vampire she does not love Spike he kills her.
Spikes fight with the slayer Nikki Wood not only resulted in her death, the second slayer Spike had killed. He also took her trench coat which would become Spike’s trademark look after that.
4. Smile Time Angel Season 5 episode 14
Angel is turned into a puppet and him and Spike fight. Awesome.
3. Lover’s Walk Buffy season 3 episode 8
Distraught because Dru left him for a chaos demon Spike returns to Sunnydale looking for a way to win her back. When Buffy hears Spike in the background while on the phone with her mother she fears the worst. However Spike is just pouring his heart out to Joyce. Angel stops by to see if Buffy is alright and sees that Spike is in Buffy’s house, he rushes to “save” Joyce but Angel has not been invited in, which leads to an amazing bit of comedy where Spike is acting like he is going to bite Joyce with Angel being helpless. All he wanted was some love advice and hot cocoa, relax Angel!
2. Chosen Buffy season 7 episode 22
In the final battle at Sunnydale the Hellmouth opens and the Slayers and Spike spring into action. During the climax Spike sacrifices himself to close the Hellmouth and Buffy says “I love you”, Spike then says amazingly “No you don’t, but thanks for saying it.” Great ending to a great character, for a little while anyways.
1. Once More With Feeling Buffy, Season 6 episode 7
My favorite song from my favorite episode of Buffy is “Rest In Peace”. Which is Spikes rock love song he sings to Buffy. It plays like a gothic music video with a ton of sexual tension throughout. I love this episode.
Come see the Reel Nerds at Denver Comic-Con all three days and you can be a part of our podcast. We are also hosting the panel starring James Marsters on Sunday! We also have contests and there is a major con in Denver do you need any other reasons?
The Reel Nerds explore alien origins in Prometheus.
The Reel Nerds celebrate their one-year anniversary by introducing new podcast features and reviewing Snow White and the Huntsman.
