Jesus Christ Superstar Arena Spectacular 2013 - Australian tour!

Took me a while to decide to review this one, since I don’t think we've previously delved into Musical-theatre-nerd here at FP. But after some consideration, fuelled no doubt by my enthusiasm for babbling about it to anyone who’ll listen, I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re equal-opportunity nerds and therefore can have a shot at anything that excites us. And this production of Jesus Christ Superstar was nothing if not exciting.

Join me after the break if your Jesus-boner is mighty!!

HBO's Girls Reviewed

HBO have given us some pretty fantastic things over time. Game of Thrones is currently doing amazing things and I love Flight of the Conchords. One of their latest offerings is Girls, a drama about four girlfriends in their early twenties who are trying to shed their adolescent skin and become fully fledged and independent adults. As it turns out, that’s not so easy. I have to say, I love Girls. I think Lena Dunham is an extraordinary writer and should be commended for writing such a complex show. I do however find it difficult to recommend to people because I doubt very much that it resonates with everyone. Girls can be excruciating to watch, in many cases because of the terrible mistakes that the characters are making but mostly because it is so realistic that it makes you cringe. I have known people who are like the people in the show and I’ve seen people behave the way that they do. I’ve had the friend with the clingy boyfriend, the friend who comfort eats and the friend who does jerk things and doesn’t understand why nobody can stand her. If you haven’t had that experience yourself, you usually know someone who has or were there during a particularly crazy time in someone’s life where ridiculous things were happening that you were sure no one would believe if you told them.

As the title suggests, this show seems to be aimed at girls and I have heard many people say that they feel girls are the target audience. I can’t speak for whether guys enjoy the show as much but I can certainly say that if I am the target audience then Lena Dunham has done an amazing job of tugging on those strange memories, friendships and events and putting together a truly unique coming of age story.

Follow me under the jump for some more musings about plotlines and characters in Girls but please be warned, this is an adult show and there will be some explicit content referenced in the review.

Friday Night Movie Reviews

It's the end of the working week once again, but this week is a little bit extra special. It's the first Friday of the month, and you know what that means! Time for us to serve up our monthly helping of fun size movie reviews. We're spanning 30 years between our five reviews, so join us below the cut to be taken on a journey through time and spaaaaace.

Thank GIF it's Friday!

This GIF addresses almost all my interests.

Thursday Threesome: The Three Ridiculous Things That I Wanted to be When I “Grew Up”!

Life is filled with crushing disappointments. As children we have all sorts of unrealistic hopes and aspirations because, at those tender ages, we’re partially educated, gullible, and act like we’re always drunk.

So - seeing as how it’s my turn to invite you (and a friend) into the tousled sheets of the Thursday Threesome - today I’m going to share the three ridiculous things that I aspired to be as a youngster. I will take you on a turbulent journey, backwards through the time stream as we see what I wanted to be as a teenager, a pre-teen and a tubby lil’ toddler.

Come on! It’ll be fun! Hold my hand (both of you) and we’ll go back in time... after the jump!

The Stephen King Joyland Blog Tour Makes a Stop at Fruitless Pursuits!

Come one, come all! Step right up to have an opportunity to win some fun Stephen King prizes! We promise the games aren't rigged, and I think the prizes are better than a giant stuffed bear that's been out in the sun too long! Titan Books is sponsoring a contest to win some cool swag, and the details are behind the cut. Take a look....if you dare!

If you're new here following the carnival around the widest of the World Wide Web, welcome! Check out some of our more recent posts on pop culture and other nerdy endeavors to your right, and we hope you stick around after the carny folk leave town!

Doctor Who Vivid Sydney Festival Light Show

Just in case you missed the Vivid Sydney Festival's Doctor Who inspired light show on June 2nd here's the video of the effects shown.

Stick with it, it's simply stunning.

Man, I wish I had been there to see that live. Wow.

DC Comics New 52 - Stryder's Weekly Top 5...er...3!!

Hey Folks! 

Well, our last New Comic Book Day (May 29th, 2013) was on the 5th Wednesday in the month of May, and thus didn't fit the regular comic release schedule!  DC's still got our back though...once again they released a handful of Annuals and whatnot to keep us from leaving our Local Comic Book Shop disappointed!  Not as many comics to choose from as normal, but enough to tide me over...and here's my 3 favourite of the bunch!

Earth 2 Annual #1 - "Crazy, dirty and just plain wrong.  So why do I like it here so much?"

Since it's right there on the cover, there's no point burying the lead...there's a NEW Batman on Earth 2!  We don't know who he is, where he comes from or what if any ties he has to the original, now deceased Earth 2 Batman but we do quickly learn one thing!  He is NOT kidding around!  Does this new Batman's brutality know any bounds?  Stay tuned!

Aside from Batman, we also get to see more of Captain Atom and learn of another meta-human "wonder" in service to the World Army...Captain Steel (the World Army reaaaallly likes Captains)!   Captain Steel is only teased a little in this issue and thus we know nothing much about him, but the seeds are planted, and the next regular issue will certainly reveal more.  As a matter of fact, there are lots of little tidbits of information about various characters and plot-lines contained in this annual that will certainly become important in the near future.  The plot is thickening fast, and all of our various "wonders", be they hero, villain or other, will soon be colliding!

Did I mention...NEW BATMAN!!!! 

See my other 2 picks for the week after the JUMP!!  Hint...one is NOT an Annual!

The Book Was Better Podcast Episode 45: Jumanji (with guest host Lizzy Unpronounceable!)

The Book Was Better is the podcast where a special guest host and myself are driven by mysterious unseen forces to read, discuss and make fun of crappy novelizations of questionable Hollywood films!

In this week’s adventure packed episode I explore the dark and sweaty jungle with adorable guest host Lizzy Unpronounceable, as we read Todd Strasser’s best possible attempt at adapting board-game-come-to-life classic, Jumanji! Forget Robin Williams! Forget Peter and Judy! We’re on the hunt for SOME CRAZY FRIGGING MONKEYS! Will we get our wish? Let us play Jumanji in your ears and you’ll find out!

You can download it from the official site, or why not harden up and subscribe to us on iTunes!

HAHAHAHA! LOOK AT THEM CRAZY MONKEYZ!!!

Game of Thrones Book Comparison and Review: The Rains of Castamere

It’s time for me to weigh in on what we book readers have known was coming - the discussion about the epic Game of Thrones episode The Rains of Castamere that has sent viewers into a frenzy of horror and grief.

Off the bat, let me say that this was a fantastic episode and that any other reaction would have never done it justice.

If you want to know more about what in the name of Westeros you just witnessed then follow me under the jump for a book comparison and review.

10 Actors Who Could Play The Next Doctor

You would probably have heard by now that Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who after his Christmas Special this year. Having been a brilliant Doctor for the past four years Matt’s departure triggers an interesting time for Who fans; the grieving followed by the excitement of a new Time Lord to go on adventures with.

Under the cut I talk about some of my picks for the next Doctor, regardless of whether or not they are feasible! Don’t worry; none of these actors are picked based on any rumours or knowledge that I have as to whether they are being considered. I also pair them with a suitable companion.

Follow me for more fun and speculation!

F**k Yeah Game of Thrones! Episode 9: The Rains of Castamere!

Holy crap, Game of Thrones! Holy crap! What the holy living crap in the hell was that? Holy. Craaaap!

As a dullard who hasn’t read the epic tomes that this blood-and-boobs fantasy epic is based on, I wasn’t quite prepared for that. If you want to hear this ignoramus’ reaction, join me as I recap the (holy) crap out of the traumatic and disturbing The Rains of Castamere... after the jump!

Book Review: Stephen King's "Joyland"

I've read a few of the titles in the Titan Books "Hard Case Crime" series so far, and it's been a fun ride through a genre I'm unfamiliar with. The pulpy goodness combined with the retro art makes for a different experience for a reader who's done the bulk of his reading on more modern hardcovers. So when Titan sent us the newest installment in the series, Joyland, I was really rather surprised that they were able to land Stephen King, one of the all-time great American authors, to do an installment (although I later learned he did The Colorado Kid, which I'll have to get to soon). I'm ultimately glad I checked it out for a lot of reasons.

Courtney Coulson's Costume Critiques: Retro-futurism and Star Trek- Designing the Unknowable

Ever notice that when you watch an old sci-fi you can pretty much tell immediately what era it was made in? Especially those supposed to be set in the future, they seem to resemble the time they were made in more than the time they are set in, but why is that? Sometimes it might simply be due to the dated equipment it was filmed on, but now we have the ability to restore old movies and watch them with the most optimal quality, there's still something about the effects, sets and costumes that give away what decade the film or tv show was made in.

Is it possible for a film to truly look futuristic even to future audiences? Has any costume designer been able to find the right balance between timeless and slightly otherworldly? Join me below the cut as we explore the future as presented by the past as represented by costumes.

El Professore Movie Reviews: The Yakuza

1975
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Brian Keith, Herb Edelman, Richard Jordan
* * * *

So there was director Sydney Pollack, fresh off the huge financial success of the Barbara Streisand/Robert Redford romancer, 'The Way We Were'. So successful was that film that Pollack could now hand pick his next picture with the studio's blessing. Pollack took advantage of this and lensed his dream project; a film that he knew would not be a success and would only find a very specific audience. If he were to make such a picture, now would be the time. Basing his story from a script penned by a then unknown Paul Schrader, Pollack along with the great Robert Mitchum flew to Japan to film, 'The Yakuza', one of the finest of all Neo Noir thrillers.

Full review after the break.