The Assemblage of the Crystal Sphere: A D&D Story is a pretty terrible D&D mockumentary :(. It's about a group of D&D gamers, playing out the last few months of sessions concluding a 5 year campaign. If there was any humor at all in it, it was very subtle. But, mostly it was a lot of awkward moments and interpersonal strife. Available on DVD from Netflix. But, not recommended :(.
After watching the PBS documentary Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire on Netflix, it was weird to watch the 1981 movie, The Bushido Blade. Admiral Perry has apparently never heard of the Prime Directive :). In fact, this movie had the feel of the old school Star Trek series or a Western movie of the time. The movie was very not PC, with a black face performace on the US Navy ship and asian boobage every 20 minutes. There's also a lame deus ex earthquake during a pivotal sword fight :(. The only YouTube trailer I could find to show was in German, but the movie is in English on Netflix.
Here is Part 3 of the PBS documentary Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire. Mind you this is almost an hour long, but it is very interesting. Some of this is portrayed in the movie The Bushido Blade. Though, the movie adds a lot of unhistorical stuff and a lot of nonsense. The documentary is recommended. The movie is not, heheheh :).
Watched the live-action, movie version of Honey and Clover. I think I prefer the anime version, which I had seen both seasons of. The anime had more comedy, and the movie seemed to be all drama and awkward moments. The story revolves around art college students who are all friends and involved in several, unrequited, love triangles. It seems each character loves someone who loves someone else. What I found realistic in this was that unrequited love, remains unrequited, and everyone realizes they will all grow apart after graduating, but will always cherish their friendships. I was kinda amazed they found someone who could play Hagu-chan. Yu Aoi from Hula Girls, actually fits the role as well as can be expected, even more preferable than the original anime/manga version. I highly recommend the anime and the movie was a decent retelling. I will soon be watching the live-action, japanese, TV drama version.
Here is a fan-made, anime music video (AMV) of the series.
Watched the japanese movie, Hula Girls. It's based on a real-life story about a cold, northern, japanese, coal mining town. The town's mine is beig shut down and 2,000 miners will be put out of work. A Hawaiin themed tourist attraction is planned to save the town, and the coal miners' daughters all get together to form a Hula troupe with the help of an instructor from Tokyo. But, the local miner's union is against the project. It was decent and had a Footloose kinda feel to it.
Saw an interesting documentary about an old couple who had been collecting art throughout their lives. The fascinating thing is they did this on their meager salaries as a librarian and postal worker, amassing a huge and varied collection in their small NYC apartment. Eventually they donated their collection to the National Gallery of Art where it can be shared with the public; never once selling a piece for profit.
eBay Today: Dan Curto Sketch Cards
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Star Wars Galaxy 7 trading cards are out and sketch cards are beginning to
exchange hands, and now many including two from our own Dan Curto have
found the...
Upcoming Baen Books of Interest (by Liviu Suciu)
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While A Rising Thunder - the lead March title - is almost here and is
already in the 400's in the Amazon rank so almost guaranteeing a top spot
on the bes...
Kristen Stewart a Doll
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If you are a total Twihard, then you already know that there was at least
one doll used in the making of Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, part two.
Though tha...
The Week in Review
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This week we learn that ACTA has Europeans up in arms, *Dear Esther* makes
a bit of money and *FortressCraft* tries to rationalize its existence.
View Ar...
Tooth and Nail, by Jennifer Safrey
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*Tooth and Nail *[Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy], by Jennifer Safrey,
gives us a very cool protagonist. We meet Gemma Fae Cross in the boxing
ring, wh...
Video Game Article: Reasons For Buying A Vita
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Aside from some nice hardware and a software lineup that dutifully checks
all the boxes in the portable PlayStation launch checklist, the pricey unit
isn't...
Bill of Rights and the NDAA
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The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, and are
explicit limitations on federal power, demanded by the States for
ratification o...
Zagat Seeks New Copy Editor
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Here’s where you can merge your passions for culture and publishing into
one great gig. Zagat is looking for a new copy editor.
This is a long-term temp...
Another NEET
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Well, Another is about a spooky transparent being. Ali Projects’ OP is
really victorianist-spooky. Yes, the main character Sakakibara Kouichi
transfers to ...
The Language of Dying
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Horror writers often get a bad stigma attached to them. It seems like no
matter who you are (with a few notable exceptions), once you are a “Horror
author”...
Book Giveaway: Partials
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Courtesy of Harper Teen, I have an extra copy of Partials by Dan Wells for
one (1) lucky winner! Contest is open to US and Canada only. To enter, just
fill...
Only Slightly Dangerous
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Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad could be here, right now.
Sometimes I feel like Twitter is in my head already.
Don't forget I will be here this w...
Huffington Post: Pinkberry Days and Sushi Nights
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Looking for a job at a company that encourages creativity and embraces
diverse viewpoints? What if I told you that company also encourages its
employees to...
You’re Never Alone in Being Alone
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Warning! Spoilers for Battle Athletes Victory, Excel Saga, Turn A Gundam,
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Hayate the Combat Butler. Valentine’s
Day is a...
Why I Can't Have Nice Things
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As part of my moving away from friends and gaming group (these things are
mutually inclusive, mind you), I've had to re-think what I hang on to in
order to...
Easy Gluten Free Pizza Crust
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This crust is as easy as it comes. Based on just two ingredients, you can
combine the healthy aspects of cooked meat with cheese for a truly
remarkable cru...
Do The Math
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So what do e-books mean for John Taylor and his bride, Suzie?
Penguin is selling an e-book of The Bride Wore Black Leather for $12.99,
and the hardcover co...
What’s Up?
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I have a guest post on Random Genre Month about my writing adventures
during January. The next writing project won’t be until April for Script
Frenzy. No i...
Art: XVIII
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XVIII
20"x16"Acrylic on Canvas
Some of you might remember the last space marine painting that I posted a
while back. This painting was started soon...
Dragon a Day!
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Hey everyone!
Since 2012 is the Year of the Dragon, I decided it was time to do something
I've been thinking about: a drawing a day blog! And if you know me...
Still Alive on Halloween
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Holy Cow, where has the time gone? It's Halloween already. It seems I only
manage to post to this thing about once or twice a year. I guess it's hard
to s...
Wyrd GenCon Exclusives
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I managed to finally get an order in Wyrd’s online store for some early
release GenCon goodness. As expected the site was very busy. So much so
that it was...
Selling My Trollbloods
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This morning my computer’s motherboard died. In order to raise the cash I
need to replace my computer I’m selling off my Trollbloods. Here’s what
I’ve got....
My Future Girlfriend - Part 5
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[image: Video thumbnail. Click to play]
Click to Play
In Part 5 of Ragtag Production's 5 part series "My Future Girlfriend,"
Clark has made his choice, ...
10 Things I Learned From Watching Big Love
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- 10- I never want to live in Utah
- 9- I never want to run for public office
- 8- There is a reason the average American family only has 2.5 kid...
Adorn your wall with this really cool poster.
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Since Whiter Shades of Pale came out back in November, a lot of people have
voiced how much they love the book’s scarily accurate line drawings, which
call...
Hey I'm Still Around!
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*
Sorry its been awhile since I've updated the 'ol blog. Life has been
incredibly stressful and challenging for the last 5 months and I'm working
to make t...
Schoolism Rewards Program
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Hi Everyone!
I'm very happy to introduce the Schoolism Rewards Program!
Get the word out about Schoolism.com and start earning points towards
Schoolism cl...
EXPOSITION IN THE AGE OF GOOGLE
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Via my wonderful editor, Susan Allison, from a New York Magazine piece on
David Simon:
"Fuck the exposition," he says gleefully, as we go back into the bar...
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*This Blog Has Moved*
Since Blogger is no longer supporting blogs using FTP, I have decided to
move on to a different blogging platform. The archives since...