Wallpaper - Star Wars Clone Wars Collage 005

The Battle for Ryloth was a costly one, in more than one way.

Wallpaper - Star Wars Clone Wars Collage 004

Anakin and Ahsoka race to assist an embattled Aayla Secura in the Quell system.

Wallpaper - Star Wars Clone Wars Collage 003

Much to learn, Ahsoka Tano has. But will her hot head get her into something beyond her ability before she learns what she must?

Wallpaper - Star Wars Clone Wars Collage 002

Asajj Ventress, pupil to Count Dooku. She has a dark purpose, but is she truly what she appears to be?

Wallpaper - Star Wars Clone Wars Collage 001

War! The Republic is under attack. Jedi fight against the mysterious Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress. What is the true purpose of the Sith?

Wallpaper - Luis Royo Collage 001

1600x640

Rate Luis Royo Collage 001

Sanctuary - Sheila Wolk

Sheila Wolk has produced some gorgeous figurines. Her pieces touch on a slightly darker aspect of Fairy and Angel than some of the current representations, and Sanctuary is no exception.

Sanctuary is an angel in a place of nature and beauty - attended by her friends the birds and with plentiful flora to complement her own colorful appearance.

Standing almost 9" tall, this piece is one of her best, and a must have for any serious collector of Angel figurines - she would also be at home amidst a Fairy Garden as well.


Purchase from Amazon

Movie - The Last Airbender Trailer

Avatar: The Last Airbender was a cartoon that aired on Nickelodeon between 2005 and 2008. The series ran for three seasons, and ended July 19th, 2008. It was the story of Aang, who has been selected as the Avatar - a being who can master (Bend) the use of the four elements - Air, Earth, Fire and Water.While there exists in the four nations (each represented by it's own element) people who can "Bend" the powers of their element, there exists one who takes the place of the Avatar, a spiritual embodiment of the world.

Aang, when twelve years old, discovers he is the next Avatar (who is reincarnated over and over again). He fears the responsibility, and attempts to flee - only to be trapped in an iceberg and frozen for 100 years.

When he escapes from the iceberg, he discovers that in the absence of the Avatar, the Fire nation has waged war against his Air nation and all but obliterated him. As the last of the Airbenders, Aang must attempt to restore balance to the world. With the help of his friends Katara and Sokka, Aang begins accepting his destiny and sets out to re-balance the world.

While Avatar: The Last Airbender incorporates many elements of Japanese Animation, including thematic and stylistic content, it was conceived and produced in the United States. It achieved much critical acclaim, including an Emmy and the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Cartoon in 2008. There have been Action Figures, a card game, lego sets, as well as a Roller Coaster at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

The latest incarnation of the Avatar will take place in the form of a planned trilogy of live action movies, each movie tracking one season of the show. The first movie, by M. Night Shyamalan, will premiere in July of 2010. It will feature newcomer Noah Ringer as Aang.

Purchase the DVDs for the three seasons:

Settlers of Catan

Board Games in Germany rely less on luck and more on strategy and good playing ability. The Settlers of Catan is a prime example of this philosophy. Released in 1995 in Germany, Settlers was one of the first German board games that achieved popularity outside Europe. Multiple expansions have been released, adding to the game's longevity and playability. Another game, Starfarers of Catan, was loosely based on the mechanics of Settlers, and taps into the same strategic and political ideas that drive the original game.

Movie - Primer

Not for the faint of heart, or mind. Possibly. This might be the most amazing low budget time travel movie ever made, or they might have fooled a bunch of people into thinking they were watching a great movie that was nothing more than a load of dreck.

Primer is the movie, and people either love or hate the movie. Rarely a middle ground, this movie polarizes people as it does the characters within. The premise is simple - a couple of young, aspiring computer geeks accidentally discover the means of moving through time. Not the old fashioned Back to the Future or Dr. Who sort of time travel, but a more subtle form that takes as much time to travel through as one wants to travel through.

Lost yet? It gets worse.

Basically, the machine that is built creates a field within that oscillates in time. So if you turn on the machine, put something in it, the time goes back and forth within the particular timeframe the machine is turned on. The item inside goes through time many more times than it is actually in the box - so if the machine is on for 5 days, approximately 5 years will pass within.

Lost yet? It gets worse.

So far, the protagonists (Shane Carruth as Aaron, David Sullivan as Abe) only tested it on inanimate objects. But eventually, they (of course) test it on themselves. And discover that a sentient being in the time oscillation can choose to get out of the machine at one end or the other. So, turn the machine on at 6:00 AM. Wait until 6:00 PM. Get in the machine. Wait for twelve hours in the cramped little box. Get out, and you are now back at 6:00 AM.

Lost yet? Most people are.

But, if you can accept this premise, what unfolds is a fantastic exploration of some of the ethical and moral implications of time travel, as well as some of the incongruities and paradoxes that might ensue.

Primer was written, directed, produced, edited, casted, acted in, and had the music composed all by Shane Carruth. The total budget for the film was $7,000.00 (yes, seven thousand). As a fluff time travel entertainment piece, this movie falls quite flat on it's face. As a thought provoking, insightful film that is character and philosophically driven, Primer is more than worth the 77 minutes on screen. Of course, that 77 minutes (if you enjoy it at all) will rapidly turn into 154 minutes, and then 231. I myself am at 616 minutes and counting.

Exodio's Rating: 5 Stars


 

Star Wars - Seismic Charge

Jango Fett attempts to destroy Obi-Wan Kenobi's Starfighter over Geonosis using seismic charges.

Black Magic M-66

Black Magic is a manga turned anime, that started in 1983. The basic story is of two military androids that have gotten loose and are hunting down the creator's daughter. The action is followed by a reporter named Sybel, who ends as the girl's protector from the androids.

Warhammer

Ahsoka Tano

Wargames

Definition
Wargames, also known as War Games, span a wide variety of gaming systems. In some cases it can be difficult to determine if a particular game is really a Wargame, or if it is a RPG or a Board Game. The system here generally considers a Wargame to be a system that primarily consists of Miniatures, with the Rule Books and Statistics being focused mostly on group tactics and strategy as opposed to a single person. An RPG, by the same token, is a system that primarily consists of Rule Books and Statistics on paper, with Miniatures being a secondary consideration, if desired.

Board Games may have elements of both, but generally the distinguishing factor of Board Games is that the game comes out of a box ready to play, without having to Generate any characters or units on paper to start play.

RPGs

RPGs>

Types of RPGs
Fantasy
Science Fiction
CyberPunk

• Dungeons & Dragons
• Palladium
  
• Star Trek
  
• Star Wars
• World of Darkness

Defined
RPGs, also known as Role Playing Games, spans a wide variety of gaming systems. In some cases it can be difficult to determine if a particular game is really an RPG, or if it is a Wargame or a Board Game. The system here generally considers an RPG to be a system that primarily consists of Rule Books and Statistics on paper, with Miniatures being a secondary consideration, if desired. A Wargame, by the same token, will rely most heavily upon Miniatures, with the obligatory Rule Books and Statistics being focused mostly on group tactics and strategy as opposed to a single person, in RPGs.

Board Games may have elements of both, but generally the distinguishing factor of Board Games is that the game comes out of a box ready to play, without having to Generate any characters or units on paper to start play.