RAZORS EDGE IS A FUN ROMP THROUGH THE CLASSIC STAR WARS UNIVERSE

I remember as a kid wanting to go beyond the Star Wars movies and read about the further adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia in books.  In the late 70s/early 80s though there wasn’t what is now referred to as “the Expanded Universe” of novels, cartoons, and so on.  I remember going to the library and book stores looking for Star Wars stories and having a hard time finding anything.  So that is why Alan Dean Foster’s  “Splinter of the Mind’sEye” is a classic for me that I still keep on my book shelf.  This 1978 novel follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in a time span shortly after the conclusion of events from the original Star Wars movie and was of the only early stories available about these heroes back then. It is rumored that this novel may also have been used as a backup script for a lower budget movie sequel if Empire Strikes Back’s blockbuster budget hadn’t been green lighted.  This was a fun romp of a story for a young grade school kid to enjoy that featured Darth Vader chasing after Luke & Leia who have been marooned on a dangerous swamp world.  As an adult, I enjoyed the story enough that I also went out and bought the Dark Horse comic book adaption of the story … which is also nice that it is illustrated similarly to the style of the StarWars comics by Marvel from the 70s and 80s.

Last month I read a new Star Wars book that reminded me a lot of “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” called STAR WARS: RAZOR'S EGE.  Nebula Award finalist Martha Wells makes her Star Wars debut for the franchise’s Empire & Rebellion novel series with an action-packed adventure featuring Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker – set just after the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.  The rebels are trying to build a new headquarters called Echo Base and Princess Leia is assigned to lead a secret mission to gather vital construction supplies through third party emissaries and smugglers, unfortunately pirates get in the way wanting the cargo for themselves.  Throw in to the mix that a spy has informed the Empire of this mission and Imperial spaceships are in pursuit while one of the pirate ships turns out to have a crew of survivors from Princess Leai’s destroyed home world of Alderaan who aren’t very happy with either the Rebels or Empire and you have a dynamic that will glue you to the pages of this book.  The author also provides a fresh approach to the story by focusing on Princess Leia as the main character with Luke, Han and Chewie in supporting cast roles.

I found Star Wars: RAZOR'S EDGE to be a fun and enjoyable read.  It reminded me of an era when Star Wars was brand new for both its characters and its fans.  If you enjoy “classic” Star Wars stories that have the vibe and energy of when this franchise was just coming alive in the late 70s you won’t want to miss out on reading this book.  Star Wars:RAZORS EDGE went on sale September 24, 2013 and you can find it at most online and brick-and-mortar book retailers. 

DISCLAIMER:  I was provided a complimentary digital pdf reviewers edition of this book to read by the publisher.  The opinions in this article are my own.

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BOOK REVIEW: KENOBI

Have you ever wondered what happened between Star Wars Episode III and Episode IV during the period in which the Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi lived on the far off planet of Tatooine keeping a watchful eye over " the new hope" as the crazy hermit Ben Kenobi?  Not much has been addressed over the years about that time period in the Star Wars mythos where this key character transitions in life from middle age warrior to elderly wizard. That is the focus though of a new novel by John Jackson Miller titled: STAR WARS: KENOBI.

In Miller's book, a few weeks have passed since Obi Wan battled Anakin on the lava planet of Mustafar.  Kenobi believes Anakin to be dead, not knowing of Darth Vader, and has taken Luke to live with Anakin's step-brother, Lars Owen, on the desert planet of Tatooine.  Obi Wan plans on laying low and keeping a quiet watchful protective eye over Luke but the locals don't make that as easy as that might seem as Kenobi is entangled in a series of adventures despite his best efforts to avoid them.

The story is an entertaining bed time or vacation read that doesn't take a lot of time to devote to finishing. I  read the whole book over the Labor Day weekend.  It takes an interesting angle by portraying the story with a Western theme, with a few gangsters thrown into the mix because you can't be on Tatooine without including Jabba the Hutt's gang.  The focus of the story is on the battle between the settlers of an oasis near where Kenobi sets up his hermit camp, and the Tusken Raiders (Sand People) who don't want humans encroaching on their territory.  The characters fit into the theme of cowboys from the American Western movies and the Native Americans they battled within that genre.  It was an interesting approach to tell a tale from this famous space opera as a Western and the author did an admirable job of replicating a Wild West theme on a distant planet from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.  Miller develops interesting characters on both sides of the conflict and Kenobi essentially becomes a secondary character until the last few chapters of the book.  You don't mind that Kenobi is essentially a second-tier character in a book with his title on the cover though because the author does a nice job of developing the primary characters and plots of the book to hook you in so you want to know their stories and outcomes. I believe that not having the book entirely focus on Kenobi was actually a nice approach for the novel to take and gives readers a look at the Star Wars Universe from a different perspective which gave the novel a refreshing viewpoint to fans who already know a lot about the central characters from the movies.  Yet the words in print still portrayed to the reader a feeling as if you were watching one of the Star Wars films.

For the most part I enjoyed reading KENOBI, but there were some things I found disappointing.  The biggest disappointment in the book was that a mystery so many die hard Star Wars fans have, how does Kenobi learn to vaporize himself during the Death Star duel with Darth Vader and subsequently communicate with Luke from the dead, isn't answered. Kenobi meditates throughout the book in lengthy passages trying to communicate with his dead Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jin, from Episode I, and the reader is waiting for an eventual response.  We never get one it essentially is Kenobi just rambling to himself throughout the book. He is caught doing this by the settlers and gets the name "Crazy Ben" for talking to himself.  We know from the movies and also this story that Kenobi doesn't have these skills at this point in his life that he has later on in the original trilogy movies. So the question remains unanswered.

Also I always pictured the Sand People as might warriors from the first time I was startled as a kid as they ambushed Luke Skywalker and made me jump out of my seat in surprise, they are portrayed that way in all the movies, but Miller takes the approach of presenting them as a dying race in a similar scenario as unfortunately the American Indians faced in our United States history.  While that is an accurate historical portrayal of how unfortunately things were for native Americans in the Wild West it really diminishes the image of Tusken Raiders for fans.  I can understand why the author did this to develop the story and character for the Sand People's leader but he could have had just that one tribe be down and out rather than the whole race of beings on the verge of extinction.

Additionally the whole story only involves the first few months of Kenobi being a "hermit" on Tatooine and his dealings with a select group of settlers and Tusken Raiders.  It would have been nice to have had a broader story detailing more about Kenobi's more than a decade watching over Luke Skywalker as the child grows up.  I guess though writing it this way open up more possibilities for sequel books for the author.  Plus you probably don't want to read a war and peace length novel on this topic so breaking this time period into short stories is most likely the best approach.  I have to say though I had such high hopes and looked really forward to reading this book and afterward it just seemed to be lacking.  The story was just a little too simplistic for me in the end.

That being said, I did enjoy reading the book overall.  It was a nice distraction from the stress of everyday life taking me away to a fantasy world for a few hours during my Labor Day weekend.  If you are looking for a book that you can just sit back and  just enjoy the adventure, I would recommend picking up STAR WARS: KENOBI.  This book will keep your attention and amuse you during a long plane ride or while sitting by a pool and when it comes to a paperback that is my primary objective for picking out a fantasy novel...will it take me away ... and KENOBI does complete that mission.

Check out this book profile from the publisher for more info about this new Star Wars story:

The Republic has fallen.
Sith Lords rule the galaxy.
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has lost everything . . . 
Everything but hope.
 
Tatooine—a harsh desert world where farmers toil in the heat of two suns while trying to protect themselves and their loved ones from the marauding Tusken Raiders. A backwater planet on the edge of civilized space. And an unlikely place to find a Jedi Master in hiding, or an orphaned infant boy on whose tiny shoulders rests the future of a galaxy.
 
Known to locals only as “Ben,” the bearded and robed offworlder is an enigmatic stranger who keeps to himself, shares nothing of his past, and goes to great pains to remain an outsider. But as tensions escalate between the farmers and a tribe of Sand People led by a ruthless war chief, Ben finds himself drawn into the fight, endangering the very mission that brought him to Tatooine.
 
Ben—Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars, traitor to the Empire, and protector of the galaxy’s last hope—can no more turn his back on evil than he can reject his Jedi training. And when blood is unjustly spilled, innocent lives threatened, and a ruthless opponent unmasked, Ben has no choice but to call on the wisdom of the Jedi—and the formidable power of the Force—in his never-ending fight for justice.

DISCLAIMER:  I received an advance reviewer digital pdf copy of Kenobi from the publisher.  The thoughts and opinions in this post are my own.

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Jeffrey Brown wonders what Middle School would be like as a Jedi in new book

Cartoonist Jeffrey Brown who recently brought us the books "Star Wars: Darth Vader & Son" and "Star Wars: Vader's Little Princess" has a new book set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away coming out in September 2013.  In Chronicle Books' Star Wars: Jedi Academy, after being turned down for a spot in the Pilot Academy's Middle School program tween aged student Roan Novachez is taken under the wing of Yoda who trains him in the ways of the Jedi instead.

While Brown's Darth Vader & Son and Vader's Little Princess are filled with colorfully illustrated humorous sketches similar in characteristic to Gary Larson's The Far Side work but with Star Wars themes, characters and references; Jedi Academy is a vastly different book from his previous two Star Wars ventures.

Jedi Academy in contrast to the artwork shown above from Darth Vader & Son and Vader's Little Princess is more comparable to the style of Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strips and books.that he created before coming up with the Simpsons. Jedi Academy is mostly in black and white and sketched out as if it was drawn as a journal personally by the main character Roan Novachez.  The artwork appears sketchy and amateurish but that is the creative goal of the author as he portrays the story as coming from the real journal of a middle school jedi ... somewhat like Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Star Wars.  There are pages of "hand written" journal entries and copies of school documents (admission letter, report cards) to go along with Novachez's sketches and cartoons.  There are also some "photographs" that were either mailed to Novachez or that he took during his adventures and added to his journal and look more like the work in Brown's previous two Star Wars books and show how the author is intentionally providing drawings in this story meant to provide perspective from a tween's view.  A nice touch to the book was the ending which encourages young readers to create their own journals and provides them with tips to what to include in one.

Jedi Academy would be a great book for kids age 8 - 11 to enjoy.  This book is geared more for children  and I personally really didn't find the book that interesting or enjoyable of a read from an adult perspective.  Fans of Brown's previous Darth Vader books need to know this book takes a very different approach to its artwork and layout than those other two books, which I personally really enjoyed reading both with my kids and by myself.  The cover artwork for Jedi Academy appears similar to the artwork in Brown's Darth Vader books so it is important for people to understand that this is not a sequel book to that series but rather a stand alone book that is completely different. That being said I believe this is a cute fun romp of a story with some nice life lessons for younger readers and any book that encourages an appreciation of reading with kids is a plus for this geeky daddy.  Keep an eye out for Jedi Academy for that young padawan  in your life.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital advance pdf copy of "Jedi Academy" from the publisher. The opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive compensation for this review.

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The Filibuster of all Filibusters: Patton Oswalt's Appearance on "Parks & Recreations"

I'll always think of actor/comedian Patton Oswalt as the character "Spence" from one of my favorite tv shows King of Queens.  He's had a lot of fan fare this year for another role though, his portrayal of "Angry Citizen" in an episode of NBC's Parks and Recreation.  In this appearance, to try and stop a vote by the Pawnee City Council he does a citizen filibuster.  The show's producer's told Oswalt to just wing it for what he said during the filibuster scene so he did an off the cuff one take oratory on his thoughts of what the new upcoming Star Wars Episode 7 should be about .. the scene's funny but also pretty impressive in that he just talked about what popped into his head and kept it going for the entire take with detailed information about the Star Wars and Marvel universes as he carefully packages them together as commonly owned Disney studios properties too.  Check out Oswalt's Filibuster from Parks & Recreation:

This scene has taken on new life now, as The Nerdist reports that fans of the Parks & Recreation clip are creating animated versions of Oswalt's movie vision.  Check out these fan animations of "The Filibuster" ...which one is your favorite?

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It's Official - Angry Birds Star Wars 2 Game Launching on September 19, 2013!

Rovio, the publisher of Angry Birds games announced today that it is launching a brand new Star Wars featured one on September 19, 2013.  Angry Birds: Star Wars 2 will have a prequel trilogy theme with over 30 characters from Episodes I - III of the movies to choose from while playing the game.  This time around though, you don't necessarily have to be the good guys as you can choose sides ... you can join the "Pork Side" in this game!  There will be lots of new characters, powers and locations to crash in this sequel (or is it a prequel?) game to the popularly successful Angry Birds: Star Wars which has garnered more than 100 million downloads since in launched last year.

Also taking a cue from the successful Skylanders games by Activision this new Angry Bird game will also feature in partnership with Hasbro introducing a new element called Telepods.  Hasbro will create a line of 30 Star Wars Telepod toy figures that you can scan into the game through your phone or tablet camera so that you can select which characters to use based upon the figurines you have purchased.  My kids aren't into Skylanders but from talking to the parents of some of their friends these are a very popular mix of video games with toys with many children. Skylanders are toy action figures that you purchase and than can scan them into action adventure video games as characters in the game play. They give collectors some control over which characters they incorporate into their games. This element seems very interesting but a side of me also goes oh no cha ching more dough my kids are going to want to spend from my wallet.  Of course, I have to admit if the figures and game are cool enough it might be their geek dad pushing the purchase of a Telepod collection.

Check out this video for more information or visit the Rovio blog:

For those of us playing the current Angry Birds: Star Wars game, Rovio also announced that it will soon be coming out with  RETURN OF THE JEDI updates containing locations and characters from that movie for the existing app.  I foresee Jabba and Ewoks piggies & birdies crashing into the original game in the next few weeks.  Earlier this year Rovio expanded on the game by adding characters from Empire Strikes Back to those already in the game from A New Hope. Obviously a Return of the Jedi update had to be in the works at some point too going with the original trilogy theme of this game.

If you haven't played Angry Birds: Star Wars yet than you might want to download it now as it FREE  for a limited time for Iphone/Ipad & Android users.  I've posted the links in this previous article: http://ageekdaddy.blogspot.com/2013/07/new-angry-birds-star-wars-game-sequel.html

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New Angry Birds STAR WARS game sequel (or is it a prequel?) is on its way!

I have to admit I was a skeptic when game developer ROVIO launched ANGRY BIRDS: STAR WARS that it was just a cheesy marketing gimmick to entice a new group of people to check out their product.  Despite that hesitancy, I paid .99 cents to download the game for my iPhone to check it out.  Wow was my initial view of the game wrong!  Rovio did an extraordinary job of creating a fun and challenging game that incorporated Star Wars locations and characters into the Angry Birds universe in a way that is humorous but not downgrading.  I find myself playing Angry Birds:Star Wars a lot when I have downtime and just want to sit back and relax for a moment.  What is nice about the game too is that I have no qualms about letting my young children play it - family friendly games are always a plus in our household.

Based on the success of ANGRY BIRDS: STAR WARS, Rovio will soon be launching a sequel (or will it be a prequel?) Star Wars game.  They posted this teaser on their blog on Saturday, July 13 and will be making an official announcement on Monday, July 15:

Based upon a movie poster from Star Wars Episode 1, you can only assume that the new game will be focused on the first 3 (or are they the last 3?) Star Wars movies.  Rovio in it's blog post states:

BIG news coming on Monday!

12.07.2013

Attention, Angry Birds fans! Stay tuned on Monday, July 15th, for big news about a brand new game! We’re talking the biggest character line-up ever, awesome new powers, and maybe even a few surprises! Intrigued? Stay tuned for more news on #July15!

Here's the original Star Wars poster that Rovio spoofed:

The original Angry Birds: Star Wars game has done a great job of introducing updates with extra locations and characters but have been all from A New Hope and the Empire Strikes Back so far.  They do need to add some Return of the Jedi to the game though.  So while they have incorporated elements from these films they don't have the characters and locals from the "prequel" movies.  I thought they may do this as updates to the current game but instead it appears there will now be a brand new game.  We'll know more on #July15!

If you haven't played Angry Birds: Star Wars the game is now FREE for a limited time for Android and IOS users. Enjoy!!!

CLICK HERE for the iPad version.

CLICK HERE for the iPhone version.

CLICK HERE for the Android versions.

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the Winner of the Star Wars Force for Fun Contest is …

A few days ago, I posted the youtube links for finalists in Pringle’s FORCE  FOR FUN Star Wars video contest who were competing for a $25,000 grand prize.  Over the weekend a winner was chosen! And the winner is …  JIM vs VADER!!!  Keep an eye out on TV because Pringle’s is going to be using this video as an upcoming commercial.

Check out this behind the scenes look of the filming of the JIM vs VADER commercial:

To watch the contest videos for JIM vs VADER and all the other finalists visit: http://ageekdaddy.blogspot.com/2013/06/who-is-chosen-one-pringles-force-for.html

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Who is the Chosen One? Pringles "Force for Fun" Contest

Pringles teamed up with Star Wars earlier this year to promote a fun contest where aspiring film makers could submit a video that provides a tie-in between the popular snack chip and the movie franchise.  The winner of The Force for Fun Contest receives a $25,000 prize and their video will be featured as a television advertisement or Pringles.  Entries were due in February and Pringles recently released the top 7 selections by their judges from the numerous entries they received. Check these out:

Wookie Mistake 

Sounds Like A Party 

Darth Visits 

The Delectable Weapon

 Don’t Hold Your Breath

Jim vs Vader

 Roommate 

Which one do you like best? Who do you think will be the Chosen One? Pringles has announced it will name the winner at the end of June so we’ll have an answer soon. Good luck to all the finalists and kudos to Pringles for hosting such a great promotion!

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No Stereotypical Princess Role for Leia in New Star Wars Comic Series

Dark Horse Comics added a new series to its lineup of Star Wars comics in January that focuses on the adventures taking place in the franchise timeline between the original 1977 movie and its sequel the Empire Strikes Back. Simply titled STAR WARS this comic is in a world void of the annoying droid army characters and Jar Jar Binks of the prequel movies and the Yuuzhan Vong intergalactic invasion context and Solo/Skywalker children focus I never have really cared for that many of the novels and comics of the post Return of the Jedi stories have journeyed down.  This new comic storyline is the space opera fantasy that replicates the feel of the brand I grew up with as a kid where my friends and I pretended the elementary school jungle gym was the Millenium  Falcon during recess, brought tin Star Wars lunchboxes to school, and recreated the Death Star scenes with Kenner action figures in the back yard after school.  While there is a more contemporary modern day feel to this new comic book in the artwork and scripting it also has an incredible old school vibe to the characters and situations illustrated within it.

I just picked up issue #4 this week at my neighborhood comic shop  and have to admit that picking up these books has quickly become a regular indulgence for me spiriting me away from some of the stresses of life for a few minutes each month to a place that may be a long time ago in a galaxy far far away but yet is very familiar. I don't normally purchase and read any serial comic on a monthly basis, but I've come to look forward to the arrival each month of a new Star Wars story to read.  I also really appreciate the fact that these stories are written with mature enough content that they are interesting to this 40 year old geek daddy but don't have any content that I'd be worried about my kids seeing if they flip open the comic.

Brian Wood, the author and creative director for the series, portrays Luke Skywalker as a 19 year old who has a lot of potential due to his inherited abilities to use the "Force" but still is immature, a little reckless, thinks of himself as a hotshot pilot, and can be a little hot headed.  Han Solo is a rogue smuggler who shoots first and asks questions later that is sticking along with the rebellion as long as it suits his best interests.  Than we have Princess Leia.  This comic has made me take a double take on my impression of the character.  Like many guys my age I've associated the character with the Jabba slave girl outfit seeing her as a princess needing to be saved from the Death Star, Cloud City, or that slimy gangster leader on Tatooine. In this comic series, Princess Leia isn't participating in diplomatic missions or administrative duties for the Rebel Alliance rather she is a combat pilot for an X-Wing squadron on an important and dangerous mission. I found myself wondering why the change from princess in need of rescue to someone taking the fight to the Empire while reading these first few issues of the new Star Wars comic.

So I went right to the source and chatted with Brian Wood about the new comic.  I have to say that I was really impressed by his answers and it made me take a look back at my past conceptions of the Princess Leia and reconsider my impression of the character.

I asked Brian what his emphasis was or idea behind having Leia being such a "warrior" figure in his new Star Wars comic series?  He answered:  "Isn't she one in the films? One of the first things we see her do is smoke a storm trooper." Brian continued, "she resists torture, takes over her own rescue, shoots troopers, helps fly the Falcon, and that's just the first film!"  

He is so right! Unfortunately, I guess maybe the gender stereotypes I grew up with clouded that impression somewhat.  After Brian Woods made that comment to me though and I thought about it a light bulb went off in my head and I agreed that his approach to the character really was right on.  As a dad who wants his daughter not to be hindered by stereotypes so that she can accomplish any personal or career goal she sets I was embarrassed by my attitude towards Princess Leia.  Thank you Brian for the refreshing approach you've taken in developing this character in this comic and not letting stereotypes influence your story telling. 

On another topic. A big annoyance I've had with George Lucas beyond the whole Jar Jar Binks fiasco was the whole controversy with the "who shot first" cantina scene between Han Solo and Greedo in the original movie.  In the theater release Han Solo shoots first, than in the DVD versions it is changed to first they shoot at the same time to finally Greedo shoots first.  In STAR WARS #3, Han Solo shoots an Imperial spy in the back. I asked Brian if that was his input into the "who shot first" controversy regarding the film.  Brian response was that he wasn't consciously answering that question but rather "just wanted to show that Han  is smart and savvy and can smell a rat." He than added "I'm fine with people seeing a subtext though". I think its fair to say that Brian Woods probably agrees with a lot of Star Wars fans like myself that Han Solo shot first!

Brian also mentioned that he is under contract for 20 issues of this new Star Wars series so looks like we have awhile to sit back and enjoy a fun ride.   If you haven't checked out out the new Star Wars series you can buy it at your local comic retailer or online at digital.darkhorse.com for $2.99 per issue.  Oh yeah and one more plus for these comics, the cover art is great and all drawn by the talented artist Alex Ross who is a legend in the industry!

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Zen Studios launches new Star Wars Video Pin Ball Game

 I lost a lot of laundry money in college throwing quarters into the Star Wars pinball machine on campus but it was well worth occassionally wearing some dirty clothes an extra week for the blast I had playing that game.  Zen Studios is launching a brand new video game this week that will give you unlimited play of a cool Star Wars themed pin ball table for under $3. Wow! I used to spend that much in an afternoon playing on the mechanical maching in the student lounge. This game should be even better than that older game providing you the fun of playing a mechanical machine combined with great special effects that can only be incorporated into a digital environment. 

Star Wars video pin ball will feature 3 themed tables: Empire Strikes Back, Clone Wars & Boba Fett. It appears you can buy them individually or as a combined package. Additional tables will be introduced later that can be purchased as add-ons at an additional cost. I'm really revved up to purchase this new  pin ball game myself after seeing this promo video for the Boba Fett table:

 

 

As you can see from the Boba Fett trailer, by reaching certain scores or hitting various patterns on the table you can trigger 3D special effects and video segments during the game.  You can tell that Zen Studios didn't just throw this game together to make some money using the Star Wars name from this trailer as it really appears some great production work went into this game.  The Empire Strikes Back pin ball table appears to even have more 3D sequences that include a Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader lightsaber duel and the AT-AT invasion of the rebel base on Hoth. 

 

 

 

I'm not a big fan of the 3 prequel movies and the Clone Wars tv show - those battle droids are just so annoying and we won't go into Jar Jar Binks but I have to admit from looking at the trailer for that pin ball table I'm pretty impressed by the artwork and special effects in that game.  It looks really fun to play which is what is nice about these video pin ball games is that they appear to be designed so that you don't have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy them but if you are a fan you'll probably love it!

 

 

Zen Studios' has posted the following about the release of Star Wars Pin Ball on their website:

 

It will be available on Tuesday February 26 on the PlayStation Network for download to PlayStation 3 & Playstation Vita for $9.99 for a package with all three tables.

 

It will be available on Wednesday February 27 to download on XboxLive for the Xbox360 through the Pinball FX2 game for 800 MSPs.

 

You can download the tables individually through the IOS-based Zen Pinball game for your iPad, iPhone or iTouch for $1.99 per table as of February 27.

 

You can download the tables individually for Mac App store through Zen Pinball 2 game for your  for $2.99 per table as of February 27.

 

Will be available on February 27 for $1.99 per table through Zen Pinball HD Google Play.

 

It also appears that you can purchase the Star Wars tables as a stand alone pinball game called Star Wars Pinball  on Apple App Store and through Google Play from the Zen Studios posted information. 

 

Check out www.starwarspinball.com for more information about the game, its pricing and to see some neat screen shot previews.

 















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Spring Cleaning Time

My home office is starting to get a little cluttered and dingy so this year I'm going to get a jump start on Spring cleaning beginning this weekend.  The walls are going to get a new paint job, files I don't need are being archived and all the "stuff" that has accumulated around the room over the last year is going to be cleaned up. Oh yeah ... and maybe it is time for a new desk?!

Become a follower of "A Geek Daddy" blog and leave a comment below on whether you think I should pick:

OPTION A:  The bright and sleek star fighter that will help me TIE all my tech together:

OPTION B: The cool dark piece of furniture that portrays an elegant desk for a civilized time

Let me know in the comment section below which is your favorite desk & why?

Please note though that my wife has final veto power on any furniture decisions so it may end up looking more like this guy's home office I saw on www.epidemicfun.com:

I'll post the vote winner on my twitter account @Geeky_Dad next week so give the blog a follow now and vote for your favorite Star Wars desk in this post's comment section.

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There really are hidden messages in movies!

If you look closely into the scenes of your favorite movies you can see mysterious and spooky clues about events that will take place in the future.  Really … try it out by looking past the main characters and action sequences deep into the scenes and all will be revealed to you! 

Recently DISNEY purchased the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas which was a move that caught many people off guard, but look closely in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and you can see Mickey Mouse everywhere. Was this a clue to the future?

Now just this last week,  J.J. Abrams (the director of the rebooted STAR TREK franchise) was given the helm by DISNEY for also leading the creation of a brand new STAR WARS movie.  Is this brand new news or was it pre-ordained in 2009 when Abrams included a reference to Star Wars in his Star Trek movie? Check this out:

YES, that is R2-D2, one of Star Wars’ most popular characters flying through the debris as the crew of the Enterprise looks on!

Wow! Are these mysterious messages that give us a glimpse into the future?!  No, not really. Actually in many movies there are images hidden within the scenes as inside jokes by the Director.  These images have come to become known as “easter eggs” and often are meant as hidden salutes to other movies.  It’s just ironic that George Lucas included a salute to one of his mentors Walt Disney in the Empire Strikes Back and J.J. Abrams gave a poke to George Lucas in Star Trek.

Sometimes though easter eggs are meant to give a glimpse of the future. Pixar is an example of a studio that has become amazingly astute with inserting easter eggs into its movies to give a sneak peak of things to come.

Monsters, Inc.  in 2001 gave us a glimpse of Nemo whose movie came out in 2003:

In Finding Nemo  (2003) we are given a preview of Mr. Incredible from the movie The Incredibles that was released in 2004:

Movie goers were given a peak at Doc Hudson from CARS (2006) during The Incredibles (2004):

Is that Dug the Dog from UP! (2009) in Ratatouille (2007)?

And the bear villain from Toy Story 3 (2010) makes an appearance inUP (2009)!

And look there’s a poster of Finn McMissile on Andy’s Wall in Toy Story 3 giving a sneak peek at CARS2!

In BRAVE we see a wood carving of Sully … is that the easter egg for “Monsters University”?  The Monsters Inc. sequel “Monsters University” hits theaters on June 21, 2013! 

Here are a couple of other examples of easter eggs in films I’ve seen:

In Raiders of the Lost Ark you can see Star Wars characters R2-D2 & C3PO in the hieroglyphics in this scene:

Did you also notice Indiana Jones escapes from the CLUB OBI WAN in The Temple of Doom?

George Lucas repaid the Indiana Jones references with a nod to Steven Spielberg in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.  Look it’s E.T. in the galactic senate!

In this scene from Kevin Smith’s Mall Rats Jeremy London’s character TS Quint picks up a hat that has “Clerks” printed on it in reference to Smith’s first film, Clerks. 

In the movie TRON, is that Pac-Man I see in the scene?

What easter eggs have you found in movies? Become a member of my "a geek daddy" blog and share with us in the comment section below what your favorites are: 

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