Hey there! Hi there! Ho there! It’s now March and I managed to tear myself away from Mass Effect 3 for a while to give you the latest releases for this. And boy, do we have a lot of good stuff! I’ll start first with the biggest:
Game of Thrones: Season 1- This show is pretty much the reason why I finally decided to break down and get HBO (well, that and Real Time With Bill Maher to a lesser degree). Everyone probably knows by now it’s based on George R.R. Martin’s acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire book series. I’d been hearing about how great it was for years, and with HBO making a series out of it, my interest was piqued enough to finally want to check it out. Ocelli and I missed out on the first season, but after getting HBO, we checked it out On Demand and watched all ten episodes straight over the course of two weeks. It was like crack, it was that addictive! Now that I have some free time, I can finally start reading the book series itself. So far it seems like this season covers the entirety of the first book (called A Game of Thrones. Duh.) and staying pretty faithful to it. So I’m guessing next season will cover the second book, A Clash of Kings.
My biggest concern - the elephant in the room hardly anyone is talking about - is that Martin has been notorious in taking a VERY long time in getting these books written. The first one came out in 1996 and the latest, A Dance With Dragons, only just came out last year. Currently there are five books, with there being a projected number of seven in all. He is well into the sixth book, to be called The Winds of Winter. Leaving only the last, which will be called A Dream of Spring. But my concern is, what will happen when the show eventually catches up to the books? And, more importantly, will he be able to finish this series before he dies? (Martin’s 62. He’s supposedly in good health, but so have been a lot of people around that age when they kicked the bucket).
But anyway, if you don’t get HBO, this is probably the best way to check out the series. And believe me, after this you’ll want to get HBO too. The season 2 premiere is April 1, so the clock’s ticking!
Immortals- Another epic tale of Greek mythology from the producers of 300, this one directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell and the upcoming Mirror, Mirror). This tells the tale of Theseus (Henry Cavill, who will be playing Superman in Zack Snyder’s The Man of Steel) as he tries to save civilization from King Hyperion, who is trying to obtain a magic bow with which he will release the Titans. I missed this in the theaters, but it got some positive reviews and it certainly looks very stylish. So I’d like to check this one out.
Monty Python & The Holy Grail- First time on Blu-Ray. No nerds’ movie collection is complete without it. Go and get it…along with a shrubbery. Or I shall say “Ni!” again! 
Little Shop of Horrors- Again, a first-time Blu-Ray release. I should emphasize however that this is the original Roger Corman version from the '60s and not the musical. Still, if all you’re familiar with is that version, it’s a good idea to see the original and make comparisons. Legendary B-movie actor Dick Miller plays Seymour in this version. And Jack Nicholson shows up in a cameo too, playing pretty much the same character that Bill Murray played in the musical.
Plan 9 From Outer Space- The legendary movie from Ed Wood, widely thought of as the worst movie ever made…at least until Manos: The Hands of Fate came along. Still, it’s a hoot to watch. See flying saucers suspended from visible strings! See Ed Wood’s wife’s chiropractor try to pass himself off as Bela Lugosi (who died during filming) by covering his face with his cape! See Tor Johnson and Horror movie hostess Vamipra as zombies! Marvel at Criswell’s predictions! Thrill at the stiff acting and wooden dialogue!
Tennessee Tuxedo: The Complete Collection- Another classic cartoon series out for the first time in its entirety. The show chronicled the misadventures of penguin Tennessee Tuxedo (voiced by Don Adams of both Get Smart and Inspector Gadget fame) and his dimwitted walrus companion Chumley. Yes, if you ever watched Pawn Stars, the Chumley on that show really was named after this character. And boy, does that monicker ever fit.
Anyway, the show was kind of noteworthy in that in the course of an episode, kids would get a little lesson in science. Whenever Tennessee and Chumley came up against a problem, they would often visit Mr. Whoopee (no, I’m not making that up) who would provide said science lesson courtesy of his “3D Blackboard.” It was probably the best education TV at that time, as kids were having so much fun following the episodes that they probably didn’t realize they were learning something!
Transformers: Prime, Season 1- There have been many Transformers shows over the years, but so far this seems to be the best one yet for me. I’ve really been enjoying this show since it came on…although the new Thundercats is still the best reboot of an '80s cartoon show I’ve seen. Still, there’s a lot to like about it, especially having Peter Cullen and Frank Welker back together again after all these years playing Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively. Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci, who wrote the movies, are the executive producers. And before you say anything, if you didn’t like the movies, you might want to reassess your opinion after watching this show, because you’ll probably find this more satisfying. Season 2 is already underway, so as with Game of Thrones, this might be a great way to play catch-up.
And that’s about it. See you next week!