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The Fiefdom of Geek is a blog about anything that we think is interesting and geeky. Zeonprime is a science fiction, robotics, and superhero geek. Irene is a book geek first and foremost, followed closely by science fiction and film. We are married and live in Canada.

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Dark of my buttocks

June 30th 2011 03:05
I will post a follow-up to this entry this weekend, as I am currently making this one from my Android phone (it would be nice to have an app!).

I just returned home from watching Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon and I seriously need to get this out into the ether.

A stinking pile of cat turd is how I would describe it.

My review will be filled with spoilers as I rant and rage about this hopefully last installment in the Bayformers franchise.

Save yourself the 2hrs 40min (not counting the nearly half hour of commercials prior to the film) along with you cash and wait for it to come out on video, when you are prepared to drink yourself into a mind-numbing state before subjecting yourself to this film.
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BBC's Sherlock Holmes and John Watson: SEXY BEASTS

September 27th 2010 04:24
Warning: Somewhat superficial blog post ahead.

Ask anyone what makes a man sexy, and aside from any physical/aesthetic requirements, they'll probably say something like "intelligence" and "humour". Although I can appreciate a nice set of abs or whatever as much as the next girl, it's really the intangible stuff that makes a man hot. Like his super-sized brain or his ability to make me laugh.

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

This is why, aside from the fact that it is hilarious, fascinating, a little geeky, and totally addictive, Sherlock is my new favourite TV show. It satiates my need for a damn good British mystery series, but much to my surprise, it also features two appealingly sexy main characters. (I have never, ever thought Sherlock Holmes sexy. Not in books and not on TV--but Richard Roxburgh came close.)

So without further ado, let's look at Sherlock and John (BTW, it's 2010, and they go by first names now).

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes.

Benedict Cumberbatch is not a conventionally handsome guy, with his huge forehead, indeterminate eye colour (are they grey, blue, or both?), and somewhat delicate features. And then there's his fusty old name (though I love that he didn't change it). He's tall and lanky, and as Sherlock is often clad in a dashing black coat. The effect, combined with his pale skin and dark hair (dyed?), is rather otherworldly. Oh god, and his voice...drool.

Although this modern-day Sherlock's eccentricities can be endearing, there's no question that he is not always a pleasant man. Cumberbatch plays Sherlock with perhaps a little less overweening pride than in Conan Doyle's stories; instead, he's more ruthless and manipulative. It's easy to be awed by Sherlock's intellect and his insouciant tactlessness, so much that we might forget that he solves crimes out of self-interest, not altruism.

What makes this Sherlock sexy is that he's not bad enough to be a villain, but he's also certainly not good for you. Depending on who you ask, he may or may not be dangerous, and he may or may not care about you, but sooner or later, he'll probably hurt you.

Martin Freeman as John Watson.

Sherlock may be a snappy dresser, but John sadly falls at the other end of the scale. He favours crumpled shirts and lumpy sweaters, and often sports a dowdy jacket (with elbow patches, for god's sake!). And let's not forget that appalling black-and-white striped shirt in "The Blind Banker". (I don't care if it's pyjamas. There's no reason anyone should dress like the Hamburglar to sleep.)

Even with his air of a high school history teacher, John is eminently cuddle-able. Martin Freeman, with his careworn Everyman face, is perfect as John (in fact, I think he's a teeny bit better as John than Cumberbatch is as Sherlock). His deceptively unassuming manner conceals a thirst for drama and excitement (unlike Sherlock, who makes no bones about the 'fun' to be had in murders). He's psychologically damaged, though not in a scary way.

Sherlock and John meet at 221B Baker Street.

As a testament to his appeal to women, John's had a bit of romantic luck just within the three episodes of Sherlock. True to his characterisation in the stories, John's a bit of a skirt-chaser. In "A Study in Pink", he makes an unsuccessful pass at Mycroft's attractive assistant*, and then scores a date with a fellow doctor in "The Blind Banker". They are still together by the time of "The Great Game", but if John doesn't have a different girlfriend next season, I'll be a little disappointed.

No matter how engrossing the mysteries may be, Sherlock and John's rapport is the best part of the show. Cumberbatch and Freeman have such good chemistry that it's entirely believable that these two markedly different people can get along so quickly, notwithstanding their occasional spats. You can see how Sherlock needs someone with John's patience, while John provides a grown-up, emotional balance to Sherlock's somewhat petulant side.

Bonus sexy man: DI Lestrade is played by Rupert Graves, himself quite the dish as a Merchant Ivory darling in the 80s/90s.

On the right: Rupert Graves as Lestrade.

Note: If you haven't seen this series yet, do so at once! It's available online and on DVD in the UK and Australia. Here in North America, it's going to air on PBS in late October. I can't wait to watch it on a big(ger) screen.

*Mycroft's assistant: What's with this girl anyway? Why is she always texting? She seems to be in a daze most of the time. Why does Mycroft keep her when she's so inattentive?

I don't go for S/J slash, but if I did, this look would be a good place to start.
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Five things that bug me about Inception

August 13th 2010 05:00
Though I saw Inception on opening weekend and liked it enough, it's taken me this long to finally crack and blog about certain things that have persistently bugged me about this movie. (My 'serious' review is here.)

Look, ma! I'm filmmaking!

1. It's not as clever as it thinks it is. Or rather, viewers aren't as dumb as it thinks we are. Was it really necessary to define "inception" three times? I think that the first time Saito asks about planting an idea in a dream, and Cobb is all 'Oh no, you're talking about inception' is enough. We get it. We're not going to confuse it with the other meaning of inception. (But even if we did, wouldn't that be fitting too?)

The movie plays on certain themes--ooh, I think someone's been reading GEB! I can't forget all the esoteric knowledge behind the movie's themes because it's repeated many times. (No one accuses Chris Nolan of being subtle, I think.) That's really alienating for some people who prefer movies that don't show off. Funny thing is, I liked the use of Edith Piaf's song as the kick and thought it a cute inside joke, but then I found out that it was not intended as one (Marion Cotillard was cast after the song was written into the storyline).

2. The movie is too damn long. Next time, tighten the focus and cut out unnecessary parts. The Mombasa part was not necessary at all--Cobb could have met Saito and enlisted Eames's help another way, and then we wouldn't have had to sit through yet another conversation about "inception" (Inception, can it be done? Of course it can! Blah blah blah.) The military facility sequence was also too long, and caused the movie to drag when it should have been the most exciting part. It reminds me of the ferry sequence in The Dark Knight.

3. The 'opium den' dreamers. I was rather interested in the people who lost the ability to dream, under Yusef's lab, and wished they could have figured more in the story. These dreamers are hooked up together, reminding me of addicts in an opium den. They engage in shared dreams--but why? Is the need physiological, or psychological? Do they miss dreaming, or are they addicted to this type of dreaming? Are they mentally unstable without the benefit of dreams? I find this one of the more fascinating aspects of the movie. It needs to be a novella or something. (Aside: for some reason, the mise-en-scene of the scene reminded me of La jetee.)

4. Dream vs. reality. Okay, this point is not about the movie itself, but rather how some viewers fixate on the dream/reality dichotomy. Is it a dream or not? I don't think it's that important. The thing about Inception is that its ambiguity is overt and self-conscious. I'll bet that I'm not the only one who saw the ending from miles away.

And another thing--if the final shot was striving for ambiguity, why did the top start to wobble? It seems to me that 'logically' if it starts to lose momentum, it's going to eventually stop. Of course, the dream world may have crazy physics and thus the top might just keep wobbling forever and never stop, but wouldn't it have been simpler, and more ambiguous, to simply cut on the top spinning before it loses momentum?

5. Most of the people in Inception suck. The characters, that is, not the actors. I found only Fischer, Eames, and Saito remotely likeable. Worst of all is Ariadne. Supposedly she is Miles's best student--even better than Cobb was--yet she can't draw a maze more complex than the kinds you see in kiddie activity books? And then it takes her THREE tries to figure out to not draw a maze in the shape of a square? Goddamnit, I could be a dream architect. And also? Snooping into someone's dream without permission, especially when it's the person who hired you, is uncalled for and just plain rude.

It's unfortunate that I cared much more about Fischer than Cobb. Even though Cobb's back story is sufficient motivation for his taking on a risky job, his situation is ultimately of his own doing. When the big reveal showed he was indirectly responsible for Mal's death, I lost whatever sympathy I had for him. Why would he have done something so crazy (inception on Mal) anyway? It doesn't seem in keeping with their cool relationship--even in flashbacks, I couldn't picture Cobb and Mal as a couple; Leonardo DiCaprio and Cotillard have zero chemistry.

On the other hand, Fischer's story is something that most people can relate to--a parent/child relationship (the 'real' story) and deciding whether to follow a parent's footsteps or walk a different path (the incepted story). Fischer's an outsider who's often talked about and photographed, yet we don't get a true glimpse at his character until the deathbed scene. Cillian Murphy's quite good at playing introverted types, and when he opens the safe and has the man-cry, I lost it too. I hope he's cast in more Nolan movies (and in a role that doesn't require him to wear a bag over his head, for once!).
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Captain Jean-Luc Picard's finest moments

June 19th 2010 23:31
On June 2nd, 2010, Patrick Stewart was made a Knight Bachelor, Officer of the British Empire (OBE). To many people, that honour is both well-deserved and a long time coming. Now aged 69, Sir Patrick Stewart has five decades of film, TV, and stage work to his name.

Sir Patrick Stewart with insignia
Photo by Dominic Lipinsky/AP

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This is not your father's A-Team (it's much more stupid)

June 16th 2010 02:44
Zeon and Irene, who grew up in the 80s, review The A-Team (2010) together. (We actually collaborated primarily over e-mail.)

Caution: Mild spoiler alert
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I cannot stop playing Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2

August 14th 2009 05:18
I installed Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 (by publisher PopCap Games) a few days ago and have been playing it non-stop (that is, outside of time spent on important things like child-rearing and eating and sleeping--but just barely).

Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2
Meeting one of the bosses in Bookworm Adventures Vol. 2, the Jabberwock

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Deanna Troi, Enterprise-D's dress-up doll

July 17th 2009 16:35
Did you know that the original conception for Star Trek: The Next Generation's Counsellor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) was that she was "exotic" and had three breasts? (Science fiction alumna D. C. Fontana ixnayed that RIDICULOUS idea.) But it seems that the powers behind TNG nonetheless had enough to make Troi the token sex object--a scantily, or snugly, clad exotic alien babe.

Costumes on TNG are often signifiers for characters' personalities. Guinan is mystical and wise, so she wears flowing robes and huge strange hats. Wesley (pre-ensign) wears rainbow-striped shirts and two-toned pants that don't zip up all the way--because apparently that's how teenagers dress in the 24th century. Worf wears a Klingon sash. Picard sometimes wears a special jacket. If clothes make the person, what do Troi's clothes say about her


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"We want information! Information! INFORMATION!"

July 10th 2009 03:39
Short-lived television series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan, only ran for seventeen episodes before it went off the air. Now considered a cult classic, the series is a fast-paced and sometimes chilling mix of genres, including suspense, mystery, and science fiction.

The protagonist of the show quits his intelligence job and prepares for a holiday. But he's scarcely packed his bags when a mysterious man drives up to his flat and fills the place with a gas that renders the protagonist unconscious


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How I wish Revenge of the Fallen ended

July 9th 2009 03:07
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the movie.

transformers revenge fallen movie poster

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The Fallen vs. the Fallen

July 7th 2009 02:11
When the title for the current Transformers movie hit the nets many months ago it created quite a buzz for the new movie. “Revenge of the Fallen? Really?! Wow, this could be so cool if the producers were going to give us this character!” was the general tone of fan response.

fallen transformers
The Fallen in the comic adaptation of the movie

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