Bring It Back: The Green Hornet

Yes, I know, I know. A movie was made about the adventures of The Green Hornet and his trusty partner, Kato back in 2011. Now as a fan of the character, I did not hate the movie. I took it for what it was. A different interpretation of the hero. Not the Green Hornet movie I would have done, but it's Seth Rogen. What did you expect?

They had the right idea with doing an origin movie. One that establishes the character because, let's face it, unless your a hardcore comic guy or a fan of the original series, like I was, chances are you didn't know much, if anything about The Hornet. The comedy should have been kept minimal and a serious movie should have been made instead with someone other than Seth Rogen playing the role. So, you can see why I would want a total reboot of the character done, like yesterday.

So, what should I think be done with it? How about return it to television, for starters. I think an updated version would would very well for T.V. I would keep the show separate from the film and start all over again. Retell the origin story and spend the 1st season learning to be the Green Hornet. Kind of like a Batman Year One story. Let him make mistakes, get caught, beat up. Heck, I wouldn't even have Kato join up with Britt Reid or show the Black Beauty right away. Let all that happen over the course of a few episodes. I'd make this show a Smallville or Arrow type show.

Now, who would play the characters? To be quite honest, there is one actor I would have in mind for the Green Hornet.

I think Wes Bentley, who has done American Beauty and The Hunger Games, would be perfect to play Britt Reid as he starts his career as the Green Hornet. I can actually see Bentley wearing the mask and fedora. I doubt he would do it, but I think he would be great in this role.

When I did my research of actors who could possibly play Kato, one name kept coming up as one of the top young Japanese actors, Kenichi Matsuyama. I read he has won the Japanese version of an Oscar for his roles in Detroit Metal City and Death Note. As a serious actor, I doubt he would come to the states to do television, let alone play Kato. Plus, who knows if he can do martial arts. He looks the part, but if he turned the role down, I would probably go with an unknown.

As a fan of the 1966 T.V. Series starring Van Johnson and Bruce Lee, I would love to use an updated version of the Al Hirt theme. Black Beauty also be a big part of the show when it makes it's first appearance. Perhaps use a crude version of the car and have Reid and Kato build up the car until we see a finished Beauty at some point.

I think a Green Hornet show on say, The CW Network, has the potential to be a big hit, if done right. I realize that the Green Hornet hasn't really been a viable money maker in years. But, the comic books still sell well for Dynamite Entertainment and the movie grossed over 200 million. So, I think the time is right for the Green Hornet to make his long awaited return to TV.

And with that, we cue the music

See what the other members of The League Of Extraordinary Bloggers want to see back:

http://coolandcollected.com/its-time-to-bring-back-buck-rogers/

http://www.randomnerdness.blogspot.com/2013/06/this-weeks-league-assignment-bring-it.html

http://blog.paxholley.net/2013/06/07/rebooting-the-six-million-dollar-man-to-make-it-better-stronger-faster/

Make Mine Sexy!

Happy 4th Birthday To The House Of Swag...Well, Belated.

Mmmmmmmm, Chocolate...

On Tuesday, I decided to look up the states for both the House of Swag and The Sports Room. I'm not an egomaniac or anything. I just like to see if anyone is reading the blogs and if so, how many people are reading them at any given time. I'm very pleased with the amount of followers and readers The House Of Swag has. The Sports Room needs some love, so I need to think of ways to drum up readership who want to read about my sports collections (Do you? Head over to www.thesexygeekssportsroom/blogspot.com). Before I closed out the stats page, I decided to take a look at the very first blog I posted on The House Of Swag. When I read it, I got a bit of a surprise.

The House Of Swag had turned 4 years old this past Monday.

I was totally oblivious to the fact that my blog had turned the big 4. In blog years, that's a pretty big deal. I have seen good bloggers call it quits for one reason or another, but not I. I either love what I do or maybe I am an egomaniac. Either way, I was quite pleased to see that after 4 years, I still have a blog that has followers and has some great readers who keep it going.

One of the great things about this blog is the friends I have made who not only have their own blogs or run websites that take the time to regularly read my blog. To those, I say thank you so much for the kid words you have left me over the years. You guys have been so good to me, I can't thank you enough for the support.

I would like to give a special thanks to the following:

One of my closest friends, Jose Betencourt, who runs Talking About Games site, for the invaluable words of encouragement and support. Thanks so much. Check out his awesome site here:http://talkingaboutgames.com/

Brian Adams (no, not the 1980's Canadian singer), who runs and writes Cool And Collected. I want to thank you for all the words of advice you have offered.You have always made time to answer my emails and questions on how I can make The House Of Swag better as well as allowing me to be a member of The League Of Extraordinary Bloggers. Thanks for all that you do for all of us geeks and for me personally. Drool over his Batman, King King and Spacemen collections here: http://coolandcollected.com/

A big thanks to my buddy John over at The Batcave Toy Room. John is my geeky brother from another mother. We both, as well as Brian, collect the same things and John always has great Batman and Star Wars toys that I drool over when he posts them up on his blog. John, I want to thank you for the friendship you have given me as well as some awesome advice. You always have been great and it's much appreciated. Check out the batcave here: http://www.batcavetoyroom.com/

Also a huge thank you goes out to my buddy, Josh, better known as Dodger Bobble. He was one of my very first readers when the House Of Swag was a sports only blog. Josh has been a great friend to me and we always chat baseball, autographs and bobbleheads. I recently got to hang out with Josh when I was out n L.A. at the Dodgers game and he was a terrific host. Thanks for the friendship Josh. Your a great man. Read about his bobbleheads and autographs here: http://www.dodgerbobble.com/

Some of the others who have been a part of the blog just by reading and leaving comments are Hobgoblin, jboypacman, William West and San Jose Fuji. Thanks for the support guys. Check out their blogs here:

http://revengefromthecosmicark.blogspot.com/

http://monstercafesaltillo.blogspot.com/

http://www.williambrucewest.com/

http://sanjosefuji.blogspot.com/

Also, a big thanks to my three team collector buddies, Chris Donati, Chris Goodell and Mark Scaramuzzi for always reading and supporting the site. Thanks so much guys.

If I forgot to mention you, drop me a line and I will correct that post haste.

Finally, I have 2 more people to thank that are a huge part of my personal life.

First, to my buddy, George. He is the geeky Ying to my Yang, He is the one who introduced me to conventions and flea markets. Proved that you can rock a Barnabas Collins t shirt and still be super cool. Knows more about pop culture than I will probably ever know in 10 lifetimes. I thank you for all the encouragement and support you have shown this blog and to me personally over the 23 years we have been buds. Thanks for being the original Sexy Geek.

And I want to thank my Gina. Your encouraging words mean so much to me, especially when I begin to doubt my abilities. You always make sure you are the first one to read the blog and I absolutely appreciate the critique you give me afterward. Just knowing that you appreciate the geeky side of me and encourage me to express it means more than I can ever express in words. Every Sexy Geek needs a Hot Lady by his side and I am thankful that I have you. I love you for letting me be me.

These 4 years writing The House Of Swag has gone by pretty quick. I like to believe that this blog has gotten better over the years and I would love for it to continue to grow. I do have ideas on what I would like to do with it and hope that maybe some of them may actually come to light.

Stick around. The next 4 years should be just as cool as the last 4 were. I promise you, I will continue to be be sexy and geeky like I have been. Now, where's my damned cake? What do you mean there is no milk??

Yet Another Addition To My Luke Skywalker Collection

Man, I cannot wait until I have the room to put up shelves. I will have a Luke Skywalker shelf and I already have some nice things to display. In about a years time, I have been able to pick up some cool Skywalker items. From vintage toys to more contemporary toys. Books, a vintage shampoo bottle, even a Valentine's Day cardboard Star Wars heart will be added to the shelf. Today, my newest piece arrived and it's been one I have been wanting for a long time.

I was finally able to pick up the Unleashed Luke Skywalker Return Of The Jedi figure that I have been eyeballing ever since I had decided to start a Skywalker collection. When I first say this figure in Kay Bee Toys I wasn't collecting Luke or toys in general, thus I never picked it up. Now, thanks to the magic of eBay, I now have this figure in my collection.

Let's take a closer look at this figure:

This figure depicts the final lightsaber dual between Luke and Darth Vader on the second Death Star while Emperor Palpatine sat and watched. The figure, I'm guessing, is showing Luke in "rage" mode as he slashed wildly after Vader mentioned turning Leia to the dark side if Luke wouldn't. It's the closest we see Luke losing it and coming close to joining the dark side by losing his cool.

From behind, you can still see how nice this figure is. I love the waves of green that surround this figure, representing the lightsaber being swung wildly, hair whipped back like a bad Willow Smith song.

The face sculpt is actually not too bad. It's not a dead on likeness of Mark Hamill, but it's close enough to where you can go say eh, I can see it. Luke looks really pissed off here, It's not like the generic painted on faces that Kenner made on their figures. You can see the rage in Luke's face as as swung his lightsaber (which, BTW, is the coolest lightsaber in the Star Wars Universe. Don't give me Darth Maul's dual bladed saber. I'll take Luke's Jedi saber any day).

When I get my shelf up, I will put this figure up right next to the other Unleashed Luke figure I got off eBay in   March. But I don't plan to stop there. There are still a few Luke pieces that I would like to add to my collection. I have been wanting to add a vintage X-Wing Fighter, vintage Land Speeder, a vintage coloring book I saw on eBay from Return Of The Jedi with Luke on  the cover and some of the vintage Kenner figures I am missing. Some of the more contemporary items I want to buy is a green light saber I have seen in Toys R Us, some of the Gentle Giant statues and some of the larger figures from Gentle Giant, Kenner, Hot Toys and Kotobukiya. Maybe I'll do a Luke Skywalker wish list blog post one day. That way, I can have a visual list of what I want and go and get what I need.

For now though, I am content to just enjoy the stuff I have in my Skywalker collection. One day soon, I will be able to display everything, Anyone who comes to see the collection will know that the Force is strong with this one.

What I Have Been Reading-World War Hulk

Once I finished Superman Secret Origins, I wanted to knock off another graphic novel I had on my reading list. Especially since I seen Planet Hulk. I say seen because I cheated and instead of reading it I decided to watch the movie on Netflix. Yeah, I know, Lazy. Now, I would knock off World War Hulk off my list and read it.

Like with Superman Secret Origins, I had planned to take the book with me and read on the plane ride to and from Los Angeles. Unlike Superman Secret Origins, however, I was unable to bring the book with me. Jim Haley's Universe didn't have it initally, but would get it for me the day before I was to leave for the west coast. Unfortunately, I didn't get the call from them that it was in the store until about 7 PM. By then, I was getting ready to take a nap since I had to be up and on the subway by 3 AM.

So, I didn't get to read it until I returned and after I had read the Superman book. That was fine. I had enjoyed Superman, now I was hoping that this book would be just as good as Superman was. Like Superman, I wasn't a fan of the Hulk in the comics as I found the stories a bit boring. This book, however, was anything but boring.

This book answers that age old question: What happens when you really piss off the Hulk? Well, Greg Pak with the incredible John Romita Jr. penciling, tell the story of a really angry Hulk who returns to earth to gain revenge on the people who banished him to the alien planet of Sakaar in Planet Hulk. His revenge is not just because he was sent away. He thinks that the responsible parties, Iron Man, Reed Richards, Black Bolt and Dr. Strange known as the Illuminati, also had a hand in the death of his wife and unborn child when the ship that transported him there explodes.

Before he gets to Earth, he makes a little visit to see Black Bolt.

Not even Mr. McGee could make him this angry.

 Once Hulk makes it to Earth, his intentions was to take out the Illuminati and anyone else who gets in the way. Hulk knows that he would have to face other heroes, so he doesn't come back alone.

 He brings along his Warbound gladiators back with him for back up. The thing is, as angry as the Hulk is, he really didn't need them. Along the way he would battle the Avengers, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Doc Samson, Gen. Ross and the US Army as well as a Zom merged Doctor Strange. Not to mention the epic confrontation with The Sentry.  He even transforms Madison Square Garden into a gladiatorial arena. Haven't seen that much fighting there since the beginning of last years Devils/Rangers game.

I don't want to give too much away here. If I have already, I apologize. No Spoilers here.

Bottom line, Pak writes a hell of a Hulk story and John Romita Jr. is John Romita Jr. The story is great as it gives The Hulk a reason for the rage. The action is incredible (no pun intended) and intense. The ending is a bit of a shock, but it's the icing on a rage filled green cake. If your a fan of the Hulk and you have not read this yet, I think you need to. If your looking for a good Hulk story, but not so much a fan of the character, this book along with Planet Hulk might convert you into a fan.

No, I want to read another good Hulk Story. Any suggestions?

Why?

This week's topic form League members to blog is another one word topic. Why? Now, when I saw the topic, I initially was going to pass on writing a blog on it, but then I thought about it and realized I can go several different ways with it. I ultimately decided to make this blog a rather personal.

The question I am hit with from a lot of people is why, at 42 years, do you still collect toys and read comics. Now usually when I am asked this question, the words have a ring to it. Like the person asking is shocked and appalled that a grown man would still rather read a Spider-Man comic than the latest best seller on the New York Times Best Seller's List. I usually just keep it simple and say "because I want to". Now, since this Why has become this weeks topic, I had a chance to sit down and think about why I collect.

Honestly, there are really 3 main reasons why. The first one being that I really didn't have a lot of toys growing up. My mom got me Star Wars, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and other goodies, but since I was at a special school growing up, I wasn't home until the weekends and when I was home, it was usually baseball, baseball, baseball. I would watch the Yankee games as well as the Mets and the NBC Game Of The Week so my time with my toys was limited. I did play with what I had and I did watch all the Saturday morning cartoons. Since my mom worked long hours as a home attendant, money was tight and when birthdays or Christmas rolled around and I would ask for a new glove or the Star Wars Death Star Play set, she would go for the equipment every time. Her reasoning was I could get more mileage out of the equipment and she was right as I was using bats I had gotten when I was ten as a teenager. Plus, it got me out of the house. What sucked for me was my cousin got all the Star Wars play sets and figures, Mego dolls, Shogun Warriors and other toys I wanted and would be a bit of a jerk when it came time to share. I don't blame my mother for this. Maybe had I just chosen toys over baseball and, later, football, I would have gotten everything my cousin got and more. My mom was and still is an awesome mother and did the best she could which is more than anyone could ask.

I still haven't gotten this and I still want it!

That brings me to the second reason why I collect which is my fulfilling some childhood dreams and re-buying stuff I had as a child. Now, I'm sure that the amateur shrinks out there will say I have some psychological issues because after 36 years I still cannot let go of the fact that I never had the Star Wars Death Star Play Set or an X-Wing Fighter or a Land Speeder, or AT-AT and maybe I do. But when I pick up a piece, like the Spider-Man bank I used to own or the Batman hand puppet I have been wanting forever, it makes me feel very good. Almost like I accomplished something I have always wanted to. I realize there are a lot more important things in life to accomplish, but as long as I pay my bills and continue to be the best person I can be, I see nothing wrong with collecting toys as long as it makes me feel good.

Which brings me to my last reason. Collecting makes me feel good. When I see a package with my name on it at the post office or see a vintage toy at a toy show or flea market my heart races. To me, there is no bigger joy than to see a toy you have wanted on your toy shelf, proudly displayed in your collection. The thrill of the chase has a lot to do with it as well. I love surfing eBay, going to cons and flea markets and just hunting for something that is going to make me open my wallet and bring something home with me. I wish I could express just how I feel when I land an item that I have been wanting for a long time, but I'm sure my fellow collectors know what I mean. And this doesn't apply just to my toys. I feel the same way when I pick up a bobble head or find a baseball card or score an autograph I have been wanting for a long time. Collecting just makes me feel good.

Bottom line, I love to collect. I will continue to collect my toys, comics, sports items, sketch cards, autographs, bobble heads and whatever else I want. And I'm not the only one. Maybe other people collect things like first edition books or antiques or art. Whatever the reason, there is an answer for the "why" that is asked . Answers may differ, but there is always a reason and it's usually a good one.

If you liked this blog, you may like these from my fellow leaguers as well:

www.randomnerdness.blogspot.com

claymationwerewolf.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-this-not-that.html

www.diaryofadorkette.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-of-all-things-she-ra-fanfic.html

coolandcollected.com/why-do-hallmark-cards-always-make-me-cry/

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

What I Have Been Reading-Part 1

One of the things I have decided was to cut down on the amount of comic books I buy. I really don't have a lot of room to store boxes of comics. Usually once I read the book, I just put it aside and I barely look at it again. I usually just give it away or put it away. Right now, all I want to do is build an Amazing Spider-Man and a Batman comic collection, so I will need room for that so buying single issues will be cut down drastically or cut out completely. Plus, my toys will need room as well.

Now that I decided to read more graphic novels, I decided to start knocking off titles from my must read list. With my excitement over the upcoming Man Of Steel movie, I decided to finally pick up Superman Secret Origin. It's a book I have been wanting to read for quite some time. Plus, my trip to Los Angeles was coming up so I thought I could read it on the flight over.

Well, I was wrong about reading the book on the flight (Damn you Jet Blue and your Direct TV). Never got to read it on the outgoing or returning flights. But, not to worry. I did get to read it on the subway on my way home from work. I always love the looks I get from the adults when they see me reading a comic. As Hurricane Helms would say, "What's Up Wit Dat?"

One reason I picked this book to read was I was looking to read a really good Superman book. It's been so long since I read a solo Superman story. Most of the Superman stuff I read is with him in Justice League. A friend who used to work at my job suggested this book and I was skeptical. I read some Superman comics and found him a bit boring. But I agreed to give Secret Origins a shot. I was really sold when I saw the artwork and noticed Superman is drawn to look a lot like Christopher Reeve. Superman The Movie is one of my all time favorite Super Hero movies, so I was sold as soon as I saw the art.

See what I mean? You can tell where Clark Kent was inspired from by looking through the pages.

Superman: Secret Origins is a retelling of the origin of Superman. The early story takes place in Smallville and later in Metropolis. We never see Krypton in the story, although it is mentioned once Clark finds out who he really is. What this story is, is the trials and tribulations a young Clark Kent went through as he was discovering his powers and his interaction with people like Lana Lang, The Legion Of Super-Heroes and a young Lex Luthor.

The story also follows Clark's first days in Metropolis as a reporter for the Daily Planet and in his first appearances as Superman.

He makes his first appearance in the comic as Superman in a scene that is almost straight out of the movie. I won't say much except that it involves Supes catching Lois and a helicopter.

Over the course of the story, we see his first meetings with Perry White, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen as well as his battles with Parasite, Metallo and the US Army, all controlled by a now grown up Lex Luthor who is a corrupted business man running his Lexcorp empire. The kind of guy who gets what he wants and he has Metropolis eating out of his cold hearted hands. That is until Superman shows up and gives the citizens of Metropolis something else to believe in.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave us a different look at the origin of Superman. We don't see the rocket crash landing to earth, Clark is already here when the story begins. I'm guessing he is a freshman in high school at this point. This part of the story gives off a "Smallville" vibe as he is learning how to use his powers as he grows up to be the Man Of Steel.

The second part of the story definitely feels like I could have been watching the 1978 classic. From Gary Frank's art to Geoff Johns's writing  you can tell that the book was inspired by the movie from Superman looking like Christopher Reeve, to his first appearance  Heck, even to Jor-El looking an awful lot like a younger Marlon Brando. I guess that's why I liked this book so much. It's familiar, but a few twists here and there.

I'm aware that this may not be the best Superman story ever written. Die hard Superman fans may not even like this book. To me though, this was one of the best Superman books  I have read in a long time. I now want to read other Superman books and I have my eye on Last Son Of Krypton next. I have heard a lot of good things about that book, so I am hoping I will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed this one.

Star Trek Has Always Been There

Let me start off by saying this: I am not a Trekkie. Not by a long shot. I couldn't tell you why Kirk joined Star fleet or even if that's the name of the academy or whatever it is. But, for some reason or another, Star Trek has been a part of my life for one reason or another. Be it something I had seen or a toy or whatever, James T. Kirk and company have not been too far behind ever since my geek roots were laid.

Believe it or not, the 1960's series was not my first exposure to Star Trek, it was the animated series that first introduced me to the world of Spock, Kirk, Scotty, McCoy and the rest of the crew of the Starship Enterprise. From 1973 to 1974, Filmation produced a series simply called Star Trek. It's now called Star Trek: The Animated Series to differentiate between this show and the live action show. It was a Saturday morning show that aired on NBC and featured the voices of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, George Takei and Nichelle Nichols. Walter Koenig was the only actor who didn't return because the show's budget could not afford the complete cast, which really doesn't make sense to me. I'm sure Koenig was not commanding top dollar to lend his vocal talents to the show, although he did later write an episode of the show.

I know I saw this show during it's first run because I cannot find any instances where this was rebroadcast on later on syndication until the 1980's when it aired on Nickelodeon and on Sci Fi Channel in the 1990's. I was only 3 years old when the show finished it's second run, but I remember vividly sitting on the floor in my grandmothers home, watching the show. How many episodes I watched I could not say. May have been only one or maybe the whole run. All I knew was something about this show interested me enough to warrant my attention when I could have been playing with my Megos instead. Once the series ended, I am assuming, I had nothing to do with Star Trek for the next few years.

The next time Star Trek entered my life in December of 1979 when my mom took me to see Star Trek: The Motion Picture. By now, I was 8 years old, but I still did not know who these characters were. I didn't realize that these were the same characters I had watched on T.V., animated, only 5 years prior. Having seen Star Wars the year before, I thought since this was set in outer space too, it had to be just as good, right? Well, let me be completely honest with you guys, I have not seen this movie since I saw it in the theaters back in 1979. I am guessing the movie didn't leave a great impression, so I never really bothered to see it again. Not when it was shown on T.V. nor have I purchased a copy of this movie on DVD or Blu-Ray. But I do remember wearing a blue Star Trek shirt with the sewn on and begging my mom for some of the toys from the movie.

I didn't have much, but I do remember having these two figures:

These are not mine. I do wish I had these. These are the Mego 3 inch figures from the movie. I don't recall what happened to them. Probably the same thing that happened to my Star Wars figures, which I am still trying to figure out what happened to those to this day.

I remember having both these plush figures from Knickerbocker. These were my favorites from the Star Trek stuff I had and Lord, I wish I still had them. I had some emotional attachments to these for some reason. I used to always carry these around with me until the school bully knocked me down and ran off with them. My mom's response was "I shouldn't have taken them to school". A bit harsh, but I now know she was teaching me a lesson about taking care of my cherished toys.

I finally got around to watching a couple of episodes of the original series. The show was always shown here in NYC on WPIX-TV at various times, so I could always catch it whenever I wanted, which was not a lot. I don't know if it was because I wasn't impressed or I had other things to watch. I can honestly tell you I did not nor have I watched very many episodes to this day of the OG show.

In 1987, Gene Roddenberry gave us a Star Trek show I actually tried to watch on numerous occasions, but ultimately gave up on. I could never get behind Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, Data, Warf, Riker and Wesley. I saw certain shows like when Spock returned and such, but I can't really say I was a fan of the series.

A few years later, I met my best friend, George. He was (and still is) the Ultimate Trekkie. He is a huge fan of the original show and could do a great impression of William Shatner. Because of George, Star Trek was a huge part of my life and I would go see the movies with him, or in the case of Star Trek V, make fun of him (I call Star Trek 6 The Apology).

I have to say, I hated the Next Generation movies. I found them boring and not well written. When I saw Generations, I snickered at the fact that William Shatner's stunt double looked like Huey Lewis. I walked out at the end of Nemesis and vowed I would never see another movie again. By this time, I had had it with space, the final frontier. I had liked Deep Space Nine, but not enough to keep up with the series and I never seen Voyager or Enterprise. From what I heard, I'm better for not seeing either.

A funny thing happened in 2009. I saw a trailer for the new Star Trek reboot movie and instantly became interested in seeing the movie. I'm not sure if it has to do with the casting of Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, who look like young versions of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy or because it was an origin story, one that I never got to see. When it came out I went to see it and was instantly blown away by the movie. J.J. Abrams directed the hell out of this movie and it showed. Not only did I think Pine and Quinto do a great job in the movie, but I also enjoyed John Cho's Sulu, Simon Pegg's Scotty, Karl Urban's McCoy and Zoe Saldana's Uhura. Casting Eric Bana as a Romulan named Nero was the icing on the geeky cake and I instantly became a fan of this film series.

I just saw Star Trek: Into Darkness today and loved it. All the elements that made the first movie fun was there in this movie and again, the casting of the villain was perfect. I won't say too much more as I don't wish to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. All I have to say is, if you enjoyed the first, you will love this one. I will see it in the theaters again soon.

After seeing Into Darkness, I now have an interest in going back and watching some of the stuff I may have taken for granted. I'm older now. Maybe I will dig the stuff that I didn't when I was younger. I have always had a soft spot for William Shatner (his version of "Rocket Man" is awesome) and, truth be told, I have been wanting to re watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Now, I may pick up the Blue-Ray and spend a day watching it. I also have The Animated Series on my Netflix que.

It seems to me that over the years, no matter how hard I tried to shake it loose, Star Trek has stayed a part of my life for almost 30 years. I guess it's time to embrace this classic piece of American pop culture geekness and enjoy the voyages of the Starship Enterprise and boldly go where just about every other geek before me has gone before.