Once more with feeling, it’s the new episode of Geek at Arms! Bryan starts off Geek Out with his recent study of Unreal Engine and how much he’s enjoyed the latest release from Magic: the Gathering: Arena—Amonkhet Remastered. Next, Mike shares how much his family has enjoyed the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy. He also geeks out heavily over his latest requisition from Starfleet: Star Trek facemasks! James shares his own face protection geekery with a a pair of medieval themed neck gaiters he loves, and how much he and his wife have enjoyed both Star Trek: Discovery and the new animated series Lower Decks. After he gushes for a bit about a new pair of medieval swordfighting manuals he recently obtained, the guys head to their main topic. In the final film of the “Superhero Movies that aren’t a part of the Big 2” Film Club, they take a look at the 2008 online musical sensation Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog!
Here to help you keep cool, it’s the newest episode of Geek at Arms! In Geek Out James describes how the watching the recent streaming movie of the musical Hamilton changed his perception of musical theatre. He and Bryan also rejoice that latest book of The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Peace Talks, has finally been released. Next Mike shares how much he’s enjoyed introducing his daughter, albeit by guilt trip, to the Star Wars Miniatures game from Wizards of the Coast and how much she’s enjoyed it. Bryan continues his trek through the MCU with the series Cloak & Dagger. He admits that it surprised him with it’s high quality storytelling and he enjoyed it as much if not more than Runaways! Finally, the guys delve deep into cinematic swords fights, how they compare to actual historical combat, and what is required to make an on screen sword fight look good.
Aragorn vs Lurtz in Fellowship of the Ring succeeds in the realms of drama and believability, but the camera work and a lack of contrast between costuming and set make it difficult for the audience to understand the fight.
In The Empire Strikes Back, the silhouettes of Luke and Vader against a bright yet indistinct background emphasize the stances and forms of the characters.
Jack and Will are back-lit against a set that, while detailed, is obscured by dust. The lighting and camera work allow the audience to clearly see the actors and understand the fight.
The Princess Bride’s choreography and drama is top-notch. Camera placement is generally adequate, but the lighting is flat, which allows the earth-tones of Inigo’s costume to blend with the set. Note that the colors are very similar to the Pirates shot above. The differences are almost entirely in lighting and atmosphere.
Good camera work and art direction—the forms are clear, but nobody believes Kylo has ever had any training.
Whose idea was it to put red-armored combatants against a red background, then hit them with a red weapon? Rey, also, blends into only non-red part of the set. Rey’s stance is at least reasonable, but who knows what Kylo’s doing?
Geek at Arms is back with yet another Super-Sized episode. In Geek Out Bryan shocks us with his purchase of a PS4 and the game Destiny. He then shares his enjoyment of the Netflix adaptation of the graphic novel Locke & Key. Next, James gives an review on the second season of Netflix’s Lost in Space and the first episodes of Star Trek: Picard. Mike finishes Geek Out with his exploration into the history of the spicy foods he loves, how much he’s enjoyed the anime My Hero Academia, and his excitement for attending PAX East. Finally, in a conversation that all three have been anticipating, the guys discuss the recent Star Wars series The Mandalorian. They delve into what it adds to SW Lore and what some of their favorite moments from the show are.
Errata: Bryan thought that Darths and Droids was running screen caps of the Star Wars Holiday Special, but it was actually the Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show.
We return with our first episode of the New Year! Kicking off Geek Out James gives a glowing review of The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan. He then dives into everything Star Wars related he’s experienced in the past couple of months: from playing Jedi:Fallen Order to watching The Rise of Skywalker & The Mandalorian. Next Bryan describes a reality-bending campaign of D&D he’s been taking part in and how much he’s enjoyed Magic the Gathering: Arena. Mike shares how he’s begun keeping a journal for when he reads historical fencing manuals and how much his family has enjoyed the board games Ex Libris and the TIME Stories expansion Lumen Fidei. The guys then discuss the final film of the Animated Film Club, the 2018 modern hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!
Merry Christmas from Geek at Arms! In this episode we welcome Bex from the Redeemed Otaku Podcast! As is customary with our guests Bex starts off Geek Out by describing the highs (and lows) of playing Word of Warcraft Classic. She also tunes us in to her current favorite anime’s: Land of the Lustrous and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Next Bryan shares his experience playing a Lawful Neutral character in a recent D&D game and his thoughts on the deep, but disturbing, movie Joker. James also shares his a recent gaming experience where he played a dwarf in a friends one-shot campaign and also how much he and his wife enjoyed the recent film Ford v Ferrari. Mike keeps the racing theme going by describing how his family has come together in triumph to defeat difficult levels on Mario Kart 8. Mike also head’s a discussion on the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the divisiveness in the fanbase and how toxic fandom had risen as a result. Finally, Bex and the guys take a look at the works of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. They explore the characters and themes found within them and which of these animated classics are their favorites.