I’m still catching up on work, contacting friends, and recorded genre television after last week’s business trip to Chicago. So without further ado, here’s my review for Disney’s latest Winnie the Pooh movie.
Fans of A.A. Milne’s stories or Disney’s 1960s and 1970s film adaptations will be charmed by Winnie the Pooh‘s traditional animation style, its gentle humor, and a cast that’s closer to the familiar voices than the hyperactive shorts or TV shows from the past two decades.
My sister in law Melinda and several young nieces will no doubt be pleased that once narrator John Cleese (of “Monty Python” fame) begins reading from the book of Pooh’s misadventures, viewers are drawn back to Christopher Robin’s playroom and the Hundred Acre Wood as if no time at all has passed since our collective childhoods. The device is similar to Pixar’s Toy Story.
The plot is fairly simple: Pooh Bear goes looking for honey, but his dour donkey friend Eeyore has lost his tail. Pompous Owl, timid Piglet, supportive Kanga and Roo, and nervous Rabbit end up misreading a note from Christopher Robin and look for a monster called “Backson” instead. Sight gags abound, and the script has clever allusions that would likely sail over the heads of younger audience members.
Winnie the Pooh lacks the cynicism, off-color humor, or flashiness of many popular movies, but it is better for omitting them. I’d happily recommend this movie, which was rated “G,” to any parent. Not to slight other works, but Winnie the Pooh is the first film in a long time that felt to me like the Disney classics I watched on Sunday nights.
I’d give Winnie the Pooh a “B+/A-,” three and a half out of five stars, or a solid 8 out of 10. Let’s hope that Disney can continue shepherding quality to the big screen with its upcoming The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made, which also looks to revive popular awareness of clever humor, simple joys, and humane (if not human) entertainment.
In related — if somewhat lower-brow — animation, Janice and I have been enjoying the Cartoon Network’s Looney Toons Show, which combines Warner Brothers’ Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck with the absurd situations of Seinfeld.
I’m also catching up on multimedia announcements from San Diego Comic-Con 2011, but I look forward to the upcoming revival of Thundercats, as well as to the return of Young Justice. I’m also impatiently awaiting next year’s Avatar: the Legend of Korra, sequel to the underrated fantasy Avatar: the Last Airbender (not to be confused with James Cameron’s Avatar movie or The Last Airbender movie adaptation dud).
In the coming week or so, I’ve got more movies to review, including Harry Potter [8] and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Captain America: the First Avenger!
In one ancient world, there was a region where strange majicks and demihuman races thrived. In the “Vanished Lands,” travelers became adventurers, and adventurers strove to be heroes in the face of many perils and wonders….
>>Player Character roster for “Holy Steel” miniseries, summer 2011:
-“Faelonia Telcontar” [Dexter V.H.]-female Drow Ranger (western Dark Elf Beastmaster), ambassador for the Waletku and Zeda kingdoms and champion of Mekkil and Vulkan, with wolf companion Facon and Heart Bow (artifact) Dalis; NGl, Lvl. 16
-“Rellim Dorathan” [Mark M./Non-Player Character]-male Quelanthi Fighter/Cleric of Aerdary (High Elf: Labelas), friend of Faelonia; CGn, Lvl. 6/6
-“Milos Valoren” [Beruk A.]-male Barbari human scout [Rogue/Fighter/Gatecrasher from Ted A.H.’s D&D3 “Solar Gods: the Ether Wars”], former “Liberator” and “Dragonslayer”; CGn, Lvl. 10/3/3
-“Nialla Burkin” [N.P.C.]-female Suthern human Qedeshot/Battle Dancer (proto-Arabic Bard/Monk), former crewmember of the Dragon’s Bane and follower of Milos; NGc, Lvl. 8/1
-“Ibrahim al-Sufaia” [Byron V.O.]-male Suthern human Ghazi/Khery-heb (Egyptian Paladin/Wizard) of Isis, former “Dragonslayer” and bearer of custos (enchanted khopesh) Akhu; LGn, Lvl. 13/3
>>”1 April 1229 B.C.E.:” Faelonia and Rellim had followed emissaries of the nefarious kingdom of Zuromm from the court of Pharaoh Ramses II. Their pursuit into the desert west of Pi-Ramesses and the Nile Delta led to a confrontation with chromatic dragons and other foes….
After their successful mission to Khemet (New Kingdom Egypt), Ibrahim, Milos, and their followers had returned to Hesolin, capital of the (proto-Western European) human kingdom of Hifalendor. The (D&D4e) “Faith-Based Initiative” was retrieving relics for the barbaric Gusorin Confederation, and a new band of adventurers (“Pathfinder” telecom team) would soon meet in the northwestern borderlands.
Metallic dragons Quenamun and Thilgatha/Rhiannen told Ibrahim and Milos that they had called in favors in the Celestial Court to learn that Faelonia was trapped but otherwise unharmed on the Astral Plane. Ibrahim reassured Faelonia’s assassin husband, “Shea” [Peter D./N.P.C.], that he would find her.
Sometime later, Faelonia, Milos, and Ibrahim awaken. They don’t know where they are or how they got there. The Drow Ranger, Barbari Rogue, and Suthern Paladin are surprised to find themselves unarmed and unarmored. Faelonia is annoyed to again be without her weapons, and Milos peers from the rock they’re perched on at small lights around them.
Ibrahim casts Detect Evil and senses malicious intent in all directions. Faelonia tries to telepathically contact her wolf Facon and Heart Bow Dalis, but they reply as if from a great distance and are unable to help her. Milos realizes that they’re on a rock about 100 feet away from other floating rocks, many of which have campfires on them.
Akhu, Ibrahim’s custos, also seems far away. The holy warrior of Isis, goddess of magic, deduces that he and his allies are in the sea of Elemental Chaos. Milos is skeptical about his surroundings and jumps! The Gatecrasher doesn’t need his Ring of Featherfall and reawakens surrounded by giant webs.
After Milos leaps into the dark, Faelonia and Ibrahim see a rider charging at them from another floating rock. The flaming hooves and skull of the Nightmare illuminate the plate armor and terrible visage of a Death Knight. Faelonia casts Summon Nature’s Ally, and a giant eagle grabs her in midair.
Rather than face the Undead Blackguard alone, Ibrahim also jumps to find himself somewhere else, surrounded by webs. He greets Milos, but Faelonia is still asleep and twitching. Huge spiders close in on the trio, whose followers are also entangled.
Back in his armor, Ibrahim draws Akhu and casts Daylight, briefly blinding the arachnids. Milos uses acid and daggers to cut Faelonia, Rellim, Nialla, and Arianna free. The grateful Ranger casts Mass Invisibility with Dalis to buy more time. Faelonia also attends to Facon and Milos’ exalted cat, and she doesn’t Detect Undead in the area.
Unfortunately, groggy Rellim, Nialla, and Arianna can’t recall how they were reunited, either, so Faelonia prays to her patron deities, Mekkil and Vulkan. The Divination reveals that they are in the outer plane of Pandemonium, near the Abyss. Ibrahim believes that devils such as Asmorath Malvolus are responsible.
Before they can be bitten, Faelonia uses the Heart Bow to Plane Shift herself and her companions to the Beastlands. Ibrahim is relieved to see grass and trees rather than flames and gloom, but Milos would prefer to be back on the Prime Material plane of existence. He checks his gear and cat.
Large lions approach, alarming the humans and their animals. Faelonia communes with the beasts, who welcome them to the realm of Krigala, the first layer of the Happy Hunting Grounds. The lions begin to lead the visitors to their lord Nobanion, but Elf Rellim tries to disbelieve.
Wary Milos asks Nialla how they were brought together in the first place. She says the physical trap in Pandemonium and the mental trap in the Elemental Sea could have been set for them. Ibrahim Detects Scrying, and Druid Arianna is happy to pet the lions. As the wanderers stroll, they hear sounds of battle!
Milos stealthily scouts ahead. He sees leonines and centaur-like Wemics being attacked by Death Knights riding Nightmares, similar to the vision in the primordial chaos! Faelonia casts Magic Circles vs. Chaos and Evil through Dalis, and Ibrahim defends the followers and ignites his sword and shield. Milos is reluctant to get involved, but Faelonia and Ibrahim exchange glances and prepare to charge….
I’m glad that we were able to play, despite short notice and the usual scheduling snafus and delays. While the main teleconferencing game and the Boston-area FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures: “Vortex” space opera are on hiatus this month, there may be opportunities for other one-shots. For example, Dexter is willing to run a D20 Star Wars: Saga Edition scenario, for which I don’t need to be present (although I wouldn’t mind participating if I had the time).
In the meantime, I hope that everybody had a good Independence Day weekend, and stay in touch! -Gene
I hope that those of you in the U.S. had a good Independence Day weekend. Among other things, Janice and I attended the holiday and 300th anniversarycelebrations in Needham, Massachusetts, including the fireworks display, parade, and fair. Fortunately, we managed to avoid the thundershowers that had been forecast.
Just over a week ago, Janice and I caught up on some recorded videos, including Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Macbeth, and some animation (which I’ll review later). Each was good in its own way.
Jay Baruchel is appropriately nerdy as a physicist who stumbles into a long duel between Cage and Molina’s spellcasters. They are former students of Merlin alienated over the affections of a third student, played by the attractive Monica Bellucci. Star Trek: First Contact‘s Borg queen, Alice Krige, is Morgana le Fay, and Teresa Palmer, who was almost Talia al-Ghul in George Miller’s aborted Justice League: Mortal, plays Beruchel’s love interest.
The plot and script are predictable, but some of the visual effects are clever, and Cage gets to be his droll self as seen in other genre flicks such as Ghost Rider. I’d give Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which is rated PG for violence, a B-, two out of five stars, or a 7 out of 10. It’s fine as a rental or to catch on cable television as we did.
A bit more highbrow was the three-hour production of Macbeth, or “the Scottish play,” starring Star Trek: the Next Generation and X-Men‘s Patrick Stewart as the ambitious murderer and king. This adaptation, whose modern setting resembles Russia in the 1920s and 1930s, first ran on stage before being filmed for the PBS.
Kate Fleetwood plays an equally ruthless (and guilt-ridden) Lady Macbeth, who is younger than the onetime military officer but a good match for him to the bloody end. The soliloquies are muted but no less effective, and the script closely follows Shakespeare’s. I thought the weird sisters were nicely disturbing, in an alternative music plus Doctor Who sort of way, although their enunciation was a bit muddled.
I’d give this version of Macbeth an A-, 8.5 out of 10, or four out of five stars. There was a brief interview with Stewart after the broadcast of the play, giving some insights into the directorial and acting choices for this interpretation. I can easily imagine it being required viewing in high schools.
Janice and I have also been enjoying PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery, including the latest adaptations of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot stories. The Belgian detective is still faithfully depicted by David Suchet, and the latest batch of episodes has refrained from making too many changes to the original mysteries. We’re also looking forward to more Miss Marple, Inspector Lewis, and newcomer Aurelio Zen.
Elsewhere on the dial, I’m glad for the summer returns of the buddy crime solvers on USA’sWhite Collar, TNT’s bluesy Memphis Beat, and the capers of TNT’sLeverage. I just learned that Hu$tle, a British show about do-gooder grifters, had four more seasons/series than what I had seen on U.S. TV.
>>”1 to 3 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” After stealing a Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian alien) Transit drive from the Star Shark, the crew of the Appomattox went to the edge of the Sol system, where it found a derelict warship. The Dawn’s Retreat was apparently of Terran design, but it contained strange controls and a telepathic entity in its reactor.
Gabriel translates for his companions before the being, who thinks she’s human, establishes psionic contact directly with the away team. She identifies herself as “Dawn,” a soldier and the ship’s “prime motivator.” Dawn again asks the interlopers if they can help her get home to Earth, which they confirm is relatively close.
Hector and ARTHERR eventually find power couplings and open them, restoring power. Although it takes her a while to understand that she’s disembodied, Dawn is then able to accompany individual crew members as they explore her vessel.
The derelict’s gauges, levers, and hatches resemble those of a Terran submarine from the 19th or early 20th century, but it has artificial gravity and life support at least the equal of the Appomattox, which has alien components.
Jasmine goes to the crew quarters, which are empty, except for unused space suits. The Dawn’s Retreat also still has all of its escape pods, so the boarders and Dawn are unsure of where the crew went. She recalls a scouting mission into space held by “the Alliance,” supposedly the enemy of her empire.
Dr. Garrett finds ornate uniforms and a large bed with wrought-iron posts in the captain’s cabin. He tries on a wool greatcoat and admires himself in the mirror until Hector comes to find the ship’s log, a nautical-style paper book.
Gabriel returns to the Appomattox to maneuver and look out for other salvage crews. ARTHERR goes to engineering and drills a hole in the floor for a core sample. Beneath a steel veneer is a spongy semi-organic material containing carbon nanofibers. Later testing reveals that it can act as an insulator or conduct energy, alter its gravitic profile, and regenerate!
In addition, Dawn expresses surprise and pain while chatting with Jasmine. She is unable to communicate with the robot, even though the Synth wrestler explains that she, too, is an artificial sentience.
Richmond claims a blunderbuss and an exotic-looking sword from the “prime stargazer’s” cabin, and the snake-oil salesman orders Nero Bartholomew and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko to help bring the four-poster bed to the Appomattox. Dawn objects but is ignored.
Hector makes recordings with his handheld device, relaying images to ARTHERR and Capt. Adams for translation from Esperanto. Apparently, each handwritten entry of the ship’s log begins routinely before reverting to placeholder text. The “chirurgeon’s” bay has a similar medical log.
On the bridge, Hector asks Dawn about the dates of her travel. She says that she left Earth on “5724” and that the current year is reckoned as “5955,” leading ARTHERR to conclude that the living ship somehow traveled through time or from a parallel dimension!
ARTHERR studies an orrery on the bridge and finds that Sol is not at its center. After correcting his calculations, the probe droid learns that Dawn’s destination was LP 656-38 (also known as LHS 1723 or Gliese J3323), a variable red dwarf star about 17 light-years from Earth, beyond Epsilon Eridani.
Dawn explains that her ship picked up some scouts to return to the “world city,” established by Sulla many centuries ago (in her time). In the galley, Jasmine and company find tins of potted meat, but she declines tasting them. ARTHERR tests the food and ambient dust and finds that they are made of similar semi-organic secretions. He theorizes that the ship generates a crew that it then disposes of.
Former spy Hector checks the scouts’ bunks and armory and finds more antique-style clothing, firearms, and journals. By waiting for a log entry, the group sees ink appear on a page, probably generated by the crewless ship. Gabriel notes that while the Dawn’s Retreat has been near the Sol system for months (of Terran time), it hasn’t been disturbed until now.
ARTHERR’s radiocarbon dating from the core samples and reactor indicates that the derelict is subjectively 300 years old, but even with time dilation, for it to have returned from LP 636-38, it would have had to have left Earth long before humans had developed space flight.
Jasmine examines the cannons of the Dawn’s Retreat, which are simple chemically propelled projectiles. ARTHERR is surprised when Dawn recognizes the name of the “Harbinger of the Order of Submission,” a dangerous alien probe encountered in an old battlefield north of Karachi. She says that in addition to avoiding hostile “Martians,” her orders were to not engage the Harbinger in combat.
Dr. Garrett looks for more items of potential value, and Hector and ARTHERR learn that the Dawn’s Retreat was aided in interstellar travel by “jump gates,” which propelled it like a blown bubble. This is also different from conventional faster-than-light Transit that Terrans have only recently acquired.
Pilot Gabriel takes the Appomattox to the location where the ship would have returned to normal space but finds no gravitational anomalies. Jasmine assures Dawn that no harm will come to her and that she should help the United Earth Authority (U.E.A.).
The crew reconvenes aboard the Appomattox to debate what to do next. Gabriel and Hector don’t trust “Ramon Sanchez” [Josh H./Greg/Non-Player Character], a Lisbon-based fixer who arranged for Richmond to smuggle Vatican relics to Epsilon Eridani, about 11 light-yearsfrom Earth.
ARTHERR and Jasmine first want to bring Dawn and her displaced derelict to the proper authorities. If the ship is of alien origin, its creators are unknown. Richmond would prefer to auction them off to the highest bidder, but he is outvoted.
Gabriel extends the Appomattox‘s grapple to the Dawn’s Retreat, and ARTHERR asks that the ship’s effective mass be negated once they’ve disembarked. Hector monitors communications, and Jasmine tries to explain to Dawn that even though she’s not returning to her own world, she’ll be home. The two ships return to near-Earth space.
Dr. Garret covertly contacts Gorvek Beezo, a Ru’ulok trader, who gives the grifter the name of guild member Talak Avex in return for the coordinates of the Dawn’s Retreat. Meanwhile, Hector recounts his adventures to onetime handler Max, while ARTHERR calls Adm. Wei Sihong, to whom he had given several dangerous samples in the past.
The Vimeco robot tells the space navy officer about Dawn and says that she could help the U.E.A. counter the Harbinger, which it is still trying to study. Adm. Wei agrees, and he dispatches the U.E.V. Ajax to rendezvous with the Appomattox.
Tiger-woman Jasmine sends messages to her lover, Darsil, and the Synth United Front on Mars. Dawn bids farewell to her new acquaintances. The Dawn’s Retreat follows the Ajax toward Earth. Hector later learns that Ru’ulok pirates aboard the Star Shark attacked but were defeated by the U.E.A. cruiser. Capt. Droata escaped, swearing vengeance for her second humiliation at the hands of humans.
ARTHERR and Hector keep their samples for later analysis. While its crew still debates, the Appomattox sets a course for Epsilon Eridani….
Paul and Rich, we missed you at the last regular FATE 3e “Vortex” session before our summer hiatus! The Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” telecom fantasy group is also taking a break. In the meantime, stay in touch on the Yahoo message board, and I hope to see some of you at movies or other gatherings before our next game! -Gene
Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session T3.31 of the latest adventuring party in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting. The teleconferencing team met on Sunday, 26 June 2011, and has been using Pathfinder, Skype, and an online dice roller.
In one ancient world, there was a region where strange majicks and demihuman races thrived. After “Holy Steel‘s” journey to the distant empire of Khemet, another motley group gathered in the northwestern “Vanished Lands” to explore a world full of perils and wonders….
After meeting in the Wisalef Forest, the adventurers encountered the hostile Centaur followers of Vappu Lahja and a haunted hamlet on the Plains of Sathendo….
>>Telecom party Player Character roster, as of summer 2011:
-“Kovar” [Beruk A.]-male Half-Orc/Saganim human Paladin of Mithras, god of contracts and brotherhood; LGn, Lvl. 3
-“Asish Chen Ti” [Byron V.O.]-male Tsucharim human archer (Mongol-style Ranger), escaped from the kingdom of Gokuri; owner of Akita dog Genghis and horse Onimusha; NGl, Age 20, Lvl. 3
-“Jovinda Halflight” [Sammy H.]-female Half-Elf (Grugach/Hifalendorin) Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature; owner of horse Wyth-Amoi, or “Wind Spirit”; NGl, Age 23, Lvl. 3
-“Kazuo Takenaga” [Taum D’A.]-male Nezumi (Rat-kin) Monk from the Zedu kingdom in the Therud Forest; LNg, Age 20, Lvl. 3
-“Gawain Keary” [Paul J./absent]-male Saganim human Illusionist (proto-Celtic Wizard); NGc, Age 20, Lvl. 3
-“Davven ‘Digger’ Hollysharp” [Robert A.S./absent]-male Faldine Halfling archaeologist (Tallfellow Rogue) from a pipeweed farm in Tarken; CGn, Age 45, Lvl. 3
“1 to 3 September 1229 B.C.E.:” While riding north from the Hifalendorin (proto-Western European) human city of Nadwi, the adventuring party defeated a band of werewolves. The group agreed to ride on for a few more hours before looking for a defensible campsite.
Cautious Kovar casts Detect Evil but finds none nearby. Sniper Asish forages for wolfsbane, and distracted Jovinda prays to Mekkil for guidance and sleeps in a tree. Kazuo’s keen Nezumi nose notices a stench from someplace nearby. Gawain and Digger happily curl up under their blankets after another night’s study.
During their watch, Kazuo and Kovar go to investigate the smell. They find the dismembered corpses of humans and horses piled up. The nonhumans wake their companions, who decide take a closer look in the morning.
Kovar recognizes some of the surcoats as belonging to knights of Otih, god of the sun and justice, who had set out a few days ahead of the party after being warned of the haunted hamlet of Alarn. Asish finds tracks of werewolves and demihumans, possibly Elves, at the skirmish site.
Jovinda verifies that the men were killed a few days before in battle, and Kazuo keeps a lookout for whomever or whatever murdered them. Illusionist Gawain detects no magic, and scholarly Digger finds little of value among the slaughtered.
Paladin Kovar recalls seeing similar horrors at the “Mellow Mule” inn in Alarn, and Kazuo believes that the rending of the victims limb from limb is meant to be another message. Grugach Jovinda notes that members of the Unseelie Court could be responsible. Asish helps bury the dead.
After another day’s ride across the wide Plains of Sathendo, the travelers pitch another cold camp (without a fire). Asish and Jovinda hear Elven music, but their fellows hear only birdsong. The Tsucharim Ranger and the Cleric of the nature goddess manage to resist temptation rather than wander off. Jovinda asks Kazuo for help with mental focus, but the Monk explains that his disciplines take years to master.
The next morning, the skies darken with thunderclouds as the team approaches Alarn. Asish finds an outlying barn and proposes making it a base of operations. Apparently, others had a similar idea, because he and Kazuo find restless horses. They are the steeds of Paladins of Urda, lord of the sky, dispatched from Nadwi after their audience with the city council.
Jovinda assesses the animals and find that they have been left for a few days without fresh water or grooming. Kovar recommends setting the horses free, but fellow equestrian Asish prefers leaving all the steeds in the barn for safekeeping. However, wind and hail soon herald a new threat — a descending funnel cloud!
Kovar watches the tornado approach Alarn’s abandoned houses as Asish leads the skittish steeds away from the barn. Jovinda and Gawain say that there are spells that could affect the weather, and Kazuo joins the scramble to safety. Digger and company are relieved when the twister misses them and heads into the hamlet.
After the storm passes, the explorers survey the damage. Armored Kovar observes that the inn is among the buildings still standing. Asish places the party’s animals with those of the missing knights of Urda back in the undamaged barn. The scout then helps search for tracks of a potential spellcaster.
As they circle Alarn, the team spots scarecrows between the road and the Aspar River. Wise Jovinda and perceptive Kazuo are the first to realize that they’re the missing Paladins, strung up like the scarecrows that attacked them previously. The group backs away, toward the barn….
Paul and Rob, we missed you again! Rob, I hope that you and your entire household feel better soon, and Sammy, I hope that you and Taum have a great time together in the coming week! Beruk, it was good to see you at last night’s FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures: “Vortex” space opera, and Byron, I’ll try to telephone you soon.
Gene's Worlds 