Stargate, the Ark of Truth, a Stargate SG1 feature-length adventure, was released March 11, 2008. It should not disappoint die-hard Stargate fans. While it’s definitely not a stand-alone movie…most viewers will not care. Writer-Producer-Director Robert Cooper and the cast made this one for the fans. The Ark completes the Ori story arc, leaving few threads unraveled. There are several Bonus Features.
Before watching the movie, I started with The Road Taken: Prelude to The Ark of Truth. Its nine-minute capsule of brain jogging scenes begins with Cam Mitchell joining the team, and continues with a few germane Vala snippets, such as her spawning of the Orici, Adria. Moving into the Merlin story line, and Adria’s ascension; it concludes with the shared Asgard upgrades, and Cam Mitchell stating that they need a new plan, “a damn good one.” If, as you’re reading this, you say, “what is she talking about,” then don’t bother to watch The Ark of Truth until you’ve seen at least some of the Season 9 & 10 SG1 episodes. This Prelude reminds us how we (SG1 & fans) got here, but certainly won’t do much to enlighten non-series fans. Pardon me if this doesn’t bother me too much. I’ve been waiting for this DVD, and pre-ordered my copy from Amazon. Short and sweet, the Prelude sets the tone for The Ark feature.
Slight Spoilers
Spoilers may be contained from here on: Proceed at your own peril. However, if you want extensive spoilers, go here.
The Ark of Truth opens in an Alteran (aka Ancients) underground meeting long ago, with scientists arguing about, and ultimately deciding not to use, the Ark of Truth. This Ancient device can apparently cause people to believe whatever is programmed into it. The Alterans are considering utilizing it to disabuse the regular folk into believing that the Ori are gods. In the latter part of the movie, Vala seems to reveal that the device can only brainwash people into believing that which is true.
We skip on into present day Dakara, with Michael Shanks returning as Daniel Jackson, Christopher Judge as the inimitable Teal’c, and Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran, searching for the Ark of Truth. Daniel has been experiencing visions of Merlin, whose non-corporeal appearance is believed to be caused by Daniel-Merlin’s residual memories. Those grail-ish visions provide clues to the Ark’s location. Daniel and Vala are bickering about how to open a chest believed to contain it. Sam and Cam are guarding the perimeter with an SG contingent. Teal’c says, “Quiet! As Daniel and Vala turn to him in surprise, Tomin and an army of soldiers for the Ori overtake them. With the aid of the Ori dampening device, SG1 prevails, and gains a convert in Tomin. This sets the proverbial stage for the quest for The Ark of Truth.
Tom Guinee, who portrays Ori commander Tomin as well as Vala’s nearly ex-husband in the series, is key in two intense scenes. The first is an interrogation scene between Tomin and Marrick, Woolsey’s IOA replacement. Marrick is played with fanatic intensity by first-timer Currie Graham. Marrick starts out with an ultra-soft query about Tomin’s position…and ratchets it up to hysterical emotions when he asks Tomin how many innocent people he has been responsible for slaughtering. It’s a little over the top, but without this hysteria, we might not find Marrick’s continued prominent and nefarious role as believable. This scene, in turn, sets up the second emotional scene with Tomin and Teal’c, who, for the first time, tersely addresses living with his own blood-soaked history as Apophis’ First Prime.
The physical quest for The Ark involves taking the Odyssey, souped up with Asgard technology, through the SuperGate to Ortus Mallum, with Marrick in tow. When Cam reluctantly takes the Captain’s chair after a verbal altercation with Marrick, a momentary nod is given to their own SG1 200th episode and to Star Trek Next Gen when Cam says, “Weapons to maximum” and “Make it go.”
Sam (the irreplaceable Amanda Tapping) and Cam (the irrepressible Ben Browder) must leave Daniel, Teal’c, Vala, and Tomin on Ortus Mallum (Place of Origin), while they return to the Odyssey. Marrick has activated the Asgard core, creating a signature the Ori can use to locate them.
Our old friends, the Replicators are back, courtesy of the IOA.
Meanwhile, back on the planet, Teal’c is shot, and the others captured by the Ori and taken to Celestis, creating a two-front crisis for the split team of SG-1. Teal’c has some incredible scenes crossing snowy mountains and arriving at Celestis. Robert Cooper credits Teal’c as being the hero of the story. He does INDEED have a very significant role to play. He also has some interesting assistance from an Ancient.
Julian Sands cameo as the Ori chief Prior Doci in Celestis is small, but Sands is a past master at portraying wickedness in all its varied forms.
IOA idiocy nearly scuttles the quest/mission in a spectacular manner. There are a few surprises here and there in this epic, but IOA’s misjudgement is just business as usual!
A Terminator homage is included, and it’s all really good fun.
More BonusFeatures
The “Uncovering the Ark of Truth” making-of-the-movie video segment is worth the watch. I didn’t get through the additional entire blow-by-blow audio commentary with Robert Cooper, but I will at some point. I know audio commentary has become a staple, but I wish they had compressed it a bit, as there are long moments as each scene comes along and sometimes; there just isn’t a lot to say. The information, when it does come, is fascinating.
We learn that Christopher Judge did his helicopter-shot mountain vista scenes in person, with no stunt double. We hear Cooper talking about the danger they unwittingly created for Judge in their ignorance of the helicopter’s maneuvering to accomplish long camera shots. Ben Browder apparently takes a punch so much better than most, that they structured scenes to cameo it in conjunction with their Terminator moment.
The Ark of Truth, Stargate at Comic-Con is highly amusing, especially for someone like me, who has yet to be able to get into an actual convention panel at DragonCon to see them. (okay, so I don’t like to get up before dawn to stand in line for a panel, my bad). They take questions, and answer them with humor and aplomb.
The soundtrack was impressive. Composer, Joel Goldsmith uses the original Stargate movie theme, by David Arnold, as a familiar springboard into a new epic movie score.
Overall, I thought The Ark of Truth was well done. It was shot in 35 mm, instead of HD, to give a more cinematic feel and texture to the story. It works for me. I can’t be entirely objective, because I have always been a fan of Stargate SG1.
I followed the transition from “old school” with Richard Dean Anderson to “New School” with Ben Browder, Claudia Black, and Beau Bridges. One of the highlights of The Ark of Truth for me: The “new” characters that struggled a bit during SG1 season 9, and who were just getting comfortable in Season 10, were fully realized in this feature. There wasn’t a single moment of “Cam-Crichton” in the entire epic, cross my heart. I say that as a certifiable Farscape fan.
The characters have always been the magic in SG1 for me. I’m glad I stuck it out. In the next feature, “Continuum,” Jack O’Neill returns to rescue his former team. I look forward to his return even more than I would have, now that the “New School” characters are comfy in their universe.
The first time I saw the commercial for the Creation Station from Rip Roar Media I immediately thought “Video Podcast”. It looked like it would be the perfect starter kit. Camera, green screen and software all included. Even if it only worked half as well as it claimed to, it would be a bargain basement video casting solution.
The price even seemed reasonable, ranging from $79 to $100 depending on where I looked. I did a little looking into other options for chroma keying, the Creation Station’s main selling point. This kit looked even better. Chroma key equipment can be expensive.
When I was Christmas shopping with my girlfriend we saw the Creation Station at Wal-Mart. It was marked down to $35. This should have sent up a few red flags, but I figured it was marked down because it wasn’t selling well and they were trying to unload their stock. I didn’t ask myself why they were trying so hard to unload that stock. I couldn’t resist a bargain like that and agreed to let my girlfriend buy it as a Christmas present for me.
I was planning to write a review of the Creation Station, with a few tips and a video made with the kit. There is a reason this post doesn’t have that video.
The Creation Station Does Not Work
I wasn’t expecting much, but the Creation Station couldn’t even live up to my lowest standards. I did expect it to work, even if it didn’t work well. Instead of a review here’s a list of reasons not to buy the Creation Station.
Cheap Camera. The camera is as cheap as they could possibly make it. You’re much better off buying a cheap webcam for around $20-$25.
Tripod Is Useless. The little plastic tripod included in the kit is so poorly made it can barely support the camera. Forget adjusting it. The materials and construction are so cheap it doesn’t even work.
Software Does Not Work. I tried for hours to get it to work. It kept crashing any time I tried to use it. I did find a solution to the crashing. I updated a .dll file and that fixed the crash problem. It wasn’t enough to fix the software itself. It’s still incredibly horrible.
Green Screen Is Split. I thought this was odd from the beginning. Any time I saw a description for the Creation Station it said it contained a green screen measuring 9.8 x 6 feet. What it really contains is two green screens that have velcro on them. This is bad. Even a cursory search into chroma keying will tell you that the screen needs to be smooth and well lit. A line down the middle of the screen where the pieces are stuck together is a very bad thing.
Verdict
Don’t buy the Creation Station. It’s garbage. I’ve seen the price drop as low as $15 at Walmart.com before it was removed completely. It’s not even worth that much. A trip to a fabric store will get you a much better green screen for $15, and that’s the only functional part of the Creation Station.
I’m still looking into an affordable way to make a video podcast. I’ll let you know if I find something good.
Check out our Erec Rex Book Giveaway. You could win a hardback copy of Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye Or Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness. Both books have been signed by the author, Kaza Kingsley!
Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness continues Erec’s adventures in Alypium. Can it improve on the strong beginning of the story found in Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye?
Story
Erec returns to the Kingdom of the Keepers when he learns that Balor Stain may become King. The only way to stop Balor is to return and perform the quests to become King himself.
It won’t be easy. Baskania has been hard at work in Erec’s absence. A cleaver PR campaign to cast doubt on Erec has taken hold. No one even believes that he is Erec Rex. What they do believe is that Erec cheated during the competition and that Balor Stain is the real winner.
How do you help people that don’t want your help?
My Opinion
How does The Monsters of Otherness stack up against The Dragon’s Eye?
Pretty darn well. The story moves forward and you start to get a look at the overall structure of the story. Kaza has said that part of the basis of the story is the trials of Hercules. The quests that Erec has to perform are certainly Herculean.
The first book, Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye, was a great introduction to the world of Erec Rex. The Monsters of Otherness is where the action really gets started. Not only do we get to see Alypium again, we also get to see some very different parts of the magical world.
Magical and mythological creatures were talked about quite a bit in the previous book. This time they’re a huge part of the story. The magical world of Erec Rex is expanded and explored. Erec’s history is expanded too. We learn a little more about his past and why he is so important in this book.
What I liked
Everything from the First Book. All the strong points of the first book are still there.
Mythological Creatures. I really enjoyed Kaza’s version of the creatures of myth and legend. There’s some pretty cool stuff going on in Otherness.
Snail Mail. I just found that funny. I guess it appealed to the geek in me.
Jam Crinklecut. The best butler ever.
What I didn’t like
Rosco Kroc. To be fair, I don’t think he’s supposed to be likeable. He seems affable and charming to some of the characters in the book, but I think the reader is supposed to be suspicious of him. That isn’t why he made the list though. He’s mentioned here because of my theories about him. I won’t leave any spoilers here, but I’ll start a discussion about it in the forum if you want to check it out.
Verdict
Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness is a great follow up to Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye. It not only retains the charm and action of the first book, it builds on it. It expands the magical world and ups the stakes for Erec.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who has read The Dragon’s Eye. I’d also recommend reading the Dragon’s Eye if you haven’t already, just so you can read this one.
I’m already looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.
Check out our Erec Rex Book Giveaway. You could win a hardback copy of Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye Or Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness. Both books have been signed by the author, Kaza Kingsley!
Erec Rex Is Not A Harry Potter Clone.
I want to get this out of the way first. The books do share some generic fantasy elements.
Orphans
Destiny
Magic
Trials
Monsters
That’s just part of fantasy. Lots of books before Harry Potter used those, and lots more will. Shoot, it doesn’t even need to be books. Plenty of RPGs share the same kind of framework.
Are we all on the same page now? Good.
Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye
Erec Rex is a normal 12 year old living with his mom and five siblings. Only… things aren’t so normal. Erec is troubled by “cloudy thoughts”. Thoughts that take over and compel him to do things. What they make him do is often strange, but never bad. Erec is worried that someday that might change.
Erec wakes up to find his mom missing. His “cloudy thoughts” make him go look for her. What he finds is something he never expected. A world different from the one he grew up in. A world of magic.
This world is amazing, but it has it’s own problems. King Piter of Alypium is in bad health. Piter’s kingdom is deteriorating because of his illness. A new King of Alypium must be chosen, so a competition is being held to find Piter’s successor.
Along the way Erec finds friends that want to help him, enemies that want to stop him and questions about his own past. The only way he’s going to find his mother and get back home is by competing to become the new King.
My Opinion
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I did what I normally do when I want to find out more about a book, I checked the reviews at Amazon. I can sum up a lot of those reviews for you right now. “It’s just like Harry Potter, but I kept reading and really liked it. I can’t wait for the next one.” Now you see why I started this review the way I did.
I’ve read a lot of fantasy. There are books that are just as similar, but were written long before Harry Potter. Now, if you like Harry Potter then you’ll probably like Erec Rex. Erec Rex is a solid fantasy book.
What I liked
Mythology. Tons of references to mythology. Mostly Greek/Roman, but with some Celtic and Norse references scattered around.
Pacing. Once the book gets up to speed you don’t want to stop reading.
Reading Group Guide. This is great for a young adult book. It could get kids thinking about what they read. Shoot, it’s great for any book.
What I didn’t like
A couple of things about springball bugged me, mostly it was the “Super A Team”. I kept picturing a team comprised of… a crack commando unit sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Alypium underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as springball players. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can play against the Super A Team.
Woah, sorry. I went back to the 80s again didn’t I?
Invented sports tend to bother me. Actually, any sports bother me.
Verdict
Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye is not Harry Potter, but if you enjoyed Harry’s adventures then you’ll enjoy Erec’s as well. It’s rooted in myth and legend, with some pretty cool updates.
I would definitely suggest this book to younger readers. They probably won’t be picturing Mr. T and George Peppard playing springball like I did.
I think older readers of fantasy would enjoy it as well for the references to mythology.
I’m interested in pretty much everything about comics, especially the old school stuff. When I got a copy of The Comic Book Makers for Christmas I was pretty excited. It gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of the early days of comic books. It’s written by Joe Simon, the creator of Captain America and writer/artist/editor for some true classics, with some extra material written by Jim Simon.
You Had To Be There
The early days of the comic book industry was filled with drama. If you think the stories in the comic books were wild, you should hear what the people making them got up to. There’s plenty of stories that will shock and amaze you.
This book was written by someone who was there for a few amazing stories himself. So you get to know the story from the inside. Even if you’re familiar with some of these, like I was, reading a first hand account of them puts things in a whole new light.
Covering All The Bases
The Comic Book Makers is filled with pictures and art. Covers from a wide range of comics, personal photos and even original character sketches of classic heroes.
I expected a few pictures. This book is filled with ‘em. First appearances of different characters, iconic images as well as books and characters that never quite made it big.
Seriously, I would have loved this as a comic art book, but it has more than that. There are pieces of non-comic art by Joe Simon and others. You get to see how truly talented these guys are.
On top of all that there are pictures of some of the legends of comics. The creators themselves hard at work making the magic come to life. Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and of course Joe Simon.
Verdict
If you’re a fan of comics you need to check out this book. Not only will it give you insight into what it takes to make comics, it’s darn entertaining. Much like the comic books discussed in this book, it’s filled with the unexpected.
I was looking forward to seeing Rob Zombie’s version of Halloween. I even wrote a post about how excited I was. I thought Rob Zombie was good enough to take on a classic slasher flick and do it justice. Boy was I wrong.
I’ve been thinking about the book reviews I’d like to start doing on FanaticSpace. The problem I’m having right now is choosing a book. Do you have any suggestions?
Right now I’m kinda leaning towards doing a review of a Discworld book. I have 2 reasons for this.
I love the Discworld books.
It would give me a reason to re-read one of ‘em.
Ok, you caught me. That’s really one reason. That just makes my need for suggestions all the greater.
If you have any suggestions leave a comment. I’d really appreciate it.
Chaz Michael Michaels, played by Will Ferrell, is the bad boy of figure skating. When Chaz gets into a fight with Jimmy MacElroy, played by Jon Heder, his life is changed forever. Both Chaz and Jimmy are kicked out of Men’s Figure Skating for life.
Thanks to a crazy stalker and a has been coach Chaz and Jimmy might have a shot at gold again. It turns out that the lifetime ban is only in Men’s Singles, and there’s nothing in the rules that says 2 men can’t skate in Pairs competition.
My Opinion
In Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Will Ferrell played a Nascar Driver. In Blades of Glory Will Ferrell tackles another borderline sport. This time he’s playing a figure skater. Much like Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory is surprisingly funny.
For some reason Will Ferrell is always a lot more entertaining than I expect. Admittedly, I don’t expect much. I just don’t think trailers and commercials can really capture the kind of humor Will Ferrell delivers.
Will Ferrell isn’t the only surprisingly good performance in this movie either. Everyone does a great job. The romance between Jon Heder and Jenna Fischer is sweet and awkward. The sibling bond between Will Arnett and Amy Poehler kinda made my skin crawl, and I didn’t know they were married until I watched the special features. Craig T. Nelson is always great.
Even the real figure skaters did a great job in this movie, but most of them didn’t have to do much. There are lots of cameos. Watch very carefully though, because some of ‘em are very fast. I saw three cameos in less than 2 seconds during the hearing. I don’t know if they were originally supposed to get more screen time or if this is a treat for attentive skating fans. I’m left wondering…
What would Brian Boitano do?
DVD Extras
The extras on this disc are great. There are some behind the scenes stuff, several interviews and even a music video. Out of all the special features I think my favorite is the interview with Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. They’re funnier in the interview than they are in the movie. They’re kinda creepy in the movie.
Music Video
One of the extras I really liked was the music video. The song that Will Ferrell and Jon Heder sig in the movie is sung my Bo Bice. You can also hear the song on the closing credits. You can also watch it below.
Verdict
I’d recommend this movie. It’s strange and funny, like a lot of Will Ferrell’s stuff. Everyone involved did a great job.
I really liked this movie. It’s definitely worth a rental. Shoot, I may end up buying it.
Shrek the Third isn’t going to be a huge surprise. If you’ve seen the first 2 then you know what to expect. If you haven’t seen the first 2 Shrek movies yet you should be looking for those instead. They’re both great, but the first one is the best.
Shrek the Third does suffer from sequel-itis. It’s not quite as good as the previous movie, which wasn’t quite as good as the first movie. That’s really to be expected though. We know the main cast, but nothing new is introduced.
Movie
In this movie we get to know more about Fiona’s home, the land of Far Far Away. Fiona’s dad is ill and Shrek is filling in as king. Things do not go well. There’s a great sequence that shows how some of the royal functions Shrek performs turn disastrous. During all of this Shrek just wants to go home to his swamp.
Shrek learns that if he wants to avoid being the King of Far Far Away he has to bring back Arthur, the only other person in line for the throne. So he sets off to drag Artie back. While he’s gone Prince Charming, who has been planning revenge, makes his move.
All in all it’s pretty good. It’s not the best Shrek movie, but it has it’s moments.
Moment of Pure Awesome
This is a Shrek movie, so you know there is going to be at least one moment of pure awesome. For me, this clip, and the following sequence, was it. This is what happens when you mess with Snow White.
Special Features
Basics
Like all the Shrek DVDs there are some pretty cool features. I’ve always liked the CGI bloopers. It’s kind of cool to see some of the weird things that go wrong when trying to make a CGI animated movie.
Arthur’s Yearbook
One cool extra on this DVD is Arthur’s yearbook. You get a good idea of what life was like for Artie when he was in school. It’s filled with characters that are only briefly glimpsed, or not in the movie at all. Most, if not all, of them are historical or legendary figures like Arthur Pendragon himself. That makes a few of ‘em even more amusing if you’re a fan of Arthurian legend.
Verdict
I’d recommend this movie. If you’re a fan of Shrek, you won’t need a recommendation though. If you’re not a fan then why did you read this review?
Allan’s World Music - This is an indie music blog where Allan, Joe, Kevin and Noah talk about music they really like, do album reviews and talk about concerts they’ve been to or want to see.
and Cam are guarding the perimeter with an SG contingent. Teal’c says, “Quiet! As Daniel and Vala turn to him in surprise, Tomin and an army of soldiers for the Ori overtake them. With the aid of the Ori dampening device, SG1 prevails, and gains a convert in Tomin. This sets the proverbial stage for the quest for The Ark of Truth.
The physical quest for The Ark involves taking the Odyssey, souped up with Asgard technology, through the SuperGate to Ortus Mallum, with Marrick in tow. When Cam reluctantly takes the Captain’s chair after a verbal altercation with Marrick, a momentary nod is given to their own SG1 200th episode and to Star Trek Next Gen when Cam says, “Weapons to maximum” and “Make it go.”
We learn that Christopher Judge did his helicopter-shot mountain vista scenes in person, with no stunt double. We hear Cooper talking about the danger they unwittingly created for Judge in their ignorance of the helicopter’s maneuvering to accomplish long camera shots. Ben Browder apparently takes a punch so much better than most, that they structured scenes to cameo it in conjunction with their Terminator moment.
I followed the transition from “old school” with Richard Dean Anderson to “New School” with Ben Browder, Claudia Black, and Beau Bridges. One of the highlights of The Ark of Truth for me: The “new” characters that struggled a bit during SG1 season 9, and who were just getting comfortable in Season 10, were fully realized in this feature. There wasn’t a single moment of “Cam-Crichton” in the entire epic, cross my heart. I say that as a certifiable Farscape fan.
