DEADPOOL FTW

DEADPOOL FTW

by Colleen Guzman

You've been waiting for it since you saw a glimpse of the glistening Ryan Reynolds in X-Men, you knew it could eventually come to past, you waited with baited breath and yet the studio continued to tease you never quite admitting they had us all pegged all along and were just waiting until we were ripe to throw all of our money at them.

There is nothing that speaks to us more than the antics of Deadpool. There is a sick little puppy inside of us that wishes to jump out vulgarities wagging and no f's given about what comes out of our mouths, no matter how witty and cutting it might be. We long to wear the hood and walk around letting people have it both verbally and physically. I mean seriously how can one man have such accuracy, athleticism and still manage to cut such a witty jibe. There cannot be such crass perfection without a price being paid.

One of the things I truly enjoyed about the Deadpool movie was that no matter how many times I had seen previews the scenes still made me laugh so hard I cried because they had simply shown us a glimpse of the wit and sarcasm but they had so much more to give. You think the avocado having sex with older avocado line was the punchline of the joke,well it wasn't there was more and it was even better.

I won't be giving out any spoilers in this review because I think that is just awful and to spoil this movie is just cruel. I will say that I have not read any of the comics so my view of this is simply from this movie and the perspective that was given by the cast and directors/producers of this particular film. I can say as someone who watches movies perpetually and truly enjoys comic based films, I loved this film. I laughed so hard I cried, I moved my fists in the midst of the fights, I cringed at the excess of blood and guts and I triumphed when Deadpool said things that I could only wish to say.

Overall I think this film brings perspective to what a hero might be because it makes you re-exam your ideas of what a hero is. This film also has action scenes that put you on the edge of your seat and it has love that you aren't even expecting. I assumed it would be a fun film but I had no idea going in that I would be so pleased coming out. I will be sure to watch this film numerous times and I will even pay to see it again in the theater. You should go see it too, you'll be glad you did.

PAX South Review

PAX South Review

by Colleen Guzman

           If you have been reading my blog or watching the show you may know a few things about me by now. The first thing you might know is that although I love video games as a concept I am terrible at playing video games. I was given the Alice in Wonderland game for my birthday one year and I tried for two days to get past the first jump. My son's offered to make the leap for me but I knew that if I couldn't do that simple task then I would never be able to play the rest of the game. After that second day I never tried to play it again. So as a preface I have a love - hate relationship with video games. The second thing you might know about me is that I am still not sure how I feel about conventions as a concept. I have previously explained my confusion with media based conventions like current comic conventions, however I truly enjoy gaming conventions so there is a confusion that resides in me each time I attend a convention. Also, I have a chip on my shoulder for large goliath type companies that tend to squash the little guy. With all this being said I hope you have a better understanding of where I come from as I review PAX South.

When you first walk through the entrance to PAX South you are bombarded with an array of lights and sounds, but rather than being frightened and confused you are filled with awe and wonder. Your eyes travel naturally from each gaming area to the other. The large companies have enormous setups filled with movie theater sized screens, banners and lights hanging from the ceilings and all around their areas, gaming areas where accomplished players can come to compete and places where gaming commentators are set up to give the audience a play-by-play. The areas are so large it is like being in a full immersion arena. Once you leave one gaming area there is another one right by it that is just as spectacular, engaging and inviting. Attendees can flow from one substantial gaming arena to another and if they are paying attention they will notice that as you move further into the convention area the gaming areas are becoming smaller and smaller until they reach the areas that look like a normal vendor area for any type of media convention, but even these areas are inviting and full of potential to play a game or purchase some form of gaming paraphernalia. It all seems like Disneyland for gamers.

When I was initially asked to attend PAX South I was concerned that I would hate the convention. I have been less than thrilled with some recent convention experiences and I have never understood why my sons watch hours and hours of gaming commentary. Why would you want to watch someone else play a game when you could simply play the game yourself? So I assumed going into this that this would be another let down of a convention that I would not understand but I was extremely wrong. I loved this convention. I was in awe of the set-up and more than anything else I loved the fact that there was a reason for people to be there because there were so many things for people to do there. So many of the vendor areas had gaming spaces, even the small vendors had at least one place where people could play their games. There were panels, chill out areas where a person could just sit and relax and play their hand-held games. It seemed to be so worth the money. 

Then it happened, I had an epiphany that made this convention worth more than the money to me. I came to understand why my sons watch hours and hours of people playing games. I had forgotten how I used to watch all of them play games that I was incapable of playing just because I wanted to see what it was like and what would happen to the story and in each new level. As I walked around the convention I watched players watching other players on enormous screens and then I began to watch the players playing and I truly understood the magnificence of watching a truly talented player go through a level and accomplish all of the things you wish you had the talent to accomplish, to see them move the story further along than you ever could or to see them make it through something faster than you thought humanly possible.  This convention opened my eyes to the wonder that is watching championship players play. I am probably never going to sit and watch hours of game play but I sure do understand the compulsion much better than I ever have. 

I know this review is getting lengthy but I do have to discuss one more thing because it touches on something very near and dear to my heart. I love tabletop gaming and I was so excited to see the huge area that was dedicated to it. As a tabletop gaming convention organizer I was both frightened and intimidated by the sheer volume of gaming space that was available and the number of gamers who attended the convention. On the other hand the tabletop gamer in me enjoyed the attention it was getting. I will say though that this area of the convention was the only space that seemed to really need some work and almost seemed like a very large afterthought. while the video gaming side had gigantic arenas with pipe and drape and lighting and pizzazz the tabletop gaming area was all metal tables, bright glaring lighting and huge gaming areas where all types of gaming were smashed together. Anyone who has spent any length of time playing tabletop games knows that certain games require certain things like quieter spaces for role playing games so players can hear one another, or special table sizes for miniatures gaming. So all in all I was thrilled to see a tabletop gaming area but I really do feel that it needs to be worked on. 

PAX South was a spectacular event filled with so many events and things that attendees can participate in that it would be difficult for anyone who enjoys gaming to have a bad time there. I enjoyed the convention much more than I ever imagine I would and I am actually looking forward to attending again next year. In fact I feel that there is bound to be new things to do, events to participate in and things to see next year so it will surely be worth the time and money. One final thought I have is to the revenue and exposure it has brought to my city. I love San Antonio, I am so fond of the small town, friendly feel this city has while still having all of the big cities amenities. I am so proud of our city and I am glad that PAX South chose San Antonio as their southern destination. I hope this partnership continues for many years and is profitable for the city and brings us much needed exposure. I also wouldn't hate to see PAX do well even though I would hate for them to crush our small, local tabletop gaming convention GaMExpo. I hope we can all co-exist here and do well in the long run.

I hope more people in San Antonio and the surrounding areas can attend next year. If you were not sure if it was worth it, it is. So come on out in 2017 see what's new in gaming and support what is up and coming.

Geek Out SA!!!