Great Fictional Leaders: Captain Malcolm Reynolds

The real world is full of "leaders" but none of them as great as those found in fiction. You can't beat their decisive nature, hard-core attitudes, and the ability to rally people to their sides in a heartbeat with a powerful speech. These make believe persons are the true inspiration for many of us and help shape who we are.

Oh, who am I kidding. They are just kick-ass characters and we are a society of people who love men of action.

Those who know me well know that I have one man that I look to for absolute insight into what it is to be awesome. That man is the witty Captain Mal of the canceled to soon Firefly. He's a man that struggles with the balance between being a good person and being a criminal in a universe where The Alliance is the all powerful authority hunting him down. He is also a man with a passion for fun who can become a dedicated leader at the drop of a hat (or dead body of preacher). He is very protective of his crew and will risk his life for them as long as he doesn't die. For these reasons and many more I would like to welcome Captain Malcolm Reynolds to the ranks of Great Fictional Leaders.

Name
Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds
Rank
Captain
Commands
Serenity
Strengths

• Smart ass attitude even in the face of death


• Chiseled jaw


• Great shot


• Had surgery to move a nerve cluster in his back

Weaknesses

• Is often the underdog in any fight


• Had to learn how to sword fight from a girl


• Has no rudder


• Easily fooled by hot redheads

Love Interest
Companion Inara Serra - First Base Only (A kiss that Inara stole well he was passed out).

Weapon of Choice
Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B

Best Leadership Moment
Convinces his crew to help him get a message to Mr. Universe so they can broadcast it to other worlds in order share the truth about Meranda and the Reavers.

Best Quotes

Mal: "If anyone gets nosy, just, you know, shoot 'em."
Zoe: "Shoot 'em?"
Mal: "Politely."

"We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty."

"Faster. Faster. Faster would be better."

>"Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home."

Behold the New Red Dawn Cast!!

You heard me right. They are remaking Red Dawn (they remake everything these days). If you don't remember, the movie is about the Soviet Union and Cuba attacking the United States on our home soil and the group of Colorado high school students who fight back. It's a classic that is well liked and was well made so naturally Hollywood has to redo it in hopes of making more money off of us, the consumer whores.

Well, the cast for this remake has been set and /Film has the info:

Chris Hemsworth (best known as Kirk’s father in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek) will be playing Jed Eckert (played by Patrick Swayze in the original), a marine on leave, who leads the group into battle.
Josh Peck (The Wackness) will be playing Matt Eckert (played by Charlie Sheen in the original), the younger brother of Jed and the high school’s star quarterback.
Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) will play Toni Mason (played by Jennifer Grey in the original), survivor turned tough girl and Jed’s possible love interest.
Josh Hutcherson (Journey to the Center of the Earth) will play the role of Robert, originated by C. Thomas Howell, the Wolverine’s tech geek and communications specialist who transforms into a warrior along the way.
Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) will play Erica, a role originated by Lea Thompson, the Wolverines’ head cheerleader and Matt’s girlfriend who becomes incarcerated in an internment camp after the invasion.
Edwin Hodge (Mental) will play Danny, a role originated by Brad Savage, no longer the young kid but the cool kid in school, the Wolverines’ wide receiver, and Matt’s best friend.
Connor Cruise (son of Tom Cruise, appeared in Seven Pounds) as Daryl, a role originated by Darrne Dalton — The mayor’s son, the youngest Wolverine, and Robert’s best friend.

I'm pretty intrested with their choices. I liked Chris Hemsworth as papa Kirk even though he didn't have much screen time. He still has a very strong air of young leadership which will work well in this movie. Josh Peck has really come pretty far from his days as the fat kid from Snow Day, All That, or even Drake and Josh. I want to see what he brings to this movie. And of course we got to see Isabel Lucas as the "hot chick who is really a robot dog" in Transformers 2 so I would like to see if she can really act or is just another pretty face. However, we are all well aware that an interesting cast doesn't always make for a good movie. Just look at The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog, at Comic-Con 2008

I'm a geek through and through. I'm all about nerd stuff and if I had the money I too would be there at Comic Con amongst Triumph's victims. But for some reason I still love listening to him make fun of my people. Perhaps it's a form of masicism or I'm amongst the few people who have the ability to laugh at themselves. I'll let you decide which... or add a new more interesting option. I like surprises!!

Anyways, here's the video footage of Triumph at Comic Con 2008 making fun of geeks and freaks. Enjoy

DC Universe Online

Stephen Schleicher over at Major Spoilers has posted an article about what he's hearing from Comic Con about the DC Universe Online MMORPG coming out.

The articles and stories coming out of the San Diego Comic Con regarding the upcoming DC Universe Online MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) Game, haven’t been very detailed, but here’s what we know so far…

* The game will use the Unreal 3 engine for physics based games. If you are in the path of a bus that another character has thrown, be prepared to get knocked down and suffer some damage.
* There will be accessible environments. If you have speed based powers, you may literally be able to run up the sides of buildings.
...
* The game will be simultaneously on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC systems...
...
* Players can work through a mentor like the Batman or The Joker (called Side Kick For Real), or they can strike out on their own with the Patrol (good) or Prowl (bad) PvP interaction.

Stephen lists more details that relate to the fact that the game is going to stay true to the DC Universe and will allow players to experience just about everything they would expect if they were actually in that world.

I get the feeling for that this is going to be nothing more then a DC licensed version of City of Heroes/Villains. I'm sure it will be very pretty from the images I've seen but will the gameplay be worth it? I've played many pretty games and some of which are MMO's that have let me down. I really hope this isn't one of them.


If you are hyped up about the game and what to know more you can add them to your buddy list on My Space and get exclusive info that will hit the web a few hours later.

Spike TV's Bobba Fett and Raiders Commercials

Spike TV is the self proclaimed channel for guys. Well, with UFC, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars they are definitely one of my favorite stations. Which is pretty funny because I would never have watched them when they used to be The Nashville Network.

Anyways, they have some funny Spike TV promotional commercials circulating and I've decided to share them with you.


Don't Mess With the Fett.

Don t Make Fun of Boba Fett

They Walk In A Line To Mask Their Numbers.

Tusken Raiders at the Office

Via [/Film]

Caprica Trailer

Remember my post a few months ago on the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica. Well, production is in full swing and a trailer has hit the web. The following footage was screened to the Television Critics Association press tour on July 20.



This show looks like it has a lot of the elements that make Battlestar so great. Great dramatic acting with great thought invoking morally questioning issues. This will be a great series if they do it right and I will definitely be there to see it when it airs this December.

Family Guy Spin-off : The Cleveland Show

Well, looks like they are going through with it. It has been rumored for a while that Cleveland (the black guy from Family Guy) was getting his own show. Starting Spring of '09, Fox will have a new show on it's Sunday lineup.

Summed up, the show is about Cleveland heading back to his home town to help a recently divorced ex-girlfriend raise her kids which includes a flirtatious stepdaughter and a 5-year old lady's man. He will also get some wacky neighbors such as bears, a Victorian-style British family, and red-necks. But don't take my word for it. Check out the promo below.



If Family Guy gets another season, who will they get as their wacky black next door neighbor. Maybe they will give Ollie Williams more just a line a week. Let's wait and see if this works out. Or is as dull as American Dad (except for Patrick Stewart... anything with him is gold).

Via [TV Squad]