There were a lot of unique settings in 2nd edition D&D: Planescape, like you mentioned. Spelljammer, which was like D&D IN SPACE! Al-Qadim, an Arabian Nights style setting; Maztica, an Aztec-like setting; Kara-tur, an East Asia-like setting; Council of Wyrms, where you played PC dragons in a world ruled by the United…

Also, The Mandarin has Mongolian ancestors and an English mother, so he doesn't have to look Han Chinese. I think Kingsley's a good choice if they go that route.

Yeah, I really like the first one for what it is. Also, for being my first exposure to Rachel Weisz—and as a librarian to boot. As I've often said, I'll take a dumb or simple movie that knows what it is and just has fun with it, over a movie that thinks it's so smart and clever but is actually stupid.

I'm not sure the common North American definition of "libertarian" necessarily has the same implications in other parts of the world. But it wouldn't be the first time a political label has come to stand for something completely different from its original use.

When she was all alone surrounded on all sides by murderous alien monsters, it would have been detrimental to her continued survival to scream. When she was in the company of hardened military grunts who were actually capable of killing xenomorphs when they weren't ambushed, drawing their attention to the presence of…

But it's a hell of a lot more eloquent.

"And the movies' portrayal of urban agglomerations is similarly archetypal, drawing on a long tradition of damning the city while praising the countryside."

Last I heard, Bates' son was trying to sell the place.

This is the first episode of this show I've ever seen, and I had the exact same revelation you did. What satisfaction can you have from vengeance via torment if the victim doesn't understand why you're doing this to them? This may also be the last episode I ever see...

I hold the opposite opinion. Genre fiction always has the crutch of fantastical or futuristic elements that already make it more compelling than banality of everyday life. Even thrillers and soap operas often fall back on thrilling situations or the opulence of upper class life. But too many genre works lean too…

I keep getting jealous that they're playing on a Geek Chic Emissary table: [www.geekchichq.com]

At my library the DVD's gone out over 800 times, and there's currently over 100 people waiting for it.

100% wrong. This devaluing of the increasingly-small pool of competent action directors, as opposed to the real "random industry clowns" who were apparently trained on a blender and a paint-mixer, is the main reason so many action movies are horrible these days. Let Film Critic Hulk educate you: [filmcrithulk.wordpress…

Here you go: [www.youtube.com]

Same reason no one else is using laser rifles.

My girlfriend's cat is really good at the navigating, but less adept at calculating whether the destination is wide enough to support him.

I think Sansa's potential direction is genius.

I find these kinds of arguments puzzling. It suggests that Cersei and Daenerys are incompetent rulers, but in comparison to who? It's not like any of the male rulers of the series have been better. IMO, the only exceptionally capable ruler we've seen so far has been Doran Martell, and that's probably because he's old…

It's true that Cersei's a pretty incompetent ruler. But who has been a good ruler? It sure as hell wasn't Robert. Tyrion might have saved King's Landing and everyone hated him for it. Daenerys is finding rulership a difficult task. I think Doran Martell is the best ruler in the books, and probably only because he's…

No love for Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone? (Who, unlike Errol Flynn, were damn good fencers IRL.)