Category Archives: Movies/TV

Fine Bros Controversial Copyright Claims

WARNING – This article contains content with obscenities. The opinions of those featured are not associated with Giga Geek Magazine. The opinions of the author belong solely to the author.

We’ve all seen those goofy react videos on YouTube, whether it be Teens reacting to Five Nights at Freddy’s or Elderly reacting to Skrillex. These sort of videos have a lot of humor in them and I’ve been a fan of the YouTubers react series for a while now.

And then I learned something terrible.

YouTube is a platform for open creativity and it has boosted creativity and the world of gaming for the better. I’ve learned so many things from channels like Extra Credits and cried alongside Markiplier as he pours his heart out to his fans. Recently, I’ve taken an interest in the retro gaming space, curling up at night to the rants of AlphaOmegaSin or the antics of the Game Chasers. Even though these smaller channels lack views, I’ve always loved their genuine passion for making videos about gaming.

Speaking of the Game Chasers, one of the frequent guests is a guy known as 8-Bit Eric, who has been seeing moderate success with his parodies of the Fine Bros reaction videos. He reacts to the reactions with hilarious results.

Apparently Fine Bros didn’t find this as amusing as everyone else.

Fine Bros filed a copyright claim against 8-Bit Eric, forcing these videos to lose monetization and were straight up blocked globally.

This sort of conflict that tends to happen online is a classic case of cyber bullying. Eric was seeing some great feedback to his parody videos and people requested more. Fine Bros didn’t like its brand being belittled or the idea that Eric could make money off of this. So, they used their success to file the claim.

However, when it failed as a heart drug, http://secretworldchronicle.com/tag/gamayun/ canada viagra sales pharmaceutical giant Pfizer found another use for this reason. http://secretworldchronicle.com/2019/02/ bulk buy viagra It has variety of dosage range like 25mg, 50mg or 100mg. They probably have so many problems in viagra low price their life. Today, canadian viagra pills many reputed online platforms offer genuine and branded kamagra pills in the UK. The internet as a whole has turned against the Fine Bros, with a subscriber count being streamed as it plummets.

What’s sad is that these content creators aren’t making a living off of YouTube. Most of them have to resort to Patreon or teaming up for larger projects, like selling DVDs. The smaller creators do often catch flak like this. AlphaOmegaSin has claimed to receive several nasty emails and death threats over the years, just because of saying what he thought of a situation.

Fair Use is a hard to define term, especially in the YouTube space. That very definition is what ruins a lot of perfectly good channels, who get slammed for just being creative. I can understand Fine Bros being upset at being made fun of and their footage being used in tandem with Eric’s, but there’s no need for this sort of childish backlash.

This hits home for me personally, as I’ve been watching the smaller channels affected for a couple years now. They’re constantly showing up in my feed, entertaining me to no end with their humble style. It also creates worry for my own channel and pursuits. What would happen if reaction videos could only be made by a select few? What about let’s play, or reviews by small outlets? I’d have to completely rethink how I approach videos for Giga and Forever Classic.

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Rafi and Beni Fine created the Fine Bros React series to great success.

It’s sad, cause I’ve always thought pretty highly of the Fine Bros. They brought some great people into a larger creative outlet by association, resulting in some really cool Rewind videos and collaborations.

After many years of enjoying Fine Bros Entertainment, I will sadly be unsubscribing. Many will do the same.

In light of this event, I encourage everyone to find a smaller YouTube channel. Subscribe to them, engage in their content. It’s a rewarding experience and there are tons of amazing people who just need viewers or likes.  There may be many channels shut down for similar, asinine reasons. Enjoy them while they last.

Share your thoughts Giga Bytes in the comments below or through one of our many social media outlets.

 

Fan-Powered He-Man Documentary Hits Kickstarter

Recently, Giga bore witness to the majesty that is Nintendo Quest, an excellent documentary detailing the story of one man seeking to collect every retail NES game. Rob McCallum and the gang will be working with the makers of another 80s pop-culture-fueled documentary, Turtle Power, a piece on the history and influence of the Ninja Turtles. Led by Randall Lobb, this influential team of film makers and fans seeks to bring the story behind He-Man, She-Ra and the rest of the Masters of the Universe in their newest project Power of Grayskull.

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Power of Grayskull seeks to be the definitive source for the history of the iconic franchise including the vintage series, She-Ra, The New Adventures of He-Man, the 200x series and beyond. Not to mention everything that fans have created over the years, such as artwork, custom toys or viral internet sensations. He-Man and the Masters have been around since the 80s; there’s a ton of content out there to cover.

Wanting to find those behind the magic, the team seeks to learn from the top minds behind the franchise, those who brought the live action series to life and the former president of Mattel. An epic list of people set to help out in the film can be found on the project page on Kickstarter. Given the previous work in Nintendo Quest and Turtle Power, Power of Grayskull will dig deep into what makes He-Man special, with rare and exclusive content pulled into light whenever possible.

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As shown by the awesome teaser trailer, this is a documentary project filled to the brim with love for the Masters of the Universe. It’s filmed and produced by fans for the fans, and with the crowd funding model it can be a reality from fan support. Provided the film reaches it goals, which looks likely, release is anticipated for 2017.

There’s no doubt that Power of Grayskull will be the ultimate documentary for the Masters of the Universe. Now, the project is left in the hands of the fans. You have the power.

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In-Depth with the Soul Eater Manga

A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body. – Maka Albarn

Soul Eater is a blast to watch in its anime form. From the driving guitar riff of its opening; to the fluid, over the top animation; to the tender moments between characters; there’s a lot to love in this series. After watching many episodes of the anime and coming to name it one of my favorite shows, I decided to dive into the manga a couple years ago.

Recently, I have finished what I started. This journey into madness to find what makes a soul special was a bit different from the anime. Though the path diverges at various points, the adventure is well worth exploring. Both the manga and the animated adaptation hit similar notes overall: madness, the human spirit and humor.

Artist and writer Okubo sketching the main character, Maka Albarn.
Artist and writer Okubo sketching the main character, Maka Albarn.

The Soul Eater manga has been in development for about ten years or so. First published in 2004 by none other than Square Enix, Atsushi Okubo penned a unique world in which Meisters and Weapons hunt down monsters to get stronger, culminating in the final hunt of a witch. Doing so, allows the weapon a massive power boost and the title of a Death Weapon, to be used by Death himself. In short, most of the main characters seek to better themselves and their weapon partners in this fashion. Twenty-five volumes hold Soul Eater’s story.

Dynamic lines show off mastery of motion by Okubo. Maka knows how to use her Scythe!
Dynamic lines show off mastery of motion by Okubo. Maka knows how to use her Scythe!

The characters do have simple designs, but this simplicity allows for more room in the plot, which doesn’t break any molds, but remains one of the most enjoyable rides in manga, having layers of meaning in each scene. The precise line-work and use of perspective also gives the artist room to depict action, creating fluid fight scenes.

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Dr. Franken Stein has trouble with madness as he just wants to take things apart to study what makes them tick.

Madness permeates Soul Eater’s story as it does the world in the pages. The artwork compliments this perfectly with jagged lines and blurred splotches. Scenes with the monstrous Kishin are terrifying, even though there’s little threat to the main cast. Madness becomes the main antagonist, making it the big bad instead of a central character, although a character comes to embody that madness. Early plot lines focus on characters gaining power, while battling their own inner demons to avoid going mad.

Maka breaks during a battle with her friend Crona, making for a disturbing battle between the crazed.
Maka breaks during a battle with her friend Crona, making for a disturbing battle between the crazed.

What’s interesting is that the story focuses on exploring what it means to go mad. It details the process of this in many of its characters, each having unique reactions and coping strategies to madness. Black Star, a ninja wanting to be the strongest entity in the world, goes mad with power lust. He becomes godlike in his physical power, trumping all foes with brute force and rashness. Compare this to Soul Evans’ madness of inner collapse and fear of being accepted by others. Even the stoic and reasonable Maka goes crazy while trying to keep things together and breaking for a moment.

Crona walks away from Maka, the only friend in the darkness.
Crona walks away from Maka, the only friend in the darkness.

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The story also shows the triumph of the human spirit in its portrayal of the characters and the framework of the Academy. Meisters must master their weapons by perfecting their souls through battle against dark, wicked forces. The whole concept is a trial by fire, becoming especially interesting with the cast of villains. Crona, child of the witch Medusa, is one of the most peculiar characters of this theme. Lacking a clear gender and a solid mind due to Medusa’s abuse and experiments, Crona slowly develops into a demon, but does have instances of redemption.

Death the Kid has a hard time dealing with a random obsession with boobs after the final battle with madness.
Death the Kid has a hard time dealing with a random obsession with boobs after the final battle with madness.

Humor provides the contrast for the dark plot and themes. Some of the funniest lines are juxtaposed immediately after insane, and often gory, battles. Even at the end of the manga’s story, Okubo lightens the mood by showing how the characters suddenly have an obsession with breasts immediately after madness threatened to cover the world. As this goes on after seeing the height of Soul Eater’s plot, it feels absurd, causing laughs and anger all at once.

Medusa shows motherly love to Crona for the first time.
Medusa shows motherly love to Crona for the first time.

Yet, Death the Kid makes a comment that pulls this absurdity into the realm of reason. Crona was one of the driving forces of the final battle. Maybe his emotions affected the world as well?  Death then concludes that it was due to Crona’s lack of a true mother, touching on Freudian concepts. This comedy contrasted with tragedy is what gives Soul Eater a unique tone; it’s built in layers.

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Blair is a witch that is also a cat and she has no shame. Also one of the stronger witches in the series.

Soul Eater, on the surface, is an action comic of ridiculous proportions. Characters transform into powerful weapons. The sun and moon both have faces. Death the Kid is obsessed with symmetry. Blair the Witch is fan service in human (or cat?) form.

The complete manga set.
The complete manga set. Photo from Ebay.

However, as the story develops, even the absurdity starts to take on a different shape, explaining the complex notes of the story with imagery and character development. Even the books themselves, when put on a shelf, shows the progression of darkness as the spines get darker, eventually becoming pitch black. The final volume is bright white, showing the resolution of the story. Noticing this for the first time is a powerful feeling, making the connection between the artistic design and the writer’s words stronger.

Okubo has penned a masterpiece in writing and in art.

soul eater art 1

 

Godzilla’s Terrifying New Design Revealed for ‘Resurgence’

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the latest news from Toho— the studio that created everyone’s favorite kaiju Godzilla—on its upcoming monster epic, Godzilla: Resurgence. A teaser trailer and a poster were released. A mild controversy erupted among fans over Godzilla’s new design, which they described as “lacking personality.” I offered a brief defense, but it should be noted that the only hint at the new design is a close-up of Godzilla’s face on the poster.

Now Bloody-Disgusting.com has reported on some leaked images from the film:

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Higuchi has said that Big G will be brought to life using what he calls “hybrid” technology, which is used in the Attack on Titan film. This involves using a combination of CGI and shots of live actors on sets. In other words, Toho aims to combine the best of both worlds from its “suitmation” history and Gareth Edwards’ reboot. I, being a fan of both, look forward to seeing what Toho produces. Although, there has yet to be a domestic release date announced for Godzilla: Resurgence.

The film will be released in Japan July 29, 2016.

The Force is Strong in This One: My Review of ‘Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens’ (SPOILERS)

The poster for the film, which was released December 18, 2015. Image courtesy of www.StarWars.com.

The Force—or rather, the hype—has been strong with The Force Awakens, the long-awaited sequel to the iconic Star Wars saga. Like a budding Jedi apprentice, the hype machine for this film has grown steadily stronger since the first trailer was released last December. Tickets went on sale in October, and both Movie Tickets and Fandango crashed within five minutes of them going on sale. The advertising campaign has been in hyper-drive for the last month.

I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t like Star Wars. It’s everywhere now.

Now the day has finally arrived: the first Star Wars film in ten years. New studio, new director, new actors. Can it live up to the hype?

Thirty years after Return of the Jedi, a dark warrior (Adam Driver), serving Galactic Empire remnants known as the First Order, seeks a droid containing a map that will lead him to the legendary Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). This droid is now in the hands of a scavenger (Daisy Ridley) and a Stormtrooper defector (John Boyega).

The Han Solo character poster for the film. Image courtesy of www.StarWars.com.

Where do I even begin? There’s much I could and should say about this film. While I’m a more avid fan of the Star Trek franchise, which was also revived by director J.J. Abrams, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t grow up something of a Star Wars fan as well. It left an indelible mark on my upbringing, especially when I was in college—Attack of the Clones was released the summer before I entered university and Revenge of the Sith during my junior year. While I’m not one of the infamous impossible-to-please fans who did things like troll Amazon’s listing of the Star Wars Blu-Ray collection to prevent people from buying it, I was still stoked by the hype surrounding this film.

Hence why I’m at a bit of a loss for words. On one hand, this is undeniably the strongest entry in the saga in years. It certainly blows the prequel trilogy out of the water. On the other hand, well, for now I’ll just say that J.J. Abrams has joined the likes of Joss Whedon for one major reason.

Speaking of Abrams, putting him at the film’s helm was probably the smartest move Disney made after buying the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2012. In fact, according to Wikipedia, he was handpicked by Lucas himself. Abrams has often described himself as a longtime fan of Star Wars, and his previous work has shown him to be a student of both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. I’d argue that it was good that Abrams cut his teeth on Star Trek (2009) and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness—which definitely had Star Wars influences—because it undoubtedly prepared him for this. There are few directors in Hollywood who could handle an epic space opera from a long-running franchise filled with beloved iconic characters. Plus, given Abrams’ penchant for secrecy that’d make the C.I.A. jealous, it’d only increase interest in the film.

Kylo Ren, the new villain in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Image courtesy of The Nerdist.

All that to say Abrams’ fingerprints are all over this film. Since he also co-wrote the script with Lucas’ past collaborator Lawrence Kasdan, it’s no wonder. The kinetic pacing, energetic camera work, fast zooms and, yes, the occasional lens flare all combine to recreate the feel of the original 1977 classic, albeit with a modern panache. Abrams treats the material as neither a belligerent revisionist nor a nitpicky fanboy. He respects what came before while also creating exciting new characters, set pieces, stories and ideas, all of which fit within the marvelous universe. One of the subtlest yet most obvious examples of this is the villainous Kylo Ren’s famous lightsaber, which features a cross guard made of the same energy. It’s the first ever major redesign of the classic weapon, and not only does it make sense from a sword-fighting perspective, Ren uses it to great effect in the film.

Ultimately, though, it’s Abrams’ handling of the story that makes or breaks this film. CinemaBlend reported in January that George Lucas’ treatments for Episodes VII-IX were discarded, making this the first Star Wars film without his input (though he was brought on as a consultant). However, it was Disney’s announcement that all of the Expanded Universe (rebranded “Legends”) that had been built over several decades in novels, comics, video games and television to be non-canonical that grated fans. I can’t begin to tell you what a controversy this was in the geek community. Personally, I’d always questioned their canonicity given that until Disney made the announcement, there was no firm rule on what was and wasn’t canon. I can understand the frustration, though. In the long run, I think this was a good move. It freed up the filmmakers to try fresh ideas and not be beholden to a mountain of continuity.

Admittedly, my knowledge of the Expanded Universe is limited by comparison to many fans. I bring this up not only to explain why excluding it from the canon didn’t bother me, but also to say that if I get any details in following paragraph wrong, please feel free to correct me.

General Leia Organa (Carrie Fischer) embraces Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Image courtesy of www.hngn.com

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Now the ultimate question: is the story good? Yes, it is. In fact, it might be the strongest story of all the films. Is that crazy talk? Maybe, but there’s no denying that this is a great Star Wars tale. Like A New Hope, it presents a universe with a long history that is in turmoil, and two young heroes heed the call to save it with the aid of old veterans. If taken in the context of the entire saga, A New Hope is as much a transitional story as The Force Awakens proves to be: the torch is passed from one generation of characters to the next. In the former’s case, it is from the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness) to Luke Skywalker. A notable improvement—yes, I dared say that—is the dialogue and acting. While the prequels are often derided for hokey dialogue and wooden acting, even the original trilogy has such foibles to a much lesser extent (though that was more A New Hope than the last two films). Here, however, there’s little. This is a testament to both the actors and Abrams.

That being said, it isn’t perfect. It includes many elements that, while probably intended to be homages, do detract from it slightly. It begins on a desert planet that looks like Tattooine yet isn’t. The bad guys have rebuilt the Death Star again(!), this time taking the Daft Punk approach (“Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger”) by making it the size of a planet instead of a moon. Interestingly, though, it is called Starkiller Base, a reference to the original surname George Lucas used for Anakin and Luke in the rough draft of Star Wars. My point is the Empire should’ve learned the first time not to build the same seemingly indestructible super-weapon again. Why do it a third time?

The new “Star Wars” heroes. (L to R: Rey, BB-8, Finn). Image courtesy of Screenrant.

Regardless, the new characters are delightful, fun and interesting. Rey is a scrappy scavenger from said desert planet. She has a mysterious past, which is only compounded when she discovers she’s a Force user. I confess I expected her to turn out to be Han and Leia’s daughter, especially when she frequently demonstrated an aptitude for machines and piloting, but the questions of her origin are left unanswered as a set-up for Episodes VIII-IX. Finn proves to be the most original in that he’s a Stormtrooper who defects to the Resistance, an anti-First Order movement supported by the New Republic. He’s a reluctant hero with a slight cowardly streak in him, which he learns to overcome as the film progresses. Then there’s the new villain, Kylo Ren, who—SPOILER WARNING!—turns out to be Han and Leia’s son. Like his grandfather, he succumbed to the Dark Side, yet he constantly battles against “the Light.” While he may not reach the iconic status of Darth Vader, he’s a worthy, multilayered addition in the annals of Star Wars villains.

Old friends: Peter Mayhew (left) and Harrison Ford (right) return as Chewbacca and Han Solo, respectively. Image courtesy of Screenrant.

The returning characters are treated as mythic figures, both by the filmmakers and the new characters. Their exploits are the stuff of legends, some of which Rey and Finn had heard and some they didn’t. It is an appropriate response, I thought, in that it almost bordered on being meta. Rey and Finn, in many ways, are like younger Millennials and post-Millennials who aren’t as familiar with the Star Wars franchise. For longtime fans, while these actors/characters are thirty years older, they’re still the “old friends” we know and love. Which only made the moment where, as I hinted at before, J.J. Abrams becomes Joss Whedon.

Han Solo dies.

(BOOM! ULTIMATE SPOILER!)

Late in the film, Han confronts his son, Kylo Ren, on a catwalk, calling him by his given name, Ben, and appealing to him to turn away from the Dark Side.  Immediately, I tensed up. I saw it coming, but I hoped against it. Even when Han’s efforts seemed to be working, I was nervous. Then as the sun being drained by the Starkiller Base was snuffed (yes, it can do that), Kylo ran him through with his lightsaber and dropped him into the chasm below. I flinched.

I hadn’t felt like that since watching Captain Kirk die in Star Trek: Generations.

I don’t know what to think of this or how to feel about it. It makes sense narratively, but at the same time, a fan-favorite character is now dead. For good. This isn’t like seeing a superhero die because nobody stays dead in comics. This is irreversible. I haven’t recovered enough from the shock to say whether or not it is, well, there only for the shock value. This is like the death of Wash in 2005’s Serenity, but amplified ten-fold (hence my comparison to Whedon). It’ll take time for me to process this.

That being said, Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens is a tour de force of character, special effects, action and story that lives up to the hype and then some. People have wondered what this generation’s Star Wars would be. Little did they know it’d just be a new Star Wars.

Final Grade: A