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Game of Thrones S08E06 Review - Dany has Tyrion arrested

TV-series

Game of Thrones S08E06 Review

Eight years ago the first episode of Game of Thrones aired. I had been anticipating the series for a few weeks then. I had hoped it would be a grand and successful series, but I could never imagine how big it became. During the first season I also had numerous reminders of the TV series ‘Our Friends in the North’ by the BBC from 90s due the very familiar cast. Nonetheless Game of Thrones found solid ground and kept on running but it ran out of breath this season. So how about that final episode? I take it most of...

Permafrost cover

Literature

Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds Review

Permafrost is the latest publication Sci-Fi author Alastair Reynolds. It is a novella in which time-travel is a central element, after Avengers: Endgame, that is a hot topic. Permafrost stands out to me because it has hard Sci-Fi elements while it is still a very human story. Set in 2080 the world is in trouble because of an event called the Scouring. It is never explained what it is, but I presume the disastrous effects of global warming. The world of Permafrost Slowly the world is spinning out of control as food becomes an almost impossible resource to find. But...

John Wick 3 poster

Film

John Wick 3: Parabellum Review – brilliant & bloody

I am just back from watching John Wick 3 at the cinema, and I still have ringing in my ear. I had seen the first two movies of the trilogy at home, but that doesn’t do justice to the insane carnage that John commits throughout the movie. From New York, to Casablanca and then back to New York, John Wick 3 starring Keanu Reeves is insane. Keanu plays retired but-not-actually retired hitman John Wick, a rather grumpy guy who doesn’t say much but who can kill people really well. Story? What story? So what is the story about? I am...

Star Trek Picard - Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc

TV-series

Star Trek Picard officially announced as Star Trek: Picard

CBS has announced the official title for the new Star Trek Picard series – its called Star Trek: Picard. Ensure you did not miss the colon ‘:’ in the name, otherwise you clicked on the link to article for nothing. To be sure, I am very happy CBS is proceeding with the new show. Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, may well be the most liked Star Trek character. Famous as the captain of the Enterprise-D (and later E) during the Next Generation era that started in 1987. Nothing has been confirmed about the release date, but I am still...

TV-series

Game Of Thrones S08E05 The Bells Review

And so we saw the penultimate episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones – The Bells. As is traditional this is usually the bloodiest episode of the season with the last dealing with the consequences. Ooh and bloody it was indeed, the sack of King’s Landing. For that is what it was. The episode has it fair share of deaths: Varys, Euron, Qyburn, Harry from the Golden Company, Jaime and Cersei, Sandor and Gregor Clegane. But what is stranger is the final character development of Jon and Dany – with the latter’s coin finally tumbling to a halt and coming the...

Pokémon-Detective-Pikachu-Review

Film

Pokémon Detective Pikachu Review

Let me start by saying I know absolutely nothing about Pokémon – let alone Pokémon Detective Pikachu. That particular craze was going in the late 90s while I was transitioning from elementary to high school. I know a lot of friends who were into it, along with something called Dragonball Z. Instead, I had Star Wars, and Star Trek, and Stargate. I would never have even considered watching this movie if it weren’t for the trailer – and I am glad I did. Pokémon Detective Pikachu Review – The Movie Pokémon Detective Pikachu is an absurd movie. Who would have...

Star Wars Master and Apprentice Review

Literature

Star Wars Master and Apprentice Review

Slowly the Star Wars community is gearing up for the release of Star Wars Episode 9 The Rise of Skywalker. And you know what that means – books. Novels, young adult stories, conceptual design books and visual dictionaries. The first in such a series of books is Star Wars Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray. I have not read anything before by the author, but the premise was good enough for me to pick it up. And I have not regretted it. One of those ‘let the Jedi solve it’ stories Master and Apprentice ostensibly is about a mission Jedi...

Film

My thoughts on Disney doing more Star Wars, Avatar and the MCU

Yesterday Disney showed a multi-year line-up of movies as part of its ongoing merger with 21st Century Fox. There is plenty to see on the list as the studio owns Star Wars, the Marcel Cinematic universe, its own well-stocked lineup and Avatar. For the latter it has been announced that the first of FOUR sequels will be released in 2021 – with a 2 year release cadence. All this news gives me mixed feelings – which I intend to discuss below. Star Wars + Disney Star Wars is with me on an almost daily basis. That has been the case...

Avengers Endgame Review - Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

Film

Avengers Endgame Review – the MCU snaps out gloriously

Avengers Endgame is a sad movie. The creative staff behind it have not shied away from showing and letting the viewer feel the full repercussion from Infinity War. Set 5 years after the events if the previous movie the remaining Avengers live on a significantly depressed earth. This stands in contrast with my own feeling on who would be brought back from oblivion and who die ‘permanently’ in this movie. Instead, the creative staff focus heavily on establishing what the fallout was, on a personal level, for each Avenger. The Avengers cut in half Clint (Jeremy Renner) is probably the...

Avengers Endgame wallpaper

Film

Avengers Endgame review roundup + premiere pictures

Finally Avengers Endgame upon us. After last year’s Infinity War in which Thanos destroyed half the universe everybody wants to know how the story ends. Everybody wants Thanos’s deed undone, even if everybody kind of knows that is impossible. I won’t be reviewing Avengers Endgame until Saturday. Until then there are reviews I want you to have a look at if you are still on the fence. Review Roundup Avengers Endgame stars a very large ensemble cast: Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man / Tony Stark, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff...

Game of Thrones S08E02 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Review - Dany and Jon discuss Lyanna and Rhaegar

TV-series

Game of Thrones S08E02 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Review

The second episode of Game of Thrones season 8 starts off immediately were the previous ended. Ser Jaime is being confronted by Dany and Sansa in the great hall of Winterfell. Dany recalls what she wanted to do to the man who killed her father. It is an odd scene as the Stark’s have had beef with the Targaryen’s. Jaime’s reprieve Jaime does little do defend himself against accusations of both Dany and Sansa. Tyrion ends up in hot water with Dany when Jaime states that Cersei never had any intention to send her army north to help in the...

Game of Thrones S08E01 Winterfell Review - Jaime spots Bran

TV-series

Game of Thrones S08E01 Winterfell Review

And so the final season Game of Thrones is finally upon is. It has been quite a wait. Especially if you have been with the show since 2011 as I have been. And yet, I feel like I have a good idea what this season is going to be about. I am mostly interested to see what arguments are made by the producers to underpin their choices. But first – a review “Winterfell”, the season premiere. I am not going to mention every plot detail that happened. For that you can either watch the show or read the summary on...

Literature

Star Trek Available Light review by Dayton Ward

It has been a while since I have read a Star Trek book, let alone review one for SciFiEmpire.net. And so earlier in the year I decided to make a list of what 2019 might have to offer. Instead of reading every novel in the Trek-verse I wanted only those that really mattered. That way I would get an idea of what my favorite characters have been doing since I last read about them. Or when I last saw them on the screen. Yet, books set in the TNG, DS9 or Voyager universe are bound by constraints placed upon them...

Star Wars Master and Apprentice Review

TV-series

Upcoming Star Wars books in 2019

Star Wars Celebration 2019 is just around corner – it start this week. In the lead up to the convention, this time taking place in Chicago, a number of announcements have bene made regarding Star Wars books. If you are an avid reader like me you will undoubtedly pick up one or two this year. So below I made a small list. That way you won’t miss any. Master and Apprentice (release April 16th) The first book on this list is a rather unusual one. Master and Apprentice is set 7 years before the events of The Phantom Menace and...

The Name of the Rose - the abbey grounds with the library

TV-series

The Name of the Rose series episode 1 and 2 review

One of my all time favorite movies is the 1986 adaptation of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. Starring Sean Connery at a time when he was making a comeback. The story takes place in a Benedictine abbey in northern Italy in the year 1327. That on its own is already unusual, not many period movies from that time in history. The story is at its core a murder mystery. The protagonist William of Baskerville (a literary reference by the author) receives the urgent task by the abbot to solve several murders. Time is of the essence as the...