Next of Ken, Volume 7: A Game of Thrones, The Queen's Pendants, Heroes of Graxia, and Local Boys Make Good

Come on in for Next of Ken--TV and movie news and reviews, and a bunch of boardgame talk.  But not enough Swayze.  There can never be too much Swayze.

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us

This week continues the summer movie season with the release of Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides.  This is the fourth movie in the bajillion-dollar franchise, but it's somewhat risky as it follows the somewhat bloated At World's End, and also because Will and Elizabeth are no longer part of the story, their adventure having concluded in the third film.

Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow is the main star of the show, and I'm guessing that Depp enjoys the steady (and sizable) paycheck.

My wife has been playing catch-up with the previous movies, and we'll likely finish up watching At World's End tonight.  Then we'll sneak off for a weekend show, and if we do, I'll be sure to let you know my thoughts.

It does allow me to segue into one of the funniest things I've seen in months...folks, I give you none other than Michael Bolton, whom you will never see the same way again.

Speaking of catching up, we finally got our cable installed so I've been watching A Game of Thrones.  I finished Episode 2 last night, and I've got to say I'm really impressed with the job they've done so far.  Sean Bean lends a touch of class to anything he's in, and the rest of the cast does a fine job at bringing their characters to life.  Special mention should go to Peter Dinklage, whose portrayal of Tyrion Lannister is probably the most enjoyable of the bunch.

HBO has truly spared no expense, and the set design, costumes, and overall look of the show is fantastic.  It isn't quite "movie quality" as advertised, but it is obvious the production was taken seriously.  Also, being that the show is on HBO, they can go balls out with whatever blood, gore, and nudity is required for the story.  Thank goodness for that, as if this show was on one of the main networks as a mini-series, it would be bastardized beyond belief, stuffed full of commercial breaks, have half the necessary story removed, the cast would be all twenty-something pretty boys, and it would get cancelled halfway through.