Geek of Oz

Christmas. You know, that time of year when they blast the same three carols at every shopping center you step into, and you find yourself trapped in the homewares section of Myer for three hours trying to find the perfect floral teacup for an auntie you have never met? To me that's Christmas. It's a stressful, expensive and frustrating time of year. However, much to my Scrooge-like dismay, the other folks here at Geek of Oz don't feel the same way, instead associating the occasion with such things as great food, presents and *shudder* happiness. If, like me, you need a little extra help getting into the holiday spirit there's no better way than watching a few festive flicks. So for your reading pleasure (or in my case displeasure) we thought we would put together a list of some of our favorite Chritsmas movies. Plus as a little Christmas treat we have a couple of suggestions by Geek of Oz creator Ryan Huff (It's a Christmas miracle!). Enjoy! -Christof a.k....

Well it’s that time of year again. With 2015 in its death throes I thought I would look back on some of my favorite comics from the year that was. As you will notice from my selections this year I decided to save my money and stay away from the the world breaking Convergence and Secret Wars events thrown by the big two, and instead focus on some of the great creator-owned series that launched. This is by no means a definitive list, but rather a selection of comics that stood out to me for their quality, depth or simply because they brought some new ideas to the table.   Sex Criminals Volume Two Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Chip Zdarsky Volume Two of the wonderfully weird Sex Criminals not only upped the ante in terms of dirty jokes, smutty puns and hilarious background gags (and who could forget that amazing dildo fight) it also continued it’s candidly honest exploration of sex and relationships. Where Volume One portrayed what it’s like to find someone who you c...

I didn't read, watch or play enough of any one thing to be able to make a dedicated top 10 list of books, comics, games, TV or films, so I'm going with the buffet option. Here's a list of some things you need to experience, some things that'd be nice to experience, some things you should avoid experiencing at all costs, and a few things I have yet to experience (but which are meant to be good all the same). In no particular order: BEST STUFF The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt   A marvel of video game design that marries an engrossing story to some truly excellent gameplay. Geralt's final chapter works well as a standalone and a capstone, and is definitely worthy of play. Star Wars: The Force Awakens It. Was. Excellent. Let us all rejoice that Abrams gave us a retro, swashbuckling tale of heart and humour in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company Who'd've thought a video game tie-in novel could be so good? Far eclipsi...

2015 may have started slow, but it finished with some pretty special films. Here for your mockery, approval, annoyance or what not are my top ten, honourable mentions and the few stinkers I wish could be unseen from this year. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this year’s cinema. Feel free to tell me your favourite films for the year in the comments below or come over to our Facebook page to shoot the breeze. - Stu  TOP 10  1. Sicario - Denis Villeneuve 2. The Lobster - Yorgos Lanthimos 3. Ex Machina - Alex Garland 4. Mad Max: Fury Road - George Miller 5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - JJ Abrams 6. Clouds of Sils Maria - Olivier Assayas 7. It Follows - David Robert Mitchell 8. Mistress America - Noah Baumbach 9. Leviathan - Andrey Zvyagintsev 10. Slow West - John Maclean Honourable mentions  Worst 

In a comic book landscape too often dominated by explosions, superpowered violence, over the top action and bloated marketing budgets, We Can Never Go Home from BlackMask Studios comes across as essential reading. Channeling the outcast spirit and perspective that made X-Men resonate with so many readers, We Can Never Go Home trades superheroics for gritty crime shenanigans and convoluted continuity for a simple, but compelling, self-enclosed narrative. What started off as an impulse buy has, 45 minutes later, become one of my favourite comics of the year.  Meet Madison and Duncan, two teenagers who find themselves on the run after a violent turn of events. Madison possesses superhuman strength while Duncan gets by with a sassy mouth and a handgun. Duncan is the school weirdo/bully punching bag while Madison exists in the popular girls clique, but both feel out of place in the savage world of their small town high school. The pair start off as strangers who just happe...

THE SHORT VERSION It's mayhem, pure and simple. This isn't the poignant, epic quest that something like The Witcher 3  is, nor is it the kind of character-driven, 'shape the world your way' story of Fallout 4 . This is the kind of game where you make your own fun by derailing a pair of trains with limpet explosives before jumping into a plane, flying it at a satellite dish and hookshooting yourself onto an escaping jeep. Blow up all of the things. STORY After spending most of his career blowing things up for a living, former Agency Agent Rico Rodriguez returns to his home archipelago of Medici. The place has fallen under the dictatorial rule of General Di Ravello, the unholy bastard child of Caligula and Josef Stalin, and it falls to Rico to liberate Medici from its hated conquerors. So, basically, Rico now has to blow things up for a literal living, rather than just a financial one. Much like Just Cause 2 , the story here feels almost entirely vestigia...

From a Galaxy Far Far Away it's the latest episode of our podcast, Geek of Oz presents: Read, Watch, Play! This week we decided to have a Super Star Wars Special, and no that doesn't mean it's a recording of us playing the Super Nintendo game of the same name. So have a listen as Chris, Stu and I discuss all things Star Wars leading up to the release of The Force Awakens!   As always it would make our day if you could spare a few moments to rate and review us on iTunes or drop us some feedback below! We are always really keen to have your input in the show. Tells us about all your favourite things from Star Wars - Billy Get it from Podomatic  here Get it from Itunes  here Billy (@aqualec, billy@geekofoz.com Chris (@ChrisComerford3, chris@geekofoz.com) Stu (@stucoote, stu@geekofoz.com) Read:    - WIRED's "You Won't Live to See the Final Star Wars Movie":  http://www.wired.com/2015/11/building-the-star-wars-unive...

If nothing else, Resurrection F highlights just how goofy Dragonball Z truly is at its core. I mean, look at the basic premise: one of the most iconic DBZ villains gets resurrected by the magical dragon Shenron, tries to find and kill his worst enemies - who are busy training under the tutelage of a pair of gods on another planet - and ends up attaining a form that turns him into gold while he does battle with blue-haired antagonists. Like I said: goofy. Following on from Battle of Gods , the plot of Resurrection F kicks off with former galactic tyrant Lord Freeza getting brought back to life thanks to the unfortunately-named Lord Sorbet (because every major Freeza-related villain, like King Cold, Cooler and Lord Chilled, has to be named after something frosty - next thing you know, Goku will be fighting King Esky and his apprentice, Lord Gelato). Freeza quickly sets off for Earth to smack around Goku and his friends, whilst Goku and Vegeta are off learning to be Super Saiya...