The-Corbetts.Org

My plan... Another homebirth. But so far, I haven't been able to find a CPM within reasonable range of my residence. As my friend C would say, "Crap on a cracker!"
But sometimes I think God leads us by circumstances. So as of now, we are planning a hospital birth. -Something, I admit, I'm quite fearful of. But every time I start to feel worried or scared, God uses an article or person or simply a verse to remind me to not be afraid and that He will equip me to do whatever His will is.

This story inspired me and helped me to remember that I am a consumer when I go to a hospital.

http://hypnobabies.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/mom-fires-ob-during-birth-when-threatened-with-a-cesarean/

I am gazing down a path I honestly thought I'd not travel down again. But here I am.... Standing at this fork in the road once again. Hospital birth, not my plan, but His.



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For those unfamiliar with the comic book story this animated movie is based on, this is about the death of Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd, and the mysterious character and events that serve as a follow up to this event years later. I'll try not to give out any spoilers, despite the fact that most of the audience for this DVD movie has already read the original story.

The adaptation is very well done, handled by Judd Winick, who wrote the original story and campaigned to make this movie happen. All the key elements remain and the complex DC Universe continuity elements have been streamlined and made self-contained for the movie.

The animation looks great and blends cell and CGI styles effectively. Action is dynamic and explosive and a fight scene between Batman and the Red Hood near the end is one of the most well choreographed sequences I've seen even in live action movies. I spent a lot of time grinning while I watched the action in this movie.

Batman's dialogue isn't always the best, but Nightwing is written pretty well. The best material seems to be given to the Joker, played by John DiMaggio, who delivers it wonderfully. But I did miss not having the higher pitch and brighter timbre I prefer in the voice of the Joker, however. This interpretation seemed slightly influenced by Heath Ledger's version, which I do not consider an overall step in the right direction.

The rest of the voice acting is very strong. Bruce Greenwood is a natural voice for Batman and Neil Patrick Harris continues to surprise me with how different he can make his voice sound with just a few subtle changes.

Once again, this movie is pretty short. A little under 80 minutes. But the pacing of the story still makes you feel as though you've seen a complete film.

The obvious philosophical theme of this movie is: Do the ends justify the means? Generally, we all recognize that we are not the ultimate judge of other human beings. And so our default response is (and likely should be) "no". However, something else inside of us recognizes the injustices in the world and silently screams out for someone to step in and dish out justice. This film has potential to springboard into conversation about justice and the role of God in ultimately bringing it about. But the way the subject is explored (vigilantes and psychotic killers) is a bit far removed from the average person's experience, making worthwhile conversation something you will have to steer purposefully toward, rather than naturally arrive at.

The additional features make the DVD (and especially the Blu-ray, which has an extra documentary) worth buying, as they go into the history of Jason Todd's death in the comics and the origins of Robin as a character. The 10 minute Jonah Hex short is fine for a single viewing and certainly much better than the recent live-action movie. But it isn't very memorable and seems to be chosen only to coincide with the live action movie. I would have preferred an Aquaman or Martian Manhunter short.

Rated PG-13 for violent content and some drug references.


Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 7.0/10

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Here are some jotted down thoughts of the TV/Movie coverage I've taken in from Comic Con this year. For my expanded thoughts, check out - http://paeter.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=633259

GL Footage: Sounds like we aren’t missing much. 3 weeks shooting left. Reminded of Matrix Reloaded.

Reynolds-We get to really spend up in the air and fly. We can bank and make right turns and do somersaults. The flight part for me has been one of the most fun parts of filling the Green Lantern shoes for me."

CGI Costume(still a “work in progress”), Parallax, Other GLs in movie/plans for future, Reynolds reportedly stripped of sarcasm.

Johns says “we are developing a flash movie”

The Cape- Last honest cop in city is framed and then presumed dead. To protect his wife and son, he remains dead to the world but fights to make a difference as his son’s comic book hero, “The Cape”. Trained by corcus performers, cape uses ancient fighting styles that utilized robes as weapons and applies those techniques to using his cape as weapon. CGI okay, concept may have potential. Also uses circus illusionist tricks to do things like disappear in smoke. A bit of a Batman, but with less dark intensity.

Series will also apparently involve him trying to reconnect with his son. The family drama mixed with action and theme of justice has potential to resonate powerfully and I’m looking forward to checking this series out!

No Ordinary Family(abc)- Not to be outdone by The Cape, Michael Chiklis plays thr father in this sci-fi family drama about a family who gains superpowers. Obvious comparisons will be made to the Incredibles and the Fantastic Four (especially with Chiklis involved) but on G4, Chiklis and co-star(wife) Julie Benz implied that the show will not be about them all jumping in unison to fight crime, despite the father character wanting to go that route himself. The show has the potential to be what Heroes was in its first season and should have remained. A grounded story about real people in real life situations who happen to have super powers, and how that would change their lives and the world around them.

Green Hornet- With Seth Rogen as the lead, I’ve been planning to overlook this one, assuming it will be a stup[id spoof of the genre and little more. But the trailer I saw over the weekend made me think that it may actually be the world’s first semi-serious everyman superhero flick. It definitely has some humor, but much of the action seemed to have a serious tone, as well as the concept of the Green Hornet posing as a villain in order to root out criminals.

Tron Legacy trailer looks very cool and it appears they are pulling out all the stops. This movie will likely have a ton of effects shots, much like the first one. Apparently, a program Flynn created a few years after the first movie serves as the villain for this flick. As a result, the program is supposed to look like a younger Jeff Bridges. Looks good… except when he talks.

Captain America- Got my first look at the costume for cap and have mixed feelings. I think it looks about as good as it can on film. They went wih something very close to the Ultimate Univers ww2 cap. But somehow it still looks a little outlandish in the real world. But they’re only a few weeks into filming, so who knows how it will look in th end.

Thor- These costumes look terrible. They seem to be a return to shiny rubber superhero costumes. If anything, the source material is an excuse to go in a more gritty, chainmail metallic direction with the costumes. But they decided to move toward plastic instead. I don’t get it.

Well, I was hoping to have some cool stuff to blog about regarding ComiCon, but between my busy day and the relatively few podcasts and videos that have become available so far, there isn't much to talk about yet.

Not sure what my plan is yet for the podcast. I may do two weeks about ComiCon, putting the first podcast out early next week and the second on Saturday of next week to give me time to take in the coverage available.

Either way, I'm in a bit of a waiting mode now, so I might as well play some more Dragon Age!

This week, after playing Lelianna's Song and The Darkspwan Chronicles, I turned around and started a new game of Dragon Age: Origins. After getting through every origin story the game has to offer, I saved my anticipated favorite for last and started playing the game as a mage.

I'm really diggin' the experience so far. It's not as slow going as playing a mage in Neverwinter Nights, since mana regenerates between combat so you don't have to be quite as careful and strategic with your use of spells. But it still plays very differently from the Hack N Slash style game I had with my human fighter the first time through.

In my first game, I tried to make my character look as much like me as possible (though with much less flab around the waist) and made choices that I would try to make if I were courageous.

This time around, I'm creating my alter ego and making darker choices that seek out power and control of my life. All in all, it's already been a very different experience, despite playing the same main plot. But that's Bioware for you!

I have had many requests for my birth stories. So here they are.

After my first, unfortunately traumatic birth, in 2001, in Charlottesville, VA, where I was induced with a drug I had never heard of called Cytotec, for post dates, and because Dr. Klas predicted she'd be 9-10 lbs, "way too big!" I began my path to freedom in Christ in the area of birth. At the time I had thought I had done all I could do to ensure a natural birth. My husband and I had taken a 12-week Bradley course and I had read some books.... What could go wrong, right? WRONG. My only proud moment was that I didn't give in and get the favored, pushed epidural, but to this day I know that only by God's grace and mercy was I sustained my HIS mighty hand through the vicious contractions and not kill or hurt my precious daughter in the process. My contractions were 4 minutes long with multiple peaks, no more than a minute apart. I knew something was wrong as soon as this started happening. I was terrified. But since it's a pill insterted near the cervix, you can't remove it.... My water was broken manually and I thought I was going to die. I can't believe how much pain I was in. It was torture. When I was ready to push, I was supported in the c-sitting position and remember my OB and husband counting in my face. 25 mintues of pushing and she was born. I tore and had to be repaired. Annie Mackenzie was 6 lbs 13 oz and covered in vernix. She was placed on my belly and I was instantly in love! I remember feeling a rush of natural oxitocin and painkillers. I was high as a kite!

When we moved to PA, I decided that I needed to see a midwife and found a CNM in Greenville. Unfortunately, my birth was again, a traumatic one. I went over due again by 10 days... I was in labor on my own (with the aid of prosteglandin gel). But after a stint of walking in a nearby park, the midwife decided to break my water when I stalled at 6 cm, and start pitocin... what I refer to as "liquid EVIL." I ended up with severe back labor and screamed in pain, absolutely terrified. These contractions felt different from before... I really had no idea what was going on. No one told me a thing and I thought I was dying. During this experience, I was given Sta-dol and this made things worse. I would fall asleep between contractions and wake up at the peak screaming in pain. A nurse even screamed in my face to 'shut up because my screaming wasn't helping anything!' I was put flat on my back and pushed my baby out so forcefully, that I broke blood vessels all over my body and face and in my eyes. My baby's heart rate dropped to 70's while I pushed and I had a real sense of urgency to get him out so I pushed even when I wasn't contracting. Not to mention that my poor hubby was terrified as well and said he thought I was dying too. He was worried beyond belief for his unborn son. Our midwife offered no explanation, but had a very intense, worried expression on her face. Austin James-Gregory, 7 lbs 12 oz, was born shortly after midnight. After his birth, I literally passed out. Someone handed him to me after they got him to turn a shade of pink from the blue he had been, and somehow, I hooked him up to my breast and I was out. The photos of us after birth honestly look like a baby with a mommy corpse. I don't remember getting to my room. But at 3:00 am, I awoke with a start and wanted my baby! I rang the nurse's station and they made me ring twice more and took 45 minutes to bring him to me! (He was maybe 10 feet from my room) Only after his birth the next day, was I told that he was posterior and what back labor was. I didn't bond with my baby for at least two weeks. I felt strange. Like I hadn't given birth at all. Who was this baby? Was he mine? Praise God that healed after a while in my heart. But it was a painful process. I often hear from women, hey, as long as the baby is healthy, then the birth part doesn't matter. That is most often from c-section patients. I have to strongly and whole-heartedly disagree with this idea. A woman's birth most certainly matters. It shapes how she feels about herself for the rest of her life. I will even go as far as to say that birth can be a situation in which a woman is abused by her caregivers and then told they were "saving her baby." This is not to say that medical intervention can be helpful when needed.... But that's just it, if you go to a surgeon, to birth your baby, a normal process 98% of the time, you are going to be messed with most of the time because obstetricians are trained to see problems whether they are real or imagined. I can attest that birth does not need a single wire or tube or machine attached to you to happen properly. And that these so-called "helpful technologies" are more of a hinderance than a true help. This is based on my experience, a LOT of reading and education and talking to many mothers. You may disagree, and that's ok. But, I truly believe that in birth LESS IS MORE. :)

When I discovered I was pregnant a third time I immediately put myself on the prayer chain at my church... My pastor joked that it was a bit early to be worrying about my birth.... But he didn't know what I'd been through... I hired a doula, MeriBeth Glenn, at the urging of a friend, Megan Reeher. It was a wonderful decision! I went to an OB in Greenville and was insistent that I not be induced. Toward the end Dr. McFadden was pretty compliant until I was going to be 13 days overdue as of that Monday. So at my check-up, he announced that I had to come be induced on Monday at 8 am. I was horrified. Please GOD, NO! I remember thinking. So my doula suggested castor oil. I choked down some of the bottle on Saturday in OJ. That evening I was crampy. But I didn't think much about it. So I sat on a birth ball at the table and ate dinner and played cards. Sunday night at 1:30 am, however, I woke up with a burning sensation... I got up to use the bathroom and my water broke! Argh? What the? Really?! My body CAN go into labor?!?! Realllly?!?! I was scared because what was going on? I'd never gone into labor before! So I called my trusty doula and she timed my contractions... and decided to come right away. I stayed at home a while and finally decided it was time to go. When we arrived, my sister-in-law, Karin, was the the nurse on duty! I was soooo relieved to see her! I was 5 cm and 80% effaced. I mostly laid on my side on the bed or got on all fours. My doula helped my husband help me and he supported me whan I was on all-fours. My doula directed my vocalization to deeper tones instead of whiney ones and helped me deeply breathe. I felt very pushy but I was 7-8cm and the nurse did not like that, so she had me change positions from all fours to sitting. I tried a squat bar, but it wasn't comfortable. Dr. Segal arrived literally 10 minutes before my son was born. 13 minutes or so of pushing and Samuel Isaiah was born, 9lbs 2.5oz. At one point I tried to reach down to feel his little head and my doctor told me "NO! Don't! Just push!" After he was born I felt shaky and shook a lot. So I handed off my baby to my sister-in-law to be examined. After my birth, when I tried to get out of bed, I found I could not move my legs. I had severe pain in my hips. I was told due to the position of birth (sitting, semi-reclined) I had nerve damage. My lower back was also messed up for quite a while as well. After the birth, I was sitting, holding my baby when Dr. McFadden poked his head in the door and said, "Oh, good! You had that baby! No need for that induction then!" Overall, this birth was much better, but I still felt like there could be more to this birth experience that I was missing.

I don't remember exactly how I first got introduced to the concept of homebirth. But I started off my fourth pregnancy at my OB's office. At some point though, my husband and I decided to hire a CPM. We read a few books my doula lent us on homebirth myths and prayed over the decision. It was no easy task making the switch from medicalized, cold, frenzied hospital, to natural, warm, peaceful home. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both OB nurses. At an OB visit, I expressed my desire for a homebirth to my OB. I was going to ask him to be back-up if anything went wrong. His response was "That's fine but you'll die!" Um, excuse me? I said, wishing I could have covered my three children's ears.... "I said you'll probably hemorrhage and die." I left and never returned.

As I planned for my birth, we bought the necessary birth kit and birth pool as I knew water was a great comfort to me my whole life. Dana Rudloff actually visited me for an appointment when Cassi was away and she predicted an eight and a half pound baby from palping. True to form, at 11 days after my due date, I went into early labor that evening. My husband and I watched a movie, ate chicken salad galore (recipe by Verna Prentice) and finally, around 10:30, my midwife, Cassi Toy, came to check on us. She left and around 2:30 we called her back. I remember with this labor being amazed that it hurt, but not in the same way as previous births. I spent my time laying on my side, leaning on our big chair on all fours, and walking around the dining room table. At some point, my doula suggested I do some supported squats with one leg up on the couch. I was told later that my baby was posterior and this is when he turned. (I had NO back labor) After that, I was checked and told I was 7 cm.... My reaction was quite funny. I hooted, "WHAT?!?!?! NOOO WAY!" I had always felt the urge to push at 7-8cm... Not this time. They told me to go ahead and get into the birth pool. I did so and very soon my water broke and soon after that, I was pushing. They rolled me onto my right side and I pushed out Caeden Isreal, 8 lbs 8 oz, very quickly! For the first time, I didn't tear more than a superficial tear that I treated with comfry leaf compress and comfry tea in my peribottle. After he was born, Annie came over to inspect him while I was still in the birth pool and whispered in my ear, "Mommy, the doctor was wrong, you didn't die!" When I review this birth in my mind, I am filled with JOY! I held my baby as long as I wanted and this was my first baby that didn't use a pacifier. He was very well-bonded to me. It was a blessing of a birth, to say the least.

Justus Alexander Corbett was born at 8:52 am Nov. 6th. He was born at home into his Daddy's hands and he was born in water. He weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 21 inches long.Justus is a family name on Jeff's side of the family and Alexander was my great-grandfather's name and my grandfather's middle name. Justus means 'upright and just' and Alexander means 'man's defender, warrior." Together we thought of defender of justice.Labor was 11pm-4 am on Tues night then it stopped. Then, I had contractions sporadically Wed night from 1-6am which I mostly slept through. At 7 Jeff called the midwife as they were getting stronger. He was born at 8:52am.So the hard part was from 7-8:52.

I walked almost the entire time from 7:30- 8:40 ish when I got into the birth pool. I had a few pushy contractions I attempted to breathe through and then pop! My water broke.Next contraction I told Jeff "He's coming!" And his head was already out!! I remember instructing my husband NOT to touch him! I have learned that it is a bad idea to manipulate the baby in any way. Funny, but later, he told me he was going to pull on the baby's head in the excitement of the moment and was glad I told him hands off! I tore with the first three hospital births and did not tear for both my home/water births.I paused and then pushed again - trying to give him time to rotate and his body came out in one push as well! (I have never had a baby just SLIDE out before!) Jeff lifted him out of the water and I noticed the cord around his neck and said, “Hold up, there’s the cord around his neck!” I unwrapped it really fast and we started to stimulate him on my shoulder. Jeff said excitedly, “How do we get him to breathe?!” I said, “Just stimulate him.” So I patted his bottom and sort of jostled him around a bit and Jeff scooped water on his head and rubbed it gently. He started to squeak a little and move around. I started to suction his nose with my mouth as I didn’t know Jeff had the bulb syringe out. Then Jeff said, “Wait, I have this.” and Jeff suctioned his mouth out quickly. There was some meconium staining in the water Jeff had noticed when it broke as well which he didn’t mention until after he was born. But we are very blessed to have been in the water so the meconium could be washed away from Justus as he was born, so he didn't breathe it in the way most babies do for a dry birth!! God is so GOOD! Later I discovered he had been a compound presentation (hand by face) and believe it or not, I had NO tearing or skid marks AT ALL! Annie had requested and was able to cut the cord. Annie, Austin and Samuel were awake in the other room drawing and raced in when the baby was born. They were all chanting how cute he was!
The assistant got there five minutes after and my midwife did five minutes after her! LOL. I was amazed by Jeff's presence of mind! He got string out and scissors and boiled them and had the bulb syringe all ready! It was quite an experience!! We weren't planning an unassisted birth, but we were blessed that God was with us!

Throughout the pregnancy God had been impressing it upon my heart to trust in Him. He specifically told me not to trust in midwives, my husband, myself, but only in HIM. This was repeated frequently and I had wondered why. Well, I now know why! Also, while in labor scriptures that came to mind were:

Do not fear for I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

I was also instructed from the very beginning of the pregnancy to pray for Justus. ‘Pray for this baby,’ God told me. I can honestly tell you that from the moment I discovered I was pregnant, I was OVERJOYED that God saw fit to bless us again. With all our flaws and shortcomings and sinfulness, He still has mercy and wants to bless us anyway!!
So I was overdue by 11 days, which is normal for me, and I had NO internal exams for the whole pregnancy and labor! NONE. This was by far my easiest labor and since my husband was my support with no midwife or doula, I felt so in tune with my body. I knew what to do when. So we can honestly say that we are glad it happened the way it did. What a privilege for Jeff to help Justus come into the world! I can say that I look at Jeff through different eyes. Something changed in my heart when this happened. I can’t explain it exactly but I would say there is a new level of trust and love between us that wasn’t there before. I have a new confidence in him and his abilities as a father and husband and don’t feel the need to question him or worry when I hand the baby over to him. So on top of the gift of our baby, God has given us this unexpected blessing in our marriage. (Photos for this birth are on my blog if you want to look: http://thecorbettsclan.blogspot.com/search/label/home%20birth At the bottom :)

Over the weekend I "finished" Mass Effect 2 and realized that the last two years have been extremely kind to me in terms of video games. There was a time when Japanese RPGs like those produced by Square Enix (Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Quest) were the ultimate in gaming for me. I still look back on many of those games fondly and keep a copy of them on my shelf.

But in recent years, I discovered a company you may have heard of called "Bioware" who has changed my expectation of RPG gaming forever and raised the bar so high that the competition doesn't even fall in the same category.

Beginning with Neverwinter Nights, I was stunned with the length of the initial campaign and expansions included in the Diamond set. Easily 100 hours of gaming. Not to mention the freedom I had to micromanage my battle strategy or play a much simpler, faster game, scaling the difficulty to suit my playing style.

And speaking of freedom, Bioware has virtually ruined me for any new RPGs that ask me to watch cutscene after cutscene in which I have no choices to make. It used to be something special when a game at two or three endings. I've given up trying to count how many endings and game paths are possible in a Bioware game.

In Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, I had the choice of following the path of light or darkness or anywhere in between. And naturally had to make several saves near the end when crucial choices began taking me down the paths of several very different endings.

I started playing Dragon Age Origins last fall and was once again stunned. Not only are there multiple endings, there are multiple beginnings! Six of them! Each with about an hour or more of unique gameplay! Not only that, but the people you interact with treat you differently throughout the game depending on the background you choose, or the race you choose, or how you treat them in the many instances in which you are given freedom to choose how you will speak or act.

This weekend I "finished" Mass Effect 2. I've put that in quotes because now that the game is done, I still get to play it! Back on my ship, my crew members all congratulate me on the big accomplished mission, while still being ready to explore the galaxy and take on smaller missions I may have missed the first time through! I nearly spazzed out in nerdly joy when I realized that even after 40 hours of gaming, I could still go back and comb the galaxy for the 8-10 quests I've since discovered online that I missed!

Woohoo! Bioware rocks!!

Inception is the latest film from writer Director Chris Nolan, now well known for re-launching the Batman franchise with great success. The story features Leonardo DiCaprio as the leader of a team who infiltrates people’s dreams in order to secure their deepest secrets.

Comparisons have already been made to The Matrix, though viewers should not go to theaters expecting remotely the same experience. Inception is much more an action/sci-fi/drama than a straight up action/sci-fi flick.

The story is fascinating and only leaves you in the dark for the first 20 minutes or so. (Possibly just a little too long.) Performances are solid, though no one stands out. Still, the movie finds a way to make you care about even incidental characters.

Though DiCaprio is the lead, the story follows an ensemble cast of interesting characters, and by the end of the movie’s two and a half hour runtime, you feel as though you’ve experienced an epic story with a lot of things happening.

Those interested in concept driven sci-fi will find plenty to think about as the “rules” of the dream world are unraveled and depended on for the story’s progression and moments of tension. As unlikely as this story is, the framework provided for it gives it a sense of realism. But this is no brainy, sterile, cerebral sci-fi affair. There is plenty of intensity and action to keep the average viewer involved.

One scene in the movie has an antagonist (of sorts) ask DiCaprio what he is feeling as a way to determine what is real. It is interesting that the perceptive viewer can pick up from the script that “feeling” is not a determiner of what is real. The stronger theme is about dealing with reality, rather than allowing yourself to be ruled by your emotions. This theme isn’t dealt with in a way that provokes conversation, but it’s certainly there.

I should point out that although the trailers for this movie are filled with special effects shots, the movie itself has a much smaller percentage of them. The realistic feel of the film may actually be a letdown to geeks looking for a more mind-bending movie. But this is a great film that many will enjoy, including the geek.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 7.0/10

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When I was in 3rd grade or so, my parents let me use the family computer: a Commodore 64. This little brown box was probably the coolest thing I ever received (though I wouldn’t say it was mine until everyone else in the family got bored with it).

Anyway, more on that background story later (probably)… for now, I want to briefly geek out over an old magazine that my neighbor introduced me to: COMPUTE! Magazine. He subscribed to the magazine at the time, and he would make copies of all the Commodore 64 programs for me to type in. This is basically how I started learning how to program. This was 20 years ago.

Then, about a month ago, I found a torrent of all the old COMPUTE! issues as PDF files, as well as full copies of some other C64-related books I had as a kid: Totaling over 16 gigs of high-res scans. As I “flipped” through them on my computer, I was taken back, and immediately remembered some of the awesome (at the time) games I typed in, and all of the completely wrong-headed programming techniques I learned. Also love the cover artwork, and how it cleverly tied in with all the articles and programs from that issue. Not to mention all the sweet 80s computer ads! Which, I might add, probably work better on me now than they did 20 years ago. I definitely want an Amiga, and an Atari 1200XL, and a PET, oh and a ZX Spectrum…

The early trailers for this movie grabbed my attention with the spectacular magic effects and semi-serious tone. But the PG rating and youthful protagonist made me fear that we had just another run of the mill fantasy movie for kids. Thankfully, this was not the case.

Nicolas Cage plays Balthazar, an immortal sorcerer who studied under Merlin. Morgana LeFey, Merlin’s ancient nemesis, is about to be unleashed on the world by an evil sorcerer(played by Alfred Molina), and Balthazar is in search of the stereo typical chosen one who alone has the power to defeat her.

Enter college student and science geek, Dave. The “Prime Merlinian”. (AKA, Chosen One) By a twist of fate, his life intersected with Balthazar and before long he is studying under him to prepare for the battle to come.

Yes, it’s a very simple plot. But the performances by the cast keep things engaging. Cage and Molina are especially fun to watch in their roles. Cage is not what you would expect from an immortal sorcerer and his odd characteristics serve the part well. Molina is unchallenged by this role but has great instincts and fits his character like a glove.

Although the film is rated PG, the tone, when it comes to magical dueling, is serious and often potentially deadly. The visual design also keeps things dark enough to suit a geek who didn’t come just to show his kids this movie.

There are a ton of cool effects in this movie. Giant monsters, animated objects and plenty of “magical energy” being thrown around. The latter was my favorite part, as it is seen so rarely ever since Peter Jackson decided it wasn’t cool. The other effects still look like CGI, but they serve the movie well.

About half of the jokes(usually those of the protagonist) are attempted with too much force, but there are many other moments that are genuinely funny when they aren’t trying so hard. Likewise, the movie successfully pulled me in to real emotional involvement near the very end, only to screw it up by having the protagonist talk too much.

As for philosophical relevance, there isn’t much. We briefly hear the familiar pop-spirituality mantra of “believe in yourself”, but it’s not a theme of the movie. “Do what feels right” is also found once in the script, but spoken by a bad guy for a change.

Real world sorcery may come up, especially given that Abagail Williams, of the Salem Witch Trials, is a character in this movie. Unlike Merlin, her ties to historical witchcraft connect the film more readily to reality, suggesting by implication that sorcery is real and this movie describes its true nature. But I think saying this movie promotes real-world sorcery would be looking for a fight.

While a few performance elements are hit or miss, the movie as a whole is very cool and fantasy fans shouldn’t miss seeing this one. And while there is a chance that you might find yourself discussing the Salem witch trials and the existence or nature of magic, it's a pretty small one.

Rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.


Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 6.5/10

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