Am I Crazy? I must be...

It occurred to me today that I wasn't writing a three book saga, but a five book saga. The original plan had been for me to write three books. But after four drafts, I broke the first book into three books. That means that now there is the first three books, compromising what used to be the first book, followed by books two and three (now books four and five). Further, I realized that it would actually make more sense for me to figure out what the entire arc of the entire story was and not just come back to books four and five at some later date. It would be irresponsible for me to write three books out of five.

What the heck have I gotten myself into?

Well, it sounds crazier than it actually is. In the actual chronology of writing this story, I was writing book four first when I realized that I needed to write the first three books so that people would know what was going on. The fifth book, which was to be the sequel to the fourth book, was going to wrap up the two part story.

So, basically, I started writing book four first, then I realized I needed book three, then book two, then book one. Then I combined books one, two, and three into one book. Then I wrote the one book but realized that it was too long, so I broke them into three books, of which I am currently finishing book one, and about to start on book two. But I'm now also going to start the synopsis process on book four and five. Clear as mud?

All this is a long way of asking your advice. The first book is called In Full Measure and the name comes from a verse in Isaiah. The second book is called Summer House, Winter House and comes from a verse in Micah (I believe... or Amos). I decided today that based on the storyline for the third book, the title should come from my favorite book in the Bible, Ecclesiastes. Here are the verses I selected and I was wondering which sounded the most Novel Title like to you...

1) With Much Wisdom
2) To The Place Streams Come From
3) In The Place Of Justice
4) The Heart Of The Wise
5) The Same Destiny Overtakes All
and
6) Every Hidden Thing

(And as a bonus, I've decided to give the following Ecclesiastical title to the fourth book, "The Days Of Trouble Come.")

So, if you've ever wanted to influence the naming of a major novel, motion picture, video game, and television spin-off series, now is your chance. Vote for your favorite and let me know why.

When is writing like sex...

I don't know why. I really don't want to self-analyze and ruin the feeling. But after spending an hour and a half working on my novel yesterday, I feel as giddy as a schoolboy today. Maybe its the lighthearted feeling of knowing that THIS TIME IS THE LAST TIME! But I have a feeling its more to do with the endorphin rush from writing again and from beating my brain against the side of the computer to shake out the very last ounces of pure creative energy my body has stored inside, thus allowing for a very pleasant night of sleep.

Either way, I'm going to enjoy the sensation and then light up a cigarette afterwards.

Apparently Not Finished Yet - A Novel Update

I thought I was done. But every time I write, The End, it keeps pulling me back in!

Actually, most of the book is set. It was just the ending I didn't like - and mostly because I'd done so many changes to the beginning and middle that the old ending just didn't gel with the rest of the book. So while I've been consciously trying to ignore the novel, to pretend it was finished, I have been idly sort of wondering what I'd do to improve the ending if I ever was to possibly, maybe, go back to it. Just idle thoughts, I swear.

What actually prompted me to revisit the ending of In Full Measure was the beginning of Summer House, Winter House. While I hadn't actually painted myself into a corner or anything, I realized that I'd dropped so much momentum at the end of In Full Measure that there was almost no way to start the second book without it being really flat. In rethinking the beginning of the second book so that I could make it into a stand-alone story, I realized that everything I wanted to do pointed to changing the ending of In Full Measure.

And so, a couple of weeks back, I actually had a sort of breakthrough - a way to change the ending of In Full Measure that didn't require a whole lot of rewriting (more of moving things around) but that created a lot more suspense and action scenes and allowed for a great set up for the second book. As a result, I decided to leave it alone for a while longer until I was sure that it was what I wanted to do.

This weekend, I figured out how to definitively start the second book and that, in turn, has locked in the changes to the ending of the first book. *whew*

To make a really long story even longer, I will begin working this week on the rewrites and the final, final, final version of In Full Measure.

On top of all that, I've sent off the first three chapters of In Full Measure to someone in the publishing biz who wanted to read them and will hopefully offer me some advice on how to improve the beginning of the book. May this be the first step towards publishing - sometime in my lifetime.

Of course, its hard to publish a book that isn't finished yet. So I need to get back to the writing. I can feel the headaches already starting.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) - Three Wigs

I'm an anthropologist because of Indiana Jones. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Its not exactly hero worship. And I wasn't one of those kids that fell over backwards for the movie and lined up for four weeks for the next installment. But when I realized that my love of adventure was being fused with my love of history, the only logical profession I could picture myself in was Archaeology. I even own a bull whip. Of course, I gave up any idea of being a professional in this field because I didn't want to owe banks $100K in student loans and because my first love of writing seemed like the better occupation over the long run. And that's a long way of justifying my review of this film.

First, let me say that Indiana Jones really doesn't pick up until Shia LeBeouf comes on screen. Yes, I said it. The beginning of the film with Indy was good, but it wasn't fun. The second Shia entered the picture, the film became fun. And overall, I really enjoyed myself.

But, that being said, and my love for Indy not withstanding, even Spielberg and Lucas do not get a free pass when it comes to story. STORY, STORY, STORY! How many times do we have to say it? Its not the special effects or the acting or the music or the bull whip or the action sequences or the pulp references or the popcorn - its the story. That's what makes a great movie. The script problems with this film are the stuff of Hollywood lore. Some of the greatest writers of an entire generation had a look at this script. And so, someone finally came along and took a little bit of this and a little bit of that and threw this final movie together - and it feels like it.

What this film needed was a singular vision - a singular pass on the script. Great that they wanted so many different ideas in the film, but get someone like Frank Darabont or Lawrence Kasdan to take that "final" amalgamation and rewrite it into a single story. There were plot threads that just disappeared and characters that seemed to come and go out of nowhere.

But there is a stretch in this film, after the appearance of Marion Ravenwood, where the film settles into a nice old fashioned Indy rhythm and we just hang on for the ride. That 40 minutes of film made up for the other 80 because for a short time, we were able to remember what these Indy films used to be like. For that 40 minutes, this film earns almost five wigs. But then the ending comes and we're let back down again, almost gently, and by the end, we're back to three wigs. Take them and enjoy them. Because we're not likely to see them again.

(AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, WHY COULDN'T MARION SAY, "INDIANA JONES... SOMEDAY I ALWAYS KNEW YOU'D COME WALKING BACK THROUGH MY DOOR." WOULD IT BE TOO MUCH TO ASK?)

Geek Film Champion of 2008

And the winner is...



Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

My own experience with this film is one of the grandest movie adventures of all time. My Dad has clients in Los Angeles and so, once a year, we would head down to Los Angeles for a little Disney time and an occasional side trip to Hollywood. This particular trip was memorable for many reasons (We met Chubby Checker in our swimming pool and he propositioned my step-mom, amongst other things ;) but the one thing that I will always remember it for was my first viewing of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

When I arrived in Hollywood, my Dad had been down there a day ahead of us for meetings with this clients. The first thing he said to us kids was, "You've got to see this movie!" Now my Dad likes movies like most people - he goes, he enjoys them, he forgets about them the next minute. For my Dad to gush about a movie like a little fan boy, I was immediately intrigued. As he himself said to me the other day, "I don't go see movies twice. But with Raiders, I not only saw it twice, I saw it twice in the same day." Anyway, he then explained to us about the movie and it sounded okay. But then he noted that it had Han Solo in it and that was when I wanted to see it.

So, we drove on down to Graumann's Chinese Theater - YES, THE GRAUMANN'S! - and got in line. The line was around the block, but we managed to only have to wait about two hours to get in. We went into the nice air conditioned theater and sat down. The theater was HUGE. Then my Dad made me go and get popcorn and drinks for everyone. So I trudged back into the lobby and waited and waited and waited. And finally, popcorn and drinks in hand, I opened the doors to the theater and walked in.

There on this incredibly HUGE movie screen was a man running away from a giant ball that was chasing him through some sort of temple. The entire theater rumbled with the sound of that ball. And I very nearly dropped my popcorn and sodas. It was love at first sight.

After a recent viewing of this film, I noted that one of the things that made the film work for me more so than just about any other film was in how originally everything was executed. There isn't a mis-step in the entire film or script. Every scene is original, but in such a way as to convey familiarity. Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn't just an action film. It was THE ACTION FILM - the one all other films have tried to be throughout history and the one all other action films will be forever compared.

For that fact alone, Raiders of the Lost Ark deserves the title of Geek Film Champion of 2008.

We'll see if it can defend it's crown next year.

Half a grand...

Despite the fact that I've had a lot to say the past week, I've been sitting on this post for a while now because, well, it marks my 500th. We like to commemorate big numbers in our human way and I was waiting for the perfect issue to pop up to make the 500th seem more monumental than it actually is.

My first inclination, of course, was to blog about all the milestones and important decisions I've made in my life recently - like the fact that I've taken the plunge into the online dating world again, or the fact that I've decided to retire from Youth Ministry in September, or the ongoing nature of making a film. But why does my blog always have to be about me? Me, me, me... I sound like a song-bird. So I decided to let all that information, and the fact that I recently won a wine-tasting cruise for two, to pass and not comment on it.

My next inclination was to be more witty. I thought of all those great comic book milestones of my youth - ISSUE #500 BATMAN IS DEAD! or ISSUE #500 - MEET SUPERMAN'S ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN! I was thinking of what sort of life-altering announcement I could make that would really catch people's attention. ISSUE #500 - WILL BECOMES A PRIEST! or ISSUE #500 - MEET WILL'S LONG LOST EVIL TWIN! But, of course, that's just too silly for such a milestone blog.

More recently, I've been trying to figure out what serious issue I could tackle in such an insightful way that people would point to this 500th post as the tide turning of the course of human history. I considered high gas prices (Another 26 cents in one week!) or the upcoming Depression or the issue of free speech as it relates to the sex trafficking problem in the world. And most recently, I considered airing the dirty laundry of my church yet again as it relates to, of all things, the movie GREASE - but decided the entire debate was so ridiculous that it didn't even need commenting and is probably best left unsaid. None of these things, however, were so important to me that I could come up with an insightful argument that wouldn't sound like ranting. And a giant rant is not what I wanted my 500th blog for which that I wanted you to remember (or something like that - English is so damned impossible as a language. That's why I usually speak American.)

Finally, it occurred to me that one of the great things about Blogs is their interactivity. And I know that everyone is headed off to Memorial Day weekend, but I thought it'd be cool for my 500th post, to have you, my loyal readers, decide what my 500th post ought to be about. And so, without further ado...

500th Post CATEGORY:

Name three things of such monumental importance that they are worthy of being the subject of a 500th post that Will ought to write about for his 500th post:

As usual, I will take your answers below.

P.S. I will also accept congratulations, grudgingly, so long as it doesn't offset my usual magnanimous and modest nature...

P.P.S. The Winner of the 2008 Geek Film Championship will be announced next week.

Prince Caspian (2008) - Two Point Five One Wigs

What is the measure of a good movie? No, really... to what do we measure a movie by? Is it the box office results? Is it the acting? Is it the film making? Is it the story? Is it some combination of all these things? And when adapting a story from a novel, does the adaption also factor into this equation? I ask all these questions because it goes to the heart of my movie review. By any other name, Prince Caspian is complex.

I read the books when I was a kid. I remember that I liked them, but that's all I remember. So, as an adaption, I can't really compare. It has Aslan in it and the Pevensie children and some talking animals and they talk about Narnia. That's about what I remember from the book, so in that regard, it matches my memory of the adaption.

It's box office results were good for a movie opening before Memorial Day. I imagine this film will have long legs and that once it gets into the summer holiday it might see a resurgence in box office. But quite frankly, I think Disney made a huge mistake launching it when it did - but I realize that they didn't want to compete with Wall-E or with Harry Potter in the fall. That leaves only a few times to launch the film. So they will get what they can in terms of box office and still call it a success.

The acting was fine, but the first chinks in the armor start to show. The accents were horrible. I don't know who's idea it was to have them speak with a Spanish accent - but it was probably the same dialog guy who advised George Lucas on his accents. The end result was a laughable mishmash of accents that made me wonder if the film was being made by Pedro Almodovar. Beyond the accents, I found the actor who played Peter to be quite horrible - as I did in the first Narnia film. Granted, the writing for his role was rather stiff, so I'm sure that didn't help. As with the first movie, the bright spot was the young lady who played Lucy. She is quite the find.

The film making was marred by the exact same problem as the first one - the sound. Now, I'm not a sound genius. I don't pretend to be a sound expert or a sound designer. But if I can't hear the dialog because the music is blaring too loud or the clash of sound effects are drowning them out then you really ought to fire the people who do your sound mix. This was what ruined the first half hour of the first Narnia movie as well. The sound isn't bad throughout, just at some key times. Now, I might be inclined to say that I'm having hearing problems, except, of course, that I heard every word of Iron Man and Speed Racer and every show I've watched for the last two years in between Narnia 1 and 2. So, I'm going to guess the sound sucks and leave it at that.

The other glaring problem is that the CGI tends to look like CGI. This is not the fault of the special effects guys - there is really a limit to what the technology can do. I find that it is more the problem of the director not knowing what to do with the CGI. There are moments in Caspian where the CGI is quite good - like the final battle with the trees. Those trees scared the heck out of me. And Aslan looks much better in this movie than he did in the first one. The opening sequence where the kids were drawn into Narnia is also quite good and Reepicheep is exceptional as a character. But then there are climactic moments like the River Jesus (that's what AICN called it, and I'm afraid the description is quite apt) that look really fake. But throughout, with very few exceptions, the CGI does not transport you the way it did in the LOTR trilogy.

And so finally, we are left with the story. Unlike The Golden Compass, I could actually follow the story here. It was a bit spotty at times, but it was better than some of the adaptions I've seen. In fact, the length of the movie assured me that the adaption had to be pretty close. But beyond the plot and the story arcs, I want to say that with few exceptions the writing left me very indifferent. I didn't really warm to any of the new characters and was positively annoyed by 3/4ths of the kids. So, for the most part, the writing was very weak.

But where the movie really did shine were in the purely C.S. Lewis moments - which is true irony for a movie that seems embarrassed to embrace this theological story. Whenever Aslan is on the screen, the movie just moves to a new level. Whenever Lucy is talking about Narnia with Aslan there, the movie just gets brighter - as if we can almost see what it is that Lucy is talking about. Aslan is not all love and brightness in this film. He has a definite edge to him. He almost seems a little dangerous. And the film makers didn't shy away from that angle. With the end result of all this being that Narnia once again becomes a place that you want to visit, that you want to experience, and that you want to live. This was, I think, the central point of writing the Chronicles of Narnia - to open an incredible new world of a relationship with God to children the world over. I found myself dreaming about this world last night with a big smile on my face.

Like I said, its a complex movie that has a lot of negative points against it. But in the end, I will say that I liked it - barely. The thoughts of Aslan and the smile it left on my face for Narnia overcame many of the problems I had with the film. To be fair, out of all the Harry Potter films and Narnia films, this is the first one that I can actually put in the Like column. All the rest just barely missed out on being liked (no matter how much I wanted to like them).

I won't go see this film again, but I can recommend that you go and see it, especially if you want to remember what it was like to believe in Aslan again.

Weekly Geek Meet Film Schedule

As promised:

May 5th: Iron Man
May 13th: Speed Racer
May 19th: Prince Caspian
May 26th: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
June 2nd: TBD
June 9th: Don't Mess With The Zohan (Will is in Alaska)
June 16th: The Incredible Hulk/The Happening
June 23rd: Get Smart
June 30th: Wall-E
July 7th: Hancock
July 14th: Meet Dave/Hellboy II
July 21st: The Dark Knight
July 28th: X-Files: I Want To Believe
August 4th: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emporer
August 11th: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
August 18th: Star Wars - Clone Wars
August 25th: Hamlet 2
September 1st: Babylon A.D.

All films are subject to change. And schedule is subject to change depending on other developments.

Speed Racer (2008) - Three and a Half Wigs

I am not a fan of the anime series that this film is based upon. Not that I hated it, I just never saw it all that much. I was aware of its existence. My ambivalence to this film actually started when I first heard that it was being made and by the same people that did the really great Matrix and equally atrocious Matrix sequels. I was thinking that it was going to suck. The first previews didn't really do anything for me. And I admit that I thought the film might seriously bomb. Still, I was intrigued with the idea of a blockbuster type film intentionally made for a family audience - unlike the horribly written Episode One where it felt like they were trying to sneak it on us. Based on that intrigue, and the fact that my other choice this week was What Happens in Vegas with Ashton Kutcher, I decided to check the film out.

I was very glad I did.

First of all, the film is exactly as advertised - a family friendly cartoon of a film with all soft edges, pretty colors, and nothing in any way, shape or form, that might cause you to think, or form a negative opinion of anything or anybody except bad guys who look like Al Gore. From the very first moments of the film, you will be wrapped in and embraced by a style that's at least 60% computer animation and 20% human animation and 20% editing animation. This film never stops working for you. Its as frenetic as the second Bourne film without the epileptic fits and with just enough downtime in between action scenes to give you a breather, a chance to rush to the bathroom or go get that refill on your popcorn. I only heard a kid whine once and that for only a few seconds before they were once again engrossed.

The basic plot, spoiler free, follows Speed Racer - the second oldest son in the Racer family, who has spent his entire life wanting to get behind the wheel of a race car. Having finally gotten his chance to race and prove that he is a driving genius, he must overcome some evil people to see his dream of winning the Grand Prix completed. In his quest, Speed is aided by his family, his incredible car (the Mach 5), and his long waiting girlfriend, Trixie. To boot, there's a cute kid and monkey for comic relief.

The editing on this film was incredible. The Wachowski Brothers do things with film that I've never seen anyone else do before. They seem to not only embrace computer graphics in their films, but see ways to use them to further an art form that can seem incredibly stagnant at time. They always bring a breath of fresh air to their film making - which doesn't necessarily mean that every film they make is good. This, however, was a very well made film.

The problem with Speed Racer, if you can call it that, is that it never strives to be more than it is. Its a cartoon. A somewhat live action, state of the art computer animated, cartoon, but a cartoon nonetheless. In that end, it achieves what it sets out to achieve with incredible brilliance. But at the end of the day, no matter how good the chef, a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is still just a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. This film is eye candy and as a result leaves you a little malnourished if you were hoping for a little bit more.

Still, for a cartoon, its very good. If you felt any inclination to see this film before, I'd go see it. It will probably not translate to the small screen very well, so definitely see it in the big theater. If you had no inclination to see this film before, then you certainly won't be missing anything by skipping it. I rated it Three and a Half Wigs because I really enjoyed it. And I think if you go, you will enjoy it too. But if you don't go, it certainly won't be the end of the world.

IRON MAN (2008) - Four Wigs

Iron Man was always one of my favorite comics when I grew up. It wasn't one of the premiere comics like X-Men or Batman. It was a second tier comic like Daredevil. In that, it survived on story, character development, and the very cool idea of flying around in a suit and blowing stuff up. There's not enough blowing things up in the real world, so we need our fantasy share too.

As such, Director Jon Favreau understands the basic appeal of Iron Man. Add in a dash of vintage and funny Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and you have a very fun and energetic Iron Man movie.

So, without spoilers, the basic plot is that Tony Stark - a billionaire whiz kid - gets a basic lesson in greed and responsibility when he discovers a horrifying secret about the way his inventions have been used. Vowing to use his powers for good, he creates a flying suit of armor and decides to become a super hero.

If you've read the comic, there are many references to future events in the series - but your lack of knowledge will certainly not hinder your enjoyment of this film. Its basically about flying around and blowing stuff up, and on that end it delivers. The special effects are incredible in the way that they don't look like special effects. And the cameo at the very end of the film (after the credits) is a really great nod to Marvel Comic fans.

If there is a drawback to the film its that its a bit lightweight. But given the material, that was almost a given. If you're expecting Shakespeare, you will be disappointed. Other than that, I could find no fault with it. I give the film Four out of Five Wigs.

Weekly Geek Meet

This summer I've begun a new project to help alleviate stress and to remain entertained. As Hollywood has seen fit to provide us with a bumper crop of mindless entertainment this summer, I've decided to end my "Film's suck" boycott and return to the cineplex. Every Monday this summer, I intend to take in the latest and greatest movie fare in a geektasmic film orgy. If you are in the SF area and would like to meet, I intend to go to the Daly City 20 every Monday night around 7pm (depending on show time) to see the latest film (except the two weeks when I'm in Alaska and the weeks when I'll be filming myself). I will post a complete schedule of the intended films so that you can make plans to come.

(Film reviews to follow)

And Then There Were Eight!

This is it. The final countdown to the Geek Film Championship. THE ELITE EIGHT! And it's not too late to get in on the action - to decide the final four and then the greatest geek film of all time*.

So far, this week, we've had seven teams advance into the Elite Eight. Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the King, The Two Towers, Contact, Tron, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And tonight, you will decide the final member of this elite group when you vote for Raiders of the Lost Ark or From Russia with Love. That's a pretty select group of fine films and not a dog amongst them.

But starting today, you can also vote for the finalists in each of the four categories - Old School SciFi, Fantasy, New Wave SciFi, and Action films - as we narrow down the films to the Final Four. And then, early next week - we will crown the ultimate winner of Geek Filmdom.

So vote now and vote often. History will record what you do today - as well as the DHS and the NSA, but only history's recording will be important to geeks.


*Results are for greatest geek film in only one of four categories. Not all films were included in this list and some geeks might argue about particular omissions. But then geeks will pretty much argue about anything geeky which is why they are geeks. So save your Millenium Falcon vs. The Enterprise geek arguments for someone who cares. According to my methods, this will definitively decide for ALL TIME what the greatest geek film is - until next year when we'll start all over again with different categories.

I have no idea what I'm doing

I think this is the ultimate expression of my ICON blog. I really haven't a freaking clue. I have turned the normal character trait of replacing confidence with bluster into an art form.

I am a student. I have no particular training in being a student. I really spent most of my formative student years learning anything but what the teacher was trying to teach me. But I pretend to be a good student, and therefore I am. I can pretend that I write good notes and I can pretend that I studied for hours, but truth be told, I'm often lucky on tests and I can write a mean essay that says nothing. I get by.

I am a youth leader. I have never been a youth leader before. I'd like to say that I learned from the best, but I was really too busy enjoying myself. I have no training in this area and very little ability. A teacher of mine once said, "Half of life is showing up." THAT, I'm good at. I pretend to be a youth leader. I pretend that I have some idea of what I'm doing. But I don't. Not a clue really. Still, nobody else is an expert either, so I get a free pass.

I am an inventory expert. Hah. That's really a laugh. I spend all day looking at spreadsheets and wondering if there wasn't some really simple way to do what I do. I'm sure if I were to ever go to college and take a course in this job, I could make my job so much easier. But I pretend to be an expert and my bosses pretend that I am an expert and pay me commensurate to my actual abilities. I think they just really don't want to do the job themselves.

I am a writer. Self taught - which in writing terms is about the same as being your own lawyer. You might occasionally get a parking ticket thrown out, but when it comes to the murder trial... I hope you like electrical currents. But I pretend that I know what I'm doing and rant and rave when people don't understand what I wrote (what's wrong with you!? ;) Ultimately, I really just like reinventing the wheel.

I am a producer. Ah... the nub of this post. I am about to embark on a film this summer using $5,000 of my own dollars and I really don't have any idea of what I'm doing. But I'm the producer and everyone expects me to be the expert - to be in charge. Somehow, I know this film will come together, but I'm always a little anxious before the start of a project of this size and complexity because I know that if push comes to shove, I'm landing on my a$$. However, I'll worry about that bridge when I cross it.

The fact of the matter is, knowing what I'm doing is kind of overrated. I've been in this position before where bluster can get more done than actual knowledge. If people think you know what you're doing, they will follow you a lot further than they will follow someone who DOES know what they are doing. And if you don't believe me, look at the elections of 2000 and 2004.

You see, it ultimately doesn't matter. And that is the essence of ICON. I con no one but myself. We are all just as completely lost as I am. We are all wandering around our own little islands trying to make sense of the world and none of us are experts. There is only one expert. And as long as we're willing to acknowledge that we have something even better than knowledge - we have wisdom. No matter how much you know, if you aren't willing to acknowledge who is really in charge, you are ultimately a fool.

So, I'll simply accept that I have no idea what I'm doing and put my faith and trust in the Lord. I'm pretty sure that I can't go wrong after that.

The Sweet 16

Okay, Geek Film Lovers, the Sweet 16 is finally here and we are in the home stretch for selecting the 2008 Greatest Geek Film of All Time. Here are the final 16 films:

#1 Star Wars vs. #4 E.T.
#2 2001 vs. #6 Empire Strikes Back

#1 Return of the King vs. #13 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
#2 The Two Towers vs. #3 Fellowship of the Ring

#2 Revenge of the Sith vs. #11 Tron
#4 Armageddon vs. #9 Contact

#1 Ben Hur vs. #4 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
#3 Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. #7 From Russia with Love.

Only eight of these films will advance and we'll have our first elimination tomorrow. So VOTE NOW!