MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (REVISITED)

Well, if you haven't guessed or heard already, I am attempting to relaunch my blog. This time I intend on actually making something of it, not simply writing useless things. However, I cannot deny my inner geek (no I am not a nerd, cause nerds love to learn or love education, I love geek things). So, join me as we review an old post, and make a few revisions to it. My post about a possible reboot of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series was, in my opinion, one of my better posts. Well now, there officially is a reboot in the works and many of the characters have been revealed, though not much of the story has to this point. I think it will be interesting to see how my opinion stacks up to what is actually happening. 

As you can see above, the new poster is decent, though not very different from the various posters used by the numerous shows. 

Now, let us begin with the characters. and of course we will start with the heroes.

Above is an official picture of the new Rangers. I'm afraid they each look a little too much like models to be tough monster fighters; but that's Hollywood for you. Below is the original Rangers from the hit 90's show.

Without knowing the characters in the new film, I can only compare how the new characters look when compared to the old character.

So, let us begin with the Black Ranger, played by Ludi Lin. Known as Zack Taylor, the new Black Ranger keeps the name, but steers clear of the stereo typical casting the show was criticized for. All I can say is, I hope his jaw is stronger than it looks, cause he doesn't look like he can taker a punch. But overall, should at least look the part.

I am afraid I do not like the casting choice of Becky Gomez on the surface. Miss Gomez, who I am certain is a talented actress in her own right (I am unfamiliar with her work at this time), doesn't fit the name Trini Kwan. Now perhaps the character names will not be the same as the original show, but this would be very disappointing for us lifelong fans.

Billy Cranston, the famous nerd of the original group, will be played by RJ Cyler. I almost like this casting, at least without seeing any footage of the young actor. Billy was by far one of my favorites, and he was hands down, my mom's favorite; so please stay true to the character while expanding upon it.

Well, well, the girl next door is back. The Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart, was a role seemingly destined to be played by the adorable Amy Jo Johnson. However, Miss Naomi Scott will undertake this near iconic role. IS she ready for the undoubted pressure that will accompany it? I must admit, from her picture in the group photo above, I don't think they are sticking with the girl next door character we all knew.

The leader of the Rangers is of course the Red Ranger. Austin St John played the character known as Jason Lee Scott very well. Dacre Montgomery will be called upon to reinvent the character. Perhaps he can add a depth to the character, the limits of the show didn't allow.

The casting of Elizabeth Banks seemed good to me on the surface. No, she wasn't my choice but I thought, maybe it works. However, the recent images of her Rita Repulsa is anything but good. She looks nothing like the evil witch that plagued the Rangers I remember. Below are pictures of her character found on the web. I found the promotional image of her off IMDb.com. there has been no word on who, if anyone, will play Zordon. The mystical being who formed the Rangers. Unfortunately, I fear they will not do the character justice.

Please let me know your thoughts on the upcoming movie. The current release date is March 24, 2017.

New Day

So, I didn't write a single post in 2015. Much to my disappointment. Well, that is going to change. I finish my graduate classes this month and will begin blogging like crazy. I hope you are ready for many blogs to come. I know one blog I intend on writing soon will be about top 10 video games I have ever played. Plus I look forward to writing a review of the new Captain America: Civil War movie once it's out! I hope you all have a blessed day! 

World of Warcraft

Many years ago, in my college days, I played the extremely popular World of Warcraft (WoW) game. Though I was never as addicted to the game as those die hard fans you hear stories about, I did enjoy playing the game. Between playing WoW and Call of Duty, Ididn't get much homework done. I played the game in what I think many would agree was the height of its popularity, in the expansion Wrath of the Lich King. My friends and I spent many hours questing and raiding. After I got married, my wife convinced me I needed to return to college, well that and I found working without a degree something I didn't ever want to do again. So I stopped playing the game. Over four years and three expansions later, I have decided to return to Azeroth. I want to take you along for the ride as I my favorite places and try out the new features of the game. However, my goal is to record videos of my gameplay for you to see. I do want to involve you the readers this time though. I will be playing the alliance, since that was the faction i played before and wish to play on my old server, what race and class should I create for my videos? Perhaps a Worgen warrior or druid? Maybe a Human paladin or priest? Night Elf druid or rogue? Write your choice of race or class in the comments section and a reason why you chose that combination. The person with the best reasoning will have their character chosen. Then we can create a name and begin questing. I will choose the best answer this Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. 

To end this post I would like to give a short recap of WoW for any readers that do not know. 

World of Wacraft began in 2004 as a continuation of the very popular Warcraft series. The Warcraft games were real time strategy games while WoW is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMO-RPG). The orginal game allowed plyers to play up to level 60, on either the Horde or Alliance factions. Each faction had four races to choose from. The Alliance: Night Elves, Humans, Dwarves, or Gnomes; while the Horde: Orcs, Undead, Trolls, and Tauren. Each race had certain classes they could choose to play as: Warriors, Hunters, Rogues, Priests, Mages, Warlocks, Druids, Shamans, and Paladins (some classes were only available for certain races: i.e. druids could ony be Night Elves or Tauren). Originally, Paladins could only be played by Alliance races and Shamans could only be Horde races. Each class served a specific function in a group: tank - absorbs the majority of attacks and damage, healers - heal raid/party members (specifically the tank), and DPS or damage dealers - deal the majority of damage to the target or targets. Some classes could fill multiple roles, but not at the same time. Here are how the classes break down by role; Tanks - Warriors, Druids, and Paladins; Healers - Priests, Druids, Shamans, and Paladins; DPS - Warriors, Hunters, Rogues, Priests, Mages, Warlocks, Druids, Shamans, and Paladins. Though any class could fill the role of DPS, each has a unique way of dealing damage. 

In January of 2007, WoW released its first expansion, The Burning Crusade.

An old villian in the Warcraft canon returned, Illidian Stormrage and his Burning Legion wreck havoc on the Horde and Alliance again. This expansion raised the level cap to 70 and added two new playable races. The Dranenei (Alliance) and Blood Elves (Horde). Another new feature of the expansion was the addition of flying Mounts in the new territory (Outland). The new races allowed the faction specific classes (Paladin and Shaman) to be played by the other faction. Blood Elves could be Paladins, and Draenei could be Shamans. 

The game continued to grow in popularity, and by the end of 2008, it reached its peak with the release of its second expansion: Wrath of the Lich King. 

The Lich King is another villain from Warcraft lore, who was the focus of the Warcraft III expansion. Now he has returned to seek his revenge. Though no new races were introduced, this expansion saw the introduction of a ne epic class; the Death Knight. The Death Knight served the Lich King until they turned against him and joinded the Alliance and Horde. Death Knights are like a mix between Paladins and Warlocks; they can be Tanks or DPS. This expansion also brought the kingdom of Northrend into gameplay. This was another area where players could fly. This is also where I left the game. The following expansions I have never played. 

December 2010 saw the release of Cataclysm and the first major changes to the WoW game. 

Deathwing, another old villain (can you tell how deep the backstory for this game is?) rips holes in Azeroth and spreads his destruction. The Alliance and Horde must join forces again to stop the onslaught. This expansion saw many note worthy changes to WoW, and set the level cap at 85. Two new races were added: Worgen (Alliance) and Goblins (Horde). This expansion also saw flying mounts coming to the classic lands of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. The Worgen are a major reason why Iam returning to WoW. Another change worthnoting is he expaansion of classes into different races. Each race only had a limited number of classes they could play as, and this expansion allowed more classes for each race. 

September 2012 marked the release of another expansion; Mists of Pandaria.

A new race, new class, new land to explore, and a level cap of 90 are the highlights of this expansion. However, the unique aspect of this expansion was the new race's ability to choose which faction they wanted to side with. The Pandaren could choose to be eiter Aliiance or Horde. Also, the Monk was added to the list of classes providing another all around class like the Druids. Monks can be a Tank, Healer, or DPS. This expansion also focused heavily on the Horde in the story line, rather than a main villain from Warcraft lore. 

The newest expansion of the WoW universe is Warlords of Draenor, released in November of this year. 

Another dip into the history of Warcraft, this expansion returns the Draenei and Orcs to their homeworld where the Iron Horde is poised to launch an invasion of Azeroth. This is where we will pick up; though I am afraid it will take us time to get to 90 and really enjoy the expansion. This is where you will come in. 

We will begin with the playable races. I will list classes I think would be good with that race.

Horde: (though I will not choose one of these races for my firs character for the blog)

Orc - Warrior or Shaman

Undead - Warlock or Death Knight

Troll - Hunter or Rogue

Tauren - Druid or Shaman

Blood Elf - Mage or Paladin

Gobin - Rogue or Warlock

Pandaren - Monk - Priest

Alliance: (note; my current main character is a Night Elf Death Knight)

Human - Death Knight or Warlock

Night Eld - Druid or Hunter

Dwarf - Warrior or Hunter

Gnome - Mage or Warlock

Draenei - Shaman or Paladin

Worgen - Rogue or Warrior

Pandaren - Monk or Priest

Now the classes that I think are best for each role: first on list being best, last being worst.

Tank:

Warrior, Paladin, Death Knight, Druid, and Monk

Healer:

Priest, Druid, Monk, Shaman, and Paladin

DPS:

Mage, Hunter, Rogue, Warlock, Druid, Death Knight, Monk, Priest, Paladin, Shaman

So I look forward to your choices for my character. 

Mighty Morphing Power Rangers Reboot Cast

Since I loved writing my Star Trek TNG Reboot, I have been looking for another show or movie to reboot. This time I will go a little more indepth into the story line I think the film should follow. 

Mighty Morphin Power Ranger 

Original Group

Lets begin with the rangers. I would like to mention that the character names will e slightly different. Instead of the last name from the orginal show, I am giving them the last name of the orginal actor that played the character. Also, I am changing the characters up a little. 

Black Ranger: Zachary Jones

Actor: Jake T Austin

 

Austin isn't very well known but can bring energy to the character and the cast. His comedic experience will help keep the movie entertaining. Also, he can build into a powerful actor through this role.

Yellow Ranger: Trinity Trang

Actress: Kat Graham

 

Graham may not be thought of as an action style actress but I see the potential there. Also, she helps avoid the stereo typing the orginal show had. 

Blue Ranger: Billy Yost

Actor: Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Possibly best known for his role in Game of Thrones, Thomas just looks the part. Billy was the nerd, and Thomas can look nerdy while bringing a depth the character never had. 

Pink Ranger: Kimberly Johnson

Actress: Nicola Peltz

 

Peltz has some recognition from the Transformer franchise, also her work on that movie proves she can handle big budget blockbuster movie time demands. She also brings the sex appeal he character was famou for without being to much of a "girl next door". 

Red Ranger: Jason St. John

Actor: Lucas Till

Lucas has experierence in major action movies (X-Men First Class), making him ideal to lead this group of misfits. He also has the look of a young leader. 

Now that the cast is set, you may notice that none of these actors or actresses have the star power needed to fill theaters and justify a major blockbuster. This means the supporting cast has to be great in order to draw the large crowds. 

Zordon

Actor: Alan Rickman

 

Rickman will give the character credibility. He will not simply be some face in a jar. He can be an ancient warrior returned to mentor and guide a new group of warriors in the defense of Earth. 

Alpha 5

I think Alpha 5 should be changed to the computer system of the commander center. It would be known as an Aplha 5 intelligent command system. Any good voice over actor could fill the role. But do away with the goofy robot. 

Villains

Rita Repulsa

Actress: Lana Parrilla 

 

Parrilla plays a villain on the tv show Once Upon a Time. She is personally one of my favorite characters on the show. The biggest thing here is how I think she would fit into the story that I would like to see. Plus, she woud actually make Rita an attractive villain and not some ugly old hag. 

Goldar

Actor: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

 

Goldar was sort of an idiot in the show, Dwayne can make him more of the muscle behind the villain. He won't be an Einstein but he won't be a Pee Wee Herman either. Plus he would fit well in the story. 

Lord Zedd

Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch

 

Cumberbatch is the hottest villain in Hollywood right now. His portrayal of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness and voicing of Smaug in the Hobbit series has proven his versatility as a villain. He can make Lord Zedd a nightmare for children and someone who is truely evil. Plus, he doesn't even have to physically play the character if he doesn't want too, just lending his voice to the character would be a great addition to the film. However I really don't think he should play a major role in the first film. This film should set up Zedd as the major villain for the sequel. 

This is my list of characters for a possible reboot. But I want to mention a possible story line for this film or series of films. 

Film 1

Possible Title

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers or simply Power Rangers

Rita Repulsa is accidentally released from a special prison on the moon. Her husband, Lord Zedd learns of her release and quickly disatches Goldar to remind Rita of her mission to bring Earth under Zedds rule. Zordon, an ancient galactic warrior charged with the defense of the Earthis awoken to defend the Earth. He chooses five young adults to become his new Rangers. He equips them with suits of armor (perhaps like one of the examples below) to fight Rita and her evil forces. 

 

The Rangers fight a crueling battle with Rita's forces, led by Goldar. They are able to drive them back to a secret base on the moon. Mean while, the film ends with Lord Zedd entering Rita's base. He reveals his new weapon to finally conquer Earth. Zordon's old Ranger armor, the Green Ranger. 

Film 2

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2 or Power Rangers Lord Zedd's Wrath

This film begins with Lord Zedd finding a human to serve as his Green Ranger. 

Green Ranger: Tommy Frank

Actor Taylor Lautner

 

The Green Ranger terrorizes Earth and the Rangers. The Rangers find a way to release him from Lord Zedd's control but not before he helps Lord Zedd gain control of the Earth. 

Film 3

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Return or Power Rangers 3 Return from Exile

The Rangers, exiled from Earth, search for old allies of Zordon's to help free him and Earth from Zedd. They learn the history of the Power Rangers and of an old group of Rangers that left their powers behind for future generations. If they merge their power with those left behind, they may be able to defeat Lord Zedd. 

 

Ray-Ban Disappointment

I recently purchased a pair of Ray-Ban Aviator glasses for my wife. They were custom and fairly expensive. After only having them for about  week, my wife bent over to pick something up and the fell. Just look at what happened. 

As you can see, one of the lenses shattered. My wife is not that tall and was bent over, how could it shatter the glass? I am returning the glasses and can only hope they will replace them. The internet does not have very good reviews for the company's customer service department. I will update this post with their response. 

Top NFL Quarterbacks of All Time

This post is dedicated to the men I believe have established themselves as the most elite passers in the history of the National Football League. This list is compiled by me and for me; I am not the foremost expert on professional football, nor am I referencing numerous sources to support my claims. I am simply stating my opinion on the subject. The internet gives me the option to do this, and it gives you the option to read it or ignore it. One short coming of this list would be the current atmosphere of the NFL. The modern NFL is a pass focused league, with rules geared to protect the quarterback and receivers, along with so many teams built to pass first and run only as a supplement. With this in mind I tried to consider the climate of the league during each quarterback's time in it.

My criteria for this list will be based primarily on the fundamental role of the quarterback position in the American football sport. This role, as I see it, is to throw the ball to the skill players whenever called upon. The second aspect I will consider is the role of leadership; too often we assume that the quarterback must be the face or leader of his team. This assumption partly evolved from the fact that all of the men on this list, and other great quarterbacks that didn't make this list, were great leaders of their teams. My final criteria for admission to this list is winning. Let me be clear up front, winning isn't what makes you a great quarterback, it makes you a great competitor and player, but not a great quarterback. Every man on this list has proven they have what it takes to be an elite passer, winning is what differentiates the greats from the could have been and the flops.

I will begin with an honorable mention, then count down to the man I consider the greatest quarterback of all time.

Honorable Mention:

Kurt Warner
St Louis Rams, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals
Warner could have been on this list had he not struggled with injury and entered the league so late in his professional career. But he has to be mentioned because he was the arm behind "The Greatest Show on Turf". He was also one of the few players in the league that you never had to worry about off the field issues. his character was among the best in the league. Also, he knew how to win; and he won despite everyone expecting little if anything from him.

#10

Brett Favre
Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings
Some people may consider this to be a crazy placement for one of the games greatest, but look at his career. Favre was known as a gunslinger; he threw the ball into places a quarterback should never throw and was lucky enough to get away without throwing the game away every time. He had bad plays, but people seem to only remember the miraculous plays. He was a great quarterback, but he lacked the passing efficiency the other men on this list had.

#9

Terry Bradshaw
Pittsburgh Steelers
Bradshaw was a great competitor and great personality. He also knew how to make the throws his team needed him to make when his team needed him to make them. He wasn't a prolific passer, but with a defense called "The Steel Curtain" who needs to throw the ball forty times a game?

#8

Troy Aikman

Dallas Cowboys

Aikman has his career cut short by injury, but he accomplished much in his tenure as the signal caller for the Cowboys. He was never really called on to carry the team for any great length of time because he was always surrounded by a great supporting cast. But he knew how to work his offense and how to help put his team in a position to win. 

#7

Steve Young

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Fransico 49ers

The only quarterback on this list toactully replace another quarterback on this list. Young was able to put up big numbers, even late in his career. He knew how to win, and he knew how to make his offense run smoothly. It alos helped that his main target for many years was he greaest reciever in the history of the NFL. 

#6

John Elway

Denever Broncos

Elway was almost one of those great players that couldn't win the big one. He didn't win his first Super Bowl until his second to last season in the league. By that time, he had established himself as one of the elites of the league. But when his team needed him most, he delivered, despite being one of the oldest players on the field in that game, where he handed #10 on this list a crushing Super Bowl defeat. 

#5

Peyton Manning

Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos

Manning is a rare gem that may never come again. But you may be surprised that I put him so low on this list. Manning, depsite his amazing arm, struggled to win early in his career with the Colts. "Playoffs?!" He did evenually find a coach to help him in Tony Dungy, and has had great success with his new team. But the remaining men on this list have just shown me more talent, outside of throwing the ball. Manning is a great passer, but remember, being a quarterback is more than passing. 

#4

Drew Brees

San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints

If there is one quarterback in the league today that you can gurantee will never give up and will always put the ball down the field efficently, its Brees. Brees has found a home and sytem that fits his style perfectly. He is one of the greatest competitors the game has ever seen and can compete with any other quarterback on this list. 

#3

Tom Brady 

New England Patriots

The only reason I put Brady ahead of Brees is the fact that he has won more. Brees is a fierce competitor, but Brady is a competitor that wins consistently. Plus, Brady has done it with seemingly no talent around him. No one knows his recievers until the end of he season. But, Brady has a very small window to win another Super Bowl, he may need some known talent to help him get one last ring. 

#2

Joe Montana

San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs

When you think of the great quarterbacks that knew how to win, especially the big games, Montana has to come to mind. What he wasable toaccomplish with the 49ers is legendary. He wasn't the best passer in thegame, but he knew how to work the system. Plus, one his most famous passes is known as "The Catch", how could he not be on this list?

#1

Dan Marino

Miami Dolphins

This choice forhe greatest of all time wil ruffle some feathers. Marino never won a Super Bowl; heck, he only played in one Super Bowland lost to the #2 on this list. So how could Marino be the greatest quarterback in NFL history? Well, look at his stats over his career. Marino put up numbers that are common place in the modern NFL, but they were unheard of during his career. Throwingfor 4,000 yards was unimaginable in the 80s, he threw for 5,000 in his second year in the league. Marino held every important record for quarterbacks: career passing yards, season passing yards, career passing touchdowns, season passing touchdowns, and many more. He defined what themodern quarterback should look and play like. He didn't have any quarterbacks to look to for examples of greatness, because he was redefining the role of the quarterback. I claim, and this is simply my opinion, that without Dan Marino, there would be no Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady. This makes him the greatest of all time. 

Random Thoughts

I'm not sure what I want to write about, but I do want to write a post. So I will just throw down some random and meaningless thoughts I have. 

I hope I am ready for graduate school (should I be accepted). My wife and I have both applied to Arkansas State University's graduate programs. She will study teaching theory and I, Sports Administration. However, I'm also currently looking for a chance to move up in my professional career. If you or someone you know is need of a fairly bright worker with great marketing and public speaking skills, contact me. 

I'm thinking I'm going to take on two massive task in my coming posts. I want to do a list of the greatest kingdoms/countries in history, perhaps the greatest actors of all time, and the top franchises of each professional sports league in the United States.