I watched The Hobbit and I loved it. In fact I have seen it twice. The first time it was to see the movie. The second time it was to have a second chance to digest things as well to if there were any little bits or references I missed.

However, I found myself doing something with The Hobbit I hadn't expected. Because of the cast in it I was making geeky cross references to other parts they had played or other characters they reminded me of.

See if you get these references and/or agree with my comparisons:

Dwarves make me think of Klingons. Loud, all about weapons, and never shy away from a fight.

Elves make me think of Vulcans. They fight when they have to, devote themselves to knowledge and culture, often viewed as the wisest race with several advancements.

The Goblin king looked nothing like David Bowie nor could this goblin king sing.

The real reason there was animosity between Elrond and Thorin is because Elrond still isn't happy that Thorin failed to kill Captain America.

Hyde would have enjoyed killing wargs. Be a bigger thrill than lions.

Bilbo should have been happy it was a wizard that showed up at his door instead of a bulldozer with workers telling him that his house was slated for destruction in order to make way for the new interstate.

When Galadriel is talking telepathically to Gandalf all I could hear was, "You're poking around in there again Charles. What is it you're looking for?"

There were a couple of times Radagast really could have used his blue Police box and sonic screwdriver.

Sherlock. That is all.

Any I missed? Let me know or by all means comments on the ones that I have made.

As promised here is my list of goals of things I'm going to try to accomplish during 2013 for Comic Geeks Unite, which is essentially for all of you folks here. The first two are carried over from last year. A couple of things I never got a chance to make any head way on or finish.

1) Write a formal paper defending comic books a viable form of literature

2) Do a short horror movie to put on YouTube in CGU's name

3) Start a feature about various geek groups and contributors out there (ie as in interviews with video and write ups to be posted)

4) Try to make it to more events

5) Put on one event in the central Maine area

6) Be better about my e-mail (especially since hopefully I've made Facebook stop flooding it)

7) Have better response time when you all give me something to review or comment on

8) Be on the Facebook page if not an hour each night than certainly every other day (I'm one person cut me a little slack LOL!)

Going to do my best to get all of this done throughout the year. If you guys have any other suggestions or want to lend a hand let me know.

So dreading the holiday movie season eh? The holidays are tough enough and as far as those warm fuzzy family holiday flicks go it's enough to make you gag. What if there was something different out there? Rise of the Guardians isn't your average holiday movie. You may be asking yourself what makes Rise of the Guardians any different? Well grab a seat Sparky cause here's why.

First off Rise of the Guardians isn't specifically a Christmas movie. Santa may be in it, but it doesn't take place on Christmas. Christmas is in danger, but that's not the focal point of the story. The truth is that Easter, sweet dreams, and the Tooth Fairy are also in danger. In fact the movie takes place after Christmas and the holiday you do see get ruined is Easter.

Rise of the Guardians focuses on Jack Frost as he struggles with some pretty heavy issues. Jack can't be seen or heard by people so there are some serious fitting in issues. He also argues with the moon who made him what he is, but hasn't told him why he made him. So Jack is selected to be a Guardian, but doesn't think he has what it takes to be one of them. North (Santa) tries to convince him that he does indeed have the right stuff to be a Guardian. Who knew Jack Frost struggled with mortal issues like fitting in, low self esteem, and the eternal question of, "Why am I here?"

One of the coolest aspects of this movie is how these classic childhood characters have been re-imagined:

Santa is called North, has a Russian accent, tattoos, and yetis make the toys not the elves.

The Easter Bunny is called Bunnymund, has an Australian accent, throws boomerangs, has living giant stone Easter eggs, and can create tunnels to take him where he needs to go.

The Tooth Fairy is called Tooth, looks like a humming bird, has a huge fleet of mini tooth fairies called baby teeth, collects the teeth, and guards the memories stored in each tooth to help children remember the important things.

The Sandman is called Sandy, uses his magic sand to create sweet dreams for the children of the world, doesn't speak, but communicates through manipulating his magic sand.

Then of course there's Jack Frost who was discussed earlier. Although one thing about Jack Frost that the movie covers, which most people don't know about, is that he is the one responsible for snow days. You can either love him or hate him for that one.

The Guardians do have a weakness. Very much like Tinkerbell if kids stop believing they lose their powers and fade away. Which is what the villain Pitch aka the Boogeyman is trying to make happen. Pitch sabotages the Guardians making the kids stop believing in them while using his nightmares to spread fear which makes him stronger. Pitch is pretty much Freddy Krueger with manners.

Hugh Jackman voices Bunnymund and there is one Wolverine reference in the movie. When in his grotto Bunnymund stops, there's a close up of his nose as he sniffs the air, and then a close up of his eyes as he squints saying, "Something's not right." Comic geeks will get that reference in a heartbeat.

Overall a great original story bringing new life to classic characters. Fantastic voice cast and some truly comical moments (the contest between all of them to collect teeth is a great belly laugh!) paired with current emotional issues everyone faces. In the end you'll believe that Santa, Yetis, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and Jack Frost are all real.

Has anyone else realized that this year is an election year and that the day before election day marks the anniversary of the failed gunpowder plot in England? The day before America chooses its elected leaders marks when a group of citizens decided to change their government rather drastically. The effort failed mind you, but the plot was all in place and within a hair's breath of being carried out.

A little bit of a history lesson for you all courtesy of History.com. On November 5, 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the basement of Parliament with gun powder barrels. Why was there such a plot? The target was King James I and the reason was to stop the government from persecuting Roman Catholics. While Fawkes gets most of the credit because he was the one who was caught red handed; however, he was not the master mind behind it. That credit goes to Robert Catesby. Still Fawkes is the figurehead of this movement because he was going to cause the boom.

This year in America the day after the gunpowder plot we have the ability to change our government without an explosion. They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Pens, pencils, keyboards, and touch screens will be the tools used to make the government listen.

Remember, remember the 5th of November, but on November 6th make sure your voice is heard. Get out there and vote. Let no one tell you how you should vote or for whom. Follow your gut and vote as you believe.

There is this mega fascination going on with zombies right now. Actually it's been going on for a while, but it seems as though a zombie-mania has kicked in hot and heavy within the last 10 years. What is it about these staggering reanimated corpses that has people so morbidly fascinated? I'm sure it will come as no big surprise that I have a few of theories on why that may be.

The first theory is the new romantic trend of dating vampires and werewolves. I'm not just talking Twilight either. Go through any romance section in any book store or library and you will see scores of titles about werewolves and vampires hooking up with mortals. It's sad that two of the badest monsters ever conceived are now simply boy toys.

However, nobody wants to date a zombie. There will NEVER be a love story between a mortal because the zombie feels nothing except for hunger. It is dead, it is rotting, and all it wants to do is eat.

Another theory is that unlike vampires, werewolves, and serial killers the chance of survival are better. Let me explain. Vampires, werewolves, and serial killers have powers abilities, and intelligence so odds are that eventually they are going to get you. Zombies, on the other hand, are slow (not counting the fast zombies cause as far as I'm concerned they are not real zombies), they smell blood, hear noise, and they're brains have rotted out. Zombies are predictable unlike something that has had centuries to become the perfect hunter.

Lastly I think zombies are popular because out of all the other monsters they are the most real. Out of everything else the threat of a zombie apocalypse is actually viable. With everything going on as far as experiments, chemical warfare, nuclear warfare, and diseases mutating there could be a point where zombies are a reality. Everyone has their own theory on how the world will end and for some zombies are that end.

Agree? Disagree? Think I left something out? Please do share your thoughts and your theories on why zombies are so popular right now.

For me the movie was a disappointment. I was expecting something that got into the supernatural far more than it did. The pace was also very inconsistent. There were times when it was set up for something to be explained or explored deeper, but it was cut off too soon. The scary moments were your basic startle type of scare with the old formula of musical buildup, silence, and then something jumps in front of the shot.

I hate that because I know it's coming, but still get startled anyway. Feel like an idiot when that happens.

There was also no progression of possession. It was look at the happy (remember this demon goes after kids) little kid and then BAM psychotic possessed kiddo. There really was no in between. In one scene you get about a minute of anything hinting at a downward slide, but that is all.

Also to get a fantastic actor like D'Onofrio and hardly use him is a complete waste. Another heavy hitting actor that was in the film and hardly used was Fred Dalton Thompson as the local sheriff. Both Thompson and D'Onofrio only appeared in the film for two scenes each.

Overall the film is filled with scares, but if you're looking for a good storyline you're only going to get about half of one. Keep in mind this is solely my opinion and you are entitled to yours. Want to form your own opinion about the film go watch it and then post that opinion in the comments below. Curious to see what others thought of it.

The movies that Guy Richie has done with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law have only fueled this obsession of mine. It makes me wonder why Homes wasn't a member of The League of Extrordinary Gentlemen. Did they think he'd catch the bad guy too quick or what?

The funny part of Sherlock Holmes is that it is a character that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle grew to hate. Holmes was wonderfully popular, but Doyle hated him because he could never write anything else. He even tried killing Holmes off, but after a fan letter from Her Majesty requested that he brings Holmes back he couldn't keep the detective dead.

It's very much like George Reeves and Superman. Reeves hated the role because he couldn't do anything else because people saw him as Superman. People loved his portrayal of the super powered boy scout, but Reeves couldn't stand it.

As I prattle on about the awesomeness that is Sherlock Holmes I must say that while in a bookstore I saw on the shelf along side the Holmes books there was a graphic novel of one of the stories. I want say it was 'A Study in Scarlett' but I can't fully remember. All I could think when I saw it was, "We are one step closer."