TITLE The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir
AUTHOR: Josh Kilmer-Purcell
PUBLISHER: Harper
RELEASE DATE: June 1

By Lora Van Marel
Contributor, One-Woman Show

Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge were taking their annual trip to an apple orchard in upstate New York when they discovered a village, Sharon Springs, packed with small town charm. They stayed the night at the local hotel and got up early the next morning to drive back to Manhattan. It was on that drive that they discovered the Beekman mansion. The couple decided to purchase the mansion, and farm that came with it. That began their transformation from Manhattanites to farmers. This book tells their story.

Both Josh and Brent had high-power jobs in New York. Brent worked with Martha Stewart and is known as Dr. Brent to fans of her TV show. Josh worked in advertising and was a partner in his firm. For two years the couple worked in New York during the week and spent their weekends on the Beekman farm.  This was a struggle that wore them out both physically and mentally. It got even worse when they decided (with help from Martha Stewart herself) to make the Beekman farm into a business, and establish the Beekman brand. The only help they had in this drastic transformation was from the Beekman’s caretaker, “Farmer John.” Josh, Brent, and John worked together to build a garden, keep the grounds (including the crypt) and care for all the livestock.

What I loved so much about this book was that it read like a novel. The ups and downs of the couple’s relationship as they decided to leave their New York lives behind and make a go of the Beekman are what kept this story interesting. I felt like I really got to know them. I want to travel to New York to see if Sharon Springs and the Beekman farm are really as Josh described in this book. That’s the beauty of his writing; he makes the reader want to be there with him. I wanted to plant in the garden with Josh, make the mansion look perfect with Brent, and feed and cuddle the goats with Farmer John.

Photo from GregInHollywood.com.

Not only was the farming aspect of the story entertaining, but the relationship between Josh and Brent is so beautiful. Josh’s writing reflects that he knows how to balance between description and action. I was never bored with the descriptive passages of the garden and its progress or the upkeep of the Beekman because there were always little acedotes interjected about the people of Sharon Springs, parties at the mansion, encounters with Martha, or discussions between Josh and Brent that were both menial and monumental. It was also interesting to learn about how the Beekman 1802 business got started and the struggles it takes to start something from scratch.

One of my only qualms with the book was the title. The word “Bucolic” is a play on sheparding and rural life, but I didn’t know that. I had to look it up. People I’ve been telling about the book (which is anyone that I can get to listen) all seem to struggle with the title. It was an interesting choice, which does educate the audience, but makes finding the book difficult at times. I’m going to go out and buy myself a copy. This would be a great gift book. I can see myself giving the book as a gift with a bar of the goat milk soap to go along with it.Josh and Brent really make the reader feel like dreams can come true, even if it takes some hard work and struggle.

RATING: 9/10

Front page image from GregInHollywood.com.

TITLE: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
STARRING: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene
DIRECTOR: David Slade
STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 124 min
RELEASE DATE: June 30

By Kristen Thompson
Staff Writer, Disney Channel Star

First thing’s first: I am Team Jacob all the way. There, I said it.

In The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Bella Swan once again finds herself surrounded by danger, as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious murders, and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the power to ignite the ageless struggle between vampires and werewolves. As her graduation quickly approaches, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.

Photo from RottenTomatoes.com.

Like the books, the movies in the Twilight saga get better as time goes on. The problem is that the actors arent really growing with it. The directing, CGI, wardrobe, all of it get better, but the actors and characters are staying the same. Kristen Stewart’s Bella still stutters a lot and keeps looking at the ground. Robert Pattinson’s Edward has a hard time finishing a sentence without excruciatingly long pauses. Taylor Lautner’s Jacob doesn’t have the kind of problems that the others do, but he still has issues portraying the pain that the character is going through.

With all of that said, this is a decent movie. The book was portrayed well, and it was true to the story. If you have read the books, then its obviously predictable. But if you haven’t, you’ll be surprised by the way things turn out. I wouldn’t bring young children to this movie, though. There are some scenes that are scary, and pretty sexual Also, unless they’ve seen the others, the guys obviously won’t want to see this one either.

RATING: 5/10

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

StarWars.com has posted five audio clips from the “Empire Hotline,” a phone line set up in the months leading up to The Empire Strikes Back’s 1980 theatrical release so callers could hear exclusive teasers for the film.

Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), James Earl Jones (Darth Vader), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) all recorded brief messages, most of which simply refer to plot points from the first movie. However, fans of the film may get a kick out of hearing the actors in character again.

The clips can be found at the above link.

Image from scrapetv.com.

By Justin Polak
Co-founder, Ambassador to the Mushroom Kingdom

Released in 2002 for the Nintendo GameCube, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem was somewhat of a sleeper hit. Known best for it’s Sanity Effects, Eternal Darkness also featured a rich story and unique game play aspects.  I found myself replaying the game recently, so I figured I should share my thoughts on why you should track this gem down if you happened to miss it before.

Although it may seem gimmicky at first, I find that the Sanity Effects are the glue that hold Eternal Darkness together. Sanity Effects occur when your Sanity Gauge is low or completely empty.  Whenever an enemy spots your character, your Sanity Gauge lowers.  The only way to recover sanity is if you finish off enemies after downing them, or cast a recovery spell.  Think of them as hallucinations that the characters experience.   Although the most memorable Sanity Effect only happens once when you check the upstairs bathroom as Alex Roivas, the central character, I feel that it’s an aspect that never gets old.  The most interesting Sanity Effects are the ones that screw with you, the player.  There is no way you can ever prepare for the game acting like your TV shut off, or that your controller was somehow accidentally unplugged.  Other Sanity Effects are interesting as well.  Every single time my character’s body explodes when I try to cast a heal spell catches me off guard every single time.

Eternal Darkness tells a story that spans across two thousand years. It all starts in 26 b.c. when a Roman Centurion, Pious Augustus, discovers an ancient ruin.  At the darkest depths of the ruin, Pious is corrupted by one of the three Ancient Essences, which is the player’s choice.  From there you control various “chosen ones” throughout time.  The coolest aspect about the story is how it takes real life history and ties it into the game’s universe in very plausible ways.  By no means is Eternal Darkness the first to do something like that, but when you find out the “real” reason why World World I started, it makes the overall story to that point much more grim and terrifying.  It’s almost as if the game itself tries to trick you into believing that maybe something in the real world is off, and darkness is just around the corner…

Image from armchairempire.com.

What about the gameplay?  Well, Eternal Darkness brings a unique combat system to the table.  Think Dead Space was the first game that made you dismember some enemies to best them?  Eternal Darkness had that covered in 2002.  What’s great is how simple and fluid combat is while challenging the player perfectly. Whatever limb you target is highlighted so there is no mistake on what you are aiming at.  If you want to switch targets, just tap the target button.  Since you control multiple characters across many centuries, you are free to play with a wide variety of weapons.  I personally had more fun using melee weapons, even if I was in a time period where firearms were invented.  As mentioned before, simply downing enemies aren’t enough.  If you don’t specifically finish them off, they may get back up or simply disappear, leaving you with less and less sanity.  While I already pointed out how much I love the Sanity Effects, bear in mind that once your Sanity Gauge is gone the enemies start to drain your health by just looking at you.  One or two enemies aren’t a problem, but when you are in a room full of them, prepare for an engaging battle.

While Eternal Darkness didn’t bomb by any means, I think it had the unfortunate fate of being on the GameCube.  Now don’t get me wrong,  I loved the GameCube, but you can’t deny a more mature game would have done better on the Playstation 2 or XBox back in 2002.  Nintendo had an unfortunate reputation of only catering to a more family friendly market in those days (which is actually more true now than back then).  While it wasn’t as bad as more negative anti-Nintendo gamers would have you believe, there was some truth to that line of thought thanks to how Nintendo handled the Nintendo 64.

Image from resetglitch.com.

Another problem was the graphics.  While not terrible, didn’t take advantage of the GameCube’s full potential.  I’m always torn between two theories on why that is.  Eternal Darkness was originally to be developed for the Nintendo 64, so maybe Silicon Knights, the developer, didn’t have enough time to convert what they already had created for the N64 build.  The other theory is that Silicon Knights has trouble making a great looking game.  The perfect example of this is the Metal Gear Solid remake: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. While Twin Snakes looked infinitely better than Eternal Darkness, the graphics paled in comparison to Metal Gear Solid 2. Bear in mind that Twin Snakes was released in 2004 while MGS2 came out in 2001.  Personally, I don’t let the rough look of Eternal Darkness bother me all that much, but I feel that it was a contributing factor which held the game back from a wider audience.

At the end of the day, I feel that enough time has passed where the shortcomings of Eternal Darkness can be overlooked because of what it did right.  If you skipped over the GameCube and own a Wii, you owe to yourself to track down a copy of this game (along with a GameCube controller and memory card), especially if you are any kind of horror fan.  Note that didn’t say “survival horror” because it’s easy to survive, and by no means is the game just another Resident Evil or Silent Hill.  On the other hand, it’s hard to keep your characters sane, so I would classify it as more of a psychological horror game than anything.  The point is that if you avoided the madness in 2002, maybe it’s time for you to lose your sanity and play Eternal Darkness.

Photo from monstersandcritics.com.

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Sony Pictures has officially announced that Andrew Garfield will play Spider-man in its July 3, 2012, remake.

“Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents,” director Mark Webb said via press release.” He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”

Garfield is next scheduled to appear in The Social Network. His previous works include The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Lions For Lambs and Boy A.

Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures, issued the following dual statement: “The role demands an extraordinary actor. You need someone who can magically transform himself from Peter Parker into Spider-Man. An actor who will depict the vulnerability of youth and the strength and confidence of a legendary figure at the same moment. We have found that actor in Andrew Garfield. From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film The Social Network, to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker.”

***

Image from RottenTomatoes.com.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse earned an estimated $68.5 million on its opening day, which is a new record for a Wednesday opening. The previous record-holder was Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which made $62 million.

Though it was still record breaking, it failed to break The Twilight Saga: New Moon’s opening day, which earned $72.7 million.

Eclipse cost about $68 million to make, minus the promotional campaigns.