The Human Centipede 2 - Should it be banned in UK?

(Note, all views expressed in this blog are purely based on personal opinion. The following is not intended to be a rant, but rather an expression of said opinion).

Following on from my most recent review of The Human Centipede, I decided for my own morbid curiosity more than anything else to check out when the sequel was coming out. Hell I figured “why the hell not?” I mean I took the time to see the first one so why not check out the second.

So imagine my surprise when I saw that The Human Centipede 2 was actually BANNED in the UK! That’s right, the BBFC have refused to give it a rating – meaning that legally it cannot be shown or sold in any format in this country. Their reasons? They just found it sick and twisted.

Ok, there as more to it than that I guess, but then I guess if you read the synopsis of The Human Centipede 2 then you can’t blame them for that. For the sake of those that are easily offended, I won’t say what the plot of The Human Centipede 2 is, but you can read about it on the web. I haven’t included a link for anywhere particular but you can read about it on Wikipedia if you’re interested. I will say this, after reading the plot of The Human Centipede 2, I have to admit that I can’t blame them for their decision to ban the film.

Let’s be honest, banning films in England (whilst rare in this day and age) is not a new thing. I mean classic films like A Clockwork Orange and The Exorcist were banned in the UK for the longest time. I’m not comparing The Human Centipede to either of those films – I mean both films I mentioned did actually have an underlining theme behind their controversial subject matter.

A Clockwork Orange was incredibly violent, but it had deep moral and psychological themes to it and whether aversion therapy is really the right way to solve violence in our society by taking away their ability to defend themselves.

The Exorcist is supposedly based on real evidence of devil possession but it is a classic for its time for all the special effects and disturbing imagery. It delved into our deepest human fears and really tested how much we put our faith in religion to fight back evil. It also spawned the screamer craze on the internet (I really hate those things).

The Human Centipede 2 is... well, about a human centipede and a guy who... er, likes seeing people sown mouth to backside I guess. Not really much in the way of moral messages I guess – but does it really deserve to be banned in the UK? I mean, what really makes this film so bad that it couldn’t get a rating when the first one managed to get an 18 certificate all right.

Let me just remind you that the BBFC gave an age rating to A Serbian Film for crying out loud. A Serbian Film – one of the most horrific, inhuman and disgusting movies ever to be created. Why? I hear you ask. Two words – Newborn Porn! I honestly think this is the most sickening film ever to exist – in fact, just typing about it makes me angry. And even THAT managed to get an 18 certificate! All because it was supposed to be an allegory for political pressure in Serbia. Personally, I think that’s just crap! The film is what it is, a degenerate of a movie that somehow we are now able to buy on DVD.

Or, how about the Hostel movies? These movies are surely just as sickening and horrific as the Human Centipede 2, in fact more so. Whilst I did like the Hostel movies to begin with, the more I see them the more I despise them. They are nothing more than torture porn and I honestly saw no point to these movies other to show director Eil Roth as what he really is – a sick bastard! Don’t believe me, look at some of his other movies like Cabin Fever!

Then again, if we are on the subject of torture porn, why don’t we look at the Saw movies, who arguably started this new craze of torure porn in horror movies. Here’s the thing though – in Saw, the movie was about a guy (Jigsaw) who believed that he was trying to help people appreciate their existence by putting them in life or death traps, usually resulting in them being killed in horrific ways. Here’s the thing though, I actually like the Saw movies. I will admit that as the film series went on they did concentrate on the gore rather than the story (to anyone chuckling factiously here, yes, believe it or not Saw had a story) and the traps just got way too over the top. But the point here is that the traps were never intended to kill the victims. If anything, Jigsaw wants his victims to escape the trap, because he believes it will make them a better person. So at least there actually is a point to the Saw movies, it’s not just violence for the sake of violence.

I guess the real question is, should movies like The Human Centipede 2 be banned? I’m of the opinion that people are intelligent enough to make their own mind up as to whether they want to see a film or not. After all, it’s not as if the director is forcing the public to watch his movie.

However, I know there are some people who are worried about films like these coming out because you’ll get the usual “what if kids see this film?” Again, this is what the rating system is for in the first place, to advise people of what the content will contain. And I would like to think that everyone in the world would know what is suitable for them or their family. I mean, if you were looking for a film for the whole family to watch and you had a choice of either the latest Disney film, or the horror movie Cannibalistic Zombie Badgers Who Play Your Organs Like Bagpipes (directed and produced by Michael Bay) – I think that it’s fair to say the Disney film would win out! I mean, seriously, who would want to put their family through the torture of Michael Bay?

I’m not saying that the BBFC did the wrong thing in banning the film in UK – if anything I believe they had the noblest of intentions. I just think that if you look at the past films that have managed to pass with a certificate of some kind (albeit cut in some ways) then it just feels a little hypocritical to ban this one especially. Why should we have to miss out when the rest of the world gets to see it?

Or, maybe this is just a clever marking ploy to raise awareness of the movie a little more – in which case this is a genius marking ploy on the part of Tom Six. I’d say, let this movie come out. We all know what we can take or not. Let the film come out and we can decided if we want to see it or not.

Sorry if this came across as a rant, I tried to write it so that it didn’t mean to be. Got anything else to add to this? Please feel free to email or comment below!

Kindest

Pandragon

Pandragon Reviews - The Human Centipede

WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers and some adult content. Those of a sensitive constitution read at your own risk.

The internet is a wonderful tool when coming to promote new movies these days and help gain a following months before the movie is even out. In the old days, producers were restricted to having trailers in cinemas just before the main feature, along with TV commercials and posters. Now, with sites like YouTube, movie studios can place their advertisements on the world wide web for all to see, gaining popularity through viral campaigns and what have you. It’s also a great tool for independent film makers who don’t have a large budget to make the audience aware of their up and coming feature.

And this was the case with The Human Centipede, at the time one of the most talked about – and arguably the most controversial – horror movie. The interest around this film was massive before it had even come out in cinemas; and even then it had a limited run. But then, what wasn’t there to get excited about. The concept of the film is about a guy that sows three people together, mouth to, ahem, backside, to create the eponymous Human Centipede. And can you believe this actually came about from an idea the director had about what would be a fitting punishment for sex offenders?

Now, admittedly I’m not a huge fan of horror movies, so I didn’t exactly rush to see this movie. I just think horror movies these days have lost a lot of impact that they used to have. Whereas in the old days horror movies tried to creep their audience out through atmosphere and haunting visuals, nowadays it’s just all gore and stupid main characters. I just don’t think movies these days are that scary anymore. However, I heard a LOT of people that had seen this movie, saying how gross it was and that it was one of the creepiest films they had ever seen. Some people who haven’t seen the film even get creeped out by the very idea of the movie.

Ok, I was starting to get interested. But seeing as the film wasn’t shown in any cinemas in my area (at least to the best of my knowledge), I decided to wait until it came on TV to see it. And it just so happened that, last night, I stumbled across it. So I stayed up and watched it, with the many predetermined thoughts that my mind had been filled with. I expected this movie to make me feel physically sick and disturbed afterwards.

So come around 1:00am, when the film had finished, how did I feel? Honestly, I felt somewhat disappointed. Not by the movie, the movie I thought was actually pretty good – but for all the hype, I was surprised at how – restrained it was in many ways.

I don’t think I need to go too much into the plot as I’m pretty sure you would have already guessed what it is by the title – a mad scientist capturing three young people with the intention of creating his own twisted monster. That’s pretty much it. Not much in the way of plot I’ll admit, but I think the movie does the best it can with what it has. The whole way through the film there is a certain feel of helplessness and being trapped, which the movie does very well. It has a certain lovecraftian feel to it – that’s not to say that they are assaulted by outerspace gods, but rather that they cannot escape the horror no matter how much they try.

Personally, I think the creepiest parts of the film come from the first part, building up to the Human Centipede itself. There is a real sense of fear that is carried across very well and we can really sense the terror from the protagonists. Some reviewers complained that the main actresses were not very good and just spent the whole time screaming, but to be fair I think they did all right. And to be fair, I think I’d probably spend the whole day screaming if I had to go through what they did!

Honestly though, when it comes to the actual creation of the Human Centipede, I gotta be honest, I just found these scenes unintentionally hilarious! Don’t get me wrong, I really felt for the guys that had to go through this torment – but a couple of the scenes just made me laugh, though I guess that was just out of being uncomfortable. I think one of the most infamous scenes of the film was the part where one of the characters, the head of the centipede, has to, er, relieve himself and because the other two girls are connected to his backside, they have to eat his... leavings. This scene is actually not as gross as it looks on screen as it’s only implied what happens. Still, the idea of it is pretty sick so I guess that’s why people would get upset.

Now let’s talk about one of the highlights for me. Dieter Laser as the mad doctor. I’ve never really heard of this actor before now and as far as I’m aware, the only other English speaking role he’s done was in the TV seires Lexx, which I never saw. But let me tell you, he is frigging brilliant in this film! He plays the character of Doctor Heiter with all the insanity and psychotic mentality that you expect from a mad scientist – and he’s so entertaining to watch. Even when he’s being disturbing, you still can’t take your eyes away from him. There are times when he is a little over the top and can be a bit campy, but otherwise he is brilliant – I hope he plays more villain roles in the future.

There were, however, a couple of things about the movie that kinda puzzled me. Ie, the scene when one of the girls almost has a chance to escape, but then goes back to save her friend, who is drugged and comatose. Whilst I understand she was trying to save her friend, surely it would have been better for her to go and get help and then come back, especially when her friend would have slowed her down. Then again, I find with a lot of horror movies, logic doesn’t factor into it.

Another thing, and this is the thing that most interests me about the movie – apparently what they do in the movie is 100% medically accurate and this is the selling point of the movie. I can take it or leave it as to whether it’s true or not. But here’s my question – WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS ANYWAY? What possible scientific benefit could this have to the world? How could anyone come to this conclusion, did the doctor just wake up one day and think “you know what would be pretty good – a human centipede! Yes, brilliant! I’ll win a noble prize for that!”

But, all joking aside, I think the most disturbing part of it is the ending. I won’t ruin it, but those of you who have read the short story I have no mouth and I must scream will probably understand what I mean.

I must admit this is by far one of the more stand out horror movies and in a sea of crappy slasher flicks, this one actually does at least try to be different. It has a sinister and at times shocking feel to it, but for all the hype of the disgusting nature of the film, there is actually very little visual horror, and actually little gore to it. It makes you use your imagination to try and guess what is happening, and that in turn makes it a much scarier film. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what horror is supposed to do, allow your imagination to create the horror?

Disturbing? No question. Sick and twisted? Absolutely. Campy? In places, yes. The most contraversal horror of all time? I’m gonna say no. There are certainly more disgusting movies out there, such as A Serbian Film and the unrated version of Caligula – but The Human Centipede is certainly worth checking out. If you have a weak stomach and the idea of this film sickens you, then I’d stay away. But, if you’re looking for a horror movie that doesn’t rely on heavy gore to get the terror, then this is the movie for you.

And if you thought the plot for this film was demented, then you should see the plot synopsis for the sequel...

The Human Centipede - Copyright 2010 IFC Films/Six Entertainment

All material used/mentioned is for reviewing purposes and no intention of copyright infridgement is intended.

First Impressions - The Borgias

 Ever since the release of The Tudors, it would seem that Showtime (producers of shows like Dexter and Weeds) have been waiting for a chance to fill the void left by the shows ending – waiting for something to come along that replicates the sex, scandal, gore and a host of British actors to maybe give it some “class” that made the Tudors so popular. So now we have The Borgias – Showtime’s latest period drama to hit Sky Atlantic. There’s been a lot of build up of this show, almost to levels of A Game of Thrones in the last few months, so you can imagine that my expectations are high.

Now, I admit my history of the Borgias isn’t as great as many historians may be, so I’ll just give you what I know. The Borgias were a Spanish born family that lived in Italy around 1400’s. Eventually, Alexander VI of this family would go on to become arguably the most controversial and wicked popes of all time – ruling through fear, simony and corruption. There are many stories about the Borgias, of which I don’t know which are true and which are just fabricated, but really – these guys would make The Soprano’s look small time from what I heard about them.

If truth be told, I was actually looking forward to this show. It’s always been an interest of mine how someone could be so entirely corrupt – yet still believe they are doing God’s work. I’m not religious myself (I’m agnostic if anything), but I always saw religion as a way of doing good in the world – so it kinda upsets me how people can take this and completely misinterpret it as a means of doing evil (just ask the Phelps family!) And let’s not forget this series stars Jeremy Irons and is written, produced and directed by Neil Jordan, who gave us classics like Angel, The Company of Wolves and, of course, The Crying Game. Hopefully we are in good hands here.

As it’s a premier, we get a double episode, detailing Pope Alexander’s rise to power – then just a clergyman in the Vatican. When it seems that no other members of the clergy can get the required number of votes to get through, Alexander bluffs his way through to the position of Pope through simony. Now the most powerful man in the world, the series details his rise to power as they spread the word of God through questionable means. However, there are many people who are unhappy with having a Spanish Pope and this leads to a power struggle.

Honestly though, there isn’t much to talk about in the first two episodes. Mainly because the story moves very, very slowly. Each episode lasted about an hour, but it almost felt like I was watching a 3 hour epic. Most of it was just people talking and plotting, which is fine... but after about an hour I was hoping for the story to move on. There were a few moments where the action took a move in the right direction, but they were few and far between. It made it a little boring to watch if I’m being honest.

Speaking of being bored, let’s look at Jeremy Irons, playing the main role of Pope Alexander VI, a role you’d think he’d eat up like candy – but to be honest, he just ends up looking bored for most of it. In fact, he underplays his role so much that he seems like he’s going to fall asleep. Even his role in Dungeons and Dragons had more energy than this. Come on, Jeremy! You’re playing one of history’s greatest monsters, have a bit of fun with it! The rest of the cast is made up with relatively lesser known, but recognisable actors. In fact, most of the time you’ll probably be spending it looking at the cast and thinking “oh, where have I seen him before?”

So, based on this, you’d probably think this is a dull show right? Well actually, no. In fact, despite all this, I do actually think there is a good show in there. After all, it’s colourfully shot, the sets and costumes are nicely put together and fit in with the theme and time period – and I actually think the plot has some deviant twists in it – such as a double agent assassin that finds himself in the employ of the Borgias. It’s a show that you need to give it a chance to get going, though it’s clear you will need a lot of patience given the current pace.

SUMMARY:

Despite a rather rocky start, I have to say it’s not the worst drama to come out recently. It’s not a bad show to begin with really and has a lot of potential. I would say that this show is ok, but a lagging story stops this from being a brilliant show. The plot needs to develop significantly and the pace really needs to pick up to stop itself from being boring. I actually do want to see how this show goes on as it has all the potential to be a great drama. Just so long as we can stop our main character from falling asleep.

I give this one a moderate recommendation. It could be so much more but it has a long way to go just yet.

Agree? Disagree? Did I miss anything out? Let me know by leaving me a comment or sending me a mail.

The Borgias are owned by Showtime

All material used in this blog are for review purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

New Ebook - Draconica The New Era

Hi there.

Firstly, I apologise for the delay in my latest updates, but things have been really busy these last few days!

Pandragon are pleased to announce the release of their newest ebook: Draconica - The New Era. A mini prequel to Trapped on Draconica, detailing the creating of the Dragonkin. This short story is completely free and available to download now! So please check it out.

Draconica - The New Era

And while you're at it, please feel free to follow the FULL version of Trapped on Draconica - available from these online retailers.

Trapped on Draconica

That's it for the moment. More to follow, including another First Impressions review! Watch this space!

----------

Pandragon
Follow us on Twitter here
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Back and with updates

Well, the week seemed to go so quickly, why is it that Holidays always seem to go before you know it?

Any, lots to report today guys. No doubt some of you may have noticed the new facebook page for Pandragon Publishing. For those who don't the link is below.

Pandragon Facebook

Don't worry, the other facebook page for Trapped on Draconica will still be around, but it will primarily only be used for updates relating to Trapped on Draconica. For most of the other updates please visit the new Pandragon.

I didn't post the results of the next Pandragon novel as I've been away, but the results are in and the next novel will be To Hell and Heaven and Back. Thanks to all who voted. The novel should be out sometime next year.

Trapped on Draconica seems to be making the rounds. Recently it was reviewed by Rebecca Weinstein and she has kindly allowed me to post a link to her review. I'd like to thank her for taking the time to read it and I welcome all feedback for it.

Rebecca Weinstein's page

You may have also noticed a few updates to the Pandragon Website - the biggest one being is that we now have a profile section for both me and Alexis, the artist of Trapped on Draconica. Want to find out more about the creators? Head over to this link now!

Profiles of Dan and Alexis

Well, I think that's about it. Thanks for reading guys and hope you are all enjoying the weather!

Kindest

Dan

Off on my hols!

Hey guys. This is just a quickie to let you know there won't be any updates this week as I'm off to catch some sun in Spain! I'll be back in a week and there will be another blog then. Got a lot of exciting news to tell you guys on my return.

Enjoy the weather peeps! See you guys in a week.

Pandragon

The next Pandragon Publishing - Extended

Hi guys.

I decided to extend the deadline for people to vote for the next Pandragon Publishing novel - mainly due to the fact that I'll be busy this week (preparing for my holiday in sunny Spain and also updating the website and what have you). So I decided to give people more time to vote for what they'd like the next novel for me to write.

Just to give you an idea of what the choices are again, here they are.

To Hell and Heaven and Back (Divine Romantic Comedy)

Running your own business can be hell - in Lucifers case it is meant literarly! Kicked out of Heaven since her fall out with her hubby, Lucifer runs Hell pretty much all by herself, rehabiltating the souls of the damned so that they can rejoin the world above. When David, a suicide victim comes to Hell, Lucifer welcomes him in to enjoy his stay - but then David realises that his girlfriend can't go on with her life since his death, so he makes plans to get back to Earth. Unfortunately, only God himself can decide who goes back or not. So David makes a daring plan to try and get back to Earth - getting Lucifer and God back together!

Jobe (working title)

For most of his life, Jobe had powers and abilties that no one else had, even Jobe himself didn't realise his potential. When he moves into a new flat, with two rather attractive ladies, he thinks he hit the jackpot. Little does he realise that these two ladies are actually agathodaemons (or to the humans, angels) sent to watch over Jobe. Jobe is in fact a nephalim, a cross between man and demon, and it is his job to spread the word of religion to gather more followers for the agathodemons, who are in a losing battle with their enemies, the cacodaemons. Thrust into a supernatural battle through no fault of his own, Jobe must decide whether to follow his destiny - or show the humans another way of life, a world without religion!

Thanks to those who have voted already. For those of you who haven't, you still have a chance. Comment below, email me or message me and I'll add to the list of votes I've already got.


Updates to the website are following soon as well. I'll keep you posted as and when it happens.

Have a great week guys!

Pandragon

First Impressions - Torchwood Miracle Day

AUTHORS NOTE: This review contains SPOILERS.

Also, whilst I do try and give my first impressions of a show the day after it premiers in the UK, I deliberately waited a couple of days before doing this review as I was so pissed off that I decided to wait a couple of days because I wanted to make sure this review was more constructive and less like a rant. Let’s hope I tried.

Anyway, here is my first impressions of...

Torchwood was created as a spin off series to the latest Doctor Who series. It was first mentioned in the second series (that is the first series to include David Tenant), started by Queen Victoria to help counter alien threats. It was the recurring theme of the series and Doctor Who would eventually meet up with Torchwood at the end of the series – which would systematically be destroyed in a battle with the Cybermen and the Daleks (a battle that no doubt made all the fanboys and girls wet themselves). It would then go onto to be it’s own standalone series, with Captain Jack Harkness (a loveable time travelling rogue also introduced in the new series – now immortal due to events at the end of first series), set in the Cardiff base of Torchwood.

To be honest, Torchwood was very hit and miss at the start. The first series, to be honest, had more bad episodes than good as it couldn’t really make up its mind whether it wanted to be a really dark drama, or a teen romance. Also many of the characters, I thought, were quite unlikeable – even Jack Harkness himself was a bit of a prick! However, even the bad episodes had some entertaining value to them. By the second series the episodes became tighter and the characters a lot more likeable; and it had a real cool feel to it that made it stand out amongst most series. As for the third (mini) series... all I can say is DAMN! I have never seen a series that was so bleak and dark, but so well written. It pretty much ended with Torchwood being destroyed and all but a few of the main characters being killed off.

So anyway, after a brief hiatus, Torchwood is back. Cause for excitement? Well, the first thing we’ve noticed is that this series of Torchwood is produced by Starz entertainment, who gave us Spartacus Blood and Sand and Camelot (and I think you guys know from my previous reviews what I thought of that show). Also, they seemed to have moved the location from Wales to America. Ok, alarm bells starting to ring here. But, we have Russell T Davies involved with the project, who originally created the series. And if he can transpose series like Queer as Folk over to the USA than maybe this may not be so bad. Ok, I’ll give this show a chance.

Set a few months after the events of Torchwood series 3, Torchwood survivor Gwen Cooper (one of my favourite characters) and her husband Reese are living in hiding out in Wales, with their baby daughter Anwen. Reese trying to get Gwen to move on so that they can live their family life, but Gwen has trouble adapting to her new life. Captain Jack, though, is missing.

In America, Oswald Dane, a paedophile rapist (played, surprisingly, by Hollywood heartthrob Bill Pullman), is about to be executed for – well, being a paedophile rapist. The execution happens and... he doesn’t die. But that’s just the start. Around the world, no one dies. People are shot, stabbed, poisoned, etc. But no one dies. Everyone has become immortal! How has this happened? No one knows. So this is a good thing, right? Well, not really. If no one dies, then they work out that the world will be overpopulated in just a matter of months, potentially throwing the world into chaos.

Meanwhile, the CIA are investigating files into the mysterious Torchwood, which has seemed to have been erased from all computer systems. During this, Captain Jack returns. The CIA eventually are able to bring Gwen and Reese over to USA, and so begins the new series of Torchwood, Miracle Day.

And, that’s about it. Seriously, that’s all that happens in this episode. It’s just people talking about Torchwood and Miracle Day and that’s it. It’s one of the slowest opening episodes I’ve seen in a while. I know they have to establish the problem for the series, but if you remember back to the first episode of Doctor Who in 2005, that was full of action and thrust you right into the problem. It meant that they could work in the backstory of the character, but still have enough action to be entertaining. Here, it’s just exposition, exposition, exposition. It makes the episode very slow and honestly, I found myself getting bored halfway through.

Now, we move onto another problem I have, the overall style of the show. Clearly, this series was remade for the American audience and as such they’ve changed a lot of the aspects to make it look American. Now, I have no problem with that, however, here’s my point – Torchwood was already popular in the states (well, it had a fan following), why would you need to change it? Honestly, this episode feels more like an establishing episode for a completely new series rather than a continuation. Also, in the process, I think Torchwood has lot of lot of the things that made it a stand out show before. For all its faults, Torchwood had its own distinct style to it, it was dark, humourous, sexy, cool and entertaining. Also, it dealt with some very adult themes and moral issues that most other sci-fi shows don’t really go into. All this added together to make Torchwood unique and stand out above most “cookie-cutter” sci-fi shows. But now, it feels more like a generic science fiction show.

But I think the biggest complaint I have about the show is the overall theme of the series. The concept of no one on Earth being able to die is a great idea – for one episode, two at the most. But a whole series? I honestly think this was a big mistake and I can see this plot getting old very quickly – with maybe a few plot holes starting to open.

One final thing I have to mention, and this is more a nitpick but I’ll say it anyway – WHEN DID GWEN COOPER BECOME FRIGGIN’ RAMBO??? Like I said, she was one of my favourite characters in Torchwood and possibly one of the strongest female leads in TV. But, I’m sorry, when you see her shooting down a helicopter with a handgun, and then a bazooka – that totally takes away from the believability of her character. Yes, I know she’s a cop and she has knowledge in firearms – but she ain’t Segal! Clearly this was added in to appeal to the fans of Alias and Nikita – great shows in their own right, but this really doesn’t fit in with this show.

However, there is one good thing that I will say about this show. Bill Pullman is excellent as Oswald Dane. It’s a completely different part to the usual “hunky man” roles that he’s used to playing and he plays it with such chilling conviction, playing a sneaky, creepy man that knows how to manipulate the system. It’s always hard to play characters that are so evil and unlikeable and still make them interesting – but Pullman does it justice. Hopefully it will carry on like that.

SUMMARY:

For all the build up, I was ultimately left dry and disappointed. Making the show for the American audience was a move that was unnecessary as it was already familiar with American audiences in the first place. This has caused Torchwood to lose a lot of its coolness and made it more like a standard, by the numbers sci-fi series. I’m not saying it’s terrible, it’s not as good as it could be. And with Russell T Davies on the creative team, you wonder how it could have turned out this way. I'm guessing that he doesn't have as much creative control as I really doubt that such a talented writer could create something this generic.

Some diehard fans of Torchwood may get some enjoyment out of it, as will newcomers who have never seen it before. But for me, the story just doesn’t feel like it could last a whole series (and based on some later episode teasers, it doesn’t fill me with hope) and I fear this will just turn into a series that has a lot of explosions and no substance. To miss-quote a famous phrase, ‘it’s Torchwood Jim, but not as we know it.’

Agree? Disagree? Did I miss anything out? Let me know by leaving me a comment or sending me a mail.

Disclaimer: All material mentioned in this article is for review purposes only and copyright of their respective owners. No infringement is intended or infered.

The next Pandragon novel - YOU choose!

Hi guys, this is a very special blog today as I thought I'd go for a little audience participation here.

A question I get asked by my readers (yep, both of them, haha) is when will my next book come out? Well, I'm pleased to let you guys know that a sequel to Trapped on Draconica is in the works and we are looking for a release date of around September 2012. In the meantime, I was looking through my list of old novels that I used to write and came across two particular stories that I was thinking of re-writing. However, reading through both of them, I wasn't too sure which one to go for.

This is where YOU come in. I decided to throw this open to the internet to see which of these two stories they feel would work best as a novel. Both of them have a fairly religious theme to them (something which I was always interested in tackling), but both are completely conflicting genres. Details of the two stories below:

To Hell and Heaven and Back (Divine Romantic Comedy)

Running your own business can be hell - in Lucifers case it is meant literarly! Kicked out of Heaven since her fall out with her hubby, Lucifer runs Hell pretty much all by herself, rehabiltating the souls of the damned so that they can rejoin the world above. When David, a suicide victim comes to Hell, Lucifer welcomes him in to enjoy his stay - but then David realises that his girlfriend can't go on with her life since his death, so he makes plans to get back to Earth. Unfortunately, only God himself can decide who goes back or not. So David makes a daring plan to try and get back to Earth - getting Lucifer and God back together!

Jobe (working title)

For most of his life, Jobe had powers and abilties that no one else had, even Jobe himself didn't realise his potential. When he moves into a new flat, with two rather attractive ladies, he thinks he hit the jackpot. Little does he realise that these two ladies are actually agathodaemons (or to the humans, angels) sent to watch over Jobe. Jobe is in fact a nephalim, a cross between man and demon, and it is his job to spread the word of religion to gather more followers for the agathodemons, who are in a losing battle with their enemies, the cacodaemons. Thrust into a supernatural battle through no fault of his own, Jobe must decide whether to follow his destiny - or show the humans another way of life, a world without religion!


So guys, which one of those would you most like to read about? Let me know! Please post your comments below saying which one you would like to hear about. Or message me via email, Facebook, Twitter whatever, just let me know! I'll do this for about a week and then let you know the outcome next Sunday.

So what are you waiting for? Get voting!

Kindest

Pandragon

An interview with Alexis M Centeno

In a very special blog, I managed to catch up with Alexis M Centeno, the artist of Trapped on Draconica with a quick Q&A session. For those who wondered how me and Alexis got involved, please read on!

If it’s not too much of a problem, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am an artist who has free-lanced for a few years. It’s a great way to build up your artistic skills; you never know what people are going to ask you to draw. After a year into freelancing, I decided I needed a new challenge and entered college. I am majoring in Computer Animation and it’s been fun exploring new ways to express myself artistically.

What inspired you to get into drawing?

Animation. I grew up on Disney and all I ever wanted to do was draw characters and tell a story with them. Capturing the right gesture and emotion of characters are kind of an obsession of mine.

Any particular reason you choose this style of artwork?

Not really. When I was a kid, I was heavily influenced by Disney and later Marvel comics in how I drew, but once I saw Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, I knew what style of art suited me best. I do not know why, but this is the style that characters appear in my head; I draw them like I imagine them.

What tools do you use?

For the first few illustrations of the novel, I used traditional methods of drawing in pencil and inking them with technical pens. By the sixth illustration however, I went entirely digital. From then on, my tools became the Intuos, Photoshop, and Corel Painter.

How did you first get involved with Trapped on Draconica?

I answered an ad posted on the Zuda message boards; you never know who you are going to be working with when you answer ads; some people are really cool and fun to work with; others are not. In Trapped on Draconica’s case, I got lucky and learned a lot; I know I have become a better artist because of it.

Was there anything particular that attracted you to the project?

I am a sucker for fantasy; especially if there is a medieval twist. When I responded to the ad for this project, no one else was posting projects like this at the time, and it stood out in a sea of “super-hero” projects.

Prior to this, had you been involved in any other projects before?

I did a few side projects with other writers, but they did not go very far. I did however have the pleasure of working with John Zakour. He hired me for a submission package for Zuda. It got rejected, but it was a fun project to illustrate.

The work I have done for Trapped on Draconica has opened new doors for me professionally and academically. Some of the images of the book are in my portfolio and it got me into college. For this I am very grateful.

What was it like working on something like this? Is it different doing artwork for novels than it is comics?

At first, doing artwork for novels was very different. I had only done comic art before this and it took me a little while to get my head wrapped around making one picture to get multiple ideas across. Now, I love it; in some ways a single illustration can make a bolder statement.

How did you go about choosing which scene to draw? Was it something that you discussed with the author?

Sometimes he would give me suggestions of scenes he would like to see illustrated and sometimes I would give suggestions of my own. All in all, I would say it was a joint effort.

What were your inspirations for the character designs? Where they all your own idea?

I have many sources of inspiration. Of course I love anime, manga, and RPGs, but I try not to lean on these too much; I do not want to make characters that look clichéd.  Fashion and animals are my biggest influences; I grab styles from different cultures and time periods to mix and match the right character. Each character has their own personality and I try to let my initial thoughts about Dan’s character descriptions guide me to what their design should be.

He has his own ideas of how he wants characters to be and gives me visual references. He gives me the freedom to use these references or not, but some of the references really help in pointing me in the right direction. The names he gives the characters help alot too.

Do you find it easier drawing male or female characters?

Neither is easier than the other. When I was younger, females were much easier to draw, but after years of studying anatomy, I can enjoy drawing both.

Do you have any favourite characters that you like drawing?

Yes! I came into this project with the full intent of being impartial, but there are some characters that are especially fun to draw out. Taurok, Mordak, Rana, and Zarracka are my favourites.

Any reason for your choices?

I usually gravitate towards villains. I am not sure if this is intentional, but villains are often written stronger than their heroic counterparts. Rana and Taurok are not exactly villains, but they are still strong.

In your opinion, which would you say is your favourite picture in the book?

This is a tough one; I do not want to give any story details away, but there is a Taurok picture and an important scene between Daniar and Erowin that stick out for me. The first pictures of Mordak are also special.

Supposing you could be any of the characters from this story, which one would it be?

Mordak. Sure, he’s a bad guy, but he comes and goes; you never know when he’s going to strike. He wears a mask; you never know what he’s thinking and he does not speak; he’s a real enigma.

One of the important character of the book is the Dragonkin – each with their own dragon power. Who, in your opinion, would you say has the best powers out of all of them?

It’s a draw between Zarracka and Rana; if I absolutely had to choose one, I would have to go with Zarracka.

Hypothetically speaking, supposing you were given a chance to have a dragon power from the characters in the story – which one would you most like and why?

I guess it would have to be Erowin; healing can come in handy.

Will you be doing anymore novels of this sort in the future?

Why not? As long as the story is well written and the characters are interesting I would love to.

One final question... What’s Dan (the author of Trapped on Draconica) like to work with?

Working with Dan has been great. I wish every writer was as respectful and passionate about his projects as him. A lot of writers think they have something special, but they do not have the drive to see their project through. It also helped that I liked the story, not as an artist, but as a reader. I wanted to do the story justice. (Thanks Alexis, I'll pay you your bribe later! lol) 

Alexis is an American based artist that is available for commission and other work. To see a list of her other works (as well as some sample artwork for future novels) then visit her deviant art page.

Deviant Art 

Thanks for Alexis for her time, I am honoured to have worked with such an amazing artist.

Have a great weekend people.

Kindest

Pandragon