The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I know what you're thinking.  Isn't this blog dead?  Yes, I thought so too.  But you know what can bring me out of retirement, albeit briefly?  Fangirling.

OMG THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE IS THE GREATEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN!!!

OK fine, not the greatest, but 7000 times better than the first and 800% met my expectations for it!! My 14-year-old self was very, very happy!

Pretty sure the second book is my favorite of the trilogy, very close to the first.  As for the movies, I thought the first one was alright.  There was too much good stuff from the book left out of it for me and while it was cool to see the characters and story brought to life, it was a bit disappointing.  Have I still watched it multiple times? Yes,  But actually, now that I've seen the second movie, the first is dreck by comparison.

I'm not even really sure what the difference is, but this director is on it.  It makes me sad that the first movie exists.  Can't they redo it?  Forget it ever happened and make it more like this one?  I guess it's that it's way more faithful to the book than the first movie was.  It totally brought everything to life, and anything that was left out I'm OK with being left out.  They hit everything I wanted to see.  And they made me wish the movie was 5 times longer.  If it had taken place in real-book-time, it would have been amazing.  They truly did my favorite installment justice.

The book certainly had a lot of kickass characters, and the movie versions were perfect.  Johanna was awesome.  Finnick was amazingly perfect - can't wait to see his story continue (angst!!!!).  Haymitch and Peeta continue to rule my life with their perfection.  And Gale continues to suck, but that's OK because he's Gale -- he's supposed to suck.  And that makes him perfect.  And while there were a couple times where I thought too much Awesome Jennifer Lawrence Personality was sneaking in to the performance, Katniss rules too.

So what's next?  I hate the third book.  But I'm excited about the movies now that this one was good!  It gives me hope.  Because they're splitting that damn book into 2 movies -- they had better be worth it.  They should have split this one into 2 movies.  And made it a 5-hour epic.  I would watch that 100 times.

So now here I am, dying to see it again soon.  And re-reading Catching Fire so I can relive the flaily teen angst and drama.

I LOVE IT!  

The Lone Ranger and Pacific Rim: A Study in Expectations

Where to start.  A movie I had zero expectations for and a movie I had the highest expectations for.  One surpasses my wildest dreams, one craps on them.

The Lone Ranger -- Lord help me, I only saw this movie because my husband wanted to.  I heard it was crap, I expected it to be crap, and it was.  It's just a disjointed mess.  Johnny Depp is doing what he's done since Pirates of the Caribbean - wear a costume and have weird mannerisms.  So that's no good.  Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka are much more interesting characters.  Armie Hammer is adorable - and was great in The Social Network - but lord is he dull as dishwater.  Who decided to try to make him a star?  It's not happening.  It's a "Western," it's a "comedy," I have no idea what it is.  Boo.






Pacific Rim - Man, I have been living for this movie since Comic-Con last year.  I had first heard about it 2 Comic-Cons ago and was excited at the combination of Guillermo del Toro and giant robots v. sea monsters.  The movie isn't bad.  But it's not the Movie of the Summer I was hoping for either.

Warning: If you're not into giant robots fighting giant sea monsters, there is NO REASON for you to see this movie.  NONE.  If you're into that kind of thing (and you should be), enjoy.  Mostly.

Not surprisingly, the best parts involve the giant robots fighting the giant kaijus.  You seriously get sucked into it, believe it can happen, root for both sides - it's great fun.  The effects are perfect.  Unfortunately, I was surprised at how absolutely horrid all the human parts of the movie are.

I love Charlie Hunnam. He's great on Sons of Anarchy.  Or maybe he's just nice to look at.  Because the man is as wooden as a tree in this movie.  Holy Christ, I wanted to scream, "Show some personality!!!" the whole time.  There's no Oscar-winning dialogue for sure, but you can make something out of it, can't you?  Idris Elba did.  He's the best part of the movie aside from the robots and monsters.  He sold his corny lines.  But every other actor stinks.  Even Charlie Day - Jesus, man, tone it down.  We don't need him shrieking when there are explosions and roars and LOUD NOISES everywhere.  Take it down a notch, dude.  I don't know what's worse - everyone else being wooden and dull or him being a spastic gerbil.

I felt more emotion during the robot v. kaiju fights than I did during any of the human interactions.  I'll watch the movie again - definitely.  Hell, I'm sure I'll own it on Blu Ray.  But when I watch the human parts, I'll just be making fun of them.  Develop some kind of drinking game maybe.  I like drinking.

P.S. I love Gipsy Danger - that's my robot in the poster.  Love him more than any of the humans, that's for sure.

These Movies Both Start with a W

They are also just mindless summer popcorn fare for the most part.  But it's in the 90s here and I hate it so I like to spend my weekend days in a movie theater.

I went into White House Down with zero expectations, so I suppose it didn't disappoint.  I still can't stand Jamie Foxx, regardless of his Tarantino status.  But I don't mind Channing Tatum.  Ever since 21 Jump Street I've been a bit obsessed.  This movie had the awful corny dialogue and situations:  Wacky White House tour guide who's all, Get your hands off the antiques!  Little girl who is wise and brave beyond her years!  Multi-layered government conspiracy!  A crowd of people outside the White House who are cheering while tanks roll in and get in a firefight with the bad guys, as opposed to running in terror (or not being allowed within a 10 block radius in the first place)!  I suppose there are worse ways to spend a summer day.  Like outdoors.  Also, Channing Tatum in a white tank top.


At least in World War Z people were acting as they would in real-life - freaking terrified of zombies.  I really liked the zombies in this movie actually -- fast-moving, and swarming, like a wave of water rushing down a street.  Pretty cool.  But OMG the plot.  You could tell there were tons of reshoots and script changes.  The last 1/3 is cool - basically a huge we-have-to-get-through-a-bunch-of-zombies sequence - but it feels like a different movie from the globe-spanning catastrophe movie in the beginning.  And the very end feels hella tacked on.

Basically, I sat through these movies and it was OK, but I don't plan to see either of them again, until they're on HBO 100 times a week and I can't escape them.  Also, I plan to read - I know, read! - World War Z, mostly because I really think this zombiepocalypse thing could happen and I need to be prepared.  I've already got a camp stove.

Man of Steel/This is the End

I saw Man of Steel yesterday, so I finally feel capable of writing about it.  Not because it's so deep that it takes a lot of time to process, but because - Jesus Christ on a bike - Henry Cavill is hot.  I'm sorry, but he is.  No, not hot, just really, really ridiculously good-looking.  Like, criminally so.  So good looking that every time he comes on screen I end up with my mouth hanging open in awe of his face.  I'm not kidding.  He's beautiful.

But is the movie good?  Yeah I think I liked it.  I think I really liked it.  But I also wonder if I'd be OK with watching Henry Cavill watch paint dry.  That'd be a good film.  Jesus, he's handsome.  I think the movie is stronger in the first half - really laying out the backstory, effectively showing the struggles of a growing alien boy.  Then the second half happens and it's nonstop fighting.  The action is definitely well done - it's really well-directed.  Because a quarter of the movie is 2 grown men flying around and flinging each other into buildings and fighting and you totally buy it.  The movie also changes some stuff in the Clark Kent/Superman backstory, at least as I know it.  I'm not entirely sure I buy the way it ends up; I need to see it again to see if it makes sense.  I mean, if I have to....

I've been eagerly anticipating This is the End like no other movie this summer.  It's as if the movie industry read my mind - let's put all of my favorite funny guys who have awesome chemistry together into a vulgar comedy.  Perfect.  Everyone was awesome and it was just as funny as I hoped it would be.  Plus it's crazy because, you know, apocalypse and everything.  It's brilliant.  As brilliant as Superman is beautiful.

Fast & Furious 6

Is it a ringing endorsement to say that Fast & Furious 6 is the least disappointing movie of the summer?  It should be.  Because after feeling decent-but-not-wowed over Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness, this movie was every bit as awesome as I expected it to be.

Can't go wrong with racing and big dudes fighting (The Rock and Vin Diesel - as good as it gets!) and girls being tough and chases and guns and explosions.  The movie totally dragged a bit in the middle and yet is still the most fun I've had at the movies this summer.  Until I see Pacific Rim and This is the End.

Star Trek Into Darkness

OK, so. Star Trek Into Darkness. Saw it Thursday.  And if you haven't seen it by now, you don't really care about it, and so I'll have spoilers here. But they're not a big deal, really.

First off, I chose that photo because Benedict Cumberbatch owns the movie. I love him in Sherlock and he's a pretty slick bad guy. He'd be in good in Marvel movies as a villain. Not that his character here is developed much, but he's just cool. Also, he's Khan. But who cares. It's just a name, really.  A name and some slick, long coats.  The Khan "reveal" has been rumored for like a year and once it's actually done, you pretty much just go, "So what?"  Moving on.

I've seen all of the previous Star Trek movies, but don't remember them much beyond that one about the whales where Spock is playing a boom box on a bus. Or something.  I like this cast a lot and they're just as good in this one as the first.  Just when I think I like Bones the best I end up liking Scotty the best.  The movie feels like a ride at Disney World - in a good way.  The kind where you're jostled around and ships crash and explode in front of you.  Good fun.  There are funny lines and good chemistry amongst the cast. 

But there are also plot holes or at least "plot what-the-effs"?  Transporters that work only when it's convenient and don't work when the writers didn't want them to.  The use of Transporters makes no sense the entire time.  It's the kind of thing that didn't bother me til after the movie though.  Maybe Transporters are glitchy things.  And Spock is a stickler for the rules when it's convenient but he conveniently isn't when something needs to happen.

Again, I don't remember much about the old movies, but things in this movie are switched around.  Like, instead of happening to Spock like in the original, they happen to Kirk.  It's that whole other-timeline thing that keeps things interesting.

After stewing on it for a few days, it might be just as good as the first one.  Maybe the first one seemed better because it was brand new.  Oh also - the plot holes.  Final rating: not as good as the first, but better than Iron Man 3.

Iron Man 3

You know, now that I look at this poster, I should have suspected that I wouldn't love Iron Man 3.  Because I generally don't like chicks, and I certainly don't like chicks in my superhero movies.  Particularly when they're played by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Iron Man 3 had too much Paltrow.  Actually, the punnier thing to say is that it had too much Pepper for my taste.  She shouldn't be 2nd-billed and prominent on the damn poster either.

Now, I still mostly enjoyed the movie.  A crappy Marvel movie is like a crappy cup of coffee -- it still isn't the worst thing ever and it still gets the job done.  Does that analogy work?  I'll like Marvel movies no matter what, but I should love them.

So what was wrong with Iron Man 3?  Besides a certain blonde.  My main problem is that Tony Stark doesn't have superpowers.  Sure, he has cool technology and I'll even buy the super-convenient secret projects that are activated at just the right time.  But he shouldn't have the ability to fight and slide down steel beams when he's not in his armor.

I just want a dark, alcoholic, womanizing, self-hating, tortured Tony Stark. Not one with a steady GF whom he calls "honey."  Tony Stark shouldn't be calling a chick "honey" unless it's derogatory and dripping with sarcasm. (Clearly I need to find some fan fiction. And yes, it can be the kind where Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are banging. I'm all-in on that idea.)

But I guess a dark take on Tony Stark isn't going to work for Disney.  So instead we basically get a shoot-em-up, high-tech action flick.

Also, without giving spoilers, I can't decide if the Mandarin thing is good or bad.  On one hand, I like the concept, on the other hand I wanted him to be an awesome villain.  The poop joke was bad, I know that much.

Long story short, it looks like I'm relying on Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast & Furious 6, and - most of all - Pacific Rim to make my summer.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Yeah, I saw G.I. Joe: Retaliation on Easter morning.  No church for me, thanks.  Truth be told, it was more Mike's pick than mine, but it's not like I protested.  I'm always up for some mindless gun porn entertainment.

And that's exactly what it was.  Do you want to see The Rock walk around explosions in slow motion? If you're an American, the answer is yes.  Do you want to see guns, guns, and more guns?  Duh.  Do you want to see Bruce Willis sleepwalk his way through a role that, well, doesn't really require anything more than sleepwalking? Of course you do.  What's not to love about all of these things?  Swords and stunts and explosions and rock music and fighting for "America."  Love it.

Just don't expect a riveting plot.  Or a movie that doesn't feel like it's 2 different movies going on concurrently.  Or The Rock to cover up his arms.  Cuz it ain't happening.

Oh wait - best of all - Walton Goggins is in it.  Boyd Crowder lights up any movie he's in.

The Oscar Nominations

I made sure to have the Oscar nominations loaded up live the second I got in to work.  They were announced at like 8:35 AM, and by 8:45, my Facebook status update read, "FU Oscars, back to work - no Kathryn Bigelow? Suck my left nut."  I didn't even have time to process the lack of Quentin Tarantino and Ben Affleck directing nominations as well.  What the hell?

Lincoln got the most nominations.  It was a great, historical biopic, but not the Best Picture of the Year.

Best Picture:

• "Beasts of the Southern Wild" - it's next up in my Netflix queue, mostly because the 9-year-old girl (who was nominated for Best Actress!) is supposed to be amazing in it.
• "Silver Linings Playbook" - I've been pushing Mike to see this for weeks; we've GOT to see it this weekend.  If there's time, with all the football.
• "Zero Dark Thirty" - winner winner chicken dinner
• "Lincoln" - what I said
• "Les Miserables" - really more about the acting than the film as a whole, but makes sense
• "Life of Pi" - I will never watch a movie about a kid stranded in an ocean with a tiger, I just won't.
• "Amour" - supposed to be good, but it's French.  So, you know, no.
• "Django Unchained" - OF COURSE
• "Argo"  - OF COURSE

Moonrise Kingdom was probably my Number 4 film of the year.  Couldn't have fit in a 10th nomination for Best Picture, you bastards?

In Best Director news, apparently Django Unchained, Argo, and Zero Dark Thirty - the three best movies I saw this year - directed themselves.  Cool.

Other Nominations I'm Happy About

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables."  But Sally Field, "Lincoln"??? No.
 
Best Actress:  Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty" and Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"  (no, I haven't seen the second one yet, but I love her so YAY)

Les Misérables

Full disclosure: I'm a Les Misérables geek.  I don't see a lot of musicals, but I've seen it live twice.  Basically, the movie had to not-severely-eff-up and I'd like it.  Luckily, it was really well done.  Warning - the movie is (and feels) long as hell.  But at least nothing was cut out.

Now, the way it was filmed - with the live singing - was actually interesting and I loved it.  I didn't really realize until the end that there weren't any of your typical big musical-movie numbers.  The performances weren't big and grand, there wasn't singing and dancing -- they were much more intimate.  The way it's staged is more like you're there with the actors, not watching them.  It was cool to see the movie that way.  But I think it means the soundtrack itself wouldn't be any good to listen to.  The music didn't stand out to me, it was more about watching the performances in addition to listening to them.  For just listening, I'll stick with a stage cast recording. 

The performances were great.  However, the movie doesn't get better than Anne Hathaway singing "I Dreamed a Dream."  It totally lives up to the hype and is this amazing uninterrupted take (or at least it seemed that way) and is absolutely the pinnacle of the movie.  Not that the rest is bad, it's just not that good.  Everyone keeps slamming Russell Crowe, but I thought he was really good!  He fit this particular style of filmed musical, which is quieter and more "real" and less over-the-top.  Hugh Jackman has the bigger, booming voice.

It was just what I wanted in a movie adaption of Les Misérables.  By the end, the tears were streaming down into my cleavage.  Now that's a movie.

The Best Movies Are Out Now

I don't blog anymore.  That much is obvious.  To wit, I've seen a bunch of movies since September, and haven't said a thing about them.  And now I have to try to remember what they were, but I can't think of anything other than Lincoln.


So Lincoln was good.  It was great actually, especially for what could be a boring historical drama.  I actually think Sally Field is way over the top and annoying, but I loved Daniel Day-Lewis.  No shocker there, he's always good.  But I just wanted to hug Lincoln by the time it was over.  He seemed like a really cool guy, all chill and casual while also doing historically-important things.  We could be besties.

I was in New York this past weekend, and seized the opportunity to see Zero Dark Thirty.  It doesn't come out nationwide til January 11th and I was way too excited to have to wait that long.  It was amazing.  Like, A. May. Zing.  I love how it felt like you followed the whole story -- from interrogations to investigation to the raid on bid Laden's compound.  It was wonderful.  Kathryn Bigelow is such a great director - she excels at this war stuff so much, just making it feel real and tense and exciting.  Loved loved loved it.  Might be my Movie of the Year.  Also... god, I love Jessica Chastain.

 Finally, Santa brought me just what I wanted this year -- a new Quentin Tarantino movie, Django Unchained.  I am the World's Biggest QT Fangirl, so of course I'm going to love whatever he does.  Even if it stars Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio....

It was a quintessential Tarantino movie, naturally.  Just this time set in the slave-era South.  I love Christoph Waltz and he was wonderful in it.  I could listen to him speak all day.  I loved the first part of the movie best, with him teaming up with Django.  The dialogue was great, the music was great, the violence was over the top - everything you'd expect.  I feel like I might love Inglourious Basterds more, but who knows - it's early.  I've only seen Django once.  But I think my disdain for Foxx may keep me from full-on loving this as much.  He kind of plays Jamie Foxx all the time.... Then again, one could argue Christoph Waltz is the same all the time too.  Difference: Waltz is awesome.  Anyway, loved Django Unchained as much as I figured I would, and eagerly await Tarantino's next one.  You know what he hasn't done and should do?  Sci-fi.

But I digress.  There are still lots of year-end movies to see, like Silver Linings Playbook and Les Miserables.  They will all be Oscar contenders -- it'll be a tight race! At least I'll be a fan of whatever wins.

Lawless is Pointless

I saw Lawless yesterday and haven't been compelled to write a review.  A pointless movie on a pointless blog - what's the point?  Lawless is a movie that just is -- it has no substance that stays with you, the story's not very compelling, there's nothing memorable about it.  It's cool to watch olde timey moonshiners in action - I guess?  It's violent, but even that wasn't very exciting.  Hell, I'm putting the poster of Gary Oldman on this post because I forgot (in the last 24 hours, mind you) that he was even in the movie.  Didn't amount to much screen time and wasn't memorable, so what the hell's the point of using Gary Oldman?

See it if you're a big Shia LaBeouf fan, I guess. Tom Hardy's fine, but he just kind of grumbles and snorts his way through the movie; his character doesn't have much personality.  The movie didn't really go anywhere.  Again, I just didn't see the point.  So you can feel good about skipping this one, unless you're hella into moonshining and Shia LaBeouf.  Then have at it and enjoy.

EXTREME Weekend!!!!

It's Hurricane Isaac weekend here in South Florida, so what better time to catch up on a buttload of movies before being trapped in your house for a day or 2?  P.S.: That picture of Isaac is from Wednesday's forecast, when he was destined for my house.  Now we're pretty much just getting a Tropical Storm.  Being the movie geek I am, I paraphrased Lt. Aldo Raine from Inglourious Basterds yesterday when I said, "More like rained on.  I've been rained on before."  I think I'm going to have to watch that movie again today....

First up on Friday night was Premium Rush.  This is a movie about EXTREME bike messengers.  Really.  It's fine.  I mean, was it supposed to be amazing?  No.  But Joseph Gordon-Levitt's in it and he's pretty.  Unfortunately for the movie, biking looks ridiculous when you see a lot of it. I mean, his little legs moving up and down the whole time. It's comical. Also, on bikes, no matter how fast they're going -- they're still bikes!  So slow "chases."  And WTF is up with Michael Shannon and his scenery-chewing bullshit?  I know he's supposed to be a good actor, but I couldn't figure out what he was doing.  Was he doing it tongue-in-cheek or was he being serious?  Either way, ick.  Also, the musical score was awful and when a movie score stands out that's bad -- you're not supposed to notice it.  It was bizarre.  Anyway, it was fine.

Next up on Saturday was the very definition of an EXTREME action movie - The Expendables 2.  Dude.  I mean, you sit there rolling your eyes at the dialogue and yet who gives a shit when you have Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Arnold Schwarzenegger fighting side-by-side and mowing down guys with machine guns?  And you get 3 awesome Jean-Claude Van Damme roundhouse kicks. How can you not love that?  Stallone fighting with chains. Statham throwing knives. Then Chuck Norris rolls in totally randomly and makes Chuck Norris jokes.  Everyone saying each other's catch phrases.  (OK, that's I can do without.)  It's a fun movie to watch.  If you don't pop a couple boners during it, you're not human.

I closed out the weekend seeing The Bourne Legacy again because Mike hadn't seen it yet, and it could have been my last night on earth so I wanted to spend it wisely.  I liked it better the second time, likely because I knew to expect a slow start and less Jeremy Renner than you would think a Jeremy Renner movie would contain.  Of all of these EXTREME movies, this one is definitely the most realistic.  Those old guys don't do their own stunts in the same way Renner does.  JCVD's roundhouse kicks were done in such a way that I pictured him doing one, then taking a 15 minute break, then doing the next one.  Punch, break, punch, break, duck, break, heavily edit.  The old men just aren't as ferocious as they used to be.

The Bourne Legacy

Look, kids, we all know I can't be objective here.  I've been eagerly awaiting The Bourne Legacy forever now and I have what is legally referred to as a "hard-on" for Jeremy Renner.  The man could do anything - especially with gun in hand - and I'd be happy.  So I'm happy with The Bourne Legacy (which I got to see at an early screening - the third one this summer courtesy of Ain't It Cool News). 

But I'm also not going to lie and say it was the most ~*~amazing~*~ movie ever.  It's not perfect.  For one, it takes far too long to get to the Rennery goodness.  I love Ed Norton.  But get off the screen already, Ed Norton.  The set-up takes far too long.  It's kind of odd how there are 2 different movies going on -- Ed Norton and the Top Secret Government People tracking Renner and then Renner out doing his stuff.  And they don't ever really feel connected.  So that sucks.  More Norton and Renner together please!

Another thing that probably taints (heh) my view on this movie a little - I've watched the trailer 1,471 times.  And it contains the whole movie.  So I felt like I'd seen all the action scenes, all the fights already.  But let me tell you -- the motorcycle chase through Manila?  Greatest thing ever put on film.  At least the greatest motorcycle chase ever.  Rachel Weisz is the bomb too, I always love her.  She has my blessing.

I am looking forward to seeing this movie with Mike so he can shoot holes in all of the science - chems, viruses, I doubt any of that made any sense.  But when my little man starts kicking ass, I don't really care.  The man is an athlete and I love him.

Total Recall

I didn't expect Total Recall to change the world.  I just wanted some entertainment.  And I got it.  Full disclosure: I've never seen the original movie and I certainly haven't read the story on which it's based.  So I couldn't tell you dick about how they compare.

It's one of those cool, dumb action movies, where it's always dark and rainy and people walk around without umbrellas.  And there's a metric ton of bloodless gun fights, and panes of glass shatter every 15 seconds.  And then there's the story which, I don't know, is confusing as hell, but thinks it's intellectual. 

Also, there's Bryan Cranston.  Now I had already seen a review that said he was in it for 5 minutes, so I knew not to expect much.  Cuz, yeah, he's in it for like 4 1/2 minutes.  But he owns every one of those 270 seconds.  I really do wish we'd seen more of him.  He rules, plain and simple.  But we do also get 2 of the most gorgeous women on the planet - Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale.  With their athleticism and long, wavy brown locks - what's not to love?  When Colin Farrell is the 4th reason to see a movie, you know it's stacked with goodness.

It won't be a complete waste of your time, I promise.  If it's storming like it was here today, or hot as hell like it also was here today, you've already seen The Dark Knight Rises twice, and the Olympics are currently offering female weight lifting, there are worse things to watch.

Yep, It Was Awesome

The Dark Knight Rises is even better in IMAX, of course.  And yep, I still love it.  Kind of love how it completes the trilogy and still gives the possibility of more.  Still love Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and good-guy Gary Oldman.  It did make me want to see The Avengers again, though.  That movie still wins the crowd-pleasing audience award, only because there's not much dark about it.  There's not much in the way of knee-slapping in TDKR.

So I think I'll watch The Avengers now (I have it with some foreign (Russian?) subtitles, but couldn't care less).  On a related note, I'm 95% sure I'm giving up on So You Think You Can Dance.  And I'm pretty sure there's a new Project Runway season, yet I have no desire to watch that either.  When you don't watch a show for a few days and don't miss it and pretty much dread starting it, that means it's OK to abandon it.  And I find myself thinking I'd rather do a Massive Fringe Rewatch v. watching new SYTYCD.  It can be so and it will be so!

Long story short, Breaking Bad has ruined all other TV for me.

The Dark Knight Rises

I flipping LOVED The Dark Knight Rises.  And I honestly didn't expect to.  I'm such a wannabe cynic, but I was underwhelmed by the trailers, so I didn't expect to love it so much.  But I thought it was better than The Dark Knight.  We rewatched Batman Begins this weekend, and that movie definitely holds up.  I like that one better than TDK too.  TDK doesn't hold up for me on repeated viewings.  Other than Heath Ledger as The Joker, there's too much about it that I can pick apart.  The Joker, the scene with the overturned truck, and that's about all that's awesome.

In TDKR, you get to watch Batman build himself back up again. I really rooted for the dude. Bane is a decent enough villain, but also one that's easy to mock.  Just put your hand over your mouth and read lines like the villain in that one James Bond movie: "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to diiiiie."  But he rocks a kickass winter coat.  Bane is cool with me.  BUT if you had The Joker in this movie instead of Bane?  That would have been a perfect movie.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the bomb, per usual.  I really loved him in this, and if they ever made more, it'd be awesome to have him continue it. Anne Hathaway/Catwoman is surprisingly awesome. Funny. Hot. Awesome.  I heart Anne Hathaway and her big nose, so I'm glad her character and portrayal of Catwoman turned out to be good.

So my first impression on this movie is that I loved it.  Is it going to fall apart under repeated viewings like TDK did for me?  Don't know.  Also - technically this movie is longer, but didn't feel like it.  Also also - I didn't see it in IMAX because the theater was sold out for the whole weekend.  So I'll be watching it again there soon.

Comic-Con 2012: Day Four

We had to get up early again, because even though I only wanted to see the Fringe panel at 10:00, there were Supernatural and Doctor Who panels scheduled after it, and never underestimate those fandoms.  I was geared up for what would surely be a bittersweet Fringe panel, as they were saying goodbye and are always soooo appreciative of the fans.

Tragically, I missed nearly the first half of the panel because those damn Comic-Con idiots didn’t open Hall H early enough.  Nerd rage!!!  So although I got a seat, it wasn’t until after the first video presentation, the Season 5 preview.  Though of course that’s online now.  But I got to see Lance Reddick cry and that was amazing.  He, Anna Torv, and Jasika Nicole were blubbering messes at one point; it was adorable.  Joshua Jackson and John Noble were their normal adorable, funny selves.  Noble said that a movie was a possibility, but I suppose it’s a possibility just like aliens are a possibility.  But I hope it happens!  They had a nice retrospective video thanking the fans too.  They all took a bow at the end.  Love it.  Excited for season 5!

After that, it was trolling the Exhibit Hall, snapping a photo of Nathan Fillion at the Marvel booth, and closing the place down at 5.  Below are some of my favorite cosplay pictures.  We had a great Comic-Con and looking forward to next year!



 

Mike’s Two Cents (the stuff he saw that I didn’t, while I was making sure to get into the Breaking Bad panel):  Total Recall was awesome as crap and looked really good.  Colin Farrell is always good on a panel.  The hover cars and the way the city is built are cool.  No Schwarzenegger one-liners, more like serious sci-fi.  Looper was awesome; it looks really fast-paced, interesting concept.  It’s not heavily focused on the time travel.  Emily Blunt is funny as shit.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt was cool and funny and grateful to be working.  Elysium footage was still rough but looks pretty good.  Matt Damon is jacked-up and Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley were there too.  Resident Evil 127 - Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez were having fun and made for a really good panel.  They both enjoy being at Comic-Con and know how to work the crowd.

Finally, some photos of the happy nerds and their swag, including the much-coveted Django Unchained tee shirts.

Comic-Con 2012: Day Three

Saturday meant setting the alarm for 5:30.  After having missed the first couple panels on Friday, I couldn’t let that happen for panels I actually wanted to see -- starting with Quentin Tarantino and Django Unchained.  It was amazing to see Tarantino, and the panel also had Jamie Foxx, Don Johnson, Christoph Waltz (THE MAN), Walton Goggins (Boyd!), and Kerry Washington (who was awesomely articulate and very deep about this movie).  We saw 8 minutes of footage and it was amazing.  Definitely looks funny too.  It’s Jamie and Christoph off on adventures together and we barely even got to see the Leonardo DiCaprio plantation stuff.  The footage we saw was put together from the first half of the movie; they still have a week or 2 of shooting left.  I really can’t wait.  It’s simply going to be epic Tarantino, per usual.

Next up was a look at a Silent Hill film sequel.  I know nothing about that video game and movie series, other than that it’s creepy.  They did drop the nugget that there will be a Silent Hill maze at both Halloween Horror Nights locations this year.  Huzzah!  We also got a look at End of Watch, which looks to be a riveting cop drama.  A lot of it is shot in first person POV and ends up kind of looking like a video game.  Very realistic looking.  I’m in.

The Warner Brothers panel was nothing short of epic.  They unveiled 2 side screens down the walls of Hall H, which has never been done before, and was quite the spectacle.  We started with Pacific Rim – giant robots v. giant monsters, directed by Guillermo del Toro.  Can’t go wrong there.  And del Toro is always amazing at Comic-Con – funny, f-bomb-dropping.  Love.  The footage looked awesome.  We really only saw the robot parts, the monsters must take longer.

Next, we got a quick teaser and announcement of a new Godzilla movie.  Then Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell showed up to do a surprise panel for The Campaign.  They mostly made fun of audience members.  It was hysterical.



We got a look at Man of Steel, which looks like it’s trying to be a realistic superhero movie in the way of the new Batman movies.  Does dark work for Superman?  Superman always seems a little ridiculous and campy to me.  But it looked good.  Last up for the presentation was The Hobbit.  Honestly, I was underwhelmed by the footage, just in terms of -- haven’t we already done this?  I think I liked The Lord of the Rings movies, but who can remember?  They were all too long and ran together.  And now we get even more.  OK, sure, why not.  We got Peter Jackson, Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, and Elijah Wood.  I got to hear Gollum drop the f-bomb a few times.  Only at Comic-Con!






The final panel of the day was Marvel.  They opened with a big thank-you/Con-retrospective video showing them talking about maybe one day doing The Avengers, announcing Thor, etc.  I was there for all of them (except the Avengers cast unveiling) so that was cool to see.  Edgar Wright came out and showed us test footage he had shot for Ant-Man, which was very cool.  Not sure how an Ant-Man movie would play out, but Wright is awesome so it will be cool if it happens.  They announced the titles and release dates for the Thor and Captain America sequels.  They they announced Guardians of the Galaxy for 2014.  I know nothing about this, other than that there is literally a raccoon with a big gun in the group, and what appears to be a walking, talking tree.  Looks pretty far out there.  Not sure how it’ll fit in with the other Marvel movies.  We’ll see; they seem to know what they're doing.  But a raccoon?  Finally, Robert Downey, Jr. came out as only he (or Tony Stark) would – through the back of the room, dancing down the aisle to Luther Vandross, giving high-fives.  He’s a god here too.  Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, and director Shane Black were there, and all hilarious.  The Iron Man 3 footage was quite amazing too.  Marvel knows how to get Hall H psyched.