2016. Been one heck of a year, hasn't it? The Grim Reaper has been busy, politics have takes a much more right-wing turn, and a lot of people are tired and scared.
However, I fancy myself an optimist. So, for my final blog post of this year, I wanted to show some good things did happen in 2016.
- Sri Lanka is free of malaria. That's pretty awesome. It's great to see that
- Giant Pandas no longer on endangered species list. They technically still are considered vulnerable, but their population is growing. So that's fantastic to see. Giant Pandas are cute. But Giant pandas are not the only animals making a comeback...
- Tiger populations are increasing. This is awesome. I love tigers. It's great to see these majestic animals making a comeback.
- The Juno probe reaches Jupiter. Yup, after five years, Juno has arrived at its destination. It's come to Jupiter, and it's sending information about our solar system's biggest member.
- Tim Peake is the first English ESA astronaut. This is really cool to me as I was born in Great Britain. It's awesome to see an Englishman reach the stars. The Brits are getting back into space exploration, baby!
- India plants 50 million trees. India shattered a world record as part of a commitment to reforestation. This is really neat.
- A solar-powered airplane flew across the Pacific Ocean. This is big. This means that solar power could replace fossil fuels for transcontinental flights in the future.
It's not much, but these are just a few of the really neat things that happened this year. Yeah, a lot of bad stuff happened, but so did a lot of good. And hopefully, 2017 will bring more positive things in the future. Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
The Literary Lair: The Ashes of Eden
When I want to relax, I like to fire up YouTube and watch review videos. I have my favorite web shows, and one of them is Michael Gleason's Literary Lair, a series in which he reviews books. It's a great show, especially if you are an avid reader.
This review, one of William Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens' Star Trek novel The Ashes of Eden, is one of my favorite episodes. I'm not sure why, to be honest. Maybe it was because I have read some of the "Shatnerverse" novels (I think I do own The Return, I'll have to hunt it down), but I have to consider this one of my favorite episodes. I'll have to hunt this book down. Looks like a fun read.
Give it a watch, and check out the rest of his Literary Lair reviews. You can find them here.
This review, one of William Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens' Star Trek novel The Ashes of Eden, is one of my favorite episodes. I'm not sure why, to be honest. Maybe it was because I have read some of the "Shatnerverse" novels (I think I do own The Return, I'll have to hunt it down), but I have to consider this one of my favorite episodes. I'll have to hunt this book down. Looks like a fun read.
Give it a watch, and check out the rest of his Literary Lair reviews. You can find them here.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Rogue One Review
The Star Wars universe has officially gone rogue! Rogue One, that is. Yeah, I know, bad joke, I apologize. Rogue One is the first of the Star Wars Anthology films, films that are intended to tell side stories in the Star Wars universe. In Rogue One's case, it tells the tale of how the Rebel Alliance got the plans for the original Death Star, the one with the Alderaan-destroying superlaser. So, how did this film do? Was it a worthy entry in the Star Wars universe, or was it a galactic-scale disaster? Let's find out!
The film centers around Felicity Jones's Jyn Erso, the daughter of an Imperial scientist. The Rebel Alliance has been hearing about a new superweapon that the Empire has been working on, under the command of Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) And one of the scientists behind it is her father, Galen Erso, portrayed by Mads Mikkaelsen. Jyn Erso joins Rebel Alliance intelligence agent Cassian Andor and K-2SO (a reprogrammed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk) to find her father and get the plans for the superweapon. Along the way, they meet the mercenary Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), the warrior monk Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), and a defecting Imperial cargo pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed).
My favorite characters in the film were Chirrut and K-2SO. They were two of the most fun characters in the whole movie. K-2SO was such a wonderful source of snark, and you did get the impression that Imwe was a little bit nuts.
The film was rather well made, and I liked the cast. It had some good players. The film was fun to watch from beginning to end. It had a good pace, and the battle scenes were amazing to watch. It also featured a couple of surprise cameos I never expected. Let's just say that the tech used to pull them off was impressive.
I've heard some say the darker tone is a bit off-putting for this film. I didn't mind it in the least. In fact, I found the darker tone appropriate. This is a war film, after all. I like that it showed a more realistic take on the Rebellion. These are people who had to do what it took to fight the Empire, including stealing and killing. The world of Star Wars is more gray than one realizes. I also did enjoy the fan service in the movie. Some may not like it, but me personally, I had no issue with it. It did not feel forced to me. In fact, one appearance in particular really amazed me with how well it was pulled off.
I can't really think of much to complain about with this movie, to be honest. Except for one thing. Minor spoiler here, I'd have liked to have seen more with how Galen convinced Brodi to defect. Otherwise that, I have no real issues with the movie. I did have one other issue, but I can't discuss it here for spoiler reasons.
Rogue One is an amazing film. Give it a watch. If you're not, WHY ARE YOU NOT?! If you're a Star Wars fan, it's a given you'll love this film. If you ever were really a nut for the franchise like I was, give it a watch anyway. It's still great.
The film centers around Felicity Jones's Jyn Erso, the daughter of an Imperial scientist. The Rebel Alliance has been hearing about a new superweapon that the Empire has been working on, under the command of Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) And one of the scientists behind it is her father, Galen Erso, portrayed by Mads Mikkaelsen. Jyn Erso joins Rebel Alliance intelligence agent Cassian Andor and K-2SO (a reprogrammed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk) to find her father and get the plans for the superweapon. Along the way, they meet the mercenary Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), the warrior monk Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), and a defecting Imperial cargo pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed).
My favorite characters in the film were Chirrut and K-2SO. They were two of the most fun characters in the whole movie. K-2SO was such a wonderful source of snark, and you did get the impression that Imwe was a little bit nuts.
The film was rather well made, and I liked the cast. It had some good players. The film was fun to watch from beginning to end. It had a good pace, and the battle scenes were amazing to watch. It also featured a couple of surprise cameos I never expected. Let's just say that the tech used to pull them off was impressive.
I've heard some say the darker tone is a bit off-putting for this film. I didn't mind it in the least. In fact, I found the darker tone appropriate. This is a war film, after all. I like that it showed a more realistic take on the Rebellion. These are people who had to do what it took to fight the Empire, including stealing and killing. The world of Star Wars is more gray than one realizes. I also did enjoy the fan service in the movie. Some may not like it, but me personally, I had no issue with it. It did not feel forced to me. In fact, one appearance in particular really amazed me with how well it was pulled off.
I can't really think of much to complain about with this movie, to be honest. Except for one thing. Minor spoiler here, I'd have liked to have seen more with how Galen convinced Brodi to defect. Otherwise that, I have no real issues with the movie. I did have one other issue, but I can't discuss it here for spoiler reasons.
Rogue One is an amazing film. Give it a watch. If you're not, WHY ARE YOU NOT?! If you're a Star Wars fan, it's a given you'll love this film. If you ever were really a nut for the franchise like I was, give it a watch anyway. It's still great.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone out there! May your day be filled with cheer and joy!
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Movies to watch on Christmas, My Updated Thoughts
Hey, everyone! It's that time of year again! As the song goes, "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." A couple of years ago, I did a blog entry in which I talked about my favorite movies to watch during the Christmas season. Since I'm feeling a bit lazy, I thought I'd show the list again, and do my updated thoughts on them. Yeah, I'm George Lucas-ing this thing.
As I have said, I'm a bit of a film nut, so I enjoy watching movies on Christmas. As such, I recommended some films to watch on Christmas Day...if you celebrate it. You don't have to celebrate Christmas to watch these movies, they're still great.
Released the same year as Ghostbusters (it seemed that at the time, combining horror and humor was a thing in movies), I do feel that Gremlins sometimes does get overshadowed. Think about it. Ghostbusters has been going strong for over thirty years as a franchise, getting movies, two cartoon series, comics, video games, and a recent reboot that got mixed reception and has the power to make fanboys throw temper tantrums. Gremlins...not much. I know there was a Game Boy game based on the second one, and there were a couple of games for the Atari 2600 and 5200 based on the first one, but that's about it, as far as I know. Would love to see a comic book.
The film is about an inventor's son named Billy Peltzer who gets a creature known as a mogwai, which he names Gizmo. However, mogwai come with three rules of care: Do not expose to light (because light can kill mogwai), do not feed after midnight (because mogwai turn into monsterous gremlins), and do not get a mogwai wet (because it makes them reproduce and create more mogwai). You can guess what happens next. Yup, gremlins wreak havoc all over a small town at Christmas time.
Why do I consider it a Christmas film? Well, it's set on Christmas. It's a good film if you got a bit of a twisted sense of humor, or if you are tired of Christmas specials that can get a bit sappy and/or schmaltzy and want something a little different.
I love this film for many reasons. The Gremlins' antics are hilarious to watch, and as someone who doesn't really have the stomach for horror movies, the comedy gives me a reason to watch. To me, the funniest part is how the Gremlins unintentionally give the mean Mrs. Deagle her comeuppance. The rest of the film is enjoyable, too. The actors do great work with their roles, and it's very well-made. There's also a cameo by Chuck Jones. Old-school Looney Tunes fans should look out for him.
As long as I'm talking about this one, I do want to recommend that you give the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a viewing as well. It's more light in tone, but it's still a funny movie, and I think it's a great sequel with some great laughs.
There's my list of recommendations for Christmas time film-watching. Heh, they're all from the 80s. Who'd have thought that? Maybe that decade was a bit of a Golden Era for these kind of movies? I have no idea. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this old blog entry that I George Lucas'd up.
As I have said, I'm a bit of a film nut, so I enjoy watching movies on Christmas. As such, I recommended some films to watch on Christmas Day...if you celebrate it. You don't have to celebrate Christmas to watch these movies, they're still great.
Gremlins (1984)
Released the same year as Ghostbusters (it seemed that at the time, combining horror and humor was a thing in movies), I do feel that Gremlins sometimes does get overshadowed. Think about it. Ghostbusters has been going strong for over thirty years as a franchise, getting movies, two cartoon series, comics, video games, and a recent reboot that got mixed reception and has the power to make fanboys throw temper tantrums. Gremlins...not much. I know there was a Game Boy game based on the second one, and there were a couple of games for the Atari 2600 and 5200 based on the first one, but that's about it, as far as I know. Would love to see a comic book.
The film is about an inventor's son named Billy Peltzer who gets a creature known as a mogwai, which he names Gizmo. However, mogwai come with three rules of care: Do not expose to light (because light can kill mogwai), do not feed after midnight (because mogwai turn into monsterous gremlins), and do not get a mogwai wet (because it makes them reproduce and create more mogwai). You can guess what happens next. Yup, gremlins wreak havoc all over a small town at Christmas time.
Why do I consider it a Christmas film? Well, it's set on Christmas. It's a good film if you got a bit of a twisted sense of humor, or if you are tired of Christmas specials that can get a bit sappy and/or schmaltzy and want something a little different.
I love this film for many reasons. The Gremlins' antics are hilarious to watch, and as someone who doesn't really have the stomach for horror movies, the comedy gives me a reason to watch. To me, the funniest part is how the Gremlins unintentionally give the mean Mrs. Deagle her comeuppance. The rest of the film is enjoyable, too. The actors do great work with their roles, and it's very well-made. There's also a cameo by Chuck Jones. Old-school Looney Tunes fans should look out for him.
As long as I'm talking about this one, I do want to recommend that you give the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a viewing as well. It's more light in tone, but it's still a funny movie, and I think it's a great sequel with some great laughs.
A Christmas Story (1983)
This film has become a classic Christmas film. In fact, TNT broadcasts the film in a marathon for 24 hours every Christmas Day. It even got into the National Film Registry in 2012. Yup, this film was considered important enough to be preserved by the Library of Congress. I think it's one of the only films in this list that was given such an honor.
Based on the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (Which was a collection of short stories) by Jean Shepherd, it tells the tale of a young boy named Ralphie Parker of Hohman, Indiana, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, and his family in the days leading up to Christmas Day. The original stories were semi-autobiographical, based on Shepherd's own childhood in Hammond, Indiana. In fact, the narrator in the movie? That's the late Jean Shepherd himself. Yup, that's his genuine voice. He made his name in radio.
I think it's a film that's required viewing on Christmas. Many elements and scenes from the film have become rather iconic, from the leg lamp the Old Man lusts over, the Old Man vs. the neighbor's dogs and his battle with the heater, to Ralphie's pink bunny suit, "You'll shoot your eye out", and Flick's tongue getting stuck to the pole. Classic stuff.
I never thought about it as a kid, but now, there is something about the film I have thought about recently. You see, I always thought the film was set in the 1950s. However, in the DVD commentary, Bob Clark (the film's director), revealed that he and Shepherd wanted the film to be seen as set in a time around the late-30s, early 1940s. I imagine it's a source of debate among fans of the movie.
Based on the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (Which was a collection of short stories) by Jean Shepherd, it tells the tale of a young boy named Ralphie Parker of Hohman, Indiana, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, and his family in the days leading up to Christmas Day. The original stories were semi-autobiographical, based on Shepherd's own childhood in Hammond, Indiana. In fact, the narrator in the movie? That's the late Jean Shepherd himself. Yup, that's his genuine voice. He made his name in radio.
I think it's a film that's required viewing on Christmas. Many elements and scenes from the film have become rather iconic, from the leg lamp the Old Man lusts over, the Old Man vs. the neighbor's dogs and his battle with the heater, to Ralphie's pink bunny suit, "You'll shoot your eye out", and Flick's tongue getting stuck to the pole. Classic stuff.
I never thought about it as a kid, but now, there is something about the film I have thought about recently. You see, I always thought the film was set in the 1950s. However, in the DVD commentary, Bob Clark (the film's director), revealed that he and Shepherd wanted the film to be seen as set in a time around the late-30s, early 1940s. I imagine it's a source of debate among fans of the movie.
If you haven't seen it, give it a watch. It's fun, and rather sweet.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Much like A Christmas Story, this film focuses on a family's misadventures during the holiday season. In this film's case, it focuses on the ever-hapless Griswolds, especially their mishap-prone patriarch Clark Griswold, played by of course, Chevy Chase.
Based on the short story "Christmas '59" from the National Lampoon magazine, which was written by the same man who wrote the film, John Hughes. That's actually really neat, that he got adapt his own story to other media. That's pretty neat.
Clark Griswold just wants to have in his own words, "A fun, old-fashioned family Christmas", but it seems that fate has other plans in mind for that. Bickering relatives, Christmas lights being hopelessly entangled, yuppie neighbors, Cousin Eddie, and even a rampaging squirrel threaten to wreck Clark's dreams. Through it all, Clark realizes what Christmas means to him after all.
This film has been regarded as a modern Christmas classic, and it's not hard to see why. It's funny, well-made, and it's genuinely heartwarming at times. My favorite scene in the whole film? Clark Griswold's epic cursing out of his boss after his Christmas bonus turns out...not quite like he hoped.
The theme song, Mavis Staples's "Christmas Vacation", never fails to make me smile. Give it a listen here.
Based on the short story "Christmas '59" from the National Lampoon magazine, which was written by the same man who wrote the film, John Hughes. That's actually really neat, that he got adapt his own story to other media. That's pretty neat.
Clark Griswold just wants to have in his own words, "A fun, old-fashioned family Christmas", but it seems that fate has other plans in mind for that. Bickering relatives, Christmas lights being hopelessly entangled, yuppie neighbors, Cousin Eddie, and even a rampaging squirrel threaten to wreck Clark's dreams. Through it all, Clark realizes what Christmas means to him after all.
This film has been regarded as a modern Christmas classic, and it's not hard to see why. It's funny, well-made, and it's genuinely heartwarming at times. My favorite scene in the whole film? Clark Griswold's epic cursing out of his boss after his Christmas bonus turns out...not quite like he hoped.
The theme song, Mavis Staples's "Christmas Vacation", never fails to make me smile. Give it a listen here.
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
You know how many superheroes have origin tales? Superman, rocketed to earth from the doomed planet Krypton. Batman, death of parents leads him to take of the life of a crime fighter. Spider-Man, bitten by radioactive spider and learns a lesson about power and responsibility from a tragedy. This film was an attempt to tell the origins of Santa Claus, produced by the team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind, who also produced the 1977 Superman film.
The film tells how a peasant named Claus ends up becoming the Santa Claus we know of today, and also tries to explain other aspects of the Santa Claus mythos, like how his reindeer fly, and how he manages to ascend chimneys. Honestly, I like the idea of it. I do like the idea of exploring how Santa became the Santa we know and love. Grant Morrison has been doing something similar recently with his comic Klaus. I would love to pick it up, heard it was pretty good.
The film also focuses on an elf named Patch, played by the late, great Dudley Moore. An inventive elf, and feeling unappreciated, Patch goes out on his own, and falls under the wing of an evil toymaker named B.Z., the step-uncle of a rich girl Santa befriends. B.Z., played by John Lithgow, seeks to displace Santa as the provider of children's toys on Christmas, and with Patch as his pawn, he just may do it.
My major criticism is really, with the villain. John Lithgow does the best he can with what he's got to work with, and his scenery-chewing is fun to watch, but it's clear that not a lot of thought was put into the character. For example, the toys B.Z. makes. They're shoddy. I get that he wants to displace Santa as the premier provider of children's toys on Christmas, but it would make more sense to make high-quality toys. Sheesh. Not to mention...what does B.Z. stand for?!
Despite the flaws, the film has become a bit of a cult classic, and it is worth a watch, especially on this time of year.
The film also focuses on an elf named Patch, played by the late, great Dudley Moore. An inventive elf, and feeling unappreciated, Patch goes out on his own, and falls under the wing of an evil toymaker named B.Z., the step-uncle of a rich girl Santa befriends. B.Z., played by John Lithgow, seeks to displace Santa as the provider of children's toys on Christmas, and with Patch as his pawn, he just may do it.
My major criticism is really, with the villain. John Lithgow does the best he can with what he's got to work with, and his scenery-chewing is fun to watch, but it's clear that not a lot of thought was put into the character. For example, the toys B.Z. makes. They're shoddy. I get that he wants to displace Santa as the premier provider of children's toys on Christmas, but it would make more sense to make high-quality toys. Sheesh. Not to mention...what does B.Z. stand for?!
Despite the flaws, the film has become a bit of a cult classic, and it is worth a watch, especially on this time of year.
Die Hard (1988)
Yes. Yes, I consider this a Christmas movie.
Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, albeit heavily altered in ways, it stars Bruce Willis as NYPD cop John McClane. McClane has come to LA to visit his estranged wife Holly Gennaro, portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia. However, the visit turns into a nightmare when a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (the late great Alan Rickman) take over the building they were in. It's up to McClane to stop the terrorists, whose motives may not be what everyone thinks...
Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, albeit heavily altered in ways, it stars Bruce Willis as NYPD cop John McClane. McClane has come to LA to visit his estranged wife Holly Gennaro, portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia. However, the visit turns into a nightmare when a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (the late great Alan Rickman) take over the building they were in. It's up to McClane to stop the terrorists, whose motives may not be what everyone thinks...
This film showed that Bruce Willis, who was mainly known for comedic performances on TV (One word: Moonlighting), could not only be an action star, but be a bankable one. Die Hard was a critical and box office smash, creating a franchise that has encompassed five films, with a sixth in preproduction. Yeah, it's about ready to start competing with Star Trek for amount of sequels.
I love this film for many reasons. Rickman and Willis steal the show, and Reginald VelJohnson is underrated, in my opinion. Everyone does some great work in this movie, and it has some great dialogue and action sequences. It also does some clever things with action film tropes. If you're looking for something more...action-packed for Christmas, give this a watch.
I love this film for many reasons. Rickman and Willis steal the show, and Reginald VelJohnson is underrated, in my opinion. Everyone does some great work in this movie, and it has some great dialogue and action sequences. It also does some clever things with action film tropes. If you're looking for something more...action-packed for Christmas, give this a watch.
There's my list of recommendations for Christmas time film-watching. Heh, they're all from the 80s. Who'd have thought that? Maybe that decade was a bit of a Golden Era for these kind of movies? I have no idea. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this old blog entry that I George Lucas'd up.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Spider-Man Homecoming Trailer, My Thoughts
It's here! It's here at last! After his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man is going to celebrate...his homecoming. Here's the trailer for the film!
First of all, I have to say, I love the title from a meta perspective. Spider-Man has come back home to Marvel. It works in that way. Hopefully, the title will be in relation to the film itself.
The trailer begins with a group of bank robbers pulling a heist. And well, Spidey shows. Well, he just stands there and asks what's up. He throws some banter at the Avenger-masked bank robbers, then beats them up. The Thor mask makes me chuckle, as it's clearly a nod to the comics, and Thor in the MCU is usually shown not wearing a helmet, like the Ultimate Marvel incarnation of the character. A silver helmet is briefly worn by Thor in the first Thor movie, but it's only about a second.
We next cut to Peter in high school. He is talking to his friend, a rather large Asian kid. Now, I have heard some people suggest he may be the MCU's Ganke, who is a friend of the Miles Morales Spider-Man because Ganke is a fat Asian kid in the comics. Me, though, I doubt it. I think he may be a version of Kenny "Kong" McFarlane, a character from the Ultimate Spider-Man series. He appeared in the Spectacular Spider-Man series as a Korean-American named Kenny Kong.
They're staring at a young lady who I think may be Liz Allen. She's pretty. And in a funny moment, they get called losers by another girl. That's funny.
We next see Peter conversing with Tony Stark. Some have complained about Stark being in the movie, but I think it dos make sense, considering their interaction in Captain America: Civil War. It's pretty clear that Tony is playing mentor for Spider-Man here. My favorite bit is where he hugs Peter, but is claiming to just open the car door for him. It's a sweet moment.
Tony narrates while Peter is doing various things, and we get a glimpse of who might be the main villain of the film: The Vulture. And my GOD, he looks cool. I LOVE the helmet, especially. It looks like a fighter pilot's helmet, and I think it works. Makes sense that the Vulture would need something like that for flying around. I also like the fur around the collar. It's something that's the great strength of MCU designs. They do keep reality in mind, but make every effort to be accurate to the comics. And Michael Keaton is MENACING, man. I do like they picked the Vulture for the villain here. He was the first villain Spidey fought in the comics, and he's not Spidey's ultimate arch-nemesis. They can save the Green Goblin for a future film. They don't need to bring him in or even Norman Osborn right away. I don't mind his name being dropped, but I'd save him for a sequel.
I think we do get some idea of what Peter will go through in this film based on the dialogue. I think we're going to show Peter struggling under Tony's mentorship. Tony wants to keep Peter from going in over his head, but Peter is anxious to show what he can do. Really shows how Tony has grown and matures from the first Iron Man film, and again, builds on the relationship they established in Captain America: Civil War.
The end of the trailer gives us a brief glimpse of something awesome: Spider-Man and Iron Man heading somewhere in full costume together. Whether they're teaming up to fight Vulture, or just going somewhere for the fun of it, I have no idea. But it's cool.
As someone who loves Spider-Man, I LOVED this trailer. It got me really excited for this movie, ha ha! I can't wait to see how the mythos of Spider-Man is brought in to the MCU.
First of all, I have to say, I love the title from a meta perspective. Spider-Man has come back home to Marvel. It works in that way. Hopefully, the title will be in relation to the film itself.
The trailer begins with a group of bank robbers pulling a heist. And well, Spidey shows. Well, he just stands there and asks what's up. He throws some banter at the Avenger-masked bank robbers, then beats them up. The Thor mask makes me chuckle, as it's clearly a nod to the comics, and Thor in the MCU is usually shown not wearing a helmet, like the Ultimate Marvel incarnation of the character. A silver helmet is briefly worn by Thor in the first Thor movie, but it's only about a second.
We next cut to Peter in high school. He is talking to his friend, a rather large Asian kid. Now, I have heard some people suggest he may be the MCU's Ganke, who is a friend of the Miles Morales Spider-Man because Ganke is a fat Asian kid in the comics. Me, though, I doubt it. I think he may be a version of Kenny "Kong" McFarlane, a character from the Ultimate Spider-Man series. He appeared in the Spectacular Spider-Man series as a Korean-American named Kenny Kong.
They're staring at a young lady who I think may be Liz Allen. She's pretty. And in a funny moment, they get called losers by another girl. That's funny.
We next see Peter conversing with Tony Stark. Some have complained about Stark being in the movie, but I think it dos make sense, considering their interaction in Captain America: Civil War. It's pretty clear that Tony is playing mentor for Spider-Man here. My favorite bit is where he hugs Peter, but is claiming to just open the car door for him. It's a sweet moment.
Tony narrates while Peter is doing various things, and we get a glimpse of who might be the main villain of the film: The Vulture. And my GOD, he looks cool. I LOVE the helmet, especially. It looks like a fighter pilot's helmet, and I think it works. Makes sense that the Vulture would need something like that for flying around. I also like the fur around the collar. It's something that's the great strength of MCU designs. They do keep reality in mind, but make every effort to be accurate to the comics. And Michael Keaton is MENACING, man. I do like they picked the Vulture for the villain here. He was the first villain Spidey fought in the comics, and he's not Spidey's ultimate arch-nemesis. They can save the Green Goblin for a future film. They don't need to bring him in or even Norman Osborn right away. I don't mind his name being dropped, but I'd save him for a sequel.
I think we do get some idea of what Peter will go through in this film based on the dialogue. I think we're going to show Peter struggling under Tony's mentorship. Tony wants to keep Peter from going in over his head, but Peter is anxious to show what he can do. Really shows how Tony has grown and matures from the first Iron Man film, and again, builds on the relationship they established in Captain America: Civil War.
The end of the trailer gives us a brief glimpse of something awesome: Spider-Man and Iron Man heading somewhere in full costume together. Whether they're teaming up to fight Vulture, or just going somewhere for the fun of it, I have no idea. But it's cool.
As someone who loves Spider-Man, I LOVED this trailer. It got me really excited for this movie, ha ha! I can't wait to see how the mythos of Spider-Man is brought in to the MCU.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
The Mummy Trailer, My Thoughts
Marvel's doing one, DC is doing one, and now the classic Universal Monsters are getting ready to make their big comeback in the 21st Century in the form of a shared film universe of their own. And it's going to start with a reboot of The Mummy. Here's the trailer!
The trailer starts with Tom Cruise and who I think is Annabelle Willis flying in an airplane with a bunch of Army guys. The camera focuses on Tom with flashes of a sarcophagus being lifted out of a tomb and loaded on the plane. We can get from this that this will be set in the modern day. This is just like in the original. The original Mummy film was set in the then-present of 1932 as well.
We also get some glimpses of the sarcophagus. Only something good could be in a sarcophagus that looks like that.
The plane goes through some turbulence, one Army guy is shaking, we hear something pounding against the plane. Tom Cruise makes a "huh?" face, close up on his eyes, he and Annabelle rushes to the cockpit. Tom utters "What the hell?" and then...
Birds. Lots of birds. Lots and lots of birds. Yup, somebody's going all Alfred Hitchcock on this plane! The birds fly into the cockpit, which means the controls will be covered in bird poop, Tom and Annabelle fly all over the fuselage, engines explode, panel flies out of plane, and goodbye Army guys! Tom puts a parachute on Annabelle and fires it, taking her to safety.
Plane goes down, complete with soundtrack of Tom Cruise screaming. We then cut to what looks like a morgue, with the bodies of what may be the people on the plane all in body bags. Tom wakes up and rips his way out of his body bag. Since this a film about a mummy, I think we can safely assume he has been cursed.
Shot of the wreckage and sarcophagus, and then we get a close up of what appears to be the Mummy herself and her golden eyes...that have irises that are splitting in two. You know, optical health care has really advanced in the last several thousand years, she could go get that looked at.
We also get an appearance of Russell Crowe who will be playing, get this, I am not kidding, Dr. Henry Jekyll. Yes, Henry Jekyll. Henry Jekyll of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame. And we get a good look at Sofia Boutella as the Mummy or as the trailer calls her, Princess Amanet. She looks really cool.
Based on what Jekyll is saying, it's pretty clear the princess is after something, and it's not just a chance to wreck London. But what is she after? Revenge? An artifact? Her favorite stuffed animal? I guess we'll have to watch the movie to find out.
I'll give this movie a look. Hopefully, it'll be good. I have to admit, the idea of a cinematic universe focusing on bringing back the classic Universal Monsters is pretty cool, and I hope it does well.
The trailer starts with Tom Cruise and who I think is Annabelle Willis flying in an airplane with a bunch of Army guys. The camera focuses on Tom with flashes of a sarcophagus being lifted out of a tomb and loaded on the plane. We can get from this that this will be set in the modern day. This is just like in the original. The original Mummy film was set in the then-present of 1932 as well.
We also get some glimpses of the sarcophagus. Only something good could be in a sarcophagus that looks like that.
The plane goes through some turbulence, one Army guy is shaking, we hear something pounding against the plane. Tom Cruise makes a "huh?" face, close up on his eyes, he and Annabelle rushes to the cockpit. Tom utters "What the hell?" and then...
Birds. Lots of birds. Lots and lots of birds. Yup, somebody's going all Alfred Hitchcock on this plane! The birds fly into the cockpit, which means the controls will be covered in bird poop, Tom and Annabelle fly all over the fuselage, engines explode, panel flies out of plane, and goodbye Army guys! Tom puts a parachute on Annabelle and fires it, taking her to safety.
Plane goes down, complete with soundtrack of Tom Cruise screaming. We then cut to what looks like a morgue, with the bodies of what may be the people on the plane all in body bags. Tom wakes up and rips his way out of his body bag. Since this a film about a mummy, I think we can safely assume he has been cursed.
Shot of the wreckage and sarcophagus, and then we get a close up of what appears to be the Mummy herself and her golden eyes...that have irises that are splitting in two. You know, optical health care has really advanced in the last several thousand years, she could go get that looked at.
We also get an appearance of Russell Crowe who will be playing, get this, I am not kidding, Dr. Henry Jekyll. Yes, Henry Jekyll. Henry Jekyll of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame. And we get a good look at Sofia Boutella as the Mummy or as the trailer calls her, Princess Amanet. She looks really cool.
Based on what Jekyll is saying, it's pretty clear the princess is after something, and it's not just a chance to wreck London. But what is she after? Revenge? An artifact? Her favorite stuffed animal? I guess we'll have to watch the movie to find out.
I'll give this movie a look. Hopefully, it'll be good. I have to admit, the idea of a cinematic universe focusing on bringing back the classic Universal Monsters is pretty cool, and I hope it does well.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 Trailer, My Thoughts
Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the films I had the most fun watching ever. It wasa fantastic film, and I was giddy when I saw these four words on the screen: The Guardians Will Return. I could not wait for the sequel!
The wait does not look like it will be for much longer. A new trailer has arrived for the sequel: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!
First of all, I have to say, I love the song chosen for this. It's "Fox on the Run" by Sweet. Recorded in 1974 and released in 1975, it's one of Sweet's most well-known songs. It's a good choice for a song here. I think we can assume this was one of the songs on Awesome Mix Vol. 2.
The Guardians are getting ready to fight a monster. Star-Lord faces off against some spaceships, Drax leaps into a monster's mouth, and Rocket is trying to explain a bomb to someone...and the hilarity begins. Oh yeah, this trailer is bringing the funny. He's explaining a bomb to an adorable Baby Groot. And Baby Groot wants to push the shiny red button.
We get some action, Drax is shouty, a bomb goes off, Star-Lord flies the Milano in a space battle, and the trailer gives a moment to the five core Guardians. Drax's moment is hilarious, as he yells "SCREW YOU SPACESHIPS", and hacks at a monster's insides with his knives (I'm betting it's the same monster that he leapt into the mouth of). Rocket's moment shows Baby Groot on his shoulder as he's blasting at something with his guns. I like this. It's a nice subtle callback to the original film's prison scene with Rocket on Groot's shoulder. We also get to see that Baby Groot has his own little red Guardians uniform. He looks so adorable with it.
We get a better look at it in his own moment. It's really funny, seeing a grown man running away screaming from a small screaming charging Groot in his little red uniform. But then it is shown he is quite a powerful little guy, capable of using what I think may be vines to toss a grown man off a catwalk. Baby Groot is not to be messed with.
And then Star-Lord and Rocket fight over well, nobody having any tape. Peter has a point, Rocket. You carry around all your weapons, everyone would expect you to have tape. Then Baby Groot makes off with the bomb. That can only end in good.
The trailer ends with us getting a look at Mantis. I have to admit, she looks really alien, appropriate as she is an alien here. She looks like a mix of her modern and 70s look, which I appreciate. She's also cute. She also appears to have some sort of telepathic/empathic abilities. Mantis in the comics was an empath, and she was also a master martial artist. I hope the film shows that this Mantis can throw down if she needs to. The only complaint I have so far, and it's a minor one, is her speech.
You see, back in the day, Mantis referred to herself as "this one". I would've liked to have heard this Mantis use that tic as well: "This one can sense feelings", that kind of thing. It's a minor complaint, hardly a dealbreaker. She seems to lack tact a bit as she blabs right out that Peter loves Gamora, which Drax finds hilarious. I get the feeling Dave Bautista really loves playing Drax.
This trailer was amazing. It was one of the absolute funniest things I have ever seen. I am serious. This trailer had me rolling with laughter from beginning to end. It was a joy to watch. I can't wait for this movie.
The wait does not look like it will be for much longer. A new trailer has arrived for the sequel: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!
First of all, I have to say, I love the song chosen for this. It's "Fox on the Run" by Sweet. Recorded in 1974 and released in 1975, it's one of Sweet's most well-known songs. It's a good choice for a song here. I think we can assume this was one of the songs on Awesome Mix Vol. 2.
The Guardians are getting ready to fight a monster. Star-Lord faces off against some spaceships, Drax leaps into a monster's mouth, and Rocket is trying to explain a bomb to someone...and the hilarity begins. Oh yeah, this trailer is bringing the funny. He's explaining a bomb to an adorable Baby Groot. And Baby Groot wants to push the shiny red button.
We get some action, Drax is shouty, a bomb goes off, Star-Lord flies the Milano in a space battle, and the trailer gives a moment to the five core Guardians. Drax's moment is hilarious, as he yells "SCREW YOU SPACESHIPS", and hacks at a monster's insides with his knives (I'm betting it's the same monster that he leapt into the mouth of). Rocket's moment shows Baby Groot on his shoulder as he's blasting at something with his guns. I like this. It's a nice subtle callback to the original film's prison scene with Rocket on Groot's shoulder. We also get to see that Baby Groot has his own little red Guardians uniform. He looks so adorable with it.
We get a better look at it in his own moment. It's really funny, seeing a grown man running away screaming from a small screaming charging Groot in his little red uniform. But then it is shown he is quite a powerful little guy, capable of using what I think may be vines to toss a grown man off a catwalk. Baby Groot is not to be messed with.
And then Star-Lord and Rocket fight over well, nobody having any tape. Peter has a point, Rocket. You carry around all your weapons, everyone would expect you to have tape. Then Baby Groot makes off with the bomb. That can only end in good.
The trailer ends with us getting a look at Mantis. I have to admit, she looks really alien, appropriate as she is an alien here. She looks like a mix of her modern and 70s look, which I appreciate. She's also cute. She also appears to have some sort of telepathic/empathic abilities. Mantis in the comics was an empath, and she was also a master martial artist. I hope the film shows that this Mantis can throw down if she needs to. The only complaint I have so far, and it's a minor one, is her speech.
You see, back in the day, Mantis referred to herself as "this one". I would've liked to have heard this Mantis use that tic as well: "This one can sense feelings", that kind of thing. It's a minor complaint, hardly a dealbreaker. She seems to lack tact a bit as she blabs right out that Peter loves Gamora, which Drax finds hilarious. I get the feeling Dave Bautista really loves playing Drax.
This trailer was amazing. It was one of the absolute funniest things I have ever seen. I am serious. This trailer had me rolling with laughter from beginning to end. It was a joy to watch. I can't wait for this movie.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite Teaser, My Thoughts
Hello, everyone! I got a new power cord for my computer, and I am back in action, baby! Whoo!
The Marvel vs. Capcom series is one of the most beloved fighting franchises in gaming, and after the third one, people were hoping a fourth one would come for years. And it looks like we may just get it after all. A new teaser has arrived for Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Here it is!
The trailer begins with a familiar pair of blue feet. It's Mega Man...Mega Man X, that is. Yup. X. I keep wondering why Capcom avoids using the original Mega Man. Ah well, at this this game will get a Mega Man. X reaches towards a glowing pink/purple object, but it gets blasted away from him...only to be caught by a familiar red-gloved hand.
It's Ryu, and the object is a gem! It clearly is one of the Infinity Gems, and since it's purple, it's likely the Space Gem.
Ryu helps X up, and Iron Man makes his landing, ready for a brawl! X and Iron get into a bit of a beam war, which Tony Stark wins, but then Ryu uses the gem's power to uppercut Iron Man into the sky. Iron Man is saved by none other than Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel! She powers up, and I can't help but think she looks a little like a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z, ha ha.
Now that Iron Man's got his tag team partner, the two decide to take it to the Capcom heroes, Carol packing a Gem of her own, it seems. The green aura seems to indicate that it's the Soul Gem. Captain Marvel then zips in and hits Ryu with a rapid-fire fusillade of blows.
The teaser ends with Iron Man and X's beams about to collide while Captain Marvel and Ryu's Infinity Gem-charged fists are about to do the same.
We get a brief glimpse of a robot that clearly appears to be Ultron, with another pair of green eyes glowing on his chest. I have heard the big theory that it's Sigma from the Mega Man X series. That would make sense, since X is clearly going to be in the game. This could also hint that perhaps that perhaps Ultron merges with Sigma and they may be the Big Bad of this game. That would be neat to see.
We also see that the Infinity Gems are involved, so maybe the gameplay will pay homage to the 1995 arcade game Marvel Super Heroes, in which the Infinity Gems could be obtained and used by players to provide brief boosts for their chosen fighter. Maybe the gameplay here will be similar.
Well, all I have to say is, this trailer was a blast to watch! It was action packed, we got to see some hints of what this game may have to offer, and its nice to see MvC continue on! Can't wait for the full trailer!
The Marvel vs. Capcom series is one of the most beloved fighting franchises in gaming, and after the third one, people were hoping a fourth one would come for years. And it looks like we may just get it after all. A new teaser has arrived for Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Here it is!
The trailer begins with a familiar pair of blue feet. It's Mega Man...Mega Man X, that is. Yup. X. I keep wondering why Capcom avoids using the original Mega Man. Ah well, at this this game will get a Mega Man. X reaches towards a glowing pink/purple object, but it gets blasted away from him...only to be caught by a familiar red-gloved hand.
It's Ryu, and the object is a gem! It clearly is one of the Infinity Gems, and since it's purple, it's likely the Space Gem.
Ryu helps X up, and Iron Man makes his landing, ready for a brawl! X and Iron get into a bit of a beam war, which Tony Stark wins, but then Ryu uses the gem's power to uppercut Iron Man into the sky. Iron Man is saved by none other than Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel! She powers up, and I can't help but think she looks a little like a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z, ha ha.
Now that Iron Man's got his tag team partner, the two decide to take it to the Capcom heroes, Carol packing a Gem of her own, it seems. The green aura seems to indicate that it's the Soul Gem. Captain Marvel then zips in and hits Ryu with a rapid-fire fusillade of blows.
The teaser ends with Iron Man and X's beams about to collide while Captain Marvel and Ryu's Infinity Gem-charged fists are about to do the same.
We get a brief glimpse of a robot that clearly appears to be Ultron, with another pair of green eyes glowing on his chest. I have heard the big theory that it's Sigma from the Mega Man X series. That would make sense, since X is clearly going to be in the game. This could also hint that perhaps that perhaps Ultron merges with Sigma and they may be the Big Bad of this game. That would be neat to see.
We also see that the Infinity Gems are involved, so maybe the gameplay will pay homage to the 1995 arcade game Marvel Super Heroes, in which the Infinity Gems could be obtained and used by players to provide brief boosts for their chosen fighter. Maybe the gameplay here will be similar.
Well, all I have to say is, this trailer was a blast to watch! It was action packed, we got to see some hints of what this game may have to offer, and its nice to see MvC continue on! Can't wait for the full trailer!
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