Avengers is the embodiment of Summer Fun to the tune of $650 million

My apologies for the delay on this post, I started writing it a week ago and then life got in the way.

Summer movie season is officially underway as of last Friday night. One of the most anticipated movies of the year kicked things off in a big way. I got out on opening night to see The Avengers in 3D on an Imax screen.  First let me say that this was an incredible way to see a movie. Big Screen, Big Sound, Big Fun!
We got our tickets a week in advance to guarentee sweet seats, and that was the way to go!  Kudos to HFJ for hooking us up.  Reserved seats at an Imax venue on Opening Night was pretty slick.  No waiting in line, just cruise on in, in time for the previews and enjoy.

I had been anticipating this movie for at least a year, having seen all of the individual super hero movies that lead up to it, and I was not dissapointed.

Right away, let me say that while I am a huge super hero fan, and I much prefer the Marvel universe to DC comics, the individual heroes that make up the Avengers have never been individuals that I payed alot of attention to.  With the exception of Iron Man, and really only because of Robert Downey Jr's 2 previous movies in the role, the other characters take a back seat in my mind compared to my favourite team, The X-Men.  Now I know some people are going to get all fanboy on me about how Hulk, Captain America and Thor are huge iconic characters in the genre, but up to this point I have never really appreciated them.  They just seemed really one dimensional.  Hulk being the obvious exception to that statement, but "Hulk Smash" wears pretty thin after a while.

This movie changed that perception. 

The characters are dynamic, complicated people, some of whom are still struggling to come to grips with their great power, and the responsibility that comes with it. 

Full credit should go immedietly to Director Joss Weedon, for running with an amazing cast, and having the wisdom to include all the in jokes that the audience is expecting. Special mention for the falaffel scene that rolls post credits.  If you left, you missed it, so sad. 

In General the talent and special effects are incredible, and Robert Downie Jr. gets special mention for rocking out in the role of Tony Stark once again.  BTW I read this morning that when all is said and done, he will have earned over $50 million for this role in this film, due to some very shrewd negotiating by his agent, much earlier in the franchise history.  It all boils down to his earning a 4-5% cut of the box office proceeds.  Not to shabby when you consider that The Avengers is set to settle in as the #3 highest grossing movie of all time, at around 1.3 billion dollars, not far behind Titanic and Avatar.

What really changed my mind about some of these Heroes is the team dynamic that this movie highlights.  This movie takes that dynamic to a really cool place.  Some of the combined powers are showcased, but oddly never during a pivotal moment, and the the banter between cast members is really fun.The Hulk/Loki scene is the best example of this in the movie, at my screening the entire theatre burst out in laughter and applause.

With an opening weekend box office take of over $650 million world wide, Avengers now holds the record for biggest opening weekend in history.

This film is easy to recomend: If you like fun, go see this movie.

Sloth love Chunk!

Spent a few hours basking in nostalgia last night with an old favourite.

For the record, Goonies does not stand up to my very fond childhood memories, but I think this is more of a reflection of my lost youthful innocence than any real shortcoming of the film.  Keeping in mind that I was 6 years old when the film was originally released, the paper thin plot and lack luster performances by has been child stars were the things dreams were made of.  As an adult I see right through this things, and can't help but be dissapointed.  In my youth all that mattered was the whole idea that they found a pirate ship.  Legendary.

While I doubt I will enjoy future viewings, I am hoping it will capture my daughters imagination the way it once did mine.

I have a Squirrel...

I have a squirrel...
In my mommy's hatbox...
Under my bed...
In the corner of my room...
In my house...
With trees all around.
And all the animals...
And all the people passing by...
Would never know...
That in the corner of my room...
Under my bed...
In my mommy's hatbox...
I have a dead squirrel.

Adapted from I Have a Turtle by Kathy Bing.  Whitman publishing company circa 1968.

So I finished the Hunger Games Trilogy...

Having now read all 3 books I can honestly say I feel ripped off.  Without giving anything away, here's my 2 cents:

Book one started out pretty good, and while I had some issues with some of the content, ultimately I enjoyed it.  However I still maintain the deep connection between this concept and Stephen King's short story: The Running Man.  Original material this is not!

Book Two felt weak in comparison.  With no other real plans for the characters, the author dumps them back into the arena, despite the fact that the mythos she has created states they should be immune to this.  And the surprise twist at the end feels like a mistake.  It totally eliminates any sense of suspense.

Book Three is the worst of the trilogy.  It honestly feels like a totally different series, rushed to the point that many of the plot points don't make sense.  I draw very strong parallels to the 3rd Matrix movie.  Interesting concept, horrible execution.

Sadly now I need to see the movie to see if Hollywood can fix this trilogy.

RELEASE THE KRACKEN!

After a long and not so grueling day of rehearsal, I decided to treat myself to a guilty pleasure.
I love going to the movies.  Always have.  Always will.  But it was fairly late in life (mid twenties-ish) that I discovered that I really enjoy going to movies alone.  Apparently this is something that a significant portion of the people I know don't like to do.  Regardless, and for whatever reason, be it ultimate seat selection, or the absolute lack of  debate on what film to see, this is something I enjoy.  Throw in the fact that my lovely wife hates going to the movies, and our daughter is still too young to form an opinion on the matter, and you have a perfect guilty pleasure. 
  Tonight's offering was a bit of a disappointment.  Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fienes in Wrath of The Titans.  Granted I was aware going in that this film was not going to win any awards of any kind, ever.  A sequel to an entertaining summer block buster from a few years back, both are modeled on much older films, one of which was a staple of my youth.  I think it's safe to say that  everyone of my generation with a television saw Clash of The Titans at least once.  I have fond memories of the campy clay-mation monsters, the pseudo Greek mythology, and of course who could forget : "RELEASE THE KRACKEN!" It is still a recognizable catch phrase to many of us.
I will also take a moment to admit that I am a big Greek Mythology Geek.  Ever since I picked up a copy of Heroes & Monsters of Greek Myth in Grade 3 and read it cover to cover - all 110 pages (not bad for 7 year old kid)  I have been hooked.  Hooked enough that while obtaining my University Degree, I also undertook a double minor, one half of which was in History, with a special focus on Classical Studies, with several courses devoted to Mythology.  But enough about that!
This latest installment fails on alot of levels for me.  The killer for me is the total lack of inspiration. While the original was fun with its depiction of a myth right out of a story book and interesting deoictions of Calabash, Medusa, Pegasus, and the Kracken as plasticene movie monsters, this new movie gives the fantastical creatures very little screen time.  To me Mythology is all about making the Fantastical come to life, and this movie misses the point.  You have a Chimera, a terrible looking Minotaur, some interesting demons of Tartarus, and Cronus Lord of the Titans - father of Zeus.  With the incredible work people are doing with computer graphics these days, most of these just seem tired and un-inspired.  Kudos for their work on the Cyclops however, they looked pretty damn good!
Ultimately, I think the real failing of the film was in its depiction of the end of the era of the Gods. The humanization of all of these larger than life mythic personalities was not a route I would have chosen.  So much time was spent on the relationships between Perseus and his Father Zeus, and between all of the other featured omnipotent beings, none of which is reflected in the actual mythology, one has to wonder where they got their source material...and who approved the script!  LAME!
I could bash the cinematography while I'm at it, but I dont think this film deserves any more of my time.  Oh well, bottom line, if you want Greek Mythology done right don't see this movie, instead, go play God of War 3 on the PS3.  It looks better, its story is a more  accurate to the mythology, and it is guarenteed to keep you entertained, unlike Wrath of the Titans.

Hunger Games...still on the fence

I just finished reading the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy, and thought I should take a moment to share my thoughts. 
Now, admittedly this is a piece of contemporary young adult fiction.  It is not Dickens or one of the Bronte sisters by any stretch of the imagination.  While these days I am more often drawn to the work of authors like, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, or Christopher Moore, I do on occasion delve into the teen format for some lighter fare.  Harry Potter, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson, The Eregon Series, The Immortal Nicholas Flemmel, all have proven to be decent reads over the years.
Suzanne Colin's Hunger Games leaves an odd taste in my mouth.  The story itself is a a thinly veiled clone of the Richard Bachmann (Stephen King) short story The Running Man, which most will remember more for the, barely connected in content, movie featuring Arnold Swartzenegger.  This is really a teen retelling of the movie version, but with a female protagonist, and a more fleshed out back story of why the gladiatorial games take place.
My issue with the novel stems from the fact that it is trying to be youth fiction.  ADD 5-10 years to any of the characters and it would still be an interesting story, but the level of detachment and violence that it suggests that these teenagers are capable of doesn't sit real well with me.  In the other young adult fiction I have read and enjoyed, actions have consequences.  Hunger games goes a step beyond that and basicially says "it doesn't matter how you treat the people around you, as long as you survive".  With this detachment from the social mores that our sociery promotes so clearly evident from such an early point in the novel, its really hard to develop any kind of attachment to the protagonist.  She basically comes across as an ice cold teen version of John Rambo, killing anyone who gets in her way in her attempt to protect her young sister. 
I am hoping the remaining books in the series flesh out the characters a little more, and maybe even gets into the history of the post apocalypse America setting.
In the books defense, I will say that I was relieved that there were no vampires...

I think I broke my blog...

Obviously it has been a while since I have had a chance to update this little experiment of mine.
Life gets busy.
I think we can all appreciate and understand this sentiment, but to be honest, it sounds really false and dishonest to me right now.
A more truthful sentiment would be that I have been working an incredible amount of ridiculous hours recently as part of my latest project.
But that's enough about that.
So yes, the blog has been neglected, but not nearly as much as some way more important factors in my life.  The first obviously being my Family.  I have seen my beautiful daughter exactly one day out of the last 21.  And that sucks.  These are important, formative hours of her young life, and I'm not around. It breaks my heart.  Ultimately it is important to remember that the whole reason behind all of these long hours at work is to better provide for her and to give her an even better head start in life than the one I was lucky enough to receive.  Even with this in mind, it is really hard to miss all of this time, even though we are sleeping under the same roof.
Oh well,
Hopefully next week I can get a portion of my life back...