I Am Satisfied With This Movie - Review of "Big Hero 6"

Spoilers Ahead!

(Look, it takes me a while to get to movies that come out in November and December - give me a break!)

The first half of my New Year's Day excursions to the movie theater was the latest offering from Disney Animation - Big Hero 6. What intrigued me about this movie when I first heard about it is that it's based off a Marvel property (in a sidewise, maybe-sorta-kinda, from-a-certain-point-of-view way - hey, Frozen was based off The Snow Queen), but it's a full-on Disney film. Okay - well, if you're going to own a company, might as well make good use of what you have the rights to, right?) But as time went on and I saw more trailers and promos and spoilers (really, how are you going to stay completely spoiler-free for a Disney animated movie?), I was even more intrigued about it.

Let me backup for a bit - back in the 90s, Disney Animation Studios was working on two movies - The Lion King and Pocahontas. Long story short - Pocahontas was meant to be this huge, epic, animated historical movie and the studio had the most faith in it. The Lion King was supposed to be just this cute little story about talking animals on the African savanna. Audiences, however, found that The Lion King resonated more with them and made that movie a huge hit - one of the most successful Disney movies until Frozen came along. Pocahontas... well, it wasn't a bomb, per se. But it was not the huge success that Disney wanted to have (if you ask me, Pocahontas is where the studio started to lose its footing with the movie-going public that it had gained with The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast). What was the difference between these two movies? They only came out a year apart and the studio was working on them at roughly the same time. Neither really featured magic very much and they weren't fairy tales. But one did really well and remains one of the most beloved Disney films ever, and the other pretty much crapped the bed. Why?

My theory? The Lion King centered on family relationships and living up to your fullest potential in life. Pocahontas was an animated lecture/guilt-trip with historical inaccuracies up the wazoo. Personally, I know which one I'd spend money on at the movie theater.

When Disney (and Pixar, by extension) takes simple, easy-to-identify-with, everyday scenarios and creates a story around that - for example the relationship between a father and son (The Lion King), or a mother and daughter (Brave), or a husband and wife (Up!), or two sisters (Frozen), or two brothers (Big Hero 6), or any other family relationship you can think of - that's what resonates with people. Those movies generally become successful. Because, by and large, we all have someone in our lives that we are that close to. These are small, close-to-home stories that we all see ourselves in, to one degree or another. Sure, you can add any number of cuddly robots or talking snowmen or flying houses to the mix, but the core principle of the story remains the same - family caring about one another, missing each other when they're gone. I hesitate to call this a "formula" because that's such a loaded term when talking about movies - I guess I can call it a trope - but this is why Big Hero 6 works.

Big Hero 6 centers around Hiro Hamada, a boy genius who initially spends his talent running around in the illegal Bot Fighting underground of San Fransokyo (the visuals of this amalgamation of San Francisco and Tokyo are a movie character in and of themselves). Hiro's older brother, Tadashi, encourages Hiro to use his talent for something more beneficial (and less against the law). Tadashi introduces Hiro to what they affectionately term "Nerd School" at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. At first, Hiro is skeptical, but as he sees what his brother and others at the school are working on, Hiro jumps at the opportunity to enter a tech showcase and be accepted into the program. One of the key projects that Tadashi is working on is Baymax, a personal healthcare provider robot with a very low sense of humor, but who inadvertently makes most of the best jokes in the movie.

Hiro works hard to come up with his own ideas to impress Dr. Callaghan, the professor over the "Nerd School," at the upcoming tech showcase. I won't give away what he invents because it's pretty amazing to see it brand new at first, but Callaghan is sufficiently wowed and offers Hiro a spot in the university program. At the same time, a businessman named Alister Krei offers Hiro a lot of money for his invention. Hiro refuses, because Tadashi and Callaghan don't trust Krei - and Hiro is trying hard to reform his mercenary ways (all at the age of fourteen). During the post-showcase celebrations, a fire breaks-out in the building and Tadashi runs back inside to rescue Dr. Callaghan, but neither of them make it out. Hiro is devastated by this loss and would do anything to get his brother back - and that's when Baymax more or less stumbles into Hiro's life.

There are a lot of characters in this superhero-team film (my sister compared it to The Avengers, I saw shades of Guardians of the Galaxy in here too - I suppose both are correct) - but the best relationship in this movie between Tadashi and Hiro. Even though Tadashi dies before the movie hits the halfway point, his presence is felt throughout the story. Hiro misses his brother. He doesn't seek out or want comfort from any of his friends. He can't get over his loss. It's only when Baymax starts poking holes in Hiro's well-being (and Hiro discovers that the fire that killed Tadashi may have been set intentionally and he sets out to find out who's responsible) that Hiro sort of starts getting his motivation in life back. In fact, Baymax almost becomes a stand-in for Tadashi. There's one scene when the team is facing down the villain that Hiro reprograms Baymax to actually kill the bad guy. Baymax's programming gets set right by Honey Lemon before Baymax can carry out his task and he apologizes for causing distress to the team, even though Hiro is angry that the bad guy got away. That moment is kind of a catalyst for events that set Hiro to realizing that, even though his brother is gone, Hiro still remembers Tadashi - what his brother wanted for him and that he encouraged and loved him. It's a really sweet moment.

(or maybe I'm just being sentimental about this whole movie, given what my younger sister posted on Instagram some weeks ago. Either way - I've already started creating (in my head) a Tadashi/Hiro cosplay for us - if we ever both make it to Comic Con)

Beyond that - like I said, the visuals and creativity of the setting are amazing. The characters are likable and fun (Fred is a hoot - second funniest character to Baymax). I would love to see sequels of this, just to create more within the Big Hero 6 universe (though I think that this was a one-time dip into this particular franchise. Still, it's cool that Disney is making use of some of the lesser-known Marvel titles). As this is a Marvel movie (sort of), Stan Lee does make a cameo appearance. Also, as this is a Marvel movie, stay for the post-credits scene (oh man, I laughed so hard at this one). The music's pretty good too - Immortals has already made it to my 2015 playlist (I bought it on my phone even before I left the movie theater lobby).



Other than that - just go see this movie. Disney Animation is kicking all kinds of butt at the movies lately and they keep it going with this one. It's time and money well-spent.

The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast Episode #20 - The Promise of a Soldier

This week, we hit the milestone of 20 episodes! ~*~confetti~*~ And with the conclusion of Doctor Who Series 8, there's no better time to discuss the two-part finale, "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven" as well as Series 8 as a whole. How did the return of [spoiler redacted] hold up and did Peter Capaldi's first full season live up to expectations? Join us as we recap and discuss everything that we can think of (if we haven't died of feels first).

News links and mp3 downloads found at this link.

The Five(ish) Fangirls Episode #17 - Storybrooke Goes Frozen

(I've neglected to put these up here the past few weeks - I'll fix that later).

Continuing our celebration of Fall Premiere Season, the Five(ish) Fangirls tackle the Season 4 premiere of Once Upon a Time "A Tale of Two Sisters" - which introduced Frozen to the show as well as a slew of other plot threads and storylines this season promises to weave into its already-intricate plot. Laughter and smiles and fun abounds, as well as some well-placed tears - but not necessarily from who you think.

Also, news of the week - Doctor Who Big Finish fans say goodbye to a beloved companion, we welcome back an old online favorite, a familiar face from the Marvel Cinematic Universe joins Agent Carter on the small screen, and a hometown Comic Con asks for fan input!

Complete show notes and mp3 download of the episode can be found here.

Things Are Gonna Get Brighter - Review of "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy! Though if you actually cared about being spoiled for this movie, you've probably seen it already (it must be noted, this is less of a review and more of a stream-of-consciousness recap of it. Given the tone of the movie, I think it's fitting).

I saw Guardians of the Galaxy again last Friday. Honestly, it came up because I had a really tough week. It was a combination of small bad things piling up and anxiety building up and my brain being absolutely stupid and mean and ridiculous until I just couldn't take it anymore. I needed something fun. I needed something good. I needed something light-hearted and silly, but still with some substance to it.

Honestly, I think that's why Guardians of the Galaxy is so darn successful.

Two weeks on The Five(ish) Fangirls, we got into a bit of a discussion about comic book movies (after tangenting somewhat from our Doctor Who Series 8 preview) - how some of them have been dark and brooding (DC Comics, side-eyeing you so hard right now!) and that's not quite what fans want to see. Glenn from Traveling the Vortex (who was a guest on the podcast last week) pointed out how much fun Guardians was and I have to agree with him. Because when my friend Natalie texted me yesterday and said "You want to do something fun tonight?" I texted back and said "I want to see Guardians of the Galaxy again."

Guardians, at its core, is about heart. You've got five characters who are all these hardened, badass people - or, at least, they try to be. But none of them are very good at it. Peter Quill tries to be the smooth-talking ladies man who's also a wanted fugitive - except nobody can remember his wanted fugitive codename. Gamora is this tough-as-nails assassin and the daughter of the most feared creature in the universe - except she plans to betray her father when she goes out on assignment and gets caught by a bunch of rent-a-cops (for all intents and purposes, that's who these guys ought to be compared to someone of her skill). Drax the Destroyer - well, he has a reputation of being this dangerous criminal, but when it comes time to put his strength and skills to the test, he fails miserably. And then, you have Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Groot wouldn't hurt a fly if Rocket didn't tell him to. Rocket talks a tough game and he carries the big gun (and shoots the big gun) but when it comes down to it, he's the biggest softie in the known realms (look, I just want a Rocket plushie. Right next to my baby!Groot bobblehead that Marvel is so graciously going to market for me).

I think in all of our over-analysis and insistence that all science-fiction and fantasy Say Something Meaningful in order to be taken seriously by the academics who stole the keys to the clubhouse and told us all to Stop Having Fun, we actually forgot what "having fun" means (not to mention all that bean-counting bullshit over how many women talk to each other and what they talk about and how many times they do it and somehow that's what magically makes a story worth our time and effort according to Peers Who Review Crap. You even breathe the word "Bechdel" and my brain automatically stops listening. I seriously hate that damn test with all my fangirl heart and I hate every time someone brings it up - it ruins everything. There. I said it). We forgot that it's all right to enjoy a scene where some space-pirate asshole kicks his way through a deserted alien planet while singing along to "Come and Get Your Love" (I think I probably irritated the guy sitting next to me because I was head-bopping along with the music in that scene). We forgot that it's all right to laugh at a crass CGI raccoon that's trying to build a bomb with spare parts from the junk drawer. And I totally busted a gut over "pelvic sorcery," which probably went over the head of the seven-year-old boy sitting in front of me, but who cares? Also - "Kevin Bacon."

This movie is random and all over the place and that's what I love about it. Sure, the plot's a little thin, but this movie isn't about the plot. It's about this team of misfits who get thrown together and have to make the best of what they've been given. They even get a chance to be heroes - though not in the grand, epic scale of The Avengers (not yet, at least). The most they do is - for one glorious instance - "actually give a shit" for once in their lives. Most of the movie, they've been trying to out-maneuver each other so they can get the most money for that mysterious Orb thingy - but once they find out what it really is... okay, maybe some morality is called for. Even the Ravagers - the most notorious space pirate band (I guess) - decide that they'd actually like to have a galaxy to be pirates in and they pitch in to help defeat Ronan. And the result? A ragtag band who were mockingly called "Guardians of the Galaxy" live up to that derisive moniker and then some - even setting up stuff for more adventures for the next movie.

Even after all the heroics and special honors and expunged criminal records, what do Our Intrepid Heroes do? They hop in the newly rebuilt and refurbished Milano and decide on doing "a little bit of both" (meaning good and bad), as they've decided this new little quirky family they've got put together isn't so bad after all. Put the repotted Groot on the counter in the back and let him jam out to some Jackson 5 while en route on to complete a job of questionable legality. The whole thing put me in mind of Firefly, which wouldn't surprise me if that's the tone that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 takes when we get that movie in 2017.

I'm glad Marvel took a gamble on this particular franchise. I'm certain that these character will crossover with the Avengers at some point in the future, but I actually wouldn't care if they never did. This movie was so good and so fun (and set up enough loose ends - Nebula's going to be back! Which is exciting because I feel like there's more to her character than we got in this first outing) that I think these guys could carry on their own movie series. Sure, there may be more heavy topics to deal with in the future (Peter's dad, more backstory with Gamora and Drax - other characters who've been in the Guardians comics that they could introduce) - but at it's core, it's going to stay the same fun, quirky, goofball space opera. And that's the best thing Marvel could have done, really.

If for no other reason than I had a totally crap week and this was the one thing that made my life just a little bit easier - even for a few hours (anticipation of going to the movie helped cheer me up too) - that's enough for me to love this movie.

The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast Episode #9 - Excelsior!

This week, we're enjoying the view from Stark Tower as we talk all things Marvel Cinematic Universe - how we came to it, how we think it's doing, where we think it's going to go. We also have news to report (though not near as much as we have in recent weeks) - two new trailers from Mockingjay and The Hobbit, more casting news from Once Upon a Time (including the casting of an acting legend!), and (sadly) a little bit of proof that geeks just sometimes cannot play nice with each other (though we give mad props to Salt Lake Comic Con for their handling of the publicity of the situation).

Also, we have my report from ToshoCON this past weekend, Rachel's non-spoilery review of Guardians of the Galaxy, and Michelle's participation in GISHWHES (that's The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt The World Has Ever Seen - they had to translate it for me, too).

Full show notes and mp3 download can be found at this link.

The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast: Episode 8 - It's Fandom Christmas!

It's Fandom Christmas and we have been very good fangirls this year! San Diego Comic Con treated everyone to casting announcements, trailers, sneak peeks, panels and interviews with our favorite casts and creators, release dates, and Robert Downey, Jr. giving everyone roses! (well, in Hall H, anyway). Though your humble correspondents watched the action from the comfort of our computer screens (and sometimes from the floor when we squee so much we fall out of our chairs - okay, maybe that was just me), there's still plenty to enjoy!

Also - news not out of SDCC, plus a way to support the Five(ish) Fangirls and help us get on iTunes!

Full show notes and an mp3 download link can be found here: http://thefiveishfangirlspodcast.blogspot.com/2014/07/fiveish-fangirls-episode-8-its-fandom.html

The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast - Episode 7: Dumbledore's Army

This week on the Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast, We Solemnly Swear We Are Up to No Good! This week, we're all about Harry Potter. We discuss how we each came to Potter, our experiences in fandom, discussion of various characters and storylines, how the world of Potter has stayed with us since the publication of the final book and movies - which also delves in the phenomenon of Pottermore (and we divulge our Pottermore usernames, so come find us!)

Also, discussion of the week's news including Marvel Comics announcements, Doctor Who Series 8 trailer, music video for Sailor Moon Crystal, ABC announces their fall premiere dates - and more!

Download the mp3 of the episode and find full Show Notes here.

The Five(ish) Fangirls, Episode 6 - Fandom News Flash!

News dominates our discussion as San Diego Comic Con news came in hot-and-fast all this past week. Plus, casting news, trailers, a new Harry Potter short story (seven years after the end of Deathly Hallows - holy cow), and the possibility of the return of a certain internet cartoon that's been missing from our computer screens for quite some time.

As always, complete show notes and MP3 download of the podcast can be found here. Enjoy!

Winter Soldiers and Snowstorm Patriots: Review of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Spoilers! Herein contains a very spoilery review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier!!

It's no secret that I positively adore the way Marvel Studios has crafted their Cinematic Universe. And the acquisition by Disney has, in my opinion, only expanded their ability to tell brilliant stories. Even the integration of Agents of SHIELD on television has been fantastic (despite a bunch of bellyaching from entitled fanboys, but I ignore that. Agents of SHIELD is awesome and anyone who says otherwise is selling something).

I managed to stay spoiler free for this movie for the most part (and here is where you should look away if you still haven't seen the movie)... ... (spoiler buffer)...

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I knew that the Winter Soldier was Steve Rogers' childhood friend, Bucky Barnes because the fans of the comics pointed that out in the lead-up to the movie. And that's about where my knowledge ended. But I was NOT prepared for the onslaught of new information this movie presented.

First off - I have to talk a little bit about some misleading information in the trailer. It's obvious from the trailer that Robert Redford is the villain of this piece (and I'm glad that he was because I'm not a fan of the guy on principle and it would have made my skin crawl to actually have to cheer for him in a Marvel film), but it was starting to look like Nick Fury was even at odds against Captain America. And I am very glad that did not turn to be the case.  But what did turn out to be the case - holy cow! Let's just start from the top -

I love that we get to see Steve more or less integrated into modern life, but still working out a few things (all this time and he still hasn't see Star Wars??) He meets a war veteran by name of Sam Wilson while he's out on a run in the park and the rest of us think "Yup - second tier Avenger, right here!" Now, Steve's still the same nice guy that we all know and love - but he's also a SHIELD... not agent, exactly. More like a highly-skilled operative. Steve learns that SHIELD has been developing an arsenal of helicarriers (that Tony Stark advised on a bit, apparently) that will enable SHIELD to take out baddies before they do anything at all - this project is known as Insight. The theory of the idea sounds okay on the surface, but in practice it doesn't sound real great to Steve. He realizes that he doesn't like being just a pawn in Nick Fury's chess game - and things really have changed from the world that Steve knew before he because a super soldier. Against this backdrop, Steve visits his old flame from the WWII pre-SHIELD, Peggy Carter, who looks to be suffering from some type of dementia or Alzheimer's (nope, you didn't hit nothing important - just my feels), and then he takes a trip to the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian, which results in even more feels. If ever there was a fish out of water, it's Steve Rogers.

Meanwhile, back at SHIELD, Nick Fury is having a hard time accessing a super-high-tech flash drive and it's bugging the crap out of him, so he asks a buddy of his, played by a very crusty Robert Redford, to delay Project Insight. Long story short - a bunch of thugs attack Fury and he dies. But not before he gives Steve the super-high-tech flash drive and tells Steve not to trust anyone at SHIELD because they've been compromised. During this, Steve encounters a mysterious assassin that all the trailers and posters have told us is the Winter Soldier.

When Steve refuses to tell SHIELD the details of Fury's death, SHIELD operatives try to capture Steve and he ends up on the run along with Natasha Romanoff. Along their merry adventures, they discover that Hydra (remember the Red Skull and the Nazis in Captain America: The First Avenger?) has been manipulating SHIELD into creating Project Insight for them and that the world is a lot more complicated than anyone initially thought. They've kept Toby Jones's (of all people) brain downloaded on ancient data tapes locked away in a basement that can only be accessed by the super-high-tech flash drive. Basically, Hydra's gone underground in their quest for world domination. And the Winter Soldier is a key component of that manipulation, assassinating people who get in the way of Hydra's plans (including, it is inferred, Howard and Maria Stark - from a headline clear in the heck from the first Iron Man movie. Never let it be said that Marvel doesn't know its own story). The way Hydra intends to continue their domination is by spying on everybody - knowing everything about their lives and using that information to predict how they will act, so they can take out anyone who might be thinking of rising against them. Which immediately reminded me of this:



(Harold Finch is one of the Avengers and no one can convince me otherwise).

Oh, and by the way, Steve finally finds out that the Winter Soldier is his old pal Bucky that he thought was dead. And Hydra's been doing some nasty experimentation on Bucky since he was captured in 1944. Bucky doesn't remember Steve - the poor guy doesn't even remember his own name!

This whole story is so heartwrenching from beginning to end. I knew Marvel was going for the emotional twists in Phase 2 and I'm really glad they are - but man, I almost can't take it! I mean, our heroes win (more or less), but SHIELD is in shambles and Nick Fury's on the run (oh, he's really not dead. Even when he "died," I kept waiting for him to come out of the shadows and have a plan. Which he did - but not necessarily the plan I wanted). The way it ended - I wonder if the characters from Agents of SHIELD are going to make a movie appearance at some point.  Because the Hydra goonies are still out there (at least one of them is - that guy who was fighting Sam Wilson at the end. Oh yeah - Sam is actually the Falcon, by virtue of these super-cool mechanical wings that he was trained to fly with in the war. Which is about the coolest damn thing ever!) and nobody trusts SHIELD and Natasha's cover is blown to pieces (wait a minute! Where the crap was Hawkeye in all of this??) - they need to rebuild SHIELD somehow. And the players are there, if they want to bring in Agents of SHIELD. Which, I think they will. And the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron will probably bring that into play.

(Calling it now - Agent May from AoS is a Hydra operative. Guess I'll see tomorrow night).

Some more about Bucky (oh my poor, poor heart - the post-credits scene in the Smithsonian...) I loved Bucky in Captain America and I was mad that he died in that movie. But, this being the comics, no one ever stays dead. Honestly, I think Bucky has the potential to be a character like Loki - someone who you should hate, but you can't for Reasons. Where the Reasons for not hating Loki is that he's a charismatic bastard, Bucky's Reasons are going to be that he's got a lot of backstory to tell and a lot of material to work with. There is a lot they could do with him, which is unusual to happen with a Marvel villain (at least, up to this point in the movies). Mostly, they've just dispatched the bad guys and gone on to the next plotline, but they've left Bucky's ending hanging, which intrigues me endlessly (maybe he'll get his own movie at some point - who knows? Hell, there have been rumors of a Loki movie, so why not?)

Loved this movie, loved how intense it was (there were points that I thought Steve was done for), loved how it's integrated elements from other Marvel movies (even that douchebag senator from Iron Man 2 was a Hydra guy! I thought we were done with his crap) - this is Marvel at it's uttermost best and I'm glad that I wasn't spoiled for the twists and turns. I love how complex this universe is getting and just how good the stories are. These may have started out as action-y popcorn flicks, but there is some meaty storytelling going on here, and as long as they keep giving me that, I will keep spending money to see these films.

2013 In Review - The Year of the Fangirl

2013 - The year for some really great memories. And here's hoping 2014 will only add to the pile of good things.

I guess it’s that magical time of year when we look back on the calendar year and (as long as nothing massive happens in the next three days) consider all the huge events that occurred.  I usually don’t do this because, well, it’s just a cheap way to make content.  The news media does it all the time as long as there’s (hopefully) no great natural disaster in a third-world country to do their fake hand-wringing about (come on - is there anything more insincere than a TV news anchor?)  Besides, there’s usually not much that I really want to discuss or even dig up from my past because it’s just too rage-inducing.  Plus, I never feel very connected to national or world events because I have such a low opinion of humanity in general and I know they’re all going to be idiots no matter what I do or say, so better to let them get on with the business of being idiots and maybe they’ll make enough rope to hang themselves with and I won’t have to do a damn thing about it (just because you may see feral dogs ripping each other’s throats out in public doesn’t mean you have to get in the middle of it to try and stop them. Words of wisdom, right there).

But you know, 2013 was one of my better years in recent memory - mostly because I decreed it to be the Year of the Fangirl and here’s the tweet to prove it:

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL!! #YearOfTheFangirl #HappyNewYear
— Chrissy (@wildcat_media) January 1, 2013

Meaning that I was going to indulge in fannish delights and let the world sort itself out (or blow itself up - whatever it decided it wanted to do).  I guess since 2012 was such a colossal disappointment, I was tired of having high expectations for the year and I was envious of the people who didn’t seem to care that things were going to hell - so I decided to be one of those people.  The result: The Most Fun I’ve Had In a Good Long While.

(People talk about how pessimism is so damaging and terrible, but I think it was the best thing I ever did!  What’s the phrase? Now that I’ve given up hope, I feel much better).

Giving Reality the finger, one fanfic and Tumblr reblog at a time.

Anyway, I didn't start this to talk about how horrible the world is and how much faith I've lost in humanity.  I started this to talk about how ignoring all that shit helped me find the good things in life and enjoy them more fully.  So, here is the myriad of ways 2013 - The Year of the Fangirl - was the best year in recent memory -

- I started out as part of the Yule Ball committee, in which the library system I work for hosted a Harry Potter Yule Ball for teens.  It was basically a Prom for the literary minded and I found myself wishing there had been such things for me when I was a teenager (and I have no idea how this happened, but I have no pictures of it, sorry about that). In fact, that kind of dovetails into something else cool that happened this year - ToshoCON. Admittedly, I was more involved in ToshoCON than Yule Ball, but it all served the same purpose to show me how my hobbies and my day job combine to be something really spectacular and just a lot of fun.  I’m in my element with fellow geeks (even if they are younger than me - hey, they help me keep my priorities straight) and we’re just having a fun old time. So, yay library life!

- Speaking of conventions - this year I went to not one, but TWO conventions! The first I’d had planned for nearly a year previous and that was Gallifrey One in Los Angeles.  Meeting best friends I didn’t even know I had along with meeting stars of my favorite TV show - what could be more fun? (maybe going two years in a row would do it - fingers crossed!)

Oh, I know! Having the announcement a month later that Salt Lake City would be getting its very own Comic Con!  And after all the success and fun of that initial con - it turned into two! Recently, they announced that Salt Lake Comic Con would be expanding into two annual events, FanXperience in April and the regular Comic Con in the fall.  After being kind of an anomaly in this little niche culture we have in Utah, it’s nice to be recognized and appreciated for the growing demographic we are (and telling the scrapbooker, the outdoor retailer, and bridal conventions to suck it doesn't feel too bad either).

- Movies and books are always a hot topic in my life and 2013 was no exception.  A Memory of Light closed out “The Wheel of Time” in spectacular fashion. I took on the Goodreads Challenge to read (and review on Goodreads) 100 books by the end of the year (which I accomplished in October - clearly, I need to set a higher mark for myself) and I found some lovely little reads (and some not-so-lovely, but that’s part of the fun).  But another book I discovered this year was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (quite appropriate, don’t you think?)  And it’s all about fandom and being in a fandom and finding your way through real life while hanging onto fandom.  It’s perfect!

On the movie front - Marvel had some stellar entries with Iron Man 3 (shut up, it was good) and Thor: The Dark World. And count me as someone who actually enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness (I guess I don’t have all the fanboy history to get all up-in-arms about whatever the problems were) and I did enjoy Man of Steel as well. Ender’s Game and Catching Fire were great too.

- Okay, so the BIG event of 2013 (and one that I spent extensive time talking about - not just here, but on Tumblr, Twitter, and on Traveling the Vortex through feedback) was the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who.  Between episode reviews/recaps and Librarian in the TARDIS and general geeking out over all things Who - I think that was a huge part of why 2013 was so great.  And the future of Doctor Who seems to be secure for the foreseeable future, so there will be plenty of wonderful delights to take part in soon - but the look back to the past this year was more fun than I can express.  Honestly, The Year of the Fangirl would not have been such a personal success without Doctor Who and for that I am extremely grateful.

So now, 2014.  I haven’t had a great track record with even-numbered years lately, but I’m ready.  The fangirling won’t stop and neither will the snark. So if you're expecting any of this to taper off... sorry - not happening!

You Got Loki'd! - Review of "Thor: The Dark World"

WARNING: There will be spoilers in this post. If you have not yet seen Thor: The Dark World, go do something else and come back to this later. I promise - it’ll still be here.

Before I went to see Thor: The Dark World, someone on Tumblr posted that the real subtitle ought to have been “Loki, You Little Shit!” (though, a case could be made for that to be the subtitle for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Let’s get this part out of the way first - The Dark World is not Thor. The tone between the two is so vastly different, but I think that’s a good thing. In Thor, they were setting up Asgard as this wondrous world from mythology and putting it into the real universe. Asgardian are aliens that were worshiped as gods in one of Earth’s bygone eras, so Asgard was seen through those eyes. In The Dark World, we see Asgard through the eyes of the Asgardians themselves, which is far less majestic and awe-inspiring (though it still looks amazing - they certainly didn't skimp on that). To them, it’s their home. An everyday location that’s still important and they have a job to protect it.

It’s sort of like having a favorite celebrity and being a total fangirl/fanboy about them - and then you get the chance to meet them in real life and after you've picked yourself up off the floor from the shock, you realize that this is a real person with a real life that includes a real sense of humor, real joys, real sorrows, real mundanity, real responsibilities.

That’s not to say that Earth doesn't have a very part to play in this story. It’s just more muted. This story is about Asgard - Thor deciding what he wants to do with his life (apparently, even ancient Norse gods need guidance counseling), Loki's relationship with his family, Odin's responsibilities as Protector of the Nine Realms.

And then - there’s Loki, who is pretty much in the doghouse after the events of The Avengers. It’s evident that The Dark World is more interested in moving forward the overarching plot of Marvel: Phase 2, but it’s good that we spent some time closing out the aftermath of Phase 1. In fact, Loki’s punishment actually dovetails into that overarching plot. Marvel is in no way, shape, or form done with Loki, though he probably won’t be the Big Bad of another Marvel film. And that’s fine - Loki is a trickster. He’s mischievous, not malevolent. You never know where his loyalties truly lie or what his endgame is. That’s what makes him one of the most compelling and interesting characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a HUGE reason why he’s got such a loyal fanbase. And the fact that he’s played by Tom Hiddleston does NOT hurt in the slightest. Not. At. All (I think the Hiddleston fangirls have another convert because - damn).  Man - I just love Loki!

Other Things I Liked (in list form) -

- Darcy stole the show. Just... Darcy. I know it’s a long-shot and there’s no reason for it, but if Marvel could figure out a way for Darcy and Loki to spend a movie just snarking at each other, I would pay good money to see that - not just once, but twice!

- I knew Loki wasn't really dead. Because Tumblr would have been reduced to a pile of wailing mush the moment that was written into the script (I say this with all the respect and love in my heart - and as one of their number: Never underestimate the power of Hiddleston fangirls). But now that everyone thinks he’s dead, he’s free to do... whatever he wants. Oh, the cinematic possibilities! (perhaps a standalone Loki movie?? Oh, can I be so lucky?)

- The cameos! Not just the standard Stan Lee cameo (though that was hilarious), but Loki shapeshifts into one of Thor’s new Avenger buddies - and even gets a bit of this Avenger’s theme song in the process! Oh Marvel, how I love your continuity nods!

- Christopher Eccleston put in a great performance as the dark elf Malekith - but I couldn't help but think of him as the Doctor in heavy makeup threatening to destroy the universe. Unfortunate associations, but there you go.

- The whole time I was watching this movie, I kept thinking “This is what the Star Wars prequels should have been.” Not bogged down with the CGI crap or the horrible acting, but with fluid storytelling and all the elements of the film more integrated with each other. I hope Disney lets their new LucasFilm department talk with the Marvel people.

- It seems I’m always going to have to say this, but - WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE WHO LEAVE THE THEATER BEFORE THE CREDITS ARE OVER?? Even if you think you've seen the post-credit Easter Egg, you’re supposed to stay all the way to the end of a Marvel movie. Just plan on it - don’t miss out on the good stuff! (and there was some really good stuff at the end. Two Easter Eggs - don’t leave the theater! The bathroom will still be there when you get out, I promise).

Is Thor: The Dark World perfect? Not really. There are some pacing issues and some of the character moments don’t get the necessary breathing space. That’s something that Thor did beautifully that I felt was missing a bit from The Dark World.  But it’s a solid entry into the Marvel Cinematic canon and perfectly sets up Thor 3 (whatever that ends up being).

A Comic Con in My Own Backyard - FINALLY!

I've had a day to recover and recuperate and now it's time to give my full-on report of Salt Lake Comic Con 2013!  I had the opportunity to share my experience throughout the con via Traveling the Vortex, who were gracious enough to allow me room on the podcast feed to share some updates and if I haven't thanked them enough for that, let me thank them just one more time.  It was so much fun and I enjoyed it very much (and I hope the other Vortex listeners got something out of it too).  Here are the links to those updates:

Day 0 - Preview
Day 1 - Vendors Hall
Day 2 - Line Dancing
Day 3 - A SHATNER-day Morning

And here is a link to all the pictures I took at Comic Con. I wanted to post them all here, but that's a LOT of pictures for one blog post.  Thank goodness for Picasa Albums!)

If you've listen to all of that and you STILL want more (or you just want to read about it), buckle in because here we go!

Vader encouraging people to sign up for a library card. As all good villains do.

Thursday, I was actually at the con for work (how many people - who aren't celebrity guests - can say they were paid to go to Comic Con?)  Salt Lake County Library and Salt Lake City Public Library shared a vendor booth in the Exhibit Hall and I got to take a shift for the entirety of that day's convention activities.  Thing is, the booth we had wasn't big enough to have four people there all the time, so we took turns wandering around the Exhibit Hall (which I mistakenly called the Vendors Hall in my podcast update - sorry about that).  Thursday was very not-busy, so I pretty much got to see everything I wanted.  I'd only planned on scoping out the area and planning my strategy for getting autographs and making purchases. But there were so few lines, that I decided it would be better to get the autographs I wanted now, rather than risk having to wait in monstrously long lines later (this proved to be one of my best ideas in the history of ever).

Blue was the theme of Thursday, apparently.

I met David Yost, who played Billy in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the Blue Ranger has been a personal favorite of mine since age 8) and that was a real treat for me to start out with.  David was so kind and very gracious, even though I was a bit flustered about meeting him (I will say that I was not as flustered as when I met Frazer Hines at Gallifery last year).  Then I went down the Autograph Alley a little further down and there was Simon Fisher-Becker, who was Dorium Maldovar in Series 5 and 6 of Doctor Who and someone I would have made a point to meet on principle, even without the encouragement from the Vortex Boys (Shaun had met Simon at Gallifrey One the year before last and Simon also came on the podcast for an interview soon after).  Simon was very personable and very gracious and remembered meeting Shaun and Mel at Gally.  He was very kind to provide me with a bumper for the podcast and I would have stayed to talk to him longer, but there were a few others who had come up behind me in line and Simon's handler/assistant/saleslady was anxious for the line to move (this lady was a pro - she nearly had me convinced to buy a $50 poster for Simon to sign, but I was on a budget for this con).

My Vendor Badge - that I had to give back at the end of Thursday *sad face*

That was Day 1, pretty much.  I talked a lot about it in the podcast and I don't want to repeat myself too much here because there were some stories from the second day that I forgot to tell.  So, I'm just going to launch into that now.

Manu Bennett in the Hobbit panel

William Kircher sneaking in the side door.

Day 2 (Friday) was very different.  For one thing, I was there as a regular con-goer, not as a vendor.  And it was even more busy the second day, which I decided was going to be my panel day.  I got in to the Unofficial Sneak Peek of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which was run by the guys from TheOneRing.net, which is a JRR Tolkien fansite.  They were there along with Weta Workshop, who are the geniuses behind the props and models and prosthetics in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies.  It's very difficult for me to pinpoint exactly who or what I was the most excited about having at Salt Lake Comic Con, but Weta Workshop was certainly on the list of Things To See.  I'd seen the Weta display the day before, and I took lots of pictures which would tell the story a million times better than I ever could and this panel was fantastic as well.  The guys from TORn (as they've shortened their site name to) had a whole presentation ready to go, but then Manu Bennett (who played Azog the White Orc in An Unexpected Journey) crashed the party and they let him have the floor for a while.  He talked about doing motion capture work and his initial thoughts about the concept design of Azog.  Then, William Kircher (Bifur the dwarf and Tom the troll) came in and talked for another twenty minutes and that was tons of fun to hear him talk about his experiences.

They sees us, Preciousssss!

By the time Manu and William had to leave, there wasn't a whole lot of time for the TORn guys to do their thing, but they got the important stuff in there.  One thing that I find interesting (and as a bit of a PSA) is that the studios aren't terribly thrilled about doing the Extended Edition DVD/Blu-Rays for The Hobbit.  This surprised me because I thought the Extended Editions were a hit for Lord of the Rings (but maybe that's because I'm a Tolkien nut and I get a kick out of that stuff).  They said that the Extended Edition for An Unexpected Journey will have over 15 hours of extras.  But if it doesn't sell well, the Extended Editions for the next two movies will only have about 2 hours of extras (which, I call that a standard DVD release, not an Extended Edition).  So, if you're a fan of the Extended Editions, here's your call to buy the EE for An Unexpected Journey and to make it a success! (if you're not a fan, well... buy it anyway and give it as a gift to someone you think might enjoy it).

Ray Park with some guy from X96 (forgot his name - sorry! But he was a great interviewer)

The next panel I went to was one I was not intending to see.  I wanted to see the Power Rangers panel at 3:00, which was going to be in the Main Stage ballroom.  I went to see if there was a line for that, but the doors were wide open and there were empty seats in the back for the Ray Park interview (Ray Park played Darth Maul, as well as other characters).  I figured that would be worth seeing while I waited for Power Rangers (better than sitting out in the hall, I guess).  Turned out Ray Park was one of the highlights of my day!  I think I enjoyed it precisely because I wasn't expecting to, but he is someone that I wish I had made time to go meet.  He was a fantastic interview - just listening to all his experiences from how he got into martial arts and physical acting to playing villains like Darth Maul and Toad from X-Men.  And he was so funny!  He said that at one point while shooting The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul was supposed to die by Obi-Wan slicing his head off, but they decided to change it because there was a chance that Darth Maul could come back in the next movie and they didn't want to have to explain how he got his head back.  Then Ray goes, "Everyone else has fake body parts - why couldn't Maul have a fake head?"  It was probably funnier when he said it.  If you're ever at a con and Ray Park is on the guest list speak, I highly recommend making time for any panel or interview he's in.

The only picture I got from the Power Rangers panel - told you I was enraptured by these three!
(the interviewer here didn't have a whole lot to do)

I already talked about my little run-in with miscommunication and misdirection between the Ray Park interview and the Power Rangers panel and I don't want to get into all the negativity with that (I've already left a comment on the Salt Lake Comic Con website and it doesn't need to go any further than that - if you really want to hear about it, it's on the Day 2 update on the podcast).  We were all seated and ready to go for the next panel and when the Power Rangers theme song came over the speakers, we all went nuts!  The audience looked like it was mostly made up of people like me who watched the show when we were little nippers and it was pure nostalgia to have these guys here.  The panel was made up of Cerina Vincent (who was the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy) and, of course, Walter Jones and David Yost (the Black Ranger and the Blue Ranger, respectively, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - or, as I called it in my updates, The Original Power Rangers).  And I was glued to everything these three said.  The one thing I regret now is that I didn't take notes or tweet the memorable moments, like I had for The Hobbit or Ray Park panels.  I'm blaming my inner nine-year-old for that one, but I was just so excited to see these guys on stage and I couldn't bring myself to have my face in a notebook or on my iPhone for this. There were a few specifics I do remember.  One started with a question from someone in the audience asking Walter and David how it was acting against a blank wall where post-production would put Zordon's floating head in later.  David said something to the effect of "You hit your mark, say your lines, and you get paid" (he said it much better than that)  Then Walter went on this thing (in his joking, cheerful manner) how it was kind of tough to imagine how they were going to realize this giant floating head giving them instructions and he had to tilt his head and squint at the piece of paper tacked on the wall for them to look at and it was kind of a funny bit.  Then David, who had been the straight man to Walter's comedic persona through this entire panel, completely deadpanned "Well, it would be much easier for a better actor."  And the room roared with laughter because Walter had been completely had by that and it came out of nowhere.  It was like these two had a routine down pat, after doing so many conventions through the years.  Cerina had some good moments too, but I'm not as familiar with her, though now I want to go find some of her episodes because her character sounds pretty interesting (she's sounds a lot like Leela, though less of a warrior and more of a [quote] "hippie, nature chick" from another planet).

SHATNER! (my iPhone kept auto-correcting his name like that, which was hilarious)

That was pretty much Day 2.  Day 3 was my quest to meet William Shatner and get his autograph for my friend Brittany, who'd asked me and I was more than happy to do that for her (and my dad said that I ought to, with him having been a fan since he was a little kid).  I spent about 3 hours in lines waiting for a 20-second encounter, but it was so worth it!  I basically tweeted and took pictures of cosplayers during this time (and I talked to a lot of really nice people while we waited in line.  I mean, what else are you going to do?)

A Wreck-It Ralph family - this taken was on the fly as the line was moving into the Salt Palace

Full shot of the homemade Dalek - Instagram kept cropping out parts of it

With this being Saturday and the final day of the con, I think this day came the closest to re-creating the San Diego Comic Con experience for Salt Lake City - tons of lines, tons of people, the completely inability to move anywhere on the convention floor.  When all was said and done, I think at final tally, it turned out that there were 70,000-80,000 people just on Saturday.  I know when I left at 2:00 pm, the line was wrapping around the block (which, the Salt Palace sits on a larger-than-average city block with Abravanel Hall) and was well on its way to the Gateway Mall (I didn't stick around to see if it got down that direction).  Apparently, they even ran out of badges at registration and they finally had to turn people away because the building was at capacity.  There were some complaints about it, but I think the con organizers really didn't expect this big of a turnout (this being a first-year convention and Utah's geek culture not really being at the forefront - that's a whole different discussion that I could spearhead later).

Allons-y!

The funniest thing I heard when I got home was from my roommate, who was telling me that a group of people from my church were thinking about going down to Comic Con yesterday because they heard there was Sci-Fi Speed Dating and they wanted to check it out.  I laughed out loud because (A) These kids had NO idea what they were getting into by going to Comic Con in the first place and (B) By that time, there was ZERO chance of them getting in the convention anyway.  My roommate and I got a good laugh out of that one.

Thor and Loki and a bunch of demigods from Camp Half-Blood

Even with the hiccups and glitches, I think Salt Lake Comic Con was a huge success.  When I very first heard about it, I was hoping that there would be a good enough turnout to make this an annual thing.  But now, I think this could be a premiere convention in the country.  There are so many cons back east - DragonCon, New York Comic Con, C2E2, WorldCon (yes, I consider Texas to be back east.  If you're east of the Rocky Mountains, that's back east) and not a whole lot out here in the Intermountain West.  We're sort of the big empty hole right before you get to California that everyone ignores.  So many people I talked to that were from other states said that they would love to go to San Diego Comic Con, but it's so expensive and always so full - but they could certainly manage a trip to Salt Lake City.  And lots of them did.

Hope this TARDIS really is bigger on the inside!

For me, it's just nice to finally be acknowledged in my own backyard.  I like sports and I don't mind the outdoorsy people (but the froofy scrapbookers and bridal shows, I can ignore) - but I can't really say how much it means to me to have a sci-fi/geek convention in town.  Not only have this convention, but have it be a huge success and shatter all kinds of records.  I honestly don't know what'll happen when this con outgrows the Salt Palace because I think that's the largest convention center in the state (luckily, they still have the other half of the building that they could very well use next year - and they could expand into Abravanel Hall if they needed to - there was another conference going on there while Comic Con was running).

Can I be "Carriage Man" you guys?

I think the success of this convention could be summed up in one last story that I kept forgetting to tell, but it's such a good one.  When I left the convention Friday night, I saw a group of cosplayers being stopped by a guy who was driving one of those horse-and-carriage tours that go around downtown Salt Lake.  The guy had his camera out and was asking them if he could take a picture of them.  He was asking how the convention was going and thanked them for the picture.  And I thought that was a great moment of the convention mixing with the rest of the city.

So, until next year peeps!

Deadpool, out!

The Preemptive Critic: "Thor: The Dark World"

I love Thor, I love all the Marvel movies, I preemptively love Thor: The Dark World.

*fangirl squee*

As you were.

Darkness and Light - Review of "Iron Man 3"

[I saw this movie last night and I have so, so many scattered thoughts about it (all of them good, don't worry), but I want to get something coherent out before tomorrow when all the geek-blogs get their Siskel and Ebert crap together.]

Spoiler Warning!

How does a movie bring you down to the depth of despair, but still makes you laugh out loud?  I have no idea. But Iron Man 3 did exactly that.

What I have loved about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is how much character development there is across the board.  Even the "sidekicks" get it (Pepper got quite a bit and I think Jane Foster is going to get some similar treatment, if the trailer for Thor: The Dark World is any indication).  It would have been so easy for them to take Tony Stark and send him straight back to his garage, snarking with JARVIS and being his same sarcastic-yet-lovable self.  And while we get some of that in Iron Man 3, it is clear that we are firmly into Marvel: Phase 2.

Just to get an idea for how clear this is - I took notes for this movie while in the theater.  Because I am just a nutcase like that.  And a good portion of my notes (the few I managed to get written down while my eyes weren't glued to the screen) were things like:

- new tone for post-Avengers Marvel
- darker tone - really digging it
- closer and tighter shots - more claustrophobic
- taking some cues from The Hunger Games - televised politics, terror in front of the camera
- some lighter moments - hearkening back to the earlier Iron Man movies, but still so dark

Basically, this movie felt like they were taking cues from The Dark Knight, but not completely.  This is still Tony Stark, not Bruce Wayne.  The filmmakers don't ignore what makes Tony Stark's story so compelling and why he is such a popular character - he a brash and cocky guy, but he still has his share of vulnerability and he deals with it in the most unorthodox ways.  The movie even touches on that at the end - the Iron Man suit has become a cocoon for Tony to wrap himself in and shut himself off from the world, even to the point that he builds the suits during his prolonged bouts of insomnia.  Now, he did that even before he became Iron Man - he wrapped himself up in the "live fast and free" lifestyle that we saw at the beginning of the first Iron Man and that we see here at the start of this movie (just to remind us how far Tony's come).  For most of his life, Tony has pretty much been a jerk to other people.  But even through all that, there's always been this little spark of goodness that started building the day Tony escaped from being held hostage in Afghanistan.  That's what Iron Man was about - a real pain-in-the-ass guy who learned to be somebody that could actually be a hero.  While he never loses his swagger or his bravado (for better or worse) - but he's living for something beyond himself.  And that is a beautiful thing to watch.

I've never kept it secret that of all the Marvel superheroes, Tony Stark is my absolute favorite.  It could be so easy to write him off as this self-centered, pompous jerk - but you never feel like that's his whole story.  And the reason for that is that his friends are still there for him, though they don't lie down and take Tony's crap the way a lot of other people do.  Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, even JARVIS (even though he's a programmed entity - but he still gets his digs in) - you can't be a total waste if you've got people of that caliber behind you.  And I think that's the story of the first two movies (plus The Avengers).

So, Iron Man 3 is what you get when you take Tony away from everything that's supported him throughout his life (especially since becoming Iron Man) and make him do everything on his own with very little outside help.  Now, Tony doesn't trust anyone beyond himself and a few close friends.  Which is why taking him to Rose Hill, Tennessee in search of Extremis was a brilliant move on the screenwriters' part.  As tough as Tony acts and talks, he is almost worthless without outside help.  Especially in this movie, where he's dealing with the PTSD and frequent panic attacks (those scenes where Tony just about loses it - those were hard for me to watch, but they added so much to the story).

I guess the main thing I took away from Iron Man 3 is how vulnerable Tony Stark really is.  And he shows that vulnerability by locking himself away from everyone he cares about (even Pepper - though he does tell her that she's the only reason he's been able to keep it together since New York) and building more Iron Man suits.  What I thought had been a massive spoiler in the trailer turned out to be a "Holy crap - this is... wow!" moment.  Because Tony has been working on all these suits and all these different modifications (like the fact the suits can move on their own without having someone inside them), just to keep the bad memories at bay.  And none of that is working for him.  Even when one of the suits threatens Pepper, Tony just breaks down the pieces, but he doesn't get rid of it.  Contrast that with the end of the movie when Pepper's become one of the Extremis soldiers and that same Mark 42 suit targets her, Tony has JARVIS blow up that suit (and he subsequently destroys the rest of the suits - meaning that he doesn't need them anymore.  He doesn't need to work on all that stuff just to keep his sanity together).  The final scenes of the movie show that between his house in Malibu being attacked and the battle on the oil rigs in Florida, Tony's figured out that he doesn't have to hide from his weaknesses anymore.  He can still be Mr. I'm-So-Freaking-Awesome-and-Badass, but also recognize that he needs help from other people just as much as they need him.

I came to these conclusions after discussing the ending with my roommate - the ending where Tony has surgery to remove the shrapnel from his chest, thus rendering his trademark electromagnet completely unnecessary.  While I did a bit of a double-take at that at first, it makes a lot of sense the more I think about it.  And this is going to sound odd, but go with me here on this - the shrapnel was almost a lame excuse for Tony to stay "special."  What I mean by that is that Tony thought he's only worth something if there's some external force making him remarkable - his company, his money, his inventions, his fast-living lifestyle.  But the arc reactor and Iron Man slowly replaced that - and his experiences made him reassess what was really important (the events of Iron Man 3 - like coming thisclose to losing Pepper and everything else around that - probably moved him further to that end).  I mean, he still has this need to tinker and fix things (because that's what he does - he even signs his note to Harley as "The Mechanic") so Iron Man isn't completely gone - it just isn't going to take over Tony's life.  Besides - he can still be a superhero.  But it's going to be in a much different place in his life and it won't be so connected to him as it was when he had this glowing metal thing installed in his body.

Wow. I've spent most of this review navel-gazing and I really haven't talked much about the rest of the movie.  I did NOT see the Mandarin twist coming.  I thought the trailer had spoiled all the cool stuff - like multiple Iron Man suits and Pepper getting a suit (which, I thought that was awesome when Tony saved Pepper by diverting the suit to get her out of harm's way).  But to turn the Mandarin into this complete and total joke - and then reveal who the real Mandarin was… holy crap on a cracker, that took some balls in the screenplay department!  That was either going to be totally awesome or totally shit.  And it went the former route (thank goodness).  It was brilliant turning it into the loser who is almost in direct competition to Stark Industries (remember Justin Hammer?  Yeah, he was a dork), but it turns out that said loser is really kicking everyone's ass seven ways to Sunday.

Other things I liked -
 - Happy Hogan is a "Downton Abbey" fan.
 - The giant bunny. Tacky, yes. Endearing and really funny? Of course!
 - The whole movie takes place around Christmas and was released in May.
 - Pepper: "That was really violent!" (I think in the comics, she gets a suit and becomes Rescue. Which, I would not be opposed to that happening in the movies).
 - Harley! I mean, I never envisioned Tony Stark getting along with a kid without there being major character issues, but those interactions were gold.
- The Barrel of Monkeys skydiving scene - and then it turns out Tony wasn't in the suit at all (but I did scream when that semi busted up the Iron Man suit - and then all of a sudden, Tony's talking again.  Like it's no big deal).  I mean - jeez - way to scare the crap out of me!
- I talked a lot about how dark this story is - but there was TONS of humor in the dark moments too.  I don't know how many times I burst out laughing right in the midst of something so grim and dark and serious.  I thought the movie struck a perfect balance between both extremes and I appreciated that a lot.
- Post-credit sequence - turns out this whole movie has been Tony laying on Dr. Bruce Banner's couch and telling him the story.  After enjoying Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers, I was thrilled to see him back in even this small capacity.  Bruce and Tony need more screen time together.  They're just awesome.

All that being said - I liked the changes and the newness of this movie.  At the same time, I'm a little worried that we've seen the last of Tony Stark (at least, the Tony Stark we've come to know and love).  There are rumors that Robert Downey, Jr. is wanting to call it quits, which I can see why and I would almost be okay with… but at the same time, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Iron Man.  I mean, I love all the Avengers and the Marvel characters, but for some reason I cannot get enough of Iron Man.  He is hands-down my absolute favorite and I love the way RDJ plays him and I'm not ready for it to be over (at least, not without more warning than a credit sequence showcasing all three Iron Man movies).  I guess I can get over it and enjoy the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - but it's not the same (I don't do well with change, guys.  I just don't).

(Dear Disney/Marvel - If Robert Downey Jr. asks for more money - give it to him! Don't care how much it is - it's worth it!!)

The Verdict Is (FINALLY!) In

I had to see it twice, but I finally have thoughts to share on The Avengers.  Spoilers below the decidedly NOT spoilery (but very funny) video.

 

I have a fun little story to tell.  Actually no, it's not that fun. But it explains a great deal.

The one movie theater that I love going to is the Jordan Landing Cinemark.  This place is a pretty spiffy theater while still being fairly reasonbly priced - the seats are roomy, the staff are friendly and they make their snack bar hot dogs out of unicorn tears.  No, really - they are that good (it's the one time I can justify paying $4 for movie theater food).  This theater is also attracts - shall we say - more higher-class clientele.  I have never had a bad experience going to a movie at Jordan Landing.

Until last Monday night and The Avengers.

I've talked about this before - In the lead-up to this movie, I was as excited as anybody (excepting, perhaps, the people who grew up reading Marvel comics. But that’s a whole ‘nother ballpark).  I have thoroughly enjoyed the Marvel superhero movies and I’ve loved all the continuity that’s gone into these stories. But most of all, I love the characters and seeing where these superheroes come from.  It's a real treat for me, as someone who isn't steeped in Marvel Comics lore, to have a glimpse into these stories and feel like I can be welcomed into the universe and know what's going on without the burden of having to know the source material inside-and-out (which I would love to do, but there's a crapton to read through - never mind having to get it all in the right order).

Sadly, I was delayed in seeing The Avengers, but I had a good reason.  My aunt passed away last week and her funeral was on Saturday in Nevada.  I spent Friday traveling, Saturday at the funeral and with family and coming back home, Sunday passed out on the couch in a pile of travel-worn goo with no desire to go anywhere or do anything.  But I figured I could go see it Monday night after I got off work at 9:00 at night - hopefully the audience would be small and I could enjoy my experience.

Well, turns out the late Monday night showing was a horrible idea.  In short, this is what I had to endure:


- The idiot teenagers who had probably sneaked out of the house so they could canoodle with their boy- or girl-toys in the back of a darkened theater while alternately snickering “OMG his boots r sooo gay!” (meaning Captain America in the dressed-down version of his uniform). Oh, and they kept laughing even after the jokes were over and done with.  Do you know how maddening it is when you are trying to watch an incredibly intense battle sequence and you've got the cast of Degrassi behind you giggling over Odin-knows-what?

   - The married fanboys who finally convinced their extremely skeptical wives to go see it with them. The wives then start clucking to each other about some goofy housewifey thing and how ridiculous their hubbies are being but said hubbies wouldn't give them a moment's peace until they counted this as date night... ALL DURING THE FRIGGING MOVIE!! *headdesk*

   - This one doesn’t bug me as much because at least this audience member is interested in the movie. Still irritating, though. But there was also that one kid who was sugared-up on candy and Coke and keeps asking “Why’d Loki stab that one guy?” “How did [insert character] do that one thing?” “I wanna fly!” Love your enthusiasm, kid, but can you wait until you get to the parking lot?


So, when I walked out of the theater, I was not happy about the movie.  I was too distracted by my very rude and annoying fellow movie-goers and I didn't get the experience that other people got when they tweeted how wonderful this movie was.  And I was extremely annoyed by this because I honestly wanted to love this movie.  In fact, last night I came home and wrote up a whole big thing about how I was so disappointed in the movie and how could they screw it up and what is everyone else thinking and I'm so pissed about this... but then I thought that maybe a second viewing would help.  I then decided to go again after work today and see if I liked it better a second time.

(Don't worry - I did end up liking this movie.  Quite a bit, actually.  I later went back during a matinee to see it again and ended up in a much more amenable audience and figured out that was most of my problem the night before).

At first, I blamed it on the fact that I am not familiar with director Joss Whedon at all.  At the risk of having my geek-cred called into question, I have to confess that I have never been on the Whedon bandwagon.  It’s not a matter of me not liking his stuff; it’s a matter of me never actually watching anything of his.  The most I know about Whedon is that he created Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and a great swath of the sci-fi/fantasy fandom thinks he’s God (I am not being critical here, mind you. I'm just saying that I don't have enough experience with Whedon to make that assessment for myself).

One thing I learned here is that Whedon has a very distinct method of storytelling and it's something I had to be prepared for and I wasn't.  He's like Neil Gaiman in that regard - if I hadn't read at least some of Gaiman's work before seeing "The Doctor's Wife," I would not have know what was going on in that story and I probably would have been similarly disappointed.  However, once I understood how Whedon does things, I was totally on board.  One thing I had difficulty with was the humor - more specifically, the timing of the jokes.  Like Agent Coulson quipping "So that's how it works" after he shoots Loki with the Big Ass Gun after Loki's fatally stabbed Coulson.  That was just one of many mood whiplash moments that had me going "Wait - WHAT?" during my first viewing.

But the second go-round, I was expecting the humor so I was able to better pay attention to the characters and story (helped that the audience wasn't guffawing for five minutes at every little deadpan snark).  In fact, the humor actually enhanced Tony Stark's character, which I did not think was possible.  Tony is hands-down my favorite of the Avengers because he does possess a dark sense of humor and he can pull-off snark in a very natural way.  Plus, his brand of snark actually serves a purpose - I loved the scenes with him and Bruce Banner (the Hulk) looking for the Tessaract and Tony just keeps poking the proverbial bear with the stick (all the while knowing exactly what he's doing).  That's the other thing I love about Tony Stark - he's the scientific genius who can rattle off equations and technobabble, but still keep his "Mr. Cool" billionaire persona.  Also, Tony's interactions with Steve Rogers (Captain America) are pure gold.  Tony and Steve are near-perfect foils to each other - Tony's the dark, sarcastic genius of the bunch while Steve is the All-American Boy Scout who follows orders yet still commands respect, which I love (he is the legendary First Avenger, after all).  It would have been so easy to relegate Cap to be the idealistic idiot wearing spangly Spandex, he became the leader of the Avengers almost by accident and it worked so well.

Also - I have to give mad props to Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.  I tried watching both Hulk movies prior to seeing The Avengers - yeah, I couldn't do it.  They were both kind of long and boring and I just couldn't care.  I'm going to try to Edward Norton movie again, but really, I don't think I need to.  I think I know enough of the Hulk's backstory and his personality just from watching The Avengers.  Really, this movie did for the Hulk as a member of a team what two whole movies of the Hulk as a solo-act did not do.  That either speaks volumes in favor of Ruffalo and Whedon or it speaks to the incompetence of the guys in the other movies (personally, I like to keep things positive, so I'm going with the first one).

Chris Hemsworth is an awesome Thor and Tom Hiddleston is a fantastic Loki.  I am such a fantasy geek - you tell me something's magic and I will buy it (as long as there are set rules and you stick to them).  Everything for me doesn't have to be totally grounded in hard-core, proven science (or even plausible science fiction).  My opinion from when I saw Thor has not changed - the concept of Asgard and the demigods is such a treat.  I get that Thor is a very different hero from any of the others and it takes a certain kind of writer to bring that to bear in this ensemble cast and this is another area where Whedon gets it right.  I love that Thor and Loki are given opportunities to explore their family relationship - Thor gives Loki a chance to quit his Earth-domination crap and come home.  Thor also feels a responsibility to the Earth and wants to stop Loki from causing problems.  But Loki's been slighted and he's going to cause as much havoc and mayhem and he's going to have fun doing it (Hiddleston's performance when he's yanking everyone's chain while being held prisoner on the SHIELD aircraft carrier is wonderful.  He's another one who does the deadpan snarker very well).

I want to touch briefly on Black Widow and Hawkeye - I want their origin stories.  I don't know if those movies are in the works (or maybe just one for the both of them, since it's made evident that their paths cross early-on), but that is something I dearly want.  Maybe it's a tad unnecessary at this point, but I don't care - I WANTS IT, PRECIOUSSSS!!  They are both fantastic characters - either apart or together and I want to see more of that.

(Oh, and every single time someone said “Tessaract,” I kept thinking of the Tessalecta from Doctor Who. Which is completely different).

This is getting insanely long, but here are some of my favorite moments that deserve special mention (there were so many good ones that it was hard to keep this a reasonable length):

- The Hulk beating the ever-loving snot out of Loki.  Especially after Loki started in on his "I'm a god and you will bow to me you stupid human-thing" speech.
- The old man in Germany standing up to Loki when everyone else has bowed down.
- Iron Man patching "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC into Black Widow's jet's PA system.
- Loki in a suit. I know he's the bad guy and all but... damn...
- Agent Coulson explaining to Thor that he got Jane Foster somewhere far away from all the bad stuff happening and Thor being appreciative about it (okay, my little sappy female heart got a little mushy there)
- Anything Agent Coulson does or says (his total fanboying over Captain America was really sweet)
- Nick Fury telling the shadowy SHIELD board of committee director-leader-people that their idea to nuke Manhattan is a "stupid-ass decision."
- And I'm sure I forgot a few, but I'm sure someone else will point them out.

Anyway, Whedon did a pretty good job with this movie (though to be perfectly honest, I would have seen this no matter who the director was - but Whedon was an excellent choice).  The cast was great and the story was put together well and I don't know what else to say about it other than I want another one.  Like, right now. Because that was way too much awesome to be confined to one movie.  There must be more. MOAR, I say!

PS - I still would recommend seeing a movie at Jordan Landing if you're ever in town.  It's not their fault a bunch of ninnies all went and saw the same movie on the same night and ruined my initial experience. But if I find out who those kids were, I would not be opposed to toilet-papering their houses.