Lindsay and I put together a pilot podcast for Mainlining Christmas. In addition to a prolonged discussion on the longstanding relationship between the holidays and time travel, you can listen to me reading one of my stories aloud. We're planning at least a few more episodes on some other nerdy topics. Time frame is still TBD, however.
In other news, as I type this, you're anxiously waiting in line to get tickets for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I caught it on Thursday night, and I loved it. I typed up some thoughts over at The Middle Room, though I'd avoid any reviews or discussion until you've seen the movie.
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Summer. FINALLY.
I thought I'd check in, since I haven't posted in a few months. As always, I've been busy writing. I'm still planning to release my next novel, A Contest of Prophecies, this summer - our current target is mid-August.
In addition, I'm hoping to find some time to start getting some new short fiction up. Assuming everything goes as planned, I'll work on those as soon as I'm done revising.
In the meantime, it's summer, so the superhero movies have been out in force. Recently, I went to see Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Click the links for my reviews, if you're curious, but the short version is I loved them both.
Oh, wow. It has been a while since I last posted here. Long enough I haven't mentioned Kong: Skull Island yet. I liked that one, too, though it wasn't on par with the two above.
In addition, I do an annual breakdown of summer movies, along with projections (fancy way of saying 'wild guesses') for how good I think they'll be. Find that here, if you're really bored.
What else? Lindsay and I have been out hiking again this year (hence the picture above). Plus, this is our first summer in our new house, so we've been having fun discovering what flowers pop out of the ground and what animals come out of the woods, such as this guy we saw hanging out on our porch.
I'm not even going to pretend I don't love bunnies. Freaking adorable.
Just Checking In
It's been more than a month since my last post, and I didn't want you guys worrying I'd disappeared. I've been busy revising A Contest of Prophecies, the fourth novel in The Citadel of the Last Gathering, and working on the next three books.
Actually... make that the next four books. I started writing book eight a few days ago. Like I said: BUSY.
If all goes as planned, A Contest of Prophecies should be available this summer.
What else? I've reviewed a couple superhero flicks since I last checked in: LEGO Batman and Logan. Not much difference between the two, aside from the fact one is significantly more violent than the other (the violent one being LEGO Batman, obviously). I thought both were good, though the Batman movie felt a tad redundant compared to other things I've seen.
Actually... make that the next four books. I started writing book eight a few days ago. Like I said: BUSY.
If all goes as planned, A Contest of Prophecies should be available this summer.
What else? I've reviewed a couple superhero flicks since I last checked in: LEGO Batman and Logan. Not much difference between the two, aside from the fact one is significantly more violent than the other (the violent one being LEGO Batman, obviously). I thought both were good, though the Batman movie felt a tad redundant compared to other things I've seen.
Happy Holidays and All That
I've been extremely busy moving into the new house and bingeing on Christmas movies, which is why I haven't posted anything here in a while. As I do every December, I've written dozens of reviews over on Mainlining Christmas - it's a good resource if you're ever looking for advice on what to watch and what to avoid like the plague during the yuletide season.
A few highlights include the absolutely amazing holiday album from one of my oldest friends and his collaborators - you can download it free here and read my take here). Also, check out my write-up of the Adam Ruins Christmas special and the pictures of the custom Krampus action figure I put together, if you get a chance - I'm especially proud of these two articles.
If you're looking for something longer to read this Christmas, I'm making my 2009 fantasy novel For Love of Children available free on Kindle between the 23rd and the 27th. It offers an alternative look at holiday icons and modern mythology - grab a copy, if you haven't already.
I haven't made it to the movies much recently, but I did make time for Rogue One. My full review is up at The Middle Room, but the short version is that I loved it.
Pre-Order A Unique Sickness of Spirit! Also, Other News!
The Kindle copy of A Unique Sickness of Spirit, the third novel in The Citadel of the Last Gathering, will be released on October 6 and is now available for pre-order. As usual, we're not 100% sure when the paperback copy will be finalized. It all comes down to how the cover and map look in print and whether adjustments are needed.
Also, the first novel in the series, A Count of Five, will be free if you pick it up on the 1st or 2nd of September. If you haven't already gotten a copy for your Kindle, do so then and save a few bucks!
In other news, I wrote a pair of reviews over at The Middle Room that you might be interested in. First, I saw Kubo and the Two Strings, a beautiful movie I wish had focused a little more on tone. Nonetheless, it's absolutely stunning, and you should check it out on the big screen before it's too late.
If you have Amazon Prime, you may have heard you can watch the pilot for the new live-action spin on The Tick. If possible, I'd suggest doing so before reading my review (or anyone else's for that matter). It's nothing like I expected, but it's one of the most intriguing starts to a superhero show I've ever seen.
And speaking of streaming TV shows, I wrote up a few thoughts on the use of holiday tropes in Stranger Things for Mainlining Christmas. Lindsay and I both enjoyed the show quite a bit, though we felt like it leaned a tad too heavily on its references. If it had worked in an element or two that felt wholly original or uniquely realized, I think we'd have loved it. As it was, we just really liked it.
Updated Cover for A Count of Five
We're still putting the finishing touches on the cover for A Unique Sickness of Spirit. In the meantime, I thought I'd share an updated cover image for the first book in the series, A Count of Five. This won't alter the print version, but new copies of the digital will now feature this image.
In other news, we saw Pete's Dragon last weekend. It was a decent movie, but Disney made a serious error in releasing it so soon after the far superior Jungle Book. It's impossible not to look at this and be underwhelmed - the genres are similar, but they're just not in the same league. You can check out my review of Pete's Dragon here, and - because I'll take any excuse I can think of to link to my review of The Jungle Book - you can read about one of the year's best movies here.
Medieval Pony Squad Weekend
Not a lot to update this week, but I've got a few things. Lindsay and I had a nice weekend: we swung by the Midsummer Renaissance Faire in Bonney Lake, WA. While we were there, we caught a couple fun acts and bought some costume pieces. It was nice, though a tad smaller than the ren faires we're used to. Growing up on the East Coast spoiled us, I guess.
Pivoting from a faire to Walmart, we came across these figurines. Friendship is Magic is one of many animated series we both enjoy, and these might be the nicest collectibles I've seen from the show, at least at this price point.
I threw together a very brief review with some additional pictures over here, if you're interested.
Shifting gears to movies, we caught Suicide Squad on Sunday. While I can definitely appreciate why the vast majority of critics tore it apart, I had a much more favorable reaction. The movie's got flaws - major structural ones, in fact - but unlike its dour predecessor in the DC Expanded Universe, this one was actually fun. If you want more details on that, check out my review at The Middle Room.
Pivoting from a faire to Walmart, we came across these figurines. Friendship is Magic is one of many animated series we both enjoy, and these might be the nicest collectibles I've seen from the show, at least at this price point.
I threw together a very brief review with some additional pictures over here, if you're interested.
Shifting gears to movies, we caught Suicide Squad on Sunday. While I can definitely appreciate why the vast majority of critics tore it apart, I had a much more favorable reaction. The movie's got flaws - major structural ones, in fact - but unlike its dour predecessor in the DC Expanded Universe, this one was actually fun. If you want more details on that, check out my review at The Middle Room.
Religious Artifacts
If you live in Seattle and have the time, I highly recommend you swing by the EMP Museum before their Star Trek special exhibit closes. The collection is drawn from every iteration of Trek - every series is represented, as are most of the movies. It's mesmerizing. If the Vatican threw open the doors to their archives, I'm guessing this is what it would feel like.
On top of that, there's a special exhibit on "Wearable Art" taken from a New Zealand-based competition. If that sounds dull to you, you're likely making the same mistake I made and are forgetting that WETA is based in New Zealand.
Awesome.
Amazing.
Bad ass.
It feels like you're walking through an exhibit drawn from the greatest nightmares. There's an eight minute video presentation there that's worth every second: sort of a carnival of these costumes in motion.
Let's see... what's else is going on? I was quite happy with the new Ghostbusters movie. We can quibble over details, but this has the potential to mean as much to the next generation of geeks as the original meant to mine. Hell, McKinnon's character swipes the award for all-time best Ghostbuster right out of Murray's hands.
As always, there's a full review up on The Middle Room if you want the long version.
Also, just a reminder but my wife and I are running a special July edition of the holidays over at Mainlining Christmas. We took the Christ out of Christmas and left him on an abandoned island in July. Honestly, I think he's probably happier there anyway. Click the link to learn more about Christmas specials set in the summer than you probably ever wanted.
I think that's about it for news. I'll check in again when I've got more to say.
July's Fine and All, but MERRY CHRISTMAS
I've got a lot to cover in this update, but I'll try to keep it fast.
First, we're still on track to have A Unique Sickness of Spirit (book 3 in The Citadel of the Last Gathering) out this fall. We're still putting some finishing touches on it, but it's looking good.
In other news, IT'S CHRISTMAS! Well, it's Christmas in July, or at least it is over at our holiday-themed blog. Lindsay and I are planning to post once a day in July. We'll be reviewing movies, episodes, and other media fixated on this bizarre pseudo-holiday.
To celebrate, we're also going to be giving away digital copies of my novels! Between Friday, July 8 and Sunday, July 10, go to Amazon to grab your free copy of each of the following:
- A Count of Five (The Citadel of the Last Gathering, Book 1)
- Tide of Ice (The Citadel of the Last Gathering, Book 2)
- For Love of Children
- Facsimile
- Tending the Fire
What else? Since I last updated, I've watched and reviewed X-Men: Apocalypse (flawed but under-rated), Finding Dory (basically flawless and rated about right), and Warcraft (just weird as hell). I also finally got around to last year's Fantastic Four in my series reviewing the lowest rated and least-loved superhero movies of all time. I thought the first half was intriguing, but it quickly fell apart.
In addition, I wrote up a brief article looking at what's becoming an odd trend in movies: while most of the industry's stalling, Disney has been putting out an almost shocking rate of critically acclaimed, financially successful films. You can read that here.
Lastly, I wrote up a toy review at my old site, The Clearance Bin. I rarely post there these days, but I couldn't help it: NECA's 8 inch Weird Al figure just demanded a write-up. The review might not conform to the norm, but it was a hell of a lot of fun to put together.
News, Updates, and Stuff
I know, I know - I don't post often enough here. But I've got a great excuse: I've been writing.
The first draft of book five is now done. You read that right - book five. That's two complete novels written this year, and we're not even halfway through 2016. In case anyone's curious, this is definitely the most productive I've ever been in my life.
Of course, I've still got a ton of work to do on book three, A Unique Sickness of Spirit, between now and the fall. So I'll be taking some time off of writing to revise that and work on the cover before I dive into book six, which is an installment I've been dying to tell since I started this series.
Lindsay and I went hiking a few times already. We didn't go anywhere we've never been before, but we did get to one of our all time favorite trails: Lake Serene (hence the pictures).
What else? Well, I've been to the movies a few times recently. In April, I saw Jungle Book, which was a major achievement in both technology and storytelling. If you want more details, check out my full review over here.
If you thought I'd wait longer than opening day to see Captain America: Civil War, you don't know me all that well. It was my second favorite movie in the MCU, behind only The Avengers (and even then, it was close). After the poorly constructed Batman v Superman, it was a joy to see a superhero movie on this scale made by people who understand what they're doing. You can find more of me using Civil War as an excuse to bash Zack Snyder in my review.
Just this past weekend, my wife and I went to see Shane Black's 70's comedy/noir, The Nice Guys. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, though I was a little disappointed to find it staying a little too close to Black's earlier work.
We're also experimenting with a new review format over on Mainlining Christmas. Our test subject is Home, a CG comedy/SF kids movie that came out last year. It had just enough holiday elements to earn a spot on the site but not enough to take up our time in December. If you have a few minutes, head on over and let us know if you like the "discussion" format.
That's it for now.
True Story About Movies
This happened five, maybe six years ago, back when I was still in New York. If you've ever visited the city, you probably know the subway system can be daunting, even for those of us who lived there. I won't take you though the details, but I wound up missing a stop, grabbing the wrong train, and - long story short - I found myself in a space beyond space, sort of a nexus between parallel worlds.
Right. If you're not up on your quantum mechanics, the reality we know is but one of many sharing a multiverse of... you get the point. This isn't a physics lesson - this is about movies.
There's a bunch of us there waiting for different trains; mostly people in the same situation I was in, but we were all from different worlds. So while I'm waiting for an N train, I run into this guy, a little older, but kind of nerdy like me, and we get to talking, like you do. We realize pretty quickly we're from similar worlds, but not exactly the same; like, his New York has four boroughs instead of five, and conspiracy nuts say there's a monster in Lake Michigan but he's never heard of Loch Ness. That kind of thing.
Then, out of the blue, he says to me, "I've always wondered if it was just my world, or if others had this happen. Back in the late seventies, there was this movie that came out, called, 'Star Wars'. The trailers looked amazing. Well, they did to me, at least. I guess not everyone thought so, but there were space wizards and lasers and robots. It just looked incredible.
"Anyway, I made sure to go see it the day it came out, even though I read a review that said it was a waste of time. And I loved it. It was just... it was something to behold; a sort of jumble of different story types and ideas. It was part space opera, part adventure, part fantasy, a lot like those old serials from the 30's. I'd never seen anything like it.
"I remember thinking this was going to change everything. That a generation of filmmakers was going to be inspired by it, that there'd be sequels, and this was going to be all anyone talked about.
"The theater was maybe half full, and most of the audience really seemed to like it. Then, I don't know. Nothing happened. There were more negative reviews, not a lot of people went to see it, and it just kind of quietly left the theaters. Years later, it came out on VHS, and a few more people saw it. It sort of picked up a cult following, but mostly it was just forgotten.
"Every now and then, I wonder what could have happened. I'd have loved to see a sequel or two or something. I don't know... you have anything like that where you're from?"
I glance up at the sign and see I have three minutes before my train's going to pull in. Not a lot of time, but just enough to answer his question. So I smile, nod, and say, "Let me tell you about a movie called Speed Racer...."
Right. If you're not up on your quantum mechanics, the reality we know is but one of many sharing a multiverse of... you get the point. This isn't a physics lesson - this is about movies.
There's a bunch of us there waiting for different trains; mostly people in the same situation I was in, but we were all from different worlds. So while I'm waiting for an N train, I run into this guy, a little older, but kind of nerdy like me, and we get to talking, like you do. We realize pretty quickly we're from similar worlds, but not exactly the same; like, his New York has four boroughs instead of five, and conspiracy nuts say there's a monster in Lake Michigan but he's never heard of Loch Ness. That kind of thing.
Then, out of the blue, he says to me, "I've always wondered if it was just my world, or if others had this happen. Back in the late seventies, there was this movie that came out, called, 'Star Wars'. The trailers looked amazing. Well, they did to me, at least. I guess not everyone thought so, but there were space wizards and lasers and robots. It just looked incredible.
"Anyway, I made sure to go see it the day it came out, even though I read a review that said it was a waste of time. And I loved it. It was just... it was something to behold; a sort of jumble of different story types and ideas. It was part space opera, part adventure, part fantasy, a lot like those old serials from the 30's. I'd never seen anything like it.
"I remember thinking this was going to change everything. That a generation of filmmakers was going to be inspired by it, that there'd be sequels, and this was going to be all anyone talked about.
"The theater was maybe half full, and most of the audience really seemed to like it. Then, I don't know. Nothing happened. There were more negative reviews, not a lot of people went to see it, and it just kind of quietly left the theaters. Years later, it came out on VHS, and a few more people saw it. It sort of picked up a cult following, but mostly it was just forgotten.
"Every now and then, I wonder what could have happened. I'd have loved to see a sequel or two or something. I don't know... you have anything like that where you're from?"
I glance up at the sign and see I have three minutes before my train's going to pull in. Not a lot of time, but just enough to answer his question. So I smile, nod, and say, "Let me tell you about a movie called Speed Racer...."
Two Day Book Sale and One of the Worst Superhero Movies Ever Made
If you want to save a few bucks on my novels, the Kindle versions will be $0.99 each this Friday and Saturday (April 1st and 2nd). Just go to Amazon after 8AM PST on the first, and enjoy the discount:
A Count of Five
A Tide of Ice
For Love of Children
Facsimile
My collection of short fiction, Tending the Fire, is normally $0.99, so I've marked that down to $0.00 - completely free - for those two days.
Other news - I'm hard at work on more novels in the Citadel of the Last Gathering series. I've got drafts of books three AND four now, and I'm getting ready to start on book five. So don't think I'm slacking!
I haven't done a lot of online writing other than that (isn't that enough?), but I did find a few minutes to jot down my thoughts on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fair warning, though - I included some light spoilers in my review, so if you'd like to be surprised at the elements that leave you utterly disappointed, disillusioned, and pissed off, you should probably hold off on reading it until after you've sat through the excruciatingly bad movie.
A Count of Five
A Tide of Ice
For Love of Children
Facsimile
My collection of short fiction, Tending the Fire, is normally $0.99, so I've marked that down to $0.00 - completely free - for those two days.
Other news - I'm hard at work on more novels in the Citadel of the Last Gathering series. I've got drafts of books three AND four now, and I'm getting ready to start on book five. So don't think I'm slacking!
I haven't done a lot of online writing other than that (isn't that enough?), but I did find a few minutes to jot down my thoughts on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fair warning, though - I included some light spoilers in my review, so if you'd like to be surprised at the elements that leave you utterly disappointed, disillusioned, and pissed off, you should probably hold off on reading it until after you've sat through the excruciatingly bad movie.
Toys, Movies, and a Very Wet Winter
Sorry I haven't chimed in lately. I've been extremely busy working on the next few novels. The Citadel of the Last Gathering is by far the most complicated project I've ever attempted. I'm not setting an arbitrary number of volumes that I plan on sticking to, but I'm estimating this will be somewhere between nine and twelve books when complete. The current plan is to put these out at a rate of at least one a year. The third novel, A Unique Sickness of Spirit, should be available sometime this fall.
I haven't been doing much adventuring this year, largely due to the weather, which is still less extreme than the stories I heard prior to moving to Seattle. In the meantime, I've been checking out movies and indulging my fondness for action figures, toy cars, and dolls.
Yes, I said dolls. And, yes, some of them are Barbies. And, yes, I am absolutely comfortable with that, because there are some phenomenal dolls on the market these days.
For example, I've already picked up most of Hasbro's DC Superhero Girls 12 inch "Action Doll" line (the last one I'm missing should be arriving later this week). I reviewed the first two I bought, Supergirl and Wonder Woman over here, if you want my thoughts (spoiler alert - they are awesome).
And speaking of Wonder Woman, I also wrote up the new Barbie from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It's a good doll overall, but a little more mixed than the cheaper and brighter Superhero Girls line.
Moving on to movies, I recently put together my annual list of summer movies, complete with a set of guesses as to how good they'll be.
I've also seen a few movies recently. I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear I enjoyed Deadpool - more or less everyone else did, too. Mainly, I was impressed what how seriously they took the superhero aspect of the X-Men, something Fox has been slow to embrace until now.
I had a very mixed reaction to Kung Fu Panda 3, a movie I wholly acknowledge I was unable to offer a fair review. In many ways, I thought it was an excellent action/comedy, but I just couldn't get over where I felt like it betrayed the series. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a favorite of mine, and this definitely felt like a step backward. You can read my complete thoughts here.
By far the best new movie I've seen this year was Zootopia, which offered a fantastic look at some very complex issues. I was astonished by how seriously this movie addressed its themes, providing an honest look at bias, stereotyping, and racial scapegoating. The fact it does this without ever feeling preachy or moralizing makes it even more impressive. If you haven't seen this yet, do so before reading my review.
I also recently saw a few older movies that really caught me off-guard. I didn't review them (as a rule of thumb, I don't write up movies long after they've been released, with the exception of Christmas stuff). However, if you haven't seen any of these movies, I highly recommend remedying that as soon as possible.
Paddington, a film centered around a CG bear, was almost unbelievably good. Sweet, funny, poignant, and touching, it demonstrates that there's nothing intrinsically wrong with this genre. In the right hands, a movie featuring an anthropomorphic talking bear can be one of the year's best movies.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World caught me off guard for entirely different reasons. Arguably the darkest romantic comedy ever filmed follows a couple as they go on a road trip in the last days of civilization. The movie plays with tone and point-of-view, showing the humor of a situation before turning around and revealing tragedy. And, in its most touching moment, joy. It's a film about love and mortality, hope and despair. It's fearless in its approach, and shockingly honest.
Lastly, the Feig-directed Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, might not have moved me emotionally, but I absolutely loved it. Funny, exciting, and suspenseful, it accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do: delivering an authentic spy movie that's simultaneously a hilarious comedy. If there was any doubt that Ghostbusters is in the right hands, it's gone now.
That's it for now. I'll try not to let so much go by between updates, but no promises: I'm busy these days, and I rather miss a few blog posts than fall behind on the novels. Until next time!
I haven't been doing much adventuring this year, largely due to the weather, which is still less extreme than the stories I heard prior to moving to Seattle. In the meantime, I've been checking out movies and indulging my fondness for action figures, toy cars, and dolls.
Yes, I said dolls. And, yes, some of them are Barbies. And, yes, I am absolutely comfortable with that, because there are some phenomenal dolls on the market these days.
For example, I've already picked up most of Hasbro's DC Superhero Girls 12 inch "Action Doll" line (the last one I'm missing should be arriving later this week). I reviewed the first two I bought, Supergirl and Wonder Woman over here, if you want my thoughts (spoiler alert - they are awesome).
And speaking of Wonder Woman, I also wrote up the new Barbie from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It's a good doll overall, but a little more mixed than the cheaper and brighter Superhero Girls line.
Moving on to movies, I recently put together my annual list of summer movies, complete with a set of guesses as to how good they'll be.
I've also seen a few movies recently. I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear I enjoyed Deadpool - more or less everyone else did, too. Mainly, I was impressed what how seriously they took the superhero aspect of the X-Men, something Fox has been slow to embrace until now.
I had a very mixed reaction to Kung Fu Panda 3, a movie I wholly acknowledge I was unable to offer a fair review. In many ways, I thought it was an excellent action/comedy, but I just couldn't get over where I felt like it betrayed the series. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a favorite of mine, and this definitely felt like a step backward. You can read my complete thoughts here.
By far the best new movie I've seen this year was Zootopia, which offered a fantastic look at some very complex issues. I was astonished by how seriously this movie addressed its themes, providing an honest look at bias, stereotyping, and racial scapegoating. The fact it does this without ever feeling preachy or moralizing makes it even more impressive. If you haven't seen this yet, do so before reading my review.
I also recently saw a few older movies that really caught me off-guard. I didn't review them (as a rule of thumb, I don't write up movies long after they've been released, with the exception of Christmas stuff). However, if you haven't seen any of these movies, I highly recommend remedying that as soon as possible.
Paddington, a film centered around a CG bear, was almost unbelievably good. Sweet, funny, poignant, and touching, it demonstrates that there's nothing intrinsically wrong with this genre. In the right hands, a movie featuring an anthropomorphic talking bear can be one of the year's best movies.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World caught me off guard for entirely different reasons. Arguably the darkest romantic comedy ever filmed follows a couple as they go on a road trip in the last days of civilization. The movie plays with tone and point-of-view, showing the humor of a situation before turning around and revealing tragedy. And, in its most touching moment, joy. It's a film about love and mortality, hope and despair. It's fearless in its approach, and shockingly honest.
Lastly, the Feig-directed Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, might not have moved me emotionally, but I absolutely loved it. Funny, exciting, and suspenseful, it accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do: delivering an authentic spy movie that's simultaneously a hilarious comedy. If there was any doubt that Ghostbusters is in the right hands, it's gone now.
That's it for now. I'll try not to let so much go by between updates, but no promises: I'm busy these days, and I rather miss a few blog posts than fall behind on the novels. Until next time!
Movies and Herons
Other than the release of my new novel, I caught a few movies this past week. After it set an opening weekend box-office record, I almost felt obligated to check out Jurassic World. Overall, I thought it was a fun, if somewhat underwhelming, experience. It was funny and the action scenes delivered, but I didn't feel like it did anything new. A decent work of nostalgia, but I'm ready for this franchise to move on. I go into a little more depth on my other blog, if you'd like more details.
I was far more impressed with Pixar's new movie, Inside Out. This is easily the best movie we've seen from the studio since at least Toy Story 3, and it can hold its own alongside anything in their catalog. My full review is here.
In order to offset all that time spent in a dark theater, Lindsay and I drove down to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday. It's a good place for bird watching: we saw herons, bald eagles, and a number of other avians. The eagles were too far away for me to get a good picture, but here's a shot of a whole flock of herons.
Okay, okay: it doesn't quite do the experience justice. Take it from me - it was pretty incredible to watch.
Speaking of pictures not doing things justice, the Wildlife Refuge offers a great perspective on Mount Rainier. Staring at it across the marshes had a real Mount Doom effect. I took dozens of photos trying to capture the sense of scale, but my phone wasn't really up to the task. Here's about as close as I came:
If you squint, you should be able to tell there's a mountain there.
Life, Legos, and Post-Apocalyptic Feminism
I've been getting the finishing touches ready for A Count of Five, revising its sequel, and starting work on its sequel's sequel.
So... a little busy, all things considered.
However, I did check out the absolutely phenomenal Max Max: Fury Road. If you haven't gone yet, you should do so as soon as possible. Between Prometheus and Aeon Flux, Charlize Theron's certainly not a novice when it comes to science fiction, but she finally - FINALLY - got to star in a genre film worthy of her talents. You can check out my full review over at The Middle Room, if you're interested, but if you love brilliantly made SF - or if you just want to contribute towards making a bunch of misogynists cry - you should rush out and buy a ticket now.
Speaking of post-apocalyptic films centered around female characters I recently watched, I also decided the time was right to give Tank Girl another chance. Well, maybe Netflix made that call, since it's about to vanish from instant-view. Regardless, SOMETHING in the Universe seems to have decided I should sit down and re-watch Tank Girl, and regardless who or what came to that conclusion, they were sorely mistaken.
I wrote up a review of that in my series on the worst comic book adaptations of all time. Here's the link to the Tank Girl review, and - if you're really curious - here's a link that can bring up all twenty-six reviews in that series.
In other news, I broke down and bought the Lego Ecto-1 set a few days ago. Despite having thousands of toys, I actually don't own many Legos (they're pricey, and I really don't need another thing to collect). But this set was just too cool to pass up.
I'm a little disappointed the doors don't open, and the figures couldn't all fit inside if they did, but the finished car and minifigs are still great.
So... a little busy, all things considered.
However, I did check out the absolutely phenomenal Max Max: Fury Road. If you haven't gone yet, you should do so as soon as possible. Between Prometheus and Aeon Flux, Charlize Theron's certainly not a novice when it comes to science fiction, but she finally - FINALLY - got to star in a genre film worthy of her talents. You can check out my full review over at The Middle Room, if you're interested, but if you love brilliantly made SF - or if you just want to contribute towards making a bunch of misogynists cry - you should rush out and buy a ticket now.
Speaking of post-apocalyptic films centered around female characters I recently watched, I also decided the time was right to give Tank Girl another chance. Well, maybe Netflix made that call, since it's about to vanish from instant-view. Regardless, SOMETHING in the Universe seems to have decided I should sit down and re-watch Tank Girl, and regardless who or what came to that conclusion, they were sorely mistaken.
I wrote up a review of that in my series on the worst comic book adaptations of all time. Here's the link to the Tank Girl review, and - if you're really curious - here's a link that can bring up all twenty-six reviews in that series.
In other news, I broke down and bought the Lego Ecto-1 set a few days ago. Despite having thousands of toys, I actually don't own many Legos (they're pricey, and I really don't need another thing to collect). But this set was just too cool to pass up.
I'm a little disappointed the doors don't open, and the figures couldn't all fit inside if they did, but the finished car and minifigs are still great.
Age of Ultron and a pile of Comics
The first weekend of May is something of a festival for those of us living the geek lifestyle. For more than a decade now, there's been a Marvel movie opening on Friday and Free Comic Book Day on Saturday every year.
This time, the movie was a mixed bag. Avengers: Age of Ultron was equal parts awesome and disappointing, depending on whether you're focusing on the crazy fights or the failed attempts at developing character arcs. I tried focusing on both and wound up dizzy. You can read my full review over at The Middle Room. I've also got a post up looking at some of the structural problems and opportunities connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Free Comic Book Day, on the other hand, was just awesome. We stopped by Dreamstrands and Comics Dungeon in Seattle, as well as Subspace Comics in Lynnwood. All three went all out with sales, a generous offering of free issues, and creator signings. This definitely felt like the largest FCBD since we moved to Seattle.
I picked up a bunch of T-shirts, a toy bat-copter, and some trades, along with the aforementioned free issues. Not a bad start to summer, all things considered.
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