Monthly Archives: November 2013

Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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Last year The Hunger Games surprised a lot of people.  It was based on a fairly popular book series, but for most people was something of an unknown.  It featured a handful of familiar faces but no true stars, was directed by a man with only two moderate successes on his resume, and told a story that some found to be conceptually off-putting.  However, all of those potential negatives combined to create something of a phenomenon.  The low-budget aesthetic, gritty storyline and strong performances generated strong word of mouth and the result was one of the biggest success stories of 2012 and nearly $700 million in box office receipts.

For the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, things have definitely changed.   Continue reading →

Quote of the Day

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Harry descended the stairs, very conscious of everybody still staring at him, stowing his wand in the back pocket of his jeans as he came.
“Don’t put your wand there, boy!” roared Moody. “What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have list buttocks, you know!”
“Who d’you know who’s lost a buttock?” the violet-haired woman asked Mad-Eye interestedly.
“Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of your back pocket!” growled Mad-Eye. “Elementary wand safety, nobody bothers about it anymore. . . .” He stumped off toward the kitchen. “And I saw that,” he added irritably, as the woman rolled her eyes at the ceiling.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling

Quote of the Day

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Glinda: I’ve heard it said
that people come into our lives for a reason,
bringing something we must learn,
and we are led to those
who help us most to grow
if we let them, and we help them in return.
Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true,
but I know I’m who I am today,
because I knew you.

Wicked – “For Good”

Gender Inequality in Film

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The Thanksgiving holiday still has my schedule screwed up, so there won’t be a Friday Favorite today (not that many people will be disappointed by that).  Instead, I present the infographic below produced by the New York Film Academy about inequality in the film industry.  While this isn’t exactly news, it’s still shocking and disheartening to see these statistics all grouped together.  While I appreciate the Bechdel Test for its ideals, we have to understand that there are plenty of films that pass the test but are derogatory towards women, while some films that feature complex and interesting women characters may not pass the test (Gravity).  But the problems that created a need for the Bechdel test go much deeper, and this infographic really shows how far we still have to go for women to be equally represented in the film industry.  What are your thoughts? Continue reading →

Quote of the Day

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“What were you doing under our window, boy?”
“Listening to the news,” said Harry in a resigned voice.
His aunt and uncle exchanged looks of outrage.
“Listening to the news! Again?”
“Well, it changes every day, you see,” said Harry.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling

Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Repairs”

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Sorry this is a bit late, loyal readers, but being off this week for Thanksgiving is messing with my routine.  Last week’s SHIELD episode gave us the much anticipated tie in to Thor: The Dark World that ended up only being tangentially related to the film.  It was still a fun and interesting episode, even if the connection between show and movie was fairly inconsequential.  Last night’s episode gave us a new unexplained phenomenon for our crew to investigate, while also finally exploring Melinda May’s background and character to an extent beyond what we’d seen thus far on the show.  And we even got a little bit of theological discussion thrown into the mix.  So let’s jump right in to “Repairs”, written by showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen and directed by Billy Gierhart.

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Quote of the Day

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Elphaba: One question haunts and hurts,
too much, too much to mention
was I really seeking good?
or just seeking attention?
Is that all good deeds are
when looked at with an ice cold eye
if that’s all good deeds are
maybe that’s the reason why
no good deed goes unpunished.

Wicked – “No Good Deed”

Trailer Tuesday: Divergent

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Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found trailers to be endlessly fascinating.

Back in August we got our first look at the film version of Divergent in the form of a teaser trailer.  In the past couple of weeks, a newer, longer version of that trailer has appeared, hitting many of the same beats as the teaser, but with extended looks into the world of Veronica Roth’s books (the trilogy recently came to its conclusion with Allegiant).  Take a look, and read on for my thoughts:

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Quote of the Day

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“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided… Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling

Quote of the Day

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The Wizard: There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities, so we act as though they don’t exist.

Wicked – “Wonderful”