Monthly Archives: January 2014

What I want to see from tomorrow’s Oscar nominations

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The Oscar nominations will be announced tomorrow morning, and while I try every year to predict the winners I won’t even attempt to try to guess the nominees.  However, I do have some things I would like to see when the nominations are announced tomorrow.  I’ve divided these into two categories: actual, genuine “Possibilities” and “Not a Chance”.  I may be hopeful, but I try to keep things at least moderately realistic.  I’ve left out some of the more obvious ones, like Gravity for Best Picture, Director, Actress and all of the technical categories, simply because I think that they’re foregone conclusions and I’m not really sweating them.  Come back later tomorrow after the nominations have been announced (and I’ve gotten home and can actually write about them) for some quick thoughts on who made the cut and who was left out.  In the meantime, read on for the names and films I would like to hear Chris Hemsworth read outtomorrow. Continue reading →

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

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Hello again, Level 7 Agents!  SHIELD is back after last week’s big episode, which explored the mysteries behind Coulson’s resurrection and the secret of the “Magical Place” from his memory.  Tonight’s episode continued the trend of revelations, this time giving us a partial explanation of Skye’s mysterious past which raises more questions than it answers while simultaneously driving the character forward (as all good mystery answers should).  It also brought back a character from earlier in the season, introduced us to a classic character from the comics as well as giving us a look at the oft-discussed SHIELD Academy.  In all, another solid episode from the show, as things keep building and growing.  So let’s go ahead and jump right into “Seeds”, written by Monica Owusu-Breen and showrunner Jed Whedon and directed by Ken Fink.

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Trailer Tuesday: The Boxtrolls

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

I love it when a film is creatively marketed.  And I think The Boxtrolls definitely fits the bill.  I know animation is not everyone’s thing, and stop-motion is even less so, but you should definitely watch both of the trailers (below) for this upcoming movie because I can’t recall ever having seen another film marketed in this way.  The first trailer is a clever behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, while the second makes a pretty powerful statement in a casual and awesome way.  Take a look: Continue reading →

Quote of the Day

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Miles O’Brien: Wanna try for twins?
Keiko O’Brien: I don’t think it works that way. You’d better brush up on your biology.
Miles O’Brien: Teach me!

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 4: Episode 17 – “Accession”

My Top 10 (and Bottom 3) at the Movies in 2013

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Now that 2014 is well under way it’s a good time to look back at the movies of 2013.  I went to the movies 40 times in 2013, a pretty low number for me, seeing 32 new films (the other 8 were either movies I saw more than once or classics I got the chance to see on the big screen).  Through a variety of reasons, I’ve managed to miss most of the big awards contenders including 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Her, Philomena and The Wolf of Wall Street, unlike last year when I had seen most of them.  Instead of simply ranking my favorite films from the past year, however, I prefer to highlight my top 10 (and bottom 3) movie-related things from 2013.  Some of these will be particular movies or performances, some will be scenes or aspects of production, and some are bits of news or interpretations.  I hope you enjoy it, and remember to let me know your favorite (or least favorite) film-related things from 2013! Continue reading →

Quote of the Day

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“I wonder if Hermione’s seen this yet?” Harry said, looking around at the door to the girls’ dormitories.

“Let’s go and tell her,” said Ron.  He bounded forward, pulled open the door, and set off up the spiral staircase.

He was on the sixth stair when it happened.  There was a loud, wailing, klaxonlike sound and the steps melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide.  There was a brief moment when Ron tried to keep running, arms working madly like windmills, then he toppled over backward and shot down the newly created slide, coming to rest on his back at Harry’s feet.

“Er — I don’t think we’re allowed in the girls’ dormitories,” said Harry, pulling Ron to his feet and trying not to laugh.

Two fourth-year girls came zooming gleefully down the stone slide.

“Oooh, who tried to get upstairs?” they giggled happily, leaping to their feet and ogling Harry and Ron.

“Me,” said Ron, who was still rather disheveled.  “I didn’t realize that would happen.  It’s not fair!” he added to Harry, as the girls headed off for the portrait hole, still giggling madly.  “Hermione’s allowed in our dormitory, how come we’re not allowed — ?”

“Well, it’s an old fashioned rule,” said Hermione, who had just slid neatly onto a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet, “but it says in Hogwarts, A History that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls.”

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

Quote of the Day

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There is a way of looking at life called “keeping things in perspective.”  This simply means “making yourself feel better by comparing the things that are happening to you right now against other things that have happened at a different time, or to different people.”  For instance, if you were upset about an ugly pimple on the end of your nose,  you might try to feel better by keeping your pimple in perspective.  You might compare your pimple situation to that of someone who was being eaten by a bear, and when  you looked in the mirror at your ugly pimple you could say to yourself, “Well, at least I’m not being eaten by a bear.”

You can see at once why keeping things in perspective rarely works very well, because it is hard to concentrate on somebody else being eaten by a bear when you are staring at your own ugly pimple.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window – Lemony Snicket

Quote of the Day

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Odo: Forgive me, Major, I don’t mean to be difficult, but your faith seems to have led you to something of a contradiction.
Kira Nerys: I don’t see it as a contradiction.
Odo: I don’t understand.
Kira Nerys: That’s the thing about faith. If you don’t have it you can’t understand it, and if you do – no explanation is necessary.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 4: Episode 17 – “Accession”

Analysis: Saving Mr. Banks and Disney Ideology

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Saving Mr. Banks is an interesting film, and one that’s deeper than it may appear at first glance.  The story of P. L. Travers and Walt Disney and the making of the 1964 film Mary Poppins is used as a way to examine how we deal with the harsh realities of the world in which we live and also what responsibilities we have towards preparing children for those realities.  It examines how the events of our youth shape our lives as adults and presents some of the choices we can make about how to live our lives.  It offers a critique of the pre-judgments that people have a tendency to make, particularly as it pertains to Disney as a man, a company, a brand and an ideology.  It defends that ideology specifically, without invalidating other methods of thought.  And it has done all of this while facing some surprisingly harsh criticism and claims that the film is nothing but propaganda.  I feel like that makes it ripe for some analysis.  (Spoilers Below!)

*Disclaimer:  For those who regularly read this blog, it’s fairly obvious that I’m a Disney fanatic.  I’m a stock-owning, fanclub-card-carrying, happy-to-take-every-vacation-to-the-parks obsessive.  I seek out every Disney experience I can find, but more than that I buy into the ideology.  Whether that makes me a mindless drone or a corporate stooge (I promise I’m not getting paid by Disney, though I’d love to be) is for someone else to decide.  The short of it is that I am in no way unbiased when it comes to Disney, and I’ve defended the company before.  And while it hurts whenever something we love is criticized, my goal here is not for this to simply be one more “Disney is awesome and how dare you say otherwise!” post, but instead an examination of the film and what it has to say about varying worldviews and the Disney ideology in particular.  Take from it what you will.  You can read my review of the film here.

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Quote of the Day

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The door of the pub had opened.  A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people.

First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with (Harry’s stomach did a back flip) Cho and one of her usually giggling girlfriends, then (on her own and looking so dream that she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbot, and a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry did not know; three Ravenclaw boys he was pretty sure were called Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Terry Boot; Ginny, followed by a tall skinny blonde boy with an upturned nose whom Harry recognized vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and bringing up the rear, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko’s merchandise.

“A couple of people?” said Harry hoarsley to Hermione.  “A couple of people?”

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