Is Agents of SHIELD about to become The A-Team?

Obviously, there are spoilers for Captian America: The Winter Soldier ahead, so wait to read this until after you’ve seen the movie if you don’t want it ruined for you.

Agents of SHIELD has recently been calling itself Agents of SHIELD: Uprising, along with momentarily replacing the SHIELD logo with Captain America’s shield, and the events of the last episode led up to the events of the film.  Clearly, Captain America: The Winter Soldier will have a big impact on the show going forward, not to mention the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I have some quick thoughts about what this might mean for Coulson and his crew going forward. Continue reading →

Quote of the Day

“Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right,” said Hermione.  “I heard him telling your mum, Ron.”

“Sounds like the sort of mental thing Dumbledore would say,” said Ron.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling

Quote of the Day

Willow:  Hi!

Buffy:  Oh, you’re here with someone?

Willow:  No, I’m just here. I thought Xander was gonna show up.

Buffy:  Oh, are you guys going out?

Willow:  No, we’re just friends. We used to go out, but we broke up.

Buffy:  How come?

Willow:  He stole my Barbie… Oh, we were five.

Buffy:  Oh.

Willow:  I-I-I don’t actually date a whole lot… lately.

Buffy:  Why not?

Willow:  Well, when I’m with a boy I like, it’s hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty, or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away.

Buffy:  It’s not that bad!

Willow:  No, i-it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl who can talk.

Buffy:  You really haven’t been dating lately.

Willow:  It’s probably easy for you.

Buffy:  Yeah, real easy.

Willow:  I-I mean you don’t seem too shy.

Buffy:  Well, my philosophy, do you wanna hear my philosophy?

Willow:  Yeah, I do!

Buffy:  Life is short.

Willow:  Life is short!

Buffy:  Not original, I’ll grant you, but it’s true. You know? Why waste time being all shy and worrying about some guy, and if he’s gonna laugh at you. Seize the moment, ’cause tomorrow you might be dead.

Willow:  Oh, that’s nice!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 1: Episode 1 – “Welcome to the Hellmouth”

Today’s Movie

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Quote of the Day

The expression “Making a mountain out of a molehill” simply means making a big deal out of something that is actually a small deal, and it is easy to see how this expression came about. Molehills are simply mounds of earth serving as condominiums for moles, and they have never caused anyone any harm except maybe a stubbed toe if you were walking through the wilderness without any shoes on. Mountains, however, are very large mounds of earth and are constantly causing problems. They are very tall, and when people try to climb them they often fall off, or get lost and die of starvation. Sometimes two countries fight over who really owns a mountain, and thousands of people have to go to war and come home grumpy or wounded. And, of course, mountains serve as homes to mountain goats and mountain lions, who enjoy attacking helpless picnickers and eating sandwiches or children. So when someone is making a mountain out of a molehill, they are pretending that something is as horrible as a war or a ruined picnic when it is really only as horrible as a stubbed toe.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Austere Academy – Lemony Snicket

Review: Divergent

To the casual observer, Divergent might seem like an attempt to cash in on the success of The Hunger Games, especially when you consider the number of similarly themed previews that showed before Divergent.  It seems like “young adult” (hate that term) post-apocalyptic stories are “in” these days, and those who haven’t read the Divergent books might be tempted to write the film adaptation off as just another clone.  However, to do so would be a mistake, as the Divergent series has a lot to offer, even if this first film is perhaps not everything we might have hoped it would be.  The books are filled with interesting ideas and compelling characters and I hope the remaining books are adapted for the screen, because the story covered in the two remaining books is interesting and unconventional, and would make for movies very different than we’re used to.

Divergent tells the story of Beatrice Prior, who was born in a ruined, future version of Chicago, where the citizens are divided into five factions, each of which embodies a certain desirable trait and fulfills a certain role in society.  Continue reading →

Quote of the Day

Miles O’Brien: I wouldn’t take it personally, Worf.

Julian Bashir: I rather like the way you smell.

Miles O’Brien: Yeah… sort of… earthy, peaty aroma.

Julian Bashir: With a touch of… lilac…

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 5: Episode 6 – “Trials and Tribble-ations”

Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “End of the Beginning”

Agents of SHIELD is back once more, this time with the promise of no more funky scheduling until the end of the season.  Last time we saw our heroes facing an Asgardian visitor and ended with the revelation that May has been spying on Coulson and company for some unknown authority.  Tonight our team decided to intensify the search for the Clairvoyant along with pretty much every agent who isn’t Nick Fury or Maria Hill, giving us an exciting episode that upped the mystery level even higher.  All of this happened while simultaneously setting us up for the premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier this weekend, which will lead directly into next week’s episode.  So let’s jump right into “End of the Beginning” written by Paul Zbyszewski and directed by Bobby Roth.

Continue reading →