Sirius shook his head and said, “She’s got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling
Company: And goodness knows the wicked’s lives are lonely. Goodness knows the wicked die alone. Nothing grows for the wicked, they reap only what they sow.
Glinda: Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?
Wicked – “No One Mourns the Wicked”
Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.
The Fifth Element is a divisive film. People either love it or can’t stand it, and considering how often it gets shown on TV, it’s probably safe to assume that most people have seen at least part of it. I’m on the side that loves it, as it’s right up my alley. I love the style of the film, with some truly unique costumes and set designs and it’s unusual musical selections. I like it’s tone, which blends humor and action in interesting ways, but also has some real pathos to the story in its emotional core. And it’s super cheesy, which appeals to me immensely because there’s nothing I love more than a cheesy film that wears its heart on its sleeve, and it doesn’t get any cheesier than love being the ultimate power capable of defeating evil. What I love most of all, however, is the film’s odd cast of characters, beyond just Korben and Leeloo, so this week’s and next week’s Friday Favorite will each focus on one of my favorite characters from the film.
The Fifth Element spends its first third as a quirky, bizarre sci-fi action comedy, telling the story of a mysterious perfect being who, through a chance encounter, ends up with a former special forces officer who now drives a cab for a living. The two are sent on a mission to gather a weapon to stop an ultimate evil, and Korben is sent undercover as a contest winner in order to gain access to the flying hotel where he needs to pick up some magical stones. As goofy as that sounds, the movie switches in an instant from silly to batshit crazy and fascinating in an instant, when this happens: Continue reading
Adam: What are your qualifications?
Betelgeuse: Ah. Well… I attended Juilliard… I’m a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I’ve seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT… NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY… NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I’m qualified?
Beetlejuice
Dogberry: Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjust things; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves.
Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare
Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found them to be endlessly fascinating.
I’m sorry this post is a day late. I was going to come up with something creative about being out doing my Love Pirate duties, but the reality is that I just didn’t get around to it in time. However I finally got it done. As the release of Thor: The Dark World approaches, it’s time for Marvel to start promoting the next film in their Cinematic Universe. Behold the trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which takes things in a drastically different direction than 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Take a look below, and read on for my thoughts:
Doctor Bashir: Nervous, Chief?
Miles O’Brien: What are you talking about?
Doctor Bashir: That’s your fifth cup of coffee in twenty minutes.
Miles O’Brien: I didn’t realize you were keeping track.
Doctor Bashir: Oh, nervous and irascible.
Miles O’Brien: If you hadn’t seen your wife and child for two months, you’d be irascible too.
Doctor Bashir: Well, believe me, I’m looking forward to Keiko and Molly’s visit as much as you are.
Miles O’Brien: Ha, I doubt that.
Doctor Bashir: How many games of raquetball have we played in the last two months?
Miles O’Brien: I don’t know. Fifteen, maybe twenty.
Doctor Bashir: Try seventy. I’ve been keeping track of that, too, and do you know what all those games have proved to me? That I’m a poor substitute for your wife.
Miles O’Brien: I could have told you that sixty games ago.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 3, Episode 10 – “Fascination”
“I told you!” Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. “I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She’s made you out to be some sort of — of scarlet woman!”
Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter. “Scarlet woman?” she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron.
“It’s what my mum calls them,” Ron muttered, his ears going red.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling
(Note: This is a fictional creative writing exercise, inspired by hours of contemplation of which animated performances have been most worthy of attention over the years. This feature imagines that a Best Voice Performance category was added to the Oscars following Beauty and the Beast’s nomination for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards. Each week I’ll cover the hypothetical nominees and winner from one year of animated performances.)
When Jeremy Irons won the award at the 67th Academy Awards, the general consensus was that the category had finally produced a winner that represented the dramatic performance quality that the award had been created in order to recognize. There was still some grumbling over the fact that the nominees were largely dominated by one film, but The Lion King had been so impressive that it was hard for people to complain too much about any of the individual nominees. Disney was set to release another animated film in 1995, Pocahontas, based on a time period and series of events ripe for drama, and featuring the voice of Mel Gibson, who would go on to have a huge year with Braveheart. But what no one could have predicted was Toy Story and the emergence of Pixar. Continue reading
Elphaba: What? What are you all looking at? OH! Do I have something in my teeth? Is my underskirt showing? Alright, let’s just get this over with. No, I am not seasick. Yes, I’ve always been green. No, I didn’t eat grass as a child…
Wicked
The Love Pirate 