Inside Out
One of the things I don’t usually get to do is go to the movies, so whenever I finally get around to watching one, it’s usually only after it’s been out for a while. My wife working tonight, so my son and I checked out Inside Out. The last major Disney/Pixar thing I saw was either Frozen or Big Hero 6. Frozen, for all that everyone made about it, was kind of a letdown. Don’t get me wrong, the animation was fantastic, and I really enjoy most of the characters, but I’d kinda been expecting more due to the hype. I really like the twist, a lot, but the really big deal seemed to come from the way it flipped certain standard Disney conventions on its head. Great job, but, I think there were some other gaps. Also, lots and lots (and LOTS) of singing. Music is a big part…
Dracula Untold and Vampires in Virgil’s World
I wanted, so very, very much, to hate this but it actually doesn’t look half bad. Did Dracula need an origin story? No, certainly not, and definitely not as the hero, but it looks like it’ll be better than Maleficent or I, Frankenstein. I have yet to see it, but if the trailer and reviews are any indication, it was horrible. At least Frankenstein’s Monster is a bit sympathetic, I don’t know how they screwed it up so badly. Trailer for Dracula Untold on TrailerAddict. I’ve been wanting to write a short story about Vampires for a while, and this just might have goaded me into action. I hate that Vampires have lost their monstrous quality, that the only dynamic anyone wants to tell anymore is that of the sympathetic, abused, misunderstood, glittery, romantic immortal. Even in stories like Underworld, where the vampires are the baddies, they’re really just guys…
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Part of the reason I wanted to have a blog was so I could go nuts when I have moments like these. Usually, it’s long after the thing I’m excited about has faded from relevancy (I don’t go to the movies too often) but not this time. Just to be clear, I spoil just about everything below. I didn’t expect much when I went to see the second Captain America movie. I was one of the few who didn’t really care for the first one (I actually preferred Thor). They did a lot more with him in the Avengers, but even then he just wasn’t as interesting as the other characters. So believe me when I say I am surprised, not only to say it is great, but is also my favorite Marvel movie next to the Avengers. It topped Thor, the Hulk movies, even Iron Man. And in comparison to…
Zombies and Frozen
I watched two things this weekend, one with my family, the other one without. The first was Frozen, the second was the Walking Dead finale. I’ll let you figure out which was which. I’m going to talk about the Walking Dead first, because there are spoilers for Frozen embedded deep in this post and I’d be more worried if someone read those than any spoilers for the Walking Dead. The finale was…frustrating. It was great the way Darryl rejoined the group and Rick and Michonne slaughtered the Claimed folks. Rick has always been a character that was an extreme badass of the best kind…the type that doesn’t have to constantly prove it. The best moments in the series were when he shot that guy in the bar (Nebraska man…), killed Shane, and last night when he ripped that guy’s throat out with his teeth. Because in the Walking Dead, people…
Mass Effect 3 Rewrite
I…I don’t think I ever wrote about the ending of Mass Effect 3. Huh. I didn’t just sit up in bed and think that. Forbes had a post detailing a fan’s 118,000 word rewrite of Mass effect 3. To give you an idea, Sorcerer Rising is right around 125,000 words. Anyway, it is available as a PDF, a ridiculously large PDF, and does a really interesting job of bringing it to a similar, but different, conclusion. I’ll admit, I’m still torn over the ending. On one side, I want to respect the creator’s right to end their creative work however the wish. On the other, I think that same creator does have the responsibility to fulfill the promise they’ve made to their fans. And, frankly, if you were expecting a yee-haw, kick all them aliens to hell, go back and marry your alien princess (totally would have married Tali), well, you…