I finally finished the series this morning. I liked it. I'm sorry if you didn't. I never read the comics but I was vaguely familiar with the character of Iron Fist; so, I didn't have a preconceived notion of how it was supposed to be, or not be.
A brief background of me... I worked for a few months in a comic book shop because I love comics and I needed the work since, being pregnant, I had to leave my other job. (Lifeguarding is not optimal. Something about lack of oxygen when I had to hold my breath to be underwater...) I am familiar with a lot of comics, not a super fan of one or the other, I admire the skill it takes to compress a story into 24 pages. So, I never read Iron Fist but I was still excited when Marvel and Netflix announced they were breathing life into minor characters in the Marvel Universe. We need more badass women that don't need to be saved every episode and the character Colleen Wing can hold her own. I will agree that sometimes the writing was a bit lackluster (hey, I'm available Marvel) and could have been better. Have you ever tried to deliver a line that was stiff and formal to begin with? It's not as easy as you think if you can't connect with the emotion that should be behind the line. Then add combat... I am not a Kung-fu master but it looked pretty obvious to me that there needed to be more rehearsal for some of the fight scenes. There was one that you could tell he didn't really kick someone in the face but did the hard step in front of the face to give the illusion. Maybe that was the fault of the camera angle? Who knows. While there were some minor missteps in the season... one can hope they will be repaired in the next because I'll be tuning in. I hope you do too.
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So, this thing happened this past weekend called “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” No, I’ll try not to spoil it for you but I will tell you there has been an uproar over the publication of the SCRIPT. Yes, read that. I said script not book. Folks pre-ordered the book and thought they were getting an actual book. Yikes. No. That’s not what happened at all. It was clearly stated that the release would be a script. I can’t understand how people don’t know the difference.
Here’s my two cents on actually reading the item in question, but I will tell you up front, I have a theatre background and reading plays is not out of the ordinary for me. Now, moving on… The book/script has about 301 pages, that’s including the “act breaks” and excluding the beginning “intro” pages as well as the ending cast list and acknowledgements. So if you take out the extra blank pages, it’s shorter than a HP novel. If you can, like I did, picture Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Bonnie Wright in their roles, but older then you’ll do just fine reading this addition to the collection. But if you’re the kind of person that needs all the description and action filled in for you then… don’t bother. If you want to know more, read on. The play begins nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts and we find ourselves seeing Albus off to Hogwarts for the first time and meeting Scorpius Malfoy. (Let me point out now that J.K. Rowling did not write the whole story but she did contribute. Jack Thorne wrote the play.) Then, we skip to years 2, 3, (with brief pauses in each) and land on 4 where the play takes place, all in the span of a few pages. It’s enough to give any stage manager, even a rock star, a headache, but we make it. Albus doesn’t like school, being Harry Potter’s son will do that, apparently. This story does not focus on Harry Potter. It focuses on Albus. It focuses on the dynamic between father and son, both Harry’s relationship with Albus and Draco’s relationship with Scorpius. Albus feels the need to prove himself worthy of being the great Harry Potter’s son and gets into trouble doing it. He usually has Scorpius in tow, who also feels enormous pressure being Draco Malfoy’s son. More due to the rumors that Scorpius is not Draco’s but Voldemort’s. (That would be impossible without the help of a time-turner and we all know those were destroyed in the Battle of the Ministry in book 5!) I won’t tell you anymore. You’ll have to read it for yourself. In my opinion, it’s a quick read and a good addition to the world, however I think it would have been fuller and richer had it been a novel. I was not disappointed. After all, I did spend my time in line to get it. So, I was all over this when Sony said they weren't going to release it in the theatre. I said I would pay money to see it just on principle. However, I am now glad I didn't waste the cash! I caught this awful monstrosity on Netflix.
The premise I can live with because it's a good one. Poison strip on the hand was just a bit too easy so lets toss in some "honeypotting" or well, "honeyd'ing", which I don't know if it's really called that but hey whatever. James Franco's character Dave Skylark is an idiot where Seth Rogen's character, Aaron Rapaport, is not. He's, in fact, quite the opposite. He's the intelligent guy who did a friend a favor and is now stuck with Dave. There are gratuitous drug and drinking binges that make you question what the movie is really about. All though it does set up several scenes later in the movie. There was some unnecessary carnage and subtle gay jokes. Okay, so they weren't so subtle especially in the Eminem interview. The whole movie screams one big gay joke, right down to Margaritas and Katy Perry being a sign of "gayness." In the party scene near the beginning of the film, there was plenty of drug references as well as flashes of boobs. Wow. I thought I was watching Porky's for a few seconds. There was a juvenile quality in what could have been a great movie. I can say I was disappointed in the humor that Rogen brought to the film and some of the lines weren't that great, cringe worthy at best. Maybe I'm still a little miffed that Rogen didn't think his comment about American Sniper would be misinterpreted. No, it's not that. I was looking forward to this film and it was lacking. So what does that say a bout Rogen as he had a hand in the story line and the directing? I know a lot of people didn't like Green Hornet but I did. Before you waste your time ... if you are easily grossed out by blood or bodily functions, skip this flick. There wasn't much chatter coming out of the theatre all though I was a bit incensed by one quiet conversation as we all filed out. There was someone that didn't know the ending of the film. What?!? I wanted to turn around and ask if she paid attention to the news. The story of Chris Kyle was splashed everywhere upon his death. But, no offense to anyone, what should I have expected from a civilian?
Having read the book in which the movies is based on, I will offer a comparison and opinion of both. The movie starts off brilliantly, in the middle of the first tour and just as he pulls the trigger for his first kill in country, bam! We cut to the Chris that would become "The Legend" and his first deer. Sheer genius on the part of the director and the editors. It introduces us to the innocence and shows us how he was brought up. His father so obviously influences his choices and his attitudes that he expressed in his adult years. He stands up for his brother and this is where we learn why Chris did what he did. As another American hero, albeit fictional, says (or to some effect) "I don't tolerate bullies." That's pretty much what this man was about. Now, this is where it gets Hollywood. The movie tracks the missions and the storyline is spotted with his life at home. Which is perfectly acceptable as this was about his time as a sniper with his SEAL team. But part of the driving force behind his motivation is the need to protect his family and his family included his brothers in uniform. I heard the comment going into the movie that an older gentleman had read the book and thought it was garbage. Well, I have news for that guy, both of them were fantastic. It took me two days to finish the book and the movie, well it's one I will own and it will probably make me cry every time. The book - I really enjoyed the inserts by Taya Kyle. They pulled in the reality of a military family. "... He's definitely not the person he was before the war, but there are a lot of the same qualities. His sense of humor, his kindness, his warmth, his courage, and a sense of responsibility. His quiet confidence inspires me..." - Taya Kyle The first line is the key. Those that leave for war are forever changed. Bradley Cooper does a fantastic job of portraying that change. It's hard to come home and listen to ordinary sounds like the lawnmower or traffic. Not because they're strange but because they sound like other things. It's a great scene when Cooper, as Kyle, is sitting at home and gets that far away look on his face as we hear a lawnmower in the background. You know that he's gone somewhere else, to another time and another situation. It's so hard to write about what you have experiences you've had and I think that Kyle did a stand up job conveying all that in the book. Jason Hall did a great job turning that book into a screenplay. I apologize that this doesn't give a more detailed vision of either but you need to read the book and watch the movie. The film has been nominated for several Oscars and in the following categories:
One scene that moved me was a scene where Kyle was having tires put on his truck, during some time home after his his daughter was born. Another veteran overheard the conversation and approached him. This vet gets down to the level of Kyle's son and tells him that his dad is a hero because he saved a lot of troops over in Iraq. Yes, I have no doubt that this happened and was not a "Hollywood" moment. Just go see the movie and read the book! You'll not be sorry. You will be sad that this SEAL lost his life way to soon. This movie... where have I been that I have never seen this movie? It is outstanding! Hilarious from the moment Nicholas Angel is hauled into the office to receive transfer orders to small town Sandford to the very end!
I think Simon Pegg is awesome but this just shoved him higher on the awesome list. I suppose that I am the last person to watch this movie but my favorite scenes are the various shoot out locations! It was great to see Olivia Colman in something other than Doctor Who and Broadchurch. We can't forget Timothy Dalton (James Bond), Bill Nighy (Harry Potter 7, Total Recall (2012)), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock), Jim Broadbent (Horace Slughorn Harry Potter 6, 7, 8) , and David Bradley (Argus Filch Harry Potter series)! The premise is entertaining, the dialogue believable and the comedy is well, okay it is Simon Pegg, brilliantly funny. And if that isn't enough, the twist at the very end is just that, a twist. I should have guessed that the underwater mine would play a greater role later. I mean honestly, if you have a gun on a gun rack in scene 5 you better use it later! Great use! If you haven't seen Hot Fuzz yet ... find it and watch! This movie is now on my need to own it list! So, what will you be watching on Harry Potter's birthday? Hopefully this show!
"For 12 lucky souls, a fantastic world will come alive in a competition series unlike any other. #TheQuest premieres Thursday, July 31 at 8|7c on ABC." This is the description on the official Facebook page. But, if you've seen the 30 second promo during "Once Upon A Time", you'll know that this show is not like "Survivor" or "The Amazing Race." It is a fantasy competition. How is it different? It's for fans of fantasy! Wow! What? The preview showed sword fighting! That's my kind of show!! Okay it's also my kind of show because one of the contestants is not only from Little Rock but from my church congregation! His nickname on the show is "Paladin Jim", so when you watch, and you should because it looks awesome, root for him! And it's got sword fighting!! We know nothing of the outcome, obviously, due to requirements from the show but it's always great to support friends in their endeavors! Keep an eye out here when the show starts for updates and episode summaries! This is sometimes the bane of being a single mom, I don't always get to see movies right away. But off we go. Leslie Mann (George of the Jungle) and Cameron Diaz (Charlie's Angels) made a great pair in this hysterical buddy comedy. I have not laughed this hard at a movie in a very long time. Mann plays clueless "Stepford Wife" Kate King and I really do mean clueless. The open of the movie has Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's Mark King with Cameron Diaz's Carly Whitten, the "other woman". Things seem to be going great. Then, the scene that changes everything. We see Mark in bed and the voice we were accustomed to hearing is not what we hear. It's Kate, his wife. Oops. We all know the guy (and to be fair) or girl that exactly like this. Kate isn't in sexy lingerie, she's in the granny cotton nightgown that let's face we have all worn at one point in our adult lives. They go through the normal married couple routine and this is when we discover Kate is clueless. It isn't until a few scenes later when Carly shows up thinking she'll surprise Mark at his Connecticut home that the mistress and the wife meet. You can feel the awkwardness from these two comedy mavens but you really feel for poor Carly. She truly had no idea her guy was married. Don't count out Kate's several breakdowns after confronting Carly because you get some of the funniest scenes! I think my mom and I were the only ones in the theatre laughing. (We went to the 4:05 show and were 2 of 6 people in the whole theatre!) 'How is this classified as a buddy movie' you may be asking yourself. The mistress and the wife end up becoming friends. I won't spoil any more of this lovely movie for you. If you haven't seen it yet do so before it leaves the theatres, just don't wait for Netflix or On Demand services! It's too hilarious to pass up! Directed by Tomas Alfredson, written by John Ajvide Lindqvist (the film is based on his novel); starring Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar, Lina Leandersson as Eli, Per Ragnar as Håkan, Henrik Dahl as Erik, Peter Carlberg as Lacke, Mikael Rahm as Jocke, and Ika Nord as Virginia. In the 2008 vampire tale Let the Right One In, we are introduced to a twist in classic vampire lore. We discover a man and his young child. Yet that isn’t really the case. The man is in love with the child and seems that he has been for a long time. How can that be right? She’s twelve and he’s in his 40’s or 50’s. Well, that is the case. He has been caring for this lovely girl for many years. He grows older and she stays the same. She is our vampire. Yet she doesn’t go out and do the killing. That’s what the older man does for her. He kills people, drains them and brings back their blood for her to drink. This causes them to move around a lot. Eli (Lina Leandersson) and her keeper move to a new apartment complex. Here she befriends Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), an awkward young man that gets tormented at school and dreams of revenge. Shortly after moving in, Eli’s keeper gets caught attempting to collect for her. This makes Oskar so much more important. Her keeper was not just someone that took care of her but he kept her company too. In Let the Right One In we are treated to some classic elements of Vampire Lore (or mythology.) We see Eli only at night, she can’t come out in the daylight. She doesn’t eat and she has a protector, Håkan. Eli has the characteristic pale skin of traditional vampires and thankfully, she doesn’t sparkle! One thing that has been left out of a great deal of vampire films since Dracula (1931) and I am glad was reintroduced, a vampire must be invited into the home. In this film one of the elements that we see that generally shows up in other horror films is the need for revenge. Oskar is in need of revenge when the film opens. Whether it is revenge on camp counselors for a drowning death (Friday the 13th films), or revenge on the parents that got justice on a serial child killer (Nightmare on Elm Street films) by burning him where he lived. Let the Right One In doesn’t follow the convention of other films in the genre. In my opinion vampire films should have their own genre all together. It doesn’t focus specifically on Eli as a vampire. It focuses on Oskar, his life, Eli and his relationship with her. Eli is almost like a supporting character. It also introduces the idea of a child vampire. We have seen children before (Interview with the Vampire (1994)) but they have been portrayed as impulsive, unpredictable and whiny. Eli is anything but. She is childlike at times and is calculating. The way she manipulates Håkan into doing her dirty work is anything but impulsive or unpredictable. This film revisits the classical only in the inclusion of Eli requiring the invitation into Oskar’s home. We do, however, see the consequences when Oskar refuses to invite her in. According to Tudor, this movie is considered Supernatural/Autonomous. Our vampire is external. However, if we bring in the character of Oskar, I believe his torment gives Eli the perfect opportunity to move in and be his “savior”. The cultural impact of this film is a renewal in the mystery of vampire, the renewal of the first vampire lore. I don’t think that there is any other real impact. Perhaps though it scares the pants off you when we discover that Eli is in fact capable of murder. In 1946 Howard Hawkes directed Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as Vivian Rutledge in The Big Sleep. Other names that appeared in this film are John Ridgely (Eddie Mars), Martha Vickers (Carmen Sternwood), Peggy Knudsen (Mona Mars), Charles D. Brown (Norris the Butler), and Regis Toomey (Chief Inspector Bernie Otis). This film was based on the novel “The Big Sleep” by Raymond Chandler. The screenplay was written by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman.
Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is a private investigator hired by General Sternwood (Charles Waldron). He runs into Carmen Sternwood (Martha Vickers) on the way into the house. We find out later that she is the cause of the trouble. In the course of the conversation with the General we learn that Marlowe used to be an investigator with the district attorney’s office. Marlowe, in the course of his investigation into the blackmailer, meets Ms. Rutledge (Lauren Bacall) and eventually, by the end of the movie they have fallen in love. Marlowe helps cover up the fact that Carmen was at the scene of a murder. Marlowe returns to Geiger’s house numerous times. It’s as if he’s trying to figure something out and can’t. Finally he ends up putting all the pieces together. The Big Sleep has elements common to most films in the genre. Dark shots, femme fatales, close ups, rain and scenes that occur in the dead of night. And let’s not forget the must have private eye which Bogart seems quite adept at playing. (He also played private eye Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon.) The femme fatales in this one work against each other. One is Vivian Rutledge and while not seen as much, the other is her little sister Carmen. Both are guilty of something, neither worse than the other. The central characters in this film are typical of the genre. Bogart’s character of Marlowe is the tough, rugged man’s man. He likes the ladies as we can see when he flirts with the Acme Book Store girl as well as the attempt at charming Agnes (Geiger’s book store girl). Martha’s character of Carmen Sternwood is the “innocent” young girl. She uses her sexuality every chance she can get, even when she’s high. Vivian is not so stereotypical. She’s smart and sassy. She hides her secrets very well, even pulling them out in jest. Marlowe doesn’t believe her. Yet, they fall in love. This film says that everyone has something to hide. No matter how small the flaw is. The only thing I really know about film noir is that the films in the genre are usually dark and gritty. This film certainly lives up to all of that. The subject matter is murder and blackmail. Never are the two mutually exclusive. The Magician was written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It starred Max von Sydow as Albert Emanuel Vogler; Ingrid Thulin as Manda Vogler (alias Mr. Aman); Gunnar Björnstrand as Dr. Vergerus, Minister of Health; Naima Wifstrand as Granny Vogler; Bengt Ekerot as Johan Spegel; Bibi Andersson as Sara Lindqvist; Gertrud Fridh as Ottilia Egerman; Lars Ekborg as Simson, the coach driver; Toivo Pawlo as Police Superintendent Starbeck; Erland Josephson as Consul Egerman; Åke Fridell as Tubal; Sif Ruud as Sofia Garp; Oscar Ljung as Antonsson, burly stableman; Ulla Sjöblom as Henrietta Starbeck; and Axel Düberg as Rustan, young manservant. It was released in 1958 under the title Ansiktet.
Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater is the guise under which the “wanted” Vogler and his companions travel. They are a rag tag bunch, adding a drunk actor Johan Spegel who is determined he’s on death’s doorstep from an illness, and Vogler spends half of the movie as a mute. They reach the home of Counsel Egerman and are accused of conning people. Police Superintendent Starbeck and Minister of Health, Dr. Vergerus, don’t believe the claims in the advert posted by the theatre troupe. They are determined to prove that Vogler has no magical powers and in fact a fraud. Granny peddles her “potions”. A private performance is demanded and Vogler is required to perform alone. He is “killed” by Antonsson. Max von Sydow is a regular in Bergman’s films, having appeared in eleven. He played the tormented knight in The Seventh Seal and the father or a girl that was raped and murdered in The Virgin Spring. Bergman makes effective use of the close-up when Vogler is performing and when he is being questioned. He has great use of lighting when Vogler is performing in the levitation scene and the scenes with Vergerus in the attic. But the overall tone of the film is questionable. There is some uncertainty if it’s supposed to be a comedy, with the fairly comical “sex scene” between Sara and Simson or if it’s supposed to be a thriller, again with the scene between Vergerus and the supposedly dead Vogler. Some themes in this movie are typical to Bergman’s career. The questioning the existence of God and putting the character of “witch” Granny, the supernatural v. science are typical but love being translated as sex is not. In The Seventh Seal Bergman presents the struggle with death and questioning the existence of God with the knight on a quest to do one good thing before he dies. We are presented in this film with the same argument when Tubal and Sofia are talking in the kitchen. Sofia says the Tubal can be a preacher and Tubal insists not because his “faith is shaky.” Death is represented in the former actor Johan Spegel when he seemingly dies the first time in the coach and when he finally dies after stealing brandy from the kitchen. The crowd at Counsel Egerman’s doesn’t believe in the magic the Vogler’s are selling and Dr. Vergerus represents the science. Sex is equated to love by the implied intimacy between Sara and Simson after they consume a “love potion” brewed by Granny. This film fits into Bergman’s career because he rebels most of his life against the moral compass of his parents. He constantly questions the existence of God. With this film coming so close behind The Seventh Seal, and three others in between, artistic growth is not noticed. The themes don’t usually change in his work, most often being religious in nature. His body of work tends to reflect the home life he had as a child, the relationship with his mother and father, as well as the relationship between his mother and father. He took adventures from his childhood and used them as inspiration for his work which is not just limited to film, it includes stage plays and television shows. |
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August 2022
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