How To Train Your Dragon

SEE THIS MOVIE!

It was fabulous. The animation was great, the score was wonderful, the story was adorable and endearing.

It was just great. Go see it. Don't forget to blink. Of course, even when I realized I wasn't blinking, I didn't want to. Just go see it.

Avatar

I saw this film last Saturday in 3D. It wasn't a made-for-3D film in the sense that many parts are deliberately filmed for the 3D effect (like parts of the recent Journey to the Center of the Earth, which was very clearly made with 3D in mind so things would appear to come at you throughout the film), but more to give depth and realism to this world. And this kind of 3D is not the motion-sick-inducing kind, which helped a lot.

Let me start with something simple: music. At one point, I remember noting it was good, but I can't even think of it now. It didn't detract from the film, but it really took a back seat to what was going on visually.

I remember reading a random forum post where someone said the film looked good but it had no plot. I'd have to ask what film he was watching. Before I get into that, let's talk a little etymology. The word avatar is from Sanskrit. It was originally used in Hinduism to describe a vessel - usually a body of some sort - in which a deity incarnates. The most common use of this word (in my experience) is in video games, specifically rpgs, where the character that you create and control in the game world is your avatar. My first thought was that he-who-thinks-there-was-no-plot must not be a gamer.

The namesake of the film was a genetically engineered body that resembled a native and dominating species of the life-supporting moon that is the setting for the film. Human characters interfaced with their personal avatars through a claustrophobic MRI type of device. One of the main themes was the conflict of the main character, a disabled Marine, who already felt alienated among humans and finds himself torn between following orders and a growing love for the moon and all the living things he came to know through his avatar.

The other part of the story, the main plot, if you will, is reminiscent of European colonization of the Americas (among other similar incidents) where humans want what the natives have and will take it if they don't give it up. My parents and I read a review in the Washington Post where someone compared the film to a completely different period in human history. In my opinion, this guy failed to draw the most logical parallels and was entirely incorrect in his assessment of it. But, that's really beside the point.

In line outside the theater, I was talking to a lady who mentioned that she was a little worried about bringing her two little girls into a PG-13 film. She read that what made it PG-13 wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things and hoped they'd be too distracted by everything else to really notice. I don't know how that worked out for her or her little ones, but I can say the film was a visual feast. The lush setting was filled with bioluminescent plants, great beasts of land and sky, and if you've seen the commercials, you've already seen the floating mountains. Really, I can't say enough about what this film was in terms of appearance. Perhaps the highest praise I can convey is that I want them to make an RPG out of this world, so I can go in and explore it on my own. (That being said, what I have read about the video game version leaves much to be desired, but that's something else altogether.)

If you haven't yet, go see this film. Even if the story seems uninteresting, even if the actors are not your favorites, even if 3D makes you sick as it does me, go see this film. It is worth it to experience that fabulous world even if nothing else is appealing to you. And don't forget to blink.

Harry Potter #6

My parents and I went to the dentist today. I didn't change doctors when I moved because I've been going to this one for years and it's not that problematic to take a day off for the good ole dentist every six months. By chance, it was also the day that the new Harry Potter movie opened.

It was good. I feel like it wasn't as action-centered as some of the other films (though the parts where there was action were very well done). But it was good. A satisfactory chapter in the cinema tale.

I don't seem to have the mind to say everything I really wanted to say about it. Maybe it's just bedtime.

Land of the Lost

I went home for brunch this weekend. It's the first brunch I've been to in some time. Afterwards, mom and I decided to go to the movies.

We would either see Land of the Lost or Night at the Museum. I decided on the first because I'm likely to buy the second even if I don't see it in theaters because the first Night at the Museum was quite good. I wasn't super excited about this Land of the Lost film (I'm really not fond of the lead actor), but I thought it might have some funny parts and so would be worth a look at least once.

It had some funny parts. More than half of them were revealed in the trailers. The best bits were the little Easter eggs of the original TV series, particularly when this film's version of Rick Marshall started singing the original theme song (and the lyrics applied to events in the film. I thought that was clever).

It wasn't anything to write home about. It's barely enough to blog about, and I probably wouldn't recommend anyone go see it unless they really had nothing better to do. Still, if you are a fan of the '70's TV show, you might find this new portrayal of Grumpy amusing, and the Sleestacks were as scary, if slow, as ever.

Star Trekkin Across the Universe

My mother and I went to see the new Star Trek movie on Saturday. I knew very little about it, so wasn't sure what to expect. That was probably best.

There was not a single dull moment. There were parts that made the audience collectively laugh (especially when characters said some catch phrases we have grown to know and love) and sit wide-eyed and silently gasping at what was going on. I love films that make the audience react.

The music was great, but don't expect the familiar notes of the theme song until the end. I think every new actor playing a character that we all knew did a superb job. It felt like they stayed true to what fans were expecting of them, while still showing different sides. It was wonderful.

If you're a Star Trek fan, you won't be disappointed.

Home Again

Mom decided not to look at dogs today. Instead, we went shopping. I bought a lot of things for my kayaking trip this summer (shoes, travel/camping supplies, things like that) and a new bonsai. I've been missing having one, so I'm going to try to raise a different kind of tree.

After shopping, we picked up dad and went to the movies. We saw Rush to Witch Mountain, which wasn't a bad film and was (of course) done much better than the originals from the 70's. Other than the alien children with neat powers and that they had to go to Witch Mountain, it wasn't related to the first film or its sequel either. But, it was entertaining, and that's the whole point.

Now, it's time for some good quality TV. I missed The Mentalist this week because Comcast is stupid, but thankfully, my mother recorded it. Yay, VCR!

Better Than Anticipated

I really had no exposure to the TV show, but I do remember an endlessly rewound, recorded from TV, Beta tape of Get Smart, Again!. I retained more information about the show from that movie than even my parents remembered.

The new Get Smart was hilarious. Sure, they changed some things from the show (according to mother), but it was just great. Some parts had the small audience laughing into the next joke. That's the test of a good comedy, if you ask non-expert me. It looks like they left it open to do another. If that's in the plan, I hope this one did well enough in theaters to support it.

Dad ended up being too tired (he hasn't yet adjusted to getting up at 0530 even on weekends) so he stayed in bed while mom and I caught the flick. I'm glad we got a chance to see it.

This morning, since I didn't go home, we went to the Killarney House for breakfast and did some shopping at Trader Joe's. Afterwards, I finished packing and headed home. Han had called and made mention of coming to visit me, but it looks like that's not going to work out for today. Maybe later.

My poor roommate was busy moping. Her boyfriend just came by for a couple weeks and was driving back to Idaho early this morning. I find it a little ironic that her friends tease her (and him) about him currently living in Idaho, and now she's rooming with someone who's been there. He might be coming back in October and December, and she plans to visit him in the fall, so we tried to get her some comfort in that (with a little bit of chocolate therapy).

It was a good weekend. Even if I wanted to be home a lot earlier than I was.

Indiana Jones 4

If you've heard that the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't have the charm, wit, or suspense that the first three films had, you have heard correct. It was predictable, had many not very exciting points, and didn't really fit into the established world of Indiana Jones. On it's own, it wasn't so bad, but when you compare it to the first three films in the franchise, you feel like George Lucas killed the golden goose just to see where the eggs came from (much like he did with the Star Wars prequels).

It was spectacular, taken as a movie in it's own right, right up until the big flying saucer lifted out of the ground and took off! WTF!!! I would have had a very different opinion of the film if it weren't for that.

Forget About What They Say

Monty and I saw The Golden Compass last night. Monty has read the trilogy where I have not. It was visually spectacular, and my friend mentioned it was just about how he had pictured it while reading. He did indicate that the book explained itself better than the film, but that doesn't mean he had to whisper to me what was going on while we were watching. I will say that the end of this movie wasn't and end and all, and that really sucked! But they've already contracted to do the trilogy.

You may have heard about how many people are in an uproar about this film; that it has an anti-god message. You may have heard many people saying they won't go and see it because of this, indeed the people saying those things probably haven't bothered to read the books or watch the movie at all themselves. If either of these two sentences apply to you: you are a fool.

My first point is that those people don't have a problem when a film with a heavy religious message is released, so they should also not have a problem when one without such a message is released. Ah! Intolerance at its finest!

My second point is that I have a real problem with people who can't think for themselves, and with people who listen to the opinion of someone else and don't bother to find out the truth and form their own.

The Golden Compass was fabulous. It didn't have an anti-religious message at all. If anything, the themes were of freedom from oppression and fighting for what you believe is right. There was magic and curiosity and courage and loyalty in it.

The author of this story is an atheist, but that does not mean that his tale is filled with atheist messages (and even if it were, there's nothing wrong with that). If anything, I think he communicates hope. Through his work, he acknowledges that there is something greater out there. He does not know what it is, but he wants to believe that it is something good.

The first part of this adventure told me a story of hope.

I Had a Title Earlier

but I forgot it.

Did you remember to set your clocks back?

Today was the first of our monthly brunches for this off-season. There was a good group of us, but we didn't linger in Annapolis for very long.

The thing about this time of year is that the leaves change color and die and fall off. They fall harmlessly to the forest floor, and into gutters and drains, and on lawns, and on cars. All around, the leaves fall. And the leaves need to be raked into nice big piles on the street so people from the county can come by on or about tomorrow and suck them up. "On or about tomorrow," by the way, means "in a month." But, we had to get raking in anticipation. This is when I thought of the great title that should have gone on today's entry, but I have forgotten it.

After our fabulous yard work-out, we had some tea and my mother and I watched Pan's Labyrinth. I bought it because I had heard so many good things about it. I knew it would be intense, and probably a little hard to watch, and so it was. It was bloody, and it was stressful. But it certainly earned its three Academy Awards. I hope soon I will get a chance to check out the special features on disk two. The story was beautiful and hopeful and sad, and it made you have to choose which parts were fantasy and which were reality. I like how that detail was not spelled out for me.

I wonder if I shall have strange dreams tonight.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Movie #5)

Wow. What can I say? Oh, I know.

WARNING! THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

Ok, I know I'm a few days behind everyone else, but that's life! (thanks, OBC.)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix actually had very little to do with the Order of the Phoenix. This movie might have been better titled 'Harry Potter and the Annoying Dreams' or 'Harry Potter in his New Defence Against the Dark Arts Job.'

Don't get me wrong, it was very well done. The acting was great. I really enjoyed watching Luna, she was very fun. And I could sense a real affection between Harry and Sirius: scenes with the two of them together were just great (never mind that Gary Oldman is one of my favorite actors). Some of that fellowship was in the scenes that included Lupin as well. There was not a whole lot of Malfoy in this film, but he didn't have a large part in the book either. Maybe they were trying to say that Harry and Malfoy were somewhat moving out of that rivalry, they've both got bigger enemies (however real or perceived they may be). Umbridge was just horrid, so well played. There were a few times you wish you could just swish and flick something at her. Wonderful.

I was very disappointed in the music. The familiar "Hedwig's Theme" had one hint of appearance at the beginning and that was it. Particularly as the credits rolled, the music they played was too happy, extremely out of place. The work of John Williams that we've come to expect and tie to Harry Potter was just not there.

This one had a new screenplay writer and a new director. It lacked the artsiness of Movie #3, but they were able to include some really superb dueling scenes. There's nothing like watching wizards battle, I think. Remember the intensity in the Fellowship of the Ring? The battle at the end was quite riveting, even if you had read the book and knew what was to happen. However, I did notice the free use of the levicorpus spell, which was discovered by Harry in the margins of the Half-Blood Prince's potion book. Tiny bit of continuity-lacking there. I wasn't all that impressed with the costuming either. One assumes they would be in their school uniforms while school was in session. There were a few times when the uniformed students mixed with street clothed students. What's the point of uniforms at all, then?

I think it was done very well for what they had to work with. And it's worth a second look at least.

And...I did cry a little.... They killed my favorite character! What do you expect?! Cried when I read it too.....

Hotter Than Hell

Really! Today it was 93° in Hell and 101° here. What's it like where you are?

I really have not much to talk about today. A couple people in the office are out for a while and I have to fill in for both of them. And do my regular stuff. Of course, not everything will get done. It's ok, mostly. Work has been coming in rather slow and I can mostly keep up with it. Mostly.

"Mostly they come out at night. Mostly."

Look at that, work to a movie quote! That takes talent!

The Second Time Was Just As Good

I took Monty to see Transformers today. He thought it was great, I thought it was great again. Now, I can't wait to get the special DVD with all the extras that come with special DVDs.

Transformers: not just for 20-30-something men who are trying to hold on to their youth! It's for 20-30-something women too!

Irrelevant Muse

There are six Star Wars movies, and two made-for-TV Ewok movies. Some purists don't count the Ewok movies as main parts of the Star Wars universe, and maybe they're not, but that debate is not why I'm here.

In filming, I pay attention to continuity. If someone cuts their right hand and when they return after the commercial it's the left hand that is bleeding, I take notice (this happened in Kindred: The Embraced, for example). I once held a flower for two hours straight for a seconds-long segment of a film because I didn't want to put it down and pick it up a different way. I notice things like that. Continuity = Believability.

The major continuity errors between the first three Star Wars films and the last three (and, let's face it, there are many and they are major) are not why I'm here either.

I'm here today to talk about Ewoks. In the true time line of things, the two Ewok movies took place after the end of the original Star Wars trilogy. Ok, we all know that movies don't have to come out in order. But, when you think about it, that is the most logical place for the events of those films to take place in the grand Star Wars timeline. The Empire was destroyed, the New Republic in full swing, and the Ewoks happily living on their moon in peace.

According to the official Star Wars timeline, the Ewok movies take place sometime between Episodes 5 and 6. Huh? Again, according to the official timeline, there's only one Star Wars year between Episodes 5 and 6. That's not the issue. The issue is a question of language.

A family of humans crash on the moon of Endor (hereafter called Endor for short), as we learn from the first Ewok movie. The humans cannot converse with the Ewoks, who speak Ewokese. We assume the humans speak Basic (the common language of the Republic/Empire. Most cultures of the galaxy can speak a native language and Basic, or just their native language. Some races lack the vocal capacity to speak Basic, like the Wookiees, but can understand it. Just as a human can learn to understand Shyriiwook, the language of Wookiees, but lack the vocal capacity to speak it. With me so far?). As the film progresses, the Ewoks pick up a few words in the human's language.

By the end of the Ewok movies, most Ewoks have an understanding of the human's language and Wicket can converse fluently with Cindel in it. This is just fine. Except, if these films took place within the one year period between Episodes 5 and 6, then the Ewoks should be able to converse with the Rebel strike team that lands on Endor before the final battle.

This is not the case. When Leia meets Wicket, they cannot communicate. Wicket attempts to speak only Ewokese to Leia, and behaves as if he's never seen a (female adult) human before. We know he has, if the timeline is correct. If Cindel had just left mere months ago, Wicket should still have been able to speak to Leia.

The official answer form George Lucas is that Cindel and her family did not speak Basic and in fact taught the Ewoks some other language. I can accept that, except it doesn't fit. This human family spoke some random language that is not even related to the one common language spoken throughout most of the galaxy and taught it to the Ewoks. This random language that is not Basic is also spoken by Noa, the Sanyassan Marauders, the Dathomirian Charal, and understood by the Teeks, but not a single person among the Rebel strike team's command crew (or the Rebels later as they went to the Ewok village to celebrate their victory) could understand it. Sorry, George, I don't buy it. Continuity = Believability.

Another timeline suggest the two Ewok movies straddle Episode 6, meaning that Wicket did not yet speak Basic (or whatever language it was that the Towani family spoke). This would also mean the Cindel and her family were there during that final battle that destroyed the last Death Star. Ok, that's fine, but why didn't they ask the Rebels to take them off-planet or help them fix their ship while they were there? Maybe they didn't trust the Rebels because they were in the Outer Rim and weren't a part of the Empire. Oh, right, they couldn't speak the same language. But everyone else on that moon could speak that language.

No, the only logical place to put those films is after the Battle of Endor, the climactic ending of Episode 6. Right where they fell in the real world.

Happy Independence Day

We were going to kayak today like we do on all warm-weather holidays, but alas! The unexpected jolt of Monday made that impossible. I actually felt well enough in the morning to go (thanks to you, drugs!), but I was sure it wouldn't last long. It was such a beautiful day, I couldn't just spend it inside though.

So, we celebrated Independence Day by eating breakfast on the back patio (the first time this year, actually). I spent the rest of the morning dying the fleece for my puppet. This was an interesting process. I found an old plastic tub that was large enough, an old dowel rod that had been many things in it's day (a wand, a lightsaber, a sword, a mold for ring making, many things indeed!) to stir it, and, surprisingly, enough salt. This was a process because it involved constant stirring and that didn't feel too nice. But the dye took well and now it just has to dry. Poor Miss Luna can't go into my brother's old room while it's drying. She's distraught!

Then we got in touch with Fox and Fae and walked to Annapolis. We ate lunch at the Market House. I had a huge yummy hot dog and some Boardwalk Fries (diets don't count on holidays and vacations, you know). We were going to try to take one of the boat rides, but the timing wasn't quite right. The one that we could make was more money than we wanted to pay on a non-paycheck week. So, we did some window shopping instead and got some yummy ice cream. By then, that was all the walking around that my shoulders, back, and ankle could take and dad was starting to hurt too. So, home we went.

We never get to see fireworks because they start too late for us and morning comes very early in the morning. I'll be going to bed to the distant booming of intentional explosives, I'm sure. Next year, though, we can paddle out to Annapolis and watch the fireworks from the comfort of our kayaks. I've been wanting to do that since I started kayaking! I'm so glad the 4th will be Friday next year.

Now, it's time to sit back with a good videotape of Independence Day (I'm talking about the 1996 film, here!).

Transformers The (Second) Movie

I don't know where to begin!

The previews of this film got people who knew nothing about Transformers excited to see it. They also got people who knew the Transformers universe inside and out and all the levels in between excited to see it. While I'm not a complete expert, I am a fan. My brother and I watched the cartoons and the first movie and had the toys and all that jazz. I had my favorites and he had his (none of my favorites were in the film, maybe next time!). I know enough about the universe to recognise where changes were made.

I'm not going to say anything here that you wouldn't have known if you read any of the pre-release articles and information about the film. If you saw some of that, you might have known that Bumblebee transformed into a Camaro, not a Beetle (minor detail, it worked. And the Beetle did get an honorable mention in the film, so to speak). And it doesn't matter that Frenzy transforms into a CD boombox instead of one of Soundwave's tapes (Soundwave, by the way, doesn't make an appearance). And it makes more sense that Megatron transforms into a jet rather than a gun that Starscream could hold (that didn't make sense in the cartoons either). Actually, the Transformers that we do see all got a modern upgrade for the film. Consider Prime's awesome blue flame paint job, that you could see in the previews.

The CGI was wonderful and seamless. The soundtrack was great. There was lots of action. It was somewhat long (over two hours) but even though it seemed like there was a lot of build-up to the end, there was never a dull moment.

Now, there is one Easter egg that Transformers fans should notice. Prime has a line near the end that was taken directly from the first movie. Yes, yes, Megatron has a line that was often repeated in the cartoon/comic/first movie, but that doesn't count as trivia because we expect him to say it.

I hope I get a chance to see this again in the theater, I thought it was all around great!

My Last Brunch

Because I'll be in Boise during that last brunch of the season.

It was such a lovely day to be walking around Annapolis. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze, and the humidity that usually cripples outdoor activity was almost non-exsistant. Beautiful!

After yummy brunch, we went over to the mall to secure our Transformers tickets. Oh, it's so frustrating! I told everyone I would see it on opening day, but the friggin movie people kept changing it! All the previews I saw indicated it would open July 4th (a perfect day!). Then all the TV and radio commercials and movie ticket websites like Fandango indicated July 3rd (Ok, that's a fine day too). The blurb of the official website still said July 4th, but the main page said July 2nd (an impossible day). When does this movie open?!?! You don't have to answer that, because I know it. It opens tomorrow. There is not enough time for me to get home, go to a movie, and then get home in time to go to bed to get up for work the next day so we have tickets for Tuesday night. This was disappointing, though. I really wanted to see it on opening day. Why did they keep moving the date?! *grumble*

It was so nice today that we turned off the A/C and opened up some windows. Ahhhh. This won't last until Wednesday kayaking (they're saying it will be humid again by Wednesday) but we can enjoy it for now!

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Visually, this film was really great. Action scenes were..um..full of action. Most of the special effects were really amazing.

The film was quite long, and moved along quickly. A bit too quickly in parts, making it a little hard to follow.

It ended well (don't forget to stay to the end of the credits), and I really hope they don't make any more. They did leave an opening for a continuation, but I think they found a fine place to end the story. I think they should just let it end, before they make another one and have us all wishing they didn't spoil our good memories.

The first one will always be the best, but this continued the story well enough.

Running Low

Today, mom and I got up early. Dad left for opening weekend of the Virginia Renaissance Faire (the volunteer cast of which he is a member). So, mom and I got up and walked two miles to try to make up for the lack of exercise we did the past two days.

Then we did a little bit of the gardening. The lavender at the corners of the house needed to move to make room for the oak leaf hydrangeas, and I got up another big root that was once part of my maple. That was just the front yard! Then we headed to the back; mom mowed the lawn (we have a little non-electronic push mower) and I sprayed down the deck with weed killer and chucked the bits of root I had dug up into the backyard woods. Whew! Then it was off to my grandmother's for lunch and to take my aunt to the airport. That took quite a bit of our day because airports aren't exactly close and, of course, she flies from the one of three that is furthest away. It was a short visit before we sent her back to her husband in Park City. I did learn that she will next visit sometime in October.

After that it was home and nap time. We were both so beat! We slept a little longer than we had intended, but still got to a decent showing of Spider-man. People still reacted to the same part; one scene that hushed all the movie theater chatter.

You know, it's instances like this that made me want to go into acting. I think it's too easy to be on stage. You've got the audience right there, reacting to you, and you can adjust your performance if they don't seem to be reacting the way you intend. The camera doesn't give that kind of instant feedback. You must do your thing and hope you got it right the first time, because the camera won't tell you if you need to adjust your performance. That's more of a challenge to me. I wanted to be the person on that screen who, when doing something, made the audience gasp or cry or react to me even though I wasn't really there in their presence. I think being able to do that is what a screen actor should strive for. You're not just there to say your line and walk your part. You're there to connect, and you'll never know if you actually did it. It's not impossible.

So, eh-hem. Back to my day! After the movie, which my mother thought was very well-done, we went to Panera for dinner and came home with yummy lattes. I called Fox to confirm tomorrow's plans and heard the most dreadful news.

A year ago tomorrow, I wrote a brief blog entry congratulating some friends on their much-anticipated nuptials. These two people are long friends of my father, and friends of mine from my work at the Renaissance Festival. I learned tonight that Deanna's mother passed on a few days ago. Apparently, Fox told dad, and confirmed with dad that he would let me know, but no one let me know.

I'm disappointed in my father for not sharing this important news about a woman who is my friend. And, Dee, I'm so terribly sorry. Times like this makes the day to day seem rather unimportant.

Third Time not a Charm

I'm sorry to report that Shrek the Third was not nearly as good as Shrek one and two.

It seemed to be lacking in comedy, and it seemed to be lacking in adventure, and it was just a little bit rushed. Truth is, my mother and I agree that we can't really put our fingers on why we didn't like it as well as 1 or 2, but we did not.

We couldn't garden today because it's raining. So we decided to do some shopping and take in our movie. What fun!

We just finished watching the two Spider-Man's on DVD, because I'll be taking mom to see it tomorrow after we drop off my aunt at the airport. Busy, busy, busy!