This is going to be an incredibly short review, because just about anything could be considered a spoiler. Anyway, here are some of my basic thoughts about the type of sequels that this is. John Williams produced three memorable themes in the last one, but I can't think of anything that stood out this time, although I'm absolutely going to rewatch this, so we'll see. But if I re-watch it several times and find nothing new that's iconic, that will honestly be very sad. I'll be listening to the
I have on occasions considered getting a degree in political sciences just so I can run for Governor of Iowa just so I can write an executive order changing the state anthem. But that's a hassle. Much rather, I would elect someone else who's smarter than me and will put up with the terrors of public service who promises me that she will change the national anthem. I'm currently brainstorming a letter, at this very moment, that I can send to governor Kim Reynolds, and to the Senator of my distric
In an earlier entry, I said that this decade saw a dramatic decrease in tolerance for bullying, but I realize that this is only part of the story. Bullying in schools has gone down and rarely dips into the realm of physical violence, the type that my father used to brag about witnessing in the 70's and 80's when people were apparently as bad as that kid from It (part I). Obviously, we don't see too many of these things anymore, right? Even since I survived middle school, it sounds as though y
Justice League stays true, for the most part, to what it advertised: a movie about five iconic superheroes who need little-to-no introduction getting together (right now, over me) in order to stop a villain who wasn't noteworthy enough to show up in the trailers, that may or may not have anything to do with Superman. There has been several different marketing tools employed domestically across the world that both imply that he is in the film, and things that imply that he isn't, and a lot of it
Has anyone here seen The Little Mermaid III? Or at least heard the concept? Basically, it's a straight-to-DVD sequel that's about how King Triton had singing banned in his kingdom, and Ariel has to change his mind using her Mary Sue powers. It's an utterly ridiculous pitch. No leader in his right mind would ever actually ban singing. That's a concept that's too dumb even for kiddie viewers. Except apparently Kim Jong-Un did it. Seriously, for realzies, in the real world. This actually h
So recently a news story came up about hunting. It got me wanting to talk about hunting, since it's something that I take some interest in. As it happens the news story involved political debate over some laws that are being passed on the federal level, but I don't want people thinking that I'm making a veiled political commentary; I genuinely had a sudden desire to talk about a sport that interests me. I also wrote a blog entry elsewhere on gardening and nature, which primed me for this topic.
I'm working on it right now. The spoiler-free review should be up tomorrow. Due to the nature of this one, I think that I will write up a spoilers review as well shortly thereafter. The trailers left a lot up to speculation, and there are certain specific details in what they did stylistically and tonally that fundamentally affect how I want to review this film that can't be addressed in a completely spoiler-free review. Before I write up my post here, I'm working on a video review of the f
James Cameron updates a few minutes to look extra-high-definition, so naturally he's re-releasing it and hyping it up as being better than ever, even though most won't notice the difference. Judging by the trailers, he hasn't updates the effects at all. They hold up pretty well, but they're not quite on the same level as Gravity. You'd think that it would be fairly easy for that guy to update those effects shots when you see the whole ship, you know? I mean, he's James Cameron. I personally
When people eventually make a nostalgic period piece of this decade thirty years from now, how will they depict it? What will be some of the hall-marks? Here's what I predict (in no particular order): 1. The rise of Youtube as one of the most dominant mediums of information. Make sure to include references to Gangnam Style and PewDiePie. 2. Superhero movies. Lots and lots of superhero movies. As in holy freaking cow so many superhero movies. Four Avengers movies, a Justice League movie, two Sp
At this point, Marvel movies hardly need reviews. 1. Tons of humor as usual, except with slightly more humor. 2. Forgettable villain, as usual, except slightly more forgettable. 3. Loki is the best part, as usual, except slightly better...wait, actually, he's exactly as good as he's been in every single installment. You simply can't improve upon this guy. So yeah, if you like what Marvel does, then this is going to be a great film. If you don't, then it will suck. Then there's people like me
People are complaining that Sony is making a Venom movie without Spider-Man, and I actually think that that's a good idea. I'm a fan enough of a character that I actually think that it would be cool for him/it to have a solo film. People say that Sony sucks at everything, but they can be prissy all they want. I personally think that Sony has done a pretty good job with their properties. My only concern is that, though I think it will be good, I don't know if it will make money, simply becaus
This is the reason why I've been singing Christmas carols early, in spite of people telling me that it's too early, because Halloween gave me a premature Christmas present. Last year, the world witnessed the rise of a wonderful, rewatchable gem called Stranger Things, and because sometimes we can have nice things, we've been blessed with a sequel. Is it as good as the original? Heck yes. My only real complaint is that it isn't quite as self-contained as the first, but otherwise, the show h
There are three types of things that will get me to watch a film no matter what. Miles Teller, because he blew me away in Whiplash and made me into a loyalist. Jennifer Connelly, because shes still the most beautiful woman alive and has talent to boot. And then there's... Well, wait a minute. I didn't watch Fantastic 4 or Winter's Tale, so scratch what I said about Teller and Connelly. But anyway, I guess that's why I save the third point for last, since it's the best one. Movies about Ameri
Gracie Gold withdrew from the Grand Prix recently and announced that her reason for doing so was because she is struggling with depression and an eating disorder. There's a lot of drama going on in sports these days that I don't pay much attention to, but I do pay attention to this. It also breaks my heart that she's going through this, because I also struggle with depression as a disorder, and furthermore, I wanted more than anything to see her come back and succeed in the 2018 Olympics. I r
However, I recently rewatched Blade Runner 2049, and was wondering how tall that one replicant in the beginning was. Big guy. He seemed incredibly heavy, like a tank. At the same time, ironically had that small, Jewish scholar look going on, that kind that you associate with Itzhak Stern from Schindler's List. He overall struck me as real interesting, and I was intrigued by this seemingly unknown actor who played him. I thought, "I don't know who this character actor is, but I want to see more o
When did I watch the original? Was it six years ago? It's been a while. The main things that I remember were the cons of having little story or character investment, but the pro of having more atmosphere than the planet Jupiter. So atmospheric. Its sequel (and unofficially also the sequel to La La Land, if you think about it) manages to find a decent common-ground between the two. I felt that it had more story, and most definitely more likable characters, while also having a ridiculous amount
Another possible hurricane coming our way. When people look back on 2017, this is hurricane season is going to be one of things that people remember. Some of the leftover water from the hurricanes has been making its way up to the Heartland, and it's been raining for over a week now, and there were flash flood alerts on my drive home. In other news, Mexico continues to send help. Great neighbors, those guys. 24601
People kind of get passionate about this, but for me it's pretty simple. A terrorist is not the same as a murderer or a mass murderer. A terrorist is someone who causes great chaos and disruption in life specifically in order to cause terror. If someone kills a limited number of people (or destroys a building or other such public display of anarchy) in order to make a whole country afraid and panic just enough to go against its best interests, then it's terrorism. It must have the objective
The word "war" is like "love." What I mean by that is that I see a lot of people on Youtube who ask questions such as "What if X went to war with Y," or "What if all of the countries of the world went to war with each other?" The answer is, it depends on what you mean by war. There are many different styles of war, and there are also many different purposes for war. You can't simply ask "What if X went to war with Y;" you have to also consider the goals that each country would have in this
Behold. The culmination of all of society's efforts. The purpose behind our every mathematical advancement. The ultimate end of our sciences. Faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive, more glorious than Mother Russia. Yes, you indeed died and went to Heaven. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen. 24601
Alright, fun fact: I actually went to high school with someone named Irma, and she had a younger sister named Maria. They were the sweetest and most harmless people ever (particularly Irma), so I find the names of these hurricanes to be somewhat ironic, and in the future, I will still associate the name Irma with completely harmless people, so the name hasn't been ruined for me. 24601
So apparently Hugh Hefner died. This is pretty morbid, and perhaps a little mean-spirited (though certainly with its warrant), but my first thought was "So who's the lucky woman?" 24601
*hate I hate slideshow articles. I don't have slideshow articles. I was trying to make sense of Lyichir's comment in my last post when I noticed my typo. You know, that one typo actually changes the meaning of the whole thing, doesn't it? So now you know, I hate them. Like a lot. Almost as much as I hate Yahoo News, and people who say "theory" when they mean "hypothesis." Anyway, here's the slideshow article formula: 1. Write up some click-bait title, such as "The one celebrity who
