We went to see the ridiculous, but fun, "21 Jump Street" over the weekend. I was super excited about the latest trailer for "The Avengers." I'm reallllly hoping to see it before BabyO arrives.
I'm a total sucker, I know, but it looks like a great summer romp! Explosions! Superhero team up! Joss Whedon! The only thing I'm still not sure about is Hulk, but I'm not a big fan of the CGI Hulks...
Anyway, fingers crossed that BabyO can stay put at least past May 4th.
I'm not sure I can commit to watching a whole movie tonight -- my attention span has grown more "episodic" in nature of the last few years (thank you, Internet!). However, I do have a few favorite movies I like to watch at this time of year. I can't say they are, you know, Oscar worthy or anything, but they amuse me.
So on this Hallow's Eve, enjoy a few clips.
Army of Darkness
I love the Evil Dead movies, and absolutely adore Bruce Campbell, and try to catch most everything from Sam Raimi (also, brother Ted). While Army of Darkness is utterly ridiculous, it is a campy good time. Several years ago, we got to see Bruce Campbell and Army of Darkness at a Santa Cruz movie theater for an abbreviated re-release tour (I'm assuming among college campus type areas). I'd forgotten about this event until now, but wow, was that awesome. Seriously, don't be surprised to see that I name my first born "Ash" -- Yes, I am that kind of geek.
PS - You can catch Bruce in the TV show Burn Notice, where he continues to maintain the awesome. Oh, and pick up a copy of "If Chins Could Kill" -- such a good time!
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Another long-time favorite. I recall seeing this movie in college, oh-so-long ago and being blown away by both the visual artistry of Tim Burton and amazing music throughout. Danny Elfman has such a rich, smooth voice as Jack singing. Beautiful. In all these years, I never knew who played Sally; turns out it is Catherine O'Hara (thanks IMDB).
I used to work in a comic book store, and we would often play Nightmare either on VHS or laser-disk (look at me, showing my age), and all the store staff would sing along to most every song. Yes, that geeky -- shocking, I know for employees of a comic book store.
What's interesting about this movie is that it wasn't a big moneymaker when it came out, but by the 10th anniversary, it became a cultural touchstone. I blame Hot Topic. Actually, I'm thrilled because this means I still find really cool Nightmare memorabilia and collectibles. Disney used to have a special Nightmare line at Halloween - do they still?
Sleepy Hollow
Certainly not the best movie ever, but it is Tim Burton (again) and Johnny Depp (!!). Depp stars as "Constable" Ichabod Crane, and is very steampunk-esque before that was a thing. I particularly love his glassicals.
"We have murders in New York without benefit of ghouls and goblins..."
Blade
This one is kind of gratuitous, but the beauty of having a blog is that I can indulge myself. The opening scene of this movie has to be one of the most badass for the genre. I love the vampire club, with the pulsing techno in an industrial warehouse of some kind -- so very late 90's. I remember hearing this song a few times, and finding myself glancing up at the ceiling, waiting for the blood to start dripping out of the ceiling. (clip is NSFW)
Blade is technically a Marvel superhero, and I love that they kept this story dark and gritty, rather than trying to make it "accessible" and mainstream. No sparkly vampires here. I know Wesley Snipes has had some "troubles" recently, but I think he makes a great Blade. And Stephen Dorff as vampire Deacon Frost! Bonus points for Kris Kristofferson as grizzled ol' Whistler.
Ooooh, this move theme is fun! Maybe a horror theme for tomorrow?
More images coming out from upcoming Marvel movies. Just wait - the next week will be ridiculous for this kind of stuff.
This time, it is Anthony Hopkins as Odin, from Thor (via The Beat).
I know they've "re-worked" some of the costuming on this one, but I tend to agree with the other bloggers and comments that it all looks a little too plastic-y. How can the armor in 300 be so right, but this feel so wrong? (Totally disregard that these are completely different historical periods. These are not the droids you are looking for...) However, I dig the hair and the beard.
According to Variety online, Matthew Vaughn is set to direct the next installment of X-Men, a prequel entitled "First Class." The LA Times reports that "the movie basically hits reset on the franchise by going back to the twentysomethings who became the superheroes we later knew."
The film is scheduled to start shooting this summer and is planned for release next summer (June 2011). Summer schedule is already looking packed for next summer with another Mission Impossible and Pirates of the Caribbean, plus Thor all set to release around the same time.
Any thoughts on casting? I'm hoping for some unknowns myself...
It's all moving so quickly! Bets on when we'll see a trailer? Thanksgiving, maybe? Xmas?
While we are all getting amped up about the Iron Man 2 release in a couple days, the first image of Chris Hemsworth as Thor was released late last week. The Thor movie is scheduled for release about this time next year, and with the summer movie season pretty much starting this weekend, it's certainly time to start rolling out any promos that are ready. Also better see Thor-something in San Diego. It's about 2.5 months out now, and all these posts are getting me psyched!
Oh yeah, check out Thor:
He appears to have that Northern European thing going on, so that's a good start. I'll have to consult with some other geeks on what Thor stories to read before the movie next year; I'll admit I wasn't a big Marvel girl, so I'm behind on the whole God of War thing. Feel free to suggest TPs in comments.
I'll admit it, I'm a slacker. Some days I'm more motivated than others. And right now, work is dominating any part of motivation I might have. But I'm hoping as summer approaches, and we get closer to Comic-Con that I will be inspired by new geeky products/movies/tidbits/etc.
So in that vein, I present to you this amazing "tidbit" (I like that word -- it reminds me of "Timbit" the small doughnut holes from Canada's Tim Horton's. Yummm.)
A few weeks back, io9 posted a gallery of "25 Reasons to Get Excited about Comics this Spring." Most of the gallery focuses on upcoming superhero comic titles and their summer push. But there was one thing that really jumped out at me: Dazzler #1!!! What the hell?! And the description is even more intriguing:
A parental-advisory Dazzler one-shot in which she battles Dr. Doom (among other supervillains).
You had me at "parental advisory" which is close to a rated R in comics. Boo-ya.
In case you don't know Dazzler, or have somehow forgotten, Wikipedia reminds us that Dazzler was created WAY back in 1980 as part of the X-men universe, as part of a partnership between Marvel and Casablanca Records. Described as "a mutant with the ability to convert sound vibrations into light and energy beams" who "was originally commissioned as a disco singer, the character shifted to other musical genres, including rock and adult contemporary."
How could the kids not love a comic book character like Dazzler? If I'd known about Dazzler as a young girl, I would've been inspired -- a female superhero who's power originates through her singing and dancing? Fantastic!
I might need to go to my local Comic Book Guy and take a peek at this one...
Sandcastles & Succulents: Exploration of research, creativity and contemplations of interesting bits and bobs.
Undercover Geek Girl: This was my effort to channel all those useless thoughts and nerdy interests in one place.
