So, yes, I’m a Dean girl when it comes to choosing between the boys on the CW show, Supernatural, but that doesn’t mean that I detest Sam. I love and adore him quite a lot. He just never seems to lighten up. That is a fact about him that has been extremely apparent over the last couple of episodes.
I don’t know what direction the writers are trying to point us towards, but I personally do not like it all. I am a massive fan of this show and have invested quite a lot into these nine seasons. There have been storylines that I have loved and some that I have detested. Just like my writing classes have beat into my head, one of the most important principles about a story is growth, especially a character’s growth. Nine seasons of a show desperately need to keep this concept at the top of their game plans. Otherwise, why would anyone want to continue to watch that show?
We are currently dealing with the brothers, Dean and Sam, amidst another dispute. We have seen several over the years. With only two main characters, they cannot always be harmonious. There will always be the good and bad times and with this will come the fights. They are to be expected. Because the characters are constantly growing, how these fights are handled should be very different.
Currently we have Sam very upset with his brother for going to extreme measures regardless of right or wrong to save Sam. This has always been an absolute characteristic of Dean. His whole life has been devoted to the protection of his brother. When Dean’s mother was killed, this was what he was tasked with by his father, and it has honestly been the only true purpose Dean has ever had. If there has been one thing to count on with Dean it is he will do everything thing, regardless how blatantly stupid, to save his brother.
So Sam is mad and says he cannot trust his brother. He now doesn’t know how to be a brother to Dean because of Dean’s decision on how to save his brother. Had we had this argument before? Yep. I think fans of the show remember season seven, when Dean killed Sam’s friend Amy. Sam was angry with Dean for killing his friend and for lying to him. Instead of the full season moping we have gotten from the brothers before, the boys dealt with the issue pretty quick, which was refreshing since they are known to drag things out. Dean himself had valid reasons for doing what he did, and Sam seemed to accept it and they moved on.
Now we have a similar situation, but with different terms. Sam is upset that Dean chose to save him by tricking Sam into allowing an angel to possess him in order to heal him from the inside out. Sam had been slowly dying over the course of the eight season due to his pursuit of closing the gates of hell through trials. At the end of the season, Dean told Sam that if he completed his task, he would kill himself in the process. He asked Sam to choose to live. Sam did choose this and ended the trials, unfortunately enough damage was done to Sam’s body that he went into a coma and was dying. Last Dean knew was that Sam wanted to live. He was not privy to Sam’s internal decision to let go and be at peace. Dean did the only thing he has ever known to do since he was four years old. He found a way, a desperate way, but a way to save his brother. Everyone, including Dean himself, knew this was an extraordinarily bad idea, but Dean didn’t have another option. It did turn out to backfire, but his brother is now alive and well.
With Sam now mad, we are basically having the same argument as season seven. The only difference is that Dean agrees that what he did was wrong, he just didn’t feel he had any other choice. Sometimes people do bad things when they believe they are doing the right thing. This a theme we have seen throughout this show, and it is a burden that has been carried on many a character’s shoulder. It has been especially carried by Sam himself. No one can forget how Lucifer got out of the cage.
Yes, I believe what Dean did was wrong and a bad idea, but I also get that he believed he had to do it. I understand why Sam is upset with him, and has every right to feel mad. What I do not accept is the show making Sam look like an angsty tween and continuing to beat the audience’s head over with how upset Sam is. Did Sam just suddenly forget the last five years of his life? The show just had a beloved character come back from the dead and tell the boys to knock it off, because it was stupid. I was relieved when this happened, but infuriated when they had Sam run immediately to his room and shut himself inside to, I don’t know, be alone in the dark and get in touch with his feelings and pain. Thank God they didn’t have Dean follow him. I am sure Sam would have yelled at Dean to get out of his room, and I would have had terrible flashbacks of Dawn from seasons five and six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While Sam has always been the more sensitive brother, this is pretty ridiculous even for him.
This past week’s episode was to bring back the fan favorites, Ed and Harry. The Ghostfacers episode was supposed to be funny, because that is what all Ghostfacer episodes are. This was to be their great return. We haven’t seen them on the show since season four, but the writers felt the need to make an example out of the goofy Ghostfacers and have them mirror what was happening to Sam and Dean, so that we could once again attempt to prove that Sam was terribly wronged. That was when the episode stopped being funny. Unless the show was planning on bringing the Ghostfacers in as a permanent fixture in the world, why would you ever want to make them serious? This is not nor has been their purpose. The poor boys were misused by the writers as a sad plot device. Ed and Harry are better than that.
Now I’m just angry. Angry at a show that knows better than to write their characters this way. Upset that this show would waste several episodes on something that just doesn’t match the characterization that has been developed for Sam. I am annoyed. Sam you need to get over it. Hopefully the writers, will let you. Your brother has been through enough, and honestly couldn’t make it in this world without you. He would have no reason to and wouldn’t know how. It has already been proven. Dean could make it in Purgatory. The rules are simple, kill or be killed, Dean can memorize that easily. Sam has even made a comment when working a prison case how well his brother could fit in with the prison life. That life has strict rules as well. For the real world the only rule book Dean got was given to him by his father, John Winchester, and it only ever had two rules. Number one, keep Sammy safe, and number two, follow John’s orders. Dean continues to live by them now.
Sam needs to stop punishing his brother for his decision. Dean does that enough on his own. As far as terrible things go, it could be worse. Sam could not have someone around who cared that much. Not everyone gets that. He still has a brother, and he needs to stop telling Dean that they are not.
So to the writers I say this. I hope you have a plan for putting your audience through these last few episodes. I hope this will all be a part of something and make sense eventually. Right now, it sure as hell does not. I don’t know who you are trying to convince anymore Dean or the audience, but I am officially over it. The only bright shiny hope I can actually hold on to is the scene where Kevin tells the boys off for their woe. I hope you put that in there for a reason. Just please, please stop this.
Sadly we lost a great man last week, Harold Ramis. Most recognizable for Ghostbusters, many may not realize his true contribution to comedy. His writing and directing credits rival John Hughes, and many of his masterpieces are ingrained in our popular culture.
Below is a sampling of his greatest works. Take some time when you can to revisit some of these classic comedies, and when you do, remember the man that brought them to you. If you have never seen these classics, please do. You are missing out on comedies that continue to shape movies being made today.
Animal House
Considered one of the best comedies ever made and the crowning jewel of National Lampoon’s films, this was Ramis’s first real venture into to Hollywood. Co-written by him in 1978, the movie tells the story of a decrepit fraternity house, Delta house, and the motley crew that call it home. The school Dean has made it his personal mission to remove the ink stain of a fraternity off of his campus to finally claim the clean reputation his school sets out to present. Hilarity ensues as the Delta boys do everything in their power to foil the plans and efforts of the Dean in getting rid of them.
Caddyshack
Partly written and directed by Ramis, this film is considered the best golf comedy ever made. Danny, trying to earn money for his college education, become a caddy at a high end club. With the opportunity of earning a scholarship, Danny is left at the rude and dismissive whims of his superior. After meeting Ty Webb, Danny gets a whole other education and begins to work out what is truly important for him and his future. The laughs are always present between Roddy Dangerfield’s and Bill Murray’s characters. Whether or not you are a golf fan, you can find entertainment in this movie.
Stripes
Not only did Ramis lend his writing talents to this film, but he acted in it as well. This is the story of two friends joining the army for a change in pace. John at least sells this to his friend, Russell. John is not a by the book kind of man and challenges every statute that defines the military. Bill Murray stars with Ramis alongside him in this creative comedy, one of many team ups by the creative duo.
Groundhog Day
Considered one of Bill Murray’s greatest roles, this film was co-written and direcected by Ramis. Phil is tasked with covering the Groundhog Day event for the fourth year in a row. Exceedingly annoyed by this job, he makes no effort to hide it throughout the day. The tables turn on him when he wakes up the next morning to Groundhog Day again. No matter what he does or does not do, he keeps waking up to Groundhog Day and reliving it over and over. He eventually discovers that he has been given the opportunity to make the day right in every way. He just has to figure out how.
Ghostbusters
Any geek or nerd would risk losing some of their reputation if they admitted to not knowing what Ghostbusters was. Not only that, but it has become the movie that keeps on giving for those who grew up in the late 80’s. The movie you may have watched when you were eight is not the movie you watch when you turn eighteen, and yet both are amazing. That is something very hard to achieve. This is another of Ramis’s great acting and writing examples. Three friends working in a university parapsychology department get their grant taken from them and are kicked out with no money or ideas for the next step. They decide to take what they know and turn it into a ghost capturing business. Taken as a joke at first, business starts to boom, spreading the word and popularity of the self-proclaimed Ghostbusters. They soon are tested with the biggest bust of their lives and end up saving the world to do it.
That is just a highlight of some of Harold Ramis’s work. Honorable mentions of his contributions include:
Meatballs
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Back to School
Club Paradise
Armed and Dangerous
Ghostbusters II
Multiplicity
Analyze This
Analyze That
Year One
I say this to Mr Ramis. Your work has brought me continuous laughter and entertainment. You may be at peace now, but your work will live on and continue to inspire me as well as others. Thank you for that.
I may have went to college to hone my skills as a writer, but being an English major means, there is a lot of literature classes that will be assigned to your future semesters. Reviewing and breaking down works of fiction done by others is a major part of the writing process. It is examples of why things work or don’t. The only real choice I had to make to make in my literature courses was to take British literature or American literature course. I went with British, because I was a massive Jane Austen fan.
Oddly, in none of my college or high school courses was I ever required to read any of her novels. That is extremely shocking, I know. I have to wonder if this is the reason why I chose Mansfield Park as my favorite. It was my first exposure, knowingly, and even more shocking, it was the movie at that. My fellow lit alums are probably scandalized by that confession, and understandably so. I say knowingly, because I had been watching the film version of Emma, repeatedly, before Mansfield Park graced the screens. The difference is that my twelve year-old mind never connected with the writer Jane Austen or that Emma was actually hers when I was watching it.
Mansfield Park was an adaption of another of Ms. Austen’s work onto the big screen. The character of Fanny Price just spoke to me. I related to her character in so many ways and still do. I fortunately didn’t have to be removed from my family and sent away to live with my cousins as a friend slash servant because my social status blurred the lines between propriety and family responsibility. I just grew up in a normal household with my normal family, so I had that going for me. Fanny’s situation aside still left this strong willed girl, whose head was filled with imagination. Unfortunately, she still had to be aware of her limitations. She was still expected to play by the rules of society. Society didn’t give her a whole lot of options, but she still had choices. Ignoring the whole “I’m in love with my cousin, Edmund!” thing, Fanny was in love with someone she was not supposed to ever consider because of her social status. She accepted that her love could never be, but she still held on to a tiny sliver of hope. This was more than most women in her time allowed themselves.
Fanny new her place and played by the rules. It didn’t mean that she didn’t look for loop holes or judged and chose by the consequences. Fanny’s uncle had such a high opinion of her when she grew to the age of marriage that he decided to have a coming out ball for her. Fanny may have been in love with Edmund, but she firmly didn’t want to be handed over to some man by her uncle like he was handing over the title to a car. She stuck to her beliefs regardless if that meant she would be forced to go back to poverty.
Fanny does get tempted to fall for the easy choice. She gets an offer of marriage from a man, a charming one at that, who represents everything that she doesn’t believe in. But does Mr. Crawford ever try to woo the poor girl. If I am honest I got a little wooed myself. Even with all of this, she does finally make the right decision in choosing her own beliefs and feelings. She knew she could never love him regardless of the type of man he was, but mainly due to her heart belonging to another. I think she would have chosen a life on her own than to ever settle making me respect her that much more.
This is why Mansfield Park struck such a cord within me. I have always felt like a girl that is aware of her place in the world, but is not willing to sacrifice that which truly makes me who I am in order to satisfy others. My love and devotion for Mansfield Park is understood and accepted, but for other Jane Austen fans, I usually get this response in return, “So Pride and Prejudice is a close second, then.” I am not saying that this is all true of the fandom, but Pride and Prejudice is usually expected to the favorite. If it isn’t, then the acceptance of a close personal bond with one of the other novels, with the exception of Northanger Abbey. That novel is usually considered a four letter word among the Austenites. Not that it is bad, just clearly not a favorite for Austen to have written let alone to read it. When I tell people that I actually prefer another of the novels above the beloved Pride and Prejudice as a second favorite, I get odds looks of disbelief. Even in such a fandom of unified enjoyment and respect, there is a hierarchy.
Persuasion is actually my second favorite, because I am a hopeless romantic and love the story in this novel. Stating this, however, does not diminish my love and feelings for Pride and Prejudice. For her time, Elizabeth Bennett was pretty radical. She was comfortable enough to not follow the social order and beat her own drum. Her sarcasm and wit is enough for any kind of inspiration. I just have my own loves and ways of loving when it comes to Jane Austen. You would not believe how many retellings and Jane Austen inspired novels I have read over the years because that is how much I love it.
For my fellow Austenites, I want to say this. It is okay to love any of the other five novels more than Elizabeth Bennett’s and Mr. Darcy’s romance. It’s okay. Hell, it’s even okay to love Northanger Abbey more. Honestly, if it wasn’t treated like a dirty secret, and I had gotten my hands on it when I was twelve, I probably would have been in love with it just as much as I love Mansfield Park.
Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful novel that is fun and provoking, but Austen was a great writer in general. This carried over to her other novels which were just as good. It wasn’t her first novel nor her last. The woman had a talent that I personally envy. I can only hope that I can write at least one thing as amazing as anything she has.
These are my preferences in order.
Mansfield Park
Persuasion
Pride and Prejudice
Emma
Sense and Sensibility
Northanger Abbey
I must also take a moment to point out that while not all film adaptions are perfect representations of these novels, there are some decent ones.
I recommend the recent BBC adaptation of Emma. I fully believe that this is the best interpretation of any of her novels that has ever been made. They do take liberties at times, but I believe Jane Austen would have approved.
The 90’s BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth is always a favorite, but if you want something a little shorter. The last version with Keira Knightley and Michael Macfadyen is a pretty decent condensed version.
Also I think the 1999 version of Mansfield Park is fantastic.
J K Rowling has recently come out saying that she regrets having Ron and Hermione end up together. She believed that Harry and Hermione should have gotten married. Now for every Harry and Hermione shipper there is an astounding unified whoop and hooray. At this point it is a coulda, woulda, shoulda hope that cannot be taken back.
I like to fancy myself a writer. I certainly have not felt the joys of having anything published and can certainly not fathom the success that Ms. Rowling enjoys, but the regret for any writer is very much a real thing. There have been several stories that I have written that I wished I could change, especially after witnessing the productions of my plays at my old high school. Your work being presented to you in such a manner that is no longer confined to your mind can throw a lot of curves at you. New interpretations can bring to light that which was never conceived before. This is all part of the process.
Once something is presented one way, especially in such a public forum, changing anything is not only extremely complicated but not easily accepted by the masses. Writing may be something that is created by the writer, but once shared with an audience, ownership expands out to them as well. The audience may not be legally entitled to any kind of monetary rights, but they own their interpretations. Artists attempting to go back and change things or sharing their regrets never go over very well.
George Lucas is probably the most famous for attempting to fix or change his beloved work. The tweaks to his original trilogy were thought downright unholy by most of the fandom. The lack of appreciation for his prequels made Lucas slam the door shut on sequels that were proposed when Episode I began production. Lucas, unfortunately, took these harsh fan opinions very personally and scrapped the idea before finishing the prequel trilogy. Since selling the franchise to Disney, the sequels have been made real and are being put into production. The importance of this point? The majority of the fandom still feels the same about the about the entire franchise as they did back when the prequels were made. Now it just seems that Lucas has more confidence in his decisions regardless is the fans support him or not.
This is all to point out again that if you choose to make any kind of change or comments on a body of work that has already been shared with an audience of one or one million outside of your own mind, that audience is entitled to comment and feel about that same body of work in any manner that they please regardless if that opinion is the opposite of the creator. The voice of the audience is a powerful and persuasive tool. It can help change the path of a television show and even change the path of an upcoming sequel. It just cannot change that which has already been made. This is what brings me to Miss Ginevra Weasley.
Rowling’s sentiments of changing who Harry ended up marrying puts in to question the kind of girl he did end up marrying. This regret may have been due to a rumor where Steve Kloves, screenwriter for all of the Harry Potter films, turned to Ms. Rowling and questioned why Harry didn’t marry Hermione. This could be completely untrue, but even with her current second thoughts there is just too much built into the relationships of Hermione and Ron and of Harry and Ginny throughout the series that I am confused by her sudden remorse.
Ignoring the movies, because as amazing as they all are, they do not hold the detail that the pages of the books hold. If it is questioned as to why Harry would marry someone like Ginny with only the films as reference, then I could hold nothing against that. The film version of Ginny, and no I am not talking about the skills of the actress playing her, is pretty flat. I read an article about things J.K. Rowling got wrong, and Harry getting together with Ginny was one of them. The author felt that Ginny had no personality and could only be called nice. This author was even reminiscent of Cho Chang. This isn’t exactly a fair assessment of the redhead, unless you had only seen the films. The novel version of Miss Weasley is much more colorful. I would even say that she is all of the best qualities of her seven brothers all rolled up into one. She’s smart, funny, and feisty. Who doesn’t remember the Quidditch match scene where she purposely flew her broomstick at Zacharias Smith for making terrible remarks about the Gryffindor team?
Two of the things I most admired about Rowling’s writing in the Harry Potter novels is her ability to draw such rich characterization even from the tiniest of parts and her ability to foreshadow throughout the book and from book to book. Rowling just doesn’t make bland characters. The series is written from Harry’s perspective, and we are limited on what we see and what happens because of that. Ginny slowly becomes a part of Harry’s life a little more and more throughout each novel. I am not judging Rowling on her regret by disagreeing with her. I am however confused by this regret.
When I started on the Harry Potter train I had just finished watching the second film after it came out on video. I had friends that had tried to get me to read the books for years but I just never got around to it. That summer I finally decided to sit down and read the series. I binged my way through the first four, finishing only days before the fifth novel came out. I was immediately hooked then. I loved all of the characters and was probably a little more prone to the Weasley clan. The fact that Julie Walters played such and amazing Molly Weasley on the big screen didn’t hurt. I began to notice the youngest Weasley and would keep an eye out for her, especially after her role in the second novel. I started out sympathizing for the poor girl having to grow up and go through puberty with seven older brothers. The twins alone are enough to scare off anyone. Ginny was always there in the novels, and not just as a side note or a passing comment by her brother, Ron, to Harry. She was physically there and noticed by Harry, whether Harry felt it was important or not.
When the fifth novel came out, there was a scene in the hospital after Arthur Weasley was attacked. Harry was being very self-loathing and self-pitying as he was prone to do in this very angsty novel, when Ginny simply has enough and puts him in his place. That was the moment when I added two plus two. Putting together all of the other Harry Potter novels, along with the fifth, I knew that Ginny was going to end up with Harry. She had practically been groomed for him. Harry always wanted to be officially apart of the Wealey family the only other official way of doing this outside of adoption is through marriage. As much as Hermione and Ron have been with Harry through all of the trials and hardships, they could never fully grasp or understand the true evil and fear that was Voldemort. Ginny may not have come into direct contact with the older and more organized version of the Dark Lord, but she met the cunning and enigmatic and very evil teenage version of him, making her the only other person in the entire series that has any possible idea of how Harry feels and what he is going through. Hell, we knew more about Ginny’s boyfriends when she was dating them than we did about Malfoy’s goons. Don’t believe me? Go back and read about the Yule ball. There will be just a little too much information about what Ginny Weasley was doing, then there probably should have been when Harry was supposedly occupied with pining after Cho Chang. The knowledge we have about Michael Corner did mostly come from Ron, but it was there. A couple of talks about the boyfriend would have been enough to show Ron’s annoyance, but why would Rowling continue talking about it in such detail, if it weren’t important.
Hermione and Ron’s romantic relationship didn’t start to fully evolve until the fourth book, but the movies began to hint at that relationship earlier than that. As much as Harry was around Hermione, I don’t believe I ever saw any inkling of possible romantic feelings by Harry towards Hermione. The only time he really saw her as a true girl was when she got dressed up for the Yule Ball. His attention was however quickly diverted to Cho Chang when she arrived after.
I don’t see it. Rowling has clearly been one to say that she knows so much more about the world of Potter outside of the books. She even knew how the story would truly end when she wrote the first one. She may have never guessed what a fabulous on screen version of Hermione Emma Watson would bring to her world or the lack of use that Bonnie Wright’s character would see on screen when Rowling first started creating the Potter world, but the film franchise could have played a large part in her current thoughts. In the end, for an author who is known so well for her foreshadowing and characterization skills, Rowling certainly had to spend a lot of time planning and sorting out the path to have Hermione end up with Ron and Harry with Ginny. It is the only thing that makes sense to me, maybe not others. I feel it was certainly the path that I was intended to take.
Just let Ginny Weasley be and enjoy her much earned happiness with her husband. I personally wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of her bat bogey hexes, besides the fact that I’m sure she could kick any ass that said otherwise. She did survive seven older brother after all.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of guy superheroes that I get excited for. I am salivating as much as the next nerd for the new Captain America movie. I just personally believe that girls can kick ass as well as the next guy. I am a Buffy fan, so this should be no surprise. Allow me to showcase some of my favorites. Some you know, and some you may not.
1. Phoenix –
Whether she’s bad or whether she’s good, Jean Grey’s incarnation or should I say several incarnations of the Phoenix is definitely a wild card for any side that wants to have her in its back pocket. There are two main schools of thought concerning the Phoenix’s origin. The first one, Jean Grey is such a bad ass mutant, or level 5 as they call it, that the Phoenix is actually the name given to her full psychic abilities and persona which had been dampened for Jean’s safety as well as pretty much everyone else by Professor X. This was the version they leaned towards in in the third X-men movie, and honestly not my favorite. The second one is of the Phoenix as a cosmic entity that uses Jean Grey as a host, and has been known to use other characters as well, the most popular being Jean. Not only do her telekinetic and telepathic abilities increase astronomically, but she gains cosmic abilities that can effect anything in the universe at a subatomic level as well as manipulate life and death like she’s changing nail polish colors. Cosmic powers pretty much trump most in a fight, but Jean has to take a page out of the Hulk’s book otherwise she just might destroy the universe during her next tantrum. Did I mention she’s been known to eat stars when she’s feeling peckish?
http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1009496/images_featuring_phoenix#0-22704
2. Captain Marvel –
Carol Danvers has held many aliases over the years, her most notable being Ms. Marvel. Don’t let her name changes cloud the fact that she is one tough lady. She was formerly a pilot in the Air Force and worked as special ops for the branch after being captured and tortured during a flight test that crashed. When I say tortured, they beat the mess out of the poor woman. Injuries and all she managed to escape and deal out some payback. Why is this detail so important? This happened before she got superpowers. Ms. Marvel #32 is rough to read, but solidifies her as a badass. Due to an explosion of an alien Kree device, Carol is given powers. She can fly, has super strength, and can absorb energy, throwing it right back as a weapon. Unfortunately over the course of her life, she was kidnapped by the alien race, the Brood, tortured and experimented on turning her into the entity Binary. There was also that run-in with Rogue who held onto her just a little too long and permanently absorbed her powers and memories, leaving her in a coma. She eventually wakes up and regains her abilities, but not her memories. After all of that she fell victim to alcoholism, which honestly isn’t surprising with everything that’s happened to her. She did eventually sober up, and even had Tony Stark as her sponsor. She is currently flying under the name of Captain Marvel in honor of the original and deceased Captain Marvel. She once again becomes victim to amnesia due to her recent self-sacrifice to save New York and the world. She is definitely one awesome lady and one I hope to see on the big screen.
3. Spider-Woman-
Jessica Drew has a couple of versions in the Marvel universe, but the most recent and well know version makes the original look like a girl scout. Jessica got her powers in the womb after her mother is exposed to an experiment on spiders. As a child, she begins displaying similar powers to the spider, such as the ability to climb up walls and an energy, venom blast coming from her hands. During a fight between her father and mother, Jessica blasts her father in order to save her mother, but the strain makes the child pass out, only to wake up from some kind of stasis as an older teenager in the welcome arms of HYDRA. She is manipulated by the organization and turned into a weapon. She eventually discovers the treachery and does a little soul searching before becoming an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury, who has her become a double agent and sign up for HYDRA as well. I would say that she becomes and Avenger during this time also, but Jessica became the chosen form for the Skrull queen during their invasion of Earth because of her ties to both organizations. Jessica never made it past her recruitment of HYDRA being taken and help captive until her escape from the Skrulls along with several other heroes that were captured. She does fully join the Avengers team after her return becoming one of their most valuable characters.
4. Storm –
Growing up watching the X-Men cartoon, Storm was just the pure impersonation of class to me. Her ability to control the weather was unquestionably formidable, but it was her clear and level mind that was often the voice of reason for the team when Professor X was not around made me admire her. She did break at times losing her temper and control over her powers every once in a while. She could be rendered useless when her severe claustrophobia attacked. The woman has a past as well. She was homeless as a child and turned to thievery to survive. When her powers began to emerge, she was treated as a goddess with the tribe in Africa that she was staying with. All were major challenges that shaped the amazingly fierce and balanced woman that she became. As much as I loved Halle Berry playing her in the film, I just don’t think the movie really showcased this important side of her. She was always a wise asset and leader when needed. It was a shame that the film couldn’t show that.
http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1009629/images_featuring_storm#228-35229
5. Rogue –
I was an X-Men fan first due to the 90’s cartoon, and Rogue was the easy choice for my number five. I learned about her living with only her mutant power of absorbing others energies and life forces after the shows ending. At the time I never realized that Rogue didn’t always have Carol Danver’s strength and power of flight her whole life. I was too entertained by her sarcasm and southern charm as she mopped the floor with the bad guys to care. Now I know better, and though the movie version was not the Rogue I wanted, it was the version that is most common. You can’t help but empathize with her over the power she has been known to refer to as a curse on more than one occasion. She can’t touch anyone meaning she can’t have any kind of real or intimate relationship with anyone. Cuddling is high risk with her. Anytime a cure is mentioned, it’s no wonder she’s the first one to jump. Even though I was bummed to hear Anna Paquin’s scenes in the next X-Men film were dramatically cut. I was hoping that we would get a post Carol Danver’s version of Rogue, who is honestly a little handier in a fight. Alas, I guess I’ll just have to wait till the Blu-ray comes out to see those special features.
http://marvel.com/images/gallery/character/1009546/images_featuring_rogue#41-891077
I was in a John Hughes mood tonight, and I wanted to highlight my top ten favorite movies. It was a very sad day when this man passed. I will be forever grateful for what this man has added to my life growing up, and I hope that someday I can achieve something that is close enough to its equal with my own writing. Whether he wrote it or directed it, he practically ruled the 80’s comedy with one tiny finger. He is one of my favorites and his contributions to film will be forever missed.
My Tuesdays were to be exciting this year with the announcement that Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. and Supernatural were going to be airing on the same day. I am just glad that New Girl is online, but I was willing to make that sacrifice for Whedon and my boys. I haven’t been this excited about a Tuesday, since they aired Angel right after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But alas, I am now firmly planted upon the fence that sits between love and loathe when it comes to Whedon’s newest television endeavor.
Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. is kind of a radical concept in film and television. We have had television shows before that were adaptations of a film or simply spinoffs or continuations of one. This show stands out, because it sits outside of the normal film to television construct. It is a spinoff choosing to focus on one of the more important aspects of the Marvel movies that has yet to be fully explored. The presence of S.H.I.E.L.D. is in every Marvel movie that has been made, and now we simply get to learn more about them. But why is that so unique? The world that the show exists in is the very world that the Marvel movies exist in. What happens in this show can effect what happens in Marvel movies to come, and vice versa.
I have yet to see any kind of ripples from the show make it into the movies, but that is okay for now. It isn’t a device that should be taken lightly or overused. It will take away from making the show its own. What the series is currently developing into its own is what I am having issues with. Being that it is the first season, which can be rough for any new show, and that it is a Whedon production are the only two reasons I am honestly sticking around to see what happens.
When any new television show is being introduced my first question to ask is could this show be interesting for five seasons. It doesn’t mean that a show will get five seasons, but it has to move forward. This question only needs a yes or no answer and should be found in the very first episode. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. clearly defined its intentions in its first episode as a specially assigned group of people out to find the extraordinary, a concept vague enough to be answered in hundreds of ways throughout five seasons.
Then we have to have people to care about and connect with, a reason to continue to tune in weekly. We already have Coulson, a beloved character from the films. His familiarity brings us in along with the question of his mere existence, since the last time we saw him was his death scene. Unfortunately, one man cannot do the show by himself. He has to have some kind of support, which comes in the shape of his chosen team.
Now we have a cast that is mostly new to fans and needs to be developed. We also have a beloved character whose questionable existence cannot be answered immediately or the draw of the show will be lost. We also have well known superheroes that exist in the world and could very well pop up. Everyone would love to have Tony Stark constantly barge in and irritate the S.H.E.I.L.D. agents, but how would we get a chance to care about the show and continue watching it on the episodes he did not. While I assume and hope that these characters will make appearances in the show it will be rare and only for exceptionally big events. Outside of quick cameos by Maria Hill and Nick Fury, cameos that honestly couldn’t really be avoided too long considering their place in the organization, the show has only made well placed comments or dealt with connected issues concerning the characters and movies like the quick opening scene cleaning up the mess in England left over by Thor after the events in the second film.
The show has really done a great job not leaning on these easy tactics that would guarantee instant viewers. It has been focusing on building the characters. Unfortunately, that is all it has been doing, and we only really know half of them. The problem I have with the season so far is a clear overall focus. Yes, we have had to track down relics and stop them from getting into the wrongs hands in each episode, but there is yet to be a clear pull that we are looking forward to being resolved or flipped over by the end of the season. Not only is it unclear, but there could be more than one avenue they choose to follow from what has been aired so far. Being halfway through the season, we should have some idea by now.
Does this mean that there is no hope left for this show? Absolutely not. It could very well be suffering from common first season afflictions, where shows test out characters and plot devices trying to latch onto those that work and remove that which does not. We as an audience play a massive role in what happens, because believe or not writers and creators do listen to the audience. They are not going to give you full creative control, but they are very aware that if you don’t watch, they can’t keep making the show. We are very powerful when it comes to our favorite televisions shows. If they didn’t listen to us, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Castiel from Supernatural would have only been in one or two episodes. We are the reason they had many more.
What I am hoping for in the last half of this season is a direction of what is going to carry us to the end. If this happens, then I guarantee one hell of a cliffhanger that will force us back for season two’s premier. I want this show to succeed. As a comic book fan, S.H.I.E.L.D. was everywhere, meaning this show has so many stories to tell. It is not closed off to one teenager’s hard realizations about responsibility. They have full access to all of the possible stories from the comic world as well as being completely believable with anything new they come up with. Because of this, there is no reason for this show not to succeed. As a Marvel fan and a Whedon fan I will probably hang on regardless of quality till the end, because I am loyal. I just don’t want that to be the only reason.
We all know about the big ones coming out like the new Marvel movies, but there might be a few gems heading to the theaters that may not get the hype or publicity as the big guns. Here is a list of some that look interesting for the coming first half of the year. Sadly, some of these may not have the strength to make it to a theater near you, but you should still keep an eye on their release to video.
The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box
This is the story of a boy searching for his family, unknowing that this journey will lead him straight through unimaginable monsters and evil believed only as legend. This is based on the novel by G.P. Taylor titled Mariah Mundi: The Midas Box.
http://www.fandango.com/theadventurer:thecurseofthemidasbox_169401/movieoverview
Knights of Badassdom
Basically, it is LARPing gone bad. Three best friends try to make their experience as real as possible and end up truly raising a little bit a hell in the process. The trailer doesn’t lead to much of what the film is actually about beyond highlighting the cast. Names like Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwaten, Summer Glau, and Peter Dinklage are what give this movie some consideration, but in the end it may not be enough to carry it. This is one of those movies that has no middle ground. It will either be epic or completely horrible.
http://www.fandango.com/knightsofbadassdom_146712/movieoverview
A Fantastic Fear of Everything
A former children’s author turned crime novelist forces himself into paranoia after researching various Victorian serial killers. It looks to be a quirky one, but I was sold at Simon Pegg.
http://www.imdb.com/rg/s/4/title/tt2006040/?ref_=ext_shr_eml_vi#lb-vi3374490393
The Monuments Men
During World War II, a military outfit is sent out to retrieve stolen works of art and masterpieces from the Nazis. What makes this even more intriguing is that it is based on a true story.
http://www.fandango.com/themonumentsmen_161603/movieoverview
The Grand Budapest Hotel
I should probably point out that this is a Wes Anderson film. In my experience, people are either fans of his movies, or they are not. This is the story of a concierge and his life at the hotel and with those he meets. I am clearly not doing the quick synopsis justice, but Wes Anderson films are random, which is the draw. You never really know what’s going to happen. I am personally excited for it.
http://www.fandango.com/thegrandbudapesthotel_168547/movieoverview
Muppets Most Wanted
Yes, I know Disney will do its fair share of publicity for this movie, but I feel it will always need more. As long as tickets sell at the box office, they will continue to make them. A Muppets fan can’t argue with that logic. This newest installment has a Kermit lookalike switching places with our favorite green frog and trying to use the Muppets and the theater to achieve his nefarious plans.
http://www.fandango.com/muppetsmostwanted_161864/movieoverview
Transcendence
A scientist has made great advancements in A.I., so much that he is now confident that he can map any human brain into a computer. People fearing the dangers of such an advancement attack the scientist with radiation leaving him to die slowly. If an effort to save him, his brain is mapped into a computer.
http://www.fandango.com/transcendence_163447/movieoverview
Just twelve days in for my thirtieth year, and my life has taken one of the most amazing, mind blowing turns I ever could have imagined. Not really, the most exciting thing I accomplished today was doing household chores. The magical transition into thirty didn’t change anything that I thought it would, and honestly, that’s really okay.
When I turned twenty-nine last year, I began to panic a bit looking at my life knowing that it was nowhere near where I had imagined it to be. Thirty to me was a milestone, a point in my life where things should have been figured out. I had started a list of what needed to be done, so that maybe the last six years have meant something. I needed to become completely independent and get my own place. I needed to get a car that wouldn’t constantly fall apart on me. I wanted to finally finish the first draft of the damn novel that I have been trying to write for the past three years. I also put “maybe start dating” on the list, but for those who know me very well know that dating has never really been a concern for me ever. I just thought that I was supposed to have some kind of headway in that department by thirty.
I didn’t get everything figured out in time for my birthday, but I did hit a few. I did manage my own place and had a reliable vehicle thrust upon my person regardless of want, but these really only happened in the last couple of months. The novel is still sitting in the early stages awaiting real time for me to commit to it. As for dating, not so much. When I woke up the day after my birthday, I realized that it all didn’t really matter. I am pretty happy in general with who I am and where I’m at. It is by no means perfect. I want to write full time, but since it doesn’t pay the bills yet, I have to work. The dating thing has never been something that I have felt the need for. I’ve always felt that if it happens then it will. In the meantime I have things to do.
Those I guess would be the things that people would probably point their finger at me for and try to call me a failure. I could get called out on those or my weight or even my nerd tendencies. As responsible as I strive to be and feel I am, I am a very much a kid at heart. I believe that it balances me. If I wasn’t I would probably not be any fun for anyone. The flip side of that coin is that I could be considered immature because I still watch cartoons or that I wear t-shirts with comic book characters on them. We as people need this kind of fun to balance out the responsibility. Being too serious and over worked is hard on a person’s system, and mindlessly indulging the inner child at all times doesn’t allow for any growth. Thus you need to find the balance.
My parents recently came to visit, and my mother wanted to take me out and get a few things for my apartment for Christmas. I told her that I wanted a doormat, a shelving unit, and a clock. Pretty practical, right. Well when we got to the clocks I choose a Star Wars clock that has the original Star Wars cover as the main canvas of the clock. My mother checked, as she always does, if I was sure that I wanted it, and I said yes. I didn’t want a boring clock. I wanted something that would make me smile when I looked at it. My mother may have made a different choice for herself, but she knows that this is how I work. With a slight shake of her head and an amused smile on her face the place the clock in the cart.
Thirty isn’t scary, nor is it really any different from any other month I’ve lived through this year. I didn’t have to throw out my Buffy DVD’s or sign up for an online dating site in order to immediately get married and have children. There is no specified plan for this particular age. I am still me and don’t foresee it changing anytime soon, and least of all for some silly number. I am still a nerd girl and damn proud of that. Thirty-one isn’t going to change that either. I will continue to plan on being me. I really should have never questioned it in the first place. I perceived an expectation from society, and it just doesn’t work for me. I have no business trying to force myself into a mold that I have long decided was not for me. You know what I bought to commemorate this momentous birthday? No fancy jewelry for this girl. No, I bought myself a photo op with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki at the next Supernatural convention. How’s that for thirty and nerdy?
I cannot believe that it has been ten years since Love Actually graced the big screen. My first thought when I heard this was that I was getting old. My second thought was how I was barely at the legal drinking age when it came out, which is sad, because I feel alcohol can be a necessity when it comes to this movie and how you are feeling when you watch it. So this little movie has been around for ten years, and I have probably watched it at least that many times if not ridiculous amounts more.
The movie is not specifically about Christmas, but it does take place during the holiday season. It has become a tradition to watch it every holiday and just maybe more if the mood strikes me. If this isn’t a film jingling out evenly time songs about the winter festivities, then what is the movie about? It is about love, actually. Pun sooo intended.
For those who have not seen this film, I will apologize about spoiling anything. It is not my focus to do this, but it will probably happen. In my defense, we are celebrating the decade run of this film, so it’s been around. I say this knowing that there are still quite a few of you that have not seen Love Actually. Hopefully by the end of this little rant, you will give it a chance. Let it be known, as fun loving and sweet as this movie can be, it is not for younger audiences, a fact that is quickly highlighted in the first ten minutes. Do not let the little ones watch this. There is strong language and nudity that is not exactly alluded to in the trailers. You have been warned.
This film is a British film, and although it is spoken in a language that we Americans may be able to understand, it is very much a foreign film. It is chocked full with an amazing cast of England’s best and brightest that is only ever in question by the fact that they chose Hugh Grant to play the role of the prime minister, and not Mr. Grant’s casting in general. There may just be a general distaste for politics in the movie altogether when our president is played by Billy Bob Thorton. Both excellent actors, just not who would be pictured running two of the most powerful nations in the world. Being that the movie is British and full of British actors, then you should be warned that the British humor shows up quite a lot as well. I have been told that it can be an acquired taste, so it has been presented for you to do as you wish with. Now on to the fun stuff.
The main theme is love, which is told in a series of smaller vignettes that intertwine between one another severely or loosely as we jump back and forth between them. The important aspects are highlighted within each of these small stories and they are not always the fun side of love. The basics include familial love, puppy love, attraction, growth, lust, friendship, unrequited, loss, and mourning.
As many times as I have watched this movie, I have grown with it. I understand certain aspects more now having gone through them then I did ten years ago. There are still certain feelings that have held true for certain stories every time I watch it. I may have identified with one character or another over several viewings, but I seem to still be closer to the character of Sarah.
Sarah’s story is that she has a crush on her coworker, which is fantastic for her later on when he reciprocates these feelings, unfortunately that’s not why I identify with her, though the man is quite the catch. What makes her story so important is her love for her very mentally sick brother. He is in a home, but calls her at all hours of the day and night. She not only deeply cares for her brother, but feels solely responsible for him. As much as I try to convince myself that I would choose differently based on the logic that nothing will change the situation of her brother if she decides to go from constantly sacrificing herself for her brother’s every need to supporting him fully with his needs but also balancing it with her own, the decision to not choose family is very understandably tough.
There is a scene where Sarah is driven home after a holiday office party by her crush. He had asked her to dance at this party, which is the first real sign of any kind of mutual feelings by him for Sarah. He, as gentlemen do, walks her to the door, and after some adorable awkwardness they share a kiss. This is the moment where all the hopeless romantics cheer, because the supposed impossible, according to Sarah, happened. Because the fine man crush enjoyed himself so much, he happens to invite himself to stay, a suggestion that Sarah is all too ready to agree with. She asks for a minute and does a happy dance out of sight which I did mentally with her. Then comes the part that makes me turn the volume of my potty mouth up to the highest levels.
Eventually Sarah starts to engage in activities that I honestly cannot blame her for one bit, but before anything more serious can take place, her phone rings. Her brother is having a delusion and is frantically seeking her counsel. She quickly calms him down and ends the call, apologizing to her bed fellow. The festivities have only just begun to recover from her delay when the phone rings again. It is the third and final time that the phone rings that gets me riled up as she removes herself completely from the situation with either stupidity or amazing willpower to focus and attend to her brother. I tend to lean towards stupidity as I cuss her out for a good two minutes, neighbors be damned.
I say this, but honestly, I love and adore my family. My closest friends are my family also. I may put them before myself too much at times, but I am a very mothering person. I feel that it is my job to take care of them, whether it actually is or not. That being said, as much as I cuss out poor Sarah for choosing her brother in that moment, I can’t help but wonder if I would choose any differently if it was me. We tend to be harsher on those we see ourselves in.
The other character I tend to relate to is Natalie. She is fresh in what she is doing even though it is clear she hasn’t exactly figured out what that is. My favorite part about her is her personality. She is honest, genuine, and a bit quirky. This may challenge her professionalism as it did in her first meeting with her boss the prime minister, but I love her more for that. I am a bit quirky myself, so I like this girl. She has a bit of a filthy mouth, which I am known for as well, so that is also a bonus for her. One of my favorite parts of this whole film is towards the end when is coming down the staircase to join her family in leaving, and she questions the room, children included, asking, “Where the f@#$ is my f@#$ing coat?” I remember texting one of my best friends immediately after this telling her that we needed to move to England, because we would probably be more appreciated there. She is adorable and real and for some weird reason considered the chubby one. I didn’t get that, and neither did the prime minister. She was young and so was I when I first watch it, so I have always connected with her.
There are many other people to follow, enjoy, or even become disappointed with throughout the progress of the movie. It is a rollercoaster of a film and it does not apologize for it. I have personally fell out laughing, screamed out it in horror, teared up or cried depending on the exact mood, or just radiated with happiness throughout the entire viewing of Love Actually. It has been a wonderful ten years of viewing this film yearly, and still manages to remain fresh. Happy anniversary and thank you for entering my life.
