I went to see MIB: International last week, partially to celebrate getting a pay raise at work, partially because I will watch literally anything with Tessa Thompson. All three previous Men In Black movies are cherished in my family, and have been since we saw the first one in theaters back in 1997. We still quote them endlessly. Yes, all of them, although the first is a definite favorite.

So I approached the new entry with equal parts excitement and trepidation. It was . . . fine. I laughed out loud a fair few times. I liked most of the characters. The plot was straightforward and easy to follow, no surprises really, but it was fun. So yeah, it was fine. About on par with the other two sequels, but not going to overtake the original in a hurry. Pretty much what I expected. It was also one of the most sparsely attended opening nights I've been to in a while.

My overall impression can accurately be summed up with this awkward thumbs-up GIF:


Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson exchanging thumbs-up, her with a slightly pained expression.
Source.

( Let me explain. . . )

(Cross-posted to rhoda_rants.)

I'm only six episodes in, but I can't hold it back any longer: I need to gush about The Umbrella Academy.

"The Umbrella Academy | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix" (Watch on YouTube)

In sharp contrast to my experience with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I actually have read the comics this time. There are currently three out of a projected eight graphic novels in Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá's Eisner-winning series. The first volume, "Apocalypse Suite," is the basis for the Netflix show's storyline so far. And guys, I am trying to curb my squee somewhat for the sake of decorum, but I am more excited about this series than possibly anything else that is happening this year.

( I think we're alone now... )

The Final Four! First, I want to send out a huge thank-you to everyone who participated in the polling process. It was a new experience for me, and I think it would go smoother once I have a better handle on exactly how to rank things. All things considered, I feel good about the way this countdown turned out. I hope you've all enjoyed reading my thoughts on these episodes as much as I've enjoyed watching and recapping them.

Without further ado, here is the final batch, numbers 10 through 13!

( Hell is just Heaven for bad people. )

Everyone take care of yourselves this coming Halloween. And if you're in the US, VOTE!

(Cross-posted to rhoda_rants.)

Greetings! It's been a Hell of a week. Who could use a spooky, fandom-centered distraction? I sure could. So here I am with the next part of the Top 13 Scariest Who episodes! Now we're getting into the less obvious shoo-ins for a list like this, the ones that actually needed to be tallied and arranged after consulting the greater fandom. Well, at least those in the greater fandom who responded to my polls. (Speaking of, random shout-out to the one person who actually voted for "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" which did not end up making the cut--I see you, and I appreciate you!)

As before, there will be mild spoilers for the following episodes, although I will not give away the actual endings. Also, as a courtesy, I haven't seen the new one yet, so please don't spoil that for me. Also-also, by pure coincidence, these are all Steven Moffat episodes this time.

Onward!

( What's that footstep following, but never passing by? )

Next time: picks 7 through 9. See you then!

This is one of those movies that puts us reviewer types in the agonizingly difficult position of wanting praise it, but not spoil it, because many of the talking points are huge reveals best experienced if you go in cold. I am not going to spoil anything beyond the basic plot summary, but I will say this: No matter how prepared you think you are, you're wrong.

Watch on YouTube

( Read more... )

You know, it's not all roses being an internet reviewer. Often, you can guess at least a little how you're going to feel about a piece of media. If you're going into fangirl mode, you scrounge up presale money and plan outfits for opening weekend. Or, if you suspect it's going to grab you by the throat and give you nightmares, you mentally steel yourself until you feel like you can take it in without it overwhelming you. The thing is, this doesn't normally happen in the same movie.

Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 was a curve ball. On April 27, I wore my Captain America shirt all day, and went to the movies right after work. By the time I was driving home I was stunned. I spent most of the weekend buried in fix-it fics and yelling "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REVIEW THIS?!?!" into the void. Then I said to myself, "Lady, you somehow found a way to review Darren Aronofsky's mother! and finish it in time to have it published in the April edition of Belladonna Horror Magazine. You can handle a spoiler-free review of a superhero blockbuster movie for your DreamWidth blog."

Can I though, world? CAN I?

( No Spoilers )

Because apparently this is my new yearly ritual for Women In Horror Month! If you missed my ten-year retrospective from last year, follow this tag. My barometers (that I almost never stick to rigidly, but it helps me focus) are: grossed $25 million or higher domestically by the end of the previous year, and starring a female protagonist. I also include an “honorable mention” of the next movie down on the box office gross. My source for the numbers is BoxOfficeMojo.com.

If a movie is in (parentheses) it means I haven’t seen it yet and/or can’t tell from the marketing or trailer if the protagonist is a woman.

For this year, I’m including sci-fi thrillers as well as straight-up horror movies because it was a pretty cool year for genre films in general, especially with female protagonists, and I want to talk about alllll of them! Also, instead of doing capsule reviews like I did before, I’m going to focus on a different movie in each post. We’ll see how many I can get through before the end of the month. Let’s DO THIS!!

Ghostbusters - $128.4 million
The Conjuring 2 - $102.5
Arrival - $90.8 million
(Don’t Breathe) - $89.2 million
(The Purge: Election Year) - $79 million
10 Cloverfield Lane - $72.1 million
Lights Out - $67.3 million
(The Shallows) - $55.1 million
(Passengers) - $45.3 million
(Nerve) - $38.6 million
(The Boy) - $35.9 million
(Ouija: Origin of Evil) - $35 million
(When the Bough Breaks) - $29.8 million
The Forest - $26.6 million
The Witch - $25.1 million
Honorable mention: (Blair Witch) - $20.1 million

So, remember back during the summer when everyone was convinced that the Ghostbusters remake was going to be some kind of colossal failure? And after it came out, there were all these think pieces trying to explain why no one was watching it and how reviews were lukewarm and it was okay but not that great? Well, I dunno what your personal experience was with this movie, but GUESS WHAT? It’s not only topping the list, it’s topping it at more than $25 million ahead of the next-highest place on the list. BOO-YAH! Emphasis on the “BOO!”


Abbie and Holtzmann doing their happy high-five dance

The other thing I saw mentioned--and this was the case in my theater too--was the number of little girls in the audience who were super excited to be there. The upcoming generation now has something I never had growing up: an all-female team of superheroes to look up to. And that is rad as Hell. Making a version of Ghostbusters with all women means something to me, and to the kids seeing this movie as their first exposure to the franchise. It's not just about the brand, or the Hollywood remake machine, or the nostalgic craze for the 80s and 90s that's permeating All The Things right now. This is a movie with a team of women, all in their thirties and forties, all unmarried and childless, who are struggling financially but uniquely intelligent and driven to do some good in the world, none of whom have any romantic entanglements whatsoever, who are never ogled by either the camera or any of the other characters at any time, who come to their big, climactic battle scene dressed in loose-fitting tan jumpsuits, sensible shoes, and their hair tied back.

For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a movie I can point to full of role models that I don't need to defend or justify in any way. The fact that this is rare enough to comment on is a bit sad--as is my understanding that there are still way too many people who were left out here representation-wise. What I'm trying to say is we female geeks have been taking whatever scraps the world sees fit to throw at us for decades. Still, given how often I've gotten my hopes up and been disappointed in the past, I'm clinging to this movie like a lifeline. Despite its flaws. I didn't know how much I needed it until we were driving home and I was still beaming like a fool. Every time I’ve watched it since then, I love it just a little bit more.

Fellow geeks, it has been a good year for us. This is the sixteenth movie I made an effort to see in theaters in 2016. (I'm going to list the rest of them in a Year End Review post in a couple weeks; watch this space.) However, this year was rough in just about every single other way. I'm not going to talk politics on this blog. Not because I don't have an opinion or don't think it's important, but because I am still struggling to find the right words. If you know me, you don't need me to explain why living in America right now feels like wading through quicksand. But then, when I saw this recut trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, I wept:

After wandering through the 'net chatter elsewhere, I've discovered this wasn't an uncommon reaction. So now, after finally seeing the movie, let's talk about why we all needed Rogue One.

( I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me. )

So guys! There's a new Star Wars movie coming out. As you may have noticed, I'm neglecting this blog badly. Ahem. But the reason is I've been running three--count 'em, three--separate review marathon series elseweb, and had to let something go. Anyway, we're approaching game time for The Force Awakens (yes, I have my tickets already OF COURSE), and I recently realized I have seen more movies this year than I have collectively in the past five--half of them in theaters. Why is that? Are movies especially awesome this year for some reason? Is there more big-budget, explodey-things fare that demands to be seen on the big screen? Have I found a larger number of real-life people who aren't my mom to go to movies with, instead of waiting for the DVD like I usually do?

A bit of all those things, but what I want to talk about today is this: Today's heroes are a little different from the heroes I grew up with. They're more flawed, more relateable, and more diverse. Funny thing, because most of the people playing heroes onscreen right now? Grew up at the exact same time I did.

Disclaimer:
I'm going to allow SPOILERS for The Force Awakens and all other films mentioned in the comments, and I won't be marking them because that tag is freaking impossible. But there will be none in the post itself.

( Read more. . . )

Episode IV: From Farm Boy to Rebel Fighter (A New Hope)

Hey guys! As I mentioned before, I'm doing the Ernist Rister order for this rewatch. Since it's numbered weird, I'll list "Part X" in the title to indicate where I am in the rewatch, list the "episode" number in a sub-heading, and do a wrap-up summary of "The Story So Far" each time to keep from getting lost. There will be Unmarked Spoilers all over the place, so tread carefully if you're one of the few people who hasn't seen these movies.

I'm also rereading the novelizations of all six movies, in the same order, at the same time. I've read them before except for The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars, so what I'm hoping is I'll be able to share more background stuff that wasn't in the movies, comment on how things change when they're added back in with the re-edits of the original trilogy, and how it affects the characters' journeys. For this entry, I'm gonna focus on our establishing character moments by looking specifically at two of them: Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.

Yes, I'm watching the re-edits this time, because I have Points to make regarding story structure, pacing, and character development. Also, I cheated and watched the theatrical version of A New Hope beforehand. Oops. But what's interesting about that is, since it's been almost twenty years since I watched the director's cuts of any of these movies, I'm looking at it sort of fresh. There was a lot that I'd forgotten about the re-edits and exactly how things changed, and while it's extremely disorienting the first time you see it--rather like someone has invaded all your childhood memories and rearranged the furniture when you weren't looking--it's actually not that bad. Well, not this one anyway.

Let's do this!


(Image taken from Giphy.)

The Story So Far:
Young Luke Skywalker, after stumbling across a mysterious plea for help from the beautiful Princess Leia, gets tangled up in the Rebellion against the Empire. In the process, he loses his only family--his aunt and uncle, who raised him--but befriends Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, space pirate Han Solo and his co-pilot Chewbacca, and the captured Leia . . . only to discover Leia can pretty much rescue herself. Because she's awesome. He witnesses Kenobi's murder by Darth Vader, the Sith Lord who also killed his father (or so he's been told), and joins the Rebellion. Finally, after the rest of his strike team is killed or incapacitated, he (with Han's help) destroys the Death Star battle station and is welcomed back as a hero. Vader, however, survives.

( Meet Your Heroes... )

(Cross-posted to rhoda_rants.)