The Avengers

WHOA!

Seriously, that is the best way I know how to say how totally awesome this movie was. I’ve been waiting on pins and needles ever since Nick Fury walked into Tony Stark’s life (in a frequently missed post credit sequence) and I have to say that Joss Whedon, the cast, and crew do not disappoint.

I don’t want to give anything away, so I’m not going to reveal any plot points or drop spoiler bombs but I do want to say that if anyone had any doubts about so many Marvel characters in one movie possibly cramping the story’s style: don’t. The entire character list was all handled well, everyone got screen time, none of it wasted or gratuitous. Everyone, literally, had a part to play in a pitch perfect story. All in all, I felt that all the actors filled (or refilled) their roles nicely.

Speaking of which, I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of Mark Ruffalo but he was excellent as Bruce Banner/Hulk and brought exactly the right touch of nerdy pathos to a part that has been tough to cast. I couldn’t do my overly gushy girl nerd squee review without give Mr. Ruffalo a nod for far exceeding my expectations in the part.

Iron Man is still my fave. I will always lay it down for Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark/Iron Man. I think he had most of the best lines in the movie. Chris Evans has been surprisingly awesome as Captain America and really makes you love this guy with the huge (if constantly broken) heart who just wants to do the right thing. I would really like to see more of the Black Widow/Hawkeye partnership; the back story that we see for these two in The Avengers is intriguing and hints at a long and storied history.

I missed a few people but, like I said… NO SPOILERS! It is action packed, has an awesome story, a truly despicable villain, and pretty much rocked my socks off from start to finish! You’ll just have to see for yourself… If you haven’t already! As for me?

I plan on seeing it again.

And again.

And again!

Thankfully, it’s a warm, sunny start to our week here in Seattle and the outlook for the day seems good from where I’m sitting. I hope you have a decidedly un-Monday like Monday. Until next time!

Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey is a Masterpiece Classic show that plays on PBS. A lot of my fellow design bloggers are gaga over this show, they love everything about it from plot to production design. So, while I was at my sister’s house last week, I decided to check out the episodes that were available on Netflix.

It was a little slow getting into it but by the second episode I was hooked. The setup is that an aristocratic English family whose estate is entailed. They have arranged a marriage between their oldest daughter and the nearest male relation, a cousin that we find out has died in the sinking if the Titanic. With his death, the families hope of retaining the estate, money, and title goes out the window. The show takes off from there.

This is a very well produced, written, and acted upstairs, downstairs drama with The family and their staff is wonderfully played some very fine actors, including the venerable Maggie Smith. It’s a delight to watch the interactions between the different social strata during a time with classic was a very important consideration in social circles. It seems the production team has made a real effort to get period details right.

Only seven episodes were available on Netflix, so I didn’t see the whole first season but I’m definitely looking forward to checking out the rest of this series… As I told one of my blogging buddies, “OK, OK! I get it!”.

The second season is airing now on PBS and as I mentioned before, the first seven episodes of season one is available to stream on Netflix. I totally recommend it if you’re the type that likes period dramas, you won’t be disappointed!

I hope you’re all having an awesome Monday. See you tomorrow!

Haywire

I saw this movie on Friday (followed by Underworld: Awakening) and I liked it… for the most part. Mallory Kane (played with wooden aplomb by Gina Carano) has been double crossed by her employer/ex-boyfriend, Kenneth (Wide eyed faux innocence and easy charm? Could it be anyone other than Ewan McGregor?). Being the bad*ass name taker that she is, of course she’s going to get even.

That’s the downfall here: you know you’re getting a B grade revenge action film from the start. What makes it remotely interesting are the delight with which the all male cast (aside from Carano) throws itself into harms way (again, Carano) and the absolutely brutal way in which she dishes out that harm. Another reviewer wrote that when you see her dishing out mayhem on screen it’s more believable than watching an Angelina Jolie or Zoe Saldana do the same. There is a case for that. Carano is no waif; when she was hitting Michael Fassbender in one scene, I winced for him very time she made contact.

If she’d been a better actress she might have carried the movie. A truly bad*ass chick’s fighting chops are just not enough to do it. See it at a matinee if you’re a hardcore action junkie otherwise wait until it comes out on video.

White Collar

I’ve been out of the loop as far as TV watching is concerned. The last year saw me with nothing but a Netflix disc only subscription and no cable. Not that I’m complaining, I’m not much of a TV watcher anyway. Since I’ve been staying at my sister’s this past week, I’ve been able to check out some movies and TV shows I’ve been interested in seeing. One of those shows is White Collar, a USA Network show.

The show stars the swoon worthy Matt Bomer as convicted con artist, Neal Caffrey. In the opening episode Neal breaks out of prison to find the love of his life but gives himself up when he discovers she left him for good. The FBI agent that originally caught him, Peter Burke, catches him again but eventually agrees to Neal’s idea to let him help with white collar cases in exchange for being released into the agent’s custody.

I watched the first two seasons this week and enjoyed every episode. The supporting cast is as much fun to watch as the leads and the overall mystery for each season is compelling. I’m looking forward to getting ahold of season three and finding out where Peter, Neal, and the “Burke Crew” will end up next.

Check out the first two seasons on Netflix streaming and the new season 4 episodes on USA Network.

Shame

I found this picture of an abused looking poster for director Steve McQueen‘s new film, Shame, while surfing Tumblr. As I’m a Michael Fassbender fan, I’m anxious to see this controversial film about a sex addict whose life spins out of control because of his addiction. I have to wait until January to see it here as that’s when it hits the art house in Charlotte. That’s OK. It gives me something to look forward to in the new year.

Speaking of which, can you believe that it’s almost 2012? Did this year slide off the plate or what? I hope you’re having a nice, lowkey Monday. See you tomorrow!

Immortals

Did everyone have an awesome holiday weekend? I worked most of it but I had some time on Thanksgiving Day, so I decided to see the costume epic Immortals. I’d seen the trailers and the mentions of this film being by the same people that did 300. That alone was enough to interest me… lots of hot guys running around in loincloths hacking on each other with swords was a big draw too (what can I say? I love my action movies). Still, I went in to the whole thing fairly blind. I’m not really up on Greek myth and history (if they were even faithful), so I didn’t really have any expectations as far as the story went.

Here’s what I got: a creepy intro to the main objective of the baddie, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), quickly followed by a much longer introduction to the good guy, Theseus (Henry Cavill), and his mother who are both shunned in their village (she was raped and he was the product of that rape). We quickly learn that he is a skilled fighter, whose prowess is even greater than seasoned soldiers guarding the village but that he wouldn’t be allowed to fight with them even if he wanted to because of the circumstances of his birth.

Soon enough, King Hyperion sweeps through Theseus’ village, killing hordes of people, and setting off a chain of events that eventually brings us back to the opening scene and an epic showdown between gods, titans, and men.

I’m trying not to be too spoilery here… because the plot is a fairly simple, straightforward good vs evil story. What sets it apart are the performances of several key characters but most notably, Mickey Rourke and both of the actors playing Zeus – John Hurt (in the form of an old human man) and Luke Evans (as the virile young God). Stephen Dorff is comical as a thief turned patriot and Frieda Pinto proves (again) that she can make men’s blood boil without breaking sweat. A small surprise for me was Kellan Lutz as Poseidon, not so much the performance but that he was in it at all.

The good: I cared about Theseus enough to want to see him succeed. I thought Mickey Rourke rocked Hyperion and was suitably dirty and bad in the part. The sets, costumes and action were all first rate.

The bad: the gods were thin on the ground… even in Olympus, the violence was absolutely brutal is places (a man cutting off his own tongue with scissors, exploding body parts in several scenes, another man being castrated with a sledgehammer), some wooden acting from the lead, and a little drag in the final fight scenes. Still, my overall impression of the movie was good. I’d recommend it… and likely see it again.

Happy Monday, everyone! Tomorrow brings another totally inspiring room. See you then!

Breaking Dawn Part 1

Yes, I was one of the ravening hordes that madly scrambled to a 7pm showing of the highly anticipated fourth entry to the Twilight Saga. I was going to wait until after I’d seen the movie again to make commentary about it but I decided that a fresh take was the best.

I’m one of those people that gets caught up in a movie even when it’s not the best film. This movie was no exception! I was immediately swept up into the emotional, weepy wedding scenes at the beginning of the movie. From the Bella’s pre-wedding jitters, to the vows, to the embarrassing roundup of post wedding speeches… I wish I’d bought a hanky for it. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Many reviewers have written that they thought it all went on a bit too long but it was everything fans could have hoped for.

After the wedding things dragged a bit. Though the honeymoon had some funny bits, the bid to keep these movies firmly in PG-land put any hope for sexiness out the window. Plus, as any reader of the series knows, the honeymoon is the beginning of one of the creepiest and arguably, most graphic, parts of the whole saga begins.

Once the couple are aware of imminent danger and make their way back home, the movie starts picking up steam, though it still remains the most talky of the series so far. There are some graphic bits towards the end but again nothing that’d be too much for most tweens. The movie ends with a perfect cliffhanger… but make sure you hang out past the closing credits: Aro has something to add to the proceedings.

I felt, overall, that the movie was faithful to the book in a way that the previous movies weren’t, while adding some signature touches that could only come from these particular actors (Billy Burke especially). I’m looking forward to the next installment, mostly because I’ve felt all along that the film version of Bella is stronger and more interesting than her written counterpart and she really gets to come into and understand her own strengths. Plus, who doesn’t want to see a hundred vampires squared off for battle? Should be fun!

The movies of these books have all been bad but also totally enjoyable, increasingly so, actually. I would totally recommend it… though I probably don’t need to.

Have a Friday-like Monday, y’all. I’ll catch you tomorrow with a totally inspiring room!