Pinocchio Just Got Real Scary

Just released yesderday, apparently, the first teaser for Avengers: Age of Ultron

I didn’t think Spader had it in him. But that’s genuinely creepy. I think Marvel, Disney, and Paramount just made themselves a shit-ton of money.

Things that are making me happy

We bitch a lot on this site, so I thought it’s time for the pendulum to swing the other way. Here are some movies and TV shows that are making me happy right now.

Upcoming:

There are a handful of movies that I have not yet seen, but from trailers and clips, look very exciting.

Check out Automata:

Dystopian with intriguing robotic designs and a mysterious feel, eh? It’s my understanding that the robots are not CG, but life-size marionettes. Makes the effect more chilling and realistic. The movie has not played anywhere close to where I live, but I’ll probably be buying this one outright.

Big Hero 6

This looks like a really fun movie. Inspired by a Marvel comic. It’s labeled Disney instead of Pixar. I hope it’s good. It definitely appeals to the kid in me.

Tomorrowland

What can I say? This is just the teaser, but it has a great sense of wonder about it. It’s a Brad Bird film, so hopefully it’ll be good

Current:

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Ever look at something so beautiful that you weep? That’s me after looking at the trailer. It’s utterly beautiful. And it’s Ghibli! It’s currently (as of this post) in a limited US theater release.

Frank

I guess you can call it current. It’s on iTunes and Amazon Prime for rental. It got a goofiness that appeals to me in some way. I’m also intrigued by performances by actors where the entire head or face is obscured in some way. Very few actors can pull that off. Hugo Weaving comes to mind.

When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace

What a great title! It’s an anime set in a high school. Wow! that’s new! But seriously, this is a comedy about a high-school literature club comprised of four girls and a boy. A very goofy boy. A boy who is a bit too absorbed in anime and manga and acts out fantasies of obtaining fantastic powers. And one day, it happens. He and the other girls suddenly get fantastic powers. Yet, under his guidance, no one is having a freak-out. They are secretly training to master their abilities and maintain their ordinary lives. It’s a cute show that is currently available in simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Akame ga Kill!

A bloody good time! Assassins wielding extra-normal weapons called Imperial Arms which they are using to try to overthrow a corrupt kingdom. Very fun show with a wide range of emotion. It’s a simulcast that’s available on Crunchyroll.

Recent:

I finally got to catch up on a few films that I missed.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

This trailer is NSFW, but is the better representation of the film.

Wonderful, artistic character piece with a lot of star cameos that are just as fun as the characters that they play. I won’t spoil it by naming them. If you’re a Wes Anderson fan, you have to see this and I’m sure you know what you’re in for. It was much more charming that I thought it would be.

X-Men Days of Future Past

Picking up (mostly) where the stinger scene in The Wolverine left us, We finally get to see the Sentinels. It’s also a return to the greatness of the Bryan Singer X-Men era. Good performances overall and a smarter script than I expected. There’s a few moments where you need to tie down your disbelief, but it’s worth the ride.

Going to sign off for now. I hope you have seen or will see some of these. They’re quite good.

Rando!

Now you’re just pissing me off!

OK, Hollywood. I know you have a silly Dracula movie coming out. I know it’s supposed to be young and hip. I know it’s a probable reboot to the entire classic monster franchise of movies.

But you have bludgeoned me nearly to death with your blitzkrieg of an add campaign. It’s like listening to an incessant three-year-old clamouring for attention. And now that it has bombarded my senses for the umteenth time, I will never watch this movie. Ever. Even on streaming. Even drunk. Even if it is a gift. Even if it’s selected as a Bad Movie Review. There might have been a 0.02% chance of my seeing it originally, but even that’s gone now.

Fuck you very much, Hollywood. I hope your movie tanks harder than Movie 43!

Rando!

Do You Believe in Magic?

I used to. Not the flamboyance of David Copperfield or the Jedi Mind tricks of Chris Angel. I mean real magic. Sitting on the porch, the summer sun setting and a cool breeze blowing across your neck. The perfect song coming from the stereo. A peaceful setting, a mind at ease. Friends and family hanging out together and swapping stories. I am not usually one for being sentimental, but there is a definite lack of magic in the world, well at least in my world. I was thinking just this morning that life gets way too complicated as you get older. Priorities are skewed and one gets wrapped up in situations you wouldn’t even care about when you were younger. In the end, does anyone really hope we will be remembered for whatever job or career one has tried to eek out a living with? I can just imagine the scene: A casket draped in flowers, mourners bowing their heads in silent thought or prayer. “Wow, that Bob”, someone thinks, “he was one hell of an insurance salesman” or “No one could
push papers like Sue”. Doesn’t seem right to me.

Perhaps the magic is still out there. I am thinking it just might be harder to cast the spell as we get older. It doesn’t surround us naturally like it used to. There is something to be said about youth. The innocence and naivety are what is missed most by me I think. I have become such a cynical, jaded person over the years. That part of me rejects the magic. That part of me circles the drain day-to-day with the same cycle: work, home sleep. It does get harder to recapture something from such a long time ago.

How long has it been since you actually totally enjoyed a moment? What I mean is, when was the last time you got so lost in the present that you forgot about all of your troubles? It has been way too long for me. Our time grows shorter and we only have a limited time to get the most out of life. I am not trying to be a downer, just make you realize that life is a gift. We make of it what we want. So go and make something of it. You are not defined by your job or how much stuff you have. All we have when it is all said and done are our memories. Those cannot be taken away. Go out and make some new ones.

I guess that is all I have to say for now. I needed to get this off my chest. Hopefully someone out there will read it and know what I am talking about.

Thanks for reading,

Lefty

Quick blurbs on recent (and not so recent) movies

Just saw Guardians of the Galaxy. Loved it! It will be going on the shelf. Got the soundtrack too. It really is an Awesome Mix!

Also saw Expendables 3. Those fuckers are really getting old. It was a fun time though.

Also saw Godzilla. Stupid, stupid, stupid! And not in the way you’d like.

Crazy stupid fun

Jeezus God Almighty!

It’s been awhile internet. Once again work has kicked my life in the balls. And life has kicked my life in the balls. But this past weekend has been a holiday and I have somewhat enjoyed it.

Where I live, it’s illegal to shoot fireworks. I don’t know the history. I speculate that some dumb-ass set off a firecracker and hurt some uptight mother’s kid; so we all have to pay. At my age, while I’m happy that America still exists, fireworks are no fucking fun if you can’t shoot them off yourself. So I stayed in and watched movies.

So, good internets, I watched Rumble in the Bronx, Cannonball Run, and The Expendables. Why? Look up. They’re Crazy Stupid Fun.

I guess we all need that sometimes.

Oh, and a 12″ disco ball in your office at work.

And, as a reminder, Jackie Chan is Fucking Awesome!

Rando!