Movies and such

Look!! Three posts in one day!! Don't worry... I won't make a habit of it. ;)

So, I've actually seen some movies lately! And I has thoughts:

Thor:
Wow... I really liked it. The action was good, the character development was decent, and the graphics were pretty dang awesome. The kiss... not so much... Eat face = bad. Probably my favorite scene though was the first fight with the ice giants. The whole thing was monochromatic blue, but with just hints of red. The red being the giant's eyes, and Thor's cloak. LOVED the colors they chose. Being in a color class at the time that really struck me.

Green Lantern:
Didn't think I was gunna like this one as much when it first started. For one thing it was over CGed. I don't see a way around it, but it was distracting. I did though, love the end. Yes, it took a while, and I was ready to slap Hal, but about half way in he really redeemed himself. And I loved the moral. The first half everyone was saying to not be afraid. Then finally they get it through their heads that fear is natural, and courage is when you overcome that fear. That alone makes me want to see the movie again.

Pirates 4:
A great resounding Meh... It was good, but I would've been just as happy if they'd just made the first one and stayed at that. 4 was better then 2 or 3, but not nearly as good as the origional. 4 stayed in that wonderful Disney tradition of "if it's good, it'll be good the 973rd time too..." And I didn't like how they handled Jack... They took a charismatic enigma and turned him into a goofy super hero... I did enjoy the sets and the graphics, but it still pales compared to the first one.

Kung Fu Panda 2:
This one, I was not expecting to be as good as it was. I was astounded. How To Train Your Dragon, done also by DreamWorks, is possibly my favorite movie of all time. The color design, the lighting, the action, the heart and emotion all leaves me breathless. Panda did the same. Plus it made a peacock look manly and dangerous. That takes talent. Who sees a peacock and thinks that would make a good villain? He was just the right mix of psycho, power-hungry, beautiful, and precise.

Ellery Queen:
This goes under "and stuff." This is an old 1975 mystery series. Somehow it only made it to 22 episodes, which I think is a real shame. There's nothing terribly new or original about this series, detective who wrights mystery novels has an eye for solving crime, we've seen it before. But the characters and the plots they come up with are done marvelously well.

Witness for the Prosecution:
Kind of along that same vein is this 1957 classic movie. I discovered it one day on TCM when they were doing their 31 days of Oscar. If you like mystery movies at all, this one is NOT to be missed. The general premise is simple: Man, Leonard Vole, is accused of murder, and his lawyer, Sir Wilfrid, has to do some work to get him off. It goes pretty much to formula, until the last ten minutes when they turn it on its head, make it do a hand stand, and then just for kicks turn it into a three headed toad. I never get tired of showing people this movie and asking them to guess the end. All of the pieces have been guessed, but never at the same time. And I challenge anyone to do so. *throws glove*

Sherlock:
And, as long as I'm in a mystery kick, I'll talk about Sherlock too. If you know my taste much, you should know I love British Television. And Sherlock has been one of my golden treasures. It takes the old Holmes mysteries and modernizes them, while still keeping the feel of the original. I think they do a brilliant job, and the acting is really first rate. Benedict Cumberbatch is a gem, and became my favorite Sherlock even before we saw him on screen. He's cocky, arrogant, brilliant, and I love him.

Merlin:
Well, as long as I'm praising the BBC, I may as well talk about Merlin. Now, we all know the story. Old man raises boy to become king. Well this spins it in a new way. It takes Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, Guenevere, and the cast, and makes them all young contemporaries. Having said that, this probably isn't a series to watch if you're a die-hard fan of the original story. It changes quite a bit of Merlin lore. But it's still good fun, and I like it. So there!

I was going to talk about "Benny and Joon" and "Edward Scissor Hands", which are two classic Depp movies, but the letters are starting to swim, so I'm going to head off to bed.