Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It took me a few days, but I finally got to watch the pilot episode of Joss Whedon's new TV adventure series, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Last summer's crowd-pleasing, enormous hit, "The Avengers"set the bar pretty high for Whedon-backed super hero stories, so I was a bit hesitant to get too excited for this show, lest it not live up to my expectations. Even a really good show can fail to live up to high expectations.

DVD Review: "Comicon Episode IV: A Fan's Hope"

Sitting down to watch "Comicon, Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" with my true-geek son, my wanna-be-geek son and my "I'm not a geek!" son, as well as my husband, I expected to see lots of goofy people in outlandish costumes, interview bits with famous and not-famous con attendees, and an overview of what happens at "the con".  I was not disappointed, and in fact, the movie included much more than what I expected.

I've never been to Comicon, but I've always thought it looked like a really good time, and the movie really only made me want to go even more. It looks like it would just be great fun to let loose among folks who are fans of the same things I am. And then some. I'm not a video game fan, and really, not a comic-book fan per se.

The documentary follows a handful of subjects' stories: two artists hoping to break into the comic book world (both were very good, Eric Henson, who is in the Air Force and has an adorable little family was phenomenal), a costume designer and her group of friends preparing to perform at the "Masquerade", a cute couple who met at Comicon a year prior and his efforts to set up a memorable wedding proposal, and a comic book store owner and his struggles to make enough money selling comics at the con.

As expected, there were loads of strange costumes, some characters were recognizable, many not (I'm not a "true" geek, according to my son), some were downright embarrassing-- large people wearing only a bikini and body paint or roly-poly Superman-spandex costumes are always a bit... odd... Storm troopers and Avatars, villains and heroes. I think it would be a blast just to go and people watch.

I liked the stories, and the interspersed Q&A with both attendees and celebrities-- the best of which were Joss Whedon's comments. He's just naturally funny. Oh, and my favorite thing had to be the comic-book style transitions from one story to another-- a freeze-frame of the subject would become a comic pane of the scene, panning back to show a full comic-book page and zooming in on a new pane, featuring the next person being profiled. It would be so cool to have a comic-book drawing of yourself!

I'm not a huge Morgan Spurlock fan (I wrote about his well-known anti-McDonalds documentary here a long time ago. I don't mind his agenda as much as I mind his superiority complex... but that's just me) but I was amused, entertained and fascinated by this documentary. I found it very entertaining and I would be interested to see even more!

There is some language, a handful of bleeped f-bombs and even more s-words, and a couple of crude sexual comments, for those sensitive to such things.

In Which I Finally, FINALLY, Watch "Serenity"

Over a year ago, I watched every episode of "Firefly" on the insistent recommendation of my brother, who is a huge fan of all things Joss Whedon. It's basically a western-style science fiction show, about a group of folks on a spaceship who do their best to avoid the law (they are smugglers and bank robbers) and the "Reevers"- a population of insane, bloodthirsty folks who eat their victims alive. That's over-simplifying it a lot, but it's the gist. I'm sure there are many, many geek-fan sites out there that would give you a much better synopsis than that.

I enjoyed it; I found it amusing, engaging and unique. It took me a while to really get into it, but I did enjoy it. But I wasn't in a hurry to watch the movie that the much-lamented, cancelled show culminated in: 2005's "Serenity". I can't explain why, I just wasn't. My brother kept encouraging me to watch it, though, and after loving what Whedon did with "The Avengers", I decided I'd better give it a look.

I did enjoy it, though it's not my favorite movie ever, and I'm not in a hurry to see it again. Mostly I liked Nathan Fillion (of course); he's as adorable as ever- manly, but just soft-hearted enough, funny but deadly serious when needed. The story was tight, the action believable and exciting, and the special effects surprisingly good for a not-huge-budget film. There is a small amount of sexuality; consider yourselves warned (if you're worried about that)- mild PG-13 level, I would say.

The sci-fi elements are really quite good- the story revolves around River, a girl who was taken by the government and experimented on because she's psychic. Skills and information were implanted in her brain, and the government wants her back. Not knowing the details, the crew of Serenity take her and her brother (who stole her from the govt. facility) aboard in the first episode of the series. The series does not revolve around this storyline, it is one of many, but the film "Serenity" is about this storyline and how it affects the crew, what the secrets are that the government will kill River to keep hidden, etc. It is very well written- intelligent and fascinating. In true Joss Whedon style, there is a lot of humor, exciting action and lots of surprises. Oh, and as my sister-in-law warned me (after my frustration at Whedon killing off Agent Colson in "The Avengers" this year) Whedon always kills someone you love. Which, as I've said before, lends a bit of authenticity to even the most outlandish story, simply because that's the most logical scenario. Someone will/would die.

If you haven't watched "Firefly", you can still watch "Serenity" and understand it, mostly, but I would recommend watching all of "Firefly"'s 14 episodes first, so you have a good feeling for the cast and the characters, as well as the setting. Just be prepared that the pilot ep. is extra long.

Like a Girl in an Eye Candy Shop

Wow. Just.. wow.

Logo Image From This Site

I am overwhelmed by the awesomeness that is "The Avengers".


Where to begin?


Story: The fantastic script was both written and masterfully directed by Joss Whedon. Winding these various heroes' stories and back stories together was no small feat. He far exceeded my already high expectations for this story. I was actually nervous that I would be disappointed because I was looking forward to this film so much. He truly surpassed what I was hoping for. Whedon blended together wit, humor, laugh-out-loud comedic moments with a deeply disturbed Loki, scary alien baddies and hearth-thumping battle and hand-to-hand combat scenes (thankfully, with no shakey-cam or extreme close-up cheater shots).


Characters: (Following images taken from HERE )

Thor- I love Thor. He may well be my favorite of the group. He and his blue eyes were amazing in this movie-- dare I say I liked Chris Hemsworth even more this time around? He was funny, smart, and seemed a lot more comfortable both in character and wielding his hammer. And those muscles... wow.

Captain America- Adorable. His solo film was great, but I loved him here even more. Chris Evans just gets better and better. He looks great, the new costume is fantastic, and his sincere-good-boy character is authentic and sweet. He is a fearless, calming force on the team. I thought his character development was great, and his humorous moments were flawless.

Iron Man- Good old Tony Stark returns, full of clever quips, smart-aleck remarks and genius intelligence. He is funnier than ever, brave and stout-hearted. He likes to stir up trouble with his teammates, but comes through when he's needed. I always enjoy his scenes with Pepper Potts, and their two short scenes in this movie were perfect. I like how in each successive movie, his Iron Man suit deployment is improved and enhanced. Clever technology keeps us coming back for more.

Hulk- I've never really liked the Hulk much. His story is so sad and though I enjoyed "The Incredible Hulk" and Edward Norton's turn as Bruce Banner and the "big green rage machine", I wasn't really sure what to expect from Ruffalo. I was floored. In my opinion, Hulk steals the show. I don't want to say more- no spoilers from me, but he is excellent.

Black Widow- I didn't really like Scarlett Johanssen in this role in "Iron Man 2". I felt like she had some good fight choreography, but most of her stuff involved flashy posing for the camera and showing off her tiny body. This time around, however, she is given so much more to do. Whedon really fleshes out female characters well, and Black Widow is no exception. She has heart, substance and gets a couple of the films biggest laughs. I enjoyed the fact that she is able to emotionally connect with each member of the team-- this seems realistic to me. She's not romantically involved with any of them, but women generally have a gift for empathy, and I liked that she has a deep understanding of the men she works with. She is also seriously good at kicking butt, too; she's easy to root for.

Hawkeye- I really like Jason Renner, and I think he's well cast in this role. He isn't given as much to do as some of the others, but what he does is integral to the movie and to the team and I look forward to seeing more of him in this year's new "Bourne" movie.

Others:

Nick Fury- Samuel L. Jackson revises his role, complete with eye patch and long leather coat. I've never really forgiven Jackson for his terrible acting in the Star Wars movies, but certain members of my family tell me I need to give him a chance and that he's actually a good actor, so I tried to with this movie. He was fine. Not bad, not too over-the-top, and probably delivered. I'm not familiar with his character from comic book lore, so I can't be sure, but I was satisfied and not annoyed by him, so that's an improvement.


Loki- Tom Hiddleston returns to wreak havoc on the world. He is fantastic in this role and it is enriched and deepened by Whedon's script and Hiddleston's performance. Superb. I loved him in this movie.


Agent Colson- one of my favorite guys, Colson has some great scenes and, as always, dry, subtle humor that threatens to steal the scenes from the flashier characters around him.


Overall:
Viewers leave this movie feeling so happy and satisfied, I can't say enough glowing things. Just go see it. You won't regret it.


For those sensitive viewers (you know who you are...), there is the expected violence: punches thrown,  cars flipping, explosions, arrows and bullets flying, etc. No more than you expect, though. As for sexuality, this movie is almost squeaky clean, the only exception, really, being the short dress worn by Black Widow at the beginning, but it's not so bad. There is very minimal cleavage-- most kids see much worse in the line at WalMart or even at church, I daresay. She does wear a skin-tight costume, but so do the men. I didn't find any of them offensive in the least. I don't remember any cussing at all...


I had many more intelligent and well-worded things to say about this movie, but my brain is very tired and I can't remember anything else for now, so I'll end here. Go see it. Oh, and stay through ALL the credits, to the very, very end. Not halfway-- wait for the very tail end of all the credits. You won't regret it.
I added more in second entry here. Clicky clicky!!
For more reading fun, check out this great spoiler-free review of the movie from MTV.