Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 77

I know I shouldn't get my hopes up

and I know that a movie based on DC characters is likely to let me down, but I don't care.  I wanted to see this film before this new trailer appeared, and now I want to see it even more.



Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently due to debut a little after my birthday, which would be a nice late gift indeed.

My unsolicited advice to Hollywood

Spread your Christmas goodies a little more evenly around the month!
I understand the desire to open a big film on Christmas Day, but does every studio have to succumb to that temptation?  This year, almost all of the best movies of December will open that week, while this weekend and the following one are devoid of hot films.

It's fair to want to avoid opening against the blockbuster that the new Star Wars movie will be, but it's staked out the 18th, so the prior two weekends were available for other big releases to claim.

Listen up, Hollywood studios:  If you want to maximize your revenue from movie fans, do a better job of scheduling.

To Star Wars or not to Star Wars

The question does not refer to the upcoming new movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, because I am definitely going to see that film.  No, I'm pondering whether to go back and re-watch the original movies--by which, of course, I mean Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi.  (I have seen the three prequels but don't expect to watch them again.)

Normally, I would re-screen an original film series before viewing the latest installment, both for fun and so I had the originals clear in my mind.  In this case, though, the only copies available to buy are the versions Lucas bastardized with new effects, changes, additions, and so on.  I'm not interested in seeing any of those mods.  I want the originals.

Such tough choices.





(Before anyone yells at me about being insensitive, yes, I'm joking, and yes, I do understand that lots of people face real problems.  I'm joking.)

For multiple people, for multiple reasons

tonight I need to post this classic song.



Enjoy.

Thanksgiving Cone Man gives no thanks

At a time when we should all be celebrating the beauty of fall and giving thanks for all we have, the Cone Man is doing none of those things.  Instead, he's plotting world conquest once again, this time with his latest henchthing, the metal dragon.

Click an image to see a larger version.
Do not be fooled by the size of the metal dragon, for though it is short, it is also fearsome--and now it is under Cone Man's sway.  The damage these two could do to our world, nay, to the very fabric of our reality, is impossible to measure.

Fortunately for all of us, Holden is, as always, on the job.

At first, he tried to reason with both metal dragon and then Cone Man.


Sadly, that approach failed.

Being a prudent dog hero, Holden then inspected the perimeter for additional troublemakers--a wise move, because Cone Man has been known to summon allies from other dimensions.


Happily, Holden found no additional conspirators.

He tried once again to reason with the dastardly duo, but once again, he failed.

They were having none of reason.

Finally, forced to employ drastic measures, Holden backed up to the metal dragon and explained exactly what horrors he would rain on the dragon should the dragon not cease and desist from all plotting.


The dragon, being metal, quickly realized that Holden, being male, would be all to happy to deliver the Rust-Inducing Dog Piss Rain of Doom (TM pending by Holden), and agreed to a truce.

Metal dragon now serves as Holden's lieutenant, keeping a watchful eye on Cone Man, and the world is now safe once again--thanks to Holden--from Cone Man's machinations.

For now.

Creed

For all that the original Rocky movie has become a frequent target of parodies, it's actually a pretty darn good film that made a lot of people root for its hero.  The many sequels must have made money, but they paled in comparison to the first, and they quickly became the province only of those seeking another action flick.  (I was one of those people, as you might expect.)

Creed, though a film in this series, is not another sequel.  If anything, it's a modern re-imagining of the original that also manages to build on the whole series.  Director and co-writer Ryan Coogler had to convince Sylvester Stallone to let him co-op Stallone's world, and I'm glad he did.  Creed tells a familiar story, but with a lot of heart and an interesting approach.

Lead actor Michael B. Jordan, who previously teamed with Coogler on Fruitvale Station, makes you forget his Fantastic Four role and see a very different and more interesting character.  Stallone plays an aging, solitary Rocky Balboa with more grace and dignity than I would have thought possible for him.  The supporting cast members generally turn in good performances, but Jordan and Stallone rightly dominate the story.

Speaking of which, I can't tell you to expect a lot of surprises from the plot, because this is a song you've heard before--but this particular version has its own heart and its own specificity.

If you enjoyed the original Rocky film--and I do mean that specific film, not the whole series--then you will enjoy Creed.  If you don't know Rocky or its sequels, as long as you can handle some boxing violence, you should check out Creed.  I definitely recommend it.

One of the most dangerous items to enter my house

in a very long time arrived in the mail, in a cardboard box, and was entirely free.

Click the image to see a larger version.
Oh, yes, this is trouble indeed.  A gorgeous book listing all the past Taschen collector's editions, some might see it as a study in excess, but I view it as a dreamy shopping list.

I must never let myself open this book after four in the morning, because that is when the shopping weirdness begins.

If you don't know Taschen and its wonderful books, head over to its site and begin browsing.  Few, if any, other publishers produce such consistently interesting and beautiful non-fiction volumes.

Thank you

I try always to thank people for what they do for me, but I know I often fail.  On Thanksgiving, like many people I try to be even more thankful for what I have, for all that I have in every area.

Here in this blog, I particularly and publicly want to thank all of the people who have ever bought my books and thus let me have what writing career I have been fortunate enough to enjoy.  I am deeply grateful to you all.

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving

so of course our house needed an ice cream cookie tasting, because, well, it makes sense if you live here.  So we did.  I'd previously ordered all four of the ice cream cookies available online from the wonderful Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

Click the image to see a larger version.
We sampled little wedges of each of these four delicious creations.  We all liked all of them, but for sheer power alone, the chocolate hazelnut cookie won.  Rich and strong and a perfect blend with the nuts and the cookie, the dark chocolate ice cream in this one would not be denied its championship.

If you've never tried these cookies, though they are not by any means cheap, they are worth ordering.

A bit of wish-fulfillment fluff from my youth

I offer no defense for listening to this bit of pop fluff when I was young, nor for thinking of it for no good reason the other day.  I just did.



We all have to live with that.