2011 Movies

So my friends, we come to the close of another year. Was it everything we hoped for? Well, unless you're reading this from your solid gold yacht, held afloat by your recently acquired force powers, then probably not. Imagination will always trump reality I'm afraid, but hey, we got some decent flicks out of 2011, right?

If you were like me, then you were bracing for disappointment in this years movies. I did not expect the lineup of Super Hero movies to yield anything like a positive result, and maybe that was unfair of me. After all, most of them were more well done than a comic book adaptation had any right to be.

I repeat: MOST

The most popular ones were probably the Avengers tie-ins, Thor and Captain America. Thor made me especially nervous, as the "mystical warrior transported to modern day earth" style of movie typically contains a lot awkward, face-palm worthy instances of the hero trying and failing to fit in to his new environment. I was impressed when Thor downplayed that. Sure, the romance was completely unfounded and undeveloped, but the journey and complexity of (of all characters) Loki more than made up for that. I still think Captain America was done better, though it certainly lost a lot of steam after he actually becomes the Captain. I don't know, they just seemed to blow through the rest of the story. It still wasn't bad, it just didn't match up to the first half, which was pretty incredible, even with Chris Evans head not quite matching his body at times. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised by both of them.

My God, what is wrong with his noggin?

 The best Super Hero movie by FAR however, had to be X-Men: First Class. The series has finally seemed to overcome it's greatest problem, which was making the story about the powers. Sure, they wanted to be flashy and use the latest computer graphics, but X-Men 1-3 didn't seem to have any substance under that. First Class, however, was driven by the characters, and subjects we can relate to. I was especially impressed with Mystique and Beast's relationship, as the former goes through a journey to accept herself and the latter's obsessive want to be normal backfires.

Once you go blue, you never go...choo? I don't know.

Xavier and Magneto are the highlight though, especially Michael Fassbender as Magneto. His story arch is dramatic, and you can cut the tension of his scenes with a knife, especially when it involves his Nazi tormentors. It also fleshes out the relationship between him and Xavier, to the point that the audience can fully understand why these two mortal enemies can also admire and respect one another.

Bros and frienemies. Bronemies.

I should probably also talk about the final Harry Potter movie (I'm told another movie about supernatural teenagers came out, but for the life of me I can't think of it). I love the book series, but I've got to say that this ending was more than a little disappointing. Gringotts? Fine. Dumbledore? Probably his best performance as the character. The finale? Major letdown. I was expecting something like the books: the Great Hall swarming with people fighting for their lives, and in the end, Harry dramatically reveals he's alive, and he and Voldemort have one, final battle in the Great Hall. What we got was Harry clumsily leaping from Hagrid's arms, only so he and Voldemort can fight in total isolation. The idea that Harry died for everyone, thus giving them the protection his mother gave him, is entirely left out. For an end to such an epic series, I guess I just expected more.

Expecto a-more-satifying-climaxum!

And those were the geek movies of 2011. For a most part they were better than expected, and even those that were a disappointment still weren't all THAT awful. Of course, now we have to look forward to the Avengers, so here's to hoping that 2012 delivers something awesome. Until then, keep dreaming of that gold yacht, and have a great New Year's Eve/Day.

Free MMO Madness #1: Runescape

The first free MMO that I ever played, and oh boy has it aged like fine milk.

Movie of the Day: Bubba Ho-Tep

What do you get when you throw a senior aged Elvis, John F. Kennedy and a cursed mummy? You get a sadly unappreciated masterpiece of creative glory known as Bubba Ho-Tep.

I think this is one of Bruce Campbell's best, if only for its creativity. In this universe, Elvis Presley (Campbell), having grown tired of his fame and longing for a simpler life, switches places with an Elvis impersonator, leaving his rock and roll life behind him. This means that the Elvis who died was not the real king of rock, and our story opens up with the genuine article, now old an broken down, living in a nursing home.

Of course, no one believes he's really Elvis, and write off his claims as the ranting of a senile senior citizen. The only resident who buys his story is an African American man named Jack, claiming to be John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis). Jack's story is that after the assassination attempt, his brain has been transmitting him information from a jar in the pentagon, and that the government dyed his skin black as a disguise.

Life seems dull and depressing for our aging protagonist, as he goes on several introspective monologues about his loss of vitality, and the sad state of his life, wondering if abandoning his career was really the right move. This all changes when a cursed mummy (played by Bob Ivy) washes up on a river near the nursing home. The mummy has to feed on life-force to maintain his existence, and the nursing home provides with a steady stream of souls to suck away. Since his victims are elderly anyway, no one suspects their deaths as being anything other than natural.

It's up to our heroes, senior citizens Elvis and Kennedy, to stop the supernatural menace and save the souls of all the elderly in the building.

Fans of the Evil Dead series probably expect this to be a standard Bruce Campbell flick: not necessarily "good", but definitely awesome. To an extent I suppose this is true, if only for the absurdity of the subject material. If you can look past that though, this film has a number of genuinely deep and meaningful moments, such as Elvis contemplating his own self worth at his age.

The best parts of the movie by far are the characters of Elvis and Kennedy. Elvis is cranky and gruff, but never so much that we can't relate to him, or that he becomes unlikable. My favorite one though has to be Davis as Kennedy. Unlike Elvis, we're never really flat-out told whether or not he's really the former President, or just a senile old man, and that just makes it all the funnier.

In a time of constant sequels, reboots and adaptations, Bubba Ho-Top is a real breath of fresh air. I think the movie is gaining a following, as my local Family Video has had it checked out more often of late, and I'm really glad to hear that. Much like Disney's Up, this movie is about how you're never too old for adventure, or to grab life by the horns. If you get the chance, be sure to check it out.

Comic Review #1: Marvel vs DC

Not that great, but for being written and shot in one day, I don't think it's too bad. In true internet fashion: w007, first post!