Archives For November 30, 1999

Rental Release: The Art of the Steal

Ashley Walton —  August 22, 2010 — Leave a comment
The Art of the Steal was the most engaging documentary I’ve seen in a long time. It’s about the Barnes Foundation, which houses the most priceless art collection in the United States. When Dr. Albert Barnes died, he left specific instructions in his will for how the art should be displayed and protected, but many people and organizations had other ideas for his collection.
Like any good documentary, this film had me angry and up in arms by the end. As a warning: it’s definitely a slanted telling of the story, but it’s a slant I happen to agree with. With its simple premise, this film explores complex themes of the meaning of art, how art should be displayed, principles of private ownership, and moral obligations as a society. It’s definitely worth a rent. I dare you to not feel passionately about the Barnes Foundation by the end of it.
In film , , , , ,
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Scott Pilgrim vs the World: I’m in lesbian with you

Ashley Walton —  August 17, 2010 — 5 Comments
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You can say a lot of things about Scott Pilgrim vs the World, but you can’t say it isn’t fun. This film was unlike anything I’ve seen, straddling realms of video games and comic books, with bits of reality thrown in. Video game icons and comic book expletives garnished the screen, which was weird, to say the least. But I think it worked for the feel of the film, and every once in a while they were used in a clever way.

 
There were lots of good moments where the film’s cleverness surprised me. The character banter had more wit than anything I’ve seen in a while. Having said that, there were a few things that bugged me a lot: one of the exes breaks into song (ugh), Pilgrim waits by the door right after making an Amazon purchase, and there are a few parts where swear words are bleeped out. I thought all these elements pushed things too far, and because they weren’t funny, they didn’t carry enough weight to support themselves. There were also times when the film felt like it was a person trying really hard to be cool.

Despite its faults, this film left me with overwhelming fuzzy feelings of geekiness (it might have been the old-school Sega and Nintendo sounds scattered throughout). In the end, I liked the way it was written, and I thought it was much funnier than the “comedies” that have plagued theaters recently (Dinner for Schmucks, The Other Guys).

I definitely recommend seeing this in theater, especially because there isn’t anything else coming out until the end of October (Let Me In). It’s a sad year, folks. Better get your ya ya’s out while you can.

In film , , , ,
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How could you lie to me, Internet?

Ashley Walton —  August 13, 2010 — 4 Comments



I naively thought I had stumbled onto one of those things that gives you a glimmer of hope in the world when I saw Jenny’s wonderful method of quitting her job through a series of photos that she emailed to her entire office. If you missed this beautiful display of whiteboard usage, here’s the link: http://oran.gs/XR (where she calls her boss out on the carpet in awesome ways). I thought, “What a gutsy move! I want to be more like her!” I looked up to her like little girls look up to Disney princesses. 
Alas, then I found out it was a hoax from The Chive, and it upset me more than it should have. When I thought the whole thing was real, I felt so happy and proud for this perfect stranger. Now that I know it’s fake, it’s lost all meaning, and it’s not nearly as funny or clever.

But there’s good news! Meet Steven Slater, (former) flight attendant for JetBlue. 

Although his name sounds suspiciously fake, he’s the real hero of this story. On Monday, he kinda snapped when a passenger rudely argued with him over his luggage. Instead of continuing a pointless argument, Slater simply got on the PA and told all the passengers where to shove it. Then he proceeded to pull the lever for the emergency evacuation slide (which blew up in seconds). He grabbed a beer from the beverage cart, slid down the chute, and ran to his car. Don’t believe me? Here’s the link: http://oran.gs/Y7 .

 

In culture, writing
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Wonder Woman’s New Threads

Ashley Walton —  August 1, 2010 — 1 Comment
I’m a little late to this conversation, but I just want to say that I really like Wonder Woman’s new outfit. People have been complaining about her new threads and arguing about whether a demi-god needs a jacket.
You can check out DC’s blog to see the original reveal and commentary from fans. http://bit.ly/b4VLEV
Ever since the reveal, geeks have made harsh comments on the DC blog. One wrote, “I’m just going to pour a double vodka and go to bed and check into Arkham in the morning. This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen!” Another fan wrote, “This has to be a joke. I am literally sick to my stomach right now.” Others simply wrote, “I hate it,” and “Epic fail.”
Sure, the cropped jacked circa 1990 is a little weird, but I like to think that she can take it off. Jacket aside, I really like the modern twist on her crown and wrist bands. And all I can say is it’s about freaking time the woman has some pants. The poor girl has been wearing an overly patriotic swimsuit for the past 60 years.

I think everyone has been overreacting. Maybe the costume isn’t the best it can be, but it’s lightyears ahead of her old costume.

In comics , ,
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Locke & Key: My new favorite comic

Ashley Walton —  July 30, 2010 — 3 Comments

While waiting in never-ending lines at Comic-Con I had some time to catch up on actual comic reading. Locke & Key quickly became my new favorite comic, and I devoured the first two graphic novels, only to become frustrated and unsatisfied when I went to order the third one on Amazon and saw that it’s not out yet. I’ve been thinking about the story and wondering about what’s happening to my beloved characters.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge that the name of the comic is pretty lame– it doesn’t convey the striking images and gripping story that await in its pages.
Here are some illustrations that blew my mind, especially in the context of the story.

The story is gripping, sophisticated, and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The plot is complicated enough to keep me wondering, but straightforward enough to keep me reading. There’s a perfect balance of suspense, dramatic irony, and nonlinear storytelling.
It’s about a family that moves to a house and they keep finding keys that do unusual things. As the family falls prey to some pretty twisted people, they try to figure some stuff out– like ghosts, echoes, and the human mind itself. It sounds innocent enough, but it’s a dark story. There’s death, murder, manipulation, sinister characters, disturbing images, and a whole lot of “WTF?” moments… but in a good way.
In comics , , ,
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More Comic-Con Goodness: Megamind & Cowboys and Aliens

Ashley Walton —  July 29, 2010 — Leave a comment

It’s going to take me forever to post all the cool stuff at Comic-Con, so I hope my readers will bear with my self-indulgence. Here are two panels that I wasn’t excited for, but that won me over with their Comic-Con charm and super-cool movie clips.

If you couldn’t tell from the picture, Will Ferrell dressed up like Megamind for the movie’s panel, which I have to say, was pretty charming. There weren’t as many people who dressed up this year, and it was fun to see an actor go the extra mile and do something that took time and effort. Not to mention, his banter with Tina Fey and Jonah Hill made the panel the funniest at the Con.
The clips also made the movie look better than I’d thought. I’m going to give away a little bit of a spoiler, but I think it’s worth sharing because it made me want to see the movie. It was clear that Megamind kills Metroman at the beginning of the film, and that the rest of the film deals with Megamind coping with the boredom that comes after killing his archnemesis. It seemed like a much more sophisticated plot than the previews had shown.
The Cowboys and Aliens panel was a surprise hit. First of all, it was Harrisson Ford’s first appearance at Comic-Con (hence he made it look like it took handcuffs and an escort to get him there). Since Ford is a geek god between Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner, it was the most insane reception I’ve ever seen in my 5 years in Hall H. Between the screaming and roaring applause, it felt like the walls were going to cave in.
The panel also included Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell. What could be cooler than Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Justin Hammer all in one place? I acknowledge the dumbess of the title Cowboys and Aliens, but the actors were impressive and the clips looked pretty awesome– like a classic western with some aliens thrown in. I was sold.
In Comic-Con, film , , , , ,
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Comic-Con Sunday

Ashley Walton —  July 26, 2010 — 3 Comments

My last day at geek mecca. However, this isn’t the end of my Comic-Con blog posts, because I have lots of stuff to fill in.

The cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia unveiled their premiere for next season. It’s entitled, “Who got Dee pregnant?” and needless to say, it’s hilarious. Kaitlin Olson, the actress who plays Sweet Dee, actually showed up to Comic-Con with a bun in the oven. The main characters also had Cricket on stage with them and assured us that the gang is not through torturing poor Cricket.
                                  
This was one of the highlights of my day– these two girls “dressed up” like Hall H victims. In case you haven’t heard, on Saturday, two guys got into a scuffle over a seat in Hall H and one guy stabbed the other in the eye with a pen. I was there, and I can tell you, the seat wasn’t even good.
                              
The final hurrah of Comic-Con was the screening of the Buffy episode “Once More With Feeling,” which is a sing-along with a Rocky Horror vibe to it. I yelled “Shut up, Dawn!” so many times that I lost my voice. We also yelled, “Bite me!” whenever Spike appeared on screen and “Liar!” when Buffy tells Spike she’s never going to be with him and when Xander tells Anya he’ll never leave her. If that wasn’t enough fun, we were given clever traffic tickets (which I’ll post later) and little monster finger puppets (so we could say, “Grrr! Arrrgh!” during the closing credits).
In Comic-Con, film, TV, Whedon , , , , , , ,
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Comic-Con Saturday: Mostly Marvel Madness

Ashley Walton —  July 25, 2010 — 1 Comment

So I’ve been a bad girl, and I didn’t update my blog yesterday, which means I’m bursting to get tons of cool stuff off my chest. The last two days have been insane. Let’s start with what blew my mind the most.

THE ENTIRE AVENGERS CAST WAS REVEALED! Not only was the cast revealed, but everyone showed up, along with the film’s writer/director Joss Whedon. I kid you not, I had geek chills. I lost my voice screaming. So the big reveal everyone’s been waiting for: The Hulk will be played by Mark Ruffalo. And surprise! Jeremy Renner will play Hawkeye.
I have the highest hopes for The Avengers movie. It would be difficult for most writers and directors to juggle so many strong characters and actors at one time, but Whedon has experience doing exactly that with Firefly and Serenity. And I can’t wait for him to write some snarky lines for Tony Stark (snarky wit is another of Whedon’s specialties). I think he’s going to blow people away.
                                         
The highlight of the Green Lantern panel, believe it or not, was not the film footage (which was short and didn’t show much– it didn’t even show the suit). In fact, the highlight was when a young fan asked Reynolds to recite the Green Lantern oath, which he had refused to do on many other  occasions. You could see the kid brighten up and renew his love for comic book heroes as Reynolds said the lines in his best heroic voice.
                                                
Unlike the Green Lantern panel, the Thor panel showed a lot of polished footage. Visually, it looks great. The color palette, set design, and other-world feel was done well. Plus, I’m a sucker for Natalie Portman. What geek isn’t?
                                      
The Captain America footage was more like a teaser. It’s definitely going to be his origin story, set during WW II. What we saw, clearly showed what Marvel has already hinted at– that they’re carefully interweaving all their different characters into one universe, which isn’t an easy thing to do. The stories overlap slightly, and all the characters exist on the same plane, culminating in the big movie everyone’s waiting for– the Avengers. Pretty effing cool.
As a side note, there was a stabbing in Hall H today while I was there. It was pretty crazy. I guess a fan got into a scuffle and stabbed someone in the eye over a seat. The whole thing was so unexpected. Nothing like that has ever happened at Comic-Con. Geeks are such a peaceful people.
In Comic-Con, film, Whedon , , , , , ,
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Comic-Con Thursday

Ashley Walton —  July 23, 2010 — 3 Comments

So here’s the scoop on what happened at Comic-Con today. I’m not gonna lie, some pretty freaking awesome stuff went down.

Jaw-dropping moment today: Guillermo del Toro announced he’ll be directing a remake of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. He beamed as he made his announcement and explained that he has an entire room in his house devoted to the spooky Disneyland ride. He says this film will not be a comedy; it will be scary but fun. He also assured the crowd, “Don’t worry, we have not been returning Eddie Murphy’s calls.” I love Guillermo del Toro.

At the Tron panel, they showed some amazing footage. I now have more faith in the film than I ever did. The film shows the Jeff Bridges you see before you, but it also shows a digitally-altered Jeff Bridges, who appears 27 years younger. The effects are seemless. Check out the exclusive Comic-Con trailer here  http//:g4tv.com/videos/47595/Tron-Legacy-Comic-Con-2010-Trailer/
In Comic-Con, film , , , , ,
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Comic-Con Preview Night

Ashley Walton —  July 22, 2010 — 5 Comments
In case you haven’t heard, I’m at Comic-Con. The geek fest leaves me tired at the end of the day, but I’m going to try to leave little blog posts everyday, and I’ll fill in the blanks later. So here’s the coolest stuff from today.
                                    
Light cycle from Tron.
Set piece: throne room from Thor.
True Blood is coming out with a comic.
Tron Wii remote.
Prop from the Green Lantern movie: Abin Sur (the alien who gives Green Lantern his powers).
Got trapped in an action figure package.
Predator head.
Played with zombie movie props. Yes, that’s two chainsaws ducktaped onto a paddle.
While I’m at the Con, I’m constantly tweeting, and I upload photos to my Twitter first, so follow AshleyGeekGirl on Twitter if you want all the juicy details.
In Comic-Con, comics, film , , , , , , , ,
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