Mr. Geeky V and I headed to our local cinema to a sold out viewing of 2012. We normally don't hit the big shows on opening night, but we were feeling adventurous. To sit through a 158-minute movie, plus commercials and previews seemed like a daunting task. Would the disaster-ridden special effects juggernaut hold our attention? Would we be able to make it that long without running to the bathroom? Would the awkward family in front of us who argued for 15 minutes before the previews keep their traps shut? Stay tuned!
Roland Emmerich is a fan of blowing up landmarks and making big disaster movies. He is, after all, the guy who had aliens blowing up the White House in ID4, and who covered New York in snow in The Day After Tomorrow. This time, though, Emmerich goes for broke in 2012. The premise is very simple: the Mayan calendar runs out, and so does the Earth's expiration date. Scientists, including Dr. Adrian "call me Adrian" Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), make the discovery in 2010, so the government finds a way to save the upper crust of society before the Earth's crust crumbles. Helmsley begins working with Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) to be able to predict exactly when their plan needs to go into action. Danny Glover is president, and his daughter Laura (Thandie Newton) works for a company whose sole purpose is preserving paintings like the Mona Lisa.
Fast forward to 2012, where author Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), separated from his wife Kate (Amanda Peet), is rushing to pick up his kids for a camping trip to Yellowstone. As he's rushing there, a tremor creates a crack in the pavement, and the audience braces for what is to come. There is, of course, the establishment of the story of the estranged father picking up his kids from the wife he still loves and who he suspects deep down still loves him. There's the obligatory new boyfriend, whom Curtis's son has taken to as a new father figure. The trip to Yellowstone takes a weird turn as they discover a dried-up lake, and Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), a conspiracy theorist and pirate radio talk show host. He tells Curtis some of his crackpot theories, including one about the imminent disaster and the way the government is planning on surviving.
All of the characters have some familial loose end, as is the case with most disaster films. Adrian doesn't talk to his father that often. His father's jazz partner (George Segal) doesn't speak to his son. Jackson is separated and his family are living their own lives. The President and his daughter are separated by duty.
There are other stories intertwined, most notably the ones of Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric) and Dr. Satnam Tsurutani (Jimi Mistry). These characters play a big part in the film in different ways. Yuri is the typical rich guy whose money has bought him a ticket to survival. He's painted in very broad strokes throughout the film. No big surprises with this guy. Satnam is instrumental in setting up the scientific aspect of the film.
The true star of this film was definitely the special effects department. The main reason I wanted to see this in the theater was that I knew with Emmerich there would be a lot of crumbling buildings and wonders of the world being reduced to rubble. In that respect the film didn't disappoint. It was pretty, and the action made for some edge of your seat moments.
The weaknesses of the film where just where I expected them. There were the cookie cutter characters, the stories of estrangement with the potential for redemption, and the contrived ways the characters from each intertwining story somehow wind up in the same place. Add to that Hollywood's overwhelming need to save dogs at the expense of characters' well-being, and one act of superhuman strength that made us laugh out loud (I call it the Fastball Special--trust me, you'll know what I'm talking about), and you have every other disaster movie you've ever seen.
The thing is, it doesn't matter. Overall, this movie is an enjoyable experience. The special effects are fun, and the story is tolerable. It's not good, it's not bad. It's a step above "meh". Bottom line, I would recommend going to see it. Sure, it's familiar, but if you were ever curious what the apocalypse was going to look like, look no further than this film. It is pretty when it's on the big screen, but still a harrowing experience.
If you're a fan of Dark Horse (and really, why shouldn't you be?), you're probably aware of Beasts of Burden. Hopefully that means you've picked up a copy. The 2nd issue just came out this past Wednesday, and the series is shaping up to be a fun read.
The story centers around a group of dogs and a cat in a town called Burden. Before you write this off as another typical dog story, you should know that there's more than meets the eye with this town. These dogs are more BPRD than Milo and Otis. In the tradition of books like The Walking Dead, it's best not to get too attached to characters.
The book, penned by Evan Dorkin and beautifully drawn by Jill Thompson (of Scary Godmother fame), isn't the first appearance of these characters. They first appeared in stories in two of the Dark Horse Book of the... series. I know it's in the Dark Horse Book of the Dead, but I'm not sure about the other one.
Pick up the first two issues of this series, if you can find them. It's a great paranormal story in the Dark Horse tradition.
When it rains, it pours on this blog. :)
If you are in the Knoxville area and want to get your geek on, head up to Pigeon Forge to AdventureCon. I'm excited about the prospect of seeing Jason Mewes, John Schneider, and Micky Dolenz in person! (Hopefully it won't be as disturbing as the summer show, where William Katt told this really inappropriate story about a rape scene cut from Carrie. I assume it was from Carrie. Can't imagine that would have been something cut from Greatest American Hero.)
Mostly I'm excited about the prospect of perusing longboxes of back issues and keeping my fingers crossed for that sweet deal on some cool vinyl toys.
Oh! Speaking of vinyl toys--my Medicom Where the Wild Things Are Carol VCD came in yesterday. He is beautiful! Pair that with my Teela and Ray from Matty that came in today, and it's been a good week to be a geek.
Last Saturday was one of the best Saturdays ever, even if it was the last Saturday of my vacation. Before viewing Where the Wild Things Are, and after a lovely meal at Jack's City Grill, Mr. Geeky V and I headed to the Johnson City Family Skate Center for the Little City Roller Girls' meet and greet, Get Down and Derby! It has been a loooooong time since I set foot in a skating rink. We found a seat and waited for the presentation to start. After a brief overview of derby in general, the girls talked about how to join. Then a brief intermission, and a scrimmage featuring girls from Little City, Blue Ridge Rollergirls and Hard Knox Rollergirls started. And then it hit me. I have got to try this! I talked to one of the girls at the t-shirt booth who is herself "Fresh Meat". She gave me a sheet to fill out and graciously answered my questions. I quickly filled it out and handed it back in.
Because I'm a giant nerd, when I'm interested in something, I do ungodly amounts of research. I have read more information about derby than I care to admit, and in doing so, have talked myself into trying it. I also know there's a lot of training I need to do, in addition to attending practices. Time will tell if I'm able to make it past Fresh Meat (I hope! I hope!). At the very least it's motivated me to get off my ass and do something. That's not to say I won't still read comics, play video games, and watch movies like it's my job. I'll still be the Geeky Vixen you know, but I'll have a better ass and a badass alter ego. ;)
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Now playing: The Chordettes - Lollipop (Squeak E. Clean & Desert Eagles Remix)
via FoxyTunes
Last weekend we saw Where the Wild Things Are. I loved it so much. Here are the things I knew I would love going in:
- Spike Jonze's handmade, organic look and feel. The guy can do everything: music videos, dressing up like an old lady on Jackass, movies, everything. I admire his touch.
- The monsters. This book and the Muppets made me love monsters at a very young age. As a kid I was the girl who was more afraid of lions than winged monkeys and actually wanted a monster under my bed.
- Catherine Keener. She is not afraid of weird roles (see Being John Malkovich), and she plays drama as well as comedy (see 40-Year-Old Virgin: "You want me to dress up like Thor? I'll dress up like Thor!")
Bottom line? Take someone you love to see this film. You'll laugh, you'll cry (or at least I did), and you'll remember what it's like to be a little kid in a big unfair world.
And promise me this, gentle readers. When you go see the movie, use my favorite quote on someone you love: "I'll eat you up, I love you so."
I have never been one to attend a sneak preview of a movie. I usually say, "Oh, I'll just wait a week." Not so with Whip It. A few posts ago I posted the trailer for this film, and, given my interest in roller derby, I've been excited about it since. After the rain changed our plans, we decided to give it a shot (plus, there was a free t-shirt in it for us). We got to the theater early, and took our seats. Soon after, our local roller derby girls showed up to peep the film. And that was pretty much it: me, Mr. Geeky V, our friends, and the roller girls. I don't know if it was the rain or Fame, but people weren't interested apparently.
They missed out. Honestly, this film was inspiring and beautiful in the most dangerous way. Drew Barrymore kicks ass as a director, and Ellen Page does a bang-up job as our heroine. For those of you who haven't seen the trailer, the story follows a teenager whose mom drags her to beauty pageants. Bliss (Page) sneaks off to Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat in a role that rivals her work on Arrested Development) to a roller derby bout. She falls in love with the sport and after the bout tells Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) that they are her new heroes. Maggie says, "Well, put on some skates and be your own hero." (Incidentally, one of the Hard Knox Roller Girls said something similar to me at AdventureCon this summer.) Needless to say Bliss, after a training montage, becomes one of the Hurl Scouts, and the rest, well, you'll just have to see for yourself.
The movie is funny, inspiring, girl power goodness. Guys will enjoy it for the girl fights, and girls will go join their local roller derby league the next day. The message is not heavy-handed or cliche at all. And the soundtrack rocks (see "Pot Kettle Black" by Tilly and the Wall).
This is definitely one not to miss. Girls, grab your tribe, and head to the theater. By the way, the t-shirt kicks ass, too.
By the way, after the movie, one of the roller girls invited me and my friend to a practice. I'll keep you posted if I decide to go. :)
