Iron Man 3: A Surprising Sequel (No Spoilers)

Yesterday, I saw Iron Man 3 with my buddies Vash and Justin. The movie surprised me. Boyfriend and I watched the first two installments the day before to gear up for #3, and I was glad we did. Iron Man 3 starts off with a reference to a conversation in the first movie, and it was a delightful surprise. What I found most surprising about the movie was how much it focused on Tony Stark's character as a fallible and often fragile human being, and less on him as Iron Man. Some fans might not like this aspect of the movie as Tony spends a lot of the film outside of the suit. I quite enjoyed seeing vulnerable Tony Stark, it added more suspense and drama to what could have been a predictable action movie.



Tony is clearly suffering from some PTSD after the events that took place at the end of The Avengers. He has insomnia and suffers from anxiety attacks. To combat this, he tinkers and loses himself in an obsession with the distraction of his suits. The downside I found with this in the story was that I personally found it triggering when Tony had anxiety attacks onscreen. Robert Downey Jr. is an amazing actor and plays the anxiety attacks in a very real way. I'm glad he did this, because it felt real and not like anxiety attacks were something to be downplayed. However, he portrayed them so real-to-life that I started getting paranoid that I was going to have an anxiety attack for the rest of the day (thereby inducing one late last night.)

All in all, I think this was a great installment to the Iron Man series and the Marvel movie franchise. I don't want to go too much more into detail about the movie so as not to spoil anything. I recommend seeing this if you liked the first two.  

Iron Man 3 gets 4 out of 5 Iron Man Mr. Potato Heads.

And Now For Something (Almost) Completely Different

You guys saw The Hobbit, right? And then you totally read my review, right? And then you totally watched the video I posted of my buddies, Vash and Justin reviewing said movie, right? Well, this has nothing to do with The Hobbit, but it involves an entertaining video. Yay!

Justin and I were neighbors in college, so we've been pals for a while, and he is probably one of the best buddies you could ask for. He's also super smart and has a deep love of film. And then there's Vash. Vash is opinionated, silly, and crazy talented. He also tends to dislike lots and lots and lots of things movies. He's, well...particular in his tastes.

Anywho, they were kind enough to invite me on the show for one of their "Classics" episodes, where we reviewed a classic movie. Since I was the guest, I chose to watch and review the Nintendo vehicle of 1989, The Wizard.

So, without further ado, I give you one of (hopefully) many videos coming at you from lil' ol' me, Jess GurlNxtDoor and Gurl on Girl-Gaming.  Enjoy!

 

Look for Vash and Justin on their YouTube channel, follow them on Twitter, or Like them on Facebook!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Movie Review (Updated)

Martin Freeman. Swoon.

I just got home from seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in the intended high frame rate IMAX 3D. In just Googling the movie title a plethora of reviews ranging from "meh" to "epic fail" pop up. I have not read any of the reviews yet so as not to taint my own opinions or enjoyment out of the movie, but I just wanted to see what was out there.  The movie is most definitely epic. Epically long. With 169 minute running time in addition to the 30 minutes of previews and the 9 minute teaser for the new Star Trek (which is awesome btw) I was sitting on my booty for quite a long while today. But it's not like that was new. Boyfriend and I "pre-gamed" this week by watching the LOTR trilogy extended edition. So, we've spent 832 minutes viewing Peter Jackson's masterpieces this week. Yes!

Having read the book about 10 years ago and having seen the 1977 Rankin/Bass animated movie dozens of times as a child, plus all of the extra nerdy stuff boyfriend knows about the world of Middle Earth, I felt like I was familiar with The Hobbit.  Either my mind is going in my old age, or Peter Jackson et al delved into even more detail than some may deem necessary and produced an epic tale of friendship and adventure. I like to think it's the latter. An Unexpected Journey goes into far more detail and history than I ever thought it would. To the casual viewer this probably seems tedious and excessive, or even a bit greedy to squeeze every ounce of detail out of it to stretch it into 3 movies so that the studio can make more money. While I was expecting to really enjoy the movie today, I did think a Hobbit trilogy seemed like a bit much; I would have been satisfied with 2 movies. But after mulling it over in my brain and enjoying the crap out of this movie, I'm satisfied and think that a Hobbit trilogy is in the capable and safe hands of Peter Jackson.

Everyone in the industry has been curious about the high frame rate in which the movie was filmed in. Again, Googling this leads to a slew of criticism about the HFR in which The Hobbit was filmed. There are reports/rumors of people getting nauseous and throwing up, etc. I have mixed feelings about the HFR. Normally I am not a fan of watching movies in 3D, I tend to get a headache or my eyes start to sting about 45 minutes into the movie. However, The 3D did not bother me today. It's very subtle and artistically done. The 3D adds an element of depth and texture to the film that I think is charming and fun-exactly what you want to feel with this story. I think Peter Jackson used the 3D element in a wonderful way. There were times when the action was slightly off center of the frame and you would be focused on that and then suddenly a bat or a bird or a piece of debris would fly past in the foreground and it was amazing, it was like watching what was happening to through a window.  The HFR only added to this...most of the time. Because our eyes are not used to viewing movies at such a high quality in "real time" it's very difficult to get used to seeing. It took me about 30 minutes to adjust to the picture quality. I've heard some people complaining that it looks "too real" and I don't understand how that's possible. For me, the first half hour looked funny because the HFR almost made it feel like everything was moving too quickly. It appeared as though someone accidentally hit the fast-forward button and everything moved just a hair too fast to feel natural. However, once my eyes adjusted, it was quite beautiful.  This leads to why I am torn about the HFR. It's awesome on Mythbusters and for action movies when they slow things down and you can see details, but when you're watching an action sequence at 48 frames per second and it never slows down at all, it's overwhelming. This is my one complaint about The Hobbit; for the slow sweeping shots, or close-ups of people talking, or the wide shots of scenery, the high frame rate makes a gorgeous movie, but in the scenes with battles or quick cuts and lots of action and large movement the additional frames can make you feel a little uncomfortable in the tummy. Going into the movie I snorted at the rumors of people throwing up watching this movie, but for the first half hour, I could understand how someone of a lesser constitution than I might feel queezy or ill. My opinion of the 48 FPS is it looks gorgeous and amazing, but I was painfully aware of it throughout the movie and thus, it took me out of the universe I was trying to be immersed in and, in turn, drew me out of the experience. I can't stress enough how great it looks, but it is just not my cup of tea. I expected to love this movie going into it. I think I did, but the high frame rate was quite distracting, so I can't tell how much I liked it.  I plan to see the movie again in the regular 24 FPS for comparison. I'm confident it will be just as beautiful and I will enjoy it even more.

All technology aside, overall the movie was enjoyable and entertaining. Ian Holm and Elijah Wood make a short and sweet cameo which I thought was delightful. This is not a spoiler because it's on the IMDB page and it's in the first 30 minutes. Please don't send me hate mail. Ian McKellen is still a wonderful Gandalf, as expected. I love Martin Freeman. He is the perfect Bilbo. I was pleasantly surprised that all of the dwarves, while looking and behaving as dwarves ought, are all different enough in character and costume detail that they do not overwhelm you, like too many Gimlis. I couldn't handle 3 hours with 13 versions of Gimli. I don't love Gimli; in all honesty, he's my least favorite character in LOTR. Please don't send me hate mail.

So, to sum up:
-HFR IMAX 3D is beautiful but can get overwhelming during the action sequences. I suggest not seeing the movie after a large meal.
-Peter Jackson has created more depth and brought to life so much, I really like to think Tolkien would approve.
-I love Martin Freeman.
-Please don't send me hate mail.

On my patented scale, I give Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 4.5 out of 5 Hobbit feet. (Or in this case, I guess 9 out of 10 since the feet are in pairs...eh- 6 of one half a dozen of the other...)

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Also, I saw The Hobbit with my buddies Vash and Justin who do a review show on YouTube. Check out their stuff, it's funny. Please don't send Vash hate mail either.

Happy Friday! Let's Wreck it!

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It's Friday! This means nothing to me. Weekdays no longer hold any bearing on me because I lost my job on Monday. It's all for the best, however. I loathed that job with every fiber of my being. It was clearly affecting me too. I've been ill more times and with far more serious illnesses this year than any other year I remember. I was so unbelievably unhappy at that job. Now, being unemployed comes with some stigma and a level of uncertainty that I am not usually comfortable with, but I have an awesome support system of friends and family, and I am mentally healthier this year than I have been probably in most of my life. I now have more time to dedicate to writing and acting and gaming; the beer glass is half-full, you guys!

So, Monday was a mixed bag of craziness. I went into work fully expecting to lose my job (I won't go into all the boring minutiae of why and how) and I was correct. But, I had my mental shields up and I took it with grace and dignity and I didn't let the devil my former manager see me cry. It wasn't how I dreamed of leaving this particular workplace, but it's also not the first time I've been "let go" or laid off or fired. No one likes losing their job, even if it's a job they hate. My ideal departure from this job would have involved me marching in the office, head held high and walking straight up to the devil my former manager's desk and proudly informing her that I was putting in my notice because I was offered a better-paying/kick-ass position elsewhere. BOOM! Put on notice, bitch!

Thanks OSHA

 But it didn't go down like that. Meh. So, I went home dragging the last 2 years worth of desk contents with me and I took a nap. Because I could. Boyfriend snuggled with me and when I woke up, the entire morning had felt like a bad dream.To cheer me up, and to remind me that he still loved me even though I was now a financial leech, Boyfriend took me on a date to see Wreck-it Ralph. 

Omagodyouguys! Wreck-it Ralph was so great. This movie was made for me. I needed this movie so much on Monday. If you are a gamer, or a Disney fan, and/or an actor and you haven't seen this movie yet, GET OUT OF YOUR CAVE!!! If you are a gamer, a Disney fan, and/or an actor, and you saw the movie and didn't like it, then there is no hope for you, I'm sorry.

The movie takes place inside an arcade inside the world of the arcade machines. The universe that the movie-makers created is astounding and wondrous. The story follows Ralph (played by the never-anything-but-amazing, John C. Reilly) who is a video game villain in the Donkey-Kong-esque arcade game, Fix-it Felix, Jr. The hero of this game is, obviously, Fix-it Felix Jr. (played by the always adorable Jack McBrayer) whose job is to fix the apartment building after Ralph wrecks it. Ralph is the villain in his game, but he feels unfulfilled as the villain because he's a "bad guy" but he's not a bad guy. On the 30th anniversary of his game, Ralph has grown tired of being lonely and never getting to be a hero, so he sort of snaps when he finds that he is not invited to the anniversary party that the other characters in his game are throwing, and vows that he will obtain his very own hero medal and bring it back to rub in everyone's faces. Thus, Ralph sets out on a journey to explore the other games in the arcade to get his hero medal. Along the way, he unexpectedly makes new friends, reveals the dark past of an arcade legend, and learns what it really means to be a hero. I won't spoil anything here because the movie is such a delight that it needs to be seen to truly be appreciated. 

In my humble opinion, Executive Producer, John Lasseter can do no wrong. When he stamps his name on something, I expect to love it. Wreck-it Ralph is no exception. The story is charming and full of so many nods to the gaming industry, it gives me goosebumps. The casting was also superb. Normally, I'm somewhat against big-name on-screen celebrities or talent being cast into voice-over roles just for the sake of having known names on the poster, but this movie was perfectly cast. The cast also included Jane Lynch (who I also think is amazing all the time) Sarah Silverman (who I normally cannot stand but, she is amazing in this movie) and my beloved Alan Tudyk (who I also believe can do no wrong, but he is SO amazing in this movie that I didn't even know he was in it until the end credits rolled.) Side note: if you don't like Alan Tudyk, you are dead to me.

The movie-makers seriously did their homework for Wreck-it Ralph. There are so many homages to old-school games and lesser-known aspects of the history of gaming.  The movie has heart and a sweet message, but also speaks to nerdy gamers and has tid bits of "potty" humor for the kids and the kids in all of us. But, my favorite part of this movie? Disney acknowledged that girl gamers not only exist, but that they are common and just as into gaming as boys! They showed this through "Moppet Girl," a character that acted as the audience's eyes in the outer world of the arcade. And clearly, someone at Disney reads my blog because they based Moppet Girl on me:

I'm totally in this movie, you guys.

I had a hard time coming up with things that I didn't like about this movie. Boyfriend pointed out that he really disliked one of the songs used in a driving montage scene, "Shut up and Drive" by Rhianna. To be honest I only vaguely remember the song in the movie, but after using my Google-fu and hearing it again, I have to agree with him that it is a bit out of place with the rest of the film. My friend Max also said he wished the movie had shown the inside of more games. I understand what he means, Ralph only travels inside a handful of other games, but there are so many subtle references to other games and their characters that I feel like if the movie took the time for Ralph to actually travel to other arcade games, the story would feel drawn out and stale. Plus, there is such a thing as too many montages, so even a quick montage of other games might feel like too much.

So, let's sum up! I lost my job. Meh. I saw Wreck-it Ralph. Yay! Cute and creative story, fun and funny, girl gamers are great! The End.

I give Wreck-it Ralph 4.5 out of 5 Panicked Q*berts.

P.S Ok, I was sort of joking when I said that Moppet Girl was me. But my Google+ clearly seems to think Moppet Girl is me when I do an image search. (I swear I did not make this up.)