FF: Advent Children is probably the most incredible anime action movie I have ever seen. It has a rich cast of interesting characters, and the stunts (if you can call it that for anime) are just jaw-dropping. My favorite scene was in the tunnel near the end, when Loz throws his motorcycle with his legs.

Advent Children Complete adds about 30 more minutes to the movie, and explains everything much better. I never played the games, but I was able to follow along thanks to it. I was a bit lost at times with the original though.

Grey's Anatomy--the episode tonight is so bittersweet. Callie and Arizona are getting married, so that's the happy part. But Callie's situation with her parents is so heart-breaking! Her mother just said some very hurtful things to her, because she won't accept her daughter's marriage to another woman... I mean, I can see the mother's point of view, and even though I don't agree with her I can understand where she's coming from. But poor Callie--she wants so badly to please her parents and to marry the woman she loves, but her mother's coldness to her and her lack of enthusiasm just makes me want to cry! How any parent can turn on their child because of something like that--to me that is the abomination. No parent should ever treat their child in such a way, whether they agree with something or not. It just breaks my heart that real people do that to their children in this world every day...

But kudos to Grey's Anatomy for taking on such a controversial but important subject in the show! Though I am, myself, heterosexual, gay rights is something that I consider highly important. They are people just like all the rest of us, and should have just as much right to marry whomever they love, regardless of gender. Each human being should have that right, and no one should have the right to force their own personal beliefs onto others. But that's my opinion, so if anyone here disagrees, I would rather not get into a debate. I will respect your opinions, and I ask that you do the same for me, so we can agree to disagree.

OMG! And thank you, Dr. Bailey!!! What she said when she talked Callie up, she said it beautifully!!! Woot!

Tears! Omg! Callie's dad turned the car around to go back and dance with her at her wedding! Yay! :')

I love this show. It's one of my favorites!

Well, I'd like to point out what day it is. No, not that dumb Rebecca Black song.

Today is Freya's Day!

Which means that Yesterday was Thursday. Sorry, meant to say

THOR'S DAY!

So I went to go see THOR!

In IMAX THOR-D!

Seriously, though, just saw Thor, and I must admit how much I was surprised by it. There's a certain amount of humor, yes, and some tropes you can identify rather easily when they're used. But the tone of the film is easily capable of dragging you in.

Oh, and stay through the credits. You'll be happy that you did. Especially if you're one to appreciate July movie tie-ins.

LOL. Love what you did with that, Captain Hammer. I'll have to go see it. I'll probably wait until it comes out to rent, though, because I'm not fond of movie theatres anymore... And I'll be sure to watch it on a Thor's day!

Hey, he's my patron! Most other gods and goddesses are fond of swords, axes, spears, or archery equipment. But you want a god with a hammer, there's only one way to go...

Cardcaptor Sakura, as suggested by our dear friend SubRosa! I watched the movie this morning with my daughter. Probably should have watched the series before watching the movie, but I loved it. I watched it with the original Japanese (English subtitles), and I'm very glad I did (I usually watch foreign films in the original language, because I love languages). I've always loved the sound of the Japanese language, especially--it's beautiful, and some day I hope to learn it. The costumes the characters in the movie wore were beautiful and cute. And Sakura and her pet/friend are both very cute!!

Shaoran's mother was very pretty, too. At first, I wasn't sure if I trusted her, which is probably what the writers/creators wanted. And that sorceress from Sakura's dreams was very interesting. I felt great pity for her...and I am glad at how it all turned out, except that I was hoping she would get to keep that exquisite headpiece!

I won't say too much, in case anyone here hasn't seen it and wants to, but it was very enjoyable, and my little girlie seemed to enjoy it as well. And it appears she didn't mind the Japanese--I don't know if she really even noticed. Three-year-olds are still not as bothered by language barriers as many adults.

I'm going to start watching the series next, and I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it just as much. Thank you, SubRosa, for your suggestions!



Hey, that's awesome! I'm not quite as knowledgeable about Scandinavian mythology as I am about all the others, so I didn't know Thor had a hammer... Isn't he also the god of thunder, though--sort of the Scandinavian equivalent of Zeus/Jupiter? My mom used to have a German Shepherd named Thor. He was a good dog...

Odin's the closer equivalent of Zeus/Jupiter. Old man, with big flowing beard, king of the gods, fits the archetype of "Skyfather" (male weather deity associated with destructive forces as tool of justice/retribution), one of three brothers descended from a world-shaper, protector of guest-right, etc.

Thunderstorms are a far more dangerous thing in Greece than in Scandinavia, where it's blizzards that are culturally the most feared meteorological phenomena. This, and a few others, mark the difference between the two, but the differences are largely circumstance-based, and the cross-cultural similarities between the two indicate descent from the same proto-concept in pre-historic societies.

Oh, and here I was thinking Thor was the top god in Scandinavian mythology... And so you can plainly see, I'm not very knowlegeable there--it's the one area of mythology which evades me....

It will not be out for another year, but I am looking forward to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I wonder if he will use Lincoln's Repeater, loaded with holy water bullets? Not just good for killing Super Mutants I see!

Hmm, interesting. Never heard of it, but I recognize at least a couple of the actors in it. And Abraham Lincoln was an exceptional man--seeing him slay vampires would make him that much more incredible!

I loved that book (and wonder what would happen if somebody were to write an Abraham Lincoln vs. Twilight piece) and I eagerly await the movie. The same guy who wrote this also wrote Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, and I think that would make a great movie as well.

Looks to be quite promising, though. It's a great premise and the original writer is coming back for screenplay duties.

Girl in Gold Boots on MST3K.

So far, it's got everything I look for in an MST3K movie: terrible acting, cheap washed-out picture, cliched....

But I've just come across one of the most hilarious jump-cuts I've ever seen. You really have to see it to believe it, it's incredible.

Im hoping to see priest when it comes out.

I should start going to church if thats what sermons are like

Field of Dreams for the billianth time, still bawling like a calf every time.

Better stay away from 'Old Yeller.'

I still can't bring myself to watch that one. I'm even less inclined since I saw the clip where the boy takes the rifle from Ma and says in the most manly manner "I'll do it Ma. He's my dog." Knowing what happens after that just makes me blubber uncontrollably.

Another excellent movie for making you cry your eyes out-- Pay it Forward. I sob almost uncontrollably every time I watch it (which isn't often, because I just can't do that to myself too much).

I have only seen that movie once. When the boy died I was shocked, and when the crowd gathered with the candles - bawled.

I've only watched one tear jerker that I know of, and thats The boy in the striped pyjamas. The end had us both in tears, and thats not usual for me.

Omg, another good one that makes you sob like a baby! Yeah, I forgot all about that one. My husband and I watched it after it came out, and both of us cried.

Second comic-book movie just seen with the fratre and the amicis.

X-Men: First Class is...not quite as first class as Thor was (let me Hammer the puns home now).

I would suggest that vegetarians avoid this one, as it is most definitely full of Bacon-y greasiness.

And by that, I mean that Kevin Bacon turns in a great performance as Sebastian Shaw.

The new imaginings of Erik Lensher (Magneto) and Charles Xavier (Professor X) are pretty well done. For those deeply familiar with X-Men and Marvel comics history, there are some deep diversions from the established lore, and the characterizations of the supporting cast takes a few amateurish turns.

That said, look for a few instances of foreshadowing from James McAvoy regarding the future of his character. And be on the lookout for a great cameo with a precision F-strike that does deserve a few laughs.

It's not worth rushing out to see at this given minute. But it is the best thing in theaters right now unless you're up for another round of Norse drinking with Thor (and with stupid Pirates hogging the IMAX-3D theaters, there's nothing new for you) and if you're gonna see a movie this weekend, I suggest this one.

You won't see anything special, but you should enjoy yourselves.

I have been on a Legend of the Seeker kick of late. It is a great show! A shame it only lasted two seasons...

Watched the newly released 'Kung Fu Panda 2' yesterday. Great fun, made me want to get a panda.

Also watched X-men First Class, good film if you like X-men, I just love seeing new characters and discovering what cool abilities they have. Teleportation is still at the top of my list.

Alright, so it's time for Cappy's Third Comic Book Movie Review of Summer 2011!!

Today, we have opinions on Green Lantern, DC's (via Warner Bros.) sole entry this year.

First, something that truly needs to be said about comic book movies in general. They're best when made in-house. This is why Thor did so well with the source material, keeping a general faithfulness to the comics narrative strength and using the history of visual evolution to nail-down the right effects for the big screen.

These are the two major flaws with Green Lantern. The story is barely there. I know that DC has no intention of merging Justice League properties on the screen until after the finish the run on Nolan's run with Batman and the next Superman film. But they introduce major villains immediately into the narrative, and turn some of the fundamental concepts of the comics' universe into cheap characters. Sinestro (Mark Strong) is well-acted but poorly written. Peter Sarsgaard is creepy as Hector Hammond, but with cheap lines and lots of scripted screaming, there's only so much one can do before turning a role into a self-parody, a dangerous line thankfully averted.

Honestly, given the great run Geoff Johns had with the Blackest Night sequence, I don't know why they didn't hire him for major writing credit for the film. He's written for TV and has interest in doing some film work, so the failure to pass up a strong story-teller speaks of the unwillingness for studios to try taking a few risks.

Then there's the visuals. They range from the fundamentally awesome (Tomar-Re's initial demonstration of a Green Power-ring's ability) to completely misguided (I now know more of Ryan Reynolds' pectoral muscle fibers than any man should ever know). You can see where they sunk the effort into the film, and at no point do you get the sense that they were going for cheap gimmicks seen in the Immortals trailer showing before the film (thank Shor that Skyrim comes out on the same day). Even a skin-tight suit would have been preferable to Reynolds' new skin he seems to get every time he goes ring-slinging.

All in all, a mediocre adaption of great material, with a good adaption of the visual style that seems to go a little over-board in certain respects. I don't know if it's better than Mr. Popper's Penguins, but if you've got nothing else to see this weekend, check it out. I can't way whether it's worth the extra three-to-four bucks for 3-D experience (a lot will depend on your desire to be visually wowed), but it's nowhere near the sh!t-show that was Joel Schumacher's two go-rounds with Batman. Kilmer and Clooney still give me shivers thinking about that.

EDIT: Have now seen this film in a not-tired, not-slightly-buzzed state. Above review null and void. Overall: Rotten Tomatoes is being generous right now.

I just saw Thor. I have to say, it was quite good. Much better than I expected. A look at the end credits showed many of the reasons why. Kenneth Branagh and J. Michael Straczynski behind the cameras. But even the people in front of the cameras were quite good as well. My biggest worry was Anthony Hopkins as Odin, but I think he did it excellently. Chris Hemsworth though was the real standout. He carries the lead very well. He looks like a god, has a great voice, and is just an all around cool guy. Even when he is being a complete A-Hole (like at the beginning of the movie). I wish he had been tapped to be Captain Kirk in the reboot of Star Trek, rather than Kirk's dad. He'd have done a much better job, namely by not being an annoying twit. But I digress.

All around a good movie. Even with some of the incongruities like Robin Hood, Jackie Chan, and Wilt Chamberlin, it still works. In fact, I think the African-American Heimdall was perfect (not being sarcastic, I mean it. He really feels like an outsider among the other Asgardians, standing alone at the end of the bridge.

The look was good. They even took that silly tic tac toe board the comic book Thor wears and actually make it look like real armor in the film. Likewise with those great big helmets. It all seems larger than life. As gods ought to (even though the movie is quick to point out that: "oh no, they are not gods, they would just look like that to primitives from a thousand years ago".

Every good hero is measured by his opponent. In this Tony Hiddleston as Loki is no slouch either. He was most cool, because while he is what I expected, he was not at all what I expected. A great trickster, his deceptions are merely deceptions. You have to really dig to see what is true plans are. His motivations were excellent, not to mention many-layered, and simply believable. In the end you find yourself thinking "Is he really all that bad?" He has become tied with Magneto as my favorite Marvel movie villain.

Finally, the obligatory epilogue at the end of the credits was once again most tantalizing, and I suspect is the lead in to The Avengers. I really like how the marvel movies are doing these now.

Okay, I'm sorry. Forget my previous post.

I saw Green Lantern at the Thursday night midnight premiere, and must admit to a certain amount of impaired faculties.

I saw it again today. Went with my brother, who just got into town. He hadn't seen it yet.

We both agree with my new assessment. Don't see it. Don't watch it if you have to pay, don't view it unless you must.

The CGI is a lot worse than I had originally evaluated. Ryan Reynolds was, I am sorry to say, a poor choice. He's a good actor with leading man capabilities, but he's just not Hal Jordan. Jon Hamm would have been a much better choice. So would Matt Damon. And Tom Hardy, but Nolan already tapped him for Bane.

But the writing. Oh, the writing. I don't know whether the writer's ever really read through an entire story-line of Green Lantern. Given that DC is about to pull another reboot of their whole product line, I don't know how much it matters. But if these story-lines are about to be introduced as comic-book canon, I'll have officially lost all faith in mainstream comics.

Just got back from seeing harry potter!

Brilliant film, and worthy of being known as the final HP movie.

I second Harry Potter. I pretend not to be a fan but secretly I think it's quite cool.

I also saw Transformers 3 for the second time today, I loved it. I enjoyed the story and I always love seeing new transormers and the giant Decepticon worm/snake/thing stole the show.

Lots of great films out this year and we're only half way through (sort of).

Now Watching:

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

And I hate to admit it, but I think I liked it a little better than Thor.

Yes, better than Thor. Not by much, but a little.

It's hard to say what went right, other than noting how little went wrong. They don't default into stereotyped casting, with the exception of the Red Skull, but Hugo Weaving's nazi super-scientist turned deformed super-human mad-man is probably the perfect antagonist, more so than Loki whose entire driving force seems to be an out-of-proportion revenge scheme. This time around, the megalomania that made the original Agent Smith is back, as Weaving's Schmidt makes you ask "Is it possible to be too Nazi for Hitler to tolerate you? What does such a person want?"

Alright, so the one fault I have with the movie is basically the fact that one part of it is mediocre in a piece that consists of concentrated magnificence. We can stop here, say "See the movie," and be done. But there's more for me to say, and I need to say it here. As it is a definitive rant, allow me to throw up the spoiler tags.



Oh, and for the after-credits stinger: Yes, it's there. But, it has already been posted on YouTube, and the significant plot element comes at the end of the film, before the credits, not after. Still, to see the small bit on the big screen: Worth It!

I spent last week having a mini-lesbian film marathon, watching The Gymnast, A Marine Story, and Elena Undone. I have so fallen in love with Dreya Weber, who stars in the first two. She is an IRL aerialist, and is lots of fun to watch. In fact, I think she has just the right body to play Tadrose Helas, if there was ever a Teresa of the Faint Smile movie. The right attitude too.

Since then I have been going to the stars, watching Enterprise again. I am loving the series even more the second time around. I think all the things other people hate are the ones I adore so much. The opening theme. The lack of a prime directive. Humans not being the most advanced kids on the block, and there not even being a Federation yet. The Vulcans not being the nice, friendly, neutered puppy dogs they are in the later trek shows are a big part of it. Instead them being more than a little devious, and purposely holding humans back from space, creates a wonderful level of conflict that is missing from all the other shows. Even the original series, where Spock often faced animosity from other crewmembers.

Of the cast, I noticed that Linda Park is even more gorgeous than I remember her being the first time around. Jolene Blalock really shines as T'pol though, saying so much with so little. I just love how she sits like a bird in the captain's chair. The doctor is another favorite. I just love that half of his cures seem to use the menagerie of animals he keeps in the sick bay. Like the old days of medicine when maggots were used to prevent gangrene.

I also love the look of this Enterprise. All very basic, no carpeting, no spacious suites for every crewmember with their own shower and food replicator. It is all metal and flat-panel computer screens. Everyone eats in a common mess, and there is even a chef, and the captain has a steward. Controls are all dials and buttons, rather than the slick lcars interface from Next Gen. It looks like IMHO, a starship ought to. More like a submarine than a luxury hotel.

I've been hit by the Anime bug, and have started watching the quintessential series InuYasha. I did watch a lot of child Anime in my youth (Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, mostly), but I have to say that the more adult oriented series have quite a lot to offer.

And now, I pose a question to Anime fans. Which do you prefer: subbed or dubbed?

ahh, back to anime are we?

well for me it depends on the actors. For example FF:Advent Childrens English voice actors were still fitting, especialy the dark voice of Mr. Prius (George newbern)

Subtitles all the way, for any non-English film. The dubbing in Anime especially though is always done by the worst voice actors that have ever lived. Actually, I am sure they are not voice actors at all. They are probably just random people the studio found that could speak English. I literally cannot stand to listen to the dubbing in anime. I would rather not watch it at all. (Note this is not the case in anime that was made for an American audience, and so actually got real talent. For example, Naussica of the Vally of the Wind, which features Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman, Chris Sarandon, and Edward James Olmos. Or the aforementioned Advent Children. But those are far and between.)

Watching in the original language also gives you the benefit of hearing the emotion in the character's voices (this never carries over in the dubbed voices). If someone is happy, or sad, or angry, etc... it all comes across in the original language. The other advantage is that if you watch enough anime in Japanese, you start to learn the language a little, including the slang.

Speaking of Edward James Olmos...

A little while back I finally got around to finishing Battlestar Galactica 2001. An excellent series, but the ending was a major disappointment.

Godidit? Seriously? That was the best they had?

Yes, talk about Deus Ex Machina! Lets not forget that a star-faring civilization is just going to give up cities and technology to live as hunter-gatherers with a bunch of cro-magnons. Riiiight. That series had a lot of faults, even aside from the ending. Still, for the most part it was a fun ride getting there. You just could not take it too seriously. Now that I am watching Star Trek again, it really brings home one thing I liked about Galactica. No bumpy-headed aliens.

Definitely subbed for me - for one, it preserves a certain authenticity, for another, there is no longer such a thing as a neutral accent in English for me (even my own is marked!) and as a result I keep getting weirded out that the characters are speaking American/Canadian/RP/Australian/Scottish/Irish/whatever. German would be an option, but I have no idea where you'd even find anime dubbed into German, chances are the translation would be inferior and translations into German often weird me out anyway for some reason.

Although I should disclaim here that I have some hearing issues and as a result I generally want subtitles on anything I watch, no matter the language, and not being able to understand the spoken dialogue is actually a bonus.

...and now I shall resume lurking on this thread since I'm not watching anything.

That makes two of us!

I often have to use the subtitles because many movies these days mix the sound so poorly, that the dialogue is drowned out by the music and sound effects. Turning the volume up does not help, because that just makes everything else painfully loud. The Road was one of the worst offenders I found in this.

I also almost always have to use subtitles when watching British movies, like Layer Cake, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, etc... I think I have an easier time understanding Japanese than British English!

I have now finished watching InuYasha, from the first episode all the way to the end of The Final Act.

That was a great series. Perfect blend of seriousness and humor, with wonderfully deep characters and some truly heart-wrenching moments here and there.

So now I need a new series to view, and I have decided in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. As I understand, this is the version that stayed true to the source material.

But some bad news: the version on Netflix seems to be the English dub. However, Hulu has the subbed version, so that is where I shall be viewing.

I was going to suggest Gunslinger Girl, if you have not seen it yet. Netflix has the subbed version (at least on disc). Or Twelve Kingdoms.

Checked the version on Netflix, looks like it's the dubbed version, unfortunately.

I'll see if I can pull it up subtitled on Hulu.

If it is instant viewing, then it probably is dubbed. The discs all have japanese audio and subs though.

No worries, Hulu has the subtitled version.

I have been watching Cadfael for the past few weeks now. It is a wonderful series. Thank you haute for turning me on to it. When she first explained it was a mystery show set in medieval England, I first thought of The Name of the Rose, another wonderful movie about a detective monk. Cadfael lives up to the comparison. Derek Jacobi is perfect in the leading role, and in the first season, Sean Pertwee as the sheriff opposite him. Sadly, Pertwee only sticks around for the first season, and then is replaced by lesser actors.

While it is a mystery show, and we are always led on a twisting and turning path until the truth is discovered, what I really like here is simply gritty, realistic slice of town life in 12th century England. It is very well portrayed, from the cloistered monks to the tradesmen and nobles. We don't really get to see a lot of this in film or t.v., and most we do tend to gloss over the actual setting, and just concentrate on people hacking one another up with swords.

The main character, Cadfael himself is of course the strongest part of the show. He is smart, compassionate, easy to like, and never one to underestimate. They have given him a rich background of being a former soldier in the crusades, not to mention sailor, and other things, before he finally settled down to become a holy herbalist at the abbey. All those things stand him in good stead, as he has a knowledge of the world, and its people, that other cloistered monks do not.

I am absolutely tickled that you enjoyed the series so much. A lot of what I have learned about plant pharmacology has originated from this series and reinforced by my own research (I have the Herbal PDR - sadly it's probably outdated).

It is quite strongly character driven, and I agree, for me, Sean Pertwee will always be the one and only Hugh Beringar. And yes, my Legion rider Hugh Berennus is Pertwee's Beringar. So if you want a clear idea of how he looks, talks and acts, just watch the first season of Brother Cadfael Mysteries.And enjoy all the alchemy that is such an integral part of the show!

I just stumbled upon a teleseries named The Borgias. I thought it was a parody of the game Assassin's Creed but I was wrong. IT'S ACTUALLY COOL. Full of family drama, court intrigue in the 15th century and well, romance. I haven't watched it to the fullest but all I can say from my first episode is that you guys should watch it.

*drools*

Castle, Warehouse 13 and Eureka are the main things I watch. Though sometimes something else will catch my eye such as Australian series H2O, Just Add Water, though that's on hold with the account while I wait for finances to stabilize so I can resume Netflix/Hulu streaming.

I started watching Ironclad on Netflix last night. The previews made it look like nothing but a monument to testosterone. But what I have seen so far is interesting. It seems like a remake of the Magnificent Seven, just with knights. Plus it has some actors I like, James Purefoy, who really impressed me in Rome. Brian Cox has always been a favorite of mine. I loved Vladimir Kulich as Beowulf in the 13th Warrior. Plus Derek Jacobi, Jason Flemyng, and Mackenzie Crook.

Now watching Big Trouble in Little China.

Let's see if it lives up to all the people say it is...

You are in for a ton of fun! I have seen that movie about fifty times, and I still love it.

Today was a big blu-ray bonanza: Guns of Navarone, The Crow (the original with Brandon Lee), Manhunter (was marked down cheap), and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie (also on sale). Now the question is, what to start with?