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  • Lucky 13: Maxim’s Hot Nerd Women of 2012

    Normally this post would have come out right after the list was announced as it did last year. However, this has been a crazy busy Summer and I just spent 2.5 weeks in New York helping to take care of my two nieces. In short, I’ve had very little free time.

    Better late than never, right?

    Maxim recently came out with their list of the 100 hottest women in the world and, like last year, I felt it was my duty to whittle the list down to the most nerd-worthy. What I call the Lucky 13.

    Let me tell you, writing this blog is really tough sometimes.

    For the sake of fresh blood, I’m not putting any repeats in my 13. So if they were on the list last year they’re going to have to settle for an honorable mention.  Those delectable women include: Christina Hendricks, Zoe Saldana, Ashley Greene, Emma Watson, Scarlett Johanson, Emma Stone, Olivia Wilde, and Olivia Munn. Believe me, it is painful for me to leave them off this list but I don’t want to list the same people over and over again every year. Where would the fun be in that?

    Another special mention goes to Stephen Colbert #69 (of course)…as far as I know, the only man to ever find himself on this list.

    Note: the order they are presented in was Maxim’s decision, not mine.  So don’t go blaming me if the ones you like are further down the totem pole.

    My #13 – Their #97. Kat Dennings

    She tasered my boyfr – I mean Thor and was totally unapologetic about it. That takes balls. Oh, and she’s got a wicked sense of humor and the comedic timing to back it up.

    My #12 – Their #94. Alexandra Breckinridge

    She serviced vampires (in more ways than one) and the inhabitants of a haunted house (in more ways than one). Let’s just say that she’s exceptionally talented (in more ways than one).

    My #11 – Their #80. Stana Katic

    It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Castle and that’s not just because of the man who plays Castle. People say we look alike. I don’t see it but I’ll take it as a compliment thankyouverymuch.

    My #10 – Their #76. Teresa Palmer

    She’s dated a sorcerer, been suffocated by hair, killed a crapload of Mogadorians and is soon to be the love interest of a zombie. Is there anything this girl can’t do?

    My #9 – Their #67. Rebecca Mader

    Not even Time knows what to do with this fiery red head. She’s loyal to Leonard Nimoy so she’ll always hold a special place in my heart.

    My #8 – Their #65. Cobie Smulders

    It takes an amazing woman to hold her own in a room full of superheroes and master spies. Cobie survived an implosion and an explosion and came up swinging. Well done, Agent Hill, well done.

    My #7 – Their #61. Kristen Bell

    I’m a little biased when it comes to Miss Bell. She graduated from the same little Catholic High School in Michigan that my Dad attended. She always struck me as the nerdy type and I sympathized greatly with her Fanboys character.

    My #6 – Their #35. Yvonne Strahovski

    She couldn’t resist the lure of the nerd she was protecting. I told you there was hope for nerds everywhere.

    My #5 – Their #22. Kaley Cuoco

    Aaaaand another hot chick attracted to the herd of nerd. Kaley and Yvonne even kind of look alike. Think we can convince them to be the blonde bread in a nerd sandwich?

    My #4 – Their #16. Charlize Theron

    Charlize has done loads of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy films. She’s so beautiful that she’s not afraid to ugly herself up for a role. She’s pretty much the perfect woman.

    My #3 – Their #12. Kate Beckinsale

    Quite possibly the hottest vampire ever. For such a tiny little thing she makes a very convincing assassin. She’s about to demonstrate that again, this time on Mars.

    My #2 – Their #10. Adrianne Palicki

    She gave birth to the second coming of Christ, became a Real American Hero and was Wonder Woman for about 2 minutes. Even though the costume sucked I’m still kind of upset that whole WW thing didn’t pan out.

    My #1 – Their #6. Jennifer Lawrence

    This girl stuck a big ol’ cupids arrow in our hearts when she took on the role of Miss Everdeen.  Oh, and she got naked and painted herself blue. All for us. We’re such lucky bastards.

    Until next year, this is HNG signing off.

  • An Out of this World Fair

    I’m back from New York City where I spent an incredibly fun 2.5 weeks hanging out with my two adorable nieces. If you want to see some pictures from NY, check out the “HNG in NYC” album on the HNG facebook page.

    Within hours off stepping off the plane I was drinking Scotch with my Step-dad and Mama Jedi at the Scottish Highland Games and pounding Jager Bombs at the local Irish pub before it changed owners at midnight.

    Tomorrow I’m heading to Colorado for my step-brother’s wedding. It’s a road trip so I’ll be gone for a week (I swear my Summers aren’t usually this crazy busy). It was important to squeeze in as much stuff as possible while I was home in San Diego. That included a trip to the Del Mar Fair with Mama Jedi (yes, I know it’s technically the San Diego County Fair now but whatever. Much like The Murph will never be Qualcomm, the Del Mar Fair will never be SDCF for me). This year in particular struck my fancy because the theme was “Out of this World.”

    The wonders of space with the comforts of sunny San Diego

    It’s like San Diego is welcoming me back with open arms after my 12 year hiatus.

    First things first. They had fried cheese curds. My bulk of Mama Jedi’s side of the family is in Wisconsin where Mama Jedi grew up and I lurv me some cheese curds. However, I’m not convinced that these were real curds. I’m pretty sure they were mozzarella. Weak.

    They were still pretty tasty though

    After that Mama Jedi and I headed straight to the “Out of this World” exhibit.

    This exhibit was super awesome. Y’all know I’m a sucker for anything space-related and this one did not disappoint. I actually enjoyed it more than the “Beyond Planet Earth” exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.

    I love that this articulated truck is called the Dragon Wagon. You see Marines driving trucks like these up and down the San Diego freeways on a pretty regular basis.

    Speaking of Marines, here are the ones that have been in space!

    Oh look, a spaceship!

    Oh crap, we’re being abducted by aliens! Bad aliens, bad!

    They took us to the moon! Yay! You’re a-okay Mr. Alien Dudes.

    Next time we should probably pack a spacesuit. Just sayin’.

    Time for a trip to my favorite part of the exhibit…

    Mama Jedi loved this kinetic energy silver ball thing but I think the one at the Discovery Science Center is better.

    I’m alive! I’m ALIIIVE!!!

    We got to chat with a couple of guys from the San Diego Astronomy Association. They were super awesome and told us about all of the astronomy events happening in and around San Diego.

    I always get emotional whenever the Challenger or Columbia disasters come up.

    Overall, a great production.

    We then moved on to the Home and Garden section of the Fair.  Everything had a sci-fi theme.

    Some of my favorite rooms (especially this one, it reminded me of my room when I was a kid). Star Wars was well represented.

    Going from the inner exhibits to the outdoor garden area we ran into this guy.

    The outdoor gardens were gorgeous.

    This one was my favorite.

    At this point something totally insane and unexpected happened.  I got recognized. For the first time. In public. By a Sheriff no less! I was so surprised by it that I didn’t even think to get his name or take a picture or something. So, Mr. Sheriff Dude, if you’re reading this, email me!

    Then we headed over to the kid area infield to check out the Area Fifty Fun (see what they did there?) building.

    On the way in we got a good look at the sun. The sunspot we saw was larger than Earth but the real beauty was the solar prominences. Spectacular. Don’t worry, this telescope was all set up to safely view the sun. Don’t go looking into the sun or anything, you’ll burn your corneas, mmkay?

    I like to tease cyborgs by pinching their cheeks. On of these days that’s gonna come back to bite me in the butt, I’m sure.

    They had a pretty decent Star Trek display. Much of which I have at home.

    Star Trek FAIL.

    It turned out to be a fun area for the kidlets filled with animals and toys and all that stuff that kids (and HNG’s) seem to like.

    In the end I left with a new mop, a giant bag of Kettle Corn and my 5th lightsaber (a cheap red one for my nephew to play with when he comes over so he’ll leave my nice ones alone).

    I think the Fair should have this theme every year.

  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter reviewed

    Let me start off by emphasizing how much I loved the book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. Fun, adventurous, perfectly intertwined with historical fact. It was truly brilliant and inspired.

    Now let me emphasize how much I didn’t like this movie. I almost can’t believe the script was written by my beloved SGS.  I’m kind of at a loss to be perfectly honest.  I saw this with someone who has not read the book. He went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed it as much as he did. I went in with high expectations and was sorely disappointed.

    Warning: I spoil the shit out of both the book and the movie so stop reading here if you don’t want to know what happens.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34x6m-ahGIo]

    –

    They skipped the beginning of the book. The introduction in which the transcriber (Seth Grahame-Smith uses his own name here which is awesome) of Abraham Lincoln’s journals describes how much this project has cost him but why it was all worth it. For me it’s like leaving Daniel out of Interview with the Vampire. It’s just not the same.

    The entire first third of the book details Abe’s childhood. His relationship with his parents and his sisters, his unstable upbringing, his mother teaching him to read and write and nurturing his love of learning, his illiterate father keeping him on a tight leash and forcing him to work for him for years, hearing the story of how his grandfather was killed, etc etc.  The movie breezed through all of that in about 5 minutes and left out at least 95% of it.  His dad (Joseph Mawle aka Benjen Stark from Game of Thrones) practically came across as a great dad, which he arguably was not.

    The movie had a very strange, ethereal feel to it, like it was filmed through a filter that made everything slightly fuzzy and off kilter. I would like to know if any of the sets were real or if they filmed the entire movie in front of a green screen a la 300 and Sin City. The special effects were kind of weird but kind of beautiful at the same time. I felt like I was watching a video game half the time. Especially during the horse stampede scene.

    Hi Ho Silver!

    Speaking of the horse stampede scene… Up until this point Abe’s fighting skills are relatively realistic (like they are in the book) but when I watched him flip and ride a horse he’d just been pummeled with I literally laughed out loud. When he started running across the backs of running horses and then fell down a cliff and emerged unscathed I threw my hands in the air. Abe’s a tall, scrawny human, not a Goddamn mutant cyborg.

    That’s not to say that every fight scene was completely ridiculous. The party fight scene was spectacularly badass. It was filmed in that same slow-fast-slow-motion you’ve seen before but this time with some epic axe swinging.  The train fight falls somewhere in the middle of the unbelievability scale. It was pretty awesome and definitely demonstrated the power of teamwork.

    What? The bridge is on fire? Do you think we should get off the train?

    Speaking of the train scene… I felt like I was watching The Little Engine That Could. Seeing the train climb up the burning remnants of the bridge I couldn’t help but chant “I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!” in my head over and over again. This entire sequence was obviously supposed to replace the Jefferson Davis burning house scene in the book.

    The guy who plays Abe (Benjamin Walker) happens to be married to Meryl Streep’s daughter in real life.  Wow.  That’s got to be simultaneously awesome and hugely intimidating. No pressure on the acting front there Benji.  Aside from the fact that he has ginormous earlobes (surely those weren’t prosthetics like his nose…right?) he did ok.  Playing someone like Abraham Lincoln has got to be difficult.  He always looked so stoic in his pictures.  How do you interpret that?  I can’t fault him in his attempt. He demonstrated some very impressive axe wielding skills. At 6’3” he has the height. Unfortunately, so do a lot of other men these days. Abe never looked freakishly tall next to, well, anyone.

    Dominic Cooper (aka Howard Stark in Captain America) was given the role I was most interested in seeing, that of Henry Sturges.  Well they certainly frakked that up.  Dominic Cooper was fine, charming even, but they felt the need to change his entire history.  Why??  They could easily have kept it the same and inserted the new characters created for the movie.  The story of his vampiric conversion is 10 million times more interesting in the book and could have taken up the exact same amount of time onscreen. Fail. Also, doesn’t he tell Abe straight away that he’s a vampire? In the movie Abe stumbles across Henry feeding on a rapist and gets his panties all twisted in a bunch. Abe’s a smart guy but apparently he never figured out the whole sunglasses thing. Henry wins the award for the fastest vampire transformation ever. It took, what? 60 seconds?

    I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out where I’d seen Joshua Speed (Jimmi Simpson) before. Then it hit me that he is one of the creepy brothers on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia!  That made me really happy.  In the book Lincoln and Speed are roommates. This (literal) closeness results in a unique lifelong friendship that few, if any, other people shared with Abraham. In the movie it seemed like Speed lived somewhere else and Abe lived above the shop alone. That made me really sad. The whole thing with him betraying but not betraying and his fate on the train was so far off from the book that I have no idea what to say about it.

    Will Johnson (Anthony Mackie) was a character created for the movie. I wasn’t a fan of many of the new characters but I was fine with Will.  It was a little cheesy how he came back as an adult and was suddenly all BFF with Abe. It’s like they split the Joshua Speed character in two and gave half the part to Will Johnson. The way better half. I’m not really sure why they felt the need to do that (Token from South Park might) but I dig Mackie and I thought he did a good job.

    Mary (Mary Elizabeth Winstead from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) finds out the truth? Huh? Again, not in the book. The first time Abe tells her he’s a vampire hunter is during a picnic. She laughs at him and chides him with an “I thought you were an honest man, Abe!” Hahaha, oh Mary, I see what you did there! Years later she finds his not-at-all-hidden journal and reads it. She gets really angry and screams that he lied to her when actually he did tell her the truth way back when. Ugh. Women.  For some strange reason they decided Willie should be an only child despite the fact that Abe and Mary had two other sons. The whole idea of Mary taking action and leading silver-carrying freed slaves to Gettysburg was completely absurd. If you’ve ever read anything about Mary Todd (including the book on which this movie was based) you’d know that she would become completely incapacitated by her grief. She didn’t even attend funerals. Now, that being said, I liked badass Fake Movie Mary way more than Real Historical Mary. Shooting her kid’s toy sword into his killer’s forehead? Yes please!  By the way, how did she even know that the toy sword was involved??

    I couldn’t find a picture of Tudyk as Stephen Douglas but I thought this picture was an adequate alternative

    Wash! As Stephen A. Douglas! I got so excited when I saw Alan Tudyk that I actually yelped. I couldn’t wait to see more! Then they completely ignored his character. *le sigh* Don’t feel too bad Alan, they didn’t even mention Edgar Allan Poe or William Seward.

    Jack Barts’ (Marton Csokas aka Celeborn in Lord of the Rings) role was seriously expanded and he was missing his missing arm. We also acquired a 5000-year-old vampire named Adam (Rufus Sewell) and his sister Vadoma (Victoria’s Secret super model Erin Wasson). If I remember the book correctly, there is never a clear vampire leader. Ugh. There were so many things that frustrated me about the vampires. Vampires disappearing? Vamps can’t kill their own kind?? Why no black eyes? Why do they have them turning into weird alien predator vampires?

    They skipped the end of the book. The theatre and John Wilkes Booth and the fate of Abe and the hint of what became of another motivational leader. I know that not everyone likes the last few pages of the book but I do and I missed it. Throwing some random bloke in at end was not satisfying for me. I think you can only truly appreciate this movie for what it is if you haven’t read the book and it shouldn’t be that way. I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the last six Harry Potter films despite the fact that they made major modifications to the story.  It can be done well.  In this case it wasn’t.

    Such a bummer.

    1.5 out of 5 Sci-Fives!

  • Star Trek Captains Podcast (Ten Forward)

    This is a very sleep deprived HNG coming to you from New York City. I’m here visiting my nieces and having a great time with them. Unfortunately for me, I usually go to bed around midnight-2:00am California time. Combine my sleeping habits with the time zone change and my body wants to go to sleep between 3:00am-5:00am New York time. Since I’m typically waking up around 8:00am that’s not working out too well for me. 5-hour Energy has become my new best friend.

    It’s time for another podcast with the awesome guys over at World’s Best Podcast and their section dedicated to all things Star Trek – “Ten Forward.” This time around we discussed the Captains from Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. It made for a very entertaining discussion, let me tell you!

    Oh, and we recorded this a while ago when I was very sick so my voice is all scratchy and Janeway-sounding. I was also suffering a bit from sick brain so it was difficult for me to put my thoughts together at times.  But considering how awful I felt, I thought I did pretty good.

    Thanks to Mark and Isaac! It’s always fun to talk Trek with you! Listen to the podcast here:

    Or if, as per usual, if the above player takes too long to buffer, just click here to listen: http://tinmanfrisbie.podbean.com/2012/06/04/ten-forward-season-1-episode-2/

    Previous podcasts I’ve joined in on:

    Daredevil

    Star Trek Universe

    Marvel Cinematic Universe

  • “Ask a Foley Artist” – Interview with Dean Minnerly

    HNG and Dean on the Foley Stage at Universal

    As I mentioned on the HNG facebook page, I did an interview with Dean Minnerly, Foley Artist for Universal Studios. I also mentioned that he is my stepdad. Now, I should probably offer a quick explanation because I talk about my parents a lot and it can get a bit confusing because I have 6 of them. I know, right about now you’re thinking wtf? What is HNG smoking? I have been extremely fortunate to have a loving and supportive immediate and extended family that is chock full of some of the most fascinating people you will ever meet. We’re pretty much the definition of a Modern Family.

    There’s my mom (Mama Jedi who’s on here a lot and is the reason I moved to San Diego) and my dad (retired Navy, I talk about him a lot too, most recently in my review of Battleship). They are my rocks and the greatest parents on earth. No one could ever replace them. They divorced when I was in middle school.

    I was pretty young when I started acquiring step-parents (and with them, 9 step-siblings). My dad married a wonderful woman, my stepmom Jeanne, who I adore. My mom was in a decade-long relationship with my stepdad Don (airbrush artist and direct descendant of Davy Crockett) who is amazing and insanely knowledgable about Scottish history. She later married my stepdad Randall who was one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever known. He passed away in October 2010 and was featured in my In Memoriam post that year. Then there’s Dean aka Popi. He’s been an incredibly close friend of the family since I was 6 years old. When my dad was gone on WestPacs he would step in as our father figure when we needed one. He has been to every play, graduation and major event in my life since I was very young so years ago I dubbed him “Popi.”

    These 6 wonderful people make up what I call my “parental units.” It’s more love and support than any one person deserves and I know exactly how lucky I am to have been brought up by this intelligent, funny, and eclectic group. I would not be who I am today were it not for them.

    Apparently it really does take a village

    Now that the explanation is out of the way, here’s a little background on Dean:

    Dean P. Minnerly of Sleepy Hollow, NY (yup, that one, from the stories and movies) descended from the first Dutch families that settled what was to become New York.  Let’s skip a few hundred years.  He enlisted in the United States Army in late 1969.  He excelled in training… went Airborne… recruited out of Airborne for Special Forces Qualification Course.  Served in Viet Nam with 5th Special Forces (Airborne), with 5th Mike Force, II Corps and Recon Team Louisiana (details classified).  He came home and started teaching Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan with the Norris brothers (as in Chuck).  He was educated at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA in engineering and music.  He then returned to active duty with 7th Special Forces in El Salvador/Honduras/Nicaragua and was posted in Panama at the “Banana Boat School” also know as the Jungle Expert Course among other things.  Look up “Green Monster” and you’ll understand.  He separated from the service and moved to California to continue teaching for Chuck Norris in ’83.  His Studio City, CA school had many well known students and their families including the son and grandson of then president, Ronald Reagan.  One of his many students in the film industry introduced him to Foley and that’s how this facet of his life began.  Another of his students was a senior story editor for Star Trek: The Next Generation and got him involved with contributing story, writing and martial arts skills to the show.  He has been at Universal Studios for 18 years and loves it there.

    Originally we were just supposed to get together for dinner and I was going to head back next week to conduct this interview but one thing lead to another and we ended up at Universal driving around the backlot in a golf cart and crashing people’s private tours (they were on Dean’s stage afterall). The next thing I know I’m conducting an interview that I totally wasn’t prepared for. Note to self: write down some good questions and keep them in your wallet. Needless to say, this was very good practice and I’m über glad that my first interview was with someone who won’t hold it against me.

    Here is the bulk of our interview:

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxFyyQVGEpg]

    –

    Since I wasn’t prepared, I only had my camera on me and had limited memory card space so I emailed him some additional questions a few days later:

    HNG: What is it about Foley that keeps you coming back for more?

    DM: Few jobs allow such creativity and allow a person to share with such a wide and diverse audience.

    HNG: How did you meet the Foley family and become involved with the program at Paramount Ranch? 

    DM: Cathi Foley Clark grew up at Universal with her uncle, Jack Foley, and has been his chronicler and biographer her whole life.  She visited me on the stage and we began a friendship.  I had been doing demos at Paramount Ranch for the National Park Service and she brought the whole family out to meet me.

    One of Dean’s many Foley demonstrations at Paramount Ranch

    HNG: You also worked for Larson Studios, how long did you work there and why did you move to Universal? 

    DM: I was with Rick Larson for about 6 years.  I started taking night work on the original Law & Order at Universal and eventually was offered more and more steady work.

    HNG: What is your favorite TV show and movie to have worked on? 

    DM: Presently, my favorite TV show is Grimm.  I did the pilot and all the episodes since.  It’s quite a challenge but great fun!  The most recent movie I completed was Ted for Seth MacFarlane starring Seth as the voice of Ted and Mark Wahlberg as Ted’s real life-buddy with Mila Kunis as Mark’s girlfriend.

    HNG: What is your favorite movie in general? 

    DM: I have so many but Saving Private Ryan has to be close to the top.

    HNG: Favorite TV show? 

    DM: Again, it’s hard to pin down a single show but I’d say shows on History/Discovery/Military/NatGeo channels get the most of my viewing time.

    HNG: You are currently keyboardist for The McGrath Project. How did you meet Gary McGrath and how did that lead to becoming a band mate? 

    DM: Gary needed someone to track on a new album and I was introduced to him by a mutual friend.  The band included Tim Bogert, virtuoso bassist of Vanilla Fudge/Cactus/Beck,Bogert and Appice and Bryan Head, drummer of Foreigner and others.  Gary is a two time Grammy winner.  They liked my studio work and invited me to play live with them and I joined the band. A year and a half later, Ann-Marita Garsed, a solo singer-songwriter sang with us a few times and joined as well.  Many people have been in the band at one time or another including many Hall of Fame players and Grammy winners.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqmbLCaAQ0E]

    –

    HNG: How did you meet Chuck Norris? 

    DM: I took Pai Lum Gung Fu (not Kung Fu)  when I was around 13 and stayed with it.  I’d just returned from VN and went to the CNKS in Virginia Beach where I was living.  Chuck and his brother Aaron were there and I started over but with past experience, rose through the ranks quickly.  I became an assistant instructor and after testing for black belt, a full instructor.  Continued teaching for them when I moved to CA in ’83.

    HNG: Who is your favorite Director you’ve worked with? 

    DM: I have three… Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks.   I haven’t worked with Clint Eastwood but I have great respect for him… F. F. Coppola as well.

    HNG: What kinds of awards have you won for Foley? 

    DM: Emmys and Golden Reels.

    HNG: Who is your favorite superhero? 

    DM: I have to go back to my first… Superman.

    HNG: Your favorite Star Trek Captain? 

    DM: Patrick Stewart for ST:TNG as a single show but William Shatner for Star Trek overall.

    HNG: Your favorite band/musician? 

    DM: Too many but I always loved The Beatles.

    HNG: How many black belts do you have? 

    DM: Depends on the style.  5 in Tang Soo Do, 3 in Hapkido, 2 in Hwa Rang Do, and 1 in Judo.

    HNG: How many ways can you kill a person using pressure points? 

    DM: Pressure points can help healing, can cause great pain, can mediate blood flow but don’t by themselves kill through pressure.  Impacts or impalement at these points may as many are arterial points or central nervous system (nerve bundles) points.

    HNG: How many times has your nose been broken due to martial arts? 

    DM: Three or four.

    HNG: What was your first impression of Gene Roddenberry? Patrick Stewart? The rest of the cast? 

    DM: Gene… a true visionary.  Majel… the ultimate in support and a true comedic actress.  Patrick… an unshakeable Shakesperian mind and demeanor with a musical comedy heart.  Jonathan … powerful and funny.  Michael… intense and the only real pilot of the bunch.  LeVar… studied but impatient.  Marina… meticulous.   Gates… careful and mothering.   Brent… a true performance chameleon worthy of Vaudeville.  Wil… headstrong with an attitude but willing to learn.  Colm… eager to excel.  Denise… demure cowgirl.  Whoopi… outrageous!

    HNG: Who was the most awesome TNG cast member?  The most awful? 

    DM: They were all great but everybody knew who was boss.  Some of the guests could be difficult.

    HNG: You’ve taught self-defense courses before, what’s the single most important thing for someone to remember if they are being attacked? 

    DM: Keep your head and be aware of everything and everyone around you.   Look for opportunity.  Yeah, I know you said one… oh well.

    HNG: You were featured in a Tonight Show sketch with Conan O’Brien. What was he like? 

    DM: The tallest Energizer Bunny on the planet with a very edgy side and sense of humor.

    * * * * *

    I thought it would be fun to let you guys ask him some questions as well since I know from experience that y’all ask some GREAT questions. Hopefully I collected them all, I apologize if I missed any!

    Jake R: What’s a Foley Artist? 

    DM: A performer of sound.  We recreate live sound EFX to picture and sync them to the event portrayed.  The effect may be what you see, more than what you see or different depending on the needs of the client or project. It is named after creator Jack Foley.

    Jack Foley perfecting the art

    David F: How do you get to be a Foley Artist? 

    DM: Apprenticeship.  You must find another artist(s) who will take you on and begin to train you.  If you don’t have the base skills already in you, you won’t make it.  You need precise hearing, athletic skills and timing, the ability to anticipate movement and a working knowledge of the gear used.  Most of us have a background in music, athletics or dance and audio engineering.

    Kevin C: How does one get a job as a Foley Artist (other than being awesome)? Do you just have to be in the know with people in Hollywood? 

    DM: It doesn’t hurt to be connected but your skill as an artist and ability to work with demanding clients at a demanding pace is what keeps you working.

    Stevey M: What is the most fun noise to make? 

    DM: Depends on who’s listening.  If we can make people cringe at the sound, make them laugh or make them sick… we’re happy.

    Craig S: Is it true that the sound of love is a boot stuck in mud, only wetter? 

    DM: Trade secret but if you are familiar with that sound you may not need the answer.

    Paul M: Mick Foley!? 😀 

    DM: No… Jack Foley.  I don’t think Jack ever wrestled.

    Robert N: Axel Foley? 

    DM: Only in Beverly Hills.

    Aaron A: For your “ask a foley artist” interview…. if you want to ask him, what’s the most fun he’s had on a project, or movie or whatever. God I wish I knew a Foley Artist. It just seems like such a cool job to have on a movie or whatever. So random and different.  I’m just ever so slightly jealous you know one. 

    DM: Know one?  She has BEEN one.  She lived with me after SFSU and apprenticed at Universal.  She has contributed to many projects I worked on.

    Andy L: What sound that he has generated was the most different from what the sound was supposed to portray? 

    DM: Depends on the client.  If the real sound is insufficient or the client wants an entirely different sound, we build it.  If it’s sci-fi or fantasy and the visual was newly created a sound will need to be created as well.

    Larry L: How do you get the best recordings of your sounds? What equipment/techniques? 

    DM: Our own skills and abilities and each of us is different.  Different mics and mic-pre’s… absorption and reflective surfaces to create ambience, depth and size.  We’ll use three mics at once… two directional and one elsewhere in the stage to cross-fade and develop the perspective necessary.  Our primary mics are Neumann KMR-81’s with other Neumanns, Sennheisers, AKGs, etc. in the mix.  Our mic-pre’s are GMLs, Focusrites, Avalons, etc.  We record to ProTools and have several sets of near field monitors to choose from with our largest being JBL’s.

    Lisa C: What was the most complex sound he ever created and of what was it composed? 

    DM: Don’t think I can pick just one.  We do a lot of layering and sweetening.  The effect may only last for a few seconds but we many be out a dozen tracks creating all the different sonic facets that alone may be nothing but together make the event live.

    Shannon H: Why do car tires sequel on dirt roads in the movies? 

    DM: People have preconceptions of what things SHOULD sound like regardless of reality.  That group of people includes very well known leaders in our industry.  Even if it’s wrong we will do what’s expected but we will also give alternate tracks of what we think would better serve the event.  That way, on the dub (re-recording/final mix) stage the choices are available.

    Bruce P: What was the most unusual method you’ve used to create the most common sound? 

    DM: A recent one comes to mind..  I did a documentary called The Movement about paraplegics, blind and otherwise disabled people learning or relearning to downhill ski.  One of the effects I created for the clatter of skis on a fast run involved my crushing ice and shaping it into a one by two foot mound… mic’ing it close and overhead and using an empty plastic mustard squeeze bottle to create the clatter, moving toward the mic capsule as the skis closed on the camera and off-angle as the skis moved away.

    Lair of the Nerd: In your opinion, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve used to make a noise, and what noise was it. 

    DM: There are a few.  Here are two:  In slasher flicks we rip lots of guts out.  Take a large watermelon, cut one end off, violently shove your hand in it and twist as you pull it out.  The suction and texture of the melon flesh combined with all the wet works great… it’s absolutely disgusting.  I mentioned snow.  Snow has many textures and sounds.  Squeaky powder is very distinctive.  Garden supply stores have Perlite, often used in potted plants.  Cornstarch is also used.  Pour it into a pillowcase and start walking on it to grind it down.  The squeaks will be there and you won’t freeze your nerd off in the process.

    AK G: Who decides what a fictional sound should be? The director? A writer? The foley artist? 

    DM: ‘D’… All of the above.  In spotting sessions, when everybody sits around reviewing the reels, these things are discussed and the creative people hash out what best serves the scene.  When agreed upon, we have our direction and we go make it happen.

    Todd F: How much celery do you waste on a daily basis? 

    DM: Celery is part of only one food group we abuse regularly.  No fruit, veggie or uncooked critter is safe on a Foley stage.

    Salem P: What’s the foley effect you’re most proud of that you thought up? 

    DM: Whichever one the client wasn’t expecting that gave him/her more than he could have imagined… and that only lasts until I come up with the next one.

    José H: How awesome do you have to be to be HNG’s stepfather? 

    DM: I love her… she loves me.  Nothing else matters.

    One of my high school senior portraits

    Dan G: Do studios have massive Foley libraries that you get to pull from as needed or do they prefer you always start from scratch (keeping it fresh and each movie slightly different)? 

    DM: There are no Foley libraries.  There are libraries we create for EFX editors for them to draw from but we start fresh every time.  It is the inconsistency and imperfection of human and animal movement that make it real.  No two of anything are every exactly alike as are our performances.  Each time we create a sound it will have some variation.  Think of each or our creations as a snowflake.

    Scott D: Universal as in Orlando? 

    DM: Nope… Universal Studios Hollywood.  There is a Universal in Orlando but this is home, first opened in 1913.

    Jay A: He didn’t know Keillor’s effects guy, did he? 

    DM: If you refer to Garrison Keillor’s radio shows, then no.  What they do and what we do is quite different.  They add simple sound components to add color to those programs.  We develop a complete sound package integral to the final product you see and hear in theaters and on TV.

    John G: Does he realize he’s standing next to “HNG”? 😉 

    DM: I do occasionally notice that.

    Marlon B: ‎Can I marry your step-daughter?

    DM: I think some would have a problem with that but thanks for asking.

    José H: Do movie or TV studios force Foley artists to generate a wet-sucking sound for scenes involving the removal of objects from a body part? It seems like that sound is inserted whenever the hero/coroner removes an object from a dead body part… 

    DM: It does come up.  I refer you to my responses to Shannon H. and Lair of the Nerd.

    José H: Serious question: What’s the weirdest sound effect you were asked to create that has absolutely no equivalent in the “real” world?

    DM: I guess the sound of a maggot crawling on a sweater from 15 feet away.  As you may guess it was a head-scratcher.  Since no sound exists in that instance, there’s no reference point and how do you make it distinct enough to get it played?  There are others but that one was a challenge.

    Dee O: What’s the most memorable and or unique sound you were asked to make/record? 

    DM: This is what is known as an “imponderable.”  Each had a quality of it’s own.  Memorable would have me recall the event or circumstance and people involved more than the sound(s) itself.

    Kyle S: Why was there was no Chuck Norris in the Next Generation. That would have been epic……

    DM: Several characters exhibited talents and abilities similar to those of Chuck’s.  At the time, Chuck was so well known he would never be accepted as another character.  Think about it… Chuck has, regardless of the portrayal, always played himself.  His show, Walker, Texas Ranger, also competed with TNG for audience.

    Miki K: What do you think is your most creative sound? 

    DM: The one I haven’t yet thought of.  You are always creating and each is a new challenge.

    * * * * *

    Thanks for your questions everyone! Thanks to Mama Jedi for her superb camera and interview assisting skills. And a huge thanks to Dean for taking the time out to let me bumble my way through this interview and for being such a rad Popi.

    Previous blogs that were mentioned in the video portion of the interview:

    Visiting the set of Serenity

    All of the Star Trek: The Next Generation stuff Dean gave me

  • Snow White and the Huntsman reviewed

    Yeah…probably should have taken this picture AFTER seeing the movie.

    The previews for Snow White and the Huntsman were gorgeous. People morphing into ravens and shards of obsidian, a T-1000 mirror, Charlize Theron bathing in a vat of white paint. All very cool visuals.  So I was super excited to see all of these beautiful shots come together in one stunning example of marvelous movie making.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebSZOlCnXq0]

    –

    Sadly, I was sorely disappointed.

    That’s not to say it was a bad film, it wasn’t, it just didn’t live up to my high expectations. Each scene is lovely, with superb visual fx, but the transitions between those scenes were awkward and choppy.  The movie didn’t flow. The acting was good for the most part but Director Rupert Sanders seemed much more interested in the quality of acting in the close ups than in the wide shots.  Perfect example is Charlize Theron.  She looked and sounded terrifyingly ravishing in the close ups but cheesy and garish in the wide shots.  This was a bit disheartening for me since she was the main reason I wanted to see this movie and I know just how brilliant she can be.

    Snow White has been reinterpreted countless times since the middle ages. Being German, I grew up with the Grimm’s version in which the dwarves are nameless, Snow is woken up by the Prince’s inept servants as opposed to his kiss, and the evil queen is killed when she’s forced to dance to death in red hot iron shoes. Disney went and fraked that all up. (Fun fact, Dean Stockwell’s daddy voiced the prince in the Disney version. I can’t believe I actually know that.)

    Warning: I try not to spoil things but I might so be warned.

    This version is nothing like the Grimm’s version. The evil queen has a creepy brother (with an even more creepy haircut), the huntsman is a drunk widower (who doesn’t care if he dies…except that he does care), the prince isn’t a prince (he’s the son of a duke), the dwarves live in a fairy land full of psychedelic flora and fauna (and don’t whistle, work or have pickaxes), and Snow White is far more empowered (which is always nice). The giant elk in the forest with tree branch antlers is lovely and obviously supposed to be on the same level as Aslan but the scene where Snow approaches him is a pale imitation of the Lili/Unicorn scene in Legend.

    Charlize Theron as Queen Ravenna is otherworldly. She has a fantastic wardrobe that includes shoulder pads made from bones and lots of raven feathers (get it? Raven…Ravenna….?) She’s great at looking steely-eyed and has nailed the art of letting tears hover just on the cusp of her eye but not letting them fall.  Whoever did her makeup and prosthetics should be nominated for an Oscar because WOW she looked incredible the entire time. Even when she was dying she was gorgeous. It turns out that Ravenna is a total spoiled brat throwing a giant man-hating temper tantrum. Which is really too bad because I bet she’s a wildcat in the sack.

    Kristen Stewart is most definitely not fairer than Charlize Theron but she’s a very realistic kind of pretty and she does look really cute in her girly armor. To be honest, I kind of felt like I was watching one of the Twilight films during her scenes. Jumping off a cliff? Check. Being scared by giant beasts and falling backwards? Check. Having men stare at her while she’s unconscious? Check. Hair stuck to her lip while she’s saying something that’s supposed to be important except you don’t know what she said because you were distracted by the hair stuck to her lip? Check.  As I mentioned before, at least she was an empowered version of Snow White. She wants to fight and kill her evil stepmother…though where she gets the strength to do that after being locked in a tiny tower cell for 10 years with no exercise is a mystery to me. But she’s got help. Birds guide her, horses wait around for her (then nose dive into mud which was HI-larious), and people are eager to help her (when they don’t look like they want to eat her…that was weird).

    My boyfr….I mean, Chris Hemsworth brings his usual charm and comedic timing to the role of the Hunstman aka Eric. I love watching him fight. In my opinion, he’s one of the best movie fighters I’ve ever seen. The chemistry between him and KStew was virtually non-existent but it’s obvious how hard he’s trying to make it work anyway. The part where it was most evident is when he’s talking to a poisoned Snow. Without an acting partner in the way he’s able to deliver a very touching monologue to what he thinks is her corpse.  He’s dirty and muddy for 99% of the movie and somehow that just makes him sexier. God, I love-hate him. I joke a lot about how hot Chris Hemsworth is and, it’s true, he’s insanely hot, but my love for him has much to more with the fact that he plays my favorite comic book character than the fact that he’s deliciousness on legs. I swear!

    I totally thought that young William (aka the non-prince) was the kid who plays Bran on Game of Thrones. But apparently it’s not. Boo. Snow White’s little buddy grows up to be the guy from POTC: On Stranger Tides who falls in love with a mermaid. He was ok. Nothing remarkable. I was more interested in trying to figure out who plays his dad, the Duke. Then it hit me that he was the Captain in 300. I knew I recognized those eyes.

    The dwarves are the best part of the movie, especially when they are penetrating the castle through the sewer system. They are funny, charming, and I want to live in the enchanted forest with them. The most notable are Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone and Toby Jones. You can’t go wrong with any of those actors.

    The end of the movie is rather anti-climactic. You think you know which boy Snow is going to choose but they never show her making her decision…and the part where they should have shown her making her decision hangs on in weird movie purgatory for an uncomfortably long time. I wanted to shout at the screen “Stop standing there with your stupid tree branch and go kiss him dammit!” You wait the whole movie for the truly satisfying, sexy kissing action and they never deliver it. Lame.

    The ending credits were beautiful though. Kind of Avengers-esque in that it has the camera hovering over close up shots of armor and swords and whatnot. Because I always sit through the credit crawl (and you should too) I noticed that the movie is dedicated to “Little Eira White” which caught my eye because I happen to know that Eira is “snow” in Welsh.  So the film is dedicated to…itself.

    Well ok then.

    2 out of 5 Sci-Fives!

  • Happy 35th Anniversary Star Wars

    The quality of George Lucas’ film making skills have been the subject of much debate for the past decade. But no one can deny the fact that 35 years ago today he changed the world as we know it. Star Wars was a tour de force and geekdom will forever be in his debt. Thank you George Lucas and a very Happy Anniversary to you.

  • You sunk my Battleship!

    Believe it or not, this outfit was totally unintentional. I happened to be wearing this for errands and we saw the movie on a whim.

    I use to play Battleship with my brother for hours on end when we were kids. Moving our little red pegs around and gleefully shouting “you sunk my battleship!” It was a fun way to connect with our Dad when he was off on WestPacs. We kept it readily available at all times as demonstrated by this picture of my paternal grandma and maternal grandpa starting a game.

    Can you guess what year it was by the lovely carpet?

    It was obvious from the get go that any movie based on this past time would not and could not bear any resemblance to the game. There is no plot, no characters, just some gray plastic ships and a peg board. I went to see this movie for one reason and one reason only. Because movies depicting the US Navy are few and far between and I wanted to see how they depicted the life I grew up with, however unrealistic the alien plot line may be.

    No aliens were harmed in the raising of my brother and I

    Beware: I try not to spoil things too much but I’m sure I do so just be warned.

    The basic plotline is as follows: Guy is lazy but smart and has no direction in his life so his older brother forces (yeah right) him to join him in the Navy. Flash forward 5 years and various Naval fleets from around the world are participating in RimPac off the coast of Hawaii. Guy doesn’t like one of the Japanese Captains and the feeling is mutual. Naturally they get stranded together by aliens and have to work together to save Earth with the help of a pop star, a Power Ranger, and a guy who looks kind of like Matt Damon. Oh yeah, and there’s a subplot about his girlfriend who just happens to be the Admiral’s daughter (isn’t she always?) who is in a completely different area but also helps save the world with the help of a real life hero and Dr. Doom’s Assistant.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpoabtbEJOI]

    –

    I very rarely look at any reviews until after I’ve seen a movie and written my own review because I want to formulate my own opinion and I usually don’t agree with those other people anyways. Even though I still have not read any of the reviews for Battleship, I went into this movie expecting to hate it. Maybe it’s because I had such low expectations but I actually really enjoyed it. It’s no Avengers but I laughed throughout while it poked fun at itself.

    I could identify with this movie in a few ways. My Dad was stationed at Pearl Harbor from 1972-1976 during the tail end of the Vietnam conflict (and long before I was born). He loved it there and it was one of the few aspects of his long military career that he would discuss freely with us kids. During this time he participated in a RimPac in which one of the subs in his squadron played a joke on the Australian ships and nearly caused an international incident with the Aussies. So yes, it’s been known to happen. One very minor detail that 99.9% of the people watching this movie won’t even notice but that made my heart skip a beat was seeing them use wax pencils and remembering watching my Dad use them. He always had one or two tucked neatly into his desk drawer and I would use them like crayons. I LOVED tugging the string. More years than I care to admit later and I’m still using USS Samuel Gompers nuclear work procedure notepads for scratch paper.

    Duh.

    The only parts of the movie that are anything like the board game is the use of the NOAA buoys to track the alien ships and the torpedoes used by the aliens. The humans RADAR is knocked out by the aliens and, for some reason that isn’t explained, the aliens can’t seem to see them either so a screen that shows the movement of waves hitting the buoys acts as the pegboard. It was actually pretty cool. My biggest complaint is that it only lasted a few minutes before they moved on to the “they don’t like the sun” theory. The torpedoes used by the aliens look kind of like the pegs used in the game and stick in the hull for a few seconds before they explode. I got a kick out of that.

    The least convincing of the Naval officers was the main protagonist Lieutenant Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch). His attitude and complete disregard for the rules would never be tolerated (and to the credit of the movie makers, almost wasn’t). I’m sorry, but there’s no way he’d make it through OCS and be an O-3 within 5 years and be so insubordinate. That being said, I kind of dig his weird robot surfer dude way of talking and he’s got great comedic timing.

    Commander Stone Hopper (Alexander Skarsgård) is more believable as an officer but he still seems like an actor who’s pretending to play war games. His default expression is to stare wide-eyed, kind of like Amnesia Eric on True Blood. My favorite part? The part pictured above. It was the most emotion I ever saw from him. But I love Alex, he’s defintely worth nerdgasaming over and he fills out his dress whites very nicely.

    The Admiral’s daughter, Samantha Shane (Brooklyn Decker) makes her entrance via a sexy slo-mo walk into the dive bar where Alex and Stone are hanging out celebrating Alex’s birthday. He immediately locks onto her position and attempts to sweet talk her but all she wants is a chicken burrito. His hilarious attempt to get her one wins her over and, I’m not gonna lie, it would probably impress me too. She’s a gorgeous girl but I have yet to see a fabulous acting job from Mrs. Roddick.

    Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales is played by Colonel Gregory D. Gadson, an Army Veteran and double amputee. He was my favorite of the main characters. He had a couple of cheesy lines that didn’t seem so cheesy coming from him. He also gets into a badass, no holds barred fist fight with one of the aliens that had me cheering. I hope I get to see much more of him in future films.

    Aside from implying that the Japanese have been spying on us all this time using our tsunami tracking systems, I thought Captain Yugi Nagata (Tadanobu Asano) was pretty cool. He likes to poke fun at the punk white kid which is all fun and games until he sucker kicks him in the face during a soccer match. That was not so cool. He makes up for it though by being a valuable member of the alien annihilation team and showing off the mad gun skillz he learned at summer camp when he was a kid.

    The thing that pissed me off most before even seeing the movie was the fact that Rihanna was in it. I mean seriously. A pop star with a history of very bad decision making as a passable Naval Petty Officer? Please. But I was shocked (shocked I tell you!) to find that I actually didn’t mind her. She did alright and I even forgot that she was Rihanna at times.

    Liam Neeson is always great. The man shows up, talks like a badass for a few minutes and goes home. What a life! At the end of the film soon-to-be LCDR Alex asks Admiral Shane if he can marry his daughter and the Admiral says no. He then beckons Alex to join him for lunch while they negotiate the terms of his surrender. I laughed out loud. That is absolutely positively something that my Dad would say.

    The rest of the non-redshirt Navy personal is rounded by Ordy and The Beast (Jesse Plemons and John Tui). I thought Ordy was hilarious. He was kind of like Checkov in the Star Trek redux. A boy wonder who looks like he’s way too young to be there but just happens to have the knowledge needed to get us back in business. Beast is the wall everyone leans on. He’s calm and collected 99.9% of the time but isn’t afraid to yell in the face of his newly minted CO when he makes an absurd decision that will get everyone killed.

    Adam Godley is the NASA scientist who creates and builds the communications array that draws the aliens to Earth. Once they get here he doesn’t know what the fuck to do so he relies on the crackpot scientist (Hamish Linklater) assigned to the satellites on Hawaii to figure it out. Cal almost chickens out but then grows a pair just in time to help out Sam and Mick.

    The best part of the whole movie for me was when all the shiny new Destroyers are *ahem* destroyed and the few remaining sailors start eyeballing the “Mighty Mo,” a battleship that served from WWII to Operation Desert Storm. But wait! They don’t have enough people to operate the ship! But wait! Thar be old salts among us! The Veteran “Old Salts” are fantastic. I could totally picture my Dad and my Grandpa (the one playing Battleship up above) reacting in the exact same way. Plus, they have some of the greatest facial hair I’ve ever seen.

    Random things I didn’t like:

    The spinning fire balls of death killing all of the Marines. My brother is a Marine. It made me sad. I also didn’t understand why the spinning balls decided that a freeway overpass was a threat other than maybe they are sadistic and just wanted to watch cars plummet to the street below.

    The slo-mo montage of pretty people. It was a bit too Michael Bay-ish.

    The weakest point was the aliens. With their armor on they were kind of a HALO rip-off.

    Which one is Master Chief?

    With their armor off they were vaguely reminiscent of the Tharks from John Carter of Mars (rather ironic since the film stars the guy who played John Carter) and Vincent from Beauty and the Beast.

    They have weird porcupine quill beards and lizard eyes that are apparently their only weakness. They were dumb.

    Random things I DID like:

    Cal Zapata (Hamish Linklater), the NASA scientist working at the satellite outpost in Hawaii. He was funny and quirky. I especially loved the scene when he’s skyping with another scientist and all the various agencies (NASA, Dept of Defense) turn up on the line.

    LT Hopper hurriedly explaining to a young boy the difference between a Battleship and a Destroyer. It reminded me of when I’d go onboard my Dad’s ships and his coworkers would try to explain things to me. It went right over my head 99% of the time but it was so much fun.

    The “I’m giving ‘em all she’s got” moment when the USS John Paul Jones fires every available weapon at an alien ship blinded by the sun.  Great visual fx.

    The joke about the North Koreans being responsible for the force field.  Hahahaha. Yeah right. As if.

    It was a totally cliché line but I like the way “Mahalo mutha fucka” sounds even though “mahalo” means “thank you” so the line made absolutely no sense in the context it was given.

    The really weird back and forth, back and forth explosion caused by the alien torpedoes.

    Mick the amputee: “we can buy the world another day!” Cal the scientist: “who talks like that?!?” This movie knew exactly what it was and wasn’t shy about making fun of itself.

    Acquiring courage.

    The Museum-to-Battleship transformation that the USS Missouri goes through has a definite Battlestar Galactica feel to it. I even made a note of it. Then, once the Mighty Mo is in full fight mode against the aliens and the force field finally comes down, the Admiral sends in a fighter jet. What is the pilot’s callsign you ask? Boomer! I have no idea if that was intentional or not but I just about flipped the frak out.

    Oh, and remind me to bring my Gompers notepad to write notes on next time.

    3 out of 5 Sci-fives!

  • Marvel Cinematic Universe Podcast (World’s Best Podcast)

    It could happen….

    About a week before The Avengers came out in theatres I participated in a World’s Best Podcast discussion about the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. We discussed Hulk (briefly), The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America. We also got into why the Marvel movies seem to be outdoing the DC movies (with the notable exception of the Christopher Nolan Batman films).

    I was still sick when we did this so there are moments when my voice cracks and I sound like a 13 year old boy going through puberty. Since I typically dress like a 13 year old boy it was actually pretty fitting.

    You might also notice that I got really excited and more talkative during the Thor part. What can I say? He’s my favorite comic book character 😉

    Thanks to Isaac and the guys at World’s Best Podcast for another fabulous evening of nerd talk. It’s always a pleasure!  Hope you enjoy our discussion:

    As per usual, if the above player takes too long to buffer, just click here to listen: http://tinmanfrisbie.podbean.com/2012/05/17/season-4-episode-19-part-1/

  • Avengers Assemble!

    Thor is my favoritest Hero ever in case you didn’t know that by now

    OMFG.

    I don’t know how else to adequately describe how much I loved this movie.

    I saw The Avengers twice in 2 days.  The first time after an epic all-day Marvel Movie Marathon with my NBFF Geek Outlaw.

    And the second time on Sunday morning with my Mom and SO. Afterwards we went to Smash Burger which I thought was really funny. I’m not gonna lie, I’m probably going to go back a third time and see it in 3D. I don’t normally watch 3D movies that were converted in post-production but I’ve heard the 3D is pretty good so I’m willing to give it a shot. It was also one of the funniest movies I’ve seen. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard since Bridesmaids.

    WARNING: Spoilers ahead! So don’t read past this if you don’t want to be, umm, spoiled.

    When Thor came out I predicted that Loki would be the main villain in The Avengers (that much was obvious from the teaser after the end credits) and that the plot would center on preventing Ragnarök, a major plot point in the Thor comics. And while it wasn’t exactly an apocalypse (unless you were on the island of Manhattan), the end of the world as we know it was a real possibility so I’m going to consider myself 12% right, with an argument being made for 15%.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOrNdBpGMv8]

    –

    The basic plot line is as follows: After letting himself fall (not being pushed…but nice word twisting there Loki) Loki explores the tree of life for a bit before forming a partnership with The Other (frequent Whedon collaborator Alexis Denisof) and the Chitauri. Loki agrees to give The Other the Tesseract (aka Cosmic Cube) seen in Captain America in return for an army to conquer Earth. We humans aren’t too big on that and we fight back as usual, this time relying on The Avengers, a hodge podge team of superheroes led by Nick Fury and SHIELD, a super secret agency. Loki uses that brilliantly deceptive tongue of his to divide our heroes before they see the big picture and come together to save mankind and Manahattan (with the help of some real life Army Reservists by the by).

    Now, I’m going to be nitpicky for just a second and point out a few things that differ from the comics. Nick Fury/SHIELD did not assemble The Avengers. We don’t get to see Avengers founding members Ant-Man (Henry Pym) and Wasp (Janet van Dyne). Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye are later additions to the team. The Chitauri are a race of history-meddling shapeshifters and we never really see their true form. This shapeshifting ability was apparently tossed for the movie.

    And I am completely OK with all of those changes.

    Avengers assemble!

    Iron Man (Tony Stark):

    Tony (Robert Downey Jr) got most of the best lines in the film.  His nicknames for the other heroes were HI-larious.  The ones that immediately come to mind are Legolas (Hawkeye) and Point Break (Thor) but there were so many others that I can’t think of off the top of my head. He had a great bromance going on with Bruce Banner and I was happy to see the two wunderkinds drive off together at the end of the film. I thought it was interesting that they chose to completely ignore Rhodey (War Machine) since he would probably only skip this fight if he were trapped in an underground bunker somewhere, but I can’t say that I’m surprised.  There was already so much going on and you can only say “we sent them halfway around the world for their own safety” so many times. They did feature Pepper Potts quite prominently though. I’m not a big Gwyneth Paltrow fan but I do enjoy her as Pepper so that was fine. Anyone else notice that Tony wore a Black Sabbath t-shirt for a large chunk of the film? A nice little reference to their song “Iron Man” that I found amusing.

    Hulk (Bruce Banner):

    Mark Ruffalo is officially my favorite Bruce Banner. He was positively adorkable. His shy, soft-spoken good naturedness (is that even a word?) was so appealing that I never want to see anyone else play him ever again.  It was a very good call to model Hulk after Ruffalo using the same technology used for Avatar as opposed to having him be pure CGI. I read  that Hulk was a combination of Ruffalo and a male stripper from Long Island which is awesome. At the end of The Incredible Hulk it seemed like Bruce was working on controlling his alter ego. It appears that he succeeded. Much like his evolution in the comics, we see Hulk being uncontrollable when he’s caught off guard and in control when it’s his choice to change. I’m not surprised that we didn’t see Betty Ross but I was expecting some kind of reference to General Ross, especially after watching the Agent Coulson one-shot “The Consultant.” Hulk had so many great moments in this film but my favorite is probably when he picked up Loki and started smashing him back and forth before calling him a “puny god.” Harry Dean Stanton had a funny little cameo as a security guard that witnesses Hulk’s plummet to Earth and solemnly informs Bruce that he has “a condition.”

    Thor (Thor):

    How they planned on getting Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to Earth after the destruction of the Bifröst was something I was very interested to see. Loki comments that it must have taken a lot of dark magic on Odin’s part to make it happen. I’m looking forward to seeing the repercussions of that in Thor 2. Now that the cosmic cube resides in Asgard, Thor should be able to return to Earth and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) at will until the Bifröst can be remade. Jane was one of those “we sent her far, far away” quickies and that’s too bad. I would have liked to have seen her go up against flying monkey Erik and her (sure to be hilarious) reaction to Loki in all his Asgardian finery. This ordeal was so much more personal for Thor.  Within a very short time he lost his kingship, was betrayed by his brother, changed his whole mentality, fell in love, lost his brother, and had to save Midgard. The fact that he has an “only I can be mad at and deal with my brother” attitude in the beginning is certainly understandable. And his comment about Loki being adopted made me LOL. It was fun to see Thor duke it out with Hulk. It’s made clear in the movie that he’s one of the few individuals who CAN be a match for Hulk. Go figure that it would take a god. The best part; however, was the conclusion of that fight. Having been interrupted by a fighter jet distraction the first time around, Hulk took the opportunity of punching Thor across Grand Central after they worked together to bring down a Chitauri mega monster. Brilliant.

    Captain America (Steve Rogers):

    Poor Cap. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is such a smart and instinctive guy but the fact that he’s a fish out of water and placed next to two of the world’s foremost geniuses, makes him seem a bit dense (his excitement at understanding the flying monkey reference was endearingly adorable). But his leadership skills and strategic ability are never questioned by his fellow heroes once the fighting begins. This is a guy whose entire world has been flipped upside down and yet he doesn’t even flinch. People need saving and by God, he’s going to save them. This includes a cute blonde waitress (Ashley Johnson). Anyone else find it interesting that her nametag said “Beth” which is a nickname for Elizabeth? You know what else is a nickname for Elizabeth? Betsy. As in Betsy Ross aka Golden Girl, Cap’s onetime partner and girlfriend. I can’t help but wonder if that is a coincidence. Considering it’s Joss Whedon, I’m thinking it had to be intentional.

    Black Widow (Natsha Romanoff) / Hawkeye (Clint Barton):

    I seriously want to see more of the Hawkeye/Black Widow relationship.  I think they should give the two of them their own Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. There is plenty of history (and sexual tension) between the two of them to make it interesting and entertaining. I don’t know what it is about Jeremy Renner, but there is something very appealing about him. He’s not your stereotypically handsome action star but I kinda wanna jump his bones anyways. I think I’ll add him to the runners up list. I’ve always been told that Scarlett Johansson is a bit of a bee-yatch but I’ve seen her perform on Broadway (in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge) and she is a fantastic actress. I also think she’s one of the sexiest actresses working today (Geek Outlaw thinks so too). She certainly holds her own with the boys in this movie. Considering Black Widow and Hawkeye are ordinary humans (albeit with extraordinary skill sets), you have to suspend belief a bit when watching them survive falls and body slams that would normally kill a person instantly but barely leave a scratch on them. And yet, I didn’t care about the improbability of it all. The awesomeness outweighed the practicality for me.

    SHIELD:

    Samuel L. Jackson is having way too much fun playing Nick Fury, creator and director of SHIELD (sorry, I don’t like putting periods between the letters, I think it looks weird) and I’m having way too much fun watching him. It’s nice to see him have more to do than scold Tony or show up in the end credits. Nick Fury started SHIELD after WWII (he mentions his friend Howard Stark as a fellow founding member during Iron Man 2) so if you’re not a reader of the comics you might be wondering why he looks 45 years old. They don’t explain it in any of the movies but his aging has been slowed by the Infinity Formula. Just so you know.

    I started getting nervous when they got personal with Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) at the beginning of the movie. That never bodes well for someone as cryptic as him. My psychic movie skills kicked in and I figured out what was going to happen to him pretty quickly. I’m in mourning. Even though his character was manufactured purely for the screen and doesn’t appear in the comics, I’m going to miss not seeing him weave in and out of the various individual films. If you haven’t seen it, watch “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer.” It’s Agent Coulson showing off more than his wit for once. RIP Phil.

    Had Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman flick taken off, Cobie Smulders would most likely have been cast as Diana. But that project was shelved and instead she won the role of Agent Maria Hill (beating out Firefly alum Morena Baccarin). Boy, is she a looker. Wow. She also stars on How I Met Your Mother with Alexis Denisof’s wife and Whedon regular, Alyson Hannigan. Cobie wasn’t given a trainer for the movie so she hired one herself to teach her how to act like an agent. I like a girl who does her homework.

    The 12-person SHIELD Council should be more in shadow, we shouldn’t be able to see their faces. No one knows who they are, not Nick Fury, not even each other. If we can see their faces, we can use facial recognition software to find out who they are. But that’s me being nitpicky.

    The guy on the bridge playing Galaga? Classic.

    The Helicarrier is a character in its own right and plays a huge part in the film. It exists because a mobile headquarters is much more difficult for an evil organization *coughHYDRAcough* to find and destroy and protects any potential host nations from being a target. They took it one step further in the movie and gave it cloaking technology which was totally badass and a nice little treat for this Trekkie.

    Loki:

    I’m very quickly becoming a huge fan of Tom Hiddleston. I had never seen him before Thor but he’s perfection as Loki. And this is coming from someone whose way into anything related to Norse mythology. In the comics Loki is the first villain The Avengers go up against so I was happy to see that they kept that. It would have been much easier to pick a different villain and avoid the whole magic vs. science conundrum. The various directors, producers, writers, Marvel Execs, etc. did an excellent job of making the magic scientific and the science magical so it didn’t feel forced and it made sense to the laymen. They get an A+ for teamwork.

    Anyone who leaves the movie theatre before a Marvel movie’s end credits are over is an idiot. There’s always some little nugget of awesomesauce just waiting to delight our senses. In this case we got two of them.  The first one shows The Other talking to a mysterious master about the fact that humans are not to be trifled with.  They don’t say who this master is but I’m thinking its Thanos. If anyone has another theory I’d like to hear it but I’d bet money that I’m right. The second one has our heroes sitting around eating shawarma just after the battle while the employees clean up debris in the background. No one speaks (although Bruce does start chuckling) and it’s hilarious.

    I’m a massive Whedonite so I’m probably totally biased but I have to give Joss Whedon mad props for this movie. It’ll probably go down as one of my top 5 favorite movies ever and a lot of that is due to him.  He rewrote the script and had a vision that wove together four different franchises into one seamless and elegant package.  The combination of action, drama and humor is classic Joss. I think that one of the other directors would have made an excellent film as well but Joss made it magical and I hope they are smart enough to keep him as the director of all future Avenger films.

    I hope so, Joss. I hope so.

    “These people shouldn’t be in the same room let alone on the same team—and that is the definition of family” – Joss Whedon

    5 out of 5 Sci-Fives!