Showing posts with label The Avengers. Show all posts

The Avengers (and Clark Gregg) on Jimmy Kimmel

I just wondered if any of you had ever considered working on the small screen.
Lately I haven't had time during the week for quick posts like this. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Art of Evolution prints I've been making time for every Friday are the exception...and they have not been quick. They take up at least an hour, sometimes three. I'd rather throw up a video and short introductory comment like this more often, but they usually turn into rambling essays. Who really still has that kind of attention span anyway? So here's what you came for if you don't watch Jimmy Kimmel and you've been busy today. I really loved the "surprise" of Clark Gregg asking a question like a fan. I say surprise because SHIELDTV kind of gave it away. ;)
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Avengetron? Voltengers?

photo assembled400px_zps44f07211.jpg

Oh, damn it! An Avengers/Voltron t-shirt? I never would have thought of that, even though I've said before if I were as rich as Tony Stark I would build myself some awesome lions that form together to fight evil. I mean, look how adorable the Hulk lion is, and the Blazing Sword is Thor's hammer! Voltron was my childhood dream and favorite cartoon. Yes, they used the same sequence every single time when Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Allura realized they couldn't take on whatever was threatening the universe separately. But "form feet and legs, form arms and torso...and I'll form the head" was always the best bit. I was simple. ;)

Unfortunately, I suffer from T-shirt Instabuy Syndrome. If it's too good to pass up, it's a struggle not to get it. That puts a strain on the wallet, especially when my first job has been so light for so long that it's like I'm not employed there anymore, and I've been working for two months at my second job and won't get paid until the middle of September. And I already bought two shirts recently - Groovin Through the Galaxy with baby Groot and Better Call Hutz - so I have to agonizingly pass on Assembled. Hopefully it will be put on RedBubble later and kept there for a while.

Assembled is available starting at $10 today, and it's also available on hoodies, coasters, posters, and more if you have too many tees. If you miss it today, you'll have a second chance to buy it tomorrow for $15, e.g., RiptApparel had three great Doctor Who t-shirts yesterday that I was too busy to blog about. I'll have to put Who Loves Rose, The Crack in the Wall, and The Monolith on my ever-growing wish list, T-Shirt Obsession.
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Why Do I Put Things Off ~ Avenger's Assemble

I'm finally listening to The Avengers soundtrack, Avengers Assemble. I've had it since I got a download code with my Blu-ray copy but for some reason always chose other music when I started up Spotify. Until today I didn't even remember any of the music, or which of the tracks were actually in the movie, because I've seen it only three times so far. Wish I had more time. If only I could quit work.

Anyway, I heard the lyrics "Show me how a bleeding heart still pounds" from "Unbroken" and I thought of Coulson. I always hoped it was planned that he'd been revived, or Whedon would surrender to fan response for the sequel. And then months later S.H.I.E.L.D. was announced for television. I was so happy even if it was going to be a prequel. Knowing that it's to take place after the events of The Avengers with Coulson being alive, those lyrics really are fitting. Can't wait to see what the story is there. It's amazing to me that #CoulsonLives became a real thing. That's only the second time I've been involved in a Twitter campaign, and it's the second time it has worked. And to think, I used to hate Twitter because I thought it was a useless waste of time. Well, it still is a waste of time, but not so useless.

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Six Marvelous Avengers and a Hero

It took forever to actually get to finishing this review-y thingy and sort of rant, which certainly doesn't reflect my love for this terrific movie. So, let's get to it.

The Avengers left me in the same state as when I watched Iron Man for the first time and every time since: in awe of a wonderfully crafted and satisfying film that appeals to a wide audience, and with a terrific lead (leads in this case) who cares for the work he's doing regardless of genre. I have no doubt The Avengers will have the same effect on me every time it's played on TV or when slide the Blu-ray into the PS3. It's a feeling that doesn't happen often with blockbusters, most of which seem designed specifically to rake in the cash with light and sound, but which lack depth, performance, and intelligence. Here we have the rare film that is both large in scale and moving; think Dark Knight, District 9, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.

Anyone who has even a passing interest in superheroes, or entertainment in general, will fall in love with this movie. If you haven't yet, I would suggest first watching the previous Marvel entries or at least Iron Man, because certain moments will be more affecting with character background from those films. This is the first in the series, but it's still a sequel of sorts to four other movies, and sequels usually move ahead without wasting too much time on stories they've already told. As one example, you'll better understand the tension in the room when Steve accuses Tony of being someone who would never make a sacrifice. He sees only Tony's sarcastic and blasé attitude, not his heart... though the arc reactor in his chest is a constant glowing reminder.

If you haven't seen The Avengers already, what are you waiting for? Go. Now. Yes, it's still playing ten weeks in while so many are forgotten about after a few. But unless you have a second run theater nearby, the next few days are most certainly your last chance since Dark Knight Rises opened today. (Rest in peace, victims of the Colorado theater shooting.) The fact it was directed by Joss Whedon makes it worth recommending. If you don't know Whedon, you should. He's a master of storytelling. He knows how to make you genuinely care for characters, fleshing them out with big, funny moments and small, quiet ones, and personality to spare.

Then sometimes he'll pull the rug out from under you when you least expect. You will hate him for it, you will love him for it, and you'll come back for more. Every world Whedon touches gains dimensions of reality and humanity. There's a reason The Avengers made over $1.4 billion worldwide. Go see this for the pure fun and great sense of humor, the clashes between heroes, the epic battles, the seductively smooth villain, and for the cast of very fine actors, each of whom had a chance to shine. This is a story well-told, one that reminds why I ever seriously imagined myself in the entertainment business.

I didn't intend this as a mini review, so here's what I really wanted to say when I started writing. As anyone who has seen The Avengers knows...
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Game of Mirrors

Watching Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows this past weekend, I was reminded of The Avengers and the Fringe episode "Brave New World, Part 1." Though, that should have been the other way 'round since I saw Sherlock first in the theater.

Rude Awakenings - Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr, for those who've just come back from Mars) jolting to life after the adrenaline shot reminded me of Iron Man being startled awake (alive?) by Hulk roaring in The Avengers. Both scenes were at first tense and then hilarious. I love how the "giant green rage monster" was concerned for Tony. Of course, there are no Avengers scenes on YouTube yet, only quick shots set to music, but if you're here you probably saw it anyway. If you haven't, go now and read nothing else here concerning this movie. I'll wait. Blockbusters like this need to be experienced on a big screen and through deafening speakers. There's fun and humor, rivalry and friendship, feeling and loss, intelligent writing and exceptional actors who don't even need a word, and a talented director able to wring emotion and truth out of any situation. It's a complete and engaging package. You will leave with a smile on your face that sticks around for days.


The Good Bishops - Near the end of ...Shadows, Moriarty (Jared Harris) and Sherlock are playing a game of chess, both literally and figuratively. I immediately thought of this season's penultimate episode of Fringe, where William Bell gave a speech to David Robert Jones (Harris) about the art of chess, a game that serves well in highlighting the instability of a refined madman, who likens people to pieces on a board to be sacrificed.



Damn, Downey is great in everything. I've known for a while, but I'm always amazed. I love this movie even more than the first time, because now I can catch things I missed, like the satanic pony with a fork in his hoof comment, and savor again that unexpectedly disturbing, intense scene where Sherlock was seemingly and literally just a fish on Moriarty's hook, perfectly composed with screams of agony and the discordance of two pieces of music playing simultaneously. One of the best scenes of both RDJ Sherlock movies and one that will always be remembered.

Available now at J&R.

Blu-ray, $22.99
DVD, $14.99
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Our Hope ~ Coulson Lives

Our Hope - Coulson Lives

Just my little contribution to #CoulsonLives. Oh my God, is it really finished? It damn well better be or I'm going to cry and have a fit. I spent entirely too long on this, too many late nights. I almost can't believe I'm done...and contemplating another. Won't happen, but I'd like it to.

Does it look like I went overboard with the message? Maybe. That's because I couldn't stick with a decision. There was a lot of fooling around with Bezier curves, colors, gradients, anchor points, et cetera, to get things exactly right. And then I changed my mind...and changed it again. I give you them all at once, because I don't have time to make three different "cards." Then I would be very tempted to play around, change the background over and over, maybe attempt a character, and I'd probably quit half way through.

I actually had more than a few ideas. If only I remembered how to draw, I could have done what I wanted originally. Coulson's face in comic book form might have played a part. I'm envying all those wonderful people with drawing skills who have already contributed and those who are just doing it for themselves, especially the ones behind these beauties:

Okay, back to me. They're in order of first to last idea, even though the first was the last to be finished and the third uses the second's unmodified lettering. And don't even get me started on that. I made two completely different sets of letters for this. Don't know why. It almost made me nuts. I definitely have respect for font designers. It can take years to design a complete font. Took me three weeks just to come up with a few decent glyphs. Why didn't I just use an Avengers-type font? I like it, but I was already working on my own before I thought of it.

Boy, this would have been so much quicker to draw in sand. Why didn't I? Because a few people have already. And seeing as I don't have sand, that probably wouldn't work. I would love to be more efficient, but I'm new to vectors. Only completed a couple little things. Looks like it will be a while. Hopefully, I'll keep at it...maybe with program other than Inkpad. After a while, I guess if there are too many objects (both visible and hidden), there will be ghosts you can't delete, paths you can't separate, objects that suddenly multiply when you're trying to get rid of them, and crashes that make it impossible to undo the last thing it screwed up. Though, I can make a decent enough whatchamacallit here, I'm thinking about getting iDraw since Inkpad hasn't been updated in forever and is seriously limited and starting to be frustrating.
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