Watch This! Iron Man 3 Bonus Review, And a Note About Twitter

Okay, so you'll remember that I had promised a review of Iron Man 3. I figure that I better get it up today, because by next week it will be fully irrelevant. So here are my quick and dirty thoughts on the latest Marvel superhero movie.

Better than Number 2, not as good as Number 1.

The first Iron Man movie had an impact on me in that it made superhero movies seem less juvenile. I liked the Sam Raimi Spiderman films...for the most part, but if you watch them now you will undoubtedly notice that they've aged and now appear pretty cheese-filled. Iron Man, on the other hand, had this older, suave, sexy, smart hero with a cool origin story. Robert Downey Jr. was perfectly cast as Tony Stark. This remained true throughout the second Iron Man, and of course in The Avengers. But Iron Man 2 suffered from overstuffed syndrome, where it tried to do too much and ended up falling short of the brilliant simplicity that was the origin story. Iron Man 3 is a more successful story because it dials back a bit and just tells the story of Tony Stark having PTSD and getting overly dependent on his suits.

Tony spends a lot of time outside the suit in this movie, and that's for the best. It ends up being a more human, more character based story. He has panic attacks, he screws up his relationship, he makes colossal mistakes, and he has to kind of MacGyver his way through defeating the bad guys. It's interesting and fun as hell. I also loved that Pepper took a slightly more active role, actually becoming involved in the action portion of the plot instead of standing on the sidelines.

The movie is not without flaws, as we see the usually brilliant Tony making some enormously stupid moves. I'm not sure if that's all to do with being sleep deprived or being arrogant or what, but yeah...kind strayed into TSTL territory. The big issue that the uber-fans have, though, is the way that the villain known as The Mandarin is handled. I'm not invested enough in the Iron Man comic universe to care about that at all. If I were? Yeah, I'd probably be pissed.

So, yeah, Iron Man 3 is worth seeing unless your inner fanboy/girl will implode do to extreme deviation from comic book continuity. Or whatever.

My other note for today is that my original Twitter account is now sadly inaccessible to me.  I no longer have access to the original email that it's connected to and so, unfortunately, I can't do much to fix it and I've had to let it die. I never actually tweeted frequently, just post sharing and the like. What I really used it for was to keep up with authors and other bloggers and the obvious entertainment purposes of easy stalking. It's been hard to be without that tool, so I've started the arduous process of setting up a new account. The new username is @PenguinKumer. As before, follow me and I'll follow you. We'll all get along fantastically.

Movie Review: Oz The Great and Powerful (And Adjusted Posting Schedule)

Attentive readers will no doubt notice that this is not the review of Hitched! that I promised. In fact, I ended up DNFing that particular book 20 pages in after enumerable false starts, so I won't be reviewing it any time soon. Furthermore, life and work have kind of forcibly stalled my reading, and I'm no longer ahead in my posts as I was all February. Rather than rush to push out some crappy content while ignoring my other commitments, I'm going to take the weekend off and work on next weeks posts. Here's our adjusted schedule, which hopefully shall not have to be adjusted again.

March 11: Misc. Monday: Top 10 Authors on RtP (no genre restrictions)

March 12: Review of The Chocolate Thief by Laura Florand

March 13: Watch This Wednesday: Sweeney Todd

March 15: Review of Requiem by Lauren Oliver

March 16: Review of Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

March 18: Top 10 Most Annoying Songs

March 17: St. Patrick's Day Post

March 19: Review of Wanderlust by Eleba Levine

March 20: Watch This Wednesday: Rent

March 25: Misc. Monday: The Dowsides of Blogging

March 27: Watch This Wednesday: Anastasia

March 28: Review of The Chocolate Kiss by Laura Florand

March 30: Review of Lover At Last by J.R. Ward

March 31: Easter Post

Now, if I can get ahead enough, I would really like to do another theme month in April--Young Adult Month. But that's still very much in the planning stages, and may or may not happen in reality.

Also, I saw a movie last night!

Oz The Great and Powerful

If you don't already know, this is a prequel story of sorts to the iconic Wizard of Oz movie. It tells the origin story of the actual wizard, and how he came to do what he does.Oz is a magician in a traveling circus--he's a conman, he uses women, and he has no real friends to speak of. He's blown away in a hot air balloon through a tornado to the land of Oz, where everyone believes that he's a real wizard with the power to save their land.

We wanted to see this movie because it looked so pretty, and it is. It's a very visually appealing movie. Oz is bright and colorful, and in 3D everything just popped and sparkled.

Oz was a charming character, and the story itself was more than passable. Oz has always obsesses over becoming famous, rich, and admired, but his journey teaches him the importance of being decent and helping others. James Franco was surprisingly good in the part. Where in the past I've found his performances fake and hammy, in this case his acting style worked perfectly. He, and the entire movie, are over the top in the best possible way. I liked the fact that he uses his natural proclivity for lying to his advantage, and the movie doesn't force him to "learn a lesson" on that score.

Fans of the original movie will appreciate all of the nods to that story, though somethings are noticeable absent.The ruby slippers, for example, were not allowed to be used for legal reasons. I personally wasn't thrilled with the way the wicked witch appeared, but I think I was distracted by the fact that it was different from the original (again, for legal reasons) As for connectivity with the books...to be honest, I wouldn't know. I never even tried to read them. I had one friend who was obsessed with them, but apparently I didn't osmotically absorb any of her knowledge the way I usually do. If you've seen this movie and you know more than I, please feel free to comment and tell us about it.

Husband was impressed with the direction of the movie, Sam Raimi being one of his all time favorite directors. Fans of his work will notice his style seeping in is shots where characters run from the camera, in the sudden and disorienting use of dutch angles, and in the general humorous tone. If you like Evil Dead, you'll notice he also manages to slip a deadite in there. Yeah.

Overall, if you like whimsy and have at least a passing fondness for The Wizard of Oz, I think you'll enjoy this movie.

Watch This! Nicolas Sparks Movie Day

Hello, and welcome to Watch This! Wednesday, romance edition, and you know what that means! It's Nicholas Sparks day!

Nicholas Sparks is somewhat infamous for his gushy mom pleasing novels that center around love and relationship development. They escape the stigma of romance novels by somewhat frequently breaking the rule of the happy ending. If I sound bitter about that, it's because I am. I find that tragedy is not synonymous with profound meaning, and the idea that a piece of fiction becomes "literature" only by being depressing is the height of discouraging.

Nevertheless, I have read (and to some extent enjoyed) four of his novels, although it was years ago and long before I started reviewing books. And, I'm kind of ashamed to say this, but I really like most of these movies. Yeah, I know. I'm not sure what's wrong with me, either. So, anyway, here we go: snippet review of all seven movies currently available on DVD, in the order of their release.

Message in a Bottle (1999)

The plot of this movie is as utterly improbable as it is depressing.Theresa, the heroine, finds a message in a bottle while she's jogging on a beach. It's a love letter, and finding it makes her believe in love again. She get's caught up in the mystery of finding the letter's author. And then she does. And they fall in love. Because of course they do. I've never found this movie appealing. Not only does the romance not work for me (I'm not a huge fan of widow stories), but it ends on an unrelentingly hopeless note. So, overall, it's not one that I recommend.

A Walk to Remember (2002)

Now this one, this movie, is one of my all time favorite love stories. Teenage bad boy Landon falls in love with the preacher's daughter, Jamie. Through her, he learns about faith, compassion, and what it means to give your heart to someone entirely. It's young love, opposites attraction, redemption, and hope in the face of death--all things that I love in a romance. The fact that it's sad is actually okay, in this case. This is one to watch when you want to cry a bit.

The Notebook (2004)

Every woman I talk to likes this movie at least a little, and for good reason. It's the story of a first love and forbidden love that turns into last love. People think of it as said, because it deals with dimension and growing old and passing on, but in my mind it's the happiest ending I can imagine in the harsh Nicholas Sparks world. These two people get a whole life together, and their story is epic. Its a happy tears sort of movie.

Nights In Rodanthe (2008)

Don't remember this one? Yeah, no one really does. This is a movie that's definitely meant for the older generation, and I don't think even they like it that much. It's a romance between two disillusioned older people who both have strained relationships with their adult children. Adrienne, the heroine, is taking care of an inn for her friend and Paul, the hero, is in town because he's being sued. Much like Message in a Bottle, there are few or no uplifting parts to balance out the tragedy, so it doesn't leave you feeling better about humanity. It also suffers from serious pacing issues. I don't recommend it.

Dear John (2010)

Okay, so this is one of two that I had to watch specifically for this post, because I hadn't seen it yet. Because based on what I knew of the plot, I thought I wouldn't like it. Oh, my God, this was a terrible movie. So, yeah, the plot is that John is a soldier and he falls in love with Savannah, who agrees to wait for him, and they write letters. But then 9/11 happens and he re-enlists and she starts to get understandably antsy, until ultimately she sends him the dreaded break-up letter. Aside from the fact that there is nothing about that core plot that appeals to me, I just didn't feel any sort of romantic vibe from this movie. John and Savannah have little chemistry to speak of, so I had trouble buying their relationship to begin with. Couple that with very serious pacing issues, selfish decisions, and a total lack of an ending, and I'm left wondering why on earth people like this movie. I really don't recommend this one.

The Last Song (2010)

This was the other one that I had to watch for the first time in order to write this post, and I expected to like it less than Dear John. You know what though? It's not that bad. No, I mean, it's flawed. Miley Cyrus is not a great actress, and she's not right for the part, and her speaking voice is extremely grating. I could buy her as a snotty teenager, but I had trouble cheering her on as a romantic lead. Nevertheless, the story kind of got to me. I could really appreciate the character development and the relationship development between Ronnie, our erstwhile heroine, and everyone else in the movie--from her father, to little brother, to her boyfriend Will. I found myself imagining the story with someone else in Miley's place, and I'm forced to say that I like it a lot. So, would I recommend it? Yeah, actually, I would--if you like that kind of thing.

The Lucky One (2012)

I won't say much about this one, since I already talked about it when it came out and you can read my thoughts here. I did like this one. It's not the most profound, and Zach Efron is just okay as an actor, but it's a more complete and appealing story than, say, Dear John.

I haven't yet made plans to see Safe Haven, which came out on Valentines Day, but I'm sure I will eventually. This is one of those odd fascinations that I feel compelled to see through. But that's it for now, folks. Go watch a good movie, share your comments, and have a happy day!

Watch This! Top Ten Best Romances in the Disney Universe

Disney movies. They are so iconic and so deeply imbedded in our culture that they are often the first stories children are exposed to. To extend that thought, they are probably the first love stories most of us are exposed to. Now, I'm not saying that's a great thing. It's a point of fact that Disney treats love in the most sanitized, watered-down, and in some cases slightly sexist manner possible. But they exist, and they are romance, so we have to talk about them. Because I say so.

Having said all of that, you might imagine that this "Best" list is more of a "Least Awful" list, but...that's mostly not true. Mostly.

#10: Sleeping Beauty (1959)

This is one that I've only seen a handful of times, and I actually had to rewatch it closely to decide if it really belonged on this list. It made it by virtue of the fact that it's not only intentionally a romance, but the romance actually has some (some, not a lot) set up and pay off. The set up is that Phillip and Aurora are promised to each other upon Aurora's birth. Aurora is cursed and then hidden away as a peasant girl, under the name Briar Rose. Sixteen years later, Phillip meets and unknowingly falls in love with Briar Rose. It's love at first sight and there's not much conversation, but there is a big battle with a dragon, and that's romantic, right? Right.

#9:Cinderella (1950)

You know, Cinderella gets a lot of bad press. I'll own to the fact that Sleeping Beauty deserves its reputation as one of the least pro-feminist stories of all time--the heroine literally does nothing except fall asleep. Cinderella though? She's just a sad, lonely, and frankly very patient girl who would like to go to a dance. And then she does. Good for her. Do I buy that she instantly falls in love with the prince and he's so enamored with her in return that he upends the kingdom trying to find her--after one dance and presumably a little conversation? Well no, not by real world standards, but it the logic of the 1950s Disney universe it's fine. I always imagined an epilogue to this story where the prince (Jesus, he doesn't even have a name) and Cinderella have to talk and come to terms with this insane attraction between them, and the ramifications of marrying outside their social standings, and they make it work in the end. That's how I justify the story to myself.

#8: Tarzan (1999)

This is one of those Disney movies I always tend to forget about, until I look at a list and I'm reminded--oh, yeah, Disney did Tarzan. I think it's because when it came out, I was at that weird age where I thought I was too old for children's movies and I didn't yet appreciate the idea that adults can enjoy them, too, and so I didn't see it until long after it came out. But I do like it. And, of course, it's on this list because of Tarzan and Jane, who are surprisingly sweet together. I put it low on the list because I've always felt that the chemistry between them is based largely on the fact that Jane is literally the first and only human woman Tarzan has ever encountered, and that kind of circumstantial togetherness is always a bit unsettling to me. Outside of that context, would they even like each other? I don't know, but it is an interesting story for all it's flaws.

#7: Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Why, yes, I did put non-humans on the list. Judge me if you will, but watch this movie and tell me it's not adorable. Go ahead. Yeah, I thought so. Lady and the Tramp is a classic opposites attract tale about a hero who shuns the idea of a home and a heroine who dearly loves hers. They go on adventures and have a little tryst, and eventually a happy ending. The spaghetti scene alone earns it a spot on the list (incidentally, eating pasta that way is far less romantic in reality).  And I'm pretty sure there's a secret baby plot in there too.

#6: The Little Mermaid (1989)

I struggled quite a bit with where to put this on the list because, truth be tole, this is probably my second or third favorite Disney movie of all time. But in terms of how well it works as a romance? It's pretty shallow, at least initially. Ariel's impulsive and obsessive need to be with Eric is based entirely on appearance. Any attraction Eric feels for Ariel is based on her pretty, pretty voice. This is all redeemed when they end up spending time together while she can't talk, and it becomes apparent that they have a legitimate connection.

#5: The Princess and the Frog (2009)

This might actually count at my second non-human romance on the list, since they spend the majority of the movie as frogs. This is a movie about working hard to achieve goals while not ignoring the importance of finding love. It's actually quite heavy handed with that message, but it's not necessarily a terrible thing. I like the adventure and the time that Tiana and Nevine share, and I like that they both work for their happy ending.    

#4: Aladdin (1992)

This is likely the most "boy oriented" movie on the list, but it nevertheless counts as a romance. Pretty much everything Aladdin does is motivated by a desire to get the girl. It's yet another case of two people who like each other regardless of social rank, and it addresses the issue more effectively than most. I like that Jasmine, despite not being at the center of the action, is not a wilting flower and does, in fact, display a mind of her own. It also happens to have one of the most memorable and romantic love songs in the Disney universe.

#3: Tangled (2010)

This movie is one of the most watchable, fun children's movies I've seen this decade. And, although the romance isn't necessarily the main point, it's there and it's spectacular. Flynn and Rapunzel get to know each other over their journey (witness, Flynn telling Rapunzel his real name), they fall in love, and they make huge sacrifices for each other. It's cute and funny when it needs to be, serious at other times, and everything comes together to make a very satisfying story.

#2: Up (2009)

Am I cheating with this one? Hell yes, I am. Up is decidedly not a romance, at least most of the movie isn't. But the first ten minutes or so? Oh God. Two people meet as children, become friends, fall in love, and share a big dream that they never quite get to realizing. But they have a life together, and they're mostly happy despite some huge disappointments. I cannot watch this part of the movie without crying. Everything that's happens after that point is motivated largely by that relationship and those dreams, so I actually think it is fair game to count it on this list. It's brilliant, and a testament to the principle that a simple love story is often the best.

#1: Beauty and the Beast (1991)

If you've been following this blog for awhile, this one probably doesn't surprise you. This is my very favorite Disney movie, and it likely ranks in my top 10 favorite movies of all time. But do I really think it's the most romantic? Absolutely, I do. It's a story about getting to know someone on a deeper level, and loving them based on an emotional connection rather than physical appearance. The Beast has to learn to be a decent person, and Bell only comes around to him after he figures out that he needs to treat her properly. It's pretty much a perfect movie in my mind, and I can't say enough about it.

So that's the list, folks. Feel free to agree and disagree with me in the comments. Have a romance-filled day.

Watch This! The Princess Bride

Our first movie of the month happens to rank among my all time favorite movies...ever. This is a movie which I can always watch, anytime, no matter my mood, and it will make me smile. Every time.

Like the book it was adapted from, the story of The Princess Bride is being told to a sick little boy by his Grandfather. The framing of the storybook gives you leave not to take the (rather absurd) story seriously, or at least not entirely seriously. Basically, Wesley is a farmhand who falls in love with Buttercup, a beautiful but air-headed girl. Wesley wants to make money for marriage, so he sets sail for distant lands, but his ship is captured along the way, and he is lost. And that is why Buttercup, concluding that she will never love again anyhow, becomes engaged to Prince Humperdinck, becoming the princess bride the title promised.

The delightfully silly story continues on with a kidnapping, sword fighting, battles of wit, and of course the infamous revenge story between Inigo Montoya and the six fingered man. The details make this movie the charming romp that it is, and of course you must watch it to appreciate that.

But since I'm including this in Romance Month, I am required to talk about the couple. Wesley and Buttercup have the simplest and most uncomplicated form of fairytale love there is to be had. They look at each other, and realize they're in love, and that's the end of that. Their journey to being together is fantastical in that it includes the overcoming of piracy and treachery and death. Most of the overcoming is done by Wesley, who is in all ways awesome--good at everything, persistent, and stubborn. Buttercup, on the otherhand, is intentionally useless. She is dumb and she is helpless, but she is pretty. He one credible trait is loyalty, and faith, in believing that Wesley will find a way to save her, always. And so, in this way, this is perhaps not my favorite story in terms of romance, despite the fact that it is a favorite movie.

I can't imagine there are that many people who haven't yet seen this movie--it's so much fun that it would be a crime not to see it.

Misc. Monday: The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings movies came out right when I was just discovering a fondness for fantasy books and movies. Right when I was in the midst of extreme Harry Potter fandom, and looking to branch out from those a bit. Maybe. I never actually got around to reading the entire LOTR trilogy, as I remember finding parts of it very dry. But I did embrace the movies with a the focused dedication of someone who really, really wants to have Elijah Wood's babies. I'm only kind of joking.

He's as angsty as he is beautiful...

So, yeah, while I won't lie and say that I'm a fan of the books, I have a nostalgic emotional connection to the movies that's never quite faded. And I did read and enjoy The Hobbit. When the trilogy drew to a close, I found myself crossing all my fingers and toes that Peter Jackson would go on to make The Hobbit. And he did, you guys. He did.

A couple of things are different this time around, though. For one, I'm older. I have boobs now, and I'm decidedly less inclined to the hero worship of random actors. For two, The Hobbit is and never was long enough or epic enough to require a trilogy of movies. What could possibly motivate that?

Oh that. Yeah. Sigh.

 So, yeah, along the way to realizing the dream of The Hobbit movie, it's obvious that some people, somewhere, saw big dollar signs and asked, "How can we fatten this cash cow up?" Not only does this lead to a trilogy where one, possibly two movies would have sufficed, but it also lead to the 3D gimmick, which is what I saw (husband secretly loves 3D movies). Was I pessimistic going into this movie? Oh, my, yes.
                            
But, aside from the fact that our line had the most obnoxious movie goers ever--

"DID YOU KNOW THAT MIDDLE EARTH IS, LIKE, EUROPE?"

"I HAVE TO GET OUT OF LINE TO PEE TWICE EVERY HOUR!"

"WHEN I SEE THINGS ON THE SCREEN AND THEN I TALK ABOUT THEM!"

--the movie itself was pretty good. Not great, not nearly as good as the LOTR trilogy, but still quite solid.

I liked the actors, and I liked the story for the most part. I didn't really notice what was missing or what was added (it's been so long since I read the book), so I'm left to just assume it was accurate. If I don't notice glaring oversights, I assume everything is okay. What I do remember about the book was that Bilbo had to prove himself useful despite being small and basically helpless in a fight, and the movie showed that very well. It showed that he's clever and musters up courage when he needs to. But aside from Bilbo, Thorin was always the most memorable character for me, and I really liked how the movie portrays him. Getting to actually see his home get destroyed lent a bit of epicness to the tale that was missing from the book.

The settings are gorgeous, as they were in the first trilogy. The sweeping landscapes draw you into the world and help you to take the story seriously. At the same time, I enjoyed the few quirky touches of humor.

The biggest downside is that this movie feels it's length. The pacing is so slow in places, and it takes a really long time to get going, and even if you are enjoying it you will become tired. While that can be said of all of the LOTR movies, I think this was the first one where I felt things could and should have bee cut to fix the problem.

Giving a recommendation to this movie may be a hollow gesture, since most people know whether or not they like Lord of the Rings by this point. If you liked the first set of movies, I don't think this will leave you disappointed. The story is not as vast or deep, but it's still a great fantasy story, and they are putting a lot of effort into telling it well. If you were not a fan of any of the pre-existing movies, I don't see this one swaying you.

Misc. Monday: Wreck It Ralph

Another week has just begun, folks. There are a lot of great reviews coming up this week, but for today I'm just going to share a few brief updates and a short movie review.

I Watch TV Now! Sometimes...

 

This season probably sets the record for the most shows that I've actively tried to follow at once. It used to be one. Now it's...five? I think there are five. Holy cow.

ABC's Once Upon a Time is probably the one that I look forward to the most right now. So far, I really like season 2. I appreciate the fact that it's gone in a different direction from season 1, that it hasn't started to feel formulaic. I really like most of the characters, and I like that the world feels big and it seems like they have loads of stories to tell. Is it kind of BS to have characters like Lancelot or Mulan or, God help me, Frankenstein in a fairy tale world? Yes, yes it is. But on some level, I don't care, because the show amuses me. That is all.

Supernatural is the stale bread of TV shows right now. It is no longer, and will never be as awesome as it once was...but it's still consumable. I've found season 8 at least passably entertaining, even though the overarching plot--Sam's normal relationship, Dean having been gone, blah blah--to be redundant of things hashed out in previous seasons, and just uninteresting overall, there are other things about it that I do like. I just hope they wrap up the show before it molds over completely.

Those of you who've been with me since last fall will remember that I had mixed feelings about Fox's Grimm. I still have mixed feelings. Some episodes are good, but some are far too procedural cop show for my tastes. But I like Monroe. And I'm intrigued by the royals, or whatever they are...

Speaking of procedural cop shows, masquerading as something more interesting...Beauty and The Beast is a thing now, again. The "Beast" is a guy who was given adrenaline based super soldier powers by the military, and is now in hiding. Beauty is a detective, but doesn't seem to be great at her job. It's honestly a bit of a train wreck, and boy is it cheese-tastic, but I'm going to keep watching it.

I've been watching Arrow, and it is also full of the cheese, but I do like it. It's basically a typical superhero story, but I like that sort of thing. Umm, the acting is kind of bad though.

Movie Review! Wreck It Ralph

 

Hubby and I knew we wanted to see this the minute we saw the previews. In sum, it's a story about video game characters, specifically Ralph, who is a bad guy that wants to be a good guy. So he leaves his game and goes to other games with the goal of winning a medal that will earn him respect and so forth...

What Worked In This Movie...

 

Ralph is likeable. The premise is likeable. You sympathize with his and you get emotionally invested in his desire for a less miserable life.

It was a lot of fun to see cameos from games that we know and love--Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-man, and so forth. The references were fun. I got the feeling that the writers know and feel affection for video games, and for arcades, and for the era when such things were at their peak. I loved the attention to detail.

It's just a really happy movie. It made me smile. But, I mean, it's a kids movie, it ought to make you smile.

Except this part. Homelessness is a bummer.

 What Didn't Work

 

If I had to name a disappointment, it would be the amount of time they spend in the race game "Sugar Rush", with the little girl character, Vanelope (sp??). Yeah, she's cute, but I wanted to see more, different games. She kind of takes over the plot. It's not bad, but I can't help but feel that this movie would be so much better with less of her.

Recommendation

As such things go, I would recommend this movie. That is, if you like children's/family movies, this is a good one. I like gamers in particular will get a kick out of it.

That's all for now, fellow penguins. What have you been watching lately?

RP and EggJosh Vlog Review: Batman, Dark Knight Rises

We enjoyed our movie experience and we went home and made this vlog and went to sleep. When I came to this morning and decided to see who else had reviewed the movie, I was shocked when my search results turned up news of a massacre instead. I am so deeply saddened by that. My whole heart goes out to the victims and to their families. No happy night should ever be interrupted by senseless horror like that. I'm reminded today that there is real evil in the world. I am also reminded to appreciate my loved ones, my life, and these precious nights of happiness--because you never know when it could all be taken from you.

RP Goes to the Movies: The Amazing Spider Man

I want to explain to you guys where my head was at as I sat through this movie.

There was pretty much no food in our fridge on Monday. All day long, all I ate was a small peach and a cheese sandwich. You guys, I don't do hunger. I seriously become ill, which is bad because then I can't eat. Anyway, by 6pm when my dinner break at work rolled around, I was prepared to eat the fastest available thing, which happened to be a prepared deli sandwich. I bet you can imagine where this is going.

I was fine through the rest of work, at after when we got in line for the midnight showing of The Amazing Spider-man. I was happily drinking my soda (caffeine is non-optional at these things) and munching popcorn. I was tired (a whole day of moving followed by 8 hours of work), but functional. About halfway into the movie, I started to feel nauseous on and off.

Peter Parker was being an angsty orphan teen and I was holding my aching head and cursing God.

The lizard guy was being all lizardy and I was biting my tongue to keep from yawning.

Peter was flirting clumsily with Gwen Stacie and I  started to feel like my sandwich had betrayed me.

They shared a kiss and I was pretty sure that I was going to throw up.

The one thing that you shouldn't do, if you are planning on having a mild case of food poisoning, is try to sit through an action moving with stunts that involve swinging from roof tops. And you definitely shouldn't do so in a room full of unwashed folks of dubious character, because two seats down from me there was a guy who clearly had not bathed today, and maybe took a nice long jog outside in the 90 degree weather before coming to the movies. I think he was in league with the sandwich.

I want to say this very clearly: The movie was actually pretty good. What I was able to focus on, I found appealing. And I never lost track of the story, despite being ill, which tells me that the plot flowed fairly well.

Here's What I Liked About It:

• There's a shameful part of me that sort of enjoys teen angst (that's why I read YA), and this movie has that. The actor who plays Peter Parker pulled his character off very well. He's twitchy and awkward, but clearly smart. He has these amazing powers, but it takes time to learn to use them. He has cocky and humorous moments. He likes Gwen, but fluctuates between trying way too hard and stuttering. The contemporary YA fan in me eats that up like days old turkey on mildly stale wheat bread.
• It's a darker, more emotionally gripping telling of the Spider-man story than the previous movies. 
• I liked the effects (up until they made me all woozy). I like that they put the viewer in Spider-man's POV as he figures out how to swing and jump about. 
• I found the romance passably believable. Disposable, unnecessary, but believable.

Here's What I Did Not Like:

• The editing was a little choppy. This is one of those movies where the subplots had subplots, and in several instances it felt like the pieces were pasted together in the wrong order. Slightly.
• The villain was dis-interesting to me. His motivation is wanting to grow back a missing limb, so he injects himself with essence of lizard and...it makes him crazy. So predictable, and so unimaginative. But hey, it's a comic book movie.
• OMG the pseudo-science. I wish these movies would not try so hard to make the science believable. You can't. You have a giant lizard man in a lab coat. It's ridiculous. Just accept it, and don't stop to try to explain lizard biology to me.
• I did not like that on our way home, Josh had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting a bunny, causing me to finally throw up the minute I got out of the car. I hope your happy, you stupid rabbit.
• I do not like turkey anymore.

So, in conclusion, it's a good movie that I would recommend to fans of comic book type movies. And fans of teen angst. I liked The Avengers slightly more, but that may be the turkey experience skewing my views. I definitely thought this was better than Spider-man 3. Overall, I'm glad they did a reboot. 

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: Brave

The minute I saw a preview for Brave, I knew I would love it. I was so excited to see a Scottish princess added to the Disney pantheon.

Brave is, at it's core, the story of a rebellious teenager with a free spirit at odds with her position as a princess. Marida questions her mother's plans to turn her into the perfect queen, especially when she is told that she will soon be betrothed. When she encounters a witch, Marida asks for a spell that will change her mother--and thereby change her own fate.

The most wonderful thing about this story is that it didn't feel the need to stay inside the usual Disney princess box. There's no shoe-horned in love story. In fact, it's more of a mother/daughter tale than anything else, and the relationship is so true to life and so easy to relate to. I was very, very impressed by the fact that Disney gave Marida two loving and supportive parents (though her father is a little more wacky).

If you look at Disney's other portrayals of rebellious teenagers, you'll notice that the movie usually takes the teenager's side. We all felt like Ariel's dad overreacted when he destroyed her collections. We sympathized wholeheartedly when Jasmine refused an arranged marriage and wanted some time outside the palace. And didn't Cinderella have every right to rebel? Well, this movie does something a little different. It shows both sides of the argument so that we see that neither Marida nor her mother are entirely in the wrong. Sure, I wanted Marida to be allowed her freedom and for her mother to listen to her. But I also felt the mother's pain when Marida took her defiance to a hurtful level. Teenage girls do that--I know, because I was one just a few years ago. They hurt their parents in an effort to break free, and only after the fact do they realize that loving mothers are the most valuable guide you have in your life. That is what this movie is about.

Marida is awesome, because she knows archery and horseback riding and rock climbing. In a dress. Seriously fantastic.

The movie itself is beautiful in appearance, with it's green landscapes and towering waterfalls. The music sets the tone with it's celtic melody and soft feminine voices. Of course, in true to form Disney style, they did seem to feel the need to throw every Scottish thing they could think of into this movie. Clydesdales. Names like Angus and Hamish. Stone circles. Kilts. Haggis. But it's a kid's movie, and it's all in good fun.

I recommend this movie to all Disney fans and fantasy fans. And Highland fans. But most especially, I'd recommend it to mothers and daughters, because it's such a touching portrayal of that relationship. Happy watching, everyone!

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: Snow White and the Huntsman

Such mixed feelings going into this movie...I love fairy tales, and I love when books and movies do dark twisted things with them, and it had Chris Hemsworth who is so sexy and just the right amount of talented...but it also had Kristen Stewart. To be fair, the only other thing I'd seen her do was Twilight, and I hated those movies on a level where everything in them seemed comically bad.

The truth is, this movie was really quite good. It tells the traditional Snow White story with the evil stepmother and the dwarfs and the apple--but it does so in a tone that sets it apart from other versions. First, we have the huntsman as a dominate character with a back story--who ultimately becomes a love interest. Such and awesome concept. But if you're about to write this movie off because you think it's a romance and you don't like romance, don't. More than anything else this is a fantasy, with magic that ranges from enchanting to creepy as hell.

The Good Stuff:

• Kristen Stewart, I owe you half an apology. You were not as terrible in this as I expected. Is she a great actress? No, not by any means. She can't do quiet moments effectively and she can't sell a romance worth dung. But surprisingly, she does anger, passion, fear, and determination very well. Near the end, she gives this "stand up and fight" speech that was tremendously engrossing. I was so happy to see a movie that put a princess in battle armor.
• Chris Hemsworth--I want to have your babies. Or the Huntsman's babies. Or possibly Thor's. I don't know. But please call me. He was perfect in this part. So surly and drunk, but also likeable and sympathetic. I thought he was a bit underused, an I would have liked to see more of him.
• The look of the movie. I liked that it had gross moments and dirty scenes and an overall gritty atmosphere. That offset very well parts such as the fairy forest, which was beautiful. At first, I saw CGI birds and bunnies and started laughing, but as I got into the scene I found myself really taken with it--mushrooms with eyes and turtles covered in moss and pixie things everywhere. 
• The dwarfs were awesome. Funny, gruff, and very useful. They add humor without being reduced to dumb comedy relief. 

The "Meh" Stuff:

• Evil queens are evil. Do I care about their back stories or why they are evil? No, not really. In the context of a book, yes, but in the context of a movie where time is limited--no. I felt that too much time was given to the queen that could have been better used elsewhere. Though to her credit, she is appropriately frightening.
• William is the most unnecessary character ever. He's Snow's childhood friend, and for awhile I worried he was there for love triangle purposes. He really isn't, thank God, but then what the hell is he doing here? No offense to the actor--I just didn't see a place for him. 

Side Note: Our audience this time contained a mother and her very small child (maybe 4 years old?). It's a PG-13 movie so...yeah. Just because it has "Snow White" in the title does not mean it's appropriate for little ones.  A while in, we heard the little girl ask her mother if they could leave, and they did, but not before the part where the evil queen eats a small bird's bloody heart. So a note of caution to parents out there: exercise some judgement with this movie.

Overall, though, I do recommend it. As fairy tale retellings go, this is great. It's deep and twisted, tells a great story, and keeps you entertained with action and emotion. Happy watching!

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: Men In Black 3

The following is an approximation of an actual conversation that took place between the Reading Penguin and her fiance, after seeing the Men In Black 3 Trailer:

Josh: We have to see that.

Penguin: But it's going to be freaking stupid! It has TIME TRAVEL. Remember how you bitched about the time travel in Harry Potter 3? This will be like that, but with aliens! Which is so much worse!

Josh: We're going to see that.

Penguin: *Loud sigh* Fine. Okay. Whatever.

Josh: We have to watch the first two before we go.

Penguin: WHAT? Bull shit. No. I'm not doing it. I won't. Too much stupid. I can't-

Josh: We are watching them. I'm buying them, and we're watching them.

*Penguin looks for a weapon, finds only popcorn, and must therefor surrender. Reluctantly.*

And that is how I wound up going to see Men In Black 3 in theaters opening weekend. After watching the first two. Which means now my head is all full of aliens and secret government agencies that police aliens and freaking Will Smith, who is sort of sexy, and Tommy Lee Jones, who is so old it's kind of scary.

To clarify, as a kid, I really enjoyed the first Men In Black movie. I'm a geek. I like science fiction. What else can I say? The second one, however, was pretty bad, and I must have realized that even back then, because it left so little impression on me that watching it again was like watching it for the first time, and not in a good way. This reinforced forever the idea that sequels are usually BAD. But I digress....

Men In Black 3 was not a great movie, but it wasn't necessarily as awful as I expected. The basic plot, as shown in the trailer, is that a bad guy somehow goes back in time and kills Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) before he was ever Agent J's partner. Agent J (Will Smith) inexplicably remembers Agent K and their entire partnership, but everyone around him does not. Still with me? Okay. So Agent J has to go back in time, to 1969, to keep Agent K from getting killed and to make sure the world is saved and has this special world protecting shield...thingy.

Here are some things that worked about it:

• Younger Agent K is played by a guy who does a remarkably good Tommy Lee Jones impression. There's a great dynamic between the characters of Agent J and Agent K that is maintained well in this movie--with fun, snappy dialogue and lots of humor.
• There's an alien named Griffin, who can predict an infinite number of possible futures. I really enjoyed that concept and the breadth that it added to the story. 

And here are the Bullshit Moments:

• Time travel is not easy to write, Slick. You pretty much need a brain that works in perfect flowchart fashion and keeps track of an infinite number of small details in order to not create inexplicable plot holes. AND you have to add limits and rules to the time travel so your characters won't be able to use it for every stupid problem, which will ruin the tension of your book/movie. AND you open up a can of worms in terms of philosophical questions. This movie? Yep, there's plot holes. There was a time when there should have been two Will Smiths but there was only one Will Smith, which by their own world building was WRONG. There are huge, unexplained questions about who remembers what and why they remember it and how that effects the time stream. It's just not good.
• A character warns Agent J that 1969 is not going to be a friendly place for a black man. Predictably, it isn't, and he has some run ins with a few cops early on. Later in the movie, we see another black character in a position of great power, on the launch site of the rocket bound for the moon, telling a bunch of people what to do. No explanation as to how he got into that seat of power. No comment on whether it's unusual. Nothing. It's just there. If the movie had not played up the racism angle earlier, I wouldn't have noticed it--but because they did, it becomes one more unexplained detail that bothers me. 
• This movie made the 1960s look about as stereotypically 1960s as it possibly could. Everyone had Jackie O hair and go-go boots. Josh commented later that it would be like showing the 1990s with every single person wearing wind pants and bowl cuts. It looks like a costume party, not the real deal.

And that, in a nut shell, is my impression of Men in Black 3. While I can easily see this being my least favorite summer movie, it wasn't necessarily painful to watch. If you do happen to be a huge fan of the Men in Black franchise, knock yourself out. Otherwise...go see Avengers. Seriously. 

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: The Avengers

Those of you who have been reading for awhile know that my fiance is a big Marvel comics geek. The Avengers, which was a movie many years and 5 previous movies in the making, is something he looked forward to, possibly more than our wedding. That's what happens when you agree to marry a nerd.

We went to the midnight showing, of course. For those of you who have never done a midnight opening: It is a masochistic endeavor in which you buy tickets way the hell in advance, get in line with a bunch of other nerds where you stand or sit on hard tile for 2-6 hours, chug several energy drinks, and generally question the direction your life has taken. All so that you can see the movie the minute it is legally possible to do so.

Worth it?

The Avengers are a team of six ridiculously attractive superheroes who come together to fight Loki and his alien army. Or at least, that's what they do in this movie. You really do need to have seen all of the lead in movies to fully appreciate this one, though it's still a good movie on its own. Continuing the character arcs of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America, which began in their own movies, and introducing a bit of back story for Hawkeye and Black Widow, this movie is full of likeable and familiar characters. The actors really own their parts, and I had no solid complaints about any of them. Chris Evans is particularly spot on as the strictly patriotic Steve Rogers (Cap), and as always Robert Downey Jr. Is brilliant as the sexy, snarky playboy Tony Stark (Iron Man). Mark Ruffalo, new to the part to of Bruce Banner/Hulk, pulled it off effectively, and had great chemistry with the rest of the cast.

I loved the dialogue and the character interactions. You could tell the writers had a firm grasp on each personality and the ways they  would clash and work together. There's a lot of unexpected humor, and also a lot of heart.

The action was spot on, if for no other reason that you could actually tell what was happening the entire time, and it looked good. Too many movies (Transformers) lose their action to too much chaos and too little focus.

Comic book fans, superhero movie fans, all of you need to go see this movie. It's such a big, brilliant, well executed project. I had an insanely good time at this movie, and I think you will too.

Reading Penguin Goes to The Movies: The Lucky One

Oh Nicholas Sparks. You keep writing these damn sappy novels where people fall in love and die...I avoid the novels easily enough, but for some reason the movies are harder to resist.

The Notebook makes me cry like a child who lost her puppy. And I still watch it all of the time. Seriously.

I went to see this with Mom because, obviously, it's a romantic drama with too much sap to force a boy to sit through. We were apprehensive because neither of us was sure whether the ending was supposed to be a comparatively happy one.

Spoiler!

Follow Friday 4/13/2012

Oh, hi, remember me? Probably not! It's been ages since I've done a Follow Friday! I finally have some of that free time stuff again. If you follow, please, please tell me whether you're new here. I'll visit you either way, it just helps me prioritize. Kay? K.

Q: What is one book that you would be nervous to see a movie adaption of because you think the movie could never live up to the book?

Here's my attitude toward the book-to-movie thing: It will NEVER be as good. No, it just won't. So I try to always treat the movie as a separate thing and not judge by comparison. That got me through Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and Hunger Games and Blood and Chocolate...

The one I AM a tad nervous to see is American Gods, if that comes to fruition. I've been telling people what an awesome book it is, and if they make a movie that really tanks, I'm going to feel crappy for having recommended it. So far, though, there seems to be no script or casting prospects, so maybe it will never happen. 

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: Hunger Games

Last night was date night, and after sitting through The Muppets no less than three times I was owed my choice of movies, and this is what I wanted to see.

I don't know why I'm always surprised to see families with very small children at movies like this. It's PG-13, not R, so it's not like it's going to contain anything that traumatic, but you would think the subject matter would make some parents think twice. Whatever the case, we sat in front of a family with three girls, the youngest of which was definitely Kindergarten  age or younger, and I worried about noise or seat kicking from them. Surprisingly, the worst that happened was multiple mid-movie bathroom trips.

The truly annoying movie goers were the two college age girls next to me, one of whom had apparently read the book and one of whom had not. The reader spent the entire movie explaining the plot to the non-reader in glorious detail. Everything from details that were only in the book, to stuff that the movie had already explained. I have a low tolerance for people who talk during movies. It gives me the urge to throw things and shout and stab people. And frankly if your too dumb to follow plot lines, you shouldn't go to public movie theaters. Josh hadn't read the book, and he was able to follow. He had a few questions after the fact, but it's not like he was lost.

So that was the movie going experience...what about the movie? I don't even feel like I need to say "It wasn't as good as the book!" because they almost never are, and I went in knowing that. It does take pains to stay pretty close to the source material, which is almost detrimental in this case. Josh's one major complaint was that there were "pacing issues", because it takes such a long time to get to the actual Hunger Games. All of the slower bits and the details of Katnis and Peeta getting reaped and preparing for the games, those things that work really well in the book for fleshing out their characters and making them more sympathetic, feel like filler in a movie setting.

The characters were pretty freaking close to how I pictured them. I felt they picked a good actress for Katnis. No complaints about everyone else. Josh felt that Ceasar and Effie Trinket were "Hammy and over the top", and no amount of my explaining the Capitol attitude and fashion sense could make him see them as anything other than ridiculous. The Capitol did look like they filled an auditorium with anime cos-players, and perhaps that did come across as unintentionally funny.

I liked seeing the gamemakers in action, which of course is missing from the book, since it's told from Katnis's point of view.

The most flawed thing about the movie is the editing and camera work. I'm no expert, but it seems like they made some odd choices there, either in an attempt to create a stylized feel, hide the violence so they could keep their PG-13, or some combination of the two...There were a lot of abrupt, quick cuts, which makes it feel like they're Punctuating. Every. Word. of the. Sentence. And a lot of shaky camera, which was there way of making the violence less overt.

One more comment about the audience: at the end, when the announcer says "Here are the winners of the 74th Hunger Games!" our audience cheered. Guys, I think you missed the point. You're acting like the audiences in the Capitol, who we're supposed to be disgusted with. Our main characters are facing a lifetime of PTSD induced nightmares. Also, cheering at movies is stupid.

Overall, I thought the movie was a solid 3.5/5, and admittedly a lot of the enjoyment came from seeing characters I already like on the big screen. Josh kept using the word "okay" which I interpret to mean average, so I guess his non-reader rating would be more like a 2.5/5. We recommend it, but try not to sit next to illiterate dumb asses.

Popcorn and Potter

As I recover from the Harry Potter movie event, and God knows one needs a full day to recover, I thought I'd share some random musings on the experience. I'm not going to go into a long and detailed review because 1) I'm not as comfortable reviewing movies as I am reviewing books, 2) I don't want to spoil anything, and 3) there is simply too much to mention. If you want a detailed analysis, my fiance wrote one--he is a much better movie nerd than I am.

First of all, in my earliest post on this blog I mentioned that Zippy, my Kindle, is pretty much the ideal solution for the reader on the go. I want to add now that when (for example) I'm stuck waiting in line and then in a movie theater for six hours and surrounded by rabid fans, this device is a life saver. I got through 2/3 of a book and several word scramble games before the movie started, time well spent indeed. Also, they make clip on lights for these things which make it possible to remain entertained when the movie theater refuses to keep the lights on consistently. I think the lack of light was an attempt to keep the aforementioned rabid fans in their seats, because they were a bit out of hand.

As for the movie itself, it was very good. Solid 4/5 stars if I were to grade it. A lot of the most important moments are done very well, but it did lack in a few places. I cried twice, which tells you that it managed to be emotionally gripping.

In our after Potter discussion (during which I had pancakes and coffee. mmm, pancakes) I reflected on a few book/movie details that did and did not work for me. (Minor Spoilers Here)

• As I ranted in my previous post, these books have such wonderful characters. In this movie? Oh Snape, I so feel for you. And Neville, who I didn't mention before, was full of awesome. 
• The mass death of so many minor characters is addressed really flippantly in this movie. I barely registered the sight of poor Fred, for example.
• Memory scenes work better in the books than in the movies. This latest movie had probably the most successful memory sequence, but there were still missing pieces.
• None of the romantic pairings in the movies are believable to me. Eight movies and I still don't feel the love between Ron and Hermione--it feels like the relationship is inevitable but not real or long lasting. And I won't even touch on Harry and Ginny, because I've come to the conclusion that the actress just sucks. All of this is handled slightly better in the books, but not by much. Rowling is just not good at romance. But one can't have everything.
• Some of the fantasy element and world building seem to get lost in translation. It was glaringly obvious in the way that the hallows are presented. I'm convinced that your average audience member who had not at least skimmed book seven would not grasp their full significance

There you have it, my cliff-notes feelings on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and the entire movie going experience in general. If your a fan of the books, or even just the movies (go read the books, you heathens) I think you'll enjoy this one.

My Seven Favorite Harry Potter Characters

Like so many people I'm eagerly awaiting the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2. Harry Potter is particularly special to me because I grew up with him. This final movie is the end of an era for fans like myself, and it's an occasion that deserves to be marked.

What is is about Harry Potter that compels nerds like myself to sacrifice time and sleep and money? Undeniably, part of the initial appeal is wish fulfillment. What ten year old isn't enchanted by the idea of a secret world full of magic? But that doesn't explain what would keep you reading (and watching) well into your teens and young adulthood. Because, let's face it, Harry himself is not that interesting of a character. He's "the chosen one" savior type character destined to bring balance to the force   save the Shire   kill wizard Hitler. Even at the age of 11 I realized how the series was going to end, so why keep reading? For me, aside from enjoying the random amalgam of fantasy elements, I think the main draw was the amazing supporting cast of characters. These books have some great secondary and minor characters, antiheroes and villains.

With this in mind, I present my list of characters that never got enough page time (or screen time). They aren't in and particular order, because frankly I suck at ranking things. Oh, and incidentally, if you haven't yet read all of the books or you're on of those people who's waiting to see the movies (because you can't read at a 4th grade level?) I'm going to be spoiling like crazy from here out. You've been warned.

Lily and James Potter: Seriously, why are the savior characters always orphans? Anyway, because Harry never knew his mother or father, what we learn about them in the books comes from pictures and stories related by their friends and the occasional borrowed memory. For me, those tidbits were a highlight of my reading experience. Not only am I curious about the type of people that gave birth to the chosen one, but the romantic in me wonders how they got together in the first place. By all accounts James was equivalents to the jocks in my high school that would strut down the hall yelling "WUZZUP?!" just for the sake of being obnoxious, while Lily is deeply kind.  I'm a sucker for that opposites attract type of relationship, and I wish we had more details. Not that I'm asking for a prequel--look what happened when Star Wars did that.

Severus Snape: Do I really even need to say anything about this one? Dark, twisted antiheroes are always so much more interesting to me than golden boy heroes. Not only is Snape a shady, slimmy guy that you love to hate, he also turns remarkably sympathetic. Seriously, I feel for the guy. Plus he becomes a spy. I realize that writing detailed accounts of a grown man behind enemy lines among Death Eaters, watching and participating in all manner of torture and other evils, would have pushed the books from dark and edgy young adult reading to completely inappropriate. That doesn't stop me from wishing Rowling had.

Sirius Black: My reasons for this one are much simpler. This is my favorite character. When he first appeared in book three, and it sets you up to think he's the villain (which I stupidly believed, but remember that I was 11 at the time) I was already intrigued. He's then built up as a slightly deranged uncle type with a rebellious streak. He's rather unceremoniously murdered in book 5, and it was at this point that I realized that Rowling was slowly picking off each of Harry's mentors and protecters. I never felt like Sirius got a full character arc. I expected more.

Nymphadora Tonks: Ok, yes, this is a very minor character, but a really awesome one. She's young and spunky, with a cool job, and she can change her appearance at will. If that doesn't call for a comic book series, I don't know what does. I loved every little appearance she made in the books. I even loved her (admittedly out of place and slightly creepy) romance with Lupin. It's unfortunate that she was reduced to tragic cannon fodder in book seven. Kill those characters Rowling! Be edgy.



Luna Lovegood: Another minor character, and I know she annoys a lot of people. But I love slightly crazy characters. She's fun and comical, but also has her own unusual brand of wisdom. This is one case where I feel the actress, Evanna Lynch, has done such a wonderful job with the part that I actually started liking the character more after she appeared in the movies. You get the feeling that she's just lost somewhere in her head and has only the barest grip on actual reality. More crazy girl please!

Ginny Weasley: In this case, I don't want more because I like the character, but because I don't. There isn't enough about her to convince me. What has she done in this series? Played quidditch and almost got eaten by a snake that one time. This would be fine had she remained insignificant, but Rowling made her significant. She's our hero's love interest--he marries her for the love of God. In light of that, I want her to be strong and self possessed and have power in her own right. But mostly she's just someone to be concerned about, and keep out of the line of fire.

The Malfoy Family: Again, I like villainous characters. None of them are quite as appealing as Snape, but they are tremendously interesting. The prejudice, the hate, the self importance, the twisted sense of loyalty. We love to hate Draco, but think about how he was raised: this cold, privileged, dark environment that basically brain washes him to think a certain way. His aunt is Bellatrix Lestrange, the absolute crowned queen of crazy family members. I'm not saying I sympathize with them, just that I think they're fascinating. Can I get a sitcom? No?