cairistiona: (CW Bucky)
Now that the entire movie has finally been released to a privileged few at the premiere last night, spoilers are bound to leak out. I'm seeing the movie Friday morning at 11:55 CST (and Saturday afternoon at 2 ... the fam was split on when they could see it according to work schedules, so Friday is for Dink and Saturday is for my hubby and sister). Until that time, I'll be very much tiptoeing around on social media. I have nearly every character name muted on twitter and I have a lot of filters on my tumblr, though I think after today, I may just stay away from tumblr entirely because their filters still won't catch gifs. Instagram, too, because there's NO filtering over there and that's where I saw a spoiler for the Black Panther post-credit scene. So annoying.

I'm also not reading ANY reviews and trying not to see any headlines about reactions, etc. I'm sure that as the week goes on, I'll be staying farther and farther away from the Internet entirely. I'm still worried that one of my fandom friends will inadvertantly send me a tweet or a text with spoilers, but I'll do the best I can with filtering all other input.

As for here, I'm sure I'll do up a post once I've seen it, but I will be certain to put it all COMPLETELY under a cut, and I hope that everyone else does the same.
cairistiona: (snoopy xmas)
File this under "totally fun" (and "I had no idea Jane Lynch could sing" and "standing and waiting for the instrumental bridge to end is always awkward so yeah go ahead and eat a sandwich"):



With bonus tumblr silliness about my Christmas tree:

cairistiona: (CW Bucky)
Deadpool was so very... Deadpool. (If you know the character, that's all I need to say.)

I won't get spoilery but suffice to say that it was fun, funny, raunchy at times, lotta language and violence but also a surprising amount of heart. Ryan Reynolds was simply born to play Wade Wilson as much as Chris Evans was to play Steve Rogers, Sebs was to play Bucky, and Viggo to play Aragorn.

And the post-credit scene was very nearly the funniest part of the entire movie, and that's saying something.

Go see it if you're the least bit inclined, and keep in mind that the next time we see the Marvel page flip in the theaters many of us will be heading straight to grief counseling afterwards.

We must laugh while we can, fellow Marvel fans!!
cairistiona: (CW Bucky)
This seems like good news:

Captain America: Civil War Reportedly Scoring Well With Test Audiences

Good to know my impending death will be caused by a quality film. :/

Knowing how the comic book Civil War run plays out, and also knowing how the MCU only takes cues from the comics and doesn't necessarily follow the plotline frame by frame, I am by turns excited about this movie and absolutely dreading it. I have no idea where the characters will be by its end, whether dead*, alive, at eternal enmity??? Supposedly, the Russo's have said it contains more humor than CA:TWS, but if the 'third act pulls no punches' bit is true, I'm guessing the humor is mostly front loaded and the end of the movie will wreck everyone completely, regardless of whether they're Team Cap or Team Tony. :/

I'm just hoping I don't ugly cry in a public theater.

Also... VERY spoilery venting VERY COMICS SPOILERY VERY VERY VERY I CANNOT EXPRESS ENOUGH SPOILERY about the comics and my feelings because I need to just vent and tumblr isn't a place where I can vent and feel like anyone actually reads it, still less talk me down from the ledge to me about it.

Read more... )
cairistiona: (Cap)
... in case you haven't seen the first official Captain America: Civil War trailer that Marvel FINALLY released last night on the Jimmy Kimmel show (about the only thing that will make me watch Kimmel--RDJ and Chris Evans as guests) ETA: putting it under a cut for those who don't want spoilers... I'll be sure to do that from now on with any Cap 3 posts:
Read more... )
cairistiona: (Winter Soldier)
January 19:marjun Who would be the worst miscast ever for Captain America? (Expand the fun to any/all roles you see fit).

Heh... what a fun question. If I were to go "ridiculously miscast": Gilbert Gottfried. Can you imagine him giving the "the price of freedom is high" in that horrible voice of his??? Even the non-HYDRA loyalists would turn on him! :D

But in the "they tried but really blew it" category... I'm terrible with actor names, especially ones that I think are bad, but in general, any actor who matched his physical characteristics but couldn't convey the complex and often subtle emotions of Steve Rogers. Any of the "action" actors who've come over from the MMA because they're ripped and handsome, but really aren't skilled at acting. Chris Evans brought such a nice "everyman" quality to the role that he really made it his own. Like Viggo and Aragorn, I have a really hard time thinking of anyone else playing Captain America now.

Other miscasting, from the ridiculous to close-but-no:

Black Widow: Kathy Griffin. Yes, she's got red hair. But.

Nick Fury: Anyone but Samuel L Jackson would be a misfire... they changed the comic book character because of him before any of the movies, after all!

Nicholas Cage for... anyone. *shudder*

Bucky Barnes: in my mind, Sebastian Stan IS Bucky Barnes, so inseparably that I really can't think of anyone else in the role, but... I shudder to think of the "what if Justin Bieber had made his movie acting debut..."  (Actually, thinking about that goes beyond shuddering to full-blown seizures with probable brain damage.)

Thor - Triple H or Clay Matthews, both in the "hey, he's a sports dude but has blonde hair and is all muscly so let's plug him in" category of No, Not Even.

Tony Stark - Tom Cruise, who was in the early running. I actually like Tom Cruise in a lot of his roles (Ethan Hunt, and yes, even though I'm a huge fan of Jack Reacher novels and found Tom a complete misfire as far as physical characteristics, I had to admit that he actually... wasn't horrible at that role), but this one I just don't think would have been a good fit, because Cruise, sadly, doesn't inspire the sympathetic reaction in audiences that RDJ does, and for a character who can come across as extremely obnoxious and overbearing, you need someone who can walk both lines of obnoxious/sympathetic. RDJ brings a certain amount of "okay, he's overcome a lot of personal demons" rooting when he takes on any role and he really came in an owned and loves Tony Stark. And actually doesn't mind the fact that people are now thinking he *is* Tony Stark (because sometimes, when I look at his FB page, I kinda think HE thinks he's Tony Stark...)

Bruce Banner. Ugh, there've been enough misfires with that character that I don't think I need to explore imaginary ones! Thank heavens for Mark Ruffalo. And back in the day, Bill Bixby.

Hawkeye... that one's kind of tricky because I don't think the movies have quite given us the full-range Hawkeye yet (I look for this to change with AoU). I *think* Jeremy Renner is a good casting, but he hasn't shown Hawkeye's full... zany airheaded moments? I mean, jeez, we haven't seen Pizza Dog yet, nor any "aw pants, aw coffee, aw____" "I thought you said 'sex'"  moments yet. So I can't offer a miscast until I know for sure that Renner is the perfect casting (which I really think he will be, but.)

Think I'll stop now. I have other things to do today, drat it. I could go on about Marvel casting forever. And DC casting, for that matter!

Any of you Marvel fans out there, chime in with your "worst miscast ever"'s!
cairistiona: (Happy Aragorn)
Jan 4-9 still open for questions. :)

January 3: lindahoyland If I got the chance, should I watch "The Winter Soldier" and if so why might I like it as the summary reads much like any other action/adventure thriller.I find endless fights very boring.

Ahh, a moment to reflect on my favorite Marvel movie! I don't want to be too spoilery, in case you do end up watching it, but at the same time, I feel I can't address some of the things that make it an amazing film and address what you fear will be nothing but boring fight scenes without being spoilery. So... I'll put the spoilery discussion under the cut, where you can read more if you wish, but "above/below the cut", I'll just say that it's much, much more than a mere "action" film.

That said, there's no getting around it that this movie is definitely an "action" film, but it's also a suspense thriller--between the action scenes there are many threads weaving together both about character and about larger plot issues. Larger plot aside, however, at its heart I feel it's a character-driven film. Steve Rogers (Captain America)'s arc from the first movie through the 2nd (and also in The Avengers) is fascinating to watch unfold, and more than heartbreaking. It's a classic "man out of time" tale, with added elements of grief, loss, and "keep calm and carry on" and "always do what your gut says is the right thing". Cap is very Aragorn-like, especially if you think of Aragorn's line about "good and evil have not changed since yesteryear" line. He has a strong moral center that goes beyond allegiance to any government or agency, and that unshakeable moral code becomes hugely important in Winter Soldier. A word about Chris Evans: he's really evolving as an actor. While a little less skilled in the first film but still very watchable (and not only for the shirtless scenes!), he really takes his acting up several notches in CA:TWS and has you feeling all the wrenching sadness that informs much of his character's life. (Also, I really do think that in real life, Chris Evans is Steve Rogers. Because he does things like this. All.the.time. He's just... ugh. All that a human should be, he is. So is Sebastian Stan, for that matter, but I digress....)Very spoilery bits... )

I also have to speak about the score--it's not epic Howard Shore type music, but like Shore's TH & LOTR score, it's incredibly effective in drawing out the emotional undercurrents of every scene, whether it's a hostage rescue on a pirated ship, a car chase through the streets of Washington DC, or a poignant scene of friendship and loss. Sometimes it's little more than a felt-more-than-heard bass pulsebeat, other times a simple, poignant piano, and with the Winter Soldier scenes, it's a jarring mix of dischordant harmonies and electronic static that's a perfect auditory representation of the chaos going on within the Winter Soldier's mind. And sometimes there's no score at all and the silence itself adds emotion to the scene. Really just a well-edited movie all the way around in that regard.

Yes, there *are* long fights and battles... this is a Marvel movie after all... but like The Avengers and Iron Man 1, it's also a strong character piece. Paired with Captain America: The First Avenger, it's a master class in how to take a comic book character from the 1940s to the modern era and make him relevant (the plot of WS really does have huge relevance to what's going on in the world today).

And of course, there's the usual Marvel humor sprinkled throughout. Aside from his strong moral center, Cap's self-deprecating humor and subtle (and not so subtle) sarcasm are another thing that to my mind connects him with Aragorn. There's wonderful friendships in the film. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlet Johannson) and Sam Wilson (the dude with wings) become unshakeable friends and supporters. Sam Wilson especially is such a treat--he's a veteran soldier himself, runs support groups at the VA for PTSD victims, and sees Cap's emotional struggles and sorrows and helps him in a lot of subtle ways even as he fights alongside him. Sam Wilson is definitely a Halbarad/Faramir to Steve Rogers' Aragorn. Or even moreso, perhaps: Sam is Sam to Cap's Frodo.

And there is banter. :)

Also... Peggy Carter. She's Cap's love interest and... *flails*... she's an amazing, strong female character who features in both films (and has her own mini-series on American television starting next Tuesday... I can't wait.) I love Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johanson's character) but Agent Carter is... yeah, I start to squee when I see her come on screen. LOL

I would recommend, if you decide to give it a go, to first watch Captain America: The First Avenger. You might also watch The Avengers if you want the entire Captain America story arc, though I think you could get by without it. You might miss a few references and some of Steve Rogers' character arc, but the Cap films stand alone from The Avengers fairly well. If you give The Avengers a miss, then you might want to at least watch this missing scene clip, which shows Cap's sorrow and struggle to fit into the modern era: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pov4qMSfg9w

Oh, and one more thing: as always with Marvel films, watch the scene at the end of the credits. *Especially* with Winter Soldier. There's a mid-credits scene that probably won't mean much to you since you're not familiar with the overarching Marvel mythos that connects all the films, but the end-credit scene is a must see.
cairistiona: (Winter Soldier)
I was brain dead last Friday after working on the beta project (which is going well) and on the HASA project (also going well) and needed to do something to clear my head of All The Words.

tumblr is a crazy thrill ride.... )
cairistiona: (Winter Soldier)
Maybe *slightly* spoilery for Guardians of the Galaxy, but, seriously, by now I'm sure everyone has seen a pic of baby Groot by now. As for the other two... they're mostly just spoilery if you don't know that Chris Evans and Seb Stan are a couple of adorable dorks.
Chris Evans, Seb Stan & baby Groot, together for the first time... )
cairistiona: (Happy Aragorn)
Golly, guys, what a weekend. I spent about 98% of it sitting in a recliner, coughing my fool head off because somehow, in the middle of summer, I found a bronchitis germ. I mean, seriously, WHO GETS BRONCHITIS IN SUMMER???

I do, apparently.

Anyway. Marginally better this morning, though it's going to take a while to finally quit coughing.

Comic-con! )
Music! )
Okay, that's probably way more stuff than anyone has time to read. Have happy Mondays, everyone. :)
cairistiona: (Happy Aragorn)
Erm. I never thought I'd ever do two fandoms at once, but I have a confession: Captain America: The Winter Soldier has grabbed me by the heart and won't let go. Don't worry, though, I'm still 100% in LOTR. It's kind of like having two children... I love them both and won't neglect either. :D

What's interesting is how differently I approach both fandoms. With Tolkien, I'm all about the serious stuff, for the most part, and all about the fic writing (not so much with WS, though I do have a one-shot idea pestering me like a mosquito in a dark room). With LOTR, I don't really dig the cutsie stuff like chibi's or cartoons. I find them mildly amusing, mind, and sometimes get silly with them when the mood is right, but I'm still more about canon and exploring deeper themes and all that you do with Tolkien books and movies.

But with The Winter Soldier... not so much. I'm digging the serious platonic friendship/loyalty/hero themes, because there's a LOT of that (though like with LOTR, I'm not into shipping or OTP stuff, so all the slash & romance still goes right by me), but I also find myself drifting toward all the silly stuff. There's been a lot of hilarious cartoons and memes on tumblr that send me off on giggle fits that are... a little embarrassing in their intensity. And then this morning, I ran across these little guys:

 photo Capbobble_zpsfc6a4f25.jpg

and

 photo wintersoldierbobble_zps92f83dee.jpg

... and yes, I bought them. They will soon be gracing my shelf alongside Aragorn and Gandalf and Minas Tirith. My house is starting to look like the set of The Big Bang Theory. Seriously.

I also bought the Ed Brubaker Winter Soldier comics, or at least the ones that correspond to the movie. I loved comics as a kid, and in reading these the last couple of days, I discover I... still kinda love comics.

Yes, I am twelve. I will never enter a second childhood because apparently I've never left my first.

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