Luc Besson. Check. Morgan Freeman. Check. Scarlett Johansson. Check. Really if you want me to see a movie any one of these names is enough to get me interested. Put all three together and I can guarantee you that I will see it at some point. So when Lucy came out to mixed reviews I was more than a little perplexed. Given that I had a lot of other things going on at the time I decided to wait to pick up the film on DVD to check it out. Which makes it a perfect film for this month’s edition…
Recent Posts
Why I won’t be watching the NFL this year
I love the game of football. I’ve played it and I’ve coached it. I’ve spent hours agonizing over fantasy lineups and breaking down the pros and cons of using a zone defense over man coverage. I grew up watching Montana to Rice and saw first hand the good professional sports can do when Drew Brees and Sean Payton gave hope back to my adopted home when it needed it desperately. Maybe most importantly my dad played football too and talking to each other about the game we love is one of the ways we’ve been able to bond over the…
Character Study-Hannibal Lecter
“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” With those words Hannibal Lecter became a legend. Anthony Hopkins portrayal of the psychiatric psychopath won him a leading man Oscar for a grand total of eighteen minutes of screen time. Hopkins would reprise the role twice more but he was neither the first nor the last to bring Hannibal the Cannibal to life. In fact there are some who would argue that Mads Mikkelsen’s take on the character on television’s take on Thomas Harris’ novels. With that show having ended its spectacular run last Saturday (if you…
Troping the Riff- The Chosen One
Born the seventh son of a seventh son. Last of his kind. Marked at birth to be evil’s bane. Fulfiller of prophecy. Touched by the Gods. Filled to the brim with midi-chlorians. He (or she) alone can halt the darkness and bring peace to the land. It is THE CHOSEN ONE. Folks there are tropes and then there are Tropes and The Chosen One is right up there with the greats. It’s also the subject of today’s Troping the Riff. So what do I mean by The Chosen One? Well this is any character in a story that has been…
Worth It? – Kingsman: the Secret Service
Avid comic book fan that I am Mark Millar’s body of work is well known to me. His run at Marvel included work on The Ultimates, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and the Civil War comic event. All of which are some of my absolute favorites. I also very much enjoyed his creator owned titles Kick-Ass and Wanted. So I have to admit that I’m a bit ashamed that I didn’t realize Kingsman: The Secret Service was based on one of his books until it was already out of theaters. Now just because a movie is based on a Millar comic doesn’t…
Mind Blown- The Copenhagen Interpretation
Have you ever been invited to multiple cool events on the same night? Wished you could go to all of them but knew you had to pick one and live with the choice? Well if you were an electron you might just be able to attend them all at once or maybe none of them at all. Who knows! Unless you were observed. Then we would know. WE WOULD KNOW. Sound like I’m talking gibberish? You’re right I am because in this edition of Mind Blown I tackle THE COPENHAGEN INTERPRETATION. (Cue trippy orchestral sci-fi theme) What is the Copenhagen…
The Franchise- The Fantastic Four
It is not in my nature to pile on. When something or someone has failed so cataclysmically that people start breaking out puns I try to stay above the fray and let the pour souls involved limp off with whatever is left of their dignity. So I will just say this about the new Fantastic Four movie: it was not good, not good at all. But it did inspire me to write this guide for all future handlers of the Fantastic Four legacy so hopefully one good thing can emerge from the ruined husk of Josh Trank’s career. So this…
In Stores Now- Armada
Sometimes in life you just get so excited that you set yourself up for disappointment. Your imagination sets the bar so high that you make it impossible for reality to measure up to your expectations. This has happened to me a few times in my life; my first trip to Paris, the fourth Indiana Jones Movie, Star Wars Episode 1, bacon flavored vodka, the list goes on. And it happened to me again when I sat down to read Ernest Cline’s second novel Armada. Hopefully by now you’ve read Mr. Cline’s Ready Player One which can best be described as…
Science! For Parties!: The Cowardly Pepper
Sometimes you do a cool science trick and everyone nods and smiles and tells you that’s pretty interesting and other times you do a cool science trick and your friends look at you like you’re a bad-ass magic-slinging wizard of the white council. This is one of those times. In this edition of Science! For Parties! I teach you the secrets of (drum roll please) The Cowardly Pepper! For this trick you’ll need some simple household items: pepper (or any kind of visible seasoning); dish soap; a bowl or plate (if you use a plate try to use a large…
My First Novel
Tonight when the clock strikes midnight and July 30th becomes July 31st my first novel will be released for the world to see. And I am absolutely terrified. Not because I don’t believe in the book. I do. I’m incredibly proud of it. I’m terrified because it’s permanent. And permanence is not something I’ve ever done well. When I was a kid we moved around a lot. High school was the longest I was ever enrolled in one school. As an adult I’ve continued the trend. Never staying in the same place or occupation for more than two or three…