The Thunder Rolls

Last weekend I saw Thor, the hugely budgeted, widely attended muscle-bulging film about the Norse god of thunder.

I thought the movie was well done. Especially for a superhero flick. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan. But some of them don't translate to the screen as well as others.

So, to keep this post short and sweet, here are my highs and lows of the movie.

Lows:

• I thought Thor's transition from arrogant, egotistical, warrior to humble, slightly less egotistical warrior was a bit on the fast side. Most men require weeks of nagging and pressure before the lesson comes in. Then again, Thor is a god, so perhaps his learning curve is smaller. And I'm pretty sure that's the only thing on him that's smaller...ahem. Anyway.
• Two things bother me a lot in writing (or scripting) when it isn't done exceptionally well. 1- The character knows something we the audience don't, and 2- We the audience know something the character should. If you follow Norse mythology at all, or know the standard dark hair, piercing stare requirement of villains, then you can pick up who the bad guy is right away. Why can't Thor??

Highs:

• The acting was fairly exceptional. Anthony Hopkins, in something that could have been a throw away part, really stood out. Chris Hemsworth did a great job as Thor. I didn't love Natalie Portman particularly, but she didn't screw it up, so that's a bonus.
• The special effects and battle scenes were amazing. Especially the whole frost giant showdown.
• Chris Hemsworth's bare chest. Need I say more? Not with photographic evidence...

You're welcome!

Blog Day

I posted today on Inking Cap. Check it out. Great yo mama jokes for the whole family...at least the one's who can read big words.

http://inkingcap.blogspot.com/2011/05/yo-mama-jokes-literary-edition.html

I'm Just Sayin'

If you've ever used that phrase it's probably for one of two reasons. Either you've said something shocking or offensive and need to recover, or you've said something that you want to hide your true motivations for. Let me give a couple of examples.

Shocking or offensive:
"That guy is so annoying that someone should cut off his favorite body part, burn it, then scatter the ashes on the ground and have a dog pee on it...I'm just sayin'."

You start a statement, take it a little too far, then realize everyone is staring at you with raised eyebrows and nervous smiles. That's when I'm just sayin' comes in handy. Throw out that statement and suddenly all offensiveness is removed from the sentence and eveyone can laugh along with you. Because you wouldn't REALLY do something if you're just sayin'.

Hiding true motivations:
"I know you're married, but we should totally go out...I'm just sayin'."

What you are really trying to say is "I want to go out with you and I couldn't care less about the person you love and have sworn to be faithful to". With I'm just sayin', you have now made the sentence void and ended up contributing exactly nothing to the conversation. It's like using too much toilet paper, you don't seem to care, but then someone else always gets stuck with an empty roll.

I have exposed the truth. So to all you users of that phrase out there, we're not going to fall for it.

I'm just sayin'.

*This blog previously posted at inkingcap.blogspot.com

Survivor Debbie

I really like survivor shows. Not the actual Survivor. Shows like Man Vs. Wild and Out Of The Wild...apparently I also like shows with Wild in the title, but that's probably a post for another day.

These shows make the average person (me) feel like they could survive in any situation. I could be dropped in the wilderness with nothing but a pocket knife, fashion a shelter using nature's materials, forage for food using a handmade spear, and live comfortably for sixteen years.

Why not? They do it that way on TV.

That's what I want my reading experience to be like. I want a world so real that I feel like a giant might show up on my doorstep, ready to recruit me to wizarding school, or like I could win a battle to the death to earn food for my district.

Some books are like this to me. So real, I feel like I could do it. So, the next time you're thinking about a survival trip or feeling like going to biology class to meet a vampire who craves your blood, give me a call. I can probably give you some advice.

Why Blog

Since the beginning of time, human kind has found ways and devices to express the one thing that separates us from lower animal life: language. Society has moved beyond cave drawings and smoke signals, but apparently telephone, email and text messaging were not sufficient for the unique intellect to adequately express oneself. So why blog? Because we’re just that cool.

All the popular kids are doing it. Everyone from famous authors to stay at home moms are becoming involved in mankind through the blogging sensation. And reading these blogs give us a voyeuristic pleasure, like peeking into a diary, or overhearing a phone call. Not that I entertain any thoughts of voyeurism (laughing a bit uncomfortably, ha ha). Yeah, anyway, moving on…

John Donne once wrote that, “No man is an island.” In today’s world, however, one could say that no man is an unread blog. So if you wonder for whom my blog tolls; it tolls for thee.