./janella.com

Farrah and I were able to actually watch another movie! Last week we finally saw The Hunger Games - which I would rate Matinee. This week we watched The Avengers.When filming The Avengers was first announced I was a bit nervous. How could a movie with so many characters do justice to the comic book? I mean, would we just see the team fighting the villains on screen and bits of dialog thrown in. Inevitably, character development - though never a priority in most movies - couldn’t happen in a superhero movie of this scale? But wait, Joss Whedon is at the helm. Can he pull it off?

I think he did. I’ve watched all the related films - Iron Man 1 and 2, Captain America, Thor, and all the versions of the Hulk movies. But I think The Avengers can work as a standalone film. A new viewer can get a sense of each character in this film. I know there isn’t deep character motivation exploration going on here, but these are no cardboard cut-outs either. They make some attempt at depth given the amount of screen time devoted to each character.

The story was simple enough to follow:

• Big bad guy steals magic cube that equals ultimate power.
• Heroes - who usually operate alone - must band together to stop the big bad guy.
• Heroes don’t get along at first but unite to fight the big bad guy and the aliens who are his allies.
• Heroes prevail for now.

The story movies along at a good pace, only slowing down just enough to catch your breath, digest the scene you’ve just watched, and then pick up steam to the next action sequence. The dialog is snappy, with humorous bits here and there to keep the mood light.

The part I disliked, and not by much, is the CGI-based ending battle sequences. They weren’t as confusing as a Transformers' film, but they were annoying enough. I’m not a fan of these massive computer-generated battles. But if anyone could pull it off, it would be in a Josh Whedon film.

The Avengers may just be a movie I would pay again to see on the big screen.

Rating: Full Admission 

I hope to be on a plane to Hawaii when you read this. I’ll be doped up on Dramamine  which will help me make it through the plane flight. I’ve always had a little trouble getting on a plane, whether it was a short or long flight. But for some odd reason, I’ve been getting more anxious about this flight.

I hate this feeling. I truly do.

I am writing about this in hopes of purging all this bad “mojo” from my brain. It really comes down to that, doesn’t it? It’s your inability to stop your mind from thinking discomforting thoughts. You feel the sudden shift of the plane because of turbulence and you think the worst-case scenario. Or you feel the air in the cabin is not as fresh and free-flowing as it should be, and you feel more enclosed than you really are. Yes, my mind is wandering. My mind is thinking of these things - and more - it should not be thinking.

But why, why now? Am I really thinking of something else?

It’s possible. This is our first flight with Mia. She’s been a pill lately. Either she’s teething or simply closing in on the terrible twos. I don’t look forward to her acting up. I’m getting uncomfortable just at the thought of feeling the eyes of people wondering, “Dude, can’t you control your kid?”  Seriously? You try to stop her from squirming and screaming when she’s in the zone. Pressure. Tough on a five hour flight.

So that may be it. I am not wanting to deal with what may happen. But to think more about it you can’t control what may happen. But shit happens. You cannot control everything.  You can only set yourself up for the best result.  Then you need to deal with the unexpected and adjust accordingly if it happens.

This is what I need to remember. Deal with it when things happen. And also remember that the Dramamine will kick in sooner or later.

I was in my office, packing up for the day when I received a text from my wife. It simply said:

Steve Jobs?!

Sadly, it could only mean one thing.

I upped my Netflix movie discs this month in the hopes of catching up on a few movies. I hope to write a few words about each movie that I was able to view.

I was able to set aside a few moments last weekend to watch an excellent movie The King’s Speech. It would have been a good idea to see this movie before the Oscars. But knowing it had won several Oscars, as well as other awards, did not taint my viewing of the movie.

The film, from its synopsis, seems grand in scope. It tells the story of a man with a speaking issue who would be King one day. But as I sat and watched the movie it felt like a nicely made small film. The movie moved at a good pace, covering a little less than a decade of time very smoothly. It established its characters, relationships, and situations with ease.

The interaction between the actors and their characters was a sight to see. In a short period of time, you could recognize the love and patience that Helena Bonham Carter’s character has for Firth. And you could feel the tension, then later admiration and respect Firth and Geoffrey Rush’s character shared throughout the film. Yes, there was a montage here and there, but how else would you encapsulate all the speaking exercises Firth’s King George VI would go through?

Now, I don’t know the historical accuracy of this film. Heck, I don’t expect any film to be historically accurate. All I can say is that this film proves to be an inspirational piece worth repeated viewing.

If you like British movies and have two hours to spare, and an opportunity to rent this film, I don’t believe you’d be disappointed

Seriously?

“Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.”

After hearing this news from Sony, I’m wondering if I can ever trust Sony or the PlayStation Network ever again. I was winding down on my console video game play. Perhaps this is a sign to give it up altogether.

The full post is on ://Playstation.blog