Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Movie review: Wild

When I say Reese Witherspoon what's the first thing that comes to mind? I bet it's not a drama that revolves around a young woman that spirals into a self destructive life style after her mother dies from Cancer. And in that moment of clarity at her lowest point decides to walk away from it all.....on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail).
I enjoyed the movie, I can relate to a certain degree with Witherspoon's character Cheryl Strayed we all get that point in our life I think. We all reach that fork in the road of life.
The symbolism in Wild is obvious but works well most notably the first scene with "the monster".
The cinematography is gorgeous and reminds me why I love camping and hiking.
Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern did a  great job in this simple movie
After watching Wild I wanted a Snapple and to go to REI!
B

Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens (reborn) Speculation #5

Every now and then an idea pops into my mind about the ST and this latest one I think may actually solve the mystery of The Force Awakens!
In order to understand how The Force Awakens fits in with the PT and OT you need to believe that the force is NOT in balance and hasn't been since the end of Return of the Jedi. This goes back to my belief that for balance to be achieved you need equal parts light and dark....yin and yang. With Luke representing the light side and no Sith to represent the dark side the Force is certainly not in balance!

My theory is supported by the Star Wars ring theory here: starwarsringtheory.com/ which is a worthwhile read for any Star Wars fan.
So how does the ring theory help us figure how The Force Awakens fits into the saga? Lets begin by looking at the two main characters, Rey and Kylo Ren, last year many sites were calling Daisey Ridley's character Kira, now she's being called Rey. I'm going to say her actual name is probably Kira Rey (ray...of light) and Kylo Ren (rend...break or divide) is her "brother", I don't believe this is a coincidence, I also believe Kira Rey and Kylo Ren represent the light side and the dark that Andy Serkis mentions in the first trailer.


So how does Kira Rey and Kylo Ren fit into the saga? I've heard a few theories the most prominent being they are the off spring of Han and Leia Solo. I think this is partially correct, what has been going on in the Star Wars saga for a long long time? I'll give you a clue....it's in the title....yes WARS, and what do wars create?
Orphans.
Luke was an orphan, under the guardianship of his aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, Leia was also an orphan under the guardianship of a Senator, the actions of their father, Anakin Skywalker set their future destinies.
But what about Anakin Skywalker? Was he the the creation of manipulated midichlorians by a Sith or an immaculate conception of sorts....the force made flesh? I believe it's the later. Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was the light and dark sides of the force which was best visualized in season 3 of The Clone Wars in the Mortis story arc.


As of this writing popular opinion is that Kira Rey is the daughter of Han and Leia. Perhaps Kylo Ren was under the guardianship of Han and Leia as well but left them at a young age. Let me elaborate a bit, at the conclusion of RotJ the rebels struck a major blow to the Empire with the victory at the battle of Endor, with the death of the Emperor we all believed the the republic was reborn, well we know now that's not the case, but the playing field between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance isn't as disproportionate.  I believe shortly after the events of RotJ Han and Leia got married but soon the reality that the Empire wasn't going to just crumble and wither away after Palpatine's demise Leia returned to her destiny of following in her mothers footsteps and devoted herself to the political arena, years past and the hopes of having children of their own slipped through their fingers like the sands of time, but an opportunity crossed their path to have the family they dreamed of and it also was a calculated politcal move that would bolster public opinion for Leia. They adopted two war orphans. Kira Rey Solo and Kylo Ren Solo.
But in times of war records are lost, and these two had no records of who their family was or where they came from. But in this case they didn't have any records of their past because they weren't children of humans, like Anakin they were created by the force, but unlike Anakin who was the embodiment of the light and dark sides of the force, Kira Rey and Kylo Ren each represent one side of the force.
Now here's something I find very interesting! I recently read somewhere that Kylo Ren believes he is Darth Vader and tells his subordinates such. Is he that in awe of the legacy of Darth Vader that he has convinced himself he's Darth Vader? Is he using this to instill fear in those around him?  I don't think so I honestly think Kylo Ren IS Darth Vader. If you accept that Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was one and the same Light and Dark when he died and returned to the force what then?
Will we see a force ghost of Anakin Skywalker in the ST? I don't think so, why? Because Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader has been reborn as Kira Rey and Kylo Ren!


Remember the whole story of Darth Plaugeus at the opera house? If my theory is correct Darth Sidious had the answer sitting right by his side and never realized it! How ironic......

Sunday, April 26, 2015

iZombie: My guilty pleasure while TWD is off season

With the conclusion of season 5 of TWD I've been getting my undead fix with the CW's show iZombie which is also based on a comic.
The Zombie fad is eventually gonna reach over saturation, movies, video games, television they're every where! But until then I'll keep consuming the hordes of undead media out there.
I'm enjoying this show for all the things TWD is not, it's a less serious more fun look at zombies...and the main character's name is Liv Moore!.....she's a zombie.....it's the satirical aspects like that that first got my attention but the show actually answers the age old conundrum why do zombie's need to eat the brains of the living? iZombie does an amazing job balancing the lightheartedness and the darker side of zombie apocalypse.
Now if we could get Rose McIver to make a guest appearance on TWD and Andrew Lincoln to do a guest appearance on iZombie fans of both shows would enjoy it as much as a bowl of medulla oblongata over ramen with some franks red hot.


Transformers Robots in Disguise: My initial impressions

So I've been watching this new series with my son who is 5, I tried to get him to watch Transformers Prime last year but it was too scary for him....yeah I'm looking at you Megatron!



















He loves his Transformers Rescue bots and this new show fits perfectly between the two age brackets of Rescue bots and Prime.
Remember Saturday morning cartoons as a kid? Well my son is experiencing his own version with T:RiD, he wakes up at the ass crack of dawn asking me or my wife to turn the TV on so he can watch Grimlock cannonball the bad guys.
I'll admit I watch it with him and occasionally chuckle but he loves the antics of Bumblebee and his crew's weekly adventures as they try to wrangle up the Dcon catch of the week. How can you not laugh at Grimlock doing his best Cool-aid man impression?!(can't find the clip on YT)
Not much to say about the show yet, I really enjoyed Prime and I feel like the only reason I'm watching Robots in Disguise is because it's supposed to be a direct follow up to the Prime series....the show is called Robots in Disguise  yet we have Decepticons running around that transform in animals like giant lobsters, sharks, wolves, buffalo etc....great disguise, no one's gonna see that. And why are these Decepticons alt forms Earth creatures????

I've also read about a brand new female Autobot named Windblade that will make her debut on RiD, a very cool look in both modes, check out the clip below.


Saturday, April 25, 2015

Jared Leto's Joker for Suicide Squad, thoughts and impressions

I'm pretty excited for next years Suicide Squad, much more so than BVS: DoJ. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn....yeah baby!!!!
And last night we finally got to see Jared Leto's Joker for SS! I get the reference, but are they trying too hard to make this Joker so similar to the comic? I mean Heath Ledgers Joker was pure originality...what I mean Heath Ledger made the Joker his own whereas I feel DC is trying to make Jared Leto into the Joker.
Don't get me wrong this beautiful disaster might be yet another amazing incarnation of the Crown Prince of Crime.
What do you think? Who's your favorite Joker?








































Monday, April 20, 2015

Star Wars Anthology Rogue One

Now that Star Wars Celebration is over, I can honestly say that for me the most exciting news is Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One!
The movie will focus on a band of resistance fighters that unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans (I assume Bothans will be involved). In my opinion this is exactly what the franchise needs, a way to "expand" the universe without Jedi...I'm not discounting Jedi but Star Wars needs to grow beyond the Skywalkers and the struggle between the light and dark sides. Rogue One will obviously be connected to the primary Star Wars films through common threads most notably that darn Death Star.
Since the info about the mission to steal the Death Star plans turned out to be true I wonder if the rumor that Felicity Jones playing Sabine Wren is true also?


Star Wars Rebels Season 2 trailer and feelings (hope they don't betray me)

The first season of SW Rebels finished on a high note and it looks like season 2 won't miss a beat. This is a fascinating time in Star Wars lore S2 takes place about 15 years after Revenge of the Sith, Vader is completely consumed with anger and hate, for what he perceives as betrayal and failure all around him. Fifteen years to dwell on the betrayal of his friends and wife, the death of his child, his failure to not see the supposed plot by the Jedi to overthrow Palpatine and take control of the Republic, his failure with his apprentice Ahsoka...man the crew of the ghost have no idea what they're up against with Vader!
I'm curious if Ahsoka knows who Darth Vader is, personally I like the idea of her not knowing until he says something to her that only he would know and she discovering Darth Vader identity that way.
The other interesting aspect is SW Rebels is a bridge between RotS and ANH....but in actuality Rebels should bridge RotS and Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One. And with the rumor that Felicity Jones is playing Sabine Wren I wonder what happens to Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka between Rebels season 2 and Rogue One since Gareth Edwards said there will no be force users in Rogue One. Will we see  Boba Fett in Rebels? Maybe, Will we see Capt Rex in Rogue One? Maybe. Will Ezra fail to become a Jedi? I think so.
Here's the amazing trailer for season 2 of Star Wars Rebels!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens Trailer #2

I've watched the trailer about a dozen times now and honestly I'm not feeling the hype everyone else is. There were some cool looking shots like the Crashed Star Destroyer and seeing the Chrome trooper but sadly my focus is on stupid shit like I'm hoping Daisey Ridley's characters name is Kira, I prefer it to Rey.
Overall I enjoyed the trailer, a few things irked me though. Vader's helmet looked like clay, not exactly what I would think it would look like after a funeral pyre and 3 decades out in the elements.
Next Chewie looks really good for his age...I'm not sure what the life cycle of a Wookie is compared to a human but a few greys would've been fine in my opinion.
Yes seeing the Falcon fly into an upside down SSD was cool just not original, but i get it...a little OT fan service goes a long way to build hype via nostalgia.From everything I've read this is where Han and Chewie pick up Kira, BB8 and Fynn....probably after showing the lightsaber to Rose in the tavern (ala ANH).
I don't think the hooded figure with the cybernetic hand is Luke....just a feeling. I liked the chrome trooper and the scene with the Storm troopers at attention with the mystery figure on the stage behind them but felt like it betrays our imagination of the state the Empire is in 30 years after the death of the Emperor. The empire apparently thrives after Sidious gets tossed by Vader. Will this movie betray our beliefs of Sidious' true extent of power? I hope not.
Kylo Ren...I'm not sold on you buddy....I think you have potential to be a memorable villian just do me a favor and don't die in episode VII.
8 months to go....I'm still staying cautiously optimistic.