Post Avengers AOU Speculations

Avengers: Age of Ultron did not beat my favorite 3 Marvel Cinema Universe movies (Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy). But the movie did leave me with more questions. Most of them center around the future for specific characters.

There will be spoilers discussed from Marvel movies and comics. To push the bigger spoilers further down, I will name my 3 favorite characters from Avengers: Age of Ultron:

1. Vision. He was perfect!! His look, the way he carried himself, his voice, and his manner. I don't just mean as an adaptation from the comics. He was very captivating.
2. Hawkeye. We got to see more of the character, and he's pretty funny. I like that he prepared himself for any future brainwashing. He interacted with the other characters well too. I like that Hawkeye and Black Widow stick together in the field instead of partnering up with a superhuman for protection. 
3. Ultron. I like that he sometimes echoed Tony Stark and they had a kind of father and son relationship. My favorite parts are when he seemed more human. Like when he pleaded with Wanda to not fight against him. That moment touched me. He did not lash out in anger for her betrayal. He seemed to still have a bond with her. Not a romantic one, but a comrade one.

And now, here are my questions and speculations for what may happen in the Marvel Cinema Universe: 

Ultron

Ultron was the process of uploading himself into the artificially made body. The Avengers interrupt him from reaching 100%, but some of his consciousness still uploaded into the body, right? Scarlet saw Ultron's plan through the artificial mind, and Vision knew how to limit Ultron.

In the comics, Ultron is destroyed but always comes back in an improved body. One time, Ultron overrides or hacks Vision's body and forces him to build Ultron a new body. So even though the last Ultron robot was destroyed, Ultron could come back through Vision. Where is there room for this comeback in the Marvel Cinema Universe? Maybe Vision will have an inner conflict during a bigger storyline.

Maybe that subtle bond between Ultron and Wanda I mentioned before is the base point for Vision and Wanda? Or maybe she will be spooked to find Ultron's influence in Vision.

Hulk

When will he return? Will he have returned from Planet Hulk (a harsh comic storyline)? Will Hulk and Black Widow get another chance, or will she meet someone else during his absence? I would like to see more of this relationship because it barely began and does not exist in the comics.

Wanda (Scarlet Witch)

When the credits appeared, it hit me that Pietro did die. I was surprised because I was expecting him to connect with the Inhumans in the future. I still have hopes that he will return somehow or at least be a big influence on his sister, Wanda. In the comics, Wanda can manipulate probability. Eventually, she can even alter reality. Will she be tempted to use her powers to bring back her brother like Full-metal Alchemist? Or will a villain like Thanos promise to bring back her brother in order to recruit her? The second question is not based on a comic event. I thought of it because it could fit with Thanos' quest for the Infinity Gauntlet.



Who were your favorite characters, or whose future are you most interested in seeing?

Watch Captain America 2!

If you have not already, then I recommend watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier!  Here's a photo I made promoting the movie to my friends. :)

Fun facts about the image:

1. I took it over 2 weeks ago and Rotten Tomatoes still has the movie at 89% fresh rating.
2. I posed twice as Black Widow and the Winter Soldier. :) It was a fun double take experiment I've wanted to try. Photoshopping the 2 images was easier than I expected! 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is my second favorite Marvel movie. The first is The Avengers because of the different interactions between the heroes.

I also prefer Thor's character in The Avengers than the two Thor movies.  He may have been my favorite in that movie. But who is my favorite Avenger based on all the Marvel movies so far? Hmm. It is still Iron Man.

From Madam Tussad's wax museum 2 years ago

The Lego Movie is Awesome

Hey guys, I enjoyed The Lego Movie this past weekend for plenty of reasons. I hope you found many as well.

Because I work at Legoland California, I was familiar with the sets and movie characters before knowing the story. I had wondered if the movie would feel weird from my familiarity with Lego pieces and working in a Lego gift shop. This question would apply even more to Lego fans though. Instead of feeling weird, I laughed even more from recognizing Lego pieces, their multiple uses, and their limitations. If you are a Mystery Minifigures collector, then you will enjoy appearances from different series.

If you have a chance to visit Legoland California, then check out the special exhibit called The Lego Movie Experience with Lego model scenes from the movie including the dad's workspace. The opening was Feb. 20, but the exhibit is available for a year. The location is next to Studio Store on the left side of the park.

The Lego Movie Experience at Legoland California

The Lego Movie had some humor similar to Muppet humor. It is not so much the literal vs. figurative meaning of words. I have not been able to label it yet. I do not want to list examples of this humor either so you can enjoy the moment. I also cracked-up over the sound effects and use of Lego pieces for special effects such as explosions.

An explosion example of a special effect with Lego pieces.

Those of you who have read my other blog posts know I love Meta and dystopias. Well, The Lego Movie has both aspects! :D

Two of my favorite characters are Metalbeard and Benny the 80s spaceman. Since I saw the Lego set Metalbeard's Duel, I thought Metalbeard looked cool with his many unique pieces. My friends and coworkers know very well that I like puns and cheesy corny jokes. Yesterday at work, I kept pointing out the chest pun in Metalbeard. He is great to watch and hear on the screen.

Metalbeard

I wish this "Spaceship!" tee had Benny's whole body.

My family knows I am drawn to funny-voiced characters such as King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph and Shrek the Final Chapter. This fact is one reason why spaceman Benny is a favorite character of mine. Thanks voice actor Charlie Day! ;)

The main reason I like Benny has to do with his attempts to build a spaceship. I will keep an eye out for a good shirt with Benny. By the way, he is based off of the Lego figure Blue Classic Spaceman.
Rumpelstiltskin in

There are more things I enjoyed and laughed over, but one last aspect I'll say is that the story's messages are awesome. :) I recommend watching it. If you have already, who was your favorite character?

Maleficent Shirt and Trailer

If my entry for most shirt design contests doesn't get picked, then I still have to wait a few month to submit the entry somewhere else. I'm able to now use the Maleficent text entry I did for Shirt.Woot.

"Beware"

On RedBubble, you can get it as a shirt:

On Society6, you can get as a mug or tote bag. Both sites have a print.

I have two other ideas with Maleficent, who is one of my favorite Disney villains. The movie for this 2014 spring motivates me! Here is the first trailer:

I like the scene when they interact!

More Hunger Games Humor

Surprisingly no one has used the Gaston book meme for The Hunger Games yet. I made one: 

For some reason I like photoshopping Beauty & the Beast more than any other Disney princess or movie. 

Here are some funny images I found in time for the 2nd Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire! After the Pocahontas one, they have some Catching Fire spoilers, especially the last one. A few of them I saw last time, but waited for the second movie. Enjoy. :D

Hope you get the song reference. XD

I laughed harder than I thought I would.

Hipster Peeta

It's awesome that Effie has a meme.

Reference to Catching Fire

New character in Catching Fire.

It might be funny only if you read the book.

BIG spoiler

Ender's Game Touched My Heart Again

Published 1985

Thanks to a cousin's recommendation, I read Ender's Game during high school. It is one of my top favorite sci-fi books!  I love the book because of how humane the hero Ender Wiggins is throughout the story even when trained to be a brilliant killer.

I am glad I did not reread Ender's Game before watching the movie so the emotions could hit me. By forgetting details such as Ender's isolation, I re-experienced the story's beautiful and painful message. 

Some people say that once you read one military sci-fi, you can't enjoy another one because it's too similar. Well, I could not enjoy Starship Troopers because Ender's Game is different by surpassing military.

The actor, Asa Butterfield, was perfect for to play Ender. He had very expressive eyes. I forgot he played Mordred in BBC's Merlin. As Mordred, he has few lines, but his expressions dominate the scene.

I speak of beauty and emotions, but there is action too. The zero-gravity battle room scenes had the wonder, action, and strategy I had hoped for! The music captures the wonder of it too.

I watched the movie with a group. Some of them now want to read the book. For one of them, that was her first time a movie motivated her to read the story. Their reactions touched my heart even more. I want to reread Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.

Fall of Games

The movie adaptations for Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game comes out on Nov. 1 and Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire is Nov. 22.

Ender's Game was published in 1970s. The series is more military sci-fi than dystopic. I read it about 8 years ago in high school. I've also read Ender's Shadow, Speaker for the Dead, and half of Shadow of the Hegemon. There are more books for this universe, but I'm content with how much I read already.  I recommend Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.

Speaker for the Dead is the drama and biological science part of the series. I don't remember military in it. I liked most of it, but maybe I didn't understand a dark moment at the end. I didn't think I'd read it again, but now I think I might. As a heads-up, Speaker for the Dead has Portuguese dialogue that isn't translated. Because I know some Spanish, I was able to understand some lines.

Any movie ad for Ender's Game gets me excited. I am most excited to see the training room on the screen! :D A key element of the story though is compassion.  Here's the trailer:

This video states the similarities and differences between Ender's Game and The Hunger Games:

The trailer for Ender's Game left me with some goosebumps, but The Hunger Games' 2nd movie, Catching Fire, left me teary.

The first movie felt more like an introduction to the series so I expect more from Catching Fire for the social aspect of the world. The trailer covers it and also the question of how can a dystopic society have living idolized victors? : )

I thought Divergent was coming out next fall, but the release is March 2014. I'm still on the library's waitlist for the book, but now I know I can read Brave New World first.

For now, I'm interested in watching Guillermo Del Toro's movie Pacific Rim next month.

I'm hoping for a social/cultural aspect to the connected minds. Pacific Rim looks fun otherwise.

Classic Disney Princesses

Hey guys,
Here are the links to the classic Disney Princess analysis I did for BYOU.

Overall: Dreams of Classic Disney Princesses
Snow White & Cinderella: "Rising Back Up"
Aurora & Belle: "Curses, Tears, and Luck"
Jasmine & Ariel : "I'll Run Away Then"

Cowabunga!

Along with Halloween, October is National Pizza Month.  So how about looking at some big fans of pizza, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).

"Vote Pizza Party" classic 80s tee for $20

Hello, Raphael.

Nickelodeon promoted the more recent series with this chalk illusion in London. I am sure that everyone wishes the drawing was a permanent mural.

"Ancient Ninja Xenomorphs"

More and more TMNT printed tees are coming out probably because of Micheal Bay's TMNT film reboot.

However, On the UK website The Guardian, I read that the 2013 film pushed back to 2014 because of the fans' voiced disapproval of the mutant turtles portrayed as aliens. The Guardian believes the production may be dropped altogether.

An artist, Billy Allison, did a great depiction of the ninjas like Ridley Scott's Alien.  I linked the tee's title to prints and device covers, but he has the design available as a tee too.




Here's two tees that take after the turtles' names: Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello.

"Renaissance Ninjas" tee for $22.50

"Heroes in an Art Shell" tee currently sold out.

"Ninja Rhapsody" print for $15

Did you know that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a comic before a TV show? How about that all four wore red?

Artist Hillary White knew. Her design on the right is no longer available at RiptApparel, but you can still get a $15 print. It is a mash-up of one of Queen's album covers.

Even when dressed the same, Raphael stands out.

Original TV show in the 80s

There are more TMNT tees, but don't forget to celebrate National Pizza Month.

I have always wondered if banana toppings tasted good.  Do you remember what other toppings these turtles tried?

I did not find a tee or print of this one,
but it is still worth sharing.

I Saw The Hunger Games

Last Friday, I saw The Hunger Games movie. I liked it, but I worry if people will understand some scenes. My friends who did not read the books missed the new situation at the end of the movie. Although characters smile at that point, listen to what is said in private!

I am glad that I read the first two books before the movie so that I knew the details and connections. It is hard for me to picture how much of the story I would have grasped without the book. Thankfully, some game explanations from Katniss' thoughts in the book were given in another manner.

I will be vague in further discussion of the movie to avoid spoiling it. However, I will first discuss my disappointment in The Watchmen adaptation for comparison. The trailer is down below.

Reaction to The Watchmen Adaptation First

I read The Watchmen comic shortly before the movie release. Here is the trailer for it.

During the movie, I laughed and was entertained, but afterwards I felt disappointed in the adaptation for these reasons:

• The state of the world was not depicted enough. In the comic the second Silk Spectra helped portray the society at least through her addiction.
• There is no distinction made between superheros and masked vigilantes.
• Heroes that did not severely harm or kill, like Silk Spectra, plunged a knife into a mugger's throat. In the comic, the heroes who take lives are the ones who have a different state of mind.
• Does the viewer question the consequences that the heroes reluctantly accept?

I do not detest every change made in an adaptation. For example, I have no problem with the change in the S.Q.U.I.D. Because years have past since I first saw the movie, I would now watch it a second time. Some scenes were great to see on the screen.

Back to The Hunger Games

The movie was a good introduction to Katniss' world. Some great scenes were left out of the movie, but I think key moments for characters were kept such as when Thresh speaks in the game and Cinna's influence. I was not disappointed. Some of you may be if you expect love drama.

Before the movie, I read an article on the decision to tone down the violence, which the director felt was unnecessary for the main message and characters. I agree. Anyone who hungered for more violence has not grasped that the game is actually an instrument not entertainment. The anticipation of the game and the game itself are exciting, but remember its purpose and meaning. Violence is not action. Do you mean conflict or confrontations that can be an opportunity for character growth instead?

I was surprised that the terror and danger were toned down too. I think young audiences could handle a little more of both. The focus was appropriately placed on the main danger, the Capitol. Each book because harsher though. Will the rating stay at PG-13?

To me the book was a suspenseful adventure while the movie was more on the dystopic world. When Kato has the sword, I thought of Roger in Lord of the Flies. I can see that aspect as enough terror for some minors.

Some parts before the game felt slow to me, but my coworkers who did not read the book said the beginning was fast for them. After all, they did not know the setting and characters yet. Come to think of it, I did not linger on questions with the movie's pace. So I guess the first half of the movie was not slow.

Stanley Tucci as Caesar.

My favorite minor characters in the book were Rue and Haymitch. During the movie, I smiled and laughed at every scene of Caesar, but I was still teary for Prim and Rue. It was nice to see non-tribute characters during the game.

I  left the theater at 1am with energy from the movie. The third book, Mockingjay, is higher on my reading list now and I want to read the first book again. I may watch the movie in theaters a second time.

2nd The Hunger Games Trailer

I started reading Catching Fire, the second book of HG trilogy, today. After reading two books in one weekend, I find myself not rationing the chapters like I did for the first book. I am 37 pages into the second book, and I am happy to see the characters in District 12 again. Thank you author Suzanne Collins for telling us more about Haymitch and returning to the relationship of Katniss and her mother.

The day I returned back to the world of The Hunger Games is when I saw the second trailer!

Gale still looks too big for his age. Now Katniss' face sticks out to me probably because I am imagining her in my mind as I read again. Otherwise the world, clothes, and other characters look fine to me. The wardrobe and fashion trends seem toned down, but I am okay with that as long as they capture "the girl on fire." ;)

Ending the trailer with the start of the game got me excited. I must ration Catching Fire to ease my anticipation for the movie. However, I won't ration only one chapter at a time.

The Hunger Games Cast Photos

I found cast pictures for the Hunger Games tributes (the game candidates). Here's a sunny, full-body shot. Note: Not all boys and girls are matched up by districts.

Click here for Vanity Fair's article with bios and character role tags to the cast photo. 

I thought the 1st girl was Foxface, but that actress will carry Clove's attitude. Gale looks too old. I do like the casting for Katniss, Peeta, Glimmer, and Cato. Rue was my favorite tribute so seeing her different than I imagined left me just accepting it, but the girl carries the right personality too. =) This shot though is of the actors not them as the characters so we can't judge too much by appearance. Their acting is what matters anyways!

I like these character movie posters, especially Haymitch and Effie:

By the way, I can't wait to read Catching Fire after the movie so I ordered it and will read it soon. I got the hardcover for $10 on Amazon! The next post will cover the other books I bought.

The Hunger Games trailer

A short trailer for The Hunger Games was shown at the MTV VMA.

When I read The Hunger Games, I rooted for Katniss and laughed at her remarks and social commentary. Not knowing the next move and the outcome was a thrill. Now that I know the pain she'll go through, seeing it may make me teary.

I wanted more from the trailer, but I'm already affected by hearing Gale's words over the visual of a young girl  trying to survive because of a dystopic punishment and for entertainment sake. What I know added to the trailer make Gale sound to me like he's trying to convince Katniss and even fate of her chance for survival. But he still sounds confident in her.

I'm glad I read the first book before the movie (thanks, sister). I'm also glad I have not read the second one yet because then I can feel the full weight of the ending. =) Save myself some thrill and suspense in the movie.

The anticipation though may win me over. But that's how The Hunger Games book was as well. You say you'll read just one more chapter and stop after three or four chapters instead. Haha.

The Hunger Games comes out in theaters in March. Katniss is played Jennifer Lawrence, who was Mystique in X-men: First Class.