-So Jon Snow lives, after all. More or less. This should have been more a jaw-dropping moment, but given that I was never convinced they’d be rid of him even after all the misleading promos (a somewhat irrational conviction in a universe where NOBODY is safe) it didn’t have quite the impact. I liked that he didn’t spent too much time in the whole ‘crazed from being resurrected' phase. A lot of other shows go there, and it’s boring<\/em>. Still, Jon was most interesting as a tool to provoque reactions from others, such as Melissandre’s attempt to grasp on to her waivering faith, the matter-of-fact way the wildlings accepted him vs the Night’s Watch hesitation, and Davos continuing to be the wisest, most loyal and gloriously blunt counsel a man could have. And fuck yeah, they killed Ollie! I’ve never hated a kid that much since Joffrey. -Arya’s storyline is just blatantly ripping off Daredevil now. Not that I’m complaining. The Girl is badass. And now The Girl has her sight, and hopefully well on her way to raining well-deserved vengeance all around. -Dany’s story continues to be underwhelming and going nowhere fast. Some Poor Man’s Drogo And The Sassy Dothraki, some revisit to old places of heart munching, references to dragons but not SEEING dragons…meh. -I mean, I’m not precisely happy to see Cersei back to her plotting ways, but after the humiation and lost of power last season, it’s reassuringly familiar. Also, the younger Lannister kids who are not Myrcella continue to show the dangers of inbreeding. Really, Tommen? A few words and the Head Sparrow is playing you like a fiddle? -Ha, Varys’ little birds are kids! Sherlock Holmes would approve. -Fucking hell, so now Ramsay has Osha and Tommen? And Shaggydog is DEAD? FUCK THIS I HATE EVERYTHING SOMEONE KILL HIM ALREADY! -Give it up, Tyrion, we all already knew Mereen is a snooze fest, stop trying to make fun happen -The Queen of Thorns continues to deliver the sickest burns ‘I understand how that might get confusing in your family’. -Oh, come ON, Jon quits the watch and I bet Sansa gets there two hours after. They are seriously taking the piss at this point!<\/p><\/a> -Like Winter Soldier, this felt a lot more of an Avengers film than any of the other single hero franchises, to the point that when Steve and Bucky headed to Siberia towards the end I was thinking ‘But what about the other Aveng…oh’. At the same time, it’s more grounded and restrained than the Avengers films, and I don’t mean that as a bad thing. The character stuff involving Steve and Bucky and Steve and Tony in particular was fantastic. -I always said that they can’t adapt the Civil War storyline on film – and they didn’t. The original story requires a cast\/history just bigger than even the current ever-expanding MCU. But that’s ok. They did something new, and while it wasn’t necessarily as visceral as the comics stuff or made as much sense it worked onscreen. -One thing that did work is how personal it all got for them. Yes, Steve is invested in his ability to be indendent from political influence, but at the heart of it it’s about saving his friend. And Tony…oh, Tony. ‘I don’t care. He killed my mum’. MY HEART! -So I liked T’Challa a lot more during his (limited) time in this film than I ever did in the comics. They even managed to make the cat suit look non cheesy. -So many lighthearted\/funny character moments to chose from among all the betrayal and cloak and dagger. Sam and Bucky giving the Bro-iest smirk to Steve after he made out with Sharon. Ant-Man being a total dork when introduced to Cap. EVERYTHING about Peter Parker. -Speaking of which, d’awwwww, lookit the ickle little Spidey! I’m looking forward to the Spider-Man film. The actor is actually close to the age Peter was when he first got his powers, but now we’ll get to experience that minus the cheesy 60s comics writing (and yes, I know we got that in Ultimate Spider-Man, but, you know. Ultimate verse. -Natasha remains the HBIC. I liked how she initially sided with Tony because of her pragmatic nature, but when she saw Steve wouldn’t let up, she couldn’t bring herself to go against him. -Why is Vision dressed like a 1950s dad?<\/p><\/a> -It definitely started significantly slower and, well, less all-encompassigly intense than season 1, but that was ok. Given both the origin aspect of S1 and the particular comic storyline they were tackling, they would have been hard-pressed to top it. Instead, we got a much more established vibe and a lot more courtroom drama. And then of course shit hit the fan around ep 8 and it was a roller coaster from then on.<\/p> <\/p> -Speaking of courtroom drama, I appreciate Foggy finally growing a spine and stepping out of Matt's shadow. As much as I love Matt, and it is his show after all, the way he treated Foggy and Karen was simply unacceptable. It was good to see Mr Nelson step up and kick ass in the courtroom, as much as I will bemoan the demise of Avocados at Law, I'm exciting for the new direction they're going in, rife with crossover possibilities.<\/p> <\/p> -Holy shit, Frank Castle. I never cared much for Punisher in the comics, because for all his revenge crusade he often feels flat and uncomplicated. This Punisher was everything the character could be and more, intense, complex, more than a little bit psychotic but also oddly charming, relatable and both seemingly in control and at a breaking point. Please tell me there will be a flood of Frank\/Karen fic and wow, this is a sentence I'd never thought I'd type.<\/p> <\/p> -As always the show is visually gorgeous, beautifully shot in grainy film with lots of greens, shadows and of course the everpresent religious imagery. The violence on the show is really appealing to some blood-thirsty little part of me-not at all comic booky, it feels visceral, real and just...violent. And thankfully they managed to tweak the DD suit from the ott campiness of the end of last season to something that works better onscreen.<\/p> <\/p> -Speaking of the Devil, boy, Matt has more issues than are in his entire comic book run, doesn't he? Him isolating himself from the world is nothing new, yet he brought it to a new level this season and as a result lost the few ties to humanity he had. I'd be tempted to say the boy never learns, but then that wonderful, unexpected and deeply satisfying final scene with Karen shows that he does. HE TOLD HER, YOU GUYS! And not because he was forced to or because she figured it out (although there was that moment when he rescued her when I was sure she would) but because if there's one thing that Electra (and to an extent Frank) taught him is that while he can techically (by burning the candle at both ends to a dangerous degree, as Claire pointed out) do this alone, he doesn't want to. And I loved that there was less surprise on her face than dawning realisation, because on some level, she knew.<\/p> <\/p> -I could watch Karen Page Intrepid Reporter all day. I was so nervous about her throughout the series, because Daredevil's girlfriends historically have the lifespan of a Spinal Tap drummer, but blessedly, they went in a surprising and AWESOME route. Karen's scenes with Frank were among the best of the show, as was her investigative tenacity, ability to keep it together despite being involved in basically every shitshow happening in hell's kitchen and her ultimately finding empowerement not through the antics of heroes in the roofs but in the every day strength of the ordinary people of Hell's Kitchen. Karen is still the heart of the show but she is also now an unreleting, intelligent, curious and all-around amazing investigative reporter. This wasn't about her becoming Matt's girlfriend. It was about her becoming the new Ben Urich (and sidenote, Ben's boss knew it. Between the office he put her in, the offer of Scotch, his 'fond but demanding boss' attitude I was starting to get concerned he'd try to dress her in Ben's old clothes).<\/p> <\/p> -Oh, my Elektra. Not quite how I pictured the character (though a massive improvement of the Garner Travesty) but I am a little bit in love with her nontheless. While lacking some of the gravitas of comics Elektra, there was so much to love about her. And while her death was fairly certain to happen (and became inevitable once Matt stated his willingness to run away with her), it was handled SO MUCH BETTER than in the comics. She wasn't fridged. Yes, her death will no doubt cause Matt much angst, but she wasn't killed for just being his girlfriend. She was the special one the Hand was after and if anything, Matt was in the way. What's more, she chose the terms of her death and went out much like she lived, with a flip comment and badass attitude. And yes, I realise her agency is somewhat diminished by the Hand digging her out anyway, but if that means we can have her kicking ass in fabulous outfits again next season, I'm willing to look past it.<\/p> <\/p> -Wilson Fisk, you are still a magnificent bastard.<\/p> <\/p> I could go on, but I need to go hunt ALL the Frank and Karen fic!<\/p> .<\/a>
My favourite thing about Civil War however is it highlighted how big of an overblown tedious Ball of Suck Batman vs Superman was
"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:183906","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/183906.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=183906"}}],"title":"Fandom stagnation","published":"2016-04-29T21:14:08Z","updated":"2016-04-29T21:14:08Z","content":"So, real talk: for reasons beyond my understanding I feel the urge to get into fandom again, but my flist is predictably half dead. Any reccomendations of fandom friending memes\/users\/rec sites to check out? I'm quite passionate about Harry Potter right now, but open to other fandoms too, particularly anything fandom related. Hell, I'll even consider Tumblr!"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:183688","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/183688.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=183688"}}],"title":"First world fangirl problems","published":"2016-04-27T21:05:03Z","updated":"2016-04-27T21:05:03Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"game of thrones"}},"content":"I am VERY aware that there's a new Game of Thrones episode floating around, but due to circumstances beyond my control (boyfriend away for a work thing and he would kill me if I watched it without him. Or at least sulk a lot) I can't watch it until at least the weekend.
ALL THE SADS!"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:183320","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/183320.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=183320"}}],"title":"Supergirl\/Flash crossover episode","published":"2016-04-03T12:57:40Z","updated":"2016-04-03T12:57:40Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"supergirl theflash"}},"content":"OMG, that episode was made of pure JOY! I would watch the hell out of that show."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:183235","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/183235.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=183235"}}],"title":"So I finished Daredevil season 2","published":"2016-03-28T12:44:07Z","updated":"2016-03-28T13:09:01Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"daredevil nextfix defenders"}},"content":"
"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:182578","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/182578.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=182578"}}],"title":"Zombie journal ressurection","published":"2016-03-03T16:30:01Z","updated":"2016-03-03T16:30:01Z","content":"*dusts of journal*
Anybody remember me?
Due to some RL stuff I was dealing with I kind of fell out of the whole fandom thing and then it just got embarassingly long between updates. However a combination of factors (all the shows! Comics! Deadpool! MCU! Rereading HP! And did I mention DEADPOOL?) I've been bitten by the bug again. Hard.
So I shall be cautiously attempting the journaling thing again. Assuming my entire flist hasn't moved to Tumblr or something-- while I technically have an account, the site design is just...ugh.
Speaking of site design, God, it'll take me a while to get the hand of this New And Improved Livejournal. At least Dreamwidth is reassuringly familiar."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:182489","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/182489.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=182489"}}],"title":"Quick rec request","published":"2015-03-30T19:13:11Z","updated":"2015-03-30T19:13:11Z","content":"So it's been so long I don't even know how to dip my toe back into fandom (what is this new design? I'm confused). Any recommendations of fics\/authors\/reccers to keep an eye on? As always, my preference is for Snarry, Harry\/Draco and that elusive Snape\/Hermione that's not a qualified Harlequin\/proto 50 Shades of Grey"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:182238","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/182238.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=182238"}}],"title":"Zombie LJ","published":"2015-01-30T14:05:33Z","updated":"2015-01-30T14:05:33Z","content":"*blows dust off lj*
So...is this thing even on? ;-)"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:182007","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/182007.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=182007"}}],"title":"Iron Man 3...sort of review","published":"2013-05-08T20:00:01Z","updated":"2013-05-08T20:00:01Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"headspace"}},"content":"So I've watched Iron Man 3...well, on the 25th, but I've been too lazy\/busy\/sick (the latter is a more recent development) to compose a post. This is technically cheating, and I'll try to make a real post soon, but in the meantime, here is the Geeks on a Sofa review of the movie.
In this one, we're laying out our thoughts on Grant Morisson. I have an epic rant about his run on X-MEN, while the boys tackle his work on DC\/other publishers, so this might hold some interest for comic book fans.
-Ok, so being stuck on the wrong side of the Siberian cold front has gone on for so long that my first thought upon seeing poor Samwell limping through the snowstorm was \"Just another average spring day in London\". But that aside, the whole scene was very effective, and the White Walkers continue to creep the hell out of me.
-The camp of the wildlings was exactly how I imagined it from the books-what I do love from this show is how it veers off wildly from book canon at times, and then basically brings it to life at others. Jon Snow continues to be so out of his depth, it's kind of hilarious, though I feel the actor seems to have a better grip on the character this season. I for one totally bought his speech to the King Beyond the Wall about wanting to fight on the side of the living.
-Shae: still kind of shady, but I enjoy her snark. Sansa: still a bit naive at times (no, DON'T trust Littlefinger). Littlefinger: Still a magnificent creeper
-One thing I'm glad that is different from the books is Tyrion keeping his nose, because I need to enjoy Peter Dinklage FACE when he delivers the best snark on the snow (though I did like the little nod to book canon fans to Cersei's comment). Having said that, funny lines aside (Sometimes I drink with the harlots!) I really felt for Tyrion in this one, what with his amazing family relationships. Tywin's entire speech to him...damn, but Charles Dance can pull off Magnificent Bastard.
-BRONN! I never tire of him, even though he was used as an excuse for the obligatory BOOBSBOOBSBOOBS scene (when the whore asked him whether he didn't want to leave something to the imagination, I actually said \"Of course not, it's HBO\" out loud).
-Maergery is starting to annoy me a bit. I don't even know why, I normally like some cunning and manipulation-might be something to do with the actress, whose face I can only describe as \"Disney princess gone wrong\". Though I enjoyed the way she seemed to make Cersei grind her teeth throughout the Super!Awkward dinner, and that dumbass Joffrey being the only one missing the subtext.
-Aw, poor Davos. I'm kind of amazed at how such an honourable and honest character has survived in Westeros for so long, given his seeming inability to lie, from confessing his allegiance to Stannis to the random rescuers, to outright challenging Mellissandre in front of his king.
-Shut up, Robb. I don't care what your kingly reasons are, locking your mother in a cell for attempting to save your sisters? Not cool.
-The Dani bits seem to be sticking more to the books now, which is good since her storyline at this point was more interesting than the book equivalent last season. The reveal of Sir Barristan was sped up, which makes a lot of sense given the medium. I found that creepy little assassin girl both disconcerting and really hilarious (the bad teeth\/hissing combo had me in stiches). <\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:180761","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/180761.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=180761"}}],"title":"ishtar79 @ 2013-04-01T15:00:00","published":"2013-04-01T14:00:54Z","updated":"2013-04-01T14:00:54Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"headspace"}},"content":"I am so excited about Game of Thrones (will be watching it tonight), it migt even motivate me to do a proper fannish entry.
Meanwhile, the Youtube channel is still happening, and while I spared you weekly updates, I just had to share this one:
This was actually the first episode we ever filmed, but let's say I was invested in the outcome enough that I got over my nerves fairly quickly."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:180531","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/180531.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=180531"}}],"title":"This NEEDS to happen","published":"2013-03-13T18:10:13Z","updated":"2013-03-13T18:10:13Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"veronica mars"}},"content":"
The Veronica Mars movie project<\/a>
Apparently Rob Thomas is trying to fan fund a Veronica Mars movie. If you loved this show (that is, if you've watched it, because then adoration is inevitable), spread the word.
(apologies if this shows up twice, but LJ won't let me crosspost from DW today)"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:179315","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/179315.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=179315"}}],"title":"My Year in Fandom","published":"2012-12-30T14:51:46Z","updated":"2012-12-30T14:51:46Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"meme"}},"content":"I know I haven't been posting much, but it wasn't for lack of reading\/watching things.
Your main fandom of the year?<\/b>
I'm as usual polyfandom, but I paid the most attention to Harry Potter and Marvel (comics and MCU)
Your favorite film you watched this year? <\/b>
AVENGERS, AVENGERS, AVENGERS!!!!!!!!
Your favorite book read this year? <\/b>
Probably The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss is kickass!
Your favorite album or song to listen to this year? <\/b>
Female Tribute To Tom Waits- I've had it playing on the background pretty much constantly. I find Tom Waits' music and lyrics fantastic, but his voice can be a bit too much for extended listening, so this was a welcome discovery.
Your favorite tv show of the year? <\/b>
Ooh, hard to say. I greatly enjoyed the second seasons of Game of Thrones and Homeland, and Melin's final season was the one I was arguably most emotionally invested in. If we're going for shows I haven't watched before, it's a toss-up between Once Upon A Time and Downton Abbey.
Your best new fandom discovery of the year? <\/b>
Well, I LOVED Avengers, but I wouldn't call it a new discovery, as I was already a massive Marvel geek. So my answer is Elementary. I haven't mentionned it before, but I adore that show so much more than I expected. I love that it's a Holmes adaptation where the dynamics don't make me cringe, love the dynamic between the leads, and of course the stellar performances by Liu and Miller.
Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year? <\/b>
Avengers vs X-Men. The premise was kind of stupid to begin with, but the execution had me grinding my teeth. On the other hand, it left me feeling more sympathetic for Cyclops than I have in YEARS, which hilariously seemed to be the opposite of the writers' intent.
Your fandom boyfriend of the year? <\/b>
Joss Whedon! It's been a while since I was in such awe of something he did (I actually really liked Dollhouse, but was never especially fannish about it). After he did justice (and then some) to The Avengers, it reminded me my old motto of \"Joss is God\". And I know many disagree (often for valid reasons), but the man got me into fandom, and will always have a special place in my heart.
Close second: Sheldon Cooper. Even though I'd probably choke him if I knew him IRL, he's my spirit animal!
Your fandom girlfriend of the year? <\/b>
Ooh, hard to pick. Arya Stark, Natasha Romanov, Carrie for Homeland...this year had no lack of women being badass! I'd probably chose Natasha, since she'd be the one I'd want watching my back in the event of an Apocalypse. Arya is still too young and Carrie too likely to go off into one of her tangents.
Your biggest squee moment of the year? <\/b>
There was a spoilerish moment in the end of the Dexter season premiere that left me fairly breathless, though unfortunately the follow-through didn't live up to it. The entirety of Avengers, but especially anything relating to Natasha (love is for children).
The most missed of your old fandoms? <\/b>
Seeing Kristen Bell at the Gossip Girl finale (and what in the name of hell was THAT mess?) made me realise how much I miss watching Veronica Mars. We need more Veronica-like characters. I miss how MASSIVE and vibrant HP used to be. Reading Marks' Buffy and Angel reviews made me realise how I miss...everything about those shows.
The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to? <\/b>
I want to watch The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and even (old news) The Sopranos, but the violence is making me a bit reluctant (I'll get there I'm sure). I want to see what this Teen Wolf everyone is going on about is. And I want to read some DC.
Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year? <\/b>
Star Trek!!!!!!! Also the Thor, Captain America and Iron Man sequels. In TV, I'm especially looking forward to Game of Thrones and Mad Men."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:179002","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/179002.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=179002"}}],"title":"Merlin series finale thoughts","published":"2012-12-29T12:42:31Z","updated":"2012-12-29T12:42:31Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"merlin"}},"content":"I know I haven't posted anything about Merlin this season (or much of anything else really), but I just HAD to weigh in on the finale.
A couple of days ago, I was speculating with <\/a>ariadneelda<\/b><\/a><\/span> about the finale, and I was fairly confident that the show wouldn't end in tragedy because \"I mean, come on, it's not like they were ever all about being faithful to the source, and it seems a bit a much for a family show, airing in Christmas\".
Yeah, so I was apparently never been so hilariously wrong. Happy Christmas, kids! Oh, and there's no Santa Clause!
Not that it was ever about the kids. The kids will be fine: they bounce right back. I'm sure the little ones will just cling to the bit of hope in the possibility of Arthur's return, and the admittedly brilliant image of Merlin walking the modern day. I know that's what I was like-I distinctly remember reading a tragic children's book when I was about eightish which ended with a boy and his beloved horse drowning in the river and me stubbornly denying my teacher telling me they both died because \"the book said the current took them to an 'island where boys and horses can live in peace', and there's NOTHING YOU CAN SAY TO CHANGE MY MIND, MISS!\".
Fandom, for all our spectacular powers of denial (Snape lives!), seems to be having a rougher time of it.
Seriously though, there was SO MUCH of that episode I loved (there was so much of that season I loved, but I'm too emotionally raw right now to do even a partial list). Every scene with Arthur and Merlin was AMAZING, and I'm so glad that not only we got a reveal, but that a fair chunk of the finale was dedicated to dealing with that (Arthur's gamut of emotions made me wonder if writers were getting into the fic, because I kept getting d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu). Queen!Gwen was an awesome prospect, and it almost gave a purpose to the rather silly and ill-timed \"posessed!Gwen\" storyline, because it made that scene where Leon pledged the allegiance of the knights to her suddenly very relevant (poor, poor Gwen though. I'm kind of stuck by this image of her sat this half empty round table in silence, exchanging sad looks with Gaius, Leon and Percy). Morganna's demise was actually handled well, from her falling appart throughout the episode to Merlin actually killing her with Excalibur in front of Arthur. And the episode was the best of what Merlin could be, with high stakes, zero slapstick, gorgeous cinematography and stellar acting.
But that end, you guys, that end just DESTROYED me! For all that this has been often a very silly, downright stupid show, when they do the big emotional\/epic moments it's simply amazing, and those scenes with Arthur and Merlin made me forgive them every single one of their (many, many) missteps. The show was always about the bonds of love and loyalty between these two, and the finale more than did that justice. All while delivering the kind of over-the-top slashiness I haven't seen since...EVER. I know that there is some amazing fic that can follow this finale (and I refuse to even call it fix-it, since the openess of the ending means it can be done as an organic continuation), and I'll be reading a lot of it, but in the meantime, I just want to want to wallow in my own angst for a while.
A few stray thoughts:
- I didn't even comment on Gwaine's death, partly because the stakes were so high, it got lost in the shuffle, and partly because his reasons for being there were SO STUPID. Seriously, go after Morganna with just Percy for backup? Because he was overcome with emotion by the betrayal of some chick he met, like, an episode ago? FAIL, GWAINE!
-Percy SMASH!
-I am SO grateful that the show remembered that Gwen actually has insight and brains, and that she got to figure it out on her own. And not at all surprised at her complete acceptance of Merlin's magic. There is ZERO doubt in my mind that Gwen will repeal the laws against magic as soon as she's Queen-which granted, is not the way magic will be accepted in the land that the show promised us, but still satisfying on some level.
-I know people seem convinced that Merlin will never return to Camelot and just wander around Albion until the modern day, never again seeing his friends (or presumably his own MOTHER), to which I call: bullshit. There's no way in hell he'd abandon Gaius and Gwen. It's perfectly all right for someone to grieve deeply while still doing something beyond existing in a blank catatonic state. Yes, Merlin loved Arthur above all, but he still cared for his friends, and Camelot, and pretty much any random stranger in need. I know a Merlin who just gives up is a romantic notion for some, but you're reducing a complex, compassionate and brave character to Bella fucking Swan in those blank chapter of New Moon, FFS!
-Why did I find Colin Morgan the hottest I ever did when he had that weird homicidal expression as he stabbed Morganna? What's wrong with me?
-There were still moments of humour among all the angst. I shall forever treasure the \"Gaius, he's a SORCERER!\" and Gaius' \"No shit, your highness\" look.
-They were just baiting the slashers at the end, weren't they?
-Godamnit, I can't rehash Merlin and Arthur's extended goodbye, I'll start tearing up again. Why do I keep falling head over heels for those silly shows that end up stomping my heart into a million pieces, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?
<\/a><\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:178635","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/178635.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=178635"}}],"title":"Merlin 501-502","published":"2012-10-14T00:35:49Z","updated":"2012-10-14T00:35:49Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"merlin"}},"content":"I held out watching last week's episode until part 2 came out (did attempt to watch it in the living room initially, but then discovered that the downside to having flatmates is that they tend to talk over the TV and such, and you can't exactly tell them to \"Be quiet so I can watch my silly show that I nevertheless take VERY SERIOUSLY\")
-Okay, so the time jump: I can see the practical reasons behind it (mostly, Mordred), but I couldn't help feeling...a little dissapointed. Part of me wanted to see how the characters grew into their new roles (Gwen!), though I'm sure this gap can be filled by fic, arguably better than the show would have handled it. It was nice to see the visible change in (most) dynamics, though it also led to some serious problems I'll address further down.
-OH GWEN! <33333 There was nothing about Camelot's queen that wasn't pure awesome in this. I loved the subtle change in the way she holds herself, the way she's Arthur's close advisor along with his wife and the way her perceptiveness (remember when she and Merlin solved crimes? Good times) is as good as ever. And while part of me was intrigued by her decision to execute Sefa (mostly because has been pretty much the only character in this show to never had a morally shady moment), it should have come as no surprise it was merely a ruse-Gwen's compassion and empathy for the people of Camelot, very much connected to her own humble beginnings, is a defining trait of the character, and it shouldn't be lost. On a shallow note, how HAWT in her royal garb?
-And as I was enjoying all the visible ways that Gwen's developed over the years, I was frustrated with how Arthur and Merlin's relationship is in a permanent state of arrested development. Seriously, this bullshit STILL, after three freakin' years? I wasn't even clear on what Merlin's precise role<\/i> is at this point, FFS! We didn't see him do the more traditional stuff, and the \"fool\" bit is clearly Arthur trolling him, but seriously, is he Arthur's servant? Personal messenger (ha, I almost wrote massager)? Junior adviser? Just some dude he keeps around? I realise that the important stuff (like MAGIC) have to happen on the show itself, but I would like SOME clue that after three years and Merlin being close friends with the king AND queen his status has somewhat changed. Can be something as simple as, I don't know, a new shirt?
-Now what they did with Gaius, that was the way to do it. Gaius was part of Uther's inner circle and had long history with him, but at the same time, the way he advises Gwen is completely different than how he approached Uther. He was loyal to Uther, but always aware of the potential threat. In that scene where he claims not to know much about druidic writing and Gwen essentially rolls her eyes without doing it-can't imagine that teasing tone in the old regime.
-Morganna has Sir Davos! I mean...whatever the character's name was on the show. Between him, Annis's very Stark-like palace, the carrier crows and Morganna's rather graphic description of Arthur's head on a pike, I had images of a wacky Merlin\/Game of Thrones crossover running through my head (and if someone does it, I will love them forever). There was even some gratuitous flesh (ok, so merely shirtlessness, because this is TV, not HBO, and of the male variety, but I'm not complaining)
-Seriously though, I loved how sympathetic both Sefa and her father came off as (and how much of an EPIC BADASS he was) , because nuance is not something this show does well. And now that I said that, it's only a matter of a couple of episodes before Sefa comes back ranting about feeding people's eyes to crows.
-As for Morgana herself...I can't even bother anymore. She almost looked like in danger of going sympathetic after waking up from her nightmare and calling for her dragon, but then she got all \"RAH! KILL! VENGEANCE! H8!!!\" again (seriously, she seems perma-stuck on that mode these days). Even Mordred kind of looked embarased for her.
-Still on the fence about Mordred. I will say in his favour that unlike Agravaine, he doesn't have that obvious moustache twirling villain quality, which will help in not making everyone around look like a dumbass for not noticing. On the other hand, well, he's Mordred<\/i>. No way in hell this ends well. I wasn't sure about the actor, but his performance grew on me, as did his \"lovechild of Colin Morgan and Benedict Cumberbatch\" look. And I'm already getting some mad slashy vibes off him and Merlin, so bonus.
-And on that topic, as much as I have issues with the stagnation of Merlin and Arthur's current dynamic, I'm glad that they're still good for long soulful looks, declarations of how they've got each other's back and much snuggling in the forest.
-Still on shallow things I enjoy about the show, Morganna may be a one-dimentionnal villain, but I can't fault her for two things: her fierce<\/i> wardrobe and tendency to put her prisoners in fanfic-fodder situations :sexy torture, pointless fights to the death, and no shirts for anyone!
-Even glowy cave creatures can't resist Gwaine. Seriously, was I the only one who saw how blatantly it was hitting on him? Because really, who wouldn't?
- I'm really intrigued with the direction this season's plot seems to be going in, as hinted in the revelation of what \"Arthur's Bane\" was. Given how the show's subverted the Gweneviere\/Lancelot betrayal thing, I don't think the final arc will necessarily be the Mordred thing, at least not in the straightforward way one might expect. This episode put the whole \"suppression of magic\" thing front and centre, and explicitly pointed out that while Arthur hasn't gone on any purges, he didn't exactly change Uther's laws either. Given what Arthur thinks he knows about everything, and Uther's death in particular, it's not surprising, but I am looking forward to seeing how they deal with the magic reveal when it does happen.
- <\/a><\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:177217","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/177217.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=177217"}}],"title":"The Amazing Spider-Man","published":"2012-07-06T23:22:01Z","updated":"2012-07-06T23:22:01Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"film reviews"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"marvel"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"spider-man"}}],"content":"*checks previous post date*
Wow, I've been neglectful with updating this thing. One of these days I should make a RL update post (I'm still here, London hasn't swallowed me up whole yet), but in the meantime, my Amazing Spider-Man thoughts:
.
-I was surprised at how much I liked this one. It's not quite the Avengers because let's face it, nothing is, but a definite improvement on the previous Spider-Man films. I wasn't a huge fan of Toby Maguire, either visually or in terms of the whole vibe he brings to the character. Andrew Garfield wasn't exactly<\/i> my Head!Peter, which was expected, because you never quite get who you pictured for a comic book character (not everyone can be RDJ, who might as well been genetically engineered to be<\/i> Tony Stark), but he came pretty damn close and what's more, he captured the character's essence. The film was much better at capturing the character's humour-Spidey is just not Spidey without the constant wisecracks.
-I liked that the plot was a very different take on the character's origins, while still referencing enough comic book canon to keep hardcore geeks happy. I'm by no means an expert on that time period in comics, as I skimmed most of the 60s era Spider-Man issues, but there were enough moments of recognition in it even for me.
-Emma Stone essentially was<\/i> Gwen Stacy. As mentioned above, I'm not super familiar with her character, but every thing about her -appearance, styling, characterisation- made her seem ripped straight out of a comic book panel. Flawless casting is flawless.
-And speaking of casting, I was slightly weirded out by aunt May and uncle Ben. Both actors did a stellar job, but I kept thinking \"What the hell are Jed Bartlett and Sally Field doing in Peter's kitchen?\" during all their scenes.
-The science continued to be silly in this one, which I suppose is unavoidable (still a step-up from \"radioactive spider\"). I did enjoy the parallels between Peter and Dr Curt Connors. I wasn't sure how tying in the Lizard to Spidey's origins was going to work onscreen, but I thought the cross-species genetic engineering thread tied their stories together nicely, especially since the spectre of Norman Osborn was never far.
-Most genius use of Stan Lee's cameo EVER!
-So I spent most of the movie waiting for Gwen to die, and being pleasantly surprised when she didn't (I guess they have to save something for the sequel and Norman's appearance). I had actually forgotten about Captain Stacy's canonical death until I saw it happen onscreen.
-Garfield and Stone have mad chemistry<\/i>. The scene where Peter grabs Gwen on his web and pulls her against him was the most sizzling big screen comics couple scene since Charles and Erik's neverending eyefucks in First Class.
-As potentially cheesy as the scene where all the crane operators helped Spider-Man, I appreciated its inclusion in the movie. As a street-level superhero, Spider-Man is a lot more likely to engage with the regular people than the Avengers or the X-Men are.
-For once, I didn't mind the 3D. If there was ever a character perfectly suited to the format, it's Spider-Man with all his swinging. The suit was perfection too, though to be fair, Spider-Man's costume is a lot easier to translate into live action without looking silly than some<\/i> superheroes *coughCaptainAmericacough* And on a shallow note, I really enjoyed the focus on Spider-Man's iconic ass (seriously, read some comics. Between the spandex and frequent spread-eagled poses, Spidey is one of the most visually objectified male superheroes, and as a female reader, I do appreciate that) <\/a>
Between this and the Avengers, this has been an excellent<\/i> summer for comics fans. Now they only need to do a decent Daredevil reboot, and my life will be complete.<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:176908","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/176908.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=176908"}}],"title":"How do I not have an icon for this yet","published":"2012-05-17T09:23:48Z","updated":"2012-05-17T09:25:15Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"the avengers"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"marvel"}}],"content":"I couldn't help myself, I saw the Avengers a second time.
-I saw it on 3D and I...can't see the big deal? I barely noticed the 3D, except I guess in the scenes where the aliens pour out of the portal into Manhattan (which is getting trashed! AGAIN! I swear to God, why don't New York residents in the Marvelverse just move<\/i>?)
-Mark Ruffalo, WHY SO AWESOME? I can't get over how much I like Bruce\/The Hulk is this. I mean, I like everybody<\/i>, but this is the one that surprised me, because HULK. Still, as much as I adore him, I bet it isn't half as much as Tony Stark does. I swear he had stars in his eyes from the moment he met him (\"Finally, someone who speaks English!\").
-Random cameos are random. I'm not sure which amused me more, Roman Grant offering Bruce a solemn diagnosis and trousers or Mr Walsh talking to the cameras about the dangers of superheroes (what would Brenda and Brandon say?).
-As badass as Maria Hill was, they could have done so much more<\/i> with the character.
-Nick Fury: still the shadiest. One of my favourite aspects of this is how they turned Nick Fury from his previous cameo\/walking advertisement for the Avengers movieverse role into the super-confident, morally dubious and all-around fabulous character all comics fans know he really is.
-Natasha\/Clint=OTP FOREVER AND EVER. The only thing I would change about them in the sequel is to have them interact more with the other team members (ok, so Clint had a pretty good excuse in the movie), but what we got of them just being...them<\/i> was excellent. I kind of want a prequel where they're both being super-professional and competent and kind of scarily efficient, except when they're alone, and they allow themselves to be raw, and exposed and just...be around each other.
-I appreciated the little moment where Clint supplies he can drive the jet, and Steve just looks at Natasha, and she gives the tiniest of nods, and THAT'S ALL STEVE NEEDS, Clint is officially in! If the geeky gods (well, ok, Whedon) are good, in the next movie we'll get plenty of Natasha\/Steve interaction, with them training and Steve trying to impart his values about not going too far in battle while Natasha is all \"So, who do you need terminated?\" The little we got in this was fantastic, especially Steve's admiring smile when Natasha was all \"Sure, I'll play a bit on-air rodeo with the scary aliens on flying bikes, it's no big\"
-Or Natasha\/Bruce, because the two clearly<\/i> need to sort through some things.
-Or Clint\/Steve, because Clint as the annoying younger brother making fun of Steve's Boy Scoutness is one of the comics elements I missed the most.
-So Bruce and Tony are basically tinkering around in one of the Stark labs RIGHT NOW, where their combined genius will either save the world or destroy it. Or maybe they'll build a near-ominpotent robot that goes evil (hey, since Hank Pym is not in the movies, someone might as well do it).
-MOAR STEVE\/TONY PLZ! (<\/a>ariadneelda<\/b><\/a><\/span> informed me that the ship name is apparently \"Stony\". Oh, fandom<\/i>!). Yes, they lack the history they have in comics canon, but one thing the movie got perfectly<\/i>, is how they can be absolutely awful<\/i> when at each other's throats (how fitting is that Tony is the only one who can bring out perfectly polite Steve's mean streak? They are both so good<\/i> at pushing each other's buttons) and how near-unstoppable they are when working together.
-Tony spent like 75% of the movie snarking on everyone, being an unapologetically (though arguably justifiably) arrogant bastard and being just the kind of character that fills me with joy (when he hacked Natasha's jet speakers and started blasting hard rock-never has douchebaggery looked so AMAZING) while all the while being acutely aware that were I to meet him IRL, I'd want to kill<\/i> him (the only exception, of course, being his scenes with Pepper, because Pepper is too brilliant to be affected by his bullshit and knows how to handle him perfectly). And then of course he has to go be all self-sacrificial, because he wanted to show Steve how WRONG he was! And after he'd be dead, they'd all be sorry<\/i> and oh my God, this basically canon!Tony, good job Joss!
-So who IS the biggest drama queen, Tony or Loki?
-Ok, it's gotta be Loki, no contest (sorry Tony!). Who continues to be a) hot as hell and b) an awesome villain (note: I said awesome, not necessarily effective<\/i>). But that's all I can personally enjoy him as, a villain, and woobie!Loki continues to perplex and bore me. I'm not doubting he feels he's genuinely been slighted-it's just hard to feel one iota of sympathy while he was plotting genocide\/enslavement, ripping people's eyeballs out and badly quoting Jamie Lannister in front of kneeling crowds (and the line was so much more better on Jamie, since in Loki's lips, it becomes literal-like duh, there are no men like him, he's an Asgardian!). Which is why every single scene of his with Thor amused me greatly, because it's like Thor thinks he's talking to fanon woobie!Loki, while actual Loki tries to explain to him how he actually hates EVERYTHING<\/i> and then exploits Thor's weakness to stab him.
-But as I said, awesome villain. I'd never tire of watching him and his OTT antics, even if he does have this unfortunate habit of stabbing characters I like (to be fair, Thor recovered. Unlike poor Coulson).
-Mind you, I could somewhat sympathise with his frustration with Thor, especially when Thor was talking about the mistakes of his \"youth\" (HAS IT EVEN BEEN A YEAR SINCE THOR'S MOVIE?). I don't doubt Thor casts a long shadow (and wide. And ripped. Why, I bet his biceps alone can block out the sun).
- <\/a>penelope_z<\/b><\/a><\/span> pointed out to be that \"Steve and Thor discover the modern world\" would make a great fic, and now I need this in my life DESPERATELY. Has it been written already? If not, WHY? I AM DISSAPOINT, FANDOM!
-So I was feeling vaguely bummed about the Avengers going in their different directions in the end instead of shacking up in a mansion, but then I saw Tony and Pepper pouring over plans inside a half-destroyed Stark Tower and the giant \"A\" outside and OH YES. IF THIS IS GOING WHERE I THINK IT IS, I APPROVE.
-In conclusion, Whedon > everybody <\/a><\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:176717","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/176717.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=176717"}}],"title":"Game of Thrones","published":"2012-05-08T22:41:36Z","updated":"2012-05-08T22:41:36Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"game of thrones"}},"content":"I'm finally<\/i> caught up on GoT.
-The second series has more deviations from the books that the first, which makes sense: the first book was the most traditional in terms of storytelling format, and while I adore every single one of the books that followed, there are elements in them that don't necessarily translate well on TV (one bazillion new characters, a lot of time spent on specific locations and on things being very miserable, characters spending half the book trying to get somewhere and getting sidetracked by disaster along the way). Every single change has been a smart move without once detracting from the spirit of the books-in fact, some were an improvement.
-And speaking of improvement, having Tywin and Arya interact was GENIUS. I could watch a show just about the two of them, forever and ever.
-Failing that, I could watch a show only involving people slapping Joffrey (even Cersei joined in the fun this season, but Tyrion remains the Slapmaster General). On the topic of Joffrey, I can't decide if the series managed to make him even more repulsive than he is in the books, or if it's just the effect of seeing it and the actor's (stellar) performance. It's possible that I repressed a lot of the viler incidents in the books.
-I've found that in general, they've actually dialed back some of the more horrific book violence (which makes me wonder how they'll adapt some events from later books without going straight into horror territory), but what we do get...yikes. The last episode alone, between Ser Rodrick's beheading and the whole King's Landing scene was very<\/i> hard to watch.
-Dany's storyline seems the most changed, what with the Surprise Dragon Abduction. I'm interested to see where they'll go with it.
-My thoughts on casting this season: Brienne is PERFECT. The fact they managed to find an actress that size is impressive in itself, and that they styled her in a way to make her appear as plain as possible even more so. Stannis looks exactly like an evil accountant, which is so appropriate and Davos has the right combination of honest face\/ \"common\" features. Melissandre must have been tricky to cast, but I approve of the sheer OTT evilness of her and her fierce<\/i> wardrobe.
-Oh look, Robb met a nice girl. I'm sure that will go so well<\/i>.
-Margaery, you are the queen of my heart! <33333 I didn't really get into her character in the books, mostly because we only usually saw her through the eyes of characters who, er, might not necessarily hold her in the highest<\/i> regard, but she was pretty bamfy on the show, from her casual attitude towards the whole Renly\/Loras thing, her conversation with Littlefinger and, of course, \"I want to be The Queen\" (get in line, sister).
-Theon is every bit the asshole he is in the books, but now that I'm not too busy being surprised\/appaled at his action, I find him more interesting to watch. The way the actor plays him like a petulant teen perpetually on the edge of a tantrum (in a much less psychotic way than Joffrey though) is very appropriate, since every single action of Theon is motivated by a dangerous complex of an inferiority complex and an over-inflated sense of his importance. I cheered when Asha, sorry, \"Yarra\" owned him.
-Jaqen is hot. That is all.
-Peter Dinklage continues to be a God among actors. Undoubtedly this is a season\/book of great moments for Tyrion, but there's something about his snarky delivery that elevates every single one of his scenes to another level. <\/a><\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ishtar79:176423","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/176423.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/ishtar79.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=176423"}}],"title":"Avengers review","published":"2012-04-29T16:45:24Z","updated":"2012-04-29T17:32:17Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"the avengers"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"marvel"}}],"content":"OMG THAT WAS SO EPIC I WANT TO LIVE INSIDE THE MOVIE FOREVER AND EVER!
Ahem. But seriously, bravo, Joss, and to all the Whedon doubters: neener, neener!
-There was so much I loved about the movie, I don't even know where to begin, but one thing that especially stood out at me: pacing. Somehow, it hit just the right balance between establishing the situation, giving each character their moment to shine, and doing the big conflict and resolution, and never once did you feel that the plot was a random collage of separate stories. I loved that they took their sweet time even showing us all the characters: other directors might have chosen to assemble the Avengers in the first half hour, and then spend the rest of the movie in drawn-out battles, and the result would have been far inferior.
-And of course Whedon is famous for his witty dialogue, but he was thankfully economical with the quips and using them to their maximum impact, without the characters ever sounding like the cast of Buffy (I can't decide on my favourite line, though \"He was adopted\" and \"I watched you sleeping\" are way up there).
-The characters were all an improvement upon existing movie characterizations, or in cases like Natasha, Clint and Bruce, a significant expansion\/rewrite. I was a bit sceptical about SJ as the Black Widow going in (especially since most of her trailer scenes consisted of \"standing around looking fabulous in skin-tight leather\"), but she was absolutely phenomenal in this. I appreciated how she could play her opponent like a fiddle, and her manipulation of Loki, though foreshadowed by her initial scene with the Russian gangster, was truly a thing of beauty. Also, I ship Natasha\/Clint forever (their chemistry was a nice nod to their comic book backstory). And as much as I enjoy Norton in general, Ruffalo's Banner\/Hulk was the best screen adaptation of the character (though the Mighty Avengers Hulk comes pretty close). You could feel both Ruffalo's genius, social dysfunction and constant suppressed rage, and the Hulk was just...FUN. Clint was fantastic, of course. With a slightly rougher edge than comics Hawkeye (though it really depends on what era we're looking at), but he still retained that snarkyness that makes him so special.
-I liked Loki a lot better in this than in Thor. The actor is always fantastic, but him dealing with humans as opposed to his brother exclusively made him seem like a genuine threat as opposed to a little boy having a tantrum. Also, the dark circles under the eyes were making him seem way hotter.
-TONY! If possible, he came off as even more of a narcissistic ass than in the IM movies, but man did he ever do it in style. I'm glad Paltrow agreed to do her small appearance, as Tony\/Pepper makes all things better, and it was good to have somebody <\/i> in the movie actually like Tony. Of course, this being Joss, the dysfunctionnal, narcissistic, morally dubious genius had his Big Damn Hero moment, but I like how much they downplayed the aftermath.
-Steve referring to Tony as Mr Stark=so IC and a brilliant reference to the early days of Steve thinking Iron Man and Avengers benefactor Tony Stark are two different people. I loved his general...Steveness, from being uncomfortable with his legend status, being the ultimate man out of time (he was SO PROUD to get that Wizard of Oz reference) and ultimately being all about Doing The Right Thing.
-Ok, so the Steve\/Tony slashiness was rather scarce (if anything, there were some serious Tony\/Bruce vibes), but it makes sense considering they lack the shared history. The antagonistic banter was plenty fun though.
-THOR! My adorable, oversized puppy who still wants to believe in his brother (\"He was adopted\"-HA!) despite everything. I liked that they remembered Jane Foster, despite Natalie Portman not being in the movie. Also, I would watch an entire buddy movie on the hijinks of Thor and Hulk.
-Samuel L. Jackson finally got to give us a proper performance as Nick Fury, and it was BADASS. I like that they remembered Fury is a shady motherfucker, and I knew that speech about Coulson was pure manipulation even before Maria pointed out that bit about the cards.
-MARIA HILL IS ON MY SCREEN, MY LIFE IS COMPLETE. She was so good at barely disguising her contempt for the Capes, I almost forgot to wonder what Robyn from HIMYM was doing in the Hellicarrier.
-Aw, Agent Coulson, we hardly knew ye. Given that they made him the ultimate fanboy in this, between this and a certain Serenity moment, I wonder what Joss is trying to tell us. <\/a>
WHEN IS THE SEQUEL OUT ALREADY?<\/a>"}]}