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Blog for author Gloria Oliver. Postings on anything and everything including movies, books, conventions, life, what have ya. Come visit me at www.gloriaoliver.com
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WHOFest was this past weekend so this will be a quick one!
Wish me luck! Work's been CRAZY!
Morning!
Grimm Fandango
Rubacava - Year 1
Cruise Ship carrying off Mecha! Nooo!
Asking the Captain for help!
Lots of the city to see!
Blue Casket Hotel - isn't she pretty?
Elevator from the Hotel. Going up the stairs there take you back to Calavera's. :)
Police HQ and Morgue. Love the building! Looks like a ship, no?
The Morgue - the plant riddled corpses are increasing. Not good.
Blimp currently docked at Rubacava.
Tower with security checkpoint for the blimp.
Blimp security station. Got to do some fast talking and funky puzzle solving. :P
Entrance to the Cat Races Coliseum. (Down the tower instead of up.) Neat looking place. :)
View down into the Coliseum.
Hope you have an awesome Sunday!
Going to be a wet week down in Texas!
Fan Fun
For Kaiju fans! Godzilla Resurgence trailer - something looks very wrong with Godzilla. Eek! (Japanese title looks like Shin Gojira - so possibly it is Twin Godzilla?)
Morning!
Final Fantasy XIVThanalan
Mining and tinkering camp. It's where we learn a little about crystals and tuning them. Still not something I've done a lot with.
My daughter loves these! Giant, chubby, baby chocobo! Hee!
Vesper Bay
Different angle on the main courtyard.
The Waking Sands
Scions of the Seventh Dawn
Within Vesper Bay lies the Waking Sands. It is the head quarters for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn - unaffiliated group trying to help the entire planet. This is their current leader, Minfilia.
Preserved staff from one of the previous leaders of the group. He was lost during the calamity.
Pulled back view of the head office of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.
Traitor to the planet.
This warrior race is trying to summon back one of the Primals. Elemental deities that take over the minds of those around them. Eek!
They are summoning the Primal!
Magnificient, no? His name is Ifrit.
The eager worshipper. Heh heh.
The Primal speaks!
He is darn scary looking! Dang!
We're expecting a ton of rain today! Stay dry!
Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, and more.
Directed by: Jon Favreau Screenplay by: Justin Marks Based on the Novels by: Rudyard Kipling Cinematography by: Bill Pope Music by: John Debney
Premise: When the tiger, Shere Khan, finds out the wolves are protecting Mowgli, a man cub, he gives an ultimatum - give him the child to kill or he will kill other jungle denizens until his will is met. Trying to protect his jungle family, Mowbli leaves with his protector, the panther named Bagheera, who plans to take the boy to a man village where he can be safe from Shere Khan. The ruthless tiger, however, has other plans. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: The film has a lot of well known actors doing the voices for the animals. All the choices fit quite well. Scarlett Johansson was fabulous as Kaa - she gave the boa constrictor just the right amounts of sexy-scary. Lovely voice during her song as well.
Bill Murray was a great choice for Baloo - he created a lovely impish tone for the character. :) Another fun matchup was Christopher Walken as King Louie - especially when he breaks out in song! lol. Lovely performance.
2) Special Effects/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: The Disney-Pixar team did a great job on the look and feel of the film. The jungle and its different areas felt real and so did the animals. The creatures moved as their real counterparts would and even made their mouth movements look quite natural. Mowgli, the only real person in the film, was seamlessly woven into tapestry created for us with the CGI animation. Nice work!
While some of the animals represented were from familiar species, the animators also brought in many unfamiliar ones as well. Watching the movements and habits of those new species proved quite fascinating!
I totally loved what they did for Kaa and King Louie. Kaa was mesmerizing and the animators came up a lovely way to emulate and make sinister the snake's hypnotic gaze. Loved how they then took it and swirled the reality of the red flower to show the audience a glimpse into Mowgli's past. King Louie was huge! The detail on the orangutan was amazing. And wait till you see him move!
There's a nice bit of fun during the closing credits. (And more Christopher Walker singing! lol.)
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: It's been a very long time since I've seen the Disney's original animated version of the Jungle Book. I don't believe I ever read the series the film is based on - so definitely can't add any opinions from that angle. But for those who grew up with the 1967 animated version, I think you'll be quite pleased - especially as they actually redid several of the songs from the original.
The film starts you out with action to try to create a sense of urgency but since the audience doesn't yet know any of the characters, it didn't seem to come across exactly as intended. No real surprises in the beginning part of the film and despite several tense or dangerous situations, the film didn't really take off for me until we meet Kaa. Totally adored the whole scene in that part of the jungle. And then matters picked up again once Baloo comes on the scene.
Multiple themes play during the film - family, belonging, being accepted for who you are (or despite what you are), the fact that despite each others's differences some of them can also be strengths.
My only true complaint was the typical superfast return effect sometimes used in plots. Though it took days to get to where Mowgli ended up (and the fact he got there on ox back and river speed travel), when the time comes form him to come back - he made it in super record time. The something he decided to take along back with him, wouldn't have lasted that long a trek. You'll see. Still, overall it, the point is easy to overlook. The film was definitely enjoyable.
Conclusion: If you're a fan of the old animated film, you'll find plenty to like and lots to feel nostalgic about. (Bear necessities will follow you home!) Yes, they bring back several of the songs! For those who've never seen it, though, you're in for a neat treat!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
My short story "Once More With Feeling" is a finalist in the Texas Writers Journal.
All the finalists get put into a bound paperback and ebook versions of the journal every quarter for readers to enjoy and vote on. (The book has a score sheet and even a comments sheet to track what you've read!) Readers vote on the short stories at the site and the info is compiled to pick the winners for the year.
All the info on the contest and prices can be found on their
Submissions page.
Anyway - here's a snippet of "Once More With Feeling":
People walked up and down the sidewalk at the end of the quad, many talking to others who weren't there, their cell phones connecting them with those miles, states, or even countries away - all of them wrapped in their own importance, their own imaginary kingdoms, never quite aware of what was really around them.
They only desired what made sense to them, whatever helped make their safe little pockets of reality continue to exist. Normal was a lot rarer than anyone thought. But she'd learned they all liked to think they were. They liked to believe they were masters of their world, of their lives and destinies, never actually understanding how easily it could all be taken away - sometimes on a whim. Perhaps hers.
Kayla walked on to the crowded sidewalk a shark in fish rich waters. They swam past her in blissful ignorance, not deigning to understand the possibility of the danger in their midst. It was empowering. Kayla joined the heedless throng and headed north.
A rare tingle of anticipation sparked as her heels clipped along the concrete walkway in the sea of strangers. Today wouldn't be like other days. Today would see the fruition of several months' worth of planning. Today she would do something new.
You can even get a subscription to get a subscription for the trade or ebook versions to get cool Texas author stories. More info about all that and purchase links can be found
here.
Enjoy!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 4/13/2016
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Had to do a backup before upgrading the website Wordpress so now I have little time to finish this post. DOH! Time to hurry, hurry, hurry!
Look at the sky on this one! Called
Rosy Inlet - nice work Mr. Blanchette!
Happy Holi by
Rajib Singha at Earthshorts.org - such lovely colors! Lots of other cool pics at his flicker account. Very nice!
Have to run! Have a great and colorful day!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 4/11/2016
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Going to be a quick one this week. Too much stuff going on! Eek!
Have a great week!
By:
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on 4/10/2016
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Morning! Running super, duper late.
Between work and trying not to catch a cold, life has been nothing but CHAOS! Whee! (Did see "Eye in the Sky" - good movie! Just didn't get to do a review. Felt horrible Friday - suckers take 2 hours and life is FULL) :(
Grim Fandango
Rubacava
This handsome dude lives in Rubacava. Got to meet him after I fell off the cliff into the brink. :P
Thanks to his intell, I was able to give my old client news on his wife. It also landed me his old job so I can wait for Meche.
Year 1
Manny has been waiting for Meche. It has now been a year. Many things have changed.
He looks very Casa Blanca no? Heh heh. Manny now owns his own place - looks just like Humphrey Bogart. :P
View from his porch of the Rubacava and the bay.
Inside his swank apartment/office
This table here holds a secret! Flips to show a machine that let's him control the roulette table.
Floor below Manny's apartment and also entryway to the club. He has a coat checker and everything! :P
Bar and Lounge area of the club. Glottis plays some mean keys!
The Casino area of the club.
View of Manny's club entrance. Swank!
Could that be...Meche? At last!
A little birdie bringing Manny info from his rebel friends!
The plot thickens!!!
Have a restful day!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 4/6/2016
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Good morning all!
Loved the color difference between the two cloud systems. The darker one looks somewhat like something from a disaster movie. :P
A lot of whites and grays that day.
Was trying to capture the dragon. See below!
Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!!!! I could not believe it. Wished I'd been able to get it from the better angle, but I was driving. Had to snap it at the stop sign. :P
Friend gave me these for my b-day. Isn't this the cutest idea ever?
So cute!!!!!
Have a great one!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 4/5/2016
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Several months ago I got a contract from
Uncial Press for my 10K Novelette "Charity and Sacrifice"
Two rounds of edits later and I can share more info and an excerpt to wet your appetite. :)
Trapped in a loveless marriage, will Elizabeth's sacrifice to regain Robert's love be in vain?
All Elizabeth hoped to do was to rekindle the love in her marriage. Yet despite ignoring her social obligations and immersing herself in her husband's important work, somehow this only made things worse.
Her last hope is her unborn child -- a source of unrequited love to fill the void inside her. But that too is taken from her. How? Why?
Her doctor avoids her. Her husband berates her. And there are whispers -- whispers telling of things that cannot be.
Yet the more Elizabeth ignores the rumors, the more they press on her to seek the truth, so she concocts a plan to find it. To find it and hopefully exonerate both Robert and herself. To discover the reason she's lost all that's dear to her. And she will do it, even if she must venture into Whitechapel to do it.
Excerpt
"Dear, you have to eat something. Don't you want to get better?" Ada once more offered a spoonful of porridge.
Propped up with hard pillows, Elizabeth could sit at an angle. Millie, her personal maid, had come by earlier and brought her a proper dressing gown as well as a brush and pins. The proprieties must be maintained despite the tragedy. She knew Robert would expect it. And it was the only armor left to her at present.
Chastised, she opened her mouth to take the offered food, though she wasn't hungry and felt mortified to be treated like a child. A child…
Elizabeth's eyes teared up but she refused to be embarrassed further by her own weakness.
"Has he been to see you yet?" The nurse's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"To whom do you refer?" She suspected, but she wouldn't help feed the rumor mill any more than necessary.
"Lord Stainton, your husband."
Elizabeth refused to meet her gaze. "I've been sleeping a lot, but I am sure he's come. He wouldn't wake me, knowing I need the rest."
Ada's eyes widened with feigned surprise. "Oh, that could be it, couldn't it?" She fed Elizabeth another spoonful.
"He's a very busy man." Elizabeth wanted to bite her own tongue, knowing the excuse for what it was, and well aware the nurse did as well. "I've had enough, thank you."
"Are you sure, dear?" Ada leaned forward as if to feed her again, except she left the spoon in the bowl. She stared intently at Elizabeth, her next words voiced in a whisper. "There are things you should know that you've not been told."
Elizabeth's eye twitched. The hollow hole inside her pulsed with need and apprehension. She presumed he was receiving news of her condition from the nurses as well as using them to pass on his orders.
Her gently worded requests for him to visit were just as gently denied. The suspicion something was being hidden from her had hardened into solid fact. Yet she still possessed no information.
To be forced to gain it from the likes of Ada … Everything that ever poured from the woman's mouth was suspect. She'd watched her long enough to learn that much.
But how else was she to even glean a hint as to what was being kept from her? "Is that so?"
Ada leaned forward a little more. "I could get in trouble sharing what I know." The nurse smiled at her, expectation tightening the lines on her face. "But a token, a valuable token, would go a long way toward easing my concerns. Think of it as a bit of charity to someone less fortunate than yourself."
Charity? Extortion was more like it. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to grab her bowl and shove its contents in the old hag's face. Yet something in the back of her mind niggled at the word. It had been used in her presence recently… "I might have something at home which would satisfy you. I'll have it brought for the morrow."
Ada stood up to go. "My old heart bleeds with gratitude, milady. I'll be sure to tell you all I know, once your charity has been received."
Elizabeth clutched her blanket until her hands went numb, sure the nurse was laughing at her as she bowed her way out.
Release date of October 2016! The countdown is on! Mark Your Calendars! :P
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 4/4/2016
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A new week!
Writing Advice
Real Writers Don’t Self-Publish by Kristen Lamb. Great post looking at all the pros and cons and trying to shed information on the whole topic. Self-publishing isn't for me, but that doesn't mean it is not for others. The more choices we have, the better! :) Stop Aspiring, Start Doing by John Adamus.
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 4/3/2016
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Morning!
Final Fantasy XIV
Eastern Thanalan
Camp Drybone Area
That death smile is rather eerie. The protector now grows some very rare plants on himself.
A lovely little pond in the arid area around Camp Drybone
Ruins close to Camp Drybone
Canyons with a sunrise and a city far off in the distance. :)
Canyon looks rough! Look at all that fog.
Lovely store interior. Look at the lovely carpet! And they have more in the back. :P
Crystal formations around the Camp Drybone area. They glow at night!
An Amal'jaa Warrior - looks tough!
Inside Camp Drybone - the place was built in a depression. Handy to safeguard everyone from any harsh storms.
Upper area of Camp Drybone
Western Thanalan
Vesper Bay
A friendly face?
View from the side of the central square area.
What a lovely sunset!
Have an awesome Sunday!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 4/1/2016
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Allegiant
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Jeff Daniels, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Daniel Dae Kim, Maggie Q, and many, many more.
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Screenplay by: Noah Oppenheim, Adam Cooper, and Bill Collage
Based on the novels by: Veronica Roth Cinematography by: Florian Ballhaus
Music by: Joseph Trapanese
Premise: Though Chicago has been freed from the tyranny of Jeanine's rule, all is not well. Johanna asks Tris to step in as a leader, but Tris has other things on her mind. She desperately wants to follow the message which played after the box was opened and go outside the wall. But it won't be easy - not when Evelyn has decided no one gets to go outside the wall. Tris will find a way. And when she does, matters beyond the wall won't be quite what she expects. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Shailene Woodley and Theo James bring forth good performances as their characters continue to evolve in this third installment of the Divergent Series. Jeff Daniels is smooth and deceptive as David. Ansel Elgort gets to show more of what he's made of as Caleb starts seeing the truth of things.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects department truly outdid themselves on this one. Awesome little touches that took some of the effects to a new level.
First was the awesome work on the wasteland just outside the city. The color variations, the maze of half exposed warrens, the red rain falling from the sky; all making a truly unique tableau for the characters. The neat half leaning spires with rings (they looked super cool though we never do find out what they are!). The whole effect on the tainted area was rad.
Second was the creation sequence of the Tris' mother's memory area when Tris is submerged into it. The way things came together like falling strings and draping tarps looked fantastic. The destruction sequence of memories later on was pretty darn cool as well.
Third were the lovely Bureau of Genetics spires and later the city of Provenance. Some truly lovely work. The decontamination sequence was also really cool.
And they had so many awesome gadgets! The three disks, the wall of globes, the Director's ship - lots of new gear to love! :) And the visuals for the immersion of those using the spy globes was totally cool.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I wasn't so sure I wanted to see this film, but since I'd seen the other two, we took the plunge. I'm glad I did, as the special effects were superb. The story didn't have as many issues as the previous films (if you don't look too hard), which helped a bit. And they actually tried to get the audience up to speed at the beginning - not just drop us off in the middle of the Ocean as they did for "Insurgent".
They did hold up figurative signs screaming of what was about to happen next a time or two. This tendency Hollywood has to have huge pauses right before they kill someone off is a trend I do not understand. The deaths aren't surprising if you stretch and stretch the moment as you figuratively jump up and down so we know it's coming. If you shine such a bright light on it - we won't be surprised! Just disgusted. Duh.
A ton of questions are not answered. David speaks of how everyone must make sacrifices, as he points out the cramped quarters of the non-pure, but they never actually say why he needs all these people! (Or why a man who looks twenty, is in memories from 40 years before and looks the same, while David actually aged. For a while, I thought they might be using genetic material for clones, but nothing ever came up to explain the weirdness.)
I did like how they dressed Tris differently from the others once they were at the Bureau. Not only did it separate them by class, but it also made Tris start to resemble Jeanine.
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: The film has a number of fights, explosions, and more. Some nice Four hand-to-hand combat. And the entire wall escape sequence looked great!
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: At the beginning of the film they do a gorgeous, slow sweep of Chicago to remind the audience of the devastation of old and the true state of the city as new scars now plague it's face. With the playing of the recording from the holographic projectors on several of the buildings, it made a great backdrop for giving the audience a quick reminder of what's been going on. Kudos!
As I stated in the special effects section - the regions outside the wall were awesome! We get some super cool overhead shots of the pockmarked surface and the weird discolorations of the ground and the stagnant pools and red creeks. Truly brought home the fact the Earth has seem some super bad times in the past.
All the view shots for the Bureau and Provenance showed both places beautifully. The central building of the Bureau is utterly fascinating!
6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: Like I mentioned earlier, they did some nice subtle things with Tris' clothes for some nice subtext. They also did fabulous work on coloring the characters' hair and skin from the red rain.
The burn marks imprinted on one of the side character's face and neck were lovely. And the scars on Johanna were also well done. What I did not see, though, were deformities or sores or other issues on the faces of the people living in the fringes. Since that whole area is toxic, I would have expected more visible damage on the people living there - but they all actually looked rather healthy. :P
Conclusion: "Allegiant" makes up for a lot with the fabulous special effects and inventiveness brought to the third film in the series. Don't look too closely at the plot, and you should have a nice viewing experience. :)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/30/2016
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Morning! The weather is looking frightful for this afternoon. Eek!
Red Deer During Rutting by Dirk Manderbach at Earthshots.org. Interesting angle! You just have to look at it. Heh heh. No website for Mr. Manderbach. :(
La Haya by
Renato Lopez Baldo at Earthshots.org. Has a neat fairy tale look and feel to it, don't you think? His gallery is full of cool stuff, even National Geographic covers!
Have an awesome day!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/28/2016
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Morning!
Fan Fun
The Looking Planet - CGI Short - it's 16 minutes but well worth it. Once the boy shows up you won't be able to look away. :)
Have a great week!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/27/2016
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Rushing through this morning! Wheee!
Petrified Forest
Trying to use the street sign to discover a secret tunnel out of here.
Found it! Whoohoo!
And the key to the locked gate! Booyah!
Driving over the bone bridge out of the Petrified Forest
Freedom!
Where will the road lead?
First sign of civilization!
Rubacava
Exploring the edge of Rubacava
It's a dinner!
An ex-client!
A misstep! Eek!
Meeting someone new the hard way. Good thing Manny is already dead. :P
Have a great one!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/25/2016
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Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Callan Mulvey, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Michael Shannon, and more.
Directed by: Zack Snyder Written by: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer Based on characters created by: Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and William Moulton Marston Cinematography by: Larry Fong Music by: Junkie XL and Hans Zummer
Premise: A year and a half after the events revealing Superman to the world, there are those still trying to decide what threat this all powerful alien is to Earth. As an incident in the Arab nations suddenly brings a dark cloud over Superman's reputation, Bruce Wayne starts to believe it might be time to do something about him sooner rather than later. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Ben Affleck does a great job as an older, less trusting Batman. Henry Cavill reprises his role as the man of steel, making it look easy. Jeremy Irons brought some lovely acerbic spice to the role of Alfred. Gal Gadot was fun as Diana Prince, letting out a little of her inner Selina Kyle (Catwoman). :P Jesse Eisenberg was interesting as Lex, though the character was written a little bit too manic and psycho, giving him shades of the Joker. Amy Adams did more lovely work as Lois Lane - showing what makes her such a great reporter and friend. Holly Hunter was a hoot as Senator Finch. And though uncredited, it was lovely to see Papa Winchester (Jeffrey Dean morgan) as Thomas Wayne.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Tons of special effects fill the film. (I know - DUH!) :P We get cool lab tech, new Batman toys, and destruction galore.
The recreation of Superman's battle with Zod but done from the perspective of a frantic Bruce Wayne on the ground was some lovely work.
The battle clash between Batman and Supes was very well done and gratifying. (Even though I did want to smack them both in the back of the head.) :P
The short video clip files for the origin of Cyborg (as they move the movie franchise towards the Justice League) are totally awesome!
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Before the film started, they showed a short video where the filmmakers ask the audience to please not spoil it for anyone else by revealing secrets, plot twists, etc. Not sure what they were thinking would be all that surprising to give away (I had a good idea where all this was going and why just from the previews!), but I will attempt to not do any spoilers.
Anyone who's ever read Frank Miller's
The Dark Knight Returns miniseries will know where a lot of the material is coming from or have seen it explored before to some extent elsewhere. (Frank Miller was given credit for contributing in the film's credits - yay!) All people and beings can feel helpless, regardless of how much money or power they hold - something both DC Comic lines have played with for years. Interestingly, they included several offshoots from other miniseries/standalone graphic novels with regards to alternate timelines/realities for Batman and Superman. That was rather fun - but also a little confusing.
One thing I must point out though - Batman does NOT kill. While they did a decent job working up why he'd change his usual MO to get rid of Superman, they did nothing to show why he's suddenly killing human criminals. Guess you can't have big explosions to light up the screen without killing, so killing happened. Boo!
I found it odd too how they imbued Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor with traits from Catwoman and Joker. These two characters are plenty fascinating on their own without needing to be tweaked. And Lex might be insane, but he's more sociopathic than psycho. And making something without a way to control it? Lex? Doubtful! (We also get a complete Batman origin replay, but nothing for Supes, which seemed odd?)
The only true flaw I found, however, was in one of the most important driving pieces of the plot itself - the altercation in the desert! People there died from bullets, so how the heck does that translate into Superman killing people? If the mercenaries had come back later and altered the scene, it would have been nice for the congressional hearings to have mentioned what was found to make it look like Superman committed unnecessary slaughter - otherwise, it makes no sense at all!
But, if you ignore that, the rest works for the most part. Those who know the comics and characters well, I doubt will be that surprised by the progression of events.
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: A ton of stunts fill the film from one end to the other. CGI was thrown into the mix as well but is very well integrated with the real sets and fights. You'll grunt and hurt for them. :P
The hand-to-hand fight in the warehouse was awesome! (Even though Bats does not do guns, ya'll! (Still looked awesome though.))
5) Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Lovely cinematography work by Larry Fong. Seeing Wayne manor in ruins was creepy. Tons of overhead shots or panned back shots to really bring home the scope of the battles. And nice closeups in the middle of the chaos too.
Conclusion: Batman v Superman (Shouldn't that be vs. ? Guy in the pre-film thing said 'v' instead of 'versus' too - what was up with that?) is a fun ride full of things to think about as well as tons of action. Pay close attention to the closing scene! No extra bits during or after the credits.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again)
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/23/2016
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Energizer bunny!
New setup we tried out for AllCon. Have an extra side table to give us more room. :)
Not your typical caped crusaders. :P
Umbrella Corp Security - Japan branch. They mean business! :P
Who said skeletons can't be cool? :)
Clockwork woman! You can see her gears! Eek!
Steampunk Scottish Soldier. He looks swank!
They look serious! (Can't for the life of me remember the character's name. Wah!)
The Light and Dark sides of the Force.
She is so CUTE!
Daughter came up with this during the con. Came out Fab! Deadpool Chainmail Dice Bag. :)
Xavier and Cerebro - sweet!
Mrs. Frizzle and friend! From the Magic School Bus!
We finally remembered the pixie lights to add to the chainmail sphere. I think it looks like the Deathstar now. :)
A gaggle of Disney Villains! No one is safe!
Have a great one!
Going to be a short post today!
Okay, have a great week!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/20/2016
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Morning! Running late! Rush rush rush!
Final Fantasy XIV
Chocobo Farm outside of New Gridania. Lovely building!
Love how they built the fortified gates into the side of the stone mountain/cliff.
Such lovely architecture! So many lovely little touches. Swoon!
Inside the same building. Really lovely. All the stone carvings and metal brackets. Squee!
Are these not the cutest things EVER?! :)
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/16/2016
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Morning!
Going to be a quick post today. :)
My daughter does
chainmail jewelry. She created these two pairs this week. She's upped her game. These are made with super tiny rings! Aren't they gorgeous? Blows my mind. :)
We have a red leafed tree in our yard. It goes through a transition very fast once it flowers. It's so quick, I've missed it before. :P Thought I would share three different moments from 2016 so you can see what it does. I LOVE the cute little blossoms. :)
The in between stage - half flowers half leaves.
The final stage - mostly leaves. :) And all this before spring is even officially here!
Have an awesome day!
This upcoming Thursday through Sunday
ChibiChains and I will be at AllCon!
Here's a little info on what AllCon is about:
Imagine a 4-day festival where a person could sample and participate in the finest content that many different communities and conventions have to offer. All-Con fills the entire venue with exhibits, workshops, discussions, game shows, performances, and competitions. The selection of activities changes every hour from the start of the day until 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.
All-Con offers the core structure expected of most conventions. The vendor room and exhibit halls have 80 booths and tables.
With over 300 different choices to offer in one weekend, All-Con has a set of headlining features around which the convention is constructed each year. Thursday is our free day, open to the public. The traditional Cosplay competition and Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow casting performance are Friday. Saturday has a ball jointed doll mini-con, Ms. Star Wars pageant, Maid contest, Texas Hold'em poker tournament, Costume contest, professional burlesque performance, and a themed dance. Sunday's signature is an overall super hero theme, ending with the Super Hero Sunday competition.
The rest of the two hundred and ninety-plus events are a combination of All-Con supplied content (like our many game shows throughout the weekend), performances hired by the convention, and a recipe of the best community run features that change year-to-year.
Featured guests this year are:
Brian Muir (created Darth Vader's original armor from Ralph McQuarrie's concept sketches)
Gigi Edgley (Chiana from Farscape)
Paul Blake (Greedo from Star Wars: A New Hope)
Chuck Huber (Dr. McCoy on Star Trek Continues and voice actor for SyFy and Cartoon Network)
Tim Lawrence (Ghostbusters I & II; puppeteer and modeler; Academy Awarded team member)
Russ Adams (Jim Henson's Creature Shop)
Neil Kaplan (Optimus Prime and hundreds more animated characters)
Michael H. Price (Founding President of Fort Worth Film Festival and owner and lead author of the longest-running film-study franchise in commercial publishing)
Marshall Barnes (global leader in time transverse technology application and currently speaking on real world mechanics for a functioning warp drive)
Payton Schmall (Cosplay Guest of honor)
Jessica Van Braun (Artist Guest of Honor)
Damsels of Dorkington (Performance Guests celebrating their 2016 reunion!)
Hope to see you all there!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/14/2016
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Another MONDAY!
Social Media/Author Platform
Pinterest Promoted Pins Open For All: This Week in Social Media by Grace Duffy at the SocialMediaExaminer. The bit about Pinterest was weird to me. The stuff has been available to me for a long time. There are bonuses for signing up for stuff early! :) Still, there's so much out there!
By:
Gloria Oliver,
on 3/13/2016
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Morning!
Haven't had a chance to play more Grim Fandango and wanted to give you a break from FF XIV, so here's pics I still hadn't shared from the TERA MMO. :)
TERA
Southerns Arun
Ostgarath
Fyrmount
Not a happy looking place, is it? :P
Neat bridge! Our white tiger mounts, Love them fuzzy wuzzies!
Crystal flowers!
That's one scary looking rock formation!
This NPC has class! Love her outfit!
Let the lava flow!
So many mouths! So many teeth!
She looks nasty too!
Closeup on the lava.
Not a friendly looking place.
Bad things have happened here. Doh!
Castanica
Some nice looking player clothing and armor. :)
Have a great day!
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