Party Toxin

A lot’s been said about toxic relationships, but I think that many people are only toxic in specific situations. Otherwise they’re good. You know? They’re like lead. You don’t want to line a reservoir with them, but when you’re getting an x-ray at the dentist’s office, you’re just going to wrap yourself up in them and get quite cozy. Yeah? Maybe lead’s just not great to bring to a party. It’s not just poisoning you. It’s also preventing you from absorbing all of that lovely party radiation. Not acceptable, lead. But maybe you’d like to go for bagels together. That could be alright.

Bonus Question! 

Eddie Brock versus Pat Mulligan. Most toxic Toxin?

Brock. Mulligan seems like a pretty decent guy.

Less Ice, Fewer Mammals, More Dinosaurs

"The Good Dinosaur" was basically like a rendition of "Ice Age" for anybody who might have balked at the high number of mammals in the older film. If you prefer cold blood in the veins of your protagonists, you should feel comfortable here. Just full of saurians.

In fairness, the mammals that do appear seem to have better hair on the whole than the ones from "Ice Age". That might be important. Hair's a key feature for mammals. It's right up there with endothermic metabolism and live progeny.

Bonus Question!

Best dinosaur of "The Good Dinosaur"?

Sam Elliott plays a cowboy tyrannosaur. I'm probably going to have to go with that.

He should've kept the moustache, though.

Loud Voices, Loud Outfits

Black Bolt had a son. A precocious princeling by the name of Ahura. I was first exposed to the dude in the pages of Mike Allred’s work with the Fantastic Four. Great costume. A lightly urban take on his father’s classic look. And that king really set a high bar for Inhuman fashion in his day.

But then the mostly mute monarch abandoned his heir to Kang the Conqueror in hopes of saving his son from an impending apocalypse. It was one of those days.

But the kid didn’t take it well, and his feelings of loss and loneliness were sculpted into resentment, loathing, and revenge by his new caretaker, who impressed himself upon the lad as a firm new father figure. Now Ahura’s striking back at his parents across time by erasing their entire race from reality. But the crime that really struck me was one of fashion.

Where he once wore the royal raiment of his true parent, he now adorns himself in attire that attests to the tastes of his villainous surrogate. That’s a steep step in the downward direction. That’s a stairway and a half.

But this stylistic sin and the comparatively minor misdemeanour of temporal genocide share a common cause. The dude’s just too dependent on the presence of a strong male role model, and he doesn’t discriminate. Good? Evil? Chic? Grotesque? He seems to lack the wherewithal to make such distinctions.

This is how monsters are made.

Bonus Question!

Best Black Bolt homage by a costume outside of comics?

Gene Simmons.

He’s honest about his inspiration.

Admittedly, he’s also appeared like that in comics, and in that format, I think that Ahura still comes out on top. I haven’t heard Ahura sing yet, though. If he inherited any of his father’s vast vocal power, he could probably stand up against the Demon there too.

Allred's Ahura

Forceful Foes

It was good. You know this. Obviously, I shall enjoy the next episode, but I think that “The Force Awakens” actually made me more excited for the next season of “Girls”.

Adam Driver probably gives my favourite performance as a villain in the entire saga. The heroic Anakin Skywalker probably wins out overall, but the fact that Vader sometimes comes off as a crippled old cyborg makes him somewhat less formidable and less flamboyant. He rarely had a chance to revel in his evil. Palpatine certainly did despite his more decrepit appearance. But Ani got some bad turns at the end of “Revenge”. Like . . . It obviously had to end in that way. There was never a question. But there was a part of me that just wanted Anakin and Obi-Wan to hug it out and continue on their galactic adventures. Otherwise, he could have just gone on as the Darth Vader he was at the start of the Mustafar ordeal. All the power of being a young, mostly intact Skywalker with the addition of shiny gold eyes! I had a similar feeling when I saw Tim Roth in that Hulk movie. It was great to see the Abomination on  the big screen, but I loved watching Roth run around and fight the Hulk as an enhanced human.

But no. Emil Blonsky had to become that monstrosity, and Anakin had to lose the rest of his limbs, his wavy, dark locks, and a fair bit of impetuous fire. It doesn’t make Darth Vader a lesser antagonist. It just makes him appeal to me less.

It’s one of the weird dichotomies of those movies. The stoic Jedi Order is primarily represented by Luke, who clearly craves adventure and excitement despite the preferences of the monastic tradition he endeavours to continue. The Sith, a philosophy that places a premium on the power of emotion, is championed by Vader, who strives to suppress his passions and gives himself over in large part to his robotic side.

Kylo doesn’t have to endure such troubles as Vader did. He’s closer to the kind of “Star Wars” fan who might not have even noticed Vader’s infirmity for all of his tenebrous grandeur. He puts his grandfather on a pedastal that should be familiar to many people who grew up with the original trilogy, and he’s desperate to live up to that reputation. But in some ways, he might be more capable of achieving it. He’s not weighed down  by unwelcome machinery. He’s not saddened by the loss of what he valued most in the world because what he values most is being what he is. Anakin fell to corruption in tragedy, but Kylo Ren’s really trying to savor the Dark Side. That’s a kind of villainy that plays more to me.

Bonus Question?

Best opening to a narrative crawl?

This one comes close, but I still think that "Revenge of the Sith" pulls ahead in this category.

War!

This Thursday!

Playing a shiny acoustic show at the Micro Time Cafe on the 14th of January. That's 25 Wellesley Street East. You know. Directly across from Wellesley Station. Convenient!

Thursday!

Failing to Awaken

I just had a recurring dream that was limited to one night. Each rendition brought distinct variations, but the general plot was the same.

In reality, my brother invited the family out to see the new “Star Wars” film. He booked the tickets in advance, and he was quite insistent against tardiness. Punctuality’s not my main suit, but I was willing to put forth the effort.

But this dream came up on the night before the viewing. Despite the fact that the movie wasn’t happening till the evening, I was incapable of leaving in time largely because I couldn’t wake up. I’m not the best at early rises, but this seemed excessive. And the dream just kept happening with all sorts of permutations. In one version, the theatre wasn’t even involved. We were watching it in my room for some reason, and I still showed up late.

However, as I write this, I’m fairly confident in my ability to get to the cinema with reasonable promptness tonight. The Force may be with me, but I’m pretty sure that I won’t even need it.

Bonus Question!

What alternative band would Kylo Ren sing for?

Pixies. Then they wouldn't have to break up after Black Francis's departure, and Kylo might not have turned evil. Music can be a good outlet for the Dark Side.

Cold Creche

Light on a leaf brings a spark of relief

To lands unattended and pale.

Let hollow terrain now swallow its pain

Neath winter's immaculate veil.

A vasty white cloak might threaten to choke 

Vitality's mote from the earth,

But there's hope to be found through the chills that surround

The seeds that precede a rebirth.

A barren disguise hides the immiment rise 

Of vibrancy's stubborn return.

It's hanging on still with the flickering will 

Of a candle's resilient burn.

Under frigid veneer, a new reign is near.

It stirs as its spirit grows strong.

Naught's fully lost in the fastness of frost,

And nothing is fallow for long.

Boho Barbarian

Strike your lips against the sky.

Shake the haze out with your cry.

Trample on in boots of suede.

Celebrate a raving raid.

Your hair's the match of any crown.

Berserker beats are bearing down.

Swing the blade of screaming style.

Whip across with whirlwind wile.

Shatter sieges with your strut

For fetes of fame and glory's glut.

Sing to bring the thunder out.

Lightning rides upon your shout.

Superfine fury's on stage.

Rage beyond bonds of the age.

Worlds Without End

There’s something about these film series that release around this time of year. For me, it probably goes back to

“The Lord of the Rings”. I seem to recall feeling vaguely odd after “Return of the King” because it marked the end of an annual tradition that had been going on for a fifth of my life. I definitely remember the unmet expectation of a cinematic sequel to “The Golden Compass”. I don’t think that I even fully realised that it wasn’t getting one for a year or two. In retrospect, I’m not too disappointed, for that first novel was the trilogy’s high point for me anyway. Peter Jackson’s recent return to Middle­-earth with his tripartite adaptation of “The Hobbit” obviously brought the feeling back in force, which is just another reason for acceptance of its arguably grandiloquent expansion of the relatively brief book upon which it was based. 

The impending arrival of a new “Star Wars” triogy, moved to the holiday season from the springtime debut that its predecessors favoured, brings this to mind. But all of those ended. Even “Harry Potter”, which lasted for most of a decade and popularised the strategy of splitting final books into multiple films, ended eventually. But Disney makes the big plays. They have plans, and they own “Star Wars” now. They’re not just planning to turn the venerable space opera into a Christmas tradition for a few years. There’s no reason for it to stop, and in their hands, it actually will go on forever. It’s rather heartening. 

And now I’m also putting this beside the imminent arrival of a “Harry Potter” spinoff movie and thinking about what this could mean for it and other franchises. Like . . . I’d never fight against the creation of more good stuff. Things like those split adaptations and the rise of cinematic universes attest to a growing willingness to draw from these vast reservoirs, but right now it’s starting to seem as though some of the faucets may never turn off.

Bonus Question! 

Lightsaber of the week? 

If you need an extra dose of fantasy in your space opera, this'll bring a pleasant touch of Middle-earth to that old, distant galaxy. An elegant weapon from a different civilised age.  And it doesn't even need orcs around to glow!

Preceding Evenings

I just saw "The Night Before". In part, it's an exploration of one dude's desire to relive his supposed roseate past with his friends. But when the film flashed back to that earlier, ostensibly halcyonic era, the only thing that seemed better was the hair. Maybe he was subconsciously yearning for his quondam coif. For friends who bravely bearded the bounds of fashion to do intriguing things with their facial follicles. That wouldn't be the worst moral. Don't get trapped in nostalgia. Just get a better barber.

 

Bonus Question!

Best night before a thing? That one before Christmas.

Less Dangerous Hands

I woudn’t readily say that “Pan” was a film I explicitly craved, but the guy who thought that mixing fairy tales with the sensibilities of “Moulin Rouge!” was a good idea could easily be an acquiantance I’d enjoy making. The thing even opened around a diegetic rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by a crowd of pirates, which is doubly welcome for

being the best song from the Lurhmann film to be conspicuously absent from both of its soundtracks. I’ll admit that featuring a dude named Hook who has no hook on his person feels almost like having a Wolverine without claws. In fairness, my favourite performance in the movie came from Hugh Jackman, whose keratin deficiency here includes 

his scalp in addition to his declawed hands. But any lack of ferocity or follicle is easily balanced by sheer flamboyancy.

Bonus Question! 

Best song that wasn't excluded from both of the "Moulin Rouge!" soundtracks?  

 "Lady Marmalade". That cover is also my preferred version of the song.

Superspy Science

I was watching “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”  again, and the biggest emphasis on this episode’s technology was placed around its battery life. There’s a finite amount that can be done at this point to distinguish fictional communication devices from reality’s smartphones and the like, and charge duration seems to be one of a few qualities that tells people that they’re not actually living in old science fiction

That probably contributes to the decreased focus on outlandish technology in the newer Bond films too. At least he still has car missiles, though. Or he would. He just happened to be out of ammunition in this one.

Bonus Question!

"Why does a man choose the life of an assassin?" "Well, it was that or the priesthood."

In either case, you can get a biretta. 

Extra Bonus!

How was it?

It's probably my favourite of the Craig saga.

Orchid Jams

I love the opening of Ram Jam's "Black Betty". I'm less enthusiastic about the rest of the song, and I often stop listening after the prelude when it happens to play on my phone. But I just realised that The White Stripes' "Blue Orchid", which has a similar sort of beginning, delivers a kind of experience that the introduction of "Black Betty" might have implied in my imagination. Now I'm thinking that I don't even need the Ram Jam track in my library anymore.

But I'm keeping "All for the Love of Rock N' Roll". Something about shoes.

Bonus Question!

Best Betty? All of them.

Scarwalker

The two currently extant "Star Wars" trilogies contain intentional points of resonance that serve to strenthen the bonds between the halves, but another tie, imperfect and possibly inadvertent, just occurred to me.

Mark Hammill was involved in some accident after the shooting of his first film in the saga, and this left him with some facial scarring that was apparently beyond an efficient solution by the makeup department of "The Empire Strikes Back". Instead of ignoring it or allowing the audience to assume that some random altercation had damaged Skywalker's demeanour, the script was modified to explicitly explain the changed face. That's the reason for that encounter in the beginning with the Abominable Snow Monster of the North.

Hayden Christensen was not visibly injured between the filming of his two "Star Wars" movies, but Anakin shows up in the latter with a distinct scar that gets no cinematic explanation. As Luke's could have been in a world without that beast battle on Hoth, this was the result of a battle outside of the movies. It just seems mildly odd to explicitly address one actor's slight disfigurement with an entire sequence in the story and then deliberately add one to the character's son without similar narrative focus.

And that's quite charming. 

Bonus Question! 

Best Scar? Jeremy Irons. 

Dynamo Love Style

You know that thing I do where I wander through the universe and naturally attract lovely phenomena? Well, here’s the result of a recent occurence.

Someone stopped me on the street, and now I'm the soundtrack for her most excellent workout video!

Bonus Question!

Where do they get all those wonderful clothes?

More from the video’s featured fashion line can be found at http://www.designerfate.com. Maybe you want to get some new pants or something?

Wand of Trudoom

I don’t really pay attention to politics? But I did notice that Justin Trudeau got elected on Monday. Maybe it was bolstered by the dude’s ability to strike a photogenic figure, but when I picked up this week’s issue of Bendis’s new Iron Man series, which features the return of Doctor Doom, I couldn’t avoid thinking that its rendition of Victor’s freshly flawless demeanour made him look like Justin.

This is not a staff of office.

But Doom didn’t just lose his scars and his mask. Apparently, the quondam monarch of Latveria also lost control of his country just as Trudeau won leadership over his. Point to Trudeau? I guess? I can’t really imagine many scenarios in which Trudeau could beat Doom, but I suppose that this qualifies. The only other one that might come close would be a match between Doom and Trudeau’s favourite comic character, who happens to be the Hulk. But that’s by proxy. And it’d be a tough call even then. Still, it’s Trudeau’s week. No grudge.

Bonus Question!

Doom versus Trudeau in a drama battle?

Trudeau was a drama teacher. Doom exudes drama. I'd generally tend to give the win to the doctor, but I think that a real drama student might actually lose marks for acting like that. This one's open to interpretation.

Savory Sense

Rap me in your sly embrace.

Entrap with trances, glee, and grace.

A frosty moon that rises soon

Shall dance with summer's final trace.

Spice the scents that stain the skies.

Entice with tricks and shifty sighs

Quiescent tones that chill the bones

Lie deep within candescent cries.

Seize me with a sultry breeze.

Exult before the season flees.

Assault my sight with stubborn light

That warmly wards off future's freeze.

Subtly have the shadows massed.

Their young domain is cool and vast.

Maintain your grasp through autumn's rasp

And hold your heat unto the last.

Sedaris and the Spider

I just read the first issue of that new Spider-Man series I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in the context of its thematic resonance with Iron Man, and it did turn out to feature Peter Parker's jocular acceptance of the epithet "a poor man's Tony Stark". But he did make a point of wearing cheaper suits. Though he was in his civilian guise at the time, I suppose that that would apply to his superhero attire too. 

I've been watching a few episodes of this one show and vaguely noticing that one of the stars was someone I recognised. During the last one, I discovered that she was Amy Sedaris, which led me to think, "Huh. Apparently, I enjoy Amy Sedaris". This was news to me. Then she surprised me again by making a guest appearance on a different show I watched right afterwards.

Anyway, enjoy your bird meats!

Bonus Question! 

Best stranger with candy? Mr. Biscuits. 

Of Hawks and Hunters

I just caught this season's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." premiere. It continues to improve, and it seems to be doing so in some especially obvious ways now. The focus on the whole Inhuman phenomenon is pleasing. This also serves to contribute to a tone that's distinct from the fantastical feel of the Marvel films and the ground level of the Netflix branch of this franchise that "Daredevil" has owned with such aplomb.

As the program continues to banish blandness, stronger personalities come to the fore. Fitz is focused on attaining a different type of awesomeness, and the venerable comic character Mockingbird is now apparently a mainstay. While her partner Lance Hunter takes his name from a figure of less renown, he feels more like a representation of the comics' Hawkeye than Renner's somewhat stoic persona, which contributes to a growing resonance between the show's atmosphere and that of its source material. I did recently have a dream in which Renner featured, though. The details aren't too clear, but I awoke with the idea that he'd probably make a decent Wildcat in a DC film. But I don't think that he even got the chance to play that role in the dream. 

The choice of the "Lance Hunter" name still seems slightly odd. It has a rough and reckless sort of charm that feels better for this character than it does for the less roguish depiction that originally appeared in the comics, and it certainly has a stronger ring than "Clint Barton". That's not a particularly dull name, but if it hadn't already been given to Hawkeye, it could easily go to a less adventurous type of gentleman. Actually, I could imagine an owner of that name who looked like Jeremy Renner. He wouldn't really be the kind of person that Renner generally plays. He'd just be a guy on the street with a Renner face and a name that did nothing to add to his appeal.

But here's the thing. While "Lance Hunter" sounds pretty great, the actor's name is even better. "Nick Blood" feels like the appellation of an adventurer a Lance Hunter would idolise. He could've just kept it for the show. Like Bernie Mac on "The Bernie Mac Show". Or something. "Bernie Mac" is a decent name too, but its attributes are perhaps less suited here. 

Bonus Question! 

Best hawk? Tobias. 

Do Whatever Some Iron Does

Brian Michael Bendis was the writer who made me want to read Spider­Man comics. It was fairly early in the run of his original "Ultimate Spider­Man" series when I saw an issue at some big hardware store or something on an errand run with my father. I didn't generally gravitate towards the Ultimate comics or any of Spidey's various books on my trips to the comic shop, but this one nestled neatly among the magazines by the cash desk on a completely unrelated excursion. I wasn't going to turn down a bonus comic.

I don't think that Peter even appeared as Spider­-Man in the issue. He was just talking to Mary­-Jane for most of it. But something about the writing style rapped me hard. When I finally started to pay a bit of attention to the names of the people who were making the comics in later life, Bendis's easily secured a place of prominence in my mind.

And now he's writing Iron Man's new series. That seems appealing. But it's also amusing now, for the latest Peter Parker volume, with which Brian has nothing particular to do, seems to be pushing its protagonist into a Tony Stark role. It's got a focus on Pete's giant science corporation, his adventures around the world, his gadgetry, and his celebrity status. And as Spider­-Man acquires all of these aspects that are traditionally associated with Iron Man, Bendis's run on the latter character is set to prominently feature Mary­-Jane. Decent trade? 

Bonus Question! 

Best iron? Sky.