Marvel, DC, 3D, Whoopee

Hello, are you alright?

So, another post then hey!?!?!?  My second in, erm, two days (well, two night shifts I think)...  I don't remember - I'm getting on! :-/

Well, after the previous one was very much a serious piece, I thought that I would just see where I end up going this time!

I have actually seen the film Avengers: Age of Ultron twice now.  Yes, twice!

The first time I went to see it I was really tired and I wanted to fit it in while Louise was at work, so after walking her to work I went to see it in 3D.  I sort of wish that I hadn't really.  Firstly, I disagree with it costing so much more money than standard 2D.  Secondly, it's probably just me, but I actually found that it strained my eyes to watch it.

The second time I went to see it was almost a fortnight later.  I went to see it with Louise this time, and it was in 2D instead.

The thing is that everyone's opinion of films is different, because each person is different.

I've been a fan of writer/director Joss Whedon's work for a while now, starting with the television series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and then through the series' Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse.  I also really liked the film Serenity, except for a couple of bits, but then I'd be spoiling the film for those who hadn't seen it, as the couple of bits are things that happen towards the end.

The Avengers, spies not superheroes!

I absolutely loved the first Avengers film, which was called Avengers Assemble in the UK to differentiate it with the very English television The Avengers featuring the character of John Steed and others that changed over the years doing cool spy type of stuff.

When I was a kid (and still now if I am being honest), I watched superheroes on the television such as Spider-Man, Batman, and many more.  I saw the first Christopher Reeve Superman film at the cinema when I was ever so tiny (I still am I suppose), and I really loved comics! :-)

Justice League of
America, April 1982

I tended to read other people's superhero comics such as Spidey, as all that I could afford was the occasional purchase of the Beano or Dandy comics.  Usually there were a couple of people at school who bought Spidey comics, but occasionally they would buy other stuff such as Avengers stories, and even DC's Justice League of America series a few times.

What can I say, I like this sort of thing.  If I had to make a choice though, I'd tend towards the Marvel side of things!

Ooh, what's Eric Clapton reading on this album cover?

So, Age Of Ultron then?

There was one heck of a lot going on, and in a way it was a lot for the amount of time the film lasted!

In some ways, I think that the running time was a problem with the piece, because there was a lot to fit in there, and in a way it sort of seemed rushed, especially the creation of Ultron itself, which was done montage-style.  It seemed like very little time had passed that they were working on it, or perhaps that was just me?

If truth be told, I think that I might have expected too much after the wonder of Guardians of The Galaxy (a film that Louise hated - everyone's different because it's one of my favourite films of all time) and Winter Soldier (Louise couldn't keep track of that one).  I was so taken in by them, especially the script for Winter Soldier, that my expectations were incredibly high!

However, I think the film was good, and I would happily watch it again, even if it did go ten to the dozen, and I ended up missing stuff for that reason!  I will watch it again anyway, because I'm going to end up owning all of the Marvel films because, to me, Marvel rock!

I didn't pick this picture just so I
could check out Scarlett Johansson...
Really! :-)
Totty for the ladies with Mr Evans!

I think there was a lot that they had to get into the film to get the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) to where it should be for the next series of films!  That's why, to me, it almost seemed like the people behind the film had been given a sheet of paper with bullet points on, and they were to work according to those.

That happens in franchises anyway, as we all know!

Bond... James Bond...

It happened with the James Bond films where Casino Royale led into Quantum Of Solace, which in itself led into the story of...  Oh, no it didn't.  Oh well.  Well, maybe one day well find out how that story finishes?

It just made the Avengers film very much a rushed feeling to my mind.

Like I said though, I enjoyed it enough to go back to it again and again.

Now I am really psyched about next year's Captain America: Civil War, which seems like an Avengers film as well really, considering that the story is based on the premise of registering superheroes, with Captain America and Iron Man on completely different sides of the argument.  Cap believes that there shouldn't be registration, and Iron Man thinks that there should be.  They end up battling against each other seriously with different superheroes joining whichever side they agree with, whilst at the same time there is an actual big bad out there doing stuff - it could all be so very cool!  If they get the balance right!  I think that they will, because the Russo brothers (the directors) did a really good job with the political thriller styling of Winter Soldier, but then there's that BIG cast to cater for at the same time!  A really big job there!  We shall see...

Thank you for reading, please take care.

PS - I am so sorry that Joss Whedon has made the decision to leave Marvel, because I think that he has been incredibly invaluable to them.

The democratic right

It's been a while since my last online epistle, so here goes...

The world keeps on turning.  This ball we call Earth cyclically spins on an axis bringing us night and day, rain or shine, love and hate, rich and poor... Erm... Yeah...

So with that, we live an almost symbiotic relationship with all of existence. As the world ages, so do we.  An unfortunate, or perhaps fortunate, truth.  Who would want to live forever really?

Okay, moot point.  I'd probably not mind it I suppose.  

Where am I going with this?  I really don't know!  I just thought I'd get philosophical on you, but I've probably ended up looking like a "right dafty"?

This country, England, Britain, whatever you want to call it, had an election yesterday (Thursday 7th of May 2015) - some people are happy, and some aren't. That's just a facet of the thing we call democracy.

I'm not going to speak about my political leanings, because I don't want to really.  I did vote, but what I voted for is my own personal business!  I think a few people would guess where my allegiances lie, but that's me!

Despite some saying because of it that "nothing's changed", that's not really true to be honest!

Unlike other countries, we have a democratic process.  It's by no means perfect, and I don't actually think it's the right representation of what people vote for, but it's a form of democracy!

In a good number of other countries they have no choice!  They just have a singular regime that leads their nation, occasionally with "an iron fist", and I don't mean the comic book character called Iron Fist (yes, that is a true character)!

So, we have that right to be able to choose, unlike many others, as I've said. To place a cross against your choice, and to choose from your heart, not to be bullied or to follow the herd. Your choice!

The 35% of people who didn't vote made a decision not to vote.  That was their decision!  However, and here's where there may be some backlash, that WAS the wrong decision!!!

Those who don't vote are basically saying that to have a choice is something that those who died and gave their lives for the democratic right had wasted their time!

Would they rather we be governed by an undemocratic regime?

Now don't get me wrong...  Not all of those countries without a democratic process are bad!  Some are great, because they have a good governing body, but I'm just saying that people fought for the democratic right, and if you don't vote, then you are saying that those lives, their time, and all that they were was meaningless.

How dare you!

Thank you for reading, please take care.

Friday May 8th 2015 (44 years, 5 months, and 12 days old).