Accio Clever Harry Potter Title

After a bottle of wine, more cheesecake than the average person should consume in a sitting, and  several hours of watching early 2000's Degrassi episodes, my dearest friend Ashley and I decided we should light up sparklers and take pictures in my back yard.  In our minds we thought, let's use a long exposure on my digital camera and take pictures of us recreating one of the many epic wand duels from the Harry Potter films.

Here's what we thought we would look like.

Here's how we actually looked.

 

It's pretty plain to see though, that while I am playing Deathly Hallows on the right, Ashley (left) was playing Chamber of Secrets and pretending that she had Ron Weasley's broken wand.

My wonderfully patient fiance Paul was also with us in the drive way playing.

He was just trying to create a "P" though.    

All of our wand working got me to thinking that it is truly devastating that I no longer have a Harry Potter midnight premiere to countdown to, plan an outfit for, and attend. 

Exhibit A from the Half-Blood Prince:

 
I was also thinking that the Harry Potter series is kind of like my Star Wars.  Whoa, hold up, hear me out here and let me explain what I mean.  It's an epic geek pop culture phenomenon that has changed my life, much like Star Wars has done for many people a generation older than myself.  For example, Star Wars had such a large impact on the likes of Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green that those influences can be seen woven into several episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, and Robot Chicken.

It has really shaped who I am as a person.  In my opinion, it allowed me to finally come out of my Geek closet and into the light, exposing who I am to the whole world.  A girl who likes red-headed Weasley's, wizardry and whomping willows.  It has helped me to create a tight knit group of Potterhead friends who totally get why I named my cat Bellatrix, or why it was so important that I get my hands on the San Diego Comicon exclusive Neville bust.  For that, and for J.K. Rowling's brilliant mind, I am very thankful.

The One About The Dark Knight

First and foremost, I want to say how saddened I am by the event in Aurora, Colorado this past Friday morning.  My heart just breaks for the victims and their families involved in such a senseless act of violence.  I'm disgusted by the terror and sadness that Holmes has caused this nation, marring what should have been a fun night out for all of those involved.

Second, I would like to apologize for any grammatical errors.  My Mac has decided to take a siesta on me, so I'm doing this from my Droid. 

So, as to my thoughts about The Dark Knight Rises.  It was okay.  I didn't hate it by any means, but it also wasn't my favorite Batman film by far.  I do think that the casting was fantastic.  I wasn't convinced that Anne Hathaway was the right choice for Catwoman before seeing the movie.  I tend to picture her as the awkward uncoordinated Mia Thermopolis of The Princess Diaries.  I was pleasantly surprised, though she doesn't fill the shoes of Michelle Pheiffer, who played Catwoman in 1992 in Batman Returns (a personal favorite of mine actually), but she performs better than I had initially assumed.  Tom Hardy, though difficult to understand on occassion, was a fantastic choice for the role of Bane, the "Man Who Broke The Bat."  I'm glad they chose for him to wear the costume he did, rather than gross sleeveless spandex which he typically wears, though I wouldn't have minded to see his muscles a lil more.

On the topic of cast members, did anyone else think that Christian Bale looked terrible?  I know that he was supposed to have aged in the film, but his sunken eyes made him look ancient.  I'm just not keen on him as a person really.  Sure, he fulfills the role of Bruce Wayne fine and well, but I hear he's a bit of a hot head and that's not okay in my book.  Bale's former publicist had to be treated for post-traumatic stress disorder due to his temper tantrums.  People who are difficult to work with automatically lose my respect.

Enough about the casting, back to the film itself.  I was really expecting to have my socks blown off.  The first time I saw the trailer for TDKR, I had immediate goosebumps and my heart pounded out of my chest, much akin to my reaction for all of the Harry Potter trailers.  I didn't quite have that feeling when actually watching the film.  There were a few scenes that made my stomach squirm, and I found myself sitting upright, eager to see what would happen next.  When Batman and Bane had their underground fight, I was tuned in 100%.  I knew what was going to happen, and was interested in watching it play out.

I didn't love the scene where all of NYC's police force was fist fighting Bane's thugs in the street.  Dont't they have guns?  Why wasn't anyone falling to the grown or getting knocked out?  Were we not supposed to notice that discrepancy while Bane and Batman had dialogue?  I don't know, seems a little unrealistic to me.

Overall, it just seemd to miss the mark.  I wanted to know details, more story.  Through reading comics, I knew of Bane's origin, but I was really hoping that we would learn more about him in the film.  I mean, if we had to sit through the evolution of the joker and the penguin in past films, and watch Schwarzennegar botch to role of Mr. Freeze, why not find out even a tiny piece of Bane's history? 

To me, TDKR is the kind of movie that I'll most likey buy because it is part of a trilogy and will probably come in a cool package, but I probably won't watch it unless coerced by my fiance.

In summation, any action-packed super hero film where I spend more time marvelling at Tom Hardy's beautiful muscles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's fantastic dimples has failed slightly at its attempt to surpass it's last film.  Hence, why it is on pace to be the second or third largest opening weekend, and not the first, which goes respectfully to the Avengers. 

And to clarify, I don't prefer Marvel to DC, typically it's the other way around.That's a whole other entry for another day.

And that's just the way this girl sees it.

Zelda Skyward Sword Rant

Five months ago, I borrowed Zelda: Skyward Sword from my fiance's best friend.  I eagerly began playing it but lost interest shortly after.  I'm embarrassed to admit this, as I've been a huge Zelda fan since I was a kid, but I haven't even found Link's giant bird yet.  This is due to the fact that first, I'm too lazy to replace the batteries in my Wii remote, and second, I'm annoyed that I have to collect chickens and chat with the Skyloft teachers and students to figure out my next move.

Thinking back, I remembered why I had beaten Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess with such ease.  I used a strategy guide almost every step of the way.  I don't think that using a guide hindered my experience at all.  Without it, I probably would've been stuck in Jabu Jabu's belly for an eon.  Agree or disagree?

On the subject of Zelda, what is it about Ocarina of Time that is just so epic?  I always come back to it when comparing the more recent games.  They pale in comparison in my opinion.  Maybe it was because I was 12 years old at the time and jazzed that I could learn to play songs on an ocarina that changed day to night (that was my favorite one tune.)  Or maybe it was the fact that it took 7 straight days of 24 hours gaming to complete, which to any 12 year old seems like a lifetime.  It could also be, from a girls point of view, that Link finally had an excessive amount of accessories (weapons I suppose you men call them) and outfit changes (heat protecting and water protecting), that I found exciting  Or that we made friends with the adorable Goron's with their fancy dancing.  Does anyone out there agree with this thought on Ocarina of Time?

Thought So!

-Fin-

The Geek Caste System

I was once told by an old friend that there is an echelon, or class system if you will, to "Geekdom." 

Nerds:  The geek elite.  They are your intellectuals of society, the kids who may have been picked on in high school for their vast knowledge of science, math, computers, etc, who are now topping the Forbes Lists.  They usually possess significantly above average intelligence.  
Example: Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates.

Geek:  This broad term covers a vast amount of us.  They range from your comic enthusiast to your Twilight fanatics.  Geeks tend to have a very broad knowledge, being able to speak to most pop culture reference, topical situations or newsworthy events.  Typically of average or above average intelligence.
Example:  The Great Kevin Smith, Robert Kirkman, J.J. Abrams  

Dork: The difference between a geek and a dork is somewhat significant.  A dork may not go out into the sun as often as us geeks.  Though they make thing they are somewhat intelligent, they usually do just that and only think it, not act on it.  Meaning, they are less intelligent than the average.  Hygiene may be lacking and fashion sense is almost nonexistent.
Example:  Dudley "Booger" Dawson from Revenge of the Nerds.

Poindexter:  This is essentially your untouchables.  Don't be fooled, they may act like a nerd, dress like one, and possess a little bit of knowledge on a wide range of geek subjects but they are a wolf in sheep's clothing among us.  Entering into a conversation with said poindexter will ultimately give you nothing but a headache and a sense of superiority.
Example:  That guy who has a large sword collection in his mom's basement, but no knowledge of the cultures from which they derive from.

I consider myself a Geek.  Yes, I capitalized the word Geek, and yes, as a communications grad I recognize that it is not a proper noun, but it should be.

The inspiration to begin this blog came from a recent story that my mother, the great Mama Summs, told me the other night on the phone.  Her and my Aunt J take an annual sabbatical to the enchanted spiritual community in Upstate New York known as Lily Dale.  It is a quint little hamlet where about 22,000 people visit a year to schedule appointments with psychics and mediums.  Well, Mama Summs not only chose the hottest day of the summer to visit, but also chose the most incompetent medium on the payroll to do her reading.  The only bright light and somewhat correct information in her reading was regarding myself.  Medium X said that I was getting married soon (True), that I liked to write (True), that I would like to write or already have a blog about fashion and the industry (True/False.)

Anyone who knows me, and my vast experience in the retail world knows that when I clock out and leave the mall, the fashion world is out of sight and out of mind.  The absolute last thing on my mind after work is the latest trends, who wore what, and what we can expect to see on the runway next season.  I'm more interested in the way things work behind the scenes.  How do we increase traffic?  How do we increase awareness of our brand with social media?  Anyhow...

Her telling me of her crap experience gave me the idea and the push to finally begin this blog.  I feel like it is my duty as a Geek, to discuss my thoughts on a wide range of subjects through these blogs, ranging anywhere from my obsession with Disney to the latest issue of the Walking Dead...which by the way, can you BELIEVE how the 100th issue went down?   All from a girls point of view. 

Here goes nothing...

-Fin-