Hufflepuff and Proud!
Not every first year at Hogwart’s School for Witchcraft and Wizardry gets to be a heroic Gryffindor or a dastardly Slytherin. Some students are patient and loyal, and know the value of hard work. These proud students get sorted into Hufflepuff House. And as the lovely ladies of Not Literally will tell you, there’s nothing wrong with showing off a little Badger Pride!
The song is ‘Sorted This Way’, a parody of Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’.
6 Villains I Want and 6 I Don’t Want in the New Spider-Man Movies
I would not have chosen the Lizard for The Amazing Spider-Man movie reboot. But then I didn’t have the unenviable task of picking a new super-villain to star in the reboot after most of the big names had been used in the three previous films. Who else were the writers supposed to pick? Well I’m glad you asked!
Spider-Man has the second best Rogue’s Gallery in all of comics (behind Batman). He’s got smart villains, bruiser villains, small-time crooks and big-time megalomaniacs! So with this new Spider-Man franchise being launched, who would I choose for the upcoming sequels?
It’s kind of obvious
OK, so I’d pick Venom. And probably even Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. What can I say, they’re some of the best, coolest and most cinematic of Spider-Man’s villains. And I wouldn’t bat an eye if the new franchise wanted to use them. But you and I both know that Spider-Man has many, many more foes to choose from. So being the comic book geek that I am, I’ve put together a list of the 6 villains I want to see in future movies, and 6 that I don’t. Not all of Spidey’s bad guys are made for the big screen.
Review: The Amazing Spider-Man
Bring on the new trilogy! The Amazing Spider-Man reboots the Spidey franchise with new depth, better action and, most importantly, real dramatic subtlety. This new film by director Mark Webb makes the old Sam Raimi trilogy look like a Saturday Morning Cartoon. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at those old movies the same way again. Especially since lead actors Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy) make the old couple, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, look like community theater.
I had my reservations about a rebooted, darker Spider-Man film, but this new movie blew me away. The Amazing Spider-Man may be just a redo of the classic origin story, but it does it so much better than the previous film that it more than justifies the new direction.
Movie rating: 5/5: Great!
This is definitely a Spider-Man film. Despite most of the action taking place at night, giving the film a much darker look than its predecessors, The Amazing Spider-Man hits all the right notes to capture Spidey on the big screen. It’s got humor, it’s got costumed action, it’s got the overwhelming sense of responsibility and guilt, and it’s got a wonderful juxtaposition between Peter Parker living an ordinary life with his Aunt May vs. flying through the city in a blue and red costume.
But this is first and foremost Peter Parker’s movie. The focus is on how Peter grows as a man and becomes the hero we all love, and that may be my favorite part of the movie.
Peter doesn’t just become the heroic Spider-Man after Uncle Ben is killed. There are gradual stages that he goes through that change him from an angry, guilt-ridden teenager into the hero who saves New York. That’s the subtlety I mentioned above. Following that path and seeing the growth in Peter’s character made for a wonderful film. By the end, Spidey is a hero, the bad guy is defeated and we have ourselves a new franchise! I can’t wait for more!
Spoilers and more review after the jump!
Celebrating Independence Day with Some Turtles
A cute, kind of grungy little tribute animation to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These characters are open to so many interpretations, and this little video by Malcolm Sutherland is just delightful.
