2015 Recommended Books List

Well, guys, 2015 is drawing to a close. It's been kind of a wild year--then again, what year isn't wild?--and lots of stuff has happened. Some of that stuff has involved me reading books. And some of those books were good. So, without further ado, I present to you: the AJ Gonzalez 2015 Recommended Books List. Seven books that I loved and think you should read. (All summaries are written by me.)

***

1. Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Summary: Ciere Giba is one of a tiny percentage of people given superpowers by a vaccine to a deadly virus. For such people with "adverse effects", there are only two options: work for the government, hunting down others like yourself, or be branded a traitor and be locked up. Of course, a few of the effected--including Ciere--have taken a third option: a fast-paced, dangerous life of crime.

So, it's a little hard to summarize both the premise and the plot of this book--but the book itself does a great job of setting up the premise and keeping the plot moving. It's been described as a cross between X-Men and Ocean's Eleven, and honestly that's a pretty accurate description. Besides having an interesting, almost-plausible premise (I read this while the Ebola crisis was in full swing, and boy did that make it more convincing), this book has awesome, fascinating characters and some amazing twists and turns. I thoroughly recommend it. (And I just found out there's a sequel. I know what's going on my reading list for next year!)

2. Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Summary: Zahrah Tsami was born with dada locks--vines growing in her hair that are supposed to be a sign of special powers. Zahrah doesn't know anything about that; she feels normal, despite what others think. But when her best friend's life is threatened, Zahrah is forced to harness all her courage and all her power to save him. 

I have to say: this book is basically everything I've ever wanted in a YA fantasy novel. It's very well-written with an unusually diverse cast. (All of the characters are black. All of them.) The main character is a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl with realistic emotions, motivations, and character growth. There's no shoehorned romance (actually there's no romance at all). Additionally, the world-building is incredible. You can tell that the author put thought and imagination into the world she's crafted here. In short: this book was a delight and I highly recommend it. 

3. By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson

Summary: Achan Cham is a stray, the lowest of the low in the land of Er'Rets. Vrell Sparrow is a noblewoman, disguised as a common boy to avoid a forced political marriage. Neither of them expect to attract the attention of Kingsguard knights--but they do, setting in motion events that eventually culminate in the revelation of a shocking secret. 

So, this probably isn't the most original book I've ever read, but as far as fantasy goes, it is good. It plays out a lot of the common tropes and plot points of fantasy without being too predictable or derivative. It's also one of the few overtly Christian-themed fantasies I've read. The sequels aren't quite as good, in my opinion, but the second one, at least, is still worth reading. (I haven't yet gotten around to the third.) Even if you decide against the sequels, I'd say By Darkness Hid is at least worth a read. 

4. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Summary: Wealthy, mysterious Englishman Phileas Fogg and his French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in eighty days on a bet--but unbeknownst to them, they are pursued by a detective determined to arrest Fogg for bank robbery. 

Yes, this is an old, classic book. (It was first published in 1873.) Yes, I'm still recommending it, because I re-read it this past year and absolutely loved it. It's not hard to read, as some classics are; the characters are all well-defined and keep the plot moving along. Additionally, there are some wonderful descriptions of travel in a pre-airplane world, not to mention the locales that the characters travel through. So it's just a good book overall, and I highly recommend it.


5. The Memory Key by Liana Liu
Summary: In a world ravaged by a viral form of Alzheimer's Disease, Lora Mint is just like everyone else: she has a "memory key", a computer chip implanted into her brain that keeps her memories functioning properly. But when an accident causes her key to malfunction, an old memory resurfaces--indicating that her mother's death years ago was no accident. Lora determines to find out what happened, but with part of her brain on the fritz, the search may only drive her crazy.

So, this book is a little weird, because it has all the makings of a hardcore dystopian thriller, but in reality it's more of a mystery with a few futuristic trappings. Still, it's a good book--the plot keeps you turning pages, since you want to find the answer to the mystery as much as the main character does. It's also pretty clean as far as language and sexual content, which can be unusual for a YA book. I would certainly recommend it.


6. Grandmaster by David Klass
Summary: Daniel Pratzer is eager to prove himself as a member of his school chess club. But he's only a novice, and as far as he knows his father never played a game of chess in his life. Then the club invites the both of them to a week-long father-son tournament, and Daniel learns that his father was once a world-class grandmaster, until he quit chess for the sake of his sanity. As the tournament goes on and tensions rise, Daniel is forced to question if the acceptance he craves is worth it.

I picked this book up at the library because it looked like an easy read, and because I'd never seen a novel about chess before. I was right on both counts: this is a page-turner that's really fast-moving for a book about chess, and the author definitely knows how work a plot that has chess--and a father-son relationship--at its center. It's also pretty clean, which is always nice.


7. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
Summary: Told in novel format, this is the story of Nat Bowditch, 18th Century mathematician and nautical wonder, chronicling his life from childhood to the captaincy of his own ship.


This is the only non-fiction book on this list; but it's here for a reason. Despite being entirely non-fiction, it's written and paced like a story. It has some very hard-hitting emotional moments, and all of the setting are very well described. It's clear the author did her research, but also knew how to incorporate it into an engaging story. So yes, this is non-fiction, but I still enjoy reading it, and I highly recommend it.

***

So there you have it: seven books and I read or re-read this year and loved. If you've read any of these, or end up reading them because of me, feel free to comment or email me about it and we can chat. Feliz Navidad and a Happy New Year to everyone!

We Went to See Star Wars VII! [Spoiler Free]

Short post to inform everyone that I went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens with my parents and sister!

Without spoiling anything, I just want to say that it was great and I really liked it. The plot was good, I loved the cast and characters, and the writing was overall better than the writing for the Prequel Trilogy.

I'll probably do a review in, let's say, a month. (Or a month and a half, knowing me.) I just want to wait until most people have had the chance to see it; because spoiling something like this would be a terrible thing to do.

That said, if you have the opportunity, go see this movie! Adiós!

Santa Claus Conspiracy Theories

*Disclaimer: I started this post over a year ago and have been waiting for a Christmas-y opportunity to post it. Be warned, kids. This is what comes of having an active imagination.*

So this is what comes of having siblings who debate about Santa. Or, rather, this is what comes of so much as hearing someone debate how Santa does what he does. Since there's often little telling how my brain works, I'll spare you the details and simply record here what I thought of when my siblings began asking, "Just how does Santa make it to every home in the world in one night?"

***

Theory #1: Santa is a mutant
How else do you think he can travel all around the world in one night? Either his power is time reversal/time slowing, in which case Santa could be doing a lot more than just delivering presents on one night out of 365. OR Santa's mutant power is super speed. But then his reindeer would have to be superfast mutants, too, and I'm not sure how that would work.

Alternatively...


Theory #2: Santa is Quicksilver
Super speed. Naturally white/silver hair. Questionable activities in his youth, leading to a desire to do good in his old age. Need I say more?


Theory #3: Santa is the Flash
Though I can't imagine why the Flash would be doing this in his old age. The Quicksilver theory fits much better. Next?


Theory #4: Santa works for the CIA
Come on--you know you've wondered about this yourself. He sees you when you're sleeping? He knows when you're awake? He knows when you've been bad or good... so be good for goodness's sake. 
Come on. This guy is downright creepy. And who's better known for creepy, invasive policies than the CIA?

Theory #5: Santa works for the NSA
See above.

Theory #6: "Santa" is actually an army of clones.
Unlike most clone armies, "Santa Claus" (actually thousands of identical clones) is dedicated to doing good. Every year on December 25, thousands upon thousands of these clones descend upon the households of the world to leave presents and eat cookies and milk. Then they retreat to the North Pole to await the next Christmas.

Theory #7: Santa Claus is a legend made up to explain the inexplicable appearance of flying sleighs on Christmas Eve.
Where do these sleighs come from? Where are they going? Why? We don't actually know the answer to any of these questions, but we have to tell the kids something. "Santa Claus" seems as good a fib as any.

Theory #8: Santa Claus is a legend made up by parents to explain why Christmas is in December.
When asked why Christmas is held in December, most parents don't have an answer that makes sense. The story of Santa Claus is a welcome diversion. Admittedly, nothing about the legend of Santa makes sense, either, but it's entertaining enough to distract the kiddies from their original question. And it has the added bonus of presenting an empty threat to try and get kids to behave for the last month of the year. What's to dislike?

And finally...

Theory #9: Santa Claus is a story spread by the real St. Nicholas to cover up the fact that he's still alive and doing good deeds.
St. Nicholas is, overall, a stand-up guy. He's generous, loves to share, and doesn't even want a lot of fame or recognition in return. Also, by this point he would be over 1,800 years old. No one that old wants to be bothered by reporters and government agencies asking how he's lived this long. So he started a rumor about a magical old man who travels the world and delivers presents on Christmas Eve. This story has successful diverted world resources and questions away from St. Nicholas, allowing him to go on doing good in secret.

***

So what do you think? Does Santa work for the NSA? Does he really have super powers? Does he even exist at all?

The world may never know...

Thanks for reading! ¡Feliz Navidad!

NaNoWriMo Update

You know how writers will sometimes say, "I had my novel all planned out, and then my characters started taking it in a completely different direction"?

Usually, you think they're exaggerating. "How could fictional, imaginary characters that that person created take the story in a different direction?" you wonder. It seems like a weird attempt to make writing seem more mystical.

Sometimes it is. Sometimes, however, a writer's subconscious takes over, and this manifests itself as the characters doing something completely unexpected and taking the story in a whole different direction.

On that note, here's the excerpt I promised you guys like a month ago.

***

“Well, no time like the present,” Frost said with forced cheerfulness. “Let’s get going, Riley.”

  Riley nodded and followed them away from the cabin, still keeping his head down. Frost led him down a different flight of stairs, over to a sizable supply closet. 

“First stop, tools,” they said, grabbing a banged-up toolbox and handing to Riley. “Are you okay?”

 The question had none of the false lightness Frost had just spoken with. It was quieter and worried. 

“I’m fine,” Riley said, clutching the toolbox close to his chest. “We’d better get going, right?”

“Yeah,” Frost said, still sounding worried. They turned and started down a narrow, twisting corridor that appeared to lead into the depths of the Firefox. 

“But I want to make sure you’re okay,” Frost said, pausing outside a heavy-looking door. “You sounded scared back there.”

“No. I’m not scared,” Riley said, with perhaps more force than necessary. “I, I mean, I—I’m fine, really.”

“You know I’m not going to hurt you.”

Riley’s head snapped up and he met Frost’s eyes. 

“I know that,” he said. “That’s not what—I mean, you’re not—I know,” he finished lamely. He ducked his head again. 

Frost unlocked the door, pulled it open, and gestured for Riley to go in. They followed him and shut the door behind them. 

The door led to a narrow pathway that wound in between several engine components. Some of them were familiar to Riley; others were strange. 

“This is Firefox’s combination engine and boiler room,” Frost said. “They share a power source, so a lot of the elements are hybridized where they wouldn’t be on a bigger ship.”

“Wow,” Riley said. “That’s… different.”

“She sure is.” Frost stared down along the path. “We’re just doing a check-up, today. Making sure everything’s in working order.”

Their first stop was by the engine’s main reactor. It didn’t look like any other core reactor Riley had seen. 

He was cautious to ask any questions—You’re here to work, not pester the pilot—but Frost seemed to anticipate his curiosity. 

“Tesla ships have different core reactors,” they said, without being prompted. “Firefox here runs off a battery. She plugs in to charge at port, and then she can run for a few weeks.”

“Wow,” Riley said. “So—you don’t use combustion at all?”

“Nope,” Frost said. “Wouldn’t be safe, with the boiler system in such close contact. See, it’s just over there.” They pointed. Several feet away, a series of pipes and boxes indicated the heart of the ship’s life-support system. 

Frost moved over to a control panel along the side of the core. 

“Fillips head screwdriver, please,” they said, holding out their hand and looking over the panel. Riley started and almost dropped the toolbox; it took him an embarrassingly long time to find the screwdriver in question. 

He handed it to Frost and the pilot went to work getting the panel open. After a moment, they turned to look at Riley, never pausing with the screwdriver. 

“I’m not gonna lie,” they said. “I’m a little worried about you.”

Riley frowned. “Why?”

Frost hesitated. “Let’s say I’ve seen a lot,” they said. “And—the way you react to things—it worries me. A bit.”

“You barely know me.”

“Yeah, but I know how to tell when someone is scared,” Frost said. “And I know that you’re a kid. You can’t be older than fifteen.”

Riley shuffled his feet. 

“Well?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m—I’m fourteen.”

“And you’ve spent God knows how much time on Ceres. And you’re travelling with a pirate crew but you’re clearly not one of them. And your first instinct when you get in trouble is to minimize the damage by submitting. And you don’t seem to have anyone looking out for you other than you.”

Riley looked up. “Why do you care?”

“I’ve been there, kid,” Frost said softly. “It wasn’t fun. If I can help you, I will.”

Riley couldn’t think of what to say; his throat felt swollen and hot all of a sudden. 

“It’s not so bad,” he said. “I’m okay, really. I know how to take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Frost said. “But…” They trailed off. 

“What?”

“Do you want a job?”

***

I just... 

Frost

What are you doing

You were supposed to be a minor character who got the main characters from point B to point C

You were not supposed to get attached to the main character

And you were not supposed to offer him a job

Frost what are you doing

Yeah. I guess that this is my fault, technically, since I'm the one writing this. And truth be told, I stopped trying to plot this novel out like a week ago. Writing over 1,500 words per day will do that to you. You stop caring so much about what you're writing, as long as you're writing something and getting words on the page.

Only now I'm not so sure what the actual plot is supposed to be here. I mean, I've got a vague idea, but things keep happening, so there's a hundred different ways this story could go and I don't know what I'm doing. 

So that's my current situation. NaNoWriMo ends in three days. I have over 43,500 words on my draft right now. Hopefully I'll have at least 50,000 words by November 30th. And hopefully I won't do anything too crazy and wreck my first draft entirely. 

Adiós!

*Author's Note: In the above excerpt, the character Frost's gender is unconfirmed. Therefore I'm referring to them as 'they' rather than 'he' or 'she'. I apologize in advance for any confusion this may have caused.

It's October 31st

Happy Halloween! Or Happy Reformation Day, if that's what you celebrate. Personally, I'm celebrating a unique holiday that's a blend between "Halloween" and "The Very Last Day Before NaNoWriMo Starts". It is a holiday dedicated to candy, plotting, and apprehensively looking forward to a 1600+ daily word count goal.

(I've done my math. If I want to write 50,000 words in thirty days, I have to write at least 1,666 words per day. I look forward to this with anticipation and dread.)

One thousand six hundred and sixty-six words is a lot--or, well, it's a lot for me--so I'm probably going to take a blogging sabbatical for the month of November. Midway through the month, say November 15th, if I'm in a good place I'll try to post an excerpt and maybe give a general update as to  the status of my novel. If I'm not in a good place, I'll struggle on with the novel and post an update in early December.

To sum up: I might get out another post during November, but don't count on anything. Additionally, if you'd like to read/critique any of my non-NaNo writing, leave your email address in the comments and I will send it to you.

Adiós, and if you're doing NaNoWriMo, good luck.
EDIT: In case anyone is interested, my NaNo account is Pint17. Feel free to add me as a writing buddy or something.

***

Coming Soon: I review the Back to the Future trilogy, and also possibly talk about Life of Pi.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent

*Warning: This post contains unmarked spoilers for the Divergent series. If you haven't yet read the books or watched the movies, I would strongly suggest that you skip this blog post. Seriously.
Or you can spoil it for yourself. I won't tell  you what to do.*

Good evening, internet! I recently had the chance to watch Insurgent, second movie in the Divergent series. And it was... interesting. There were a lot of good elements and a lot of elements that could've been better, and I have to say: rarely do I see a movie and have a list of pros and cons all lined up in my head half an hour later.

And so, I give you: my review of Insurgent. 

***

Good/Favorite Parts:

• The plot was very solid. There was plenty of action and a well-defined storyline, plus a very solid emotional arc for Tris. Her guilt and, I think, PTSD over killing Will translated well from the book to the movie, and the culmination of her arc--in which she finally confronts and forgives herself--followed naturally from her progression throughout the movie. (Of course, the movie deviated from the book's plot in several areas: I'll talk about that in the Negative section.)
• I just have to say, the scenery and cinematography in this movie were breathtaking. From the burnt-out shells of Chicago buildings to the Amity farmlands to the factionless headquarters, all of the sets were beautifully constructed and really moved the story along. There were also several helicopter shots, particularly at the beginning of the movie, that were great to see. 
• The acting was good. Shailene Woodley is very good as Tris and she did an amazing job of portraying everything Tris goes through in this movie. (My personal favorite scenes were the truth serum trial and the final Amity simulation.) In my opinion, Shailene Woodley was the best of the cast, although they all did well.
• I simultaneously hated Peter and loved watching him. He does some despicable things and is completely unafraid to put himself before everyone else, but he also has some of the best lines in the film.

Bad/Negative Parts:

• While Insurgent was a good movie with a solid plot, as an adaptation it... left something to be desired. The writers simultaneously left out a lot of the book and added several new plot points. The result is a movie that has a lot of the book's minor points, but less of its overall plot. 
• The conflict between Tobias/Four and his father was completely excised from the book except for one scene, which was never followed up on. While I can see why it was left out, this would have been an interesting thing from the books to explore. 
• It's been a while since I read the book this movie is based on, but I do remember that there was no search for a mysterious box left by the founders. That particular addition by the scriptwriters worked, and served as a good framing device for several scenes from the book, but it felt... odd to have such a large change in plot from book to movie. 
• Several smaller details were also left out in the adaptation process, and while these aren't as important, they would have made the movie a bit more coherent. Mentioning Edith Prior's name during her message might have been a good move, and I feel like the level of conflict between Jeanine's forces and the factionless-Candor alliance wasn't emphasized the way it was the book. I'm not sure what the movie version of Allegiant is going to be like, but I can see it also being quite different from its book incarnation, at this rate. 
• This movie also seemed to have the sequel-movie-adaptation syndrome of, "This character was pretty minor in the first book so we didn't include them in the movie, but oops now they're important in the sequel so we're gonna shove them in and pretend they were there all along." Uriah definitely got this treatment, and Lynne and Marlene were also pretty hastily introduced. (Marlene's name was only mentioned after her death, and Lynne was never properly introduced at all.) Edward wasn't included at all that I could see, which leads me to my next point. 
• By my count, two disabled characters from the book were edited out in this movie. In the books, Johanna, Amity's spokeswoman, was blind in one eye; the character as played by Octavia Spencer had a visible scar on her face, but clearly had two functioning eyes. Edward was nowhere to be seen. (Which makes sense, seeing as he wasn't in the first movie at all, but it still rubs me the wrong way to see a familiar disabled character replaced by a random white kid we've never seen before.)
• I... didn't really like Naomi Watts as Evelyn Eaton. I have nothing against Naomi Watts, but she does not look the way I pictured Evelyn, and she played her as way more manipulative than I ever saw Evelyn as. Maybe it's just me, but I would have preferred a different actress in that role. 

***

Conclusion:

There are a lot more negative points here than positive, but I really did like this movie. I liked the atmosphere of it, and the acting was good, and as far as book adaptations go it really could've been worse. So I'll give it three and a half stars out of five. 

***

To be honest, I have no idea when my next post is coming, or what it'll be about. At this point, your guess is as good as mine. (And, come to think of it, if there's anything you'd like me to blog on, the comments section is always open!)

Until next time; adiós!

Pacific Rim

*Warning: Unmarked spoilers may follow. Viewer discretion is advised.*

So I just finished watching Pacific Rim, for the third time. Having had time to both take in the story and analyze some of the finer details, I felt it was high time I did a review.

For anyone who hasn't seen Pacific Rim, the basic premise is this: A portal to an alien world (the Breach) opens at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and huge monsters called Kaiju begin coming through and attacking populated areas bordering the Pacific. To avoid extinction, the countries of the world--or at least the countries bordering the Pacific--band together and build enormous, super-strong robots called Jaegers to fight the Kaiju. This strategy works, until it doesn't, as bigger and bigger Kaiju start coming through the Breach, picking off the Jaegers one by one, until only a few are left. Then the Jaeger program loses its funding, and it's up to the few remaining pilot teams to close the Breach before the Kaiju kill everything.

(Here's the trailer if you're interested.)

I know, I know. It sounds dumb. To be honest, it is a little bit dumb, not to mention really unrealistic. But despite that, I really liked it, and today I'm gonna tell you why.

Strap in, guys, 'cause this might take a while.

***

Good/Favorite Parts:

• HOLY HECK, PEOPLE OF COLOR AS ACTION MOVIE HEROES. 
• No, seriously, when was the last time you saw a Japanese woman as the main character of a big-budget action flick like this?
• And the no-nonsense military leader who holds the heroes together? Is played by Idris Elba. Yes. 
• At first, the movie's hero appears to be Raleigh Becket, the (ostensibly) American white guy, who loses his brother/partner in the movie's prologue. (I say he's ostensibly American because the actor, Charlie Hunnam, isn't, and his native accent pokes through in his dialogue a couple of times. Anyway.) Raleigh is the viewpoint character, but I don't think he's the hero, because his story arc in the movie, if he has one, is pretty undefined, in comparison to Mako Mori's. So I personally like to think that Raleigh is the POV character, but Mako is the hero. It's a split that I think makes a lot of sense, considering that it mirrors the importance of drift compatibility to the storyline. But enough of my rambling. On we go!
• All of the characters with any reasonable amount of screentime manage to be complex and layered. The one that impresses me most is Chuck Hansen, of the Striker Eureka Jaeger team. He starts out as your stereotypical bully character who's out to antagonize to main character--and he is, as Marshall Stacker Pentecost puts it, "An egotistical jerk with daddy issues." But he's nevertheless one of the good guys, and as time goes on, he and Raleigh earn each other's respect. And in the end, he sacrifices his life so that Raleigh and Mako can save the world. Like I said. Depth. 
• Did I mention the father-daughter story between Mako Mori and Stacker Pentecost? Because there's that, too. 
• And there's a father-son story between the Hansens, which doesn't get a lot of screentime, but the scene it does get is really emotionally charged. 
• And the animation in this movie! It's amazing! The CGI looks extremely realistic and everything is beautifully rendered. To say nothing of the designs for the various Kaiju and Jaegers. 
• Speaking of Jaegers, the attention to detail in this movie is also impressive. Every Jaeger has a distinct fighting style, which matches up with their various designs. 
• And I really appreciate how in this movie, the monsters really do target pretty much every country bordering the Pacfic, not just California and Japan. In addition to those two places, we hear about attacks on Alaska, the Philippines, Russia, Australia, and Hong Kong (much of the movie actually takes place in Hong Kong). 
• The acting is great, too, even if a couple of the actors seem to be having a bit of trouble with their accents. 
• And the music! I almost forgot about the music. But it's... thrilling. There's a perfect combination of well-written melodies and interesting instrumental combinations. 
• To sum up: the fight scenes are fun to watch and beautifully animated, and the acting and story are great. There's a ton to like here. 

Bad/Least Favorite Parts:

• Um... well... uh... hm. Let me think. I'm sure I'll come up with something I disliked eventually...
• Right! Unrealisticness! Did I mention how unrealistic this movie is? Like, even on the off chance that a portal did open at the bottom of the Pacfic, and on the even smaller chance that that portal spewed forth a bunch of monsters... why not just bomb the monsters from the sky as soon as they came through? It's the bottom of the Pacific, it's not like you're going to have a lot of casualties. Or, for maximum efficiancy, set up some motion sensors down there, hook them up to a rapid-fire detonation clock, and just set off the bombs as soon as anything comes through the portal.
  So, yeah. No realism here.
• As much as I LOVED the cast and characters? More diversity is ALWAYS appreciated. There are a bunch of countries in Central and South America that border the Pacific, and none of those were mentioned (we certainly didn't see any Jaegers or pilot teams from that area). The Phillippines were given a passing mention, but no more. So yeah--Pacific Rim was amazing as far as having a diverse cast goes, but it could've been better. It usually can. 
• It sure would've been nice if the movie had mentioned, at some point, what happened to Hawaii. I'm just saying. 

Conclusion:

Long story short, Pacific Rim is a really good movie, and I really recommend it. Do you like amazingly cool action scenes? Then you'll love Pacific Rim! Do you like emotional character-driven stories? Then you'll probably like Pacfic Rim! (...And you can probably skip one or two of the action scenes. Though I don't recommend it.)

In short, I'm giving this one 4.75 stars out of five:

***

And that wraps up my official review of Pacific Rim! Although, as a fair warning, this probably won't be the last time I talk about it. I really liked this movie. 

Next time: Something vaguely Halloween themed, maybe? See you then!

Thoughts From The Republican Presidential Debate

So tonight CNN hosted another debate between the many Republican Presidential candidates. I watched this debate, and these are my thoughts on the candidates and their opinions/thoughts/responses. Thoughts are organized by candidate.

***

Donald Trump:

• Way to insult a fellow candidate (Rand Paul) in your first statement, Trump. Classy. Also, if Americans thought we needed a businessman, we might've elected Mitt Romney. Just saying. Mr. Romney's business background was quite a point of contention when he ran. People were asking, "Do we really want a businessman as a President?" And, ya know, he was actually competent. Just saying. 
• Ad hominem, thy name is Donald Trump.
• CNN asks: What makes Trump qualified to be Commander-in-Chief? Wow, CNN, that's... actually a very good question. What does make him qualified? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
• To answer the question no one seems to want to answer, I for one would not be comfortable with Trump controlling anything in our government, let alone the nuclear trigger. 
• Mr. Trump [on the topic of casino gambling in Florida]: "If I'd wanted it, I would've gotten it. I know my people." Hmm. HMMM. What could this statement possibly say about Mr. Trump's business practices?  We just don't know.
• I'm starting to think Trump is allergic to giving a straight answer to a question. It's like he's physically incapable of giving an actual answer rather than, I don't know, dodging and stalling by talking about tangentially connected topics.
• Trump claims that when he commented on Fiorina's face, he was commenting on her persona; Fiorina retorts that Trump heard Jeb Bush's comment about woman's health very clearly; and she, and the other women of the US, heard his comment about her appearance very clearly. 
• Donald Trump wants to build a wall between USA and Mexico. How. Why. I mean, yes, we do need to build up border security, as other candidates have pointed out. But. Why is this such a talking point for Trump. How would you logistically even do this. We just don't know. 
• Mr. Trump, you took heat about your immigration remarks because they were pretty inflammatory and racist.
• And Trump didn't actually answer the question. (I'm gonna keep a count of this, I swear I am.) He talks big, but says absolutely nothing about how he'll do his immigration reforms and how much it'll cost. 
• CNN asks: Did Trump go too far when he suggested Bush's views on immigration are influenced by his Mexican-born wife? Yes. Yes he did. 
• And then he doesn't apologize to Mrs. Bush (who is there at the event), because he "knows he's right". Barf. 
• CNN asks: Trump has criticized Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail; what's wrong with speaking Spanish? There is nothing wrong with speaking Spanish. In other news, Donald Trump is trash.
• Trump claims, among other things, that "We need assimilation to have a country." There are just. So many problems with that statement. I don't even know where to start. 
• If Trump is so against people coming to America to have "anchor babies", how does he propose we change the laws? How do we then initiate citizenship?
• CNN asks: What is Trump's response to Rubio saying his failure to know details about some US enemies is "very concerning"? Answer: Trump dodges the question, stalls, and deflects by saying that the government now knows those details and is failing. Question Dodging Counter: I don't know, 5?
• Trump Ad Hominem Counter: 6? Maybe? He jabs at Rubio's voting record while "rebutting" Rubio's statement. 
• Trump says, "I'm a very militaristic person, but you have to know when to act"; he claims he's "the only person on this dais that opposed our going into Iraq." 
• When the camera is on most of the candidates, this looks like an actual presidential debate. When it's on Trump, it instantly becomes a circus. This is terrible. 
• CNN asks: Should Trump stop saying that vaccines are linked to autism? Yes. Yes he should. As Mr. Carson says, there have been multiple studies with no link found to autism. The one study that claimed this was debunked.
• Trump claims that his Secret Service codename would be "Humble". Ha. Hahaha. 
• Conclusion: With this amount of logical fallacies, question-dodging, and general blowhard-ishness, Donald Trump yet again proves himself to be totally incapable and undeserving of this office. I don't know, guys. I'm pretty sure I could debate better than this guy. 

Ben Carson:

• Seriously guys, if you want a candidate who's not a sellout to donors, BEN CARSON. YOU WANT BEN CARSON. NOT DONALD TRUMP.
• Trump is the definition of a powerplaying billionaire political donor.
• Dr. Carson also points out that deporting all immigrants would be really hard and not too cost-effective.
• Ben Carson points out that the immigration strategy in Arizona works amazingly well, and that we shouldn't reinvent the wheel; if a strategy works, why don't we implement it nationwide?
• Carson says that we need to create a better minimum wage rate by getting people from both sides of the debate to agree on a good rate; and we need two rates:  a "starter" and a "sustainer".
• Rand Paul and Ben Carson point out that the both of them were also opposed to going into Iraq, proving Trump wrong. 
• Ben Carson: "There are smart ways to do things, and there are muscular ways to do things, and sometimes you need to look at both to come up with a solution."
• Carson does admit that we need to space out vaccines and give them in lower doses, so as not to jeopardize small children's health. 
• Carson says his secret service codename would be "One Nation".
• Conclusion: Dr. Carson's analysis and solutions are mostly spot-on. I still support this guy, and if I was old enough to vote, I would vote for him. 

Jeb Bush:

• Jeb Bush mentions the multiple non-Planned Parenthood organizations that work in woman's health, and maintains that these are the organizations we need to fund, not Planned Parenthood. 
• Jeb Bush retorts: On the topic of Trump's judgement, he claimed Ms. Clinton was the best person to negotiate Iraq, and that this level of naivete is dangerous in today's world. 
• Jeb Bush: "We don't have to be the world's policeman; but we do need to be the world's leader."
• Bush says that we need Supreme Court Justices who have an extensive record and reputation of willingness to uphold the Constitution. "We can't do this [appoint Supreme Court Justices] in a politically expedient way anymore."
• Conclusion: Eh... I'm pretty ambivalent, to be honest. 

Carly Fiorina

• You go, Carly Fiorina. I didn't know much about you before today, but I'm liking you more and more as this debate goes on. 
• If I wasn't such a supporter of Ben Carson, I'd probably vote for Ms. Fiorina. 
• Ms. Fiorina makes an excellent point about politicians having been in a corrupt system. "You know what a leader does? They challenge the status quo.... This is about changing the system." 
• Carly Fiorina lays down some truth on the subject of Vladimir Putin and how he won't listen to anything other than a show of strength. Not only is she completely right about what we should do, but she's incredibly decisive and smart about her hypothetical solutions. Take note, Mr. Trump. 
• Fiorina has a very decisive, very definitive plan for dealing with Iran. (1. Reaffirm that we are on Netanyahu's side; 2. Inform Iran leadership that if they don't open their nuclear facilities to any and all inspection by American forces, we will make it as hard as possible to them to function economically.)
• You go, Ms. Fiorina. Take Trump down. 
• Fiorina correctly points out that immigration didn't magically become an issue because Trump made inflammatory remarks about it. 
• Fiorina points out that it will take an enormous amount of effort to repeal the 14th Amendment, and in the meantime, "anchor babies" will continue to happen.
• Fiorina points out that Trump filed for bankruptcy four times; why would we put a person with that record in charge of an already-catastrophic national debt?
• Fiorina points out that she has many more achievements than Hilary Clinton, and that she doesn't have the track record of dishonesty. 
• Why does everyone keep trying to interrupt/cut off Ms. Fiorina? I mean, she's certainly not the only one--everyone's talking over their time, I think--but Trump in particular seems to keep trying to interrupt her, moreso than any of his male opponents. 
• On putting a woman on the $10 bill, Ms. Fiorina says that ultimately it's an empty gesture, and that the country will be better off when we recognize the potential and freedoms of women in the US. 
• Conclusion: As stated, I didn't know hardly anything about Ms. Fiorina before tonight; but in the span of about three hours, she greatly impressed me. I am completely willing to support Ms. Fiorina, and I really hope she'll continue past primaries. 

Marco Rubio:

• Mr. Rubio points out that a president needs to be able to lead the country on their very first day in office. 
• Conclusion: ???

Ted Cruz:

• Cruz dodges the question about the government shutdown by talking about the Planned Parenthood videos. Which everyone knows about. 
• Cruz sticks up for Spanish-speaking immigrants and talks about his grandfather, who was an immigrant, and who spoke Spanish. Good for you, Mr. Cruz.
• Cruz claims that the answer to the minimum wage program is to help people get the education they need for a better job. But where does the money for that education come from?
• Conclusion: ???

Scott Walker:

• Good for you, Scott Walker. You call Trump out on his crap. I'm probably not gonna vote for you, but I like the points you're making. 
• I feel like that was an ad hominem that Trump just used against Scott Walker. It probably was.
• Conclusion: ???

Rand Paul:

• Rand Paul: "I don't think we need to be rash; I don't think we need to be reckless; and I think we need to leave the lines of communication open." Good thought. 
• Rand Paul points out that toppling dictators often destabilizes countries, and our actions against dictators in the Middle East have been catastrophic. I probably won't vote for him, but I like the points he's making. 
• Rand Paul and Ben Carson point out that the both of them were also opposed to going into Iraq, proving Trump wrong.
• Rand Paul says that the "boots on the ground" in Iraq need to be Iraqi boots. He says that we need to defend American interests rather than fight an never-ending war. If the conflict goes on, we need to equip people native to the area to carry it on.
• Rand Paul points out that the poor people are going to jail for marijauna use, and that people in prison are often African-American or Hispanic, while rich teenagers are getting away with drug use. Mr. Paul thinks that the federal government should not override the states' rights to legalize marijuana; however, he is in favor of not incarcerating drug users and treating it as an illness rather than a crime. 
• Rand Paul says that it is hypocritical to put poor people in jail for marijuana, while letting rich kids off for more or less the same. 
• Conclusion: Rand Paul has some good points, but in my opinion he doesn't have quite enough merit or momentum to do amazingly. (Although he really doesn't deserve to be dissed by Donald Trump.)

Chris Christie:

• Chris Christie points out the infighting in this debate: the candidates' real issues aren't with each other, but with Democratic candidates and their values. 
• Chris Christie says that we need to secure the border and up surveillance of the visa system. But he does point out that deporting all illegal immigrants is an extreme, unrealistic, unattainable goal.
• Chris Christie promises to prosecute Ms. Clinton, both at the R vs. D debates and if he becomes President. 
• Christie says that he is for rehabilitation rather than incarceration, but he disagrees with Paul's statement that "the only victim of drug use is the user". 
• Conclusion: He's... okay? I guess? He made some good points? But there's really not that much distinguishing him from the other candidates?

John R. Kasich:

• In the words of my mom, Kasich doesn't seem like a politician; Cruz does. 
• Kasich is in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood, but isn't for shutting down the government  to force a solution (good for him). 
• Kasich points out that he worked on an economic plan that left the US with billions in surplus and a booming economy.
• Kasich points out the ideological battle with ISIS, and our need of a public condemning of the ISIS mentality. 
• Conclusion: See the conclusion for Chris Christie.

Mike Huckabee:

• I'm getting some slippery slope vibes from Mike Huckabee's argument on the Iran deal. Threatening the fabric of Western civilization? Really? Really? I know this is an ineffective deal and its outcome may be dangerous, but the very fabric of Western civilization? That seems hyperbolic.
• Mr. Huckabee points out that in the case of Kim Davis, she swore to uphold the law under the Constitution of Kentucky, which states that marriage is between a man and a woman. And furthermore, the Supreme Court isn't allowed to make up a redefinition of law like gay marriage out of thin air. 
• Huckabee says that a president needs to declare war on heart disease, cancer, alzheimer's, and diabetes, as these are taking the most lives in America. 
• Conclusion: ?? ????

And a general thought:

• Not that this necessarily means anything, but the candidate lineup seems really tokenistic. We have one white woman... one black man... two (white-passing) Cuban-American men... and a bunch of white guys. Hmm. 

***

...And that concludes my thoughts on this presidential debate. (I honestly didn't know this would end up so long. Sorry about that.) Feel free to weigh in with your opinions in the comments! And remember: Donald Trump sucks. Vote Carson for President 2016.

@Marvel: Seriously, Guys. You Need to Rethink Some of Your Decisions.

To start this off, I would just like to point out that I am a fan of Marvel. I don't hate them; I just think they could do better in certain areas. And I'm willing to point those shortcomings out, even as I enjoy their productions.

That having been said: Marvel, would it kill ya to add some diversity to your movie lineup?

I mean, Rescue was an awesome first addition to the MCU, but Pepper Potts has had three of her own films and two ensemble movies by now--when is Tony Stark/Iron Man going to get his own film? And I love Jane Foster as much as the next person (Darcy Lewis makes an awesome villain), but after two movies, I'm starting to wonder what a story centered around Thor would look like.

And I love Isaiah Bradley, believe me, but he's gotten two movies and we haven't seen hide nor hair of Steve Rogers--who, may I remind you, came from the same time period. (Oh well, at least we got Sharon Carter as a major player in the last Captain America movie. She might even become an Avenger now!)

Admittedly, moving from Ronda Rousey to Anne Hathaway as She-Hulk in The Avengers was a good move. Ms. Hathaway really embodies the character and she's one of my favorites. But what about Bruce Banner? I mean, he is her cousin and all. You'd think he might have been hanging around somewhere, even if he hasn't become the Incredible Hulk in that universe yet.

And now we've got a movie about the Wasp coming out this summer. As though a 5:1 ratio of women to men in The Avengers wasn't enough. As though the fans haven't been begging for a Hawkeye movie since his first appearances. That's bad enough, but it appears that in this new movie, Ant-Man--a founding member of the Avengers and core character--has been killed off before the film even opens. Way to take out a potentially interesting, diverse character from the get-go, Marvel.

And Fox: you're not off the hook either. Just because you have a bigger line up per-movie, doesn't mean you're inherently more diverse. I mean, I know Halle Berry is a great actress, and people are pretty much guaranteed to watch anything with Storm in it, but isn't it time to give Hugh Jackman his own movie? And way to sideline your male characters in the prequels, just so you can focus more on the conflict between Moira MacTaggert and Mystique. At least Magneto got to be the villain for a change in X-Men: Days of Future Past. And by the way, why would you put Scarlet Witch in the movie without Quicksilver? Why would you even do that?
(By the way, that "Magic fixes everything" scene in DoFP was totally gratuitous. Awesome, but gratuitous.)

Oh well. At least X-Men: Apocalypse is coming. We're guaranteed to get Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Colossus in that, and hopefully Magneto won't get sidelined too badly.

And then... Sony. Sony, Sony, Sony. We've had two different Spider-Girl movie franchises, with another on the way, and you've had yet to show us anyone other than Anya Corazon. Where are Miles Morales and Peter Parker? Sure would be nice to know that they exist.

I don't know, guys. I don't feel like I'm asking for a lot here. All I want is some actual representation here--more than just token characters and love interests. (By the way, way to go with Guardians of the Galaxy, guys. A bunch of female characters and one token guy--now where have we seen that before?) This isn't hard, guys. All it takes is looking at other characters from the comics, stepping outside your comfort zone, and maybe acknowledging that everyone wants to be represented--not just your select group.

Good day.

There was a shooting in Charleston.

I'm sure you've heard about it. A 21-year-old man walked into Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston and killed nine people. The shooter was white. All of the victims, including state senator Clementa Pinckney, were black.

This saddens me. Of course it does. This should sadden everyone, though God knows we've had enough incidents like this to be numb to it by now. And more than that, this has disillusioned me.

Because this shooting, as heinous and horrific as it is, is not the first racially motivated crime to have been committed recently. Heard about the Baltimore Riots? Those began after a black man died in police custody. "I Can't Breathe" became a symbolic phrase after Eric Garner was choked to death by the NYPD. (And he wasn't the only one.) Have you heard the name Tamir Rice? Probably not, because the police probably don't want you to know that a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by a Cleveland officer.

If I sound angry, it's because I am. This keeps happening and happening and happening again, and each time I hope that this time it'll be different. That this time, people will wake up and look around and see the dystopia we've created, where a police officer walks free after killing a seven-year-old black girl.

At least this time, with this shooting in Charleston, people are paying attention and acknowledging that yes, this monster was racially motivated. But how long is this going to last? Eventually this story will fade--they always do. Some other newsworthy event will happen and we'll stop talking about this one. And when the next incident of police brutality happens, maybe we'll just ignore it.

Because people like pretending. We like to pretend that there's this order of things, that the cops are the good guys, and if they're accosting someone, that person must be the bad guy. We like to think that if someone can just walk into a church and shoot people point-blank, then that someone must be mentally ill, because no one is monstrous enough to just do that.

But we're lying to ourselves. We're pretending, and it's all a facade. Cops can be just as dishonest and, dare I say it, racist as anyone else. Some people really are monstrous enough to go into a church and shoot people. (The Charleston shooter was not mentally ill.)

We like pretending, and when something doesn't match the narrative, we're happy to just ignore it. Media outlets will call a criminal mentally ill, a loner, delusional, anything to avoid calling him a racist and a terrorist. We're happy to listen them, maybe remark on how sad it is, and then wait for the buzz to die down so we can go back to talking about celebrities and cats.

This will happen again, you know. It'll probably happen many more times before we finally wake up and realize what's going on. Ferguson and Charleston will both happen again, I think, and there will be a lot of people who never receive justice.

I'm sick of this. I want to wake up now and find this all to be a bad dream. I wish I didn't feel compelled to pray protection over people on the street, just because they're dark-skinned. I wish I could have prevented some of this, somehow. I wish there was more I could do.

There's not a lot I can do, actually. But I will pray for the survivors in Charleston, and the families of those who were shot. And I will ask you to do the same. Don't ignore this. Please, don't ignore this. Talk about it. Raise awareness. And maybe someday, things will change.

Until then, I'll keep praying and thinking and talking.

God bless.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (Heck Yeah!)

*Warning: The following post contains multiple spoilers.*

I just got back from Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Yeah. That's right. The movie I raved about before it even hit theaters. The movie I've been waiting months for. The movie I was so excited for.

Was it all I hoped and dreamed it would be?

To an extent, yes.

Age of Ultron was good. It had its great moments, and I'd say it lived up to the first Avengers film. But it had its downsides, too... and I guess that's what I'm here to talk about. And believe me, I've got a lot to talk about. So get up, grab a tasty beverage, use the bathroom, and find a comfy seat, 'cause this is going to be a long post.

***

Age of Ultron: The Good

• The action scenes were amazing--but then, I suppose that's par for the course with a Marvel movie. From the Hulk to Scarlet Witch, those scenes were beautifully animated and great the watch. I wish Quicksilver had gotten more scenes, but overall it was awesome. 
• Ultron and the Vision were both very well-characterized. It was really highlighted that Ultron had all of Tony Stark's flaws and none of his qualities, and the Vision felt--poignant. Clear. And the extremely human-like AI of both characters kept them very interesting, moreso than the usual robot characters you find in sci-fi.
• The dialogue was, as with the previous movie, quite entertaining. The "language" running gag was particularly great. 
• Speaking of dialogue, I just loved the pep talk that Hawkeye gave to Scarlet Witch during the final battle. It ranged from inspiring ("You stay in here, you're good, I'll send your brother back for you... but if you step outside, then you fight and you fight to the death...") to hilarious and very on-point ("We're fighting robots. In a flying city. And I've got a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense!"). It was just... beautiful... and I really loved it. 
• I was thrilled to see War Machine and Maria Hill as a part of the Avengers. Though I really, really wish that the Falcon could've gotten more than one appearance during the party... why didn't he stay?
• And on that note, I loved the bit at the end implying that the Avengers will now include the Vision, Scarlet Witch, and War Machine. 
• I did like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, too... but more on them later. 
• And Dr. Helen Cho. I loved her, and I'm so glad she's not dead. Hopefully she'll be in later installments, because she was great and somewhat-underutilised character. 
• The fact that the Avengers were desperately trying to save civilian lives was a fantastic touch; a good counterbalance to the obvious death and destruction that was all around. 
• And I enjoyed seeing Hawkeye's family... but again, more on that later. 

Age of Ultron: The Bad

• I liked Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, I really did. They were fun to watch and they were pretty well characterized. But... I don't feel that they were as well done as they could have been.
  For one thing, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were Jewish and Romani in the comics. That doesn't seem to have carried over to the movie universe; there was nothing that might have indicated that they were anything other than Eastern European and white. (Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the actors in these roles, are both white, though Taylor-Johnson is, apparently, Jewish.) 
• I'm still mad about the apparent erasure of Hawkeye's deafness. In the comics he is (was? I'm pretty sure he is) 80% deaf. In the movies, nope, apparently he's 100% able-bodied and able to hear. And that irks me. The reveal that he does have a family, that he's got this sort of other life... that could've been the perfect place to show him practicing sign language with his kids, or something... anything. But no. There was nothing, and at this point, this far into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'm starting to resign myself to the fact that we aren't going to get 80% deaf Clint Barton. 
• Okay, this point right here is long and complicated and somewhat spoilery, so if you feel like skipping it... actually, don't skip it, because I think this is important.
  Awhile back I did a review of Bramblestar's Storm, one of the more recent installments in the Warriors series. If you've read that review, you'll remember that I was quite disgruntled about the reveal that Squirrelflight really can have kits.
  Well, I never thought that I would see the same problem in a Marvel movie and a Warriors book, but there it is and here we are.
  You see, in this movie there's a blossoming subplot that details a romance between Natasha Romanov (Black Widow) and Bruce Banner (the Hulk, obviously). In one of their scenes, Banner mentions that he wouldn't be able to father children if they were married. Natasha then reveals (in conjunction with a memory/flashback she had earlier) that she was forcibly sterilized as part of her training--that she physically cannot have children, either. She then asks Bruce, "Still think you're the only monster on the team?"--implying that she is a monster... because she can't have children.
  I don't like the implications here.
  Watching the scene, I got the feeling that Natasha Romanov has seen herself as monster for a long time; because of all that she's gone through and all that she's done. But the highlight in this scene--and, indeed, in her flashback--was the sterilization. In this scene, there is a very real implication that because she cannot have children, Natasha considers herself a monster.
  And I don't like that.
  As I stated in the Bramblestar's Storm review, there are women all over the world who can't have children, for one reason or another. Not only is this insulting and dismissive towards them, it's basically saying that real women who have been forcibly sterilized are, if not monsters, then something unnatural. That's not right. And while Age of Ultron doesn't outright equate children with a happy, loving marriage (the way Bramblestar's Storm did), the implications behind this scene are not good. 
• I kind of feel that Helen Cho was shoved aside and not allowed to play a huge part in the plot. Don't get me wrong; I was thrilled with her character, and honestly she had a bigger role to play than I thought she would. But then she was brainwashed by Ultron. And (literally) shoved to the side so that he could head out and enact his plans. And wounded so she couldn't help the Avengers anymore. (On the one hand, I was so scared she would die, and I'm thrilled she didn't, but really. I'm seriously hoping she comes back and does more in later movies.)

***

Conclusion

I really, really liked Avengers: Age of Ultron, for all the reasons listed. It had action, it had humor (Maria Hill's "*cough*Testosterone*cough*" comment...), the plot was pretty good, Ultron was well characterized...

And yet. 

And yet Wanda and Pietro Maximoff had their race (apparently) changed, for no reason that I can see. And yet Joss Whedon (the writer of this film) is still ignoring Hawkeye's disability. And yet Helen Cho was pushed to the side to make room for Ultron and Vision and Thor and Quicksilver's death. And yet Natasha is called--calls herself--a monster for having been sterilized. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a good movie--maybe even a great one, in terms of entertainment value and fun. But it had its flaws. And for those, I give it three and a half stars out of five. 

I like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I really do. And for that reason, I hope that the movies will only improve from here. For they have their flaws and their failings. But then--as the Vision tells Ultron in the film--perhaps there is grace in their failings. For that, I can always hope. 

All the Small Things

~Periodic ramblings about my life.~

***

1. (Hydrogen)

I'm more-or-less halfway through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It's my first time reading it. (I started the series later than most.) I know all the spoilers, though, because it's pretty much impossible to be on the internet and not run into spoilers about this series. 

2. (Helium)

We are having a really strange winter. I'm currently living in Alaska, and our snowfall this year has to be at a record low. We got a few inches just recently, but before that there was only about an inch on the ground, and that was starting to melt. 

I just hope this doesn't ruin breakup. See, there's this huge ditch in our neighborhood that fills up with water when the snow melts, since it's at the bottom of the hill our neighborhood is situated on. The water generally only stays for a few days, but it's fun while it lasts. Or, it will be if our abysmal snowfall rates don't affect it. 

3. (Lithium)

I am really excited about the superhero movies coming out this year (specifically, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and the new Fantastic Four movie). I'm especially excited to see what Fox does with the Fantastic Four this time around, since their first stab at it wasn't exactly... stellar. 

4. (Beryllium)

You're probably wondering why each of these thoughts is preceded by the name of a chemical. I'm just going to come right out: it's a pun. Periodic, get it? Because at the beginning I sub-titled it Periodic Thoughts About My Life? Heheheheheh.... heh. 

5. (Boron)

My sister is reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. (She's actually reading it here as I type this.) I keep threatening to spoil it for her. Fortunately, she has no idea what's coming. 

Heheheheheheheheh. Heheheheheheheh--

Excuse me. 

6. (Carbon)

Season 5 of Downton Abbey is taking forever to air. We get one episode a week, every Sunday night. And, you know, that wouldn't sting so much if the UK hadn't already gotten the entire season before we even got the premiere!

Sorry. But I am still a little bitter about that one. It just isn't fair. 

7. (Nitrogen) 

We're still working our way through season 1 of Agents of SHIELD. The episodes are getting a bit creepier, and much more frustrating, but at this point there's no way we're going to stop watching. 

8. (Oxygen)

I've started the second semester of Challenge B (the homeschool program I do). It's definitely tough, but I'm starting to enjoy it a little bit (a little bit) more. Fortunately, spring break is March 2-6. And we might be taking a hop to Germany in a couple weeks to visit some friends. So that'll be fun, assuming it happens (it's still up in the air right now). 

***

And that about wraps up my periodic reminisces about my life. (Periodic. Heheheh.) For more information about the Periodic Table, I recommend the awesome book The Elements: A Visual Explanation of Every Known Atom in the Universe, by Theodore Gray. For more about my life, keep reading this blog. 

Bye, and thanks for reading!

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

*Warning: The following post contains unmarked spoilers for both book and movie. Viewer discretion is advised.*

So, I recently went to see The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, the final installment in the Hobbit movie trilogy, and Peter Jackson's final movie set in Middle-Earth (at least to date). It was reasonably good, I suppose, and there were things about it I enjoyed; but there were also disappointing moments. I will detail my thoughts (concerning both this movie and all the movies in general) below,

***

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Enjoyment

• I went into this movie with my expectations vastly lowered from where they were going into The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Therefore, I did manage to enjoy most of it. 
• Case in point: the portrayal of Thorin slowly losing himself to greed and 'dragon-sickness' after reconquering Erebor. Richard Armitage's acting is amazing, and the moments between him and Bilbo (Martin Freeman) are amazing to watch. I also think the portrayal of the other dwarves' positions was well done--they want to be loyal, because that's what's gotten them this far, but it's increasingly hard to be loyal to someone so selfish. 
• Bard was, again, a favorite character (though he still doesn't quite match the character I imagined when reading the book). His daughters had less screentime, I think, than in Desolation of Smaug, but his son Bain had some more scenes, and I loved that. 
• The visuals were amazing, but then, this is Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth we're talking about here, so yeah. 

The Hobbit: Desolation of Jackson

• As with Desolation of Smaug (and, to an extent, An Unexpected Journey), there were several deviations from the book here, though overall it was rather accurate. According to Middle-Earth history, Azog the Defiler really shouldn't be alive in the time this movie takes place, but that's been a problem since the first movie. Angmar wasn't involved in the book, and neither was Sauron really, and there really weren't all that many orcs present at the Battle of Five Armies, but oh well. Orcs, whattcha gonna do. 
• My biggest problem with this movie was probably the death scenes (for Thorin, Fili, and Kili). This kind of ties in with the portrayal of the battle in general, so please forgive me for being a bit long-winded.
  When reading the book, I always imagined the battle as taking place in front of Erebor, and only in front of Erebor. Sure, there was Ravenhill, but that wasn't very far up or far away from the main battle. I definitely didn't envision a cliff that far removed from the battle.
  Consequently, I always imagined Thorin, Fili, and Kili going down in battle together. Perhaps Thorin would fall, Fili and Kili would swoop to defend their uncle, and they would all die together. Or Fili and Kili would die trying to protect each other, because they're brothers, they've been together forever, and there is nothing they would not do to protect each other.
  But this is not how things happened in the movie.
  To make a long story short, Thorin, Fili, and Kili (along with Dwalin) leave the main battle and head up Ravenhill (or shall I say, Ravencliff) to try and kill the orcs' leader(s). Fili and Kili get sent out scouting, and then are surrounded when orcish reinforcements arrive. They get separated, and then they and Thorin are essentially picked off one by one.
  What the ever-loving fudge, Peter Jackson? I mean, come on! Fili didn't even get a chance to fight before the orcs killed him! And sure, Kili saw him die and tried to have a roaring rampage of revenge and stuff. But come on, they've been this heartwarming pair since the first movie and you're not even going to let them die together? That aside, you're not even going to let Fili, heir to the throne of Erebor and Thorin Oakenshield's nephew, have a fighting chance before he dies?
• And then naturally Tauriel shows up. Look, I'm sorry about this, Tauriel, I really am. I wanted to like you. I overlooked your less-than-original relationships with Kili and Legolas all through Desolation of Smaug. I reveled in your action scenes and tried to forget what I didn't like about you. But after that death scene with Kili and Thranduil, I am done. 
  (See? Peter Jackson can't even get me to like a character that I wanted to like.)
• Finally, I feel like the titular battle was far too drawn out. I get that it was an integral part of the movie and junk, and sure the action was fun to watch, but eventually it gets to the point where you're just wondering when it's going to end. 

The Hobbit: There and Back Again

• I'm... not really sure how to feel about the Hobbit movie trilogy. On the one hand, there are--were--things I wanted to see in movie format. I was excited about the scene at the beginning of Desolation of Smaug, where Thorin and Gandalf first meet. I was happy to see all thirteen of the dwarves in the company fleshed out and represented. And of course, the visual shots are amazing, the action is fun to watch, and there's a decent bit of humor here and there too. 
• But then there are the downsides. And there are quite a few downsides--most likely enough to outweigh the good.
  To begin with, there are the chronological errors. My biggest problem with the series at this point is that Azog the Defiler is still alive. According to Middle-Earth history, Azog was killed at the Battle of Anulzibzar Moria by Dain, Thorin's cousin. Azog's son Bolg--who also appears in the movie trilogy--was the one who spearheaded the orcish attacks, because Azog was, y'know, dead at the time. So here we have Peter Jackson messing up history on two accounts--one, Azog should've died at Moria, and two, it should've been Dain that killed him.
• The whole Necromancer/Sauron subplot--which I have complained about before--was not, as I originally thought, wholly fabricated by Jackson. The White Council did, in fact, drive Sauron out of Dol Guldor and into the Mordor area, in the same year that Erebor was retaken. However, this doesn't mean I'm willing to let the matter pass. I do not think that such a storyline should have been included in the Hobbit movies, particularly when it had nothing to do with any of the main characters. The only thread connecting that story to the main one was Radaghast, and it was a tenuous thread indeed--since Radaghast wasn't involved in The Hobbit to begin with. 
• My final main point about this series was Tauriel. As stated above, I wanted to like Tauriel. I really did. But with all that happened in the movies, I couldn't. I'm not sure if it was the screenwriter's fault, or Mr. Jackson's, or both, but I just don't feel like Tauriel brought anything new to the table in terms of... well, anything. Yes, she was action-y. So was literally everybody else. Yes, she provided romance. I wasn't particularly looking for romance in these movies, not gonna lie. And really, when it comes down to it, I just didn't feel too much personality from Tauriel. Which is a shame, because I wanted to like her. 

Conclusion

Well, this concludes my reviews of the Hobbit trilogy (much as Battle of the Five Armies concluded Jackson's Tolkien movies). We've been through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and if you've stayed with me this far, thank you. I appreciate that. 

Ah, well. I'd better not get too sentimental. I've still got plenty of things to obsess over and talk about on my blog. And with school coming up fast (faster than I'd like), there's that, too. 

So. I'm giving the Hobbit trilogy three stars out of five, for the sake of things. 

And that's the end of that.