Ranking my favorite sci-fi/fantasy franchises

This blog is mostly about Star Wars, but like most fans, there are many other franchises out there that I love. I thought I’d list them here and rank them, based on my level of obsession and commitment. I love them all to varying degrees, but here they are from least favorite to most:

Blade Runner. I’m not sure if this counts as a franchise, since there are only two movies, but I also thought I heard that there’s a series in the works. At any rate, Blade Runner came to my attention in the early 80’s when the first one came out (it was released in 1982) since Harrison Ford was in it. At 12 years old, I was deep into my Star Wars obsession, and had my first celebrity crush on Ford. But I was a bit disappointed in the trailer, since it looked nothing like Star Wars, and Harrison Ford didn’t look like Han Solo, lol. I didn’t actually watch the film until much later, in my twenties, and I absolutely loved it. It just looked cool, and was cerebral in a way Star Wars wasn’t, and realized this was science fiction while Star Wars was fantasy. When Blade Runner 2049 came out in 2017, I was excited about it. Some people either didn’t like it, didn’t understand it, or thought it was way too long and convoluted. I loved it, though. Ryan Gosling was incredible in the role of K/Joe, and it explored all the philosophical themes I loved in the original (what does it mean to be human? What is love? What is real? etc). And Ford was great.

Indiana Jones. Another Ford franchise I’ve loved since childhood. Raiders of the Lost Ark remains one of my favorite nostalgic films. The franchise is low down on my list because the films have been kind of hit or miss. Raiders–awesome. Temple of Doom–gruesome and silly. Last Crusade–awesome. Crystal Skull–disappointing. I’m hoping number five continues the pattern and is awesome, and a fitting farewell to the character.

Mad Max. I first saw Beyond Thunderdome when it came out in 1985. At the time, I thought it was pretty cool, although now I consider it the weakest out of the movies. I backtracked and saw the first two Mad Max films, and while the first one was decent, it was The Road Warrior that cemented my love for the franchise (and young Mel Gibson was extremely easy on the eyes, too). The Road Warrior was quite simply an action masterpiece on wheels, and I’m not someone who’s into action films, really. It has to be action blended with something else, like an existential dystopian journey. When it was announced that there would be a reboot with Tom Hardy as Max, I had my doubts. No one but Mel could play Max. But I was wrong. Tom did a great job, but I was surprised to discover that it wasn’t really Max that did it for me this time; it was Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron. I absolutely love her, and the film has the same high-octane car chases as the originals. I think there’s a Furiosa sequel on the way, and I’m on board.

The Terminator. I missed this one when it first came out in 1984 because I was too young to go see it in the theater. I caught up with it later, and instantly loved it. The idea of it just blew my young mind–a robot coming back through time to kill a woman so she wouldn’t bear a son who would inspire a human rebellion against the machines?? What?? That’s so cool!!!–and Arnold Schwarzenegger was awesome as the Terminator. I also related to Sarah Connor, because she was just some normal waitress who happened to be the mother of John Connor. And oh, the father was the guy who came back in time to protect her from the killer machine. OMG, What???? The son sent his own father back in time so he could be conceived??? It was all so mind-bending to me, lol. And of course, the sequel was fantastic, and Sarah Connor had grown into this badass fighter who would do anything to protect her son. She was one of the first badass women action characters (next to Ellen Ripley, see below) who was inspiring to me at the time. The subsequent sequels were fine, but couldn’t quite recapture the magic, and I think I even skipped the last one or two, I don’t know. But the first two will always be rather high on my list of faves.

Alien(s). This was another instance where I saw the second movie before the first one, and then backtracked. The second Alien movie, simply called Aliens, is by far the best of the bunch. I saw it in the theater and just sat on the edge of my seat teeming with adrenaline the whole time, lol. The aliens are terrifying and gross and Ellen Ripley is one of my female heroes, next to Sarah Connor, naturally. Just a normal woman who got caught up in something that required her to do insanely brave things, not only to survive, but to help those she cared about to survive, too. When I backtracked and saw the first Alien movie, I was surprised at how different it was; it was more of a slow burn that eventually boiled into terror. The subsequent movies weren’t that great, to be honest. The third one was just grim and depressing, and the fourth was kind of weird and unsettling. I like to just pretend the third and fourth never happened, and Ripley and Newt lived happily ever after with Hicks.

Marvel. Marvel is a relatively recent obsession, starting just last summer with the Loki series. I loved it so much, and worked through all the films for several months to catch up. Where had I been all these years? Lol. I will confess, I thought the “comic book movies” silly and for the nerd boys (nevermind that I was, and had been for years, a nerd girl). But Loki opened the door for me, and I’m so glad he did. It was so fun discovering all these movies, and some I absolutely loved, and others, meh, not so much (here’s my ranking of the films). And the D+ shows have been mostly great; I especially loved, besides Loki, Wandavision and Moon Knight. I haven’t been keeping up with the shows–I haven’t watched Ms. Marvel or She-Hulk, which is surprising for me, since they’re female-centric, but I think I just got a case of Marvel fatigue, lol. They’ll always be there and I’ll catch up some day.

Star Trek. Ah, Star Trek. For me, it all started with The Next Generation in the late 80’s. I think I’d seen a few shows of the original series before that, but it didn’t capture my attention like Next Gen. It was silly at times (especially looking back, lol), but it found its rhythm in later seasons and put out excellent episodes. I think it’s the only series of which I’ve seen every single episode (besides Enterprise). I loved Deep Space Nine and Voyager, but didn’t watch all the episodes for one reason or another. Enterprise is another favorite; I have a soft spot for Scott Bakula from Quantum Leap, and just found the show fun and entertaining. The newer shows, like Discovery and Strange New Worlds, I haven’t seen at all, and I’ve only seen the first season of Picard. I hope to remedy that some day. And the films are a whole other thing. I enjoyed some of the films with the original crew (2,4, and 6 specifically), and the Next Gen films were mostly good, particularly First Contact. And the new JJ. Abrams Trek films about the original crew with new actors are quite good, too. I’ll always love Trek and what it represents–mostly, faith in humanity and an examination of science and ethics–and Jean Luc will always be my favorite captain.

Lord of the Rings. This is another relatively new obsession, although this one started over twenty years ago (!) with the release of Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. I had never read the books before this (but have since read them twice through) nor did I ever feel the need to. But damn, when that first trailer came out, I was gobsmacked! I had to see this movie. And when I did, I just stared up at the screen in awe. This was just something I had never experienced before, besides what I felt with Star Wars. It was gorgeous, stunning, epic, and so full of heart I could barely breathe. It was quite simply one of the best movies I had ever seen, period; at least until The Return of the King came out. That was an experience I’ll never forget. It deserved its gazillion Oscars (okay, eleven, but it really swept that year, and it’s a fantasy film, which had never happened before). I immediately read the books as soon as Fellowship came out, and I enjoyed those. Then I tried The Silmarillion. I knew immediately I wasn’t going to be a LOTR expert or any such thing. There’s just too much. I didn’t get too far before I set it down, defeated. But that’s okay. It’s actually a good reference book as I watch the new Rings of Power show, which has been quite good, though probably doesn’t follow it to the letter. I’ve also been re-watching The Hobbit trilogy, and while it doesn’t reach the heights of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it’s great fun and has some lore in there, too.

Star Wars. As you might have guessed, this franchise takes the top spot in my heart. I made a blog about it, after all. There’s just something so special about this galaxy far, far away. Maybe because it’s about hope amid relentless tyranny. Maybe it’s the characters and their journeys. Maybe it’s the futuristic space setting, but as the song says, it’s not the future. It’s a fairy tale, a once upon a time in space. Maybe it’s the nostalgia: I fell in love with it when I was ten years old, over forty years ago, and it’s been with me ever since. Whatever the reason, Star Wars will always be a part of me, a meaningful part of me, as weird as that sounds. I mean, I even got a Jedi Order tattoo on my arm last year, to solidify my commitment, lol. And it’s not static; it’s alive and well after all these decades, evolving and adapting and always recreating itself, while still remaining the same at its core: the story of good versus evil, of darkness ever rising, and the light always to meet it.

What are your favorite franchises? Sci-fi/fantasy or not, let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Marvel Rankings

So, I’ve never ranked Star Wars movies because, well, it’s Star Wars and I love them all. It’s like ranking your children. Yes, there are some I like slightly better than others, but I don’t want to hurt their feelings by ranking them in writing, lol. I love them all, and I’m sticking to that.

Marvel, on the other hand, is a different story. I fell in love with Marvel last summer, when I decided to catch up on them all when Loki came out. And there are definitely some I love more than others, and I don’t feel particularly bad ranking them. I just haven’t up until now because there’s so many of them, lol, and I hadn’t really thought about it. But I’ve been inspired by other people’s rankings, and thought I might as well add my own to the roster. And it was kind of fun figuring it out; I had to dig a little bit to find out why I liked one more than the other, at least in my own mind. I kept my comments to one line each, trying to make my assessments succinct, and to keep this post from being super long.

Anyway, here’s the list: (first to last)

Top 10: (Superb; always on the rewatch list)

Loki. Duh, it’s Loki. And every episode is excellent; the story and writing is tight.
Shang Chi. Absolutely beautiful movie, and a wonderful story of a broken family.
Eternals. I can’t help it, I love this movie. Weird and wonderful with interesting characters.
Spiderman: No Way Home. Fabulous third Tom Holland outing; nostalgic, heartbreaking.
Dr. Strange. My favorite origin story, and favorite character besides Loki. He’s just cool.
Infinity War. Thanos’ shenanigans are riveting and our heroes’ response is inspiring. Tragic.
Endgame. Our heroes save the universe but at a cost. Epic.
What If. Surprisingly wonderful foray into alternate realities, and just plain fun.
Thor Ragnarok. Hilarious, fun, a complete joy ride. And Led Zeppelin.
Guardians of the Galaxy. Also super fun, and a wonderful soundtrack (I’m old, lol).

Next 10: (Very good; I’ll probably watch again)

Avengers. Our heroes come together for the first time, and Loki is so good at being bad.
Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman as T’Challah is perfect. Empowering and entertaining.
Thor: The Dark World. Loki being bad, then being good. Then being bad again. Love it!
Thor. This origin story for Thor and Loki is great. The Loki and Odin scene alone is worth it.
Wandavision. Wacky, weird, and wonderful. Wanda is one powerful witch.
Hawkeye. A little uneven, but I love Hawkeye, so there. Good transition to Kate.
Spiderman: Far From Home. Tom Holland as Spidey is just fun to watch.
Spiderman: Homecoming. Same as above, I just liked FFH a little better.
Ironman. Good, solid origin story for Tony, our fearless and snarky leader.
Black Widow. I didn’t expect to like this one so much, but I did. Red Guardian!

Next 10: (Goes from “Good, I may watch again; to “Not great, I probably won’t watch again)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Not as good as Vol. 1, but the music is still great.
Captain America: The First Avenger. Good origin story for our Captain.
Ant Man. Something about Paul Rudd is irresistible. And Scott Lang is just a nice guy.
Ant Man and Wasp. Same as above, but still not a great movie. Not bad, but not great.
Captain America: Civil War. Painful to see our heroes against each other.
Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ultron was kind of weird. At least we get Wanda and Vision.
Captain Marvel. This movie was fine. I just didn’t really care. Alien cat was the best part.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I love these characters, but this was just boring.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Very boring. Don’t even remember what it was about.
Iron Man 3. Again, boring. At least we got Trevor Slattery, aka The Mandarin.

Least favorite of all time: Iron Man 2. Over two hours of Tony being an a**hole.

So that’s it. This being a very subjective exercise, you may not agree with me on any part of this list, lol. But I am interested in what you think. What are your top 5 or 10? Give me a whole list, if you want. Or top of the list and bottom of the barrel. Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Eternal Relationships

There are spoilers for Eternals in this post, so beware.

You can check out my fairly non-spoilery review of Eternals here.

I can’t stop thinking about Eternals, both the movie and the individual characters who make up the Eternals, and I have some thoughts that spill over into this post. What thoughts, you ask? Is it about the Celestials and who they are and where they come from? Is it how the Eternals change the face of the MCU going forward? Is it Thanos and whether he was actually a good guy? Easter eggs?

Nah. It’s all about the ships. No, not this ship:

Exploring Marvel's Eternals' Meteor Dust Spaceship - IGN — That’s the Domo, by the way.

I’m a little obsessed about the Eternals relationships, romantic (“ships”) or otherwise. There’s just so many of them, and they’re a big, loving, dysfunctional family; there are relationships between them (and a few humans) that are just fun and fascinating to think about and speculate on. I’m just gonna dive in:

Thena and Gilgamesh. These two have the deepest, most poignant bond in the film. They are both warriors, and respect each other as such, and usually work as a team as they battle the Devients. They’re the closest of friends, and while I have no idea if it goes beyond that, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Gilgamesh is willing to risk his life to watch over Thena when they find out she has “Madweary,” a malady that can strike an Eternal after centuries. It’s literally their mind falling apart under the weight of their memories. Gilgamesh tenderly watches over her, protects her from herself, and cooks wonderful meals for her. Because that’s what you do for someone you love.

Ikarus and Sersi. Icarus and Sersi, over the course of a few centuries, fall in love and have the kind of long-term relationship we can barely fathom, lol. They actually take part in the first (fairly tame, but even so) sex scene in the MCU. Their love seems sweet and idyllic, although the fact that Ikarus learns about the people they’re helping only so he can get closer to her is troubling. Sersi truly loves human beings, while to Ikarus we’re just part of the mission, and that’s a bit of foreshadowing for the rest of the film.

Ikarus and Sersi are a whole lot of beautiful.

Sersi and Dane. In the present, Sersi is involved with Dane Whitman. He doesn’t have a lot of screentime, but their few moments together in the film shows that he loves her. He wants her to move in with him, but she keeps putting him off. Sprite tells him that Sersi’s not quite over her ex (Ikarus), and that’s probably true. By the end of the movie, though, she’s definitely worked through that, and seems ready to go on with him, but she’s taken by Arishem to who knows where. Now it looks like Dane is ready to take up the Ebony Blade and become the Black Knight, though I’m not sure how that will help him get Sersi back. We’ll see.

Druig and Makkari. This is probably the sweetest pairing in the movie, and my favorite, mostly because it’s subtle and surprising. You can tell they’re good friends from the beginning, and like to tease each other, and then by the middle of the movie you can see something’s shifted and you’re just as surprised as the rest of the team. Putting the broody, laconic guy with the vibrant, feisty gal is always a satisfying move. I love how Druig is a different person when he’s around Makkari, lighter and a bit happier. She is his “beautiful, beautiful” Makkari. Awwww.

Kingo and Karun. Karun is Kingo’s “valet,” which basically boils down to a personal assistant and cameraman. But also a close friend. Karun has been with Kingo for fifty years (he thought Kingo was a vampire, at first) and knows about the Eternals and Kingo’s role in protecting humanity. Karun is the stand-in for us; he’s the human who looks upon the Eternals with awe and admiration, and has unshakable faith in them. When Kingo disagrees with his fellow Eternals and decides to absent himself from the coming battle, Karun follows him home, even though he doesn’t really want to. He wants to stay and fight. But he’s a loyal friend, and sometimes I think Kingo doesn’t deserve him, lol.

It’s like Alfred from Batman. But funnier.

Phastos and Ben. Poor Phastos is broken-hearted after Hiroshima, and blames himself for giving humans technology that helped them ultimately create such a terrible weapon. He told Ajak that humans were not worth saving. So imagine our surprise when we find him happily living with another man and their adopted son. First of all, I think it’s great that the MCU finally created an openly gay superhero–it’s long past due. Secondly, I love how Phastos and Ben show that, yeah, in the aggregate, humans suck; but on a smaller, family level, we’re capable of so much love. Phastos is willing to fight the Emergence for the love he has for his son’s future, and that’s a beautiful thing.

The 10 Best Duos In Eternals | Screen Rant — Love redeemed.

Ajak and Ikarus. They’re not romantically involved, of course; Ajak is like the den-mother to the Eternals. But Ikarus is the unofficial second-in-command, and Ajak shares the truth of their mission with him after Babylon. So they share a secret. Ikarus is devoted to that mission, and to Arishem, apparently more than he is to Ajak or the Eternals or humans. He can’t believe that Ajak changes her mind about earth, and so he….kills her. He kills her! This is unforgivable, and yet is there something to be admired in his loyalty to Arishem? In his willingness to sacrifice a planet for the billions to come? Nope. Captain America said it himself: “We don’t trade lives.” The fact that Ikarus killed someone he loved for an idea is rather horrible. And he did love her–you can see that when he brings her body back to her house in South Dakota. But the deed is done and sets the rest of the story in motion.

We have to save the humans, right Ikarus? Right?

Sprite and Ikarus. Let me be clear, I do NOT ship these two for obvious reasons. But Sprite does love Ikarus, and therein lies the tragedy: she’s a woman trapped in a child’s body. And that, to me, is pretty awful. She’s thousands of years old, and has the body of a 12-year old. WTF Arishem? When she plaintively asks Kingo, “Why did Arishem make me this way?” it strikes a chord in a lot of people who don’t understand why they are the way they are and shake their fists at the heavens. And there’s no answer. That’s why she’s so willing to follow Ikarus, even after his betrayal; not only does she love him, but she wants to end her frustrating existence here on earth and start over somewhere else. I’m so happy Sersi was able to make her human, so she can grow up. And grow old and die, but she’s ready for that, just to have a chance to live a full life. She’s definitely like Tinkerbell, as Kingo suggests, but she’s also Pinocchio, who finally becomes a real person. Good for her. I even forgive her for stabbing Sersi, lol.

Whew! Those are all I can think of right now. Did I miss anyone? Who’s your favorite Eternal or relationship? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello and happy weekend, my friends!

I’ve finished reading The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray, and I was not disappointed in this third adult novel in the High Republic series, and the last in Phase One. I’ve enjoyed all of Claudia Gray’s Star Wars novels, and she does a great job telling this story of Starlight Beacon, symbol of the Jedi and the Republic, being destroyed by the Nihil, or more specifically, orchestrated by Marchion Ro, their mysterious leader. The Jedi, led by Stellan Gios and Elzar Mann, don’t even know what they’re up against, as something mysterious is affecting the Jedi’s connection to the Force as the incapacitated station plummets toward destruction. I’m going to post a review of the book on Wednesday (my High Republic post day), so stay tuned for that.

Since finishing that book, I’d like to get back to Race to Crashpoint Tower, the middle grade book from Wave 2 of the High Republic, before Midnight Horizon comes out on February 1st. I shouldn’t have a problem finishing the relatively small book in a week or so, and I’ll write up a review of it.

The wonderfully-named Padawans Lula Talisola and Ram Jamoram

I enjoyed the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett (Episode 4) called “The Gathering Storm.” Again, some good things, some wince-inducing things, but the most exciting thing about it came at the end when we hear Mando’s theme, suggesting Din Djarin will be making an appearance, hopefully next week! For my full review of the episode, you can go here.

In Marvel, I caught the Moon Knight trailer, and man, does that look trippy and weird, and I’m so ready for it! I haven’t seen Dune yet, and so missed Isaac Oscar’s performance in that film, so I can’t wait to see him in this new Marvel series that premieres March 30th. I’m new to Marvel, having caught up with the Avengers and company in the past 6 or so months, and I have no idea who any of these new superheroes and villains are, but I’m just going along for the ride and I’m loving it!

Oscar Isaac looks to be having a spot of trouble in Moon Knight.

Case in point, I’m on my third viewing of Eternals (and have another post on them coming soon, probably Monday; if you want to read my review of the movie you can do so here); and I’ve also watched Shang Chi about three times so far. Just fabulous movie-making. Marvel is really hitting the mark for me right now!

But I’ve also been thinking about another franchise I haven’t visited for awhile: Star Trek. When I heard about the new series Picard, I knew I wanted to watch it, but I wasn’t keen on paying for another streaming service to do so. But now I can watch it on Youtube for about $2 an episode. I can swing that. I loved The Next Generation back in the day, much more than the original Star Trek (although it’s still cool in a campy way), and Picard, Riker, Worf, and Data are a part of my beloved sci-fi memories. So I’ll probably be watching that show during the Disney vacuum once The Book of Boba Fett ends, and I’ll be talking about it here. Can’t wait to see what Jean-Luc has been up to!

I will boldly go wherever this man goes next.

That’s it for this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Eternals Review

I watched Eternals this past week on Disney+, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it.

Going in, I wasn’t sure I was ready for another group of Marvel superheroes, but it turns out I was wrong. It took me a couple of viewings to absorb their cosmology and the nuances between all the characters, but I’m so on board for team Eternal.

Basically, the Eternals were created (by Celestials, specifically Arishem) to protect mankind from the Devients, a group of scary-looking predators, and to help them progress and evolve over time. They wiped out the last Devients about 500 years ago (they’ve been around since 5000 BC), and are just waiting to get the word from Arishem to go home (a planet named Olympia).

But in the present, the Devients come back, and the individuals that make up the Eternals must come back together to defeat them. But they find their leader, Ajak, dead, and the new leader, Sersi, finds out the true nature of their mission here on earth. And they’re not happy about it.

The plot of the movie is entertaining and it’s their very reason for being, but it’s the characters themselves and their relationships that I fell in love with.

Ajak, their leader, can heal herself and others; Icarus can fly and can shoot laser beams from his eyes; Sersi can change matter into something else (rock into water, for instance); Kingo has laser beams that come out of his hands; Sprite can form illusions; Thena is a great warrior, as is Gilgamesh; Druig can do mind control; Makkari is super-fast; and Phastos can create sophisticated tools and contraptions.

So here’s the relationship rundown: Icarus and Sersi fell in love and were together for 5000 years, until a few hundred years ago, when he mysteriously left her; in the present, Sersi is in a relationship with the human Dane. Thena and Gilgamesh are a fighting team and great friends (I’m not sure if it goes beyond that, but their bond is deep and strong). Sprite is secretly in love with Icarus, but she’s in the form of a child and cannot take her feelings very far (and he’s with Sersi, so yeah). Druig and Makkari seem like an unlikely pair, but they share a sweet friendship and flirtation over the centuries that becomes more apparent in the present. Phastos gives up on humankind after Hiroshima, but then finds love with another man in the present and they adopt a son. And Kingo, well, he becomes a Bollywood star and has a human valet named Karun who knows all about the Eternals.

The movie has an overall theme of evolution: of humankind over the centuries, but also of the Eternals themselves. On an individual level, Sersi learns that she is capable of more than she thought: formerly she could only transform one simple element into something else, but in a battle with a Devient she turns the creature into a tree, without knowing how she did it. On a collective level, the Eternals themselves grow beyond their original mission to saving the people of earth. Oh, and I can’t forget one particular Devient who evolves into a sentient creature who can speak and think. Yikes!

And if you want to get real meta, my opinion of some of the Eternals evolved over the course of the movie, too. At first, I agreed with Kingo when he said, “Druig sucks.” At first, Druig seemed aloof and righteous and just annoying. But by the end of the film, I loved him. Turns out he’s just intense (and he’s truly a different person when he’s around Makkari). Icarus, also, waxed and waned in my judgment. As the unofficial second in command, he’s super handsome and super strong and just all around super super-heroish. But then he commits an unforgivable act, and I hate him. Then at the end I feel sorry for him. I was all over the map with these people, all in one movie, lol.

There’s some Marvel humor laced throughout and the casting is perfect (and casting a deaf actor to portray Makkari is awesome),

In the end, this was a fun, weird, exciting, satisfying movie, and I’m ready for a sequel right now, lol. One of the end credits sets us up for a sequel, while the other sets up another possible branch for Marvel with Dane Whitman, played by Kit Harington, as the Black Knight (I have no idea who that is, but I’m game).

Have you seen Eternals? What did you think? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Happy weekend, my friends!

I haven’t gotten too far in books this past week; still dribbling through Kenobi and Smuggler’s Run. I’m not sure why–I think I’ve just been busy getting ready for Christmas. But it’s okay. I’ll be done with them by the time The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray comes out on January 4th. I’m super excited for this book, which is the adult novel in the next wave of High Republic books. And it kicks off almost an entire year of Star Wars publications I’ve already pre-ordered. I think I’ll do a separate post on those books sometime next week, so stay tuned.

Hawkeye Episode 6 was quite good. We got Yelena Romanov’s appearance, which was fun, but I thought the character kind of laid it on a little thick, if you know what I mean. The banter went on far too long, in my opinion. It’s one of the criticisms I have with the show, which is that I feel the writing could be a little tighter. It tends to meander on unnecessarily sometimes. Oh well. And I heard that Kingpin is probably the big bad in the story, which turned out to be true, but as a Marvel newbie, I have no idea who that is, lol. That’s okay, too. I’ll figure it out. And–surprise!–Kate’s Mom is involved somehow with the big guy. There’s only one show left, and I’m wondering how all of this is going to be played out and wrapped up.

I’m not crying, you’re crying. No, I’m crying.

I finished my viewing of Disney+’s “Essential Clone Wars,” which goes up to the last episode of season five with Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order (I’m guessing they consider all of seasons 6 and 7, which are much shorter, as essential viewing, and I agree with that assessment). There’s about twenty or so episodes that were plucked out of seasons 1-5, and they were pretty awesome indeed, especially the whole deal with Maul and Savage Opress, Death Watch and Mandalore, Satine’s death, and the Dark Saber. Ahsoka being accused of bombing the Jedi Temple and subsequently leaving the Order was great, too. That moment she walked away from the Council with Anakin running after her and their parting words had me in tears, I’m not kidding. I think I’ll watch seasons 6 and 7, which will probably get me up to the premier of The Book of Boba Fett on the 29th.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the death of Anne Rice, the author of The Vampire Chronicles, the Mayfair Witches, and many other books that I devoured back in the day (90’s to early 2000’s). Her books were passionate, fun, mesmerizing and thoughtful all at the same time. Sometimes they were a little outrageous, lol. But she wrote her passions and didn’t apologize for it, and inspired me to do the same at the time (I have several desk-drawer novels from this time, lol). I eventually donated my piles of Anne Rice books to libraries and bookstores, but I do still have the book that started it all: Interview With A Vampire. The story of the vampires Louis and Lestat will always be one of my favorites. She was 80 years old and died of complications from a stroke. Rest in peace, Anne. I hope all of your spiritual questions will now be answered.

Anne Rice~I have enjoyed every book I have ever read by her, which is almost every book she has ever written. Just a few more to go. — I like this woman.

Last week I mentioned that I was in the process of getting a Jedi Order tattoo, and now I actually have an appointment date: Wednesday Dec. 22nd. I can’t wait! I’ll share a pic of it in my next update post.

Finally, Spiderman: No Way Home premieres this weekend, and I’m actually going to see it in the theater, probably Sunday. I can’t remember the last movie I saw in a theater, and I finally have some time (and a movie gift card from last Christmas I haven’t used yet, lol). I can’t wait to see Peter and Dr. Strange, and all those villains! It’s gonna be a blast.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

So my book club picked our new novel to read and I read it all in three days, lol. It’s called The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It’s about a British woman named Nora Seed who is at a low point in her life and decides to end it. After she overdoses, she finds herself in a place called The Midnight Library, where there are endless shelves of books that represent an infinite number of possible lives she has led, depending on the decisions she’s made. The “librarian” there, Mrs. Elm, encourages her to choose books based on different decisions she might have made, in the hope of finding her “perfect” life. She then goes on an odyssey of possible lives, including ones in which she is an Olympic swimmer, a rock star, a country inn owner with a husband, a philosophy professor, a glaciologist, and many other things.

Rather predictably, most of these lives are most definitely NOT perfect, and she despairs of ever finding a life she’d like to live. But she learns many life lessons along the way. There’s nothing really revelatory here, at least not to me, but Nora’s story is riveting anyway. I love these kinds of stories, ones that deal with a multiverse (with phrases like quantum physics, string theory, and Schrodinger’s cat thrown around, the precise meaning of which is a little fuzzy to me but fascinating anyway). Cool book.

In Star Wars books, I’m still getting through Kenobi and Smuggler’s Run, but I’d put them aside while I raced through The Midnight Library. I’ll probably finish both by next week.

In Marvel, I watched Hawkeye Episode 4, and I’m continuing to enjoy this show. There were a few tender, teary moments when Clint opened up to Kate about Natasha, and being The Ronin. I have to admit I’m a little confused about what’s actually going on, lol, but I’m just rolling with it and going along for the ride. There seems to be a lot of disparate parts to the mystery that ostensibly will come together at the end, including the Track Suits and Echo, the Rolex from the Avenger’s compound, and Kate’s mother’s boyfriend Jack (her mother is giving off strong sus vibes, as well). And then at the end of the episode Yelena Romanov shows up, and sh*t gets real. Real confusing, but I don’t mind. Once it’s over I’ll probably rewatch it with hindsight and it’ll make more sense. I hope.

Last week I mentioned that I rewatched A New Hope, so of course I had to follow up with ESB and ROTJ. It further whetted my appetite for Star Wars, so I decided on a Clone Wars rewatch. I wasn’t up for watching every single episode, however, so I went with the Disney+ listing of “Essential Episodes,” which is more manageable right now. This is such great, quintessential Star Wars; I urge every fan who hasn’t watched yet to let go of any preconceived notions about animated series, because you’re missing wonderful content. I like how they’re quick, half hour episodes that I can fit in at the end of the night. I’m about four episodes in, and can’t wait to see what’s next on the list.

In coming attractions, I’ve heard that Shang Chi 2 is in the works, and I couldn’t be more happy about it; also, Eternals is coming to D+ on January 12th, and I’ll be tuning in since I didn’t get to the theater to see it. This is why I love D+; as a busy working mom, I can watch stuff on my schedule (which tends to be late at night when everyone else is in bed, lol). I don’t get to the movie theater much these days and I miss it, but D+ is the next best thing.

Oh, and despite the fact that I’m not a gamer, I have to say that the preview of the new Star Wars game Eclipse is awesome! It’s set in the High Republic era, which I’ve been loving in the novels so far, and I’m really hoping that down the line a book version of the story will come out (I’m still waiting for a Fallen Order book–Disney/Lucasfilm? Anything?) Gamers seem to be really excited about this game, and I can’t blame them.

Quantic Dreams Announces Star Wars Eclipse At The Game Awards

There’s one more Star Wars-related item I’d like to mention, and it’s that I very probably will be getting a Star Wars tattoo very soon. I was supposed to do this for my fiftieth birthday this past summer (my first tattoo ever), but I let it get away from me. I’d like to get one before the end of the year. I’ve been in touch with a local tattoo artist (from a shop recommended by a friend), but we don’t quite have an appointment yet. But very soon. What I want is simple: the Jedi Order symbol, somewhere on my right arm. Of course, once it has been inked I will share a pic of it here.

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend! I hope all my fellow American friends had a great Thanksgiving this past week.

In books, I’m working on Abigale Hall, the gothic tale we’re reading in my book club. I’m about 80% done and will have it finished for our meeting on Tuesday. A couple of fellow members have already finished it, and their responses have been “OMG, I can’t believe it!” So I’m curious to see how it ends! I’ll have my thoughts on it next week.

I started a reread last week of Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, since I’m getting excited for the Obi-Wan series (though who knows when the show will come out next year, lol). It’s a Legends book, so it’s not canon; but I feel that since the show will be set ten years after ROTS, this book, set immediately after the events of ROTS, won’t conflict with canon in any measurable way. It’s a good story and very well-written, and one of my favorite Star Wars books.

This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }} — He’s just a kid who wants to kiss a girl.

In Marvel, I finally watched Spiderman: Far From Home last week. I’ve always loved Toby Maguire as Spidey, but Tom Holland is really great in the role, too. He’s just this sweet kid that you want to hug, lol. The movie was fun and entertaining, as was the first one, but Mysterio was kind of a weird villain. The guy had no real superpowers, so how was he planning on dealing with any actual threat that came along? Idk. I was happy to see Happy playing a bigger role here, too. He just keeps growing on me. So now I’m ready to see No Way Home when it comes out next month.

I also caught the first two episodes of Hawkeye this week. I’ve heard some people say that it’s “boring,” but I don’t agree. I guess I can see why they may think that, but I like the show and have no complaints, really. Probably because I love the character of Hawkeye and Jeremy Renner, the actor, and I’m happy to watch him. (I thought The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was kind of boring, but I watched it anyway, because, you know, Avengers).

But I really didn’t think it was boring. Kate Bishop is fine as the “next” Hawkeye, but I’m more interested in Clint Barton’s character. He’s sad over Natasha Romanov’s death, of course, and is a bit over the hero status. He’s just trying to spend time with his family and to be a good dad. I think it’s a nice touch that he’s got a hearing aid in one ear, because you rarely see superheroes suffer any physical consequences of constant explosions, lol. He’s also reaping the consequences of his “Ronin” period. I love the doggie, too (where did he come from? He obviously belongs to someone because of the leash. What happened to his eye? I have questions….). And oh, man, that Avengers Broadway musical! We need that in real life, lol.

He’s just a man who wants to kiss his kids.

That’s about it this week. I’d just like to add that The Curtain Saga strikes again! My stats have been crazy, 500-1000 views these past few days, which is unheard of on my site, lol. The last time this happened was this past summer, when I happened to mention putting up curtains in my daughter’s room, and put “curtains” as one of my tags. Little did I know that curtains are apparently super-popular in the google-sphere, and I think people unintentionally found my site. Someone else had seen the post the other day and “liked” it, and the stats have been spiraling ever since, lol. The internet is weird! But I’m not complaining. 🙂

So what’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Happy Weekend my friends!

Last week, I wrote of my struggles to get through Ronin: A Star Wars Visions novel. I’m sad to report I haven’t made much progress on that book, but I still have hope I will finish it…someday.

In the meantime, I picked up Master & Apprentice, by Claudia Gray. It’s a re-read, but it’s one of my favorite SW canon books by one of my favorite SW authors. With the recent news that Hayden Christiansen will be in the Ahsoka series (OMG, yay!), it got me thinking about the upcoming Obi-Wan series, which naturally got me thinking about Obi-Wan himself, which led me to picking up this book. It’s a book about Padawan Obi-Wan and his relationship with Qui Gon Jinn, and an important mission, of course. I wrote about my thoughts on this book on my other blog The Star Wars Reader (which I’ve been shamefully neglecting lately), and you can read it here if you’d like.

This contains: Master & Apprentice (Star Wars) — This one’s definitely worth a reread.

On my Kindle, I’m still reading the middle-grade book Moving Target by Jason Fry and Cecil Castellucci, a story about Leia between Empire and Return of the Jedi. I’m enjoying it and will probably finish it this coming week and share more of my thoughts on it then.

In movies, continuing with the train of thought above with Obi-Wan, in reading Master & Apprentice I thought about The Phantom Menace, and so decided to watch it. Which naturally led to Attack of the Clones and then of course Revenge of the Sith. So there was an unplanned prequel marathon this week, and I keep thinking, How could I have not loved these back in the day? Lol. I was young and ignorant, prejudiced against anything new in Star Wars. I’m so glad I’ve seen the error of my ways. 🙂 I’ve learned, in my dotage, that I’m so happy with any kind of Star Wars that is offered, that they are gifts, and I am grateful, lol.

I will do what I must, and rewatch the prequels.

Anyway, in Marvel: I watched the 2015 version of Fantastic Four. I thought I’d check out this updated version, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it as much. And I was right. I guess this is supposed to be a more “woke” version, and Michael B. Jordan does add diversity to the group, while Sue Storm isn’t Reed’s romantic interest here, or as sexualized as Jessica Alba’s Sue was (yeah, I admit that was kind of cringy). But here’s the thing: the fun factor is absolute zero. There’s no chemistry whatsoever between the characters. And Dr. Doom’s madness stems more from a hatred of the world rather than a personal hatred of the F4, which makes him a bit…dull. The whole thing was dull, in fact, lol. I don’t see why it even had to be remade. I’m assuming it was kind of a flop, because there’s been no more movies with this crew, and I’m glad. I want a reunion with the original cast–now that would be fun!

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Weekend Update

Hello friends, and happy weekend!

In books this week, I finished three different novels; one was a big tome, and the other two were short YA or middle grade books. The big book was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.A. Schwabb, and it was fantastic. This book held me in thrall, and I highly recommend it if you like Faustian bargain-type stories.

I also finished The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. My daughter and her class finished it, and I was reading along with her. I’d read it when I was a kid and wanted to discuss it with her. It’s a pretty good book, considering it was written when the author was sixteen years old! Now we just have to watch the movie, lol.

The last one I finished was The Weapon of a Jedi, a middle-grade book by Jason Fry. It takes place between A New Hope and Empire, with Luke on a mission for the Alliance. But he ends up on a planet with an old Jedi Temple, and it’s here he learns more about how to use the Force and become more proficient with his lightsaber. Apparently it’s addressing some questions fans had about how Luke learned these things between the two films. It did a pretty good job, I think, but it was never a pressing question for me.

Soon we’ll choose our new book club book, but until then I needed something on my Kindle to read, so I chose Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure, by Jason Fry and Cecil Castellucci. This is also a middle-grade book, and also a “Journey to the Force Awakens” book like Weapon of a Jedi. This one takes place between Empire and Return of the Jedi, while Han is still in carbonite. I’m really enjoying the Leia-centered canon books, like this one, Leia: Princess of Alderaan, and Bloodline. I like these short little middle grade books, too, because they’re fun, quick Star Wars reads when I need one, but don’t want to get into a big adult one yet.

That’s because I’m still trying to get through Ronin: A Star Wars Visions novel. I was really looking forward to this novel, as something new and different in Star Wars. And it is, but it’s not the story that’s making it slow-going for me reading this book. The story intrigues me; it’s the style it’s written in that bothers me. Most Star Wars books are pretty easy reads, and that’s great; that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy more challenging styles (I’m thinking of James Luceno, for example). But there’s something about this one that makes it hard to read. Most of the time, I have no idea what the hell’s going on, lol. I have to read and re-read sentences over and over to figure out what’s happening. And that’s just too distracting.

I’m sure Emma Mieko Candon is a fine writer, and perhaps Visions is something so completely different that she doesn’t feel beholden to the usual Star Wars writing style. And that’s fine, too. But it’s hard work reading this book, lol. And I’m a capable reader: I’ve read and loved Jane Austen, Tolstoy, Henry James, and any other number of classic authors whose style is, to say the least, challenging. But I don’t want it in my Star Wars books, lol. I’m going to keep at it, though, because I like the story I saw in The Duel and I want to know more. I’ll let you know how it’s going next week.

Anyway, in Marvel movie news, I watched Spiderman: Homecoming and loved it. The Spiderman movies are not on Disney+ as you may know, because of licensing stuff, so I have to watch it on Youtube to catch up. I’d watched the Tobey Maguire Spiderman movies back in the day, and really liked him in the role, but I have to say that Tom Holland really captures the young naivete of Peter Parker perfectly. At first I thought I watched the wrong movie first, that No Way Home must have been the first one (even though I checked) because there’s no origin story here. He already has his Spidey powers. Unless I missed something? But it kind of makes sense, because we already know how he got the powers from the other movies. We don’t need to see it again. Anyway, I loved seeing Tony Stark taking him under his wing. Next week I’ll watch No Way Home, and then I should be ready for Far From Home (that’s not confusing, right?).

And because I can’t seem to get enough superhero movies lately, I watched The Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: the Silver Surfer. I think I had seen the first one way back when, but not the second. They’re super fun with simple plots, and not much else, lol. I wish there were a few more with the original cast. There’s an updated one from 2015 with a new cast, and maybe I’ll check that out next week, too, but I’m partial to the originals. Oh, and it was a gas seeing a younger Chris Evans playing the wild ladies man Johnny Storm, the complete opposite of good-boy Steve Rogers. Flame on!

That’s it this week. What’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!