Picture Kaleidoscope 3/19/14 - The AllCon 2014 Edition

Morning, all!

This past weekend was AllCon. Some cool costumes and other stuff going about, though for some reason we didn't see as much of it walk by as one would expect. Huh

Goth Batman and Robin!

Goth group of doom! Bats, Robin, Harley, Bane, Ivy. They looked great!

Grover and his girlfriend and their trashcans. He would pop out here and there. so Cute!

What a fearsome and disturbing sight! Can you imagine Ming The Merciless with the power of a Star Gate? Heh heh

They looked awesome! Flash...Ahahhhhhh!

Ninja Turtles! And Robin 2.5. :P

Look at those wings! They were huge! Her father said they were bigger but they'd cut them back a bit. Her armor looked awesome too. Never did see her Robocop costume. Boo!

Roses roses roses! Looked awesome.

The obligatory table pic.

I tried a couple of different set ups. Table was a little smaller than usual.

Marvel Earrings TM! The Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America earrings! Heh heh

His armor was fantastic! The detail was amazing.

Gentleman from the Walking Dead, a zombie, and a zombie hunter. heh

Her makeup was done by one of the guests. Gave her a double mouth, so cool.

New project Drew finished while we were there. Doesn't it look fabulous?

Her friend Casey, encased. Heh heh.

Have an awesome Wednesday!

Movie Review - Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, John Malkovich, Cory Hardrict, and more.

Directed by: Jonathan Levine Screenplay by: Jonathan Levine Novel by: Isaac Marion Cinematography by: Javier Aguirresarobe Original Music by: Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

Premise: A teenage zombie questions his lack of life and odd thoughts and habits as he moves through the confines of his existence now that he is no longer human. But his spark of oddity flares when, on a normal zombie raid for human flesh, he falls in love at first sight. Thus unknowingly setting off a slow chain reaction that might save him as well as others. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Nicholas Hoult made for a truly adorable zombie. His facial expressions and long dead stares were great. His body movements were a little more limber here and there than one would expect from zombies, but this is a minor 'nit-pick'. Teresa Palmer as Juliet was incredibly believable in both her fear and lack of excitement for the emotionally barren area of what her father called 'home'. Rob Corddry added a lot to the film as R's best zombie friend M. The scene where he stares at the picture of the couple holding hands was very poignant.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The creatures that zombies turned into once they despaired of their unlife had great detail and were very creepy. The scene where the bonies land on top of the glass canopy and start pounding on it really brought home how far removed from the others they were. The scenes showing the zombiefied hearts coming back to life looked great.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: "Warm Bodies" is a darling idea, especially with the undertones of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Zombies in most stories and films just 'are', with no real science to support their existence, so taking the extra step to believe they're not truly dead at that stage, won't be much of a mental reach for most viewers. Half the fun is watching the zombies evolving back to what they used to be.

Several themes run throughout the film -- that not all (emotional) zombies are undead, and that people need to connect with others to feel alive. I loved the use of eating brains as a means for the undead to steal memories and feelings from their victims so that they could feel momentarily alive themselves, and how it was used in the telling of the story.

The film felt a little slow in spots, but only a few, and not for long. There were plenty of fun, amusing moments throughout.

4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: There was gun play in several sections of the film. Juliet's side slide and shotgun use, won't be forgotten by the guys anytime soon. "Warm Bodies" also had some decent hand to zombie combat. The zombies versus bonies scene, where the zombies are played by people and the bonies by CGI, probably took a lot of work to synchronize.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: There were several skyline shots, a few made more impressive by the addition of the wall the humans erected over a large part of the city to keep the zombies and bonies out. The use of the airport as a main zombie hangout was very apt, for incorporating a few of the themes and the wide variety of locations all in one place.

6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: The department did some really nice work on the zombies. Between the changes to the skin, virus made tracks on the body, and the eyes, they made for a huge contrast as R changed over time. The changes were even more telling on M and a few of the others. The scene where we see R's scars from previous human encounters looked great.

Conclusion: Zombies, tragedy, and romance - an odd mix, but one that was surprisingly cute and satisfying. As hubby pointed out, "Warm Bodies" is the perfect date movie - a mixture of genres that will give both guys and gals something to enjoy.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review - Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania

Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Ceelo Green, Jon Lovitz, Brian George, Luenell, and more...

Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky Screenplay by: Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel Written by: Todd Durham, Dan Hageman, and Kevin Hageman Original Music by: Mark Mothersbaugh

Premise: In 1895, in an attempt to make sure his daughter would grow up safe, Dracula built a hidden castle where monsters could come and stay and not worry about being attacked by humans. In 2012, as his daughter's 118th birthday approaches, Dracula is desperate to curve her stubborn desire to see the world beyond their safe haven. He has a plan, and it miraculously succeeds, until his worst nightmare becomes a reality - a human has found the hotel. (Rated PG)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: A lot of comedic talent was brought in for the voice acting in the film and it worked fabulously. Adam Sandler does a great job as Dracula, the over protective father and still grieving widower. Mr. Sandler brings just enough of an accent that his portrayal fits the standard Dracula mold, but not overly so. He got it just right. Andy Samberg is a fun, happy, Johnny. And Selena Gomez was incredibly sweet as Mavis.

The side actors brought most of the levity to the film and you can tell they had a lot of fun doing it. They all did a wonderful job. The little old Gremlin lady was hilarious.

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: The Sony Animation Studios continue to put out some fun stuff for the whole family to enjoy. "Hotel Transylvani" is also available in 3D, and that always works well with animated films. All the signature parts of the old black and white monster movies are in the movie, then are taken one step further, as if all the monsters of old are reaching their later years - they've mellowed, married, had children, and have been saddled with the same types of problems normal families have. Some of these situations are very subtle, but also hilarious because of it. The shot of the wolfman in bed with his wife said it all.

The setting had a good, creepy vibe, very reminiscent of the real Dracula's Castle in Transylvania. And the audience gets to see a lot of it - from the giant ballroom, to the roof, to an underground maze, and more. The food served here will not make you hungry, so some of the gross factor kids love is present, but not enough to bother the parents. Seeing the problems of running a hotel from the eyes of the proprietor was fun as well.  Dracula does have a definite flare, even when only dealing with clogged toilets.

There were several beautiful spanning shots. And a truly lovely sunrise during one part of the film. All the settings were excellent.

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up:  Though the main theme is emotional - an overprotective parent and his independence seeking child at odds - there is also a lot of humor woven throughout the film. My husband was laughing out long almost continuously.

The movie has a lot of old monster movie and parenting/marriage jokes as part of the story, so there's a lot of fodder for the parents to enjoy. The kids will totally love the monsters, especially the wolfman's kids. Mayhem abounds to keep everyone's attention glued to the screen.

Conclusion: A fun, spooky, and rather poignant film that will be enjoyed by the whole family. If you're a fan of the old black and white monster movies, you'll find plenty to love here.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See Again!)

Movie Review - Resident Evil: Retribution

Resident Evil: Retribution

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Aryana Engineer, Bingbing Li, Boris Kodjoe, Johann Urb, Robin Kasyanov, Kevin Durand, Ofilio Portillo, Oded Fehr, Colin Salmon, Shawn Roberts, and more.

Directed by: Paul W S Anderson Writing Credits: Paul W S Anderson Cinematography by: Glen MacPherson Original Music by: tomandandy (Tom Hadju and Andy Milburn)

Premise: Captured after the unexpected attack by a brainwashed Jill at the end of "Resident Evil: Afterlife," Alice finds help from an unexpected source - her sworn enemy, Albert Wesker. His agent Ada and a small team of men have been tasked with setting Alice free and destroying Umbrella's underwater Siberian base. The Red Queen, Umbrella's AI, who has now taken over the facility, will not make the task easy. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: The film gives unexpected avenues for the stars to show their acting acumen. Milla Jovovich has always done well in her action film roles, but we get to see another side of her talents in the early Suburbia section of the movie as a suburban housewife fighting for her life and reacting from it. Michelle Rodriguez also gets to show a different side as she too has multiple roles in the film. Aryana Engineer gave a good and layered performance despite her young years. The fact her character was handicapped and used voice and sign to communicate allowed for deeper layers for the character of Becky.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: As with each of the preceding "Resident Evil" film, the budget for this one was high, and they made great use of it. Some true hard work went into the film and it showed.

They did a great job integrating the zones of the base with computer simulations and tracking systems used by the Red Queen. They made great visuals and also kept the audience informed on who was where. The attention to detail was high and really came through as the groups traveled through the different zones.

There were fights and explosions galore. And in a nice reversal, we even got chainsaw wielding zombies! The amount of flying bullet casings was quite impressive as well. Dumb zombies, hungry zombies, Russian smart zombies,  even armed and rocket launcher wielding zombies, it was a veritable smorgasbord of 'zombiness', which was a lot of fun.

There were the occasional segments of infinite bullet syndrome, but they did make the attempt to stay realistic on occasion.

The opening sequence was both unusual and attention grabbing. The franchise has always been very good with their openings - this one was one of the best.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: In previous reviews of the franchise I'd made the statement that as the budget went up, the story quality went down. I am rather pleased to say that in this instance, they broke the pattern. Of a whole, they kept the story simple and strait forward, which helped to keep it from careening into plot holes or other issues the "Resident Evil" films have shown in the past.

For those who've not watched the previous films, they have a quick recap picking up some of the most important details to share with the audience so they know what's what. For those who've watched them all, you'll get the added treat of seeing many of the characters from some of the previous films brought back, though not exactly as you've met them before. Made for some fun contrast and also gave some of the actors a chance to shine in a different line from the usual action personas.

A definite fun bit was the recreation of the opening sequence where the virus first showed up in Tokyo, Japan in "Resident Evil: Afterlife." They even got the same Japanese Business Man (Takato Yamashita) and the J Pop Girl (Mika Nakashima) to reprise their roles. Nice!

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: The choreography during the fights were 'top notch.' Combine them with the great special effects, and it made for a fabulous viewing experience. The fight with Alice, the chain, the gun, and the Japanese zombies will stay with me for a long time - it was a work of art. Everyone gave their best and then some.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The panning scene where you see exactly where Alice is when she escapes part of her prison was utterly breathtaking. Water was a recurring theme and used in some very imaginative ways. Loved the visual with Michelle Rodriguez towards the end.

The recreations of New York, Moscow, Tokyo, and American suburbia were exquisite. It made the contrast even better when the illusion would occasionally crack and show the facility beneath. There were several rooms in the base proper that had great impact due to the use of light. Loved the lighting up sequence at the central hub. Lots and lots of visuals to keep the eyes occupied.

Conclusion: A lot more fun than I was expecting. Definitely one to check out. Just the high doses of action will keep the audience's adrenaline pumping to high levels throughout. And yes, we get left in a cliff hanger - AGAIN.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again)

Movie Review - ParaNorman

ParaNorman

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elain Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodele Ferland, Tempest Bledssoe, John Goodman, Alex Borstein, and more...

Directed by: Chris Butler and Same Fell Written by: Chris Butler Cinematography by: Tristan Oliver Original Music by: Jon Brion

Premise: Norman can see and talk to ghosts, but his family doesn't believe him and the kids at school think he's a freak. Then he meets his reclusive uncle, who tells Norman he has a duty he has to take on - keeping the witch asleep so she won't raise the dead. Except the instructions Norman gets from him aren't complete and he's not able to figure out what to do before the dead rise from their graves! (Rated PG)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: All the voice actors were great. Kudos to Kodi Smit-McPhee and Tucker Albrizi for their portrayals of Norman and Neal. Yet the most fun came from some of the side actors, like Tempestt Bledsoe. Her character, Sheriff Hooper, was quite funny.


2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: "ParaNorman" is the work of Laika Entertainment. I'd originally thought the film was purely CGI art, but it was more than that. "ParaNorman" is actually a work of stop motion photography! Each of the puppets has an inner metal skeleton to help pose the puppet for each frame. The official website stated that just the zombies rising from the grave scene took a year to film. Dang.

Add to the great puppetry some beautifully and super detailed sets as well as added special effects, and the results are quite amazing. There were many, very well done, visual gags that added a lot of flavor to the film.


3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: While the main gist of the story was predictable, there were still several surprises in the plot. These surprises made for nice plot twists and take the story in a direction at several places that the audience will not anticipate but totally appreciate.

There was a lot of subtle humor sprinkled throughout the film. The scene with the man waiting for his chips to come out of the vending machine then seeing the zombies coming for him and his reaction to the situation was hilarious. There were also several in-jokes to give more fun to the adults. The Scooby Doo reference made me laugh out loud it was so unexpected. Homage was even given to the old black and white monster movies, the lettering styles and posters very much like those in that era. One of the sneakiest jokes was about the Puritan zombies and their seeing a poster for a witch casino, advertising all the vices they'd come to the new world to get away from. By seeing such a thing in the middle of their town, I am sure they felt cursed indeed.

Conclusion: A fun movie with plenty of fodder for the adults as well as the kids. The few gross moments will definitely give the kids a nice thrill.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Matinee Price)

Mind Sieve 12/12/11

Welcome to another mental sifting Monday! Got a bigillion things to run through today. Loads of sharing going on this week.

Cool new video by Charlie. His stuff is always so fun!

New kick-ass trailer for John Carter of Mars. Love that this book is being made into a movie! YES!

From The Week - The 'Mysterious' Whale Graveyard Discovered in the Desert.

At Central Stn a cool post with a ton of pictures on Mysterious Paper Sculptures. Some of these are mind boggling.

 15 Infant Dinosaurs Found in a Nest in Mongolia from The History Blog.

Okay, this is FREAKING COOL! Miniatur Wunderland - model railways, moving miniature cars, crime scenes, moving boats. This is AMAZING!

Shea MacLeod shares Mythos Monday: Roman Misrule, Pagan Yule and An Attitude of Gratitude. Just in time for the winter holiday season!

OMG!  This is so hilariously AWESOME!  Cello Wars by the Piano Guys. (Make sure to watch when the credits hit. Killed me!)

In a cool behind the scenes look, Rumiko Takahashi (Best known for Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, and Inu Yasha) shows the process by which she creates her manga. Totally fascinating!

Trailer for the Whedon-Penned The Cabin In The Woods. Looks cool in the mystery department part. Ooo!

New preview for the Liam Neeson movie The Grey. Man Against Nature booyah!

A neat post about how America got it's name from Debra Eve - Amerigo Vespucci: The Power of Recognizing the Obvious.

German City Evacuated to Defuse WWII Bombs from the History Blog. Fascinating really. I'd heard before Jerusalem has tons of unknown and still active minefields. But it never occurred to me Germany had active bombs from British and American drops in the Rhine. Eek!

A House Fit For a Hobbit. Too cute!!!!

Charity Album for SweetRelief.org called Novum Initium - Soundtracks by various artists including Christopher Lennertz and other popular game composers.

Designing From Bones - Demon, Protector, Patsy by Gene Lempp. The Black Shuck - not your typical cuddly puppy.

Nice post from Nathan Bransford on How to Network Without Networking. Great advice!

Post by Sarah over at Glass Cases on Stop Helping Yourself. Several easy tips for queries.

Be A Tweep, Not A Tool Part 2 - Beware the #FF Firehouse by Kristen Lamb.

Weather Thesaurus Entry: Snow from The Bookshelf Muse.

From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Financial F***-Ups For Writers. Preaching wisdom with colorful language. :P

The Seduction of Self-Publishing (or "Why I'm Glad I Didn't Have The Option 5 Years Ago) by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. SUPERB post!

Is Your Novel A Spineless Weakling by Kristen Lamb.

Out of eyeballs and out of time. Enjoy ya'll!

Mind Sieve 11/14/11

Have a huge list to sift through this week. Everyone has been really pumping out the blog posts! lol. Time is even shorter than usual though with the Austin Comic Con over the weekend, so no telling how far I will get. (Also my browser keeps dying every 5 minutes, so Murphy is working against me! Argh!)

Shared by ZombiesSchool - "Now that Halloween is over, how will we incorporate the zombie horde into the upcoming holiday season?" One answer is here.

A weird preview of a movie called Warhouse. Stars Joseph Morgan, of late, Krauss in the Vampire Diaries.

Over at Mashable Tech - Touchscreen Makes Its Way Onto Keyboard of the Future.  I think this looks awesome. Would love to try it to see if I liked it. Ooo!

From Petapixel - Stop Motion Music Video Shot Over Two Years with 288,000 Jelly Beans!!! DANG! Pretty spiffy too!

The Face of My Father - a lovely post by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig about past and future generations. Might need a hanky!

From AJ Walker - Medieval Mondays - The kettle hat, humble helm of the medieval soldier. Wish he'd been able to add more info, but still pretty interesting for a quickie. :P

From Discover Magazine - Stone-cutter Finds Fossil Whale In Marble Slabs. Definitely NOT where I would have thought you'd find some! And it's a prehistoric whale of all things!

SoonerCon shared this - Nyan Cat is So Yesterday - the NyAT NyAT is where it's AT. Heh heh. Go Darth Baby!

Designing From Bones by Gene Lempp. This week - The Iceman Plot! Dum dum DUMMM!

An interesting take on blogging - Susan Bischoff - 3 Tips on Using Fiction Skills to Craft More Engaging Blog Posts.

From Evo Terra - Google + Pages for Authors. Instantly went on my To Do List. lol. Now just need TIME! (Set one up, but need to do more and add the other books as well. Ugh!)

Okay looks like this is as far as I'm going to get this week. Sigh.
Happy Reading!

Picture Kaleidoscope 6/8/11 - The SoonerCon Edition

sOh yeah. Con last weekend. Which means I am chuck full of pics to share. Strap yourselves in for a ride! (Hey, I didn't take the real camera, so it won't be THAT bad. Heh heh)

This was the unescapable breakfast of DOOM. Had been having a craving as I'd been seeing the bloody things everywhere. So being at the airport super early gave me no excuse not to indulge. Even after they weren't ready and I had to wait. (*shifty*)

Good thing though, because this helped keep me alert and from gnawing my arm off after we reached Oklahoma City and found out the airport was in the middle of a bomb scare. I did a quick (ipad - oh my the spelling issues!) write up that night you can read here.

Nifty art stuff outside of the OKC airport. Loved the glass pyramids.

The Doctor taking his leisure at the con. Taking a break from all that Time Traveling. :)

Theme of SoonerCon was Heroes and Villains. As Toastmaster, Selina Rosen took her role very seriously. In this photo you can see her Fat Ninja Persona disguise. Yes, those are Batman symbols on the short. *giggle*

The SoonerCon ConCom! Those to be thanked for setting up all the fun! Thanks ya'll - was a blast!!

Selina doing her Toastmaster bit as she regales us with tales of her Fat Ninja daring do! (The gentleman who's head I will keep photographing was also stuck at the airport and had to stay longer in his plane - ugh - Aaron Allston.)

A very bad picture of Mr. Tim Powers, the Guest of Honor. Got lucky and ended up on a panel with him on God, Faith, and Fantasy.

A not quite as bad picture of Darrell K Sweet, the Artist Guest of Honor. Got lucky enough that some Yard Doggies yanked me to eat dinner on Friday and then they yanked Darrell over to join us. Was a blast!

Jeffrey Turner and his super helper, Mary, starting to gear up to film a short for BOTA - Bubbas of the Apocalypse for Yard Dog Press. The Sheraton had a closed up mall area we got to use and it was also the site of the ConSuite and Green Room. (I was helping out as PA/Running Camera person - for Zombies!)

Just watch Mary concentrate. She was so cute!

Traci in her "acting" outfit. She did awesome.

Another look at the huge space Jeff was going to do all this in. Had to go to the opposite corner as the light plugs on this side did not work.

Props and more!

Setting up a scene. Traci will be seeing Yumbies (Yuppie Zombies) walking out in the street and try to alert the others there could be trouble.

Camera set up for scene as Traci practices.

El Director!

Scientist (Frank Summers) with a Clue and the Queen of the Flamingoes, waiting for their turn at movie magic!

Sherri Dean and Zombies! We were able to abscond with most of the Zombies from SoonerCon's Zombie walk to help out on part of the film. Great costumes!

The stage and those waiting as lighting is changed.

The indominable Sherri Dean! She does some mean gum chewing!

Bill Allen in costume or is he? I missed his part but he and I got to giggle a lot watching the others go at it.

There was music all over SoonerCon. Group set up in front of the Dealer's Room and also had several for lunch in the ConSuite. Quite nice!

Ryan the Zombie leader. He set up the Zombie Walk. Had really a kick ass costume. Wish the phone had done better on this one. Waaahhhh

Ms Tiddywump.  Oh yeah. She's hilarious. Need a profile picture next time to you can see how much more of her there is. Her telling of Jack and the Bean Stalk is hilarious! (Laura Underwood in disguise!)

The BORG! You shall be assimilated.

Resistance is futile!

Ah but then the Jedi's came! Woot!

And they were ready to boogie!

Yes, that's exactly what you think it looks like. Cracked me up. (Next to him is a Steampunk Leia Organa)

Han Solo ala Steampunk. So he has a blaster, you see. Heh

This cracked me up! An undead Scrat!

OKC's Jedi contingent peeps.

And last but not least, a cool sculpture at the airport.  Heh heh.

Until next time!