Got my geek on full-force at ToyCon 2012 yesterday. I can’t count how many times I said, “This is AWESOME!” at any number of things: a carbon-fiber Dark Knight replica, a bust of Manny Pacquiao, a really energetic dude in a Spiderman costume jumping around a green screen, badass Star Wars tumblers. I ended up blowing my cash on a bunch of cool stuff that practical me says I don’t need, but which awesome geek me insisted I had to have: a Mario necklace, a Captain America shield backpack, an Avengers hat, and of course, the coup de grace, a Darth Vader lightsaber. >F*ck yeah!< My mom hasn’t seen it yet but I can already picture the eye rolling that’ll ensue. She just doesn’t get it. The experience renewed my desire to see COMIC-CON for myself someday. And it was so refreshing to see such passionate, uninhibited people! Props to Fat-Asian Superman in his blue contact lenses, who reminded me sorely of my old friend Fat-Black Green Lantern from Hollywood Blvd (photos above). Geekiness brings people together, I swear. I only wish I’d been able to get myself one of those Captain America beanies, but we couldn’t find the stall that sold ‘em. Also wanted to get my brother an Adventure Time hat, but they were sold out. Still, it was two hours well-spent. Fist bumps to my best friend Laine and my homie (LOL) Anj for bringing me along, and convincing me that a lightsaber model is worth every piso. Three to five years to the real thing, baby. #WeBelieve
Posts tagged DC
11 Notes
Green Lantern’s (Dim) Light
Okay. I’m no movie critic. Nor am I a qualified expert in that near-sacrosanct geek microcosm where resides the Comic Book Superhero. But I am moviegoer enough to know what I like and don’t like seeing in a film that by all accounts could have and should have been awesome, but wasn’t.
Oh, Green Lantern. Such a disappointment. Which is saying something, considering I didn’t have high hopes for it after hearing the (very mixed) early reviews, and also considering that I’m very forgiving with not-so-good films. I have two reasons for my frustration:
1. Too many story lines, not enough development. Hal Jordan not living up to his dad’s name. The supposed “best friend” angle (who was that geeky guy with the glasses, anyway? Never even caught the dude’s name). Hal’s self-doubt about becoming a Lantern and his half-assed training (I mean, really? He gets beat up a bit, gives up, and 5 minutes into the film later, he’s all full of conviction again. No build-up at all). In my humble opinion, they should’ve just stuck to one. Or spent more time developing the ones they did open up. I don’t know. But the bottom line is that the multiple story lines made the plot weak.
2. Cheesy. As. Hell. I know that superheroes are always supposed to get the girl in the end. A little kilig factor never hurt anyone, either. But there is a line between sexy and sappy, and who can respect a sappy superhero? Not me. And even outside of the Blake-Lively-Ryan-Reynolds love team, there were lines that really made me groan. That exchange between Hal and Sinestro after Hal (also in a very cheesy manner) tried to talk the Guardians into saving Earth, for instance? I couldn’t believe they forced Reynolds to use the line, “Then I’ll die trying.” No one can pull off something that used-up. Seriously.
All in all, even Ryan Reynolds’ renowned humor (and there were a few funny lines) or his even more renowned abs (which were gorgeous) weren’t enough to keep the plot from sinking. Or from resisting the gravitational pull of the critical sun and burning to cinders, as it were. I wonder if the film’s writers noticed that when they used those lines about gravity.
Grae Drake from Moviecritic.com actually put it well (I guess that is his job): “It was just lacking what the comic book had: Imagination and action.” Which also just so happen to be what superhero movies are made of.
So although WB felt that they did all right, having grossed a little over $50M on opening weekend, I think those who haven’t seen the movie might as well just wait for the DVD.
Sad? Let me make the girls feel better. Because I, for one, still love Ryan Reynolds.
30 Notes