film

Thunderbolts*, Academy museum, Ren Faire, & more

Posted on by earthtoshawna

Before I tell you about my latest sci-fi/fantasy themed outings, let’s talk about Marvel’s newest movie, “Thunderbolts*.”

We went on opening night (the IMAX “fan event”) and, fittingly, it was the same day as our rare Southern California thunderstorm. Unfortunately, the power went out halfway through the movie, and we had to come back the next night to finish it.

The setup is nothing we haven’t seen before – a ragtag team of misfits forced to work together to defeat a common enemy, blah blah blah. But it works. I laughed, I cried, I can’t wait to see these characters together again in another movie.

The MVP (unsurprisingly) is Florence Pugh. She always brings it, and as much as I love her as bratty Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” I love her even more as Black Widow’s little sister Yelena.

David Harbour reprises his role as the scruffy and comical Red Guardian. There are so many great actors in this: Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen … I will even reluctantly admit that the cast’s nepo babies were good. (Wyatt Russell is the son of Kurt Russell, who has also been in a Marvel movie, and Lewis Pullman is the son of Bill Pullman, who has not.)

My biggest issue with the MCU is that some of the villains (such as Gorr the God Butcher and Ronan the Accuser) are a little over the top. I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus but her character is also a bit one-sided, but that’s par for the Marvel course, I guess.

“Thunderbolts*” is a fun (and funny) action movie, but its greatest strength is its emotional impact. Early in the movie, Yelena is asked what you are supposed to do with your dark feelings, your emotional trauma? Well, you just stuff those feelings down. Way, way down. I laughed out loud at this dialogue (which I’m paraphrasing), but Marvel does not get enough credit for addressing things like PTSD and mental health. This movie in particular does a good job of exploring these topics, which are so important.

Even though I’ve seen it one and a half times already, I would go see this in the theater again, and I may do just that, as it’s playing at El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. There are even costumes from the film on display as well. For more information: https://elcapitantheatre.com/

If you’re a movie lover who lives in Southern California, check out the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Wilshire Boulevard, which opened in 2021.

We went for the Bong Joon Ho exhibition and happened to be there on May the 4th – Star Wars Day! There were photo ops with droids and Jedis, a Star Wars mural painting opportunity, and lots of people dressed up as Star Wars characters.

The Bong exhibition was pretty cool. Even though I have not yet seen all of his films, there were a lot of props, film clips, and story boards from his movies. I especially loved the drawings and concept art from the movie “Okja.” The only bummer: nothing from “Mickey 17.” The only nod to the new film is a copy of the novel from which the film was adapted, for sale in the museum gift shop.

Another current exhibition at the museum is “Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema.” Featured films include “The Matrix,” “Tron,” and “Videodrome” (a Cronenberg film from the ’80s that scarred me for life). There were props from the movies “Blade Runner,” “Ex Machina,” and more. Be sure to check out both floors of this (somewhat sparse) exhibition.

Don’t miss the other galleries – even though we had seen a lot of the costumes and props the first time we visited (in 2022 for the Miyazaki exhibition), there are a lot of new additions, including Barbie and Ken’s costumes from the Barbie movie. For more information, go to https://www.academymuseum.org/en

There are two weekends left of this year’s Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale.

We went opening weekend; the weather was nice, and the entertainment and food were great. We enjoyed the various shows and vendors. I especially love the Seraphim Arabesque Ensemble. Maybe I was a belly dancer in a past life?

Throw a costume together and bring the family! Make sure to follow the directions on their website – and don’t miss the joust! For more info, visit renfair.com/socal.

Photos of the Academy Museum and the Renaissance faire by Earth to Shawna.

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Don’t miss ‘Mickey 17’; skip new LOTR & Captain America

Posted on by earthtoshawna

Sitting in the dark theater, watching the many horror trailers, or rather, trying not to watch them, I suddenly realized (with horror) that the movie I was about to watch, “Mickey 17,” might in fact also be a horror movie. I hadn’t even seen a trailer for it. I only knew it was the newest film from Bong Joon-ho, the director of “Snowpiercer,” “Okja,” and “Parasite.”

It isn’t scary. But, like his other films, it’s disturbing and intense (and not for kids). It’s also pretty great. You know going into a Bong movie that it’s going to be dark and funny and meaningful. That’s why I bought tickets for opening weekend, even though I knew almost nothing about it.

(If you also want to go in knowing nothing about it, you may want to come back after you’ve seen it, as the following description includes some spoilers.)

The film, based on an Edward Ashton novel, centers on a mission to colonize a distant planet. The titular Mickey (Robert Pattinson) has signed up to be an “expendable” – his job is to be a guinea pig for things like poisonous gases, radiation, etc. He repeatedly dies and is reborn – from a giant human printer.

Mark Ruffalo plays Kenneth Marshall, an egotistical politician who heads the mission. Most of the crew members have signed on because they’re crazed fanatics who would follow him anywhere. (Remind you of anyone?)

If it sounds silly, it’s supposed to be. It’s one of those crazy movies where you don’t know what is going to happen next. It had a similar vibe to Bong’s movie “Okja,” so if you liked that movie, you would likely enjoy this one. The great thing about Bong’s movies is that while he’s holding a mirror up to our own society, you are laughing and cringing and going along for the ride.

Bong’s style is reminiscent of another well-known director of outlandish and satirical movies, Yorgos Lanthimos. (I much prefer Bong’s style, as Lanthimos’ goal often seems to be inspiring disgust.)

I also was reminded of other clone stories like the 1996 movie “Multiplicity” and the 2019 series “Living with Yourself,” but the clone concept in “Mickey” was only one part of the larger story. Check it out for yourself; I don’t want to give too much away.

Two other movies I had been eagerly anticipating did not live up to my expectations. The first is “Captain America: Brave New World.” The Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” was well done, and I hoped for this new movie to continue with that level of writing. Unfortunately, the new movie is not one of the better entries in the MCU franchise.

It is possible I was not following along very well, but I found the plot confusing, and a little cheesy. Sam Wilson (who has taken up the mantle and shield of Captain America) and Joaquin Torres investigate a conspiracy involving Thaddeus Ross, who is now the U.S. president and is played by Harrison Ford. (Ross was previously portrayed by William Hurt, who passed away in 2022.)

I will not go into detail, but among the many inconsistencies that don’t make sense to me: “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” ended with super soldier Isaiah Bradley in hiding. In “Brave New World,” Bradley is no longer in hiding, and no explanation or background is given regarding that plot point.

Another issue I have is with Bucky Barnes, who appears only briefly, and is running for Congress. No explanation is given here either, although there must be one, as this is out of character for the Bucky we have come to know. Perhaps that will be explained in the upcoming “Thunderbolts*” (scheduled to be released May 2), which will, I hope, be more fun.

(Did “Brave New World” meet your expectations? Let me know in the comments or on my Facebook page!)

The animated movie “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” was just OK. There is an anime vibe, but the backgrounds look like they were taken from photos, which was interesting but also slightly jarring, and I’m not sure if that was the intention.

The plot was formulaic and clichéd: Hera, the strong-willed daughter of the king of Rohan, turns down a marriage proposal from Wulf, the son of a Dunlending lord. Wulf feels entitled to Hera and is angry by the rejection, which leads to the two sides fighting in a long, drawn-out war. It feels Games of Thrones-ish, in that hundreds of people have to die in a war for someone else’s stubbornness and spite. I guess that describes most war stories – and actual wars, for that matter.

Southern California happenings

March is the 10th annual Mermaid Month at the Ventura Harbor Village. Enjoy mermaid-themed treats, scavenger hunts, and shopping specials all month long. Mermaid and pirate cosplay is encouraged.

A special event from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 22 will include mermaid photo ops, ice sculpting, bubble shows, arts and crafts activities for kids, live music, and more. Parking and admission are free.

For details, visit https://www.venturaharborvillage.com/mermaid-month-2025/?2025-03-04/

A Salute to the Women in Sci-Fi convention is coming to Burbank on March 22 and 23. Special guests include Tricia Helfer, Adrianne Palicki, and Denise Richards. All profits will be donated to Los Angeles charities including Defy: Disaster & Random Acts Natural Disaster Recovery Fund. Learn more about this event and purchase tickets here: https://www.creationent.com/cal/scifi_bur/index.html

There are a lot of sci-fi and fantasy conventions coming up – too many to list in this post. To find events in your area, go to https://fancons.com/

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire will be Saturdays and Sundays from April 5 to May 18 in Irwindale. Themed weekends include Pirate & Marketplace Weekend April 12 and 13, Cottagecore Weekend April 19 and 20, and RennCon April 26 and 27.

If you have never been to the Faire, I recommend going at least once. It’s especially fun to dress up in costume, and there are lots of vendors and shows, live music, acrobats, jousts, and more.

One of the best things is seeing everyone’s costumes and pretending you’re living in a different era, at least for a few hours.

For more information, and tickets, go to: https://renfair.com/socal/

Universal Studios Hollywood has announced its new Universal Fan Fest Nights, select nights from April 25 to May 18. Themes include Star Trek, Back to the Future, Dungeons & Dragons, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Harry Potter, and Super Nintendo World, and will include “experiences,” themed food, and exclusive merchandise. You can buy tickets here: https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/hhn/things-to-do/events-and-seasonal-activities/fan-fest-nights

I didn’t watch the Oscars this year, but I was very happy to hear the movie “Flow” won for Best Animated Feature. It was the first indie film to win in this category, and it was the first Latvian movie to win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

Congrats to filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis!

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News & musings: ‘Expanse,’ ‘Oddfits,’ ‘Ready Player One’

Posted on by earthtoshawna

I have been wanting to write about the new Syfy series “The Expanse,” but it took me a while to process my thoughts and feelings about it. I was wary at first, as the show was being compared to my all-time favorite TV series, “Battlestar Galactica.” How can anything live up to that hype? And I found the name distracting because the entire third season of “Star Trek: Enterprise” is set in the Delphic Expanse, which was usually referred to as “the Expanse.”

But I gave it a try. I needed a good show to tide me over while “Game of Thrones,” “Orphan Black,” “Vikings” and “The Last Kingdom” are on hiatus.

I found the first couple episodes of “The Expanse” confusing, and I wondered if the books (which I haven’t read) were just not translating well to the screen – something seemed to be missing. Or at least, I felt I was missing something. I’m hearing impaired and use closed-captioning, and sometimes get lost when the action and/or dialogue are fast-paced, so that might have had something to do with it.

But I was intrigued enough to stick with it, and I reminded myself new series sometimes take a few episodes to hit their stride.

Here’s what you need to know: In the future, mankind has colonized the solar system, and there are three groups at odds with each other – Earthers (from Earth, duh), Martians (people who have settled Mars – not little green men), and the oppressed, working class “Belters” – people born in the asteroid belt. It gets more complicated than that, but I don’t want to give it all away.

Once I figured out what was going on, I was hooked. There’s all sorts of stuff going on in this show – mystery, political drama, and outer space action/adventure. (I will also confess that I like some comic relief in my science fiction. They had me at “donkey balls.”)

I love the complex characters, there’s a talented cast, and the special effects are amazing. The two-hour finale was crazy, in a good way, and left me feeling sad that the season is already over.

If you haven’t been watching, I recommend you check out season one (you can watch on syfy.com or Hulu). If you have been watching, I would love to hear what you think! Comment here or on the Earth to Shawna facebook page:

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Books

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I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately (see my last blog post, in which I reviewed Jessica Chiarella’s “And Again” and Kate Mulgrew’s memoir “Born with Teeth”).

I just started “The Oddfits,” by Tiffany Tsao. It’s about this misfit kid named Murgatroyd Floyd (how cool is that name?) and there’s this huge freezer called the Great Freezer, which contains 736  flavors of ice cream, including Sunset, Quiet, Darkness, Rainbow, and Stars (shown on the book cover above), which tastes like violets, chocolate, warm honeyed peaches, coconut milk, and the sensation that the universe is a very vast place. (If magic ice cream doesn’t make you want to read this book, nothing will.)

I’m picking up hints of “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Doctor Who,” “Twilight Zone,” and also something new that I can’t quite identify … but so far, I find it very palatable.

What are your favorite new sci fi titles?

‘Ready Player One’

Speaking of books, I’m super excited about the new, Spielberg-directed film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s dystopian novel “Ready Player One,” to be released in April 2018. (The film was previously slated for December 2017, but it was announced Tuesday that it has been pushed back – to avoid a box office clash with the next “Star Wars” movie.)

I loved the book, about a futuristic, ’80s-themed competition. The winner inherits the fortune of the contest’s creator, who has been dead for five years.

Olivia Cooke has been cast as Art3mis. (Cooke played Rachel in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” – an excellent movie. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.) Ben Mendelsohn is reportedly in talks for the lead villain, and Nick Robinson is reportedly a favorite for the role of Parzival.

The film has launched a worldwide casting call for three of the main roles: Wade, Shoto, and Daito. The deadline is Feb. 16, so if you’re an aspiring actor who fits the part, you have five days to upload an audition:

http://www.readyplayeronemoviecasting.com

When the book was released, Cline announced that the book contained an Easter egg, a clue which formed the first part of a series of staged video game tests, similar to the plot of the novel. A DeLorean was awarded to the contest’s winner. I wouldn’t be surprised if another contest will be announced when the movie is released, so keep your eye out!

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Olivia Cooke (“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”) has been cast as the female lead in Spielberg’s adaptation of Ernest Cline’s dystopian novel “Ready Player One.”

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New Star Trek series

It has been announced that the showrunner for the upcoming Star Trek series (which is not related to the 2016 film) will be Bryan Fuller, who wrote “Pushing Daisies, “Hannibal,” “Dead Like Me,” and “Wonderfalls.” He has also written for “Voyager” and “Deep Space Nine” so he’s no stranger to the Star Trek franchise.

In a 2013 Den of Geek interview, Fuller said he would love to see Angela Bassett as captain and Rosario Dawson as first officer. How cool would that be? Of course, that was three years ago, and the series has not yet been cast, so I’ll try not to get my hopes up.

The new show is set to premiere in January 2017 on CBS before moving to All Access.

‘Battlestar Galactica’ 

And last, but definitely not least, my fav show ever may be turning into a feature film! Let’s not get too excited – this might be a case of “all of this has happened before and will happen again.” (Yes, that’s a BSG quote.)

The newest news on the matter involves producer Michael DeLuca (“The Social Network”), Bluegrass Films (“Battleship”), and Universal Pictures. Nothing else has been announced thus far, but stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted.