85th Annual Academy Award Nominees

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

NOMINEES:

Amour
Argo: Grant Hesloy, Ben Affleck, George Clooney
Beasts of the Southern Wild: Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, Michael Gottwald
Django Unchained: Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone
Les Miserables: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
Life of Pi: Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark
Lincoln: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
Silver Linings Playbook: Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, Jonathan Gordon
Zero Dark Thirty: Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

NOMINEES:

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln
Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix for The Master
Denzel Washington for Flight

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

NOMINEES:

Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva for AmourQuvenzhane Wallis for Beasts for the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts for The Impossible

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

NOMINEES:

Alan Arkin for ArgoRobert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Masters
Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln
Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

NOMINEES:

Amy Adams for The Master
Sally Field for Lincoln
Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables
Helen Hunt for The Sessions
Jacki Weaver for Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

NOMINEES:

Michael Haneke for AmourAng Lee for Life of Pi
David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN

NOMINEES:

Amour: Michael Haneke

Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino

Flight: John Gatins

Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola

Zero Dark Thirty: Mark Boal

BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED OR PUBLISHED

NOMINEES:

Argo: Chris Terrio

Beasts of the Southern Wild: Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin

Life of Pi: David Magee

Lincoln: Tony Kushner

Silver Linings Playbook: David O. Russell

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR

NOMINEES:

Brave: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman

Frankenweenie: Tim Burton

ParaNorman: Sam Fell, Chris Butler

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Peter Lord

Wreck-It Ralph: Rich Moore

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

NOMINEES:

Amour: Austria

War Witch: Canada

No: Chile

A Royal Affair: Denmark

Kon-Tiki: Norway

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Seamus McGarvey

Django Unchained: Robert Richardson

Life of Pi: Claudio Miranda

Lincoln: Janusz Kaminski

Skyfall: Roger Deakins

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

NOMINEES:

Argo: William Goldenberg

Life of Pi: Tim Squyres

Lincoln: Michael Kahn

Silver Linings Playbook: Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers

Zero Dark Thirty: William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, Simon Bright

Les Miserables: Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson

Life of Pi: David Gropman, Anna Pinnock

Lincoln: Rick Carter, Jim Erickson

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Jacqueline Durran

Les Miserables: Paco Delgado

Lincoln: Joanna Johnston

Mirror Mirror: Eiko Ishioka

Snow White and the Huntsman: Colleen Atwood

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

NOMINEES:

Hitchcock: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna, Martin Samuel

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Peter King, Rick Findlater, Tami Lane

Les Miserables: Lisa Westcott, Julie Dartnell

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SCORE

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Dario Marianelli

Argo: Alexandre Desplat

Life of Pi: Mychael Danna

Lincoln: John Williams

Skyfall: Thomas Newman

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SONG

NOMINEES:

Chasing Ice: J. Ralph (“Before My Time”)

Les Miserables: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer (“Suddenly”)

Life of Pi: Mychael Danna, Bombay Jayshreel (“Pi’s Lullaby”)

Skyfall: Adele, Paul Epworth (“Skyfall”)

Ted: Walter Murphy, Seth MacFarlane (“Everybody Needs A Best Friend”)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

NOMINEES:

Argo: John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Jose Antonio Garcia,

Les Miserables: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Simon Hayes

Life of Pi: Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Drew Kunin

Lincoln: Andy Nelson, Gary Rudloff, Ron Judkins

Skyfall: Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Stuart Wilson

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

NOMINEES:

Argo: Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn

Django Unchained: Wylie Stateman

Life of Pi: Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton

Skyfall:Per Hallberg, Karen M. Baker

Zero Dark Thirty: Paul N. J. Ottosson

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

NOMINEES:

The Avengers: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, Daniel Sudick

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White

Life of Pi: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik De Boer, Donald Elliott

Prometheus: Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley, Martin Hill

Snow White and the Huntsman: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Phil Brennan, Neil Corbould, Michael Dawson

BEST DOCUMENTARY, FEATURES

NOMINEES:

5 Broken Cameras: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi

The Gatekeepers: To Be Determined

How to Survive a Plague: To Be Determined

The Invisible War: To Be Determined

Searching for Sugar Man: To Be Determined

BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECTS

NOMINEES:

Inocente: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix

Kings Point: Sari Gilman, Jedd Wider

Mondays at Racine: Cynthia Wade, Robin Honan

Open Heart: Kief Davidson, Cori Shepherd Stern

Redemption: Jon Alpert, Matthew O’Neill

BEST SHORT FILM, ANIMATED

NOMINEES:

Adam and Dog: Minkyu Lee

Fresh Guacamole: PES

Head over Heels: Timothy Reckart, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly

Paperman: John Kahrs

The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare: David Silverman

BEST SHORT FILM, LIVE ACTION

NOMINEES:

Asad: Bryan Buckley, Mino Jarjoura

Buzkashi Boys: Sam French, Ariel Nasr

Curfew: Shawn Christensen

Death of a Shadow: Tom Van Avermaet, Ellen De Waele

Henry: Van England

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BAFTA Award Nominees

BEST FILM

NOMINEES:

Argo
Les MiserablesLife of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR

NOMINEES:

Anna KareninaThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Seven Psychopaths
Skyfall

BEST ACTOR

NOMINEES:

Ben Affleck for Argo

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix for The Master

BEST ACTRESS

NOMINEES:

Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty

Marion Cotillard for Rust and Bone

Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook

Helen Mirren for Hitchcock

Emmanuelle Riva for Amour

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

NOMINEES:

Alan Arkin for Argo

Javier Bardem for Skyfall

Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master

Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln

Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

NOMINEES:

Amy Adams for The Master

Judi Dench for Skyfall

Sally Field for Lincoln

Anne Hatthaway for Les Miserables

Helen Hunt for The Sessions

DAVID LEAN AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION

NOMINEES:

Ben Affleck for Argo

Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty

Michael Haneke for Amour

Ang Lee for Life of Pi

Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained

BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL)

NOMINEES:

Amour: Michael Haneke

Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino

The Master: Paul Thomas Anderson

Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola

Zero Dark Thirty: Mark Boal

BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED)

NOMINEES:

Argo: Chris Terrio

Beasts of the Southern Wild: Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin

Life of Pi: David Magee

Lincoln: Tony Kushner

Silver Linings Playbook: David O. Russell

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Seamus McGarvey

Les Miserables: Danny Cohen

Life of Pi: Claudio Miranda

Lincoln: Janusz Kaminski

Skyfall: Roger Deakins

BEST EDITING

NOMINEES:

Argo: Billy Goldenberg

Django Unchained: Fred Raskin

Life of Pi: Tim Squyres

Skyfall: Stuart Baird

Zero Dark Thirty: Dylan Tichenor, Billy Goldenberg

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer

Les Miserables: Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson

Life of Pi: David Gropman, Anna Pinnock

Lincoln: Rick Carter, Jim Erickson

Skyfall: Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Jacqueline Durran

Great Expectations: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor

Les Miserables: Paco Delgado

Lincoln: Joanna Johnston

Snow White and the Huntsman: Colleen Atwood

ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD FOR FILM MUSIC

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina: Dario Marianelli

Argo: Alexandre Desplat

Life of Pi: Mychael Danna

Lincoln: John Williams

Skyfall: Thomas Newman

BEST MAKE UP/HAIR

NOMINEES:

Anna Karenina

Hitchcock

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Les Miserables

Lincoln

BEST SOUND

NOMINEES:

Django Unchained

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Skyfall

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

NOMINEES:

The Avengers

The Dark Knights Rises

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Life of Pi

Prometheus

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

NOMINEES:

Amour

Headhunters

The Hunt

Rust and Bone

The Intouchables

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

NOMINEES:

Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

BEST DOCUMENTARY

NOMINEES:

The Imposter

Marley

McCullin

Searching for Sugar Man

West of Memphis

EE RISING STAR AWARD

NOMINEES:

Elizabeth Olsen

Andrea Risseborough

Suraj Sharma

Juno Temple

Alicia Vikander

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

NOMINEES:

I Am Nasrine: Tina Gharavi

The Imposter: Bart Layton, Dimitri Doganis

McCullin: David Manos Morris, Jacqui Morris

The Muppets: James Bobin

Wild Bill: Dexter Fletcher, Danny King

BEST SHORT ANIMATION

NOMINEES:

Here to Fall: Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath

I’m Fine Thanks: Eamonn O’Neill

The Making of Longbird: Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson

BEST SHORT FILM

NOMINEES:

The Curse: Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries

Good Night: Muriel d’Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir

Swimmer: Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw

Tumult: Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews

The Voorman Problem: Mark Gill, Baldwin Li

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Critic Choice Award Nominees

BEST PICTURE

NOMINEES:

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

This is an interesting selection of movies and I’m very curious as to see how its gonna play out. You’ve got a variety of different films ranging from a musical to comedies to action adventure to dramatic to historical.  I have no idea which one will be declared the winner.

BEST ACTOR

NOMINEES:

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln
John Hawkes for The Sessions
Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix for The Master
Denzel Washington for Flight

BEST ACTRESS

NOMINEES:

Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard for Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva for Love
Quvenzhane Wallis for Beasts for the Southen Wild
Naomi Watts for The Impossible

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

NOMINEES:

Alan Arkin for Argo
Javier Bardem for Skyfall
Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master
Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln
Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike

I can understand all of nominees except Matthew McConaughey because that just blows my mind. Granted his character in Magic Mike is quite evil but still I don’t think he was that amazing compared to others in this category.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

NOMINEES:

Amy Adams for The Master
Judi Dench for Skyfall
Ann Dowd for Compliance
Sally Field for Lincoln
Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables
Helen Hunt for The Sessions

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

NOMINEES:

Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR

NOMINEES:

Ben Affleck for Argo
Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Tom Hooper for Les Miserables
Ang Lee for Life of Pi
David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg for Lincoln

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

NOMINEES:

Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino
Flight by John Gatins
Looper by Rian Johnson
The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson
Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty by Mark Boal

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

NOMINEES:

Argo: Chris Terrio
Life of Pi: David Magee
Lincoln: Tony Kushner
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Stephen Chbosky
Silver Linings Playbook: David O. Russell

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

NOMINEES:

Brave
Frankenweenie
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
ParaNoman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

NOMINEES:

Ella Fanning for Ginger & Rosa
Kara Hayward for Moonrise Kingdom

Tom Holland for The Impossible

Logan Lerman for The Perks of Beings a Wallflower

Suraj Sharma for Life of Pi/

Quvenzhane Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST ACTION MOVIE

NOMINEES:

The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Looper
Skyfall

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE

NOMINEE:

Christian Bale for The Dark Knight Rises

Daniel Craig for Skyfall

Robert Downey Jr. for The Avengers

Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Looper

Jake Gyllenhaal for End of Watch

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE

NOMINEE:

Emily Blunt for Looper

Gina Carano for Haywire

Judi Dench for Skyfall

Anne Hathaway for The Dark Knight Rises
Jennifer Lawrence for The Hunger Games

BEST COMEDY MOVIE

NOMINEE:

Bernie

Silver Linings Playbook
Ted
This is 40
21 Jump Street

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

NOMINEE:

Jack Black for Bernie

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook

Paul Rudd for This is 40

Channing Tatum for 21 Jump Street

Mark Wahlberg for Ted

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

NOMINEE:

Mila Kunis for Ted

Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook

Shirley MacLaine for Bernie

Leslie Mann for This is 40

Rebel Wilson for Pitch Perfect

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE

NOMINEE:

The Cabin in the Woods

Looper

Prometheus

I’m torn on which film I would want to win this category because I love both Prometheus and The Cabin in the Woods but I may have to root more for The Cabin in the Woods for the sheer fact that Joss Whedon helped to direct it.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

NOMINEE:

Love

The Intouchables

A Royal Affair
Rust and Bone

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

NOMINEE:

Bully
The Central Park Five

The Imposter
The Queen of Versailles
Searching for the Sugar Man

West of Memphis

BEST SONG

NOMINEE:

Act of Valor: Monty Powell, Keith Urban(“For You”)

Brave: Mumford & Sons (“Learn Me Right”)
Les Miserables: Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer (“Suddenly”)

Paul Williams Still Alive” Paul Williams (“Still Alive”)

Skyfall: Adele, Paul Epworth (“Skyfall”)

BEST SCORE

NOMINEE:

Argo: Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi: Mychael Danna

Lincoln: John Williams

The Master: Jonny Greenwood

Moonrise Kingdom: Alexandre Desplat

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

NOMINEE:

Les Miserables: Danny Cohen

Life of Pi: Claudio Miranda

Lincoln: Janusz Kaminski

The Master: Mihai Malaimare Jr.

Skyfall: Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION

NOMINEE:

Anna Karenina: Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, Simon Bright

Les Miserables: Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson

Life of Pi: David Gropman, Anna Pinnock

Lincoln: Rick Carter, Jim Erickson

BEST EDITING

NOMINEE:

Argo: Billy Goldenberg

Les Miserables: Melanie Oliver, Chris Dickens

Life of Pi: Tom Squyres

Lincoln: Michael Kahn

Zero Dark Thirty: Billy Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

NOMINEE:

Anna Karenina: Jacqueline Durran

Cloud Atlas: Kym Barrett, Pierre-Yves Gayraud

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Bob Buck, Ann Maskrev, Richard Taylor

Les Miserables: Paco Delgado

Lincoln: Joanne Johnston

BEST MAKEUP

NOMINEE:

Cloud Atlas

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Les Miserables

Lincoln

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

NOMINEE:

The Avengers

Cloud Atlantis

The Dark Knight Rises

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Life of Pi

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Avengers

So I’ve been horribly about updating just because my ‘e’ key on my keyboard is being a pain in the ass which means I need to go digging for my wireless one. You probably don’t even realize how much you use the damn key til you can’t anymore. Which let me tell you is a lot.

ANYWAYS The Avengers!

I saw this movie in IMAX 3D at midnight and it was amazing!! Never mind the fact that the entire theater was beyond packed with fans by 1030 pm, that just built on the experience. I think the only thing that bothered me in regards to the entire experience was the fact that my friends and I got the weirdest looks for being the sole female only group there.  I mean there was girls with their boyfriends or in large groups of friends but none that was just all females. It was like there needed to be a guy for it to be considered cool. Lame.

When I heard they were making this movie, I was at first a bit hesitant about how they were going to pull it off but then Thor and Captain America came out and I definitely thought there was huge potential for this movie. When I saw that they got Joss Whedon to direct and write the script I was completely sold on it. How could I not be? Joss Whedon is a genius who has created some amazing shows and when I found out he was a fanboy…..well I didn’t need any further proof. The only thing I worried about was whether or not the rest of the universe would realize this? I mean Whedon hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to his shows, not since Buffy the Vampire Slayer andAngel ended. I knew that the movie had to be amazing, that the fans of not only the other films but of the comics had to appreciate it as well. Needless to say as excited as I was about this movie, I knew that this movie could do a lot to help or damage Joss Whedon’s career.

I didn’t have anything to worry about because the movie was amazing, fantastic, every thing you could want in a comic book/superhero movie. There was action, adventure, a decent plot, funny, snappy dialogue, very few plot holes, and depth of character.  The most amazing part of the movie was that in a movie that had a super serum man, a god, two master assassins, a scientist with a horrible Hyde version, and a man who has a machine to help save the day, and not one of them overshadows any of the others. The movie had equal parts for almost every character and while it happened that at times one might overshadow the other due to acting or dialogue, you seriously got to see all of them. It wasn’t a movie that focused on one particular hero but all of them.

Without giving away to much of the plot; Loki has come back to take over the Earth. He wants the cosmic cube that was in Thor and Captain America.  When he fell at the end of Thor, he ends up getting picked up by another being and is “shown the light”.  He basically implies that Earth will be easy to take over so that this people can have it once he’s conquered it.  After Loki attacks S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury decides that it is time to start the Avenges Initiative again to try and save the world. The problem with this is that they are all so different, but not only that, they are keep to themselves as much as possible. Bruce Banner lives in fear of  losing control and being captured by the military, Tony Stark just isn’t a team player, Steve Rogers is still adjucting to it being 2012 since only a few weeks prior he was right smack dab in the middle of WWII, Natasha is a master assassin who doesn’t really work in groups, Thor is Norse God that has only returned to Earth bring Loki back, and Clint Barton…..well he has his own issues. Thus they are the Avengers.  The movie shows how they become a team, an epic battle sequence that takes place in the middle of New York City. One of the things I have to hand this movie is the incredible dialogue.  It is a salute to the masterful skills in dialogue that Joss Whedon has.

And honestly I need not have  worried about how this film was going to be received. By the time it open in the United States it had always made the cost of the film back in Europe. In  the 3-4 weeks that this movie has been out it has made over $1 billion dollars worldwide, it is currently ranked #13 for All Time Domestic and #9 For All Time Worldwide box office. IF The Avengers does another 100 million this weekend then it will move up to the top 5 For All Time Worldwide box office, and in the top 5 for All Time Domestic box office. I’m not going to lie I really hope that it does it, I want it to do all it can before it gets dethroned as the number 1 movie.

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Marvel Marathon

So in preparation for the midnight showing of The Avengers, I’m doing a marathon of the other films as a lead up. Especially since my mom has decided she she wants to do the midnight showing with me and hasn’t seen all of the movies yet.  I guess I will put a spoiler warning here just in case there is someone out there who hasn’t seen Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America.

Iron Man

• Robert Downey Jr makes an amazing Tony Stark
• I actually like Paltrow in this movie
• Love the chick fight between Pepper and the reporter.
• I love Tony’s car…I want one
• I liked Terence Howard in this movie and was sad that they replaced him in the 2nd one until I heard he likes to beat women. Then I wasn’t so sad
• Eww 3rd world country version of operation and health care
• And now they torture Tony =(
• Uh Oh the bad guys have his weapons
• Aww Tony and Yinsen are bonding on trying to live
• Can you image what the world would be like if a man like Tony Stark actually lived?
• Don’t you love how always have some kind of evil plan?
• Creepy evil terrorists
• Gotta love his primitive iron man suit
• Oh No! Yinsen sacrificed himself for Tony
• Did he use the metal from the missiles to make his suit?
• 3 months later, Tony rescues himself from captivity and is able to flag down the military
• Tony’s got his priorities….first thing first, an American cheese burger
• Gotta love the reporters sitting on the ground cuz Tony is tired and eating.
• Yay! Agent Coulson!!
• Ugh I can’t stand Obadiah Stane
• I love the scene where Pepper is replacing Tony’s arc reactor
• I don’t get why people won’t listen to him. Yea he was kinda a dick prior to his whole capture but they should listen when he said that the terrorists had his weapons
• Yay for Tony Stark deciding to do some good for man kind
• Maybe Tony should wear a helmet when he is doing his tests
• Gotta love Dummy
• Why is Tony doing these tests surrounded by his awesome cars?
• I would love Pepper’s job though
• I love that Paul Bettany does the voice of Jarvis
• I’ll admit I’m a bit jealous in regards to his whole flying thing
• Not the pretty roadster
• Obidiah just gives me the creeps
• Awww Tony and Pepper
• And now Tony knows the truth about Obi and is out for revenge
• The Iron Man suit is fucking sweet
• Oh is Tony mad now
• And the U.S. military scrambles to figure out who saved the day
• This movie does have a great soundtrack
• My mom just compared Obidiah Stane to Lex Luthor….I’m pretty sure that’s an insult to Lex Luthor
• And she just realized he is the bad guy….oh Mum
• I really like Tony Stark and I can’t tell if its because he is so misunderstood or because its RDJ who plays him….probably both
• Gotta love his and Pepper’s confrontation
• Uh oh Obi caught Pepper
• And Obi realizes he’s been found out
• Obi realizes that he needs Tony’s arc to achieve his plans
• How the fuck did Obi get into Tony’s place?
• And now Obi is killing Tony because he’s a greedy selfish prick
• Now the rest of the world is clued in on Obi’s plan
• Tony does not look good
• Come on Dummy you can do it!!
• I totally think Coulson is bad ass in his own way
• Bombs are loud
• I wonder if I can find my own Tony Stark to work for…..that would be cool…..or S.H.I.E.L.D
• Silly Pepper, haven’t you heard curiosity killed the cat
• How does Obadiah have control of the suit in such a short period of time?
• So gotta appreciate a man with brains
• Why didn’t Tony try and grab the reactor?
• I have such a problem with Stane being able to have such control over that suit of his without any problems when it tokk Tony how long?
• Nice electrical storm
• You’ve gotta give the writers/director for the way they do the flickering arc reactor and then the black out
• I love the press confrence
• Oh Tony….gotta love him
• Nick Fury coming to tell Tony about the Avenger Initiative

Iron Man 2

• So I’m finally seeing this one for the 1st time, can’t remember why I never saw it the first time around
• Stark Expo? Really? Huh
• Oh Tony….you and you’re ego
• I do love the fact they got John Slattery as the older Howard Stark
• Why did the video of Howard Stark remind me of Walt Disney?
• Gotta love the repartee between Tony and the Senator
• Senator Stern is a dick…like most government officials can be
• Sometimes even the fictional representation of the government can scare me
• Awww Dummy
• Poor Tony…he’s dying by trying to survive
• And there goes Tony making Pepper the CEO
• Don’t they say not to do crazy decisions like that when one is dying?
• Is he talking about how she’s always been his ideal successor or his one true love?
• I like the color of Scarlett Johansson’s hair….hmmm I wonder if i could pull that off?
• Dude I need to get back into shape so I can kick ass like that.
• I rather be a mix of Natalie and Pepper
• Jason Hammer is creepy
• Even knowing that Tony is crazy rich, some flags should be going up if you see him deciding to race in the Grand Prix
• Mickey Rourke just comes off as a villain
• So Happy’s solution is to ram the crazy man with the whips
• Dude a briefcase Iron Man Suit? NICE!
• And that right there is why Tony Stark is a hero, willing to do anything even sacrifice himself to save people.
• And now we get more information about Vanko’s reason for attacking Stark
• Who apparently knows that Tony is dying from his reactor
• Why won’t Tony tell Pepper he’s dying?
• I don’t think I like Rhodes the more I think about it.
• Justin Hammer is an idiot
• Anton and Ivan are naughty naughty Russians
• Yes! Yes he DID! Don’t be DUMB!!
• Ugh Rhodes don’t be an idiot
• Hammer is an idiot too
• Is Hammer suppose to be the non-rich/genius version of Tony because I sure hope not
• Why do I have a feeling Natalie is the only one smart enough to read between the lines? Oh wait because she is
• And Tony is an idiot now
• And that right there is why I don’t like Rhodes. “You don’t deserve to wear one of these”…..technically Rhodes stole War Machine but that doesn’t matter because in his eyes Tony is just being the old drunken fool Tony.
• Ugh I really need to stop over analyzing films
• Why are people watching them fight? Oh wait people are lookie loos by nature
• Rhodes just proves to me why I’ll never like his character.
• Dude Nick Fury makes another appearance in Iron Man
• Samuel L. Jackson kind of sounds like the same badass in every film
• Dude what is up with the bird?
• Hammer pisses me off too
• I have a lot of problems with this movie
• Rhodes is still a backstabber and he’s finally realizing it…retard
• How old is Fury suppose to be? Especially if he’s suppose to be friends with Howard Stark?
•  If anything I feel like this movie is just a stepping stone to introduce bits and pieces of this and that for the Avengers and possibility of something more
• God Rhodes deserves to be cannon fodder
• And Hammer needs duck tape across his mouth
• I think I need to go back and read the comics and old cartoons because Rhodes in the films just piss me off. I’m almost positive I use to like him but its been years and the Rhodes in this movie makes me want to punch him in the face
• So granted Tony kind of deserved that but sometimes ppl need to just listen to him
• I love mad scientist Tony…its hot
• And Hammer just proves how dumb he is….again
• Kinda like the whole bright shinning light of the new reactor in Tony’s chest
• Ugh now i have to listn to Hammer try and be smart and genius like
• The concept of drones makes me think of the clone wars from Star Wars and we all saw how that turned out
• Hammer’s ego is outstandingly large for no reason
• And the penny falls and Rhodes realizes the truth
• Hammer is such a fucking idiot and still doesn’t realize it still
• I get Ivan is trying to destroy Stark’s name but he is just doing it to Hammer’s name instead really
• Really Happy? Really?
• Yea I definitely need to get back in shape to be as bad ass as Natasha
• LOL gotta love Pepper and Tony’s arguing
• I still don’t like Rhodes but I appreciate him trying to be Tony’s sidekick
• DUDE!!! The new Iron Man suit is awesome
• FINALLY!!!! Hammer gets what he deserves
• Seriously whips?
• Nice work guys, take the bad guy out with an explosion
• And Tony still has time to save the damsel in distress
• And they finally kiss
• So Iron Man is a consultant for the Avenger Initiative
• You gotta love how Fury got that annoying Congressman to present awards to Rhodes and Tony
• So we had a reference to the Hulk and to Thor in this movie…nice

The Incredible Hulk

• I remember when the Eric Bana/Ang Lee Hulk came out and was so disappointed because it made no sense what so ever
• I love how they tell the build up of how Banner became the Hulk using the opening credits
• I can see Liv Tyler as Elizabeth Ross
• I love Edward Norton and so far he makes a better Bruce Banner than Eric Bana did
• Dude shot the dog!!
• Gotta love how movies like to go to Brazil just to have people chase each other through it
• He told them that they wont like him angry
• Yes, lets shoot up a factory with a big green angry creature….cuz that seems like an awesome idea
• Its never a good thing to keep things secret
• Banner looks wrecked….and homeless
• What’s Banner going to do? Walk to the U.S?
• Ugh sometimes the military’s intelligence doesn’t surprise me…especially in movies
• You can’t claim a persons body as government property can you?
• See this is what happens. You lie to the scientist and then shit happens and the scientist flees because he doesn’t understand what the proper application was
• I do like Liv Tyler
• Why do movies like to have reunions between lovers in the rain?
• Yea I would run too if a military general told me that he wanted to cut me up and dissect me to use something I have for a weapon
• Blonsky is the kind of guy that Dr Erskine would have hated to have used  the super soldier serum
• Seriously? If there was a full military assault force at my school, people would have noticed.
• Oh Gross!! I can’t believed he swallowed that
• You know you’ve fucked up when your own daughter calls you by your title and not by Dad
• That’s right back hand him for trying to stop you
• I hope the Hulk beats Blonsky to a pulp.
• Its like King Kong and the Beauty…..the Hulk knows Betty and wants to save her cuz he thinks shes in trouble
• Good! Blonsky deserved that
• It could be said that its General Ross’s fault both times that she got hurt
• I can’t believe her boyfriend called the General
• So he knows and recognizes things as the Hulk
• Hmmmm Edward Norton in the shower
• Love purple track pants
• Talk about a cock block….He can’t get to excited or he Hulks out LOL
• Gotta love the whole conversation of rather or not they can trace them through her lip gloss
• I can’t believe
• “Me in a metal tube, underground, surrounded by people in the most aggressive city in the world?”
• Gotta love that she’s the on who flips out pissed off because of the crazy cab driver
• Yes because pumping the evil little soldier with more serum sounds like an awesome idea
• Samuel Stern seems way too excited to be doing electroshock
• That’s right Betty, kick ass to help Bruce.
• Mad scientists never learn do they?
• And of course Bruce is pissed because he didn’t sign up for what Stern wants to do
• Blonsky doesn’t give a shit that your daughter is in there
• And Stern gets to join the legions of idiots
• General Ross is an idiot as well….”if you took it from me”…..blah
• Go Betty!! Tell your idiot father how angry you are
• Seriously? No one is wondering where the fuck Blonsky is?
• Stern and Blonsky are both giant idiots
• Don’t soldiers have to go through some kind of mental screening?
• So now we’ve got this giant creature that shows what happens when you mix the gamma radiation/Banner’s blood and the Super Soldier Serum
• And Stern gets to join the radiation team with a super large forehead
• Of course Banner and Betty are horrified and Ross is finally realizing the terror he has brought on themselves
• Awwww you gotta love the self sacrificing heroes like Bruce Banner
• I’m glad General Ross realized that Banner needed to live or his daughter would probably disappeared from his life completely
• Now time for a fight between the Hulk and Abomination
• The Hulk has made himself some boxing gloves
• Is it bad that I’m glad I don’t live in New York?
• That’s right Hulk, go save Betty!!
• HULK SMASH!!!
• And Betty keeps the Hulk good
• Awww the Hulk says Betty’s name
• I’m not going to lie but the Hulk and Betty kind of remind me of Belle and the Beast
• And Bruce Banner aka the Hulk is on the run again
• Edward Norton looks hot all scruffy
• And now he is trying to control his transformations
• What the hell is the General drinking?
• And Tony Stark comes to have a “discussion” with the General about putting a “team” together

THOR

• So I really don’t like the first half ofThor….well that’s not true. I just don’t like it from the time Thor is an adult til he gets banished
• I’ll admit I think Chris Hemsworth makes an awesome Thor…I’m kinda surprised they picked someone know one in the United States had really heard of before….unless they had seen him as George Kirk
• I’m also really surprised they didn’t cast an actual Norse person for the role of Thor
• Anthony Hopkins as Odin? Interesting choice but I like it
• I think its hilarious that Stellan Skasgard is playing a professor and not a Norse god since he is from Sweden
• Natalie Portman does a great job as Jane Foster
• And BAM! They hit Thor
• Ugh Thor’s ego
• Listening to Thor and Odin argue, its like listening to my brother and dad argue
• I do adore Tom Hiddleston
•  Josh Dallas becomes a lot more recognizable once you realize its him
• When I hear the names Asgard, Loki and Thor, it makes me think of Stargate
• Idris Elba seems to be everything now
• Well whose fault is it that Thor is the way he is?
• The whole telling the hammer that the one who possess it shall have the power of Thor makes me think of King Arthur and Excalibur
• You can’t help but feel bad for Thor since he keeps getting knocked out
• What is with people and tasers
• Then again I think its hilarious that they keep hitting him with the car
• Dude Chris Hemsworth is so hott….no lie
• Watching Thor shovels his mouth is disgusting
• Was he talking about Bruce Banner or Sterns?
• Loki is laying it on thick
• Love that he demands a horse from the pet store
• I love watching Thor kick ass throughout the S.H.I.E.L.D compound
• AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JEREMY RENNER AS HAWKEYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Seeing Thor fighting in the mud, in the rain is hot
• It really is sad when Thor realizes he can’t release Mjolin from the mud
• I love the space images in this movie.  They are amazing
• ooooooo Loki you liar
• Talk about kicking a man when he’s down
• You can’t help but want to stick your tongue out at Loki when he realizes he won’t be able to free the hammer either.
• Gotta love the fact that Thor doesn’t act like a dumb fool any more
• I know that they don’t use real alcohol in movies, so I can’t help but wonder what they are using to substitute it
• Its like Thor has grown up and is not longer an idiot
• Gotta love Sif and the Warriors Three
• Talk about a bad case of sibling rivalry
• I love Darcy too
• Oh no, he froze Heimdall
• I love bad ass chicks
• I mean how sad is it that Thor doesn’t even know why Loki hates him but is still willing to give his life for his friends
• The transformation of mortal Thor into god of thunder Thor is bloody awesome
• As is Eric and Jane’s response
• So is it the power of Thor’s voice that breaks the ice surrounding Heimdall?
• I like the Biofrost bridge
• I can’t help but feel bad for Loki
• Testament to Thor being a hero: willing to sacrifice his happiness for the good of the people.
• I feel like Loki has only ever wanted his father’s approval and throughout it all, Thor still loves him
• Poor heartbroken Thor, unable to get back to Jane
• And there Heimdall stands, at the end of the broken bridge watching over Earth
• I love that scene with Eric, Jane and Darcy searching for Thor
• So my mom goes “Even though Alexander Skasgard isn’t in the movie, I approve of him being Thor”, him being Chris Hemsworth. She apparently could see Alexander Skasgard being Thor….probably because she still has no idea who Chris Hemsworth is
• I do love the after credits sequence at the end

Captain America: The First Avenger

• Oh Chris Evans. How I adore you
• A frozen wasteland, a giant ship, and a frozen Captain…..sounds like it could be part of a joke
• Hugo Weaving does evil so well
• Even with Steve Rogers being short and thin, I still think hes attractive and it has nothing to do with him being Chris Evans
• So the bully that Rogers tries to beat up kind of reminds me of someone I went to school with…weird
• I was never a fan of Sebastian Stan until I saw this movie and him as Bucky
• I can totally see Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark
• God Steve Rogers is so…..all he wants to do is make a difference and thats incredible
• Hayley Atwall as Peggy Carter is so different from her other role as Mary Crawford fromMansfield Park
• I love how only Steve is the one to think of unpinning the flag
• Hodge reminds me of Blonsky….not a good thing
• Love how Steve is always asking “Is this a test?”
• Awww Steve and Erskine bonding
• I’m pretty sure its not a good thing to recognize a location by where you got beat up
• Awww Steve’s waiting for the right partner…..I’ll be your partner Steve
• Stiff upper lip Steve?
• Gotta love Steve Rogers
• I read an article about how Hayley Atwell didn’t see Chris Evans as Super Soldier Steve till that moment when he comes out of the chamber, so her whole look of surprise and reaching out to touch him was a pure reaction
• Damn he looks bloody hott
• I read somewhere that Peggy Carter never misses or rarely misses what she shoots, I wonder if that is suppose to be a connection to Clint Barton
• Watching Steve run in his military pants and white t-shirt is way hotter than him coming out of that chamber all shirtless, sweaty and muscular….don’t ask me why
• I love that the kid is all like ‘Don’t worry, I can swim’ because that is completely different from anything you see in most movies
• Tommy Lee Jones is an awesome general
• The whole Captain America bond selling with the dancing girls, makes me role my eyes because it’s ridiculous
• I realize the punch needs to be fake but that looks so uber fake
• I know Bucky and Steve are bffs but sometimes I got the feeling it was always something a little big more
• Steve Rogers looks good in that leather jacket
• Its beyond hilarious that Steve thinks fondue is a euphemism for sex
•  I love how the P.O.W’s have no idea who he is when he says he’s Captain America
• See this is why I always felt that Steve thought more of Bucky than just as a friend. He breaks into an enemy base, frees a slew of prisoners of war, just to find his “best friend”
• I always wondered what they were doing to Bucky
• Seriously…..the whole scene with the factory getting blown up and Steve telling Bucky to leave and get out and Bucky is all ‘not with you’……you can not tell me that you didn’t automatically begin slashing them together?
• Freaking Anne Boleyn is in this movie and she’s blonde
• Love Carter’s red dress
• Isn’t it funny that Howard Stark and Tony Stark have the same ego
• Poor Steve, he just doesn’t get what is going on
• LOL never piss off a woman who knows how to shoot a gun
• Yea I totally love his new uniform
• LOL ‘Mind the gap’ LOL
• You’ve got to be impressed with the technology in this film….the guns and everything
• Noooo Bucky!!!
• Poor Steve, feeling so guilty
• You gotta love an epic battle taking place during a war that no one seems to really be aware of
• When ever I watch movies like this, I can’t help but wonder the most random things. Like the soldiers who have been vaporized, what do they tell their families?
• Sometimes I feel like Marvel released these films because the world needs hope and that is exactly what these films give
• Poor Peggy, she seems so crushed and the General knows exactly what is going on
• Even when they know its not going to happen, they still make plans for a date
• I have always liked that scene, where everyone is celebrating V-Day and Captain America’s men are somber and drinking in his memory
• I think his inability to save Steve is one of the reasons Howard became the way he is
• I wonder if Peggy kept his file
• First time I heard this recap of the Dodger’s game, I seriously thought it was Vin Sully speaking
• I can’t believe how much they made Amanda Righetti up to look like Peggy Carter
• Of all places to end up after escaping from a top secret base….Time Square
• I really do like this movie
• I love the way Chris Evan’s ass looks when hes hitting the heavy bag
• And of course the awesome mini trailer for The Avengers…..AHHHHH!!!!!!

So its official. My mom and I have watched all five movies that lead up to The Avengers. She is now caught up on the characters and the films they are from and I got to watch them all without having to spend $40 to do so. In about 6 hrs I will be seeing The Avengers and I can’t wait!!

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Marvel Superheroes

When I was a little girl I was one of the boys. I played G.I. Joes, video games, cops and robbers, and basketball with my cousins. But my favorite thing in the world was curling up on my cousin’s bed and reading his comic books. This made me interested in the television cartoon shows and I just became a huge fan of the entire genre. Sadly as I grow older, I kind of drifted due various reasons but the stories have always held some fascination with me.

When Toby Magurie’s first Spiderman movie came out while I was in high school, I wasn’t sure how to take it in all honesty. Toby Maguire was never who I pick as Peter Parker because he just didn’t seem the part.  When I watched it, it was good but it wasn’t the Spiderman I remember from the cartoon or the newspaper comic. I ended up seeing the second one but with not much more hope. I never did see the third one but something came from that first Spiderman movie that still has an impact today.  It brought the other comic book heroes to life. From there the X-Men got their own franchise, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and now Captain America.

The funny thing is with the first three X-Men films I was sort of ambivalent about them. Some of the casting was fantastic (Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine), and some of the casting made me so sad because it was so bad. The X-Men was one of my favorite series growing up and I really couldn’t stand Anna Paquin as Rogue because she just didn’t do her any justice what so ever. The fact they don’t bring Gambit into the films until X-Men Origins: Wolverine, annoys me a lot too because if you are gonna do any of the more iconic characters why not add Gambit to that slew as well.  When X-Men First Class came out in May I was going to go see it just because I am an X-Men fan, especially since I knew the entire back story was completely and utterly wrong.  I have to admit though that I was thoroughly surprised with how much I liked that movie.  Granted it helped that the two actors who were playing Charles Xavier and Magneto are two actors that I like and have crushes on.  The story line while it didn’t follow the actual story line of the comics, held something special about it. It gave you hints of a Charles and Erik that was have never seen before and best of all we got to see a way that their friendship could have began. For a comic book and original cartoon fan I ahve to admit that the movie was very good.

The Fantastic Four was another movie that I was completely disappointed with. I mean lets just forget about the sequel for a second and focus on the first movie.  I never read the comics but I did watch the old cartoon and while some of the casting was fantastic (Mr. Fantasic and Ben), the Storm siblings left much to be desired.  When I think Susan Storm I do not think of Jessica Alba especially since as I get older, I find I dont really like her as an actress because she isn’t that good. I love Chris Evans but I think he was a terrible choice for Johnny Storm because while he might be young it didn’t fit with the attitude that they gave him in the script. In the comic/show universe Johnny is about 16/17 when they go on the trip to space that give him his powers. If they had cast someone around that age in the movie then it would have made perfect sense with the attitude that Johnny has.  It wasn’t just the Storm siblings I had issues with but they were the main ones. I kind of felt like the two movies were a bit of a let down in that regard. I’ve been hearing rumors of them wanting to revamp the series and I honestly thing it would be interesting to see.

I remember when the first of the two Hulk movies came out. I was in high school and I had no real desire to see it because it just didn’t mess with what I knew about him. I mean I love Eric Bana but the entire movie started to mix science and nature and that Bruce Banner had the ability since he was a child due to his father and it just didn’t make any real sense.  I had always viewed The Hulk to be a sort of modern day version of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because of the transformation from mild mannered genius to super powered insane alter ego. The fact that both Banner and Jekyll sort of feared their counterparts seemed to fit as well since they really didn’t have any control over them. When they decided to revamp the Hulk movie back in 2008 when I was in college, I was sadly unable to see it. From what I had gathered from friends though was that it was closer version then the 2003 one. That plus the fact that Edward Norton kind of pulls off mild manner genius who is rather reclusive then Eric Bana does is a plus. When the Avengers movie was being discussed and casting was being announced I was sad to see that for a third time, the Hulk has been recast. This time as Mark Ruffalo, an actor I find myself to be rather ambivelant about because he just hasn’t done anything that makes me want to sit up and take notice of him.

The first Iron Man movie though was one that I was very excited for because well Robert Downey Jr. makes the perfect Tony Stark. I remember the old cartoon on tv when I was a child and when I think about the guy that I would see as Tony Stark there and now think of him in today’s time, the only person that fits the bill is Robert Downey Jr.  He plays the confident, cocky playboy genius to a T but at the same time he is able to be a defender of man kind in the form of Iron Man. I haven’t seen the second one yet though I do have it on my list of movies to watch and honestly I can’t wait to see how that movie unfolds. It seems like everything is a build up or ties into the Avengers movie that wasn’t even in production yet.

This year the movies Thor and Captain America both came out as the last two movies before Avengers finally comes out into theaters next summer.  Both the stories of Thor and Captain America were once that I hadn’t really followed as a child. I mean I knew the jist of both fandoms in the extent of, I know the mythology of Thor and I knew the basics of Captain America.  So for me I was coming into these films basically a fandom virgin and all I knew was from what I had read in geektyrant and word of mouth.

When I first heard about Thor, I had heard about the casting of Chris Hemsworth being cast as Thor and people asking who he was. I was freaking out because I knew him as George Kirk the father of James T. Kirk from the new Star Trek movie, and before that I think he was relatively unknown due to being an Australian. When I finally got to go see Thor, I was excited because it was fun and entertaining and you see Thor evolve from a somewhat selfish character to a man who learns to care for those around him as well as for a young human woman, even at the risk of never seeing her again. I know some people had mixed reviews and feelings about the movie but I thought it was very well done especially since the director, Kenneth Branagh, is known for his Shakespeare.  Not to mention it introduced Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, which completely flipped me out when I saw him. I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a fangirl when it comes to Jeremy Renner as well. The other interesting thing about this particular movie was how they played out the sibling relationship between Thor and Loki. Even as gods, siblings can have hard time relating to one another and even have a case of jealousy.

Like I had mentioned earlier in this post, I love Chris Evans. I loved him when I first saw him in Not Another Teen Movie and my love for him just kept growing.  When I had heard that he had been cast as Steve Rodgers, I’ll admit I was hesitant because I just couldn’t see the funny man actor that I have seen become the iconic Captain America.  That is until I saw him in The Losers as Jake Jensen. While the role was still that of a funny man there was also still a serious side of him. Then I saw him in a scene in the very end when he is jumping and scaling up a tower for a job and it was in that moment that I knew he would do a fantastic job as Steve Rodgers.  I had known from reading an interview that he feared taking the job because if it did horrible then he would be screwed and if he did a good job he would be screwed, but I had faith in him and it turned out to be a very fun and entertainng movie. The thing you have to accept in comic book films is that the science is never gonna make sense and neither will history. It is always going to mean that the audience is going to have to suspend their disbelief.  What I love about Captain America is that it tells the story of Steve Rodgers, a smallish man who wants nothing more than to serve his country and fight in World War II, but is continually rejected due to his small statue and health issues. It isn’t til a scientist takes a chance on him and suggests that he be used for an experimental project does he get a short. And does that experimental project work into transforming him into a taller, stronger, faster version of himself. The movie tells the tale of a hero, a hero who is a very good man that does what he feels needs to be done to protect people and while he may not single handedly end the entire war, he does save people and do some good. Not to mention find a bit of love and happiness even if it does end sadly.  I had told my nephews that Captain America becomes frozen in time without aging till modern time and that is how he becomes an Avenger. I didn’t realize how true what I had told them was until I saw the movie a few days ago.

The Avengers comes out in less than 9 months, ironically on my father’s birthday (my dad has always been my hero) and the unoffical Star Wars day, May 4th. For the first time in I think ever there will be a live action film that has Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow in it fighting to protect the people of Earth. Joss Whedon of Buffy fame as well Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly, and others is directing the film and that just leads me to have an even more excitement over it. I grew up watching and reading about these heroes because they gave me something to believe in, something to have faith in and mostly something I could escape into watching. What am I going to be doing now until May is rewatching those films and digging for more information because honestly I can’t wait to see what Whedon does with this slew of superheroes.

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