April Geeky Faves

This is a new little end-of-the-month series I'm hoping to start - a collection of things I did over the past few weeks. I didn't realize it was May already! Crossing my fingers this will help me keep a better track of time. Here's some things I did in April. What did you do last month?
Read Me Before You - It may be obvious a little but I'm obsessed with the book, and a little more importantly, the movie coming out this summer. Finishing it actually helped me reach good ol' number five out of sixteen books for this year's goodreads challenge.

Went Bowling - For my sister's birthday we went bowling. We actually haven't done it in years. If a few pins were knocked down, we'd be pretty happy. My goal was to get at least one strike, and I did! But my poor sister, it was one gutterball after another. I'm only a little sorry to say (she's older and beats me at everything), I scored highest. Love ya sis!

Enjoyed Blue Skies - Here in Florida we seemed to skip winter and spring entirely this year and just move straight into summer. I definitely enjoyed some blue skies and sunshine.

Worshiped Agent Carter - With Captain America: Civil War yet to be released in the U.S. I found other ways to get excited. Around the Ol' Blog we celebrated with a blog challenge and artwork . And, of course, continued my worship of Agent Carter. I actually watched the whole first season of her spin-off (shall be making a post soon!) and can't wait to start the second after Civil War.

"Visited" a Museum: My sister performed in her first play this month - a five minute hilarious one act. But we got to the theater a little too early before her performance. With nothing to do inside the theater, we wondered to the museum across the street (which was closed) and spent some time in the garden.

Watched Shall We Dance: The original lovely Japanese film has been on my radar for...I don't know how long. I finally managed to watch it and loved every minute. A review of this film shall be posted in May too. It's a definite can't miss movie.

Plans for May: survive the Captain America marathon, see Captain America: Civil War three times (Challenge accepted MettelRay!), read The Martian, celebrate Twister's 20th anniversary, avoid Walking Dead filming spoilers, finish X-Files Recap (OMG, I'm so far behind), and try Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

Favorite Captain America Tumblr Posts

Tumblr is a pretty amazing epic blog space for everything and anything you're a fan (or hater) of. So this post doesn't even scratch the surface of Captain America awesomeness you can find on there from gif sets to artwork and meta.

I couldn't resist putting together just a smidgeon of my favorite posts. (Credit links are available where I could adequately find them!) Follow an awesome Steve Rogers / Captain America tumblr I should know about? Feel free to leave a link in the comments!

Celebration of Marvel's Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers

I love Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers. They might be one of, if not, my biggest OTP. With Captain American: Civil War coming soon, there's no way we can't celebrate this amazing realtionship. It's too complex and touching for words.

From gifs to illustrations, here is some incredibly heartfelt artwork of the life they shared in the films (and could've shared beyond them). Hope you enjoy and that I don't break your feels!

Captain America: Civil War Blog Challenge

You're facing an epic battle against five extraordinary fictional opponents - all with superhero, magical, or supreme physical powers. You have your pick of partners-in-crime (justice, vengeance, etc.) to stand by your side and help you win. Who's on your team?

Since Civil War is rapidly approaching, I thought it'd be fun to do a related blog challenge. Pick any five fictional characters you would want on your team. They can be from any book, movie, tv show or comic - doesn't have to be from the Marvel universe. What would they bring to the team and how would you lead them to victory? Be as creative as you would like!

Below are my personal picks! If you want to take part in this challenge, feel free to make a post of your own (and send me a link) or comment! I'd love to read your picks!

Captain America
Sure, he has the body proportions of a Dorito. But nobody can really argue that he is one hell of a leader. He shows tact and diplomacy when voicing his opinion. People, superhuman or not, aren't perfect, and that's what keeps him human and grounded. He'd be a great voice of reason, fighter, and always has his friend's backs. Did I mention I was Team Cap all the way?

Ginny Weasley
Movie!Ginny is pretty cool, but Book!Ginny is 100x more complex. Next to Harry Potter, she suffered pretty heftily from Tom Riddle's destruction and managed to persevere almost unscathed. She survived the Dark Lord possessing her for a whole school term! That shows some insane resilience. She's outspoken and a capable warrior in battle and Quidditch. Ginny all the way!

Trinity
Let's just forget about her romance to Neo and her silly fate in The Matrix series. Trinity is awesome. The first movie opens up with her kicking butt all on her own. She proves to work well on a team and on her own. A computer hacker, skilled martial artist and fighter, weapons specialist, and can slow down time to kick ass and take names. Sign her up to my team!

Belle
She's a little bit of an out-there choice, but am I gonna need someone who is good at researching and thinking outside the box? Who knows! Belle (Once Upon A Time version) knows how to dig deep to find the answer. Trinity can handle any and all computer hacking while Belle looks through any kind of print archive, books, maps - you name it. She's more than the idealist adventurer people peg her to be and is totally capable of handling herself against mean beasts.

Poe Dameron
Poe is a decorated X-Wing pilot and rebel fighter. He's one of Leia's most trusted operatives. He was raised by his rebel-fighting parents to defeat the dark side. It's great to have some man and woman power on the ground, but the open skies need to be covered too. How awesome would it be to see a starfighter soar overhead in victory? Go team go!

10 Times Women Ruled The Box Office

Audiences and critics alike have been clamoring with more women-centric casts in movies. It's not that casts with a superior male cast are in the wrong. Their films have done well for the past 100 years of cinema. But there simply not just one type of hero's journey people want to see all the time.

From the Sony hack emails to the constant fight by industry insiders to get women in an equal position of power, it's not a secret that Hollywood struggles putting women in diverse movies and roles.

Since the beginning of film-making, women like men have proven their worth not only in money but versatility. From princesses to warriors, and in genres from comedies to action, leading women have racked in millions to almost billions of dollars in ticket sales.

Hollywood has plenty of talented actresses, directors, and writers "at their disposal". The issue isn't that they aren't available or that audiences don't want to see them or they aren't critically acclaimed. The big movie studios just don't think that women can pull in the box office numbers.

Here's the thing: They do.Countless films with complex female leads have been successful in terms of pleasing moviegoers, critics, and making good bucks. Taking a closer look at the numbers, here are ten examples when women ruled the box office.

Demolition (2016) can't fix its own foundation

Photo Credit: Demolition / Fox Searchlight Pictures

Workaholic Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal) struggles to express his grief after his wife dies from a tremendous car accident. Unlike his in-laws, or his own parents, even co-workers, Mitchell just can't connect with his loss. Suppressing his pain seems to be the immediate answer. He throws himself into work and then is caught up in a friendship with a customer service agent Karen (Naomi Watts) he started writing letters to when the vending machine at the hospital didn't work.

In 2014 director Jean-Marc Vallée's exquisitely adapted author Cheryl Strayed's Wild to explore the weight of her mother's death as she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Just two years later with a similar premise, Demolition is simply a weaker version of its predecessor.

Vallée's second take on bereavement focuses on a protagonist realizing the cage he felt trapped by in his marriage - almost like he wouldn't realize how much his life was in shambles until she was gone.

Mitchell and Karen's connection breaks open up an honesty about why he doesn't handle his spouse's death like the people around him. Did he really love her, or did his life just fall into place without conviction on his end? Nuisances he didn't pay attention to like a leaking refrigerator slowly explodes into him taking down entire houses. It's a subtle exploration of his own psyche to take life apart and put it back together.

However, Mitchell's escapades resonate from shock or denial at first. Weirdly, as Mitchell blasts and bulldozes his way forward, sympathy for him loses its steam. Julia simply doesn't have any layers to her as his wife - the center of his turmoil. She is merely a ghostly backdrop, and eventually, becomes one big cliche. Halfway through the film, knocking down everything in his path becomes repetitive rather than having something profound to say.

To his credit, Vallée knows how to design an incredible atmosphere. He splendidly uses music to explore Mitchell's gradually intense memories he can't let go of. Cinematography and editing by Yves Bélanger and Jay M. Glen, respectively, is vivid and polished. All three make the film extraordinarily smooth. And, Jake Gyllenhaal delivers another memorable performance. So does other established cast like Chris Cooper, Naomi Watts, and the blazing introduction of Judah Lewis. However, for all the emotional and physical dis-assembly Mitchell undergoes, the film has glaring cracks in the foundation that can't be fixed.

Rating: ★☆☆

Have you seen Demolition? What are your thoughts?

Good Ol' Patriotic Artwork of Marvel's Captain America

Courageous, diplomatic, and a team leader, Captain America is one of the best superheroes around. It's just as well that he would garner amazing artwork from around the web from artists and fans around the world. I browsed as much of the internet as possible searching for creative interpretations of Marvel's hero. Here is some incredibly patriotic artwork of the freedom fighter Steve Rogers in all his good ol' USA glory. Hope you enjoy!

The Walking Dead S6x16 Last Day On Earth

Before we dive into the massive season finale, I just wanted to take a personal moment to thank everyone who reads these recaps. We survived season six! You survived my recaps! I survived writing these every week. This is my first time completing a full season of recaps. Congratulations all around! There's no going back now. In the same way that Oprah loves bread. NEGAN. IS. HERE.

Below includes spoilers of the series so far. You've been warned but hope you enjoy!