August Geeky Faves

July flew by so much quicker than I anticipated. and shame on me for not staying on top of some geeky favorite things during that month. Before we're too far into September, here are some of the geeky things I did in August with some new goals for this month. What your goals lined up for autumn? Hope you enjoy!

Read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - The play was an enjoyable read, and probably even better to be experienced on stage, but I just couldn't connect the dots with it as Harry Potter canon. Not with a lot of the story's plotholes and inconsistencies. Albus and Scorpius were the best parts.

Book and Harley Haul - I AM UP TO MY KNEES IN BOOKS. But heck if I'm not going to try to score more - The Diviners, Station Eleven, The Martian, The Unofficial Guide to Crafting Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Belle took a mini-trip to Hogwarts. It wouldn't surprise me if the Sorting Hat experienced a hat stall when trying to place her in a house. She's definitely a Gryffinclaw to me.

It started all with a book - Stores everywhere are on a Potter high again!

Bittersweet Funko - I loved finding the Chekov funko pop (a Game Stop exclusive in his space suit) but it was a bittersweet addition to my collection.

The Martian book and movie - Did I say I am up to my knees in books? Yeah, well, I'm up to my eyeballs in reading them all. Two lost copies later and I finally have The Martian to read. YES.

Plans for September - Do not lose The Martian by Andrew Weir and read The Martian, watch scary movies for October, prepare *mystery* Halloween costume, see The Light Between Oceans, vist FanFest and see the Walking Dead cast.

Season Review: Stranger Things

Plucking similar children from The Goonies and setting them into a conspiracy within The X-Files and E.T., Netflix's nostalgic series Stranger Things is out of this world.

When twelve-year-old Will Byer (Noah Schnapps) mysteriously vanishes, his pals try to find him by putting their D&D knowledge, walkie talkies, and bicycles to the test. As Will's mother (Winona Ryder) and the chief of police Jim Hopper (David Harbour) start their own investigation, a mysterious girl Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) with supernatural powers may hold the answers about weird disturbances occurring in their small town.

While the show remarkably weaves together laughs and scares into the backdrop of an eighties sci-fi quest, the cast steals the show. To start with the kids as Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) who are Will's closest friends are refreshingly natural. It's been a while since I felt performances by child actors were animated as well as complex. The boys are so buoyant and full of personality. With Will out of the show 90% of the time, the actor/characters' bond restore the purest connection friends share: the loyalty, hope and trust it takes to be apart of a pack.

Distinguishing one role over another is a difficult task. Every actor is an essential part of the show, but when Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven enters the scene, hold onto your eggos! She is someone of a very few words and whose actions speak much louder. Her character's abilities make her powerful and mystifying, and Brown brings a true humanity as a secret weapon, eliciting a fierce and tender performance.

In a true feat of meta-casting, Winona Ryder is on hand as Will's mother Joyce. Though the notable actress didn't go into an official retirement, the eighties icon 'comes back' with a striking perseverance. As a hardworking outsider of their small town, Joyce becomes increasingly unraveled and determined to find her son. Managing the difficult task of being aware how family and strangers see her desperation, Ryder acts a fine line between fragility and unshakable determination. Some critics have written her performance as hysterical, but she undoubtedly is another bad-ass mama bear whose protective nature is as fierce as it is warm and endearing. Seeing Ryder again in any capacity is pure joy, and she doesn't disappoint here.

I would say the series is a character-led adventure with enough creepy atmospheric elements to keep their quest interesting as well as entertaining. Series creators The Duffer brothers found a magical recipe to create the hit of the summer: write characters inspired by Steven Spielberg's young-adult catalog who have big hearts and a bigger sense of wonder, and cast them in a suspenseful Stephen King-esque world. Their binge-worthy experiment oozes with scares, delights with nostalgia and provokes epic feels.

Perhaps their most impressive achievement is how the series lives as a tribute to the eighties pop culture the brothers loved growing up. Although the Duffers make a plethora of references of movies from yesteryear, their influences aren't flat and flashy. The attention to detail towards the cast, costume, set, music and cinematography feel like something straight out of the eighties instead of a one-dimensional homage. For some, the creators might've gone overboard. For someone like me who is mildly aware of iconic science-fiction and horror movies, the show balances old and new to avoid being boxed in by certain film elements it mirrors.

Stranger Things is a welcoming change from a pretty slumber summer within television, and even newly released movies. The series' eight episodes play out almost exactly as one epic vintage blockbuster and even eight individual ones. If you haven't watched it yet - curl up under some blankets. Be prepared to laugh, get scared, and believe the hype. Trust me. Friends don't lie.
Rating: ★★★ Have you watched Stranger Things? What are your thoughts?

15 Killer Quotes by The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes

Rick Grimes is the bad-ass leader on The Walking Dead. As a former police officer, a father, and a leader, he is willing to do anything to keep his family alive. Previously I compiled a list of my favorite quotes from the series, but I left this sheriff out. Plainly because Andrew Lincoln has delivered so many awesome, chilling, and even heartbreaking lines, it was hard to not compile and devote a list to his iconic anti-hero. As promised, here are fifteen killer quotes by the man. Think I missed a few of his best quotes? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Warby Parker & Kill Screen Limited Edition Glasses

Let me be completely honest: I'm obsessed with eye-wear. One of my favorite brands is polished and cutting-edge frames by Warby Parker. Every pair of their glasses for the everyday wearer has a gorgeously sleek and modern design. 

When Warby Parker announced they were going to launch a brand new game, alongside a new collection of limited edition glasses, I was all eyes (and ears) open!

For their new venture, Warby Parker partnered with Kill-Screen, a literary-minded video game arts and culture company, to create their first ever (and totally free!) game called Worbs. To make this vision come to life, trio master designers Highline Games, Warby Parker, and Kill Screen designed a physic-based matching game, where the objective is to match like-colored balls in a bowl.

The beautiful minimalist creation is set on a work desk with distracting book titles, a pair of their amazing new glasses and the ever-important "tilt button".  It's a perfect and simple game to play at your desk - something I've been doing a lot during my work breaks.

Aren't those glasses absolutely killer?

To match the joint effort between the two innovative brands, Warby Parker has transformed one of their best-selling (and one of my favorite) frames into another work of wearable art. 

Their sturdy and sleek creation Burke is serving as the inspiration to launch those ultra-chic Kill Screen limited-edition glasses. The attention to detail Warby Parker commits to in all of their styles takes on a whole other level with this exciting collaboration.

The limited-edition glasses, Burke in Glacier Grey (a best-selling frame reimagined in a new hue), are crafted from premium cellulose acetate and equipped with lenses that have anti-scratch and anti-reflective coatings—which conveniently reduce the glare from screens. (Score!) Inside the frame’s temple is an embossed Kill Screen logo in their signature red. Also included in the bundle is a custom lens pouch with artwork featuring the Kill Screen logo cleverly deconstructed into minimalist lines and shapes.

The game and the glasses are an absolute total score, right? Warby Parker's gorgeous and bold premium eye wear is available for both men and women. Check out this exclusive and highly anticipated launch with their awesome game at the official website here.

Sunshine Blogger Award

The end of summer is just around the corner, and it was wonderful to end the season by receiving the Sunshine Blogger Award not once - but twice. A huge thank you goes out to Flick Chicks and Mettel Ray for considering me and my blog for this! You gals are absolutely lovely bloggers and friends. I truly consider myself in the best company!

To accept our award, we simply have to: 
Post the award on your blog (Check!)
Thank the person who nominated you (Check!)
Answer the 11 questions they set you (Check!)
Pick another 11 bloggers (and let them know they are nominated!)
Send them 11 questions

The first set of questions from FlickChicks is answered below, and the second set of questions was answered over at Mettel's blog. My 11 questions will be below with my nominees.

From FlickChicks

Settle an ongoing Flick Chicks debate for us. Which Ryan is best, Reynolds or Gosling?

Oh girls, they're both great guys... If I hve to choose, Gosling is pretty funny off-screen and I think I've liked more of his movies than Reynolds.

Who do you think Rey’s Parents are? (We’re talking Star Wars here)

Oh god, anytime I think it's one couple or person, inevitably my choice changes i.e. Han and Leia or Luke Skywalker and someone, or Jyn Erso and Captain Cassian Andor. I just don't know.

What was the first movie you saw in the cinema?

HERCULES. Megara was such a fierce character, Hercules was pretty cute, and I loved the music.

What’s your ultimate guilty pleasure movie?

I'd probably say The Haunting. It's awesomely horrible.

What’s your go-to cinema snack?

Twizzlers or alcohol. lol I love that my movie theater has a bar. It's helped me get through a lot of movies (The Revenant and 50 Shades of Grey for example).

What’s your best piece of advice for new bloggers?

Don't be afraid to rant or rave and feel confident about your opinions, and blog what you love to blog about. And don't be afraid to reach out and make friends. :)

Is there a movie out there that you hate with a passion, and why?

PROMETHEUS. I just - GAHHHHH. I was so stoked to see this movie in theaters and the trailer looked so promising....but then it just ended up being about evolution with a Ripley-copy. I'm not hating on Noomi Rapace or the cast but the script tries so hard to offer something deep and meaningful but it's so thin. Every time it's on tv I inevitably fall for putting it on and thinking it will better than it is....and it's just not so I rant and rave the whole time. GAHHHHH.

If you could create a sequel for any movie that currently doesn’t have one, which one would it be?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! The ending leaves major clues on about a sequel if it happened, and I'd just love to see the showdown between the Darcys and zombies continue.

What other hobbies do you have, aside from movies and blogging?

Funko pop collecting is getting out of control. DEFINITELY. I also love reading and swimming.

If a movie was made about your life, who would you cast to play you?
Dakota Johnson. I'm just obsessed with her right now. 

What’s been your favourite movie of the year so far?
Captain America: Civil War, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. They're both at a really close tie and not a lot has compared to them.

Here are my 11 questions, and I'm nominating the following: Sofia from Film Flare, Katie from She Likes Movies, Sarah from How To Watch a Motion Picture, Brittany from Rambling Film, Life of This City Girl, Crystal from In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood, Rhys at Feeling Fuzzier, Ashlee at HerGeekery, and Chris Widdop.

Feel free to answer below instead of in a blog post, if you've been nominated before. I'll tag anyone who feels like answering these too - just for fun! :)

1. What movie surprised you the most this year?
2. If you published a memoir, what would you call it?
3. What movie character would you love to see made as a FunkoPop (that hasn't been made already)?
4. You can only place three movies into a time capsule for future generations. Which titled would you pick?
5. Is there a movie that took you a couple of viewings to appreciate?
6. What actor/actress will make you watch a movie no matter how bad it might be?
7. What actor/actress will make you less likely to see a movie?
8. If you had an opportunity to tell a director to their face how much they messed up a highly-anticipated movie, would you? what would you tell them?
9. Can a soundtrack make or break a movie?
10. What movie made you laugh recently?
11. What movie(s) are you looking forward to seeing this fall?

Ghostbusters (2016) stands on its own two feet

Photo Credit: Ghostbusters / Columbia Pictures

Dr. Erin Gilbert (Kristin Wiig) is a quirky physics professor whose bid for tenure is put on hold when a former friend obsessed with the paranormal Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and her zany engineer Dr. Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) republishes a book they wrote about the supernatural. In exchange for removing the book from publication, Gilbert assists the duo to investigate a possible haunting.

When their investigation turns out to be a real phenomenon, the group decides to open a ghostbusting business, soon adding Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) into the mix. This being 2016, the gals' work soon faces backlash from online spectators and band together to save New York City from an impending supernatural apocalyptic event.

Even though the movie features some of the biggest comedians around today, my two biggest reservations were the movie's comedic tone and the cast. Comedy and action flicks today have a knack for breaking the fourth wall to become super awkward in landing punchlines. This, coupled with not being big fans of Wiig's work and worrying that McCarthy would only be on a roll of sweary tirades and pratfalls, my expectations for the movie were low at first. How the flick was going to fare was like gambling to cross the streams and praying it pays off.

Payoff, the movie really did. Director Paul Feig with screenwriter Katie Dippold pack in enough action, comedy, and heartfelt team spirit to create one heck of a ride. The script subtly follows thee original but stays unique in all the right places. They commit to doing their own thing, and deal with the extensive offline backlash, but not forget where their inspiration sprang. Their adventure isn't concerned with being flashy or "rewriting film history", just with being entertaining, giving more actors a chance to shine, and celebrating friendship.

The cast is truly a revelation, especially Wiig and McCarthy and how I imagined them. They step out of their comfort zones and don't rest on their trademark personalities. Gilbert and Yates are sensible, pragmatic and quirky leaders of the pack with McKinnon's Holtzmann and Jones' Tolan are not too far behind. There's no doubt these women are funny in their own right, whether I'm a fan of them or not, but the cast shares more than just camaraderie through comedy. Their characters use brains, brawn, and sisterhood to take down some nasty, creepy ghosts; it's downright awesome.

However, even though the movie takes two steps forward with its leads, Hemsworth and the villain both take a complexity hit. Chris Hemsworth's role as the beefcake secretary Kevin is dumber than dumb and is pretty useless. The villain, too, a creepy demon responsible for unleashing the ghosts on New York City is just a-okay. The epic finale between the Ghostbusters versus supernatural bestows some epic special effects, but the demon himself isn't entirely threatening and a little too forgettable. It would've been nice and even better if they weren't merely stand-ins (hot or not).

After so many reboots and remakes, it's a good skill to learn how to distinguish the old from the new. Ghostbusters didn't hold a lot of hype for me in the beginning, but it really exceeded my expectations. In the opposite effect of Suicide Squad's trailers over-promising, Ghostbusters' promotions under-delivered. The cast is so much fun and their characters achieve so many levels of kick-assery. Feig's movie doesn't clone the original and manages to stand on its own and beyond the hype. Let's go!

Rating: ★★★

Have you seen Ghostbusters? What are your thoughts?

Gender Swapping Takes Hollywood by Storm (and we're already tired of it)

After the critically-praised and box office failure Ghostbusters (2016), Hollywood is on a roll with not just remakes in general, but ones featuring gender-swapping. The latest is a female-centered Ocean's Eight set to star Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Awkwafina. Upon release of this news, a supposed Ocean's Eleven fanclub came out in protest with battle cries of "How could women do this?" and "Hollywood has run out of ideas".But it's not like remakes are anything new.

Consider: the newly announced A Star Is Born (2018) is a remake of A Star Is Born (1976) which is a remake of A Star Is Born (1954) which is a remake of A Star Is Born (1937). The upcoming Steven Soderburgh produced Ocean's Eight feels right at home in following Soderburgh's remake franchise of the original Frank Sinatra version from 1960. (Is your head's spinning yet? Mine is. *sigh*)

If most stories in books to comic books and films are recycled and remakes have existed since yesteryear, is gender-swapping a problem? how do we solve it?

As superhero franchises, adaptations, sequels, and spin-offs take over the movie calendar, remakes prove Hollywood has run out of ideas. And, gender swapping may gradually worsen the genre's already poor reputation.

As female actors replace roles previously assumed by male actors, news of the casting is designed to create buzz. However, the news is more or less coming across as boring. Instead of movie goers growing excited about the go-to tool Hollywood is using to get butts into the seats, it seems flipping sexes is only engaging people into man or woman hating. Adding to the misogyny and misandry pot, flicks focusing on female gender-swapping receive more negative feedback than male-swapping.

Splash is another remake on the chopping block. The film centers on Tom Hanks' Allen falling in love with a woman who is secretly a mermaid and living out this wild fantasy of being her beau. In the newer version, Channing Tatum will star as the merman while and Jillian Bell takes over Hank's role. The details have already received positive support across the board. As audiences ride the waves until Tatum scales the scene, Ocean's Eight is already looking to avoid a misogynist reception.

In all of this effort to empower performers and audiences, Hollywood is essentially missing the point. Women can offer more representation without having to be forever associated with re-creating "men's films". Or without the one male role in a female-flick being the sexy idiot. The truest way for remakes to succeed is not to just switch sexes, but ensure that the quality in how characters are written, directed, and portrayed is good or better than the average remake.

Ghostbusters might have not been a box office success, but it was praised by critics and audiences for giving women the opportunity to be seen as funny, smart, and capable individuals who kick ghoulish asses. It's one of the reasons I loved the revamp, and the same could be said for Ocean's Eight if turns out that all of this gender-swapping is just white noise. But the vitriol reception director Paul Fieg's recreation received cast the film into the ether before it's official release, only furthering a reflection of rampant sexism. And it hasn't halted Dan Aykroyd's plans for his all-male reboot set.

Real opportunity for layered characters exists. But Ghostbusters failed in this regard when it came to Chris Hemsworth's role. As tongue-in-cheek commentary on the male gaze, he's pretty much reduced to the beefcake secretary, he's funny but dumber than dumber and just there to be a eye candy. While there's nothing wrong to slobber over celebrity hotness, the Thor actor wasn't used to the best of his abilities - especially considering his hilarious stunts hosting SNL. Just like the wives in the Ocean's Eleven movies, he's almost so useless he might as well not be in the movie. The movie has great female leads, but his performance is surface-level.

One of the positive qualities Hollywood has going for it with gender-swapping is that, like Ghostbusters, it might improve representation and raise the bar of speaking roles versus shedding clothes. Women, while replacing men, have an opportunity to make their casts as diverse as possible, opening more opportunities to women of color gracing the screen too. However, critics are trying to use the history of women being treated as objects to excuse men to pay their dues. It's sad, that so far, gender swapping is limiting performers into one-dimension.

A dire doubt emerges in these seas of clones: if studios are so focused on remaking male-dominated films, do they believe women can't sell movies? that it's advantageous to tie them to a previously "masculine" franchise? What will happen to our own unique stories if Ghostbusters and Ocean's Eight aren't simply creative anomalies?

In 2015, director George Miller created post-apocalypse action thriller Mad Max: Fury Road. No harm, no foul, the flick was the fourth installment of his series, and it still proved to be one of the most innovative, game-changing movies of that year and years to come. Additionally, women weren't the only driving force of the film, but the production team such as the editor were the heart of his crazy, imaginative adventure. Meanwhile Tom Hardy's Mad Max nor the villain Immortan Joe were reduced to tropes. It wasn't just a "she movie" or a "he movie"; it transcended type in more ways than one.

The remake genre is notorious for sucking. Fresh stories ignite imagination so much more than cardboard cut-outs. Unfortunately, wholly original mainstream movies that aren't a spin-off, an adaptation, a sequel, apart of a franchise or a remake seem all too rare. In actuality, movies should incorporate all people; not "assign a gender" to tick off certain boxes. If remakes are going to tackle gender-swapping, they can't rest on being carbon copies.

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson