Movie Review: Doctor Strange & Fantastic Beasts; Blog Update

In case you needed one...

Cause, you know, movie reviews.

Doctor Strange Review

• Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as the cocky, self-important master surgeon turned world saving sorcerer.  But he's perfect as anything so that's no surprise.
• Mads Mikkelsen has been busy lately.  As the disillusioned former apprentice of the Sorcerer Supreme, Kaecilius, he gives a good performance considering the minor role the character played in the comics.
• Tilda Swinton works as the Ancient One!  In the comics, the Sorcerer Supreme is your generic, cliche Chinese/Asian Mystic with the fu-manchu mustache.  While one might consider it a white-wash using an English woman to play the role of a mystic in Tibet/Nepal, the fact they address her origin in the movie placates me.  Besides, her performance is great.  You will leave the theatre wanting more.
• The movie's central theme of Time is so well done it did not become obvious to me until after I thought about it for a while (and watched this Youtube video).  Honestly, it was so obvious in retrospect that I was embarrassed it took me that long to figure out.  Especially considering what the Eye of Agamotto does and contains.
• Baron Mordo in the house!  The adaptation of one of Strange's chief villains into an ally is great considering we saw his turn coming.  But how and why works so well that you are ready for Strange to square off with him in the inevitable sequels, especially once Strange becomes Sorcerer Supreme.
• The movie surprised me with its climax.  I expected some magical slugfest with Kaecilius (which you get) but instead its a test of sheer will between a mortal and a cosmic deity trapped in a time loop.  All I have to say is, "How does Strange remember what happens after the loop resets each time?"  Props to the Doctor for diagnosing Dormammu's ills.
• By the way, the movie has a strong 'time heals all wounds' theme beside the much stronger theme of time itself.  Pay attention to Strange's watch.  If you don't get it by the end, watch that video I linked.
• Overall a good movie, clearly linked to the others.  Thor makes a guest appearance to set up Thor: Ragnarok during the credits.  Also, the Infinity Stone name drop at the end connects it squarely to the Avengers: Infinity War movie(s) as well.  Expect to see Cumberbatch slinging spells alongside Chris Evans slinging shield at some point.  

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them Review

• More Harry Potter related movies?  Shut up and take my money!  (Wish I had the Eye of Agamotto so I could watch it a few times...)
• Before I looked up their names, I enjoyed all the performances despite not knowing any of the cast besides Colin Farrell (I didn't realize Ezra Miller was in the movie until the credits).  Johnny Depp, too, though he's part of the plot twist at the end.
• Eddie Redmayne is adorable as Newt Scamander.  I loved the conservationist trying desperately to preserve creatures that early 20th Century wizards disregarded and wanted to destroy.  
• The backdrop of pre-Depression era US alongside the spectre of Grindelwald spreading terror in Europe is the real meat of the movie.  While the beasts stole the show for the second act, the third act connected Newt's story to the larger conflict presented by Grindelwald which will undoubtedly be the focus of the series, since Fantastic Beasts is reportedly getting five sequels.  How and if Newt will remain a part of the story is up in the air, but this all excites me.  Though I can't help but feel like Rowling is stretching out a prequel for Harry Potter much like Peter Jackson/Warner Brothers stretched out The Hobbit movies.  We shall see if Rowling and Co. are better at pacing and storytelling than whoever thought turning one short novel into three epic movies was the way to go.  
• Speaking of the Depression, I wonder if we'll see a Wizard World War II?  I mean it's coming.  They're both coming!  While we never saw 9/11 get woven into the books (having taken place in England and having the only US reference be during the Quidditch World Cup at the beginning of Goblet of Fire), if Fantastic Beasts remains historically grounded in our timeline, these two events/eras could provide interesting flavor to the Wizard World.  Guess I'll be waiting on a lot from this series.
• I think Rowling may have bent her own world's rules somewhere in this movie.  Not sure if it has to do with the Obscurial/Obscurus business of killing young wizards or how almost none of the adult wizards need to utter 'the magic words' for most of their spells but, hey, who am I to judge?  I never got my letter to.... uh... What's the American Magic Academy called?
• Great movie.  Welcome addition to the Wizard World on the silver screen.  Novels would be stellar but I'd rather Rowling enjoy making the movies instead of having to fast track novelizations.  Would see again.

Blog Update

Hey, everyone!  I'm still alive, still trying to blog, and mostly failing!  My list of unpublished drafts grows as I get new ideas I have no time to do anything with!  But not this time.  Got a spark of 'get stuff done' and not wasting it!

A lot is going on for me right now.  I am getting married on the 17th of this month and my fiance and I recently had a co-bachelor/bachelorette party with our wedding party playing D&D, but apart from that, my two jobs have me pinned to a cycle of work-eat-sleep-eat-work-sleep every day.  Barely have an hour to myself or to get anything done, which makes blogging impossible when you have other more pressing matters to attend to.  That won't stop me, though, as you can see.  

That said, NaNoWriMo was a failure last month.  I believe I eked out less that 100 words all month, though I wrote novels on my Facebook page about the American Presidential Election.  Won't drag that here, though, so don't worry.  But since it wasn't novel related, all those word counts went to waste.  That said, this recent spark has me adding to my book, even if only in drips.  I shall not be deterred!  I will be a novelist!  Someday (TM).

My plans for the new year of blogging is going to be posting at least once a month, and try to work a decent amount into that one post.  I'll prefer to keep posts about related topics, instead of a bunch of disparate ones.  For December, I'm anticipating posts about football and Star Wars: Rogue One.  January will probably be more football if the Dallas Cowboys have a playoff run.  And maybe someday I'll actually finish the backlogged posts I have lurking around.

Keep an eye out for a story I am going to post, based on the D&D adventure we played as our bachelor/ette party.  Til then, take care and best wishes!

Work is Stressful!

Adulting is hard...

[rant]

You can't make me!

Back to work at school, and I find that not only do I not want to be there this week, but neither does anyone else!  Staff and students are sick, which means I'm going to end up sick, as well as grumpy!  I've never had to argue with so many students!  And the staff is just sick of a lot of the students who just don't care.

It kind of makes me sad, really.  What is so wrong with our culture that our children have no sense of pride in anything, and that they willingly permit themselves to avoid getting an education?  And I'm not talking about knowing historical dates or memorizing scientific theory, I mean learning the problem solving skills that coincide with struggling!  Or how to follow directions.  Or just to simply fight through adversity to achieve one's goals!  I see too many students just throw their hands in the air and say, "I can't do this," when things get hard instead of asking for help.  And when they do ask for help they just whine about how confusing it is instead of letting you help them!

I don't expect every student to be good at math or science or whatever, but to at least give effort.  To try.  To face adversity and complete the tasks before them with pride!  Even if that means trying and failing.  Because we all learn from failure!  I've had plenty of helpings of failure.  I was on academic probation my sophomore year of college because I couldn't pass an accelerated mathematics course as well as a writing class.  Yes!  This future author failed Expository Writing!  I had to retake these classes.  I've been fired from jobs and disciplined for not doing jobs properly.  I've made choices I later regretted due to not making a more beneficial choice.  I am not always proud of my mistakes, but I learned from them.  I persevered through the adversity.  I kept my head up and found a way.  Why?  Because I had to.  Because as a young man and even now as an older (young) man I had bills to pay, responsibilities to fulfil, expectations to reach.  I had goals for myself and still do, and though some are further from reach than others, I keep struggling toward them.  I don't see this in many of the students I work with, and it saddens me.  I want everyone to achieve their dreams.  I want people to be happy and able to take care of themselves.  And I want them to avoid the mistakes I made.

I know what I want is unrealistic, but I won't just give up on them all.  Even the most infuriating student will earn my compassion (once I get over how dumb and frustrating they are).  I want kids to learn things.  Anything.  Preferably legal and harmless things.  But I want them to be willing to engage and be enthusiastic about something!

[/rant]

I hope your career is keeping you engaged and excited.  I do enjoy my job, and most days don't make me feel this way, but today was awful.  Everything bad about what I do was amplified today.  But don't mind me.  I will keep working on what's important to me.  I have a great year ahead of me that will end (not literally but close enough) with my marriage to my wonderful blog editor and fiancee.  (They're the same person by the way, just incase there was confusion).  And I'm going to finish my book!  There's no time like the present, right?

Best wishes!  Thanks for reading my rant!