When You Are A Man, Sometimes You Wear Stretchy Pants In Your Room.

So my anticipation for the Avengers movie just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The picture below was released today. And it is awesome! Looks like Cap and Thor are about to kick some butt or get their butts kicked.

There was a pretty major rumour that came out a few weeks back that said Thanos would be the secretive villain in the movie. Which makes a lot of sense, since Marvel has been teasing the Infinity Gaunlet like crazy the past few years. And in my opinion having Thanos in the Avengers movie would be pretty sweet! Although, I am not too sure how a purple skinned alien that wears a blue and gold costume would translate into reality. But I think if done right, he could work very well on film. Either way, I can't wait to see what Joss Whedon and his crew has instore for us!

What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity.

The Internet has become a place where people put their lives on display for the entire world to see. A place to put our thoughts and ideas to the test. And it is more and more common all the time. Which is kinda cool and yet kinda creepy all at the same time. There is quite a lot of stupid stuff on the Internet. Some stuff is pretty interesting, and yet others are just down right nasty! 10 years ago, most of us couldn't care less about what someone half across the world was doing for fun or in his free time. But because he puts it on the Internet, it makes it all the more interesting. For some reason we care. Well, here is a video I found. This is what this guy does in his free time, lol. I can only imagine the amount of time it spent to do this! It's a video of a guy parking cars with his hands. Doesn't sound very impressive, I know. But wait until you see it! I love how he helps some people across the street. I think I remember seeing a construction site video with the same sort of idea a while back. I hope you enjoy it.

This Isn't My First Rodeo, Mr. Stark.

Those who read this blog know, I get petty excited for movies before they are even in the theatre. Heck, I get excited for movies even before they finish filming! And this post is no different than that. So lets talk about The Avengers. I can not express to you how excited I am for this movie. (But I will try) Probably according to my wife, I am annoyingly excited for this movie. Lately she has had the SNL Aunt Linda "Ah, Geez" look on her face whenever I mention the movie. Ha! But it doesn't bother me. I figure maybe somehow my excitement will eventually flow onto her. Because this movie is absolutely worthy of excitement. Something like this has never been attempted before on film. It's the type of movie that is only dreamed of, but never brought to life. The sheer ambition of this movie is practically insane! Which is what makes it so much fun!

For those of you who aren't familiar, The Avengers superhero team will consist of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow. That is a huge amount of kick butt! As of yet, not a lot of the plot or story has been released yet. Which doesn't really bother me, secrecy builds buzz and excitement. For the past couple weeks, production for the film has been filming in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The streets have been made to look like an alien invasion is taking place. Destruction everywhere. There's been a bunch of stuff blown up, something like 20 cars. Extras running all over the place. Captain America and Thor are the only Avengers spotted on the set so far. And for the past few days they have been fighting actors dressed in motion capture suits... Can anyone say Skrulls or Kree? Neither alien race have been confirmed yet though.

I am completely sold on this movie. I figure even if it is lame and cheesy, I think this is going to be one heck of a ride. And probably going to be everything I think it will be. Fun, exciting and pure awesomeness. I can't wait to see a picture of the Avengers assembled! And as soon as I get a calendar for 2012, I am circling May 4th with a big red Sharpie.

               I wonder why some of the extras are wearing motion capture hats and some aren't?

I am expecting to see quite a bit of hammer bashing in this movie!



She May Not Look Like Much But She's Got It Where It Counts Kid

So in preparation for the release of Gears of War 3 I decided to play through the first 2 games, just to hone some of my skills. And get use to the button lay out again. But after playing through the first level on Hardcore (medium) I started to realize that I am really, really rusty! Now I am not an amazing gamer, but I think I can hold my own. But this morning I really felt off, like it was the first video game I have ever played. I have to admit that I haven't played this game in over 2 years, so that might have something to do with it. lol. I am pretty excited for the last instalment of the Gears trilogy and very intrigued to see how it all ends. It was the first game I played on my new 360 when I got it almost 6 years ago. So the game and characters sort have that special feeling to me, if that makes any sense. But I think I might need a bit more practice before I am fully ready to fight along side Marcus and the other Gears. Otherwise I think I will be getting my butt kicked all over the place. And that can't be much fun. Can it?

These Aren't The Droids You're Looking For.

I love Star Wars. I also love Xbox 360. So naturally, I think that a Star Wars themed Xbox 360 would be really cool. Well, Microsoft has done just that. A special Star Wars Kinect bundle is set to launch in 2012. And it really does look cool. It would be awesome to have a console and controller that looks just like my two favorite droids. And apparently it will have special sounds when it is powering up/down and when the tray opens and closes. I could only assume that they will be R2's signature beeps and whistles. Great touch to an already impressive system. I could only imagine how 'finger-printy' the shiny gold controller would get after a gaming weekend. Impossible to keep clean. I would absolutely love to pick up this limited edition set, but truthfully I probably won't. That is, unless my current 360 kicks the bucket in the next few months. Which I guess would be a good and bad thing to happen. lol.

Scruffy Looking Nerf Herder.

Someone showed me this video on the weekend. I couldn't stop laughing! The dogs reactions are absolutely priceless. I hope you enjoy it!

Nobody Tosses A Dwarf!

For the past few weeks they have been releasing official photos of different groups of dwarves for the Hobbit movie. To me they looked really cool! It is great to see them in costume. But also some of them looked a little off. Some of them looked completely different than the dwarves looked in LOTR. Which was a little disconcerting. But then they released a photo of all 13 of them together. Andmust say, I think they look great together! All the weird bits that I thought didn't fit too well, kind of all blended together and made it work. What a motley crew! I look forward to see some dwarvish banter and some dwarvish fighting.

Also here is the production video #3 for the Hobbit. It focuses on the dwarves and their actors. And there are some pretty cool shots of all them in costume. Even a shot or two of the actors with their little people doubles. Also a couple shots of Gollum giving Bilbo some of riddles in his cave. And also, if you make it through the entire 13 minutes, there is a little surprise at the end... I didn't expect it at all.

I Have Ears Like A Cat! And Eyes Like A Rodent.

I have always thought that this scene was a nice touch in Spider-Man 2. It is such an off the wall and kinda goof ball scene, that technically didn't really have to be in the final cut. But I am glad that it ended up there. Pretty funny stuff. I guess even superheroes don't have it good all of the time. I am sure it could get pretty uncomfortable flying through the air all the time in blue and red spandex. But like Uncle Ben once said, "With great power. Comes great responsibility."

You're Waiting For A Train. A Train That'll Take You Far Away.

I first time I saw the movie Inception, it really impressed me. And to be honest it still impresses me every time I see it. It's cinematography is simply amazing. Absolutely mind-blowing. Writer and director Christopher Nolan takes us on one crazy ride, that builds and builds and builds throughout the entire movie. Even the scene before the credits roll has you guessing... A large portion of the movie takes place within a dream, and there is a lot going on, with many different locations. There are quite a few levels. It is a deep movie, that does take a bit of attention in order to watch and possible even enjoy. Which brings me to the whole point of this post.

Inception is one of my favorite movies of all time. So naturally I always want to know what other people think of it. And most people I have talked to about it have the same thing to say about it, "It was way too confusing."  A few people I talked to actually turned it off half an hour into the movie, because it was getting too confusing. And that's alright, everyone has different likes. I can't remember myself having any trouble following along with what was happening on the screen. I liked being pulled all over the place. With hopes to see where it would all end. How everything falls together and into place. An awesome ride! I found the story fun to follow. Cobb has a line in the movie, "Never recreate from your memory. Always imagine new places!" And maybe that is what a lot of people didn't like about it, it was a new idea. Anything could happen inside the dream worlds. Maybe some people just don't like movies outside of what they are normally use to.

I don't always enjoy having to think my way through a movie. But I guess this movie had such a different feel to it. And I felt like all the attention I put into it really payed off in the end. With one heck of an amazing movie. And the music! Just adds to the whole thing. Makes it even more epic than it already is. That music could make grass growing seem epic!

Before You Came Along, We Bagginses Were Very Well Thought Of.

Peter Jackson would have to be one of the greatest directors of his time. He proved this with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. An amazing ability to tell a compelling story while balancing multiple characters. So many film makers have trouble telling an 'ok' story with a couple of characters, most of the time. After Return of the King was released in theatres back in 2003, talk naturally went towards the possibility of a Hobbit movie. At the time Peter Jackson said that he was not interested in returning to Middle Earth and directing a Hobbit movie. I think most people were disappointed with that response. If anyone was able to do it, it would be Jackson. Guillermo delrs Toro was attached to the directing spot eventually. Interesting pick, but in all honesty, probably not the ultimate choice. And thankfully that fell through. Eventually Peter Jackson came around and decided to direct the Hobbit. Turning the story into 2 movies; The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)and The Hobbit: There and Back Again (2013). Awesome!

I have no doubt that the Hobbit movies are going to amazing. Peter Jackson has an ability to bring to life; characters, locations and stories that only existed in the pages of a book before. He literally creates Middle Earth in our world. (Watching the behind the scenes and 'making of' documentaries of the movies really show you what was put into those movies. Truly amazing stuff) Not an easy task, to say the least. But he puts together a hard working crew at his side and a cast that love and respect the characters they are portraying. It really is a formula for success. I can't wait to see these movies! The LOTR trilogy are epic movies at their finest. And I believe the Hobbit will do just the same. I am absolutely looking forward to the very first journey of Bilbo Baggins!

Below are a few Production Video Blog entries done on set while filming the Hobbit. They are rather lengthy, but well worth a  watch. I absolutely love this type of stuff. The behind the scenes and all that kind of thing. Enjoy.

Every Monkey For 200 Miles Thinks He's Elvis Presley.

The first time I watched this video, I thought it was a spoof of some kind. I actually thought that someone photo shopped the same person into all those clips. But after a little digging, it turns out that it is in fact the same actor. 33 year old Jesse Heiman. I went back and watched a couple of the movies he was in just to find him. I even saw him in Transformers 3, he is pretty obvious in that one. It is amazing how much stuff this guy has been in. (He has been in a lot more than what is shown in the video) And also a whole bunch of TV commercials. He really is a full time extra. I never actually knew such a thing existed. Kind of a cool job, if you ask me. I know I will be keeping my eyes open for him in the future. He is like the Where's Waldo of the film industry. Pretty cool.

I'll Take You All On!

I am not sure what people expect when they go to a Michael Bay movie. An uber deep, sophisticated and emotional movie that makes you rethink your life? I don't have any idea. I personally go to a movie to be entertained. I go to be told a story. I go to be taken somewhere else for 2 hours. It is an escape. Michael Bay does that for me. And Transformers: Dark of the Moon is no exception. This movie was absolutely awesome! Completely blew my socks off. It had the best 3D since Avatar. It wasn't any of this post-conversion garbage. The movie was actually filmed with 3D cameras. Sucked you right into the scenes.

I am a huge fan of all three Transformers movies. They are the kind of movies I cam watch over and over again. I guess it helps that Optimus Prime has always been somewhat of a hero of mine. His selflessness. His Heroism. Just how he is always ready to step in when trouble starts. And ready to sacrifice himself for any of his friends. Maybe that is what impressed me the most about these movies. They really did an excellent job at bringing Optimus to life. Maybe it's also Peter Cullen's voice combined with some of the best CGI ever seen on film. Just creates something amazing. You really do believe that these huge transforming robots are real characters and have personalities.

The action scenes in Dark of the Moon are completely insane. Most movies don't make my jaw drop, but I had 3 or 4 moments like that during this movie. There is this one scene where some Decepticon Suburbans are chasing some Autobots down a highway. Sam is riding in Bumblebee and cars are flying all over the place! Bumblebee smashes into a truck that is carrying metal barrels and propane tanks. Sam and Bumblebee and the truck and its cargo are all launched through the air. Bumblebee is knocking and pushing tanks and metal debris out of Sam's way, all in slow motion! Bee grabs Sam in mid air, transforms with Sam inside of him still screaming. It's one of those scenes you just have to see. Crazy stuff going on all over the place.

There are quite a few great scenes in Dark of the Moon. Some exciting, some quite funny, some even sad and scary. It really was an all around great movie. There are a few very cool nods to the old cartoon too. One character named Que (Wheeljack in the cartoon) has a pretty intense scene with Bumblebee. I won't go into details, but it was just great how these two interacted together. After all they were the very first Transformers shown in the cartoon.  Awesome stuff. There is a scene with Lazerbeak sitting on Soundwave's shoulder, there are Space Bridges, and even a reference to Cosmic Rust. Some great homage to a great cartoon. All in all, this movie was an incredible ride. So many great scenes, ei; The very first shot of Prime driving with his trailer through Chernobyl, while a building is being flattened behind him. The first time Megatron transforms, and when a giant robotic worm destroys a huge building. Summer movie at it's finest! Don't go expecting to have your life changed, but expect to have a great time eating popcorn and enjoying a fun time at the movies. This movie really showed me why I love movies so much. Because they are loads of fun, if you let them be. Watch them for what they are meant to be; entertainment.

I Have A Bad Feeling About This.

Well I just wasted 1 hr 45 minutes of my life that I will never get back. And by that I mean that I just got back from the Green Lantern movie. And it was bad. Really, really bad. To be honest I had high hopes for this movie, but it was bad. This just proves how movie trailers can be quite deceptive. Green Lantern didn't work as a movie, the whole pace of the film was very sporadic. Every time there was excitement of any kind, they had to slap a scene Hal talking to Carrol about how he had too much fear to be a Lantern. These scenes (and there are a few) just drag the whole thing down. It felt as if the Director (Martin Campbell) was asleep through most of the movie. Editing was bad. Acting was bad. The attempt of humour was bad. (Although the kid next to me laughed hysterically whenever he saw the bad guy) The CGI was bad. Directing was awful, as if he didn't care how it all turned out. 

I have not been so let down by a movie in a long time. But this one takes the cake. It really felt like a movie from the 90's. But a bad movie from 90's. Strangely even the music felt dated somehow. So much potential was wasted and not used. Like you never really got to see the full Green Lantern Corp in action. Sinestro takes his "strongest warriors" to try and take down Parallax. The scene is built up, you see Parallax swallowing a planet. A PLANET! Sounds cool right? The group of Lanterns fly through space in formation towards him. They all shoot their green power rings at him, Parallax repels there attack and then the scene ends, you get nothing out of it. And almost every scene felt like that, build up towards... nothing. Hal and Carrol talk about stuff. I have never wanted to walk out of a movie, but I actually came close a few times during this one. The 150 million dollars that someone spent to make this movie should have been used for something else. So save yourself the time and money, and stay far away from this one. Go see Super 8, it is a far superior movie in every aspect.


PS. One redeeming thing from going to see Green Lantern, was that I saw a trailer for Transformers 3, and it was in 3D! It wasn't a new trailer or anything, but the 3D looked phenomenal! The excitement builds.

I Just Wanted To Show Him My Cannons.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is one movie I can hardly wait for! I am big fan of the first two, and I am positive that this 3rd movie will probably blow my socks off. It looks more and more amazing with every clip that they release. There is just something about watching giant alien robots fight each other on a huge screen, that just screams awesomeness! I can't wait to see Optimus Prime destroy some Decepticons, because you know he will. I can't wait to see Sentinel Prime transform into his huge firetruck form. I can't wait to see Bumblebee flip, roll and transform while saving Sam's butt numerous times. I can't wait to see Ratchet's new paint job in action. I can't wait to see Shockwave and his army of Decepticons destroy an entire city.  I can't wait to see lots of Autobot against Decepticon action. I am very excited! And the best part is, I am going to see it with my wife, and she can't stand these kinds of movies I like. But she likes (or is it tolerates?) these Transformers movies. She really is the best there is. Transformers: Dark of the Moon hits theatres on June 29, 2011.

Wipe Them Out, All Of Them.

So this week is E3 2011, and on Monday a new trailer for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was released. First off  I must say that, MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) games aren't really my thing. It's not that I don't like them or enjoy them. I just can't dedicate the amount of time that these type of games need. And we are talking 'life dedication', and I am just not willing to give up huge amounts of my life to a video game. Don't get me wrong, I love video games, but these type just aren't my thing.

But nonetheless, this new trailer is simply breathtaking. It makes this game look more and more amazing and epic! The new trailer really showcases everything I love about Star Wars. Jedi, Sith, space battles and lightsabers. Even if I never play this game, I can appreciate how great this trailer is. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Stay On Target!

I seriously had no idea this sort of thing existed! And I also wonder why it does? I also wonder what kind of people go to an event like this? I seriously thought this video was some sort of spoof, until I heard the clapping. I am surprised that this guy hasn't shown up on America's Got Talent yet.

"The Suck Zone"

So I have a special ability. The ability to enjoy a movie, even if it is just down right terrible. I can over look plot holes, tech flaws, even really bad acting. But only if the movie keeps my interest, it has to be entertaining to me.

Well, I just finished watching Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. And now I wish I had a magical dagger that can make me go back in time. This was probably one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. Which is pretty bad because usually I like movies which are campy and cheesy. I enjoy those things in movies to an extent. But this movie was so far over the top, it was laughable. And for whatever reason, everyone was acting like this movie was the greatest thing since sliced bread. They all took it SO seriously.

I have to say, that I went into this movie with not a lot of optimism. When the first trailers for this movie were released last year sometime. They didn't really impress me to much. Every scene shown in the trailers seemed to look the same. A movie trailer is suppose to grab the viewer, try to pull them into the story. Make them want to see more. Even while watching this movie, it didn't pull me in at all. I think that is the problem with the idea of a time-reversing magic dagger in a Disney movie; you already know how it is going to turn out. Right? Like anyone can see the end coming from a mile away.

While I was watching Prince of Persia I couldn't help but think, that they really wanted this to be the next Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Sadly, I can't see that happening. One of the other huge problems I had with the movie was that the princess told the prince, that the dagger isn't even very sharp. And it would be a worthless dagger. But they kept using it to cut through ropes and one person even is stabbed with it! Certain continuities I can handle in a movie. Twister is a movie that is full of flaws and continuities, and still is a great movie. But the mistakes in Prince of Persia are just plain stupid. I obviously did not enjoy this one at all.


One last thing, I think Jerry Bruckheimer might have lost his touch. Or he might just be over extended with ALL the things he is in involved in the past few years. His name seems to be a part of everything lately. This movie just didn't have the same 'oomph' as his past productions do. I am normally a big fan, but this just movie just felt really wilted.

All In A Days Work.

I love alien invasion movies. There is just something about them that has always intrigued me. Maybe it is the whole survival thing, and facing against a much larger opponent. Just to make it clear, I don't think that our planet will ever be invaded by aliens, but it sure is fun to think about sometimes. And since I have an over active brain, I often find myself thinking about such things. And then I thought about who I might want by my side in such an occasion. And here are my choices.

                                                                        Marcus Fenix

Former Prisoner and leader of Delta Squad. He is a battle hardened solider who has seen his fair share of alien combat. And has fought through thousands of Locust Hordes, just to get to the other side. Not many people can say that they were swallowed by a huge, subterranean city destroying worm, only to escape by cutting a hole right through the side of it!

                                                                       Gordon Freeman

First day on the job at Black Mesa Research Facility and Gordon finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or is the right place at the right time? Whatever mess he is faced with, Gordan Freeman always seems to find a way out. Even if it means being teleported to their home planet just to kick a little alien butt. Through everything Gordon goes through, he is still able to keep his glasses on his face.

                                                                    The Hulk

Pretty much any Super Hero could fit onto this list, but the Hulk is my top choice. He is a mean, green fighting machine. I bet he could clean up an alien infected planet all by himself! He also gets stronger the longer he fights. And after seeing him fight in the arena on the planet Sakaar, he shouldn't have any problem standing his ground against invaders.
                                             
                                                                Dutch

Although he outwitted and ultimately destroyed one of the galaxy's greatest hunters, I am not sure how he would fair against multiple assailants. But in the end he did end up fighting his foe with his bare hands! So I think if he had more than he did in the Jungle of South America, he should do just fine.

                                                                         Master Chief

The ultimate alien butt kicker! A genetically altered super soldier, with one objective; to save humanity from intergalactic invaders. He is more than capable to take on whatever the baddies has to offer. He is even willing to ride a massive bomb heading towards the enemies ship, just to make sure it reaches it's destination. Now that is dedication.

May The Fourth Be With You.

In celebration of May 4th, aka Star Wars Day, here are some pretty cool videos of the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy. These videos are condensed and played out with Lego. Enjoy.

PS. I did not make these. But I wish I did.

Hang On To Your Butts.

Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movies. I was absolutely obsessed with it when it first came out in '93. And I remember vividly how it blew me away the first time I watched it. The scene when the T-Rex steps out of his paddock after eating the goat is still such a great scene to me. Just something about the co-existence of Humans with Dinosaurs, fascinated me. Probably still does. Because when I first heard rumblings that Steven Spielberg was executive producing a sci-fi/dinosaur tv series called Terra Nova, I naturally was pretty interested. After seeing the teaser trailer that was released during the Super Bowl, I am not sure if it is looking good or bad.

It almost looks like a rehashed Jurassic Park idea mixed with some elements of Avatar. The compound that the 'travelers' are living in look very similar to the structures from Jurassic Park. Man, it even has Stephen Lang in it. And it looks like he is playing the same character that he played in Avatar. I am not ready to say that it looks lame, but I have a few doubts. I guess I will have to see a few episodes first. Hopefully it turns out to be good. Terra Nova airs on Fox, in the Fall.

My Inspiration.

This is the video where I got my blog's name from. That Charlie is such a character.

This next video is a spoof of the first, but done by two Arabic guys. It is pretty hilarious and rather odd.

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

From time to time a random thought or idea will come to me, that I want to post on my facebook. Unfortunately my sexy wife lovingly suggests that I shouldn't, to save me from embarrassment.

So, Charlie Bit Me will be where I put all of those random thoughts that are always popping into my head. Most of my random thoughts stem from the world of Movie, Video Games, Comics, and oh yeah, Star Wars!

So join me while I embarrass myself. As we delve into a world of Fandom.