This Week

I typically commute about 700 miles a week, but last week went about 1,100, 600 just on Wednesday.   There was some kind of problem, and I picked up the wrong thing, and had to go back and get the right stuff. Needless to say, I'm very tired by the time the weekend rolls around, and I've noticed my body is starting to have some problems. Little things mostly, from driving so much to a job with a ton of physical labor. It's tough to wanna sit and work on writing, when it's a struggle to stay awake all the time. Still, I've managed to get some things done. I'm trying to finish some research before we take a little trip to Arizona next month. I'm working on a dream project, and a sci-fi book that I've been thinking about for a few years now. I'm trying to undertake some political and social projects too, but those take time, because you have to spend a great deal more time researching than you would for something like a novel. I think I can get a lot more done, now that I've finally found a rhythm. I'm hoping to have 2 more projects done by the end of the year, and another book done next year.

Non-Working Weekend

I managed to get about 15 pages of reading done this weekend, when I was supposed to get done around 200.  I'm severely behind on my research as I've been trying to relax more on the weekends, because my workload at my paying job is ever increasing.  I suppose that's a good enough excuse, but it's more likely I'm just being lazy.  For instance, I got my income tax refund, prior to this past weekend, and I bought some comic books, 4 novels, a sign at Hobby Lobby that shows all the Batmobiles from the comics from the 40s to the present, a couple of movies, a Batman nightlight that projects the Bat-signal, and some things for the wife and daughters, including $150 of Barbie stuff for the soon to be 8 year old.  Still, I'm regretting not getting more reading done, and I'm realizing I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to properly organize the notes for the next project I'm working on.  I should be getting more done, but it's tough working 50 hour work weeks, with 20 hours of commuting thrown in, to find motivation to finish things.  I should figure this out better. There's a lot to get done, and time seems to go by a lot faster as you get older.

Holy Shit I Saw Deadpool And It was Fucking Amazing

I got to see Deadpool yesterday.  My stepdaughter took me, one of my nephews, and her boyfriend.  It fits into the X-men movie universe pretty well, and quite frankly was one of the best superhero adaption movies ever.  From the self-depreciating opening credits to the closing credits bathrobe wearing Deadpool teasing a sequel, it really had no hiccups, slow parts, or things that would give you a moment to cringe.  You could maybe cringe at the violence, but the story itself meshed really well.  There were some flashbacking, because let's face it, they have to tell his origin story, as well as the story of the whole movie, but that's probably to be expected.  I'm not a fan of the flashback type stuff, but comedy of this thing made it more than bearable, it was downright enjoyable.  Stan Lee did a cameo, which was easily the best of the ones Marvel movies have had yet, as an emcee at a strip joint.  It was unexpected, but comedy gold for the comic nut.

Now it was mildly awkward to see some nudity with my nephew, stepdaughter, and her boyfriend next to me, but I've got to say all in all a great movie.  It was definitely a movie for guys, but it had a female hero, a female villian beating the crap out of Colossus, and Ryan Reynolds' backside.  A+ to the movie makers.

Marvel Movies Vs. DC Movies

Today I heard that Jaimie Alexander was a possibility to play Wonder Woman for the DC Comics movies.  She's played Lady Sif in the Thor movies, and is on this new show Blindspot.  I was trying to figure out why she wasn't playing the part.  According to the article I saw, they obviously didn't pick her, especially since by now, we know they casted Gal Gadot instead.  I'm trying to figure what the hell DC does with its movie.  Marvel has managed to make excellent casting choices and has even been able to bring some of their secondary characters and make them first stringers.  With the Batman vs. Superman movie due out in about a month, people are still cringing over Ben Affleck being cars as Batman, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.  I've literally no idea why they've got Zack Synder directing this thing.  I mean, holy hell, Jaimie Alexander would've been perfect, she has the right look, and already has the whole ability to fight thing down, as this article I read points out.  I don't understand why DC makes such obvious mistakes.  They should've kept Christian Bale as Batman too, even if he didn't want to do it anymore, you throw enough money at him till he agrees.  They made a ton of money with the Dark Knight trilogy, but hey, why continue success, when you can throw a huge turd on the wall to see if it sticks?

Why Marvel Comics Will Do Better Than DC Comics At The Movies

Both Marvel and DC Comics have a long great history of excellent characters and excellent talent writing and drawing them.  The transition to the small screen and the movies is something else.  Though not the first superhero, certainly the biggest at the time, Batman starring Michael Keaton in the late 80's was everything a comics nut would love.  There was a realism to it.  Even non-superhero movies need realism, and what made it so cool was that realism.  It wasn't so much the acting, though that helped, it was the setting.  Actually trying to provide some semblance of a city, made it believeable.  The franchise later tanked horribly, when they started putting nipples on costumes that were supposed to be body armor, and resorted to crappy puns, but the stage had already been set, the right actors, the right direction, and the superhero movie could shine

Of course now its 2015, and the excellent Dark Knight Trilogy is behind opening the doors for an expanded DC Comics movie universe, as well Marvel pumping out movies that aren't just well written, or based on some of their more interesting stories, but they're putting tremendous effort into putting out a high standard product for the fans.  Movie budgets are obviously way higher, and special effects are far superior to even movies made 10 years ago.  But things are different between the DC movie franchise and the Marvel one than just production and characters.  Marvel has the upper hand in characters that have better name recognition than DC, though DC has more history, at least comic book history.

It seems to be that Marvel hasn't made a single bad casting move yet.  Which is just crazy to me.  Even with the Marvel Cinematic Universe breaking into TV with shows like Daredevil and Agents of SHIELD, the effort even in making TV shows is evident.  Yes, you can't produce the same effects in TV as with a movie, but even the storytelling comes off extremely well.  The thing is, its about effort, and its shows in the Marvel movies and shows.  Casting Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor is horrible, casting Ben Affleck is also horrible.  Affleck already had a shot in a Daredevil movie, which tanked, and Eisenberg was in that dopey Facebook movie.  First thought that comes to my mind is, "Why is Mark Zuckerberg trying to kill Superman?"  Both DC and Marvel have has some stinkers, but DC just seems to making casting blunders, when they've got the money, the time, and the opportunity to do something great.  They really couldn't just offer Christian Bale more money to keep playing Batman?  He was great in The Dark Knight Trilogy, and look at what Marvel has done with Robert Downey Jr.  He's got 3 Iron Man movies, 2 Avengers movies, and plenty more to follow.  DC should be milking the cow as long as they have it around, but now Bale is gone, and I guess Batman will be Ben Affleck's comeback or improvement project or something.

I want to see comic movies because I love the characters, and love the concepts, I don't want to go and be sort of held hostage by watching because this is the only Batman, or whatever, that's here at the moment, so that's what we have to go with.  You want to go and be able to enjoy the movie, and if the actor is good enough you won't even "see" them, so to speak, but you'll see that beloved character right in front of you.  That's all.  No amount of special effects, or story, will hide bad acting, or likely alter pre-movies bias.  Comic moviegoers don't like crappy casting, storytellers and writers, don't like it, and neither will the general public.