The Road to the Avengers: Thor (2011)

I figure that after two nights of one mythological strong-man, it was time for another.
I noticed something this time through the movie that I missed the first time, probably because I was bedazzled by all  the pretty things, but in the opening when Odin is relating the war a thousand years ago with the Frost Giants, at the end when Odin has claimed victory over the Frost Giant king, someone who is dressed in the same armor Loki wears picks up the glowy crystal power source to take back for safe keeping to Asgard, but then we cut to a later point where Odin is relating the same story to a young Thor and a young Loki. Is this a snafu or was the kind of armor just really popular among the forces of Asgard? In the battle scenes, you don't see anyone else dressed in it, implying it is a particular individual...who is not Loki. Do I even need to mention that there is also a very strong guy wielding a hammer against the Frost Giants? Okay, so the Loki armor is the armor he wore int eh comic book, not the stuff he wears in the movie, and the strong guy with the hammer has a winged helmet like the comic book. I guess I kind of answered my own question here - that it's rather an homage to the comic than a snafu.
But then, who knows, right? I mean we see Odin put his rune on Mholner right after he exiles Thor, but then we see the older scientist flipping through a book of Norse mythology and there is a picture of Mjolnir with the symbol on it. Maybe Odin was just activating what was already there?
Just like iwth the Hulk, I was never that big of a fan of the Thor comic though I really like the look of the Asgardians and read it from time to time. I think as an adult, it might appeal to me more, assuming that it is written for an adult of course. Also like with the Hulk it is not surprising that I like the movie better than the comic book. But, surprisingly I actually like this movie. Sure, it's got Natalie Portman and I'll watch anything she does and at least like her role in it, Black Swan withstanding as I didn't like any part of that movie. Anthony Hopkins is great as Odin, all beardy and buff. And Chris Hensworth is good as Thor. I can't imagine anyone pulling it off better, because it's not his acting that is chesy, it's the character.
I think a lot of people dismiss this movie as the one Avengers prequel you can skip. I even understand their reasons, on an intellectual level, but the fanboy in me thinks this is cool and the most like the comic book of any of the Marvel movies. Well, there is that Dr. Strange movie that is right on, but it's animated so not really in the same league. Thos is the most accurate portrayal of the comic book it is based on of any of the Marvel live-action movies. You have to accept a little cheesiness and let go of the mythological Thor.
A funny thing happened while watching the credits of Thor. I couldn't remember what the little scene was after they rolled. I thought on it as they rolled and realized that I don't think I had made it that far the first time. Which is kind of unlike me, so I let the credits roll and lo and behold, there is the little scene with the Doctor and Nick Fury looking at the cube, but of course the Doctor can see Loki who is telling him what to say. I knew the Doctor was in the Avengers, and Loki and the cube of course, but had missed this link in the chain. I also realized that it makes more sense for Thor to be viewed after Captain America, a that is the movie in which we first see the cube.

Thor on IMDb

The Avengers (2012)

All bow before the mighty mightiness that is Joss Whedon!
How long have I been waiting to watch this film? 10? 15 years? When did the first X-Men film come out? I've been waiting since then. I think I've secretly been wanting one since I saw that 80s-something Captain America movie and the David Hasslehoff film (made for television film maybe?) where he plays Nick Fury. I say secretly because both of those movies totally sucked, though I will admit here to the world that I've seen the Captain America movie twice. I didn't want an Avengers movie that sucked. So, we get that X-Men movie and it was pretty good, and I really liked the first Spiderman, so then I was all like, ya, now we can have an Avengers film.
Of course, I would have cast the Avengers differently - I don't mean the actors whom I am pretty much okay with - well let's say on balance I'm okay with them. I guess I really mean the line-up. Where's Dr. Pym? Where's his lady love, Janet VanDyne? It seems kind of weird to have an Avengers without Antman/Giantman/Goliath and the Wasp. At least they got Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, all of whom are essential. I'm okay with Hawkeye and Black Widow. I guess. Hulk? Not so much. I understand this venture is as much about a movie franchise as about anything else, so I understand why they want to tie their lines together. And I'm a big fan of the Iron Man movies - and I liked both Captain America and Thor. Heck, I even liked the Hulk movie. Both of them. The Hulk is not a franchise I'm terribly interested in, especially hearing that the next Hulk film will reboot him once again. But, you know what would really rock? A movie about Vision and the Scarlet Witch. You could bring Pym in through that, and that's how you beef up the ranks of the Avengers without the Hulk.
You know what I really liked about the Avengers comic books? You're really bring together already established heroes, so when they're together they have a whole bunch of baddies that allow for match-ups you would never see in the individual books. Plus, back in the day, it was not uncommon for the Avengers to cross paths with both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Throw Spiderman into the mix and you've got all the big names of the Marvel Universe. I know this leaves the Hulk out, but every once in a while you can use him as a foil for The Thing or for Thor. And lest you think I forgot about Daredevil, he can guest star in one of the Spiderman movies, and maybe even get a spin-off, but only after we've spun off several mutant teams.
Which reminds me, why the hell is there even one Ghost Rider movie? Now two of them! That is a crime against nature. There are so many worthwhile comics that can be made into film...like instead of giving me these crap Ghost Rider and Blade movies, give me something Alpha Flight flavored, please. Notice, I'm not hating on the Punisher movies. The Dolph Lundgren outing aside, they're actually pretty good, I just don't happen to really like the Punisher.
Okay time to actually get to the casting of the Avengers. Scarlett Johansson - really? She didn't suck as Black Widow, but the casting was a move not unlike casting Jennifer Garner as Elektra. They're both decent enough actresses, but so not the best choice for those roles. Or you know what while I'm on this subject, Halle Berry as Storm. Berry is competent and cute and everything, but so not Storm. Everyone knows that Angela Bassett should have been cast as Storm. She would have kicked ass! I guess now I've got to supply answers to the obvious questions of who I would have cast as Black Widow and Elektra. Elektra is easy - I would have cast Angelina Jolie. She's a little old now, but when Daredevil and Elektra came out, she would have been perfect. Then maybe Ben Afleck would have gotten together with her and Brad Pitt would have stayed with Jennifer Aniston. Oh the world would be a different place. For Black Widow, I wanted someone sulkier and silkier - I mean she is the ultimate femme fatale, not the dangerous school girl. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't even have used Black Widow, I would have stayed more true to the Hawkeye angle and use Mockingbird. I'm not trying to sneak out of answering this - I would have gone with Kate Beckinsale as BW.
The other actor I'm not fully on board with is Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner. Don't get me wrong, I like Ruffalo and he does a good enough job, but he just doesn't look like Dr. Bruce Banner. You know who would have been an inspired choice? Joseph Gordon Levitt. I'm not just saying that for my librarian, I really think he would be good.
I really liked this film. Except for the bit about Phil. Phil! What will we do now?

The Avengers at IMDb

Time Travel

Why Time Travel has appeared to fail...

I was thinking about Time Travel (TT) yesterday and this morning. And it struck me that something that is never compensated for is the movement through 3-dimensional space that is also required with TT. I mean, the Earth is rotating at close to 40,000 miles per hour, plus revolving around the sun which is moving around the Milky Way galaxy which is still moving away from some cosmic origin point, plus a lot of other factors that I haven't listed and a whole hell of a bunch which I'm not even aware exist.
So, you want to travel back in time to see dinosaurs 120 million years ago. You need to also calculate the millions of trillions of miles. Let's say your super-duper computer can do this, what about any anomolies that would only be known at that time? Let's say that 100 millioin years ago the Earth suddenly decreased rotation speed by 1 mile per hour. Multiplying that rather insignificant change of one mile per hour out of 40,000 miles per hour, by all the hours in a year, mulitplying that by 20 million years and you could be off by billions or trillions of miles in your calculations.

I'm going to leave TT in literature alone for now...there's so much of it I don't know where to start to be honest. I'm going to talk about movies and/or television and their portrayal of TT. I like calling it TT. It makes me feel like I'm eather a genius or a loon. My money's on loon.

When I think about TT, the first thing that comes to mind is Back to the Future, the second is Quantum Leap and the third is Harry Potter and the Prisoner's of Azkaban, so let's talk about those, shall we?

Aside from using a DeLorean (which is a good idea), the Doc had it all wrong. Sending Marty back 40 years (or whatever it was - I can't believe I can't remember) would require sending him billions upon billions of miles as well. Now, I am as willing as the next guy to admit that there is a lot of power in a lightning bolt, multiplied through a clock tower and channeled down a wire to a car, but enough to send someone through space-time all those decades and all those billions of miles? No. Unless Thor himself is involved, but for those types of things, see below.

Quantum Leap is a different story. I can't promise that I saw all the episodes, but my mom was a huge fan of the show, so I watched a lot with her, and continued to watch when I had moved out on my own. I don't recall having ever seen the method of TT explained very clearly, but the rule was that Sam could only move back as far in time as the beginning of his life. That, and he is not physically moving his body through the space-time continuum, just his consciousness, which is swapping places with someone else's. His buddy appears to him through some type of unexplained technology that is keyed into his ??? Thought patterns? I don't know, it's kind of metaphysical, so I'll allow it.
I have no problem with moving through space if it's just his "mind". The mind can do many things, which may include interdimensional travel when unencumbered by a burdensome body. How does it get to the right spot? Well, that's part of the mystery of the mind. It seeks out other minds, and E.T. and Yoda not living any place near our home, even when we are talking billions or trillions of miles, it wouldn't be hard to find the mind's home. Or, like you know, whatever.
Seriously, this kind of TT doesn't violate my rule, so I'm good with it.

Harry Potter may TT on more than one occassion, but the main time is in Harry Potter and the Prisoner's of Azkaban. As an aside, this was my least favorite of the books, but not my least favorite of the movies - and being my "least favorite" of the Harry Potter books is still pretty darn favorite.
Harry (and Ron and Hermione) TT by use of magic. As we all know, Magic doesn't have to follow any of the rules of science unless it wants to. Magic is as Magic does. So, whatever they do in the movie works because I'm not a wizard and I can't tell you if they've broken any of the rules of Magic (which seem to be mostly about not getting seen by your other self, because you'll somehow break either yourself or the universe).
Considering the way the wizard's travel, I find it likely that TT and subsequent movement through space could just as easily happen as the travel through time.
Remember when I mentioned Thor earlier? Well, I will allow the powers of gods to allow TT and space travel to conincide with the godly efforts. If it's otherwise, I'll need some proff from Asgard to convince me that I'm wrong.

So, why didn't I mention Doctor Who? I mean, I am as likely as not to bring that show up  in any given conversation anyways. The reason I didn't, was that he doesn't break the rules. He uses alien science, which may be like Magic and they just call it technology, or it's so far advanced that it seems like Magic. But he's got the tardis which is a fully funcitonal space craft as well as time craft. Not to mention that noone knows exactly how large it is on the inside - the tardis might be everywhere and everywhen and it only shows it's callbox facade at the points where the Doctor wants to be.

So, what have we learned today? Magic and gods are good! Science is bad! Well, bad science is bad. If the science compensates for space travel during their TT, then I'll seriously consider it. Anybody have any good suggestions for movies or t.v. shows on this?