Movies

Wow, I've been pretty knee-deep in code and textbooks lately. First Javascript, then Flash, and now PHP. I have to say by far the hardest for me has been PHP. With the first two they're primarily visual tools: you can see what you're doing with them. Learning to think about what goes on in the backend of a site purely in code is really tough.

I'd like to find a script to host moview reviews on my site. I used to post them on my Flixster app within Facebook until they all got deleted. I haven't written any lately and I would love to put down my thoughts on what I'm watching. More than a long-form blog entry I'd like something where someone could flip through a series of small, paragraph-length entries. Maybe with a small built-in search.

I did see Thor the other night and it was pretty good, better than I was expecting. Chris Hemsworth more than held his own with the other cast. I only knew him from his small part in Star Trek before this and I worried he should be dwarfed by Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Not only did he hold his own but he owned the character and became the heart of the movie. In both the dramatic and comedic scenes he shined. I'll really be looking forward to his future performances. Portman performed well typo and fit the part excellently. She never overpowered a scene. I also appreciated the scenes in Valhalla were many and we got to see some great, fantastical effects. I didn't notice much of Branaugh's mark on the film but he didn't detract from it either. Overall it was one of the better Marvel films I've seen.

Battle Angel Alita Plot Details

Jon Landau, one of the producers on Avatar, and a producer on James Cameron's Battle Angel Alita film discussed the plot in a recent interview.

Battle Angel Alita is my favorite manga. It's basically the only manga I've read. Besides a couple of one of issues of things like Tenchi Muyo and Eat Man back in the late nineties, the only manga I've read is Alita. I've watched my fair share of anime but never really got bitten by the manga bug.

It was hinted and obvious from the start that they'd be focusing on Motorball for this film. It's the most accessible plot line of the series and would best translate into a straight action film. It's something I see Cameron having a hard time messing up.

Focusing on Motorball, I imagine it will be hard to move on to the rest of the story. Motorball is merely one of the settings for Alita's reawakening and remembering her powers. If they start the "series" with a Motorball movie, everyone will be thinking it's all about Motorball and any future installments may be distorted or never even be produced.

Oh well, I suppose it's not worth worrying over. Even one Alita movie, which I never dreamed I'd see, is a treat.