Donnell Jones @eighty9pixels - Tumblr Blog

Star Wars hype. #funkopop #episodevii #starwars #nerd

Avengers: Age of Ultron - The superhero movies we continue to deserve.

How do you critique, evaluate or otherwise analyze a movie that you’re deeply inclined to love, even before the opening credits have begun to roll? Is an opinion that was already 90% formulated before viewing now invalid? The answer to both of those questions is I don’t know and who cares, but I’m going to share my thoughts on the matter anyway.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is another slam-dunk in Marvel’s long list of winning efforts. Whether it can live up to the magic of the original is a topic of discussion best left for another day, but in the here and now we have a sequel to the greatest superhero team up ever to grace the silver screen. Spoiler Alert: its great! The movie starts off with the Avengers doing what they do best, avenging and looking cool as hell in the process. The action is tight, the choreography is stellar and the chemistry is off the charts in more ways than one. If watching this loveable bunch go to work with the now iconic Avengers theme playing in the background doesn’t bring a smile to your face, you may need to be evaluated. It’s that much fun and the cast seems to be having as much fun as the audience is.

Beyond the thrilling action sequences that are to be expected in a summer blockbuster, it’s the quieter, more intimate moments that help take the Avengers to another level of enjoyment. From the new dynamic between Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to the forever-sharp quips of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the internal struggles of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) or the constant need of a mission for Captain America (Chris Evans), this team of unlikely allies turned friends is firing on all cylinders. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who was royally shafted (points if you get the joke) when it came to character development and importance in the first film also gets some much-needed love in the form of an interesting backstory and possibly some of the best lines in the entire film. Even the relative newcomers to the team are almost seamlessly integrated into the well-oiled machine. Also major props to James Spader (Ultron) for nailing a convincingly eccentric yet terrifying robot.

After several outings with this cast of characters it’s exciting to know that there are still further depths to be explored, especially when we’re so familiar with the regular beats. As big as this superhero team is, no one was cast aside this time and every character had a chance to grow in a meaningful way. The Avengers is great summer fun. You’ll go see it for the big explosions and hard-hitting action, but you’ll stay for the intimate and fun character moments. Leaving the theater I couldn’t help but wonder how anyone could say anything negative about such an exceedingly fun film. Sure, there may be information overload when it comes to all the activity on screen at times or deeper consequences for everything that takes place. But none of that can take anything away from what is a highly enjoyable film. If I had one complaint or request, it is that I want more. A need I’m sure Marvel will be more than happy to oblige.

#avengers #marvel #opinion #super heroes

Suicide Squad Family Photo

Margot Robbie looks amazing as Harley Quinn and all is right in the world. The rest of the Squad doesn't look half bad either.

#Harley Quinn #suicide squad #DC comics #MARGOT ROBBIE

A Town Called Hell's Kitchen

Do you know what show Daredevil reminds me of? The Cinemax show about a thief becoming a small town sheriff, called Banshee. It’s a town not many people have heard of nor do people really care. The town is under the chokehold of the local crime lord until the would-be sheriff becomes an opposing foil brave enough to stand up to him. Daredevil has a knack for hitting some of those same notes and that’s not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. I know the basics of the character even though I’ve never read any of the source material and went in to the show relatively blind. (Pun intended) I had no idea of what to expect, but after wrapping up the first season I wholeheartedly recommend that both comic book fans and casuals check it out.

So how is the show? For starters, its completely different from anything that Marvel had released in its ever-growing cinematic universe. Not only is Daredevil a dark tale it is also ultra-violent. If you thought some of the Captain America films or the Avengers had some heavy moments, you’re in for quite the shock. I was routinely surprised by some of the events that transpired over the course of the season and I don’t know if an episode went by where I didn’t cringe at some of the hits during those unforgettable fight sequences. The show is dark by necessity rather than for the sake of being dark. An upbeat and joke-cracking tale this is not and I don’t think that would ever work for this character. At its core, Daredevil is about the war on crime in Hell’s Kitchen and it is not a happy song and dance.

Why does it work? For me, I think it all comes down to believability. The motivations of each character and the plot points throughout the story all need to maintain some level of plausibility. Even in a comic book story, which gratefully doesn’t spend too much time setting up the origin story. From the beginning, we learn that Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is lawyer by day and a guy in a mask trying to protect a small piece of New York. He’s not the rich billionaire or super serum advanced type we’ve become accustomed to either. Rather, he was blinded at an early age from chemical exposure to his eyes, which results in all his other senses being heightened. Although it is later explained that he doesn’t see complete darkness, he also isn’t given the “sonar vision” he had in the film.

It works, and you believe that it could work. Using his heightened senses and years of training he is able to keep up with the thugs on the mean streets of Hell’s Kitchen. Keep up, is key in that statement, because even though he has the advantage of being well trained he is still only human and he gets hit, and hit a lot. Those bumps and bruises don’t magically disappear at the end of each fight or episode either, which helps add weight and a sense of urgency to every encounter. Every victory feels earned. Also working in the show’s favor is that it takes place on a much smaller scale. Although it is a part of larger MCU, specifically taking place after the events of the Avengers, our hero is only trying to protect an area within New York rather than an entire city or the world. Even a city as large as New York manages to feel small by limiting the number of iconic places you see which further enhances your belief that one non-superpowered individual with finite resources could actually make a difference.

A show like Daredevil can’t work without interesting side characters and foils for hero. Thankfully Daredevil also delivers on that front. You’re given a reason to care about every character and they each have their own complex backstories and motivations, none more so than perennial big bad, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). All credit to Marvel and D’Onofrio for flipping the script on what is normally expected of the Kingpin character. Rather than portraying him as a Bond-esque wheeling, dealing and boisterous villain that we normally get, we are instead treated to a reserved and socially awkward individual who doesn’t yet appreciate the taste of fine wine. With a mission to make Hell’s Kitchen a better place by any means necessary and his tragic upbringing you instantly care. His introduction was handled perfectly, as we don’t see him for the first couple episodes and he is never mentioned by name. This adds an air of suspicion and danger to character so that when you finally see him you believe it and understand the trouble brewing beneath the surface.

Combine the excellent cinematography and lighting as well as the choreography and fighting with the rock-solid cast with great chemistry and you all the makings for a great series. As an added bonus, they managed to include a religious element within the story that isn’t overbearing and honestly feels downright enlightening at times. If I knew a priest similar to the one in Daredevil I might be a more religious person myself. So all in all Daredevil has a lot going for it. While the tone and violence are a shift away from Marvel’s normal fare, it makes sense for this series and this particular set of characters. This story of two opposing forces operating in shades of gray to achieve a similar goal makes for some truly fun and compelling television and I can’t wait for more of it to unfold. One case, punch and drop of blood at a time.

My one wish for next season, is a little more in court time with the "Best Damn Avocados".

#daredevil #marvel #comics #netflix #opinion #violence

Arkham Knight Trailer

The rule is still always be Batman, because Batman always wins. However, playing as the rest of the bat family is also acceptable as well. Just make sure Harely Quinn gets some love too.

#arkham knight #batman #video games #trailer #DC comics #heroes

Apple Time - Weekend with The Apple Watch

The Apple Watch is not perfect.

It doesn't have every app that I want it to, Siri isn't quite as fast as I want her (or him) to be and it doesn’t instantly connect me to Zordon or beam me up to Scotty at the press of a button. Those last two shortcomings are pipe dreams for the time being and the former are sure to get better with time. However, we're living in the present and today the Apple Watch is not perfect. Yet I can't get enough of it anyway.

Just opening the box and seeing the Apple Watch for the first time was plenty exciting. The bands are extremely comfortable on the wrist and the watch itself felt substantial without being too heavy. Apple really is in a different league when it comes to the presentation and feel of their products.

Setting up and using the Apple Watch for the first time I had two immediate thoughts: 1) The device isn’t as large or bulky as it looks in pictures (I opted for the 42mm) and 2) While not instantly obvious, it isn’t hard to figure out how to use the device. The latter is a bit of a shift from Apple’s most recent products, which are notorious for being simple and easy to use. To start, there are a number of ways to interact with the Apple Watch beyond swiping on the screen itself. You can scroll, zoom and click using the digital crown. The side button beneath the digital crown gives you fast access to your friends (up to 12) with a single click and is also a shortcut to mobile payments with a double click. There is also the new Apple technology called ‘Force Touch’, which allows you to press on the screen to offer more options/functionality depending on the context. Think of it as a right-click, for you watch. While that may seem overwhelming, I was moving around the device like a pro after about 10 minutes of use. If you’re thinking of picking one up, don’t be afraid to tap, click and swipe to really get the lay of the land; it’s not as hard or complicated as you may think.

Pairing the Apple Watch with the iPhone is a much simpler task that only involves turning Bluetooth on and scanning the face of the watch with the built-in watch app on the phone. From there you’re asked if you want to install every watch compatible app currently residing on your phone. Rather than saying yes to all, I’d recommend thinning that list to the apps you wouldn’t mind your wrist gently shaking for. Notification overload can easily discourage and ruin the appeal of using the Apple Watch. My advice, if a notification is even slightly annoying or too frequent on your phone, you probably don’t want it on your wrist. (My apologies to Periscope & Twitch) Using the built-in watch app you can also tweak the layout of the apps on your watch, select those 12 close friends I mentioned earlier, choose which apps can send notifications and which glances you want. Swiping up from the watch face accesses glances and they provide you with quick tidbits of information like the weather or geo-location and controls for music/podcasts.

Once you have that setup you can configure your actual watch face. Using ‘Force Touch’ on the watch face you can bring up a list of preset but customizable watch faces. Each watch face has its own set of complications that range from weather and calendar events to hours of daylight left in the day or the current moon phase. Some faces also allow you to add more or less detail to the clock or to change the color of the hands and face. There are enough options here for the time being (Mickey Mouse and Utility are early favorites of mine) but I can only hope Apple will eventually allow developers to create and submit new watch faces. That seems like a no brainer for a device that is both personal and fashionable but you never know with Apple.

Outside of telling time and acting as a hub for notifications, the Apple Watch also doubles as a communications device. As long as your phone is in range you can accept and have conversations all on your watch. While that may seem inconvenient to some, in practice it’s pretty damn cool. However, if you don’t want to be seen talking to your watch or don’t want to have your entire conversation broadcasted over the speaker you can also connect a Bluetooth headset. Through a combination of voice dictation, pre-made responses and the ever-popular emoji you can also respond to messages, which has been a godsend for sending replies without fully diverting my attention or causing me to constantly reach for my phone. Like I mentioned earlier, Siri could stand to be a little faster in these instances and you can’t reply to emails just yet, but it does a good enough job for now. The same applies to the 3rd party apps currently available. While I haven’t had a mind-crushingly slow experience like others have complained about, they could definitely use a speed boost and the benefit of running natively on the Apple Watch itself. Until that time, we can only hope that the developers will continue to tweak and improve their apps now they have the actual devices in hand or on wrist.

Finally, the Apple Watch also functions as a fitness device/coach. Beyond the wealth of fitness apps already available in the watch store you can also use the built-in Apple Watch apps to keep track of your heartbeat and manage your workouts. There is also an activity tracker that ‘gamifies’ your daily activities and allows you to set goals for moving, standing and exercising. While I’m not very fitness-inclined at the moment, the Apple Watch has quit quite literally encouraged me to be more active by frequently telling me that I’d been sitting for too long and needed to stand up and move around for a minute. Also the ever-present challenge of beating goals on a regular basis may be more than I can resist. Thanks coach!

All in all, the Apple Watch is a solid if not flawed product. Understanding how to use it can be confusing at first, but is not impossible. With ‘normal’ use the battery will get you through the day (mine has yet to die during the day), but not much further. The apps can be slow but that does not cripple the experience. The Apple Watch is a good all-around product that doesn’t quite excel in any one area. By not exceling in any category, it can be hard to determine what the actual use case for it is and how or if it fits into your life. However, if you’re not into the technology side of the device, I find the Apple Watch plenty attractive and fashionable. To that end, I can almost guarantee there will be those who use the device solely as a timepiece and fashion statement and I wouldn’t fault them for it. In fact, I think a healthy percentage of people will be buying for looks first and functionality second. With that comes feedback that will inevitably make both sides of the equation better. Again, the Apple Watch is not perfect but it doesn’t have to be right now and it has the potential to be great. Apple has the design chops, funds and willing buyers/users to make the Apple Watch meet its fullest potential. I believe it’s only a matter of time before they do.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t bet against Apple.

#apple watch #apple #smartwatch #opinion #fashion #technology

The Visit Trailer

I've never been afraid of anyone in my family but after watching this trailer I certainly had some cause for concern. Only an evil genius would think to turn a child's greatest ally in the family against them.

#trailer #horror #family #m night shyamalan #movie

Unfriended – Laura and 6 others like this.

Clearly the fall of society will be caused by teens who can’t follow instructions, don’t know how to use technology effectively to their advantage and have absolutely no parental guidance in their lives. If this movie is even remotely reflective of daily interactions between teens then I fear for them and our future. It paints a horrifying picture. For a generation that has grown up with technology at the forefront, these teens are remarkably ineffective at using their smart devices and computers. It's almost comical how bad they are at it. You don't have to be an expert in computers to know the shortcuts for copy and paste or to refresh a page if something isn’t working. Even the most computer illiterate person would understand what was going on without the need to constantly be shown the right-click to copy and then right-click to paste on screen. A scary situation becomes much more terrifying when you have to wait for the person using the device to complete their seemingly easy and obvious task. I’m sure this is done for suspense and effect, as the keyboard clicks and taps are strangely ominous. However, for a generation that should be on cruise control when it comes to using technology, they are clearly stuck in neutral when they should easily be pushing 100.

In a world with a wealth of communications tools these teens are dead set on using Skype, even though they can’t seem to get rid of the seemingly undead and unwanted friend in their conversation. Even if video chatting is their preferred form of communication, there are still other options like ooVoo and Hangouts. Granted, Skype does work remarkably well in the movie (unlike its real-life counterpart) but if you’re being harassed you would think they would at least try something else. This may also seem obvious, but if you read a forum that says don’t respond to messages from the dead, then you should probably heed said advice. Personally, I don’t need the extra reminder, but maybe that’s just me.

By the way, where are all the parents in horror movies these days? Obviously the adult figures don’t need to be the focus, but a thinly veiled excuse that all of the parents are out of town or out for the night or something would go a long way towards adding believability or credibility to these kinds films. With the extreme noise, expensive houses and unusual activities taking place, there is no way a parent or adult or two wouldn’t show up for at least a moment in one of these six different houses. Maybe that’s part of a hidden message that parents need to be more involved their children’s’ lives both digitally and physically or maybe I’m just reaching to make the movie seem smarter than it is.

This isn’t to say the movie is terrible. In fact, I enjoyed a lot of it. Thankfully we didn’t just get another re-make or a re-hash of the tired found footage and exorcism genres. Rather than jump cuts and cheap scares, it relies on some old-fashioned sound wizardry, suspense and anticipation to build up your nerves. Although, its due time that we let go of the classic “Paranormal Activity” quiet static progressively getting louder effect. The fact that movie takes place solely on one computer screen is a breath of fresh air for horror films. It’s an approach that I’d like to see further explored and mastered as being locked in one perspective rather than having a full 360 view can really create some claustrophobic and terrifying environments.

So what is the moral of this story? Cyber-bullying is bad, obviously. Unfriended is not a PSA calling for the end of cyber-bullying, nor does it offer a means of stopping it. It’s really an impossible activity to completely stop unless you truly believe that your dead cyber bullied friend will come back to haunt and systematically kill everyone directly involved. Rather, the movie is about a “close-knit” group of friends who are both intentionally and unintentionally bullying themselves. With a group of kids that remains likeable for all of five minutes, it is poetic justice that these seemingly close friends rapidly turn on each other as it is revealed that they all have secrets and lies against one another.

They’re definitely the types that would “Like” this on Facebook.

#unfriended #mtv #social media #cyberbullying #movie #opinion