He who is worthy...

Last night I checked out Thor in 3D. Here's the thing...I was going in very skeptical. I love superheroes. I really do. But I really wasn't sure that Thor warranted his own movie. I mean, I get it, they have the list of Avengers that Joss Whedon wants.

Joss wants magic in his comics movies. Also feminism

But really? Did we need a Thor movie? Did we especially need a Thor movie directed by Kenneth Branagh? Somehow I didn't see this working out well.

Something rotten in the state of Marvel.

I will say it when I mean it. I was wrong. This movie was fantastic. I didn't want to punch Natalie Portman in the face, which speaks a lot to how well written her character was, or how Branagh managed to reign her in. Maybe I just didn't know enough about Thor, so I couldn't see how it would work, and how the vision of a guy like Branagh could make it work.

The film begins with Jane Foster (Portman), a brilliant (and mondo hot, this is comics people, its worse than TV with everyone having to be absurdly good looking) astrophysicist on the verge of a huge discovery, racing through the desert with her assistants, Erik Selving (the AWESOME Stellan Skarsgard) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings, basically being every Kat Dennings character). They hit a man who appeared from nowhere. A beautiful, beautiful blonde shirtless man...

Sorry, I drifted off. With one, "Where did he come from?" We're transported to the magical realm of Asgard, and get regaled with Anthony Hopkins telling us about some war that the viking gods once fought against the Frost Giants? Then we meet Thor, his brother Loki, and their warrior friends who decide to go after the Frost Giants themselves, after Asgard is attacked.

After they get back is when I realized that Branagh was the man for the job. After his father Odin expells Thor from Asgard, and Loki finds out he's actually a Frost Giant and goes mega evil, that half of the movie basically becomes about Loki's epic power grab for the throne of Asgard, and Thor and friends trying to stop him. This is subject matter that works for Branagh, since he's a Shakespeare guy.

"Once more into the breach dear friends..."

The other half of the movie consists of Thor wandering around the New Mexico desert being baffled by modern conveniences and helping Jane take the next step in her research.

Also there's a scene where he runs around in the rain looking like this.

Throw in some S.H.E.I.L.D agents, a few throwaway one liners reminding us that the Marvel Film universe is alive and well, like when Loki sends down a destroyer after Thor, the S.H.E.I.L.D agents ask, "Is that one of Stark's?" and another says, "I don't know, he doesn't keep me up to speed." and when S.H.E.I.L.D. agents show up for the first time Erik gets worried, "I knew a scientist once, an expert in Gamma radiation. S.H.E.I.L.D. showed up and he was never heard from again." Don't forget to stay for the credits when we see the ultimate uniting.

The 3D was good, the movie was enjoyable and I'm looking forward the The Avengers. Overall I recommend the experience. It wasn't anywhere as strong as the Ironman movies, but it was definitely on the level with The Incredible Hulk. (The good Edward Norton one). Also there were trailers for Captain America: The First Avenger, Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Green Lantern. It's going to be a really good movie season guys!

Time to connect some dots

In season 4 of Desperate Housewives, when we first met Katherine Mayfair, she was married to a young handsome gynecologist named Adam. Adam was played by a roguishly handsome actor named Nathan Fillion.

Her current story line revolves around a lesbian affair with a woman named Robin, a former stripper who moved in with her as a roommate. Robin is played by a beautiful blonde actress named Julie Benz.

What do these two people have in common, might you ask? I mean, besides sex with a fictional uptight housewife?

Well, they're both Whedonites of course! Fillion played a villain on Buffy, and then of course Captain Mal Reynolds in Firefly, and then Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible.

Benz played Darla, a vampire in both Buffy and Angel. Darla was Angel's sire, and crazy evil. Eventually she and Angel had a baby (second least explained storyline in the Buffyverse, number one being Dawn...) Then she died.

So, I don't know, that amused me.

Swan Song

Alright, I know I've been a bad blogger. And maybe someday I'll finish out the best of the decade. But right now, there's just one thing that I have to write about.

Dollhouse finale!

I just finished watching it on DVR. I was thoroughly satisfied, especially for a show that I watched every episode of, but didn't ever love.

I knew what to expect going in. This is Joss Whedon, there are certain markers. Main characters were going to die. Redemption would be found. Vagueness would ensue.

The finale picked up where the unaired "Epitaph" left off, with Felicia Day, that guy and Molly from Heroes racing away from the zombie like "butchers" in LA to find Echo and the others. They were eventually captured by Rossum soldiers, one of whom was Paul. I knew not to expect things to be the same, but it seemed odd that Paul would be with Rossum. As it turned out it was all a plan. Rossum had kidnapped Topher to create a sort of mind bomb, that would wipe the entire world. Already a little bit unstable, for having been Topher, they drove him completely insane by shooting a someone in front of him every time he messed up. After rescuing him, Echo shot Clyde in his latest form and the fugitives headed to a farm, where Prya and Adelle and a young boy were picking strawberries. We find out that the boy is Prya's son. Anthony is conspicuously absent.

After explaining what was done to Topher and why, Topher reveals that he figured out a way to do the bomb but backwards, restored anyone who was ever wiped to their original "actual" status. Thrilled by the prospect of a returned world, but worried for their own existence, the gang realizes that they need to get someplace underground. They need to return to the dollhouse. An alarm goes off, and every one panics, fearing Rossum found them. But instead a group of Mad Max style fighters show up, speaking russian, among them is Anthony. As it turns out a small group of people have enhanced themselves further to help fight Rossum, allowing themselves to download various skills, but only able to keep so many at a time they wear the imprints around their necks in flash drives. We soon find out that although they had the child together, Anthony's decision to become one of these super soldiers, and forever revert to Viktor, drove a wedge between him and Prya. They head to Los Angeles, and the Dollhouse.

Paul and Echo talk on the trip, about how for ten years they've been dancing around their feelings. He asks why she only ever lets him in when she thinks their about to die, and she blows off the question. When they reach LA, they get ready to fight the butchers, there's some awesome gun mowing down and Penny, uh, I mean Mag (Felicia Day) gets shot in the legs. Paul runs over to check her and is immediately gunned down. Echo seems unshaken and other guy throws Mag over his shoulders and they head down into the Dollhouse.

The Dollhouse seems unchanged, dolls wander around it, one commenting as soon as they enter, "I try to be my best." But the biggest surprise comes when it turns out the person looking after all of them is Alpha. He teases Viktor about his face, and when Viktor playfully calls him a psycho he responds that he's "lapsed." So now, Spike, I mean Alpha is a good guy. The super soldiers try to take control of the situation but Alpha and Echo outsmart them (ah duh) and Prya begins smashing the flash drives angrily. Echo loses it on her, reminding her how lucky she is to have Anthony, and that he'll always love her. Echo finally admits to loving Paul, and Prya introduces her son, T, to his father.

Meanwhile with help from a video of Bennet, Topher builds the bomb and tells Adelle and Alpha that he has to actually explode it himself. Adelle offers to go with him, but he tells her that he "has to fix what we did to their heads, you have to fix the rest of the world. Your job is harder." She hugs him and Alpha takes him upstairs.

Adelle and other guy get ready to take the dolls to the surface, and she and Echo say goodbye. She tells her that Alpha went to destroy the tech and then hide, not knowing if he'll revert when the bomb goes off, but that he's leaving the chair. She tells Echo that the last fantasy the Dollhouse will fulfill will be Echo's. Echo responds that she has no fantasy. Adelle hugs her and they head to the surface. Topher sets the bomb off, and the dolls all collapse and wake up disoriented. Molly from Heroes sees other guy and asks what happened. He tells her he'll explain it. Back in the Dollhouse Echo finds a envelope with her name on it and a drive inside sitting on the chair. She sets up the chair and lies down. As it turns out, it's Paul's imprint. This way he can be with her always. She walks down into the house, past Prya, Anthony and T, and reclines in her pod, finally at peace.

OK, analysis time. Like I said, I saw certain things coming.

1. Paul's death: As soon as Paul and Echo all but said "I love you" in the truck, I knew one of them had to die. It was that simple. I didn't expect it quite as soon as it happened, but thus is the way of Whedon. He giveth Wesley his Fred and then he taketh Fred away.
2. Topher's redemption: Someone had to sacrifice themselves to save the world. Spike, Cordie, Shepherd Book, now Topher. Plus, in Topher's mind, the only way to redeem the destruction which his tech brought about, was to pay with his own life.
3. Human element over tech: It's the old Return of The Jedi model. The Ewoks and rebels win with heart. Maybe this is because I just watched Buffy season four, where magic beats technology, but I'm starting to see a theme.

There were some other Whedon-y touches that I noticed.

1. The scene where they start to fight the butchers was almost exactly like the final scene of Angel. I half expected Echo to grab an ax and say "Let's go to work"
2. The butchers themselves bear a remarkable resemblance to the reavers of Firefly and Serenity.
3. Vague ending with a sense of continuation...We could get a Dollhouse movie, or comic. (I don't want one. I'm glad it's over. DR. HORRIBLE 2!!!!!!)

Surprises

1. Anthony and Prya got to live happily ever after. My dad and I were trying to figure out their tragedy, and guess what, there wasn't one! They have a kid. They get to be happy. I'm still not sure what to do with it.
2. Alpha's a good guy now. I was happy, because between this and V, I was sure that Alan Thudyk was going to be the bad guy forever. And that would make me very sad.
3. Didn't end on a battle that we never get to see. It was kind of a nice sweet romantic ending. Way to grow Joss.

Anyway, did anyone else watch and have an opinion?

Whedon's Wonderful World of The Weird and Wordy

I spent a lot of time coming up with that title.

Wine hangovers are kind of good for nothing, except getting caught up on TV online. This morning I watched the premiere of Dollhouse.

Let me preface this review with a few things. I love Joss Whedon. LOVE HIM! I think he's brilliant, he changed TV (Without Buffy, there would no WB, with no WB there would be no Felicity, with no Felicity there's no JJ Abrams...I think that speaks for itself), and oh right the greatest peice of web based entertainment EVER!!

But saying that...I think Dollhouse fell short. I expect certain things from Whedon...I want wit and banter to combine with darkness to create something different. I saw very very little of Joss's wit in this pilot. The concept is ripe for it, the idea of wiping the minds of a group of people and then reprogramming them for various tasks and in between they live in a beautiful Asian Deco themed home without a care in the world.

Eliza Dushku is great as Echo, the "doll" at the center. She's always been highly underrated. Remember Bring it On? You know the original one, where she and Kirsten Dunst and a pre DH Jesse Metcalfe were really really funny. Or you know Buffy, where she was better than Buffy? I admire Joss's dedication to his discoveries.

The whole thing was just too slow and too dark. It felt like I was watching JJ Abrams's stuff. If I wanted to watch JJ Abrams, I would. Where were the biting quips? Everyone was talking way too slow.

And what's a shame is you know that Fox is going to keep it around for a while:
1. Because they're still trying to atone to Whedon fans for pulling the plug on Firefly
2. Because they don't cancel anything! (Except Arrested Development) Sarah Connor Chronicles springs to mind, also the past four or five years of Family Guy, also The Simpsons...
3. Because there's a lot of naked or semi naked Eliza Dushku and she's really really hot.

I'll watch the already made seven episodes as they come and report as to my further interest in the show. I'd like to see Sarah Michelle make a guest appereance. Seriously, what are she and Freddie up to lately that she's disappeared?

Personally, I'd rather see the sequel to Dr. Horrible happen than more of this. But I guess between How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang, Dollhouse and Castle, its not likely to happen until hiatus! Bummer