Hot Nerd Girl

Month: July 2011

  • Captain America: The First Avenger of Awesome

    As many of you know, this past weekend I spent my time doing my big move from Los Angeles to San Diego. Between the packing of the U-haul and the wiping of the brow from all the heavy lifting, I didn’t have time to get to the theater to catch the last of the summer superhero themed blockbusters: Captain America. But after asking everyone on facebook if I should hurry out to the theaters to catch this cinematic marvel, I decided that unwrapping my bed from the bubble wrap could wait. To the theater!

    [youtube:http://youtu.be/W4DlMggBPvc]

    And just in case I do spoil something, SPOILER WARNING!

    Now, as I’m sure many of you know, a high bar was set in terms of Captain America movies. There have been three previously, with two done in the seventies and one in 1990. And if you missed them, SyFy was good enough to have a marathon of them on Friday night. Lucky for me I’ve actually already seen the 1990’s one and, being a good little nerd girl, I’ve even seen the Dolph Lungren debacle Punisher movie from around the same time period.

    [youtube:http://youtu.be/cs8rFsmhNTc]

    I had never even heard of the 1970’s sequel Captain America II: Death Too Soon starring Reb Brown. <sarcasm> Fortunately for me, I was able to catch about 15 minutes of it between throwing my fine china and Star Trek teddy bears into cardboard boxes. And I gotta say, Chris Evans had a pretty tough job beating it. Captain America throws his motorcycle on top of a prison wall but can’t defeat a pack of what looks like SPCA rejects? Phew! So tough! </sarcasm>

    Captain America II
    Totally not ridiculous looking

    If you’ve read any of my blog posts before, you’ll know that my brother serves in the USMC. Going in I was curious about how they were going to portray why Steve wanted to fight, how he was going to get into the program and how he would see himself during the whole run up to becoming the bad ass Cap that we all know and love. And I gotta say, they nailed it. As opposed to the 1990’s movie version, or even the comic book, where it’s just kind of a given that he’s getting all geared up to fight, this one takes a much longer route and shows just how much the character of Steve Rogers wants to serve his country. There were times when I actually started to get genuinely verklempt. Chris Evans played the role so perfectly of the scrawny little guy that doesn’t want to pick a fight persay, he just “doesn’t like a bully.” It really is heartwarming for a girl who’s brother is in the military. If I were to pick a part that really got me, it’s when he jumped on the grenade in training. The others guys always treated him harshly, but he was willing to die for them. How many of the rest of us can say the same?

    Overall, as just an action film is was pretty damn awesome. In the land of over-choreographed fight scenes in movies where every minor character seems to know as much martial arts as a human-turned-vampire in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, it was really cool to see the Cap do it more old school 1940’s style. Just kicking, punching, shooting and flinging that shield like he was born to do it. No huge martial arts training from some guy that was smuggled out of China to teach him the wise ways of kicking ass Asia-style, just good old fashioned brawling of the period. *LIKE*

    Could anything with this chest be bad? The answer is nothing. Ever. EV-ER.

    I’d like to say there was something wrong with this movie, but honestly, for an origin film I can’t find anything wrong with it. Being a big Marvel girl, I know a fair amount about Captain America. So I already knew how the film was going to end, which is a bit of a different experience compared to all the other super hero films that have been coming out this summer. Since The Avengers is coming out next summer, Cap has got to get frozen in the Arctic. Not that it was a huge deal, but it just gave me this lurking creepy feeling during the film. Maybe I’m alone in this, just saying.

    But is that enough to keep me from the theaters? Hell no.

    And don’t forget to wait for the special action at the end. It’s way more involved than the previous tidbits we get at the end of all the other films.

    Five out of Five Sci-Fives!

  • Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog – Live!

    HNG with cast members Nathan Turner, Michael Minto, Zack Wolfe and Jane Lui

    First off, a disclosure.  I have never seen the original online Dr. Horrible starring my beloved Neil Patrick Harris (NPH), Nathan Fillion (NF) and Felicia Day (FD).  It’s true.  As much as I heart Joss Whedon, I have never been big on watching TV online and, to be honest, I’m lucky to have time to watch good ol’ fashioned television TV.  I thought about watching it before driving down to San Diego but two things held me back.  One, this move from LA to SD is killing me and every spare moment is going into packing and prepping.  Two, I kind of wanted to see the show on its own merit so that I wouldn’t be tempted to compare it to the Whedon’s Writer’s Strike pet project.

    HNG age 12. Admit this is an EPIC win.

    Another disclosure, I’m a huge theatre nerd.  I come from a theatrical background and have been performing most of my life.  I have a deep appreciation for the time and effort that goes into putting together a production.  Needless to say, I was very, very excited to see this show.

    The evening started off with Gam3rs: The Play, a one-man show about an extreme gamer and his attempt to wage an epic RPG battle in the middle of a work day.  The premise was clever and the actor/co-writer, Brian Bielawski, was great as the spastic and obsessive Mountain Dew drinker “Steve.”  I dug the myriad of obscure nerd references and character voices he whipped out.  Nary a line was said that wasn’t culturally significant in the geek lexicon.  Having done one-(wo)man shows myself, I know how challenging it can be to pull off and I think he did an admirable job.  I guessed the ending the very first time the boss came out but I chalk that up to my superhuman ability to guess the ending of virtually everything I watch.  Seriously, it’s bizarre.  That said, I smiled and laughed throughout the whole show and truly enjoyed watching it.  If you’re into WoW, D&D, FF, Diablo, DQ or any of the other fantasy-based RPG’s, you will appreciate this show.  Part of my press packet included a “made of awesome” pin which, I must admit, is pretty awesome.

    Onto the main event!

    Like I said, I’ve never seen the original Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog so I really didn’t know what to expect from the Live! version.  I figured, if it’s created by Joss Whedon then it’s got to be good!  Andy Lowe and Co. did not disappoint.  There was great deal of creativity that went into this in the form of shadow play. My friend (who has seen the original) wasn’t sure how they were going to pull off certain scenes and the shadows seemed to fill in those blanks for him.  As a Dr. H virgin, it made perfect sense to me to use them as a storytelling tool.  One thing we were both shocked and impressed by was when they brought out an actual van that had been cut in half and attached to a flat for Captain Hammer’s introduction.  Rarely do you see such a feat on a large stage let alone one that is relatively small like 10th Avenue Theatre’s.

    Fun with shadows! (photo by Christina Rogers)

    There were some seriously amazing voices on that stage.  Nathan Turner (Dr. Horrible) was utterly charming whether he was in “aspiring evil genius” mode or “awkward nerd likes pretty girl” mode.  You can tell that he’s a stage veteran and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment that he was performing.  I was surprised to read in the program that this is Jane Lui’s (Penny) first time acting.  Very impressive.  Both her voice and her demeanor are very sweet and she’s completely adorable.  Seriously, I wish I could pull off her awesome hairstyle.  Check out her music, it’s lovely.  Michael Minto (Captain Hammer) is delightfully cocky and obviously having a lot of fun playing a character with such bravado.  I can totally picture Nathan Fillion (*sigh*) playing this role.  The rest of the ensemble cast has some wonderful moments but one in particular was my favorite actor in the whole show.  Zack Wolfe does double duty as Moist and an extremely flamboyant Captain Hammer fan.  Even before he made his first appearance as Moist he was catching my eye as a background singer/dancer in the first laundromat scene and from then on I kept finding my attention wandering in his direction.  I can’t even count the number of times he made me LOL.  When I met him at the after party I think all I could blurt out was “seriously dude, hilarious.”

    Dr. Horrible and Moist (photo by Christina Rogers)

    Speaking of the after party…it was great to finally meet Andy Lowe, the Director and champion of this noble effort, after corresponding via email.  I found him to be warm and engaging and genuinely passionate about this project.  The cast members were awesome and friendly.  It seems like a kick ass group to work with.  The rooftop space is the home of other parties related to Gam3rCon and if you get a chance, you should definitely check it out.  You will be rewarded with lots of string lights and some seriously gorgeous views of downtown San Diego.

    With Director Andy Lowe and fellow HNG Joy

    The after party also marked the first time ever that I’ve been recognized in person.  Like many nerds, I tend to be shy and a bit socially awkward (hopefully it wasn’t too obvious) so having someone say “Hey, you’re Hot Nerd Girl!” was kind of trippy and kind of awesome all rolled up into one big burrito of weird.  I’m not really sure what that means but I’m rolling with it.

    In conclusion , if you are heading to San Diego for Comic-Con, you should really swing by Gam3rCon and check out the tournaments and plays.  You can get more information about all of the festivities at www.gam3rcon.com. And hit www.iwanttosingalong.com for more on Dr. Horrible Live!

    Go.  Now.  Don’t make me shoot you with my Freeze Ray.

    Don't be fooled by my innocent looking exterior, Bad Horse has nothing on HNG

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 – the End of an Era

    The other Incredible Trio – HNG, Hayden and Melanie

    Yes, I cried.

    Quite a bit at one point.

    And while the scenes were touching and poignant and emotional and all that good stuff, a large part of it was a sense of mourning that this was it.  No more books and now, no more movies either.  The posters and billboards plastered everywhere are clear: “It All Ends.”  Truth in advertising for once.  And for once, I’m devastated that it’s actually true.  I went through this emotional rollercoaster after reading the final book as well and it’s certainly not a new thing for me.  When I truly commit myself to a franchise (especially books) I go through major withdrawals when it is finished.

    Here’s the thing about Harry Potter and the genius of JK Rowling…yes, you know that it is a global phenomenon and that you are far from unique in your passion for Harry and Hogwarts, but it feels as though it has been written just for you and you alone.  I can think of no greater praise for an author.

    Below are some thoughts that I’ve jotted down after seeing the final film.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk&feature=related]

    If you haven’t read the books or seen the last movie and plan to, you know what I’m about to say: spoilers, spoilers, spoilers!!

    1. Certain characters have really gotten ignored in the movies.  I’ve already lamented the underuse of Fleur and Bill in my review of Part 1 but this movie really brought home how little we’ve seen of Lupin and Tonks in the two-part finale.  In Part 1 they tried to tell Harry that they had gotten married but before Tonks could get a word out they were brushed aside for the “Seven Harry’s” scene.  A funny and awesome scene but those who haven’t read the books had no idea that they had made a huge commitment despite enormous adversity.  In Part 2 they cut out all of Lupin’s visits to Harry.  Both the one at Grimmauld Place where Lupin tells Harry they are expecting a baby and has his freak out AND the one at Shell Cottage when Lupin happily announces that they have a son and asks Harry to be the Godfather.  Without these scenes their deaths during the first battle of Hogwarts is lessened emotionally.  Not the end of the world but sad nonetheless.
    2. In that same vein…I’m not sure why they felt the need to replace the Creevey brothers with a new character named Nigel.  Nigel’s death took the place of Colin’s but it wasn’t nearly as gut-wrenching as in the book.
    3. I also would have liked to have seen Fred’s death as he fought alongside Percy, the brother who had turned his back on them for years.  A little bit of slow-motion and some sad music as the wall explodes and Fred collapses while Harry looks at the people dying all around him would have reduced me to sobbing mess.  It probably would have been a little cliché as well but I don’t care.
    4. It was an interesting choice to have the younger students running around during the battle instead of being escorted out before the fighting began.  I actually didn’t mind this choice.  I thought it added to the chaos and horror of the battle.
    5. Ciaran Hinds was a wonderful addition as Aberforth Dumbledore.  I especially loved when they showed him leading a charge in the fight.
    6. Certain locations become as beloved as characters – Hogsmead, the Burrow, Grimmauld Place.  So I was a little disappointed that Snape’s big moment took place at a boat dock instead of at the Shrieking Shack.
    7. Speaking of Snape.  He is so central to the story and yet we see so little of him.  Alan Rickman takes full advantage of every moment he is given which makes it all the more tragic that we don’t see more of the story from his perspective.  The same goes for Neville in many ways.  I would have liked for them to go in to how it could have just as easily been Neville who became The Chose One and how, ultimately, it was Voldemort who chose Harry over Neville.
    8. The Gringott’s dragon was brilliant!  Half blind and practically albino from decades upon decades of being trapped underground.  It was a heart wrenching to see the scars and open wounds from the chains and to see it cower at the threat of being punished.  I practically cheered out loud when the dragon was freed as part of the Big Three’s escape plan.  Maybe I’ve been desensitized by violence in the movies, but I find it more difficult to watch animals (even CGI ones) being hurt than people.  There’s probably something profoundly wrong with me for feeling that way, but meh.
    9. There was a ton of battling going on in this movie but I kind of wanted more.  I missed the part when Harry runs into Hagrid inside the castle and it leads him to figure out where the Diadem is.  The more Hagrid the merrier and it was a bummer to have to wait until Harry’s “death” to see some Robbie Coltrane.  I was also disappointed that they left out the centaurs and Grawp joining in on the battle.  Especially Grawp.  We barely saw poor Professor’s Sprout and Trelawny.  Thank GOD they left in Mrs. Weasley’s battle with Bellatrix and the “bitch” line!  I don’t know why but of everything else I was sooo worried they would take that out!  Thank you Mr. Yates for not letting me down!
    10. In the book, the moment when Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix leads us to the final duel between Harry and Voldemort…in the middle of the school surrounded by fellow wizard warriors NOT by themselves in an abandoned courtyard.  I did like the part where they flew around together and sort of apparated into one.  That was pretty cool.
    11. Call me sentimental but I love the part when Harry uses the Resurrection Stone to surround himself with loved ones as he’s about to die.
    12. I don’t think we could have asked for a better actor to play Voldemort than Ralph Fiennes.  Like Rickman, he doesn’t waste a single syllable when he speaks.  Every second is a bit of evil to be savored.  I’ve gotten a real kick out of watching him slither these past 6 years.
    13. In the book Dumbledore spends a good chunk of his time in King’s Cross with Harry explaining his past actions and what led him to change his ways, abandoning and eventually defeating his former BFF Grindelwald.  It humanizes Dumbledore and gives him a chance to defend himself against all of the horrible things that were said about him after his death.  I honestly don’t think that Dumbledore cares about what anyone thinks about him, with the exception of Harry.  He also clarifies what we’ve suspected since Hermione told us the story of the Deathly Hallows – that Harry’s invisibility cloak is THE cloak.  Readers of the book know all of this but non-readers have been left in the dark.  I could tell exactly who the non-readers were in our theatre by their reaction to the baby Voldemort under the King’s Cross bench.  I missed at least 3 lines of dialogue while they acted grossed out by it.
    14. I don’t remember Harry snapping the Elder Wand in two.  If I remember correctly, he puts it back in Dumbledore’s tomb.  That was a little weird and caused several members of our theatre audience to yell at the screen.
    15. The epilogue was done beautifully.  My only complaint here is the absence of Teddy and Victoire.

    As I mentioned on facebook, I saw this movie simultaneously in D-Box and 3D.  The 3D was a complete waste.  I dislike post-production 3D to begin with and this just goes to show you that, even when they take a long time to “do it right” it isn’t worth it.  The darkness of the movie only further hinders the 3D conversion and anytime there was white on the screen there was an obvious “screen door” effect where I could see the texture of the movie screen material.  Very distracting.  I’m looking forward to seeing the movie again without the 3D.  That, and our theatre was too cheap to get the awesome Harry Potter-shaped 3D glasses.  Lame.

    The D-Box is awesome.  I didn’t find it as effective as I did during Super 8 but I chalk that up to them vibrating our seats every time a wand was flicked.  Sometimes right before or after the wand action so it didn’t synch up quite right.  It was the most fun during the cart ride under Gringott’s and the part where Harry and Voldemort are flying around together.

    Again, I feel like I’m speaking more critically of it then I really mean to.  The truth is that I’m ecstatic that they ended the franchise with the best film yet.  The movies can’t have everything the books do and I know and accept this.  The fact that they’ve made a brilliant movie that lives up to the hype is a major accomplishment.  I’ve seen most of the films on opening night with Hayden and we both agreed that this was a seriously grand finale (although I think Hayden and Melanie would have liked to use the Resurrection Stone to bring back Richard Harris for all of the films).

    Bravo Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson for doing good by three beloved characters.  Bravo Alan Rickman and all of the veteran actors who have contributed the genius of their craft over the past decade.  Bravo Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell and David Yates for directing 8 wonderful films.  And BRAVO JK Rowling for creating a brilliant and fleshed out magical world and allowing us to visit it.

    Take THAT Voldemort! You're welcome Harry.

    Five out of Five Sci-Fives! Yeah!

  • Costume Contest Winner and Dr. Horrible Live!

    Costume Contest (FINALLY)

    About 2 months ago (holy crap time flies!) I decided it was high time for another HNG photo shoot.  As a bit of a change up I focused on fantasy-related costumes and threw out these options.  Since then I’ve been insanely busy but I finally got around to tallying the votes and Xena was the overwhelming winner.  Sooo, just like with the Slave Leia costume, I’ll wear it and be photographed in it provided that enough donations come in to buy the $50 costume.

    That said, a lot of you wanted Xena but didn’t like the costume I found.  So if you know of a better one, let me know.  I’m open to suggestions.  And sorry, but I don’t have the time or talent to make and sew a leather costume.  I am gifted in many areas, sewing together strips of leather is not one of them.

    So donate today! 😀

    Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog – Live!

    Nathan Turner, Jane Lui and Michael Minto

    I’m still amazed that anyone gives a hoot about what I think so imagine my surprise when I was invited to attend the premier of Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog – Live in San Diego this weekend.  It sounded like fun (and I’m a huge theatre nerd) so I’m heading down (and braving Carmaggedon I might add) to check it out.  You should too.  If you go on Sunday the 17th I will be there geeking out.  You can find more information about it here and here.

    HNG is relocating!

    Live Long and Prosper Los Angeles!

    Speaking of sunny San Diego…I’m moving there at the end of July. Los Angeles certainly has its perks but I’m over it so I’m leaving.  The good news is that a relatively quick drive up the freeway will take me right back to Hollyweird so I can still take advantage of those perks without having to inhale smog and deal with hellacious traffic all day every day.  It’s a good thing.  I mention this because I’ll be packing, moving and unpacking over the course of the next few weeks and my posts may be a bit sporadic and all over the place.  I apologize for this ahead of time.  I may even have a couple of guest bloggers come in to pick up the slack a bit.  We’ll see how it goes.

  • Autobots! Roll out bitches!

    Help me, Optimus Prime. You're my only hope!

    I saw Transformers: Dark of the Moon a week ago today.  Normally you would have seen a review of it the very next day but this was not a normal week.  Laryngitis decided to rear its ugly head and, literally, by the end of the movie I went from having that sexy Kate Mulgrew voice you get when you’re sick, to barely being able to squeak when I tried to speak.

    Brilliant.

    Needless to say, I went to the doctor and was promptly quarantined for a week.   My voice is slooooooowly coming back (instead of nothing coming out, I can sort of croak…like a frog…) and my mental capacities are returning (No, thank YOU antibiotics).

    Anyhooters, back to Transformers.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H8bnKdf654]

    Ok, I’ll admit it, I kind of dig Michael Bay.  I always know what I’m going to get and really, we need a person like Michael Bay to make movies full of explosions and boobies (not always in that order).  That’s not to say I like everything he’s ever directed.  FAAAAAR from it.  But I’ve gotten a kick out of the Transformers trilogy (that might be a slight exaggeration when it comes to Revenge of the Fallen, but whatever).

    Just sayin'

    I’ll admit something else.  I’m not a big fan of the animated movie (which is set in 2005 by the way).  Don’t hate me.  Sure, it had Orson Welles (Unicron is not to be confused with Unicorn) and Robert Stack in it, but it also killed off Optimus Prime in the first five minutes and forced us to follow some dumb kid (Daniel Witwicky instead of Sam) and a new Autobot named Hot Rod (voiced by Judd Nelson no less) that looked more like Barbie’s dream car than a bad ass Transformer.

    But I digress.

    This time around MB decided to throw every celebrity he could at us.  I won’t even try to list them all.  Seriously, it was ridiculous.  Awesomely ridiculous.  McDreamy as a villain?  Hellz yeah! Homoerotica with Mr. Chow?  Yes pleaze!  Taking orders from Marge Gunderson?  Oh, yoo betcha!  Every scene had another one.  My favorite has got to be John Malkovich.  He was pretty much continuing his Marvin Boggs character from RED but holy shit did he make me LOL.  As for the oldies but goodies, it was totally retarded how they brought Lennox, Simmons, Epps, etc, etc  all back together but whatever.  It IS Michael Bay we’re talking about.

    On to more important things.  Like Victoria’s Secret models.  Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (hereafter RHW because fuck no am I going to keep typing out that long ass name) is a tall skinny pile of walking sex.  I’m going to admit to yet another tidbit.  I’ll take RHW over Megan Fox any day of the week. Her function may be to stand there and look pretty but at least she does it with class.  I cracked up every time they referred to the crazy bitch that dumped Sam sometime between this movie and the last one.  If you ask me, Sam got the better end of this deal.  I mean, RHW is so hot she has superpowers.  Somehow, she’s magically able to survive a collapsing skyscraper with perfect hair and nary a smudge on her perfect face or her white skinny jeans.  She also convinced Megatron that he’d end up, and I quote, Sentinel’s “bitch” if he didn’t beat his ass right now. “Oh no he di-ent!” Superpowers I tell you!  My one beef with good ol’ MB and his hot little ladies?  The fact that they’re always running around in high heels.  I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that I speak for all my fellow females out there when I say: FUCK THAT.

    She likes bunny wabbits

    I’m just admitting all kinds of crap tonight, but here’s another one.  Shia LaBeouf cracks me up.  No really, he does.  I’m pretty sure that Sam Witwicky and I were separated at birth.  We’re both klutzy and sarcastic and dorky as all get out.  I wouldn’t want to date him but I’m pretty sure he’d be the most awesome gay best friend ever.  Ok, that’s all I have to say about Shia.

    Now to the most important part…the Transformers.  Sadly underused as usual.  One of these days MB is going to make a movie where they have more than 5 minutes worth of dialogue.  Don’t get me wrong, the fight scenes are EPIC and I could sit there and watch them all day (especially in IMAX 3D like I did last week) but he doesn’t give us any opportunity to really get to know them.  Not even Bumblebee.  I watched the cartoon growing up so I can fill in the blanks but how do the laymen even tell the difference between some of these robots from outer space?  All I’m saying is that when you have a voice on tap like Peter Cullen’s…use the heck out of it.

    Uhhhh…this is a Deceptibot…right…?

    Going back to the animated movie…the one thing it had going for it was Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron (aka all the Decepticons mushed together by Unicron).  MB decided that Lennie should be rebooted as Sentinel Prime and that Sentinel Prime should be rebooted as a fucking BAD GUY.  What. The. Fuck. 

    To top it all off, MB gave him a face that was some kind of eerie hybrid between Spock and Captain Jack Sparrow.

    Parlay?

    Seriously.

    Bizarre.

    But nothing can make me stop loving Leonard Nimoy.  Especially when he does stuff like this just for shits and giggles:

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dULOjT9GYdQ]

    At least he had Lennie say the seminal line from Star Trek II: “The good of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” And that was only one of MANY Star Trek references (God Bless you Michael Bay). 

    All in all I thought it was a fun ride.  Lots of explosions and boobies.

    Does anything else in life really matter?

    I think not.

    3.5 out of 5 sci-fives!