The Wizarding STUFF of Harry Potter - Part 2

     This batch of accessories from that wonderful world of witchcraft and wizardry is devoted to the cleverest of Gryffindors. I'm speaking of none other than Miss Hermione Granger!

     I wanted to include at least one book with each of these, but since no one at Hogwarts loves books more than Hermione, I included a few more... probably not enough now that I think about it.

The Wizarding STUFF of Harry Potter - Part 1

     Wands, whatnots, macguffins, artifacts... The Harry Potter series isn't just people and places. It's also things! And because of such, I thought it'd be fun to devote a few posts to just the STUFF that makes up the Wizarding World, starting with the accessories of Harry himself.

     I really racked my brain to include as many as I could but if you notice anything that I left out, please DO NOT let me know as the thought of such failure will keep me up at night.

Pooh Grease

 

My Favorite Movies of 2021

If there are two things I love, it's watching movies and making lists. Ergo, making a list of the movies I've enjoyed is really the most sensible thing I've ever done in my entire life.

That's... probably an exaggeration.

Anyways, here they are! In no specific order, the movies that I watched in 2021 and enjoyed the most:

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Encanto

I’ve watched this several times already and, while I love it, there’s still a lot that I don’t really get. The grandpa dies and, as a result, his family gets random superpowers? But also, their house is alive, there’s a magic candle, and… something with a butterfly?? It’s a lot. 

If you can get past all of that though, you get a good movie about living up to other people’s expectations and how toxicity can creep its way into even the happiest of families. PLUS, the songs have basically turned my house into a nonstop dance party and that's never a bad thing. 

The Mitchells vs The Machines

I’m all about animated movies that shake things up and deliver something different than the standard look and feel most animated films have these days. This one does that, so thumbs up!

Luca

I know this isn’t the case, but sometimes I feel like other animated movies are always about the same thing and then Pixar comes along and is like, “How about a coming of age film where Italian sea monsters learn about prejudice and the intricacies of lifelong bonds while training for triathlon to win a Vespa?”

Black Widow

This was the first movie I saw in theaters since the pandemic and the first Marvel movie my daughter saw in theaters ever! That’s an occasion we mark now.

The action in this movie almost made me sore just from watching, and that's exactly how a Black Widow movie should be. Plus, it's a great "passing the baton" movie and I can't wait to see more Yelena in the future.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Of the four Marvel movies that came out this year, I thought this one was by far the best! I like super hero movies that aren’t really about super heroes but also ARE about super heroes! Does that make sense? 

Yeah. It totally does. Moving on!

The Suicide Squad

I’m squeamish and don’t necessarily enjoy watching movies where people’s faces get blown off, so I wasn’t really planning on watching this one. There was part of me, however, that really wanted to like it so I eventually worked up the courage and am really glad I did. It’s a wild ride and sooooo much fun! 

But people’s faces DO get blown off.

The Harder They Fall

Idris Elba is also in this movie. 

That’s the review.

Dune

aka. Lawrence of Arabia IN SPACE!

People have attempted to make it before and the result has always been incredibly dumb, but this time… not so much. Way to go, Dune guys! You freakin DID IT! 

Flora & Ulysses

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. A CGI squirrel with super powers is a pretty stupid premise, but stupid or not, I was laughing from beginning to end. Plus, it's randomly an unofficial cast reunion for the DuckTales reboot... so go ahead and check that box.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

This one was another surprise as I was NOT expecting to like it. I’m not a fan of the previous incarnations of Spider-Man and didn’t see the point of shoving them into this new franchise when it’s great on its own! Shows what I know though because that’s just what they did and it was great! 

I think the overall lesson here is that my expectations are bupkis and I should probably just shut up.

Honorable Mention - Us Again

This isn’t technically a movie. It’s only 7 minutes long, but I did see it on the big screen and it made me cry so… IT’S ON THE LIST!

Honorable Mention - Star Wars: Visions

Also not a movie, but still worth talking about. Like I said, I’m a fan of animation companies breaking away from the norm and trying something new. For a powerhouse like Disney to do something this out of the ordinary and this amazing with the franchise I love most... well... It gets all of the applause from me. Here's to a new year with more of this type of thing. I'd specifically love more of The Ninth Jedi storyline.

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And that's the list! I hope 2022 is great for all of you and may the passing of Shai-Hulud cleanse your world!

Sorry. That's a Dune thing. 

Man! That was one nutty movie, amiright?

Topping Off 2021

Happy New Year, everyone! Per tradition, here's last year's batch of blog headers!

     I really appreciate all of you who take the time to check out my little corner of the World Wide W. Hopefully you like what you see.

January 2021

February 2021

March 2021

April 2021

May 2021

June 2021

July 2021

August 2021

September 2021

October 2021

November 2021

December 2021

I'm Much Too Tired For Christmas Capers

For Christmas this year, I thought I'd bust out some random Rankin/Bass characters. Can you name them all? 

Hint: One of them is Santa Claus.

DuckDoc

I recently finished a six week course in 2D animation. The following is what I was able to accomplish.

     It's not much, but I'm proud of it. I used to want to be an animator and then went a different direction, but always kept a love for the genre... obviously. I'm definitely not looking to get a job in the animation industry any time soon, but it feels good to know that I've at least dipped my toe, ever so slightly in the field, and am capable of doing these things that I've always adored. 

I hope to try my hand at more of this and continue to grow. Fingers crossed.

The Real Ghostbusters (1986 - 1991)

     So with the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife this weekend, I thought it would be appropriate to Kablama Slam once again, this time with a look at Saturday morning’s run in with the ever so popular paranormal investigators. 

The Premise: The further adventures of Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore who, along with their ghost sidekick Slimer, take on the various spooks and specters that terrorize New York City. 

     This cartoon was, of course, based on the hugely successful 1984 film. That film, however, wasn’t the first property to bear the name ‘Ghostbusters’ and had to get permission from Filmation to share the name with their 1975 television series, The Ghost Busters. In 1986, after the success of the film Ghostbusters, I guess Filmation thought that maybe there would be some new interest in their obscure series and rebooted it as a Saturday morning cartoon, this time without the space in the title and simply called Ghostbusters. You with me so far? This prompted Columbia Pictures to title THEIR Saturday morning cartoon (which was released the same year) The REAL Ghostbusters in order to differentiate. The Real Ghostbusters ran for seven seasons while Ghostbusters only ran for one, proving that it doesn’t really matter who is first; only who is best. 

     The Real Ghostbusters was my first official introduction into this franchise since I was only three years old when the movie hit theaters. Whenever I first saw the film, I remember instantly falling in love but thought it was strange how Peter Venkman looked nothing like his animated counterpart. I think the thing I love most about The Real Ghostbusters was how well it made light of horror by injecting humor, just like the film on which it was based. I’m a big wimp and, therefore, not a fan of horror in the least. While I watched my fair share of this show, I found some of the show’s ghosts pretty nightmare-inducing and eventually stopped watching. However, I was still okay with one aspect that, let’s face it, was the true drive behind all of Saturday morning television …Toys! 

Kablama Slam! Fun Fact: Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore in the film, auditioned for the voice of Winston in the series but DIDN’T GET THE PART!

Three Monsters and a Frog

 

     Here I am, your roving blogger back with another Sesame Street blog post. Kermit the Frog is usually seen as an entertainer and the ultimate master of ceremonies, but I've always seen him as a newsman at heart.