My Top 10 Music Videos

Ok, I have to admit it, I'm a music video junkie of sorts.  I guess it's because I love both music and movies, so a combination of the two naturally appeals to me.  But I do have to say that most of the music videos that I like are ones that hint at a story; you know, the ones that take the message of the song and put some feet to it, hinting at a deeper story line.  Those are the music videos that grab me, the ones that have been masterfully made into a three and a half minute story that sucks you in and gets your imagination going.  So, here is an arbitrary list of my top 10 favorite music videos.  Enjoy!

Michael Buble - Feelin' Good

I don't know what happened to the original version, but for some reason the only decent one I could find of this song has Spanish subtitles.  Oh, well, it's still the same song and video.  And can somebody PLEASE make this the theme song for a spy movie????? 

Toto - Africa

This video is chock full of moments that make you wonder "What's the back story?" and that open doors for all kinds of speculation and imagining as to what happened.  *happy shivers going down the spine*

Shania Twain - Don't

This one doesn't really have much of a "story" element to it, but it's so gorgeous I had to include it.  That horse...oh, such a beauty!  And the setting has such a flavor of romance to it  (several of the dresses would be absolutely stunning, too, if they weren't quite so low cut).

Jonny Diaz - Irony

Jonny Diaz is my #1 favorite singer.  And this music video does actually have a backstory.  Jonny went to college on a baseball scholarship and planned on following his older brothers (one of whom is my first favorite MLB player, Matt Diaz!) into baseball as a career, but he felt God calling him into music.  Knowing that, this video takes on a whole new depth.  (Most of his music is really good!  I highly recommend checking out more of his songs). 

Alison Krauss - End of a Summer Storm

This video almost had me in tears!  As a former kid who's best friends were mostly her stuffed animals (who became even more alive thanks to her and her dad giving them voices while playing pretend) this tugged at my heartstrings so much!  <3

Taylor Swift - Love Story

I'm not as big a fan of Taylor Swift as I used to be (and even then I only liked a handful of songs), but this video is one that you dream about being in.  The whole Jane Austen-esque setting, the dancing in the candlelight, the old fashioned lantern, *sigh*.  It brings out the history buff in me.

Rebecca St. James - Wait for Me

This has been one of my theme songs for this point in my life.  In the video I love how it shows the guy both going looking for her, but also being willing to wait for her.  He isn't impatient, but at the same time he isn't just twiddling his thumbs wanting her to take all the initiative.    

Michael Buble - Haven't Met You Yet

This is such a fantastic twist on an oft-used story line!  Who would think about meeting your future spouse in the frozen section of the grocery store?  I love it.  (Fun Fact: the lady who plays the girlfriend in the video is now Michael Buble's wife.  I think I read they had actually started dating before they shot the video, but he wrote it with her in mind).

Shania Twain -  Forever and For Always

Such a sweet story!  And such a beautiful filming location!  This showcases the kind of love that everyone, if they were honest, deep, deep down dreams of having.

Alison Krauss and Union Station - The Lucky One

This is hands-down my favorite music video.  I can remember as a young teenager talking with my dad about "Is this really an ok song?  I mean, she talks about one-night stands", and my dad saying he thought that the song was stating a fact about the "Lucky One", and that it didn't mean that the singer was a part of those one-night stands.  And then later I find this video and it proves my dad right!  The way she looks at him like, "I know exactly what you are, and you are not getting me, no matter how persuading you may be.  I know you."  They do such an excellent job of showing his past without actually having to SHOW it like a bunch of videos nowadays do.


BONUS: There are a couple of fan-made music videos that rank up with the official ones in my favorites list.  They are so well done that they almost look professional.  Here are my top three favorites of those.

"I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan

There have been several videos made for this song using clips from the The Avengers, and all of them are pretty fun to watch, but in my opinion this is the best one.  The scenes seem to fit the lyrics the best to me.

Sugarland - It Happens

Since the boys in Stalag 13 seem to get into all kinds of trouble, both planned and unplanned, this song is most appropriate for them.  :)

Michael Martin Murphy - Wildfire

Is it possible to actually be in love with a music video?  If it is, then this is the one for me.  It is so GORGEOUS!!!!!  (and it has a bunch of clips from my favorite movie, "The Man from Snowy River").  Put horses, breathtaking scenery and a hauntingly beautiful song together and you have me hooked!  :)

Thoughts on "Star Wars: the Original Trilogy"

Since I forgot to do a post when I first saw "Star Wars: Episode IV" earlier this year, I decided that I might as well do a post covering the whole trilogy after I saw all three movies.  So, thanks to a couple movie, popcorn and homemade brownie nights with a couple of friends, one who loves Star Wars and the other who had never even seen the first one before, here are brief synopses of them, along with some random thoughts that popped into my head as I was watching them (which sometimes made the movies even more entertaining).  :)

Episode IV: A New Hope

Synopsis:  Young Luke Skywalker finds himself caught up in the middle of the Rebellion against the Empire (which, like the American Revolution, is a good, needed rebellion) when he becomes the owner of two droids that have vital information that the Empire and it's primary general, Darth Vader, will do anything to get back.  So Luke, along with the droids, R2D2 and C3PO, a forced-into-retirement Jedi knight named Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a smuggler named Han Solo and his partner, a Wookie named Chewbacca, head out to deliver the information to the Rebels.  What they don't plan on is Han's spaceship, the Millennium Falcon, getting sucked in by the Empire's great Death Star's gravity field, and then learning that the Empire is holding Rebel leader Princess Leia captive on the Death Star, and then...well, let's just say it's more than Luke ever imagined.

Thoughts: #1 - I want an R2D2!!!!!!!
#2 -  Han Solo is an "almost-bad boy", meaning that he has that devil-may-care attitude but when the chips are down he'll come through and do the right thing.  That makes him even more irresistible.  (I actually cheered out loud when Darth Vader's ship got blasted from behind Luke and you find out it was Han).
#3 - Why did we have to loose Obi-Wan Kenobi as a physical character right as we were getting to know him??????  :(
#4 - Han and Leia have very similar temperaments.  That could either be a bad thing or a good thing.
#5 - I still don't understand why in a sword fight you would spin around before reengaging your opponent.  But you see it all the time!

That really seems like opening up your defenses to me, especially when you don't move as fast as you used to...
#6 - For all the complaining he does, C3PO really is attached to R2, which is really, really sweet (but you do sometimes wish that C3PO would shut up).


Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Synopsis:  Luke, Han, Leia and all the other Rebels are hiding out on a frozen planet, hoping that Darth Vader won't find them (as if!)  One night when Luke gets caught out in the snow he has a vision of Obi-Wan telling him to go to another planet and find Jedi master Yoda to help him finish his training.  After an attack on their base by Vader, Luke heads out to find Yoda while Han and Leia go to hopefully find safety with Han's old buddy Lando.  Unfortunately, somebody has reached Lando first and has forced him into a compromising situation...


#1 - I still want an R2D2!  (Sidenote: I've learned that I can imitate a couple of the squeals and squeaks he makes)
#2 - Never say "I'd rather kiss a Wookie!" to a guy who's best buddy is a Wookie.  He has an immediate killer comeback.
#3 - Never call the aforementioned friend of a Wookie a "scoundrel", not if you're wanting to annoy him, anyway.  If you're wanting to do that, call him "scruffy".  (Of course, if you're wanting to see him smirk in a swoon-worthy way and repeat what you said with relish.......)

Sorry, where was I?  Oh, yeah...other things I noticed -

#4 - Yoda might be a very good teacher, but he'd sure be an annoying neighbor.
#5 - You do not want Darth Vader to promote you to Admiral.  That is almost like promoting you to Death Row.  I do have to say though that the second one he killed did have guts.  Too bad he was on the Dark Side.
#6 - Why was Lando surprised that Darth Vader kept changing the terms of their agreement? I mean, c'mon, he's the BAD GUY.  Bad guys do that.  (I am glad that Lando wound up being a good guy.  As he said, he didn't really have any choice but to go along with Vader).
#7 - The only time that hyper-speed worked on the Millennium Falcon during the whole movie was when Lando was driving it.  How could Han have let it get into such bad condition?  It was his baby!

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Synopsis:  The movie starts up with the gang trying to rescue Han from Jaba the Hut, the guy that Han owed money to and who wasn't too keen on forgiving the debt.  After finally being successful, Luke heads back to join Yoda while Han and the others join the rest of the Rebels for what will hopefully be their final offensive.  The Empire has been building another Death Star that needs to be blown up...and Vader and the Emperor have to be dealt  with once and for all.

#1 - I STILL want an R2D2!!!!!!!  Please, can somebody make that happen?????
#2 - I also want an Ewok.  Or, better yet, a whole family of Ewoks.  Those babies are PRECIOUS!!!!!!!  <3

See what I mean?!?!?!  I NEED one!!!!!!

#3 - If the previous movie had the most dark moments of the trilogy, then this one had the most cute moments...
            #3A - When Chewie is so happy to be reunited with Han (awwwww!!!!!!)
            #3B - When Leia coaxes the first Ewok into being her friend (and then when he keeps hugging both Han and R2 throughout the rest of the movie)
            #3C - And then THIS, which has to be one of the sweetest, cutest love scenes ever caught on film.

             Here Han was willing to put his feelings for Leia aside so she could be happy.  And then you can read on his face the exact thoughts that are running through his head: "Her...brother?  He's her brother???  He's - oh!  He's her BROTHER!!!!!!"  :)
#4 - Will somebody please shoot that little rat thing that's always hanging out with Jabba the Hut?  PLEASE?????   (Thank you, R2!)
#5 - How in the world did Luke go from running out on Yoda before he could pull his own plane out of the swamp with the Force to being a full-fledged Jedi knight??????  We know he didn't go back to Yoda during that time, so what the heck happened?
#6 - The only reason bounty-hunter Boba Fett dies during the fight with Jabba the Hut is because Han accidentally whacks him as he's trying to see what's going on (and did we ever even hear his name mentioned in the movie???)
#7 - Somebody in with George Lucas & Co. must have loved the phrase "false delusions of grandeur".  I think I've heard it at least once in each movie... 
#8 - Luke was right!!!!!!!  There was some good left in his father!  Yay!  :)


Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy.  I kind of wish I could have seen the original versions instead of the remastered ones so that I could have appreciated the advances in special effects since the '80s, but in the long run it doesn't matter.  I guess I would have to say that the final movie was probably my favorite out of the three, despite the grossness of Jabba the Hut and the few unexplained things that happened between it and the previous movie.  One thing that struck me about all of them, though: here they have all this amazing technology with droids and all kinds of aircraft and weaponry, yet they don't have one single piece of hand-held...anything, really, except for whatever it is they use to contact 3PO and R2.  No terrain readers, no room scanners, no device that when you speak into it it translates what you said into a different language and then does the same for the person you're speaking with...I know the movies were written in the '80s, but surely even back then such things could have been imagined up for sci-fi.  I mean, it's so inefficient, having to constantly wait for a slow, jerky-moving droid to come over to do anything that requires technology.  Makes me wonder what Tony Stark would think if he ever wound up in that world...

He'd probably call them archaic.  Just sayin'.  Goes to show how much things can change in three decades.

*Update: I've now seen a few episodes of the original Star Trek series, which was made before the Star Wars movies.  Since Star Trek has a bunch of hand-held devices, why the heck didn't the Star Wars movies???

Either way, the movies were fun to watch, even if they did cause me to loose my heart to an unattainable loved one.  

;)

Check it Out! - Avengers: Age of Ultron

Oh - my - goodness, "Age of Ultron" was soooooo good!  In fact, it was so good I went to see it twice.  ;)   I am glad that I watched "Winter Soldier" before I saw this, it did help a lot of things make more sense.  The very beginning of the movie shows the wrapping up of what Cap was starting at the end of the last movie, with the Avengers helping clear out the last Hydra stronghold (in an epic fight scene in the snow, of course).  And naturally, when you finish off one bad guy, you know that another one has to come along to keep the story going, right? 

Tony Stark, aka Iron Man:  He's definitely more enjoyable in this movie than he was in the first "Avengers" movie, mostly because he has learned to "play well with others".  More of his spunky side comes out, but we also see his biggest fear.  And like usually happens, by trying to insure that that fear doesn't come about, he almost brings that fear into reality.

Steve Rogers, aka Captain America:  Cap is still wonderful, but he is also a man who is still trying to find his place in the world.  He says that he's no longer interested in settling down and having a family like he was back in the 1940s, but there are so many moments where he seems to be feeling a deep hole in his life that you can't really believe him (and he is also still trying to find Bucky.  At one point it is hinted at that it's been five years since Shield first fell, so it makes you wonder where Bucky's been all this time.  Hopefully getting his memory back!)

Thor (no "aka" for him):  He has pretty much acclimated to living on Earth after giving up Asgard at the end of "Thor: the Dark World" (including picking up some of Cap's martial arts stuff, apparently).  He probably hasn't even thought about his old home much since he's been busy helping to stamp out Hydra.  But once Loki's scepter and the Infinity Stones are brought back to his notice, he realizes that he is needed for more than just Earth's protection.  He is also a bit more relaxed in his manner now that he is no longer the "heir apparent", which also means that he has more foot-in-mouth syndrome than he had in the previous movies (cue the cute-awkwardness).  :)

Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk: He is more in control of his Hulkness and has put more safeguards in place against it, but he is still afraid that he won't be able to control it enough to keep the members of the team safe.  We also get to see that he really does have some backbone and isn't just a teddy bear that's afraid that someone is going to say "boo" and cause him to turn into the Hulk.  And he winds up finding a "very compelling reason not to turn green" (see the next profile).

Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow:  We finally learn more of her backstory!  She is a poor girl who got pressed into a mold and brainwashed about what was expected of her (thankfully not in the same way Bucky was brainwashed) who finally broke away from it and is still trying to make up for her past.  We still don't know HOW she broke away, but I wouldn't be surprised if Hawkeye had a hand in it.  She is also letting herself be more vulnerable by owning up to the feelings she has been developing towards Bruce, and encouraging the ones he has been developing towards her (as hinted at above).

Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye:  I knew I liked Hawkeye from the moment he says "I'm starting to root for this guy" in the  first "Thor" movie, and then from the parts where we got to see him sane in the first "Avengers". We get to see a lot more of his personality in this one, which can pretty much be described in a little bit of dialog between Tony and Bruce after Hawkeye has been injured.  "How's he doing?"  "Well, unfortunately, he's still Barton."  "That's terrible."  Of course, we don't think that's terrible at all.  He's such a wise-cracking, down to earth guy.  And *spoiler!* he's got a family!  He definitely has the right woman behind him.  I hope Laura gets to be in more stuff.

Ultron:  THIS is the new bad guy, the robot that Tony created with the idea of using it to protect the world and create world peace.  Unfortunately, it is such a highly "intelligent" robot that it gets the idea that the way to get world peace is to eliminate all of the human race.  It is also very conceited and manipulating.

Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlett Witch:  One half of a pair of twins that volunteered to help Hydra after a bomb created by Tony killed their parents, she has mind reading abilities, can create force fields, and has the ability to manipulate objects without touching them.  She can also show others their deepest fears through visions.  After Hydra is wiped out, she and her brother join with Ultron.

Pietro Maximoff, aka Quicksilver:  Wanda's twin brother, this guy is super fast.  Like, super-super fast.  Blink and you miss him fast (which drives Hawkeye crazy).  He's a bit cocky because of his ability, but you almost can't blame him.  Once he and his sister realize that Ultron is planning on wiping out the whole human race and not just the Avengers, they change sides and join the Avengers.  (Sidenote: He wears Adidas!!!)

The Vision:  He is the result of Ultron trying to make a body for himself out of vibranium (the stuff Cap's shield is made of), the body getting captured by the Avengers, and Tony uploading JARVIS with a few alterations into it instead.  He is more of what Tony had originally intended Ultron to be, just without the being able to protect the whole world by himself stuff.  He is also the exact opposite of Ultron personality-wise, being a humble, polite, and insightful character.  And he is the reason for the #1 jaw-dropping moment of the whole movie.  As much as I would love to spoil it, I just can't.  I'll leave it at that pretty much everyone in the theater went "Oh!" at the same time and then burst out laughing when it happened.  It's great.

Nick Fury:  He isn't in the movie all that much, but whenever he is, he is a pivotal force.  First he gives the team the shot in the arm they need while they're in hiding licking their wounds, and then during the last battle he shows up at just the right moment with the backup they need.  


Overall, it was a very well-done movie.  It definitely needs parental guidance before even some teenagers see it (some of the visions the Scarlett Witch creates for the others get kinda creepy, and the battle scenes are a bit more dramatic than those in the first "Avengers"), but overall I thought it was good.  My only complaint: they didn't bring Coulson back!  While I've never watched any "Agents of Shield" episodes, I've read about the series and seen a few clips.  And one part that I came across was an episode where Sif is on Earth helping them and she tells Coulson that Thor will be glad to know he's alive, and Coulson says that's why he'd like to tell him himself.  And I'm sitting there going, "Well, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TELL HIM??????"  They have to do it on film.  They just HAVE to!!!!! 

Now, how long until "Captain America: Civil War" comes out?????  It is going to feel like forrrrrreeeevvvveeeerrrr.  At least I have "Thor" on DVD now, so I guess that will help tide me over...that and catching up on "Star Wars" (I've only seen "A New Hope".  Yes, shame on me). Anyway, go check out "Age of Ultron"! :)


BONUS:

As always happens when a new movie comes out, there have been a bunch of interviews with the actors floating around.  I found a few that were so funny/cute that I just had to share them.  :)

#1:  Robert Downing Jr. meets Mini Thor

I totally like RDJ so much more after seeing the way he interacts with this little guy.  While the other interviews with Mini Thor all showed the actors falling in love with him, RDJ definitely did the best job interacting with him and trying to make him feel special.  <3  (And why didn't they do an interview with Mini Thor and Chris Hemsworth???  I would have probably paid to have seen that happen!)

#2: Jeremy Renner plays "Heads Up"

It is soooo nice to know that some celebrities have good taste regarding twerking (aka "I ain't going anywhere near that stuff"). And it's a good thing that (as far as I know) none of the characters he's played have had to have a dramatic death, because that one stunk.  Sorry, Jeremy, but it's just the truth.  ;)

#3: Chris Evans Doesn't Like It

This is so precious!!!!!!  We "wuv" it!  And somehow it seems super appropriate for Chris E to be the one saying that.  For some reason trying to picture Chris H or RDJ saying it doesn't seem half as cute.  Maybe Jeremy or Mark Ruffalo could have pulled it off, but Chris E was just the perfect one for it to happen to.

#4: "Who Would You Call?"

This is just a bunch of fun with most of the main cast (except for Chris H!!!  Where the dickens was he?)  I have to admit, Jeremy and Chris E were the funniest duo, though.  "Thanks for ruining my career."  :)

Check it Out! - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Well, I’m all ready to see “Age of Ultron” now!  I have watched “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”.  While I like the first Cap movie better overall, I have to say that this one was definitely more of a cliffhanger.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve yelled at and pleaded with the TV so much during a movie.  That is one main advantage to watching a new movie on DVD versus watching it in theaters, you don’t have to worry about disturbing anyone with all your uninhibited comments and emotional outbursts (that and being able to pause it if you absolutely have to leave the room for a minute so you don’t miss anything).

Anyway, here we go, in the format that I started using with “Thor” and have used ever since.

Steve Rogers, aka Captain America:  During the unmentioned amount of time since “Avengers” occurred, Cap has done quite a bit of acclimating to the 21^st century.  There are still some things he hasn’t gotten used to, and some things he refuses to get used to, namely the idea that in order for peace to reign everyone that might stand as a threat to it must be eliminated (as he told Director Fury, "This isn’t freedom, this is fear.”)  Cap still has his moral compass intact and pointed in the right direction, and he still has that heart of gold.  This is what causes Shield (which has had Hydra working within it undetected for years) to target him for elimination.  I am also glad they showed that he had been able to find Peggy again.  Even though she is now a bedridden old woman who has lapses of memory, you can tell that he still cares for her.  That was the sweetest, most heart touching and close-to-tears-inducing part of the whole movie.

Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow:  It is much more obvious in this movie than in "Avengers" that Natasha and Cap have entirely different outlooks on life.  They both end up needing each other to survive, but that doesn't mean that they approve of the way the other person handles different situations.  Then after they find out that Hydra has been using Shield as a cover all these years, Natasha begins to doubt what she has believed about her past motives and methods.  She is definitely a developing, evolving character, which makes her interesting to watch.

Director Nick Fury:  This is the movie where some of Fury's previous work comes back to haunt him.  While he does end up realizing that he has inadvertently been helping Hydra all these years and is able to let Cap know in time to stop him from getting caught up in it, he also has to suffer the consequences of being too deeply involved and then trying to get out.  (Sidenote:  I want a car like his where you can control it using vocal aids.  That would have saved me from a couple startling situations where I've forgotten that my car can't read my mind to know that I now want to drive forward instead of backwards...)

Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon:  This is the guy Cap needed in his life.  A veteran of the Armed Forces who served two tours of duty and now works with other vets struggling with the after-effects of being in combat, Sam understands what Cap has been through more than anyone else Cap has encountered.  AND he has a special skill set that comes in real handy as he steps in to the role as Cap’s right hand man.  He's the kind of guy that when he hears about something that needs to be done, he says, "Ok, let's go!"

Secretary Alexander Pierce:  It was so strange seeing Robert Redford playing an antagonist.  I can’t really say “bad guy”, since the other two movies of his that I’ve seen had him playing rolls where both characters were technically “bad”, i.e. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting", which were both well done but both also deserve PG ratings.  ("The Sting" has the most jaw-dropping ending of all time. Trust me).  But, as always, he did an amazing job.  He is such a scheming, hardhearted so-and-so!

The Winter Soldier (aka Bucky Barnes!!!!):  This guy is the main reason I was screaming at the TV.  During his first real fight with Cap, the mask he's been wearing comes off, and Cap recognizes him and calls him by name.  Bucky denies knowing him since he’d been brainwashed by Hydra after they discovered him after his fall in “First Avenger”, but the encounter starts things niggling in the back of his brain where he knows he’s seen that guy before.  Then they brainwash him again!!!!!  That’s when the yelling started on my end.  After that whenever Bucky was in a scene I was begging, “Remember, Bucky!!!!!  Knock some sense into him, Cap!  Let him remember!!!”  It sure took forever, but apparently something did start to work, since we see him pulling Cap out of the Potomac after Cap fell in to it.  And then in one of the end credit scenes, he is in the Captain America exhibit in the Smithsonian reading about himself.  Just like everyone watching the movie, Cap knew that there is still something good left in Bucky.  I hope he gets his memory back in “Captain America: Civil War”!!!!!  He’s too good to loose.  (One other thing that dawned on me while watching their final fight was that this was the first time Cap has ever refused to fight back.  Even back before he had the serum injection he would never back down from a fight, but now he let Bucky beat him to a pulp and never resisted.  That's what you call loyalty right there).

Well, this beats my previous record of number of Marvel movies watched during a certain time span.  While it was one week between watching the first "Thor" and the first "Avengers" movies and two weeks between seeing both Cap movies, it is going to be just three days between "Winter Soldier" and "Age of Ultron"!  I'm going with a couple of friends to see it at our $3 theater (I hadn't been expecting it to get there for another month, but last weekend one of the friends I'm going with texted me saying it was there already!  This is the same friend who agrees with me that it's almost impossible to pick who you like better between Cap or Bucky, and by that I mean the original, sane Bucky.  We'd both take either one.  ;) )  So be looking for a new post in a few days! 

Check it Out! - Captain America: The First Avenger

Since I have definite plans to watch "Avengers: Age of Ultron" whenever it gets to our local $3 theater, I realized that it would probably be a good idea for me to watch both Captain America movies before I saw Ultron, since from what I've heard that "Winter Soldier" gives a lot of background for Ultron, and of course you never watch a sequel before watching the first movie (not if you're me, anyway).  So I've finally watched "Captain America: the First Avenger".

It was kind of interesting, seeing as how I've already been acquainted with Cap thanks to "Avengers", to go back and learn his beginnings and to get to know him better.  I knew that he was a really good guy with strong morals, but I had no idea that he had that much strength of character!  (As I told a friend after I watched the movie, "I have found my soulmate!"  She thought it was funny for some reason...)  What was a little surprising about the movie was that, even though I KNOW what happens later on, I STILL cried twice during the movie.  I mean, obviously Cap doesn't die when the plane crashes (and from what I've read of "Winter Soldier" I know that (spoiler!) Bucky doesn't die, either), but there I was with tears rolling down my face like I'd lost a close friend.  All I can say is that the writers and directors of these movies do a GREAT job, making them both emotional and enjoyable.  The humor in this one wasn't quite as prevalent as it is in Avengers or even in the Thor movies, but it was always very well placed.  And I love that, while all of the movies have incredible action sequences, none of them are bloody, which is what I can't stand.  I can take computer-animated aliens all day, but one gory, bleeding limb and I've got my eyes shut for the rest of the scene.

Since I have done my posts on Avengers, Thor I, and Thor II in a character-analysis format, I figure I might as well stick with that theme.  So, here we go...

Steve Rogers aka Captain America:  Oh, where to start on describing him?  How about we just say "perfect" and go with that?  ;)  Ok, ok, he isn't perfect, but boy, his positive characteristics sure outweigh his negatives by a long shot.  He could be called stubborn, but a lot of that came from his background of being bullied and of not allowing that to define who he was.  It was from that background that he developed his strength of character.  If you are never tested, you never grow.  Then after he is changed from the sickly little guy into the super soldier, he doesn't let his new power go to his head.  Instead he uses it to defend those who were in the same position he had been in.  As he explains when he is asked why he wants to kill Nazis, "I don't like bullies."  The one thing about him that helps remind us that he is still human, though, is that he is awkward around most girls and doesn't understand much about them, which could be infuriating if you were actually with him but for us outside observers it can be kinda cute.  :)

Johann Schmidt aka The Red Skull:  The head of Hitler's scientific research unit (HYDRA), he believes that what was viewed as magic in the old days and what is now considered science are connected.  He finds the Tesseract and uses it to create a line of vaporizing weapons, and then ditches Hitler and decides to take over the world for himself. (In a video clip shared below under a different profile it explains how he became the Red Skull, which fortunately just looks like a glowing red face without a nose and isn't all that creepy).

James "Bucky" Barnes:  You first meet Bucky as he is pulling a bully off of Steve.  While it is never said how long the two friends have known each other, you get the impression that they have been close since childhood, and that Bucky as always stood up for Steve.  He doesn't quite understand why Steve is so "stubborn" and why he always insists on not "staying safe", but his loyalty is unwavering, even unto the point of death.  (One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Steve has asked him if he's ready to "follow Captain America into the jaws of death", and Bucky says, "[Heck] no.  That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight?  I'm following him." <3 )

Dr. Abraham Erskine:  The scientist who created the serum that changes Steve into a super soldier, he is the one who saw beyond Steve's physical appearance and saw his character and his potential.  The scene below I think is one of the most powerful in the whole movie.

What a wise man!  And then as he is dying on the floor after being shot, he just taps Steve in the chest like he's trying to say, "Remember who you are in here.  Never change that."

Agent Peggy Carter:  A special British agent who has been "allowed" to be an assistant in the American army, she has encountered a lot of rebuff and stigma while trying to prove that she really is capable of doing a man's job, and because of that she has become hardened and cynical about all the men she meets.  Then she encounters Steve.  You can almost see the moment when she falls in love with him.

And who wouldn't?  When you've been surrounded by arrogant, big-talking men for a long time, and then someone (even, or maybe I should say especially, if he is a shrimp) shows that he has more guts and concern for others than anyone else, you're naturally going to be drawn to it.  She doesn't let on about it until close to the end because of the wall of protection she has had to build around herself to succeed in her business, but as her feelings grow they get harder and harder to hide.

Col. Chester Phillips:  The commander of Steve's unit, he is not only the one who has to help Dr. Erskine find a guinea pig for his experiment, he is also the one who gave Peggy her chance to do what she felt called to do.  And at times he regrets doing both.  It takes him a while to see that Steve really was the best choice for the experiment, and once he finally does, he's as much behind him as anyone else.

Howard Stark:  This is the guy who started the whole Stark empire (which is later under the care of his son, who might just be a familiar character in an iron suit...I must say they did a great job finding an actor that looked like he could be related to Robert Downing, Jr.).  He helps with the experiment on Steve, helps Steve pull off his first mission, and then creates for Steve a new, more functional uniform and, most importantly, his iconic shield.  While he does have a few similarities personality-wise with his son, he isn't as snide or egotistical and is a bit more open and friendly.

Cap's Commando Squad:  When Steve rescues Bucky from the Red Skull, he first found a whole bunch of other guys who were being held captive.  The ones who lead the way for getting out of the compound while Steve was still searching for Bucky ended up being asked to become his special group to help him break up all the other HYDRA bases.  And what a group they were!  A crack unit full of unique guys  (or, as Steve refers to them lovingly at one point, "a bunch of idiots").  They were: "Dum Dum" Dugan, a bowler-wearing muscle-man, Gabe Jones, an African-American who can speak both German and French, Jim Morita, a Japanese-American who proves invaluable, Jacque Dernier, a former French Resistance fighter, and James Montgomery Falsworth, a trusty British soldier.


Overall, while this movie was very well done, I think I like the Thor movies a little bit better.  I couldn't really say why, but that's just my personal preference.  I will say that if I had to choose between the character of Thor and the character of Steve Rogers, I would pick Steve, but out of the movies about them Thor's were just a bit more enjoyable.  I am still planning on watching "Winter Soldier", though!  So be on the lookout for that blog post.  :)

Best of the MLB Fan Cave

Time to get back into this blogging thing!  Sorry about the short hiatus.  So, let's kick this off by talking about something that has come to an end (who doesn't love a good irony?)
   
Back before this current baseball season started, it was announced that after four years the MLB Fan Cave would cease to exist.  It's kind of sad, but I do have to admit I'm not surprised.  Last year I didn't even keep up with it much, a large reason being the fact that we (the fans) didn't have any input as to who the Dwellers were and therefore didn't have any kind of investment in it.  And from the little bit that I did see, the videos didn't seem to have the same homey, personal flavor the previous three years had had, and had a more on-the-road, finding-the-players-where-they-have-to-be-and-interviewing-them feel.  The Fan Cave was missing aspect where we got to see the Dwellers  goofing around with the players and seeing the fun side of different athletes' personalities by having them doing things that were not necessarily baseball related.  That was what made the first three years so enjoyable to watch.  So, in remembrance of the Fan Cave's glory years, here are my top favorite Fan Cave videos (or at least some of them.  During the first two years there were so many fun ones it's hard to remember them all or find them again).

Bullpen Mafia, 2011

First Cave Dweller Mike O'Hara really was the best guy to help get people into following the Fan Cave.  He just had the right personality, talent and humor to draw attention to what the Cave was doing (wingman Ryan Wagner was pretty good, too).  Honestly, after the first year things just started slowly going downhill.

Marty Dolan Takes over the Fan Cave, 2011

This is the only clip that I couldn't find on YouTube, which is a pity because I think it is one of the funniest ever done.  I loved Mike O'Hara's alter ego, Marty Dolan, and his snarky attitude.  "He" added a whole new dimension to the Fan Cave, and of course in this clip he is allowed to go wild.  (The very last part of the clip is my favorite!  Because you know that Nick Swisher would've said, "Yeah, man! I'd love to!"  :)

Jose Bautista "The Hitman", 2011

C'mon, who doesn't have an ever-so-slight fascination with the mafia?  Even if it's because of all the dark guys in nice suits there's still...something. One thing that impresses me the most about Jose Bautista's performance in this is that you would never guess that he wasn't from da Bronx or another big gangster city.  Absolutely great job.

"Batters that I Used to Know", 2012

This is a very well done parody, and now that I've experienced the trades of some well-loved players (e.g. Martin Prado, Ian Kinsler, Craig Kimbrel) the emotion behind this song is much more powerful.  Whenever I hear the original song playing in a store or somewhere, I find myself singing under my breath "You're a Giant and a Dodger now..."  Yeah, I'm messed up.

Dueling Harry Careys, 2012

The Fan Cave brought every Harry Carey impersonation fan's dream come true!  Pretty much as soon as Ryan Dempster was traded to the Rangers (oh, happy day!), a bunch of people began speculating when a Harry Carey-off was going to occur.  Thank you, Fan Cave!!!!!!!!  (Personally, I think Ryan's version is the best).

The Nationals' Bullpen Reads 50 Shades, 2012

This is so awkward it's funny.  This is the closest I am ever going to get to reading the book OR seeing the movie, and as far as I'm concerned this is perfectly fine.


"MLB BFF", 2012

This is so cute!  Where can I get an MLB BFF???  I do have friends that like baseball, thank goodness, but they aren't anything like J.J. Hardy.  ;)  (Jk!)

Miguel Cabrera's Telanova, 2012

I'm not into soap operas, but this is a pretty funny spoof.  Several of the physical gags in the clip are very well timed.

Craig Kimbrel Staredown, 2013

There is no way I could have survived that game!  Using a distraction tactic like one of the guys in the video would have been my only hope (if I could have thought of a good one, which under those circumstances would have been very unlikely.  I would have been so starstruck!)  I miss seeing Craig in a Braves uni. :(

Rangers do Dumb & Dumber, 2013

If I remember correctly, Derek Holland did actually get a cameo in the movie (I don't think Justin Grimm did, though.  Probably because he was traded to the Cubs and they didn't want to bother tracking him down).  And what's a movie nowadays without bloopers?  :)

I'm sure it would be impossible to do a video with Dutch and not get some pretty good bloopers out of it.  He just seems like that kind of guy.


BONUS!!!!!!

I had to include my favorite Dweller submission video.  And the best part is that it worked!  His impression of Brian Wilson still cracks me up three years after first seeing it.

RIP, MLB Fan Cave.  Thanks for bringing us joy while you existed (and I have to admit, a part of me still wishes I could have been a part of it).

Character Comparison - "F Troop" v. "Hogan's Heroes"

During this cold, cold February, there hasn't really been much to do besides try not to worry about what the Braves season will be like, revive this blog, and watch TV.  As I believe I have mentioned before, I really like older TV shows, specifically from the '60s.  They are clean and they are funny, which can't be said as much for modern shows (at least not what I have seen of them).  Two of my favorites are F Troop (which I talked about briefly in an earlier post) and Hogan's Heroes, which I was only introduced to within the last six months.  I got to thinking recently about how these shows share some similarities.  They both have an armed forces setting (one in a US Cavalry fort, the other in a WWII POW camp for members of the Allied Air Forces), they both have a wide variety of characters that somehow work together to make a fantastic blend of delightful humor, and it turns out that several of the same writers worked for both shows, which probably explains some of the similarities.  Anyway, since I have the same amount of experience with both of them (F Troop had two seasons and I've seen two seasons of Hogan's Heroes) I thought it could be fun to compare the characters and see who was who's closest counterpart.  So, let's go!

*one character is missing from the F Troop pic, and one additional one is in the Hogan's Heroes pic.


Sgt. O'Rourke v. Col. Hogan

Sgt. Morgan O'Rourk, US Cavalry - A veteran of the Mexican-American war, O'Rourke is tough as nails and has gained all the smarts needed to not only run Fort Courage without his commander realizing it, but to also own the local saloon AND run a souvenir business with the local Indian tribe to supplement his Army pay behind the Captain's back.  Out of all the men in F Troop, he is the only one who truly fits all the qualifications of a soldier and a leader, and he does take advantage of it.  Despite his rough exterior, there are times when his Irish sentimentality comes through and he will do something for someone else without any thought of what he will get in return.

Col. Robert Hogan, USAF - After he was shot down over Germany and taken prisoner, Hogan decided to take advantage of being behind enemy lines and turned his prison camp, Stalag 13, into an underground base for sabotage and for helping to get fellow prisoners and defectors out of the country.  He and his men wreck havoc on anything that the Germans put within their reach, all under the nose of the camp's commandant and, after a while, the Gestapo.  He also has something about him that makes him pretty irresistible to almost all the women on the show, which more often than not he uses to his advantage (although he will admit that sometimes he doesn't come out unscathed from those encounters).

These two are definitely the ones that are the most alike.  They are both schemers, they are both sneaky, they are both a bit cocky and VERY self-assured, they are both skilled, charismatic manipulators, and they both have the luck to be able to pull off their schemes most of the time.  The main difference is who they are doing it for.  O'Rourke is doing it for himself to make a fast buck, while Hogan is doing it to aid the Allied cause.  As to whether that makes Hogan's plans more ethical or not is up for discussion.  But it can't be denied that no matter which of them is doing the planning, laughs are almost always sure to ensue!  And of course there are times where their plans backfire and they have to scramble to try to keep everything together (and always somehow manage to do so).

Chief Wild Eagle v. Cpl. Newkirk

 

Chief Wild Eagle - The chief of the small, peaceful Hekawis Indian tribe, he heads the Native American side of O'Rourke Enterprises.  While he is a willing partner with O'Rourke, he also stands up for his people's rights in the partnership and makes sure that O'Rourke doesn't take advantage of them.  He frequently offers  helpful advice to others on the show who are having a problem (or, to be more accurate, tries to offer, but more often than not it "looses something in translation", as he puts it).  He also has to put up with his heir-apparent, a brave named Crazy Cat, who keeps "pushing" him to try to become chief sooner.

Cpl. Peter Newkirk, RAF - He is the one that Hogan goes to whenever any kind of con work needs to be done.  A skilled slight-of-hand artist, he uses his talent to lift "important" objects off of other people and to distract others while information is being gathered or while incriminating things are being hidden out of sight.  He is also the resident safe-cracker, forger and card shark.  He occasionally becomes the weakest link in Hogan's chain thanks to his tendency to fall for a pretty face (but he never, ever gets the girl in the end.  Ever.  Which is a surprise considering his accent, in my opinion.  ;)  I guess Germans just don't find a Cockney drawl attractive).   

*Update: After seeing all six seasons of Hogan's Heroes, there are a couple of times where Newkirk does get the girl, but it's very rare.

These two characters don't exactly have similar roles in their respective shows, but their personalities are a bit more alike.  They both can be pretty sarcastic at times with some pretty good one-liners, and they both can be about as sneaky as the duo mentioned above, with Wild Eagle even pulling a few over on O'Rourke (if Newkirk wasn't on the same side as Hogan, I bet he would have occasionally, too.  Or at least checkmated him).  There are also times where they are left scratching their heads at the plans that they are asked to assist in, and as often as not they don't agree until they have weighed how harmful or beneficial the possible outcome could be to them personally.  But they always come through in the end, either because of their conscience bothering them or because of getting a good deal.

Capt. Parmenter v. Sgt. Carter

     

Capt. Wilton Parmenter, US Cavalry - Descended from a long line of army heroes in which he is a misfit, the Captain earns his officer's bars by accident, by sneezing during the Battle of Appomattox close to some retreating soldiers who thought he was saying "Charge!" and who obeyed the "order" and changed the tide of the battle.  As a result of his "bravery", he is given the command of Fort Courage and F Troop, the most inept group of soldiers in the whole cavalry.  Wanting to do the best he can with what has been thrust upon him, he is hardly caught anywhere without his Officer's Manual.

Technical Sgt. Andrew Carter, USAF - He is the group's bomb and explosive expert.  He is never happier than when he is working on a plan to blow something up, responding to Hogan's requests with his trademark "You got it, boy - er, sir!"  And, as Hogan puts it, Carter is the soldier who "looks more like a German than the rest of us", so he is usually their go-to whenever they need a physical impersonator, especially of Hitler.  It is also mentioned in one show that he is a Sioux Indian (but he can't be full-blooded, since he IS the most German-looking of the whole group.  Go figure).

These guys are shown as the simple-minded sweethearts of their respective shows (which I don't think is quite fair to Carter, because sometimes he does some very quick thinking that gets his buddies out of trouble).  Both of them are very tenderhearted, have strong moral codes, always try to think the best about people, are a bit naive, and can be depended on to stick to their duty whatever the cost.  And like the Captain came into his roll by accident, in one show Carter admits the he doesn't know why he was ever drafted.  The biggest difference between them is that the Captain is a klutz.  Thankfully for the boys in Stalag 13, Carter isn't.  Even without that they have enough close calls with his experiments!

Cpl. Agarn v. Cpl. LeBeau
                                                                                                                                                           

 

Cpl. Randolph Agarn, ditto - He is O'Rourke's right hand man and vice president.  He's not much better than the other soldiers in F Troop, thanks to his fear of blood (and a good many other things), but he is very good with mimicry and impersonations, which they sometimes use to get out of scrapes.  He can be just as greedy as O'Rourke, but isn't half as smart.  Whenever he does come up with a good idea, it is usually met with by an exclamation of "Agarn, I don't know why they say you're so dumb!"  (which he first treats as a compliment, then responds to hours later with, "Who says I'm dumb?!?!?!?")

Cpl. Louis LeBeau, FAFL (Free French Air Force, translated) - Possibly the first POW to be imprisoned in Stalag 13, he is the group's master chef. He uses his cooking skills to aid in the distraction and/or wooing of various Germans.  He also has the best relationship with the guard dogs, which comes in handy quite often.  Because he is much smaller than the other members of the group, he usually gets stuck into tight places to eavesdrop or to gets smuggled into somewhere that the others couldn't otherwise get in to.  And the fact that he is the only Continental European in the group makes him invaluable since they frequently run into other French people.   

These two don't have as much in common on the surface, but when you dig a little deeper you see that they do have some similarities.  Both of them are very romantic and flirtatious (and a bit gullible with women, although LeBeau isn't as bad as Newkirk and occasionally does get his girl), almost always wear their feelings on their sleeves, can be pretty loud at times, and whenever they get involved in something they give 250% with loads of enthusiasm.  They also both have a somewhat tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and out of all these comparisons they are the ones that look the most alike, at least as far as coloring and height.  And Agarn can do a pretty decent French accent.

Wrangler Jane v. Sgt. Kinchloe

  

"Wrangler" Jane Angelica Thrift - She runs the local trading post and Post Office and is the town's resident sharpshooter, star horsewoman and great cook.  A spunky tomboy, she has her cap set for Captain Parmenter, and isn't shy about showing it (although the Captain is sometimes still oblivious).  She joins the soldiers in their battles against the ferocious Shug Indians, and usually nails more of them than the whole fort combined.  Because of her being the local Postmistress and telegraph operator, she also serves as the fort's pipeline for communication with the rest of the army and usually gets word of what's going on before anyone else does.

Staff Sgt. Ivan Kinchloe, USAF - Kinch serves as the group's radio man and mechanic.  He is also most often the one used whenever they need a voice impression of a German for phone calls or radio broadcasts.  As the most level-headed of the non-coms, he serves as Hogan's unofficial second in command, even though he is technically outranked by Carter.  Because he is an African American in a European country, he isn't able to participate as freely in the groups' sabotage missions and is usually left behind to keep things under control at Stalag 13, although he does help on some night missions and when they are wearing masks with their costumes (such as when they impersonate a Gestapo execution squad).

Bear with me a bit on this one.  The first similarity between these two is that they are the minority on each of their respective shows.  Wrangler is the only girl that's regularly on F Troop, and Kinch is the only African American with a main role on Hogan's Heroes (until he was replaced in the sixth season, anyway).  They both serve as the primary connection with the outside world for both groups of soldiers, both use Morse Code as a part of that connection, and they are both the most steady and dependable characters on their shows.  They are always there and always ready for whatever happens, and they are the most trusted and relied on by their associates (because of Wrangler's superior ability to shoot and ride and Kinch's understanding of the mechanical devices they depend on for information).


Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with comparisons for any of the other wonderful characters on either of these shows, specifically Col. Wilhelm Klink or Sgt. Hans Schultz, the bumbling commander and staff sergeant of Stalag 13.  But the fact that they are the "enemy" on Hogan's Heroes and that F Troop has no regular "enemy" made it well nigh impossible to come up with anyone to compare them with.  So I will have to leave them just as they deserve to be, unparalleled.  :)

I don't think Hogan is impressed with that.

My Top MLB Commercials, Endorsement Edition

This poor blog has been neglected for way too long, and I have nobody to blame but myself.  It's tough as a writer to get motivated sometimes!  So, to break this long silence and to help myself with my baseball offseason blues, I'm now wrapping up my trilogy on MLB commercials.  Seeing as how it's been almost a year since I did the first one, it's high time I finished it (good heavens, have I really been doing this blog for a year now?)  I have covered commercials done by different MLB teams, as well as the commercials done by SportsCenter, so now let's look at my top five commercials of players doing endorsements.  These are done in order from the least entertaining out of the five to the BEST ONE EVER MADE (aka my obvious favorite, although number 2 is pretty close behind it).  Here we go!

#5 - Derek Jeter, Ford

 
In my opinion, the kid is really the star of the commercial.  He is so cute and expressive!  "Are you sure you're not a baseball player???"  And it reflects Jeter's apparent affection for young fans.

#4 -  Justin Verlander & CJ Wilson, MLB 2K12

Guys and their video games....... *ninja* 
I bet games between these guys probably do get pretty intense sometimes.

#3 - Joe Mauer, Head and Shoulders

I had originally been looking for a different H&S commercial with Joe, but this one is just as funny.  Good ol' Joe just can't tell a lie.

#2 - Nick Swisher & Jonathan Papelbon, Philips Norelco

This right here is what made me become a fan of Nick Swisher.  He is so adorable, just like a puppy!  The way he's grinning like he's so proud of himself at the end of the commercial gets me every time.  :)  (He's also a pretty good actor.  He makes it actually look like he's talking across the screen to Papelbon).

And......drum-roll, please!!!!!

#1 - Tom Glavin & Greg Maddux, Nike

This commercial should seriously be placed in the Hall of Fame along with its' two stars.  Stick a little TV screen between the displays dedicated to Glav and Mad Dog and have it play on loop, that would be perfect!  This commercial is also what kicked off the whole thing with "Chicks Dig the Long Ball" and its' several variants.  (Personally, I dig anything that will win the game for the team I'm pulling for, but specifically walkoffs).  ;) 


Well, there you have it!  Maybe now I'll be motivated to get back on here and post more often.  We'll have to see!  And please, baseball, get back here soon????