The Avengers

Watching the commercials for The Avengers, I groaned. I knew I would see it in the theatres, but it looked like the worst of the three preceding movies (Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America). I wasn't looking forward to wasting my money.

It turned out to be my favorite. Good fun, and so funny at times, I need to see it again to catch the lines I missed because we were laughing so hard. It was so good, I was talking to the screen like I was at home. (or I'm turning into my mother.)

More thoughts. Yes, there are spoilers, so continue reading after you've seen the movie.

Based on the previews, The Avengers is for families (Brave, Frankenweenie), teen age boys (Battleship, The Amazing Spiderman, The Dictator, Dark Knight Rises), and fans of the first Alien movie (Prometheus).

Was it wrong of me to laugh at the end of the preview for The Dictator? 'Cause that part was funny to me.

Battleship still looks like Transformers.

I'm sure Dark Knight Rises will be good. But…

Nice integration of the Black Widow stunts. So much better than in Iron Man 2, where we saw the sharp cut from stunt woman to ScarJo posing with all her might. This time, I almost believed it was her.

Fun Easter Egg*. Cap'n looks asleep, and Dr. Banner looks like he hadn't eaten in years.

I heart Jeremy Renner.

I miss Phil.

I'm glad the lady didn't die in the beginning.

I miss the ambiguity of Loki that we saw in Thor. But I'm satisfied with how he came to be less ambiguous in his evilness.

I'm not saying the Avengers is unpredictable. I'm saying the journey is fun.

Nice subtlety to the Acura plug.

Seeing Cap'n ride a motorcycle reminds me of Wolverine.

Not sure you needed to grease up Hawkeye's biceps that much. But thank you.

I was worried the Lego commercial would ruin the movie. It didn't.

All due respect Mr. Whedon, but a tesseract is a wrinkle in time, not an unlimited form of energy from Asgaard.

Samuel L. Jackson in a black leather trench coat. He's a baaaddd…shut your mouth.

I've got so many comics to read. Who's the Red Guy?

Natasha and Clinton sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

It was a small moment when Dr. Banner realizes the Hulk is indeed controllable. But it was a nice moment.

Just the right amount of drama .Of course Tony will make it back through the wormhole thingy. Unless that's somebody's sequel…

Yeah, I would actually pay money to see in the theater again. It was that fun.

*An Easter Egg is a bit o' something after the closing credits, but before the screen turns blue.

TRON: Uprising

Flipping through the channels, I saw that TRON: Uprising would be on at 6:30pm. I made a point of watching it.

I'm a little surprised by how much I enjoy the TRON movies. I find the original entertaining because it was meant to be bit cutting edge for its time. They named the accounting program RAM? Really? Truth be told, I really like the light cycle sequence. Despite the age of the special effects, it still mesmerizes me.

Of course, I like TRON: Legacy primarily because Garrett Hedlund is such a cutie pie. Reason #2: Michael Sheen chewing it up at Zuse. This is the guy who played Tony Blair in The Queen. Love how over the top he is in T:L. Reason #3: The colors. Or lack of. Black, White and Red. Interesting set decoration and such.

TRON: Uprising is a new cartoon that takes place before TRON Legacy. Clu has taken over. Tron is thought to be dead. Another program, Beck, rises to take his place and free the Grid from the tyranny of Clu.

It's animation in a computer universe. You've got characters voiced by Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore,

Emmanuelle Chriqui (who also voices Cheetara in the ThunderCats re-boot), Reginald VelJohnson (the dad from Family Matters), and Bruce Boxlietner, reprising his role as Tron. You've got Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the folks behind Once Upon a Time. What can go wrong?

Maybe it was the tv, but the sound was so loud I couldn't hear the dialogue. The action scenes were uninspiring. I don't know if it was the story or the animation, but I wasn't drawn in. Things seemed promising…but flat. I'm not sticking around to find it in its normal time slot. But I do think it has the potential to be a better show. I hope it improves.