Movie Roundup (Bladerunner and Thor)

My wife and I try to catch a movie at the theater every weekend, when we can. Sometimes, movies disappoint, but Rotten Tomatoes has definitely helped us find the movies that are going to entertain us. I haven’t done a movie review in a while, but I need to catch up.

For now, let’s talk about Bladerunner 2049 and Thor. We’ll start with Bladerunner and why you should see it.

The original Bladerunner flopped at the box office and only gained recognition after its box office run, when people began to watch it at video rental stores in the 80s. It gained a cult following and has been consistently named one of the best science fiction films of all time.

What may surprise you is that Bladerunner 2049 beats the original in every conceivable way. Bladerunner 2049 is simply one of the best science fiction films I think we’ve ever seen. It is that rare sequel that is better than the first.

The plot of the 2nd movie was actually surprising to me, while the plot of the original was not. The casting was really well done, and each actor made their characters, even the androids, very relatable. The central theme builds on the premise of the value of android lives but in a new and unexpected way. There are intellectual elements of the movie Her in here, but twisted in a way that relates the issue to how Androids might fall in love with technology. It’s actually quite amazing. This movie is a solid 5 stars. It will make you think. It will make you feel, and if you love science fiction, you are almost certainly going to love the look, feel, and smarts of this film. I know Jenny and I certainly did!

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The second movie absolutely worth talking about that is currently in theaters is Thor: Ragnarok. One of my wife’s and my favorite comedies is “What We Do in the Shadows.” It was an absolutely hilarious mockumentary about vampires dealing with the modern age. If you haven’t seen it, you should definitely check it out. Why is “What We Do in the Shadows” relevant? Because the director for Thor is the same one who directed and starred in both films. The guy is hilarious.

And that’s what makes “Thor: Ragnarok” really special. It’s not as deep as Bladerunner. Very few films are. However, it takes the concepts in Thor, especially all of the craziest sci-fi concepts in the Thor universe, and it makes them fun and relatable in a way that the previous two Thor films simply did not do. The first two Thors, I still enjoyed, but they were often very dark and very pure blockbuster format. “Thor: Ragnarok” sticks to the blockbuster format but then makes fun of itself and invites the audience along for the laughs.

Thor gets captured. Busts out. Beats the bad guy. Thor gets captured. Fights with a friend, is betrayed, busts out, and beats the bad guy. Loses part of himself but also gains new power in the process. Formulaic right?

The keys to this film are in the details and its execution. The supporting cast bolster this film even more than Thor does, but Chris Hemsworth also gets to show off his comedic timing–which is spot on throughout. Taika Waititi makes a fun supporting character with a voiceover that is just so wildly different from what the character would usually speak like, and he’s also got the bumbling supercharacter shtick that he had in “What We Do in the Shadows.” Powerful but hopelessly socially awkward and a bit thick. It makes for some very funny stuff.

And Cate Blanchett? Amazing job. Powerful and oddly sensual. She conveys this dangerous, beautiful, and strong bad character that is easy to understand and empathize with (she’s been wronged by Odin).

I’m sure I would have seen this movie, with or without Taika Waititi directing it, but man, am I so glad that Marvel took a chance on him. That risk definitely paid off. I can’t wait to see what he does next!

Definitely another 5 star movie in my opinion, but for very different reasons. Bladerunner is topnotch sci-fi. Thor is fun and very humorous. If you’re in the mood for a comedy, especially, Thor: Ragnarok will not disappoint!

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Now, back to books briefly. My fourth novel is in the hands of beta readers. It’s going to be released as part of the Wrath and Ruin limited edition box set, and right now, the set is only 99 cents as a pre-order.

This set has 25 authors and 24 novels in it. Some of these guys and gals are USA Today Bestselling Science Fiction and Fantasy authors. Authors like Isaac Hooke, Nicole Zoltack, Lydia Sherrer, Cortney Pearson, Ali Winters, and Pamita Rao. You can click on the image to the left to find some preorder links to all the major vendors. In case the link isn’t working, here is another page that has links to all vendors as well.

For 99 cents, as it’s priced right now, this is an absolute steal. When I heard about this set, I knew I wanted to be a part of it, and it was a great forcing function for me to finish The People’s Necromancer. I can’t wait for you guys to read this book. If you weren’t able to make the Facebook Launch, you missed a great time. You also missed some fun giveaways (I gave away all of my books for free, for a limited time).

I’m now working on The Dark Paladin, the sequel to The People’s Necromancer. I’m hoping to release it in 2018.