Spidey In Age of Ultron

Sony being Spider-Man

Here's how I would put Spider-Man in Age of Ultron.

In the post-credits scene after Age of Ultron, we see Tony Stark finishing up a lecture at a high school.  "...it was something that was...unavoidable," Tony finishes.  Then we see a hand shoot up in the air from the crowd.   We don't see a face, just the hand.  Tony stops and looks over to the student, and we hear a voice say, "You just could have made a morality loop in the firmware."

"Yea, thanks, pal.  I'll call you next time," Tony replies, annoyed.

"It's Peter," says the boy. And we cut to his face and see a young Parker.

Cut to black.

I'm so excited for Spider-Man to join the Avengers. I think that he will truly make Civil War the experience it needs to be.  Some people are upset that Black Panther won't be in it, but I feel like he will be.  It'd be cool to see them both switch sides, then having tag team fight.   Can you tell I'm excited?

I know that I use Peter Parker in my hypothetical introduction, but I also feel that having a black Spider-Man would differentiate him from Garfield and McGuire.  It's ultimately up to Sony, but I think that'd be an interesting solution to multiple Spider-men.

Better Call Saul

"Just the right amount of dirty."

Last week we were reintroduced to Saul Goodman. Or, as he used to be called, James McGill.

One minute in, I remember what I had been missing since Breaking Bad's explosive finale. Amazing TV.  Everything in this show feels really deliberate and you know that Vince Gilligan has a plan for everything.   It draws you in, and you immediately sympathize with James, who's just trying to make it as a lawyer in the ABQ. I think they were very wise to go with Saul.  His character was already “bad,” now we get to see how he was before.

The first thing that really caught my attention was Ignacio's character.  When we first meet Saul, he thinks he's going to die and throws someone called "Ignacio" under the bus.   Now I'm wondering, that the hell is going to happen between these two guys.  I don't see them being partners like Jesse and Walt, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on that relationship.   Also I'm pretty sure that Ignacio is played by the same guy who's the villain in Far Cry 3.

He's not cut to be a straight-edge lawyer.  He's meant for bigger, badder things.  And I can't wait for him to face off against Hamlin & Hamlin.

El Chapulin Colorado

Wait, let me explain!

Why is there a middle-aged man wearing antennae and a red hood?   

To anyone from north of the border, I'm sure this is all very confusing.  Just take a breath, and let's jump into it.  He's El Chapulin Colorado.  Which basically translates to "The Red Grasshopper." 

He's hard to compare to anyone from Hollywood.  The best I can come up with is an even sillier version of the Adam West Batman.  He uses a giant hammer, shrinking pills, and his wit to fight evil--doers.  But not just super-villains: also, abusive parents and leaders.  

This guy did it all.  He also had a skit show about a hotel (think SNL) and a show about a little boy that lives in a barrel.  Seriously.  You have some Googling to do, my friend.  I genuinely feel a little sorry for anyone that hasn't laughed to this man's work.

Why is this important? Well, because to us Spanish-speakers, he was even bigger than Batman.  Yes, that's right.  This guy basically was SNL, Batman, and Jerry Seinfeld rolled into one.  His name was Chespirito and he died a few months ago.  I have to write about him because of all the hours I spent watching his shows with my family.

Antennae's off to this man.

FILM: God's Not Dead

Bad? Good?  I can't even say.

For the purpose of this blog post I will not state my religion.  I'm going to try to talk about this movie, as a movie.

Did you every get that mail chain about the militantly atheist professor?  The one where the brave, Christian student stands up to and shames the professor?  Well it's now a full-length film.  I'm not kidding, go watch it.  Here's why you should.  And because this is a personal blog, I'm going to use a hacky, numbered list.

1. The debates are solid.  Up until the end (take a wild guess who wins) the debates about philosophy are pretty solid.  If you think they're not, you can surely find someone else to debate that with you.
2. It's kind of silly.  There are 4 or 5 stories in this film, and some of them seemingly go nowhere.  I'm not saying this movie is like The Room, but you'll be entertained for reasons they don't want you to be entertained.
3. Last 20 minutes are a Christian rock concert.  My jaw dropped.  It's very self-indulgent, but I was totally game for it.
4. It's a challenge to be open-minded.  I struggle with this myself, but let's not be negative all the time.  This movie didn't sell me on Christianity, and I watched it without internally mocking Christians.  I hate the idea that some people are going to whine the whole time when they watch this movie.  Be generous and try to enjoy it.  Don't boil with anger when they tell you to text everyone you know. Just don't do it.