Full-color Visual Dump

Obviously, it's time to kick this blog into full swing. I had a peek at the number of posts over the years (okay, so its been barely two), and I have far, far fewer posts this year than last... which was less than the previous year. This cannot stand!

Here we go - a quick and easy post - a few of the latest photos from the newest 'resident tourist' on Vancouver Island. What you see here is only perhaps a tenth of the images that I've shot, but I need to bleed some of the pressure of the backlog of pictures that I've shot here and want to share with you. A visual dump, if you will - in full color and in your face. I guess this sounds nasty, but it's actually quite nice to look at.

Let me stop right here and say something. I like to think of myself as being seriously into photography, and I seriously think I am pretty good at it, but I don't think any single one of us out there should take ourselves too seriously. I know the above 'joke' about 'dump in your face' didn't go right above your heads. C'mon, I mean, you wanna be hip, right? You all saw Team America:World Police and South Park:Bigger, Longer and Uncut - right? Anyway, it's a joke - calm down.


Hope you like mountains, trees and water... cuz I do. So here's some more. If you've seen any of these before, good for you - I will not apologize for double-posting my own images, since people all around the world are probably stealing them anyway...

******************************

***************************

Here's a few parting thoughts for the day -

-My hit counter for Alliance of One is currently 3333. Bitchin'. That's a cool number, and I still can't believe that so many people have looked at my s**t. I'm sure most of them were Google Image searchers who've never actually bothered to read the actual blog, but still...

-I haven't photographed an action figure in about three months. That's significant to me, and it shows that I'm recovering well and am showing fewer signs of withdrawal. (Seriously, though, there's more than enough outdoors to look at on Van Isle to make me not want to stay inside and hunch over the table posing a bunch of little plastic men indoors.) Rest assured however, my brain waves will be resonating on that frequency soon... (Stay Tuned!)

-I am a lucky, lucky man. I am living in the place where I've wanted to live for the last ten years - a place where I feel I belong. I also have an amazing family that I love very dearly, and great friends that have made me feel welcome here in my island paradise. Thanks everyone!

May the Force be with you...

An Ignorant Canadian's Guide to Asian Cinema

It's that time again... time for movie reviews. As a rule, I generally avoid the theatre, except for very special occasions (see :Thor Movie Review). I also don't care for very many mainstream movies anymore. I've just had enough of the same old recycled Hollywood crap.... OK, so maybe I still enjoy watching that crap once in awhile, but I don't like to pay $13 a pop to see the latest, greatest load of exploding mega-crap in the theatre, no matter whether it's in 3-D, Digital 3-D, Real D or any other type of D. Don't make me pay $3 extra just so I can experience gunfights, explosions and robots transforming into vehicles right in front of my face. More often than not, at the usual breakneck pace of today's "blockbusters", to me it's all just sensory overload - everything is simply too flashy, noisy, blurry and highly forgettable.

 I like to hang back and listen to the buzz about new movies before seeing them, and I'll almost always wait for the DVD or (even better) Netflix. Even movies that I really want to see, like the final Harry Potter film, Green Lantern and Captain America, well... they kind of get put on the back burner. I guess you could say that movies are not priority for me right now. (I haven't seen any of the previously mentioned films yet, BTW.)

So what does the pickiest movie watcher in North America actually watch? Foreign movies are usually a good bet for me. It just seems to me that they are a lot less predictable and a good deal more enlightening - ie: you can actually see what the rest of the world is like outside of Hollywood's skewed perspective... Even though a lot of overseas film studios may try desperately to emulate the American movie styles and templates, there's a much better chance that you'll actually see something truly original. Don't get me wrong - I don't watch foreign movies because I'm some sort of hoity-toity movie connoisseur...  I rarely (if ever) will watch a movie because it was nominated for or won some sort of Hollywood Pat-on-the-Back Award. (Seriously, who the f**k cares?)  I just want to see something different... and I guess it makes me feel good to want to be different.

OK, so you're tired of listening to me rag on the American film industry... yeah, yeah - I know. Boo-hoo... poor rich American Studio execs.... whose ever going to stand up for them?

I've always gravitated towards Asian cinema, especially Japanese and Chinese. To me, Japan=Godzilla and China=Bruce Lee. Obviously there are a lot more things to be said and remembered about these two countries, but I would never have cared if it weren't for these two movie stars. (Anyone who tells me that Godzilla is not a star deserves a punch in the throat - Bruce Lee style.) It seems I have learned about Asian cultures through badly-dubbed kung-fu and giant monster movies. I have gained awareness of some of the crazy stuff that people have come up with on the other side of the planet. What kind of whacked-out Japanese dude came up with Mothra? What the hell was he smokin'? And who came up with the concept of wire stunts in martial arts movies? I dunno, but it sure looks cool! Of course there's a downside to those cultures too... let's not forget about Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, or Tibet and all that...

I believe someone once said that you can tell a lot about people by the movies they watch (or at least I'm saying it now). Well, go ahead and try to get in my head and try to figure me out...

Good luck with that!

***************************

IP MAN

Ip who? What's an Ip? Actually, it's the guy's name... a real guy - the main character, portrayed by actor and martial arts master Donnie Yen.  The real life Ip Man (or Yip Man) was the man who introduced Bruce Lee to martial arts, specifically the highly-defensive Wing Chun (or Snake/Crane) style, many fundamentals of which Lee later built upon when developing his own Jeet Kune Do (the Way of the Intercepting Fist). In any case, Donnie Yen is spectacular at this form of fighting. Combined with his screen presence, he makes for a very humble, likable hero who rises from oppression to defend the honor of his fellow countrymen.

The film takes place during the Japanese occupation of China in the 1930s. Ip Man is an established Wing Chun master, with his own school and students, and is well-known as a peaceful man who generally avoids conflict and does what is right, even defending local businesses from wandering thugs. When the Japanese arrive and take over, they bully the local populace and force them into servitude. To make matters worse, the Japanese general has a thing for trying to prove that Japanese Karate is superior to Chinese Kung Fu. Many fight scenes later, we inevitably get to see Ip Man whoop his ass big time, Snake/Crane-style. Of course this doesn't like, end the Sino-Japanese war or anything... but the movie still has a relatively happy ending after that.

Ip Man was a huge box office success worldwide, and lives up to all the things that the above poster says. Although it took me awhile to get around to seeing it, I was quite impressed with both the martial arts and the storyline in this film.

Y'all don't mess with the Ip Man.

A

****************************************

IP MAN 2
Of course, I had to see the sequel. Having fled his hometown of Foshan, Ip Man relocates to Hong Kong to open up a new martial arts school. There he faces opposition from the resident kung fu masters, several of whom he must duel in order to win the right to move his practice to the city. He gains a small but dedicated group of followers, but also forms a bitter rivalry with the head kung fu boss in town, who has ties with the British Army stationed in Hong Kong.

The main conflict in the movie comes when a western boxing champion comes to the city to try to beat all of the kung fu masters in an exhibition tournament. Ip Man's former rival now turned friend, having grown tired of the foreigners' insolence, fights the Brit boxer and dies in the ring (a la Apollo Creed). This leaves Ip Man as the last hope to once again defend the honor of his fellow Chinese citizens. Needless to say, we get to see him fight in the ring and defeat the champion soundly. It all plays out pretty much like Rocky III, complete with ringside pep talks, training sequences, a concerned but devoted wife and plenty of brutal beatings... only things missing are Mr. T and The Eye of the Tiger.

Just like the first movie, this really doesn't have anything to do with Bruce Lee, but at the very end of the film, a young student arrives at Ip Man's door wanting to learn kung fu, so he can "beat people up". Wonder who that's supposed to be?

I truly enjoyed this movie, almost as much as the first one. If Ip Man 2 weren't so derivative of the Rocky movies, I'd have rated it higher. Regardless, it's exciting and the kung fu is absolutely top-notch.

B+

*********************************

CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER

This film is not quite what I was expecting - with Chow Yun Fat in the lead role, you'd expect a great deal of kung fu action. There are only perhaps one or two fight scenes in the movie. Instead of being full of martial arts, Curse of the Golden Flower is more of an epic, historical piece - an almost Shakespearean drama centered around the Royal Court of Emperor Ping. The whole thing takes place in the Forbidden City as the Emperor arrives home from his latest conquests. Full of political intrigue, dark family secrets and covert love affairs, beautiful costumes, spectacular settings and mass battle scenes, this film keeps one watching with interest right until the very end. Although not as immersive as the Japanese masterpiece  Kagemusha, it does provide a revealing look into the bizarre world of Chinese Imperial Court life. Although it's not the kung fu epic I was expecting, I recommend this movie to anyone who (like me) is fascinated with Oriental culture and history.

B

**************************

MONGOL

Some of us may have seen Discovery or History Channel specials about Mongolia and it's unique culture, but I for one have never before seen a full-length feature on the subject. Mongol is the life story of history's most famous Mongol, Genghis Khan (known as Temujin in this film). We follow him from childhood as the son of the reigning Khan, and then to his later life as slave and fugitive... and through his rise to power as the supreme chieftain of the unified Mongol clans. This story couldn't be any more different than Curse of the Golden Flower, even though they are both grand historical Asian epics, and the Mongolian lifestyle contrasts sharply to the grandiose flare of the Chinese Imperial family.

Mongol is actually a Russian-made film, and is truly well-scripted and beautifully filmed on location in and around the Mongolian Steppes. There's lots of battle scenes and a cast of colorful characters. 

B+

***********************************

YOJIMBO

Meanwhile, back in Feudal Japan... Yojimbo is a classic samurai film by the legendary Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa. Although not as highly regarded as Seven Samurai, like that film this one also served as an inspiration for classic Western (ie:Cowboy) movies of the 1960s. It's about a masterless samurai (or Ronin) who arrives in a village controlled by warring crime lords who run the local gambling outfits. Each of the two factions try to hire the protagonist as a bodyguard/enforcer to bully the other into submission. The samurai smartly plays both sides against each other, protecting the common people and fulfilling his own interests in the process. I can't really explain much more without telling the whole story, but let's just say that it's violent, exotic, exciting and funny all at the same time.

I am now a firm believer in the great works of Kurosawa, and after awhile, it becomes easy to see why all those American directors stole so many of his ideas...

A-

************************************

GODZILLA'S REVENGE

I have include this film in this post for a few reasons - first of all, I am a huge Godzilla fan. If you don't believe me, go here. Secondly, I noticed that every movie mentioned so far has gotten a positive review. Thirdly, you just can't write an article about Asian Cinema without mentioning Godzilla.

So here it is - my first (and likely only) negative review of a Godzilla movie. (Yeah - I'm amazed too.) Most of Godzilla's Revenge (also known as All Monsters Attack in Japan) is either stock footage from other G films or unused material from earlier projects. It's all slapped together with a wraparound story about a little boy being chased by bad guys who bumps his head and dreams of going to Monster Island, where he meets Godzilla's son Minya (who shrinks to kid-size and speaks bad cartoony English). We get to see Godzilla fight a bunch of cheap-looking monsters, and somehow this allows the boy to deal with his own problems in the real world and save the day.

Of course, all this sounds pretty stupid, and it is. Not that other Godzilla movies aren't full of the same brand of stupidity, but this definitely clocks in as the worst movie in the entire franchise. I wasn't expecting amazing special effects or anything, but the monster suits are so pathetic in this one and the script is so lame that it's pretty obvious that Toho Studios put it together in a matter of weeks - if not days. Avoid this one. If you want to see a good (but still stupid) Godzilla movie, check out the far superior Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah - Giant Monsters All-Out Attack .

D-

 (Lowest rating for a Godzilla movie ever - can't give it an F, since it's still Godzilla)

*******************************

I hope you feel a little more enlightened after reading this, and I hope you seek out some of these great Asian films. Subtitle haters beware!! All but one of these films is subtitled, and the one that is dubbed in English should be avoided anyway. I know a lot of folks don't like to read while watching a movie, but you read this, didn't you? What's the big deal?

Whatever type of movies you watch, enjoy -

May the Force be with you...

Seriously Angry Action Figures

I know you've all been saying to yourselves: "All these nature photos are great, but when the hell is Andy gonna get back to talking about action figures?"

Ok, so not all of you are saying that... maybe a couple of you are... maybe no one is... Good thing I don't really listen to what people say about me, because life is just more fun that way.  I have a whole bunch of figures that I've picked up in the last few months, and I want to present them here to you. You may have seen a couple of them pop up in my web comic, Everyday Heroes, but I feel that they need a proper formal introduction. There are of course more Marvel than DC heroes here, and there's even one non-super type in there... Keep in mind that I rarely buy figures in the stores or at full retail price, so none of these are exactly new. You won't find "the latest, greatest action figure reviews" on this blog. What you will find are a few random and ridiculous comments about toys owned by a man who is far too old to be playing with them. If you've read my blog or seen any of my Flickr photos before, you'll know that I treat them in a most unorthodox manner... mine may be the only blog out there where you'll find the Silver Surfer sharing a jug of moonshine with Cletus the Slack-jawed Yokel...

None (or at least very little) of that craziness here today, however. No-siree. This here's serious business. Let's get to it then, shall we?

*******************************

D.C. Universe Classics -

Superman

You can't have a superhero collection without owning at least one Superman. He's the original; the oldest, the most easily recognizable, most iconic hero out there. Thing is, I really only want one Superman, so I searched high and low on Ebay to get the one version that I think looked the best. He is pretty cool-looking... pretty stern and serious, just like you'd expect from a guy who saves the world on an hourly basis. With a schedule as hectic as Supes must have, you ain't got time to f**k around. That's the beauty of owning a Superman figure, at least for me... his generally serious nature makes him the perfect straight man to balance out the more goofy characters like Sokka from Avatar:The Last Airbender, Howard the Duck, or Spider-man.

(Check out the last installment of Everyday Heroes to see what I mean...)

Anyway, this Superman figure is fully articulated and extremely well-sculpted... blah blah blah... I just think he'll look pretty funny wrestling farm animals and drinking margaritas with the Hulk...

...speaking of whom...

***************************

Marvel Legends Series 1 -

The Incredible Hulk

Just like Superman and Spider-man, you just can't have a superhero collection without this guy. Also, just like the aforementioned comic book icons, there are quite a few versions of the Hulk to choose from. The one I ended up with isn't necessarily the best in my opinion, but I got him for a song. He looks pretty stereotypically 'Hulk-ish' - ripped purple pants, gigantic bulging green muscles and a permanent angry look on his face. Looking at him, you can almost hear the words "HULK SMASH!!" coming out of his mouth. The only thing I don't like about this particular version is the fact that his fingers can't make a fist... a Hulk with no fists? That's like a Spidey with no webs! Or the Punisher with no guns!!

*******************************

Marvel Legends -

Punisher

Okay, so I am not a big fan of this character... in fact, I think he's about the dumbest addition to the Marvel Universe ever. I mean, c'mon... a guy with a skull on his shirt that has absolutely no super powers and just shoots the bad guys with a bunch of military-grade rifles and machine guns? Not for me, thanks. Yeah, yeah, I know there's a huge Punisher fan base out there... he's got a tragic and complicated backstory and his comics are full of gritty realism.... but Marvel makes comic books people! It just doesn't work for me to have the Punisher interacting with the likes of the Mighty Thor or the Fantastic Four. What I personally enjoy is the goofy, non-realistic side of comic books. If I want to see a Vietnam Vet running around shooting people, I'll watch Rambo... actually I wouldn't, because those films are even stupider than any Punisher comic book out there.

So why do I own this figure, you ask? Well, I certainly got him cheap enough... I think I paid $5 for him at a trade show, and he came with everything you see in the above photo except for the handgun (glock?). Again, he's another one of those 'angry' action figures that might look funny sitting in Barbie's Dream Mansion. (You may remember that I have two young daughters who have a ton of girly toys... I swear that I don't personally own any Barbies or Barbie-related accessories.) Best part about the Punisher is the M-16 that he came with... I'm not any kind of a gun nut mind you, but there are a lot of comedic possibilities with weapons of any sort.

(*insert psychotic laughter here*)

**********************

Marvel Legends Series 6 -

Wolverine

There are a billion versions of this guy too. This one is by far the coolest one - the legendary 'Brown Suit' Wolverine. He was originally packaged with a sort of 'dojo' backdrop, complete with Sensei. Of course, like most of my Marvel Legends collection, he was purchased loose (ie; unpackaged) and I didn't get any accessories with him. My Brown Wolverine has some wonky bends in his claws too - I guess that's why I got him so cheap... from Hong Kong no less. I guess he was a 'factory second' or something like that.

In any case, he's badass, and he sports a sneer nasty enough to rival the great Billy Idol. As a sidenote, I don't know what the odds are on this, but it seems that every single one of the figures in this particular batch are sculpted to look seriously pissed off. Come to think of it, I think the only figures that I own that are actually smiling are the Green Goblin (more of a maniacal grin, really) and Ghost Rider (who can't help looking that way... he has no lips, eyes, eyebrows or any other facial features whatsoever... he's all skull and teeth!)

Back to Wolverine... Of course, I'm going to have to pose him with the Hulk to re-create the endlessly re-created first meeting of these two... seems they just can't leave each other alone. True to form, Wolvie (Logan to his friends) is scaled a good bit shorter than many other ML figs. Put him next to the Hulkster and he looks absolutely tiny... but still nasty of course...

***********************

Marvel Legends -

The Savage She-Hulk

If you thought all those dudes looked angry, get a load of She-Hulk. Although she's not nearly as gigantic as the better known He-Hulk, she's taller than most other superhero figs of the same 6" scale, male or female. She's got a crazy greenish-black rat's nest of hair and a face seething with unchecked rage. Her left hand is sculpted as though she's about ready to claw your eyes out with her long green fingernails... more like ready claw your entire face off...

There are of course multiple versions of everyone's favorite gamma glamour queen, but the the Savage She-Hulk is definitely more desirable. Here's why:

*Removeable dress - Hello!!!*

Well, that good enough reason for ya, Fanboy? With a bod like that, she's going to cause quite a stir in the world of Everyday Heroes.

**********************

D.C. Universe Classics -

Aquaman

I have a special place in my heart for Aquaman... I mean, I've always found him a little bit lame, but I kind of feel sorry for him. I think it's the orange shirt, really. That and the fact that, although he's always been a Justice League alumni, he's not really in the same 'league' as the other DC heroes. Batman has the whole detective/gadget shtick down pat, Green Lantern can create physical manifestations of anything he can imagine, the Flash can run around the world in like 5 seconds, and Superman... well, Superman can do just about anything. Aquaman, on the other hand, can swim really fast and speak with fish. Given the fact that most Justice League adventures take place on dry land, well... he's just a little bit useless.

This photo isn't a great indication, but his figure sports a very stoic look on his face... almost as if he's about to snap... Maybe he's been overhearing all the trash-talk that the other heroes have been doing behind his back.

Oh, and I didn't get his awesome trident when I bought him. Personally, I think he looks better sporting the Punisher's M-16:

(Spidey had this comin'...)

***********************************

NECA Toys -

Classic Predator

Not a superhero, nor a supervillain; just a kickass huge scary-looking alien. You've got to love the Predators. These guys have taken on Ridley Scott's Aliens, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, Carl Weathers, Danny Glover and even Adrian Brody. (For some reason, that last one doesn't sound all that impressive...) They've got infrared heat-vision, a personal cloaking device, poison darts, spears, guns, claws and just about any other doo-dad you can imagine. Each one of them is kind of like a seven foot tall Batman on acid.

Although I only have a passing interest in the Predator film franchise, you have to admit that the figure is a pretty cool one to have. I don't know if he came with any accessories or not. I only received what you see in the photo for my $6 (shipping included!). It's amazing what kind of deals you can get when you don't mind ordering from Asia and waiting two months for shipment...

I guess that this guy doesn't really qualify as an 'angry' action figure, but it is pretty hard to imagine that there's a big happy smile under that facemask.

****************************************

That about does it for now. I have been promising another episode of my web comic for at least two months now, and I'm just now finally getting around to doing it.  Uh, hello? If you've been keeping up, you'd know that I just recently relocated my entire family to another province... kinda keeps ya busy, y'know?

I'll try to keep a little more up-to-date with this blog in the coming months, but please don't get on my case.

In the immortal words of Bill Bixby:

"Don't make me angry - you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Until we meet again,

May the Force be with you...

Ahhhh.... Nature...

One thing, or rather three things that I find myself more willing and able to do since relocating to Vancouver Island is(are): hiking, biking and photographing. I think I've found myself in one of the best places in Canada to do any and all of those things. The scenery is breathtaking, and the trail networks are extensive and offer great hikes for everyone, from newcomers to the most experienced back country campers...

Sounds like a brochure, doesn't it? Well, the truth is that I feel like I'm living in one... and I've still only been reading the cover... There are so many recreational opportunities out here that I couldn't possibly find myself without a new place to explore. And there's so much damn nature everywhere!!

So... here's another glimpse of it...

 Puntledge River, Courtenay BC

Funky Undergrowth, Morrison Creek Park, Courtenay BC

Beaufort Mtn. Range, seen from Courtenay Airpark

 Morrison Creek

Bleeding Heart Tree...

 The Forest Moon of Endor!

 Endor meets Dagobah...

 Comox Lake

The Comox Glacier

I'm hoping that you're enjoying these little glimpses of the most beautiful place on earth... I know that I'll never get tired of shooting these photos, and anytime I can't think of anything to blog about... I'll have a million photos as backup filler material...

Once again,

May the Force be with you...

THOR - movie review

Normally I like to do more than one movie review at a time, but having been a fan of  Marvel Comics, and specifically The Mighty Thor since I was a child, I thought this might deserve its own entry... plus its probably going to be pretty long, and I don't want y'all falling asleep on me...

THOR



I'll admit I was worried about how the movie studios would pull this off. Marvel Comics has built up such an incredibly rich backstory for this character that it seemed literally impossible to cover everything in one film. With comic books, they had the luxury of splitting the story into countless issues and adding and changing stuff wherever they saw fit; here they had to throw it all at us in one shot and hope for the best, as well as try to keep us entertained with action, humour and a hint of romance (as we expect in all Hollywood films). With THOR, they have succeeded - in spades.

Of course we all know by now that Thor (God of Thunder), Loki (God of Mischief), Odin (the All-Father), etc. are all figures from Norse (Viking) Mythology. Many of us know this simply because we've read the comic books, and are familiar with things like Mjolnir (Thor's Hammer), Bifrost (the Rainbow Bridge), Asgard (home of the Gods) and Jotunheim (home of the Frost Giants). Who says ya can't learn nuthin' from comic books? I think the movie did a fine job of covering these somewhat fantastical concepts without dumbing it down for the layman (ie; non-comic book fan). Going into this film as a self-professed comic book scholar, I was pleasantly surprised by their coverage of the extensive source material while still delivering a top-notch fantasy/action movie.

Marvel studios have built a rich screen mythology of its own with its big screen adaptation of comic book heroes and concepts. We all know about The Avengers, which they've been alluding to for years now. A few years back when I first heard about this, I was skeptical, but after witnessing the increasingly good quality of other Marvel films, I'm sure its going to be great. I love the fact that we get little cameos from iconic comic characters in every film so far - Nick Fury, Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye), Sam Stearns (the Leader, from the Incredible Hulk film and comics), the Black Widow (in Iron Man 2), etc. etc. etc.... One of the coolest things about watching comic book-based movies is these little references that only us 'real fans' would recognize. THOR is full of those as well.

Getting back to the actual film at hand, I think that the writers did a great job of working (or rather, re-working) all of the characters and concepts from the comic into the film without making it too cheesy. There's a few changes, like the absence of Donald Blake (more commonly known as the mortal identity of Thor), the fact that Jane Foster is a physicist instead of a nurse, and how the Asgardians were portrayed as a little more 'extraterrestrial' and a little less 'divine'... these are all just petty details... garnish if you will. The real entree here is the action, and we get lots of it, starting about 10 minutes into the film with a hammer-slinging, dimension-spanning, giant-smashing expedition to Jotunheim, and then of course much later as Thor and his fellow Asgardians find themselves battling the Destroyer (the indestructible construct of Odin, manipulated by the treacherous Loki). There's also a good helping of humor in the movie as well - mostly in the form of Thor getting whacked in the head as he walks among mortals and tries to cope with the loss of his powers... a little more slapstick than I was expecting, but it worked rather well for me...

One difference that was notable for me was the fact that the Thunder God only wore his trademark winged helmet for about 5 seconds in the film. Not a big deal, because it actually is pretty dorky-looking. Thor himself also spouted off a lot less of the "thees" and "thous" and other examples of the somewhat florid speech patterns that one sees in the comic books. I guess its enough of a stretch to get your average (non-comic geek) moviegoers to accept the Norse God of Thunder walking amongst us mere mortals - we don't want to scare them all away with a bunch of ridiculous sayings, like "I say thee, Nay!" and "by Odin's beard!" and whatnot. I'm happy that they got away with as much as they did...

Overall, this is a great film. To me, this ranks up there with the best of the Marvel Comics movies, like Spider-man and even enters into the greatness of Lord of the Rings and (dare I say) Star Wars territory... This film makes me really wish I hadn't sold off 80% of my collection of The Mighty Thor comics. I did so just before the movie came out, just in case it sucked and no one wanted them after it came out. Turns out I made a huge mistake! With the apparent success of the film, I'm sure I could have doubled my money at this point! Damn! Curse thee, Marvel Studios!!  I'll hold no grudges, however... it really is a great film.

As impressed as I was with it, I can do no less than give THOR a resounding  A+

Choke on that, non-believers!!

...but anyway,

May the Force be with you...

Vancouver Island Newbie

To anyone that actually keeps up with my blog, I'd like to say two things:
1) Thank you - it still amazes me that anyone reads this!
2) I am truly sorry for the delay in posts, and the somewhat random nature of the posts - you may be looking for web comics, or movie reviews, or photography, or comics, or whatever... I seem to jump around a lot in my subject material. Sorry it has been so long since my last post - again. Not like you care...

Anyway, in case I haven't bragged enough about moving, I may as well tell you one more time - my life has taken a major left turn. I accepted a job within my company that has taken me from my hometown of Winnipeg to the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.

Vancouver Island!! The coolest island in Canada!! And I'm livin' there!! (Sorry Newfoundland... I'm sure it's cool there too, but I've never been there.) The scenery here is AMAZING (mountains, ocean, yadda, yadda) and the people are awesome!! I couldn't be happier!!

That doesn't mean that I was unhappy in Winnipeg. Far from it! I've only been here for a few weeks, and I find myself missing home just about every day. Part of me really misses the traffic... the cold... the attitude - c'mon Winnipeggers, you know what I mean, right?

Anyway, I wanted to post some photos from my new home. The following were taken in and around Victoria, Courtenay, Comox and Vancouver  Island in general. More will follow these, in time of course - give me a break, willya!?! I just got here!!

The Harbour (but not the Inner Harbour), Victoria

I know these grow all over Canada, but I just like this picture... and I thought my wife might like it too...

Buckley Bay

Tallest tree for miles around - Buckley Bay

Union Bay B.C. (I think - this was snapped out the window of a moving vehicle)

Puntledge Park, Courtenay B.C.

Courtenay B.C.



I told you it was beautiful here!! My sparse selection of photos taken at this point are not really representitive of the true beauty of Vancouver Island. Like I said, there are many more to follow. One thing that is definitely different about my life here is the amount of exercise that I get on a daily basis. There are so many hills!! Or at least way more than a prairie boy like me is used to...

Overall, I'd say I'm adjusting pretty well. I haven't fallen off a mountain, been attacked by a bear or been in an earthquake, so I'm good. I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog to "Prairie Boy in Mountain Town" or something like that..... but then what the hell would action figures and comics have to do with that?

Oh well. See you next time,

May the Force be with you...