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Picoreview: Dark Phoenix
Picoreview: Dark Phoenix: not nearly as bad as I expected it to be.
Like X-Men before it, I left the theatre kinda going, “Well, that didn’t suck,” except with X-Men it was an expression of astonished joy and relief and with Dark Phoenix it only…didn’t suck. It was not a great X film. For my money, however, it was miles better than Last Stand, First Class, and Apocalypse, and probably better than both the first two Wolverine movies. That leaves it in the top 5 for me (unless you count Deadpool, which I’m not), which I’m fairly comfortable with.
It is not the fiery, blow-out finale one might hope for, but honestly it’s just a lot more solid than I expected. I happen to love Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, so if you don’t, your estimation of the film may be very different from mine, but to my genuine surprise…it didn’t suck. I wasn’t disappointed.
I mean. There are things I would have done differently. Some of them would have been contingent on, like, this not being the final Fox X-Men film. Others…would not be contingent on that. Some of them are things I’m really unhappy about. Some of them are the fact that it would have been better with a full three-part trilogy leading up to this so we could care more about the actors in these roles, but…IDK. I know “it wasn’t a travesty” isn’t the most glowing response I could give, but I expected one, and sometimes “it didn’t suck” is higher praise than it sounds like it could be. So…there’s me on the topic.
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Picoreview: Avengers: Endgame
Picoreview: Avengers: Endgame: we went to an Infinity War/Endgame double feature, with Endgame starting at midnight and getting over at 3am.
I would have walked directly in and watched it a second time in a row, starting at 3am, if I’d had the option.
That’s all I’ll say.
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Agent Carter Kisses
I have, from time to time, made noises about how much I wanted the Agent Carter kit from Besame Cosmetics, all with a “maybe someday I can buy it” wist.
Well, some of my friends conspired and got it for me as a birthday gift! In fact, I got the package from the Lead Conspirator, my friend Mary Anne, and I thought “???” and turned it to see ‘cosmetics’ written on the customs form, and, as Young Indiana will attest, said, “Oh, she didn’t,” right out loud.
But she HAD! Along with two other friends! WHAT GREAT FRIENDS I HAVE!!!
I wasted no time opening the package and applying the first of the lipsticks, “Sweet Dreams”, which I was absolutely delighted with.
Later, after everybody said BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER ONES I went to try them, too, and holy carp.
Me, looking at the color of the 2nd lipstick (“Forget Me Not”): oh, this will definitely by my least favorite of three colors.
Me, putting it on: holy shit if this is my LEAST favorite this is gonna be an AMAZING trio!!!
AND THEN GOOD GRIEF, #3, “Always Be True”, is like the perfect true red for me. OMG OMG OMG! I’ve been looking (in a half-hearted way) for a really *good* *true* red lipstick for myself, and HOLY CRAP THIS IS IT!
It may be that the Official Original Peggy Color is my LEAST favorite, and I loved it too! So I took a picture with it in the same light as these two…
No, I’m wrong, there is no least favorite here, these are just three AMAZING shades of red, holy wow, OMG! I have never tried on 3 lipsticks in a row IN MY LIFE, people, much less been reluctant to take one off so I can try another! Holy beans!
And it turns out I’m wrong, ‘Sweet Dreams’ is not the Original Official Peggy Color, that’s Red Velvet, so I need one more Peggy lipstick (and the Infinity Stones eye shadows, but WOW I may become a person who actually wears lipstick casually instead of, like, never, because these are SO GOOD!
I am SO THRILLED! What a wonderful gift! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!
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several THINGS
Thing One: Ruth Negga is performing the title role in Hamlet in Dublin this fall AND I HAVE TICKETS FOR OPENING NIGHT.
I am trying to convince myself I shouldn’t also buy tickets for closing night, to see how the performance has matured. I really want to. But they’re more expensive. :(
Indy said, “Tickets for HAMLET? Is that like HAMILTON!?!?!?!?!” and was very disappointed to hear that no, it was not, and also that it wasn’t appropriate for 8 year olds. :)
Thing Two: I got the return address stickers for the much-delayed Redeemer Kickstarter, and they’re cute and I love them and I’m very pleased with them.
Thing Three: Indy and I have a game we play on the way to the zoo. There’s an enormous round-crowned tree just a little ways before the entrance, and when he was very small, I told him a dragon lived in it, so we always greet the dragon and have a chat with him on our way in to the zoo.
Last weekend we went to the zoo with the cousins, and Indy (who often pauses a game when we approach other people) thought maybe we shouldn’t say hi to the dragon this time, but I thought we should, and we explained the game to his cousins, who greeted the dragon despite their advanced ages of 13 and 15, and off we went to the zoo.
To my utter, like, eye-stingingly-bright, delight, on the way out, the older cousin said, without prompting, “Goodbye, Dragon,” quite solemnly and as though it was exactly what one always did at the zoo.
They’re good kids.
Thing Four: Deirdre and her younger son and I went to see Black Panther, which Deirdre had not yet seen. We didn’t know if her son would get there in time, nor if we could leave a ticket at the box office for him to collect, so I said, “Well, I’ve seen it three times, so I’ll wait for him so you don’t miss the beginning of the movie.”
“OH GOOD,” she said, “I couldn’t figure out how to ask without it being rude!!” Then we burst out laughing. :)
“WELL I GUESS I’LL STAND HERE AND WAIT FOR SEIRID,” she said, leadingly and not at all artificially.
“OH NO DEIRDRE, I’VE SEEN IT THREE TIMES, I’LL STAND HERE AND WAIT FOR HIM,” I said in the same tones, and then we fell on each other laughing. (Deirdre and I have a great time together. :))
Anyway, he showed up on time, having booked it from school, I CAUGHT A DITTO WHILE WAITING FOR HIM, and we all got into the theatre before the movie started.
During the first challenge scene she seized both our hands and curled up in horror in the chair, terrified of what would happen. During the second, she said, “WHY DO THEY HAVE TO DO THIS ON THE EDGE OF THE WATERFALL!”
She told me I’m not allowed to say she cried, though. :)
Thing Five: Before I’d gotten up this morning, Indy (who is not yet enrolled in a Dublin school, and so is doing school work at home) came up to inform me he’d done his school work already except he needed help with one part of the science experiment.
I came down to help, and he had in fact done his history and geography work already, was nearly finished with his science, and had only his spelling, language and math to go.
I know perfectly well that he did it because he wanted to be able to play his video game, but god damn if he didn’t earn it, AFAIC. :)
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Going to Infinity War with my sister
8:30pm: the phone rings.
Deirdre: I’m thinking of spontaneously gong to the 9:30 showing of Avengers! Wanna go?
Me: that’s a terrible idea! It’s 2.5 hours long! It has 25 minutes of commercials! You have to stay through ALL the credits! I’ll meet you there!
Deirdre: *peals of laughter*
The movie begins. Doctor Strange comes on screen.
Deirdre (whispered): Who’s that?
Me: Doctor Strange. He’s the magical protector of Earth.
Deirdre: ‘kSpider-Man comes on screen.
Deirdre: Who’s that?
Me: Spider-Man!
Deirdre, who has apparently seen neither Civil War nor Homecoming: what?!?!Vision & Wanda come on.
Deirdre: Who’re they?
Me: it’s a good thing i came to this with you, isn’t it?Cap comes on screen.
Deirdre, her voice dropping two octaves even in a whisper: WHO. IS. THAT.
Me: that’s Captain America (implied: you weirdo!)
Deirdre: i think i need to marry him
Me: same, babe. same.Nat comes on screen.
Deirdre: who’s that?
me: black widow!
deirdre: why did they make everybody look so DIFFERENT in this movie? (pause, just long enough to be funny) especially spider-man!?!?Halfway thru the movie:
Deirdre: i have to pee. is it safe for me to leave?
Me: NO YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE DWARF’S INTRODUCTION
Deirdre: *waits, reacts correctly, is allowed to go use the toilet*The movie ends.
Deirdre, in the silence as the credits begin to roll: What the *fuck*!
Deirdre: DID YOU KNOW THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?
Me: well i did THIS TIMEWe had a brilliant time. She spent half the movie elbowing me at every funny line as we both roared with laughter. It’s been a really long time since I’ve gone to a show with somebody who laughs as much, and as loudly, as I do. And Infinity War is a really funny movie, full of fast-paced quips, so there was a LOT of laughing. It was wonderful.
I’m PRETTY SURE the last time Deirdre and I went to a movie together was when we were around 15 and 18, a beautiful day in which, infamously, our father came to pick us up from the movie, but was very, very late in arriving.
“Did you forget about us?” we asked, amused.
“No,” said Dad. “It was such a beautiful evening I decided I’d ride my bike down to get you, and I was almost here when I realized why that wouldn’t work.”
Deirdre and I simultaneously said, “*DAAAAAAAAAAAAD*!” in absolute exasperation, and Dad BURST into laughter, because he had not, in fact, ridden his bike to get us (he’d been watching a movie about a woman who gets a brain transplant, or something, and it was so awful he couldn’t stop), but he was so very pleased that we had not even for one instant doubted that he would do something like that.
