Movie Review: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Got a chance to check out "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The movie is billed as a spy/espionage movie, and it definitely fits the bill. Granted it's more follow the clues from A to B, but that's the situation when you cram the elements into a movie, thus having only a 2-hour time-constraint.

The movie's plot deals with an internal force within S.H.I.E.L.D. threatening to destroy the organization and the world, just as S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to unleash their newest program designed to keep humanity safe, Project: Insight.

During the movie Steve Rogers (aka Captain America; played by Chris Evans) comes into contact with the Winter Soldier, a myth circulated among the Intelligence community for decades. For long-time comic book fans, we know the identity, and it's quickly revealed in the movie, that the Winter Soldier is real, and is Roger's former childhood friend, and long-thought deceased army brother, James Buchanan Barnes (aka Bucky; played by Sebastian Stan). Unfortunately for Captain America, Bucky's memories have been wiped, for the most part.

The movie also introduces Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), a retired paratrooper, who was part of a decommissioned experimental paratrooper rescue unit utilizing rocket-propelled wing harnesses, dubbed "Falcon." Rogers and Wilson know one another from morning exercise routines around the Washington, D.C., area. Wilson quickly becomes one of the few people Rogers can trust once the shit hits the fan.

The movie is quickly about Captain America and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) going on the run, trying to uncover the truth about "Project: Insight," after a manhunt is initiated for Captain America, under the pretense of him withholding knowledge, and possible involvement, in the assassination of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). The operation is headed by Fury's long-time friend, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), intent on learning the truth about Nick Fury's assassination. I normally wouldn't reveal this, but they are mentioned it in the trailer… so yeah...

The action was great, especially the fight scenes between Batroc the Leaper vs. Captain America and Captain America/Black Widow vs. Winter Soldier. While there were some fast-cut, shaky shots, for the most part the fights were clear and discernible shots showing fight choreography and not shaky footage to pretend there's a fight going on.

Also returning to the movie are Cobie Smulders (as Maria Hill), Hayley Atwell (as Peggy Carter), Maximiliano Hernandez (as Jasper Sitwell), and Toby Jones (as Arnim Zola). Being introduced into the Marvel cinematic universe are Brock Rumlow/Crossbones (Frank Grillo), Georges Batroc/Batroc the Leaper (Georges St. Pierre), Sharon Carter/Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp), Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).

You have a great mid-credit scene, directed by Joss Whedon, that leads into "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," plus a brief one at the end featuring Bucky. Overall I loved the film. the only thing I felt meh about were two things within the movie that if I were to reveal would be too much of a spoiler :P

SpringFest 2014

Checked out SpringFest for the first time today, at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering in Downtown Brooklyn. I've heard stories, and wow, were they ever true! It was quite the disorganized mess in the very beginning. The lines didn't even start being let in until ALMOST two hours later!

Today was the first day I started shooting video interviews with cosplayers for my new interstitial series, slated to air for the Summer. Pretty chaotic, and it was just so noisy we took the interviews outdoors, but even outdoors it was windy despite the dead mouse on the microphone. So it's quite the experience, since right now I'm recording audio blindly thanks to being unable to listen to the audio until afterwards, due to the way the 5D Mark II is designed. I think next time I'll definitely have to get a lav mic for the Sony EX1 that we were using today as the B-roll camera. Anyways, got some great interviews with Koneko YourAverageNerd, Spectra Marvelous, Negative Stacey, Pixie Belle Cosplay, and Avalon Cosplay. It was also my camera man's first convention, and he was definitely blown away by the types of people he saw at the mini-convention.

Form Blazing Sword

FORM BLAZING SWORD!

Chances are, if you were a child in the eighties, especially a boy, you'd know those words anywhere! They were the words shouted out by the leaders of the different Voltron Force teams when it came time for their teams to dispatch the enemies with the final blow from their gigantic, energy sword. The most well-known Voltron was the Lion Force, which was Voltron III, followed by Voltron I, which was the Armored Vehicles. The least known was Voltron II, which never aired. The series was adapted by the Missouri-based production company, World Events Productions, from different Japanese animes, none of which were originally related to one another, except for being done by Toei Animation.

Recently released by Miracle Metal Works this year, is their "masterpiece" Voltron figure, specifically Voltron I, based on the anime, Armored Fleet Dairugger XV. This Voltron Force defended the Earth, as well as nearby systems, and was comprised of fifteen pilots and their armored vehicles. The teams were divided into three squadrons, the Air, Sea, and Land teams. Each team was capable of merging their vehicles together to form a gestalt vehicle, in addition to all fifteen vehicles able to merge into Voltron for a short period of time (average of five minutes).

The set is mostly die-cast, and is quite hefty. However this is also an issue, as the figure tends to be forward heavy, and unless you stabilize it properly, the combined Voltron will indeed topple forward. The feet having wheels also DOES NOT help, LOL! The range of motion on the figure is definitely improved on the figure, over the original die-cast toys of the eighties, but not by much. I was unable to get the figure to hold the Blazing Sword in both hands :/

When picking up the character, you definitely need to hold it from the bottom and the torso, otherwise you risk it collapsing apart due to its weight. Also it helps to remove the Command Jet Explorer (head) and the Falcon Jet Fighter (chestplate), which are attached by magnets, before moving the entire figure, as they can easily detach. You also need to be careful about the shoulder rotor blades of the helicopters that form the shoulder and upper arms of the Voltron figure. Some other issues I had involved the yellow All-Terrain Space Vehicle (right foot) always popping off and "driving" away.

The Ray Beam Whip feels like a limp, rubber mess, and I'm personally not a fan of it. I found the Spinning Laser Blades to be hard-to-use properly. They are light and made of plastic, and just don't look so great in Voltron's hands, since the weight of the arms makes it hard for the figure to even hold out its arms straight ahead. The spears and Blazing Swords look great. I just wish I could've gotten Voltron to hold the Blazing Sword in both hands for a two-handed pose.

Accesories-wise, the figure comes with:
- (2) Spinning Laser Blades
- (2) Single-Handed Solar Combat Spears
- (1) Two-Handed Solar Combat Spears
- (3) Blazing Swords
- (1) Ray Beam Whip
- (3 Pairs) Alternative Fists (total of 4)

The individual vehicles of Voltron Force

Air Team

Land Team

Sea Team

Voltron I (aka Dairugger XV)

For more photos of this set, check out my Flickr set!

All in all, despite the negatives, I enjoyed the set, and hope that Miracle Metal Works can eventually do the other two Voltrons that are adapted from Beast King GoLion and Lightspeed Electroid Albegas. The set runs around $235 U.S. Dollars, but I purchased it on a Black Friday deal, so hopefully you can find a decent price for the set :)

Thar She Blows!

This trip out into the Atlantic Ocean was a pretty awesome one. The weather was perfect, and cool, since the City was in the middle of a heat wave, while in the Atlantic, the temperature was about 30-degrees cooler! We saw four humpback whales in the course of just a few hours, at one point one on each end of the boat.

Movie Review: Byzantium

So I got to check out Byzantium tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival. It's a film about vampires directed by Neil Jordan, who directed "Interview With The Vampire" (starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, based on Anne Rice's book).

"Byzantium" was adapted from a play written by Moira Buffini. First off the movie's vampires are not what you expect. These aren't the traditional vampires who prowl at night and sleep during the day. The only thing they have in common with their mythical counterparts is the need for blood and the restriction of being unable to enter private dwellings without an invitation.

The movie follows Clara (Gemma Arterton) and Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) as they travel around Ireland, leading a nomadic lifestyle. Clara does what she can to provide a life for both Eleanor and herself, and she's not afraid to do anything to earn cash, so that she can provide for them both. She gets her hands dirty, while she protects Eleanor. Eleanor on the other hand is the dreamer and innocent child, overall. However the nomadic lifestyle they both lead begins to wear Eleanor down. She's lonely. She's tired. She yearns to be free of the life they currently lead. Feeding and then moving on, a cyclic life of repetitive non-existence. She's lonely, she's seeking an ear willing to listen to her tale. Hell, she's a teenager, been one for 200 years.

I felt the film's pacing was overall great. There were some moments where time felt like it was standing still, but overall the film flowed smoothly. The visuals were great, especially the outdoor scenes. The dialogue was engaging overall, but some was lost due to the accents of the actors, but that's more my fault I feel for not interacting with native Irish folks. Despite what the trailers may show you, the film's primarily a drama.

The vampires were a refreshing take on the creatures, and while overall not too different, the film was more about Clara and Eleanor as two women trying to survive and etch out a "normal" life, than being monsters of the night.

Recipe: Pickled Sausages

2 cups of Water
4 cups of Distilled White Vinegar
2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt
1/2 tablespoon of Black Pepper
10 drops of Red Food Coloring
1/2 tablespoon of Pickling Spices
1 tablespoon of Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
1/2 tablespoon of All Spice (optional)
10 links of Smoked Sausage (any type)

In a large stainless steel pot, add all the ingredients, except for the sausage links, and bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally to ensure salt dissolves.

AVOID using cast-iron, aluminum, iron, copper, and teflon! The vinegar will damage the pots.

Take the sausage links and place into a sterile glass jar, either whole or cut up. Pour the pickling solution into the jar and seal with the top. Let stand for at least 3-4 days, before serving.

Recipe: Chicken-Pumpkin Fall Meatloaf

1 Pumpkin, medium-sized (about 5-6 lbs.)
1 1/2 lbs. of ground Chicken
1 Vidalia Onion, medium-sized (chopped)
3 large Yellow Potatoes (or 6 small ones; chopped)
2 cloves of Elephant Garlic (minced)
4 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1/2 cup of dried Cranberries, chopped
1 stalk of Celery (chopped thinly)
4 Apples, medium-sized (can be any kind; thinly-chopped)
1 Apple Pear, medium-sized (thinly-chopped)
8 ounces roasted Pine Nuts (crushed)
2 tablespoons of Salt
2 tablespoons of ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon of ground All Spice
2 tablespoons of dried Oregano
1 teaspoon of dried Sage
1 teaspoon of Onion Powder
1 teaspoon of ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup of Mustard
1/4 cup of Ketchup
1/2 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup of Apple Cider
1/4 cup of Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 large Egg

To start, pre-heat the oven to 325-degrees. You're going to cut the top of the pumpkin off, so you can access the insides. Remove the seeds and guts with a spoon. Try to keep as much flesh as possible. When finished, rinse with cold water and towel dry. Take your virgin olive oil and coat the insides of the pumpkin, as well as the top. Cover the bottom to middle of the pumpkin with one large sheet of aluminum foil - it shouldn't have cracks for the next step. Place the pumpkin, with the top back on, into a deep dish metal pan and put into the oven, and fill the pan to about an inch from the top with water. The aluminum foil is to prevent the pumpkin from being water-logged as it cooks, while the water is used to help regulate the temperature of the pan and keep the pumpkin from drying out. Cook the pumpkin for about 20-30 minutes. When the flesh is tender, you can take the pumpkin out of the oven carefully (hot water!) and let it rest. Empty the pan of the water, but keep the aluminum foil on the pumpkin.

While the pumpkin is cooking chop your onion and put into a large skillet (over low heat) with 2 tablespoons of oil, add the salt. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Also chop potatoes, apples, celery, and pear, as well as mincing the garlics. When the onions are translucent, add the potatoes and celery to the skillet. After another five minutes add the chopped apples and pears, along with pepper powders, onion powder, and dried herbs. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally for ten minutes. Add the apple cider, nutmeg, all spice, and cinnamon, and cover. Continue to cook for another ten minutes over medium heat, then turn off heat and transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl to cool down. If you have an ice bath, that'd be even better (the mixing bowl can fit into a larger bowl with some ice and cold water). Stir the mixture to release steam.

After the mixture has cooled down some, you can lightly scrape the insides of the pumpkin interior to pull some flesh, but you still want to leave a solid wall inside. Take the scrape pumpkin and add to the mixing bowl, along with the ground chicken, ketchup, panko breadcrumbs, dried cranberries, egg, and crushed pine nuts. Mix all the ingredients well with your hands for a few minutes, making sure everything is well mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and place into fridge for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Take the mustard - I like using cranberry or horseradish mustards, if I can find them! - and coat the inside of the pumpkin.

After the meatloaf mixture has cooled for a bit, take it out of the fridge and stuff the pumpkin with it. Once done, place the top back on as much as you can, and return the now-stuffed pumpkin to the pan and place into a 350-degree pre-heated oven, and add water back to the pan, until it's about 2 inches from the top. Cook the pumpkin meatloaf for about 90 minutes to two hours. Once it's cooked, check the temperature with a meat thermometer placed through the top to the middle. You're looking for a reading of at least 165-degrees, if lower return to the oven for at least another ten minutes, before checking the temperature again after washing the thermometer in hot water. Once it's done, remove from the oven carefully (hot water!), place the pumpkin on a large dish, and let sit for about ten minutes. Then cut up and serve.

The Phantom of the Opera

Been so busy lately, it hurts... LITERALLY!

I feel old! LOL!

Anywho, I got to shoot Lindsey Stirling's concert this past Friday in NYC at Webster Hall, and it was amazing! This entire weekend has been fun! Tiring, but fun!

That's all I have to say for now, just wanted to do a quick post. I leave you with this!

Whale Spotting

I went out onto the Atlantic Ocean this afternoon, in the hunt for humpback whales. The first one we saw was actually two, a cow and her calf, but unfortunately they eluded us. We just saw their spouts from a distance twice.

The third one we saw was about two miles off the shore of Staten Island (NY) and Sandy Hook (NJ). We spent most of the time around this one. At one point, the whale changed directions and surfaced near the bow of the ship, where we almost hit it, but it dove under. All the pics from today's adventure are of this one, except for two pics (which I haven't put up).

The last one was seen when we were returning. We spotted this one in the waters between Staten Island and Breezy Point (NY), but this one was a speed demon. Saw this one about 2-3 times, before it vanished from site.

Tumblr

I'm now also on Tumblr!

http://knightmare6.tumblr.com

Ulorin Vex Teaser

Been some time, but thought I'd post a quick teaser from my shoot with Ulorin Vex. I've been so swamped and busy, that I've neglected this bllog, amongst other sites *sigh*

I'm happy how the photos are coming out right now though, was so excited to be able to shoot with her (Ulorin Vex), being a fan of Emilie Autumn and all :)

Recipe: Candied Bacon

12 slices of thick-cut Bacon
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1/3 cup of Light Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

Add bacon slices and walnuts to a bowl with both peppers and rub well. Add the brown sugar and continue rubbing the bacon until they are all covered. Lay down a sheet of aluminum foil to a large baking tray and lay out the bacon slices in a single layer. The walnuts can be scattered about. Add any remaining brown sugar from the bowl on top of the slices. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil and place into a 350-degree preheated oven for thirty minutes. The slices can be cooked longer depending on the texture desired. When the slices are ready, remove and place on top of dish lined with paper towels to drain any excess fat for a few minutes.

Movie Review: Snow White & The Huntsman

So I got a chance to check out "Snow White and the Huntsman" today, and the movie looked fantastic. The lighting, scenery, special effects, and wardrobe of the characters were, for the most part, fantastic!

And that's about it.

The story itself was great. I liked seeing the back story of Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron), or at least the elements they did cover. Still left out how she learned magic... We got a little glimpse into the nature of the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), although his character is never named in the movie, aside from being called Huntsman. Snow White (Kristen Stewart) did actually appear pretty gorgeous in some scenes, unlike what we saw in the trailer. Sadly, what I didn't feel was any attachment thanks to the lackluster acting on pretty much all the parts of the actors. Although Theron's acting did fare better once Queen Ravenna begins to feel her life waning away and she lashes out in anger at everybody, especially her brother Finn (Sam Spruell). Otherwise, it feels like everyone's coasting for the paycheck.

The story doesn't stray too far from the mythos of "Snow White," but it does include a lot of fantasy/fairy tale tropes, to the point where a lot of it was predictable. I'll be honest, I rolled my eyes a lot...

And last but not least... there was a serious math problem in this movie... which you should be able to figure out after seeing the movie to the end, if you paid attention.

Overall it is an okay film, but some polishing would've greatly improved it for me.

Recipe: Lemon-Thyme Roasted Potatoes

1 tablespoon of unsalted Butter
1 lbs. small Red Potatoes (halved)
3 thin slices of Lemon (seeded)
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1/8 teaspoon of crushed Black Pepper
1/8 teaspoon of crumbled dried Thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon of fresh Thyme)

Take the butter and coat the bottom and sides of a baking pan large enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the thyme. Add potatoes and lemon slices to the pan, in a single layer. Place into a 425-degree pre-heated oven, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove lemon slices and turn potatoes over, and let cook for another 6-10 minutes, until tender and browned. Take the lemon slices and mince. When the potatoes are done, add the minced lemon and crumbled thyme.

When There's No More Room In Hell For The Souls Of The Dead...

Sunday I followed the NYC Zombie Crawl through the streets of Williamsburg. My photos were used on Monday by Gothamist :)

Here's a sampling, with more photos on my Flickr:

Recap of the Steampunk World's Fair

A little late, but I've been busy after my brief visit to the 3rd Annual Steampunk World's Fair! I visited the event on Saturday, and what a long Saturday it was! I was there from 11:30am to about 3:45am. It was insanely fun, and while there wasn't as many bands I was into, like the first year, I definitely had a fun time checking out the different performances, and catching up with friends, as well as making new ones!

To check out the photos, visit my Flickr set. Here's a brief sample:

Fire It Up

This weekend I was finally able to somewhat catch-up on photos. Finally cleared out many photos that were behind, so now I can focus on photos from May.

Saturday I attended a barbeque birthday party for two friends, that was titled The Paul & Kurt Show BBQ of Love, and made my awesomely-delicious watermelon-chipotle BBQ wings, which I set on fire once I arrived to finish them off. I just added half a cup of Everclear to the wings and lit them on fire before I was ready to serve, to help caramelize the sauce onto the wings and help to form a nice saucey crust.

Now I can focus on knocking out photos for Geek Girl Productions' May 2012 show, "Victorian Vixens," before the upcoming weekend for the Steampunk World's Fair.

An Update

Still catching up on photos, I have such a backlog it's not even funny :/

Switching my web site's domain and hosting to a new company, and it's been a slight nightmare, but I think it's pretty resolved for now... I think...

Got an email this morning that my flash has been repaired and en route, so hopefully I should have it next week.

Next week is the 3rd Annual Steampunk World's Fair, so yay!

Catching Up

It's been a while, but here's a brief update.

Last week I took off from my day job for my birthday vacation, which was basically a week. Setup a lot of shoots which ended up flaking out sadly, but oh well. That's the nature of the game!

Friday night was cool, my friends threw a dinner get-together, so that was nice! Afterwards we went out clubbing.

Saturday I was shooting burlesque photos for "At Last: The Blues & Burlesque of Etta James." Great show! Lovely ladies, and a nice crowd! Sadly the night went from bad to worse afterwards. When I left Arlene's Grocery, where the show was held, it was pouring rain, and to make matters worse, I received a parking ticket. Apparently the spot I chose turned into a No Standing area after 11pm, not that one could tell with the seven parking signs indicating everything but that :/

I took off to do some nightclub photography at Stimulate at the venue, Drom, which I despise BTW. I just find the layout of the venue horrendous, aside from it's high ceilings, which I appreciate at least. Anywho that became a negatory, as I damaged my flash unit once I got inside... So yeah, there went my night.

Sunday I travelled into New Jersey to do some photo shoots at Studio 212, but unfortunately three of the models flaked out, but luckily one of my friends was available last-minute, so at least I got an extra person to shoot.

Anywho, enough complaining, ranting, and what-not! Here's some preview photos from the weekend!

Movie Review: 21 Jump Street

It's time to head back to 37 Jump Street... I mean 21 Jump Street!

The new movie, 21 Jump Street, based on the 1987-1991 TV show hits theaters on March 16 and stars Noah Hill (Superbad, Evan Almighty) and Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, The Vow) as Schmidt and Jenko, two screw-up rookie officers who've been transferred to the newly-recommissioned Jump Street Division, captained by Capt. Dickinson (Ice Cube). This movie takes place long after the TV series, featuring cameos from past actors in the show, as well as some returning characters from the original series.

The plot revolves around Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) playing brothers as their cover as they attempt to bust a drug ring in high school after a student dies from a new mysterious hallucinogenic drug. However, things have changed since these two were in high school. The jocks are no longer the cool kids, and the geeks are no longer the outcasts. And if that was not enough, the two forget their cover and switch places, so Schmidt is left learning about high school as an Athletics and Drama student, while Jenko is thrust into the world of Mathematics and Science.

While the original series focused on the experiences of a team and their difficulties reintegrating into high school, this movie focuses on Schmidt and Jenko understanding what the other went through the first time around. This understanding leads to Schmidt and Jenko further solidifying their post-school brotherhood with one another.

The movie contains action, comedy, and stupidity. Running gags include making pop-culture references about today's entertainment industry to action movie sequences you would expect blockbuster movies to possess.

If you're looking for a movie full of Michael Bay-esque explosions? You won't find it here. If you're looking for in-depth police procedures and police drama? You won't find it here. If you're looking for guys in awkward situations trying to be popular and kiss the girl? You've got it. Dry-humping? You got it! If you're looking for an arthritic grandmother with a stiff hand who needs some cock? You've got it here!