Reflections on the Great Canadian Taste Adventure

So I was out for my evening constitutional last night.  Taking a walk, enjoying the sunshine, listening to my favourite podcasts, when i get a text from my best friend.  "So, with that McDonald's Taste of Canada thing, did you ever have more than the McLobster?"

See, I do this bit on my podcast from time-to-time called Mark Tastes Random Things.  I'll grab some food item that's caught my eye (90% of the time it's whatever promotional item a fast food restaurant currently has), eat it live on my podcast and offer my thoughts.  I hate doing it, mainly because I don't know how to fill the dead air while I chew.  I should find a good music bed for it so the music fills the dead air.  But my best friend loves the bit.  I joked on my podcast where I speculate as to why he loved it.  About 10 or 15 years ago, he developed a strong activist streak, and as part of that, he swore off all fast food, declaring the fast food corporations to be among the most evil of the evil corporations.  It was nothing but all organic, locally sourced, Mom & Pop sandwich shops for him!  I, however, developed no such convictions.  So I think he enjoys Mark Tastes Random Things so he can vicariously enjoy fast food through me.

Anyway.  The last time I did Mark Tastes Random Things, I did the McLobster.  And I had to tell him that, yes, I tried all of McDonald's Tastes of Canada.  He then asked if I could give a rundown on all of them and my thoughts.  He then said that such a thing might be more appropriate as a blog entry.  So, here we are.

For those who, like my best friend, have cut the cord and don't watch TV anymore, in the month of June, McDonald's was running a promotion called The Great Canadian Taste Adventure,   Each week, they had another burger representing a region of Canada, trying to reflect the regional tastes.  They also had a few side dishes and deserts that were available for the whole month.  And yes, I sampled them all.  So here's my thoughts on The Great Canadian Taste Adventure, from the worst to the best.

#5:  Representing Ontario, the Cottage Country Chicken Sandwich

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 3, 2015 at 11:04am PDT

This chicken sandwich was topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a special sauce designed to "invoke the flavours of Ontario cottage country."  I was unimpressed.  Pretty much just a McChicken with a zestier sauce.  And, as my Ontarian co-worker told me, "When we're at the cottage, we're not having chicken.  We're firing up the grill and having steak."  Easily the least.

#4:  Representing Western Canada, the Western BBQ Burger

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 10, 2015 at 11:03am PDT

This cheeseburger was topped with onions and BBQ sauce.  Good lord, the onions.  Two different kinds:  grilled onions and deep fried onions.  Fast food really has discovered the deep fried onion, as they seem to be an a lot of burgers these days.  Too much onion for my tastes.  It reminded me of A&W's short-lived Grandma Burger, as that was another one that had a lot of onions it.  That aforementioned Ontario co-worker had one with no onions, and said it was much better.

#3:  Representing Quebec, Maple Bacon Poutine

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 13, 2015 at 11:00am PDT

Poutine is still a relatively new addition to McDonald's regular menu.  For this promotion, they just took the poutine and tossed on a handful of bacon bits with a drizzle of some kind of maple flavoured BBQ sauce.  The sauce kind of gets drowned out by the gravy, but the bacon is a nice touch.

#2:  Representing the Atlantic provinces, the McLobster.

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 17, 2015 at 11:17am PDT

If the Internet is to be believed, Western Canada went absolutley nuts for this.  This seasonal item, typically only available in the Maritimes, was made available all across Canada for the first time.  I've got a colleague who's a Maritimer telling me that she and her friends always mocked people who had the McLobster, dismissing it as pure tourist garbage.  When I ate this on my podcast, I noticed that you never realize how much of McDonald's unique flavour comes from their buns.  I opened up the box, and even though this was a cold sandwich, it smelled just like a McDonald's burger.  I took a bite, and right away, it tasted like imitation crab meat.  If you've ever had the Seafood Sensation Sub at Subway, it tasted pretty much just like that.  And I must say, I got lucky with the amount of lobster salad they scooped on their.  My Maritimer friend, curious by the hype, had her first one, and she easily got 1/2, maybe 1/3, of the lobster stuff that was scooped on mine.

#1:  Representing the West Coast, the Chocolate Nanaimo Sunday

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Jun 23, 2015 at 7:06pm PDT

It's just a McDonald's Chocolate Sunday, but I don't know what kind of magic cookie crumbs they sprinkled on top, but they tasted just like nanaimo bars.  And nanaimo bars and ice cream make a good combination.  The only way I can think about making it better would be if McDonald's did a nanaimo bar McFlurry.  This was just so good. 

And that was my trip across Canada, from the comfort of my local McDonald's.  I hope McDonald's does this again, and make it the tastes of the world.  I'd just like to have a Teriyaki McBurger again someday. 

New Week Brings New Podcast!

Here we are again, with the good ol’ podcast.  Not much to talk about, but there’s enough out there to get me talking.  At least, to fill 20 minutes of airtime.  So what ramblings to I ramble in Episode 8.14: Funghi Pizza?

• I tell you how I spent my birthday this year, including having a pizza at Famoso and seeing Inside Out.  (Complete review here, in case you haven’t seen it yet.)
• The latest Star Wars news, including my thoughts on the upcoming Young Han Solo spinoff film.  (I do so much rambling about Star Wars I should turn it into its own segment.)
• I ponder whether I own a lot of DVDs or whether the DVDs own me.
• And hey!  You ever see the “special thanks” in the end credits of a movie?  Ever wonder what people did to get those special thanks?  Well, I share some special thanks stories I recently heard.

And that’s what you’ll find in this week’s podcast!

Oh, and I didn’t realize I accidentally gave the date as April 12 until I got home from recording it, re-listened to it, and noticed it.  But trust me, it’s July 12.

Head to the main site to listen!

The Traditional Birthday: Pizza and a Movie

Well, it was my birthday a few days ago.  I'm now the ripe old age of 38.  I'm as old as Homer Simpson.  That is a very frightening thought.  And I've been celebrating my birthday the same way I've been celebrating it since I turned 11:  pizza and a movie.

Mom wanted to treat me, so of course I let her.  I met up with Mom down in Spruce Grove.  There's a newish pizza chain that's sprung up called Famoso.  They're part of the new trend in dining known as "fast casual."  It's a step up from fast food, but still not as ornate as casual dining.  If you read the financial pages, you'll know it's the trend that's currently killing McDonald's.  Anyway, Famoso specializes in your very traditional Italian pizza...Neapolitan pizza is the official term, according to their website.  Very thin crust, baked in a stone oven, and very good.  As I've always been fond of mushrooms, I went with the Funghi Pizza.  It's good stuff.  I recommend them.

And then the debate was on as to what movie to drag Mom to.  At first I was thinking Terminator Genisys, simply because it was an early show, and Spruce Grove is about an hour's drive home for each of us.  Didn't want us to be on the road too late.  But, dang it, I just wanted to see Inside Out more, even though it meant a later show.  So we saw Inside Out.

Holy moly.  Inside Out is so good, you guys.  After being in a bit of a slump with their past few films, Pixar is back in a beautiful way.  What Pixar's last few films lacked was heart...the emotional gut-punch that kept me trying very hard not to cry.  Well, Inside Out gave me that gut punch.  The emotional wallop that Pixar films used to be guaranteed to provide was finally back.

I think you the know the premise right now.  It is a tad complicated.  It takes place within the mind of an 11-year old girl named Riley.  We see that she's influenced by five personified emotions.  Joy kind of runs the show, and Anger, Fear, and Disgust play their roles, but they've never figured out what Sadness is supposed to do.  But then, one of Joy's attempts to keep Sadness in check goes awry, and Joy and Sadness are soon stranded away from Headquarters in the deepest recesses of Riley's mind.  Joy and Sadness are soon on a dangerous trek back to Headquarters.  But, they have to hurry.  For the longer they're away, the more Anger, Fear and Disgust mismanage things, and soon various aspects of Riley's personality begin shutting down.  Will they make it back before Riley does something drastic?  Will they find out the role of Sadness in everything?

At the end of the day, Inside Out is a coming-of-age story told from a very unique point of view, as Riley's emotions learn that it's OK to feel certain things and it's all part of growing up.  The setting allows for a very unique landscape.  The characters are very imaginative.  Everything about this film is just so good.

Of course, a few quibbles.  As you can see from the premise, it's also a road movie, a formula which has worked very well for Pixar.  But it's easy to overlook that and just get caught up in the journey.

I give it a full 4 Nibs.  Full review is over on the main site.

And, as I've done in recent years, for my birthday present to myself, I went nuts on iTunes and bought some music.  But rather than spend $5 on some singles, I went a little overboard and bought two complete albums.

First up...the Inside Out soundtrack.  I think Michael Giacchino is one of the finest composers working today, and I find his score for Inside Out is haunting me.  Some of the themes in it are so unique.  It really does sound like the music you hear when you dream.




And speaking of Michael Giacchino, he's done the score for another very popular movie in theatres right now...Jurassic World.  And hearing Giacchino slip in and reinterpret John Williams' original Jurassic Park themes in the soundtrack always made me smile throughout that film.  So I also bought, well, not Giacchino's Jurassic World soundtrack, but John Williams' original Jurassic Park soundtrack.  I mean, I've been wanting it ever since I saw Jurassic Park back for my birthday movie in 1993.  This is truly some of Williams' best stuff.




And that main theme has always had a great "emerging from the wilderness" vibe to it. 

So that's what I'll be rockin' out to for the rest of the summer.  Well, this isn't the kind of music you rock out to.  This is the music I'll be quietly chillin' to for the rest of the summer. 

All in all, not a bad birthday. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Gotham Girls

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly rant about one of my old DVDs that I just re-watched.  This time out, we get to a forgotten chapter of Batman animation called Gotham Girls.  This is in my notes at August 22, 2014.

New Week, New Targ!

Well, gang, summer is here, and with that, things are slowing down a bit, leaving me with very little material in this week’s episode of U62: The Targ.  So, I scrape the bottom of the barrel a little bit, but I find some scraps for Episode 8.13: Dog Days of Summer.

• Rambling about Star Wars is always good, so I continue the countdown to The Force Awakens
• The Raccoons looks to be the next reboot coming down the line, so I rant about that.
• I got the latest issue of the Augustana alumni magazine the other day, so I share some tales of the good ol’ days
• And taking a minute to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future.

Head over to the main site to give it a listen!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Birds of Prey: The Complete Series

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch one of the movies I own and blog about it.  Once again, I need to remind you that I write these months in advance.  This one was originally written on August 21, 2014, and that's why you'll see me talking about how I can't wait for the premieres of The Flash and Gotham.  Such anticipation was what inspired me to binge on Birds of Prey: The Complete Series.  

Movie Time!

So, over on this week's podcast, I promised a bunch of home movies demonstrating what occupied my time for the past few weeks.  As I mentioned in the podcast, I did have to go up to Athabasca to fill in.  I was on location from the Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic.  One of the events at the golf classic was the ball drop.  You buy a ball for $50, the drop all the balls out of a helicopter onto the green, and the closest one to the hole wins the pot.




And then, on Father's Day, my Dad said he wanted to go to Fort Edmonton Park.  I hadn't been in a few years, and since it was Father's Day, I gladly obliged.  My sister brought along her family, and we had a grand day at the park.

As is typical when you visit Fort Edmonton Park, the popular strategy is to take the steam train to the far end of the park, and then walk from the old fort, through the years, back to the beginning.  At the fort, there was this one voyageur demonstrating the usage of a cross-cut saw.  So, Dad my brother-in-law gave it a go.




Then, we traveled up to 1895 Street.  Dad's always been a fan of fine fiddle music, so when he heard a fiddle player playing on 1895 Street, Dad had to go up to the guy and find out more.  And then, in one of those weird coincidences that govern this universe, the guitar player accompanying the fiddle player turned out to be one of Dad's old colleagues from his government days.




And then, after all that, and with a weekend to myself, I headed into the city on my own.  It felt different going into the city this past Saturday.  I wasn't on the verge of tears like I'd been my last few visits.  Granted, money is still pretty tight for me right now, and in another month or so, I'll be facing the very serious problem as to how I'm going to pay my rent, but for a few brief moments on Saturday, in the city, I was happy.  Maybe it's because Fatburger is finally coming to West Edmonton Mall.  Or maybe it's because I was just super-excited to see Jurassic World.

Jurassic World is so good.  This is the Jurassic Park sequel I've been wanting since 1993.  Rather than just the usual "dinosaurs on a rampage" formula that the Lost World and Jurassic Park III gave us, this actually takes the concepts introduced in the first film and explores them in interesting ways.  The first and most obvious is, "What if they learned from their mistakes and a viable and successful dinosaur theme park/zoo actually opened?"  The second is, "OK, they filled in the gaps of dinosaur DNA with frog DNA...how hard would it be to start mashing together all different kinds of DNA to create monstrous dinosaurs that never existed?"  And the best concept of all:  "What if the velociraptors...were on our side?" 

I was bouncing up and down in my seat at how exciting it was.  Granted, Jurassic Park is an old enough franchise that there's a formula in place and the formula was at play, but by exploring some of the sci-fi concepts, and some wonderfully likeable leads in Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, and I had a hell of a good time. 

The complete review is over at the website.

The Targ Returns! And Returns! And Returns!

Wowee wow!  I’m back!  In my last episode, I said I’d be back in two weeks.  But then, life got in the way, two weeks turned into four, and I finally had a weekend to myself to sit and record a podcast!  So, what do I have for you on Episode 8.12: The Coffee Can of Destiny?

• As is tradition, I explain where I’ve been for the past few weeks.  Lounging in a hot tub, my aunt came to visit, I went back to Athabasca and Fort Edmonton Park!
• Thanks to the various streaming video services, I’ve been binging on Quantum Leap and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
• Another installment of “Mark Tastes Random Things,” as I sample the McLobster for your pleasure!
• And, a few quick thoughts on Jurassic World

And that’s what’s in store on Episode 8.12: The Coffee Can of Destiny!

Check it on the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Good Morning, Vietnam

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I blog about the movies I own on DVD and my thoughts upon rewatching them.  Again, I need to remind you that I tend to work about 6 months ahead or so on these.  For example, I wrote this one on August 17, 2014.  We had just heard the news of the death of Robin Williams, and that's what inspired me to re-watch on of my favourite films of his, Good Morning, Vietnam.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Batman: The Animated Series Volume 4

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I rant and ramble about one of the DVDs I own.  It's time to return to the world of Batman, as I binge on Volume 4 of Batman: The Animated Series, which encapsulates the series The New Batman Adventures.  This was jotted down in my notes on July 24, 2014.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Gargoyles: Season 2, Volume 2

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about one of the DVDs/Blu-Rays/VHSs I own.  It's rare these days that I binge-watch a TV show, but here we are as I finally complete my collection of the classic Disney cartoon Gargoyles.  Here, I binge on Gargoyles: Season 2, Volume 2.  This was originally in my notes at July 20, 2014.

Netflix Nonsense - Big Trouble in Little China

I was chatting with a co-worker the other day, and the latest news of remakes came up.  Last week, the big remake news was that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was going to do a remake of the 1980s cult classic Big Trouble in Little China.  I confided to my co-worker that I'd never seen it.  He just glared at me and said, "If we weren't working right now, I'd drag you over to my place and make you watch my Blu-ray."  Well, the weekend rolled around, I saw it was on Netflix, so let's get this gap in my geek film history filled in.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Lego Movie

Welcome once again to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about one of the many DVDs, Blu-Rays, and odd VHS I still own.  This time out, we get to one of the surprise hits of last year, The Lego Movie.  I originally watched this and jotted down my review on July 5, 2014.

Netflix Nonsense - Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

And it looks like we're at the end of my voyage through the original Mad Max trilogy.  For those just joining us, after coming out of the theatre for Mad Max: Fury Road, I realized that I'd never seen any of the original Mad Max movies, and thus it's a rather noticeable gap in my personal film history.  Luckily, I just reactivated my Shomi account, and they're all on there.  And we get to the end of the Mel Gibson Max Max trilogy with Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. 

Fixer Upper

Well, payday had come, and with it, it was time to take care of one of those little tasks that had been hanging over my head.  One of those little quirks of automobile maintenance that my father drilled in to me was always get your oil changed at 5000km.  And for the past month or so, I'd slowly been watching the odometer creep closer and closer to 5000km since my last oil change.  I know, I know, I should be shopping local and all that, but when it comes to an oil change, I find that sometimes it's easier and quicker to just swing by one of those Quickie-Lube places when I'm in the city.  So, with some funding in the bank thanks to payday, let's get that oil changed.

I was pondering that on the drive.  I've mentioned lately how paranoid I've become when it comes to my car.  City driving strikes fear into my heart.  Being on the road for too long just gets me fretting.  I wonder how much of that has to do with my old car.  My old car was so old that I couldn't go a year or two without some major breakdown leading to a week in the shop and several thousand dollars in repairs.  I finally upgraded to my current car when the mechanic said, "Mark, we've finally reached the point where it's just cheaper for you to get a new one."  I've had my car for coming up on 5 years, and I have yet to have one of those "a week in the shop, several thousand dollars in repairs" breakdowns.  (Well, aside from when I hit that deer two years ago.)  I'm probably starting to think I'm overdue.  

The oil change went off without a hitch.  It always amazes me how the minor problems they point out to me get nary a mention when I return and I hadn't fixed it yet.  Stuff like that always makes me wonder how much of it is a genuine problem or just up-selling.  With that chore taken care of, a twinge of sadness as I indulged one of my quirks.  I've taken to dangling a new air freshener from my rear-view mirror whenever I get my oil changed.  After my last oil change, I swung by Canadian Tire and found a three pack of Star Wars air fresheners.  Each one boasting the poster of a film from the original trilogy.  So, after this oil change, it was good-bye Star Wars, hello Empire Strikes Back.

And now that I'm in the city, why not go see a movie?

Since I fret about my money so much, I know it probably seems strange that I still make time to go see a movie.  I read the statistic the other day that the average person sees 4 movies per year.  Going through the movie reviews on my website, my personal average is 12.  So with an increasing worry about my money, it probably doesn't seem right that I still see three times as many movies as the personal average in a year.  But I can't help it.  It's my passion.

I once had a co-worker who routinely mocked me for my love of the movies.  "How can you justify spending so much money on movies?" he'd say.  "Thanks to the Internet, I can get any movie, TV show, or album I want for free!  Only a FOOL pays for their entertainment in this day and age!"

I'd point out that this seems hypocritical, as he had no problem dropping $8000 per year to fly to the States and watch his beloved San Fransisco 49ers play.  "Sports is different," he'd counter.  "Each game is a one-time only meeting between two titans.  Anything can affect the outcome of a game.  A sporting event is one of the few things where you never know what's going to happen.  But movies...you always know what's going to happen.  The good guy always wins.  The hero always gets the girls.  Movies never surprise you.  Sports always does."

He'd wind up to deliver the crushing blow.  "Yup, thanks to it's unpredictable nature, sporting events are the highest form of entertainment.  It's a communal event as people gather to witness history being made.  And movies..." he'd get this evil grin like he was about to slay my mother and make me watch.  "Movies are just a bunch of idiots staring straight ahead in the dark for two hours." 

I never knew how much of that he actually believed.  This was an asshole who tried to get a rise out of me over the slightest thing, so he was probably just baiting me.  Truth is, I feel sorry for him.  The great filmmaker Ridley Scott once used the "bunch of people staring straight ahead in the dark for two hours" argument to describe movies as being a magical, shared experience.  Instead of staring at the dark, stare at the light on the screen.  Up there, heroes are larger than life.  They takes us with them on their journeys.  If done properly, a film can educate and illuminate us to things that we didn't even know about ourselves.  My co-worker never understood.  I don't go to movies for the dark.  I go for the light.

Director Andrew Stanton once sent out a tweet that resonated with me.  It was along the lines of, "Whenever I see a movie, my request is always the same:  make me feel something."  And if the only way you can feel something is to watch a bunch of people fight over a ball, then hey, good on you. 

So what I was hoping would make me feel this time out?  Disney's latest epic Tomorrowland.  I knew I was going to see it because it's the brainchild of one of my favourite directors, Brad Bird.  He gave the world my favourite movie, The Iron Giant.  He then went across the street to Pixar where he made the Incredibles and Ratatouille.  And a few years ago, he broke into live-action with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.  So I was eager to see his next go-around in the live-action realm. 

Casey Newton is a bright young woman with an almost instinctual knowledge of how things work.  She’s also a dreamer, with hope and optimism for the future.  It’s such qualities that soon lead a mysterious girl named Athena to give Casey a special pin.  By touching this pin, Casey is given visions of “Tomorrowland,” a city where all the best and brightest of society can gather and literally shape the future.  But, Tomorrowland is in jeopardy.  With the help of a jaded Tomorrowland exile named Frank Walker, our three are off on a quest to return to Tomorrowland and save it, before the whole world suffers.

If there's one thing we learned from Mission: Impossible, that's that Bird is really good at doing big action sequences, and Tomorrowland has its fair share of good ones.  Michael Giacchino once again puts together a great score, and young actress Raffey Cassidy as Athena has just the right blend of mysterious and matter-of-fact.  That being said, it is your standard "chosen one" plot, and while I did appreciate the film's message ("Let's be positive about the future again!") it did get a tad preachy about it. 

I give it three nibs.  My full review is up over on the website. 

Doing The Targ Is Hard. But Here's a New One!

Eventually, I’ve got to do a podcast like this.  I clean out my show prep file and just find all the little scraps of stuff I wanted to talk about, but it slipped my mind.  Then, when I’m stuck for what to talk about, i just grab all those forgotten scraps.  So what scraps make up Episode 8.11: Titles Are Hard?

• I saw the Roger Ebert documentary Life Itself on Netflix, and share my reminiscings about Mr. Ebert.
• Sighting View-Master reels for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in a museum leads to ranting about the history of View-Master
• Telling the tale of the Justice League movie we almost got from the director of Mad Max
• How all those videos games that have the action figure tie-ins (i.e. Disney Infinity) are really starting to tickle my fancy

Plus, I once again recount the tale of how I made my best friend.  I’ve blogged about it, but I felt like telling it once again.

Download it over at the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Strange Brew

Here we are, tumbling along once again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, blogging about one of the movies I own.  It's important to highlight that this one appears in my notes on July 1, 2014, hence all the references to Canada Day in it.  And what movie did I watch to celebrate that day, why the Bob and Doug McKenzie movie, Strange Brew.

 

Netflix Nonsense - Mad Max 2 (aka The Road Warrior)

Well, as I said last time, with most folks I know being very much in love with Mad Max: Fury Road right now, I realized that my lack of having seen any of the Mad Max films is one of the more serious gaps in my personal film history.  Lucky for me, I discovered that they're all on Shomi.  We're continuing through the franchise with Mad Max 2, known to some as The Road Warrior, but I think many now call it Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.

New Week, New Targ

Summer is truly upon us!  I’m wearing shorts and showing off my sexy legs!  And on days like today, nothing like loading up the MP3 player with podcasts and heading out into the world!  And what better podcast than mine, and this week’s episode, Episode 8.10: Hooker Bike?  Ramblings on this week’s episode:

• My latest discoveries on Shomi, heading into reminiscing about Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and my gritty reboot plans for The Edison Twins.
• My thoughts on the new Transformers writing committee, and the new method of mapping out franchises
• Gushing about the Flash season finale

That, and a song of the show, and various tangents I go off on.

Head over to the main site to give it a listen!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - X-Men: Days of Future Past

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about one of the movies I own on home media.  I've been doing a run though the X-Men franchise recently, so I think to close things off proper, I'm going to jump ahead in my notes to October 19, 2014 to do X-Men: Days of Future Past.  "But Mark, you missed The Wolverine!" you may be saying.  Well, I did The Wolverine over a year ago, before I did this run though the franchise.  It's right here if you want to catch up.  And now, on to Days of Future Past. 

Netflix Nonsense - Mad Max

I guess I really shouldn't call this one an installment of "Netflix Nonsense" as it's more "Shomi Nonsense."  As I've detailed on my podcast recently, I've been all conflicted about the new Canadian streaming video service, Shomi.  I signed up for it, but then I realized I just wasn't watching it, so I cancelled it.  I figured I'd watch it more if they had an easy-to-use Apple TV app.  Literally a week after I canceled my subscription, they launched their Apple TV app.  So after humming and hawing for a few days, I reactivated my account, just to try the Apple TV app.

Now, what to watch?  Well, as I recently said in my Mad Max: Fury Road review, the Mad Max franchise is another of those embarrassing gaps in my personal film history.  I haven't seen a single one, aside from Beyond Thunderdome on TV when I was a kid.  And look!  They're all on Shomi.  So, just like back in November when I decided to binge on the Rocky franchise, I'm going to work my way through the Mad Max films.  Let's start at the very beginning...Mad Max.

Long Weekend Panic

I don't know what's come over me.  Driving into the city in the past few months has been so...anxiety-inducing.  My car could use some new tires, so that worries me.  I have a laundry list of things that I've been told need to be fixed on my car, but I don't know if they're genuine problems, or just the standard up-selling that happens when you get your oil changed.  And let's not forget the growing popularity of traffic cams.  Every time I speed up to get through a yellow light, I spend the next day in the fetal position wondering if a ticket's going to come through the mail.  Yesterday, I saw the bright flash of a photo radar cam.  Was it for me?  It was a 60 zone and I was doing about 63...is that enough to set them off?

And don't get me started when winter comes, and you add snow-covered streets to the mix.  I used to be more calm about all this but something switched in my brain, and now I'm not. 

But with all that in mind, the long weekend is here, and I always felt that a long weekend is wasted if I don't get out and do something.  And I'm pretty sure I haven't been all the way down to my beloved West Edmonton Mall since February.  Suck it up, soldier, we're going to the Mall.

I was also reluctant to head into the Mall because, well, I work in radio, and for the civilians out there, you don't make a lot of money in radio.  Finances have been tight as of late, and when you don't have much money, malls make you feel really, really bad.  So much you want, but so little you can afford.  However, in the past, I've been able to justify a financial cheat day if I buy at least one thing I genuinely need.  And I was in need of a new vacuum cleaner filter.

With filter in hand, I started browsing the other sections of Wal-Mart.  I found myself in the bathroom accessories section.  On her last couple of visits, my mother found my bathroom to be somewhat cluttered.  You can purchase these special shelving units that are designed to fit over top of the toilet to clean up such clutter.  And Wal-Mart finally had them, and on sale.  So, of course I got one.

I always feel so manly when I put together furniture. On the parents' last couple of visits, Mom said I need one of these over-the-toilet shelving units to get my bathroom organized. Wal-Mart had them on sale today.

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on May 16, 2015 at 5:49pm PDT

From there, it was traversing the city streets to West Edmonton Mall.  I felt like I needed to go to West Edmonton Mall to see something for myself.  West Edmonton Mall has finally brought their whale statue out of storage.

The brief history:  a popular landmark in West Edmonton Mall was a fountain that featured a life-sized statue of a Right Whale.  Well, it's head is life-sized, and made to look like it's surfacing.  And you could go inside and check it out.  It used to be in front of Victoria's Secret, but when when Victoria's Secret came to the mall 5 years ago, they wanted the space to construct a waiting area for bored husbands and boyfriends.  So the statue was yanked out, the fountain filled in, and some comfy sofas went in.

At the time, West Edmonton Mall said it would be brought back once a new location in the Mall could be found.  I wondered what was taking so long, and a couple of years ago, I even wrote an e-mail to the Mall's management asking.  Wrote a blog entry about it, which a colleague of mine at an Edmonton radio station shared on the air, and it was my most-read blog entry for a while.   About a month ago, West Edmonton Mall finally brought the whale out of storage and unceremoniously dumped it in its new location:  in front of Sears.  They say it's going to be the centerpiece of a new interactive exhibit.  As long as it's in a fountain again, I'll be happy.  That was always my fondest memory of the whale:  looking down on it from the second level, and you could see all the coins littering the bottom.  My Dad once remarked that, to collect them all, it would probably be easier to drain the fountain then sweep them all up.

The stories are true! He's back!

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on May 16, 2015 at 12:00pm PDT

After that, did a little more browsing.  Of course I had to head to HMV.  Always feel kind of sad when I leave HMV but I do NOT have any new Blu-Rays or DVDs.  Granted, there are always a couple of classics I see that I'd like to add to my collection, but since I know that's my greatest addiction, and with tight finances, I start asking myself questions about how much I genuinely need another movie for my collection.  More new movies definitely get moved to the bottom of the list.

But then, over browsing in Chapters, I did succumb to temptation and pick up a new graphic novel.  Always loved Disney's movie version of The Rocketeer, but I've never read the original Dave Stevens comics.  Skimming the graphic novels section, I noticed that the Dave Stevens originals were just released in a shiny new trade paperback.  I figured the $20 would be more than worth it. 

And you know the formula to these blog entries by now.  No trip to West Edmonton Mall is complete without going to see a movie.  I figured I would go see Mad Max: Fury Road.  Mad Max is one of those embarrassing gaps in my personal film history.  Besides fuzzy memories of watching Beyond Thunderdome on TV when I was a kid, I haven't seen any of them.  But with phenomenally good reviews and some insane-looking trailers, I figured it would be worth checking out.

Our hero Max is captured by a gang to essentially be used as an unwilling blood donor.  This gang is led by Immortan Joe, who has fashioned a cult around himself.  When one of Immortan Joe's top drivers, the Imperator Furiosa, goes rogue and tries to smuggle Immortan Joe's harem of unwilling wives to safety, Max soon gets swept up in the battle and helps Furiousa and the women on their race to safety.  And what results is an insane car chase across the desert. 

I found this movie to be really, really, good.  From what I gather, Mad Max has always been a man of few words, and Tom Hardy does pretty good doing just that.  Charlize Theron is easily Max's equal as Furiosa, a woman who's done terrible things and hopes this one act will offer some form of redemption.  And the car chases are thrilling, and exciting and just very, very good.  My main quibble is that there's so many car chases, that it wears you down after a bit. 

I give it 3 out of 4 nibs.  The complete review is on my website. 

And with that, my day in the city was at an end.  I decided to take the long way home, and make a side trip to Spruce Grove for supper at Carls Jr.  Yeah, it's been around for about a year now, but it still has the novelty of being new.  Not a lot of Carls Jrs in this part of Canada yet, and taking the long way out to Spruce Grove just gets me out of the city quicker.  I decided to sample their El Diablo Burger.  Deep friend jalapenos on a burger.  That was...interesting. 

I started heading for home, my favourite podcasts playing on my car stereo.  Something has been done for the long weekend, so I can spend the rest of it curled up in the fetal position, waiting for traffic tickets to arrive.  To date, none have, but who knows?  This may be the first.

Long Weekend Targ

Happy May Long Weekend!  As the song says, “Ain’t nothing better in the world you know/Than lying in the Sun with the radio.”  And in this day and age, stuff that radio with podcats!  Preferably, mine!  What rants and ramblings do I have in Episode 8.09: My Biggest Fan Takes Batteries:

• More obsessing about Shomi.  Yes, I reactivated my account to try the Apple TV app.
• Geeking out about these lovely new collectables known as the ReAction figures
• Reflections on the old Star Wars: Droids cartoon

And, perhaps the biggest bit in the show.  I offer up my reactions to the biggest movie trailer that was released this week.  Yes, I rant about the Jem and the Holograms trailer.

Head over to the podcast site to give it a listen!

And subscribe in iTunes!

The Jem and the Holograms Trailer

"I'm a white male, age 18-49.  Everyone listens to me, not matter how dumb my suggestions are." - Homer Simpson

I used to be an avid reader of ToyFare magazine.  About 10 years ago, I remember reading an interview with Hasbro's brand manager for Transformers.  He said that Hasbro's corporate strategy for Transformers was to reboot it every 5 years or so, so it'd always be fresh for the next batch of kids growing up.  When the first Michael Bay Transformers movie came along, I went into the theatre with that mentality:  this is not my Transformers, but a reboot for the next generation.  And with that mentality, I found it more acceptable than most Transformers fans did.

The global success of Transformers taught Hasbro a very important lesson:  thanks to many of their brands having been successful media franchises back in the 1980s, those franchises grew up to be very valuable intellectual properties.  Adults raised on those toys and cartoons were now introducing them to their kids.  They could get two whole generations.  Transformers sequels, new cartoons, and new toys came out in droves.  G.I. Joe was next.  It all led to Hasbro launching their own TV network - the Hub - and its most unexpected juggernaut, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. 

For content for their new TV network, Hasbro dipped into their archives and dug out many of their classic cartoons from the 1980s.  That led to another unexpected hit...reruns of Jem and the Holograms.  I won't say too much.  My blog entry on when I binge-watched the entire series on Netflix a few months ago says it all.  But let it be known that I still believe Jem and the Holograms is the greatest thing Hasbro produced in the 1980s.  It is so mired in the fads and trends of the time.  It is the ultimate 1980s time capsule.  It is cheezy.  It is campy.  It is truly truly truly outrageous.

And it has become another valued intellectual property for Hasbro.

A live-action movie version was announced over a year ago.  Within months of its announcement came the announcement that production had wrapped.  This film has already been sitting on the shelf for over a year.  Directing it is John M. Chu, veteran of such modern-day movie musicals as a couple of the Step Up films and Justin Beiber concert film Never Say Never.  And, he developed a good working relationship with Hasbro, having done G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

But still, what from the classic cartoon would remain?  Would we still have a sentient AI be the source of Jem's transformations?  Would there still be high adventure as the Holograms and the Misfits battle for pop chart supremacy?  Would there still be music videos?

This film was flying so under the radar, that even blurry scans from magazines became huge news.  But now, we have a trailer   We have a trailer for a live-action Jem movie.




This trailer came out back on Tuesday.  I've watched it about a dozen times now.  And I can't.  Stop.  Laughing.

Am I angry and disappointed that Synergy isn't a sentient AI and the world's most powerful holographic projection system?  Yes.

Am I disappointed that there's no Misfits there, causing trouble? Yes.

Am I upset that it doesn't feature the classic theme song?  Yes.

But I can't.  Stop.  Laughing.

Does the plot look cliched as hell?  Yes.

Does it look like a made-for-the-Disney-channel TV movie?   Yes.

But I can't.  Stop.  Laughing.

Why am I laughing?  Because we now live in a world where they've made a Jem movie.  The beloved toys of my youth are no longer treasured memories.  They're valued intellectual properties.  They're brands to be exploited.   The only way such a thing could ever reach this position is if my generation became grown-ups and started running the world.

Guess what?  We are.

And the crazy thing is, we're responsible adults.  The reason this is cliched and looks like a made-for-the-Disney-channel TV movie is because we started thinking, "Well, this is what the kids are into these days, so this is the only way it'll ever get made."  We couldn't go all Guardians of the Galaxy and embrace the absurdities of the franchise because we stood up and said, "Think of the children." 

This is it!  We're adults!  We are the runners of the world!  We have reached the age where we
have the power to do whatever we want to make this the world we want!

And we used that power not to make the Jem movie we want, but the Jem reboot we think our kids want. 

Jem and the Holograms comes out on October 23. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - X-Men: First Class

Continuing to plow through the X-Men franchise here on Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly blog about a movie I own.  We get to the reboot of the franchise, X-Men: First Class.  This appears in my notes at June 30, 2014.

Batman vs. Robin Review

Well, with a busy week done, I got to tackle my "to-watch" pile of new Blu-Rays, and right at the top was the latest DC Universe Original Movie

Batman vs. Robin

Directed by Jay Olivia

Starring the voices of Jason O'Mara, Stuart Allan, Sean Maher, Jeremy Sisto, Grey Griffin, Kevin Conroy, and "Weird Al" Yankovic

Backstory:  As I've blogged before, I'm starting to grow bored with the DC Universe Original movies.  What once was a great project to bring life to some classic DC properties has now become, "Hey!  What was that New 52 storyline that sold really well last year?  Let's just do that!"  And the fact that this one is a sequel to Son of Batman, which I found disappointing.  For those who don't remember Son of Batman introduced the latest Robin, Damien Wayne, the long lost son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Guhl.  Kept secret from Batman, and raised by his grandfather Ra's Al Guhl to be the deadliest member of the League of Assassins, but soon reunited with his father and set loose on the streets of Gotham.  But rather than analyze the dynamic of Batman's figurative son becoming his literal son, it was just another Robin origin story.  The New 52 storyline this draws from is Night of the Owls, which introduced an interesting new villain for Batman:  The Court of Owls, a secret society that has controlled Gotham City from the shadows for centuries, and the Talons, their chief assassins.  So...yeah.  Expectations were low going in.

Plot:  Young Damien Wayne is growing frustrated.  Bruce Wayne is keeping him cooped up in Wayne Manor, as he's reluctant to reveal to the world that he now has a son.  The growing tensions lead to Damien frequently going out on his own as Robin, and he soon encounters another vigilante named Talon.  Talon professes to be a fan of Batman's work, but knows that Batman hinders himself by refusing to kill.  Talon, however, feels the ends justifies the means, and wants to help Robin meet his full potential.  Meanwhile, Batman's latest case brings up some startling evidence.  The Court of Owls, long considered to be a myth, may actually be real, and Batman is being set up for a confrontation with them.  It's soon learned that Robin is pawn in the war between Batman and Talon, and soon Robin must choose a side.  Will Batman and Robin actually fight each other to the death?

What I Liked:  Well, this did resolve one of my biggest letdowns with Son of Batman, and that is Bruce and Damien Wayne actually developing some kind of father/son relationship.  A good chunk of the movie is about Batman/Bruce Wayne actually, finally accepting Damien as his son, and it's good to see that play out.  Talon is an interesting villain, as he is kind of a dark reflection of Batman, and a warning as to what Damien could grow up to be.  And the voice acting is starting to grow on me.  It's fun seeing Kevin Conroy (THE voice of Batman) put in a cameo as Thomas Wayne in a flashback.  And Weird Al!  Holy moly, Weird Al as the Dollmaker!  I had no freaking idea Weird Al could get so...creepy. 

What I Didn't Like:  Secret societies have been done.  And the titular Batman vs. Robin fight is way too brief. 

Final Verdict:  A step up from Son of Batman, but still can't shake the "been there, done that" hanging over this franchise. 

3 Nibs

Bonus Features:  The typical bonuses.  A featurette on the Court of Owls.  A featurette on Talon.  A running commentary with the director.  A bunch of bonus cartoons from the DC Animated Universe (even a Bugs Bunny cartoon!)  And a sneak preview of the next film, Justice League:  Gods and Monsters. 

Sunday's Targ Day!

Well, it’s nothing but superhero news and various ramblings on this week’s episode of The Targ, hence the title, Episode 8.08: Make Mine Superheroes.  What do I ramble about?  Well….

• I do something I haven’t done in ages!  I fire up my digital voice recorder and offer my thoughts on Avengers: Age of Ultron as the credits roll in the theatres!
• From there, the news about the epic cast of Captain America: Civil War
• An update on DC’s TV universe, with the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl TV series.

I also begin lamenting shutting down my Shomi account…as they finally launch an Apple TV app.  Is this a game changer in Canada’s upstart streaming video services?
And that’s what I ramble about on this week’s Targ!

Head to the main site and have a listen!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

It's time for Fishing in the Discount Bin once again, where I blog about one of the many, many movies I own.  I'm heading through the X-Men franchise right now, and we arrive at the first of the Wolverine solo films X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  This is originally in my notes at June 29, 2014.

Standing in Line for Episode I

Well, it's Star Wars Day.  I've blogged in the past that I'm not a big fan of Star Wars Day.  I mean, I'm all for setting aside a day to celebrate your fandom, but I don't like the way the day was decided by a lame pun.  But, this year, I'm getting caught up in it a little bit.  It probably has a lot to do with the residual good vibes from the phenomenal The Force Awakens trailer from a few weeks ago.  But this time, I decided to act on those good vibes.

I decided to finally try and get a copy of the Camrose Canadian that interviewed me about standing in line for Episode I. 

A couple days after standing in line for my tickets, a few of my Camrose compatriots sent me an e-mail saying, "Dude!  They interview you on the front page of the Camrose Canadian!"  And I was like, "Dude!  Send me a copy!"  But they never did.  16 years on, I knew my chances of getting a copy were pretty slim, but I figured I should try.  I sent an e-mail to the Camrose Canadian explaining the situation, and they were very kind enough to dip into their archives, find a copy, and send me a scan. 

So here I am on the front page of the Camrose Canadian!

"Augustana student Mark Cappis made the journey from Entwistle to secure some seats.  'When it opens, I want to see it with all my friends.  I just wanted to make sure I got my tickets,' he said." 

That may seem a little corny in retrospect, but it was true.  Episode I came out as my college career came to an end.  Graduation was just the week before.  For the final year, all me and my friends were talking about and analyzing were all the rumorus and trailer for Episode I.  Where else were we going to see The Phantom Menace other than Camrose? 

For those who don't know the history, Episode I was one of the first major Hollywood blockbusters where they sold advance tickets.  The film came out on May 19, but tickets went on sale one week earlier, May 12, at 1PM Alberta time.  So, with that in mind, and me having already moved home with the end of the school year, I got it in my head that I'd be heading down to Camrose on May 12 to wait in line for tickets. 

On May 12, I was up at the crack of dawn.  I hopped into my (parents') car and made the 2-hour drive down to Camrose.  I arrived at the Duggan Mall at 9AM....

...and I was already third in line.  Damn it!  But still, I settled in, and started waiting for 1PM.

The article mentions "another fan, with a boom box, [who] began playing the Star Wars soundtrack just as ticket sales began."  That was my friend Arlo.  He had just bought the Episode I soundtrack a few weeks before, so we were cranking that up.  It was pure coincidence that the CD came back around to the beginning and started playing Duel of the Fates just as the clerk announced, "The box office is open!  Tickets are now on sale!"

My biggest memory is how woefully ill-prepared we were for sitting in line.  We brought, like, nothing to do.  I think someone eventually ran down to the dollar store and got a deck of cards.  My biggest regret was that I forgot my copy of Star Wars Trivia Pursuit, which I had just gotten for Christmas.  I had planned to bring it so we could play while we waited, but I didn't realize until I was coming through Nisku that I'd forgotten it at home. 

1PM came, the tickets went on sale, and there I was, third in line, and got my tickets.  I vaguely remember talking to the reporter.  Word got through the line that I'd come all the way from the exotic land of Entwistle, and they wanted to know, "Why?"  I don't remember the rest of the day...I probably had lunch and went home.

"But Mark," you may be saying, "I've heard you tell this story before, and you always told me you stood in line for 8 hours.  9AM to 1PM is just 4 hours!"  The 8 hours standing in line came the next week...the day the film actually came out.  We'd all decided we'd be going to the 7PM show, and we arrived at the Duggan Mall at 11AM to get in line.  But, the movie theatre wouldn't let people line up from 7PM show until 4PM, so it was more, "5 hours hanging out in the mall, and then three hours standing in line."  When they started letting us line up for the 7PM show, then was first in line, and when the theatre opened, I remember sprinting in just so I could say I was first.

Coming out was a different story.  I remember thorougly loving it at the time.  But the horrified looks on my friends' faces told a different story.  "Was that awesome or what?" I remember exclaiming.  "Yeah...that was certainly...something," they said.  My revulsion to Episode I wasn't as instant as most.  I still don't think it's that bad.  However, I'm not as gushing as my original movie review that I blogged that night.

But what I'll always remember are those days leading up to the film.  The standing in line.  As I said, we had all just graduated.  This was pretty much our grad party...our last hurrah.  And those memories will always outshine Episode I. 

Sunday's Targ Day!

Well, gang, it’s the start of a brand new week, so that means it’s time for a whole new episode of The Targ!  Kinda didn’t know what to talk about this week, but I think I got a show together.  In Episode 8.07: 1999 All Over Again, I ramble about

• News on the Avatar sequels and Jurassic World
• Some of the problems I ran into with Shomi
• Some Star Wars news, as I share the latest developments on the Star Wars Anthology spinoff films
• And, some happy reminiscing about standing in line for hours on end for Episode I.

All this and more on this week’s episode!

Head over to the main page to give it a listen!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - X-Men: The Last Stand

Here we are again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, my blogging/ranting about a movie I own.  We're continuing to march through the X-Men franchise with X-Men: The Last Stand.  This is originally in my notes at June 28, 2014.

Time for a New Targ!

A new week is here, and that means another episode of U62: The Targ to tickle your earbuds!  Not much tickling, though, as there’s a lot of complaining and grousing in Episode 8.06: Lower Levels Love Me.  What do I complain about today?

• Blu-rays that won’t play!  Darn you, technology, for not working!
• A Spider-Man animated film franchise!  Are we going to get Spider-Man oversaturation?

But then, the complaining ends!  What good stuff do I applaud?

• Marvel’s Daredevil series on Netflix is so good, you guys.
• West Edmonton Mall has brought back the whale!

All this and more on the latest Targ!

Check it on the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - X2

 Welcome to Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch one of the many movies I own and blog about it.  Today, we're continuing our voyage through the X-Men franchise with X2.  This pops up in my notes at June 28, 2014.

Small Town Movies

When I first moved to the Westlock/Barrhead region two years ago, I was surprised and elated when I discovered that Barrhead has a movie theatre...the Roxy.  Much like grain elevators, the small town movie theatre is another hallmark of small town life that seems to be fading away.  It's so easy to head on into the city to catch a movie the day it comes out.  Why wait a week or two for it to makes its way to your town?  But I kept saying that I must catch a movie at the Roxy.  It's part of my community, and I love the movies, so why not?

So it may seem kind of strange that, after two years, the one movie that come to the Roxy that finally made me check it out was Disney's live-action Cinderella.  But it in a way, it makes sense.  It seems that my memories of small town movie theatres tend to involved Disney movies.

Where I grew up, the closest small town with a movie theatre was Drayton Valley.  They had a one-screen movie theatre...the Cardium.  Despite being the closest, didn't see a lot of movies at the Cardium growing up.  The last movie I remember seeing there was The Lion King.  For those who don't remember The Lion King's release history, it came out in the summer of 1994.  And then, in a stroke of marketing brilliance, Disney pulled it out of theatres at the end of the summer, and re-released it at Christmas of 1994.  When it came to the Cardium over Christmas vacation, my sister and a couple of her friends really wanted to go see it again.  I had just gotten my driver's license, and Mom no doubt wanted a few hours of peace and quiet over the Christmas break, so Mom said, "Would you take them?"  So I did.  The big selling point for that re-release was they were showing an entire musical number from Disney's next animated epic, Pocahontas, before the film, so I got to see Colors of the Wind on the big screen.  I remember it as being a nice theatre. 

The Cardium closed in the mid-00s, but the name lives on.  The Cardium is now the name of Drayton's 4-screen cineplex that replaced the original. 

When it comes to small town, one-screen movie theatres, the one I have the most memories of is the Bailey Theatre.  The main movie theatre in Camrose, and within walking distance of the college, so of course a movie-loving college student wound up spending a lot of time there.  My best friend and I, being of similar movie tastes, spent a lot of Friday nights there seeing the newest offering.  Being a couple of animation geeks, I remember going to see Anastasia on opening night, and my friend and I spent the whole film critiquing and analyzing the animation.

About the only movie that I saw at the Bailey myself was The Little Mermaid.  Disney re-released it in 1997 in the hopes of crushing Anastasia at the box office, and I leaped at the chance to see it on the big screen.  Going by myself meant I could sit in the balcony.  I always thought that a balcony in a movie theatre was a Hollywood invention.  I only ever saw it in movies and on TV until I got to the Bailey.  My best friend -- being from the Camrose area and seeing movies at the Bailey all his life -- always insisted on sitting front row centre.  But that night, on my own at The Little Mermaid, I got to sit front row centre...in the balcony.  No wonder Siskel and Ebert loved sitting there so much. 

Christmas 1997 wound up being a pivotal year for the Bailey, for that's when their competition, the shiny new 5-screen Duggan Cinemas opened up.  That's the only time I ever engaged in any student journalism, outside my radio-show-plugging opinion column.  My best friend was editor of the school paper, and one night, while we were hanging out as he worked to put the next issue to bed, we began speculating as to what the Duggan Cinemas might do to the Bailey.  So we called up the managers of both theatres, got quotes, and put together a story on Camrose's upcoming "theatre war." 

But we knew the Bailey's days were numbered.  The last movie we saw there was Lost in Space, which opened in April of 1998.  After that was final exams, and I was home for summer.  When I came back to Camrose for the next semester in the fall of 1998, the Bailey was closed.

That being said, the Bailey's doing pretty well for itself these days.  It's been restored to its 1940s art deco glory, and is now Camrose's premiere live entertainment venue. 

So it was time to create new memories of the small town one-screen movie theatre by heading out to the Roxy.  I went into the theatre, and remarked at how similar the lobbies of these small town theatres are.  The lobby is smaller and more intimate that what you'd find in the big city.  The box office is right there as soon as you get in.  I paid for my ticket, and right next to the box office is the small concession counter.  As I've blogged before, I don't eat at the movies that much anymore, because I tend to go right after a meal.  The Roxy in Barrhead was no different, as I'd just had supper at the A&W down the street.  But I've been assured that the Roxy makes really good popcorn. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have a cry room...a nice addition that more movie theatres should have.  This is the soundproof booth where parents can take fussy babies to they don't interrupt the show.  Don't worry, from inside, they can still see the screen, and there's speakers that have the movie's sound turned to a lower volume for the little one. 

I went inside, and it was like going back to the Cardium.  Laid out in the very same way.  Large speakers hanging off the wall, instead of being built into the wall like most big city theatres.  I thought about going front row centre like my best friend would insist back in the Bailey, but I instead went for my usual selection of somewhere in the middle.  I noticed the Roxy also has a stage, so like the Bailey, I imagine it must have been a multi-purpose theatre that hosted live events in its 50 year history. 

That being said, how was Cinderella?  "Magical" is a good way to describe it.  It manages to capture all the magic and charm of the original Disney animated film, with a few new wrinkles.  Cate Blanchett manages to flesh out the Wicked Stepmother more, as we see her actively scheming and plotting to improve her station in life.  And Helena Bonham Carter brings just the right blend of flighty and mystical to the Fairy Godmother.

The bad?  Well, it is Cinderella, and they don't deviate too far from the original text, so the plot really doesn't offer up anything new.  And I still have the same question I've always had about Cinderella:  "Wouldn't glass slippers be horribly uncomfortable and impractical?"  But still, I had fun.  3 Nibs, and the full review is up on the website.

Although, on the drive home, I think I finally figured out another question I've always had about Cinderella.  And that question was, "How weird must her feet be if those glass slippers fit her and only her?"  But it occurred to me:  since they are magical, obviously they magically re-size themselves to not fit unless it's Cinderella.  Brilliant! 

Oh, and it also started with the animated short film Frozen Fever, a nice little expansion of the Frozen universe. 

All in all, it was a good evening, and the Roxy can truly stand as one of the greatest of the small town movie theatres. 

New Targ is Here!

A brand new week means a brand new episode of U62: The Targ!  And I needed to do an episode this week, because there’s lots of good stuff to talk about.  Especially the trailers!  So many good trailers!

• Hear my thoughts about the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Batman v Superman, Ant-Man, and Terminator Genisys!
• We’ve got another installment of Mark Tastes Random Things.  This time, hear me chow down on Tim Hortons Nutella donut, and I extoll the joys of Nutella!
• And, because unboxing videos are all the rage, I even do an unboxing.  A friend of mine bought me a present online from China, so I tear open the package and find out what he sent me.

All this and more in Episode 8.05: 7 Days in the Making!

Head to the main site to download it!

The Other Big Trailers This Week

Well, when I originally jotted this down on Friday morning, it was only dedicated to the trailers for Ant-Man and Terminator.  But then, we were all kinda surprised when Warner Brothers decided to release the first teaser for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

See, the original plan was they showed the "teaser for a teaser" on Wednesday night, premiere the trailer at a special event at select IMAX theatres on Monday, with the trailer officially going online on Tuesday.  But, it got leaked to the Internet on Thursday night, forcing WB's hand and giving it an official release on Friday night.

Obstensibly a sequel to Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice was quickly handed the task of establishing the DC Cinematic Universe.  So not only does a rebooted Batman show up, we're also going to get Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Cyborg, leading to the origins of the Justice League.

Of course, there was much outcry over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, but I think Affleck is a good enough actor to pull it off.  Assisting Affleck is Jeremy Irons as the new Alfred.  Rounding out our Justice League is Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.

Returning from Man of Steel is Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Laurence Fishburne as Perry White.  Rounding out the Superman universe is Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. 

So...how does it look?



Huh.  Well...yeah.  I'm not diggin' it.  I'm not liking Gritty Superman vs Darth Vader Batman.

I know that they're trying to take from the beloved Frank Miller graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.  But that had a whole different set-up to their epic fight.  Batman and Superman were the only two superheros left.  Superman became a total government sell-out, and Batman was still sticking up for the little guy.  It was the clash of ideologies.  Granted, they could be going for that in Batman v Superman.  Batman could see that he has to stand up for the common person after Superman and Zod's godlike battle that utterly destroyed Metropolis in Man of Steel.

But still...in this film, Superman is just starting out.  In The Dark Knight Returns, it was at the relative end of Batman and Superman's superhero careers.  No doubt their relationship had become that of colleagues who tolerated each other and got along, but eventually started getting on each others' nerves after 50 years of the same ol' crap.  Do you really want them to start out that way?

Or maybe I'm just tired of gritty Batman.  Christopher Nolan did it so well in his Dark Knight trilogy, that we were ready for a new direction, and this isn't new enough.  Hell, they even rip off a shot from The Dark Knight Rises in that trailer, of Batman from behind, on top of the bridge, his cape flowing in the wind.

Perhaps a co-worker said it best.  We all loved the Star Wars trailer so much, that anything else by comparison is going to seem underwhelming for the next little bit.

But I love Batman.  I love Superman.  And I'm upset that this trailer has me going "meh."

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theatres on March 25, 2016.

My original trailer rants follow.

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Before the new Star Wars trailer came along and blew our minds, there were a couple other trailers that come out earlier this week that I wanted to ramble about a bit.  First up, the new trailer for Ant-Man:



I'm still feeling kind of "meh" towards Ant-Man.  I mean, a hero with a supersuit?  Battling a villain with a similar supersuit?  Didn't Marvel already make this movie in Iron Man?  My original complaint of "generic superhero film" still stands.

Although, there are some clever bits.  I chuckled at the whole "I need you to break into a place and steal some stuff" gag.  And the end bit with the train was cute.  But I'm still going..."meh."

Meanwhile, we also got the new trailer for the big Terminator reboot, Terminator Genisys.

 


Now this one has me a little more sold on Terminator Genisys.  I complained that the first trailer had a whole "been there, done that" feeling to it, as we saw the Terminator running around battling a liquid metal Terminator.  But now that we're getting more into the plot and we're seeing what's going on, and that John Connor himself is now a Terminator of some kind...now I'm getting more intrigued.  Might be going to see this one after all.

Both Ant-Man and Terminator Genisys come out in July.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Teaser #2

I keep saying I'm not going to get excited.  No matter how tantalizing all the new pictures and rumours from the set look, I can't help but have flashbacks to late-1998/early-1999 when I was also this excited.  Picking apart the trailers, pouring over every bit of information that was released, only to be greeted with...the prequels.

"Never again," I said.  "I'm done with this franchise.  It's only going to hurt me again."

But then, yesterday, with some downtime at work, I found myself doing this.

A photo posted by Mark Cappis (@chaosinabox) on Apr 16, 2015 at 9:59am PDT

Yesterday was the launch of Star Wars Celebration, aka the official Star Wars convention.  It kicked off with a special panel dedicated to the new film, The Force Awakens, and while there was no official announcement, it was heavily rumoured that the new teaser would be premiering at that panel.

I tried to get engrossed in the panel, but I kept getting distracted.  I was at work, after all.  So I missed a few things.  Like the revelation that the desert planet we've been seeing so far isn't the familiar location of Tatooine, but a new planet called Jakku.

They talked to the guys who built the droids.  The rolled out R2-D2, they rolled out that new bowling ball droid BB-8, which amazed the crowd by a being a practical puppet and not CGI.  The elaborated that they thought BB-8 would have to be done with CGI, but Disney CEO Bob Iger new of a robotics company that could pull it off.

They brought out the new cast members, who sadly couldn't say too much about their parts.  John Boyega, who plays Finn, the Stormtrooper in all the teasers, told a story (and did a great Harrison Ford impression) about asking Harrison Ford to sign one of his Han Solo action figures on the set one day.

They brought out a platoon of the new Stormtroopers, and then they brought out...the originals.  Mark Hamill.  Carrie Fisher.  Anthony Daniels.  Peter Mayhew.  It was them.  The original cast.  Back again.  And now...now I was truly getting excited.

More so than the prequels, they really seem to be playing up the nostalgia angle this time out.  They are working very hard to maintain the esthetic and the ideals of the original trilogy.  This looks and feels more like Star Wars than the prequels did.  The prequels played up the icons of the original trilogy, but this...this really is trying to evoke more than the icons...the feelings behind them.

Once the new and the original cast members gathered on stage for a photo op, it was time.  They promised us one last thing before they wrapped up.  And yes, it was the new trailer.  I could hear down the hall a co-worker of mine was also watching it, so I ran into his office to watch it with someone.




At the end of the trailer, we lost our collective minds.  We laughed.  We cheered.  We hugged.  You'd think we were watching the Moon landing on TV or something.  Everything about it...just felt right. 

I'm trying not to get excited.  Really, I'm not.  I've been down this road before.  But with the John Williams music, and the visuals, and how it's everything from the original trilogy but new, I can't help but think...I've come home.

According to my countdown app, Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in 245 days. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - X-Men

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, one of my weekly viewings of a movie I own, then ranting about it.  This time out, I'm going to plow through the X-Men franchise, so we're starting at the start, 2000's X-Men.  I originally watched this and wrote it on June 22, 2014.

Sunday Means New Targ Day!

And we're back! After a week off for Easter, and we're here and podcasting once again! This time, I bring you Episode 8.04: Only a Tribute. What are this week's rambles?

• Star Wars has been released on digital platforms! Is it worth buying again? Will I buy it again?
• The Doctor Who speech! Whenever someone points to the Doctor Who button on my parka, and asks, "Who's that?" I launch into this speech about Doctor Who
• And upon the passing of James Best, some reminiscing about watching The Dukes of Hazzard when I was a kid.

All this, and more, on this week's episode of U62: The Targ!

Download at the main site!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Run Lola Run

Here we are again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, when I watch one of the movies I own, and blog about it, because that's how empty my life is.  Today, we get to the late-1990s cult classic Run Lola Run.  This pops up in my notes at June 1, 2014.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Father Goose

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin, my weekly viewing of something in my movie collection.  Doing a true classic now.  From 1964, it's Father Goose.  This shows up in my notes at May 25, 2014.