Say What?

I’ve been asked a few different times how I come up with the captions that appear under the images in my posts. Usually it’s just a matter of picture association, whatever comes to mind. That’s a boring answer, so I’ve decided to give you a peek into my “process” by using my recent Into the Storm review to illustrate.

open wider, I can’t see your wit from here

I like to break my paragraphs up with images, so I write out what I want to say (using those prehistoric things called “pen” and “paper”) then go back through and make a note of what kind of image I want to insert for each break. Sometimes I’ll have a specific gif or screen-cap already in mind, while other times it’s just a mood that I’m looking for. In the writing of the ITS post it was the latter, which meant I would have to rely on Google images because I don’t have that many ITS images saved yet.

I have this, why do I need anything else?

In the first paragraph, I end with the claim that the movie didn’t scare me. much. So I thought about what scene I found the most frightening. It was the High School hallway at the beginning of the movie. How many times in my youth did I moan and groan during tornado drills? Sitting/kneeling in the school hallway, facing towards the wall or away from it-depending on what the statistics deemed was safest that year, with a large battered text book over my head. Ugh. If I had only seen what a real tornado could do to a school hallway, I would have practiced those drills gladly! After finding a picture of that scene, I transferred the sentiment into the caption:

instead of sitting in uncomfortable positions for eternities during tornado drills, just show this scene instead. mission accomplished!

Donnie pulling at my heartstrings was the subject I wanted to highlight for the next paragraph. I searched for a good screen capture of the character and then was just simply honest about my growing interest in Max Deacon:

I feel a secondary crush forming, watch out Max…

I initially had the family hug in the rain scene in mind for the next break but while looking through images, I found one of Trey and Donnie together that I really liked. I chose to plug that picture in here, but I was having a difficult time coming up with a caption. Trey and Donnie are talking to each other, which is the perfect opportunity for me to insert in a smart-ass comment about their dad, but my mind was blank. I tried to get inside their heads, thinking of things I might have said about my own dad at that age. Thus the reference to the Fresh Prince, because Parents Just Don’t Understand…

every parents fear: that the Fresh Prince was actually singing about them.

I needed an image that illustrated a lull in the storm for the next paragraph. When I saw Gary with a dog, I just had to use it! because: Armitage dog vs. cat debate. A cat will hide for days after a scare, while a dog will put itself right back in the same situation. Since there are no cats wandering around the streets, I think that’s a clue that the danger hasn’t passed yet:

the cats are still hiding. just saying.

The next paragraph was about being star-struck by the storm; I searched for an image that fit that idea. Sarah Wayne Callies previously starred in The Walking Dead, so I worked in a tagline from the series, “don’t look back”:

Lori, will you never learn? don’t look back!

I wanted a screen-cap of Jeremy Sumpter for the next part. I was surprised to learn during promos that he was in a version of Peter Pan that my kids used to watch. Mom often urged them to watch the movie because she found that particular version of Peter oddly enticing but didn’t want to admit this out loud, because Peter was a child and that would be creepy. Anyways… when I saw Jeremy’s “moment” in Into the Storm at the cinema, I couldn’t help the several smart-ass comments about Pixie Dust that ran through my head. I didn’t want to spoil that part of the movie in my review though, so I chose to modify a Peter Pan quote instead:

I do believe in tornadoes. I do! I do!

The Titus is a bad-ass vehicle. Who else likes to drive bad-ass vehicles? Batman.done.

The Titus: Batman’s “every day” car.

The Scene of the school buses driving away from the very large and very menacing tornado was another picture that I saved while looking for other things. I think the image is eerily beautiful and was the second scariest scene for me from the movie. When I mentioned Shakespeare, I knew my caption should be a verse or quote. “To be or not to be” is one of the most famous. They’re all fleeing from the tornado…

to flee or not to flee: that is the question

The last image I needed was of someone from the movie looking scared or shocked. When I saw the picture of Nathan/Trey with camera in hand, I immediately thought of his ICarly character. The villains on that show were Neville (who is utterly enjoyable) and Nora:

scarier than Neville and Nora combined!

And that’s that. This is how I put together a post, often changing half the text and sometimes even the whole focus as I’m typing it into the blog 😛

Genius cannot be forced.

**It saddens me to report the sudden passing of my “Armitage Army cannot keep calm” pen while writing this post. It served me well.

your ink made my sarcasm sweeter

Thrillers Are Supposed to Be Thrilling

Into the Storm: I liked it. That was a relief! because I had started seeing some ho-hum reviews all of a sudden. I was also getting a wee bit nervous because I thought it might scare me too much. I was anxious during the movie, for sure (my muscles were all tight when we walked out of the cinema!) but I wasn’t scared. much.

instead of sitting in uncomfortable positions for eternities during tornado drills, just show this scene instead. mission accomplished!

 

The biggest surprise for me? That the movie had tons of character and not just special effects (like some of the reviews were claiming). I liked that there were several different human stories going on at the same time. It helped break things up and not let the overall storyline get bogged down in too much drama, yet there was enough that we were able to get to know the characters and care about them. Gary and Donnie pulled at my heart strings not only because I’ve been there done that (as the teenager)

I feel a secondary crush forming, watch out Max…

 

but also because I now have a teenager. Trey kind of annoyed me but as his story developed I liked the outcome, as well as Donnie’s. I wanted to be part of that family hug in the rain because I had grown to care about each of them and see things from their individual perspectives. 

every parent’s fear: that the Fresh Prince was actually singing about them

As for the tornadoes, I thought it was all done realistically. I’ve heard mumblings about the tornadoes conveniently giving people time to move from one scene to another, but that’s how it really is. When I had my tornado scare, the storm was there… and then it wasn’t. It got really quiet afterwards and it was like everything shifted back to normal. I could hear the drizzling rain and the beeping of the garbage truck, when just moments before it was all wind and hail and treetops kissing the ground. 

the cats are still hiding. just saying.

That’s one of the aspects I really liked about the movie, that everyone wasn’t running around with a clear intent of what they were supposed to be doing. because there is that lull when you’re like what do I do now? So when a tornado is close and we want to scream at the characters to “run, take cover!” I think it’s entirely realistic that they don’t do that straight away. Even though it’s scary, bad weather is mesmerizing. Real life isn’t like the movies, you aren’t always able to think clearly and do the right thing.

Lori, will you never learn? Don’t Look Back!

I’m not saying there weren’t any problems with the movie but only two things really bothered me. 1.) the church scene was lame. I understand the need for that confrontation, that the boss was getting too wrapped up in things and ended up pushing the young cameraman farther than he wanted to go, but the acting in that scene could use some work. 

I do believe in tornadoes. I do! I do!

 

2.) the Titus came equipped with everything to withstand a tornado, yet it didn’t have an axe for cutting away fallen trees or debris? One of the first things you grab for bad weather clean up is an axe or chainsaw. Not a complaint really, just an observation. 

The Titus: Batman’s “everyday” car.

 

So yes, I’d watch this again. and again. and possibly some more, because Gary was everything I wanted him to be and Donnie found a way into my heart rather quickly. Plus, it was fun to watch! I think the naysayers are forgetting about the fun part. Thrillers are supposed to be thrilling, not Shakespeare.

to flee or not to flee: that is the question

 

Oh! and hey people-who-choose-the-movie-trailers: just because I like action thrillers does not mean I automatically like horror films. The psycho dolls and Ouija boards scared the bejesus outta me!

scarier than Neville and Nora combined! 

“Into the Storm” vs “The Crucible” confession

I’m more excited about the upcoming action-thriller Into the Storm than I am the respectable stage play of The Crucible. While The Crucible’s John Proctor looks like he’s chock-full of sex appeal, I’m finding myself drawn to Into the Storm’s loafer-wearing vice principal Gary Morris more than I thought I would.

work it, Mr. Morris!

Gary is a father who is searching for his teenage child; he’s a teacher who willingly carries responsibility on his shoulders; he’s a man who finds himself drawn to a woman, not in a sexually fueled way but more like “we’re in this together.” These are all things that appeal to me and themes that regularly show up in my daydreams.

yes, I fantasize about fathers hugging their children in the rain all the time, don’t you?

Now there is the whole aspect of me being afraid of tornadoes in real life to consider, so seeing Into the Storm that first time may be nail-bitingly nerve wracking but I think it’s going to be more of a it’s-fun-sometimes-to-be-scared experience that will be enjoyable.

yes, the ladies go for the high-wasted trousers, Richard. we’ve researched every aspect of this story for accuracy

And then there is the important fact that I will actually be able to take part in seeing Into the Storm with relatively little disruption to my life; The Crucible with it’s financial, geographical, and time constraints will be leaving me out of the action. I’ve tried my hardest to find a way around these issues but alas, it is just not meant to be.

this is me, living in a van down by the river, but at least I got to see The Crucible!

I greatly enjoyed reading The Crucible, I found the premise and the issues it raised interesting and relevant from both a historical and social angle. Not to mention from a fandom standpoint as well…

“oh, let’s not go there”

The accounts of the play that I have been reading sound very emotionally intense, and to witness that “live” may carry a heavy weight. Let’s just forget about the whole wait-in-a-ridiculously-long-line-in-a-back-alley-after-an-intense-4-hour-experience-to-steal-2-minutes-of-the-object-of-my-affection’s-attention; I doubt I’d be taking part in that even if I were to attend. I adore you Richard, I really do, but that doesn’t seem worth the hassle.

A Matinee performance may leave me in a better mood, since I regularly go to bed at 10pm, but even then I would feel off-kilter standing in line just to say Hello. I’d feel pressured into getting a pic and autograph, even though I don’t really need them, in order to receive the friendly handshake and 3 seconds of looking into those lovely blue peepers that I truly desire. I’d promptly look away, blush, and drown in my awkwardness immediately after, of course.

especially if I have to “catch” the handshake!

No, I think I better stick to the sweaty palms brought on by fake tornadoes and the fantasy of Gary Morris rescuing me, it will be safer.

just take the damn loafers off Gary, damsel in distress waiting here!

Confession: I prefer the Into the Storm experience over The Crucible one because in my fantasy Gary will rescue me…not everyone who is standing in front of me, and then everyone behind me as well. I want to be memorable. I’m selfish like that.

The Things We Do for Love

You may have seen the Alphabet Movie Meme posts that have been going around. They seem like fun, I want to do it too… except this blog is strictly Richard Armitage related. what to do, what to do?

 

 

Tweak it a bit, so it’s all about Richard! (I’m acting like that concept is new to me, just play along) I’m going to break it up into a day-by-day post series though

blogging everyday, again? feel the burn!

and to show that I don’t completely have a one track mind, I’ll include non-Richard related answers too. Ready, Set, Go!

 

Anticipating Richard Armitage movie of 2014

Answer: Into the Storm

 

funny story: I used to have a phobia against tornadoes. Once, when my husband and I were first married, we were living in a hotel room until we found an apartment. He came home from work one day to find me on the floor watching television, periodically shoving my face into the pillow I had a death grip on. “what are you watching?” he asked. “Twister”. “What made you think THAT was a good idea?” “I thought I could handle it.”

 

I totally couldn’t handle it. I was crying and shaking, it was embarrassing. Then we moved to Indiana. when I survived my first scare with a real tornado, I realized I had no control over it, so why make myself sick with worry? Cure thyself… or scare yourself straight, that’ll work too! I’ve not watched a tornado movie since (“Oz The Great and Powerful” doesn’t count).

 

save me, Freddie!

I’m not sure how tightly I’ll be wound the first time I watch but I’m willing to go into the storm (see what I did there?) for Richard.

“the things we do for love, the things we do for love”

Non-Armitage answer: X-men, days of Future Past