Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Spider-Man 3 was my second favorite movie of the Tobey Maguire trilogy, behind the first. This, despite being the worse rated. This is all because of villain character development. If it wasn't for Harry Osborn in the second movie, Doc Ock could've been left alone and all would've been fine unless he blew up the city. The villains in this film, like the Green Goblin in the first movie, were personal.

Sandman is a ridiculous character. But being Uncle Ben's killer gives Spider-Man motivation for vengeance, a trait he doesn't typically possess. Unlike the second movie, where Peter is getting dumped on, Peter is on top of his game for this movie, even achieving celebrity status as a hero for NYC. This hits its zenith when he becomes infected by the alien symbiote Venom. Until recently, I had only heard of the character Venom because of the movie, and it wasn't until about 6 months ago that I realized Venom was a Marvel character. Generally, I enjoyed Venom's character, despite resembling something from a horror movie. It reminded me a bit of Deadpool. Seeing Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker character play the over-the-top and obnoxious Venom was an amusing break from his typically reserved personality. I think the awkwardness of Tobey playing such a character was intentional and was supposed to feel unnatural, though at times it was a bit difficult to tell.

Peter's career is contrasted with Mary Jane's career, who is struggling as a Broadway actor. She gets fired from her gig and resorts to being a waitress & singer at a jazz club. Include Pete's friendship with Gwen Stacy, and you've got some tension between Peter and Mary Jane, just as their relationship was taking off. I liked that Gwen was played by Bryce Dallas Howard. I'm obviously familiar with her dad, Ron, but just learned of BDH because of her involvement with The Mandalorian. I didn't realize she acted as well as directed. 

Harry's amnesia after his battle with Spider-Man as the New Goblin character was an interesting twist as well. After his memory returns and his mind is altered by the Green Goblin, he returns to antagonizing Spider-Man by interfering with his relationship with MJ. Eventually he teams up with Spider-Man to help him battle Venom and Sandman, before succumbing from injuries obtained during the fight. 

Overall, I thought the character development in this movie was better than Spider-Man 2, and made for an enjoyable and fun film. I'm looking forward to moving on to the Andrew Garfield films.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

 

Having established Peter Parker's background in the first Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 jumps right into the action as Peter goes against one of his science idols, Dr. Octavius. Half of the movie is spent dumping on Peter, as being Spider-Man comes with a lot of baggage. He still can't be with Mary Jane and has to sit and watch as she gets married to another man. His best friend Harry is angry with him because Peter won't tell him who Spider-Man really is. It gets so bad for Peter that he quits being Spider-Man for a bit. Even Aunt May gets angry with him. In the end, however, all is good as Spider-Man saves New York City from the mad scientist and ends up with MJ, as she breaks off her marriage.

The big thing that Spider-Man 2 did for me was introduce me to Doc Ock. He is a commonly referenced villain, and seems to be a fan favorite. I found him to be a bit goofy, honestly. His mechanical arms are wonderfully over the top, in classic comic book character fashion. His only motivation is to complete his science project. He doesn't have any personal grievance with Spider-Man, or anyone else. Not until Harry Osborn bribes the doctor does he go after Peter. Generally I found him to be less interesting than the Goblin or some of the other villains Spider-Man goes against. I know he appears in subsequent films, so I will see how I feel about the character after seeing those movies.

Star Wars: A New Dawn

 

A New Dawn takes place after the Clone Wars but before A New Hope. It focuses on former Jedi Kanan Jarrus. Jarrus first appeared in the animated series Rebels. He, alongside Hera Syndulla, lead a group of rebels against the Empire. One aspect of the post Order 66 era that is under explored in the movies is the fact that Jedi who survived have to remain in hiding. This concept is discussed in Rebels, as Inquisitors sent by the Empire actively hunt surviving Jedi. This concept is also explored in the awesome game Jedi: Fallen Order, which a sequel was just announced. This is where A New Dawn begins - with a Jedi in hiding.

We get a glimpse of the beginning of Caleb Dume's new life in the first episode of the Bad Batch. In the middle of a battle with his master, Order 66 is executed, and Caleb is able to escape. To help hide his identity, he changes his name to Kanan Jarrus. As an adult, Jarrus spends his time bouncing from job to job and planet to planet, hiding his force abilities and spending spare time in cantinas. He runs into Hera, who is investigating a person named Count Vidian. Vidian is an industrial and mining efficiency expert, who is sent to various planets by the Empire to improve efficiency and output of the mines. Mining materials is of major importance to Star Wars storylines in this time period due to the Empire's ambitions of building the Death Star. Of course, Vidian acts in a completely Empire kind of way, killing as seen fit and generally being a bad guy. He also has a checkered past, and has some interest in secondary gain as well. Hera is attempting to form a rebellion against the Empire, but is doing so intelligently, unlike the other character they run into, Skelly, who blows stuff up as he sees fit. Despite Kanan being a loner and hiding his Force abilities, he becomes smitten with Hera, and decides to help her out and eventually decides to join her rebellion at the end of the book.

The story told in this book is OK. It has a typical mining backdrop, Empire bad guy, and a hero or two. I new Vidian died at the end of the book and wasn't present in other Star Wars stories, so I didn't get too invested in him. To me, the most interesting part of this book was the portrayal of Caleb after Order 66 and what it did to him. Going from a promising young Jedi to a bar hopping loner is sad, and it shows how much devastation Order 66 brought with the rise of the Empire. This topic is under explored in the Star Wars canon, though it is getting more attention as of late. The other interesting aspect of this book is that it explains how his relationship with Hera is formed, which helps explain how the Rebels group in the animated series came to be. 

City Journal: London - Presenting Trains!

 London is famous for its Underground subway, the first subway system in the world. Being underground allows for a lot of flexibility in terms of placement of the rail lines. I started to omit the Underground initially, instead focusing on building my city and region. The flexibility of being underground makes it easier to go back after the fact and add the underground rail lines. As my region expanded to the east I discovered that the Underground is only one of many rail systems transporting people and goods throughout the London region. Tower Hamlets is home to Canary Wharf, an area of skyscrapers and corporate headquarters in east London. The area historically was home to docks and shipping, but fell into disarray as time progressed. In the 1980s, thanks to redevelopment and corporate tax exclusions, Canary Wharf developed into what it is today. Along with this growth in the 80s came the Docklands Light Rail (DLR), one of the additional rail lines running in London. The interesting thing about the DLR is that it is fully automated without drivers. Discovery of the DLR caused me to introduce trains to my region a bit earlier than anticipated, but this is fine. It allows for a more fully integrated transit system.

Above on the map you can see the layout of the DLR system in east London. Below is a satellite view of my region, with the DLR represented by the purple line on the map. It is still under construction, with only about 25% of the system built. Additionally, above is a picture of the modern day Canary Wharf, and below is a picture of Canary Wharf in my city. This region is still under development.

In addition to the DLR and the Underground, there is another system called the Overground. It consists of heavy rail for commuter travel as well as freight throughout the region. Throughout the east I have built the East London Line (ELL) to provide this type of transport service as well. Below, the ELL can be seen running next to Hotspur Stadium in Tottenham. White Hart Lane can be seen next to Hotspur Stadium. I fully realize that stadium has been demolished, but wanted to include it in my city because it has such a cool name.

Spider-Man (2002)

 

Spider-Man, where the **** have you been? After finishing the main X-Men movies, I was planning on watching the Wolverine movies and Deadpool. However, Spider-Man has been in the news a lot lately with his new movie and I am eager to see it, especially since it ties into the MCU. I decided to watch the Wolverine and Deadpool movies at a later time, and instead focus on the Spider-Man movies, starting with the 2002 film Spider-Man, in the Tobey Maguire/Sam Raimi era.

Prior to my current Marvel kick (which started exactly a year ago), I can remember watching three Marvel movies: X-Men & X-Men 2, and Spider-Man. When watching Spider-Man, I remember enjoying the film and thinking that the Marvel movies and characters were something I could be interested in. Then, for some reason, I let 20 years go by before I watched any additional movies. Watching this film again was a bit like walking down memory lane, and I enjoyed it now like I did back in 2002.

I remember loving Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin character, and that hasn't changed. Willem plays a great villain, and his Green Goblin cackle is fantastic. The relationship between Peter, Harry, and Mary Jane makes the rival between Spider-Man and Green Goblin feel more important, though Peter's awkwardness in the scenes with Mary Jane can be a bit tough to watch. Despite not seeing any of the other movies yet, I read where Harry becomes a bit of a villain himself, which makes sense based on how this movie ended. 

I like Spider-Man as a character and am looking forward to watching the subsequent movies, especially as they progress to tie into the MCU. Below are a couple of random thoughts about the movie.

• I forgot how the Green Goblin makes Norman insane. He doesn't physically transform into a different person or beast. Instead, his mind transforms into a different personality. This is much different than a lot of Marvel villains, and I think it is pretty cool.
• After Norman drinks the solution that turns him into the Green Goblin, and during a scene where his mind is battling with the Goblin's voice, he throws his glass, shattering the container, instead of just simply sitting it down. I don't know why, but I got a kick out of this.
• Norman being a successful industrialist and head of a company bidding for a military contract to make a super soldier, is a classic Marvel and comic villain back story. It's right up there with the always occurring nuclear accident.
• J.K. Simmons portrayal of the lead editor at the Daily Bugle was fantastic. The few scenes he was in were highly entertaining. Hopefully his character returns.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix

 

The issue with this movie is that throughout the Jennifer Lawrence-era X-Men movies, the young Jean Grey is an underdeveloped character. We know she is an especially powerful mutant from the comics. Beyond that, we don't have much to go on from the movies. She has very little dialogue. Even in this movie that features her, Sophie is the fifth credited actor. Her relationship with Scott/Cyclops is also underdeveloped, and this is true in the Hugh Jackman movies as well, so we can't build from that relationship a character with a deep background. It's Wolverine's interest in Famke Janssen's Jean Grey in the earlier movies that elevates her character to some level of importance. The movies spend a lot of time investing in the relationship between Charles, Erik, and Raven, and subsequently their characters are much easier to love or hate. With Jean, it is more of a "meh" situation. I understand why they featured her character in a movie, as she seems to be a very important mutant. It's disappointing how dull her character is, however. This movie isn't terrible, but it is at the bottom of the X-Men movie list for me. 

On a side note, Jean kills Mystique in this movie. I'm a bit confused, because this movie takes place in the early 90s, and in the Hugh Jackman movies, which I thought took place in modern day, Mystique is very much alive (although she lost her powers in those movies). Her comic character's story is nothing like the story she follows in the movies, so I'm assuming this is an example of Marvel manipulating a character to fit the story they're currently telling. I've never read any of the comics, but I do like to read about the characters and their back stories, and it seems like this type of manipulation happens a lot. I don't put much effort in learning the details of the characters, because a lot of them have very tangential histories.

Ted Lasso - Season 2

 

When season 2 of Ted Lasso ended, I saw headlines stating it wasn't as good as season 1. I disagree. I think season 2 was the same old Ted Lasso we're used to. I'm not going to belabor how good this show is because it is so well known. The writing and acting are so good, you actually care about the characters. The end of the season closed some story lines, while leaving us with some good cliff hangers for season 3. The weasel Nate-dog is now coaching Rupert's West Ham United team. Keeley's career is skyrocketing, while Roy seems a bit lost. Is their relationship going to end because of this? Sam is staying with Richmond, likely because of Rebecca. Ted's anxiety is now a public story. Richmond is back in the Premiere League. There's so many good storylines going into season 3, I can't wait to watch. This show is as good as advertised.

City Journal: London - Building the Inner Boroughs

 After building the city center of London, I have been developing the inner-most boroughs that immediately surround city center. Quite a lot of expansion has occurred, as the north, west, and southern boroughs have been built. The regional population has expanded from 282,000 to 900,000. I still have to build the east boroughs, which includes some famous locations like Tottenham and Canary Wharf. Once I finish, I plan to focus on London city center to give it a face lift before expanding the region outward by building the outer boroughs. Below are some of the updates that have occurred.

Kensington, which includes famous locations such as the Kensington Palace and Royal Albert Hall.

Islington, which is where the football club Arsenal plays. Emirates Stadium, pictured below, has since been upgraded to a larger stadium and its location moved a bit east.

Camden, which features the BT Tower. The tower was originally represented by Coit Tower from San Francisco but was later replaced by a BT Tower mod.

Lambeth, south of the River Thames, includes the Lambeth Palace.

There's a lot going on in Southwark. It's technically where the Shard is located, though in my city it will be in London proper. This has to do with the geographic limitations on how the regions are split. It also is the location of one of my favorite London landmarks that I have come across, Elephant & Castle.

Let's Talk About (the lack of) Charging Blocks

 

I have to wake up at different times throughout the week to go to work, so I use my iPhone as an alarm since it allows for the creation of multiple alarms and schedules. I use a Belkin charging stand for my phone and Apple Watch at night, which works well, except if I have to remove my phone from the stand in the middle of the night it is difficult to get it back on the charger in the dark. Both of our vehicles have wireless charging pads, and I have gotten used to the convenience of just placing my phone on the pad to charge. I wanted to replace my Belkin charger because of this, and I received an Apple MagSafe charger for Christmas. It works well and offers all of the ease and convenience of wireless charging. There was one small problem: I couldn't use it when I first got it because I didn't have a charging block that would fit the cord.

I'm not one to complain, but I have a bit of an issue with this. I've read the reasons why Apple no longer packages a block with their devices, and I think it is mostly baloney. Sure, at this point, USB charging has been around for ages and I have multiple charging blocks. I don't, however, have a charging block for USB-C port (or if I do it's being used). All of the blocks I have are the old-style, larger USB ports. So I had to buy a charging block separately. It seems a bit silly to sell (and subsequently for me to purchase...) a device that doesn't come with all of the parts needed to use it. And it's not like these devices are cheap. Between the charger and block, the cost was around $60.

X-Men: Apocalypse

 

The Jennifer Lawrence era of X-Men movies take us on field trips back into time, diving into the origins of the X-Men. This matches perfectly with the older Hugh Jackman X-Men movies which take place in the present day, as this approach explains the backstories on how the X-Men became who they are currently. Apocalypse is no different, taking place in the 1980s when ancient mutant Apocalypse surfaces, intent on ridding the planet of its national superpowers and enhancing mutant's powers to control the world. With that setup, let's dive into this good, but not great, movie.

We have to start with the antagonist villain Apocalypse, a character I had never heard of prior to this movie. From what I've read about the character, the movie did a good job explaining who he is and portraying his power. I was into the character at the beginning of the movie, but as the movie progressed, I thought he became a bit annoying, especially with his demonic, vibrating voice. It makes me wish that I had less speakers. I think Apocalypse was the weakest part of this movie. While he looked cool and his blip-like powers were awesome, there just wasn't the emotional connection with this villain as there was when Magneto or Mystique were the bad guys. In those circumstances, you wanted everyone to get along and be friends. For Apocalypse, I was happy to see him go. Maybe that was the point?

I was excited to see Olivia Munn in this movie. I've liked her since way back in the days of Attack of the Show, but have never seen any movie she's been in until now. Unfortunately, she spent most of her screen time standing in the background as we listened to Apocalypse talk. She did get some decent fighting action in the final scene, however. Her character Psylocke was also unfamiliar to me. The movie didn't do anything to develop or explain her character, she just seemed to be there as one of Apocalypse's henchmen. She could have been substituted with any random mutant, which was a bit disappointing.

Below are some additional, random thoughts I had about the movie.

• Seeing Erik live a life incognito, trying to raise a family and be "normal" is touching. After seeing what happens to his family, you really feel bad for the guy. He is a complicated villain, creating emotional confusion about whether he should be liked or not. This is a good thing.
• Sophie Turner was a good choice to play a young Jean Grey. Based on the title of the next film, I anticipate seeing more of how Jean turns into Dark Phoenix. It's hard not to think of Sansa Stark when seeing Sophie, however.
• The SR-71 Blackbird is shown on screen but not while flying. This is a bummer.
• Storm is discovered by Apocalypse and spends most of the movie on his side, before joining Xavier's side at the very end without much explanation. When Storm was a teen, she apparently was living in Egypt and working as a thief, as the movie portrays. Xavier is transported to Africa by Apocalypse, and that is when Storm joins his side. This is similar to how her comic character is portrayed, though there is no mention of an affiliation with Apocalypse. Apparently Storm marries T'Challa in the comics, and becomes queen of Wakanda. Maybe we will see Storm in the MCU at some point?
• Who is Peter's (and also Wanda's) father? In the movie, Peter/Quicksilver believes Magneto is his father. I've read that Wanda shares this belief as well. Unless I missed something, the MCU does not discuss this, but the story of the twins' mother fleeing Magneto while pregnant occurred prior to the twins appearing in the MCU. The adoptive parents are shown on screen in the MCU in both the movies and WandaVision, without much discussion of who the actual parents are. Upon doing some internet research, it seems as if there is some confusion/debate on who their father actually is. Some storylines cite Magneto, others cite another father. 
• At one point during the movie, Stryker captures some of the X-Men while they are trying to rescue Xavier. They are released by Jean, Scott, and Nightcrawler. In the process, a newly transformed Wolverine is also released from the X Factory in an awesome scene which shows how powerful he has become. Jackman once again plays Wolverine, but is uncredited in the movie.
• 1980s Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler dresses and looks like Michael Jackson from Thriller.

New Sound System - Part 2

I replaced my 20+ year old tower speakers earlier this year. I wanted to update the look of my stereo, as well as set it up to perform well for both movies and music. Previously, the setup was completely geared towards rocking out with music. I believe the Klipsch Reference towers provide a crisper sound than my previous Cerwin-Vega towers, which were geared for thumping bass. I also added a separate powered sub to provide low end range, as receivers are designed to send the low end sounds from movies to a separate woofer, not the woofers on the left/right channel speakers. What I've learned is that getting a separate powered woofer is the biggest bang for your buck in terms of upgrading your system for movies. That thing will absolutely thump when needed, and is great for music too.  Probably the most important speaker in the system for movies, however, is the center channel. The majority of the sound comes from this speaker, which broadcasts all on-screen dialogue as well as a lot of the music and other sounds. I waited until one of Klipsch's center-channel speakers was on sell, and finally settled on a Klipsch Reference Premiere model.

This started because I wanted my center channel speaker to match my other speakers in terms of brand. I already had a Cerwin-Vega center channel speaker that I've owned for years and mostly sat in a closet. When I hooked up my new speakers, I also hooked up my old center channel speaker. I quickly realized that a lot of sound comes from the center channel. This is true for movies as well as music, as the receiver wants to utilize the center if available. When I got the Reference Premiere center, the first thing I realized was that it is massive. It weighs nearly 40 pounds, and is about 3 feet wide and over a foot deep. It probably would not fit on most entertainment centers. It has four 5 inch woofers with a center 1 inch tweeter. For dialogue, I honestly can't tell much difference between it and my previous Cerwin-Vega center. But when there is music or a lot of action on the screen, this speaker can put out a lot of sound, and is a noticeable improvement. You can actually hear bass coming from it, which is impressive.

I bought it from Crutchfield. I've always been a big fan of that store, and that is where the sell was. I didn't realize when I bought it, however, that it was an older model, I believe from 2015. This isn't a big deal as speaker technology doesn't evolve all that rapidly. The grill style is slightly different than my newer towers and sub. Also, the speaker originally had a noticeable rattle when only dialogue was on the screen. I suspect this was because the speaker had been sitting around for a while and a seal became defective, but I don't know for sure. Crutchfield was super nice about it and let me return it and get a replacement without hassle, and the replacement sounds perfect.