I think Americans are smarter than that …

[blamebrampton]

Saw The Avengers tonight with the lovely pushdragon, and we enjoyed it very much. The script was a thing of joy :-)

But I have a quibble, that isn't worth a spoiler cut because every American super/monster movie made since 1930 has had a fight scene in New York, so of course this one does, too.

And I do not believe that in this day and age, when New Yorkers see things exploding in the sky, their response would be to stand there and gape. Rick Rescorla had a bigger impact than that, oh film-makers!

This, and one other thing, and a few pacing issues aside – it's terrific!

Comments

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

New York is traditional. There was a time when all Marvel superheroes and superhero groups were in New York. (Those were the days when people wrote in to the lettercols complaining that if the Hulk stomped up such and such a street past the Marvel offices he would end up in the East River and not the Hudson.) I must say it is very noticeable when people who actually live in New York write Avengers fanfic. I've learned a lot about the city from elspethdixon and seanchai...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, King Kong had already set the stage, as it were ;-)

It's a perfect city for super heroes, though, from architecture to attitude. If only some of its financiers had read the 'great responsibility' parts of the canon ...

And I absolutely cannot read any Avengers fic, being currently about three years behind in my Potter fandom stuff (how I can be this crap is a mystery to me, too).

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

Did you have a favourite scene/moment?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I think I will have to watch it again to pick a favourite, though I laughed out loud at the cameo of you-know-who at the end, and the Hulk's reaction to Loki's Grand Speech was priceless, too. But I feel certain I have forgotten some of the lovely bits of script from earlier in the film, so a re-watch is clearly in order. The choreography of Black Widow's first fight was something I enjoyed very much, too!

What about you?

I had one thing that irked me, but will probably write about it separately when I have either remembered the rest of the film or seen it again.

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

You know I would completely believe you if you say you've forgotten the movie, just on account of your many head injuries. :P

Everyone in my theatre laughed out loud at the Hulk & Loki scene for so long, we actually missed what he said after that. His face! My favourite scene is probably that completely silent bit at the very end, though there were many good moments, because Whedon, whatever his other failings, nails ensemble casts like nobody's business. To borrow a tumblr phrasing, I have so many feels about everyone!

The biggest surprise was how well Mark Ruffalo's Banner worked his way into my heart, he was amazing and spot-on.

I think the Widow fights are very tightly choreographed, and a joy to watch, though a lot of it has to do with my excitement at having an actual girl fighter win fights on screen (I don't know how I feel about the manipulation thing she does, but she does own it, completely). Also there's a movie about her in the works, which is absolutely wonderful, I've been crossing my fingers for a Widow franchise for a while now.

[ms-kilian.livejournal.com]

Mark Rufalo's Banner was a thing of wonder...except how much he reminds me of Vincent D'Onofrio in Law & Order. I'd like to see Ruffalo do a Banner/Hulk film.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Happily, I've never seen L&O :-) I find him a surprisingly convincing actor, even in terrible films like the one with Reese Witherspoon, which has a dreadful plot/script but great acting.

More films would be a fine thing!!

[bk7brokemybrain.livejournal.com]

I think you're right, in part. To this day, if I hear a jet flying low over the city, or in a traffic pattern that is unusual, I'm looking up and making sure. When there was a heavy fireworks display in Central Park a couple of years after 9/11, my sister and her husband were ready to grab their baby and evacuate, because no one had publicized it. There's definitely a memory triggered when weird shit happens in NYC, and that happens a lot.
That said, people will stand around in shock and watch that weird shit unfold, as long as it isn't too close to where they are. I haven't seen the film yet, but I bet I'll be rolling my eyes at the unlikely stupidity, if there are people just standing there waiting for rubble to fall on their heads.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Having grown up during the IRA campaigns, I always have multiple routes to get to where I am going in my head in case streets are closed for bomb threats ;-) It becomes A Thing, doesn't it?

And yes, I would have had no issues if it were people some distance away, just those in immediate danger going 'Huh?' seemed quite unlikely to me!

[leemarchais.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a fun trip. :) Good company, I'm sure.

Glad to hear it's decent. :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Push is great fun, and has a lovely singing voice -- she sang along to my ukulele playing the park on the weekend and rocked out the Edith Piaf!

[leemarchais.livejournal.com]

How cool is that!?

Multi-talented ladies. :)

[teganscrush.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen the film yet, though kid said it was pretty cool, but I saw your title and wanted to ask, "Are you sure?" :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, not most Americans in politics, obviously, or most of the Supreme Court, but I have my faith in the wo/man on the street!

[alex-s9.livejournal.com]

I hate the world.

I’m getting out of the interentz until very late Saturday evening (…stupid dubbing in every copy shown before 6 PM…). To pass time, I’m going to try to put together an outfit for retro genderswap Iron Man (so far the result of this cosplay is 80% increase in yellow and red clothes in my wardrobe, and I got the idea today in the morning!), think about a good hairdo to go with the outfit, while praying that the arc reactor I’ve just bought gets here by Saturday and trying to find a red lipstick that suits me (which proved impossible so far). So, I’m going to be busy and not here.

And, oh, hating the world.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Do not read the comments above, which contain very mild spoilers!

That is a brilliant plan! I am so tempted to say that you should give Margaret Thatcher hair a go, but fear you will smack me, which would be entirely within your rights ;-) How about a slick bouffant with a nice foil-covered circle pinned to the front?

As to red lipsticks, there are three rules:
1. Almost everybody can wear either orange/red or blue/red, practically no-one can wear both. If you don't already know which one suits you best, try out competing shades at any local shop with lipstick testers.

2. Never, ever buy a red lipstick that you have not tried on your lips and worn for at least an hour and looked at in sunlight. Reds change with your body chemistry more than most other colours, and can start out looking great and end up looking horrid. Sunlight will always give you a more honest opinion of whether or not a red looks good than artificial light will.

3. If all else fails, and you have a tame make-up person at one of the shops who is willing to go the distance to help you out, try mixing a darker or lighter lip pencil underneath the lipstick to make it work for you. I love MAC's Russian Red, but it goes a bit cerise on me after 10 minutes, which looks crap. But when I wear my Mars Dragon Blood pencil underneath, it stays perfectly Russian Red and lasts for ages. Most make-up people are quite nice, so it's worth hunting for a tame one! Good luck!

(It occurs to me that I have spent far too much of my life concerned with red lipstick given how little of my life I spend actually wearing it. OBVIOUSLY this means I should wear it more often!)

[alex-s9.livejournal.com]

I'm not reading the comments, I learned my lesson hard on tumblr.

But wow, you do so much about red lipstick, I didn't even realize. I bought one two weeks ago and then gave it to my friend (who says I should wear red/blue, while it was red/orange) because it looked awful when I applied it at home. Combined with what you said, it seems I have made a grave mistake. Well, all the mistakes I could make. I'll try some tomorrow at my fav Polish make-up store, people there are usually friendly.

As for make-up, I narrowed it down to 1940s look: either waves with yellow hairband or victory rolls with yellow and red flowers. Margaret Thatcher is rather tempting, too, though...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I could only do ballet or theatre make-up until I was about 30, so when I decided I should learn how to apply it for normal life, I approached the whole thing in the spirit of scientific enquiry ;-) I have considered a beauty blog, but I fear it would have a level of experimental rigour and snark that most beauty people would not be keen on ...

And PERFECT! The Victory rolls would be particularly spectacular. I hope you post photos!

[alex-s9.livejournal.com]

I bought the perfect red lipstick thanks to your advice (I'd so read your beauty blog!), so thanks; the bonus is that it lasts forever. And I hope there will be photos!

[alex-s9.livejournal.com]

OK, so the photos are up on my LJ,< if you want to see them. I also wrote a review, in Polish, with using far too much capslock, on my other blog. I love that movie and I'm going to see it again today.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

*loud applause and laughter*

Heck, I live in Boston and my first reaction to "things exploding in the sky" would be "where the hell is the subway entrance?" Staying in a tall building? No WAY.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I know! Film makers really do think that normal people are numpties when it's convenient to the plot. And this is why real people have better survival rates :-)