Truly, a laborious weekend

My girls weekend was cancelled on account of Hurricane Irene fucking things up for everyone to such a degree that the damage was still ongoing come this past Thursday. My mother, in a flurry of activity related to throwing shit out from the foot-plus-of-water-damaged basement, wrenched her back but good. My sister's move-in date to college was delayed, and my cousin, vying for title of "Better Daughter/Sister Than TrinityVixen" was going to help with one or the other. (She ended up helping with the moving in because she's in Boston, and it's a long drive to Westchester just to be, like, "Poor baby, I hope your back feels better.") I, on the other hand, went upstate with feiran.

Where I proceded to live life like I was in college again, and, lo, it was awesome. We didn't even arrive until nearly 3 am on Friday morning after a late start, but which was followed up by us sleeping until two in the afternoon which is so fucking boss, I cannot tell you. When we did finally motivate our asses to do something, we went to the Vermont State Fair, where we watched a trapeze artist do things on a tall tower swaying in the breeze that made us both want to die of fear on her behalf since she hadn't the sense to do it herself. There were also animals to pet and a tiger show that simultaneously made me feel awful about liking because that sort of thing is not natural and also made me want to own a baby tiger like whoa.

The rest of the weekend was a haze of late morning wake-ups, staying up until 3 pm, and playing board games and PS2 games that should have stayed in their box because holy shit I do not need to waste this much time on Dynasty Warriors 3 any more. Like I said, it was college all over again, including our only having food that required the most basic of additions to render edible. (Frying eggs was as complicated as it got.) That, and eating so much ice cream. Even feiran looked a little green-at-the-gills over ice cream at points. (But only, you know, right after she finished one. In another hour, she'd be good to go again.)

The only thing I regret is that I apparently missed filming of The Avengers in NYC while I was away. I find it funny that they built a full-scale replica of Grand Central Terminal in Cleveland but came to the city to film in Central Park, which could easily have been recreated elsewhere. Oh well, don't actually mind missing the filming. I prefer my illusions. Also, film crews are damned obstructions. There was a movie filming on my bike route last week (being a New Yorker, I didn't ask what it was, but I don't think it was The Avengers, unless, like, the Cap and Thor were going to this cute little restaurant on Lenox for a date or something), and it's just a pain. Plus? The crew members, even the non-sketchy ones, just sorta stare at you while you wait for the light to change. It's unwelcome.

How will I do it?

I made it through January and February somehow, but the real time of peril for my movie-a-week-in-the-theaters new year's resolution is from now until December. Despite the best efforts of the movie industry to transform the Academy season (only movies that people win awards for, none that people actually see), there are really only two event movie weekends, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and everything else is scatter-shot. It's worrying because August was already a really slow period for movies. I mean, I saw 30 Minutes or Less because of desperation-driven interst and not much else. (Verdict? Not really worth it.) I was looking forward to a bunch of August movies--Fright Night, Conan, Colombiana--before they got horrible reviews and I gave up. (Except for Fright Night. If I'm damned for causing the reboot/remake crisis because I keep going to them, at least I'm seeing that one. And I did, so shut up.)

But things are looking not so hot. Contagion I will see because any movie about diseases wiping out humanity are okay with me. It's like a zombie movie, but no one's dead. (And, if they are, they stay that way. I approve!) My lab-mate, A, convinced me to go see some movie with Ryan Gosling about cars, but I'm not exactly looking forward to that. I can't even look forward to that Straw Dogs remake even though it had two men I lust after in it because...really, Hollywood? A Straw Dogs remake? Was that called for?

After Contagion, the next movie I actually have an interest in seeing (as opposed to Paranormal Activity 3 which I'll see because of tradition, which is how come I've seen every. single. Saw. movie. including seeing one in the dreaded 3D format) is In Time. It's a movie that literally gives an excuse for Hollywood only ever casting young people in movies, and they have cast some exceptionally attractive (and, even occassionally, actually talented) people in it besides. (Except the ladies. Count me out of the Olivia Wilde/Amanda Seyfried fan brigade.) I wish I were a person who loves/loved the Muppets ever, or their new movie would intrigue me at all. (Spoiler: it doesn't, not even with Amy Adams and the clever-ish ad campaign. I will still probably see it, possibly with Muppets fans, which could rub off on me and make it better.) A Sherlock Holmes sequel? Eh, okay. Another Mission Impossible movie? Fine, but only because of Jeremy Renner.

Honestly, Academy season is sounding better and better. One of the Academy-bait movies is Iron Lady with Meryl fucking Streep as Margaret Thatcher. She'll do too good a job, per her usual, and I'll be put in the uncomfortable position of having feelings in favor of Margaret bloody Thatcher, but it's Meryl Streep and she'll make it happen. Other women who hoped to win Oscars this year? Go suck it. She got denied for Julie and Julia, and barring a terrible movie, she'll win this time. She'll probably win anyway. It's not like she's got much competition, and not just because she's Meryl Streep. (Hollywood. Gender politics. Best not to get into it.) And then there's War Horse, which I will see for the preponderance of British actors of quality in it, though I somehow doubt that the real horses will be as moving as the puppets I saw in the stage production. (SEE IT. IT IS THE BRILLIANCE THAT MAKES THEATER ART.) That's it. Balls.

Never doubt the Clark Gregg love

The internet used a fan syllogism to freak me the fuck out last week. That syllogism:
1) Clark Gregg's Agent Phil Coulson is a much beloved character that ties together the disparate Marvel fim franchises.
2) Joss Whedon, who is directing Clark Gregg (among others) in The Avengers, is known for brutally killing off beloved characters in franchises.
3) Ergo, Joss Whedon will kill off Clark Gregg's character.

Now, it is possible that some of you don't feel the Agent Coulson love. You're wrong, but I acknowledge your existence. (Unlike, say, my willingness to acknowledge those of you females in denial about Thor's hotness. You are all faries, unicorns, trolls, whatever, far as I'm concerned.) Clark Gregg is nothing short of adorable and is a breath of fresh air and pragmatism grounding the otherwise fantastical movies in which he has appeared. (Which is saying something given how literally sky-high Thor and Iron Man can get.) He's smarmy and fun and smart, and, besides that, he serves a useful and practical role without usurping movies away from their respective stars. Joss Whedon is smart enough to love that about his character, which doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't then immediately kill that character off, which is why I was freaking out.

Luckily, however, Clark Gregg is easily as (if not more) charming as his fictional counterpart and has reassured us all that he's going to be around at least until The Avengers 2: The Search for More Money. In this interview, he manages to a) sound like a fanboy of the actors with whom he works, b) present himself as SRS AUTEUR, c) pretend to spoil you for events that probably won't happen in The Avengers (OR WILL THEY?), and d) completely make me love him even harder than I did before. That's it, Clark Gregg, I'm buying all your movies. I didn't even like Choke that well, but you have sold me. (Plus there's a chance he'll get residuals on that. Not so likely for the Marvel movies, I'm guessing.)

YOU ARE ALL FIRED.

No one told me that Mass Effect 3 was coming out March 6, 2012. You are all so, so fired. I had heard only rumblings that it was super delayed and, like, never coming out.

Well, at least I can finally use up that $50 gift card I have to Best Buy! No, in all seriousness, when I've wanted things from Best Buy, I've been at a loss as to what to get. This is at the same time as I can easily drop $50 at any other site on DVDs/Blu-Rays I want. That's because their prices aren't ridiculous. But video games are ridiculously priced everywhere unless you can wait until there are cheap-ass discount used copies available. (The Darkness: a game I wouldn't have enjoyed half so much if I'd paid $17 instead of $7 for it.) It's going to be $80 anywhere. I will thus be able to use my monies up at Best Buy. Unless, of course, BioWare borks that idea by releasing it to other stores with better pre-order bonuses. ::crosses fingers against that happening::

Yes, I am aware that it comes out only a month before my birthday and that I should wait. Fuck that. I want it on release day. I want the $80 collector's edition even though I didn't think the collector's edition was really worth it the last time. I want it. I want to have its babies. I spoil myself. By that time next year, I'll probably be staring down another season of applying to vet school a second time. I'll need it. Yes.