Etsy, etc-y

So I've been working on a few things lately.

1. As some of you may know, I love making little trinkets but never want to keep them afterwards. I've started an Etsy account to sell them because I am broke.

Nothing's official just yet, I still need to get it set up with the bank and PayPal. Once it's all done I'll post a link!

2. I've had a story (well, a few actually) in my head for a while, but I'm actually going to start writing it! At the moment I'm outlining the first few chapters, we'll see where it goes from there. You can see all my writing on my Figment account.

3. It's my birthday soon! This Sunday, to be exact. I procrastinated on planning a party, so I'm not doing much this weekend besides babysitting on Saturday. Oh well, it'll happen at some point.

That's all for now, updates to follow once they happen.

-Socksy

I saw a movie today! (A Ghost Rider review of sorts)

So, this evening I went to see Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance with a friend of mine.

As a disclaimer, I haven't seen the first movie, so the plot made little sense to me. Still, I understood the main gist of what was happening.

The directing was good and the action was pretty awesome! The only thing that removed me from the movie was the overuse of eye-aching effects and the "shaky camera." It's certainly fine to have that in movies, just don't rely on that for 90% of the entire film. Less is more.

I did, however, enjoy the animated scenes. It gave the movie a very comic-book feel, which is what they were going for considering Ghost Rider was originally a graphic novel.

The acting was...interesting. I'm a big fan of Nicholas Cage, but I don't think he played the protagonist, Johnny, all that well. It's hard to describe - his body language and movements were great and very real, but his dialogue and vocals were just...flat and emotionless. The role was also suited more to someone a bit younger than he is as well.

Violante Placido plays a nice Nadya, the mother of Danny. She certainly rocks the buggy, raccoon-eyed look.

Zooey Deschanel you are not.

Fergus Riordan, like Nicholas Cage, sounds a little flat most of the time. But given his age and lack of experience, I'm willing to overlook that. I love how the dialogue makes the kid sound like, well, a kid.

The characters have a good relationship and play off eachother well. The awkward moments are awkward, and the lovey moments are sappy and emotional.

I think my overall favorite character was Moreau, played by Idris Elba. He added nice comic relief, but the character was certainly more useful and did more than just make me laugh at his alcoholism.

There are also some funny characters that played workers of the Devil. Johnny Whitworth as Walter Sullivan Ray Carrigan was campy and over-the-top, as were the rest (in a very good sense of the term.)

Looking like that, how can you not milk it for all it's worth?

One more thing: the scenery. Jesus Christ on a cracker, the gorgeous sets. As an artist, I'm always analyzing things of that ilk, and I must say I was quite satisfied.

THIS IS LIKE PORN FOR ARTISTS

Overall the movie is about as subtle and understated as a chainwhip to the face, but I think that was the plan. You can certainly tell it was a comic, and it plays up the campiness and in-jokes.

I think I'd give it about a 3.5/5 - over the top and silly, in a good way.

That's all for now. Leave a comment, I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts on the movie!

**Note: Apologies for bad pictures that don't really convey what I'm trying to get across - since it was just released yesterday, the pickin's be slim.

[This post was removed by SOPA]

Ok
So
Seems SOPA and PIPA are doing some stuff, and stuff is happening and stuff.

I honestly don't want to explain the whole thing, and a bunch of other sites and blogs could probably do it a lot better than I could.

What I can do is ask you to sign Google's anti-SOPA and -PIPA petition.

I and 4.5 million other people have signed it already, but unfortunately it takes more than almost 5 million to convince just a few people in the White House.

(There's also an option for people from other countries to sign as well.)

End piracy, not liberty.

Other Things I'm Doing

So, I've been pretty busy lately- I've started a lot of stuff that will keep me busy.

For people who are both anime fans and hipsters, I run a blog that features obscure anime, manga, manhwa, and games.

For Silent Hill fans, I run an ask Angela Orosco blog, where you can ask the "character" questions and I'll answer with a little drawing.

So that's basically why I don't post much. It's totally not because I'm lazy


Check them out if you're interested!

Happy (insert holiday name here)

It's 1 am on the morning of December 25, and I have nothing better to do, so why not blog a little? That's not sad at all, right? Right.

Christmas. Hanukkah. Ramadan. Kwanzaa. The winter solstice. Saturnalia.

Whatever you want to call it, 'tis the season for it. And boy oh boy, am I sick of it.

I'm not saying I'm sick of the cheer and goodwill that comes along with all of these- I'm tired of it being blasted in my face everywhere I go. I can't walk into a store without a hundred versions of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" playing from every speaker. I can't turn on the TV without seeing ads for the latest thing that you've never heard of and cannot possible have any use for, but trust us YOU DEFINITELY NEED. Includes shipping and handling.

It's barely even Christmas and already I want it to be over. The whole thing is just a big hassle.

Grumpy the Snowman

What, am I not in the Christmas spirit? You're probably right. Face it, no one is entirely tidings of joy and goodwill towards men 24/7.

I think my one wish for Christmas is that we could all just sit down, look at eachother and ourselves, and realize that deep down...

We're all kind of terrible people.

Happy holidays, everybody. Bah humbug.

Top 5 Characters Who Should Have Had a Happy Ending

Contains spoilers, obviously.

#5. Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

First of all, this guy rocks. Period.

So, it goes like this: Hero is kind and caring, but horribly mistreated and judged because of physical disabilities. He finally meets a girl who likes him for who he is, overcomes his self-doubt, and is accepted by the town. All that's left to do is have that victory kiss with the girl of his dreams, right?

Wrong.

Phoebus comes along and screws shit up for people. Yes I know he's actually a nice guy, and significantly more developed than most Disney princes, but still.

QuasimodoxEsmeralda shipper 4 LYFE.

#4. Severus Snape (Harry Potter series)

Enough said. Go read the books.

#3. Angela Orosco (Silent Hill 2)

Let's get one thing straight: I love Silent Hill. I refuse to hear a word against it. And with that comes the love of almost all of the characters. Even the antagonists have their qualities and I would totally hug any of them.

I stand by what I said.

One of my favorites is Angela. I don't think she gets nearly as much recognition as she deserves. I want everyone else to love her as much as I do.

And maybe she won't die in a fire.

(sniffle)

#2. Alois Trancy (Kuroshitsuji II)

People have many different viewpoints on this character, ranging from "I will love him and hug him forever" to "He can go die in a hole."

Personally, I'm more toward "love him, but want to smack him almost every time he's on screen."

Mixed feelings, but nevertheless a very compelling and developed character. He just needs some love.

Can't you see how sad he is?

#1. Madame Red (Kuroshitsuji)

It was hard to decide whether to choose Alois or Madame Red as #1, but I ultimately decided on her because she legitimately is a wonderful person, and really cares about her family, even though she ended up losing everything.

Dammit writers, why can't you just let your characters be happy?

Abduction movie review

So I went with a friend to see Taylor Lautner's newest, a movie called Abduction, and thought "Hey, why not make a review of it?"

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on this, or even slightly qualified, but I'll do my best!

***May contain spoilers***

So first off, Taylor Lautner has the starring role of Nathan Price, a high school student who finds out that his parents aren't his actual parents, and gets tangled in a web of confusion and lies involving the CIA and his true identity.

Don't hold Twilight against Taylor, he's a great actor and does well with the role (a few shirtless scenes don't hurt, either.)

The movie also has a strong supporting cast with Lily Collins as Karen, Nathan's neighbor and love interest. What I liked is that she wasn't always the classic "damsel in distress." She was level-headed and could get herself out of danger.

I'm a pretty die-hard Sigourney Weaver fan, and I think she did a great job as Dr. Bennett, Nathan's therapist and undercover agent. Not a lot else to say about that, as she wasn't in the movie all that much, relative to others. I would have liked to see more of her character, but that could be the fangirl in me talking.

The characters come off as real and likeable, despite their situations. Strong actors gave meaning to a sometimes rather bland script and convoluted storyline.

The plot kept me interested with a good soundtrack and exciting action scenes. I feel like there could have been more buildup to the climax, and the climax itself could have been a little more exciting.

The ending just didn't really do it for me- there was a huge chase scene, great choreography, and I was on the edge of my seat...and then it just kind of fizzled out, like the film couldn't keep up the momentum.

But overall I came away satisfied with the conclusion, and I'd recommend Abduction for fans of conspiracy/ action popcorn flicks- it's not exactly thought-provoking, but keeps you entertained.

The movie clocks in at 106 minutes, but to me it felt like less- that might just be me, though?

I think I'd give this one a B+ or so.

Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on my first review!