Our MCU Run Through Phase 2

Breaky and I continued our Marvel run, despite a very, very busy summer, filled with cabin trips, weddings, weekend trips, baby things etc...

But we did make it through the "second phase". Well, the unofficial phase 2. We are doing the whole chronological run, instead of the release date order.



Iron Man 3
Watched 6/7/2018

While I liked this more than the second, it still doesn't touch the first Iron Man movie. The twist was unexpected, but wasn't actually necessary. If the bad guy had remained the bad guy through the entire movie, I think it would have been rated higher.

BreakyCPK Rating: 2.5/5
DuchessCPK Rating: 3/5




Thor: The Dark World
Watched 6/18/2018.


Probably one of my least favorite Marvel movies. Doesn't mean I didn't like it and it didn't have great, funny moments. The bad-guys were meh...and the story seemed kind of lazy.



BreakyCPK Rating: 3/5
DuchessCPK Rating: 2/5




Captain America: Winter Soldier
Watched 6/28/2018

I don't give 5/5 just because. This is a great movie. It contained probably the biggest shift of the Marvel Universe thus far, after the Avengers of course. The action was not boring, and the story was spot on.



BreakyCPK Rating: 4/5
DuchessCPK Rating: 5/5




Guardians of the Galaxy
Watched: 7/14

Remember when I said I didn't give 5/5 just cause? Well this 5/5 was because it was just a great, fun movie. A 5/5 for different reasons than Winter Soldier. If you didn't know any better, it would be hard to say this was all connected to the other films at all. Not to mention, the soundtrack by far is the best.



BreakyCPK Rating: 5/5
DuchessCPK Rating: 5/5




Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2
Watched: 7/16

We know this was released way later, but chronologically, I guess this one came next. It was not as good as the first one, but still very entertaining. Some great moments too. Along with another great soundtrack. 



BreakyCPK Rating: 4/5
DuchessCPK Rating: 4.5/5




Avengers: Age of Ultron
Watched: 7/24

The last film of Phase 2. One of Breaky's favorite villains. It was not as good as the first Avengers film, but I still enjoyed it, as it introduced several favorite new character



BreakyCPK Rating: 3.5/5
DuchessCPK Rating: 3/5

Our MCU Run Through Phase 1

Since Breaky and I are a little behind on the Marvel universe, we decided that, before watching the new ones we haven't seen (Black Panther, the New Avengers) that we would kind of do a run-through/repeat of all the previous Marvel Movies. The only one we did not include was the Incredible Hulk, and that was because of the change of actor. Personal preference.

So we kind of made it an at-home-date-night.



Since we have a few hours or so in between when BabyCPK is asleep and we go to bed, that's when we decided to give this a shot.

We also are doing them in time-order, meaning that, since Captain America happened during WWII, we watched that first.

So here's our Phase I run through with some comments, GIFs, and a DuchessCPK (ME) and BreakyCPK (Breaky aka my husband) rating


Captain America: The First Avenger
Date watched: 5/13

Actually, I had recently watched it for the first time, like a month ago. Really regret not seeing this one sooner. Has to be one of my favorite Marvel Movies as of yet.



DuchessCPK rating: 5/5 stars
BreakyCPK rating: 3.5/5

Iron Man 
Date watched: 5/14

This was actually the first Marvel movie Breaky and I watched as a couple. We watched it in his apartment on a big projector screen. It is Breaky's favorite so far.



DuchessCPK rating: 4/5 stars
BreakyCPK rating: 5/5

Iron man 2 
Date watched: 5/20/2018

Good movie. It's a continuation of the story, but nothing truly groundbreaking. Other than making me kind of anxious. The whole gloom-and-doom and subsequent meltdown had me on edge the first time I watched it. Now though? Since I know how it ends, I can watch and enjoy.




DuchessCPK rating: 2/5 stars
BreakyCPK rating: 2.5/5 stars

Thor 
Date watched: 5/29/2018

Thor has to be one of my favorite Marvel characters. Coming from a Scandinavian background, I grew up with some of the stories and mythologies of Thor and Odin and Loki. I truly did enjoy this movie too. Different pace for sure, but my kind of pace.



DuchessCPK rating: 4/5 stars
BreakyCPK rating: 3/5 stars

Marvel's The Avengers
Date watched: 5/29/2018

Believe it or not, this was the first Marvel movie I ever watched. I believe I watched it in theaters when it came out. I was able to follow along with the story just fine, but with this run through, I realized how much tie-in with the other movies I did miss. Also, the soundtrack to this was killer.



DuchessCPK rating: 4/5 stars
BreakyCPK rating: 4/5 stars



We are starting Phase II soon! Blog post to follow.

Star Wars Date Night

So Breaky and I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi last night. Personally, both Breaky and I enjoyed it, but that is for later.

This past year, we lost a great theater in Kalamazoo: The Alamo. You could order your food and drinks in the theater, have a place to eat, drink and watch the movie Great date night material. Located downtown, it wasn't always super convenient to park or attend, but we enjoyed it all the same.

We heard that the Alamo was closing and were understandably upset. I don't know the politics, but no amount of petitioning online seemed to have helped. Super bummed. We heard later that year we would be getting a new theater at that location, AMC. Ok, I guess another movie theater wouldn't be the worst thing ever. So many theaters are offering better food and drink selections now to keep up with competition, maybe we could still make it a decent date night.

The AMC Theater had been open for a little while by the time we decided to actually go see a movie. Between me not feeling great during my first trimester, to Breaky being abroad for work to me just not feeling up to, it had been awhile since we really went out just the two of us. With the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we decided it was perfect timing to get out of the house and go on a true date. We chose a dinner-time showing so we could grab food for dinner and not have a completely packed house. It was a Wednesday after all.

At the theater for DATE NIGHT!

We get there and getting our tickets was not a big deal. Super quick. Walk in and I swear the food line was almost out the door. I have never seen this building this packed with the exception of when we came to see the last Star Wars movie the day after it came out. And this was a Wednesday at 6:30. We decide just to get our seats and eat something after the movie. Get to the theater, and it was closed for cleaning. Mind you, this was maybe 2 minutes before the start time. We finally get in to the theater about 10 minutes after the show was supposed to start, only to have an abnormal amount of trailers. We honestly have never had to sit through so many trailers to watch a movie before. So much so, that Breaky just went to the concession stand in hopes that things had died down enough to get something. A hot dog or chicken tenders, or even popcorn. Something.

He arrives just as the movie starts, and tells me later that when he went to get food, the fryer was broken, so no fried foods, the popcorn machine was down, so no popcorn. We each got one hotdog and Breaky ordered a soda. The total for those three items? $18. Hell, at Costco, that would have cost us like $5.

I think the only thing we enjoyed about that theater was that the seats reclined. Which was nice for pregnant me.

Needless to say, I don't think we'll be going back to that theater if we have a choice.


On to the movie!

This will not contain direct spoilers, but if you want to go watch the movie with completely fresh eyes, you may want to stop reading here.




Both Breaky and I really liked the movie. I heard some rumblings from fans online, but remained unspoiled. I can see how some die-hard fans would be disappointed. A lot of people had hyped up the new movies with conspiracy theories, or things *they* think or wish would happen. Seeing clues where there probably weren't any.

On top of that, the movie didn't really follow the "this is going to happen because the good guys always win" format a lot of the previous movies did. There were many times I was almost panicked that just everyone was going to die. There weren't huge twists or reveals or revelations, but the movie itself kept you on your toes.

If I had one complaint, it would be that there were probably 2 or 3 times that the movie could have ended and I would have been ok with it. It was pretty long. I am glad they ended it when they did, but it may have dragged on a little bit longer than needed to be.

TBT with Wreck it Ralph

What a great day to find out about Wreck it Ralph 2 . It is Thursday, which means I can post a "Throwback Thursday" without having to fudge what day it actually is. Because it is a Thursday. Not a Monday or Wednesday. Hey, don't judge me, after some work days it is really hard to know what day it is, where I am and what the heck I am supposed to do. Adulting. 

For Halloween 2014, our first Halloween in our new house, Breaky and I decided to be Ralph and Vanellope from Wreck it Ralph. As you can kinda tell, our costumes were thrown together by a bunch of stuff, including a wig that a bunch of the S2 guys used during a cast of HoN. Everything else we either got from Amazon, Etsy or Meijer. If there is interest, I can outline where I got what.

Obviously, we both really liked the movie. Old-school nostalgia of video games we both played, compounded by some great animation, a fantastic story-line and an even better message. Not to mention the wonderful voice talents of the likes of John C. Reily, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, and the dearest Alan Tudyk. 

A while ago we heard they were making a second movie. Normally, any time I see a sequel or a remake of a really good movie, I groan. Mostly because the remake is so bad it tarnishes the original, or it strays so far from the original, it really is a completely different movie with the same title. Or the sequel was only made for the $$$ and is sub-par, but still rakes in money because of the brand recognition. There are obvious exceptions, which I would love to hear in the comments below! 

BUT, in this case, when we heard there was a Ralph 2, I was actually excited. Since it has been 5 years since the original, I figured that it wasn't simply a money grab, as if that were to have happened, it would have happened within a few years of the original movie. 

So imagine how much more amped up my excitement got that, as a primarily PC gamer, the title of Wreck it Ralph came out: "Ralph Breaks the Internet"

Whaaaaaaaat? Obviously a jab at that one "celebrity" who's "viral" campaign was set to "break the internet" (now, reread that sentence, and imagine me doing air-quotes and the words dripping with sarcastic disdain). 

Besides that, it obviously means that more PC/Console will probably make appearances. Which, honestly is pretty cool. As long as they put the same amount of detail and little "easter eggs" like they did the previous movie. Heck, if you have like, an hour to kill, go to IMDB's page for Wreck it Ralph and check out the trivia section. I found out I missed a bunch of hidden shout-outs. Kinda makes you want to watch the movie again, doesn't it? 

Is anyone else excited for this movie? Especially now that you have the title? Anyone apprehensive? Say so in the comments. Also, let me know what remakes and sequels don't suck. Maybe it will change my outlook on sequels and remakes that have run rampant nowadays. 

New Beauty and the Beast Trailer

Oh my God, oh my God you guys!

The new Beauty and the Beast full US trailer has been released and I feel like I'm a kid again. The original movie was a huge part of our childhood, my sister and I. So much so my sister was Belle for Halloween and wore that dress pretty much from the early part of October through Christmas that year. Our poor parents probably could recite the whole movie by heart, as it was one of the movies that was constantly playing. Do you think they make that dress in adult sizes? Breaky, what do you think about next Halloween?



via GIPHY


The new trailer finally gives us a look at a big part of the cast, including but not limited to Luke Evans and Gaston, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, JOSH GAD as LeFou (big fan btw), Audra McDonald as Madame de Garderobe, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Dan Steven as the Best and of course, the lovely Emma Watson as Belle.



via GIPHY



It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining proudly presents:






If you need me, I will be at work with my headphones on, listening to this for a little while. No worries, I'm still working. Just with a little Disney influence.

Warcraft Movie: A Geek Wife's Thoughts

Possible Warcraft Movie **spoilers**. Enter at your own risk.

For the Hoarde

Before Breaky went to Thailand, we all went to see the Warcraft movie, knowing there were already some pretty divided reviews.

Having only played a little bit, and only started relatively recently, it was really interesting for me. I recognized names and places from either playing World of Warcraft or Hearthstone, and overall, I thought it was beautiful in it's visual execution. Many times throughout the movie, Nick would whisper to me about names that were dropped that were important to the story moving forward. After the movie, I had tons of questions about when certain characters show up and how they fit in. I was told there were books about the lore, which I may have to check out.

If I had not had the knowledge that the entire story-line continues due to years and years worth of story from the game, I think I would have been disappointed in the ending. It ended abruptly and without the main "bad guy" being "stopped." I do have to say, the final fight scene between Lothar and Blackhand at the end was really, really short. But by that time, I was ready for the movie to be over anyway. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but I have a short attention span and fight/war scenes for me can be monotonous.

I also found Lothar's inability to stand up straight a little frustrating. Someone needs a chiropractor. Stop leaning on things for heaven's sake. You can be cool and still have good posture. Honestly though, I am probably the only one who noticed.

Overall, we both really enjoyed it. With context about the ending, I was very much satisfied. The cinematics were absolutely amazing and it was a fun ride. Oscar worthy? Nah. But most of my favorite movies to actually watch aren't. I would watch this again. It even prompted me to look in to getting the books on the lore to read.