Fall TV podcast part 2

The Fall TV premieres are upon us!  So far, I’ve watched Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” and “Dad’s”, but tonight starts what is sure to be a great week in TV…hopefully. 

Will Beckett say “yes” to Castle?  The ABC drama returns for a 6^th season and needless to say, that question has been on the minds of every Castle fan over the summer.    If she doesn’t say yes, Richard, I’m available!  Tune in tonight at 10pm EST to find out!

Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, perhaps the seasons most anticipated show for all us nerds out there, premieres Tuesday night at 8pm EST!  Reminder to everyone who listens to our Strange Adventures Podcast that we will be doing a podcast right after the show, and it will be available to download on September 25^th!  We’re going to review the show and discuss what we think and where we think the show will go in future episodes! Be sure to check it out.

Also this week, on Thursday night we have “The Crazy Ones,” starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar on CBS at 9pm, and Michael J Fox returns to primetime on NBC with “The Michael J Fox Show” also on at 9pm!  Hmm…my DVR will be working overtime on Thursdays!

Still having trouble deciding what shows you want to watch this fall? It’s not too late to get informed, and get your DVR prepped for what might be one of the better fall TV lineups in a while!  All you need to do is click one of the links below and listen to our podcast!  There are so many shows this season that we had to break it up into 2 episodes.  Part 1 covers the smaller networks and Part 2 covers the big 3 (ABC, NBC and CBS).  Here’s all the ways you can find and listen to our podcast.

You can find us on iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/strange-adventures-podcast/id669303705

 

On Stitcher at:

http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/38550/episodes

Or at:

http://strangeadventurespodcast.libsyn.com/

Please leave us a rating so we know how we’re doing! You can also reach us at strangeadventurespodcast@gmail.com

We’re also on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Strange-Adventures-Podcast/147466888783028?ref=hl  and on Twitter @Strangeadvcast.

For all your Horror needs be sure to check out my co-hosts website www.strangeamusements.com and follow him on Twitter @NicholasStrange.

For all your geek needs stop by Fangirl Adventures on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fangirl-Adventures/346351878736581?ref=hl  and on Twitter @Fangrladventure!  We’ll keep you up to date on all the things worth geeking out about!

You can also email us at Fangirladventures@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading and listening!

Till next time,

Lisa

Fangirl Adventures 2013 Summer Movie Review

With blockbuster season behind us, I thought it was a great time to recap the 2013 summer movie season that was!   I saw a record 13 movies this summer in the theater, a personal best for me. Some were more memorable than others.  Here’s a quick recap.

It’s hard to pick an absolute favorite movie from this summer, but Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness and Pacific Rim are among the top three.  To me they truly define why we wait for the summer to get larger than life action flicks and why we have so much fun watching them.  When I get home today, Star Trek Into Darkness on Blu-ray should be waiting for me and I’m already counting down for Iron Man 3 and my pre-order of Pacific Rim. 

The World’s End was worth waiting for.  Edgar Wright ends the Cornetto Trilogy on a high note with a great cast and some one-liners that will stand the test of time.  The movie is fun and entertaining and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are fantastic as always.  

 

We’re the Millers and 2 Guns were both surprise hits for me.   We’re the Millers was funnier than I expected.  Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis were great together and it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a comedy this much.  2 Guns was a fun action/comedy!      The chemistry between Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg made the movie that much better.  I definitely recommend renting, if not buying, both of them when they come out on Blu-ray and DVD.

Moving on to the animated movies of the summer, I enjoyed Monsters University and Despicable Me 2, but thought both lacked the magic of the first go-round.  I would have to say that I enjoyed Monster University a bit more due to the fact that I love all things Pixar and Nathan Fillion was one of the Monster voices, but I have a special place in my heart for the Minions! I love those little yellow guys and they do steal every scene they’re in, but for me the first movie worked because of the strong story and the minions were an added bonus, the second movie had maybe too many minion gags and not enough story.  The last 20 minutes of the movie had a lot of great heart and story that I wish had been more of a focus throughout the entire film.

 

Another movie worth mentioning was The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.  If it wasn’t for Dawn, I probably would not have gone to see this in the theater, but I must admit I enjoyed it.  If nothing else, I really want to read the books because the movie didn’t do great in the box office so a sequel is probably not going to happen.

Last but certainly not least, I loved Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters.  They did a wonderful job with bringing the book to life.  I really hope this does well enough to continue the series!  Percy was just a great family movie all around. 

Now for the movies that let me down this summer.  World War Z was a major disappointment.  Despite all the production issues and rumors surrounding the movie, I still had high hopes for it.  I heard the book was fantastic and was really excited to see it, but unfortunately it just didn’t impress me.  I was into it for the first 15 minutes and then it started to unravel and it never recovered for me.  Another huge disappointment was The Hangover III.  I love the first two Hangovers, but the third one left me wishing they had stopped at two. 

The biggest disappointment to me was Man of Steel.  I know, I know…what kind of Fangirl am I?  It’s nothing against DC, but I just didn’t care for it.  I’m a bit more hopeful for the sequel now that Ben Affleck is Batman.  I have faith that he will be an excellent Batman and that the fuss from the fanboys will be forgotten.

I wish I could have seen The Wolverine, This is the End and RIPD in the theater, but they are first day rentals/buys for sure.

What did you think of the Summer Blockbuster season of 2013?  Were you disappointed or pleasantly surprised by what it had to offer?

If you want to hear more on the 2013 summer blockbuster season that was, listen to Strange Adventures Podcast where I and my co-hosts, @NicholasStrange from strangeamuesments.com and Holly Strange, have a more in-depth discussion on the movies we saw this summer.

Here’s where you can find our Strange Adventures Podcast:

Check us out on iTunes at this link https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/strange-adventures-podcast/id669303705 If you like us, make sure to hit the subscribe button so that you always get our latest episode and be sure to rate us!  5 Stars are always welcome.

You can also find us on Stitcher by searching Strange Adventures Podcast or at this link http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/38550/episodes

For more Fangirl Adventures be sure to LIKE us on Facebook at and follow us on Twitter @Fangrladventure.

Thanks for reading and listening!

Let’s boo, boo,

Lisa

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters a Fangirl Review

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters a Fangirl Review

I think I was just as shocked as anyone when they announced that Percy Jackson was getting a sequel.  Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief was not a huge success here in the states, but due to its popularity in other countries, it made enough money to greenlight a second installment.

I didn’t get a chance to see the first movie while it was in the theater.  Some friends of mine went to see it and really enjoyed it, which prompted them to start reading the 5 book series.  They knew I was looking for a new series to get into and suggested that I might like it, so I gave the books a shot.

It took only a few chapters of The Lighting Thief to hook me into the story.  Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson series does a fantastic job mingling reality with Greek mythology and takes the reader on a quest of danger, suspense, and fun.  In short it’s the history lesson you wish every teacher you ever had would have given you in school.

 

I blew through the series in no time and fell in love with the characters and the world of Half-Bloods.  When the Lighting Thief came out on Blu-ray I was so excited to watch it.  When I saw who they cast as Percy, Logan Lerman, I thought he was perfect.  He was very close to how I envisioned the character from the books, but unfortunately that was the only positive thing I took away from the movie.   I don’t mind when movies do not strictly follow the books (except in the case of Harry Potter) but the movie felt rushed and the other main characters, Annabeth and Grover were nothing like their characters in the book.  They made Annabeth out to be a worrier with dark hair when she’s blonde in the book and extremely smart, which is her greatest strength, and Grover was made out to be a player.   Watching it felt like they knew they were going to only get one movie so who cares if it’s good or not.  

 

The moment I saw the trailer for the sequel my skepticism lifted.  When I saw that Nathan Fillion was playing Hermes I was sold!  The things that bothered me from the first one seemed to be amended, Annabeth is blonde and Grover seemed more scared and less of a player.  I also liked the replacement for the Chiron character with Anthony Head.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Pierce Brosnan, but he was too cheesy as Chiron.  Anthony Head knows what it’s like to be a Watcher, see Buffy for reference.  

In the Sea of Monsters we find Percy feeling alone and doubting his abilities as a demigod.  His father Poseidon never communicates with him, and since his first quest, he’s no longer the top half-blood on campus.  When the camp’s protective barrier is weakened and its existence threatened Percy and his friends must travel to the Sea of Monsters to recover the Golden Fleece which has the power to heal the barrier and protect the camp once again.  

Director Thor Freudenthal does a great job of bringing the essence of the book to the movie, something I feel was lacking in the first one.  The actors do a nice job in this, especially Nathan Fillion, I’m not biased or anything, but his scenes were the best and he makes a nice reference to a little TV show that got cancelled to soon!  I geeked out over it and if you were a fan, you will too! Plus he does look ruggedly handsome in those UPS shorts!

 

I saw this in 3D, but I wouldn’t make the recommendation that it’s a must see in this format.  I always seem to prefer 3D in my living room more than in the theater, unless I’m seeing something in IMAX.

If there is any justice in the world this movie will do better than the first and they’d greenlight the rest of the series right now! They definitely left it open for it to continue, which made me extremely happy as I left the theater.  

 

Bottom line, if you like Fantasy and Greek Mythology, you will really enjoy this fun family movie.  Fans of the first Percy Jackson and lovers of the book series will love the sequel as well!  If you were on the fence about seeing it for any other reason, jump down from the fence and get to a theater this weekend.  You will not be disappointed.   Don’t be afraid to bring the younger kids.  There is a little violence, but it’s all mythically related and nothing that’s too harsh for them to see.

Be sure too tune into to the next Strange Adventures Podcast where we will be discussing all things Percy!  Look for us on iTunes under Strange Adventures Podcast.