New Year's Eve, 2013...

Well - It's been a year.

We've had ups...

...downs...

...and stuff scratching our heads asking WTF?...

...but in the end, I think 2013's been good to us.

As for 2014, it will be a year of changes.

Adorkette will be in high school...

...the MMU will have two more chapters...

...and maybe an improvement?

 And a time warp...

(for the record, I think it should go Xavier/Magneto/Logan, but what do I know?)

So Happy New Year's everyone

Eat well, drink responsibly, and drive carefully!

Monday Movie Roundup...12/30/2013

Morning everyone!

It should surprise no one that The Hobbit: TDoS took the top spot again

 with an additional $29.8 million over the weekend.

This puts it over $614 million worldwide so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if it broke the $1 billion mark

before all is said and done.

Future Ant-Man Paul Rudd's latest has made another $20 million over the weekend,

making the Domestic total $83.6 million so far.

Along with the $25.4 million from the Foreign markets, Anchorman 2 has made over $109 million to date.

THG:CF earned another $10.2 million, bringing it's worldwide total to just shy of $785 million.

I'm pretty sure this film isn't done yet, and that next weekend will have more people going to either see it again,

or for the first time...like me.

 47 Ronin had a disappointing opening weekend, with only 42.8 million made worldwide.

Mrs. Adorkification has mentioned an interest in seeing this film, which surprised me, but she said it "looked beautiful".

Reeves, like Depp, has always interested me with his project choices.

They're not all "hits", but they are different.

Thor: TDW brought in just another $660 thousand, bringing the worldwide total to just over $629 million.

I'm perfectly fine with those numbers, but this film is done.

My money's on seeing the release to Blu-ray/DVD on April 1st...

...three days before Cap 2 comes out.

And finally, nobody told me about the new take on the Fantastic Four!

Yeah, it seems that instead of one film, they're making four - one on each member.

Ralph "Voldemort" Fiennes took the director's chair for the first installment...

...but I think he went in a direction other than what was originally planned.

Maybe there's an alternate timeline plot?

Or maybe each member gets thrown off Reed's Rosebud Time-sled into a different time period?

In any case, it's only made $58,300 so far.

I'm surprised Marvel let them go this way, but if the endgame is to get the FF back to Marvel Studios it makes sense.

Wait...what?

This isn't about Sue Storm?

Well that's a shame...makes you wonder what Marvel/Disney could have done with the Netflix deal though...

So I recruited a new "Hero"!

So yeah, I've managed to collect enough boxes to recruit another character to my team...

...but I wouldn't call him a Hero.

I haven't played him yet, but apparently the only benny he brings is when I team him up with me.

I wonder what will happen when I team him up with Reed...

Have you seen the February Empire Magazine Cover?

April 4th is sooo far away!

WTF? Friday...12/27/2013

Well, I'm still ill...but on the mend as they say, but I have to get some things out of my system...

* Work was crazy yesterday. 

We had to convert the store from a "Happy Holidays" look to a "Get Back in Shape and Buy Some Furniture While You're At It" look. I understand the intent to have retail stores change regularly to address not only the season-of-the-moment but also the thought-of-the-moment. But most corporate offices are closed this week, so the powers that be are sitting at home (or out on vacation) while the grunts like me are in the buildings doing their biddings.  I'm okay with that. Really. But what I'm not okay with is the unspoken expectation that all of this work needs to be done in an unrealistic time-frame while dealing with all the regular goings-on of the business.

News flash - We're a tired folk (some even ill) and even though we can't get a break in the action like most earthlings, we shouldn't be expected to maintain the same levels of energy and motivation now as we did four weeks ago starting on Black Friday. 

I'm not saying we can't "get it done". I'm saying we're human beings...and are gonna need a little more time.

* Registers were hopping.

We had snow yesterday afternoon. Not a biggie, but roughly 4 to 5 inches where the store is. Granted, we've been handed a lousy weather pattern recently - between snow, ice, and general cold grey days - that people had to endure to get their holiday shopping done. That sucks, but we're in Maine so we deal. But most retailers extend their return policies to at least the first week in January for all holiday purchases. Meaning that with your receipt, you get your money back...and without your receipt, you get store credit.

No company I've ever heard of has ever limited their return policy to "December 26th at 12:42 PM".

So...

W...T...F...PEOPLE?

There's no need to subject yourselves to driving in snow...and waiting in line with all the other schmucks...just so you can "get your returns done".

You've got like two weeks! Use 'em!

There...I'm done now. And yes, I feel a little better.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to shovel my driveway...

So it's the day after Christmas...

...and I'm still ill.

In fact, I wouldn't even be up right now if they didn't need me at work for 6 AM.

That's right...6 in the morning...on the day after Christmas.

Why for?

So we can rearrange the store, kill all the holiday signage, and prep for the third busiest day of the season.

Returns Day!

Happy Holidays one and all...

How's about some even MORE Avengers 2 casting news?

Well, this is more about who may appear in the film than who's been cast in the film...

Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is expected to be one of the villains (along with Ultron, voiced by James Spader).

I haven't heard anything about casting the role...but then again, I've been busy with the holidays and all.

But still...

In Marvel Studios I Trust

Monday Movie Roundup...12/23/2013

First off, I apologize for the lateness of this post.

I've been sick in bed all day with some kind of flu-bug.

I'm awake now...and getting better...but my brain isn't all here.

You've been warned.

The Hobbit:TDoS took the top spot again, with $127.5 million made in the U.S. so far.

Along with the foreign market, this film's got $403.8 million in the bank.

According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, this film has a production budget of "N/A",

but my guess is that they've got a little ways to go before breaking even.

As for the Number 2 spot...

Ant-Man Paul Rudd's latest film (with a bunch of other guys) made $40 million.

What surprises me most isn't that this film hasn't been released overseas yet...

...and it isn't that it opened on Wednesday the 18th...

...it's that the budget on this film was $50 million.

...

How many comedies...even period-piece ones...in the last ten years cost $50 million to make?

I Mean Hot Tub Time Machine cost only $36 million to make.

...

Anyways, 

Catching Fire fell to sixth place, but picked up another $8.75 million,

making over $765.3 million worldwide.

That's awesome!

Thor: The Dark World came in tenth, with an additional $1.3 million.

Worldwide, T:TDW has made over $627 million.

That's no small feat, because it beat Thor by $19 million.

So all in all, a pretty good weekend for movies.

I'm going back to bed now...

Now THIS is a holiday sweater...

I've seen some god-awful holiday sweaters in my time.

Heck, I've even sold some at work.

But this is one of the best God-awful holiday sweaters in the history of God-awful sweaters!

Suitable for framing...

...but I still wouldn't wear it.

Well...It's Official...

...Ant-Man has been cast!

And it looks like it'll be this guy - 

Paul Rudd.

According to IMDb, he's been on Friends, and in a whole bunch of stuff I've never seen.

This guy's been in films with a brand of humor I just don't like, so I'm a little worried.

'Course now the question is, which Ant-Man will he be playing?

Henry Pym...

...or Scott Lang?

Seeing as how Rudd is older than me, I'm gonna go with:

I shouldn't be too worried though, because as always...

In Marvel Studios I Trust