The Mighty Thor!

That was a hell of a movie.

I didn’t watch it in 3D (and a good thing, too; parts of the film are dark, and if it’d been 3D, I doubt I’d’ve been able to see much (on account of the polarized glasses)), though if it had been in IMAX 3D at the sole local IMAX theater, I might’ve.

The movie begins in medias res (Why yes, I will take any excuse I can find to get people sucked into the time sink that is TV Tropes), and then backs up for a brief rundown on what brought us to the opening.

And then the fun begins; Thor, banished to Earth, and powerless. They play the culture shock for easy laughs (made no less funny by their obviousness). Our favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent shows up, and hijinks ensue.

The effects are great; the actors do a good job (for the most part; Thor’s sidekicks have more problems with bad dialogue than bad acting, I think); Kenneth Branagh’s vision of Asgard is breathtaking; and Anthony Hopkins delivers a commanding performance as Odin.

I’m sure it will do fine at the box office, and is sure to whet the fan appetite for The Avengers (directed by someone you might be familiar with).

Between Thor, Captain America, and the X-Men prequel, it’s shaping up to be a stellar summer at the movies for Marvel.

I suppose I should point out that Thor is not highbrow entertainment. It doesn’t try to be, and succeeds admirably! It’s a summer popcorn flick, rife with action and fights and Natalie Portman Stan Lee cameos.

That said, even though the plot is fairly rote (you know that Thor is going to win; it’s a comic book movie, he’s the title character, and he’s going to show up in the Avengers movie, FFS), you’re never entirely clear on how it’s going to shake out. It’s no Iron Man (but then, what else is?), but it’s far better than, say, Hulk. Or The Incredible Hulk. Or either Fantastic Four movie. I’d put it on the order of Iron Man 2, I guess. Not as good as Iron Man, but better than most comic book movies.

No, I didn’t add all those comparisons just to flood my review with Amazon affiliate links. Why do you ask?

Unflyable Wings

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten finally updates the series into true HD splendor!

It’s the second game in the franchise on a current generation console, but Disgaea 3 used low definition sprites instead of HD sprites; Disgaea 4 remedies that mistake!

Never one to be swayed by a pretty sprite…

Ok, that’s not going to fool anyone. I haven’t played a Disgaea game since the first one came out for the PSX, but I might have to break that streak and try out NIS’s HD sprite-filled SRPG.

After all, it’s got Prinnies!

A week ago, Walmart announced it would once again sell long guns in many stores that had ceased carrying them

While it made waves in the media, this wasn’t big news to me; I doubt the stores nearby ever stopped selling them.

If you buy a gun at Walmart (assuming your Walmart sells them; I think even with the resumptions in sales, only ~50% of stores carry firearms), you have to undergo a NICS background check, just like if you buy a gun at any other gun dealer.

That’s not enough for the Mayors Against Illegal Guns (H/T Sebastian); their co-founder rips off the “illegal” guns facade and reveals that their true goal is the same as every other gun control groups’: an eventual total ban on civilian firearm ownership.

Else why would they claim that a store who abides by the criteria they tout as “responsible” is only interested in putting guns on the street?

Quote of the Indeterminate Time Interval – Bob Owens

Saith he:

The U.S. government has effectively allowed weaponry to reach cartels, and now uses the violence they helped cause as a gun control argument.

I’ve blogged about Project Gunrunner before; while Holder may have been in the hotseat before Congress, trying to disavow all knowledge of the scheme, I don’t think that’s going to fly.

If he had knowledge of Project Gunrunner, then he just lied about it to Congress, and ought to be fired.

If he didn’t have knowledge of Gunrunner, then he’s incompetent, and ought to be fired.

Read the whole thing; Owens points out the falseness of the Mexican Gun Canard, and highlights the absurdity of using a problem caused by our government to call for more governmental control and regulation.

Actually, I’m afraid that’s just business as usual.