Words on Words by Maggie Stiefvater - Three Things: Ironman, Batman, and the Beach

Remember Me
Forgot your password?
- - Open ID
  - Google
  - Mail.ru
  - VKontakte
Create an Account

You are viewing m_stiefvater

Previous | Memories | | Next

26 July 2012 @ 12:51 pm

Three Things: Ironman, Batman, and the Beach

I have been quiet on my blog because of these things.

1. I was at San Diego Comic-Con. These were there.

San Diego Comic-Con, Ironman

So was this.

San Diego Comic-Con - Batmobile

2. Speaking of that, I saw the Batman movie. I was . . . underwhelmed. I've thought about it a lot over the past 24 hours, trying to decide why I was underwhelmed when so many of my peers thought it was brilliant, and I think it's because the ending was quite nifty. I thought the entire thing was an hour and a half too long and very self-consciously dark/ manipulative (let's add tension to this scene by adding some civilians. I know, how about a BUSLOAD OF ORPHANS!). I couldn't get past that, but Lover could, because the ending was so very much what we both wanted. So. Don't let me stop you from seeing it, but know that I miss the days of 100 minute films.

3. I went to the beach with my in-laws. I made this:

My Sand Horse

(the horse, not the bikini or the sunglasses).

My Sand Horse

I'll be back next week and blogging lengthily about SOMETHING, I'm sure.

customizable counter

Current Music: "Afraid of Summer" - Lost Lander

41 comments | Leave a comment

( 41 comments — Leave a comment )

queenoftheskies on July 26th, 2012 05:07 pm (UTC)

Your horse is AWESOME!

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

asakiyume on July 26th, 2012 05:52 pm (UTC)

What she said :-)

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 04:57 pm (UTC)

Haha, thank you!

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 04:57 pm (UTC)

Thank you!

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

kymbrunner on July 26th, 2012 05:29 pm (UTC)

Looks like life is good. :) Awesome horse, btw. And as far as Batman, I felt exactly the same way! Way too long and contrived. How about everyone in the stadium standing still (including leaning over and freezing in place) as they listened to Bane? Wouldn't you just get the heck out of there? Simple things like that break me out of my fictional world and instead, make me chew noisily on my popcorn, waiting for the movie to be over.

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 04:58 pm (UTC)

Life is interesting, that's for sure! For a non-beach person, I seem to be on them a lot this year.

And Batman, oh, Batman. I haven't checked my watch in a movie theater for a long time. And I laughed out loud at a certain character's moment of death . . . it was so . . . sigh.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

Chels_T on July 26th, 2012 05:48 pm (UTC)

1) Your sand-horse...is awesome. I can barely manage to make a sandcastle that doesn't look like it was hit with a nuclear bomb.

2) You. Saw. The. Batmobile. So incredibly jealous, words fail me right now.

and 3) I have heard similar reactions to yours regarding The Dark Knight Rises. I have yet to see it, but am planning on going soon so we'll see how I feel about it. I too am not a fan of extremely long movies that are long just for the sake of being long- without having any real substance. I really hope I am not disappointed by TDKR :(

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:02 pm (UTC)

1. Why thank you. I Googled sand sculpture before I hit the beach, because I too tended to build slumping sand castles of incredible lameness. Water! I needed more water!

2. Oh, it was pretty awesome.

3. Many people adored it, so I really do hope that you're one of them.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

dungeonwriter on July 26th, 2012 06:17 pm (UTC)

I loved the movie, but it needed trimming. A few snips here and there...it just seemed ENDLESS.

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:02 pm (UTC)

It seemed like there were so many bits waiting to be cut, like Bruce having his knees x-rayed?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

dungeonwriter on July 28th, 2012 05:48 pm (UTC)

What exactly was the point of that scene? His knees didn't give him any problems in the movie.

Some scenes seemed to go on forever. Bruce's breakdown and healing in that weird prison. And how exactly did he get back to Gotham from India/China?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:52 pm (UTC)

And why did he spend all that time wiring that extremely elaborate flaming bat symbol? That looked time consuming, and meanwhile, TIME IS TICKING, BRUCE.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

dungeonwriter on July 28th, 2012 05:54 pm (UTC)

And wouldn't exploding a hydrogen bomb like that cause tidal waves to destroy Gotham?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 29th, 2012 12:54 am (UTC)

And did he just keep vacationing in the same place until Alfred showed up?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

dungeonwriter on July 29th, 2012 03:07 am (UTC)

And how did Blake figure out Bruce's identity?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 29th, 2012 07:56 pm (UTC)

Because he was so annnnngggggrrrrryyyyy.

Also, how did everyone else NOT? Batman goes missing for 8 years. Bruce goes missing for 8 years. Batman uses lots of expensive toys. Bruce BUILDS lots of expensive toys. Batman has a deep voice hard to understand on camera. BRUCE has a . . . .

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

dungeonwriter on July 29th, 2012 11:10 pm (UTC)

And my favorite is that Bruce's trades went through on a day that a major terrorist attack hit the Stock Market. Would never have gone through.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 31st, 2012 08:13 pm (UTC)

It was also remarkably unrewarding to watch Bruce Wayne go from billionaire playboy to impoverished orphan with a large house.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

dungeonwriter on July 31st, 2012 08:53 pm (UTC)

It also broke my logic meter. The FCC would never allow those trades on a day when the stock market was attacked like that, all trades that day would be suspect as Bane had openly hacked the system.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

freenarnian on July 31st, 2012 07:20 pm (UTC)

I wondered this too... 2nd viewing, I realized having his knees x-rayed for heli-skiing was his excuse for getting into the hospital where Gordon was. Why he couldn't just sneak into the hospital... um... *shrug*

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 31st, 2012 08:10 pm (UTC)

Like he snuck into the BARRICADED city, you mean? Alas.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

dungeonwriter on July 31st, 2012 08:53 pm (UTC)

And got to that barricaded city from India/China without the batplane, or his money?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

soulfully on July 26th, 2012 06:35 pm (UTC)

Beautiful horse sculpture!

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:02 pm (UTC)

Thank you!

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

geekygirl on July 26th, 2012 10:02 pm (UTC)

Impressive work! It makes me want to read The Scorpio Races all over again! :)

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:03 pm (UTC)

Ah, thank you. :)

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

yukinakid on July 26th, 2012 10:19 pm (UTC)

I love Ironman. He is my favorite.

Your horse is also awesome.

On a creepier note, I had a dream that you invited me to go on a roadtrip from Georgia to Virginia with you last night. Who knows how to interpret that.

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:03 pm (UTC)

The real creepy part is how I got to Georgia in the first place. I mean, shouldn't it have been the other way around?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

yukinakid on July 28th, 2012 09:06 pm (UTC)

That is a good point. Hmm. I don't know. But dream!Loki was such a smooth ride.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

music_lover3 on July 26th, 2012 10:42 pm (UTC)

Your horse is awesome!

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:03 pm (UTC)

Thank you!

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

yelina on July 27th, 2012 01:23 am (UTC)

That's ridiculously good! You're artistic sensibilities shine through.

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:03 pm (UTC)

Thank you! It was pretty satisfying to build.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

acoldsummergirl on July 27th, 2012 02:54 am (UTC)

CAPAILL UISCE IS COMIN' TA GET Y'ALL!!!! LOOK OUT LANDLUBBERS, DA WATAHORSES ARE COMING, DA WATAHORSES ARE COMING!

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:03 pm (UTC)

Yes. Yes, they are.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

windancer on July 27th, 2012 12:11 pm (UTC)

You made the Sand Horse! I loved that book when I was a kid.

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 28th, 2012 05:04 pm (UTC)

Wait, wait, what book is this?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

sherihart.com on July 27th, 2012 05:43 pm (UTC)

I am 50 shades of green over your insane creative talents. I can almost feel the muscles in that horse's neck bunching under my hand. Incredible.

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 29th, 2012 12:54 am (UTC)

*grin* thank you.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

freenarnian on July 31st, 2012 07:15 pm (UTC)

Also underwhelmed by TDKR. The first time. I saw it twice, and it's not unusual for a movie to feel like it's flowing better for me the second time. So, overall, I liked it (it did end well). I just didn't LOVE it the way I loved the others.

And I just loathe Anne Hathaway in general, so of course she was the weakest link for me. I couldn't believe it when I heard Nolan cast her. Her acting/character... SO subpar, IMHO.

(Reply) (Thread) (Link)

m_stiefvater on July 31st, 2012 08:11 pm (UTC)

I could see where they were going, trying to get a flash of color in an otherwise dark canvas, but . . . absolutely nothing in her arc was unpredictable.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread) (Link)

( 41 comments — Leave a comment )