Matt okay, I was completely blanking and I associate Dru with Jilli which is how I came up with that line of reasoning.

Oh also I thought the flying creatures were really really cool. They were one of my favorite bits and if anyone makes a toy or model of those I want one.

Dark Shadows report! Color me pleasantly shocked, because itis far, FAR better than I had feared. Every "zany!" moment in the trailer was apparently picked to give people the completely wrong idea about the movie. It's almost every paranormal Gothic Romance Novel cliche rolled into one, and covered with brooding atmosphere. The "zany!" moments from the trailer are just that, moments. The rest of the movie is far closer in tone to Sleepy Hollow.

It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't the train wreck I dreaded. In fact, I want to go see it again, and I'm definitely going to be buying it. The parts that made me cringe were the scenes where 70s music was being used to lighten the brooding, tone. For instance, I would have been much happier if the hate!sex scene between Barnabas and Angelique had been played for unease and horror, instead of having a 70s funk-hit soundtrack.

So, I'm not just relieved, I'm happy!

Yay, Jilli! Now I can go see it.

I felt a little bad for the people in the theatre who were expecting the movie the trailers promised, because it really wasn't that. But I kept making flaily-hands of glee at it.

It's like Tim Burton decided to make a movie out of every Victoria Holt novel ever.

Jilli, TCG wanted you to know that the Jilli stamp of approval is good enough for him. He was on the fence about seeing it based on the trailers.

Oh, Jilli, that is good news.

Avengers, round two. Shawarma in 3d!!

So many continuity-gasms in this movie, thank you Joss. P-C, I totally missed that Tony landed in front of the Shawarma Palace, but I did see when the "RK" and "ST" got knocked off the Stark Tower. And that Hawkeye hurts his knee when he smashes through the window ; during the second post-credit scene, he's got that leg propped up on Natasha's chair. On a related note, awww.

And speaking of Natasha, not only does she use people's emotional weapons against themselves, she uses their physical weapons against them. She ended up using the Chitauri speargun thingies, she uses an actual Chitauri (Chitauron?) to fly her up to the tower, and she winds up with Loki's "glowstick of destiny."

Dammit, I want a Black Widow/Hawkeye movie. I want that backstory. I want to know what happened in Budapest, and why he didn't kill her. Also - I don't speak Russian, really, but I was around it for two years, and ScarJo does a pretty decent rendition AFAIK. She gets the "mouth feel" right, where it sounds like you're talking around marbles.

After the first viewing, Nora and Tom and StW and I were discussing over beers, and Tom asserted that Nick Fury sent Agent Coulson down there. And he totally did - I heard him do it this time. But I also believe that Coulson knew what Fury was doing, he knew his boss, and it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He did his job. He gave them something to avenge (and how much do I love that Coulson didn't actually say "avenge," but it was clearly the next word).

In conclusion, "do it again, do it again!"

eta wow, ScarJo learned the Russian phonetically in two days - [link] She's got a good ear, and must have had a damn good dialogue coach.

One more one more thing - I was not expecting how much 3D *ahem* enhances things like Black Widow's tush, Hawkeye's biceps, RDJ's eyes...

Awww! Tell him thank you for me.

Just came back from my third viewing of the Avengers. This is the first time I cried at Coulson's death. And yes, Fury totally sent him to die. He sent him to the armory, you can hear it over the comms.

I actually gasped involuntarily when Coulson first showed up, which would have been a spoiler if anyone had been able to hear me.

Also, the Black Widow/Hawkeye fight, I have decided, is my favorite fight. It reminded me of BTVS fights. Raw with emotion, acrobatic, seemingly untouched by CGI. They are also my favorite characters, I think, given that they have no super powers. As Tom said to me the other day, "they are the most courageous of all."

ALSO JEBUS SAVE ME JEREMY RENNER'S ARMS IN 3D OH LAWDY.

The emotional journey of every single one of the Avengers just hit me where I live. (also, they are all so very, very, very pretty.)

Conclusion: I still love the balls off this movie.

ahaha, smonster and I went to see the movie together, BTW, and she had just dropped me off.

which would have been a spoiler if anyone had been able to hear me.

Other than me, who already knew.