San Diego Comic Con is just about a month away and there’s a ton of stuff that we’re excited to see come out of the show, like the big announcements from all of the major movie and TV studios and comic book big (and little) shots. However, one of the major draws to the West Coast mecca for geek culture is the exclusive toys that are available at the show.
Over the last couple of weeks, Funko, the purveyor of fine Pop! vinyls, has announced their lineup of SDCC exclusive figures. We have compiled everything right here for you so you can decide before you go which ones you can’t live without (or salivate over the exclusives you’ll need to hunt down on eBay if you can’t make it to San Diego).
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The offending poster art detailed below.
As much as I hate to admit it, Tumblr has this incredible knack for influencing things I watch and read (see: Supernatural), so when I began seeing poster art for this upcoming movie, I was super annoyed with the number of times this showed up on my dash. Googling it told me it was a YA book about romance between two cancer patients, and I kind of rolled my eyes and forgot about it, because it sounded cliche. Then one boring Sunday, I downloaded it to my Kindle, and about two paragraphs in, I was hooked.
Tumblr didn’t ONCE mention the tears.
A few weeks later, the trailer debuted and that compilation of a minute and a half clips made my eyes well up with fat, Miyazaki sized tears. I resigned myself to the fact I’d be crying in public, and waited for the wide release, so I could see how much the movie deviated from the witty source material. From this point on, please be aware there are spoilers!
Fortunately for fans of the book, the movie stayed relatively faithful, deviating only when it came to the story of Augustus’ previous girlfriend, his struggles with his parents, and the sweet outcome for the sad swing set.
Right away, you are pulled into the story, narrated in parts by Woodley’s husky voice, and it’s overwhelming, this very real awareness of life and death. For those of you unfamiliar, The Fault In Our Stars is centered around Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 17-year-old with cancer, who has accepted how her life is in every way. Content with re-reading her favorite book and drowning in reality television, she begrudgingly obliges to her mother’s request she attend a support group. She eventually meets Isaac, a dry humored boy with eye cancer, and Augustus Waters, a charming, one-legged survivor of osteosarcoma, who cannot keep his eyes off of her. From here, you can guess that he falls in love with her, and she, knowing her cancer could take her at any minute, refuses to be more than friends, wanting to “limit the casualties” when she succumbs. This is actually where the movie shines, as you forget about the cancer part, and realize these are regular teen experiences they’re having, and it’s sort of nostalgic in its feel as the two fall in love.
Woodley and Elgort shine wonderfully in their roles as Hazel and Gus, perfectly realizing their book counterparts, something fans will definitely appreciate. Of course the moment you’re swept up in their love during their trip to Amsterdam, the hammer falls, and they can no longer hide the inevitable.
Augustus reveals to Hazel that his cancer has returned and his recent scan “lit up like a Christmas tree,” and it’s a series of moving scenes, and speeches, particularly Hazel’s eulogy and the Last Good Day. Pain demands to be felt, indeed.
I didn’t really notice the soundtrack much, maybe because I was busy stealing tissues from the sobbing person next to me, but the one tune that stuck out was a soft, folksy sounding rock song, but nothing noteworthy (haha, did you see my pun).
There really isn’t some deep message to the movie (or the book for that matter), and I think it steers away from most cheap manipulation tactics seen in cancer movies to make you cry, but you will probably leave dehydrated. I certainly did.
By the way, JOHN GREEN, go fuck yourself.
Film Review: The Fault In Our Stars
MPAA Rated PG-13. Running time: 125 mins
Directed by Josh Boone; written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the novel by John Green; director of photography, Ben Richardson; edited by Robb Sullivan; music by Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott; production design by Molly Hughes; costumes by Mary Claire Hannan; produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen; released by 20th Century Fox.
WITH: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern , Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff, and Willem Dafoe.
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Harry Potter. Avengers. Doctor Who. Sherlock. Long ago, the four fandoms lived together in harmony and then everything changed when I discovered Supernatural. Only Tumblr, master of all fandoms, could help me and as I fell further and further into gifs, I became obsessed. Months passed and I fell in love with the series and its stars, Jensen and Jared. Although I’ve finished all eight seasons, I have to wait with everyone else. I believe Supernatural can save the world.
If you had told me six months ago that I would be balls deep in a CW show, I would have punched your face. A bad Buffy rip-off with very attractive male leads? Hard pass. At the urging of several friends (none of whom knew each other, all of whose opinions I respected), I begrudgingly began the series, seven seasons of which were available on Netflix.
The words that launched millions of fans into this fandom struck me hard, and although I didn’t know it yet, behind my rolled eyes and scoffs at their cheesy lines, I was irrevocably smitten with the show. It wasn’t long until I was in tears over an episode, and black Impalas caused my breath to hitch. Perhaps you’re like me and have only heard mentions of the show. What’s it about, you wonder? Dean (Jensen Ackles) and his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) are the sons of a respected hunter, John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who specializes in the supernatural. When John goes missing while tracking down an entity which killed their mother, the boys head out to follow his trail, slaying monsters and creatures along the way.
With this foolproof recipe for every episode, the show explores the at first strained relationship between the brothers, allowing us to become emotionally attached to them as the story arcs intertwine into one pleasantly satisfying backbone. Later seasons introduce new characters, such as fan favorite Castiel (Misha Collins), a rebellious angel, scruffy father figure Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver), and the King of Hell, played by a man you may have seen in many other shows (Mark Shephard),
Later seasons also disposed of the standard “themed bad guy/Winchesters save the day” in favor of more in depth stories, some spanning several episodes, particularly when the angels become key players. Episode titles also evolved from generic one worded phrases like “Wendigo,” “Scarecrow,” or “Bugs,” to hilarious pop culture sentences such as “Are you there, God? It’s me, Dean Winchester,” and “Live free or Twi-Hard.”
Now, gents, you might have hesitated on watching this show due to thoughts of it pandering to its female audience. Shirtless scenes are few, far between, and, sorrowfully, brief. As far as the cast being a sausage fest, well, I haven’t even mentioned the gorgeous ladies of Supernatural.
Fellow hunter Jo Harvelle
The demon, Ruby (version 1.0)
The demon, Ruby (version 2.0)
The demon, Meg (version 2.0)
Friend to the Winchesters, Charlie
In my attempt to embrace being part of the fandom, I lost track of myself and didn’t write for weeks at a time. I went hours glued to Netflix. Meals were scavenged in the few seconds the title card appeared on screen. I became active in Tumblr, reblogging gifs faster than I’m proud to admit. I joined the legions of fans screaming of feels upon hearing the first measures of Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son” and I am currently looking at the Jensen Ackles sticker on my Tardis patterned notebook. Judge me not, fellow geeks, for I assure you, should you give Supernatural a fair chance (season 2 for me was where I really started watching with interest), you may find yourself longingly wishing to attend a Supernatural convention, and you may not. As with all shows, there are extreme portions of the fandom, and I plead with you to not be scared off by them; they’re mostly harmless.
I finished the most recent season about a month ago and to get my fix, to cure my lust for more, I scoured YouTube for interviews and convention footage of the stars, feeling like a puppy begging for scraps, hints, anything about what may lie ahead. LITERALLY, I HAVE SPENT HOURS ON YOUTUBE. I am not hyperbolizing. Thankfully the gods have blessed us with a 5-minute long sneak peek and a 1-minute promotional commercial and that has sated the beast that resides in my heart. For now.
I leave you now with this, a peek at the hilarious moments of Supernatural, for not only will the show pluck at those heartstrings, it will tickle that funny bone.
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that there are levels of geek. The true fan or better fan debate is tired and mind-numbly boring so I’d rather investigate the much more tangible and terrifying circles of fandoms that have scared me off from supporting otherwise enjoyable shows/books/movies/etc.
I emphasized circles rather than levels for a reason. I’m not about to sit here on my high horse judging obsessive fans while typing in front of a floor to ceiling bookshelf full of comics and while plotting which trade to bring on the subway tomorrow morning. I mean, they’re batty and I’m normal? I once tried to look for the collected A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones Maps in the nonfiction section.
That disclaimer being thus disclaimed, last week I started watching Hannibal, which, in its first season is a fantastic show. Now, I don’t know why I expected fans of the show to be less um, eager? Considering it’s gory show about brutally artistic murders and psychopaths I, didn’t think it was so farfetched not to expect this kind of participation in the fandom:
What do you mean by this, Hannibal fans? This is not a ship. No. I’d rather be all for Will Graham/ that Giant deer he keeps dreaming about. Lady Boner and “Hannibal Lector’s smooth suit while he was slicing up that human liver” should not be used in the same sentence as often as they are. Just no.
How about one of the most established and active fandoms around like Supernatural. The show was supposed to end in season 5, but sheer willpower of the fans have kept it going well beyond that. What does that mean exactly? 8+ seasons of shipping two brothers with each other, with some chiseled-jawed angel, and I’m guessing occasionally with their car.
I’m going to be straight up, Supernatural fans, ya’ll are a fucking scary bunch. You’re so intense that creator Eric Kripke doesn’t pay you fan service, he (lovingly) pokes fun at you that he let his own characters discuss “Wincest” in an actual episode. I’m serious. In the 4th season the guys meet with an author of a Supernatural book series a la Stephen King in the Dark Tower series mixed with Misery.
someone in this room has Destiel as their otp
I borrowed this from tumblr along with the caption to give an idea about what I’m talking about. Someone saw these two coats together in a store, and because they are similar to those worn by characters on the show, commented that it was purposely done to show support for a “one true pairing” or a favorite couple (possible or no) in a fandom, Dean/Castiel. In case you were wondering, no they’ve never hooked up because neither Winchester is gay and Castiel is an angel with better apocalypse-related things to do. The thing is, I totally believe that some employee of Sears or whatever would do this if they were fans of the show because that’s what it means to love Supernatural. For example, how about this blog that was requesting pics of Misha Collins holding his phone with his pinky splayed just so?
why?
So I never gave the show a shot until last weekend when a few friends/fans decided to marathon their favorite episodes because it just seemed like too intense a commitment. Man. Is. This. Show. Great. Super great. I didn’t even mind being spoiled or jumping around through seasons, because the show is about the relationship between the brothers and their isolation from the rest of the world because of their mission to kill demons and shit (as I understand it from like 15 episodes). It’s pleasantly episodic at times while still feeding in to a overarching plot. (Buffy 2.0!)
I even believe I owned up to some feels only like 2 episodes in.
Am I going to join the ranks of the Supernatural fans now? Nah, probably not. I watched a bunch of episodes and never once wanted another character to lick the tears of any other character be they blood relation, deity, or automobile. I’m going to watch the Kripke seasons this summer but the fandom is a too well-oiled machine at this point to jump on that crazy train. It’s nice that about 50% of my tumblr dashboard now makes sense.
But hey, run your fandoms how you please and don’t mind the rest of the world. Fans are what make or break a show and I like to think that dedicated and loyal fans make it more than a paycheck gig for everyone involved in the production. So if you’re a Supernatural freak, wear that flag proud. Knit it out of Jared Padalecki’s shaven chest hairs if it pleases you and he consents. I’m just gonna slowly back away and deny ever seeing a single episode if you want to show if you ask and I’ll expect you do to the same when I talk about Harry Potter.
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