an icepick through the keyhole

Re: Thor

I liked it - it wasn't as epic as I was hoping in scope, but it handled the mythos well, there was sufficient humour to ground it, and the grandeur of Asgard and the cosmic avenues it opens up for the rest of the Marvel Movieverse lent that right bit of spice to whet our appetites for the movies to come.

I loved Jaimie Alexander as Sif, though, and wish she had more time. I found her much hotter than Natalie Portman's Jane, but then I'm biased because I've always preferred badass Sif to slightly wet Jane.

I was really happy with the handling of Loki. They could have gotten all comic booky bwah-ha-ha God Of Evil on us, but Branagh and Hiddleston actually gave us a really subtle Loki. You saw the quiet way he was manipulating people, all Iago-like, but ultimately his motivations were not as one-dimensional as mere mischief, conquest or jealousy. The twists in his plan showed how Loki's mind works on multiple levels and people keep underestimating or not being able to comprehend how labyrinthine his schemes are - and that's the way it should be! Kieron Gillen understands this, as seen in the latest issue of Journey into Mystery when Young Loki speaks to the shade of his dead self.

Ultimately, Thor defeats Loki not by outwitting him but the way Thor does best: sheer brute force. And you know that Loki's last move was calculated and he was already working that in as a variable for the rematch. It was reminiscent also of the love-hate Shakespearean struggles between the two and Odin of the Simonson era, where even Loki will take up arms to defend his family and home. Loki as a character and as an actor in this movie was great.

If I could wish for something, it'd be a companion live action Tales of Asgard TV series going along the lines of Game of Thrones...

What kind of day has it been:

14:05 Warehouse 13 is back, too. Not as strong a debut as Eureka, but still... mmm, Jaime Murray. #

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What kind of day has it been:

12:43 is TK 6058. #

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What kind of day has it been:

22:09 1-0 to the Germans. I hope they kick the Argies' asses. As much as I don't the Germans, I hate Maradona more. #

22:38 Germany pulls off a slick off-side trap. Denied! #

23:25 2-nil! Obviously the blood of Nazi war criminals hasn't helped them much. #

23:32 And 3-0. Maradona thinks he should have put his team on crystal meth instead. #

23:35 Poor Argy fans. They look like sad Smurfs with white tears streaking their cheeks. #

23:43 Dear Argentina: next time, remember that a football team consists of 11 players, not 1. Just FYI. #

23:47 The Germans thought the 3 goals were lonely so they gave them another one to play with. #

23:52 And that's your lot, Argentina. Cue the Evita references. #

00:01 Of course, it's probably appropriate now that the team's abbreviation is ARG. #

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What kind of day has it been:

17:23 yays for the return of Futurama. I missed the gang so. #

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What kind of day has it been:

18:19 Working my way, finally, through Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys. Now I know what the fuss was all about. Want to watch the movies. #

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What kind of day has it been:

08:31 Downtown Singapore feels like it's just been through a full wash cycle. Wait, it has! #

10:31 Huh.Twitter switched to another FB API without telling anybody. is.gd/cSaus Guess I'll be using Smart Twitter on FB instead. #

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What kind of day has it been:

17:44 had one of those moments today in Court that only happens in 1980s courtroom dramas. #

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What kind of day has it been:

08:55 I'm at The Adelphi (1 Coleman Street, Singapore). 4sq.com/8PzXSO #

12:02 RIP Martin Gardner (1914-2010) is.gd/cmziG #

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