Making movies is hard. Making compelling movies is really hard; and making a compelling film out of a robot/monster mashup must be impossible -- if it's not, Guillermo del Toro does his best to assure us that it is in his most recent movie, Pacific Rim.
The movie is about giant (like, two Godzillas tall) monsters that enter our world through a rift in the Pacific ocean, and how humans created the Jaegar program (the movie subtly reminds us that Jaegar is German for 'hunter'), basically Godzilla-sized robots to fight them. As humans discontinue the Jaegars for some reason, the last remaining pilots (rangers) launch a last-ditch effort to close the rift and save humanity.
Story: 1/5 - The movie gets a break for being about monsters fighting robots, but even with dulled expectations, the suspension of disbelief pact between us and the movie is totally shattered. As the robot is about to lose the fight, the pilot suddenly exclaims, 'Wait, we have one more weapon - a sword!' The monsters aren't magic or anything, they are flesh and blood - guns and missiles work. They could kill these things with bunker-buster missiles, and they never even try to explain to the audience why they don't. Why do they wait to attack the monsters until they are at a city? Why are the governments of earth set on discontinuing the Jaegar program, even as it is proved time and again the only effective way to deal with the threat? There is nothing addressing motive for any character or plot point.
Writing: 2/5 - Considering what the movie is, the writing isn't bad. It is very par-for-the course, with some decent comedy (I got a kick out of Ron Pearlman's dialogue) and cookie-cutter exchanges.
Acting: 3/5 - Based solely on Idris Elba, who is very convincing as the aging, conflicted commander of the Jaegar program. Charlie Day, of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, was exactly as expected - which made his scenes entertaining, if nothing else. Charlie Hunnam is solid, but I don't see him breaking from the mold he cast in Sons of Anarchy.
Aesthetics: 3/5 - Robots fighting monsters is cool, but neither del Toro nor cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (who was much more 'Spy Kids' than 'Pan's Labyrinth') make an effort to get us out of our seats with interesting shots.
The golf season's 3rd major is upon us this week, and the game's best pays a visit to Muirfield. Muirfield is said to be the home of where golf's rules were first enforced and it has hosted the Open to some great champions. Here's a look at the notable winners there in the last handful of decades:
2002 - Ernie Els (also the defending champion of the Open)
1992 - Nick Faldo
1987 - Nick Faldo
1980 - Tom Watson
1972 - Lee Trevino
1966 - Jack Nicklaus
1959 - Gary Player
There are no slouches on the list, and when Els won back in 2002 it became his 5th career major title. If we are to learn from history, it suggests that the victor this week will not be a no name, come out of nowhere type player; the winner will be a winner. Here's odds from Paddy Power:
Tiger Woods - 10/1 Phil Mickelson - 18/1
Justin Rose - 20/1
Adam Scott - 22/1
Graeme McDowell - 25/1
Rory McIlroy - 28/1
Ernie Els - 28/1
Lee Westwood - 30/1
Sergio Garcia - 30/1
Tiger has 14 career majors but he hasn't won one since the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines (aka the playoff against Rocco on one good leg). Phil won the Scottish Open last week and finally won a tournament on the European continent. Justin Rose is the most recent major winner with his victory at Merion weeks ago. Adam Scott won the Masters this year and nearly took the Open crown last year before a collapse at the end. Graeme McDowell has struggled with his game recently but the Northern Ireland native is familiar with the style of play required to win the Open and finished in a tie for fifth last year. Rory McIlroy is still young, 24, has two career major victories, but his Northern Ireland roots haven't propelled him to an Open Championship yet. Ernie Els, already mentioned, won last year and won the last Open held at Muirfield. Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia have come close to major victories before but have never been able to lock one up.
So who is my pick for this week? I know I have been preaching that previous major winners have had the greatest amount of success through the course's history, but I get the feeling that we won't be seeing a repeat major winner but rather a guy who will notch his first major victory and possibly the first of a few. Thorbjorn Olesen, 23 year old of Denmark, is my choice. He finished in a tie for ninth at last year's Open and managed to finish in a tie for sixth at this year's Masters so he has had recent major success. Odds placed on him are at 100/1 so it could be a profitable week for those placing their money on Olesen.
After growing up a Disney kid, I've now had 22 years and change to think about what I've experienced. At my youngest, I grew up in the golden era of Disney movies with epics like "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast" being released. As I grew up, I witnessed other movies like "Monsters Incorporated" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Since my roommate is currently on vacation at Disney World, I've got Disney on my mind. Rather than talk about movies, I want to talk about my favorite parts of the movies: the music.
Disney music is often some of the happiest, up-tempo music you will be exposed to. However, it can also be serious and even downright sad if you pay enough attention to the transitions in the music and the lyrics laid on top of them. Without further ado, I want to get into a couple of lists.
Best Movies for Music
("The Sound of Music" and "Fantasia" not included)
HM: Pocahontas
Irene Bedard's voice on "Colors of the Wind" pretty much puts this movie in the discussion. The movie doesn't exactly stick to historical accuracy, but the songs in this movie are great. Rather than being upbeat, funny, and directed at kids, the songs in this movie seem to be more aimed at adults. I didn't enjoy this soundtrack a ton as a kid, but I love listening to the songs now.
HM: Aladdin
"A Whole New World" and "Friend Like Me" drive this soundtrack, and they are great.
10) The Jungle Book
If you can appreciate jazz, swing, and other older forms of music, then you'll probably love this soundtrack. As one of the older Disney movies, the soundtrack has a record player background to it, which gives it an authentic feel. As for the reason it's on here, the top two songs on the track are fantastic. "I Wa'na Be Like You" is one of my favorite Disney songs, and "The Bare Necessities" is punny and fun.
9) Mary Poppins
If you aren't familiar with this soundtrack, then you're missing out. I'm personally not huge on this movie, but I can't leave it out of the top ten. There are too many classics like "Spoonful of Sugar" and "ThatlongwordI'mnotgoingtospelltwiceinonepostsokeepreading."
8) Tangled
Surprisingly, Mandy Moore is exceptional as the voice of Rapunzel in this movie. The song writing is fantastic, it's got a more modern feel, and the songs are really catchy.
7) Lilo & Stitch
Out of all of the soundtracks on this list, this is probably the most unique. The reason for that is that a lot of the song is sung by a native Hawai'ian in the native language. Throw in some great music and a wonderful-sounding kid chorus and you've got a wonderfully crafted soundtrack.
6) Mulan
This is one of the most demanding soundtracks in any Disney movie, simply because it asks a ton of the voice actors to contribute. I don't think one person thought the singing in this movie would be as great as it was.
5) The Little Mermaid
Jodi Benson
4) Beauty and the Beast
Just so many classic songs. "Be Our Guest", "Belle", and "Beauty and the Beast" will forever remain in the hearts of countless individuals as precious memories. The music is well-crafted, and the lyrics are even better.
3) Pirates of the Caribbean (Series)
Unlike most other Disney movies, the music in this series is done via an orchestra led by the legendary Hans Zimmer. I don't know enough about orchestras to go into specifics, but listening to the OST for this series is always a joy.
2) The Lion King
It's easy to just give a ton of credit to Elton John for this soundtrack, and it's a little unfair to other movies that he was so heavily involved. However, he worked on some of the greatest songs ever. The songs on this track are the stars of the Broadway musical, and the John has performed the songs in live concerts countless times.
1) Tarzan
While Elton John is "unfair" on The Lion King's soundtrack, Phil Collins was simply insane on this soundtrack. I've listened to a lot of Phil Collins and Genesis throughout my life, and I've never heard him as good in any of his songs as he is on the Tarzan soundtrack.
Best Songs of All Time
First off, here are the honorable mentions:
"Why Should I Care?"- Oliver and Company
"Zero to Hero"- Hercules
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"- Mary Poppins
"Go the Distance"- Hercules
"A Whole New World"- Aladdin
"Reflection"- Mulan
"Be Prepared"- The Lion King
"Everybody Wants to Be a Cat"- The Aristocats
This was my sister's obsession growing up. Shockingly, she turned into a cat person. Who knew?
Now to the rest of the list:
25) "You've Got a Friend in Me"- Toy Story
Chances are you've heard this song before. Randy Newman's most classic song created for Pixar Studios helped make Toy Story one of the greatest animated films of all time. It's comforting, humble, and uplifting.
24) "Jack Sparrow"- Pirates of the Caribbean
23) "When Will My Life Begin?"- Tangled
This movie is relatively new, so it doesn't get a ton of love and respect for the great Disney movie that it is--for what it's worth, it's got a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Disney got away from serious movies and Pixar to head back into the world of animated films, and they nailed it. This song is the highlight of the movie.
22) "Part of Your World"- The Little Mermaid 21) "Kiss the Girl"- The Little Mermaid
Honestly, Jodi Benson's singing voice is just great--she voices Ariel in the movie, if that wasn't already glaringly obvious. "Part of Your World" is probably the best example of your talents. Meanwhile, "Kiss the Girl" has arguably my favorite introduction to any Disney song ever.
20) "You'll Be in My Heart"- Tarzan 19) "Belle"- Beauty and the Beast 18) "Heigh Ho"- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
This one gets a video AND a summary just because I say so. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was the first major motion picture put forward by Disney. Since this is the major song from said movie, this song gets on the list by default. If you listen to the way the song is constructed, the song really seems to set the foundation for the way all Disney songs are framed. It's happy, peppy, and just fun to listen to--and some of those guys had goddamn amazing voices.
17) "Friend Like Me"- Aladdin
16) "If I Didn't Have You"- Monsters Incorporated 15) "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"- The Lion King 14) "The Bare Necessities"- The Jungle Book 13) "The Circle of Life"- The Lion King
If I were to make a list of the songs that were objectively greatest and not just my favorites, this one would probably top the list. Elton John doesn't perform the song in the movie, but his recording of it is nothing short of incredible.
12) "Davy Jones"- Pirates of the Caribbean
11) "Hawai'ian Roller Coaster Ride"- Lilo & Stitch
Top 10
(hint: these are all getting videos and summaries because they're worth it):
10) "Beauty and the Beast"- Beauty and the Beast
"Tale as old as time" might just be the most recognizable Disney lyric of all time. However, that's certainly not where the song stops being great. From the lyrics to the vocals to the melody, this song is just all around easy to love.
9) "Be a Man"- Mulan
Who knew that military drills set to Disney music could work? Well, in this song it absolutely does.
"(Be a man)
You must be swift as the coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength of a raging fire
(Be a man)
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon"
Just a freaking amazing chorus, if you ask me (especially starting at the 3:00 mark in the video). It's not lyrically great, but it's still awesome.
8) "Be Our Guest"- Beauty and the Beast
"We'd like you to relax and pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents: your dinner"
Have you tried the gray stuff? It's pretty delicious. One of the catchiest songs I can remember, and you'll learn a lot about different types of food. Oh, and the part where they mock Cogsworth is naturally incredible.
7) "He's a Pirate"- Pirates of the Caribbean
Probably not Hans Zimmer's greatest accomplishment, but this song is just great. Naturally, my high school uses this song at commencement ceremonies (we the Pirates, go figure).
6) "I Just Can't Wait to be King"- The Lion King
So many great puns in this song, and I find the antics of Zazu to be particularly great. I'd rather you listen to this song than read my words about it. "If this is where the monarchy's headed, count me out!"
5) "Under the Sea"- The Little Mermaid
Little known fact about me: I "sang" this song in second grade in front of my class. It was terrible, but this song is not. Sebastian is one of my all time favorite Disney characters, and this song is the biggest reason why. The chorus is so damn catchy.
4) "I Wa'na Be Like You"- The Jungle Book
I'm a big fan percussion and smooth beats, and this song has the greatest beat in Disney history. While the song lacks in great vocals, the lyrics are great. I love the way Disney broke off from their traditional songs to make a song like this. The opening few lines are just great. "I'm tired of muggin' around."
3) "He Mele No Lilo"- Lilo & Stitch
Just listen, guys. Such a fantastically written song (especially the bridge). Lilo & Stitch is criminally underrated in the Disney world.
2) "Son of Man"- Tarzan
Phil Collins was a BEAST (pun intended) when he worked on this soundtrack. The intro, the chorus, the bridge...everything about this track is just incredible. If you need more to like about this song, watch Tarzan and notice the timing of when the track is used. Much like the next song on this list, it is the song that transitions you from one part of the movie into the next, and it fits so incredibly well.
1) "Hakuna Matata"- The Lion King
This will by my favorite Disney song until the day I die. I've loved it ever since the first time I heard it. There's plenty of great humor within the song, and Pumbaa's story is pretty hilarious. Plus, it's got the catchiest chorus in Disney history. As a final kicker, it teaches a great life lesson:
Don't dwell on the past. Live in the present and focus on what you can control. Make the most out of your life.
Have you invented a recipe since the last time? I have.
Talking about my college days and bachelor chow got me
thinking about those long ago days of not having much and needing to improvise
pretty much everything you do in the kitchen. We've all been there - get the
sexy redhead from your Physics class over for some spaghetti (because that is
fancy and will show her you can cook) and the noodles are a perfect al dente.
You go to strain them and realize you don’t have a strainer. So you reach for
the lid to the pot and…"shit, I used the one that doesn't have a lid that fits!" Now you’re stuck trying to look cool while precariously straining water from
spaghetti noodles using too small or too large of a lid for the pot. One tiny slip
and you’re ordering pizza and sleeping alone tonight...if you’re not going to the
emergency room.
In the spirit of that, I thought I’d discuss a few kitchen
items that no kitchen should be without.
The first thing every kitchen needs are knives. The easiest way
to go here is to buy a set with a storage block and be done with it for a
while. Spend a bit more here if you can as cheap knives will dull quickly and
dull knives sever fingers. Seriously, more people are hurt by dull knives than
by sharp ones. Also, always use the correct knife for the job. Chopping onions
with a paring knife is asking for a hole in your palm. DO NOT use good sharp
knives to pry things open…not only will you break the tip off your good knives
but you can slip and literally cut your hand off. Safety first, folks.
Second, you need flatware and utensils. I shouldn't have to
say this but in college my roommate and I literally had 4 plates and 4 sets of
silverware. Made it hard to have company over. Get a set, even if it is cheap.
In fact, when you are younger, the cheaper ones are a smarter way to go since the
animals you party with are pretty much guaranteed to break half the set over
the course of a year.
Next, pots and pans. Again, at a younger age get a cheaper
set, but get a complete set. This goes to the same train of thought as the
knives. You need to have the right tool for the job. I personally had fried
bacon in a soup pot before and it sucked. I had burns up and down my arm from
it. This will also let you tailor the size of the cooking utensil to the size of
the meal. It’s tough to make chili (recipe at the bottom here)
for 20 of your friends if you only have a 2-quart pot to cook in.
A set of cooking utensils - tongs, spatulas, wooden spoons,
scoops, slotted spoons, flippers, meat forks, graters, brushes, mallets, whisks - all have their uses. Make sure you have them all when you need them so you
don’t have to improvise. Again, this is a safety first situation.
A can opener - if I have to explain this, you’re reading the
wrong blog.
A dish drying rack (if you don’t have a dish washer). After
the meal someone has to clean up and precariously stacking dishes on a towel is
great way to break them and potentially hurt yourself. Do yourself a favor and
spend the $15 on one of these.
Measurement devices, such as measuring cups and spoons. I
personally cook most foods by zen, but there are recipes out there that call
for exact measurements and these things are more than worth the cost. Also,
many people are volumetrically retarded and have no idea what “about a cup”
looks like.
A coffee pot. Even if you don’t drink coffee, someone at
some time will come over who does. You can pick up a cheap pot for $20 and
always be prepared.
Paper towel. Ok, so you manage to strain the noodles without
sending yourself to hospital and now you want to add the sauce. But when you do, a huge spot of it spills out onto the counter and you have no paper towel to
clean it up with. What do you do? Use your sleeve? Ignore it? Run to the
bathroom and grab that one towel you own? Yeah, good luck getting that “late
night study session” to happen after pulling one of those moves.
A spice rack or cabinet (containing spices). Being able to cook something is important; being able to make it taste good
is even more important. You can make the most delicious looking meal on Earth but without the proper spices it will be bland and off-putting. Many spice racks come with a starter set of spices, which in the long run will help you.
Seal and reseal products, such as cling wrap, aluminum foil,
plastic bags, etc. Keeps things fresh longer; keeps things from drying out; keeps things from getting freezer burned. A great option here is to get the resealable plastic containers. They're useful for raw or cooked materials and can be frozen. They also stack neatly on a shelf or in a cupboard so they don't take up too much space. A decent set of these can save you a lot of money on cling wrap.
Cutting boards; doesn't matter if they are wood, plastic, metal or whatever. You need a way to chop things without cross contamination and without damaging your counters. I prefer the cheap, thin plastic ones because when they wear out they're cheap to replace and they clean really easily.
I’m gonna call it a post here. I may revisit this idea
later.
Raspberry Pomegranate Sauce
(I like to grate some
fresh ginger into this for some kick)
Ingredients:
1 small onion (minced)2 cups
raspberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup pomegranate molasses1 cup cooking sherry
(or red wine)
Black pepper to taste½ tsp
butter or margarine
¼ cup maple syrup
Directions:
Sautee
onion in butter in a saucepan until translucent
Tomorrow morning Novak Djokovic takes on Andy Murray in an attempt to take his seventh career major title in the world of tennis. If you ask the casual sport fan who are the top men's tennis players currently in the world, Novak would likely be third or fourth (behind Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and possibly Andy Murray and that's also hoping that people don't think Andy Roddick still plays or that he was ever really any good). Since the start of 2011, no men's tennis player has been better than Novak and he has certainly earned being #1 in the world.
Since Wimbledon in 2010 Novak has reached at least the semifinals in each major event (13 in a row), 9 of those being finals appearances (counting tomorrow's match), and he has won 5 majors in that span, quite possibly making it six sometime Sunday. To compare to the other greats today, Roger Federer's best saw him go a 23 major span where he reached the semifinals, 20 of those saw him reach the finals, and 14 were major victories. Nadal's greatest streak of semifinal appearances is 5 and he has done that twice. Nadal has won eight French Open, and is the "King of Clay" but his case helps prove how unique of a player Novak Djokovic is, as he has shown the ability to be successful regardless of the surface. Djokovic will likely never reach the greatness of Roger Federer, but when you breakdown what he's done over the course of these last three years, his performance is only trumped by the greatest to ever swing a racquet.
So where does Novak Djokovic stand in terms of the all-time greats? We've already discussed Roger Federer, who leads all-time with 17 major victories, and Rafael Nadal, who has twelve to his credit, tied with Roy Emerson for third most all-time. Pete Sampras, who is 2nd all -time with 14 major titles, never had a stretch of more than three semifinal appearances in a row, and Pete's career is more defined by longevity (won majors of 13 year span) and his dominance at Wimbledon (won 7 out 8 years). If Novak wins tomorrow he'll notch his 7th career major title and that'll place him in a tie for 13th all-time (most notably with John McEnroe). If he was done tomorrow, I think he would be remember as dominant during a short stretch and he was the third wheel of this generation. For a player who is entering the prime of his career and is seeing issues with some of the other stars (Federer - age, Nadal - injuries), the stage is set for Novak to continue this pace for the next four years comfortably. One major victory in each of those four years would place him in the top 5 of major winners all-time (I think that'll be easily achievable), and it's realistic for Novak to set his sights on Nadal and Sampras's marks. I would be amazed if he ever reaches the standards set by Roger, and when all is said and done, I feel Novak Djokovic will be one of the five best men's tennis players ever.
Uh oh, they left the door to my cage unlocked again and I
found my way back.
In recent weeks on my other online home (Yes you’re going to
get another shameless plug. We’re good people, give us a try http://www.forums.mlb.com/ml-mlb )
I’ve been asked if I can do a post about cheap and easy meals that anyone can
prepare. Now, I believe that anyone can prepare any meal with a bit of
foresight and some gumption but the cheap part is the kicker here. So I’m going
to take myself back to college and post to you about my personal experiences
living on “Bachelor Chow”.
To start off, I guess we need to define what bachelor chow
actually is. I think it is the food that young people make when they’re too
busy chasing members of the opposite sex or having the blackout nights
aforementioned in my “cooking with booze” post (http://offtopicblog1.blogspot.ca/2013/06/blame-it-on-alcohol-use-of-booze-in.html)
to care much about taking time to cook fantastic meals. I also suppose I should
let you know that in college I was spoiled by having a full size deep freeze
and a room mate whose father gave us 500 pounds of moose meat so I didn’t have
to buy any variation of beef or beef like meat for the year I lived with him.
That leads me to my first tip, take freebies or good deals
when they arise. If you have an uncle who raises pigs and he is willing to let
you have some of the meat for cheap or free, JUMP on it. Store has a 50 pound
bag of potatoes on for $3, BUY THEM. Of course there are limits here, don’t buy
the 50 pound bag of tomatoes as there is no way you’d ever eat them before they
go bad.
My second tip is to get some sort of a freezer. Apartment
size freezers are fairly cheap and are worth their weight in gold if you use
them correctly. Please don’t talk to me about the little freezer in the
refrigerator either, we both know that it serves no other purpose than that of
a liquor cabinet for college students. Having a freezer will allow you to make
large amounts of food and freeze them in single servings for later when that
hot redhead in your physics class is far more interesting than chopping onions.
The freezer will also allow you to buy bulk packs of things (chicken, shrimp,
sausage, frozen veggies etc)for much
cheaper than individual packs and portion them out as you want them. Making your food this way is actually cheaper
than buying premade canned or frozen meals and it is WAY healthier.
I know I was asked for specific recipes but I’m not going to
go that route as I find it limiting and boring really. I’m instead going to go
the way of giving ideas and letting your creative juices flow.
First idea is to get creative with what you have. Tired of
eating KD, but you bought a 900 pack of it for $10 at COSTCO? Well make it
anyways and chop up a couple of those hot dogs you have in the fridge and then
add some of the salsa you have to it and boom, it aint KD no more. Add some
different spices (http://offtopicblog1.blogspot.ca/2013/06/bringin-heat.html)
to things to totally change their flavor. Got a leftover smokie from that
kegger a couple nights ago? Chop it up and add it to your Ramen noodles with
some diced onion or peppers. The idea here is to look outside the box and try
new things. Don’t be afraid of making something that isn’t gourmet, this is how
you learn and even the best chefs in the world have made a few stinkers in
their lives.
That smokie thought got me thinking about the next idea;
make use of your leftovers. You’re on a tight budget, don’t throw money away by
throwing food away. At the very least most foods can be chopped up and added to
some diced potatoes and veggies to make a hash that will be passable as food in
98% of the civilized world. Or toss in a can of premade tomato sauce and $0.30
worth of spaghetti noodles and make a pasta dish. The point is that most things
can be re-purposed as a secondary meal.
I suppose that both of those ideas are pretty much the same.
It all boils down to being creative and not being afraid to fail. Once you get
past those two hurdles, the possibilities are endless.
I want to make a list of things that I think every bachelor
or bachelorette should have in their home so they can at the very least eat
semi-healthy.
A
freezer – explained above
Dry
pasta – cheap to buy, keeps forever on the shelf and is very versatile
Brown
rice – see above
Canned
tomatoes – decently cheap, healthy to eat and available in a wide variety
of flavors and styles
Beans
– fresh is more work than canned. Beans are ridiculously healthy for you
and are cheap if you look around
Fresh
vegetables – Not always the cheapest but lets face it, you have to stave
off scurvy somehow
A good
assortment of spices – not cheap to buy but they last a long time and
allow you to make food that doesn’t all taste exactly the same.
That’s probably good for now. I may revisit this idea or
just do a recipe post later.
Dogg’s Chili
(If you’re from Texas, I don’t want to
hear about the fact that it “aint chili”)
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef3-4 cups
home made baked beans (3-4 cans)
2 cans red kidney beans2 cans sliced
mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion, chopped1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped4 cloves
garlic, minced
Chili powderOregano
BasilMarjoram
Thyme
Directions:
Add
meat and garlic to large pot and cook on medium until meat is browned.
add
onion, peppers, mushrooms and beans and bring to a slow boil.
add
spices to taste.
simmer
for at least 1 hour, preferably 2, stirring often.
serve
with garlic toast.
if you're a bachelor, freeze some and use it on hot dogs later
Since Game of Thrones is currently on a nine month break, I will be providing my thoughts and predictions for one storyline every month until the show’s return. Since I have read the books, I know what should happen, but several plots seem to be taking turns away from the original material, while others are almost spot on. I will examine these apparent changes/accuracy, and do my best to avoid spoilers in “A Monthly Dose of Westeros”.
Next up is the journey of the crippled little lord of Winterfell to beyond the Wall. Bran Stark has officially parted ways with his brother Rickon and wildling companion Osha, who are now on their way to find safety with a Stark bannerman. This leaves Bran to continue north with his mentally handicapped companion Hodor and Meera and Jojen Reed. After a chance encounter with Samwell Tarly, the group will make their next appearance beyond the Wall searching for the three-eyed crow that Bran often dreams about.
I always felt kinda bad for Bran. The poor kid’s whole world gets blown to pieces and he has absolutely no way to fix it. Bran used to be a pretty cool character. He was awesome in the first episode...then he fell. He was alright as a crippled kid struggling with the fact that both of his parents, both of his sisters, and his half brother were not there with him when he woke from his coma...then Robb went to war and Bran was Lord of Winterfell. That’s where it all went downhill. Bran grew irritating and seemed like a character we could’ve done without seeing every episode. He did regain some points with me for going into Hodor’s body, but still. Bran is low on my list of favorite characters. As is Jojen Reed, who is a know-it-all kid trying to show Bran everything he can about a power Jojen does not even possess and trying to prove his “green dreams” really do tell the future.
Jojen dreams with his eyes open!
Basically, now that Osha and Rickon are gone, Meera and Hodor are the only reasons I can stay awake during Bran scenes. Meera is a warrior. And a girl. So that’s pretty cool. And Hodor is...Hodor. Everybody loves Hodor! And I’ll admit...Bran is pretty cool when he slips into his direwolf’s skin.
Now, there were many changes made to Bran’s story this season and I’m expecting even more to follow soon. First off, Bran and Rickon parted ways MUCH earlier in the books. Like as soon as they fled Winterfell. Yeah. They also departed without the Reed children, whom they later met in the woods. In the books, the kids came to a feast in their father’s place and remained with Bran all through Theon Greyjoy’s sack of Winterfell. This gave Bran more time to learn and practice his warg powers, although the show speeds up his progress to have him at the same skill level as he is in the books. Another minor change that I missed was the fact that the tower they stayed in when Jon Snow and the wildlings showed up was actually in the middle of a lake, accessible only by a hidden causeway. I am glad they kept Bran’s skinchange with Hodor in though, that was one of my favorite scenes.
So the third season of Game of Thrones was only the first part of A Storm of Swords. But the last part of Bran’s story we see in this book is the point they ended at in the season finale. There’s nothing left in the book to put on the screen. So I really don’t know what to expect here. The writers may create new parts of the journey to fill in the time until material from the fourth book starts to show up, probably for the same reason they included Theon’s torture scenes: they don’t want us to forget these important characters and feel lost next time they show up. I understand why they put all of Bran’s story in this season, though. The writers needed to make Jon and Bran’s paths cross now because there is still so much left in Jon’s storyline that they’ll need to fit in the next season, it just
Hodor lives for this
wouldn’t have worked to stretch Bran’s part out so far into it. Bran runs into a bunch of stuff out beyond the Wall that doesn’t seem to have a place in the show yet; it actually feels like there’s a little jump in time between Bran’s last chapter in A Storm of Swords and his first in A Dance With Dragons.
My prediction for Bran’s storyline is that the writer’s will make up some stuff in order to fill the gap between where we are now and where we will be after the material from A Storm of Swords is finished up. Bran’s story gets a lot cooler later on in the series, but until then, be prepared for a long walk full of boringness. Hopefully, Bran doesn’t appear as much in the next season since there are simply more characters with a ton of story left to tell, and it would be unfortunate to take pieces of these stories out just to put more Bran in.
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