The Fault in Our Stars – Review

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I happened to be on a bit of a John Green binge when his newest novel, A Fault in Our Stars, was released. It started with An Abundance of Katherines, and before I knew it, I was reading every book he wrote. But in my mind, it’s A Fault in Our Stars that sits at the top of the John Green stack. I loved the novel immediately, and have found myself giving it as gifts to teen and adult readers alike. When the movie of The Fault in Our Stars was announced, I was very excited. We’re living in a good time for YA movie adaptations, especially coming of age stories.

Maybe it’s my love for the book that holds me back from gushing over the movie, or maybe it’s just that book does a better job of telling the story than the movie. Don’t get me wrong; the movie is very faithful to the book. Similar to watching an episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones, I feel like I’m watching the pages of the novel unfold on the screen. Unfortunately, unlike HBO’s Game of Thrones, the movie version of The Fault in Our Stars doesn’t grip me the same way. But I’m not saying it’s a bad movie. Ansel Elgort captures Gus’s effortless charm perfectly, and I loved Nat Wolff as Gus’s blind friend, Isaac.

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There is one area that the movie improved on over the book, and that’s Mike Birbiglia’s character, Patrick, coiner of the phrase, “the literal heart of Christ.” He’s an amusing character in the novel, but Birbiglia gives him a life that he didn’t have on the page. I just found out that Birbiglia wrote Patrick’s song for the movie, making me like his performance even more than I already did.

Coming out of the movie, I thought it was good, but that if someone was deciding between seeing the movie and reading the book, I’d definitely suggest reading the novel. The movie is faithful, but the book is divine.

This review contains Amazon Associate links. Shopping through these links helps support Tuesday Night Movies.

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 30

Billy and Dave are back from not being at San Diego Comic Con! The guys preview new comic books coming out Wednesday, 7/30/14. Billy talks about all the MonkeyBrain books he’s been reading lately (Are you reading Edison Rex. You need to read Edison Rex). Dave talks about series he’s fell off of and series that have fell off him. And are you excited for DC’s Multiversity? Because we are, thanks in no small part to this map of the DC multiverse by Grant Morrison.

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Not at SDCC? No problem!

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Couldn’t make it to Comic Con International in San Diego this year? That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun! Check out these sites to make your not-at-Comic-Con time more bearable!

To celebrate SDCC’s 45th birthday, Comixology will be selling one digital graphic novel for $0.45 each day of SDCC. Thursday’s offering was an Amelia Cole comic, Friday’s is Love & Rockets: New Stories #1. Both are regularly $9.99 on Comixology, so this is quite a deal. You can access the deal here: http://comixology.tumblr.com/cci45. Check it both Saturday and Sunday for new deals!

Are you kicking yourself because you can’t get a Star Wars Black Series Jabba the Hutt or Transfrormers Knights of Unicron set? Hasbro puts up a very limited amount of their SDCC exclusives for sale at hasbrotoyshop.com after Comic Con is over. Unfortunately, they don’t announce in advance what day or what time it will take place. So from Monday on, get ready to hit f5 all day.

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Marvel is giving away six free Marvel Infinite digital comics here. Deadpool, Wolverine and Iron Man. You can’t beat this price!

Midtown Comics in NYC is having their annual Not at Comic Con Party on Saturday, July 26 at their downtown store on Fulton St. Everything in the store is 30% off from 11 AM to 12 noon, and 20% for the rest of the day. Plus, Paul Kupperberg and Dean Haspiel will be signing there from 2 PM – 3 PM.

Not in New York either? If you’re in Florida, Tate’s Comics is also having a Not at Comic Con party. If you wear a cape or costume, you can take 10% off your purchase, and there will be lots of giveaways.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 29

We’re back from the beach house. Dave needed the week off, so listeners get another week of Nick on the podcast! Billy and Nick preview new comics coming out Wednesday, 7/22/14, and get into a deep discussion of all things GI Joe (hmm…that might give you a hint about one of our picks this week). The guys also talk about the awesomeness that is the Jack Kirby Artist Edition, and Nick tries to get Billy to finally read Hellboy.

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 28 – Live From the Tuesday Night Movies Beach House!

Welcome to the Tuesday Night Movies Beach House! Billy and Dave are joined by Nick, making his triumphant return to the Tuesday Night Comics podcast. The guys are recording live in front of an audience from the Tuesday Night Movies Beach House in OBX. It’s like MTV’s Beach House, but way (wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy) nerdier.

 The guys preview new comics coming out Wednesday, July 16, 2014, and talk about what they’re all reading now, how Marvel and Image today are like DC in the 90s (and how DC of today is like Marvel and Image in the 90s), Mike Allred, Saga, Fables, and…Bob Kane’s tombstone. And, as promised on the podcast, here is an image of Bob Kane’s actual tombstone, and what might be the saddest Superman cover of all time.
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Tuesday Night Comics Episode 27

In episode 27 of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast, Billy and Dave preview new comics coming out Wednesday, July 9, 2014, discuss Rocket Raccoon #1 and Original Sin #5, and give some insight into Rocket Raccoon’s massive 300,000 copy print run.

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Agents of SHIELD – S1E22 – Beginning of the End – Recap

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When last we saw FitzSimmons, they were being “saved” by Ward dropping them into the middle of the ocean. We catch up to them now. They’re still in the cargo container/escape pod that Ward jettisoned from the Bus. But now it’s at the bottom of the ocean. Both of the geniuses are trying to figure out to escape and survive…and are coming up with nothing. Eventually, Simmons figures out how they can blow the window and escape, and Fitz figures out how to save Simmons, but at the cost of his own life. We get a sweet scene of FitzSimmons expressing their feelings for one another. The window blows. Simmons, the stronger swimmer of the two, hauls an unconcious Fitz to the surface. Unfortunately, they’re still in the middle of the ocean. That’s when  FitzSimmons is saved by…Nick Fury! The opening credits gave away that Samuel L. Jackson, aka Nick Fury, would be in this episode, but I didn’t see this one coming. Fitz isn’t doing well. We actually don’t see him for the rest of the episode.

Over in Hydra/Cybertek central, Garrett is going crazy. When he said last episode that he could see the universe, he wasn’t speaking in metaphors. He thinks his perception and brain power have been significantly enhanced. Maybe they have. Or maybe he’s just coo coo for Cocoa Puffs. He talks about being able to see the universe so much that he starts to remind of me of Katamari Damacy. 

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Now that I think about it, Garrett makes as much sense as the King of the Cosmos in this episode.

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Ward is worried about Garret’s sanity and says as much to Raina. But Raina is all in. She likes Garrett’s new crazy eyes. They kind of match her own.

After Fury saves FitzSimmons, he sticks around and helps Coulson take down Garrett. Fury and Coulson get some closure during this climatic final battle against Garrett, and Coulson’s team emerges victorious.  But hold the phone! After Coulson and company think they’ve won and are clearing out, Garrett reemerges more Deathlok-ed out than ever. Ruh-roh. Oh wait, he’s quickly disintegrated by Coulson in what has to be Coulson’s best entrance since the first episode, when he emerged from the shadows and blamed it on a broken light bulb.

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Coulson’s team is set up with a new base, and a new Patton Oswalt?!?! Say hello to Eric Koenig’s twin brother Billy! Alright, Patton Oswalt as a series regular in season two!

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But all isn’t 100% okay. In the final scene, Coulson is asleep in his new SHIELD base. Garrett’s crazy flowchart is next to him. Coulson either wakes up or is sleepwalking. He then proceeds to start digging into the wall with a tool, recreating Garrett’s flowchart and adding to it. Double ruh-roh. Maybe injecting people with blue alien blood while surgically messing with their brains isn’t the best idea after all…

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Well here we are. The end of season one of Agents of SHIELD. I know some people were disappointed by this show, but it really exceeded all of my expectations. Joss, Jed and company really made me care about these new characters. I’m looking forward to season two in the fall very much. If you haven’t jumped back on the Agents of SHIELD train, I definitely recommend doing so, especially the post-Winter Soldier episodes.

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 26

Can you believe it? It’s been half a year since the start of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast! In this episode, Billy and Dave give you their picks for the new comics you should be looking out for in the store the week of Wednesday, July 2, 2014.

They also go extensively in-depth on John Romita Jr’s and Geoff Johns’s debut on Superman in Superman #32, and the importance of the Superman supporting cast.

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And the guys have started the campaign for the most missed DC character in the New 52, Lenny Luthor!

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