Marie Dobson, Author at Ellie Ann

About Marie Dobson

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11 Reasons To See Age Of Ultron

Marie Dobson 02/19/2018 0 Movies Age Of Ultron

First, to know, I give this iconic movie 7/10. I greatly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

*spoilers.

*like, not joking, this is laden with heavy spoilers that will sour your viewing experience as fast as a botulism outbreak spoils your appetite for chicken nuggets.

#11: Good Soundtrack.

It was the only thing I thought was missing from the first Avengers. Danny Elfman uses a full, classical orchestra to nail the simultaneously epic themes with personal solo themes for some of the characters. Phenomenal tension building. It is quite epic and makes the movie more complete.

#10: A heartfelt romance.

I thought the most sincere scene in the movie was between Banner and Romanoff at the farm. The script nailed everything that was supposed to be said, and the actors NAILED everything that couldn’t be said. Out of anyone in the team, I saw those two connecting on a not-work level and it was so satisfying and sweet when they did. Loved her pick up lines, too.

P.S. If only the stupid, “you’re not the only monster on the team,” had been left out of that conversation…as if being sterile was why she thought she was a monster…I loved everything about that conversation except that conclusion. But I can still love it for what it is and just pretend she never said that at the end. 😉

#9: Brilliant Intros.

The beginning was my favorite fight scene. The intro to Ultron was my favorite of his scenes. The intro to The Vision was my favorite scene in the movie. Joss is a mastermind at creating team chemistry and connecting all you need to know about a character in their first scene. Setting their ‘mood.’ Introductions are the most important part of storytelling because people won’t give you a second chance if you don’t have them hooked. In the first 20 minutes, I loved everything, from the easy banter between the team to the fast-paced action to the plan on how to get inside the bunker and steal the object. He captured me deftly.

We often see in movies that people drag the story, making it hard to concentrate on something that seems not that important, or already seen. But here, everything is given to you right when you need it. You are not bored, you are not angry and too hungry for more because someone dragged the story. No. You have everything you need and a great reason to want it more – it was awesome!

#8: Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff.

She’s the superhero I love to see. Cunning, independent, talented, sharp, humble, confident, beautiful, and baton-wielding. When she spoke, people listened.

The only brilliant thing that was missing was another woman to balance her out…which I thought Scarlet Witch was going to be. I thought Scarlet Witch would be weird, quirky, primal, joyous…kinda like a superhero Luna Lovegood. Not sure what her character was. But Natasha’s so cool she can carry the whole movie by herself. Can’t wait to see her solo film!

Needs a Cape, right?

#7: Seeing each Avenger use their powers.

Thor did something only Thor could do. It was smart. Hawkeye’s character was developed and he was used in a way that no one else could (and did you notice the two people he honors with his son’s name?) The characters were settled into their powers and knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. That’s fun to watch.

#6: Getting the Civilians to Safety.

When the climax comes, the goal is not to KILL ANTAGONIST, the stated goal (and the one they spend the most screen time on) was getting civilians to safety. It was humane and very relatable.

#5: Humor.

I can’t wait to watch it again because I probably missed half the quips because I was laughing at the last one.

#4: Action.

The pacing in the action scenes was different. Not the movie’s strength, but it didn’t pull it down either. And some shots were spectacular. It was sometimes hard to follow and the structure was off. But when it was on it was on. If you’re a fan of great CGI action then you’ll love it.

#3: Iron Man/Tony Stark.

Everything that I love about the Avengers is wrapped up in RDJ. He’s brilliant. Couldn’t have enjoyed his character any more than I did in this movie. From creating “his girl Friday,” to the Archie reference when he created Veronica, I want to be him when I grow up.

#2: Crazy silly comic book plot.

Everything from the prophetic visions to the mysterious spirit water to the ability for a human to take a punch is straight out of the unbelievable fairy tale land of comics. It completely embraced the world without guile and every viewer needed to accept it all or you couldn’t accept anything.

#1: The Vision.

He’s my favorite part of the movie. He had gorgeous lines in the movie and he was gorgeous to watch. Intriguing. New. And had a killer introduction. I can’t wait to see more of him in the Marvel World!

9 Reasons You Should See Guardians Of The Galaxy

Marie Dobson 02/12/2018 0 Movies Guardians Of The Galaxy

#1: So many metaphor jokes and hyperboles I could die of happiness.

Guardians of the Galaxy’s major strength is that it makes you laugh out loud. There’s something hilarious and zany in almost every scene. They were not afraid to be ridiculous. Occasionally it tries too hard but most of the time it nails joke after joke. James Gunn and Nicole Perlman (writers) let go of trying to make their characters cool–they wanted them funny.

It’s way harder to write comedy than drama. You can spend all day writing an angry character, it is quite harder to write a clever one.Each character had some funny quirks. Drax took everything literally, to my great amusement. Quill and Drax’s metaphor jokes made me laugh so hard my sides hurt.

#2: Surprised by wonder.

When I went in I expected it to be funny, to have great FX, to have a coherent plot and cool action. I didn’t expect it to be beautiful. GoG created a world, then stopped to look around and appreciate it. They took the time to develop some imagery that was laced with wonder and sweetness. They usually involve Groot.

#3: The Antagonists

The moment each villain was introduced I did an under-the-breath fangirl squee. Wait, that’s a lie. When they showed Ronan I gasped and gripped Eden’s hand and loud-whispered, “He’s awesome!”. Ronan could just stand there and look amazing–Nebula’s eyes were like a galaxy–Yondu’s personality quirks and softness for Quill made him instantly interesting, The Collector was just as weird and creepy as he should be, and Thanos…well, he was worth the wait.

Note: in the original comics Yondu Udonta was a Guardian of the Galaxy. He was a blue-skinned “noble savage” from Centauri-IV, the last of his kind.

#4: Gadgets

From the whistling arrow (BEST!) to magnetic booby traps, to the ship Milano (named after Peter Quill’s childhood crush), to the infinity stone, to dogs in astronaut suits, to the Xandarian barrier–this movie has cool toys.

#5: Character arcs

You know in some action movies they introduce a team, and the only difference between the characters are that they specialize in different weapons?

THE MARTIAL ARTIST. THE MARKSMAN. THE MUSCLE. THE TECH DUDE. THE THIEF. GUY WITH BIG GUN.

Yeah, they’re all the same.

GoG is not like that. Each person is unique and flawed, bringing their prejudices and history with them. It messes things up, embarrasses them, and they have to deal with it. They don’t band together because they’re a team, they do it because they need friends. “We’re all losers,” Peter Quill says. Rocket growls.

“I mean,” Quill continues. “We’ve all lost something.”

It’s awesome to see how much they find.

#6: Action

It’s a cross between Indiana Jones and Star Wars. Great action, with creative (and often funny) weapons and setting. Super well paced. You will be amazed when you finally see it. I don’t know when was the last time I witnessed something like that!

#7: Unique Yet Familiar

GoG kept a really strict action-adventure structure. Intro to protag, inciting an incident, option to back out, stakes deepen, three victorious actions, faces antagonist and loses, all hell falls on head, darkest moment, faces antagonist and wins … just like all action movies are supposed to go. So as I watched I felt safe knowing what was going to happen next, it was familiar, in a good way, like my favorite sweater. The plot was simple.

But things within the structure were unique–the band of misfits, the epic backstories, the humor, the settings… all of that which made it into a film that flew by. I never once thought about when it’d be done or was pulled out of the world because of a plot-hole, something that has been quite rare lately. But both The Winter Soldier and GoG had very well developed, simple plots that let the creators do a lot within the constraints of a familiar structure.

#8: No homeland

I love that the Guardians weren’t protecting Xander because it was their homeland. They were protecting it because they were compassionate and knew it was right. The 12 percent of a planned scene really heightened each character’s arc.

#9: Groot

Come for Rocket…stay for Groot. Ents in space! What more could you ask for? “I AM GROOT.”

BONUS #10: ALL THE 80’S REFERENCES AND MUSIC YOU COULD EVER ASK FOR!

You will be amused by all the things they actually thought off when they were making this move. It is unbelievable! It made me happy, it made me laugh, it made me think of the stuff I forgot long ago but was actually interesting and clever. You wouldn’t believe what they did and made!

The Real Iron Throne, Interview With Artist Marc Simonetti

Marie Dobson 02/07/2018 0 Interviews Interviews, Marc Simonetti

Anyone that ever read or saw Game of Thrones, knows all about the Iron Throne. It is the most wanted thing – the seat of a true king. Also, it is quite well known that the writer of the book series George Martin said a lot of times, that the artist Marc Simonetti was the only one who presented the Iron Throne the same way the famous writer sees it – massive, asymmetric and ugly.

We are proud to present you with an interview I did with the artist Marc Simonetti. We are talking about a professional and famous artist whose work can be found in various video games, films, publishing and producing companies. So, here it goes…

Did you ever and would you fantasize about sitting on or possessing the Iron Throne by yourself?

Hahaha… No thank you (he smiles). That is an uncomfortable thing and there is only a small group of people build that way – to survive and enjoy something like that. For me, the chair in my office is just fine.

How much time does it take to fully complete one painting?

It depends on the sole painting. It is not just the question of its size or the number of elements that will be represented in the painting. It is about the simplicity of the work itself, materials, tools, how much layers there is… The painting can be done in three days but the sketches that are done before, and finishing touches after, they can take weeks.

How do you manage to stay creative on your job?

I really think that is pure luck. All the projects I did, they weren’t just a job – I really felt them. All the work I did came from my mind, heart, love, and passion. I had so much fun and I truly believed in the work I did and in other people and ideas that were behind that work.

What’s your favorite color?

I don’t have one. Every one is beautiful in its own way. Ok, maybe just maybe violet.

Introducing Tale Of Frida

Marie Dobson 02/02/2018 0 Comics Tale Of Frida

We are proud to introduce a new fairy tale horror digital comic “Tale of Frida”. It is an art piece created with great care and passion. The setup of this story is done quite simple and beautiful. The story revolves around a naive country girl that is scarred as a child, marked by a Lycan. She is quite determined to find a cure for her disease. The storyline follows her magnificent journey led by her determination to find her true calling in this messy, confused world full of unexplainable things, beings and events. In the same time, she is searching for a cure.

The story is set in Europe around the year of 1560 – a period of great instability in the Christian world, and a flourishing period in the art world. The period in which story is set is communicating beautifully with the narrative. We did our best to make our (anti)heroes and other characters in this story multidimensional, with a full personality and character traits. The artwork fits perfectly and it gave key pieces to this story, making our Tale of Frida beautifully whole and complete. The whole team is really proud of the job we did because it was done through love, passion, creativity, and professionalism. For all of you that are searching for something innovative and creative, but in the same time somewhat minimalistic, in the sense that we tried to keep the storyline fresh and clear of all the standard plots you can find, and other complications that are commonly used, we recommend you our Tale of Frida and we are quite hoping you will fully enjoy.

Tale of Frida is created by magnificent Alexis Alarcon, it is written by Alexis and myself, and the incredible artwork is done by the famous artist, our dear, and friend Nelson. It is an enhanced digital comic by Motionworks Entertainment. Tale of Frida is coming out this Fall so don’t miss it because we truly believe it will be something worth your time. The whole team behind this work is quite interested to hear all of your impressions about this work, so feel free to tell us once you read it.

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