Asgardian Music Band

Asgardian Music Band

Don‘t remove credits if reposting

And the music talk goes on, kind of. Who has not seen Thor‘s sad singing video? (This video posted by Chris Hemsworth himself.) Perhaps he‘s not quite the best singer.. and he‘s missing something, rather said: someone! For this moment: Let‘s pretend Adam from Only Lovers Left Alive is Loki. Right.. he‘s not looking so happy either! So who are they missing? Tony? Valkyrie? The Grandmaster? You? If you are able to sing without the cracking the windows and succeed in cheering them up, you've got the job!

Ragna-Rockin‘ Revengers

To relive some funny memories :).

Credits: see photo.

So because of a the Revengers being an 70 rockband meme that hit the internet like 1,5 year ago, I wrote this piece that was meant to be an interview with band members Thor, Loki, Tony & Bruce.. (I turned it into a 80/90s band though)

First let‘s check out their tracklist of the debut album:

Any suggestion for the next album?

My favorite bandmembers:

Don‘t remove credits if reposting.

Before the interview took place the interviewer took a picture of the present band members. Apparently Tony & Bruce were jealous of Thor and Loki‘s long hair so they decided to wear a wig.. (Tony‘s face wasn‘t easy!)

And here comes the interview I wrote: (If you want to share it, please mention this blogspot page or my IG/Wattpad name: @Goddess_of_Loki)

Please, don't take my made up interview to seriously ..

Interviewer: “I‘m here with Loki, Thor, Bruce and Tony Stark from the band Ragna-Rockin‘ Revengers to talk about their new album. Why doesn't the album have a name?”

Loki: “Because every one kept turning down the names I came up with!”

Thor: “Those names were all about you!”

Bruce: “Let‘s just say we couldn't get to a agree..” 

Interviewer: “Perhaps you should create a contest and let the fans decide, just saying.. Loki, did you wrote all of the songs?”
Loki: “Not all of them but Mischief & Thunder, Burdened with Glorious Purpose,  I Do What I Want, Little Blue Box and Kneel or I Stab You are definitely mine!”

Interviewer: “Yes about that last one you named. I heard that in some countries they forbid you guys to play that song.”
Loki: “You heard that right. I don‘t get all the commotion about it..”
Thor: “At one place we were sent away before we could play, because when they searched us they found out Loki actually had knives with him.”
Loki: “I always carry them around with me!”
Thor: “It‘s not like you were planning on tossing them into the public..”
Loki: “Hell no! They are mine, I‘m not giving them away!”

Interviewer: “Thor, have you written some songs too?”
Thor: “Yes, however Loki tens to edit my songs. For example Ride Your Hammer is mine, but it originally was called: Ride My Hammer but Loki refused to sing that..”
Tony: “Brothers..”

Thor: “Also Get Help is mine obviously. It‘s kind of a duet between me and Loki. You hear me say ‘Get Help?’ basically the whole time and then Loki reacts: ‘I‘m not doing!’
Tony: “Most annoying and ridiculous song I've ever heard or played!”

Interviewer: “But you do sing in another song too, right Thor?”
Thor: “Yes, I‘m doing the ‘Ah-ah, ah‘s’ and the ‘Ooh-ooh‘s’ in Immigrant Song. We covered that song from Led Zeppelin. We already gave them credits by using the original version in our epic battle video‘s, so they have no reason to sue us or anything..”

Loki: “I must confess I did stole a part of the lyrics of The Rainbow Bridge too. I just searched stuff about rainbows on the internet. The couplet is from a really cool TV-show!”
Tony: “It‘s from My Little Pony..”

*Manager Taika Waititi walks in* 

Tony: “Oh thank God Taika, those damn Shakespeare sisters are exposing all our secrets!”
Loki: “SHUT UP, you mewling-“ Tony: “Language!” *lowers his voice:* “I can‘t believe I just said that!”

Taika: “Boys, you haven‘t used anything again right?”
Loki: “Well, yesterday when we met Guns n‘ Roses at that festival their singer, what‘s his name again, Axl Flower gave us some really cool stuff!”
Thor: “Axl Rose you mean! And I think it wasn't him, but some other dude.”
Taika: “Please, don‘t accept anything from other rockers, okay?” *Lowers his volume:* “Lord, what‘s the point of managing Thor and Loki‘s pay checks anyway, if people just give them the stuff for free..”

Thor: “When will you give us our money? I want to buy a pet, a lion or something!”
Loki: “Why? We already have a Black Panther, what about a wolf?”
Taika: “Ah I remember, that‘s why. Your last pay checks are used for the insurance and damages costs of the incident at last week’s gig remember? By the way, why isn't the band completed?”
Thor: “T'Challa has gotten the flu last night and Loki had a fight with Valkyrie, that‘s why she isn‘t here.”

Loki: “Why can‘t we just replace her for the Grandmaster?”
Tony: “Hell no! Not another whack job! If she leaves I‘m going solo!”
Loki: “You threaten about going solo all the time..”

Interviewer: “Can we proceed the interview? I've read about that incident from last week, I‘d like to discuss that with you.”
Loki: “Yes!”
Taika: “All right then.”

Interviewer: “Bruce, can you tell me more about what happened last week?”
Bruce: “Well, we played the song I wrote, -not Hulk, he can‘t write- City Smash, god this is embarrassed.. The green guy showed up and smashed everything on stage.”
Interviewer: “Sounds terrible!” Bruce: “Yes, it was. Subject change please!”

Interviewer: “All right. If you look on the internet it‘s obvious you, Thor and Loki are the most popular ones. Which one of you do you think the fans find more attractive?”
Thor: “Me, of course!”
Loki: “I have more fan-girls!”
Thor: “For how long? If you keep playing with their hearts soon they will all hate you! You kind of wrote it in your own song: Madness Over Few Wasted Roses. For example: You give a rose to girl 1, then see girl 2 and give her a rose too. When they meet and find out you‘ll get the madness..”
Tony: “Another example of one of your idiotic songs..”

Interviewer: “I actually am a bit curious to hear your opinion about the fact that most of the songs are related to Thor and Loki.”
Tony:  “I‘m glad my song Always an Avenger (Nicole: idk why I didn't come up with a better title) wasn't cut, otherwise I would have gone solo.”
Loki: “Actually Smells Like Iron On Fire is about you too. I assume you would smell even worse if you‘re on fire!”
Tony: “That‘s it! Screw you guys, I‘m going home!”

Interviewer: “Time to wrap this up. Any last words?”
Loki: “Kneel!”
Thor: “Come on, brother! Thank you for having us!”
Loki: “Hey, last words are always mine! Buy our album guys and buy tickets for our shows!”

Tony‘s solo album is called: I Love You 3000!

The Marvel Bunch as extra bonus track?

If I got some more inspiration about an new tracklist + interview based on Endgame (with assuming they all live), you‘ll hear from me.

Pinkpop/Music

Music (I attended Pinkpop Festival last Monday)

This time the blog post is all about music. A subject that lies close to many people‘s hearts. Therefore I don‘t think many of you will bother to read a post like this here. For me personally music does a lot. My taste in music is big. When in a certain mood, I only need to listen to the music that fits my mood or brightens my day. Sometimes that‘s Nirvana, other times INXS, Muse, Fleetwood Mac or anything else. Music inspires many people too, including Tom for the role of Loki (In this Only Artist fragment he mentioned that he listened to the song Mind Heist by Zack Hemsey for the role of Loki, and we know he got a lot of inspiration from listening to the Prodigy too.) He also shared 'Song of the Day' tweets now and then back in the days.

One of Tom‘s old 'Song of the Day' tweets.

Last weekend was a busy, but fun weekend. While in London the last performance of Betrayal happened on Saturday, here in Holland we approached an holiday (Pentecost) weekend. (Sunday and Monday) All three days I had fun things to do. On Saturday I visited an event that was all about healthy food/ healthy lifestyle, on Sunday I had a private event and on Monday I traveled to Landgraaf, where the yearly Pinkpop festival was held. This music festival had names like Slash ft Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators, Fleetwood Mac, Bastille & the Pretenders this last day. 

My Betrayal card I send to the theatre last April

A little background talk

Pinkpop is one of the largest Dutch music festivals. It‘s held in Landgraaf, an hour driving from where I live. Pinkpop is founded by Jan Smeets. He‘s known as a true Dutch hero, this year he even had his own statue on the festival. The festival had it‘s 50th anniversary this year. Can you believe my first visit was in 2013? Back then Green Day was the headliner. Awesome experience by the way, they were great!  That day I discovered their song 99 Revolutions, happy memories every time I hear the 2013 live on Pinkpop version. A amazing 50 year old festival this close to my home and I've only visited it 3 (Actually 4 times if Pinkpop Classic counts too) times.. I should go out more.. According to WikiPedia Pinkpop is the oldest and longest running annual dedicated pop and rock music festival in the world. Wow! The name Pinkpop actually comes from Pinksteren (Dutch name for Pentecost), because the festival is usually held on the Pentecost weekend. When on the Pentecost weekend, it‘s held on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But when the Pentecost weekend falls on a date in May (the next two years), the festival is held in June from Friday through Sunday. Pinkpop‘s logo/mascot is a black haired doll wearing a pink dress. Also that‘s to be referred in the name since 'Pop' is the dutch designation for 'Doll'.

Green Day - 99 Revolutions live at Pinkpop 2013

In 2007 Pinkpop gained a little sister, a spin off called Pinkpop Classic. Held in August with more classic bands, most who stood on Pinkpop many years ago. I've went to Pinkpop Classic with my father in 2013, the last edition because it was very hard for the organisation to book bands for this one. My father said if I came across of Jan I had to tell him to give Pinkpop Classic a comeback, but I only saw him standing on the stage in the distance.

Actually the Pinkpop first performance I saw was from Tom Odell. A beautiful performance. Pinkpop also is a stage for newer musicians, which he then was. Back then Tom Odell said: "I think this is the largest audience I've played for so far. Thank you for being here so early." Another great performance from 2013 was Kensington, a Dutch band. I even had seen them here in a local town that same year. Nowadays, if you want to see a Kensington concert, you have to book early since their shows in the Ziggo Dome are known to be sold out in a few hours. Even though Pinkpop wasn't sold out last Monday, I remember back in 2013 it felt far less crowded.

Kensington sparkled the sky at Pinkpop 2013

Spoken of sky shots. I took another one this year. One with a very grey looking sky. Not long after it gave us the first rain shower! Well, that‘s where the grounds got colored with all different colors of disposable raincoats (also by the people who indeed disposed them by flinging them off on the ground afterwards).

When Fleetwood Mac got announced, a voice inside me already got enthusiastic in wanting to attend the festival this year, and later when Slash got announced I knew that I needed to go! Why? In 2015 I saw a few songs of their Pinkpop performance that year, filmed by 3FM. Among others they aired You Could me Mine (Guns n‘ Roses cover) and World on Fire, one of their own songs. They were so great, with that (and especially because of World on Fire) I had found another music love, found out that Slash was much more than the guitarist of Guns n‘ Roses. Outcome: I so regretted my decision of not attending the event for 2 days that year. Slash and his band were there on Friday and I went on Saturday, mainly because of (my friends and I wanted to see) The Script (also they were great too). So I said to myself: Next time Slash is coming, I‘m definitely going! (Last minute I found three people to come with me, phew!) I had to wait 4 years, but hey nothing compared to the 6 years I‘m already waiting for 30 Seconds to Mars, another band I regretted not have seen live after seeing the performance (Plus point: Their whole performance was live to follow!) on the TV.

30 Seconds to Mars at Pinkpop in 2013. Photo by: Bart Notermans.

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators

My highlight of the day: The rocking sounds of Slash, Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators. I only saw a few songs of the Pretenders because they played on another stage before, and you have to make choices when you want to stand in front at Slash‘s performance. (Light point: I could watch The Pretenders a day later at home, because it got aired and Slash‘s wasn't.) That‘s something I don‘t choose to do often, or like ever. You shouldn't do that at a performance of Rammstein or Rage Against the Machine for example, if you don‘t want to end up in the raging crowds or if you don‘t feel like you‘re standing so secure in your shoes, like me. Fun fact: In 1994, the Pinkpop crowds had caused a small earthquake at the performance of Rage Against the Machine. Since last year I‘m developing myself by stopping to see my legs-condition as an obstacle. It‘s like they are less a burden now, but of course there are some limits. But standing in front at Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators is not something I regret. Except for a moment when the camera‘s were in front of my face, however it‘s not aired anyway.. 

The performance was awesome, a great experience to live from up close-by. I was able to take some photo‘s as well. I've got no professional camera, you weren‘t allowed to bring them anyway, but the photo‘s are good enough for Facebook and Instagram. (Next year I think I need a new phone, perhaps I should deepen myself in it a bit more.) Unfortunately the sky had mistaken Slash for Splash because it gave us lots of Splash the entire performance. But I‘m definitely not made from sugar. I wore the raincoat again, only my shoes were dripping wet. 

But yes, they totally were my highlight. And of course they didn't skip my favorite song, World on Fire! For those who don‘t know the song or like the song, I would like to share the song. The band probably didn't gave permission for 2019‘s performance, but because they had given permission to air the song in 2015, I can share 2015‘s version. I like Myles interaction with the public in the middle of the song, he‘s such a great singer. Yeah, they definitely know how to entertain the public! Their new album and tour name is named Living the Dream ♥. Dream, one of my favorite words. Following my Dreams is something I‘m working on hard, so me standing in front of a performance of a music hero who‘s music I grew up with, (I babbled with the music of Guns n‘ Roses since I was a 2 year old toddler!) definitely is no coincidence! 

Had this posted on my Instagram a day before, my Slash pop was ready too!

(I also used my Slash pop last Halloween, to pretend Loki had dressed himself up as Slash for Halloween.)

Festival food

Mainly when spoken of festival food, you‘ll think of fastfood, the unhealthiest of the unhealthiest.. But a few years ago Pinkpop has introduced the Kalm aan Laan (Stay calm avenue), where lots of food trucks with healthy, organic and vegan were located. A very good initiative if you ask me. They had Pink (made from beet juice) vegetarian burgers, Banana bread, yoghurt, sweet potato fries, salades', name it. I took me a falafel burger (also pink), a piece of Banana bread (Too bad I didn't took a photo of the Banana bread counter, because they had more kinds and it looked and tasted delicious! But I‘m not the best at taking food pictures as you can see on the photo below..) and some frozen yoghurt (I guess the yoghurt thing is a tradition for me). So I managed to stay on the healthy course quite good. Only I took some fries before going home, to clear out my consumption's. (also bought a few souvenirs) You know at the healthy food event I visited last Saturday, they said it‘s okay to eat/snack unhealthy for 20% as long if you make sure to keep the healthy meter at 80%. And I stayed off the meat!

Festival outfit

Besides the famous pink Pinkpop hat (You can buy them on Pinkpop, also to support Amnesty International): What‘s the perfect festival outfit? Ideal is if the weather is good, so you can walk around in a top + short. Then you see people in bikini too. Not me, no definitely not! But when it‘s below 24 degrees, I can recommend bringing a little coat for when it‘s cooled down later in the evening. And don‘t forget to bring a small bottle of sun cream! (I also took bug spray with me, but didn't needed to use it.) Actually I would say: just wear what you feel comfortable in. (Once someone even made a pants from all the old pink Pinkpop hats, but I‘m not that creative!)

My dog with the 2013 hat (photo is a few years old) and this year‘s Pinkpop hat

I like to wear something that shows my love for music. I wore a Guns n‘ Roses t-shirt with the Use Your Illusion albums images on it. As a kid I always noticed the Red/Yellow and Blue/Purple colors of the images from these Guns n‘ Roses albums my father had in his CD collection.

Photo: Large.nl

Last summer I decorated an denim jacket with patches and pins from Nirvana and Guns n‘ Roses. I even got a patch from Thor on it. (Unfortunately no Loki patch to be found in the Netherlands!) Also I have added two Pinkpop pins and a pin I bought at the Top 2000 café on it. There‘s a big Guns n‘ Roses logo on the back. Actually I meant to buy a small one, but when I bought it, I forgot to look what the size was. This jacket I also wore last Monday, however during most of the day it was covered by a transparent plastic disposable raincoat and before 14:30 it was too hot, so I took it off.

Stands out right?

Fleetwood Mac & the Fireworks

I felt enjoyed by the performance of Fleetwood Mac, but it wasn't I didn't feel the spectacular vibe (like with Slash or Green Day) a headliner should bring over to the public. Now and then singer Stevie Nicks went out of tone and for my feeling, she talked a little too much. But the fun and pleasure was well present and goosebumps during Go Your Own Way, one of my all time favorite songs. The title of the song is one of my favorite motto‘s. I you are going your own way, you are following your dreams! ♥

Because this was Pinkpop‘s 50th anniversary the organisation showed past highlights in video‘s after the performance of Fleetwood Mac. (Was watching a take In The End by Linkin Park from 2012, wow yeah goosebumps again!) Also there was fireworks while All You Need is Love from the Beatles was to be heard. If it was Bohemian Rhapsody it would have given me an New Years Eve feeling (Nr. 1 of the annual Top 2000, which ends a few seconds before the year ends). Beautiful and worthy ending of a successful edition! 

To end this post, two foto‘s of me being in my element at Pinkpop festival. The first one is from 2016, during the performance of The Script and the second one is a selfie I took last Monday.

Left: 2016 / Right: 2019

Keep on rocking in the free world!

Kong: Skull Island vs. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Kong: Skull Island vs. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

This isn‘t really a fair title but I just couldn‘t come up with another title that fast. I like Godzilla, but sorry he can‘t compete against Tom Hiddleston. I just ordered these three DVD‘s: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, War Horse and Kong: Skull Island (one of my fave Tom Hiddleston movie). There also was a dvd box of Godzilla (2014) and Skull Island in one. But the normal Kong: Skull Island dvd had Tom Hiddleston extra‘s and deleted scenes. Tom Hiddleston extra‘s or Godzilla? The choice was easily made..

Kong: Skull Island

First I will discuss Kong: (Jeez, I keep typing KOng) Skull Island and than there‘s a little Godzilla: King of the Monsters review/blog I wrote the other day. (No spoilers for Godzilla: KotM, but cannot say the same about Kong:SI.) I had only seen Kong: Skull Island once, and that was when it was released in 2017, so it was about time I watched it again.. I liked Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but now I got reminded to the many fronts MonsterVerse‘s previous one Kong: Skull Island truly was much better.

Couldn't wait for the DVD to arrive, watched it on Netflix instead.. 

The movie starts in 1944, two World War II fighter pilots (American pilot Hank Marlow and Japanese pilot Gunpei Ikari) parachute on Skull Island. As quickly as they are landed, they‘re continuing their fights. When Hank is about to face his death by Gunpei, Kong interferes. Here‘s the introduction of the King of Skull Island and perhaps you would have assumed that on that very moment Gunpei had found his death. However later in the film (28 years later), when among others Captain James Conrad, are coming across of the older Marlow, it gets revealed that something else had killed the Japanese pilot. Something they do not call by its name. (I‘ll discuss those things later.) You could be each other‘s enemies in a great war, but when you‘re trapped on a Island together where you‘ll have new enemies: bigger than the ones you've faced before, non of that matters anymore. During their journey towards surviving and getting off the Island, they even became the best friends. I liked this development a lot, because well, war is useless. For that same reason Samuel L. Jackson‘s character got me annoyed very much, I guess every film needs to have one of those..

From Tom to moments I spilled my drink..

"An uncharted island? Let me list all they ways you gonna die. Rain, heat, mud, disease carrying flies and mosquitoes. Sure you could load up on the Atabrine for the malaria... but what about the other bacteria? And we haven't even started on the things that want to eat you alive."

Now the introduction of Tom Hiddleston‘s character (former) Captain James Conrad. When we first lay eyes on him he‘s playing pool. He seems like the rough type to me, when we see him getting into a fight. However later in the film, I thought this 'rough-tough man factor' had decreased and we got to see a more calmer version of James Conrad, perhaps the Island/Weaver had the needy effects on him. And among characters like Bill Randa and Preston Packard, the movie needed the more calmer/normal types like Conrad and Weaver. Tom Hiddleston: unshaven and surrounded by the blue and red lights, truly no punishment to watch at all! When Randa is hiring Conrad to track something down, Conrad wonders who of what he wants him to track. And he‘s pretty warm, or shall I say: glowing hot when he mentions: "Things that want to eat you alive."

Credit: WikiZilla

I already love this movie from the start, but as soon as the Island is reached, it‘s getting more and more interesting. The scene in which Kong is taking down the helicopters (toy helicopters in his case) one by one is absolutely done amazingly! At one point you see someone ending up in the big guy‘s mouth and in the next shot you see someone eating a sandwich or something like that. Another great watch is, I have to admit: Brie Larson. She‘s absolutely stunning (still, not beating Tom Hiddleston) and I remember how the guys were so overwhelmed every time she was on the big screen (same thing counts for Captain Marvel). Another thing that I suddenly remembered from when I had watched it in the cinema‘s, is the moments it had that made me spill my drink. The sudden moments something happens or appears, like a giant spider/ant stepping into someone‘s jaw. Okay, during some silent moments where someone is looking around them, I know I don‘t have to touch my drink because something is coming. But these sudden moments still are getting me, and I found that Godzilla: King of the Monsters lacked these moments. It had a few, but not really the Skull Island kinds. Godzilla: KotM had more speed, while in Skull Island the tension is built up more.

The film increased the humor-level when we meet the older version of Marlow. For example when speaking of the Cold War, he commented if they took a sabbatical during the summers. As Conrad seemed to ignore that comment, I escaped a grin.

A breathtaking scene is when we see one of nature‘s beauty wonders: the Southern Lights, (also known as the 'Aurora Australis') the Northern Lights cousin so to say. I think it‘s truly magnificence if you may experience seeing such a stunning wonder like that. I hope I myself have the chance to see the Northern Lights (that‘s more likely) one day too, I think it‘s truly a magical spiritual moment. (Godzilla: King of The Monsters has a few stunning moments too, I don‘t want to say too much about a movie that has just hit the cinema‘s but one I shortly address in my review below.) Another breathtaking moment is when, during the same night Kong is standing in front of Conrad and Weaver. I absolutely loved the touching scenes between Kong and Weaver. Plus she‘s the only one who can retell about being inside of the Skullcrawler‘s throat, if she had been aware of that happening!

Skullcrawlers

Hank Marlow: "The Iwis won't speak their name, but I call them... Skullcrawlers." 
James Conrad: "Why?" 
Hank Marlow: "Cause it sounds neat." James Conrad: "Okay." 
Hank Marlow: "Look, I just made that name up. I'm trying to scare you."  

Credit: MonstersVault

Now, let‘s talk about my friends.. The Skullcrawlers. Perhaps the name has something to do with the way they walk and because of their head is looking like a skull. Or it is because they crawl in between the left overs (skulls) of Kong‘s murdered (by them) family. On second thoughts we could also call them 'Skull -vomiting- crawlers'.. You know, in a letter to Tom in which I wrote something about Kong: Skull Island, I named them: Brilliant designed lizards, especially the big one! ( to be exact, I used the word Geniously back then) Still, I would definitely not want to come across of one if they had existed. When one of them scrolls out their long snaky tongue, it‘s not because they are in for some french kissing.. We had a T-Rex in King Kong (2005) and some people mentioned in reviews that they missed the T-Rex, while I just liked seeing something else than a dinosaur we have seen in so many movies before!

The scene in which the 'Apes Graveyard' is reached actually is incredible. Not only we have the hunting smaller Skullcrawler (after he just puked, how is that thing even capable of thinking about food again?), also James Conrad is showing his rough -heart attack warning- side again by slaying some Dino Birds while wearing the gas mask. Amazing shots with all the blue blood splashing around the place that looks bright green because of the surrounding gas.

Picture: twitter

Even after the knowledge of these creatures, Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) still thinks going after Kong is the right thing to do. I must say that the scene where we see the two of them standing across of each other, looking eye to eye, truly was a powerful scene. Packard, with his ready to war outfit doesn't really have a dead flame in his eyes and neither does Kong! We‘re reaching the climax of the film: Kong‘s fight with the biggest Skullcrawler until the epic ending in which Kong, who hasn't lost his flame, shows who the true King is!

After Credits

The scene during the credits in which Marlow gets reunited with his family again after 28 years was truly lovely to see!

I must confess that I had never seen the end credits scene of this film before, so I was surprised to see it. Back then I thought only Marvel films had them, later I also found out that the 5th Pirates of the Caribbean film had a end credits scene, I guess I also missed the other 4 than.. However part of the scene I had seen many times before in GIF forms on Tumblr. It‘s the part where James Conrad throws a pencil (he‘s kind of losing his patience in this scene) while he and Weaver are kept in a interrogation room by Monarch. In one of the GIFs that I saw it‘s edited that he threw it to Thor (a scene of one of Chris Hemsworth‘s other characters who is dodging something that‘s being thrown at him is shown) who just had entered Loki‘s room. I think it had the subscription: 'Big brother walking in on little brother‘s room during intimate moments', something like that. Too bad I couldn‘t find the GIF anymore, otherwise I would have shared it here ;).

Anyway this scene links the Godzilla films and this Kong film together. A small preview for Godzilla: King of the Monsters is shown. The duo gets informed from the existing of even more monsters when cave paintings depicting Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Rodan (If you‘re normally not into monster movies like these, the last three names perhaps don‘t sound all that familiar to you. I‘m addressing Mothra and King Ghidorah more in the Godzilla 2 part) are being shown to them. After that, when the screen is black already, a roar of Godzilla can be heard.

Watching this film again was a incredible choice to do on my free Saturday night! I truly find Tom Hiddleston‘s performances from top class in it and it‘s one of my favorite Hiddleston movies! I will probably use the DVD soon for watching the Tom Hiddleston extra‘s and the deleted scenes that were promised on the description!



Note: The following review of Godzilla part 2 I had written earlier and it actually was for our local cinema. (Dutch version then..)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

"Long live the King!"

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the 2014 Godzilla sequel. A rather late sequel perhaps. The film was originally scheduled to be released in June 2018, which was later postponed to March 2019 and, in order not to have to compete against Captain Marvel, it eventually became the end of May. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, perhaps better known today as The Maximoff Twins from Marvel's Avengers series, both featured in Godzilla from 2014, but due other film projects they couldn‘t return. (For Elizabeth Olsen, I‘m sure that‘s all about Avengers Infinity War & Endgame.) Godzilla: King of the Monsters is part of the MonsterVerse, a series in which Godzilla and King Kong are centered. That means Godzilla: King of the Monsters actually comes after Kong: Skull Island (with Marvel stars Tom Hiddleston & Brie Larson in the leading roles) from 2017. We certainly have something to look forward to, because next year these two monsters will face each other in Godzilla vs. Kong. 

Before visiting the film, I found a number of facts via Wilson Worldwide Productions. Among others that because Godzilla is able to breathe with both gills and lungs, it is considered more of an amphibian than a reptile. I can remember that I had seen a Godzilla movie on TV before, that was from 1998 in which Godzilla's babies seemed more frightening than the "King of the Monsters" her/himself. (I think they like Godzilla to be a male, ‘Godzilla’ sounds more manlike anyway and in Godzilla: King of the Monsters Godzilla is called a he. Reproduction works rather complicated concerning amphibians and reptiles, so.. Or perhaps the 1998 one was a female?.. Can you believe I studied these species? Anyway, continue Nicole, continue!) There was a lot of criticism about the appearance of the monster, people complained that it had looked too much like a giant iguana. In Japan, as a reaction to this film, a film was made in which the Japanese Godzilla defeated this American one. The American Godzilla even got called Gino (Godzilla In Name Only). Anyway, as I remember it, the film was entertaining to watch. 

And now let‘s talk about Godzilla: King of the Monsters: Is it truly worthy to call Godzilla the “King of Monsters”? He truly is a lust for your eyes, that's for sure! In any case, again he shall have competition and by far is he thrilled about that! It appears that according to this film series there are no fewer than 17 titans scattered around the world. The monster-caliber truly rises high in this film and all hell really breaks loose the moment the three-headed Monster Zero, captured in ice is awakened. This monster, called King Ghidorah in Japanese myths (I wish the film had given the myths some more attention), has the appearance of a Game of Thrones-like dragon. Speaking of Game of Thrones, in this film Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister in GoT) has a role as well. In addition of these two monsters, we see Mothra and among others Rodan. Mothra looks like a large butterfly and less monster-ly when she folds her angelic luminous wings. The scenes with Mothra are breath taking, but also most shots with King Ghidorah are magnificent! 

MonsterVerse

Although Godzilla & co actually portray the lead roles in this film, I will still mention some names of the actors: Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and among others can be seen in the film. 

"Oh, yeah, sure. Let's bring him in for a beer."

In a rapid speed the viewer will get confronted with fighting monsters who are causing a lot of vibrations and devastation. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the battle from the first part isn‘t exactly redone.. They‘re really taking it to the next level! (I faced trouble with picking my toilet break moment. The absence of breaks during films nowadays really is a disadvantage for people with a weak bladder..) Well, let‘s say: you don't have much time to recover in between. (A film lover hasn‘t had much of that lately anyway, because the blasts keep coming out week after week..) Although the level of threat is at maximum, there is also some space left for sarcastic humor in this film. Here and there, of course, is some drama and the film is a bit over the top, but as I mentioned in the review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: What film about prehistoric / mythical and fantasy creatures can‘t be called that nowadays? Besides for Godzilla lovers, this film is really meant for people who like to see a spectacle in which giant monsters bring the air to life. And after the film, you don't have to drink your drink extra quickly if you haven‘t finished it yet. Nowadays, an extra scene after the credits is highly popular because after the credits, an extra scene can be seen as a preview for the next film. Although I have to miss Tom Hiddleston again (Remember that Kong: Skull Island took place in the 70s while Godzilla: King of the Monsters sets in the present day. So Captain James Conrad would be a lot older + given the fact that the cast-list is out there to find..), I am looking forward to Godzilla vs. Kong.

However I don‘t know if I would like to see Godzilla & Kong, the two monster heroes, compete against each other. Hopefully there‘s something out there that makes them realize they got to fight side by side.

Disney‘s Aladdin & Dumbo Live Action

Disney‘s Aladdin & Dumbo Live Action

Given the fact that writing truly is one of my biggest passions, and this personal blog is about what inspires me, why should I not share this here? Tom Hiddleston, Loki, writing, films, what me concerns, they all have one thing in common: That is, they‘re all my passions! So why should I not combine those passions together, every once in a while? That‘s what I do for the local cinema. Often after visiting a film, mostly Marvel or Disney, but I‘m also in for the 'monster' kind of movies like Jurassic World/Park, Kong: Skull Island (duh!) and Godzilla (guess where I‘m going to tomorrow..), I‘ve gotten enough inspiration to write a blog/review about it. Then I‘ll send it to them which they then share on their website. Today I‘ve translated my writings about Aladdin & Dumbo and decided to share them here as well. (I know for Dumbo that‘s very late!)

Aladdin

Aladdin: The story of the street thief set in Disney's Agrabah, the City of Mysteries. You don't have to go to Paris or to Florida to experience the magical Disneyland. This year you will experience it in your own cinema! From a flying elephant to a flying carpet with The Lion King as cherry on top! If you are a Disney fan in heart and soul, you certainly should not skip Aladdin! Let yourself be guided by Aladdin's magic carpet and float with Aladdin, Jasmine & the naughty monkey Abu through the desert-like environments. When you talk about Aladdin, you probably immediately think of that magic lamp with the Genie who gives its finder 3 wishes. Dreaming is something we do every day. Everyone has them: the one big dreams, the other more modest dreams. Imagine: You can make 3 wishes. Whatever you want, anything is possible! What would you wish for? Or would you perhaps waste 2 of the 3 wishes right away? Because.. ‘Be careful what you wish for!’

Aladdin truly is a sensation for your eyes with among others the terrifying but impressive Cave of Wonders (with the voice of Frank Welker, who also provides the voice of this cat-shaped cave in the original version.) This Live Action version also comes with a number of brand new songs including 'Speechless' sung by Jasmine, the princess of Agrabah. It may seem as if she has everything her heart desires such as dresses of the finest silk fabrics, beautiful jewellery & a tiger as a pet! Anyway, she doesn't have to be afraid of thieves, sure they will stay outside (except for one of course!). However she doesn't have the one thing that‘ll make her the happiest: freedom. She can't even show herself outside, let alone be heard! That of course the sly Jafar will make clear to her father! "Speechless" together with the famous "A Whole New World" perhaps is one of the strongest songs in the film. It certainly left a big impression on me! With her golden voice, Naomi Scott sets a strong character and proves that Jasmine is much more than just a princess! 

When Disney just dropped the trailer, I came across of all sorts of statements about the Genie, which looks like a strange blue CGI version from his performer Will Smith. For example, some people would have liked to see Jim Carrey as the Genie. (That might just work in an animation version, but definitely not in this Live Action version.) Other people had doubts about whether Smith was the right actor to take on this role, and it appears that he himself had those doubts first too. Because let's be honest: Robin Williams (died in 2014) is hard to peer with and also that, you shouldn't want either. This is the Live Action version and of course that‘s a challenge. But I don‘t think Will Smith is one who throws in the towel easily. With being himself and having a lot of enthusiasm he managed to create his own version of the Genie. Will Smith calls it a bit of "The Prince of Bel-Air", a pinch of "Men in Black" and a touch of "Bad Boys" (interview with Veronica Magazine). This Genie, blue or not, comes with a lot of humor in his mission to turn the bit inexperienced Aladdin (Mena Massoud) into a real prince!

As it comes to Disney movies I‘m always a little curious for the villain. In Aladdin that‘s of course Jafar: The villain with the scary narrow head, his serpent staff and his always faithful parrot Iago on his shoulder. In this Live Action version, Jafar is portrayed by the Dutch Marwan Kenzari, who was featured in "The Mummy" in 2017. I am always in for some facts and I find it interesting that Oded Fehr, actor from the earlier Universal 'The Mummy' films, portrayed Jafar in the well-known fairy tale series "Once Upon a Time". Although honest, the animated Jafar gave me some more shivers, Kenzari turns out to be a very convincing Jafar and he gives the villain some extra handsome-ness! I believe both Jafar and Iago, the writers could have given some more depth. I wonder what I shall think of Scar‘s Live Action version..

Disney has once again transformed one of its classics into a spectacular magical Live Action adventure! Did you know that in a number of countries it‘s a tradition in the cinema to clap after the end of a movie? Well, for me the temptation rather was big! Whether you like fairy tales, want to relive your childhood memories or just want to dream away in this fantasy world, Aladdin is a film for all age!

Note: Funko should have included Rajah (the tiger) in their Aladdin Live Action line too!

Dumbo

Dumbo, the cute little baby elephant with the big ears. Who doesn‘t know him?

It‘s no secret that Disney's Live Action films are immensely popular at this very moment. After "The Jungle Book" and, among others, "Beauty And The Beast", it‘s now Dumbo‘s turn to shine on the big screen, or perhaps better said: fly. We can't really call this version of Dumbo a remake because with a more extensive storyline and new characters such as Holt (Colin Farrell) and his children, Dumbo gets a more ‘modern’ look. To refresh your memory: The original Dumbo had talking (and singing pink) elephants, a stork that ‘delivers’ the infants and Timmy the mouse that was jumping for making Dumbo a star. I can imagine all that would have looked truly unbelievable in a Live Action film that takes place in a circus environment with people. After all, Dumbo is not a film that takes place in the wild nature such as "The Jungle Book" or "The Lion King", although there are indeed references to the original. The direction of Dumbo was in the hands of Tim Burton and from him we are mostly used to imaginative, dark edged films. Think of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or one of his many films with Johnny Depp such as "Sleepy Hollow" or "Edward Scissorhands". In addition, Burton chose to focus more on the question of how humans will react when seeing a flying elephant. I‘m sure, in an animated version of this film, the owner of the theme park called Dreamland (Michael Keaton) should have dollar signs in his eyes! We also see Danny DeVito (a.o known for Matilda) playing a convincing role as a circus boss. By the way, a Tim Burton film with the actors Michael Keaton & Danny DeVito is nothing new. In Burton's film "Batman Returns" the duo portrayed Batman & the Penguin. The latter might have fitted in Nightmare Island, which is an attraction of Dreamland in the film.

Perhaps 2019 can be called the year of Disney. I'm already looking forward to Disney +: the streaming device platform that Disney is likely to launch by the end of this year (Of course, in my case, that has to do with the Loki series. My local cinema had cut this sentence when they published my Dumbo review on their site). But before the end of the summer we have two more Disney Live Action films to visit. We saw Aladdin's trailer prior to the Dumbo movie, which will be released in May. And although I never ranked Aladdin among my favorite Disney movies, I secretly thought the trailer looked promising. Then finally in July: The Lion King! (Here I had written that I expected Disney to come with a trailer that gives us a preview of Scar too, literally two days later Disney actually dropped the trailer..) 

As far as my opinion goes, Dumbo has not lost his charms even when he‘s is painted as a piteous clown. I‘m sure most people will sympathize with the baby elephant that is first laughed at because of its large ears, before his flying talent gets them all amazed, while he himself only just wants to fly to his mommy! With his cute, innocent look, Dumbo shall melt many hearts! And in the case of the 3D version, watch out that Dumbo doesn't fly out of the cinema ;).

I‘m truly excited for The Lion King though.. I haven‘t written a review about Endgame, but I‘m planning to dedicate a blog post about it soon!

Zen blog: Inspiring Quotes and Nature 2

Zen blog: Inspiring Quotes 2

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A month ago, a day before I could finally watch Endgame, I shared the following blogpost: Zen blog: Inspiring Quotes. In the mean time many more inspiring quotes have crossed my path, that I have decided to spend another blogpost to this wonderful subject. Perhaps I will do it monthly. 

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Of course now I have seen Endgame and I would like to do a blog about that one as well, but I‘m afraid it‘s perhaps still too soon to share thoughts about it fully?

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I‘ll find these quotes in magazines, on spiritual websites and sometimes just on tea-labels: Like the 'patience pays' one above! I got that after the walk I took (the pictures are from that walk). Earlier that day I had a question about something that I desire, and I found the answer in the daily card I took that day: '"t‘s not a 'no', it‘s a 'not yet'. Sometimes the universe needs some more time to get the pieces together." And later the "Patience Pays" as a confirmation. Wow, beautiful how the universe works! Sometimes you indeed need to have some more patience. Being impatiently doesn't bring you your desires quicker, it only makes you feel annoyed and you‘ll get on other people‘s nerves. I‘m not saying 'switching the button' is easy. Trust me, I know. Impatient is written all over me! However keep believing that anything is possible!

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At the end of the blogpost you‘ll find a source list for the websites and the magazines!

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Love

Inspiring

Balance

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I truly cherish inspiring quotes that have 'dreams' as main theme! Remarkably how they keep appearing within my sight!

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Print it or write it down in your diary. This is a keeper:

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On the day that I received the following card, I took the advice a bit too serious. Out of my closet I took a light colored red jeans that I hadn't wore in years + a very colorful t-shirt with the image of the ocean and some fish on it. How did that make me feel? When I looked in the mirror I felt like I stared to a 7 year younger version of myself. The clothes weren‘t me any longer. So I washed them and donated them. Perhaps it was a sign that I should clear out my closet!

For the image, this is a photo of the t-shirt. Still a nice image though. I‘ll just keep the photo as a memory.

I still have old photo‘s of me wearing the shirt,
but it‘s on a beach. Not sharing them.

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Some nature shots:

For your information, this was 'white t-shirt day'. Not just a hot day for London, here in the Netherlands it was like 22 degrees as well.

The following photo is a photo of the exact same place (only a close-up) from the photo above taken on september 2018 (last year‘s dry period). Nature is still recovering, hopefully this summer won‘t be a dry one again!

Here‘s another comparison:

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More quotes:

From Wendy Magazine

But another quote said: "Just open the door, it‘s a door, that‘s how they work!"

Don‘t be afraid to be unique!

Never let fear lead your life!

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The other day I found a pyjama with a quote about dreams that could have been made for me. And it‘s from Dumbo, so what more could I want?

From: Large.nl

"Follow your dreams, they know the way!"  Perfect quote to sleep in!
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And while shopping, I also added a little extra to my shopping cart: Loki & Thor (winter) socks!

Guys, you are supposed to wear them on the feet..

Of course the brothers may show them themselves! And with that this blog post also has a little touch of Loki ;).

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One last one for the road:

Remember: "You are enough, you are a 1000 times enough!"

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I hope, via this blogpost, I once again, send you a little bit of inspiration. Bless you and take care!

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Love,

Nicole

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Source inspiring quotes: WENDY magazine, Flair magazine, Happinez magazine & orakels.net.