Monday, May 20, 2019

Funko Pops, Elton John, Captain Planet, Darkwing Duck, Mario Kart & Other Megacon Adventures

Yes, I did more than just visit the big comic con in Orlando... but it will comprise much of what I'll talk about this time. Last Monday I did nothing of note; Tuesday was a different story. I went to The Loop outdoor mall to see a movie. Before that I had dinner there. My first choice was busy so I instead went to Johnny Rockets, a place I hadn't been to in many years. I always thought their food was fine so there was no excuse for me not going there more often. The food was tasty; after that I saw... Batman & Robin! A few days before this I streamed Batman Forever, which I saw theatrically back in '95. That was more garish than I had remembered. B&R I had seen before but only via rental. It was so absurd seeing such a bad movie on the big screen 22 years after it came out, I couldn't turn down that opportunity. Indeed that was as bad as I had remembered, although hilariously so. You can't help but laugh at how badly they missed the mark there. I mean, the movie was even more incompetent than the guy who was the cashier at the concession stand... and that guy was pretty clueless.

Wednesday and Thursday, nothing occurred... this is because Friday would have a lot for me to talk about. The past several years whenever Megacon would take place, I go on Friday as the tickets are cheaper and the crowds are not as large. It's always been good times with all the geeky items available for sale and all the cosplay outfits. This time around, not as many comic vendors were around... they were seemingly all replaced by vendors who sold Funko Pops. I know some who HATE those figurines and plenty who love them... I just don't care about them either way. I did not spend too much while I was there... the main purchase was a Godzilla T-shirt, after all. The costumes were largely what you'd expect: Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, and whatnot. I was amused that various 80's slasher villains were around along with Darkwing Duck, Captain Planet, two guys as Mario Kart characters (and they had makeshift karts around their waists), some guy as 1996 Shawn Michaels and another as NWO Macho Man Randy Savage, which greatly amused me. In a timely reference, a legend went as Elton John in his sparkly faux LA Dodgers outfit he wore in Dodger Stadium and as seen in the Rocketman trailer.

Unlike the last con I went to last summer, I did not meet or interact with any celebrities. At least this meant that unlike last time, I did not act like a buffoon around any celebrities that I happen to swoon over! The main highlight for guests was the cast of Back to the Future, including Michael J. Fox. Of course Fox and Christopher Lloyd were among the most popular celebrities on this day. Not in the special area for famous faces but in regular booths were Nichelle Nichols and TAIMAK. Yes, the lead of The Last Dragon, which is one of the most 80's films I've ever seen. It was an exhausting yet fun time on Friday. I am not sure why the standard wristband system was replaced by lanyards that you are given where you have to get online to log in so that you can be scanned in AND out of the comic con... maybe that's just me but it seems like a giant hassle and way too much effort in replacing a system that seemed to work fine beforehand.

Saturday I got some rest at home; there was the horse race, which at least was less controversial but the rider falling off his stead was pretty funny. Sunday was the third John Wick movie. The first one was great and the second I wasn't really a fan of... its action was tremendous but the story was aggravating and quite frankly, not a lot of fun. As the third continued the story set up in the second movie, I'll be frank and say my expectations weren't too high. Regrettably, I really did not like the third one and that is even with some great (if trying way too hard) action scenes. I HATED the story of the film for a number of reasons... there are logic issues and most importantly to me, I realized the John Wickiverse is pretty miserable-I mean, the world is not one where I'd love to live in. You have a bunch of miserable, unpleasant characters and people get into loud fights and somehow the general public does not notice... I know most will be aghast that I don't love the movie but this is just my honest opinion.

When I return on Memorial Day, I know of a few things I'll be discussing.

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