Before You See 'John Carter'

I've been looking forward to seeing Disney's film adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs story of John Carter for a long time!  As the release day got closer I kept on seeing stories about how the movie was tracking negatively and that it might be a complete failure.  But there were also positive signs, including  reviews about how good the film was.

Now, after finally seeing John Carter I'm happy to report that those in the later camp were right!  It was really a great movie but, before you see it, here's a few things to know.

Keep in mind that I've not read any of the Barsoom series of novels or knew much about the story going into the film. If you want to enjoy it as much as I did, do the following.

Suspend all disbelief.


Forget what you know about science or anything you've ever learned about Mars.  Accept the fact that there is life on the red planet (Barsoom,) and that humans have super strength and abilities more than he or she would on Mars, given the gravitational conditions.

Enjoy the ride.


Buckle up, make sure your hands are inside the vehicle at all times and don't forget to drink the magic water that allows you to understand the languages spoken on Mars.  What I did was accept everything that was presented to me as fact and just enjoy the ride.  The less analysis you do, the better off you'll be.

It's a fantasy.

The filmmakers were smart for not getting too bogged down in details or technobable.  I think if you were to try to explain every little thing it would ruin the magic. And that's why I'm not calling John Carter a science fiction.  It's a fantasy.

Reasons I like the movie.


Okay, now the specific things that I liked about John Carter...

- It was shot beautifully!  From real life sets to the computer generated kind everything just looked stunning.  I even liked the look of the 3D, which it was converted to.

- It was funny!  You wouldn't think it, judging from all of the "action" trailers of Taylor Kitsch fighting the baddies but there were a lot of humorous moments in John Carter.  And, not funny ha, ha either, or pratfalls but comedy that just felt natural.  The characters and actors seemed to have a really good chemistry.

One of my favorite parts in the movie was early on when the Union Colonel (played by Bryan Cranston), was trying to  get the former Confederate Captain Carter to work for the Army.  John kept on escaping, which was presented in a quick series of cut takes.

I was also very impressed with Taylor Kitsch too.  I've been a fan of his for a while from his time on Friday Night Lights and this role really cements him as an action star of the future.

And last but not least, the character of Dejah Thoris (Princess of Helium) played by Lynn Collins was a strong female protagonist who was not only beautiful but also smart (a scientist.)  She is a really good role model for young girls going to see this movie.

So take with you what I wrote here to John Carter!  You'll be glad that you did.

The Great M&M Debate

I recently had a discussion with my sister about which variety of M&M was better.  Each of us agreed dark chocolate was best, but after that is where we parted ways.  Patty is more in the peanut camp where I lean plain in my liking.

This got me thinking: how many more iterations of the Mars candy treat were there and how would I rate them.  Here's my list.

• Almond - Last resort.
• Peanut Butter - Gotta be in the right mood.
• Pretzel - Too new to tell.  Have only had them once.
• Coconut - Never!!
• Crispy - Discontinued.

There's also been wild cherry and mint crisp but those were limited edition so they kind of don't count.

By the way, an 11.08 oz bag of Wild Cherry M&M's will run you about $15.00 American on Amazon right now.

I then thought, what other types of M&M's could be made.

How about fudge or caramel? Maybe Macadamia nuts or cashews?  Although, with the later of those last two the candy wouldn't retain it's traditional shape.

So, what about you?  Which flavors or ingredients would you like to see put into an M&M?