One "Harry" Year

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

This year will be the return of many things like the Avengers, Pokemon, and yes, even “Harry Potter”. With “Harry Potter”, we’ll be receiving a play (“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”), a book of said play, a movie (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”), and a concert series.

Yes that’s right, a concert series. Throughout the summer of 2016, the United States will host a concert series with music from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. It will begin on June 23^rd at the Mann Center in Philadelphia and will have the movie played in accompaniment with the music.  

Tickets for the Mann Center venue are already on sale and run from $20-55.

However, for those of you who don’t live near the city of brotherly love, this concert series tour will be roaming throughout the nation. It will also be stopping in San Diego, Nashville, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, and Silicon Valley areas.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, are you ready for a “Harry” year?

Deadpool: Breaking Walls and Taking Names

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

You might be wondering where Thursday’s entry is and I assure you, I have an important, validated reason for not writing anything for Thursday.

I went to see “Deadpool”.

Readers, I have been waiting for a “Deadpool” movie for approximately three years, if not more. Three years ago, I discovered Deadpool in the game “Marvel vs Capcom” and out of interest and insomnia, I decided to suit up as the iconic character. After toying around with his crazy fighting style and quick one liners, I was curious about the Merc with the Mouth and decided to do a little research. The more I learned about this charismatic character, the more I adored him and felt bad for him given his life.

Then came the test footage of the “Deadpool” movie and I knew I needed to see this film. Following it was the “Deadpool” video game with its terrible controls and hilarious, wondrous writing.

After three years of waiting, the “Deadpool” film was produced and I didn’t hesitate to see it.

This movie was equivalent to the first lick of ice cream in the summer. It was refreshing from the dark, gritty superhero stories that stuck to the script. Deadpool didn’t stick to the script; he climbed into the audience’s lap and guided them through his adventure of revenge and trying to win back a lost love. It was flavorful with pop culture references, nods to actors and other movies, and smooth with its writing and line delivery. It was appealing from Ryan Reynolds’ figure to Colossus’ steel frame and even Vanessa’s transformation from short haired temptress to geeky, concerned fiancée.

Overall, “Deadpool” was a movie that did not disappoint and excelled beyond my expectations of how this movie would be. If you’re eighteen or over (this movie is definitely not for children due to intercourse, Ryan Reynolds’ dick, gratuitous amounts of female nudity, and more salty language than a sailor can shake his fist at), I highly recommend that you see this movie enough times until your brain is nothing more than witty one liners and pop culture references.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry! If you enjoyed it, please feel free to comment, critique, share, and subscribe.

So tell me, what did you think of “Deadpool”?

Luigi's Mansion: My Unconventional Valentine

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Valentine’s Day nearly a week away, I might have found an old flame to connect with. It was only Saturday where I reunited with my long lost love: Luigi’s Mansion.

Luigi’s Mansion is a game that released for the Gamecube in 2001. It focused around Luigi who busts them ghosts in a mansion he supposedly won from a contest that he never entered. Mario is also missing in this game, so it’s up to Luigi to find and rescue him.

Back in 2001, I was honestly scared of my own shadow and detested this game and sold it to Gamestop. Since 2005, I have regretted my decision and been on the hunt for this game. Finally after eleven years, I managed to find it and my love for it has never been stronger. Needless to say, I’m reunited with Luigi’s Mansion and it feels so good.

Here’s why I love Luigi’s Mansion.

5. It’s Luigi’s Game

How many games does Luigi have to himself? Very few, but most people remember this as being Luigi’s game. There was barely any Mario involved or Peach or Daisy. At best it was just Luigi, Toad, a bit of Bowser, and an old scientist who wanted to capture ghosts with a vacuum backpack. It was a game perfect for Luigi because it encompassed a unique concept and a grand sense of adventure – just like a Mario game would feature.

4. The Puns

I am a stickler for puns and this game does not disappoint. Professor E. Gad? The Game Boy Horror? The names of the Boos? These little puns provide comedy relief to a game filled with spooky scary spirits.

3. The Ghosts

Each ghost is different and provides their backstory in their portraits. Even their personalities shine through their stories and how they appear overall. For example, Madam Clairvoya is very helpful and willing to be sealed away in a portrait and find peace. She differs greatly from other spirits like Shivers, Miss Petunia, and even Chauncy.

2. The Music

The music for this game is well done; so much so the main track constantly gets stuck in my head. It’s a simple little tune that I’ve remembered for all these years and every time I hum it, it makes me smile. It’s also a simple melody that definitely sets the spooky, eerie feeling of Luigi’s Mansion. It’s the perfect score for a fun game.

1. Ghostbusting

When there’s something strange in the Nintendo world, who ya gonna call? Ghostbuster Luigi. Basically, you’re busting ghosts and showing that you’re not afraid of them. While Miyamoto has claimed on numerous occasions that Luigi’s Mansion wasn’t inspired by “Ghostbusters”, I like to think otherwise.

The controls for ghostbusting require the player to have a firm grip and watchful eyes because Luigi flails with the ghost while trying to capture it. Should the player’s fingers fumble, the ghost escapes. The ghost can easily be recovered and attacked again, but it’s fun to try and suck the spirit up in one go.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, who or what has stolen your heart this Valentine’s Day?

Coming to Terms with Thirty

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

You know, there’s something I’ve realized anymore.

What is the ideal dream? Growing up, it was get married by thirty, establish yourself by thirty, and move out by thirty. Notice the word that keeps repeating there; ‘thirty’. Thirty is the dreadful number of society that signifies the halfway point of our lives.  Movies and shows have programmed it into our minds that thirty is the end all be all number to have our lives sorted out. If we don’t, we are doomed to be failures.

Yet I find anymore that that dream is just a built up societal trope. In our early to late twenties, we are doing everything: finding a job, having fun, living life, finishing school, starting school, finding ourselves, finding our future spouse. We are only human beings that can do so much. When we realize that we only have so many years before we hit thirty, we begin to panic. Some of us have already found a career, some of us may have already found a partner, some of us might even be out on their own; but what about those who aren’t any of these things?

Truth is, not everyone is established or happily married or moved out by thirty. In fact, there are still some single persons, some people who still live with their parents, and even some who are still working themselves to death for a job where they hope they can get a promotion. And you know what?

That’s okay.

It’s okay that some of us are thirty and still haven’t found our Mr./Mrs. Right. It’s okay that we’re still living with our parents because the housing market is ridiculously high and apartments have outrageous rent. It’s okay that we’re still trying to craft a career. We have time and by no means should that phrase intimidate us. Rather, it should inspire us because we still have time to do everything we’ve always wanted and take our time with love and life. We still have so many seconds to hold hands, chug a beer, take that Chinese class, and have fun. Yes, we can catch ourselves when we procrastinate because we’re intelligent and can differentiate between procrastination and relaxing from working ourselves to death.

So screw you society into making me dread ‘Thirty’ after all these years. ‘Thirty’ is nothing to fear at all, but rather embraced in knowing that we still have time on this Earth to find love, to work towards a career, and to be ourselves.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry.

If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on hitting thirty?

Capaldi's Keeping Us Company

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

False alarm: Capaldi will NOT be leaving “Doctor Who”.

So yes, like me, you can all take a relieving deep breath.

The article I referenced in my last entry was a tabloid which tends to distort rumors. Frankly, I had no idea that article was a tabloid and was merely writing with my own anger at the notion of losing Capaldi. Capaldi is possibly one of my favorite Doctors next to Hartnell, Tennant, Smith, Eccleston, and Troughton.

Now granted, Capaldi has said that this could be his final year while Moffat told us that Capaldi is going nowhere. For now, nothing is set in stone other than Moffat’s departure. Capaldi’s expected leave is a rumor and even then, we can only take rumors with a grain of salt.

Personally, I don’t imagine Capaldi leaving us so soon. After all, the man was president of a “Doctor Who” fanclub in his youth and even wrote fan letters regarding the show. He has adored the program since he was a child – why would he leave something that he only spent approximately three years on? It would probably be the shortest run of a Doctor ever next to the War Doctor. Capaldi’s even signed on for another three seasons and I cannot imagine why he would suddenly want to leave especially with that in mind. Yes, Capaldi wants to do other things in life, but is he willing to leave a role he’s loved for years and played for only a short amount of time?

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what do you think Capaldi will do?