Saturday, October 31, 2015

Halloween



Growing up in a Christian family, I’ve never celebrated Halloween before. Actually, I don’t even like eating pumpkins! XD
This story, however, takes place well before the cruel and unfaithful God so wantonly destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour; in fact, we are still Bogans living in Logan! XD
It’s Halloween night, and the doorbell rings. I’m the one to answer it. Opening the door, I’m greeted by a small group of costumed-up kids. “Trick or treat!” they cry enthusiastically in unison, obviously expecting to be rewarded for their effort.
But uh oh, we’re out of lollies in the kitchen pantry. I hang awkwardly on the front door. “Uh, sorry kids, I guess I’ll have to take the trick; I don’t have any lollies at home right now.” I apologise to the youngsters.
Instead of replying, they look wordlessly at one another, then without saying another word, all turn in unison and flee.
“Wait!” I cry to no avail. “I’m sorry!” but they’re gone.
I close our front door and find mother, telling her what just occurred. Then I add, “For next year, please mother, can you stock up on some sweets? Just in case they come back, you know.”
However, somehow, we must have been blacklisted. NEVER AGAIN has ANYONE come trick or treating to our front door! Even when we evolved from being Bogans and moved out to Brisbane, no little kid has ever come knocking on our door come Halloween night asking for treats! Somehow, those poor kids that I unwittingly frightened away must have accessed some national database that notifies kids where not to go trick or treating and thus my house has been banned forever … yup, tonight’s Halloween but sure enough, nobody has come … XD
Next post here … maybe after book club? That happens on the second Thursday of every month and at the end of book club next month, we’re all going someplace for dinner to celebrate Christmas! So, until then~
Cheers,
Em. ^^

Monday, October 26, 2015

Big Hero 6



Last month, Pole invites me over to her place to watch a movie with her!
She wants to watch Big Hero 6. I’ve never heard of Big Heroes one to five before but figure if it can last till the sixth movie, it’s gotta be pretty awesome. Although I do wonder why I’ve never heard of any of the previous ones before, but fair enough, I tend to be pretty clueless about almost everything, so hey. XD
So Pole picks me up one Thursday arvo and tootles me over to her place. At first, I am slightly nervous that we will need to descend the stairs (the hand rail’s on the left, meaning I’m not totally confident that I can descend without tripping and falling forwards flat on my face XD) but upon entering see a comfy-looking couch facing a television and realise I’ve got nothing to fear.
I grab the seat to the most left (I’m sure I’ve explained before that among countless and almost numerous things, the cruel and unfaithful God has also taken away my left side vision, meaning if I’m seated not to the most left and someone sits further left than I am, I won’t be able to see said person unless I turn my face and look at them directly. Although I know I’m safe with Pole; it’s not like she’s suddenly gonna jump at me from the left and rip my head off. XD) and Pole pushes up the lever to make the foot rest rise; cool, I hadn’t noticed I’d sat on the recliner part of the sofa!
I jokingly apologise that I’d forgotten to bring along any popcorn that we could share and munch while watching the movie, but Pole says, “no probs, I’ve got some wong wong. Would you like a packet?” I’m unsure what ‘wong wong’ are, until she brings it over: what she calls wong wong are in fact those twin mini packets of MSG coated roundish crackers! I recall them from my high school days; mother used to buy them for my lunch; they were very popular for trading! From memory, I scored lotsa awesome and yummy (and probably all unhealthy XD) snacks from trading those things during school lunch breaks!
Anyways, here are all my favourite trivia, bloopers and quotes from Big Hero 6 courtesy of imdb:
Bloopers first:
-      The logo for "Project Sparrow" is quite clearly a member of the Apodidae family, probably a swift or swallow. (A/N: I’ll confess that unobservant me didn’t notice that at all! XD)
-      When Bay-max and Hiro are at the police office, you can see bay-max butting three pieces of tape on on each arm and you only see him take 6 pieces of tape. Yet, when switches frames he has a lot more pieces of tape on his hands, arms, and belly.  (A/N: I saw the trailer preview for this movie; this was one of the scenes shown! I think it’s one of my favourite scenes in this movie, but I’m just curious: how come baymax was so calmly and slowly patching himself up? I mean, if he didn’t cover his tears up with the sticky tape quicker; he’d die! XD)
-      When Baymax scans Hiro the second time, he states that he has no injuries and that the only diagnosis was "puberty". However, if you look at the blood pressure, it is 113/90 which is considered hypertension (high diastolic blood pressure). Anyone with health care knowledge would recognize as a problem. (A/N: Since when was puberty an illness? I can’t be that bad, I mean, I survived! XD)
Trivia next!
-According to Scott Watanabe, the movie is set in an alternate future where after the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco was rebuilt by Japanese immigrants using techniques that allow movement and flexibility in a seismic event. After the city was finished being rebuilt, it was renamed San Fransokyo due to it being a city with Japanese and American architecture combined.
-Baymax's movement and posing was modeled after studying the movement of baby with a full diaper. (A/N: Aww, how adorable. XD)
- The villain's name, Yokai, means "spirit" or "phantom" in Japanese.
- Originally there were going to be more villains in the movie besides Yokai. One was a group called the Fujitas. According to the Big Hero 6 art book, they were going to be a trio of deadly Geisha women each possessing a different weapon with movements inspired by the movements of snakes or koi fish. The second villain was going to be a Japanese TV Talk Show Host named Mr. Sparkles who was a child-like man devoted to world conquest. The last was a group of jet pack flying pilots called the Banzai Bombers.
- In Fred's library/museum, one of the small statuettes in the background book case is Elastigirl from The Incredibles (2004).
- In Fred's room, a Stitch-themed pillow can be seen on his bed.
- During the second meeting with Baymax, in Hiro's room, Hiro falls beside his bed, and items on his shelves begin falling on him. On the second shelf, there is a figurine of a Dalek from the Doctor Whoniverse.
- The Portal testing lab was meant to be located deep in the catacombs of Alcatraz, but was changed to an alternate version of Angel Island called Akuma Island. Akuma means "demon" or "devil" in Japanese.
- During one screen of the closing credits, a billboard can be seen in the upper left corner which features an purple octopus wielding a knife - an appropriate callout to Harryhausen's, the sushi restaurant in Monsters, Inc. (2001).
- The inflatable, vinyl, truly huggable design of Baymax is inspired by 'soft robotics' research at Carnegie Mellon University.  (A/N: Yes, Baymax looked totally huggable! I kept telling Pole throughout the movie that I wanted one of my own; she just laughed and replied, “I told you about it. Get someone else to buy you one.” XD But seriously, I would LOVE a giant inflatable friend like that!XD)
- Before deciding that Baymax was going to have an expression-less face, he was originally to going to have a face that only does five different expressions.
- Due to her accent, Honey Lemon is the only character actually pronouncing the Japanese name "Hiro" correctly. (A/N: Agreed! Before I checked out this movie online, I honestly thought the main character’s name was Hero! XD)
-The model of the design of Baymax's eyes is a Japanese traditional bell which is called Suzu. Don Hall, the director says that he got an inspiration when he visited a temple in Japan.
- Don Hall chose San Francisco as the choice of city to be blended with Tokyo's culture, because Los Angeles isn't a massive city, and New York is too common of an epicenter for the Marvel comic world. San Francisco also has many distinctive features that aren't offered in Los Angeles or New York.
-Fred mentions that he likes to make movies about himself in a rubber suit stomping on boxes. This is a reference to his original power: the ability to transform into a giant monster that can stomp down houses.
- The character known as Wasabi No-Ginger had his last name officially dropped from the film, and is known simply as Wasabi.
- This is the first Disney film to only show the title of the movie at the end and not the beginning.
- One of the few Disney Films that is partially owned by both Pixar and Marvel.
- Hans (Frozen (2013)) and Flynn (Tangled (2010)) are on the police station bulletin as wanted men.
- James Cromwell plays Dr. Robert Callaghan in Big Hero 6 and Dr. Alfred Lanning in I, Robot (2004), both characters are creators of the laws of robotics.
- Sang-Jin Kim, the first Korean to become the top animator at Walt Disney Studios and character design supervisor for Big Hero 6, revealed that the lead characters, although they were later given Japanese names, were originally envisioned as Koreans.
- In the opening bot battle, Hiro goes up against Yama, a very large man controlling a battle-bot; when Yama turns and shows his back, the Japanese character for "mountain" ("yama") is embroidered on his jacket, as a joke to his large, 'mountain-like' size.
- When Hiro is trying to get Baymax upstairs to charge him, when he comes back downstairs to talk to Aunt Cass a picture of Mochi the cat dressed as Stitch from Lilo & Stitch (2002) can be seen behind Hiro hanging on the wall.
- The clock in Hiro's room is at the time 2:15 the entire movie
-When Hiro first meets everyone at the college, Honey says her ball of carbide weighs 400 pounds. In reality, a ball of carbide measuring 36" in diameter (judging size from the film) would weigh over 14,000 pounds.
- In the back of Fred's room is a display case with two mannequins wearing the costumes of two lesser Marvel comics super villains. The blue mannequin on the left is of the Sub-Mariner villain "Orka", and the chicken themed one on the right is that of the voodoo priest villain known as "Black Talon."
- The words "Big Hero 6" are never spoken in the film
- HIDDEN MICKEY: The emblem of the make of the car driven by the heroes in the car chase midway through the movie is a stylized Mickey, consisting of 3 overlapping circles. (at round 47 mins)
- The portals strongly resemble those from Stargate. The military figure in charge of the project also resembles Stargate SG-1 (1997)'s General Hammond.
- According to Sang-Jin Kim, Baymax has a balloon-like face with eyes connected by a thin line that evokes the image of a 'moktak,' a wooden percussion instrument often used by Buddhist monks.
- Hiro's superhero suit is modeled after Priss from the "Bubblegum Crisis" anime franchise.
- The most challenging part of designing Baymax's super-suit was the wings.
- Is the first Disney film to be based on a manga series.
- The shirt Hiro is wearing is Baymax in his red battlesuit.
- The bot battle in the alley is a reference to the fact that San Francisco was the first city to hold robot combat competitions.
- While grabbing Hiro's collar preventing him from falling off the dock, Baymax states a common myth that you should "always wait one hour after eating before swimming". (A/N: Does that mean it’s okay to swim right after you eat?)
- The green color scheme for Baymax's prototype suit is a reference to his comic book counterpart.
-Early on in the film, when Hiro is struggling for ideas for the showcase, Tadashi tells him to "look for a new angle." During the film's climax, when it appears that the gang is about to be defeated by the Microbots, Hiro tells them to "look for a new angle."
- When Baymax first tests out his new rocket fist in Fred's mansion, the statue that it destroys is a statue of Hans from Frozen (2013).  (A/N: I’ve never seen Frozen before! Someone please teach me: is that movie worth watching?)
- In the science expo scene when the group takes a photo, each character is wearing something foreshadowing the future. Hiro, Gogo, Honey, and Wasabi are wearing the colors of their future costumes when superheros, Fred has a shirt with a image of his soon to be hero costume, and Tadashi is the only one who's wearing a black shirt foreshadowing his death.
-In Fred's mansion, a portrait of Stan Lee, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics, can be seen as Fred's dad (and in a post-credits scene). As in all Marvel-related movies, part of the contract was to feature him in some way.
-Big Hero 6 contains a large number of hidden "Easter eggs" from other Disney animated features: Hiro's cat, Mochi, is wearing a Stitch costume from Lilo & Stitch (2002) in the picture hanging in the stairway of his house. Hiro has a figure of Wreck-It Ralph (2012) on his computer monitor. The arcade game Sugar Rush is seen in a arcade. At the police station, there is a wanted poster over the shoulder of the police officer that not only has Hans from Frozen (2013), but also one of the misdrawn pictures of Flynn Ryder from Tangled (2010). Stan Lee also make his obligatory Marvel cameo, not only in the family portrait, but also in the after-credits scene. Bolt (2008) can be seen in a picture (as noted above). Also the statue destroyed by Baymax's rocket fist is a statue of Prince Hans from Frozen.
- This is Alan Tudyk's third Disney movie in a row (Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Frozen (2013)). In all three films, he plays a bad guy. 
- In Hiro's bot fight against Yama, Megabot (Hiro's robot) is seen removing the arm of Yama's robot, using it to cause Yama's bot to attack itself. Then Megabot is seen punching Yama's bot rapidly in the head. This resembles the scenes in The Incredibles (2004), in which Syndrome's robot is destroyed by its own arm, and the scene where Dash punches a villain in the face rapidly. (A/N: The Incredibles was a good movie! ^^)
- This is the third consecutive Disney Animation Studios film to feature a plot twist in which an apparent good guy is actually the villain. The previous two were Frozen (2013) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012).
- Throughout the end credits, news articles show the future of Hiro and the rest of the team.
- In the first scene in the college lab, each one of the main characters are working on something that helps them in the battles in this movie. Gogo is making a speedy bike which later is added to her suit to make her faster, Wasabi is working on lasers which get turned into his arm blades, Honey is working on chemical orbs which later become her main weapon, and Fred shows his sign spinning which aides him in the final battle.
And finally, quotes!
-      Baymax: [upon fist-bumping] : Balalalala
-      Go Go: There are no red lights during car chases!
Baymax: [to Hiro, who's stuck and buried under a pile of action figures] On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?
Hiro: [irritated] Zero.
Baymax: It is alright to cry.
Hiro: No! No, no, no, no, no!
Baymax: [picks up Hiro and holds him like a baby] Crying is a natural response to pain.
Hiro: [jumps out of Baymax's arms] I'm not crying.
Baymax: I will scan you for injuries.
Hiro: [firmly] DON'T scan me.
Baymax: Scan complete.
Hiro: Unbelievable.
Baymax: You have sustained no injuries. However, your hormone and neurotransmitter levels indicate that you are experiencing mood swings, common in adolescence. Diagnosis: puberty.
Hiro: [surprised] Whoa, what?
[last lines]
Hiro: [narrating] We didn't set out to be superheroes. But sometimes life doesn't go the way you planned. The good thing is, my brother wanted to help a lot of people and that's what we're gonna do. Who are we?
[title card appears]
-      Baymax: [Hiro is trying to get him to run] I am not fast.  (A/N: If Baymax tried rolling, he probably would be! XD)
Baymax: [approaches Hiro after activating in his bedroom] Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion.
Hiro: [surprised] Uh, hey... Bay-Baymax, I didn't know you were still... active.
Baymax: I heard a sound of distress. What seems to be the trouble?
Hiro: Oh, I just stubbed my toe a little. I'm fine.
Baymax: On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?
Hiro: A zero? I'm-I'm okay, really. Thanks. You can shrink now.
Baymax: Does it hurt when I touch it?
[He reaches down to touch Hiro's foot]
Hiro: No, no, no, that's okay. No touching. I'm fine...
[Hiro trips over a toolbox and falls backwards into the space between his bed and his desk. He tries to squeeze out but realizes he's stuck]
Baymax: You have fallen.
Hiro: [annoyed] Ya think?
-      Baymax: [upon looking at how his new armor fits over his rather round belly] I have some concerns.
-      Wasabi: My brain hates my eyes for seeing this.
-      Hiro: [after flying on Baymax] I am never taking the bus again.
[repeated line]
Baymax: Oh, no.
Hiro: Okay. If my aunt asks, we were at school all day. Got it?
Baymax: [loudly] We jumped out a window!
Hiro: No! Quiet! Shhh!
Baymax: [whispering] Shhh! We jumped out a window!
Hiro: You can't say things like that around Aunt Cass. Shhh!
Baymax: Shhh!
[Hiro walks up the stairs. Baymax tries to follow and faceplants on the first step, then pops back up]
Baymax: Shhh!
Cass: Hiro? You home, sweetie?
Hiro: Uh, that's right.
Cass: I thought I heard you. Hi.
Hiro: [casually] H-Hey, Aunt Cass.
Cass: Oh, look at my little college man. Oh, I can't wait to hear all about it! Oh, and wings are almost ready.
Baymax: Weeee!
Hiro: [whispers] Will you be quiet!
Cass: Yeah, weeee! Weeooh!
[as Hiro desperately tries to push Baymax upstairs, unseen]
Cass: All right, get ready to have your face melted! You are gonna feel these things tomorrow, you know what I'm saying? Okay, sit down, tell me everything.
[She turns around and Hiro's not there]
Hiro: [hurrying back down the stairs] Um, the thing is, since I registered so late, I've got a lot of school stuff to catch up on.
[Loud thud]
Cass: What was that?
Hiro: Mochi. Ooh, that darn cat!
[notices Mochi rubbing up against his legs]
Cass: Well, at least take a plate for the road, okay?
[Hiro quickly tosses Mochi into his room]
Cass: Don't work too hard.
Hiro: Thanks for understanding.
Baymax: [petting Mochi] Hairy baby! Hairy baaaby!
Hiro: All right, come on.
Baymax: Health care, your pers... personal Baymax companion.
Hiro: One foot in front of the other.
[Baymax tries to step into his charger, and keeps missing the step]
Fred: Ah, welcome to mi casa! It's French for 'front door'.
Honey Lemon: It's really... not. (A/N: So what’s ‘mi casa’ really French for?)
- Hiro: I don't know... We don't know anything about him.
Baymax: His blood type is AB negative, Cholesterol levels are...
Hiro: Baymax, you scanned him?
Baymax: I am programmed to assess everyone's health care needs.
Hiro: YES, I can use the data from your scan to find him! (A/N: Are scans really enough to determine someone’s blood type? Don’t you need a sample? Think mother and I are A+, BTW. Dad’s AB.)
-Hiro: Actually, if we're going to catch this guy, I need to upgrade all of you.
Wasabi: Upgrade who now?
Baymax: Those that suffer a loss require support from friends and loved ones.
Fred: [laughs excitedly] Oh-ho yeah, I like where this is heading...
Wasabi: We can't go up against that guy! We're nerds!
Honey Lemon: Hiro, we want to help, but we're just... us.
Hiro: No. You can be WAY more!
- Tadashi: Wow, a lot of sweet tech here today. How are you feeling?
Hiro: You're talking to an ex-bot fighter. Takes a lot more than this to rattle me.
Go Go: Yep, he's nervous.
Fred: Oh, you have nothing to fear, little fella.
Honey Lemon: He's so tense.
Hiro: No, I'm not!
Honey Lemon: Relax, Hiro. Your tech is amazing. Tell him, Go Go.
Go Go: Stop whining. Woman up.
Hiro: I'm fine!
Wasabi: What do you need, little man? Deodorant, breath mint, fresh pair of underpants?
Go Go: Underpants? You need serious help.
Wasabi: Hey, I come prepared.
Fred: I haven't done laundry in six months. One pair lasts me four days. I go front, I go back, I go inside out, then I go front and back.
[Wasabi dry-heaves]
Tadashi: Wow, that is both disgusting and awesome.
Go Go: Don't encourage him.
Fred: It's called recycling.
-Hiro: People keep saying he's not really gone, as long as we remember him. But it still hurts.
-  Hiro: Professor Callaghan, let him go! Is this what Abigail would have wanted?
Robert Callaghan: [grieved and angry] Abigail is GONE!
Hiro: This won't change anything. Trust me. I know.
[Callaghan's expression softens into a look of regret]
Alistair Krei: [scared] Listen to the kid, Callaghan. Please, l-let me go. I'll give you anything you want!
Robert Callaghan: [enraged] I want my daughter back!
- Go Go: [riding on Baymax with the rest of the team] Killer view!
Wasabi: Yeah, if I wasn't terrified of heights, I'd probably love this. But I'm terrified of heights, so I don't love it! (A/N: I can sympathesise; me terrified of heights too. XD)
-      Honey Lemon: No, don't push us away, Hiro. We're here for you. (A/N: Now suddenly I’m craving some honey lemon water … nice name. XD)
Hiro: It's over, Krei.
[Without his mask, Yokai stands up and turns around to Hiro, revealing he is Callaghan]
Hiro: [shocked] P-Professor Callaghan? The explosion... you died.
Robert Callaghan: No. I had your microbots.
[a flashback shows Callaghan using Hiro's microbots to protect himself from the fire earlier in the film]
Hiro: But... Tadashi... You just let him die...
Robert Callaghan: Give me the mask, Hiro.
Hiro: He went in there to SAVE you!
Robert Callaghan: That was HIS mistake!
[Baymax comes over to Hiro, who is feeling betrayed and angry]
Hiro: [indicating Callaghan, darkly] Baymax... destroy!
[Callaghan looks at Baymax and Hiro, horrified]
Baymax: My programming prevents me from injuring a human being.
Hiro: Not anymore.
[Hiro opens Baymax's access port, removing Tadashi's health care disc and leaving only the fighting disc]
Baymax: Hiro, this is not what...
[Hiro slams the access port closed, Baymax's eyes turn red]
Hiro: Do it, Baymax! Destroy him! (A/N: Would this be around the climax of the movie?)
So yeah, guess I’m just a big kid at heart, because I really enjoyed this movie! Like I told Pole numerous times throughout the movie, I want a Baymax for Christmas! I mean, who wouldn’t want a giant inflatable huggable can-do-like-everything friend?? Alas, Pole was unhelpful: she said since she introduced me to him, ‘twas up to somebody else to get me one for Christmas. So whoever’s reading this post right now, the onus is on you to get me one for Christmas! XD Oh,  I may have mentioned this before, so apologies if I have, but how come I kept hearing Baymax being called B-max? I don’t think I’m deaf …?
Next post here … think I’d better write my ‘five years’ post for the next five years; yes, july this year marked five years since my most beloved grandma moved up into heaven to live with god forever. Anyways, until then~
Cheers,
Em. ^^