Prepare for the arrival of Thor, and Natalie Portman

I was wondering, what is it you think of when you hear the name Thor? You know, the Norse god of Thunder. A mythological being that lives in Asgard, and is the source of the day of the week called Thursday.



For those only slightly familiar with the mythology, you likely think of a big dirty Viking. Maybe you envision Arnold Schwarzenegger from the movie Conan the Barbarian. Either view would likely be very accurate. Of course some comic book fans would point to the character that Marvel has had for decades. And the subject of a 2011 comic book to movie conversion.



Which brings me to the point of this. Natalie Portman has been signed on to portray the nurse of Thor. In the comics she in fact takes care of the weak human host of Thor, Dr. Donald Blake. He is the human embodiment of Thor on Earth. At least as Marvel’s backstory goes. Dr. Blake is average in most respects, until he strikes his cane to the ground and becomes Thor. But if that sounds too silly don’t worry. Marvel has reportedly killed that part of the backstory. So the deity that is Thor will have a human nurse, for whatever reason he might need it.

So who is Thor? Who commands lightning, has the strength to lift 100 tons, does not fall ill, has a body that Lou Ferrigno and the Governator would both be jealous of? Chris Hemsworth.



Not too impressive huh? Well if you are wondering who he is (and I did), if you saw the mess that is the Star Trek relaunch (revisioning) then you saw him for a minute or 2. He was George Kirk, father of James T. Kirk – future captain of the Enterprise. If you are looking for another movie role to judge Hemsworth by, and he needs it, you need to wait for this years’ A Perfect Getaway or the revisioning of Red Dawn next year. But either way, he is Thor.

He hardly looks Nordic to me. Blond hair might help but he is no Max Von Syndow, Kirk Douglas, or even Rutger Hauer for that matter. Still I am far from an expert on Nordic looks. He has nothing on Vikings, though I imagine that there must have been smaller, weaker Vikings somewhere. And as for the mythological looks, don’t even get me started.

Will this be a good movie?

Way too soon to tell. But we do know this. Thor is at best a teir-2 Marvel comic. So the fanbase is hardly huge. Plus we know that there will be plenty of CGI as Hemsworth is hardly a bodybuilder, let alone a Norse god. We can also assume that Portman is around to distract the men from any non-action scenes. This will cut down on the need for a plot or solid writing, as all we need is her in danger and in tight dresses. Thus I expect this film to be about as good as Ang Lee’s Hulk.

Hopefully I am wrong. And there is more than enough time to prove me so. I hope Marvel uses it.

Like Bugs Bunny the Washington Natioal Opera and Wagner are struck down

Sometimes you have to wonder what Odin would have thought. Specifically about Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung a version of the Nibelungenlied. Now some readers may wonder what this opera is and why they might care.

The thing is that far more people know this famous opera than think they do. It has been the subject of multiple stroylines (including an interesting take in the anime Cyborg 009) in film. The music from the various operas have lasted over a century now, and can be heard in fare as diverse as a Bugs Bunny cartoon



to Apocalypse Now – a great scene in the film.



So it’s worth just discussing for at least a moment. And this all came up because the Washington Natioal Opera has just decided to cancel the performance of all 4 operas that make up the Ring. They are doing so because of the current financial difficulty that we all are expereincing. And that is a shame.

To see the full opera is to understand the full story of the Norse Gods and their demise. In total the 4 parts can take up to 4 nights and 15 hours in total. The sheer magnitude of the entirety is unmatched, and perhaps the only medium and story that comes close to the same degree of enormity would be Star Wars (though elements of the story seem to have inspired parts of the Lord of the Rings). Yet this has no special effect, and has been performed long before film existed.

Thus to hear that Washingon National Opera was planning this was a joy. Plácido Domingo would have had his work cutout for him no matter the economy. To hear that Odin, The Norse and Midgard have been destroyed yet again by mere money is sad in a manner.

This means that likely the only way to see the complete Ring cycle will have to be in Seattle in 2009, unless the economy ends that as well. For an opera that has inspired and touched so many for so long, I was hoping for better.