You normal earthlings will want to read and/or listen to this review by Fresh Air’s David Edelstein:

But the villain is on a different level. The studio doesn’t want me to utter his name, though I’ll tell you it’s not Voldemort. You probably know who it is. In any case, he’s played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who made Sherlock Holmes his own and makes this character his, too.

Even without makeup, Cumberbatch looks alien, ravenlike in repose, with a preternatural stillness, his eyes so wide apart they could have twice the peripheral vision of humans. He’s beyond pain, beyond good and evil — a Nietzschean superman.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cumberbatch if you need someone to fetch your coffee or fold your tshirts… well, give me a call.

Our intrepid group had a wonderful time last night – fun on a social level and I think everyone enjoyed the movie. I sure did! I jumped a few times and cringed a few times but mainly I really liked it. There were plenty of references to the previous story lines, some funny and some quite serious. If you don’t spend your time comparing it to decades of Star Trek in all its iterations, you can have a great time too!

thanks Naomi and my work pals who turned out to see the 2D version last night. The whole audience (not packed but serious watchers*) had a good time.

These people a couple rows ahead of us offered a photo op:

* I used to think that people who went to midnight movie openings were a little odd. Now I realize that if you want to see a movie, why not see it with people who are interested, really interested in seeing it? People who will willingly laugh and applaud and express their thoughts and enjoyment. There are too few times in life when you get to have that communal shared experience of some new piece of art, so seize the chance!

waiting for movie
waiting for movie to start
bring on Cumberbatch.

Made it through the day without ticking anyone off or anything serious, nothing involving or needing minions. I count that as a good day, don’t you?

Having a few hours to kill before star trek time, I found some dinner (thank you chipotle), stopped and picked up the tickets (thank you fandango) and am now re-caffeinating (thank you starbucks).

There’s this from the NYTimes:

Mr. Cumberbatch, pale and intense, has become the object of a global fan cult, and it’s easy to see why. Whether playing a hero (as in “Sherlock”) or a villain, he fuses Byronic charisma with an impatient, imperious intelligence that seems to raise the ambient I.Q. whenever he’s on screen.

And then this from the Guardian and others:

“So sepulchrally resonant that it could have been synthesised from the combined timbres of Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Alan Rickman holding an elocution contest down a well,” sighed The Independent’s Jonathan Romney. “The deep-voiced Cumberbatch asserts fully self-justified treachery”, asserted The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy.

Yeah, that. And in other interviews I’ve seen the man is also extremely funny, able to laugh at himself and able to rise above idiotic TV hosts. Yup. Keep working Mr. Cumberbatch!

Yeah, there are only a few reasons I can imagine using this… and the first one smells strongly of spam, LOL. Do you use it? Tell me why?

Sandy came back from The Netherlands and she brought me this quote:

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it. – Roald Dahl