May 15, 2017
Guardians of the Franchise
Well I did end up seeing Guardian's Vol 2, and while it was by no means a bad entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was no where near as amazing as the original. It might not be fair to even make the comparison. After all, Guardian's Vol. 1 is in my view one of the best sci-fi films ever. It vastly transcends the MCU's other films in just being a solidly great film, perfectly balancing humor with adventure and nostalgia. It's a tall order to try to match that. So I wasn't too surprised that Vol. 2 didn't quite live up to the original, but it does seem to me that once a really cool unique film finds success that movie execs suddenly become risk-adverse. It's a shame. I wish they would just let the story continue taking us to really cool and unexpected narratives. But I guess they would rather stick to the script, to scrape in as much cash as possible using the techniques that are proven sucessful and ultimately boring.
The acting was great, the effects par for the course; it's just the story that was really flat. I also think there was a massive missed opportunity here [spoiler alert] in not connecting the story with other characters in the overall MCU, especially considering the several scenes depicting Earth. They could have easily shown Spidey or Nick Fury watching on TV as the strange phenomenon was occurring on Earth.
So overall, not bad but not even close to as awesome as Vol. 1. ... In other movie-related news, there is a new trailer for the Blade Runner sequel!
This is the only movie that really matters to me this year. Blade Runner is such an important film. It still has some of the most gorgeous imagery, the rain-drenched neon-lit dystopia. It has aged beautifully when compared to other films based on PKD's works. The story is deeply intriguing. The characters incredibly fascinating.
The sequel looks like it has everything going for it. A great cast featuring Ryan Gosling, and most importantly including Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos reprising their roles. The cinematography from the trailers looks great. One of the writers (Micheal Green) contributed to Logan which was fantastic. The director (Denis Villeneuve) previously directed The Arrival which was also fantastic (he is also set to direct a new adaptation of Dune).
Labels: Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies
May 4, 2017
May The Forth And Movie News
Since it's officially Star Wars Day I'm going to just say it: I think Rogue One is maybe the best Star Wars film! The characters are amazing! It's the only prequel to the original that we really need, and it's just a lot of fun. It certainly holds it's own with Empire, and Force Awakens. I am really excited to see The Last Jedi later this year!
In other news, this new trailer for Thor looks really great! I'm happy that it's directed by Taika Waititi who had a demonstrated talent with comedy (Eagle Vs Shark, Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in Shadows).
There is also a new Alien Covenant scene that connects the events of Prometheus with the next movie. This scene looks very intriguing to say the least. I hope Covenant expands on the world of the engineers.
What I'm most excited for really is Guardian's of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which opens tomorrow! I've been looking forward to this ever since I walked out of the theater after seeing Vol. 1.
Labels: Alien, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, The Last Jedi
December 31, 2016
Best Movies of 2016
Looking back at the movies in 2016. There were a few diamonds in the rough.
2016 was a worse that usual year for super hero films. The two from DC Comics and Warner brothers are miserable. The two from Marvel/Disney were about average. Fox, who opened the door to this genre with the original X–Men film, brought us one better than average and one excellent super hero film.
The Best:
- Rogue One – some of the reviews for this film were surprisingly lukewarm or critical of the film. This seems pretty surprisingly unfair considering it really is a stellar entry into the Star Wars franchise.
- Midnight Special – this one is tied for first place. This was a very interesting story that contained a lot of elements of the supernatural movies I loved as a kid.
- Captain Fantastic – this might be the best movie I watched this year. Matt Ross, the actor who plays Gavin Belson in Silicon Valley, has written and directed a hilarious story about a family integrating with society after living in isolation. It's a beautifully filmed story of interesting people, with a powerful message about what really matters in life.
- 10 Cloverfield Lane – I was a fan of the original Cloverfield so I was pretty shocked to hear that a sequel was in the works. This turned out to be even better than the first film, and far more frighting and intriguing.
- Deadpool – I was completely shocked by how great was Deadpool. I went to see it with low expectations and what I watched was much better than I would have expected. Deadpool takes a lot of chances and it payed off very well. First of all, the movie is rated R, which is a big deal for a genre of films usually targeted to kids. Deadpool is most certainly not. It's very adult themed although filled with pretty juvenile humor. It works really well. You don't have to take anything too seriously because the main character and the movie itself takes nothing seriously.
Just OK:
- Ghostbusters – the newest Ghostbusters film was pretty good but not great. But even accomplishing that is a pretty awesome achievement especially considering the huge expectations that were placed on this film. I think it could have worked a lot better as a sequel to the original films rather than a stand–alone reboot of the franchise. Really, a few tweaks of the script and it could have followed the events established in the original.
- MCU films – Marvel/Disney brought us two pretty average entries to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Captain America Cival War, and Dr. Strange. These films were alright, but it seems that Marvel/Disney are playing it safe. The ending to Dr Strange was pretty great though. It will be intersting to see how that character interacts with the greater MCU.
Biggest Disappointments:
- Passengers – Passengers felt like an episode of Sex in the City set in a space mall. On paper the film looked perfect: a great cast and an interesting idea. And the cast was great with perfect chemistry, it's just he story had no plot. It was almost so bad it crossed into the so–bad–its–good territory. It almost felt like it was a joke. I kept thinking: They couldn’t possibly expect us to take this seriously right? The occasional falling roomba helped to lend credibility to the idea that the movie was a prank.
- Batman vs. Superman – everyone should have known this would be a bad movie. And it lived up to those terrible expectations. It was even worse than expected. I didn't bother to see Seaside Squad after the reviews came in, and knowing it was following the footsteps of this behemoth disaster.
Labels: Captain Fantastic, DC Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Midnight Special, movies, science fiction
December 25, 2016
Sci-Fi Films in 2017
2017 should be a fantastic year for sci-fi films! It's almost amazing to think about what's in store! We have 3 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, the final Wolverine film staring Hugh Jackman, a live-action remake of Ghost in the Shell, Star Wars Episode 8, Alien Covenant (another prequel to Alien/sequel to Prometheus), the story that inspired The Fifth Element, an adaptation of The Dark Tower … and most importantly … the long-awaited sequel to Blade Runner!!
As for Sci-fi shows there some strong ones there as well: the book Altered Carbon is coming to Netflix, which will also bring us three updates to the MCU (with: Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher – a spin-off of Daredevil season 2).
Here are some trailers:
Blade Runner 2049
To say this is the film I'm most looking forward to would be an understatement. The original Blade Runner is my all time favorite sci-fi film. It is a masterpiece of cinema, and although it's getting some age on it, it visually still holds up with today's cinema, even as films made much later are looking far more dated by contrast. The original Blade Runner is a visual splendor. From the trailer it looks like this sequel will carry on that tradition. I have confidence that with Scott producing and Denis Villeneuve directing (who also directed this year's Arrival) this will be a great film.
Alien Covenant
The sequel to Prometheus prequel to Alien should hopefully answer some questions as to how the events in Prometheus lead to the events in Alien.
Valérian and the City of 1000 Planets
This might be the best science fiction film of the year. It's from Luc Besson and it's based on the French comic-book story that inspired elements of his The Fifth Element (such as the flying taxi-cabs and so on).
The Dark Tower – if you're a fan of Stephen King's work and you've read the Dark Tower series then you know that all of his creations are tied to this story. It has been hinted at in the past that there could someday be a cinematic adaptation. For instance, in the opening scenes of The Myst, the protagonist is painting a movie poster that is clearly inspired by Roland of the Gunslinger. A trailer hopefully coming soon...
Ghost in the Shell
It seems a bit odd to cast a character who is a Japanese android as a caucasian, but other than that it looks like a nearly shot for shot recreation of the original Anime. BTW, the protagonist of the original Ghost in the Shell is considered to be the inspiration of the character Trinity in the Matrix trilogy.
Logan – The trailer begins with the Johnny Cash song Hurt. I think that speaks a lot to what sort of movie this will me. The final performance of Hugh Jackman as Wolverion/Logan should be a real trip. Watch the trailer.
Six new entries into the MCU:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Watch the trailer.
Spiderman: Homecoming – Watch the trailer.
Thor Ragnarok – We don't yet have an actual trailer for Thor Ragnarok, but we do have this.
Iron Fist – Watch the trailer.
The Defenders – Watch the trailer.
The Punisher – No trailer yet, but you can re-watch a trailer for Daredevil season 2 for the origins of this character in the MCU.
Star Wars Episode 8.
We don't know the subtitle yet for the next, so a trailer might be a while off.
Labels: Alien, Blade Runner, Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies, science fiction, Star Wars
November 6, 2016
Exciting New Trailers: GOTG Vol. 2 & Logan
A week ago a couple trailers for some upcoming Marvel films were released.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Not much to see here being that it's just a teaser, but it is exciting none the less. I just can't wait to see how Marvel is going to connect the dots between Guardians and the Avengers.
Logan
Possibly the final appearance of Hugh Jackman playing the part of Wolverine. This film introduces the character of X-23 and appears to be set in the future following the new time line set forth by the events in Days of Future Past.
Probably the most exciting news about this film is that it will be a Rated-R Wolverine film. This might be thanks to the huge success the R-Rated Deadpool had early this year. Whatever the reason, this will give Wolverine a chance to finally really get his claws out and into some badguys. The trailer itself is beautifully done, featuring the cover of Hurt by Johnny Cash, and showing scenes of Wolverine looking surprisingly vulnerable to physical harm.
Labels: Guardians of the Galaxy, Logan, Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies, Wolverine, X-Men
May 18, 2016
Cutting the Cord
Cable subscriptions are becoming somewhat like video rental store memberships—a relic of the past. (RIP Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Video World)
I've finally taken the plunge and cut my cable subscription. I was a cable subscriber, but after persistent price jumps it just didn't seem like a value.
I was a little apprehensive to give up cable, but with devices like Roku and Apple TV, and online options like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and Sling TV, it's a lot easier to cut the cord. All you need is a decent internet connection. TV is now more accessible than ever, leaving cable boxes and subscriptions in the dust. The key is getting the right set of apps to suit your needs.
For me, Netflix is the best entertainment app, having overall the best selection of shows. And there are no commercials. Netflix also offers a great selection of originals, with shows like Orange is the New Black, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows such as Jessica Jones and Daredevil. They keep coming out with new shows that look great, and they are not afraid to take risks on par with HBO. I'm really looking forward to the re-imagined Voltron, and the 80s supernatural mystery Stranger Things.
Speaking of HBO, the HBO Now service makes it much easier to give up the relationship with your high-maintenance cable provider.
Hulu seems to have the best selection of shows you'd find from networks, and also a decent library of films. Hulu also now offers a commercial free option similar to Netflix, but it is somewhat more expensive.
Sling TV offers live television for only $20 a month that includes some of the best channels you'd find on cable (TBS, AMC, Comedy Central, TNT, CNN, ESPN, etc). For me, this was what really made cutting my cable subscription seem like a no-brainer. Sling allows you to add on some extra channels a-la-carte style if you're intersted.
Comparing costs. At first cable will try to sweet talk you with a cheap monthly cost. But after a time they often raise their rates, and may not make it clear what the price will be after the promotional period. A full cable subscription can cost well over $100. Whereas with streaming apps (and a cheap antenna for local over-the-air broadcasts) you can spend a lot less, even cut your costs by half.
Typical cable subscription: $120ish/month (typical price after promo period)
Cutting the cord: Hulu $12 (no commercial plan) + Netflix $10 + HBO Now $15 + Sling $20 = $57/month
And since you're using technology like your smartphone, you can access your content pretty much anywhere. The best thing about these services is that you can turn them on and off whenever you want, so no need for uncertain contracts, or glitchy cable boxes.
I'm really excited that Google Fiber is coming to Charlotte, and for the competition this forces upon the internet providers. I've already noticed that local internet providers are offering big upgrades in internet speed for free. Competition is always a good thing.
There are a lot of cross overs between Hulu and Netflix, such as: every Star Trek series, Firefly, Parks and Rec, etc. But the excellent original content on Netflix, plus the amount of shows that are exclusive to Hulu make it easy to consider having both.
Amazon Prime exclusive shows: Catastrophe, The Man in the High Castle, Orphan Black, Mr Robot, older HBO shows, Downton Abbey
Hulu exclusive shows: Brooklyn Nine Nine, Seinfield, Party Down,
Netflix exclusive shows: Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Orange is the New Black, Master of None, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Stranger Things
Labels: hulu, Jessica Jones, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Netflix, SlingTV, technology
April 28, 2016
The Rise of Cinematic Universes
In recent years there has been an increase in cinematic universes—collections of films that share the same world. Shared fictional universes have been existed in literature throughout history. For example: J.R.R. Tolkien's stories all exist in the world of Middle Earth.
Although technically shared cinematic universes have been around for some time, with Godzilla vs King King in the 1960s, and even earlier with Universal's Monster movie films, it was Disney and Marvel that really brought to life the first epic connected universe of films, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately Marvel and Disney can't unite all of the vast catalogue of Marvel characters. Any Marvel characters whose powers are derived from mutations fall under the domain of Fox.
Disney and Marvel are working with all of the non-Mutant Marvel characters in the Marvel catalogue, and in some cases non-mutant versions of characters (such as Quicksiver, who has appeared in both the X-men series, and the MCU). Marvel has worked a deal with Sony (who had exclusive rights to the characters in the Spiderman series) to bring Peter Parker into the MCU. His first appearance was in Captain America Cival War, the most recent Marvel Film.
Fox is also expanding the X-Men/Mutant cinematic universe, with the recent Deadpool spinoff and plans for films based on Gambit, in addition to a last stand-alone Wolverine film, and future X-Men films.
DC Shared Cinematic Universe—DC/Warner Brothers are trying to copy the success of Marvel/Disney with a shared cinematic universe of their own. This began with the Superman reboot Man of Steel.
Universal's Monsters—Universal is rebooting it's Monster series of films into a shared world of films.
Transformers/G.I.Joe/MASK/etc—There are rumors also that Hasbro is working on it's own cinematic universe, which would combine G.I. Joe with Transformers and MASK, etc.
Really with the popularity of cinematic universes lately, anything could happen. Patton Oswalt explains in this hilarious Parks and Rec rant.
Image of Milky Way from European Space Observatory | CC BY 4.0
Labels: Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies
February 13, 2016
A Darker Super Hero
Lately we're starting to see some Marvel Super Heroes portrayed in a much darker light.
Last winter I got caught up in the Netflix show Jessica Jones, a series that is part of Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. (The Marvel Cinematic Universe includes basically every character who is not a 'Mutant' – 20th Century Fox owns the rights to those Marvel Comics characters.) What really drew me to Jessica Jones was its very dark and disturbing subject matter, which by the way earned it a TV-MA rating. Wile dealing with characters who have super powers, it also dealt with mature themes of grief, addiction, isolation, jealously, abuse, etc. This makes the characters more realistic and interesting. I really loved the show (you can read more about what I thought about Jessica Jones here).
Jessica Jones was so good I decided I had to give Daredevil a try. And not surprisingly, Daredevil is also a great show, for many of the same reasons. The two shows are unique, but what they have in common is that they focus on one character (and their supporting friends) as they deal with every day life, while working to combat villains who may not be as obvious as Loki or Ultron, but are just as corrupt and dangerous.
A Man With Principle
The Catholic aspect of Daredevil makes the show a little more interesting for me personally. It adds an element of inner conflict for the hero, feeling the strain for doing what's ethically right verses doing what is necessary to stop injustice. Daredevil is the alter ego of Matt Murdock. Like Jessica Jones whose day job is being a private investigator, Matt also has a day job, which is being a Lawyer working for the disadvantaged in Hells Kitchen in NYC. Matt happens to be blind due to an accident in his childhood, but which also gave him incredible powers of sense with his other four senses, which he has kept a secret even from his closest friends.
Most of the time Murdock is trying to track down and stop the one responsible for increasing crime and injustice in his corner of the city. That person is Kingpin, a secretive and powerful figure who runs a world of greed and corruption. He seems to have infinite resources and control over the city, with many of those charged with protecting the city in his pocket. Ironically, he sees himself as a savior of the city, trying to rebuild it into a brighter tomorrow. But his means to an end lack any sort of humanity.
Murdock gets help from his friends, who while unaware of his secret, are also trying to find a way to bring to justice those who are inflicting pain and cruelty to the city. Being TV-MA, and being a full series, allows both Daredevil and Jessica Jones to dig deep into difficult subjects and relationships, such as: divorce, honestly, guilt, police corruption, the principals of traditional journalism caught in the economics of new technology, etc. This gives the comic based TV series a real edge over their feature film counterparts.
By the way, Netflix must realize they have struck gold with their deal with Disney to distribute these shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I also just watched Marvel's Deadpool – another surprisingly mature-themed depiction of comic book characters...
A Man Without Principles
When I think of the character of Wolverine, there is no actor other than Hugh Jackman that feels appropriate to portray him (when I was a kid, I thought no one other than Clint Eastwood could pull of the role). I now would say the same thing about Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds is as suited to play the part of Wade Wilson as Jackman is to play Logan.
The movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine was not great. But it can be regarded as the movie that spawned two great follow-ups, which in my opinion are the two best films in the X-men series – The Wolverine and Deadpool. The character of Deadpool/Wade Wilson was introduced in Origins, and Reynolds was one of the best parts of pretty lousy film. Luckily, the X-Men franchise rebounded with First Class and the events of Days of Future Past presumable undid the unfortunate fate of Wade Wilson in Origins, leaving his character available to be rebooted in a much better film.
Deadpool, like Dare Devil, also deals with injustice, but from a far less altruistic point of view. Unlike Matt Murdock, Wade Wilson does not strive to be a good guy. He accepts the fact that he's no hero, he just wants to make those that are a lot worse than him face justice, by any means necessary, and without remorse. But most importantly, he just wants to get his girl back. That's really the whole point of the movie: it's a love story, a very disturbed, bloody and violent story of true love. But the simplicity of his motivation is by no means a detraction to this film.
One of the things that makes Deadpool unique are the jokes. Most comics seem to have at least some level of humor, but nothing compares to Wade's incredible sarcastic and cynical sense of humor. This is especially possible because of another very unique characteristic of Deadpool – his character breaks the 'fourth wall' (ie he talks to the comic reader, or in this case, the movie-watching audience) throughout the film, which allows for another layer of jokes at the expense of not just the characters in this movie, or elsewhere in the X-Men universe, but even non-Fox-owned Marvel characters and DC Comic characters alike, or even figures of pop culture and current events. The jokes have to be good for this to work, and they really are fantastic.
Note: This is the first X-Men film not to have at least a cameo of Wolverine – although he gets one or two very funny mentions along the way.
This is the first R-Rated Marvel movie, and as such it's intended for a mature audience. And Deadpool does not pull any punches when it comes to the content of this film. The profanity, the nudity, the violence are all very gratuitous. Based on likely box office results, I doubt this will be the last R-Rated Marvel film.