tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46661719081952048032024-02-19T07:06:42.836-08:00Smells Like Old NerdJeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-46161258857086057912023-12-24T10:46:00.000-08:002023-12-27T19:23:34.807-08:00Sleeping with the Fishes: Aquaman 2 and the Death of the DCEU<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCzCKqwimxI_keinu__X7XYv0IXObUCZdqlaJPAY0A9inj5dXENhIcgDTTRM2ZKs3Xo2yt1kFX1_bCckfn0pq7JwwuHRPgDNKMcsxQYI2pGY0edASNi0gzpx2FaiTUzB1t5X2jVCf5nfr91PHcd65pPb6fwjWIzBnF0rSkwJKzlpe24Uc25-N-nXIXIIK/s3000/aquaman2poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCzCKqwimxI_keinu__X7XYv0IXObUCZdqlaJPAY0A9inj5dXENhIcgDTTRM2ZKs3Xo2yt1kFX1_bCckfn0pq7JwwuHRPgDNKMcsxQYI2pGY0edASNi0gzpx2FaiTUzB1t5X2jVCf5nfr91PHcd65pPb6fwjWIzBnF0rSkwJKzlpe24Uc25-N-nXIXIIK/s320/aquaman2poster.jpg" width="216" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">What began with so much ambition ten years ago with <i>Man</i> <i>of</i> <i>Steel</i> in 2013, gurgles its way to a watery grave with this weekend's release of <i>Aquaman</i> <i>and</i> <i>the</i> <i>Lost</i> <i>Kingdom</i>. I feel bad for director James Wan and everyone involved in <i>A&TLK</i> as this project arrives with an air of total futility about it. Honestly, even if it wasn't already known that the DC cinematic universe was due to be rebooted, I think <i>A&TLK</i> would have had the same inevitable last gasp vibe to it. Exhaustion clings to this movie like barnacles to a boat. It feels like the DCEU has been utterly played out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D8n6GVSjjxpXi22FnTga524IWI7QisXLizlD79af1ufn9ZqAT1pGzM1jwon0MWQc2S-dZcW80tFh-zHO48D0XXaDfUOYhsickkun0adrQuXDwgXkXscYJpw4Bnz4XF25dPrKMaQ2zXU51zQhTCDjNSi0XuuV-Rz2O3y4NUeP15TLRvk-rGnhfTa2ldtq/s2048/aquaman2018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2D8n6GVSjjxpXi22FnTga524IWI7QisXLizlD79af1ufn9ZqAT1pGzM1jwon0MWQc2S-dZcW80tFh-zHO48D0XXaDfUOYhsickkun0adrQuXDwgXkXscYJpw4Bnz4XF25dPrKMaQ2zXU51zQhTCDjNSi0XuuV-Rz2O3y4NUeP15TLRvk-rGnhfTa2ldtq/s320/aquaman2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In 2018, the first <i>Aquaman</i> was a breath of fresh air for the DCEU. Colorful, unabashedly embracing of its fantasy elements and bereft of any hint of dreary edge lord attitude, James Wan showed that the DC universe could go all in on fun and that audiences would respond. It became the most successful film in the DCEU, bringing in the kind of box office results that were typically associated with the MCU. Given the fact that it grossed over a billion dollars, a sequel was always going to happen. But in between then and now, the plug was pulled on the DCEU in the wake of 2022's <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i> and as soon as that happened, everything that was already in the pipeline, including A&TLK, instantly felt dead on arrival. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKgbS_IxEn39sgpviVR2yCCLzFZ9TkImnQfDznWQZxQVfalN86z_Q0NvgEt9xfXvNO_WyjqCTAbQj3GBT8lREU942dFZ9YXu-k5mChDdSdWGa_YZL77pz9xSNkY93kwRiwq0qAxSz_in1elTXoxU-6-76Cwjv-u6MPPxBXcetX-8IK71oc5bq-FJN-W-y/s1000/flash_barrycu.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKgbS_IxEn39sgpviVR2yCCLzFZ9TkImnQfDznWQZxQVfalN86z_Q0NvgEt9xfXvNO_WyjqCTAbQj3GBT8lREU942dFZ9YXu-k5mChDdSdWGa_YZL77pz9xSNkY93kwRiwq0qAxSz_in1elTXoxU-6-76Cwjv-u6MPPxBXcetX-8IK71oc5bq-FJN-W-y/s320/flash_barrycu.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Perhaps if <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> had done a better job of wrapping up the previous era and setting up the next, <i>A&TLK</i> wouldn't have felt so much like an afterthought but it didn't - if anything <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> only made everything more muddled - and so <i>A&TLK</i> arrives less as a fond farewell to the last ten years but as exactly what it is: the unintended end of an era, devoid of any special fanfare. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxGDwyt15Fix7fFs-3nw25fM2nP7sZrXlGvEKwMNxMv_KQh_xtUWrpiSIhMUk4m-c3y8lQcMScjcnlwuloXJMP5Ak9vYksesAxRif0ZNtcbriQ1YuCfnIHtvK8t7VUZ4ScTZ6W0smTgdwCnIBJOKsZPOX-L02S99JBsqaGLBHNKxyxbUoveL14QXMhoRz/s1500/momoa_wilson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxGDwyt15Fix7fFs-3nw25fM2nP7sZrXlGvEKwMNxMv_KQh_xtUWrpiSIhMUk4m-c3y8lQcMScjcnlwuloXJMP5Ak9vYksesAxRif0ZNtcbriQ1YuCfnIHtvK8t7VUZ4ScTZ6W0smTgdwCnIBJOKsZPOX-L02S99JBsqaGLBHNKxyxbUoveL14QXMhoRz/s320/momoa_wilson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">That's something that was beyond the control of anyone involved with <i>A&TLK</i> but as I said earlier, had this arrived in a world where the DCEU was still pushing on, I think it would have still left audiences with an overwhelming sense of "why are we still doing this?" Or even more specifically, "...why did we need an <i>Aquaman</i> <i>2</i>?" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklE1rRqkYDFslIZQDvHiHbP-JxMOWu8HsgK4LEh3834fMsn2WJgleMsjzIeNXSTF_iXb2WKn7DhdlZdRwLgDTA1lCNMfzKb-8TE7XQlzMpnsv6wa2t24nH3CFdu104lPTRAaZc2cAd1CwR7EK9T9_K7ybffCPJBPqGdfyhdlj8lrDJBhS9FYFvdX7HTEN/s1000/wan_aquaman.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklE1rRqkYDFslIZQDvHiHbP-JxMOWu8HsgK4LEh3834fMsn2WJgleMsjzIeNXSTF_iXb2WKn7DhdlZdRwLgDTA1lCNMfzKb-8TE7XQlzMpnsv6wa2t24nH3CFdu104lPTRAaZc2cAd1CwR7EK9T9_K7ybffCPJBPqGdfyhdlj8lrDJBhS9FYFvdX7HTEN/s320/wan_aquaman.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The answer to that, of course, is that no movie as successful as <i>Aquaman</i> was ever going to not have a Part 2 - especially when it was part of an ongoing cinematic universe. But as much as Wan tries to recapture the same sense of fun as the original, it's clear that he left it all on the table with the first film. Some characters aren't meant to support a string of sequels. Not every character lends themselves to a franchise and I think that's definitely true of Aquaman. If nothing else, it definitely can be said that if there was going to be an <i>Aquaman</i> <i>2</i>, they should have found someone else who was as eager to put their stamp on the character as Wan was when he did the original. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wOv7dENjXEiNn3q0NQL-r5ZecjfHQto3SRGQABO1V-hLuKA1W3vtYqvjmyrPjNRGghPHziiFsJE8tRIhHRc-IzABQZFxzfN-8YR_r7nOy9DjwAouIwVUpy1OMsfL3CYR7xYNGRoTV3-L_uvXg2t3eFRN7wmvcLDbJq04wmeiZPGc1e5vYxeCRy2DdEPj/s681/aquaman2_wilsonandmomoa.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="681" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wOv7dENjXEiNn3q0NQL-r5ZecjfHQto3SRGQABO1V-hLuKA1W3vtYqvjmyrPjNRGghPHziiFsJE8tRIhHRc-IzABQZFxzfN-8YR_r7nOy9DjwAouIwVUpy1OMsfL3CYR7xYNGRoTV3-L_uvXg2t3eFRN7wmvcLDbJq04wmeiZPGc1e5vYxeCRy2DdEPj/s320/aquaman2_wilsonandmomoa.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As with the first film, there are plenty of cool designs here involving the various Atlantean technology, undersea environments, and fantastical creatures (in <i>A&TLK</i>'s best moments, Wan leans into the horror vibe - there's even a neat aural shout out to <i>Texas</i> <i>Chain</i> <i>Saw</i> <i>Massacre</i> at one point) but there's nothing here that outdoes or improves on anything in the first film and it's hard not to get the sense that Wan is fully aware of that too. Add to that the fact that this is all in support of a franchise - both Aquaman and the larger DCEU itself - that we all know is finished and this just feels like one exhausted sigh of a movie. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fhdrPfanPtnmiff40CSgk6UANpu335juC8J9FwTZEsAxFkT7sfOxfJEiuxf_C4HKHebhfQYvzo0L0HXSEqoDDlpmyyZHcn-4VcpWVLjcxD-hbssSITJcE8oGtwY6jkpcPTKbQvT-t2dWDvIo1R7Jzi8hRyx0pFXqxBDvvPmQl4USkB2yqFywA_16pUn1/s500/aquaman_trident.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fhdrPfanPtnmiff40CSgk6UANpu335juC8J9FwTZEsAxFkT7sfOxfJEiuxf_C4HKHebhfQYvzo0L0HXSEqoDDlpmyyZHcn-4VcpWVLjcxD-hbssSITJcE8oGtwY6jkpcPTKbQvT-t2dWDvIo1R7Jzi8hRyx0pFXqxBDvvPmQl4USkB2yqFywA_16pUn1/s320/aquaman_trident.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It may not have started off as such but the fact that <i>A&TLK</i> was completed with the full knowledge that it would end up serving as the last word on the DCEU definitely puts the last lines of the movie in an amusing light. Yes, the train was already on the tracks when the plug was pulled on the DCEU so there was no way to rethink the movie in its entirety in order to put a respectful cap on the past decade of films but Jason Momoa's final speech easily could've been rewritten on the fly to send things out on a more slightly elegiac note, had they wanted to - especially as the occasion that he's addressing is one of change, of moving from one era to the next with a spirit of hope. So his words could have worked in the context of the film while also applying to the meta context of the moment. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8r-6603XTkk6t3lA9pJd0R3HIw66olJBZB5cZMpqC8GpdbczDKORp0rT7HkM-ep6zYLFhyphenhyphenNb7qBDyQnKSpO7nT0s61mMSMV9hMkkFU5MG5FKIYJRTJ2EeITy2-Fx-r_Bb43x7Z5-Tru8tUo7u7ODJ8n5axFoESzAJcOULS98ALZaYiGw7KLy8Zjd0oza/s1200/aquaman_throne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8r-6603XTkk6t3lA9pJd0R3HIw66olJBZB5cZMpqC8GpdbczDKORp0rT7HkM-ep6zYLFhyphenhyphenNb7qBDyQnKSpO7nT0s61mMSMV9hMkkFU5MG5FKIYJRTJ2EeITy2-Fx-r_Bb43x7Z5-Tru8tUo7u7ODJ8n5axFoESzAJcOULS98ALZaYiGw7KLy8Zjd0oza/s320/aquaman_throne.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">But they straight up said "nope" to that and I guess in the end I have to respect that the last words spoken in the DCEU (and I'm paraphrasing) are "...I'm Aquaman! Woo! Yeah!" I don't know if I would call it a "fuck you" to the DCEU per se but it definitely feels like, hey this is our moment and we're not sharing it and we're going to revel in the fact that freaking Aquaman of all characters is the last one standing and the last one out the door. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUpJKqehTFGJ7vQWSbTwQ5lu4IOe38xVjhopbfckY0NC4o_7CTLQzqqjhm4eDt53fp5JU3EXp9zJ2qD10VMMzElf6AssD68ozFp79A_Cix51X4nLaOJV9dY_5RDXiR52PcIuHpY3mPuq2wnMLQESvoMs_PL9nBoQ93E5AXMbELTj0rW1ie2JXpjeEAVZu/s640/aquaman_mad.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUpJKqehTFGJ7vQWSbTwQ5lu4IOe38xVjhopbfckY0NC4o_7CTLQzqqjhm4eDt53fp5JU3EXp9zJ2qD10VMMzElf6AssD68ozFp79A_Cix51X4nLaOJV9dY_5RDXiR52PcIuHpY3mPuq2wnMLQESvoMs_PL9nBoQ93E5AXMbELTj0rW1ie2JXpjeEAVZu/s320/aquaman_mad.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Now, there may well have been zero message underlying Momoa's last words but when the mid credit scene has a character happily eating a cockroach, it's hard not to feel like this wasn't a warm or respectful goodbye to the DCEU. I have to imagine there was a feeling of being fucked over once James Gunn's reboot was announced and if some resentment towards that manifested in the movie in some way, it wouldn't be surprising. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMcYkErMafdl_NPuEMOcNWBd2UBcMAP9OEZ9TuBPPYlzpaLx-WukK-dp-UerJ4iM5Z4qu8qz6g0PBtqD-QZ7p0Ol7-jLuB5CpErxABS8sAfuo8snw3f-icg4v6dMJZmHLo72Irsw7PVw_vWUtslX3sbYe4_GDn7dLqqh9aiRo92fudWx9VU7KZQpfNvFf/s1200/justiceleague.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMcYkErMafdl_NPuEMOcNWBd2UBcMAP9OEZ9TuBPPYlzpaLx-WukK-dp-UerJ4iM5Z4qu8qz6g0PBtqD-QZ7p0Ol7-jLuB5CpErxABS8sAfuo8snw3f-icg4v6dMJZmHLo72Irsw7PVw_vWUtslX3sbYe4_GDn7dLqqh9aiRo92fudWx9VU7KZQpfNvFf/s320/justiceleague.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In any case, the ten year odyssey of the DCEU is now done and over. A lot could be said about all the decisions that were made over the past ten years, many of them terrible, but at this point dissecting the many failures of the DCEU seems like wasted energy (although I do hope someone writes a book about all of it one day). The bottom line is that I don't think Warners/DC ever knew how to properly showcase these iconic characters and I think they made a critical early error in entrusting their universe to Zack Snyder. He's a talented director, yes, but also one who has no feel for the DC universe - or for the concept of superheroes - whatsoever. If you gave Snyder something like Miracleman or Spawn, he could likely kick ass with it but something that requires a much more pure outlook on selflessness and altruism, forget it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wPjaxp78r4z-beyuKUGdNESGWdpXJq3rxRNDgYtdw1EoZpiJud4Q7tNQp3L1RwrfOnkA_lOi2yjBBIcHsn4eRZl4X52o1-HHscmRqRck0ICsIKxMcXA99NUgENdrD_o0OvWaKXVvIpJrhUXwBivJHORbgyIHzCg8dyvCLXxdzbATTcmp8naf3s6BnxV6/s800/cavill_superman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wPjaxp78r4z-beyuKUGdNESGWdpXJq3rxRNDgYtdw1EoZpiJud4Q7tNQp3L1RwrfOnkA_lOi2yjBBIcHsn4eRZl4X52o1-HHscmRqRck0ICsIKxMcXA99NUgENdrD_o0OvWaKXVvIpJrhUXwBivJHORbgyIHzCg8dyvCLXxdzbATTcmp8naf3s6BnxV6/s320/cavill_superman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Warners should've seen the reaction to <i>Man</i> <i>of</i> <i>Steel</i> as a five alarm emergency and ditched Snyder post haste. The impulse to keep trying to course correct turned the DCEU into a wobbly Jenga tower. It was never going to right itself. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHB9MrtIOVWBHCPkQU_ecUPg_X2xEqnnxGVsroDINK1opbJ1eo6TSgOHsPGmDOh5-KY6iTuSnPmtbK00O3sH-BwCk16RWtaMxW4BgRerinoy5XFX2Afwx5lTl-AMuN-X61XX2Drw8VQazctgT_mgF-uD7JNPFV_UhLha2McO_wOpJJpcBxtk8-yIvxe4x/s4096/batman_2022_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2764" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHB9MrtIOVWBHCPkQU_ecUPg_X2xEqnnxGVsroDINK1opbJ1eo6TSgOHsPGmDOh5-KY6iTuSnPmtbK00O3sH-BwCk16RWtaMxW4BgRerinoy5XFX2Afwx5lTl-AMuN-X61XX2Drw8VQazctgT_mgF-uD7JNPFV_UhLha2McO_wOpJJpcBxtk8-yIvxe4x/s320/batman_2022_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Will James Gunn do better by the DC universe? I think so. I certainly hope he will. The thing is, I don't see how he could do any worse. For the last ten years, we watched a studio continually fail to know what to do with the most iconic superheroes of all time. As I look at the various rankings of the DCEU films being posted across the internet now that the book has been closed on this era, I think the most damning thing that can be said about the DCEU is that, however you rank the films, whatever anyone puts at the top, Matt Reeves' <i>The</i> <i>Batman</i> is a better movie than every single one of them. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-1751640933135433422023-12-20T20:14:00.000-08:002024-01-01T10:16:34.116-08:00Nerd Notes: State of the MCU<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTh-PVC177FopCeATLoZ5VYtQIKwiOIxOT2EAfMfWLz5FIUe23L7iQWCDTWifhQIxqz0AZj-prTsKjiprSioDd-NHTPc802kDO35ALe3PMOmh4xUhE1ZTn2znNbFr3GDPuVE7FIKZqWPbCo8N4WvY7MLC5SJi7R6vsfPj8G9xcS2VzoXiq_fRMjjgqKtGu/s1481/marvels_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTh-PVC177FopCeATLoZ5VYtQIKwiOIxOT2EAfMfWLz5FIUe23L7iQWCDTWifhQIxqz0AZj-prTsKjiprSioDd-NHTPc802kDO35ALe3PMOmh4xUhE1ZTn2znNbFr3GDPuVE7FIKZqWPbCo8N4WvY7MLC5SJi7R6vsfPj8G9xcS2VzoXiq_fRMjjgqKtGu/s320/marvels_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">One of the biggest box office narratives of 2023 as far as the entertainment press was concerned was that it was the year of superhero fatigue, with the MCU suffering an uncharacteristic failure with <i>The</i> <i>Marvels</i>. But the fact is, Marvel had a successful year overall in 2023. Any franchise that puts out three films in a year with two of them landing in the year end worldwide box office Top Ten is doing ok. For anyone to say it isn't is just indicative of the need of many to seek clicks with hyperbolic "is the MCU is dead?" headlines. Warners/DC had four flops in a row in 2023 but where were all the articles speculating whether there was even an audience for a DC reboot? Nowhere, because those wouldn't generate clicks like trashing the MCU would. It's all driven by pure cynicism. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WUtCopL_Kx1LWTsqWpHUKfrCvxIEv8MueqHpecsVZjH51UMG59B7z5ZCs1Ejhj2rKm-woVjJ2EfTnzr0ruiFNNwpRWWVqKWZ_acuvns-GeXBqdmGE4Mj2YihNfAzh8SBG-aAg4imaacxfcZXd7gJk5yfGnqARWSaoLYbcRfP0SKUdIEnA9sxxm9Wtv0p/s960/marvels_trio.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WUtCopL_Kx1LWTsqWpHUKfrCvxIEv8MueqHpecsVZjH51UMG59B7z5ZCs1Ejhj2rKm-woVjJ2EfTnzr0ruiFNNwpRWWVqKWZ_acuvns-GeXBqdmGE4Mj2YihNfAzh8SBG-aAg4imaacxfcZXd7gJk5yfGnqARWSaoLYbcRfP0SKUdIEnA9sxxm9Wtv0p/s320/marvels_trio.webp" width="320" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">The box office failure of <i>The</i> <i>Marvels</i> definitely was uncharted territory for Marvel but to put things in perspective, <i>The</i> <i>Marvels</i> was a movie that was primed to fail. Setting aside the army of online misogynist trolls who were working overtime to trash it months in advance, this is a movie that, thanks to the actors strike, did not have the traditional promotional machine at its disposal. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfJdZ5DPnkxconznHlr77Z3iAKhXRWerYyLlWmjMsxeWWhyphenhyphenrkQ95UkmO4MH1QwfSJtN1d4eak2NRwgqH6UtGFyZAIXMnBwgYcEhTRy_SdEcsXCXeUmFI0hi7PF3VqxQ_dvRPCn5cfrsP2NiA4Eigu43n-eXSPTTOSSrCKJnZ4TudiX_bIqc5qRmJZ5yXQ/s1296/marvels_cast.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfJdZ5DPnkxconznHlr77Z3iAKhXRWerYyLlWmjMsxeWWhyphenhyphenrkQ95UkmO4MH1QwfSJtN1d4eak2NRwgqH6UtGFyZAIXMnBwgYcEhTRy_SdEcsXCXeUmFI0hi7PF3VqxQ_dvRPCn5cfrsP2NiA4Eigu43n-eXSPTTOSSrCKJnZ4TudiX_bIqc5qRmJZ5yXQ/s320/marvels_cast.webp" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">With the best aspect of the film being the chemistry between Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani, the fact that this trio couldn't make the rounds on the talk show circuit and that they couldn't hype the movie before fans at conventions, really kneecapped its chances. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_03EnvMwuSOYpWxwcLQkRgYpfqIMKoLjpoYjWqdOcozOarCxVPWziLwYOl9sNN4RqY9v0xB59V158EExwICxTfA6CwBfG59OZaU3m4A-16Jg5TPiiZioBuI3vwRb9iYFvN0ZAhdF8VxzBWgv7PpWvw3Lg_HfNVQPzsq4erW2A_x5cfjLu6Ca0qejbmDu/s1500/gotg3_cast.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_03EnvMwuSOYpWxwcLQkRgYpfqIMKoLjpoYjWqdOcozOarCxVPWziLwYOl9sNN4RqY9v0xB59V158EExwICxTfA6CwBfG59OZaU3m4A-16Jg5TPiiZioBuI3vwRb9iYFvN0ZAhdF8VxzBWgv7PpWvw3Lg_HfNVQPzsq4erW2A_x5cfjLu6Ca0qejbmDu/s320/gotg3_cast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Whether or not <i>The</i> <i>Marvels</i> might have performed better under more optimal circumstances, we'll never know. Maybe it would have been a flop regardless. Does that mean that superhero fatigue has finally set in? I say no. It's not as though Marvel was racking up a series of losses in 2023. <i>Guardians</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Galaxy</i> <i>Vol</i>. <i>3</i> and <i>Ant</i>-<i>Man</i> <i>and</i> <i>the</i> <i>Wasp</i>: <i>Quantumania</i> were both in the Top Ten for the year (with <i>Quantumania</i> beating both <i>Fast</i> <i>X</i> and <i>Mission</i>: <i>Impossible</i> domestically) as was the non-MCU Marvel film, <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man</i>: <i>Across</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider</i>-<i>Verse</i>, so it's not as if the Marvel brand was actively turning off audiences. It's clear that if the movie is right, people will still show up. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHRWCUDidTkiv9ZGdM_lZOQQWurhelcG9aIl7qz7dD34_vyUbLhVdq8qfENolVEaKs359K_4zLfSOS1Xh_lNtXA-TJphFyyN6danUIf5n77nONNVHjJ-8b7rYDizY0zvy42xbqHFNA7MXxAolaGgGFbype7zc0JhQhNpZlEPAbckEg87ieC8p5LRBgGYg/s1050/wandavision_poster.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHRWCUDidTkiv9ZGdM_lZOQQWurhelcG9aIl7qz7dD34_vyUbLhVdq8qfENolVEaKs359K_4zLfSOS1Xh_lNtXA-TJphFyyN6danUIf5n77nONNVHjJ-8b7rYDizY0zvy42xbqHFNA7MXxAolaGgGFbype7zc0JhQhNpZlEPAbckEg87ieC8p5LRBgGYg/s320/wandavision_poster.webp" width="215" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Comic book movies have become so pervasive that I think audiences simply are at a point where a movie needs to be perceived as special in order to get them out to the theater. In the case of Marvel, they've been facing a new challenge specific to them with the rise of Disney+. Before Disney+, there was a greater imperative for audiences to see the latest MCU entry in theaters. Now, when everyone knows that everything will hit D+ not long after its theatrical run, that drive has dissipated. In addition to that, I think the interconnectivity between the shows and the movies has generated the feeling that there's just too much work involved in keeping up even though in reality that isn't quite the case. Someone could go into any of the recent movies will no exposure to the shows and still follow them. However, as long as people believe otherwise, it presents a psychological obstacle to getting general audiences to go to the movies. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cX1V9Shgrk1JSXpKbDDbZYbD08uuUtXboTg1BWO4SbMKpueWl7P5DkzAOquSxVs2cQFJyBnBLJhOGgFXpQxwcLVSo7lThHy_yYIRHWwctmimcCPIzI0sFPOrZWxnNubPf5lTwMwG75XikzTVjO19YgcSISlPNa8wJBUUtxeTPgQd_H-ElNHM-x8CkruQ/s755/msmarvel_ad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cX1V9Shgrk1JSXpKbDDbZYbD08uuUtXboTg1BWO4SbMKpueWl7P5DkzAOquSxVs2cQFJyBnBLJhOGgFXpQxwcLVSo7lThHy_yYIRHWwctmimcCPIzI0sFPOrZWxnNubPf5lTwMwG75XikzTVjO19YgcSISlPNa8wJBUUtxeTPgQd_H-ElNHM-x8CkruQ/s320/msmarvel_ad.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As an MCU fan I love how the shows and movies bounce off each other now but I think adjustments are needed when it comes to the back and forth between the shows and movies. You can't reasonably ask people to pay for a streaming service just so they can watch series in order that they can go into the next movie knowing what's what. Hardcore fans are all for it, sure. More shows! More connectivity! But that's becoming a detriment to holding on to general audiences. It's one thing for the Scarlet Witch to take a detour over to <i>Wandavision</i> and then return to the big screen with <i>Multiverse</i> <i>of</i> <i>Madness</i> but when you're talking about characters that were introduced for the first time on Disney+, it's a much harder sell to get people into the theater for the follow up to stories that they didn't watch in the first place. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokt9lcIKA6IJigpXhqiOrs8Y4Kkg3k3jpmx5BC269jw5vt5pUI5IS2cDvMK5HjxMTmDV-CX0L7fb2sp3RhVqh0XN8NJEu0pRhyJSJD8N5Ze-C-EEr5eNkHS_6H3KwwU7EYynhmIh3DkFg4nz3WyKHJi5mksA5vCq6O5BJZxpqE_MdkOnotgs6gWZypE-q/s1200/lokiseason2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokt9lcIKA6IJigpXhqiOrs8Y4Kkg3k3jpmx5BC269jw5vt5pUI5IS2cDvMK5HjxMTmDV-CX0L7fb2sp3RhVqh0XN8NJEu0pRhyJSJD8N5Ze-C-EEr5eNkHS_6H3KwwU7EYynhmIh3DkFg4nz3WyKHJi5mksA5vCq6O5BJZxpqE_MdkOnotgs6gWZypE-q/s320/lokiseason2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">There was always going to be growing pains for Marvel post <i>Endgame</i>, especially as they took bigger swings with weaving shows and movies together for the first time. To add an array of real world complications to those challenges, though - such as the pandemic, the writer and actor strikes and the tragic loss of Chadwick Bosemen - it's not surprising that this has been an unsteady stretch for the MCU. The thing is, though, they're in a good spot right now. <i>The</i> <i>Marvels</i> gave them their first legitimate bomb but at the same time, it tee'd up the next step in the Multiverse Saga perfectly. Along with that, <i>Loki</i> season 2 was the strongest MCU series so far, the conclusion of which fed into the Multiverse Saga brilliantly. The MCU is moving forward with audiences having a better sense of where things are going than they've had in awhile. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMAxP1Hx4Cu2V6N5zkGBWy3x4bxjT9DNi1ddZ-EKjeuKxQ0EKXJa6WqMfN9wttVxQsLDooYGlJUudNx8tQ_tIh_qGCpnF8UF1-Wqv0h85F2WlA7W9zQcgOjlsQ4RiMsYAhVwDUzECvIyHG3zQ3OwahPJN62m_mILlJ6fUaWhDvWGdziznvgg9-2Vje-v2/s980/kang_majors_chair.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="980" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMAxP1Hx4Cu2V6N5zkGBWy3x4bxjT9DNi1ddZ-EKjeuKxQ0EKXJa6WqMfN9wttVxQsLDooYGlJUudNx8tQ_tIh_qGCpnF8UF1-Wqv0h85F2WlA7W9zQcgOjlsQ4RiMsYAhVwDUzECvIyHG3zQ3OwahPJN62m_mILlJ6fUaWhDvWGdziznvgg9-2Vje-v2/s320/kang_majors_chair.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Putting Marvel in a stronger position still is this week's news that Jonathan Majors has been dropped by Marvel following his trial. The question of whether Marvel was going to keep him on or not given his legal troubles was a point of uncertainty that has hung over the future of the MCU for months. Now it's done. While some are questioning whether this means that the character of Kang will be dropped and that Marvel's plans for <i>Avengers</i>: <i>The</i> <i>Kang</i> <i>Dynasty</i> will now be changed, I think it will simply be a matter of recasting the role. Marvel has been down this road many times, right from its earliest days. Don Cheadle took over for Terrence Howard as Rhodey. Mark Ruffalo took over for Ed Norton as The Hulk. Harrison Ford is taking over for the late William Hurt as General Ross. There's no reason why they wouldn't recast Kang. It would be ridiculous not to, especially given how integral the character is to their current plans and how much they've built the Multiverse Saga around him. Recasting Kang also presents a perfect opportunity to generate renewed buzz for a character that got off on a slightly awkward foot with <i>Quantumania</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkZm16QyEHdCbujEPUFEntOL9F9XUPuIpJ_g5U8e_1hRWdOsu1foLm765L0Fo90kad5CAKMdvqYA4w_SGLVJ3S5Dc9BYTyyehXAxgLTqqiz2BjsuSUjP-MVXNhAfgzFA-Y-JxEpBYCe079Fuaz5_L08nMbV8XasNE-bpLEN-OHTp-d03Krk-Rd5pPOKPk/s2048/avengers_secretwars_title.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="2048" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkZm16QyEHdCbujEPUFEntOL9F9XUPuIpJ_g5U8e_1hRWdOsu1foLm765L0Fo90kad5CAKMdvqYA4w_SGLVJ3S5Dc9BYTyyehXAxgLTqqiz2BjsuSUjP-MVXNhAfgzFA-Y-JxEpBYCe079Fuaz5_L08nMbV8XasNE-bpLEN-OHTp-d03Krk-Rd5pPOKPk/s320/avengers_secretwars_title.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Going into Phases 4 and 5, it was uncharted territory for Marvel in every way. Now they have a better handle on where they stand. With their only theatrical film in 2024 being <i>Deadpool</i> <i>3</i>, they have the breathing room for whatever projects they have in place taking them through <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> to be fine tuned and I definitely think that the lessons they've learned over the past few years are going to determine the shape of the MCU post <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i>. I believe <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> was always planned to be a soft reboot of sorts for the MCU and I think the rocky reception of some Phase 4 and 5 projects will only further feed into that decision. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBz7Qpj-Dq3byCdKjUvYvl0WN7upxoScHbQ79cPt-mCdSIyzTFI2GgjfGCRGgNnMv0YuuX4B_4PzQhumIp_8bJHTKHzvioEQhreplYo5lBaEeMd15z5OalVuH52EyjFcXCFf3nOjAWajYI93rCVrEngfYk7xVCoL6EHhrnVS0e1i1i2_i8Fn1DNzPD_Yr/s2501/avengersannouncement.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1607" data-original-width="2501" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBz7Qpj-Dq3byCdKjUvYvl0WN7upxoScHbQ79cPt-mCdSIyzTFI2GgjfGCRGgNnMv0YuuX4B_4PzQhumIp_8bJHTKHzvioEQhreplYo5lBaEeMd15z5OalVuH52EyjFcXCFf3nOjAWajYI93rCVrEngfYk7xVCoL6EHhrnVS0e1i1i2_i8Fn1DNzPD_Yr/s320/avengersannouncement.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I think post <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i>, the MCU will still be interconnected but not as intensely as it has been. I think there's going to be a greater drive towards making stand alone movies and shows and less of a shared narrative. I could be totally wrong, of course, but I can't help but think Kevin Feige and co. are going to feel the need to adjust and find a balance between satisfying the hardcore MCU fans while also not making it seem like there's no longer an easy entry point for new or lapsed fans. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFubm6xvyPw-93MKrUEjKWE_RvLti6V6Euo_JQL8wHDJ-9tOMjUboIMWQVyF7SzWby9PXxp4bqkqYDN_M3fM2FbRDOYS37ru_GNLVgSic5wAZm2pCYp2FASN_T7t5ERm8q56D1HVXsGcUgFQNnwkWczSA-ABq-H4Q4kOaz36bzeJVXcCIFbBWpo5mOYUX/s724/x-men-marvel-mcu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="724" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFubm6xvyPw-93MKrUEjKWE_RvLti6V6Euo_JQL8wHDJ-9tOMjUboIMWQVyF7SzWby9PXxp4bqkqYDN_M3fM2FbRDOYS37ru_GNLVgSic5wAZm2pCYp2FASN_T7t5ERm8q56D1HVXsGcUgFQNnwkWczSA-ABq-H4Q4kOaz36bzeJVXcCIFbBWpo5mOYUX/s320/x-men-marvel-mcu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Bottom line is that the idea that the MCU is in any danger of being derailed or shut down is absurd. Adjustments will be made, focus will be renewed, but the MCU is going to - obviously - keep moving ahead. Marvel simply has too many weapons in its arsenal to not be able to rebound from any slump or setback. I mean, we haven't even gotten to the Fantastic Four or The X-Men yet - both of which are entire universes unto themselves. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkt23qPZScBEK1Z7YM84MUqEktFW_Nn2aIlnjPZQOXgVTeRwKtjjDl-jYsVOTAlyVuSaP9kVdbiaQ2yH95eXArZNCku28-kMaPtCDJ4CknrjzzCwnyq4IlyjXkQs_xfpLyiVVXAZj-_yJodnU-3G4NOEsqY_gARoF3yJ8DA5hEF2bpE6VaukhSZf2TANQ/s1023/defenderstreasury.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="783" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkt23qPZScBEK1Z7YM84MUqEktFW_Nn2aIlnjPZQOXgVTeRwKtjjDl-jYsVOTAlyVuSaP9kVdbiaQ2yH95eXArZNCku28-kMaPtCDJ4CknrjzzCwnyq4IlyjXkQs_xfpLyiVVXAZj-_yJodnU-3G4NOEsqY_gARoF3yJ8DA5hEF2bpE6VaukhSZf2TANQ/s320/defenderstreasury.webp" width="245" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Hell, they could do a freaking Defenders movie (Dr. Strange! Hulk! Namor! Silver Surfer! Valkyrie!) and that's a whole other mega franchise for them. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TE1EXHQTj6JPW1j1igQsMY8vN1h7BLGlWhOtdsZqLiEy7pOEpqCrQNGgW5CcH17oP-HPxe4oF0yAkNVxNmYsl93cTAwt0Tdlr5wWM9SAUIBw11s_0E2ThKBy8iJNLb4iF3cu9B7aqSNNF5vczfBoY4pT3Anfn5brFCujRxZ2SvX_IL_9nDTRFQ1zWA1Z/s2800/avengers116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="1844" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TE1EXHQTj6JPW1j1igQsMY8vN1h7BLGlWhOtdsZqLiEy7pOEpqCrQNGgW5CcH17oP-HPxe4oF0yAkNVxNmYsl93cTAwt0Tdlr5wWM9SAUIBw11s_0E2ThKBy8iJNLb4iF3cu9B7aqSNNF5vczfBoY4pT3Anfn5brFCujRxZ2SvX_IL_9nDTRFQ1zWA1Z/s320/avengers116.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Once you've got the Defenders in play, you've set yourself up for an Avengers/Defenders War movie. As any comic book fan could tell you, Marvel has</span><span style="text-align: left;"> got endless cards to turn over. While it's preferable for every movie to be a hit, Marvel can afford to take a chance (a shit ton of chances, even) knowing that they always have the big guns to pull out. When you know one of the bullets in your chamber is an Avengers vs. X-Men movie, you're not sweating the failure of <i>The</i> <i>Marvels</i>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhPaOTeY1lKVyleWDGlYWqB-EtLduv1eR4J90SL63HbbWd2SqOHlLFveFiWA04cZOJDOZFw4u9up0Gyflo99ucef7m7-1PgkUgmjyZsPEBwf0q475zGcQaZRTxeazCAY6s7U_4Q3_vFjgcP7oGzv3eXSvVLMlT5HBJrUjIzdET9hKOqwzKDQ0pIBNeRvY/s638/avengers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="638" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhPaOTeY1lKVyleWDGlYWqB-EtLduv1eR4J90SL63HbbWd2SqOHlLFveFiWA04cZOJDOZFw4u9up0Gyflo99ucef7m7-1PgkUgmjyZsPEBwf0q475zGcQaZRTxeazCAY6s7U_4Q3_vFjgcP7oGzv3eXSvVLMlT5HBJrUjIzdET9hKOqwzKDQ0pIBNeRvY/s320/avengers.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">The absolute worse case scenario for Marvel would be that they're eventually forced to stick solely to the A level characters - Spider-Man, X-Men, Avengers (a team that is fueled by its endless roster changes), Iron Man, Cap - and try and have as much of a guaranteed blockbuster every time out as they can. And if that's the worst case scenario, that's still pretty awesome. I don't think it'll ever come to that. I think they'll be able to successfully keep experimenting with introducing lesser known characters but look, if you told a Marvel fan years ago that, hey buddy, the worst you're gonna have to look forward to is a big budget Avengers or Spidey film ever year or two, they'd incredulously respond "What the hell do you mean the worst? That sounds fucking incredible!" </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJoksEpZ1dlrSPum0_IcIbpEP4Xbt2T0TnUNhbQr6jGPmh5m8MraYTawU7MBcKj7KB7Fk6heXcNnih2rHOPRX3-F7OEo_L-YIojGT4aqDvjnIO4ShAg3la5Ln0M7jbB6hwBD9mi7w7mf9aw-Rjw-QCt98pd9cuVdG3Wcn497EfyLT_4uEGvzyQoZnq-86/s1000/deadpool3.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJoksEpZ1dlrSPum0_IcIbpEP4Xbt2T0TnUNhbQr6jGPmh5m8MraYTawU7MBcKj7KB7Fk6heXcNnih2rHOPRX3-F7OEo_L-YIojGT4aqDvjnIO4ShAg3la5Ln0M7jbB6hwBD9mi7w7mf9aw-Rjw-QCt98pd9cuVdG3Wcn497EfyLT_4uEGvzyQoZnq-86/s320/deadpool3.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">So however it unfolds, here's to the future of the MCU, still the surest bet in pop culture there is. </span></p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-86654429077573490252023-06-30T11:30:00.054-07:002023-07-05T09:56:06.606-07:00Lost in the Multiverse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishHRrv3LgoEbc5pnFQv9KFt5ucB9tDRXRFPFW0K5dDBydiN0QLZLQQ7MFk2CiR1CLN7yBdXebhgI9vQNQ8OTac77g_7-JMt5nvsB1z4Zm0FWj39KX1GFjDPdpd870iDqHra2P8Do9vuTz0DF_c0PoBLPYDl_SKS9MNurcoMKgmrf7PSIqJtfYNLUv_hd_/s1000/flash_barrycu.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishHRrv3LgoEbc5pnFQv9KFt5ucB9tDRXRFPFW0K5dDBydiN0QLZLQQ7MFk2CiR1CLN7yBdXebhgI9vQNQ8OTac77g_7-JMt5nvsB1z4Zm0FWj39KX1GFjDPdpd870iDqHra2P8Do9vuTz0DF_c0PoBLPYDl_SKS9MNurcoMKgmrf7PSIqJtfYNLUv_hd_/s320/flash_barrycu.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In the wake of <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i>'s disappointing box office, things are looking grim on the DC front. Or at the very least, uncertain. It seems clear that audiences are not buying what DC is selling at the moment and it's unclear what's going to turn that around. What you can bank on is that WB will never throw in the towel on the DC universe. That is an IP gold mine that no studio is ever going to forsake. So no matter what kind of failures the DC universe suffers, the movies will keep on coming. It's just a matter of what the latest plan for the DCU will be. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKaNhc18XaAbqs1hBaNdwr1Y5anVbvfPrqMpdKTrHwP1LtVd6uTWz2Qp_S4oYud-2jaBwqa1BKykJC7FHOf7pOP6shWjzvv99vTgYghT8cUuICdIbHWjqVpxnRGo12gG7Th8340q3wsWHukwKkP0nrJFP3IoBy91YFwcgERdotX0Hxd7uZbwIhwU7lM_P/s379/flashof2worlds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKaNhc18XaAbqs1hBaNdwr1Y5anVbvfPrqMpdKTrHwP1LtVd6uTWz2Qp_S4oYud-2jaBwqa1BKykJC7FHOf7pOP6shWjzvv99vTgYghT8cUuICdIbHWjqVpxnRGo12gG7Th8340q3wsWHukwKkP0nrJFP3IoBy91YFwcgERdotX0Hxd7uZbwIhwU7lM_P/s320/flashof2worlds.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">For long time comic fans, the great irony of DC's current movie dilemma is how badly they've botched the multiverse aspect of their universe and, more than that, how they've forfeited that space to Marvel. For years, the multiverse was DC's thing. While Marvel had one streamlined universe with one continuity, DC was the comic universe that dealt in a myriad of multitudes. To explain the aging of their characters and to explain the multiple versions of their characters, DC had a multiverse that allowed Golden Age characters to exist in their own universe and Silver Age characters to exist in theirs, with the opportunities for crossovers between the two. One of the most legendary comics in DC history is 1961's Flash #123, an issue in which readers were presented with the tale of the "Flash of Two Worlds," with present day speedster Barry Allen meeting the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick and it was the popularity of this issue with readers that led to a series of annual crossovers between the Golden Age Heroes of the Justice Society of America, whose roster included the likes of Hourman and Dr. Fate and the present day Justice League. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4muZSIDxZkVrW45sbOzHpnNlPqL51tggdMjZSd78y9HSgnEx1BaaWneOjGdK7sOtdjqGfMEVQCODwDss2XkIQLf-1MU6t1UwVnVu6Gg1wAPK8JZw8InWPyFGSxQPo05rvcrCFK7jbNnoSl8VamuJ1veGGLlzlqy2IlG6dNgtviYAwHQ5Buc2cwe-B4gkl/s560/crisisaddouble.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="560" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4muZSIDxZkVrW45sbOzHpnNlPqL51tggdMjZSd78y9HSgnEx1BaaWneOjGdK7sOtdjqGfMEVQCODwDss2XkIQLf-1MU6t1UwVnVu6Gg1wAPK8JZw8InWPyFGSxQPo05rvcrCFK7jbNnoSl8VamuJ1veGGLlzlqy2IlG6dNgtviYAwHQ5Buc2cwe-B4gkl/s320/crisisaddouble.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">For decades, DC had used the multiverse to account for continuity errors or to simply allow alternate versions of characters to remain in play, just not within the primary universe. But by the '80s, the thinking within DC was that to compete with industry leader Marvel, they had to emulate Marvel's singular continuity and trim the fat from their universe, paring it down to just one world. So 1985's <i>Crisis</i> <i>on</i> <i>Infinite</i> <i>Earths</i> was the big move on DC's part to rid themselves of the multiversal baggage that had built up over the course of fifty years and, hopefully, make their universe more new reader friendly. It ended up being an imperfect act of housekeeping, with editorial at the time failing to make a totally clean break between the past and present of DC. Remnants of prior history survived here and there and some characters were given a fresher slate than others. But even though it was a slightly sloppy segue way from one era to the next, overall it worked and the bottom line was that readers understood that there was now one connected DC universe going forward. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintuaF9yu2lePjMbnJguZxSyt9bgYeP_YLM5tnPkOC85OngG2sAzEnSFN5YYs_-uVA4g43Lh4FOzoCz6Y62CnGpq7h4GORn4l92nESTXjYDBbWOsOWN7JNLYbh3pWsul3N3lkD1WLheb9sBCyRA4ZMG-ijFN9RdTocyznb-KKrvdpqzXEGkAGuQd4Uu44L/s3840/intothespiderverse_wallpaper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintuaF9yu2lePjMbnJguZxSyt9bgYeP_YLM5tnPkOC85OngG2sAzEnSFN5YYs_-uVA4g43Lh4FOzoCz6Y62CnGpq7h4GORn4l92nESTXjYDBbWOsOWN7JNLYbh3pWsul3N3lkD1WLheb9sBCyRA4ZMG-ijFN9RdTocyznb-KKrvdpqzXEGkAGuQd4Uu44L/s320/intothespiderverse_wallpaper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">That lasted until 2011 when DC decided to reinstate the multiverse with the <i>Flashpoint</i> storyline. So on the publishing side, decades after changing their universe to be more like Marvel, DC decided to get back in the multiverse game. Meanwhile, in the movie and TV realm, while Phases 1 through 3 of the MCU had been very liner, moving from Point A to Point B to lay down the foundation of the MCU, going into Phase 4, the new watchword of the MCU, according to Kevin Feige, would be "multiverse." On the Sony side of Marvel, this was also true with 2019's animated <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man</i>: <i>Into</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider</i>-<i>Verse</i> being all about the vast multiverse of Spider Heroes, including everyone from Spider-Noir to Spider-Ham. While WB/DC was still in the process of struggling to create a singular shared universe to match the MCU, Marvel was already moving on to stake their claim as the masters of the multiverse, dubbing Phase 4 "The Multiverse Saga." What historically used to be DC's domain has now become perceived by the public at large as a Marvel thing. The multiverse was something that DC chose to give up and now they're forced to play catch up. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxaebqXHGMkxHbc0kAKHqiCI6dfbRz8RqUJWrRvAanxDppNmkC1dv3AaddkglR8bzkA-GOXDUQCxeblZtZZiHSTDSASWsLSyV59ZQJCQYBmmAC8d8XTGb6mgOUILnyq4fO0lLKuL1XolGVMpJJD9-__78KOSHPxKvDy4DKdYRu1k-grqTFPw1SYjIJkxU/s1920/strange_illuminati2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1920" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxaebqXHGMkxHbc0kAKHqiCI6dfbRz8RqUJWrRvAanxDppNmkC1dv3AaddkglR8bzkA-GOXDUQCxeblZtZZiHSTDSASWsLSyV59ZQJCQYBmmAC8d8XTGb6mgOUILnyq4fO0lLKuL1XolGVMpJJD9-__78KOSHPxKvDy4DKdYRu1k-grqTFPw1SYjIJkxU/s320/strange_illuminati2.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">With Phases 1 through 3, Marvel provided a model on establishing a cinematic universe but following their example proved difficult for WB/DC. Now in Phases 4 and 5, Marvel has been showing how to establish a cinematic multiverse but, again, as it was when it came to building a linear universe, when it comes to their multiverse game, WB/DC still just wants to short cut their way to where Marvel's at without putting the same effort in. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkBJ2zxk2LIhqRymE43fO2JqfoOD90DQXFIzipcwaxQm66SZ46IxxvTlN8GUjzgRDmUXweuHhpWE5LUFUPVgy03RhapiOXEXemvqjtUtce6yDavbtlECEbzdVfrM8PNW3i1lSFYJKp8soOl81CgK73ogT6lRTqbr4oa1My9-WUsdLYK6jHbnlX_jZYiQy/s1848/nowayhome_spideytrio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1848" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkBJ2zxk2LIhqRymE43fO2JqfoOD90DQXFIzipcwaxQm66SZ46IxxvTlN8GUjzgRDmUXweuHhpWE5LUFUPVgy03RhapiOXEXemvqjtUtce6yDavbtlECEbzdVfrM8PNW3i1lSFYJKp8soOl81CgK73ogT6lRTqbr4oa1My9-WUsdLYK6jHbnlX_jZYiQy/s320/nowayhome_spideytrio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Marvel has staked out the multiverse front with <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man</i>: <i>Into</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider</i>-<i>Verse</i> (2018), <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man</i>: <i>No</i> <i>Way</i> <i>Home</i> (2021), <i>Doctor</i> <i>Strange</i> <i>in</i> <i>the</i> <i>Multiverse</i> <i>of</i> <i>Madness</i> (2022), <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man</i>: <i>Across</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider</i>-<i>Verse</i> (2023) and the Disney+ Marvel shows <i>Loki</i> (soon to debut its second season) and the animated <i>What</i> <i>If?</i> (also due to have a second season). They've dominated this space in a way that WB/DC is ill equipped to compete with. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Case in point: <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYiiy1Q7dMvi5WZQhrJDRjb1OWnjYQGp5WTAdn3115jWE3LO2xRHYUy23w1xYg8DCiJMlXUsRwGSs0x0TS8MOxsL3E_j2hLcAaW_1s1hj05QDXvIncMgFtSVhkbYxb9K6Zv3a_6a1yDvrn5znN9B4nRJM9enVvZ1in4RaqEnPinI_tLa042Riz_k8p7Pr/s2048/flash_mainposter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1383" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYiiy1Q7dMvi5WZQhrJDRjb1OWnjYQGp5WTAdn3115jWE3LO2xRHYUy23w1xYg8DCiJMlXUsRwGSs0x0TS8MOxsL3E_j2hLcAaW_1s1hj05QDXvIncMgFtSVhkbYxb9K6Zv3a_6a1yDvrn5znN9B4nRJM9enVvZ1in4RaqEnPinI_tLa042Riz_k8p7Pr/s320/flash_mainposter.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Even with Marvel beating them to the punch, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> still could have made the statement that DC has its own bragging rights to the multiverse but it did not send that message. It's not the fault of the filmmakers so much as the fault of a fickle studio demanding last minute changes. First and foremost, the problem that hinders WB/DC is that they lack the strong guiding hand that Marvel has and the willingness to stay the course and see things through. Whether that will change with James Gunn, who knows? For now, DC looks like a company that's been forced to play a weak hand. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFWSiPhcILEPdAHVv7ck4Q_Q7h9P3_fX5ppcvxlOb7KoWOHAZTAZOuJtfp4RNaiZJ3ZO6m8gw27EttBJAuE783QZxV0_ngLxonEFsalK3xQhFM26Iy1bDuftb7r0xwBmL0MVoJ163mM1r4Nt-phw_bMibhm7l3-SsmpZyJOx2aZIGbTtObOixgWN0Lyo8/s1902/spiderverse_pointing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1902" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFWSiPhcILEPdAHVv7ck4Q_Q7h9P3_fX5ppcvxlOb7KoWOHAZTAZOuJtfp4RNaiZJ3ZO6m8gw27EttBJAuE783QZxV0_ngLxonEFsalK3xQhFM26Iy1bDuftb7r0xwBmL0MVoJ163mM1r4Nt-phw_bMibhm7l3-SsmpZyJOx2aZIGbTtObOixgWN0Lyo8/s320/spiderverse_pointing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aside from the lack of a clear strategy in place, in reflecting on <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> and how it compares to the MCU's multiverse projects, the main flaw in DC compared to Marvel is how small and diminished their multiverse seems. Everything about the MCU's multiverse (and Sony Picture's part in it as well) has been about expansion. It is about opening up new possibilities, new avenues to explore, introducing new characters. DC's multiverse, on the other hand, seems like a sad wax museum. In <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i>, when Barry is seeing the various multiverse and it's just these poorly generated CGI images from DC's past, whether it be Adam West's Batman or Christopher Reeve's Superman, it gives the impression that DC's multiverse is simply about nostalgia and looking back on these inert figures sealed in amber, as opposed to Marvel's multiverse, which is about forging ahead and discovering new possibilities. </div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XifLNPMa90oTmFGup_IIU9xK12bY8jcEhcExlUceaVJLKEkOOfxYrBdCMbGmYwwEjP6uikx38jjBctA-daUrmbABPOUE_uXpuPFR0cv5ZmtLztpQ8rrYvOCOlbEFbgvYLpYzFyP8d8qm60GA0lA6ygTkepq_z-aZRAjsGVNakcfSxhGK1Zg0gqkx2pKq/s1248/watcher_whatif.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1248" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XifLNPMa90oTmFGup_IIU9xK12bY8jcEhcExlUceaVJLKEkOOfxYrBdCMbGmYwwEjP6uikx38jjBctA-daUrmbABPOUE_uXpuPFR0cv5ZmtLztpQ8rrYvOCOlbEFbgvYLpYzFyP8d8qm60GA0lA6ygTkepq_z-aZRAjsGVNakcfSxhGK1Zg0gqkx2pKq/s320/watcher_whatif.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Across</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider</i>-<i>Verse</i> makes the idea of seeing spin offs with Spider-Punk or Spider-Gwen and others a very welcome possibility. <i>Multiverse</i> <i>of</i> <i>Madness</i>, <i>Loki</i>, and <i>What</i> <i>If?</i> showed that there's endless, and endlessly surprising, variants on the Marvel universe. For its part, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> leaves audiences wondering "What was up with Nicolas Cage as Superman?" I say when you're trying to thrill and excite an audience on the possibilities that lie within your multiverse and you choose to waste screen time (and FX dollars) on an in-joke within an in-joke that is pitched to an incremental number of viewers - and even then is really not so much a "joke" at all but simply a reference (you not only have to know that Nicolas Cage was up to play Superman in a '90s Tim Burton movie that never happened, you also have to know that producer Jon Peters infamously insisted that he should fight a giant spider) - you're doing it wrong. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hTSugDPL2F7C6I5Fm-Ch30oqsBxfKB8neg6ehpr7a4y5ROC4FhXw07bu4OXXEaroG84lR2nmGUjE4i_peCiyVfiQ72i5tLnDGvDnlqyU06xX4-Pqdk4pVH1tgVnaaC7zxKoCAUoRaxswveUe1_34XEaI7ai5KrP9tQ5dC3mmX7FPhoIeVFdaAtB6TxMX/s1200/cwmultiverse.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hTSugDPL2F7C6I5Fm-Ch30oqsBxfKB8neg6ehpr7a4y5ROC4FhXw07bu4OXXEaroG84lR2nmGUjE4i_peCiyVfiQ72i5tLnDGvDnlqyU06xX4-Pqdk4pVH1tgVnaaC7zxKoCAUoRaxswveUe1_34XEaI7ai5KrP9tQ5dC3mmX7FPhoIeVFdaAtB6TxMX/s320/cwmultiverse.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's even more galling that while it goes out of its way to reference a version of Superman that never even existed, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> completely passed on the opportunity to honor the CW's Arrowverse, which ironically actually <i>was</i> successful in creating a live action, interconnected DC multiverse in a way that the movies haven't been. WB/DC will of course keep trying and perhaps in the James Gunn era the potential of the DCU will finally flourish. For now, though, the DCU and its pantheon of heroes and villains are mired in a mismanaged multiverse. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-79241109837603431512023-06-18T09:42:00.227-07:002023-06-22T08:33:32.620-07:00Running To Stand Still<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJN1WXDvanGWGU9eOUZGoc_kuGQDiAwxKvHW7jgXDasy7PiR5wWv1aCOCh0fWLw8-wyEN_8BnXGhFnsSyWcBv8L6tmjLFWCG8k9OGipFKIz3CruTPXoddZfDKYq2jIjQeBWPGNWSzbo4Ohbwiz2PwdK9Aguhy8yi4F6SU9dFCAJKsKOZmCtX_GxgLwgg/s2048/flash_mainposter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1383" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJN1WXDvanGWGU9eOUZGoc_kuGQDiAwxKvHW7jgXDasy7PiR5wWv1aCOCh0fWLw8-wyEN_8BnXGhFnsSyWcBv8L6tmjLFWCG8k9OGipFKIz3CruTPXoddZfDKYq2jIjQeBWPGNWSzbo4Ohbwiz2PwdK9Aguhy8yi4F6SU9dFCAJKsKOZmCtX_GxgLwgg/s320/flash_mainposter.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">There's a measure of irony to the fact that the first feature film about DC Comics' Scarlet Speedster should prove to reflect the fable of the tortoise and the hare. As early as 2017, Warner Bros. was developing <i>The</i> <i>Flash </i>as<i> </i>an<i> </i>adaptation of the Flashpoint storyline from the comics. At the time, nothing like that in the comic book movie genre had made it to the big screen. Had WB hit the ground running early on, DC could have initially had the multiverse all to themselves but creative issues kept <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> from bolting from the starting line. In the meantime, both Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures were making slow but steady progress on their own multiverse sagas. Now here in 2023, in a world where we've had <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man:</i> <i>Into</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider</i>-<i>Verse</i> (2018), <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man</i>: <i>No</i> <i>Way</i> <i>Home</i> (2021), <i>Doctor</i> <i>Strange</i> <i>in</i> <i>the</i> <i>Multiverse</i> <i>of</i> <i>Madness</i> (2022), and the currently playing <i>Spider</i>-<i>Man</i>: <i>Across</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider</i>-<i>Verse</i>, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> can't help but feel like it's lagging behind. Despite having the chance to be first over the finish line, DC is coming in a distant second in the race for the multiverse. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOW363LquwTQnTfdBmFm0Ljr_FQVy8FShsvtX4PoVm3AEqzmf6uLQYYiJgJtc5r6T3L4OhqQthFIupqvbr_OWOVU1TGenLCbRR_--Y7cQR-BIcXYlVeK9Z8p1rfmQYGXGeccDkJL38_rVzfUfxrmF_MMiT8AUC986pMZRSVUgwuJ9p-sQ9yCyDv9xFg/s681/flash_cu.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="681" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOW363LquwTQnTfdBmFm0Ljr_FQVy8FShsvtX4PoVm3AEqzmf6uLQYYiJgJtc5r6T3L4OhqQthFIupqvbr_OWOVU1TGenLCbRR_--Y7cQR-BIcXYlVeK9Z8p1rfmQYGXGeccDkJL38_rVzfUfxrmF_MMiT8AUC986pMZRSVUgwuJ9p-sQ9yCyDv9xFg/s320/flash_cu.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">On the positive side, there's much in <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> that is fleet and funny. Despite the personal issues that have plagued Ezra Miller, they're very good here in a dual role as the Barry Allen of two different worlds. While I'll concede that Miller's portrayal of Barry might be like nails on a chalkboard to some viewers, I say their performance is in tune with the comedic angle screenwriter Christina Hudson and director Andy Muschietti are going for. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcnhhpnAkgjaVAC_Qzf4HehPFNvvnHa0DwPM4bY6hBCi41pOHxXkR8O68QkmWQJTsAAJmhJnSQC_WswS2NxBQKm1xjSnAj8DWuk08-doz9V2dngwOCZgI8B3B4sFCeQZQVN-HDZDqxS-iXL3Cj4Y6JXAVbNSGlm4DMCgDZnn3_d0YPa87R16RWaTIqA/s2500/flash_kara.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1667" data-original-width="2500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcnhhpnAkgjaVAC_Qzf4HehPFNvvnHa0DwPM4bY6hBCi41pOHxXkR8O68QkmWQJTsAAJmhJnSQC_WswS2NxBQKm1xjSnAj8DWuk08-doz9V2dngwOCZgI8B3B4sFCeQZQVN-HDZDqxS-iXL3Cj4Y6JXAVbNSGlm4DMCgDZnn3_d0YPa87R16RWaTIqA/s320/flash_kara.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The</i> <i>Flash</i>'s emphasis on humor might rankle some fans, especially devotees of the grim Snyder verse, but I think it was the smart choice to make. The Flashpoint storyline, if played totally straight, can't help but make Barry look pretty lousy, like a deeply reckless and short sighted person who can't see past his own selfish needs. The CW Flash series took the serious approach when they did their own Flashpoint and it only made Barry come off as an unsympathetic jerk. How could it not? Barry takes the fact that he misses his mom as a reason to unravel reality for billions of innocent people. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJsPatXOhSV6YT8mE70j0WJyCdFO-wzAPKjiW79iNr83xt8Tj8ic5EIsx_ctsDTQGRqweOApAZbPo17mUcZ7ccuLKpkBF0o446-_awb4dNg1apdqDSCyMipMy5ZITXhd8pesgQIV85Ao-k7hGxvpJ_y1uh2Rb0tpVeBLtszraT_mnZ0JKXnTR0rwQ5g/s1280/flash_night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJsPatXOhSV6YT8mE70j0WJyCdFO-wzAPKjiW79iNr83xt8Tj8ic5EIsx_ctsDTQGRqweOApAZbPo17mUcZ7ccuLKpkBF0o446-_awb4dNg1apdqDSCyMipMy5ZITXhd8pesgQIV85Ao-k7hGxvpJ_y1uh2Rb0tpVeBLtszraT_mnZ0JKXnTR0rwQ5g/s320/flash_night.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In making <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> essentially a comedy of (cosmic) errors, and portraying Barry's action as those of an emotionally stunted but well intended fool, it makes his actions more palatable. He's able to come across less as a selfish asshole and more like a helpless goof who's prone to catastrophe. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9uSMdFVHr_3VsA07JgybmnH4RXGEF9Ye6COylI7_8VzfiAtowfCbR_FL5alGd-5ovdG62Y6FWzbTCvTKFDClhIapo2rwtwG8wUiJPEtpzf4oMI2avEykfNSJHGt4kNNwCkbXLjguCLDTC91_SfermBNwq2KBHNiCoUH6zg0kg2TJhuQ7IPLeHOd_EWPF/s500/flash_cockpit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9uSMdFVHr_3VsA07JgybmnH4RXGEF9Ye6COylI7_8VzfiAtowfCbR_FL5alGd-5ovdG62Y6FWzbTCvTKFDClhIapo2rwtwG8wUiJPEtpzf4oMI2avEykfNSJHGt4kNNwCkbXLjguCLDTC91_SfermBNwq2KBHNiCoUH6zg0kg2TJhuQ7IPLeHOd_EWPF/s320/flash_cockpit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> has an almost lampoonish quality to it as Barry races from one reality to the next, dismantling the DC universe as he goes, with the multiverse like a set of spinning plates that Barry is madly struggling (and failing) to keep in the air. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6TPFFtEzvJQ697iyjDS8Sg4Qw_UI6k2QXT4SrdLDuvTLtlmIyura1HitX-Amzg1CWN8ydhk3cM2Ijs2iJJMNVjVNsdxRWODY1h92RD3hc1JKKmR171qnJqgAFYO2qpllcglSFnVucOGUO6hchHOxrzvkxu8HFo3FTj-xieCNmoofcxafA8KmBWQ7T-r8/s640/flash_supergirl_heatvision.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6TPFFtEzvJQ697iyjDS8Sg4Qw_UI6k2QXT4SrdLDuvTLtlmIyura1HitX-Amzg1CWN8ydhk3cM2Ijs2iJJMNVjVNsdxRWODY1h92RD3hc1JKKmR171qnJqgAFYO2qpllcglSFnVucOGUO6hchHOxrzvkxu8HFo3FTj-xieCNmoofcxafA8KmBWQ7T-r8/s320/flash_supergirl_heatvision.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Things do get darker as the film goes on and as the dramatic stakes rise but yet it all comes back around to funny business with the movie ending on a punchline, the point of which being that the DCU has been permanently broken. It's a good laugh (with a great cameo) but at the same time, this is a movie that needed to bring clarity to the DCU and the fact that it doesn't is a problem. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH56YTuBDct3bMbFeUXnja1Fardrn0ZNsdav31RrHEt_03knobOAkbz84M4gogTPyOVTqAPq8NnKfPGwT1ivKLk-LODU2BsbvpY2x-ue5Ll5X-I1wisKZ3LxKxG73m3fBnbQQPuj8Js0yXKhyOU4lw3Mgd_ueipgMCn06n4jJNGIIJjyhFOPk70G_1IA/s1901/adam_cavill.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1901" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH56YTuBDct3bMbFeUXnja1Fardrn0ZNsdav31RrHEt_03knobOAkbz84M4gogTPyOVTqAPq8NnKfPGwT1ivKLk-LODU2BsbvpY2x-ue5Ll5X-I1wisKZ3LxKxG73m3fBnbQQPuj8Js0yXKhyOU4lw3Mgd_ueipgMCn06n4jJNGIIJjyhFOPk70G_1IA/s320/adam_cavill.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">When the new DC regime, led by James Gunn and David Zaslav, came in last year and announced that the much touted "change in the DC hierarchy of power," <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i>, wasn't actually going to lead to anything and that the DCU that began with <i>Man</i> <i>of</i> <i>Steel</i> in 2013 would be ending (despite the return of Henry Cavill's Superman in <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i>'s post credit scene), it fell on <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> to make the case why that was a good idea and to establish what the new direction of the DCU would be.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4USEVht5Rjodk0_eHyBOzw9q_VAe183xrX2xeKGQy3fsj5dfQQzVmgxjbwFPWSGCixrzrsiUGflvx6AuAH4oymSM1SIYV7YAXxaMbzpaSJA6wFfpqkz0wPkIYHcsep6q1xEUmA89hVX92sDL3WPoZM73uxMh1T_V9q3qjDy2-hwYYf4edWfyCQDvEg/s1280/flash_trio.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4USEVht5Rjodk0_eHyBOzw9q_VAe183xrX2xeKGQy3fsj5dfQQzVmgxjbwFPWSGCixrzrsiUGflvx6AuAH4oymSM1SIYV7YAXxaMbzpaSJA6wFfpqkz0wPkIYHcsep6q1xEUmA89hVX92sDL3WPoZM73uxMh1T_V9q3qjDy2-hwYYf4edWfyCQDvEg/s320/flash_trio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Instead <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> comes across as a cinematic pie in the face of the DCU, frequently sillier than even the most broadly comic Marvel movie and I have to think that's not what DC fans are in the mood for, especially in the wake of the universe they'd become attached to over the last ten years being so unceremoniously scrapped.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawYlTRatrJjgZL7o3J8NeHqA8D_H5eOXcQ4CgChTcY7ZWhk-YgsDWIx-YVL0LDQCiYbQPvnKivQVF2MAdsZmGKTgFtYM53H4e7odJXg5O8qHUjRo1qKfXpVN2xuRiRUedCVQRTcpOqoMtEKENWpKj-6L-L7auuB0aUXSf5rmgfGHi6esPw-ogzEPg8Q/s2438/adam_cu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="2438" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawYlTRatrJjgZL7o3J8NeHqA8D_H5eOXcQ4CgChTcY7ZWhk-YgsDWIx-YVL0LDQCiYbQPvnKivQVF2MAdsZmGKTgFtYM53H4e7odJXg5O8qHUjRo1qKfXpVN2xuRiRUedCVQRTcpOqoMtEKENWpKj-6L-L7auuB0aUXSf5rmgfGHi6esPw-ogzEPg8Q/s320/adam_cu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Say what you will about <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i> but I think The Rock had the right idea in regards to not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i> might not have been a monster hit but it made the right moves in teeing up the DCU for bigger things to come while going for a more palatable soft reboot of sorts. Even though movies like <i>Man</i> <i>of</i> <i>Steel</i> and <i>WW84</i> might not have been the best vehicles for them, Cavill's Superman and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman were still very well liked and I think there was an audience that simply wanted to see them (and others from the Snyder verse) get their shot in a refocused DCU. If you're going to kick these actors to the curb, you've got to do it gracefully in way that respects their contributions to the DCU while also making the strongest case possible for a new direction and <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> does neither. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds69t27p7e0eeBLr2ZI5iwM0gn5S5-U2N6wYemL0HFCJe4eSjDB4kSbCVs0U0DDO-IU9TSyEx6fZ5wtWAMsBLyogHeJhoFHIfu8_FKq7WfFA8wECSgCVLJZHTUw2TTd8OtmgoTEE_O5Al27Lcbh6L1LPWjTf2QWu7m-4n6YvZaWJ43gKqzfaVvnWHJQ/s2500/flash_keaton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="2500" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds69t27p7e0eeBLr2ZI5iwM0gn5S5-U2N6wYemL0HFCJe4eSjDB4kSbCVs0U0DDO-IU9TSyEx6fZ5wtWAMsBLyogHeJhoFHIfu8_FKq7WfFA8wECSgCVLJZHTUw2TTd8OtmgoTEE_O5Al27Lcbh6L1LPWjTf2QWu7m-4n6YvZaWJ43gKqzfaVvnWHJQ/s320/flash_keaton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Additionally, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> squanders both Micheal Keaton's return as Batman and Sasha Calle's introduction as Supergirl. Both of them have some outstanding scenes (I particularly enjoyed the re-introduction of Keaton, in a fight scene that's reminiscent of a <i>Pink</i> <i>Panther</i> movie with Kato lying in wait to ambush Clouseau) but their arcs come to unsatisfying ends that feel undeserving of the characters. Reports say that the final version wasn't what was originally planned, with changes made since in order to accommodate the changes in the DCU but what they went with was not the right choice. After setting up Bruce, the two Barrys and Kara as a mini Justice League and following their strategizing to take down Zod, this section of the film ends on a deflated note and as a result the inclusion of Bruce and Kara ends up feeling pointless and dispiriting rather than heroic. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaxCkQpt8JC4c2_CwAokfb6DYsjuYYG69aqm_8lDh86lOh87olV59WDTAe7KDerPTMnjJJKtOX6-IZRX_rgWE2oDRv6fTyxa17tirKbBxNfVUV6OnwHNN0BfI1VqOANS9oaS41K0ilfRrDSKEU5fcX5adgwjGOBq4l8AF-qbu3q6sHI6EV3DdD_S0D7yC/s760/flash_supergirl_plane.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaxCkQpt8JC4c2_CwAokfb6DYsjuYYG69aqm_8lDh86lOh87olV59WDTAe7KDerPTMnjJJKtOX6-IZRX_rgWE2oDRv6fTyxa17tirKbBxNfVUV6OnwHNN0BfI1VqOANS9oaS41K0ilfRrDSKEU5fcX5adgwjGOBq4l8AF-qbu3q6sHI6EV3DdD_S0D7yC/s320/flash_supergirl_plane.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Spoilers here but it feels like a poor choice to prime the audience to anticipate how Flash, Kara and Bruce are going to take down Zod only to find out that, oh, they don't. The entire time spent in Bruce and Kara's reality ends up being a prolonged lesson in failure and while the experience teaches Barry that sometimes there isn't a way to fix things, there should have been a better way to get him to that point without having the bulk of the movie be about everyone fighting a losing battle. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6X0-OF9VnJDTzJiOxjbowY04awCzoAE3vOfDua8B-lrQu2G7XjV50U5Ukzx89H2G-hQX7gAybn39zwYxAQ3lam0Rx_qaXwgNzreSmfjGlanvv1Y96WAuXU7JBT7u3lR4N6kbq9tyeGKuy3pU2IeM7IoRLFZB_rckJUdQ0jacwIHoTWa5f6A9nxE2hOw/s1280/flash_running.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6X0-OF9VnJDTzJiOxjbowY04awCzoAE3vOfDua8B-lrQu2G7XjV50U5Ukzx89H2G-hQX7gAybn39zwYxAQ3lam0Rx_qaXwgNzreSmfjGlanvv1Y96WAuXU7JBT7u3lR4N6kbq9tyeGKuy3pU2IeM7IoRLFZB_rckJUdQ0jacwIHoTWa5f6A9nxE2hOw/s320/flash_running.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The most curious flaw of <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i>, though, is that even though the story hinges on Barry changing the fabric of the universe to save his mother, he never shows any interest in finding out who killed her or why. It's doubly maddening in that Barry's <i>other</i> big motivation is in clearing his dad of the crime. So why does it never occur to him to find out who did it and bring them to justice? At the very least, where's the curiosity about this crime on Barry's part? I mean, it's one thing to not want to interfere any more overtly than he's already doing but how about getting some answers for himself? You can time travel but you don't want to find out why your mother was murdered? Really? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bv-1R8M1O0OMu1g2BUpIGV2HwxP0u7waDese_dwreRhjuQ_5bV3S3RdbNWW2-ia3UbGKBwRQAai51i6pXD3y8Wtidbof2xms856lPkYcMWDbMaEIqTFpL3oZcf7nFuqZEruPqTOSVoy_szK1R5d88GcFxajqIM3SjS97t5RdnyktWBTeDxln2AD-fA/s719/flash_mother.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="719" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bv-1R8M1O0OMu1g2BUpIGV2HwxP0u7waDese_dwreRhjuQ_5bV3S3RdbNWW2-ia3UbGKBwRQAai51i6pXD3y8Wtidbof2xms856lPkYcMWDbMaEIqTFpL3oZcf7nFuqZEruPqTOSVoy_szK1R5d88GcFxajqIM3SjS97t5RdnyktWBTeDxln2AD-fA/s320/flash_mother.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's such a bizarre oversight to have this not even be a factor in the film. In the comics the murder is committed by one of Barry's arch foes from the future but even if the movie didn't want to take it in that super villain direction, they've still got to address why this crime was committed in the first place and it's just crazy that it goes ignored. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQeXKaAi-_qBXbQmTqDEOvgbbANc73Xk72HXc9SJd_cEgacoBtWVP4cS98jBIWJqDWpbCBv9hLzVqtisfse1wrtmlBz7A2fFb0K3zhCNSbqFFkRqvkdIC5CEIffTQk-sfrsWh7DJuB5V0-UAk8IElbaof-TiYsm1p5gn3CuLKt1DT-fiTAAkNElN2LA/s1245/Flashpoint.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1245" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQeXKaAi-_qBXbQmTqDEOvgbbANc73Xk72HXc9SJd_cEgacoBtWVP4cS98jBIWJqDWpbCBv9hLzVqtisfse1wrtmlBz7A2fFb0K3zhCNSbqFFkRqvkdIC5CEIffTQk-sfrsWh7DJuB5V0-UAk8IElbaof-TiYsm1p5gn3CuLKt1DT-fiTAAkNElN2LA/s320/Flashpoint.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In the comics, Flashpoint was a blunt means to an end. Having Barry undo his mother's murder wasn't about exploring Barry's trauma. While that might have been the surface storyline, underneath that Flashpoint was just a mechanism meant to restore the DC multiverse that had been undone back in 1985's <i>Crisis</i> <i>on</i> <i>Infinite</i> <i>Earths</i> and doing it within continuity. It was essentially a reboot in disguise. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4v9eZ-Lf43Ep6GnvPMPpZGEnD6VyIYFyqN-i2fIOgG8pVeybshBm8FYsH0VLlG0xegSo9w0vWcXgXVkyYZkhq2eL_bgQW52EVBFF9xh-a0sYs7kvBVJs8EgphpIAl0lZAMvrkQkWUPcziWh1h13AW40W2apk3khpBFxs8FgtzQSFnwSu5MVxoTpjmWQ/s1384/flashpoint_cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1384" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4v9eZ-Lf43Ep6GnvPMPpZGEnD6VyIYFyqN-i2fIOgG8pVeybshBm8FYsH0VLlG0xegSo9w0vWcXgXVkyYZkhq2eL_bgQW52EVBFF9xh-a0sYs7kvBVJs8EgphpIAl0lZAMvrkQkWUPcziWh1h13AW40W2apk3khpBFxs8FgtzQSFnwSu5MVxoTpjmWQ/s320/flashpoint_cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">To apply what Flashpoint did in the comics to the movies, they needed to have a similarly clear and pragmatic plan in place of what they were looking to accomplish but unfortunately the goals <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> started with changed drastically during the course of its production and post-production, going from teeing up the next round of adventures with the DCU characters we've come to know to becoming their awkward send-off and that last minute swerve badly kneecaps the final product. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXYadVfiBn9naQyYUzOA9zgwP5xrEZ7ca9p1FpTIC3eJDfRSEeBM-FqFSYFSMumoKEwhSxa4d9djnPkLwV4rwSfkz1hkQjGtqC8rk_goCdrhbQIl4Un1WMdadfd86uqcsHE6lscN1F-_FOTeQMVxuSU2LUGfERHUY8qntQuIQr8649SFWNI5tjT2RWw/s1200/flash_foot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXYadVfiBn9naQyYUzOA9zgwP5xrEZ7ca9p1FpTIC3eJDfRSEeBM-FqFSYFSMumoKEwhSxa4d9djnPkLwV4rwSfkz1hkQjGtqC8rk_goCdrhbQIl4Un1WMdadfd86uqcsHE6lscN1F-_FOTeQMVxuSU2LUGfERHUY8qntQuIQr8649SFWNI5tjT2RWw/s320/flash_foot.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">A production that ran into more problems than it could handle before it was able to cross the finish line, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> should have shown that the DC universe is still in the race but instead it makes it look like a franchise that's running on empty. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-76015502104380638642023-06-04T10:06:00.025-07:002023-06-26T07:56:36.801-07:00Still Crazy After All These Years: Psycho II at 40<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkjLG_vCEHVz1BbuvS1FvHZGmxGRJ9UkjzCS_v09ulnsuJafoSUlWUmzcFs_807YgPx1mpe5m3RtXK6GqAUIHwlTao2WztAbkD75oAG-as5g_HKAraTxFsPBpzwkIvxJETY0EOHF3dUFD08t0CzyR-ifAQkrpHJhWQBtVZX5fPs10ypdJ8dj1hbqCCg/s960/psycho2_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="619" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkjLG_vCEHVz1BbuvS1FvHZGmxGRJ9UkjzCS_v09ulnsuJafoSUlWUmzcFs_807YgPx1mpe5m3RtXK6GqAUIHwlTao2WztAbkD75oAG-as5g_HKAraTxFsPBpzwkIvxJETY0EOHF3dUFD08t0CzyR-ifAQkrpHJhWQBtVZX5fPs10ypdJ8dj1hbqCCg/s320/psycho2_poster.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Sequels have always presented an arduous challenge for
filmmakers. But to make a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s <i>Psycho</i> (1960), the shocker that single-handedly changed the course
of modern horror? That was more than just a challenge, it was an act of cinematic sacrilege. The idea of anyone attempting to make a <i>Psycho II </i>sounded like pure craziness, especially given the staggering twenty year plus gap between them. But then, we all go a little
mad sometimes. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazjJcr9rzCwWu9y_Ld9enb0cYbMWsydiWbpcQ7Z2VC0928aMbYnRhzATcFC3pg_lLoG7gFdnUCiCEzXV4_LS47C-RL15Qi2oiHH68b91R9emqdmoCh1PU49Zw7LelIzbXZ_XZJMbMz1je53e__AjVvaNdOit_1TzoNbgtIHPqNpiCLqdtcZgrjoD8TA/s400/psycho-2_book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazjJcr9rzCwWu9y_Ld9enb0cYbMWsydiWbpcQ7Z2VC0928aMbYnRhzATcFC3pg_lLoG7gFdnUCiCEzXV4_LS47C-RL15Qi2oiHH68b91R9emqdmoCh1PU49Zw7LelIzbXZ_XZJMbMz1je53e__AjVvaNdOit_1TzoNbgtIHPqNpiCLqdtcZgrjoD8TA/s320/psycho-2_book.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Inspired in part by his disdain for the slasher genre of the
early ‘80s, and prior to the development of the <i>Psycho II</i> film, <i>Psycho</i>
novelist Robert Bloch had his own idea for a continuation of Norman Bates’
story. Bloch had the still-nuts Norman escape from an asylum (by murdering a
nun and dressing in her habit) and then trek to Hollywood to terrorize
the makers of a movie based on his exploits (that it would’ve taken twenty
some-odd years for Hollywood to make a movie out of Norman’s grisly deeds seems
far-fetched but hey, whatever). Bloch’s <i>Psycho
II</i> was published in 1982 but with its acerbic jabs at Hollywood and the way
the storyline marginalized (and even discarded) Norman, it didn’t make for a viable candidate for a
movie adaptation. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmFBSttehsEReionPj-K-rClljHg2gq2YUKW-8wjWVYVKD5TSVEVPMV8rEwqjxfZz2lHm0aLNG3D_2fHcMSwh7pbLR5wsVyFNstdyvtc9sviJAgNdCkmHfwTriLsVaMaIX1fQRkONqTDc5sFYqEroKLpzitSE0c4mJE257ydPNsYyzQb3cSHbcH4Huw/s1108/psycho2_perkins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1108" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmFBSttehsEReionPj-K-rClljHg2gq2YUKW-8wjWVYVKD5TSVEVPMV8rEwqjxfZz2lHm0aLNG3D_2fHcMSwh7pbLR5wsVyFNstdyvtc9sviJAgNdCkmHfwTriLsVaMaIX1fQRkONqTDc5sFYqEroKLpzitSE0c4mJE257ydPNsYyzQb3cSHbcH4Huw/s320/psycho2_perkins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Still, with both slashers and sequels being all the rage in the early '80s, Universal recognized the strong commercial viability in the return of Norman Bates and set about mounting their version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psycho II</i>. Screenwriter Tom Holland (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Beast Within</i>) was enlisted to create a storyline from scratch
and in the director’s seat was ardent Hitchcock disciple Richard Franklin, who
had previously proved his aptitude for suspense with the acclaimed Australian
thriller <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Road Games</i> (1981). The
importance of having the right writer and director aside, the success of any
attempt at a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psycho</i> sequel hinged on
the participation of Anthony Perkins. The actor’s (at first reluctant) decision
to return as Norman was the essential casting coup that made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psycho II</i> into a credible project. In
the summer of 1983, the Bates Motel would be back in business. Cue the slashing
violins!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KbYUnKUtfAAuYM6BCEKPn2CP44vbDW4hH816sk9ybPSIMQIoXwUc8gpqisFbCtUAH9kFG2_Gxwdy1B2MmlsNQ6XRerIAbl--JojWErWztj-wjAkBswOHMkSgEEEngIFt9xTlZ78bfCny066LrpKPfgjvHr3Zgkrsr_wiXUeGDP25Tm-Qepeg44ByiQ/s1275/psycho2_courtroom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1275" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KbYUnKUtfAAuYM6BCEKPn2CP44vbDW4hH816sk9ybPSIMQIoXwUc8gpqisFbCtUAH9kFG2_Gxwdy1B2MmlsNQ6XRerIAbl--JojWErWztj-wjAkBswOHMkSgEEEngIFt9xTlZ78bfCny066LrpKPfgjvHr3Zgkrsr_wiXUeGDP25Tm-Qepeg44ByiQ/s320/psycho2_courtroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">From the instant a judge declares Norman fit to return to
society, the sister of Norman's most famous victim, Lila Loomis (Vera Miles), formerly Lila Crane, is in the courthouse calling bullshit and
waving a petition to keep this murdering menace locked up for life. Even though
she comes across as a bit of a high-strung, haranguing bitch (though can you blame her?), audiences suspect Lila might be onto something as no sooner than Norman returns to the Victorian frame
house he used to share with his mother’s corpse does he see someone in the
window of Mother’s old bedroom. Worse than that, Norman starts finding notes
for him left in his mother’s name. Is Norman losing it so soon, or is there
another explanation?</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3Sjpvm06baoQsMFknTV3_GZG-7m6Q_tFM5VmmMUSmJB7V5ZIrIqQVLkaeb5YcHMji6tci9q7nOPjuFqzhKsxZl5RlIJwtbeWhgnYKLECoXE8tgd3Ia9yre6Wv99TMxfRf-A4zrMQIwjvyeWtgPXm2TVShikTpROuQRvK-y53GRXBC63oeuMgTJ6i8Q/s1333/psycho2_perkins_cook.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="1333" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3Sjpvm06baoQsMFknTV3_GZG-7m6Q_tFM5VmmMUSmJB7V5ZIrIqQVLkaeb5YcHMji6tci9q7nOPjuFqzhKsxZl5RlIJwtbeWhgnYKLECoXE8tgd3Ia9yre6Wv99TMxfRf-A4zrMQIwjvyeWtgPXm2TVShikTpROuQRvK-y53GRXBC63oeuMgTJ6i8Q/s320/psycho2_perkins_cook.png" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">While he – and the audience – are left to wonder what’s what,
Norman scores himself a new job outside of the motel to keep himself occupied. He’s now
working as a cook at the local diner and when he isn’t busy flipping burgers,
he’s warming up to young waitress Mary Samuels (Meg Tilly). When Mary’s
boyfriend dumps her, Norman does the gentlemanly thing and offers her a room at
his motel. Unfortunately, when Norman goes to put Mary in a cabin he discovers
to his horror that the man appointed by the state to run the motel in Norman’s
absence, Warren Toomey (Dennis Franz), has turned the Bates Motel into – gasp!
– a place where people go to indulge in all manner of “adult” and/or illegal
activities. Naturally, Norman is outraged. Is Toomey trying to give the Bates
Motel a bad name or what? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ksQZp-rInlBMAQxiUZpOoBRMunxP6bxMJQ-Ke2CJl0hfNcdcVVNViD3aarNPyfQkmJCK89ksg_6DL3DHskkjyOMC3qUuMDxl-GKO6C5tqnKQwANXKqJz2EC3UbXFgHXpZejJIIr3jGDw35_tBNmKrMImeyr1B0AaDhjoHT0VvNJ30kBzmRxF9yGvA/s1440/psycho2_toomey_diner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1440" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ksQZp-rInlBMAQxiUZpOoBRMunxP6bxMJQ-Ke2CJl0hfNcdcVVNViD3aarNPyfQkmJCK89ksg_6DL3DHskkjyOMC3qUuMDxl-GKO6C5tqnKQwANXKqJz2EC3UbXFgHXpZejJIIr3jGDw35_tBNmKrMImeyr1B0AaDhjoHT0VvNJ30kBzmRxF9yGvA/s320/psycho2_toomey_diner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Norman’s puritanical reaction is a genius move on the part of Franklin and Holland. To have Norman, of
all people, representing the voice of decency was a perfect way to sardonically
comment on just how debased the world had become since 1960 while also
establishing Norman as a weirdly virtuous character. It should be ridiculous – Norman
is, after all, a serial killer. But Holland, Franklin, and Perkins collectively
sell us on the idea of Norman as a chivalrous guy. Norman was always a sympathetic figure;
it’s part of what made the original film so successful. But in <i>Psycho II</i> when he shows his backbone and
fires Toomey, he’s like some '80s movie hero, taking out the trash. This isn’t
Norman as the same stammering man-child he was in the original; this is Norman
as a valorous man of principles who won’t be taking anyone’s shit. Pay attention, scumbags. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Norman. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLDgehV2O_qmLKeBp6g8nLGB3rjRO2hkJR1FqxES6BqN01BWxsMiZ9VdqmrnmPnk9oa3G66iaFUzJ13S3-1wIrLaEsi0Ga4pBZL5v2EV2Qjm-5Vd0k1Pha9AXQUISG6hKuWKULIkp78X5Ri1s2x6S0xLc5KnkgJmtJRzl5d4_TAVSuSQA89EhYeMUVA/s1229/Psycho2_tillyperkins.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1229" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLDgehV2O_qmLKeBp6g8nLGB3rjRO2hkJR1FqxES6BqN01BWxsMiZ9VdqmrnmPnk9oa3G66iaFUzJ13S3-1wIrLaEsi0Ga4pBZL5v2EV2Qjm-5Vd0k1Pha9AXQUISG6hKuWKULIkp78X5Ri1s2x6S0xLc5KnkgJmtJRzl5d4_TAVSuSQA89EhYeMUVA/s320/Psycho2_tillyperkins.png" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Holland, Franklin and Perkins knew how important it was that
the audience be in Norman’s corner. If Norman came off as just being sketchy,
the idea that Mary would consent to stay alone in his house would be impossible
to accept and the movie would instantly fall apart. Although we find out later
in the film that Mary has her own hidden motives for getting close to Norman,
not knowing that at first, we have to believe upfront that this young girl
would not be an idiot for trusting a former serial killer (no matter how
“cured” the state claims he is) – much less to begin to fall in love with him.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilM3efQCe6cIwj4Zgu0l8zOZHFlE1vgPDnFjkSOXkpnaCwE2xtc68koJRLEt-jghidZN2YJ4gyFwolvjBebD6UdNY4Pje9UZJZvymZg3t_PPuh3n1gLRar8YaW2r8nNUlhXUlpXPFxuPyda0r6kAAq-CjJot4SJcC9LwkBuWZoNTL1YAojZ38g-MBxmw/s1200/psycho2_tillyperkinsembrace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilM3efQCe6cIwj4Zgu0l8zOZHFlE1vgPDnFjkSOXkpnaCwE2xtc68koJRLEt-jghidZN2YJ4gyFwolvjBebD6UdNY4Pje9UZJZvymZg3t_PPuh3n1gLRar8YaW2r8nNUlhXUlpXPFxuPyda0r6kAAq-CjJot4SJcC9LwkBuWZoNTL1YAojZ38g-MBxmw/s320/psycho2_tillyperkinsembrace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Reportedly, Tilly and Perkins had an acrimonious
relationship on the set but on screen, the budding romance of their characters
has the convincing chemistry of two lost souls finding each other. Alas, as we
find out here and in <i>Psycho III</i>
(1986), love is just not in the cards for Norman. The guy has too much baggage and Mother never stays out of the picture for long. As viewers, we
root for the tormented Norman to beat his demons and claw his way out of his private trap but
Mother always has the last say when it comes to Norman's love life.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu_picnntSLaJBGGhcET9lJlSof0myOuPnHPGZIpQtQSQgEpKPW3yx-E_0rIYkc1FDSbHyBp2-fRMvN7tWFSqqXZ0R0w3sUWQ7V2n_bJ9ySFBJEHSHmHM6LQDRJ58B0SAByOYfJUkS7bv4BJ0wzwgk3FlakhSOrR6lJOf0D6iHd9PJ12Cn9r5le2ICA/s800/Psycho2_motherknife.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="800" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu_picnntSLaJBGGhcET9lJlSof0myOuPnHPGZIpQtQSQgEpKPW3yx-E_0rIYkc1FDSbHyBp2-fRMvN7tWFSqqXZ0R0w3sUWQ7V2n_bJ9ySFBJEHSHmHM6LQDRJ58B0SAByOYfJUkS7bv4BJ0wzwgk3FlakhSOrR6lJOf0D6iHd9PJ12Cn9r5le2ICA/s320/Psycho2_motherknife.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Whether Norman is really putting on a woman’s wig
and dress again or not, someone who looks an awful lot like Mrs. Bates is up to
multiple murder (with some nasty gore to be had – an absolutely brutal knife
through the mouth gag rivals the most ghastly FX found in any ‘80s slasher
movie) and until the last scenes, Holland and Franklin keep the audience on their toes as to what the
solution to the film’s mystery is. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkS-FzJOIzZ_z-rHeKc2efWObUOEmEQAuGKTMYhzXaITXi8Vh9NCPqDoLRtvw4xLhOFYTP16aMBJm_hfzBomcuECw25wz-BdFz7res5uksCDE5MxazxJORnfEx9R7XXyi3IBwqZ22pu8JnmyGhneYS39-c-NqWy6k7binnhIYQV-a8YqjG1-pJyieuYdu/s584/psycho2_perkins_mirror.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="584" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkS-FzJOIzZ_z-rHeKc2efWObUOEmEQAuGKTMYhzXaITXi8Vh9NCPqDoLRtvw4xLhOFYTP16aMBJm_hfzBomcuECw25wz-BdFz7res5uksCDE5MxazxJORnfEx9R7XXyi3IBwqZ22pu8JnmyGhneYS39-c-NqWy6k7binnhIYQV-a8YqjG1-pJyieuYdu/s320/psycho2_perkins_mirror.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">With all respect to Bloch as a genius of psychological horror and as the literary father of Norman Bates, Holland's script bested Bloch's novel as the better <i>Psycho</i> <i>II</i> story. Not only did Holland realize that in 1983, there'd be no need for Norman to break out of an asylum (instead, thanks to an overburdened judicial and mental health system, he'd be deemed cured and released), Holland also knew that this story needed to be about Norman, On every level, Holland's script made the right choices. It was more emotional, more surprising, and scarier to boot. </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmf070po5yfjvAYdT3xFBVvvcULUREz2RoC-rWNFRktBtkVBr-bnnLK71PQ9sOzCIkQgHrFUFyQA_DFX10ccopRCS-vVhDsB3ufB1fcAr6HI_xxcmwJrOCD8WhlcEhCsWEhfQVn0jhZvhTVr7QtgJgMbR6kHOE4_BcWD0o6ezofw-UmxoyjIvarV-WA/s660/paradise_shower.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="660" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmf070po5yfjvAYdT3xFBVvvcULUREz2RoC-rWNFRktBtkVBr-bnnLK71PQ9sOzCIkQgHrFUFyQA_DFX10ccopRCS-vVhDsB3ufB1fcAr6HI_xxcmwJrOCD8WhlcEhCsWEhfQVn0jhZvhTVr7QtgJgMbR6kHOE4_BcWD0o6ezofw-UmxoyjIvarV-WA/s320/paradise_shower.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">In 1983, the return of Norman Bates could’ve easily been treated as
an occasion for camp. By that time, <i>Psycho</i> was so embedded in the cultural vernacular that its iconic moments had been parodied time and again, in everything from Mel Brooks' Hitchcock spoof <i>High</i> <i>Anxiety</i> (1977) to Brian DePalma's <i>Phantom</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Paradise</i> (1974). But Holland and Franklin wisely played it seriously. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYInDZEIniO700RQtBRP3PF5uz-FMEnZh4njFYXL3Zljz0itw0BnDLI8CMTDg9nUa_Xa8T3g15D3nSMvjTyxKSV03DC6R7ByEwlawAZ_mJCowXKLTqbS3lP2OeEqDP6d67WlMS5mDBwT62I5qW0EMu-Te1gogxaz_TFWb8PzpRhEU-jCd7wa6DubXCYc2/s600/psycho2_miles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYInDZEIniO700RQtBRP3PF5uz-FMEnZh4njFYXL3Zljz0itw0BnDLI8CMTDg9nUa_Xa8T3g15D3nSMvjTyxKSV03DC6R7ByEwlawAZ_mJCowXKLTqbS3lP2OeEqDP6d67WlMS5mDBwT62I5qW0EMu-Te1gogxaz_TFWb8PzpRhEU-jCd7wa6DubXCYc2/s320/psycho2_miles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Psycho</i> <i>II</i> is very much a horror film of the <i>Friday</i> <i>the</i> <i>13th</i> era (the death of a pot smoking teen trying to get into his girlfriend's pants in the cellar of the Bates home is a deliberate nod to the current conventions of the slasher genre) but unlike most of its competitors, <i>Psycho</i> <i>II</i> wasn't just about a body count. It's just that everyone involved in making <i>Psycho</i> <i>II</i> were savvy enough to know that in 1983 they needed to have one. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTKirMTr9q4V9leJ1PmtGW-pXU6gPqBHjDdTD1LQRnhIuA8NgDIri39X7McsnL_qfb-hoT1WW3G3wWDCPIVbCMkm3Xm6tk8aQCaF9jwdrmukrPpu7v-sq9f_VWxJ15OWb7PexKG7yeb1M9EqqlhLL5qNTfOoSmYK_0RIb0pb-Ebpw2VQN0tO1_3xApg/s1280/psychoII_motherend.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTKirMTr9q4V9leJ1PmtGW-pXU6gPqBHjDdTD1LQRnhIuA8NgDIri39X7McsnL_qfb-hoT1WW3G3wWDCPIVbCMkm3Xm6tk8aQCaF9jwdrmukrPpu7v-sq9f_VWxJ15OWb7PexKG7yeb1M9EqqlhLL5qNTfOoSmYK_0RIb0pb-Ebpw2VQN0tO1_3xApg/s320/psychoII_motherend.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">As an acolyte of Hitchcock, Franklin crafted <i>Psycho II</i> as a love letter to <i>Psycho</i>, filled with visual quotes and
Easter Egg-style shout-outs to the original (including a slyly hidden cameo by
the late director, with Hitch's signature shadow making an appearance) while contributing its own indelible moments to the <i>Psycho</i> saga (with the shockingly sudden shovel murder being a standout).</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0olNcN0x23ylX9a47oIpArKeTifwHZ_DKHzE1teEwimbTDQesonkQuLsHsi-cr5PeQjMUx4hi9Qd_L1lsv59b8eldf_LoN8Rv0CppZlaRYisF6YR1Ravvh_12NImg3I9xjD_Cnb1fGRXXt4gus1lZIVbBZ3m9LQeI7IfN-uvPY-JYZsIG5BXCFbsYQ/s1920/psycho2_normanphone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0olNcN0x23ylX9a47oIpArKeTifwHZ_DKHzE1teEwimbTDQesonkQuLsHsi-cr5PeQjMUx4hi9Qd_L1lsv59b8eldf_LoN8Rv0CppZlaRYisF6YR1Ravvh_12NImg3I9xjD_Cnb1fGRXXt4gus1lZIVbBZ3m9LQeI7IfN-uvPY-JYZsIG5BXCFbsYQ/s320/psycho2_normanphone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While the twenty two years that separated <i>Psycho</i> <i>II</i> from the original was thought to be a ridiculously long span of time back when <i>II</i> was released on June 3rd, 1983, here we are now in 2023 looking back at <i>Psycho</i> <i>II</i> as 40 year old film. Considered to be not just a risk at the time but also (to some) a crassly commercial cash in with no artistic merit, the years have been kind to <i>Psycho</i> <i>II</i>. Whereas once <i>Psycho II </i>earned
compliments as being a better film than it had a right to be, when people refer
to it today as a classic in its own right, it's a sentiment that doesn’t sound so crazy at all. </div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-36269621987145939132023-05-31T20:16:00.043-07:002023-06-22T08:36:17.369-07:00Are You Not Ant-ertained? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BzN3w6--pH-vEU9KoSpTTb1I-L_HfCxMPMud0Hp6_haJv6UxDTF3PnTZrqtyLWLkbDIdAOVzDmlnaAhxyjSwd5bXbps00_WI6FFEttHqxtyZGMoSHcf3pqpm-HFP-jAPiMiUG-IE1Xba7DYm1_XvIdVhQuvDawzEOGxjIuznpSsbvo1zZOOULsAtGw/s1481/quantumania.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BzN3w6--pH-vEU9KoSpTTb1I-L_HfCxMPMud0Hp6_haJv6UxDTF3PnTZrqtyLWLkbDIdAOVzDmlnaAhxyjSwd5bXbps00_WI6FFEttHqxtyZGMoSHcf3pqpm-HFP-jAPiMiUG-IE1Xba7DYm1_XvIdVhQuvDawzEOGxjIuznpSsbvo1zZOOULsAtGw/s320/quantumania.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As we all know, Quantumania did not sweep the nation, much less the world, when <i>Ant-Man</i> <i>and</i> <i>The</i> <i>Wasp:</i> <i>Quantumania</i> was released in theaters this past February. After a record breaking opening weekend that set a new high for the franchise, it quickly dropped off and, while it wasn't exactly a box office failure, it was certainly a surprising box office disappointment in terms of the MCU.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIxVOImaxOVsMNO14zUpVFS2SqOJg-r9aKpLw2Go36h5rZpHHNBUPMbhc1CfJxMgVrTEuWB9g6tqKPqJIXkeaWKDkXrF_4fh2PZrS_4X2bAkbElOW_jTyxWsDXLXe2XxlTPHgmF5EBTrc6t-y8bteT0EyM1Liu0w6i6LmYXOYf65M2dJxLNEclxwwMQ/s700/quantum_fam.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="700" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIxVOImaxOVsMNO14zUpVFS2SqOJg-r9aKpLw2Go36h5rZpHHNBUPMbhc1CfJxMgVrTEuWB9g6tqKPqJIXkeaWKDkXrF_4fh2PZrS_4X2bAkbElOW_jTyxWsDXLXe2XxlTPHgmF5EBTrc6t-y8bteT0EyM1Liu0w6i6LmYXOYf65M2dJxLNEclxwwMQ/s320/quantum_fam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">While many wanted to ascribe its weak box office performance to "superhero fatigue," I think it's been proven time and again that "superhero fatigue" is an imaginary phenomenon. Audience respond to films on an individual basis, not on grounds of their genre. So why was <i>Quantumania</i> about as welcome as ants at a picnic? This wasn't just a movie that was tepidly received, it was vilified. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJNHvf_nlhKHW9y4d7uxqQPb1HeLkh-hyYNOIfxeBlWqwJo9c0niQioSO-JFRVeS-D9LzbuvMSEBuLZ8B5oZiVCHrjF3B4RpBVxCQ0DzAwmp-fqz2ah-HwublHDqJfRq3q1CLyegqUxam9Qy82sa_l3DbMNeYZ3d9DTopaZMTNjdiplSUrDjG25aBSg/s1400/quantum_realm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJNHvf_nlhKHW9y4d7uxqQPb1HeLkh-hyYNOIfxeBlWqwJo9c0niQioSO-JFRVeS-D9LzbuvMSEBuLZ8B5oZiVCHrjF3B4RpBVxCQ0DzAwmp-fqz2ah-HwublHDqJfRq3q1CLyegqUxam9Qy82sa_l3DbMNeYZ3d9DTopaZMTNjdiplSUrDjG25aBSg/s320/quantum_realm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Aside from the fact that the internet occasionally loves to dog pile on certain films, and that kind of hostility can take on a life of its own, I think the unhappiness with <i>Quantumania</i> mainly comes down to two different aspects. First and foremost, as much as some enjoyed the deliberate change of pace for the series and the ambitious attempt by director Peyton Reed to make <i>Quantumania</i> an entirely different type of Ant-Man film, I think that's exactly what most audiences <i>didn't</i> like about it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWrueYaxKex8TeZk5zq8OZVbPP7J2C-UDXr4WtzsxFkzFfv3Icj_2cJpMBC9JCBovbtOollN1TYR2qOAn_anOcnlLY4mrIjau-z5LWsl4RoJO84AOXFWz5To945E2G6fpJgf-CCEGjiwKoTOOwBIwiyC4OdD15_d8dvzkgcjnliENqDjiRMZDEJ186Q/s1748/thomas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1748" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWrueYaxKex8TeZk5zq8OZVbPP7J2C-UDXr4WtzsxFkzFfv3Icj_2cJpMBC9JCBovbtOollN1TYR2qOAn_anOcnlLY4mrIjau-z5LWsl4RoJO84AOXFWz5To945E2G6fpJgf-CCEGjiwKoTOOwBIwiyC4OdD15_d8dvzkgcjnliENqDjiRMZDEJ186Q/s320/thomas.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">What sold the first <i>Ant-Man</i> was the shot in the trailer of Thomas the Train Engine bearing down on Yellowjacket. That specific shot, more than anything else, is what really got audiences on board with the whole Ant-Man concept. Having fun with the scale of ordinary objects was the primary hook of those first two films and taking the real world out of the equation in <i>Quantumania</i> removed the element that had drawn viewers to Ant-Man in the first place. Putting Scott and the rest of the Ant Family into a world where nothing is recognizable just isn't as appealing to viewers as, say, watching a car chase through city streets where the twist is that all the vehicles are shrinking and enlarging. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpmVsh-GKsi0nNyWK8JSh4103BDgNporJNF7-YcoCMxs1VK_5ZLJTH_Zb9ksDwFUny9gO2VsxCz2NA-TWrLveXyv7p9SyesfzXw_JQ-gzS-G9gfvrmb-sN20f4ME0l0GrvvXgCQpREA2kSZrOOz9_l5cuncQhOdcdeMNSEK-K5T9GKPYH_v6B0K6dEQ/s1777/antman_pena.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1777" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpmVsh-GKsi0nNyWK8JSh4103BDgNporJNF7-YcoCMxs1VK_5ZLJTH_Zb9ksDwFUny9gO2VsxCz2NA-TWrLveXyv7p9SyesfzXw_JQ-gzS-G9gfvrmb-sN20f4ME0l0GrvvXgCQpREA2kSZrOOz9_l5cuncQhOdcdeMNSEK-K5T9GKPYH_v6B0K6dEQ/s320/antman_pena.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It also didn't help that having the movie take place in the Quantum Realm meant Scott's crew had to sit this one out and an Ant-Man movie without Michael Pena's Luis just isn't the same. And although David Dastmalchain's vocal performance as Ved was a highlight, it wasn't the same as having him back as Kurt. The first two Ant-Mans boasted one of the most entertaining supporting casts in the MCU so having those characters not appear was just another thing working against it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4RFjd0xs0cW3PCdekyEee3oAOlm26_Uk2hvFah66VZnzRma56SbXotOLo0S6QMBzrqsM5r2F62d1APoBsOqCduxFdYGVOVX3P7el0zalTArW06ZjhfgcPja2xoX8uSwjdZpbnOGzzdglO0pJ7MpDOj6FIVUK6PQWSf6v4Llf2wt2RaYX4PfXUeTkhw/s1200/wayofwater.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4RFjd0xs0cW3PCdekyEee3oAOlm26_Uk2hvFah66VZnzRma56SbXotOLo0S6QMBzrqsM5r2F62d1APoBsOqCduxFdYGVOVX3P7el0zalTArW06ZjhfgcPja2xoX8uSwjdZpbnOGzzdglO0pJ7MpDOj6FIVUK6PQWSf6v4Llf2wt2RaYX4PfXUeTkhw/s320/wayofwater.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The second aspect that I believe made it hard for <i>Quantumania</i> to win over audiences was the fact that it was the first big movie in theaters after <i>Avatar:</i> <i>The</i> <i>Way</i> <i>of</i> <i>Water</i>. Both films took place almost exclusively in a CGI created alien environment and the bottom line is that the Quantum Realm could not compete with the ground breaking spectacle of Pandora. Maybe if there'd been more of a buffer between the two movies it wouldn't have mattered but having <i>Quantumania</i> arrive directly on the heels of <i>Way</i> <i>of</i> <i>Water</i> made the comparisons inescapable. While the FX of <i>Quantumania</i> looked just fine by normal standards, I think with <i>Way</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Water</i> so fresh in viewer's minds, there was no way for <i>Quantumania</i> to not hit viewers as being a major downgrade. No shame in being owned by Cameron, though, I say. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2GsTPw4y_fxIjl7ElPA86LGxphGaCQ6XR4-sq715A062tJDKQfdqBH60gqHy_IYZOD6PC1hLVb_cUjampMFRbNDBOK9wnFJ_h4lbEIGenrUNxXC3TpvHHVYa8GsOPgrpq5NpoL7uO3EE-r_3CdTAqNlvFBwl5MFijyqs929m7kUcHOE3jTGPuytKYg/s390/earthscore_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2GsTPw4y_fxIjl7ElPA86LGxphGaCQ6XR4-sq715A062tJDKQfdqBH60gqHy_IYZOD6PC1hLVb_cUjampMFRbNDBOK9wnFJ_h4lbEIGenrUNxXC3TpvHHVYa8GsOPgrpq5NpoL7uO3EE-r_3CdTAqNlvFBwl5MFijyqs929m7kUcHOE3jTGPuytKYg/s320/earthscore_poster.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Personally I really enjoyed <i>Quantimania</i>. As a lighthearted, family friendly adventure, it gave me happy flashbacks to a specific style of fantasy/sci-fi film that were Saturday matinee staples of my '70s childhood, like <i>The</i> <i>Land</i> <i>That</i> <i>Time</i> <i>Forgot</i>, <i>At</i> <i>The</i> <i>Earth's</i> <i>Core</i> and <i>The</i> <i>People</i> <i>That</i> <i>Time</i> <i>Forgot</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Y7vItjYPp2cVJt1XFt0awPfx5a1zXNcTZ8_Oz6YIoIlSB-ke1_J-WyrTfkLY5m5IUS8dO48y9niCgeCRjzS7iG6JOT0gh79mmDcSonYi0YcIvSzCskcTqZCeB24QR4aSpVeOdTNgh3erTMoEEGQ0oZd9JUVaEznm6v_-GeJygOVZe8LlNM3fbibUFA/s728/attheearthscore.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="728" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Y7vItjYPp2cVJt1XFt0awPfx5a1zXNcTZ8_Oz6YIoIlSB-ke1_J-WyrTfkLY5m5IUS8dO48y9niCgeCRjzS7iG6JOT0gh79mmDcSonYi0YcIvSzCskcTqZCeB24QR4aSpVeOdTNgh3erTMoEEGQ0oZd9JUVaEznm6v_-GeJygOVZe8LlNM3fbibUFA/s320/attheearthscore.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Like <i>Quantumania</i>, these were films with protagonists who found themselves thrust into strange and savage alien environments in which they had to be resourceful and find allies among the local tribes and battle the challenges of the weird worlds they find themselves in. Those '70s films were primarily silly affairs but they had an endearing, sweet natured sincerity to them, which <i>Quantumania</i> shares, along with their B-movie spirit. <i>Quantumania</i> may not have been what most audiences were looking for but I can say that right from the start, it kept me highly <i>ant</i>ertained. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-27993633313790366442023-05-25T13:12:00.141-07:002023-06-05T09:17:30.012-07:00Peak Cinema, Ewoks and All: Return of the Jedi at 40<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDXPJFQAUJIyGxdRZrgYMs-byfZ4tZTgQy7Br80e3Q-6M5C24P9TQ3SUn3Gtc6cIi19id5lhr2fPufbFf3muGxibWoTdMVAdfpAzXJ8L0pGqYUKquR2qOx_XS5rn7SMtOb6V4f4YQkX45UV_G-Y8cp8lgPifrkL8JZqKxq9UPRIXHMmdRgmkMSkMt7Q/s2048/jedi_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1321" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDXPJFQAUJIyGxdRZrgYMs-byfZ4tZTgQy7Br80e3Q-6M5C24P9TQ3SUn3Gtc6cIi19id5lhr2fPufbFf3muGxibWoTdMVAdfpAzXJ8L0pGqYUKquR2qOx_XS5rn7SMtOb6V4f4YQkX45UV_G-Y8cp8lgPifrkL8JZqKxq9UPRIXHMmdRgmkMSkMt7Q/s320/jedi_poster.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I think the hardest thing to convey about the original <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i> trilogy to those who weren't there when those films were first released is just how singular they were then and how much they dominated the genre competition. In regards to cinematic spectacle, there was nothing else like them. Released on May 25th, 1983, <i>Return</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Jedi</i> celebrates its 40th anniversary today and to understand how much <i>Jedi</i> stood out at the time, not just by being the conclusion of (what was then) the most popular movie trilogy of all time, but as an unmatched FX achievement, you have to look at its competition back in the summer of '83. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDUCMMxkyhTm3Yv740DuiU_1n7ZRFjkt4rKWDMJOczXAiQ5Map-ixFKRd92ZzlfxL85K3IjvZi-cwn8YkNuwkA-GNamaVDarYC8hoXrqTBl7Q2S4UqGgpxRgZ_yU7qKSuEsVTC6xpaaVgykMrUHqtQ5mIwknKURsThH6h1_WhOp4BWeG1Ph3C0n-5Lg/s1023/octopussy_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDUCMMxkyhTm3Yv740DuiU_1n7ZRFjkt4rKWDMJOczXAiQ5Map-ixFKRd92ZzlfxL85K3IjvZi-cwn8YkNuwkA-GNamaVDarYC8hoXrqTBl7Q2S4UqGgpxRgZ_yU7qKSuEsVTC6xpaaVgykMrUHqtQ5mIwknKURsThH6h1_WhOp4BWeG1Ph3C0n-5Lg/s320/octopussy_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Consider the fact that we're talking about the summer movie season, the time when studios are putting their biggest spectacles on the big screen. Then realize that the would-be blockbusters that <i>Jedi</i> was competing against among ticket buyers in the summer of '83 were the likes of the latest James Bond entry, <i>Octopussy</i>, the newest installment in the Man of Steel's saga, <i>Superman</i> <i>III</i>, and a big screen adaptation of <i>The</i> <i>Twilight</i> <i>Zone</i>. Nothing to necessarily sneeze at, in all these cases, but none of them could come close to the wow factor of <i>Jedi</i>. Honestly, it hardly seems fair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvo7F051VqBjatt0kWNI_FSMOAI7Y7V0ugNEpUT0Amp5A-SPzIlMlzMOE-zQupl5DYvlslUSOwE0RWxBkkQxwLAEiQYZCMRbJVxBBW07thg1p5ewt1XX0WkhL-TiXeNth99wVWVmFp91w4DuM6B71py89TpSEFdfk2N2vc1J0dQAWQ3m5EWthCUOnKQ/s1515/superman3_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1515" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvo7F051VqBjatt0kWNI_FSMOAI7Y7V0ugNEpUT0Amp5A-SPzIlMlzMOE-zQupl5DYvlslUSOwE0RWxBkkQxwLAEiQYZCMRbJVxBBW07thg1p5ewt1XX0WkhL-TiXeNth99wVWVmFp91w4DuM6B71py89TpSEFdfk2N2vc1J0dQAWQ3m5EWthCUOnKQ/s320/superman3_poster.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The closest of that bunch to <i>Jedi</i> as far as providing pure cinematic razzle dazzle would be <i>Superman</i> <i>III</i> but, putting aside the fact that <i>III</i> was regarded as a comedic downturn for the series, just talking about it strictly in terms of its special effects, <i>III</i> just couldn't even begin to give <i>Jedi</i> a run for its money. Even though <i>Superman</i> <i>III</i> was a state of the art production, it still looked downright chintzy next to the eye popping spectacle of <i>Jedi</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJal3HRnXPsx-MK5tXcQM52clFRAG2aeHa3mADhq9DUeekPlR27v0RVY5df1iN0AGeIDzfgmXs-HpiUIbwDJ0WMTvru6EirLuqD9nlRkhzmnhUvcEkbQUq9ru26XFRM6licebjS-m-vM6kSAx0BeQsDJzYOFb5YmfiJKVksRNCol9qu-RViplzqlfMCw/s504/superman3_videogame.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="504" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJal3HRnXPsx-MK5tXcQM52clFRAG2aeHa3mADhq9DUeekPlR27v0RVY5df1iN0AGeIDzfgmXs-HpiUIbwDJ0WMTvru6EirLuqD9nlRkhzmnhUvcEkbQUq9ru26XFRM6licebjS-m-vM6kSAx0BeQsDJzYOFb5YmfiJKVksRNCol9qu-RViplzqlfMCw/s320/superman3_videogame.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The array of creatures, alien environments, and space battles that <i>Jedi</i> boasted served up the kind of visuals that nothing else at the time could match - certainly not the sight of Superman in a faux video game recreation. Compared to <i>Jedi</i>, just about everything else on movies screens then was, for lack of a better word, corny. The wizards at ILM were playing the game on whole different level. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mSHctATE6XqXXEzwO5V-eD5m5drJHTwb6X0_SF6pzYjsgi54ip2AnFHtGpP2PWtHCvGFWBOOtYCEVyOEWWTVzn0Q9rsqdoKPPdDifqC4zWnuQTLNymOPdLgJCnHz_qKRqSuHt_uMLJJLhBNnOhuPNIoX8RjT6Dmjn9E1kQJegHNr3z83OQKSOOfb5w/s1280/avatar_ride.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mSHctATE6XqXXEzwO5V-eD5m5drJHTwb6X0_SF6pzYjsgi54ip2AnFHtGpP2PWtHCvGFWBOOtYCEVyOEWWTVzn0Q9rsqdoKPPdDifqC4zWnuQTLNymOPdLgJCnHz_qKRqSuHt_uMLJJLhBNnOhuPNIoX8RjT6Dmjn9E1kQJegHNr3z83OQKSOOfb5w/s320/avatar_ride.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The fact is, the FX landscape was not on an even playing field in the early '80s. Today, there is a certain uniformity across the board in terms of FX proficiency. Sure, you'll have an outlier like <i>Avatar:</i> <i>The</i> <i>Way</i> <i>of</i> <i>Water</i> that leaps ahead of the pack but generally - on purely technical terms - one big FX film today is as well executed as the next. There isn't a vast discrepancy from one to the other. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ2KVRsTB-KpHLI-2FopRbfycbcoBJagjTh9nHV3RUNOvrxcKjSx6eud8Iuo4DczxnJLREetLDrLye87DqVqWQPTCDdQBVCAryj18ikkUe4gN8uirGSYR-ckw1yDkFj3RkD77N4qvc12MpEsusQ3X3kVjGaUUB7tPnnsCEfMfktIjf44Dr_s6tapY0Q/s3063/flash_cu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1723" data-original-width="3063" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ2KVRsTB-KpHLI-2FopRbfycbcoBJagjTh9nHV3RUNOvrxcKjSx6eud8Iuo4DczxnJLREetLDrLye87DqVqWQPTCDdQBVCAryj18ikkUe4gN8uirGSYR-ckw1yDkFj3RkD77N4qvc12MpEsusQ3X3kVjGaUUB7tPnnsCEfMfktIjf44Dr_s6tapY0Q/s320/flash_cu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Whether we're talking <i>Guardians</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Galaxy</i> <i>Vol</i>. <i>3</i> or <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> or <i>Indiana</i> <i>Jones</i> <i>and</i> <i>the</i> <i>Dial</i> <i>of</i> <i>Destiny</i>, whatever blockbuster audiences are watching this summer, they're all going to meet what modern audiences regard as the current standards of FX. These films might edge each other out on grounds of storytelling and acting and so on but FX wise they'll all be on equal footing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI2aKXV7hHt0kI1NYS6S4PKR5kbUsotLOsinobQoyIJWqMMLZ8KFzQTKvGJxwFsfWOhn_GEoq3crJXbrq6hR3LW6Ut22r75YwnK2jsOy3XS4aGmJZadGS_eDzufsaKoePf2vbeqJKUIb7WS39e45nBgAVthzfijCqOaMdAMtziBv6amaqpKBoCKszdg/s1100/metalstorm_lobbycard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1100" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI2aKXV7hHt0kI1NYS6S4PKR5kbUsotLOsinobQoyIJWqMMLZ8KFzQTKvGJxwFsfWOhn_GEoq3crJXbrq6hR3LW6Ut22r75YwnK2jsOy3XS4aGmJZadGS_eDzufsaKoePf2vbeqJKUIb7WS39e45nBgAVthzfijCqOaMdAMtziBv6amaqpKBoCKszdg/s320/metalstorm_lobbycard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In 1983, though, FX quality could still vary wildly from film to film. For example, in the summer of '83, multiplex audiences had the option of paying the same ticket price as <i>Jedi</i> to see the much less technically proficient sci-fi offering <i>Metalstorm:</i> <i>The</i> <i>Destruction</i> <i>of</i> <i>Jared-Syn</i>. You'd never have that type of discrepancy today but in '83, it wasn't unusual for the new height of FX achievement to be on one movie screen while on another screen in the same theater, you could see a film that was pure B movie schlock with all the seams showing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzcVXh9cB3ywRJGUEB_rOXNm_iUX590tC9PN1X6beELfxS9Ai7UtSA8pwUFKqfd0vdxQ_N3roTelf8FUzb6BRgTfOhLyolgjgGkoUdsCq3t2J703blsWQ2TkXKcFZG_BFHeNScvKe1e5RfdDN8NVyUGUIj7TGyATmykbCGxbVN_fiqnAfcyY5MiJyEQ/s510/metalstorm_moll.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="510" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzcVXh9cB3ywRJGUEB_rOXNm_iUX590tC9PN1X6beELfxS9Ai7UtSA8pwUFKqfd0vdxQ_N3roTelf8FUzb6BRgTfOhLyolgjgGkoUdsCq3t2J703blsWQ2TkXKcFZG_BFHeNScvKe1e5RfdDN8NVyUGUIj7TGyATmykbCGxbVN_fiqnAfcyY5MiJyEQ/s320/metalstorm_moll.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The crazy thing is, no one even blinked at that. Yes, we knew <i>Jedi</i> was light years better but no one was expecting anything else to be that good. Fans understood that anything ILM touched, most of all <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i>, was operating on a whole other level. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLbY2VJUM6VcHKiUAgnMxjWLY-P-8rhO0ySEIOAQVpTUKi6JKK64lgb-u3EpZ7JwcJrfTw2E3y693PCD7Mwjhj3p0tjUk7UV6K5eyxxud1QI6B-e7TPuD614Es96l00pQSxsmD9Wj2g8ndmIMlvJREiYAZrFGLSzYXkLVbHgb4EQVYLmcBqwxtmB7EQ/s1100/dragon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="1100" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLbY2VJUM6VcHKiUAgnMxjWLY-P-8rhO0ySEIOAQVpTUKi6JKK64lgb-u3EpZ7JwcJrfTw2E3y693PCD7Mwjhj3p0tjUk7UV6K5eyxxud1QI6B-e7TPuD614Es96l00pQSxsmD9Wj2g8ndmIMlvJREiYAZrFGLSzYXkLVbHgb4EQVYLmcBqwxtmB7EQ/s320/dragon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Today, it's taken for granted the fact that made for TV fantasy and sci-fi shows like <i>Game</i> <i>of</i> <i>Thrones</i> or <i>Rings</i> <i>of</i> <i>Power</i> or <i>House</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Dragon</i> can look every bit as stunning as <i>The</i> <i>Mandalorian</i> or <i>Andor</i> but in '83, it was understood that even on the big screen, nothing would be able to keep up with <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i> and <i>Jedi</i> was the peak of perfection. Back then, we wondered if anything would ever top it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWtFaGzC7zCqWXSu0yeU3549kmdPKW4Xdf0F2dqFiGpNchOTl2BSvwk1f3j9yxSveGl0brn4_wIYOYc-mT6IUgqE2kTRYnDlQ-7l6RG2jRahCjYBWYwFVPNc98rtbi6rYo0G3UoRXQxsdPQVHC-7KiPPv7mc_zH_FwJSQ5dAZcl07a9_JZs7bwafwdQ/s1000/sw_forceawakens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWtFaGzC7zCqWXSu0yeU3549kmdPKW4Xdf0F2dqFiGpNchOTl2BSvwk1f3j9yxSveGl0brn4_wIYOYc-mT6IUgqE2kTRYnDlQ-7l6RG2jRahCjYBWYwFVPNc98rtbi6rYo0G3UoRXQxsdPQVHC-7KiPPv7mc_zH_FwJSQ5dAZcl07a9_JZs7bwafwdQ/s320/sw_forceawakens.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">To modern eyes, <i>Jedi</i> no longer looks all that special. Not like it once did, at least. Watching it in 1983 was a such a different experience. The whole landscape was different then in a way that is alien to younger viewers. It would be like going to the movies today and having one theater showing a movie made with the most state of the art technology and in the next, a movie that was about twenty years behind the curve. Say what you will about <i>Shazam!</i> <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i>, for example, but on the grounds of its FX, there's no denying that it looks in line with the best of what's out there. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3qvbE0FfvkaJI1ie0vj2LIk0JwA8cvtQBXCioeUo_UadN09iyIvdG_R7pjGKKA4fmozuRcvP86wOxsx3tuuqF6RCKZwlurZu2auCUhLJTNhAs5soHhOcmofxjYVDcVr-SWLIeEMsx84sD5vDXc8WW3VbgjfEXoRs27B34usVhVcWV689xnpmmyKDXw/s1000/jedi_space.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1000" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3qvbE0FfvkaJI1ie0vj2LIk0JwA8cvtQBXCioeUo_UadN09iyIvdG_R7pjGKKA4fmozuRcvP86wOxsx3tuuqF6RCKZwlurZu2auCUhLJTNhAs5soHhOcmofxjYVDcVr-SWLIeEMsx84sD5vDXc8WW3VbgjfEXoRs27B34usVhVcWV689xnpmmyKDXw/s320/jedi_space.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was fourteen when <i>Jedi</i> came out and I still remember how floored I was by it. Sure, there were elements that I was prone to nitpick (Ewoks simply did not seem cool to teens, sorry, even if I've come to appreciate the critters since) but, on a technical level, it was undeniably impressive. And there was nothing else out, not just that summer, but the rest of the whole year that even came close to it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72jkd8_RFM4GBjAXKuHMMOx_WBz4V8oguPgraG6yQ6acaGaPZ6LztE2yAIUt2UAC2djEnKkg_bXs_ZfeRta6E4FDjzqA0lFvJOcNjQJpXs7lY8qqq4pZndp1uxRNKGiSE__HIlC8jbD3-bSPg7xPlFYSNoEihQrHUqMZaeKnfDuKBw46A-_aH6fRJjw/s620/jedi_sabers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="620" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72jkd8_RFM4GBjAXKuHMMOx_WBz4V8oguPgraG6yQ6acaGaPZ6LztE2yAIUt2UAC2djEnKkg_bXs_ZfeRta6E4FDjzqA0lFvJOcNjQJpXs7lY8qqq4pZndp1uxRNKGiSE__HIlC8jbD3-bSPg7xPlFYSNoEihQrHUqMZaeKnfDuKBw46A-_aH6fRJjw/s320/jedi_sabers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Today, it seems like the big cinematic achievement of one month is pushed aside weeks later by the next film to raise the bar. No movie holds the crown for long. No matter how much a movie may set a new standard, fans are immediately jumping onto whatever's next (a process hastened by social media). <i>Avatar:</i> <i>The</i> <i>Way</i> <i>of</i> <i>Water</i> gives way to <i>Guardians</i> <i>Vol</i>. <i>3</i> which will give way to <i>Across</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spider-Verse</i> and then <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> and so on. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwap0Qihw2NtskurB3pliM3VAqr9CyBdJ7ud0Ds_i_flUrjf1Z-t7GXNhuvmSYCFtR4TZ_xxDaxPSgok_7j23seDMYAQ4FuLKqRmCTDmhMsG4Ki3uEZBL2YyGgTQmhYRsHFYBnKwoZ6LP2pxd7_jcwfg-k9cYoYYMMxgN0FiC-TtgwQnji8Js09Py7Q/s600/jedi_ending.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwap0Qihw2NtskurB3pliM3VAqr9CyBdJ7ud0Ds_i_flUrjf1Z-t7GXNhuvmSYCFtR4TZ_xxDaxPSgok_7j23seDMYAQ4FuLKqRmCTDmhMsG4Ki3uEZBL2YyGgTQmhYRsHFYBnKwoZ6LP2pxd7_jcwfg-k9cYoYYMMxgN0FiC-TtgwQnji8Js09Py7Q/s320/jedi_ending.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In the early '80s, though, genre fans weren't as spoiled as they are today, where fans take for granted that every other month a new watershed genre film will arrive and if it doesn't the state of cinema must be in peril. Back then, it was normal for a film to be seen as the big thing for not just a few months but for years afterwards. That seems so antiquated from today's chronically impatient "what have you done for me lately?" mindset. It's a way of thinking that might as well be from a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-81154188079360706592023-05-10T08:35:00.150-07:002023-05-14T09:58:55.729-07:00Fatigue and Fandom and the Future of the MCU<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpdqG6gA6f05RpERKsw42ztiPe07HqUZ7JUyHqRcwv29AJOoi4vl6eBQJqieLw8xhZ4dRT95FXVDBNIvuGxfZHD8Yu841PCVNpaxgSVULYmlP09OusMYHnQTrxkc2SVnF6M_rwp5mfHXXFnNpq1Zelq0cQ470iEVftv1U8duhwcvuDfI3TUOtWNSwEg/s271/uatu.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="186" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpdqG6gA6f05RpERKsw42ztiPe07HqUZ7JUyHqRcwv29AJOoi4vl6eBQJqieLw8xhZ4dRT95FXVDBNIvuGxfZHD8Yu841PCVNpaxgSVULYmlP09OusMYHnQTrxkc2SVnF6M_rwp5mfHXXFnNpq1Zelq0cQ470iEVftv1U8duhwcvuDfI3TUOtWNSwEg/s1600/uatu.jpeg" width="186" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Whether it be in the Marvel Universe of the 616 or that of the MCU's Earth-199999, Uatu of The Watchers is a figure that sees all, knows all and perceives all concerning the various branching realities that lead to consequences both good and bad. While we can't have Uatu's clarity of vision, we can still play armchair Watchers ourselves and try and divine the possible paths ahead for the MCU. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFegj18C_Jus1y8k-cInXC-x0HB5DTHYIV9s7fLNiXfjYqAD_ITjEGNMZDFSUdTv1Kt3oyR7lCKUPLIqQGAOPYkaZ88VgjOg-GNqcWC1WvHZjsQCxS9aUYofUdOtam-2RkfcHIP_zphTHtNCMi3gjrCTYZzzQ-OZK4zlsOZ9TiQaeqHYX46tGCrzI7Gw/s1481/vol3_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFegj18C_Jus1y8k-cInXC-x0HB5DTHYIV9s7fLNiXfjYqAD_ITjEGNMZDFSUdTv1Kt3oyR7lCKUPLIqQGAOPYkaZ88VgjOg-GNqcWC1WvHZjsQCxS9aUYofUdOtam-2RkfcHIP_zphTHtNCMi3gjrCTYZzzQ-OZK4zlsOZ9TiQaeqHYX46tGCrzI7Gw/s320/vol3_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">With the Phase 5 releases of <i>Ant-Man</i> <i>&</i> <i>the</i> <i>Wasp:</i> <i>Quantumania</i> and <i>Guardians</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Galaxy</i> <i>Vol</i>. <i>3</i> not performing at or above the out sized expectations set by some previous MCU releases, the cries of "superhero fatigue," which have been heard since the early '00s, are once again being thrown around in the same old kneejerk fashion. To that, let's say first that anyone who would think that the MCU needed to or feasibly could sustain the same momentum of the <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i>/<i>Endgame</i> era in order to prove its viability is not a serious commentator on pop culture trends. You can handily disregard any box office pundit who expresses faux concern at the fact that a cinematic universe now in its fifteenth year and that currently encompasses thirty two films along with eight television series (far more than that if you consider series like <i>Agents</i> <i>of</i> <i>S</i>.<i>H</i>.<i>I</i>.<i>E</i>.<i>L</i>.<i>D</i>., <i>Agent</i> <i>Carter</i> and the Netflix shows to be in MCU continuity) and two Special Presentations is going to experience peaks and valleys of viewer interest. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECVZF0hvZnAtD1XtGRnbA2KlGKvfQLiOfhyNYRvxSs_87RMY7L7SKxwHO21zUw_sIKaRw5hH4m9ZRXqvOQj2T47bnmz5hnd2QcBdDzGifP47QpT6HDUPvnDJj0p-mUGHctJ5ZoanAIcirfS7NDirFcWfkl_kCiXVT4xn1JBcKEmqFfqiv-5_5AynwkA/s820/endgame_poster.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECVZF0hvZnAtD1XtGRnbA2KlGKvfQLiOfhyNYRvxSs_87RMY7L7SKxwHO21zUw_sIKaRw5hH4m9ZRXqvOQj2T47bnmz5hnd2QcBdDzGifP47QpT6HDUPvnDJj0p-mUGHctJ5ZoanAIcirfS7NDirFcWfkl_kCiXVT4xn1JBcKEmqFfqiv-5_5AynwkA/s320/endgame_poster.webp" width="222" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Yes, <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Endgame</i> represented a peak for the MCU. But getting to that point was the result of eleven years of build-up over the course of twenty one films. In a pop culture world where fads and trends quickly go in and out of fashion, the fact that the MCU was able to hold the level of engagement it did for as long as it did is extraordinary. To try and keep the audience's interest at that same peak level would be impossible. While hardcore fans will continue to stay engaged, a segment of the broader audience is naturally going to step back a bit. They're either going to get off the train altogether for a time or they're just going to become more selective about what specific aspects of the MCU still excite them. The MCU can continue to be massively successful for awhile without matching the high of <i>Endgame</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOAoUFk9L2VBnNauN-JXaNYGceW6_adx2ed6tg-P2WubKusQbqoYEWH5rmMDHK9DRTAeX0l4IEU-VFTq1yexiXxYey2kDJghvHgDif9z211h3v8grwjRxP5yJjmSWqO8eLCgS9E7ncGBJ2DqqUTHKdtNgX2syB7mu2gEXH4nqEvcz1cDPVfa39FAl7w/s1004/infinitygauntlet_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOAoUFk9L2VBnNauN-JXaNYGceW6_adx2ed6tg-P2WubKusQbqoYEWH5rmMDHK9DRTAeX0l4IEU-VFTq1yexiXxYey2kDJghvHgDif9z211h3v8grwjRxP5yJjmSWqO8eLCgS9E7ncGBJ2DqqUTHKdtNgX2syB7mu2gEXH4nqEvcz1cDPVfa39FAl7w/s320/infinitygauntlet_2.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">This is a cycle that the comics have experienced for decades, the ebb and flow of sales in relation to big events and reboots and so on. Some readers who have ditched comics for a time will jump back on board when some line wide event happens that calls upon the shared might of the Marvel universe to rally against an opponent of singular power. Or when a superhero team gets a spiffy new line-up, or when a hero gets a new costume or a power upgrade or a new #1 issue looks like an appealing point of re-entry. This is the dynamics that we're going to see mirrored in the MCU going forward. It's going to experience ebbs and flows of interest. And that's ok. It shouldn't be treated as a case of the sky falling when a new MCU movie doesn't break box office records. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UKssGVwPNYbieT49jJy-pvdj7xnm0Il4-FaHCR_YaQhYCdv_O4PFFTFKx51UW-nsr0XUoT9TTFiG0-A0k7UxbEWDw1O2SAI-S80_ZFgGGu0vIT5mTP2Ek6VoLNxcmTFSt1UWmxpGn5MvoaNR8RpZUwAzvviwdJzFAOjTlrSrZOS2TRkenJTGU-Gp7A/s800/mcuphase5.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="800" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UKssGVwPNYbieT49jJy-pvdj7xnm0Il4-FaHCR_YaQhYCdv_O4PFFTFKx51UW-nsr0XUoT9TTFiG0-A0k7UxbEWDw1O2SAI-S80_ZFgGGu0vIT5mTP2Ek6VoLNxcmTFSt1UWmxpGn5MvoaNR8RpZUwAzvviwdJzFAOjTlrSrZOS2TRkenJTGU-Gp7A/s320/mcuphase5.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">We might be at a point where every new MCU release isn't necessarily going to drive the same stampede to the theater but that said, it's also clear that there's a level of hardcore interest that remains locked in and, as the Multiverse Saga continues, it's just going to be a matter of getting the broader audience back on board for the bigger swings. Some might choose to sit out this movie or that in the post <i>Endgame</i> era but, just as with the comic crowd who might wait for an event to draw them back in, if these lapsed viewers see something that piques their interest, they'll have a renewed itch to check out what's new in the MCU. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulZKSiXepJK5dvK4hLu2tZPVMfjQA_GBKKNakmDYQhwGetfI_kPUlOTbgf8Dbtag0JwSn0xN7_Eu0c0OZw-r5pZRKaJLskF-SKH6S0LUnKVHelV1hSouGUWLZkUJfpF3jlmmezMjRaTwJuNEK8zAB_w1frOok0OE0ONUloEspt0KPdpy6G8Um5H32rg/s1280/avengers_assemble.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulZKSiXepJK5dvK4hLu2tZPVMfjQA_GBKKNakmDYQhwGetfI_kPUlOTbgf8Dbtag0JwSn0xN7_Eu0c0OZw-r5pZRKaJLskF-SKH6S0LUnKVHelV1hSouGUWLZkUJfpF3jlmmezMjRaTwJuNEK8zAB_w1frOok0OE0ONUloEspt0KPdpy6G8Um5H32rg/s320/avengers_assemble.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The biggest issue Kevin Feige is going to have to contend with going forward in regards to keeping a wider audience hooked is determining how much having a shared universe is both a selling point and a hindrance. Prior to Phase 4, there was a linear simplicity to following the MCU. It was one film and then another, one building block on top of the other, and the trajectory of each Phase was simple for a mainstream audience to understand. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8JBIixxmL7F7M_Qked_wV9tuY9rz-HAiJ3CE2OmSlmuWYiO6ldbWO9zY2Q6PAikeGbh9p0yCiucPg5cSsouAisYdpbg_XYNkPrXv7I49uz2wqE44FAwnhSukQSu5w07LeNrbdLV1zUJcSEMTSDJFa2CQlEHp2F62DZgXv7gXvr1He2RrYARA9cbSMQ/s1200/Thanos-with-Gauntlet.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8JBIixxmL7F7M_Qked_wV9tuY9rz-HAiJ3CE2OmSlmuWYiO6ldbWO9zY2Q6PAikeGbh9p0yCiucPg5cSsouAisYdpbg_XYNkPrXv7I49uz2wqE44FAwnhSukQSu5w07LeNrbdLV1zUJcSEMTSDJFa2CQlEHp2F62DZgXv7gXvr1He2RrYARA9cbSMQ/s320/Thanos-with-Gauntlet.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Phase 1 built up to the forming of The Avengrers and then Phases 2 and 3 were about the emerging threat of Thanos, the search for the Infinity Stones and the ramp up to <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i>. It's with Phase 4 that things became much more complicated, to the delight of many fans but to the frustration of casual viewers who haven't been able to easily wrap their heads around Where It's All Going. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6NU9HJSIPtdTTaLiMCMCrN18IET_mVoomNVHaFgOLCmuIIeCrc_I9eGdcml5O_50lhKkfE-mGkpPE6H5Y9pWO0EoZBmQVz9owol9XQfQYtBQf4zyaCEi6X0NjzUkJ1fUl_Fkp75TotOHm3oThzjRhfDCXGGnRhD3haC9oF7MaEkOvjpuAVTENy1g4Q/s1197/wandavision_vizandwanda.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="1197" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6NU9HJSIPtdTTaLiMCMCrN18IET_mVoomNVHaFgOLCmuIIeCrc_I9eGdcml5O_50lhKkfE-mGkpPE6H5Y9pWO0EoZBmQVz9owol9XQfQYtBQf4zyaCEi6X0NjzUkJ1fUl_Fkp75TotOHm3oThzjRhfDCXGGnRhD3haC9oF7MaEkOvjpuAVTENy1g4Q/s320/wandavision_vizandwanda.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Adding to that sense of complication and confusion is the fact that now there are a multitude of TV shows and specials that inform the movies and vice versa. If following the movies was becoming a hardship for some viewers, the addition of the Disney+ shows has made it feel impossible. It didn't help that due to the delays caused by the pandemic, Phase 4 crammed seven movies, eight shows and two specials into two years. That's a lot. For fans, it's a feast. For less dedicated viewers, I think it's been overwhelming and off-putting - especially when it's difficult for them to determine what the road map ahead is.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7yxkl0GQWR5XKcYi27x3SuyActJEVBgK9Uu7TB8p8VjhoNn651SLL5U0Z4L99Eklh6OYlrjZcmyofVWMnaNi4vkVuQukqfw5RkJ_f7FPYUPKBr3qcoDsAt9xUW6zHw1SulQksclqE34jyeiipoNRdWtv1GA46R_yh8OlqPvO-GfiO-ROlUAJeB5VNA/s1920/strange_illuminati.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1920" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7yxkl0GQWR5XKcYi27x3SuyActJEVBgK9Uu7TB8p8VjhoNn651SLL5U0Z4L99Eklh6OYlrjZcmyofVWMnaNi4vkVuQukqfw5RkJ_f7FPYUPKBr3qcoDsAt9xUW6zHw1SulQksclqE34jyeiipoNRdWtv1GA46R_yh8OlqPvO-GfiO-ROlUAJeB5VNA/s320/strange_illuminati.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Comic fans naturally have a better sense of where concepts like "incursions" are going to lead as the Multiverse Saga continues but for non-nerd viewers, watching a lot of the Phase 4 and 5 content likely feels like running into a wall of gobbledygook. Fair enough, I suppose, even though there's really no more gobbledygook at play here than there was during the Infinity Saga. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha436ltWdP40k77R_lBueyiP_KkB9QMPXxTK9S2gWnmgP6KsktlO7OOfvL6di7S8xiSWJAB9YDHFbzg-INUBLMWVpkL_ejRJ4ESwYPwMsa3aF4wC-bhN7RTkILrav7jE6kD866HjwAWpT2kERy-PmjA9EudmYQ_1rrAXnwfoea9jKjlHt_O4VKtOTsXQ/s640/thirdeye.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha436ltWdP40k77R_lBueyiP_KkB9QMPXxTK9S2gWnmgP6KsktlO7OOfvL6di7S8xiSWJAB9YDHFbzg-INUBLMWVpkL_ejRJ4ESwYPwMsa3aF4wC-bhN7RTkILrav7jE6kD866HjwAWpT2kERy-PmjA9EudmYQ_1rrAXnwfoea9jKjlHt_O4VKtOTsXQ/s320/thirdeye.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Once all the pieces start to fall into place, confusion will surely give way to a sense of "oh, so <i>that's</i> where all this was going" as the big picture emerges (Yes, we'll get back to dealing with that Celestial sticking out of the Indian Ocean. No, the matter of Doctor Strange's third eye hasn't been so easily resolved.) but we're not there just yet. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtzEZftUa2q30H7sojDcYld1VqEyxlllZl5vpjicfbtteMJDYPsEpN-AI6Z9hB3-icrZaTk7752TwEWW8y5zvgdnAYS7fmy2A9h1e_dTWWbR7nFqfey7SqE8wJ7ZThKXpQ48V-lI0a1L1edejEXhQOQVZEqLLdE6FlCtZ-oSFdTxJomQCRr-3INkWag/s1920/loki_branchingtimelines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtzEZftUa2q30H7sojDcYld1VqEyxlllZl5vpjicfbtteMJDYPsEpN-AI6Z9hB3-icrZaTk7752TwEWW8y5zvgdnAYS7fmy2A9h1e_dTWWbR7nFqfey7SqE8wJ7ZThKXpQ48V-lI0a1L1edejEXhQOQVZEqLLdE6FlCtZ-oSFdTxJomQCRr-3INkWag/s320/loki_branchingtimelines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Being a shared universe has been the MCU's defining characteristic. It's the quality that other studios have tried (and largely failed) to emulate. But as we pass the fifteenth anniversary of the MCU, the question is at what point does a universe that encompasses as much material as the MCU does become too daunting for some viewers? Its interconnectivity has been the MCU's strength but will it turn into a liability? At what point does the MCU's continuity represent too big of a buy in? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQmJ6-aMbWjchO0fX4nEhJ6bdhH64F6FWrxIqIcMW5XcMMzQAZ6m4JG_UJCXOJO8R7f4nTV4MB5mlGjY8zTzLq72aOLKpdITPvh-XTc0UdCBadlMGui7x4lsXxz9gJ3bLzvU9z3g_J0nZWMHVihv0WPDif1RoFCcbaR7tTqWr7CDjv_ZNYjpR2XofVg/s2560/supermario.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1617" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQmJ6-aMbWjchO0fX4nEhJ6bdhH64F6FWrxIqIcMW5XcMMzQAZ6m4JG_UJCXOJO8R7f4nTV4MB5mlGjY8zTzLq72aOLKpdITPvh-XTc0UdCBadlMGui7x4lsXxz9gJ3bLzvU9z3g_J0nZWMHVihv0WPDif1RoFCcbaR7tTqWr7CDjv_ZNYjpR2XofVg/s320/supermario.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">When you look at the massive success of recent films like <i>Top</i> <i>Gun:</i> <i>Maverick</i>, <i>Avatar:</i> <i>Way</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Water</i>, and <i>Super</i> <i>Mario</i> <i>Bros.</i>, it's easy to see there's a hunger among audiences for sharply made pop entertainment that requires minimal investment in a larger world. No one had to brush up on their <i>Top</i> <i>Gun</i> or <i>Avatar</i> knowledge to enjoy their sequels and even if they had, we're talking about one movie to get up to speed, not a couple of dozen or more. If there's one major factor in any downturn of audience interest in the MCU, it's likely the perception that it requires more attention than many viewers are willing to keep giving it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ek9rJoh_BUD6BJvUq3iJmhCjAB7Z4Nk_IHAs0r_4fDO7VE8yQaTGKWl_3IrbfFGZhnjdxH1oSEL1mHYeXZrEbxiVcwfp31sgYJ-nvNfELfqx1umzDCrjKEurtypd7AErAJG1xL8LLTtwZL8m6IABpYnST-OHaibkvzcrOZvw84XlN6XZRm8AQ7Y1UA/s2500/Ms._Marvel_Poster.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ek9rJoh_BUD6BJvUq3iJmhCjAB7Z4Nk_IHAs0r_4fDO7VE8yQaTGKWl_3IrbfFGZhnjdxH1oSEL1mHYeXZrEbxiVcwfp31sgYJ-nvNfELfqx1umzDCrjKEurtypd7AErAJG1xL8LLTtwZL8m6IABpYnST-OHaibkvzcrOZvw84XlN6XZRm8AQ7Y1UA/s320/Ms._Marvel_Poster.webp" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Whether the MCU actually requires that much attention, however, is debatable. I think, as with the comics, it's easy to pick and choose what interests you. No comic fan reads every comic that Marvel publishes every month and yet it's not a cause for confusion on the part of readers. You can focus on whatever characters that appeal to you and not need to know the details of every other narrative, or be familiar with every corner of the 616. Same with the MCU. You don't have to follow it all to enjoy whatever you do choose to check out. That said, it is true that the movies are now serving not just as sequels to previous films but they're also serving as continuations of the TV shows. <i>Doctor</i> <i>Strange</i> <i>in</i> <i>the</i> <i>Multiverse</i> <i>of</i> <i>Madness</i> isn't just a follow up to the first <i>Doctor</i> <i>Strange</i>, it's also a follow-up to Strange's appearances in <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i> and <i>Endgame</i> and on top of that it's also a sequel to <i>Wandavision</i>. Similarly, this November's <i>The</i> <i>Marvels</i> isn't just a sequel to <i>Captain</i> <i>Marvel</i> but it's also a continuation of Monica Rambeau's story from <i>Wandavision</i> and Kamala Khan's from <i>Ms.</i> <i>Marvel</i>. It's hard to make a case that the MCU is new viewer friendly when in most cases it relies on the audience having made an investment in these characters across both film and TV. For MCU fans, this is an enticement not a deterrent but at the same time it's hard not to sympathize with the casual viewer that just wants to give two hours or so of their time to a movie and not have to be caught up on maybe twenty hours of material before hitting the theater on a Friday night. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlBMplSLN-A3uv4o-FChJoEskOVZrBUh3i_nyiROF6f5uXQGkOGXaw9K7roJfDCIQF7i_EozyobKgrUJFZiUcSkGKo4pwDjuMffrysY_zKXHxd-iy8LaDYNhlRiWSnGMGmZau9r7w5P6efAB_LydadLEE5SWEZBxHhx4oZkQPaFlNGFPzim0N1yd62A/s2048/Avengers_Secret_Wars_Logo.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="2048" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlBMplSLN-A3uv4o-FChJoEskOVZrBUh3i_nyiROF6f5uXQGkOGXaw9K7roJfDCIQF7i_EozyobKgrUJFZiUcSkGKo4pwDjuMffrysY_zKXHxd-iy8LaDYNhlRiWSnGMGmZau9r7w5P6efAB_LydadLEE5SWEZBxHhx4oZkQPaFlNGFPzim0N1yd62A/s320/Avengers_Secret_Wars_Logo.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's going to be interesting to see how Kevin Feige deals with this issue as time goes on. Clearly there is a commitment to keeping the present continuity going through <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> at least. The Multiverse Saga is well in progress and I don't think anything, box office wise, is going get that off track. The MCU is still racking up hits post <i>Endgame</i>. In some cases, some of their biggest to date so the path through Phase 5 and 6 seems safe. But after that, what then? <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> will be the fortieth MCU movie by that point. That's mind boggling to consider. It used to be that for a movie series to go past four or five entries was a sign that it was probably getting long in the tooth. The <i>Fast</i> <i>&</i> <i>Furious</i> franchise is going to be wrapping things up with its tenth and eleventh installments. So to think about the MCU at <i>forty</i> interconnected movies plus however many TV series by then, you have to wonder: at what point does doing a reset become a necessary move? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxdmay5NU2BLjGHQV0_VZahcRIYAhMClRM0Su7OSWxn4fK73hvSzhL6zQgJWoWBvmTGjrQPRWbJohH2XqGAFbuDsIcV5pf4Hl6XSLSauXVs5qv6vQG1A5_n80RyOgKqdFw11zxhC_T_gMh-Ts0suQTyjzMIwZIMU-AE8rLm_uoL5VKbF_vSGOE3sr4w/s1200/steve_old.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1200" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxdmay5NU2BLjGHQV0_VZahcRIYAhMClRM0Su7OSWxn4fK73hvSzhL6zQgJWoWBvmTGjrQPRWbJohH2XqGAFbuDsIcV5pf4Hl6XSLSauXVs5qv6vQG1A5_n80RyOgKqdFw11zxhC_T_gMh-Ts0suQTyjzMIwZIMU-AE8rLm_uoL5VKbF_vSGOE3sr4w/s320/steve_old.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In the comics, the 616 has continued unbroken since its inception and will likely continue as such on into eternity. That's a key to its success, the commitment to one ever-expanding narrative in which continuity matters (even if it has to be occasionally fudged). But comics are a very different medium than film. With characters made of pencil and ink, they can remain at their ideal age forever, can die if the story demands (only to return renewed and refreshed!) and so the task of keeping that universe intact is much easier. Movies are totally different. Actors age, they move on to other projects, and the movie going audience also shifts in ways that make maintaining a single continuity and having the audience stay invested in it over the course of ten, twenty years or more much more difficult. When <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> comes out, if it stays on schedule, not only will it be the fortieth MCU film, but by 2026 we'll be getting very close to the 20th anniversary of the MCU itself. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP75LdIpE-BY-5YcPsa-9rhDkq9H5H-30pjQwoLqNGCq0_TPtNFdVzFRiSCyP3CIb9yT8dHI-wR4WM6JOMi5qoCJ9tyJaDdpt2Qy-25MkXPFc0IiZIRuFpziBAwEFsblXXjxNEGMPG45TPAgTGjlg4DflIqSC42HZzpY3-ht-M52Sjvf8P7qonkUYHg/s1200/sw_publicityshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1191" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP75LdIpE-BY-5YcPsa-9rhDkq9H5H-30pjQwoLqNGCq0_TPtNFdVzFRiSCyP3CIb9yT8dHI-wR4WM6JOMi5qoCJ9tyJaDdpt2Qy-25MkXPFc0IiZIRuFpziBAwEFsblXXjxNEGMPG45TPAgTGjlg4DflIqSC42HZzpY3-ht-M52Sjvf8P7qonkUYHg/s320/sw_publicityshot.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">You can say that, well, <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i> is well past forty years already and fans are still invested in that universe but it's also true that there's much less of a buy in to <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i>. You've got three trilogies and two side films at this point. So, a mere eleven movies since '77. In contrast, there's been nine MCU films just since 2021. And yeah, you could point to the many <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i> shows that have emerged over the past few years and the animated ones that have been popular as well but I don't think most audiences look at most of the SW material that exists beyond the movies as being essential to their ability to enjoy a new movie.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AKf0BD0G2AdnZHjBwI3ctGe9CIWLM5jvah1YDwYaQrE-p97mrbczDy1mfJIwYqzWSCk_G2JQJ6O1euMrXACERUVTLanCnbwZpyxsGDkbw3KDX802ONT3Jx5rTUbtr95Kkj2QkWha6c26B6GHkKftKSoIQi8bxYFWAnpLpOXl6x4B0HY6r_1dcZCRFw/s1600/godzillavskong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AKf0BD0G2AdnZHjBwI3ctGe9CIWLM5jvah1YDwYaQrE-p97mrbczDy1mfJIwYqzWSCk_G2JQJ6O1euMrXACERUVTLanCnbwZpyxsGDkbw3KDX802ONT3Jx5rTUbtr95Kkj2QkWha6c26B6GHkKftKSoIQi8bxYFWAnpLpOXl6x4B0HY6r_1dcZCRFw/s320/godzillavskong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Then you have long running franchises like Bond and Godzilla but in both those cases, even though these franchises go back to the fifties and sixties, there's no obstacle to just jumping on board with a new entry. There's been 37 Godzilla movies to date (with a new one from Toho due this year) and 27 Bond films (if you count 1967's <i>Casino</i> <i>Royale</i> and 1983's <i>Never</i> <i>Say</i> <i>Never</i> <i>Say</i> <i>Never</i> <i>Again</i>) but with minimal continuity between them. All you need to be up to speed on going in is that Bond is a secret agent and Godzilla is a giant lizard. That's it. Now imagine if the Godzilla series had been telling one long narrative since 1954. On the one hand, I say that'd be pretty cool. On the other, it would have required an insane amount of coordination over the years on the part of studios and filmmakers as well as an uncommon level of commitment on the part of the audience. That we'll still have MCU movies in another twenty or thirty years seems certain to me. The question is whether they'll still be telling one big interconnected story by then. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr9iETjfJfl1Wbsf8rQBMRpscJffRNyw5IRWnmIbec4ngxQByG5ZBdfMV0BPJ2jUzSZCFy-3k4ij4tjs5EZYWddPx0j65p4pOCxPaPt3O3XDWxL78hNjnHqDbXIMpZMphoWhjPrrKdXB2nGtd08k4bfOK9RDf-O5ErMuJup1RNVAcf1YNXV1LQKGMDQ/s2037/Secret_Wars_001.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="2037" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr9iETjfJfl1Wbsf8rQBMRpscJffRNyw5IRWnmIbec4ngxQByG5ZBdfMV0BPJ2jUzSZCFy-3k4ij4tjs5EZYWddPx0j65p4pOCxPaPt3O3XDWxL78hNjnHqDbXIMpZMphoWhjPrrKdXB2nGtd08k4bfOK9RDf-O5ErMuJup1RNVAcf1YNXV1LQKGMDQ/s320/Secret_Wars_001.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What I'm wondering in regards to the MCU is whether <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> will be used as a reset point for the universe. In the comics, the Jonathan Hickman 2015 <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> series saw the 616 destroyed and reformed. If the movie follows suit, it would be the perfect opportunity to start over while still preserving the previous continuity. Whatever new Marvel U that emerges in the wake of <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> could acknowledge the existence of the previous one and retain certain aspects of it while also allowing for a square one reset. There could be a new Tony Stark, a new Steve Rogers, a new T'Challa even. The opportunity to start anew could also allow for the X-Men to be a part of the new MCU from the start. It could also allow for a young Peter Parker to be there from the beginning as opposed to joining midway in. That aspect could be tricky as we don't know what path the new set of Spidey films will be taking and how tightly they'll line up with the MCU. I don't think Sony or Marvel has any desire to shuffle Tom Holland off the stage too quickly but at the same time a reset would be the perfect time for a recast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4y1FV4M846ftxO2mIXvhZDapXT7nfjGhoz3SZLH6ZMvC99ll59yySpWX0nANGa4JxHeMxfTRUdxxua5UotUTc5Dq6GbCguBTyEGoenNup5et7GUnTZ1azIsOsSay_1cd-n-86k69oR9SINjMllXc0504azYCYuL02m2vQ0syy7QjBe1KkqSZhRHMtiQ/s2306/newavengers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2306" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4y1FV4M846ftxO2mIXvhZDapXT7nfjGhoz3SZLH6ZMvC99ll59yySpWX0nANGa4JxHeMxfTRUdxxua5UotUTc5Dq6GbCguBTyEGoenNup5et7GUnTZ1azIsOsSay_1cd-n-86k69oR9SINjMllXc0504azYCYuL02m2vQ0syy7QjBe1KkqSZhRHMtiQ/s320/newavengers.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Whether any of this will happen is anyone's guess, of course. This is nothing but pure fan speculation on my part but I have to imagine that Kevin Feige is thinking along these lines. At the very least, he's got to be considering all the options of how to maintain a shared universe while still making it accessible to a wider audience that can't help but become a bit indifferent to it as it grows past the point where it's easy for casual viewers to follow. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu6TWFaGu0EoKEUSU6XtQbK1UTLMUjiSIc6-jdvPcDMKmWX8upOm0pQCzjxSTs-uJBYXhLbNFxyc1bBjYjXiyTwRjvUJ-GOW4cVXSIC07l1fL6ABwH1tJWn5qeLsP_4NnfZ1-g0YyRYqJlUJk5tZNvO9hEuZYDfLrjYElO2L71uuXqgsDNoyAC1mU9A/s600/sw_housead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu6TWFaGu0EoKEUSU6XtQbK1UTLMUjiSIc6-jdvPcDMKmWX8upOm0pQCzjxSTs-uJBYXhLbNFxyc1bBjYjXiyTwRjvUJ-GOW4cVXSIC07l1fL6ABwH1tJWn5qeLsP_4NnfZ1-g0YyRYqJlUJk5tZNvO9hEuZYDfLrjYElO2L71uuXqgsDNoyAC1mU9A/s320/sw_housead.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's possible that overcoming that obstacle might not require a reset at all. While a reboot could be on the horizon, I truly feel like we've just seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ongoing MCU narrative. I mean, the scope of <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> is going to be so massive it will dwarf <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i>/<i>Endgame</i>. I would be surprised if <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> wasn't a two part film with the first film ending not with half the population of the universe turning to dust but the whole damn multiverse itself fading into oblivion (although I admit that this might be a beat too similar to <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i> to go with) and the universe not being restored until Part 2. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTCn1LViQmu_uPd-1hppj5IkkqtodB-1zVX7wiyVox7LXm-SCHcUXW8RKF0BMr2L_2_BznDcCHNtqKNzElbhDH0QN0icG4P1uZx95TrkQCwgi2orVoerWFgAUsr-m_LCVpsiPlMARNO0bCAVKQRaHsuDA3UD4iA8_PZZXCWPRmWJ6GWgCsLgDmiOqDA/s1500/secret-wars-battleworld.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1500" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTCn1LViQmu_uPd-1hppj5IkkqtodB-1zVX7wiyVox7LXm-SCHcUXW8RKF0BMr2L_2_BznDcCHNtqKNzElbhDH0QN0icG4P1uZx95TrkQCwgi2orVoerWFgAUsr-m_LCVpsiPlMARNO0bCAVKQRaHsuDA3UD4iA8_PZZXCWPRmWJ6GWgCsLgDmiOqDA/s320/secret-wars-battleworld.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">If they follow Hickman's Secret Wars from the comics, between the two films, we could have a whole run of movies and shows that take place in a "Battleworld" that encompasses many different regions that reflect the various aspects and genres of the Marvel universe, from sword and sorcery to Westerns to magic to mutants to high technology. Upon a reassembling of the MCU, if the previous continuity remains intact, there's so much that's been laid down that is still there to follow up on. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_hkJG5b0WIUp1dbX9sQzbUgYp9AUAG-yR8vEECpMcwSbeshuBY1tWRvMg0RBcfi7S7c68iB0IEG_s7J5DbSgh3h3APAOS5Qw_4SIbxg9LgjU2miSHIkBZZy5HA3LRy2hUGrpqNug2plpGsosnk6CWnDE7fNLHV5Z3ujjOOXbxHzdLkyUoZ6RDYubAw/s3259/Avengers-Defenders+War.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3259" data-original-width="2160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_hkJG5b0WIUp1dbX9sQzbUgYp9AUAG-yR8vEECpMcwSbeshuBY1tWRvMg0RBcfi7S7c68iB0IEG_s7J5DbSgh3h3APAOS5Qw_4SIbxg9LgjU2miSHIkBZZy5HA3LRy2hUGrpqNug2plpGsosnk6CWnDE7fNLHV5Z3ujjOOXbxHzdLkyUoZ6RDYubAw/s320/Avengers-Defenders+War.png" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We could eventually have the Defenders on the big screen, Marvel's contentious, oddball answer to The Avengers, compromised of Hulk, Namor, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange and Valkyrie. And if there's a Defenders, it's inevitable that we'll have an old school Avengers/Defenders War. There's also the potential still there for a <i>World</i> <i>War</i> <i>Hulk</i> movie (even more so should Harrison Ford's Thunderbolt Ross become Red Hulk). And with Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, America Chavez, Cassie Lang, Billy Kaplan and Riri Williams all in place there's a Young Avengers team and/or Champions team ready to go. There's also a street level aspect to the MCU that has barely been touched on that could possibly be the focus of the next Spider-Man film if the likes of Daredevil, Punisher and Jessica Jones get involved. And we haven't even gotten to the Fantastic Four or the X-Men yet. Both of which represent huge entire universes unto themselves. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWaF4FBeLaSNDpXx3Q0x1pwvC6M9oeL1_UZvGFKlXIYqMaDlLzM5MrOdvzBpmmBCpzG1oWH1ro4P1W5DjSZ2EHkOZbrCYujItvGDaBtGAldZY7yBdI8jNYco4IQFvVSxZ21otZmxYJHMBzqLRnzbFCMQFR57_rtCuGC0cNvxTTr4NYZrDFGpoZMki8A/s391/Avengers_vs._X-Men.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWaF4FBeLaSNDpXx3Q0x1pwvC6M9oeL1_UZvGFKlXIYqMaDlLzM5MrOdvzBpmmBCpzG1oWH1ro4P1W5DjSZ2EHkOZbrCYujItvGDaBtGAldZY7yBdI8jNYco4IQFvVSxZ21otZmxYJHMBzqLRnzbFCMQFR57_rtCuGC0cNvxTTr4NYZrDFGpoZMki8A/s320/Avengers_vs._X-Men.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In addition to all that, I think it's inevitable that once the X-Men are established, that an <i>Avengers</i> <i>vs.</i> <i>X-Men</i> movie will be in the cards. How could they not go with that? You think <i>Endgame</i> was big? Please. An <i>AvX</i> movie would handily crush it. It'd make <i>Civil</i> <i>War</i> look like a playground squabble. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvxPPY56l39Z95uRrbyh9LM3yV_CiJm2vd5svkg6ltfkNeo6n71QSUD-ehWpge9vOvVh_fv74KIwyLei2ueSv8Iw4DDH3HsoWmdS2KQqRV0MbdSII7IeNheavM0yW2Tj2wR7FVrF6VIIPKEJL9coI49KJIuLNIoemC_NLMsjFQvM1i54bgxQ0tET4dw/s3040/carol_marvels.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1710" data-original-width="3040" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvxPPY56l39Z95uRrbyh9LM3yV_CiJm2vd5svkg6ltfkNeo6n71QSUD-ehWpge9vOvVh_fv74KIwyLei2ueSv8Iw4DDH3HsoWmdS2KQqRV0MbdSII7IeNheavM0yW2Tj2wR7FVrF6VIIPKEJL9coI49KJIuLNIoemC_NLMsjFQvM1i54bgxQ0tET4dw/s320/carol_marvels.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">People can talk about superhero fatigue all they want but the fact of the matter is, the MCU isn't going anyplace. Whether or not there will be some course correction here and there, the idea that the MCU might end is ridiculous. Warners has been floundering with their DC universe for over ten years now with no talk of throwing in the towel, despite all the mixed results. So if anyone thinks that failing to break box office records with each new release, while still being successful, is going to lead to Disney and Marvel giving up on the MCU, that person is nuts. I'm telling you now, strap in for years and years more of the MCU. The option for individual viewers to get off the ride is always there but people shouldn't confuse whatever personal apathy they might feel with the reality that the MCU is not going anywhere. It will be up to Kevin Feige and his creative collaborators to make the shared universe aspect of the MCU feel like an asset rather than an albatross if they choose not to ever hit the reset button but I expect everyone involved will be more than up for that challenge. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipII1tQ982Q6K14bAG_1EdqIaCC0SX7ro7CpmFhSNPXitjVOYIKQsOCpqsQ42bTbm9CTVawtZZHG-k0QoShlJbrJDJdRQ4oKpIdjPe_wv72BGPL-n4duj1C0Nd8sHyZisowP2pzsYT2tmcwrdmr_xBDogu6mQN6K1i8SzlYZkkzKf6aJy0T56KrM3zQQ/s1200/sam_shield.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipII1tQ982Q6K14bAG_1EdqIaCC0SX7ro7CpmFhSNPXitjVOYIKQsOCpqsQ42bTbm9CTVawtZZHG-k0QoShlJbrJDJdRQ4oKpIdjPe_wv72BGPL-n4duj1C0Nd8sHyZisowP2pzsYT2tmcwrdmr_xBDogu6mQN6K1i8SzlYZkkzKf6aJy0T56KrM3zQQ/s320/sam_shield.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">If anything, I think it's fair to say that in another ten years or so we might look back at this era as the point when the MCU was just getting started. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-36603328989144785302023-05-02T10:17:00.052-07:002023-05-11T06:51:50.398-07:00Rust Proof: Iron Man at 15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiN1bKVHNveceMv1iaSpocHeCPNvl84Bk3Ec1OBbRaHpBm1zx6UpanLV2BftiZ09F5ms0q8mnUX7R5XwaKCCeyVBDnobd6wq0LFR7UXboe6gAUD7go3i3nfckbcOTRtj0g1Gs80TMOYjblGb2Isy3wPbJPxtbogRRz4iHEUbbKUMNoUm1_132atvGQg/s1024/ironman_poster_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="691" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQiN1bKVHNveceMv1iaSpocHeCPNvl84Bk3Ec1OBbRaHpBm1zx6UpanLV2BftiZ09F5ms0q8mnUX7R5XwaKCCeyVBDnobd6wq0LFR7UXboe6gAUD7go3i3nfckbcOTRtj0g1Gs80TMOYjblGb2Isy3wPbJPxtbogRRz4iHEUbbKUMNoUm1_132atvGQg/s320/ironman_poster_1.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Here in 2023, we're still a long way off from the golden anniversary of the Golden Avenger's first solo film but I say the fifteenth anniversary of the release of 2008's <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> is still a momentous occasion. Not only is it the anniversary of <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> but it's also the anniversary of the MCU. Being the first release from the newly minted Marvel Studios, the first time that Marvel itself was fully in charge of bringing its characters to the screen, a lot was riding on <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>. And by "a lot," I mean everything. It's no exaggeration to say that the success of <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> changed the course of modern popular culture. It's impossible to imagine the current pop culture landscape without the MCU and none of it would have been possible without <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> having forged the foundation. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-iTYITgluoF1il-x1bqY0m7LqzDVRLqz_Jq0G2Hx9Z1IshA-7s01bK5Us5_FGBbZpxMnrRHjD9OxIPDFQQRM4Lowsuori4LVixx--tRxvg4W8JQEr0J4WRn8KYvvcafx2F-EiJW2GuS-Et4I02x8o9Om3nPcwnZr_J5dwl5hHTmOb8ADfLAi-999Uw/s1136/ironman_forge.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-iTYITgluoF1il-x1bqY0m7LqzDVRLqz_Jq0G2Hx9Z1IshA-7s01bK5Us5_FGBbZpxMnrRHjD9OxIPDFQQRM4Lowsuori4LVixx--tRxvg4W8JQEr0J4WRn8KYvvcafx2F-EiJW2GuS-Et4I02x8o9Om3nPcwnZr_J5dwl5hHTmOb8ADfLAi-999Uw/s320/ironman_forge.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">To put <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>'s success in context, you have to first consider that by 2008, the superhero wave had been going strong since 2000, much of which had driven by the success of adaptations of Marvel characters like the X-Men and Spider-Man. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcDI7XPkLnCjx4qxYDIZlltXX2Hz1mYcB1f8ynIosV-QQozYqTz1GEeOxQrUsRaXReQmzqro9A6TveNwcn6om3lk9H-mWb11Q2panuqbhIl1D80YgS7FoR_tXBS_1AlVwkKESjHYpXnuHog1-PXqkDRhtYs9GktS7MwBucmq2S8xU7_0rg6iNyHdy4A/s1280/ironmanmark1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcDI7XPkLnCjx4qxYDIZlltXX2Hz1mYcB1f8ynIosV-QQozYqTz1GEeOxQrUsRaXReQmzqro9A6TveNwcn6om3lk9H-mWb11Q2panuqbhIl1D80YgS7FoR_tXBS_1AlVwkKESjHYpXnuHog1-PXqkDRhtYs9GktS7MwBucmq2S8xU7_0rg6iNyHdy4A/s320/ironmanmark1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">By the time Marvel Studios got to work on <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>, the most popular, best known aspects of the Marvel universe had already been well represented on screen and those characters were still in the hands of other studios. The characters that Marvel Studios had access to were largely thought of as B-listers at best, characters with little chance of becoming household names. In a CNN Money article, "Marvel goes Hollywood" from 2007, writer Devin Leonard asked "Can Marvel prevail with a slate of characters - Thor, the recently deceased (but sure to be resurrected) Captain America, Ant-Man - that, beloved as they are to longtime comic fans, are mostly unknown to today's kids?" Most of the talk surrounding Marvel Studios prior to <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> centered on the fact that Marvel was, in the eyes of many, being forced to work with scraps. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iD4mxjXXp1Z3Ta42JBs5KV69X5lEiJLR4TlUnRKEOJGrM6ZQGldg8ZoO33FlAyDvPPKMKeK62JHjW9vtcTD1VHvFNBbcOqDc4v4UA_CUOMEQgC5KHBJqZg432_hdx1kvvwS0YqXiE7PC7mpslIMZCieflAjFcCM7d82pzGsGe5RuiPQaObOBMRXmSw/s2000/superheromovie_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iD4mxjXXp1Z3Ta42JBs5KV69X5lEiJLR4TlUnRKEOJGrM6ZQGldg8ZoO33FlAyDvPPKMKeK62JHjW9vtcTD1VHvFNBbcOqDc4v4UA_CUOMEQgC5KHBJqZg432_hdx1kvvwS0YqXiE7PC7mpslIMZCieflAjFcCM7d82pzGsGe5RuiPQaObOBMRXmSw/s320/superheromovie_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Added to the challenge of launching a film series with lesser known characters was the fact that the entire superhero trend could possibly have been starting to wind down by 2008. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy had concluded in 2007, the X-Men trilogy had ended in 2006 and as much as other films were in the pipeline, there was a case to be made that we might well have already seen superheroes peak. Just over a month before <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>'s release, the spoof <i>Superhero</i> <i>Movie</i> came out and while it was only a moderate success, usually once a genre receives its own parody, it's a sign that the genre is starting to wane. Was there even going to be an audience for <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-xMU-Yh8b8UtuyUsRIurcf-56B-hxATy7asGUJKQSNlLJQ2lU-VaxvKXQ3jVgAe6c_ETH3mJm8L_3ikP-WaguWBX5pd6kPgrqC9imCzy00wXKVac54pIFvHRpUU4zit4c-2t1flVa-psg3VFrMralHiGTj2oNkesgAmw1dHrA_E-04DvY2tTo9w0wQ/s2000/ironman_flying2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-xMU-Yh8b8UtuyUsRIurcf-56B-hxATy7asGUJKQSNlLJQ2lU-VaxvKXQ3jVgAe6c_ETH3mJm8L_3ikP-WaguWBX5pd6kPgrqC9imCzy00wXKVac54pIFvHRpUU4zit4c-2t1flVa-psg3VFrMralHiGTj2oNkesgAmw1dHrA_E-04DvY2tTo9w0wQ/s320/ironman_flying2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Cut to today where the MCU is far and away the biggest entertainment franchise in the world and where millions of people who have never cracked open a comic know the details of the Marvel Universe. As much as the phrase "superhero fatigue" is often trotted out, that supposed fatigue is seldom is reflected in the enthusiasm of ticket buyers. What superhero films were before the release of <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>, as successful as they often were, looks downright piddling compared to the heights that the MCU has reached. Some might say the MCU peaked with <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Endgame</i> in 2019 and will never reach the same heights again but I say don't bet on that. Even if that were the case, though, what an unparalleled run the MCU has had, none of which could have been imagined when <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> was released on May 2nd, 2008. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbb9gtH5_IQXjXUmG33cKbl-LovNiBCGCGsXZqummN4uzjxwi319sk8DP3kbCuuRPPPrLNwK3753riWyQcIt2XuBlee9Yeyfxkbw5mRRx_PyIXuYv27ZyYgAbdAjYOn4xcusNUXrBbFTbVjpTLzi9HAmhFrk7ANeW2RYs_52_XcGqK5UIA9pJF7HzOQ/s1280/ironman_downey_glove.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbb9gtH5_IQXjXUmG33cKbl-LovNiBCGCGsXZqummN4uzjxwi319sk8DP3kbCuuRPPPrLNwK3753riWyQcIt2XuBlee9Yeyfxkbw5mRRx_PyIXuYv27ZyYgAbdAjYOn4xcusNUXrBbFTbVjpTLzi9HAmhFrk7ANeW2RYs_52_XcGqK5UIA9pJF7HzOQ/s320/ironman_downey_glove.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As a fan, I remember feeling that the first real encouraging sign when it came to <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>, back when it was just ramping up into production, was the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. It seemed so perfect, just the ideal match of actor and character, and I believe that casting Downey Jr. was the decision that really put everything in place early on. It gave the project an automatic stamp of legitimacy and ever since then, the continued strength of the MCU has always come down to casting. Even when the films themselves have been so-so, the appeal of the characters always pulls them through. The first <i>Thor</i> wasn't anything more than ok but yet Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as Thor and Loki were so terrific in their roles that it elevated the entire movie and created a demand to see more. Casting has been the ace up Marvel's sleeve throughout the MCU, their steady saving grace, all the way up to today with the instantly likable Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, and it all started with <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Vbzlkn7Cf6WpYxIO4Ff_tfmUudDlw0X5dEjK8_XVIIGpLl89s5bUv38nfeec909fM-XmWe7PY6Ej9ms_Q5w5JM-uFHok3Ncv1Jj-fqUxD1iWiyM2bt8bHuVPsVt_sqMNtx1H3GGSW30r6QVwum-H2aIo9M0q3AvzfrD8nmSWnp-5r0G5YZOkbi4E0A/s1280/ironman_fury.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Vbzlkn7Cf6WpYxIO4Ff_tfmUudDlw0X5dEjK8_XVIIGpLl89s5bUv38nfeec909fM-XmWe7PY6Ej9ms_Q5w5JM-uFHok3Ncv1Jj-fqUxD1iWiyM2bt8bHuVPsVt_sqMNtx1H3GGSW30r6QVwum-H2aIo9M0q3AvzfrD8nmSWnp-5r0G5YZOkbi4E0A/s320/ironman_fury.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Given where the MCU is now, with a multitude (and a multiverse) of narrative balls in the air, it's wild to think back on what a simple thrill it was to see that first post credit scene with Samuel L. Jackson making his debut as Nick Fury, coming to talk to Tony about the "Avengers Initiative." As much as the Marvel Universe had already been well served by the first two X-Men movies and the Spider-Man films, that thirty second or so appearance by Fury promised so much more. If you want to point to a single moment where nerd culture truly took over the mainstream, that might be it. Star Wars, Star Trek and previous superhero films were instances where nerds and mainstream audiences happened to find common ground. The MCU, however, put everyone on hardcore nerd turf. After <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i>, being comic literate became key to navigating pop culture in a way that it never had been before. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo75GGzGmQs9I7z-wXrhdAZtSAXh1Wu4JILV6IBB4DEnEoHZ4_x4hxj47d-HzFekqvVwRTkRzrNJ8K3Fgz8rDPRAbYZM_TKdDVMTPZi9v91KtG7sFzFybBPf0cK82zrMqsGGCIa7smDcOOVkQzfiLxUiHPmBbicc5gGDBv8CHdnBzxlOhd8FKY6iuOQ/s2048/ironman_starkandrhodey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo75GGzGmQs9I7z-wXrhdAZtSAXh1Wu4JILV6IBB4DEnEoHZ4_x4hxj47d-HzFekqvVwRTkRzrNJ8K3Fgz8rDPRAbYZM_TKdDVMTPZi9v91KtG7sFzFybBPf0cK82zrMqsGGCIa7smDcOOVkQzfiLxUiHPmBbicc5gGDBv8CHdnBzxlOhd8FKY6iuOQ/s320/ironman_starkandrhodey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Last year, <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> became the first MCU film to be inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. To be eligible to be inducted into the Registry, a film must be at least ten years old and be "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant," the first two of which <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> definitely qualifies as. Aesthetically, <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> isn't exceptional but it is an example of top notch mainstream filmmaking, a piece of pop cinema where all the components are in harmony (special shout out to the work of Stan Winston Studios who brought Iron Man's armor to the screen so faithfully - including the initial gray Mark 1 suit). It's a testimony to the craft that Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige and co. brought to the initial MCU outing that even stacked up against the celebrated likes of <i>Captain</i> <i>America:</i> <i>Civil</i> <i>War</i> and <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Endgame</i>, it still ranks as a top tier MCU entry. Fifteen years later, Iron Man's gleaming red and gold armor doesn't have a speck of rust on it. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-28571444896405522282023-04-30T10:28:00.022-07:002023-05-11T19:32:25.093-07:00Nerd Notes: April 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OR-lvnMwjdfI9C5tMwsEAIidQcuU32JEIfmT-fP7ME3gv2hwl0T1mIUcusbN0IkXEN0s8hs75OrWYIyCtgLU7zqnOWPCWzCGX0hOBXd0zyehKmzr9tqHUINDKH3SbZ6kfenN84pi01x5zPxVtKOifa_XhXnkeES4UB_8UAHJSHazyJULkN89FMzZ7w/s1200/mandos3poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OR-lvnMwjdfI9C5tMwsEAIidQcuU32JEIfmT-fP7ME3gv2hwl0T1mIUcusbN0IkXEN0s8hs75OrWYIyCtgLU7zqnOWPCWzCGX0hOBXd0zyehKmzr9tqHUINDKH3SbZ6kfenN84pi01x5zPxVtKOifa_XhXnkeES4UB_8UAHJSHazyJULkN89FMzZ7w/s320/mandos3poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Apparently some people had problems with this season of <i>The</i> <i>Mandalorian</i> but, you know, I say those people are clowns. I think the current era of serialized storytelling has ruined many viewer's ability to just enjoy an episode of television for what it is rather than getting agitated when it isn't immediately apparent how an individual episode progresses the larger arc of the season. Sure, you could say that this was the weakest of the three seasons but yet it was still freaking awesome and it's crazy to me to see people bitching about it. I'm so stoked that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are going to be getting their chance to bring their corner of the SW universe to the big screen. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC6HBEUZ3r4kh5LyyHhOzFzRApXxABCC_6LAsYfpGh0q5CRZIUDU32aWRQNNJAsZigKg-5l4xhtOEXQTYB8tah03EJ0gtX0XZXFRfxfH1ncSviasdBaoD2lSQqagrKFZfEYu3R30YfoDgoMOemCYDEghHjreOQApxe79JepBVt1vEUHF7dHJ0yjrosA/s1500/popeexorcist.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1012" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC6HBEUZ3r4kh5LyyHhOzFzRApXxABCC_6LAsYfpGh0q5CRZIUDU32aWRQNNJAsZigKg-5l4xhtOEXQTYB8tah03EJ0gtX0XZXFRfxfH1ncSviasdBaoD2lSQqagrKFZfEYu3R30YfoDgoMOemCYDEghHjreOQApxe79JepBVt1vEUHF7dHJ0yjrosA/s320/popeexorcist.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Is this movie a one off or is it the start of a new horror franchise? Time will tell but as mediocre and middle of the road as this movie is, I'm kind of rooting for it to get a couple of sequels. Russell Crowe strikes just the right note of sincere hamminess here and I'd be very game to see him continue to go up against various occult forces a few more times, with The Vatican sending him on missions that only he can handle. The shameless, blatantly commercial set up for more at the end of <i>The</i> <i>Pope's</i> <i>Exorcist</i> is actually one of the most appealing aspects of this movie so I'm pulling for a follow up. I do hope they step their game up a bit if the opportunity to do a sequel should arise but far worse movies than this have spawned franchises. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhIk8jgsBUhwWAWK49t518Iz2dO-aFDyS35ELUFItcV-Fq-C1sAi1HPoIPC_yoRHLMFX5C6rQDNgADMVxtqLQ26ZUr-d-Jxtau5ed9kuAieLhtklJ9GS5cn3UYmrzGYc0OOlUboCpEeJwBDjKIH0QbsKFNOgRJ6dqCBYUkI6-tvT-a-7r3KBxMyRdww/s1584/renfield.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1584" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhIk8jgsBUhwWAWK49t518Iz2dO-aFDyS35ELUFItcV-Fq-C1sAi1HPoIPC_yoRHLMFX5C6rQDNgADMVxtqLQ26ZUr-d-Jxtau5ed9kuAieLhtklJ9GS5cn3UYmrzGYc0OOlUboCpEeJwBDjKIH0QbsKFNOgRJ6dqCBYUkI6-tvT-a-7r3KBxMyRdww/s320/renfield.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's always a bummer when something looks like a slam dunk on paper but then proves to be kind of unsatisfying. Such is the case with <i>Renfield</i>. Telling the tale of Dracula's eternally put upon assistant, giving Reinfield's plight as a bug eating lackey a comedic slant, sounds terrific. It sounds even better to know that Nicholas Cage will be playing the Count. In reality, though, this movie is just ok. The main problem is that rather than being content to be a funny tale about Renfield, it also wants to be a kick ass action film and a semi-serious character study as well. The tone of this movie is all over the place. Some movies can smoothly veer from serious to funny but here it's jarring. Adding to the jarring aspect of <i>Renfield</i> is how weirdly plot heavy it is. Aside from telling Renfield's story, there's the story of a cop played by Awkwafina who is up against her corrupt, paid off precinct and she's also trying to take down the mob family responsible for killing her honest cop dad. Then there's another subplot about the adult son of the matriarch of the mob family who is trying to prove himself to his mother and who becomes an adversary to Renfield and Awkwafina's character. It's just a lot of story bogging down what should have been a simple, quirky tale. For splatter fans, this does offer up a ton of over the top gore but all the hard R bloodshed is just another indication that this is a movie that never quite knows what it wants to be or what master it's trying to serve. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-88607342978765609212023-04-27T20:21:00.024-07:002023-05-11T19:14:54.663-07:00"Mid" Marvel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF300YspoPwE-a8TTHpXjTYZsixGOQsEkSjjMITrgvbm5ysBlkMZAw2FEICGoC6AEPR8MZXAMfoO9115yqylxmoMoUGp0OxcbMGU2JKUxs0swWwcoN-E2TB7nu-CNZJNw6mTKL53bBRI0ZvAqQ5icYHk3g7QmEg8GyKBizJoHo9nc3tOoUF6iFCvcUaw/s1600/infinity_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF300YspoPwE-a8TTHpXjTYZsixGOQsEkSjjMITrgvbm5ysBlkMZAw2FEICGoC6AEPR8MZXAMfoO9115yqylxmoMoUGp0OxcbMGU2JKUxs0swWwcoN-E2TB7nu-CNZJNw6mTKL53bBRI0ZvAqQ5icYHk3g7QmEg8GyKBizJoHo9nc3tOoUF6iFCvcUaw/s320/infinity_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">With today marking the fifth anniversary of <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i> and with news on <i>Ant-Man</i> <i>&</i> <i>The</i> <i>Wasp:</i> <i>Quantumania</i>'s streaming debut also hitting today, I think it's worth taking stock of where the MCU has been and where it's going. Four years ago, all of the narrative dominos that had been placed over the course of Phases 1 through 3 were starting to fall as Earth's Mightiest Heroes were finally throwing down against Thanos and excitement for the climax of the Infinity Saga was off the charts. Today, news of <i>Quantumania</i>'s home release is accompanied by an assessment of its status as a box office disappointment. <i>Quantumania</i>'s unsteady kick off to Phase 5 has only fed into the arguments that arose throughout Phase 4 that, post IW/EG, that the MCU's best days were over and that the public appetite for Marvel movies has waned. To that I say "feh." </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXO0wzSCJ4PKCewNWDtQuTAR_-PWyC5m1wfQh1O39vtQm9zf4UepCtYQ-3gMfnjcXRIroWarHczDV7RpY92SXlQLSPlADx2cCJDVuu1fRrKQpjLx1cHXCZjO3dX6WoVPflLMwNW13Htbeed-GnjiXufuQ1AYMRqG52cybh9yHV7_07EokZwYle5RCtA/s1116/secretwars_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="719" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXO0wzSCJ4PKCewNWDtQuTAR_-PWyC5m1wfQh1O39vtQm9zf4UepCtYQ-3gMfnjcXRIroWarHczDV7RpY92SXlQLSPlADx2cCJDVuu1fRrKQpjLx1cHXCZjO3dX6WoVPflLMwNW13Htbeed-GnjiXufuQ1AYMRqG52cybh9yHV7_07EokZwYle5RCtA/s320/secretwars_1.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">While it's inevitable that after eleven years of sustained cinematic storytelling that some would want to get off the ride after a climatic chapter, what a lot of people who aren't comic readers don't understand is the ebb and low of comic narratives. After a major line wide event in comics, it isn't immediately followed by another big event. You can't keep going from one massive high to another. You have to have peaks and valleys. You can have an event like <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> but then you have to go back to smaller stakes (by comic book standards, at least) and regroup, introduce new characters, new elements, slowly start putting the pieces in place for what the next big event will be. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSncJ7OZFVUDqg3gLr0rsJr2B39_q71X0sEF6h_3UOMK1qAknNfuS6LpQ-DuoGqeZGnpQwao6uqvXxLd7hDEjVDfokGwxzD9tBUFCAnoCInH30YELJLFteaA3jPABO_ChsItVDZAKh2IsB4HtAFRiXwPGlX096vDFxqRPAxMYVTnm3n-sXuu4JCjG94Q/s1200/endgame_cap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSncJ7OZFVUDqg3gLr0rsJr2B39_q71X0sEF6h_3UOMK1qAknNfuS6LpQ-DuoGqeZGnpQwao6uqvXxLd7hDEjVDfokGwxzD9tBUFCAnoCInH30YELJLFteaA3jPABO_ChsItVDZAKh2IsB4HtAFRiXwPGlX096vDFxqRPAxMYVTnm3n-sXuu4JCjG94Q/s320/endgame_cap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">That's where the MCU is at now. They spent years getting to <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i>/<i>Endgame</i>, building to it film by film. They couldn't go right from the conclusion of that right into something on the same level. The MCU has always been about playing the long game and that's the strategy they're still pursuing. There's some audiences who don't get that or don't have the patience for it. They just want that bigger and bigger high, every time out. They also want to know what the plan is and where everything is heading and rather than enjoy the journey they get frustrated if the big picture isn't immediately clear to them. But that's not how storytelling works in comics. The big moments take time to ramp up to. To arrive at the kind of pay offs that matter, you have to put the time into building towards them. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcieUWVkKLjXqKbf8xbHF-r6UZJAElaPI16T_n7LV3BsYAvHNBPoRWTTc5QRbY2Ur7OJepSNc0YXiQFogCLA9XAhfthHvZW31J7rqnfInb63QUjgSCfKBRp-V4G0Z1Hm-JGt9ES-UO20YK7pawXgsndd3AtWZDTRosgmxv2D67Gc_P1vakzUfMbJXhA/s1200/phase4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcieUWVkKLjXqKbf8xbHF-r6UZJAElaPI16T_n7LV3BsYAvHNBPoRWTTc5QRbY2Ur7OJepSNc0YXiQFogCLA9XAhfthHvZW31J7rqnfInb63QUjgSCfKBRp-V4G0Z1Hm-JGt9ES-UO20YK7pawXgsndd3AtWZDTRosgmxv2D67Gc_P1vakzUfMbJXhA/s320/phase4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Some complain that too many movies in Phase 4 were "mid" and that's why they weren't <i>Endgame</i> level hits but I say that's bullshit. Movies like <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i> and <i>Endgame</i> are never going to be commonplace. That can't be the goal every time out. That's not how the MCU got there. They got there by patiently putting out one solid performer after another and never jumping the gun. Some entries did better than others but most were not massive hits. They just did well enough to keep the MCU viable and to pave the way for more. And the fact is, a lot of the movies throughout Phases 1 through 3 were every bit as "mid" as anything found in Phase 4 MCU. They were fun but not exceptional. Just a good time at the movies, not a reinvention of cinema. Some were on a higher level but the majority were not. And that's fine. Most movies in general, across all studios, across all genres, are "mid." Most movies in the history of movies are just ok. Most action movies, most comedies, most dramas. To believe that every MCU movie must be an exceptional example of filmmaking in order to justify their existence or earn the audience's continued interest is just silly. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3A092EavGkxWIXoq3C_tLmDFMMWp2PcvUky7B9zLQPD-P4w8U0_Rj6V5ZCCyCyXzw-PRH7a6TZoT_X8FG1nGfo6FeugGniP5ru1R-tD7bwXwrP9YMelh2zZz2yMFKyhNDdOioapVUrt0_UnWRS558i6e2BHsNVQFac-GFVPeNREp4h6p5uCeoPNjcw/s2048/mcuphase5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3A092EavGkxWIXoq3C_tLmDFMMWp2PcvUky7B9zLQPD-P4w8U0_Rj6V5ZCCyCyXzw-PRH7a6TZoT_X8FG1nGfo6FeugGniP5ru1R-tD7bwXwrP9YMelh2zZz2yMFKyhNDdOioapVUrt0_UnWRS558i6e2BHsNVQFac-GFVPeNREp4h6p5uCeoPNjcw/s320/mcuphase5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Some of what was in Phase 4 ranked among the best that the MCU has delivered to date. Some of it was mid to lower tier. But you could say the same all through the MCU's history. The key to the MCU's longevity isn't about hitting home runs every time, it's about scoring base hits and staying in the game. Just as you can't get to <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i> and <i>Endgame</i> without a <i>Thor:</i> <i>Dark</i> <i>World</i> or <i>Ant-Man</i>, the road to <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Kang</i> <i>Dynasty</i> and <i>Avengers:</i> <i>Secret</i> <i>Wars</i> doesn't happen without <i>Quantumania</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmj1RbzmHM8GvpmBqhtmP0H1TNGXAzrPIUS_IivJ7tmhyXhNwA0fOftaeFQ8Z8mJgcumi-YGCjyPSWoEvDRV05HbUi2B_SZP8pI7XqUECk9M5n1c0BeutGVqMV3wvMy3mYbY-6_K9tR5KH3F041m1ObgD_mp5PCSqHln3jfijNRfy7jGDw1lVwxZmXLg/s1481/quantumania.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmj1RbzmHM8GvpmBqhtmP0H1TNGXAzrPIUS_IivJ7tmhyXhNwA0fOftaeFQ8Z8mJgcumi-YGCjyPSWoEvDRV05HbUi2B_SZP8pI7XqUECk9M5n1c0BeutGVqMV3wvMy3mYbY-6_K9tR5KH3F041m1ObgD_mp5PCSqHln3jfijNRfy7jGDw1lVwxZmXLg/s320/quantumania.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Five years ago, the MCU was at a popular peak. Five years from now, they well could be at another one but the takeaway of <i>Infinity</i> <i>War</i> shouldn't be to look to that as what every MCU movie should be but to realize that those crescendos only work when you take the time to build up to them. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-49286992751982538182023-04-27T10:14:00.032-07:002023-05-11T19:55:46.336-07:00Rise Rules<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-GmYhfLGl2hjSOkwb1hBg1nPYbb8w1135y3Oj0kWSDS9QgXsw7dF1HL4TUTXVblyQGzogYYM1AHMrpNtd4_nT1iDUmf17qG1FueALV7Nmth0sz_z97X7xu_i7siKTb6_PEMWgaC8usEqIa4Lg7E1m8w9CPg-YOC4hBE6rLQO61rUH4F0wqGfnIQmVQ/s2048/edr_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-GmYhfLGl2hjSOkwb1hBg1nPYbb8w1135y3Oj0kWSDS9QgXsw7dF1HL4TUTXVblyQGzogYYM1AHMrpNtd4_nT1iDUmf17qG1FueALV7Nmth0sz_z97X7xu_i7siKTb6_PEMWgaC8usEqIa4Lg7E1m8w9CPg-YOC4hBE6rLQO61rUH4F0wqGfnIQmVQ/s320/edr_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">From today's perspective, it's odd to remember that, for a long time, <i>The</i> <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> existed only as a trilogy, a cult trilogy at that, one whose audience was once deemed to be so microscopically niche that the marketing for <i>Army</i> <i>of</i> <i>Darkness</i> was based on the belief of Universal Studios that it even wasn't worth acknowledging its connection to the previous two films. For many years it was generally accepted by fans that after 1992, we had seen our last Deadite and that we'd have to be satisfy our <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> itch going forward by dutifully buying each new Special Edition of each film in the trilogy on every new home video format. Sure, there was always the hope that Ash would return in an <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>4</i> but it seemed more far likely that <i>A</i><i>o</i><i>D</i> marked the end of the road for all things <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i>, save perhaps in comics and games. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha91IkGBnN-cZ7T-iPz7IJX8nd9D0z4BBF4ho5jME4x8b_PsZDakm0TlcH4MDbgKRE6GsVgwQ7rajl-U8N0_DCXTeYSlS6cs8mVPkYFLacZedoI9FaaWCNNXo4oCv2uLK1_d9r4D3lVby4ZuObV1LR9n4BJm5OB0nARbsRNSjcxBCw2geKTBfptEYREg/s1500/ed2013_redposter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1005" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha91IkGBnN-cZ7T-iPz7IJX8nd9D0z4BBF4ho5jME4x8b_PsZDakm0TlcH4MDbgKRE6GsVgwQ7rajl-U8N0_DCXTeYSlS6cs8mVPkYFLacZedoI9FaaWCNNXo4oCv2uLK1_d9r4D3lVby4ZuObV1LR9n4BJm5OB0nARbsRNSjcxBCw2geKTBfptEYREg/s320/ed2013_redposter.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">But proving that nothing <i>Evil</i> ever dies, there was the Fede Alvarez big screen reboot in 2013, shepherded into existence by producers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell, a movie that revived the hardcore spirit of the original in grand, gory fashion, followed by three seasons of <i>Ash</i> <i>vs</i>. <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> on Starz from 2015 to 2018 that gave us more Ash than the movies could have ever given us and here we are in 2023 with yet more big screen ED action with <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>Rise</i>. What was once three films with a devoted cult following is now a still-thriving franchise. Not just still thriving but arguably, pound for pound, the finest modern horror franchise. We'll see that be put to the test if they start to pump out movies with more frequency but for now, you've got five movies and three seasons of a TV show without a single miss in the bunch. Whether you put <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>Rise</i> towards the top or the bottom of your ED rankings, it still kicks ass because they <i>all</i> kick ass. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-liwp2e4PYEJ3dtmj_rKzZN6fpbt1QFW6gPjJdwRfkMES4JwFBxcqBy-tGMkX-pUvY2GQXt_Vv9xVPgPxXAW4iinxHAdWQM47v_nqbxKAAH5pJCiUNiTOCb7IQ08RQyHVbm-nQImOP-Jb7IkILWtVSUW-xgrc4ckLG67dJhI2YkxWBG2dx6EkNHjmg/s1400/rise_bloodvator.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-liwp2e4PYEJ3dtmj_rKzZN6fpbt1QFW6gPjJdwRfkMES4JwFBxcqBy-tGMkX-pUvY2GQXt_Vv9xVPgPxXAW4iinxHAdWQM47v_nqbxKAAH5pJCiUNiTOCb7IQ08RQyHVbm-nQImOP-Jb7IkILWtVSUW-xgrc4ckLG67dJhI2YkxWBG2dx6EkNHjmg/s320/rise_bloodvator.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Arriving in theaters on the heels of the not bad but kind of ho-hum possession yarn <i>The</i> <i>Pope's</i> <i>Exorcist</i>, <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>Rise</i> is a masterclass in showing 'em how it's done. Director Lee Cronin picks up the gauntlet from Fede Alvarez and confidently puts his own bloody stamp on the ED franchise. As a horror fan who remembers the battles genre filmmakers fought throughout the '80s with the MPAA and how neutered much of the splatter output of the '80s was, it will never not seem crazy to me how much bloodshed a R rating can get away with now. For whatever reason, the MPAA long ago straight up stopped giving a shit about graphic violence and horror fans are reaping the benefits. I know some horror fans find gore to be a bore and, hey, that's fair but these recent ED films aren't made for that crowd. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1O4N7x7kP9f_21fLGN9kRICbH2y_CviIAew9FVWVGaKlvsaa5LFKyVxhvG-GSD53xYNJ2DSeGM43zd-EOpBLNPuLufHJhWU_yw_0XbC8WYYIp0e0xID5256C29J2ff_fBOUnYuv_cc5xzJLqhZmAoP0FNEo8VA8tlzCeqWD3fRjBV2QamWn4y76h1Q/s1024/rise_bethanddanny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1024" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1O4N7x7kP9f_21fLGN9kRICbH2y_CviIAew9FVWVGaKlvsaa5LFKyVxhvG-GSD53xYNJ2DSeGM43zd-EOpBLNPuLufHJhWU_yw_0XbC8WYYIp0e0xID5256C29J2ff_fBOUnYuv_cc5xzJLqhZmAoP0FNEo8VA8tlzCeqWD3fRjBV2QamWn4y76h1Q/s320/rise_bethanddanny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">No, <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>Rise </i>is a movie designed to cater to gorehounds who bought their ticket secure in the knowledge that the people involved in making this movie weren't going to waste time getting cute with them or tease shit and then not deliver. This is a movie made for the crowd who, when they spot a tree mulcher in the background of a scene early on, know full well that the next time they see it, someone's going to be getting fed into it. Some might shrug at the promise of that kind of carnage and it's safe to say that if splatter isn't your thing, or if you just feel like you've already had enough to last a lifetime, <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>Rise</i> won't be your kind of party. For those whose enthusiasm for gore remains insatiable, though, EDR is cause for celebration. As an old school gorehound who always lamented the way that chainsaw mayhem was always teased in movies like <i>Motel</i> <i>Hell</i>, <i>Pieces</i>, and <i>The</i> <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> but never really shown, I have to say I find the explicit chainsaw related gore in the modern ED's to be very satisfying to behold. Hey, we've all got our things, right? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEDPs5NUh6wdKmlD-3qj-1iaDhVMpazxx7FLZQcsOEZhhOcxRj0dH1CJqCYperj4khXr43-MQVX_U9Da6htmpQsuRp6t5uEFXg0rQgUvOKfjLJrMnIgH4Ad9JGoVdgswy-4MEYEfzza-BAcBm0c2JZBq8cabEPB8qW09Ej7Z0jfU_xV3VIiFDxZSzmQ/s1200/rise_book.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEDPs5NUh6wdKmlD-3qj-1iaDhVMpazxx7FLZQcsOEZhhOcxRj0dH1CJqCYperj4khXr43-MQVX_U9Da6htmpQsuRp6t5uEFXg0rQgUvOKfjLJrMnIgH4Ad9JGoVdgswy-4MEYEfzza-BAcBm0c2JZBq8cabEPB8qW09Ej7Z0jfU_xV3VIiFDxZSzmQ/s320/rise_book.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">At this point, <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> is a series comprised of five movies that form two trilogies. The first trilogy consists of the 1983 original, <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>2</i> and <i>Army</i> <i>of</i> <i>Darkness</i>. There the emphasis is on Ash and his adventures against the Deadites. The other trilogy is the original, the 2013 ED and now <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>Rise</i> and in that trilogy the star of the show is the Necronomicon itself. That evil tome is the linking device across those films and if you just watch those three, it's about people encountering that book and unleashing hell upon themselves and everyone in the immediate perimeter. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cAZglj9JW4ZvwS_yE8zEhv1ZisYfB909Q-VeoH4QAGcZQqOqUldBeU95Wr34Cih50Mne9tKsip_OrJu4c_y1nzdpoeNSjf0QrVCgzZF4ADpuKyC9ybWE3U_6Nbzbp-1Zu2xiPmE60HEwv9Vz5PmXQbSBg-_nTqVbXF1oizks370gvZEGSTx9DG6-Ew/s1200/rise_ellie_scream.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cAZglj9JW4ZvwS_yE8zEhv1ZisYfB909Q-VeoH4QAGcZQqOqUldBeU95Wr34Cih50Mne9tKsip_OrJu4c_y1nzdpoeNSjf0QrVCgzZF4ADpuKyC9ybWE3U_6Nbzbp-1Zu2xiPmE60HEwv9Vz5PmXQbSBg-_nTqVbXF1oizks370gvZEGSTx9DG6-Ew/s320/rise_ellie_scream.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In retrospect, the original has only become perceived as campy because of the turn towards comedy in <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>2</i> and <i>Army</i> <i>of</i> <i>Darkness</i> but that was not how <i>The</i> <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> was seen in '83. Back then, it was serious hardcore horror, devoid of laughs (but not devoid of fun!) and I love that the two recent films have reclaimed that OG ED vibe. I love Ash and I love the splatstick humor of <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>2</i> and <i>AoD</i> (and the TV series) but I also love that Raimi, Tapert, and Campbell have been able to make <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> a viable ongoing franchise without Ash while still being completely true to the "dead by dawn" spirit of the original. If we keep getting more movies like this where the Necronomicon wrecks havoc in different locations (and perhaps even different times!), I'm all for it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMwwBHthY1O59AKi0MoT01z2mKabJAIS3xwNXQsyPRQaDE9UQenWnlxUfUll7R_C0-xpzQJQ7dX-WUJ-njiDTnfmdibG5rQMtCzlLeLboHdbIUkNThP091-xW3r_tA7EE6O7izqV1QpFo-pVja4zHV0SG44gwEzspTGU4Y8vDtHRTEWSsQ9KFc62iAQ/s660/rise_family.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="660" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMwwBHthY1O59AKi0MoT01z2mKabJAIS3xwNXQsyPRQaDE9UQenWnlxUfUll7R_C0-xpzQJQ7dX-WUJ-njiDTnfmdibG5rQMtCzlLeLboHdbIUkNThP091-xW3r_tA7EE6O7izqV1QpFo-pVja4zHV0SG44gwEzspTGU4Y8vDtHRTEWSsQ9KFc62iAQ/s320/rise_family.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Most point to the change in location from a cabin in the woods to a apartment building in LA as being the big shake up in <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>Rise</i> but while that is notable, I think the bigger change is in having a family in peril. Sure, we've seen adult siblings pitted against each other, caught up in the throes of demonic possession but this stuff hits very differently when you see a mother and her three young children going through it. It's emotionally grueling and disturbing in a way that no previous <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> movie has been. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o9ubeSXU3NsFxD5vwnD5NZX4hDY7_mpdnqVFoFqulYbndCEY33g17_KuG3lljLaS0IR4-4Tey5ZvwDQ1taQ9rDgCZUEdPWo8tU0JiFzq89-wETGuEHmihT6wLxNrwfU8Ss3v3P1JJi_3hJTeOOWJXDv7J3d4AhaRiF8t2MScIdrL4mtmQOrtTA-9Cw/s850/rise_beth_chainsaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="850" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o9ubeSXU3NsFxD5vwnD5NZX4hDY7_mpdnqVFoFqulYbndCEY33g17_KuG3lljLaS0IR4-4Tey5ZvwDQ1taQ9rDgCZUEdPWo8tU0JiFzq89-wETGuEHmihT6wLxNrwfU8Ss3v3P1JJi_3hJTeOOWJXDv7J3d4AhaRiF8t2MScIdrL4mtmQOrtTA-9Cw/s320/rise_beth_chainsaw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We spend enough time with Alyssa Sutherland as single mom Ellie and Gabrielle Echols as older daughter Bridget, Morgan Davies as brother Danny and Nell Fisher as the youngest sibling, Cassie, to feel genuinely horrified when this family literally starts ripping each other apart. Even though you know going in that this is where the movie is likely to go, it's still unsettling to see kids being tormented by their possessed mom and in turn being possessed themselves and trying to butcher their siblings. Beyond the bloodletting, it's strong stuff on a character level. Lily Sullivan as Ellie's sister Beth rises to the challenge of being the latest ED hero to stand against the Deadites and in true ED fashion, grows stronger through suffering. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP5bGI9XueT_w1kzaRoQ_qPTicdJyYJ4W2xQWfUTCCmuKl35frRlrSQJ57nCy03HNxubOze5tAipXlj-Rzldg_uZ_LDmYQU-W99GHtTxHH5OvnMu5Dl_BLfwDZ3EZTDJm_vnP9eMiPFyB0D35nvElan6z-BZ4uPR2SBT12a33uCX3a9IpCNjHU56jeg/s1920/rise_rising.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP5bGI9XueT_w1kzaRoQ_qPTicdJyYJ4W2xQWfUTCCmuKl35frRlrSQJ57nCy03HNxubOze5tAipXlj-Rzldg_uZ_LDmYQU-W99GHtTxHH5OvnMu5Dl_BLfwDZ3EZTDJm_vnP9eMiPFyB0D35nvElan6z-BZ4uPR2SBT12a33uCX3a9IpCNjHU56jeg/s320/rise_rising.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I know some fans balk at seeing <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> becoming a slick commercial vehicle but <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> was never art house stuff. It was always intended to be commercial. It's just that the audience for this type of material has grown beyond the cult cul-de-sac over the years, where what was once considered the extreme edge of horror has become more acceptable, and with decades of experience under their belts, Raimi, Tapert and Campbell have developed expert eyes for knowing what <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> needs to be. They're doing a great job of bringing the right directors in and the loosening of the MPAA has meant that these new movies can go even farther than the original while still getting a R rating that allows them to play to a wider audience. It's impossible to have a new <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> with the same raw energy of the original. What <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> is now is a Book of the Dead that's still being written, chapter by bloody chapter. </div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-77540594249175515122023-03-28T20:55:00.044-07:002023-03-31T08:15:20.921-07:00Death From Above: The Birds at 60<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXiYyBQlj63270sFqoYVw7U8FzXzraWGG3dl8hmnaUEYz1dX0vezcTgTHD383JsLpKl7bFDt9fU4D3x4SKUapUg5GWXIuYAoR2q2QCPb3ArGPqOeQ0cGfOyqyApY74iY2MUWl5vE-SUQpZP2EWXqy75rMxKQziqZy1vpSz9tgxWtv88LPgZyXkayhiA/s3066/Birds_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3066" data-original-width="1999" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXiYyBQlj63270sFqoYVw7U8FzXzraWGG3dl8hmnaUEYz1dX0vezcTgTHD383JsLpKl7bFDt9fU4D3x4SKUapUg5GWXIuYAoR2q2QCPb3ArGPqOeQ0cGfOyqyApY74iY2MUWl5vE-SUQpZP2EWXqy75rMxKQziqZy1vpSz9tgxWtv88LPgZyXkayhiA/s320/Birds_poster.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Released 60 years ago today, on March 28th, 1963, the enduring greatness of Alfred Hitchcock's <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> lies foremost in its still impressive technical proficiency. This is a movie that would be largely accomplished via CGI today but in 1963, aside from working with actual birds in many scenes (including the brutal final assault on Tippi Hedren), Hitchcock had to call upon on an array of practical techniques - ranging from prop birds made from papier-mache (mechanical birds proved to be unusable) to matte paintings (courtesy of the famed Albert Whitlock) to optical effects (supervised by former Disney animator Ub Iwerks, who performed such tricks as optically multiplying the number of birds in a scene through double, triple and quadruple printing shots) - in order to portray its avian terrors. It may have lost the Oscar for Best Visual Effects to <i>Cleopatra</i> but it's the FX of <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> that still retain the ability to dazzle. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdT6nqehZgu7kUJVgVOQqccRYiQDQKnFUMVrpOnY-SgQLXOcM1OXdU_th-NTV03ZxHoORmsMrU4VKDUuK2hic84Be10KzzKiEoa0prqiTuaGyrAKT5aW7S-DwbekbjIRtkNXA8XI_QibP8mbXeYnDQyPO3xS1j1mnkkShcNsDmXSh7FWzOxuN5u3PTA/s600/birds_school.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="600" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdT6nqehZgu7kUJVgVOQqccRYiQDQKnFUMVrpOnY-SgQLXOcM1OXdU_th-NTV03ZxHoORmsMrU4VKDUuK2hic84Be10KzzKiEoa0prqiTuaGyrAKT5aW7S-DwbekbjIRtkNXA8XI_QibP8mbXeYnDQyPO3xS1j1mnkkShcNsDmXSh7FWzOxuN5u3PTA/s320/birds_school.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Beyond its technical virtuosity, the power of <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> lies in its enduring ambiguity, This is a vision of the end of the world that resists easy interpretation. Not only did Hitchcock and screenwriter Evan Hunter refuse to provide an explanation for the bird attacks (although Hitchcock did say to <i>Cinefantastique</i> magazine in a 1976 interview that rabies was the cause in his mind, equating the birds' behavior to that of information he read of rabies-affected bats in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico) but it's a film that resists metaphorical interpretation as well. What the birds might represent in <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> remains anyone's guess, even six decades later. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgEeyBCJ1ZtJbErn51eYPOCTDphSCImXT3yLXBHkiy1HOCebtOpYqbK1ku7aWTjx4_Yp4LxrSBH0whdb9w6N3mRshileFoO7OyfoLg33K4_rghMOj8bkb5icltk5JC1yZPMatzX-FPRx7-eU2y5bmFDjMWc_7s0x4X5W_pH-3KJ7kFDvL_aGJKFVMWg/s1200/birds_night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1200" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgEeyBCJ1ZtJbErn51eYPOCTDphSCImXT3yLXBHkiy1HOCebtOpYqbK1ku7aWTjx4_Yp4LxrSBH0whdb9w6N3mRshileFoO7OyfoLg33K4_rghMOj8bkb5icltk5JC1yZPMatzX-FPRx7-eU2y5bmFDjMWc_7s0x4X5W_pH-3KJ7kFDvL_aGJKFVMWg/s320/birds_night.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Are they supposed to echo modern fears of nuclear destruction, symbolizing "death from above?" I think that's a hard case to make, which is probably why few have seriously tried to. Unlike many other films from that era, <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> is a movie that has remained immune from that sort of glib atomic age reading. Whether or not director Don Siegel intended the pod people of 1956's <i>Invasion</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Body</i> <i>Snatchers</i> to be seen as a metaphor for the Red Scare of the '50s and the creeping paranoia of McCarthyism, that didn't stop critics from perceiving that message in his film. But <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> has steadfastly resisted allegorical interpretations. It's the end of the world but with no overt comment on what it all means. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1x6p-JtZWIZBMWglijhxw8IKHcVPIKWGg8RS8bfgaMP5wXX9Gny7SROollNA6gkw3FB4htgW8MToETJ7JIbvUllJfQWkM6ITEj9gnvEXRCkkwPohx2NrI8jZSgTGNnX0YJVsqWoi3-PifP-nKOYNKRnZ2VD7gV8QPnAUXW59o6HY96M-s6zTFyT_Bw/s1296/birds_hedren_pubshot.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1x6p-JtZWIZBMWglijhxw8IKHcVPIKWGg8RS8bfgaMP5wXX9Gny7SROollNA6gkw3FB4htgW8MToETJ7JIbvUllJfQWkM6ITEj9gnvEXRCkkwPohx2NrI8jZSgTGNnX0YJVsqWoi3-PifP-nKOYNKRnZ2VD7gV8QPnAUXW59o6HY96M-s6zTFyT_Bw/s320/birds_hedren_pubshot.webp" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Nearly every nature gone amok/eco-horror film that was inspired by <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> - everything from <i>Frogs</i> (1972) to <i>Kingdom</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Spiders</i> (1977) - felt obliged to provide some sort of ecological rationalization for the natural world turning against man. But Hitchcock believed that such prosaic explanations were, well, for the birds. The why of what's happening doesn't matter. It only matters that it <i>is</i> happening. <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> is pure cinema, a series of unprecedented technical challenges that Hitchcock posed for himself to overcome. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMko33FrZbwgN-5e6Vpfyi97kO1Ka_468oLBIdm3pjk7gYGPEmgtpLP1nR8-NloKSn3ct39Wv8QvVpchnS2rwiTBe6n5unHlMUUOmiDqKv77VOaP2DPBrqDLs1EmmWdIC2HL11lnKlzUu6wbn6ko8pK2Qzk41LG-uPfXUKD6VxTR-1zsQ3TSp53daTag/s1200/birds_end.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1200" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMko33FrZbwgN-5e6Vpfyi97kO1Ka_468oLBIdm3pjk7gYGPEmgtpLP1nR8-NloKSn3ct39Wv8QvVpchnS2rwiTBe6n5unHlMUUOmiDqKv77VOaP2DPBrqDLs1EmmWdIC2HL11lnKlzUu6wbn6ko8pK2Qzk41LG-uPfXUKD6VxTR-1zsQ3TSp53daTag/s320/birds_end.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">If it were just the end of the world that Hitchcock was interested in, he could have told any kind of apocalyptic tale he wanted to, he could have concocted any kind of conventional doomsday scenario if all he wanted to do was send some kind of message about the state of the world, a warning about the future, or to just tell a story about how people might face the unraveling of society. He chose Daphne du Maurier's 1952 short story to adapt not because of whatever the notion of birds turning against man might mean symbolically but because of what they would mean cinematically. It was about the specific challenges that using birds would entail from a movie making perspective. Having Bodega Bay invaded by, say, aliens? Oh, that's easy. But birds? Well now you've made it hard on yourself. While there are genuine emotional layers to be found in <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> thanks to the cast all delivering sensitive, empathetic performances, the greatest statement it makes is about Hitchcock's desire at such a late stage in his career, when he had nothing left to prove, to task himself harder than he ever had. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfbl1AzM58g3m1-wQQJUVTQiAaWnqTfyWo-hB5QUGjIjtu7Zi4eq3G6ZdJYt34K1nOliZ6FrxT3oa-U1s3K-6FmzMX6qyGlOHYSOA25qIGnMoI6pgMKd-BMeHYFOo-MvFoygpQH2z59ZdCLuBVAHjY6Z7EM-91yr-ARI7s3CZsLeDNpPkBXeVBT5fpQ/s1264/birds_hitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfbl1AzM58g3m1-wQQJUVTQiAaWnqTfyWo-hB5QUGjIjtu7Zi4eq3G6ZdJYt34K1nOliZ6FrxT3oa-U1s3K-6FmzMX6qyGlOHYSOA25qIGnMoI6pgMKd-BMeHYFOo-MvFoygpQH2z59ZdCLuBVAHjY6Z7EM-91yr-ARI7s3CZsLeDNpPkBXeVBT5fpQ/s320/birds_hitch.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">What, if anything, Hitchcock was trying to say about humanity with <i>The</i> <i>Birds</i> is debatable. What he was saying about himself as a filmmaker is undeniable: that he was the best in the game. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-31285933329749231092023-03-22T19:52:00.132-07:002023-03-27T09:46:54.822-07:00Ride The Lightning <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1uE9oCunwpg3SqVzzlfVF6lJ7uZ6jeRJPVH2v0GoQ8DuSGJ5e36iHXDntSNbrto7mEZCrrnr_6YlGDH70ZpW2nfSLIF_BQxg71QCGApDhF8FM-1SS-Qv5k4OaTkoca1Tqw4Bm5hMhExzc9jJvzGjFA_IXddj9GDIsxKAcxhVBTMxhn3b3D9VpEwvug/s384/Shazam2_Main_Poster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1uE9oCunwpg3SqVzzlfVF6lJ7uZ6jeRJPVH2v0GoQ8DuSGJ5e36iHXDntSNbrto7mEZCrrnr_6YlGDH70ZpW2nfSLIF_BQxg71QCGApDhF8FM-1SS-Qv5k4OaTkoca1Tqw4Bm5hMhExzc9jJvzGjFA_IXddj9GDIsxKAcxhVBTMxhn3b3D9VpEwvug/s320/Shazam2_Main_Poster.png" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Ever since it was announced in October of last year that James Gunn and Peter Safran were taking the reigns of the DCU in film, TV and animation as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, suddenly there was a question as to how the remaining films in the pipeline - <i>Blue</i> <i>Beetle</i>, <i>Aquaman</i> <i>and</i> <i>the</i> <i>Lost</i> <i>Kingdom</i>, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> and <i>Shazam!</i> <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i> - were going to fit in to the soon to be rebooted DCU. Of those four, <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> remained the most relevant because it was specifically about the DC multiverse and is rumored to be a reset of DC on film, emulating the "Flashpoint" storyline in the comics that reset the DC timeline. The other three films, however, suddenly felt unmoored from whatever the new status quo was going to be. More detached than any of them, arguably, was <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurOq_y2Re4ZH3Pz-_ta0rw0BVdTsEco12k429HVXVBv6t4TqnT8JHYEu4CdqigtlL1KRBVkLUqlC3Xo_NaClkGPdVxF1C_RlI3cw7JsEnM7H910O0wLbzY423I-7YLekXOvl5S5tjX1kzLXBcL96Fsd2zBGm_g0Y66oyqv2AMVX9urzvulWrFTmcQiw/s371/blackadam_poster_characters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurOq_y2Re4ZH3Pz-_ta0rw0BVdTsEco12k429HVXVBv6t4TqnT8JHYEu4CdqigtlL1KRBVkLUqlC3Xo_NaClkGPdVxF1C_RlI3cw7JsEnM7H910O0wLbzY423I-7YLekXOvl5S5tjX1kzLXBcL96Fsd2zBGm_g0Y66oyqv2AMVX9urzvulWrFTmcQiw/s320/blackadam_poster_characters.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With the last DC film released prior to the Gunn/Safran announcement being <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i>, the Shazam corner of the DCU already had a pall of failure hanging over it. Whatever the behind the scenes business decisions were that prompted Warners to want to reboot the DCU, as the last film in theaters before that shake up, <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i> had the appearance as being the last nail in the coffin for whatever the DCU used to be. When you have a post credit scene that hypes the return of Henry Cavill's Superman and a whole new direction for the DCU and a month later, audiences are told that all of that is dead it's not the kind of thing that helps generate buzz for <i>Shazam</i> <i>2</i>, you know? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvT0QIzGyl2Y6kWbq0mGEwNNdq0QgyopUAIWJpjnx0fnSs0JCClCAeVQXqQHLJ4F7cjkJqQW_P45KXdy19bbFObYvlkGzYtpe6ZzTAYnl4XwecKP8HErCf0ot06wGb5oysoij3vpQWwE7CKznTB_LsXDPiU9AFiUaQQJys53aNwNUg6NO59ZFLWhfaA/s1200/shazam2_flying.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvT0QIzGyl2Y6kWbq0mGEwNNdq0QgyopUAIWJpjnx0fnSs0JCClCAeVQXqQHLJ4F7cjkJqQW_P45KXdy19bbFObYvlkGzYtpe6ZzTAYnl4XwecKP8HErCf0ot06wGb5oysoij3vpQWwE7CKznTB_LsXDPiU9AFiUaQQJys53aNwNUg6NO59ZFLWhfaA/s320/shazam2_flying.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Even if a new era of DC on film wasn't impending, though, and even if whatever <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i> has set up was still part of the plan, I think <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i> would have still struggled to find an audience. Not every superhero can necessarily support a sustainable franchise and Shazam is an example of that. There are a few problems that come with attempting an ongoing Shazam series, which <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i> only serves to highlight. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcOC3tkTcxGQeuRd6kHph6bAt9P6irPbJnrsJqjhUFcmwFmcipUOikJzascE-WK7OMPx80cUhRsHfiYURRWujroFJiG-tdWkFB9Ub79ZmEGHZsji2Cuy5N3RP93fMKqVOjrp05zUXo2RPlR2Zynb0J2_iGoVohDlKJ4kUkAEylwoJcJ7-BtzGNo9wVQ/s4378/shazam2_kids.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4378" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcOC3tkTcxGQeuRd6kHph6bAt9P6irPbJnrsJqjhUFcmwFmcipUOikJzascE-WK7OMPx80cUhRsHfiYURRWujroFJiG-tdWkFB9Ub79ZmEGHZsji2Cuy5N3RP93fMKqVOjrp05zUXo2RPlR2Zynb0J2_iGoVohDlKJ4kUkAEylwoJcJ7-BtzGNo9wVQ/s320/shazam2_kids.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The number one problem is dealing with the advancing age of Billy Batson. Billy needs to be a kid for Shazam as a concept to work. You could argue that Billy, as played by Asher Angel, was already a little too long in the tooth in 2019's <i>Shazam!</i> but at least he was young enough where it was still do-able. But Angel was seventeen in 2019 and playing a fourteen year old. He's now twenty and there's only so much you can fudge his age. They even acknowledge in the movie that Billy is about to turn eighteen and that's way too old. As a result, Angel barely appears in <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i>. He's grown up so much it's distracting to have him around so he's almost wholly absent from the film in favor of just having Zachary Levi as Shazam and it drains the sequel of the heart the original had. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBRNQ6F1OS0_MtFOGtO1rnWbvc-dzM-qom_uZagKA-fkWo5bHBf1QTTSq57Wt_qHch2-ijfBWq1tSgstE5XZ-5f0IPtt71tvfMNomDpywDNiMSFGdD2hA2iT0ODuXQDYQrs6brN0jm8WxQBbJNCbMUuc8pOkBtLOoGlFOjHlJJsP5Wm6KhgbKcZzfcQ/s960/shazam2_point.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBRNQ6F1OS0_MtFOGtO1rnWbvc-dzM-qom_uZagKA-fkWo5bHBf1QTTSq57Wt_qHch2-ijfBWq1tSgstE5XZ-5f0IPtt71tvfMNomDpywDNiMSFGdD2hA2iT0ODuXQDYQrs6brN0jm8WxQBbJNCbMUuc8pOkBtLOoGlFOjHlJJsP5Wm6KhgbKcZzfcQ/s320/shazam2_point.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Adding to <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i>' problems is that seeing Angel on screen as a visibly mature young man makes Levi's portrayal of Shazam as the same goofball he was in the original strike a false note. In the first film, there wasn't a jarring disconnect between how Angel played Billy and how Levi played Shazam. You could go along with the idea that they were the same person. That's no longer the case. Levi is still playing Shazam in the same awkward, gee whiz manner but that doesn't jibe with how Angel comes across as Billy, even in the short amount of time that he appears on screen. Given his age, there would just be no way for Angel to adjust his performance to make it match up to what Levi is doing without it coming across as weird. The reality of it is that he's an adult now so having him transform into a superhero who still acts like he's a kid in an adult's body just doesn't work. If they had really wanted to do Shazam as a franchise, to at least get a trilogy out of it, they would have had the foresight to cast Billy very young to start with. By casting Angel as Billy, they guaranteed that there'd be no real legs to this series and the delays to the sequel caused by Covid sure didn't help them to beat the clock. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMn0IpnbIbN3A7oWTq8FcPhjtpLweCzWdk6eHBeQDckY14vVaKdPkqdF5PHWZ1AJpXpnwWKjvelfzDbGuk1idA9-GuxFNLR6yddbOwcu477NkOg2AFaSYExJZbzVTvFzDyjV4fL6V_88B_YFtpQNT71-KUsxQtnVLjdC6Nz4Te6PANBh3EIn7B7l7x8g/s1280/shazam2_bridge.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMn0IpnbIbN3A7oWTq8FcPhjtpLweCzWdk6eHBeQDckY14vVaKdPkqdF5PHWZ1AJpXpnwWKjvelfzDbGuk1idA9-GuxFNLR6yddbOwcu477NkOg2AFaSYExJZbzVTvFzDyjV4fL6V_88B_YFtpQNT71-KUsxQtnVLjdC6Nz4Te6PANBh3EIn7B7l7x8g/s320/shazam2_bridge.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">So from the start there's a major issue with <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i> that's difficult to work around. But aside from being forced to sideline Billy, there's also the problem of dealing with the larger Shazam family. Having Billy grant his foster siblings powers made for a rousing climax to the original <i>Shazam!</i> but now having five other superheroes with the exact same power set and trying to give them all interesting roles to serve in this storyline is a real challenge. Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy's physically disabled foster brother Freddy Freeman gets the most screentime, with Freddy being drawn into a romantic subplot with the goddess Anthea, played by Rachel Zegler. There's two problems with this, though. One, bumping up Freddy's role only calls attention to the fact that we barely see Billy. Whereas the first film was very much centered on Billy, here it feels like Freddy is the main character. He's the only hero that we spend significant time with in their civilian guise, with Freddy being depowered for a long stretch of the film. Two, Grazer just isn't - to my mind, at least - particularly likable as Freddy. Granted, this may strictly be my own personal reaction but I find Freddy to be truly the most unsympathetic handicapped character on film since Franklin in the original <i>Texas</i> <i>Chain</i> <i>Saw</i> <i>Massacre</i>. I do not find him endearing. I find him abrasive and annoying and that isn't really conducive to getting invested the character's love life. Especially when you find it impossible to believe that anyone would want to voluntarily spend time with this person, much less be enchanted by them. But, as I said, I concede that my aversion to Grazer's performance may be unique to me. I felt the same way about him in the first film but he was used sparingly enough that it didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the movie. Here, not so much. But whether you like Freddy or not, it's still a problem that he's prioritized over Billy. It gives us a sequel where we're no longer following the character that we were invested in. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVn0oE0GaDegXVLvXMwVU9KeaOM6uJ5u_NHQnMPIMmXAzOB0kHi7RzlUjGNiYBh6oXxsgMWQeaF7MkP0TxTAxH5Jbkef7LrzidJIQrgsdlQrfibPb3G7v7TdCSuveUM0g80sQFG2qNY0yEhOeS9t-iZuuTbDa0YiFADDtyNl7JadXCzo2bYK9Ia0ANKQ/s640/shazam2_lunch_mirren.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVn0oE0GaDegXVLvXMwVU9KeaOM6uJ5u_NHQnMPIMmXAzOB0kHi7RzlUjGNiYBh6oXxsgMWQeaF7MkP0TxTAxH5Jbkef7LrzidJIQrgsdlQrfibPb3G7v7TdCSuveUM0g80sQFG2qNY0yEhOeS9t-iZuuTbDa0YiFADDtyNl7JadXCzo2bYK9Ia0ANKQ/s320/shazam2_lunch_mirren.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Another obstacle for Shazam as a series that <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i> fails to find a satisfying resolution to is the matter of Shazam's name. Due to Marvel having trademarked "Captain Marvel," DC has been unable to use that name in any promotion or marketing since 1972. Despite that, DC still continued to refer to the character in stories as Captain Marvel while using "Shazam" as the title of the comic but in 2012 they officially changed the character's name simply to Shazam. While I get the motivation behind it, it was a dumb move and that dumb move gets painfully repeated here. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXxZCeAgW_ZbMBZXAS1lnDVwavEMsH2BwH0MJ9FrE4IyOUp9h1-TKm0pyKWGVymkz9c_em91XLJtw-8rR3wlMBVgSTJLy-w78gdsUupG4mkMlLHAcnwGljebnH92_2gp_53b7A2Kryvmkd6nAv8LCXPbvf86nQ9T4oKrGge6ICfB01hlFMTCuAVg7Kg/s1200/shazam2_junkyard.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXxZCeAgW_ZbMBZXAS1lnDVwavEMsH2BwH0MJ9FrE4IyOUp9h1-TKm0pyKWGVymkz9c_em91XLJtw-8rR3wlMBVgSTJLy-w78gdsUupG4mkMlLHAcnwGljebnH92_2gp_53b7A2Kryvmkd6nAv8LCXPbvf86nQ9T4oKrGge6ICfB01hlFMTCuAVg7Kg/s320/shazam2_junkyard.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i>'s last scene, the wizard at long last finally reveals that Shazam's superhero name is, wait for it...<i>Shazam</i> and while this is treated as a "Duh, of course!" revelation I wish that rather than cut to the end credits they had continued this scene in order to dump on its idiocy. I mean, we're supposed to call Levi's character Shazam. But yet that's also the name of the wizard. And the other five characters with Shazam powers are all called Shazam too. So we have a wizard called Shazam and six superheroes called Shazam and, by the way, none of the superheroes can say their name without changing back to their civilian identities. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvh4AQU3wcYM7kG9N2csT2QgYYT4o0aw2pA6JifCNdr_JoGhUOTUfUsoL5_l60-OlXlu0CL5Q6rTmpi4zIWgbO8t5tbVAMun5OYi8ZUv0Fd2katMnB8IRE7JZVBP_HSBuWCIkf8Xbo-ZtBpJnlxtvEpAbzdjPOhptZxYTgIaS6Yt7Ff0uXdKuOLUZZUw/s2048/shazam2_familypubphoto.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2048" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvh4AQU3wcYM7kG9N2csT2QgYYT4o0aw2pA6JifCNdr_JoGhUOTUfUsoL5_l60-OlXlu0CL5Q6rTmpi4zIWgbO8t5tbVAMun5OYi8ZUv0Fd2katMnB8IRE7JZVBP_HSBuWCIkf8Xbo-ZtBpJnlxtvEpAbzdjPOhptZxYTgIaS6Yt7Ff0uXdKuOLUZZUw/s320/shazam2_familypubphoto.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Years ago, when DC learned that they could no longer use the Captain Marvel name, they should have created a new code name for the character. Using "Shazam" is fine for promotional purposes. You can still call the comic Shazam, you can call the movies Shazam but within the stories you have to give these characters names they can use to refer to themselves and also to one another that doesn't transform them back and forth whenever they say it. Going with Shazam as the character's name has always been such a lazy, zero effort, "eh, that'll do" branding decision and having that be the big reveal before the end credits brings the movie to a close on an enervating note rather than a rousing one. I can't blame the filmmakers because this is a purely corporate decision regarding the character that they're obliged to play along with but I just think it's crazy that no one on the comic book side fixed this shit years ago and now a film franchise is saddled with this dopey decision. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmygSnFm16HQvYc0DrDAW8LHI0-YhMU8Y8BxANmQp71FOFboEaYpiP1hWMp7PUVcOF1vhNycu-jMTbr27xe4XAUJe6XfMuvE_Syd9XlrwNPE24sWIr29gRU2P8M60mnmlyN6eN6iI6I83HwQ-Xvk59EcZfDAZr-cEw5C-71koYAuKHvmH9onQufu9Xbg/s283/adam_fateandhawk.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="283" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmygSnFm16HQvYc0DrDAW8LHI0-YhMU8Y8BxANmQp71FOFboEaYpiP1hWMp7PUVcOF1vhNycu-jMTbr27xe4XAUJe6XfMuvE_Syd9XlrwNPE24sWIr29gRU2P8M60mnmlyN6eN6iI6I83HwQ-Xvk59EcZfDAZr-cEw5C-71koYAuKHvmH9onQufu9Xbg/s1600/adam_fateandhawk.jpeg" width="283" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Finally, let's have a few words about the two end credits scenes, both of which I think should have been left out. The first brings in Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee) from <i>Peacemaker</i> as they wander out to some abandoned gas station out in the woods where Shazam is practicing shooting lightning bolts at empty soda cans. They're approaching Shazam in the hopes that they can interest him in taking a spot in the Justice Society but on the nerdy nitpicking front I have to wonder why Shazam is practicing zapping cans like he's just learning his powers when he's been doing this for years? I mean, just in this movie he literally took down actual Gods so I think we're past the target practice stage. More critically, though, the fact that this tease is about bringing Shazam into the JSA is a problem because we all know that's not gonna happen. The Justice Society is dead in the DCU. If it comes back, it isn't going to be with Shazam in it or with any of the characters from <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i>. So why not just drop this scene altogether? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeobL4xJLZYKm0vfwMguUFLDqa3-hG911uGAubr1HtZysUEIygQWaVKquBq3Z3zvtPPgmAyioEVKRyNyFADxyfNukwAteb65l0HJMTWs4GkQ9OBYcPfYR7fuokpXLlf20edrGOkPPFfvaqs8Fnt8vrkbNY8WwDkXDovc-p5XdTMNVYE_oJS-jsVsUrGw/s800/shazam2_mrmind.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeobL4xJLZYKm0vfwMguUFLDqa3-hG911uGAubr1HtZysUEIygQWaVKquBq3Z3zvtPPgmAyioEVKRyNyFADxyfNukwAteb65l0HJMTWs4GkQ9OBYcPfYR7fuokpXLlf20edrGOkPPFfvaqs8Fnt8vrkbNY8WwDkXDovc-p5XdTMNVYE_oJS-jsVsUrGw/s320/shazam2_mrmind.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Then there's the second tease with the return of Sivana and Mister Mind with Mister Mind once again appearing in Sivana's cell to talk to him about his big plans for the two of them to work together only to have Sivana blow up in frustration at continuing to be kept waiting. On the one hand, the self-awareness of acknowledging that the end credit tease for the first movie went absolutely nowhere is admirable. However, it also serves as a sad comment on how little pay off there's been in the DCU. How many post credit scenes in the now ten year history of the DCU have gone anywhere? When the post credit tease of your previous film promised the return of Henry Cavill's Superman only to purge him from the DCU just a few weeks later, I'm not sure how smart it is to hilariously point out that these teases are mostly bullshit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_-VJVgi5AnRtUBtv7nJ-_zyQ5oBaXOawEDkvQ71TbI3T5fHPOX15t6wU9K-GnCnkpShNiSmb31hh4Izi5tHP0cLmW1R3UWZf5mheYpb4865KcJeHM917dpjIIm9Wy5kdR91Sedsbc3a-SifLDydLQxe3tM5gc3ci-rMlCNI06gMLJw7PrA_Pq-4xiA/s1200/shazam_charred.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_-VJVgi5AnRtUBtv7nJ-_zyQ5oBaXOawEDkvQ71TbI3T5fHPOX15t6wU9K-GnCnkpShNiSmb31hh4Izi5tHP0cLmW1R3UWZf5mheYpb4865KcJeHM917dpjIIm9Wy5kdR91Sedsbc3a-SifLDydLQxe3tM5gc3ci-rMlCNI06gMLJw7PrA_Pq-4xiA/s320/shazam_charred.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i> is, at best, an inoffensively bland superhero outing with forgettable villains (even Helen Mirren can't breath much life into her character of Hespera) and a string of big battles that fail to engage. As a CGI laden superhero adventure, it's greatest sin is being thoroughly average. More critically, it's hindered by the one thing that makes Shazam difficult material for a sustainable live action franchise - it can't stop its main actor from aging out of the requirements of the role and the efforts made to try to work around that (like limiting that actor's screen time to what amounts to a cameo appearance) only pushes this sequel into feeling like generic superhero fare. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kpkFU63QOXwwT8xpDzlKkfx6B0ZjVl6N0BAeyxPGLhT-IkI7KbSgj5RqFdj-zhcamr4Y68KXHcQSuBfVToYPdSuugThOlSrVhuef5Ght3htE2hJtgDcFhgJFuR4jLuFPF5lra7TV7cTgWxUrDvJ7uPSePphnOXzYx1VvXIr6_SxQJXdQ37uV2kf3Pg/s800/shazam2_godot.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="800" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kpkFU63QOXwwT8xpDzlKkfx6B0ZjVl6N0BAeyxPGLhT-IkI7KbSgj5RqFdj-zhcamr4Y68KXHcQSuBfVToYPdSuugThOlSrVhuef5Ght3htE2hJtgDcFhgJFuR4jLuFPF5lra7TV7cTgWxUrDvJ7uPSePphnOXzYx1VvXIr6_SxQJXdQ37uV2kf3Pg/s320/shazam2_godot.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It was probably too optimistic to expect lightning to strike twice with a second <i>Shazam!</i> but as a fan of the character and a fan of the first film, I was hoping that returning director David F. Sandberg could pull it off. I do think he did as well as he could but a second <i>Shazam!</i> just came with too many hurdles to overcome. The first film was one of the most solidly entertaining and charming DCU films but the sequel feels warmed over, like a movie that missed both its moment and its mark. It's greatest value going forward is likely to be as an archival artifact of the end of the DCU as we knew it. With its big DCU cameo being from Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, whose own future in the DCU is uncertain, <i>Fury</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Gods</i> has the feel of watching a TV show that was abruptly cancelled without the time to plan for a proper finale. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-54675971003484864332023-03-16T13:15:00.083-07:002023-03-23T08:12:06.548-07:00Scream And Scream Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpKxyKL5V_K4dsqFF-bCWR0xWe0GtU-VyvyLKDiHhpWA1vvBc62gpVOfTfAss2vbTdwSOPPb4Yy0ut6pASvGTU-c__Vm6M0wNhVF0Bl9Jc4RjbCyrt6b_4p4wVJ4QPT7IsWiuIR5uAlE6z-bVMYKFpA7WxnsX7GyHbupYoBvXvbkDMSGp2ltN7Z-DQw/s383/scream6_mainposter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpKxyKL5V_K4dsqFF-bCWR0xWe0GtU-VyvyLKDiHhpWA1vvBc62gpVOfTfAss2vbTdwSOPPb4Yy0ut6pASvGTU-c__Vm6M0wNhVF0Bl9Jc4RjbCyrt6b_4p4wVJ4QPT7IsWiuIR5uAlE6z-bVMYKFpA7WxnsX7GyHbupYoBvXvbkDMSGp2ltN7Z-DQw/s320/scream6_mainposter.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In 1996, <i>Scream</i> arrived as a hip, snarky, ironic reinvention of the slasher genre. In 2023, though, we're now six films in to the <i>Scream</i> franchise and twenty seven years (!) removed from the pop culture landscape of 1996 so <i>Scream</i> isn't the smart aleck upstart anymore, it's now the horror establishment and <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> can't help but serve as a referendum on the state of slasher nation. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbByMsW-3U7y_9f7u8WqMVw24AwxEPnAb4uqexmS0UglU8udtCdrd0zAd-xowT4wyoiUwIDOI-7fstdWwXerZLiFIk_INVaYlkrsWek-6l9jbVk_GsbnV_xgD4JL6JlkKu_v6uD_d2Q8B3Zkkj-kysxeH2SyNayGWio9-NIrIRXi7LVzUXmDkj25z5g/s1280/scream6_store_gf.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbByMsW-3U7y_9f7u8WqMVw24AwxEPnAb4uqexmS0UglU8udtCdrd0zAd-xowT4wyoiUwIDOI-7fstdWwXerZLiFIk_INVaYlkrsWek-6l9jbVk_GsbnV_xgD4JL6JlkKu_v6uD_d2Q8B3Zkkj-kysxeH2SyNayGWio9-NIrIRXi7LVzUXmDkj25z5g/s320/scream6_store_gf.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">With Michael Myers on sabbatical in the wake of <i>Halloween</i> <i>Ends</i>, Jason Voorhees still entangled in frustrating legal troubles, and with no one being able to figure out how to successfully resurrect the <i>Elm</i> <i>St.</i> franchise, <i>Scream</i> has now become the big legacy slasher on the block. Good thing, then, that the latest installment shows how strong the series' long term viability is. Based on the success of <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i>, it's clear that for the foreseeable future, Ghostface will comfortably rule the slasher scene. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqB8L1Jh9FvYPjHZIHZ3oG1BuWaE9pxJVB0Cg7xOwytEQh706u-8FMssAXbkT6QKMrA6ng-SgueMgqf54RcXJtmohLF1-AhztKHrYKKadeVUVjvpAzotNrYnXjGR34i4UK7Zf5OZY-5GuXSXA_GUp2WwyyZhD1KFMQL5SXtKuLDIJapMMkDBBHLck_A/s3000/scream6_samandtara.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1688" data-original-width="3000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqB8L1Jh9FvYPjHZIHZ3oG1BuWaE9pxJVB0Cg7xOwytEQh706u-8FMssAXbkT6QKMrA6ng-SgueMgqf54RcXJtmohLF1-AhztKHrYKKadeVUVjvpAzotNrYnXjGR34i4UK7Zf5OZY-5GuXSXA_GUp2WwyyZhD1KFMQL5SXtKuLDIJapMMkDBBHLck_A/s320/scream6_samandtara.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last year's comeback for the series, <i>Scream</i>, from the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, was a solid installment but with its understandable emphasis on the returning legacy characters, the new crew was limited in how much of an impact they were able to make. The question lingered as to what kind of future <i>Scream</i> could have as its fan favorite original players retired from the series. The strength of <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> is that it allows the survivors of the last film to really move up and come into their own as the new leads of the series and let the audience develop the same kind of emotional attachment to them that they had for the OG crew of Sidney, Gale and Dewey.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NhvLyUKUk9CiemniOlrPU1_7i_r3yrxql3Rd8fpicawd_5vqqcehVUChZtzNbofKjwXOME5H3A4uWK3MaY5qp-UR99hY7L_hI42upjWFaFnpJaNPwRNFrlWtjGWT6rldIc-vdCjp8ea7qmmPKiGXSMnKx8x0UygKNRn4VrsbFcpkgaGnI2LcpvsyDA/s1200/scream6_corefour.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NhvLyUKUk9CiemniOlrPU1_7i_r3yrxql3Rd8fpicawd_5vqqcehVUChZtzNbofKjwXOME5H3A4uWK3MaY5qp-UR99hY7L_hI42upjWFaFnpJaNPwRNFrlWtjGWT6rldIc-vdCjp8ea7qmmPKiGXSMnKx8x0UygKNRn4VrsbFcpkgaGnI2LcpvsyDA/s320/scream6_corefour.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Melissa Barrera as Billy Loomis' illegitimate daughter Sam Carpenter, Jenna Ortega as Sam's half sister Tara Carpenter, Jasmin Savoy Brown as the niece of Randy Meeks, Mindy Meeks-Martin, and Mason Gooding as Mindy's twin, Chad Meeks-Martin, are - as Chad dubs them - the "core four" and <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> secures their standing as the future of the franchise. Courtney Cox appears as Gale Weathers but she feels like a guest star in the <i>Scream</i> world now rather than a driving force, with the returning Hayden Panettiere as <i>Scream</i> <i>4</i> survivor Kirby Reed (now an FBI agent) having a bigger role than Cox here. The training wheels have come off for the new kids and there's no doubt that the franchise belongs to them now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHodbWN_Rtim9-plA4Pk1tGMpswb50i8HADkC5vOqu3QfHkqC_vSw1f0d9R6U7PiMXIq2xEtb-erxdqZauOkPlTepGWqY_2MnR-1KTuX3JVsXuEoIFd3A71M-AfLMYgJIXK9pr9gc9dpULxwJF6_dWHg3KmzD56Gdv0c0EXMgip9GuqN5L1B8o-uRnAw/s800/scream6_shrine_sam.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="800" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHodbWN_Rtim9-plA4Pk1tGMpswb50i8HADkC5vOqu3QfHkqC_vSw1f0d9R6U7PiMXIq2xEtb-erxdqZauOkPlTepGWqY_2MnR-1KTuX3JVsXuEoIFd3A71M-AfLMYgJIXK9pr9gc9dpULxwJF6_dWHg3KmzD56Gdv0c0EXMgip9GuqN5L1B8o-uRnAw/s320/scream6_shrine_sam.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Aside from elevating the "core four," what <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> also does well is to lean into the complex mythology of the series. By this point, the series has evolved into a horror version of the <i>Fast</i> <i>and</i> <i>Furious</i> franchise in that its cast of characters and all their back stories have become so vast and intertwined that by now only the die hard fans can easily recall the connections. Rather than try and streamline things and make these sequels more new viewer friendly, the complexity of <i>Scream</i> is now very much a part of its appeal. As with the latest <i>F&F</i> or MCU entries, it's expected that hardcore fans know all these people, that they know all these returning character's connections to each other and that fans appreciate being rewarded for their knowledge. You can still follow <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> without knowing the other movies chapter and verse - there's enough exposition given to get casual fans or new viewers up to speed - but it's definitely more satisfying to watch this with prior knowledge of who's who and with an awareness of the recurring motifs of the series. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdILuAjW7hCV2GRqzNcb17dhmf6uAWGB5itYfKD_UkXobegcl7z1Y-t5FAe6DXCOFjYfOxmZ3y8Z2oWhrwmO04l3cUuX9RULyeJd4ax4zo3AXWHzioXG8frjujCzm5oXBZSWULcpWfnqhz19lvE5MkaDpPIQ-AUlrroqQ17paPjl_cr30Ybw1iGDP2lg/s780/scream6_subway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="780" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdILuAjW7hCV2GRqzNcb17dhmf6uAWGB5itYfKD_UkXobegcl7z1Y-t5FAe6DXCOFjYfOxmZ3y8Z2oWhrwmO04l3cUuX9RULyeJd4ax4zo3AXWHzioXG8frjujCzm5oXBZSWULcpWfnqhz19lvE5MkaDpPIQ-AUlrroqQ17paPjl_cr30Ybw1iGDP2lg/s320/scream6_subway.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As for <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i>'s much hyped NYC setting, despite the tagline of "New City, New Rules," the Big Apple has such an anonymous presence here (this could be taking place in any big metropolis) that it gives the long mocked and maligned <i>Jason</i> <i>Takes</i> <i>Manhattan</i> (given a shout out here via a clip on TV) a surprising bit of redemption. This has everything to do with the fact that <i>none</i> of <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> was actually shot in NYC. Like <i>Jason</i> <i>Takes</i> <i>Manhattan</i>, <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> substitutes Canada for NYC (<i>Manhattan</i> was shot in Vancouver, <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> in Montreal) but unlike <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i>, <i>Manhattan</i> did at least <i>some</i> location shooting in NYC, enough to have Jason standing smack in the middle of a bustling late '80s Times Square like a boss. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyNDx--yqb4XvpIWTBgN-WbhiPF0xPYgPfQORbqb4P3SCGNP1K80o_iUe2J7HgsbJ8GMVATKzYhMCnweVVHim7kxwR34RYSTVw58u3rXwRgy-JB8X8RNzug9wFQIkIw1F9zvPWvUhDMJ1NUeVI6VhI6wwQVxuMF43o8wPmsuXRZjnBG6_RfWsEB35-A/s400/friday_manhattan_timesquare.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyNDx--yqb4XvpIWTBgN-WbhiPF0xPYgPfQORbqb4P3SCGNP1K80o_iUe2J7HgsbJ8GMVATKzYhMCnweVVHim7kxwR34RYSTVw58u3rXwRgy-JB8X8RNzug9wFQIkIw1F9zvPWvUhDMJ1NUeVI6VhI6wwQVxuMF43o8wPmsuXRZjnBG6_RfWsEB35-A/s320/friday_manhattan_timesquare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So while Jason may have taken a ridiculously long time to get to NYC, when he finally did make it, the filmmakers were able to exploit the iconography of the city in a way that <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> does not. It's not like you could say that <i>Manhattan</i> gets the last laugh here, per se. It's not like it suddenly turned into a good movie. But it at least it keeps some bragging rights when it comes to being a slasher icon in NYC movie and that ain't nothing I say! </div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0SOJO036432Yb4zAaObkVWHikEYFj3q9hougS5xhh9WVEPP9YtSvRGIFzmtLnRWRmISJyjkJJIOC-8lT3nGy8a1YP0AVAC1J1F7GdHsFhRHQX2d7TVRD1ri1kn3Q6S7gVbHVI3jsQWRJI9Y-DO6Tm4OsfEMcYe6j3PPXtuVWFypeBhkbFekHJr7hpw/s900/scream6_group_theater.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0SOJO036432Yb4zAaObkVWHikEYFj3q9hougS5xhh9WVEPP9YtSvRGIFzmtLnRWRmISJyjkJJIOC-8lT3nGy8a1YP0AVAC1J1F7GdHsFhRHQX2d7TVRD1ri1kn3Q6S7gVbHVI3jsQWRJI9Y-DO6Tm4OsfEMcYe6j3PPXtuVWFypeBhkbFekHJr7hpw/s320/scream6_group_theater.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">While 2022's <i>Scream</i> could have served as the last word on the series, a nostalgia fueled comeback that potentially could have also been the last hurrah, <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i> clearly makes the case for <i>Scream</i> as a series that has no expiration date. The new characters are firmly established and the series' convoluted soap opera tapestry has been embraced as an asset and expanded on. Watching <i>Scream</i> <i>VI</i>, it's easy to imagine that in time another group of characters will inherit the mantle of the "core four" and carry the torch into the next era of <i>Scream</i> and that the series can keep the narrative going indefinitely, in much the same way that Don Mancini has made Chucky into a franchise that has spanned decades and multiple generations and has only become richer and more interesting. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tmwP5KmU0pfrVA4pP6x0kMjI-5h2XX5-Cn1qQU5Spck1N53uo4WY5p047KTjFlm7s13XHSAUsxZB8TSFqCjMaTDHYfw_g85RceSze3rW88rslIEsOnnq5ARFVVq2bJ1pcoDTgymjZIdOyqyqpDks2lPxUaTn7pwy6EejuD2j3khsMo4_PWUXOxlbGA/s1600/scream6_cast.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tmwP5KmU0pfrVA4pP6x0kMjI-5h2XX5-Cn1qQU5Spck1N53uo4WY5p047KTjFlm7s13XHSAUsxZB8TSFqCjMaTDHYfw_g85RceSze3rW88rslIEsOnnq5ARFVVq2bJ1pcoDTgymjZIdOyqyqpDks2lPxUaTn7pwy6EejuD2j3khsMo4_PWUXOxlbGA/s320/scream6_cast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">On the downside, the makers of future <i>Scream</i>s will have to deal with a problem that plagued the classic incarnation of the series. Once Randy was killed off in <i>Scream</i> <i>2</i>, the audience's affection for the surviving members of the original cast was so strong that the <i>Scream</i> stewards were reluctant to put these characters in any real danger and thus they kept improbably surviving. Now it's going to be difficult to eliminate any of the "core four" without risking a backlash. At the same time, if people feel like all four of these characters will survive no matter what, it reduces the suspense. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNbmwh_sUM9ZnUlM07MjfK5EqLiSoRH_C0VrcNhjbc2m-Sw8EpEx62nd6BZiqq7HSvB8XSBrw8CCjCwm9aG2UIFMhCOf0KMKkh6B1k_Vefp5kVqc0dlVFGOgVdFi3gfeTvvGlhVn-cxUeF9e9B-4VTzXIRZjvlH6iiXtHXRXImhK6T8LlIx_rSpkkPw/s2048/scream6_gf_subway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNbmwh_sUM9ZnUlM07MjfK5EqLiSoRH_C0VrcNhjbc2m-Sw8EpEx62nd6BZiqq7HSvB8XSBrw8CCjCwm9aG2UIFMhCOf0KMKkh6B1k_Vefp5kVqc0dlVFGOgVdFi3gfeTvvGlhVn-cxUeF9e9B-4VTzXIRZjvlH6iiXtHXRXImhK6T8LlIx_rSpkkPw/s320/scream6_gf_subway.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">But hey, that's a problem for another day and another sequel. For now, the <i>Scream</i> franchise is on secure footing. If the decision makers at Paramount are smart, they'll just let the current creative team of directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett and writers Vanderbilt and Busick keep making these movies as long as they're interested in doing so. The current caretakers of <i>Scream </i>have nailed what really drove the classic incarnation of the series. The meta commentary was never the true backbone of <i>Scream.</i> That was always just window dressing, more glib than it was insightful. What kept audiences invested in <i>Scream</i> as a series was the fact that they always had a cast full of likable characters and it always delivered top shelf slasher action with tense, bloody set pieces. While most of the old school slashers are currently facing uncertain futures, <i>Scream</i> stands alone as a series that has figured out how to navigate a long term course for itself. Its continued success is going to be not just what keeps <i>Scream</i> thriving but what lets the slasher genre as a whole stay viable as a big screen commodity. That's a sincere accomplishment for a series known for its irony. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-37263239239361786112023-03-08T19:03:00.142-08:002023-03-09T19:58:03.411-08:00Manhattan Memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYfLkUrnQVDNpX5Ei4-hsRl9lbHWb8U6vawJUnICuuGcA9OF6Qe4LzRo3D1z9md3S5OD3Jygjr2yEz7Rwj7ZKUYPi0JDI96Kw4AmGONqgzSrrqQoTpA1jZspnHtr7xRg7U4xLB2O_95fH1eaTHTNEVhWBjWf0R_7y1vlBn2dHMJZzizmPTrMB1zkKHw/s747/friday_manhattan_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYfLkUrnQVDNpX5Ei4-hsRl9lbHWb8U6vawJUnICuuGcA9OF6Qe4LzRo3D1z9md3S5OD3Jygjr2yEz7Rwj7ZKUYPi0JDI96Kw4AmGONqgzSrrqQoTpA1jZspnHtr7xRg7U4xLB2O_95fH1eaTHTNEVhWBjWf0R_7y1vlBn2dHMJZzizmPTrMB1zkKHw/s320/friday_manhattan_poster.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As someone who saw <i>Friday</i> <i>the</i> <i>13th</i> <i>Part</i> <i>VIII:</i> <i>Jason</i> <i>Takes</i> <i>Manhattan</i> on its opening night of July 28th, 1989, I can tell you from first hand experience that the immediate reaction was not enthusiastic. Yes, it was quite the deflating night at the movies, save for the raucous response when V.C. Dupree as aspiring young boxer Julius got his head punched off his shoulders. Of course, you didn't have to be there to know that <i>Friday</i> <i>Part</i> <i>VIII</i> was a disappointment. Its reputation speaks for itself. But with fellow slasher icon Ghostface now set to take their own stab at the Big Apple, I think it's worth showing a little nostalgic appreciation for the flawed but fun <i>Jason</i> <i>Takes</i> <i>Manhattan</i>.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PBi-aEBxUSuG1GPdg2kQICZm0XApp6QphHyg1AAKjFa7eHe5UGG0W9kXg3Eo_jHxpFkswYI_y_RIPMx2FaJ0JAUPCAb5iqlnM6xHogUAGJqNjwT7eMkaCaEs1NivcOkuIoaXQft9d0PF57PXCIynurwDVAX-Iai2AlzVCWmkEj4h3ufBBmph6-8_pw/s600/manhattan_lazarus.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="600" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PBi-aEBxUSuG1GPdg2kQICZm0XApp6QphHyg1AAKjFa7eHe5UGG0W9kXg3Eo_jHxpFkswYI_y_RIPMx2FaJ0JAUPCAb5iqlnM6xHogUAGJqNjwT7eMkaCaEs1NivcOkuIoaXQft9d0PF57PXCIynurwDVAX-Iai2AlzVCWmkEj4h3ufBBmph6-8_pw/s320/manhattan_lazarus.png" width="320" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">The major complaint with <i>Manhattan</i>, of course, was that despite the promise of the title and a marketing campaign that primed audiences to expect Jason to be rampaging his way through the streets of New York City, the Sultan of Slaughter spends most of <i>Manhattan</i>'s running time on a boat. Had the movie been called something like <i>Death</i> <i>Cruise</i> or <i>Blood</i> <i>Waters</i> and the Manhattan aspect of the film had been a complete surprise to audiences, it might have gotten a better reception because the portion of the film that takes place on the SS Lazarus is satisfying, slickly made late '80s slasher fare. As long as you're able to put aside your (very legitimate) questions about how a cruise ship could get into the waters of Crystal Lake and how Crystal Lake somehow also opens up into the Atlantic Ocean and - most importantly - as long as you're not feeling increasingly impatient waiting for the movie to finally live up to its title, it's an ok movie. Writer/director Rob Hedden does a fine job, showing more flair than the typical <i>Friday</i> director with <i>Manhattan</i> being the most sharply directed <i>Friday </i>of the '80s after 1986's <i>Jason</i> <i>Lives</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9BPp1zjkUfNFnUfuc-GalixUky2ToeajkIuclrKx1gLG5ARbz6-KUZBZqQxy7qpbeh17vxCg7B8F49_lWDMwOwbcCYUIWYP3RXAohGpaVuQOSKYKrI9eq4WQjkwyIMdGBpWlcLWfNmcNL_aib9qRkhrHNEnucKPLIhtf1u__AkOf8MKQxh73HkA55Q/s1200/manhattan_billboard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9BPp1zjkUfNFnUfuc-GalixUky2ToeajkIuclrKx1gLG5ARbz6-KUZBZqQxy7qpbeh17vxCg7B8F49_lWDMwOwbcCYUIWYP3RXAohGpaVuQOSKYKrI9eq4WQjkwyIMdGBpWlcLWfNmcNL_aib9qRkhrHNEnucKPLIhtf1u__AkOf8MKQxh73HkA55Q/s320/manhattan_billboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So perhaps if <i>Manhattan</i> hadn't been promoted as a Jason in NYC movie it might have been received more favorably. On the other hand, the temptation to use that irresistible commercial hook of Jason in Manhattan was obviously too much to say no to and, you know, it's probably for the best because it would have truly sucked to have been denied the awesome marketing campaign that this movie had. Sure, the movie didn't live up to it, sure Paramount completely misled people but the posters and teasers and trailers for <i>Manhattan</i> are so memorable in their own right it would have been a real loss if all of it had never existed. And hey, it not like Jason <i>never</i> gets to NYC, you know? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozj95NClNQPnFF3ezkSKjb4fZ9iRwEMB3CcI1KOtLS8OGoulcDub2SM16YiY-PyFpa_wOhXg090KoimnfChblQshe-4yTd4D27ToG-0reFLWIoiDfLv35dvt0khSkuASWr-3Ln17c99MimLJZP2kAgK1UT-hjWG0-5PioMVTOMj_iPLd3f6hQ6Scqvg/s500/friday_manhattan-iloveny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozj95NClNQPnFF3ezkSKjb4fZ9iRwEMB3CcI1KOtLS8OGoulcDub2SM16YiY-PyFpa_wOhXg090KoimnfChblQshe-4yTd4D27ToG-0reFLWIoiDfLv35dvt0khSkuASWr-3Ln17c99MimLJZP2kAgK1UT-hjWG0-5PioMVTOMj_iPLd3f6hQ6Scqvg/s320/friday_manhattan-iloveny.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">There's no way that a marketing campaign that promoted the concept of Jason on a boat could have possibly compared to Jason slashing his way through the iconic "I Love NY" poster. And in the end, even without being promoted as a New York movie, the reception probably wouldn't have been substantially different. Marginally better, maybe, slightly less aggrieved, but it's not like it would have been greeted as a masterpiece. It just would have gotten a little less grief upon its release. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DlK6Ka16aq0eCgdU3FB9BRuRd4Or-WWrW2jXNcmj0xZp8J_BVdHjK5Bf2JfTEKj02IYeeaJtfy-BzVWviqE41w-bP4yJu2N5u-XabsEKVRt4Y5fxG_torqDXwhpAXgh2MwFi4G5Uf4L0shKCV-GuHau3ldHUnDyVPdabbV-Q5fUZ2PCeBK33DyKc_g/s1920/manhattan_standing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DlK6Ka16aq0eCgdU3FB9BRuRd4Or-WWrW2jXNcmj0xZp8J_BVdHjK5Bf2JfTEKj02IYeeaJtfy-BzVWviqE41w-bP4yJu2N5u-XabsEKVRt4Y5fxG_torqDXwhpAXgh2MwFi4G5Uf4L0shKCV-GuHau3ldHUnDyVPdabbV-Q5fUZ2PCeBK33DyKc_g/s320/manhattan_standing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I will say that I think had the ending to <i>Manhattan</i> been better, many fans would have been quicker to get over the lack of NYC action. Sure it sucked to have to wait (and wait...and wait...) for Jason to actually get to freaking New York but the real disappointment was having the climax be Jason being hit by a flood of toxic waste and somehow, in death, being transformed back into a child. This ending was so massively misconceived that I think it does far more damage to the movie than the interminable wait to get off the damn boat. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ywHec85Wrz3SmPUtsvaJbacDPEsy6JYkxOD70i5tzbWwhLGVhxvC-PQOy8ajm-zWSwOOqruVzNN3ZwF7tL3P3lvqSuHQRBW1ht4TXWso61pFXOTDj38rt6s8Kk2hgsr3fZe5xdNKfOFnu-Ji0eaNeHLM1BljkhNBFpwlKcuJ_FosbRrMlGlW2puiNA/s1280/manhattan_kid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1280" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ywHec85Wrz3SmPUtsvaJbacDPEsy6JYkxOD70i5tzbWwhLGVhxvC-PQOy8ajm-zWSwOOqruVzNN3ZwF7tL3P3lvqSuHQRBW1ht4TXWso61pFXOTDj38rt6s8Kk2hgsr3fZe5xdNKfOFnu-Ji0eaNeHLM1BljkhNBFpwlKcuJ_FosbRrMlGlW2puiNA/s320/manhattan_kid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rob Hedden has explained his reasoning behind Jason's death scene as wanting it to echo the deaths of classic Universal Monsters like the Wolfman and the Invisible Man in which they reverted to their human forms after they were killed, with their purity and innocence being restored once they died. However it was absolutely idiotic to try that move with Jason. It makes no sense. Jason was never someone that had been transformed into a monster so trying to "change him back" in death doesn't hold up conceptually. It sure doesn't help that this is moment is presented in such a confusing fashion (you have to wonder what the characters witnessing this make of it). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tUsTWlddPSxofXk8X-nUzTHiywcZkhBXlCG93PZYHGPHZATf751WdluoUtnEsbmOTs0gc_MNMwDMiJdMNYSq6EJeF1e2O97EWKuPsGBzAC065wcoit6_yV-qPhPG5AQkgzU2DB2HQDKEY1GIxiZXtC_kAXlLYESIsbLJ2cTIuwnV0Rt8tPlTWrIDSA/s740/manhattan_derp.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="740" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tUsTWlddPSxofXk8X-nUzTHiywcZkhBXlCG93PZYHGPHZATf751WdluoUtnEsbmOTs0gc_MNMwDMiJdMNYSq6EJeF1e2O97EWKuPsGBzAC065wcoit6_yV-qPhPG5AQkgzU2DB2HQDKEY1GIxiZXtC_kAXlLYESIsbLJ2cTIuwnV0Rt8tPlTWrIDSA/s320/manhattan_derp.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The failure of <i>Manhattan</i>'s ending is especially galling given the fact that the perfect ending was right there. Jason gets hit by a wave of toxic shit - so just fucking have him dissolve into a puddle of goo. No need to overthink this shit. No need to get artsy with it. No need to put a creative spin on it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqFpNkdTi1ofoTZv-dWRsYGgUPwguevHx6u3hfav85kXnlnqEOau-W-h08gUTp_e_Kp6nDoiXVbAj1Qc3XDTqx7NM1_IiEu6opDHESxNeqo_CsyCf1C1J7h6QfDBS7aRN0ZSITjqn9uUhUVQv7VbPBhYA2pfvXHHyeyATJKGS2LIJcJI18ThoUZ9bNA/s1280/manhattan_skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqFpNkdTi1ofoTZv-dWRsYGgUPwguevHx6u3hfav85kXnlnqEOau-W-h08gUTp_e_Kp6nDoiXVbAj1Qc3XDTqx7NM1_IiEu6opDHESxNeqo_CsyCf1C1J7h6QfDBS7aRN0ZSITjqn9uUhUVQv7VbPBhYA2pfvXHHyeyATJKGS2LIJcJI18ThoUZ9bNA/s320/manhattan_skyline.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Having toxic waste melt him down would have been a spectacularly disgusting way to take out Jason, a perfect opportunity to have a big practical FX moment in true '80s fashion and it would have been a death that was big enough to seem really final rather than just burying a machete in Jason's head. And if they had wanted to do another <i>Friday</i>, there's always a way to undo any slasher villain's death no matter how permanent it might look. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYgkcFXUgurSYvvfjzxAegYhQaBXfhfMmpLHmoIabW1BG_ijvDilizpTIuQuhTGm3D2VVQFMhsLBHpNABaMFTURqElqDgwyHs5S87LPaoXy4KgjiphCjvg18uCkwmT9L-_mphqeIr5vsb6LMnzdfvGohBfzY2KthEkpYL4RX8xiBDqm6oi8fVOEybwg/s620/manhattan_subway2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="620" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYgkcFXUgurSYvvfjzxAegYhQaBXfhfMmpLHmoIabW1BG_ijvDilizpTIuQuhTGm3D2VVQFMhsLBHpNABaMFTURqElqDgwyHs5S87LPaoXy4KgjiphCjvg18uCkwmT9L-_mphqeIr5vsb6LMnzdfvGohBfzY2KthEkpYL4RX8xiBDqm6oi8fVOEybwg/s320/manhattan_subway2.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I believe that all (or at least most) of <i>Manhattan</i>'s sins would have been forgiven had Hedden just resisted the urge to get clever with Jason's death. Over time, I've come to terms with Jason spending so much time on the Lazarus but I've never been able to justify that misfire of an ending. It is truly a self-inflicted wound on Hedden's part. Would have been so easy to avoid but oh well. It is what it is. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEMmqGPZH5SExUWHpIDKNM2Zc-7n3Uo5jXIKeEFYmXeQbp2ps2PUq0X59sdcltcoz4B5d_3jgkaBnJX5tBXawT8YoAc6pbzB8_XRW7i6BIz2n87IqP_fwszyzw-3wVKvkhKWDCxUNvclRKs-V2UbrFIDZkIeEo9ZuCp22IOM1vQ2nd7_1Mkj1tHDNAQ/s783/manhattan_subway.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="783" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEMmqGPZH5SExUWHpIDKNM2Zc-7n3Uo5jXIKeEFYmXeQbp2ps2PUq0X59sdcltcoz4B5d_3jgkaBnJX5tBXawT8YoAc6pbzB8_XRW7i6BIz2n87IqP_fwszyzw-3wVKvkhKWDCxUNvclRKs-V2UbrFIDZkIeEo9ZuCp22IOM1vQ2nd7_1Mkj1tHDNAQ/s320/manhattan_subway.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">All these years later, I would say the initial disappointment that <i>Manhattan</i> was met with has been replaced with...less disappointment. It'll never turn into a great <i>Friday</i> but it's become easier to appreciate. What <i>Manhattan</i> has going for it now is nostalgia. Nostalgia for old school Jason, nostalgia for the NYC of the '80s, and nostalgia for a more innocent time for the horror genre. In 1989, <i>Jason Takes
Manhattan</i> embodied everything that fans hated about where horror was at. It wasn’t gritty, wasn’t gory, and it damn sure wasn’t scary. You look at it now, though, and think "Man, I miss when horror movies were just fun."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHhGIYufZwN9TAjXDjJm96VJh8fTZv62n9RU_4yM0rLxcR9072DUbKD2MaEB4PaIB5fTrvqK9jvHXEsxBxg7zCpjfXVC1yUaTg_5uym6tdyvLB0w2iQmi13Rm2ih3H5CkzGoEyzIa0rOQiEhzPaiSiiZTNck18ZlvrTPbXgIe6JC81wvt9c76eKfCZw/s1050/manhattan_punks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1050" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHhGIYufZwN9TAjXDjJm96VJh8fTZv62n9RU_4yM0rLxcR9072DUbKD2MaEB4PaIB5fTrvqK9jvHXEsxBxg7zCpjfXVC1yUaTg_5uym6tdyvLB0w2iQmi13Rm2ih3H5CkzGoEyzIa0rOQiEhzPaiSiiZTNck18ZlvrTPbXgIe6JC81wvt9c76eKfCZw/s320/manhattan_punks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In retrospect, <i>Manhattan</i> has a great pop sheen to it that is <i>so</i> late '80s. Even before the film arrives at the bright neon lights of New
York, the ship bound action set on the Lazarus boasts a more colorful palette
than any of the previous <i>Fridays</i>,<i> </i>complete<i> </i>with<i> </i>a<i> </i>disco<i> </i>dance<i> </i>floor<i> </i>(with<i> </i>a<i> </i>mirror<i> </i>ball!)<i> </i>for<i> </i>Jason<i> </i>to<i> </i>bust<i> </i>his<i> </i>moves<i> </i>on.<i> </i>I also love that Hedden had Jason straight up teleporting in this movie - not just having him get from place to place with no explanation but doing so in ways that are physically impossible, done with the faith that the <i>Friday</i> audience will see the fun in that. I much prefer this playful approach to the tired, literal minded thinking that compelled the makers of 2009's otherwise strong <i>Friday</i> remake to feel the audience needed to be told that it's because he uses a network of underground tunnels that Jason is able to mysteriously get ahead of his victims. Fuck that. Just have him pop up anywhere. </p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm72EpJTFS5gwesfIRkjukU-CqFIMlVpRcHBDXtdnZJTVLAgOh2fS9B59v2eLEmQ5yOU5VRlbtC2XbvYgW9npDYxC2Ad5Tsh6Y5V6xPAfvwDDAKduKjnFuk-fkggm21pgVk5RylfhoXDNE4-bqc3Svc7DZaZv0MHWbn8VbHWbDvhZCRTup9RMfZpcN9A/s400/friday_manhattan_timesquare.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm72EpJTFS5gwesfIRkjukU-CqFIMlVpRcHBDXtdnZJTVLAgOh2fS9B59v2eLEmQ5yOU5VRlbtC2XbvYgW9npDYxC2Ad5Tsh6Y5V6xPAfvwDDAKduKjnFuk-fkggm21pgVk5RylfhoXDNE4-bqc3Svc7DZaZv0MHWbn8VbHWbDvhZCRTup9RMfZpcN9A/s320/friday_manhattan_timesquare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">As limited as Jason's time in New York may be in <i>Manhattan</i>, the one shot that circles around Kane Hodder's Jason as he stands in the middle of Times Square remains one of the highlights of the franchise. Freddy may have surpassed him at the box office by that point but for those brief few seconds, Jason was king of the world. Say what you will about <i>Jason
Takes Manhattan</i> but even if Jason never fully got into the New York groove, I appreciate the fact that Crystal Lake's favorite son got to close out the ‘80s with a rock star
moment. </p></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-57799641870310527772023-02-28T06:57:00.102-08:002023-03-01T06:35:14.766-08:00Just Like Honey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6xVlhesqEJUTtoF4PsOo1t7rxBhyrHS37jcSikb1b7PODMbwWz-KZpRnfhd6dYXbbpqdkT835Tyylk9QeuIPHonQ08908JhzrL1siDVd7hEnnXthbrAQELd0Y0qAS4nn-Csxg8G--YbLR74T4p2Xge1DMY09pFsTk4MO07q6R4SmfwYEcoroKYgyIA/s454/cocaine_bear_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6xVlhesqEJUTtoF4PsOo1t7rxBhyrHS37jcSikb1b7PODMbwWz-KZpRnfhd6dYXbbpqdkT835Tyylk9QeuIPHonQ08908JhzrL1siDVd7hEnnXthbrAQELd0Y0qAS4nn-Csxg8G--YbLR74T4p2Xge1DMY09pFsTk4MO07q6R4SmfwYEcoroKYgyIA/s320/cocaine_bear_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">From its title, to its premise, to all the marketing for <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i>, it felt safe to assume that even though it was coming from a major studio, this was going to be some fairly wild shit. As it turns out, those expectations of an off the rails movie were wrong. Despite its eponymous beast's penchant for mauling, <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> is a too-slick effort that's dangerously close to being cuddly. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYIoziqSqwY9Vvre8KmwVYPEKrEfUrY5O7E6BCusB15F-SAph9rxqBZh2Xa1hrsXqu5YxwHpvCLqKZUOgZj9BtiAtdCv3JILdyFUk0TxlBt4D8kOvNTGKVurXYytO8KyVQTYgkRC_CvV0xRKWKJNzTkEODEFVxH6H-H4q8xTAXZw68P1aWiNueTJGEg/s1360/cocaine_banks.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1360" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYIoziqSqwY9Vvre8KmwVYPEKrEfUrY5O7E6BCusB15F-SAph9rxqBZh2Xa1hrsXqu5YxwHpvCLqKZUOgZj9BtiAtdCv3JILdyFUk0TxlBt4D8kOvNTGKVurXYytO8KyVQTYgkRC_CvV0xRKWKJNzTkEODEFVxH6H-H4q8xTAXZw68P1aWiNueTJGEg/s320/cocaine_banks.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I don't doubt that <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> will work just fine for some. It's not a bad movie (although, honestly, it might have helped if it had been) but I suspect the majority reaction to <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i>,<i> </i>especially from exploitation fans, will be disappointment. Yes, there is a bear that does a conspicuous amount of coke and that's all well and good but for a movie with this title and this premise, <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> proves to be curiously square. Director Elizabeth Banks, working from a screenplay by Jimmy Warden, manages to make a movie about a coked out apex predator feel like polished studio product. There is no bite to this movie at all. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJxAtr7XWvz426UApc_pYOto7W3-MiRSH_aYvtXj7NlJVNSrHrJy2Ij88ekbHU3FBEHy0_B9VXPpqO3sRFcE2s22z3TEogvuJFuRreUxJ-RCwj2ngmYReXoa_JJdSZPUbQ-swC7BlpjfXnvvC3S7Bv_zTUEEo8L5fgAkRqs3ut7KsuDJCOwyOrtwX_w/s640/cocaine_ambulance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJxAtr7XWvz426UApc_pYOto7W3-MiRSH_aYvtXj7NlJVNSrHrJy2Ij88ekbHU3FBEHy0_B9VXPpqO3sRFcE2s22z3TEogvuJFuRreUxJ-RCwj2ngmYReXoa_JJdSZPUbQ-swC7BlpjfXnvvC3S7Bv_zTUEEo8L5fgAkRqs3ut7KsuDJCOwyOrtwX_w/s320/cocaine_ambulance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">There's one sequence about halfway in, when a pair of ambulance workers get involved in the bear's rampage, that offers the hope that, ok, <i>now</i> things are kicking into that higher gear we've been waiting for, but once that sequence is over, things go right back to being very safe n' straight laced. Before they even started filming <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i>, someone should have realized that the script and the title didn't match. Yes, there is a cocaine bear so technically the title fits but when you call a movie <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> and you know that's what going to compel everyone to buy a ticket, you've got to make damn sure you deliver on that title. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzQkRf058xYLfUYVLfdcM9hXuRuqBWuL3JB7fYjORTPd6-RPjZv20JAYb-4ktR7s_mYWPm0r0YgGEFVTTa2yRU-51Wf1mcjKHTU1Y4uiTQ4tzqqBh3vPYOVf9UIEJU8HN4_PTE261ObhcTX_vbKtXUD-akMj93qKPcUuMNeBcN6SkzDvmWqaFgc7cSA/s1024/cocaine_russel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1024" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzQkRf058xYLfUYVLfdcM9hXuRuqBWuL3JB7fYjORTPd6-RPjZv20JAYb-4ktR7s_mYWPm0r0YgGEFVTTa2yRU-51Wf1mcjKHTU1Y4uiTQ4tzqqBh3vPYOVf9UIEJU8HN4_PTE261ObhcTX_vbKtXUD-akMj93qKPcUuMNeBcN6SkzDvmWqaFgc7cSA/s320/cocaine_russel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Here's the thing: going into <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i>, I did not want to have to follow multiple tedious storylines. First up, you've got single mom Sari (Keri Russell) who discovers that her young daughter DeeDee (Brooklynn Prince) has skipped school in order to venture to a nearby waterfall with a friend so Sari has to go looking for her. You also have a park ranger (Margo Martindale) whose planned day in the outdoors with her crush (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) is interrupted by Sari's need for help. Then you also have Daveed (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), who's been sent to the area by his boss, drug kingpin Syd (Ray Liotta), to recover the lost duffel bags of coke that are laying unattended across the Georgia woods. Accompanying Daveed is Syd's son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich), who is still morose over the recent death of his wife due to cancer. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSTC9iMaf1QrrXMfhvNQY-h-j7NdouyspftJDTs8u1XzrT1kwo-JvaYNLaGkTQjb3X8o8IvWctp12xO4Ll2aO1xiHp32xTjSl3m-g77PV6-oRSDQiQRa4uhG6V0xb6Ot4o70nLkDP3WBjEfLQ7rMghAn5Amm71zdDHdecits0Xn1StYVeH7Dmd8Prrw/s1300/cocaine_trio.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1300" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSTC9iMaf1QrrXMfhvNQY-h-j7NdouyspftJDTs8u1XzrT1kwo-JvaYNLaGkTQjb3X8o8IvWctp12xO4Ll2aO1xiHp32xTjSl3m-g77PV6-oRSDQiQRa4uhG6V0xb6Ot4o70nLkDP3WBjEfLQ7rMghAn5Amm71zdDHdecits0Xn1StYVeH7Dmd8Prrw/s320/cocaine_trio.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Once they arrive at the grounds of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, Daveed and Eddie run into a trio of trouble making delinquents who have come across the coke and they rope one of them into taking them to where they've stashed one of the bags. Oh, and there's also another plot thread about a cop named Bob (Isiash Whitlock Jr.) who has trekked out to the area hoping to nail Syd and, by the way, Bob has a newly adopted dog he left behind in the care of one of his fellow officers and that's something that we're supposed to care about. After reading all this, do you see what the problem with <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> is? Definitely after writing it, I feel a renewed sense of exasperation at this movie. I mean, come on, where's the fucking Cocaine Bear in all of this? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BQOTqb82cjssIit0TGG19Nb3ORJN30gJ-sPC-Rl88gLRcyTD61_UnykFPTwEsHetEvMKcj__1xvd8WJt462pivQMdj08pp4OxxQ7_bJm95phAfA7Xq7tAR4b3OTxWP9AjpE5UUHb5RJkiVyDii7eB3G26YpCNqh6djL5LkI3yaMCh_3NIenEtnnCmw/s640/cocaine_roar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BQOTqb82cjssIit0TGG19Nb3ORJN30gJ-sPC-Rl88gLRcyTD61_UnykFPTwEsHetEvMKcj__1xvd8WJt462pivQMdj08pp4OxxQ7_bJm95phAfA7Xq7tAR4b3OTxWP9AjpE5UUHb5RJkiVyDii7eB3G26YpCNqh6djL5LkI3yaMCh_3NIenEtnnCmw/s320/cocaine_roar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Once they settled on the title of <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i>, the main mission of this movie should have been to put that fucking thing in as much of the movie as they could. The trim 95 minute running time of <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> should have made for a lean, fast moving Animal Attack! movie along the lines of 2019's <i>Crawl</i> but instead those 95 minutes are mostly squandered on meandering storylines that serve to make the movie feel about a half hour longer than it actually is. Worst of all, the main storyline of Sari searching for DeeDee doesn't even involve the bear for most of the time. There's an encounter with the bear that Sari survives early on but then it moves on and Sari and DeeDee's buddy Henry (Christian Convery) then proceed to go looking for DeeDee and every time we return to check in on their progress, we know that they're not in any danger whatsoever. In this movie, <i>every</i> character should be in constant danger of being mauled. Otherwise, why the hell am I watching? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kbSuXZhfd_8fWeefa-C89d9OKEmn3jBygR6nGTHn3jbSMm-G4CV6s_DRaYqT9XtvvBo6jkS1WD7NeGQPdebgGD7Th6rw9C4n3wAAACazGIWW3PN9l5Eu5YsQOTG-jzu2mIBPvhPHYF2O9QL-ViTv-yAXg0NI5vMFYAGLQ1IYFGvCYlEcco-HYe5aFQ/s1500/cocaine_kids.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kbSuXZhfd_8fWeefa-C89d9OKEmn3jBygR6nGTHn3jbSMm-G4CV6s_DRaYqT9XtvvBo6jkS1WD7NeGQPdebgGD7Th6rw9C4n3wAAACazGIWW3PN9l5Eu5YsQOTG-jzu2mIBPvhPHYF2O9QL-ViTv-yAXg0NI5vMFYAGLQ1IYFGvCYlEcco-HYe5aFQ/s320/cocaine_kids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">If there's such a thing as a family friendly movie about a coked up bear, this is it. As bloody as it occasionally gets, <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> never stops feeling cozy and conventional. This is a movie where even the drug dudes and forest wandering hooligans are basically nice, non-malicious people (save for Syd, who is given a legitimate aura of danger by Ray Liotta). I mean, Banks and co. can't even bring themselves to demonize the Cocaine Bear. Sure, it's not the bear's fault someone dropped a bunch of coke from a plane into its forest so you can't say the bear is bad but at the same time, it's a staple of the man vs. animal subgenre that the animal must be destroyed. You have to root for its ultimate annihilation. The bear in 1975's <i>Grizzly</i> wasn't a bad bear. It wasn't evil. But yet you didn't want to see 18 feet of towering fury just be allowed to peacefully wander back into the woods at the end. That would be unsatisfying. What you want is to see it exploded into chunks of blood and fur by a fucking bazooka. You don't want Jaws to just swim away at the end of the movie, you want Roy Scheider to fire off that shot at the air tank in Jaws' mouth and obliterate it. Bottom line: you want gratification. You want to see an animal go on a killing spree, murder many people, and then be spectacularly destroyed. The makers of <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> did not get that memo. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm_xgzc0TMnrOeEOZrqaT_7LU3X-ohlHdS3ANs5Dh5aG8A9ij3jTNImLFWX4zNj_QLeEZvEtaT4OshNZc9eoRjQNPlRV5GyGtuXucqI2nta-I4XsolKzpnYjVbGoenQGHu2kP1faNG0G0VNS-8Ln8zZw9VQILrCySp--Qt7FZfD7bv1bhGckWRTOxOw/s2000/cocaine_coke.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm_xgzc0TMnrOeEOZrqaT_7LU3X-ohlHdS3ANs5Dh5aG8A9ij3jTNImLFWX4zNj_QLeEZvEtaT4OshNZc9eoRjQNPlRV5GyGtuXucqI2nta-I4XsolKzpnYjVbGoenQGHu2kP1faNG0G0VNS-8Ln8zZw9VQILrCySp--Qt7FZfD7bv1bhGckWRTOxOw/s320/cocaine_coke.jpeg" width="320" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">While there's something to be said for subverting expectations and going against the grain, I don't think that applies here. <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> needed to straight up bring the exploitation movies goods and it doesn't quite do that. Yeah, I'll still take a squeaky clean coked up bear movie over no coked up bear movie but at the same time, I feel I must register my disappointment. Even with its PG-13 rating, <i>M3GAN</i> delivered more effectively as an exploitation movie than the R-rated <i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> does so I think it's worth noting that it falls short. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yzi9AXnxeSj9kU8tCPUnDTZUCwK2HSA9Fpc0lGupcuFfwBm_sIXP8M_efOZNPuzgsHVGy1qg7DhZrRGDOZu8sem_UxAEEk8elTMUJm15elr1fu2T37ZKQ79gDXzo3S1Lv25SGNTBG4gbjK1DR6NjDXIIBvzSc2p0CCx3-lVbpLnmt8wjkOMg4rXcOQ/s1000/cocaine_cu.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yzi9AXnxeSj9kU8tCPUnDTZUCwK2HSA9Fpc0lGupcuFfwBm_sIXP8M_efOZNPuzgsHVGy1qg7DhZrRGDOZu8sem_UxAEEk8elTMUJm15elr1fu2T37ZKQ79gDXzo3S1Lv25SGNTBG4gbjK1DR6NjDXIIBvzSc2p0CCx3-lVbpLnmt8wjkOMg4rXcOQ/s320/cocaine_cu.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Cocaine</i> <i>Bear</i> has got some decent splatter but the go for the throat attitude isn't there. It'll still do well thanks to Universal's killer marketing campaign but my hope is that whatever gonzo movies that might get made in response to its success will be inspired to push the envelope and show some real B-movie gusto. Don't promise people a Cocaine Bear only to hand them a Teddy Bear instead. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-75221550389624751522023-02-19T20:56:00.064-08:002023-03-01T06:47:25.346-08:00Roll the Bones: Army of Darkness at 30<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkrU2dPwgDFKhvtWjX-0gw8tKL_ZHec9GcjkIZZyycwvzTPa4oqCdhE-ElQc-79FEeIMWFl6qBc85VUCRHazKeyBRnJ0zYtAWIWYcABpL6ZtMcMDRRrHE6aJRNtx40Th-7YCxBR-ICF74eeUZmfpJnPOKw1uHjumzKr-oV7vaJbUCR3kBBvKE9iJdjw/s750/army_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkrU2dPwgDFKhvtWjX-0gw8tKL_ZHec9GcjkIZZyycwvzTPa4oqCdhE-ElQc-79FEeIMWFl6qBc85VUCRHazKeyBRnJ0zYtAWIWYcABpL6ZtMcMDRRrHE6aJRNtx40Th-7YCxBR-ICF74eeUZmfpJnPOKw1uHjumzKr-oV7vaJbUCR3kBBvKE9iJdjw/s320/army_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Nerd culture has become established as <i>the</i> predominant culture today with what used to be strictly cult stuff now being mainstream fare (when M.O.D.O.K., in all his weirdness, is featured in the #1 movie in the country, you know you're living in a full on nerd world) but in 1993, things were not so groovy and the chances were that unless you were a regular Fangoria reader, you did not know or care that this new movie called <i>Army</i> <i>of</i> <i>Darkness</i> was actually the second sequel to <i>The</i> <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i>. To this day I continue to find it wild that the <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> movies were considered so cult and their audience so insignificant that Universal didn't even think it was worth calling attention to <i>Army</i>'s sequel status in its marketing and instead chose to promote it as a stand alone movie. In certain circles, though, <i>Army</i> qualified as a massive event. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Zmt34hj1QvRo71u63dIvnUYAjF9Ny6-RiQ8Td6uR_o9E6RMisU7DXtBYIK6KJhEjGJ1FRlTGnJ5zgnd-vV0vVUdcepp6TYQWkqmFpT6-hjRvZ10BOeVAqm5LdC_T7tEe5mPROU3tg93Z9L84-tF_IIPlIdDP6cYFguckWi0w70PZOkHKIuH3O2WQUw/s760/army_boomstick.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="760" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Zmt34hj1QvRo71u63dIvnUYAjF9Ny6-RiQ8Td6uR_o9E6RMisU7DXtBYIK6KJhEjGJ1FRlTGnJ5zgnd-vV0vVUdcepp6TYQWkqmFpT6-hjRvZ10BOeVAqm5LdC_T7tEe5mPROU3tg93Z9L84-tF_IIPlIdDP6cYFguckWi0w70PZOkHKIuH3O2WQUw/s320/army_boomstick.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Seeing <i>Army</i> on an opening day matinee with a fellow nerd buddy of mine remains one of my favorite movie going memories. Back when I saw <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> <i>II</i> at a midnight show in '87, the then-surprising turn it took towards comedy caught me completely off guard (in a way that delighted me) but now, of course, I felt I was going in prepared. Turns out I was blindsided all over again by the complete avalanche of Bruce Campbell one liners and the transformation of Ash into a caricature of a macho action hero, a portrayal that walked the line between sincerity and send up. After thirty years of being endlessly quoted, the lines in this movie are so familiar now but I remember losing it in the theater hearing all of them for the first time. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoy-U_du7QaSkyzqiAhMhLXC8jWVXeh27Pf3fJK-JZFJTI44BkIAp1vd6UfLd54VdwseBEbZEMWaqvTDXOyY29KgKGI3Pejs_d_Yl2mJe0u080u050_5Dz9mlOne50187k1y6fm5UZY2bDcBHUHm2aXtmYvAzDOUJI0pu_EBNyOeDJJAesnFfpzq9lQ/s612/army_doublebruce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="612" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoy-U_du7QaSkyzqiAhMhLXC8jWVXeh27Pf3fJK-JZFJTI44BkIAp1vd6UfLd54VdwseBEbZEMWaqvTDXOyY29KgKGI3Pejs_d_Yl2mJe0u080u050_5Dz9mlOne50187k1y6fm5UZY2bDcBHUHm2aXtmYvAzDOUJI0pu_EBNyOeDJJAesnFfpzq9lQ/s320/army_doublebruce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If there's any one movie that made Bruce Campbell into an enduring cult icon it's this. <i>Evil</i> <i>Dead</i> 1 & 2, as great as they are, wouldn't have put Bruce over the top like this one did. It's just a bummer to stop and realize that, wait, this was the last time Bruce was the lead in a movie that had a wide theatrical release. It's fucking wrong is what that is. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_ojiDup89rzTlibWTV6iGM7wRW7hzsTnf6PKozHZ1rkXDTJbRe0vd6mLfTh7JmDFR7TgQsfl9SjyAwGnBpt7_1-Qk08gpV54C0PNU_DYfUGHXD5AoXYCV3MTYyuGviih6tzY1K1EpWgvWg5g8jtew9ntSRuv0vKIKPP8npzOIpncDdarV_aIXGoUvA/s600/army_smart_action.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_ojiDup89rzTlibWTV6iGM7wRW7hzsTnf6PKozHZ1rkXDTJbRe0vd6mLfTh7JmDFR7TgQsfl9SjyAwGnBpt7_1-Qk08gpV54C0PNU_DYfUGHXD5AoXYCV3MTYyuGviih6tzY1K1EpWgvWg5g8jtew9ntSRuv0vKIKPP8npzOIpncDdarV_aIXGoUvA/s320/army_smart_action.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">As for the debate about which ending is better, the theatrical S-Mart ending or the original "I slept too long!" ending, I think just about everyone who saw <i>Army</i> theatrically would go for the S-Mart ending. Even though having Ash blow it and wake up in a post apocalyptic wasteland is 100% in character, it feels too much like a retread of <i>II</i>'s downer ending and <i>Army</i> needed to bring something fresher to the table. While it might have been insisted on by Universal, I love that rather than begrudgingly comply with this artistic compromise, Sam Raimi choose to go so insanely hard in embracing the studio's mandate for an upbeat ending. "Oh, you want a more commercial ending? HERE YOU GO!" </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVwQAPy9SIXnKtmITASa7TePFNREhRyiMWik3IPD7nxN1GxggOy50P0v-12hw_bZrtMh9zjx0WozGO4JOi9NolsPQlIaXXQCkqGuRvJ2Np0WAYY2jsnda-SscJvJoDyyp-3e1WNRr7QZzeSG4wYC5KBBwgRaRx_Cx2YgiPhLup-UBwxm1Q2KIgBMViA/s780/army_army.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="780" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVwQAPy9SIXnKtmITASa7TePFNREhRyiMWik3IPD7nxN1GxggOy50P0v-12hw_bZrtMh9zjx0WozGO4JOi9NolsPQlIaXXQCkqGuRvJ2Np0WAYY2jsnda-SscJvJoDyyp-3e1WNRr7QZzeSG4wYC5KBBwgRaRx_Cx2YgiPhLup-UBwxm1Q2KIgBMViA/s320/army_army.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Thirty years later, </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Army</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">of</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Darkness</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> still rocks. It will never not be cool that in the same year that Steven Spielberg and ILM reinvented the art of movie FX in </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Jurassic</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Park</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">, Raimi and co. made a movie whose idea of spectacle was an army of skeleton puppets. Even better, a handful of skeleton puppets that had to be shot to </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">look</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> like an army. At no time is Raimi trying to sell anyone on how convincing any of this is, he's all in on the obvious artifice of it, and that's what makes it great. For me, this movie's defining moment is when in the heat of battle, someone off camera throws a skeleton into the frame at Campbell who grabs it and breaks it over his knee. The Deadites here don't explode in CGI dust when they die, they just get trashed like cheap pieces of junk. Bruce isn't facing some slick adversary like the T-1000 here</span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">.</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> Instead, much like the retro aesthetics that Francis Ford Coppola brought to </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bram</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Stoker's</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Dracula</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> the year before, Raimi crafted </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Army</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> as a tribute to the naive movie magic of an earlier, less sophisticated age. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Even with all the skeletons on display, there's not a jaded bone to be found here. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHC7wK2ixnF0_TPjpIRS6a890byS34oH-CsaL2GOg1E1NeYHJcszvZ32F0cxyDZJaK9tD3JydtiR4IAPVXFhofGkm6gHzLIzJ0R3FQu4Sx1DFk7etO3QWIq42A5_W8j-T5bRkSpVz5VqJ-d1IPlOYgx9o4eNCROg9PvMxqlrQFe3ujf0_mFGuAp1tuw/s1280/army_end.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHC7wK2ixnF0_TPjpIRS6a890byS34oH-CsaL2GOg1E1NeYHJcszvZ32F0cxyDZJaK9tD3JydtiR4IAPVXFhofGkm6gHzLIzJ0R3FQu4Sx1DFk7etO3QWIq42A5_W8j-T5bRkSpVz5VqJ-d1IPlOYgx9o4eNCROg9PvMxqlrQFe3ujf0_mFGuAp1tuw/s320/army_end.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Hail to the King, baby! </span></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-28463126225286511172023-02-14T11:41:00.181-08:002023-02-20T11:25:48.920-08:00Radar Love: Daredevil at 20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHnyW-F_52RxeZjDrd6w535R4iOyzH7zT9DaIjvYXYkIqIHpwSQNixvOvEv7dU3S_EHZG1atce8IfH0LRqxeSv4WCEF7L6pSmqLoo2F1WNxnTi3cLSAPyV4BWunh6vIJI8ydksegJGaXj3-WV64kHH_b3o4d2BG0HfR8i1MHtQgVtpvJqtufg7fIQew/s1500/daredevil_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1016" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHnyW-F_52RxeZjDrd6w535R4iOyzH7zT9DaIjvYXYkIqIHpwSQNixvOvEv7dU3S_EHZG1atce8IfH0LRqxeSv4WCEF7L6pSmqLoo2F1WNxnTi3cLSAPyV4BWunh6vIJI8ydksegJGaXj3-WV64kHH_b3o4d2BG0HfR8i1MHtQgVtpvJqtufg7fIQew/s320/daredevil_poster.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Twenty years ago, seeing a feature film based on a Marvel Comics character was still a novelty. Due to various legal entanglements and creative complications, Marvel's iconic stable of characters were forced to languish for years while their competition at DC dominated superhero cinema with their Superman and Batman franchises. The best Marvel could muster were various TV movies of varying quality and mostly lackluster features like <i>The</i> <i>Punisher</i> (1989) and <i>Captain</i> <i>America</i> (1990) that had to settle for direct-to-video releases in the US while movies like Tim Burton's <i>Batman</i> were busy breaking box office records. It wasn't until Stephen Norrington's <i>Blade</i> in 1998 that the commercial and creative fortunes of Marvel movies finally started to turn around. By the time <i>Daredevil</i> arrived in theaters on February 14th, 2003, it was only the sixth Marvel adaptation to be given a wide theatrical release, with two of the previous five being <i>Blade</i> movies and another being 1986's <i>Howard</i> <i>the</i> <i>Duck</i>. In comparison, this week's <i>Ant-Man</i> <i>&</i> <i>The</i> <i>Wasp:</i> <i>Quantumania</i> is the 31st (!) Marvel movie just in the MCU alone. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY9xLeLk8PYK2WJLL41372fbSQMZdDNcqx1jiv84AlDLKR6KHBrkNICP-z9UaaVDbqDZ4eGrhKM27b5dHUi-_NH3aNUVMsr1KcgU2vzeQ9TNKagq7xu2d1TOj-fzUDorqAHbkVOsrX0qsdmkk3fFfqT1i09zedomy02SGialDlGPfd8oRhwCmgfa0Bw/s1024/daredevil_billyclub.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY9xLeLk8PYK2WJLL41372fbSQMZdDNcqx1jiv84AlDLKR6KHBrkNICP-z9UaaVDbqDZ4eGrhKM27b5dHUi-_NH3aNUVMsr1KcgU2vzeQ9TNKagq7xu2d1TOj-fzUDorqAHbkVOsrX0qsdmkk3fFfqT1i09zedomy02SGialDlGPfd8oRhwCmgfa0Bw/s320/daredevil_billyclub.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Having so few Marvel movies to be compared against, however, did not help <i>Daredevil</i> endear itself to anyone. Even though the only other big Marvel superhero movies at the time were 2000's <i>X-Men</i> and 2002's <i>Spider-Man</i>, writer and director Mark Steven Johnson's adaptation was largely dismissed as a disappointment. It definitely did not meet with the same acclaim that greeted Bryan Singer's <i>X-Men</i> or Sam Raimi's <i>Spider-Man</i>. The immediate take on <i>Daredevil</i> was that it was, at best, ok with Ben Affleck earning a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor and Affleck himself stating years later "I hate <i>Daredevil</i> so much" in a New York Times interview in 2016, still stung by the movie's reception and then being on the hunt for comic book redemption as the Dark Knight in <i>Batman</i> <i>v</i> <i>Superman:</i> <i>Dawn</i> <i>of</i> <i>Justice</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YJm9z56GiAYzT5SpRYkbqd9P5MUUfjSErbh2dTwRwSFZyhNR8ltBf0_rSK7zQYl8T7lhs0_GNpEwmcmiRfNmbqURfo9SAboyufbvHfFlqzos-V2BrZpwEZTzrgN59g1LlepFwKtSeWkRpaBtc7fNlIaH_qAu8hNUOaJho2MG7-fhZEHIg-WWboPSkg/s740/daredevil_mattandfoggy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="740" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YJm9z56GiAYzT5SpRYkbqd9P5MUUfjSErbh2dTwRwSFZyhNR8ltBf0_rSK7zQYl8T7lhs0_GNpEwmcmiRfNmbqURfo9SAboyufbvHfFlqzos-V2BrZpwEZTzrgN59g1LlepFwKtSeWkRpaBtc7fNlIaH_qAu8hNUOaJho2MG7-fhZEHIg-WWboPSkg/s320/daredevil_mattandfoggy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Despite all the flack he got for it, I say Affleck should be proud of his turn as Matt Murdock. He does right by Matt in this movie. Now, let me say that I don't think the passage of time has turned <i>Daredevil</i> into a classic. It's still an ok movie in the same way that it was ok back in 2003 but, you know, the vast majority of movies in the history of cinema are merely ok. Being ok is fine. I mean, most <i>people</i> are just ok and that doesn't seem to bother anyone. When <i>Daredevil</i> was released, I was at a lost to understand the over the top animosity towards it. For whatever reason, people decided that it - and Affleck - were going to be punching bags and that's been largely unchanged since. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cHDW0Af9mGBfd8iIWEXA6zi3jdUQeLeg1f2vQAlAI2iB3221bSEAnU7OGn7qFNzoKBgGeR5i6SF3NqGcIVz3Uz1ie0ECTZfO5bWhZdozewOnjDMux-Ou599pe0GJL6cqlIVBtJKtpB5mQd_5hqIgumiG_l-CbQSAYaUIgYV-Hbb_rkCxlIok4Ct6lg/s646/daredevil_court.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="646" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cHDW0Af9mGBfd8iIWEXA6zi3jdUQeLeg1f2vQAlAI2iB3221bSEAnU7OGn7qFNzoKBgGeR5i6SF3NqGcIVz3Uz1ie0ECTZfO5bWhZdozewOnjDMux-Ou599pe0GJL6cqlIVBtJKtpB5mQd_5hqIgumiG_l-CbQSAYaUIgYV-Hbb_rkCxlIok4Ct6lg/s320/daredevil_court.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, I'd like to present to the court of public opinion my own Matt Murdock-esque defense of <i>Daredevil</i>. This is a movie that offers much to appreciate, particularly for comic fans. For starters, they got the costume right. Unlike Daredevil's live action debut in 1989's TV team-up with the Hulk in <i>The</i> <i>Trial</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Incredible</i> <i>Hulk</i>, Affleck's DD ditches the ninja look that Rex Smith rocked in that film and instead is very comic accurate, with red leather (rather than spandex but hey, at least the color's right!) and a horned cowl. As recently as Singer's original <i>X-Men</i>, the idea of dressing superheroes like their comic book counterparts had been waved off with a dismissive joke ("...What would you prefer, yellow spandex?") so even though Spidey had been garbed in his iconic red and blues in Raimi's film, there was no guarantee that DD would stick to his classic threads. If you look at the design sketches that were done for <i>Daredevil</i>, you can see that of the different looks that were considered, most of them were similar to Rex Smith's black clad DD. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w95rn8hHGddDu3FRTVWIJpJy2IhKnq2SAlmQnQ_v_s_QITQk9zKlGwzaDNvp0Dvc1X0Vpe5PjAiw9-bPuIUlmz7DSswLqqT_8u3Z-1BeYELzIFdZJ8vuJe24vZea2t6t04enNmkhrgwxf9DsJRasO5RaYRXQbZGIoyXah38VWcWWp5fcfsKrdDmxcg/s610/daredevil_flames.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="610" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w95rn8hHGddDu3FRTVWIJpJy2IhKnq2SAlmQnQ_v_s_QITQk9zKlGwzaDNvp0Dvc1X0Vpe5PjAiw9-bPuIUlmz7DSswLqqT_8u3Z-1BeYELzIFdZJ8vuJe24vZea2t6t04enNmkhrgwxf9DsJRasO5RaYRXQbZGIoyXah38VWcWWp5fcfsKrdDmxcg/s320/daredevil_flames.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The fact that we got a Daredevil so authentic to the comics is a credit to director Mark Steven Johnson. Daredevil could have easily sported a much different look here. I'd even argue that it's a better costume than Charlie Cox's DD outfit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoJKzA8vIqITYR7V0W02jxjgdkX9zB60qnFT7e8Xu7GYerPx7c65JNhfA9py7losR5jAWhVgi-zSCOmPBLT4hoPMX0vejFoa-20ejdqFxzjvHm-XqVK7BKqNHhYSPJNnlfZh3V-PNMvE49cAJy_ARaIrpWw1GBKsCMprmEh_zxc4AB9lw_8DFcLZkEQ/s1080/daredevil_vol2_3.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoJKzA8vIqITYR7V0W02jxjgdkX9zB60qnFT7e8Xu7GYerPx7c65JNhfA9py7losR5jAWhVgi-zSCOmPBLT4hoPMX0vejFoa-20ejdqFxzjvHm-XqVK7BKqNHhYSPJNnlfZh3V-PNMvE49cAJy_ARaIrpWw1GBKsCMprmEh_zxc4AB9lw_8DFcLZkEQ/s320/daredevil_vol2_3.webp" width="209" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Besides faithfully retaining the look of DD's costume, Johnson displays his fanboy credentials throughout <i>Daredevil</i>. Right from the opening shots, Johnson pays homage to the cover of <i>Daredevil</i> Vol. 2 #3 from 1999 with artist Joe Quesada's instantly iconic image of Daredevil draped over a church cross. Several comic book legends connected to Daredevil comics, like John Romita, Gene Colan (referred to as a boxer called Gene "The Machine" Colon), and Brian Michael Bendis are name checked while DD scribes Stan Lee, Frank Miller and Kevin Smith make cameos.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIU-WMQJt1V36lBUOQpaRCdL4_AKxXaoiXaaXWDD4xviX3HqA3s7liL6K7fS--TBtd9YVX8TTe5ggq3TefFUbt7b2w8EOogTswp7U1HGmEKlypJNm3hhtVRjUdx6yLWayd74QGKzXK63IKCICh0-29-eGYHTbjrvhM5A-vqFhz22tkx92BOha_CjR4g/s900/daredevil_initials_flames.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="900" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIU-WMQJt1V36lBUOQpaRCdL4_AKxXaoiXaaXWDD4xviX3HqA3s7liL6K7fS--TBtd9YVX8TTe5ggq3TefFUbt7b2w8EOogTswp7U1HGmEKlypJNm3hhtVRjUdx6yLWayd74QGKzXK63IKCICh0-29-eGYHTbjrvhM5A-vqFhz22tkx92BOha_CjR4g/s320/daredevil_initials_flames.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Two specific scenes most pointedly represent the particular comic book sensibility Johnson brings to the movie and whether a viewer perceives these scenes as good or bad seems to determine how they feel about <i>Daredevil</i> overall. The first is the moment where reporter Ben Urich (a perfectly cast Joe Pantoliano) is talking to a detective at a crime scene where a thug has just been creamed by a subway train and Urich is arguing that this was the work of Daredevil. As the impatient detective pushes back with "...there is no proof that your so-called Daredevil was involved, nor that he even exists," Urich tosses a lit cigarette onto an area of the subway platform close by and the initials "DD" ignite in flames. Now, on any logical level, this is ridiculous. I mean, are we supposed to think that Matt keeps lighter fluid on him for the purpose of leaving his calling card? And if he does, how could he possibly know that anyone would be aware that there was a message waiting to be dramatically lit up? Any way you look at it, it's absurd. But yet it's also awesome in a shamelessly comic book way. It's not about logic, it's about whether it's a cool visual, and it is - especially when the scene ends with the fiery initials reflected in Urich's glasses.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKKdif1mlJY8qvUvafGmEtYUNwd7vYJjPSCCFu7WiAFhjgR8ydoBHKHaYehh3tNXmaAtI2SQYTqzxwseu4FjkqiqDiDy9OhpdIS6kk3XFFJfV3o841WuQUuyECdyWPVbdLERgnD0Rtm-RqOOLyxrG2HIx0WBXXOstd1_SYfBK8VjaPUG221uWdBo6dA/s2434/daredevil_playground2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="2434" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKKdif1mlJY8qvUvafGmEtYUNwd7vYJjPSCCFu7WiAFhjgR8ydoBHKHaYehh3tNXmaAtI2SQYTqzxwseu4FjkqiqDiDy9OhpdIS6kk3XFFJfV3o841WuQUuyECdyWPVbdLERgnD0Rtm-RqOOLyxrG2HIx0WBXXOstd1_SYfBK8VjaPUG221uWdBo6dA/s320/daredevil_playground2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The other scene is the playground fight between Matt and Elektra (Jennifer Garner). Many see this as being far too silly but I find it to be ridiculous in all the right ways. It's just so comic book-y to have these two sparring in a playground, testing each other's limits and sizing the other up. Having their romantic relationship begin in this fashion could only happen in a comic book world. Some might say it's a scene that's too light for Daredevil but I disagree. One, the history of Daredevil in the comics is not all grim and gritty. There is a playfulness that has been a part of the book from the start. And certainly, Matt is an irrepressible flirt when it comes to the ladies and he's also as cocky as they come. If there is an opportunity to a) win over a woman he finds attractive and b) a chance to show off, he's going to take it. So this scene is very much in line with the Daredevil of the comics. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLb7kYwalOtvZxcvb2nbXjDL8V661E8t-n3O1WHnwJ6d8RvGI04-9vWPgfR4nvCcU4Z3tIsAI4u-o6To9v-FJYCp6u9MyVr-k1qEltNOZ1FTAZfTtGj0daG5VQjGNfVG7cG6hJCSaACuAp8nYrSPbKuwqTHe9lqTXsjOKfZFXAwFq-J8jlfhfe248Vg/s1280/daredevil_ddandelektra.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLb7kYwalOtvZxcvb2nbXjDL8V661E8t-n3O1WHnwJ6d8RvGI04-9vWPgfR4nvCcU4Z3tIsAI4u-o6To9v-FJYCp6u9MyVr-k1qEltNOZ1FTAZfTtGj0daG5VQjGNfVG7cG6hJCSaACuAp8nYrSPbKuwqTHe9lqTXsjOKfZFXAwFq-J8jlfhfe248Vg/s320/daredevil_ddandelektra.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As light as that particular scene may be, there's still plenty of darkness to go around in <i>Daredevil</i>, both visually and thematically. While it may not deliver quite the same level of intensity of the '80s DD run from writer/artist Frank Miller that much of the movie's storyline is inspired by, for the time it was made, it does a respectable job of delivering an edgy Daredevil movie. In 2003, "dark" comic book films were relatively rare - certainly if you're talking about superhero films. It's one thing for R-rated, horror edged fare like <i>The</i> <i>Crow</i> or <i>Blade</i> to be dark but when it comes to PG-13 superheroes, <i>Batman</i> <i>Returns</i> (1992) was about as dark as it got then and that caught a shit ton of flack for its tone. Given that, <i>Daredevil</i> is admirable in how far it pushes the envelope. I mean, they do gut Elektra. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF42c8E-cHxWuiIEIRiD2SZEvRrovIpp6OORvza-C4Ahap7vVsqMFybj2mYFYhwWB2NDQ4r7NUQoPsL4p7LKPCGouKn5Ai0uajg8uwwvlf330bn_Dn07_rTY-zzGr-QPOJyvKr-xuMwKQs6nenQLLQPx5WVNIwrk7dBWr2lvLFaqaZD35O8Xo8cxamw/s852/daredevil_tank.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="852" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF42c8E-cHxWuiIEIRiD2SZEvRrovIpp6OORvza-C4Ahap7vVsqMFybj2mYFYhwWB2NDQ4r7NUQoPsL4p7LKPCGouKn5Ai0uajg8uwwvlf330bn_Dn07_rTY-zzGr-QPOJyvKr-xuMwKQs6nenQLLQPx5WVNIwrk7dBWr2lvLFaqaZD35O8Xo8cxamw/s320/daredevil_tank.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Director Christopher Nolan would change the game for mature superhero fare with <i>Batman</i> <i>Begins</i> in 2005 but for its time, <i>Daredevil</i> was a noble attempt at portraying a troubled, tormented superhero. I really dig the scenes of Matt coming home after his nights as Daredevil, his body riddled with scars, popping pain pills before immersing himself in an isolation tank. If you're a comic fan and you watch those scenes, it's like, yeah, <i>that's</i> Daredevil (bonus points to Johnson for delivering a perfect illustration of Matt's hyper senses as he has Matt unlock his rooftop entrance by spinning three combination locks at once and stopping each one at just the right moment). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLymzs0yEuywf6fW3dpX88ki3wKS-AXfODff_eQIprn0NfLUpnAViOslTdvHdtjfwlRc_yE3fsybZPOLKsUNDtlGiyfEwrGH1T9G8smrB5W88Jk_IYdlyxQvL4jaq2Hq-HMwBx2DNHbjTQjvrj2DXTDgVDK4DMXNFrxyGY3JG36RD1D7B0Wd3N8vFzBw/s600/daredevil_kingpin_fight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLymzs0yEuywf6fW3dpX88ki3wKS-AXfODff_eQIprn0NfLUpnAViOslTdvHdtjfwlRc_yE3fsybZPOLKsUNDtlGiyfEwrGH1T9G8smrB5W88Jk_IYdlyxQvL4jaq2Hq-HMwBx2DNHbjTQjvrj2DXTDgVDK4DMXNFrxyGY3JG36RD1D7B0Wd3N8vFzBw/s320/daredevil_kingpin_fight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Action wise, <i>Daredevil</i> really delivers with both Colin Farrell's Bullseye and Michael Clarke Duncan's Kingpin having solid opportunities to spar with DD. The entire end stretch of the movie is devoted to multiple battles, one after the other. There's Elektra vs. Daredevil, Elektra vs. Bullseye, Bullseye vs. Daredevil, and finally the big boss battle of Daredevil vs. Kingpin. Each one of these fights is excitingly choreographed and, whether it's Elektra slicing her sais through sheets hanging from rooftop clotheslines to get at DD or Bullseye catching shards of stained glasses in his hands and then skimming them off at a backflipping DD during their church battle or the Kingpin and DD being showered in strobing droplets of water while bathed in the blue light of Kingpin's office, they all go hard on the comic book flavor. It's especially cool to see Duncan's Kingpin effortlessly hurling DD around in true comic book fashion. If only these two could have had a rematch in a sequel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISA_1OyKdE_bPydbdbmRdXA1kSNIVhUtxhKYYC5KXpprde5MJm9Krpnr3FMvYMwCcaND785LF9aWCXk1Pbk0VpuN4ebZp_XMBZDsfztrSOhe_obnJcnTJTLJl8He8N6PlKYiebe5DrFRs9GTnbdzVTIkU9vn_GkaeL1atjMSgXQykpr86ejce8sBa0A/s690/daredevil_johnson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISA_1OyKdE_bPydbdbmRdXA1kSNIVhUtxhKYYC5KXpprde5MJm9Krpnr3FMvYMwCcaND785LF9aWCXk1Pbk0VpuN4ebZp_XMBZDsfztrSOhe_obnJcnTJTLJl8He8N6PlKYiebe5DrFRs9GTnbdzVTIkU9vn_GkaeL1atjMSgXQykpr86ejce8sBa0A/s320/daredevil_johnson.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In the end, perhaps <i>Daredevil</i>'s most lasting legacy is in that in casting Jon Favreau as Foggy Nelson, this is the movie that ushered into the Marvel fold the man who would go on to successfully launch the MCU with <i>Iron</i> <i>Man</i> in 2008. It's wild to watch the behind the scenes, making of material from the set of <i>Daredevil</i> and see Favreau interacting with Johnson knowing that this guy who's playing the second banana here is going to literally change the face of popular culture and birth the MCU. For his part, Johnson went on to direct another underrated Marvel adaptation with 2007's rip roaring <i>Ghost</i> <i>Rider</i> (I really wish he'd come back for another Marvel movie or even an episode of a Disney + series) but Favreau permanently changed Marvel's fortunes. That doesn't happen without Favreau making that initial connection with Avi Arad and Kevin Feige on <i>Daredevil</i>. So if you love the MCU, thank <i>Daredevil</i> for making it possible.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26aRET1wbQNfbABVFEa-f1O6LRWOg74YoQNEhuBhQUYoVabMVqQmuQkYoxWuR0jz6M9g4Mj6Z4aoho7gcEK86L7o2luekMTX-y9ZP1u9GQ7pxee39o49hsaoG_DJStvO_jtyOtXHh_vMW2TYJQcPFG44_0kiQnxF9z-hNk_MmxPoRYjzYkdix04eJ7A/s1200/daredevil_dd_publicityshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26aRET1wbQNfbABVFEa-f1O6LRWOg74YoQNEhuBhQUYoVabMVqQmuQkYoxWuR0jz6M9g4Mj6Z4aoho7gcEK86L7o2luekMTX-y9ZP1u9GQ7pxee39o49hsaoG_DJStvO_jtyOtXHh_vMW2TYJQcPFG44_0kiQnxF9z-hNk_MmxPoRYjzYkdix04eJ7A/s320/daredevil_dd_publicityshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The character of Daredevil may have gone on to be securely owned by Charlie Cox but <i>Daredevil</i> still has the sole bragging rights to being the one and only Daredevil solo movie. I do expect we'll see Cox's DD on the big screen in the next Spider-Man movie but will he ever get his own solo film? I tend to doubt it (although I'd love to be wrong on that) so for the foreseeable future, 2003's <i>Daredevil</i> will stand as ol' Hornhead's one big screen outing. Twenty years later, it remains a solid superhero movie, even if many remain blind to its appeal. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-33027938165644476952023-02-02T15:49:00.129-08:002023-02-07T10:04:25.296-08:00A New World of Gods and Monsters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkW943hmPqkXy3iWxtQsYWi1a_UOvzZGXz1PurIMnrJ7xOSg2dzKvFFVEFmDcZey5xAgzunANW9hnHdbsZ0lylIpvsCfZqBZzGmK_5IlDmUbbFWS_EXqUIsSGNyV54fAcgT5SQZMMuusJGA39RIBtKlUGPCWNIXwGC8-47KiAimvYmTWlPDIk2AzQzCg/s680/dcfilms_slate.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="680" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkW943hmPqkXy3iWxtQsYWi1a_UOvzZGXz1PurIMnrJ7xOSg2dzKvFFVEFmDcZey5xAgzunANW9hnHdbsZ0lylIpvsCfZqBZzGmK_5IlDmUbbFWS_EXqUIsSGNyV54fAcgT5SQZMMuusJGA39RIBtKlUGPCWNIXwGC8-47KiAimvYmTWlPDIk2AzQzCg/s320/dcfilms_slate.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The details of the first stage of the James Gunn era of DC Films are now known with this week's announcement shedding some light on Gunn's and his co-DC Films CEO Peter Safran's plans for giving the DCU a new focus, dubbing this initial chapter as "Gods and Monsters." While the exact details of the underlying, unifying narrative are unknown, we do now know what movies and TV shows we can expect when this new era kicks off in July of 2025 with the Gunn scripted <i>Superman:</i> <i>Legacy</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEF87dglTp2cZ4C8S6H1Pp6gbSvxhoZo4p-k7yWtxWZYYKfQeH2SHPHdJsjwaP4KDj9We8-__tv1k7cDzuUTUFj0yEKAjkZ4a0vw7m1ln8olLeq6gCb08Ey3rY7YRdnCtUrx4CxX6DNq0zCrR9qlT-JIn0aG9ivkW6Tx9qMxhXRbJbcDQC5NeOYR1oKQ/s1200/superman_allstar.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="1200" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEF87dglTp2cZ4C8S6H1Pp6gbSvxhoZo4p-k7yWtxWZYYKfQeH2SHPHdJsjwaP4KDj9We8-__tv1k7cDzuUTUFj0yEKAjkZ4a0vw7m1ln8olLeq6gCb08Ey3rY7YRdnCtUrx4CxX6DNq0zCrR9qlT-JIn0aG9ivkW6Tx9qMxhXRbJbcDQC5NeOYR1oKQ/s320/superman_allstar.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As a DC fan, my initial impression towards yesterday's announcements is very favorable. Mostly I'm just glad to see that Superman is spearheading this new era. If Gunn can bring Superman back to the screen successfully, in a way that truly honors and understands the character (like not letting him murder an opponent with his bare hands), I think the rest of his DC plans will easily come together. Superman is the linchpin of the DC Universe. Getting him right and putting him at the center of the DCU is the only way to have a solid foundation to build on. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCSKyfcY1VmLOEdH75mjSpabBz7Ccf_z71vW69xdY_74jxaiZdvnWMfRCh8HOkFL0STW7eFqTTrVGzjj9ieXTtbjM2yDmaaR9HDT_eWehDqVDRiM5ufPq0d5RWPe8qHORk7xKOz5qFHmahQPrNtbsMlwFgdEXID9kYT7_5mNLx7EZ5wKNk8PEw4C8UQ/s1710/metropolis_skyline.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1710" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCSKyfcY1VmLOEdH75mjSpabBz7Ccf_z71vW69xdY_74jxaiZdvnWMfRCh8HOkFL0STW7eFqTTrVGzjj9ieXTtbjM2yDmaaR9HDT_eWehDqVDRiM5ufPq0d5RWPe8qHORk7xKOz5qFHmahQPrNtbsMlwFgdEXID9kYT7_5mNLx7EZ5wKNk8PEw4C8UQ/s320/metropolis_skyline.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">My main nerdy hope with <i>Superman:</i> <i>Legacy</i> - outside of wanting them to finally go deeper into Superman's rogues gallery and give those over used standbys Luthor and Zod a rest - is that I'd love to finally see Metropolis brought to life the way it should be. Metropolis should be as stylized a city as Gotham is. I imagine Tim Burton would have gone this route had he done his proposed '90s Superman movie with Nicholas Cage but that never came to be, obviously, and every Metropolis that's been on film has just been NYC or Chicago rather than the gleaming City of Tomorrow that it ideally should be. I will say I am prepared to be disappointed on this front, it won't be a deal breaker for me if it doesn't happen, but just the same here's hoping that Gunn plans to make the Metropolis skyline a unique and distinctive one. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8UBOjSj06YLLmt_7xKdM6qT9s1hfDlwrBjrfEzvuMIbaUACt9JKFJYNF22tk6EFaocYqVZjWdastu9mV316mI4saE7Bxs-qaFmJdBWMj05u88olACGW4BCccmM326gBBcLGtyHwlPTL8u3v8ZtrvBh4cQ8oUTaaph_rrj7psOOipBPphgWCIq4BiAA/s1535/superman_byrne.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8UBOjSj06YLLmt_7xKdM6qT9s1hfDlwrBjrfEzvuMIbaUACt9JKFJYNF22tk6EFaocYqVZjWdastu9mV316mI4saE7Bxs-qaFmJdBWMj05u88olACGW4BCccmM326gBBcLGtyHwlPTL8u3v8ZtrvBh4cQ8oUTaaph_rrj7psOOipBPphgWCIq4BiAA/s320/superman_byrne.webp" width="213" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">My secondary nerd concern is whether or not Superman will wear trunks. I know debating whether a character should be wearing their underwear over their clothes is ripe for ridicule but hey, these things do matter. For whatever reason, Batman can ditch his trunks and it's totally fine but Superman's suit never looks right without them. It's a costume so iconic that if you screw with it too much it doesn't look classic any more and above all Superman has got to look classic. In the same way you wouldn't want to mess with the design of a Coca-Cola can, because everyone knows exactly what it's supposed to look like, from the logo down to the specific shade of red, I say it's best to keep Superman looking as traditional as possible. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjNnucc8sfoSp_wPE2xlUI9QiZjvNyvbz9l2JVDKmNj78834t2KZlGiasCmr-I4Ictm3TxRYgAdrSH-kzV6nAoIpgzL1bJSghNY61JeAkOt5tSW4OzOg2J-Lr6oTf3pav0hEVXds4G8ppUQL8qRp1KoLkwG41DqMtEjKjUsfT8I5a9Lk78p6CSipcGA/s962/pattinson_batman.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="962" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjNnucc8sfoSp_wPE2xlUI9QiZjvNyvbz9l2JVDKmNj78834t2KZlGiasCmr-I4Ictm3TxRYgAdrSH-kzV6nAoIpgzL1bJSghNY61JeAkOt5tSW4OzOg2J-Lr6oTf3pav0hEVXds4G8ppUQL8qRp1KoLkwG41DqMtEjKjUsfT8I5a9Lk78p6CSipcGA/s320/pattinson_batman.webp" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Moving from Metropolis to Gotham, it's reassuring to hear that Matt Reeves' <i>Batman</i> films will be operating independently of the main DCU. I was worried that they might try and fold those films into the main continuity, which I think would have been disastrous, so it's great to know that won't be an issue. Additionally, I love that we'll be getting a <i>Brave</i> <i>and</i> <i>the</i> <i>Bold</i> movie that will bring in a new Batman for the main DCU as well as introduce the broader Bat-family. And being based on Grant Morrison's Batman run, it's going to have a very different, much more overtly comic book-y, flavor than we've seen in live action till now and it'll be the first time we'll have an actually <i>fun</i> Batman film since the Schumacher days. As a Batman fan who laments that the character has been stuck in one groove since <i>Batman</i> <i>Begins</i> in 2005, I welcome the change of pace and the long awaited introduction of some real variety for the character. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4nKd37lbkjttSHmavke7Qo-8iyNfE9PcCp4ifm6GC2RJdg5BIYux_BPw2Y55Gx3Yhv2ks9Ri27Y_0IFCfhhZ0ORwGGrIA1MOlsT130RMYvlcMY6FXOVbnlSWaT1KyEBWrHqn9kpyThb6j2QEP4p8CxWgwVlciQy24HPpabHWnydMmF3RlWAYse7KIg/s1150/jokerpartdeux.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4nKd37lbkjttSHmavke7Qo-8iyNfE9PcCp4ifm6GC2RJdg5BIYux_BPw2Y55Gx3Yhv2ks9Ri27Y_0IFCfhhZ0ORwGGrIA1MOlsT130RMYvlcMY6FXOVbnlSWaT1KyEBWrHqn9kpyThb6j2QEP4p8CxWgwVlciQy24HPpabHWnydMmF3RlWAYse7KIg/s320/jokerpartdeux.jpg" width="209" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My one and only actual nerd nitpick among all of the new announcements is how they're using the Elseworlds banner to label stuff like Reeves' <i>Batman</i> and Todd Philips' <i>Joker</i> movies. In the comics, Elseworlds typically referred to stories that had one pivotal difference (such as "What if Superman's rocket had landed in the Soviet Union rather than Kansas?") that altered the stories that we know. In contrast, Reeves' <i>Batman</i> and Philips' <i>Joker</i> movies are just straight up multiverse tales. But I suppose the thought must have been that "multiverse" is a term that has become so associated with Marvel (ironic given that in the comics the multiverse was always a DC thing) that they didn't want to have any branding tied to it. They'll still refer to "the multiverse," sure, but in terms of marketing, having a label bearing a word that's so associated with the competition probably seemed like a bad move while "Elseworlds" is a copyrighted, DC-specific term that was right there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-8XCN0Igi1sief76EANWte1CqqUcS3iXzlaafuCJe9RuTimhtGeSTYvait-Klr9E4V2QZhNhLNdIt8364rzZM6daVdmePZtx6Fqm6-Q8dIDVN-0YVC7qjz7OFfn_yMueXScVHmMCSZjFsYc_RLDNGbwNJ__FiX7fvRhe2NEa8FnW3Gvb9L_mJWWs6A/s500/gothambygaslight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-8XCN0Igi1sief76EANWte1CqqUcS3iXzlaafuCJe9RuTimhtGeSTYvait-Klr9E4V2QZhNhLNdIt8364rzZM6daVdmePZtx6Fqm6-Q8dIDVN-0YVC7qjz7OFfn_yMueXScVHmMCSZjFsYc_RLDNGbwNJ__FiX7fvRhe2NEa8FnW3Gvb9L_mJWWs6A/s320/gothambygaslight.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's no big deal, of course, but I would have loved for the imprint to be used for actual Elseworlds projects. I think it would have been neat to have live action adaptations of stuff like <i>Gotham</i> <i>By</i> <i>Gaslight</i> and <i>Red</i> <i>Son</i>, for instance, rather than the animated adaptations that we've gotten in the past. I know that's strictly a pipe dream on my part and they'd probably never would have dropped big money into these alternate reality takes but I say it's cool to imagine if they had, don't you think? But I suppose that's just an "Elseworlds" all of its own. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_7tPpp8VKvQzMcpDDsHZQwNl8ElabVkpMbI2sqxXJoh2HtuyyAkro4jxS03d8Yc8uAlVfIpRZWp33-5RfdvfYBdWc5y8whwGrMMugTiJf6rqXOLYCIFFijqfPuZ9yw4REsreEH9G6j9UsibtEgyWYtGWG5UVOWFDZdac1KuYH7I_Pc1MNTkH0Bx95Q/s1820/flash_miller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1820" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_7tPpp8VKvQzMcpDDsHZQwNl8ElabVkpMbI2sqxXJoh2HtuyyAkro4jxS03d8Yc8uAlVfIpRZWp33-5RfdvfYBdWc5y8whwGrMMugTiJf6rqXOLYCIFFijqfPuZ9yw4REsreEH9G6j9UsibtEgyWYtGWG5UVOWFDZdac1KuYH7I_Pc1MNTkH0Bx95Q/s320/flash_miller.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">While we await the realization of all these new projects, it'll be interesting to see how the already completed DCU films due this year will set up the next chapter. In particular, I wonder how <i>The</i> <i>Flash</i> and <i>Aquaman</i> <i>and the Lost Kingdom</i> are going to tee things up and how smooth the transition will be from one era to the next. The cinematic DC universe has been defined by turmoil and instability for so long that it's exciting to think of what it's going to look like under a steady hand. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShNZ2BH2Eei6CErbJkjKq67sskUCTE_D-ke9f9jo4LCA5uXLXmntz76Y6oNNODAoosbxuhKEcEBqQAaThUMVXagRPzFcNCqUNSSqWSpcHPuig4eeyw4AvOQ4CZLEN1dHWU2kPOXm4GPWD5-hbGRRxE2Jd8JxPabMTYdJ8tk3epo3v03lEAdCsM7pcfw/s640/smithandjohns.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShNZ2BH2Eei6CErbJkjKq67sskUCTE_D-ke9f9jo4LCA5uXLXmntz76Y6oNNODAoosbxuhKEcEBqQAaThUMVXagRPzFcNCqUNSSqWSpcHPuig4eeyw4AvOQ4CZLEN1dHWU2kPOXm4GPWD5-hbGRRxE2Jd8JxPabMTYdJ8tk3epo3v03lEAdCsM7pcfw/s320/smithandjohns.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I do have to say, though, that I feel like we've been down this road before. Back in December I wrote about the CW Special from 2016 hosted by Kevin Smith and Geoff Johns where they touted the upcoming slate of DC Films in the Snyderverse. Things seemed set in stone then too. I mean, most of the movies they were talking about were all done and ready for release. And if you watch the Special Features on the <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i> DVD, oh boy, it's like a glimpse into an alternate universe. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zTl130DSrzWWW2q_2fqSitqImCLFmahDN52ZwGJwexe0Vedk90UN8CYnJVk7Z_Xkr0QIyNjiX_WjS3O9Uw-3AEKH0wrxdC8FpaW6sYVw9TJcHZaAxC0HazXTv8oRoafpNMwDiZWYmSlp5kS8uVpBx8QM8KO3xhs8RgnFi4VeiwbVJbuExENUnGgDtg/s2048/hodge_jsa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1679" data-original-width="2048" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zTl130DSrzWWW2q_2fqSitqImCLFmahDN52ZwGJwexe0Vedk90UN8CYnJVk7Z_Xkr0QIyNjiX_WjS3O9Uw-3AEKH0wrxdC8FpaW6sYVw9TJcHZaAxC0HazXTv8oRoafpNMwDiZWYmSlp5kS8uVpBx8QM8KO3xhs8RgnFi4VeiwbVJbuExENUnGgDtg/w320-h262/hodge_jsa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Between the time <i>Black</i> <i>Adam</i> was released in theaters in October of last year and the time the DVD came out this January, the future of the DCU that the cast was hyping in the special features had been completely erased (it's awkward and frankly a little sad to hear Dwayne Johnson earnestly say "...Building out this new era of the DC Universe is critically important to me."). I'm sure Gunn and Safran will fare better then their predecessors (no reason to think they won't) but, you know, time will tell. For now, here's to the promise of a new world of Gods and Monsters. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-2387316469321147802023-01-29T20:55:00.083-08:002023-03-01T06:33:55.611-08:00Reeling in the Years: Matinee at 30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftqwoGo530Cf79xprE75_2dgkVBK6_mltUcIUutaM4NUar5Mz5YQa1i7VdQCrBLbLMwNPhFiiaMDbBK93mB0C5K7-2U_QuSqNF3--20CuUA7B-wPnmI85BDOeR6_bHO980E7an_gZTrMwV7azC8r-0RWOd1EO_8WFJag9_tqRiWlYtJVt2j6c-nq4yw/s746/matinee_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftqwoGo530Cf79xprE75_2dgkVBK6_mltUcIUutaM4NUar5Mz5YQa1i7VdQCrBLbLMwNPhFiiaMDbBK93mB0C5K7-2U_QuSqNF3--20CuUA7B-wPnmI85BDOeR6_bHO980E7an_gZTrMwV7azC8r-0RWOd1EO_8WFJag9_tqRiWlYtJVt2j6c-nq4yw/s320/matinee_poster.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Thirty years ago today, <i>Matinee</i>, director Joe Dante's nostalgic flashback to a movie saturated '60s childhood not unlike his own formative years spent in the '50s, was released. Ironically, this ode to the cinematic ballyhoo of a bygone era arrived with little fanfare of its own and failed to make an impact in the theaters, only to find its audience on home video. On the occasion of its anniversary I find myself thinking back to Maitland McDonagh's interview with Dante in her 1995 book <i>Filmmaking</i> <i>on</i> <i>the</i> <i>Fringe</i>. Specifically, Dante's description of a version of the film that was discarded in the script stage for being a little too bleak. As he tells it, "...In an earlier version of <i>Matinee</i> the main story was a flashback, and the script ended with the theater demolished to make way for a video store." </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH723HEtWg7oxMh7STazGEeBMsrStGgLlR2B2tilihHct01FFjHtezRv27MyAjm3ov8NhvHPunoS1OgVCoWjCjsJq-6NW8vXtYWsCTVtFKLsC9gDZTHNDrEsa9_ckCUYdHcnPXbEWKJQ13u3JFi0M8PCK7GjWylxGNeYuvbONdGBjNKVFF6vbe73p4eg/s720/blockbuster_exterior.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH723HEtWg7oxMh7STazGEeBMsrStGgLlR2B2tilihHct01FFjHtezRv27MyAjm3ov8NhvHPunoS1OgVCoWjCjsJq-6NW8vXtYWsCTVtFKLsC9gDZTHNDrEsa9_ckCUYdHcnPXbEWKJQ13u3JFi0M8PCK7GjWylxGNeYuvbONdGBjNKVFF6vbe73p4eg/s320/blockbuster_exterior.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Said Dante: "...It was just <i>too</i> depressing."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEeY1A9jaP3lMPLoTW-fZE9JAmgEljE0XZPnPcYQDa2-r7Pa_-F3_WPlDRmOqHvYkg5BRweiaojo0wrV1Kc69ja9CnjTg4ltYHP8TUHundsSXOi8agKdaigrUFzMXLPdYTWGakJ6zxZQQPkIdH0Lhpv9dSnlNLc2_0SuC4_E-6DvHzgZWha0l0EYNh3Q/s1920/blockbuster_interior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1920" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEeY1A9jaP3lMPLoTW-fZE9JAmgEljE0XZPnPcYQDa2-r7Pa_-F3_WPlDRmOqHvYkg5BRweiaojo0wrV1Kc69ja9CnjTg4ltYHP8TUHundsSXOi8agKdaigrUFzMXLPdYTWGakJ6zxZQQPkIdH0Lhpv9dSnlNLc2_0SuC4_E-6DvHzgZWha0l0EYNh3Q/s320/blockbuster_interior.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In 1993, that ending certainly would have been a downer, a grim reminder of how the theatrical experience was in peril of being sidelined, if not potentially wiped out altogether, by home video. Had they kept it, though, that ending would have hit very differently now in a way no one could have anticipated thirty years ago. A conclusion to <i>Matinee</i> that had a video store being built on the grounds of the old theater would now play more like a bittersweet elegy for the video age than a sad statement on the twilight of movie theaters. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgSktQCJmaMq9xts2X5l3YiihdOHGTC12kEuFTOfQpROSmToB9rIP7FP4iKihR_amlRG_VuP7no4EPGCYJiLP2T9ihvED7NJieWzPW13rq5ZWmASlSSb9lAYvLmaUSGF72pcyRS_fKFzqLC8CDYn9ro_oWK9JdiH4vXC1UIr1xDGdHE5asr8xLNicFA/s681/movieclosed.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="681" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgSktQCJmaMq9xts2X5l3YiihdOHGTC12kEuFTOfQpROSmToB9rIP7FP4iKihR_amlRG_VuP7no4EPGCYJiLP2T9ihvED7NJieWzPW13rq5ZWmASlSSb9lAYvLmaUSGF72pcyRS_fKFzqLC8CDYn9ro_oWK9JdiH4vXC1UIr1xDGdHE5asr8xLNicFA/s320/movieclosed.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In 2023, even without the competitive edge of Atomo-Vision, movie theaters have only continued to prove their resilience. Not only did they outlast the threat of video stores but they've weathered a pandemic that kept them shuttered for months, with no guarantee as to when or if they'd reopen. In the meantime, streaming has pushed video stores into the tar pits and physical media itself is currently hanging on by its fingernails (hopefully due for a rebound as both consumers and media corporations come to realize that the intangible digital realm has its own set of limitations). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1LPQYe3s9ibDk08lsG0ZogIihfNjqD2q8u6QECXSX77-ljjMPt63PhHvZ8QwpbNaPEsJRA-UpyV1G_DkEW7uoZbSKTvbvJEPCWLgzFk3_wLcTd-05FA378I3c5N4EClFZEUphh1s5An2ZG4GRU5P7CAqxzJL0gOBoj90f5GuthhU6SIDZ6rkqNRVqg/s800/matinee_audience.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="800" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1LPQYe3s9ibDk08lsG0ZogIihfNjqD2q8u6QECXSX77-ljjMPt63PhHvZ8QwpbNaPEsJRA-UpyV1G_DkEW7uoZbSKTvbvJEPCWLgzFk3_wLcTd-05FA378I3c5N4EClFZEUphh1s5An2ZG4GRU5P7CAqxzJL0gOBoj90f5GuthhU6SIDZ6rkqNRVqg/s320/matinee_audience.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Today, <i>Matinee </i>stands as a testimony to the durability of theaters rather than serving as a mournful lament to their fading hold. In 1962, John Goodman's William Castle-esque Lawrence Woolsey was a filmmaker fighting to keep the theatrical experience alive against the rise of television and while in 1993 we knew that particular battle had been fought and won, the then current battle against home video remained undecided. By now, though, we've seen that no matter how much technology changes, theaters will continue to endure, able to withstand the many threats that continually come their way. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRinrL3F0Z8n4AgBMMeRlUVY036w1vcX7P9QjKMsga7W_rGzxbnCgLrRgGVSOSRxjF2LJgdITV4q_soR8SZ7nglOhFn6mUS5BhXRbjR4vnhAR9yfLcQj97EySrokA-LszBS9fiFb-9wn2nTxXrdskh5lmFHH56PmISfOpnjubie9xmM4FgyFF7NzdY1w/s639/matinee_projector.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="639" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRinrL3F0Z8n4AgBMMeRlUVY036w1vcX7P9QjKMsga7W_rGzxbnCgLrRgGVSOSRxjF2LJgdITV4q_soR8SZ7nglOhFn6mUS5BhXRbjR4vnhAR9yfLcQj97EySrokA-LszBS9fiFb-9wn2nTxXrdskh5lmFHH56PmISfOpnjubie9xmM4FgyFF7NzdY1w/s320/matinee_projector.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">While the brand of showmanship that accompanied the likes of <i>Mant!</i> or its real life counterparts such as <i>House</i> <i>on</i> <i>Haunted</i> <i>Hill</i> or <i>13</i> <i>Ghosts</i> might be a lost art, the enduring desire to join strangers in the dark to enjoy that shared experience of watching a movie together seems more secure than ever. Even though today one can watch a movie on their phone if they choose, many still opt for the experience that only movie theaters can provide. As a love letter to the essential escapism that cinema offers, <i>Matinee</i> has only become more relevant - even as one has to ruefully acknowledge that a movie like <i>Matinee</i> would surely go direct to streaming today. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-53822599434800931352023-01-25T19:12:00.049-08:002023-01-27T09:31:55.168-08:00Horror's Big Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUeCcDrk3pEc_zK9J-zmSDYWoRB7nRtTwmAzdyblAFzT1-0uKqd-YrefyQmAGYSoyQqkzFoI1SL3q1GUwZfOo254Z0OjrsKlg-PTgtpDCDrxnAamVQYxj-89HU-QyvuwHdjrryZ1SkRD9lHarWsQxoPXc8WV3Yt1RB3q78YJPsu_sSYwtLny5NEhyxA/s470/halloffame_title.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="470" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUeCcDrk3pEc_zK9J-zmSDYWoRB7nRtTwmAzdyblAFzT1-0uKqd-YrefyQmAGYSoyQqkzFoI1SL3q1GUwZfOo254Z0OjrsKlg-PTgtpDCDrxnAamVQYxj-89HU-QyvuwHdjrryZ1SkRD9lHarWsQxoPXc8WV3Yt1RB3q78YJPsu_sSYwtLny5NEhyxA/s320/halloffame_title.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I haven't followed the Oscars since 2000. I lost interest in all the hoopla and the older I got, the less the Oscars' sensibilities lined up with my own love of movies. Every time they come around though, and the usual round of outraged reactions to the nominations start to come in, I always wish that The Horror Hall of Fame had kept on rocking. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0TArEYop8pPmYGxQkyOmP-xYgZeAbOjSmWxhb4A4y9CPADt1tPpXs46T7QAZvBmXkkWiZUAR8ZfvVbdI0Bb0dIaGmCi3spDGonQERxzNYv1fJAkxsHNnhFcNVMmjBIkXxutyAecIJtcs_BJai30xG1E9Bn5DkX131K0pcpnPr-aPfpr0FN4wts8zvg/s402/halloffame_englund.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="284" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0TArEYop8pPmYGxQkyOmP-xYgZeAbOjSmWxhb4A4y9CPADt1tPpXs46T7QAZvBmXkkWiZUAR8ZfvVbdI0Bb0dIaGmCi3spDGonQERxzNYv1fJAkxsHNnhFcNVMmjBIkXxutyAecIJtcs_BJai30xG1E9Bn5DkX131K0pcpnPr-aPfpr0FN4wts8zvg/s320/halloffame_englund.png" width="226" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Kicking off in 1990, The Horror Hall of Fame was a yearly televised special, hosted by Robert Englund, that honored the year's best in horror that ran for three years, ending in 1992. A fourth special was promised at the close of the third special but it never materialized and the HHoF quietly ended. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDLEoyOSeINxYNlslJP9oFXNJFkJ7QrsWmzrt02o9VH0CwpE-m1QUithZ8jozA0zDsPPW-OzdfvEgKL26XkiQLCQG5Nk2APA416WT1MwKR5N1OQWoKrj1kgbRb0r_Ej5mabrc5H5NalfcX8erkh60ks_NNzhWQpvMvySlKU5LDP0daJbKhvw6yL23EA/s480/halloffame_jason.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDLEoyOSeINxYNlslJP9oFXNJFkJ7QrsWmzrt02o9VH0CwpE-m1QUithZ8jozA0zDsPPW-OzdfvEgKL26XkiQLCQG5Nk2APA416WT1MwKR5N1OQWoKrj1kgbRb0r_Ej5mabrc5H5NalfcX8erkh60ks_NNzhWQpvMvySlKU5LDP0daJbKhvw6yL23EA/s320/halloffame_jason.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">These specials were very much on the hokey side but Englund was a perfect choice as host (with The Crypt Keeper popping in to lend his cackling assistance) and for all the corny banter on display, it never came off any worse on this front than the Oscars ever do. As with the Oscars, The Horror Hall of Fame indulged in the usual share of self congratulatory back slapping (it is still an awards show, after all) but the difference is that the Oscars never brought Chucky or Jason on stage so automatic points to the Horror Hall of Fame. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7eq866DKzkueX_ar9wa_BJy9fe2Xv87gbGUttmBWeHJoghU1Hs6fFNtqwBXvHuN-V-fEe9AECj2fJXiBiyXSo_5KlEoW5Q7mJWhJv45vhMFNgtJlJa1gGjIP0WUTHDRfslQvZs-pDSMwmQo_Js-XToiFtnjmX_gtlBJWM_nyd6sEq-1Ihn3HV0RoDg/s500/halloffame2_bespicture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7eq866DKzkueX_ar9wa_BJy9fe2Xv87gbGUttmBWeHJoghU1Hs6fFNtqwBXvHuN-V-fEe9AECj2fJXiBiyXSo_5KlEoW5Q7mJWhJv45vhMFNgtJlJa1gGjIP0WUTHDRfslQvZs-pDSMwmQo_Js-XToiFtnjmX_gtlBJWM_nyd6sEq-1Ihn3HV0RoDg/s320/halloffame2_bespicture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Unlike with the Oscars, there was no confusion about what genre <i>The</i> <i>Silence</i> <i>of</i> <i>the</i> <i>Lambs</i> belonged to when it won the Best Picture in the 1991 HHoF special (handily beating out such competition as <i>Misery</i> and <i>Jacob's</i> <i>Ladder</i>). The early '90s were a very demoralized era for horror, both in its commercial fortunes and in its public estimation, so it was cool to see something that openly celebrated the genre's past and present. Horror was in need of some cheerleading then. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHEGWQHMPvfiV4Wwq4GzNeZ1_E2SnskRJHxBS14rNeeETKjB2uMw35_qy5jrY0fSkMykDEIyUwQqIFbI3Ss0I3vJhOefbmgJOr2TGn0kA3Q6wUW3t1u4iNxWpFrkjEV0-CaUTOMjmgeNCz9xA5f6pT0XqEqoeiKXdpTZfjM7ja6H8zpLyjMGunM2mew/s640/halloffame_bestpicturenoms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHEGWQHMPvfiV4Wwq4GzNeZ1_E2SnskRJHxBS14rNeeETKjB2uMw35_qy5jrY0fSkMykDEIyUwQqIFbI3Ss0I3vJhOefbmgJOr2TGn0kA3Q6wUW3t1u4iNxWpFrkjEV0-CaUTOMjmgeNCz9xA5f6pT0XqEqoeiKXdpTZfjM7ja6H8zpLyjMGunM2mew/s320/halloffame_bestpicturenoms.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I only wish it had continued. Award shows are vapid by nature but they do serve a purpose in spotlighting excellence and spurring a greater appreciation of the medium and it would have been nice to see something as genre centric as HHoF continue to do that. Mostly, though, I would have loved to have seen how the HHoF would have changed over the years to reflect the shifting trends in the genre. It would have been cool to see the HHoF during the post <i>Scream</i> slasher era or the <i>Saw</i> spawned torture porn years. And it would have been highly amusing to see how a hokey program like this would have adapted to honoring A24's brand of elevated horror, with the likes of <i>Heredity</i> and <i>The</i> <i>Lighthouse</i> being recognized alongside <i>The</i> <i>Meg</i> and <i>Annabelle</i> <i>Comes</i> <i>Home</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUlixDtlJXlWESokKANQ83kwvCtlMAKhveeMPeE04v6Y2svICNF0wfZKqKxSAK7FTjhT6mDxblpphnXMVXb3COoh18OjOwuL4rvF3sQTwlW7l_5RkjlAWiMkEXN7wFmUAvRy1CTYtPZ_YLyPubHLoDKLZXg2ObFdn36tj2WamN176SxxiCWsPIsiT3A/s1200/halloffame_englund_podium.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUlixDtlJXlWESokKANQ83kwvCtlMAKhveeMPeE04v6Y2svICNF0wfZKqKxSAK7FTjhT6mDxblpphnXMVXb3COoh18OjOwuL4rvF3sQTwlW7l_5RkjlAWiMkEXN7wFmUAvRy1CTYtPZ_YLyPubHLoDKLZXg2ObFdn36tj2WamN176SxxiCWsPIsiT3A/s320/halloffame_englund_podium.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Had the Horror Hall of Fame continued, on the morning the Oscar nominations were announced this year, fans wouldn't have had to lament the lack of recognition for films like <i>Nope</i> and <i>Bones</i> <i>and</i> <i>All</i>. We'd know they'd be getting their due in this year's HHoF, maybe with horror's newest superstar M3GAN sharing the stage with Robert Englund. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpy54odb-rXaZH4TFh95OaLCnWAswKpJwvKjVBrYIbn3_NJRlEl-8OAkiy4voEzdcTU7Bc5WDcx92Zv3Vd7ORdJx1o1cmsaxwo-U3sgR6t7ALcBS0hvEfOnITqUHH7ob4l6a8MQIeDzI43DzR3JJTEZOKR1dKU7Hn7JrasHdZE2QgpZWQhnNHRs0Pfg/s272/halloffame_audience.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="272" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpy54odb-rXaZH4TFh95OaLCnWAswKpJwvKjVBrYIbn3_NJRlEl-8OAkiy4voEzdcTU7Bc5WDcx92Zv3Vd7ORdJx1o1cmsaxwo-U3sgR6t7ALcBS0hvEfOnITqUHH7ob4l6a8MQIeDzI43DzR3JJTEZOKR1dKU7Hn7JrasHdZE2QgpZWQhnNHRs0Pfg/s1600/halloffame_audience.jpeg" width="272" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I'd gladly take that over the Oscars any day. </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-55258816813118801612023-01-20T10:00:00.115-08:002023-01-25T18:46:41.719-08:00Magazine Dreams<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3keLto6SprtjXM0EE-hdhXXXyZZ_mRof1F1ukezpt3CqsXoL54hD2oe5q9Iuw0GF7igDoCJb5rKKHO3mtO1RdbUodws9DPACa5MKeTqiQN6raeUzRXjEtDQie5Rl87Cc9TB0crfGXgK8qwAcsMY05U_d8SGzVgXh1s_qjC_zPmlpo60JM_oCXSo14OA/s3411/cfq_cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3411" data-original-width="2671" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3keLto6SprtjXM0EE-hdhXXXyZZ_mRof1F1ukezpt3CqsXoL54hD2oe5q9Iuw0GF7igDoCJb5rKKHO3mtO1RdbUodws9DPACa5MKeTqiQN6raeUzRXjEtDQie5Rl87Cc9TB0crfGXgK8qwAcsMY05U_d8SGzVgXh1s_qjC_zPmlpo60JM_oCXSo14OA/s320/cfq_cover.jpg" width="251" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Twenty years ago, <i>Cinefantastique </i>was<i> </i>relaunched with the first issue of the new volume proclaiming 2003 to be the "Year of the Superhero." The soon to be released <i>Daredevil</i> was front and center of CFQ's coverage with news of a multitude of other comic book related projects like <i>X2</i>, <i>Hulk</i> and <i>Smallville</i> also contained within. In early 2003, these projects represented the relatively new superhero trend hitting its stride. In the wake of the success of <i>X-Men</i> in 2000 and <i>Spider-Man</i> in 2002, live action adaptations of superheroes in movies and TV were gathering steam, maybe soon to hit a peak. The general expectation then was this was a fad and inevitably the bubble would burst and popular tastes would move on to something else in time. Cut to today where every year continues to be the Year of the Superhero. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAYdEEbfbldceRCWnZbgNimNstFaeoJL4zc1_5YNCAzgcbDqI0y4EnBxC0BePBe-zMKmBTDwPbi8sisfU0sGkjGDuTyz8xIsWmw6R8KR3fjxPS7H27XnIAdfqnV4HV1nOtDbbGr32mr92GH2EUQhAH4AOejPqkGXeAXuDEo61qZ5vW_AmhldI5vNDBQ/s4020/cfq_double.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2758" data-original-width="4020" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAYdEEbfbldceRCWnZbgNimNstFaeoJL4zc1_5YNCAzgcbDqI0y4EnBxC0BePBe-zMKmBTDwPbi8sisfU0sGkjGDuTyz8xIsWmw6R8KR3fjxPS7H27XnIAdfqnV4HV1nOtDbbGr32mr92GH2EUQhAH4AOejPqkGXeAXuDEo61qZ5vW_AmhldI5vNDBQ/s320/cfq_double.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As much as it felt like the dam had finally burst on comic book adaptations, by today's standards 2003 looks like a dribble rather than a deluge. By comparison, in 2022 we had a new Batman movie, Black Adam's debut, and Thor, Black Panther and Doctor Strange sequels and in 2023 we've got third chapters for both Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy, a Captain Marvel sequel that brings together three different Marvels - Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), Monica Rambeau (Spectrum), and Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), a Shazam sequel, a Flash movie (that includes Michael Keaton's Batman!), a Blue Beetle movie, and an Aquaman sequel. And that's not even mentioning all the Disney+ Marvel shows slated to debut this year. Basically we've gotten to the point where it's hard for even hardcore fans to keep up with all of it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj81POseSzUG1nHyXSpHlK3WLjwD5feo6nSpYLNGC3gOYIo9O_g2iCg5288k11AVHHPycGGKFbbcZukSHJULlaI18ImcDbzoy3kguisdwCZ-5b2OXz8cVodxyNDsbGT2Ogij3M_w7FkeTI-YlkgjglPnZLw40YL0IlE-nvPlrN2wPTjnwk3-0LH6daXg/s3812/cfq_page36.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3812" data-original-width="3045" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj81POseSzUG1nHyXSpHlK3WLjwD5feo6nSpYLNGC3gOYIo9O_g2iCg5288k11AVHHPycGGKFbbcZukSHJULlaI18ImcDbzoy3kguisdwCZ-5b2OXz8cVodxyNDsbGT2Ogij3M_w7FkeTI-YlkgjglPnZLw40YL0IlE-nvPlrN2wPTjnwk3-0LH6daXg/s320/cfq_page36.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As problems go, this difficulty actually represents cool news for comic book and superhero fans but the bummer is that <i>Cinefantastique</i> and genre publications like it didn't continue to thrive along with the type of movies that they covered (CFQ ceased publication in 2006). Sure, there's still a few magazines on the stands that cover the genre but it's not like it used to be. The idea of relying on print media to get the inside scoop on a movie - never mind reading an exhaustive cover story on one (this issue of CFQ devotes 19 freaking pages to <i>Daredevil</i>) - is an alien concept in 2023. As much as I love where the movies are at, I gotta say I miss the opportunity to read about them in the detailed way that <i>Cinefantastique</i> was devoted to. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdM6oTTQiR6WDCcGMDNmE6Mq7v5KJVO6zAengevYlqPYY5OZPp33fZYE033oxAp5Qu6fum9yrpbpC_0ZROnnMZSGBT7kbFZlk_PPCv0IZY6sv_h9n_oqDXAg_2R7gYflinDLmYwvFEtu_YwZ1QfXbipGGrf3hQVxJeRPbW9_0Q0dSLslEW0cPIhvCiA/s4061/cfq_double2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2874" data-original-width="4061" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdM6oTTQiR6WDCcGMDNmE6Mq7v5KJVO6zAengevYlqPYY5OZPp33fZYE033oxAp5Qu6fum9yrpbpC_0ZROnnMZSGBT7kbFZlk_PPCv0IZY6sv_h9n_oqDXAg_2R7gYflinDLmYwvFEtu_YwZ1QfXbipGGrf3hQVxJeRPbW9_0Q0dSLslEW0cPIhvCiA/s320/cfq_double2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The fact that the rise of the types of films that <i>Cinefantastique</i> covered and celebrated for decades dovetailed with the magazine's own demise as a print entity has a certain poignancy to it. Behind the scenes features on Blu-rays and the <i>Assembled</i> making of docs on Disney+ that have accompanied each new Marvel production since MCU's Phase 4 began have taken the place of the coverage that used to be <i>Cinefantastique</i>'s bread and butter. As valuable and entertaining as these studio produced docs can be, I do miss being able to hold a physical magazine in my hands that specializes in substantial genre journalism. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimd1y09BA3ohzFyB6pn43b75M-WI-nJAy1JB6o-tVRJiBqY5QVfu-f0rIS6Y2yaw_SRMrwAc6M021w7tY1OfvK-ZWsQ50ImaACdDgl07Cz5AbvakAXINSmVs5jH110fB80wpi5_5pLpcyrKr7CaFMEI3CF9PHhg7xmIkEpMLuIpic4RWxXshtgggWgNA/s4160/cfq_page49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimd1y09BA3ohzFyB6pn43b75M-WI-nJAy1JB6o-tVRJiBqY5QVfu-f0rIS6Y2yaw_SRMrwAc6M021w7tY1OfvK-ZWsQ50ImaACdDgl07Cz5AbvakAXINSmVs5jH110fB80wpi5_5pLpcyrKr7CaFMEI3CF9PHhg7xmIkEpMLuIpic4RWxXshtgggWgNA/s320/cfq_page49.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It may be the pull of nostalgia that makes me miss that experience but sentiment aside, I do think it improved our appreciation of movies - whether those movies be good, bad, or mediocre (and CFQ covered all types with equal weight) - to really <i>read</i> about them, to sit for an extended period of time and absorb a well researched article rather than to just react to tweets scrolling past our timelines. </div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-77150485758715047562023-01-12T15:55:00.047-08:002023-01-13T07:03:17.056-08:00The King In Blue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-PQ_VegaR3kbSlPv0rVdmWzmgWA73OW6KbTv6z1LI5LQH4nf4dcr_deTsNMlpVGXgtWwaDiNSky7bCl96q8gfxlYalW16NktgCwUxzjGr7By52FHTVkiXGeSe_BUGnwJcsMiqgcxk8hd8wSCqcgzSFfUW3iGD0rCDZ6bBbTlC38-btHnW22ndBwDog/s640/avatar_cameron_blue.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-PQ_VegaR3kbSlPv0rVdmWzmgWA73OW6KbTv6z1LI5LQH4nf4dcr_deTsNMlpVGXgtWwaDiNSky7bCl96q8gfxlYalW16NktgCwUxzjGr7By52FHTVkiXGeSe_BUGnwJcsMiqgcxk8hd8wSCqcgzSFfUW3iGD0rCDZ6bBbTlC38-btHnW22ndBwDog/s320/avatar_cameron_blue.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">With <i>Avatar:</i> <i>The</i> <i>Way</i> <i>of</i> <i>Water</i>'s box office performance settling the question of whether or not there was an appetite for more <i>Avatar</i> after so many insisted that no one gave a shit about the sequel to the biggest movie of all time, I think it's worth asking: why are so many people so intent on doubting James Cameron? And not just doubting him but actively rooting against him? With <i>Avatar</i>, Cameron has created an entire world, a whole franchise, that is exclusively his own. He's a nerd who has the clout to write his own ticket. There isn't a single studio executive with the license to second guess him or strong arm him into going against his own instincts so why is every nerd not in his corner? You'd think they would be, right? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7kHGVjFG0B6XwGo-w6evGSOvAWMIB9vGWIaNlDjw6x6qU7PiG5XSTfLJSah950bY4KiwmuAl3H1jvGEUsIGhVc3gyURyL9hIapxA-mXqBVKgrPCu6by4W49Dxdf-hTdtPhok2rB3XvIvFmxbdLZv6nc-LBTvCHJQgRg0DBoxA0aWx6afQ7GonSop3w/s992/avatar_cameron_premeire.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="992" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7kHGVjFG0B6XwGo-w6evGSOvAWMIB9vGWIaNlDjw6x6qU7PiG5XSTfLJSah950bY4KiwmuAl3H1jvGEUsIGhVc3gyURyL9hIapxA-mXqBVKgrPCu6by4W49Dxdf-hTdtPhok2rB3XvIvFmxbdLZv6nc-LBTvCHJQgRg0DBoxA0aWx6afQ7GonSop3w/s320/avatar_cameron_premeire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The thing is, with just about every other big nerd property - whether you're talking about <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i> or <i>Star</i> <i>Trek</i>, Marvel or DC, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, many fans feel like they have part ownership in all of it. Their prior investment in these things predates whatever new projects are happening so anyone that's making a new film with any of these properties is obliged (in these fan's minds) to win them over. Courting these fans and gaining the approval of the self-appointed gatekeepers of these franchises is practically part of a filmmaker's job if they're working on any major nerd property. Sure, there can be controversies and instances where a segment of fandom feels slighted but at least in the minds of disgruntled fans this only confirms their importance. They're a part of the process. With <i>Avatar</i>, though, they don't have any such leverage, they don't have the same kind of pull (whether it be real or imagined) as they do with other properties. They're shut out. They don't matter anymore than the next person buying a ticket, and I think they resent it for that reason. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37XlYyJenW2LgKpIsFdyGJytAk1nnj2s_GCym2FR6MeRWWLmdCofz5CkM027R4x_sq3z1J-6WFHdZrr5cVYKzb-WH-1Kt1o-IC37R5nUzt0mXncVj7_HyKvFJUNk2iK9cVkA1S6ZYLoCpbcuuMNkznCyYYJTTwA_SQ4Vq_WQ1lmOkboRaUW49KArkWg/s2048/avatar_hangarbay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37XlYyJenW2LgKpIsFdyGJytAk1nnj2s_GCym2FR6MeRWWLmdCofz5CkM027R4x_sq3z1J-6WFHdZrr5cVYKzb-WH-1Kt1o-IC37R5nUzt0mXncVj7_HyKvFJUNk2iK9cVkA1S6ZYLoCpbcuuMNkznCyYYJTTwA_SQ4Vq_WQ1lmOkboRaUW49KArkWg/s320/avatar_hangarbay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">When it comes to <i>Avatar</i>, there's no aggressive subsection of fans that can attempt to drive the discourse about it. They can't say that Cameron isn't respecting the novels or the comics or the original trilogy or any of that. They have no ground to stand on. What's more, they also aren't ahead of the general public when it comes to <i>Avatar</i> and I think that gets nerds twisted up as well. Whether these nerds love or hate a new Marvel or DC or <i>Star</i> <i>Wars</i> movie or show, I believe they enjoy the satisfaction of being able to feel like their opinion is more valid because they're an OG fan. They feel like they can back up their bullshit by going into the lore and mythology in order to tell someone who enjoyed whatever the new thing is that, well, they're wrong about it. With <i>Avatar</i>, Cameron has taken that (imagined) advantage away from them. There's no way for them to feel superior to anyone when it comes to <i>Avatar</i> (except by trashing it). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vKzhW_XCagq4rPzIfykiq_ltwD4Ml4Rda58NVZmhBaHFRi2j2unTIoVa1lCHhn0qdFGlDbpfmLOWNCySRVSMB1d7KmiV4am4EwiF6XoDqPjU_Y4rwsb0QLPMDVl1r3h0Jkn-bM-QaqVs56yFfG4zBc2VQPg1KsIayhLIAmVfGlN06KoouJbb8JQSRw/s1460/avatar_cameronandweaver.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1460" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vKzhW_XCagq4rPzIfykiq_ltwD4Ml4Rda58NVZmhBaHFRi2j2unTIoVa1lCHhn0qdFGlDbpfmLOWNCySRVSMB1d7KmiV4am4EwiF6XoDqPjU_Y4rwsb0QLPMDVl1r3h0Jkn-bM-QaqVs56yFfG4zBc2VQPg1KsIayhLIAmVfGlN06KoouJbb8JQSRw/s320/avatar_cameronandweaver.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The whole complaint about the original <i>Avatar</i> not leaving any "cultural footprint" and thereby failing to matter is about a certain sub-segment of nerds believing that unless they've adopted something, that unless it belongs to them first and everyone else second then it's not valid and they so they feel obliged to minimize it. Nerds are territorial and I believe they enjoy feeling that when it comes to pop culture, that is the one area in life where they actually have some significant clout, where things must naturally bend to them. <i>Avatar</i>, though, is a sci-fi property that belongs to everyone equally. Cameron doesn't have to go on stage and play to the crowd at conventions, hoping the fanbase won't turn against him. Nerds can't school anyone about whether the latest <i>Avatar</i> movie is faithful to the source material. Everyone is coming to these movies on the same level and that is a rare thing with sci-fi properties, especially now when nearly everything is a pre-existing legacy franchise. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mJe2S2_dtgtTaN21wDY4uTZ7u9iIod8IMdS8rLa0PZ3pPZiwmtMXPZJhpnmmAjlJGQrRq88hRCsjeaFG_mw2JAwWEmpBgW6CynyOLAoLdUMyDaF4MyLEl3D2BoiPE5BkWq2uPY1LOOT5OeY8GnWjx4ZXgXdbwcoR8_JUK41EdMt_ECmxokJaZXnLdA/s1200/avatar_blue2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1200" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mJe2S2_dtgtTaN21wDY4uTZ7u9iIod8IMdS8rLa0PZ3pPZiwmtMXPZJhpnmmAjlJGQrRq88hRCsjeaFG_mw2JAwWEmpBgW6CynyOLAoLdUMyDaF4MyLEl3D2BoiPE5BkWq2uPY1LOOT5OeY8GnWjx4ZXgXdbwcoR8_JUK41EdMt_ECmxokJaZXnLdA/s320/avatar_blue2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now that we know it's a certainty that Cameron will be able to complete his planned five film saga (with the possibility of more installments beyond that being in play, I'm sure), it'll be interesting to see what the reaction will be going forward. Will the fans that stubbornly insisted that <i>Avatar</i> was a fluke and that it could never be a franchise get on board with it or just continue to maintain the same preposterous skepticism with every new film? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5IMvdMendCgAs_R5RNr5UH-NvSS47bxMKZpfm0Ylztdij0riEEZs6Si0tYdlf5rX_1aX_TF_laHPRPgvfI7EcsAyslnXu4e0TMOcE1r3n7HNUG5CkkNsjRyWPs_aiYuyGx6GxPU8nb2gHtr9PymrN6152OykqojPD9jygIp8mKyCK7gZ0Axf8RlUXA/s700/avatar_cameron_navi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5IMvdMendCgAs_R5RNr5UH-NvSS47bxMKZpfm0Ylztdij0riEEZs6Si0tYdlf5rX_1aX_TF_laHPRPgvfI7EcsAyslnXu4e0TMOcE1r3n7HNUG5CkkNsjRyWPs_aiYuyGx6GxPU8nb2gHtr9PymrN6152OykqojPD9jygIp8mKyCK7gZ0Axf8RlUXA/s320/avatar_cameron_navi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">One thing's for sure - whether they do or don't, it won't make a damn bit of difference to Cameron.</p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4666171908195204803.post-85268612434815839402023-01-08T09:30:00.125-08:002023-01-11T07:59:50.960-08:00My Little Terminator<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aqYAuFdEASH1p0FXsFaqH2vUel84d_YI-BtWqXk4sBuvCSUwc3B8tEHzy0H99mALllk5-kr8pOeR7rK543EJWjPXyuvF6piXA3-fmxMtpw3QKlls2lrV_Dc8SquqJPc3uyjLvgQqqVsDhjwlQAwfD0hAFIfj5QFmOOhl-ixiWiie3nUBqlprETSFVw/s528/m3gan_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="348" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aqYAuFdEASH1p0FXsFaqH2vUel84d_YI-BtWqXk4sBuvCSUwc3B8tEHzy0H99mALllk5-kr8pOeR7rK543EJWjPXyuvF6piXA3-fmxMtpw3QKlls2lrV_Dc8SquqJPc3uyjLvgQqqVsDhjwlQAwfD0hAFIfj5QFmOOhl-ixiWiie3nUBqlprETSFVw/s320/m3gan_poster.jpg" width="211" /></a> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Even though it's absolutely clear from all the marketing for <i>M3GAN</i> that the titular doll is a robotic A.I. creation, it's still hard not to go in with thoughts of Chucky and killer dolls in your head. That all quickly evaporates, though, as <i>M3GAN</i> immediately establishes itself as a killer robot film rather than a killer doll one. Yes, this killer robot also happens to be a doll but <i>M3GAN</i> occupies the same space as the likes of <i>The</i> <i>Terminator</i>, <i>Deadly</i> <i>Friend</i> and <i>Demon</i> <i>Seed</i> - tales of technology run amok - rather than the killer doll realm of <i>Child's</i> <i>Play</i>, <i>Dolls</i>, and <i>Annabelle</i>. Honestly, as a movie monster, M3GAN has more in common with the haywire robots of <i>Chopping</i> <i>Mall</i> than with Chucky. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjquhCh-SxZm0N_CxWOkoc6Pg-VtfOwVqFb5zlw-WsAEsinBDX5rFGEqF6M3gc3HYhB1TTOmjY0cs9HZfORWjlVBX-_ocSLmxRvr6ylQanF1uHiBfjuleT1Qu5Lrfpnb8dD6GMAwLaNLYyAWEjl7vih-KPwL-xBzRyCyoWEkhcd4mS6fnYSoNvSSFtQ/s286/eve_face.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjquhCh-SxZm0N_CxWOkoc6Pg-VtfOwVqFb5zlw-WsAEsinBDX5rFGEqF6M3gc3HYhB1TTOmjY0cs9HZfORWjlVBX-_ocSLmxRvr6ylQanF1uHiBfjuleT1Qu5Lrfpnb8dD6GMAwLaNLYyAWEjl7vih-KPwL-xBzRyCyoWEkhcd4mS6fnYSoNvSSFtQ/s1600/eve_face.jpeg" width="286" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Think of her as the sassy younger sister to the out of control EVE VIII in 1991's <i>Eve</i> <i>of</i> <i>Destruction</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQcDAR6cVjG6p1u2xP_42q_8CQQB8AMW3wrmLuhrQ46UCM22NFNrTriEzJke_B8w5eiHczdKdvdXmcBa-leW9cQgV1OA-Or6JY0oee5FzWZ51BTNf8oJndcx1ZQD3rKooMAI8YXJeAeAtJXspw2cM5ewAj4XJeNpukHd4BGqjDPlj0BV9xPypJ4Axpg/s678/megan_shades.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="678" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQcDAR6cVjG6p1u2xP_42q_8CQQB8AMW3wrmLuhrQ46UCM22NFNrTriEzJke_B8w5eiHczdKdvdXmcBa-leW9cQgV1OA-Or6JY0oee5FzWZ51BTNf8oJndcx1ZQD3rKooMAI8YXJeAeAtJXspw2cM5ewAj4XJeNpukHd4BGqjDPlj0BV9xPypJ4Axpg/s320/megan_shades.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Killer doll movies are all about inanimate objects coming to life. They play on our childhood fears of innocuous toys actually having malevolent souls, committing dark deeds only when no one else is watching. <i>M3GAN</i>, however, belongs to that sci-fi horror sub-genre of technological terrors with M3GAN (the Model 3 Generative Android) being yet another cutting edge creation gone awry. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOZ5_fell5INPrlcouxK6UIdGCwxilfWbGUhTjwbS3pMTZ2P9sgPOFYNkJilfu05T1IBjv8t0Kjld_IA6XBu7hvBpEr2q7-27fSlCr24nBXpSooaMJ5KJ2ySOkamnuF1AkLhrV5KqTsBTzvTNBgqMJlHCW0r26F-bZ2bnv4vySp0jW6wB_wdHt8bpTw/s1200/m3gan_trio.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOZ5_fell5INPrlcouxK6UIdGCwxilfWbGUhTjwbS3pMTZ2P9sgPOFYNkJilfu05T1IBjv8t0Kjld_IA6XBu7hvBpEr2q7-27fSlCr24nBXpSooaMJ5KJ2ySOkamnuF1AkLhrV5KqTsBTzvTNBgqMJlHCW0r26F-bZ2bnv4vySp0jW6wB_wdHt8bpTw/s320/m3gan_trio.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">After young Cady (Violet McGraw) is orphaned in a car accident, her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) becomes her guardian. Not naturally inclined towards parenting, Gemma's work as a roboticist and product developer at a toy company comes in handy as Gemma introduces Cady to her latest invention, M3GAN, still in the demo phase. Meant to be a companion to children, one that will bond with them, M3GAN quickly fills the emotional void in Cady's life that her aunt, as much as she does genuinely care for Cady, isn't quite equipped to. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl4dfBlrzd4dispLXmX0zIxzT-4bPDJ5RTG32xeOscf85uyFqo1iGWYv4dWuXuoQ3P7HtlVR507mOHZ5aUI7tRcDf-rLFvtp-OaZ_zLIPkTgtYPaDwpZtczjm7z1dk95EbkZmAcCbpd0UxAKErXo3nmgZrgg7vjSd4H_wr-7nYwKJz60dZa_K6sCWEA/s3000/m3gan_demo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1688" data-original-width="3000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl4dfBlrzd4dispLXmX0zIxzT-4bPDJ5RTG32xeOscf85uyFqo1iGWYv4dWuXuoQ3P7HtlVR507mOHZ5aUI7tRcDf-rLFvtp-OaZ_zLIPkTgtYPaDwpZtczjm7z1dk95EbkZmAcCbpd0UxAKErXo3nmgZrgg7vjSd4H_wr-7nYwKJz60dZa_K6sCWEA/s320/m3gan_demo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As bent on having a wicked good time with their premise as the makers of <i>M3GAN</i> are, Akela Cooper's screenplay also addresses Gemma's struggle to meet Cady's needs in real terms, acknowledging the anxieties modern parents face in wondering whether their children's interactions with technology are healthy. Earlier generations of time strapped parents struggled with having TV be a babysitter to their kids but the internet age has only exponentially added to the concerns that come with relinquishing large chunks of parenting time over to devices. While even the parents of today's most tech addicted kids don't have to worry about a robotic A.I. tucking their children into bed at night, the underlying dilemma that Gemma deals with in <i>M3GAN</i> still feels relatable </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1IJAtB__7tMSeJFRHbnPK5fDpw_eL4mo-dU43zJqu2a5ELAsU4jnc9tzkWEDqg_NjhgcoCbMNEzKt-SKR7nhac_zmG-S11ZrLKp2uEkxPRQQe5PZWpWosxlAkYSegzdSmVUTb_gnMdtduhq0xAoZUpVPqsyY2tJXJWE7wF151AwL4dTd0UxGw5l1BQ/s1920/m3gan_blocks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1920" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1IJAtB__7tMSeJFRHbnPK5fDpw_eL4mo-dU43zJqu2a5ELAsU4jnc9tzkWEDqg_NjhgcoCbMNEzKt-SKR7nhac_zmG-S11ZrLKp2uEkxPRQQe5PZWpWosxlAkYSegzdSmVUTb_gnMdtduhq0xAoZUpVPqsyY2tJXJWE7wF151AwL4dTd0UxGw5l1BQ/s320/m3gan_blocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Director Gerard Johnstone (<i>Housebound</i>) adeptly translates the humor and horror of Cooper's screenplay but also plays the drama straight, keeping <i>M3GAN</i> fun but not frivolous. Some reviews have pushed the notion that this is camp or a horror comedy but that's not the case. Yes, it's often funny and yes there is dark humor but it isn't some kind of send up devoid of emotional stakes. We care about both Gemma and Cady and the movie hinges on the question of whether they'll be able to connect sans technology as a go-between. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNlso-cofQ33Ofxd80tXiJAkCf6sFBuOqPB6_1iq7yDU3BEhfavlFCwcDvCPLfW_Jr79nNx2_lJpRq7SKfhBIH5gXvSVBnpS5y13Fvc4JvLc6PGa79t2GFqT3ocRL6yb7KBazx6N6zX6ZG7zDjYEoYdZ2yxHTqzbpsjq-hnr-MfIi-n2JtO5-YIVAFA/s2000/M3GAN_m3gan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="2000" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNlso-cofQ33Ofxd80tXiJAkCf6sFBuOqPB6_1iq7yDU3BEhfavlFCwcDvCPLfW_Jr79nNx2_lJpRq7SKfhBIH5gXvSVBnpS5y13Fvc4JvLc6PGa79t2GFqT3ocRL6yb7KBazx6N6zX6ZG7zDjYEoYdZ2yxHTqzbpsjq-hnr-MfIi-n2JtO5-YIVAFA/s320/M3GAN_m3gan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As the embodiment of that technology, M3GAN is an instant entry into the evil robot hall of fame. Perfectly conceived, perfectly realized. The look, the attitude, the personality, it's all there. As the makers of <i>The</i> <i>Horror</i> <i>Show</i>, <i>Brainscan</i>, <i>Dr</i>. <i>Giggles</i> and many others will tell you, one of the toughest things to do in horror is to try and launch a new icon. It is something that rarely works out. Given that, it is genuinely impressive how sure footed M3GAN's debut is. Just as there is no doubt that we'll be seeing more of her it also seems certain that we'll be seeing much more of screenwriter Akela Cooper's work. With the last film she penned, 2021's gonzo <i>Malignant</i>, having been an undeserved box office miss even with James Wan directing (I blame Warners, who didn't know what they had and had no clue of how to market it), it's gratifying to see <i>M3GAN</i> 's success. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6LfmzdqKGvAJzKeVQOMTiwJp3rrz8WN70cwL655j1lDWUamdGUfgAAwO596u4m_Rm2uPRkeiQzJlzMpjty1naVjUOprrk7ZI8RrCchznFBKlnr1f7Z28KxjNecK0OY_J7NNBmR5G79l7sXd4XntP3tGER0Db4A42CE8Um-oXlZabWKWIXereAuGFtA/s1577/m3gan_dolls.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1577" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6LfmzdqKGvAJzKeVQOMTiwJp3rrz8WN70cwL655j1lDWUamdGUfgAAwO596u4m_Rm2uPRkeiQzJlzMpjty1naVjUOprrk7ZI8RrCchznFBKlnr1f7Z28KxjNecK0OY_J7NNBmR5G79l7sXd4XntP3tGER0Db4A42CE8Um-oXlZabWKWIXereAuGFtA/s320/m3gan_dolls.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The first genre release out of the gate this year, <i>M3GAN</i> bodes well for the genre's 2023 prospects, building on 2022's momentum. As a collaboration between Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions and James Wan's Atomic Monster, it offers proof (if anyone needed it) of what a fruitful partnership the rumored merge between their two production companies would be. Also, following the success of original crowd pleasers from last year like <i>Smile</i>, <i>M3GAN</i> indicates a shift from A24 type elevated horror to a rising appetite for more pop orientated frights. To that end, this living doll could prove to lead the charge to a more playful era for horror. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOR2JQEMZAAyee1-IGVRLjPlBI2kuUW8YwOs9FCLfnDvPYWwftzge7F57RDebmrWtETV-VkdQ-YZme2WsLk0lAwS8DeZ_IuydNPFmn5ivH5InLhj6NlwSeqR2iRSeNESqyaRYaUJzopXqvO2rnfqCDUtfyuqLu3-ZwzzF-ucftIysObzY66TD3kDEyqw/s1000/m3gan_coat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOR2JQEMZAAyee1-IGVRLjPlBI2kuUW8YwOs9FCLfnDvPYWwftzge7F57RDebmrWtETV-VkdQ-YZme2WsLk0lAwS8DeZ_IuydNPFmn5ivH5InLhj6NlwSeqR2iRSeNESqyaRYaUJzopXqvO2rnfqCDUtfyuqLu3-ZwzzF-ucftIysObzY66TD3kDEyqw/s320/m3gan_coat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As M3GAN would say, "it's insane, right?" </p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0