#I absolutely adore Hemsworth & Thompson

[moonibinbon]

You know what I want for a good romcom?

Two agents sent out to work on a case are suddenly confronted and at risk of being exposed and the only response one of them can think up is “we’re married” and now they have to act like that for the rest of the movie bc at least one person who thinks it’s true is around them at all times (mostly) and they’re up to their necks in this stuff and could seriously be in deep trouble if they get blown.

Here’s the thing though. As it progresses, our two protagonists slowly realize they might actually be falling in love with each other. In the big final battle, one of them is about to get hurt, but they don’t know it. The other realizes it, and without thinking, completely throws themself into the line of fire as the first watches.

They both cone out fine and get married like all good post-agent-spies-friends-turned-lovers do. Idk if I want this to be wlw or mlm, but either way I think I love it.

[a-gent-galahad]

Let’s suit up.

Alright my dudes. I’ve been thinking about making this self-indulgent, long-winded post for years but with the impending release of Men in Black: International, I think it’s time for this Kingsman blog to give an official nod in acknowledgement of another great movie franchise that also struck gold by pairing together an unlikely duo, dressed them in sexy af suits and let them loose to kick some serious ass together 😎

[ companion gifset post here ]

|| SPOILERS WARNING - do not read any further if you have not watched the original Men in Black trilogy, or indeed the Kingsman movies ||

When I first heard about Men in Black: International, I was so excited because I am also an MiB super-fan. It reminded me of the fact that I am obsessed with Kingsman today because I was obsessed with Men in Black way back in 1997. I remember I had posters plastered all over my university room walls of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. I actually still have those posters, rolled up and safely stored away.

I suppose you can even kind of say that because of my old obsession, Men in Black is the reason why this blog even exists. Kingsman, whilst of course being its own original and very different story, has a great deal of shared territory with Men in Black…

An independent, international, super secret organisation operating under the government radar.

The organisation’s uniform consists of a kick-ass suit, ridiculously expensive branded glasses and equally expensive wrist watch, all of which you can actually buy in real life.

The agents that don this uniform save the world over and over and over again, with the world’s population none the wiser.

An older, cool af mentor. Nothing fazes him, he doesn't smile much. Can definitely kick some serious ass despite age. His home has classic, traditional decor.

A young, street-smart protégé. Eager and tenacious. Likes to wear loud branded sports gear and wild trainers/sneakers when not Looking Good in a suit.

They first met when the protégé was just a child, soon after the protégé’s father was killed in action and saved the mentor’s life, during a mission when the mentor and the father were working closely alongside each other. Had the father survived, he most likely would have joined the organisation too. The mentor tells the protégé that his father died as a hero. Eggsy’s memento of his father is a medal; Jay’s is a pocket watch.

Many years later, the now adult protégé participates in a frantic night-time chase through the city. He ends up at the police station, being questioned by weary officers in a dimly lit room.

The mentor mysteriously appears here at the police station to meet him and the protégé doesn’t recognise him at first. The mentor has pulled strings to get him released early from the police station.

After shocking him with a dramatic display of The Truth™, the mentor talks across a booth table to a frozen and stunned protégé. The mentor tells the protégé where to find him if he is interested in learning more about The Truth™. The protégé, totally weirded out, stares at the mentor's back as he leaves through the door.

When the protégé goes to the address he is given, he finds the mentor already there waiting for him. The mentor escorts the protégé to HQ for the first time via a secret lift that takes them deep underground.

The protégé is told that he is late when he arrives for the interview. It is a tough recruitment interview by process of elimination from other elite candidates, who are all dressed more formally. Some of them believe the protégé is inferior to them and under-qualified.

The protégé later pines over his absent mentor. The mentor is living a different life and has lost all memory of his many years of service to the organisation.

When they are finally reunited, the mentor doesn't remember the protégé. The protégé has to get his old mentor’s memory back in order to save the world again.

Oh and pugs. Pugs are important.

Both of the first instalments are vastly superior to the second instalments but MiB3 was freaking awesome, so fingers crossed for K3.

And I have to prepare myself for future instalments of both franchises without Harry & Eggsy / J & K 😭😭😭

Apologies for the rambling wall of text, I really needed to get it out of my system. I must reiterate, that although both franchises share a lot of common ground, their tone, style and main plot are completely different. And I absolutely adore them both.

P.S. imo Kingsman glasses are nicer than MiB’s and MiB’s watches are nicer than Kingsman’s 😜

P.P.S. i do wonder if the recent huge success of Kingsman was what got the ball rolling for a 4th crack at MiB...?

P.P.P.S. why tf did the MiB/21 Jump St. crossover get shelved cos that would’ve been lit af

[uncommon-etc]

To follow up with a more positive post from my ‘top 5 dumbest criticisms debunked’ here’s a list of adorable and well-thought-out details from Thor: Love and Thunder, which, while not that difficult to spot, I appreciated even more the second time round.

- The costume department made Tessa Thompson at least four different perfectly tailored suits for approximately eight seconds of footage. Was it a waste of fabric? Absolutely not.

- Jane isn’t just a sci-fi nerd for reeling off films that explain wormholes well, her Halloween costume in the montage is Ash from Alien, post chest-burster scene.

- Thor has Nick Fury’s contact saved to his phone as ‘Nick Furry’ which will never not be funny to me.

- Was giving Dwayne a mustache when Kronans have absolutely no capacity to grow facial-hair an absolutely ridiculous decision that some poor vfx artist should have been sacked over? Absolutely. But it was also a really nice callback to Taika’s childhood Freddie Mercury obsession, so jot that down.

- That poor guy who got hit in the face when a certain cape was flung for dramatic emphasis has my sympathies.

- The little broken heart next to Thor’s ‘RIP Loki’ tattoo was hilarious and tragic at the same time.

- It was definitely ‘bring your daughter to work day’ on set, I’ve already seen plenty of people remarking on the adorableness of Chris Hemsworth’s kidlet, but both of Taika’s daughters were among the stolen Asgardian kids and were apparently really mean to Christian Bale.

- Despite having all the trappings of a family-friendly film you get multiple ‘oh shit’ lines, though it feels entirely appropriate to the tone of the scenes, there are also at least two references to a mass orgy held on a regular basis in Omnipotent City.

- All of the snacks in the vending machine Thor breaks are region-appropriate, which pleased me as someone who grew up only getting to eat that stuff in Finland or on family trips to IKEA and ngl, if I was having to pay like 2-3 euros for a pack of Marabou or some salmiakki, and I had super-strength, I’d probably just smash the thing too.   

- Glad to see independent theatre is still thriving in New Asgard, but the irony of Valkyrie being very done with the two actors while wearing a Phantom of the Opera t-shirt was not lost on me. Her being a closet theatre-kid seems pretty on-brand. 

- Sif still being a badass sword-fighter with only one arm (why is that such a common injury in the MCU?)

- Idk why, but the scene on the boat where the straight half of the crew are outside doing straight things while Korg and Valkyrie are propping up the bar, drinking and discussing being gay felt... weirdly relatable. If that isn’t how you and your friends end up at the tail-end of a house-party don’t @ me.

- It seemed a really odd choice at first to have a film with three semi-sentient weapons that have their own personalities and a fourth that’s just kind of there, but in hindsight it’s also hilarious. Stormbreaker’s got beef with Thor and Mjolnir and the Necrosword parallel each other beautifully (both are slowly killing the person that wields them, but the motives are polar opposites) so I kept waiting for the thunderbolt to have some whole hidden agenda of its own, but no, it was the only cool-looking god-level weapon that was... just a weapon.

I’ll probably think of more to add, because I love this film so damn much, but feel free to chip in if there’s any obvious ones I’ve forgotten.

[askanaroace]

You recently reblogged something from an aro who likes Crazy Ex GF, can you recommend other shows/movies/etc that have aro/ace visibility? Thanksthanksthanks

Hi there! Sorry this has taken so long. ^^;;

I just want to make a clarification here that there’s a difference between aro/ace visibility and aro/ace friendliness. Aro/ace visibility would include some form of aro/ace rep, while aro/ace friendliness would be stories that aren’t super focused on romance/sex (or at least in the normal way we expect) that aro/ace people may be more comfortable watching or just relate to on some personal level as a result.

That being said, I want to clarify that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has a lot of romance and sex in it! I absolutely adore the show, and it absolutely does play with and flip common romantic tropes, but there’s no aro/ace rep or really visibility in it. But to get to the end of flipping the amatonormative script, our protag spends the vast majority of the show chasing a relationship. So for any who saw that post, do know there’s a lot of romance and sex in CEG, even though it does play with common tropes!

That aside...

A new blog @aro-test has popped up to go over if media has a romantic subplot or not, so it’s definitely a blog of interest! I also suggest @representativecharacters, which has a great tagging system you can use to look for a variety of rep. I’ve also got a variety of tags I try to keep up on: representation, book recs, and comic recs so far. As for things I could think of off the top of my head, trying to hit rep/friendliness in a variety of ways (in the order I thought of them; there’s only explicit rep if I mention it):

Shows

BoJack Horseman - to be honest, I still haven’t tried one, but it does have an explicitly asexual character.

Shadowhunters - another show with a canon ace character I haven’t gotten to watch (but really want to).

Steven Universe - okay, this is a children’s show and it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea (I didn’t really even notice the inconsistent art style until people pointed it out), but I’m suggesting it because: a) there is an overreaching plot that runs the course of the show; it’s not just disconnected segments like something like Spongebob may be, b) there’s a lot of episodes to go through, and c) there really is not a lot of romance in it (and as a kid’s show, there also isn’t anything really sexual - I don’t even remember catching any subtle innuendo like a lot of kid’s movies these days have). There are a couple characters in relationships or who are kind of flirty/pining, but it’s mostly background and subtle, and the main plot is more about finding and having confidence in who you are. I’m also suggesting this one because unlike some other kids shows I could cover, the characters here are either human or very human-like. I don’t know about others, but I personally don’t feel very represented by, say, cartoon horses. ^^;;

Sex Education - There’s some debate on this one, but I personally really enjoyed the first season and am going to remain optimistic for any future seasons. There is sex and romance in this show, but the main character isn’t interested in a sexual relationship and is also repulsed by masturbation. The controversy comes in because the potential ace character’s actions are thought by others to be a result of some form of sexual trauma when he was younger (likely coming from living with his sex therapist mother who is not so subtle with the men she sleeps with). However, he’s really the first character who really seems to put my high school experiences on TV, so I think the show is worth it.

Avatar the Last Airbender - okay, another kid’s show, but a great kids show. There is some romance in this, but it’s definitely not the focus, and if you just look away fast enough at the last 30 seconds of the last episode, you can pretend the romantic subplot that never really existed also never got started. =p But seriously, great show that focuses more on friendship and empathy justice more than anything else.

Jessica Jones - unfortunately, the show is really going downhill as the seasons progress IMO, but I’ve easily read Jessica as similar to myself: caedromantic. There’s sex and there is minor romance between other characters, but Jessica herself seems more focused on herself and her semi-superhero-status than anything else.

Black Summer - I’m still very pissed off that (spoiler: they killed off the deaf character of color), but the first season of the show was very much focused on the drama and horror and survival of the beginning of the zombie outbreak, so it was aro/ace friendly.

Pose - there is some hints/lead ins to sex and some characters in romantic relationships, but by and large the focus is on queer poc and the world they have carved out for themselves. I would say the main relationship type is found family, which I adore.

One Day At a Time - I’m honestly purely recommending this one for a moment in s3 (tad spoilery but I’ll keep names out of it) where two characters are thinking of having sex, one freaks out, and the other gives a really heartfelt speech on how it’s okay to take things slow and it would in fact be okay if they never had sex. It’s more of a family show, so there’s nothing very explicit. There is some romance. But s3 completely exceeded expectations with that scene, so I’m throwing the show up here as a rec.

Z-Nation - there’s some on and off romantic (and some sexy times, but I think these both get less and less as seasons go on) subplots, but again, the focus is on zombies. And honestly, I love a zombie take like in Z-Nation where there are still outlets where people come together and they don’t all just automatically kill each other on sight. >.>

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - our protag is getting out of a marriage, so there are allusions/discussions to and about that, but in the first season (couldn’t watch the second as I moved and don’t have my own prime account) the focus was definitely on Mrs. Maisel finding herself and figuring out how to do things without a husband. And she doesn’t do this by trying to wrangle up a new husband. She does it by chasing a career she enjoys just for herself.

Good Girls - there is romance and IIRC some sex in this show, but by and large, the romantic relationships are kind of broken and falling apart, while the core group of friends must stick together and keep each other together.

Into the Badlands - awesome karate action show with bits and pieces of romantic subplots but largely action-focused.

The X-Files - so Scully and Mulder end up together-ish (I don’t think it really happened until the movies, but I don’t clearly remember), but I’m not alone in seeing Scully and Mulder as really more queerplatonic than anything else. Also the werelizard episode of the re-start is hilarious.

Movies

A Wrinkle in Time - I found this movie cathartic to watch. Really beautiful. Really sweet. Really pure. It was beautiful and the focus was absolutely on familial relationships. I really loved at the end of the movie when the parents got the kiss, not the two kids, who we got to see just being kids still.

Men in Black - I love the MIB series and am very much looking forward to Thompson’s and Hemsworth’s upcoming version. These movies I think are both aro and ace friendly and just super fun to watch.

How to Train Your Dragon - (I’d ask how kids shows/movies keep ending up on here, but I don’t need to ask, lol) while Hiccup and Astrid become a couple, they’re really not overtly romantic (and definitely not sexual) and the focus is on friendship and family and dragons.

Webcomics

Rock and Riot - haven’t started it yet, but I think the entire main cast or close to it is aspec in some way, and it looks really cute.

Mistlands - another one with a ton of queer rep including aspec characters that I haven’t started, but have followed here on tumblr, and really look forward to starting.

Girls With Slingshots - this one’s definitely pretty sexual and romantic, but there is an ace character introduced partially through, and I really enjoyed the run of this comic. It’s one of the few webcomics I actually started and kept up with over the years.

Books

Books I’m not going to get into here not only because of my book rec tag above but also because there are some queer rep blogs out there you can search asexual/ace or aromantic/aro on, and they’ve already done a much better job sharing these books than I ever could! Check out @ya-pride, @lgbtqreads, @harmonyinkpress, and the #books tag on @fuckyeahasexual.

Hope this is something like what you were looking for!

.

Anyone feel free to make your own recs!

x

[ahlanzhan]

97, 101,108 for the silly asks

97. Favourite actor?

Hard to say really. I think Benedict Cumberbatch is amazing, and I adore Emma Thompson and Ian McKellen. And I absolutely thirst after Chris Hemsworth so he’s the other kind of fave. 

101. Do you type fast?

Pretty fast but not fast enough to be a live logger which pisses me off because that’d be a great job. 

108. What should you be doing?

Overall, getting my life together and finding a job. At the moment, it’s 11pm so probably trying to sleep but we all know that’s not gonna happen. 

Thank you!

[numbersagency]

Just came back from seeing the new Thor movie and I absolutely adored it! I would love to see some reserves for the cast. Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, or Taika Waititi! I would also love to see some lower ranks taken up with these amazing faceclaim options! Come and check us out! We’re a brand new limited run crime / assassin / espionage roleplay group centered around a fictional organization, The Numbers Agency. We open for apps this Saturday!

[spectral-musette]

I finally saw Thor: Ragnarok, and my feelings are severely mixed regarding it.

Non-spoilery overview:

While it’s …ultimately my least favorite Thor film, it did make me laugh at points. On some positive notes, I enjoyed Cate Blanchett’s villainous turn as Hela very much and I always enjoy gazing upon her beauty. I thought Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie was interesting, engaging and lovely. Hemsworth was reliably charismatic and funny. I’m sure Loki/Hiddleston fans will be pleased by his screentime and role in the plot. Jeff Goldblum was a hoot.

Spoilers ahoy:

(Seriously, Spoilers Are Happening)

Let me get this out of the way first off that, oh my god, we broke up Thor and Jane offscreen with no indication of any emotional aftermath after building their relationship for two films. I’m not pleased.

As much as I ship Thor and Jane (and I do very much, I adore Jane and I find their dynamic to be incredibly sweet. I love how soft Thor is with her. I love them a lot) I can absolutely accept that there are big important reasons why their relationship might be short-lived. But I want to acknowledge that, I want to hear about Thor’s unwillingness to watch Jane grow old and die, his anxiety about her delicate and ephemeral existence. I want to hear about Jane’s frustrations with his tendency to swan off to save the cosmos without so much as a fare-thee-well. I want to know. I want them to cry it out and have a bunch of sad break-up sex. I want them to acknowledge that they still feel deeply for each other and they will always drop everything to be there for each other when it’s needed.

So, that said, it’s not unheard of for MCU couples that have “broken up” offscreen to end up back together *cough*PepperandTony*cough*, so I can maintain hope that we might yet get some sort of satisfying resolution? Fingers crossed, I guess stranger things have happened.

But Jane and Darcy and Selvig were such an important part of the first two films, I absolutely missed them.

Speaking of people who were a big part of the first two films: Sif and the Warriors Three.

...

Yeah.

So I understand that Jaimie Alexander was not able to commit to the film because of her tv show. But could we not have even had a throwaway line explaining her absence? Like, at all? However, at least I hope her conspicuous absence means that my girl Sif is still alive.

Because killing off the Warriors Three?

Was really shitty.

And I’m not okay with it.

And I want to tell all those actors that I really like their characters and I’m genuinely upset that they were killed off so quickly and cheaply. For no narrative reason that I can discern. Blackberrycreek was devil’s advocating and suggested “shock value” but I think that maybe applies to one, not all three of them. Hogun at least got a somewhat dramatic scene I guess (probably to make up for his absence in the 2nd film?), but Volstagg and Fandral’s deaths were terrible and pointless and I’m honestly very upset about it. There’s no reason any or all of them couldn’t have survived to help Heimdall hide the refugees.

And we aren’t even allowed any emotional response from Thor to the deaths of three of his oldest and dearest friends?

Bringing me to the overall feeling I have that Thor himself seemed like a parody of the character that I loved in the previous films. There were moments that were good, or better than others. But where was that hard-won humility and gentleness that make Thor so appealing? Not in this film, that’s for sure. I felt like Thor 2 did such a good job of balancing humor with genuine emotion and gravity in a way that 3 just didn’t approach for me.

All I can really say about the ultimate fate of Asgard is that I really hope Ragnarok works like its supposed to in mythology and everybody gets reborn? Bring back Frigga and the Warriors Three. I’m upset.

So Bruce was there, but unfortunately the movie kept reminding me that Age of Ultron and that weird romance plot with Natasha happened, and I kind of hated it. That said, I’m super concerned about Bruce and the fact that he seems to be increasingly losing himself to the Hulk. I hope he can make it back. Are you okay Bruce? (Bruce is definitely not okay). I’m concerned.

All in all, I guess it sure entertained me for a movie that I actually kind of hated???

[twh-news]

Box Office: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Is Marvel’s Most Risk-Free Movie

We are now one month out from the release of Thor: Ragnarok ― well, the domestic release, anyway. The 17th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe opens on Nov. 3 in North America, but it’ll start its overseas roll-out (as does every MCU movie) in advance of its domestic debut. In this case, we’re two and a half weeks away.

Obviously, I haven’t seen the film quite yet and have no idea about its quality. It’s no secret that I’ve adored the trailers, both in terms of its 1980s video game/Star Wars rip-off visuals and its quirky humor, although once again I must remind you that both prior Thor films were pretty funny as well. It occurred to me that this 17th movie, eight and a half years into this gonzo MCU enterprise, is arguably the least risky movie ever in the MCU.

By that, I mean essentially nothing is at stake, and there’s nothing to prove with the Taika Waititi-directed fantasy adventure movie. Putting aside the whole “It’s probably going to do just fine!” argument for a moment, this is the first time, at least since The Incredible Hulk, that a new MCU movie hasn’t been, if not “risky,” then at least in the position of proving that X, Y or Z could bring about an MCU hit. From Iron Man to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, there was almost always some burning question to be answered by the film’s financial reception. But this time out? Yeah, Thor: Ragnarok could pull a Good Dinosaur, and it really wouldn’t mean a damn thing. Let’s dive in, shall we?

First, this is apparently the third and final chapter of the stand-alone Thor movies. So, if this one underperforms, then I suppose the non-existent Thor 4 is in immediate peril. Second, we already know that Marvel movies can do big business outside of the summer season (Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange). Third, this third Thor movie isn’t really trying to prove anything whatsoever in terms of the MCU. It’s not trying to prove that Thor can play in the A-level MCU sandbox because Thor: The Dark World already did that. It’s not trying to prove that MCU fans and general moviegoers will go for far-flung fantasy because Guardians of the Galaxy proved that with flying colors.

If I may do a stroll down memory lane, Paramount/Viacom Inc.’s Iron Man proved the feasibility of the whole enterprise right from the get-go, while Universal’s Incredible Hulk, by doing about as well as Hulk five years earlier, made a slight case for the value of the MCU brand when there barely was such a thing. Iron Man 2 made more worldwide than Iron Man, proving that it was no fluke, while Thor showed (with a then-huge $449 million worldwide) that the MCU could get general audiences into a fantasy actioner based around Norse mythology, anchored by relative unknowns like Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston no less. And Captain America: The First Avenger showed that overseas audiences (and cynical domestic ones) would embrace a character named Captain America.

You don’t need me to explain what Walt Disney’s The Avengers proved, even if it sent Hollywood on a five-year wild goose chase trying to replicate the whole cinematic universe thing. Iron Man 3 made almost as much as The Avengers worldwide and proved that the MCU got a huge shot in the arm from The Avengers. Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier proved that they didn’t need a summer release date for a big hit, while the latter offered evidence of A) Steve Rogers popularity beyond the mere $371 million global gross of The First Avenger, B) the added value of Black Widow as a supporting character and C) the ability to wedge these films into specific genres as a way to differentiate them.

Guardians of the Galaxy was a kind of “We can do anything we want!” triumph, which is why it’s a shame that we’re only getting our first minority-led superhero movie in early 2018 and our first female-led one in early 2019. But I digress, James Gunn’s allegedly risky outer-space adventure, based on characters that even somewhat hardcore comic fans have little knowledge of, proved that Marvel was in itself a brand, like Pixar, and that the biggest marketing draw for an MCU movie was that it was an MCU movie. That came in handy the next year with Ant-Man, as Edgar Wright’s surprising departure and the character’s B (at best) status still yielded and leggy and kid-friendly $519 million hit on a mere $130m budget.

Skipping back two months, while some may have carped when Avengers: Age of Ultron “only” made $458 million domestic (down from Avengers’ $623m) and “only” $1.4 billion worldwide (versus $1.5b for The Avengers), the film (still Marvel’s biggest overseas grosser) showed very little signs of slowdown. And a year later, Captain America: Civil War did almost identical business, give or take, to Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Whether or not the surefire hit had anything to prove, it was a case in introducing new heroes for future franchises, as we met Black Panther and Spider-Man during the Steve versus Tony moral showdown. If nothing else, it showed the consistency of the “mythology episode” MCU May summer kick-off movies.

5.5 years after The First Avenger and 1.5 years after Ant-Man, Doctor Strange showed that the MCU could still introduce a major new superhero, as the Sorcerer Supreme movie pulled in Phase 2/Phase 3-level bucks ($678 million) despite being closer in spirit to the Phase One origin story movies (that’s not a criticism, I would argue Wonder Woman plays like a Phase One MCU movie and The First Avenger remains my favorite MCU film). And then, just a few months ago, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 showed that James Gunn’s franchise could potentially be the new ringleaders of the MCU after Tony Stark presumably steps down from that role in two years, while also proving that an MCU movie without Iron Man could top $800m worldwide.

With $878 million worldwide and counting, Sony’s Spider-Man: Homecoming proved that A) Spidey was still an A-level property and B) putting him into the MCU indeed increased his value, again showing that the best marketing hook for an MCU movie was that it was an MCU movie. It also showed that Marvel could play nice with others. And through it all, there has been a relatively consistent drumbeat, not unlike Pixar, over the notion that THIS TIME, the movie wasn’t going to work for one reason or another. Thor was too mythical/obtuse for audiences, Captain America wouldn’t play overseas, Ant-Man was too small and too troubled, Guardians of the Galaxy was just too out there, etc., etc. And, thus far, they have essentially batted 1.00.

That’s what makes Thor: Ragnarok somewhat unique. Regardless of whether it’s any good or not (and lord knows I’ve been a nitpicky grouch for the last 2.5 years), the Chris Hemsworth/Tom Hiddleston/Cate Blanchett/Mark Ruffalo/Tessa Thompson/Jeff Goldblum actioner has absolutely nothing to prove and essentially nothing at stake. If by some fluke it flops, it won’t do any damage beyond its own arguably finished franchise, while giving the MCU a “my first kill” theatrical flop. We know that November MCU releases can work, that far-flung MCU fantasy is commercial and that Thor, Loki and Hulk are popular characters. They can get back to “proving” themselves with Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Thor: Ragnarok is essentially a freebie.

[junker-town]

20 sports movies we love that will ease your boredom

WireImage

It may be hard to find real sports to watch right now, but there is an ABUNDANCE of great fictional sports at your fingertips.

Televised sports are on hiatus for the foreseeable future. It’s a tough (but obviously necessary) blow, considering we’re all stuck inside with little to do, and sports would be the perfect diversion right about now.

Thankfully, there are hundreds, or possibly thousands, of sports-centric movies available to wile away the hours. Some might even be convincing enough to get you to yell at your screen, or feel the inimitable catharsis that comes from watching your team (the good team, obviously) win.

Below are some of the SB Nation staff’s go-to sports flicks, with information about where to stream them included. The majority are also available to rent via Amazon, YouTube, Google Play and the like.

Hot Rod (2007)

Available on Netflix, Prime and Pluto.

Insofar as failing to jump over things with a moped is a sport, Hot Rod is about sports. It’s an extremely dumb, pleasant movie with no stakes whatsoever, and it is my number one.

— Seth Rosenthal

Yes, it’s hilarious — but even more importantly, it has the ability to absorb you before you realize it and not let your mind wander out of its grasp. Distraction grade: 10 out of 10

— Will Buikema

Creed (2015)

Available to rent

Too many Rocky sequels to count, but this one really engages with the mythos around the character and who gets to take part in that myth. Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson are two of Hollywood’s brightest stars, and while it’s frustrating they were not awarded like Sylvester Stallone for their performances, all three are terrific here. Also: unlike the original Rocky, this movie recognizes that boxing includes dodging and blocking as well as punching!

— Pete Volk

Goon (2011)

Available on Netflix.

You could probably analyze Goon for commentary about how we glorify violence in hockey, or you could sit back and enjoy a genuinely hilarious movie. It has everything you want in a hockey film. There’s a dim-witted but lovable bouncer who gets a chance at a hockey career in the minors, and a grumpy Quebecois prodigy with a physicality issue. There’s gratuitous blood and gore, and Liev Schreiber getting into fights, and a hint of bromance. There are even cameos from former NHL players, and one from current Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin in the film’s 2017 sequel, Goon: Last of the Enforcers, which is also on Netflix.

If you don’t mind some exaggerated violence and slapstick comedy (and particularly if that’s what you’re into), I highly recommend it. Plus, the soundtrack slaps.

— Sydney Kuntz

Bend it Like Beckham (2002)

Available on demand with Starz and DirecTV

It’s funny, it’s sweet, and the fact that you’ve definitely seen it before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it again. It made Keira Knightley an international star, and Parminder Nagra picked up the FIFA presidential award. Beyond the film, it represented a crucial moment in David Beckham’s relationship with his country. He’d gone from villain in 1998 after that red card against Argentina, to hero in 2001 after that free kick against Greece. Eight months later this came out, and canonized him as a national treasure.

— Andi Thomas

High Flying Bird (2019)

Available on Netflix

What better to watch during a period without basketball than a movie about basketball personnel that takes place during a time of no basketball? High Flying Bird, shot entirely on iPhone by Steven Soderbergh, follows a top rookie and his ambitious agent during an NBA lockout, as they try and change the owner-heavy economic structure of the NBA.

— Pete Volk

Escape to Victory (1981, also just known as Victory)

Available on demand with Cinemax and DirecTV

Sylvester Stallone is an Allied solider in a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp. So is Michael Caine. In there with them, for some reason, is Pele, Bobby Moore, Ozzy Ardiles, and half of Ipswich Town’s 1981 UEFA Cup winning squad. And wouldn’t you just know it, they have to play an exhibition against a handpicked German side, for reasons of propaganda. Will they escape … to victory?

— Andi Thomas

Goal of the Dead (2014)

Available on Shudder

”Some kind of a riot. They are burning cars.”

”Given the refereeing, no wonder.”

French football superstar Samuel Lorit faces off against his hometown team in a cup game. His formerly adoring fans now all despise him. And then a tainted steroid injection turns pretty much everybody into zombies, straight from the 28 Days Later school of hard-running mouth-frothers. Good blood-soaked fun, if probably a bit too long. But then all films are too long these days. Return of the King won a million Oscars, and that didn’t have a ‘roid-raging zombie kicking a man’s head off his neck and into the goal.

— Andi Thomas

Fighting with My Family (2019)

Available on Prime and Hulu

Maybe the only worthwhile WWE Studios release ever? I’ll await the flame from fans of The Marine 5: Battleground in the comments. What would have otherwise been yet another vanilla sports inspiration story is elevated by a terrific cast, led by newly Oscar-nominated Florence Pugh.

— Pete Volk

The Damned United (2009)

Available to rent

An adaptation of a brilliant but bleak novel about Brian Clough’s doomed spell at Leeds United, the film dispenses with most of the book’s harrowing existential loneliness and discovers a surprisingly soft-hearted buddy story underneath. Michael Sheen disappears uncannily into his role, absolutely nailing Clough’s astringent self-possession, but Colm Meaney almost steals the film as Clough’s nemesis, Don Revie. A reminder that English football, back in the ‘70s, was a strange, drizzly place full of strange, compelling people.

— Andi Thomas

Hoop Dreams (1994)

Available on HBO, Kanopy and DirecTV

One of the best American documentaries. Also one of the best movies about dreams, who crushes them and how they evolve. It is also one of the best movies about race and poverty in America. All in all, this is one of the best movies about the allure and grace of basketball. A phenomenal film!

— Pete Volk

Horse Feathers (1932)

Available via the Internet Archive

I grew up watching the Marx Brothers with my dad, and I would be remiss not to mention this college football-centric classic. Turns out the “amateur” status of college football players was a joke in the 1930s, too!

— Pete Volk

Minding the Gap (2019)

Available on Hulu

Only tangentially about sports, since the group of kids at this documentary’s focus are skateboarders, but this is one of the great modern American documentaries about growing up, difficult friendships and toxic masculinity. Highly, highly recommend.

— Pete Volk

Starship Troopers (1997)

Available on Showtime, CBS All Access, DirecTV and Vudu

There are several reasons Starship Troopers is memorable — the broadly written anti-nationalist commentary! The exploding bugs! The co-ed showers! That one fight scene soundtracked to Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You,” for some reason! — but space football is the only one that fits with our theme. In the future, America’s favorite sport is played in high school gymnasiums on old wrestling mats. There are no special teams or roughness penalties. The ball is Nerf’s rough approximation of a baked potato wrapped in foil.

Johnny Rico, our protagonist, wins and is escorted off the field a hero. Roughly 20 minutes of film later, he’s left to die on an alien planet. Shit’s real, yo.

— Christian D’Andrea

Rush (2013)

Available on HBO

If you liked Ford V. Ferrari, you’ll probably love this. Retelling the true story of James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda’s intense Formula 1 rivalry, Rush has fantastic racing scenes and benefits from focusing on the wildly different personalities and approaches of the two rivals.

— Pete Volk

A League of Their Own (1992)

Available on Showtime, and very often randomly on cable

It almost feels redundant to list this classic, which you’ve probably already seen once or dozens of times. But if you have seen it, you know it holds up better than most of the feel-good, strings-swelling-styled sports hagiographies of the 1990s. A more-or-less accurate retelling of a vital and often ignored part of American sports history, conveyed via an all-star cast and too many quotable lines to count. The “hard” may be what makes it great, but there’s nothing hard about watching this iconic and genuinely uplifting movie. (I also wrote more about it here.)

—Natalie Weiner

Speed Racer (2008)

Available to rent

One of my favorite movies of all-time, taking many aesthetic cues from anime and seamlessly bringing them into the live-action world with breathtaking visual effects. Speed Racer is visually explosive and a delight for the senses, with a grounded conflict at its core (a family business getting bought out by a heartless corporation). In my opinion, this is sports + movies in their best balance with each other.

— Pete Volk

The Heart of the Game (2005)

Available to rent

A hardscrabble team works diligently to overcome the odds, with a few twists. The movie centers on a girls basketball team from Roosevelt High School, 10 minutes from where I grew up in Seattle, and the star of the team gets pregnant. Bring tissues.

— Natalie Weiner

Uncut Gems (2019)

Available to rent

No movie better captures the anxiety of being a sports fan, or the bad decisions you make because of your fandom. Also sports luminaries Kevin Garnett and Mike Francesa deliver excellent performances. My favorite 2019 release! Louis wrote more about it here.

— Pete Volk

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)

Available on Starz and DirecTV

This is the height of me on-my-bullshit, but please allow it: Scott Adkins and Michael Jai White are generational action stars, and this entry in the excellent Undisputed series shows their singular talents at their best. White plays an ex-boxer framed for a crime and sent to prison, where he fights for his freedom in an underground MMA ring. Adkins plays the terrifying Yuri Boyka, the reigning prison champ. This is so up my alley it’s not even funny, and hopefully it’s up yours, too!

— Pete Volk

More Than a Game (2008)

Available on Starz

It’s very easy to take LeBron James for granted. After all, he’s been doing otherworldly things in the NBA for almost two decades now. Sometimes it just seems like he’s always existed, like he’ll just be inevitable forever. At a time when we’re (hopefully temporarily) deprived of watching him play basketball, it’s worth revisiting this great documentary about his origin story. Yes, he overcame seemingly insurmountable odds, but the part that sticks with you is the people around him — those who believed in him completely, and who he has been just as loyal to in return.

— Natalie Weiner

[theyearinfilms]

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

For the longest time I’ve been mostly embarrassed to admit that my favorite Marvel superhero isn’t the more popular Ironman or Captain America or even Hulk — nope, mine is Chris Hemsworth as Thor. There wasn’t much to defend my choice, what with the lukewarm THOR movie and the critically panned THOR 2; or the fact that even across all the Avengers movies that Thor appeared in, Loki is the far more interesting and developed character. I can’t explain it, Thor’s not the greatest Avenger portrayed, but I’m so weak for him and every scene that he’s in. So one can imagine how I felt with THOR RAGNAROK — like they have finally paid off my loyalty and constant devotion, like the rest of the world can finally catch up with why Hemsworth as Thor is SUCH a great decision. All I’m saying is, if I was able to say good things about Chris and the Thor franchise for the past six years, what more NOW, what more after this? So I guess it isn’t surprising that a week later, I’m still on a Ragnarok hangover and I keep trying to remember if Avengers and/or Civil War are better than this movie (right now, it’s a resounding NO)

In all the interviews, the cast kept deferring to Taika Waititi and the wonderful tone and atmosphere that he brought on set — encouraging improvisation, deciding from the get-go that this movie will be “different” from the previous Thor installments. Definitely Taika had the most to do with it, turning Thor (the character and the series) more explicitly hilarious and infusing him with an adorable personality, but I feel like the way that the cast went with it was also instrumental. I won’t say that Thor 1 and 2 were completely devoid of humour; they did have those small moments, and even in the Avengers movies they gave Thor one or two moments or lines that made me chuckle. But this one was different — I was laughing out loud the whole time, gasping unreservedly and feeling completely blown away by everything that was happening. Does the ending leave something wanting? A little bit (especially the Ragnarok showdown) but I feel it’s negligible compared to everything else that happened before it, and even what happened after it. It’s just so well done. It’s a cinematic masterpiece and I can’t think of a single thing to fault it, except perhaps, MORE PLEASE!, and also maybe a better outfit for Odin, and also maybe more Thor/Loki/Hela interaction.

I just can’t get over the GORGEOUSNESS of everything, referring not only to its hella ripped and unbelievably attractive cast (just when I think that I can’t possibly be more infatuated with Chris Hemsworth, in every succeeding movie he proves me 100% wrong [the hair??? the arms??? and now this time THE HUMOUR ohmygod he really has no regard for human life]; and then Tom Hiddleston comes in and shows up in this all-black suit that is OBVIOUSLY painted on), but also all of the production and the sets and the visual feasts that every single frame seemed to be. Every character is spot-on, funny in his or her own way (Anthony Hopkins as Loki as Odin!!! I never thought I needed this in my life!!!), and so beautiful they couldn’t be real (Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie… absolutely slayed me… then Cate Blanchett as Hela??? how is she ageless???). I just couldn’t keep up with everything because I’m not used to this pace and tone for Thor; I can’t imagine what they’ll have to do with Infinity War to match Ragnarok’s brilliance. Looking back now at all the Marvel films I loved the most pre-Ragnarok, they seem so dreary and dark and DEFINITELY not as funny. I mean sure as a piece of cinema perhaps there’s a bit more to be credited to Winter Soldier or Civil War or the Avengers I guess, but to me those are all out the window. Maybe I’ll be a bit less biased once I’ve gotten over this honeymoon phase.

But how can a person get over Ragnarok??? I can’t say. It’s too much for my poor heart that they finally gave me the Loki/Thor banter that I deserve. I mean yes they’re awfully cute and affectionate in Thor 1; and even in Avengers Thor is still overly protective of Loki; and oh man that death scene in Thor 2 went straight for my feelings; BUT THEN THIS! IN RAGNAROK! I get the Get Help scene, and these two ridiculous brothers standing outside a home for the elderly, and then that scene in Norway when Thor can barely control his rage towards Loki. I’m so in love with this character development, and Tom captures it quite well in this interview where he says something like— now Thor is indifferent towards Loki and Loki doesn’t know how to take it, he’s so used to Thor’s love and now that the opposite of love is not hate but indifference, Loki’s off-kilter (or something to that effect) and WOW MAN that really got to me. Hiddleston’s always been a fantastic actor and I always maintained before that he’s much better than Hemsworth in that area (credit where credit is due, and all), and THIS is the arc that Loki deserves, that is deserving of Hiddleston’s talent!!! Same for Thor— I like it better that he’s finally less noble, now he’s blaming Loki much more unabashedly, now he finally didn’t fall for a classic Loki trick — it’s growth for both of them, and that really made me puff up like a momma hen. I think the complexity of their relationship and the true bond that they shared as brothers is most illustrated in this movie— before, they always referred to it, like “we fought together, we played together” but this time we actually see the mischief that they got to as boys. They’ve always been funny, I’ve always liked and adored their dynamic, but having it amped up a few levels in Ragnarok — they properly destroyed me, now I’m just a ball of feelings for the two of them and I don’t know how to take it.

If I went on and on about Thor Ragnarok I’ll never stop; suffice to say this is one of the BEST movies of 2017 and one of the highlights of my year — and that’s saying something, since it’s been a pretty good year and I’ve been grateful for a lot of things. For this I’m doubly and triply grateful. Thor Ragnarok!!!! Absolutely brilliant!!! When can I see it again!!! *grabby hands*

[clynnra]

No spoilers, but what a fun & fantastic movie #ThorRagnarok is! I love #Loki - he’s my favorite Marvel character followed by #Thor. He did his god of mischief shenanigans as funnily as ever. Hemsworth & Hiddleston have tons of chemistry and are so comfortable playing these roles, that it’s like visiting old friends. There’s action from the get go. I loved this movie within the first five minutes. The director Taika Waititi expertly balances humor with action with a few heartfelt moments mixed in too. Also love that he’s Māori too. Diversity in front of & behind the camera is always good. Apparently, there’s little winks at those who are Australian and New Zealanders in the movie too. He loves winking at the whole audience too. Lots of jokes throughout the movie to suit different types of humor. I swear at one moment, Hemsworth does this bit of physical comedy & it looked like he was going to break character. I loved that. You could tell they were all having a blast making this movie, so it makes watching it a delight. Thompson plays a flawed but kick butt Valkyrie on point. Blanchett does a brilliant job being the menacing villain #Hela. You don’t want to cross her. Plus she looked absolutely amazing in her costume/make-up. I don’t think there was one moment of her screen time where she looked less than awesome. Ruffalo does his usual solid performance as Banner/#Hulk. His flustered Banner is still adorable & he gets some funny lines. They all get some one liners and deliver them perfectly. The rest of the cast including Hopkins, Elba, Urban, Goldblum, Waititi & House round out an all star cast. Make sure to stay for two stinger scenes mid way and at the end of the credits. Most of my crowd stayed since we’re veterans at Marvel movies. 👍 The whole production was just stellar. One of the best MCU movies for me. I was glad to see it in IMAX & liked getting the commemorative ticket for it. I’m seeing it later today, I loved it that much. So go see this movie in theaters! 👍💜 #movies #fangirl (at Regal Cinemas Dole Cannery 18 IMAX & RPX)

[webittech]

Thor: Ragnarok audit: A peculiar interpretation of by-the-books dream legend admission

Sufficiently strong, yet this feels like a reference in the swarmed Marvel Cinematic Universe.For almost 10 years, the Marvel comic universe has prospered in film by striking an extremely delicate harmony amongst genuine and senseless. Heart and mockery show up in meet measure between Marvel's numerous epic superhuman fistfights. These movies take no disgrace in snickering at their odd, over-genuine beginnings—and do as such with evident love and adoration for their source material.

However there comes a period when even that sort of strong filmmaking begins to feel repetition, and that is the heartbreaking spot Thor: Ragnarok lands. It's in no way, shape or form a terrible film, and it's more agile, engaging, and agreeable than Marvel's lesser-yet at the same time fine movies generally (Ant Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron). Regardless of strong exhibitions, apparently odd substance, and a couple of scene-stealers, this third Thor film at last feels expendable, rather than a brimming with stakes passage like Captain America: Civil War or a stunning that-was-fun impact like Spider-man: Homecoming.

Not only the divine force of sledges

Chris Hemsworth's Thor shows up at the film's beginning caught in a pen rattling off a silly "already on Thor" recap. He depicts everything to the group of onlookers in a schlocky '70s-serial way, yet in addition does as such to the skeleton in his confine. Subsequently, Thor: Ragnarok squanders no time turning up its camp factor, which proceeds as he perseveres through a "plan for the world's end" tirade from the huge evil presence Surtur. Thor over and again requests that Surtur delay his tirade since he's gradually turning near while dangling from a wreck of chains. "I feel like we had something there," Thor says while sitting tight for eye to eye connection to return. That kind of thing.

In list frame, the film's preposterousness peruses like a flood of entertainment minutes. At the point when Thor needs assistance amid his initial fight with Surtur, he's stuck sitting tight for one of Asgard's new peons, Skurge, to complete the process of playing with meagerly clad holders on. At the point when Thor at long last comes back to his home of Asgard with a trophy of sorts, he needs to sit tight for a play to infer that praises the life of fiendish sibling Loki (finish with a "better believe it, that was clever" cameo). What's more, when Thor and Loki (again played by Tom Hiddleston) hurry to discover their dad, Odin, we're dropped into a ridiculous Dr. Weird montage in which Benedict Cumberbatch screws with the two siblings' heads with mental enigmas and physical wizardry. This is all in the initial 20 minutes.

This levity proceeds with the more cheerful state of mind we found in Thor: The Dark World, and it's all appreciated stuff, with Hemsworth and Hiddleston each getting a huge amount of room in the content to utilize their comedic muscles. I would contend that Loki is at last the additionally fascinating sibling this time around, since he partitions his chance in the film between clear villainy, shocking bravery, and general rebellion. The content gives Loki a chance to sell out his fidelities immediately and legitimately grounds how different characters respond. That is a noteworthy adjust.

Hemsworth, then again, has the intense demonstration of following Tom Holland's extraordinary Spider-Man: Homecoming execution this late spring. The greater part of Thor's adorable, beguiling, and snarky minutes simply feel like a Peter Parker identity slapped onto a significantly more seasoned, more shrewd legend. Thus, there's something somewhat off as far as topic, however Hemsworth still proficiently guides Thor: Ragnarok as its driving hero.

Cate Blanchett joins the give a role as Hela, Thor and Loki's more seasoned sister, who rises as a relentless malice compel. Her long-back expulsion by father Odin has finished, and now she has come to assume control Asgard and its kin. Thor has at long last met his match. Furthermore, at to begin with, this piece of the film is especially interesting. What's Thor to do when he meets an enemy so capable, she renders his each superpower (especially his madly overwhelming sledge) absolutely disputable?

Without giving excessively away, Thor and companions come to find that this super-high-stakes start is disputable. That is a disgrace, in light of the fact that Blanchett is getting it done when she drinks intensely from a measure of unadulterated, relentless malevolence. "Stoop before your ruler," she growls, and you can for all intents and purposes notice an overwhelming scent of death between each gradually expressed word. She works as much with a perpetual armory of CGI-supported blades as she does driving trepidation into the hearts of anybody she meets. (One thing that quiets her effect, in any case, is her utilization of a honest pawn to do her dim errands; from the minute this side-plot unfurls, clearly this individual is going to in the end spare the day.)

Great circumstances, squandered potential

In uplifting news, Blanchett's not-amusing at-all minutes are welcome intrusions in the brazen, senseless plot, and they don't moderate the film's energy in the smallest. The same can be said for Jeff Goldblum, who shows up as an auxiliary reprobate. His interpretation of long-term Marvel baddie the Grandmaster is, well, Goldblum-y in the greater part of the great ways. He peruses like a rich swinger stuck in the 1970s, and he's fixated on engaging group and putting on a show of being the fun person, notwithstanding when he uses lethal power on a waste gathering planet where he always influences slaves to battle to the demise for his delight.

It's incredible to see Goldblum back to old shape, particularly since his appearance in 2016's Independence Day: Resurgence was as hacky and called in as I'd at any point seen the on-screen character. Executive Taika Waititi additionally takes many scenes as Korg, the stone man stuck in the Grandmaster's mausoleums. In case you're searching for anything as interesting and out of the blue as in Waititi's movies What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, his scene-taking part completely conveys.

Be that as it may, Waititi doesn't achieve a similar echelon of New Zealand characteristic silliness with the film in general. His directorial touch is obvious in numerous great ways, however he battles to expand the satire capability of a Hulk who (for some time) can't come back to Bruce Banner shape. Some impeccably strong parody originates from this rendition of Hulk, who has considerably more discourse than in other MCU films, yet these scenes drag longer than the more common and natural forward and backward scenes between siblings Thor and Loki.

More regrettable, Waititi appears to be lost in pulling off the "introduce another Marvel rebel" opportunity that he gets in Valkyrie. She's depicted skillfully by Tessa Thompson, yet we've seen substantially more grounded new-legend presentations in the previous year on both the Marvel side (Black Panther, Spider-man) and DC (Wonder Woman in the generally horrendous Batman V. Superman). Here, Valkyrie never feels fun, risky, or profound. She just stands around for Hemsworth's Thor to state senseless things to.

On the off chance that the film were more humorous, more lively, or had more prominent stakes, at that point those sorts of nitpicks won't not emerge. (What's more, in the event that it had erased each one of Idris Elba's appallingly moderate and exhausting scenes, it would be a far superior film.) Instead, Thor: Ragnarok is as much about its completely clever scenes and champion minutes as it is the bungles and disappointments to satisfy a more noteworthy potential. You need to do a considerable amount to be in excess of a reference in the MCU starting late. Thor: Ragnarok isn't an exercise in futility by any extend, yet you can skip it for a snappy synopsis when there's no other option. That is never a decent sign.