#Partially because Spider-Man the movie was so good in portraying that

[qcomicsy]

Going insane about how silly comics for young men from the sixties are on point on criticizing biased journalism. Stan Lee, Stan Lee I wanna sit down and have a chat with him. It's such a good critique. Such a good critique.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Salutations to you, random people on the internet who most likely won't read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

Gonna be honest, I didn't think The Falcon and the Winter Soldier needed to be a full-length TV series. I mean, if Spider-Man can discover that he didn't have to replace Iron Man in a two-hour and nine-minute long movie, then the Falcon can learn he can't replace Steve Rogers in the same amount of time, right? I was excited, don't get me wrong, but I didn't know how they can fit a plot for a movie into a six-hour-long series. Unlike WandaVision, which needed to be a TV show to get those TV homages right for each episode, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier didn’t sound like something that would honestly work better as a film. But, once it started airing, and my excitement increased each week, I can positively say that it would not have worked as successfully if it wasn't a TV series.

Unfortunately, I'll have to get into spoilers to explain why, but trust me when I say that if you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should. Because I'm about to dive in (or fly in) as I explain why The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is easily in the top tier MCU projects.

WHAT I LIKE

Sam Wilson: If WandaVision was about developing Wanda, then The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is about developing Sam. He might share the spotlight with Bucky, but this is so clearly Sam's story. It's his journey of becoming the new Captain America that gets more of a focus, and it is one of the best aspects of the series. And as I said, it's similar to Spider-Man's journey in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Sure, this time, it's more about stepping up to the mantle, but both Sam and Peter have to learn how to be their own hero rather than replace the one left behind. In Sam's case, it's more than just being the new Captain America, but also being the black Captain America. I'll talk more about the implications of that later, but for now, all I'll say is that it was so engaging seeing Sam accept his role. Plus, even though Sam tries to carry Steve's title, that doesn't mean he's Steve Rogers 2.0. He has his own ardor and personality as Captain America, on top of still representing the aspects of what that title entails. Partial credit for that goes to Anthony Mackie, who does a phenomenal job of portraying a man who's inspirational and charming in all forms of hell. I'd salute him as much as I'd want to have a beer with him...except not really because I refuse to touch a single drop of alcohol. But Sam Wilson would make me consider it! Because he's that good of a character.

Bucky Barnes: Much like Vision in WandaVision, Bucky takes the sidelines as Sam acts as the main face of the series. Unlike Vision, however, Bucky's story seems more like its own thing rather than something that's connected with his co-star. In a way, it's better, but it also seems worse. Because without having it be locked with Sam's story, Bucky's is still compelling as it develops him further in his own way. His journey may not be as engaging as Sam's, but it's still entertaining enough to watch his own narrative get continued in small spurts. Although, the fact that Bucky's story has little to do with Sam's does have the unfortunate side-effect that he doesn't need to be there. His inclusion is very much welcomed, but I feel like Bucky dealing with his own guilt and trauma as the Winter Soldier could be something that can fill up its own series rather than half of one. That being said, Bucky absolutely needs to be in this show. The emotional turmoil that Sabastian Stan portrays so well hits hard, and his dry humor works for some comedic highlights. Bucky's half of the story might be unnecessary for plot reasons, but it is unquestionably necessary for enjoyment.

There’s a lot of talking: This seems like a misstep, especially since most superhero shows are bogged down by characters talking to pad out the run time. Although, the dialogue in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is more like the dialogue in the series Daredevil. There are more words than action, but nearly every line is so incredibly engaging that I do not care. Sam and his sister talking to a banker about getting a loan might not sound as entertaining as Sam being in an air chase against terrorists, but I surprisingly held onto every word being said due to how well-acted it was. Plus, these discussions help make these characters more human on top of making the world feel believable. I understand the argument of show don't tell, but to me, as long as the dialogue is written well enough and said convincingly, I can learn to live with it.

The Flag Smashers: The concept of the Flag Smashers intrigues me. The idea that a group of people believes things were actually better when half the world got turned to dust is a perfect concept for the MCU to explore. In fact, this is the third story in a row that dives deep into the consequences of what happened post-Infinity War and Endgame, and I'm all for it! The universe is forever changed by this one big event, and it's not going to be irrelevant anytime soon. For the Flag Smashers, they offer the most striking glimpse of how the world is forever changed. Now, I'll admit, after seeing doom and gloom in Avengers: Endgame, it would be better to see the benefits of the Blip that characters claim to have existed rather than told about them. But seeing how there were dozens of fans who made the audacious claim that Thanos was right, I don't consider it too far of a stretch to believe that the Flag Smashers could exist. Especially since the arguments that characters present do seem persuasive enough. It's only the actions that the group makes that derail any sense of the discussion. But in a good way...for the most part. But I’ll get into that later too.

The Reveal of the new “Captain America”: This was the dirtiest, sickening punch in the gut that the first episode could have ended on...and I love it!

John Walker: I often find the best antagonists are the ones I'm willing to psychologically analyze. That's John Walker in a nutshell. He is an arrogant ass who deserved to get slapped around when taking things too far. Yet, I always find myself coming back to those scenes where he seems conflicted about becoming the new Captain America. I get a sense that he genuinely wants to do the right thing and those moments when he asks if he is all but confirms it. John's problem is the constant support he's given by his friends. I'd argue that building his ego is the very reason why he gets frustrated so quickly by people denying him, as he often reacts like a toddler who throws a tantrum when a parent makes the "mistake" of saying “no.” This is why it's satisfying seeing people more powerful than John kick the s**t out of him because it results in his ego going through a well-needed deflation. Still, the constant frustrations he has for not being respected as the new Captain America makes his further descent into insanity all the more appealing to watch. Because him taking the super-soldier serum proves Dr. Erskine's theory is true: "Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse."

...And this is why the writers dropped the ball when trying to make John Walker redeemable. It's exceptional if that was the intention. After all, I did say there were glimpses of a man who wanted to become great, not worse. However, given what John does in later episodes, we're going to need more than glimpses to believe his switch from bad to good. Especially since his decision to set his anger aside to suddenly help people is a little too unbelievable for my tastes given how fast it happens. It's not an awful decision. It's just one that needed a bit more polish. I still find John Walker an incredible character regardless, but I don't blame people for being a tad more hesitant given how poorly paced his redemption arc came across as.

Readapting “Star-Spangled Man”: I adore this for two reasons.

Reason #1: It's a solid callback to Captain America: The First Avenger, which I will always stand by as my favorite Captain America movie.

Reason #2: It proves how much John Walker doesn't understand what it means to be Captain America. When Steve did this song and dance routine in his movie, he hated it. Better yet, Steve despised it. Because he wasn't helping anybody. He was just being a dancing monkey to appeal to civilians, and you see how much he regrets doing it with each show. For John, he relishes the whole thing, because of course, he would! John loves having his ego appealed to, and this routine is doing nothing but inflates it. It's a solid case of visual storytelling to prove to the audience just how disconnected John is from being Captain America. Steve or Sam wouldn't have done this, because being a hero is more than respect and adoration. It's about actually doing the right thing. A lesson that John desperately needs to learn.

Sam’s and Bucky’s bromance: You remember how I said that Bucky's dry sense of humor can be a comedic highlight? Well, that's only second rate to the times he and Sam bicker like an old married couple. Whether it's because of the writing, directing, or Makie’s and Stan's natural chemistry, seeing Sam and Bucky interact with each other is always a blast to see. And on top of being funny, there are these well-handled moments of drama shared between both characters that make their relationship convincing. It's why you can't have this series without Bucky, despite it so clearly being Sam's story that gets the more focus. Because without either character, we would miss out on some entertaining interactions that I wouldn't trade for anything else for this series.

Isaiah Bradely: Well, this character was a pleasant surprise. Although, "pleasant" might not be the right word because every scene with Isaiah is absolutely gut-wrenching in all the right ways. Carl Lumbly gives a phenomenal performance for a character that has been beaten down, with very little hope he has for any change that matters for his race. Plus, his backstory may not be as unbelievable as you might think. Between 1932-1972, America performed what is known as the Tuskegee Experiment. Scientists tested the effects of syphilis by injecting it into African Americans, telling them that they were receiving free health care when they didn't. So the idea that scientists tested super-soldier serums on African Americans, not knowing the dangerous effects, is not that far of a stretch. Neither is the knowledge that a black man was disrespected despite fighting hard for his country. If you researched African American history, you'll find that this type of horse s**t happens way more times than it should. It is heartbreaking, and Isaiah Bradley represents all of it. Thus making the little Isaiah exhibit in the Captain America museum all the more tear jerking just because of how sweet it is to see him get some semblance of a win. This level of discussion of what it means to be an African American is something I never expected with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but I greatly appreciate it nonetheless. What's even better is that these discussions don't end with Isaiah.

The discussions of racism: Again, this was something I didn't expect, but grateful for it nonetheless. I mean, I should have expected it given that one of the co-stars is black, but given how the story was about Sam being the new Captain America, I didn't think discussion of racism and racial injustice would come into play. Turns out that I was naive to think those things are separate. The burden of being a black Captain America is something that not many white people, including myself, consider a big deal. But looking at America's past and how others react to any African American in power, you realize that, yes, it is a big deal. Isaiah, and several real-life POCs in history, prove that America doesn't respond well to a person of color being better than the average white man. So it is easily reasonable to believe that there would be issues with a black man becoming a symbol of what America should be. Hell, I'm willing to bet that there were issues when this happened in the comics way back when. Not because of some bulls**t about how it doesn't fit with the character or story, but solely because they can't handle a black Captain America. And if you don't believe something like this wouldn't happen to someone like Sam Wilson, look back to that scene with the police who didn't know he was the Falcon. This crap happens every day, and it's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that shines a light on it. Despite being something I didn't expect, the talks of racism are very much appreciated. And I'm as pale white as an introverted vampire. I can't even begin to comprehend how the African American community must feel about all of this.

Zemo: Who the f**k expected this guy to be one of the best things in the series?!

Seriously, from Captain America: Civil War, I wasn't too into Zemo as a character. I loved the idea that this powerless guy tore apart the world's greatest superheroes through intelligence and coercion. But his needlessly complicated plan and stale personality weren't enough to win me over. So when he returned, I expected to dread every minute of it. Little did I know that Zemo's comeback would skyrocket him into top-tier MCU villain territory!

Zemo is a character that, despite "helping" our heroes, still works on his own agenda. He might put them on the right path and occasionally assist in a fight, but only because he still won't stop at anything to make sure fewer super powered individuals are in the world. Because that's the thing about Zemo: His motivation was fine and understandable to a point, but his personality was flawed in Civil War. Here, I finally see how Zemo can work. Despite having no power, he uses his mind to look for any angle to control the situation, gaining an advantage even if it is for a short time. For instance, while he can't harm Sam or Bucky without risking his own life or jeopardizing his temporary freedom, he can still annoy the hell out of them. Like when he forced Sam into a situation where he had to drink literal snake juice. It's actually a ton of fun to watch, and I'm honestly glad that Zemo gets to live to see tomorrow. It means that he might make another return, and I can't wait to see what's in store for him in the future. Which is something I didn't think I'd say five years ago.

The Dora Milaje: It was actually pretty cool seeing these characters make an appearance, notably when they slapped around John Walker like it was nothing. Although, a part of me wonders that if Chadwick Boseman hadn't died last year, we would get to see T'Challa himself make an appearance. This lines up with the character, as I can see him dropping everything to hunt down the man who killed his father. Which would be just as awesome, if not slightly more so, to see. Still, we work with what life gives us. And what it gave are awesome cameos that make the MCU feel more inclusive about its characters rather than limiting them to their specific sections in the universe.

Walker killing the Flag Smasher: There is something so wrong with seeing that shield stained with blood. 'Cause here's the thing: Captain American can kill. He's a soldier. It's expected for a soldier to take lives for the sake of justice. What John Walker did isn't justice. It was vengeance. Vengeance that is fueled by anger rather than the need to do the right thing. Because when Captain America leads an army to kill the man who whipped out half the universe, that's fighting for a just cause. But when “Captain America” kills a man, the wrong man, for killing his best friend, that is an act of selfishness that no one would see your side on. And it was the final nail in the coffin that proves how John Walker does not deserve that shield.

Sam and Bucky vs. John: This might just be the best fight in the entire series. Not only is it so satisfying to see John Walker get everything that he deserves, but the whole thing was pretty intense to watch. After seeing what John can do with that shield, it makes moments when Sam and Bucky barely dodge his attacks with it all the more blood-rushing to see. Plus, Civil War's motif playing the background is another solid callback that fits well narratively since this is technically two superheroes fighting another superhero. It's an incredible scene that was worth the wait of four hour-long episodes to see.

Setting up Joaquín Torres as the new Falcon: I don't know if Marvel will follow through with this or even if they should. That being said, if they do, I'm all for it. Joaquín already seems like a pretty fun character, and his interactions with Sam show there's enough chemistry there to give Captain America a new wingman. I probably won't lose sleep if he doesn't become the new Falcon, but I'll still be excited regardless.

Madame Hydra: I know that she has an actual name, but I refuse to remember it due to how long and convoluted it is.

Anywho, we get a small glimpse of who Madame Hydra is as a character, but already I'm intrigued. She seems to have a fun personality, added by Julia Louis-Dreyfus' dry energy. Whether this is set up for the next big bad or just introducing a fun character, I'm interested. Madame Hydra was already a blast in the short amount of time she was in the show, and I can't wait to see what future installments have in store for her.

“Louisiana Hero”: Or as I like to call it, "Sam's Hero Theme." Because while this is the track that plays for the intro, it still shows up when Sam is training as the new Captain America. Not only is it insanely catchy, but I love that you hear a hint of the theme of Captain America: The First Avenger, yet "Louisiana Hero" is still very much its own thing. And that's another reason why I consider it Sam's motif because it fits precisely with the character. Sam is a person who has a hint of the good man that Steve was but still does his own thing when wearing the stars and stripes. Not a copy, but still heavily influenced by the original. So kudos to Henry Jackman for creating a musical piece that fits so well with a character far better than any other themes or motifs prevalent in the MCU. Because, let's be honest, there aren't that many.

Sam’s new suit: ...I mean, it looks cool. Kinda corny at times, sure, but points for comic accuracy.

Sam Carrying Karli: I mean, look at it.

This looks like something that should be painted and hung up on a wall due to how beautiful it looks.

Sam’s Speech: Two meaningful things are going on with this speech.

First, it proves once and for all that Sam Wilson is Captain America. He doesn't just fight for his country. He also believes the government that runs it should take accountability for any missteps before dealing with something worse than a person who took the term "rebellious teenager" into an extreme.

Second, it is so satisfying seeing Captain America tell government officials off about unjust treatment. Even if it does diddly-squat about anything in the real world, it's still a big moment that's effective because of the bulls**t that happens every day. It's far from an actual win, but it still feels good (I hope). And that still counts for something, right?

“We’ll need a U.S. Agent”: Credit to Louis-Dreyfus for saying a stupid cornball of a name and making it sound...not that.

WHAT I DISLIKE

Still running that Marvel Studios logo in every episode: It's still a nitpick, but its still annoying. It's alright if you want to use the full fanfare for the first episode, but at least shorten it for the rest of the season. Please? For the love of all that is holy?

The CGI: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has some pretty...not great CGI. It's not as awful as the CG in the DC shows on the CW, but it is way too easy to tell what looks real and what doesn't. Failing to make CGI convincing has been a problem in the MCU for a while, as most of the time, characters barely look like they really exist in the scene. To me, I compare it to when Red vs. Blue switches between actual animation and Machinima. The CG models stick out like a sore thumb to the in-game models, but at least it looks cool. Because while I don't believe that I'm seeing an actual man with bird wings flying through a canyon while chasing helicopters...it still looks cool. Still, not many people would be as forgiving as I am to this type of thing, so it's onto the dislikes it goes.

The direction of the action: Now I want to clarify that I have no problems with the action itself. Some fight scenes are pretty cool while also added with some exciting set-pieces that kept me engaged the whole way through. It's just the direction of the action that I have issues with. The camera is always shaky with so many cuts that it's hard to follow half the time. It's an understandable technique to hide the stunt double's faces or to make it look like it really is the actual actor who's doing the fighting. The issue is that once you know a show like Daredevil exists, with its plethora of well-directed action, the cracks in the armor become much more noticeable for a series like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Karli Morgenthau: Karli...frustrates me. Because on the one hand, Erin Kellyman does an impeccable job at portraying the heartbreak, frustrations, and determination that Karli has when fighting for her cause. On the other hand, Karli's cause is so layered with hypocrisy that it's hard to understand her position. She wants to prove how the world was better during the Blip, saying that everyone was happier then. So why do things like blow people up and kill “Captain America?” I get the latter. The guy's a d**k. But to prove to people how better things were, is death and destruction really the best choice to get that point across? I get the mentality of how people respond better to a harmful fist rather than a tranquil hand, but really, has that mentality ever worked out either? 

However, you could argue that her hypocrisy is fueled by the super-soldier serum, with the "good becomes great and bad becomes worse" theory that John all but confirms. Although, unlike John, we never got to see Karli pre-serum, so we don't know how much it really had affected her. With John, it's easy as many scenes indicate how close he was to snapping and murdering someone who disrespects him. We don't get that for Karli and are left to assume she was already crazy about thinking how intense violence can show the world how great things were during the Blip.

Then again, that could be the plan. Show how a person with the best intentions is ultimately wrong, given the lengths they go through to accomplish them. It worked for Thanos, so it should work here. And it would have...if not for Sam saying that Karli has a point. Because for the main hero to say that the villain is correct, you have to show them doing more good than bad. I understand the mentality Karli, and the Flag Smashers, have. But by doing nothing but committing crimes and violence, any point they have is discredited. Take note of the fact that nobody but nutcases on the internet says that Thanos has a point. Because he doesn't. He's a maniacal supervillain who does something so intense that nobody should be on his side. It's similar with Karli, but because we're apparently supposed to agree with her, she doesn't work as well.

...DO YOU SEE WHY SHE'S FRUSTRATING?! Because while I can see how she can be an incredible character, there are so many holes in how she works that I fail to appreciate any of it. And seeing how she's the main antagonist, a character who takes up a good chunk of the screen time, it's not a good thing that she tends to flounder more times than she should. I want to like Karli, but given everything that's wrong with her, I just can't.

Rewriting Sharon as the Power Broker: This is an intriguing idea met with a mixed execution. You see, I like the idea of a character who was once an ally becoming a villain, yet the heroes have no clue about it whatsoever. It creates solid dramatic irony, but only if done well. With Sharon, it's not really done well. It genuinely feels like her character was changed radically to give her this personality. A fun personality, I'll add, but one that comes across as really jarring when looking back at her previous appearance. Don't get me wrong, a character's current personality feeling so radically different from their previous one can work a treat, but only when we see them go through point A to point B. We're told about the s**t that went down with Sharon, but unlike understanding the mentality of the Flag Smashers, her personality change would have been more effective if we saw it. So while I like the idea of Sharon becoming another big bad in the future, I would have liked it more if we saw her decline into possible villainy.

------------

By using my usual scoring system for MCU shows and movies, I'd give this season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier a solid 8/10. There are problems. Quite a lot of problems. Hell, even the stuff I like comes with a fair share of issues. It's just a matter of asking yourself, "Do I like some parts more than I dislike them?" For me, I find myself enjoying much more than I didn't. It's not perfect by any means, but while it definitely falters at times, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a series that soars to great heights. You might not be in love with it, but you’ll have a helluva good time regardless.

Now if you don't excuse me, it's time I swap from one superhero series to another as I share my more in-depth thoughts on--

[ventivante]

Part One summary | can be found here! genre | jennifer’s body!au, college!au, horror, supernatural, humor, angst, demon!wooyoung; wooyoung x reader, mingi x reader warnings | language, discussions of death, some blatant blasphemy, and very bad/cliche humor word count | 2.1k

DISCLAIMER: this fic contains lots of dark subject matter and i will put any specific trigger warnings before each part. i do not condone the unhealthy relationships portrayed in this fic, nor do i believe the characters’ real life counterparts to display these behaviors.

happy halloween y’all!

“God, just shoot me in the face,” Wooyoung whined aloud, leaning his head back to emphasize just how unhappy he was with studying.

“Stop, you’re gonna get us kicked out again,” you whispered across the table at him.

“Good! I hate this place anyway, it reeks of decaying dreams and B.O.,” Wooyoung announced dramatically, his voice still at full volume.

Against your better judgement, you’d invited Wooyoung to study with you at the library. It was against your better judgement for two reasons: first, because Wooyoung didn’t function well in environments where you needed to be quiet and you were both already on the librarian’s shit list, and second, because you felt like you owed it to him after ignoring him all weekend.

Another unspoken reason you weren’t ready to admit was that Wooyoung had been acting . . . weird over the past few days. Even weirder than he normally was. For starters, he had dyed his hair—gone were the black locks you had grown up alongside, now replaced by sandy blond, perfectly gelled movie-star hair. His response to being asked why he’d changed it?

I got bored, he had told you, as if it were the simplest question in the world.

Of course, you knew that abrupt hairstyle changes usually took place in the midst of an emotional crisis, but you hadn’t pressed the issue further. If Wooyoung wanted to talk about things that were bothering him, he eventually would on his own terms—you had learned that the hard way.

Not only had he changed his hair, but he had started dressing really different as well. Normally Wooyoung opted for comfortable sweaters and hoodies, with some standard t-shirt-and-jeans ensembles thrown in the mix. Now he dressed as if his daily commute was on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. You didn’t know where his sudden sense of style had come from, but you guessed it may have had something to do with the aftermath of the party yet again.

Despite all of the red flags, you wanted to find out just what had caused the sudden changes, and you felt partially guilty that you had been the source of it. You figured if you spent more time with him, he would open up to you and finally forgive you.

“Come on, let’s get out of here and grab some sushi, I’m staaarved,” Wooyoung pouted as he rested his head on a propped fist, eyes wide and lower lip protruding in a wholly pathetic display.

Even though he had been acting strange, Wooyoung had been in very high spirits. He was constantly joking with you and laughing over the smallest things, not common indicators that Wooyoung was undergoing mental duress. His current behavior also wasn’t a surprise, as he’d always had a distaste for studying.

“Let me just finish these last couple sections,” you sighed as you flipped the page of your anatomy book.

“I can give you the short version: Adam shoves his dick into Eve’s vagina, boink boink boink, and that’s the miracle of life,” Wooyoung explained crudely, even throwing in a few vulgar gestures for added emphasis. “There, I even included curriculum for the Bible thumpers.”

You grimaced at his tactless anatomy lesson and shut your book without another word. “That’s gross and blasphemous.”

Wooyoung only shrugged before folding his hands on the table’s surface and fixing a now serious look on you. “Don’t tell me you’re still squeamish about sex, Y/N.”

“I’ve never been squeamish, I just don’t need to shout about it from the rooftops.” You hoped that the blush you were undoubtedly now sporting didn’t undermine your words.

“Oh, boo, so boring,” Wooyoung rolled his eyes and slumped back onto the table, his chin resting on his forearms.

“Hey guys.”

You jumped as someone slid into the seat next to you, scaring the daylights out of you. Your pen was raised, ready to attack your would-be assailant before you realized it was only Yunho—one of your and Wooyoung’s few mutual friends—who had made a sudden appearance.

“Can you not just drop in like that?” you asked, lowering the pen now that you were no longer in danger.

“I announced myself! Maybe you just need to have more awareness for your surroundings!” Yunho whispered shrilly.

“Shh!” A fourth person joined in, this time from the librarian desk, where the older woman was giving the three of you the evil eye as she let out a particularly firm shush. You ducked your head bashfully and gave her an apologetic wave, hoping to convey that you would keep your friends in check.

“Have you guys heard?” Yunho started again, now lowering his voice to a more library-friendly volume. “They found a dead kid in the woods out by Hongjoong’s frat house, where that huge party was this weekend.”

You straightened at the news, feeling your heart skip a beat. “What?”

“Well, not a kid kid, it was a student here,” Yunho continued. “But they found him just yesterday. They think it was some kind of animal attack—dude was ripped to shreds from what I heard.”

“Jesus,” you breathed, your stomach beginning to churn at the thought. “What kind of animal?”

“I dunno, a wolf or even a bear maybe?”

“Dumbass, there’s no bears around here,” Wooyoung chimed in, looking positively bored with the shift in conversation.

Yunho cast an offended glare on the newly-dyed blond. “Hey, it’s possible! Climate change, bitch! Animals can come crawling here from all over now, the polar bears are migrating.”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “So you think this kid got mauled by a polar bear?”

“I’m just saying it’s possible.”

“Shhhhh!”

This time a student at the next table over had expressed their own irritation at the rising volume yet again. You sent them an apologetic nod of the head before turning back to your friends and lowering your voice once more. “Do we know for sure it’s an animal? Is there going to be like, an investigation or something?”

The taller boy shrugged and leaned a little closer to you to match your tone. “Cops were all over the place earlier but it’s calmed down a bit now. I think it’s officially been listed as an animal. Or, what they think it is at least. But I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that it’s some psycho killer, stalking young, vulnerable co-eds.” He grinned widely at the end of his statement, waggling his eyebrows in an exaggerated motion before poking you in the side.

You swatted his hand away and released a noise of discontent. “Don’t scare me like that.”

“Yunho, why don’t you make like a tree and leave before I chop you down at the knees?” Wooyoung posed, leaning forward on the table with an acidic smile stretching over his features.

“Come on, I’m just kidding,” Yunho laughed. “I’m sure that they’ll find whatever animal it was and put it down.”

You wished you could be as lighthearted about the situation as the other two, but the news brought on a sense of dread that was seeping into your stomach like sour milk. Had it really been a random animal attack? And if so, what kind of animal could rip a person to shreds, as Yunho had not-so-delicately put it? Or worse, what if there was a murderer wandering around campus waiting for their next victim to come along? Were you actually safe?

“There’s probably nothing to worry about at this point,” Yunho added, as if he were reading your mind.

“Good to know. On that note, I think it’s time for us to leave.” Wooyoung rose from his seat and gave you a pointed look.

This time, you actually agreed with him and began to gather your things, shoving them haphazardly into your bag. Wooyoung was at your side in the next second helping you before focusing his attention back onto Yunho.

“Try not to get eaten by a polar bear on your way home, Yunho,” Wooyoung winked.

“Bite me,” the taller boy quipped, but you and Wooyoung were already on your way to the door.

Darkness was quickly approaching as you walked beside Wooyoung back to your apartment. It made you weary, especially after hearing Yunho’s news about the attack. Your best friend, however, seemed completely unfazed by the potential danger as he slung an arm over your shoulders and hummed quietly.

“You aren’t worried?” you asked him.

“Worried? About what Yunho said?” he scoffed then and only pulled you closer to him. “Definitely not. And you shouldn’t be either. You’ve got me to protect you!”

You let out an amused bark of laughter. “You? The same person who makes me kill the spiders in your room?”

“That was when we were ten!” Wooyoung whined, giving you yet another pout. “I’m a man now, in case you hadn’t noticed!”

“Please spare me the toxic masculinity spiel,” you retorted, albeit with another giggle.

A comfortable silence fell over the two of you as you continued down the sidewalk. You allowed yourself to enjoy the moment, because it felt like it had been years since you were both this close—not just physically, but also on an emotional level. You took a second to glance up at your longtime best friend and study him.

Wooyoung’s skin glowed in the waning rays of sunlight, blemish free and smooth as fine porcelain. His nose was a little large, something he had always been concerned with, but you saw absolutely nothing wrong with it. Even his dark eyes shone brightly as the day faded into dusk. And if you weren’t mistaken, you could have sworn he had been hitting the gym too—the arm wrapped around you was firm and not as wiry as you remembered it being during childhood.

You hadn’t admitted it to him, but he had grown up to be very handsome, and sometimes you found yourself wondering how things would be if the two of you had been more than just friends. It had always been a passing thought before, but now as he held you against his side and you looked up at him, the thought didn’t seem . . . particularly bad.

Just as you were rounding the last corner before your building came into view, you decided to ask Wooyoung what you had been meaning to for the past few days.

“Wooyoung, you’re not mad at me, are you? About the party, I mean.”

There was a short pause and you felt Wooyoung’s hand squeeze your arm gently, just as your phone chirped from your pocket. Automatically, you reached for it, digging it out and bringing the device up to check the notification.

It was a text message from an unfamiliar number, which made you squint in confusion. A split second later, realization dawned on you and you let out a small gasp.

It had to be Mingi, the boy you had met at the party.

You smiled at the thought then quickly remembered you had been waiting on Wooyoung to answer your question. You glanced back up at him and saw that he was eyeing your phone with a furrowed brow. His arm now felt tense and heavy around your shoulders but his voice was still light when he spoke again.

“Your friend from the party?”

“Oh, yeah, I think so. I’ll text him later—”

Wooyoung’s arm dropped from your shoulders and he took a step away from you, creating distance that might as well have been a brick wall between you two. He stared down at his feet for a few moments then lifted his head and smiled weakly. You noticed that the smile failed to reach his eyes.

“Listen, Y/N—forget about what happened at the party. I told you, it wasn’t a big deal and I’m over it. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

Wooyoung started to turn away, shoving his hands into his pockets as he went. You felt your small window of opportunity slipping away, so you reached out for him, latching onto his jacket.

“Wait! Don’t you wanna come up and watch a movie or something?” you asked, eyes wide with an unspoken plea.

Wooyoung peeked over his shoulder at you while his lips curled into a lopsided smirk. “Maybe some other time. I’ve got dinner plans.”

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Crawl (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: This isn’t the type of movie that warrants two reviews, so I’m just going to give a general overview of the movie but may go into spoiler territory slightly, so if you don’t want to know what happens before seeing the movie then don’t read on until you do.

General Reaction:

I had absolutely no intention of seeing this movie, I saw it as a Secret Unlimited Screening which I get to go to as a Cineworld Unlimited member and was sat in the cinema waiting to see what movie it was going to be. At one point I genuinely thought it could have been It: Chapter 2, which I know is coming in just over a month and I know I will be seeing but I have just over a month to get myself ready for that.

With Crawl, I knew absolutely nothing about the movie going into it, I guessed it was a horror movie featuring an alligator...I was partially right, because apparently there were a f”$k ton of alligators going spare or just technology has come along rather well because every gator that showed up I was genuinely concerned.

Alright so “concerned” is probably the wrong word but for me my relationship with the gators here was a lot like my relationship with the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who. The first episode we see the Weeping Angels I was terrified to the point where it took me a good seven years I think to watch that episode again, yet I was fine with the later episodes featuring them because after a while their shtick got old, here was the same because in the first half of the movie these gators were terrifying but towards the end, particularly with the one that comes flying through the window, it did get slightly ridiculous.

Honestly there were two points in this movie, both in the third act of the movie and rather close to each other, where I genuinely was thinking this movie was trying to drag out to reach that 87 minute mark runtime. The first was after the father and daughter stars of the movie make it out the house and are on a speedboat, but then this raging water sends the boat and them flying back into the same house they just escaped only now the main house is flooded as well as the crawl space so the gators could be anywhere.

Again that second point is when the gator comes flying through the window because the father and daughter make it to the first floor landing where she thinks she sees a helicopter so uses a flare to try and signal it down from the inside of the house, but then a gator comes flying in through the window...it did border on both the ridiculous and the thrilling.

That being said I did spend the majority of this movie with my fingers in my ears because I genuinely cannot stand jump scares, particularly a movie that simply relies heavily on jump scares. Now that’s not to say there isn’t a decent suspenseful atmosphere throughout this movie, particularly in the first half, but there’s only so many ways a gator can make me jump surely?

Also, particularly in the second act of the movie and when that traffic cop tried saving the two main characters only to get eaten, my main concern was if the dog was going to die. In fact after the boat came crashing into the house and the three of them fell out Sugar (the dog) went drifting through the house and at that point I thought they killed her.

Fortunately she survived, along with Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper and at the end of the movie, which is a rather abrupt ending by the way, the song that plays over the credits is “See You Later Alligator!” which almost had my audience burst out laughing, I don’t know if that was the song playing on the radio but to hear it at full volume was quite humorous.

My final point is on the real-world similarities to this movie. This movie is set in Florida and, despite living in the U.K. I know full well how natural disasters have affected certain parts of America recently. I don’t know whether or not the natural bad weather would mean starting the Planet of the Alligators but that real-world reference does add some gravitas to the movie.

Cast:

Kaya Scodelario is probably in her finest role here since Skins, I really thought her character was established well early on as a competitor and a fighter which led to her fighting her way through the storm to get to her father’s house and then surviving against the alligators to get out of the house.

Barry Pepper meanwhile is an actor I’ve never taking note of before but here he portrayed the distant father role rather well. I thought the relationship between Kaya and Barry was rather organic for the type of strained father-daughter relationship it was but this isn’t really a character driven movie and so they gave us enough without focusing too much on it.

Recommendation:

If you’re not a fan of water or alligators or natural disaster movies then this isn’t the one for you. But keeping in mind this is produced by the same guy who directed Spider-Man 3 and understand when I say he does a rather artistic job at what could have easily been an otherwise bland movie.

Overall I rate the movie a 6/10, it’s an enjoyable suspense thriller movie and I see it having a strong future on streaming, which isn’t a negative but I feel it will thrive there.

So that’s my review of Crawl, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other posts.

[taggerbug]

spiderman science

 v. 2.0

If you like Spiderman meta, or want to read what Spiderman would look like if he were more realistic, here you go.This is going to be a long one, folks. Thanks to @redmiel for encouraging me to post these notes. 

Preface: I’ve never read any Spiderman comics, and my first exposure to any sort of Spiderman lore was seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming a couple months ago. I’ve been an amateur entomologist for 12 years, so I decided the best way to cope with the sheer audacity of the meta in that movie (mechanical spinnerets??? cowards) would be to do some research and, essentially, design a Spiderman based on real spider characteristics, adapted to a human form and while keeping a very rough sketch of what Spiderman is supposed to be in mind. This has been a fun project to keep up with, so here’s what I have so far:

Species

Based on what I saw in Homecoming, I’d pin down the approximate species of spider for Peter Parker to inherit his abilities from as being a jumping spider, with a little tarantula and spitting spider mixed in. Jumping spiders are fairly unique among spiders, as they have front-facing eyes (and subsequently, better vision), are active hunters rather than sit-and-wait hunters, and of course can jump up to 14 times their own body length. I’ll explain the tarantula and spitting spider traits later.

Silk

What kind of Iron Man-worshipping heretic gives Spiderman mechanical spinnerets and artificial web fluid?? Real spider silk is so much cooler to work with. As a precedent, let’s put spinnerets on Spiderman’s wrists. The silk glands would be located in the shoulders, as that’s the best location that can be transferred to human anatomy - the spitting spider’s venom and silk glands are located in the cephalothorax, the first segment of a spider’s body. 

Anyway, spider silk is really neat. It’s stronger than a steel thread of the same size, can stretch up to 200 times its original length, and the spider (peter) can control the diameter of the silk thread with the spinnerets! The web-based combat in Homecoming was okay, but it completely missed out on a few natural defenses that spiders actually use silk for, like dropping down on prey with silk nets, or setting up an “alert system” with silk triplines.

“Spider Sense”

I was actually mildly pleasantly surprised at the way the “spider sense” was portrayed in the Infinity War trailer. Spiders can detect low-level vibrations with the hairs on their bodies, similar to the way Peter’s hair suddenly stood up. In this context, the detection of low-level vibrations can be translated to being able to perceive sudden movements and lurking enemies without being a terrible stretch.

Assorted Physiological Features and Behaviours (not including combat-based)

Key terms are in bold, because this is a lot of text.

Here’s the fun part, in my opinion. Spiders have so many cool and often unrealized anatomical traits, and as long as you make sure that transplanting a spider characteristic to Spiderman won’t kill him, it’s all good.

To walk on walls like spiders, Spiderman would have microfibers on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet, and would also have microscopic claws tipping his fingertips. Most spiders have two or three claws on the ends of their legs, which are bigger proportionally than what I’m proposing, but I’m trying to let Spiderman retain at least a hope of preserving a secret identity (the only reason I can’t even give him more eyes).

Another thing that’s really cool about spiders is that instead of focusing the lens of the eye and the iris remaining the same size, like humans, they focus the iris and the lens stays the same size. This usually can only be seen by looking closely at a jumping spider who is focusing on different objects, but in a human it would be a bit more noticeable, and would probably appear as a strange flickering in Peter’s eyes when he looks around, but nobody would be likely to notice the cause of the flickering unless they used the same methods as with a jumping spider - looked very closely and intentionally. Simply put, when Spiderman focuses on a new object, the colors of his eyes would dilate or contract, instead of the pupil. 

Now that I think about it, a (weak) connection could be made to the way Spiderman’s suit’s eyes focus the main white part, instead of the black lining, but then again that could simply represent a squinting motion of the eyelids instead.

“Ballooning” is a behaviour exhibited solely by baby spiders and extremely small adults, although it is sometimes (and perhaps more accurately) called “kiting”. In this, the spider assembles a triangular-shaped sail of sorts out of silk, which is then used under the right wind conditions to float on the air currents. This is, in my opinion, absolutely fascinating and a devastatingly unused opportunity that Marvel could be taking advantage of. 

Spiders are unable to thermoregulate, so throughout the day some species constantly seek out warmer areas, such as areas with more sun. For Spiderman, this could mean that whenever he enters a room, he unconsciously finds the warmest spot possible and stays there as long as he can. It also means that his ability to function would be reduced in winter, as most spiders hibernate or outright die.

Some common health problems for spiders are dehydration and lack of humidity! This is especially apparent in tarantulas, but applies to most species. Spiders have fluid-based joints (I’ll mention that in Combat-Based Abilities), so staying hydrated is essential to basic movement. A sign of dehydration in spiders is the abdomen shrinking suddenly (which is a late-stage sign, and usually means the spider needs to drink soon or it will die) which, in Spiderman, would be exhibited as sudden and severe weight loss around the stomach and hips. As long as he keeps some humidifiers in his apartment and drinks tons of water, he’ll be fine, but the danger of dehydration would be felt much more acutely by him than humans.

Spiders breathe through spiracles, or tiny holes on their sides that connect to a primitive trachea. Spiderman definitely cannot have a spider’s respiratory system, as book lungs are essentially the arachnid equivalent of asthma, but having a few spiracles on the sides of his collarbone/upper chest that connect to his trachea would aid in oxygen intake, if not actual lung capacity. This would also allow Spiderman to survive for a period of time if being strangled from the neck up (but would be ineffective against suffocation by compression).

The popular depiction of a spider feeding is of a spider injecting its prey with a dissolving enzyme and then drinking it, but some spiders secrete this enzyme while breaking the prey apart with their pedipalps and mandibles. The latter is more easily translated, and so Spiderman could have the dissolving enzyme incorporated into his saliva, so that food would partially dissolve in his mouth and then be swallowed.

One last note that can be read as either a sweet concept, or a hilarious idea, is the courtship process of spiders. Generally, male spiders present females with gifts (usually food),but in jumping spiders and peacock spiders, the males also dance and “sing” for a female they hope to impress (the singing is accomplished by making clicking noises and tapping on a surface). For examples, look up videos of “jumping spider courtship” or the same with peacock spiders. If you’ve ever seen a .gif of a spider moving oddly with a set of drums poorly edited into it, that was most likely a courtship dance. 

Combat-Based Abilities

These are some other features that deal more directly with how Spiderman would move and fight. First, let’s discuss jumping. Leaping from building to building is all well and good, but doing that by swinging from sticky strands of silk is the most unnecessary - and unsafe - thing I’ve ever heard of. Firstly, as with jumping spiders, Spiderman would need to attach a silk safety line to whatever he’s jumping off of. Not only does this provide a measure of security in case he falls, but it stabilizes the actual jump (the same is true for jumping spiders). Furthermore, the actual process of jumping is fascinating. To make a jump, a jumping spider will suddenly force hemolymph (the spider equivalent of blood) into the legs, which abruptly straightens the joints and propels the spider forward. In Spiderman, this would look like him crouching on the edge of a building, silk safety line attaching one wrist to the building, and then suddenly changing his blood pressure  to force blood into his legs, causing the legs to extend abruptly and propel him forward. Isn’t that cool?

Now, I know that I’ve said in the past that Spiderman must only have a human endoskeleton if he wants to survive, BUT exoskeletons are really cool so I’m bastardizing the concept to fit my needs. An exoskeleton is the hard “shell” that surrounds a spider in lieu of internally placed bones, like humans. The reason Spiderman can’t have a proper exoskeleton is because that would severely limit his movement and make most human motions, as well as his signature agility, impossible to perform. However, since exoskeletons are comprised of layers of chitin (the layers are called cuticles), Spiderman could have a few thin layers of chitin covering his limbs and part of his back. Immobile areas, like the front and back of his limbs, would be plated with semi-rigid plates of chitin, with joints only covered by a superficial layer to connect the exoskeleton while still allowing a full range of movement. This arrangement would not cover his stomach, chest, neck, or head. In order to grow with a partial exoskeleton, Spiderman would need to molt, especially often as a teenager. Molting occurs periodically in a spider’s growth, and involves shedding the old, too-small exoskeleton for a newer, softer exoskeleton that is more comfortable for the spider’s increased size. The new exoskeleton hardens after a couple of days, during which time the spider is vulnerable to predators. In the days leading up to a molt, the spider will experience difficulty moving, due to the old exoskeleton separating from the spider itself. Once Spiderman reaches his full growth (adulthood), molting will stop.

One last thing about molting that’s really cool! If a spider loses a leg before its final molt, it will regrow the limb inside its new exoskeleton, so when it next molts, it has the leg back! By application, as long as he doesn’t die of blood loss, Spiderman could safely lose a limb as long as he’s still a child. However, the new limb would not be available until the next molt. So if Spiderman loses an arm and is set to molt two months away, then he would not have that arm until the two months are up and he sheds his old exoskeleton. Not like the mutant from X-Men who regrew his limbs instantly (i think it was in last stand?). For Spiderman, there would be a waiting period, and any loss of limb after his final molt in early adulthood would be permanent. Just another cool thing to think about!

Finally, the venom. I cannot resist designing a spider-based hero without the use of venom  - it’s the most commonly known characteristic of spiders, even though most are harmless to humans.  For fangs to be incorporated into human anatomy, they would have to be based on an up-and-down movement, like tarantulas, rather than the sideways bite that most spiders use. Those would be tucked into the upper jaw, and connect to the venom glands in the shoulders as previously discussed (with the extra glands, homeboy’s going to look like an olympic swimmer). Based on Spiderman’s moral compass in Homecoming, the use of venom would be a last resort, and when used, the fangs would  would open downwards (à la snake) and deliver a neurotoxin. I chose a neurotoxin for the type of venom because I figured it would be more useful to Spiderman to have the symptoms of such (muscle cramps, temporary paralysis, sometimes death) instead of a localized flesh-damaging venom.

That’s all for now! I hope you enjoy this information as much as I did while writing it. If you have any questions, feel free to send an ask, but if you’re asking about anything other than entomology (how does spiderman force blood into his legs without having a heart attack? hell if i know, buddy) I won’t know.  As stated earlier, I also have barely any knowledge of actual Spiderman lore, so please don’t get mad because I didn’t know something that happens in canon. I just like spiders.

In conclusion,

marvel needs to hire an arachnology consultant!

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s Eternals Trailer Breakdown: Who Are The New Characters of the MCU?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Marvel’s Eternals trailer is here, and with an all-star cast and an Oscar-winning director (in the form of Chloe Zhao) it looks like an ambitious, surprisingly cerebral new addition to Marvel Cinematic Universe lore. It doesn’t reveal much, but what it does is more than enough to make us hopeful for all the cosmic surprises that MCU Phase 4 has in store for us.

Watch the Eternals trailer here if you haven’t already…then we’ll get to talking about who all these cool new characters are!

And here’s the official synopsis, courtesy of Marvel Studios:

“Marvel Studios’ Eternals welcomes an exciting new team of Super Heroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The epic story, spanning thousands of years, features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants. The outstanding ensemble cast includes Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman.”

So who are all these cool new characters joining the MCU? We’ve got a breakdown for you here.

Richard Madden as Ikaris

Eternals is going to give us a veritable Game of Thrones reunion with Richard Madden as Ikaris, the most famous member of the Eternals. Of course “most famous” is relative when dealing with Marvel creations this relatively obscure, but hey, it worked for Guardians of the Galaxy, it’ll work here.

It’s not yet clear exactly what everyone’s power sets will be like in this movie, but in the comics, Ikkaris had the powers of flight, energy projection, super strength, and limited teleportation. Like most of the characters in this trailer, Ikaris was created by Jack Kirby in 1976.

With him in the above photo is…

Gemma Chan as Sersi

Sersi is a powerful sorceress, and the member of the Eternals with perhaps the most love for humanity, and the trailer hints at that by seeing her walking among regular folks in different time periods. We’re also willing to bet that she’s the Eternal most likely to pop up in other MCU movies, as the character has been a card-carrying member of the Avengers in the comics.

Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo

Another Jack Kirby creation (albeit one who didn’t make his way into the pages of The Eternals comics until 1977), Kingo has a power set similar to Ikaris. In the comics, he became an action movie star, although based on the brief glimpse we get of him in this trailer, he may have opted to become a Bollywood actor instead. Check out Nanjiani’s badass Marvel-ready physique!

Lauren Ridloff as Makkari

Every good super team needs a speedster, and what’s better than a speedster? A nigh-immortal one! Like Quicksilver, Makkari (note the similarity in name to “Mercury”) has been known to be a little bit impatient thanks to the gift of speed. Fans of comics to screen adaptations will recognize Lauren as Connie from The Walking Dead.

Anyone spot any MCU Easter eggs in this reading room? One thing is for sure, that isn’t Dane Whitman’s Black Knight armor…because we saw that in a museum in Spider-Man: Far From Home!

Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos

Phastos is a relatively recent addition to Eternals lore, first appearing in 1985 where he was created by Peter Gillis and Sal Buscema. Phastos is an engineer, inventor, and weapons master…all useful skills when you’re practically immortal. Here he seems to be using his innate cosmic abilities to create something wondrous and beautiful.

Fans of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (and really, who ISN’T) will know this isn’t his first trip to the Marvel Universe, having voiced Jefferson Davis in that film.

Salma Hayek as Ajak

The voice you hear in the trailer is that of Salma Hayek as Ajak. The original comics lineup of the Eternals was pretty male-heavy, and Ajak was portrayed as a man on the page. One of the key figures of the early Kirby comics, Ajak has been worshipped as a god at various points in history.

Lia McHugh as Sprite

Sprite may look young, but they’re as ancient, wise, and wily as the rest of the team. Think of Sprite as the trickster of the team (at least if the comics are anything to go by), and their antics could cause havoc for the Eternals’ place in the MCU.

Don Lee as Gilgamesh

You’ll note the similarities of many of the Eternals’ names to mythological gods and warriors. That’s no accident, as it’s generally accepted that these characters’ adventures were interpreted into folklore and mythology over the centuries. Here, one of the oldest recorded stories in human history now has a place of sorts in the MCU. Here he’s played by Don Lee, and if you haven’t seen Train to Busan yet, you should just go ahead and fix that immediately. Thank us later…it’s one of the best horror movies of the century.

In Eternals comics, Gilgamesh was known as “The Forgotten One” for some time, but it was ultimately Sprite who convinced him to return to the fold. He adopted the name of Gilgamesh “officially” when he joined the Avengers for a time. Perhaps it’s no accident that our best look at him in this trailer comes when the team is having a discussion about who will lead Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the wake of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.

This version of Gilgamesh was created by (wait for it), Jack Kirby, and first appeared in the comics in 1977.

Barry Keoghan as Druig

Another Kirby creation, Druig is Ikaris’ cousin. Described as an “aloof loner” in the film’s synopsis, Druig has a checkered past in the comics, and could cause some trouble at some point.

This isn’t Barry’s first brush with a comic book-related project. At one point he was set to star in the long in-development and troubled TV adaptation of Y the Last Man, and also has a role in the upcoming The Batman.

Angelina Jolie as Thena

Warrior, scholar, and all-around badass Thena is another potential leader of the Eternals, although in the comics that has brought her into some conflict with Ikaris from time to time.

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Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman

Remember that Game of Thrones reunion we promised? Well, it’s here in the form of Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman. But Marvel fans may recognize the name of Dane Whitman as belonging to the heroic Black Knight (another occasional member of the Avengers…hmmmm…there’s a lot of those in this trailer). We wrote more about the history of Marvel’s Black Knight here.

What else is hiding in this trailer? Well…

Is That a Celestial?

If you look very closely in the fiery part of that volcanic eruption, it seems there’s a giant figure there. Could this be one of the Celestials, one of the giant beings who travel the cosmos conducting experiments on the inhabitants of various planets? And speaking of which…

What are these two up to?

That sure appears to be a partially formed human body in the background there. Is this a hint that the existence of super powers in the MCU is a result of cosmic intervention by the Celestials?

We’ll find out when Marvel’s Eternals opens on Nov. 5.

The post Marvel’s Eternals Trailer Breakdown: Who Are The New Characters of the MCU? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/34avPhf

[kevinchevy]

So Let's Talk About That Michelle Thing

SPOILERS FOR SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED So you've seen the movie, or you've heard the talk, and you know about that twist with Zendaya's character at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. That's right, she's MJ. Her friends call her MJ, Zendaya is MJ, MJ is ruined forever and ever. Except here's the thing, folks. It isn't a twist at all. Sure, it looks like a twist and it sounds like a twist and it smells like a twist, but it isn't a twist. It was staged as one to get a cheap shock from viewers, and that instead ignited an inferno of hate that is partially fueled by misunderstanding and partially fueled by blind nerd rage. I can't fix the latter, but maybe I can help clear up some of the former. So let's start at the beginning; this is not a twist because Michelle/MJ is just not Mary Jane Watson. She is a completely different character. Now this may sounds like a cop-out, or like splitting hairs, but bear with me here. Cuz guess what? She isn't the only character like this. Go back and watch the movie again and try to find a point where Ned or Liz are given a surname. Or don't, cuz I'll tell you right now; you won't find one. They don't even have surnames in the end credits. These characters are just "Ned" and "Liz." Naturally, as a Spider-Man fan, I made the assumption that they are Ned Leeds and Liz Allen, but they are never once referred to as such. Could they be? Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't really matter. What DOES matter, however, is the role they play in the film and the role they play in relation to Peter Parker. In the comics, Liz Allen was Pete's first love interest, and so his first love interest in the film is also named Liz, but Homecoming Liz and Comics Liz are two DRASTICALLY different characters. Pete's love interest was named Liz as an homage to the character that filled the same role, but she is ultimately someone else entirely. And that is okay. Ned is kind of trickier, but ultimately boils down to the same thing. In terms of both characterization and appearance, Ned is just a clone of Ganke, the best friend of Miles Morale, but he is named after Ned Leeds, a good friend of Peter Parker's. Again, though, he isn't Ned Leeds. He simply fills a similar role and was named after him as an homage. And that, too, is okay. Now you're a smart lil Chips Ahoy, so I bet you already know where I'm going with this. Michelle, MJ, is not Mary Jane Watson. She is a completely different character who fits a similar role and is named after her as an homage, but she is not Mary Jane. And you know what? That's actually cool. She is a completely original character. They are free to do whatever they want with this love interest, and frankly, what they have established with her already is kind of fantastic. She is a thoroughly interesting character named after MJ as an homage to a character whose role she is in. Look, I understand the disappointment in not seeing Mary Jane Watson being portrayed by someone who could bring a lot more depth to the character than Kirsten Dunst. I'm disappointed about that, too. But guys, we were NEVER going to get that in this movie. They are doing different things with Spider-Man, working with him in a different way and in a different space than what Stan and Steve worked with 55 years ago. It is going to be a drastically different Spider-Man. This should not come as a surprise to anyone. We knew this after we saw Captain America: Civil War. How? Aunt Slay. That's how. Talk about character departures, amirite? But you know what? I think it really works. And I'm more than happy to also give this All-New, All-Different MJ a shot at my heart. Kids, this ain't your grandpappy's Spider-Man. But maybe that's okay. Maybe that's what we need.

[furederiko]

9 MARVEL CHARACTERS I WANT TO SEE IN THE CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Just spitballing for fun here!

To celebrate September 9th, here are 9 Marvel Heroes I would like to see making their debut in the next phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe. By MCU, that means for the movies... NOT for TV. I'm not saying because the TV side is... bad (even if I do lean towards that conclusion, it would be a subjective opinion), but I just don't think TV would be able to do justice with these characters due to various constraints (budget, VFX quality, etc).

It's already widely reported that the 2019 "UNTITLED Avengers" will serve as the culmination of MCU since 2008. That means, the door to welcome new characters and IPs would be wide open. So these are the names I would like to see getting the spotlight, and perhaps, assemble into a new set of Avengers. One might easily notice that the names I'm including here are characters from the animated "Avengers Assemble" series. That's actually... INTENTIONAL. One, because that means Marvel Studios obviously has the rights to use them (or at least partially, like the Spider-Man characters). And two, because I want this post to have a similar look and feel. But I'm NOT leaving behind other characters who have yet to show up in that series. That's why there's a special 'Bonus' section afterwards... (^^)v

Now that the explanation is out of the way, let's start right away! Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Agent Venom

Coincidentally, the first one is already a tricky situation. Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a Spider-Man character, so the rights to him is owned by SONY. That company is already working on a "Venom" movie that might not (or might?) be part of the MCU, with Tom Hardy as the lead. On the other hand, a modern-bully version of Flash has already debuted in the MCU via this year's "Spider-Man: Homecoming", as brought to life by Tony Revolori. Of course, the prospect of seeing a talented actor like Revolori becoming a headlining hero, is just too good to ignore. Mind you, it might take him a very long time (until after the high school characters graduate?) before arriving in a possible bittersweet situation (in the comics, Flash had to lose his legs first). But overall, Marvel Studios has already sown the seed for Agent Venom's debut. I can only hope this idea will be realized somewhere in the future...

Hercules

Odd choice, huh? But hear me out. We haven't had a great Hercules movie for a long time (my favorite was still Disney's animated-musical version, and it differed massively from the mythology). So why not leave it to Marvel Studios to do justice for the figure, and make a HUGE name out of him? The comic version of Hercules Panhellenios is a struggling, washed-out, unemployed hero, who spends his time slacking around and being a disappointment to others. True to his metaphorical title as a fierce male lion, huh? This situation and condition would carry massive potentials to explore in the movies. He can also take over Thor Odinson's position to expand the MCU towards more Greek-based mythological stories. Would you like to see Herc fighting Cerberus or Hydra (the monster, not the NAZI organization) in live action? I sure do. Good ol' Herc has seen a return to spotlight recently, with his own solo comic series. So what an excellent time to promote him for his own movie too! Since Chris Hemsworth and Pratt are already in the MCU (IMO, both are giving off a strong Hercules vibe!), perhaps Marvel Studios can hire... I don't know, Joe Manganiello as the lead actor?

Hyperion

Another mythological-esque hero! Unlike Hercules though, Marcus Milton has a completely different origin, being descendant of... the Eternals. Yes, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie series have already introduced this powerful race, which means, the route to Hyperion's debut is more or less smooth sailing. Interestingly, Hyperion is well known as part of the superhero team "Squadron Supreme". That means, if ever Marvel Studios needs a 'replacement' for the Avengers, this group is a good candidate. Just like Herc, Hyperion has returned to the limelight with a new comic series lately, eventhough it was cancelled after a few volumes. I admit, being a copy/parody of a certain DC hero, the character doesn't really have deep potentials. But that's why I trust Marvel Studios to give him the push he needed! As for the actor, for some reason, I would love to see John Krasinski in the role. Dude was considered to be Captain America before, right? And he's not another Chris. LOL.

Inferno

We're back to another tricky business. Dante Pertuz is a relatively new character, a modern version of Human Torch that FOX doesn't own. LOL. He's introduced in the recent years with the NuHumans storyline, which exactly leads to THE tricky situation. Yes, he's an Inhuman, and his origin story is deeply connected to the Inhumans Royal Family (specifically Gorgon). We all know that Marvel TV had taken over the Inhumans IP and turn it into a TV series (complete with bad writing, bad design, bad reviews *smh*). I'm VERY concerned the division would also want to capitalize on Inferno to boost the show's appeal, and I personally don't think that's a wise decision. Visual-effect wise, Mark Kolpack has admitted that creating Robbie Reyes' Ghost Rider's flaming head and chains for the 4th season of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." was taxing and demanding. It's basically a movie-level VFX that required extra hours and patience, not something that can usually be rushed in a TV deadline. Now imagine doing that with Inferno, who emits flame from all over his body! But there's a bigger stake, here. You see, Dante's clearly a latino hero, and we haven't had one headlining an MCU movie until now. With his visual powers and relatable storyline (struggling with being Inhumans, a minority, rock star, and all), a movie would privilege Dante with the justice he deserve. I'm aware that highly likely Marvel Studios will be going with a cosmic Sam Alexander's Nova instead, and that's okay. But Inferno would be more current, if not more likeable choice.

Ka-Zar

Kevin Plunder came in to this list, with the same reason to Hercules. Because he's Marvel version of Tarzan! Hollywood has been trying to create a good Tarzan movie over and over again, and they're either an okay hit or a sad miss. As far as I know, none of them were ever able to please every audience, not even Disney's animated version. But Ka-Zar is different, because he carries more 'fantasy' than just trying to ape the King of the Jungle. The setting of his adventures, the "Savage Land" that's hidden deep in Antarctica, would be something magnificent to feature in the big screen. We've got Asgard, Kamar-Taj, Wakanda, why not add Savage Land too! Don't forget Zabu, his saber-toothed best friend, which would require massive CGI work. Suffice to say, the things I'm reading and hearing about Ka-Zar only leads to one conclusion: I want to see him in a live action movie! Now, who can portray him? Hmmm... a natural blond Brit like Charlie Hunnam, perhaps?

Ms. Marvel

All concerns I had for Dante, goes for Kamala Khan as well. Being a fellow Inhumans, there's been a rampant rumor recently that she'll be getting a TV series (supposedly the one John Ridley is working on). For me, that's a HUUUGE NOOOO. And due to THREE major reasons. ONE, similar to Inferno, TV budget won't be able to handle the VFX required to showcase her Inhuman ability with the right look and feel. Look no further than that underwhelming looking "Inhumans" series as example! Would you like to see an iconic figure like Kamala being reduced to a 'disaster' with the excuse of making her 'grounded'? You know, like what Marvel TV have already done to Medusa? I certainly DON'T. Kamala is basically the modern version of Mr. Fantastic, and we all know that even FOX have tried to do Reed Richards right in the movies several times, but still couldn't perfectly nail it. Downgrading this situation to a TV level would only make it worse. TWO, Kamala is a genuinely likeable and well-beloved character that easily captures the heart and attention of many readers throughout the world. If the 60s-90s had Peter Parker, Kamala's the youth representative for the modern world. Hip, cool, and current (being a social media freak and all), but also kind and caring... eventhough she's a triple-decker minority (Female, South Asian heritage, and Moslem) living in a racist country. Which leads me to the final reason. THREE, her story will have a MUCH BIGGER impact to the world as a movie. Releasing a Marvel Studios movie with her as the lead in an international market (including countries with Moslem as majority), would not only bank a great amount of money, but also sends the right messages: one, unlike its current government, Hollywood is NOT racist; two, that everyone can be a hero, regardless of their gender, race, and religion! Relegating a character this HUGE to a small-scoped TV series that not everyone can gain access to, would be a massive disservice. Kamala is the hero the world currently needs, so please don't undermine her into disappointments.

She-Hulk

Another tricky situation, though in this case, due to the confusing copyrights. Actor Mark Ruffalo has repeatedly said, that a Hulk solo movie won't be coming along the road because Universal has the distribution rights. What about his super-powered cousin, Jennifer Walters? It's unclear, but I can only assume that she has the same legal limitation. Thankfully, it also doesn't mean that she can't be used in a Marvel Studios movies. She just need to be included as part of an ensemble, that's all. The great thing about Jen, is that she's a lawyer and later a judge. Not only she's strong physically, but also academically. Won't that be a strong role model for young women and girls all around the world? We haven't really had a law angle in the superhero movies until now, with Daredevil occupying the Netflix universe. So bringing Jen into the light would be fresh and promising. As for who should play him, I don't have a particular choice, but someone with Award prestige like Emily Blunt, Charlize Theron, and/or Jennifer Lawrence would be a great get...

Songbird

Former villain turned Avengers? Yep, that premise alone would make a great story. Melissa Gold started off as a troubled woman, with broken family and harsh situation. Giving in to the world of crime (known as Screaming Mimi) was clearly her way to stay alive. Eventually she stumbled into the road of heroism with the Songbird moniker, and ended up becoming a full-time member of the Avengers. Just like the other characters I've included here, Melissa would be a great role model, especially for troubled teenagers. Her path of redemption proves that anyone, regardless of their past and issues, can be a hero too. An inspiring message that Marvel Studios need to share to the world. She doesn't sell enough as a solo movie? Well, then debuting her as part of the "Thunderbolts" would be equally okay for me. All the ingredients are already in the MCU anyway (Thunderbolt Ross, Helmut Zemo?). As for the actress, for some reason, I want to see Anna Kendrick in this role. Yeah, basically I just want to see her in a Marvel Studios movie, but I believe she would really bring justice to the gorgeous-designed Songbird.

White Tiger

We've already gotten an African "Black Panther", now it's time for a hispanic White Tiger! Her powers come from the mystical side, and since "Doctor Strange" has opened up the gateway to supernatural, we can have more heroes with this kind of origin story! I'm personally going with Ava Ayala, and not Angela del Toro, eventhough either of them would be wonderful. Why White Tiger? Same reason to Dante, and in a way, Kamala. Sure, the MCU have included numerous Latino actors who either got lost in the background (Jonathan Pangborn?), or turned out to be a scene stealer (looking at you Luis!!!), but we haven't really had a major hispanic hero in the MCU until now. More importantly, a female one! Debuting Ava in the MCU would also, once again, sends off a great message. The US government have been really discriminative about immigrants lately, including the hispanics. Putting Ava in the spotlight would remind everyone that South Americans CAN be heroes, and not criminals like what they're being wrongfully accused for. We truly need characters like this right away! As for who should play her, I'm currently setting my eyes on Gina Rodriquez of the hit series "Jane the Virgin".

Honorable Ment... SPECIAL ADDITIONS

The next characters are those who (as far as my memory serves) haven't made their debut in the "Avengers Assemble" series. So they sort of... didn't fulfill the basic requirement for my initial list. But it'd be unfair leaving them behind like that, right? That's why they are special 'Bonus' additions. Without further ado, in alphabetical order:

Brother Voodoo

For the record, I'm not being racist by sidelining the only black character to this section. The reason I put him here, is because his debut in the MCU movies is pretty much confirmed. Daniel Drumm, big brother to Jericho Drumm, has already made his appearance in "Doctor Strange" as the original protector of New York Sanctum Santorum. And director Scott Derrickson has already hinted that his death would lead to consequences, including the arrival of Jericho. Debuting Jericho as a sort of sidekick to Stephen Strange would be nice, but it would be much better if he gets his own movie too. Yes, there's an issue regarding his name, because using Voodoo might... well, attract criticsm. But titles can be tweaked, right? Considering Jericho ends up becoming a Sorcerer Supreme too, I believe he'll be perfect as the next black hero to headline his own movie.

Shang-Chi

I've already repeatedly mentioned that Marvel Studios NEED a major hero representing minorities, and this is another great candidate. Marvel Studios have brought several prominent Asian characters into the MCU, like Wong, Mantis (eventhough she's an alien), and Helen Cho. Yet they all share similar characteristic: they are all supporting cast. If Marvel Studios want to play it 'safe' and headline an East Asian lead character, then Shang-Chi is the go-to-guy. Nope, I'm not undermining him, but just pointing out how easy he would appeal to the audience. Shang-Chi is in a way, Marvel Comics' response to Bruce Lee. We all know that the world LOVES some Bruce Lee. And Shang is more than just a Bruce Lee copy, he's also a master of espionage who's determined to take down his own father's criminal empire. Pretty much a solid recipe for a James Bond-styled wuxia blockbuster hit, am I right! "Doctor Strange" has teased the use of martial arts to support magic, a hero like Shang would put it upfront as the star of the party. Marvel TV might have taken the stamp on Iron Fist (with mixed response), so Shang is the opportunity for Marvel Studios to do it RIGHT! Jon Woo, Ang Lee, or Jacky Chan can direct this, and as for the actor, Godfrey Gao is my top pick. But Ludi Lin, Philip Ng (star of the fictional Bruce Lee biopic "Birth of the Dragon"), or even Yoshi Sudarso (who is Chinese-Indonesian) would be fantastic nonetheless.

Spider-Woman

The last tricky affair of the day! Jessica Drew is called Spider-Woman, but she uses the 'Spider' moniker by name only, and unrelated to Spider-Man. That's why until now, it's currently unclear whether her movie rights is owned by SONY or not. She's actually one of the superheroine I've been itching to see in the MCU, but admittedly, these questions surrounding her place always put me on a weird crossroad. Drew is connected to Hydra, the High Evolutionary, and has always been a full-blown Avengers. And all of those screams MCU. She's also the best friend of Carol Danvers, so I honestly want to see her show up in "Captain Marvel". Her comic origin story sort of fits with "Captain Marvel" 90s setting too. Have Jessica encounter Carol when she was a child, then Jessica was put into stasis for years, only to wake up as a superpowered woman in the present day. And then she meets Carol again, and team up as the new Avengers. All's well ends well! I personally want to see Tatiana Maslany of the famous "Orphan Black" for this character, but Marvel Studios can always cast an Asian actress (like Constance Wu or Celina Jade) due to Drew's ambiguous background.

Young Avengers

This one initially started off with just William "Billy" Kaplan and partner Theodore "Teddy" Altman. A sweet pairing more famously known as Wiccan and Hulkling. My way of thinking was, it'd be rude and unfair to name just one of them, right? If Marvel Studios wants to go ahead and feature an LGBT representation, these guys are the one they should use. Is it possible? There's a hint that we'll be seeing Vision and Wanda Maximoff's relationship evolve in "Avengers: Infinity War". Perhaps somehow they end up bending reality, and Billy is magically conceived? Meanwhile, "Captain Marvel" confirmed that the alien race Skrull CAN be used in the MCU, so a half Kree-Skrull (his biological father is the original/male Captain Marvel) like Teddy is more than just possible. Basically, that movie is the only gateway needed for his debut in the MCU.

But then I began thinking. Why am I leaving behind Billy's twin brother Thomas "Tommy" Shepherd? Poor Pietro Maximoff was killed off in just one movie, why am I sidelining another Speed-ster? That's NOT right. Then the more I think of it, the bigger the scope gets. We have a Hawkeye and Ant-Man who are both fathers in the MCU. Why not include their protege/child? Katherine "Kate" Bishop might not be Clint Barton's daughter, but the two shared a special connection that would be great to depict on the big screen. And then there's Cassandra "Cassie" Lang who looks up to her father Scott, and aspires to be a size-shifting heroine of her own. Cassie has already debuted in the MCU as played by Abby Ryder Fortson, why not promote her into a hero too? And how could I miss out the lesbian latina America Chavez? Fitting in comfortably to all the diversity talk I've stated above, America is not only female, latina, she's also an LGBT representative. Another triple-decker like Kamala. JACKPOT!

So yeah, that's how I ended up with Young Avengers instead. If Marvel TV has "The Runaways", then Marvel Studios can have these equally (if not more prospective) young heroes! If we assume that we will no longer see the Avengers following the 2019 movie, then introducing the Young Avengers would be the most logical continuation. This movie doesn't even to take place in the present time, but a bit further in the future, or even in an alternate reality. That's the function of Reality Stone and Multi-verse, right? This team represents youth, fun, and diversity, sending all the right messages to the world. And at the same, enabling older actors like Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch and others to serve briefly as mentor figures. There's also one other reason why this special team ends up being the last entry on this post (which is unintentional, to be honest): because I REALLY want them to show up in the MCU! \(*v*)/

So there you have it, the 9 (plus 4+) Marvel Heroes I want to see coming to the big screen. In the end though, this is nothing more than a personal opinion. It's obviously a very subjective thinkpiece, so anyone else might not have the same idea (if you do have your take, then do post them, I'd gladly read it!). I do however, hope that someone, anyone from Marvel Studios would somehow stumble upon this, read it, and put these names into considerations. I sincerely feel they will bring something NEW to the MCU, while continue conveying message of hope, inspiration, kindness, and good. After all, that's what Marvel Studios movies are for, right? Thanks for reading... enjoy your September 9th! Even if it might be just a regular day for most of us... XD

[artistjojo1228]

Rambling Reviews: Along Came A Spider (2001)

*3rd viewing*

I’ve got to admit it, I have this really weird thing about mysteries. I mean it, I love watching shows like Forensic Files and maybe an episode or two of Criminal Minds, but there are a lot of other stories that I simply don’t get into, such as Nancy Drew or Sherlock. However, this was another movie that I’ve seen sitting on my grandparents’ movie shelves ever since I was a little girl, so eventually, I decided to check it out (okay, part of that was because Anton Yelchin’s in it…).

As always, potential spoilers from here on out. Also, please keep in mind that I haven’t read the novel that this film is based on.

The film follows Alex Cross, who comes back into the police force after a young girl, Megan Rose, is kidnapped by a man named Gary Soneji. He then partners with a secret service agent, Jezzie Flannigan, even though he’s still trying to recover from an operation gone wrong (in which his partner was killed), as he tries to figure out why Megan was kidnapped and what Soneji’s motives were.

I though the story was alright. I mean, there were a few moments towards the end that felt a bit rushed (and I felt a certain big reveal towards the end sort of came out of nowhere), but aside from that, it was okay and it all made sense. I was actually particularly interested when the investigation was just starting (partly because it’s always interesting to me, even in a documentary series) and it was rife with tension throughout, but I felt that the tension died down a bit too suddenly in the last two minutes of the film.

As for the acting, it was pretty good, including the child actors. As always, Morgan Freeman is quite the stand-out as Alex Cross. He manages to expertly portray someone who has baggage, but is also very professional when he needs to be. I also liked Monica Potter’s Jezzie Flannigan, but, alas, I fear that if I tried to sum up what I liked about her, I’d give away the whole film. Michael Wincott’s Gary Soneji was also appropriately despicable, but rather subtle for a movie villain (which I liked). Mika Boorem and Anton Yelchin were both pretty good as Megan Rose and Dimitri Starobudov respectively, particularly for being 14 and 12 at the time of the film’s release, both portraying the right emotions at the right times. Also, please don’t get me started on Yelchin speaking Russian in this film (it doesn’t just come from the fact that he was playing the son of a Russian president, part of it’s because it was Anton’s first language, because he was born in Leningrad and immigrated to the US with his family about six months later)…

The soundtrack for this film was composed by the late, great Jerry Goldsmith, and as always, his soundtrack fits this film perfectly. However, I’m sadly not an expert on soundtrack either, so I’ll just say that Goldsmith’s music fits the tone of a scene perfectly (not to mention one of the motifs has been stuck in my head for at least two days now).

Whilst I was writing this review, I actually looked up the plot of the actual novel (I know, I’m a cheater), and whilst I do understand why fans of the novel probably wouldn’t be too happy with a lot of the changes made to the adaptation, I can partially excuse them. I mean, I have a bad habit of wanting to direct faithful adaptations of films that didn’t do so well with critics or the box office, but I do understand that adaptations have to make changes (particularly in Hollywood) even if its audience doesn’t always agree with said changes.

As a whole, Along Came a Spider is an alright film with great acting and an amazing score. Now, again, I went in without having read the book, so maybe some things are a bit easier for me to accept, but I do understand if anyone who was a fan saw it and was subsequently disappointed. However, I did like it, and I do recommend it simply for people who are curious. It might not be the greatest adaptation of a novel to ever hit the big screen, but I’ve certainly seen worse (at this point, I’d take a jab at Twilight, but it’s 2017, I think every joke that can be made about that series pretty much has been made).

82/100 B-

[jihef03]

So I was watching the new Spider-Man : Homecoming trailer, and something kept bothering me.

There is a lot of people who complained over the years about how they don’t want a  new Green Goblin in Spider-movies, because according to them, we’ve seen him too many times. I understand tehir views (even if I personally disagree with them, but that’s another topic), and the annonce of the Vulture being the main vilain was a positive thing in my eye.

image by Yildiray Cinar, and Rob Beachler

The Vulture is a good villain to start the new franchise with because he’s powerful and dangerous enough villain to pit against a rookie Spider-man, while still leaving some time for other bigger to pop up in upcoming sequels. Now ,with Micheal Keaton playing the role, It’s obvious the “cranky old man” angle from the comics will most likely be dropped, and I can understand that.

Problem is, when saw this:

source : the trailer.

I don’t see the Vulture.

I see  Norman Osborn.

I might partially have to do with the fact that Michael Keaton already played a billionaire dressing in a spooky creature at night, but I think Keaton’s character shares a bit too much with Norman.

I mean, he seems to be an hardened scientist with a beef against Iron Man, has some kind of family values (”-I will protect my family”.) , and *spoilers* it feels like he’s going to antagonize  Spidey on a personal level, threatening to kill everyone Peter loves. These kind of traits are much more in line with Norman than they are with Adrian’s (the Vulture’s real name in the comcis, btw), especially the personal feud, which is one the more specific traits of the Spider-Goblin dynamic.

And the green flying mecha-suit doesn’t help 

So not only it means that they’re making Toomes into a completely different character, but it also deprive Osborn of some his more unic traits.

I get that the Vulture doesn’t have a lot of big stories about him, but he still had some interesting stuff about. In some arcs comics, he was this bitter scorned old man, who was trying to escape death,  and battling cancer. Maybe they could have done something with, although, again, having Michael Keaton playing him  seem to defeat the idea of a  physically-ill man hiding his weakness behind an enhanced suit.

I think Micheal Keaton is going to deliver a good performance and portray a charismatic villain, but it kind of bugs me to think I might just see a bootleg version the Green Goblin here. Maybe I’m worrying too much, and the final product will give a worhty version of Vulture that stands on its own and differentiate itself from Osborn, but as of now I’m still a bit wary.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/saving-fant4stic/

Saving Fant4Stic

“I think the truth is we would not make another Fantastic Four movie until it was ready to be made. One of the lessons we learned on that movie is that we want to make sure we get it 100% right, because we will not get another chance with the fans.”              -- Producer Simon Kinberg, 20th Century Fox That’s very much true. The previous Fantastic Four film was made for the sake of being made in order for Fox to hold on to the movie rights. They also made the film to be different for the sake of being different by casting Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch thereby having to race-bend the Storm family and portraying Susan as being adopted. Many fans found it to be a travesty and unnecessary. To be fair, the rest found the twist okay and upon watching didn’t seem to matter much except for the story and how they handled Doctor Doom. Fox made the same mistake as with the previous Doctor Doom by tying his origin to the four and giving him powers of his own. First, we got metallic Doom which was awkward already. Instead of acting like a malevolent but sympathetic character, we got a Doctor Doom that was obnoxious, petty and childish. He was the Magneto from the 60s cartoon trying to rob a bank instead terrorizing the world in his fight for mutant supremacy. Now we have a lovesick Doctor Doom with no real motivation, no charisma and totally looking like a mess, something which drove comic book fans crazy. Doctor Doom is a great character onto himself and has the potential to solve Marvel’s villain problem. With the explosion of geek culture and social media, comic book and gaming fans have a louder voice than ever before and have the power to drive comic book movies through the roof with YouTube videos, Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and endless articles of what they think about upcoming and screening superhero films. Like I often say, please those fans and the rest of the public will come. You can’t just go building a mall in the middle of the desert and expect people to shop like that character did in the 2002 film Eight Legged Freaks. Even with African-American fans, the race change for established Caucasian character Johnny Storm was not well accepted even though Michael B. Jordan is a fine actor. The internet went wild with what happened. But didn’t race and gender bending on The Mandarin in Iron Man 3 and The Ancient One in Doctor Strange, not to mention having bad villains work for Marvel? Well, Marvel has a good track record when it comes to their films, and what they often do works and their what-happens-next-soap-opera-like shared universe keeps fans coming. Story-wise, they have to make compelling screenplays, or a bad film will be like a monkey-wrench in their massive machine. Directors’ creative egos cannot be a factor in Kevin Feige’s grand plan as the main story is already at play since the beginning. Any character changes will only work with his approval of the screenplay. Except for the X-Men, Fox doesn’t have that kind of structure. Even the X-Men shared universe is rather messy where films like Deadpool and Logan are difficult to place in. Logan has so far had good preliminary reviews, and hopefully, both films will reconcile and correct the mess of a timeline Fox has after X-Men Apocalypse. Fantastic Four is currently dead in the water, at least in the next few years, for the movie studio unless 1) They give up and sell the rights to Marvel Studios, 2) They make a similar deal with Marvel like SONY did with Spider-Man and 3) They make a film that’s true or very close to the source material and not the mess that was Fant4stic. Kinberg was correct in saying that the Fantastic Four film should be made when it’s ready, when they get the film to be 100% right. He, however, is partial to keeping the current cast which takes a good chunk out of that 100%. Miles Teller and Kate Mara even voiced their willingness to work on the sequel. The only thing that can save Fant4stic, should Fox decide on a sequel would be a good script and solid direction and perhaps even a blessing from Marvel Comics in the form of a new Fantastic Four comic book series. Marvel cancelled the Fantastic Four after the Secret Wars II event due to its rift with Fox, but they kept Doctor Doom who is now known as the Infamous Iron Man. Apart from selling the franchise or making a Spider-Man deal with Marvel, another way to save Fant4stic is to reboot the film again and forget the previous film ever happened. Fox has until 2022 to launch another film. They could keep the project secret until 2021 in order for the public to forget the 2015 film as much as possible and stick as much as possible to the source material and maybe begin with Mole Man as the villain instead of sticking with Doctor Doom. Some fans suggested that they do a period piece in the 60s during the space race much like Fox did with X-Men: First Class. Another is to make Doctor Doom the central character of the franchise as an anti-hero, in a film set perhaps in the 70s or 80s with the still human members of the Fantastic Four as supporting background characters (It’s actually a good idea for a TV series like Legion). Read a previous article I made if Doctor Doom is to be integrated into the MCU and tweak it a bit. He is a migrant freedom fighter from Latveria with two other motivations like a love for Sue Storm, a scientific rivalry with Reed Richards and freeing his witch mother from the clutches of Mephisto in hell. There, you have a complex sympathetic character that fans, the public and critics will love and not the amorphous blob of the previous film. Bottom line, to save Fant4stic, do not continue that schtick unless handled competently. Haven’t seen Logan yet but they say it’s another bright light in the X-Men universe.

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

[aion-rsa]

DC Introduces New Hero in Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration, is a timely new anthology showcasing DC’s Asian superheroes. Arriving in May for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, it presents many of the top Asian storytellers of comics. Included in the 100 page commemorative anthology is an original 12-page story by Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chang. “The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes” introduces a new DC superhero who teams up with Shazam to battle Doctor Sivana and a Chinese deer demon. 

Monkey Prince references the 16th century Chinese classic, Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en. It is the story of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, and his epic journey to bring the Buddhist sutras to China from India. In China, it has been the subject of plays, operas, movies and TV shows. What’s more, it inspired Dragon Ball, Into the Badlands, and Yang’s own award-winning graphic novel, American Born Chinese. “We’re treating Journey to the West as canon, like DC canon. It actually happened within the DC Universe,” says Yang. 

Den of Geek had a video chat with the two creators, Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chang about the significance of the newest Asian hero coming to the DC Universe.

Den of Geek: What was your first memory of Monkey King? 

Bernard Chang: Well, when my family immigrated to the States in 1978, we lived in Indiana. I was reading comics when I was in Taiwan, but when we came to the States I was reading like Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, any comics I could get at the newsstands. At some point my father saw that I was taking a liking to superhero stuff and he was like, “I wanted to introduce you to this Chinese superhero.”

Every night he would read me bedtime stories from Sun Wukong from Monkey King. He wouldn’t read the whole chapter, but he’d read a little bit for a few minutes and then I’d go to sleep dreaming and imagining these characters, these places, these adventures. It was from a book. It wasn’t from an actual comic book. None of it was translated. It was all in Chinese. 

I think [those stories] really helped to cultivate this curiosity and imagination and creativity. This is a world that I’m completely unfamiliar with in a sense, or half familiar with, but half not. The sad part to this story is that my parents got divorced when I was around 10, and so my father never got to finish the Monkey King Journey to the West story.I had the book, but it was in Chinese so I couldn’t read it and I couldn’t figure out the ending. Anytime this lore comes up, it always brings back fond memories. 

Gene Luen Yang: I think I have a very similar story to Bernard. I heard the Monkey King stories first from my mom at bedtime and she wasn’t reading out of a book. She was just telling them off of the top of her head. I also remember visiting Taiwan when I was a kid. I was born in the United States, but when I was four, my mom took me back to Taiwan to hang out with her parents and her relatives. I remember there was a cartoon on TV at the time, that was Monkey King.

I was a little bit different from Bernard. I actually fell in love with the Monkey King first and then came into American superheroes when I was much older. When I was like in fifth grade, I started getting really into superheroes, but it’s the same thing. I think it’s the same kind of love.

The love I have for Monkey King is very similar to the love I have for superheroes. Both of them are these heroic stories that are all about color and brightness and hope and magic. I think this particular project, especially, it allows Bernard and I, the chance to explore those in-between spaces between these two very different storytelling traditions.

What was it like to finally work together? 

Bernard: We’ve had peripheral friends, acquaintances, but this is like a culmination of that in life. In Chinese, they call it “yuanfen.”

As in ‘fate’?

Bernard: It’s like fate, destiny, but it’s like a circular, like there’s a path that you take, whether in relationships or work or whatever it is. The people that you meet, the people that you come across, are there for a particular reason. Right now, this moment in my life, in our lives, I’m presented kind of another childhood opportunity to finally almost tie up loose ends, but also pave new paths. For me, out of any other comic book project, there’s a very personal thread. I hope that that comes out in our work. 

It’s not just about me satisfying myself, but also passing along that wonderment, that joy, that excitement of a little kid about to go to sleep, about to dream of this wondrous world and these adventures that these crazy characters go on. We hope to pass that on to a next generation, or at least our version of that, because we’re not retelling that story. We’re telling our own story based off certain things, inspirations from it. 

Given what’s happening with #StopAsianHate and all the Asian crimes, how important is it to you personally to be doing this special issue?

Gene: I think behind all of these crimes I think it’s an impulse to dehumanize Asian-Americans. One of the big stereotypes that we deal with here in America is that all Asians look alike, right? Behind that idea is that we’re all just this one big mass, no individuals. When you think of a population like that, it becomes much easier to commit violence against them. 

Bernard: We’re doing this, it’s not because of the movement that this project is born out of, but when you read characters, when you read any kind of comic books, when I was reading comic books growing up, it was about the characters in the story. It’s about these characters learning from their faults and trying to do the right thing and overcoming obstacles. Monkey King also being very mischievous and having his own personality, but those are all human traits. 

Over the last few years, pre-pandemic, before that, when I was traveling quite a lot around the world to many different comic book conventions and meeting different fans in Europe and Asia, in South Africa, in India, you notice everyone, they look different, but they’re all attracted to the same values. We’re all very similar at the core. I think our story, however it plays out in terms of what’s happening in the world today, will still remain true to its basic principles.

Gene: This project got started before the Atlanta shooting, which although the Asian hate stuff had been going on for a while, the Atlanta shooting to me was a turning point. At least I saw that in the circles that I’m a part of. Even [for] Asian-Americans who wanted to deny it, I think that became the point at which it was no longer deniable. It’s a little bit of that fate that Bernard was talking about as well, that this project is coming out shortly after that. We weren’t really planning it, but it feels like it was meant to be. 

In terms of the relationship, the Monkey King is supposedly the father of the Monkey Prince. We’re going to get into the details of what that might look like. It’s a slightly more complex relationship than that. 

How much did earlier versions of Journey to the West artwork inform what you were drawing, Bernard?

Bernard: Well, there’s obviously a massive amount of stuff that’s already been done about Monkey King. Part of it is trying to find what I remembered as a kid and then modernizing it because the story does take place in the DC Universe here in the United States. 

It was a very true collaborative stage, because Gene would send over drawings that he’s already done. Gene’s also an artist, so it’s great to help use that as a visual bouncing board, a platform to jump off and go back and forth. Then just Jessica [Chen], our editor, has really provided a lot of great visual references. But really there’s been no kind of a leash on anything. It’s just go as wild and as crazy as you can and then let’s just make this thing jam. 

There’s a lot other designs we haven’t shown yet. Hopefully, as the story progresses, we’ll be able to see some of that come up.

If someone asked “Who is the Monkey King?” what might you recommend?

Gene: The first translation that I read when I was in my 20s was the Arthur Waley translation, which has been the standard for a very long time for the English-speaking world. Just recently, Julia Lovell did a translation that I thought was great. It came out just a couple of months ago.

In terms of pop culture, there’s an anime series called Monkey Magic that I really liked. Looking back now, it was a mix of traditional and 3D animation and some of the 3D animation looks really dated. In terms of the energy and in terms of his personality, it really captured something about him.

Monkey Magic was distributed through the UK, and so many leading martial artists from the UK like Ray Park reference Monkey Magic as a major influence.

Gene: Yeah. Just recently there’s a movie called Immortal Demon Slayer that I thought was really good too. That’s a Monkey King movie.

Bernard: I mean, there’s a lot. A Taiwanese artist did an adaptation. His name is Tsai Chih Chung. He did it as like a weekly strip. It was like an American-style strip where every three panels was a joke. I thought that was really well done.

Maybe I’m a little stubborn, but everything that I’ve seen since has never really measured up to what was in my head as a kid. 

Do either of you have favorite chapters for Monkey King? 

Gene: For the 12-pager we did, we did draw on one specific story. If you read the original, the Monkey Prince does something very similar to something that the Monkey King did in the original. 

I’ve always been partial to the Gold Horned King and the Silver Horned King. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them portrayed well in media, like in a cartoon or a movie, but I think that they could be. There’s something very, very powerful and sinister about the way they’ve described them in the book that I think could translate really well into visual media.

Bernard: I’ve always been attracted to just the Monkey King himself, living in the mountain, being mischievous, going up to heaven, causing havoc, coming back down, celebrating with his friends and family. 

Are we going to see Monkey Prince and Batman? I can totally see Pigsy and Wonder Woman. 

Gene: Yeah. I think Wonder Woman is a very natural fit, right? Shazam too, which is why we chose to use them because both of them are tied deeply into Western mythologies. It seems like within the DC Universe that the different deities from the different mythologies all kind of know each other, at least they’re all related in some way. So having the Monkey Prince interact with them would be super easy, super logical.

The Monkey King is so iconic. That must have been challenging to capture his spirit for Monkey Prince.

Gene: Oh, dude. Yeah. Bernard did enough art to fill up an entire wall. It was amazing. The different iterations that he did. Just working with Bernard, I could tell that this was a passion project because he was just putting out version after another, after another. I think all of us wanted to get it right, but because Bernard’s the artist, he just put in hours and hours and hours into this thing. It’s been really impressive to see.

Bernard: It’s inspired by the Monkey King but it is my own character and reflective of our times.

Gene: Yeah. There’re so many iterations of the Monkey King out there, right? This version has to feel distinctively DC like it belongs in the DC Universe. That was a driving factor in everything we did.

What do you mean by distinctively DC?

Gene: DC duperheroes have these symbols that look like letters, but aren’t necessarily letters. Like Superman’s, it looks like an S, but in stories, it’s a Kryptonian symbol for hope. Aquaman’s looks like an A, but in story, it’s like this ancient Atlantean glyph. For Monkey King, we wanted him to have a symbol that looked like an M for monkey, but really it’s actually a representation of Flower Fruit Mountain, which is where the Monkey King was born, right? The origin of his story, or the origin of his power. I mean, that’s something else too, right?

In DC comics, Flash wears a lightning bolt on his chest because that’s the origin of how he got his powers. Shazam also wears a lightning bolt because that’s how he got his powers. He was struck by lightning.

Bernard: Well, the chest insignia, I mean, not to sound corny, but I went to sleep after working on some stuff. Then woke up the next day with a dream about this design. 

Sun Wukong came to you in a dream. That’s awesome!

Bernard: Well, sometimes when I sleep, I’m dreaming that I’m working and then I wake up and I’m like, “Oh, I’m a little behind on my deadline.” I’ve also fallen asleep drawing. That’s not very good too, but a lot of good stuff happens to sleep.

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DC Festival of Heroes: An Asian Superhero Celebration goes on sale May 11th, 2021.

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