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laurenreviewsmovies · 5 years

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Bird of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Director: Cathy Yan

Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Ball, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ewan McGregor

Release Date: February 7, 2020

My Rating: 10/10 (YESSSSSS!)

My Review (WITHOUT SPOILERS):

DC is getting gooooooood at these movies, man. Wonder Woman? Beautiful. Aquaman? An exciting journey that felt like a classical epic. Bird of Prey? A colorful, exciting, empowering film that is the one movie that legit felt like I was watching an actual comic book story take place – most ridiculous R-rated superhero romp there’s been since Deadpool. In my opinion. And I loved Deadpool.

The intro to the movie is amazing. It’s super quick and fun to follow if you already know the background and for those of those who don’t know anything about Harley Quinn, it pretty nicely gives you the story where the only background info you need to know going in is who the Joker is. And if you don’t know who the Joker is, why the hell are you seeing a superhero movie? The continuous narration from Harley was actually pretty funny, the little text that would pop up on screen was always just the right amount, the music was perfectly integrated and the soundtrack was awesome. The fight scenes were amazing, the effects were so cool, THE FINAL BATTLE IS IN A FUNHOUSE!

The characters were all awesome and the acting was amazing. The evil henchman was one of the best henchman you’ll ever see. He’s got a whole separate story that doesn’t ever take away from the main story, he has a non-goonish relationship with the main villain, and he’s for real just an interesting secondary character. The villain’s character takes you on a journey too. He starts out as your run-of-the-mill gangster Batman villain and he’s almost kind of quirky and likeable but over the course of the movie he just gets worse and worse, little by little, until you’re actively hoping he gets kicked in the nuts.

All the female characters have JUST enough backstory to give you an understanding as to who they are and what their motivations are without being overkill or locking them into a certain archetypal superhero movie character. The relationships between the girls isn’t saccharinely sweet and sisterly – it’s seriously just five girls who all have different agendas and motivations and their interests just seem to align at this one particular time so that’s why they team up and then they go their separate ways again. Even the closest female relationship never gets to the point of being anything like a mother-daughter relationship or anything; you could say it ends up with a big sister-little sister vibe but I got more of an older-cousin-begrudingly-starts-to-like-young-cousin-since-they’re-stuck-with-them kind of vibe which was cool cause you don’t really see that, ever. I also love that even though they’re not obligated to really respect each other as teammates, they’re not trying to actively double-cross or insult anyone. To the contrary, they’re not planning on staying a team after this but they keep building each other up and shit, it was awesome.

[Huntress takes down a dude by herself while sliding down a tube in a funhouse, walks out like no big deal, everyone is staring at her] “What??” “You are SO cool.”

I loved Birds of Prey so much that I immediately starting looking for articles that had appreciated what I had appreciated about the film right after I left the theater. One article titled “How Birds of Prey Deconstructs the Male Gaze” was super spot on and two amazing quotes that succinctly summarized what I had been trying to gush about to my neighbor:

“Female authorship is prominently and proudly on display in the film, both in how it was made and in the evolution of Harley’s character.” AND “The plot of Birds of Prey isn’t necessarily innovative...but when viewed as commentary on agency and the nature of authorship, Birds of Prey is something far more remarkable.”

This movie kind of reminded me of Captain Marvel in a way – in the sense that it’s not really made for boys. Every single freaking comic book movie is made for primarily men, and as a girl who has been watching superhero movies for over fifteen years now, it was so refreshing to get to see a movie with badass women that focused more on how badass the women looked while fighting than it did on how attractive they looked while doing it. It was like Captain Marvel but Avengers style, with multiple badass women straight up killing it on their own and joining up to become an unbelievably awesome unstoppable fighting force.

This movie is amazing at making this a thing about ‘girl power’ without making it seeming like an ‘all men are evil, let’s completely destroy the patriarchy’ sort of thing. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say it’s because this movie was written by a woman and also directed by a woman. Although the women in this movie so have to deal with the typical misogynistic stuff women have to deal with in everyday life, it’s kind of understated. It’s presented in a way where it’s like “yeah, this is what women deal with every day and we’re not making a huge deal about it because women are used to it at this point’. This movie is full on actually feminist in the sense that with the exception of the main villain who starts out pretty okay but gets progressively more sleazy as the movie goes on, most of the men hate these women or are trying to keep them down because they legit see them as equals who have in the past or could in the future actually take them down and cause a lot of trouble. All the guys who come after Harley once word gets out that she’s broken up with the Joker? They’re not trying to get revenge for things that the Joker did that she just happened to help him out with. They’re legit angry at her for things that SHE did, on her own, to them and she’s just much easier to get revenge on without the Joker’s protection. She’s being hunted down for her OWN mistakes, I love it. I love how they don’t give ANY of the women super strength. Only one has a “superpower” that isn’t even used until the last ten minutes of the movie, and the rest of them have just worked really hard and become badasses with weapons and at fighting. This movie is about how awesome women are, in their own way, and how amazing they can be when they team up, but it’s ultimately about being able to stand on your own and be okay with being by yourself and doing your thing. It starts as a legit break up movie but, as cliché as it sounds (and thank god the movie doesn’t hit you in the head repeatedly with this message) it’s about breaking up with that mentality of needing someone to stand with/behind and owning up to your inner badass.

As much as I freaking loved Captain Marvel, it was mainly about just proving that she’s just as badass a superhero as the guys. The message in this movie was much more understated and even ignoring the deeper meaning, it’s just a FUN movie to watch. It was a wonderful breath of feminist fresh air and I will definitely be seeing it again.

(The article I was talking about: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/how-birds-prey-deconstructs-male-gaze-1277232)

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popwasabi · 5 years

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Lockdown Lookback: Catching up on the past months’ Pop Culture

Aaaaannnd we’re back!

It’s amazing what a little pandemic can do to shake you out of your creative cobwebs but if we’re all going to die, I want to make sure all my pop cultural hot takes are up to date at least.

Many of us are already on lockdown and many major movies including “007,” “Black Widow” and ummm I guess “Mulan” are all getting pushed to the backburner as no one is leaving their God damn homes unless they’re told to!

(Didn’t realize the thing I wish I had more of in the apocalypse would be sweatpants...)

But there’s still plenty to talk about from the previous months and other hot topics I have been meaning to write about but just hadn’t found the time or energy for. Life has been hard I think for just about all of us these days thanks in no small part to this pandemic. For me personally, I’ve had two different vacations canceled because of the virus and currently working understaffed at my job which is considered essential. Not to mention my therapist is on call only at this time and both my martial arts schools have been suspended, so I can neither talk nor punch my feelings out of my system.

So, I might be just a LITTLE on edge at the moment.

(My internal monologue for most of these past few weeks, more broadly years...)

Anyways, I digress, you come here because you like to read my highly unprofessional takes on pop culture and genuinely to those who have cheered me on from the beginning thanks, you guys are my prime motivators. But anyways let’s talk about all the shit I was supposed to write about these last two and a half months.

“Birds of Prey” was a hot, but needed, mess

Earlier last month I got to see the sort of sequel to the much-maligned “Suicide Squad” in “Birds of Prey and the…waaaay too long of a title for me write here.” I had cautious optimism for it because it looked strange and off the beaten path of most comic book movies and seemed to promise at the very least a fun time at the theater but it’s still also a DCEU movie so the floor was pretty low on its possible quality as well.

In the end, the movie is kind of bit of everything; the best and worst parts of the DCEU.

In terms of the good, it’s definitely outside the box, a sort of fem Deadpool first person story as told frenetically by Harley herself. Margot Robbie is, of course, still quite great at this role and you can tell she’s having a blast as this character. The humor is mostly good and visually the bright colors and cinematography pops on each screen and on that front there isn’t much to complain about.

But as a DCEU movie it does suffer from some narrative imbalance partially due to it’s psycho storyteller but mostly, and more than likely, due to corporate editing that probably axed an entire dance number that I was honestly looking forward to from the trailers.

(Seriously, I actually wanted to see the full unedited version of whatever hell this ended up being.)

It’s definitely in the “could’ve been better” camp of comic book movies but you know what? I’m still glad it exists. You know why? Because comic book movies dominate our blockbuster culture right now and if the genre wants to survive, at least artistically, it needs some outside the box films like this. I HATED “Joker” but I appreciate that it opened the door for stranger, more unique takes on a genre that is getting increasingly more stale. This movie falls into that unique category too.

(Also, to all the faux-intellectuals and alt-right nerds making a culture war out of “Sonic” vs “Birds of Prey” *kindly* reevaluate your lives please...)

We’re at the point now where comic book movies should be getting weirder, not more formulaic, and that means swinging for the fences even if a couple don’t quite make it out of the ballpark. If it takes a few not so stellar takes on the genre for Hollywood to greenlight a truly fantastic one I’m all for it.

In any case “Birds of Prey” doesn’t quite end nor continue the DCEU’s recent hot streak but it is enjoyable enough to where I would be more than open to a sequel. It’s worth a watch.

The Mandalorian and The Witcher: Two shows about violent mercenaries and fatherhood

Both these shows are old news at this point, but I did want to talk a little about both for a bit if you would have me.

First, “The Mandalorian” which was Disney+’s flagship production to begin its streaming chapter late last year is definitely a more than welcome addition to the galaxy far, far away. It’s pretty easy to feel fairly jaded about Star Wars these days given how flat the new trilogy ended but for what it’s worth “The Mandalorian” was a good mix of nostalgia bait and something new and interesting for fans to chew on. Its production value is obviously top-notch, no doubt because of all the Disney money pumped into it, it’s well-acted and thrilling and fun from start to finish. It plays heavily on the genres that influenced the series, primarily westerns and old samurai flicks, and fans of those will certainly enjoy the homages to them all.

The series was something of a coming out party for Deborah Chow who directed two of the season 1’s best episodes. Her steady hand, eye for details and tributes to Asian cinema throughout really gave the series an extra kick at times and showed how Star Wars can evolve still. Chow is set to helm the upcoming “Kenobi” series and one can only hope that she *really* leans into the samurai genre for that show.

(Hopefully, there are some “Yojimbo” vibes in there somewhere...)

The Mandalorian’s best and worst parts though are its semi episodic nature making each episode easy to digest as a one-off but also lacking some narrative tension between each. It plays kind of like a Saturday Morning cartoon to both its benefit and detriment with bite-size easy to digest plots and dialogue for the viewers but not offering a ton of depth beyond that.

The Mandalorian himself is also kind of a Gary Stu. His armor is basically impenetrable and far and away the best killer onscreen typically, making more than a few action scenes lack real stakes and tension. Baby Yoda certainly helps at times to make him more vulnerable and puts him in precarious positions plenty of times but outside a few moments (mainly episode 2 and to a lesser extend the final episode) he’s just a little too overpowered to be a more interesting character.

But this show and frankly the Star Wars series as a whole is meant for kids, no matter what the neckbeards try to tell you (violence =/= adult), and that’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Plenty of kids productions can be both great and even sophisticated and while I wouldn’t say “The Mandalorian” is either of those it’s a good and fun kids show for the fans.

(And yes I’m aware that the books, some comics, and games have touched on more adult stuff, you weirdos. But how would you describe the overall tone and presumptive audience of the movies and TV series as a whole, guys??)

As far as “The Witcher” goes it also has a bit of an episodic style to it as well with an overarching, albeit, convoluted story that runs parallel to it. The first 3-4ish episodes can be classified as a quasi “Game of Thrones” clone leaning perhaps a little too heavily into the tropes of that series. Once the series finally starts leaning into its real identity, a dry-witted hack and slash fantasy, the series is much more consistent both tonally and narratively.

Henry Cavil is solid as Geralt of Rivia and the supporting cast of Joey Batey as Jaskier, Freya Allen as Ciri and even more so Anya Chalotra as Yennefer are all great in their respective roles delivering some great moments throughout the season.

(And lest you forget this earworm...)

“The Witcher’s” early season struggles keep it from being as tonally or narratively consistent as “The Mandalorian” but where the monster slayer beats the bounty hunter is that it has overall more compelling drama and has more to say, leaning much more heavily into the thematic greys of the plot. There are tons of problems with “The Witcher” on a story-telling level but you can definitely say it cares more about adding some depth in between the more pulpy aspects of the story which is something you can’t say as much for in “The Mandalorian.”

Of course, I’m partially overselling “The Witcher” a bit here, it’s not anywhere near “Game of Thrones” best (yet at least), and on the flipside one could argue that “The Mandalorian’s” more subtle sense of story-telling does its themes better. But when it comes down to these two shows you get somewhat similar story-telling ideas, mostly involving both characters and their smaller counterparts, in two very different genres with equally diverging conclusions to their respective seasons.

(🎵 Toss an “Oof” to your Witcher...🎵)

All in all, they’re both good and worth a watch and I think they deserve a chance to evolve and hopefully showcase more of what they have to offer moving forward.

“Parasite” wins Best Picture! Many people have some hot takes, including the president...

Last month one of my favorite films of 2019 “Parasite” won Best Picture at the Oscars. It’s a movie that is becoming increasingly relevant as elites and celebrities alike are getting front of the line testing despite being asymptomatic in the middle of pandemic and think they can assuage our concerns and dread by poorly singing “Imagine” together within the comfort of their McMansions.

It’s about as a good time as any to revisit this movie, I mean where else are you going to go during this timeline, and at a later date I’ll write something more extensive about it eventually (hopefully) but first here’s a helpful video on one particular thing that came out after director Bong Joon Ho took home the night’s top honors:

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“Cats” is still a fever dream of madness

Back in late December, I watched “Cats” for science, as I had AMC A-List and a friend crazy enough to join me. I figured it would be bonkers and unlike anything I had seen before in the worst way but even then, I don’t think I was truly prepared for what I ended up seeing that fateful night.

I remember quite vividly going to the bar inside the theater and ordering a stiff drink beforehand to numb the pain and the bartender asking “So what are y’all watching tonight?” and beginning to laugh manically like an insane asylum patient at the innocuousness of the question. Walking into the theater was like that feeling you get before getting on a particularly scary-looking rollercoaster at Six Flags but instead of the pre-ride jitters eventually subsiding to the eventual fun and joy of the ride, only a deep sense of existential dread built up and sustained itself through what felt like six hours of the most baffling thing put to screen in front of my eyes ever.

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(The music that played in my head as I exited the theater...)

Have any of you watched the Stanley Kubrick movie “Eyes Wide Shut” before? You know the scene when Tom Cruise is walking around in his mask observing the strange occult sex orgy going on around him at the mansion? That’s kind of what “Cats” felt like except way more terrifying, somehow MORE sexual, and definitely crazier.

(Is...this some type of...intepretative dance to summon an eldritch horror??)

There’s a voyeuristic terror that comes from sitting in that theater room as you watch bipedal humanoid looking felines dance to confusing songs about “Jelicle” cats (whatever the fuck that means) and all other manner of things that should NOT take human form throughout it’s near-endless runtime. A lot was made about Rebel Wilson and the disgusting roach people she consumes but NO ONE warned me about the frankly HORRIFYING mice children in the same scene!

(I am not perusing the internet to find that image again for y’all. I have enough nightmares each night...)

The saddest thing about the whole movie is everyone, save for Ian Mckellen who seemed to be acting as if a gun was pointing at him offscreen and Judi Dench who looked 100 percent like a geriatric in her digi fur, was giving the movie their fullest effort in what can only be described as a Titanic-sized level of hubris by all parties involved. This movie really needed a “Chaostician” involved in evaluating the production for studio heads and shareholders because there were definitely NOT enough people on this project wondering whether or not this film SHOULD exist...

(Dr. Ian Malcolm coming to Universal Pictures to access the film.)

What has “Cats” wrought upon this world? The universe has been clearly out of balance since this movie came out and while I’m not saying it’s director Tom Hooper’s fault, I’m not saying it isn’t either.

“Cats” is one of those things, much like The Matrix that cannot be simply described but must be seen to believe. It’s one of the worst things I have ever seen onscreen but with the right group of people and a few stiff drinks it’s certainly an experience you won’t forget. Consider it for your next Google Hangout during this apocalypse.

Anyways, that about wraps up my thoughts on the last few months. Going to try to be more consistent going forward especially given how much more time I have now to write, for better and worse. But more importantly, just want to say stay safe y’all. It’s going to be a process to get through this and while things are more likely to get worse before they get better there will be a day when this all ends and some normalcy may yet return to our life but in order for us to get there we need to remain vigilant.

So stay at home, wash your hands, and if you want to watch movies just order it online for now and we’ll just wait until aaaallll this blows over…hopefully.

Don’t panic...

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neoraven · 4 years

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What’s Joe Watching - May 2020

So, I have a bunch of free time, everyone has a bunch of free time, and this is some of the stuff I've been watching so far in 2020. This is mostly TV shows, I’m leaving out a few movies I watched only partially. I'm including some things that I bounced off and quit watching, but I fully reserve the right to go back to them a little later.

Justified - Pilot I intended to just watch the opening Tommy Buck scene, but I fucked up and saw the whole episode since everyone is so darn compelling. And every interaction with Dewey Crowe and Raylan is a treasure. It's amusing to see the Florida Crowe Clan brought up in the show's first 10 minutes or so. This episode is completely fantastic, but it also kinda made me realize how the whole first season is a pilot. Despite him looming over a few scenes, Raylan's father never even shows up. I don't think I'm going to do a full watch through the entire series, but this was extremely fun.

6 Underground - A Michael Bay Film I loved the action, and usage of Dave Franco (cough). As usual, the movie thinks it's way more clever than it actually is. I mostly enjoyed it, definitely has action a cut above the average Transformers movie. The characters don't live up to the likes of Pain & Gain or The Rock, though. Ryan Reynolds felt like way too much of a Deadpool-Mary Sue fantasy of a badass in 2020.

Tremors 1 and Tremors 2 Definitely started the sequel without knowing that Bacon was nowhere to be seen. That was okay though. These movies are fun, and at least early on, they manage to make each one different enough to hide the fact that they're losing recognizable faces with each movie.

The Rookie - Season 2 I'm going to tiptoe around and not spoil it out of abundance of caution, but the reveal was pretty thoroughly lame, expected, yet also seemed hurried and out of left field? It was all done pretty well, and the episodes were usually good, but I'm slightly dreading Season 3. Every character other than Nolan ended up in a pretty okay or even promising place, though, so they could just write their way out of it.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle This sequel has some great moments, but mostly suffers from the normal "too much more" problem that affects nearly all sequels.

Super Troopers 2 Still mostly funny! Even when retreading jokes from the old one. Full disclosure, I fell asleep before the big climax/finale, but It went off fine and everyone lived happily ever after anyways.

911 Lone Star - Season 1 This show was ridiculous for all the right reasons, and seemed to have the right mix of the Glee creative forces to make something goofy and fun. Really hopeful to see it picked up for a bigger and better second season.

Lincoln Rhyme The Hunt For The Bone Collector Did I like this show just because of the long, funny title? Probably. But it was still pretty fun. Parts of it felt like a movie length story stretched into a short season of TV, but the cases of the week helped with that, I guess. Despite the twist ending, I think this is going to end up a one and done show.

Mission Impossible 1 & 2 The first is such a great De Palma classic. I used to think of the second as "bad, but at least it's John Woo", but watching it this time it just felt bad period. I'm probably going to watch the rest soon, since the rest are extremely enjoyable.

Superstore - Season 5 Holy shit, this show was really funny, and the union storyline has been surprisingly good. I'm a little upset that real life circumstances are kind of boxing the show into a corner, between the season not being able to finish filming as well as it being America Ferrera's last on the show. However, I'm pretty confident the show will keep on being entertaining in some way. The Office survived Michael Scott's departure, obviously. That's an idea, Robert California buying Cloud 9 in season 6. Is The Blacklist still going?

This next group of things I started watching for some period of time, but walked away. I don't want to say they all completely fucking suck, though! I definitely might go back to them, but they're at least on a big pause.

The Great - Season 1 This just dropped on Hulu. It's really promising! It has Elle Fanning as the titular (Catherine) The Great, and Nicholas Hoult as her husband Peter. It's got a really weird vibe to it. One reviewer said it was more sketch comedy than historical epic. Peter came off as David Brent, but actually slaughtering people. It just hit a little too dark and uncomfortable type humor. I usually love that, and love the Office! But this just felt pushed a little far over the line for me to stay with. More uncomfortable than funny. But it's a really amazingly well made and clever idea for a show.

Tacoma FD - Season 1 - TruTV Looked like Super Troopers plus Reno 911 at first glance. But it just didn't really click. Actually, sitting here, I'm struggling to remember much about it.

Battlefield Earth (Rifftrax) Not sure why I'm including this on here, I've seen this (and the riff trax with it) a bunch of times. The movie was just too painful this time. Maybe I'm getting weaker in my old age to stand John Travolta's voice in this movie.

Mortal Kombat: Scorpion's Revenge This is an animated Mortal Kombat movie that I vaguely knew was R+ rated for violence. It was uncomfortably like what a 13 year old would consider cool gory violence. Like just cutting dozens of ninjas lengthwise and huge cartoon intestines sputtering everywhere. It was well animated and the action was fairly cool, but it was just gross to look at. I lasted long enough to briefly appreciate Joel McHale as Johnny Cage, though.

Brews Brothers - Season 1 - Netflix I don't have anything overwhelmingly bad to say about this one. The humor just didn't super click for me, and I bailed out fast. It's made by the gentlemen behind The League. I liked the title/pun/idea about two different brothers running a brewery together. It just kinda suffered from a bad cold opening of the first episode real bad.

Happy Endings - Season 1 Okay stop yelling at me for not liking this show. I gave it a shot based on the cast and rave reviews and loads of folks with good TV opinions trying to get it saved. The way the series starts just struck me way more sad than funny? I guess that's the point, and I'm not letting them get to the titular happy ending. But eh.

Okay, that's a lot of words, next up will be a bunch of shows I'm currently watching/enjoying/excited to finish! Or it will probably be so long that they will convert into completed shows!!! Who knows?

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tomaltya962113 · 6 years

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From the launch of a new comic series, new game teasers, and anticipated movie news, this year had a lot of ups and ended with a sudden drop that makes going into 2019 a little nervous for some Sonic fans as we all wonder the same thing we always do at the end of each year, “What will the future look like for Sonic?” I break down the year of news and countdown the Top Stories of 2018 for Sonic news.

Sonic the Hedgehog IDW Comic Series

After the sudden cancellation of the beloved long running Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, fans had wondered if they would ever see Sonic return to a comic form of series, not too long after the Archie Sonic series was over reports surfaced about IDW Publishing starting up a brand-new series featuring the art direction of Tyson Hesse, who did the artwork for Sonic Mania. The series launched on April 4th with releasing issues #1-4 in April. So far, the comic series seems to have a good reception.

Sonic Mania Adventures Animated Mini-Series

One of the highlights made by fan regarding Sonic Mania was the art style for the game’s animated trailers having a Sonic CD vibe, credit for the art in Mania goes to Tyson Hesse. This didn’t go unnoticed by SEGA and decided to do a mini animated series of animated short episodes called Sonic Mania Adventures which premiered March 30th and consists of 6 episodes, so far at least. Fans have shown a great reception towards this series and it could continue to be an on-going thing.

Sonic Mania Plus

After the huge success of Sonic Mania, SEGA announced an expanded version of the game would be released both physically, granting the fan’s wishes to have a physical game made, and digitally, titled Sonic Mania Plus. The re-release added two new characters, Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, who both appeared along with Sonic in the arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog and Mighty also appearing in Knuckles Chaotix, so they’re “new” characters added to the game whom were actually just lost and forgotten characters that SEGA probably had no intentions in bringing them back but with Christian Whitehead being the lead developer, he had plans of his own. Sonic Mania Plus would also get a new Encore Mode where the story takes place after Sonic Forces where Classic Sonic returns from and finds Mighty & Ray trapped in a capsule. Encore mode increases boss battle difficulty and the Special Stage as well. Reception for Sonic Mania Plus was no different from Sonic Mania, in fact, Sonic Mania Plus ended up being the highest rated Sonic title in at least 15 years! Who knows where SEGA will go with this type of feed back. We only hope it’s all for the best to get Sonic back to where he needs to be.

Sonic Returns to the Track

Super early in the year, fans were starting to get suspicion that SUMO Digital was in the works of another Sonic racing title, this time with just the Sonic universe and no SEGA All-Star characters, and the game is developed with a primary focus on cooperative/team game play. SEGA finally revealed the game, Team Sonic Racing, with a teaser trailer at the South by Southwest Convention in March. The upcoming racer title will feature 15 characters and courses based on locations throughout the Sonic world including Rooftop Run, Planet Wisp, and Sand Hill from Sonic Adventure. Fan beloved composer Jun Senoue returns to do the soundtrack along with guests such as Hyper Potions and Tee Lopes, and he brings Crush 40 back for the title’s theme song ‘Green Light Ride’. Team Sonic Racing was originally slated to release Winter 2018 but was delayed by SEGA to give SUMO Digital more time to work on the game and gave it a new release date of May 21st, 2019! Already at least one game to look forward to in the new year!

Sonic Speeding to the Big Screen

I saved this for last because it is the biggest news headline for Sonic this year as news for the new movie was very anticipated. Let’s go way back to the year 2014 where this all began. It was June 10th, 2014, during the E3 conference that the news was let out that Sony Pictures Entertainment had acquired rights to start producing a Sonic the Hedgehog movie and it would be produced by Neal Moritz who is known for doing Fast & Furious and later on Tim Miller, director of ‘Deadpool’, was hired as Executive Producer of the film. Since the announcement of the movie being in the works, not a whole lot of details were given out for the next two or so years when SEGA CEO Hajime Satomi stated the film’s release in be in 2018, other than that news was pretty scarce. In October 2017, news surfaced that Sony Pictures gave up the rights for Sonic due to financial issues with the movie, but the rights would soon get picked up by Paramount Pictures causing the film to get a November 2019 release date. Filming of the movie took place in Vancouver & neighbouring regions, New York City, and San Francisco. The cast of the films includes James Marsden as Tom Wachowski – a Green Hills Sheriff, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog himself. In November, Paramount pulled the curtain on the films teaser motion poster revealing a silhouette of Sonic himself in a very realistic sort of design that had pretty much the entire Sonic fan base and the original creators of Sonic the Hedgehog outraged by the design of Sonic.

Conclusion

This year for Sonic was a decent one, with a brand-new comic series underway and with Sonic Mania still flooring SEGA with how much success it has that they made an extended version. Sonic will be making an appearance on game systems in the new year with Team Sonic Racing, but I think most attention, if not all, is on Paramount as they will start to promote the Sonic the Hedgehog film as it gets closer to November. I don’t know what the future is like for Sonic but I’m just hoping it’ll turn out to be alright. See you all in 2019!

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comic-movieheroesranked · 7 years

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Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2004) Final Part

After two consecutive years of multiple Comic movies, 2004 took it a bit slow with only five movie releases. Blade returns one last time in Blade: Trinity as well as Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2! We also get a spin on two cult classics with AVP: Alien vs Predator. Finally we also get the debut of two comic characters in Hellboy and Catwoman. Here is our TOP 20!

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ALL HIGHLIGHTED MOVIES ABOVE*

20. Drake (Blade: Trinity)

"Kill one man, you're a murderer, kill a million, you're a king. Kill them all, a God."

You know Blade's a badass when Dracula changes his name to Drake just to try to keep up with Blade's coolness. He's the ultimate vampire, yet I thought he was very lackluster (like most villains, honestly). I'm sorry but you're not intimidating if you have to use a baby as leverage on what should be a one on one fight. When the showdown between the two does actually happen, Blade ends up winning to no one's surprise. Not even Drake's, who respects him so much he even helps him out after his death.

19. Kroenen (Hellboy)

*creepy laugh*

So was this guy a zombie made of sand? Because without the armor he looked like a zombie. And he was a zombie who knows how to work a blade. It was guaranteed in the movie that whoever was around when this dude showed up was going to die. He even took on six security guards, killing two of them with their own bullets. Of course I had to hate him when he killed Professor Broom and of course I cheered when Hellboy finally finished him off (I'd also like to point out that Hellboy believes in double tap). I thought this guy was emotionless but right before he dies he starts this evil laugh that's almost chilling. He was easily my favorite to watch die via Mortal Kombat dungeon spikes.

18. Liz Sherman (Hellboy)

"Red, white, whatever. Guys are all the same."

Since she was a young girl Liz has been cursed with the ability to create and control-I use that term lightly-fire. She doesn't quite have a handle on it and seems she can only let it loose after experiencing traumatic memories or being physically hurt. Her destructive fires have wiped out a bunch of kids who totally deserved it and an entire psychiatric ward that totally didn't deserve it. She spent most of her life with the government and wants desperately to be in the real world living a normal life. It's one of the reasons why I think she can't return Hellboy's feelings for her, because she connects him with the facility she wants to run away from. In the end, after she destroys all the hellhounds and Hellboy saves her life, the two finally confess their feelings and share a passionate kiss that literally erupts them into flames.

17. Mary Jane Watson (Spider-Man 2)

"Isn't it about time someone saved your life?"

I just felt so bad for Mary Jane in this movie. Granted, she's doing better career-wise but she's just so in love with Peter and just doesn't understand why he won't be with her when he loves her too. She tries to move on with John, who's like the definition of a good guy, but he's not Peter so we all know how that story ends. I just didn't expect her to be so savage and leave him at the alter SMILING the entire time! I'm just glad that her and Peter are officially starting something because honestly she was already getting caught in Spider-Man's battles so might as well fill her in as to why that is.

16. Whistler (Blade: Trinity)

"Get out, Blade!"

There's a reason why Whistler is the only other character besides Blade to be in every single movie in the trilogy. He's the perfect partner. He knows that it's all about the mission and is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Blade is successful. His only problem? Dude's getting old and slow. Man it was hard watching him go down when police came in locked and loaded, but I respect that he was still able to destroy all the evidence with every last breath he took. Even after death he made sure Blade was taken care of, because Blade WAS his son I don't care what anyone says.

15. Sebastian de Rosa (Alien vs Predator)

"Only the chosen ones may enter."

The Italian that just kept sending romantic vibes to Alexa through the whole movie. He's also the only one who seems to figure out everything that's going on thanks to his background in ancient civilizations. This doesn't save him from being alien cattle, though, and Alexa is forced to kill him when it's discovered an alien has already grown inside him.

14. Alien Queen (Alien vs Predator)

*Alien screech*

If the Alien Queen wasn't designed to literally kill everything that lives, I might've felt sorry for her. The ancient civilization that worshiped the Predators basically had her chained up so she could do one job: lay alien eggs. She gets tired of this, however, and has her children attack her so her acid blood can break her free. She then fights Alexa and the last Predator to escape to the surface but ends up being dragged into the sea where she instantly freezes in the Antarctic weather.

13. Tom Lone (Catwoman)

"Sorry, lady. I'm taken."

What's cute about Tom is he's already swerving other women when he's only been on like, one date with Patience. Granted, the other woman turned out to be Patience but it's still a sweet gesture. Tom's job as a cop makes things really complicated when he finds out Patience is really Catwoman because now he's struggling on whether or not to bring her to justice (this lowkey makes him Batman). He decides to trust his heart and ends up helping her clear her name and bring the right person to justice. Too bad at the end he just gets a note for a goodbye.

12. John Myers (Hellboy)

"My uncle used to say that we like people for their qualities but love them for their defects."

The new guy! Professor Broom hires John straight out of college to look after Hellboy, even if the other male doesn't think he needs watching. Most of his duties consist of cooking Hellboy huge amounts of pasta and pancakes as well as look after his army of kittens, but when the occasional demon comes around he also helps out with that. Its revealed that Professor Broom hired him because he's dying and needs someone to look after Hellboy when he's gone. How does he do this? BY GOING AFTER HELLBOY'S GIRL! Ok so she's not really his girl, which is why I don't blame her at all for going on the date with him because she's her own person and is allowed to do what she wants but John was foul! He knew Hellboy was crazy about her and tried to get with her anyways! At least he didn't get upset when Liz decides to be Hellboy instead.

11. Hannibal King (Blade: Trinity)

"It's in the meat of my butt, just below my Hello Kitty tattoo."

Who knew Ryan Reynolds would star as Deadpool five years before he was officially cast as the merc with a mouth in the first Wolverine solo film. But really Hannibal King is exactly what I fear Deadpool would be if he was in movie with any other super-hero character. He was extremely annoying, half the time I wanted Blade to just slap the shit out of him every time he opened his mouth. It was like he had a serious case of word vomit. Him being the comedic relief was a tad bit overdone and no, him being shirtless didn't lessen the blow at all. At least we saw him go up against three vampire dogs.

10. Patience Phillips/Catwoman (Catwoman)

"Cats come when they feel like it. Not when they're told."

Let's start this off by saying that Patience Phillips is literally one of the most annoying characters ever. Where's Selina Kyle? Like why'd that change? Was it because Halle Berry's black? Because that's such a cop out. Despite the horrible movie, I actually really liked Halle Berry once she was in the cat suit. She had her strut, she delivered those lines, and looked so visually stunning it's like she came out the comic book. Too bad the movie wastes her potential with useless scenes at a basketball court, dealing with loud neighbors, and doing a random ass BDSM dance at a night club.

9. Abigail Whistler (Blade: Trinity)

"Scream if this hurts, chica!"

Whistler's daughter out of wedlock ended up not falling far from the tree and caught the vampire hunting bug at a young age. She didn't let her father's rejection stop her and joined a team of hunters that helped Blade take down the main vamp, Drake (aka Dracula). She's got killer aim with a bow and is bound to get even more bad ass with Blade basically taking her under his wing like her father did with him.

8. Predators (Alien vs Predator)

*Predator clicking*

Three young Predators show up to Earth to slay a bunch of aliens as of rite of passage into manhood (Womanhood? You can't really tell if there's different genders with them). To do this they trick a bunch of humans to show up so that the aliens can breed the Predator's perfect prey. Two of them go down pretty fast, to the very first alien they come across. One was killed instantly while the other put up a really bad ass fight before falling victim to the same alien. The lone survivor proved to be the more superior out of the three because it's taking down humans and aliens left and right. It teams up with Alexa to take on the big Alien Queen. They're successful, but the Predator dies in the process. It's clan, who was just watching the entire time, appears to take it's body away, not knowing there's an alien-predator hybrid growing inside it ready to come out wreck havoc on their ship.

7. Professor Broom (Hellboy)

"I already know what to call him. I call him 'son.'"

Professor Broom is my dad too, I don't care what anyone says. The fact that he was the only one who saw Hellboy as a baby when they first discovered him and not some red ape they needed to kill really shows what a caring man he is. He raises Hellboy as a son and nothing more. He grounds him, lectures him, and Hellboy knows better than to be caught smoking around him. I thought we were going to lose him because of his sickness, but he ends up getting murdered by Kroenen, although he goes out with the highest class.

6. Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock (Spider-Man 2)

"I will not die a monster!"

One thing the first two movies of Spider-Man did that were really successful were their villains. Once again we have a man with a brilliant mind but this time wants to use it for the greater good of mankind. Dr. Octavius turns into a villain after loses everything he worked and cared for and ends up being controlled by his technical tentacles. His fight scene with Spider-Man on the train was one of the best fight scenes I've seen in a movie, too. I'm glad he went back to his core values, even if he had to sacrifice himself to do it.

5. Abe Sapien (Hellboy)

"If there's trouble, all us freaks have is each other."

Abe was probably my favorite out of the trio of 'freaks'. He was an aquatic humanoid with the ability to know everything about a person or object just by touching them. Looking passed his obsession of rotten eggs, Abe proved to be a very important member of the team. While Hellboy did all the ass kicking, Abe made sure Hellboy knew everything about the thing getting the ass kicking. He's not a fighter, which is proven when he's severely injured by one of the hell hounds. Healing his wound takes him out of the main fight but it doesn't stop him from giving advice to his friends when they need it.

4. Alexa Woods (Alien vs Predator)

"To restore order, the guards need their guns."

Wow it was so obvious that Alexa was going to be the only human to survive this temple full of aliens and predators alike. Probably because she was the only one who didn't actually want to go because of how dangerous it was. She knew how to handle every situation and learned quickly that in order to stop the aliens from reaching the surface, she would need help from the Predators. After she kills her first alien, the last remaining Predator deems her worthy and the two team up to take down the Alien Queen. When the Predator's clan shows up, they let keep her badass sword and alien-head shield. I, personally, would have wanted a ride since the nearest town is a thousand miles away though I'm sure Alexa would figure it out just fine.

3. Blade (Blade: Trinity)

"I was born ready motherfucker!"

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Blade is the ultimate badass! Literally everyone in every single movie of the trilogy got hella worried once they realized they were going up against him. He is the ultimate nightmare of all vampires. In his last mission we see him turn into the mentor as he takes up Whistler's daughter and her team to take on Drake. Of course he's successful because he's a badass and that's what baddasses do. But seriously I could just hear him say motherfucker the entire movie if I could, but I get that the script had to be a little more complex than that. Even though the movie wasn't my favorite, Weslet Snipes definitely ended his time with this iconic character on a very high note.

2. Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Spider-Man 2)

"Sometimes to do what's right we must be steady and give up the things we desire the most."

Our favorite neighborhood Spider-Man is back! Peter is going through a life bump two years after he first becomes Spider-Man. He's broke, struggling in class, and damaging his already fragile relationships. The main reason for all this is because he's putting his responsibilities as Spider-Man before anything else and it starts to take a toll on him. I can't blame him for wanting to quit, it's not easy for someone to give up everything they care about for a cause they didn't really ask to be responsible for. Except, he kinda did. No one forced him to become Spider-Man either so I'm glad he got out of the no-power funk he was in and went back to making the streets of New York safer. And because he went through all of this, he was able to help Dr. Octavius get his morality back, which is something you don't see a lot in the grand dynamics of hero vs villain.

1. Hellboy (Hellboy)

"Second date, no tongue!"

He's big, he's sassy, and he's one of the pettiest people that's ever graced a comic book. Hellboy is exactly what his name is: a boy that came from hell. Granted he's a man now but Hellman doesn't exactly have the same ring to it. What's not to love about Hellboy? He has the best one liners, goes through all the teenage insecurities of liking someone that we all went through, and has a deep passion for kittens. Anyone who is willing to risk their life for a kitten is a hero in my eyes. The main struggle Hellboy has during the movie is fighting the demon he is 'destined' to be. He files down his horns and tries desperately to fit in with society, even if his main reason is so he could finally by with Liz. In the end, after losing his father, Hellboy leads the team to stop Rasputin from ending the world. And he's able to accomplish that by making the choice to not be what's expected of him. To not be a hell demon that will bring about the end of the world. After ending Rasputin and his plans Hellboy goes back to the indestructible badass we all know and love and finally gets to kiss Liz.

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nerdynformed-blog · 8 years

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Logan is a superhero movie - Part I: What a superhero movie is

I feel someone has to say it: Logan is a superhero movie. It is not a movie-with-superheroes-in-it-but-is-actually-something-else. It is a superhero movie.

Why do I care so much? Well, frankly I hear a lot of people saying that this movie teaches us (the audience and the moviemakers) that we don’t have to make superhero movies, just good movies with superheroes in it. If that does not sound familiar, maybe just go to some YouTube channels like Screenjunkies and the like (I love those guys, by the way).

However, I will argue the opposite: not only Logan is a superhero movie, but also it is what makes it such a great movie. Instead of making more movies-with-superheroes-that-are-not-superhero-movies, we should make better superhero movies. Like Logan.

Movies that don’t try to compensate or apologize for the “superhero stuff” in it. Movies that don’t try to be something else so people will say “it is not just a superhero movie”. Movies that excuse their laziness or unintended silliness with the phrase “it is a superhero movie”.

We need movies that embrace and explore what a superhero is. Like _Logan _did.

Let me just start saying that, predictively, I love this movie. It is great. There is so much good things that I can and will say about it in the future. However, to be blunt, everyone knows it is great. Not just that, there is a lot to be learned from it – both for those who love superheroes and those that make movies. It’s just that “stop making superhero movies” is the wrong lesson.

So I want to concentrate on something no one seems to notice: how good of a superhero movie it is and how we could and should make more movies like it. We don’t have too many superhero movies, we just got too few really good ones. That can be changed by understanding how _Logan _succeeds as being just that. A good superhero movie.

So, I am actually going to take 2 or 3 parts to talk about that. The first part is: what is a superhero movie. Yeah, sounds simple, but trust me.

‘Superhero’ is not a genre

Again, I hear a lot of people talking about the superhero genre – and that Logan is of course something else. It is a drama, it is a western, it is a movie about family. We could argue about it, but right now it doesn’t matter.

_Superhero _is NOT a genre – not to movies, comics, books, nor any medium.

I guess I have to be honest here, I did not go to film school. Far from it, my place in academia is, well… Some other time I will talk about it. But I am not an artist, scholar or critic in that sense – no formal artistic education about film making or anything like that. When it comes to movies, by any means, I am a layman.

However, I do love and study comic books and superheroes, and I obsess over them enough to really know what I am talking about. So my definitions may lack some conceptual finesse, but I think they can really help the conversation. Read them and judge me – but please read them first.

Genre is a very useful classification and, at the same time, misusing it can lead to a lot of trouble to an industry – be it games, movies or something else. Understanding the genre of a product helps the audience to select what they want to watch/read/play/smell.

If you like some movies of one genre, there is a good probability that you are going to enjoy other movies of the same genre. The opposite is also true – some people just cannot get into horror or action movies, doesn’t matter how good or well-made they are.

Understanding what genres people like also helps the industry decide what movies and games to make. It actually affects people’s livelihoods and careers, not to mention culture as a whole.

Honestly, there is a lot of criteria that can be used to classify a movie as part of a specific genre, so yes you will definitely find some definitions by witch I am completely wrong. But not every way to define “genre” actually works or helps the situation we got here – so also judge them with that in mind.

My personal mechanism is this: a movie genre is defined by the emotional drive that leads the public to want to see it and to enjoy it. It is a simple definition and, if you stop to think about it, it works very well.

You watch dramas to be emotionally involved and moved. Comedies to make you laugh – either out loud or just smirk about the wittiness of the story. Terror is supposed to make you experience fear, and horror, repulse. Action is about the thrills, the benign adrenaline of a fight or a car chase. Fantasy is about the feeling of, well, the presence of the fantastical and awesome. Adventure, romance, suspense – each of those terms describe the emotional state of the audience and the mood/atmosphere the movie has to work with. And sure, you can and should mix them up, but you have to know what ingredients you are using.

However, try to put all superhero movies in a common emotional vibe and see how that goes. We have balls to the wall satirical metamodernist comedy in Deadpool, that gritty tragedy and suspense of The Dark Knight, bad cliché sci-fi in Green Lantern and loads and loads of action in the rest of it.

There is a lot of movie genres that get confused with the subjects or themes that they usually explore. The best examples, for me, are cowboys, zombies and war. I believe that western and war are genres – and zombies are at least a subgenre of horror/terror. They are all marked by specific kind of character or scenario.

However, they also have their own emotional drives – and those are the real measures of which is a western or a zombie or war movie.

Westerns have that bleak post-apocalyptic dryness to them, with slow long silences and a violence that is dirty, quick and without spectacle.

War movies have that sense of sobriety and sad heroism, of the weight of duty and tragic importance, the loss of innocence and the risk of losing one’s own humanity– all wrapped in that feeling that we might not survive the next few hours.

And zombie movies are about a very specific kind of fear and sense of smallness.

That is reaaaaaaaally simplified, but you get the gist of it.

However, you have a lot of movies with cowboys, soldiers and zombies that are definitely NOT part of those genres, because they don’t have the same atmosphere. Cowboys and Aliens, the remake of Magnificent Seven are some good examples – a westerns’ fan IS NOT going to like them.

You could argue that _Shawn of the Dead _and Zombieland are zombie-comedies, and that would be ok. But let’s not pretend that the Resident Evil how many? seven movies? are similar in tone to the Romero classics.

And oh boy you have movies with soldiers and battles that are not war movies. If someone tells you “I don’t want to watch Allies or Inglorious Bastards because I did not enjoy Saving Private Rian” they are grossly misinformed – and missing out. You could even say that a fan of war movies is going to enjoy Rogue One more than a fan of Star Wars.

You could say that a lot of nerds like me run to the theater whenever there is a superhero movie – that that is what dives us. And ok, far enough. But still, there are vast differently moods that they have to work with for me to enjoy the movie. So, it is not a genre in this simple and useful definition.

So, if superheroes are not a genre, what are they?

‘Superhero’ is…:

Well…

‘Superhero’ is a subject and a type of character.

Before you start screaming at the screen, here it is why it matters:

Superheroes are a very special kind of character, and they are a very interesting subject to make movies about. That is the whole point I am trying to make: we need to explore these subjects and characters. We need to do it correctly, informed and unapologetically.

So, here it goes some information, corrections and a rude lack of apologies:

In those discussions about the genre of Logan, people talk about it being a western, and that is not by chance. Superheroes are literary descendent of the cowboy. They are just the last leafs of the same family three in which we have the cowboys, private detectives (no, not Sherlock, something more Dick Tracy or Philip Marlowe), space adventures (like Flash Gordon) and, finally, superheroes. I like to call this the American hero family.

All these heroes, including the superheroes, share some traits. Each one of them acts in a frontier – a dynamic space between civilization and savagery where there is people and humanity, but where safety and social stability are not guaranteed, creating both a place and a need for justice.

The heroes end up also being a mixture of the freedom of the untamed land and the responsibilities brought forward by the presence of other humans, families and society.

The cowboy has the literal frontier, but the cities of private eyes and superheroes are not that safer and/or more civilized when you go into the wrong alleys. Neon and concrete jungles and whatnot. And, in a very American way, those are socially dynamic spaces, with people always going up or down the ladder. (The most bizarre example I can think of this scenario is given by the analysis Extra Credits did on The Witcher 3 – that is fantastic).

They often act alone and are lonely, or at least independent of a higher authority. What drives them are not leaders or rulers, but their own internal moral compass that leads them straight to those in need of help.

They know violence, being able to survive it and inflict it – and that is a big part of it (be it guns, lasers or batarangs).

They are visibly extraordinary, and yet are in some sense common people. They carry our best values, but they are never our kings – so they inspire us, but never govern us.

And they fight for what is right, for justice and freedom: the cowboy may kill some bandits, while superheroes save the world or fight a giant monster, but it is the same thing in kind, if not in scale. Even when most superheroes refuse to kill, they are doing the same thing a cowboy does when he shoots bandits. They are obeying their own moral codes, even when that seems irrational or dangerous.

Even the heroes who work with or even for the government (like Captain America) follow their own morals instead of rules and orders – more often than not disobeying the last. And the Waynes and Starks of the world are always being reminded that, billionaires or not, they are just human. Even Thor in the comics has a double life as a human in a sense or another. Being part of humanity is very important to all these heroes.

However, by no means I want to say that superheroes are just like cowboys and the similar. They have three very necessary characteristics that makes the superhero a different species altogether, even if a member of the same family.

First of all, their superpowers. All superheroes are marked by one ability or a set of abilities that makes them something special. Even those with no superpower have access to some ability, technology or resource that makes them impossible to emulate, that sets them apart – even if it is just being really, really good with a bow and arrow. Even the Punisher has a very-much-above-average talent to kill and make war. Superheroes who lack this trait, either don’t last long or change soon.

More important than anything else, however, is their fashion sense. The cape, the mask, the symbol on the chest – the uniform makes a hero super. It is where the powers actually come from, if you believe the Mermaidman. They all have something that works as the face of their super persona – a color scheme, a recognizable silhouette, a pair of jeans and white shirt they love to wear. They even have special names that they use when dressed up: Superman, Wonder Woman, Gold Balls.

The most extreme cases are the Punisher, the Fantastic Four, the X-men (at least in the movies) and some of the Inhumans: character that don’t have secret identities, that don’t even wear masks, but still put on a uniform and call themselves by special names, as if invoking powerful beings that would never be called Reed, Frank or Hank.

Finally, the powers and the uniform combine to generate the most important trace of the superhero: the double identity. Not necessarily a secret identity, but always a double one.

Again, even heroes without secret identities have a need to be someone else or something else when “doing super stuff”. But they also have a birth name, civil clothing and a life outside of being super. In many (or most) cases, they keep their identities secret and completely separated, but even public supergenius have domestic lives and close people that call them Johnny or Charles.

They have human worries and relationships, being ever relatable in a sense or another. They are similar to us and – simultaneously – what we only dream of becoming. The mission is not everything to them. They save the world and have wives, they fight evil and pay rent, they fly and do the dishes. They have super adventures and human lives. That is what makes them superhuman.

They are at the same time human and divine – both aspects so clearly distinct that they have different names and appearances, but both deeply important for themselves and the stories.

That is interesting, because we have people who are much more amazing than the cowboys and detectives, but so much more human than they are also. They are greater crime-fighters, lifesavers and alien-fighters than Dick Tracy or Flash Gordon; but also have a separate job and/or family, very much human and “normal” – and they relish in that. Their normal lives are nice and important to them.

That leads us the last point of Part I. Since I am arguing that _Logan _is a superhero movie, I am going to define what a superhero movie is.

Finally, Superhero Movies are…

Simply put, it is a movie of ANY GENRE that focuses on a character with those traits and/or the traits themselves.

A original superhero movie is one that explores that in a original way.

A deep superhero movie is one that uses that to explore some deep questions.

A good superhero movie is a movie that is good in talking about that.

And I still defend the idea that ANY GENRE can benefit from doing that.

Dramas can focus on the weight and loneliness of living a double life. The sense of hopelessness of needing to do good, but being faced with a world that may never be completely fixed and even resists small changes. The hard work that is, more than doing the right thing, deciding what is right when you cannot just follow orders or “be normal”. And the emptiness that comes with the lack of certainty and closure after the fight is over and you just don’t know if you did the right thing. And the sacrifice – which one do you make? Your normal life or your grater purpose? Which will hurt you the most? Can you survive any?

Comedies can either make fun of the escapades and the excuses the hero has to improvise or lightheartedly poke holes in the whole attitude of some guy putting a colorful costume and calling himself a fantasy name. In the other hand, the larger than life superpersonas can be used to mock our occasional pettiness and thin skin, making us the strange and the superheroes the normal.

Action has a ton of possible situations to explore that “normal” people would not provide. Not just because of the powers – although, yes because of the powers – but also because of the appearance of the hero and the way they act out of the common structures of law enforcement. You can have a character that is much more of a common man than John McClane and, simultaneously, waaay more of a block buster than Rambo. And whose raison d'être necessarily leads him or her to action and danger.

The fantastical and the sci-fi can take all their iconic powers and narratives and see how they work when competing with the normal life of a normal human. Maybe we even get some perspective in how better we are in our imperfect world instead of Narnia, Middle Earth or Asgard.

Well, reading this, you probably already know how I justify calling Logan a superhero movie. If not, then even better! You are going to love to read Part II – Logan as a superhero movie. I will discuss then how it uses the superhero to make some grate drama.

When I post it, that is…

#logan #logan movie #superhero #superheromovie #nerd #movies

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thecheapsteaks · 6 years

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CARTOONS

As much as I watch anime, I unfortunately do not watch nearly as much western animation. Part of this is just laziness and preferences, but also the way cartoons are released: either they are all dropped at once on Netflix or some other service in a giant chunk of stuff to stream, or they are aired every few months without warning before entering hiatus until the network decides to slide more out. I usually prefer to watch an episode or two each day or week depending, so this schedule can make this a bit difficult. Anyway, I have tried to watch a couple shows, because there is good stuff coming out! I can't just be a terrible weeb! Two cartoons stood out to me this year.

Ducktales

I will disclose, I actually watched the premiere of this when it aired, but didn't follow up when the next episode came out because I'm pretty sure there was a break between when the series actually continued. This is an enjoyable show! It's nice to see the nephews made into more distinct characters, as well as Webby getting a personality beyond “we added a girl.” Scrooge, Beakley, and Donald are cool too. It does give me vibes of Gravity Falls in “makeshift family group learns lessons and has adventures” but that's fine, because it's nice to have characters who actually get along and love each other despite their differences, instead of shows where every character is miserable and barely tolerates each other (like every Fox animated sitcom) Also, Flintheart Glomgold.

She-Ra

Another charming little show. I like the characters a lot (Entrapta and Catra are my faves) and the designs are wonderful, so the haters can bug off. The cast is nicely charming, and there really is some nice tension with how Adora and Catra have been put at odds and I would really like to see where it goes. It just started, but I am looking forward for the next season and watching where it goes from here! I don't have a ton to say about this really, but it's fun. Watch it, it's a nice bit of Western Magical Girl and that makes it good.

FILMS

I don't watch a ton of movies! Again, this is more due to my personal tastes, since I prefer to watch an hour or so of entertainment. Anything more and I lose interest because my attention dreadful. Also, I usually watch movies in theaters or outside with others barring most circumstances, and since I can't always get together with others to see movies I don't really go to a ton. I did see in theaters a couple of recorded Love Live concert showings, and while those rule I guess they don't reeeeally count as movies? Even if it is the closest I will get to seeing one love in the conceivable future. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I saw too movies this year, and I didn't even see all of Deadpool 2. There was an emergency in the movie theater and we had to be evacuated RIGHT near the end, and I just haven't gotten around to seeing it. I enjoyed the movie, but just haven't gotten around to it. Anyway, it doesn't matter because the best movie I saw was...

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Okay, giving my movie of the year title to the only full movie I remember seeing this year may be a bit easy, but even if I had seen other movies this probably would have taken the gold. It's just so damn good, and I'm not even a huge Spider-Man enthusiast. It's cool to see the idea of alternate characters and universes, which comics have so many of, made into a cool movie that really goes into what it means to be a hero, or a Spider-Man. Miles is a fun main character, and I like the way he is just thrust into superheroism, complete with thought bubbles and other comic details popping up around him. His interaction with his father, which swings from embarrassment to love, is sweet, and he makes a great team with the other dimensional Peter Parker and Gwen. The animation and style of the movie is just absurd, and really makes it stand out. It's a real surprise that animation isn't used for action movies like this, since it works so well; the choreography for the climactic final battle is just WILD. The only thing I could have hoped for would have been more of the B-Group. They're all so good, though.

MUSIC

I listen to a lot of metal, to the point where it becomes a bit tough to keep track of all of the different albums. When an album stands out, though, it really stands out. Here are five albums I really got into!

Nekrogoblikon – Welcome to Bonkers

This album is silly, and it really works out for it. It really helps me enjoy an album when the songs are distinct and Welcome to Bonkers has some nice balance. There are more traditional songs in Nekrogoblikon's wild vein of death metal such as Dressed as Goblins, but also the jaunty tropical song The Magic Spider and the ballad Goblins. Having a nice mix of music and some great irreverence made this album my possible favorite of the year.

High on Fire – Electric Messiah

Sometimes it feels like there are a million stoner and/or doom metal bands growing out of the wood work, with names referencing Sasquatch, witches, mountains, and of course weed. Sometimes this oversaturation can get a bit overwhelming, and they do begin to blend together at a point. What I like most about High on Fire is that it is that it's just so damn fast and dirty. It's got almost a thrash edge to it, with killer riffs and some great vocals in the vein of Lemmy Kilmister. The title track is also an amazing tribute to Lemmy himself (much better than Metallica's Murder-One, if I say so myself). High on Fire is super underrated and just so intense, it's great.

Alkaloid – Liquid Anatomy

I do like death metal. Sometimes I just want to listen to something intense, growly, and overbearingly loud. The downside is that this can blend together a bit at times. This is why death metal that is just a bit more weird really stands out nicely to me. It's spacey and bizarre. The members of this band are immensely talented, but high talent and skill does guarantee a superb album. In this case, they've made something unique and weird, which is what I dig in a death metal album.

Chapel of Disease - ...and as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye

Speaking of weird death metal, this band managed to get onto my get on my radar with this album. Their past few albums had been much more traditional death metal album, but when I listened to this it stood out the second I heard the first solo. It was a huge dose of classic rock guitar-work in the middle of a heavy death metal song. It's a combo that doesn't always pop up a lot, but when it does I really dig it.

U.D.O. - Steelfactory

U.D.O. is one of the earlier heavy metal bands I got into. I first listened to Accept, the band for which frontman Udo Dirkschneider originally sang for, and listened to his band, which toured and recorded in parallel to Accept. Accept had a comeback in the new millennium with a new singer, but Udo's band makes some solid heavy metal as well. His voice is always unique, and he makes a nice variety of sounds. Accept, with a slightly changed line-up, released a nice album this year, but I feel Udo's band made a disc that was just a bit more unique, and while I both enjoy bands, I have to give U.D.O. a slight edge. Accept recently lost its longtime bassist and songwriter, so it will be interesting to see if it mixes up their next album a bit more, as their last few albums have fallen into a slight rut. Solid, yes, but needs a bit more to stand out.

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furederiko · 8 years

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After a whole month* of absence, the Random-News-Digest has returned! It's the 1st of the month and also for the year 2017. *) Technically, it's around 2 months, since my last R-N-D was published on December 12th, 2016.

NOTE: Starting with this post, expect to see several news to be put in a joint category. For example, all things related to Marvel Studios will be put as one section, while Marvel TV's shows will be a separate one. Occasionally, some will show up as a standalone though, it all depends on the situations and conditions. It's an attempt to make the post more... shorter and concised. That's the intention, at least. LOL.

Disney Live Action

Back in the 90s, the classic animated movie "Beauty and the Beast" had an original song by the same name, that became a huge memorable hit. With combination of powerful vocals by then-rising star Celine Dion, and well-known soul singer Peabo Bryson, the duet took the world by storm. I doubt there's even anyone who have never heard of this song. Which is why, it's a huge task for the current generation of singers to deliver this song with the same amount of heft, as part of this year's live action remake.

And that privilege has been given to Arianna Grande and John Legend, while Dion herself contributed a new solo song "How Does a Moment Last Forever" to the movie's soundtrack. Walt Disney Pictures officially released an audio-only VEVO for this 2017's version duet, and if you have ever had any doubts about the quality of both Grande and Oscar Winner Legend, then well... you can stop worrying. I admit, they don't sound like Dion and Bryson. But you know what? A good singer needs to make a song their own, and in that regard, Grande and Legend have succeeded. All the while, the classic vibe and feel of the romantic song remains in tact. Uhmm... scratch that, they also made it sound... modern too. Sure, the music feels oddly like... karaoke, but when Legend's voice came in I felt the exact same shivers I had when I listened to the original for the first time.

You can also listen to the song, while it's serenading the movie's Final Trailer. Yep, Disney has released one last marketing push for the movie, although in my opinion it's really NOT necessary. And trust me, I advise you (especially those who have NEVER seen the animated version) to NOT watch it. Because well... it practically spoiled like 80% of what's going to happen in it *sigh*. Thankfully, aside from a few seconds of Emma Watson singing "Something There", none of the musical numbers have been used in the trailers. Which is perfectly GOOD, because I prefer hearing them directly in the theatres. Okaaaaay... I might have spoken a little TOO SOON. The Golden Globe TV spot has already featured Watson's version of her Belle's solo number by the same title... "Belle". Dang it Disney, STOP IT... just STOP! I know it's completely my fault for running into that video, but pleeeaseee! Keep everything else a surprise, okay?! *sigh*

DC Films

In case you've been living under a rock (which is perfectly cool, by the way, it's your choice), or have been removed from modern civilizations for the past few weeks (which is... also cool, because sometimes a retreat to the wilderness IS necessary), actor Ben Affleck has stepped back from directing the next Batman solo movie. Yes, eventhough I believe that's part of the deal when he jumped in to play grumpy murderous Bruce Wayne for DC Films. Talking to Variety, Affleck stated that he chose to focus on the lead actor role and handed over the directorial duty to someone else. Why? Is it because the costume will be too uncomfortable for him to work both side? That's a possibility. Perhaps he went a little anxious after his much-buzzed movie "Live by Night" failed to please... practically everyone? Or is it because, there's a brewing storm behind "Justice League" that gave him... cold feet? No matter the reason behind it, I think this is a huge loss for a potentially-great movie.

Then again, not just the studio (as proven by them trusting Zack Snyder and David Ayer over and over again), apparently the fans are more desperate and concerned about having the movie MADE, instead of having the right people come in to ensure its QUALITY. Proof? Immediately after the news went large, many fansites wasted no time to speculate and fan-cast their favorite directors, whom they hope will replace Affleck in the directorial chair. Although I bet the seat is still warm, Affleck's name faded from everyone's head so quickly! My condolences to him for experiencing what Tim Miller had with the second "Deadpool" movie. So yeah, one thing for sure, that tentatively titled "The Batman" WILL definitely see the light of day. Right now, Warner Bros is actively looking for Affleck's replacement, assuming they want to be on time for their schedule to release the movie next year (alongside James Wan's "Aquaman" and Margot Robbie's "Gotham City Siren"), of course.

Meanwhile, the same thing isn't happening with the other movie, "The Flash". After two consecutive directors walked out due to 'creative differences', WB has decided to do a page-one rewrite of the script, which if I recall correctly was done by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Who, by the way, were initially considered to direct the movie too, before moving on to "Han Solo: A Star Wars Story" at Disney. Joby Harold, a guy whose name I'm NOT familiar with has been tasked to do this ordea... er, I mean responsibility. This means, highly likely it will NOT be released in 2018 as previously planned. Why? Not only things will be restarted from scratch, lead actor Ezra Miller has a commitment to star in the second installment of "Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them", and the production is expected to begin around July. As I've said in November, the earliest for him to start working in this movie is Fall 2017 for a release date of Winter 2018. But that was when there's an existing script ready to be filmed.

What's happening with "The Batman", "The Flash", and the wise delay of "Justice League 2" (should we even be surprised? They kept releasing more uninspiring still from the movie) only proves that WB has yet managed to have proper footings with their DC adaptations. Let's just hope that those are just minor necessary setbacks from the DC Universe in order to move smoothly in the future. After all, "Green Lantern Corps" has hired Justin Rhodes and everyone's favorite person David Goyer to write the screenplay, while "Shazam" and "Black Adam" have been reported to be made into separate movies to accommodate more of Dwayne Johnson's star-power.

LEGO Movies

Feel free to call this shameless bragging, but I trust my gut instinct. Many times it has proven to be correct. A recent good example of this, is my genuine hype as soon as I saw the first trailer for "The LEGO Batman Movie". Ignoring the obvious fact that I always have a soft spot for LEGO's animated adaptation, I had this feeling that the movie will be fantastic. Which was, a complete opposite to when I saw any (yes, all) of the live action DC Films so far (don't get me wrong, 'DC Films' obviously refers to ones released prior to Nolan's trilogy). Guess what? Critics are loving the movie too!

The Guardian called it "a relentlessly funny superhero movie". Variety called it as "kicky, bedazzling, and super-fun". Den of Geek said that it's "a second straight victory for the Lego franchise on the big screen", and similar to Polygon, likened it to the famous "The Dark Knight". IGN gave it an 8,5 out of 10 score. You can check out many other sites to read their thoughts on the movie. As of writing, its RottenTomatoes' accumulated score (remember, the site only aggregates score from various places, not rates their own) is sitting at a comfy 98% out of 40 critics. Something that neither "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad" were able to accomplish. Nope, both started out under 50%!!! Of course, this score will fluctuate in the coming days and weeks, and it is the final score that will actually count more. But really, this IS a great sign.

You know what is the lesson that I hope WB would learn from this success? HIRE THE RIGHT MAN for the job and RESPECT the source material! Stop relying on snobbish arrogant hacks like Zack Snyder, David Ayer, and the likes who wants to have their way without honoring the comics. Hire the right people and DC Films will no doubt be equally a success. And now that I think about it... on a lesser note, why not focus on animations instead? Back during the Bruce Timm era, their DC properties have been nailing the animated superhero market for years. Completely towering over the competitor Marvel by a huge margin. Yet they somehow decided to focus on the dark, gritty, and gloomy live action adaptations (thanks to New 52), with ripple effects that ran through many mediums, including the DC animation movies (starting with "Justice League: Flashpoint"). That's when DC direct-to-videos animated movies became... dull and boring as well. "The LEGO Batman Movie" is a return to the fun escapades, an easy proof of what DC should've done. This movie, alongside the carefree "Justice League: Action" series are exactly what WB needs for their DC properties! Assuming they want to win over fans of all ages, of course.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to watch this movie at the theatres. With the current financial condition, I will need to wait until the home video is released. But hearing positive praises and recommendations from critics is already enough to make me happy. As in, FINALLY, there's a theatrical DC movie that's worth-watching after "The Dark Knight". If you're not convinced just yet, check out the 'technical' "Behind the Brick" featurette for the movie, or the fun "Gotham Cribs" specially hosted by Batman and his... uhm, roommate Bruce Wayne (who gives some shirtless fanservice too... Wooooo!!! XD). Want a song instead? Check out the official LEGO Batman theme, in the tune of "Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie". Yes, even if you're not a DC fan, according to critics, if you loved "The LEGO Movie" then high chance you're going to love this movie as well!

To complement the movie's success... there's also a recent news regarding "The LEGO Ninjago Movie". Yep, a title that will be released this year, the one I've completely forgotten about. Just yesterday, USA Today exclusively shared sneak peaks of the movie, and well it looked... uhmm... weird. I didn't have issues when I first saw the image of Garmadon, or Sensei Wu. But when I saw the Ninja, I seriously gasped. Honestly? I'm NOT too keen on how they look... different compared to the TV ones. WHY the need to change their hairstyle? To make more merchandise? Also, do we need big name actors to bring them to life? What's the problem of using the exact voice cast of the TV series? Do their their names not... selling enough? I have to say, as a devoted fans of the franchise, this reveal somewhat annoyed me.

Yes. The report also confirmed the voice cast. I have to use the word 'confirmed' because apparently, these names have already been leaked/revealed back in June 2016. Courtesy of fansite Brickset, who stumbled upon the names during the Licensing Expo 2016. I'm genuinely surprised that it went off radar that easily, particularly mine, who had seen all six seasons of the show and can't wait to see more. Anyway, the cast consists of Jackie Chan as Sensei Wu, and the newly announced Justin Theroux as Garmadon the big bad. The ever talented Michael Peña will voice Kai, Kumail Nanjiani as Jay, Zach Woods as Zane, and Fred Armisen as Cole. Garmadon's son (assuming the movie follows the plot of the series) Lloyd is confirmed to be the lead protagonist, and will be voiced by Dave Franco. While Abbi Jacobson is set to voice the odd-haired Nya, who (once again, assuming it's similar to the series) is Kai's sister. While admittedly these are great names, somehow I feel like some of them are... voicing the wrong character. For example, I figure Peña should be the one doing Cole (considering many fans have likened the character as hispanic), while Franco's playful voice would be better as Jay or even Kai instead of Lloyd. Jackie Chan is a terrific actor, but him as Wu? Hmmm....

But that's not all that concerns me. It's what Franco said that made me worried. "They may be really cool as ninjas and the Ninjago world adores them, but at school they’re the geeks and nerds who are ignored.". At... SCHOOL? And NERDS? Huh? People who are clueless about the franchise might find this to be 'good', but I honestly wonder if fans would be pleased with these changes. I know I'm not *sigh*. Oh well, I can only hope this movie will not prevent the 7th season from happening, because I'm more looking forward to that one. "The LEGO Ninjago Movie" is set to arrive on September 22nd, 2017.

Marvel Studios

It's Super Bowl time of the year, a time where people came or tune in TV for sport, and movie studios used it to tag along for promotions. True to the earlier report, Disney released two new trailers for their upcoming movies. Everyone's easy guess, was that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is one of that, considering it's among the House of Mouse's first Summer movie of the year. And well, that was correct, with the other one belonged to "Pirates of the Carribean 5". Not long after USA Today released several new official images (which looked really good, especially Mantis), Disney officially released the Super Bowl trailer online.

It became the most watched and talked about trailer throughout the game, and true to director James Gunn's tease, fans have gotten their first look of Elizabeth Debicki's villainous Ayesha. To be honest, I never thought it's really that hard to imagine how she would look. Just photoshop Debicki with a golden skin, and you have Ayesha! Surprisingly though, she looked... a little different than the one shown in the official LEGO tie-in sets. Perhaps because in the trailer, she's covering her long wavy golden locks in that royal helme... er, tiara thingy? That might be the case. Don't believe me? Go ahead and check out the trailer's breakdown, courtesy of SlashFilm. Kurt Russel's Ego the Living Planet is the only character we have yet seen so far. Perhaps Marvel Studios is intent on keeping him longer in the dark to avoid... giving away too much of the story?

Marvel Studios also released a new official poster to accompany the trailer, and well... it also looked really good. Brilliantly artistic, I should say, because it works well with the 'Volume 2' title and also Chris Pratt's Star-Lord's personal signature. Despite looking funky, it does not go excessively beyond borderline ridiculous like those... uhm skwad ones (Yeeessh!!! who designed those?). Embargo for the set visits have also been lifted, and various entertainment sites have begun running their reports. Haven't had time to read these set visits, but will do it later today when I have the time. Or tomorrow. But to be honest, I don't need to know more about this movie. I'm already sold about it even before it is announced. LOL. With Gunn himself confirming on social media that Tyler Bates' score for the movie has been completed, it looks like the movie is very close to finish. After all, it will premiere earlier in various countries. I think it'll arrive in April here too! I'm personally curious and can't wait to hear responses from the early screening!

Skipping "Spider-Man: Homecoming", and moving on to "Thor: Ragnarok", director Taika Waititi has confirmed that actor Sam Neill will indeed have a role, albeit minor in his upcoming movie. And he's not alone as an alumn from "Hunt of the Wilderpeople", because he will be accompanied by another actor from the movie. Who is it? Waititi himself!!! LOL. In case you forgot, this quirky director is also an actor, and he did have a brief but really memorable part in that critically-acclaimed movie. Revealing what he played in "Hunt of the Wilderpeople" might be regarded as spoiler, so you've just got to see that movie yourself to know what it is (don't worry, it's HIGHLY recommended). But if you're looking for a quick sample to know whether the New Zealander can act or not, back in 2011 he played Hal Jordan's best friend in the critically-panned "Green Lantern". Arguably not the best example of his talent, but it'll suffice. Especially because he's one of the element that was good in that... uhm, 'bad' movie. My problem with "Thor: Ragnarok", is that up until now, we haven't had a teaser nor trailer for it! I was counting on the Super Bowl for the teaser, but that's not the case. So how the tone and everything else will fit is still everyone's guess. I do trust Marvel Studios though. I'm sure they fully believe in Waititi, so perhaps we should all just follow suit and rest at ease.

Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" has begun production last month under the working title "Motherland". Through its official announcement, Marvel Studios confirmed that Andy Serkis will return to reprise his role as Ulysses Klaue. Martin Freeman was also confirmed to return as Everett Ross, but this isn't new since he has been spotted alongside lead actor Chadwick Boseman, and actresses Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira before. In the comics, both characters are closely related to Wakanda, so their inclusion is more than obvious. The movie is also expected to have a big action scene in Busan, South Korea. Does this mean we can expect Claudia Kim to reprise her role as Dr. Helen Cho as well? Eventhough the movie has a high-calliber cast that makes everyone (including mine) shakes head in awe, this movie is still lacking some Asian-colors, am I right? Then again, Busan might simply work as a stand-in for the high tech nation of Wakanda, so the movie's setting might not necessarily take place in the East Asian country. I really shouldn't get my hopes up too soon.

At the same time, the much-anticipated "Avengers: Infinity War" has also begun production. This movie will be filmed concurrently along with the currently UNTITLED Avengers movie, that is set to be released on May 2019. Not just in Atlanta, the film will also shoot in several locations around the world, like London, Scotland, and likely others. Oddly, Marvel Studios has yet to release an official cast announcement for the movie. Possibly to avoid spoilering the story, or some other technical reason. So while we wait for that to happen, all we can do is observe movements and activites of Marvel Cinematic Universe's various actors on social medias to guess whether they are in it or not. Some names like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Wong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementief, and others have been confirmed thanks to keen-eyed fans. This include possible new cast members, like Peter Dinklage who is widely speculated to play Pip the Troll thanks to his newly dyed red hair. Expect to hear more of this behind the scene scoops throughout the production. If checking various social medias sounds exhausting, not to worry, because fansite MCUExchange has been keeping track of who's in and who's not. You can follow their updates for convenience.

During the set visit for "Vol 2", Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige also revealed that Josh Brolin's Thanos will serve as the 'main character' of the movie. This is an interesting approach, and a conscious decision by the Studio as a response to the frequent criticism about their 'weak' antagonist characters. Feige is clearly aware of this much-talked about complaints, "A big criticism of ours is that we focus on the heroes more than the villains, I think that’s probably true. I don’t think it will always be true.". It'll be intriguing to see how this applies to "Infinity War", and moreso, critics and especially audience's reaction to it.

Marvel TV

Marvel TV has officially announced the core cast of their two upcoming shows! And both of them are YA titles...

The first one arrived for Freeform (formerly ABC family) and Marvel TV's first collaboration: Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger". MCUExchange initially ran a report mentioning Debbie Ryan and "Heroes" alumn Noah Gray-Cabey as the contenders, but the official press announcement immediately debunked that just a few days after. Young actor Aubrey Joseph has been cast as Tyrone Johnson, who will possess a 'dark' power to teleport others using his Cloak. While former Disney Channel's Olivia Holt has been cast as Tandy Bowen, who is able to manifest the power of 'light' in form of daggers. Just like the comics, the show will focus on both late teens's struggle with their new powers, as they fall in love with one another. Really, it's a YA love story, not unlike... "Twilight"?

Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb and showrunner/Executive Producer Joe Pokaski voiced their excitement and praises for the two young actors. In my opinion? I think the two looks great for the characters, particularly Holt. I'm not too keen on Joseph, but at least this one's much better than the previously rumored actor. Looks-wise, of course.

The second one, came for the more anticipated "Marvel's Runaways". Marvel TV officially announced that their collaboration with Hulu will star: Rhenzy Feliz as the nerdy African-American Alex Wilder, Lyrica Okano as the goth Nico Minoru (Sister Grimm), Virginia Gardner as the model-perfect Karolina Dean (Lucy in the Sky), Ariela Barer as the brash social justice warrior Gert Yorkes (Arsenic), Gregg Sulkin as the seemingly-dumb jock with untapped engineering skill Chase Stein (Talkback), and Allegra Acosta as the innocent Molly Hernandez. There isn't an official word yet, but this show has said to be ordered straight-to-series by Hulu.

To be honest, I'm not fluent with the comic series, and I haven't heard or seen any performances of these actors. But judging from their headshots alone, and comparing it to the character images the internet freely provided, I believe they look spot-on! They already looked like they jumped out of the comics, if you ask me, and with a simple touch of makeup, they will be even similar. So yeah, even I feel impressed by these names. And when people who are familiar with the series are saying good things, it seems more and more certain that the series will be good. Not to mention, Brian K. Vaughn who co-create the comics himself is onboard as Executive Consultant. This obviously gives audience a much higher assurance. For now, no names are confirmed for their 'villain' parents yet, nor whether this live action version of Nico will have any familial connection with Linda Louise Duan's Tina Minoru who debuted in last year's "Doctor Strange". I think it would be wise if they are indeed mother and daughter, to establish the show's place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But I'm not counting on anything, considering the gap that's been developing between the movie and TV side.

If the recent report could be trusted, then both series will begin production this month. "Cloak and Dagger" will start filming on February 14 (which makes sense, since it's a love story), with a working title "Shadows". It will take place in New Orleans, which is a change from the comic's setting, and the show is set to arrive next year. It is unclear when "Runaways" will begin production, but the show is expected to debut earlier, which is this Fall. Its working title is called "Rugrats".

Speaking of production, if another recent report is also valid, then Marvel TV's third new show is expected to begin production soon. Yep, Marvel's "Inhumans" is said to begin filming next month, between Chicago and Los Angeles. I'm not too sure about the source, but it makes sense considering the show has set a surprisingly fixed IMAX debut date in September. Not just those two areas, there was a report that said the series will also be filmed in Hawaii. Assuming these reports are true, that means we can also expect to hear casting announcement for Marvel's royal family pretty soon.

Marvel TV has already hired a director in Roel Reine to direct the first two episodes (which will be shot as an IMAX movie format), with a familiar Marvel TV-Netflix collaborator's name, Scott Buck as the showrunner. Although the Dutch director's name is still fairly unheard, and his portofolio in the US isn't actually... encouraging, he has indeed won the Dutch equivalent to an Oscar for a theatrical feature entitled "The Delivery". So perhaps, it's already in good hands? Anyways, that means all we need now is the cast, which for me personally, might very well be the make-or-break element of them all. Two actresses have been rumored so far, based on their social media activities, and honestly, I don't think they are a good fit. But rumor is just rumor until proven otherwise. So while I'm feeling genuinely worried, I can somehow be hopeful too.

If I had to choose which one I want to watch among these three, it's the second show that intrigues me most. "Runaways" easily comes on top, due to the talents alone. "Inhumans" comes next, though as I said, I can't help but feel more worried about it more than the others. I'm not too sure whether Marvel TV has the chops or creds to deliver such grand scale, but that's just a subjective perspective. "Cloak and Dagger" comes third is on list, eventhough I'm a fan of the characters in the comics. I don't know why, but I'm just not feeling it for some reasons. I hope I'm just alone thinking that way though, because expecting a new show to fail so early is just too despicable of an act for me to pull off. Of course, I also don't have any accounts for both Freeform or Hulu, and not planning to obtain ones just to watch one show. So the chances of me seeing two of these shows are VERY slim. Thanks to that, in the end "Inhumans" will likely be the one I'd end up watching. But let's just wait and see what happens when the time comes, all right?

Netflix

As for the Netflix side of Marvel, there are buzzes that we'll be getting a new trailer for Marvel's "Iron Fist" soon. Which is not surprising, considering all 13 episodes of the show will premiere in just a month and a week away! Several new official images have been released, showcasing the core cast of the series with no additional details whatsoever. This new series is the one I'm looking forward the most among the 'Netflix Defenders', so I'm crossing my fingers that it wouldn't disappoint.

At the same time, production for the next two shows continues to roll. Gettyimages has provided behind the scene photos of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones together for Marvel's "The Defenders", possibly reenacting a particular scene from the comics. There are mentions that the production will also shoot on Staten Island, which feature a scene with Mike Colter's Luke Cage. The mini-series has been confirmed (through Entertainment Weekly) to be released in Summer, so we can expect the production to wrap up really soon. This announcement practically confirmed that Frank Castle's show will take the Fall schedule, and that the character miiiight not be in the mini series. Much to many fans dismay, of course, including me.

Meanwhile, identity of Sigourney Weaver's character has yet to be revealed as well. EW only revealed her character's name as Alexandra, which can refer to practically anyone, comic book rooted or not. Showrunner Marco Ramirez only stated vaguely that Weaver's Alexandra is "a very powerful force in New York City. She’s everything Sigourney is: sophisticated, intellectual, dangerous.". Once again, that can mean anyone... or anything, since we're dealing with The Hands. Personally, I'm leaning towards a politician who wants to regulate vigilantes and people with abilities. That would rhyme really well with the aftermath of "Captain America: Civil War", as well as what's happening in "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". But that's just me and my theory. Don't quote me on that! LOL.

Another candid images of the production for Marvel's "The Punisher" has been making rounds in the internet. These images raised some... concerns among fans, because Jon Bernthal has been seen holding flowers. Hmmm... does this mean he's visiting a grave? Problem is, an old one (his family), or NEW grave (of a cast member, or character from previous series). Don't forget, this show is now expected to arrive at Fall. That means they might still be working on halfway through the series. Worth noted though, that filming doesn't necessarily follow the chronologic of the show. So whatever scene he's filming might always come from a needed flashback, something that occurs in the 2nd arc, or something that might happen later in the series' epilogue.

For the non-Marvel, Netflix has officially released the first trailer for the highly-anticipated second season of "Stranger Things" during Super Bowl. What a surprising move! This came directly on the heels of them releasing an official image from the show, that highlighted the children leads in their time-setting-appropriate Ghostbusters cosplay. I haven't seen this trailer myself (have to wait until after 1:00AM to be able to use bigger datacharge), but response to it have been... great. Too great even, so I'm REALLY curious. But you know what? I don't really need to see it anyway. I've already fallen in love with this show, so there's really no question whether I'm looking forward to see next or not. Problem is... season 2 will not arrive until Halloween. Well, that's a long wait, huh? *sigh*

Oh well, can't help it. Guess now I only need confirmation of when the 3rd season of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" will arrive, and I'm practically good to go!

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