#served by character development and story i think peter and flash have the potential to develop that in this universe

[softgrungeprophet]

can't sleep, thinking about peterflash instead

TASM post-gwen death peterflash def makes sense for me as potentially filling a similar storytelling niche as mj choosing to stay in the room with peter (aka the catalyst of their long term relationship) in the comics, particularly because of flash's adoration of gwen in that movie universe.

i think it would just make a lot of sense... the (at least partially romantic) connection between three people, the two who are left coping with the death of the girl they both loved etc etc it just works! drama! bisexuality! plus potential identity shenanigans compounded by flash's big fat crush on spidey

(and presumably room to show the character backstory that is somewhat implied by flash's 5 whole minutes of screentime)

fuckin hate posting on the app why the hell would it reorder my paragraphs

[iamjacsmusings]

MCU Challenge musings

18 weeks. 18 films. The MCU Challenge. In collaboration with Team #Geekstalkers. Collated musings below, all leading to Infinity War.

#1 - Iron Man

Robert Downey Jnr IS Tony Stark, Tony Stark IS Iron Man, Iron Man IS the first MCU Avenger. Without this we wouldn’t have the MCU as we know and love it. Despite that, coming soon after Batman’s triumphant return as it does, I can’t help but feel the identikit Iron Man Begins falls a little flat. The weak MCU villain problem is present and incorrect right from Mk 1 too.

#2 - The Incredible Hulk

Tonally misjudged and (latterly) at odds with the hulk as we know and love him in the shared MCU. Watching now, 15 entries later, it feels non-canon. As a standalone, inspired by the 70s show, it’s fine.

#3 - Iron Man 2

Probably [one of] the weakest #mcuchallenge entries for me as it aims for “cool” moments rather than developing character or overarching story. On the flipside, it introduces us to ScarJo’s Black Widow

#4 - Thor

In no particular order: the direction of Branagh, the realisation of the Rainbow bridge, the triple H acting of Hemsworth, Hiddleston and Hopkins, the hilarious humour, the majesty of Mjolnir, the Shakespearean plot machinations; all are Thor-some!

#5 - Captain America: The First Avenger

I (too) was predisposed to preferring this origin above all Avengers due to my predilection for Captain America as a character, so the bar was set high. Johnson, the perfectly chosen director, exceeded it by making a boys own adventure replete with echoes of his Lucasfilm roots. It’s underrated in my opinion and should be considered as the Raiders of Phase One. Joe Johnson just *got* 1940s Adventure-era Cap. As too does Evans who only continues to get better with each subsequent appearance. I could watch Cap movies all day…

#6 - Avengers Assemble

Still top 5 MCU of all-time. The Avengers characterisations are spot on in this initial assemblage; no mean feat considering the wealth of source material, the origins of Phase One and the balancing act of at least seven key roles. Come the epic Chitauri invasion finale and from the Avengers arc shot onwards there’s too many fist-pumping, geekgasm moments to mention; spine tingling each and every one of them.

#7 - Iron Man 3

As a fanboy of @BonafideBlack’s buddy banter and noir stylings, I’m on board with his Iron Man entry (noir is an anagram of Iron after all) He write characters therefore it came as no surprise that his take delves beneath the suit to the mechanic that wears it. I’m aware I’m in the minority, but the first two don’t do much for me therefore this is like a shot of extremis to Shellhead’s previously floundering solo entries. It still looks to be Stark’s swansong and, if so, it’s a fine way to finish IMO. Kiss Kiss Iron Man, if you will. The “barrel of monkeys” scene is one of the stand out scenes from the entire MCU too.

#8 - Thor: The Dark World

The tone, palette and plot of this inferior sequel is arguably more aligned with the much maligned DC(E)U rather than the rightly-lauded MCU; make of that what you will. I’d gladly watch an anthology prequel about the Lord of the Aether battle glimpsed in the prologue though…

#9 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

An espionage thriller every bit as good as the best Bourne or Bond has to offer, Captain America: The Winter Soldier just happens to have a few present and future Avengers at its centre. The undisputed leader of the Avengers as the 18-strong MCU currently stands, the more I revisit Captain America Super Soldier, the closer the film creeps towards my current cream of the big screen comic book crop, The Dark Knight.

#10 - Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy is better than any film about a half-Terran cross between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, a walking thesaurus, a talking tree, a green-skinned warrior woman and a bad-tempered raccoon has any right to be. I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve seen GotG already. There’s so much to admire, so much Galaxy to explore. it bears repeat viewing. Every joke still lands. Every emotional beat pulls a heart string. Every character is worthy of fronting their own galactic adventure. We. Are. Groot.

#11 - Avengers: Age of Ultron

There’s much to admire in this movie as Whedon ably juggles the ever-growing ensemble cast; each one gets their moment so, no matter who your favourite is, you should feel satisfied come the conclusion. The action scenes pay off with key moments that remain in the memory: the team line-up, “Go to sleep, go to sleep”, Black Widow on the bike, Hawkeye motivating Scarlet Witch and the arc shot around the Avengers as they end the threat of too many Ultrons. Quiet moments pay off too: the party is perfect (especially Thor’s face as Cap moves Mjolnir), the interlude at ranch Barton is a top idea and the lull in the final fight manages to move; I even welled up a little as Cap and Widow debate their fate this watch. In short, it’s endlessly rewatchable, as my SuperSon has put to the test.

#12 - Ant-Man

Easily the most underrated entry in the entirety of the MCU to date, Ant-Man is also, upon reflection, my favourite solo character origin story. Giant-sized words, I know!

#13 - Captain America: Civil War

War! What is it good for? Captain America movies!

I love Civil War. It’s edgy. It;s important. It’s epic! It truly feels like a “superhero comic book movie” ripped from the panelled page. And, Thor damn, the Russo’s sure can shoot the shit (Sorry, Cap) out of an action scene. Speaking of scenes, there’s one in Fight Club when the Narrator and Tyler mock a Gucci advertisement, asking if it’s what a real man look like. It’s not, no. What a real man looks like is Captain America holding a helicopter with one arm and a building with the other. Swoon.

I could watch this on repeat all day. 

#14 - Doctor Strange

Let’s face it, Cumberbatch was the only choice for Strange, as suited to the hyper-intelligent, egotistical, socially-awkward auteur as Downey Jr was to Stark’s genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist. By this point in the MCU, Marvel can do origin with ease as this return to formula proves. Whilst Doctor Strange does remind you of movies from before (Iron Man, Batman Begins, Inception, Matrix), it patches them together into a kaleidoscopic Frankenstein of its own making.

Oh, one more thing: it goes without saying how awesome Doctor Strange’s enchanted Cloak of Levitation is – I’d argue it’s the single best cinema companion since Gromit!

#15 - Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol Two

GotG amped up to 11, Vol. 2 is less a case of difficult second volume, more Gunn locked and loaded. GotG2 is deeper, richer and cleverer than it’s predecessor, if not as instantly iconic nor anarchic in its punk rock aesthetics or impact. Ego, we’ve all got to grow up sometime. Following the near perfection of the first Volume was always going to be a tricky proposition, but this sophomore space saga soars true enough and will surely, in time, serve as a solid central entry in a worthy Guardians of the Galaxy stand-alone trilogy.

#16 - Spider-Man: Homecoming

Did I need another resuited Spider-Man movie so soon after the last aborted attempt? I didn’t think so until I saw this coming-of-age comedy that referenced Ferris Bueller, BttF: Part II and The Breakfast Club (among others)

Did I need another iteration of Spider-Man and his teen geek alter-ego Peter Parker? I didn’t think so until I saw Tom Holland’s infectiously enthusiastic and ultimately incomparable portrayal of everyone’s favourite neighbourhood webslinging wannabe Avenger.

Did I need another potentially disappointing take on a classic Spider-Man villain? I didn’t think so until Michael Keaton’s birdman soared above almost any other adapted antagonist from the entirety of comic canon – not since Loki have I feared and cheered in equal measure.

Did I need another big screen Spider-Man blockbuster? I didn’t think so until I understood what this wall-crawlers direction was under the genius creative control of chief Watcher Feige within the winning MCU. Now I need more, for thwips sake…

#17 - Thor Ragnarok

Space fantasy as its Flash(“ahh ah”)iest, Ragnarok is: Thorsome, Hela good, Full of gloriously glib Loki asides, a Hulk load of fun, great Valkyrie for money! Third time’s the charm for the God of Thunder. I can’t TaikaWaititi to see the Revengers return in Infinity War!

#18 - Black Panther

Stunning Wakanda world building. Convincing and charismatic cast performances. Strong character motivations. Serious and meaningful underlying themes. Too much CGI. MCU continuity issues. Nowhere near enough Michael B Jordan. Good not great. Middling MCU Challenge entry for me.

[plutoandferrett]

Ok so I feel like some people still don’t get it:

Like, do y'all not realize that Zendaya is the MCU version of Mary Jane?? She’s obviously not the same character exactly, just like how Liz’s character wasn’t exactly the same as Liz Allen from the comics, but it’s the same general idea. Liz from spiderman homecoming is peter’s high school crush, and vice Versa from the comics, however in the movie version there was a modern twist-just like with Zendaya’s character.

And news flash: there’s NOT going to be another Mary Jane popping up later in the movie series: it makes no sense to have two ppl be nicknamed “MJ”. Just face the facts: Zendaya is MJ/MCU Mary Jane, and will be playing a much larger role in the future. Otherwise, there was no reason for her to be in the first movie at all.

You can see the looks she gives peter in the movie, signifying that she likes/is interested in him. The directors did not chose to do that for no reason. This MJ or “Michelle” is being set up to be Peters official and canon love interest in the next films, or else they would not have Zendaya doing so much PR with Tom alone, have her chemistry read with him, and so forth. Zendaya’ already been more or less confirmed to return in the second movie, which will allow them to develop their relationship more, but the fact stands:

(SPOILER BELOW 🚨) Zendaya is M(ichelle)ary Jane Watson. Maybe not exactly the same from the comics, but she is serving to be Peters canon and main love interest in the series by coining her nickname MJ, proving that there can be yet another twist to the oh so familiar spiderman story that we all know. Why do you think the directors chose to create Michelle’s character in place of the original MJ?? Why is aunt May so young?? Why did they make Liz allen’s father the vulture?? Why do you think they left out uncle ben’s story, or peter getting bitten by the spider?? Because it’s something NEW. They wanted to be original and modern with something being rebooted for the third time in a row. (Also iron man was in no way this involved with Peter’s life in the comics or any other movie but I don’t see y'all pressed over that..💅🏿)

I guess I just don’t understand why everyone is in so much denial over Zendaya being MJ–it could be a race or ignorance thing, idk. But that doesn’t change the fact that she is MJ and she is potentially Peter Parkers love interest. So stop all that whining with the “she’s not Mary Jane” cuz she clearly is the marvel version of it, and deal with it, it won’t kill you.

[fictionalcharactermbti]

ENFP Fictional Tropes

Most ENFP characters fall under at least one trope. There are many cross overs in tropes and some ENFPs may not fit the categories presented. However, these tropes do loosely address the roles ENFP characters play in narratives. 

The Idealist

These ENFPs see the very best in everyone they meet. They are often the person who will forgive and help the most villainous of characters. They often bring out the best in others by just being themselves. They don’t even need to actively help others, but inspire others with their dreams and ideals. Their enthusiasm brought on by their Ne is often enough. Combined with their Fi caring towards individuals makes the caring on top of it. The idealist ENFPs are usually the most optimistic characters you will find. 

Examples: Kenneth Parnell (30 Rock), Antoine Triplett (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Mad Hatter (Disney’s Alice in Wonderland), Tara Maclay (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer), Eleventh Doctor (Doctor Who), Buddy the Elf (Elf), Nemo (Finding Nemo), Barry Allen (The Flash), Olaf (Frozen), Kiki (Kiki’s Delivery Service), Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Moana (Moana), Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto Shippuden), Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time), Capheus (Sense8), Joyce Byers (Stranger Things), Rapunzel (Tangled), Jessie (Toy Story), Kimmy Schmidt (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Ottoki Otoya (Uta No Prince Sama), and Tara Chambler (The Walking Dead).

The Activist

The Activist ENFP is often first struck with Ne curiosity in the world and the ideas within it and then as they shape their Fi they rally behind a certain cause. The ENFP Activist is passionate about their cause. They may break the rules of society and systems, but they will never turn against their individual cause. Just like the Idealist, the ENFP activist often inspires others, however, they inspire those to follow them. ENFP activists can be very persuasive, living their life in line with their beliefs. 

Examples: Hayley Smith (American Dad), Aang (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Karen Page (Netflix’s Daredevil), Marshall Eriksen (How I met Your Mother), Cindy Lou Who (Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Helen Parr (The Incredibles), Ray Palmer/Atom (DCTVU), Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Marvel Comics and X-MenCU), Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things), Sir Thomas More (The Tudors), Sam Seaborn (The West Wing), and Judy Hopps (Zootopia).

The Salesman

This ENFP character can convince you of anything and sell you on their vision. Whether they are healthy or not, their Ne makes them idea people that inspire, their Fi helps them appeal to people and their individual sense of self. They make you think that they can help make all your dreams come true. Healthy or unhealthy, their Te can help them make you think their idea is your priority, like they have your interests at heart (combined with Fi). This can help them actually help you or help them completely swindle you. No matter what they will make you for at least a moment feel special as they take you on a romantic journey of your dreams. 

Examples: Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaries), Genie (Aladdin), Walt Disney (Saving Mr. Banks), Randy Marsh (South Park), Tom Haverford (Parks & Recreation), Erlich (Silicon Valley), Taco (The League), Tiffany Doggett (Orange is the New Black), Michael Scott (NBC’s The Office), Christian (Moulin Rouge!), John Hammond (Jurassic Park), Thomas Jefferson (Hamilton: An American Musical), Bumi (Avatar: The Legend of Korra), Gob Bluth (Arrested Development), and Malcolm Merlyn (Arrow).

The Prince

This is the darker side of the ENFP. They are probably the most self-involved trope. They believe their their wants are the needs of others. They demand others to serve their personal priorities. They often don’t see their work as selfish, but part of a greater cause or purpose. However, they are usually looping ENFPs. Many Prince ENFPs find themselves in leadership positions because they are over using their tertiary Te that they think is morally just because of their minimal use of their secondary Fi function. They use Te objectivity as a shield against their own subjective motives of Fi-Si. These types often have potential to be more positive tropes, but have faltered in their quest to satisfy their inferior function fears and desires. 

Examples: Ice King (Adventure Time), Malcolm Merlyn (Arrow), Cheryl Tunt (Archer), The Master (Doctor Who-10th Doctor Era), King Richard, Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones), Ronald Weasley (Harry Potter Series), Sean McGinnes (Hell on Wheels), Willis ‘Diamondback’ Stryker (Luke Cage), Julia (Syfy’s The Magicians), Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Marvel Comics/X-Men Cinematic Universe), Obito Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden), Peter Pan (Once Upon a Time), Marshal D. Teach “Blackbeard” (One Piece), Klaus Mikaelson (The Vampire Diaries/The Originals), and Catherine Earnshaw (Wuthering Heights). 

The Champion Leader

ENFP leaders become so in their hope to help others. They are concerned with the forgotten because of their Introverted Feeling. They are a champion of a cause like the activist, but find themselves leading others in order to accomplish their goals. Their leadership style isn’t one of intense organization, but of individuality and independence. They are often because of Ne-Fi on the ground doing tasks with their followers in order to accomplish group goals. They have a hard time delegating, standing back and letting only others enjoy the fun of the action. This is due to their Ne being more present oriented and Fi being a function that can’t be used conceptually, but perceptually. The ENFP leader is far more comfortable helping others in the situation rather than apart from it. 

Examples: Clark Kent/Superman (DC), Renly Baratheon (Game of Thrones), Chris (Bravest Warriors), Peter Quill (Guardians of the Galaxy), King Arthur (Mists of Avalon), Moana (Moana), Hashirama Senju (Naruto Shippuden), Peter Pan (Disney’s Peter Pan), Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece), Dr. Alexander Sweet (Penny Dreadful), Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Marvel/X-Men Cinematic Universe), and Captain Kirk (Star Trek).

The Goof

This is the most under-estimated ENFP character. They come off is aloof, odd, and carefree on the surface. But this is often a misread. The ENFP goof is often wandering the unbeaten Ne dominance path, seeing things differently in ways that other types can’t accept or don’t understand. Their sense of genius is mistaken for oddity. They usually surprise others with their intelligence and success, because it is never how others would go about completing a given task or goal. Their genius word play is often seen as simply humorous rather than an indicator of a deeper intelligence. 

Examples: Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls), Second Doctor & Eleventh Doctor (Doctor Who), Troy Barnes (Community), Fez (That ‘70s Show), Gregory (Over the Garden Wall), Spongebob Squarepants (Spondgebob Squarepants), Bing Bong (Inside Out), Hugo ‘Hurley’ Reyes (LOST), Bert (Morry Poppins), Mei (My Neighbor Totoro), Winston Bishop (New Girl), Erin Hannon (NBC’s The Office), Russell (Up), Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls), Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone), Gene Belcher (Bob’s Burgers), Scooby-Doo (Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?), Peter Quill (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Bolin (Avatar: The Legend of Korra).

[briangroth27]

Venom (2018) Review

When this movie was announced, I was intrigued by the horror vibe they were talking about; something akin to a John Carpenter or David Cronenberg movie. I think they should’ve stuck with that approach. The trailers looked uninspired and bland (lots of talk about vague ‘things,’ particularly in the first teaser); that unfortunately describes the movie itself as well. I like the comics Venom a lot (both the Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson versions), but unfortunately this fell way short for me.

Full Spoilers…

Tom Hardy is one of two things I liked about this. Eddie Brock is easily the most animated I’ve ever seen Hardy and he seems to be having a genuinely great time in the role. That said, I felt like he was written as too much of a good guy to be Eddie Brock. Yes, he goes behind his fiancée Anne’s (Michelle Williams) back by invading sensitive documents on her laptop, which gets her fired, but otherwise he’s drawn as a legitimately good reporter who’s doing important work to expose corruption and exploitation of the environment and the poor. That’s what makes it so bizarre that everyone in his personal and professional life turns on him all of the sudden when he goes up against yet another rich businessman (Carlton Drake, Riz Ahmed). We’re supposed to think Eddie’s this massive loser who’s unable to get his life together, but honestly he has every right to be depressed after the way he’s ditched by everyone (minus Anne, who does have a legitimate gripe) for trying to uncover evil experiments. They do bring up a vague something that got Eddie ‘run out of New York,’ the film’s only hint at Brock’s comic book history (personally I would’ve also referenced Eddie’s hatred of ‘the Bug,’ but that was not to be), and I don’t know why they didn’t just specify that Brock ran with a story about the identity of the Sin-Eater serial killer without verifying his sources like in the original comics. That would’ve been enough to cast doubt on his claims and give him the more dubious and irresponsible layer comics-Eddie had. As it is, it reads like he was run out of New York for being too committed to the truth to quit, just like he loses everything in San Francisco for the same reason. Iconic Eddie Brock is just not that good a guy and if you’re going to write him this noble, there needed to be a much stronger arc about him becoming OK with the idea of killing/eating people (even bad ones). He doesn’t even get a moment to reconcile the fact that he’s a cannibal by the end of the movie and he’s just…cool with it.

The other high point was the look of the Venom symbiote; that CGI was pretty fantastic and I loved that they went full comic book with it (and that they stuck with an alien symbiote and not the Ultimate Comics version of Venom). The drawback was its personality, which I couldn’t take seriously at all. His lines were absurd and juvenile (particularly ‘I was something of a loser, like you’ and the infamous ‘turd in the wind’ speech); I wish he’d been more alien. I also would’ve preferred his name not being ‘Venom;’ that should be something the two of them name themselves after their bond is complete to celebrate the newly evolved persona they’d become. I’ll give the writers props for not getting Eddie and Anne back together by the movie’s end, but I wish they’d dug far deeper into the relationship/love story between Eddie and Venom than they did. They could’ve started with a Carpenter/Cronenberg-esque ‘alien takes over its host’ body horror vibe, but then twisted it into something potentially more horrifying as Eddie comes to like what they can do together. A constant toss-up between who was really driving Brock’s body, supported by the two of them falling for each other like a very messed-up Bonnie & Clyde, would’ve been so much more interesting than this. I’d normally hold out hope for something like that in a sequel, but this movie seemingly wraps up Eddie and Venom’s ‘living arrangement’ completely. I’m glad that both of them get some development out of their symbiosis: both get the courage to stand up to bullies and get out of their respective funks. I think Venom definitely changes more than Eddie does: aside from that confidence boost around guns (and moving on from pining over Anne to focusing on his new relationship), Brock doesn’t feel all that different from where he is at the beginning of the movie. Maybe building himself back up is enough, though (it still doesn’t feel very ‘Eddie Brock’ to me, however).

Drake wasn’t much different from any other billionaire bad guy, especially one in a comic book movie, but his ‘symbiosis is evolution’ theory was original enough. I just wish it had gone somewhere; that we could’ve seen how that evolution could push us forward or help humanity (beyond repairing injuries, like we see with Brock). Maybe his quest to unlock evolution (to save humanity, in his mind) that led to him experimenting on poor people could’ve also more explicitly involved torturing/mutating the symbiotes, creating a parallel to the kind of stories Eddie was chasing down. Something like Venom sees his people being horrifically mutilated by Drake and Eddie unwittingly rescues him/Venom chooses to go to him for help and becomes the same kind of whistleblower Brock was. Drake’s willingness to do anything to accomplish what he sees as an altruistic goal could’ve been contrasted with Eddie’s willingness to invade Anne’s privacy to bust Drake and Eddie’s increasing violence with the symbiote, but unfortunately that wasn’t in the script. Instead, Drake’s symbiote, Riot, totally takes over in an ‘eat all of humanity’ plot that’s not as complex as taking Drake’s dream to its completion could’ve been. The CGI became a mess when they had two gooey symbiotes wrestling, too.

Anne was fine as Eddie’s (initial) love interest and later something of a confidant. I liked that even after their break up, they were still willing to help each other and that it didn’t become a contest over her heart between Eddie and her new boyfriend (Reid Scott). I wish she would’ve had more to do, but I’m not sure what that would’ve entailed. 

The fights weren’t very inspired and the big mid-movie set piece—a chase through San Francisco—wasn’t exhilarating at all. And the villains use like two dozen drones to try and dive-bomb Brock on a motorcycle? Surely there were more efficient ways of killing him. I found myself bored through a lot of the movie and again, wish it had been a horror film instead of an action/adventure one.

Given the movie’s massive box office take I’m in the minority on this one, so while I’m glad people are finding things to love about this and having a good time, I can’t help but think it could’ve been much more interesting (and so much scarier!). Effects aside, I prefer Topher Grace’s “stalker Peter Parker” take on the character in Spider-man 3 and Ryan Kwanten’s darker take in the Truth in Journalism unofficial short film. At this point I don’t think I’d watch a Venom sequel, even if I thought Carnage (Woody Harrelson) was such a cool villain when I was a kid. That’s another thing: Carnage was invented as a way to keep an ultra-violent evil symbiote in the comics after Venom’s popularity propelled him into an anti-hero role. Here, Venom is already the good guy, so they’ve missed out on a potential arc where Venom goes from super-dark to some shade of gray. Maybe they could have Eddie reconsider some of the things he does as Venom to serve justice in the face of what Carnage does? (Not likely, considering the flippant reaction he has to eating people).

I wish I liked this more, but it just bored me. Oh well; some things just won’t land for everyone. Hopefully the next one will feel free to get weirder and scarier.

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!