#still the gold standard of the live action spidey movies

[vertigoartgore]

Publicity still for the movie Spider-Man 2.

[davidmann95]

What are your thoughts on Infinity War and do you think the portrayal of Thanos is gonna make it harder for DC to do Darkseid in a future move due to comparisons?

Extended disconnected musings below the cut because world-shaking spoilers fucking obviously, but for the section of my audience that hasn’t seen it yet but is fine with simply seeing my immediate reaction and placement of it: it’s so very good, y’all. Hype as modern blockbuster filmmaking gets. Not a top-5 MCU flick (which is a credit to the MCU, not in any way a ding against this), but if you only count the Avengers movies that actually have “Avengers” in the title, this is definitely the best of that lot.

* I had been, while not concerned per say, very curious how the Captain America team would handle this - the writers might have been there from the beginning and done some pretty bombastic pulpy action in the first Cap movie, but the Russo Brothers had been entirely on the grounded side of the franchise, even doing the relatively grounded Avengers movie in Civil War - given this would be the most cosmic and superheroey of the bunch, and they acquitted themselves magnificently in every way imaginable. It’s big, it’s funny, it’s ballsy, it’s engaging, it’s fun, it’s weighty as hell, it’s emotional, it’s the gold standard of this sort of thing. I have no idea what they’ll do if they ever stop doing Avengers movies, because at this point the sky is the absolute limit for them.

* I know people have already inevitably been complaining about this being dependent on previous movies for continuity and character, to which I say

1. Fuck you, this is the sequel to a once-in-a-generation filmmaking blockbuster that completely changed the game, of course you’re going to know who the goddamn Avengers are, most especially if you’re going to see this movie. Don’t act like you’re that cool. You’re not that fuckin’ cool.

2. This may not have been a movie of character development, but it’s by no means a movie short on character. It’s very much in the vein of Grant Morrison’s JLA, in that it banks on familiarity and iconography not to change our understanding of these characters, but to do the most conspicuously *them* moments possible. Captain America might be a minor presence, but he’s Captain America as heck in this, and so forth.

3. This only banks on you having seen the first Avengers. Banner is our entrypoint character because he himself doesn’t know what’s going on so the Avengers breakup can be recapped in broad terms, the initial conflict you don’t really have to know about Ragnarok to understand (they could’ve been fleeing Thanos destroying Asgard for all a casual viewer would know), Spider-Man’s role is obvious even aside from him being a cultural icon, Panther is Cap’s secret ally the rest of the team barely knows about so and Wakanda are broadly understood, and the Guardians and Strange are reintroduced. Strange you immediately know all you need: Wong defers to him so he’s clearly a big deal, but he’s also still telling him things about magic - even if jokingly - so clearly Strange is not the most seasoned veteran and hasn’t been in this hidden mystic world forever. The Guardians are space bozos, and based on Star-Lord’s manchild nature and 80s nostalgia and lack of familiarity with the Avengers you can guess he hasn’t been to Earth in a long time even if he clearly hails from there.

* Thanos was…good? Though I would have yelled “BULLSHIT!” at my monitor when I saw Starlin declared Thanos in an interview to be exactly as he had always envisioned him had I seen this at the time, because this is very much from the Slade-in-Teen-Titans “scrap everything, and it’ll wind up better because there’s nowhere to go but up” school of villainous improvement. But seriously, while surely people will write eye-rolling thinkpieces on his nature and goals, he’s a proper vile bastard of the sort we haven’t quite gotten in these movies before that more than justifies his place after 6 years of buildup, with humanity to spare keeping him from being a caricature; it should avoid Darkseid comparisons quite deftly (and vice-versa), even if none of what made this work can translate back into the comics. And as much as the sidekick baddies might have been traditional uncanny-valley CG, this guy might be the most amazing effect I’ve ever seen in a blockbuster: I totally bought this was a real flesh-and-blood living being existing in recognizable 3-dimensional space whenever they zoomed in on his expressions. And more importantly, they acknowledged he has a nutsack for a chin.

* Speaking of effects, that’s how you do a fuckin’ magic fight!

* And speaking of villains: SKULL. What a payoff, and I sure hope he stays and fills the role Mephisto did in the original Infinity Gauntlet as Thanos’s right hand man, because I want to see him face down with Steve as Captain America one more time. In a very different movie/s, I could have seen him seizing the Gauntlet and promising Thanos he too will wipe out half the universe, but much less indiscriminately, with the great tyrant dying with the ultimate monstrosity his endeavor has brought about evident to him at last. And then you’d have the ultimate Nazi as the final boss, since not only are he and Cap enemies, but he battled Iron Man’s dad, was well-versed in Asgardian mythology and stole one of Odin’s treasures, and is like Hulk a failed Super Soldier. What we got should be pretty good too though. Fingers crossed he at least sticks around to menace Bucky and Sam once one of them takes over as Cap.

* Outside the villain, boy, who would have expected Thor would basically be the closest thing to a main character of this movie? I guess Marvel rightly expected Ragnarok would be fire, and knowing that he’ll now be the major remaining original Avenger, are trying to build him up in double-quick time. And with only half of Asgard gone, they can keep the setup Waititi provided after this (even if I wish they hadn’t brought back his eye. I’m not worried for him personally though; his godly constitution should be more than capable of resisting mere alien raccoon ass germs). And given Ultron was the Iron Man-centric flick and Civil War was literally a Captain America movie, it feels fair they gave this to the third member of the core trio. By contrast, I’m not sure whether Black Panther was too late for them to account properly for him, or they did know, and that’s why the final action was set in Wakanda even though it’s relatively irrelevant.

* The characters getting to bounce off each other was much of the heart of this, and while Downey vs. Cumberbatch was totally reasonable - I wish Strange and Spidey had more time together as promised as fellow Ditko creations, but doing Sherlock vs. Holmes makes sense, with “Do you concur, Doctor?” almost feeling deliberately evocative - I never would have expected Thor and Star-Lord to be the standout comedic pairing. And yet, as Drax put it, it entirely makes sense: “He is not a dude. You are a dude. He is a man.”

* What most leapt out at me as signalling this is the post-Trump movie relative to Civil War’s summer 2016 blockbuster? There, the question of whether or not the government can be trusted is the inciting incident that drives everything. Here, that the government is actively working against the right thing is so plain that Rhodes - who had previously said his critical injuries were more than worth standing up for the Accords, so passionately did he believe in all they stood for - immediately, casually acknowledges that the entire thing is fucked and bails with no fanfare, and that’s the end of it.

* I’d expected this to be an all-out invasion flick and so had been disappointed no Defenders or whatnot would at least cameo, but as it really turned out I’m not surprised there wasn’t a place for Daredevil to stick his horns in. And despite assurances, no Hawkeye! I’m sure as many as 5 or 6 people were quite disappointed.

* Betting pool on who’s actually dead? Obviously everyone vanished will be okay, but the others? Gamorra looks pretty stiffed, but she seems a safe bet to return. Vision’s end felt gruesomely final, but they put so much effort into implying he might be able to survive without the stone, and now they have a seminal story to draw on for a potential solo movie of his. Loki, I think, is most likely to remain in the ground. A last-minute return and final prank against Thanos wouldn’t be out of place for him by any means, but his character has come full circle, and I think it’s more likely that if he returns it’ll be as Kid Loki.

* Speaking of the vanishing, I really appreciate the thought that clearly went into who was taken off the board. The castoffs either really had nothing to do with the Thanos conflict, even and indeed especially if they were big for maximum shock value (Black Panther, Spider-Man, White Wolf, Falcon, Mantis), or DID have something to do with Thanos but whose arcs in terms of physical confrontations with him reached their logical climaxes (Star-Lord vented regarding their shared relationship to Gamorra, Drax tried and failed as he was always going to because that one-sided hate he wanted fulfilled isn’t as much at the core of his character as Gamorra’s relationship with Thanos is). Or in Strange’s specific case, the enigmatic type with an ace up his sleeve who could logically leave a final mystery and hope for others to have to rely on. And as a whole, it means the final OG Avengers movie ISN’T going to be an even bigger crossover movie than this the way we thought. This, for the MCU’s 10th anniversary, was the big crossover movie. The last Avengers movie as we’ve known it up to that point is mostly just going to be the founders (plus Captain Marvel, a mandatory Wakandan representative or two, and Rhody since he’s the other hero who was introduced in Phase One) getting one last hurrah. And it makes sense to go with that smaller cast, because they’ll want space to really zero in on Steve and Tony before they go, and since going at Thanos head-on is no longer an option, there’s not really going to be an opportunity for the same kind of massive super-war we got in here anyway, because then he’d simply de-create them.

* Steve and Tony are going to die, and going into pure fanfic, I think I know how it’ll happen. Steve will get the Gauntlet, and it’ll kill him to use it, but in an homage to the climax of Kree-Skrull War, he’ll use his last breath to not only revive everyone, but bring together an army of superheroes to defeat a depowered Thanos once and for all (Gamora or maybe Nebula almost certainly striking the final blow), raising his returned shield high, exchanging a last look with Bucky, and finally crying out “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” And Tony? Tony is going to knowingly walk to death in a doomed fight against Thanos as a distraction to give Steve that chance, becoming the guy who lays down on the wire and lets someone else crawl over him. It not only reaffirms his partnership with Steve and the idea behind the original Avengers just as both die, but brings his character arc totally full circle: he faces down the embodiment of his nightmares, and after having lived as the ultimate egotist, he dies as the man who sacrifices himself so someone else can secure the win. And Thanos was I believe introduced in an Iron Man comic, so that aspect’s pretty appropriate too.

* Jackson finally almost got to say motherfucker in one of these! And that’s the second Marvel movie with a character nearly saying fuck. Take the leap Disney, I believe in you. And much as that last shot in the stinger was neat, and much as this alternative would have been literally impossible, how much cooler would it have been if that screen had shown a “4″?

* My #4 title prediction? Avengers: The End. There was a big Thanos story by Starlin titled Marvel: The End where he destroys everything but ultimately turns it back, and that’d be both ominous enough to fit the warning that we should be scared of this title, and spiritually truthful. And since the Spider-Man movie right afterwards will according to Feige mark the start of the new MCU, they can title that Spider-Man: Brand New Day in accordance with said new beginning.

* Post-all this? It’ll be awhile yet before the Fantastic Four and X-Men come on stage, so ‘Phase 4′ will basically have to stall until they can bring in Doom to be the true final boss before the inevitable reboot a decade or so down the line. Spider-Man’s the new lead (hence the Iron Spider armor, which in Homecoming seemed deliberately to be overly gaudy as Tony’s vision of a Spidey remade in his image but now seems an indicating as his leading man status, the red/yellow/blue color scheme marking him as Peak Superhero) along with Panther, Captain Marvel, and likely Thor as the old standby. The Avengers likely disband for a bit due to losing the core and break up into different teams - your Ultimates, Champions, Young Avengers, etc. - before coming back together in New Avengers, managing to make the Avengers movie after the next one an event by making it about the reformation. Osborn leading the Cabal’s the big bad; he’s the leading man’s leading villain, he has the pedigree thanks to Dark Reign while still being able to put on a Goblin suit at the end, he lets them do the inevitable “all the bad guys get together to fight the Avengers” story, and while it might not work as well as it would have post-BvS pre-Justice League, using Sentry/the Void - a compromised, frightening, unsure, ‘realistic’ Superman figure - as his muscle and the true threat would be hella charged at the moment in a way I could see the MCU being cocky enough to go for, even if they never outright do Avengers V Squadron Supreme.

That’s what I got. As the god of thunder would say, farewell and good luck, morons.

[filligan-universe]

TOP 10 Films of 2017

As usual, my personal blurbs are from my Criticker profile. Also as usual, there will always be films from this year that I will see at later dates and fall in love with, but this year has been very kind to me in terms of cinema entertainment and I feel confident in this list.

10. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Always been a fan of McDonagh's writing. Here he lowers the heat on the comedy significantly. I gotta say, the way the film is structured kind of leads you to believe we're on a runaway course to an explosive climax, kind of like in his previous two films, but Three Billboards uncharacteristically and jarringly takes a highway exit just before we get there. Yet, character-wise, these people have gone through their changes. Tough pill to swallow but it works. McDormand and Rockwell are aces.

9. Spider-Man: Homecoming It took Spider-Man coming home to Marvel, but they've finally topped Raimi's Spidey 2. Compelling and understandable villain, fantastic and well-rounded humor, Holland is pitch perfect, RDJ doesn't crowd the show or steal scenes. Shit, this is probably the best film in the MCU. It meshes impressively well with the universe, takes past events and utilizes them in clever ways. The action is well-dosed and varied. Jesus, I'm having trouble coming up with actual criticisms. Just goddamn great.

8. The Shape of Water A very personal-feeling film. It's intimate. A film that's becoming harder to find in wide release these days: a vision brought to life without compromise from a talented artist. The characters are endearing, the score lovely, the camerawork gorgeous, the storytelling engaging. This was a treat. I left the theatre in the glow of satisfaction that only well-wrought stories give us.

7. Call Me by Your Name We're getting close to the point where films with this subject matter are in danger of saying nothing new. I had my doubts through some of this film. It wasn't until about the last two scenes that really cinched this up as cinema worth studying and talking about. This isn't to say the rest of the film isn't engaging, but rather the ending elevates it. Chalamet gives the best performance of the year.

6. Coco Lee Unkrich ought to step in as head of the studio now, because every single Pixar venture he touches is the new gold standard of what they're capable of producing. Coco is gorgeous and heartfelt. The words aren't in me right now, nearly a week after my viewing, to emphasize how this film touches the human heart. I could yammer about the characters, the animation, the music, the talent that's beating inside this film, but it would be an injustice to the truth of it. Just go watch it. 

5. Dunkirk I don't intend to belittle the events portrayed here whatsoever when I say this, but Dunkirk is kind of like riding a rollercoaster than watching a movie. It's something you experience. I hear the complaints about underdeveloped characters, but I feel the lens is intentionally retracted to relate these harrowing events in the massive perspective it requires. Again, Nolan plays with time and it's not always obvious how, but it eventually clicks and feels unique. This is an artist at work.

4. Phantom Thread Feels like a return to form for PTA, and a return to form for him is a splash of new filmmaking and story ideas seamlessly interwoven with each other. He knows exactly the kind of story he's crafted and the exact best way to showcase it; classical in presentation with his usual elegance factor ratcheted up a few dials. The cast, of course, magnificent, but I felt the truest star of the show was Greenwood's score.

3. Baby Driver It's unfair that movies can be this flawlessly orchestrated, but it's also why we love the medium. Wright's elegant direction pumps the film's action scenes with well-earned adrenaline and the quieter moments brim with endearing character moments and humor. I honestly don't have much else I can squeeze into a mini-review other than to say my score for this may continue to rise on retrospection. One of the best of the year, no question.

2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi Rian Johnson is a talented filmmaker and Star Wars benefits from his craftsmanship. Visual storytelling leaps from every frame, daring ideas explore uncharted territories, and the whole cast sells this affecting vision with renewed gusto. Driver and Hamill are especially fantastic. All of this in the most beautiful Star Wars to date. This only takes a few wrong swings, and I know fans are divided and calling it riddled with plot holes (it's not), but this is where Star Wars needs to go.

1. Blade Runner 2049 How. How did Villeneuve craft a film that fits snugly in Scott's 1982 universe while still being an original, thoughtful, aesthetically perfect piece of art? How did he fashion a sequel that will, in the future, be studied alongside its original in film classes? I truly cannot overstate how good this is. Everything about it. Deakins should finally get his Oscar, the entire ensemble is magic, the direction, pace, story, music -- flawless. This is the film to beat this year.

I said that this year has been kind to me at the cinema and while I’m aware that in the top 25 grossing films of 2017, only Dunkirk was an original work while the rest were sequels or reboots. That said, this was a good year for franchises. The corporatization of Hollywood has not yet broken me, though I’m sure it will someday. But I finally got a Star Wars movie I’ve been waiting for since childhood. I got to see Marvel take its films into weird directions with extra emphasis on comedy. Fucking Thor Ragnarok is a straight-up comedy. Homecoming, which was so good as just a film it cracked my top 10, has Tim & Eric level humor in it that still boggles my mind. The best film of last year was a sequel, and it’s living, breathing work of art, and a testament to the fact that we shouldn’t outright deride films just because they’re not original. And still, 70% of my top 10 are original works. Cinema is far from a dead dinosaur.

This said, I’d like to acknowledge some of the other films from 2017 that I had a ball with:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, dir. James Gunn

Thor: Ragnarok, dir. Taika Waititi

It, dir. Andy Muschietti

The Post, dir. Steven Spielberg

The LEGO Batman Movie, dir. Chris McKay

Paddington 2, dir. Paul King

All the Money in the World, dir. Ridley Scott

Molly’s Game, dir. Aaron Sorkin

The Disaster Artist, dir. James Franco

Murder on the Orient Express, dir. Kenneth Branagh