| Author | Message | ||
     Zac4mac |
I decided in 1963 or 1964, that Stan Lee was The Man. Glad to see that, once again, I was ahead of the curve... <edit> Proud member of the MMMS Z (Message edited by zac4mac on April 25, 2019) | ||
| 86129squids |
I've read a few reviews, thanks for the $.02, Aesquire... or, do you prefer your secret/given name?  I really do appreciate good sci-fi. As a kid, me and my best buddy would walk to an old-tyme general store to buy soda and junk food. While there, I would speed-read every comic on the rack, and then progress to the big magazines. I'd start with Heavy Metal. Wow. As a kid, I'd never seen such imagery, nor such words, or worlds. Such great writing, worldbuilding/destroying, just awesomeness. And titties. Ranxerox... I was him as a teenager. https://i.pinimg.com/236x/7d/65/1a/7d651a35392e319 9aee60f612682c73a--heavy-metal-comic-heavy-metal-a rt.jpg | ||
| Crusty |
Just saw it. I agree. | ||
| Aesquire |
Fairly spoiler free review from a source I usually disagree with. But some spoilers. So SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN ENDGAME! Or decided to wait until cable & don't care. https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/04/25 /avengers-endgame-review-marvel-sticks-the-landing / I feel I can now reveal... There are explosions! More than one. (Message edited by aesquire on April 27, 2019) | ||
| Aesquire |
IMHO, the lack of the genius of Spielberg, and the chest that is computer graphics, barely keeps Endgame from being the Super hero Saving Private Ryan. But I'll make the comparison anyway, it tries, and I want to be first to draw attention to the two films. College classes will next semester, I predict. I look forward to the "told you so". Saving Private Ryan did many camera effects, but not mass cgi. The magic of old school cinematography vs. Computer stuff is a real divide in my mind. I appreciate that only recently can we be good the story of Thor or Iron Man outside a cartoon or laughably bad practical effects. In high school, a buddy directed a class project "movie" and I helped make a parody of the "Six Million Dollar Man". We had a scene where our hero lifted the back of a car so the bad guy could not escape. We deliberately shot it so you could see the jack being used, because... meta? Also there was no safe way to do it rapidly with our resources, so hey, just go with it. ( the crashed airplane was a huge paper airplane ( dart ) stuck in the side of a collapsing barn with a big hole. It wasn't even a Dad's credit card budget "film" ) Saving Private Ryan's Omaha Beach - Art of The Scene the tech tricks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7M8iGQOjMI The filming & editing genius... | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.thewrap.com/all-marvel-cinematic-unive rse-mcu-movies-ranked-worst-best/ I disagree strongly with this opinion. Otoh, I suck at this kind of thing. Is Avengers #1, or #3? You get the idea. Taste is taste. But I'll take a cowards approach & list top,middle,ok. No order in each group. Top. Avengers Iron Man Thor, Ragnarok Spiderman, Homecoming (Micheal Keaton!) Guardians of the Galaxy Captain America, Winter Soldier Black Panther ( 2nd & 3rd best villains in the MCU ) Avengers, Infinity War/Endgame Middle. Thor Avengers, Age of Ultron Ant Man Ant Man and The Wasp Captain America, Civil War Captain America, The First Avenger Iron Man 2 Dr. Strange Ok. ( really most here didn't suck ) Guardians 2 Thor, The Dark World Captain Marvel Iron Man 3 The Incredible Hulk ( ok, the bottom of the list. Not bad, had promise, and set up a new villain, The Leader, but just not great. ) (Message edited by Aesquire on April 27, 2019) | ||
| Aesquire |
You can certainly argue some films are better, or worse. I refuse to complain if you want, for example, Age of Ultron up a notch, or Iron Man 2, down. I'm very tempted to move Thor, up. And Iron Man 2 introduced Black Widow with style. But middle seems fair. Meps! Meps! | ||
| Torquehd |
My favorite (Marvel) actress is Evangeline Lilly. Better looking, great actress, great personality. She's quoted as saying, "I'm very proud of being a woman, and as a woman, I don't even like the word feminism because when I hear that word, I associate it with women trying to pretend to be men, and I'm not interested in trying to pretend to be a man." OK another fun clip of her (Message edited by torquehd on April 28, 2019) | ||
| Aesquire |
SHAZAM! Thumbs up. Surprisingly good. Dark & gritty DC hits family friendly head on, and succeeds at both. May rank at #2 behind Wonder Woman in the DC universe. Keeping spoiler free is hard, so let's just say the trailers happily don't ruin the movie, they are a bit misleading. Perfect? No. But a villain you can almost empathize with, and fairly solid acting by a cast with several child actors. You may want to watch before bringing kids, but I caught it in a tiny theater ( recliners, nice ) and the bulk of the audience was Moms and kids, and I don't recall any crying or trauma. ( aside from wishing I was younger, with a room full of hot Moms ) | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/shazam/ | ||
| Aesquire |
Great review. From a writer, not a critic. Great explanation of the time travel "science". https://marionharmon.com/2019/05/06/the-perfect-en dgame/ Upon reflection, Avengers Age of Ultron, Ant man, Ant man and the Wasp, and Avengers Civil War belong on the "gotta see before you see Avengers Infinity/Endgame. Maybe Thor Dark World... Damnit! You just have to see all of them, except perhaps the Hulk movie. It's not really needed, as there isn't any continuity except for the great stinger with Tony Stark & General Ross. Maybe if Betty Ross was with Bruce at the SPOILER FREE scene? But without Thunderbolt Ross, Betty, Abomination, Leader, etc, in the rest of the MCU, the Hulk flick isn't needed at all to understand, sympathize, and care about the characters. At this point, it's probably a minority, at least in countries with electricity, that don't know the origin story of at least Batman, Spiderman, etc. Which is in a way, a massive Geek triumph. "Our" literature is now as recognized on a planetary scale as Kafka or Hemingway. Not as common as Shakespeare... ( I think ) but I'd say more people know about Batman than The Great Gatsby. Suck it! All you snobs in academe! | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/06/quentin-tarant ino-on-how-spaghetti-westerns-shaped-modern-cinema / I'm not the biggest Tarentino fan, but Pull Fiction & the Kill Bill films earn respect. And I completely agree about Once Upon A Time In The West. You couldn't ask for a better cast. One of the best villains in movie history. | ||
| Crusty |
Has anyone seen Dark Phoenix yet? The previews piqued my interest, but after some of the other X men movies, I'm not sure if I want to go see it. | ||
| Aesquire |
The reviews are mixed but fans like it, I'm seeing it this week. After all, I sat through the other 2 trilogies. And liked them. Sophie did a decent job in "Apocalypse" and I grew to have sympathy for her character. The Bad parts of Apocalypse were some plot holes ( villain has powers he uses early, then seems to forget he has them ) and the stiff make-up on the villain, giving a real handicap to a decent actor who couldn't emote very well. ANd... director/writer problems, that also didn't help Justice League. Likewise the new Godzilla movie gets mixed reviews. I'm ignoring any political idiocy from actors or pundits. I will rant that the "first female lead" hype is both insulting and dishonest. We've had, and loved, and accepted with no angst or patriarchy bull at all, heroines like Sarah Connor and Ripley. In fact, IMHO no Bond or Ethan Hawke? Film has so effectively or simply shown us how Bad Ass a character is, than Terminator 2. Sking off a mountain, climbing the tallest building, leaping into helicopters... Expensive, elaborate stunts designed to impress you look overblown and silly compared to the scene in the mental hospital where we "meet" Sarah. 20 seconds of recap from her doctor. An upended cot, sweating, muscle definition shown in a slow, controlled, pull up. The taunt of the doctor. Damn. Then the escape sequence, tightly choreographed, panther physicality... Nothing can stop her. Quit hyping that you even have a female actor. Write great characters. We'll love them. End rant. (Message edited by aesquire on June 11, 2019) | ||
| Crusty |
I'm looking forward to Spiderman - Far From Home. It will be interesting to see just how things progress in the Marvel Universe after Thanos. (Message edited by Crusty on June 19, 2019) | ||
| Aesquire |
Spoilers! Spoilers! Screen Rant's Avengers Infinity War & Endgame pitches. Funny. Brutal. Don't watch unless you've seen both. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lJATe8-j35s https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HRqsC4UuY_A | ||
| Daddio |
I'm just happy that Jessica Jones is back on Netflix; I heard that this is the last season, that Disney in their infinite wisdom, isn't renewing her.} | ||
| Aesquire |
Yesterday. Two thumbs up. Good date movie. No explosions. What? You want more? This isn't a movie you want to see the trailer for. It's a bit of a spoiler. Rom-com, with just enough drama, and not too much stupid. The acting is great. The premise is excellent, you'll get your heart strings plucked, ( bring tissues for the better half ) but not...... OK, they hit a good balance between the tropes, don't bore you with technobabble ( I like technobabble ) and the music... Normally I wouldn't have noticed this one. No explosions. I only bother going to the theater for special effects extravaganza films, since a Rom-com works fine on a 47" tv. But, sister's birthday, so... Premise, acting, music. Go see it at a theater with good sound system. Really worth a night out. Not too much spoiler... | ||
| Aesquire |
Spider-Man, Far From Home Yes. Laugh out loud Funny in spots. Dramatic in others. A worthy sequal to Endgame. No spoilers. Tom Holland is the best Peter Parker yet, IMHO. Zendaya is MJ. Not the comic book version, as you know from the previous film, but perfect. Special effects are huge. 12 companies? I could pick a few nits, but won't. A few big cheer moments, some emotional but... All well done. They succeed in the most important way. You care about these people. They aren't, mostly, cardboard cut outs. Oh, yeah, there is a plot. An arc. It's good. 2 stingers! 1 after the color credits, and 1 at the end. Do not miss them or I will mock you. So will everyone else. | ||
| Aesquire |
My niece got fanboy outraged at a Canon factoid, but I disagree with her. Only real Marvel super geeks will twig on it. I recognized it as Easter Egg/fan service ( not the nudity type ) but didn't know the details. Let me know if you get it too. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://9gag.com/gag/abYP8ev Marvel Phase 4 | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/07/f eminism_is_working_overtime_to_destroy_film.html To steal a definition from the pundit Rush...Feminazis are ruining Hollywood. At least that's the author's opinion, and I can't argue. However, the treatment of men as incompetent comedy foils goes back a long ways. In fact, on tv I can't remember when that wasn't so. But not a feminist twist. The humor is in the incongruity, and superiority, and other psych explanations. Here's a top ten comedy moments with the psychobabble definitions. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0z5SsDEWWIU I Love Lucy, to Married with Children. Daddy decay over time? Hmm. But what offends isn't the strong female character, it's the assumption that the movie & tv audience is the same kind of sexist pigs that ruled Hollywood for so long. Few American men want to be a Harvey Weinstein, preying on women from a position of power. ( except for those who love rap music for the lifestyle of the thug... A whole different & not PC argument ) I don't deny that many if not most men envy the ease that handsome, cool, celebrities can get laid, often and seemingly effortlessly. But few want to live the emotional ongoing train wreck that results. Never mentioned but I hope understood by the public, is having lots of different hot babes is also having lots of disastrous break ups. ( as the tabloids thrive on ) In the Real world we envy & despise the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Thus I am not offended when the only male in the Ghostbusters remake is a bumbling fool. That's expected. I also have the John Wicks and Steve Rogers to admire in film. I'm offended when being offended created a Ghostbusters remake that isn't funny because it tries too hard & missed the point of ensemble comedy. The chemistry between team members. Contrast that to Wonder Woman, the best DC film so far. And, despite the issues with the third act battle ( a common problem ) a great superhero movie, and a great movie as a movie. Acting, plot, camera work, effects. The Basic difference is good drama and comedy has you falling in love or sympathize with the characters, then putting them through hell. We care about Diana as her world view crumbles around her in her exposure to the horrors of war. Is there any such empathy for the Ghostbusters crew? A little, but not enough to save the film. Give us good writing! Let your "woke insights" inform but not become preachy. We don't need or want 007 to be a grrrl. We would love a BA female 0013. We'd love to see her out BA Bond. Imagine if instead of endless remakes, Hollywood offered original, moving stories. I'm fine with them mining the comic books for them. How about a Gen13 series? | ||
| Aesquire |
it is seldom I find myself in total agreement with one of these Top !0 lists. And here, my only quibble is with the bicycle chase, and it's a minor one. The winner here is certainly great, and considering the time it was filmed, perhaps I'm wrong. The Motorcycle winner, however, is perfect. Spoilers after the video. Motorcycle. This is a film that was a real genre changer. Studio Ghibli rules today, but in 1988, this one shattered the movie business, forever. The opening chase scene was like nothing ever seen on a big screen, and I often recommend just watching it, then stopping, because the rest of the movie gets weird. Awesome weird, but not for all tastes. The Train winner is one of the all time great movies and has the all time great "did his own stunts" actors, ( although Harold Lloyd must not be ignored for that honor ) the most expensive stunt filmed to that time, and is funny as he.... I would, however, like to add one chase to this list, possibly displacing one of the last 5. Arwen's ride from Lord Of The Rings, Fellowship of the Ring. As pure cinema, there are few rivals. | ||
| Aesquire |
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| Aesquire |
2 days ago, not only could I not pre order Avengers, Endgame on Amazon, the copy I had pre ordered vanished from my cart. Yesterday afternoon, I got the base DVD version ( no extras at all ) off the nearly empty shelf at Wal-Mart for $19.95 and sent to watch it at a friend's on his new 60" 4k tv. ( no, he has no 4k gear, but it's a nice tv ) Forgot how long it was. Nice to be able to pause & replay stuff. Caught some details missed at the theater. A good stero is a must. | ||
| 86129squids |
3 hours was long. I watched it, determined despite the time. It was OK. Entropy. What we humans must do is to understand what it is. | ||
| Aesquire |
Alita, Battle Angel. Impressive! I regret missing this one in the theater. Cons. CGI backgrounds are a little muddy in spots, but that could be my glasses. Action scenes are incredibly fast and can be hard to follow. It's a James Cameron script. So there are plot holes, melodrama, and things happen that are just too convenient to the story. Pros. It's a James Cameron script. So there is minimal exposition, and well done. Really tugs on the heart strings. Doesn't waste time with plot set up, it just keeps moving along with good pacing. Action scenes are fast and furious, outstanding work. The CGI work is ground breaking. Avatar was a warm up to this. No uncanny valley issues, amazingly. And pretty good acting all around, more subtle than usual for some, over the top, but appropriately for others. Well worth adding to your DVD collection. Stand out aspects. Ghost in the Shell ( live action movie ) was a fraction of the anime which was Epic, and way too huge for one movie, being a multi season multi series original. And that fraction of the Anime Movie, was a good, complete story, and copied scenes from the anime pretty faithfully, great job. Alita, is from the Manga, again, just a fraction of the many books, but a good, complete story, and faithfully captured the original Art in live action. And since the original comic is a masterpiece of minimalism and action in comic art, they literally took action scenes, frame by frame from the Manga, and made the live CGI counterpart. Great work! Additionally, I am struck by how many movies are rip offs of the Manga plots. Some good, some bad, but the original blows them away. | ||
| Aesquire |
As a History nut, I get pulled out of the suspension of disbelief by anachronisms. Robin hood with a recurve bow? Thud. I lose that immersion in the story. But there are reasons. ( long dissertation on armor deleted ) I too, loved The 13th Warrior. The armor mix is utterly wrong. Even allowing for the fact that people of the time would use any thing they could, "Hey, it's better than my old piece of crap ", there are bits that weren't made for hundreds of years into the future. But the story, acting, and historical accuracy otherwise, make it a great and under rated film. ( with SPOILERS Sci-fi elements ) | ||
| Aesquire |
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| Aesquire |
And, to finish my love rant for this film, 3 critical analysis rants on The 13th Warrior. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEBv3CQM_WA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19N-i9Kgz4 The "Language scene" is the best I've seen, with Hunt For Red October getting the Silver medal for language transition. |
