what was the last movie you watched?
- Thread starter Folsom Al
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Started watching Kingsman The Golden Circle with a friend last night but she requested we turn it off and watch Dunkirk instead. I'm glad we made the switch though I will definitely watch the former at some time in the future (I haven't seen the first one either). I used to play a lot of WWII dogfight sims in my university days and I have to say watching the airplane scenes in this was pretty intense and a bit eye opening from the "knights of the sky" version of those early days of aerial combat.
On a technical note I noticed a lot of aspect ratio changes on the 4k BluRay, I didn't see in the theater I assume it has something to do with IMAX but curious how it was projected at standard theaters.
On a technical note I noticed a lot of aspect ratio changes on the 4k BluRay, I didn't see in the theater I assume it has something to do with IMAX but curious how it was projected at standard theaters.
I went into Infinity War having been spoiled to high hell, because I don't care about that ****, and being familiar with the comic miniseries that the movie was inspired by.
And I still. Wasn't. Ready.
Holy ****. I'm not prepared to say that I liked it better than Black Panther, because BP appealed to a different, more important part of my soul, but holy ****.
And I still. Wasn't. Ready.
Holy ****. I'm not prepared to say that I liked it better than Black Panther, because BP appealed to a different, more important part of my soul, but holy ****.
I saw ‘Infinity War’ with a friend tonight on a lark. I haven’t seen every Marvel movie preceding it, though I’ve seen many, and enjoyed many, despite the criticisms I tend to have of such films.
I found it to be, rather strangely, both overstuffed and under-long. It had to manage far too many characters to deliver the strong character beats that the best of Marvel’s movies are known for, and I thought it suffered for it. There was rarely a moment for breath, and a movie like this really needs such moments so that the stakes and the humanity on display don’t get lost in all of the bombast.
Clearly, I have my criticisms. But all told, I have no doubt that it was a near-impossible task to make this movie work, and that it succeeds mostly and stylishly is a credit to all involved. And even though it was a mess of digital effects, I thought there was an appropriate level of physicality to the proceedings, and I appreciated that Thanos was so grounded, both as a character and as a presence on screen.
I found it to be, rather strangely, both overstuffed and under-long. It had to manage far too many characters to deliver the strong character beats that the best of Marvel’s movies are known for, and I thought it suffered for it. There was rarely a moment for breath, and a movie like this really needs such moments so that the stakes and the humanity on display don’t get lost in all of the bombast.
That said, I found it an interesting creative decision to make Thanos the "main character" of the film, insofar as such a movie can actually have a "main character." I thought it was a bold move that largely succeeded. It was not an easy task to give that character an honest-to-goodness emotional arc, and it was satisfying to see another complex villain in the Marvel universe after Killmonger’s turn in ‘Black Panther.’ There have been quite a few duds on the villain front in Marvel’s cinematic universe, and I’m glad to see they’re working to correct it.
And though I found the cast to be oversized and underdeveloped, I did enjoy some of the pairings afforded by the collision of Marvel’s various properties. Honestly, I kinda wish that Marvel would ditch these big event movies altogether, and just pair off these weird characters in their own movies, a la Thor and Hulk in ‘Ragnarok.’
Speaking of, I maintain that Thor is Marvel’s secret weapon, and his scenes with Rocket were absolutely aces. That brief monologue about having nothing to lose could have been a cliched mess, but goddammit if Hemsworth didn’t act the hell out of it. And I’ll admit to the biggest grin in the theater when he showed up in Wakanda with that newly-minted axe.
I have to say, though, that I was really put off by the ending. It was so disappointing to me that Marvel finally succumbed to the great temptation of all comic book fare: killing off characters that the audience knows will be revived for future installments as a way of artificially inflating the stakes. Hell, Marvel has already announced another ‘Spider-Man’ movie and another ‘Black Panther’ movie. Tom Holland’s performance should have been absolutely gut-wrenching during that final sequence. Instead, it landed with a hollow thud in the absence of tangible stakes. Somebody else in the theater actually said “What the f***” loud enough and incredulously enough for everyone else to hear it. I don’t know if his reaction was quite the same as mine, but I felt manipulated as an audience member, like Marvel was trying to have its cake and eat it, too.
And though I found the cast to be oversized and underdeveloped, I did enjoy some of the pairings afforded by the collision of Marvel’s various properties. Honestly, I kinda wish that Marvel would ditch these big event movies altogether, and just pair off these weird characters in their own movies, a la Thor and Hulk in ‘Ragnarok.’
Speaking of, I maintain that Thor is Marvel’s secret weapon, and his scenes with Rocket were absolutely aces. That brief monologue about having nothing to lose could have been a cliched mess, but goddammit if Hemsworth didn’t act the hell out of it. And I’ll admit to the biggest grin in the theater when he showed up in Wakanda with that newly-minted axe.
I have to say, though, that I was really put off by the ending. It was so disappointing to me that Marvel finally succumbed to the great temptation of all comic book fare: killing off characters that the audience knows will be revived for future installments as a way of artificially inflating the stakes. Hell, Marvel has already announced another ‘Spider-Man’ movie and another ‘Black Panther’ movie. Tom Holland’s performance should have been absolutely gut-wrenching during that final sequence. Instead, it landed with a hollow thud in the absence of tangible stakes. Somebody else in the theater actually said “What the f***” loud enough and incredulously enough for everyone else to hear it. I don’t know if his reaction was quite the same as mine, but I felt manipulated as an audience member, like Marvel was trying to have its cake and eat it, too.
Clearly, I have my criticisms. But all told, I have no doubt that it was a near-impossible task to make this movie work, and that it succeeds mostly and stylishly is a credit to all involved. And even though it was a mess of digital effects, I thought there was an appropriate level of physicality to the proceedings, and I appreciated that Thanos was so grounded, both as a character and as a presence on screen.
Based on the conversations you and I have had #onhere about how you consume movies-as-entertainment, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that that guy's reaction was coming from a different place than yours was. I will stipulate, though, that it would have been interesting to gauge reactions had Marvel Studios
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I was surprised by how much they changed Thanos's story for the movie, while still making him interesting.
not already published their release schedule for the next year
I was surprised by how much they changed Thanos's story for the movie, while still making him interesting.
There was, in fact, a comic miniseries titled "The Infinity War," that this movie was not inspired by. Rather, the movie was inspired by the the limited series "The Thanos Quest," and the first issue of the miniseries "The Infinity Gauntlet," the miniseries which precedes "The Infinity War," in which Thanos's motivations were very different.
Since I read the source material 25 years ago, and have re-read it several times since, I didn't have the reaction that you had, but I'm still excited to see how it's going to play out on screen.
Since I read the source material 25 years ago, and have re-read it several times since, I didn't have the reaction that you had, but I'm still excited to see how it's going to play out on screen.
Even if Marvel hadn't published their release schedule, my thought still would have been "There's no way in hell that they're not making more 'Spider-Man' and 'Black Panther' movies." And I imagine many audience members would be thinking the same thing. But you're right, the way I consume both film and television is not exactly mainstream in 2018. I'm not into "puzzle box" filmmaking, where the viewer is left trying to "solve" the piece in question rather than delight in its eccentricities. I've never been a big fan of the "See how our heroes get out of this mess next week!" kind of serialization. I am aware, however, that it's a huge staple of comic book storytelling, and in that sense, 'Infinity War' is very much a realization of comic book storytelling in a way that, say, a film like 'Logan' is not.
As a non-comic-book-reader, obviously I don't have that particular frame of reference. But I did find it interesting that Thanos' rapturing of half the universe was kinda lifted straight out of HBO's 'The Leftovers,' the second season of which was one of my favorite seasons of television ever. I wasn't expecting such an influence when I walked into the theater. I don't know what Thanos' original motivations were in the comics, but I found his argument quite faulty in the film, though it certainly made for high-stakes drama (that was undercut by the realities of its ending). Either way, I don't actually require that a villain's master plan make a whole helluvalotta sense. It just needs to serve a purpose in developing the character. And I believe Thanos himself says that he was called "mad" on his home planet for suggesting his lottery-based genocide.
The curious thing about the ending is that every single one of the original "core" Avengers team survived. Correct? I don't recall any of them disappearing into dust, and they seemed like the obvious choices from which to pull a meaningful, lasting death that would communicate tangible stakes to the audience. At some point, those actors will move on from Marvel. And really, Marvel should want to move on from those actors. The character arcs they represent should reach a destination point, and newer characters should become the focus. Spider-Man. Black Panther. Etc.
I suppose one could give credit to the directors for not resorting to the obvious, but I still have a difficult time with a movie that desperately wants to tug on my heartstrings while having every intention of clicking "undo" in the follow-up. Again, I see it as manipulative filmmaking. But I'll admit that it's a criticism in a holding pattern, you could say. Perhaps the creators will astound me with the next Avengers film, and fantastically write their way out of this corner they've put themselves in. Perhaps it's a lack of imagination on my part that I'm not able to see a way forward that doesn't come across as a deflation of the stakes in this particular universe.
The curious thing about the ending is that every single one of the original "core" Avengers team survived. Correct? I don't recall any of them disappearing into dust, and they seemed like the obvious choices from which to pull a meaningful, lasting death that would communicate tangible stakes to the audience. At some point, those actors will move on from Marvel. And really, Marvel should want to move on from those actors. The character arcs they represent should reach a destination point, and newer characters should become the focus. Spider-Man. Black Panther. Etc.
I suppose one could give credit to the directors for not resorting to the obvious, but I still have a difficult time with a movie that desperately wants to tug on my heartstrings while having every intention of clicking "undo" in the follow-up. Again, I see it as manipulative filmmaking. But I'll admit that it's a criticism in a holding pattern, you could say. Perhaps the creators will astound me with the next Avengers film, and fantastically write their way out of this corner they've put themselves in. Perhaps it's a lack of imagination on my part that I'm not able to see a way forward that doesn't come across as a deflation of the stakes in this particular universe.
Re: Infinity War, I saw it in a later evening show that was likely 21+ but
If reports are to be believed in earlier showings across the country kids have left the theaters in tears. So a large chunk of the movie's audience does not know that a "reset" switch is going to be hit and instead are crying because Spiderman is dead. And yeah, his rapture (for lack of a better word) was emotionally engaging even knowing of course he'll be back because he was the lone person not to accept it with some resignation. Perhaps "core" Avengers will die in the end - afterall they may reset the soul stone but that doesn't mean Avengers won't fall hitting that reset switch and not be brought back. Nor do we know about Loki or some of the other fallen. Vision? Gomora? I don't think at the end of this everyone is going to get a happy ending.
I mean, there's also the fact that you appear to be watching these movies like you expect them to be 'movies,' and I'm watching these movies like I expect them to be live-action comic books. I'd postulate that, if you consume them like that, you would find the experience to be more gratifying.
Well... if you really wanted to know, like, I could tell you...
Well... if you really wanted to know, like, I could tell you...
Since the lack of introduction of several 'cosmic-level' characters into the MCU has already resulted in a significant deviation from the source material, I have my own theory on how I expect this to play out: as you pointed out, the 'original' Avengers were among the survivors, but I'll take it a step further and point out that not only did all the characters who died in IW have at least one more movie already confirmed but, with the exceptions of Rocket, Wong and Okoye, basically everyone who survived was an actor whose movie deals with Marvel Studios end after Avengers 4. We've already learned that the Soul Stone requires sacrifice: 'a soul for a soul,' as the Red Skull said, so don't be surprised if the 'original' Avengers all end up sacrificing themselves to restore those who died. The reason they survived is because Avengers 4 is their curtain call.
As with anything, it's kinduva your-mileage-may-vary situation. I go into most movies with my critical eyes on. It's hard to disengage them, if I'm honest, and I'm not sure I'd want to if I could. That's not to say that I expect to be disappointed, or that I "hate-watch" movies for sport, or that I'm incapable of properly calibrating my expectations, but I honestly find it more fun and gratifying to engage both with a film's artistic merits and its shortcomings.
For example, 'Blade Runner' is my favorite film of all time. By miles. I love that movie with a passion that's hard to express to those who find it dull and dreary. It is flawed. Deeply so, in some ways. But my god if I wasn't a different person after watching that movie for the first time. Film is a mighty powerful medium. That unique collision of image and sound can fundamentally alter the way we see the world. I generally find myself attracted to the jagged edges, the weird turns, the almost's. "Perfect" films are rare, and they're often sanitized by Oscar aspirations and less interesting to me as a result. More to the point, flawed films are not disqualified from delighting me as a viewer. I just prefer to contend with the whole thing, rather than exclusively the parts that resonated with me. I liked 'Infinity War.' I just had a few problems with it.
For context, I was a child of the 90's, a time when Hollywood churned out generic popcorn actioners with one-word titles like they were trying to appease the gods of mediocrity. It was... not a great time for film, but I still spent much of my adolescence in the movie theater, consuming forgettable explosion-filled ephemera on a monthly basis. Eventually, I got my first job at Hollywood Video (remember video rental stores?! I feel old (and I'm not old!)), and it wasn't until then that I fell in love with film as an artform. Hawks. Hitchcock. Kubrick. Kurosawa. Coppola. Tarkovsky. Scorsese. Malick. Gilliam. These were the masters to whom I was first introduced.
We were allowed three free rentals on our employee account at any given time, and I was encouraged by management to rent off the "New Releases" wall so that I could make educated recommendations to customers, who mostly came in to see "What's new?" But more often than not, I'd dive deep into the library, with the help of a fellow employee who was filled with a wealth of film knowledge to impart to impressionable teenage me. That said, I still see tremendous value in understanding "what's new." Comic book movies are perhaps the most dominant contemporary pop culture phenomenon, so, as someone who loves engaging in the larger cultural discourse, I consider them "required reading" to a degree. Superhero stories, in particular, have much to tell us about ourselves, our ideals, and our fears.
Sure, why not? It'd be useful to have a point of comparison.
Well, that makes a certain amount of sense to me. I'm not sure if I'd personally find such a story satisfying, but I suppose I'll just have to wait-and-see. Again, I'm always open to being surprised.
On that subject, I'm usually someone who likes to go into movies without preconceived notions clouding my ability to accept a film on its own merits. I avoid Rotten Tomatoes like the plague, and I typically only read reviews after I've seen a movie, as a way of reconciling alternate perspectives with my own. I've engaged with a number of 'Infinity War' reviews today, including Matt Zoller-Seitz's piece on the film. He's one of my favorite contemporary film and television critics. He's currently the editor-in-chief at rogerebert.com, and his review is worth a read, if only as an additional perspective to add to this conversation: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avengers-infinity-war-2018
For example, 'Blade Runner' is my favorite film of all time. By miles. I love that movie with a passion that's hard to express to those who find it dull and dreary. It is flawed. Deeply so, in some ways. But my god if I wasn't a different person after watching that movie for the first time. Film is a mighty powerful medium. That unique collision of image and sound can fundamentally alter the way we see the world. I generally find myself attracted to the jagged edges, the weird turns, the almost's. "Perfect" films are rare, and they're often sanitized by Oscar aspirations and less interesting to me as a result. More to the point, flawed films are not disqualified from delighting me as a viewer. I just prefer to contend with the whole thing, rather than exclusively the parts that resonated with me. I liked 'Infinity War.' I just had a few problems with it.
For context, I was a child of the 90's, a time when Hollywood churned out generic popcorn actioners with one-word titles like they were trying to appease the gods of mediocrity. It was... not a great time for film, but I still spent much of my adolescence in the movie theater, consuming forgettable explosion-filled ephemera on a monthly basis. Eventually, I got my first job at Hollywood Video (remember video rental stores?! I feel old (and I'm not old!)), and it wasn't until then that I fell in love with film as an artform. Hawks. Hitchcock. Kubrick. Kurosawa. Coppola. Tarkovsky. Scorsese. Malick. Gilliam. These were the masters to whom I was first introduced.
We were allowed three free rentals on our employee account at any given time, and I was encouraged by management to rent off the "New Releases" wall so that I could make educated recommendations to customers, who mostly came in to see "What's new?" But more often than not, I'd dive deep into the library, with the help of a fellow employee who was filled with a wealth of film knowledge to impart to impressionable teenage me. That said, I still see tremendous value in understanding "what's new." Comic book movies are perhaps the most dominant contemporary pop culture phenomenon, so, as someone who loves engaging in the larger cultural discourse, I consider them "required reading" to a degree. Superhero stories, in particular, have much to tell us about ourselves, our ideals, and our fears.
Sure, why not? It'd be useful to have a point of comparison.
Well, that makes a certain amount of sense to me. I'm not sure if I'd personally find such a story satisfying, but I suppose I'll just have to wait-and-see. Again, I'm always open to being surprised.
On that subject, I'm usually someone who likes to go into movies without preconceived notions clouding my ability to accept a film on its own merits. I avoid Rotten Tomatoes like the plague, and I typically only read reviews after I've seen a movie, as a way of reconciling alternate perspectives with my own. I've engaged with a number of 'Infinity War' reviews today, including Matt Zoller-Seitz's piece on the film. He's one of my favorite contemporary film and television critics. He's currently the editor-in-chief at rogerebert.com, and his review is worth a read, if only as an additional perspective to add to this conversation: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avengers-infinity-war-2018
Well, watching comic book movies as live-action comic books doesn't require me to ignore the movies' shortcomings. The difference is that you appear to be evaluating those shortcomings through the framework of cinema-as-art, and I'm evaluating those shortcomings through the framework of comic books, which requires different metrics, and a different set of calculus.
Well, for starters, in the comics, Thanos didn't try to warn his people of impending doom, nor was he himself concerned with balance: he straight up murked his people, because he's a nihilist, who's in love with the metaphysical manifestation of Death, which exists as an actual character in the Marvel Comics Universe, usually depicted as either a beautiful woman, or an anthropomorphic skeleton.
In the two issue miniseries "The Thanos Quest," from which roughly the first two hours of IW was (very) loosely adapted, Death comes to the realization that there were, at that time, more beings alive in the universe than ever had died, and so she tasks Thanos with killing half the living things in the universe. Thanos learns about the power of the Soul Gems Infinity Stones, and determines acquiring them to be the most efficient way to accomplish this task, so he sets about on a quest to barter, steal and/or kill to acquire the Gems from their handlers, five of the Elders of the Universe (the Gardener, the Runner, the Champion of the Universe, the Collector and the Gamesmaster), only two of which have yet been introduced in the MCU, as well as the In-Betweener, the metaphysical manifestation of duality in the Marvel Comics Universe, who has also not yet been introduced in the MCU. Upon acquiring all six Gems, Thanos returns to Death's lair, in hopes that she will now see him as an equal, and return his affection, only to learn that Death still won't have anything to do with him because, being in possession of the Soul Gems now made Thanos her superior, rather than her equal.
This leads to the beginning of the "Infinity Gauntlet" miniseries, where Mephisto (who is either an agent of the Devil, or the actual Devil, depending on who's writing him) convinces Thanos that the real reason why Death will not acknowledge him is because he never actually completed the task that Death set him upon. And so, with a snap of his fingers, he wipes out half the life in the universe. The surviving heroes of Earth are organized by Adam Warlock (who has not yet debuted in the MCU, but is widely believed will make his debut in GOTG Vol. 3) to confront Thanos, in an effort to save the universe...
... And, I'll stop at this point, because anything else I tell you about it is a potential spoiler for Avengers 4.
In the two issue miniseries "The Thanos Quest," from which roughly the first two hours of IW was (very) loosely adapted, Death comes to the realization that there were, at that time, more beings alive in the universe than ever had died, and so she tasks Thanos with killing half the living things in the universe. Thanos learns about the power of the Soul Gems Infinity Stones, and determines acquiring them to be the most efficient way to accomplish this task, so he sets about on a quest to barter, steal and/or kill to acquire the Gems from their handlers, five of the Elders of the Universe (the Gardener, the Runner, the Champion of the Universe, the Collector and the Gamesmaster), only two of which have yet been introduced in the MCU, as well as the In-Betweener, the metaphysical manifestation of duality in the Marvel Comics Universe, who has also not yet been introduced in the MCU. Upon acquiring all six Gems, Thanos returns to Death's lair, in hopes that she will now see him as an equal, and return his affection, only to learn that Death still won't have anything to do with him because, being in possession of the Soul Gems now made Thanos her superior, rather than her equal.
This leads to the beginning of the "Infinity Gauntlet" miniseries, where Mephisto (who is either an agent of the Devil, or the actual Devil, depending on who's writing him) convinces Thanos that the real reason why Death will not acknowledge him is because he never actually completed the task that Death set him upon. And so, with a snap of his fingers, he wipes out half the life in the universe. The surviving heroes of Earth are organized by Adam Warlock (who has not yet debuted in the MCU, but is widely believed will make his debut in GOTG Vol. 3) to confront Thanos, in an effort to save the universe...
... And, I'll stop at this point, because anything else I tell you about it is a potential spoiler for Avengers 4.
Well, the problem for me is that I largely lack the tools to evaluate comic book films through the framework of comic book history. I've read maybe four or five comics in my lifetime. I understand generally how they're supposed to function, but I do not possess a longtime reader's appreciation for their artistry, and thus cannot develop an appreciation for their translation to the screen. I do have a firm grasp on the language of cinema, though, and so I think of them as movies first, and adaptations second. For me, they are films that happen to feature characters that likewise appear in comic books.
We simply bring different perspectives to these particular kinds of movies. I'd offer the following section from that review I quoted in my previous post, since I found it instructive in explaining the pitfalls of trying to tell honest-to-goodness comic book stories on screen:
We simply bring different perspectives to these particular kinds of movies. I'd offer the following section from that review I quoted in my previous post, since I found it instructive in explaining the pitfalls of trying to tell honest-to-goodness comic book stories on screen:
Well all of that sounds about as comic book-y as it gets! It is interesting, though, and now I kinda wish that the MCU had chosen to adapt that storyline while simplifying it down to its essence, because I kinda like the idea of Thanos as a failed romantic, attempting to court Death in the most genocidal way imaginable. That's like some weird-ass splicing of Greek and Shakespearean tragedy. I could be into it.
Truth be told, I find that I really enjoy these comic book movies when they embrace the madcap insanity of their source material. 'Thor: Ragnarok' was a delight for precisely that reason, and I think 'Infinity War' would have likewise benefited from a hit off its bong, so to speak.
Truth be told, I find that I really enjoy these comic book movies when they embrace the madcap insanity of their source material. 'Thor: Ragnarok' was a delight for precisely that reason, and I think 'Infinity War' would have likewise benefited from a hit off its bong, so to speak.
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I saw it tonight. I thought the first one was better overall, but still entertaining. I wish there was a bit more of Negasonic Teenage Warhead (and the others) in this one, and maybe a tad less Colossus. I like her spunk in these films.
If you go, stay through the mid-credits scene. IMHO, likely the best part of the movie. There is no end-credit "scene", but there is some funny "audio" right at the end of the credits.
If you go, stay through the mid-credits scene. IMHO, likely the best part of the movie. There is no end-credit "scene", but there is some funny "audio" right at the end of the credits.
Went again tonight with a different friend who wanted to check it out. I enjoyed it a bit more the second time through. I realized I really don't care for the kid playing Firefist (edit: which is strange because one of Marvel's strengths has been their casting). Also continue to think that Negasonic Teenage Warhead was criminally underused. I really liked who the "monster" was. Also realized that the woman playing Deadpool's wife was from Firefly. I really like her as an actress and thought she also does a fabulous job.
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Saw Solo Last night and thought they did a pretty decent job with it. Some little tie-ins here and there with the Star Wars universe at large sprinkled throughout. Not sure why the weekend take is so far down for this one compared to the others, but maybe it will have decent legs and make it up over time.
Well, I think audiences are generally suspicious of all prequel fare. It's hard to reinforce the stakes when the viewer already knows the ending. That's not to say that prequels can't succeed. Many have. And many more will. But I know that I, personally, can think of no actual or hypothetical film in the Star Wars universe that I'd rather see less than a Han Solo origin story. That character arrived on screen fully-formed, and he had a tremendously satisfying three-film arc in the original trilogy, with a pretty solid coda in JJ Abrams' The Force Awakens. Not to mention that Harrison Ford's performance is as important to our understanding of the character as the way the character is written into the story. So what purpose does Solo really serve, other than to remind us of things we already know and love? It’s funny, when Disney purchased LucasFilm and announced that they were going to create a new Star Wars trilogy, with unconnected anthology films released in between each mainline entry, my first thought was “Great! These secondary features will be able to widen the scope of Star Wars storytelling and expose audiences to less familiar aspects of the Star Wars universe. How cool!”
Yet The Last Jedi, as a mainline entry, was the boldest step away from Star Wars tradition as we’ve come to understand it, while Disney’s recent forays into Star Wars spin-off territory are just mining the same eras and events for blatant fan-service. While Rogue One featured unfamiliar characters and a slightly divergent tone, it still felt far too close to the action of the original trilogy. It’s inextricably linked to our understanding of the stakes of A New Hope. Likewise, Solo is a film that undoubtedly fan-services its way through events that audiences have already conjured up realities for in their minds. I haven't yet seen it, and I don't imagine that I will, but if I had to guess, the laundry list of tie-in's will feature how Han met Chewbacca. Also, here's how Han met Lando Calrissian. Also, here’s how Han won the Millenium Falcon from Lando in a card game. Also, here's how Han became a smuggler. Also, here’s how Han made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. Oh yeah, and here’s what a parsec is. All of this just makes the Star Wars universe seem so small, while there is so much untapped potential just waiting to be explored on the big screen.
Yet The Last Jedi, as a mainline entry, was the boldest step away from Star Wars tradition as we’ve come to understand it, while Disney’s recent forays into Star Wars spin-off territory are just mining the same eras and events for blatant fan-service. While Rogue One featured unfamiliar characters and a slightly divergent tone, it still felt far too close to the action of the original trilogy. It’s inextricably linked to our understanding of the stakes of A New Hope. Likewise, Solo is a film that undoubtedly fan-services its way through events that audiences have already conjured up realities for in their minds. I haven't yet seen it, and I don't imagine that I will, but if I had to guess, the laundry list of tie-in's will feature how Han met Chewbacca. Also, here's how Han met Lando Calrissian. Also, here’s how Han won the Millenium Falcon from Lando in a card game. Also, here's how Han became a smuggler. Also, here’s how Han made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. Oh yeah, and here’s what a parsec is. All of this just makes the Star Wars universe seem so small, while there is so much untapped potential just waiting to be explored on the big screen.
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I think your assessment is fair but harsh @Padrino. I don't think the average fan comes in as critical and cynical as you did there enough to explain the box office take, but I will admit for me the actor playing Han in the trailers just felt all kinds of wrong and it turned me off a bit (Donald Glover however undid some of that - and a Lando movie will surely come about and they should have just done that). I'll definitely see it, but please no more of these side stories for main characters. I had heard folks at a birthday party this weekend saying they were talking about one for Obi-wan. NO.
Boba Fett, sure. But I'd rather see origins of the new trilogy at this point. Also maybe with less frequency. I never thought I could be more fatigued by the Star Wars franchise than I am now. That's probably the real answer right there.
Boba Fett, sure. But I'd rather see origins of the new trilogy at this point. Also maybe with less frequency. I never thought I could be more fatigued by the Star Wars franchise than I am now. That's probably the real answer right there.
Most viewers may not be as critical as I am, but it's hard to deny the fact that there's little excitement in the air for Solo. Who out there is completely amped for it in the same way that they may have been for The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi? I would imagine that many are seeing it out of a sense of obligation. "Another Star Wars movie? Sure, why not? It's Memorial Day weekend and it's getting hot out there. Might as well see it." It's the risk you run when you saturate the market with your product. It loses its specialness, its luster, its sense of wonder. The NFL has certainly experienced the dilution of their product in the last several years as they've introduced more playing days. There's actually too much football now. And there might also be too much Star Wars now, as well.
I don't think the series necessarily needs to go back to the one-movie-every-three-years model, but I do think they could be more deliberate in pacing themselves so as not to dilute the brand. Being more creative with the material would be wise, as well, so audiences feel like they're being nourished with something new, rather than experiencing the same old configuration of characters and ideas. Since Disney purchased LucasFilm, there have been director firings and re-shoots and production woes of all kinds, and I'd guess it's because Kathleen Kennedy and co. are in such a rush to push out Star Wars product that they're not managing each movie with care and with vision and with intent. It's a minor miracle that any of these movies are worth watching at all, given the stakes, the behind-the-scenes drama, and the compressed release schedule.
I agree, though, that a movie about Lando Calrissian starring Donald Glover would have been many times more preferable to a Han Solo origin story. I suppose a Boba Fett movie could be interesting, as well, but I'm a big proponent of leaving some things to the imagination. Mystery is essential to storytelling. You have to give the audience a space to wonder. You have to withhold answers even when viewers are clamoring for them. Let Lando be a character whose backstory we never know. Let Boba Fett remain the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, without explaining why that is. Let the viewer fill in the gaps. It's how the children of a prior generation fell in love with Star Wars in the first place. It taught them to look up at the stars and wonder. And for a less childlike and more literary take on it, I'd simply say that Hemingway's iceberg theory always applies.
To be honest, I'm actually the most excited about Rian Johnson's upcoming Star Wars trilogy. I am less enthusiastic about Episode IX with JJ Abrams back in the director's chair, but apparently this new Johnson-helmed set of films will have absolutely nothing at all to do with the Star Wars universe as we've come to know it. There will be no Skywalker's, no Solo's, and little in the way of familiar ground to [re]tread. I'm among those who unabashedly adored The Last Jedi, flaws and all, because of how bold and odd and interesting it was within the confines of Star Wars storytelling. If Kennedy had the wrong approach in hiring directors-as-mercenaries for each of the last several Star Wars films, then I think she has settled on the right approach in giving a person with a unique and coherent vision the reigns to tell a multi-part story.
I don't think the series necessarily needs to go back to the one-movie-every-three-years model, but I do think they could be more deliberate in pacing themselves so as not to dilute the brand. Being more creative with the material would be wise, as well, so audiences feel like they're being nourished with something new, rather than experiencing the same old configuration of characters and ideas. Since Disney purchased LucasFilm, there have been director firings and re-shoots and production woes of all kinds, and I'd guess it's because Kathleen Kennedy and co. are in such a rush to push out Star Wars product that they're not managing each movie with care and with vision and with intent. It's a minor miracle that any of these movies are worth watching at all, given the stakes, the behind-the-scenes drama, and the compressed release schedule.
I agree, though, that a movie about Lando Calrissian starring Donald Glover would have been many times more preferable to a Han Solo origin story. I suppose a Boba Fett movie could be interesting, as well, but I'm a big proponent of leaving some things to the imagination. Mystery is essential to storytelling. You have to give the audience a space to wonder. You have to withhold answers even when viewers are clamoring for them. Let Lando be a character whose backstory we never know. Let Boba Fett remain the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, without explaining why that is. Let the viewer fill in the gaps. It's how the children of a prior generation fell in love with Star Wars in the first place. It taught them to look up at the stars and wonder. And for a less childlike and more literary take on it, I'd simply say that Hemingway's iceberg theory always applies.
To be honest, I'm actually the most excited about Rian Johnson's upcoming Star Wars trilogy. I am less enthusiastic about Episode IX with JJ Abrams back in the director's chair, but apparently this new Johnson-helmed set of films will have absolutely nothing at all to do with the Star Wars universe as we've come to know it. There will be no Skywalker's, no Solo's, and little in the way of familiar ground to [re]tread. I'm among those who unabashedly adored The Last Jedi, flaws and all, because of how bold and odd and interesting it was within the confines of Star Wars storytelling. If Kennedy had the wrong approach in hiring directors-as-mercenaries for each of the last several Star Wars films, then I think she has settled on the right approach in giving a person with a unique and coherent vision the reigns to tell a multi-part story.
Deadpool 2- I enjoyed it, some really funny scenes. The baby legs scenes being my favorite. Its better then the first Deadpool movie, and I enjoyed that one aswell.
I'm not a huge superhero movie fan but the odd movie comes along that I enjoy.
The next movies i'm looking forward to are Predator and Venom.
I'm not a huge superhero movie fan but the odd movie comes along that I enjoy.
The next movies i'm looking forward to are Predator and Venom.