Who knows, this could be good. But once more I’m left lamenting a studio/blockbuster culture that renders something unexpectedly delightful like Star-Trek-meets-humpback-whales a complete impossibility. But maybe this one will end with Spock punching a villain in the face over and over again, just like the last one!
As good as it gets – Captain America: Civil War
I think we can all agree at this point that last year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron was a somewhat lukewarm sequel to its serendipitous predecessor. It was far to worried about building up to the grand Infinity War event a few years in advance, and neglected to tell a sleek, coherent story of its own. It was good, but it wasn’t great. It was less an Avengers tale than a marketing effort to sell a movie still three turns of the calendar off, and as such it became a bloated mess.
Now here comes Captain America: Civil War, a Steve Rogers sequel that shoehorns in pretty much everyone Marvel we’ve seen onscreen to this point, plus introduces major characters yet to be glimpsed in these environs — and tries to achieve a completely different result than Ultron. Risky territory to say the least. Bound to fail, some would say. Read more…
The new British-accented Spider-Man!
Tom Holland, the new Spider-Man, is British. No problem with that, as any number of fine UK actors have donned American accents over the years to play their American cousins — American icons, even, which Spider-Man of course is. Read more…
As much as I liked Days of Future Past, my apathy for this is palpable. Maybe because it’s because we’ve exchanged Hugh Jackman’s venerable Wolverine as the lead character for Jennifer Lawrence sleepwalking her way though Mystique-as-team-leader. (More Fassbender, please.) Maybe it’s because every trailer for every movie is now the same. (War is coming, family, blah blah blah.)
Whatever, I’ll still see it.
“They like to go after the landmarks.” What landmarks are left?
Bill Pullman’s depression beard looks to be worth the price of admission on its own, so at least there’s that. Break out the 20 year old trading cards!
So the upcoming Doctor Strange is one part Batman Begins, one part Inception, and one part The Matrix, with Tilda Swinton doing an Ancient-One-as-Morpheus gender bender. Not the worst cocktail you could imagine. And does one detect a hint of Steve Ditko’s backdrop design sense in that swirling, twisting Cathedral hall? We can hope.
Yes, we’re getting a Doctor Strange movie. In actual theaters. What a time to be alive. By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth indeed.
The new Suicide Squad trailer has arrived, with Batman sightings and a Superman name-drop
Good to see that Will Smith is really stretching his chops by portraying Will Smith here — a true tour de force. Read more…
Rogue One: A Star Wars Trailer
I can’t say that I’m as amped up about this trailer as I should be — I don’t know if the reasonably enjoyable banality of The Force Awakens drove the Star Wars excitement out of me or what. Or maybe it’s the dopey title. Why not call it Star Wars: Rogue One? Aren’t they all “A Star Wars Story”? Might as well just go with Star Wars: Dawn of Justice. But AT-ATs and a Grand Admiral looking guy and the Death Star and Star Destroyers. (I could live without a Mon Mothma sighting, but there she is.) So there we go. Brace yourself for the Star Wars cinematic glut, brought to you by the bean counters at Disney.
Half in the Bag: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Though I respectfully dissent from their conclusions, I can’t say that I disagree with many of the concerns voiced in the above video by our friends at Red Letter Media. The shtick ends and they start talking about the movie at the 5:40 mark. Enjoy, if you’re so inclined.
It seems like we’ve been waiting for this thing forever, and in multiple ways. Superman and Batman have been around for almost 80 years now, and never, not once, have they crossed paths in live action. It’s stunning when you think about it — never in a movie, never in a TV show, never in a serial, nothing. Nada. And this movie has been a long wait in and of itself ever since director Zack Snyder announced it in San Diego in 2013 as a sequel to that year’s Man of Steel, which was itself delayed from a 2012 release date after being announced in 2010. We were supposed to see Batman meet Superman last summer, back when the 2015 blockbuster season was to feature an Avengers sequel, a Star Wars sequel, and the World’s Finest, which might have been enough to make the universe collapse in on itself. But anyway, here we are. What a long, strange trip. Read more…
They might as well just release the movie as a series of jumbled one-minute spots at this point, and let the internet piece them together. Anyway, this last(?) pre-release ad touches on some of the emotional heft that hasn’t been in evidence up until now — surprise, a superhero movie about icons punching each other might pluck a few pathos chords. (Spoiler: Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered in front of him, and this haunts him.)
Review forthcoming in a couple of days…
That son of a bitch brought the war to Honey Nut Cheerios…
It’s somewhat odd that a film that began its marketing campaign with the line “Tell me, do you bleed? You will!” is glomming onto a cereal largely aimed at the younger set, but whatever. Batman v Superman and Honey Nut Cheerios — a match made in heaven! Even better than when the bee helped Christopher Columbus discover America! Read more…
Ben-Huh?
Glad to see they’re going with a subtle, contemplative take, one that plays up the Tale of the Christ elements of Ben-Hur. Oh wait, sorry, I was thinking the exact opposite. God (no pun), this looks like garbage. Needless garbage. Charlton Heston is rolling over in his grave and reaching for a gun, if not his copy of the comic book adaptation.
And Victor Domashev will surely be the most underwhelming Messala ever committed to film — you ain’t no Leslie Nielsen, sir.
It’s like John Romita the Elder drew the trailer’s stinger himself. Would it have been nice to see this for the first time in a theater? Yes. But the entrance is superb nonetheless.
And Spider-Man’s contracting eye-slits? I like them, I guess?
Happy New Year, here’s some Darth Vader clickbait!
Lesson: Never underestimate the ability of nerds to drown themselves in nonsensical minutiae. Ah, Wookiepedia…
Happy New Year to one and all. Enjoy the laugh, courtesy of Red Letter Media — and a round of RepMed vitapaste for all my friends!
Jared
blog into mystery 