Let's recap: Following Steve Rogers's (Chris Evans) retirement in Avengers: Endgame, the shield is passed down to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who makes his transition to Cap in the Disney+ limited series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford takes over the role of Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross following the passing of William Hurt in 2022. Still with me?
Let's be clear. The only reason to watch this is for Red Hulk, which was ruined in all the marketing, including every single teaser and poster. That's it. There's nothing else to do but introduce yet another direction for this series to go. All these movies exist to do is cynically set up the next phase of the MCU (we are currently nearing the end of Phase 5 with this and Thunderbolts*). At this point, there are hardly any surprises left. How long can they keep doing this bullshit at the end of the credits where they tease a better movie? How long can they keep getting away with it?
2 gamma pills out of 5
26 comments:
I liked Iron Man 3, once upon a time, and I'm not going to revoke my praises of Guardians, but I've been dissatisfied with/hated the MCU since I saw the first Avengers movie.
Basically, as fed up as you appear to be, try to imagine what it's like to be me =P I've stopped doing the equivalent of doomscrolling with this and Toei's efforts. I've been much happier. Fuck that shit. I'm happy with my four X-Men movies...that they keep trying to retcon out of existence.
I have a high threshold for shit so I've been pummeling through it all. I thought the first three phases of the MCU were solid, but starting with Phase 4 (including all the Disney+ TV series), it got a bit too big for its britches. They should have taken an extended break after Endgame because it was such a good place for the MCU to end.
In general, I'd say the most satisfying films in the MCU were Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine. And my personal favorites are Deadpool and the Guardians of the Galaxy saga. In the TV world, I thought WandaVision and Loki seasons 1-2 were peak.
Nowadays the MCU is all over the place. Between movies, TV and them folding in other universes, it's just too much fucking work to stay on top of everything. Case in point: Daredevil: Born Again just started, which basically follows up Netflix's Defender-verse, which I hadn't seen any of. But since I don't have time to ingest 6 different series and 161 episodes of TV, I'm going into it blind (ha), just so I don't fall behind on the rest of the MCU. At this point, it's just plain old OCD and FOMO.
Same goes for Star Wars and all its spin-offs. I've managed to keep up with everything (aside from the animation side), but it's all diminishing returns. For example, I never saw Star Wars Rebels, so Ahsoka was a wash for me.
Just curious, which is the fourth X-Men movie that you consider on that list?
I only ever saw the Iron Man Trilogy, the first Captain America, and the first Avengers, myself, in full. Guardians MST3K style, except without jokes.
I’ve tried to recapture my love of Iron Man, but the weight of the whole MCU is just too much. I think the trilogy was done exceedingly well, with the balance of action and character growth matching Eastern standards. The symbolism in 3 is remarkably on-point. Funny how my favorite movie in the MCU is almost universally disliked (I.e., 2).
I felt that Captain America was a very well made film, but I didn’t have any knowledge of the comics to bring in with me, so Bucky was around for a few minutes and they were asking me to care that he “died.” I don’t believe that every effort has to be made to the standard of the first Iron Man; there will be times where you have to bring prerequisites into the experience with you. You can’t erase what you know. I’m able to do that with Watchmen. I was even able to do it for the theatrical cut, initially, which left out Hollis’s… Whaaa?! Still, even with the Director’s/Ultimate Cut you have to fill in the gaps with what you know.
I’d never say the first Cap movie is bad, but I wasn’t equipped to appreciate it, fully, and I’ve never been motivated to change that. For me, Avengers was made WAY too early. If I were in charge of the MCU, I would have used the quilt-building methodology of Sentai. Pick 6 characters. Give each of them 3 individual movies. Those are the squares. Do pair movies, in-between—sewing the squares together—to build the connections between the members. FINALLY, do the team movie, moving the overarching plot of universe forward. Rinse and repeat for each phase. Yeah, it would take forever, but if you do it right, you honestly only need one phase. Do the job; get out. I know that’s not how things work. That’s part of the problem. So many people have said it: stories need to be allowed to end. The arts have become entirely scaffolded by business.
How long did it take to even get that 1 Black Widow movie? Did Clint get a show? He damn sure didn’t get a movie.
Cont'd, because apparently Blogger can't handle verbosity.
I don’t mean to upset you, but Deadpool, to me, is very much like Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger and Kamen Rider Decade. Non-canonical ridiculousness that only upsets me, because it’s trying to play with previous fiction that I respect and love. Used to, in Sentai and Rider’s case, but still, at the time, it infuriated me how they were disrespecting the efforts of characters I loved, in what I considered actual fiction, by using them in crossover shenanigans that shat on the original canons.
I’m the guy who made a ‘Stryker Was Right’ sti…well, it should be a sticker =P
I’m playing both sides of the field, there, admittedly. I’ve always adored 0rigins, but coming back to it, in the wake of Sentai, The Deadpool is an incredibly soothing metaphor for Toei’s latter-day insistence on Reds (and titular Riders) being able to use everyone’s powers. Then why do the others exist? Make shows with singular heroes, if that’s what you want (and it clearly is). You’ve done it a million times, in the past. The Deadpool is soothing because he gets defeated. Don’t worry about the goofy stinger at the end of the credits. That just symbolizes how Toei has been shambling on, in spite of losing money hand-over-fist, for over a decade. Just won’t die, even though the people have spoken, with their wallets.
Yeah, it’s 0rigins. It was my favorite, but now it’s X3. I like how it presents topics in a grey light, for you to consider. Yes, the stinger at the end, but you can’t have a franchise that’s an allegory for being a minority, of any kind, saying that you can have that changed by someone else. The important thing is that they PRESENT the topics. I love it when a movie asks you to participate. I don’t think a lot of people like being asked to think; they just want to CONSUME mindlessly and move on. Shouldn’t come as a surprise that my favorite movie is Matrix Revolutions.
Give me something to mentally chew on, please.
I still need to crack open that complete set of X3 cards and get them in sheets…
I try not to take it too serious. These movies come out so frequently, they almost feel disposable at this point. That's why I enjoy Deadpool, because of the inherent irreverence to the rest of the universe. The constant fourth wall breaking and poking fun at itself and all of the tropes. She-Hulk was much the same way; kind of a PG-13 version of that meta storytelling (the finale of that show was as bonkers as anything I've ever seen in the MCU).
I think they had to rush the first Avengers out because audiences were getting impatient and they wanted to pay off the idea that these films were all interconnected and to keep people invested in each installment. You have to admit that Marvel did a better job at coalescing that universe than the DCEU did. At least there is an attempt to stick to continuity, even 35 movies down the line. (With James Gunn now at the helm of DC, it's only a matter of time before Marvel and DC crosses over and gets everyone excited about these movies again.)
That Black Widow movie (the start of phase 4) was where things started going off the rails for me, which also coincidentally timed up with COVID (it was released direct to streaming as a result). That one was also a prequel, which I fucking hate. Hawkeye did get his own Christmas-themed miniseries, which was one of the more decent ones (with Hailee as Kate Bishop).
I never understood all the hate that Origins got, since I thought that was a pretty good stab at the Weapon X storyline. I really liked X-Men: Days of Future Past because of all the time travel shenanigans. That might be my personal favorite of all of them.
I know your feelings on the Matrix trilogy quite well. I've wanted to ask you forever what you thought about Matrix Resurrections. That may actually require three separate comments. ;P
Conversely, I take tokusatsu WAY too seriously. With Sentai, it’s a case of what lessons are being imparted to children, so it pipelines straight into affecting my faith in humanity. But, kids watch all of it: the MCU, DCEU, Kamen Rider. And, lessons can be imparted to adults, too.
I’m doing a lot better than I was, for a long time, so it’s alright. Imma be alright.
It’s refreshing to hear you actually say things about She-Hulk and the Star Wars sequels, because all that’s plastered on youtube is Anti-Woke ranting. You know that hasn’t been good for my psyche =/
It definitely seems like stuff made in both hemispheres has been pandering to the idea that so many people are spastic goons who can’t pay attention to something for more than a few seconds. Nothing is allowed to breathe, subtle characterization is thrown out the window, shit just happens and happens and happens. Can we bring back the concepts of pregnant pauses and showing-not-telling. CAN WE SLOW WAY THE FUCK DOWN?!?!
Relatedly, can we not just go back to 30fps, can we drop to 15fps? kthx.
In some ways, I’m not sure I’m entirely in a position to properly judge the DCEU. Other than the quality of what little I’ve seen. I know I just talked about building a quilt, and the DCEU very nearly STARTED with the completed one, with Justice League, but I have to admit that, on an absolute level, X-Men is guilty of the same. Now, I know, from reading the comics, as a kid, that that’s just how X-Men works. You’re getting tossed into a school and Brotherhood—a large, ensemble endeavor, that has lots of cameo-tier appearances, to boot. Maybe that’s how the Justice League cartoon was, too? I’m sure the individual comics fed/led into the Justice League comics, but maybe the cartoon was no different than X-Men, in scope and execution?
But, even if so, I saw a good chunk of Justice League (the theatrical cut, admittedly) and WOOF. HARD WOOF. I dunno. Just acknowledging that I am aware that different kinds of storytelling are afoot, and clearly I can appreciate different kinds. Copping to how X-Men works. Covering my ass~
Wasn’t there a place/event that Natasha and Clint always referenced? If it was going to be a prequel, couldn’t it have been that? At least both of them would get a (half) movie out of it. Well, it could have ended up like Han’s last name, I guess. If there’s not a solid idea for a prequel, or they aren’t 100% going to put their asses into making it work, then yeah, at this point, don’t do a prequel. But, with her, they had to, because… No, I don’t want to get started on that.
At least he got something, I guess. It’s kind of paradoxical, given the vast difference in screen-time making up a movie and a tv show (depending on the length of a show, of course, with these short-ass ones, these days), that I’ve always believed movies to be more worthwhile—to ‘count’ more—than shows. Yeah, I’ve got 20 hours, here, but over here are 2 really well done ones, that I can watch so many times, with little effort. Other people have to feel the same, but I’ll be colloquial and say, “maybe that’s just me.”
I genuinely don’t understand why people dislike 0rigins, other than Deadpool. I understand the problem people have with that; if that happened with a character I liked, I’d be livid, too. I have a very specific reason for liking it; not everyone does. But, otherwise, most all of it is drawn from actual comics. I’ve been annoyed at making people be related in other things, but Liev’s take on Victor is stellar, and I genuinely love the opening war sequences because of them being brothers. It’s on my list of notable opening montages with Watchmen’s.
Unfortunately for me, Days of Future Past was the beginning of the retconning. And, using the cast of First Class. Oh wow, do I hate First Class. My aunt and I deliberately got drunk before going, complained the whole time, and cheered our asses off at Logan telling Fassbender and, I’ll be publicly civil and say, The “C,” to fuck off. Oh, youth~ 29 counts as youth, right? =P
For a good while, I was petrified to hear anything about Resurrections. I was afraid that it would ruin how I felt about the trilogy. Following what happened in Sentai and the MCU certainly had that effect, on those. But, eventually I did read what happens in it, and it had the opposite effect: I somehow felt even better. It made the trilogy somehow feel even more perfect. The best way I can describe how I feel overall about 4’s plot, is that it’s like they opened a whole new can of worms. Which, I realize is a decent way to describe beginning another trilogy, in general. But, I just had no interest in those worms, and I didn’t need the story cracked open and continued.
I can appreciate that Lady Larry (Lana, I’m pretty sure) would want to make it so that both Neo and Trinity are essentially The One, together. I get it, and it’s admirable. But, I personally just don’t need it to be that way. The expectations were clearly set: Neo is The One. The play was called, I liked the call, and the play was successfully executed, for my money. I very much feel that the Matrix trilogy is one of the most diversely cast endeavors I’ve personally experienced. Even Keanu’s heritage isn’t standard American white guy.
If I were going to suggest anything, in terms of ‘improvements,’ I’d simply like to see (more?) female APU corp members. I feel like there is one. I could be wrong, but even if I am, it’s such a strong sequence, and the storyline for Kid is so perfectly aligned (unlike way too much shit they’ve pulled in Sentai), that I don’t actually care if it’s all guys. Niobe piloting the Hammer counts so damn hard.
Basically, for me, I don’t ACTUALLY feel like there’s anything to improve socially within the trilogy. I’m biased to shit, I know, but that’s why I don’t review things, anymore. I’m done chasing an idea(l) of objectivity.
I remember hearing that Lady Andy (Lilly, I think) will be back for 5. I’m willing to read about what happens, because I’m pretty sure it’ll just make me feel even better about how completed the trilogy feels.
Yeah, my thoughts have never really aligned with the hive mind. What other people like is not usually the barometer for what I like. She-Hulk was fun, The Last Jedi was the best of the sequel trilogy and Dial of Destiny was never positioning Helena to replace Indiana Jones. Most of that YouTube garbage seems to be for the "clicks" and the dumb shits who can't form their own opinions. It's a lot easier to throw Kathleen Kennedy under the bus for being a woman, when the truth is, she's just an opportunistic Hollywood executive, just like the rest of them. Of course she's going to follow the buck and all the latest trends that reflect the world we're living in. It makes her an easy scapegoat whenever things go wrong and those films lose money but that's been a growing trend across the board. The declining attention span of the TikTok generation is what's killing the movie business, in my opinion.
Similarly with the DCEU, I've always held contrary opinions to the fandom. I liked Josh Whedon's contributions, but I thought that Zack Snyder's take on DC was completely soulless. (And that's coming from someone who loved his Watchmen.) James Gunn's THE Suicide Squad was the high point of the DCEU, and I actually thought The Flash was one of the better efforts, but people seemed to turn on that one because of Ezra Miller. Another classic case of judging the artist vs. the art. People can't seem to make up their minds about which side of the equation they fall on and end up forming their own cancel culture.
Anyway, all of that is made redundant now that we're on the eve of the new and "improved" DCU. Which is apparently wiping the slate clean, aside from keeping Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and John Cena as Peacemaker, which only raises more questions/concerns.
And while I'm throwing out controversial opinions, Andor completely falls flat as a Star Wars show. Another needless prequel to a needless spin-off (Rogue One). And speaking of that Solo movie, they really biffed it by throwing away the Lord/Miller script and letting Ron Howard make a watered down version of that story.
And The Last of Us show sucks. Okay, sorry, now I'm done ranting.
The "Budapest operation" was what was referenced between Clint and Natasha in Avengers. My memory is hazy, but flashbacks to that event actually featured in Black Widow, but Renner wasn't in it beyond a voice cameo. That's part of the reason it's not fondly remembered. The whole purpose of that movie (cynically) was to introduce the next Black Widow, same as the Hawkeye series was about setting up the new Hawkeye. It's all about assembling the Young Avengers these days (coincidentally, what this Captain America movie was supposed to be setting up, except it didn't...oh well, save it for the next one, I guess). And all that just so the old cast can step back and the fresh blood can lead the way forward. Although the old cast also seems to be coming back, as is the case with RDJ as Doctor Doom. But I digress (again).
I didn't care for First Class either, but the Days of Future Past treatment was a good way to give an in-universe reason for the retconning of timelines, which was going to happen one way or another. And in some ways, Deadpool's blatant disruption of the timeline fixes things even more. What I value most is continuity between franchises. It fucking drives me nuts whenever they ignore canon in favor of "rebooting" it yet again. With all this multiverse bullshit, at least you can create your own head canon for inconsistencies. But I understand keeping the trilogy "pure" without introducing all of these sequels which only exist as cash grabs. And yes, I totally feel you about the world needing to slow the fuck down. The money churning machine never stops.
That's a good attitude to go into it regarding Resurrections. Honestly, it's easier to discard everything in it because it's "meta." But all that fourth wall boundary pushing sounds like exactly what pissed you off about Deadpool and Sentai/Rider, so I was just curious. It doesn't feel like it was made by the same people who created the originals, so I blame it on those two broads who made it (ooh, controversial).
Soulless is a fair description of the version of Justice League I saw.
In retrospect, I realized that I had long been separating art and artist with Shia (he’s in Constantine, after all) and Marky Mark (I really do find The Happening to be hilarious). Michael Richard’s, too, but it is at least a possibility that he just went too far trying to be edgy. Comics have done that. But, for me, Amanda Heard was my deliberate, official realization that I had to, and that I CAN separate. There is so much empathy that I have for Johnny, given what he experienced, and even down to his coping mechanisms (beating/banging inanimate objects is prime sublimation), but she’s the one who has been in something that means something to me. Yeah, it’s Aquaman.
They really are keeping people?!? When Momoa said he’d always be Aquaman, I was like, “I love the thought, and to me you will be, but that’s not how this stuff works…” I seem to have been wrong. Not saying that I now expect them to actually keep him.
I am genuinely sick to death of seeing Pedro Pascal. Just around; not sure I’ve actually watched anything with him in it, in full. And, it’s infuriating, because my oldest friend in the world ADORES him. I have to be nice, and it’s killing me XD
Of all the things my Super-Ego kicks my ass over, being shallow isn’t one of them. My being is in alignment with this fact. Whoever that is, that they got for Ellie, just looks WRONG. You can’t tell me that you couldn’t find someone who looks like Ellen/Elliot. You can’t. It’s so jarring; I couldn’t watch the show if I tried. Ms. Marvel, too. I’m not making any comment on their acting abilities, or who they are as people. They’re just too far off the mark, visually.
I’m just going to say it: what Sam said to Batroc, in Falcon and Winter Soldier, sticks in my craw. French heritage, on both sides. What do you want me to do? /shrug
I do very much value continuity, but I imagine you gathered that from what I said regarding Deadpool. I’m not even going to argue that there’s more to Deadpool’s variant of Piotr than Daniel Cudmore’s. I can’t fight that, but it’s a good opportunity for me to say that the X-Men movies are one of the strongest examples of the fact that I’m not seeking absolute perfection. Please know that I’m talking to myself far more than you, right now. They aren’t perfect movies, AT ALL, and there are characters that I wish weren’t cameo-tier (HIIIIIIIIII JUBES <3333333333333333), but I accept the movies, exactly as they are, and it feels good, because there’s the part of me that thinks I’m way too goddamn dismissive of things. No, ME, I love these (and Mega Man X3) and they are JACKED-UP, especially compared to some of the stuff I loved about the comics. They’re what I have, and I like them for what they are. The letters are a bit mixed, but the spirit and heart are there. Again, so much more talking to myself, right now.
Obviously, I have to contend with the existence of Mook Sabretooth. “Oh, he got shot in the head, too…” NO. Two different depictions. I’m fine with it. Bought a card for him, too <3
Well, the funny thing is that my overarching reading of the trilogy is that it’s a meta-commentary on the value of heroic fiction. Neo winning is a node on a bigger circle, for me. Every so many cycles the machines have to let the humans believe that they’ve made a change, that they’ve won. Achieved peace, but still, that’s a win condition. So, maybe I just feel like it’s meta enough, already? I’m good, ladies. I’m good, as is.
Agreed about Amber Heard. I'm able to see both sides of the equation. I think they can both be wrong in equal measures. We are all, in fact, human. I hate the idea that everybody has to to be this perfect shining example of unwavering morality at all times. Everything is either black or white with people these days. I reject the idea of everyone pretending to be a "good" person at all times; that kind of virtue signaling on the internet always inherently rings false. We all have our dark sides. I'm able to excuse it if it's a momentary lapse in character. You can tell which are the repeat offenders and which are just having a bad day. We're all guilty of it at one time or another. Applying nuance and critical thinking in any given situation helps rather than jumping towards the worst possible conclusion at all times.
You hit the nail on the head about Ellie (Ramsey) from Last of Us. That type of deliberately bad casting is just rage bait. And if you question it, you're Part of the Problem. The lamest straw man argument I've heard is that people who criticize her looks are "sexualizing" a child because she's supposed to be 14. Bitch, please. And then, of course, they cast the part of Abby as a complete OPPOSITE of her character in the game. And they end up hiring Kaitlyn Dever, who people wanted as Ellie in the first place! FUCK OFF. (*in my best Brian Cox impersonation*)
That being said, I do like Pedro Pascal. But the character works so much better when his face is being obscured by a helmet. But seriously, I get the appeal. Same thing with Jason Momoa; Aquaman wasn't my bag, but he perfectly encapsulated the physicality of that role.
Mook Sabretooth (heh) featured briefly in Deadpool/Wolverine. It was a nice send-off for the character, if only because it "explains" his presence through the complicated multiverse model. The more they obfuscate the details, the more I can buy these random deviations that veer off course.
Speaking of X-Men stuff, did you watch any of X-Men '97 (the "official" continuation to the animated series)? I liked everything about it but the fact that for some reason they had to clarify that Morph was non-binary. Yeah, no one in 1997 talked that way. Completely took me out of it. There are better, more subtle ways to get your point across.
I'm surprised that you took Resurrections in stride. To me, it pretty much took a big shit on the legacy. But I can appreciate your point of view of seeing it from a "big picture" perspective. Maybe Matrix 5 can win me back (that one is being directed by a man – HI-YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO).
It definitely feels like so many people choose the route of (imagined) moral superiority, to make them feel better about themselves, rather than the one of acknowledging that we’re ALL fucked up. As you say, how often are you fucking up? How severely? But, we all fucked up, in one way or another.
You’re absolutely right: regardless of how any given person feels on the entire discourse of gender, it didn’t exist as a discourse in the ‘90s. Undoubtedly, there were individuals who explored the matter, within themselves, but it wasn’t on the topic list, for general public discussion.
What part of wanting a character to look like the character equates to sexualizing them? XD WTF. I guess if the character was very sexualized to begin with, but like how damn normal does Ellie look in the game? MAXIMUM NORMAL.
I hadn’t heard that. Wow. What are we even doing, at this point, people?
I don’t have Disney+, or any streaming services. The only comment I can make is in regards to the Fatal Attractions storyline, because I’m always going to keep my ears perked about bone claws. They’re my favorite plot-point in comics, in spite of them being a retcon. Without telling the whole story, they symbolize to me that Logan always was ALL that he is, from the start. Yes, Adamantium was added, but the essentials of who he is, were always there. You can see how this ties into the overarching purpose and message of X-Men. I can’t personally comment on what they did differently in ’97; it might work, in a different way. But, it is peculiar to me that they had Erik rip out the Adamantium, and then they didn’t go straight into the events of Wolverine #75. Jubilee being off somewhere with Sunspot instead of with Logan…
I’m extremely biased; that’s an incredibly special comic issue, for me. Larry Hama, REPRESENT.
Again, it could work out fine, in an entirely different way, but damn does that feel alien, to me. I’m still hoping we get bone claws at Spirit, this year. I already own the Adamantium ones.
Is someone other than a Wachowski directing 5? It literally doesn’t matter, but I figured it would be the two of them.
Ha, I should also clarify I don't pay for any streaming services either. I procure them through...other means...of the clandestine variety. No way I'd be able to keep on top of everything otherwise. Those bastards are vultures preying on the consumer. TV used to be free, but somehow now they've got us paying to see ads.
I'm also a fan of the bone claws. It makes more sense it was always part of his skeletal structure. I wish they could have saved that Fatal Attractions storyline for a live-action depiction, but the fact that we're getting it at all is kind of cool. And probably never would have lived up to that image of him on the cover of #75 anyway. God damn it, how was that 32 years ago?!
Yeah, the Wachows are stepping back into the producing role and giving Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) free rein (writing/directing), which could go either way at this point. The question is, will they skip over the events of Resurrections entirely? (Also, which "R" word will they use this time? The Matrix Reboots?) As you say, sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. The worst they could do is fuck it up even more.
Unskippable trailers at the start of DVDs… I ALREADY PAID FOR THIS >=( I had a “glad I didn’t have to…” moment, last night, as a matter of fact.
It was the most illogical thing to have sudden hope for, but in the first movie when Erik grabs him on the train. Yeah, they’re totally gonna do bone claws, IMMEDIATELY, Neg. And, in X3, for “You never learn…” I know the surprise isn’t there, because of 0rigins and THE Wolverine, but I obviously wish we could have seen it in the movies, too. You’d need a relationship built up between him and Jubes, though, and that just isn’t the reality of the movies. I am hopeless; I have an autographed Kea Wong card. BECAUSE, THAT’S WHO I AM.
Time is the cruelest of all mistresses =(
Someone else writing? I know, I know. Last Jedi. X3. Wouldn’t have thought the Wachowskis would allow that kind of thing, though. When I first heard that they were doing 4 (as an actual continuation, not a Michael B. Jordan re-do), I thought about what they could actually do. 1.) Explicitly explain Revolutions to people. Spoon-feed it. They cheekily do, for a second, before an audio speed-up, when jumping in prior to the final battle of Path of Neo, Ignignokt and Err style. 2.) Show us Merv’s story, as possibly the first One.
Give me Merv, please. All the Merv Lambert is willing to give us. In that context.
Given how people generally feel about the sequels, can they really fuck it up? There has always seemed to be two kinds of people. People who act like there’s only one movie, and the small contingent of us who love the trilogy. I guess there are people who liked 4, now. But, I imagine to the movie-going populace, it’s just another franchise pumping out stuff endlessly.
The least they could do is provide the same service as others. WHERE IS ALL MY GODDAMN LEGACY MERCH. Any other time, I can get new stuff for the stuff I like, because of the new stuff that I don’t care about/hate. I have embraced that as the silver-lining. We’re not even getting that courtesy.
At least, please, give me an ultimate cut of Reloaded, with Enter the Matrix weaved in. I guess I could do it myself…
They do the same shit in the movie theaters now. 5 minutes of ads. 15 minutes of trailers. Then 5 more minutes of ads. I'm able to time it perfectly if I get there 25 minutes after the showtime starts.
I was also missing the Wolv-ilee relationship in the movies. At least the old animated series got it right. Not sure why they basically cut her out of the rest. I guess they were stuffed with too many characters as is. I kind of liked her casting for Apocalypse.
I like Drew Goddard's work, so I think it could be a blessing in disguise. Although it could also be a "fan service" version of what they think a Matrix sequel should be. I thought the trilogy was perfect as is and didn't need any further explication. But of course, as long as there's money to be made, they'll milk that cow till her teats are dry...
Yeah, Matrix's 25th anniversary was a bit bare-bones. I think they did a two-day anniversary screening in theaters. And then they released an "expanded" version of Don Davis's score. Maybe they'll go all out for the 30th, who knows?
Yeah, it had been quite a long time since we’d been in a theatre, before seeing Wonka and Frozen Empire. The ads were DEFINITELY noticeable. Classic Python reaction: “GET ON WITH IT!” Especially since that was time spent hoping that one of the other theatres would still have the trap, once we were done. Oh, sweet naivety~
Apocalypse is the one where she’s giving Scott the business about something, right? Good. My memory is saying she was wrong, or I didn’t agree, but it doesn’t matter. She’s right; Scott’s wrong. Unbreakable law of th..MY universe.
Oh yeah, I found it. How apropos to this conversation.
1.) It drives me NUTS when people are fixated on the first of something, just because it’s the first. If it deserves that manner of praise, I will give it, but things don’t get it as a matter of course. The entire idea is that things are supposed to get better. Some things aren’t even what they ARE, immediately. Not everything is born fully-formed. Some things, but not many. Favorite example is Zelda. Zelda wasn’t Zelda until Link to the Past.
Of course Scott would be one THOSE people. I’m looking at you, Michael French.
2.) I agree with the spirit of what Jubes is saying, but…
3.) Jean, I’m glad you got gutted XD It’s always organically panned out for me that my favorite of trilogies is the final entry. I think that’s just organic in itself. If it’s an effective trilogy, the ending should be the best, strongest part. Makes sense to me. Too bad I’m stuck with all these duologies…
Yes, I realize that that's Singer slamming Ratner. But, Singer, you had Warren die in a plane. Careful, Icarus.
“I thought the trilogy was perfect as is and didn't need any further explication.”
We need to hang out~
I actually saw the expanded score! Completely forgot. At Barnes & Noble. Which, is 95% K-Pop, now. You can’t throw me a bit of Japanese love, while you’re at it? Really didn’t want to have to import the ATARASHII GAKKO! albums, but needs must.
Oh shit, new Neg album dropped~
I tried posting that on your new blog, but comments were restricted to member-only. Anyway, congrats/good luck on your new journey!
I'm a big fan of trilogies too (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Back to the Future, Evil Dead, Lord of the Rings, Matrix, Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Pirates, et al). I think the problem with most sequels is that they hardly get right what the original was supposed to be about. Especially in the case of mindless studio cash grabs where they only want to capitalize on the original's popularity. Unless it was devised as a trilogy or whatever from its inception; kind of like a TV show. You can't judge a series from the first episode alone, it's usually the final episode that solidifies it for me.
I will say, however, in my mind, not many movie sequels outdo their predecessor. Although sometimes they will enrich the experience by expanding on backstory and developing further camaraderie through the characters (in the case of Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice). They can make nice companion pieces, even if the plot ends up feeling superfluous. But more often than not, they end up retconning something because the writers weren't careful enough about paying attention to detail. And it drives me nuts when filmmakers don't adhere to continuity (especially when the creators aren't involved), or just "make it up as they go along." That's just part of my OCD shit. I'd prefer to have a perfect standalone thing rather than something that goes on and on and waters down what I loved about it in the first place (in the case of Star Wars and Marvel, just to bring the discussion full circle).
Sorry! They’ll be open, once I’ve got the foundational stuff finished. I threw the reintroduction up there as motivation to myself. To actually make it happen this time. Thank you so much! I need the luck; schizophrenic bastard, and such. Less so, of late, but still. Trying to bust through!
There have been some one-season shows that have screwed the pooch insanely bad with their endings, or final arcs. I can’t imagine being a fan of these mega-shows with as many seasons as Game of Thrones, Lost, or Supernatural, just to have to chuck away all your feelings if they don’t stick the landing. Bad enough getting rid of them for single passes.
I hella have the media equivalent of PTSD, and it is nice to find stand-alone stuff, now. But, I also still have that desire in me for extended things. A hunger. Probably why I kept fishing so long with Sentai and Rider. Just keep putting your hand in the trap; it’s already mauled. Toxic hope.
I guess there are always exceptions to the rules. Kooks and I were huge fans of Lost. I think we both agreed it stuck the landing. And then there's Twin Peaks, which kind of fumbles it in the second season. But the rest of the series is so outlandish and stylish and weird, you kind of forgive its faults. I guess it's that way for everything. I personally liked the way Game of Thrones shook out, but I wasn't terribly invested in the outcome one way or another. Another show, like The Walking Dead, lost its way about halfway through (or at least when Andy Lincoln left). I stuck through it (and all its many incarnations, which continue to persist), but it's still those first few seasons that really made that show. I could say the same thing about The X-Files, et cetera. The passage of time and nostalgia also colors my memories.
While I'm going off on a complete tangent, I'll just say the best show on right now is Severance. I want to recommend that to everyone I know, even though I don't have any friends. Activate a free trial on Apple TV+ and watch all of it. But wait for the second season to finish up first because the wait is torturous. I have no idea how it's going to end, and it could end up being a total letdown, but I'm enjoying the ride in the moment. That's one in my mind that Glen would feckin' love, as a fan of Lost. Speaking of which, FROM is another mystery box series that feels like a cross between Lost and Silent Hill that's a total trip. And Yellowjackets is another similar series which I would call the "shit" version of Lost.
Hmm, I kind of "lost" the plot of what I was trying to say here. I guess that there's too much shit to watch and not enough fucking time.
I remember talking about Twin Peaks with Doc. Deciding if I wanted to watch it. What happened with season 2 was a deciding factor not to, for me.
Severance is giving…Stanley Parable, Portal, Wicker Man, backrooms, liminal spaces. NICE.
Link! =D The other Link XD
Always happy to hear Drowning Pool. Especially crossed with Love Live =P
In regards to Twin Peaks, I feel like Fire Walk with Me and The Return makes up for all the longstanding issues of the latter half of Season 2. But it'll also fuck with you deeply because Lynch never makes anything explicit. All these weird concepts and constructs and bizarre imagery just rummage around in the back of your mind for years, never making any conscious, cohesive sense. I think that's kind of cool, as long as you don't obsess about finding all the answers in absolution. It's very much a Silent Hill-esque world where darkness lurks behind every corner (though I'd compare it more closely to Deadly Premonition). I'd suggest watching Mulholland Drive first to see if Twin Peaks is your speed. But it's a fucking rabbit hole that will CONSUME YOU. I've been meaning to get around to my full series rewatch after his passing, but "the best-laid plans" and all that.
Anyway, if I disappear for a month or two, you'll know where I've gone~
It’s always been stated as a huge inspiration for Silent Hill, yes. I strode on out of there, last year. It was making me perpetually hold onto something that had been resolved, quite a long time ago. Funnily enough, they explored the same idea/character dynamic in Transformers. Wild. That decision paid off mentally and monetarily.
The woman from the diner scene is one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen. Probably the most. Nothing fucks me up more than faces. You’ve undoubtedly seen it, but there’s a picture of her, in make-up/costume, hanging out on-set. It’s almost worse. Cuckoo would deliberately post the still. “Not going in that thread, for a while…” One time I was drunk enough to slide by it, unscathed. “I’m so glad I’m drunk right now, you bastard.”
My biggest fear is open, well uncovered, windows. The thought of someone being there, looking in. Her, at the window, is what I’d probably see in Room 101. Wait, it’s really 101? Been so long since I’ve read 1984. Nice, Wachowskis. Nice. Well, 303 works with that, too…
That diner scene—the gradual build-up and pay-off, as well as the floating camera and sound design—captures the feeling of primal fear so well. I remember seeing that for the first time and feeling like I'd passed out along with the character. Those dream-like moments are what Lynch excels at best. Weirdly, after that initial encounter at the back of the diner, the character no longer scared me (especially once I realized it was just a grimy homeless person). But I guess the greater mystery of what that character represents along with what the blue box contains is what still stays with me and fills me with dread. There was a similar moment in the film "Don't Look Now" that always haunted me. Once I went back and hit pause and studied the image on the screen, it didn't seem so scary anymore. Sometimes my brain can overcome trauma like that. (But only with fictional images.)
Yeah, the idea of someone standing outside an open window and watching you is wiggins central. Though all they'd get in my case is an eyeful of fap.
You guys! It's like old times. ^_^ Better than new times.
When my current shituation is resolved, popcorn is on me.
PS: That damned diner hobo gives me wiggins still.
Who knew such a piece of shit movie like this could inspire such lively debate? At least one good thing came from it. :laugh:
Hey Doc! Glad to hear you're alive and "well." May the monster from the back of Winkie's be kept far from all our waking dreams and fapmares.
Doc! =D =D =D
Schizophrenia didn't win. Pragmatics and how much of a goddamn pain in the ass Blogger is, did. It's one thing to post one picture, another to post 500. Formatting is a NIGHTMARE because Blogger thinks it's being helpful by doing things automatically. There were only a couple worthwhile cards in the new drop. I used to say that if one person got something out of what I did, it was worth it. No. I don't believe that, anymore. That much of a struggle to just arrange elements on a page, for no one to care...
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