#so dc flash fans would probably be spiderman fans when it comes to marvel

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

How do you feel about the various Marvel speedsters, most prominent of course being Quicksilver but also Northstar, Makkari and Speed?

Speed is baby and I love him. Seriously though I've been a Tommy fan for a long time. House of M was one of the first comics I've ever read. My parents took me to a comic book store and I hand picked it out of all the others. It was the first comic I chose to buy (albeit with my parent's money because I was a child). My younger brother was in the hospital at the time, he's better now but at the time it was hit or miss, and I was keeping him company so they wanted me to have something to read while he was comatose. I think I read that book front to back 50 times. Despite its faults House of M will always have a special place in my heart because of that.

The whole convoluted mess that is the Maximoff family is fantastic. Pietro and Tommy included. I'm particularly a fan of Speed though. He's great in the Young Avengers and whenever he shows up with Prodigy and I just really really really like the guy. He's like a kicked puppy in the rain. I wanna give him a blanket and food and another puppy to be friends with. He's so sad.

Pietro I like but in a 'oh my god he's such a fuck up, ain't he great?' kinda way. I really love him. He is such a fuck up though I swear to god. It's different from Tommy too. Tommy is a kid who just wants stability and love and is terrified of being hurt. His 'bad decisions' are a thinly veiled mask for a traumatized kid. But Pietro??? Pietro wakes up and says 'today I'm going to make the worst decisions possible' and then he does it. He kidnapped his daughter at one point, which almost caused a war, and then drugged her, with sacred religious and volatile drugs he stole, to give her powers, which could have killed her. He makes very bad decisions.

Northstar is a bit of an asshole. I'm going to be honest here... I'm not really a Northstar fan. I think it kinda defeats the purpose of Marvel having speedsters in the first place if Northstar is ten times faster than them. It'd be like if Superman was faster than the Flash. It just kinda sucks the air out of Marvel speedsters in general. Like, cool, this random mutant can fly way faster than the speedsters and they have no chance in hell at being faster than him. That's great I guess.

Makkari I'm not super familiar with. I do like Marvel but I definitely don't have the same in-depth knowledge on Marvel lore as I do for DC lore.

Oh also there's Speedball. I think he would count as a speedster? It's been a while since I've read his stuff. If I remember correctly he absorbs energy and then uses it to bounce around at superspeed and create kinetic energy fields. He's connected to space and time and he can control kinetic energy and motion. He can control his molecules and one time he used his kinetic energy to make a suit. He doesn't run but he's still the closest thing Marvel has to a DC speedster.

It is.... extremely unfortunate what happened to him. They took a good, fun loving, nice, happy and wholesome guy and made him the catalyst for Civil War. Had him be responsible for a city blowing up. Took this sweet kind guy and made him a reckless asshole who killed thousands. Then they gave him an edgy make over and had him come back as the darker meaner bader version of himself. Anyway. I was a Speedball fan. Civil War trashed his character though.

[cherrrydragon]

hiya pooks, i wanted to get to know you more so i have a couple fun questions for you that include my personal answers! (i’m an oversharer)

1) fav media of spider-man?

i looooooove ultimate spider-man. i think it’s so over hated because the kids who watched spectacular grew up and were upset the next spider-man show was a kids show and not an adult show made for them. the fact that there just so much room for cameos from all other marvel media really helped me build a love for marvel as a whole. i wouldn’t know half as much marvel lore or characters without it since i never read the comics. (too poor to continuously buy growing up + can’t read comic panels over screen cause bleh. i think it was our first time meeting miles on screen too, which was awesome!)

it showed me who spider-man was at his core, a good person. and that’s what stood out to me. it also showed me that spider-man was super funny and always had a ‘quip’ lol. bonus points for ps4 spidey for being the first game i played of him and into the spider-verse for literally changing animation for the whole world. straight up best movie ever made.

2) fav media of dc?

gotta be the 2022 batman for me. i was so happy they finally got him right on the big screen! it took so long for people to realize that batman is only fear to his enemies, but hope to the people. they also count have picked a better catwoman! and the fact that the riddler is just some guy? mwah, perfection, amazing, incredible!

side rant; everytime i see someone mention how they thiugtt he robert patterson didn’t play a good bruce i wanna scream. how are we lacking so much media literacy nowadays that we can no longer recognize this is before he gets his whole playboy persona. he doenst even have financial stability! he’s literally just learning who he is. there’s deadass a whole scene dedicated to him trying to go into the club as batman and getting turned away vs being welcomed in as bruce and realizing bruce wayne has actual value to fighting crime.

3) fav non live action character?

sam anderson’s nova is so fun! he’s such a sweetiepie. i know earlier i said i don’t read the comics, but i do listen to them. i really wish they would put him in as teen trying his best with the guardians of the galaxy <3

klarion the witch boy is so silly (especially in young justice. his va is perfect for him.) he literally just terrorizes people for funsies. gotta love the lord of chaos and his cat.

hi hi! i just wanna preface this by saying a lot of media im a fan of i havent actually watch/read/played just because i cant truly sit down and consume content like i used to when i was younger. literally yesterday i watched the second deadpool movie after like, maybe 2 years since watching the first one (and i probably wouldnt have watched it if the new dp and wolverine movie didnt come out LOL) so i can't really answer these as efficiently as id like but ill try my best

fav media of spider-man?

before it would've been mcu spiderman simply because i havent watched the raimi or amazing spiderman ones, but now without a doubt i can say the spiderverse movies are my fav ones! all movies are pieces of art, but the spiderverse movies are truly by and for art kids. the animation and art is beautiful and i think the way it so artistically connects all things spider-man is really cool.

2. fav media of dc?

so... the last time i watched any dc media was when i was way younger LOL. i distinctly remember watching dc super hero girls, justice league unlimited, the flash (tv) and i think arrow (tv)? but like i said, i was young and don't remember much. ive seen from numerous people that the dc timeline is kind of a mess and that + the fact that there's so much content is what's keeping me from consuming it now. on the topic of batman 2022 there's literally nothing stopping me from watching it but i havent LOL i just cant sit down and watch it. i think the brainrot got to me rip.

i think what stops me from consuming content is the fact that i become a fan of it without actually participating. i read so much fanfic that i learn the plot of things through there, and because i already know what happens i dont desire to spend time and take it in. i might be cooked ngl. but anyway, no official favorite dc media from me

3. fav non live action character?

dude theres like way to many to name but one that comes to mind immediately is black cat (i dont think she's been in any live action from marvel yet?) something about those cat burglars man... LOL. i know this doesn't really count but i really like her portrayal in "Dark Matter" by mysterycyclone on ao3 (and amazing peter parker in gotham fic, highly recommend) i truly love the idea of the thief becoming friends with their crimestopper, because like catwoman, they aren't really hurting anybody (at least, from what ive seen)

as for dc... like i said i have not consumed enough media to pick LOL my bad 💔

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

June Picks!

And just like that we’re at the end of yet another month. I seriously do not know where these months are going. I think they’re going by faster now since we’ve been socially distant. I hope everyone is staying safe out there and can enjoy the start of summer while also being smart. It’s good to know we can always escape into TV and movies at home. Without further ado, here’s my monthly wrap up. 

You know spoilers are coming....

DC’s STARGIRL

I gave some quick thoughts a few weeks back when the first episode of the latest DC TV show premiered on the CW. I really liked this episode and it got me pumped for the series, but since then I feel most of the episodes have dragged for me. Because this show has the DC streaming service feel, it makes you want to binge all the episodes, which is something you can’t do when CW airs it on a weekly basis. Most of the action occurs at the beginning or end of the episode, which serves as a great cliffhanger, which works well in this streaming format. Due to this format, the middle can drag...a lot. Going in I didn’t know much about Stargirl or the JSA. (My main knowledge comes from that special the Justice Society had in that one Smallville special all those years ago. There it was a bit of an overload of heroes, unlike here.) I love Pat and Courtney’s relationship. Every episode they bond more and I especially liked when she was complaining to him about how the other teammates don’t listen to her. He understood that really well. I am also just loving Luke Wilson as Pat. I think he works well for the role. Feels believable. I’m ALWAYS a fan of a new generation of heroes. While it was slower getting the team together, now that we have the core group I am especially excited. The latest episode (6) was one of the strongest for me and I am very excited to see this up and coming team train and get stronger. I’m also interested in learning more about the villains. I think it’s interesting how we are also meeting a lot of the villain’s kids who seem to not know their parents’ true identities. I wonder if we’ll be able to turn any of them. (Feeling it for Icicle Jr.) For our team, I’m really loving how it’s three girls and one boy. I think that’s a dynamic we don’t often see, especially in a group of superheroes. I’m still working out who to ship, but I’m really loving Rick. Can’t wait to continue watching. I hope we get more of these epic stance moments.

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

Let’s continue on this superhero thread with another one of my favorites, which wrapped up its 5th season (crazy it’s already the 5th!) at the start of the month. I’ve said this before and I will continue to do so, Legends is THE BEST SHOW IN THE ARROWVERSE. It has been the most consistent and that’s not only because of a strong cast, the freedom to do basically anything they want with the plot and also being a mid-season show. I think where the Flash and Arrow often get tripped up is having too many episodes to fill, which forces story lines to be dragged out and filler episodes. With a 13 episode season you don’t get that.  WARNING I’m going to jump into season 5 spoilers now!!

So, some of my overall thoughts for this season: 

The Wave-rider has always been a revolving door for characters. This show probably has the most turn-over than any other show I watch. And it works, but for this season especially it felt like a lot of coming and going as I look back. 

It was sad to see Ray leave. Not only is he one of my favorites, but he was one of the core crew that was left. He brought great humor and heart to the show. I loved his bromance with Nate over the seasons. I wish he could have come back for the finale. While I like that he left with Nora (because they are adorable) it just felt too fast (and that was with me knowing how many episodes he had left). 

Charlie’s exit. I know she had a large part of the plot with her sisters, especially in the second half of the season, which means she’ll be missed even more next season. When she said she was staying in the finale I was like WHAT! It just felt so sudden and I didn’t see it coming. 

The lack of Sara on the ship this season made me feel like she had other projects in the works. When she became blind I was like op this is it for her character. Now of course, I see how that worked into the overall story line, but with her abduction at the end of the season (meaning another absence) I’m curious if she is working on other things. I do love seeing Ava at the helm though. She makes a great captain. I just wish the two could be co-captains on the screen more often in future seasons to come. It hurt me too much to see Ava’s reaction to when she knew she was going to lose Sara. 

At first I REALLY missed the original Zari. She’s the one we knew for a few seasons and now she was gone. That’s the main reason why I had difficulty liking Behrad right away. I do appreciate that they didn’t drag out the plot of discovering something in the timeline had changed. I liked how Nate had some memory and got that message from Zari. When Zari 2.0 showed up I missed our original Zari even more, but the more episodes she was a part of, she grew on me and I suddenly was worried to lose her. I was completely fine with having both Zaris on the Waverider (ha, ha, ha, but seriously). I think Tala did a great job of bringing two different incarnations to the character and seeing how Zari would have grown up if she didn’t have such a tragic backstory. 

I can seriously go on and on about this season, but I think it’s best to leave for another post. 

THE 100

If you follow me or have read other posts on my page you know I’m a 100 fan. If I’ve had strong feelings about an episode (positive or negative) you will probably see a reaction post. I haven’t watched this past week’s episode yet, so this will mainly relate to the first five episodes of season 7. I’m having a love/hate relationship so far, which honestly I’m not shocked about. The first few seasons of this show were definitely the strongest, but I’ve remained a loyal fan and supported it throughout. When the first episode of season 7 aired a few weeks ago, I instantly felt it wasn’t going to be a strong ending. I kept saying that the true ending happened when our characters went on the ship to look for a new planet and “ended book 1.” Since then the feel of the show has shifted and that’s especially true with this final season. It’s always been a sci-fi show, but now with the anomaly and this jumping multiple portals and planets it feels VERY SCI-FI. Like at times I don’t 100% understand how what they’re doing is possible. But I’m okay with that. I’ve watched Doctor Who and felt the same way and still had a good time. Going into this season, I thought the anomaly plot was going to be the one I disliked the most. But for me now it’s what’s saving this season. I am loving that story line over the one we’re having at Sanctum (where they are FAR too many new characters that I don’t care about). I absolutely LOVED the Octavia/Dioyza/Hope backstory episode. There were so many great parallels to Octavia’s own childhood and I was able to appreciate how much her character has developed. After seeing this episode, I instantly grew to really like ‘adult’ Hope as well as her dynamic with Gabriel and Hope. (It hurt me so much when Echo killed the man who was helping them get back.) I can’t wait for Hope to find her mom. (I saw pictures of the three of them together again, so I know it’s going to happen.) Speaking of not liking new characters, I DO like Levitt so far. That could be mainly for the fact that he’s also a fan of watching the 100. I was NOT expecting to see Bellamy at the end of episode 5. It brought me so much joy. I hope we don’t have to wait so long for the next time. (Because, come on-we know he’s not really dead.) I am upset that Bob is barely in this season. It’s not fair to him or the character. Even thought the Sanctum plot is bothering me I am loving the scenes Murphy is in. Talk about character development. He better make it out of all this at the end. I also enjoyed Raven’s story line with the radiation. I agree with a few people’s posts I saw about her not having a large plot last season and not being the Raven we know. I’m happy to see her being one of the main characters again. We might not get the ending we deserve, but I hope it’s one that isn’t horrible.  

MARVEL RE-WATCH

What’s one way to spend your quarantine/social distancing? Why ranking all 22 movies in the MCU and then re-watching all of them (one a day) and re-ranking them with your new thoughts. With seasons ending early and less being on TV now was a fantastic time to do this. (Plus, I knew a few other people doing it so I felt inspired.) For some of these films, I think I had only seen them a few times and it was hard to remember what happened in certain ones over others. (I kept thinking stuff that happened in Captain America Civil War was actually in Captain America Winter Soldier.) I really enjoyed the experience and highly recommend it, whether you’ve watched these movies a countless amount of times or only once. Watching them in order of their release really made me appreciate all the Easter Eggs and planning that went into it. I longed for some movies and was not excited for others (I’m looking at you Guardians Vol. 2). It also made me feel a deeper connection to Iron Man (which made the ending even tougher-and I knew what was coming). The nostalgia was strong and I’m so happy to be a part of this fandom. 

Sneak peak at my re-ranking that is still in the process:

Top 3)

Avengers Infinity Wars

Avengers Endgame

Spiderman Far From Home

Bottom)

Guardians Vol. 2

Thor the Dark World

Iron Man 2

AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER

Avatar was released on Netflix this month and something in me said now was the time to watch it. (That’s right, I haven’t watched it before). The hype for this series is crazy! I remember it being on Nickelodeon as a kid, but I had never watched it. I didn’t know much about it other than the main character had an arrow on his head and was the last airbender. (Yep, so not a lot.) Currently, I’m still very early in-I think about episode 9-but I already feel very invested. I like that the episodes are only about 25 minutes long. They’re quick watches, which allows me to watch a bunch without feeling guilty. After watching the first two I already felt like I wanted to learn more about this world and its characters. I think it’s really interesting how the elemental bending is used and how some characters can do it while others can’t. I also like how the avatar gets rotated within each bender and how the one before Aang was a fire bender seeing as how that is our main opponent in this first season. Coming into the show I was told by a friend that this is some of the strongest character development he has seen. That was such high praise and I cannot wait to witness it for myself. One of the reasons I love watching TV/movies and reading is because of the characters. I love bonding with them and feeling like I know them. I can already hypothesize who will change the most (my mind automatically goes to Prince Zuko), but I’ve been really good about spoilers, so that way I can witness it myself. Because I’m still so early on I can’t say much, expect that I’m enjoying it and will keep you posted on how my journey with Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko go. 

VIOLETTA SEASON 2

I was ECSTATIC when I found out that season 2 of Violetta had FINALLY come to Disney Plus. It had felt like FOREVER since I had finished the first season (of 80 episodes. You know a show is good if after 80 episodes you’re like where is the next season of 80 more episodes!), but it was really only a few months. It feels great to be back at the Studio with Violetta and the crew. There’s a few new faces this season both with the students and the faculty. It always takes adjusting with new seasons/characters, but some of these characters I really don’t like. I know that’s good because you’re not necessarily supposed to like them, but I really want some of them gone. (I’m looking at you Jackie.) But with a show that has so many episodes, a lot of the story lines often get dragged out, so I don’t know when that will be. Again, Violetta has found herself in a love triangle (just like every other teenage girl, lol). This time Diego opposes Leon and is much different than Tomas in season 1. Where Tomas was passive and always wore a face of uncertainty/confusion, Diego is bold and won’t take no for an answer. At times I feel he borders stalker territory. 

So far, I’m up to episode 20 and am getting more into it. I was missing out on the performances/ songs and now there’s starting to be more, which has me excited. I’m hoping not to watch this one as fast because I know most people say it is the best one, plus who knows when season 3 would appear on Disney Plus. For anyone unfamiliar with my first post about Violetta earlier in the year should check it out if they’re looking for a telenovela full of drama, misunderstandings love triangles, angst and music that will get stuck in your head. Definitely worth the watch! 

WORLD OF DANCE

My favorite dance competition TV show is back and I could not be more excited!! There’s just something about World of Dance that puts me in such a good mood and I can’t wait for Tuesday nights. I’m just upset at myself that I watch the latest episode too soon and then have to wait another week. This season the judges switched it up by coming to the contestants last audition with the producers...or so they thought. I loved seeing their reactions when they walked into the room and Ne-Yo, Jennifer Lopez and Derek Hough were there. It was priceless. While I don’t have a dancing bone in my body, I still am able to appreciate this talent and love watching the contestants perform. What I really like about this show is the range of ages and types of dancers from soloists, duos, trios and groups. I like how each competes within their group until the final episode when they have won their category. The talent is already so strong as they finished the call backs (which was a new feature this season too). Some of my favorites are below. I can’t wait to see what happens for the rest of the season. I just hope the pandemic didn’t interrupt the filming. You can catch up on all episodes by watching NBC on demand!

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

BEECHAM HOUSE

Ending strong with yet another Masterpiece Classic, Beecham House. This series, which aired earlier in the UK, premiered about two weeks ago here in the states on PBS. While I’ve heard that there will not be a second season and the outrage of that makes me worried for how this season will end. (After watching Sanditon earlier this year you really don’t know what to expect.) Despite knowing this already, I will continue to watch the show and enjoy what we have. Which I am so far. While only the first two episodes have aired, I already feel very invested. The first episode, specifically, leaves a lot of questions unanswered, which is understandable because they want to draw you in to watch the show. I was making a lot of speculations, but refrained from going into too much spoiler territory. (Surprisingly, I’ve been good! That’s impressive for me!) Some of my questions have already been answered in the second episode (but of course, there are more to go) and I was happy how I guessed. There’s so many characters and it feels like we’re gaining more with each episode. Despite, there being so many, I am able to keep up and like seeing new characters interact with one another. I also enjoy seeing a lot of familiar faces from Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) in a very different kind of role compared to Downton and Leo Suter who has been in a lot of my recent Masterpiece watches (Victoria, Sanditon). I love how he plays such a different character in each project he’s in. Really shows his range. With four more episodes to go I can’t wait to continue learning more about what’s going on in Beecham House and what their futures will be. I don’t know if the US numbers will help a chance for a second season, but I hope so! 

Speaking of my previous Masterpiece watches: I really enjoyed World on Fire overall. It ended with some big cliffhangers and I am very excited it got a second season!! 

What are you watching? Any requests of what I should tune into next? 

[asagimeta]

you've hit the nail on the head with why the greatest Hero films are becoming, increasingly, NOT ones from the MCU. Disney has a formula for how a Hero Movie should play out, and it holds so rigid to it that there's only a small handful of the MCU movies that are sheer standouts. it's why I believe that we'll never get the Sinister Six in the MCU, however subtly the writers are setting it up, is that kind of villain team-up CAN'T happen in the MCU.

You’re completely correct, Marvel has won the “war” for superhero movies up until now because at the time a connected universe WAS a new thing- and at the time, people weren’t taking risks with superheros on the big screen, only Marvel was, you still had the same Spiderman Origins and the same Batman stories and no one really cared, when people started really caring, the MCU did some really innovative stuff by showing that superheros could delve into more genres than just “action”- they gave us comedy and drama and so much more.... and then they stopped

And that’s where they went wrong

I think GOTG was the peak of the MCU because it’s the peak of their innovation- and weather you like GOTG or not isn’t the point, the point is that they got there, they acheived this huge thing, and then they went “Ok, that’s enough” and stopped

Their biggest problem is that they’re owned by Disney and that means that they’re only allowed to produce your standard bleached out ultra-clean PG-13 “family films” that aren’t allowed to truly touch on anything mature and that does superheros in general such a disservice

Superheros- including Marvel- have a really long history of having darker edges to them, so much about even your most well known superheros like Wolverine has been washed for the big screen and it’s really unfortunate, and wile DC is willing to lean into that- I don’t mean with Dark Gritty like Batman VS Superman but more like Joker, as “gritty” doesn’t actually equal “dark”- Marvel clearly isn’t- not right now anyway

Superheros have finally become an accepted part of adult pop culture (to a point anyway) and that means that it’s time to start letting the adult nature of superheros come through, this is part of what I love so much about the Arrowverse in particular, because you don’t just get your young adult story with The Flash, you also get the story of a later middle-aged superhero with Black Lightening who has older kids, and you’ll get an earlier middle-aged superhero with Superman (& Lois) who has a couple of young kids but is still a veteran at the super thing, you get total newbies like Batwoman and you get the in-betweens like Supergirl who have been doing this for some time but are still young enough and new enough to make mistakes

So far, Marvel cuts off their leads at their late 30s/early 40s (give or take a bit) and hasn’t even allowed for any of them to also be parents or to be in any stage of life that isn’t the early-mid stage of superheroing

But anyway

Along with removing the actual literal age of superheros because of this, by making them so squeaky clean, it’s as you said, you have no room for REAL anti-heros or honestly likeable villains to carry their own movies or to have horror as a potential genre or to have heros that defy what’s seen as The Usual- IE: queer heros, disabled heros, older heros, etc

And we know that villain/antihero movies CAN be extremely big successes, IE- Joker, Suicide Squad, and Birds Of Prey but the closest Marvel will come isn’t even antiheros, it’s GOTG, wich are just “Superheros who aren’t as morally righteous or polite as Captain America” honestly

The worst part is that we know- and THEY know- movies based on Loki or Erik Killmonger would be huge successes but we’ll never get that because it wouldn’t be “clean” enough, instead the villain Marvel banked so much on was a really dried out Thanos who doesn’t even have the same motivations from the comics, they tried to make him “So morally complicated that you could almost see him as a hero in the right light if you squint” instead of cashing in on a villain you can EMOTIONALLY connect with like Loki or Killmonger

I agree with you completely, we’ll probably never get Sinister Six, and even though they’re doing “the next phase of Avengers” with things like passing the mantle onto Sam to be Captain America and giving the “lead Avenger” status to Spiderman, they’re never going to do Young Avengers- or, even more horrifyingly, they’ll either straightwash or completely omit Hulkling and Wiccan

Marvel is one of Disney’s biggest cash cows and they’re completely cutting their own foot off here because they’re so terrified of losing that “family freindly” audience and the overseas audience that they’re completely ignoring a massive part of the superhero market, not to mention the biggest part of that market: Superhero fans

Meanwile DC will start to climb by utilizing the one thing they have that Marvel doesn’t: Diversity, both in story, and in charector (IE: allowing for all female teamups, main queer charectors, middle-aged black men to have their own shows, etc) and new companies and studios will rise up and make their own places

I’m really excited for the Brightburn universe, for example, of superhero themed horror movies, and I really look forward to more non Marvel/DC imprints to get made like what they did with Hellboy, now is the time my babies!

[theoriginalseekerofdarkness]

Star Wars, Marvel, DC!

Star Wars

Character I first fell in love with: I think it was Darth Vader because I went through my phase of every villain in black with a giant helmet on their head is awesome.

Character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi was great. He really got much higher on my radar thanks to that movie.

Character everyone loves but I don’t: Eh, pre Last Jedi Luke Skywalker. I thought he was boring. Also I really still don’t like General Grievous all that much despite that he is now more tricky for me.

Character I love but everyone else hates: Kylo Ren. What is wrong with you people for hating him but loving Anakin Skywalker, the guy that is shown to have killed children? Kylo Ren deserves more love

Character I used to love but don’t any longer: Boba Fett, for showing me that not everyone who looks will also be cool. Also Phasma. Sorry space mom but you really blew it.

Character I would kiss: Rey, Finn, Poe, BB8, Obi Wan, Anakin, Padme, Han Solo, Leia, Admiral Ackbar, R2D2 and Chewbacca

Character I want to slap: Darth Maul. Honestly, you had too much wasted potential in you.

A pairing I love: Han x Leia. They really worked so well together. Opposites sometimes fit very well together.

A pairing I hate: It’s not hate, but I’m not a big Reylo fan. It’s good honestly but I feel after he killed Han Solo he had no chance with Rey anymore. But hey, it’s not the worst. 

Marvel

Character I first fell in love with: Tony Stark is amazing and you know it. Also Ultron because I share his hatred for humanity.

Character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Steve Rogers in the MCU is so much better than the comics one.

Character everyone loves but I don’t: I feel Loki is kinda overrated… and I don’t really like Spiderman all that much. They’re good but not worthy of the kind of hype levels they get.

Character I love but everyone else hates: I don’t know enough Marvel but I still really love Tony and he deserves a lot better in this world.

Character I used to love but don’t any longer: I don’t really have one for this one either. Though in the comics it will be a cold day in hell before I love Steve Rogers again. Those were fucking trash

Character I would kiss: Ultron. Definitely Ultron. Also Scarlet Witch and Tony Stark.

Character I want to slap: Bucky gets a slap, Zemo gets the slap and Red Skull gets an anvil dropped on his head

A pairing I love: Stony but that is mostly thanks to my friends. Also Scarlet Witch x Vision because they manage to work it well in this one.

A pairing I hate: Thorki… just no… don’t do it people.

DC

Character I first fell in love with: I think I have been very subtle in my love for Harley Quinn. 

Character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Probably Scarecrow. I just thought he was neat but when he gets good, he gets freaking horrifying. As well as Wonder Woman and probably Flash has grown on me too.

Character everyone loves but I don’t: Joker. There are other Batvillains as well, come on people!

Character I love but everyone else hates: This is going to be weird but I really liked the Merrymaker in the one shot storyline in Detective Comics during the New 52. Kinda sad we will probably never see him again because he was a good manipulative bastard

Character I used to love but don’t any longer: Hmmm… not really one. I would have said Superman but that is only because of the angst they keep inflicting on him instead of having him be the ray of sunshine he needs to be.

Character I would kiss: I’m too busy burrying Harley in my love for her. But whilst I’m at it, maybe Batman and Scarecrow get a little love too. Also Black Manta, Aquaman and Wonder Woman

Character I want to slap: Joker. Just stop hogging all the spotlight and show the other batrogues are good too

A pairing I love: Wondebats was a really nice one. I loved that Batman could have a shot at happiness but just doesn’t allow himsefl that because he is afraid of it. Also Wondy makes a great partner for Brucie boy

A pairing I hate: Wondersupes. It… doesn’t really work for me. Also Joker x Harley, I will tolerate it but I will never like it. 

[nerdylittleshit]

The problem with the DCEU or Plot vs Characters

Now, before I start this post I would like to say this isn’t in any way intented to be wank. While I think that the movies of the DC Extended Universe have their problems I don’t think they are as terrible as some people made them. If anything they did entertain me. This post is rather a reponse to a comment I saw a lot in reviews for Wonder Woman: that WW saved the DCEU and is the first movie to get good critics. So, let’s take a look back to the movies of the DCEU so far, let’s see what they did right, what they could do better and what I think is the main problem of the DCEU.

One of the biggest problems of the DCEU is, and there is no way we can’t talk about this, Marvel. Marvel has already established their Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DCEU now feels like a response to it. Unless you are a die hard DC fan most people are familiar with the movies of the MCU and will likely compare these two cinematic universes. And so far it seems like the MCU is the better one. Of course the comparison isn’t balanced. By june 2017 the DCEU contains four movies, the MCU though 15, with number 16 (Spiderman: Homecoming) at the ready. But in a way it feels like this part of the problem. The DCEU tries to do the same thing as the MCU, which ultimately is to bring their established characters together (because why else would they share a universe if not for them to meet?), but they are trying to do in a faster way.

The MCU started in 2008 with Iron Man. By the time we saw the first ensemble movie, The Avengers, four years have passed and we had another Iron Man movie along with three other origin movies (Captain America, Thor and the Hulk movie nobody ever talks about). By the time the Avengers movie came around we already knew these characters because they either were given origin movies (Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor) and were otherwise introduced as characters (Nick Fury, Black Widow, Loki). The only new guy was Hawkeye. Avengers worked because it didn’t need to introduce and established its characters. Ensemble movies are always harder when it comes to the characters, simply because they are so much and you can’t give all of them the same screen time if you want to tell a story as well. Simply speaking what the MCU did was to establish and develop their characters in their respective solo movies - they are the character moments so to say - whereas the ensemble movies (Avengers 1&2, Captain America: Civil War) move along the plot. (Of course the solo movies have plot as well and the ensemble movies have character moments, it is just a very abstract way of categorizing these movies).

Now, compare this to the DCEU: Man of Steel (Solo/origin movie), Batman v Superman (ensemble movie), Suicide Squad (ensemble movie), Wonder Woman (Solo/origin movie), Justice League (not released yet but another ensemble movie). The ensemble movies are the ones fans want to see - I remember the exictement over the first Avengers movie because for the first time several superheroes would work together on a big screen. But these movies only work if you have established the characters we see first. Instead of taking their time as the MCU did what DC did felt rushed. They didn’t take their time to establish their characters, which I think is the main reason the movies didn’t work. But let’s take a closer look.

Man of Steel (2013)

I liked this movie for the greater part. I have to admit I wasn’t that familar with the character of Superman/Clark Kent, despite general pop culture knowledge. I haven’t seen any of the other many Superman movies or shows like Smallville, so I had no real expections watching this movie. The reason I liked it though is that it takes its time to explore the character of Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman. The conflict of being a child of two worlds, about finding out who or what he is and whether or not he owes this world to save it was what made this movie worth watching. All of those character moments were the strong points of the movie. I admit I wasn’t particular interested in all the action we saw in the second part of the movie; the big fights and explosions are never my jam. But the movie did establish the main character, it showed us the person Clark is and the hero Superman is and much of the conflict we saw in Batman v Superman (the potentional abuse of power) was already brought to life as well.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

First things first, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, please watch the extended cut. They cut out around 30 minutes of the movie; not only character moments though (who always get cut out first) but plot points as well. The overall tone of the movie doesn’t change and neither the things that didn’t work, but it is the version that makes more sense while watching/feels more coherensive.

As I said I feel the DCEU rushed things. Releasing an ensemble movie so soon felt like a desperate move. The only character that we already know is Superman (and well Lois) and therefore to no surprise the scenes that worked for me the most were the ones regarding Superman and the main conflict of the potentional danger of Superman/his powers. As I said they continued these themes from Man of Steel, so we were already familar with them and they didn’t need a lot of explaining.

The problem is that Batman v Superman needs to be a second Superman movie, a Batman movie and a teaser for Wonder Woman and Justice League all in one movie. That is a lot to handle and the reason the movies feels a bit stuffed. Because boy is there a lot of plot. I guess they wanted to establish Lex Luther as a criminal mastermind and tell a complex story, but with everything that was going on it were the characters who suffered the most.

Batman is the character that doesn’t need another origin movie and feels like he is well known enough to simply throw him into the movie. But the more I think about it the more it would have made sense to release a Batman solo movie before Batman v Superman. It would have established the character (and for that we don’t need an origin movie per se) and explained the character better. I had some problems with his character, because he did seem like an overly agressive guy, a one man army to live out male fantasies of violence, near a psychotic breakdown. What happened to that guy? Robin’s death was mentioned but it might have played a role in it. Showing us how Robin died would have (probably) explained this dark version of Batman and would have already introduced the Joker and Harley Quinn (as Suicide Squad established they were responsible for Robin’s death). (It still wouldn’t have explained the Martha twist though, because it still doesn’t make sense, no matter how you look at it).

Same goes for Wonder Woman. I know they probably wanted to introduce her as this mysterious woman, but everyone who saw a trailer or just the movie poster knew already who she was. The photograph was meant to tease the Wonder Woman movie. But just imagine Wonder Woman would have been released before Batman v Superman. Diana would have still remained a mystery, because she seems to be nothing like the woman we saw in her solo movie. We know that 98 years passed between her first adventoure and Dawn of Justice, which leads to the question what happened in between. Did she return to Themyscira? Did she stay in the human world? If so why are there no more records of her other than some very recent photos and the one from 1918? Also remember the end after Superman sacrficied himself and Lois comes to the scene? She looks at Diana who shakes her head; there is a silent understanding between the two of them. With the knowledge that Diana lost a lover as well the scene makes way more sense.

In short, less plot, more character moments, establishing character in their solo movies before releasing an ensemble movie.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Even worse than Batman v Superman we didn’t know any of the characters before this movie. What they did then was exposition. Lots and lots of exposition. So much that it seemed that they forgot about the second act and we were rushed to the third act. The movie didn’t even try to balance out their characters, but focused instead mainly on Deadshot and Harley Quinn. Which worked for Deadshot, because his story/motivation was simply: everything he did he did for his daughter. Harley Quinn though? I still have questions about her and her relationship to the joker (and it sucked that she wasn’t a character on her own but a woman defined by the relationship to a guy). We hardly saw anything of Harleen Quinzel and the reasons why she fell for a psychopath. And they didn’t even bother with some other characters at all. Slipknot was only there to show us that Amanda Waller meant business and why exactly was Katana in the movie? In all fairness the movie was entertaining but completely missed to make me feel for the characters. Of course you can’t give all of them their own origin movie, but as I said before they could have introduced Harley Quinn and the Joker in a Batman movie for example.

Wonder Woman (2017)

The movie that did everything right. I couldn’t care less about the big bad or the big fight at the end, but it didn’t matter. Why? Because I watched the movie for the character. And they did everything right in showing us who Diana is and what she stands for. The reason why the no man’s land had such a great impact and is the one everyone talks about? Because it is the moment Diana became Wonder Woman. Even though it is an action sequence technically it is a character moment. Not only managed the movie to establish the main character but the supporting characters as well. We feel Diana’s pain after Steve died, because we know about the character and the relationship these two had.

So what does it mean for Justice League? By then we are familiar with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The movie will introduce us to Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg though, so we will likely see a lot of exposition and bringing the gang together stuff. In order to make the movie still work I think they have to focus more on the characters this time, especially the ones we haven’t met yet, and their relationships with each other, instead of presenting us another complicated plot. The plot is always secondary to the characters, because in order for the plot to work we need to care about the characters first. To me Man of Steel and Wonder Woman are so far the best movies of the DCEU because they are character driven. Let’s hope they took some notes after the sucess of Wonder Woman and we will see more solo and/or origin movies in the future before we get another ensemble movie. 

[saturdayam]

Saturday AM Movie Review: SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING

.So, let's just get this out of the way...SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING IS EXCELLENT!

Seriously, it's much, much more than mere "good".

This is easily the Best SPIDERMAN movie EVER!

BEST MCU MOVIE? --- well, let's say it's in the top 3 or 4 but for many, it'll be the favorite.

It's literally re-watchable. Many, many times over.

I'm nearly 30hrs from a pre-screening ( the movie opens July 7th) and I'm just buzzing for the chance to see it again. That's a big deal cuz as a 40-something comic fan who has seen MANY COMICBOOK, SUPERHERO MOVIES -- I've found myself extremely jaded over the last few years. Special effects have given us so many possibilities that previously only comic books and animated productions could visualize. Imaginative new worlds and ideas that were the exclusive province of truly gifted animators, writers, and/or comic artists are now easily presented for the masses via a living, 3D cinematic expressions in movies and a rising number of TV shows.

But something has happened.

I noticed it when I went to a Licensing Executives-only screening of Peter Jackson's KING KONG (many years ago--- God, I'm getting old) and that was this emptiness. By emptiness, I mean....this lack of spark, personality, and/or life. Think Big Trouble in Little China, GHOSTBUSTERS (the original) and the original Superman. Those films have a personality and I remember watching that kick-ass foot catch by Jackson's Kong thinking "WOW - this wouldn't have happened with the 1970's or 30's version of Kong". On the other hand, I left that screening thinking the plot was contrived and characters were lame. It had the technical wizardry but little heart.

I think WB / DC COMICS DCEU is the modern day example of this. Clearly, Snyder's Superman is displaying his powers in ways that had never been seen on screen before. There are shots in MAN OF STEEL and BATMAN V SUPERMAN that are lifted straight from the comic books. That said, both of those movies have storylines and acting that are so...lukewarm (if not, straight juvenile) that the franchise is just getting decimated by Marvel Studios despite DC/WB having a damn near 30 years headstart on Marvel with successful film adaptations (Donner Superman and Burton's Batman) and the fact that Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are the most popular superhero characters globally by a wide margin  

SPIDERMAN HOMECOMING could have fallen under the weight of franchise fatigue (this is the 7th Spiderman film in 17 years) and/or just the behemoth that Marvel has wrought on the global box office and yet this film does not suffer from the things that afflict so many effects-heavy cinematic spectacles. This film has so much charm and personality that it's just...amazing! A lot of the reason for that is the story and the focus on a YOUNG PETER PARKER. Another reason for that is for one of the most diverse and accurate portrayals of high school --- ever.

Now A LOT has been made about the diverse cast in this movie and it should never be a shock to fans of Saturday AM how many people in the GEEK space bring negative, bigoted views to comics and anime. To be clear, SPIDERMAN's cast is incredibly charming from top to bottom. Tom Holland's Peter Parker has a Queens accent, loves Legos, and has the perfect wide-eyed enthusiasm. I am in for this kid big-time. He has so much charm and earnestness and he's not trying to 'play the nerd' ala Maguire or be the lonely heartthrob ala Garfield. There are two scenes that really stand out to me - one when Peter screws up on the Ferry (from the trailers, great scene folks) and then another during his first actual moment with the Vulture (it's in a car and it will shock you) and his simple reactions to both moments are so well-acted and so perfectly rendered to the story that for me it cemented the idea that HOLLAND IS THE PERFECT SPIDERMAN!

His class/ school, however, is where the film truly shines. Laura Harrier plays Liz, Spiderman's crush while the famous Zendaya plays a character sure to pop up in future films named Michelle. That there are two female leads and they are both women of color is some Saturday AM level stuff! I mean it. The same arguments I've had about having a minority main character in a manga and the refrain (laughably from other minorities at that) "it would just be forced to add a person of color" as if it's NOT forced to add in white/ European looking characters into Japanese society or future worlds (ala Attack on Titan). I can only imagine that some Sony exec tried to pull the same stunt -- "Hey, you can't have two women in Spiderman that he likes or hangs out with be black!!!" As if Queens, NY is an all-white town. Now, not everyone works. I will say that Flash Thompson played by Tony Revolori seems miscast for reasons other than his skin color -- the lack of menace, the height all conspire to make him a jarring choice for being the well-known bully. That said, the diversity adds so much to this film because it feels REAL, RELATABLE to everyone. From the school principal to the deli owner to the kids in the hallway of Peter's school, seeing so many people of color just adds such texture to the world that Peter inhabits and makes the idea that this is the MCU from the street level surprisingly feel more accurate than Marvel's Netflix shows.

This point, is brought home by the gym teacher played by a hilariously deadpan, Hannibal Burres, adds some great comedy when he suggests the Captain America school videos (which has a great payoff later in the film) is inappropriate because he's probably a "war criminal, now" (thanks, CIVIL WAR). But this diversity message really applies to two characters who are CRUCIAL to the success of this new Spiderman film and series. First up, the VULTURE.

Now, I won't ruin the twist to this film but not only is it a solid one but it really sells the whole idea of this version of the B-grade Spiderman villain. From the first frame of the film, we learn what life is really like for the hard working folks in a THOR, IRON MAN led-MCU and how that may affect a potential villain like the Vulture. Keep in mind, we just elected TRUMP in the US -- so the idea of the people feeling desperate enough to do something crazy is something we should all be able to relate to. And that's where Michal Keaton's character really shines. His actions are logical and while he's the bad guy - you can see how different his life could have gone had he gotten luckier in life -- just like our little Peter Parker.

Likewise, his redesign is AWESOME! I genuinely loved this look. It was creative in its' associations with the Vulture motif while also being synonymous with this world of the MCU. You could see how it could be terrifying in its' own right. I've seen a few reviews where folks have lamented some of the action scenes and while I disagree wholeheartedly (the Washington monument and Boat Ferry were both spectacular and remind of the classic train scene from Spiderman 2) I DO understand the lack of thrill in the battles between Vulture and Spiderman. At this point, neither has really fought to the death against another super-powered character (Spidey's Civil War romp was like a field trip to Peter -- we come to learn) and thus the battles are perfectly thrilling, intimate affairs rather than spectacle IMO. This is a small film. The world is not at stake and in many ways, that's what makes these more precise action beats so strong.

 Peter is still a nerd. He can't talk to girls and he wants to do the right thing even though those actions usually cause him and his loved one's problems. In fact, his friends are still intrinsically a part of his life (as we all can attest to regarding our own high school lives). Ned (played with such charm by Jacob Batalon) is the breakout star of this film. The young, portly best friend dreams of being Peter's "guy in the chair" and thus gives the film something desperately needed in the world of the MCU. He allows Peter to simply relate to someone with his secret without lazily needing to have it tie into a love triangle between the original trilogies' Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and the reboot's Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and the Spiderman persona. That the character is also diverse and clearly brought over from the Miles Morales Spiderman comic (he shares more than a passing resemblance to that series 'best friend', Ganke) is one thing - that he's lovable and funny as hell - is everything to this film.

SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING is fun, it's FUNNY, and it offers a different view of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that suggests that with CIVIL WAR, the original IRON MAN film and the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY -- Marvel Studios can tell ANY type of superhero story. This is crucial because given the battles between DC, Marvel and many others (c'est la vie, TMNT / Transformers) it means that we don't have to worry that this genre of film will feel stale. Spiderman Homecoming proves you can do funny films with a lot of heart!

Saturday AM score: 5/5