tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75727034881037377222024-03-08T05:48:39.561-05:00Someone's Bad IdeaMisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-91872118499317671292016-03-28T19:14:00.000-04:002016-04-07T08:21:24.917-04:00Why Can't We Be Friends? Batman v Superman ReviewOh boy we're in for a rough one here. The divisive <i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i> movie finally came out and people are not happy with it. But all of these reviews both good and bad are all influenced by the pop culture discussion around the movie and not the movie itself. So what I'm going (or attempt) to do is explore the actual film in a vacuum. I feel it's the only way to give the movie a fair shake.<br />
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The plot: It's been over a year and half since Superman's (Henry Cavill) apocalyptic fight with Zod in <i>Man of Steel. </i>Metropolis for the most part is rebuilt and the world is coming to terms with a God routinely zipping around the world and rescuing people. Not everybody is cozy having Superman around, seeing the death and destruction caused by him when he appeared and having no discernible defense against him have a great number of the population against him. Among them is an older Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who lost friends and co-workers during the battle. He's gearing up to take Superman down permanently before he decides to take over the world. Meanwhile Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is scheming to take down Superman too and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) has her own mysterious agenda.<br />
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It was a slower paced story than what I was expecting. I liken it to setting up a fireworks display on July 4th. All the rockets and pieces are meticulously set in the right place before everything is set off. There's a lot of plot building as all the characters get ready for the final battle in one form or another. As with any superhero movie there's allusions to what's to come in the wider universe that this movie has created. The whole shebang ends with the fight between the two Titans of American myths leaving the audience with a truly unexpected ending and the promise of more heroes from DC Comics' pantheon on the horizon.</div>
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The biggest thing that's going to hit you in this movie is just how different Bruce Wayne/Batman is. Batman is paranoid and extraordinarily violent; going so far as to brand criminals with a red hot batarang and not opposed to lethal force. That's right boys and girls, Batman kills people. Killing is not his first choice but he will not hesitate to take someone down if life is threatened. You might see this as a bad thing. Whether or not it's smart storytelling lies in the execution. Is there a reason for Batman's brutality? Yes. Batman is angry after about ten years of wearing the cowl. The Wayne mansion is an abandoned burned out husk, no doubt because of some super-villain attack. He's lost Robin to the Joker and alludes to losing other allies either to death, injury or simply turning to the dark side (Likely Batgirl becoming paralyzed and Harvey Dent turning to Two-Face, although neither is explicitly said.) Further Alfred (played expertly by Jeremy Irons) calls him out on this anger several times. Ben Affleck was the right casting choice for this version of Batman. He conveys the barely controlled hatred and anger of a man that's lived his life eyebrows deep in the worst humanity has to offer.</div>
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Both in and out of costume Superman has made it his mission to bring the psychotic Batman to justice. What compounds Superman's anger is that nobody seems to outright oppose Batman's actions because everyone is more concerned with Superman's Godhood.</div>
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In the middle is Eiseinberg's quirky Lex Luthor acting as the grand manipulator that's ten steps ahead of everyone. By the end he qualifies himself as being Superman's greatest villain and likely knows more about the ultimate evil on the horizon than anybody else in the film.</div>
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Gal Gadot made a great Wonder Woman and I'm happy she was included in this film despite her not really needing to be. In her limited screen time she was able to capture the modern version of Wonder Woman. Amy Adams does the same for Lois Lane. She continues to meet the high bar she herself set in <i>Man of Steel</i> as she embodies her character's curiosity and bravery.</div>
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The action was well choreographed and is the most comic accurate of all the Batman movies when it comes to how he fights and plans encounters. In short: Superman expects a game of checkers but Batman brings a chess board. The special effects are on par with what you'd expect of a blockbuster on this scale. Superman's heat vision stands out as the most visually impressive. The music is pounding and gets the heart pumping at the appropriate moments. On the negative side I found the movie to be visually murky and dark on several occasions. It is always clear what is happening but I would've liked to have seen things a bit more clearer.</div>
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The only legitimate narrative complaint that could be made is that it has a one to many plates spinning in the air. While the foreshadowing and cameos might seem unnecessary I don't have a problem with them as it's narrative staple to set up plotlines for more installments. But the hints themselves are more for the comic book fans and will leave the general audience confused. That could have been done better.</div>
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With all of that said there is something missing from the film. The indefinable technical term is "movie magic." I've thought about how this movie is constructed and acted forward and backward. While there's nothing definitively bad about it I find myself enjoying the movie much less than I probably should. I can't think of any clear improvements to make. In fact it has qualities I've always wanted: an older Batman, a different tone than the Marvel movies, framing these characters as you would the modern day Greek gods, the costumes, the powers etc. Frankly I'm stumped. Forgive my smugness but until now I've always known what's holding back my own enjoyment. Hence it missing the ever mysterious "movie magic."</div>
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It circles back to how I believe movies should be viewed. Everybody has their own preferences when it comes to their entertainment. All formats of media can be done perfectly well but still not be to our liking. What I think has happened with not just myself but other critics and audiences is that while <i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i> is a fine blockbuster it just doesn't neatly fall into our personal preferences when it comes to its execution. This does not make the film bad by any means. It just means it's a film that has targeted an audience that might not be as big as Warner Brothers would like.</div>
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But we know why you're here. Is <i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i> a good movie? Yes it is. And no it's not. In the end you'll have to decide for yourself. All I can say is that I think it's worth the experience.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-57866164764500327682015-08-01T18:33:00.000-04:002015-08-01T18:33:54.851-04:00Saturday Previews Vol. 7I'm changing the format for this post up again. Keeping it loose, keeping it light with how I operate things. Pays to be your own boss. This will be going bi-weekly from now on and I'll pick the best trailer of the week to yammer on about.<br />
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<u><b>Trailer of the Week</b></u></div>
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<i><b>Black Mass</b></i></div>
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<i>Black Mass</i> looks to be yet another engaging mobster movie. Yeah, sure, we've seen these before, but Depp is a wild card and everything rests on his shoulders. If his performance can't carry the weight the film will surely suffer for it. He's more than capable and if this trailer gives any indication we might have to be referring to Whitey Bulger and Tommy DeVito in the same breath when it comes to mobster psychopaths. It wins over the <i>Spectre</i> trailer by an inch just for the pulse pounding pace and town provided by YelaWolf's track "'Till it's Gone."</div>
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<i><b>Spectre</b></i></div>
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<i><b>The Good Dinosaur</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Before We Go</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Mississippi Grind</b></i></div>
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<b><i>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2</i></b></div>
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<i><b>Freeheld</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Maze Runner: Scorch Trials</b></i></div>
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<i><b>We Are Your Friends</b></i></div>
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<i><b>The Night Before</b></i></div>
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<i><b>13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi</b></i></div>
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<i><b>The 33</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Spotlight</b></i></div>
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<i><b>The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet</b></i></div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-22022348801838125562015-07-31T18:53:00.001-04:002015-08-03T18:17:03.732-04:00Tom Cruise is Insane: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Friday Night vs Monday Morning Reviews are simple. I go see a movie and do a write-up of my initial feelings and reactions so you have them by Friday Night. Then on Monday Morning I write another section after I've had time to think about the movie that will go more in depth.</i><br />
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<b>Friday Night</b><br />
How insane is Tom Cruise? The guy strapped himself to the side of plane and had it take off for a stunt in the movie. It's not green screen. It's not a stunt double. It's Tom friggin' Cruise<b> </b>strapped to a friggin' plane. Say what you will about the man's beliefs or off screen antics but the man has a damn good work ethic. It's not just Cruise that put in good work, cast and crew have put together a great summer blockbuster.<br />
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<i> </i>So this time around the illustrious IMF organization is disbanded at the start of the movie because most of their exploits cause, frankly, a crap-ton of collateral damage. Do they get the job done? Yes. But at the same time a lot of their results rely on luck just as much as they rely on the team's skills. (Frankly it's an apt description of the IMF, and one of those genre breaking observations movies like this probably shouldn't bring up.) The organization and personnel is folded into the CIA but Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt goes rogue to track down the Syndicate, a terrorist organization that is made up of various spy agencies' MIA or presumed KIA operatives.<br />
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Here's the thing, there are a lot of holes in this movie. Stop and think about any of the murkier plot points and the whole thing crashes. What is the Syndicate's ultimate goal? They have a short term goal in the film but it's definitely not a mission statement. Why are all of these MIA or KIA agents joining a terrorist organization? Are there that many corrupt spies? Why is Simon Peg playing<i> Halo 5</i> with a PS4 controller? These are the hard hitting questions that can derail a movie. Not in this case though. The movie never slows down long enough to let you realize it before exciting stuff starts happening. It's kinda like a parent waving a flashy toy at a toddler who just skinned his knee. Don't think about the bad focus on the spectacle. And boy oh boy, does this movie have spectacle.<br />
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I've already mentioned the whole, "Tom Cruise strapped to a plane" thing. That's just the opening sequence. Then there's the car chase that turns into the most satisfying motorcycle chase I've seen in a long time. There's the computer file heist, a game of cat and mouse between hitmen and heroes at an Opera, then the climax where the conflict is up close and brutal.<br />
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The whole cast hits the right notes and extra props goes to Rebecca Ferguson for being an even more ass-kicking spy than Tom Cruise. Hell, if Black Widow is ever out sick she could fill her slot on the Avengers. Go see <i>Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation </i>if you choose to accept it<i>.</i><br />
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<b>Monday Morning</b><br />
Reboots. Sequels. Superheroes. Those are pretty much the three different types of big blockbuster you're going to get these days. That's been true for a while and it's something I've accepted for good or ill. But the Mission Impossible franchise made me stop and think about something I can't shake. Three out of the five Mission Impossible movies have seen Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt on the run because he's been blacklisted and on the run. The first, fourth and fifth movies have that at their narrative core. So that's kinda like being both a sequel and a reboot. Somehow the film series got away with it again with <i>Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation</i> but they can't do it again. I mean--they could do it again--but they really shouldn't.<br />
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Basically everybody loves this movie. With good reason too, it's a really great spy movie. It's not trying to make its' audience think too hard. Just sit back and enjoy the show. It's the same show but it's different, at this point the IMF and/or Ethan Hunt being black listed is just a staple of the franchise as a crazy heist sequence. Doing it over and over comes dangerously close to breaking the suspension of disbelief. Yeah we can all buy the crazy superhuman (or rather super-durable) stuff our various IMF agents can do but it only works because we the audience want to believe the illusion. But suspension of disbelief of any action movie is walking a tight rope with a weight limit. Pile enough on and it'll snap. At a certain point, Ethan Hunt would've been pulled from the field for all the times he's broken protocol or cause a lot of collateral damage in the course of chasing the bad guys. The IMF itself would've been scrapped too. But I can hear you now.<br />
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"But the IMF was disbanded in this movie! At the beginning!"<br />
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Yes but in the end it's fully restored and Hunt is back being its' MVP. The fact that the movie itself brings up the problems of Hunt and the IMF in the actual plot is a problem within itself. Unless you're going to do something substantive with those concepts they shouldn't have been brought up at all. The overall story of <i>Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation</i> could easily have been told without Hunt and the team being fugitives. While it does add a layer of tension to the proceedings its runs the unnecessary risk of adding more weight to the suspension of disbelief. The time they spent on that narrative thread could have been better used to establish what the hell the Syndicate's long term plan is. They're responsible for several different terrorist attacks but what's the goal? What's the group's mission statement? Yes in this movie they are trying to get access to more money to continue their activities but what in the hell are those activities trying to accomplish? Answering these questions (or asking them) is a more worthwhile endeavor than the "team is on the run" trope they've done already.<br />
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Look, I'm not saying the movie is bad. Perhaps I'm overcompensating because I'm nitpicking an overall great movie. All I'm saying is that the Mission Impossible movies needs to ditch some of its' common tropes in order to keep moving forward. There will surely be another Mission Impossible film, in fact Cruise said they might start filming it within a year, but they've done the same thing for three movies now. They can't seriously think they can do the same thing again can they? It's three strikes and then... well you know the rest.MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-1685338191007632022015-07-24T18:38:00.000-04:002015-07-24T18:38:06.363-04:00Captain America's Dark Side<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A8PSoG47l5o/VXSGQjLhoyI/AAAAAAAACpc/85ZVbtf6kAA/s1600/Cap.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A8PSoG47l5o/VXSGQjLhoyI/AAAAAAAACpc/85ZVbtf6kAA/s320/Cap.png" width="320" /></a><i>Avengers: Age of Ultron</i> has been out for a bit and it's either a movie you like or don't like. For me I really enjoyed it. I enjoy it more than the first Avengers because there's more of them together and doing their "avengering." But after seeing it a couple of times I noticed some things I don't think a lot of people are talking about. Almost everyone wants to talk about Black Widow's arc or how Hawkeye has finally stepped his game up (or rather Marvel finally decided to show us why he's there.)<br />
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But here's the things I noticed: Cap doesn't really want to beat the bad guys.<br />
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Spoilers follows after the jump.<br />
<a name='more'></a>The Marvel movies have a lot of moving parts, especially the ones with the Avengers. It's a lot of balls to juggle and often little things, even obvious things, go right over your head while you're watching them. The pace is fast, you learn one thing then it's on to the next spectacular fight scene or another scene with another character on another continent. Not only is all that going on but after you make the movie there's all this editing and things have to get cut for various reasons. Some for time, some for pacing, and in Cap's case, some for protecting the brand.<br />
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Throughout the film Cap has a few exchanges with Ultron and Tony Stark when it comes to philosophy. Stark's argument for creating Ultron in the first place is to actually make the entire purpose of The Avengers obsolete. Here is their exchange at Hawkeye's farm:<br />
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Stark: "Isn't that the mission? Is that the 'why' we fight so we can end the fight so we get to go home?!"<br />
Cap: "Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts innocent people die. Every time."</blockquote>
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Then Stark looks around dejectedly and the debate is over. Now if I were Stark my immediate comeback would be, "And every time a war<b> </b>starts<b> </b>even more people die. Every time." Essentially Cap's argument comes down to, take no precautions and if a war starts his plan is we will fight it "together."<br />
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That's not even eight percent of a plan, Rogers. Sentiment doesn't win a war.<br />
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I'm not saying that it's a conscious aspect of his character Cap is even aware of. I think it's the opposite and what Wanda's mind mumbo-jumbo did to him was to force him to face that side of himself. Everybody scratches their head at this vision. It was him at party that took place in a fantasy where Cap was never frozen and made it out of WWII to be with Peggy. "How is that a fear?" Everybody wonders. "Isn't it a good fantasy?" This is Cap's true fear dug out of his own subconscious and thrown in his face.<br />
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Cap doesn't want peace on Earth. He doesn't want his wars to end. He wants to fight evil for the rest of his life which means he never <i>truly</i> wants to win. Captain America is a soldier who needs a war to fight. Now that's all fine and good until you realize that in order for Cap's war to continue on forever also means that innocents will be in the firing line forever. That's not very heroic. But it is incredibly interesting and honest. This is the revelation that was meant to break Cap. He has to look himself in the mirror and acknowledge he isn't as noble or heroic as he likes to think he is. He doesn't want to save the world, he wants to be a hero. Those are two completely different things. One results in a world where he is obsolete and not needed. Another is a world where he will always be needed; one where the threats never end and where he can be an admired hero. It makes his motivations a bit more selfish than selfless. Here's a couple questions: if a man does the right thing for the wrong reasons is he a bad man? Or are his actions enough to warrant admiration?<br />
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None of this is explored fully in the film because it's already a packed house with <b>nine</b> superheroes in it. Frankly there is no time for Whedon to explore this aspect of Cap's character. There's just too many moving pieces on the board to address it. We might get an exploration of this in <i>Captain America: Civil War</i> but I am not optimistic. Asking these types of questions and throwing some dirt on Cap's shield is just the sort of thing Marvel doesn't want to do. Marvel has a brand to protect. They are the makers of fun, light superhero movies for the whole family. Throwing major shade on their biggest boy scout might be an interesting creative direction but not a smart business one.<br />
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My entire reading is based on nothing more than breadcrumbs but I stand by it. Perhaps it all works better as subtext than making it a major story thread. It will certainly be interesting to see if anything comes of it in the next film where Cap and Stark go head to head. After all Stark never did get any clue to what Cap's "dark side" is. Maybe their civil war will bring it to light.MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-77141410929887352542015-07-18T17:25:00.000-04:002015-07-18T17:25:12.392-04:00Saturday Previews Vol. 6Hello, hello, hello ladies and gentlemen. My apologies for missing last week, I moved to a new apartment and was dropping a couch on my foot and crashing a moving truck into a mailbox when I'd normally be posting this. So let's speed through two weeks of trailers.<br />
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<b><i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i></b></div>
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Now is probably a good time to mention I am not a part of the internet legion that hates <i>Man of Steel</i>. I think that movie was really good and got the character of Superman 100% right. I did have some misgivings about Ben Affleck being cast as Batman mostly because I wasn't sure if he'd be able to fully become the character or whether we'd be stuck watching an actor (albeit a very good actor) "pretend" to be Batman. Very similar to my feelings on the two leads in <i><a href="http://someonesbadidea.blogspot.com/2015/07/they-abramsed-it-terminator-genisys.html" target="_blank">Terminator: Genisys</a>. </i>I'm still unsure of it but overall... this trailer... I need a cigarette. The story is moving in a direction I like and Batman's motivation for going after Superman is well rooted in his character. It also helps quite a bit to have Alfred advising Bruce that Superman is one of the good guys. I think the colors are still a bit dark. But overall I like how it's looking. My only fear is that Snyder is trying to cram too much into the movie. If this movie doesn't look like your thing, that's cool. But at the end of the day it's Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman fighting each other and (<b>POSSIBLE SPOILERS)</b> Doomsday. If that very concept doesn't tickle you then this movie simply isn't for you anyway.</div>
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<i><b>Goosebumps</b></i></div>
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Confession time: I wasn't really into the <i>Goosebumps</i> books. I was more into <i>The Hardy Boys.</i> So I'm sure a lot of the references in this trailer go right over my head for readers of the series. It looks like a fun kids movie. In fact about halfway through I realized that this is basically <i>Jumanji </i>filtered through R.L. Stine. There's nothing wrong with that.</div>
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<i><b>Joy</b></i></div>
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Don't get me wrong I love Jennifer Lawrence. But I can't help but feeling she's a bit miscast here. She just seems a tad young for the role. It looks like we're jumping across different periods and to show the change in years it appears all they're doing is changing her hair style. If only real aging worked like that. It's a David O. Russel flick with a good cast so I'm sure both writing and performances will be at the very least interesting. If Lawrence brings her sarcastic wit and dry sense of humor I'm sure it'll be entertaining regardless of any age irregularities.</div>
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To fill out the rest of the past couple weeks we got <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3hecGO_04" target="_blank"><i>Suicide Squad</i></a> which looks promising but I'm net yet sold on Jared Leto's Joker. He sounds and acts like the Joker but the overall look doesn't sit well with me. He looks more like a Joker fanboy than the actual Joker. We'll see how it goes.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5LdNvLXddA" target="_blank"><i> Miss You Already</i></a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekxPFTZm1Y" target="_blank"><i>Brooklyn</i></a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjQqJwpYwN8" target="_blank"><i>She's Funny That Way </i></a>and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjQqJwpYwN8" target="_blank"><i>The Finest Hours</i></a> round out the trailers from last week. The final <a href="https://youtu.be/0E7jxEHPMQM" target="_blank"><i>Fantastic Four</i></a> trailer continues to try its damnedest to get anybody to care. Everybody loves Amy and Tina and if you don't you're a dirty communist and not a true America. Here's their new movie called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R11L9cI1dFE" target="_blank"><i>Sisters</i></a>. Finally there is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_V0PoJ3eAc" target="_blank"><i>Pan</i></a>, <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9OgBzdzEsY" target="_blank">Digging for Fire</a></i> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYiT-vLjhC4" target="_blank"><i>The Revenant</i></a>.</div>
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If you'd like to yell at me about how <i>Man of Steel</i> sucks or just shoot the shit feel free to get at me on @MisterFroggie or drop a comment.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-31506281634805096212015-07-17T14:23:00.001-04:002015-07-20T16:13:09.447-04:00Next Time On Marvel: Ant-Man Review<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9OgTL6WhSs/ValAonW4ifI/AAAAAAAACt4/XhRIuRUx9Pk/s1600/MV5BMjM2NTQ5Mzc2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTcxMDI2NTE%2540._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9OgTL6WhSs/ValAonW4ifI/AAAAAAAACt4/XhRIuRUx9Pk/s320/MV5BMjM2NTQ5Mzc2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTcxMDI2NTE%2540._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" width="215" /></a><i>Friday Night vs Monday Morning Reviews are simple. I go see a movie and do a write-up of my initial feelings and reactions so you have them by Friday Night. Then on Monday Morning I write another section after I've had time to think about the movie that will go more in depth.</i><br />
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<b>Friday Night</b><br />
<i>Ant-Man</i> is certainly a film that exists. It's not bad. It's not even average. It's above-average. But at this point all I have to say is that it's your typical Marvel movie and you know what you're getting. Truthfully, that's all I really want to say about the movie but generally people expect more out of a review so I'll give it my best shot to write about Marvel's latest in something resembling a longer form review.<br />
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At this point the Marvel Cinematic Universe is like a TV show with the world's biggest budget and only puts out episodes every few months. <i>Ant-Man</i> is just the latest episode in the ongoing saga. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>Not that there's really anything wrong with that. It's just that it doesn't impress that much. The basic plot is this, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a former burglar who can't get a job because he's an ex-con. He was one of the "steal from the rich, give to the poor" types. He can't land a steady job, his ex-wife won't let him see his daughter etc. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), former Ant-Man and SHIELD Agent wants to stop his former protege and all around evil bastard Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from recreating and selling the technology. Cue up Marvel's version of a heist movie. At this point it isn't much of a spoiler to say that the good guys win, the bad guys lose and everybody goes home happy. There are no twists and no surprises.<br />
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It's a perfectly fine heist movie filled with witty banter and impressive action scenes. Speaking of which, Director Peyton Reed makes good use of the shrinking and growing in rapid speed to come up with some slick fight choreography and visuals. The climax of the movie shakes up Marvel's standard ending, which <br />
is a nice change from "oh god, oh god the world is ending!" Basically it comes down to two guys who don't like each other beating the snot out of the other. It's a nice change of pace in that way.<br />
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But there is little substance. Darren Cross is a lame villain. He's a one-dimensional evil bastard. It's established he's an evil bastard early on in the movie when he straight up murders a guy for disagreeing with him. There is a half-hearted attempt to make his actions understandable but frankly he's just so damn evil those scenes don't work.<br />
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Beyond that there isn't much I think is worth mentioning. The CGI young Michael Douglas blew my mind on how real it looked. There's a cool fan service scene where Ant-Man takes on an Avenger one on one. The special effects are good and Michael Pena made me laugh a couple times.<br />
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Word to the wise, there are two post-credit stingers. One is half-way through the credits and there is one after they're finished. It's a clip from <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>, the only thing that was missing was the deep voiced announcer saying, "Next time on Marvel: Earth's Mightiest Heroes..."<br />
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If Marvel movies are your thing, check out <i>Ant-Man</i>. If not...<br />
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<b>Monday Morning</b><br />
Well not much has changed concerning my opinion of <i>Ant-Man</i>, but it has gotten me thinking about the trajectory of Marvel's future films. How long do you think the superhero fad is going to last? I'm not sure. I think that people have been calling superhero movies a passing fad since <i>Iron Man </i>came out. Marvel does appear to have a problem and that problem is predictability.<br />
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Marvel's movies always have a light comedic tone where the good guys always win and the bad guys always lose. So far Marvel has gotten a lot of mileage out of these movies because they're fun little romps. All I have to say is it's a Marvel movie and you know exactly the type of flick you're going to get. They've refined the movie a bit by making the superhero elements set dressing for another genre of film. <i>Ant-Man</i> was a heist movie, <i>Thor: The Dark World</i> was fantasy, <i>Captain America: The Winter Soldier</i> was a spy thriller etc. So far that's been working just fine but there has to be a change soon because the sheer novelty of seeing superheroes on screen isn't enough anymore. So what can Marvel do to change up the monotony of the standard formula.<br />
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I think they're going to start addressing some of the more unsavory aspects of a world with super powered beings. Pym mentions not wanting to go to the Avengers for help because they're busy "dropping cities" and he doesn't trust Tony Stark. <i>Captain America: Civil War</i>'s premise is entirely based on governmental oversight of superheroes. How mush destruction has been left in the wake of these epic battles and how many lives have been lost? Manhattan, London, Washington D.C, a city in Wakanda, and Sokovia's capital city have all been ground zeroes for these super beings pounding each other. Should these people, these "heroes" be policed? Who should make the decisions on where they are sent? Whose responsibility is it for the casualties and property damage? Should they be held accountable and to whom? These questions are uncomfortable to ask in superhero fiction because suddenly you think of the real world consequences of when one knocks down a building in a heavily populated area just to <i>slow down</i> the bad guy. Asking these questions changes the tone of the superhero movie and adds a certain amount of substance to it. The risk is making these movies not so fun anymore once the very premise is questioned. (That seems to be the problem the Superman movies are currently facing.) It could either open up a lot of interesting story opportunities or push away audience members who just want nothing lighthearted fun. In order for it to work there's going to have to be a balancing act between asking the rough questions and being able to cheer when Rogers knocks Stark through a crowded office building.<br />
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What do you think?MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-9739317939592661502015-07-04T19:52:00.000-04:002015-07-04T19:52:03.626-04:00Saturday Previews Vol 5.It's July 4th so you know what that means? It means I'm wearing a Captain America T-Shirt, drinking a couple of cold ones and watching the excellent documentary <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA2WzBi2grE" target="_blank">Independence Day</a>. </i>But before I get to my celebratin' let's watch some trailers. Pretty dead this week but we got two winners (in my book at least.)<br />
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<b><i>Creed</i></b></div>
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I like everything that this trailer gave us. It's got a real solid rhythm to it with the great music and pacing but most of all I really enjoy that this film is first and foremost about Creed, not his mentor Rocky Balboa. I also love that they don't even have to say his name once because we all know who he is, there is no need to put it in our faces. It's a good sign out of the gate that even the marketing department knows what the focus should be on. That combined with Michael B. Jordan is an amazing actor and I cannot wait to see this.</div>
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<b><i>Secret in Their Eyes</i></b></div>
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It's 2015 and suddenly I care about a movie that Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts are starring in again. This is an American adaptation of an Argentinian novel (which was already made into a movie in 2009.) The tone for this reminds me of those mid-90's crime thrillers we don't really get anymore. It is rated PG-13 though which sets off an alarm bell it won't have as much of an edge to it as those old movies are. Then again you can get away with more in a PG-13 movie these days than you could back then. Small example: a PG-13 movie is allowed one F-Bomb these days. Back in the 90's that was a no-no. We shall see.</div>
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What's left on this bright and sunny day? Michael Fassbender shows the world just what a royal jackass <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufMgQNCXy_M" target="_blank">Steve Jobs</a></i> was. The guy might've been a great businessman but he certainly wasn't a good guy. Frank from the old Jason Statham Transporter movies wasn't a nice guy either and he's up to his <a href="https://youtu.be/weqzAM5LCIY" target="_blank">fourth</a> movie. There wasn't much of a point to that franchise anyway aside from watching Statham kick ass and with him gone... why are we still going with this? Then we got <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSnjJrbu1tY" target="_blank">The Diary of a Teenage Girl</a></i> which is not up my alley in the slightest but the random animated sequences at least make it pop a bit. Then we have a very special trailer for the film <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsRh-PTeXzw" target="_blank">Jenny's Wedding</a></i>. I say it's special because now that you've watched the trailer you've seen the movie and don't have to go see it now.</div>
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Oh and just because.</div>
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<b><i>Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No</i></b></div>
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God Bless America.</div>
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Goodnight, folks. Go forth and blow stuff up on this momentous holiday but do so safely.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-44265046913237998182015-07-01T16:13:00.000-04:002015-07-04T20:16:46.742-04:00They Abramsed It: Terminator: Genisys Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S22kUdq3ZWA/VZQnRa6OcAI/AAAAAAAACsM/GTwzpxPlkeI/s1600/genisys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S22kUdq3ZWA/VZQnRa6OcAI/AAAAAAAACsM/GTwzpxPlkeI/s320/genisys.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<i>Friday Night vs Monday Morning Reviews are simple. I go see a movie and do a write-up of my initial feelings and reactions so you have them by Friday Night. Then on Monday Morning I write another section after I've had time to think about the movie that will go more in depth.</i><br />
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Now clearly it isn't "Friday Night" but <i>Terminator: Genisys</i> opened on a Wednesday so you're getting the review now. So that means on Friday you're getting the "Monday Morning" section.<br />
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<b>"Friday Night"</b><br />
<i>Terminator: Genisys</i> is a movie that shouldn't exist. I don't mean to imply that this movie is hot garbage because it most definitely is not. I mean to say the whole shebang was tied up in a nice little bow back in <i>Terminator 2: Judgement Day</i>. But despite the narrative coming to a worthwhile conclusion two movies ago we're getting the fourth outing for the series because this is a moneymaking franchise dammit and Hollywood wants their money. So can <i>Terminator: Genisys</i> offer something worthwhile? Or is it just a cash-in?<br />
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It's both. And therein lies the movie's weakness. Mild spoilers will follow. (But none bigger than the HUGE one given away by all the marketing.)<br />
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<a name='more'></a>There's a lot to like about director Alan Taylor's <i>Terminator: Genisys.</i> It's embraced the shenanigans of time travel and rebooting everything into a new branch of history by following the plot of the first film but, surprise surprise, Skynet's plan clearly didn't work so by the time Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) shows up there's a T-1000 already there waiting for him so they can kill him. Meanwhile the original T-800 is greeted by an older, reprogrammed T-800 and is put down almost immediately after touching down. So the first movie is now completely negated and we're off on a new path. It's following the J.J. Abrams style of time travel he introduced in 2009's <i>Star Trek. </i>It's a reboot brought about by events of the original series.<br />
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By rebooting the franchise and royally screwing with the timeline we get a lot of interesting ideas here that couldn't be explored otherwise.<br />
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<li>Arnold's good Terminator is given a name "Pops" and because he's been around so long he's given a character arc that could be seen as a natural progression of the T-800's from the second movie: a paternal relationship (with Sarah this time rather than John,) a competitive relationship with Kyle Reese (an old soldier proving he can compete with his younger replacement.) Pops also has physical problems (bad knee, hands occasionally shake.)</li>
<li>The dynamic of Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) is flipped on its head because knowledge of their budding relationship is given to them before they have a chance to actually have it.</li>
<li>A beat cop (named O'Brien, played wonderfully by an underused J.K. Simmons) that witnessed mayhem in 1984 when he was a rookie dedicated his thirty year career into figuring out just what the hell happened.</li>
<li>John Connor knows the trajectory of his entire life up to a point but has no idea what's going to happen to him after having reached that point.</li>
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The film is peppered with these interesting ideas but doesn't really dedicate any time to explore one of them in a satisfying way. It throws all these ideas at the wall and then moves quickly on to the next action set piece. Speaking of which, the action scenes were well done. They are clear and easy to follow and each one has it's own goal rather than, "we just need to survive/escape."</div>
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But the thing that's really holding the movie back is the overall superficial look. James Cameron's original films had a grit, realistic feel to them. Michael Biehn as the original Kyle Reese actually looked like a tired worn out man that had been fighting a guerrilla war his entire life. Jai Courtney looked like he just left the gym. This film is completely missing the look of "lived in" universe. It all looks fake and clean. This is true even during the robot apocalypse scenes. The sounds, the colors, the uniforms, the designs are all the same but rather than look like "the real thing" it looks like Reese and John Connor went to the local lazer tag arena for a Saturday afternoon.</div>
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So on the one hand <i>Terminator: Genisys</i> offers a lot of interesting new ideas but on the other hand the movie is a commercial product aimed squarely at perpetuating the franchise's continued existence. That's no way to tell a compelling narrative in the same way the first two movies were. I'm aware that all of this makes it sound like I didn't like the movie. I did enjoy it but I can see the potential for so much more from the new ideas it introduces. It comes down to what you, dear reader, want to see. Do you want to see a competently done sci-fi film you'll enjoy but probably forget about in two months? Or do you want to see a new classic that will be remembered as fondly as James Cameron's <i>Terminator</i> and <i>Terminator 2: Judgement Day</i>? You will get the former but you will not get the latter.</div>
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<b>"Monday Morning"</b><br />
So I've been thinking the last day or so about what really bugs me about <i>Terminator: Genisys</i> and what I think is holding the movie back from being in the same league as <i>Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day</i>. It's the ending and the overall "clean" look to the movie. So because I can't go any further without talking about the ending I'm going to put a big ol' spoiler warning.<br />
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<b>SPOILERS START. </b>So the ending is arguably the most optimistic of any of the Terminator movies. That within itself is not a bad thing. It's just that the ending is so obviously designed to leave plenty of wiggle room open for the continued adventures of Reese, Sarah and Pops. Essentially the trio avert the activation of Skynet and now can live out their lives however they see fit. They are no longer bound to their futures. Coincidentally this leaves them in the year 2017, so contemporary times. How convenient. Reese and Sarah can explore (or not explore) their relationship with each other. Pops gets an upgrade during the climax of the movie so for all intents and purposes he is a liquid metal T-1000 Terminator now. This serves as a big neon sign that says, "Arnold can come back as often as he wants!" I'll concede it's a nice subversion in that, for once, Arnold's Terminator isn't dead by the end of the movie necessitating another bullshit reason for yet another Terminator of the same model being sent to protect one of the Connors in the next one. This also means we won't have to deal with a Terminator "becoming human" from scratch again. Overall it's a solid open ending that basically means the franchise can now go in whatever direction it wants now that the standard formula for these movies has been completely dumped. But there is a slight problem with that. For once, Arnold's Terminator reached the natural end of his character arc.<br />
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Because of Arnold's age they had to make his Terminator older, hence we get the character of Pops. He'd bonded with Sarah Connor from when she was nine to a fully grown adult. It's a very paternal relationship. We see details throughout the movie of Pops being more human. His inexplicable need to one-up Kyle Reese as if he's the father to this young woman being courted by a suitor. Then there's Pops keeping photographs of Sarah as well as her childhood drawings in his bunker. The entire character arc comes to a head when Pops goes for the standard self sacrifice by holding the evil Terminator in place long enough for both to be destroyed. His "final" words say it all, "Kyle Reese, protect <i><b>my</b></i> Sarah!" "<i>My</i>." It's such a simple word that conveys so much. It's the closest to genuine emotion I want to see out of a Terminator. It's not a macho one-liner akin to "I'll be back," or "Hasta la vista, baby." It's something genuinely human and frankly, more adult. With that line Pops' character arc reaches it's natural end. Of all the Terminators Arnold has portrayed this is the one most deserving of a heroic send-off and they take it away. It's a prime example of "movies as product" overriding a good story. By having Pops live it undermines his story arc. Movies that are a part of franchises are not allowed to end. This is especially true nowadays. All the big epics are constantly trapped in the second act of the story, never to reach a conclusion until an actor's contract is up or the movie doesn't turn a profit. Then a year or two later there'll be talk of a reboot. *cough, Spider-Man, cough.* Or a decade or more there'll be talk of a continuation of the saga because there's a nostalgia for the better chapters in the series. *cough, Terminator, cough.* <b>SPOILERS END.</b><br />
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The other aspect of the movie I briefly touched on on "Friday" was the cleanliness and falseness to the movie. Emilia Clarke is a more than capable actress and Jai Courtney has shown sparks of a greatness (despite what the internet has probably told you.) But both of them seem out of place in their roles as Sarah and Reese. As you watch the movie you are constantly aware you are watching two people "act." It's like Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton were sick so they called in the understudies. They're perfectly okay but they bring nothing new to these characters and have little chemistry with each other. They don't even look "real" if that makes any sense. Linda Hamilton got notoriously fit for her part in <i>Terminator 2</i>. She's genuinely intimidating and badass looking. While you can tell Emilia Clarke hit the gym to get some more definition in her arms she didn't take it too far because she still has to look "conventionally" sexy for the audience that is mostly comprised of men.<br />
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Here's a quick comparison of the look of both versions of Sarah.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-spV_GabJaq8/VZbJJdsSkDI/AAAAAAAACso/fD0NlEJ2m9w/s1600/linda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-spV_GabJaq8/VZbJJdsSkDI/AAAAAAAACso/fD0NlEJ2m9w/s200/linda.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isaOxkAgRB8/VZbJOtinLpI/AAAAAAAACsw/hNxhqJxRdsA/s1600/emilia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isaOxkAgRB8/VZbJOtinLpI/AAAAAAAACsw/hNxhqJxRdsA/s200/emilia.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
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One of them is Sarah Connor, one of the ultimate movie badasses and ultra prepared for the coming robot apocalypse. The other is a pretty young lady I'd like to ask out while at a bar (but probably wouldn't because I have issues.) It's not like Emilia can't pull off being a badass either. Just go watch her free the Unsullied and burn Astapor to the ground in <i>Game of Thrones</i>.</div>
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The same can be said of our two Kyle Reese's.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6Lh_gZxytU/VZbOKzryNPI/AAAAAAAACtI/y2rKtZNpBYc/s1600/michael.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6Lh_gZxytU/VZbOKzryNPI/AAAAAAAACtI/y2rKtZNpBYc/s200/michael.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LSAWGtcT-Y4/VZbOQUDVNgI/AAAAAAAACtQ/g9ZKZX2TfZQ/s1600/jai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LSAWGtcT-Y4/VZbOQUDVNgI/AAAAAAAACtQ/g9ZKZX2TfZQ/s200/jai.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
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One won't hesitate to shove a grenade down my throat if I look at him the wrong way. The other I could stare into his dreamy blue eyes for hours. Same as Emilia, it's not like Jai can't pull off badass, go watch <i>Jack Reacher</i> if you think otherwise.</div>
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This is what I mean when I said that <i>Terminator: Genisys</i> is trying to be a Hollywood product and deliver a narrative of worth. It can't be both and in the end the film suffers because of it. <i>Terminator: Genisys</i> is ultimately a good but completely forgettable movie that's interesting ideas go unfertilized.</div>
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Liked my review or want to talk about it? Share it on all the various social platforms and leave a comment or get to me on twitter @MisterFroggie.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-48491883619686311512015-06-27T20:27:00.001-04:002015-06-27T20:39:45.072-04:00Saturday Previews Vol. 4I have to start off with an apology for tonight's previews. I did in fact miss a trailer last week. Normally I would just leave it at that and share the trailer. But not this movie. This is a movie that I am very much looking forward to. It will become apparent as to why after you watch the trailer.<br />
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<b><i>Daddy's Home</i></b></div>
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IT'S THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF BOBBY FRIGGIN' MERCER! Okay. Maybe not officially. But there ain't no damn way you're going to convince me that this isn't a sequel to the excellent revenge thriller <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZPi0K6UoP8" target="_blank">Four Brothers</a></i>. I mean-- just look at Mark Wahlberg. He's playing the same character but in a slapstick comedy. I don't care if he's got a different name in <i>Daddy's Home. </i>Okay so this is what happens. Bobby is a drifter/thug right? Right? It's not too far fetched he'd be the type to get a one-night stand pregnant on his travels. And he probably didn't even use his real name. Then years later he finds out he's got kids and wants to be a part of their lives because his real parents abandoned him. So he rushes to their side as soon as he can and boom! There's the movie. Half of my enjoyment from this movie is going to be imagining they're the same guy.</div>
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If I've accomplished anything today I hope it's that I've planted that seed in your head so deep you won't be able to think about it when you go watch the movie. You are welcome. </div>
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I have to admit I haven't played the games much at all but I've always had a respect for the franchise as a stylish stealth/murder simulator. It remains a powerful video game franchise to this day. That said, I was more interested in the movie based on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alQlJDRnQkE" target="_blank">first trailer</a>. That trailer made it seem more like Agent 47 was going to be the antagonist and the bad guy. Think <i>Terminator </i>more than <i>Terminator 2</i>. That's infinitely more interesting to me than making another "good guy assassin turning on those who made him a killer" story we get every other week. If anything it would be a different change of pace than the usual video game movie crap that releases every couple years. That said, while the plot looks generic and cliched the action sequences look pretty slick. If nothing else this'll be a rainy Netflix day viewing.</div>
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Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie are both incredibly funny people that can actually make me laugh out loud. It appears they have great chemistry together and the supporting cast looks pretty solid too. Especially <i>Orange is the New Black</i>'s Natasha Lyonne who's in the "best friend" role. Looks like a solid date movie. Although I'm not sure it's a "first date movie." You might want to leave that to one of the other movies that had trailers this week like...</div>
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<b><i>The Green Inferno</i></b></div>
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I was kidding. Don't bring a date to this movie. I mean I like cannibals eating facebook activists just as much as the next guy but this just doesn't look appealing. Torture porn isn't my thing. If it's your thing-- well you do you buckaroos. I'm going to sit over here and not judge you. *judges you silently.*</div>
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So that leaves us with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotilliard bringing <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlX7G5wGYYs" target="_blank">Macbeth</a></i> to the screen once again. The very next sentence I say will not be sarcastic whatsoever. Oh <b>hell</b> yes. Then we got the trailer for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOkZet9sg2A" target="_blank"><i>Final Girl</i> </a>starring Abigail Breslin, another <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmC6rZyByzk" target="_blank">Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation</a></i> trailer, and the "based on a true story" <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onOblb6W_yw" target="_blank">Masterminds </a></i>with Kristen Wiig and thinner Zach Galifinackis. Which, I actually did watch a documentary about the heist it's based on. Basically a bunch of guards decided to rob the cash they were guarding. That's really about the extent of it. Using that logic the Ninja Turtles are based on a true story as I'm sure four brothers ordered a pizza while in Brooklyn once. Two more movies round out the list tonight. the next <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR2cc1BwdmI" target="_blank">Paranormal Craptivity</a> </i>which seems to have gone meta where it's a found footage film heavily featuring two guys watching a found footage film. IT'S SO META YOU GUYS. If you're into cheap jump scares or have a girlfriend or boyfriend that are it's a watch. If not stay home and clean the basement. To round it out we got Tom Hardy gangster flick <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOlzq9ciFdo" target="_blank"><i>Legend</i></a>. It'll be interesting to see how they balance the seriousness and the comedy. If they can strike a good balance we'll have something good. If not... well...</div>
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As always find me on twitter @MisterFroggie or leave a comment below. Nighty night.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-66683561673679069102015-06-20T19:19:00.000-04:002015-06-20T19:19:35.103-04:00Saturday Previews Vol.3<div style="text-align: left;">
Well *flips up top page of clipboard* looks like we're in for a positively thrilling round of trailers this week. *Takes a shot of fireball.* Okay let's get this going.</div>
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<i>The Runner</i>, Nicolas Cage's newest film where he plays a Congressman that actually wants to help people. Uh-huh. <i>Ghost Rider</i> was more realistic. Moving on: Does anybody remember that viral video where the guy puts a go-pro on his dog to see what he did all day while he was at work and it was super depressing because the dog just cried thinking he was abandoned? <i>The Secret Life of Pets</i> is going to be the opposite of that. We got <i>Time out of Mind</i> where Richard Gere is a homeless guy. I really want this to be a sequel to <i>Pretty Woman</i>. You know what? Screw it. As far as I'm concerned it is a sequel to <i>Pretty Woman</i>. Charlize Theron goes to <i>Dark Places. </i>Looks promising but the title is a bit on the nose. Keeping with that theme of "on the nose" titles is Kate Mara's <i>Captive.</i> Which--well. Yeah. <i>Hotel Transylvania 2</i> and <i>Kung Fu Panda 3</i> will serve as films to pad out kids movie marathons on ABC Family or whatever TV channel gets the syndication rights. <i>Ted 2 </i>features more of the same shtick. And finally we have <i>Dragon Blade. </i>A martial arts movie featuring Jackie Chan with <strike>Adrian Brody </strike> some guy that looks like but can't possibly be Adrian Brody as the villain. Wait that can't... STOP. I was right the first time? Okay so Jackie Chan goes up against Adrian Brody and somehow John Cusack is involved. Huh. Someone get me a six pack of Bud Light and my best friends STAT.</div>
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Check the trailers after the jump. As well as my top three picks of the week (of films I did not mention above) based on no guidelines other than I wanted to throw my two cents in.</div>
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<b><i>Boulevard</i></b></div>
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This is it. This is Robin Williams' last onscreen dramatic performance. (He's got another movie, <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CYVGN98ZLA" target="_blank">Absolutely Anything</a></i> starring Simon Pegg, where he plays a talking dog named Dennis coming out next year.) But for all intents and purposes this will be his final film. Frankly, it hurts I just wrote that sentence. As for the film itself I am praying it's good. I refuse to belittle the man's great legacy but he has put out some pretty bad stinkers in the past. Cheers, Robin. I hope you go out on a high note.</div>
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<b><i>Sicario</i></b></div>
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Emily Blunt being a badass? Okay you already sold me. This will not be a film to everyone's liking I think. <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpXfcTF6iVk" target="_blank">Prisoners</a></i> was an actor's film. It had a good script and it was a film that let the actors do the heavy lifting. It was a good movie. That said, it was phenomenally dark and disturbing. Such a film is not inherently bad. In fact I like those films that look at the darkness of humanity and doesn't blink. <i>Sicario</i> looks to be in the same tone.</div>
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<b><i>The Peanuts Movie</i></b></div>
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My God. They nailed it. I had nothing but a grin on my face about ten seconds in and it didn't stop until it was over. I want this movie in my life right this second.</div>
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As you might've noticed I played with the format for the column this week. I expect it's going to evolve slowly as I get the kinks out. Want to leave me feedback or get in touch about watching <i>Dragon Blade</i> while we get hopelessly drunk? Get in touch with me on twitter @MisterFroggie.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-79858870233387529722015-06-18T11:57:00.000-04:002015-06-18T16:53:50.534-04:00Revisiting Your First Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What was the first movie you remember seeing in a movie theater when you were a kid? Was it a transformative experience or something that is just a footnote in your life? For me it was something I will never forget. The movie was <i>Batman: Mask of the Phantasm</i> starring Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Dana Delany, Stacey Keach and Abe Vigoda. It came out Christmas Day in 1993 (although that is not the day I saw it.)<br />
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I don't remember the drive to the theater. I don't remember getting the tickets. I don't remember sitting down.<br />
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I remember where I sat though. On the left side of my Mom and I was in the aisle. I remember the lights going down and the movie starting and suddenly I was flying. I was in complete shock. I was a six year old flying through <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgDpesd428" target="_blank">Gotham City</a> and I will never forget what that felt like. The beautiful music was so loud I couldn't hear myself think. What followed was Batman crashing through the window and giving a crew of gangsters a beat down they wouldn't forget. It was fantastic to such action on the big screen. The rest of the film involved gangsters being killed off in brutal ways and Batman gets the blame. He has to find the killer, clear his name, and somehow both the long lost love of his life and the Joker are involved. It was an intense film both emotionally and physically for all the characters. I remember being spooked by how Batman and Joker were literally taking chunks out of one another at the end. Batman punched out one of Joker's teeth and Batman was getting cut up by remote controlled airplanes. I remember wincing every time Batman (Kevin Conroy) yelled out in pain and wondered if he'd be okay. This was much more violent than the cartoon I was used to. At least for a six-year old.</div>
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And then there's the climactic scene where Batman basically decides, <i>"Screw it. Let's end it and we both die."</i></div>
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Mark Hamill will forever be the one true Joker in my mind. He's about to either die in an explosion or be killed by the daughter of one of his victims from over a decade ago and he just laughs his ass off at how funny it all is. But it wasn't just Hamill that impressed. Kevin Conroy is just as much Batman as Hamill is the Joker. Dana Delany's Andrea Beaumont spoke her lines with such a muted rage that you'd think she's about to go off like one of Joker's bombs one minute and the next her soft spoken voice shows nothing but regret that she dedicated her life to that rage.</div>
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The film has held up quite well over the years. (With the exception of one scene where Batman chases the Phantasm in the bat-plane while she's on foot. As a kid I didn't care but as an adult I can't help but find that sequence remarkably stupid.) But don't take my word for it. Both Siskel and Ebert loved the film and actually <b>apologized</b> for not giving it attention during its release. Here's a link to their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_KcFFqLggY" target="_blank">review</a> from their TV show.</div>
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This movie impacted me a great deal. There are several writers that have influenced my own writing style when it comes to story structure. I consider them to have the benchmark for not just animation storytelling but for how to write with an ensemble cast. Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett and Paul Dini are among them and they were the creative force behind <i>Batman: Mask of the Phantasm</i>. I've already outline Timm and Burnett's <a href="http://someonesbadidea.blogspot.com/2015/06/new-gods-and-new-monsters-for-your.html" target="_blank">new project</a> coming in July. You can bet I'll be snagging a copy.</div>
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So now that I've gone on about my childhood movie going experience I want to hear from you. What was your first movie and what did you take away from the experience?</div>
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If you liked the article please share and don't be afraid to contact me on twitter @MisterFroggie.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-27786629298888807162015-06-13T18:50:00.002-04:002015-06-13T18:50:59.310-04:00Saturday Previews Vol. 2<i>Welcome to Saturday Previews where I take most of the trailers that dropped during the week and present them for your viewing pleasure. Read my thoughts on them if you're into that sort of thing. Or just watch the trailers.</i><br />
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<b><i>No Escape</i></b></div>
This will be one I check out. I can't remember the last time Owen Wilson had a dramatic role since <i>Behind Enemy Lines</i> and that was when Gene Hackman was still in the game. It will be interesting if this is just a violent action movie or if it attempts to go into the details behind the civil unrest. Hard to tell from the looks of it. Then again Pierce Brosnan is in the movie too but was only in the trailer for about three seconds.<br />
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<b><i>Ricki and the Flash</i></b></div>
Meryl Streep wants a new house apparently. Or to play a rock star. But then again it's Meryl Streep. She's going to act the hell out of this. I'm sorry for my lack of enthusiasm for this sort of movie. But any movie that's clearly got the "very important lesson" about family immediately bores me to tears.<br />
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<b><i>Sufferagette</i></b></div>
See? There's the Meryl Streep we want! Looks solid. I'll watch this one. I'd imagine the Academy will keep their eyes on this one too. They eat this stuff up.<br />
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<b><i>The Martian</i></b></div>
"I'm going to have to science the shit outta this." Part of me wishes the whole movie took place with Damon on Mars as he tries to survive having no idea if his message for rescue got out. But I'm not going to say no to a cast this good. Easily my favorite trailer for this week.<br />
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<b><i>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2</i></b></div>
Looks good. But... if I'm being honest I was a bit let down by <i>Catching Fire</i> mostly because it's a movie that doesn't have an ending, just a "To Be Continued..." I hate movies like that. Like I really friggin' hate them. I haven't checked out <i>Mockingjay Part 1</i> yet for that reason. (I know, I know.) This being the last movie in the franchise I'm hoping it can tie everything off nicely and make the whole thing worth it.<br />
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<b><i>Regression</i></b></div>
A creepy detective thriller? I'm a sucker for these. What stands out to me is the year it's set in. 1990, before the age of internet and cell phones made everything way easier. I believe going forward there's going to be a lot of these 1990's investigation movies for that reason. <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTKBowDjMQg" target="_blank">A Walk Among the Tombstones</a></i> is a fine example that nailed it. That said it's hard to tell whether this movie is either going to a be a creepy atmospheric masterpiece or cliched ridden garbage.<br />
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<b><i>Love & Mercy</i></b></div>
Meh. I'm sure Paul Dano will kill it though. I hope Uncle Jesse pops up somewhere too.<br />
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<b><i>The Man from U.N.C.L.E.</i></b></div>
Fun fact: back in 2009 George Miller (director of the <i>Mad Max</i> movies) was going to direct a Justice League film. Among the cast was Armie Hammer as Batman. As we all know Henry Cavill is currently playing Superman. That basically makes this a Batman vs Superman movie. Okay it doesn't do that but indulge me I'm weird and stupid. I don't have much to say other than this looks like a fun spy movie. Count me in.<br />
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<b><i>Rock the Kasbah</i></b></div>
I really hope they just got Bill Murray drunk and sent him to Afghanistan with a camera crew. And the reason Bruce Willis was there is because he's filming <i>The Expendables 4.</i> Just-- take my money now. I'm throwing it at the screen and nothing's happening. DAMMIT!<br />
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Feel free to share this if you liked it (or if you just want to share all these trailers with just one handy link) and if I somehow missed a trailer or have something to add leave a comment or get in touch with me on twitter @MisterFroggie.MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-74716436580895075322015-06-13T11:11:00.001-04:002015-06-13T11:12:53.708-04:00New Gods and New Monsters for your Saturday Morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Justice League: Gods and Monsters</i> is a new animated film from visionary Bruce Timm that reimagines DC Comics titular heroes in a way you've never seen them before. Batman is Kirk Langstrom (normally the traditional Batman villain "Man-Bat,") Wonder Woman is Bekka (a character from Darkseid's neck of the woods) and Superman is the son of General Zod. When I saw the teaser for the direct to DVD movie I was a bit skeptical. I'm all for new interpretations for old characters but I questioned if I would like this version.<br />
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Almost as if Warner Brothers could read my mind they personally reached out to me and made some teaser short films for me to review to see if they got my seal of approval.<br />
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That is 110% true and I stand by this statement you can't prove me wrong.<br />
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The shorts are after the jump.<br />
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Well that was cool. Definitely playing with some more adult themes.<br />
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Oh. Oh my God. Um. Yeah. I mean I-- I liked that very much. That was just-- "Twisted" is the right title for that one.<br />
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Wow. That ending was rough to watch. I have emotions now. I'll be back in a second. I need my morning shot of Fireball a little earlier than usual.<br />
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You know what? I'm in. These are wildly different superheroes than the ones Bruce Timm was working on when I was a kid (granted that was only last week.) These teasers did their job. I went from ambivalent to really looking forward to seeing more of these characters. Send the kids back to bed, folks. Saturday Morning Cartoons belong to the adults today.<br />
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<i>Justice League Gods and Monsters</i> starring Benjamin Bratt, Michael C. Hall and Tamara Taylor arrives in stores July 28th, 2015. Here's the trailer for the movie.<br />
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<br />MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-88476341402841873942015-06-12T12:40:00.000-04:002015-06-18T16:55:16.085-04:00Smashing Action Figures Together: Jurassic World Review<i>Friday Night vs Monday Morning Reviews are simple. I go see a movie and do a write-up of my initial feelings and impressions and share them with you so you have them by Friday Night. Then on Monday morning I write another section after I've had time to think about the movie that will be more in depth.</i><br />
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<b>Friday Night</b><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zWNMnUHAwRc/VXqYNgZYHxI/AAAAAAAACq4/MVjA5vM9iBA/s1600/jurassic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zWNMnUHAwRc/VXqYNgZYHxI/AAAAAAAACq4/MVjA5vM9iBA/s320/jurassic.jpg" width="202" /></a>How can I describe <i>Jurassic World</i> the briefest way possible? One word: thrilling. It is an absolute thrill to watch. Director Colin Trevorrow knows what we all want to see when we go into a <i>Jurassic Park</i> movie. In many ways Spielberg had the easier job. All he had to do was put the dinos on the screen and we all go "ooooh" and aaaaah." But in many ways the climax of this film is like watching a kid who got the toys twenty years ago and started mashing them together while doing their best T-Rex imitation. Example: you want to know what it'd be like if the raptors were on the human's side? Boom. Here you go. Keeping that theme going there were not one, not two, but three moments that made me want to stand up and cheer. Trevorrow knows we want to see certain things and he gives us those things. Do they make sense? Not really but shut up there are dinosaurs fighting on the screen.<br />
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The film successfully walks the tightrope between creating something new while also fitting in a tricera-ton of callbacks and references to the first <i>Jurassic Park</i>. Little details like Chris Pratt's Owen not falling into the same trap the character Muldoon made in 1992 (which is never let the raptor on your left out of your sight.) Or early in the movie where the T-Rex is fed a goat with a red flare dropped nearby. The film has been made for people who have seen the first film and the four people from the Australian outback who haven't. Joking aside, <i>Jurassic World</i> stands on its own and can be watched in isolation and while some of the references might go over some heads the movie does not depend on them to be good.<br />
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Performance-wise the actors do their jobs well enough. You might think this is Chris Pratt's movie based on all the marketing but it's Bryce Dallas Howard's character Claire who goes through the most change from beginning to end. Special mention must be made that Pratt is not just rehashing Star-Lord in a hunting vest. He's much more competent and less jokey than the superhero which was an absolute must and frankly, a relief. I didn't want to see Star-Lord fight dinosaurs, I wanted to see a character that belonged in this world fight dinosaurs.<br />
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I believe the film is most definitely worth the watch. <i>Jurassic World</i> is not going to win any awards but it will absolutely thrill you during its run time. They spared no expense.<br />
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<b>Monday Morning</b><br />
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So I've had a couple days to sit in my batcave (as one does) and think in contemplative silence about <i>Jurassic World</i> after my heart rate has slowed after seeing... well... I won't spoil it. But I have to imagine most people know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that because it's estimated that <i>Jurassic World</i> made over $500 million worldwide in just one weekend. The only film to do that. Ever. Domestically it made off with just over $200 mill which puts it just under <i>The Avengers </i>from 2012.<br />
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So I'm pretty sure you've seen it. If you haven't I stand by my recommendation that you should. Is the film flawless? No. But very few films are. <i>Jurassic World</i> is a roller coaster. While you're on it you're screaming in both fear and enjoyment. But after the ride and you think about it you see how it was a tad superficial.<br />
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For instance Bryce Dallas Howard's character of Claire is the focus and the only one to really have anything resembling a character arc. She goes from uptight bureaucrat to take charge action lady. Everybody else, including Chris Pratt's Owen are pretty much who they are at the start of the movie. The two boys in the movie are largely just plot devices. Apologies but their names escape me and I really don't care enough to look them up. They're there so that Claire and Owen have something to go after while the rest of the cast keeps screwing up the situation so it only gets worse. That way our heroes can dodge the responsibility of all the tourists that are eaten by the dinosaurs.<br />
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Speaking of Claire, Owen, and all of the tourist eating, there was a pretty cool scene in the movie that completely flipped the standard gender roles in an action movie cliche that made me smile. Normally there's a damsel in distress and the big hero swoops in, saves her, and the damsel basically throws herself at the hero and kisses him. It's the big moment where their relationship is cemented. Well that happens exactly but it's Owen that is the damsel and Claire that is the hero. I found that to be a nice bit of subversion. Especially in light of this <a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/news/joss-whedon-jurassic-world-sexist-tweet-1201472164/" target="_blank">brouhaha</a> from a week or two ago.<br />
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There is an attempt to give the two boys an arc but it fails completely. There's two or three lines about how their parents are probably getting divorced and that greatly upsets the younger of the two brothers. This divorce plot is promptly never mentioned again. I suppose it's there to get us to care about them but they are children. Put kids in danger and we'll care. The fact that they're kids is enough.<br />
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There was some stuff with the dinosaurs themselves that didn't make much sense, certain cross-species alliances seemed forced. And I'm not talking about Owen being the alpha in a pack of raptors. That was done superbly well and hands down the best aspect of the movie. I'm more or less talking about <b>(SPOILERS) </b>Blue the Raptor and the T-Rex HAVING A CONVERSATION as if they're saying, "Sweet moves back there, sister. But I gotta split. My pack is dead except for Star-Lord over there and he's still tight with a raccoon. Lame-ass." "Ain't nothing but a g-thang, killa. But if I see your ass again Imma eat it." "Aight. Peace out." <b>(END SPOILERS.) </b>It goes back to my initial impression of the movie. This overall story direction had the same logic of a kid smashing action figures together.<br />
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But, even after a day or two of thought, the movie still gets away with it because it was just so damn cool and fun. Watch it you haven't seen it yet.<br />
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If you liked my review please share it. If you'd like to converse leave me a comment or get to me on twitter @MisterFroggie. This is a new format of review for me so constructive feedback of any kind would be greatly appreciated.MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-22414287696053891662015-06-06T19:52:00.000-04:002015-06-07T13:26:15.314-04:00Saturday Previews Vol. 1<i>Welcome to Saturday Previews where I take most of the trailers that dropped during the week and present them for your viewing pleasure. Read my thoughts on them if you're into that sort of thing. Or just watch the trailers.</i><br />
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<i><b>The Perfect Guy</b></i></div>
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I wondered for about five seconds where this movie was going until the redneck came up to Sanaa Lathan's car. I actually went, "Ah. Alright. One of those." Then I watched the rest of the movie because it's one of <b>those</b> trailers. I'm sure it'll be... fine. I like Michael Ealy and it's cool to see him branch out into full sociopath like this. But again, I just watched the entire movie for free in two minutes.<br />
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<i><b>The Walk</b></i><br />
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Well it's another trailer where the whole movie is in it. I know that seems to be the trend for modern trailers but it doesn't make it any less... disappointing. It's a biographical film so JGL has put on his super serious Acting hat on with makeup, new haircut, and an accent that ain't too bad. This movie catches my interest just to see it on the big screen for the spectacle. But different from most spectacle movies it's not shit blowing up but just REALLY high off the ground with impressive camera shots.<br />
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<i><b>Bound to Vengeance </b></i><br />
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Director: We're going to tell a tale where a victimized girl empowers herself and unleashes hell upon this monster of a man who has kidnapped her and several other women.<br />
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Craft Services Guy: But he didn't keep them all in the same place? And wouldn't the smart thing would be to call the police as soon as she's free? Doesn't the fact she doesn't just do that make her an idiot rather than empower her?<br />
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Director:... You're fired.<br />
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<i><b>99 Homes</b></i><br />
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If you havin' bank problems I feel bad for you son. I got 99 homes but Spidey's ain't one. Interesting premise and I think it'll all be worth it if Andrew Garfield's character doesn't "find a way out" of the morally corrupt situation he's in and just embraces being a bag of feces for a living. God bless America.<br />
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<i><b>Everest</b></i><br />
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That's a really good cast. It's going to be fun watching the movie and trying to guess the order they all die in.<br />
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...What?<br />
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<i><b>Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation</b></i><br />
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Well it does look good. We all know everyone is going to see it and probably enjoy it as a good ol' popcorn flick. But there's two things going against it. One: No Paula Patton. I feel that's all that needs to be said about that one. Second: The IMF have been blacklisted and the team is on the run. Again. C'mon, people. That plot is getting a smidge old don't you think?<br />
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<i><b>Bridge of Spies</b></i><br />
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Shut up you'll watch it. Or at least you say you will but then you probably won't. Then it'll get a ton of awards or at least nominated for a bunch. Then you'll watch it on Redbox or Netflix. Spielberg and Hanks teamed up is like going to that classy restaurant in town with the cloth napkins. You know the meal will be good but you expect it to be good.<br />
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<i><b>Extinction</b></i><br />
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Me: Hey you see they just added this movie <i>Extinction</i> to Netflix? Got Jack from <i>Lost</i> and Michael from <i>Burn Notice</i> in it. Wanna watch it? It's got ice zombies.<br />
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My Buddy: Eh.<br />
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Me: I'll bring the beer.<br />
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My Buddy: Okay.<br />
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<i><b>Z For Zachariah</b></i><br />
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This movie will live and die by the performances of the cast. It's got Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris Pine. Very good cast of young actors. We'll have to see if the writing is good. Personally I'm rooting for Ejiofor to get Robbie because if I was living alone with Margot Robbie in paradise and friggin' Captain Kirk showed up to move in I would probably cry.<br />
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<i><b>The Good Dinosaur</b></i><br />
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No, Pixar. No. You're not going to trick me. The end of the movie is going to be the <b>real </b>asteroid hitting the planet and wiping everything out and I'm going to <strike>cry harder than when I did while watching <i>Up</i> and dammit I'm crying just thinking about it</strike> watch it with rock solid stoicism like a man.<br />
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As always, share if you like and hit me up on twitter @MisterFroggie.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-40433870822559754992015-06-03T13:39:00.002-04:002015-06-07T13:00:37.641-04:00The Rewriting: Wolverine joins the Marvel Universe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The Rewriting: Taking a narrative from a film, TV show, video game or what have you and making it something different than what it was to improve it or just for giggles.</i><br />
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Next summer Spider-Man will (likely) be making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in <i>Captain America: Civil War</i> which marks the end of Sony's exclusivity over the character. Up until now Marvel Studios has not had the film rights to Spider-Man, the X-Men, or the Fantastic Four. To make it brief I will oversimplify why this was done. In the 1990's these film rights were sold off because Marvel was in a bit of financial trouble. At the time they basically sold the rights off to all of their most popular characters, which funny enough, was basically everyone but The Avengers. So Sony got Spider-Man, Fox got the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Daredevil (the latter would eventually find his way home.) Now the film deals work like this, the studios <b>must </b>make and release a movie in those respective franchises every few years or the rights revert themselves back to Marvel. This is what happened with Daredevil and the Punisher.<br />
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But in the case of Spider-Man a deal was struck where Sony and Marvel Studios could "share" the character. Basically Marvel helps Sony make the movies creatively and financially while Marvel gets to use one of their most popular characters in their Avengers franchise. Sony went for the deal mostly because they had little choice. The <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> movies did well financially but critically they were a mixed bag and the box office profits had been dropping for three movies. Tying Spider-Man to the Avengers and starting over again is the booster shot the movie franchise needs to move forward.<br />
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So what the hell does any of this has to do with Wolverine? Nothing much really, this is all just background info for a hypothetical situation where a similar deal is struck in the imaginary universe in my head with everyone's favorite Canadian superhero. Essentially Marvel is not going to get the film rights to the X-Men back from Fox any time soon. That franchise is doing just fine and has had new life breathed into it by <i>X-Men: First Class</i> and <i>X-Men: Days of Future Past</i>. But let's suppose for a moment that Fox let Marvel use Wolverine and an X-Men character or two in their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU.) How would that work?<br />
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<b>The Problem: </b>Marvel can't really use the concept of mutants as it exists in the X-Men movies. For one, the concept barely holds together in the comics if you take a magnifying glass to it for too long. Basically the whole deal is that the general public doesn't understand or outright hates these people born with powers. As we all know it's a super powered stand in for a civil rights movement. But apparently the general public doesn't have any problems with Captain America, or Thor, or Vision, or the Fantastic Four or any of the other non-mutant heroes having civil rights. Not only that but for the most part they are adored by the public and various governments as heroes. But if you're a mutant you're a freak and deserve nothing. That doesn't make much sense according to the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkCwFkOZoOY" target="_blank"> Agent K principle</a>. The general populace, especially those prone to prejudice, are not going to differentiate between mutant and super powered human. But it gets worse when you think that while this civil rights movement is going on all of Marvel's other heroes are just kind of going about their day not paying much attention to it or if they are they are paying lip service to it. The latter is the bigger problem as it comes to the MCU. At this point there is no way the very concept of mutants would not have come up within any of the films at all so late in the game. Also: in universe, super powered beings are new on the scene so the idea that Xavier and Magneto have been very publicly fighting for mutant rights since the 60's doesn't work.<br />
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So how do you get Wolverine in the MCU? You do what they did with Wanda and Pietro, don't make him a mutant. Make him just the product of science gone wrong during the Weapon X Program.<br />
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<b>The Proposal:</b> A few years ago there was a Wolverine series called <i>Wolverine Weapon X</i> by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney<i>. </i>The first volume of which was called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wolverine-Weapon-Vol-Adamantium-Men/dp/0785141111" target="_blank">The Adamantium Men</a></i> where Wolverine discovers that somebody got a hold of the old Weapon X files on him and created a number of soldiers with his powers. Basically they accomplished what Weapon X could not: make some nasty guys to do nasty things. The story follows Wolverine, along with another former Weapon Xer Maverick, and investigative journalist Melita Garner as they attempt to discover who is behind everything, destroy the files, and take down these bloodthirsty mercenaries while doing it. In terms of tone is has a very "Bourne Identity" vibe to it which would fit right along nicely with what Marvel did in <i>Captain America: The Winter Soldier</i>. There's a lot of stuff about privatized military contracts and the like. It's a very well written work because it takes the concept of Wolverine and Weapon X and spins it in a 21st Century way. It also works as an origin story for Logan without jettisoning the characters history wholesale. Old fans and new fans alike can read and understand everything. I think this would be the story to adapt into the MCU. But <i>not</i> as a film. As a Netflix series like <i>Daredevil</i>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QYv0nAJpIuc/VW853xCBTTI/AAAAAAAACo4/9gt3Ln50Vbs/s1600/maverick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QYv0nAJpIuc/VW853xCBTTI/AAAAAAAACo4/9gt3Ln50Vbs/s200/maverick.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maverick, Art by Ron Garney</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JItEq7nrBOA/VW855vAnH-I/AAAAAAAACpA/vOeRcZOoHnI/s1600/melita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JItEq7nrBOA/VW855vAnH-I/AAAAAAAACpA/vOeRcZOoHnI/s200/melita.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melita, Art by Ron Garney</td></tr>
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Basically you start with the basic concept of Logan as he was in the first X-Men movie, an amnesiac with weird powers just keeping his head down. In the comic he happens to be in the same subway car with Melita when a couple of idiots try to mug them. Logan quite literally shoves one of their guns up their asses and leaves with Melita following him begging Logan to tell her more about himself. Logan basically says bugger off and loses her. Not long afterward Logan runs into Maverick who wants his help. In the comic, Logan knows Maverick, but for the purposes of this show he doesn't as this is a Logan that's starting "fresh." Maverick knows Logan as an old teammate from the Weapon X days but unfortunately can't help Logan with filling in his memory because they weren't exactly chummy. Maverick can only tell him about the parts of Logan's life he was there for. Maverick left the program shortly after Logan got his claws and has been a hired gun ever since. But he's run across a new operative or two with healing factors, enhanced senses, and the iconic three claws that Logan has in each arm. They're being used for political hits as well as assassinations of seemingly ordinary people. Maverick knows the files got out and he wants to stop them. At the same time he needs help, so he goes to the only other ex-Weapon Xer that's still breathing. Logan. Logan initially brushes him off but eventually decides to help stop what's happening. Maybe he can even find some information on his past along the way and save another unwilling soul the pain and agony of what he went through.<br />
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Along the way, Melita starts getting anonymous clues as to who and what Logan is. She begins to dig deeper into the Weapon X program.<br />
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Logan and Maverick's alliance see them breaking into government facilities as well as protecting people on the "adamantium men's" hit list. Logan assumes that they are not only unwilling participants but there are only one or two guys running around. Three at maximum.<br />
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Well about that...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8CS3xkQH7g/VW8j5a428qI/AAAAAAAACnA/okT6uQ7j9Ec/s1600/well.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8CS3xkQH7g/VW8j5a428qI/AAAAAAAACnA/okT6uQ7j9Ec/s640/well.jpg" width="419" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by Ron Garney</td></tr>
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These guys are not nice and they signed up for it. So much for "saving" them.<br />
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Along the way, Logan learns more about the process of what was done to him as well as the type of man he was before he lost his memory. Surprise, surprise, he wasn't a nice guy either. He signed up for it too and also did some nasty things. But after Logan got his claws he went berserk, killed nearly everyone in the facility and escaped into the Canadian wilderness with no memory and has been laying low for the past ten years. So after learning about his past Logan now has to deal with the person he was and become the person he wants to be to make up for past sins.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gHB8kuZVsY/VW8sr2qmLYI/AAAAAAAACoI/PJnQia7zY6c/s1600/klein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gHB8kuZVsY/VW8sr2qmLYI/AAAAAAAACoI/PJnQia7zY6c/s200/klein.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Klein, Art by Ron Garney</td></tr>
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Which kind of contrasts with the main antagonist for Logan and the lead commander of the commandos. His name is simply Klein and he's a professional. He has his own code of honor that involves doing the mission and following orders but at the same time not involving bystanders in the carnage nor does he take pleasure in the bloodbaths. This contrasts with Logan's previous self who didn't much have a code. One of the best moments of the comic comes when Logan and Klein are cutting chunks off each other in the street in broad daylight and both notice that there is a school bus full of kids watching them. Without a word both men stop and sheathe their claws. They walk down the street to an alley to finish their business away from the children's eyes. On the way they exchange words of how Klein saw Logan in action once and decided he wanted to become better than him. Then when they reach the alley they resume their fight with more respectful banter knowing full well only one of them will live to see tomorrow.<br />
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Also during the investigation Logan and Maverick come across Hank McCoy aka Beast. Now in the Marvel comics Beast plays no part in the story line and is most definitely not a veteran of Weapon X. I think it would be worth adding him to the cast and the MCU. Unlike his portrayals in the movies he's a rather jolly guy and was a prominent member of the Avengers some years ago. For the purposes of this series Hank's bouncy quips would be a welcome refresher with all the doom and gloom going on in the main narrative. It would also be neat to see this character step up and join the Avengers on the big screen. He's got a real good rapport with the team as seen in the recently released <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Rage-Ultron-Rick-Remender/dp/0785190406" target="_blank">Avengers: Rage of Ultron</a>. </i></div>
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Here's a quick sample.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rFrEzhTMh3c/VW8nowADpBI/AAAAAAAACns/YXok6jpsZ-w/s1600/Rage%2B%25288%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="546" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rFrEzhTMh3c/VW8nowADpBI/AAAAAAAACns/YXok6jpsZ-w/s640/Rage%2B%25288%2529.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by Jerome Opena</td></tr>
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Making fun of Hawkeye? Of course he fits right in.<br />
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But while I believe this is the version of Hank to build towards, he's not going to start this way. He's going to be the son of one of the scientists that worked for Weapon X and his condition is a result of his father testing a serum on him when he was a boy. He's a bit bent out of shape about it but masks it behind jokes and smiles. I envision him joining the "team" halfway through the series.<br />
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Fast forward a bit...<br />
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Eventually the big bad privatized military corporation is brought down and Melita's investigation exposes them to the world. While throughout the series it was strongly hinted Maverick was her source. It became all but clear when Maverick intervened and saved her from some local hit man tried to kill her one night. But as a twist it's revealed it was Logan tipping her off. He wanted insurance in case they failed that at least someone could get the word out about Weapon X.<br />
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As for who leaked the files to the corporation in the first place... well it was Hank. Hank had hit a low point in his life much like Bruce Banner, but unlike Bruce, Hank can't pass for normal under any circumstances. Hank was desperate for a cure and when some men in suits tracked him down, promised him a cure for the small favor of his father's hard drive it was an easy choice. But Logan can't hold it against him and the final perpetrator of the whole thing isn't killed for his crimes because he was just as much a victim as any of them.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fm-HObtPbt8/VW8ye3VNQzI/AAAAAAAACoc/shefziLVizw/s1600/logan%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fm-HObtPbt8/VW8ye3VNQzI/AAAAAAAACoc/shefziLVizw/s320/logan%2B2.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<b>The Future:</b> Logan, Maverick, and Hank made a bit too much noise to go unnoticed by S.H.I.E.L.D and other organizations, not to mention the report Melita has filed. So one night Logan is approached by Nick Fury. He can make a lot of the attention go away but in return the trio will work for him. Not for S.H.I.E.L.D, but for Fury. Fury wants an "off the books" team to do some things and go places S.H.I.E.L.D can't go. Namely Weapon X wasn't the only organization with dubious ethics making super soldiers. There's more out there that need to be stopped and The Avengers are too public to get their hands dirty in this sort of thing. So that's where this "team" comes in. From here you can spin off into a new Netflix series or a movie. Either way, Logan and Fury end up butting heads over the philosophy of the team as Fury is basically black mailing them into doing Fury's wet work.<br />
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So yeah, what do you folks think about my idea? Do you think it could work? What other characters you think could be brought over from the X-Men into this world of non-mutants? Off the top of my head I wouldn't put any more than three more: Magneto (his powers the result of Nazi experimentation,) Psylocke (a psychic ninja that used to be a S.H.I.E.L.D Agent,) and Deadpool (because Deadpool). But that's a whole other story for another day.<br />
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As always you can find me on twitter @MisterFroggie and if you liked this article please share it.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572703488103737722.post-38701630097174614742015-06-02T13:12:00.000-04:002015-06-07T12:58:17.658-04:00Old Blog, New Start<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Internet Peoples,<br />
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Hey it's been a while. I'm hoping you <strike>didn't forget about me</strike> completely forgot about me. I'm pretty sure you did because my email ain't exactly overflowing with messages clamoring for my return.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14a2ndCZFOo/VWdtWWHzHMI/AAAAAAAACl0/vk8uE3cfMZQ/s1600/ANUSTART.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14a2ndCZFOo/VWdtWWHzHMI/AAAAAAAACl0/vk8uE3cfMZQ/s320/ANUSTART.png" width="320" /></a>Well whether we wanted it or not I'm back to dust the cobwebs off this old blog of mine with anustart (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdhvw9rj3Dw" target="_blank">TOPICAL</a>.) I've taken a step back and worked out exactly what you're going to find on this site. I think. Maybe. We'll see.</div>
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*cries into napkin out of crushing indecision*</div>
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I'll make this brief. This is an entertainment blog that's going to cover a lot of different mediums. Before I tried to focus on movies but occasionally rambled on about whatever was on my mind. So from the outset I've decided to make this place a bit of both. Here's some reoccurring columns and other stuff you're going to find on this site.<br />
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Old News/ New Thoughts: Op/Ed pieces on whatever the hell I want to talk about. Whether it be a video game that came out a few years ago or a viral YouTube video that's been up for an hour.</div>
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Friday Night vs Monday Morning: Every movie review I write for new releases is going to be a bit different. At the moment I don't have access to pre-screenings. Basically I'll write one up right after I see the film. Then I'll write another one on Monday after I've had a day or two to let my thoughts simmer for a bit. I think it'll be interesting and entertaining to see the differences. The format may fluctuate for this one depending on how things go.</div>
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Netflix Roulette: Every get stuck browsing Netflix longer than actually picking and watching a movie? Everybody on this Earth has that problem. So I'm going to let this <a href="http://netflixroulette.net/" target="_blank">wonderful site</a> pick a movie for me and no matter what it gives me I'm going to watch it and you're going to share in my <strike>misery</strike> excitement. I have the following guidelines for this, Rule Numero Uno- It has to be a movie that is not well known or something I've never heard of. Rule Numero Secondo- I get one pass to spin the wheel again if I don't like what I see. Occasionally I'll have a special guest to suffer with me. </div>
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Trailer Round-Up: Trailers for movies come out every day. Big trailers, small trailers, medium size trailers with just enough of a low ceiling to annoy tall people like me but not enough to justify ducking. Using the magic of YouTube I will bring these trailers to your door and share my thoughts if these movies are worth looking into.</div>
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Rewrites: Now this one I'm excited about. You ever see a movie, read a book, or play a game and think, "I could make that better," then you talk to your friends about it and while their eyes glaze over and after sounds stop coming form your mouth they suggest which pizza place to go to? Happens to me all the time. So occasionally I'm going to revisit a narrative and share how I think a particular story could be improved upon or done completely differently. <i>Star Wars</i> for example *dodges tomatoes.*</div>
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There's that and I got some other stuff <strike>spoiling in the fridge</strike> simmering in the pot that I'm saving for later.</div>
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Well I'm happy this talk has gone so well and look forward to discussing stuff with you-- wait you're already sleeping aren't you? Dammit, Dante.</div>
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Want to drop me a line? Hit me up on the twitter @MisterFroggie.</div>
MisterFroggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10415736150643434445noreply@blogger.com0