Category Archives: Television / Movies

More of what everyone is talking about…

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I was excited. I’m still a little excited… but it’s dulled now.

Spent some time with Disney+ last night. Guess what you can’t binge? That’s right – they’re not dropping the Mandelorian all at once, they’re spacing it out and dropping one episode at a time.

I watched the first one. It’s good. It’s the Star Wars Universe. SPOILER ALERT – there are storm troopers in there too. As I was watching the show I caught a couple of very disturbing things. Things that make me question certain aspects of the show – and exactly how appropriate it is for kids.

IF you don’t want spoilers, turn away now.

There’s a scene in one of the bars where a fight breaks out ~ like it would in any movie frontier situation. Then one of the individuals involved in the fight gets cut in half. Yes, they allowed that to happen mostly off screen, but it was pretty clear what went down. Episode 1, right off the bat. Dude was cut in half by one of those iris doors. I suppose all the safety measures had been removed because frontier or something. I guess if it’s mostly off screen that’s fine.

The part that really bothered me was a passing little piece in the market. You remember this guy from Jabba’s place?

Salacious B. Crumb

They’ve got one of them in a cage in the market… watching another one of their race being cooked on a spit. A sentient creature – able to express emotion – being cooked on a spit in front of another of it’s race. I’m not sure I’m OK with that. I need to give it some real consideration.

Other people are far less circumspect. There has been a ripple of backlash against Disney and how… dominating? overpowering? destructive? they’ve been in the entertainment industry for a very long time. IF you get a chance you should check out this article in Variety about the warnings that are popping up on some of the cartoons / movies they’re playing on their channel.

I have to agree that the folks at the WB seem to have handled that a lot better. I wonder what their thoughts are on sentient being rotisserie as torture…

Disney +

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It started yesterday. I went out and pulled the new Roku streaming channel and signed in. It was actually really simple. My house now has Disney+, the new streaming service.

Let’s be honest, this was the biggest draw for me:

Binge!

Then I started scrolling through all the choices available on the channel. Two things became apparent right away… first – Disney owns a HUGE amount of entertainment. Second, we’ve seen a HUGE amount of what they have to offer.

We immediately fell down the rabbit hole so to speak (there are 2 versions of Alice In Wonderland on there). We looked at a number of the Pixar short films right away. Some we remembered, some we didn’t, some we couldn’t say we’d ever seen. IF we had started the channel on a weekend I think we’d still be sitting there.

There were two disappointing things. First – the short film that I presume accompanies Toy Story 4 is on there, but the film is not. I don’t know how the powers that be determine when stuff goes to streaming – but having one and not the other seemed odd. Second – I thought that ESPN+ and HULU were part of the package when I signed up. That is not the case. If I want those things, they cost extra.

I have a feeling that we’ll be spending a disproportionate amount of time on this channel in the very near future… and I can’t wait to binge the Mandalorian!

Disney+

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I did it. A few weeks ago I saw an article talking about Disney+, the next big streaming service that was coming out. I had heard rumors of it for quite a while, but figured I’d wait and see if anything actually came of all the noise. Something DID come of all the noise, and when I looked at the absolutely massive offering from all the things Disney now owns I had to check it out.

The article sent me to a link, the link made an offer. It was one I couldn’t refuse.

What a collection, just on the front images, right?

I actually paid for 2 years up front to receive some kind of crazy discount thing. I did it. Anyone that’s read here for some time will realize that I’m not usually an early adopter of this sort of thing. In this case, I couldn’t resist.

I’m hopeful that it will be worth the investment for more than just the collection of things I’ve seen before, but given my past experiences with Disney if there’s one thing they DO know how to do it’s entertain.

I really can’t wait…

Far From Home

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Non spoiler review of the movie right here

The family and I went to see Far From Home on this opening weekend. I’m going to hit potential spoiler stuff in here. I’ll try to avoid it, but if you don’t want spoilers you should see the movie before you read my review.

Going to see this movie felt different than other super hero movies since Endgame did what it did. This movie had a lot of ground to cover that wasn’t about Spiderman at all. In the end, it did exactly what it needed to do in that department. There was an explanation of why after 5 years these kids were still in school. There was (albeit brief) discussion of what happened when people “blipped” and found the world they returned to completely changed. It was a good thing to see these questions addressed.

It was also interesting to see the film makers continue to use “what people will believe” in the story line. It maintains all the crazy that has gone before and uses that to advantage in pushing this story forward.

Not being someone who read the comics or watched a great deal of preview stuff worked to my advantage on this film. I didn’t know Mysterio or anything about that character other than a vague recollection of a cartoon involving him in the distant past. I was able to take what was given and just enjoy the ride. I didn’t think too hard about it, and was able to be surprised at little turns the film took.

The biggest thing I can’t say I enjoyed landed right at the end in the first post credits scene. The bad guy pulls something off that did NOT sit well with me. It’s exactly the sort of thing that shows how well a character is written ~ because I loathed that it happened and wrecked the happy ending. I like heroic movies with happy endings and this dug under my skin. I could have done without it at all and been much happier.

IF you’re invested in the MCU, this movie definitely continues that work. IF you’re not, this is still a decent Spiderman movie, but you’ll miss a huge amount of the emotional impact without some background. I hope they get as many of these movies filmed as they can before Tom Holland moves on. I’m now impatiently waiting for the next one…

Here are two spoiler filled links about things to love and lingering questions.

Endgame – Part II

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I recently posted about a small moment in the juggernaut movie that is “Endgame” that my daughter related to.

I was not the only one that noticed this scene. Others were not impressed but did not have the same perspective I did. While my post has one specific spoiler moment, these posts have many. In my last post I was not trying to claim victory for the MCU. They’re a business (stupidly successful) and will do what makes money. IF they’re as smart as this long movie arc says they are, you’ll see more and better.

Given how politics have played out recently, I know we need more attention to this sort of thing. We MUST do better. I think we will. For my daughter’s sake, I hope we do.

Tor – long way to go for women:  https://www.tor.com/2019/04/29/avengers-endgame-shows-us-a-universe-that-still-cant-do-right-by-women/

io9 – deserved more:  https://io9.gizmodo.com/avengers-endgames-women-deserved-more-1834388344

Endgame

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Fierce

There are a lot of reviews out there for Endgame. There are vast numbers of opinions about the movie. I’m not going to dig into plot holes. I’m not interested in dissecting the merits of this giant movie on the basis of critical storytelling or decry a movie that will clearly crush all records.

This was more than a movie. This was an event. This lands in the same place as Harry Potter premiers. It was more than that even – the last time I genuinely recall people clapping and cheering and openly weeping in a theater like this was WAY back when I went to see Rocky IV in the theater. There were huge lines and nobody was arguing or pushing or being rude – we were all desperate to see the story. Where were we going? Who was going along for the ride? We sat in the aisles and nobody cared, it was just about packing in everyone to see the event.

I WILL PUT SPOILER MATERIAL IN HERE – TURN AWAY NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE IT.

What I am going to talk about is something very specific. During the huge battle between Thanos with all his forces and the Avengers with all the people they “snapped” back into existence – there is one particular scene where a large number (all?) of the female characters on the Avengers side of the battle stepping up into the heroic line up pose – you know the one, where they’re all shoulder to shoulder with the wind blowing their hair while they look fierce – they pose, they say something to the effect of, “she won’t be alone” and then they go and kick ass.

It’s a super contrived moment. It actively pulled me out of the battle scene. I found it startling that they would do something so completely… I want to call it pandering. I do. That’s a strong word, but I’m not feeling too generous right now. That bit stands out to me as a blatant money grubbing, make people happy because we think this is what they want kind of nonsense that turns me off to films.

BUT

You know who that moment wasn’t for? It wasn’t for me. Just like when I talked about Black Panther not being a film that was directed at me. I am not the demographic they’re looking for. The big Jedi mind trick right here. This is not the moment you were looking for… It was NOT for me.

Who was it for? It was for my 14 year old daughter. My amazing, wonderful, fierce daughter who has not spent years being jaded by shabby story telling or dissecting plot lines looking for weakness. Guess what happened when she saw that scene? She clapped and cheered and whooped like I have not seen her do before. THAT was the target demographic. She was the one meant to see that scene, just like thousands and thousands of other amazing young women out there that have somebody on screen that is like them. They have heros now. I believe this will be a film, and a particular scene that will stay with my daughter for a very long time and that alone makes the entire thing worth while. She is going to have so many worlds filled with imagination and stunning stories to take with her as she grows and ventures out into the world.

I hope she keeps that moment. I hope it gets stuck in her head and gives her a place to go when the world becomes its shitty self and I can’t shelter her. I hope she has some joy and tears and fun that was the event of going to see Endgame.

That would make it all worth it.

Just to avoid ending on a completely serious note – there was one other thing about this movie that I am really happy about. One blonde wig, one pair of sunglasses and one bathrobe and I can totally cosplay Thor now.

Nerd Pub and Robots

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Last week I had the opportunity to sit and chat with fellow fans on a YouTube show called Nerd Pub. Being on the show was a very interesting experience. I don’t think I’m cut out for video. As slow as I am with writing, I still think it’s a better place for me to express opinions. If you have some time on your hands you should head over to their channel and subscribe (click here).

Let’s drop fuel into a vat of acid and chat…

One of the things we chatted about was the Netflix show “Love Death + Robots”. This is a series of animated stories based around that theme. I recommend this, there are some good stories and amazing artwork. I was blown away by the art of these shows. There was more than one time while watching that I forgot I was watching animation. It’s that good. Be prepared – these are violent, sexual and graphic. They do not shy away from any of it.

The stories you say? Sort of an ‘oh by the way…’ moment on that one. One of my favorite stories was ‘Lucky 13’ by Marko Kloos. It’s edge of your seat military science fiction action combined with love and superstition. Great stuff.

I’ve read may of the other authors work as well. You’ll find Ken Liu, Joe Landsale, John Scalzi, Peter F. Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds and others. For anyone that hasn’t read their longer fiction – you should. Go find them. A number of these short stories are also available on line for free.

We talked some on the video about this being the next ‘Heavy Metal’. I understand why people would want to give this new series that title, but this is an anthology. There is no Loc-nar to follow through each story. There is no connective tissue between the stories. It is easily on the same graphic / sexual level but it’s just not quite the same. I’m willing to call it ‘inspired by’ or ‘in the tradition of’, but I am not ready to give it the crown yet. Give it longer than a month before we declare it the next coming.

While we’re giving things, let’s hope that Netflix digs up another set of stories and gives us another series of animated stories like this. I’d watch every single one.

Captain Marvel

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I wrote a review last year about Black Panther and said that it wasn’t for me. I didn’t mean that I didn’t like it, I meant that the representation of the film and the story was not aimed at me. I was not the demographic that film was intended to hit. Some people didn’t understand what I was saying and thought I didn’t like the movie. I do like it.

Why did I put all this about Black Panther up front?

WOW!


Once again I am NOT the target demographic of a super hero film. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that my daughter IS the target and that we got to go and see this movie together. I think this kind of hero is exactly what my daughter should be looking for in a film. If you’ve seen the trailers, you see the part where this woman gets knocked down but keeps getting back up. That alone makes it worth while to me. A good story and crazy good special effects AND tying in to the MCU? Bonus.

I have read / heard about some people attempting to bring this movie down because it was featuring / lead by a woman. That is one of the single worst statements on Fandom today. I’ve written about it here before so I won’t digress into all that. You know what? I LOVE that this movie is not aimed at me. It was super. It was fun. It was heroic ~ and exactly the sort of thing that would have fired my imagination for a long, long time as a kid. I am considering taking my daughter to see this movie again. We will own it and likely shelve it right next to Wonder Woman. I hope we rewatch it many times.

If you get the chance, see this film.

The Kid Who Made No Money

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I took the family to see a movie. There are lots of movies coming out – and a lot of really good stuff to see. We went to see “The Kid Who Would Be King”. Yes, it’s a retelling of the Arthurian legend BUT it was new, it had at least one amazing actor and had enough of a budget to have really good special effects.

Guess what?

It bombed at the box office. It makes me more than a little sad to think that once again, just like Mortal Engines a movie that was not tied to a massive franchise, wasn’t a sequel and wasn’t a direct remake of something we’ve seen in our time dismally failed at the box office. I still hear people complain about movies and the lack of enjoyable new stuff that Hollyweird produces and yet once again there was a complete failure to show movie types that’s what anyone actually wants (by going to see a good film!).

IF you have a kiddo around the 10 – 14 year old range OR you just love movies aimed right at that age group you should definitely check this film out. It was a fun retelling of the King Arthur legend and had the bonus of giving some total ‘gross out’ information that turns out to be quite real (Merlin’s diet info is REAL)!

Mortal Engines

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People have a lot to say about what the movie industry has to offer these days. Most of the time what I hear is, “Hollywood is out of new ideas…” in some form or variation. I will split semantics on this one. I am slowly coming to believe that they’re not out of ideas at all. They’ve got lots of ideas, just nobody with the guts to put something new out there. IF by some crazy chance somebody manages to push through an original and interesting idea that gets made into an actual feature film, the marketing team has no idea what to do with it. They attempt to cram it into a box and force it to fit some concept of ‘what will sell’ that may or may not actually have anything to do with the movie.

I believe that last bit is what happened to the film Mortal Engines. The movie is based on the book of the same title by Philip Reeve. I read the book back in 2009. That was actually before I started posting my book reviews here but those old words are still hanging around on Goodreads. I was excited to see this film in theaters. It’s new. It’s not a sequel. It’s not a remake. It’s NEW!

When I saw the box office results I was very disappointed. For all the people out there that clamor constantly for something new and different this was a staggeringly poor turnout.

 “…second straight flop for Universal… following “Mortal Engines. That $100 million film debuted last weekend with $7.5 million film in ticket sales.”

That’s dismal. I’m not in the industry and even I see that as dismal. On paper this movie had everything going for it. One of may favorite directors was on board (I’m trying to look past the Hobbit fiasco). Great actors were involved. There’s action, there’s a revenge plot, there’s romance. The characters are diverse. There were so many good things…

I’m not sure why it hasn’t been more successful. The visuals and special effects were excellent. The acting was good. I enjoyed it. I will buy the DVD when it comes out. I think it’s a movie that is worth seeing – above and beyond the simple fact that something new needed to be supported so that the people funding films put more new things out. The only thing this will do is push the number crunchers back to Dukes of Hazard 3 Accessible Parking and that is just depressing.

I put this movie directly into the same category as Jon Carter of Mars. That movie should have been a big box office hit with multiple stories to follow up and the people selling it just couldn’t figure out how to get it to you. Mortal Engines is a good film and if you get the chance to catch it you should.