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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Avengers (2012) in Movies
Mar 9, 2019 (Updated Jun 20, 2019)
A Blast
I remember the trepidation of going to see Marvel’s The Avengers. Could they really pull a team-up like this off? Could the whole really be a sum of some awesome parts? I wasn’t sure. That trepidation turned into utter lack of interest. X-Men: The Last Stand left a bad taste in my mouth, but the Avengers crew was regaining my interest in the superhero world movie by movie. Good thing I gave the movie a chance because I ended up having the time of my life.
In Marvel’s The Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes take on the evil Loki who is hell-bent on world domination.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
The gang’s all here and what a gang. I appreciate that each of these superheroes are battling their own inner demons which affects how their characters interact with the other heroes. it’s what makes them a good team. They come to understand each other’s dysfunctions and deal with it. This is the first movie where you start to see the team use their strengths in tandem and work together as a team. Their initial lack of chemistry is hilarious to watch as they are forced into a unit.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Genre: 10
Bringing all these characters on the big screen at once was a monumental accomplishment. It was a risk that paid off. A damn good movie was made here and deserves a ton of credit for setting a standard in the way superhero movies should be done.
Memorability: 10
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
The story weaves together the backstories of the other characters in seamless fashion. While there aren’t many twists and turns to throw you off or keep you guessing, I would also argue that twists weren’t necessary for a film like this. Tell the story you need to tell and if we can see some awesome superpowered battles along the way, great! Job well done here.
Resolution: 10
Solid ending capped off with some fun end-credit scenes that pave the way for films to come. The entire movie is meant to entertain and I was happy that they finished strong. It’s a capper that leaves you wanting to see these guys team up again.
Overall: 100
Seven years later and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still going as strong as ever. I’m going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow, a film that wouldn’t even be possible without the success of The Avengers and other lesser-known properties like Guardians of the Galaxy. Seven years later and this movie still never ceases to excite me and make me laugh at the same time.
In Marvel’s The Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes take on the evil Loki who is hell-bent on world domination.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
The gang’s all here and what a gang. I appreciate that each of these superheroes are battling their own inner demons which affects how their characters interact with the other heroes. it’s what makes them a good team. They come to understand each other’s dysfunctions and deal with it. This is the first movie where you start to see the team use their strengths in tandem and work together as a team. Their initial lack of chemistry is hilarious to watch as they are forced into a unit.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Genre: 10
Bringing all these characters on the big screen at once was a monumental accomplishment. It was a risk that paid off. A damn good movie was made here and deserves a ton of credit for setting a standard in the way superhero movies should be done.
Memorability: 10
Pace: 10
Plot: 10
The story weaves together the backstories of the other characters in seamless fashion. While there aren’t many twists and turns to throw you off or keep you guessing, I would also argue that twists weren’t necessary for a film like this. Tell the story you need to tell and if we can see some awesome superpowered battles along the way, great! Job well done here.
Resolution: 10
Solid ending capped off with some fun end-credit scenes that pave the way for films to come. The entire movie is meant to entertain and I was happy that they finished strong. It’s a capper that leaves you wanting to see these guys team up again.
Overall: 100
Seven years later and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still going as strong as ever. I’m going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow, a film that wouldn’t even be possible without the success of The Avengers and other lesser-known properties like Guardians of the Galaxy. Seven years later and this movie still never ceases to excite me and make me laugh at the same time.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018
Diverse casting (no, seriously.) (6 more)
STRONG WOMEN
Subverting stereotypes all day long
Excellent soundtrack
Ambiguous "villain"
Representation
The seamless blending of tech and tradition
BEST. MARVEL. MOVIE.
Contains spoilers, click to show
OH my god. This was definitely the best Marvel movie yet. Chadwick Boseman was absolutely amazing as T'Challa. (Warning, SPOILERS AHEAD.)
I loved that the love interest was already established - there weren't any "falling in love butterflies" to distract from the plot. SO MANY STRONG WOMEN. All of T'Challa's support were strong, gorgeous women of color. His mother, his sister, his general, his love interest. The female guards. Absolutely fantastic.
The blending of technology and traditions was superbly done. People still tend crops and animals and tan hides and go to the marketplace in Wakanda - but they have vibranium armor and weapons, and technological wonders on their wrists that pop up virtual screens, and their medical care is the best in the world. Oh, and ships. Spaceships, basically.
THE CLOTHES. The dresses, the makeup, the armor, the weapons - the appearance of Wakanda was amazing.
And then the plot. The difference between "Well, we're Wakandan, and we look out for the Wakandan people" and "We should be looking out for ALL of our people (black people all over the world, not just Wakandans.)" That was where the real conflict arose in Black Panther - and it was interesting that the two leads, while opposing each other, actually felt the same about it. Just with different ideas of how to do so. (There's a lot to unpack about why they feel this way - some of it, I think, goes back to African-Americans having their nationalities forcibly stripped from them during the slave trade - so being black is the only thing white people left them with; while non-American Africans have their national identities to look to. So they might be Nigerian or Ethiopian instead of one unified black group. And the opposing lead was brought up in America.)
The differences between how the Wakandans viewed white people, and how the American prince viewed white people, are a very important conflict. You can watch the movie as just another superhero movie, and it'll be good. But watching it looking for the racial undertones makes it absolutely fantastic.
Also - the casting is diverse. Just because it's almost all black people doesn't mean it's not diverse. Again, that's a white American thing, looking at black people as one unified group. They're not. Also how many movies have been almost all white people with a token black guy? People complaining about "lack of diversity" in this movie need to take their white supremacist selves out of the theater and away from this amazing movie.
I loved that the love interest was already established - there weren't any "falling in love butterflies" to distract from the plot. SO MANY STRONG WOMEN. All of T'Challa's support were strong, gorgeous women of color. His mother, his sister, his general, his love interest. The female guards. Absolutely fantastic.
The blending of technology and traditions was superbly done. People still tend crops and animals and tan hides and go to the marketplace in Wakanda - but they have vibranium armor and weapons, and technological wonders on their wrists that pop up virtual screens, and their medical care is the best in the world. Oh, and ships. Spaceships, basically.
THE CLOTHES. The dresses, the makeup, the armor, the weapons - the appearance of Wakanda was amazing.
And then the plot. The difference between "Well, we're Wakandan, and we look out for the Wakandan people" and "We should be looking out for ALL of our people (black people all over the world, not just Wakandans.)" That was where the real conflict arose in Black Panther - and it was interesting that the two leads, while opposing each other, actually felt the same about it. Just with different ideas of how to do so. (There's a lot to unpack about why they feel this way - some of it, I think, goes back to African-Americans having their nationalities forcibly stripped from them during the slave trade - so being black is the only thing white people left them with; while non-American Africans have their national identities to look to. So they might be Nigerian or Ethiopian instead of one unified black group. And the opposing lead was brought up in America.)
The differences between how the Wakandans viewed white people, and how the American prince viewed white people, are a very important conflict. You can watch the movie as just another superhero movie, and it'll be good. But watching it looking for the racial undertones makes it absolutely fantastic.
Also - the casting is diverse. Just because it's almost all black people doesn't mean it's not diverse. Again, that's a white American thing, looking at black people as one unified group. They're not. Also how many movies have been almost all white people with a token black guy? People complaining about "lack of diversity" in this movie need to take their white supremacist selves out of the theater and away from this amazing movie.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Incredible Hulk (2008) in Movies
Feb 11, 2020 (Updated Apr 7, 2020)
The second entry into the ever expanding MCU has it's flaws, but it's still an entertaining enough monster movie featuring one of Marvel Comics most beloved characters.
Edward Norton is a fantastic actor, and his involvement here as Bruce Banner is an inspired choice. It's a shame that behind the scenes politics resulted in him leaving the franchise so soon, even though I love Mark Ruffalo!
He plays Banner as a fairly broody individual, but with an awkward edge, a man who's constantly in fear if what he can turn into.
Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross, and she's pretty much just Liv Tyler throughout. She's actually pretty charming as the character and it would be nice to see her turn up in future MCU films (hey, if they can get Natalie Portman involved again then surely it's a possibility!)
Tim Roth and William Hurt play the antagonists to Banner, and are both enjoyable in the more villainous roles, even if Roth is more or less relegated to spouting out cheesy one liners. Hurt has of course reprised his role in later films and is a welcome main stay in the franchise.
We also have Tim Blake Nelson and Ty Burrell, set up as future characters (The Leader and Doc Samson respectively), but neither of these have yet to come to fruition, so as it stands, both feel like wasted opportunities.
The narrative is pretty straightforward as Banner is pursued across the planet, but it gets the job done, ending in a big showdown between Hulk and Abomination in the middle of Harlem.
One of my main criticisms stems from this scene actually, with the film climaxing in a big CGI fight, between the hero, and an evil version of the hero, exactly like in Iron Man, and unfortunately, in a fair few MCU films further down the line (Iron Man 2, Black Panther, Ant Man). The CGI, whilst still good enough, doesn't hold up anywhere near as well as Iron Man however (which came out in the same year), and the green/grey colour scheme of both characters, and the night-time setting, gives the whole scene a dull edge, even if Hulk does tear a car in half and use both halves as boxing gloves...
The Incredible Hulk is a mostly decent film, but it shows signs of a franchise still finding its feet, and these signs grow in obviousness the older it gets, which is a big contrast when compared to the confident nature of Iron Man.
It also feels a bit stuck in the "look at this cool shot" superhero formula that became rampant during the 2000s.
It's still a fun film however, and deserves it's place in a Marvel movie marathon.
Edward Norton is a fantastic actor, and his involvement here as Bruce Banner is an inspired choice. It's a shame that behind the scenes politics resulted in him leaving the franchise so soon, even though I love Mark Ruffalo!
He plays Banner as a fairly broody individual, but with an awkward edge, a man who's constantly in fear if what he can turn into.
Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross, and she's pretty much just Liv Tyler throughout. She's actually pretty charming as the character and it would be nice to see her turn up in future MCU films (hey, if they can get Natalie Portman involved again then surely it's a possibility!)
Tim Roth and William Hurt play the antagonists to Banner, and are both enjoyable in the more villainous roles, even if Roth is more or less relegated to spouting out cheesy one liners. Hurt has of course reprised his role in later films and is a welcome main stay in the franchise.
We also have Tim Blake Nelson and Ty Burrell, set up as future characters (The Leader and Doc Samson respectively), but neither of these have yet to come to fruition, so as it stands, both feel like wasted opportunities.
The narrative is pretty straightforward as Banner is pursued across the planet, but it gets the job done, ending in a big showdown between Hulk and Abomination in the middle of Harlem.
One of my main criticisms stems from this scene actually, with the film climaxing in a big CGI fight, between the hero, and an evil version of the hero, exactly like in Iron Man, and unfortunately, in a fair few MCU films further down the line (Iron Man 2, Black Panther, Ant Man). The CGI, whilst still good enough, doesn't hold up anywhere near as well as Iron Man however (which came out in the same year), and the green/grey colour scheme of both characters, and the night-time setting, gives the whole scene a dull edge, even if Hulk does tear a car in half and use both halves as boxing gloves...
The Incredible Hulk is a mostly decent film, but it shows signs of a franchise still finding its feet, and these signs grow in obviousness the older it gets, which is a big contrast when compared to the confident nature of Iron Man.
It also feels a bit stuck in the "look at this cool shot" superhero formula that became rampant during the 2000s.
It's still a fun film however, and deserves it's place in a Marvel movie marathon.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated The Umbrella Academy in TV
Jul 5, 2020
A Gamble That Pays Off - 8/10
The Umbrella Academy is a 2019 dark comedy sci-fi/drama superhero tv show developed by Steve Blackman and Jeremy Slater for Netflix. It's an adaptation of the comic book series created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba and published by Dark Horse Comics. The series was produced by Borderline Entertainment, Dark Horse Entertainment, and Universal Cable Productions. Starring Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castaneda, and Kate Walsh.
On October 1st, 1989, 43 women around the world give birth although none of them were pregnant that morning. Eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colman Feore) adopts 7 of the children and turns them into a superhero team called, "The Umbrella Academy. The children are given numbers instead of names and even though 6 of them fight crime, 1 of them, Vanya/#7 (Ellen Page) is kept apart for not having any powers. Present day, the estranged siblings reunite when they learn their father has died. At the funeral, #5 (Aidan Gallagher), which has been missing for over a decade, reappears from the future out of a blue portal and reveals to the others, that the world will end in a matter of days.
This show is stellar. It's a ride that you shouldn't miss. It's good to see a comic book series adaptation that is not from Marvel or DC and you can feel that it's a fresh take and different. I think the writers for the show did a good job on making it very three-dimensional. It's rated TV-14 so it's for teenagers and adults but also for comic book fans and sci-fi fans. That being said it does get pretty weird and far out there, so might not be for everybody but it's definitely better than what the critics are saying. Yes it does have some issues; like the dialogue might not be the best, there being some plot holes possibly, and some complaints of other comic book shows or movies having done that before. But it does have plenty of pluses; the soundtrack is phenomenal, the CGI is on par with that of big-budget movies, and the casting is very good. They were able to pull off the whole dysfunctional family vibe very well. I wanted to give it a point higher but I did understand some of the other points that other critics made about it. I give it a 8/10 but I also give it my "Must See" seal of approval. So if you haven't seen it yet what are you waiting for.
On October 1st, 1989, 43 women around the world give birth although none of them were pregnant that morning. Eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colman Feore) adopts 7 of the children and turns them into a superhero team called, "The Umbrella Academy. The children are given numbers instead of names and even though 6 of them fight crime, 1 of them, Vanya/#7 (Ellen Page) is kept apart for not having any powers. Present day, the estranged siblings reunite when they learn their father has died. At the funeral, #5 (Aidan Gallagher), which has been missing for over a decade, reappears from the future out of a blue portal and reveals to the others, that the world will end in a matter of days.
This show is stellar. It's a ride that you shouldn't miss. It's good to see a comic book series adaptation that is not from Marvel or DC and you can feel that it's a fresh take and different. I think the writers for the show did a good job on making it very three-dimensional. It's rated TV-14 so it's for teenagers and adults but also for comic book fans and sci-fi fans. That being said it does get pretty weird and far out there, so might not be for everybody but it's definitely better than what the critics are saying. Yes it does have some issues; like the dialogue might not be the best, there being some plot holes possibly, and some complaints of other comic book shows or movies having done that before. But it does have plenty of pluses; the soundtrack is phenomenal, the CGI is on par with that of big-budget movies, and the casting is very good. They were able to pull off the whole dysfunctional family vibe very well. I wanted to give it a point higher but I did understand some of the other points that other critics made about it. I give it a 8/10 but I also give it my "Must See" seal of approval. So if you haven't seen it yet what are you waiting for.
Quidd: Stickers, Cards & 3D
Entertainment and Lifestyle
App
Collect, trade and show off officially licensed, limited edition stickers, trading cards and 3D...
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated The Crow in Books
May 25, 2017
Emotionally written (2 more)
Poetic
Brilliantly drawn
My All Time Favourite
This graphic novel is my all time favourite. I have read it countless times, sometimes in a row. This is where it all began, and the author's tragic backstory, really helps bring forth the emotion from the pages.
This is a story of love and loss, but mostly of vengeance and a sense of mental torment that no one, dead or alive, should suffer.
There's a belief that when someone dies, their soul is carried to heaven, hell or some form of afterlife, and then there's this graphic novel that suggests that if the soul was wronged in their life, they may return as an avenging angel, to seek vengeance on those who wronged them.
Eric and his Fiancé where murdered for no good reason, and so his soul is brought back from the dead, with some additional abilities, such as a healing factor, meaning that he cannot be killed (again) by mortals.
This book also contains poetry among its pages. Beautiful poems that really add to the emotion of the book and the story. I love comics, graphic novels etc. Anything Marvel or DC, and of course indie comics, but The Crow will forever remain my favourite one among them all, because it is poetic justice written beautifully and emotionally, unlike anything I have ever read before or after it.
This is a story of love and loss, but mostly of vengeance and a sense of mental torment that no one, dead or alive, should suffer.
There's a belief that when someone dies, their soul is carried to heaven, hell or some form of afterlife, and then there's this graphic novel that suggests that if the soul was wronged in their life, they may return as an avenging angel, to seek vengeance on those who wronged them.
Eric and his Fiancé where murdered for no good reason, and so his soul is brought back from the dead, with some additional abilities, such as a healing factor, meaning that he cannot be killed (again) by mortals.
This book also contains poetry among its pages. Beautiful poems that really add to the emotion of the book and the story. I love comics, graphic novels etc. Anything Marvel or DC, and of course indie comics, but The Crow will forever remain my favourite one among them all, because it is poetic justice written beautifully and emotionally, unlike anything I have ever read before or after it.
John Garrett (27 KP) rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2017
Tom Holland (2 more)
The villain (thank god)
The script
No real stakes (1 more)
Not enough fighting scenes
Spiderman has never been better
Contains spoilers, click to show
Tom Holland is fantastic. Never has writing a review been so releaving. After the car wrecks that were the first 2 amazing Spiderman movies we finally get a great depiction of the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman. Tom played both the quick witted Spiderman and nerdy Peter Parker fantastically and actually looks like a high school kid.
Michael Keaton plays another winged comic book character in the vulture who unlike other marvel villains added some gravitas and was not just a throw away. He played almost a sympathetic villain where you understand his motivations.
The story was solid. We actually got to see a teenage Peter Parker with teenage worries in high school rather than trying to skip over his school life quickly in other iterations of the character. His high school sidekick Ned was a great comic relief and in my opinion created most of the laughs in this film.
One major worry going in was that iron man would steel the show. Luckily Robert Downey Jr was used almost sparingly and was there in just a mentoring capacity which was good to see.
Overall this was a funny, charming story with a great portrayal of one of the world's most loved characters.
Michael Keaton plays another winged comic book character in the vulture who unlike other marvel villains added some gravitas and was not just a throw away. He played almost a sympathetic villain where you understand his motivations.
The story was solid. We actually got to see a teenage Peter Parker with teenage worries in high school rather than trying to skip over his school life quickly in other iterations of the character. His high school sidekick Ned was a great comic relief and in my opinion created most of the laughs in this film.
One major worry going in was that iron man would steel the show. Luckily Robert Downey Jr was used almost sparingly and was there in just a mentoring capacity which was good to see.
Overall this was a funny, charming story with a great portrayal of one of the world's most loved characters.
Fred (860 KP) rated Aquaman (2018) in Movies
Feb 20, 2019
The best DCEU film so far
It still astonishes me that DC can make such good (or at least decent) TV shows, while they can't do movies too well. So, when I watched Aquaman last night, I was highly surprised. It's a good film. It's a very good film. It's easily the best film in the DCEU so far. Taking a page from Marvel, Aquaman is a fun film, full of action & great characters. Yes, who would think that Aquaman would be the most interesting DC character in the DCEU? I give credit to Jason Momoa. He's funny, sexy (at least that's what my fiance says) & he kicks ass. The story borrows from the tale of King Arthur, and doesn't hide this fact. The movie is full of actors from other superhero films & they all play their parts well. I do wish the film was fleshed out more, but this is a film, not a series. It would have been nice to see the different "fish-people" tribes, instead of just having them as opponents on the battlefield. But I can overlook that because the battle was just intense. Great special-effects throughout as well. If I had one complaint, it would be the film ends suddenly. The battle is over & it's like everyone just stops & says "Arthur (Aquaman) is king! YAY!" and that's it.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Coco (2017) in Movies
Jan 24, 2018
Beautifully made
I feel like this is a Pixar film that has really flown under the radar. It's been pretty poorly advertised from what I've seen (or haven't seen more like), and this seemed to be reinforced by the fact that there was only half a dozen people in my peak time showing less than a week after release.
I don't understand why though as this is a really good film. The animation is superb, which shouldn't be a surprise considering it's Disney and Pixar, but it's still a marvel to watch. The amazing detail and vibrant colours. The story itself is interesting although maybe a tad predictable in places, I didn't feel as though there was as much humour as there usually is in a Disney/Pixar film. But Miguel is such a likeable protagonist and Dante the dog is pretty loveable too, but I wanted more from him! It had me almost wanting to dance in my seat at times and then towards the end I was really struggling not to shed a tear. It's an emotional story and a very good one at that. It might not be my favourite of Pixar films, but it's definitely fairly high on the list. It's just a shame it may not reach as many people as it should.
I don't understand why though as this is a really good film. The animation is superb, which shouldn't be a surprise considering it's Disney and Pixar, but it's still a marvel to watch. The amazing detail and vibrant colours. The story itself is interesting although maybe a tad predictable in places, I didn't feel as though there was as much humour as there usually is in a Disney/Pixar film. But Miguel is such a likeable protagonist and Dante the dog is pretty loveable too, but I wanted more from him! It had me almost wanting to dance in my seat at times and then towards the end I was really struggling not to shed a tear. It's an emotional story and a very good one at that. It might not be my favourite of Pixar films, but it's definitely fairly high on the list. It's just a shame it may not reach as many people as it should.
Little Failure: A Memoir
Book
Little Failure is Gary Shteyngart's bestselling and very funny memoir. A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER...