Joel M
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Posts posted by Joel M
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I liked it a lot in 2015, and I still think it's a little bit underrated as a whole. There's two things working against the movie. First is that sense of “more of the same but bigger” that is evindent both in the structrure of the story and in how most action scenes play out even if they are very well executed. The second is the too many quips and their attempt to recapture the lightning in a bottle effortless banter of the first movie. Especially in the first 30 minutes where the team is supposed to know each other so well by now that they are making up inside jokes on the fly, their effortless banter is so full of effort it's kinda cringeworthy. I think the scene with Thor's hammer /birth of Ultron is the first time their dynamic really works as it should, and those might be the best 5 minutes of the entire movie, which is funny because they were the entirety of the first teaser released from what I remember.
But after that the pace and the interactions get more natural (the flop joke about Cap and language lives on though) and most of it works really well. Despite some misses, I still put it above more than half of the mcu movies. I like that it's trying to be about something more than good vs bad even if it never manages to go as deep as I wanted.
Ultron the character is the perfect example of Whedon's ambition, even if he also doesn't add up to a coherent message by the end. James Spader's voice and his hate for Tony (because he's a lot like him and he can't stand it) make him compelling, for a few moments even worthy of our empathy. There's a lot here about AI and responsibility and rebellion against the creator. And while it's never fully realised, it's there. Ultron after all was another mean baddie that just wanted things to go boom, but for a few glimpses here and there including his brilliant death scene, he was so much more.
B+.
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Chi-Raq was a mess. This looks much better.
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The opening scene with the dead mom is to this day a little wonky but the moment the title drops simultaneously with “Come and Get your Love” you are already sold on whatever follows. I don't have many things to say about this movie, it's still as fresh as it was the first time I saw it. The humor and the music are excellent and everywhere, the characters are instantly likable, the entire build up to their now iconic walk down the corridor is pitch perfect. The only thing that doesn't work is the villain, which is not nothing. The third act hangs on the heroes fighting Ronan and he goes head to head with Malekith for who can put you to sleep faster. But there's also Yondu who is excellent for a secondary bad guy.
“something good, something bad, a bit of both?”
A-.
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17 minutes ago, Mekanos said:
Only time in recent history I've seen fudging work is WB's attempts to make Wonder Woman the highest grossing superhero origin movie ever. WB capitalized on a crappy August by adding more screens and barely got it past the finish line.
...then a little kitty stripped that title away a few months later.
So 10m over Raimi's Spider-Man is now barely over the finish line.
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Yeah no movie gets THAT high just by appealing to women( even of all ages). If you are a male and didn't like the movie that's fine, but that doesn't mean that men were only dragged to see this. Titanic hit all demographics in a way very few movies have in the history of cinema. I was 11 and had no girlfriend nor any of my friends, but the entire school boys and girls watched this movie in theatres, my parents and their friends who went once a decade at the movies watched this in Theatre, my grandparents who hadn't been in theatre since the 60s went to see Titanic, it was an event like no other. The "just a much bigger Twilight" argument is total bullshit. Of course most "hardcore" fans that saw it many times were (mostly young)women but how is that much different than young men watching LOTR, TDK or Avengers countless times in theatres; I don't think anyone would ever argue that the original Star Wars sold 100m+ tickets just because many teen boys in the 70s went to see it 15 times.
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Still great, it's funny how the most boring on paper character of the original Avengers got the 2 best solo gigs out of the gate. Winter Soldier is a stellar example of how these movies can be entrenched in mcu mythology and still being their own thing. The Russos commit to the 70s conspiracy thriller aesthetic and casting Redford as the evil government suit only helps this vibe, but it's Chris Evans (really amazing here) and his interaction with the good guys crew that goes a long way to make you care. Maria Hill and Fury have more to do than in any other movie, Widow also never been better and Mackie has instant chemistry with all of them despite being the new guy. More than that they all seem essential to the story and actually helpful, they 're not just there for quips and cheering the hero when he beats up the bad guys. Winter Soldier the character still holds up both as menace and as foil for Cap despite the Bucky fatigue that followed.
Even the approach to action with shaky cam didn't bother me at all. It might not be perfect but most of the action set pieces have real tension and the Cap-WS fights have some great choreography. All this ending with 3 Helicarriers blowing each other to pieces is still a bit unneccassary but that's a minor nitpick, it's one of the best within the MCU.
Hail Hydra!
A-.
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This is the kind of sequel that takes the things that worked in the so-so first movie and instead of improving them it almost ruins them too. Not even the Thor-Loki dynamic can salvage this mess. The villain is an all time bore, his plan even moreso and there's very little to distract you from how flat and boring this entire movie is. The earth parts with Selvig and the interns were supposed to be the comic-relief but they are mostly annoying, Thor's Asgard friends say a few more lines this time around but still zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Natalie Portman's terribly written character from the first movie was also supposed to be more interesting because they injected the mcGuffin the bad guy wants into her but nope, she is still the same nothing character that flips back and forth from science mumbo jumbo to making googly eyes at Thor. You can feel she is not having a great time doing this, and I can't blame her. I dont remember how and if she is written off in later movies or simply forgotten, but it was the best thing to do both for her and the mcu. This character was a bust from the start.
It's not just Jane of course, the entire movie was a total creative bust save some Thor-Loki banter and a funny Captain America cameo. I guess the jumping between worlds final battle was a cool idea too, but they should have had way more fun with it, the execution was almost as flat as everything else.
Also watching this in quick succession with Thor1 and still having Ragnarok fresh in memory really drives home how terrible a king, Odin really is. Protector of the 9 realms my ass.
D.
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19 hours ago, Blaze Heatnix said:
I would like to see this movie making 300 million worldwide. Let's hope it's possible.
It 'll end up around 175-180m DOM. Lets say it makes it to just over 100m OS from existing markets, which might be the lower end since it's already at 95m. it's gonna need around 20m from France/China/Japan to get there. I think it gets there.
Judging by the performance of recent horror hits (Split/Get Out/Conjuring franchise):
-France is a very good market for horror, all the above hits made over/under 10m there.
-Japan is completely insignificant for western horror, all the above hits made barely over 1 mil there or lower.
-China is a big questionmak since horror movies normally don't get released at all.
If it continues to hold steady both DOM and OS despite the onslaught of blockbusters coming and performs on par with recent horror hits in France, it might not even need China to make it to 300m WW.
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During this I remembered a review or maybe it was a random comment in the internet about how all the best scenes of this movie are the cheapest ones, and I still completely agree with it.
Shane Black's flair shine through both in the dialogue and in the unexpected turns the story takes. Tony stranded on a little town with that kid is the best part of the movie, that Mandarin twist still works when you already know about it (mostly because Ben Kingsley is hilarious) and there's a surprising thematic coherence throughout the movie revolving around Tony's PTSD and “creating your own demons”. There were also some very funny stuff like the grab your monkey scene and the opening scene with blue(da-ba-dee-da-ba-daa) and John Favreau sporting a Vincent Vega look in '99 that I had completely forgot about.
But there's a lot of bad stuff too. Mainly anything that has to do with big action set-pieces and the real villains has not aged well at all. Guy Pierce and Rebecca Hall are completely waisted and the climactic battle with the empty suits is a pure disaster of a sequence, so boring and so weightless that hurts the movie more than most underwhelming mcu final acts. But in the end the refreshing weirdness Shane Black brought to the franchise wins out.
B.
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One of the most fun and rewatchable blockbusters of all time. The humor, the action, the group dynamics, all the seamless introductions, the gloriously petty villain, coulson's death, nothing gets old in this movie despite the bajilion superhero movies that followed since. There's a weird alchemy going on here, everything fell in its right place in a way that's impossible to replicate. I'll never get bored of it. The avengers assemble 360 alone, is one of the most iconic shots of 21st century cinema.
A.
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3 Reasons why it is one of the best superhero movies of the last decade:
-Being a period piece helps a lot to sell the "most boring superhero ever" and Joe Johnston makes a meal out of it. The retro aesthetic, the analog technology, the War montage reminiscent of 1940s serials even the showstopiing musical number do a lot of the heavy lifting in grounding a time a lot more black/white than today.They tackle the inherent corniness of the concept with full on earnestness and it works.
-Cap has a beautiful arc evolving from bullied kid to lab rat, to dancing monkey, to war hero before he even suits up. And at the same time the movie makes a compelling case of him being always just the guy that will cover a grenade to save others and that this conviction matters more than his superpowers.
-The love story is very engaging and the sad ending completely earned, because Peggy is the rare unicorn of comic book love interests that a)is a real character who has more to offer than be the damsel in distress for the final act and b)her relationship with the hero is the emotional backbone of the entire thing. Even if the pace falls a little during the last act when Cap boards the plane and talks with Peggy about the date they'll never have, just hits me everytime.
I know the movie is not exactly perfect, but after another rewatch I have a hard time caring about the FLAWS. I didn't mind Red Skull at all, I think he's fine. Not interesting enough on his own but he's fun in a "made out of pure evilinium" way, he so evil not even the Nazis want him anymore lol. Even the redface look is just the right amount of silly for this story. Also despite being full of set ups for the Avengers, all those easter eggs outside of the modern day framing don't feel shoehorned in at all, because outside of the 2 leads, the movie has time for other smaller characters. Zola, Bucky, Erskin, Howard Stark even Tommy Lee Jones' Colonel are all very memorable no matter their screentime. The biggest takeaway this time though is how much of a step up from every previous mcu movie the action is. The effects are a little dated now but there's a sense of geography and beautiful comicbook-y WHAM! BAM! shots that still hold up very well.
The only thing that feels out of place or taken from a completely different movie is the modern day framing device (because it was), otherwise it's a perfect superhero origin story.
A-.
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Even if Tully flat out flops, it will still be a step up for Reitman. At least it got good reviews.
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It feels every bit as murky boring garbage as the Incredible Hulk was, but because it is more "relevant" to the MCU it's a little easier to watch.
There's an endless list of bad choices. Almost every joke is lame, War Machine is the most irrelevant and boring sidekick a superhero could have, the main plot is pretty much a b-plot and actually sucks, Mickey Rourke sucks even more etc, it might be the most half-assed movie Marvel will ever make. On the other hand RDJ-Paltrow chemistry, clumsy introductions for people that will be important down the line and Sam Rockwell's fun douche make it more tolerable. Still being slightly less boring than the Incredible Hulk isn't exactly a badge of honor.
D+.
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I had this great plan 2 years ago to rewatch all the Marvel movies leading up to Civil War but got distracted and didn't even made it to the first Avengers. So here I go again.
This just gets worse as the years go by. The only thing that I found exciting was the first chase in Rio, everything else just sucked. Norton (one of my favorite actors alive) was even worse than I remember, it's funny that William Hurt is the one and only thing that Marvel brought back from this mess, because he was just as bad as everyone else.
D-.
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32 minutes ago, WrathOfHan said:
Tully is also a much more serious movie than the trailers are suggesting. Apparently the trailers are selling it way too lightly, and it's a drama with some comedic lines.
Young Adult 2.0, I'm sold.
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My gaming days were well over a decade ago, so I'm not as in touch anymore, but the last game of this series was a true masterpiece. Hard to see this movie not being a letdown compared to it.
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13 minutes ago, titanic2187 said:
Greece 485,205
This is def false, the re-release probaby alone made more than than
Titanic sold 1.85 to 2+ million tickets in Greece with 98 ticket prices around 5$. 9-10m dollars is the real number for original run alone, if not higher.
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27 minutes ago, Mrstickball said:
I hope others may enjoy this but:
I made an exhaustive list of country-by-country cumes for billion dollar international movies to chart where Infinity War ends up landing in the pantheon of massive OS movies:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vi2TAmvViyR_r5xW4xOqpmgSJBhM7jYkJg6fVfFUXIw/edit?usp=sharing
Each nation's totals are on the list (from what BOM has available), along with color coding to know which Hollywood movie has the crown in that country. I hope you enjoy the work. I am going to continue to update it as new totals come in. Thanks!
Judging by the numbers so far Titanic+3D reissue should be the better comp. It looks like it will skate by all the other recent heavy-hitters with ease and Avatar is just too high.
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3 hours ago, BK007 said:
I also hope they don't fast forward time in the next one. To skirt over half the world dying with a "3 months later" or something like that would be a copout. I understand the Russos said they were making 2 separate movies, but that would be ridiculously convenient.2 hours ago, filmlover said:Haven't they already casted an actress to play the teenage version of Paul Rudd's daughter in Ant-Man? Seems very likely that the next film is gonna jump forward a few years and allow us to see how the guilt of what happened still weighs on the survivors.
I agree that a time jump would be a much much better choice. If they pick up exactly where they left with Tony coming back to earth and all the still alive Avengers immediately start working together while the world falls apart, by the time the snap will be undone it will feel like all the mostly-dead people never left. I want to see people crying in front of monuments, Tony agonizing with guilt, Cap drowining his sorrows in alcohol. Basically I want the next one to be Avengers: the Leftov4rs, at least for the first act.
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7 minutes ago, Critically Acclaimed Panda said:
Spidey and Ragnarok were also mini-cross over movies to an extent. You had Hulk all over the Ragnarok trailer and Tony all over the Spidey trailer.
It could have increased 25% in DOM gross from Witer Soldier less than half of Ragnarok's 50%+ over Thor2 and end up close to 340m. My point is Civil War isn't that much closer to the floor of a proper Avengers movie (which we can safely set now at AoU) than to what a well reviewed CA3 that wasn't a major crossover event would do. It's right in the middle so whether anyone wanna call it mini-Avengers or heavily boosted CA3 it's a bit of both.
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7 minutes ago, redfirebird2008 said:
It definitely received a big boost from other Avenger characters, especially Iron Man.
If it was a different Cap3 story with no Tony and Spiderman, but just as well reviewed as Winter Soldier, it would still make it in the Spidey/Ragnarok range, maybe a bit higher.
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Watched it a second time in 3 days and I think this might be the most rewatchable MCU movie since Avengers 1. Despite the downer ending it moves breathlessly through so many planets? dimensions? not sure really, the humor is very well done, most of the individual team ups deliver and so much stuff happen that I really want to see it a third time in theatres.
A lot of stray thoughts:
-Cap team and BP team were a little benched and I was mildly dissapointed the first time because I expected great things from Cap's glorious new beard but I get it. 80% of this movie was Thanos strolling the universe for infinity stones so it makes sense the cosmic part of the MCU would get way more to do. Cap still had a few moments even though half of them were already front and center in the trailers.
-MVPs were the cosmic branch of the mcu Guardians, Thor and Strange. Especially the Guardians were perfect, they didn't had to tone down their weirdness to fit in, more like the other way around. And on top of that Gamora's death was the emotional backbone of the entire movie.
-The Scope is really gigantic. It's hard to believe how it still works with so many shifts between characters/storylines/locations. Especially certain sequences like Thanos getting the soul stone or the entirety of the battle on Titan were so beautiful and full of color.
-Thanos is a great villain. He's great not because he's so powerful or because he won, but because he's a fully realised character. I never thought I would buy a purple giant with a ridiculous chin crying but I did, Brolin and the effects people really pulled through. I might still rank Avengers Loki higher as my favorite mcu villain but Thanos is up there. The movie is definately all about him and almost frames him as the hero of his own story.
-Tony and Spidey were very cool too, their father-son thing paid off very well in the finale.
-Also don't think all the SNAP deaths being undone by the next one is something that will invalidate this movie and make it look pointless in hindsight. Yeah even the most casual fan who has no idea what sequel is in the line-up knows that the Black Panther whose first movie he watched a month ago isn't "really" dead but the movie was about Thanos winning or if you prefer all of the Avengers giving everything they got and still losing. It's very pointed that it ends with Thanos enjoying all he has accompliced. His crew was also memorable enough for henchmen especially the shhh meme guy.
-If there's one thing that can undermine the movie though is the non-snap deaths being undone. I see really no point in bringing back Heimdall and Vision or even Loki, they have run their course let them rest but I worry about Gamora's possible rise from the dead. I have a hard time believing she won't be back for GOTG3, and maybe they do it in a way that doesn't make Thanos arc and IW as a whole feel a little hollow, but I wouldn't bet on it.
-Giant Dinklage was fun and all but his segment could use a little trimming, it was the only point in the movie that I felt the pace lagging.
Only thing that frustrated me a bit was Vision. I really don't get how he went from the all powerful being in Ultron to getting stabbed once and have to be carried for the rest of the movie. I'm not one to focus too much on plot details, power levels, plot holes etc I don't care most of the time but this is bothering me for whatever reason.
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8 minutes ago, Rumpot said:
This will be pushing 500M domestic by end of next weekend and I'll say again - TFA domestic total is not safe, and the number of people realizing that will increase as the weeks pass. I'm not saying it's at all likely to pass it, but most people think it'd laughable right now - and that will change
lol IW is not gonna have a 3,5+ multiplier in May even if it's the event to end all events. Star Wars had 2 full weeks of holidays.
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The House That Jack Built | Lars Von Trier's next film | Prompts over 100 walkouts at Cannes | "Lars has gone too far this time"
in Box Office Discussion
Posted
I'm 50/50 on most of those shock auters like Trier, Noe, Refn etc. Some of their obvious pretentious bullshit I really like, while others are borderline unwatchable.