Spidey Freak

Shailene will climb the highest mountain, drink wild goat's milk straight from the teat, and embrace the glow of the rising sun to cleanse away the negative vibes Divergent has given her.

Zootopia has been a BEAST this week.

Interesting you say that because the thing that kept me from connecting to this more than Frozen or WiR is the structure. I do agree that the first two acts are excellent, and the middle act is definitely stronger than Frozen's middle act (though I felt Frozen's second act really benefited a supporting player in Kristoff). It's Zootopia's third act that I felt could have been more tighter. While "Woolter/Jesse" was a fun gag (not that inventive though), I just think the sequence would have had more of an effect if it were more seamlessly intertwined with the museum sequence. I wonder whether the villain's reveal happening slightly earlier would have allowed the character to have had more of an impact. I still prefer the climax on the fjord and the build up to it in Frozen, which I think are flawless and hold up incredibly well even after multiple viewings. Also, the "Night Howlers" reveal though great, just comes from left field (literally ). Fortunately for Zootopia, its themes and leads are much more stronger than the mystery aspects, so this did not have affect the movie to a large degree.

So I see the parallels have shifted from the Disney Renaissance Era to Pixar circa 2015.

If a lighter skinned Zoe Saldana is getting grief for playing the darker skinned Nina Simone, I really doubt the reaction to a white SBC playing an Indian Freddy Mercury will "rejuvenate" SBC's career. For all intents and purposes, it's best that project went away.

Fixed.

For some reason, numbers for non-princess WDAS films don't generate a lot of discussion, even if they are overperforming. BH6 probably had the stealthiest Yearly Top 10 run of all time.

Furries are too distracted this weekend to follow BO numbers.

Yeah. Kids almost always interpret messages the right way. Unfortunately for some kids though, their parents happen to be of the "Disney/Hollywood is indoctrinating my child" paranoid variety who will attempt to undo whatever good the movie themes manage to do. It's ironic as it strengthens the gist of what Zootopia, Frozen and other recent films have been trying to say about fear and its complex effects.

He'll probably take the message that "political correctness" is evil and is used by the "weak" for power play. Totally not kidding. No matter how blatant some movie themes can be, some people will take from it only what they want to, even if it's antithetical to the actual message. For instance, there was a weird online clique during the release of Frozen who insisted that "Let It Go" was an empowering song for white folks and "traditional women" to speak out against minorities and feminists pushing PC-isms.

Mandatory Chastain recommendation:

It shows that critics will praise a good take on a franchise, no matter how silly it seems.

Just because the characters get subplots doesn't mean it cannot be fun and action-packed. Or that it will turn away fans. Heck, I could argue that Fast & Furious really exploded when more focus was given to themes of family. And the new PR comic that is doing well apparently fleshes out the characters more than the shows ever did, so it is not like the fanbase is up in arms against character development. Sometimes it is more fun when you actually care about the characters. Also regarding critics and YouTubers trashing PR no matter what, that wasn't the case for Goosebumps at all. I think that movie is exactly what this should be striving for. Stay true to the outlandishness and fun of the original concept, but offer something more as well.

Well, it is an improvement on the Power Rangers formula. At least "real-life issues to overcome" suggest these Rangers will actually have something close to character arcs, which is already more than what previous Rangers had.

Also she cockblocked Rooney, so no way that win compares to Smith and Innaritu.

A24 is stealthily building a pretty epic back catalogue of films.

LMAO I just went from hopeful to resigned to a strange mix between frustrated and relieved.

Yeah, I can understand why they wanted Ludi Lin and Becky G. They are hoping this becomes an OS smash, and Lin will definitely help it in China. Dunno about Becky G.'s popularity in Latin countries but she has a sizeable fanbase in the States. And Liz Banks was cast to rope in THG fans as this could easily appeal to that fanbase. As for excitable fans making fantasy franchise plans, isn't that what forums are made for besides flame wars? I think it has potential. The new comic featuring the same characters has become a surprise hit, showing there is interest. And this franchise is pretty well-known globally (something Saban seems to be well aware of, going by the casting), so it has that same nostalgia punch offered by Transformers and TMNT. The movie would have to ridiculously suck to be a WW flop. I think it's just to distinguish it from the original 90's Mighty Morphin movie, similar to Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man. Also, "Morphin" is a term that cannot be taken out of the 90's.

It's not a terrible start though. Like Gal Gadot, Priyanka Chopra etc. before her, she just needs to get noticed with this film. And she is already building connections with Vin Diesel and co. Wouldn't be surprised if she pops up in an F&F movie next.

And yet it will still beat Star Wars in India.

Not to mention one of those actors is Ludi Lin, who is just coming off the Chinese smash Monster Hunt. PR is definitely targeting a global audience, especially the Asian markets. Not a bad decision.

Lolwut Loras?

Speaking of masterpieces, I'm still amazed at how unique and ground-breaking The Blair Witch Project was as a movie. Folks keep reducing its insane success to "shaky handcam gimmick" but it's really impressive how it completely forsakes gore and even the typical jump scares for atmosphere and psychological play. Even the handy cam is more of an atmosphere building tool than an audience nausea inducer. You could easily apply the common complaints to it like "Nothing really happens in it", and "The witch doesn't even turn up!" And yet, people flocked to it. Just shows that if you're innovative enough then the disconnect between critics and audiences can be bridged.

This seems to be more of a scathing commentary on patriarchy and its effects and aims to be more disturbing than out and out horror. While critics dig that kind of psychological examination, GA want literal bumps and scares. I can understand the disconnect. Also, apparently the Jacobean English doesn't seem to be helping.