Mr. Hakujin

I saw STUBER, and Kumail Nanjiani carries the film. It's pretty much what you'd expect from the trailer, and  it has a pretty predictable script. There are three big action sequences in the film and all were way better than I thought they'd be. This guy they got to play the cliched blonde Asian drug kingpin is pretty badass. Overall a solid action comedy. I'd grade it a B+.

Looks like Harbour may be playing The Guardian instead of Task Master.

I was gonna skip the WandaVision Disney+ show until they revealed at the panel that it ties directly into this film. 

So no Keanu, then? *sigh*  

6 hours ago, alive she cried said:

According to Feige they're going full Kirby. I'll be honest though, I know next to nothing about them.

Ditto. Not sure what he meant by "full Kirby" either, but I'm guessing he meant something like what Taika W. did in Ragnarok, just with everything and not one section of the film.

7 hours ago, Iambaytor said:

This is going to make or break their "We can make anything a hit" claim.  It's far more obscure than even Inhumans was and lacks the fun anarchic spirit of Guardians of the Galaxy, it doesn't even have the simple down-to-Earth conceptual charm of Shang Chi.  I wish them luck here, they'll need it.

I think you're right. Their section of the SDCC panel seemed the most awkward. Angelina Jolie is gonna "train really hard" though, so there's that.

I still feel cheated out of a kickass Inhumans movie. Feige was never collaborative with the ABC Marvel shows. Maybe because of the Whedon connection, or maybe because the MCU is his football and he didn't want the other kids playing with it when he wasn't there. I don't know. But he is sure as shit all about these Disney+ shows and integrating them into the MCU. Maybe with the multiverse stuff happening Black Bolt and crew will get a second chance in Phase 5 or even show up in the F4 film. 

So Harbour is gonna be playing Task Master? Damn. I was kinda hoping his character would be called "The American" and the film would start with him being rescued by Natasha from an underground Russian cell, which he'd emerge from with a long beard and a  wearing a Magnum, p.i.-esque shirt all faded and in tatters.

So this was a very interesting glimpse behind the "MCU Machine." I know that with the inter-connectivity of 23 films over 10 years, there is going to be less room for an MCU film that's truly a "director's vision." Thus why some of the directors that helped build the MCU like Favreau, Branagh, and Whedon likely didn't return to direct. However, this one in particular sounds like it was way more of a product on an assembly line than even other recent films like Black Panther and the Russo's Avengers films. When I watch behind the scenes features and interviews with other MCU films, they don't seem to have been put together by committee to the degree this film was. 

No real WW84 news from SDCC this year, but Zack Snyder did reveal that he would've had Diana decapitate Steppenwolf in his final version of JL. Meh.

Might wanna merge these threads.

5 hours ago, Axels said:

I hope we get a Ben Kingsley Trevor cameo then.

Ignore the LeBron invoking haters. I'm with ya.

Pause the trailer @ 1:28 and the guy looking through the bins behind Brodie is my friend Tim. He did set dressing for Brodie's shop and the Chronic Con. Production designer even gave him the bins they made for the film, and he has them in his shop now along with a bunch of signage.

Also, in case you missed it amidst the flood of cameos, that's Val Kilmer playing the rebooted Bluntman. Yeesh.

On 6/9/2019 at 11:40 AM, The NZA said:

oh man i had that Iceman too! might get storm from that line, and nightcrawler from the upcoming one

 

the next spider-man line dropped and i don't really want any of them, which sucks cause the build a figure is kingpin who i totally do want 

Yeah, I think we all must've had that Iceman. I'm definitely getting that Storm. Well, I'm definitely gonna try and get one. Also agree with ya on the Kingpin BAF, maybe Silver Sable, but the rest were passes. And the opposite is true with this Far From Home line--I  like them all and definitely want four of the six figs, however, I couldn't gaf about the baf.

11 hours ago, The NZA said:

x-men #1 Jim Lee cover with marvel legends

I just need Colossus, Storm & Jean Grey to complete the set. So close .

On 7/2/2019 at 9:13 AM, alive she cried said:

I still haven't found the will to finish season 2, after the sheer brilliance of season 1 I was really disappointed by the drop in quality. I'll get there eventually, just hope season 3 is a return to form.  

Eh, not so much with S3--at least the first nine episodes. 

I tell ya, S3 is being a struggle to get through for me. I binged the first seven episodes but the last two have taken me multiple viewings to get through. It's the same old problem with all the Marvel/Netflix (#RIP) shows--too many damn episodes.

S3 E01-09 Spoilers below:

I've got four episodes left in S3 and the only reasons I'm not totally abandoning the show are 1. I'm hoping for some kind of Luke Cage reappearance and tying up to his S2 "cliffhanger" and 2. I've come this far so, uh, fuck it.

On 7/3/2019 at 12:46 PM, alive she cried said:

#193

 

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Double huh.

 

I didn't get to read it b/c my local shop sold out day one. Usually they have two or three issues left, but I missed the hoopla over it because I was preoccupied with life. Now I gotta wait for a second printing like some fucking n00b. shitmyhat.

I really wanted to do a full series re-watch prior to seeing this movie--which is really just a series finale--but I settled for just re-watching the S3 finale. I think if this particular two-hour story had aired closer to the S3 finale over a decade ago my reaction would've been more meh. However, having been 13 years or so since I sat and watched these characters, I judged it from a different perspective. There are some odd choices and a formulaic aspect to the plot, but overall I really enjoyed it. This is the TV equivalent of comfort food, and I'm good with that.

On 6/4/2019 at 11:00 AM, Panch said:

Yeah, the second one is, at the very least, a lot of fun. It's the 3rd one that's trash.

Seconded.

I just finished S2E8: "Identity, Pt. 1"

Yeah, big shit went down about 8 issues early, innit.

#192

RIP Rick Grimes. Taken out by a damned fuckboi.

Long Live Carl Grimes. May he reign for another 200 issues.

 

There's a decent Quicksilver sequence. It's just pretty short. One of the guys I went with is a big Cyclops fan and he thought this was the best use of the character thus far and the one "most accurate to the comics out of all the films."  They make a few small call backs to the previous three films with this cast, but it's not nearly as integrated into the plot or as well done as Endgame--but I wasn't expecting it to be. And there are nods to the 90s cartoon and comics. Shit like that goes a long way with me, maybe not so much with others though. Performances were mostly solid. The actress who played young Jean Grey was outstanding. It's technically Sophie Turner's movie, but McAvoy as Xavier was the standout role/performance for me. Overall, not a great film but not a terrible film. I'd give it a B-.

It dropped already?! Damn, Handmaids Tale S3 dropped 3 episodes yesterday, too. I had to break after one episode though. (So many emotions!)

Anyway, gonna have to find some time to get into this S5 now. 

Monster fights were what I went for and they're what I got. One moment in particular made a priest scream out the eff-bomb. Seriously. I'm not sure if I can give a monster movie higher praise than that.

Sisters Brothers [Hulu]
B+
This languidly paced, and oddly emotional and comedic film is what you get when a French director adapts a Canadian writer’s novel about two bounty hunters during the American Gold Rush. Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed all give solid performances, but John C. Reily truly shines here in one of his best roles yet. 

Mid 90s [Amazon Prime]
B+
It’s an emotional and nostalgia fueled film for me because I was the same age as the protagonist at the same time the film is set, hence why I bumped it up from  B to a B+. The film has a really great young cast who deliver great performances. However, the film sadly falls apart in the third act because our very charismatic and destructive protagonist does not really gain any true insight on his own. It’s told to him by the story’s most moral and kind character—Ray. Mid 90s is a coming of age story where the protagonist does not really come of age, so the ending is unfortunately hollow. 

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot [Amazon Prime]
B+
This film based on the life of alcoholic, paraplegic cartoonist John Callahan is emotional, vulgar, and hilarious. Just the type of film the man himself deserves. It’s a bit saccharine in places, but Joaquin Phoenix delivers yet another outstanding performance.

Brawl in Cellblock 99 [Amazon Prime]
B
There were a few plot points and character decisions I found perplexing, but overall it is a film as advertised—a hyper violent revenge flick shot in a 1970s B-movie style. Vince Vaughn’s “Southern” accent doesn’t do anyone any favors either, but he is scarily believable as a one man band of ass kicking, death-dealing destruction.

Watership Down (2018 Netflix)
A-
This four hour animated miniseries based on the novel has excellent voice acting, but the animation has some problems. The rabbits look pretty good, but the other animals come off as budget level CGI, and it took me out of the story more than once.

Bill Murray Stories [Netflix]
A-
If I didn’t absolutely love Bill Murray then this would be a “B+” doc at best with its guy in a supremely creepy Bill Murray mask “reenacting” certain scenes and the director’s mediocre narration. However, I do love Bill Murray, so hearing these stories, seeing some of the grainy phone footage, and the few interviews with people that participated in the occurrences was  an hour well spent.

Paterno [HBO]
B+
This is a cleverly biased film that almost appears as if it is giving an unbiased view of college football coaching legend Joe Paterno and his involvement/neglect about child sex abuse scandal involving one of his coaches, Jerry Sandusky. The real story here is not Paterno’s myopic view on winning football games, but it’s how people (not just those in power, but people in general) can infuriatingly ignore horrible facts because they conflict with what they want the world to be. It’s really troubling considering the modern political climate.

On 5/25/2019 at 7:00 PM, Axels said:

Yeah I just skipped right ahead to this. Skipping half of S2 and all of S3, and really, 4 eps in, it doesnt matter. You can really jump on here right in the thick of it. The lesser context kind of adds to it. Not to mention, it helps to have Morgan here. I'm starting to care about this universe again. 

Glad you're digging it, Axels. I'm honestly finding it tough to get the motivation to finish up the last eight episodes of TWD's current season--nine is it?

However, I'm really looking forward to S5 of FTWD starting up this weekend!

Click here for some S5  semi-spoilery pics.

Shows I'm currently watching:

Gentleman Jack - S1

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - S6

Agents of SHIELD - S6

Orville - S2

Losers - S1

Single Parents - S1

Twilight Zone [2019] 

Shows next in line in the queue to start:

Star Trek Discovery - S2

Cloak & Dagger - S2

Chernobyl

Tick - S2

Wentworth (My friend has been on me to start this one for forever. Gonna try to give it a try this summer.)

1 hour ago, Jont said:

Do we really need to hide spoilers? 

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Anyway, I can understand the North remaining independent, as they'd already been in open conflict over the issue and declared their position, contesting it would drag the continent back into a state of war. What gets me is that that considered, Bran is now ruling as a foreign King.

Bigger issue is that Bran Stark is in no way Bran Stark any more. I think it's beyond head canon at this point, the Three Eyed Raven has been playing the angles from the start, and not necessarily benevolently. Who was so insistent that Jon learn about his parentage? He does tell Tyrion that he doesn't want to rule, but he probably knows that one quality that Tyrion is looking for is the lack of desire to rule. Only question for me is if he warged into Drogon to burninate the Iron Throne. 

 

Agreed. There's a lot left unanswered about Bran's role.

On 5/20/2019 at 10:40 PM, Newtype said:

For the show you need both Storm and Morph.

Since I have no idea which figures you have here's what you need for the comic book team:

 

Gold team

Storm

Colossus

Archangel

Jean Grey

Bishop

Iceman

 

Blue team

Rogue

Wolverine

Psylocke

Gambit

Jubilee

Cyclops

Beast

I think they put out a Morph head to go on the yellow & blue trainee Deadpool body, right? I think that was the Sauron BAF wave.

Damn, I forgot they put out an Iceman a while back. He wasn't really 90s style though--and no ice-cessories--so I never picked him up. I have all the ones checkmarked. We still need Hasbro to release a blue & gold Jean Grey and a white costume Storm. Colossus is coming in that Juggy two-pack.