Tag: Marvel

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Comic Film Universe

Next stop in the «Infinity War» week:

My completely redesigned interactive visualization of more than 333 comic book movies and TV-series containing thousands of characters and performers. Check it out on www.blick.ch/8227617 or directly via https://storytelling.blick.ch/infografik/2018/comicnet.

This year, Marvel Studios celebrate the tenth anniversary of their cinematic universe, which began in 2008 with «Iron Man» and now culminates in the spectacular «Avengers: Infinity War».

The perfect time to analyze the properties of Marvel, DC and everything in between.

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Jessica Jones Season 2

Rating: 3

After the disappointing «Defenders» and «Iron Fist», «Jessica Jones» remains one of the stronger Marvel Netflix series thanks to Krysten Ritter who really made the character her own.

I’m all in for female-driven storytelling and I guess it worked just fine. But I’m wondering if the best central conflict the creators could choose for our heroine this season really was the fear of turning into her mother? It’s quite the leap from codependency, rape and trauma in the first season to this.

I’m not sure why a similar thing worked much better and more effective with Tony Stark’s Daddy issues. I guess it has to do with the fact that writing a strong female superhero character is still a relatively new, even unexplored field. (Or maybe it’s just ’cause I’m a bloke).

Let’s give Jessica and the audience some credit and let her do some superhero things, shall we? There must be some middleground to this. And there might be: Though it didn’t really lead anywhere (besides avoiding the issue what might happen when the Hulk and Black Widow would «get it on»), Marvel tried it in «Avengers: Age of Ultron» when Natasha Romanoff had to deal with her inability to bear children. And she did it while saving the world.

If not, I fear that «Defenders» Season 2 will revolve around Jessica Jones’ struggle to buy a pair of new jeans that doesn’t make her look fat while Iron Fist tries to become a social media influencer.

Post Scriptum:

I hate to say that I probably didn’t give enough credit for the fact(?) that Jessica Jones Season 2 might be less about her fear of turning into her mother than about coming to terms with a loved one losing the battle against mental illness…

Mea culpa… oh, look: Isn’t that Thanos over there annihilating half of the universe just cause he’s in love with a chick who happens to be frakking death itself? Men are simple…

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Black Panther

Rating: 3

I agree that the success of «Black Panther» (and «Get out», for that matter) is an important step in the right direction for an industry (as well as an audience) that has to redefine itself to stay relevant and acceptable today and in the years to come. Way to go!

But entertaining as it is and giving the genre a new, interesting spin once again, for a Marvel movie, the Panther seems tame, on the weaker side of things. (But I guess I’m not the main audience they where going for anyway).

Happy though that it’s my beloved Marvel Studios, now ten years in the run, that are doing the right thing (too).

This in mind, I’m looking forward to a strong female protagonist in «Captain Marvel», hoping the makers stay focused and won’t overdo it because of the ongoing #meToo discussion. (Something I won’t hold my breath for at this year’s Oscar celebrations. Given the circumstances and having seen the nominations livestream, I fear the Awards show will present itself chumming and even more unpalatable than usual).

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Thor: Ragnarok

Rating: 3.5

What a gem: «Thor: Ragnarok» turns out to be a colorful piece of unexpected light-hearted delightfulness oozing with forgettable stupidity and fun, shining in all the colors of a disco-dripping CGI-rainbow with some delicious Goldblum on top.

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Binge-worthy series in October 2017

After Marvel’s disastrous «Iron Fist» I must say Marvel’s latest Netflix series «The Defenders» surely was not the redemption all the disappointed fans had been hoping for. And since I haven’t even bothered to download «Inhumans» I thought I’d try to stay positive and share some of my latest «discoveries» on Netflix:

So let’s start there, «Star Trek: Discovery». Is it any good? I’m not sure yet. I was quite disappointed after the first two episodes: No sympathetic character, too much exposition talk and even more Klingon babble. But I rather enjoyed episode 4. Jason Isaacs’ Captain Lorca might just salvage this property from sinking. I’ll wait and see…

Rating: 3

Now to the really good stuff: «Mindhunter» might be more form than function but I enjoyed the hell out of this crime-drama set in the seventies following two FBI agents in the early days of criminal profiling.

Maybe it’s the theme of serial killers that got to me. Even David Fincher’s (who produced and directed some of the episodes)  «Zodiac» was mostly talking heads and even more shots of people talking on the phone, and I still loved it a lot. It must be Fincher’s style that I just cannot get enough of. «Mindhunter’s» cinematography, sound, music, dialogue and acting are just phenomenal, even though not really that much happens story-wise. 

Rating: 4.5

Then, «The Good Place» got me by surprise. I didn’t know anything about it and I recommend to watch it in the same way. It’s really funny, thought provoking, clever and… really funny.

I might have known that I’d like «The Good Place» because it’s by Michael Schur, the same guy that created «Brooklyn Nine-Nine» another show I just binge-watch the hell out of. Just because it’s funny, clever and, like «The Good Place» damn enjoyable without having the need to get «dark» as so many series nowadays do (which is not a bad thing per se. I love the good ones like «Breaking Bad» or «Mad Men» but it’s nice to see, that a good series can be light AND relevant today.) 

Rating: 4.5

Let’s get over here to some adult animation entertainment (not what you think). I’ve seen Nick Kroll pop up a lot in the last few years in this or that movie and in even more late night talkshows. But the Netflix version of the brilliant Broadway show «Oh, Hello», his collaboration with comedian John Mulaney made me curious about his Netflix show «Big Mouth» . This pretty dark, naughty, but somehow true and heartwarming series where “Teenage friends find their lives upended by the wonders and horrors of puberty”  (IMDb) does the trick and entertained me a lot with some let’s say uncomfortable themes. 

Rating: 3

Talking about «dark»: It took much too long for me to finally take a gander at «Rick and Morty». Mostly because I couldn’t believe how a show seemingly drawn this crude could be that ingenious and so exactly hit my pleasure center. It’s deep, it’s mean, it’s funny and it’s full of pop-culture and science references. It’s «The Simpsons» and «South Park» on steroids… or on LSD… probably both.

And it’s co-created by Dan Harmon, the creator of «Community», and it shows… so there’s that. 

Rating: 5

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Iron Fist

Iron Fist

Rating: 0.5

Just realized I never got around to review Netflix’ «Iron Fist»:

Yes, it sucks.

Moving on…

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Spider-Man: Homecoming

Rating: 3

Wow, I almost lost my wallet there at the theater! But I wouldn’t have lost the money: The latest cinematic iteration of Spider-Man is well worth its admission price.

It’s got heart, it has humour, it’s got a great cast. And as unbelievable as is sounds, this co-production between Marvel Studios and Sony (who still hold the rights to the movie character, technically, I think) has something the «purer» MCU films had yet to deliver on: A great villain! Michael Keaton is perfect in the role (winged superpersons obviously just seem to be his thing) and his persona «The Vulture» equally satisfies as antagonist as well as a driving storyelement.

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is great, too; but no surprise there. And the suits (as in «the VFX») are fun to explore but interestingly enough not as overwhelming and important as let’s say the «Avengers» movies.

So no, I don’t regret to have worn my Spidey T-Shirt to work today. And yes, in the end, I found my wallet under the seat.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Rating: 4.5

What a great sci-fi fantasy action comedy! I laughed my ass off and if you’re an eighties kid, you probably will, too.
In the end there was not a dry eye in the house (and that wasn’t because of the 3D glasses).

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Punisher (Netflix)

Torturing a non-nerd friend who just happened to have mentioned once that he kinda liked «The Punisher» (Thomas Jane). 

Correction:

Just realized know, that’s the first Netflix Punisher Season. His character was so strong in Daredevil Season 2 that my memory tricked me. (My friend wouldn’t know any better, of course).