Random bits on my mind
Jul. 23rd, 2019 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Saw the movie Yesterday in Martha's Vineyard. I've mixed feelings about it. The more I think about it the more I like it. The premise is that a world-wide electro-magnetic shift thrusts all the characters into an alternate universe where various things no longer exist, such as The Beatles -- the Beatles is the focus, because the point of view character or protagonist is a Beatles fan and a struggling musician. The lead is rather good, but Lily James as the love interest felt a bit weak. I also liked Kate McKinnon as the crazy tough corporate music lable manager, attempting to make a killing.
The plot? Simple enough -- you can get from the trailer. The protagonist, Jack Malick as portrayed by Hamish Patel, gets hit by a bus during a massive electrical black out. When he comes to in the hospital, it slowly dawns on him that he's the only one who remembers the Beatles. Or so we think. And it's not just the Beatles..
Without going into more details, there are some amusing little touches and surprises along the way, and it is a fun movie that is an interesting indictment of how the music industry works, and how it feeds on itself, often destroying the artists in the process. Yet the music lives on, and will live as long as someone remembers it, loves it, and can reproduce it -- somewhat effectively. Is the music worth it? Yes, or so the movie believes.
A professional musician who watched it with me -- felt that the music bits were effective, along with the science fiction premise -- and wanted more of that, including the process of creating a song. What he wanted less of - was the romance or rom-com aspect. He felt that was a bit weak -- and I had to agree. I found it difficult to care. While yes, the romance was there to make the lead less of a douche bag and give him a way of redemption -- I felt it was too easy and not earned. I didn't really buy the romance that much -- and Lily James' character felt very cliche and got on my nerves. It felt easy -- oh, I choose love over using someone else's music to obtain fame. And I thought -- yes, but, you need to make me believe it and I don't. The other person I saw it with, who isn't analytical at all, didn't see that and loved the movie as it was. So, it depends on how you think - I suspect.
M: I liked the movie.
Me: Why?
M: I just did. I don't feel a need to analyze it.
Me: Uh, you don't understand. That's how I think. I analyze. I look at what works and what doesn't.
M looks at me as if I'm nuts.
While B thought about the same way I did, and had similar issues.
2. CBD -- this is now legal in New York, and Mass, apparently. So far a mixed bag. My mother is able to use it South Carolina -- she uses one drop each night for her legs. I've used it to regulate mood and anxiety, also back pain -- and it works like a charm.
But alas, there are interesting side effects. When I did it -- I noticed my lips, tongue, toes, and fingers went numb and I had a sense of euphoria, a little dizziness, and then the munchies. This was ten to twenty mg. So, I'm keeping the dosage very low.
Also there are interactions with other drugs.
As with anything -- do what works for you. We are not a one size fits all society.
The same drugs don't work for everyone.
And CBD is not currently regulated, which is problematic.
That said, it's not horrible either -- and much of the paranoia is not fact-based.
Many people are prejudiced against a drug that they know very little about. And mainly in regards to its previous uses.
At a pharmacy in Martha's Vineyard -- I bought a package of gummies (10 mg per gummy), two CBD tea bags (7mg), and tablets (15 mg per tablet). I haven't seen them in pharmacies here as of yet. But they are in cafes and health food stores -- the infusions and oils.
3. Veronica Mars.
I read about this on vacation but unfortunately the friend I was staying with had NEVER watched the show and had no interest.
So any Veronica Mars fans or viewers out there?
Veronica Mars Season 4 Ending that is Unfair to Fans
OR basically the ending that pissed off a million fans, or to be exact shippers.
(I'm not sure anyone but the shippers is still devoted to the series. I lost interest ages ago with the lackluster third season and the bland movie. Rob Thomas, as a writer, is uneven, and a bit grating. I didn't fall for iZombie, and got tired of Mars mid-way through the third season. Yes, I know, he's doing "Noir" but it's sort of Noir light, and I've seen it done better elsewhere.]
Anyhow, he decides apparently to really do noir in Season 4. I'd considered getting a brief Hulu subscription to watch Veronica and S3 of Runaways back to back in December and January, but now I'm on the fence.
From the articles I've read, Thomas chooses to kill off the male fatal with a heart of gold - Logan Echolls. Who from my perspective had been the most interesting character in the series. I did not find Keith or Veronica all that interesting -- sort of boilerplate, keep in mind I read Nancy Drew as a kid and that's basically who they are, Nancy and Dad, solving mysteries.
Bell made her snarky, with a dry self-deprecating wit that I enjoyed. But Echolls toned it down a notch. Also I never knew where they were going with that relationship, both are sort of loose canons.
Thomas subscribes to Whedon and various other male writers view that to have a female or male detective, you can't have a serious romance, where the two characters end up together. That's boring. It doesn't have to be. And also, it's not necessarily realistic. More than one mystery that I've read in my lifetime had the male and/or female detective with a love interest that lived. Robert B. Parker's Spencer which was noirish did. As did the western mystery series, with Katee Sackcliff -- although that ended with one. Actually the better written ones do, the pulpy ones don't. It's harder to write a long-running or committed romantic relationship or marriage than fleeting one night stands or affairs. Apparently.
I see it as lazy writing. And the shippers have every right to be pissed off.
Particularly since they are the ones pushing the franchise forward. No one else was.
While, I can't say I was a fan of the series, I did enjoy it and watched, but I mainly watched for Logan/Mars relationship and her interactions with geeky computer friend and hacker.
I can see why they did it -- they want a female noir mystery series -- the problem is that someone else is already doing that, and potentially better, with Stumptown on NBC. Plus Stumptown doesn't cost me anything to watch. Mars does.
If I were Thomas -- I'd have killed off Keith Mars. Daddy needs to die, in order for the daughter to find her own way. Or have Logan responsible in some way for Daddy's death or framed for it. Make Logan more ambiguous or a guy Friday. OR make him the damsel.
I don't know. But I'll be surprised if there is a S6. S5, yes. S6...hmmm.
Note? I have not seen it and I probably won't, since I do not have Hulu.
4. For Marvel fans...MCU Phase 4 and 5 plans.. SDCC has released some exciting news.
* They are doing a Female Thor film, that will premiere in 2020, starring Natalie Portman, when Jane Foster becomes Thor.
Wait. What? Wow.
I knew Jane Foster had picked up the mantle of Thor in the comics, but didn't expect them to do a movie about it -- with Natalie Portman of all people playing the lead.
Rumor had it that she was through with Thor -- apparently she was only through with the previous version of it and playing the damsel. Portman insists on portraying strong women in all her roles going forward.
Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, last properly featured in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, will return in 2021’s Thor: Love and Thunder, and will have the thunder god’s powers.
While Foster never technically left the universe there are a few lines about how she’s off being a scientist (Avengers: Age of Ultron), or that she and Thor broke up (Thor: Ragnarok), to explain why she didn’t appear. It was thought that Portman was done with the MCU, making this news a huge surprise. Add to that the reveal that Foster is going to lift Mjölnir (Portman posed with the mythical hammer at SDCC) and wield the powers of the Asgardian stormcaller, and it raises even more questions as to what Portman will be doing in Love and Thunder, along with Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and director Taika Waititi.
YES! I cannot wait for this to be released. It looks awesome.
* Phase 4 - all Marvel's upcoming movies and television series
- Black Widow (a turning point in her life, pre-Avengers) - MAy 1, 2020
- The Falcon and the Winter Solider (fall 2020) - Disney Channel as a limited series
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will soon be coming to the small screen. The Mouse House is launching its Disney+ streaming service in November 2019, featuring both archival content and new shows and movies. Marvel is hard at work on several new miniseries, starting with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Scheduled to debut in fall 2020, the series will follow Mackie’s Sam Wilson (now carrying Captain America’s shield) and Stan’s Bucky Barnes, as they team up against Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo. We last saw Brühl’s baddie in Captain America: Civil War, and in a pretaped video message shown at Comic-Con, the actor revealed that Zemo is alive and well — and he wanted to “say hello to some old friends.” (The footage shown at Comic-Con also included a flash of Zemo in his familiar purple mask from the comics.)
- The Eternals - November 6, 2020
There may be no new Avengers films on the schedule, but the MCU is introducing a new superhero squad. The Rider’s Chloe Zhao is directing The Eternals, about a group of ancient immortal beings watching over the Earth. Comics legend Jack Kirby created them in the ’70s, when he returned to Marvel after a brief time at DC Comics, and the 2020 film will follow the group’s clash against their longtime nemeses, the Deviants.
The cast includes Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Icarus, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Don Lee as the big bad Gilgamesh.
“It’s about this group of incredible immortals,” Zhao teased at Comic-Con, “but through their journey, we really get to explore what it means to be human and humanity on our time on this planet.”
* In 2021, Marvel will release its first film about a superhero of Asian descent. Meet Shang-Chi, a martial arts master played by Simu Liu. Liu is best known for his role on the Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience, and he’ll be starring in The Legend of the Ten Rings with Awkwafina and Tony Leung. Awkwafina’s role has yet to be announced, but Yeung will be playing the notorious Marvel supervillain the Mandarin. (Not the fake Mandarin we met in Iron Man 3 — the real one.)
* WandaVision -- limited series on the Disney+
Paul Bettany’s Vision may have died in Avengers: Infinity War, but he’ll still be appearing with Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch in the new Disney+ series WandaVision. It remains to be seen what the series will actually be about, but Olsen has promised that “it’s going to get weird.“
The show will also find Wanda Maximoff and Vision teaming up with Monica Rambeau. The character made her debut as a child in Captain Marvel, but in WandaVision, she’ll be all grown up and played by Teyonah Parris.
- Doctor Strange and the Multi-Verse of Madness
Speaking of Scarlet Witch, Olsen will also be starring opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in 2021’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Original Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson is returning for that one, and he promises that it’ll be “the first scary MCU film,” pitting Cumberbatch’s egotistical physician against all sorts of cosmic horrors.
Cumberbatch has said that although Strange was largely an authoritative, confident figure in Infinity War and Endgame, Multiverse of Madness will disarm the character and present him with some unexpected challenges. And according to Feige, the events of WandaVision will directly tie into the film.
* Loki -2021 or how the MCU keeps characters alive, while keeping them dead at the same time.
Throughout the MCU, Tom Hiddleston’s mischievous Loki has served as both universe-threatening antagonist and reluctant ally, but now he’s getting a story of his own. The Loki we all know and love died at the hands of Thanos in Infinity War, but the new Disney+ series follows the Loki who nicked the Tesseract and disappeared after the Avengers went back in time in Endgame.
“The question I get asked more than any other question in Endgame was, where did Loki go, and what happened to Loki?” Feige said at Comic-Con. “This series will answer where he went.”
According to Hiddleston, this Loki hasn’t yet become the sympathetic figure in Thor: Ragnarok; he’s still the narcissist and bad guy we met in 2012’s The Avengers. “There’s a lot of psychological evolution that is still yet to happen,” Hiddleston said.
* What IF? (Oh this is cool, it's animated, and an adaptation of Marvel's legendary What If series.)
The MCU is getting animated. Marvel Comics has a long history of exploring alternate realities through its What If…? comics line, and now the MCU is doing the same through a new Disney+ series.
The show will explore ideas like “What if Peggy Carter picked up Steve’s shield to become Captain America?” and it’ll include the voices of returning Marvel stars like Michael B. Jordan, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayley Atwell, Chadwick Boseman, Karen Gillan, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper, Sean Gunn, and Natalie Portman.
Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright is also lending his voice as the Watcher, an alien being who observes different story lines throughout the multiverse.
* Hawkeye - Disney + limited series
Jeremy Renner is once again picking up Hawkeye’s quiver for a new Disney+ series. The show will follow Clint Barton as he trains a young Kate Bishop as his sharpshooting protegé, and based on the artwork Marvel teased at Comic-Con, it may be inspired by Matt Fraction and David Aja’s acclaimed solo comics run of the same name.
Now, fingers crossed that the show includes an appearance by Lucky the Pizza Dog.
* Blade is being redone with Marshali Ali
With all the news that Marvel dropped during its 2019 Comic-Con panel, perhaps the most unexpected and exciting was the announcement that Mahershala Ali will be playing a new version of Blade. According to Feige, Ali called Marvel after he won his second Oscar (for Green Book) and told them he’d be interested in tackling the iconic vampire hunter. Luckily for all of us, the studio immediately said yes.
YES!
* And of course, we're getting Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
It's a great time to be a superhero fan. Isn't it?
5. Marvel X-Men Plans Revealed
And these are really interesting and different.
Jonathan Hickman is returning to Marvel next week to light a fire under the X-Men, and at San Diego Comic Con, he shared his plans for the first wave of X-Men comics to follow his place-setting launch titles, House of X and Powers of X.
Six books launch in the first wave: X-Men (Cyclops, Christopher Summers, Rachel Grey, Cable, Jean Grey, Vulcan, Havok, and Wolverine), Excalibur, X-Force, New Mutants, Fallen Angels and Marauders.
"House of X and Powers of X lay the groundwork for a whole new world of X-Men stories for years to come, and the Dawn of X books are the promise of that new world come to life,” said X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White in a press statement.
White later told Polygon more about the lead in books: "[After House of M] the [books] became less about acceptance by humankind and more about the fact that they were going extinct and that they might disappear as a species. That was the driving force of the X-Men, and while there have been fluctuations in that story over the years, I still think that generally that’s been the thrust of the line for quite a while. I think it was time for a change.”
Powers of X (pronounced "Powers of Ten" at the panel, but it's not clear if that was trolling or not) is the story of mutants throughout time, while House of X is more about the mutants in the now, though the two intertwine. They then reset the X-Men the same way "Disassembled" did to the world of the Avengers, and from there, the first wave of new books launch.
* X-men
X-Men #1 launches in October, written by Hickman with art from Leinil Francis Yu (who recently helped launch Ta-Nehisi Coates' Captain America).
This is the flagship X-book with the heaviest hitters and the series driving the rest of the line. It ALSO has almost nothing but Summerses on the cover - Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rachel Grey, Cable, Corsair, Havok, and okay-if-you-say-so-but-only-because-I-trust-you-Jonathan Vulcan - along with Wolverine in his scientifically proven best costume.
YES. A dream book for Cyclops fans everywhere.
* The Marauders
Marauders #1 also launches in October, from Gerry Duggan (Guardians of the Galaxy, Infinity Wars) and Matteo Lolli (Asgardians of the Galaxy).
This book has Emma Frost's Hellfire Trading Company funding a team of Marauders sailing the seas protecting mutants and presumably doing some light raiding. The team is led by Captain Kate Pryde and Lockheed, with Iceman, Storm, Bishop, and Pyro rounding out the crew. This book should probably be called Privateers but who am I kidding, I'm probably buying an X-Men book with Storm, Bishop, and Iceman on it.
[And from the cover? It appears that someone finally decided to give Emma Frost a costume that doesn't make her look like a Victoria Secret take on a Dominatrix Superhero.]
*The New Mutants (which frankly looks like a throwback, and again, a how-to guide on how Marvel resurrects a slew of characters that it recently killed off during a previous run)
Hickman is working with Ed Brisson (X-Force) and Rod Reis (Secret Empire) on New Mutants. Wolfsbane and Karma (both resurrected) are joined by Magik, Sunspot, Mirage, and Cypher and former Generation Xers Chamber and Mondo head into space with the Starjammers to find their missing friends.
Hickman is co-writing the first arc, then handing the reins to Brisson. As a reminder, Hickman is an ENORMOUS New Mutants fan. That was his primary motivation behind putting Cannonball and Sunspot on the Avengers. New Mutants launches in November.
* The Excalibur
Tini Howad (Thanos) and Marcus To (X-Men Blue) bring us Excalibur in October.
This book will explore mutants' connection to magic and Otherworld. Betsy Braddock takes her place as Captain Britain, and she's joined by the most magical of all mutants: Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Rictor, and Apocalypse. Wait...what?
* Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels has the recently resurrected (in The Return of Wolverine) Kwannon, now using the mantle of Psylocke, gathering a team for revenge after an old friend is killed, and potentially jeopardizing mutantkind's new world. She's joined by kid Cable and X-23. Bryan Edward Hill (American Carnage, a book almost certain to be on a slew of Best of 2019 lists) and Szymon Kudranski (The Punisher) are the creators for this November launch.
*X-Force
And finally in November, Ben Percy (Green Arrow) and Joshua Cassara (Falcon) launch X-Force. Described as "The CIA for mutants," this team has Beast, Jean Grey and Sage as their lead intelligence agents, with Domino, Colossus, Wolverine and Kid Omega running black ops for them. This team is fascinating, with two sets of ex-flames (Jean Grey and Wolverine and Domino and Colossus) and Kid Omega being given something X to do. Also that's totally Dr. Strange hiding in the background there.
[Damn, Wolverine and Jean Grey are in one too many X-books. Both characters have been a bit overdone. But hey, Doctor Strange!]
This looks wickedly cool. Marvel is putting X-men front and center again, and yes, there are plans to pull them into the MCU movie-verse. But not until Phase 5.
They've plotted it out though, and promise no more rebooting after this -- we hope.
I'm looking forward to new stories starring my favorite characters. With cool art.
Also, just so you know, Tessa, The Valkeryi is my default icon. She's also the first LGBTQA superhero in the MCU. (Not in the comics -- the comics have Northstar as the first, a mutant, and Bobby Drake.)
The plot? Simple enough -- you can get from the trailer. The protagonist, Jack Malick as portrayed by Hamish Patel, gets hit by a bus during a massive electrical black out. When he comes to in the hospital, it slowly dawns on him that he's the only one who remembers the Beatles. Or so we think. And it's not just the Beatles..
Without going into more details, there are some amusing little touches and surprises along the way, and it is a fun movie that is an interesting indictment of how the music industry works, and how it feeds on itself, often destroying the artists in the process. Yet the music lives on, and will live as long as someone remembers it, loves it, and can reproduce it -- somewhat effectively. Is the music worth it? Yes, or so the movie believes.
A professional musician who watched it with me -- felt that the music bits were effective, along with the science fiction premise -- and wanted more of that, including the process of creating a song. What he wanted less of - was the romance or rom-com aspect. He felt that was a bit weak -- and I had to agree. I found it difficult to care. While yes, the romance was there to make the lead less of a douche bag and give him a way of redemption -- I felt it was too easy and not earned. I didn't really buy the romance that much -- and Lily James' character felt very cliche and got on my nerves. It felt easy -- oh, I choose love over using someone else's music to obtain fame. And I thought -- yes, but, you need to make me believe it and I don't. The other person I saw it with, who isn't analytical at all, didn't see that and loved the movie as it was. So, it depends on how you think - I suspect.
M: I liked the movie.
Me: Why?
M: I just did. I don't feel a need to analyze it.
Me: Uh, you don't understand. That's how I think. I analyze. I look at what works and what doesn't.
M looks at me as if I'm nuts.
While B thought about the same way I did, and had similar issues.
2. CBD -- this is now legal in New York, and Mass, apparently. So far a mixed bag. My mother is able to use it South Carolina -- she uses one drop each night for her legs. I've used it to regulate mood and anxiety, also back pain -- and it works like a charm.
But alas, there are interesting side effects. When I did it -- I noticed my lips, tongue, toes, and fingers went numb and I had a sense of euphoria, a little dizziness, and then the munchies. This was ten to twenty mg. So, I'm keeping the dosage very low.
Also there are interactions with other drugs.
As with anything -- do what works for you. We are not a one size fits all society.
The same drugs don't work for everyone.
And CBD is not currently regulated, which is problematic.
That said, it's not horrible either -- and much of the paranoia is not fact-based.
Many people are prejudiced against a drug that they know very little about. And mainly in regards to its previous uses.
At a pharmacy in Martha's Vineyard -- I bought a package of gummies (10 mg per gummy), two CBD tea bags (7mg), and tablets (15 mg per tablet). I haven't seen them in pharmacies here as of yet. But they are in cafes and health food stores -- the infusions and oils.
3. Veronica Mars.
I read about this on vacation but unfortunately the friend I was staying with had NEVER watched the show and had no interest.
So any Veronica Mars fans or viewers out there?
Veronica Mars Season 4 Ending that is Unfair to Fans
OR basically the ending that pissed off a million fans, or to be exact shippers.
(I'm not sure anyone but the shippers is still devoted to the series. I lost interest ages ago with the lackluster third season and the bland movie. Rob Thomas, as a writer, is uneven, and a bit grating. I didn't fall for iZombie, and got tired of Mars mid-way through the third season. Yes, I know, he's doing "Noir" but it's sort of Noir light, and I've seen it done better elsewhere.]
Anyhow, he decides apparently to really do noir in Season 4. I'd considered getting a brief Hulu subscription to watch Veronica and S3 of Runaways back to back in December and January, but now I'm on the fence.
From the articles I've read, Thomas chooses to kill off the male fatal with a heart of gold - Logan Echolls. Who from my perspective had been the most interesting character in the series. I did not find Keith or Veronica all that interesting -- sort of boilerplate, keep in mind I read Nancy Drew as a kid and that's basically who they are, Nancy and Dad, solving mysteries.
Bell made her snarky, with a dry self-deprecating wit that I enjoyed. But Echolls toned it down a notch. Also I never knew where they were going with that relationship, both are sort of loose canons.
Thomas subscribes to Whedon and various other male writers view that to have a female or male detective, you can't have a serious romance, where the two characters end up together. That's boring. It doesn't have to be. And also, it's not necessarily realistic. More than one mystery that I've read in my lifetime had the male and/or female detective with a love interest that lived. Robert B. Parker's Spencer which was noirish did. As did the western mystery series, with Katee Sackcliff -- although that ended with one. Actually the better written ones do, the pulpy ones don't. It's harder to write a long-running or committed romantic relationship or marriage than fleeting one night stands or affairs. Apparently.
I see it as lazy writing. And the shippers have every right to be pissed off.
Particularly since they are the ones pushing the franchise forward. No one else was.
While, I can't say I was a fan of the series, I did enjoy it and watched, but I mainly watched for Logan/Mars relationship and her interactions with geeky computer friend and hacker.
I can see why they did it -- they want a female noir mystery series -- the problem is that someone else is already doing that, and potentially better, with Stumptown on NBC. Plus Stumptown doesn't cost me anything to watch. Mars does.
If I were Thomas -- I'd have killed off Keith Mars. Daddy needs to die, in order for the daughter to find her own way. Or have Logan responsible in some way for Daddy's death or framed for it. Make Logan more ambiguous or a guy Friday. OR make him the damsel.
I don't know. But I'll be surprised if there is a S6. S5, yes. S6...hmmm.
Note? I have not seen it and I probably won't, since I do not have Hulu.
4. For Marvel fans...MCU Phase 4 and 5 plans.. SDCC has released some exciting news.
* They are doing a Female Thor film, that will premiere in 2020, starring Natalie Portman, when Jane Foster becomes Thor.
Wait. What? Wow.
I knew Jane Foster had picked up the mantle of Thor in the comics, but didn't expect them to do a movie about it -- with Natalie Portman of all people playing the lead.
Rumor had it that she was through with Thor -- apparently she was only through with the previous version of it and playing the damsel. Portman insists on portraying strong women in all her roles going forward.
Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, last properly featured in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, will return in 2021’s Thor: Love and Thunder, and will have the thunder god’s powers.
While Foster never technically left the universe there are a few lines about how she’s off being a scientist (Avengers: Age of Ultron), or that she and Thor broke up (Thor: Ragnarok), to explain why she didn’t appear. It was thought that Portman was done with the MCU, making this news a huge surprise. Add to that the reveal that Foster is going to lift Mjölnir (Portman posed with the mythical hammer at SDCC) and wield the powers of the Asgardian stormcaller, and it raises even more questions as to what Portman will be doing in Love and Thunder, along with Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and director Taika Waititi.
YES! I cannot wait for this to be released. It looks awesome.
* Phase 4 - all Marvel's upcoming movies and television series
- Black Widow (a turning point in her life, pre-Avengers) - MAy 1, 2020
- The Falcon and the Winter Solider (fall 2020) - Disney Channel as a limited series
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will soon be coming to the small screen. The Mouse House is launching its Disney+ streaming service in November 2019, featuring both archival content and new shows and movies. Marvel is hard at work on several new miniseries, starting with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Scheduled to debut in fall 2020, the series will follow Mackie’s Sam Wilson (now carrying Captain America’s shield) and Stan’s Bucky Barnes, as they team up against Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo. We last saw Brühl’s baddie in Captain America: Civil War, and in a pretaped video message shown at Comic-Con, the actor revealed that Zemo is alive and well — and he wanted to “say hello to some old friends.” (The footage shown at Comic-Con also included a flash of Zemo in his familiar purple mask from the comics.)
- The Eternals - November 6, 2020
There may be no new Avengers films on the schedule, but the MCU is introducing a new superhero squad. The Rider’s Chloe Zhao is directing The Eternals, about a group of ancient immortal beings watching over the Earth. Comics legend Jack Kirby created them in the ’70s, when he returned to Marvel after a brief time at DC Comics, and the 2020 film will follow the group’s clash against their longtime nemeses, the Deviants.
The cast includes Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Icarus, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Don Lee as the big bad Gilgamesh.
“It’s about this group of incredible immortals,” Zhao teased at Comic-Con, “but through their journey, we really get to explore what it means to be human and humanity on our time on this planet.”
* In 2021, Marvel will release its first film about a superhero of Asian descent. Meet Shang-Chi, a martial arts master played by Simu Liu. Liu is best known for his role on the Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience, and he’ll be starring in The Legend of the Ten Rings with Awkwafina and Tony Leung. Awkwafina’s role has yet to be announced, but Yeung will be playing the notorious Marvel supervillain the Mandarin. (Not the fake Mandarin we met in Iron Man 3 — the real one.)
* WandaVision -- limited series on the Disney+
Paul Bettany’s Vision may have died in Avengers: Infinity War, but he’ll still be appearing with Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch in the new Disney+ series WandaVision. It remains to be seen what the series will actually be about, but Olsen has promised that “it’s going to get weird.“
The show will also find Wanda Maximoff and Vision teaming up with Monica Rambeau. The character made her debut as a child in Captain Marvel, but in WandaVision, she’ll be all grown up and played by Teyonah Parris.
- Doctor Strange and the Multi-Verse of Madness
Speaking of Scarlet Witch, Olsen will also be starring opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in 2021’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Original Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson is returning for that one, and he promises that it’ll be “the first scary MCU film,” pitting Cumberbatch’s egotistical physician against all sorts of cosmic horrors.
Cumberbatch has said that although Strange was largely an authoritative, confident figure in Infinity War and Endgame, Multiverse of Madness will disarm the character and present him with some unexpected challenges. And according to Feige, the events of WandaVision will directly tie into the film.
* Loki -2021 or how the MCU keeps characters alive, while keeping them dead at the same time.
Throughout the MCU, Tom Hiddleston’s mischievous Loki has served as both universe-threatening antagonist and reluctant ally, but now he’s getting a story of his own. The Loki we all know and love died at the hands of Thanos in Infinity War, but the new Disney+ series follows the Loki who nicked the Tesseract and disappeared after the Avengers went back in time in Endgame.
“The question I get asked more than any other question in Endgame was, where did Loki go, and what happened to Loki?” Feige said at Comic-Con. “This series will answer where he went.”
According to Hiddleston, this Loki hasn’t yet become the sympathetic figure in Thor: Ragnarok; he’s still the narcissist and bad guy we met in 2012’s The Avengers. “There’s a lot of psychological evolution that is still yet to happen,” Hiddleston said.
* What IF? (Oh this is cool, it's animated, and an adaptation of Marvel's legendary What If series.)
The MCU is getting animated. Marvel Comics has a long history of exploring alternate realities through its What If…? comics line, and now the MCU is doing the same through a new Disney+ series.
The show will explore ideas like “What if Peggy Carter picked up Steve’s shield to become Captain America?” and it’ll include the voices of returning Marvel stars like Michael B. Jordan, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayley Atwell, Chadwick Boseman, Karen Gillan, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper, Sean Gunn, and Natalie Portman.
Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright is also lending his voice as the Watcher, an alien being who observes different story lines throughout the multiverse.
* Hawkeye - Disney + limited series
Jeremy Renner is once again picking up Hawkeye’s quiver for a new Disney+ series. The show will follow Clint Barton as he trains a young Kate Bishop as his sharpshooting protegé, and based on the artwork Marvel teased at Comic-Con, it may be inspired by Matt Fraction and David Aja’s acclaimed solo comics run of the same name.
Now, fingers crossed that the show includes an appearance by Lucky the Pizza Dog.
* Blade is being redone with Marshali Ali
With all the news that Marvel dropped during its 2019 Comic-Con panel, perhaps the most unexpected and exciting was the announcement that Mahershala Ali will be playing a new version of Blade. According to Feige, Ali called Marvel after he won his second Oscar (for Green Book) and told them he’d be interested in tackling the iconic vampire hunter. Luckily for all of us, the studio immediately said yes.
YES!
* And of course, we're getting Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
It's a great time to be a superhero fan. Isn't it?
5. Marvel X-Men Plans Revealed
And these are really interesting and different.
Jonathan Hickman is returning to Marvel next week to light a fire under the X-Men, and at San Diego Comic Con, he shared his plans for the first wave of X-Men comics to follow his place-setting launch titles, House of X and Powers of X.
Six books launch in the first wave: X-Men (Cyclops, Christopher Summers, Rachel Grey, Cable, Jean Grey, Vulcan, Havok, and Wolverine), Excalibur, X-Force, New Mutants, Fallen Angels and Marauders.
"House of X and Powers of X lay the groundwork for a whole new world of X-Men stories for years to come, and the Dawn of X books are the promise of that new world come to life,” said X-Men Senior Editor Jordan D. White in a press statement.
White later told Polygon more about the lead in books: "[After House of M] the [books] became less about acceptance by humankind and more about the fact that they were going extinct and that they might disappear as a species. That was the driving force of the X-Men, and while there have been fluctuations in that story over the years, I still think that generally that’s been the thrust of the line for quite a while. I think it was time for a change.”
Powers of X (pronounced "Powers of Ten" at the panel, but it's not clear if that was trolling or not) is the story of mutants throughout time, while House of X is more about the mutants in the now, though the two intertwine. They then reset the X-Men the same way "Disassembled" did to the world of the Avengers, and from there, the first wave of new books launch.
* X-men
X-Men #1 launches in October, written by Hickman with art from Leinil Francis Yu (who recently helped launch Ta-Nehisi Coates' Captain America).
This is the flagship X-book with the heaviest hitters and the series driving the rest of the line. It ALSO has almost nothing but Summerses on the cover - Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rachel Grey, Cable, Corsair, Havok, and okay-if-you-say-so-but-only-because-I-trust-you-Jonathan Vulcan - along with Wolverine in his scientifically proven best costume.
YES. A dream book for Cyclops fans everywhere.
* The Marauders
Marauders #1 also launches in October, from Gerry Duggan (Guardians of the Galaxy, Infinity Wars) and Matteo Lolli (Asgardians of the Galaxy).
This book has Emma Frost's Hellfire Trading Company funding a team of Marauders sailing the seas protecting mutants and presumably doing some light raiding. The team is led by Captain Kate Pryde and Lockheed, with Iceman, Storm, Bishop, and Pyro rounding out the crew. This book should probably be called Privateers but who am I kidding, I'm probably buying an X-Men book with Storm, Bishop, and Iceman on it.
[And from the cover? It appears that someone finally decided to give Emma Frost a costume that doesn't make her look like a Victoria Secret take on a Dominatrix Superhero.]
*The New Mutants (which frankly looks like a throwback, and again, a how-to guide on how Marvel resurrects a slew of characters that it recently killed off during a previous run)
Hickman is working with Ed Brisson (X-Force) and Rod Reis (Secret Empire) on New Mutants. Wolfsbane and Karma (both resurrected) are joined by Magik, Sunspot, Mirage, and Cypher and former Generation Xers Chamber and Mondo head into space with the Starjammers to find their missing friends.
Hickman is co-writing the first arc, then handing the reins to Brisson. As a reminder, Hickman is an ENORMOUS New Mutants fan. That was his primary motivation behind putting Cannonball and Sunspot on the Avengers. New Mutants launches in November.
* The Excalibur
Tini Howad (Thanos) and Marcus To (X-Men Blue) bring us Excalibur in October.
This book will explore mutants' connection to magic and Otherworld. Betsy Braddock takes her place as Captain Britain, and she's joined by the most magical of all mutants: Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Rictor, and Apocalypse. Wait...what?
* Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels has the recently resurrected (in The Return of Wolverine) Kwannon, now using the mantle of Psylocke, gathering a team for revenge after an old friend is killed, and potentially jeopardizing mutantkind's new world. She's joined by kid Cable and X-23. Bryan Edward Hill (American Carnage, a book almost certain to be on a slew of Best of 2019 lists) and Szymon Kudranski (The Punisher) are the creators for this November launch.
*X-Force
And finally in November, Ben Percy (Green Arrow) and Joshua Cassara (Falcon) launch X-Force. Described as "The CIA for mutants," this team has Beast, Jean Grey and Sage as their lead intelligence agents, with Domino, Colossus, Wolverine and Kid Omega running black ops for them. This team is fascinating, with two sets of ex-flames (Jean Grey and Wolverine and Domino and Colossus) and Kid Omega being given something X to do. Also that's totally Dr. Strange hiding in the background there.
[Damn, Wolverine and Jean Grey are in one too many X-books. Both characters have been a bit overdone. But hey, Doctor Strange!]
This looks wickedly cool. Marvel is putting X-men front and center again, and yes, there are plans to pull them into the MCU movie-verse. But not until Phase 5.
They've plotted it out though, and promise no more rebooting after this -- we hope.
I'm looking forward to new stories starring my favorite characters. With cool art.
Also, just so you know, Tessa, The Valkeryi is my default icon. She's also the first LGBTQA superhero in the MCU. (Not in the comics -- the comics have Northstar as the first, a mutant, and Bobby Drake.)
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Date: 2019-07-24 04:36 am (UTC)The movie was okay, more like a made for TV movie than anything. It wrapped up the series better than I expected, given how bad season three was. The fourth season, which I have not seen, sounds like from the reviews that it was okay until they decided to kill off Logan. Why on earth would they do that? The fans are understandably upset. This is approaching Chris Carter's level of incompetence.
There is something weird happening with your html. Paragraph after paragraph is in italics.
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Date: 2019-07-24 01:06 pm (UTC)You're right. When I look at it without hitting comments -- it's fine, when I click on the comments, it's not. Argh. Oh well, I can either leave as is, or remove all the italics -- the italics were there for the paragraphs that were taken from the link.
We watched Veronica Mars. The first season was great. The second season was just okay. I think my husband liked it better than I did. The third season was terrible. I think I quit it the first time around halfway through and then rewatched it all when the movie came out. It was even worse than I'd remembered.
That's why I'm hesitant about S4...I didn't exactly think much of seasons 2-3 or the movie. Oh there were episodes that were rather good. The Zardo Prison Study episode -- in S3 I enjoyed, because I was studying social psychology at the time and in particularly that study. But Keith Mars disappeared from the show, and Veronica became somewhat annoying, also the new characters they added did not work.
The movie was okay. I wouldn't call it horrible. But I wouldn't call it memorable either. Hardly worth purchasing a subscription to Hulu for.
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Date: 2019-07-24 07:41 am (UTC)I'm a bit of a Logan shipper, but actually, even as that I was happy. The usual trope is that happy couples can never stay happy on tv and that they cheat on each other or leave one at the altar. All of which they didn't. Both characters evolved, still had problems, grew apart and back together.
And then he dies in the last episode, which is heartbreaking, but makes total sense in the noir setting. making him the lost love, Veronica will maybe never get over. It's a good season and I deffinitely want more. I hope the whole fandom bitchin is ignored to be honest.
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Date: 2019-07-24 01:19 pm (UTC)Depends on who the majority of fans that subscribe to Hulu are, I suspect.
A subscription to Hulu costs between $5.99 to $50.99 per month
Basic is $5.99 a month with lots of annoying ads breaking it up. $11.99 a month is no ads, all streaming, no live tv.
Keep in mind it's no longer free for people in the US.
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Date: 2019-07-24 06:43 pm (UTC)So all I can do is gush on the internet. I hope they get the views. I still love it and I am also interested in seeing Veronica in a different setting.
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Date: 2019-07-25 04:56 pm (UTC)Even gushing won't necessarily work -- because mileage it varies. Also the streaming services are weird. They don't always cancel for logical reasons or number of subscribers. It does help if the fans campaign on Twitter for it. (DW won't work. Tumblr might. But mainly the people who watch these things -- watch Twitter. So it depends on if the fans on Twitter want to save it.)
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Date: 2019-07-25 06:17 pm (UTC)I am not very active on twitter but I wrote about it on reddit. Reddit is oldschool enough so I can stomach it.
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Date: 2019-07-25 10:36 pm (UTC)Facebook? I do more fannish stuff on -- because there's private groups and communities. But I'm also mostly silent - crazy-ass family members and people from my church that I friended.
DW is my safe haven.
And I can't follow Reddit or Tumblr...I get lost. LOL!
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Date: 2019-07-26 05:37 am (UTC)I tweet (my name is![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nixennacht there) but mostly in German with the
Austrian political bubble. FB I loathe for fannish stuff. I hate that you
cannot find posts again. And like you wrote, too many people from RL
I get lost on Tumblr too. Reddit works, because it's like an old discussion board and you find everything again. I really like my handmaids tale subreddit. Die VM one hated S4 unfortunately.
Am Fr., 26. Juli 2019 um 00:36 Uhr schrieb shadowkat - DW Comment < dw_null@dreamwidth.org>:
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Date: 2019-07-26 12:53 pm (UTC)FB? Eh, I couldn't find my posts easily on Voy boards. DW and LJ were the only ones I could. All the other forums? Couldn't find any posts again. Yahoo was the worst. On FB -- I'm in a closed group for one (which is a spoiler forum for a soap that I've watched for years), I don't post on it or rarely. I just lurk and comment. It has a lot of people from the soap and industry folks on it, which is also interesting. Also, I do X-men comics on FB, and on Twitter -- but rarely comment and never post on it -- because not private. Also I go by my RL name on Twitter, Word Press, and FB and Good Reads -- because I used them to advertise a book I wrote, and to connect with people in RL.
Here, I prefer, because I have the shadowkat handle. Feel less exposed. Although it's not hard to find my real name -- just look up the novel I published. LOL!
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Date: 2019-07-26 01:11 pm (UTC)On twitter I have too much beef with neonazis, who can get dangerous in RL. If you know my name I am easy to google because I have to stay visible as a scientist.
I really like the anonymous internet, funnily enough I find people are more civil than in the spaces where real names are used.
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Date: 2019-07-24 02:04 pm (UTC)I knew Jane Foster had picked up the mantle of Thor in the comics, but didn't expect them to do a movie about it -- with Natalie Portman of all people playing the lead. Rumor had it that she was through with Thor -- apparently she was only through with the previous version of it and playing the damsel. Portman insists on portraying strong women in all her roles going forward.
Yes, I was pretty startled by the news as well, for several reasons. I would have expected Marvel to recast the role. I would be more excited for it if Waititi were not directing.
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Date: 2019-07-24 04:55 pm (UTC)Yep, spoilers abound.
I haven't watched it. But I don't really plan to, because I dropped Hulu six months ago. Too many streaming services, too many shows, not enough money or time.
But I'm finding the controversy on the ending and why, fascinating. ;-)
Yes, I was pretty startled by the news as well, for several reasons. I would have expected Marvel to recast the role. I would be more excited for it if Waititi were not directing.
That's right, you didn't like Thor: Raganorck.
I actually loved it. (See icon.) Although some of the humor didn't quite hold up on second viewing, I did enjoy it. So mileage varies.
I am rather surprised they didn't recast though. Or drop Jane from the movies entirely. Excited to see what they do with it -- has a good cast.
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Date: 2019-07-24 03:00 pm (UTC)He would've been better off just remarketing VM as the show he envisioned. Explained with a voice-over at the top of the new show that she and Logan hadn't worked out because of the long distance thing and that she'd felt restless and left Neptune behind, etc. At least fans wouldn't have felt tricked that way because the new show would've been promoted as a brand new thing with a new setting and cast, aside from Kristen Bell. But of course somehow I doubt Hulu would've been half as eager to give him a greenlight since a lot of folks wouldn't have tuned in once they heard about the premise.
For me the main problem is that while I loved the first season's mystery, I've been mostly apathetic about the ones that followed so if Rob Thomas thinks he's this brilliant Agatha Christie-esque writer, he's got another thing coming. My love for Veronica as a character in her own right has come and gone over the years. I really was invested in her in S1, but after that, she often felt very uneven. There'd be times where her snarkiness bordered on mean-spirited, where she seemed to be punching down instead of punching up. Sometimes it'd feel like she had no personality other than to dispense witty one-liners and taze assholes. And what made her more fleshed out, more sympathetic and interesting were the relationships she had on the show, especially the one she had with Logan. So the idea of stripping those relationships away and transplanting Veronica in new settings to solve not very exciting or tightly written mysteries is a big no from me. It's a shame.
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Date: 2019-07-24 04:50 pm (UTC)This was I was expecting him to do. It certainly was how the movie set things up -- with Logan in the Navy (I think it was the Navy) and Veronica on her own solving crimes in Neptune. Which I thought was workable. But from what I've seen in regards to the teasers for S5 -- he has her on her own solving mysteries a la Murder She Wrote. [I wish people would stop pitching the Murder She Wrote angle (the traveling detective similar to Hercule Poriot) as edgy noir, it's not. It's a cozy, and its boring, because everyone has done it. To death. The only one who did it at all successfully was Agatha Christie, because those mysteries rely on tight plotting.] I'm guessing, it's what he'd originally planned for S4, when the series was cancelled. He'd intended to turn her into an FBI agent and have her solve mysteries on her own with a new cast of characters. It didn't fly.
Now he's attempting to do it another way, and stating this is "NOIR" and "EDGY" -- we're doing limited mystery shows with Veronica as the detective and a new cast each time, with maybe a few hold-overs. Sort of like Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, Murder She Wrote, Miss Marple, Endeavor, and million others. (Bored of that format. Hard pass. My parents love it though.)
Which is fine. But he's sort of stripping away all the things that made Veronica Mars stand out in my opinion. (Note - it wasn't that she was a female sleuth solving crimes, because we have that. Or that it female noir - also have that. Or solving crimes with her Dad in a noir setting -- have that too. It was the other relationships and interactions. ]
Also it only works, if you love Veronica, and were watching solely for Veronica solving mysteries. If not, it's not going to work long term. (Although that may not matter -- they only want to do a few limited eight episode series every couple of years, sort of similar to Moffat's Sherlock. Having seen Sherlock? Eh, Thomas is no Moffat, and Moffat had Watson as the point of view character, which softened Sherlock. If we were in Sherlock's point of view all the time, it wouldn't have worked.)
For me the main problem is that while I loved the first season's mystery, I've been mostly apathetic about the ones that followed so if Rob Thomas thinks he's this brilliant Agatha Christie-esque writer, he's got another thing coming. My love for Veronica as a character in her own right has come and gone over the years. I really was invested in her in S1, but after that, she often felt very uneven. There'd be times where her snarkiness bordered on mean-spirited, where she seemed to be punching down instead of punching up. Sometimes it'd feel like she had no personality other than to dispense witty one-liners and taze assholes. And what made her more fleshed out, more sympathetic and interesting were the relationships she had on the show, especially the one she had with Logan. So the idea of stripping those relationships away and transplanting Veronica in new settings to solve not very exciting or tightly written mysteries is a big no from me.
Yeah, that was my take on the series and the spoilers for S4 as well. Veronica Mars needs someone to off-set her or challenge her. Logan could out-snark her. Or push back. And she needs that. Thomas may have found someone else to fill that role...but if he hasn't that will be a problem going forward.
[I haven't seen this season and I may just skip it and stop with the movie, which I can't remember that clearly but thought was a nice close to the series. I didn't feel the need for anything after that.] I watched the series for the relationships, I found the mysteries poorly written and with massive plot holes. Mysteries are hard to write. Most television writers suck at it. I really wish they would stop doing it or hire better writers, one or the other. (Hint - the murderer is usually the first person you suspect. And they always kill someone close to the detective to up the emotional stakes.]
I do have a couple, about two people, who loved S4, but both liked Veronica (herself as a character) much more than I did. They also were fans of the series -- and I've been largely ambivalent.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-25 04:49 pm (UTC)If you just want Veronica to dispense withering one-liners and taser blasts to rich tools, then Rob Thomas' vision for the ongoing series will do just fine. If you were only in it for the LoVe, then it's over--turn in your marshmallow card and get your receipt at the door.
For me, it was neither.
I was interested in Veronica's relationship with Neptune, a town she loved and hated equally, where she was a queen and then a pariah. It seemed to me that she not only wanted to solve the murder of Lily Kane, she wanted to purge the evil from Neptune, return the town to the state of grace (she thought) it had while she was dating Duncan.
But that was impossible, because Neptune was always a cesspool, and by the end of Season One, Veronica fully realized that painful fact. Maybe that's why Seasons Two and Three aren't nearly as compelling, because Veronica's journey from naive teen queen to cynical outsider in her own town was already complete.
I was never all that invested in Logan. I thought he was better as Ronnie's antagonist than her boyfriend, and there was much too much energy expended on their interpersonal angst. Still, I find killing off the character... excessive. There are many ways Thomas could have written Logan out, maybe have him choose between duty to his country and loyalty to Veronica, and betray her to the vows of his service. Or, you know, something else. Because fridging is hackwork no matter which gender gets fridged.
If I ever get to watch S4 (don't have Hulu), I'm going to mourn the loss of Neptune, Veronica's home where the heart (and her dad) is. I have no doubt that Keith and other former regulars will pop up wherever she lands, but it won't be the same. Neptune and its cast of upper and lower class sleazeballs was a character unto itself, much like Springfield or Gotham City. It may be irreplaceable.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-25 05:11 pm (UTC)Weirdly I agree with your assessment. I can't say I was LoVe shipper, I just found Logan himself interesting. The romantic relationship...was a bit jarring at times. And I agree he worked more as a sort of antagonist/male fatal sort. (I liked their relationship in S1 and possibly S2 best.)
And yeah, I found Veronica's relationship with her world more interesting.
If you just want Veronica to dispense withering one-liners and taser blasts to rich tools, then Rob Thomas' vision for the ongoing series will do just fine.
This never pulled me in that much. Mainly because it's pretty prevalent in other series. Bell does the same trick in Good Place, and she did it as voice over in Gossip Girl. Whedon pretty much invented it with Buffy, and everyone has copied it.
Still, I find killing off the character... excessive. There are many ways Thomas could have written Logan out, maybe have him choose between duty to his country and loyalty to Veronica, and betray her to the vows of his service. Or, you know, something else. Because fridging is hackwork no matter which gender gets fridged.
Agreed. As my old creative writing prof used to say -- don't kill your characters off unless it is absolutely necessary, there's nothing else you can do, and it is required to further the story. Because it has to be earned. Also the shock value of killing off beloved characters sort of ended with LOST. Damn, television writers have been doing it too much -- to the point that the viewers are a tad fed up. If it's a dystopian world - okay, sure comes with the territory. But "noir" not necessarily and there were lots of other, better options. I'd have broken them up. Actually that was what I thought he was going to do -- from the movie, that the long-distance relationship, with his navy career and her need to clean up Neptune conflicting. I didn't see them getting married and riding off into the Sunset. It's hackneyed and cliché to kill off the lead's romantic interest - they always do that.
If I ever get to watch S4 (don't have Hulu), I'm going to mourn the loss of Neptune, Veronica's home where the heart (and her dad) is. I have no doubt that Keith and other former regulars will pop up wherever she lands, but it won't be the same. Neptune and its cast of upper and lower class sleazeballs was a character unto itself, much like Springfield or Gotham City. It may be irreplaceable
From what I've read -- Thomas/Bell's occasional eight episode mystery of the year or every few years.. model isn't going to work for me. It's basically Murder She Wrote by way of Sherlock and Noir Nancy Drew. And...hard pass. Veronica by herself isn't that interesting. Veronica + Neptune and (all) the characters populating that world is.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-25 01:03 am (UTC)So much to talk about:
1. Jane Foster IS The Mighty Thor. What a stunning turnabout. After dumping the MCU after Dark World, Portman turns around and signs up for Love and Thunder. But then again, why not? Taika Waititi is one of the hottest directors out there, and she gets to play the superhero!
The idea of Jane Foster becoming Thor is not a strange one for comics fans. Jason Aaron's phenomenal run on Thor had Jane taking on the mantle of Thunder Goddess while her mortal self was battling breast cancer. If the movie parallels the comics, that's a ton of juicy material for Portman to dive into. But will she give us top-quality Portman (e.g. Black Swan), or phone-in service? Can Waititi and his excellent comic touch handle darker material? But if everything falls just right, this could be fantastic.
2. Shang-Chi. I've checked the kid's CV, and he looks good. But the big news here is the villain: Tony Leung as the Mandarin! Leung is a living legend in Asian cinema, and his presence almost guarantees a major impact in that market. Bringing in Leung as the real Mandarin eliminates a number of potential problems in a Shang Chi movie. Disney doesn't have to deal with Fu Manchu (Shang-Chi's father in the comics) and the Asian stereotypes he represents, and our new hero faces off against a handsome and charismatic opponent. Brilliant creative AND marketing move.
3. Mahershala Ali in Blade. I remember Blade from his earliest days in Wolfman and Colan's Tomb of Dracula comic, but I've never been a huge fan of the character. (I skipped the Snipes movies, too.) But get the right creative team on board (maybe bring in Snipes as Blade's mentor, Whistler?), and my butt is in the seat.
4. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Oh come on, you knew I was in no matter what they called it. But Scott Derrickson is promising a horror movie, and I'm just geeking out imagining the villain. Nightmare, the ur-Tim Burtonesque dream demon? Shuma Gorath, the shambling, multi-tentacled Lovecraftian Elder God? There's do much great stuff in Docs catalogue to work with here!
And a Scarlet Witch team-up, too! Yes! I've been less than impressed with the character in the movies so far, but maybe bringing her back to her mystical roots in the comics will give Elizabeth Olson a chance to really shine.
5. The Eternals. Really? Well, nobody thought Guardians of the Galaxy would work, either.
ETA: Cyclops' entire family is the new X-team? Are they writing comic books just for you now?
no subject
Date: 2019-07-25 02:47 am (UTC)1. Jason Aaron's phenomenal run on Thor had Jane taking on the mantle of Thunder Goddess while her mortal self was battling breast cancer. If the movie parallels the comics, that's a ton of juicy material for Portman to dive into. But will she give us top-quality Portman (e.g. Black Swan), or phone-in service? Can Waititi and his excellent comic touch handle darker material? But if everything falls just right, this could be fantastic.
Wow. I missed that. (Never been much of a Thor fan, or the Avengers, so have ignored them. But that plot line sounds amazing.)
Not everyone likes Waititi and what he did with Thor: Raganork apparently.
But we loved it, didn't we?
It depends on Portman -- and if she can handle it. I think so. She was good in the first Thor film. To be fair, Thor Dark World had multiple problems.
And she had to play the damsel...never good.
2. I'm wickedly curious about Shange-Chi. An all Asian superhero flick to match the all black cast Black Panther? Go Marvel/Go Disney! And brilliant marketing move. I think they learned from Crazy Rich Asian's success.
Also I adore Tony Leunge and Awakfina, who are both in it. This could be great. (Hmmm...going to have to check out Kim's Convience.)
3. I've never been a huge fan of the character. (I skipped the Snipes movies, too.) But get the right creative team on board (maybe bring in Snipes as Blade's mentor, Whistler?), and my butt is in the seat.
I'm sort of with you there. I think I saw one of the Blade films. Vampire flicks are hit or miss with me. I'm that with all horror flicks, actually.
Also, Snipes...hmmm, I'm guessing he won't be in it. Why? He's impossible to work with apparently. People cross the street to avoid it. (Note there's a couple of actors out there that are difficult to work with -- two that surprised me were Wesley Snipes and Keifer Sutherland. People hate working with them. )
4. I'm looking forward to Doctor Strange movie. That looks good. Also I like Cumberbatch -- he's sort of in the Robert Downey Jr. category of actors I follow about. And I've always liked Doctor Strange as a character (even though I haven't read his comics, did borrow one on comicxology to try out, have seen his guest appearances in the X-men, Fantastic Four, Avengers, and others.).
Also a Scarlet Witch/Strange pairing is a dream come true. They were both on the Avengers together in the comics.
5. Also, right there with you on The Eternals. A comic I've never read or had any interest in. Very odd. I think this may be the origin story of Hercules -- who also becomes an Avenger at some point? Two of the Eternals become Avengers -- they join the second team of Avengers. And are sort of the comics take on the Greek Gods.(Thinly disquised Greek Gods, because DC did the Greek Gods first -- so Marvel was stuck with the Norse Gods.)
6. : Cyclops' entire family is the new X-team? Are they writing comic books just for you now?
Various and sundry Cyclops fans have wondered the same exact thing. One guy even stated..."OMG, they are writing my fanfic!" Or "OMG, they are writing my dream comics!"
I don't know. I'm waiting to see...it could be amazing, or not. I had been looking forward Rosenberg's run of Un-Canny, where he brings back Cyclops and pairs him with Wolverine, Havok and Majick along with Dani Moonstar, while being manipulated by ex-girlfriend Emma Frost, in a failed attempt to win him back.. and was horribly disappointed by it.
But this upcoming run could be really good. Still much better than comics were in 2015-2019, I know I tried to read few of them during the abysmal Inhumans period and Marvel Agents of Shield period, and gave up. Thankfully both those comic runs tanked, and Marvel woke up, and Disney re-acquired the rights to the X-men. (Sometimes big corporate mergers result in entertainment choices that make me happy.)