Sam's Thread of Movie Lists and Chit Chat (w/Jake)

[Uncle Sam]

I read that post like ten times thinking there was a joke in there about Michael Shannon's character being secretly gay. For what it's worth, I thought Sergi Lopez did a better job with essentially the same character in Pan's Labyrinth (which is not to say Shannon didn't do a great job).

I think this accurately describes the outrage I feel 99% of the time when I dislike a movie. I think it also explains why I was such a big fan of Black Panther and such a big hater on Thor 3. Black Panther felt like it was lovingly crafted while Thor 3 just felt like the director (but moreso the screenwriters) had a bunch of ideas for a movie that they haphazardly strung together into a semi-cohesive story.

I can excuse Ragnarok to a degree because that movie's clearly just a series of gags and the only end goals are to destroy Asgard and give Thor a haircut. So, OK, yeah, that description can just as easily be seen as a damning indictment. Maybe it depends on how well and how often the gags land with you. A great idea that Andrew Ellard came up with that would fix a lot of my problems with that movie is to leave Loki on Asgard to oppose Hela and then have to run to Thor for help when he inevitably gets his arse handed to him. Nobody but nobody gives a solitary fuck about Heimdall and the Warriors Three.

I've not had such conflicting feelings about something since I first saw Finn Balor's abs but Black Panther has me torn in two. On one hand, I'm ecstatic that it's doing so well and everybody loves it. On the other, I just don't think it's that good.

[FunKay]

I read that post like ten times thinking there was a joke in there about Michael Shannon's character being secretly gay. For what it's worth, I thought Sergi Lopez did a better job with essentially the same character in Pan's Labyrinth (which is not to say Shannon didn't do a great job).

There probably is subtext about Shannon's character being a homosexual in there somewhere (after all, this is the 1950s, repressed male we're talking about). And I think you're on the money with that analysis with Lopez's character.

I'm going to see A Fantastic Woman next week. I expect good things, so I'm setting myself up for a fall...

[JGlass]

I read that post like ten times thinking there was a joke in there about Michael Shannon's character being secretly gay. For what it's worth, I thought Sergi Lopez did a better job with essentially the same character in Pan's Labyrinth (which is not to say Shannon didn't do a great job).



I can excuse Ragnarok to a degree because that movie's clearly just a series of gags and the only end goals are to destroy Asgard and give Thor a haircut. So, OK, yeah, that description can just as easily be seen as a damning indictment. Maybe it depends on how well and how often the gags land with you. A great idea that Andrew Ellard came up with that would fix a lot of my problems with that movie is to leave Loki on Asgard to oppose Hela and then have to run to Thor for help when he inevitably gets his arse handed to him. Nobody but nobody gives a solitary fuck about Heimdall and the Warriors Three.

I've not had such conflicting feelings about something since I first saw Finn Balor's abs but Black Panther has me torn in two. On one hand, I'm ecstatic that it's doing so well and everybody loves it. On the other, I just don't think it's that good.

The more I've thought about it, the more I think it's probably the best standalone Marvel movie. At the very least it's in the elite pantheon of Marvel movies along with Iron Man, GOTG, and Cap 2. Now I know that's not really a huge compliment being that most Marvel movies are made to be 1) enjoyed without too much critical analysis, 2) palatable for mainstream audiences across a wide range of demographics, 3) rewatchable so people on airplanes and high college students have shit to do and 4) make assloads of money, but Marvel does occasionally pop out something that I think is actually good, and I think they did it with Black Panther. It was unique compared to most of Marvel's other stuff, it took risks, it made great use of metaphor, and it was a powerful, moving film. Are you telling me that you weren't moved during the opening sequence where they recap the myth of Wakanda? What are you, made of stone?