Thursday
May032012
TFE's Readers Assemble
Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 11:00AM My brain is all occupied with superhero roll calls -- I'm currently writing my review of The Avengers -- so while I type away do share your random movie thoughts...
- Whats on your cinematic mind?
- Which movie superhero are you least sick of? (They just won't go away!)
- If you had to be rescued by a superhero who do you hope it would be?
- If you're seeing The Avengers this weekend we'll talk about it soon when the review goes up but if you aren't, what will you see as counterprogramming?
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Reader Comments (26)
I just commented on your post about Daldry so that's on my mind. But I have seen The Avengers and thought it was very good. Nothing new but a lot of fun thanks to ,mostly, Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man. I prefer superhero movies to be like Iron Man (and now The Avengers) because they are funny.I don't like when they try to go deeper and be philosophical, like Nolan's Batman movies.If I wanna see a movie about a guy with super-powers in a costume I wanna it to be crazy fun not something dark and metaphysical.
We must be somewhat psychically connected today, as I was just updating my Facebook status to express my lack of enthusiasm for all upcoming cinematic superhero endeavors. To answer your questions:
1. Michelle Pfeiffer because I just saw her on the cover of PARADE. I need her to work far more frequently than she does.
2. Not a single one. They've all exhausted my patience.
3. Captain America in the personage of Chris Evans because, duh, it's freakin' Chris Evans.
4. My counterprogramming will be found wherever margaritas are served. Happy Cinco de Mayo.
Sidebar: Seeing that picture of PSH in the margin of the page infuriates me. I don't know why; it just does.
This is a bit off topic, but do you know what's pretty awesome? Every week this month features the release of a new film from one of my favorite directors.
May 4 - Joss Whedon's The Avengers
May 11 - Tim Burton's Dark Shadows
May 18 - Richard Linklater's Bernie
May 25 - Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom
I am excited.
My brain is like this right now... Avengers.Avengers.Avengers. So yeah.
Oliver Stone is my new obsession. He has three films that won't let me go—
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
The Doors (1991)
Natural Born Killers (1994)
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Ticket prices are preventing me from seeing new movies—The Dark Knight Rises, Magic Mike and Django Unchained are the only films for sure I'll make the effort of saving my milk money to see.
1. Ebert putting Tree of Life on his Sight & Sound list (given the ending, there's no way I can be on board with that).
2. As "hero" is conventionally understood, Captain America, for the reason Troy lists above.
3. Andrew Garfield's Spiderman - or Andrew Garfield's anything, really.
4. Still need to see Cabin in the Woods.
To answer the questions:
1. That Harry Belafonte is really dull in Carmen Jones
2. Batman. The Nolan movies are AMAZING, which helps a lot.
3. Danny Phantom. What? I just...like the idea of being saved by a ghost.
4. Don't know if I'll see The Avengers and don't know what I'd offer up as counter programming.
1. Wondering if there's gonna be any insta-classic moments courtesy of Whedon in The Avengers.
2. The ones I haven't seen yet. MOAR VARIETY.
3. An awesome gay one because that'll never happen. Game of Thrones was close to walking those waters in some ways but not anymore.
4. In theaters, nothing. At home, catching up on some Whit Stillman.
As fun as the Marvel films are, it's been hard for me to really get into them due to their being so frivolous. The action is great, the acting is decent, and the humor is nice, but plot-wise they've been severely lacking (with the exception of Iron Man 1). This is why I love Nolan's Batman films. They're both character-driven AND plot-driven. And they relate to our real-world issues (terrorism, class warfare, etc).
1-This new trend of teaser trailers for trailers is annoying - as is the teaser trailer for teaser trailer trend - and it needs to stop.
2-Not really sick of any of them, honestly. Just wish the movies were better (looking squarely at the Marvel Studios Films). However, I'm more partial to Batman, Spider-Man, Superman & The X-Men. They seem to be the only ones that I've seen at least one of their movies in theaters multiple times (In the case of X-Men, only Singer's films but you get the point).
3-Wonder Woman
4-Got my tickets for the midnight showing of The Avengers. Besides, there's nothing else out that I have a strong desire to see.
My cinematic mind: I've discovered Marion Cotillard's career as a singer under the alias Simone and I want her in a musical again, now in a better movie than Nine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htr6CXEj4go
brace: Except I don't think we're even getting that with the Marvel crop. The Marvel Studios films are, so far, mostly wussy inbetween films that are neither substantive or crazy fun. (Iron Man 1 as an exception, but that leaned quite a bit more toward substance.) If anyone thinks to getting around to Warren Ellis' nextwave, for example, we might actually get something crazy fun. (Also: I consider the twelve issues as probably the best superhero story I've ever read. Yes, I'd rank it over Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns.) It won't have much of ANYTHING in the way of substance but...it'll be oodles of fun and I think it'd be much more interesting if Marvel decided to build to that instead of Avengers 2. Consider this: The series was initially planned to be out of continuity with the main Marvel Universe. After it ended, writers decided it was too AWESOME to not be part of the main Universe.
1) Damsels in Distress is on my cinematic mind, because I'm going to try to see it later today.
2) I'm least sick of Spider-Man and Superman and Batman, because those are my perennial favorites and I'm hoping their new movies will be worthy of the characters.
3) I would be 100% fine with Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man rescuing me any day of the week.
4) I'm not seeing The Avengers this weekend. No desire to fight the crowds on that one. Not sure on what, if anything, I'll see instead.
a: The documentary, Pelada, about two young American soccer players who travel the world with the intent of playing in pick-up games with regular folks. The scene shot in a Nairobi slum, where the residents built a "field" over a dump and play barefoot with deflated soccer balls, is still very much in my frontal cinematic mind.
b. Probably Hawkeye because I can't wait to see Jeremy Renner again. I am very sick of both Spider-Man and Batman, although just heard about a new edition of the graphic novel Batman: Year One, that sounds interesting, so I may change my mind.
c. Jason Statham--oh, wait, is he a superhero? I'll admit I love his ridiculous movies, just like I love all the Fast and Furious films. Guilty pleasures.
d. Margaritas on Saturday; Avengers on Sunday. Duh.
1) Cannes is on my cinematic mind because I hate that I have to hear about how amazing all of these movies are then only half of them come out in arthouse theaters at all. So I guess what I'm really thinking about is that I'm throwing my own film festival for me and my friends. It's gonna be great.
2) I guess I'm least sick of Thor. This might all change after The Avengers, but he's hilarious. But wait. I'm really least sick of the Flash. When will he get his movie?!? And when is James Cameron's Aquaman coming out (no I'm serious that needs to happen. The only director for the job).
3) Batman on the offhand chance I get to ride in the Batmobile.
4) Nope, it's all about The Avengers. But then The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel!
The Weinstein Company have pcked up Quartet. Maggie shoo in for at least a nod (!!!!) just which category remains to be seen..
Roark- I hope you love it! It's a fun, funny movie.
Catwoman, Catwoman, Catwoman. ....Catwoman.
1. "Looper" is on my cinematic mind.
2. Wolverine, because I never tire of Hugh Jackman. ( and Tom Cruise wants to play Van Helsing? The only point of that movie was that Hugh Jackman was in it. He'll be wanting to play Jack Reacher next... Oh, wait).
3. Wolverine, but I really love Pam's idea of Jason Statham.
4. The Avengers on Saturday.
Whats on your cinematic mind? - "W.E." as I'm about to head out the door and go see it. That and "The Cabin in the Woods", which Australian punters somehow managed to fenagle a theatrical release for after the local distributor had decided to send it direct-to-DVD.
Which movie superhero are you least sick of? (They just won't go away!) - I could probably take a break from all of them, but if we have to keep them then I'd like Thor and Captain America to hang around for, if nothing else, the beauty.
If you had to be rescued by a superhero who do you hope it would be? - Easy, Captain America. You know he'd just swoop you up in his manly arms and be all sensitive and caring. Thor most definitely would not.
If you're seeing The Avengers this weekend we'll talk about it soon when the review goes up but if you aren't, what will you see as counterprogramming? - I saw "The Avengers" two weeks ago, so, umm, I'm seeing "W.E." as counterprogramming I guess.
AVENGERS, AVENGERS, AVENGERS. That is all.
I'm currently doing a series on my blog about the comparisons between Buffy and The Avengers! Check it out if you have the time.
http://wetalkaboutmovies.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/finding-the-slayer-in-the-avengers-the-hulk-oz-and-the-beast-within/
Got a new laptop so I'll be writing about movies more but really less. I can also fit 600 movies in here! I'm tempted to ask for suggestions for pircy but I don't want a virus on this yet.
I don't have any desire to see The Avengers.
Unless they engage in some not-so-subtle shower scene teeming with homoeroticism, I'm over it. Over superheroes.
Just start adapting video games into film and make the transition happen already.
I'm being dragged to The Avengers today, but I'll be seeing Sound of My Voice tomorrow or Sunday as counter-programming. We need more smart and risky sci-fi.
Nothing cinematic at the moment - I'm finally watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer after reading all the praise of it here (yes, for the first time I am watching it - ten+ years after the fact) and the first three seasons were as good as everyone said here. I don't think I've seen a tv show that made me laugh and cry so often (and I'm easily 2x plus Buffy's age.)
Which also counts as my answer for question 2, I guess - I'm definitely not tired of her yet. (I wonder when the fatigue will set in?)