Review: Doctor Strange

A slightly abridged version of this review was originally published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad

For a franchise sprung from the fantastic realm of comic books, Marvel movies have not been particularly exciting on a broad visual level.

Sure, they’ve consistently managed iconic little visual beats within setpieces and that's no small thing. But they’re never suffused their films with eye-popping aesthetics as a matter of atmosphere. (The two exceptions to this rule are Guardians of the Galaxy‘s garish cosmic cartooonishness and Thor‘s brassy mythological kitsch). The Marvel film is more likely to stage its action setpieces and earnest conversations in vast empty spaces like sterile corporate buildings, parking garages, airport tarmacs, or mountain ranges. Given this predilection, the second half of Doctor Strange is absolutely jarring in a welcome way, never failing to give you plenty to gawk at...

Click to read more ...

Tweetweek: ABBA in a White Room, Carrie Gifs, 1999 Supporting Actress

In today's tweetweek, the 1999 supporting actress race, mindy project A+ joke, ABBA, Lindsay Lohan's new accent, and the last few days of political anxiety (in this phase at least). It's all after the jump...

For Toni Collette's birthday, I broke into Angelina Jolie's home and retrieved her Supporting Actress Oscar. It's the very least I could do.

— Matthew Eng (@Eng_Matthew) November 1, 2016

Click to read more ...

"Guardians - Vol. 2" is Coming - Obviously

Chris here with some Marvel goodness. With Doctor Strange about to hit theatres, naturally Marvel is ready to stoke the masses for their next superhero tentpole: Guardians of the Galaxy - Vol. 2. This one comes with a little more goodwill attached considering the first installment was (mostly) warmly received. It also set a high bar for what they can achieve outside of their flagship characters, both in fan support and box office.

Take a look at the teaser below, with first impressions and a very 90s Guess Jeans-inspired poster after the jump...

Click to read more ...

Valley of the Link

Buzzfeed lists 28 Asian American directors, some with great movies under their belt  - presumably to help Disney with Mulan because they'll need it. Consider that...
Newsweek ...Sony went with a white dude for their competing Mulan project
Awards Daily gorgeous photoshoot of Loving stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga for Vogue
Marvel reveals the end credits music on Doctor Strange. It sounds kind of lava lamp funky with a touch of warped vinyl. I don't know. I can't describe music.
i09 Taika Waititi promises that Thor: Ragnarok is "out there crazy" and that Marvel was totally accepting of his style. He's also suggested on Reddit that the movie will mostly ignore the larger Marvel Universe (aside from a Doctor Strange reference)

Coming Soon Hugh Grant, Imelda Staunton, and Brendan Gleeson join the cast of Paddington 2. But who fills the Nicole Kidman shaped hole?
/Film Captain Planet movie in the works with Leonardo DiCaprio producing
/Film first look of Caliban (played by Stephen Merchant) in the new Wolverine movie Logan
Slate "Why do people in old movies talk like that?" I haven't yet listened to this episode of "Lexicon Valley" but it sounds like a great topic 
AV Club Did you hear that Benji is being rebooted? It is. It's already filming! No franchise is safe in the grave. 

Stranger Things Has Alarming Staying Power
Yes people are still talking about Netflix's hit series. The latest online discourse is around whether or not the character of Wil is gay. The 11 year old actor who plays him, Noah Schnapp, spoke out about the speculation with a surprisingly mature response. Towleroad thinks it was a smart one but Mic thinks Schnapp is missing the point. Where do you stand on this? 

Last Week's Must Read
Apologies that we missed it but you shouldn't! Vulture published a fascinating piece by Mark Harris that makes a thorough case for why distributors need to release more information about their VOD releases including grosses. There is lots to think about here 

Six notes on the first season of "Luke Cage"

Y'all remember that I wasn't too excited about Netflix's new Marvel show Luke Cage. As previously noted, I had the same trouble getting into it that I have always had getting into Superman movies -- invulnerability is antithetical to conflict and therefore dull in action franchises. But, that obstacle aside, I gradually finished the season -- the arrival of Claire Temple helped. Rosario Dawson was wonderful as always... and with Sonia Braga in tow this time, though the show didn't give the latter much to do. The increasingly complicated and cross-purpose agendas of the characters and plot helped, too. Well, that and the the fact that the show sparked interesting online discourse. That's always a plus.

After the jump five favorite things about Season 1 (spoilers obviously) and a response to the articles on "racial empathy gaps"...

Click to read more ...