Yes No Maybe So: "Avengers: Endgame"

by Ben Miller

Few things in the world are as steady as Marvel movies.  Once every few months, one comes in and it is an EVENT. Avengers: Endgame is probably the most anticipated film sequel since The Matrix Reloaded in 2003, and though that didn't go well, it's safe to say that legions are excited again.  Marvel still being Marvel, they don’t want to give too much away so the trailers have been teaser-like.  The new one dropped today, so let’s do our patented Yes, No, Maybe So after the jump...

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Review: Captain Marvel

An abridged version of this review was previously published in Nathaniel's column at Towleroad

by Nathaniel R

Captain Marvel‘s “Vers” (Brie Larson) can’t remember a thing about her past life. She has only known this: training with her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) and fighting with her fellow Kree warriors in Starforce. 

Their mission is to wipe out the evil shape-shifting alien race known as The Skrulls. Though Vers can’t recall her origins, Marvel Studios has their origin template memorized by now, 21 films into their world-conquering juggernaut franchise. It’ll involve:

• comic sidekicks (☑️☑️☑️)
• training sequences (☑️)
• losing an early battle (☑️)
• questioning old beliefs (☑️☑️)
• forming new alliances (☑️☑️)
• and the hero/heroes finally coming into their own, more powerful than they were before (☑️)

Cue end credits. But we'll get to those in a minute...

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Carol Danvers and Gloria Bell had good weekends

As expected Captain Marvel crushed the box office on weekend #1 as Marvel Studio's total domination of the planet continues. Was it its unique position as connective tissue between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame? Was it the novelty (which shouldn't be a novelty) of a female led superhero film? In other box office news Gloria Bell stirred it up on the dance floor with the weekend's second best per-screen average because Julianne Moore is her own super power.

Weekend Box Office Estimates March 8th-10th (ESTIMATES) 🔺 = New or Expanded Theater Count /  ★= Recommended
W I D E 800+ screens	PLATFORM / LIMITED excluding prev. wide
Captain Marvel	Gloria Bell
1 🔺 Captain Marvel $153 NEW REVIEW	1🔺 Apollo 11 $1.3 on 405 screens (cum. $3.7)
2 How to Train Your Dragon 3  $14.6 (cum. $119.6)	2🔺 Badla $614k on 94 screens NEW
3 A Madea Family Funeral $12 (cum. $45.8)	3🔺 The Kid  $505k on 268 screens NEW
4 The Lego Movie Pt 2  $3.8 (cum. $97.1)	4 Arctic  $182k on 208 screens (cum. $1.9)
5 Alita: Battle Angel  $3.2 (cum. $78.3)	5🔺 Furie $164k on 27 screens (cum. $395k)
6 Green Book  $2.4 (cum. $80.1)   ON ITS BEST PICTURE WIN	6🔺 Gloria Bell $154k on 5 screens NEW REVIEW ★

What did you see this weekend? I've been sick all week (ugh) so aside from a Captain Marvel critics screening a week ago I've only been watching old movies and catching up on some TV that I've always meant to watch (Five years late to the party but Broadchurch is soooo good).

Interview: The Emotionally Resonant Visual Effects Work in "Avengers: Infinity War"

It's our final Oscar nominee interview of the season! 

On a break from their post-production madness for Avengers: Endgame (opening in 66 days!) we spoke with co-directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo and the visual effects team of MCU's colossal two-parter. Part one, better known as Avengers: Infinity War, is culmination of ten years of serial storytelling within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is Oscar-nominated for Best Visual Effects. Given how strangely difficult it's proven for superhero films to win the Best Visual Effects Oscar --- only one has managed that competitively: Spider-Man 2 (2004) with Superman (1978) also getting a special achievement Oscar -- the odds are probably against Avengers: Infinity War, But, consider this: If Infinity War does win this Oscar no one will gripe that this team didn't deserve it. 

Hell, the 'snapture' alone warrants it! Now excuse the dust as this team tries to top themselves once more in Endgame. Since our interview was with multiple people we're presenting it in a series of quotes rather than a conversation. Hope you enjoy...

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Great Moments in Kissing: "Spider-Man"

For Valentine's we asked Team Experience to share favourite screen kisses. Here's Salim Garami...

What’s good?

When I think of THE most cinematic of movie kisses, what pops into my mind isn’t necessarily my favorite (which would be Alfred Hitchcock’s explosive fireworks button on To Catch a Thief) or what I think of as the best (which would be Hitchcock’s taboo-busting “Another one! And another one!” in Notorious). I think of the kiss that was most formative. The kiss that showed me how image and movement could communicate ardor to somebody as young as 6. The kiss that came in possibly the most formative movie in all of my childhood: Sam Raimi’s 2002 superhero landmark Spider-Man. A film that has long informed the majority of what I love to see in movies and established itself deep in my heart (although it is quite possible that Into the Spider-Verse has now embedded itself deeper), it should be no surprise that it informed what I love in romantic scenes, especially the moments in movies that are accused of oversentimentality and cheesiness...

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