Alternate history is SF, right? In Quentin Tarantino’s lastest film, we have a meandering story about a fading actor, which then turns into alternative history and a movie about, I suppose, movies. It is also the first Tarantino film I’ve seen in the movie theatre (rather than at home) since Kill Bill, Volume 2. What I like about Tarantino’s work I rather like in this movie. What I don’t like about his work I really don’t like in this movie.
Back to Hollywood, then, fifty years ago….
Marvel made several announcements at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend regarding the next phase of things. Obviously, Spider-man will continue to swing around the MCU, but we’re also getting the Black Widow movie (May 1, 2020), an unidentified movie later in fall, The Eternals (November 2020) Shang-chi (Feb. 12, 2021), with the actual ringed Mandarin opposing Canadian actor Simu Liu as the Master of Kung-Fu (February 2021), the next Doctor Strange film (May 2021), a new Thor film (November 2021) that will reportedly feature Natalie Portman rejoining Chris Helmsworth to become the female Thor, and the previously announced Scarlet Witch/Vision, Falcon/Winter Soldier, and Loki series all appearing in 2021.
They’ve also confirmed we’ll see a new Blade, sequels to Captain Marvel, Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and an MCU Fantastic Four. They just don’t have dates yet for these blockbusters.
What do you want to see from the next phase?
I have a secret I must share.
I liked Cats. I had soundtracks (on cassette) of the original London and New York productions and went to see the original Toronto run. Someone bought me a Cats t-shirt and I wore it, unironically. I know, right? The Ramones, The Beatles, Mozart, and… Andrew Lloyd Webber. Even if it’s the Baron scoring T.S. Eliot’s whimsical book for the godchildren– a book referenced, mind you, in Logan’s Run— it remains a tad embarrassing.
So now there’s a movie, due out next Christmas. Leading actors, singers, and dancers have been CGI’d into Furry feline aliens.
And I’m not certain what to make of it:
Some viewers may think this is the cat’s meow. Others may find this quest into the Uncanny Valley haunts their memory for a long, long time.
Fresh off the climatic end of Marvel Cinematic Universe phase 3 with Avengers: Endgame, we get a much more gentle coda as Peter Parker decides to go on his class trip to Europe. Also, a new hero named Mysterio emerges. If you are still worried about spoilers for Avengers: Endgame, avoid this movie and this review. If you are worried about spoilers for Far from Home, there are lots of twists and surprises it would be difficult to review it without saying Continue reading →
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet
Are of imagination all compact.
–Theseus (V.i.7-8)
Summer is icumen in the Northern Hemisphere and a certain midsommar horror will see release soon, and so we’re going to review Shakespeare’s popular play of fantasy. So many film adaptations exist that we might make this an annual tradition. For now, we’ll start with the two most star-studded cinematic interpretations, Warner Brothers’ 1935 adaptation with luminaries like James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, and Olivia de Havilland, and the 1999 version starring Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart, and Christian Bale, among others.
Greek mythology, faeries, magic, lovers young and old, and a well-meaning troupe of dubious actors await you.
The last subjects of Make Me Watch It are now available. Jon M. Wilson returns to discuss Kick-Ass (2010) and Godzilla (2014). The updated and maintained list of options for “Make Me Watch It” can be found here. You can name up to ten movies you’d like me to cover here. The series can also be found on Stitcher, on iTunes, or in a direct RSS feed.
Legendary Pictures continues their Monsterverse with the second outing of their version of the Big G’s – with him going face to face (or face to face and face and face) with the other Big G – Ghidorah.
We have a pair of genre releases this week that we won’t be reviewing soon. If you want to discuss Disney’s live-action reinvention of its 1990s adaptation of the story from Arabian Nights, or the horror-movie twist on Shuster and Siegel’s reinterpretation of the hero mythos, here is a place to do it.
Our recent Weekend Movie Reviews have looked back to 2019 Hugo Nominees that didn’t receive notice here when they hit the theatres. This week, we look back to a 2018 movie that received little notice anywhere, and certainly won’t be winning any awards. However, it fills up this space until Brightburn and Godzilla, King of the Monsters get released later this month.
Did anyone realize they made another live-action Scooby-doo film last year? This one reimagines Velma and Daphne’s first mystery together, before they hooked up with a couple of guys and a talking Great Dane.