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Showing posts from July, 2016

Justice League Trailer

Wow, just wow; I don't hate this trailer. It isn't great or anything, but it is not complete garbage. Jason Momoa as Aquaman is convincing and at least looks cool. Ezra Miller as The Flash works for me from the little we can see. He's funny and quirky. While Grant Gustin over on the CW will be the definitive for me and most others, I will give Miller a chance. But that new Flash costume is garbage, absolutely hysterical, at least at first glance. However, Ray Fisher as Cyborg is barely shown. Here's the thing. After Batman v Superman, my expectations for DC are literally nonexistent. I cannot be disappointed by anything DC delivers because being disappointed requires expectations. So, I will just take whatever DC throws at us. The trailer's song, "Icky Thump" by The White Stripes, sets a fun tone, and the humor almost kind of works. Sure, even if DC is trying to copy Marvel, a second rate Marvel knock-off is better than first rate DC any day. The humor som

Top 13 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies: Part 4

The Top 13 countdown of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies continues with more entries! If you missed the previous parts,  click here for Part 1 ,  here for Part 2 , and  here for Part 3. 3: The Avengers Joss Whedon accomplished the impossible with The Avengers and that makes him mighty (Firefly reference). Never before has a comic book film been so bold and unforgiving in the fact that it is based on a comic book. It perfectly captures the spirit of the comic, while still being easily accessible to the general public, an impressive feat in and of itself. Somehow every character is given their moment to shine, and Whedon's expertly written banter is pure perfection. Among the previously established characters, Whedon even managed to build Black Widow into a far more fascinating character than anyone could have ever realized, and The Hulk, who, at the time, never received a proper film adaptation, nearly stole the show. The Avengers could have easily been a disaster if left

Testing Scheduled Posts

What's going on everyone!? Today I am testing Blogger's scheduled posting feature. In the past, it never worked right. Every time I tried it, the post never showed up on the dashboard. But now, over a year later, I am testing it out again. So, if you would be so kind, please comment anything that lets me know this appeared on the dashboard (assuming you use it). And I apologize for the lack of posts again. Thanks to everyone for reading and for all the guest authors' articles! If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com .

Top 13 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies: Part 3

The Top 13 countdown of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies continues with more entries! If you missed Part 1,  click here to check it out  and  here for Part 2 6: Ant-Man Showing a more lighthearted and fun side to the Marvel Universe, Ant-Man is the best origin film since Iron Man back in 2008. It introduced us to a character with numerous character faults, and yet Paul Rudd manages to make him one of the most grounded and lovable characters in the MCU. He is even a father; relatively new territory for superhero flicks.  Upon later viewings, Ant-Man continued to grow on me as one of the best films of 2015 and one of Marvel’s most fun. Being such a small film in scale (pun intended), Ant-Man is able to focus solely on itself and what it wants to accomplish rather than what comes next, which is what hampered Age of Ultron. It is also a heist film, not just a superhero flick, which makes it even more fun. Of course, you cannot forget the humor because this is one funny movie! Eve

Movie Music and More #50: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1982)

I (Hamlette) am here today to discuss one of the coolest soundtracks ever.   Ever .  It's one of those soundtracks that is delicious to listen to by itself, but when paired with its movie, it's just sublime.  I am, of course, talking about John Williams' insta-classic score for Raiders of the Lost Ark  (1982).  The first track I'll share with you is "A Thought for Marion/To Nepal."  I love how expectant it is, beginning with some soft, sweet ponderings, then a little mystery creeping in.  And from there, a jolt of excitement, that wonderfully playful Indy theme popping in for a moment.  Then it finishes up with a little Oriental flourish to bring in the idea we're going somewhere Foreign and Exotic. So cool! My next selection is "The Basket Game," which balances playful and fearful so niftily.  We're worried cuz Marion gets chased and then abducted, but there's a lot of comedy going on during the chase scene too, so the whole song feels

Top 13 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies: Part 2

My ranking of the Top 13 best and worst Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies continues with more entries! If you missed Part 1, click here to check it out. 9: Iron Man 3 Easily the most divisive of Marvel films, Iron Man 3 continues to leave the community split. Some continue to say that the film is a failure, while others, like myself, say that it is a mostly strong character study of Tony Stark, despite a few nagging issues. However, the main point of contention is the big twist  *Major Spoilers*  that the Mandarin is a fake. Many viewers were sorely disappointed that Ben Kingsley's long anticipated role was all just a facade created by the trailers. For me, and a few others, the deception is one the best twists that I have seen in cinema. Right up until the release, the whole thing was kept underwraps; it is a real feat in today's world of trailers that spoil major plot points (*cough Terminator cough*). For the first time, I was truly shocked by the turn of events, and fo

Coming Soon: July 2016

Welcome back to another Coming Soon post! June was certainly kind of dull wasn't it? Let's review before we hop into what's hopefully a more exciting July. Fair warning: due to the fact that I was in the middle of making my first real estate purchase and moving, I was unable to make it to many of the films that landed this month. Apologies in advance... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: By most accounts it was a vastly improved sequel that resulted in an enjoyable, but forgettable film. Good to hear they're on the right track with these films though.  Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping: Far, far better than the trailers would indicate, this Lonely Island was funny, jabbing look at the life of current egomaniac musicians. It's jokes were consistently on point, the new Lonely Island songs were great, and there was a decent amount of heart to boot. Shame it totally bombed at the box office. RRS: 8/10 The Conjuring 2: Despite what some critics may have you believe, this w