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Da Couch Tomato Podcast Season 2 Episode 18, discussing Thor: Love and Thunder. Isa 'yung tipo ng pelikula na from the start pa lang ay sinasabi na "Don't take us too seriously". Nagustuhan namin ang girl power themes, especially kina King Valkyrie at Jane Foster a.k.a. Mighty Thor. Pinag-usapan din namin na tila walang exclusivity ang paglabas ng isang artista sa Marvel o DC movies, 'di tulad sa Pilipinas na ang Kapuso ay hindi pwede maging Kapamilya at vice versa.

Sting Lacson's rating : 7.1/10
Rachel's rating: 7.2/10
Final rating: 7.15/10

Help our podcast and get up to 80% off on Lazada if you shop using this link: https://bit.ly/3p4Ur5K
3:05 PM
"If you're black and I'm white, does that make me Tommy Lee Jones?"

1. Tessa Thompson rocks. I'm not really sure if she's a lesbian in real life, but she is hot. She rocked Westworld, she rocked being an Asgardian, and she sure can hell rock a black suit as a Man Woman In Black.

2. God, I really hate Chris Hemsworth. The guy's so good-looking, he can actually pull off pink slacks. Pink! I mean, not hot pink, or the warm pink that borders on fuchsia. It's baby pink. And he can pull it off without a hitch. Don't you just hate someone like that? 

3. Although this is technically a spin-off, MIB: International manages to retain the look and feel of the original trilogy. Usually, a spin-off is granted a blank slate, which the filmmakers could have used to their advantage. This was seen in films such as The Force Awakens, which paid homage to the look and feel of the original Star Wars saga while at the same time venturing off to explore uncharted territory to expand the universe. MIB: International does just that, and shows a lot of potential in universe-expansion should it decide to continue the International spin-off as a new trilogy. 

4. The black dreadlocked twins remind me of the twins in The Matrix Reloaded. They're also both like the coolest characters in their respective movies. 

5. I love the MIB font. I forgot what the font is called, although it is mentioned at the end credits. I just forgot to take note of it. So I guess I'll have to wait for the video release to catch it again. There are a lot of imitation typefaces out there, but I want the original one.

6. Chris Hemsworth isn't carrying the whole film, which is nice. You'd think that being the one with top billing, he'd carry the whole film, and that the entire thing would collapse without him. Definitely not true. Tessa Thompson can definitely hold her own, and I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to do a sequel with just her and without Hemsworth.

7. The alien character designs for the first three films feel very unique, like they actually belong to the Men In Black cinematic universe and nowhere else. The character designs for this film, on the other hand, feel more like Star Wars, like they had J.J. Abrams's seal of approval or something. That's a good thing, don't get me wrong; I guess I just miss the uniqueness of the old aliens.

8. Chris Hemsworth's comedic chops are what will probably fuel his acting career long after his good looks have faded away. We could already see glimpses of this from Thor: Ragnarok, and even his female co-stars in Ghostbusters had nothing but praise for how funny he is. I guess it's unfair to the rest of the males on this planet that Chris Hemsworth gets all the good looks and humour.

9. I miss Tony Shalhoub. His Jeebs character in the previous films was one of my favourite characters in this series, and short as it is, every second of his screen time is priceless. He could have had his own spin-off, God bless him.

10. Rebecca Ferguson was underused. Yeah, granted she had weird hair and four arms, but still. Or was that three arms? Whatever. If you have someone as beautiful as Rebecca Ferguson in your movie, you should make the most of it. I wish they'd shown more of her face, though. But I guess she chose this role for a reason, and that is to show the world that she's more than just a beautiful face. She actually can take on the weird roles, too.

"Just try not to gain weight for the sequel."



Men In Black: International. USA. 2019.



Original rating: 8.0/10
No Rebecca Ferguson nudity: -0.1
No Tessa Thompson nudity: -0.1
Emma Thompson: +0.1
Liam Neeson as the bad guy: -0.1
F. Gary Gray's direction: +0.1
Dreadlocked twins: +0.1
Kumail Nanjiani: +0.1
Final rating: 8.1/10
12:52 PM
Girl power.

Una sa lahat, fanboy ako ng original. N'ung Grade 2 ako, nagdro-drawing ako ng Ghostbusters para sa mga kaklase ko for P5.00 per drawing.

Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit andaming haters ng bagong Ghostbusters. Ito na yata ang most disliked video sa YouTube. Pero ano nga ba ang dahilan nila sa pag-dislike? Dahil ba ayaw nila ang all-female cast? O dahil ayaw nilang galawin ng Hollywood ang original franchise?

Itong 2016 Ghostbusters ay isang reboot ng original 1984 film ni Ivan Reitman, pero kahit hindi ka fan ng original film at ng sequel nito (at ng animated series) ay maa-appreciate mo naman ang efforts ni director Paul Feig at ng female ensemble cast. Hindi ito tulad ng mga Marvel reboot ng Spider-Man na ginawa dahil hindi sila nasiyahan sa unang trilogy ni Sam Raimi. Ito ay isang legitimate reboot na ang intention ay ipakilala ang Ghostbusters sa bagong henerasyon ng moviegoers.

At ipakilala ang Ecto-1 bilang proof na pwede maging cool ang karo ng patay. 

Ang ginawa ng filmmakers dito ay "transposition", isang bagong film theory na aking dine-develop at idi-discuss sa separate post. Ibig sabihin, hindi ito one-is-to-one adaptation ng original source material into a feminine mold. Allow me to explain.

Si Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) ay hindi direct equivalent ni Peter Venkman, dahil hindi naman douchebag si Gilbert tulad ni Venkman. Ang pagkakapareho lang siguro nila ay pareho silang may Ph.D. at pareho silang malandi. Si Abigail Yates (Melissa McCarthy) ay hindi direct equivalent ni Ray Stantz, dahil si Yates ay medyo loud at si Stantz ay ang quiet type. Si Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) ay hindi direct equivalent ni Egon Spengler, bagaman kapareho niya ang hairstyle ng cartoon version ni Egon. Si Spengler ay weird in a nerdy way, tulad ng pagkolekta niya ng spores, molds, and fungus, habang si Holtzmann ay super-weird-in-an-attractive-way na mahilig sa heavy machinery, at mas kenkoy kaysa sa medyo reserved na si Egon. Si Patty Tolman (Leslie Jones) ay hindi direct equivalent ni Winston Zeddmore, dahil sa original film, parang sidekick lang talaga si Winston at wala gaanong backstory, habang mas developed ang character ni Patty at mas major ang kaniyang interaction with the team. Ang pagkakapareho siguro nila ay they're both black and not scientists. At siyempre, si Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) ay hindi direct equivalent ni Janine Melnitz, kasi 'di hamak naman na mas matalino si Janine kaysa sa bobong eye-candy ni Hemsworth.

"Take that, critics!"

Ang mga pelikulang ganito ay nangangailangan ng isang solid antagonist, at hindi ito si Chris Hemsworth. Sinapian lamang siya ni Rowan (Neil Casey) na siyang main villain dito. Pero hindi gaanong effective ang villainy ni Rowan dahil ang character niya ay hindi talaga konektado sa grupo. Sa original movie, ang true villain ay ang metaphysical spirit na si Gozer, at ang kanyang manifestation ay si Zuul "the Gatekeeper" na sumapi kay Sigourney Weaver na love interest ni Peter Venkman. Mukhang mas effective sana ang pagkakaroon ng isang metaphysical villain kaysa sa isang flesh-and-blood human antagonist tulad ni Rowan, dahil ang pinakakalaban talaga ng Ghostbusters ay ang unknown evils of the spirit world.

Sa isang reboot, ang goal mo is to create new fans without alienating the old ones. At iyan ang dahilan kung bakit napakaraming references to the original, tulad ni Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at ni Slimer. Mayroon ring mga re-designed equipment ng mga proton packs at traps. At mayroon ding basbas ng original cast, dahil lahat sila, except for the late Harold Ramis at Rick Moranis, ay may speaking cameo sa pelikulang ito.

Bilang isang reboot, tagumpay ang pelikulang ito. Marami ang laugh-out-loud moments, at masayang movie experience siya para sa mga bago at lumang fans na lalabas sa sinehan na may Ghostbusters hangover. Bilang simula ng bagong franchise, ibang usapan na 'yun, pero mukhang malaki ang pag-asa ng sequel. Personally, gusto ko pa ng more Jillian Holtzmann.

Kate McKinnon: bagong girl-crush ng bayan.



Ghostbusters. USA. 2016.



Orihinal na rating: 8/10
Kristen Wiig: +0.1
Kate McKinnon: +0.2
Cameo ng original cast: +0.1
Charles Dance a.k.a. Tywin Lannister: +0.1
Cameo ni Ozzy Osbourne: +0.05
Pagsayaw ni Holtzmann ng "Rhythm of the Night": +0.05
Zach Woods ng Silicon Valley: +0.05
Matt Walsh ng Veep: +0.05
Michael Kenneth Williams a.k.a. Omar ng The Wire: +0.05
Final na rating: 8.75/10
11:37 AM
Collider

Frankly, I'm not at all excited about any upcoming Marvel Studios release... with the exception of The Infinity Gauntlet. Allow me to explain.

The film version better be this colourful.
4:59 PM
YouTube

As a relatively new Formula 1 fan (thanks to the documentary Senna, and of course to Sue Denim), 2013 is my first real season. My only regret is that I didn't become a petrolhead earlier.

When crashes and deaths were part of an ordinary day in the office.

 Rush may not score big in box office returns, but will very likely be nominated for more than one Academy Award. And these nominations are:

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Brühl as Niki Lauda

"Yes, I look a bit like a young Christopher Reeve. So what?"
4:30 PM
YouTube

This film belongs to a relatively new genre whose name escapes me right now. It's basically the type of film that attempts to put a more realistic slant to old myths and legends, usually children's fairy tales. Problem is, with this film, the fantasy element wasn't totally eradicated from the storyline. What we have, then, is a plain and simple retelling. That giant white stag (who was probably that realm's equivalent of Aslan the lion) and those fairy imps who look like Gollum, interesting as they may seem, do nothing to enhance the realistic angle brought about by portraying Snow White as a sort of Joan of Arc heroine.

"Why isn't my armor white as snow?"

Seriously, do we need another retelling of Snow White? Isn't the high-pitched Disney version enough for everyone?

Yes, Peter Jackson has shown us that through old school camera wizardry, you can cast a normal-sized person in a dwarf role. That doesn't mean every dwarf role in cinema should be played by normal-sized folk from hereon. Midget actors definitely have their own appeal, and Peter Jackson's re-discovery of forced perspective (a technique as old as cinema itself) shouldn't put an end to their careers.

They're all kneeling down while Hemsworth is standing up.

This film does have some great performances, most notably from the evil queen Ravenna and the huntsman. The Disney version of the evil queen shows her as a shrewd, calculating witch, someone who is totally in control of her faculties. With Charlize Theron's performance, however, we get to see the evil queen for what she really is─a deranged, lunatic psychopath, totally consumed by her own greed and vanity.

Not related to Bong Ravena.

Chris Hemsworth, meanwhile, shows us that he does have some acting chops in him, which will definitely improve over time. He reminds me of a younger Brad Pitt, and I'm pretty sure Hemsworth would much prefer a challenging, out-of-character role over a tried-and-tested pretty boy heartthrob formula.

Next stop: Fight Club reboot.

Wait, did I mention Kristen Stewart? Of course I didn't.

This was probably her finest acting moment in this film─
playing dead.



Snow White and the Huntsman. USA. 2012.



Rating: Five and a half out of ten.
11:46 AM
YouTube

I wasn't a Joss Whedon fan. Everything I know about Joss Whedon, I learned from The Avengers. Before that, everything I knew about Joss Whedon, I learned from my co-writer Claire and Tumblr. And before that, I knew nothing about Joss Whedon.

Yes, I was aware that there was a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But after the film Cruel Intentions, I thought Sarah Michelle Gellar was too slutty for my taste. Also, I thought Buffy was a show for girls, like Charmed, so I never checked it out anymore.

Anyway, after watching The Avengers, I decided that Joss Whedon is a huge geek and one brilliant storyteller, and is definitely worth my time. So I decided to watch The Cabin in the Woods. And although it had the feel of a B-movie, I wasn't disappointed.

Except by the dirt on the characters's faces.

The film started out like an ordinary college movie, where you get the typical archetypes: the hunk (a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth), the slut (Anna Hutchison), the virgin (Kristen Connolly), and the pothead (Fran Kranz). Then as the film became weirder and weirder, I said to myself, "Hold on! This looks strangely familiar..."

"When you say 'familiar', you don't mean us, right?
Because we're basically Whedon staples."

And then it hit me. Doctor Who.

For those of you unfamiliar with Doctor Who, you need to explore things from other English-speaking countries, not just the USA. Why not explore stuff from the birthplace of English itself? If everything you know about the British Isles you learned from Harry Potter and the Beatles, then shame on you.

"How about the Spice Girls?"

All throughout the film, I kept thinking how much Joss Whedon's style is so much similar to the styles of Doctor Who head writers Steven Moffat and Russell T. Davies, the latter being the driving force that brought the Doctor back in 2005 after a television hiatus of more than a decade. I even went so far as tweeting that if Joss Whedon were only born under the Union Jack, he would surely be the head writer for DW.

Same level of creepiness. Satisfied?

And I thank Claire for coming to the rescue, when she said that Russell T. Davies was actually inspired by the works of Joss Whedon. And that's not just fangirl ramblings (Claire is both a Whedon-whore as well as a Whovian).

“[Buffy the Vampire Slayer] showed the whole world, and an entire sprawling industry, that writing monsters and demons and end-of-the world isn’t hack-work, it can challenge the best. Joss Whedon raised the bar for every writer—not just genre/niche writers, but every single one of us.”─Russell T. Davies

It is, actually, quite obvious, or else I wouldn't have noticed it. It's the perfect balance between single character conflicts, group dynamics, aliens, monsters, the mythological, and the supernatural. And another thing: is Joss Whedon a pothead? Because in this film, the only survivors are the pothead and the virgin. Brilliant, right?

"That's 'cause his name is really Joss Weed-don. Get it?"

Like I said earlier, I wasn't a fan of Joss Whedon. But I am now.



The Cabin in the Woods. USA. 2012.



Rating: Seven point eight out of ten.
6:29 PM
YouTube

Da Couch Tomato was given the privelege to interview the Avengers. Not the actual characters, of course, but the actors who played them. However, since we are a Third World blog, they granted us only one question for each actor. The nerve. Anyway, we made the most of it.

Robert Downey, Jr.1
Iron Man
"I should've registered "Genius, Billionaire,
Playboy, Philantrophist" as a trademark."

Who is the alpha male in the group?
Tony Stark, of course. An alpha male is someone who provides the pack their food, their shelter, their basic needs. I'm that guy. Also, I'm the only one with a kissing scene─with Gwyneth Paltrow. I mean, come on.

But on the other hand, if I were really the alpha male, I would've gotten a kissing scene with Scarlett Johansson as well. All right, that's going into the contract for the Avengers sequel.
11:58 AM
Because StingLacson called me out for being a Chris Hemsworth fangirl, here's my review of Thor.



I'm team DC so not only do I know close to nothing about the Marvel universe, I am also not particularly interested in it. Truthfully , the only reason I went out to see Thor was because I wanted to see what Natalie Portman's been doing after her Oscar win.

But surprise, surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed Thor. I enjoyed it better than the first Iron Man movie, which up to now I consider one of the best superhero movies so far. (No, I do not like Christopher Nolan's Batman. See, I'm not biased against Marvel. I did hate Iron Man 2 though, so I guess they're even.)

My first and last encounter with Thor was in one of the Avengers animated movies which had him on a boat trying to stop some whalers. So, kudos to Chris Hemsworth for owning the role and making it totally badass.

Mmm, yeah. Gif totally necessary.

I also really, really liked Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He was subtle and awesome and looked a little like Steve from Blue's Clues. I read somewhere that he initially tried out for Thor. I'm glad he didn't get that part. He was perfection as Loki.

We've come to a point in movies where talking about the special effects has started to become redundant, but I liked how they rendered Asgard, particularly the Bifrost. Still rainbow-y without being My Little Pony.

This didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have been, but it did succeed in one critical aspect─I totally want to go watch The Avengers now. Forget the Captain America movie, bring on the Avengers!

If you liked this review, you may also want to read Sting Lacson's review of Thor.
9:32 AM

For those who love Norse mythology, you're probably familiar with the words Asgard, Midgard, and Skarsgård. Kaboom. Just had to get that joke out of the way.

"Meh. My name's got that A with the circle on top."
12:04 PM
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