Random Thoughts: Captain Marvel, Or This Is Marvel's Wonder Woman

Business Insider

"Thanos? Bring it."

•First of all, I've only seen this once, and I came out of the theatre with very little to take home with me. This is one of those very rare films which I practically forgot as soon as I exited the cinema. Is it because I may have been a bit sleepy? Maybe. But again, that's very rare. Even Brie Larson's pretty mug was forgettable.

•As a "girl power" film, it of course makes sense that this film was released to coincide with International Women's Day, which is on the 8th of March. I guess you could classify Captain Marvel as a feminist movie, and an enjoyable one at that. Although DC beat Marvel to the punch with the critically-acclaimed Wonder Woman, this film is a step in the right direction. So, good job, Marvel, and may you release more films about superheroines.

•The songs used were great, of course, especially for kids who grew up in the 90s. However, I am of the opinion that the music used was great on its own, but not as a soundtrack. The way the music was used in Captain Marvel was a far cry from how James Gunn used his 80s soundtrack in Guardians of the Galaxy (both Volumes I and II), which was more cinematic. The Guardians of the Galaxy music not only set the time the films were set in, but they also set the mood, and were somehow connected to Star-Lord's journey. Captain Marvel's song catalogue, on the other hand, felt like it was just there to set the milieu.

•I've been more of a Marvel fan than a DC one, and that was since grade school. Sadly, I was not a fan of Captain Marvel as a character. The only thing I remember was that Captain Marvel in the comics was a male. I'm basing my memory off a Marvel trading card, and I have to admit, my memory may be hazy. Anyway, whether or not Captain Marvel was originally a male or female is moot: the fact that Marvel Studios decided that the superhero who bears the studio's name, and the superhero rumoured to be the only one who can whoop Thanos's ass, would be female, that's a big step in the fight for gender equality in Hollywood.

•Honestly, I found the plot a bit confusing. But then again, I've only seen it once, and I was a bit sleepy. Anyway, the film was set in the 90s, right? But then Carol Danvers was having flashbacks of a different life, which kind of looked like it was a life in the 90s. So what is it, really? I think I need to watch this again, at least before Avengers: Endgame hits the theatres.

•Now let's talk about Samuel L. Jackson. The modern-day Nick Fury is a bad-ass, and he even looks the part, with his eyepatch and slightly toned down Pulp Fiction swagger. Then we find out how he got the scar. Scratched by a cat. I guess people just assumed he got it fighting some super villain, then he just kept silent and let people go on thinking that.

•And speaking of cats, that ginger feline kind of stole the show. The name Goose, I think, is a Top Gun reference, because of the whole fighter pilot vibe they got going. And the whole tentacle-shooting-from-the-mouth thing makes the cat look like it came straight out of Men In Black. Anyway, I think Goose is more than just comic relief. He may have a bigger part to play in Avengers: Endgame. Wouldn't it be cool if it was actually Goose that defeats Thanos?

•Yes, we know this movie is about girl power, but is there also a queer angle to it? I've heard opinions that Carol Danvers and her Air Force BFF Maria, played by Lashana Lynch, are lesbian lovers. Honestly, I didn't get that vibe, although my gaydar has never been accurate. If the lesbian angle was intentional, it wasn't obvious. And if it was obvious, it doesn't really matter. They're close friends, and whether or not they're lovers doesn't matter.

•And of course, no Marvel movie is complete without special effects. Marvel has been setting the standard for popcorn flicks even before the MCU was introduced. With these kinds of storytelling, world-building is crucial, and with world-building comes believability, because what good is an alternate world if it's not believable?

Variety

Men do not generally give up their seats to powerful women.

Captain Marvel. USA. 2019.



Original rating: 6.6/10
Gemma Chan: +0.2
Gemma Chan in blue makeup: -0.1
Unrecognisable Ben Mendelsohn: +0.1
Unrecognisable Lee Pace: +0.1
Recognisable Djimon Hounsou: -0.1
Jude Law plot twist: -0.1
Annette Bening: +0.1
Clark Gregg: +0.2
Final rating: 7/10

Review: The Legend of Tarzan, o Bakit Angkop Pa Rin ang King of the Jungle sa Panahon Ngayon

bhmpics.com

"Lugi ako sa 8-pack abs mo!"

Matagal na ang kuwento ni Tarzan. 1912 ang unang taon na lumabas ang Tarzan of the Apes ni Edgar Rice Burroughs (na siya ring manunulat ng John Carter books), at mula noon, mahigit 200 na pelikula tungkol kay Tarzan ang naipalabas.

Medyo napapanahon ang paglabas ng pelikulang ito, dahil ang mga bagong manonood ay wala na yatang idea kung sino si Tarzan. Ang kilala nila malamang ay ang mga "Me Tarzan, you Jane" type ng wild man, o 'di kaya ang patawang Starzan ni Joey de Leon ("Cheetae, ganda lalake"... "Ulul, sinungaling, pangit"). Ang isang upside ng walang-tigil na pag-remake ng Hollywood ng mga lumang literary classic ay ang pagpapakilala ng mga gawang ito sa bagong henerasyon.

Si Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) ay isang edukadong nobleman na nagngangalang John Clayton, Earl of Greystoke. Lumaki siya sa kagubatan sa pagaalaga ng mga gorilla, at dito siya namuhay bilang hayop at naging lord of the jungle. Bumalik siya sa sibilisasyon sa Ingglatera para mamuhay bilang tao kasama ang asawa niyang si Jane (Margot Robbie), ngunit sa paguudyok ng isang Amerikanong si George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) ay bumalik siya sa Africa para pabagsakin ang rehimen ng imperial Belgium sa Congo. Ngunit pagdating niya sa Africa, hinahanap pala siya ng kontrabidang si Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), na nakipagkasundo kay Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) para sa ulo ni Tarzan kapalit ng mala-tawas na diamonds. Nahuli ni Rom ang mag-asawang Clayton, pero nakatakas si Tarzan. Si Jane nalang ang naiwang hostage, at ang huli ng pelikula ay ang pagligtas ni Tarzan sa kanyang asawa. Ang maganda rito ay hindi ipinakita si Jane bilang damsel-in-distress, kundi isang matapang at strong-willed na babae na karapat-dapat nga na maging Mrs. King of the Jungle.

IMDb

"Boner mo ba 'yan, Tarzan?"

Si Tarzan ay isa sa mga "feral child" template ng literature, katulad ni Mowgli ng The Jungle Book. Itong version na ito ni David Yates ay sinasabing "the most accurate Tarzan film ever made", at isa sa mga dahilan nito ay ang pagsasalita ni Tarzan ng diretso at hindi barok. Hindi talaga ako fan ng Tarzan franchise, pero lumaki ako na kilala siya. Madalas kong gayahin ang kanyang iconic na sigaw n'ung bata ako, at natuwa ako na maririnig ang sigaw na ito sa pelikula (not once, but twice).

Maganda ang pelikulang ito para sa lahat ng klaseng audiences. Okay ito para sa mga matatanda, dahil ibang version ito sa ating nakasanayan dahil sa kanyang accuracy. At okay din ito sa mga bata, para makilala naman nila si Tarzan bilang isang classic literary character na kung tutuusin ay mayroong ibubuga sa mga modern superheroes ngayon.

Flood Magazine

"Bakit napakaitim mo?"

The Legend of Tarzan. USA. 2016.



Original na rating: 7.9/10
Cameo ni Ben Chaplin: +0.1
Walang Margot Robbie nudity: -0.1
Astig na vine-swinging ni Tarzan: +0.1
Parating pagka-kontrabida ni Christoph Waltz: -0.1
Pagkapareho ng boses ni Alexander Skarsgård at ng kanyang ama: +0.1
Final na rating: 8.0/10

Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D, or How to Do a Proper Sequel

YouTube

As I mentioned in a previous review, sequels are the bane of Hollywood. This is especially true of animated films, because children cannot discern good movies from bad ones, and will most likely drag their parents to watch anything with their favourite characters in it.

YouTube

Or anything with wingsuit flying.

This, however, is not true for How to Train Your Dragon 2.

YouTube

See? How can you go wrong with lots of warships?

Push

If this reminds you of the X-Men, or Heroes, then you are not alone.

Same basic plot: people with super powers, secret government agency (also called "Division", like in Nikita), and people trying to kill each other.

In this movie, the super-powered people are divided into the following:

• Movers: Those who can move objects with their minds. Also used to refer to people who transport your furniture when moving into a new house.
• Pushers: Those who can push thoughts into other people's heads. This includes Djimon Hounsou, who has abandoned his trademark screaming, since it would be out of character, as Pushers talk through the mind; and Camilla Belle, who has seemingly pushed out all the hotness in her since 10, 000 B.C., as she looks totally disheveled here. Also used to refer to people who sell drugs for a living.
• Watchers: Those who can see the future. This includes Dakota Fanning, who foresaw this movie as a stepping stone to playing a vampire in New Moon. 
• Bleeders: Those who can give out high-pitched screams and make your eardrums bleed. But really, "bleeders"? I would've gone for "screamers". And they're really ugly when they scream. Hideous.
• Sniffs: Those who can track other people. You know, "sniff" them out.
• Shifters: Those who can change an object's appearance to others. This includes Cliff Curtis, who has succeeded in shifting his appearance into Fire Lord Ozai. I was half-expecting him to suddenly throw out fireballs, but then I stopped and reminded myself that this isn't The Last Airbender.
• Wipers: Those who can wipe your memory. Also used to refer to those sticks that move across your car windshield to wipe away bird poop.
• Shadows: Those who can keep Sniffs from finding someone. They're like a human cloaking device. Also used to refer to dark areas blocked from light.
• Stitchers: Those who can heal. You know, like doctors. Because they "stitch you up". Come on.

Now what makes this movie different from the others? Well, as far as I know, it's not adapted from any previous source or medium. It is an original screenplay. Not an original story. Just screenplay.


*some info from IMDb
pic from pajiba.com


Push. USA/Canada/UK. 2009.


Original rating: Five and a half out of ten.
Putting a leash on Djimon Hounsou's shouting: Plus point five.
Final rating: Six out of ten.

Blood Diamond

This is the film where I thought, "Wow, Leonardo DiCaprio has matured, finally."

And it's not because he speaks with a Rhodesian accent here. I haven't really heard authentic Rhodesian, so I wouldn't know. But you can sense Leo's dedication to the art of acting, and it shows in every movement of his body, every twitch of his muscles.

I think Orlando Bloom could've taken lessons from DiCaprio. Leonardo DiCaprio is living proof that great actors are made, not born.

Jennifer Connelly always looks good on camera. I've liked her since Labyrinth. And she ages with such grace, I envy Paul Bettany.

I like Djimon Hounsou when he acts normal. But when he starts shouting like a madman, like that "Give us us free" mode, he can sound pretty annoying. It's like a caged animal that will kill the first person it comes into contact with. Now isn't that frightening?


*some info from IMDb
pic from jasoncollin.org


Blood Diamond. USA/Germany. 2006 (2007 Philippines).


Rating: Six and a half out of ten.

The Four Feathers

Yay for Hollywood big-budget flicks!

Director Shekhar Kapur helms this project, and he does seem to know his way around merry old England, being the director of the two Elizabeth films (which starred the beautiful Cate Blanchett). Well, there's a lot you can do with a huge budget.

Kate Hudson doesn't seem to shine at all in this film. Again, probably because this is a guy film, and she's the only woman in it. Djimon Hounsou by this time was already Hollywood's go-to guy for roles involving huge African slaves. Talk about stereotypes and racism.

Heath Ledger, on the other hand, stands out. Not because he was Hollywood's new poster boy during this time. Ledger's performance is so subtle that he doesn't even try to steal scenes, despite being the sole lead actor in this movie (you'll forget everybody else's names). This film is about cowardice, and it's cowardice that Ledger shows in his eyes and his facial twitches. Absolutely brilliant. And although the beard made this look like a Biblical film, I'm sure he grew it for thespic purposes. These method actors are damn brilliant.

So, you can either watch this film for two things: exciting war scenes, with the British army fighting it out in the deserts of the Sudan; or Heath Ledger's brilliant performance. Or both.


*some info from IMDb
pic from media.thedaily.com.au


The Four Feathers. USA. 2002.


Rating: Seven out of ten.