Also it was pointed out to me by a former ILXor that Ed Norton was also pruned by the TVA
This is kind of making me pro-TVA
― Karl Havoc (DJP), Friday, 16 July 2021 13:01 (three years ago) link
(xpost)
Yeah, I liked the idea, but thought the approach kinda deflated the tension. You just got to see [spoiler character] talk about why he's smart, and that he's been manipulating everyone all along - but he never really explains how he did it. So it's a bit "and then a rock fell down and killed everyone".
― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 16 July 2021 13:12 (three years ago) link
Although the show just gets away with it because there's still another set of episodes to come.
― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 16 July 2021 13:13 (three years ago) link
I assume that's because we're gonna see a variant of [spoiler character] actually doing what he does over the course of several upcoming films.
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Friday, 16 July 2021 13:34 (three years ago) link
Obviously teed up for more in season 2, but disappointed in how the Renslayer B-plot just kinda disappeared in the episode.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 16 July 2021 14:15 (three years ago) link
I mean, no more than Chiwetel Ejiofor in Doctor Strange? She was never the main villain (but she filled in when they were short handed) but she'll be her own person when we see her next.
― Andrew Farrell, Friday, 16 July 2021 15:43 (three years ago) link
Nah, I mean more in terms of the flashback to before she was presumably kidnapped into serving the TVA and showing her disappearing through one of those portals and not showing up for the rest of the episode. Again, surely setting up S2, but it felt like a loose end.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 16 July 2021 15:48 (three years ago) link
wild to see the show’s commitment to “socially distanced Dr Who on digital sets” carry through to emulating the last Chibnall finale, in which the hero stands still in a room while the baddie delivers a forty-minute expository infodump about how a sinister force of mysterious time cops actually had a very slightly different backstory, but specifically not different enough that the twist recontextualises or challenges the protagonists’ last several millennia of actions in any way
― bobo honkin' slobo babe (sic), Friday, 16 July 2021 16:35 (three years ago) link
Yeah. I think it’s unfair to compare this to Chibnall’s trainwreck (not least because most of Loki has been good, and all of Chibnall’s work has been bad) but it did come to mind. In the moment I thought more of that terrible exposition scene in the second matrix movie.
― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 16 July 2021 17:23 (three years ago) link
And also (apologies in advance) the 57th issue of Doom Patrol, another expositionary everything-you-know–is-wrong story, except in that case, the clues are laid in advance, and it all feels a lot more organic.
― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 16 July 2021 17:26 (three years ago) link
I really enjoyed the whole show, particularly the bits where they just wound up some actors and set them at each other. That said I don't think it would have been improved by another few weeks of "I trusted you!" / "And I'm asking you to trust me again" / "I swear Mobius, once last chance" - it did that well, but it got out when it should.
That said I can't really consider it in the same league as Wandavision?
I thought the contrast of putting someone who thinks he’s always five steps ahead of everyone up against someone who actually was ( million steps ahead of everyone was neat
Yeah, it varies by writer of course, but MCU Loki is far more "have a few good ideas and improvise" - and his greatest tragedy is the result of that going wrong.
― Andrew Farrell, Friday, 16 July 2021 18:57 (three years ago) link
re: Black Widow there were a lot more brooding silences in rural cottages than i expected
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 16 July 2021 23:30 (three years ago) link
I liked the Loki finale. For one, I do actually like the reveal/tease of a Season 2, which was never promised and which neither of the other two shows promised, either. Second, I liked Majors a lot in this, since his variant is clearly more or less an insane Wizard of Oz, having juggled lots of information for eons, but they need to show him like this so that when he *does* return in more ruthless form the effect will be that much more dramatic. Third, I even like the cliffhanger, which I thought was less "no one knows who Loki is" and more a demonstration that the timeline has already been instantly, radically altered. And honestly, it doesn't even feel like a "wait til season 2" cliffhanger, because all this stuff is tied in the movies, which are imminent.
Speaking of which, I haven't had a chance to see Black Widow yet, but the bummer seems to be the need to get past that, Shang Chi and (possibly) the Eternals to get back to a big picture arc, though that (plus the pandemic) probably explains the need/desire to release 4 MCU features all in the span of just six months, with Spider-man 3 poised to be the/a big Christmas payoff. Dr. Strange and Thor 4 come out right on their heels, though, in equally quick succession. In fact, the MCU films will be shooting out at such a rapid pace I'm not even sure when or how the upcoming TV shows will fit in. They worked super well filling the void of the pandemic, but going forward I have no idea what they're up to. A major movie or TV show almost every month?
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 July 2021 01:58 (three years ago) link
Disney+ needs a big Marvel or Star Wars show to premiere every month to retain subscribers, m/l i think
― Nhex, Saturday, 17 July 2021 02:03 (three years ago) link
I was surprised there's no firm date on the next live action MCU show. The animated What If show comes soon but the animated streaming spinoffs don't get the same buzz.
― Joe Bombin (milo z), Saturday, 17 July 2021 02:18 (three years ago) link
I have a feeling that What If will be more canonical than one might expect, just as the animated Spider-man movie was the venue that introduced the multi-verse.
Have we talked about how much Black Widow apparently made through streaming? Something like $60 million, right? That's crazy. The TV shows are a real boon, too, since they can both fill in narrative gaps (thus requiring a subscription) but also work as stop gaps, too, between theatrical releases, also requiring a subscription for anyone needing a fix. TV is innately so much more accessible, too, in the literal sense. Even beyond, you know, a deadly pandemic, going to the movies is often a PIA, and I suspect with Disney+, Marvel is actually broadening its fanbase to include more casuals, folks perhaps curious when stuff like WandaVision or Loki get positive reviews and nominations broader than the usual genre cohort. Shows like those somehow, against all odds, can imo be starting points for folks who might then want to work their backwards through the rest of the catalog. They're weighted with mythology and references, but they feature strong casts/acting and production values that no doubt help carry those who don't know Kang the Conqueror from Carrot Top.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 July 2021 02:29 (three years ago) link
Seems like they've been waiting until the eleventh hour to drop a firm release date on the new series. I assume Hawkeye is still next up after What If?
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Saturday, 17 July 2021 02:32 (three years ago) link
I know it's a pipe dream but I wish they would've just insta-released Black Widow on blu-ray since I buy physical copies of all the MCUs anyway. I'm not champing at the bit to rush back into the theater just yet (but would've otherwise been there opening weekend), and $30 to stream a single movie on a service I already pay for just seems like a joke. So I guess I just sit here twiddling my thumbs until my gf finally succeeds in pressuring me into forking over my cash.
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Saturday, 17 July 2021 02:38 (three years ago) link
I thought hawkeye show was announced for september re: future schedulig
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Saturday, 17 July 2021 03:44 (three years ago) link
*scratches chin* Well given the Black Widow post-credits scene, that would be good timing...
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 July 2021 03:50 (three years ago) link
It looks like Ms. Marvel is the only other show coming out in 2021, and it's not supposed to drop until the end of the year. So I guess there's not gonna be much more MCU until fall.
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Saturday, 17 July 2021 04:06 (three years ago) link
Well, Shang Chi comes out in only about a month and a half from now, and then it's barely that long between most releases for the foreseeable future. Plus What If, Hawkeye and Ms Marvel in the mix, though Marvel has shown itself to be pretty nimble when it comes to switching up its schedule. That's another advantage of the Disney+ model: flexibility.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 July 2021 12:49 (three years ago) link
Kate Herron’s not returning for season 2. Huge bummer - she did a tremendous job.
https://deadline.com/2021/07/loki-director-ep-kate-herron-says-shes-not-returning-for-season-2-1234794552/
― Roz, Saturday, 17 July 2021 13:48 (three years ago) link
Oh. Maybe they don't already have the second season filmed after all.
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Saturday, 17 July 2021 14:28 (three years ago) link
Hope they retain the composer
― covidsbundlertanze op. 6 (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 17 July 2021 14:57 (three years ago) link
S2 announcement I suspect was (relatively) on the fly. Certainly keeps Hiddleston on retainer, given time travel/multiverse gives them the leeway to pretty much tell and retell any story with any character they want ad infinitum.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 July 2021 15:11 (three years ago) link
hiddleston is EP
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Saturday, 17 July 2021 15:25 (three years ago) link
So he's got his piece already I guess. He's the fun key to it all, of course. I'd probably watch a one-man "Loki on Broadway."
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 July 2021 16:02 (three years ago) link
Loki Unplugged
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 July 2021 16:03 (three years ago) link
Loki: One-Man Acoustical Jam
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 July 2021 16:06 (three years ago) link
Boiler Room: Asgard
― Joe Bombin (milo z), Saturday, 17 July 2021 16:12 (three years ago) link
Loki Live At The Improv
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 July 2021 16:16 (three years ago) link
Loki: Laid-Back and Low-Key
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 July 2021 16:24 (three years ago) link
Loki Live at the Apollo
― Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu Rob Thomas (PBKR), Saturday, 17 July 2021 17:49 (three years ago) link
Loki: Turn Off the Dark
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Sunday, 18 July 2021 16:00 (three years ago) link
haha, they should make the Spiderman musical canon and integral to understanding the rest of the MCU
― akm, Sunday, 18 July 2021 16:19 (three years ago) link
If that somehow ends up in the new movie at the end of the year it will all have been worth it.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 18 July 2021 16:35 (three years ago) link
i was frankly stunned at how bad black widow was: terrible editing, shitty script, muddy action sequences, overlong runtime, johansson barely making much of an effort, bombastic overbearing score, tonal confusion throughout. dumb twitterspeak repartee, brutal murder, emotional awakening or expensive fx? Why not everything all at once for two hours? the right answer is because it liquifies into a slurry of meaningless nonsense without stakes or engagement but somehow no one thought to point that out. Johansson and Winstone aside, the acting is an occasional saving grace, particularly Pugh and Harbour who seem to be in a much better movie. I would've liked to have watched that one instead of this one. This one was boring.
― Yours in Sorrow, A Schoolboy: (forksclovetofu), Monday, 19 July 2021 06:35 (three years ago) link
Black Widow was a lot of fun. I look forward to Yelena chasing down Clint
― Karl Havoc (DJP), Monday, 19 July 2021 11:17 (three years ago) link
I felt it was one of the more ambitious MCU movies: human trafficking, sexism and unorthodox, but actually really relatable, family dynamics. Loved it really.
― g simmel, Monday, 19 July 2021 12:05 (three years ago) link
I enjoyed Black Widow. It does seem like it's the least essential MCU movie by far, but it works well as a standalone Bond-style romp. Cool to see various moves from previous MCU movies back in Taskmaster's moves.Agreed that Pugh and Harbour were especially strong. I don't get what people have against Ray Winstone (on here is not the first time that I see him being written off). I quite enjoyed him as a soft-spoken completely remorseles controlling sociopath who could get dangerously aggressive.
There's a transition at the end of the movie that seemed pretty weird though: when Natasha stayed behind to await General Ross and the military, then in the next scene, at a later moment, gets a plain to help her fellow Avengers, is it simply left to the viewer's imagination to explain whatever happens inbetween?
― Valentijn, Monday, 19 July 2021 12:09 (three years ago) link
Still haven't had a chance to see this, but the number of places I've seen describe it as a standalone Bond-styled romp underscores that there is no hurry. I like all these Marvel movies, more or less, but I've come to prefer the space/magic/fantasy side of them over the well-trained-ninjas subset.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 19 July 2021 12:20 (three years ago) link
contemporary bond movies are more cohesive and better crafted than this, which is pretty damning.
― Yours in Sorrow, A Schoolboy: (forksclovetofu), Monday, 19 July 2021 12:38 (three years ago) link
Contemporary Bond movies are fun, too
― Karl Havoc (DJP), Monday, 19 July 2021 13:34 (three years ago) link
i'm beginning to understand why we're diverging on this topic
― Yours in Sorrow, A Schoolboy: (forksclovetofu), Monday, 19 July 2021 13:48 (three years ago) link
You hate fun? *runs away*
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 19 July 2021 14:10 (three years ago) link
i am pro-fun; i am anti-dour, badly edited OTT killfests without purpose or engagementi liked loki a lot though i have thoughts on the somewhat pro-fascist conclusion
― Yours in Sorrow, A Schoolboy: (forksclovetofu), Monday, 19 July 2021 14:15 (three years ago) link
i am anti-dour, badly edited OTT killfests without purpose or engagement
are you sure watched Black Widow and not, like, Faces of Death
― Karl Havoc (DJP), Monday, 19 July 2021 14:18 (three years ago) link
xpost Unless I misunderstand your point, I wouldn't say it was pro-fascist so much as it was a presentation of a fascist promoting his agenda as the only reasonable choice (in the same way that Infinity War wasn't really pro-Malthus).
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Monday, 19 July 2021 14:22 (three years ago) link
You get my general point, but the fascist propagandizer isn’t Kang or Loki but Disney.
― Yours in Sorrow, A Schoolboy: (forksclovetofu), Monday, 19 July 2021 14:56 (three years ago) link