also just going to go ahead and have a Captain America: The Winter Soldier thread

No one in this movie has any fancy powers so the action is pretty grounded and coherent. Lots of hand to hand

iirc wesley morris (who is usually otm) complained in his review about the blocking and lack of establishing shots and i expected going in to be annoyed but imo their approach captured in a visceral way the notion of physical struggle between superhumanly strong, fast, and skilled combatants.

I really enjoyed the first one. I can't wait to watch it tomorrow.

The only fight that worked for me was CA vs. Batroc; the rest were cut to bits, but that's just 'cause they gotta work with what they've got and Chris Evans is never gonna be Tony Jaa. I was also left cold by the climax; the hunting-Nick Fury sequence was way more interesting than the big three-helicarriers bit. Basically, the more grounded the movie was, the better I liked it. Plotwise, it was interesting while still being geared toward 10-year-old boys ill-equipped to handle the philosophical rigors of, say, Person of Interest. A couple of decent bits of normal human behavior; I liked CA's little notebook where he writes down all the 20th Century pop culture he needs to catch up on, and the soldier-bro interaction between him and Falcon in general was fun.

this was awesome!!! much darker than the first, but not in a 'brooding bleak' way. Nice body count, too.

You know, I think the only reason I was disappointed was that I heard a couple of people say this was the best of this batch since Avengers, but I had more fun at Thor 2 and Iron Man 3. This wasn't bad, I admit I was unduly harsh. I just felt it was pretty by the books. I really was expecting at least some element of surprise in it, something novel and inventive, but it was just generally competent. Like I said, barely remember the first, but I remember liking it more.

And yeah, a lot of people getting shot in this.

this was prob my fav of the Marvel flicks

fuck thor 2 is terrible! don't tell me it's better than this!

the reactions to this film seem to be all over the place

Thor 2 is in no way better than this movie, not even close.

This was the most paint-by-numbers Marvel movie yet, Iron Man 2 aside. At least the first Thor was a goofy misfire.

Thor 2 isn't better, but it's more fun and has more personality.

that is insane. Thor 2 was fucking boring!!!!

yeah Thor 2 was about as much fun as something not even remotely fun

If anyone, three or four more Marvel movies down the line, remembers a single solitary detail from this movie with any affection, I'll ... no, that will not even remotely happen. This is placeholder serialized franchise filmmaking at its most useless.

let's just c/p the above to the RONG thread and move along....

whereas I've already forgotten all but 5 mins of Thor 2

That can be true and still be evidence in its favor of this installment.

of over

Oh hey, guess where Armond White landed?
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/375062/captain-america-red-white-and-false-armond-white

Again, it's a wonder how much more compelling Armond has gotten very recently with the seeming benefit of real editorial guidance.

And how sad it is.

hokkoda • 7 hours ago

So, just got back from the flick...movie night with my sweetie...and it is outstanding.

What the reviewer doesn't understand is that there are a lot of people, people like me, who left the military, who left the government, because we can see what it is becoming.

When the heroes lay low with Sam, who is a vet, and Cap asks for help, he says something to the effect of, "Captain America needs my help? I'm in." Makes more sense in the context of the film, but I felt like Sam. Our country, from Obamacare to the IRS to the Fed to PRISM to Paramilitary local cops is turning into a police state.

Interestingly, Cap wears a "Dark Knight"-esque uniform for the first part of the film, is basically a civilian for the middle part, and goes old school for the finale.

This is not even remotely a left-wing movie. Two groups of people won't like it. Big Government "Brave New World" Obama-ites, and Big Military "Trade Freedom for Security" types.

Evans still has a shaved chest, y?

The writing may have improved but the shtick hasn't changed.

Evans’s cartoon image lacks the uncanny moral resonance that distinguished the compassionate Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel – the best in the recent surfeit of comic-book movies, where feeling and action were combined to a graphic/spiritual purpose.

shtick OR what he actually believes

I know "spritual" brings out the Gong Show judge in ilx

Interesting that so many people like this for the politics or message, but no one seems to be talking at all about all the superhero stuff. And everyone seems to think the titular baddie is all but irrelevant. And that's a success?

I've already forgotten a lot of Thor 2, but I do remember having fun with it. Same with the first Cap'n America, which I've forgotten even more of. Apparently contrary to my instincts, I am the only one who forgot all about Bucky from the first one, but I do find it funny that this movie, Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 all found it important to again and again remind of "the events of New York" - you know, the giant billion dollar blockbuster that everyone saw and liked - but just sort of drops in the Bucky drama as if Cap'n 1 came out last week and I've been on the edge of my seat wondering how Cap'n is faring.

Also, and this is unrelated to this movie being good and bad, certainly three giant extra-terrestrial styled death star helicarriers crashing in missiles and flames over DC would be just as troubling to your average innocent American as aliens over NYC. This movie could have used a couple of reaction shots of people around the world in native garb tuning in around the world. You know, nomads in robes in a tent watching a pirate feed, Japanese school kids watching TV in class, tourists in Hollywood ignoring the costumed sidewalk heroes in favor of the drama unfolding on TV...

xp I don't give a flip about "spiritual," I boggle at any film critic or writer of repute finding "Man of Steel" anything but turgid and dumb.

Interesting that so many people like this for the politics or message, but no one seems to be talking at all about all the superhero stuff. And everyone seems to think the titular baddie is all but irrelevant. And that's a success?

Well, I mentioned upthread that 'they really made Cap insanely-but-convincingly athletic and capable' and I do think this movie does a great job of showing how superheroes MOVE more than any other movie of its kind. In the opening sequence especially, Cap and Black Widow's movements are really fluid - they seem utterly in command of the situation and their abilities, and they have a weight to them which shows up the horrible ragdoll Spider-Man swinging sequences from his movies, for example.

The titular baddie is the emotional core of the movie. How is that irrelevant?

I've already forgotten a lot of Thor 2, but I do remember having fun with it. Same with the first Cap'n America, which I've forgotten even more of. Apparently contrary to my instincts, I am the only one who forgot all about Bucky from the first one, but I do find it funny that this movie, Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 all found it important to again and again remind of "the events of New York" - you know, the giant billion dollar blockbuster that everyone saw and liked - but just sort of drops in the Bucky drama as if Cap'n 1 came out last week and I've been on the edge of my seat wondering how Cap'n is faring.

Well, the events of New York only took place a couple of years ago, tops, in the movie universe, and they directly involved Iron Man and Thor, which is why they were mentioned in those characters' movies. Why would Thor or Iron Man make reference to Captain America's WWII partner, who as far as anyone knew died 70 years ago in events only Captain America was actually involved in? To Cap's mind, though, the death of his best friend was only a few years ago - of course it's still going to be a big deal to him and the sequel to his first solo movie is the only logical place to go in-depth about it. Would Avengers have benefited frokm stopping for five minutes so Cap could discuss his anguish with Bruce Banner?

And they don't 'just drop it in' - there's a flashback to Bucky's death, his importance to the war effort is explained in a museum exhibit at the Smithsonian and there's another flashback where we see that Cap and Bucky were lifelong friends even before they joined the army. I genuinely don't understand your problem with this part of the movie. What else could they have done which would have satisfied you?

Also, and this is unrelated to this movie being good and bad, certainly three giant extra-terrestrial styled death star helicarriers crashing in missiles and flames over DC would be just as troubling to your average innocent American as aliens over NYC. This movie could have used a couple of reaction shots of people around the world in native garb tuning in around the world. You know, nomads in robes in a tent watching a pirate feed, Japanese school kids watching TV in class, tourists in Hollywood ignoring the costumed sidewalk heroes in favor of the drama unfolding on TV...

Yes, this movie would really have benefited from interrupting the climactic action scene, which was already split between three characters' parallel activities, with cutaways to characters we've never seen before looking shocked or whatever.

I actually thought the way they handled the destruction in the final scene was really clever. Man of Steel was rightly excoriated for a final battle which destroyed Metropolis and must have killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. Here, the damage is done away from the city centre, over a river, and although many people must have died when the helicarriers went down they were either a) boo hiss Hydra baddies or b) plucky SHIELD agents who knew what they were signing up for. And in terms of impact on public opinion, I think the destruction of three helicarriers, the design of which the public are already familiar with because similar models are standard-issue SHIELD vehicles, would pale somewhat in comparison to the shock of an actual honest-to-goodness invasion of space bastards, complete with giant armoured worms, via a fucking wormhole to distant space in the skies over NYC.

I'd like to see some references in Avengers 2 to disaster fatigue in middle America and/or actual cases of PTSD in people living in NYC, DC and London.

Save it for the Damage Control movie imo.

I haven't seen any of the home-video shorts, but Damage Control would be perfect for a little straight to video two-reeler.

This movie could have used a couple of reaction shots of people around the world in native garb tuning in around the world. You know, nomads in robes in a tent watching a pirate feed, Japanese school kids watching TV in class, tourists in Hollywood ignoring the costumed sidewalk heroes in favor of the drama unfolding on TV...

jfc dude

you talk shit about roland emmerich and then post a bunch of notes that essentially make you roland emmerich's ideal producer in the 90s

Yeah, I gotta say, that would be right out of the Sharknado playbook.

Captain America: Independence Day

Yes, this movie would really have benefited from interrupting the climactic action scene, which was already split between three characters' parallel activities, with cutaways to characters we've never seen before looking shocked or whatever.

This was a joke, dummies. It's my favorite lame blockbuster cliche. Actually, it's the worst in "The Truman Show," of all films, where "the whole world is watching" is represented by, like, five or six random groups of people.

Anyway, I'm truly not worked up about the Bucky stuff. I just thought it was equally hoary for Cap'n to go to a museum exhibit and bask in the back exposition. Better reveal would be that Redford was the Red Skull or something.

In the comics, are people really familiar with the helicarriers? Like, are they flying around and stuff with people cheering "yeah SHIELD!" I honestly have no recollection. I just figured all that stuff was super top secret and/or invisible.

In the comics, are people really familiar with the helicarriers?

yes

This was a joke, dummies

considering how nonsensical your other objections to this movie have been you'll have to forgive us

Well, you can disagree, but I don't think they're nonsense. Glad you liked the movie so much, though!

BTW, I saw some weird backpedalling - or obfuscation - on the part of Marvel that the Stephen Strange mention means there's a movie/character introduction coming. It might be just a little in-joke. Otherwise, I wonder how they'll fit him/it in. What's next on the slate? Just "Avengers" and "Guardians" right now, or are they formally/officially moving forward on other Marvel movies right now?

ant-man

Ant-Man: July 15, 2015
Cap 3: May 6, 2016
Five Netflix miniseries

They've got a road map for future movies up to 2028, apparently. Hoping there's a Willie Lumpkin vs Paste-Pot Pete film in there somewhere.

Been thinking of making this thread for a while, finally pulled the trigger: Rolling Marvel Cinematic Universe thread (+ a poll: Classic or Dud?)

bizarro gazzara long post OTM

BTW, I saw some weird backpedalling - or obfuscation - on the part of Marvel that the Stephen Strange mention means there's a movie/character introduction coming...

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, April 6, 2014

what backpedaling? they name-checked him. that's it!

Kevin Feige:

"Well, 'we' know what it means and where we want to head with it, but we were comfortable with keeping it in there and leaving it in there because there are a few different ways to interpret it. The whole thing, what Sitwell's saying is, this algorithm is going to predict if you're going to become a problem for Hydra or not. So you don't have to just be Tony Stark, actively plotting to save the world. You could be a kid whose SAT scores and whose essays have indicated that you're going to be a problem one day. So is Stephen Strange the Sorcerer Supreme? Probably not at that point. Is he an unbelievably talented neurosurgeon who's opinionated and kind of arrogant? Probably. That might put him on the list."

Kevin Feige:

right. we name-checked him. that's it

I enjoyed this but it seemed, I don't know, too wedded to the whole idea of the box ticking mythology. I mean, did anyone actually spot ghat Toby Jones played Arnim Zola in the first film? And he felt kind of superfluous in this, the whole HYDRA infiltration could have happened without needing him in it at all. Ditto the Falcon, who seemed to be there primarily for the 'throw the bad guy off the roof' joke but mainly because the comics say he's Cap's mate when he's hiding/undercover.

Obviously I knew from the title about Bucky, so watching from that POV they really trowelled on the hints before the reveal.

It felt to me like the Falcon was there because Captain America can be a pretty dull character who benefits from a strong supporting cast in order to round him out a bit. Cap's an old soldier, who mentions that all his WWII buddies are dead, so it makes a certain amount of sense to have a modern soldier for him to relate to, bond with and cast a different light on his experiences.

From a purely plot-related perspective, the film calls for Cap to be out in the cold with no-one to trust, so having a new friend for him to rely on who isn't involved in SHIELD makes sense too, and the Falcon is a logical choice - especially since Marvel movies have been rightly criticised for featuring a lot of white guys in leading roles.

And yeah, I remembered Toby Jones as Zola from the first film. He spent a lot of time with the Red Skull. Between you and Josh in Chicago, I'm starting to feel like I was the only one paying attention during the first movie. They didn't strictly need him in there, I guess, but they did need someone to explain the HYDRA infiltration and using Zola provided another link to the first movie (which I guess could be a challenge considering they're set 70 years apart and share few characters) and also allowed them to provide a wink and a nod to comics fans by making him stuck inside a TV screen like the Zola of the comics. Plus, it gave us the '200,000 feet of magnetic tape!' joke which I lolled at.