Topic: The Movie Thread

@zupertramp ahh so you want my life then? Haha just kidding, one day I'll grow up and get a real job.... One day.... Maybe

Well I finally watched Wonder Woman 2017 this morning.

... Yeah this was pretty average (and a bit derivative of some of the marvel movies) which was rather disappointing 😧

The fish out of water aspects reminded me of the first Thor film (... And I honestly thought Hemsworth was funnier/had funnier dialogue) whilst the whole world war with a group of ragtag misfits was basically just Captain America: The First Avenger but a bit more fleshed out.

The whole finale was a bit silly and cheesey as well with Diana suddenly realising what Steve had said whilst deafened and the whole thing about humans being flawed felt really rushed.

I'm not sure how it would've worked out without it but I think Ares being real was a bit of a copout with the film and previously mentioned lesson for Diana who has this incredibly childlike niavety about humans til the last 15 minutes of the film

It wasn't outright bad like the DCU films before it but it really wasn't groundbreaking or that interesting sadly.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Yeah, I think the movie benefitted from being compared to the other DC movies at the time and so got a little bump in opinion by overachieving the previous standard. I think many fans were happy to have at least a mediocre film. Personally I found enjoyment in almost all the DCU movies, and felt they were all watchable, except for Birds of Prey. Also Green Lantern was a dud, as I recall.
Are you impressed enough to give WW’84 a spin?

@Th3solution

As I’ve mentioned on here previously, I am not a fan of the DC films since Nolan left the Batman franchise (although I love The Joker)... and I do agree that Wonder Woman (the original) did get over appreciated on its release. Whether that was down to the other DC movies being poor, it being the first major Super-hero(ine) movie released or a bit of both... it was definitely treated kindly by the critics and audience alike.

I do think Gal Gadot (and Patty Jenkins) did imbue the character with a solid foundation though. She definitely seemed to ‘fit’ with a Comic Book reader’s understanding of how Wonder Woman could be satisfactorily portrayed on screen... as opposed to Cavill and Afflecks Supes and Bats respectively. The film wasn’t great, particularly the final third but they definitely got something right... something that they appear to have lost sight of for its sequel if the various reviews which I have read are to be believed.

...I dunno. Maybe @Th3solution? 😅

I gotta be honest I still don't think much of Gal Gadot as Diana. Her performance was better (I think?) then in BvS but...

Maybe it's something to do with her dialogue or character but I don't really get much from it. Doesn't help WW as whole isn't that interesting of a character to me really.

The whole she's a demi god malarky kinda gives her a overpowered feeling which is one of my main complaints about Superman (Whom I just cannot get invested in no matter what.)

It probably doesn't help that I am a bit more of a marvel girl... The DC characters aside from Bats have never quite interested me as much.

@Th3solution Come for the silly avatars, stay for the insight. They should put that on the homepage!

In all seriousness, it's the same reason I ended up sticking around, as well. I'm always nervous that I'm pushing my luck with some walls of text sometimes, but it's gratifying to know that they're well received by at least some... especially the savvy and intuitive folks like your good self.

@Ralizah Thanks; glad to know it wasn't all in my head, and that Hollywood has been working out a bit of a grudge these past four years! The concepts of power and influence have really been called into question of late; I can't blame anybody who stands in front of adoring crowds believing that their words would carry weight, but only because the pressures of fame are so intense, and all human beings are so... well, so human. Which explains the divergent reactions such things foster. If only reality could be a little more movie-like; then perhaps those who live in them might make a little more sense.

***

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Very fair thoughts on Wonder Woman there. I first viewed it from within the bubble of being a DC fanboy but, having since opened myself up to Marvel, I can see that it isn't the runaway success I once thought it was. I suspect that I still value it slightly higher than you do, and reckon Gal Gadot makes for a pretty great Wonder Woman (and a slightly-less-great-but-still-great Diana), but I can totally see where you're coming from. Am still sorry you didn't have a better time with it, but only because it's generally more enjoyable to like whatever you're watching!

I don’t mind Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman but probably only because I can’t recall anybody else in the part. I don’t really have anything to rate her performance against.

@nessisonett That's fair. I guess I'd just say I'm of the opinion she could be a little more Xena and a little less super model being that she's an Amazonian warrior princess and all.

Obviously casting has gotta be a pain because you know you're never gonna please everyone but idk, feel like they didn't even try on this one. Just went with slightly exotic hot chick.

@zupertramp I mean, she does like to go on about her time in the IDF so it’s not like her career is solely about sitting around looking pretty. I’m not going to get into the irony of casting an actress who openly supports the invasion of Gaza in a part where ‘war and cruelty was inside humans all along’ but there we go 😂😂

@colonelkilgore The casting of Gadot as WW was perfect. She just fits the character like a glove, and, honestly, that can go a LONG way on its own.

@nessisonett Never watched the 70s TV show with Lynda Carter? The theme song was quite funky.

@RogerRoger Regarding celebrities specifically, I think a lot of them are having trouble adjusting to the fact that their status as entertainment superstars doesn't necessarily give people a reason to listen to their opinions on topics outside of their specialty. And, you know, it's hard to blame them: having people treat you like royalty for years probably gives you an inflated ego, and learning that your endorsement or opinions aren't enough to move the dial on cultural or political issues can be tough, I guess.

I've joked before that Trump is the only villain the MCU heroes were never able to successfully vanquish.

This has only been exacerbated by the increasing tribalization of our society and a growing resentment of Hollywood among the populace in general (which itself has only become worse after the #metoo movement ripped through that part of society and showed off the corruption and moral vacuity of a lot of people who used to be admired).

For my part, I've always admired Dolly Parton's attempts at staying 'above the fray,' in this regard.

More generally, the power of the entertainment superelite has been dramatically watered down by the prevalence of the internet, independent content creators, and the increased democratizing of news and entertainment media. When your voice isn't the only one in the room anymore, when the gatekeepers find that the gate has vanished, it'll lead to some pretty dramatic shake-ups in terms of cultural power and influence.

@Ralizah I’ve seen Lynda Carter in the outfit and stuff but never actually sat down and watched the show. It was pretty cool that she turned up as the President in Supergirl though!

@Ralizah Well said regarding celebrity involvement in politics. I’m not opposed to people and entities (like the NBA and BLM) using their influence and platform, but I’ve never thought they should come across as experts or stoop to the level that the politicians do to get into the mudslinging. That’s pretty cool about Dolly Parton (and a simultaneous dig at Taylor Swift it sounds like) and her attempts to portray her opinions through her art rather than throwing rallys.
I do wonder if Mark Ruffalo is going to make good on the promise he was volunteered for though 😂.

@Th3solution What annoyed me about the movie stars encouraging people to vote is that it clearly wasn’t a drive to vote, it was a drive to vote Biden. Like it’s hardly the most controversial stance during that election to support him, just come out and be honest about what you’re doing!

@nessisonett Yeah, I hadn’t seen that clip before, so obviously I wasn’t influenced by it before Election Day, but it seems a not-so-thinly-veiled attempt to tell people who to vote for. After the 2016 election there was a huge outpouring of Hollywood celebrities coming out in open disdain for Trump. I guess this time around they decided to get a head start before it was already too late. Personally, I don’t think the Hollywood celebrity influence tipped the scale this time, but maybe it did.

@Th3solution I think the Ruffalo nude scene was tethered to a Clinton presidency.

No matter. If they want to earn my vote, they can give me a Chris Evans nude scene. Full monty. I won't settle for anything less. After all...

On a more serious note, I don't mind if entertainers who have something insightful to add to the political conversation speak their mind. Just like anyone else who has something worthwhile to hear. But your random airheaded celebrity crying about Donald Trump is not something we need more of, IMO, and even in times like these, I do think there is a greater good served by people who solely use their cultural clout to help bring people together and do good in the world without joining the football game, so to speak.

Which isn't to say that someone like Parton ignores society as it is. She has a long history of charitable giving, actually helped to fund the development of the Moderna vaccine, has spoken out in support of LGBT right, Black Lives Matter, and so on, and still manages to be one of the few public celebrities that can't be assigned a political faction.

@nessisonett

Yeah, there's always an unspoken "vote for us" in these big media voting awareness drives. With that said, just increasing turnout also benefits them, because Democrats benefit tremendously more from increased voter turnout due to the higher number of non-voting blocs in their coalition (whereas Republicans almost always turn out to be vote - especially if they're old white people, gun owners, anti-abortion activists, etc.).

Also, the Republicans have kind of turned themselves into the de facto anti-democracy party with their constant efforts to disenfranchise minorities and make voting harder in urban areas (which typically go blue).

One thing I will say about Donald Trump is that he's doing an amazing job of increasing turnout everywhere. 2020 saw higher voter participation rates among the eligible than any year since 1900. It's even carrying over to the runoff election in Georgia that's going to happen soon, as the early voting total is breaking records there.

@Ralizah If you want a Chris Evans nude scene, just follow him on social media, maybe he’ll slip up again and accidentally show Cap’s sword as well as his shield 😂

"again?"

What have I missed? Did he tweet compromising photos of himself by mistake or something?

checks

OMG he actually did!

@Ralizah Definitely one of the more embarrassing stories to come out of 2020!!

I've been watching the dirty Harry movies lately and they are so good. I think Magnum Force is my favourite but Sudden Impact was really good too, it was kind of a Dirty Harry movie but not a Dirty Harry movie at the same time.

@ralphdibny I've never seen any of those. They've never come off as my kind of thing. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only films I've ever seen with Clint Eastwood are Mystic River* and Million Dollar Baby. Both fantastic imo.
The Dirty Harry movies are the "Go ahead make my day" movies right? Or something like that.

Hmm and I figure since I'm here and in the throes of insomnia anyway, might as well share my opinion that I'm totally down with celebs speaking their minds about whatever. Sometimes what they have to say is disappointing or just plain dumb but hey, if I had a platform would I use it? Probably. I'm way too opinionated to keep my mouth shut most of the time and it'd probably be even worse if I were surrounded by adoring fans and yes men.

Besides, I find I can usually ignore a public figure's personal views when I don't agree and when I do agree it helps make them even more appealing.

*I guess Clint Eastwood's not actually in this, only the director. But this is your brain on far too many sleepless nights.