Avengers: Endgame – Part 1

Posted on April 30, 2019 by C966939529

I cried, I laughed, I lived and I died – Perfection

Over 10 years, and it all comes down to this…. I am so nerding out as I am sure every MCU fan is. But as promised this is a SPOILER FREE POST! #Part1

#Don’tSpoilTheEndgame

That of course is going to make it slightly difficult for me to contain my excitement. I will give some basic facts of the timeline (well some of it) and a couple of predictions.

So, lets get to it!

This is the climax, I mean they literally couldn’t have picked a better name for this film, and with every climax there is a worry. Is it going to work to match the imagination of the fan base? Is it going to answer our questions or is it going to be a let-down?

Never fear Marvel is here! As always, they have kept their crucial team of the Russo Brothers directing, the magic writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and of course produced by Kevin Feige. This core team to me is how they have kept the franchaise so perfect. In interviews they have always said they knew where it was going to end, and they have almost worked backwards. They admit they re-watched all the previous films because they wanted to have no cliff-hanger and give the characters and fans a definitive ending.

In an interview with Buzzfeed News they have admitted they are taking a break and closing this chapter on their careers.

“[We’re] taking a break,” Markus said. “[The MCU] is obviously about to have a huge injection of new blood. Launching a lot of new things. So it’s going to get interesting.”“But, you know, it’s the best working experience of our lives,” McFeely added. “So, if they call, we’d answer.” (Vary, 2019)

So into the nitty gritty! The film is set 22 days after the infamous snap, and then takes a time jump 5 years into the future…and that’s all I am going to say about the story! See told you – SPOILER FREE!

What I want to focus on is the imagery which is apparent throughout. At the end of Infinity War, we know that the focus is on getting to Thanos’ gauntlet on his left hand. I noticed on the Infinity War posters, you can see hands of the characters, especially because most of their powers are channelled through them.

Now looking at the posters for Endgame, its all about the faces. No hands. But in the film there is a massive focus on the hands. There are lots of close up shots of hands and a lot of the characters are wearing some form of gloves, as in a nod to the gauntlet that holds the worlds fate in its hand. (Not sorry for the pun.)

Even the difference in the colour pallet can be seen, the light and dark. This follows through the film and even through the entire franchise.

So now I have a theory on what is happening after Endgame.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is already in development and I can link it into Endgame. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – in the post credit scene we see the Sovereign leader showing off her new creation which she calls Adam. Already I am picking up the rebirth of the Universe vibes. So in Endgame we have Thanos in a place called “The Garden”….Marvel are literally setting up the freaking Garden of Eden! Even in Infinity War Thanos says he wants to create Paradise – “Going to bed hungry. Scrounging for scraps. Your planet was on the brink of collapse. I was the one who stopped that. You know what’s happened since then? The children born have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It’s a paradise.” (Russo, 2018)

Garden of Eden is literal Paradise! This cannot be a coincidence. But I guess we will have to wait till 2022 to find out.

So in closing to the end of this Phase of the MCU, as all the fans out there I want to say Thank you to the cast and crew for giving us the ending that we deserved. The story, character arcs, imagery was all perfect and I can’t wait to discuss it more once the Spoiler ban has passed. In a few weeks I will go into more detail of the story and what it means for the characters but for now #ThanosDemandsYourSilence.

#ThankYouAvengers

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, and Josh Brolin

Crew: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Writers)

Genre: Superhero

Rating: 12A

References

Russo, A. &. (Director). (2018). Avengers: Infinity War [Motion Picture].

Vary, A. B. (2019, April 19). How Captain Marvel, Valkyrie, Ant-Man, And Hawkeye Somehow Fit Into “Avengers: Endgame”. Retrieved from Buzzfeed News: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adambvary/avengers-endgame-screenwriters-captain-marvel-valkyrie

Avengers Infinity War 3D

Posted on May 1, 2018 by C966939529

“Marvel-lous Movie Magic”

I have been waiting for 10 years for this film as have all Marvel fans, and it does not disappoint!

This is part one of Infinity War which means lots of cliff-hangers, unknown character fates and so many possibilities in part two. They were filmed back to back for continuity and was wrapped in January 2018.

The last Marvel film was Black Panther from February and the last time the Avengers were together was 2 years ago in Captain America Civil War.

This story has been planned for 10 years and each character has gone through their character development over multiple films. This is why DC failed in their attempt as they ignored the individual characters. Maybe that is just my MCU love coming through!

I have one problem though – WHY IS BLACK WIDOW BLONDE!?!? There is no mention of this change of hair anywhere in the film! For 8 years since she was introduced in Iron Man 2, always been a red head. I want answers!!

OK rant over – So here it is guys:

SPOILER ALERT!

Even our bad guy Thanos’s background is developed which is a fantastic asset and makes him more relatable. He is humanised during his search for the Infinity Stones, especially for the mysterious Soul Stone, as he sacrifices his daughter Gamora.

In previous movies we have just accepted that Thanos wants the Infinity Stones in order to rule the world, as most bad guys do. This time Thanos explains that he is trying to save the world. He believes “Life needs correction” and instead of having everyone starve, kill half the population and then everyone lives a better life. He sees it as a necessary evil and that it takes a strong person to make that decision. Really hardcore! In a flashback we see how Thanos believes he is saving Gamora as a child and trying to distract her from the horrible genocide going on around her. I love the depth of Thanos and it really makes you think would you be able to make a decision like that?

We have seen these sort of decisions before, just to name a few:

Avengers Assemble – Iron Man flying through the wormhole
Civil War – Should Wanda’s powers be allowed?
Guardian’s of the Galaxy – They all handle the power stone to save the world, not just Quill.
Doctor Strange – Protecting the Time Stone, regardless of anything else.

Another theme I like following through the timeline is the Ironic role of Wanda’s powers. Scarlett Witch was given her powers after undergoing tests using the Mind stone with her brother. (RIP Pietro!) Her powers have been up for discussion numerous times, especially in Civil War when the Accords are draw up because of her. Ironically now she is the only person who can destroy an Infinity Stone, a decision (See trending theme!) she has to make sacrificing Vision, who possesses the Mind Stone to stop Thanos.

Now it comes down to the main discussion this film has brought about.

Who is Alive?!?! Who is Dead?!??

Just as in the world when Thanos clicks his fingers and kills off half of the population, we lose half of our Avengers! I expected to see some deaths but this many no way! I may have cried…no judgment! In my defense it is heartbreaking to see your favourite characters disappear into dust, damn you Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. As the screenwriters for part two as well, they have a lot to answer for!

SURVIVORS

VICTIMS

It isn’t just the Avengers we lose. In the Post credit scene we see Maria Hill and Nick Fury also succumb to the new world order. Before they do Fury, being Fury, makes one final call for help using an ancient pager displaying a blue and red signia.

This is the symbol of Captain Marvel! Oscar winner, Brie Larson signed up to the role which has its own movie currently being filmed and due for release in March 2019. We already knew that she was going to be featured in Avengers 4 and this is our confirmation! We are going through big changes as we head into Phase 4 and a lot of the current cast have fulfilled their contracts and won’t be coming back to the universe after Avengers 4 – We are going to be introduced to exciting new characters. As much as it is going to hurt to lose our fan favourites, I know as a fandom we are going to embrace the next chapter.

Before I finish as usual Marvel has given us some great one liners and I couldn’t resist sharing some of my favourites.

Favourite Quotes:

“I am Groot.” “I am Steve Rogers.”

“Oh, screw you, you big green asshole! I’ll do it myself!”

“What’s the matter with you, kids? You’ve never seen a spaceship before?”

“Dude, you’re embarrassing me in front of wizards.”

“ Kick names, take ass.”

“Groot: [in a mocking tone] I am Groot. Peter Quill: Whoa! Drax: Wow. Peter Quill: You got some acorns on you, kid. Rocket Raccoon: Ever since you got a little sap, you’re a total D-hole. Now, keep it up and I’m gonna smash that thing to pieces!”

“Rocket Raccoon: You speak Groot? Thor: They taught it on Asgard. It was an elective.”

Directors: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Pratt

Crew: Kevin Feige (Producer), Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Screenwriters), Alan Silvestri (Music)

Genre: American Superhero

Rating: 12A

A Quiet Place

Posted on April 10, 2018 by C966939529

Woohoo! It is one of my favourite genres for this week’s review: Supernatural Horror is back on a high note after Winchester missed the mark. (Sorry Dame Mirren!)

The first point I want to mention is the cast of A Quiet Place. There are only 6 actors in the entire film! It focuses on the Abbott family played by John Krasinski (Lee), Emily Blunt (Evelyn), Millicent Simmonds (Regan), and Noah Jupe (Marcus). The only other actors are Cade Woodward, who plays Beau and Leon Russom, who is the aptly named Man in the woods!

This film is clearly a metaphor for family and parenthood. The parents are faced with wanting to protect their children from all the bad in the world but still finding time for themselves. There is a very touching moment where they dance wearing headphones and this is something that you need as a parent – Balance. Krasinski stated “I was like a wide-open nerve…You have all these fears of keeping her safe—am I a good enough person to be her dad?” (Berman, 2018) I believe that as soon as you are handled that bundle of joy you are constantly focused on keeping them safe and being the best for them, and you will sacrifice anything to protect them.

You assume that it is easier for the cast to work on a film like this that has a limited speaking element throughout the film but, it is actually trickier as facial expressions need to express a lot more, especially with these strong familial routes and terror to portray. Not having any screaming was the worst part for me and I don’t want to make a sound in empathy with the characters on screen. There is something unnerving about seeing so much terror on someone face but unable to hear it.

The cast learnt American Sign Language for the film, although Millicent Simmonds is actually deaf herself. She helped to get over the expression in the signing. In an interview John Krasinski was talking about learning how to sign.

“Millie … pointed out that: my character is very shut off and just wants to survive, he’s lost the ability to know and love the beauty in the world. And [his] signing is very curt, it’s very small, it’s very immediate and direct….Emily’s character is all about, we can’t just survive, there has to be beauty in the world. …she’s very warm and she’s bigger and she’s more affectionate in her signing. And Millie’s character….very defiant, it’s very teenage defiant.” (Loughrey, 2018)

The use of silence is used in a lovely way throughout the film. The little details from leaving the crisps on the shop shelves because they are loud to eat, and completely muting the sound when Regan is on screen. Although we aren’t having a Point of View shot, we have a POV sound bite, or lack of. This was created by using “sound envelopes”. The sound editors, Ethan Van Der Ryn and Erik Aadahl, are used to loud pieces, doing the sound for film such as “Transformers”, “Godzilla” and “The Shallows”, but they were up for the challenge. (Murphy, 2018) These Sound Envelopes reflects what each character can hear such as the trees, the leaves and the breeze. This really brings the audience into the film. If you closed your eyes you could feel that you were there, in a similar way to guided imagery works.

The last point I wanted to make was about the Monsters. I think the best way I would describe them is a cross between Alien and a Giant Spider, which is terrifying enough for me, but the poor actors just had to use their imaginations. The monster was not properly designed until post-production. This creates yet another hurdle for the cast to conquer. I was really impressed to learn that the bathtub scene was done in one take! How?!?! I have no clue but fantastic work Mrs Blunt!

I really liked this film from the concept through to completion. The cast are fantastic and with horror as a genre doing well over the past few years, could Oscar nominations be insight? Definitely! This stands up to other films such as “Get Out” and “The Shape Of Water” (Tapley, 2018).

4/5

Works Cited

Berman, E. (2018, April 5). John Krasinski and Emily Blunt on A Quiet Place, Parenting and Their One True Movie Obsession. Retrieved from TIME : http://time.com/5228564/john-krasinski-emily-blunt-a-quiet-place/

Loughrey, C. (2018, April 5). John Krasinski interview: From The Office to horror sensation A Quiet Place – what inspired his surprising career. Retrieved from The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/a-quiet-place-horror-film-interview-john-krasinski-director-cast-inspirations-emily-blunt-a8291026.html

Murphy, M. (2018, April 5). Making the Sound of Silence in ‘A Quiet Place’. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/movies/a-quiet-place-john-krasinski-interview.html

Tapley, K. (2018, April 8). After Oscar Winners ‘Get Out’ and ‘The Shape of Water,’ Could ‘A Quiet Place’ Tickle the Academy’s Genre Fancy? Retrieved from Variety: http://variety.com/2018/film/in-contention/a-quiet-place-oscars-john-krasinski-the-academy-1202747069/

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe

Crew: Michael Bay (Producer), Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (Screenwriters)

Genre: Supernatural American Horror

Rating: 15

Hardcore Henry

Posted on April 26, 2016 by C966939529

“Hardcore Henry? More like Hardcore Stuntmen!”

Before I even start this review I want to give you a little bit of background about me. I am a bit of a gamer and that is what really grabbed my attention about this film as it is all shot by Point of View (POV). It is the first film to be filmed on GoPro cameras fitted to masks for the stuntmen to wear.

(Failes, 2016)

The entire concept has never been attempted before in is way. There have been films based on games like “Dead or Alive” (Metacritic, 2007) and “Resident Evil” (Williams, 2002)but none as immersive as Hardcore Henry.

Whenever I play a game I really get drawn into it. I grew up playing games like Resident Evil and Mario Kart and I am one of these people that move with the remote if my character needs to duck, I duck and lean right and left…it can be annoying if I am playing against someone but it works great for me!

The great thing about how this is filmed is that I can still do that, but by watching a film. For instance in one scene a table gets thrown at Henry aka you. I ducked down in my seat and so did the rest of the cinema. I can honestly say it is better than seeing a 3D film and should be done more often.

Lately a lot of films are being filmed in 3D for no reason. As you have already seen in my Batman V Superman blog there was no need to have that film in 3D because it did not add anything to the film at all. The POV shooting is almost like what I imagine Virtual Reality being in the future. I think this film is very aimed at gamers, but I wouldn’t recommend it to people who suffer with motion sickness!

From the very first scene it is very confusing and you are not sure what you are seeing. This is typically used as a starting point of a game, the character not knowing who they are or where they are. For instance in Half-Life 2, having not played the first Half-Life I didn’t know anything about the character or anything. I was just told my name is Mr Freeman and I was on a train, and this is used in a lot of games. The same as using a silent main character. The interesting thing about Hardcore Henry is that the main character is not played by an actor but instead 10 stuntmen with the cameras on their heads doing these amazing stunts and surprisingly they only had 5 injuries: 5 stitches and 1 chipped tooth. (Puchko, 2016)

As well as being filmed in a great way even the little nuances intensifies the experience. One thing I really took notice of was grenades. I admit I am not great when playing games especially Call of Duty, I am always getting blown up by grenades (bane of my gaming life!). I like when a grenade goes off near you the sound gets muted and muffled giving you the sensation of being deafened. This is something they also do in the film which brings back those memories of my childhood which I loved. Even the vibrations from the machine guns in the film bring the whole experience together.

Another aspect of the film that is used in games is screens. In Half-Life 2 characters are interacting through computer screens giving directions to help move the story along. In the film Estelle keeps reaching out to Henry through films.

The film has some very funny moments which we can all relate to such as untangling wires, but also brutal ones. It is beautifully violent and brings some of your greatest fears to life. One scene that got to me was when Henry is being fixed. It reminded me of stories when people have woken up during an operation and cannot move. It makes your skin crawl!

The best choreography scene in this film is the fight scene choreographed to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. (Mercury, 1978) The upbeat music with the violent fight scene. Fantastic! My favourite fight scene ever!

Speaking of choreography the scene where Henry slides down an escalator and knocks a woman violently to the ground wasn’t planned. An extra missed her mark and was standing in the wrong area, resulting in her being knocked over. After the take she reportedly popped up and asked if they’d gotten the shot. (IMDB) I love stories likes these as it shows that sometimes spontaneous things are the best.

Now is the time for *SPOILER ALERT*

I must admit I love the character of Jimmy, all versions of him (Frank Sinatra, Punk, Camo, and Soldier). The dance routine is amazing and just adds a little bit of fun into such a ferocious film. Even some of his lines such as “stop dicking around you’re almost there mate”, reminded me so much of Call of Duty because I constantly get lost in games and have to be reminded what I am meant to be doing lol. This is the *SPOILER ALERT* when Jimmy dies because it is so close in proximity because of the way it is shot it is so much more emotional and I may have shed a couple of tears….and I don’t cry in films!

As much as I loved the film there are a couple of things I have issues with in this film, there are a couple of continuity issues. In one scene during a fight there is blood spatter on the camera, which is a good effect but in the next shot it disappears. I am a sucker for continuity errors!

Another thing that I didn’t understand about the film was the character of Akan and his magical telekinetic powers. Where the hell did they come from? During my research I have discovered that there is a prequel comic called Hardcore Akan which is about his backstory, from his birth during the infamous Chernobyl disaster, to the discovery of his superpowers, to his ultimate rise as the head of Russia’s most sinister robotics company. (Ilya Naishuller, 2009) Apparently some cinemas were handing out the comic at the cinema, unfortunately my cinema was not one of them. It makes it difficult to understand it when these aspects are not included in the film. Even if there was a flashback which gave some indication to his background to explain it would have solved this issue.

Overall I was a big fan of this film, it was violent, it was funny, used interesting new ideas and concept. Considering this was the directors first film, I can’t wait to see what else he has to offer.

4 stars!

Works Cited

Failes, I. (2016, April 20). How Hardcore Henry’s POV shots were made. Retrieved from FX Guide: https://www.fxguide.com/featured/how-hardcore-henrys-pov-shots-were-made/

Ilya Naishuller, B. P. (2009). HARDCORE AKAN #1. Bliss on Tap Publishing.

IMDB. (n.d.). Hardcore Henry (2015). Retrieved from IMDB: http://gb.imdb.com/title/tt3072482/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2

Mercury, F. (1978). Don’t Stop Me Now [Recorded by Queen]. Berre-les-Alpes , Alpes-Maritimes, France.

Metacritic. (2007, June 15). DOA: Dead Of Alive . Retrieved from Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/movie/doa-dead-or-alive

Puchko, K. (2016, April 5). Spinoff Online. Retrieved from Sharlto Copley Reveals Shocking Secrets of ‘Hardcore Henry’s’ Insane Stunts: http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2016/04/05/sharlto-copley-reveals-shocking-secrets-of-hardcore-henrys-insane-stunts/

Williams, K. (2002, March 15). Resident Evil (2002). Retrieved from Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/resident_evil/

Director: Ilya Naishuller

Cast: Sharlto Copley, Tim Roth, Haley Bennett

Crew: Ilya Naishuller (screenwriter), Will Stewart (additional writing by)

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Rating: 18

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