R.I.P. Sir Roger Moore, Dead At 89

For the first time ever in the history of the official James Bond film series, all actors to have portrayed James Bond are not alive.  Although he was the third actor to portray the British super-spy, he was the oldest of all the actors.  He had three years on the original star of the series, Sean Connery.  So the odds were best that Moore would be the first to go, but you really can never be sure of these things and the timing, obviously, was a mystery to all of when this day would come.

Moore, who was my second least favorite incarnation of the character and that is only because George Lazenby quit the role after one movie so it is hard to get a really good gauge of what kind of Bond he could have become had he been given a few more films to flesh out the character, starred in his first Bond movie in 1973 with Live and Let Die.  He would end up being Bond for the most official films, with a grand total of seven.  He vacated the role after 1985’s A View to a Kill.

Moore’s take on the role was a much lighter tone than Connery, with many of his films becoming slapstick takes on the role, which would be lambasted by Connery fans and younger viewers who grew up on Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig as being campy.  I would probably be considered a part of that group and find many of Moore’s 007 movies hard to get through at times.

Since a Bond actor has never passed before I’m not sure what sort of tribute I will do, but it will likely be watching one of his Bond movies tonight after the family goes to bed.  The obvious choice is The Spy Who Loved Me, which is his best film in the series, but I might try to mix it up with Live and Let Die or Octopussy.

Anyway, this is a rambling way to say that it is a sad day to be a Bond fan.  I’m not on the verge of tears or needing to abandon all responsibilities for the day like some people are claiming on message boards across the world, but I will try to find some time to pay tribute to a man who was truly a tremendous ambassador to the Bond franchise and helped carry the torch for a fictional character I love.

Another Season, Another Marvel Movie To Rank

With the release of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 a couple of weeks ago, I have considered its inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe pantheon and with a small change to the  middle of my rankings since the premiere of Doctor Strange late last year I have come up with a new ranking of the Marvel movies.  Compared with lists across the Internet, the only real shocker for my list is my disregard for the team-up Avenger films.  I am not as high on the Joss Whedon-directed movies as most.

It will be clear that my love of the Guardians sequel likely stems from the unbridled joy I get from multiple viewings of its predecessor.  I could even tell on a second screening of the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel that its faults were a little more blatant and unforgiving than first realized.  However, even with all its burdens, and the heavy-handed messages about "family" that gives the viewer a feeling they are in the midst of one of the too-many Fast and Furious movies, it is still a thrilling, laugh-out-loud entry in the MCU worthy of a generous place on the overall rankings.

Without further ado, here is my updated list of the MCU films:

15. Iron Man 2

14. Thor: The Dark World

13. Captain America: The First Avenger

12. The Avengers

11. The Incredible Hulk

10. Iron Man 3

9. Avengers: Age of Ultron

8. Thor

7. Ant-man

6. Doctor Strange

5. Captain America: Civil War

4. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

3. Iron Man

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 8

I don't really have a ton of things to say about this episode.  I've finally come to a point that I am comfortable with everything they are throwing at me.  Overall, the series was very solid, horrifying at times, and constantly made you question what you were viewing.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, like 95% of television series these days.  Lucky for us a second season has already been approved.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 7

"Is she, I want to say, Chinese?"

Even though it makes zero sense in the context of reality and/or television conventions, the silent movie treatment works for this show.

Revisionist History Of 'Return Of The Jedi'

While recently listening to a podcast debating the merits that episode one of the Star Wars saga, The Phantom Menace, is better than Return of the Jedi, the sixth episode, a repeated argument between those debating the topic was that similar to many of the childish jokes and immature characters like Jar Jar Binks found in The Phantom Menace, the Ewoks of Return of the Jedi were created for children.  The only problem with this "argument" is that it isn't true.  Although the introduction of the Ewoks might have certainly been beneficial from a financial standpoint as it would sell a lot of toys to child viewers, that certainly wasn't the reason for their inclusion.  Instead it is a different financial reason.

In reality, the moon of Endor, where the Ewoks were found to be inhabiting, was supposed to be the home of Wookies, which is the same species of alien as Chewbacca.  The only problem was there weren't enough actors to have a clan of Wookies join the third act battle and the costumes would cost too much to create.  Instead, George Lucas changed the Wookies to Ewoks, resulting in numerous dwarves being used and little costumes being much less expensive to make.

So in reality, George Lucas' wasn't yet the hack director who turned a beloved space opera franchise into a child's Saturday morning cartoon political soap opera.  He was still just a writer making things up as he went along, who was limited by technology and budgets because he didn't yet have a computer smart enough to build all the characters for him.

Don't blame the Ewoks on children.  It isn't their fault.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 6

Nina Simone + Aubrey Plaza = Winning

Kudos to the production team and behind-the-scenes crew/interns for the detailed work.  Having to destroy, clean, again destroy, again clean, and then repeat another six or seven times a scene in David's apartment kitchen from the past for a two-second clip in a single episode is the work of the unsung heroes.

Are we ever going to address the man living in the willow tree at the psychiatric hospital?

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 5

It took more than half the season, but I finally feel comfortable in this world.  Things that a single episode before would have resulted in needing to either watch again or it would have resulted in me sitting with my mouth open as unexplainable things passed over my dumb head, now I finally feel like I am starting to get a firm grasp.

There's a moment in this episode that feel like Wes Anderson directed.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 4

Just when you think you are starting to get a firm grasp of this show, they start with a wicked curveball that completely throws you off again.

"See, memory is an illusion."  Great line.

Beat poetry?  Where else but FX?

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 3

This episode would be what happens if Stephen King's It monster and Christopher Nolan's dream team from Inception had a child that eventually became a member of the X-men.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2

Welcome to the second of eight posts that will deal with the FX program Legion.  This will be short and sweet.

The audience is, I believe, supposed to be as much in the dark about the goings on of this show as David is.  It seems the creators of the show are putting the viewer in David's shoes in that we are learning the potential of David's powers, what is reality and what is inside his head, and who David really is at the same time David is doing so.

I dig it.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 1

While I'm nearly three months late and I don't have a Twitter account, I feel the FX television show Legion deserves a bit of a review, and it needs to be done on an episode-by-episode basis.  So this is my live tweeting version of watching Legion that is neither live nor in tweets.

First off, this show is weird.  And I don't mean weird like with Fargo, another FX series, that characters are quirky and oddball events happen in a 60-minute period.  When I say it is weird, I mean it doesn't completely make sense after a single episode.  But it is also filmed in a weird style.  The pacing and editing is extremely confusing (purposefully so).  Although I've never watched Mr. Robot, I feel like Legion is similar in that it makes you question every second of what you are viewing as to whether it is the main character's imagination or the show's reality.

However, that doesn't mean I don't like it.  Anything that starts with music from the Who and later includes the Rolling Stones is going to be enjoyed. 

I look forward to the remaining seven episodes and will try to have some reflecting thoughts following each episode for these (not) live (not) tweeting posts.

R.I.P. Robert Osborne

A long-time houseguest of mine passed away today.  Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne died at the age of 84.

Osborne started his Hollywood career as an actor, but quickly made the transition to writing.  He penned a reference book about the Academy Awards and had a column in The Hollywood Reporter for more than 25 years.  He eventually made the move to television, where he started on The Movie Channel, but when TCM began broadcasting in 1994, Osborne was there to introduce the network's very first film, Gone with the Wind.

In regard to Osborne's career on TCM, Screencrush writer Matt Singer says it best:

"Though Osborne wielded an expert's knowledge of film history, he never came off as an elitist snob.  He never made viewers feel inferior just because they hadn't seen Dark Victory before; he was always excited that they were ready to watch Dark Victory now.  He made old movies accessible, setting an inclusive tone and striking an inspiring example."

Several of my friends know, even if I'm not going to watch television, I turn the TV on and set it to TCM simply to give the network ratings.  It is because of that odd sense of loyalty that Osborne could be heard throughout my house nightly.  It is a disappointing day for film lovers.

Happy 49th Birthday Daniel Craig

Now somebody make a decision regarding the lead actor for 007.  I'm tired of waiting.

Last Night's Oscar Blunder Kills A Hollywood Rumor

It has long been speculated, but not really believed, that when Marisa Tomei won her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for My Cousin Vinny in 1993 it was a mistake and she was in reality not the true winner.  The story goes something like this.

Jack Palance, being old, senile, and a bit of a wildcard, either couldn't read the name on the card he pulled from the envelope or he was a bit too drunk from the evening's festivities and simply selected the last name from the teleprompter, which happened to be Tomei.  She was a young actress who had starred in a comedy film from a year before and the other four nominees were more respected and had been a part of more Academy-friendly films (otherwise known as Oscar bait movies) that were fresh on the minds of voters.

While most in the film industry have accepted that Tomei was the true winner, many media outlets have continued the legend of her false victory.  I think it is safe to say that after last night's debacle of an ending with La La Land being named Best Picture when Moonlight was the real winner, Tomei's Oscar is legitimate.  The reason I believe this to be true is because the same accounting firm that was responsible for Tomei's award being given, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), was also behind the awkwardness of last night's Academy Awards finale.  PwC has been the official accounting firm of the Academy Awards since the 1930s and they have representatives at the awards show to ensure that no mistakes are made, which was finally seen to be true during the broadcast last night.

When the wrong movie was awarded, the PwC reps stepped in during the acceptance speeches to correct the mistake.  There is no reason to believe the same thing wouldn't have happened in 1993 with Tomei on stage holding a statue that belonged to another.  Hopefully last night's events will put to sleep once and for all the Tomei myth.

Don't Let The 'La La Land' Hype Ruin Any Expectations

Last weekend I saw La La Land for the first time and after hearing nothing but glowing praise (to say the least) I was expecting the greatest musical since Singing in the Rain.  While it was a very well-crafted piece of work, I wasn't as in love with it as I thought I would be.

Well, after reflecting on it for about a week I can safely say that I let expectations influence my overall enjoyment of the film.  I didn't think this movie would resonate with me like it has.  There's always a couple of movie a year that I cannot stop thinking about for days afterward.  It happened with the cinematography of The Revenant last year and the editing of Birdman two years ago.  I really didn't expect that kind of thing with La La Land, but I've been humming the soundtrack for days, considering the massive achievement in choreography it took to execute the opening dance number on a Los Angeles freeway, and pondering all the references to previous movie musicals and classic films director Damien Chazelle was able to fit into two hours while making something of his own.

My initial response to La La Land was that I really liked it, but didn't love it.  Yet, in the past week that reaction has incrementally increased from great appreciation to sincere pleasure.  La La Land is not only a technical marvel but an honest-to-goodness likable hit.  I regret letting assumptions of what I thought it was going to be like influence my ultimate enjoyment of the film.

Coen Brothers' Full Filmography Ranked

There are a handful of filmmakers out there that I have seen everything they've ever directed/written/shot/whatever.  Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick come to mind quickly.  I lack having watched Charlie Wilson's War to complete the writing credits of Aaron Sorkin.

Another entity of filmmakers I've had the pleasure of enjoying all of their work is Joel and Ethan Coen.  Together they've written and directed 17 feature films, of which I've now been able to decide which is my favorite and which is so much not so that it hurts to even include with the best of their work.  With no further ado, here is the full filmography of the Coen brothers ranked from worst to best.

17. Intolerable Cruelty

16. The Ladykillers

15. A Serious Man

14. The Man Who Wasn't There

13. Burn After Reading

12. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

11. Hail, Caeser!

10. Barton Fink

9. Inside Llewyn Davis

8. True Grit

7. The Hudsucker Proxy

6. Blood Simple

5. The Big Lebowski

4. Miller's Crossing

3. No Country for Old Men

2. Raising Arizona

1. Fargo

First-Half Best Picture Nominee Rankings

After seeing four of the five Academy Award nominated best picture films this past Saturday, my ranking of them would be Manchester by the Sea first, Fences second, La La Land third, and Hell or High Water last.  However, that doesn't mean that Hell or High Water is a bad film.

The more I reflect on La La Land, the more I seem to like it.  It might overtake Fences at some point, but I'm not quite ready to move it to a higher ranking just yet. 

This coming Saturday will be the final five films.  Those are going to be Moonlight, Lion, Hacksaw Ridge, Arrival, and Hidden Figures.  We'll see where they fall in with the other four.

Hans Zimmer Love

At church on Sunday some friends and I got into a discussion regarding the film scores Hans Zimmer has produced.  That in turn led me to listening to the Interstellar soundtrack while at work today, which then led to pondering my favorite music from Zimmer.  Narrowing down to only five was hard enough, especially since after looking into all the soundtracks he has been a part of that I wasn't aware of, but having to put his numerous masterpieces in a ranked order is near impossible.  Therefore, I will be listing eight films total, three of which are honorable mentions and five are my favorites.  The honorable mentions could have gone longer, but you have to draw a line somewhere.  The below list of three and five are in order of their theatrical release date.

Honorable Mention:

The Lion King

Sherlock Holmes

Interstellar

Top Five:

Crimson Tide

The Rock

Gladiator

The Dark Knight

Inception

Anticipation Grows

With the announcement yesterday of the Academy Award nominations, the countdown has officially begun for the AMC Best Picture Showcase.  This is an event I have attended more often than not in the past decade and has become a staple in my yearly happenings.  Tickets go on sale this Friday and I am looking forward to the schedule in order to see what movies are grouped together on which days, as it is a two-day event.

Some years, especially when there were only five nominees allowed, the field wasn't quite as enticing as others, but during the past few events the majority of the movies shown have been on my must-see list at one time or another.  And this year is no different.

A friend of mine who has recently started joining Joanna and I at the showcase is going to miss a film or two on one of the Saturdays due to being double-booked.  It got me to wondering what my ranking of the films is based on my anticipation.  This will no doubt end up not being the list of my favorite to least favorite of the movies as there are always surprises, both good and bad, each year.

If I had to classify the Oscar nominees in the Best Picture category in order of the most enthusiastic I am about seeing, it would probably be the following:

La La Land

Arrival

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

Moonlight

Fences

Manchester by the Sea

Hacksaw Ridge

Lion

My only disappointment is that Sully was not included in the category as I missed it in theaters.  It seems a little unconventional that as a guy I would put a musical at the top of my must-see list and the war movie near the bottom, but I love Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and I've heard nothing but great things about La La Land.

We'll see how things end up with the nine movies being ranked in order of favorite to least liked, but I can guarantee it won't look like the above.

Marvel & DC: A Decade Reflection

When provided two titans of merchandising, the masses usually force us to pick a side, whether that’s Coke or Pepsi (I’m a Dr. Pepper man myself), Miracle Whip or mayonnaise (whatever), or Ford or Chevy (the Japanese know what’s up).  Rivalries are even found in the brand of comic books you read.  Diehards refuse to be admirers of both Marvel and DC.

That gap of opposition has become a cavern since Marvel hit the ground running in 2008 with its cinematic universe.  The merits of Marvel versus DC in the mediums of comic book and film/television aren’t what I really want to focus on today.  Both have their pros and cons.  Instead, what I want to reflect on is how much has changed in the past decade.

I don’t think anyone could argue with the success Marvel has had with their cinematic universe.  Even DC fans have to concede that the box office numbers and critical acceptance of Marvel’s films in the past decade have been better than anyone could have expected.  And now DC is dipping their toes in a similar pool with an extended universe that includes its cast of characters Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.  But those toes are finding that the waters are more tepid than Marvel’s oasis.

This time 10 years ago, the only valuable character DC had at the box office was Batman after Christopher Nolan rebooted the character in 2005 with Batman Begins.  Although Nolan’s Batman was all DC really had going for itself at the time, it was the beginning of a cultural phenomenon in regard to what a comic book movie could be.  A semi-reboot/sequel to Richard Donner’s Superman series had been attempted with Superman Returns, oddly enough directed by Bryan Singer who had huge success with Marvel’s X-men franchise, but audience reaction wasn’t quite what Warner Bros. had hoped for and the series died again, only to be completely overhauled in 2013.

In the mid-2000s, Marvel had more properties in theaters than DC, yet, they were mostly under different production companies.  Spider-man was with Sony and the X-men and Fantastic Four were controlled by Fox.  Despite previous success with X-Men, X2, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2, Marvel would soon realize that quantity is not the same as quality.  Some of the box office flops and/or critical bombs included Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, X-Men: The Last Stand, Ghost Rider, and Spider-Man 3.

So at the beginning of 2007, DC is feeling really good with Nolan’s follow-up film The Dark Knight a year away and Marvel is working on an experiment to make numerous films with multiple comic book characters in order to have crossover events that resemble the comic book universe.  This is a huge gamble for Marvel and could be financial suicide.

So what happens in the following 10 years?  Well, Marvel’s gamble pays off and DC decides to implement the highest form of flattery by imitating what Marvel did.  And after last night’s viewing of Suicide Squad, it is my opinion that they are doing a poor job of it.  Even Marvel has had some disappointing movies in its series of 14 films, but for the most part they have done a great job of providing superior entertainment and bringing to life the characters who have lived mostly in hand-drawn pages for so long.  DC is taking a different approach with its properties and not having the same kind of early success that Marvel did.

My issues with Suicide Squad were that the plot is convoluted, the pacing erratic (which one explanation is that, like with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, there was a much longer story told and after heavy editing it discredited the film more than it helped), Will Smith plays the same character Will Smith plays in all Will Smith movies, Jared Leto’s incarnation of the Joker isn’t as menacing as Heath Ledger’s turn in the Nolan trilogy (despite trying desperately to be more terrifying but ending up in the realm of silliness that even Cesar Romero’s role in the Batman television series didn’t quite produce), the villain’s motivation and scheme are nonsensical, and all the best/funniest parts of the movie are in the plethora of trailers.  The only real high point is Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn (but I could be a little bias).

If you were to go back 10 years and forecast the potential of DC and Marvel-based movies for the future, it would have seemed that DC would be the company on the rise and Marvel having to scramble to catch up.  Yet, DC has only had three official films in its extended universe, and all three have been met with critical and fan backlash.  The average Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores for the DC films have been 36 and 46.3, respectively.  The averages for Marvel are 81.6 and 66.3, respectively.

DC still has time to right the ship with Wonder Woman coming out this summer and Justice League in the fall, but they are far behind Marvel, who is in the midst of Phase Three with solo films for new characters like Spider-man, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel between now and 2019 along with sequels to already established hits.

Who knows how things will look in another decade?  DC might overtake Marvel in storytelling and box office hits.  Or, what is still incredibly likely, the comic book movie phenomenon could be in an unstoppable pitfall due to oversaturation of the genre.  Only time will tell.