tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post8607434332479359797..comments2024-03-27T09:00:32.195-05:00Comments on The Signal Watch: Marvel Watch: Captain America - Civil War (2016)The Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-1163326795410517832016-05-10T15:03:06.503-05:002016-05-10T15:03:06.503-05:00@Jared - I find it fascinating that you follow thi...@Jared - I find it fascinating that you follow this site and continually comment when you agree with nothing I have to say. Look, I try to have a big tent here at this site, which is kinda unusual since this is a personal blog and not a media outlet. I've met some terrific people entirely through the fact this site is public and I've been pretty loosey-goosey about allowing comments from whomever wants to say something. And I don't particularly care all that much if someone disagrees with me. I figure enough disagreements and they move along. In general, that's what's happened. Or I block comments when we've had the occasional troll. <br /><br />I'm old and tired. I feel I've done all the extending of olive branches and trying to find a place to split the difference and consider a different opinion that I'm required to do. I've provided ample room for middle ground and multiple perspectives. I could spend hours writing careful explanations defending my points, expound with evidence and and point of fact on something as trivial as superhero movies and their structure vis-a-vis traditional movie franchises from the mid-20th Century (see: James Bond). In the past, I might have. But I'm not going to. <br /><br />Spending that time or writing those responses will not change your mind. I've been doing this for over a decade and I've been online since the mid-90's (as an adult). I know how this goes. So, I'm exercising my right to manage my personal journal and the attached comments as I see fit. Moreover, to manage my personal time. <br /><br />You're welcome to read the site, obviously. But I'm not going to read or publish any more of your comments. You'll be happier in the end not spending time on me and what I think. <br /><br />I apologize that this is the route we're taking, because it's not fun for anyone. But I am sure you can take comfort knowing that I am a coward who was unable to stand before your razor sharp insights and or to defend against your steel-trap logic. That's cool. I'm fine with that. <br /><br />But I do this for fun and to have fun conversations, and - at this point - whatever is happening here is neither.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-24791248091556418322016-05-10T13:42:50.347-05:002016-05-10T13:42:50.347-05:00The Audience doesn't need to know anything mor...The Audience doesn't need to know anything more then what they were told. Thor also told us things that happened in the past that we don't see.Kuudere-Kunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06537085979461349854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-61959697552390424962016-05-09T23:20:10.386-05:002016-05-09T23:20:10.386-05:00@Jared - I think we're going to have to agree ...@Jared - I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on that one. I'm not sure a first act that relies mostly on recounting events of other movies as exposition is necessarily a "stand alone" film. Except when it is, as evidenced by the lopsided box office tilting toward Avengers with clear audience satisfaction with that movie.<br /><br />@rhpt - Yeah, I hear you. I'm not sure Cap shrugs it off, but he doesn't say much about it either, does he? He's clearly aware it's a problem and rushes in to help folks as soon as the conflict is passed, and he is "Mr. Perimeter of Safety" in Avengers. But he seems to mark it up as something less than what would have happened if they weren't there. Which is a perspective of sorts. And one we know cops and soldiers live with daily - but it doesn't get fully explored.<br /><br />I actually thought the subtext of the final act was that neither Cap was maybe more on Tony's side than he wanted to admit - and Tony seeing The Raft up close and personal maybe pushed him more toward's Cap's side - which is why you needed that big reveal at the end to make it a personal tragedy. <br /><br />And I don't know about kids these days. I was a Texas kid, and we said "sir" and "ma'am". Only people who do that now are expecting a goods-for-payment situation. The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-49126370885383871822016-05-09T22:05:34.129-05:002016-05-09T22:05:34.129-05:00It bugs me that Captain America seemingly doesn...It bugs me that Captain America seemingly doesn't care all that much about collateral damage. Sure, he's been in a real war, but you're involved in 9/11 type events every couple of years and it doesn't give you pause? I get Cap's motivations in the movie vis a vis the accords but he comes off cold. And you would think Cap would be more understanding towards Tony in the final act. Don't get me wrong, I think the movie is great. Loved Black Panther, [SPOILER] (!), and Spidey, and the conflict between Cap and Tony, but it was difficult for me not to side with Tony. <br /><br />And while I'm nitpicking, I didn't like that Peter called Aunty May "May". Respect your elders!RHPThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05617999946778955502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-73467156540125705162016-05-09T20:44:58.716-05:002016-05-09T20:44:58.716-05:00"I re-watched part of Avengers last night, an..."I re-watched part of Avengers last night, and it's very much NOT a stand-alone film. It nearly requires prior viewing of Thor, Iron Man and even Captain America to get what's happening in the movie (that the movie did so much better than those is puzzling, but whatevs). "<br /><br />No it really doesn't, there are references to things that happened before, like how Game of Thrones is filled with references to the Mad King, but are not seeing that doesn't take away anything.<br /><br />It's only because you did see the others that you keep reading it as more dependent then it really was.Kuudere-Kunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06537085979461349854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-45074212190748496112016-05-09T13:46:31.339-05:002016-05-09T13:46:31.339-05:00I'll be honest - and maybe this is a blog post...I'll be honest - and maybe this is a blog post and not a comment - but making a bi-monthly or so excursion to the cinema to see the latest superhero film has largely replaced my former addiction to superhero comics themselves. I don't even really care if the trailer looks good or bad - Marvel puts out at least a C+ on most of their product (the only bit I've flatly rejected is "Agents of SHIELD"), and that's more than I can say for any comics line. <br /><br />Yeah, this is a short blog post. I'll do that later some time.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-43441928190458893142016-05-09T13:34:54.738-05:002016-05-09T13:34:54.738-05:00I genuinely thought that Ant-Man was the film that...I genuinely thought that Ant-Man was the film that would have people going 'eh, I can skip this one' but it seemed to do ok, and I saw it in the cinema despite myself. Now I'm thinking it'll be Dr. Strange. I can't muster up any enthusiasm for Cumberbatch doing what so far seems like a Batman Begins retread.Paul Hainehttp://joeblade.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-3084697616656375592016-05-09T13:28:27.555-05:002016-05-09T13:28:27.555-05:00I'd say it's probably a little premature t...I'd say it's probably a little premature to call the patient dead if the box office holds on this one. But, yeah, I definitely wonder how long this can last. Film critics have been predicting a superhero implosion for years, and this summer has already seen record breaking numbers from two superhero movies, a record breaking spring Deadpool movie that's part of the X-Verse, and there's nothing that says X-Men won't continue the trend, I guess.<br /><br />I re-watched part of Avengers last night, and it's very much NOT a stand-alone film. It nearly requires prior viewing of Thor, Iron Man and even Captain America to get what's happening in the movie (that the movie did so much better than those is puzzling, but whatevs). <br /><br />I dunno. We're in a completely different age of serial storytelling than we were ten years ago. Between Netflixing TV series and Harry Potter proving you could put out a series of movies that totally did not stand on their own, the audience seems to be much better with serialized storytelling these days than old fashioned episodic storytelling, and, for good or ill, that's something comics have done since the 60's. They were in the right place at the right time. <br /><br />But, yeah, the question remains - exactly how bloated can the Marvel U get before it collapses in on itself? So far they seem to be able to pull it off, but surely there's a critical mass, as there often is for comics readers, of too much interconnectivity and dependence on seeing 30 other movies.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-45737154564718272302016-05-09T13:04:04.984-05:002016-05-09T13:04:04.984-05:00"Let''s be honest - if you're try..."Let''s be honest - if you're trying to look at Marvel movies as individual installments - you're utterly missing the point. "<br /><br />And that is why the MCU is not going to last, during Phase 1 and most of Phase 2 each film worked as a stand alone no matter how much critics said otherwise. But since Age of Ultron it's been going down hill.<br /><br />A Movie needs to work on it's own, otherwise I don't care what Universe it's in.Kuudere-Kunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06537085979461349854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-47519519299412270982016-05-09T09:31:28.163-05:002016-05-09T09:31:28.163-05:00Can't do it. I've tried to re-watch Age o...Can't do it. I've tried to re-watch Age of Ultron and it just feels like a bulletted plot point list played out. I agree, this movie is crammed with characters, and it's comic-booky nostalgia that elevates the film for me - it so replicates the excitement of a summer cross-over event from the 1980's, it was pushing a lot of buttons for me. And, of course, I don't need any introduction to any of these characters, so its just getting them onto the screen that matters.<br /><br />I intentionally avoided discussing the real-world analogies one could apply to the film as, unlike The Winter Soldier, it doesn't lend itself to that sort of thing in a 1:1 style. It is the toe dipping in the water of how comics often wind up being about themselves, with potential for discussion of management and misuse of power - something many superhero stories grapple with in the modern age.<br /><br />The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-77848547695758399952016-05-09T05:13:35.918-05:002016-05-09T05:13:35.918-05:00For me, Age of Ultron feels more confident and sol...For me, Age of Ultron feels more confident and solid the more I watch it, whereas Civil War felt very flimsy: too many characters that could have been removed without affecting the story, like Spider-Man, Ant-Man and Hawkeye. Not much depth to the political side of things. I enjoyed the film as I watched it but I'd be surprised if I revisit it any time soon.Paul Hainehttp://joeblade.comnoreply@blogger.com